Japanese fashion has evolved into a global powerhouse, captivating the industry with its innovative designs, meticulous craftsmanship, and unique aesthetic … More
Tag: japan
HAPPY CAMPER: BLUE BOTTLE COFFEE’S NEW CAFE IN JAPAN IS “ACCIDENTALLY WES ANDERSON” PERFECT! THINK WE’RE IN LOVE!
Like something out of a Wes Anderson film, this Blue Bottle Coffee cafe in Nagoya, Japan, is a too-perfect, polished, … More
PARKS AND REC: A QUICK VISIT TO TOKYO’S POPULAR “ROBOT PARK”!
Tucked away on a hillside between two leafy residential blocks of central Tokyo sits Sakurazaka Park. Better known colloquially as … More
SHOW ME THE HONEY : STREET ART SWEETENS THE HYPER-SHOPPING MECCA OF TOKYO’S SHIBUYA!
It was a sweet surprise to see the street art of San Francisco-based artist Fnnch (pronounced “finch”) in Tokyo a … More
IN YOUR FACE : TOKYO ELECTION BILLBOARDS COLOR EVERY CORNER OF CITY WITH PORTRAITS OF POLS!
It’s election campaign season again in Tokyo. If you’re on the ground in Japan’s capital, you can’t help but know … More
FAR AWAY, SO CLOSE : JAPANESE ARTIST’S TOWERING HEAVENLY “SURF ANGEL” STATUE IS AN INDELIBLE EPIC DREAM!
Japanese artist Motohiko Odani’s massive, fantastic, classical-style neon and plaster sculptural object “Surf Angel (Provisional Monument 2)” towers in a … More
EVERYBODY HATES PUBLIC ART, EXCEPT WHEN THEY DON’T : THE INCREDIBLE, INEDIBLE AND POPULAR “TOKYO EGG”!
It seems almost axiomatic that most public art is bad. Like really, really mind-blowingly f*cking bad. And though it is … More
JET LAG CONFIDENTIAL: BACK IN TOKYO! BUT FIRST, COFFEE!
We’re back in Tokyo and it feels so good. Except for the mad jet lag, which feels very much not … More
DEUS EX MACHINA: THIS TOKYO VENDING MACHINE SOLVES OUR THIRD-WAVE COFFEE LUST!
A cluster of vending machines stands on a Roppongi street corner next to a small public parking lot a few … More
PRINTED MATTER: THE TINY TOKYO BOOKSTORE STUFFED WITH AMAZING COLLECTION OF ART-PHOTO BOOKS!
It’s the little bookstore crammed with enough books to fill a shop twice its size. It’s the Shelf bookshop in … More
POST-MODERNISM IN THE PARK : CONTEMPORARY ARTWORK AS PLAYGROUND
Dubbed the “post-modern playground slide” in the park across the street from my in-laws’ home near Roppongi in Tokyo. The … More
“KONNICHIWA!” : BACK IN TOKYO AND IT FEELS LIKE HOME!
We got to Tokyo early in the morning just after sunrise. It was a bright, hot morning with the humidity … More
UP IN THE AIR : BACK TO TOKYO!
Yup! We’re heading back to Tokyo. After getting all our COVID booster vaccinations and updated health documents and customs and … More
ARCHITECTURAL DEATH: THE DEMOLITION OF ICONIC TOKYO BUILDING!
The Nakagin Capsule Tower Building in Tokyo is an unmissable architectural oddity and gem in the heart of the Japanese … More
BUILT FOR SPEED : JAPAN’S NEW “BULLET TRAIN” DESIGN REVEALED!
Japan Railways (JR) recently unveiled the design for its newest shinkansen, a.k.a., “Bullet Train.” It’s called the “Kamome,” which translates … More
SHAMEFUL OR SMART? : TOKYO OLYMPICS ARCHITECTURE LACKS OVERPRICED, PRETENTIOUS NEW TROPHY BUILDINGS!!!
The Tokyo 2020 Olympics will open this week in the here and now of 2021. The world’s biggest sporting and … More
DESIGN: THE LOOK OF THE THE FIRST TOKYO OLYMPICS
It’s now August 2020, which is when, had the global COVID-19 pandemic not upturned life as we knew it, the … More
IN TOKYO: SIGN ON BUILDING LEAVES LITTLE DOUBT AS TO CONTENTS WITHIN
As you approach Little Darling Coffee Roasters for the first time, you’re not sure you’re in the right place. It’s … More
ARTIST RAYMOND DUNLAP’S STUNNING “AWAKE OF THE WHALES”
Raymond Dunlap’s “Awake of the Whales” is a high-water mark in the Houston, Texas-based artist’s two-decades of output. It’s one … More
HOTNESS: BUILDING-ON-BUILDING ACTION
High-rise condo building reflected in windows of a modern glass-and-steel skyscraper in Akasaka, Tokyo.
FROM OUR BOOKSHELF: “RACKGAKI” DOCUMENTS AN ERA OF JAPANESE GRAFFITI ART
It’s time again to randomly browse our bookshelves at HQ and re-discover a forgotten coffee-table tome. Today we’ve pulled out … More
“Here We Are” Street Art at Ships … Harajuku, Tokyo
Amid the labyrinthine back streets that comprise Ura-Harajuku are many examples of commissioned semi-legal street art in little niches of … More
Abstract Street Art on Roller Shutter … Naka-Meguro, Tokyo
The Naka-Meguro neighborhood of Tokyo has a distinct feel. It occupies one side of a steeply sloped hill and the … More
Graffiti Art Next to Vacant Lot … Shibuya, Tokyo
Street Art at Sneaker Emporium “California Street” … Daikanyama, Tokyo
Japanese Election Campaign Posters on a Wall … Naka-Meguro, Tokyo
The optics and media of Japanese political election campaigns are fascinating for their restraint and orderliness. Campaign posters for the various … More
“New Candle” Live Video and Projection Installation by Nam June Paik … Watari Museum, Tokyo
LED Animation at 21_21 Design Sight … Akasaka, Tokyo
Graffiti Tags in Dense Urban Space … Daikanyama, Tokyo
Cool Architectural Design of Maison Kitsune Shop … Daikanyama, Tokyo
Fukadaso Cafe & Guriru Gallery Space … Kiyosumi, Tokyo
Video Art Installation and Window at Watari Museum … Shibuya, Tokyo
On the Scene … Customers Waiting in Line at BriGela … Kiyosumi, Tokyo
Japanese Summer “Hanabi”-Themed Billboard Ad For Coca-Cola … Tokyo
Japan has a long-established, globally recognized and highly-developed sense of aesthetics, especially when it come to design and graphic communications … More
Hello Kitty Street Art by D-Face … Ura-Harajuku, Tokyo
American street artist DFace artwork often works with iconic pop-cultural imagery, often American retro-comic book styles and skeletal graphics. Here … More
The Architecture & Design at “Log Road” … Daikanyama, Tokyo
There’s a new shopping-dining complex hear our temporary HQ in the Daikanyama neighborhood of Tokyo. It’s called Log Road. The … More
Shiny Cool Super-Minimal Unbranded Bag of Bear Pond Espresso Beans
On our recent visit back to Tokyo, we picked up a bag of freshly-roasted espresso beans from Bear Pond Espresso … More
See Ya Later, Tokyo …
It’s always great fun being back in Tokyo. It’s really a home away from home for us, and we love … More
Street Art in Harajuku, Tokyo
We found these cute, simple wheat-pasted street art graphics on a utility box near the Watari Museum (Watarium) Ura-Harajuku in … More
On the Scene … At the Lattest Espresso Bar in Tokyo
Cherry Blossoms Mural … Naka-Meguro, Tokyo
Beautiful freshly painted mural of Japanese cherry blossoms tree on the wall of a well-trod underpass in Naka-Meguro in Tokyo. … More
“Love Me” Tip Jar Sticker at No. 8 Bear Pond Espresso Bar … Shibuya, Tokyo
American artist Curtis Kulig’s cursive “Love me” graffiti message is a global street art icon, a viral, real-world visual meme … More
Cool House in Tokyo’s Naka-Meguro Neighborhood
More Awesome Street Art by Invader in Tokyo’s Naka-Meguro Neighborhood
This example of street art by French artist Invader in Tokyo is probably one of the best we’ve seen in … More
Architecture … Tadao Ando’s 21_21 Design Sight Building in Akasaka, Tokyo
The sleek, low-slung gray structure that is the 21_21 Design Sight building in Tokyo’s Akasaka neighborhood was created by two … More
Giant Futuristic “Rocking Mammoth” Sculpture by Kenji Yanobe at Tokyo MoCA
Street Art by Artist Barry McGee in Tokyo
Mural by San Francisco-based artist Barry McGee in the Aoyama neighborhood of Tokyo. Wonderful.
Style & Design … Window Display and Shopper at Rick Owens Tokyo Store
Space Invader Street Art by Invader at Hotel Japan … Near Ura-Harajuku, Tokyo
Prada Building in Aoyama, Tokyo
Banksy-esque Spiderman Stencil Street Art … Shibuya, Tokyo
On the Scene … At the Beautifully Minimalist Nezu Cafe in Aoyama, Tokyo
The cafe in the garden of the Nezu Museum in Aoyama, in Tokyo, is a striking example of minimalist architectural … More
Cover of “Tokyo no ie” Architecture Book
Global Graphica in Tokyo …
We’re in Tokyo this week and as those of you who follow us on Twitter and Instagram may have already … More
“No Fukushima on the Hudson”
This anti-nuke energy protest banner draped from a building in downtown New York City speaks for itself.
In Tokyo … Awesome Ads in the Tokyo Subway, Vol. 2
The second of two examples of recent ad placements in the Tokyo Metro. This one is part of a Tokyo … More
In Tokyo … Awesome Ads in the Tokyo Subway, Vol. 1
This recent indoor billboard ad (pictured below) in Tokyo subway stations is part of an integrated marketing campaign promoting the … More
In Tokyo … Tiny A.P.C. Storefront in Daikanyama
The French clothing label A.P.C. is one of our all-time favorite style brands, and we’ve been buying shirts, sweaters and … More
At Saturdays Surf in Tokyo
The spacious Saturdays Surf store (pix below) in the fashionable border strip between Tokyo’s uber-hip Daikanyama and Naka-Meguro neighborhoods is … More
“Love Me” in Tokyo
In Tokyo … Hello Kitty and Graffiti
A large sticker of Japanese icon Hello Kitty adorns a wall like the graffiti next to it on a Shibuya, … More
“I like to Wear Boots”
Our friend H.I., who lives in Tokyo, has “Imelda Marcos” syndrome when it comes to shoes. He owns more than … More
At Bear Pond Espresso in Tokyo
Over the weekend we posted about some coffee we had from a third-wave espresso roaster and cafe in Tokyo called … More
Coffee from Bear Pond Espresso Tokyo
We’re enjoying some coffee in New York this hot summer morning brewed with coffee beans from Bear Pond espresso cafe … More
JR Hits Tokyo
This is the front of the Watari Museum of Comtemporary Art in Shibuya, in Tokyo, where French street artist superstar … More
From Tokyo … Seibu Shopping Bag Design
A friend of ours gave us a small gift from Japan and it came in this Seibu department store bag … More
In Tokyo … Japanese Artist Yayoi Kusama Light Installation at Mori Art Museum
This installation by legendary Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama is currently on view at the Mori Art Museum, at Roppongi Hills, … More
In Tokyo … Fashion from Final Home at Mori Museum
At the current 10-year anniversary exhibition at the Mori Art Museum at Roppongi Hills, in Tokyo, a gallery was devoted … More
In Tokyo … The Giant Spider Sculpture at Roppongi Hills
This giant spider-like sculpture by the late artist Louise Bourgeois at the massive Roppongi Hills mega-shopping-hotel-condo-museum complex is a popular meeting point … More
In Tokyo … “Re Your Food” Anti-Nukes Street Art
Since the the 2011 reactor-meltdown disaster at the nuclear power plant in Fukushima, Japan, we’ve seen a lot of anti-nuke … More
In Tokyo … “Bad Noise” Band Poster
“Bad Noise” poster at the Ruby Room, a small music venue on a narrow hillside lane in Shibuya, Tokyo.
In Tokyo … Bathing Ape 20th Anniversary Design Exhibition
A Bathing Ape (or BAPE), the global Japanese clothing and lifestyle brand started by creator and Tokyo music producer Nigo, … More
Tokyo GPS Screen
The GPS screen in K.’s car in Tokyo is pictured below. We had no idea where we were at the … More
Japanese Street Art Logo … Tokyo
This graphic on a wall in Shibuya, in Tokyo, looks and feels like a piece of street art and could … More
Sign at Opening Ceremony’s Shibuya Store … Tokyo
The big, bold illuminated sign at the massive Opening Ceremony store in Shibuya, in Tokyo. Compared to the SoHo loft … More
Coffee Break at Tsutaya x Starbucks at Daikanyama T-Site
A couple of blocks away from Global Graphica’s temporary Tokyo HQ is Daikanyama T-Site, a beautifully manicured and smart new … More
Tokyo: The Taro Okamoto Sculpture
The Super Awesome “Dog Garden” at Daikanyama T-Site
Graphic Tees 2012 – Paul Smith Design
We’re cleaning out the closet at Global Graphica HQ to make room some new gear. So we’re parting with yet … More
The Buildings of Japanese Architect Tadao Ando
Our “Visual Culture of Japan Series” continues with this post on famed Osaka-based Japanese architect Tadao Ando and some images … More
Blood Fountain
The sublime and slightly creepy “Model of Oblivion” by Taro Shinoda at the Mori Art Museum at Roppongi Hills, in … More
Tokyo Street Lines
Here’s a much closer view of the ground in Tokyo: A curving street line in the fashionable Naka-Meguro neighborhood. You … More
Dogs on Skateboards
It’s like absurd dream. But maybe not so crazy after all. My friend has a cat and skateboard and sometimes … More
Osaka, Japan: Highway Underpass Mural No. 1
The right side of a massive mural on the support structure under the expressway west of Shinsaibashi in central Osaka. … More
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