Spoon & Tamago

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Observation Path Allows Public Viewing of Kumamoto Castle Restoration

October 6, 2020 / Johnny / Comments Off

A major earthquake in 2016 dealt a severe blow to Japan’s Kumamoto prefecture, as well as local treasure Kumamoto Castle. Stone walls, castle turrets and interior walls either collapsed or were severely damaged, undoing 60 years of prior restoration work. Now it’s being estimated that the castle’s restoration could take up to 20 years. But instead of closing off the work, Kumamoto City made the best of a bad situation: they created a beautiful arching pathway that invites visitors into the restoration process of their beloved relic.

A Tiny Bakery Built for a 13-Year Old with a Psychiatric Disorder

October 3, 2020 / Johnny / Comments Off

Whoever said architecture brings happiness, probably had something like this in mind. Mi-chan is a 13-year old girl living with a psychiatric disorder that makes it difficult for her to engage with others. But when she was 10 she discovered her love for baking pastries. So her parents built her a “Sweets Factory” designed to fulfill her dream to have her own store and bring joy to people through pastries.

Tomoko Sato Carves Intricate Designs into Fruits & Vegetables

October 2, 2020 / Johnny / Comments Off

floral designs carved into sweet potatoes, which were later cooked and served

Ah, Fall. After a scorching summer, a more gentle season has set in. And it’s reflected in several common Japanese associations such as dokusho no aki (“fall, the season of reading”), geijutsu no aki (“fall, the season for arts”) and shokuyoku no aki (fall, the season for appetites). Combining the latter two is artist Tomoko Sato, who creates edible artwork by carving intricate designs into fruits and vegetables.

Canon Crafts Kiriko Glasses Inspired by the Camera Lens

September 29, 2020 / Johnny / 1 Comment

Camera aficionados take note: Canon has teamed up with a craftswoman to create drinking glasses inspired by the camera lens and made from the traditional Edo Kiriko craft of cut glass. Two varieties of the “Lens Glasses” are being produced. One is modeled after light while the other is modeled after the sound of a shutter, both invisible yet essential elements of the camera.

Tokyo Public Parks are Prepared for the Next Natural Disaster

September 29, 2020 / Johnny / 1 Comment

Given Japan’s susceptibility to natural disasters such as earthquakes and hurricanes, landscape architects and urban engineers have been quietly re-designing public parks to function as evacuation areas. And many of these design tweaks are so subtle you wouldn’t even notice them, so we decided to check in on a few of Tokyo’s “Disaster Prevention Parks” and highlight some of the ingenious ways they will help citizens cope during the next disaster.

Winners of Japan’s 2020 Laundromat of the Year Award

September 26, 2020 / Johnny / 6 Comments

Around this time of year, a coveted prize is awarded within a niche industry in Japan: the Laundromat-of-the-Year-Award. It’s presented at an industry fair in Tokyo known as the International Coin-Operated Laundry EXPO where excellence in laundromats are recognized within various categories. In our humble opinion, this year’s winners are not as aesthetically pleasing as last year’s, but where they lack in style they make up in concept.

Spoon & Tamago Member Lecture with Shakuhachi Player Zac Zinger

September 22, 2020 / Johnny / Comments Off

Join us on Saturday October 3, 2020, for an online talk and intimate performance with multi-instrumentalist Zac Zinger. Versed in the shakuhachi, a Japanese bamboo flute, Zac will give us an introduction to traditional Japanese instruments and perform several pieces in what will be an evening of learning and meditative music. Zac has been recognized not only for his musical talent but for his cross-cultural musical presentation of fusing traditional Japanese instruments with jazz.

The online lecture will be available to Spoon & Tamago members. Already a member? Awesome! Members will automatically be receiving a link by email to join. Not a member? Consider joining us and getting access to this talk, as well as many other perks!

Online Member Lecture Series with Zac Zinger
WHEN: October 3, 2020 (EST) | 8:00 – 9:00 PM
WHERE: Zoom Meeting
HOW TO JOIN: All members will be receiving an email with a link to join the meeting.

UPDATE: the archive recording is now available and viewable below only to members who are signed in:

Yukino Ohmura Uses Stationery Store Stickers to Create Dazzling Nightscapes

September 21, 2020 / Johnny / Comments Off

Shinjuku (2019)

Ever since discovering the beauty and versatility of stationery store-bought dot stickers in art school, for over 10 years Japanese artist Yukino Ohmura has been using them to create dazzling nightscapes of Tokyo, Osaka and other major Asian cities. We featured her work back in 2014, but decided to catch up with her to see how her art is progressing.

Kadokawa Musashino Museum Designed by Kengo Kuma

September 18, 2020 / Johnny / 1 Comment

unless otherwise noted, all photos by Matthew Waldman

On August 1, 2020, Tokorozawa Sakura Town, a new suburban development in the northwestern outskirts of Tokyo, welcomed the opening of one of their major components: the Kadokawa Musashino Museum. Part museum and part library, the monolithic granite structure was designed by Kengo Kuma and developed by Kadokawa, a major publisher of manga and light novels.

Amayadori: Tadao Ando’s Circular Public Restroom Incorporates an Engawa

September 16, 2020 / Johnny / 1 Comment

The Tokyo Toilet project continues to make progress with the latest designer public restroom by Tadao Ando (previously) opening last week. Ando’s design features a circular floorplan with a spanning roof and engawa which, in Japanese architecture, is an edging strip of space on the outside of the building that occupies an area in between the interior and exterior.