Shigaraki-yaki is a type of Japanese pottery made in the eponymous region. If you’ve seen ceramic tanukis (Japanese raccoon dogs) outside restaurants or other establishments there’s a good chance they are made from Shigaraki-yaki. But forget tanukis for a moment because now an adorable set of miniature Totoro figurines from the magical film My Neighbor Totoro are being hand-produced by Shigaraki-yaki artisans.
Japanese designer Taku Omura runs an intriguing side project he calls trial and error. Inspired by their shapes and forms, Omura transforms company logos we see every day, into usable items by imagining them in 3D. He then uses a 3D-printer to create miniature prototypes and before you know it, Adobe’s logo is a clothes hanger and the Playstation logo is a bookend.
the Street Debater can be customized with different question to stimulate dialogue
The Street Debater is simple tool that acts like a balance scale. Attached to the two trays on each side are small chalkboards with the words Yes and No. They serve as the answer to a debatable question that invites passersby to engage with their thought and also their wallets. As coins accumulate, the scale shifts to one side or the other. It’s what Japanese designer Tomo Kihara calls a “playful intervention,” an attempt to break the invisible rules of what we consider normal.
**Editor’s note: Your correspondent’s trip to the Hiroshima region was disrupted by heavy rains that later caused widespread flooding, loss of life, and extensive property damage all over Western Japan. Relief efforts are ongoing, so please consider donating to one of the verified aid groups listed at the bottom of this post.**
There’s no doubt that President Obama’s trip to Hiroshima in 2015 put the city on the map in a big way for American tourists. Whereas the bulk of Western tourists to the region previously came from Europe and Australia, local promoters now report an uptick in interest from US-based travel agencies. The city’s destination-worthiness stems largely from its status as primary witness to the dawn of the atomic age, and the city’s monuments to the first-ever use of a nuclear weapon on a civilian population—The Peace Memorial Park, Museum, and A-bomb Dome—are certainly worth taking in at least once. But there’s no need to stop there, for the surrounding area offers much else of interest to the adventurous traveler.
Jyake-gai is Japanese slang for purchasing basically anything (a CD, a book, a bottle of wine) simply based on the design of the packaging or label. I will definitely be employing this practice on my next trip to Shibuya to pick up a bottle of this new Shibuya Sake. Admittedly, the mega-trendy (and mega-crowded) Tokyo hot spot does not come to mind as an ideal branding strategy for sake. But the label, which features Hachiko and Shibuya Crossing (known locally as scramble crossing) are surprisingly charming and adorable.
illustration of a sento (Japanese hot bath) by Akira Muracco
Akira Muracco is a Japanese freelance illustrator. Born in Shizuoka prefecture, Muracco has been active as a freelance illustrator since 2014 and has developed a lovely style of cool, pastel-based colors that often incorporate geometric and even cubist elements. Perfect for keeping cool during the summer!
Pets are like family. And for anyone who has lived with an animal, we know that losing one can be incredibly painful. But a Japanese artist who goes by the name Wakuneco helps cat-owners cope with that loss by creating realistic, three-dimensional felt portraits of their adorable kitty.
the 1st floor gift shop of the newly opened Sumika on Mt. Takao | all photos by Masao Nishikawa
Visiting Mt. Takao is one of our favorite get-out-of-Tokyo excursions. In a podcast we did last year with Tofugu we talked about all the great things that Mt. Takao has including a beautiful train station, a wonderful hands-on museum for kids and of course a beautiful hike. Now there’s another reason to go: the new Sumika restaurant and gift shop where you can get a good cup of coffee and some Tengu-themed sweets before the ascent.
all photography by Mikito Tateisi, courtesy Jun Kamei
Ask any fan of Harry Potter and they’ll tell you the Bubble-Head Charm is the most effective spell for breathing underwater. But now, thanks to science and curiosity, even this fantasy could be joining its talking-robot and self-driving-car peers in making the leap from science fiction to reality. Japanese designer Jun Kamei has created Amphibio: “a gill garment for our aquatic future,” which he is presenting as part of his graduation thesis from London’s Royal College of Art (RCA).
Graduating art student Eda Yoko presented her ongoing series “Sashimi of Things” as part of her senior thesis. Although seemingly photographed, these are expertly painted acrylic painting of everyday objects that are thinly sliced and presented as if they were sashimi.
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