Just over a year ago I posted an entry about my experience acquiring a fotologue.jp account for Industrial Brand Creative. As I reported, at that time there was no English whatsoever on the site and one required an invitation in order to join. Almost immediately after our success with acquiring an account, I began receiving emails from people from all over the world asking me how I had done it and could I help them in securing one of their own. Unfortunately, I could not offer them an easy answer.
Recently …

Washi is a traditional paper made in Japan using fibers from the bark of the gampi tree, the mitsumata shrub, or the paper mulberry but can also be made using bamboo, hemp, rice, and wheat. It is everywhere in Japan. But the structures that Eriko Horiki creates with this paper are anything but common or traditional.
From giant glowing installations to smaller organic lamps to the stage art for cellist Yo-Yo Ma, Eriko and her team are reinventing this 1000-year-old craft, by developing advanced production methods that cope with today’s …

In “Touch the Sound” we are challenged to reconsider the way our senses interact with the external world. This relationship is a fundamental component of existence to be sure, and one that few of us take the time to understand. In fact, it is only when one of our senses is lost or damaged that the impact is truly felt.
Evelyn Glennie has mastered the art of listening and also creating sounds. She is a world class percussionist, composer, musician and teacher. She is also almost completely deaf. When people ask …

There is something eerily resounding in the utter silence of abandoned buildings. No longer with purpose, emptied of their human charge, they stand as physical prophecies to the conquest of time and the inevitable reinstatement of nature.
Check out these spectacular images of Abandoned Japan (via the Skinny). And if you are left wanting more there is a very comprehensive listing of similar urban skeletons at Ruins and Urban Exploration.

China/Japan: the photos.

“We like to think of ourselves as winegrowers, not winemakers. We offer the support that is needed for the grapes to develop naturally. We do the same for our students”
COCO Farm and Winery is situated in Ahikaga, about an hour by train outside of Tokyo. Built upon the above philosophy, it provides lodging, care and employment for over 100 adults with mental disabilities ranging from autism to down syndrome. In the process, they produce some highly complex and very tasty wines that are unique to Japan. The winery:s vintner, Bruce …

This past Sunday saw six time champion yokozuna Asashoryu from Mongolia beat the Bulgarian sekiwake Kotooshu in a playoff bout to win the Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament. The number of foreigners in this traditional Japanese sport has been increasing rapidly over the years with 12 of the current 42 wrestlers in the top makuuchi division being non-Japanese. There is even talk of making it an Olympic sport. Interestingly, when you speak to the locals about sumo they respond with a look of indifference, telling you it is an old man`s …

Jane and I are heading to Asia this Friday so we have been busy doing a ton of reading and research not mention brushing up on our etiquette skills. This site, how-to-bow.com is quirky and bizarre and deadly accurate when it comes to Japanese do’s and don’ts. (via Coudal)

A couple of months ago, I stumbled upon a photoblog website out of Japan called fotologue.jp. Its clean and dynamic interface far surpassed anything that we had seen in the North American market. It seemed like an excellent B-side for the Industrial Brand Creative website at the very least; a third cornerstone (along with the blog) for our online community at best. So after a number of false starts and emails lost in translation, we were finally invited to register for our own page.
The idea was to create a …