All About Japan

Spoon & Tamago

Spoon & Tamago

All About Spoon & Tamago
Drawing from an extensive multicultural database and resources, Spoon & Tamago attempts to comprehensively cover all aspects of Japanese design, from fine art and architecture to product and graphic design.
The Wintry Elegance of Kawase Woodblock Prints

The Wintry Elegance of Kawase Woodblock Prints

If you can't make it out to Ronin Gallery in New York, we've got a preview here of the Japanese woodblock prints on exhibit there created by Hasui Kawase.

Spoon & Tamago’s Most Popular Products of 2016

Spoon & Tamago’s Most Popular Products of 2016

Spoon & Tamago brings you all the hot concepts and innovations from around Japan, and some of them you can even own!

Japan Gets Lit with Seasonal Illuminations

Japan Gets Lit with Seasonal Illuminations

Christmas lights are a big part of the seasonal festivities in many Western countries, and Japan—without Santa Claus overtones—gets into the spirit of the season with illuminations, or grand displays of light. Read on to learn the best spots of 2016.

Hermès Opens New Pop-Up Shop in a Gion Machiya

Hermès Opens New Pop-Up Shop in a Gion Machiya

Always stylish, a new pop-up shop from French high luxury fashion house Hermès opened up in a old-fashioned townhouse in the heart of Kyoto.

Stick to Your Plans with New Calendar Tape

Stick to Your Plans with New Calendar Tape

Japan is known for amusing, adorable and innovative stationery, and one Japanese company will help you get organized with rolls of tape that turn any notebook into a calendar or planner.

Of Love & Law: Japan’s First LGBT Law Firm

Of Love & Law: Japan’s First LGBT Law Firm

Filmmaker Hikaru Toda is working on an intriguing documentary about Fumi & Kazu, who run the first openly gay law firm in Japan.

Gorgeous Tohoku Drawing Took 3.5 Years to Make

Gorgeous Tohoku Drawing Took 3.5 Years to Make

Artist Manabu Ikeda unveils a monumental pen and ink drawing, depicting scenes from the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, that took nearly 3.5 years to complete.

The Darker Side: 'Star Wars' Ink Portraits

The Darker Side: 'Star Wars' Ink Portraits

'Bujin-ga' artist Masayuki Kojo captures characters from 'Star Wars,' creating versions of Darth Vader and the storm troopers like never before.

Legendary Art Director Turns a Bank into a Bar

Legendary Art Director Turns a Bank into a Bar

Shuttered in 1945, the Kamakura Bank's legacy lived on as the building miraculously survived the war, as well Japan’s penchant for scrapping and building. And now, it's serving up drinks along with history.

Go Ahead & Fall Asleep in This Kyoto Library

Go Ahead & Fall Asleep in This Kyoto Library

The Book & Bed Hostel opens a 2nd location in Kyoto.

Relive Your Childhood with Famicon Stationery

Relive Your Childhood with Famicon Stationery

From clear folders and memo pads that can all fit snug into the tote bag, Famicon stationery is the perfect gift for your gaming friends this holiday season.

Building a Better Bakery

Building a Better Bakery

Check out this renovated Kyoto townhouse that was turned into a cheese tart shop and tech startup.

6 Hokusai Watercolors Found in Netherlands?

6 Hokusai Watercolors Found in Netherlands?

In a stunning revelation, six Western-style watercolor paintings in the Netherlands have been suggested to be works of Katsushika Hokusai, the most famous 'ukiiyo-e' artist of Japan's Edo Period.

Japanese Museum of Rocks That Look Like Faces

Japanese Museum of Rocks That Look Like Faces

Travel northwest of Tokyo to see this museum full of rocks that resemble faces—even a few famous ones!

This Map Just Might Change the World

This Map Just Might Change the World

This map of the world, which shows the globe more accurately as it is in 2016, just won Japan’s prestigious Design Award.

Fifth Blue Bottle Location Opens in Nakameguro

Fifth Blue Bottle Location Opens in Nakameguro

Blue Bottle Coffee has been a huge hit since it came to Japan from California in 2015, and the chain is rapidly spreading across Tokyo, opening yet another trendy branch.

Halloween Costumes in Traditional Japanese Art

Halloween Costumes in Traditional Japanese Art

Halloween might be a relatively new concept for Japan, but the idea of sporting costumes for festivals is perhaps older than it is in the United States!

Onbashira: Japan’s Most Dangerous Festival

Onbashira: Japan’s Most Dangerous Festival

Every six years, the town of Suwa in Nagano Prefecture becomes the site of one of Japan's oldest festivals—which is also considered the most dangerous.

Incredible Rolled Newspaper Animal Sculptures

Incredible Rolled Newspaper Animal Sculptures

Inspired by her encounter with a rhino in Africa, artist Chie Hitotsuyama creates amazingly lifelike sculptures of animals—out of newspaper!

Hikaru Utada’s Triumphant Comeback

Hikaru Utada’s Triumphant Comeback

After a roller coaster ride of a decade, Hikaru Utada is back with a full-length album—and we couldn’t be happier for her.

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