Category Archives: fun links

Fun Link Friday: Tea-making Robot

Posted on March 30, 2018 by Paula

Although I try to keep our Fun Link Fridays in English so that they’re accessible to readers of all levels, I can’t resist this hilarious tea-making robot, which appeared yesterday in Yahoo! Japan news. Identified as Sadō Robo 151A, this … Continue reading →

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Fun Link Friday: Japan to build wooden skyscraper

Posted on March 9, 2018 by Paula

Though this news broke a couple weeks ago, it’s still fascinating to read about and making the rounds on various online news outlets. A Japanese wood products company, Sumitomo Forestry, is presently making plans to create a gigantic wooden skyscraper … Continue reading →

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Resource: Visualizations and Digital Analyses on Modern Japan

Posted on February 7, 2018 by Paula

Much is presently being made of the digital humanities, that is, how we can use digital tools to engage, answer, or facilitate humanities study. From this marriage of tech and humanistic thought, a number of fascinating projects related to Japan … Continue reading →

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Fun Link Friday: Laser-cut Stationery Surprises

Posted on January 26, 2018 by Paula

Although this is old news by internet standards, This is Colossal posted last week about a new memo pad produced by the Japanese company Triad that reveals hidden architectural features or objects as you use up your everyday notes. Called … Continue reading →

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Fun Link Friday: A Brief History of Kimono

Posted on January 19, 2018 by Paula

While the Google Arts and Culture app has been taking over the press with its entertaining facial recognition software this week, they also have been releasing some interesting mini-explorations of historical objects and works. Among them is an exhibition entitled … Continue reading →

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Fun Link Friday: Cookie Masterpieces of Japan

Posted on January 12, 2018 by Paula

Ever attempted to make a beautiful holiday cookie to discover it just didn’t turn out to be much more than a blob with sprinkles? Never fear, this week’s quickie Fun Link Friday introduces the masterful cookie decorating skills of Chihiro Ogura, … Continue reading →

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Fun Link Friday: Traditional Indigo Dyeing

Posted on January 5, 2018 by Paula

A quickie Fun Link Friday today for those of you slogging your way back from the holidays! Great Big Story recently posted a video on traditional indigo dyeing in Japanese culture. Did you know that indigo is fire-retardant? Or even … Continue reading →

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Fun Link Friday: Tsumami Zaiku/Kanzashi crafts

Posted on December 22, 2017 by Paula

Ever wonder how your tiny flower or animal ornament omiyage in Japan are made? The art of tsumami zaiku  or tsumami kanzashi, in which a person carefully folds and glues tiny squares of cloth into elegant designs dates back to the … Continue reading →

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Fun Link Friday: Newspaper Animal Sculptures by Chie Hitotsuyama

Posted on December 15, 2017 by Paula

Who says the age of newspapers is over? Artist Chie Hitotsuyama has certainly found a good use for them! She creates masterful, incredibly realistic sculptures of animals and people using primarily rolled up newspapers. The effect of carefully manipulating sections … Continue reading →

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Fun Link Friday: Haiku Contest!

Posted on November 17, 2017 by Paula

A quickie fun link for those haiku (and tea!) lovers out there. The well-known tea company Oi Ocha is hosting a “new haiku” contest that is open from now through February 28. All ages and nationalities are welcome to submit … Continue reading →

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