クマ Bear

Graffiti in downtown Kobe, this fellow is a クマ (Kuma) or in Kanji 熊.

The Bear goes: ガオーー (Gaooo).

Previous Animals:

Monkey

Goat

Frog

Tokyo Sticker Graffiti

Stickers (slaps) are the most popular form of graffiti is Tokyo. Graffiti in general is more prevalent in this region then in Kobe. However, many of the pieces seem to be older, which causes me to wonder if graffiti in general is waining in popularity and or law enforcement and consequences has become more strict?

Kōbe Street Art

Street art is still being made in Kōbe, recently the city has painted over some older works, and the fresh blank walls have attracted new artists like moth to flame. Love it or hate it, these artists are persistent and they constantly mold and manipulate the landscape.

Frog 蛙

This fellow is a fairly common little graffiti work, but you have to hunt for it and it might pop-up in some unexpected places. Frog in Japanese is "kaeru," which is the same sound for the verb "return/to return" (also "kaeru") but both are spelled differently using different kanji/kana. Which gives rise to the pun:

お金が返る。(Money returns)

Which sounds like,

お金が蛙。(Money is frog)

Honestly I don't 'get-it' but I have a real difficult time with japanese humor, which is often wordplay especially in Rakugo, but is also present in Manga, Anime, and of course a night out drinking with Japanese friends.

The frog goes: ケロケロ (kero kero).

Does Graffiti Bug Ya?

No they are not real bugs as this weeks theme would suggest. However, these works are insect inspired - I especially like the caterpillar-esque image at the top. While they lack the detail of their living inspirational counterparts, some might still find these depictions creepy in their own right.

Ōsaka Street Art

Street art from around central Ōsaka and appropriately the Gundam graffiti is from Nipponbashi. Speaking of Gundam the city of Shizuoka, 125 miles west of Tōkyō, has re-erected the statue that was in Odaiba last year - unveiling is on the 24th of July which is also Gundam’s 30th birthday. Shizuoka is the city where most of the Gundam plastic models are manufactured, and even though the location is in the middle of nowhere Bandai (who owns the rights to Gundam) and Shizuoka expect millions of tourists. Unfortunately I cannot justify the expensive trip just to see the statue, especially with little else to see or do in Shizuoka, which makes me a little sad - like the last graffiti.

Nipponbashi 日本橋

While wasps in Japan are large, hopefully they're not quite this gigantic. Nipponbashi, a shopping district in Ōsaka, offers a metallic wasp overlooking the shops - seemingly poised for flight. Known colloquially as "Den-Den Town," Nipponbashi is known for its many shops which specialize in furniture, tools, and "otaku" interests such as electronics, animation, comic books, and collectibles. Here you can find six foot tall Gundam models for sale alongside shops that only sell screws or transistors and there are electronic warehouses full of every type of device known to humankind. The neighborhood is patrolled by socially-awkward-looking fellows thumbing through retro video games or erotic comic books who are totally in their element. Nipponbashi, is often compared to Akihabara in Tōkyō, but unlike Akihabara it hasn't sold itself out to tourists and maid cafes.

Wildstyle Kansai

Collection of wildstyle tags and throw-ups from across the Kansai area. Some street artists have a wider geographical rage then I expected. I primarily focus my hunts in Sannomiya and Motomachi near my apartment, however I now recognize the same artists works in Ōsaka, Kyōto, Suma, as well as across Kōbe. These are from either a team or individual named HCP.

もしもし Moshi Moshi

"Moshi moshi" is a greeting used when answering a telephone or trying to get someone's attention, used both by the receiver and the caller. This greeting is uttered an average of 125 million times a day. The term itself apparently stems from Japanese myths of the shape-shifting Youkai, 妖怪 bewitching apparition, which are traditional Japanese monsters of supernatural origin; grotesque, diverse, and often as comical as they are terrifying. Youkai were popular subjects in ukiyo-e prints depicted as oni, tengu, kappa, kitsune and tanuki (the last two are real animals unto which supernatural powers were attributed). The magic behind the phrase "moshi moshi" lies in the Youkai's ability to only say "moshi" once, kinda like the repetitive power of the name Beetlejuice in the Tim Burton film. The weary fellow who answers the single "moshi" called out by a Youkai will have their soul stolen and devoured. Be diligent, add that oh-so-important second 'moshi' to prove you aren’t a soul hungry ghoulie on the other end of that line. Images are Sannomiya graffiti; Oh and it's for you . . .

Blockbusters Motomachi

Collection of blockbusters from Motomachi. The word graffiti often comes with a host of negative connotations. For some it is synonymous with urban degeneration and or juvenile delinquency. However, graffiti is also artistic expression - as valid as any classical painting - with contexts and styles as varied as each individual who has ever picked up a spray can instead of a paintbrush. In Japan, a country of strict social expectations, it provides an outlet and an identity for creative people who claim their landscapes and transform them into living narratives.

Slaps Motomachi & Sannomiya

Some eye-catching slaps from around the downtown area of Kōbe. Slaps, or stickers, are the most common form of graffiti in the area followed closely by tagging. A mixture of respect and strict anti-graffiti laws keep street art to a minimum in Kōbe, the common targets being areas surrounding train stations (not on trains or behind the ticket barriers), bar/entertainment zones within the city and some very rural areas with large walls such as barns and sheds. The sides of vending machines, behind street signs, and streetlight poles are the most common canvases.

Tōkyō Street Art

Tōkyō street art in Shinjuku, the middle images are from an outside lift at Shinjuku station that has basically become a poster board for slaps.

Street Art Ōsaka

These are from under a train overpass in Ōsaka, the left is an example of a stencil and right is a throw-up. This is a breakdown of the different styles of graffiti:

1. Tag style is the most basic and quickest form of graffiti writing. It is usually a representation of the artists name and is used as a way to gain recognition by being seen in a lot of places and as a signiture for larger pieces.
2. Throw-Up is another quick method of graffiti writing. It is done by making a layer of paint in one color and a quick outline of the letters in another.
3. Blockbuster letters are evenly spaced and not too difficult to read. They are just what the name implies, block letters. A blockbuster is used to cover maximum area in a minimal amount of time.
4. Wildstyle is much more complex than any of the previously mentioned. The letters are very blended and highly decorated. This type of writing can be very difficult to decipher.
5. Stencils are a quick and effective way to put up somewhat-complicated pieces very quickly.
6. Stickers are a quick and easy way to slap-up a tag or stencil quickly.
7. Piece, short for masterpiece, is a graffiti painting much more complex than a tag and having at least three colors.
8. Heaven is a piece that’s put up in a very hard-to-reach location, often near or on the tops of tall buildings or on freeway signs.

Light Hunting Machine

I am slowly gaining a collection of street art from the Hyōgo area and it has taken me to some interesting places and I often get some curious side glances from passers-by as I attempt to photograph these artworks. While capturing these particular works from a underground pedestrian tunnel in Shin - Ōsaka I had a very short conversation with a teenage gentleman about graffiti in which he poetically referred to my camera (in katakana - english) as a "light hunting machine" and its new name has stuck.

Street Art Japan グラフィティ

I am going to start sharing some of the street art that I encounter: tagging, sticking, stenciling and graffiti. I don't know how well it will go because much of the really fantastic work is in places that I cannot legally or safely get close enough to photograph, but we will see. . . Street art, here in Kobe at least, seems to be covered up and white washed quite quickly but that has not stopped many persistent artists. Photographs are from Sannomiya shopping and bar district.