Spoon & Tamago

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Celebrate the Arrival of Fall With a Forest of Kirie Foliage

all images courtesy Ayumi Shibata

Yesterday was the autumnal equinox: the official start of fall. And if you’re in Tokyo, there’s no better way to welcome in the season than at the KITTE, the design-forward commercial complex right outside Tokyo Station. Now through October 10th, kirie artist Ayumi Shibata, inspired by the fall foliage of a forest, has installed one of her largest works in the atrium of KITTE.

Tokujin Yoshika’s New Public Sculpture Glistens Outside Tokyo Station

September 16, 2022 / Johnny / Comments Off

all photos courtesy Tokujin Yoshioka

Designer Tokujin Yoshioka has unveiled his latest work: a gigantic 10-meter sculpture made of over 2000 stainless steel mirrored rods that converge, as if crystallizing, into a luminous star. The permanent sculpture of light is situated outside, just steps from Tokyo Station, and is designed to randomly reflect the natural and artificial lights of the city that change throughout the day.

A Tea Ceremony in a Portable Tea Room Atop Mount Fuji

September 11, 2022 / Johnny / Comments Off

photos courtesy Mori Soyu and Kazumasa Murayama

Last week, climbers approaching the summit of Mt. Fuji were treated to a special event: a tea ceremony inside a pop-up tea room set up at the eighth station of the Yoshida trail. The tea ceremony, which was scheduled just days before the end of Mt. Fuji’s hiking season, was intended to express gratitude for the blessings of Mt. Fuji.

Watch & Optical Repairman Creates Miniature Sculptures From Old Parts

September 10, 2022 / Johnny / Comments Off

all photos courtesy ticktackart

Hisashi Ito is the 2nd generation owner of Megane Tokei Ito, a small shop in Saga prefecture that specializes in the sales and repairs of watches and glasses. An optometrist by trade, Ito spends his time spare time toying with spare parts, upcycling them into miniature sculptures of animals and insects.

Maison Owl is a Cave-Like Restaurant in Yamaguchi Designed by Junya Ishigami

September 9, 2022 / Johnny / Comments Off

all images courtesy Maison Owl

It’s been almost 10 years since Motonori Hirata, the brainchild of the Maison Owl restaurant, came up with an idea to create a space that felt like entering a hideout. He conceived a restaurant that felt like it had been on earth for 10,000 years. And eating there, guests could imagine it being there for another 10,000 years. Hirata teamed up with architect Junya Ishigami, who helped bring his concept to life. Maison Owl had it’s soft-opening last lear and has been slowly working up towards full operation through an invitation-only policy. But they’re now preparing for an official opening this fall.

Gunkanjima from Above: Exploring What Was Once the World’s Most-Densely Populated City

September 1, 2022 / Johnny / 4 Comments

all aerial photos shot with drone by Jordy Meow

Gunkanjima, or battleship island, is a small abandoned island off the coast of Nagasaki. Originally just a small mound sticking out of the sea, it rapidly transformed into a prosperous, miniature city after coal was discovered in the late 1800s. Although the island does offer tours, over 90% of the land is off limits due to risk of collapse. So today we’re sharing some aerial photos captured recently by Jordy Meow using a drone, combined with archive photos.

Trompe-l’œil Illusions of Globs of Paint Form New Paintings by Teppei Takeda

August 27, 2022 / Johnny / Comments Off

The Japanese artist Teppei Takeda creates abstract portraits seemingly composed of bold and audacious brush strokes with globs of paint forming lines and contours of the face. However, step closer and you’ll discover that each and every glob of paint is a meticulously painted illusion and the work is as flat as the original canvas it was painted on.

Tetanpo: A Bird-Shaped Ceramic Hand Warmer

August 26, 2022 / Johnny / Comments Off

Riffing on the word yutanpo, which is Japanese for hot water bottle, tetanpo is an adorable bird-shaped ceramic hand warmer. Maybe you’ve been working on your computer on a cold day and your hands (and eyes) need a break? The tetampo was developed for just that type of situation.

Remembering Japanese Words Deleted From the Dictionary

August 25, 2022 / Johnny / 4 Comments

For the past 60 years Japanese book publisher Sanseido has maintained one of the country’s most-popular dictionaries. Every several years the dictionary undergoes a revision where new words are added and old ones removed. The latest such revision–the first in 8 years–was recently announced with 3500 new words added and 1,100 words removed. The removed are always interesting and generate somewhat of a buzz because they tell the story of forgotten times. Of course words aren’t simply removed because they’re “old” so to speak. So let’s take a walk down memory lane and remember some of the deleted words and why they were removed.

The Vase Boutique in Nakameguro is Located Inside a 70-Year Old Wooden Home

August 20, 2022 / Johnny / 1 Comment

all photos by Masanori Kaneshita

Vase is a small boutique–a select shop, as they say in Japan–located along an equally tiny side street next to the Meguro River. The shop has been in business for 15 years but last year they decided to expand. But they didn’t have to move far. A 70-year old vacant wooden house right next door turned out to be the perfect new home.