In Tokyo and surrounding areas, signs of electricity conservation are visible everywhere. Rolling blackouts are in effect, train services have been scaled back, stores and businesses are using fewer lights, advertising signs and escalators have been switched off, and even some pachinko parlors have cut their hours of operation. On Twitter, a community of graphic designers has sprung up to create p

A dreamlike mix of retro Japanese-style visuals, Victorian imagery and consumer culture iconography is found in the oil paintings of California-based artist Alex Gross. Koshimaki-Osen, 2003 The Sugar Sickness, 2001 Ice Cream Cone (Despair), 2007 Mammon, 2010 Lanvin (Paris), 2010 The Twenty, 2003 The Meaning, 2004 Hierophant, 2008 Jozaikai (Purgatory), 2009 Slander, 2010 The Last Judgement, 2007 Ha

Publisher Jiyu Kokuminsha has released its annual list of the 60 most popular Japanese expressions of the year. The words and phrases (listed below in random order) reflect some of the trends, political developments, events and people that captured the attention of the Japanese media in 2010. From this list, a panel of judges will select the year's 10 trendiest expressions and announce the results

Artist Yoriko Yoshida's "Asialphabet" illustrations depict the Roman alphabet (minus Q and X) as Japanese cultural items and traditions. A [Akita] B [Bonsai] C [Chanoyu] D [Dashi] E [Ekiden] F [Futon] G [Geta] H [Haiku] I [Ikebana] J [Judo] K [Karaoke] L [Loose socks] M [Manga] N [Ninja] O [Origami] P [Pachinko] R [Rakugo] S [Soba] T [Takarazuka] U [Urushi] V [Visual-kei] W [Waraji] Y [Yakitori] Z

The illustrations of TokyoGenso (a.k.a. Tokyo Fantasy) depict a post-apocalyptic Tokyo devoid of people and overtaken by nature. Shinjuku skyline [+] Tokyo Big Sight [+] Rainbow Bridge [+] Moai statue at Shibuya station [+] Kabuki-za Theater, Ginza [+] Mode HAL iKO Building, Shinjuku [+] Poster for "The Book of Eli" (Japanese title: "The Walker") [+] Gundam // Tokyogenso Robot Tokyo Sky Tree [+] S

Here are a few manner posters that appeared in the Tokyo subways between 1976 and 1982. Three annoying train monsters (October 1982) The three annoying train monsters shown in the poster are Nesshii (the sleeping monster), Asshii (the leg-crossing monster), and Shinbunshii (the newspaper-reading monster). * * * * * Don't throw chewing gum on the platform (September 1976) Even Superman is no match

Nine locust sculptures made from fake designer bags were removed from an art exhibit in Kobe, Japan after a complaint lodged by luxury fashion house Louis Vuitton. Locust sculptures made from fake designer bags The works -- created by Kyoto-based artist Mitsuhiro Okamoto -- were on display at the Kobe Fashion Museum from April 15 until their removal in May. Batta Mon LV The sculptures, which measu

In the 1930s, a new style of poster emerged that reflected the growing significance of the masses in Japanese society. These artistic posters borrowed elements from Western design and often incorporated bold slogans with political, economic and educational themes. Here are a few examples. Health Exercises for the People (Bureau of Postal Insurance, 1930) Tohoku Area Famine Relief (Federation of To

Japanese toy giant Bandai is set to release a series of nifty kanji figures that transform into the shapes of the animals they represent. The shape-shifting critters, called Mojibakeru (moji means "character" and bakeru means "to change"), come in six varieties -- 犬 (dog), 虎 (tiger), 魚 (fish), 馬 (horse), 鳥 (bird) and 竜 (dragon) -- and are available in black, white, yellow and blue. Inubakeru - The

Here is a collection of 50 Japanese town logos that incorporate stylized kanji characters into the design. Fujinomiya (Shizuoka): The kanji 宮 (miya) inside a cherry blossom with Mt Fuji petals Fukuyama (Hiroshima): Bat-shaped 山 (yama) denotes old name of Kōmoriyama ("Bat Mountain") Ibaraki (Ōsaka): The kanji 茨 (ibara) in the shape of a pigeon Nishino-omote (Kagoshima): The kanji 西 (nishi) Ōme (Tōk

+ Video Doctors from the Showa University School of Dentistry have teamed up with Kyushu-based robot developer tmsuk to create a robotic dental patient. The female humanoid, named Hanako Showa, is designed to act as a training tool for dental students. In addition to wincing in pain when a dentist-in-training makes a mistake, the robot can roll her eyes, blink, move her jaw, and wiggle her tongue.

"Bad Apple!!" is a magical piece of stop-motion animation made from 6,566 still photos of printed bitmaps. + Video The creator, Nico Nico Douga user "shige-ruuu," says he made the video without using photo-editing software. The images were captured with a webcam, and the effects were achieved by changing the camera position and adjusting the focus, brightness, zoom, exposure and gain. The original

"Desert Eyeball" (砂漠の眼玉 - Sabaku no Medama), a deliciously nonsensical one-shot manga by Maki Sasaki, appeared in the August 1970 issue of Garo magazine. [+] [+] [+] [+] [+] [+] [+] [+] [+] [+] [+] [+] [See also: 'A Dream To Have In Heaven' by Maki Sasaki (1967)]

Over the past few years, rumors have circulated in Japan about the existence of gigantic humanoid life-forms inhabiting the icy waters of the Antarctic. Hello, Ningen Reportedly observed on multiple occasions by crew members of government-operated "whale research" ships, these so-called "Ningen" (lit. "humans") are said to be completely white in color with an estimated length of 20 to 30 meters. E

In the late 19th and early 20th century, enigmatic photographer T. Enami (1859-1929) captured a number of 3D stereoviews depicting life in Meiji-period Japan. [Sumo wrestlers] A stereoview consists of a pair of nearly identical images that appear three-dimensional when viewed through a stereoscope, because each eye sees a slightly different image. This illusion of depth can also be recreated with

Yōkai Daizukai, an illustrated guide to yōkai authored by manga artist Shigeru Mizuki, features a collection of cutaway diagrams showing the anatomy of 85 traditional monsters from Japanese folklore (which also appear in Mizuki's GeGeGe no Kitarō anime/manga). Here are a few illustrations from the book. Kuro-kamikiri [+] The Kuro-kamikiri ("black hair cutter") is a large, black-haired creature tha

[+] In 1969, Shōnen Sunday magazine featured a series of illustrated articles entitled "Computopia," which depicted life in a pleasant future pervaded by computers. Here are three illustrations from the series (1, 2, 3). * * * * * - Future Classroom "The Rise of the Computerized School," illustrated by Shigeru Komatsuzaki, takes a peek inside the classroom of the future, where the teacher is an im

[Typographic logo for Kamagaya (Chiba) spells town name in katakana] Japanese town logos -- official symbols designed to communicate the identity of each municipality -- come in a vast array of shapes and colors. Many of these municipal symbols incorporate typographical elements (particularly kanji, hiragana, katakana, and Roman letters) into their designs. In most cases, the stylized characters a