November 16

Where To See The Best Illuminations In Tokyo 2018

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Free displays of holiday illuminations have become a huge attraction in Tokyo  – probably because they’re the most instabae invention since selfie sticks – and every year they get bigger and better. Here are this year’s offerings from my favorite places to see them… • • Most Entertaining • TOKYO MIDTOWN But let’s not mess around […]

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November 11

Gateway To Chrysanthemum Bliss?

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Okay, what do you think THIS floral designer got in trouble for drawing in the margins of his schoolbooks…? If I’d come in through this portal, I might never have made it to the annual Shinjuku National Garden chrysanthemum displays, because I’d have died laughing, so it’s a good thing I entered from the other […]

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November 07

Remote Control Hell At The Traditional Inn

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On Tuesday I arrived at a fabulous onsen in Tateshima, expecting to simmer in their hot spring, gaze at splendid autumn leaves in luxurious quietude, and stuff myself with regional specialties, but when I got to my room I found…this.   I mean, what the heckin’ heck? Five remotes to control a tatami-floored room at […]

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November 04

Chrysanthemums Like You’ve Never Seen Before

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The fall leaves aren’t winning any awards this year in Tokyo, so thank whatever gods are in charge of making autumn insta-worthy that there are still chrysanthemums! Yes, it’s time once again for your socks to be knocked right off, with…   These photos are from the 2018 displays at the Yushima Shrine and Kameido […]

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November 02

Smart Illumination Yokohama 2018: ALL THE YES

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Woo hoo, it’s time for the annual art-as-entertainment Yokohama Smart Illumination 2018! This year, for some reason it took a giant leap in quality, and although the artspeak “explaining” each piece is equally opaque in Japanese and English, you don’t need to know what the artist was trying to say in order to have a […]

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October 31

The Shiba Inu Vending Machine

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  Finally! A series of shiba inu gachagacha toys made by an artist who understands that these devilish dogs are not just unbearably adorable, they come packed with a level of eccentric that makes eel-flavored ice cream look like vanilla. I found these in a gachapon machine on the 6th floor of the Akihabara Yodobashi […]

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October 26

A Portrait Of The Algorithm As A Young Man

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Machines may not be able to find you the date of your dreams, but they sure can paint. This art is being made by an algorithm. A “life game” algorithm, to be exact. All decisions about which ink to drop and where to drop it are remotely controlled by the ever-changing calculation that predicts the […]

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