
Forget London phone booths, Japan’s green public telephones are the new trendy icon.
It used to be that London phone booths were the iconic public feature, but since they’ve started being phased out in the U.K., they’re slowly becoming a thing of legend. But that leaves room for something new to take its place…perhaps the Japanese public telephone?
With its almost shockingly bright green color and blocky design, the Japanese public telephone could work up to being as iconic as the historical red booth. It already seems to have a decent following of fans within Japan, which might be why a backpack designed after the green gadget has gone viral on Twitter.
The backpack was created by Twitter user Yu Ogasawara, a Japanese leatherworker and woodcrafter who has won numerous prizes for her unique designs. This particular work seems to get the strongest response when she puts it up for display, and that’s probably because it looks exactly like its namesake, and is not only adorable and wearable, but also durable and valuable since it’s made completely of genuine leather.
It’s also fully functional (as a backpack). The handset is the perfect size for as a pencil-case, and when unzipped, the front panel opens up the storage compartment. There is even a small pocket for storing your phone and earphones on the inside of the front panel, and the coin slot actually serves as a way to pull your earphones through without opening the bag.
▼ Check out that cute pattern! It’s made by hand-carved rubber stamps.
Plus, it looks and operates like a real phone. You can push the buttons, and the handset can be removed from the holder, which uses a strong magnet to keep it from falling off while you’re walking. It doesn’t yet make calls, but with technology progressing as it is, it may only be a matter of time.
When asked what inspired her to make this bag, Ogasawara says that she used to use public telephones all the time when she was a child. Since they’re being removed and phased out as mobile phones become more common, she’s started missing seeing them around, and that’s why she decided to create a design in their honor.
Japanese netizens agree that it’s a wonderful homage. Since the original Tweet on April 10, they have been clamoring to buy one, but because it was a piece she made for school, she isn’t yet able to put them on the market, though she hopes one day that she can. She has so many other cute and pretty designs, like the turtle backpack and zebra purse below, so undoubtedly she’ll be able to build a successful business when she does put her works up for sale.
ウミガメのリュック
— おがさわらゆう(小笠原悠) (@yutoyou_yty) April 10, 2018
カメさんを背負えるよ🐢
甲羅のお花はカーヴィング(自分で叩いて凹凸を付けてます)
なぜかマダム達に人気👵🏻✨#女の価値を決めるバッグ pic.twitter.com/SyYkzirBys
おしりーズ
— おがさわらゆう(小笠原悠) (@yutoyou_yty) April 10, 2018
シマウマのおしりのバッグだよ🦓❤️#女の価値を決めるバッグ pic.twitter.com/MO74lX4csl
Twitter and Instagram are a great place to find some talented artists in all kinds of mediums, from oil paints to paper to even Excel spreadsheets! It’s amazing how much talent there is the world, and it’s really fun to find it in unexpected corners of the Internet.
Source, images: Twitter/@yutoyou_yty





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