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Below are the 5 most recent journal entries recorded in
PingMag : Art, Design, Life - from Japan's LiveJournal:
| Wednesday, December 25th, 2013 | |
| 9:21 am | Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas! The holidays start today, folks. First everyone in Japan celebrates Christmas (kind of) and then there is the main event of the season, heading to a shrine on New Year’s Day. The first visit to a shrine in the New Year is called Hatsumode. No sooner have the decorations for December 25th come down then the Oshogatsu (Japanese New Year) ones will go up. Saying that, Christmas itself isn’t really “celebrated” in Japan. It’s more of an excuse for the shopping districts and department stores et al to come alive with the biggest illuminations of the year. We took a look at how Christmas was being expressed around Tokyo.
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| Tuesday, December 31st, 2013 | |
| 9:30 am | Best of 2013 #10: PingMag Dear wonderful PingMag readers! Incredibly, 2013 is nearly over. It seems like just a moment ago that we re-launched PingMag back in March, and all your fantastic messages since then have kept us going as we get back into the swing of things. Thank you all so much! It’s been whirlwind of a year, and we have lots of exciting plans for Ping next year too – new projects, new ideas — so look forward to more and more over the next few months. We’re going to take a break for the New Year now, to catch our breath before we dive in again, so to keep you going over the next couple of weeks here’s a rundown of my favorites from 2013. Olympics 
Perhaps the biggest news in Japan this year was the announcement that the 2020 Olympics will be held here in Tokyo. We had a look at the incredible, iconic designs from 1964, which helped bring a smile back to Japanese faces after WWII. And also we found some designs from the phantom 1940 Olympics which never went ahead.
In September, Japan’s favorite day-planner, Hobonich Techo, was released in English. We spent lots of fun Wednesday afternoons with the Hobonichi team, and a wonderful couple of days in Beppu, too, and brought you a few behind-the-scenes stories along the way. Big thanks to the Hobonichi team! Packaging 
Mano is PingMag’s main man at the editing desk, and his regular round-ups of Japanese packaging from the supermarket shelves are always super popular. My favorite is canned foods from back in May. Look out for that “pink” salmon! 
Japan is the land of manga. The big guys still top the sales charts — ‘One Piece’ kept its title as the best selling manga in 2013, with 18 million copies sold this year. But there’s a whole lot more to manga than One Piece and Naruto. The guys from MangaNight have written us some fantastic articles each month, finishing with a great interview with Ken Niimura which highlights some of the differences between the US, European and Japanese comic industries. 
It’s often difficult to tell which articles will be the most popular. We love the manners posters on Japan’s subways, but to be honest never expected you would all enjoy it as much as you did!! Kyushu 
Yuko Matono has written us some great articles from Fukuoka, down south in Kyushu — thanks, Yuko! My favorite is the Shoes Like Pottery interview. Fancy baked sneakers, any one?
Ever our trusty workhorse, besides all the mind-twangling translation work, William Andrews has brought you some treasures from the pre-bubble days in late twentieth century Japan. His piece on the Tenjo Sajiki poster show was just a very quick dip into the angura scene, but we’re looking forward to much more next year!
Now that EVs are beginning to become an everyday part of life, we think it’s time to take another look at cars and mobility, and remember just how fun they can be! PingCars editor Shogo Jimbo has worked away all year to bring you a slightly different look at the wonderful worked of automobiles. And we’ve got BIG plans for 2014, too — so watch this space!
As for me, PingMag has given me the opportunity to talk with some fascinating people all year. For the very first article after we re-launched in March, I was lucky enough to get a chance to sit down with ex-prime minister Morihiro Hosokawa, who is now a potter and calligraphy artist. Hosokawa-san’s stories about how he became prime minister were fascinating (and hilarious) but the image of the retired politician heading into the mountains to study pottery in a drafty, bat- and dog-filled old house will stay with me for years to come. 
And finally, one from the archives. Who would have thought that one of the most popular articles ever on PingMag would be this one? …God bless the internets, and all who sail in her! Happy holidays to you all, thank you so much for your support this year, and look forward to much much more in 2014! |
| Friday, December 27th, 2013 | |
| 9:30 am | Best of 2013 #8: Food This month we’ve been looking at some of the highlights of 2013. But when all’s said and done, forget product design and architecture and all that jazz. People ultimately care more about their stomachs. And that’s why we had to include Japanese food in our round-up. For this we asked food director Fumie Okumura for her selections from the past year.
Breakfast 
This year has seen a bit of a vogue for breakfasting. From Hawaii’s Cafe Kaila to bills from Sydney, there are always long queues outside places where you can eat luxury pancakes from the morning. Also check out World Breakfast All Day, where the menu changes every two months per breakfast dishes around the globe. Or for those who fancy making something themselves, how about this book of breakfast recipes by the Grand Hyatt’s Executive Sous Chef (Western Cuisine) David Bellin. You’ll be sure to stumble on new discoveries when making simple recipes like eggs Benedict and French toast properly. Granola & Muesli 
In my household, muesli may make an appearance not only in the morning for breakfast but even sometimes for the evening meal too. Just add seasonal fruits, yoghurt, milk or honey to the mixed cereals of oatmeal, dried fruits, nuts and pumpkinseeds. Muesli comes from Switzerland while Granola was born in America. Both are light and nutritionally balanced, and have come to the fore in tandem with the breakfast craze. Shops like Home and Oats and Ganori specializing in handmade varieties are opening all the time. This documentary by director Atsushi Watanabe astutely tells the story of the people and seeds behind Yamagata Prefecture’s produce, from the people growing to those cooking, researching and, finally, eating it. The film is filled with people who realize the importance of passing on what already exists. Turning the concept of “new product development” on its head, it tells us about indigenous crops, a prescription (recipe!) for the future of Japanese food. New Kabukiza 
The original Kabukiza first opened its doors in 1889 and now for its 125th year it has been re-designed by Kengo Kuma. The link between Kabuki and food is deep. In the Edo era Kabuki used to be staged from sunrise to sunset, and even today a performance will last over four hours. When a show was on there were special bento lunch boxes for audiences to eat. For the re-opening earlier this year, I was involved with the direction for some special sweets for the Kabukiza with Eitaro, the veteran Japanese confectionary retailer who continues to nurture Edo culture today. Pop one of these sweets in your mouth and the clamor of an Edo-era makeshift playhouse will almost be “re-staged” in your mind… Shikinen Sengu 
This year saw the 62nd Shikinen Sengu ceremony. This is ritual that happens every 20 years in which the whole of Ise Shrine is reconstructed. Why 20 years? Well, it’s probably connected to rice. A type of steamed and dried rice called hoishii is stockpiled in the Ise Shrine granary. There is a theory that its storage life is 20 years. Architecture, vessels and ceremonies all form the foundation of Japanese food design. In Kanda in Kusubecho in Ise City, cultivating rice for offerings to the gods continues solemnly even today. 
‘Design Ah’ is an educational TV show on NHK E-Tele with general direction by graphic designer Taku Sato. As a spin-off, this exhibition opened at 21_21 Design Sight in February and in its roughly four-month run attracted 200,000 visitors. The exhibition fostered and explained to kids about the discoveries, mysteries, oddities and beauty to be found by examining everyday life. And as part of this, sushi also made an appearance. Visitors could be thrilled by the sushi by looking at it through a magnifying lens. Takeo City in Saga Prefecture is already known for its rather individual regional gusto, such as having a “Lemongrass Division” and a “Boar Division”. And now Tsutaya has made this special municipal library for around 50,000 residents in the city. It includes a Starbucks and you can also buy the local specialty, lemongrass. There are many regional brands that can make special local products but have nowhere to sell them. A library is a perfect example of how to showcase a lifestyle. 
There are plenty of a non-alcoholic drinks that can make a meal special: Elderberry cordials, ginger syrup and lemongrass cocktails, tomato and black pepper smoothies… These have started to get popular in Japan now with the release of lots of flavored water products this year. These are refreshing and quenching with their herb and fruity fragrances and tastes. Personally, the flavored waters in sweets researcher Rika Fukuda’s book always do it for me. UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage & Food Mislabeling Scandal The end of year’s food news was dominated by the decision by UNESCO to register washoku (Japanese food) as an Intangible Cultural Heritage. However, on the other hand we had the issue of food mislabeling at famous hotels and restaurants. Since the Tohoku disaster, interest in both Japanese food culture and food safety has increased. There are many issues surrounding Japanese food, not least aging farmers, the fashion for fast food, the Fukushima accident and the future of agricultural and marine products, as well as the decline in our lacquerware and ceramic centers. I hope that this becomes an opportunity for trying and testing new things.
Through collaborations between food and design, food and art, and food and media, interest is growing in the diverse values to be found in food, not only if something tastes good. I think a central part of this will be regionalism. I feel that more and more in the future people will be recreating local food cultures from around Japan. I am also currently preparing for the ‘Kome’ exhibition at 21_21 Design Sight from February 28th next year, themed around rice. Please come along for encounters with rice both familiar and unknown! Thank you, Fumie Okumura! Fumie Okumura
Food director and president of Foodelco inc. She works in “designing food” from product development to branding Japan’s culinary culture. She has strong connections with regional producers and artisans, and works widely to bridge the gap between those who eat and those who make food. Major projects include design direction for Eitaro, brand direction for 800 for eats, and regional produce development for communities in Yamagata and Yamanashi prefectures. Her work on Hikotaroumochi won a Good Design Award in 2008. She was one of the producers for the ‘Tema Hima’ exhibition about Tohoku food and living at 21_21 Design Sight in 2012. http://www.foodelco.com |
| Monday, December 23rd, 2013 | |
| 9:30 am | Ken Niimura: An “overseas” manga-ka comes “home” Since 2010 Japan has been trying to use the soft power of its pop culture to promote itself. This includes manga and anime, but how popular are they really abroad? (Feel free to let us know in the comments section!) On the other hand, the reverse is happening too. Overseas comics are gaining in strength in Japan, as witnessed by the Gaiman Awards and the International Manga Fest. We’re still many years from this but one day people will be able to come into contact equally with all kinds of comics — whether it be Japanese manga, bandes dessinées, or American comics. One artist in particular has been responsible for making this happen and that’s Ken Niimura. Spanish Roots
We met Niimura at the editorial offices for IKKI, the monthl magazine published by Shogakukan. Niimura is publishing ‘Henshin’ on a special website run by IKKI for online comics.
I didn’t have to major in anything when I studied fine art at college so I could study photography, design, croquis, oil painting and all kinds of things. I always felt like I wanted to be a manga-ka but I wasn’t necessarily only focused on that. For example, if I studied widely I could do another job rather than work as a painter, and still draw manga on the side. During college I also studied for a short time at an art college in Belgium where I could learn about picture books. ‘I Kill Giants’
On the other hand, in Japan both the story and the artwork are made together with the editor through a process of meetings. I felt this was a better working style for me. When I was doing the artwork for ‘I Kill Giants’ the American editor also didn’t intervene at all with my art. While we could say this is very courteous, I felt very uneasy. Of course there are lots and lots of artists who can make a manga all by themselves but I think you are a genius if you can make something good like that. It’s not my style.
Creating manga in the Japanese production style
What we learnt about Niimura during our interview was how manga was such a natural part of him. While countries like Japan are trying to spread the content they produce out into the world, it’s a different case entirely for the creators of the content. For them, as long as they have the right environment, they can work anywhere. Perhaps a solution to Japan’s problems in the anime and manga industries is to set up places for manga-ka working overseas to come and work in Japan.
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| Monday, December 30th, 2013 | |
| 9:00 am | Best of 2013 #9: Books What was the most interesting book you read in 2013? Perhaps it was something you bought on Amazon. But the online retailer is not the be and end all; there’s plenty to be found elsewhere, such as on nomazon, which collects the kinds of books you cannot find on the giant. We spoke to nomazon’s Hiroshi Eguchi for his picks of books from 2013.
A website that can only be seen on Wednesdays? Yes, that’s the Akasaki Wednesday Post Office. This project is set in the former Akasaki Elementary School in Kumamoto, which closed in March 2010 and is known for being an elementary school “on the sea”. It works by people writing stories about Wednesdays, which are then sent into the Akasaki Wednesday Post Office. You then get back a letter from someone else, making this a pretty peculiar but romantic project. I tried it out and got back a story about a melancholic guy in this fifties who works while listening to Tom Waits. Not just letters, it’s like reading works of literature. (The post office continues until March 2016. Satellite events are also planned.) 
One of these has been Prof or Hobo?, a quiz to see who’s homeless and who’s a university teacher. Just click “prof” or “hobo” under each photo and then you can see the results. When I first saw this, it felt very much like a zine. This kind of zine probably exists somewhere (or at least, I want one to!). 
This is a “premium album” with previously unreleased materials which comes as an extra when you reserve all 13 volumes of ‘Yorinuki Sazae-san’, which is being printed to celebrate Asahi Shimbun Publications’ fifth anniversary. Needless to say, this kind of perk or supplement gets featured on nomazon. (Advance orders finished on February 28th, 2013.) ‘Nanto’ Book Trailer This kind of book trailer is not so common yet in Japan but you can find them sometimes for popular bestsellers. Far from being just a simple promotion of the title, you can find new possibilities for publishing by developing ways for books to work with video. The book trailer that attracted attention in Japan in 2013 was this one for ‘Nanto’; both book and trailer are simply superb. Shi Shooting (Poetry Shooting) 
This website allows you to “shoot” the poetry of Tahi Saihate. The characters from the poet’s work become the “enemies” that you have to shoot down in this ‘Space Invaders’-style game, which gradually move closer and closer to the player. This is a nomazon book that will get you hooked. I highly recommend it! 
‘Tohoku Taberu Hoshin’ is a monthly magazine about food grown in Tohoku. Every issue focuses on a specialist from the Tohoku region who continues to make delicious food with a unique philosophy, as well as including something they harvested. The magazine which makes you think about food today with both your head and your tongue started in July 2013 with a special issue on Ishinomaki City oysters. 
Seiko Ito will publish his novel ‘Kuroyagisantachi’ (Black Goats), originally released as an email newsletter in 1997, in “paper book” format by BCCKS. First announced for the summer with the new title ‘Shinai naru’, it is now scheduled to come out in spring 2014. 
‘Emishi Manga’ was released in 1859 by the explorer Takeshiro Matsuura, who gave Japan’s north island the name Hokkaido (it was originally called Ezo). The content has now been digitalized by Sapporo City Central Library so we can view it online. It is an important resource recording in pictures and text his encounters with the Ainu people of Ezo. 
This was a participatory project by New York artist David Horvitz on the MoMA website post. You participated simply by sending in an email with a photo of your breakfast on July 18th, 2013. For 24 hours, artists from all over the world sent in photos and the website updated live with images of their various breakfasts on the July day. WAR IS OVER! Multilingual posters / postcards 
Artist Yoko Ono is distributing this message on flickr in different languages. Amongst the 110 versions there are even semaphore and Morse code ones. Because you can download them as high-resolution data, you can then print and post them on windows, at schools or at the workplace. She wants you to send them as postcards to your friends. Daibou Coffee 
This set of two books collects memories of the coffee shop that opened in 1975 on Aoyama-dori and closed on December 23rd, 2013. The books include photographer Isamu Sekido’s images capturing Daibou Coffee, as well as comments by around 35 others eulogizing the place. It comes in a special cloth case with gold leaf, and is on sale at Saruyama and Sanyodo Shoten.
As in the ‘Emishi Manga’, recently the resources that previously could only be seen in museums are now being put online for everyone to enjoy, including the National Diet Library’s digitalized library of Meiji era publications and the British Library’s flickr archive of over 1 million images from seventeenth to nineteenth century books. What kinds of niche resources will be made public in 2014? I also look forward to further experiments like Tahi Saihate “poetry shooting” and the Akasaki Wednesday Post Office that traverse different media and play with language, websites and letters. Thank you, Hiroshi Eguchi! nomazon
nomazon is a fictional book shop of only the books you cannot find on Amazon. Featuring everything from zines to self-published books, freepapers, catalogues, special editions and e-books, it is curated by nomazon members and other peers. |
What were the ten developments in Japanese food that made the biggest impression on you in 2013?
As long as I can remember I was always drawing something. I just love books and I used to enjoy drawing something on paper and then stapling them together to make a book. I never really thought about why I liked them, I just did!
