Spoon & Tamago

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Glass Coffeeware Brand Hario Created a Jewelry Business to Help Artisans Hone Their Craft

Hario’s original glass studio in Tokyo’s Kanda Sudacho neighborhood

Since their founding in 1921, Hario has done one thing: create high-quality glassware. From the beginning, the company specialized in heat-resistant glass and provided the scientific community with beakers and test tubes. Today they are known around the world for their coffee and tea accessories.

Over the past century the company noticed that the craft of glassmaking was quickly being replaced by industrial machines. So in 2013, Hario established a jewelry studio called Hario Lampwork Factory as an outlet for their artisans to hone their skills but also to create a structure that ensures the art of glassmaking is passed down to the next generation.

Advertisement for New Crime Drama Elpis Has Cool Visual Trick

October 26, 2022 / Johnny / Comments Off

Elpis is a new Japanese crime drama that began airing this week. The key visual features the main protagonists of the story, alongside what appears to be glitches often seen on digital screens where colors are skewed sideways. But look closely because these glitches are not what they appear to be.

Tokyu Hands Reborn as ‘Hands.’ A Closer Look at Nendo’s Rebranding

October 26, 2022 / Johnny / 3 Comments

Last year a collective groan from the creative community was heard around Japan and the world after it was announced that Tokyu Hands, everyone’s favorite DIY retailer, was being sold to to Cainz, a home improvement store operator. The fate of the brand had been shrouded in mystery until today, when it was announced that Tokyu Hands had been rebranded to Hands. Let’s take a look at the design which, if nothing else, signals an investment into a brand that has been cherished by so many.

Mai Suzuki Proposes New Applications For Traditional Kumiko

October 22, 2022 / Johnny / Comments Off

Kumiko is a traditional Japanese technique that utilizes numerous wooden bars, crossed and laid to form various designs and expressions. No nails or metal pieces are used, and the wooden parts are put together by adjusting grooves and angles. The final designs are typically flat, and were traditionally utilized as space dividers but more recently have taken on modern functions like coasters.

Breaking that mold is Mai Suzuki and kumiko craftsman Kazuhiro Kadowaki who, together, have created spherical kumiko that offer new and exciting applications.

ForestBank: A New Type of Lumber Made From ‘Worthless’ Forest Debris by Yuma Kano

October 22, 2022 / Johnny / Comments Off

Forestbank is a new type of material, created by designer Yuma Kano, that aggregates materials from the forest typically deemed worthless for construction or furniture making. Specifically, small trees, foliage, bark, seeds, soil, and other small forestry debris are mixed with a reactive mineral base and water-based acrylic resin that uses no organic solvents or volatile organic compounds, resulting in a new type of material born from worthlessness and yet contains more elements of the forest than typical lumber.

Sculptural Concrete Lighting by Ryuichi Kozeki Looks to the Past for a Sustainable Future

October 22, 2022 / Johnny / Comments Off

Japanese designer Ryuichi Kozeki has created a new series of sculptural desk lamps called “Figure of Light.” The pieces, explains the designer, are inspired by the skylight of the Pantheon in Rome, and so it only made sense that the material also pay homage to ancient roman techniques as well.

Birthplace of the Capybara Hot Bath Celebrates 40 years of Rodent Relaxation

October 21, 2022 / Johnny / Comments Off

all photos courtesy Izu Shabonten Zoo

Back in 1982, a zookeeper at Japan’s Izu Shabonten Zoo was cleaning one of the Capybara pens with warm water when they noticed that a group of them had gathered in a puddle of warm water and were soaking their feet and bums. These large yet gentle rodents loved water but the winter chill was too much for them, so the the zoo keeper had the idea of filling a pool with hot water. Sure enough, the Capybara’s climbed in and seemed overwhelmed with joy. Ever since, the zoo has maintained an annual winter tradition of hot baths for their Capybaras and this year they’re celebrating the 40th anniversary of the tradition.

Nina Nomura Breathes New Life into Plastic Products Through Perforation

October 16, 2022 / Johnny / Comments Off

Working with a soldering iron and an air filtration mask, Japanese artist Nina Nomura melts holes into everyday plastic products, rendering them with an otherworldly perforated skin that resembles molecular structures. The meticulous process gives the inorganic plastic a new sense of life.

Nipponia Kosuge: A Village of 700, Turned Into a Sprawling Hotel

October 15, 2022 / Johnny / 4 Comments

Japan’s aging demographics is a well-known issue that’s been talked and written about countless times. But combined with a greying population, the country has also seen another long-term trend: population growth in city centers, spurred by younger generations moving from suburban to urban areas. Combined, the two issues have resulted in what the Japanese government dubs genkai shuraku (限界集落) or marginal village: areas that are at risk of disappearing altogether due to their demographics.

Various creative efforts to revitalize these regions—it’s believed there are over 750 of them—has been somewhat successful with young professionals taking a renewed interest in Japan’s outer suburbs. One of the latest initiatives is Nipponia Kosuge: an attempt to transform a village of just 700 people into a sprawling, interconnected hotel.

Glass Ghost Chopstick Rests are the Perfect Halloween Accessory

October 14, 2022 / Johnny / Comments Off

It’s officially fall, ya’ll. And that means the spookiest holiday of them all. Do you have any Halloween parties on the calendar? Or maybe you’re just looking to introduce some spooky spirits into your everyday? Well look no further, for we’ve found the perfect halloween accessory you didn’t know you need: ghost chopstick rests handmade by a glass artisan based in Nagano, Japan.