Happy Holidays from Spoon & Tamago!
We want to take a moment to thank you for stopping by and reading our posts. We know there are a lot of great blogs out there so it means a lot to us to when you decided to come to Spoon & Tamago. We’re excited about what 2013 holds: we’ll continue to improve functionality on the site, as well as hopefully relaunch our flash sales (which have been on hiatus). But most importantly we look forward to bringing you new and exciting stories on Japanese art, design and culture.
Here are our 10 most popular stories of 2012, which – we’re proud to say – are all original stories that we reported on before any other foreign media outlet!
1. Puffer Fish Art
A tiny fish that creates intricate sculptures to lure mates captured the hearts of our readers and was the most popular post of 2012. And now a major television network is looking to cast this little fish as the star of a documentary!
2. 3D Photobooth
A pop-up photobooth in Tokyo that prints miniature 3D sculptures of you and your close ones. Mini me, anyone? It’s open through January 14, 2013.
3. A Firefly Festival
Earlier this year the inaugural Tokyo Hotaru festival was held in which an impressive display of 100,000 LED lights – made to resemble fireflies – floated down the Sumida River through central Tokyo.
4. Run Radish, Run
When a Japanese farmer unearthed a peculiar-looking daikon radish, she gave it anthropomorphic traits and photographed it.
5. Levitating homes
A company in Japan has invented a mechanism that levitates homes moments before an earthquake strikes, making them immune to tectonic rumblings. Sounds like science fiction, right? Well it’s not.
6. Coffee and a Laser Cutter
A new cafe in Shibuya merges craft and caffeine. Fab café comes with a laser cutter that anyone can use. However, it’s recommended you have your coffee before operating the machine.
7. Lego Tokyo
In celebrating the 50th anniversary of the iconic building blocks being introduced into Japan, 1.8 million LEGOs were used to create a gigantic replica of Japan.
8. Edison’s Cradle
An installation of 11 computer-programmed incandescent light bulbs hung from strings. They playfully re-enact Newton’s Cradle – or more aptly, Edison’s Cradle – visualizing the transfer of kinetic energy. Mesmerizing.
9. 1Q84 Infographic
Haruki Murakami’s 1Q84 is epic in every sense. An art student at Cooper Union created an equally epic infographic that charts and visualizes all the meals that occur throughout 1Q84.
10. A MUJI Lottery
Last but not least, a lottery that offered winners 2-years of rent-free living in a MUJI house fully-furnished with MUJI furniture.
If you’re interested, here are our previous year-in reviews.
