Takumi Downtown Tokyo Artisan Culture

Download or read book Takumi: Downtown Tokyo Artisan Culture written by Manami Okazaki and published by Kingyo Press. This book was released on 2019-09-05 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Takumi: Downtown Tokyo Artisan Culture looks at 32 artisan ateliers in the shitamachi district of Tokyo; the traditional commoner and merchant region of the Edo era. The book will feature craftspeople working out of small studios across downtown, creating exquisite items by hand. This is a rare glimpse into these spaces; from screen makers, kimono dyers, washi paper makers to glass blowers, presented in an accessible, lavish tome. With hundreds of photos, Takumi: Downtown Tokyo Artisan Culture offers a visual tour into downtown artisan life, with a focus on places that even a casual tourist can also visit as well. Interviews with the craftspeople also provide insight into the philosophy of the Japanese artisan. While many travelers will visit the Asakusa area to marvel at Sensoji, Tokyo's oldest temple, most visitors are unaware of the rich culture that is present beyond the tourist areas. The region has retained many of the craft traditions of the Edo era, and the book also looks at aspects of urbanism such as bathhouses, shotengai shopping streets and nagaya architecture to highlight the inter-connectivity of all aspects of "old Tokyo" life.

Download or read book Kawaii! written by Manami Okazaki and published by National Geographic Books. This book was released on 2013-04-17 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Showcasing Japan's astonishingly varied culture of cute, this volume takes the reader on a dazzling and adorable visual journey through all things kawaii. Although some trace the phenomenon of kawaii as far back as Japan's Taisho era, it emerged most visibly in the 1970s when schoolgirls began writing in big, bubbly letters complete with tiny hearts and stars. From cute handwriting came manga, Hello Kitty, and Harajuku, and the kawaii aesthetic now affects every aspect of Japanese life. As colorful as its subject matter, this book contains numerous interviews with illustrators, artists, fashion designers, and scholars. It traces the roots of the movement from sociological and anthropological perspectives and looks at kawaii's darker side as it morphs into gothic and gloomy iterations. Best of all, it includes hundreds of colorful photographs that capture kawaii's ubiquity: on the streets and inside homes, on lunchboxes and airplanes, in haute couture and street fashion, in cafés, museums, and hotels.

Download or read book Japanese Kokeshi Dolls written by Manami Okazaki and published by Tuttle Publishing. This book was released on 2021-11-09 with total page 173 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An inside look at kokeshi dolls: from the skilled woodworkers behind their design to their important cultural significance. Kokeshi are the simple and charming traditional Japanese dolls characterized by their cylindrical shape and lack of arms and legs. Historically made as children's toys in Japan's northern region of Tohoku, they have now become a popular collector's item and have even inspired famous architects and artists. In this visual guide, readers will find: An overview of the different types of dolls How kokeshi dolls are crafted, including information on tools and woods used Interviews with leading kokeshi craftspeople worldwide Detailed information about both traditional dolls and the modern ones being crafted today An exploration of the cultural significance of kokeshi dolls--both historically and for the areas of northern Japan that rebuilt themselves after their region was decimated by an earthquake and tsunami in 2011 A guide to visiting Japan's kokeshi regions Information on how to buy the dolls--either directly from Japanese artisans or stockists worldwide Filled with artist interviews, gorgeous photos and firsthand travel experience, author Manami Okazaki has created a book to be enjoyed by all--from serious collectors to woodcrafters, interior designers, architects, armchair travelers and anyone with an interest in Japanese culture and travel.

Download or read book Kokeshi written by Manami Okazaki and published by Kingyo Press. This book was released on 2015 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Kokeshi are traditional, artisanal Japanese dolls, characterized by their lack of arms or legs. They have become iconic; they reflect simple Japanese aesthetic sensibilities with their simple, elegant and minimalist designs. Kokeshi looks at this culture in depth. It profiles 23 artisans in the remote hot spring villages where they are made and highlights many aesthetic theories and sensibilities that are prevalent in contemporary design, even today. With rare interviews, it will delight fans of wooden crafts and Japanese culture.

Download or read book Toy Tokyo written by Manami Okazaki and published by Kingyo Press. This book was released on 2014-08-15 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Blurry, out of focus, streaked with light and distorted. While these are adjectives you might not associate with quality photography, these are the quintessential characteristics of photography produced by toy cameras. While generic, commercial, travel photography based on stock has become the norm, Toy Tokyo captures the exhilaration of travel photography and life on the road, in one of the worlds most intense and photogenic locations. First in a series of location specific photography books using toys cams. Included are introductions, interviews with the founders of, and photos of factory visits with makers of the most iconic toy and simple system cameras, such as the Holga, Zero pinholes and the original Diana in Hong Kong, the LOMO LC-A and Horizon in Russia, Japan's Fuuvi, Impossible films and of course, the folks at lomography.

Download or read book Tuttle Concise Japanese Dictionary written by Samuel E. Martin and published by Tuttle Publishing. This book was released on 2013-02-05 with total page 1080 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Every serious student of Japanese needs a reliable and user-friendly dictionary in their collection. Tuttle Concise Japanese Dictionary, now with 30% more content, is a completely updated dictionary designed for students and business people who are living in Japan and using the Japanese language on a daily basis. Its greatest advantage is that it contains recent idiomatic expressions which have become popular in the past several years and which are not found in other competing dictionaries. The dictionary has been fully updated with the addition of recent vocabulary relating to computers, mobile phones, social media and the Internet. Other special features that set this dictionary apart include: Over 25,000 words and expressions including idioms and slang. User-friendly layout with main entries in color. Complete Japanese-English and English-Japanese sections. Romanized forms and the Japanese script are given for all Japanese words. A guide to pronunciation helps the user to pronounce Japanese words correctly. Different senses of each word are distinguished by multiple definitions.

Download or read book Kimono Now written by Manami Okazaki and published by Prestel Publishing. This book was released on 2015 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the refined homes of Tokyo to the nightclubs of Kyoto; from gangster chic to Harajuku street style; from ateliers and catwalks to city sidewalks and religious festivals--this book shows how the kimono has continued to be one of Japan's most exciting wardrobe elements. Interviews with important industry figures, including clothing manufacturers and fashion designers, reveal how this traditional dress, with its simple and elegant form and timeless textile production methods, is as relevant today as ever.