The Japanese community can do some incredible things with paper.  The versatile material just might be going to space if one Japanese man has his way.  Meanwhile, back on Earth, Japanese art student Wataru Itou is turning paper into art with this beautiful paper craft castle.  Entitled Umi no Ue no Oshiro (A Castle on the Ocean), the piece is on display at Umi no Hotaru, a Japanese service station on a bridge in the middle of the sea between Chiba and Tokyo.  It is already a tourist attraction, but this will just add to the tourism spectacle.

When I was a kid, I had a couple of paper craft kits.  Basically you punch or tear out these little pieces, and you use tabs to stick them all together, turning a pile of printed paper into a giant gothic castle.  It was fun to work on it, though I never got it together as a result of a move.

Actually, I think I still have my papercraft castle model.  I think I should blow the dust off of it and try to piece the thing together.  It’s been 15 years or so, but I figure it’s still doable and it ought to be easier now that I’m a grown-up.

Tags: Uminohotaru, papercraft castle, paper crafts, unusual art, A Castle On the Ocean, Japan, Umi no Ue no Oshiro, Wataru Itou

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