January 7, 2010
A Painting in Pieces
Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on January 2010 There are few more efficient time-wasters than the humble jigsaw. In Japan, the undisputed daddy of puzzle purveyors is Tokyo-based toy maker Epoch, whose sets run the gamut from picture-postcard landscapes and classic works of art to anime characters and cute kittens. If the latter are too tacky […]
By Metropolis
Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on January 2010
There are few more efficient time-wasters than the humble jigsaw. In Japan, the undisputed daddy of puzzle purveyors is Tokyo-based toy maker Epoch, whose sets run the gamut from picture-postcard landscapes and classic works of art to anime characters and cute kittens. If the latter are too tacky for your tastes, try one of these modern wafu paintings by Chinami Nakajima and Keigo Kitamura. At 50 x 75cm, they’re sufficiently compact to fit onto an average-sized kotatsu but, with 2,016 pieces, fiendish enough to keep you occupied for at least as long as it takes for your liver to finish burning off all that New Year’s excess.
Ten to Chi—Aka Fuji and Yamataka Jindai Zakura 2,016-piece puzzles, ¥3,150 each. Available from good toy stores and Amazon Japan
