TABlog takes a look at 21_21 Design Sight, and covers what went on during one of the recent talks organized by the soon-to-launch (March 2007) design facility.

The winners for the Kokuyo Design Award 2006 have been announced. Pictured here is the grand prize winner, “Slice,” by Sachie Ohga. Link via Dezain.net.

Marxy has been promising for a while now to release an EP (a preview of sorts, of his upcoming full-length album that will be out sometime in 2007) on Creation Centre, Music Related‘s web label. Well, “Beaus in Disarray” is now out, so make with the clicky and get it now! Marxy has also posted “fragments” from the lyrics for each track.

Hopefully “New Tokyo Tower” will finally let me see all network channels in digital (I currently don’t have a great reception for them, which was a big disappointment when I got my HDTV set):

The O.Lamm/Digiki tour was in Nagoya last night, using that same bus that the Shoboys did last year! More pics from Digiki’s blog here.

My Kami-Robo Birdman figure! This is a plastic version of the paper craft series, but you still get to put it together yourself, and then apply stickers on top (I bought it a few weeks ago at the KDDI Designing Studio). Today, after I catch the “By Design” program at Resfest, I’ll try to drop by Omotesando Hills for the “Kami-Robo Entertainment Expo.” Also, a couple of weeks ago there was a late-night TV show that profiled Kami-Robo creator Tomohiro Yasui, with the hosts visiting his studio, and getting tips on creating paper robot fighters of their own.

• Get Your Paper Fight On

You can read all of my Gridskipper posts here (or even subscribe to a feed).

Well, now I know why the Uniqlo Soho store in NYC has a better t-shirt collection than what we get here:

The first Muji Award results have been announced, with the grand prize going to Yoh Komiyama’s “A Cast-off Skin” (pictured above). All silver and bronze winners get listed on the award site, and you’ll be able to see everything on display at the Yurakucho store’s Atelier Muji exhibition space starting today, until January 9.

I love these illustrations by Shu-Thang Grafix for a Reiku (or Lake, a Japanese loan company) pamphlet, showing “The master of manner Lakeman” in action!

Get ready for some more Kami-Robo fun, as they get ready to invade Omotesando Hills (B3F Multipurpose Space) this coming weekend (November 25-26). Looks like it’s going to be a mix of retail, workshops, and some 40-minute matches (with real pro-wrestlers) held twice each night, at 17:00 and 19:30.

I mentioned the Uniqlo “Designers Invitation Project” the other day in my “An Afternoon in Ikebukuro” post, and pictured above is the tag that comes with the clothes in the collection. The reverse side has info, both in English and Japanese, on the designer (in this case, Scye). Next up is Mint Designs (for women) and Iliad (for men), with collections that will become available December 1 (you can already view them online).

I know how difficult it is to find work in the art and design industries here in Tokyo/Japan — believe me, I get plenty of mail on the subject — especially if you don’t speak Japanese, and now Tokyo Art Beat gets ready to lend a helping hand with the launch of a job board — they’re even offering 20 free listings before the December 1 launch date!

PingMag interviews Eiko Tanaka of Studio 4C about the new BLACK & WHITE (TEKKON KINKREET) animated adaptation of Taiyo Matsumoto’s classic manga. Catch the premiere tomorrow night at Resfest Japan!