Overview
Chopsticks may rank among the most popular eating utensils on the planet; however the act of turning their disposable casings into art isn't quite as common. Well, not into something meaningful, and as a gesture of thanks. One Japanese waiter started noticing interestingly shaped pieces of paper left behind after meals, decided they were being left as a token of appreciation and started collecting them. That was in 2012 — and now he has more than 15,000 examples.
Meet Japanese Tip, the art project that has flowered from Yuki Tatsumi's time working in restaurants. Flowers feature among his collection, but they're just some of the shapes that feature. From bow ties and birds to seahorses and people, the range is as varied as the colours printed on the paper sleeves, which have been found from a similarly diverse array of bars, izakayas, restaurants, cafes, sushi eateries, diners and ramen joints from around the country.
Indeed, in the year leading up to March 2017, Yuki visited 47 prefectures around Japan to collect origami wrappers and enlist eateries happy for him to collect the objects that would otherwise be thrown away. An exhibition of 8000 of his pieces was staged in Tokyo this month, with another to follow in 2018. To view a selection from Japanese Tip's collection, head to the project website.
Via Lonely Planet. Image: Japanese Tip.