What’s On at Flavorpill: The Links That Made the Rounds in Our Office
Today at Flavorpill, we listened to a surprising good acoustic cover of Sisqó’s “Thong Song” by Ghost of Patrick Swayze. We teased our hair sky high before reading up on the history of Dallas. We took...
View ArticleGorgeous, Surreal Illustrations From a 1925 Japanese Edition of Aesop’s Fables
We can always count on 50 Watts to point us towards quality vintage illustrations from the far reaches of the world, and this week is no different — they recently clued us into these fantastic surreal...
View ArticleHBO Now Available on Hulu in Japan
HBO has decided to license select series to Hulu… in Japan. While we won’t be seeing the newest eps of Game of Thrones or True Blood stateside, it could plant the seeds for future markets. (Please?!)...
View ArticleVintage Photos of Geisha Bathing Beauties
Geishas used to be considered the supermodels of their time. Japan’s decorated entertainers, skilled in many traditional art forms and other social customs saw a decline after the Meiji Restoration...
View ArticleGorgeous Vintage Japanese Magazine Covers
There are 650 incredible illustrations in Book Cover Design in Japan 1910-40, which is currently selling for up to $400 online, but thankfully the rare book maestro behind website 50 Watts has...
View ArticleA Brutalist with a Heart: Surveying the Work of Kenzo Tange
Pritzker Prize-winning architect Kenzo Tange would have been 99 years old today. One of the most significant architects of the 20th century, his work combined traditional Japanese design principles...
View Article7 Innovative Buildings Designed to Fit Tight Urban Spaces
Cramped, labyrinthine city space can be as alluring as it is claustrophobic. While some people yearn for vast uninterrupted landscapes and stretching horizons, others are drawn to squeeze themselves...
View ArticleGorgeous Hand-Colored Photos Depicting Japanese Culture
Italian photographer Adolfo Farsari is known for his hand-colored portraits and landscapes — particularly of Japan and the country’s residents. Farsari settled there in the late 19th century and...
View Article10 Essential Japanese Films
“Human beings are unable to be honest with themselves about themselves. They cannot talk about themselves without embellishing,” the great Akira Kurosawa once said. The statement forms the basis for...
View ArticleBadass Photos of 19th-Century Tattooed Japanese Mail Runners
Who runs around wearing a loincloth, covered in tattoos, and delivers mail on a stick while managing not to look like an absolute fool? Japanese mail runners during the 19th century, that’s who — and...
View ArticleIncredible Photos of Japan’s Recent Volcano Eruption
Few would brave getting this close to an erupting volcano. If the German photographer Martin Rietze – who produced this astounding series of photographs of an exploding volcano in southern Kyushu,...
View ArticleAwesome Photos of Japanese Teens Reenacting ‘Dragon Ball Z’-Style Energy Attacks
We bet you’ve been excited for a movie release before, but have you ever gotten so pumped you decided to recreate its signature special effects with all your classmates? Such is the level of dedication...
View ArticleRegal Photos of Samurai Men in Storm-Ravaged Japan
The 2011 earthquake, tsunami, and the explosion at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant complex that ravaged Japan has not quelled the country’s rich cultural traditions. Soma Nomaoi is an annual...
View ArticleBill Murray’s Reddit AMA is Everything You Hoped it Would Be
On the movie he had the most fun with: Well, I did a film with Jim Jarmusch called Broken Flowers, but I really enjoyed that movie. I enjoyed the script that he wrote. He asked me if I could do a...
View ArticleSurprisingly Gorgeous Manhole Covers from Japan
“Public art” and “sanitation infrastructure” generally don’t mix. But in Japan, cities and towns regularly get creative with manhole covers, placing visually stunning works of art right underneath...
View Article25 Incredible Akira Kurosawa Quotes About Filmmaking
One of the most revered filmmakers in the history of cinema, and one who helped bring international attention to Japanese filmmaking, the distinguished Akira Kurosawa continues to influence moviemaking...
View ArticleEssential Japanese New Wave Films
“As Touch of Evil is to classical film noir, so Vengeance Is Mine is to the Japanese New Wave,” Slant Magazine’s Clayton Dillard wrote of Shôhei Imamura’s 1979 film, which arrived on Blu-ray from...
View ArticleWatch Charli XCX Prance Around Tokyo in New “Boom Clap” Video
Charli XCX has released a second video for “Boom Clap” (the first was made up of footage from The Fault Is in Our Stars, in which the song was featured), this time featuring the singer dancing around...
View ArticleThe Life of Cats in Historic Japanese Woodblock Prints
They were brought to Japan on ships during the mid-sixth century to protect sacred Buddhist scriptures during transport, but quickly became a central element of Japanese life, appearing in art and...
View ArticleReboots, Robots and ‘Recreation': Links You Need To See
Sobs will surely be heard throughout American households tonight as Parks and Recreation fans gather to watch the series finale of the seven season show. And while cries and moans might be appropriate,...
View Article
More Pages to Explore .....