Spoon & Tamago

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Osaka Celebrates Star Festival with River of 40,000 LED Lights Evoking the Milky Way

The Okawa River, which runs through central Osaka, was lit up on Friday with 40,000 LED lights floating down the river as they evoked the celestial milky way. The surreal scene was part of a celebration of Tanabata, or the Star Festival, which is a major summer festival in Japan taking place on July 7th. It commemorates the story of two literal star-crossed lovers represented by the stars Vega and Altair who are only allowed to meet each other once a year on that night, as long as the skies are clear.

Senko Hanabi Earrings are the Perfect Summer Accessory

July 1, 2023 / Johnny / Comments Off

Summer in Japan is not summer in Japan without fireworks. The tradition originated over 280 years ago as a means of warding off epidemics and today, no matter where you are in Japan, you can be sure to encounter fireworks festivals both large and small. And while the grand finales are typically loud, bright and bolstrous, an unspoken rule among smaller gatherings is that fireworks should always end with senko hanabi. Literally meaning ‘incense fireworks,’ these small and subtle sparklers are packed with about 10 seconds of delicate pyrotechnics. This charming yet ephemeral summer tradition has been encapsulated into a stunning set of earrings by a Japanese accessory maker.

Twenty Two Artists Created Over 120 Artworks Throughout the Tokyo Offices of GREE

June 29, 2023 / Johnny / Comments Off

When Japanese internet media company GREE relocated offices last year, they wanted to do something special; something that would capture the unique creativity and artistic drive behind many of their employees. So the company worked with art agency TokyoDex and the architecural designers at Tokyo Creators’ Project to pull off one of the most ambitious office space transformation projects we’ve ever seen.

Working with 22 individual artists, the highly collaborative effort resulted in a massive 129 pieces of art spread over six floors. Each floor is uniquely curated with its own sub-theme, but is tied together by the governing concept of “Subcultural Retreat with a Kick.”

60-Year-Old Machiya Adapted into Hender Scheme’s New Osaka Flagship

June 27, 2023 / Kushal Jain / Comments Off

All images © toha courtesy DDAA

Hender Scheme’s flagship store in Kansai is an adaptive reuse of a sixty-plus-year-old one-story wooden house near Umeda Station in Osaka. With a spacious area of around 175m² and impressive high ceilings, the store has been designed to reflect Hender Scheme’s unique aesthetic while honoring the building’s history. The goal was to create a retail space that serves as an extension of their fashion and product design approach.

Discover Fukui Sake Along the Kuzuryu River at Eshikoto

June 24, 2023 / Johnny / Comments Off

all images courtesy Furuya Design

Eshikoto is a brand created by Nizaemon Ishidaya, proprietor of the Kokuryu Sake Brewery which was founded in 1804 in the mountains of Fukui. With a motto not dissimilar to the famous quote from Field of Dreams–”if we make good sake, people will support it”–the brewery has been hand-crafting small batches of sake for over 200 years. Last year, the brand opened a new restaurant and sake tasting center that is nestled between the mountains of Fukui and sits along the Kuzuryu: the River of the Nine-Headed Dragon.

Oimachi’s New Shopping Oasis Coexists with the Mountains and Sea

June 22, 2023 / Kushal Jain / Comments Off

All images © Osamu Morishita Architect and Associates

Built on reclaimed land that seamlessly blends the expanse of the sea with the majestic mountains, ‘See-Sea Park‘ is a new commercial complex spanning over an area of 10,800 square meters in Oimachi, Fukui. The structure aims to create a pleasant environment for people to gather while also providing a comfortable setting for new entrepreneurs and startups.

Yoko Tada Began Painting in her 80s. At 100 She’s Publishing Her First Book

June 19, 2023 / Johnny / Comments Off

“natsu no prelude” (prelude of the summer) by Yoko Tada won honorable mention last year from the Japan Watercolor Association

The painter Yoko Tada is having what some would call “a moment.” Last year her work was recognized by the Japan Watercolor Association, an organization founded almost 110 years ago that sponsors Japan’s oldest art show. This year she is publishing her first book of paintings. But her path to artistry has been anything but straight. She is turning 100 this year, and after over a 60-year gap, rekindled her love for painting in her 80s.

Repurposing Japan’s Glut of Empty Homes as Greenhouses

June 15, 2023 / Johnny / Comments Off

The coronavirus pandemic had a drastic and immediate impact on Yuichiro Shimizu’s taxi business. As early as January 2020, Nichiei Taxi, a local business that has been servicing Saitama prefecture for over 50 years, saw their revenue drop by a staggering 80%. To save the company, and their roughly 40 employees, the team got together to brainstorm new business initiatives and they ended up hitting on something unexpected: growing wood ear mushrooms.

Close-up Photographs of Sumo Wrestlers Evoke Mountain Ranges Shrouded in Fog

June 14, 2023 / Johnny / Comments Off

Last month, the 107th High School Kanazawa City Sumo Tournament was held. The event has been held annually for over 100 years and attracts spectators locally but also from across Japan. But for the past 3 years, because of covid restrictions, the event had been held without spectators. So to welcome back the crowds, a series visual posters were created.

Exploring Tokyo’s Hidden Shrines

June 13, 2023 / Johnny / 2 Comments

According to statistics, Tokyo is home to over 1800 Shinto shrines. You have your major shrines like Meiji-Jingu and Hie Shrine but there are many other tiny shrines, often unstaffed and nestled in the depths of back streets and behind buildings. Tearing down a shrine would be considered incredibly bad luck so many smaller shrines have survived urban development in a way that buries them behind buildings, accessible only through alleyways or backstreets. These ‘hidden’ shrines of Tokyo have fascinated urban explorers because stumbling onto one can feel like slipping into a surreal, parallel universe.

With help from urban explorer toshibo, we present to you, with location data, a few of Tokyo’s hidden shrines. But surely there are many more out there. Do you know of any?