Tag Archives: fun link friday

Fun Link Friday: Bamboo Art of Tanabe Chikuunsai IV

Posted on March 5, 2021 by Paula

Every now and then the internet recirculates something super cool from several years ago that didn’t make it onto my radar but is perfect for a Fun Link Friday! This week I’ve come across Tanabe Chikuunsai IV, a Japanese artist … Continue reading →

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Fun Link Friday: Snow Monkey Relaxation

Posted on February 19, 2021 by Paula

Are you feeling the weight of winter? Wishing there was a way to relax a bit and just hang? While many of us can’t travel to Japan right now, we can still appreciate those who are coping better with winter … Continue reading →

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Fun Link Friday: Food-inspired inks 🍜

Posted on February 5, 2021 by Paula

Just a quickie Fun Link Friday today, folks. In keeping with the love of food-inspired crafts from Japan, I was fascinated to come across SoraNews24’s recent exploration of stationery based on local foods of Nagasaki. The one that particularly caught … Continue reading →

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Fun Link Friday: Supernatural Cats

Posted on January 22, 2021 by Paula

Are obsessions with cute cats and cat pics global across time and space? An article from September 2020 by Zack Davisson that appeared in Smithsonian Magazine takes a look at this phenomenon in Japan, at least, and explores the appearance … Continue reading →

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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: 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: 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: 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: 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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