The Mitsukoshi Department Store, Japan 1970
[Found here.]
Tag: Japan
75 Years Ago Today
Saturday Matinee – Rats & Star, Oh!Sharels & Shelly Trip Realize
Rats & Star (ラッツ&スター, Rattsu ando Sutā), formerly called Chanels, was a Japanese pop group that specialized in R&B & soul music… in blackface. Good stuff otherwise. {Had to update the vid. Original was sent to the YouTube gulag.]
Oh!Sharels is also Japanese and also do some nice retro covers, like this 1959 hit by the Flamingos (which was a cover of the song from 1934).
How ’bout some Japanese rockabilly? Not sure just what to make of Shelly (aka Shelly Trip Realize, aka Tinc), but the band rocks.
Have a great weekend or something. See you back here tomorrow for stuff.
Go Away. We Don’t Want You Here.
[Found in here.]
The .Gif Friday Post No. 558 – Riding The Door, Tokyo Crowd Control & Loading Dock Slider
Gotta Look Sharp.
Yoneji Inamura’s Contribution To The World: 20,000 Beetles
Although [Yoneji] Inamura created several sculptures out of beetles, he spent 6 years in the 1970s constructing this one, which has become his masterpiece and the largest sculpture he ever made. When it was done he donated it to the city.
The sculpture, made from rhinoceros beetles, winged jewel beetles, drone beetles, longhorn beetles and other types of local beetles, depicts the senju kannon bosatsu (1000-armed bodhisattva), a popular Buddhist deity in Japan.
[Click on the smaller images to enlarge. More here, found here. Somewhat related posts here.]
Block Parties Here Are Incredible.
“Hey, Bob! What’s going on this weekend?”
“The Stones are coming back again.”
“Aw, crap.”
“The [Nankai] Hawks were sold and moved to Fukuoka City in 1988 or 1989. Since the stadium was abandoned, the City of Osaka, working with a trade group, turned it into a giant outdoor home show with rows of various model homes from several construction companies.
“If I remember correctly, the houses were a failure, as most Japanese in the greater Osaka area were not interested in western style housing and the quality of construction was not up to their expectations. I think the stadium was finally demolished in the late ’90s.”
[Found in here, additional images and story found here and here.]
Monday Morning Puzzle
The photo was taken after an earthquake in the Tottori Prefecture on October 21st, in a hotel owned by the Kishida family.
Given:
Cabinet with glass panels, earthquake-shifted valuable bowls.
Task:
Extract the bowls intact without breaking any glass.
There are some great solutions offered, like this one:
Open the cabinet door just enough to allow the nozzle of an expandable insulation foam canister. Fill up the cabinet with expansive foam, wait for it to set. Open the door and chip off the insulation with a screwdriver.
I don’t know who posted that solution, but it’s brilliant.
[Found here.]
Saturday Matinee – Ghost Theme Park, Are You Popular?, Ray Charles & Tommy Emmanuel
The second or third Happiest Place on Earth.
Japanese theme park Nara Dreamland was built in 1961 but was permanently closed in 2006 due to declining attendance. At one time this place was filled with laughter; now it’s just spooky. This is what it looks like after years of neglect. [via].
“Are You Popular?” I wish I’d seen this 1947 PSA when I was in High School. All my dates could have been spatulas and 2x4s.
Ray Charles performs at an elementary school in London in a 1964 film “Ballad In Blue” [via].
Tommy Emmanuel is amazing. No formal training, can’t read or write music, yet his sound is incredible with an unmistakable Chet Atkins influence. He reminds me of Leo Kottke.
Have a great weekend, folks. There’s more to come.
