Spoon & Tamago

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Japanese Designer New Year’s Cards of 2024

It’s been a rough start to the new year for Japan as one disaster begets another. We are of course talking about the evolving situation at Haneda airport, as well as the Noto Peninsula. Our hearts go out to everyone affected but we also want to highlight the many heroes of the situation: the news reporters who calmly and accurately delivered life-saving information to victims of the earthquake, to the crew of commercial airliner who safely evacuated close to 400 passengers in a matter of minutes. Japan is prone to natural disaster, and it’s times like these that all the preparation and training that typically goes unnoticed and un-thanked, really shine. Japan should be proud.

As tradition goes, we’ve been putting together our favorite nengajo, or New Years cards, from Japanese artists and designers. This year’s zodiac animal is the dragon, significant in that it’s the only mythical creature of the twelve. We present to you, in no particular order, some inspiring artwork in hopes that the traits of the dragon—strength, benevolence and good luck—are with those affected by recent events.

Spoon & Tamago’s Most-Popular Posts of 2023

December 26, 2023 / Johnny / 1 Comment

It’s an annual tradition at casa Spoon & Tamago to reflect on the year that was by taking a look back at the posts that resonated the most with our readers. In doing so, we try to make sense of the year which, for Japan, was very much a year of homecoming. Japan felt like *the* place to be this year. Tourism came back strong but Japan’s soft power was also on full display with popular films and anime doing remarkably well with viewers outside Japan, both at the box office and on streaming platforms. With that quick backdrop, let’s check out which posts our readers enjoyed the most this year.

All 54 Playing Cards Reinterpreted Through Still Life Photography by Yuni Yoshida

December 18, 2023 / Johnny / Comments Off

Flower petals, leaves, foods and other objects have all been meticulously arranged and then photographed to create a set of 54 playing cards, including 2 jokers. It’s the latest work by art director Yuni Yoshida (previously), who’s penchant for analog techniques that shun digital manipulation have resulted in an arresting series of works that trumps any deck of cards we’ve ever seen.

Japanese Aqarium’s Flowchart Illustrates the Complex Relationships of Their Penguins

December 14, 2023 / Johnny / Comments Off

the Sumida Aqarium’s 2024 Penguin Relationship Flowchart

Penguins, the way they waddle around and protect their eggs, are often thought of as cute, cuddly and romantic. But those who observe them for extended periods know they have a dark side. Two aquariums in Japan, Kyoto Aquarium and Sumida Aquarium, keep obsessive tabs on their penguins and maintain an updated flowchart that visualizes all their penguin drama.

A New Brewery in Yobuko Wants to Revive the Former Whaling Town

December 7, 2023 / Johnny / Comments Off

Photos by Hiroshi Mizusaki courtesy Case-Real Architects

The Town of Yobuko, located at the tip of North-Western Kyushu, is named after the migratory path that whales swam. Beginning in the 1700s, Yobuko prospered as a whaling town, birthing the idiom, a single whale flourishes seven towns. Whales were a symbol of vitality, prosperity and hope. But times change. Fast-forward to today and the town’s population has fallen below 6000 due to a younger generation’s migration to larger cities.

Uenosuke Shitanosuke: Twin Tumblers that Fit Perfectly Together

December 4, 2023 / Johnny / Comments Off

For all the preaching on the health benefits of drinking more water, very few tools help us actually achieve this. So when Taro Mukasa, an illustrator and toy designer at creative agency Zariganiworks came across a manga panel in which the protagonist declares that his hobby is drinking water, it sparked an idea for a seemingly ordinary yet extraordinary pair of tumblers.

The Takenaka Carpentry Tools Museum is Keeping the Spirit of Wooden Architecture Alive

December 3, 2023 / Johnny / 1 Comment

Roughly seventy per cent of Japan is forested and therefore wood has been historically tied to architecture and design since ancient times. In fact, the world’s oldest surviving wooden structure is the Horyu-ji temple that was built in the early seventh century. From the harvesting of Japanese cypress to production and restoration, numerous tools, skills and techniques have evolved alongside wood building. The Takenaka Carpentry Tools Museum in Kobe is the only museum in Japan dedicated to collecting and conserving these tools and techniques, curating exhibitions to pass on this cultural heritage to future generations.

Kirie Artist Carves Playful Narratives Into Tree Leaves

November 24, 2023 / Johnny / 14 Comments

“Aquarium of Leaves”

A 37-year old Japanese artist who goes by the name Lito has been living with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) his entire life. Lito had been searching for an outlet where he could channel his above-normal levels of concentration and hyper focus when he discovered the Japanese art of kirie (切り絵, literally ‘cut picture’). Several years ago he began experimenting, not with paper, but with leaves.

The 2023 Spoon & Tamago Gift Guide

November 18, 2023 / Johnny / Comments Off

2023 felt like a turning point for Japan. After several years of covid-induced seclusion, tourism rebounded to pre-pandemic levels. And although just anecdotal, so many people we spoke to who previously had no connection to Japan, were planning trips and honeymoons that it truly felt like Japan was *the* place to be this year. With that in mind, we put together this year’s gift guide for everyone who took an interest in Japan, whether vicariously or through travel. With an emphasis on craftsmanship and quality, we’ve curated a list of items that are both functional but also serve as an extension of learning about Japan and its culture.

We hope you find something special for your loved ones.

Exploring Japanese Hell Through Art from the 12th to 19th Century

November 14, 2023 / Johnny / 2 Comments

demons can be seen tearing people at their crotch (ouch!)

As a child, growing up in Japan, there was one book that terrified me. Luckily, I didn’t own it. The red hardback sat on the bottom shelf in my friend’s room and every time I went over to play I could see it, out of the corner of my eye, staring me in the face. Once, we pulled it out and flipped through the pages; each featured a grotesquely illustrated realm of hell with scenes of fire, torture, and suffering. It was, I assure you, a children’s book. But it was made for parents to use as leverage whenever their child acted up, or misbehaved. And boy was it effective.