Japandemonium is taking over the world. Japan’s influence pops up here and there…from creative sushi fusion cuisine (Cuban-Thai-Sushi, anyone?) to thousand-dollar designer bags emblazoned with smiling cherries, to silly things that make you happy, like the electronic “bubble wrap” keychain—for your giddy popping pleasure... MORE+

Monday, at the historic Felissimo Design House, was the opening reception for Japan C - the eleven week rolling exhibition of all things Japanese. Some luminaries were in attendance, such as:

Tobias Wong & Josee Lepage, the creative team that turned the townhouse into a giant origami sculpture for the exhibit.

Shinzi Katoh, the famous Japanese illustrator who designed the towels that Tara (from our office) is sooo in love with.

Taeko Baba, founder of New York-Tokyo.

Nora Abousteit, founder of BurdaStyle.com.

Bruce L'Orange, Director at Street Attack.

Felissimo Group's president Mr. Yazaki, who flew in from Kobe, Japan, and Felissimo New York Director Haruko Smith and her staff, who were all very happy, if a bit exhausted, from all the work.

In case you couldn't make it, here are the photos.

For those of you who keep wishing all the people would get out of the way so you can see the gorgeous displays & products here are some photos of the displays.

Be sure to check out the calendar for more events & if you want to get up-close and personal with some of the products, check out the online catalog.

I like to think of myself as fairly stylish. Maybe I don't live up to New York City standards, but I'm not too shabby either. The pinnacle was when I attended a seminar in rural Virginia where everyone (mostly Canadians) admired my "NYC wardrobe" and I was dubbed the "Carrie Bradshaw of the Woods."

The low point was a few years prior when I met my boyfriend's father - a very dapper, traditional Japanese man. I bought a vintage kimono for the occasion that I believed was very subtle in color and design. I wore it robe-style over a simple black dress, sure that he would be impressed by my fusion of "East meets West." At dinner that night, he commented to my future husband, "That kimono Cathy's wearing looks like an old lady's." Ouch.

Fashion missteps aside, I still love traditional Japanese materials. Lucky for me, there's a trend in Japan known as Jiba that takes traditional manufacturing methods & materials and uses them to create modern products. Notebooks are made with handmade paper and traditional bookbinding techniques, gift cards are adorned with elaborate paper cords shaped into loops and pinecones, wallets are made using traditional dyed cloth from Kyoto, which gives it an organic feel, and vintage kimonos are re-designed to make elegant bags, coin purses, and girly hair ornaments. Jiba cleverly blends the quality of traditional craftsmanship with the charm of vintage fabrics and materials, expressed in a modern design that is stylish and youthful, and not at all like an old lady's.

Limited quantities of exclusive Jiba products will be on sale at at the Japan C exhibition at the Felissimo Design House (10 West 56th Street, NYC) until Saturday.

One of the best things about visiting Japan is marveling at the food displays outside of restaurants. The entire menu is displayed in a showcase with amazing plastic replicas. You name it, they can fake it…tempura that still looks crisp, sushi so fresh-looking it glistens, draft beer with a nice head of foam …it’s like the culinary version of Madame Tussaud’s.

There’s a whole artform in Japan dedicated to making things look real. From fake food, miniature robots and dinosaur skeletons, to a tiny, working grand piano, the craftsmanship is impeccable. There’s even a historic battle scene, reproduced with soldiers an inch tall, complete with carnage. Even the more child-friendly edamame keychain has realistically slippery soybeans that you push out of the pods. Why, you may ask? Simply because shelling soybeans is silly, addicting fun. Like the plastic food that makes your mouth water, the plastic soybean dangling from your car ignition is guaranteed to appeal to the primal, bean-popping urges in all of us.

See the Mugen (forever) Edamame and more on display at the Felissimo Design House, now through Saturday.

Today begins a new feature here at Japan C: Japanese Word of the Day. Be sure to check back every day for new words!

youkoso (YŌ-KO-SO – usually followed by an exclamation mark)

This greeting means 'welcome' and conveys the sentiment of it's nice to see you. Drop by Japan C for a warm youkoso from our staff.

asobi – A-SO-BEE – play. A testament to the inherent playfulness of Japanese culture, unlike in English, this word is used to describe fun socializing activities for children and adults alike.

Design at Play items will be on display at the Felissimo Design House through Saturday.

Green Capsule is a portable plant cultivation kit and part of a line of "lohas" products from Boford. Lohas means "sustainable lifestyle". Choose from cabbage, basil, green pepper and cherry tomato seeds. It comes with a cell phone strap so you can watch your sprouts grow anytime, anywhere, or it can be worn on a chain as a pendant. Once your plant grows too big for the capsule, you can replant it.

Sugoi (SU-GOY)

The singularly most useful word in Japanese, it means “Wow!”, “That’s terrific!”, or “That’s terrible!”, thereby describing any situation. Even if you don’t speak a lick of Japanese, sugoi is an acceptable response to 99% of situations. For example:

Situation #1: You’re served the most delicious looking sushi.
Response: Sugoi!
Meaning: That looks great!

Situation #2: It’s the most delicious sushi you’ve ever tried.
Response: Sugoi!
Meaning: This is fabulous!

Situation #3: The check comes up to $500.
Response: Sugoi!
Meaning: Grab your bag and let’s make a run for it!

Last week, the Japan Society brought 30 local teachers to the Japan C exhibit as part of their professional development course From Anime to Pokemon: Using Pop Culture to Teach about Japan.

Check out some pictures from the event.

Teachers that are interested in learning about visiting opportunities can contact Tara Hohenberger at 212-956-4438 ex. 111.