Tag Archives: Japan

From samurai and ninjas to giant mecha like Gundam or the beautiful films of Hayao Miyazaki, Japanese history and culture inspire LEGO builders all over the world. With contributors fluent in Japanese, The Brothers Brick also brings you coverage of the people and events in the large LEGO fan community in Japan itself.

Piece of Peace: UNESCO World Heritage Sites in LEGO Part 2

Almost exactly two years ago, we highlighted the Piece of Peace exhibit in Japan, featuring UNESCO World Heritage sites built from LEGO by Japanese Master Builder Kazuyoshi Naoe (photo by SkylineGTR).

Now, a second exhibit (complete with an official blog) has been opened at the Parco shopping complex in Shibuya (an area of Tokyo), and photos of the amazing models have been turning up everywhere since the exhibit first opened in Shibuya on February 1st (the exhibit is now in Nagoya, until March 24).

Check out some of the World Heritage sites featured in the exhibit.

St. Basil’s Cathedral (photo by SkylineGTR) and Horyu-ji Pagoda (photo by Hirotaka Hatayama):

Shirakawa Village (photo by Yuki Koga)

The Acropolis (photo by Koji Hachisu):

Mont St. Michelle (photo by Hirotaka Hatayama):

And what a difference two years makes! I had to dig all over the ‘net to find the handful of pictures I used in my post, but here are just a few of the places where this event has been covered so far:

(Photo of Sagrada Familia by Hirotaka Hatayama.)

For more information on UNESCO World Heritage sites, you can peruse the complete list on UNESCO.org.

Finally, I leave you with the tag-line: “Pieces of piece — the more the better.” Indeed.

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

Winners of the 6th annual clickbrick Original Model Contest

Japanese LEGO store clickbrick holds an annual contest, in which creations are limited to 16 cm x 16 cm x 30 cm. We covered last year’s contest here, and winners have just been announced for this year’s contest.

Like last year, Sachiko Akinaga of Let’s LEGO has complete coverage of the contest in Tokyo in her Brickshelf gallery. Here are the winners:

First place: “Catbus on the Roof” by Pisatake:

Second place: “Mally’s Cafe” by sidewinder9r:

Third place: “Jumbo Parfait” by Sachiko Akinaga:

Fourth place: “That Trembling Feeling” by Azumu (previously on TBB):

Fifth place: “The LEGO Trains museum is under construction” by TN Factory (more pictures):

Be sure to check out all the pictures of the entries in Sachiko’s gallery

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

Happy New Year 2008 from The Brothers Brick!

I look forward to New Years every year for all the great New Years-themed creations from Japanese LEGO fans. Many of the creations are in the form of New Years cards, or nengajou, which I wrote about back in 2006 (check out the 2007 roundup as well).

For 2008 — the Year of the Rat — our fellow builders across the Pacific have graced us with another batch of wonderful nengajou. Since the word for “rat” and “mouse” is the same in Japanese (ネズミ, pronounced “nezumi”), many of these feature mice.

We’ll get things going with Mumu’s best wishes for 2008:

Izzo presents a rideable mouse:

Kwi Chang uses a line art version of one of his mecha:

Mashikuf gets deliciously cheesy:

Ayucow puts mice in a pizzeria kitchen:

Finally, Maciek Drwięga (who I suspect isn’t Japanese) joins the celebrations with a bit of a bang (via Klocki):

Updates: And one more from suu:

MisaQa joins the fun (a bit belatedly, but worth the wait) with a batch of adorable mice (via Klocki):

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

Hikone Castle by Takeshi Itou

Takeshi Itou may not be the most prolific builder, but his creations are always worth the wait. His latest creation is Hikone Castle. Today, the castle is a National Treasure because it’s one of the rare castles from the feudal era that wasn’t torn down or destroyed and then rebuilt in modern times as a tourist attraction.

But enough about the real thing. What makes Takeshi’s version special is the technique he used for the base of the castle; the three-dimensional rock wall is amazing, built from bricks, slopes, and tiles. The scale of the castle seems pretty close to MINILAND (as compared to the smaller minifig scale Takeshi normally builds in), which has enabled Takeshi to use plates for the roof rather beautifully.

Read more about the real Hikone Castle on Wikipedia (in English) or the 400th anniversary site (in Japanese).

(Via Klocki.)

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

Miyamoto Musashi vs. Sasaki Kojiro

Aaron Andrews depicts the epic duel between 17th-century Japanese swordsmen Miyamoto Musashi and Sasaki Kojiro, complete with rolling surf and cherry blossoms.

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

Micro Self Defense Force by Azumu

Azumu presents a batch of micro-military vehicles inspired by the Japan Self Defense Forces, including a Type-90 tank, Cobra helicopters, and Huey. (Via MicroBricks.)

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

Tsubo Niwa (Courtyard Garden) by mumu

Space is at a premium in Japan, but many city residents still find ways to bring greenery into their lives through their courtyard gardens (or tsubo niwa).

Mumu‘s tsubo niwa vignette includes many elements common in Japanese gardening: a shoji screen on the porch, a stone lantern, a kokeshi doll, various rocks and stones, and a shishi odoshi (“deer chaser”).

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

It’s true that houses in Japan are small...

Having lived there for 15 years, I can attest to that. But Moko scales his house down to microscale:

(Via Klocki.)

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

Retro Japanese TV Mecha by Izzo

Let’s check in to see what Izzo‘s been up to lately… Why, it’s a series of hyper-colorful mecha inspired by retro Japanese TV!

Growin up in Japan, my brother used to get up earlier then the rest of our family on Sunday mornings and sneak off to his friends’ houses to watch shows like Kamen Rider. I preferred Ultraman myself.

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

University of Tokyo Clock Tower

The University of Tokyo LEGO club has been working on a large-scale version of a campus landmark, the clock tower, and they’ve just announced that it is now complete:

(Via Edge over at レゴ系.)

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

Kinkaku-ji by Jumpei Mitsui

Jumpei Mitsui and Sachiko Akinaga have earned international reputations through their participation in the LEGO King Championship TV show. More importantly, they’re both well-known for their great building skills, as Jumpei demonstrates with his recreation of Kinkaku-ji, the “Golden Pavilian” in Kyoto, Japan:

(I think Hippotam over at Klocki has a time machine.)

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

Nakajima Ki-44 Shoki/Tojo by HIEN

Brickshelfer HIEN has updated one of his many World War II aircraft, the Nakajima Ki-44 (Wikipedia link). Named “Shoki” by the Japanese Army Air Force and “Tojo” by the Allies, the aircraft was used to intercept B-29 bombers:

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.