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Somewhat off-topic, but I find that Zoji Neuro Fuzzy rice cooker linked in the article[1] extraordinarily ugly — it looks more like a medical device than a kitc
by justusthane 6y ago
Somewhat off-topic, but I find that Zoji Neuro Fuzzy rice cooker linked in the article[1] extraordinarily ugly — it looks more like a medical device than a kitchen appliance to me.
It's interesting to me that while Japanese design is generally very much appreciated and admired in the west, there are some areas where their design just doesn't translate to western aesthetics — and, at least to an outsider's perspective, seems almost an antithesis to the idea of Japanese design.
I'm thinking also of the recent article [2] about Japanese web design.
1: http://www.zojirushi.com/app/product/nszcc http://www.zojirushi.com/app/product/nszcc
2: https://randomwire.com/why-japanese-web-design-is-so-different/ https://randomwire.com/why-japanese-web-design-is-so-differe...
- howlgarnish 6y agoThe Western kitchen aesthetic is very industrial: bulky appliances of stainless steel, maybe a dab of glossy paint. The KitchenAid mixer is a classic example: https://www.kitchenaid.sg/countertop-appliances/stand-mixers.html https://www.kitchenaid.sg/countertop-appliances/stand-mixers... But in space-constrained Japan, easy to clean white plastic is standard and the hydrocephalic robot look (like the example you link to) considered high-tech.
- fomine3 6y agoTo be fair, it's cheapest product on lineup. I don't know expensive one is better design or not.
- porknubbins 6y agoWell recent high end rice cooker design has trended towards black square designs like this $500 Hitachi https://www.amazon.co.jp/日立-圧力スチームIHジャー炊飯器（5-5合炊き）-フロストブラックHITACHI-圧力スチーム-RZ-W100CM-K/dp/B07TQHDYMS/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=炊飯器&qid=1608611106&refinements=p_n_price_fma%3A401054011&rnid=401049011&s=home&sr=1-2 https://www.amazon.co.jp/日立-圧力スチームIHジャー炊飯器（5-5合炊き）-フロストブラックH... but in general there are lots of ugly plastic objects in Japan. I think the design elements we appreciate in the West is a subset filtered through tastemakers who brought it over.