Insanely Detailed Sculptures Made From Japanese Snack Packages

From the nation of insane Japanese modelmakers, this.

The artist known as “Karabako Shokunin Harukiru” (That’s “Empty Box Craftsman Harukiru” to you), snips and folds and glues the unlikely medium of Japanese snack food boxes into unbelievably intricate sculptures, and right now there’s a killer exhibit of his work at the Ikebukuro PARCO museum.

And if seeing all these snack boxes makes you hungry, you can buy the real thing at the exhibit shop on your way out. Or if you’re a madman, and this inspires you to try making these on your own, there’s a how-to book for sale too!

One more thing I really admire about this artist: his work first became famous on Twitter, and he utterly understands that MORE people will come see his work if visitors upload pix and tell others how great the show is, instead of prohibiting photo snapping. Photography is not only encouraged, there’s even a hashtag! This is it: ＃空箱職人はるきる

If you want to follow Harukiru on Twitter, he’s @02ESyRaez4VhR2l

There’s still plenty of time to see “A Fantasy World Made From Snack Boxes,” so put Ikebukuro on your list for this weekend or you’ll have REGRETS

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Where: Ikebukuro Parco Museum, Minamiikebukuro, 1-28-2 (Go out the East Exit of Ikebukuro station, and turn left at the top of the steps. Go into the PARCO and up to the seventh floor)

Hours: 10:00 – 21:00 p.m. (final admission at 20:30)

Admission: ¥800 yen (high school and up); ¥500 yen (elementary/junior high); Younger children free

If you’d like to wander the neighborhood after you finish ogling the snack sculptures, my favorite stuff to do in Ikebukuro is on my other website, The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had

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