Category — notes from the editors

In a new study released by Adobe, global respondents named Japan as the most creative country. But guess who disagreed? The Japanese. The findings, in the Japanese media, are being labeled as “Study identifies Japan as most insecure country.” Oh, and we Americans also disagreed – we thought America was the most creative.

Among the study’s other findings were that 80% believe that creativity is critical to economic growth. Yet only one in four people feel like they are living up to their creative potential. And 75% of respondents said they feel like their employers put more pressure on them to be productive than to be creative.

source: ITMedia

Here’s a roundup of links to April Fool’s internet pranks in Japan on April 1, 2012 or, as some refer to it, the day when the internet is very annoying:

• Forget keyboards. All you need is the space bar! Google Japan announces new language input system using morse code.
• AU announces latest smartphone: MAKYU – designed by fictional baseball coach Hoshi Ittetsu (of Kyojin no Hoshi).
• Dragon Quest’s Dragon King announces he has successfully taken over the world. His influence has already reached google maps. More on this development here. In related news, a dragon has established a military fort in offshore Africa.
• Sky Tree to offer world’s highest bungee jump
• Eiga.com, now in Chinese.
• Graphic designers launch new ad campaign

I’m sorry. I couldn’t help myself. I’ve tweeted about this before but I just find it incredibly weird and unexplainable (and funny) that Osaka-based studio Jima Architects has, in what is a seemingly normal portfolio of work, a human coffee table. It’s like playing a game of “what doesn’t belong?”

You’ve got your single-family housing, your kids spaces, your furniture…and…. Oh my… oh my god!
(well, at least he’s clothed)

I have a craving for Yoshino-ya’s Beef Bowl once in a while. Yoshino-ya, for those that are unfamiliar, is a quick-serve Japanese Beef Bowl restaurant that can be found in almost all major train stations and shopping districts in metro areas across Japan. It was established, in 1899, in the fish market of Nihonbashi district. While the restaurant franchise has gone international, sadly, they don’t have a location near me yet. So I make do with this “precisely” Yoshino-ya Beef Bowl recipe:

Yield: 4 portions (Japanese recipe, Japanese portions)

Ingredients:
1 lbs           Thin sliced beef (loin)
1 large       Onion
4/3 cup    White wine or Mirin
1 cup         Dashi or beef broth
5 tsp          Soy sauce
1 tsp          Sugar
TT               Salt and pepper

Preparation:
1.  Cut and slice beef into bite size pieces and add a dash of salt and pepper.
2.  Chop onion into bit size pieces.

Cooking:
1.  Add dashi and wine into a medium saucepan and bring to a boil – enough to let the alcohol dissipate.
2.  Add the onion and beef to the pan. Bring to a boil again and scoop out any foam that forms on top.
3.  Add soy sauce, sugar and stir. Continue to cook, placing a lid and on low heat for 20 minutes.
4.  Place it over white rice and enjoy!

images courtesy operatorchan and iowagirleats
Source: Cookpad (Japanese)

Ever since our launch in ’07 we’ve pretty much had the same look and feel. And it’s worked out so far but a few things been clawing at me so I finally decided to do something about them.

New banner and column width

One thing I’ve always wanted is a wider content column. Although I love to write, the site is pretty image-heavy so it only made sense to optimize it for better image viewing. As a result, I also re-shot our banner images to match the new width. It feels a bit different but still features our iconic dolls, which were designed by the awesome people at Groovisions.  (oh, and they’re slightly different on each page)

Explore

“Explore” is a new page that I’m pretty excited about. As we state in our manifesto of sorts, one of our objectives is to tell a story – “what’s going on in the Japanese art & design industry and where is it headed.” This page helps shape that story. If you’re interested at all, please do check it out.

There are a few other things that I’ll be tweaking in the coming weeks but I just wanted to let you know what was going on. If you see anything funky, or have any suggestions, please leave me feedback in the comments (be nice…please) or drop me a line.

Although the changes aren’t major, I couldn’t have done it without the help of Michael Miller at AQ in Tokyo!

It’s not often that a country and everyone connected to it is tested the way Japan was this year. My family and my wife’s family are doing fine in Tokyo and I wanted to thank everyone who sent along words of thoughtfulness and kindness. Also a big thank you to everyone who read our articles pertaining to the earthquake and tsunami, which made up about 20% of all our writing this year. If you’d like to, you can read them all here.

I’m planning a few changes to the site early in the new year – nothing huge, don’t worry! – that will hopefully enhance your experience. I’m really excited about it and I hope you’ll continue to come back to read, learn and be inspired by all the great arts coming out of Japan. Thanks again and have a great New Year! Now here are the top 5 posts of 2011:

1. Island | Yutaka Sone at David Zwirner

Readers loved artist Yutaka Sone’s Manhattan sculpture painstakingly carved out of marble and weighing in at 2.5 tones. It consists of excruciating detail that was replicated using photographs, Google Earth and several helicopter rides over the city. It was on display at the David Zwirner gallery in New York during September.

2. The Moon by Nosigner

Inspired by the Supermoon – the lunar occurrence on March 19th in which the moon appeared 14% bigger and 30% brighter – Nosigner created this topographically-accurate LED lamp. The project was also in response to the collective force of hope that the Supermoon instilled in the people of Japan who had, just over a week ago, lost 16,000 people in a devastating earthquake and tsunami.

3. Bottle Flower Series by Makoto Azuma

Back in April floral artist Makoto Azuma created a series of stunning yet somewhat disturbing pieces comprised of flowers stuffed into glass bottles like sardines and then filled with water. The flowers, which are shockingly beautiful but also clearly dead, invoke images of laboratory experiments in which body parts are preserved in some sort of embalming fluid. The existential project seeked to isolate beauty in both life and  death.

4. TOTO’s Toilet Motorcycle Will Travel Japan Entirely on Biogas

A Spoon & Tamago exclusive! We broke the news that TOTO was developing a toilet bike that would run on biogas and travel Japan. And because we all love potty stories, the news went viral, getting picked up by Gizmodo, Huffpo, Reuters and more…

5. Polar Ice by Atsuhiro Hayashi

Two silicon cups produce these unique ice cubes that depict a polar bear and 2 penguins standing on a glacier. Once in your drink, they gradually melt away, mimicking a real-life scenario that many arctic animals are currently facing.

(originally published on October 29, 2010)

Each year, around this time, it’s highly recommended that you review your zombie outbreak preparedness plan – experts say it’s not a matter of if, but when. With a cremation rate of 99.85% (2008 data), Japan and their corpse count, or lack thereof, would seem an ideal place to to ride out a plague of the undead. In the text that follows I would like to analyze the pros and cons of the East vs. the West, so that each of us can make informed decisions regarding our own contingency plans for the impending zombie pandemic.

Japan’s Safety Profile

First, when we model out the spread of a zombie pandemic the most essential question is its origination. If the zombie outbreak first originates outside of Japan, and there are no signs of lengthy incubation periods, an initial assessment of the situation may justly lead many to flee to Japan as soon as possible. With very few corpses lying around in the ground, and an ocean surrounding the country, Japan seems to be ideally positioned as a place to not get your brains chewed out.

However, in an entirely different scenario, where the outbreak occurs in Japan, one can easily imagine the devastating consequences of being in the land of the rising sun. In a previous essay, Jim Hawe makes some excellent assertions that question the core of Japan’s safety profile.  First of all, the geographic make-up of Japan could be tragically disadvantageous. Densely populated urban areas serve as ideal feeding grounds. And very little land to actually run to, coupled with the likely probability that other countries would deny you entry due to fear of contamination, certainly raises questions about Japan’s zombie outbreak preparedness.

The lack of guns and other heavy artillery has served Japan well in maintaing a safe, civil and peaceful society over the years. But, just a equally, this will be a crippling weakness as the unaffected desperately search for means to fend off their attackers. Although popularized as an ideal weapon in the Max Brooks novel “World War Z,” in reality any type of samurai sword would prove much more problematic than one might imagine. “Bladed weapons in general are not ideal because they will inevitably get stuck in things and become dull,” said Matt Mogk, founder and head researcher of Zombie Research Society (ZRS).

Culture Matters: Asian Zombie vs. Western Zombie

the zombie’s asian counterpart, the kyonshi

There is an important component that often gets overlooked when analyzing the fundamental zombie preparedness of Japan. And that is the cultural, and I would argue, genetic, differences between eastern and western zombies. For those who are not familiar, allow me to introduce the kyonshi (殭屍), the Asian zombie. Claiming ancestry in China, the kyonshi (which terrified the sh*t out of me as a child) have several noteworthy characteristics that, I would argue, make them less competitive compared to their Western counterparts.

a priest having successfully sedated and captured kyonshi

Currently the only known way to quiet a zombie is to bash their brains in. This is a task that is difficult as it is gruesome, and only slightly easier if aided by a shotgun. However, kyonshi  can be sedated by tactically placing a small scroll with buddhist inscriptions on the forehead (as pictured above). Also, (and this helps in assisting the first objective) kyonshi are legally blind. They detect human presence from the smell of our breath, making a cornered escape realistically possible by simply holding your breath.

Kyonshi are also known to have hardened joints, rendering their arms and legs inflexible. They mobilize their bodies by hopping, extending their arms in front of them to maintain balance. While this can serve as an initial disadvantage, it is worth pointing out that, over time, their joints are known to soften, allowing them to walk and in some cases even run.

the typical stance of a kyonshi

I’ve tried to lay out the case for Japan’s zombie preparedness, and despite their obvious non-competitive traits, kyonshi should not be taken lightly. As Sun Tzu wrote in “Art of War,” know thy enemy. So store what I am about to dispense in a an easily accessible location. It will undoubtedly serve you well as you seek survival. There is scientific literature that backs up the claim that Kyonshi hate mirrors and being pissed on. So as long as you have your vanity and stay hydrated you have several choices for defense, without resorting to shotguns and crowbars.

Have a happy halloween

(Note: Although Spoon & Tamago considers the above information to be accurate and correct, it should not be relied upon as a sole means for evaluating personal zombie preparedness plans.  Evolution and/or mutation of the zombie virus will always be a variable in said situations. Spoon & Tamago cannot be held liable for any of the said tactics proving ineffective or unimplementable.)

We got a nice surprise yesterday when we found out Dwell had named Spoon & Tamago one of their favorite Japanese design websites! Wow! We’re super-thrilled and humbled to be included! Thank you to all who were involved.

Today is August 1st, which marks the beginning of Ramadan, a roughly 1-month period in which followers of the Islamic religion fast from dawn until dusk. Anpanman, the beloved Japanese animated cartoon series featuring a bun-shaped superhero who battles the scheming villain Bacteriaman, is apparently a popular export in the Middle East.

Why do I mention these seemingly unrelated topics? Because I was fascinated to learn¹ that, during the period of time in which practitioners are abstaining from food, drink and other sensual pleasures, the faces of the animated characters who are inspired by popular snacks, namely Anpanman (sweet red-bean bun), Currypanman (curry-filled bread) and Shokupanman (sliced white bread), are censored out. I can attest that the show actually does make you hungry. Fascinating! Who knew?

1.    Interview with Sahel Rosa on MXTV. May 30, 2011.

Source: fleur blog (Japanese)

Hayao Miyazaki is single-handedly responsible for the legacy of Studio Ghibli and the creation of a range of heart-warming and thought-provoking films from Nausicaä and Spirited Away to the adorable Ponyo. And while it’s no secret that Miyazaki embedds his films with symbolism and underlying themes on topics like religion and the environment, Miyazaki himself has laregely avoided the active debate by maintaining a carefully calculated grey line between entertainment and activism (his tendency to evade interviews has also assisted him on that front).

However, in 1995 his studio created a music video for the popular duo Chage and Aska titled “On Your Mark” (watch it below). The MV was shown that year as an opening to the duo’s concert, as well as in theaters, before the showing of their feature film Whisper of the Heart. Running for about 6.5 minutes without any dialogue, the short film depicts a post-apocalyptic city in which radiation and disease have forced the population to seek life underground.

In an interview in Animage magazine (August 1995 Vol. 206) Miyazaki talks about his short film and the images of nuclear contamination, freedom and revolt that, in the light of a real nuclear disaster in Fukushima, reads as an eerie prophecy.

(translation by S&T. Japanese transcript can be found here.)

[the film] is based on an intentional distortion of the lyrics

Animage: the “police officer” and the “angel” – it reminds me a lot of the work of Mamoru Oshii
Miyazaki: Oshii would keep us hanging on whether an angel would be born or not, so I went ahead and created one (laughing). But with that said, no one ever stated it was an angel. It could be a bird person. But that’s beside the point.

Animage: It felt like an entire movie stuffed into just 6 min. 40 sec.
Miyazaki: I did fill it with a with cryptic symbolism. But it is a music video so I don’t mind if the viewer interprets it however they choose.

Animage: What is that grotesque structure we see towering over the peaceful countryside in the opening?
Miyazaki: It’s open to interpretation. But I would hope that the truck with the radiation warning symbol on it that appears in the following scene would provide a hint. It sets the stage for a world that has become overrun by radiation and no longer livable. And yet nature lives on – much like the surrounding areas of chernobyl after the incident. It’s become a natural sanctuary where people are forced to pursue life underground. However, in reality people would likely accept disease and continue to live above ground.

I actually believe a time like this will someday come

Animage: Tell us a little about “On Your Mark” as a music video.
Miyazaki: The title means ichi ni tsuite (on your mark)  and it’s based on an intentional distortion of the lyrics. It’s set in a post-apocolyptic world where radiation is teeming and disease is rampant. I actually believe a time like this will someday come and I made this film imagining what it would be like to live through such a time. I would imagine widespread anarchy but also an increase in conservatism and a crackdown on criticism towards the establishment. But that’s because they believe there is still something to lose. Once you have nothing to lose is when the anarchy sets in and people begin dropping like flies. As a counterbalance we have things like drugs, professional sports and religion to help create an illusion, right? So naturally those experience a surge. Thinking about a time like that, this song itself becomes a cryptic message that hides its true meaning from the establishment. The film has a very dark side (laughing).

Animage: One of the lyrics, for example, is “wherever I go the latest cold gets me.” Is “the latest cold” code for a world enveloped with radiation or disease?
Miyazaki: (without affirming or denying) if you look at our planet’s history, all of mankind’s problems are nothing more than the common cold.

Animage: To me the 2 officers who rescue the angel appear to be a thread of hope in this chaotic world. The lyrics, “and yet we refuse to give up…,” seem to be consistent with the repetition of the scene in which they rescue the angel. After many failures the last thread of hope rescues the girl, who flies to blue skies leaving the officers behind…
Miyazaki: The girls is not a savior. And the act of rescuing her does not become some sort of channel for communion. If you have hope, or something that you hold on to dearly, but then are faced with circumstances in which you must let it go, you unclasp your hand and let it go into a place where no one else will ever find it. That is all. When the officer lets go, perhaps for a split second there is some form of communication that takes place. And that’s fine. I suppose the two will return to the jobs as police officers. Although I don’t know if they will be able to (laughing).

Animage: And the world they return to is the world enveloped in “the latest cold.”
Miyazaki: In the end, everything must start from there. Even in chaotic times, good things happen, or things that make your heart beat faster. It was said best in Nausicaä: “We cough up blood and yet we persist, over and over, until the sun rises and we fly off into the morning like birds.”

source: Masato Abe