Japanese artist Fumiko Imano splices her photographs and rejoins them with just scissors and glue to create new pictures of herself as twins. She looks like she’s having so much fun with her dual personalities I can just about imagine my imaginary twin having the last laugh about me disowning him years ago.

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I can only pity the colourblind when entering the surreal world of Japanese artist Yosuke Ueno. There’s an incredible energy that seems to pop out of each rainbow artwork and the characters are just a little bit loveable.

I wonder if Japanese people are fed with some special and blue magic berries because there are so many amazing artists there. Taro’s art journal is full of fluid, sophisticated, watercolor pieces that make me jealous and wondering about blue magic berries.

I just can’t get enough of Hikari Shimoda’s work. Using traditional media (oil and canvas), this Japanese artist creates very delicate yet disturbing compositions of eerie children. If you can, be sure to check her solo exhibition at Hellion Gallery in Portland between November 3 – 29.

Keiko Tokushima is Japanese-born, New York based illustrator. Her obsession with textile pattern shows the influence of the West upon Japan. The absence of people in her work delivers storytelling more than it would with people, but her whimsical figure drawing adds style into the pattern world as well.

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3D art is one of my biggest passion. I think one of its limits is the human figure (even in the best artworks, it always looks too fake, like a plastic dummy). I changed my mind, though, when I first saw the masterpieces of this Japanese artist Kazuhiko Nakamura. His phenomenal creatures seem to come to life.

Insanely talented Japanese artist Rie Hosokai is taking balloon twisting away from kids parties and into high fashion. The handmade dresses start at US$2,000, which can seem a little hefty when you consider the balloons will start to deflate after twenty four hours.

Apparently the price tag hasn’t deterred brides to be: more than twenty orders have been placed for balloon wedding dresses since Hosokai started her business two years ago.

Sometimes gruesome, sometimes sadistic, sometimes cute and whimsical, Japanese artist Hasama creates some really striking images that range from terrifying monsters to manga-inspired characters.

Japanese artist Hajime Sorayama is one of my favourite artists of all-time. He is an exceptionally amazing talent. I have followed his work for almost two decades.

My favorite works of his are the fantasy, mythic and robotic characters he paints and illustrates, and his technique is considered as perfect. If I could have the pleasure of meeting him in the near future I’d be a very happy girl. He has a new book out now called Masterworks.

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Chiharu Shiota is a Berlin-based Japanese artist responsible for these intricate large scale art installations. Allegedly, Shiota had woken up one day and felt as if her entire room was entwined with black thread. This became the inspiration for many of her artworks, where gallery spaces are often illed with zig-zagging thread, creating this impenetrable, sometimes gothic looking, web.

Forget origami. Ribbonesia is the brainchild of Japanese artist ‘BAKU’ Maeda, who has moved away from brush and pen in favor of ribbons and fabric, which he turns into adorable animals.

Artist Yumiko Kayukawa states: ‘I’d rather my paintings hang next to rock star pin-ups than on museum walls. Ultimately, I want to connect with people all over the world on that level’. It seems whatever she’s doing is working because, to date, each one of the 100 pieces she’s created has sold. Apparently there’s even a waiting list to snap up one of the manga-pop art inspired pieces. All that hype is genuinely justified. Want to be part of the in crowd? [see also the work of Japanese artist Fuco Ueda]