Igarashi Design has dreamed up a series of ultramodern concept vehicles, including the bikes, mini-copter, wheelbarrow and snowmobile shown below. [Link]
Archives: ‘Art/Culture’ Category
Pachimon postcards
14 Jun 2010
Here is a collection of vintage bromide cards showing various pachimon kaiju (imitation creatures based loosely on famous TV and movie monsters) at iconic locations around the world. Published by Yokopro in the 1970s.
New York
London
Egypt
India
Italy
Africa
Netherlands
Rome
Mexico
Alaska
Hong Kong
America
Africa
London
Hawaii
Moscow
Paris
America
[Link: Room 103]
Surrealistic paintings by Tetsuya Ishida
07 Jun 2010
The surrealistic paintings of Tetsuya Ishida (1973-2005) explore the dark side of modern life.
[Link]
Hayaku: A time lapse journey through Japan
03 Jun 2010
This time-lapse video of Japan -- shot by Brad Kremer in the summer of 2009 -- features impressive footage of Tokyo, Matsuyama, Imabari, Nagano, Gifu, and Mt. Ishizuchi.
+ Video
Zombie meat
24 May 2010
"Zombie Meat," an exquisite new Japanese snack for the horror enthusiast, consists of bite-sized chunks of tender blue flesh that, according to the package, has been aged to deadly perfection at the graveyard.
Zombie Meat
The ghastly meat snack, which tastes remarkably like peppered beef jerky, can be found at select shops in Japan for 399 yen (about $4.50) per pack.
Mojibakeru kanji-animal transformers
11 May 2010
Japanese toy giant Bandai is set to release a series of nifty kanji figures that transform into the shapes of the animals they represent. The shape-shifting critters, called Mojibakeru (moji means "character" and bakeru means "to change"), come in six varieties -- 犬 (dog), 虎 (tiger), 魚 (fish), 馬 (horse), 鳥 (bird) and 竜 (dragon) -- and are available in black, white, yellow and blue.
Inubakeru - The 犬 (inu, "dog") kanji transforms into a dog
Torabakeru - The 虎 (tora, "tiger") kanji transforms into a tiger
Uobakeru - The 魚 (uo/sakana, "fish") kanji transforms into a fish
Umabakeru - The 馬 (uma, "horse") kanji transforms into a horse
Toribakeru - The 鳥 (tori, "bird") kanji transforms into a bird
Ryūbakeru - The 竜 (ryū, "dragon") kanji transforms into a dragon
The collectible toys will be priced at 100 yen (about $1) each when they hit shelves in Japan next week.
Want to buy Mojibakeru? Email shop@pinktentacle.com for details.
Japanese steamship travel posters
10 May 2010
Here is a collection of early 20th century travel posters for Japanese steamship companies (from the book Miwaku no Funatabi, published by the Museum of Maritime Science, 1993).
Osaka Mercantile Steamship Co., Ltd., 1909
Osaka Mercantile Steamship Co., Ltd., 1916
Oriental Steamship Co., 1919 (Chinese poster)
Osaka Mercantile Steamship Co., Ltd., 1916
Japan Mail Steamship Co. (NYK), 1910
Korean Mail Steamship Co., 1918
Osaka Mercantile Steamship Co., Ltd., 1912
Japan Mail Steamship Co. (NYK), 1914
Japan Mail Steamship Co. (NYK), 1940
Osaka Mercantile Steamship Co., Ltd., 1909
Osaka Mercantile Steamship Co., Ltd., 1916
Oriental Steamship Co., 1914
Japan Mail Steamship Co. (NYK), 1909
Japan Mail Steamship Co. (NYK), 1928-1930
Okiku doll
28 Apr 2010
A mysterious doll possessed by the spirit of a child has captured the curiosity of people across Japan for decades. The legendary Okiku doll, named after the girl who long ago used to play with it, is a 40-centimeter (16-in) tall kimono-clad figure with beady black eyes -- and hair that grows.
Okiku doll illustration by Shohei Otomo
The Okiku doll has resided at the Mannenji temple in the town of Iwamizawa (Hokkaido prefecture) since 1938. According to the temple, the traditional doll initially had short cropped hair, but over time it has grown to about 25 centimeters (10 in) long, down to the doll's knees. Although the hair is periodically trimmed, it reportedly keeps growing back.
It is said that the doll was originally purchased in 1918 by a 17-year-old boy named Eikichi Suzuki while visiting Sapporo for a marine exhibition. He bought the doll on Tanuki-koji -- Sapporo's famous shopping street -- as a souvenir for his 2-year-old sister, Okiku. The young girl loved the doll and played with it every day, but the following year, she died suddenly of a cold. The family placed the doll in the household altar and prayed to it every day in memory of Okiku.
Some time later, they noticed the hair had started to grow. This was seen as a sign that the girl's restless spirit had taken refuge in the doll.
Okiku doll at Mannenji temple [via]
In 1938, the Suzuki family moved to Sakhalin, and they placed the doll in the care of Mannenji temple, where it has remained ever since.
Nobody has ever been able to fully explain why the doll's hair continues to grow. However, one scientific examination of the doll supposedly concluded that the hair is indeed that of a young child.
[Note: This is the last in a series of weekly posts on mysteries and urban legends from Japan.]
50 Japanese town logos with kanji
22 Apr 2010
Here is a collection of 50 Japanese town logos that incorporate stylized kanji characters into the design.
Fujinomiya (Shizuoka): The kanji 宮 (miya) inside a cherry blossom with Mt Fuji petals
Fukuyama (Hiroshima): Bat-shaped 山 (yama) denotes old name of Kōmoriyama ("Bat Mountain")
Ibaraki (Ōsaka): The kanji 茨 (ibara) in the shape of a pigeon
Nishino-omote (Kagoshima): The kanji 西 (nishi)
Ōme (Tōkyō): The kanji 青 (ao) and plum blossom (ume) signify 青梅 (Ōme)
Kanazawa (Ishikawa): The kanji 金 (kana) inside a plum blossom, the Maeda clan symbol
Okutama (Tōkyō): The kanji 奥 (oku)
Hachinohe (Aomori): The kanji 八戸 (Hachinohe) in the shape of a crane (head and wings)
Kitami (Hokkaidō): The kanji 北 (kita) shaped like a sash weight
Yūbari (Hokkaidō): The kanji 夕 (yū) inside a hexagon representing coal
Hitachi (Ibaraki): A flower-shaped 立 (tachi) kanji inside a circle representing the kanji 日 (hi)
Seto (Aichi): The kanji 土 (tsuchi, or "soil") in a clay pot represents the local pottery industry
Shibuya (Tōkyō): The kanji 渋 (shibu)
Yonago (Tottori): The kanji 米 (yona)
Beppu (Ōita): The kanji 別 (betsu), the first character in 別府 (Beppu)
Akita: The kanji 田 (ta) symbolizing arrows, a reference to Akita Castle
Azumino (Nagano): The kanji 安 (an), the first character in 安曇野 (Azumino)
Fujiyoshida (Yamanashi): Mt Fuji and the kanji 吉 (yoshi)
Shinagawa (Tōkyō): The kanji 品 (shina)
Kōchi (Kōchi): The kanji 高 (kō)
Funabashi (Chiba): The kanji 舟 (funa, or "boat")
Kakamigahara (Gifu): The kanji 各 (kaku), the first character in 各務原 (Kakamigahara)
Izumo (Shimane): The kanji 出 (i)
Ishinomaki (Miyagi): The kanji 石 (ishi)
Karatsu (Saga): The kanji 唐 (kara)
Kōka (Shiga): The kanji 甲 (kō)
Shinjuku (Tōkyō): The kanji 新 (shin)
Uji (Kyōto): The kanji 宇 (u)
Nagareyama (Chiba): Seal script style kanji 流 (nagare), representing the Edogawa River
Nabari (Mie): The kanji 名 (na)
Kasuga (Fukuoka): 春 (haru), the first character in 春日 (Kasuga), shaped like local ancient tombs
Otaru (Hokkaidō): The kanji 小 (o) inside a six-pointed star symbolizing snow
Matsumoto (Nagano): Pine (matsu) needles encircle the kanji 本 (moto)
Tachikawa (Tōkyō): The kanji 立 (tachi) and 川 (kawa)
Koganei (Tōkyō): The kanji 小 (ko) shaped like a cherry blossom
Tajimi (Gifu): The kanji 多 (ta) and a Chinese bellflower
Tama (Tōkyō): The kanji 多 (ta) shaped like a pigeon
Kodaira (Tōkyō): The kanji 小平 (Kodaira)
Tenri (Nara): The plum blossom-shaped 天 (ten) is similar to the symbol of the Tenrikyo religion
Yonaguni (Okinawa): The kanji 与 (yo)
Monbetsu (Hokkaidō): The kanji 紋 (mon)
Sendai (Miyagi): The kanji 仙 (sen)
Suzuka (Mie): The kanji 鈴 (suzu) shaped like a bell
Takatsuki (Ōsaka): The kanji 高 (taka)
Taketomi (Okinawa): The kanji 竹 (take)
Yokkaichi (Mie): The kanji 四日 (yokka)
Tsuchiura (Ibaraki): The kanji 土 (tsuchi) represents a flower and the waves on Lake Kasumigaura
Utsunomiya (Tochigi): The kanji 宮 (miya) looks like a turtle shell, a reference to Utsunomiya Castle
Yamaguchi (Yamaguchi): The kanji 山口 (Yamaguchi)
Hachijō (Tōkyō): The kanji 八丈 (Hachijō) arranged in the shape of a bird
Related: Hiragana/katakana town logos
[Link: Wikipedia]