Spoon & Tamago

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Japanese Designer New Year’s Cards of 2026

January 4, 2026 / Johnny / Comments Off

Happy New Year of the horse! The year of the horse (uma-doshi) is said to be auspicious in Japan, not only because it represents strength, speed and energy, but because of the wordplay: umaku iku (meaning, “everything will work out”) has the word uma (horse) in it. For those reasons, 2026 can be a time for bold moves, adventure, and breaking free from old patterns. And as tradition goes, we’ve assembled a few nengajo from some of our favorite artists that features this year’s zodiac animal. We hope they will inspire everyone to have a dynamic and transformative year!

Art Collective Mé Carves Holes Into Home, Revealing Cavernous Interior

December 28, 2025 / Johnny / Comments Off

Along a narrow residential street in Kanawa, the historic heart of Beppu City known for their geothermal hot springs, is an inconspicuous 2-story home that, until recently, would have been barely noticeable. With gaping holes carved into it, the home was recently revealed as art collective Mé’s newest installation.

Art Duo Recreates Street Scenes of Tokyo Entirely from Cardboard

December 22, 2025 / Johnny / Comments Off

For over 15 years, Japanese art duo ZUGAKOUSAKU & KURIEITO have been working together, meticulously recreating ordinary environments entirely from cardboard. At an exhibition at Mori Art Museum in Tokyo, the pair turn their childlike creativity to the grimy streets of Tokyo. Specifically, Roppongi. Everything from manhole covers and tactile pavement to signage and litter on the ground have been hand-crafted from cardboard and then painted, revealing slightly off kilter worlds.

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.