Made in Japan

by Reed Darmon

Made in Japanthese three simple words conjure playful wit, a delight in detail, formal elegance, and graphic energy. Author of Made in China, Reed Darmon has collected hundreds of images of everyday Japanese design and pop culture ephemera from the past century. Including perfume ads, art deco matchboxes, robot toys, action movie posters, Noh masks, kimono patters, sumo cards, children's books, household product packages, and much more, the fascinating objects assembled here reveal traditional Japanese artistry and techniques as applied to playfully modern design. A stylish object and graphic essay in one, Made in Japan is an extraordinary glimpse into the heart of Japanese popular culture.

Genres: Japan, Nonfiction

256 pages, Paperback

First published August 3, 2006

Reviews

[Luke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another Reed Darmon collection of labels and advertising materials from the 1800s on through. (Well, some a little earlier than that, but you get the idea.)

The book's not as detailed as a Taschen publication would be, but it provides a perfect amount of flicking material. It's intriguing to see Westernisation in effect as advertising becomes more 'modern' throughout the 20th century.

Worth a look if you even half fancy old ads. It's a bit of fluff, but it's great eye candy, particularly if you're seeking visual inspiration for design.

[Vivian · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book would be much better if author provide other related information / art style comment rather than 1-2 short description lines for each picture.

[Tad Crawford · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a graphic book with brief captions. It captures Japanese cultural ephemera--such things as match boxes, baseball cards, advertisements, posters, toys, and more--starting a little before 1900 and ending around 1970. I very much enjoyed the selection of images and the window offered into commercial art and popular culture. Drawbacks included the failure of the book to come to the present, a lack of any depth in the captions, and a sense that the choices in the book left out enormous amounts of material. On the other hand, I took pleasure in what I saw and it certainly whet my appetite for more.

[Alessandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute little picture book of images of Japanese ephemera -- matchboxes and posters and ads and little toys -- from the 1930s through the 1960s, mostly. Almost no text, but lots of pictures.