the super lovely Lee Tran from Inside Out blog is

doing a great series on Postcards from Japan.

previous postcards include delightful Angela from three buttons 

and Chanie Stock from cult melbourne store genki.

my one is there too -

please pop over if you are interested in

some ideas for your next kyoto visit:)

(all pics except last from the postcard)

Lee Tran, this is another e.g of where to find the hidden vego meals in japan.

chinese places like the classic one above (in koenji) do a pretty mean fried rice-

you can usually ask them to do vego version. 

they have japanese-style chinese stirfry vegies and things as well. 

maybe not the japanese food everyone imagines - but eat like the locals i say! 

just steer clear of all ramen, obviously;)

i am recently on a bit of a mission to find out more about modernist matters and architecture related to japan.

the very top photo and all photos below are via ok los angeles. they have a great blog that features the restoration of a classic modernist home and guesthouse in LA. they seem to travel to japan a bit to look for artists and artists to represent in their store, some pictures of one these included below.

claska hotel i saw on jollygoo and immediately decided i need to stay there at least one night. it is an old business hotel from the 60s renovated for contemporary japan, and i love the blue room above.

below are some links i have found so far.

i am super keen to hear of any more!

oklosangeles

ok online store
isamu noguchi site (design, wonderful)

claska hotel
modern japanese architecture: masters and mannerists in the 1950s-60s
frank lloyd wright in japan
bruno taut in japan
CASA BRUTUS has a modernism in japan special edition from a few years ago,
but so far i can't find a way to get my hands on it from australia, i will keep trying...

edit:
and this recent scientific discovery confirms in my mind how great octopuses are.
"There's really complex behaviours that we write off because we think we're the clever ones."

ready for the house

on the advice of a friend, i first saw artist ricky swallow's bmx in the late 90s or early 00s at the ian potter museum in melbourne. the same lovely friend mentioned just recently how great ricky's ready for the house blog is. absolutely. the images below are from ricky swallow's 'japan' section on ready for the house blog.

an exhibition of ricky swallow's work will be on in Melbourne at NGV potter from October 16.
above is one of his wooden sculptures, Field Recording/Highland Park Hydra, Jelutong, 2003.

house of ricky swallow featured in brutus magazine

kurashi-arekore goes to japan

very exciting, i am so looking forward to more of momo's posts on her trip to japan.
here are images via one of the links in momo's first post.
these are by mikiko iyama, via cafe yamahon.
(and how great is angela from three buttons' zine on little tokyo shops?!)
(a little off track, but i also love this post by yu.)

and an update: my friend kara has her kara-no-te exhibition opening in new york this week October 10!
She is also doing pottery demonstrations and open studio. ii ne:) her flyer is at end.

olostudio.tumblr

the somewhat sneaky advantage of checking something like google analytics, means that sometimes you discover pure joy. olostudio.tumblr is a beautiful tumblr devoted to textile, pattern and texture. here are some pictures from this lovely site:

1. above is an image of a work  by american/japanese artist jacob hashimoto 

2. below is am amazingly whimsical installation by  sarahappelbaum

3. last two are a great example of newspaper re-worked for eco-packaging of farmers' fruit and vegetables from tokyo-based dentsu design

blogging on japan

over the last week there have been some stellar bits and bobs on the www relating to nihon. here i put some of my recent favourite ones.

1. spoon and tamago: do it again. their knowledge of contemporary japanese designers and happenings is amazing. above are two great design concepts. top = canvas works by noto fusai and bottom = suntory's new translucent oolong tea train ad.

2. cookie cutter: shows us some amazing japanese prints on sofa

3. jollygoo: makes umeshu

4. in jo spittler's house by the woods: beautiful, beautiful photos of the rain or shine zines community garden and my very, very favourite busho ikebana (everybody needs this in their life i believe)

5. threebuttons hits tokyo: say no more

6. kansai time out points me to part 2 of kaiten sushi film: lost in a moment

7. and natsumi: has 70s styling in the playground

cut out pieces of paper and special blogs

hisayoshi watanabe via artfoundout

i have sung the praises of print journalism in a previous post i know, and i find myself doing it once more. of course, i recognise powerful journalistic writing flourishes in places on the spiderweb of the www and endless other forums, and i should probably widen my weekend newspaper reading, but the age newspaper 'insight' section on a saturday morning is one of my constants. sorry, i hope you excuse my possibly slightly preachy post today that is certainly word heavy, but here goes:

i have a little file in the top drawer of my light green filing cabinet into which i place cut out newspaper articles and other bits and pieces that make my heart sing, or make it stop for a second, that make me catch my breath, and make me swallow back tears. in short that make me believe in the human capacity for compassion and insight. these cutout pieces of print sometimes question the status quo, and almost always articulate a profound belief in justice and dignity. to me, they always demonstrate the power of words. 

this weekend my scissors snipped around two pieces quoting excerpts from Obama's speech on US-Middle East relations at the University of Cairo.  both pieces talked about the power of his speech, the measured decisions made in choice of words and references. and my heart lightened at this. i believe Obama is truly something very special, and his breathtaking capacity to express and inspire the essential, to reflect justice and humanity in the words he chooses, it is magnificent, and allows a little window to hope for a new world. if only there were more world leaders who speak like this, then maybe our actions could be given the freedom to become more worthy: White House press release link to Obama's speech.

the obvious contrast is with Bush and his general inability to address these issues without bellicose or condescending phrases and inept tones, and the administration's rhetoric surrounding the 'war on terror'. but anyone interested in australian politics could also contrast Obama's articulation of such enduringly complex issues with Howard's words during the peak of the asylum seeker issue: 'we shall decide who comes to this country and the manner in which they come'. i personally draw a direct line between Howard's horrifyingly reductionist phrase and the culture of fear and complete disconnection with basic human rights and dignity that was prevalent across australia at the time of tampa. i can possibly be accused of placing too great a value on the power of words, but that is my way!

and the special blogs:

artfoundout.blogspot

a blog by scott rothstein, it features artists from all over the world who make beautiful, thoughtful pieces of their time and place. the top image and below two images here are from one japanese artist featured on this blog, hisayoshi watanabe. the words scott rothstein writes about him are full of dignity and insight. the final two images are 'excessive calligraphy' works by yuichi saito.

prettyparrot.blogspot

i also really admire yoli's blog and the way she highlights issues of human rights. this blog is a constant reminder of the need for ongoing commitment to compassion and action to make the world a more just place.

above two: hisayoshi watanabe via artfoundout

above two: yuichi saito via artfoundout

a house named tofu

whatwedoissecret are wonderful. my favourite (japanese-focussed) architecture site.

this, i just could not resist to post as well. a house named tofu, say no more.