As Remo Camerota was photographing his book ‘Graffiti Japan’ he came across various drain designs in different prefectures. Camerota started documenting these manholes and eventually collected enough to get a book together. “I noticed there was an otaku culture based around these manhole covers, as well as a huge internet following. People actually have website museums dedicated to the pursuit of drainspotting! There is no other book on the subject so I wanted to show the rest of the world the kind of artistic design going on here.” So while it’s not the oddest fetish in Japan, there are people who travel the length of the country enticed by the prospect of a compellingly designed manhole.

In Japan, modern sewer systems began appearing during the late 19th century, and foreign engineers introduced the Japanese to modern, underground sewer systems with above ground access points. At that time manhole covers had similar geometric designs to those used in other countries. In the 1980s, one bureaucrat devised a way to make these mostly invisible systems aesthetically appreciated aboveground, and the customised manhole cover was invented.

Asked which is his favourite manhole, the photographer replies, “The one I found in Shiga. I was arguing with my partner because I took a wrong turn, and low and behold, I found my favourite manhole cover lying there in the wrong street. We wouldn’t have found it if we went the correct way.” The manhole was a fireman and his bio suit. “How apocalyptic, and it was just there on the side of the road,” he exclaims. The reason it was Camerota’s favourite is because it reminds him of sci fi movies, anime and manga, which he’s a big fan and creator of himself.

Even though Japanese custom manhole covers cost more than generic ones, nearly 95% of the 1,780 municipalities in Japan sport their very own specially designed manhole covers. Designs range from images that evoke a region’s cultural identity - flora, fauna, landmarks and local festivals - even fanciful images dreamed up by school children. In Kyoto, a turtle adorns the city’s manhole covers signifying wisdom and longevity.

So what can other countries learn from this art? Camerota replies, “Attention to detail and unusual art practice are just some of the things they can learn. What this kind of thing shows is that no matter how small or insignificant the item, they can still make it perfect. Designing a manhole cover for each prefecture means there are over 2500 throughout Japan. Slowly but surely this insignificant item is getting its own cult otaku following meaning people are looking at Japan as modern leaders in landscape design and attracting tourists in a bizarre way. Even if they are maniacs!”

This is a new post by David Report contributor Kristina Dryza.

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Ecodecor’s Tatami Flight Chair and Tatami Bench Sofa – designed by Chris Gurney – combine traditional Japanese materials, methods and craftsmanship with the Western style of sitting. Ecodecor is the furniture label by Brandarchitecture whose consistent design theme is ‘healing space for the next generation’. Brandarchitecture’s design process is defined by its collaborative artistic practice – partners who are located across the globe who see style and ecological awareness as equally attainable.

The cultural anthropologist Gordon Huse said that there are two customs characterised in our lives – sitting on a chair, or sitting on the ground. For centuries, the Japanese have sat on the ground (the ‘za-seat’). The mixture of the meditated style of yoga from India and the religious training from China influenced this custom. After Dogen brought Soto Zen to Japan, the tatami mat became associated with the traditional tea ceremony, and has always been used throughout Japan for this custom. If you like, think of tatami as a philosophy of sitting.

And the Tatami Flight Chair and Bench Sofa are a modern interpretation of this philosophy. The frame – available in both light or dark bamboo – has tatami as the seating base and kimono fabric as its backing. The tatami base concentrates one’s attention on thought, and allows for peace of mind in meditation. And no extended periods of sitting on the ground are required!

This is a post by David Report contributor Kristina Dryza.

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Andra bloggar om: kultur, design, möbler, inredning, japan

FunFam – short for Fun In The Family – is a new style Japanese tableware brand for kids that mixes Japanese aesthetics with Western lifestyle trends. Designed with bamboo, it takes a unique approach to the concept of ‘fun in the family’.

With many parents now spending less time having dinner with their children, FunFam’s tableware range promotes opportunities for the whole family to share meal times together. A decade of research by CASA (The National Centre on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, New York) shows that the more often kids eat dinner with their families, the less likely they are to smoke, drink or use drugs.

Inspired by mixed cultural influences, the tableware combines Western culinary culture with Japanese craftsmanship. The all hand made product lets kids discover the Western world of food by feeling the craftsmanship handed down in Japan over 1000 years. The Japanese way of life is integrally tied to the use of bamboo as one of the country’s main materials. For example, Japan’s oldest tale is titled ‘Kaguya Hime – Princess from Bamboo Trees’.

The key piece in the range is the Table Manners Set that invites children to appreciate the wealth of gastronomic tastes in the world. It sets out to help anyone (the world over) who has ever struggled to distinguish between the salad fork and the dessert fork. Knowing which fork, spoon or knife to use with which part of a full course meal can be a trial for even the most willing of learners. The Table Manners Set makes this less of a trial, and more of a fun, family-centered learning experience. The set includes nine different utensils, a plate, and a board to set all the utensils on. The board makes it easy for children to figure out what goes where with the pictures sketched underneath each utensil-shaped indentation. Learning about table manners is now a piece of cake (or bamboo!).

This is a post by David Report contributor Kristina Dryza.

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Andra bloggar om: mat, kultur, middag, japan, design, barn

Breathing life into antiques.

The design week activities just came to a close in Tokyo and amidst the background blur of networking, parties and the traipsing back and forth to venues, what stood out as a highlight? For me it was the Lloyd’s Antiques store in Aoyama, who in collaboration with Ito Masaru took the theme of trompe l’oeil to design forms of the Union Jack for their installation.

While not a new concept, it was the execution that was so special. Mr. Uichi Yamamoto, well known for his work with famous cafes, catered the event with baskets of fish and chips and other ‘UK’ foods. For dessert, red, white and blue macaroons were used to form the Union Jack on a tray, and once one had been taken and devoured, there was a hostess on hand to replace the missing macaroon. The Union Jack was never eaten out of existence! UK rock songs filled the air – from The Kinks to Bloc Party – as the precious stuffiness of an antiques showroom went out the window. Rather, the antiques became the perfect backdrop for a thoroughly modern Tokyo style party.

This is a post by David Report contributor Kristina Dryza.

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Andra bloggar om: design, tokyo, japan, antikviteter

If you can’t first hand experience the array of novel and ingenious Japanese products on display at NY Felissimo Design House, you can still ‘see’ them online here. This high design showcase is part of Japan C, an 11-week celebration of contemporary Japanese design and culture.

Over 70 Japanese designers and firms have come together to present in NYC the products that are currently captivating the Japanese audience. A comprehensive introduction on ‘things Japan’ - there is not only a substantial product showcase - but also events featuring talks and exhibitions by relevant designers and experts. Events range from a Sanyo Eneloop demonstration to kamishibai ‘paper theatre’ storytelling to a seminar with Naomi Moriyama, author of ‘Japanese Women Don’t Get Old or Fat’.

Free and open to the public until November 1, Japan C will showcase new objects in the areas of home and fashion accessories, food, stationery, beauty and pop culture. Each week will focus on a different category, with designers and industry leaders on hand to demonstrate the products and discuss the influence and innovation of products coming out of Japan. Themes include: ‘The Smart Japanese Kitchen’, ‘Secrets of Japanese Beauty’ and ‘Notes from Japan: The New Stationery’.

For the last year and a half, the team at Felissimo reviewed products and hand-selected designers and companies that represented the ‘best of the best’ in Japanese product design. Conceptual designer Tobias Wong and design consultant Josée Lepage were also enlisted to the team.

The collection is certainly diverse with robots next to fine stationery, and animé characters next to high-tech rice cookers. As Felissimo Director Haruko Smith said, “Japan is going through an interesting time. Designers have come out from the shadow of western influence and are starting to create something totally new from the fusion of both cultures, and they are having fun with it. But there is also a sense of craftsmanship that doesn’t exist in most mass-produced products elsewhere.”

Felissimo’s beautiful turn-of-the-century townhouse is located at 10 W. 56th Street. And as they say, the house offers “inspiration, experience, opportunity, and encounters for those who are in pursuit of happiness and harmony through design.” It is also home to the online community, DESIGN 21: Social Design Network - a project devoted to promoting and exploring ‘Design for the Greater Good’.

So stop by - off or online - in the pursuit of happiness and harmony.

[Photographs courtesy of Japan C]

This is a post by David Report contributor Kristina Dryza.

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Andra bloggar om: design, utställning, japan