Spoon & Tamago

Page 182 of 406

Astro Boy Traffic Light Unveiled in Sagami

November 18, 2014 / Johnny / Comments Off

Tezuka Osamu’s beloved robot Astro Boy, better known in Japan as Atomu, is using his mighty powers to direct traffic. In an attempt to promote their robotic industries and rebrand as “Robot Town,” the district of Sagami in Kanagawa prefecture has created a pedestrian traffic light in the likeness of Astro Boy. By simply swapping out the generic human figure with the recognizable robotic role model, government officials managed to put a fun twist on the ubiquitous crossing light.

The city even turned it into a scavenger hunt by intentionally hiding the location and encouraging residents and visitors to try and find the Astro Boy traffic light. The location has already been leaked thanks to a newspaper that mistakenly revealed the location in their headline. Here is a Google Map link to the location (spoiler alert, obviously).

An Exhibition of Vintage Subway Manner Posters by Hideya Kawakita

November 17, 2014 / Johnny / Comments Off

hideya kawakita vintage tokyo metro posters

“The Dictator” 1976.July | taking their cue from Charlie Chaplin’s “The Great Dictator,” this poster discourages the man-spread.

In the mid-70s in Tokyo a series of eye-catching posters appeared in Tokyo that featured appropriations of iconic western imagery like Hitler, Superman, Marilyn Monroe and Santa Claus. Each poster promoted proper subway etiquette and manners like not smoking on the platform during rush hour, not spitting gum and displaying your train pass clearly. The comical posters, which ran from 1974-1982, were the work of graphic designer Hideya Kawakita, a man who arguably has had the biggest impact on the image of Tokyo’s subway.

IMAGINATOMY: Art Director Yuni Yoshida’s 1st Solo Exhibition

November 14, 2014 / Johnny / Comments Off

Yuni Yoshida is a 34-year old graphic designer and art director. She’s made a name for herself by art directing various campaigns for department stores like La Foret Harajuku and Parco, as well as CD jackets for J-Pop acts like AKB48 and Kaela Kimura. Her work often features female models in surreal, dreamlike settings that make you look, and then look a little closer. And now, for the first time, her large body of work is meticulously recreated and is being put on display in a retrospective at Laforet Museum in Harajuku.

Nasa Funahara Creates Colorful Replicas of Famous Paintings Using Masking Tape

November 13, 2014 / Johnny / Comments Off

“Girl with a Pearl Earring” by Johannes Vermeer created with masking tape

Nasa Funahara is a senior at Musashino Art University majoring in oil painting. Her hobbies, she says, include napping, arts and crafts and collecting masking tape. “I own about 450 rolls,” she told* a reporter earlier this year, referring to her ever-growing collection of making tape. “Whenever I find a color or pattern that I like I end up buying it.” So it was only a matter of time before Funahara turned to her massive collection for creative solutions too.

Baku Maeda Turns Dried Foliage into Leaf Beasts

November 12, 2014 / Johnny / Comments Off

For most of us fall is certainly in the air. Temperatures are dropping, humidity is dispersing and leaves are changing color and falling to the ground. For artist Baku Maeda, who lives in the Northernmost island of Japan, Hokkaido, fall and winter come a bit earlier than most.

Last winter Maeda came up with some seasonally appropriate eye wear as a way to cope. This year he’s found a simple yet creative way to amuse himself by turning some of those fallen leaves on the ground into beastly creatures.

Ginji the Hamster Photographed in Miniature Japanese Bars and Rooms

November 10, 2014 / Johnny / Comments Off

Ginji the hamster bartender | all photos courtesy @kawanabesatou

“I run an Izakaya,” says Ginji the hamster, introducing himself in his twitter profile. “My assistant’s name is Kosuke Sato and he runs a graveyard in Yachiyo City, Chiba.” Oddly enough, this is true. Sato really does operate a graveyard. He’s also a certified dog trainer and the proud owner of several pet hamsters. In his spare time he enjoys replicating Japanese bars (izakaya) and other rooms in miniature form and then photographing his hamsters as bartenders.

Mother Book: a pregnancy diary that grows with the mother’s belly

November 7, 2014 / Johnny / 1 Comment

In order to promote their obstetrics business and birthing facilities in Japan Kishokai Medical Corp. partnered with ad agency Dentsu to create one of the most lovely pregnancy diaries I’ve ever seen.

Stay-Brella: a stable umbrella designed by Nendo

November 6, 2014 / Johnny / Comments Off

There can be any number of explanations for the Japanese passion for reinventing the umbrella. We’ve seen many iterations of the redesigned, reimagined device from the smart umbrella with anti-slip coatings, the inverted UnBRELLA and even an umbrella that looks like a head of lettuce. But the latest comes from Oki Sato of Nendo, who has focused his energy not on the canopy or the ribs but the handle.

Tomoko Takeda Cuts & Folds Literary Masterpieces to Reveal a Multilayered Image

November 6, 2014 / Johnny / Comments Off

“The Little Prince” by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. All photos courtesy Tomoko Takeda | click to enlarge

If you had to distill a book down to a single image, what would it be? In essence, that’s the idea behind Tomoko Takeda’s latest project monogatari no danpen (fragments of stories). Except the artist and art director takes her concept one step – or one cut, if you will – further.

A Gorgeous Bus Terminal In Akita Constructed Entirely From Cedar Wood

November 5, 2014 / Johnny / 1 Comment

Bus terminals are typically ugly places littered with garbage, stained with oil and reeking of exhaust. But for many it’s also the first and last place you see when arriving and departing. As a gateway to towns and cities the bus terminal should be emblematic of its location – a teaser for sights and attractions that are yet to come. That was the thinking behind Akita Station’s gorgeous new bus terminal located on the west side of the station.