Spoon & Tamago

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Tokyo May Get Its Very Own High Line

the Tokyo Expressway running through Ginza could be turned into a park filled with greenery. (Illustration courtesy of Tokyo Expressway)

The economic benefits of New York’s High Line have been made clear. The elevated park that was converted from a disused railway has generated so much tourism and increases in land value that some $2 billion in new economic activity is attributed to the High Line. Now, other cities are following those blue prints to create new value from old infrastructure and Tokyo could be next.

Tokyo is Transformed into a Museum for Designart 2019

October 21, 2019 / Johnny / Comments Off

DesignArt Tokyo is in full swing this week. The annual celebration, now in it’s 3rd iteration, converts Tokyo into a massive museum with galleries, retail stores and event venues all joining in. And this year it’s bigger and more diverse than ever with over 300 designers participating at over 100 locations. That’s a lot to digest and a full list of everything going on, along with a convenient map, can be found on the official website. But here are just a few of our favorites. The events continue through October 27, 2019.

Nissin is releasing an obsessively designed fork specifically for Cup Noodle

October 17, 2019 / Johnny / 1 Comment

photos by Akihiro Yoshida courtesy nendo

Prior to Momofuku Ando releasing his revolutionary Cup Noodle into the world in 1971, he went on a fact-finding mission to America. There, he saw Americans taking his previous invention, the chicken noodle, breaking it in half, putting it in a cup instead of a bowl and eating it with a fork instead of chopsticks. This is what’s said to have inspired him to create Nissin’s Cup Noodle: a design that can be enjoyed by people all over the world. Almost exactly 48 years later, Nissin is releasing a fork that’s been specifically designed for that exact purpose.

Takigawa: a Minimal Sushi Shop in Fukuoka

October 16, 2019 / Johnny / 4 Comments

all photos by Hiroshi Mizusaki courtesy Case-Real Architects

As dusk settles in, the lights flicker on at Takigawa, a new sushi shop that opened over the summer in Fukuoka. A single lamp with the shop’s Japanese name – 多㐂川 – written in calligraphy glows and a noren with a curious illustration of a fish hangs above the entrance, welcoming visitors.

Decaying Tokyo Storefronts Re-Imagined in Miniature Scale

October 15, 2019 / Johnny / 2 Comments

all photos courtesy Christopher Robin / TokyoBuild

There’s a certain allure to Tokyo’s storefronts – the colors, the textures, the urban decay – that have inspired many artists and designers. For Stockholm-based designer Christopher Robin (yes, he was indeed named after the boy in Winnie the Pooh) that inspiration came when he had the opportunity to visit Tokyo for the first time last year. Upon returning, he began a side-project called TokyoBuild.

Remembering Illustrator Makoto Wada (1936 – 2019)

October 11, 2019 / Johnny / 1 Comment

Japanese illustrator Makoto Wada passed away on October 7, 2019 due to pneumonia. He was 83 years old. The Osaka-born artist graduated from Tama Art University in 1959 and entered the advertising industry where we quickly made a name for himself. He became in independent illustrator in 1968.

The Completed Headquarters for Swatch and Omega by Shigeru Ban

October 8, 2019 / Johnny / 2 Comments

Back in 2013, Japanese architect Shigeru Ban (previously) won a competition to design a campus of timber buildings to house the headquarters of watch brands Swatch and Omega in Biel, Switzerland. Now, after almost 5 years of construction, the campus was completed with an inaugural ceremony taking place last week.

Laser-Cut Ukiyo-e of Ginza in the Rain

October 7, 2019 / Johnny / 3 Comments

Miyakodori is a Tokyo-based print shop led by Takashi Kashiwagi. His great-grandfather was also a print-maker, and was involved in the Shin-Hanga movement around the turn of the century to revitalize ukiyo-e (woodblock prints). In keeping with his great-grandfather’s creative spirit of adapting to the times, Kashiwagi has spearheaded a new initiative in collaboration with contemporary illustrators to use laser cutters to carve woodblocks and create a new type of ukiyo-e. Borrowing from Japan’s new Reiwa era that began May 1, 2019, they’re calling it Reiwa Shin-Hanga.

The Art Biotop Water Garden Designed by Junya Ishigami

October 4, 2019 / Johnny / 1 Comment

Nestled within the foot of the Nasu Mountains, slightly North of Tokyo, is Art Biotop, an art retreat and artist’s residency. They offer classes in pottery and glass-blowing, as well as cycling and spa treatments. But one of their highlights is the meditative Water Garden designed by architect Junya Ishigami.

Winners of Japan’s 2019 Laundromat of the Year Award

October 2, 2019 / Johnny / 4 Comments

the overall top prize went to Hull (left) while the best design went to Eco Laundry (right)

Around this time of year, a coveted prize is awarded within a niche industry in Japan: the Laundromat-of-the-Year-Award (pdf). It’s presented at an industry fair in Tokyo known as the International Coin-Operated Laundry EXPO where excellence in laundromats are recognized within 3 main categories. There’s a top prize, a prize for best design and a prize for best user experience.