Jean Snow in Tokyo found this beautiful modern take on the traditional Japanese Kokeshi doll, from Pen Pencil Stencil.

One word: Adorable. ¥6,800 and worth every penny, right? Thanks Johanna!

I covered some wild Japanese barcodes a few years ago. The Dieline has a nice roundup of some new ones I’ve never seen before. Awesome!

Wonderwall is the interior design firm created by Masamichi Katayama– they’re responsible for all kinds of incredible spaces around the world (but especially in Japan). Ever been inside a BAPE store and wondered who was behind the genius interior design and architecture? Some other highlights include Dean & Deluca in Roppongi, APC in Aoyama, Collete in Paris, the UNIQLO store in NYC (with the moving mannequins) and more. Look into more of their amazing work here.

Oh Hakone, how I love you so…

More than 100 million sharks are killed annually for their fins. Enter PangeaSeed, a Tokyo-based grassroots organization to raise awareness on the plight of sharks around the world. PangeaSeed’s mission is to create an open dialogue with the global community on the need to preserve and protect sharks and their habitat. They are doing this through volunteer activism, art, film, music and photography. Recently, they collaborated with several artists on a series of exclusive T-shirts. With prices ranging from $25-$55 (plus international shipping), keep in mind you’re not just buying another shirt: this time you’re making a donation to saving sharks and keeping PangeaSeed “trucking along.”

Remember last year when I went to Mainland China and Japan? I’m going again– leaving on Sunday (and checking out the new Cathay Pacific Seats on my way there). Speaking of which, I should probably start packing, eh?

The primary purpose of my trip to China is for the Young Global Leaders Dalian Summit. I’ll also be in Hong Kong for a few days, Macau for a night (wish me luck), and then I’m off to Japan. In Japan I’ll be in Tokyo a bit, as well as Hakone for some much needed Onsen and likely a day or two in Kyoto.

If you have any tips, want to meet up, want me in to speak at your company or agency, whatever– drop me a line.

As always I’ll be blogging along the way, but Twitter is also a good place to hear/see what I’m up to.

Nestled beneath the Manhattan Bridge overpass in the DUMBO area of Brooklyn is a haven for fans of Japanese art and subculture. It’s called Zakka, and it’s home to an awesome array of art books and more. We’re talking tomes on toys, street art, graphic design, package design and much more stretching across an entire wall of the shop. As for the toys, this is the spot for Kubricks– this is no Kidrobot. Rare figures by Michael Lau and wacky characters from Japanese gameshows fill glass display cases. They’ve even got Mugen’s Pop Pop, which replicates the sensation of popping bubble wrap. Recently Zakka collaborated with New York-based bilingual art magazine, COOL, on a series of in-store events surrounding the decorated eco-bag (”decob”). You could bring your old clothes, and they’ll transform them into decobs. I could spend a whole afternoon here, easily. Thanks to Steve Talkowski for the tour!

Loving Japanese photographer Shinichi Maruyama’s shots of ink and water. Check it out. Via Form Fifty Five

My very talented friend Eepmon has created a nice little site showing off all his tour dates and shows this month in Tokyo. Check it out, some gorgeous pieces like none of his work prior are on display, like this mixed media on canvas piece shown here.  If you’re in Japan right now, stop by one of his shows and then tell me all about it, please.

Related: Eepmon Goes Big In Japan

How many of you know what to do with the image to the left? Hopefully most of you. Aside from identifying it as Murakami work, it’s a QR code for your mobile phone. QR (quick response) codes are like the Japanese version of bar codes, because they started in Japan. The code is scanned into your mobile phone via the camera and outputs a link. Think of it as a way to add hyperlinks in the real world. Normally, these QR codes look like deformed boxy versions of bar codes. But as soon as Murakami touches one we are all gaga. It’s amazing what a little Louis Vuitton pattern and color can do to a QR. Nice work SET!

While most artists struggle to be big in the States, others strive for the glory of being big in Japan after they’ve flopped in America.  

Of course, that isn’t really the case with (our dear friend) the Canadian-born multi-disciplinary artist eepmon (Eric Sze-Lang Chan), an already-successful creator who will be touring Japan all this May. During that time, eepmon will put on two solo exhibits and be a part of many other art events in Tokyo. Though a large part of his work features poppy, bright colors and subjects like flowers and animals (pieces in this style will be shown at the Design Festa Gallery in his “i am my introspection” exhibit), we suspect Akira influenced him more than Takashi Murakami. Shapes fall upon one another in monstrous, jumbled ways, so that each time you glance at a piece, you can continue to find new and exciting images buried inside.

His other paintings, revealed within the “Intersections” exhibit at the Gallery O2, are also brimming with color, but are abstract and Pollock-like in their fury. Nevertheless, whether you’re viewing calmer works like the organic “Chaos Bloom 8″ or the abstract attacks on canvas in “Intersections,” his creations are visually arresting. We love them, more after the jump.
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Designs by Genevieve Gauckler, Eero Aarnio, Parra, and more make up the bulk of what Publik has to offer. The Japanese venture pulls together the talents of an international crew of artists to bring us tote bags, bandanas, and not to mention a great line of tees. From Gauckler’s ‘(verb) Me’ line to Parra’s word collages, Publik keeps the product line interesting without sticking to one theme in particular. The site’s mainly formatted in Japanese, making for some of that adorably bad translation, the product is good and that’s what counts. We especially dig the Feed Me shirt.

The future is here! In this utopia we don’t have to use toothpaste and our toothbrushes are solar powered — two huge leaps for mankind. A Japanese company has developed a toothbrush that uses ions to remove plaque and cleans teeth with water alone. I want to say this is like an air ionizer for your mouth, but that’s probably wrong. Here’s a very scientific explanation of how it works:

“When light is absorbed by the embedded solar panel, and you begin to brush your teeth, electrons are transmitted through the water to your teeth via the titanium oxide semiconductor.”

Make sense? If you need visiuals to understand the next step in dental care, they have pictures on the site. But our question is: what about that minty fresh feeling?

Tokyo has been a city bursting with innovative design for years, and when husband and wife team Mike and Yuri Albertson (he’s a product designer, she’s a graphic designer) moved there from New York, their leather and paper company Postalco became another part of the growing community. Wallets, bags, envelopes … a creative project centered around a fish jaw. It’s all available in their clean, minimalist style. But one of the more interesting things we found while checking out the site is Tramnesia’s Working, a series of behind-the-scenes videos that focus on Postalco and a few other start-ups. Worth a peek if entrepreneurs talking about their beginnings gets you hot.