Notes & Links by Casey A. Gollan on
art, design, creativity and technology on
japan

 

Jack Cheng on Omokaruishi, a game of expectations:

It was the only english sign in the whole place. It said:

< Omokaruishi >
This means heavy light rocks. If you felt this rock is light you will get your wish.

The words had been printed on a sheet of paper, laminated and attached to the bottom of a wooden sign that said the same exact thing, except in Japanese. Next to the sign was a pair of egg-shaped rocks resting on stone pedestals that looked like giant candlestick holders. I watched as people walked up to the rocks, made an offering, put their hands together and made their wishes. Then they would lift one of these magical rocks, and come away from the experience with a secret and a smile.

Read more: The True Weight of Things

Uniqlo has a relatively flat power structure and encourages employees to suggest ideas for improving productivity. Experimentation, however, must go through the proper channels. There is a poster in every Uniqlo manager’s office outlining the “Ten Accountabilities.” No. 8 reads, “As a store manager, always follow company direction. Do not work in your own way.
Bryan Urstadt, Uniqlones from New York Magazine

Kenya Hara, famous designer and creative director of Muji, on Japanese aesthetics:

A central aesthetic principle in Japan is simplicity, but it is different from simplicity in the West. Let me explain the difference by comparing cooking knives. The knives made by the German company, Henckel, for example, are well crafted and easy to use because they are highly ergonomic. The thumb automatically finds its place when you grab the knife.

Japanese cooks who have special skills prefer knives without any ergonomic shape. A flat handle is not seen as raw or poorly crafted. On the contrary, its perfect plainness is meant to say, “You can use me whichever way suits your skills.” The Japanese knife adapts to the cook’s skill (not to the cook’s thumb). This is, in a nutshell, Japanese simplicity.

The knife’s simple shape is not seen as poor or raw. Beauty beyond fanciness is an aesthetic principle that is sleeping at the bottom of Japanese perception. A guiding principle also to Japanese high tech architecture and the minimal products of Muji.

(via iA)

Jobless, and Living in a Bunk - The New York Times

Fascinating article by Hiroko Tabuchi, accompanied by photographs by Ko Sasaki, about unemployed Japanese living in capsule hotels.

(via @daringfireball)

Terunobu Fujimori - Slideshows - Dwell

This slideshow of the precarious, playful burnt cedar architecture of Terunobu Fujimori is not new, but new to me. Wow.

Black Pyramid House, Saijo, Hiroshima by Suppose Design Office

I am officially obsessed with Japanese architecture. This house lies somewhere between Turrell and Dwell. The best part might be how you can see the fairly normal houses of the densely packed neighboring lots. Make sure to click through and look at the gorgeous interior.

(via today and tomorrow)

Japanese kitchen knives cost more than a camera, they can’t be washed in a machine, are subject to rusting and boy, they are so sharp that if you slip you’ll lose a finger or two before you can say banzai. There is no doubt that these are the best knives in the world. Nothing comes close to them in terms of sharpness. With one of these knives, you could slice fish so thin you could read a whole chapter of La Physiologie du Goût through the slices. Earlier this month, I had the chance to see how knives are made in Japan like they have been for the last 200 years, following Mr Bjorn Heiberg from Chroma, a company that sells these legendary knives. (via Japanese Bladesmiths)

20090110_myday_yesterday on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Another really interesting “my day, yesterday” video. I’ve been clicking around the pool. Most fascinating to me about this one is how in Tokyo you can just hold your cellphone over the barrier to enter the subway. Beautiful little ordinary moments.

Japan on Vimeo (via Vimeo)

A really successful use of rapid-fire still photography to create a video.