+ Katsuhiro Otomo, Sayonara America, Sayonara Nippon

+

+ Nevalyashka Dolls

Most of us are familiar with the Soviet classic Matroshka, but what about Nevalyashka, the first toy for millions of Russian children in the early 1900's.  The doll was inspired by the Japanese Daruma doll, which was a Zen good luck statue made to resemble the Bodhidharma Buddhist Monk. 

+Toshiko Horiuchi-MacAdam's crocheted Playgrounds

Toshiko explains on her website that she specializes in "creating large, interactive textile environments that function both as imaginative and vibrant explorations of color and form, at the same time as providing thrilling play environments."

The artist created this playground where children can interact with her art. Ordering her yarn supplies by the ton, Horiuchi-MacAdam works with a team to produce the massive structures. They build large sections of each playground, and then join the sections and test them onsite during installation. The design includes all kinds of vibrantly colored nets, swings, cushions, and pockets for children to play on and explore.

Horiuchi-MacAdam believes in bringing joy and laughter to children through these creative projects. She finds great pleasure in watching the soft fabric transform and come alive as the children stretch, climb, and swing on the materials. Her most treasured moments are hearing what she describes as the "undisguised delight of children exploring a new play space."

photos from archdaily.com, text from http://www.mymodernmet.com/

+ monk of emptiness

“A komusō (虚無僧) was a Japanese monk during the Edo period. Komusō were characterised by the straw basket (tengai) worn on the head, manifesting the absence of specific ego. They are also known for playing solo pieces on the shakuhachi flute. The Japanese government introduced reforms after the Edo period, abolishing the sect. Komusō means ”priest of nothingness” or “monk of emptiness”

-wikipedia (text)
-Myoan Shakuhachi (image)

+ chusen Tenugui

Chusen is a traditional japanese dying method and Tenugui is simply ‘a piece of dyed cotton cloth’.


factory workshop , a photo by sillyhancox on Flickr.

+ Hiroko Takahashi is a artist and designer who makes moern kimonos. she works with exceptional craftsmen to achieve uniquely dyed fabric, using an ancient japanese technique called chusen.


Tenugui by HIROCOLEDGE use the traditional dyeing method called “chusen,” where you pour the dye over the fabric.

Hiroko is actively involved in the manufacturing, and she even dyes some of the fabrics herself.
http://pingmag.jp/2008/12/12/hirocoledge/


+ this site illustrates the entire process in a factory in japan

http://spacetothinkdesign.wordpress.com/2010/04/28/the-making-of-‘chusen’-tenugui/

+ ahh japan...

http://inhabitat.com/giant-fruit-shaped-bus-stops-line-streets-in-japan/fruit-bus-stops-japan-ameblo-jp5/?extend=1

+ tokyo of the future

'metabolism - the city of the future' exhibition poster

in tokyo, japan, the mori art museum recently hosted a special talk event between dutch architect and pritzker prize
laureate rem koolhaas of OMA and the museum director nanjo fumio. coinciding with the ongoing exhibition
'metabolism, the city of the future: dreams and visions of reconstruction in postwar and present-day japan', the topic
of discussion addressed the importance and presence of the metabolists within the post world war climate. these individuals
were catalysts to the metabolism movement which was initiated by visionary japanese architects including kurokawa kisho
and kikutake kiyonori. this group which emerged at the time supported rapid economic growth, population increases and
expansions of cities. koolhaas' new publication 'project japan: metabolism talks', released on october 28th, 2011,
analyzes the importance of these individuals through a lens of the architectural scene of today.

faced with difficult decisions in regards to the nation's post-disaster reconstruction efforts, rem referenced specific
works by kurokawa including the 'nakagin capsule tower building', a residential and office tower comprised of modular
units located in tokyo. built in 1972, the structure demonstrates the success and longevity of these construction methods
as it is still in use today without the replacement of any capsules.

http://www.designboom.com/weblog/cat/9/view/17427/rem-koolhaas-project-japan-metabolism-talks.html

+ language lesson from my friend Hayato in tokyo

Kawaii
Kawaii is the quality of cuteness, especially in the context of Japanese culture.[1] The word has been used in Japanese since the 1970s.[2] kawaisa (可愛さ?) (literally, "lovability", "cuteness" or "adorableness"), has become a prominent aspect of Japanese popular culture, entertainment, clothing, food, toys, personal appearance, behavior, and mannerisms.[3] The adjective[4] is kawaii (可愛い?)[5] (literally, "lovable", "cute",[6] or "adorable"[7]).

The words "kawaisa" and "kawaii" have the root word "kawai" which is formed from the kanji "ka" (可), meaning "acceptable", and "ai" (愛), meaning "love". The term kawaii has taken on the secondary meanings of "cool,"[8] "groovy,"[8] "acceptable,"[9] "desirable,"[9] "charming"[10] "non-threatening".[10]



An example in construction work: Temporary guardrail in Narita.
text and pictures from wikipedia

+ Original Tanigami Konan (1879 - 1928)

Japanese Woodblock Print
Montbretia and Scabiosa
Series; Album of Western Plants and Flowers, 1917

Japanese man from the Meiji era

Fruits by Shoiki Aoki

"My interest in fashion stems from the way people express themselves through the clothes they wear. It doesn't matter what kind of clothes individual designers make, what is important are one's thoughts and ability to express them, one's life and its relationship to the environment. when such elements are combined they create a sculpture. this sculpture I call street art"