“Lifelong Chandelier Remaster” by Kosei Komatsu The Biwako Biennale isn’t just an exhibition of the best Japanese art of 2025, it’s a masterpiece of displaying new art in historic settings, with dramatic lighting to die for. Whoever paired the winning pieces with each gorgeously restored merchant house was a genius, and this little detour onContinueContinue reading “New Japanese art displayed in old Japanese houses? Yes, please!”
Category Archives: Cute to the nth
Even mundane housewares are cute in Japan
Seen at Don Quihote store in Shibuya Dread those household chores no more! These cleaning supplies are almost too cute to use. Protecc your paws with these pet-friendly potholders… Seen at Don Quihote store in Shibuya Scrub those pots with these adorable sponges… Seen at Don Quihote store in Shibuya and polish those bookshelves withContinueContinue reading “Even mundane housewares are cute in Japan”
Runway of the saints
The hundreds of Jizo figures at Zojo-ji temple always turn heads… but some just have that extra fashion flare! Whether the Jizo-san’s family gives a tongue-in-cheek nod to the traditional red cap and bib… mixes it up with new colors and handmade style… accessorizes with all the latest trends in Jizo fashion… dresses their Jizo-sanContinueContinue reading “Runway of the saints”
Mommy, when I grow up, can I be a cat lady?
In Japan, it’s never to early to practice going to the animal shelter and agonizing over which adorable pet to save. To add that extra dose of realism, there are four adorable animals but only two carriers. And when you give in to all their doomed little faces begging not to be left behind, that’sContinueContinue reading “Mommy, when I grow up, can I be a cat lady?”
Luck meets art at the most delightful Girls Day exhibit ever
Cross your fingers and rub your rabbit’s foot, because we are about to venture into an exhibit where luck meets art and, well, THIS is what might result… “Lucky Subjects and Symbols in Japanese Art” is a delightful surprise of an exhibit, not least because it sounds like the driest of academic takes on theContinueContinue reading “Luck meets art at the most delightful Girls Day exhibit ever”
Required gear for Japanese snowboard school
Yes, you get a butt pillow. And because it’s Japan, it’s a cute one! (As you can see, one future shredder has already put it to good use…) • If you could use a little more amusement in your life… •
What do you need for cherry blossom season? Your own light-up Lego cherry tree!
Remember when I ordered all those fab Lego village kits? Well, the Buildiverse folks sent me one that I missed (or I would have already bought it instantly): this light-up pinkness of pinknesses! If you can’t be in Japan right now to see the real cherry trees put on their signature splendor, this is totallyContinueContinue reading “What do you need for cherry blossom season? Your own light-up Lego cherry tree!”
Girls’ Day dolls with a side of quirky
Every March 3rd, families with daughters display a set of Girls’ Day dolls that represent the Imperial court at its Heian Era finest… …but these days, you don’t have to be a nobleman or a shrine maiden to ascend the vermilion steps! The Imperial Pokemon court One Piece characters go royal or go home EmperorContinueContinue reading “Girls’ Day dolls with a side of quirky”
Live eel sushi rolls
Just in time for Setsubun—the Japanese holiday on which demons are exorcized with dry beans and smelly sardines—the Sendai Umino-Mori Aquarium built this hilarious (and twisted!) ehōmaki sushi roll hideout for its garden eels. You’ll get the joke immediately if you know that ehōmaki rolls are only sold on Setsubun (which happens to fall onContinueContinue reading “Live eel sushi rolls”
The best winter gift of 2020? A Japanese stomach warmer!
Don’t laugh! The humble haramaki is making a comeback, because nothing—and I mean nothing—keeps you warmer while sitting at your desk fielding endless zoom calls than this legwarmer for your midriff. I didn’t believe it until I tried it, but it turns out that once I started keeping my midsection warm, I didn’t need theContinueContinue reading “The best winter gift of 2020? A Japanese stomach warmer!”
Tokyo’s best-dressed nude statue: It’s that Santa time of year
Tokyo’s best-dressed nude statue changes into the jolly old elf for the month of December, but sometimes his costumers get a bit…creative. When they started in the year 2000, the first few years were pretty tame… Then someone gave him a pet reindeer Which ushered in a period of hog-wild experimentation… that provoked some sortContinueContinue reading “Tokyo’s best-dressed nude statue: It’s that Santa time of year”
Japanese Lego Town Kits
OMG, look at the minifigs! If you don’t have someone on your list who would kill for one of these, you need new friends. These Lego-compatible* kits for building your very own Japanese town populated by Japanese minifigs from all walks of life are hilariously accurate, and they keep delivering the delight, right down toContinueContinue reading “Japanese Lego Town Kits”
When Nothing But Unnecessarily Large Tanuki Testicles Will Do
You’ve probably seen these adorable tanuki figures outside of your favorite Japanese bar or restaurant, but did you happen to notice how, er, well endowed they are? Yeah. Can’t unsee. Now that you know to look, it’s amazing you never noticed before, right? But nobody celebrated these giant gonads more inventively than Edo period artists.ContinueContinue reading “When Nothing But Unnecessarily Large Tanuki Testicles Will Do”
When you wish upon a…monk?
I don’t know about you, but this year has given me a lot more respect for luck than I used to have. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMFOMor-py8 If 2020 had a spirit animal In Japan, people are a lot more comfortable with acknowledging that stuff we can’t control—aka Fate—plays a huge part in determining the course of our lives.ContinueContinue reading “When you wish upon a…monk?”
Six Surprising Reasons Japanese People Wear Masks, Even When There’s No Pandemic
If you’ve been puzzling over why Japan is such a “mask-wearing society,” it’s not because they’re all super-OCD about germs. Here are six excellent Japanese reasons to wear a mask that have nothing to do with the dread COVID: 1 – You overslept Because if this is your typical morning routine… …you can cut yourContinueContinue reading “Six Surprising Reasons Japanese People Wear Masks, Even When There’s No Pandemic”
Japanese Emoticons: So Many Feels Beyond Emoji
You know how they keep adding emoji, but there never seems to be one that matches exactly how you’re feeling? Do you ever find yourself wishing that, for example, there was one to represent the happy you feel when the shoes you ordered online turn out to be cute AND comfortable, and a different oneContinueContinue reading “Japanese Emoticons: So Many Feels Beyond Emoji”
Japanese Capsule Toys Explain the Five Stages of Quarantine Hair Grief
DENIAL “Wow, thanks, yours is growing out great too” ANGER “BURN IT WITH FIRE” BARGAINING “If I could just find the right accessories” DEPRESSION “Who cares? We’re probably never leaving our house again anyway” ACCEPTANCE “You know, even after this is all over, I might just keep wearing this turban” •
Gachapon animals ask their mirrors the most burning quarantine questions
Does this mask make my butt look big? Thicc Boi? Who’s a Thicc Boi? Dessert? Did someone mention dessert? How can I compel my overserfs to order things that come in bigger boxes? •
How To Measure Social Distance, J-Style
Those of us who’ve been under quarantine for a month have stood in enough lines by now that we’ve probably got a pretty good eye for the “six foot” (two meter) guideline, but in crowded Japan, not so much. So they’ve plastered the subways with posters giving hilariously helpful hints for judging how close notContinueContinue reading “How To Measure Social Distance, J-Style”
Kawaii Masks
Nyan, nyan, mina-san! Hey, just because we all have to wear masks now doesn’t mean we have to look like grim extras from ER. In Japan, face masks have been a fashion go-to forever, because everyone still wanted to look kawaii while not spreading around their sneezy, cough-y plague-droplets in public. But it wasn’t longContinueContinue reading “Kawaii Masks”
Artist Turns The Best Pet Tweets Into Hilarious Tiny Sculptures
If I had to nominate one artist for Most Sanity-Saving In The Time of Coronavirus, it would absolutely be @meetissai, whose miniature sculptures inspired by pet tweets never fail to make me laugh out loud. Step away from your keyboard if you’re drinking tea, because I now present, for your spench-worthy enjoyment, these. This wasContinueContinue reading “Artist Turns The Best Pet Tweets Into Hilarious Tiny Sculptures”
Cutest Curry Rice Molds On The Planet
I thought I’d seen it all when it comes to Japanese curry rice molds, but these two cuties redefine ADORABLE. The only problem is that it comes in both cat and panda, and it’s too hard to decide (would it be greedy to get both? SHUT UP) Found these at the Don Kihote in ShibuyaContinueContinue reading “Cutest Curry Rice Molds On The Planet”
The Shrine Maiden Vending Machine
Are ya feelin’ lucky? Because this vending machine dispenses fortunes, just like the ones you can buy at Japanese shrines! But that’s not all – it’s delivered by a little animatronic shrine maiden, who fetches if from the inner precincts and deposits it in the offering box for your future-divining pleasure. Color-changing lights flash andContinueContinue reading “The Shrine Maiden Vending Machine”
Insanely Detailed Sculptures Made From Japanese Snack Packages
Generations of small boys have fantasized about becoming mighty cyborgs while scarfing Bisco cookies 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 rightContinueContinue reading “Insanely Detailed Sculptures Made From Japanese Snack Packages”
The Cat Shaming Vending Machine
How did you guess that the moment I caught a glimpse of this vending machine filled with cat shaming gachagacha, all my laundry coins would be history? “I played with the tissue” “I ate your snack” “I broke the dishes” “I clawed the wall” There was only one problem… I got the first four beforeContinueContinue reading “The Cat Shaming Vending Machine”
Japanese Gift Boxes of Overwhelming Cuteness
Gifting in Japan requires that the wrapping be nearly as precious as what’s inside, but I can never remember how to tie a traditional silk furoshiki without the book that reminds me how to fold and tuck the corners so it doesn’t turn out looking like I’m offering someone a wad of laundry. But evenContinueContinue reading “Japanese Gift Boxes of Overwhelming Cuteness”
Move Over, Monkeys! See-no Evil, Hear-no-Evil, Speak-no-Evil Cats Are Here
Sticking to the straight and narrow has never been cuter, thanks to these adorable kittycat gacha-gacha toys, and the vending machine that dispenses them on the Yanaka Ginza shopping street. And each comes with an object of mid-century tech to remind us that seeing, hearing, and speaking evil has never been harder to avoid SeeContinueContinue reading “Move Over, Monkeys! See-no Evil, Hear-no-Evil, Speak-no-Evil Cats Are Here”
Top Ten Crazy Holiday Gifts From Japan 2018
These days, everyone wants “experiences,” not “stuff,” so how about digging into your Santa sack for presents that deliver #youllneverguesswhatwedids that could only come from (where else?)…Japan! This year, give the gift of… 1 …making your own Panda Face sushi and finding out who’s the fastest panda-grabber in the land Seen at the Akihabara Yodobashi CameraContinueContinue reading “Top Ten Crazy Holiday Gifts From Japan 2018”
Cat Feet Chair Socks!
I know that you’ll be super envious to hear that my kitchen chairs are now prancing around on little cat feet! Gone are the days when the awful screeching sound of chair on floor could drive guests away faster than a pot of soup generously endowed with all four kinds of cow stomach. And they comeContinueContinue reading “Cat Feet Chair Socks!”
The Shiba Inu Vending Machine
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. What other dog would become more beloved for sticking its head where it doesn’t belong andContinueContinue reading “The Shiba Inu Vending Machine”
The Fox Wedding Vending Machine
Don’t say I never take one for the team – I just spent a year’s worth of laundry coins getting every single member of this fox wedding so you don’t have to! Move over Angry Ghost Cats and Drunken Pets! The Fox Wedding vending machine takes tiny collectible toy obsession to a whole new level.ContinueContinue reading “The Fox Wedding Vending Machine”
Totoro Cream Puffs
I feel kind of sorry for the staff at the Tolo Bakery & Cafe, because how many times can you hear, “Kawaiiiii!” in one day without checking yourself into the loony bin? Seriously, even if you’re not at all the sort of person who squeals it all over everything from coffee foam to pit bullContinueContinue reading “Totoro Cream Puffs”
Sweet Selfies On A Stick
This is the owner! There’s a little shop near Sendagi Station called Amezaiku-ya where you can order the ultimate sweet selfie! Most often commissioned for wedding cake toppers, all the resident artists need is a photo and a little time to craft a mini-you out of sugar. The portraits are too complicated to make whileContinueContinue reading “Sweet Selfies On A Stick”
Square Fruit Balloons
In the I-totally-don’t-need-this-but-am-strangely-compelled-to-buy-it-anyway category, these square fruit balloons are a quirky modern take on kami fusen, a cheap, Meiji-era toy. Of course, in true ultra-Japanese style, they’re made of paper! It was super hard to decide which was my favorite, so I had to buy them all. They come flat (for easy packing, in case you’reContinueContinue reading “Square Fruit Balloons”
The Secret Innards Of The Catbus And Other Shocking Revelations
It’s not often that I walk through an art show where each piece is more surprising and delightful than the last, but Jason Freeny’s “Plastic Surgeon” exhibit at the Megumi Ogita Gallery really pushed my amusement meter into the red zone! You’ll think twice before biting off the head of your next chocolate easter bunny,ContinueContinue reading “The Secret Innards Of The Catbus And Other Shocking Revelations”
The Host Club Vending Machine
When I first saw this gachapon machine filled with little plastic champagne towers, I thought WAT? Who needs a set of miniature, light-up, host club furniture? I mean, even though it’s pretty happenin’ how they change color and all… …I wasn’t instantly throwing all my money at the coin changer. Until… …it hit me thatContinueContinue reading “The Host Club Vending Machine”
The Hypnotic Tail-Wagging Cat Clock
Walking down the street in Ome, I discovered something that totally flipped my three-hour trip to see a garden filled with no blooming azaleas into the win column: the tail-wagging cat clock! BEHOLD ITS MESMERIZING POWER: Can’t. Stop. Watching. (Except to scurry around online like a crazed, tail-wagging weasel to figure out who makes these and where to buyContinueContinue reading “The Hypnotic Tail-Wagging Cat Clock”
The Drunken Pet Vending Machine
So, today I came home and found THIS. I don’t know what kind of shenanigans YOUR gacha-gacha toys get up to when they’re alone in the house, but… These adorable animals are available at the Drunken Pet vending machine for just ¥200 each! This series may be sold out by the time you’re next in Tokyo, but thereContinueContinue reading “The Drunken Pet Vending Machine”
Samurai Sox
Who WOULDN’T want these ultra-swaggy samurai sox or kimono cuties in their holiday loot pile? Spotted all these sox at the Shimojima store in Asakusabashi. •
Fox Village Videos!
Here’s what it’s like to visit Fox Village in the snow, when the foxes are at their fattest & fluffiest! I have to confess, when it comes to which animals would get to sit in business class in my ark, it’s all about the tails. Foxes, of course, have the most magnificent fruffy tails in all of the animalContinueContinue reading “Fox Village Videos!”
At The Crazy Cat Parade
I have to admit, I was powerless to resist going to a thing where hundreds of people dressed more or less as cats pranced down the street, some of them raucously performing musical numbers in which “nyan nyan nyan” replaced all the lyrics. The Bake Neko Parade gives everyone and their granny an excuse to dress up every October near KagurazakaContinueContinue reading “At The Crazy Cat Parade”
The Peeing Statue Vending Machine
This month, the best dressed nude statue in all of Tokyo gets busy putting the weenie in Halloween It’s always hard to say goodbye to my favorite costumed peeing boy statue when I leave Tokyo, but now I don’t have to! Thanks to the awesome vending machine I discovered at Yodobashi Camera, I can take himContinueContinue reading “The Peeing Statue Vending Machine”
A Prickly Day At The Hedgehog Cafe
Turn down the volume on your squee-meter, unless you want to lose a little more of your hearing! Check out the little prickle monsters you can snuggle up with at Tokyo’s new Hedgehog Cafe… Okay, snuggle might not be quite the right word. As you can see, they’re not exactly covered in fluff The reason it’s called theContinueContinue reading “A Prickly Day At The Hedgehog Cafe”
The Catzilla Vending Machine
Overcome with a burning need for yet more weird plastic toys (hey, don’t pretend this doesn’t happen to you!) I was poking around in my favorite Akihabara gachagacha emporium when I discovered THIS: Yes! It’s what Japan’s favorite irradiated lizard would look like if it were a cat! With two tails! (Rather a lucky mutation, since threeContinueContinue reading “The Catzilla Vending Machine”
The Gods Of Cuteness Anoint The Most Inexplicable Animal Yet
At the time I bought these, I thought I’d better snap them up, because I’d never see another piece of tapir-themed goods as long as I lived. Haha, I thought. Seriously? Tapirs? If there was a vote on which animal is least likely to be described as “fluffy, “winsome” and “cuddly,” I think tapirs would pretty much win the internet.ContinueContinue reading “The Gods Of Cuteness Anoint The Most Inexplicable Animal Yet”
Temple Cats, With Attitude
In Japan, neko and temples go together like fish guts and beer, and every graveyard attracts a cadre of cats to guard the departed. At first I tried not to think about what they might be eating to make them so fat and happy (DO NOT GO THERE) until I was lurking around taking pictures late one afternoon, and witnessed the duelling cat ladies. SufficeContinueContinue reading “Temple Cats, With Attitude”
Fox Village: Even Better With Snow On Top!
I thought I’d died and gone to heaven when I finally made it to Zao Fox Village last spring, but it’s a good thing I didn’t actually shuffle off this mortal coil due to fox-induced bliss, because then I would have missed seeing all these fluffy vixen in the SNOW! In the winter, they’re at their fattest and furriest! With tails set toContinueContinue reading “Fox Village: Even Better With Snow On Top!”
The Angry Fox Ghost Vending Machine
I thought I’d reached the highest level of gacha-gacha nirvana when I discovered the Angry Cat Ghost vending machine last year, but yesterday walking through what I’d previously thought of as the ninth-circle-of-hell Shinagawa station, I spied these: YOKAI FOXES! As you can see, they come in six, count ’em SIX, fabulous colors, three with lucky messenger-of-the-gods markings. And yeah, as youContinueContinue reading “The Angry Fox Ghost Vending Machine”
Midnight Fox Parade
Middle school boys in foxface and golden skirt-pants carrying gigantic fox heads through the streets of Tokyo? Can you think of a better way to ring in the new year? Every December 31st at midnight, the good citizens of Oji gather at the local inari shrine to show the furry-tailed messengers of the gods a good time.ContinueContinue reading “Midnight Fox Parade”
Vending Machines Of The Dead
In case you need reminding what will happen if you eat one of these TASTY POISONOUS MUSHROOM PEOPLE. Bring on the zombies, but DO NOT put one of THESE in my bed. On the other hand, you can never have too many undead bananas. And finally…you’re welcome. •
Only In Japan 