Japan: The source

Koichiro Tanaka, creative director of digital production boutique Projector, shares his fondness for a Twitter bot and the importance of maintaining a flexible pelvis.

What’s the most creative Japanese advertising idea you’ve seen in the last month?

I am not so interested in ads, so haven’t seen any lately. But as far as communication design goes, I think a bot called kiri_tori is great. It’s a robot that tweets a time signal with a dotted line within the Twitter timeline and helps you keep track of when people you’re following have tweeted.

http://www.twitter.com/kiri_tori

What’s your favourite website?

http://www.ted.com

What’s the main problem currently facing the Japanese advertising industry?

The advertising industry has suddenly lost its effective influence on popular culture. I think it’s a shame that the industry is not as attractive to younger generations as it was previously.

What product could you not live without?

My balance ball. Most of the time I sit on the balance ball at the office as well as at home. I started using it after I had a backache so it’s good for a more flexible pelvis and to train the core muscles. For me it’s the most comfortable chair at the moment.

What creative person do you most admire from Japan?

Manga artist and animation director Hayao Miyazaki.

Who’s your favourite Japanese photographer?

Ken Domon, Nobuyoshi Araki, and Ume Kayo.

What’s your favourite Japanese magazine?

BRUTUS.

http://www.magazineworld.jp/brutus

If you had to recommend a book to friends, what would it be?

Erich Fromm’s To have or To Be.

What Japanese show/exhibition has most inspired you this year?

The Hasegawa Tohaku exhibition at Tokyo National Museum.

What’s the best Japanese film you’ve seen this year?