These are the fascinating pictures of miniature table sculptures molded around bonsai trees that take up to a painstaking 18 months to create. Japanese illustrator Takanori Aiba, 58, has built the intriguing scale models of windmills, lighthouses and even the Michelin Man.He delicately uses craft paper, plaster, acrylic resin, paint and plastic to create the host of sprawling miniature communities that wrap around the tiny trees.Following his work as an illustrator for Japanese fashion magazine POPYE he has spent the last nine years producing the detailed mini worlds.The creations take at least three months to construct with his Ice Cream Package Tower taking an astonishing 18 months work. Since 2003, he has made eight models, with 10 more planned over the next few years.
A BLIND man was battered with a brick in a sickening attack by two thugs .
Swirling water and sand create amazing aerial images of river deltas across Iceland .
Peering curiously into a basket hanging off the arms of a snowman, this little squirrel appears fascinated by the snowy figure .
AN ADORABLE one-eyed kitten has been dubbed the 'pirate cat' because of his pirate-like facial expressions .
A ROAD KILL munching Scot has chewed on everything from a dead squirrel to an unlucky crow – all in the name of art .
CAMPED out in the middle of a forest, these unusual hut hotels take you back to basics .
LUMINOUS green rocks could easily be a beach from Superman's homeland of Krypton .
A mum-of-two has revealed how she accidentally set her face on fire while lighting a cigarette .
Balanced on one leg, a frog assumes the crane kick martial arts stance made famous in the movie The Karate Kid .
COURAGEOUS climbers descend 400 metres as they manoeuvre their way through thick walls of ice .
A soap bubble lands on the frosty ground and creates a shimmering snow globe as crystals form around it .
A once bustling gold rush town in Mono County, California now stands completed deserted .