Founded in 2003, Tokyo-based BALMUDA refers to itself as a creativity and technology company that creates home appliances and other products designed to deliver “thrilling and wonderful experiences.” Last year they entered the US market with products such as The Kettle and The Toaster. A… Read More
All posts tagged “japan”
The value of boredom
I took a class during my undergraduate degree about the material culture of the Victorian era. I took it mostly for fun and because I found the lessons relevant to architecture. But it also allowed me to write papers about things like gin (though I… Read More
Fashion nothingness
Fashion, like architecture, says a lot. It is, according to Wikipedia, an “aesthetic expression at a particular time, place and in a specific context.” So it’s interesting to consider how fashion might translate, and not translate, around the world. This recent article by The Economist,… Read More
Making giant ships
This is an interesting New York Times photo essay about “how giant ships are built.” I wasn’t aware of some of these statistics, and maybe the same goes for you: 90% of all traded goods are carried on ships 90% of global shipbuilding happens in… Read More
Small art museum (in Tokyo)
Few are able to do “small houses” quite like the Japanese. Below is the Flat House in Tokyo by Yoshinori Sakano Architects. Completed in 2011, it was designed for a young couple in their twenties who wanted to build a home that was like a… Read More
The Japanese are renting cars but not driving them
Lately it has been in the news that a growing number of people in Tokyo are using car-sharing services for reasons other than to drive places. It started when companies began noticing that “several percent of their rented vehicles” were not being driven at all.… Read More
Tokyo’s kitchen cars (or food trucks)
Click here for a short video (by Monocle) about Tokyo’s nascent “kitchen car”, or food truck, scene. (The soundtrack is fun.) Historically, street food stands, or “yatai,” have had a questionable reputation in Japan. They proliferated across the country following World War II when times… Read More
How Japan increased its housing supply
River Davis’ recent article in the Wall Street Journal about Tokyo’s generally flat home prices had me, again, wondering about demographics. I mean, aren’t their demographics working in reverse? They have an aging population, low immigration, and a low birthrate. But Tokyo, which represents about… Read More
Tenji blocks
Today, Google’s daily Doodle celebrates the work of Japanese inventor Seiichi Miyake. See above screenshot. (I wonder who at Google is responsible for coming up with these. Imagine having to post something new every day.) I am sure that most of you have come across… Read More
2019 Pritzker Architecture Prize Laureate: Arata Isozaki
This week it was announced that Japanese architect Arata Isozaki has received the 2019 Pritzker Architecture Prize. The prize is generally viewed as architecture’s highest honor. (You also get $100,000.) He’s the 46th laureate and 8th Japanese architect to receive the honor. (As a side… Read More