Most Epic Japanese Tea Houses

The art of tea drinking was fiirst introduced to Japan in the 9th century by the Buddhist monk Eichu upon his return from China. Over the centuries, tea drinking became ingrained in Japanese culture; in the 13th century it was a status symbol for the ruling warrior class, and by the 16th century, the custom had trickled down to all walks of life. 

The most well-known historical figure in Japanese tea ceremony is Sen no Rikyu, whose saying, ‘ichi-go ichi-e’ means that all meetings should be treasured because each is different and will never happen again. Sen no Rikyu’s principles of harmony, respect, purity, tranquility are still central to today’s tea ceremony practice.

The place in which the tea ceremony happens, the teahouse, also helps to elicit these principles from guests. Usually small and simple wooden structures located in remote, quiet areas, the teahouse envelope has recently been pushed as architects create modern interpretations of the place of the tea ceremony gathering, while still striving to maintain the uncomplicated beauty of the traditional form. 

Check out list of five modern tea houses, which includes an inflatable igloo, a tea house on stilts, a cube, a round house and an eco-friendly bamboo hut. Tea, anyone?


Inflatable Teahouse



Kengo Kuma’s inflatable teahouse can be found in the garden of the Museum für Angewandte Kunst Frankfurt. The innovative design allows for flexibility and mobility while upholding the simple is beautiful tea house aesthetic. Air pumped into the house helps it to bloom from the ground up, growing into a 20 square metre structure that can hold nine tatami mats, an electric stove, a raised alcove called a tokonoma and a preparation room for the tea ceremony. A double membrane structure helps to heat the interior, which also incorporates LED lights for tea times at night. 


Teahouse on Stilts



Terunobu Fujimori’s teahouse looks like it might topple over at any second, sitting high up amongst the tree tops on crooked stilts. Located in Chino, Nagano Prefecture, this teahouse, dubbed ‘Takasugi-an’, or ‘a teahouse [built] too high’, really pushes the limits of the traditional teahouse structure. To get into the small, 2.7 square metre (4.5 tatami mat) building made of plaster and bamboo, guests must climb a ladder leaning against one of two chestnut tree trunks, remembering to take off their shoes half-way up. But it’s well worth the effort: once inside, guests are afforded excellent views of the surrounding valley and Fujimori’s hometown. 



Souan (Simple Hut) Teahouse



Built in 2003, Toshihiko Suzuki’s Souan teahouse mixes the old and new to create a modern take on the old standby. The exterior is made from aluminum, with circular cutouts to allow natural light to enter the room, while rice-papered walls on the inside evoke a sense of calm. The two-tatami mat teahouse also features computerized tungsten lighting that cycles up and down the walls to create the illusion that the interior is larger than it actually is. The Souan teahouse is located in the architect’s atelier in Yamagata Prefecture. 



Round Teahouse



Forget about square or rectangular teahouses; what about a round one? This circular teahouse built from oak and burnt larch wood in Prague, Czech Republic, was created through a collaboration between David Maštálka from A1 Architects and sculptor Vojtech Bilisic. The round house leads guests to gather around the hearth where the tea is being made; together with the domed, translucent roof of rice paper and the easy, open access to what the architect calls a “slightly wild but even so graceful” gardens nearby, this tea house is definitely a cozy and welcoming place to gather!




Eco-friendly Teahouse



Naomi Darling created this lovely eco-friendly teahouse in the woods of Stoney Creek, Conneticut, which features local and recycled materials. The stone came from a local quarry, while bamboo was harvested on-site, and the roof is made of recycled metal. Now all that’s needed is some tea and some good friends!

Read More

Enormous Cracks

See the diagonal line that runs through the orchard in the incredible photo above?That's the san andreas fault - a point where the edges of 2 tectonic plates meet - producing a visible displacement amongst the rows of trees. When they were planted years ago the rows were straight, but as the 2 ginormous land masses moved in opposite directions and rubbed against each other over the years the orchard was split. The top half of the field sits on the pacific plate, the bottom half on the north american plate. 



Here's another fault line. It's called álfagjá rift valley and can be found in reykjanes, iceland. At one point along the rift the two plates (eurasian and north american), have been connected by the miðlína bridge, seen in the photo. on the left: eurasia, on the right: North America.



Another frightening tectonic rift, Thingvellir, Iceland.



The incredible walls of a huge tectonic crack in aguateca, used as a defense by the mayas. The rift is 1 ½ km long and measures between 2 and 10 metres wide.

Tectonic rifts of this magnitude usually develop at a rate too slow for the human eye to notice. However back in september 2005, a 60km long collection of cracks opened up in ethiopia's afar region, all over the space of 3 weeks. Over the next year the fissures widened until in september 2006 a volcanic vent opened up and blew open a ½ km long crack. The area in question - the afar triangle - is a meeting point of 3 tectonic plates and geologists predict that soon (by soon they mean approximately 10 million years) it will sink and become a new ocean basin, splitting the continent apart.


A section of the cracks that appeared in 2005


The volcanic vent that opened up in 2006, surrounded by ash


A close-up of the huge vent

Read More

16 Unique and Impressive On-Screen Transformations

Many movies require actors and actresses to wear costumes or to apply basic makeup to take on a specific role. Some directors may even require an actors and actresses to change their hair color or lose weight. Few movies, however, require its stars to undergo massive transformations for their roles-a select few of which are unique to the point that they create a memorable experience in and of themselves. From prosthetic body parts to changing one’s race, gender or species, these are the most unique transformations that actors have undergone for their on-screen performances.

Brad Pitt – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button


In the film adaptation of F Scott Fitzgerald’s famous children’s book , Pitt plays a character that ages backwards. He went several transformations for this film, and it is not until the end do female movie goers get to see the Brad Pitt they are used to. Certainly different than PItt’s role in Fight Club.

Heath Ledger – Batman: The Dark Knight


Heralded as Ledger’s career defining performance, his portrayal of The Joker was quite different than that of his precursor, Jack Nicholson. A nice touch was the subtler green hair, an overall more disturbed and disheveled appearance, and the “Chelsea Grin” facial scars. His portrayal of The Joker could easily be regarded as the only character in this franchise capable of giving children nightmares.


Charlize Theron – Monster


Theron takes a break from being unbelievably hot by gaining weight, aging 25 years, and not wearing make up. And the denouement of her portrayal of a lesbian prostitute-turned-serial killer character, is the bad fitting jeans that moms used to wear in the early 1990s. Definitely a change of pace for Theron, and a look that we hope to not see her embrace again in the coming years, or ever.


Emma Thompson – Nanny McPhee


In this film, Thompson plays a haggard, wart-covered, and uni-browed nanny whose unflattering characteristics vanish upon the children entrusted to her care learning to mind her. She is almost unrecognizable until then end of the movie, which makes you go…”Oh yeah…it’s Emma Thompson.”


Mike Myers – The Cat in the Hat

For The Cat in The Hat, Myers had the distinction of playing Dr. Seuss’ most famous character, and donned a full cat suit and whiskers in order to complete the transformation. For this film, makeup guru Rick Baker was enlisted, who also did the makeup and special effects consulting on Hellboy and Norbit, among others.


Jim Carrey - The Grinch Who Stole Christmas

After filming The Mask, Carrey swore off future films involving intense make-up, but claims he was unable to pass on this role. Reportedly, the makeup and costume donned by Carrey for this film took between 3-8 hours to complete. This unique transformation seems as if it could not have been executed successfully, had it been anyone but Carrey.


Rebecca Romijn– X Men

Romijn’s makeup in X Men, was the culmination of the work of four make-up artists, a hundred small silicon prosetetics, lots of body paint, and nine hours of application per use. The end result is completely worth it. According to Romijn, for X Men 2, the application time was shortened to six hours, which helped her from becoming an evil bitch woman.


Gwenyth Paltrow - Shallow Hal

Gwenyth Paltrow plays the love interest of Hal (Jack Black) in this 2001 comedy about a shallow man who eventually falls in love with a very fat (but inwardly beautiful woman), because he is hypnotized into believing she is outwardly beautiful. The application of her body suit and accompanying make-up took four hours each time. The upside of seeing Paltrow wearing a fat suit in this fim, is also getting to see her real body in a thong.


Ron Pearlman - Hell Boy

Ron Pearlman is well known for having donned makeup and prosethetics for roles (Beauty and the Beast), but most impressive was what he became for the filming for the Hellboy Franchise. Most of his red body suit was made of red latex, and the costume itself took 4 hours per application. The upside for Pearlman, is that in this role, he got to be the baddest of all badasses.


Eddie Murphy – Norbit 




For Norbit, Murphy enlisted the work of Rick Baker – with whom he worked on The Nutty Professor and Coming to America – to help create a multitude of other characters, all played by Murphy. Probably the most outrageous of these, was “Rasputia Latimore”, an outrageously sex-crazed and obese woman, who becomes the overbearing wife of the film’s eponymous star. The body suit donned by Murphy for this role (see above) is definitely a masterpiece in and of itself.


Tom Cruise – Tropic Thunder

Tom Cruise’s cameo performance in Tropic Thunder surprised most moviegoers, and arguably stole the show with his depiction of a greedy and ruthless Hollywood producer. For this role, Cruise’s diet-coke addicted “Les Grossman” donned a fat suit, bald wig, chest hair mat and prosthetic hands, among others. It is widely speculated that the inspiration for this character was the human penis (a dick). Which makes a lot of sense if you were to think about.


Robin Willimas - Mrs. Doubtfire

Robin Williams portrayal as Mrs Doubtfire in this 1993 comedy was so believable, that it made most people wonder if dressing drag was Williams’ regular routine. Interestingly, the prosthetic mask used in the film (which famously goes flying into the street), was actually a prop; Williams’ real facial makeup was a composite of eight separate pieces and a whole lot of blush.


John Travolta – Hairspray

In Hairspray, Travolta gives a surprisingly convincing performance as “Edna”, a character he envisioned to be Sophia Loren…if she were to gain 200 lbs. This role required Travolta to undergo five hours of extensive make up and prosthetics to complete his transformation. He even wore high heels in a number of scenes, which begs wondering how he was able to do so as effortlessly as he did. Experience?


Eric Stoltz - Mask

Based on a true story, Eric Stoltz plays a character whose mother is played by Cher, so naturally a serious physical disfigurement is to be expected. However, in this film he portrays more specifically a child suffering from craniodiaphyseal dysplasia. The massive prosthetic cranium earned Michael Westmore & Zoltan Elek an Academy Award for Best Makeup in 1985.


Selma Blair - A Dirty Shame

The normally small-chested Blair portrays a stripper named “Ursula Udders” in this 2004 offbeat film. The prosthetic breasts used in the film required four hours of make-up. For the nude scene, her ‘nude’ version of the prosthetic breasts cost $5,000 and the studio’s lighting was so bright that the film only had several hours to film before the lights started to crack them. It was essentially a one-time use set, that were discarded shortly after.


John Matuszak - The Goonies

The one-time professional football player Matuszak famously transformed into everyone’s favorite childhood freak, Lotney “Sloth” Fratelli, in Spielberg’s 1986 The Goonies. The application of his make up – which was quite groundbreaking at the time – took a total of five hours per application. Well worth it. Baby Ruth!

Read More

Rock’s Aging Sex Icons Need To Quit Already

In the last decade or so, popular culture has been enamored and humored by the aging rock superstar. And what started out as mild amusement of getting to see a hair metal band from your childhood on a “one-time-only reunion tour”, has developed into a full-blown addiction: as a society we are unwilling to let these celebrities escape the limelight. And given their largely narcissistic ways, they are happy with the renewed attention. Suffice to say, it is strange to see someone your grandfather’s age running around with wispy long hair and spandex pants. Here’s a list of rock’s sex icons that should, in the name of dignity and pride, gracefully bow out and perhaps consider some more distinguished pursuits.

Bret Michaels


Michaels’ success with Poison was marked by an abundance of money, girls and drugs…and sex. Michaels once famously told Playboy that he loves threesomes and that the biggest sexual turn-on is giving oral sex. And to top it off, he is open about having lost count of how many women he has slept with. In his youth Michaels was fit, and widely considered to be one of the better looking rock stars out there; not only successful, he was a veritable sexual icon. Now, Michaels is reputed to have lost or spent a good chunk of his earnings – not to mention self-respect – looking for love on VH1. Now in second season of “Rock of Love”, Michaels is showcased as a vain and self-obsessed has-been, who is encouraged to debauch bipolar strippers and alcohol-abusive women for our viewing pleasure. The verdict is still out on whether his ubiquitous bandanna is sewn into his wig, or if it is just tied really tight.

Gene Simmons


Famous for his long, pointy tongue, the lead singer of Kiss claims to have slept with over five thousand women. Simmons’ sexual appeal during his prime was due to his mysterious makeup, his outrageous behavior, and his fame and fortune. His Playboy playmate partner of 25 years with whom he has two children, doesn’t value marriage or monogamy in their relationship. Much to the world’s chagrin, a sex tape of Simmons and a young female model was recently leaked to the Internet, featuring the once great rocker – now in his sixties – having awkward and uncomfortable-looking sex for what seems like an eternity. More than anything, the existence of the tape begs whether his high number of sexual partners is really just an exaggeration, or even a result of an age-related memory fault.


Keith Richards

During the height of The Rolling Stones popularity, women (and some men) wanted Richards, and men (those who didn’t want him) wanted to be him. A talented and creative musician, Richards’ style defined an era both in music and in fashion. There are no shortages of stories regarding the sexual escapades that he and fellow Stones got into during their heyday. Most recently, however, Richards claimed to have snorted the ashes of his own father mixed in with cocaine. Realizing that this alienated normal people, Richards later went on the record to deny this statement. Presently, Richards’ skeletal remains can be found featured in tabloids, still parading about in flamboyant clothing, eyeliner and looking generally confused.


Steven Tyler


Lead singer of Aerosmith, and owner the world’s most famous lips, Tyler is a vocal advocate of not marrying. In a recent Elle interview, Tyler claimed that if you were to be in a monogamous relationship, to “lie ‘til you die’, regarding claims of infidelity. It seems that he had an elaborate system for evading comprising situations and drama; Tyler also admits that during the band’s tour, he and band mates would refrain from sexual activity with groupies the last ten days before returning home, so their girlfriends wouldn’t suspect (smell?) anything. Back in the early 1980s, his microphone scarf & tight jeans ensemble would make the ladies go wild. But now, the dude looks like a lady.


David Lee Roth


Most true Van Halen fans prefer Roth to Van Hagar, and probably all women did as well. He was perhaps the sex icon of the late 1970s, even if his vocal ability was questioned. Roth had a very interesting and business-like approach to selecting the women he would fornicate with at concerts. His staff would find him the “hottest girls” and at the end of the concert, he would announce the winning girls who would get a pass: “Blond, pink top, sector A4.” DLR was also known to have his staff members take Polaroid photos of the girls in bizarre situations like acting as a nude table for the stars, to say the least. At the ripe age of 53 in 2007, Roth went on a comeback tour with Van Halen. Unfortunately, he still performs shirtless.


Robert Plant

Led Zeppelin’s famous front man claims to have had a fetish for watching live sex shows. Known for his falsetto, his deep v-necked suits, wild hair (including chest) and tight pants, Plant epitomized the term “Rock God”. Plant once said the difference between a fan and a groupie is a fan is someone to have sex with and a groupie is someone who wants to take care of you like a mother or girlfriend. During Led Zeppelin’s rise to prominence, Plant was young and an effortless sexual appeal. Now Plant resembles an aging peasant character from The Lord of the Rings. Fortunately for Plant, he still has most of his hair. However, when you turn 60, you should not be able to have shoulder-length hair. I guess he didn’t get the memo.


Axl Rose

According to Rolling Stone, Axl Rose recorded “Rocket Queen” in the recording studio while having sex with his girlfriend Adriana Smith. Interestingly, Smith happened to be a Guns n’ Roses member Steven Adler’s ex. Smith wanted to get back at Adler for cheating on her. Rose wanted the sounds of her real orgasm recorded in the song. Seemed like everyone won. Rose was well known had that “bad boy” quality that women love, even if he wore women’s jeans and sang rather cheesy love ballads at times (note: this does not discount the merits of “Appetite for Destruction”). Since his “comeback” during the MTV Music Video Awards by performing with Guns n’ Roses, he’s gone way downhill. Rather than falling off the radar, he tried and failed at a comeback. But at least he finally finished “Chinese Democracy”. Rose can now be seen wandering the streets of L.A. sporting fake dreadlocks or a goatee…or both. 


Richie Sambora


In the eighties, Sambora’s conquests had good things to say about his lovemaking style. They said he had good rhythm (guitar?) and would perform oral sex for hours. Being part of one of the most successful rock bands in the world, made an already handsome Sambora, much more attractive. Since Bon Jovi’s highly successful comeback and the bands subsequent collective aging, Sambora has split from his wife, Heather Locklear, dated Charlie Sheen’s ex-wife, Denise Richards, put on a bunch of weight and went to rehab for alcohol problems. Now, many question whether or not allowing him to perform oral sex is in anyone’s best interest.


Ozzy Osbourne

As a young musician, Ozzy was rich and crazy. He famously bit the head off of a bat which stirred his name in the media as well as made him seem a more dangerous sex icon. Wife, Sharon Osbourne has gushed that Ozzy can perform sexual acts for hours and is a fantastic lover. Ozzy became monogamous when Sharon faked a positive AIDS test result. After that “scare”, Sharon claims Ozzy never cheated again A look into the life of the family (via their television show) on MTV, shows Ozzy as a shuffling, mumbling, stuttering invalid who is hardly considered a sex icon any longer. But he still performs, somehow – at concerts that is.


Lars Ulrich

Ulrich recently boasted that while on tour with Guns n’ Roses, he and Axl Rose had numeous orgies with groupies. Ulrich was one of the bad boy sex machines while in Metallica, being handsome, popular and successful and had no problem getting girls backstage to come to the band’s infamous sex parties. He has also at times had tumultuous relationships with his fellow band mates, which furthered his bad boy persona. Now Ulrich can be occasionally found in tabloid magazines looking haggard and old. Metallica is still estimated to be worth more than $189 million, but the recent Napster scandal has left a bad taste in everyone’s mouth for Ulrich, and has women who love pirating music looking elsewhere. 


Fred Durst

Once the lead singer of Limp Bizkit, Durst has expressed on his website: “I’ve had plenty of sex. I’ve lied terribly. I’ve cheated.” During his peak, he was rumored to be involved sexually with both Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera. His lyrics were honest, vulgar and angry, which fueled his sex appeal - plus he work backwards hats and had tattoos. Today Durst is virtually unrecognizable. He has recently ditched his trademark cap for a ¼” of sparse, silvery hair, and only in his thirties, he looks largely overweight and aged. Recently, a sex tape with Durst and his 20 year-old girlfriend was leaked onto the Internet. Many speculate this was Durst’s own doing for publicity purposes, a claim that Durst himself denies. Let’s hope it’s the last sex tape we ever hear about from this guy.


Eddie Van Halen

As the lead guitarist of supergroup “Van Halen”, Eddie was a handsome star that seems to have fallen victim to the “gross side “ via drugs, aging and a brief bout with cancer and other illnesses. Most recently, Van Halen has teamed up with porn director to write two songs for an adult film “Sacred Sin”. He insists he is a fan of his friend/director’s work and wants to be a part of it. In the last decade, Van Halen underwent a hip replacement surgery, but still feels comfortable taking his shirt off and playing guitar in front of thousands for his bands’ many comeback tours. Recently, Van Halen has split from his wife, and put himself back out on the market. The timing is probably not coincidental.


Mick Jagger

Mick Jagger is one of the most famous rockers of all time, and one that has aged most interestingly. Like most of his contemporaries, he has been able to retain his physique, but he has surprisingly kept all of his hair. Additionally, Jagger’s face has aged seemingly twice as fast as the rest of him. Jagger has famously claimed that, “if you are not having sex then you are wasting your time.” Being a young sex symbol, Jagger indulged in relationships with high-profile women such as Carla Bruni, Janice Dickinson, Jerry Hall(with whom he has four children) and many, many others. At the age of 65, Jagger and his rubber face are still touring the world, for reasons that remain a mystery to most of us. He is also still actively dating super models.

Read More

The 5 Most Beautiful Castles in Asia and the Middle East

Himeji Castle, Japan


Known also as White Heron Castle because of its beautiful white exterior, Himeji is the most visited castle in all of Japan and the first national landmark to be added to UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites list.

Himeji Castle started as a fort in 1331 but over the centuries, the warlords who ruled over the land enlarged it and left their mark on the structure. The Himeji Castle complex that we see today was finally completed in 1609 and unlike other Japanese castles has never suffered serious damage due to earthquakes, fires or wars.


The best time to visit Himeji Castle is in the first half of April, during the cherry blossom season.

Mehrangarh Fort, India




Built atop a 125-metre high hill, Mehrangarh Fort lies in the centre of Jodhpur, one of India’s greatest cities. Construction began in 1459 by order of Rao Jodha, the founder of Jodhpur, but most of the structure was completed during 1638-1678, in the time of Jaswant Singh.




Inside the 36-metres high, 21-metres wide walls of Mehrangarh fortress lie some of the most beautiful and historical palaces in India, all known for their impressive carvings and lavish courtyards.




Krak des Chevaliers, Syria




Described by Lawrence of Arabia as “the best preserved and most wholly admirable castle in the world”, Krak des Chevaliers was the headquarters of the Knights Hospitaller during the Crusades. It was used by King Edward the First as an example for his castles in Britain and is one of the few places where Crusader art can still be observed.




Krak des Chevaliers was a virtually impenetrable fortress and made the Knights Hospitaller a force to be reckoned with in the Holy Land, until the year 1271 when Mameluke Sultan Baibars finally captured it.


Krak des Chevaliers suffered serious damage from repeated Israeli aircraft attacks since 1948.

Matsumoto Castle, Japan



Built in the city of Matsumoto, Nagoya Province, Matsumoto Castle lies very close to Tokyo, making it a popular attraction for both Japanese and foreign tourists. It is a great example of Japanese flatland castles, not being built atop hills or cliffs.




Surrounded by a moat with swans and ducks, the black exterior of Matsumoto Castle earned it the nickname Crow Castle. However the best time to visit this masterpiece of medieval Japanese architecture is in winter, when the dark walls are covered by pure white snow.


Although Matsumoto Castle was never attacked because the civil wars ended, the Ishikawa clan rebuilt it in anticipation of gun warfare. The walls were reinforced to resist bullets and gun-slots were installed.








.


Arg-e-Bam, Iran




The fortress of Arg-e-Bam is considered by many to be the biggest most beautiful mud-brick structure in the world. Its origins date back to 500 BC, during the Ashkani era and it was inhabited until the year 1850 when for unknown reasons it was deserted.




Listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, Arg-e-Bam was severely damaged by a powerful earthquake in 2003. Practically 80% of the citadel complex collapsed, but now countries like China, France and Italy are helping Iran rebuild Arg-e-Bam in the name of historical preservation.

Read More