Spoon & Tamago

Page 6 of 395

School Lunch Provider Creates Manga Milk to Encourage Kids to Finish Their Milk

October 10, 2023 / Johnny / Comments Off

Seki Milk, a Gifu-based provider of milk and other dairy-based products to local schools, had long been dealing with an inconvenient truth. A large majority of students—65%, according to their own research— weren’t finishing their milk. This was leading to food loss but also a decrease in calcium and other nutrients the kids needed to grow. But getting schools to implement any kind of strict rule also felt wrong. The answer, it turned out, was in comics.

Whale Butter Dish Designed by Akira Yoshimura

October 5, 2023 / Johnny / 4 Comments

This whimsical butter dish is sure to bring a sea of change to your kitchen. Designed by Akira Yoshimura (previously) and lovingly produced by the metal artisans of Takaoka-based Sanomasa, the Whale Butter Dish is made in the likeness of a whale that has swallowed a stick of butter in one huge gulp.

Designed by Kengo Kuma, Kiki’s Museum of Literature to Open in Tokyo

October 5, 2023 / Johnny / Comments Off

Fans of “Kiki’s Delivery Service” will be delighted to learn that a new museum dedicated to children’s book author Eiko Kadono will open in Tokyo. Designed by architect Kengo Kuma, the three-story Kiki’s Museum of Literature will be located inside Nagisa Park, which is situated in the Edogawa district of Tokyo, known as the author’s home.

Creatures of the Echigo Sea Emerge from Straw in the 2023 Wara Art Festival

October 3, 2023 / Johnny / Comments Off

Autumn is officially upon us. It’s the season of shorter days, brighter moons and bountiful harvests. Niigata prefecture, in Northern Japan, is known for its rice paddies and rice production. Around this time of year the rice harvest becomes a big deal, as well as the tons of rice straw, or wara, that is leftover. It can be plowed down as soil improver, fed to livestock, or even woven into decorative ornaments. But before any of that, for the past 10 years Uwasekigata Park has hosted a Wara Art Festival by teaming up with art students to create creatures, both large and small, from rice straw.

‘Mirai No Table’ Brings Childcare and Dining Together As One

October 2, 2023 / Kushal Jain / Comments Off

All images © Atelier Air Flo Nukasawa courtesy of Harema Design Office

At the crossroads of childcare and dining, ‘Mirai no Table‘ (Table of the Future) is a café conceived from the dual perspectives by Harema Design Office.

The café embodies the idea that our food choices shape our future. By combining the expertise of the Sakura Sakumirai daycare center and Pan to Espresso bakery cafe, it strives to create a secure and enjoyable dining space for families. Services like warming baby food and reheating dishes ensure that parents with young children can dine without any worries.

Undercover’s Jun Takahashi Lights up Paris Fashion Week with Glowing Terrarium Dresses

September 28, 2023 / Johnny / Comments Off

images courtesy Undercover

Flora and fauna were abound as designer Jun Takahashi’s fertile creativity was unleashed during Paris Fashion Week 2023. The designer’s iconic brand Undercover, equally revered as a cult name in streetwear and as a fixture on Paris’ haute couture calendar, was showing a collection titled “Deep Mist.”

Tan Yamanouchi’s New House Speaks to His Cats’ Desires

September 21, 2023 / Kushal Jain / Comments Off

All images © Lamberto Rubino courtesy Tan Yamanouchi & AWGL

Ever wondered what your home might look like if it were custom-designed to cater to the tastes of your beloved feline companions? Well, the architect Tan Yamanouchi (previously) of AWGL has designed a purr-fect home, prioritizing his two cats over himself and his partner. Instead of adhering to typical human requirements, the architect decided to treat their furry companions as esteemed clients.

Objects of Nostalgia Recreated in Pixelated Ceramics by Toshiya Masuda

September 19, 2023 / Johnny / Comments Off

all images courtesy the artist

On the spectrum of artistic materials, pixel art and ceramics seemingly couldn’t be further apart. On one end you have one of mankind’s oldest forms of expression dating back to the late Paleolithic period. On the other, a digital form of art that was born in the 1970s. It was this gap that drew artist Toshiya Masuda down the path of uniting them.

You’ll Soon Be Able to Stay in One of Japan’s Most Beautifully Designed Prisons

September 14, 2023 / Johnny / 2 Comments

photos by Masashi Mizowaki and Takaharu Yagi

Spending the night in jail is usually not a good thing. Unless of course you’re staying in Japan’s Nara Prison, a historic red-brick structure built in 1908 with western archways and onion domes that lend an air of castle more than incarceration. The prison shut down in 2017 but is being preserved for its architectural and historic significance. The renovated structure will reopen in 2026 as a hotel.

The Evolution of Meiji Era Craftsmanship, On Full Display in Tokyo

September 12, 2023 / Johnny / 1 Comment

It’s hard to overstate the cataclysmic impact that the Meiji Restoration had on Japan. The Meiji period, defined as the period between 1868 and 1912, followed what was nearly 300 years of almost complete isolation from the globe. Craftsmen and artists who had previously served just one master—their feudal lord, or daimyo—were suddenly faced with an international audience. And so they had to adapt to a totally new clientele and demand, which consequently resulted in a flourishing of new styles and production techniques.

From kibori wood sculpting to kirie paper cutting, a new exhibition opening in Tokyo highlights today’s contemporary artisans working across multiple mediums who continue to hone their craft to a level that has elevated craft to works of marvelous art.