Paper Sushi Chef

I came across this creative man and his little sushi store at Design Festa 2009 last month. Paper craft kappa maki by Hiroshi Namiki and some wonderful sushi plushies. He had a whole range of things in his little shop and he was so busy creating more I didn’t get a chance to talk to him about his work. It’s a shame, but at least I got some snaps to share with you. Don’t forget to check out his site and the great videos he has there. Enjoy!

The Art of Moe Murakami

I visited the Glaceau Gallery located on top of the H&M building in Harajuku the other day, mainly to check out the promotion of a certain new Coca-Cola beverage but I spent a bit of time with the art of Moe Murakami as well. This young lady draws some of the most sensitive pencil drawings I have ever seen. Huge, simple drawings of big eyed children. Every work is meticulously executed. How she manages to concentrate on such large works with nothing but a pencil, I have no idea. Born in Tokyo but raised in Miyagi prefecture and graduated from Kuwasawa design school.

The top of the H&M building in Harajuku as seen from the street

Nissan Electric Car

Awhile ago I had the chance to go and see a demonstration of a Nissan prototype electric car, complete with a robotic navigator to help you from getting lost, locating parking spaces and keeping track of your travels. The coolest thing about this car (apart from the cute speaking robot of course) is the fact that it can travel both forward and sideways. Pocket parking could never be easier!

A Paper Craft Castle On the Ocean

I had the immense opportunity to see this wonderful paper craft art installation by a genius of the name of Wataru Itou (伊藤航), a young student of a major art university here in Tokyo. The installation is hand made over four years of hard work, complete with electrical lights and a moving train, all made of paper! Clearly, this man must have created one of the most stunning examples of Paper Craft in the world? At the exhibition you will also have the chance to see a video showing Mr. Itou at work in his studio, cutting and folding piece by piece. The exhibition is called Umi no Ue no Oshiro (A Castle On the Ocean ), 海の上のお城. It is exhibited at Umihotaru, a place which in itself is a major attraction: a service area in the middle of the ocean, right between Tokyo City and Chiba Prefecture. If you haven’t checked it out yet, use Google Earth for a close up of what is probably the weirdest parking lot in the world. Well, it’s more than a parking lot actually, but I am saving a more detailed description along with photos for another post. For now, enjoy this wonderful work of art!