Tag Archives: fun link friday

Fun Link Friday: Japanese idioms and proverbs

One of the most fascinating parts of foreign languages is learning the intricacies of local sayings, since they help us really dig into the cultural context specific to that language, but also see the universal themes many places and peoples … Continue reading

Posted in culture, fun links | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Fun Link Friday: Turning Invasive Species into Sushi

  A lot of factors can affect changes in our local and global environments, but one that has become a big problem with little attention paid to it is that of invasive species. Sometimes new species get introduced to non-native … Continue reading

Posted in culture, fun links | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Fun Link Friday: the Salt Sculptures of Motoi Yamamoto

Sorry for the lack of Fun Link Fridays, everyone! It was a busy holiday season and I hope you all enjoyed it. Today is a quickie fun link, something that I had saved and meant to put up around New … Continue reading

Posted in culture, fun links | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Fun Link Friday: The Origins of Japan’s Christmas Cake

As the holidays rapidly approach, you may or may not be feeling nostalgic for the spongey, strawberry-laden cakes so well-known in Japan– the Japanese Christmas cake. Orders for this beloved item start being taken all the way back in September in … Continue reading

Posted in culture, fun links | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Fun Link Friday: Videos of Japan’s Traditional Artisans

Maybe it’s because of my research, maybe because I love art, or maybe because making things with your hands is so dang cool, but I am totally obsessed with a YouTube playlist recently highlighted by Open Culture on production processes … Continue reading

Posted in culture, fun links | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Fun Link Friday: Rocks with Faces

Sorry for the lag in Fun Link Fridays lately, everybody! Last weekend I was traveling to Chicago to present at a workshop on The Impact of the Digital on Japanese Studies (more to come on Japanese Studies and digital humanities soon!). … Continue reading

Posted in culture, fun links | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Fun Link Friday: Amezaiku

The self-taught Japanese artist carves, sculpts and paints delicate lollipops into intricate edible sculptures. Continue reading

Posted in culture, fun links | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Fun Link Friday: Hypnotic gifs of Japanese joinery

Studying artisans, I’m a little biased in just how cool I find today’s Fun Link Friday, but a friend passed this link along and I couldn’t resist. de zeen recently posted a series of simple yet stunning gifs of Japanese joinery … Continue reading

Posted in culture, fun links | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Fun Link Friday: The Art of Tea? Kengo Kuma’s $80K Silver Tea Set

Most people associate tea bowls and tea utensils with rustic, austere aesthetics– earthenware bowls (sometimes cracked and/or repaired) and inherited kettles, objects that carry with them a long history of ownership and use. So what does one make of the … Continue reading

Posted in culture, fun links | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Fun Link Friday: 100-Year-Old Glass Plates in an Abandoned Japanese Home

Many people in Japan are big fans of haikyo, literally meaning “ruins,” but more broadly meaning the exploration of abandoned sites in Japanese cities of countrysides. There’s even entire sites dedicated to it! One recent article I came across on PetaPixel was … Continue reading

Posted in culture, fun links | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment