Category: Art & Design

  • Kazuo Oga

    You may not be familiar with the name Kazuo Oga, but if you’re a fan of Ghibli films, then you’ve certainly seen his work in the form of the luscious painted backgrounds. Here are a couple of videos that show him at work, as well as a more general documentary, both with English subtitles.

  • Picks from TDW

    The latest edition of my old Japan Times “On: Design” column — now written by my ex-editor, Mio Yamada — covers a few of Mio’s picks from last week’s Tokyo Design Week. Pictured, Makoto Suzuki’s Capa Chair. Here she also offers her highlights from TDW itself.

  • Sumida Hokusai Museum

    Opening in Ryogoku this month (on the 22nd, to be exact) is the Sumida Hokusai Museum. Here’s a description from Time Out Tokyo: Spending a day in Ryogoku is set to become even more of a necessity for tourists from this November, when the neighbourhood that already houses the Edo-Tokyo Museum and the Kokugikan will see…

  • Blue Bottle Coffee Nakameguro Cafe

    Not only has Blue Bottle Coffee opened up a new cafe in Tokyo — in Nakameguro no less — but it was designed by one of my favorite studios, Schemata Architects. They’ve posted plenty of photos that show off the interior, which on top of the cafe includes space for offices and a training area.

  • Shinichi Furuya

    Nice photo? Sorry, but this is actually a pencil drawing. When I saw this post on Tokyo Soup, I couldn’t believe that all the images on show were drawings, but these YouTube videos are proof enough. They’re all done by illustrator Shinichi Furuya, and you really gotta wonder who he’s managed to achieve such a…

  • Kento Iida

    Here’s a nice big Cartoon Brew post showing off the beautiful illustrative work of Kento Iida. La-la-love his style, and there’s more to see on his Tumblr and Instagram account.

  • The Kissaten of Yanesen

    Here’s a nice little piece with lots of photos from the Japan Times that takes a look at some of the old kissaten (coffeeshops) that survive in Tokyo, here focusing on the area of the city called Yanesen (a combination of Yanaka, Nezu, and Sendagi).

  • Interview with Takeyoshi Hayashida

    David continues to add to his “Ametora Extended” collection of articles that support Ametora, this time sharing an interview he conducted while researching the book, with Van’s Takeyoshi Hayashida.

  • Good Design Award 2016

    It’s always fun to take a look at the winners of the annual Good Design Award — and for me, when I was writing my “On Design” column, it would give me ideas on products to cover that I had somehow missed throughout the year. The 2016 lineup was recently announced, and the Grand Award went to…