“Mommy, when I grow up, can I be a Furry?” If you needed further proof that anything Ken can do, Barbie can do better, look no further than the toy aisle of Yodobashi Camera! Not only can Barbie legit attend cosplay conventions without showing her face, she’s got a choice of bunny, puppy or pandaContinueContinue reading “Cosplay Barbie, expert level”
Category Archives: Made In Japan
Magical animal masks of Japan
Even Japanese people joke that Noh dramas equal no drama, but the masks worn by actors performing the world’s slowest-moving and most obscure style of theater are miracles of the carvers’ art. And not because they’re such lifelike representations of the elephants… Ahaha pretty sure this artist never saw a real one cranes… Hmm, IContinueContinue reading “Magical animal masks of Japan”
New Japanese art displayed in old Japanese houses? Yes, please!
“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!”
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”
Be a model in Japan, they said. It’ll be fun, they said.
Just think! Your face will be in every Family Mart in Japan! When your modeling agency tells you they’re sending you to Japan to be the face of a famous international brand, you probably weren’t envisioning this. But cheer up. You’re in good company. They make their own pop stars pose in headgear that’s equallyContinueContinue reading “Be a model in Japan, they said. It’ll be fun, they said.”
It’s moonburger season!
Everyone here knows that’s not melted cheese. As the harvest moon rises over Tokyo, you know it’s once again time to top all kinds of food with a raw egg to pay homage to Lady Luna. Usually this manifests as a raw egg swimming around on top of your bowl of noodles (which you loudlyContinueContinue reading “It’s moonburger season!”
In Japan, you’re never too young to…
Seen at Yodobashi Camera in Akihabara think of chickens as walking yakitori. If you’ve never had the pleasure of overhearing what Japanese people talk about at the aquarium, it may come as a surprise that when they see a chicken, the first thing they think isn’t “Ooo, colorful feathers!” but “Yum, skewered and grilled withContinueContinue reading “In Japan, you’re never too young to…”
Sashiko: Japan turns mending into a high art
Sashiko art by Nonoichi featured on @bluandwhite_japan’s Instagram (Photo thanks to @bluandwhite_japan) If quilting and embroidery had a child, this would be it. Sashiko isn’t the only mundane chore Japan has made into a high art (check out the everyday objects that inspired the Mingei Movement) but it’s one that anyone who lives anywhere inContinueContinue reading “Sashiko: Japan turns mending into a high art”
Why is there corn on my…
Japan isn’t a land where it’s understood what an abomination it is to eat corn if it’s a) not the cob, b) dripping with butter, and c) being served any time of year that’s not summer. In fact, the question that arises every single time I enter a Japanese supermarket or convenience store is… WHYContinueContinue reading “Why is there corn on my…”
Tube food
A wander through any grocery store in Japan will quickly persuade you that putting something in a tube shouldn’t be confined to toothpaste, hand cream, and athlete’s foot cures. Plenty of foods are best served squeezed! If you subscribe to Japanagram (my free deeper dive into all things only-in-Japan), you’ll already have drooled over theContinueContinue reading “Tube food”
What do Japanese people crave most in the depths of winter?
A table? Photo thanks to Barklot Japan on Etsy Yes, a table. But a kotatsu isn’t just any old table. Designed to make it possible to survive winter without frostbite in Japan’s criminally underinsulated houses… the kotatsu’s secret weapon isn’t just the cozy oversized quilt held in place by a tabletop used for everything fromContinueContinue reading “What do Japanese people crave most in the depths of winter?”
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?”
The most outrageous car show in Japan is back!
Tokyo Auto Salon: The latest, greatest car mods for 2025 This year’s show lacked some of my favorite kitchy offerings of years past, but if you’re a dude whose burning desire is to turn his car into a babe-magnet, Tokyo Auto Salon is the show for you. Manly, eye-popping paint job? Check. The latest inContinueContinue reading “The most outrageous car show in Japan is back!”
Nobuyuki Fujiwara’s explosive glass art retrospective
“Shobunma Nature Series 2024” by Nobuyuki Fujiwara Glass artist Nobuyuki Fujiwara’s delightfully organic pieces explode and bloom with energy, and a selection of his recent works is being featured in this lovely retirement retrospective at the University Art Museum’s exhibition hall right now. His willingness to push glass techniques and technology in whole new directionsContinueContinue reading “Nobuyuki Fujiwara’s explosive glass art retrospective”
What all the cool skateboards are wearing this season
If your skateboard hates going around naked in public, in Japan you can buy it a nice outfit to preserve its modesty! Actually, it’s pretty common in Japan to put bespoke covers on belongings that might scratch or dirty the train on your way to having fun. I’ve also spotted basketball covers… and skins toContinueContinue reading “What all the cool skateboards are wearing this season”
Wingtips, with a mullet
Business in the front, beach party in the back! Summer in Japan is so hot and steamy that any hack that still looks office-worthy while cutting down on the unbearable sweatiness is fair game. • If you love to laugh at strange Japanese stuff you’d never see anywhere else…
Proud alumnus of…
WART UNIVERSITY. Unclear how much one’s post-grad networking would be enhanced by flaunting this affiliation… • If you love to laugh at strange Japanese stuff you’d never see anywhere else…
Making Nuno Textiles: The best Japanese fabric art exhibition EVER
If you have even the slightest interest in all things textile, the first thing you do after you step off the plane in Japan is make a beeline for the Nuno store. It’s a treasure trove of cutting-edge fabrics designed by Reiko Sudo, the creative mastermind (and all-around warm and generous person) who has spentContinueContinue reading “Making Nuno Textiles: The best Japanese fabric art exhibition EVER”
Minoru Nomata: Paintings of an achingly lovely apocalypse
In this fabulous Minoru Nomata restrospective, the paintings in the very first room are already asking the questions that only grow more pointed and subtle over the course of his career… Building or landscape? “Land-Escape 1” 1992 Construction or destruction? “Nowhere-1” 1993 Past or future? “Land-Escape 12” 1992 And then you look closer, and wonderContinueContinue reading “Minoru Nomata: Paintings of an achingly lovely apocalypse”
The crazy hair art show
What does a fashion house do when they want to make an upworthy statement that doesn’t stop at the edges of the garment? They hire a hair artist like Katsuya Kamo. Kamo’s creations went so far beyond haircuts… they’re sometimes closer to taxidermy… or sculpture… or masks… or crowns. The “Kamo Head: Katsuya Kamo WorksContinueContinue reading “The crazy hair art show”
Tokyo Kimono Show: Feast your eyes on THESE beauties
The Tokyo Kimono Show returned last weekend, and the fabulous new kimono coordinations have never been more inspiring. Rows upon rows of mannequins displayed the stylish offerings of designers from all over Japan… …and they were skillfully set up so they could be appreciated from front and back Some designers took the opportunity to styleContinueContinue reading “Tokyo Kimono Show: Feast your eyes on THESE beauties”
Cherry Blossom Planets
The fabulous TeamLab Planets site gets a pink makeover for cherry blossom season! Between March 1 and April 31, instead of wading among the fish and flowers like this… …you can submerge your ankles in a sea of koi and petals like this! Like the usual immersive digital pond, the music and animation start withContinueContinue reading “Cherry Blossom Planets”
Craft…Cola?
In the category of “things that should not have a ‘handcrafted’ version,” cola has got to be the headliner. This inexplicable cola concentrate was on sale at my local organic food boutique (file under “WUT?”), and the explanation on the back assures me that not only was it made from “spices procured from all overContinueContinue reading “Craft…Cola?”
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”
Japan’s funniest Mundane Halloween costumes 2021!
https://twitter.com/knskk817/status/1454197638010601473?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1454197638010601473%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fsoranews24.com%2F2021%2F10%2F31%2Fcostumes-from-everyday-life-on-parade-once-more-in-jimi-halloween-2021%2F In Japan, “Jimi Halloween” costumes celebrate everything that nobody wants to be for Halloween because they are just too mundane and boring, like this guy from @dailyportalz Twitter feed, who’s dressed up as “a guy tagged on social media” This year, pandemic-emergency bar, restaurant and movie theater lock-downs and working from home all cameContinueContinue reading “Japan’s funniest Mundane Halloween costumes 2021!”
In Japan, You’re Never Too Young To…
…learn to charge your devices • …eat instant ramen • …get addicted to those coin-gobbling, impossible-to-win claw machines • …learn to drive a train • …drink tea • …start your own maid cafe • …organize your action figures’ weapons neatly on a 1/2 scale gun rack • …summon the forces of darkness •
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”
Perfect 2020 Halloween costumes from Japan
If you’re desperate to get out after months of quarantining and can’t resist that invite to a good old-fashioned Halloween party, the ace variety store Don Kihote suggests some costumes that will enforce that social distancing with a vengeance! Hard to get any clearer than this! If you’re worried your fellow revelers might have troubleContinueContinue reading “Perfect 2020 Halloween costumes from Japan”
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”
Amazing scenes emerge as you use this notepad
The Japanese design firm Triad just released one of the most Japanese products ever: the Hogwarts Castle notepad. Wait, that’s not Japanese! But…it is. The latest design in a series of notepads that reveal 3-D scenes as each piece of paper is peeled away happens to be Hogwarts Castle, but the idea of creating threeContinueContinue reading “Amazing scenes emerge as you use this notepad”
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?”
Live Your Best Miniature Life for a Year in Tokyo’s Small Worlds Theme Park
If you’ve ever wished you could shrink yourself and live in one of the amazing model worlds Japan is so famous for…now you can! Small Worlds—a vast, animatronic, model-trains-on-steriods theme park that not only reimagines Tokyo, but the Sailor Moon and Evangelion versions of it—offers a one-year “residence permit” that allows a tiny 3D-scanned modelContinueContinue reading “Live Your Best Miniature Life for a Year in Tokyo’s Small Worlds Theme Park”
An Only-In-Japan Problem If There Ever Was One
We’re coming into high matsuri season, when the local Shinto gods are paraded through the neighborhood to remind them of all the people and businesses they’re supposed to be keeping a lucky eye on, but these sake-filled summertime festivals that feature scantily-clad men rocking that shrine through the streets… come with their own peculiar anxiety…ContinueContinue reading “An Only-In-Japan Problem If There Ever Was One”
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”
Modern Kimonos To Die For: These Designers Are Giving An Old Artform New Edge
Hello, fellow kimono lovers of all shapes, sizes, colors, & geographic persuasions! If you’re like me, and love modern kimono dressing—especially my favorite kimono hime style—you’re in for a treat! Kimono princessing is all about mixing East and West, colors and patterns, styles and eras, and it warmly embraces vintage, second-hand delights as well asContinueContinue reading “Modern Kimonos To Die For: These Designers Are Giving An Old Artform New Edge”
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? •
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”
Feast Your Eyes On This: A Shop Full Of Taisho, Meiji & Showa Era Kimonos
Whoa, is that a Meissen silk…? ga-ZINGGGG! Today I was beelining toward a garden, through a neighborhood I never visit, when I was stopped cold by the kimono lovers’ equivalent of Aladdin’s Cave. Your nose would have been glued the glass too, if you’d spotted this many brilliant & pristine Meissen silk kimonos in oneContinueContinue reading “Feast Your Eyes On This: A Shop Full Of Taisho, Meiji & Showa Era Kimonos”
It’s Time For The Craziest Car Show In Tokyo
If it’s mid-January, you know where to find me: Tokyo’s biggest eye-candy car event of the year, Tokyo Auto Salon! Unlike the more stuffy Tokyo Auto Show (where big makers debut their new offerings and concept cars), Tokyo Auto Salon is for people who definitely don’t want something off the rack. From samurai rides toContinueContinue reading “It’s Time For The Craziest Car Show In Tokyo”
At The Mori Museum: 3D-Printed Sushi & Other Glimpses Of The Future
The Mori Museum’s current exhibit, Future and the Arts: AI, Robotics, Cities, Life – How Humanity Will Live Tomorrow pushes all my favorite buttons: food, fashion & WTF! It’s a satisfyingly huge show, with installations ranging from utopian plans that harness cutting-edge tech, to darker commentary on how we’ll use technology to evolve in a worldContinueContinue reading “At The Mori Museum: 3D-Printed Sushi & Other Glimpses Of The Future”
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 Most Only-In-Japan Halloween Costumes Ever
Tired of being the same old sexy skunk or slightly NSFW goose in a tutu for Halloween? Keep your fellow costume partiers guessing with these only-in-Japan puzzlers! However much mini-skirted shrine maidens might figure in cosplay fantasies, you can be sure this will be the first time everyone actually sees one IRL And if you’reContinueContinue reading “The Most Only-In-Japan Halloween Costumes Ever”
Tokyo Cake Show: So Gorgeous, So Japanese
How can you tell a professional baking conference is in Tokyo? Because among the fantasy wedding cakes, there’s a Shinto shrine wedding, complete with marzipan bride and groom. From the roof tiles, to the torii gate tunnel, it’s pretty clear that this loving couple isn’t getting married in Winchester Cathedral That pink cake is 100%ContinueContinue reading “Tokyo Cake Show: So Gorgeous, So Japanese”
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”
Crispy Intestine Snacks
Despite the fact that this new snack is called “Addictive Intestines,” I’m afraid you won’t find me bingeing a bucket ‘o crispy innards while Netflixing my way through a Saturday night, even though they boast not just one, but two kinds of squicky bits. They do make it easy to pick through the mix forContinueContinue reading “Crispy Intestine Snacks”
Tokyo International Quilt Festival 2019 PART TWO: Just Beautiful
It was so hard to choose only a few quilts to feature from the embarrassment of riches at this year’s Tokyo International Quilt Festival, but here are some of the overall stunners, and a couple that had details to die for. • You can see why this piece won the 2018 Machine Quilting Award… “LifeContinueContinue reading “Tokyo International Quilt Festival 2019 PART TWO: Just Beautiful”
Only In Japan 