Tuesday, 15 May 2012
Haruki Murakami receives honorary doctorate from Univ of Hawaii
Renowned Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami received an honorary doctorate from the University of Hawaii at Manoa on Saturday, which was conferred as the university held its graduation ceremony in Honolulu.
Virginia Hinshaw, chief executive officer of the university, said the school conferred the honorary degree because Murakami ''is a distinguished writer known for his enduring compassion and global contributions in postmodern literature.''
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Art
Wednesday, 09 May 2012
Japan oldest Western clock headed for expert appraisal
After 400 years, Japan thinks it's the right time to assess the historical value of its oldest existing Western clock, and has called upon the British Museum to do the appraisal.
The wind-up, brass clock, 10.5 centimeters deep and wide and 21.5 cm high, was presented in 1611 by a Spanish king to Tokugawa Ieyasu, who established the Tokugawa Shogunate in 1603. It is designated a national important cultural asset.
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Art
Monday, 07 May 2012
For artist living in the past, there's no time like the present
Takaki Yamamoto is rooted in the past.
As a diorama artist, his specialty is scenes from the Showa Era (1926-1989), a period of great upheaval and renewal.
From humble beginnings, Yamamoto, 47, is gaining national attention.
Scenes from his diorama are featured in a popular drama series being aired across Japan.
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Art
Sunday, 06 May 2012
The Art of Sony PS Vita Gravity Rush
With Gravity Rush releasing on June 12th, I wanted to share how the artwork of this game came together as well as how the style of “Bande Dessinee” influenced the title’s art direction. Gravity Rush incorporates the theme of Bande Dessinee (BD), a popular Franco-Belgian comic book art style.
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Electronics
Friday, 04 May 2012
Roman manga Historie wins grand prize
Hitoshi Iwaaki's "Historie" won the Manga Grand Prix at the 16th Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize on April 23.
Sponsored by The Asahi Shimbun, the prize honors the late Osamu Tezuka, the creator of "Astro Boy," who left an indelible mark on the nation's manga culture.
The Originality Prize, given for fresh talent and novel mode of expression, went to Yu Ito's "Shutoheru," while the Short Story Prize was given to "Sake no Hosomichi" (The Narrow Road to Sake) and other stories by Roswell Hosoki.
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Art
Tuesday, 01 May 2012
Museum extends life of fleeting sand sculptures
A 570-million-yen ($7 million) museum designed specifically to protect fragile sculptures during their fleeting existence has opened here.
The Sand Museum, built near sand dunes that are popular with tourists, is a two-story, steel-reinforced concrete structure with a total floor space of about 3,000 square meters. The Tottori municipal government began construction in March 2011 and the museum was completed in about a year. It opened on April 14.
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Art
Monday, 30 April 2012
Designer adds zing to traditional lacquerware
For traditionalists, Japanese lacquerware consists of wooden trays and bowls in somber red and black.
But the products of Sendai-based designer Koichiro Kimura boldly go where lacquerware has never gone before.
The 48-year-old creates pieces with flashes of hot pink, white and polka-dots, as well as matte gold and silver.
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Art
Friday, 27 April 2012
Higashino mystery misses 2012 Edgar award for best novel
Japanese author Keigo Higashino's novel, ''The Devotion of Suspect X,'' has missed out on the 2012 Edgar Allan Poe Award for best novel, as the award went to ''Gone'' by Mo Hayder, according to an announcement Thursday by Mystery Writers of America.
Hayder and Higashino were nominated for the category in January along with ''The Ranger'' by Ace Atkins, ''1222'' by Anne Holt and ''Field Gray'' by Philip Kerr.
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Art
Monday, 23 April 2012
Pets lost in disaster revived as dolls at Fukushima craft shop
A craft shop in Fukushima Prefecture is producing lifelike dolls to help pet owners remember cats and dogs that died or were lost in connection with the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami or the ensuing nuclear crisis.
Word has spread about the shop Kinomoto in the city of Kitakata, with some people who lost their pets willing to wait three to six months for a commemorative doll.
The dolls have a cork-like texture and are made from Paulownia wood powder, produced locally in the Aizu area in western Fukushima Prefecture, which can be crafted to give the dolls an authentic appearance.
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Art
Thursday, 19 April 2012
Museum of sand sculptures opens in Tottori
A museum that will regularly exhibit sand sculptures opened this month in the city of Tottori, which the facility said is the first of its kind in the world.
The opening exhibition at the Sand Museum, which began on Saturday, features sand sculptures on British themes created by 15 sand sculptors from 10 countries, in commemoration of the upcoming London Olympics.
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Art
