Painting primarily involves the sense of seeing and touching. Kanogu (香の具), which means “aromatic paints” in Japanese, is a new tool that combines 100% natural essential oils with paints to offer a new way of painting that also involves the sense of smell.
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Tsutenkaku, Osaka (created in March 2020) “I was supposed to travel to Osaka at the end of March, to have a meeting with a museum curator and prepare for a show that would take place at the end of year. I was thinking about preparing a series of works with a local theme, and hoped to also spend the trip researching the history and culture of the area. However, after the coronavirus outbreak hit Japan, I needed to give up that trip too”
The Brazilian-born Japanese artist Oscar Oiwa (previously) found himself in the same state as many of us when the pandemic struck earlier this year: projects and trips were all postponed. Instead of meeting with curators, going to his studio and walking around New York City where he’s based, he found himself confined to his apartment. So he did the only reasonable thing: he used his craft to begin a series that would transform his feelings into visual art.
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Frank Lloyd Wright first arrived in Japan in 1917 and that same year he met Arata Endo – 27 years old at the time and fresh off the team working on plans to construct Meiji Shrine. The two architects bonded and Endo would go on to become Wright’s primary protégé, overseeing many of Wright’s projects in Japan after he left the country.
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A panoramic mural of musical keys recently appeared along the floor leading into the Minato Mirai Hall, a music venue in Yokohama. Titled “Social Harmony” and created by Eisuke Tachikawa, the mural is part social distancing sticker and part interactive musical art installation.
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all photos by Hirobumi Imanishi
Latelier Natural is a French restaurant in the Arida district of Japan’s Wakayama prefecture, situated near Wakayama Bay. Behind the small restaurant was a parking space just large enough for 2-3 cars. As if anticipating the pandemic and social-distancing response, in 2019 the restaurant decided to expand by converting their parking lot into a tiny yet adorable takeout counter.
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Japanese artist Keiko Miyamori divides her time between New York and Japan. But when the the global pandemic struck earlier this year her exhibitions in Japan got cancelled and she found herself stranded in New York. On that fateful day in April she began making tree rubbings and encasing them in boxes.
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Artisan Spotlight is a new initiative at the Spoon & Tamago Shop to highlight the work of individual artisans and craftspeople in Japan. Although we’ve always been supportive of traditional crafts, our focus within the shop has always been on makers and designers that fall somewhere in-between handmade and mass-produced. But with limited travel and exposure now due to the pandemic, we thought it was important to expand our coverage.
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Cerabo Kutani is a new museum and hands-on workshop that opened over the summer in Komatsu City (Ishikawa prefecture), a location known as one of the few and first production centers of kutani-yaki porcelain. It’s here that, over 350 years ago, clay was first made by crushing rocks mined from the nearby Hanasaka mountains.
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Windows on the Teahouse (Credit: ©2019 Takumi Ota Photography)
Curated by architectural historian and critic, Igarashi Tarō, Windowology explores the ways in which windows frame our world, each bringing a completely unique perspective to our lives. Discover this vital cultural and architectural element through an exhibition filled with models, drawings, photographs, film, manga, books, crafts, and original artwork by renowned performance and installation artist, Tsuda Michiko.
Celebrating Windowology’s 10th anniversary, this exhibition has been reimagined for an international audience. Experience this renowned exhibition from the comfort of your own home through our virtual tours. Explore a historical Japanese teahouse, watch an interview with Igarashi Tarō, and dive into more exclusive content available online.
Visit the virtual exhibition at https://www.japanhousela.com/exhibitions/windowology/.
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all photos by kenta hasegawa
Hundreds of hinoki wooden blocks, each connected by stainless steel rods, have been draped over an office building in Tokyo, creating a latticed curtain that is both dense, but also airy. The beautiful entranceway, newly installed over the summer, creates multiple visual effects depending on the distance and angle of the viewer.
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Arata Endo’s 1928 Kaji Villa in Hayama Renovated as a Short-Term Rental
Experience Authentic Kutani Ceramics at the new Cerabo Kutani
Keiko Miyamori Created Tree Rubbings for 125 Days as a Show of Resilience During the Pandemic
Adorable Takeout Space Added to Restaurant in Wakayama
Social Distancing Meets Erik Satie in Interactive Musical Installation
