Spoon & Tamago

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

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.

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.