Watching this, I got a similar sensation of awe as I did when watching Michelle Erickson working with clay. With skilled creators, their movements seem almost like dance-like. I imagine them performing the same motions, again and again, year after year.
Happened to be browsing around YouTube this AM, and came across a hilarious video featuring several guys, suspended on top of what looks like 3 stories of colored, cardboard boxes. The game is pretty straight-forward: each participant selects a number from a board, and behind each number is a particular “punishment” – usually something that involves the potential for their boxes to be removed/destroyed. As you can imagine, hilarity ensues.
A few days ago, I shared a video entitled Thru Tokyo, featuring a collection of sounds from various Tokyo-based musicians. One image in particular caught my attention – that of a man wearing a light-blue outfit, holding what seemed to be a musical note with a smiley face on the end of it.
Here’s one tidbit that floored me: Jiro’s restaurant has received a three-star Michelin Guide rating – which means that the restaurant is considered “exceptional cuisine,” and warrants a special journey to the country simply to eat the food. As of 2009, there were only 81 three-star restaurants in the world.
So here’s pretty much my synopsis of what’s going on here: guys are trying to get to the top of a pole. Team A guards the pole with a throng of people at the base. A handful of Team A members are standing on people’s shoulders guarding the middle, and there’s one Team A guy at the top. Team B…
Gaka, a 16-piece band from Japan recently shot a music video for their song Tsuchinoko. Created by rakudasan, all the special effects are achieved through the actors, themselves. I’m not so crazy about the music, but the energy and silliness are pretty awesome. I definitely had a few genuine LOLs while watching this. [via BoingBoing] Related: Awesome Music Video Created…
Karakuri ningy? are mechanized puppets or automata, dating back to the 17th and 18th century. They are simple and elegant, and it’s kind of mind-boggling that such mechanical contraptions were made so long ago. Explore the World of Karakuri, and marvel a little at the examples. Lots of additional videos are available on the original MetaFilter posts. [via MetaFilter, here…
The Japanese term hikikomori roughly translates to “withdrawal,” and refers to a person who has shut themselves in their rooms for six months or longer, with little to no social contact. More than just a phase or typical teenage brooding, the length and depth of withdrawal is incredibly alarming, particularly for those young men who feel there is no place…
A while ago, there was an Internet meme centered around the question: How many 5 year olds could you take in a fight? In a similar vein, this is a video clip of a professional soccer team, taking on a team of 100 school kids. Hilarious! Japan, you are a magical country. FYI – lots of additional clips (and specific…
While capsule hotels are not new, 9 Hours in Kyoto adds a greater element of design to the very Japanese approach to minimal hotels. The name of the hotel is a simple formula. Based on the philosophy of the owners, at its most basic level a hotel should provide: 1 hour to shower, 7 hours for sleep, and one hour…