Design ~ Pink Tentacle (5)

Tag: ‘Design’

Photos: Expo ’70

16 Mar 2010

The 1970 World's Fair -- a.k.a. Expo '70 -- opened in Osaka 40 years ago this week. A total of 77 countries attended the event and the number of visitors surpassed 64 million people, making it one of the largest and best attended expositions in history. This was the first World's Fair to be held in Japan, a nation that had experienced an extremely rapid period of development in the 1960s. The theme of the Expo was "Progress and Harmony for Mankind," and the aim was to showcase the possibilities of modern technology to create a foundation for a high quality of life and peace throughout the world. Here are some photos and videos from the event.

Expo '70 --
Tower of the Sun [petespix75]

Expo '70 --
Toshibia-IHI Pavilion [m-louis]

Expo '70 --
Expo Tower [Anton Rauben Weiss]

Expo '70 --
Switzerland Pavilion [m-louis]

Expo '70 --
Netherlands Pavilion [nyclondonguy]

Expo '70 --
Gamera vs. Monster X (battle at the Expo)

[Gamera vs. Monster X trailer (and more)]

Expo '70 --
Japan Telecommunications Pavilion // Sumitomo Fairy Tale Pavilion [Anton Rauben Weiss]

Expo '70 --
Bulgaria Pavilion [Dimiter Dimitrov]

Expo '70 --
Gas Pavilion [rbdx]

Expo '70 -- Italy Pavilion [nyclondonguy]

Expo '70 --
Fountain designed by Isamu Noguchi [petespix75]

Expo '70 --
Robots [rbdx] // [rbdx]

Expo '70 -- Barbie goes to Expo '70 [eizzily]

Expo '70 --
Takara Beautilion Pavilion [Anton Rauben Weiss]

Expo '70 --
US Pavilion [More]

Expo '70 --
Furukawa Pavilion [m-louis]

Expo '70 --
USSR Pavilion [petespix75]

Expo '70 --
Korea Pavilion // Takara Beautilion Pavilion [m-louis]

Expo '70 --
Expo '70 sign on Osaka street [Thomas Abercrombie via a girl named Steve]

Expo '70 --
Wacoal-Riccar Pavilion [rbdx]

Expo '70 --
Expo ropeway [Anton Rauben Weiss]

[Antropik ★ Expo 70]

Expo '70 --
Expo '70 scenery [petespix75]

Expo '70 --
Furukawa Pavilion [nyclondonguy]

Expo '70 --
Brochures for USSR and Belgium [More]

Expo '70 --
West Germany Pavilion [Stockhausen]

Expo '70 --
Textiles Pavilion [m-louis]

Expo '70 --
The Tower of the Sun [m-louis]

Expo '70 --
Netherlands Pavilion [petespix75]

Expo '70 --
Expo '70 monorail [petespix75]

[Expo '70 Osaka]

Expo '70 --
Fountains by Isamu Noguchi [Anton Rauben Weiss]

Expo '70 --
Aerial view of Green Pavilion [Stellavista]

17 Comments

Yusaku Kamekura posters

04 Mar 2010

Here is a collection of posters by the father of Japanese graphic design, Yusaku Kamekura.

Poster by Yusaku Kamekura --
Sofu Teshigahara, One Man Show, 1954 [+]

Poster by Yusaku Kamekura --
Nikon, 1954 [+]

Poster by Yusaku Kamekura --
Gropius and Bauhaus Exhibition, 1954 [+]

Poster by Yusaku Kamekura --
Nikon Mikron Binoculars, 1955 [+]

Poster by Yusaku Kamekura --
Graphic '55 Exhibition, 1955 [+]

Poster by Yusaku Kamekura --
Fuji Photo Contest, 1955 [+]

Poster by Yusaku Kamekura --
Atomic Energy for Peaceful Industry, 1956 [+]

Poster by Yusaku Kamekura --
Nikon SP, 1957 [+]

Poster by Yusaku Kamekura --
Terror and Sorrow! Cancer! 1959 [+]

Poster by Yusaku Kamekura --
"Design" Magazine Cover, 1959 [+]

Poster by Yusaku Kamekura --
Nikkorex 35, 1960 [+]

Poster by Yusaku Kamekura --
Nikkor Lens, 1960 [+]

Poster by Yusaku Kamekura --
Poster for 18th Olympic Games, 1961 [+]

Poster by Yusaku Kamekura --
Rayon and Synthetic Fibres of Japan, 1961 [+]

Poster by Yusaku Kamekura --
Rayon and Synthetic Fibres of Japan, 1962 [+]

Poster by Yusaku Kamekura --
Election Poster, 1967 [+]

Poster by Yusaku Kamekura --
Japan World Exposition, Osaka, 1967 [+]

Poster by Yusaku Kamekura --
Office Design Exhibition, 1970 [+]

Poster by Yusaku Kamekura --
Nikomat, 1971 [+]

Poster by Yusaku Kamekura --
Tokyo International Design Competition for Lighting Fixtures, 1973 [+]

Poster by Yusaku Kamekura --
The 8th Annual Tokyo International Lighting Design Competition, 1977 [+]

Poster by Yusaku Kamekura --
The 9th Annual Tokyo International Lighting Design Competition, 1979 [+]

Poster by Yusaku Kamekura --
The 10th Tokyo International Lighting Design Competition, 1983 [+]

Poster by Yusaku Kamekura --
Hiroshima Appeals, 1983 [+]

[From "The Works of Yusaku Kamekura," Rikuyosha, 1983]

11 Comments

Vintage Japanese industrial expo posters

11 Feb 2010

Here is a collection of posters from various expositions held in Japan in the 1920s to 1940s.

Vintage Japanese industrial exhibition poster --
National Industrial Exhibition - Himeji, 1926 [+]

Vintage Japanese industrial exhibition poster --
National Products Progress Exhibition - Sapporo, 1926 [+]

Vintage Japanese industrial exhibition poster --
Grand Exposition in Commemoration of the Imperial Coronation - Kyoto, 1928 [+]

Vintage Japanese industrial exhibition poster --
Sea and Air Exhibition - Tokyo, 1930 [+]

Vintage Japanese industrial exhibition poster --
The National Products Progress Exhibition - Kagoshima, 1931 [+]

Vintage Japanese industrial exhibition poster --
National Horse Exhibition - Osaka, 1933 [+]

Vintage Japanese industrial exhibition poster --
Tourism Industry Exhibition - Nara, 1933 [+]

Vintage Japanese industrial exhibition poster --
Yokohama Exposition - Yokohama, 1935 [+]

Vintage Japanese industrial exhibition poster --
National Exposition - Iga-Ueno, 1935 [+]

Vintage Japanese industrial exhibition poster --
National Defense and Resources Exposition - Himeji, 1936 [+]

Vintage Japanese industrial exhibition poster --
National Defense and Resources Exposition - Himeji, 1936

Vintage Japanese industrial exhibition poster --
Exposition Commemorating Hakata Port Construction - Fukuoka, 1936　[+]

Vintage Japanese industrial exhibition poster --
Exposition Commemorating the Construction of Hakata Port - Fukuoka, 1936 [+]

Vintage Japanese industrial exhibition poster --
Japan-Manchuria Industrial Exhibition - Toyama, 1936 [+]

Vintage Japanese industrial exhibition poster --
Nagoya Pan-Pacific Peace Exposition - Nagoya, 1937 [+]

Vintage Japanese industrial exhibition poster --
Nangoku Tosa Exhibition - Kochi, 1937 [+]

Vintage Japanese industrial exhibition poster --
International Hot Spring Tourism Exposition - Beppu, 1937 [+]

Vintage Japanese industrial exhibition poster --
Second Sino-Japanese War Exhibition - Osaka, 1938 [+]

Vintage Japanese industrial exhibition poster --
Greater East Asia Construction Exposition - Osaka, 1939 [+]

Vintage Japanese industrial exhibition poster --
National Defense Science Exposition - Tokyo/Kanagawa, 1940 [+]

Vintage Japanese industrial exhibition poster --
National Defense Science Exposition - Hyogo, 1941 [+]

Vintage Japanese industrial exhibition poster --
National Defense Science Exposition - Hyogo, 1941

Vintage Japanese industrial exhibition poster --
Asia Development and Defense Exposition - Toyota City, 1941 [+]

[Via: Nihon no Hakurankai, published by Heibonsha Limited, 2005]

27 Comments

Chanel samurai armor

07 Jan 2010

Coco Chanel samurai armor by Tetsuya Noguchi --
[via]

In a salute to luxury brand Chanel, artist Tetsuya Noguchi has created some concept samurai armor suits designed to appeal to the fashion-conscious warrior. Made from resin, cashew lacquer, cloth and glass, the exquisitely crafted protective suits sport the iconic double-C logo, allowing the wearer to flaunt his superior social status while crushing the enemy on the battlefield.

Coco Chanel samurai armor by Tetsuya Noguchi --
[via]

13 Comments

‘Kamikaze’ New Year’s cards (1937)

31 Dec 2009

Kamikaze --
Kamikaze (from an unidentified series)

This high-spirited set of vintage New Year's cards celebrates the historic flight of the Kamikaze, a Mitsubishi Ki-15 aircraft that became the first Japanese-built plane to fly from Japan to Europe. Sponsored by the Asahi Shimbun newspaper and piloted by Masaaki Iinuma (who came to be known as "the Japanese Lindbergh"), the Kamikaze made its momentous 51-hour flight from Tokyo to London in April 1937. The New Year's cards were printed later that year by Tanaka & Co. (the artist is unknown).

Kamikaze --
Kamikaze between Tokyo and London (from the "Japan in Progress" series)

Kamikaze --
Kamikaze and pilot (from an unidentified series)

Kamikaze --
Kamikaze (from an unidentified series)

Kamikaze --
Kamikaze and pilot (from an unidentified series)

Kamikaze --
Kamikaze over Mt Fuji (from the "Japan in Progress" series)

Kamikaze --
Boy on bicycle waves to Kamikaze (from an unidentified series)

Kamikaze --
Kamikaze (from the "Japan in Progress" series)

Kamikaze --
Boys on the prairie wave to Kamikaze (from an unidentified series)

Kamikaze --
Kamikaze over Mt Fuji (from the "Japan in Progress" series)

[Link: Museum of Fine Arts, Boston]

3 Comments

Pink Tentacle greatest hits – 2009

28 Dec 2009

As we bid farewell to 2009, it's a good time to look back at some of the most popular Pink Tentacle posts of the year. Here are the top ten, in case you missed them the first time around.

Animated stereoview of old Japan --

1. Animated stereoviews of old Japan: Meiji-period stereoview photographs by T. Enami, presented as animated GIFs to create the illusion of three dimensions.

* * * * *

Photo of Odaiba Gundam at night --

2. Nocturnal Gundam: A glimpse of the Odaiba Gundam after dark.

* * * * *

Kappa mummy --

3. Monster mummies of Japan: A look at some of the mummified monsters found at temples and shrines around Japan.

* * * * *

Pregnancy doll from Edo-period Japan --

4. Pregnant dolls from Edo-period Japan: 19th-century dolls designed to teach the anatomy of pregnancy.

* * * * *

Sculpture at World Sand Sculpture Festival, 2009 --

5. World Sand Sculpture Festival: Photos from the 2009 World Sand Sculpture Festival in Tottori, Japan.

* * * * *

Kuniyoshi tanuki print --

6. All-purpose tanuki testicles: Ukiyoe prints by Kuniyoshi depicting the remarkable versatility of oversized tanuki (raccoon dog) testicles.

* * * * *

Anatomy of Kuro-kamikiri --

7. Anatomy of Japanese folk monsters: Cutaway diagrams from Shigeru Mizuki's Yōkai Daizukai, an illustrated guide to yōkai anatomy.

* * * * *

Ultrasonic bath --

8. Ultrasonic bath: Video and photos of a futuristic human washing machine unveiled at the 1970 World Expo in Osaka.

* * * * *

La Machine in Yokohama --

9. Giant robot spider in Yokohama: Photos and video of the first La Machine sightings in Yokohama.

* * * * *

TOSY robot at iREX 2009 --

10. iREX 2009: Photos from the 2009 International Robot Exhibition held in Tokyo in November.

Have a Happy New Year! See you again in 2010.

2 Comments

Video: Marine creature robots by kyg-lab

09 Dec 2009

Masamichi Hayashi, president of marine education establishment kyg-lab, has hand-crafted over 100 robotic marine creatures from recycled items such as plastic bottles, food containers, styrofoam, raincoats, and windshield wiper motors. A self-taught roboticist, Hayashi relies on his formal experience as a marine scientist to endow his machines with realistic movements, and he uses them in free shows to teach kids about the locomotion and behavior of sea creatures.

Here is a short video showing Hayashi's great white shark, manta ray, green turtle, hammerhead shark, Japanese giant salamander, porpoise, and killer whale.

+ Video

Hayashi's masterpiece is a 1.5 meter (5 ft) long coelacanth robot that weighs 48 kilograms (105 lbs) and cost 2 million yen ($22,000) to build. Here is some video of a diver giving it a snack.

+ Video

The coelacanth robot also makes a cameo in the next video, along with a tsuchinoko, a turtle, and a lake monster that carries a piece of waterborne trash to the curious onlookers on shore.

+ Video

[Link: kyg-lab]

3 Comments

Bra doubles as golf putting mat

11 Nov 2009

Lingerie maker Triumph International Japan has unveiled a new concept bra designed to appeal to the hardcore female golfing enthusiast.

Nice Cup In Bra --

Called the "Nice Cup In Bra," the lingerie consists of a grass-green top that, when removed, conveniently unfurls into a 1.5-meter-long putting mat. When the user sinks a putt into one of the cups, a built-in speaker pumps out a cry of "Nice shot." (Watch a short video.)

Nice Cup In Bra --

In addition to functioning as a practice mat, the bra incorporates features that can come in handy on the course, such as pockets for storing extra balls and tees, as well as a detachable flag pin that doubles as a score pencil.

The bottom half of the lingerie consists of a detachable pink skirt with the words "Be Quiet" printed in bold letters on the rear. When removed, the extra-short skirt can be used as a flag to encourage onlookers to remain silent.

Nice Cup In Bra --

According to the maker, the Nice Cup In Bra -- which is not yet for sale -- was created in response to the growing popularity of golf among females in Japan, and is designed to appeal to busy working women looking for a unique and convenient way to practice their putt.

Twice a year, Triumph International Japan unveils a new concept bra that highlights a popular trend or draws attention to social issues. Previous Triumph bras include the Marriage-hunting Bra, Shopping Bag Bra, Solar Power Bra, My Chopsticks Bra, and Voter Turnout Bra.

[Source: Walkerplus]

10 Comments

Tezuka wind turbine

22 Oct 2009

Towering over Wakasu Kaihin Park in Tokyo's Koto ward is one of the largest wind turbines in Japan, a 100 meter (330 ft) tall power generator built by Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries (IHI) in 2004, which outputs 1,950 kilowatts of electricity and is adorned with images of Astro Boy, Phoenix, Black Jack, Sharaku (the Three-eyed One), Unico and other Osamu Tezuka manga characters.

Wind turbine generator with Osamu Tezuka characters --
[+]

2 Comments

Tag: ‘Design’

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