Some people have seen them, some have not. Throughout the country of Japan, the covers that enter into the underground are not simply plates of iron: they bring a happy and refreshing visual display as one walks and goes about their day. [Read more...]
Tron is back… in Japan! This beautifully choreographed 5 minute clip of Tron inspired goodness shows 8 dancers in full Tron-like suits that turn on and off. As they move, they come together, disappear, only to reappear somewhere else. It is an exceptionally well done dance piece and inspires new ideas for dances whether at a school play, a theater or a communal gathering such as Burning Man. Enjoy the show! [Read more...]
The skeletons of endangered birds and sea-life pop from flat sheets of paper into beautiful, eerie three-dimensional forms in Japanese designer Takayuki Hori’s series Oritsunagumono (things folded and connected). The pieces were his 1st place winning entry into the 2010 Mitsubishi Chemical Junior Designer Award, in which student designers submit their senior thesis works to be judged by a group of artists, designers, professors and critics. [Read more...]
These astoundingly intricate miniatures are so complex and so dreamlike they make one want to get closer and closer until you actually walk their many looping stairs and paths. Designed and built by Japanese artist Takanori Aiba, most of his pieces take a heavy dose of their influence from the art of bonsai, weaving plant-like forms throughout the classic architectural elements. Aiba even goes so far as to use the cascade form of bonsai in his piece above, along with classic terrariums and tables used in the art form. [Read more...]
Don’t be fooled, the image above is not real fish, but a carefully painted series of layers encased in clear resin! The work of Japanese painter Riusuke Fukahori, the pieces are incredibly hard to distinguish from actual living fish… so much so, we included some shots of him making the paintings below. [Read more...]
Dekotora: an art born in the land of the rising sun, where cool delivery trucks are customized with wild treatments of chrome, stainless steel, colorful airbrushed murals and hundreds of neon lights to brighten the night. In this new series All The Wrong Places from Vice, Elliott Bambrough explores Dekotora culture around Tokyo and the Japan countryside, visiting the birthplace of the trend which began in low budget mid-70s B movies about truckers going on adventures and “chasing tail.” While truck culture has been waning in Japan, Bambrough gives it a little kick… check out the Dekotora treatment to his Mini at the end of the video. [Read more...]
At the red hot temperature of 2100 degrees Fahrenheit, Japanese artist Etsuko Ichikawa draws molten glass snakes over paper to create what she calls, pyrographs. The abstract, curvaceous forms are scorched into the paper in shades from brown to black as she spreads, presses and loops the glowing mass over the floor. [Read more...]
These vintage subway posters from 1970′s and 1980′s Japan playfully use a host of pop culture icons to encourage proper etiquette while boarding and riding the countries many punctual trains. Charlie Chaplin’s fuhrer reminds us not to take up too much space, Superman wishes he hadn’t stepped in your gum and John Wayne lets us know when it’s smoke free time. This collection of posters is originally from the book Manner Poster 100, published in 1983. [Read more...]
Japanese artist Iori Tomita turns these little creatures of the sea into bright translucent pieces of art. He calls his process “New World Transparent Specimens” and the intensive process can take up to 5 months for a complete piece. It gives us an interesting, albiet unusual look inside these aquatic creatures. [Read more...]
This inspiring collection of vintage Japanese ads is sure to get your creative juices flowing. Just a small taste of the more than 5000 ads scanned by the excellent blog That’s Eurobeat, each in this sample ranges from about 1963 to 1978. Enjoy! [Read more...]
