Japanese art, design & culture https://bsky.app/profile/spoon-tamago.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/spoon-tamago.bsky.social/post/3mvw4hkomvc2yEvery two years, Japan recognizes excellence in packaging design. Here are the winners for 2027: https://spoon-tamago.com/japan-2027-packaging-design-awards/20 Sep 2026 02:08 +0000at://did:plc:kod2lixttpkov7ctwnklbypp/app.bsky.feed.post/3mvw4hkomvc2yhttps://bsky.app/profile/spoon-tamago.bsky.social/post/3mvqwctj4us2hHundreds of hanging beads form translucent sculptures of children at this abandoned elementary school in Gifu https://spoon-tamago.com/yuka-numata-replaying-afterimages18 Sep 2026 00:34 +0000at://did:plc:kod2lixttpkov7ctwnklbypp/app.bsky.feed.post/3mvqwctj4us2hhttps://bsky.app/profile/spoon-tamago.bsky.social/post/3mvly4kdaek2eTadao Ando designed a floating library boat and then donated it to Kagawa so books could reach children living on remote islands https://spoon-tamago.com/tadao-ando-kagawa-floating-library/16 Sep 2026 01:23 +0000at://did:plc:kod2lixttpkov7ctwnklbypp/app.bsky.feed.post/3mvly4kdaek2ehttps://bsky.app/profile/spoon-tamago.bsky.social/post/3muywtcrrjc2nMeet the candidates who will replace the beloved Suica Penguin https://spoon-tamago.com/suica-penguin-successor-candidates/08 Sep 2026 11:40 +0000at://did:plc:kod2lixttpkov7ctwnklbypp/app.bsky.feed.post/3muywtcrrjc2nhttps://bsky.app/profile/spoon-tamago.bsky.social/post/3muvfkxk7ac2oAutumn’s clearer skies and brighter moons gives renewed enthusiasm to encounter artistic inspiration. And the entire city of Tokyo is not only here for it, but sponsoring it: https://spoon-tamago.com/tokyo-art-events-autumn-2026/07 Sep 2026 01:53 +0000at://did:plc:kod2lixttpkov7ctwnklbypp/app.bsky.feed.post/3muvfkxk7ac2ohttps://bsky.app/profile/spoon-tamago.bsky.social/post/3mukd2ygdak2rAnyone want to crowdfund this and turn it into a small museum? Designed by architect Yuji Noga in 1980, this home in Izu, previously owned by an art collector, is for sale: 34.9 mm yen ($220k usd) https://m.realtokyoestate.co.jp/estate.php?n=2726802 Sep 2026 16:09 +0000at://did:plc:kod2lixttpkov7ctwnklbypp/app.bsky.feed.post/3mukd2ygdak2rhttps://bsky.app/profile/spoon-tamago.bsky.social/post/3muicdumlg22xNext month, Japan is launching a double-decker sushi bus where you can eat sushi on a conveyor belt while touring popular Tokyo destinations. This is like the final boss of tourist traps www.sushi-bus.com01 Sep 2026 20:51 +0000at://did:plc:kod2lixttpkov7ctwnklbypp/app.bsky.feed.post/3muicdumlg22xhttps://bsky.app/profile/spoon-tamago.bsky.social/post/3mucp3mcqjs2uUrban photographer Ken Ohyama has a knack for taking oft-overlooked elements of urban environments and highlighting their beauty by forcing us to look at them in ways we never have. https://spoon-tamago.com/kawaii-buildings-ken-ohyama-photobook30 Aug 2026 15:23 +0000at://did:plc:kod2lixttpkov7ctwnklbypp/app.bsky.feed.post/3mucp3mcqjs2uhttps://bsky.app/profile/spoon-tamago.bsky.social/post/3muakrd7pfk2jEvery summer, the city of Gyoda in Saitama Prefecture turns rice paddies into giant canvases. For 2026, Gyoda is celebrating the world of gaming. Specifically, world-building game Minecraft. https://spoon-tamago.com/minecraft-gyoda-rice-paddy-art29 Aug 2026 19:00 +0000at://did:plc:kod2lixttpkov7ctwnklbypp/app.bsky.feed.post/3muakrd7pfk2jhttps://bsky.app/profile/spoon-tamago.bsky.social/post/3mu2koaypgk2mYayoi Kusama, one of the world’s most celebrated and best-selling artists who filled the world with polka dots, has died age 97. “we announce the passing of Yayoi Kusama at a hospital in Tokyo on August 14,” reads a statement on her website.27 Aug 2026 09:42 +0000at://did:plc:kod2lixttpkov7ctwnklbypp/app.bsky.feed.post/3mu2koaypgk2mhttps://bsky.app/profile/spoon-tamago.bsky.social/post/3mtwb62yopc2iFamilyMart and Sumo Legend Chiyonofuji is the Celebrity Collab We Didn’t Know We Needed https://spoon-tamago.com/familymart-sumo-legend-chiyonofuji-collab25 Aug 2026 16:41 +0000at://did:plc:kod2lixttpkov7ctwnklbypp/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtwb62yopc2ihttps://bsky.app/profile/spoon-tamago.bsky.social/post/3mtr3a5t46k2fAn M5.9 quake on Sunday in Tokyo caused a store's fire alarm to malfunction, releasing a plume of fire extinguishing foam throughout the street in Adachi ward.23 Aug 2026 15:12 +0000at://did:plc:kod2lixttpkov7ctwnklbypp/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtr3a5t46k2fhttps://bsky.app/profile/spoon-tamago.bsky.social/post/3mst5jswzlc2dIf you’re in Tokyo next week and want to check out an English-friendly rakugo performance, we have the perfect event for you:11 Aug 2026 17:33 +0000at://did:plc:kod2lixttpkov7ctwnklbypp/app.bsky.feed.post/3mst5jswzlc2dhttps://bsky.app/profile/spoon-tamago.bsky.social/post/3msmbnoeqi22jSou Fujimoto’s Meiji Park, Now Open in Fukuoka https://spoon-tamago.com/sou-fujimoto-meiji-park-fukuoka08 Aug 2026 23:58 +0000at://did:plc:kod2lixttpkov7ctwnklbypp/app.bsky.feed.post/3msmbnoeqi22jhttps://bsky.app/profile/spoon-tamago.bsky.social/post/3msdiehjgds2wJapanese brewery YO-HO Brewing has created a glass that forces you to drink the same amount of water as beer05 Aug 2026 12:05 +0000at://did:plc:kod2lixttpkov7ctwnklbypp/app.bsky.feed.post/3msdiehjgds2whttps://bsky.app/profile/spoon-tamago.bsky.social/post/3mrmxtv4rmk2kKiyo Takeda: The Architect Making Tokyo Green Again https://spoon-tamago.com/kiyo-takeda-the-architect-making-tokyo-green-again27 Jul 2026 13:10 +0000at://did:plc:kod2lixttpkov7ctwnklbypp/app.bsky.feed.post/3mrmxtv4rmk2khttps://bsky.app/profile/spoon-tamago.bsky.social/post/3mrllnpoeg22tA 61-year old Kyoto resident has been arrested for playing excessively loud music. Neighbors had been complaining for 7 years. Police finally moved and confiscated over 50 guitars and amps. https://www.sankei.com/article/20260723-4N7XJIPUGZMYRNEUTJ7CRM3UXA/27 Jul 2026 00:00 +0000at://did:plc:kod2lixttpkov7ctwnklbypp/app.bsky.feed.post/3mrllnpoeg22thttps://bsky.app/profile/spoon-tamago.bsky.social/post/3mqowz36w7s2pNYU is considering a major expansion into Japan. Tokyo Governor and NYU announced a pact to consider a Tokyo campus with Musashimurayama being identified as a potential site: https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/1672914915 Jul 2026 14:36 +0000at://did:plc:kod2lixttpkov7ctwnklbypp/app.bsky.feed.post/3mqowz36w7s2phttps://bsky.app/profile/spoon-tamago.bsky.social/post/3mqhog6lsxk2zRather than hiding the mechanics, Kokuyo’s new collection celebrates them, transforming everyday office supplies into miniature kinetic sculptures. https://spoon-tamago.com/kokuyo-transparent-mechanism/12 Jul 2026 17:13 +0000at://did:plc:kod2lixttpkov7ctwnklbypp/app.bsky.feed.post/3mqhog6lsxk2zhttps://bsky.app/profile/spoon-tamago.bsky.social/post/3mqesjb2wpk2vYou can get a coffee, a sandwich and also a denim jacket the new FAMIMA https://spoon-tamago.com/familymart-new-famima-flagship11 Jul 2026 13:48 +0000at://did:plc:kod2lixttpkov7ctwnklbypp/app.bsky.feed.post/3mqesjb2wpk2vhttps://bsky.app/profile/spoon-tamago.bsky.social/post/3mpebv7lqkk2rThe Japanese artist Saya Irie erases images and then uses those eraser shavings to recompose the images into three-dimensional form, transforming the byproduct of erasure into delicate works of art. https://spoon-tamago.com/saya-irie-eraser-shavings/28 Jun 2026 15:26 +0000at://did:plc:kod2lixttpkov7ctwnklbypp/app.bsky.feed.post/3mpebv7lqkk2rhttps://bsky.app/profile/spoon-tamago.bsky.social/post/3mp6uyhl7mc2vWe’re loving the new Uniqlo x Jakuchu Ito collab. But the problem with Uniqlo is that you’re going to run into 10 other people wearing the same shirt. So I think the strategy here is to pick up a set, tuck them away, and pull them out in a decade or so.26 Jun 2026 11:52 +0000at://did:plc:kod2lixttpkov7ctwnklbypp/app.bsky.feed.post/3mp6uyhl7mc2vhttps://bsky.app/profile/spoon-tamago.bsky.social/post/3mjujzinv6c27Shizuoka Aims to Reclaim Top Tea Status With New Branding Project https://spoon-tamago.com/japan-tea-shizuoka-branding-project/19 Apr 2026 18:03 +0000at://did:plc:kod2lixttpkov7ctwnklbypp/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjujzinv6c27https://bsky.app/profile/spoon-tamago.bsky.social/post/3mjjzjfo3jk2bthe Kyoto Aquarium and Tokyo’s Sumida Aquarium keep obsessive tabs on the complex relationships of their penguins. They’ve just released updated 2026 flowcharts and this year they’re available in English: https://spoon-tamago.com/japanese-aquarium-penguin-relationship-flowchart/15 Apr 2026 13:41 +0000at://did:plc:kod2lixttpkov7ctwnklbypp/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjjzjfo3jk2bhttps://bsky.app/profile/spoon-tamago.bsky.social/post/3mi2zlkiies2zIn an exhibition that opens next week, Kenya Hara offers a rare look into his design process https://spoon-tamago.com/kenya-hara-draw-exhibition/27 Mar 2026 21:07 +0000at://did:plc:kod2lixttpkov7ctwnklbypp/app.bsky.feed.post/3mi2zlkiies2zhttps://bsky.app/profile/spoon-tamago.bsky.social/post/3mi2cpcxjns2zNYC steakhouse Smith & Wollensky is opening a location in Ginza on May 1. They join the ranks of Wolfgang's, Benjamin's and Peter Luger, all of which have opened up shop in Tokyo in recent years27 Mar 2026 14:17 +0000at://did:plc:kod2lixttpkov7ctwnklbypp/app.bsky.feed.post/3mi2cpcxjns2zhttps://bsky.app/profile/spoon-tamago.bsky.social/post/3mg34up25p22kKazumasa Nagai, the pioneering graphic designer whose work helped define postwar visual culture in Japan, has passed away.02 Mar 2026 11:15 +0000at://did:plc:kod2lixttpkov7ctwnklbypp/app.bsky.feed.post/3mg34up25p22khttps://bsky.app/profile/spoon-tamago.bsky.social/post/3mfi5ccrp2c2vOur latest travelogue just dropped! If you want to explore some paths less traveled in Japan, check out our guide to Tohoku https://spoon-tamago.com/a-spoon-tamago-guide-to-tohoku/22 Feb 2026 22:02 +0000at://did:plc:kod2lixttpkov7ctwnklbypp/app.bsky.feed.post/3mfi5ccrp2c2vhttps://bsky.app/profile/spoon-tamago.bsky.social/post/3mebunh64ts2iif you’re looking to combine some gallery hopping in between the ohanami, here are five art exhibitions not to miss in Japan this spring. https://spoon-tamago.com/five-art-exhibitions-to-see-in-japan-this-spring07 Feb 2026 16:46 +0000at://did:plc:kod2lixttpkov7ctwnklbypp/app.bsky.feed.post/3mebunh64ts2ihttps://bsky.app/profile/spoon-tamago.bsky.social/post/3mdvozwxjuk2oCats to Blame for Octopus Deity Enshrinement Delay https://spoon-tamago.com/cats-to-blame-for-octopus-deity-enshrinement-delay/02 Feb 2026 20:34 +0000at://did:plc:kod2lixttpkov7ctwnklbypp/app.bsky.feed.post/3mdvozwxjuk2o