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Melbourne’s enfant terrible Lush is in Japan racking toys then returning them slightly modified.
Kansuke Yamamoto
Reminiscence
gelatin silver print, 1953
The CNN photo blog takes a look at Kansuke Yamamoto who was a Japanese artist who created surreal political commentary photocompositions during the Shōwa period.
Harumi
Hurry Up Now, from his self titled album
This track is rad! gotta get me a blue monk robe.
earthquake-weather: Apparently Harumi was a Japanese musician, living in the US, and a bit of a mystery man. He recorded this album, and one more, before disappearing into the ether. Singing and speaking in English, his first record, Harumi, was produced by in NYC in 1967 by ’60s folk and pysch rock super producer Tom Wilson, producer for the Velvet Underground, Simon & Garfunkel, and Bob Dylan. Tom Wilson saw this as an artistic, not commercial, endeavor, taking the folky lyrics and singing of Harumi, and layering on funky psychedelic orchestration and grooves. This is definitely one of the tamer tracks from the albums(it’s a two album set) - the second album gets pretty out there - Samurai Memories is 15 min long, with Harumi, his sister, and mother, speaking at different times in japanese, with a funky pysch music bed underneath.
So who was Harumi? And where did he end up?
Via the great music tumblr playitasitlathes
You can buy this record here, or try it here.
Yo Kids!
Check out Adrian’s cosmic journeys of destiny to the Philippines and Japan
Leave it to the Japanese to take something run of the mill and make it incredible.
The top one translates to: Gong to be! Ring get off! Soul Burn!
Chef Tagonishiki prepares lunch at Takasago-beya.
Hey Nishikz! Chuck on an apron will ya!
Even though professional sumo is almost definitely rigged, I’d love to see a game/match/fight or what ever they call it.
Paolo Patrizi’s behind the scenes feature Gentle Giants is pretty adorable.
His Starling series is beautiful, and there’s a couple of very sad pieces too
A stunning spread of from an issue of LIFE titled Teenage Wasteland: Japanese Youth in Revolt, 1964 comes this photograph by Michael Rougier. Gee Japan in the sixties looks fun!
The original caption reads:
“Kako, languid from sleeping pills she takes, is lost in a world of her own in a jazz shop in Tokyo.”
Cheer up Kako.
Isamu Noguchi
A model for a set of swings, seesaw and other playground equipment made up of geometric shapes. An unrealised design intended for the Ala Moana Park in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Check out some more of his killer playground designs here.
William Klein
Cine Poster, Tokyo, 1961
