School lunch in Japan is not just about eating.

This is SO lovely to watch for SO many reasons.

According to this video, Japanese school lunchtimes are not treated as a break – they are used to teach children about food sources, hygiene, respect, service, appreciation and responsibility.



p.s. I think this is actually from 2013, but it's going viral right now.

A Robotic Dog’s Mortality - The New York Times

A poignant little video about what happens when humans bond with tiny robots, and what happens when the related technology becomes obsolete. (Be sure to watch the hi def video on the NYT site. Lovely.)

A Robotic Dog’s Mortality - The New York Times

(Thanks, VonHerwig!)

Narrow House in Horinouchi, Japan.

I never tire of seeing how people can create beautiful homes in the most unlikely spots. Design is cool.


The 595 square foot contemporary residence sits on a narrow triangular lot between a river and a road in Suginami, one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. (hmDSGN)




Narrow House in Horinouchi by Mizuishi Architect Atelier


via Homedit and homeDSGN

YOSHIMASA TSUCHIYA.

Lovely, delicate wooden sculpture by Yoshimasa Tsuchiya.






YOSHIMASA TSUCHIYA

(via The Fox Is Black)

Analogue Life.

Sometimes I like to browse around shops like this just to rest my eyes and my mind.




Analogue Life Online Shop | Japanese Design & Artisan made Housewares

Kumagai House.

This house in Japan takes my breath away.





The structure is composed of two structures: a three-level tower and a single-story base. The base section is buried 28 inches into the ground — deep enough that the dining table becomes level with the outside garden. The rooftop of the base section, which raises an individual slightly above street level, becomes an additional space within itself.

The tower, although physically separate, accommodates the base section with a broad visual of the surrounding neighborhood and scenery. Standing eight meters tall, the tower provides its residents with a stunning view of the mountainous regions within the area. – Design Milk

More details and photos at DESIGN MILK – Skim Milk: Kumagai House in Japan by Hiroshi Kuno Associates

(Photography by Anna Nagai / Hiroshi Kuno + Associates)

MUJI Station Clock

Oh, Muji, you minx. I wish I knew how to quit you. Every time you start to bore me silly, you turn around and come up with something perfect and simple like this.


Inspired by the design of traditional railway station clocks in Japan, the familiar face makes it easy to read.

MUJI Station Clock

Remembering the hibakusha.

Today is the anniversary of one of the most frightening and tragic events in human history -- the bombing of Hiroshima.

Tonight, the documentary White Light, Black Rain: The Destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki debuts on HBO. I'll be watching.


On August 6th and 9th, 1945, two atomic bombs vaporized 210,000 people in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Those who survived are called "hibakusha"--people exposed to the bomb--and there are an estimated 200,000 living today. Today, with the threat of nuclear weapons of mass destruction frighteningly real- the world's arsenal capable of repeating the destruction at Hiroshima 400,000 times over, Oscar® award-winning filmmaker Steven Okazaki revisits the bombings and shares the stories of the only people to have survived a nuclear attack.

HBO: White Light, Black Rain: The Destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Hanakotoba plant communicator.

How bizarre. I'd love to see it in action.


Hanakotoba means “Language of the Flowers” in Japanese, but the Hanakotoba communicator from e-Revolution can be used for any kind of indoor plant. By inserting the stem of Hanakotoba into your plant’s soil or water, it can convey to you what your plant cannot in a 200 word vocabulary (Japanese only).

CScout Japan - Online Shop :: Hanakotoba - plant communicator

(via The Red Ferret Journal)

Quite an alternative to a log cabin.

The Ring House, outside of Tokyo. Stunning.


Takei-Nabeshima-Architects (TNA) architects have designed a striking mini-tower on spec for a planned community in the town of Karuizawa, some 185 miles northwest of the Japanese capital. The Ring House is wrapped in rings of glass and wood and has an uninterrupted 360-degree view of the forest.




The Ring House | Makoto Takei & Chie Nabeshima/TNA

(via we make money not art)

The Robot Museum in Nagoya, Japan.

Citizens of Nagoya, you are sooooo lucky.






While you're there, check out the excellent watches.


(The site's in Japanese, so I was flying blind. Still wonderful, though.)

ROBOT MUSEUM :: Official Site

Thanks for the excellent tip/blog fodder, monk!

Simply Design coffee.

Ah, Japanese packaging. Lovely. I want some!


JEANSNOW.NET :: Simply Design Coffee

(via PingMag/Coudal Partners)