Spoon & Tamago

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A Chandelier of 28,000 Eggs and Other Scrumptious Delights Reframe our Consumption of Food

The Osaka Expo 2025 kicks off on April 13th. And while we’re excited about some pretty niche things like Hello Kitty algae and attendant uniforms, one of Japan’s signature pavilions, Earth Mart, is shaping up to be delightfully delicious. Located within the expo’s Green World zone, Earth Mart will make you rethink and reevaluate the current state of food by exploring new ways of eating through interactive exhibitions and installations. One iconic installation is a chandelier made from 28,000 eggs, a figure that represents the average number of eggs every Japanese person consumes in their lifetime.

Kei Endo Measures the World Around Her Through Detailed Survey Drawings

February 23, 2025 / Johnny / Comments Off

Kei Endo is an accomplished architect and draughtswoman who got her start by merging her hobbies of travelling and art: she began sharing her detailed, architectural survey drawings of the hotel rooms she stayed at. This wonderful side-hustle eventually blossomed into a career. And Endo’s repertoire expanded from hotel rooms to hotel amenities, meals, desserts and all the small delights around her. Now, for the first time, she’s staging an exhibition of old a new works.

Furisode Snowboarder Sumire Morino Creates Urushi Snowboarding Gear for Graduating Thesis

February 15, 2025 / Johnny / Comments Off

Hailing from rural Aomori in northern Japan, Sumire Morino grew up skiing and snowboarding. She is currently in art school studying traditional Japanese crafts. And so when Morino turned twenty, 2 years ago, she celebrated coming-of-age-day the only way she knew how: hitting the slopes in a traditional furisode kimono.

Contemporary Nihonga Images of Hamsters Created by Otama-shimai

February 2, 2025 / Johnny / Comments Off

all images by Otama-shimai | used with permission

The Japanese artist who goes by the name Otama-shimai creates Nihonga-style images almost exclusively of hamsters. Nihonga is a Japanese style of painting coined in the mid-1800s to differentiate it from its Western counterpart. Typically made from organic pigments and depicting animals or landscapes, nihonga can be difficult to place, time-period wise. But every now and then the artist will playfully incorporate a contemporary item from everyday life like high-heels or store bought yarn, removing any ambiguity.

Kamon Reinvented: Food-Inspired Family Crests by So Terada

January 31, 2025 / Clara Kreft / Comments Off

Japanese family crests, or kamon, are visual symbols that have represented family lineage and identity sometimes for centuries. While they are often associated with tradition and cultural heritage, their meanings, usage, and significance can vary widely. Some kamon hold profound historical or personal meaning for families, while others may have been chosen for aesthetic reasons or simply inherited without deeper thought. These variations make kamon, a practice deeply intertwined with family narratives, yet subject to varying levels of personal or historical significance. Designer and illustrator So Terada has brought a playful twist to family crests, by reimagining kamon with food-inspired designs.

“I saw, I cut, I applied.” Discover the Artwork of Ayako Miyawaki

January 26, 2025 / Johnny / Comments Off

World War II ended in 1945. That same year, at the age of 40 and with a husband and 3 children, Ayako Miyawaki would begin an artistic career so full of vitality and creative freedom that she would go on to produce hundreds of works made from rags and other textiles stitched together.

The New Hiroshima Jimoto Collection is a Celebration of the Electric Railway

January 20, 2025 / Johnny / 1 Comment

Get ready to show your love for Hiroshima. Specifically, their Electric Railway. An integral part of the city’s history and modern-day transportation, Hiroshima boasts the longest and most utilized streetcar network in Japan, operated by the Hiroshima Electric Railway Company and affectionately known as Hiroden. And you’ll soon be able to carry the Hiroden with you wherever you go, thanks to a new collection that includes t-shirts, socks, tote bags and an amazing pair of earrings.

Visit the Stunning Echigo Yakuso Distillery Where Award-Winning Gin is Produced

January 20, 2025 / Johnny / Comments Off

all photographs by Koji Fujii(TOREAL) courtesy EA Research and Design Office

Located in tranquil Joetsu City, Echigo Yakuso is a health food company that has been researching medicinal herbs and fermented foods for over 40 years. During their production process of products, which include teas, vinegars, kimchi and supplements, the company realized that tons of alcohol was being produced as a bi-product of the process. Instead of letting it go to waste, the company decided to put their knowledge of local herbs to use to create a distilled alcohol they called The Herbalist Yaso Spirits.

Hermes Celebrates a Feast of Fruits with their Kaorumi Collection of Tableware Illustrated by Ryo Takemasa

January 19, 2025 / Johnny / Comments Off

Japanese illustrator Ryo Takemasa (previously) has created a series of symmetrical fruit illustrations in collaboration with Hermes, which adorn a new collection of tableware called Kaorumi, meaning the fragrance of fruits in Japanese. Working with a compass and ruler, Takemasa composed perfectly symmetrical shapes that are complimented by delicate shades and textures.

The Daruma Leather Bag is the Perfect New Year Accessory

January 11, 2025 / Johnny / Comments Off

Commonly associated with the new year, Daruma dolls are a type of wishing doll considered an ornament but also a symbol of good fortune and the ultimate lucky charm. With its austere, rounded form, intense expression, and distinctive eyebrows, the Daruma doll was originally modeled after the 5th-century founder of Zen Buddhism, Bodhidharma.

Japanese leather bagmaker Tsuchiya Kaban has created a hand-crafted leather bag whose sole purpose is to carry a Daruma doll.