Medicom Toy Exhibition

I'm a huge Bearbrick fan which is why I'm totally gutted that I'm going to miss the Medicom Toy Exhibition at Parco from 20 June to 29 June. It's only 300 yen to get in, bargain.

Akira Uno at Parco

I recently went to Parco's 1969 art exhibition and was really blown away by the design of Akira Uno, see above. His work really reminds me of Aubrey Beardsley but unfortunately I couldn't find more of it online. If you want to check it out the show ends 15 June.

Fun ski toilet

This from Colorbus: Georgia coffee have decorated toilets in ski resorts to look like the top of a ski run. Only the loo paper displays an advertising message: "Seriously kick-ass intensely sweet for the real coffee super zinging unstoppable Max! Taste-explosion!"

Early Showa-era children's book exhibition

During a stroll today in Ueno park, I came across the International Library of Children's literature. They were running an exhibition of children's annuals from the 1920s to the 30s. The illustrations to these books were at once weird and fabulous, some more than others. An illustration by an artist named Tanosuke was fractured and adorned with Miro-like abstract diagrams. They illustrate the feeling of the age brilliantly, little girls have bobbed haircuts that are almost identical to the boys and most children were depicted in modern dress with adults by contrast still in kimono. Modern machinery is celebrated in glorious technicolor center spreads one of which, dated 1939, shows a huge German zeppelin with cheerful Nazis waving flags in the background. It was sad to think that the generation of children who read these annuals probably suffered terribly afterwards when the war broke out. The exhibition ends November 9 2009.

Though a lens backwards

Back from the Tokyo Museum of Photography and saw a really funny an touching series of photos by Asakai Yoko as part of the Contemporary Japanese Photography exhibition. She basically went round taking pictures of people engrossed in watching movies. The people above are in Berlin and watching 'The Seventh Seal'. It's a such a shame this image is so small, because the guy's expression in the middle is classic, but click on this link to check out a flash show of her prints.

Fontastic!

Neojaponisme is running a series of 'visual excerpts' from an old out-of-print font book that has been used by many Japanese businesses over the years. This reminded me about Maniackers Design Fonts which are brand new Japanese and Roman letter fonts that can be downloaded for free. The designs are pretty splendid.

Retro matchbox covers

Check out this sexy-looking Japanese matchbox. I found it on Pink Tentacle who has compiled a set of 1920s and 1940s matchboxes from online museum Match World.

Before bikinis

There's a lovely album posted on Flicker right now of Geishas posing in Meiji and Taisho-era swimming cosies. Check it out. They are so much cuter than the ubiquitous bikinis that are seen everywhere on the beaches of modern Japan. BTW just got back from Izu where we ate lobster like this fried in tempura. Yum!

Liquid metal magnetic sculpture

Sachiko Kodama is a physicist turned artist who makes these incredible moving sculptures. Check out the video that I just found on Japan Probe.

Japanese graphic style in the West

I've just got back from a holiday in the UK, which explains my long break from posting (gomen ne). When I was over there I noticed how there has been a burgeoning of vinyl dolls and designs that look at first glance to be Japanese but turned out to be made in the West. For example Julie West, whose graphic design and toys really reflect a Japanese aesthetic.

Kaiba

This is the most innovative anime I've come across in, well, ever. Currently airing on WoWow, the illustrations are so different in style to typical anime that the closest comparison might be Junko Mizuno's manga. The story is as bizarre as the illustrations: in the future bodies and memories can be traded. As you might imagine lots of body swap wackiness ensues.

Here's my pic of what was on offer at last weekend's desgin festa:

Yukikoi does the most fantabulous 60s-inspired design:


Kim Kangdoo makes postcards...
... that can be transformed into little box creatures with some scissors, glue and a good sharp knife:For some really annoying reason, I can't seem to load up their website but on their meishi it appears as: kangdooman@paran.com

Funppy were selling the cutest t-shirts that come in their very own box for only 500 yen. What an, er, life affirming motto:

And Dali's Art Work made this groovy construction from wooden bricks. Excuse the sideways video!

Best of Design Festa

http://robbed-chastity.fakefur.jp/index


http://www.takorasu.com/


http://ten-sen.jugem.jp/

Design Festa

I went to Tokyo Big Sight on Saturday and spent hours wandering around looking at fabulous and weird things. Here's some highlights.

Doing a poo can be cute too:


These girls demonstrate how this dog has come disguised as a cat:


A present for the follicaly-challenged doll:



A new look for the bodily-challenged mannequin:


Some pretty pictures for masochistic, homosexual, Mishima fans check out www.yoiko-yokochou.com:


And lots and lots of live art action:

Devil Robots at Parco, Shibuya

300yen entry, giant stamps to print on the walls, armies of cute plastic creatures and a huge couch festooned with square headed characters where you can chill out or read comics. Only four more days before this exhibition closes.

www.parco-art.com/web/factory/devilrobots07/