The Perfect Cherry Blossom is a symbol for flourishing spring and peace, but also the name of one of the most advanced and violent Japanese Bullet Hell Games. A video game made by gamers for gamers from a time before the gaming industry turned into a home entertainment device. Artists Keiichi Tanaami and Oliver Payne explored this game in their latest series of work.

In the films by Keiichi Tanaami pop culture from east and west meet. Abstracted, post-traumatic impressions from the Great Tokyo Air Raid are combined with LSD fantasies and aesthetics of consumption merge with hallucinatory erotic desires. Tanaami is one of the most influential Pop Art artists of post-war Japan. His work had a great impact on a younger generation of artists working with pop aesthetics in Japan and abroad like Oliver Payne.

In Oliver Payne’s collages stickers of Japanese Bullet Hell Games are arranged on torn out pages of an ancient Greek sculpture catalog. Payne transforms the violent imagery of these videogames into psychedelic explosions of color. Greek statues serve as a background and a reminder of the fantasy worlds produced in Japanese arcade games, which often picture rural Europe. Sounds of an arcade field recording give a notion of manic playfulness towards the exhibited works.

The arcade has traditionally represented an idea of a “third space” for teens. Too young to go to bars, adolescents have so few places to hang. I like places like that — skate spots, graffiti halls of fame, arcades. Slightly sketchy places for teens to kick it. The arcade industry is on the way out and they really wont be around for much longer. I think places like these are important to document. An aural representation of them makes the most sense to me as the “noises” they create have these completely inimitable and unique quality. Nothing but an arcade sounds like an arcade — a completely deafening cacophony of bleeps, bangs, teenage yells and deposited tokens. It’s a noise that I can hear many bands aspiring to capture — but always falling short of the mark. Perhaps due to the fact that they don’t spend hours playing in arcades.

 Another motivating factor for the recordings is that it poses the question: Why are arcade on the decline? Why have they they been shutting at an alarming rate? The lazy answer is that home consoles such as the PS3 and the XBOX360 are so good that they have brought arcade quality to the home. But arcades are still in full force in Japan. So why can the west no longer profit from dedicated gaming rooms? Oliver Payne

A $10 entry donation netted us free drinks poured by the affable Doog Becker, one of the bartenders for the event and gallery owner-in-residence. His small, clean space on Holtzclaw Street off Memorial Drive was packed with energy and walls of art, some for sale outright, most included in a silent auction. I was first struck by “pensive” – a mixed-media piece by photographer Linda Costa featuring an old acquaintance of mine, comic book artist David Mack of “Daredevil” and “Kabuki” fame. Mack is photographed enraptured in his work, while actual “Daredevil” panels are layered atop him. I literally jumped at the chance to bid. My wife, Jami Buck-Vance, was at a nearby table purchasing a cleavage-accenting steel necklace with hematite beads from artist Damon Mace of Aries. They specialize in chain mail weave of titanium and stainless. Stunning Stephanie Anderson of Neon Armor and another associate were in the opposite corner of the space, body-painting Japan mountain scenes on radiant beauties. DJ Minkey Boodle was spinning a tight groove just off-center of it all. I caught a glimpse of my reflection in a piece and liked the way I looked in my new fedora. I knew the vodka and powdered lemonade was working. Why go to bars and nightclubs when there are art events? The booze flows more freely, the people finer, the evening more cultural. “Rising” by Jean Baugnon of New Orleans origins, showed a rising sun inside a green-eyed Japanese face. A much larger mixed-media panel he created, “News” displayed an intoxicatingly captivating Japanese face overlaid atop newspaper clippings from the day of the catastrophe. He told Jami that the earthquake reminded him of the horrors of Hurricane Katrina hitting his hometown. David Ramirez’s “Rising Sun” doubled as show flyer. While Ashley Norfleet’s “Our Lady Nippon” title piece was like an Asian version of Mexico’s revered “Our Lady of Guadalupe,” haloed and shrouded in bright light, tranquil and mercifully loving amidst a swirling chaotic base and the trees of Japan. Ashley’s feather hair extensions suit her, as she efforts to grow into the role of Ladybird of the Atlanta art scene. She paints of birds more than occasionally and encouraged Jenny Birdsong to donate a painting, a floral arrangement and origami cranes in a myriad of colors and patterns. One woman wearing hounds-tooth checked pants purchased a hounds-toothed crane, and I exclaimed, “Your pants!” Of Birdsong, Ashley said, “One of the most respected and illustrative Atlanta female artists.” Of Craig Henderson and his donated “Gentleman Godzilla” in a tuxedo piece Ashley proclaimed, “My favorite Atlanta-area artist.” Asian-themed oceanic creature pieces were most prevalent, with Brent Mellecker 3-ding “Koi” taking the prize in our eyes. A former Japan resident, my wife placed a bid on his piece, only to be edged out in the silent auction by gallery owner Doog. I was luckier and won my Linda Costa piece. Departing with a happy gleam, I caught up with Masa Watanabe of Asahi, who donated the beer for the event. He summed it up simply without the help of his translator, “This is a great show.” To donate visit: http://give2asia.org/artistshelp

Take a look at the Spring/Summer 2010 Japan Collection of UK label CASH CA. The brand carries shirts, jackets and some pretty clean looking Coach jackets.

(Source: Hypebeast)

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Great designs can separate a home from a house. Don’t believe me? Take a look at Plus House in Japan.

The Plus House appears from above to form a plus-sign. Every aspect of the home, from the texture, play of light and natural beauty all make this a clearly amazing house.

The architects of this stunning beauty are husband and wife, Masahiro (36) and Mao (33) Harada, who founded Mount Fuji Architects Studio in 2004. Both are avid mountaineers — so much so that they named their company after the country’s highest and most admired mountain, also located in the Shizuoka Prefecture.

Plus House, which overlooks the Pacific Ocean, shows off the couples talent for creating a modern design that combines nature that gives individuality while adding a unique presence to the building. Check out photos of Plus House below.

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North Face must be following in the footsteps of other American labels such as Levi’s and Woolrich that give exclusive designed lines to the Japanese market. Japanese store Nanamica has the entire line which includes color-block velour backpacks and floral duffles.