Spoon & Tamago

Page 54 of 406

Japan’s Jimi ‘Mundane’ Halloween Costumes of 2020

In 2014, a subculture emerged in Japan called jimi halloween (地味ハロウィン), or “mundane Halloween.” It was started by a group of adults at Daily Portal Z who “kind of wanted to participate in the festivities of Halloween, but were too embarrassed to go all out in witch or zombie costumes.” So instead of the flashy and flamboyant costumes they had been seeing gain popularity in Japan, they decided to dress up in mundane, everyday costumes. The type of costumes that you have to explain to people and then they say, ooooh I get it.

Despite the pandemic, organizers were still able to hold the event this year, both in-person and virtually. Here are some notable mundane Halloween costumes from this year’s event.

The Billowing, Organic Bamboo Sculptures of Tanabe Chiku’unsai IV

October 26, 2020 / Johnny / Comments Off

all photos by Tadayuki Minamoto

Born in 1973 in Osaka, Tanabe Chiku’unsai is a bamboo artist and craftsman that has been carrying on a family legacy that spans 4 generations. In 2017, at the age of 44, he was given the title of Chiku’unsai IV, making him the official bearer of his family’s craft of weaving, assembling and designing bamboo baskets. And while these pieces are stunning — works of art in their own right — where the 4th generation Chiku’unsai really excels is in going places where his ancestors haven’t: creating large-scale, site specific installations that engulf and encompass the spaces they’re constructed in.

Stump Chair by Satoshi Itasaka Made Using Excess Fabric From the Fast Fashion Industry

October 25, 2020 / Johnny / Comments Off

Designer Satoshi Itasaka (previously) has created Stump Chair, a highly durable, functioning chair made entirely from excess fabric from the fast fashion industry. This excess fabric is typically disposed of at both a financial and environmental cost. But by taking it and pressing it at high pressure, the designer managed achieve both beauty and durability.

Daisugi: The Japanese Forestry Technique of Creating a Tree Platform for Other Trees

October 20, 2020 / Johnny / 3 Comments

photograph courtesy Yusuke Narita

Sometime in 15th century Japan, a horticulture technique called daisugi was developed in Kyoto. Written as 台杉 and literally meaning platform cedar, the technique resulted in a tree that resembled an open palm with multiple trees growing out if it, perfectly vertical. Pictured above is a daisugi in Kyoto’s Kitayama district and is perhaps the most famous example in all of Japan.

STIIK: Chopsticks Designed to Align With Contemporary Cutlery

October 19, 2020 / Johnny / Comments Off

STIIK are a contemporary interpretation of the chopsticks, designed to align with modern cutlery like the knife, fork and spoon. Despite being Japan’s traditional form of eating utensil, chopsticks are used in settings that go way beyond traditional Japanese food. In fact, there are many western foods that are so much easier to eat using chopsticks (we like eating salad and potato chips with chopsticks).

Design Art Tokyo kicks off this week, transforming the city into an open air museum

October 18, 2020 / Johnny / Comments Off

Beginning this Friday, October 23, 2020, the annual Design Art Tokyo descends upon the city, transforming retailers and cafes and all sorts of venues into galleries. For 12 days, Tokyo becomes an open air museum where designers, artists and creators from around the world showcase their talents. There are any number of ways to enjoy the event. You can browse all the exhibitions and plan your own route with help from this PDF map. You can also seek inspiration by flipping through the official catalog. And if you can’t make it Tokyo this year there are a bunch of online talks that are happening.

Read on for just a few of our favorite picks!

New Balance’s Latest Tokyo Shop is Built in a Kura, Dismantled and Relocated from Kawagoe

October 16, 2020 / Johnny / Comments Off

New Balance, the American footwear company, has had a low-key presence in Japan since the 1980s. With 15 stores across Japan, the company shys away from the spotlight, working with equally low-key ambassadors like Ryuichi Sakamoto, rather than glitzy athletes or celebrities. But their latest concept store was an ambitious one: a project that called for the dismantling of an old kura warehouse in Kawagoe, transporting it, and — piece by piece — reconstructing it in Tokyo.

Seasonal Winds of Change Blow Through the Colorful Paintings of Ayune Shojima

October 15, 2020 / Johnny / Comments Off

Japanese painter Ayune Shojima creates colorful oil paintings filled with flora and fauna that seemingly overflow from the canvas. In her new series titled “Circle of Wind,” Shojima illustrates the seasonal winds of change that blow through the natural landscape. Each painting is like its own window into a bustling world of wildlife preparing for the new season.

Papa’s Maze 3.0: father’s hand-drawn maze is his most beautifully intricate yet

October 9, 2020 / Johnny / Comments Off

Thirty-five years since the artist we know as Papa created one of the most mind-bogglingly intricate hand-drawn mazes we had ever seen, he once again picked up his pen in an attempt to outdo himself. Using only his hand and a ballpoint pen, the artist began the daunting daily task of transferring the image from his brain, onto canvas.

Hibiya Okuroji: A New Alleyway of Shops and Eateries Underneath Tokyo Train Tracks

October 8, 2020 / Johnny / Comments Off

Leave it to Tokyoites to make the most of their limited, urban space. JR East and JR Tokai have collaborated on the renovation of a 300 m (roughly 1000 ft) long area underneath train tracks that run between Yurakucho and Shimbashi Stations. Located in the Hibiya district of Tokyo, an area of prime real estate neighboring Ginza, the reclaimed area has been named Hibiya Okuroji, with the latter being the Japanese word for alleyway.