There are many Japanese craftsmen who have exerted their life-long spirit to the extreme. Although they are not professional level, there are still many "god-level" amateurs around them who silently demonstrate their good craftsmanship like craftsmen. For example, on Twitter The account "メガネのおじいちゃん" (meaning: Glasses Grandpa) is an alternative account developed by a grandfather who started making three-dimensional Japanese paper food models after he turned 70 to kill time after he retired and had nothing to do. As a hobby, the various foods he makes such as baked desserts and Japanese dishes not only exude the simplicity of handcrafting, but also exude the warmth of daily life, making people feel happy.
At first, the works were discarded or destroyed because they were too numerous to be stored. Later, my grandfather’s painter son founded the Twitter account “Grandpa Glasses”. In addition to digitally preserving these exquisite three-dimensional models, it also allowed my grandfather’s hard work to be preserved. When you step out of the house, you can not only appreciate it with your family, but also share it with people all over the world. The power of the community has indeed spread my grandfathers works to places outside of Japan. A hot pot with crab claws became popular and received praise and feedback from many netizens, which made my son who was originally worried about the negative effects of the communitys influence I was surprised and even inspired my grandfather to continue creating.
My grandfather and his son both live in Osaka. Since my grandfather insists on using original-color Japanese paper when making models, rather than coloring them afterwards, my son, who is a painter and teacher, must always stock up on various colors for his father. This is also the most difficult thing for my son. Grandpa’s challenge when making models comes from the fact that there is no template to refer to. He needs to rely on his creativity and sense of space to assemble the model step by step. Grandpa also enjoys the fun of the production process and has also worked with him. The granddaughter happily made a Japanese paper model of "Japanese shaved ice" together as a summer homework, and she was very proud of it.
The 74-year-old grandpa still continues to accumulate 3D models of food with different textures. What’s interesting is that grandpa’s models use food-related models.Dinner plates and tableware are used to serve them, such as casseroles, iron plates, instant noodle bowls, mugs, butter knives, etc., creating a cute sense of humor that tries to be real. Sometimes videos are released with the slogan "Serve!", which is refreshing. Revealing the quiet joy of life.
