Tag Archives: fun link friday

Fun Link Friday: Yaskawa Bushido Project

Posted on June 12, 2015 by Paula

Samurai and robots, man versus machine. Some of popular culture’s favorite themes come together in this week’s fun link, featured on Spoon & Tamago. MOTOMAN-MH24, more of a giant robotic arm than a robotic man, was given the task of analyzing … Continue reading →

Posted in culture, fun links | Tagged fun link friday, Isao Machii, robotics, robots, swords | Leave a comment

Fun Link Friday: Sushi bath towels

Posted on June 5, 2015 by Paula

Summer is upon us! If you’re not in Japan getting pummeled by the early days of the rainy season, that is. So get your sunblock out and your bath towels ready. If you’re lucky, they’ll be towels designed ingeniously to … Continue reading →

Posted in culture, fun links | Tagged food, fun link friday, Japanese food, summer, sushi, towels | Leave a comment

Fun Link Friday: Dahl’s Japan

Posted on May 22, 2015 by Travis

With apologies for getting political, I just came across these English-language political cartoons from the Japan Times, and (if you are politically aligned with their positions) they are just wonderful. As his bio on the Japan Times website says, “Roger … Continue reading →

Posted in culture, fun links | Tagged cartoons, fun link friday, history, Japan, Japan Times, Japanese history, political cartoons, political commentary, politics | Comments Off

Fun Link Friday: Nanjyamonjya

Posted on May 8, 2015 by LM

For those interested in botany, check out this unusual tree on San’in Monogatari: It’s mid-May around Matsue Castle, as spring is practically running to summer now. First there were plum blossoms, then came camellia, then cherry blossoms, then azalea and … Continue reading →

Posted in culture, fun links | Tagged Botany, environment, fun link friday | Leave a comment

Fun Link Friday: Spinning tops

Posted on May 1, 2015 by Paula

As many long-time followers know, a colleague and I have been working on a digital archive related to 江戸独楽 (Edo goma), or Edo-style spinning tops. Hand-crafted tops are thought to have a history in Japan dating back to at least the … Continue reading →

Posted in culture, fun links | Tagged art, culture, fun link friday, Japanese art, Japanese culture, koma, tops, wood-working | Leave a comment

Fun Link Friday: Ikuta Niyoko’s Geometric Sculptures

Posted on April 17, 2015 by LM

In this week’s Fun Link, relax by looking at the intricate laminated glass sculptures of Ikuta Niyoko. I am captivated by the complexity of light as it reflects, refracts, and passes through broken cross sections of plate glass. In 1980 … Continue reading →

Posted in culture, fun links | Tagged art, fun link friday, Japanese art, sculpture | Leave a comment

Fun Link Friday: Japanese Life in Lego

Posted on April 10, 2015 by Paula

Last week we featured a Fun Link Friday of Suntory Whisky’s advertising through manufacturing high-tech 3-D ice cubes of fantastic things like the Golden Pavilion or Godzilla, but sometimes you need to appreciate the low-tech options, too. 🙂 At the … Continue reading →

Posted in culture, fun links | Tagged culture, fun link friday, Japan, Japanese culture, LEGO | Leave a comment

Fun Link Friday: Suntory’s 3-D printed ice cubes

Posted on April 3, 2015 by Paula

As we start printing food, internal organs, and other serious items with great technological promise and implications for the future, let’s not forget that it’s the little things that count, like having a frozen ice cube shaped like Godzilla in your whiskey. TBWA\Hakuhodo … Continue reading →

Posted in culture, fun links | Tagged 3-D printing, fun link friday, Japan, Suntory, technology, whiskey, whisky | 1 Comment

Fun Link Friday: Japan’s Cherry Blossoms in Years Gone By

Posted on March 27, 2015 by LM

Have the sakura bloomed where you are yet? Whether you’re still waiting on them or they’ve come and gone, check out this retrospective from The Wall Street Journal of cherry blossom and hanami photos from 1955 on.

Posted in culture, fun links | Tagged cherry blossoms, culture, fun link friday, Japan, Japanese culture, sakura, spring | Leave a comment

Fun Link Friday: the art of kintsugi

Posted on March 20, 2015 by Paula

While many people might think of a broken bowl or cracked ceramic pieces as beyond repair and having lost their beauty as perfect objects, other see opportunity for a different kind of aesthetic. Colossal featured an article last year on kintsugi 金継ぎ, or “gold joinery,” which … Continue reading →

Posted in culture, fun links | Tagged art, ceramics, fun link friday, Japan, Japanese art, kintsugi | Leave a comment