Japan | DJ Storm's Blog

Posts Tagged ‘ Japan ’

Meat Balloons

Balloon Factory (a project by Object Design League) was invited by Sight Unseen to design a window installation for Japan Premium Beef as part of the NoHo Design District, a recurring gathering of off-site design events during the annual International Contemporary Furniture Fair in New York each year.

The Balloon Factory project started as a performance, but it has persisted as a factory. They produce balloons for special events and by request. For Japan Premium Beef, they made a set of butcher-themed balloons (in the tradition of Sam Baron’s sausage installation there in 2010). A selection of uninflated steak balloons were displayed on butcher trays, framed by an installation of hanging sausage balloon links. This iteration extends the original Balloon Factory project and carries a strong reference to the intricate fake food prevalent in restaurant windows in Japan.

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2012: 10/29
CATEGORY: Art
Design
Entertainment
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Sayaka Ganz Recycled Sculptures

Born in Yokohama, Japan, Sayaka explains that, “Japanese Shinto beliefs are such that all objects and organisms have spirits, and objects that are discarded before their time weep at night inside the trash bin… or so they teach children at many preschools.” Whether truth or tale, the image stuck with Sayaka as she moved from country to country. “I had a strong desire to fit in, and to make people and objects surrounding me fit together to create harmony,” she tells. “My goal is for each object to transcend it is origins by being integrated into the form of an animal or some other organism that seems alive and in motion.”

Using possibly the cheapest material around—thrift store plastics that have already been used or trashed—Sayaka Kajita Ganz still manages to make pieces that look priceless.

2012: 10/22
CATEGORY: Uncategorized
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Masters Craft Ceramic Ware Boutique – Tokyo.

The recently opened Masters Craft ceramic ware boutique in the basement shopping area of Palace Hotel Tokyo is pure proof of what we already know: nobody masters the art of minimalism as well as the Japanese. Everything in this store, including how each individual item is displayed on the shelves and counters, manifests the skill of leaving all else out except what is needed for balance; of not being afraid of empty space, and of allowing every piece to tell its complete visual and tactile story. The 45 square-meter (484 sq.ft.) store was designed by Akemi Katsuno & Takashi Yagi, founders of Kyoto-based Love the Life.

2012: 07/19
CATEGORY: Design
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Bunka Fashion College Culture Festival 2011.

Tokyo based Bunka Fashion College is Japan’s most respected fashion college. Each year around Culture Day the school holds a three day long culture festival. Among the countless events are fashion shows created and staged by Bunka students. As you can see from these images, the quality is amazingly high.

2012: 07/13
CATEGORY: Art
Design
Fashion
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Those Most Interesting Fish You’ll Ever See.

First: watch the video. Japanese artist Riusuke Fukahori paints three-dimensional goldfish using a complex process of poured resin. The fish are painted meticulously, layer by layer, the sandwiched slices revealing slightly more about each creature, similar to the function of a 3D printer. I really enjoy the rich depth of the pieces and the optical illusion aspect, it’s such an odd process that results in something that’s both a painting and sculptural. Wonderful. Fukahori just closed an exhibition at ICN Gallery in London titled Goldfish Salvation, and you can see many more images via the gallery’s Facebook, but probably the best resource is this set of photos by Dominic Alves.

2012: 03/31
CATEGORY: Art
Design
Tech
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The World’s Best Sushi Chef?

A documentary that goes behind the counter and into the life of a man who’s been called the greatest sushi chef in the world is set to open in New York Friday. Tucked away in an underground Tokyo subway station is an unremarkable-looking 10-seat eatery called Sukiyabashi Jiro which serves Michelin-starred sushi by 85-year-old Jiro Ono, the first chef in Japan to earn three Michelin stars. In trailers for the film Jiro Dreams of Sushi, filmmaker David Gelb captures the deft, economic movements of Ono’s hands as he shapes and molds the rice for his sushi and lacquers the fish with gentle brushstrokes. Sushi and sashimi are presented on black marbles slabs and diners eat in a hushed silence that speaks of their reverence for the ceremonial experience and the master sushi chef. The film is not just an ode to sushi and the octogenarian’s unrelenting pursuit of perfection, but also explores the father-son relationship and succession as the eldest son Yoshikazu is slated to take over the legendary restaurant.

2012: 03/12
CATEGORY: Entertainment
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Rise Of The Underground.

Mark Moore Gallery presents Rise of the Underground, a two-person exhibition featuring new works by Jeremy Fish (CA) and Kenichi Yokono (Japan). Each adopting the age-old craft of woodcutting through a distinctive contemporary technique, Fish and Yokono employ bold and enchanting cartoon-like narratives to illustrate quotidian and pop cultural excerpts. Unmistakably handmade and remarkably intriguing, Yokono’s woodblocks explore the “horrors of everyday life,” while Fish’s paintings and cut-outs reveal untapped histories often swept under the rug. Seemingly innocuous at first observation, each work is intricately laced with undercurrents of the sinister and the foreboding, saturated with cultural reflection, psychoanalysis, and social commentary in a fusion of high and low aesthetics.

2012: 02/18
CATEGORY: Art
Design
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Japanese Love Hotels.

Sexual connotation, fantasy or secret meetings, those establishments called ‘Love Hotels’ provide kinky fun for all types seeking sexual adventure. Photographer Misty Keasler traveled Japan to documented the universe of those hotels. In her new book, Love Hotels, American photographer Misty Keasler portrays some of the newest, most creative love hotels in Japan. Check the method. If any of these places look interesting to you (LADIES)… give me your feedback.

2012: 02/17
CATEGORY: Entertainment
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Controlled Quantum Levitation = Real Life Video Games.

I hope almost everyone remembers the epic video game Wipe-Out. Basically you flew around on floating ships and raced on ridiculously gravity defying track in a futuristic world that made you wonder “when will people ever be able to actually do this?” Luckily for the kids out there that had this thought in their heads… The brilliant minds over at the Japan Institute Of Science and Technology have used Quantum Levitation to create a scale model track. Quantum Levitation is something I’ve covered in a previous post, and its wild to see just how fast this advancement is taking strides forward. In the nearer future, we just might see a breakthrough in transportation. Check the method below.

2012: 01/06
CATEGORY: Entertainment
Tech
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The Diving Coaster.

Over the years roller coasters have become more and more impressive. The largest, tallest, and fastest coaster in the world happens to reside in my home state of New Jersey. (holla) But what I like to call the Diving Coaster, actually named ‘The Vanishing Coaster’ in Japan takes things to entirely new heights… or lows. The coaster dips an incredible 18 feet below ground in the middle of a water fountain. Check the method.

I feel like at night, it would be even more of an entertaining experience.

2011: 12/27
CATEGORY: Uncategorized
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Can You Translate Engrish Properly?

In the 2000 American version of “Godzilla”, the big lizard got his name from a misnomer of the words “Go-Jira”. In the movie they were trying to make the point that it may be a bit difficult to translate from Japanese to English. However, they never made the point that sometimes it might be hard there other way around. Here’s a visual tribute to the ineptitude of the translation skills of the land of the rising sun and other Asian countries. (For some reason, images on this list keep intermittently glitching, doubling up or disappearing. Rest assured that I’m constantly rectifying this issue, so if you encounter it, it should be fixed within the hour or so..)

2011: 12/22
CATEGORY: Entertainment
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Real Life Touchable Holograms.

Researchers at Tokyo University have come up with a technology that is a first and significant step away from the mouse and keyboard – touchable holograms.

[Hiroyuki Shinoda, Professor, Tokyo University]:

“Up until now, holography has been for the eyes only, and if you’d try to touch it, your hand would go right through. But now we have a technology that also adds the sensation of touch to holograms.”

The technology consists of software that uses ultrasonic waves to create pressure on the hand of a user “touching” the projected hologram. Researchers are using two Wiimotes from Nintendo’s Wii gaming system to track a user’s hand. The technology was introduced at SIGGRAPH, an annual computer graphics conference, and has so far only been tested with relatively simple objects. But its inventors have big plans for touchable holograms in the future.

[Hiroyuki Shinoda, Professor, Tokyo University]:

“For example, it’s been shown that in hospitals, there can be contamination between people due to objects that are touched communally. But if you can change the switches and such into a virtual switch, then you no longer have worry about touch contamination. This is one application that’s quite easy to see.”

Touchable holograms could be used for a wide variety of things… everything from light switches to books with each appearing when needed, and then disappearing when not. And holograms could replace the need for making new interfaces for technology, since they could be changed without having to make a new physical product.

2011: 12/18
CATEGORY: Tech
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Japan’s Dekotora Scene.

Meet Dekotora: the land of the rising sun’s homegrown and very cool trucker subculture that covers big rigs with neon and ultraviolet lights, colorful airbrushed murals, and shiny stainless or golden exteriors, all the while housing interiors straight out of Brewsters Millions or a 2-star Las Vegas casino, complete with elaborate chandeliers and velvet-lined seats. This stuff is WILD. Check the method.

2011: 12/06
CATEGORY: Automotive
Design
Entertainment
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Christmas In Tokyo?

Even though Christmas is not a traditional Japanese celebration, few places in the world mark December 25 with such gusto as Tokyo. The Shangri-La Hotel, Tokyo has announced a WISH.forJapan Christmas package that is available December 10-25. 10 percent of the price, which starts at Y52,000 per night will go to support people affected by the earthquake and tsunami that struck northeast Japan in March. The hotel, which opened in March 2009 in the top 11 floors of the 37-storey Marunouchi Trust Tower alongside Tokyo Station, launched its WISH.forJapan charitable program immediately after the disasters struck. The package includes a special bottle of spumante, made by Bottega of Italy, which created a one-off white bottle featuring the logo of the program, as well as WISH candy made by Papabubble, which is originally from Barcelona. Guests will also enjoy a Christmas cake made by the hotel’s executive pastry chef and breakfast at the Restaurant Piacere or The Lobby Lounge, as well as access to the hotel’s health club and swimming pool.

2011: 12/01
CATEGORY: Entertainment
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I Didn’t Know Japan Make Whisky.

Japan‘s top whisky distiller has started accepting orders for a limited run of a whisky that has been aged in oak barrels for more than 50 years. Shipments of the Yamazaki Single Malt 50-Year-Old Whisky will begin on Dec 13, in response to orders taken at department stores and liquor shops across Japan. Suntory said it is only producing 150 bottles, but added that demand had already been strong and that it is considering another similar release in the future. Whisky is enjoying a renaissance in Japan, in part because of the newfound popularity of the highball among a new generation of drinkers, but also because of the growing reputations of Japanese distillers. Suntory, for example, took the top prizes in the International Spirits Challenge, held in London in November 2010, with its 1984 Single Malt winning both the best whisky in the competition and the Supreme Champion Spirit award. With the release of its 50-year-old vintage whisky, Suntory is aiming to promote interest among connoisseurs. The company said the drink had been matured in barrels of Japanese oak that has helped to create a fragrance and flavor that are unique. Reddish-amber in color, the taste is both mellow and strong, reminiscent of rich, ripe fruit, while the aftertaste is sweet and faintly smoky. Each 700-milliliter bottle will be priced at Y1 million (€9,511).

2011: 11/15
CATEGORY: Entertainment
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The Puma House.

In sports world, ‘doing stairs,’ is generally a treacherous endeavor that leaves one with burning calf muscles and an overabundance of lactic acid (Cough, cough… wheeze). The Puma House, in Tokyo, is looking at stairs from a whole new angle. Located in the city’s Aoyama design district, the Puma House encompasses the brand’s press room and event zone, all in one dynamic space, allowing for exhibitions, events, fittings, product launches and other media events.

Cool, grey cement is outfitted in warm wood stairs that encircle columns and serve as a repetition of pedestals, showcasing the new sneaker line. The team at Tokyo-based, Nendo, who curated the space explains, “For our design, we placed ‘staircases’ that climb around the existing features of the space like vines. The resulting effect is a strong reminder that we exercise our bodies daily, going up and down stairs, and has a visual connection with stadium stairs and podiums, to bring in PUMA’s important relationship with sports.” Talk about stepping up their game.

2011: 11/09
CATEGORY: Design
Fashion
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The World’s 50 Best Bars.

Drinks International, based out of the UK, has published its version of the World’s 50 Best Restaurant awards, with the World’s 50 Best Bars list. From secretive speakeasies that require walking through phone booths, wardrobes and hidden, unmarked doors, editors and bar professionals around the world selected their picks for the best bars around the world. While New York and London dominate the top 10 list, watering holes from 16 countries are represented along the way, including bars from France, Spain, Denmark, Spain, Japan, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates and Russia. About 100 of the world’s top bar professionals contributed to the list, including the Playboy Club’s Salvatore Calabrese, King Cocktail Dale DeGroff, Esquire’s David Wondrich in the US and diamond ice-carver Hidetsugu Ueno.

Here are the top 50 bars in the world, according to a panel of 100 bar professionals and Drinks International.

1. PDT, New York
2. Connaught, London
3. Artesian, London
4. Death & Co, New York
5. Milk & Honey, London
6. American Bar at the Savoy, London
7. 69 Colebrooke Row, London
8. Drink, Boston US
9. Harry’s New York Bar, Paris
10. Black Pearl, Melbourne, Australia
11. Pegu Club, NY
12. Dry Martini Bar, Barcelona
13. Eau De Vie, Sydney
14. Bramble, Edinburgh
15. Employees Only, New York
16. La Capilla Bar, Mexico
17. Merchant Hotel, Belfast
18. Nightjar, London
19. Smuggler’s Cove, San Francisco
20. Buddha Bar, Paris
21. Skyview Bar, Dubai
22. The Varnish, Los Angeles
23. Tippling Club, Singapore
24. Milk & Honey, New York
25. 878 Bar, Buenos Aires
26. Der Raum, Melbourne
27. Callooh Callay, London
28. Clover Club, New York
29. Door74, Amsterdam
30. Tommy’s, San Francisco
31. Floridita, Havana
32. City Space, Moscow
33. Matterhorn, Wellington, NZ
34. High Five Bar, Tokyo
35. Le Lion, Hamburg
36. LAB, London
37. Boadas, Barcelona
38. Dutch Kills, New York
39. Worship St Whistling Shop, London
40. BarAgricole, San Francisco
41. Papa Doble, Montpellier
42. Quo Vadis, London
43. Lounge Bohemia, London
44. Mayahuel, New York
45. Mutis, Barcelona
46. Ruby, Copenhagen
47. Rules, London
48. Hemingway Bar, Paris
49. Zuma, Dubai
50. Star Bar, Tokyo

2011: 11/09
CATEGORY: Entertainment
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Japanese Fanta Commercials Are The Greatest.

I’m sure many readers remember the “Fantanas”, which were Fanta’s attempt at using sex appeal to sell flavored soda. There have been a few different changes to the line up of Fantanas, but to me the originals were always the best, especially the red one (who’s actual name is K.D. Aubert… the walking Viagra pill). But it never occurred to me that in other countries, marketing directors may have gone in other directions to try and sell Fanta… until I saw the old school Japanese ads. The set of ads for Fanta below were all exclusively created for the market in Japan, and feature a different direction than the ones I was used to growing up. That being said, I don’t think I’ve laughed as hard ever in life. Check the method below, and keep in mind that there are TONS more of these ads scattered around the web.

2011: 09/28
CATEGORY: Entertainment
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Keep Your Wi-Fi To Yourself.

Researchers at the University of Tokyo in Japan have created a special paint which can block out wireless signals. The paint, which could cost as little at £10 per kilogram, contains an aluminium-iron oxide which resonates at the same frequency as wi-fi – or other radio waves – meaning the airborne data is absorbed and blocked. While paints blocking lower frequencies have been available for some time, this new technology is the first to absorb frequencies transmitting as high as 100GHz (gigahertz). Signals carrying a larger amount of data – such as wireless internet – travel at a higher frequency than, for example, FM radio.

The paint has a number of interesting potential applications including: keeping wireless networks secure, blocking phone calls during movies, shielding hospital rooms from unwanted electromagnetic radiation, and making clothes that protect people from electromagnetic waves.

2011: 09/05
CATEGORY: Design
Entertainment
Tech
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Rodney Mullen: Like A Boss.

Skateboarding has been around for quite some time. Thats no mystery. But just how good some pro skaters were back in the day is something I never thought of until I peeped this video from Rodney Mullen circa 1984. Forget his ridiculously high shorts, look past his giraffe-neck-length socks, and peer not into pseudo bowl cut… Regardless of the old school nature of the video, Mullen still does his thing… Like a BOSS.

2011: 07/13
CATEGORY: Entertainment
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Japan Holds The Worlds Most High-Tech Globe.

If you want to see what Earth looks like from space, become an astronaut (or, barring that, a space tourist). For the next best view, pay a visit to Tokyo’s National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation where a massive, nearly 20-foot spherical OLED orb–the world’s first large scale spherical OLED–offers a satellite’s-eye view of the planet in super high resolution.

“Geo-Cosmos” is made up of 10,362 OLED panels that display continuously-updating satellite footage of our tiny blue marble, representing what our planet looks like from space in something close to realtime. It replaces an earlier model covered in LED panels, offering museum-goers a full 10 million pixels, a resolution 10 times greater than its predecessor.

And like any good museum exhibit, Geo-Cosmos is interactive. Touchscreens surrounding the globe allow viewers to tap all kinds of earth science data streaming in from all over the world, like simulations showing the origin of the March 11 earthquake that devastated Japan and the dispersion of all of that energy via tsunamis that reached all the way around the Pacific. See it for yourself below.

2011: 06/16
CATEGORY: Design
Tech
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Urban Neon Nights: Tokyo.

Tokyo will always be one of my favorite places, from the city sky line to the vending machines, it’s truly a mesmerizing place. Recently I came across a series of photos showcasing the look of the city at night, and I knew I had to share it. Check the method.

2011: 06/09
CATEGORY: Photography
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Eat Down The Rabbit Hole.

All ‘Alice in Wonderland’ fans can witness the magic of Fantastic Design Works Co.’s new Alice In Wonderland inspired restaurant in Tokyo. The entire story unfolds within the walls of the 2,000 sq. ft. restaurant, from beginning to end. Upon entrance, guests are graced with oversized vintage books, mirrored walls, and polished checkered floors. Making your way to your table, you will find that larger than life grass hedges encase each table. Dramatic theatrical elements are in play throughout the entire space accompanied by intense lighting, various spots of color on the ceiling, and table napkins that sit upright, threatening to march away at any given moment. Fantastic Design Works Co. designed a private dining room that’s fit for a queen! The queen of hearts and the rest of her deck is the main theme of the intimate dining space. The restaurant is an acutely literal take on the 1951 animated movie as it is divided into themed sections that reflect certain scenes from the film. If you are in the Tokyo area stop by for a bite, you never know where it could lead you.

2011: 06/06
CATEGORY: Art
Design
Movies
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The Levitating Girl.

Natsumi Hayashi is a sweet-looking Japanese girl who, one day, decided to take self-portraits… of herself levitating. She can be spotted in and around Tokyo, equipped with her SLR and her self-timer. When she feels the moment strike, she presses the shutter button down and then, quite literally, “jumps” into place. What I love most about her shots is that they don’t feel forced. Natsumi has a way of making us feel as though she naturally levitates throughout life.

When Natsumi was asked by interviewer Alice how others react to her jumping around Tokyo, she told a funny story. “One day, when I was jumping at a famous sightseeing spot in western Tokyo, workers at a souvenir shop were frightened by how I was jumping. They were whispering things like ‘Is the girl mentally ill’ and ‘Do we need to call the police?’ So I stopped jumping and apologized to them by saying, ‘I am taking jumping photos for my wedding party’s slide show.’ Their faces turned bright red, and they said things like ‘Oh dear!’ and ‘Congratulations!’ and even ‘Keep jumping!’ Then, I took one of the best levitation shots of the entire series.”

2011: 04/13
CATEGORY: Entertainment
Photography
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Who Said Gangsters Can’t Be Generous?

In many cultures, in many places, there is a belief that times of crisis reveal the true value of a person. In Japan, applying that axiom proves difficult, especially in light of a recent Daily Beast report that Japan’s infamous mafia, the Yakuza, are providing tons of vital goods to the earthquake and tsunami relief effort. The three largest Yakuza groups (kind of like the crime families of the American Italian mafia), have sent dozens of trucks with a few hundred tons of goods to the devastated regions thus far, reports Japan crime expert Jake Adelstein. They’ve sent everything from diapers to batteries to instant ramen. While this support may seem antithetical to a criminal ethos, one member said, “There are no yakuza or katagi (ordinary citizens) or gaijin (foreigners) in Japan right now. We are all Japanese. We all need to help each other.” In 1995, Adelstein reports that the Yakuza also provided tons of goods and services following the Kobe earthquake.

There is allegedly a philosophy the Yakuza follows that “values humanity, justice, and duty and that forbids one from watching others suffer or be troubled without doing anything about it. Believers of ‘the way’ are expected to put their own lives on the line and sacrifice themselves to help the weak and the troubled. The yakuza often simplify it as ‘to help the weak and fight the strong,’ in theory,” Adelstein writes. However, the reality of Japanese organized crime is such that the Yakuza frequently prey on the weak to become strong, Adelstein reports. In this one instance though, they appear to be actually trying to help. This support is given with great concern, however. The Yakuza said they fear having their donations rejected if their support becomes too widely publicized. One member told Adelstein: “Right now, no one wants to be associated with us and we’d hate to have our donations rejected out of hand.”

2011: 03/21
CATEGORY: Uncategorized
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