Japanistic/Blog

I confess-we don’t do a lot of Mickey Mouse and the gang in our house. It’s not a philosophical thing. Just hasn’t happened.
But Disney in Japan? Way cooler. At least, on these postcards and goodies I’ve found. Mickey representations and French phrases-yes, pleasel. Recipes too? Who knew?

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Okay, not exactly, but I think it’s better. I think this is one of the most subtle ways I’ve ever seen to rock your Star Wars pride. Retro-looking kimono fabrics adorning eyeglass cases, a tote bag, a change purse, and more, and with your favorite Star Wars characters too! (From the Heart Art Collection.)

There is [...]

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I love the idea of Cool Ja-pon, a “book fair” happening now at the Yurindo bookstore in Akihabara.  The fair is a collection of 100 Japanese titles that don’t require you to read Japanese, and are “about niche topics that nobody outside of Japan possibly has ever written.”
One criteria for the book selection is that the [...]

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This year, Miffy celebrates her 55th birthday, and at an exhibit at Matsuya Ginza, in Japan, you can celebrate with her. Created by artist Dick Bruna, Miffy is the adorable rabbit my family and I have loved since discovering her when my son was little.

Of course, the exhibit comes complete with adorable Miffy papergoods and other [...]

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My husband is loving this scarf from Living Mutants. Simple and elegant, it is made in Germany, using German tailoring and gorgeous Japanese fabric. At 59 Euros, its not a bad price, and my husband is convinced it would look lovely on him. I agree. (via)

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I missed out on a lot of television as a kid, but even if I’d had free reign, I doubt I’d have seen this cartoon from early 70s Japan. I’m completely intrigued by the combination of German, Swedish and Japanese in Vicke the Viking. 

Written by Runer Jonsson, a Swedish journalist, from the 60s through the 80s, [...]

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Thanks to 8asians for this… Wait. Should I really be thanking them???

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The Smithsonian’s Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery will offer a variety of programs, exhibitions and tours to celebrate the 2009 National Cherry Blossom Festival, March 28 through April 12, in Washington, D.C.

Coinciding with the festival, the Sackler Gallery presents “The Tale of Shuten Doji,” March 21 through Sept. 20. Colorful illustrations [...]

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Thanks to AsianWeek for this article.
SAN FRANCISCO — The award-winning Nichi Bei Times, Northern California’s oldest Japanese American newspaper, is hosting the region’s first Tofu Dessert Competition and Festival — Sunday, March 22, 2 to 4 p.m. at the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California (JCCCNC), 1840 Sutter St. in San Francisco’s Japantown. [...]

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According to Japan Today, Yoshitomo Nara, a contemporary Japanese pop artist known for sculptures and paintings of doe-eyed figures, was arrested in late February for tagging graffiti in the Union Square subway station, a New York Police Department official said Monday.

Nara was arrested at 3:10 a.m. on Feb 27 and charged with criminal mischief, possession [...]

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