Japan’s manhole covers are known around the world for their intricate designs and unique local motifs. Used to promote towns and destinations, a new apparel brand has taken notice of these neat pieces of culture, releasing t-shirts to continue boosting communities around Japan.
In most cases, local governments are in charge of designing manhole covers. The Japan Underground team travels around the country in a van, finding the most inspiring manhole covers and negotiating with local governments to use the designs. They are then posted daily on social media.
Hokkaido Collection (Otaru / Ishikari / Wakkanai / Kushiro / Sapporo)
Tohoku Collection (Aomori City / Akita City / Kamaishi, Iwate Prefecture / Higashimatsushima, Miyagi Prefecture / Higashine, Yamagata Prefecture / Minamisoma, Fukushima Prefecture)
Hokuriku Collection (Sanjo, Niigata Prefecture / Ojiya / Namerikawa, Toyama Prefecture / Komatsu, Ishikawa Prefecture / Fukui City / Katsuyama)
In July 2021, the group began their travels to sell the new products, starting in Hokkaido and continuing to the Tohoku and Hokuriku regions. In the future, they will continue to the Kanto, Chubu, Kansei, Shikoku, Chugoku, and Kyushu regions, adapting at least one manhole cover design from each municipality per prefecture. The goal is to reach Okinawa in September 2022.
Information
Manhole Cover T-shirts
Price: ¥4,200 (Tax Included)
Online Shop: https://japanunderground.shop
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Born in Niigata and living in London, international singer-songwriter Rina Sawayama released her second album Hold The Girl on September 16. The album is Sawayama’s first in two and a half years and was written and recorded over the past year and a half. With an overarching pop sound, the album blends other genres expertly, from country, electro, and R&B to folk, metal, and rock. Hold The Girl manages to track Sawayama’s personal growth, sharing her goals for the future while fully accepting her past. The album has already received rave reviews from media outlets worldwide, including Rolling Stone, The Times, DIY, The Mail on Sunday, and more. “Among contemporary pop stars, Rina Sawayama certainly stands out,” The Times reads. Sawayama has also announced that she will hold her first solo Japan tour in January 2023, stopping in Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka. Her performance at Summer Sonic 2022 was a smash hit, so don’t miss your chance to see her live if you couldn’t make it!
Information
Hold the Girl – Rina Sawayama (2nd Album, Released September 16)
Stream/Purchase: https://umj.lnk.to/RinaSawayama_HoldTheGirl
Japan Tour Dates:
January 17, 2023 – Diamond Hall, Nagoya
January 18, 2023 – Zepp Osaka Bayside, Osaka
January 20, 2023 – Tokyo Garden Theater, Tokyo
Details: https://www.livenation.co.jp/artist-rina-sawayama-1159943
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Taisho Pharmaceuticals has announced a new flavor of Vicks Medicated Drops available only in Japan! The Matcha flavor will be available starting October 1, 2022.
VICKS Medicated Drops are lozenges perfect to relieve sore throats, and in an attempt to make a product for everyone’s taste, 14 flavors have been developed so far–five fruit types, three refreshing types, and six sugarless types. Matcha has become a more popular flavor among both young and old people in recent years, and this Japan-only flavor is sure to be a hit. The active ingredient, CPC, disinfects and sterilizes the mouth, so the next time you feel a cold coming on, try one of these lozenges out. Information
VICKS Medicated Drops (Matcha)
Release Date: October 1, 2022
Brand Site: https://brand.taisho.co.jp/vicks/
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The five winners of the second Japanese Traditional Culture Grand Prix have been announced! The contest was spearheaded by the Japan Traditional Culture Promotion Project, established in May 2020 as a collaborative effort among companies, associations, and local governments to establish a sustainable framework for the continued development of Japanese traditional culture. The project is headed by Seiichi Kondou, the Former Commissioner of the Agency for Cultural Affairs. United Arrows Honorary Chairman Osamu Shigematsu serves as Vice-Chairman. Along with Nobuo Yoshida, the 14th generation head of the 400-year-old traditional paper fan store Ibasen, the Japan Cultural Promotion Project began this Grand Prix as a way to honor outstanding works of Japanese culture by companies, organizations, and individuals. Anyone can enter, regardless of nationality, residence, or age. The jury consists of 11 people from various fields, including Richard Collasse, the Chairman of Chanel LLC, and popular model Kozue Akimoto.
Grand Prix Winner
Dustpan x BroomLuo QiEach dustpan is shaped by hand to match the special shape of the Matsumoto broom, which is then dyed with natural Tokushima indigo dye. The broom is the only one in the world made from home-grown broomcorn, and each is made by a third-generation craftsman with years of experience. Runner-up Prizes
Japanese Lacquer Art - EtherTakehito Sasaki [Critique] Both traditional and innovative. The spirit of Japanese culture and the meaning of this award seem to have taken shape in this work. The zippers do not open. The surface looks like leather, but it isn’t. When the lid is opened, the glossy lacquer seems to spread out. My expectations were surpassed. Anyone who sees it or uses it will find themselves lost in imagination, and I’m sure that thinking about that will bring a smile to the creator’s face. This beautiful craftsmanship was born from plenty of care and attention. What a pleasant surprise. (Risa Tanaka) Sake Drinking Set - Japanese nagomi Sake Cups Nagomi Fujita [Critique] There’s something about this piece that shares a spirit with Art Nouveau. The delicate plants superimposed on the bright transparent glass are a powerful image. In traditional Japanese nagomi art, the linear appearance of the plants is painted a bit more lightly, but these overlapping layers and shapes resonate and make an impact. The artist used traditional techniques such as lacquer and foil in a subtle manner, while still making the plants look alive. I’d consider this as a modern take on ecology. (Yuko Hasegawa) Excellence Award
Floating Boat Counter Masafumi Kodama (Registered Architect with a First-Class License) / Taiki Ishikawa (First Class Carpenter/Registered Architect with a Second-Class License) [Critique] The motif that inspired this piece is the traditional Japanese architectural technique of funahijiki. It’s an outstanding piece that utilizes practical architectural practices to create a piece of furniture at the center of a home, somewhere that the family relaxes. It brings the beauty of Japanese wood into the modern age. Funahijiki is a technique that has been used in incredible places, such as the Kyoto Imperial Palace and Kojoin Temple. It’s graceful and elegant, and not often seen in the current age. (Hidetsugu Horikoshi) Folding Chair to Assist in Seiza patol stool SEIZAHirayama Daily Goods Shop, Makiko & Kazuhiko Hirayama [Critique] The judges liked this folding chair for assisting seiza sitting, as it’s something that could be put to practical use right away. It’s sure to help people enjoy tatami culture, and will be a big help for people who seldom sit on the floor in this traditional way. The height and size of the chair, as well as its ability to be folded for easy storage, are nice touches. I’d consider this a masterpiece with incredible potential. (Yuji Akimoto) These pieces of artwork managed to connect traditional Japanese culture with future sensibilities, so give them a look! -
Behance, the world’s largest creative social media network, has started a new project to promote Japanese traditional culture and arts and crafts to the world. Works on Behance will be transformed into NFTs, with the goal to establish a new way for traditional craftsmen to profit from their work. Japan’s traditional arts and crafts are well-known by many around the world. On the other hand, challenges still remain as many regions’ traditional manufacturing industries are digitized. Sharing more detailed information about these crafts with overseas markets has also been difficult. According to the "Survey on the Revitalization of Local Traditional Manufacturing Industries" published by the Development Bank of Japan in 2018, Japan's traditional arts and crafts industry peaked around 1980. Due to the recession caused by the burst of the bubble economy, the rise of inexpensive foreign products, and changes in lifestyle, the amount of production has been declining year by year. Compared with the peak period, current production has dropped to one-fifth or about 100 billion yen. The workers involved in traditional crafts are also aging, making it difficult to pass on their skills to younger creators. On Behance, users can not only get inspiration from other people's work but can also publish their own works and receive helpful feedback and comments. Marketing professionals also use Behance to find creators for campaigns and collaborations, and previously, a Japanese creator who had uploaded his work to the social media site was asked to illustrate the cover of the New York Times.
This project is designed to promote traditional Japanese arts and crafts in the hopes of supporting their continued development in the face of many difficult conditions. -
The EMOCAL project aims to support small-town areas of Japan. As a new initiative in the project, specific soundscapes only found in certain areas of the country have been combined with music to create some unique tracks. A selection of musical artists have collaborated with the project to bring these songs to life! EMOCAL was created by ZOWA’s original label, CatchyStuck. The project supports local regions and communities by using ASMR soundscape videos recorded in each region to convey their particular charms to all of Japan. The sounds recorded in each place are considered to be very valuable and are intended to serve two purposes: to bring tourism back after the pandemic and to provide fans of ASMR a way to experience these areas from afar. Check out each of these unique ambient tracks created by four up-and-coming musicians! Each song is available on viviON’s ASMR platform ZOWA and on Spotify.
Ube, Yamaguchi Prefecture / Ikkyuu x Hige Driver, I Love Ikkyuu
Beard Driver created this ambient track with sounds recorded inside of Ikkyuu, a ramen shop.ZOWA: https://zowa.app/play/20019 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/1RP4RcpJwMrFzoYQbnfDYm?si=f1f1e816adb14db0 Odawara, Kanagawa Prefecture / Miyuki no Hama x Powerless, Seiren
Powerless created this track, inspired by the sounds of waves crashing at Miyuki no Hama, a seaside recreation area 20 minutes from Odawara Station.ZOWA: https://zowa.app/play/20016 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/5DkQ9FeM7jQBacUf7Nbuxc?si=c7d771e73ddd44b6 Shizuoka, Shizuoka Prefecture / Wasabi Field x baker, On the silent hill
Utogi in Shizuoka city is surrounded by incredible nature. Known as the birthplace of wasabi cultivation, baker used sounds recorded in the area to create this ambient track.ZOWA: https://zowa.app/play/20017 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/0oIU4x7MjVKmpouRwEPaXZ?si=04dcb805cea540b7 Ibusuki, Kagoshima Prefecture / Cape Tara x SeA0, Akushu
Cape Tara is a popular spot featuring an 800-meter-long sandbar at low tide. The sounds captured here were used by artist SeA0, and this track is sure to make you miss the water.ZOWA: https://zowa.app/play/20018 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/1Utz5j0oB4GmSDOMVdUcXU?si=eafa1949b3ea44d0 -
Last month, Kyary Pamyu Pamyu performed on the Gobi Stage at Coachella, one of the largest music festivals in the United States. The singer has now returned to Japan for the second half of her ‘Kyary Pamyu Pamyu 10th ANNIVERSARY JAPAN TOUR 2022 CANDY WAVE,’ seeing the singer performing 30 shows across Japan. The tour will conclude with a solo performance at Budokan in October. In conjunction with the nationwide tour, the LOCAL POWER JAPAN Project was launched to energize Japan through the appeal of regional towns and cities and has been attracting major attention. Kyary’s newest collaboration in Yamagata has been announced ahead of her concert there on May 13!
The singer will be collaborating with Shelter Nanyo Hall in Nanyo, Yamagata, a small town of only around 30,000 people. The hall is the world’s largest wooden concert hall, made entirely from laminated local cedar. It uses the most advanced fire-resistant technology for wood in Japan and was certified as the world’s largest by Guinness World Records in December 2015. The multi-functional hall can seat over 1,400 people, and the property also features a Japanese-style tea room, meeting rooms, an open tree-growing space, and more. “I want the local population to be incredibly proud of this magnificent wooden structure,” said Norihito Shimanuki, the hall’s director. “Through this concert hall, we’d like to promote Nanyo and Yamagata Prefecture both domestically and internationally.” The collaboration logo for the newest partnership was inspired by the ‘KPP NANDA COLLECTION LIVE in HAWAII’ visual. The one-night-only concert was held in July 2014. Since the main focus of this team-up is ‘wood,’ the visual’s palm tree has been transformed into a cedar tree! A collaborative T-shirt is also on sale featuring the new logo and the singer’s 10th-anniversary logo. The shirt is available on the LOCAL POWER JAPAN Project website for two weeks only starting May 12. Support Japanese businesses and pick one up while you can! Information
Shelter Nanyo Hall Yamagata (Nanyo City Cultural Hall) x Local Power Japan Project
Collaboration T-shirt
Price: ¥3,300 (Tax Included)
Available: May 12 – May 25, 23:59
Where to Buy:
LOCAL POWER JAPAN Project Online Shop
https://store-localpowerjapan.com/
Shelter Nanyo Hall (Nanyo City Cultural Hall): https://nanyoshi-bunkakaikan.jp
Tour Details: https://kpp10.jp/japantour2022/
Official Site: https://localpowerjapan.com
*Please allow two weeks to one month after order for product to ship. All items are made-to-order.
*A portion of shirt sales will be donated to local development and social programs.