Tag Archives: Japan

Murakami, more is not enough

Posted on June 25, 2014 by Brian D. Butler

Suzanne Dean, the Creative Director of Random House in London, designed the new book jacket for Haruki Murakami’s new novel Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage, which includes a sheet of stickers so readers can redesign their own … Continue reading →

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About Murakami

Posted on June 21, 2014 by Brian D. Butler

New York psychologist, writer and animator Ilana Simons created this terrific short animated film called “About Haruki Murakami” to celebrate everyone’s favorite Japanese writer. Well, he’s my favorite, any way.

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Everything but Fukushima

Posted on March 24, 2014 by Brian D. Butler

The only thing I love more than a cool map is a cool map with clever illustrations. The Cape Town, South Africa-based creative design studio MUTI illustrated this terrific map of Japan that includes lots of icons highlighting landmarks, architecture, … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Asia, Maps | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

A Lost Era of Travel

Posted on March 10, 2014 by Brian D. Butler

A recently discovered treasure trove of 1930s Japanese railway and tourism posters is being auctioned this month through Heritage Auctions Galleries . The gorgeous Art Deco-influenced posters are so rare that even poster museums have few examples from the collection. … Continue reading →

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This Is Not A Map

Posted on February 3, 2014 by Brian D. Butler

Poetry Wanted is a tiny Paris-based publisher with a somewhat incongruous focus on photography. Last year the company founder, photographer Rémi Noël launched a project called “This Is Not A Map”, which produces a publication that looks like a map … Continue reading →

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The Art of Travel

Posted on November 9, 2013 by Brian D. Butler

The Setouchi Triennale is a three times per year (Spring, Summer, Fall) art festival that takes place each year around the twelve islands of Japan’s Seto Inland Sea. This year’s Fall festival features a unique piece of art in motion … Continue reading →

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All the Beer in China

Posted on April 27, 2013 by Brian D. Butler

The always entertaining and informative website Buzzfeed created this clever video that demonstrates how much food one can purchase with the equivalent of $5 US in various countries around the globe. “How Much Food Can You Buy For $5 Around … Continue reading →

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Watch Where You Walk

Posted on February 17, 2013 by Brian D. Butler

When we travel, it’s easy to overlook the quotidian elements of local infrastructure, such as the lowly manhole cover. But visitors to Japan who watch where they walk are treated to a veritable art show. Japanese manhole covers once looked … Continue reading →

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Vintage Murakami

Posted on October 7, 2012 by Brian D. Butler

Vintage books has reissued its Haruki Murakami 15-book backlist with redesigned covers based on a unified color palette of red, black and white, and the use of the circle as a central motif. The original illustrations were screenprinted by Israeli-born … Continue reading →

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We’ve All Been There

Posted on June 23, 2012 by Brian D. Butler

If you’re part of the 99%, at some point in your life you’ve probably resorted to instant ramen noodles in some form for more than one meal. Now the lowly, but filling, instant noodle meal is being celebrated at its … Continue reading →

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