Category Archives: fun links

Fun Link Friday: Muscleman Tea Party

Posted on January 15, 2021 by Paula

Instagram and other social media outlets are rife with beautiful displays of innovative Japanese tea ceremony sweets, with confectionery specialists playing off of traditional aesthetics and contemporary holidays. But did you ever think you’d be enjoying incredibly buff, jiggling sweets … Continue reading →

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Fun Link Friday: Ukiyo-e Memes

Posted on January 8, 2021 by Paula

Being tethered to our computers for the last year, it seems like 2020 was also the year of the meme. Whether just trying to alleviate our anxieties and stresses or calling out poor behavior on the part of public figures, … Continue reading →

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Fun Link Friday: Ukiyo-Enerator

Posted on December 4, 2020 by Paula

In case you need some more things to do on the internet instead of thinking about what you should be doing, the Ota Memorial Museum of Art collaborated earlier this year to create a “Make Your Own Ukiyo-e” page. Just pick … Continue reading →

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Fun Link Friday: Masterful kiri-e designs by Masayo Fukuda

Posted on August 7, 2020 by Paula

In past Fun Link Fridays we’ve featured some cool paper artistry, from pop-up designs and intricate cranes to moving paper sculptures. Today’s feature is next-level kiri-e (paper cutting) by Masayo Fukuda, who has over 25 years of experience making cut-outs that … Continue reading →

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Fun Link Friday: Mystery Vending Machines

Posted on July 10, 2020 by Paula

Just a quickie Fun Link Friday this week! Back in February Japan Today reported on a fun find in Oyabe, Toyama Prefecture: vending machines with unknown contents mixed into the usual drink and snack fare. Some of the machines had … Continue reading →

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Fun Link Friday: Musical Calculators

Posted on July 3, 2020 by Travis

This week’s Fun Link Friday is a tweet by あたりめ (@atarimae_400), a Twitter user who regularly posts incredible videos of him using electronic calculators, the simple keystroke chimes of an iPhone, and the like to reproduce complex musical compositions. In … Continue reading →

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Fun Link Friday: Virtual Museum Exhibits

Posted on June 26, 2020 by Paula

As quarantine continues for many of us, we’re often looking for ways to do things online that we would have otherwise enjoyed doing in person. A couple months ago Tokyo Weekend featured a list of Japanese art museums that have … Continue reading →

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Fun Link Friday: Amabie sweets

Posted on May 29, 2020 by Paula

Amidst the regular pandemic news over the last weeks, there have been numerous reports related to Japan centered on amabie アマビエ, a supernatural, mermaid-like creature from Japanese folklore. Although amabie only appears in one text from 1846 (and thus was probably … Continue reading →

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Fun Link Friday: The Thinnest Japanese Paper in the World

Posted on February 21, 2020 by Paula

Just a quick Fun Link Friday this week from Great Big Story! Japan is known the world around for its handcrafted paper, but is it now known also for the thinnest paper in the world? Hidaka Washi Ltd. is has … Continue reading →

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Fun Link Friday: Japanese currency redesigns

Posted on February 14, 2020 by Paula

What’s on your country’s money? After traveling overseas, I always come back to the US thinking about how boring our own bills seem! And it appears that Japan is putting even more thought into new and exciting illustrations for their … Continue reading →

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