The Corpus Callosum

I have a soft spot for all things Japanese. Their cuisine is healthy and delicious, their technological advancements are unparalleled, and I absolutely adore their design aesthetic especially their attention to detail in product/package design. However, for all its upside Japan does have a seedy underbelly which is artistically illustrated here in an infographics video titled “The Strange Country”.

Magewappa, which literally translates to “bent-woodware”, is a 400-year old traditional Japanese wood craft originating from Odate City in Japan’s northern Akita prefecture. These unique pieces are created by thinly shaving a perfectly straight-grain cedar wood, only found on the eastern side of the Shirakami Mountains. This specific type of 100-year old cedar wood is required due to its ability to endure the demanding production process.

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Beautiful modern Asian package concept from Russian designer Arthur Schreiber. I especially like the embossed pattern and the slice logo cleverly woven into the bottle and package design. Very nice touches.

In today’s global village, designers and artists are no longer limited by their immediate environment and culture for creative inspirations. By taking insights and ideas from across the globe, designers open themselves up to a wider audience through the blending of Eastern and Western styles.

Japanese artist Shohei Otomo does this in his eye-popping illustrations. Not only are the details and shading amazing but the intertwining of traditional Japanese comic book drawings with modern cultural twists are truly unique.

Check out his portfolio - below is merely a tip of the iceberg.

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Gorgeous 360 panoramic view of the night lights in Yokohama, Japan. Check out the website for more spectacular 360 views of landmarks across the globe.

The digital data dynamos at Information Architects have just released the 4th edition of their Web Trend Map. Visually styled based on the Tokyo Metro Map, the Web Trend Map highlights the most influential web domains and internet gurus over the past year. Click the image to see the full version in all its glory!

Urban planners and architects have long understood that in crowded cities with limited land space, the only direction to develop is up. This has resulted in taller and taller buildings, so much so that the record for the world’s tallest building changes almost yearly.

However, it wasn’t until the last couple of years that we’ve seen environments at higher altitudes. This blending of landscape and building architecture has led to some very interesting creations.

The first two images are of Namba Parks in Osaka, Japan and the latter three are of the School of Art, Design & Media at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.

The Rono Ice Cream shop facade in Tokyo could easily be mistaken for an upscale jewelry store or a fancy spa/salon entrance. Rarely do you see an ice cream shop devoid of vibrant colours and pictures displaying the countless number of flavors.

This was Japanese designer Hiroyuki Miyake’s inspiration when creating the atypical interior space. The lack of character, texture, and colour in the design is not so much minimalist-motivated as it is product-driven. His “less is more” approach effectively focuses the customer’s attention on the ice cream itself, where you’ll find the only splashes of colour in the entire store.