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Halloween Countdown: House (Hausu), 1977

Posted in 70's, absurd, film, horror, japan, surreal with tags 70's, absurd, film, horror, japan, macabre, surreal on October 12, 2016 by shewalkssoftly

In the history of this blog, I don’t think I’ve ever had more to say about the topic of a post than I do about about the movie House (Hausu).

The film company approached director Nobuhiko Obayashi about making a film similar to Jaws. And he did…if Jaws were about the horror laden psychedelic journey of 7 giggling Japanese schoolgirls visiting a cannibal recluse and her demonic witch-cat. Did I mention the girls are named Gorgeous, Fantasy, Kung Fu, Melody, Mac, Prof and Sweet?

They proceed to get devoured one by one in the most absurdist fashion imaginable (well, nothing about this movie is actually “imaginable.” It clearly sprang forth from the deepest wellspring of the director’s haunted unconscious). It’s not just as if the movie were made by someone on acid, but as if the movie itself then came alive…and took acid.

I’ll be going back and creating a GIANT album of incredible screen shots from the film (the ones online don’t do any justice), but I needed to share this with you guys immediately.

Believe it or not, I’m put off by a lot of “weird for the sake of weird” films. But this is some next level awesomeness. I hesitate to discuss my favorite scenes because I’m holding each and every one of you accountable for seeing this film, and I don’t want to spoil the fun surprises, which come roughly every 6 seconds.

Yes, that image above is indeed a flying Kung Fu kick from a dismembered lower half of a human body.

Are you running to find this movie yet?

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Shoichi Tsurukawa

Posted in art, japan with tags art, japan, Shoichi Tsurukawa, tsutsugaki on September 25, 2016 by shewalkssoftly

Shoichi Tsurukawa uses a dyeing technique called tsutsugaki (staining cotton with colored rice paste) to create brightly colored works. Traditional tsutsugaki pieces are usually indigo dye on a light colored canvas, but clearly Tsurukawa makes the process his own!

From the artist statement:
I can easily indulge myself in the colors of happiness, anger and grief as my heart is always drawn by the vividness of my own emotions. What I want to portray is humans, namely the common “something” that lies underneath our appearance.

Shoichi Tsurukawa

Jinen Design Cat Wallet

Posted in accessories, cats, japan, products, wish list with tags accessories, cats, japan, products, wallet, wish list on September 1, 2016 by shewalkssoftly

Many times, I’ve looked at classy black wallets and thought “this needs a 3D cat face on it” (by many, I mean never…but now that I know this exists, I will). The effect is rather striking, don’t you think?

I’m not sure if these are available for purchase in the US. If anyone knows an online store that features Japanese goods and carries them, please share!

I also love their little tag/ID cases!

Jinen Design Cat Wallet

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Desktop Goodies 4/10

Posted in absurd, anatomy, art, clothing, fashion, film, humor, japan, photography, retro, sea, vintage with tags absurd, anatomy, art, clothing, comics, fashion, film, food, humor, japan, photography, retro, sculpture, sea, vintage on April 10, 2016 by shewalkssoftly

Let’s start with some sea inspired fashion…

And a gorgeous octopus ice sculpture:

A stunning still frame.

I like the way this woman thinks. Pizza will never break your heart.

A beautiful soul is made of rabbits.

Oh thank you, Rachel, for this…and your other invaluable contributions to this post.

I’m sure it’s happening somewhere…

Traveling in style.

I approve of this progression.

Yep, it’s a wig made of countless earbuds on strings…for people who want to have listening parties and don’t care about personal space.

Who remembers this?

All of my outfits are based on various diaphonized specimens. Fashion at its finest.

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Yohey Horishita

Posted in art, japan with tags art, japan on March 19, 2016 by shewalkssoftly

Yohey Horishita painted these enchanting hands as a cover for the entertainment publication Oz Magazine.

Horishita uses oil pastels, ink and digital art (sometimes combinations) to expressive work with a somehow simultaneously vibrant and muted color palette.

We can see the influence of traditional Japanese art, with a modern styling that is ultimately unique.

Yohey Horishita
Source

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Zollmen Fancy Toys

Posted in japan, toys with tags japan, toys on February 15, 2016 by shewalkssoftly

This toy…is amazing. I mean, really, it stops you in your tracks with its globular golden head and triple fanged…whatever that look is. Seeing it made me wish I were more well versed in Japanese designer toys.

These are called Takemi and they come from Zollmen. Unfortunately, they’ll set you back $125, which some might not be willing to pay for such purposeful ugliness.

The company website was down, but here are some other incredible toys that show up in a google image search.

Look at this poor lonely fellow! I want to adopt him.

If you a bit about where to find more examples of outrageous fancy vinyl toys, please share.

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Desktop Goodies 12/14

Posted in absurd, advertising, art, creatures, humor, japan, monsters, nature, photography, skulls and skeletons, space, vintage with tags absurd, advertising, art, cats, creatures, humor, japan, monsters, nature, photography, skulls and skeletons, space, vintage on December 14, 2015 by shewalkssoftly

Hypnokitty says…you will read the entirety of this post…

I’m not sure if this was a recurring character or a one time thing, but it’s very unusual art for a motor oil ad.

The bow really makes this.

I love this kid.

I previously considered my own cats to be pretty well prepared, but I was quite mistaken.

The most projectile vomit I’ve ever seen in an antique colorized photo.

It’s funny…because it’s true.

I’m surprised this never happened to me when I was deep in my heavy metal phase.

Nature is incredible.

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SWS Gift Guide: Fluffy Forehead Fragrance Fabric Water

Posted in absurd, cats, gift guide, home, japan, products with tags absurd, cats, gift guide, home, japan, products on December 12, 2015 by shewalkssoftly

“Gift guide” is a holiday feature (surprised I haven’t done it already), and technically this probably shouldn’t even count because the company does not ship to the US. But Felissimo’s Fluffy Forehead Fragrance Fabric Water is a very special product.

The chief of Yamamoto Perfumery took four months smelling the heads of cats to perfect the scent of FFFFW, and it retails for about $10.60 USD.

Of course, they recommend using it on Felissimo’s fine array of kitty cushions (which strikes me as the saddest, loneliest…and most awesome activity). I can’t say, with certainty, that I wouldn’t do this if I didn’t have two of the real thing in my home.

What does your cat’s head smell like? I’ll go first. Morbius: laundry detergent, if laundry detergent for cats existed. Nimbus: happiness and faint, pungent litter.

Source

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