Japan scraps overly competitive mascot contest
Yuru-kyara competition ‘lost original purpose’ after aggressive campaigning by prefectures A cuddly fairy on a mission to “deliver happiness” to her disaster-hit hometown has been crow…
The archive
Art & Culture — page 2
Browse art & culture in the Akihabara archive.
Canon Crafts Kiriko Glasses Inspired by the Camera Lens
Camera aficionados take note: Canon has teamed up with a craftswoman to create drinking glasses inspired by the camera lens and made from the traditional Edo Kiriko craft of cut glass. Two varieties …
Under the well of the Great Wave off Kanagawa By Hokusai was sold for $1.1m
KATSUSHIKA HOKUSAI (1760-1849) Kanagawa oki nami ura (Under the well of the Great Wave off Kanagawa) Woodblock print, from the series Fugaku sanjurokkei (Thirty-six views of Mount…
The 2021 Japan Packaging Design Awards
Every two years the JPDA (Japan Packaging Design Association) celebrates excellence in packaging design by hosting the Japan Packaging Design Awards. The winners of the 2021 Awards were just announce…
New Large Scale Structure Planned For Jingumae Crossing in Harajuku
The face of one of Tokyo’s most famous crossings continues to change. The West corner of Jingumae Crossing has largely remained unchanged for the past 50 years. But when the iconic Condomania relocat…
Bakers, Knitters and Illustrators are Remixing the 2025 Osaka Expo Logo
Earlier this week Osaka announced that they had chosen a bizarre, googly-eyed character as their logo for the upcoming 2025 Osaka Expo. And over the next 24 hours the Japanese public reception a…
Artist Transforms 70-Year Old Countryside Train Station into Immersive Art Installation
A 70-year old train station in Inakadate Village, located in the Northern region of Aomori prefecture, has received an unexpected facelift. A local artist who goes by the name Goma was commissio…
Yayoi Kusama Designs a Balloon for the 2019 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
Come next Thursday, November 28, that’s exactly what will take to the skies in the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York. As part of the retailer’s Blue Sky Gallery program, establis…
Tatsuo Horiuchi - the Michelangelo of Microsoft Excel
When Tatsuo Horiuchi retired, he decided to try his hand at art. But instead of spending money on paints and brushes, Horiuchi used what he already had pre-installed on his computer—Microsoft Ex…
3-D model of Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock print The Great Wave stuns people in Japan 【Video】
Hokusai’s acclaimed centuries-old 2-D artwork looks even more beautiful in 3-D. The Great Wave off Kanagawa is one of Japan’s most famous ukiyo-e woodblock prints, created by…