June 09

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Dinosaurs Delightfully Invade The Real World

Posted by on June 9, 2019 in Animals, Awesome Stuff To Do, Cute to the nth, Made In Japan | 3 Comments

I hope you’re in Japan right now, because dinosaurs are invading the Marui Annex in Shinjuku! These delightfully believable photos of the archaic denizens mingling with the good people of Earth (and their pets) will be on display for your infinite enjoyment from June 12 – 23 (2019).

Meticulously scaled to familiar everyday scenes, it’s a whole new scary perspective on the alt timeline where that asteroid missed the Earth instead of blasting the dinos off to extinction. (And OK, sorry, but inquiring minds want to know: if the dragonflies were this big, what about the mosquitos?)

Some are surprisingly petite…

…while others that I always just thought “oh, a little fish with teeth” are ULP surprisingly NOT PETITE

Some are barely weirder than stuff you find at the Tokyo fish market or in a Japanese grocery store…

…while others are aieee! aieee! NO. Just NO.

Some are unexpectedly charming and would definitely have their own Instagram accounts…

…while others would definitely be viral internet gold

These photos are from artist/scientist Ken Tsuchiya of the Gunma Museum of Natural History‘s first book (available on amazon.jp), but YAY he’s got a new book coming out 7/22/19!

They not only show off Ken Tsuchiya’s delightful photoshop chops, these excellent books are deliver all the facts to kids (and adults):

The amazing/amusing photos are accompanied by illustrations of the ancient beings in their long-ago habitat, along with facts and figures about what scientists actually know about the extinct creatures.

 

Here are some previews from the new book:

They might have to redefine “longhorns”…

…and adjust the emotional support animal rules

Some might end up being unexpectedly helpful in the kitchen…

…or help out around the house

And you never know how cultured they might turn out to be

If you’re in Tokyo and would like to see a bunch of these photos on display, the exhibit is in the first floor event space at Marui Annex in Shinjuku. It’s open from 11:00 – 21:00 and runs from June 12 – 23 (2019). If you spend more than ¥3000 buying the books at the exhibit, you’ll be entered into a drawing for other great original goods. More information about the exhibit (Japanese only) is here and a map is on my website, The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had.

Thanks to Spoon & Tamago for alerting me to this excellent exhibit. I highly recommend signing up for their newsletter, which dishes up gems like this on a regular basis!

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Since she can’t have a dinosaur as a pet, Jonelle Patrick writes novels set in Tokyo

“A genuinely gripping crime thriller which wrong-foots and perplexes the reader throughout, drawing us in emotionally . . . Highly recommended.” –Raven Crime Reads

Someone has been visiting the grave of Tokyo Detective Kenji Nakamura’s mother on the day before her death anniversary. For nine years, he thought his mother’s death was an accident. Then he gets a