Inspiration from Tokyo- Part 3

One of the reasons why I love Japan is that there are illustrations everywhere. I mean, EVERYWHERE. It is not afraid of cute. It is a country where grown men have cute charms on their cell phones and its not a big deal.

Some fun graphics from the streets:

Even on drinks:

These toy packaging caught my eye- I love the design and illustrations on these:

and last but not least...

This is the ryokan (Japanese style inn) we stayed at in Tokyo (in Ueno.) I can not rave more about this place. We didn't want to stay in a generic western style hotel in the middle of a touristy area..so if you are a bit more adventurous, I highly recommend staying at Sawanoya Ryokan. It is family run and foreigner friendly...and possibly on the quaintest little street ever. We slept on futons and took baths in the gorgeous onsen (Japanese style bath) over looking a garden. It was inexpensive and Sawa-san and his family are great hosts.

And a few more links- through Ismoyo's blog and reading about her adventures in Tokyo a few months before mine, I found a very helpful Tokyo shopping guide link over at Asking for Trouble. The zine and guide was very helpful and I'll be using it again on my next trip back.

Thats all my posts related to my Tokyo trip. Now I'm plotting when I can go back...

Inspiration from Tokyo- Part 2

Storm Machine Graphics- Wow. I saw them at Design Festa and their table was absolutely amazing. My first thought was- "this is branding at its finest!" (My business side comes out!) They had so many merchandise but all the colors went together and I was just trying to absorb and learn from it. The ABC book is only about 3.75" x 3.75" with a cloth cover. They are probably my favorite find out of my whole trip. Check out their website!

Donut guy cup and "saucer"-those of you who may come to know my tastes probably know why I went nuts over this little guy, and only for 1000 yen! Another purchase from Design Festa but unfortunately I don't have information on the artist, I believe she was from Korea. (Lesson learned- put your name on EVERYTHING that you do!)

Cute creature in "Terrarium"-I believe the artist was there in part of a collective; there was a slight panic when they realized I didn't speak Japanese and they were trying to find someone who spoke English..it was actually quite endearing! There were a bunch of different creatures in bottles all together and it was very striking, so I had to adopt one.

Happy Birthday Pop-Up book from Sanrio Greetings- This mini book came with an envelope so you can send it out. I bought it at Itoya, a stationery store that is all over the place.

Matryoshka doll tea pot- I bought this at a store in Ginza. The bulkiest item I bought but thats why I went with a big suitcase! Look, even the box is cute with the illustrations.

There were other little things here and there but this is the majority of goodies I got. I'm going to write one more post on the trip in general, and hope to provide some tips and such, because I can't wait to go back!

Inspiration from Tokyo- Part 1

I brought a big suitcase with me to Tokyo and was ready to fill it up! But honestly I didn't end up buying as much as I thought I would. There were wonderful finds though, and I'm excited to share them!
Everything in Japan is shrink wrapped it seems. These books were a mystery to me since I can't read Japanese and know what the interiors were about, but I had to buy them anyways. Turns out they are activity books! I love this Rub A Dub Dub line. SO CUTE! Score!

I've never wanted a tray this much in my life. From Weles-Art by Naomi Tozaki. Check it this link for more goodies!

P714- they were at Design Festa and I had to buy a few little things- including the cutest post-it notes in the world. More on their website-ahhhhh!

Super cute pop-up birthday card that comes with sound.
The sound is a bottle opening, pouring, then two cute voices that says "kampai!" ("Cheers!" in Japanese.) Who...can...resist....

I have MORE goodies but for now I better get back to work instead of taking pics of everything I got. Hope you got your dose of kawaii for now.

**disclaimer: this post was filled with too much use of the word "cute," but I hope you understand.** :-)

Design Festa-Tokyo, Japan

I'm back from Tokyo!!! It was an absolutely amazing trip...I don't even know where to start. I will concentrate on the wonderful art and design graphics that I saw-which is everywhere and absolute eye candy. One of the reasons for the visit was to attend Design Festa, which is a twice-a-year art event that is held in Tokyo. Many artists, illustrators, and designers get together in a huge space to show off their work. I originally found out about this show through Spadazzle- an artist I met online a few years ago that now lives in Japan. And we finally got to meet in person! (Thank you, Sarah!)

I wish I took more pics from the event. Here is a few that I got:

Amazing cut paper and pop-ups: www.atelier-coco.com
This booth was super crowded, I wanted to go back to buy something, but I didn't end up getting a chance.

This owl dude got lots of attention!

Oh my. All the food plushies anyone can dream of.
http://hono.cocolog-nifty.com

I want a plushie playhouse like this.

Creatures made from paper.

Can't go without taking a picture of a Japanese girl in a cute costume:
Mitsune Temo and The Round Earth Committee

There is just so much more-aisles and aisles of art. It was so worth it to go, as I got to see how the art trends are like in Asia. I kept thinking-what if I stayed in Asia and never moved to the US, how would my style look like then? I also felt a comaraderie of sorts; seeing fellow illustrators making awesome art.

I got to play catch-up for now, as I need to get back to business after a fabulous week in Tokyo doing no work. I bought alot of very cute things (ahem, for inspiration, ya know?) so when I get a chance to take pictures of them, I will share them here. So make sure to come back if you like kawaii stuff!