Spoon & Tamago

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Spoon & Tamago’s Most-Popular Posts of 2025

December 21, 2025 / Johnny / Comments Off

As we near the end of 2025, we like to reflect on the stories that most captivated our readers’ attention, and as always, certain themes tend to emerge. 2025 marked the 80-year anniversary of the end of WWII. It was also a milestone year for Japan in terms of global attention. Tourism hit a record high while anime and soft power continued to see major expansion overseas.

For 18 years in a row, we continued to bring our readers stories from Japan as seen through our lens of art & design. 2025 was a year of loss, but also new beginnings. Artists continued to push old traditions and techniques into the future. From travel destinations and language-learning to reviving craftsmanship and discouraging food loss, these were the stories that mattered most to our readers.

Duct-Tape Typographer Shuetsu Sato Honored With Design Award

December 21, 2025 / Johnny / Comments Off

Shuetsu Sato began working as a security guard at Shinjuku Station in 2002. With constant construction and infrastructure upgrades, it was Sato’s job to redirect crowds using a megaphone. However, he found it to be an ineffective tool that was ignored by most. So with a few rolls of duct tape and a craft knife he took it upon himself to create some eye-catching signage.

RIP Ken-chan: The Cat Whose Epic Battle with Museum Security Guard Captured Hearts Across Japan

December 14, 2025 / Johnny / Comments Off

all photos courtesy Onomichi Museum of Art

Sadly, Japan has bid farewell to a beloved cat. Ken-chan, the local feline whose epic battle with a security guard at the Onomichi Museum of Art in Hiroshima became a fixture, passed away in September.

You’ll Soon Be Able to Stay in One of Japan’s Most Beautifully Designed Prisons

November 29, 2025 / Johnny / 2 Comments

photos by Masashi Mizowaki and Takaharu Yagi

Spending the night in jail is usually not a good thing. Unless of course you’re staying in Japan’s Nara Prison, a historic red-brick structure built in 1908 with western archways and onion domes that lend an air of castle more than incarceration. The prison shut down in 2017 but is being preserved for its architectural and historic significance. The renovated structure will reopen in 2026 as a hotel.

Japan’s Best Designer Christmas Trees of 2025

November 26, 2025 / Johnny / Comments Off

Japan takes Christmas very seriously, but in a commercial sense rather than a religious sense. Which is perhaps why, each year, we find some very interesting, unorthodox Christmas trees. So each year we make a point of cataloguing our favorite trees. This year we expanded our scope to include not just Tokyo but Osaka as well. From hand-knitted trees and hinoki wooden trees to trees made from 1000 prisms, here are the ones the wowed us the most.

And a reminder that these are all up until December 25, 2025 but after that they’ll be gone.

Every Fall This High School Art Teacher in Nara Sweeps Fallen Leaves into Ephemeral Art

November 24, 2025 / Johnny / 2 Comments

this year’s fall foliage creation featured Crayon Shinchan | all images courtesy hamacream

Over a decade ago a high school art teacher in Nara asked himself the question, what are some free activities that would inspire students to take an interest in art? The answer lay at his feet: the vibrant colors of the fall foliage that had fallen to the ground. So he picked up a broomstick and got to work.

JR East to Retire Iconic Suica Penguin After 25 Years of Service

November 11, 2025 / Johnny / Comments Off

Straphangers are mourning today after JR East announced that their beloved mascot, the Suica penguin, will retire after 25 years of serving as the iconic face of IC cards. The penguin was designed by picture book author and illustrator Chiharu Sakazaki and was modeled after the Adelie penguin, which lives in Antarctica.

Family Mart Designed Teary-Eyed Stickers to Combat Food Loss. They Worked So Well Now They’re Giving Them Out for Free

October 23, 2025 / Johnny / Comments Off

Family Mart, one of Japan’s largest conbini operators with over 15,000 stores across the country, has aggressive goals to reduce food waste. And an unexpected strategy were a series of adorable, teary-eyed stickers that the company launched in March 2025.

This Housing Project for Noto Earthquake Refugees, Constructed Without Any Nails or Adhesives, Just Won Japan’s Most-Prestigious Design Award

October 18, 2025 / Johnny / Comments Off

On New Year’s Day 2024, a magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck Ishikawa Prefecture’s Noto Peninsula. The death toll reached 245 and 76,144 housing units were damaged. Many residents were displaced amid the harsh winter cold, with approximately 15,000 seeking refuge.

Architect Shigeru Ban (previously) responded with a plan for 9 buildings that would house 166 households. They were constructed without the use of nails or any adhesives, and the first batch of 30 households were delivered in just under 3 months.

Recognized for their quality, speed and sustainability, the project was recently awarded the Good Design Grand Award — the highest honour of the Good Design Award 2025, presented by the Japan Institute of Design Promotion.

Meet the Artist Creating Humorous, Nihonga-Style Images of Daily Life with Their Rescue Cat

October 6, 2025 / Johnny / Comments Off

“This Sucks” by Poshichi | all images used with permission

Poshichi is a Japanese artist creating nihonga-style images of daily life. The digitally-rendered, anachronistic artworks often feature the artist’s cat in playful, humorous settings that are, at times, quiet and reflective while other times whimsical and even surreal. We spoke with the artist about their background, art style and, importantly, their cat.