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Japanese Umbrellas: Rainbow Variations


"QUANTUM SHOT" #883
Link - article by Avi Abrams




Defeat the rain and autumn blues with these splashes of color!

Jerzy Kosinski once said "Going around under an umbrella interferes with one's looking up at the sky" (this is probably why most of Japanese-made umbrellas are transparent). Japanese city sky drips with neon, millions of reflections and streamers of light, coalescing and melting down into a rainbow array of umbrella designs sold in Shibuya or Akihabara in Tokyo.


("Shibuya, drenched" - image credit: Jon Slegel)

(images credit: Shinichi Higashi, Japan Two)

(image via)


Lovely displays of "One Coin Umbrellas" at Shibuya Station in Tokyo:


(image credit: David Powell, ShootTokyo)


Rainbow boots will complete your "fight the gloom" outfit:


(image credit: Alana Green)


Employees line up before the store sporting rainbow umbrellas (of the oversized-hat style):


(image via)


"Tokyo Noble" store in Akihabara, Tokyo, sells this "Vegetabrella": the umbrella that looks like a salad head:


(image via)


Since the ancient times Asian (Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese) umbrellas - especially paper umbrellas and parasols - were the epitome of style and integral part of culture, featuring sophisticated artwork and most excellent materials. Today's Japanese girls are carrying out this tradition of using umbrellas as part of their style (sometimes bordering on cosplay), as seen in Akihabara and Shibuya, Tokyo:


(images credit: Marcus, Nicola)


Unless you intend to walk under eternal sunshine, or prefer to do your "singing in the rain" without any cover, you would need to find an umbrella that fits your style - and these are some of the most unusual and creative examples we could find:

Some of the transparent enclosing umbrellas can be quite unusual, for example the "Nubrella" type:


(images via)

(image credit: Kiks Balayon)


Cloud-shaped and double umbrellas:



(image via)


Heart-shaped umbrella seems to be an obvious variation, and then there are these umbrella "rose buds":


(image via)


Speaking of cute, the Victorian-styled offerings on the left are nice, while on the right... is a little antidote to "cute":




A few embedded LEDs around the edges add that romantic feeling to your rainy days (and hopefully are quite safe) - and a fully electric umbrella can be cartefully constructed flowwing these instructions:


(images via 1, 2)


Another LED umbrella, lookng like a lightsaber (from a distance):


(image via)


Samurai sword-styled umbrella handles... and some colorful ninja-styled ones:




Japanese umbrellas come with some unique accessories, such as this extending holder:


(image via)


Dogs need umbrellas, too:


(images via)


"I'll Go No Matter What Happens", by Etsuko Sato:


(image via)


And we finish with acouple of evocative images from the streets of Japan: in the rain, with neon reflections:


(image credit: Shinichi Higashi)


Umbrellas forming a flower field, defying the grayness of the afternoon:


(image credit: Sign-Z)


Another occurrence of the umbrella rainbow: "flying umbrellas" in Taipei -


(image credit: Luke Ma)


Light raining down:


(image credit: Shinichi Higashi)

Article by Avi Abrams, Dark Roasted Blend.


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YOUR COMMENTS::

2 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

The umberlla with a finger was designed by h**p://www.artlebedev.ru/

___  
Anonymous Klixster said...

Indeed, there are some great design and concepts. Realy inovative, and great. Especially those umbrela's! But don't forget, sometimes you need to dance when it's rainy :)

___  

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