While you may understand the impulse to capture, share and document the amazing dishes you get via Instagram, Japanese Chef, Itsuo Kobayashi has taken it to the next level for the last 32 years by drawing, sketching and painting his meals.
Via Colossal
The forests of Yakushima Island, just off the southern tip of Japan’s Kyushu Island have that spirit-filled feeling so familiar from Hayao Miyazaki's Princess Mononoke. Singapore-based photographer Raphael Olivier here captures all the myth and mystery of the trees which seem to surely be the home of the mischevious tree spirits called “kodama”.
Azuki is a little Japanese hedgehog with a huge Instagram following. And this recent camping trip will probably only add to the following.
Media artist Makoto Murayama created mechanical blueprints of flowers.
The 29-year old Murayama collects and studies different flowers, sketching them repeatedly to understand the structures and elements.
In an interview Murayama said: “My inspirations come from Yoshihiro Inomoto (a master of automobile illustration) and Tomitaro Makino (a pioneer in Japanese botanical illustration)."
Kyon.J is a Japanese photographer who's stunning photos of Guilin in China and Mount Fuji in Japan surpass the cliched images with just the right touch of light and wonder.
Hong Kong-based landscape architect CoolBieRe takes some stunning aerial photographs of cityscapes and skylines, including these of Yokohama, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Istanbul.
See also Brazilian Scenes from the Air
The limited edition (a run of about 200 prints) Star Wars Ukiyo-e prints uses the imagery licensed from Lucas Films to create this centuries old technique called ukiyo-e.
Ukiyo-e is an art with three different people working together: the eshi (painter), horishi(carver) and surishi (printer). Together, these skilled craftsman created 3 different scenes from Star Wars, each in a limited edition run of 200. And
Launched on Japanese crowdfunding site Makuake, the project got backers putting down 54,000 yen (about $440) for a single print. The full set at 162,000 yen (about $1300) is already sold out.
江戸時代から技術を継承する職人たちによる、30回以上にも及ぶ摺り重ねで作られたルーカスフィルム公式ライセンス商品「浮世絵スター・ウォーズ」。その製作工程の一部をお見せします。是非お楽しみください。最後に各作品を紹介しています。 公式サイト http://dentoistradition.com/
Atsushi Segawa had been making animated GIFs out of ukiyo-e for a while when he was commissioned by Japanese computer maker NEC to mix computers and computer use into Edo-era Japan.
You know the feeling. There's mention of something you only have a dim idea of, which sends you to wikipedia. An hour or two later and you are 5 layers deep in a part of the world, history or ideas you'd never heard of.
So it was for me today. Here are my 5 new wikipedia links:
Tang Dynasty
Man'yogana
General An Lushan
Nanzho
“Last Dance of the Fairies” was shot by Japanese photographer Yume Cyan near Nagoya City, Japan. In long exposure, the fireflies' blinking draws dashed lines through the dark.
See also Glowstick Trails in Night Waterfalls
auひかり (au Hikari) is a high-speed optical internet service in Japan, and this super slick and clever ad uses light and lenses to power a Rube Goldberg. Super fun.
from the video page:
"Over 3,400 separate images combined to make this time lapse video from a Boeing 747-400 en route from Tokyo's Narita Airport to San Francisco. That's Venus leading the sunrise."
A Japanese artist classically trained in Yamato-e (traditional Japanese painting), Akira Yamaguchi's large format watercolors demonstrate a refinement on par with the old masters. These paintings, however, take another look. They are of an historic color, bristling with the tools, locations, things and situations of contemporary Japan. Skyscrapers seem clearly the cousins of the Heiji Castles they replaced. Rocket launchers, airplanes. Truly astounding.
photo credits: onotch
So distinctive and ingrained is sakura (櫻), or cherry blossom, to Japan, their ephemeral beauty have become a lesson in aesthetics and philosophy.
When the conditions are right, the trees erupt in vibrant and fragrant blossoms across the country. There is even a remarkably precise sakura calendar to track and predict when.
photo credits: 紅襪熊
photo credits: Masato Mukoyama
photo credits: tomosang
photo credits: Noisy Paradise
photo credits: Yuga Kurita
photo credits: Hikaruno Mikoto
photo credits: poojartiwari
photo credits: Haru Digital Photo
Japanese photographer Arixxx has created this chillingly beautiful long exposure shots of Japanese cherry blossoms at night.
The festival in the city of Sapporo on Japan's northern island of Hokkaido, the Sapporo Snow Festival has been taking place since the early '80s and attracting millions of visitors.
via Beautiful Decay http://5thin.gs/1d0ljse
The aesthetic that formed the basis for traditional Japanese architecture and interior design is nuanced and interesting. Reading In Praise of Shadows by Junichiro Tanizaki began for me a path towards appreciating the often stark and geometric choices.
These photos of the Katsura Imperial Villa (16th Century) in Kyoto from Japanese American photography Yasuhiro Ishimoto bring to the forefront the abstractions of shape, space and light in an amazing way.
Japanese architect Arata Isozaki will team up with British-Indian sculptor Anish Kapoor to create an inflatable concert hall. Dubbed Arc Nova. More of these photos on their facebook page.
In collaboration with organizers of the Swiss Lucerne Festival, the first performance is scheduled for October 12th. The full line-up is on their website.
On the island of Hokkaido, the Unkai Terrace is a scenic spot that because of the natural hot springs in the area and the differences in temperature a sea of clouds cover the mountainous region.
