Japan
From July 2010 I will travel and work in Asia. Since I am interested in different cultures and especially the way different people find solutions to everyday problems, on this part of my website I will keep track of everything I find interesting. Mostly photo's I reckon. We'll see. I start here with Japan.
August 17th
Moving on to Korea!
August 16th
My last night in Japan, Hiro has left already for Tokyo. With Gucchi and Maki I visit one more Obon festival with dancing and fireworks. Perhaps not the biggest, perhaps not the most professional; but very local at a school in Nijo [the village within Itoshima where I'm staying] and the kids made the lanterns and helped with the Obon singing.
August 15th
Miyazake is far more tropical than Itoshima and the Fukuoka prefectue. So we go to the beach, before heading back. Makes me think of Thailand a bit.
August 14th
So, the exhibit is properly finished. Because of the Obon festival there's not much to do, schoolwise, let's go for a trip! We go to Miyazake to check out some party and on the way we pass by the Kumamoto Samurai Castle in Kumamoto...
By the way, to Miyazake is a much much longer drive than just three hours!
August 13th
Today is the start of the Obon Festival. Three days where you take time to honour your ancestors. It's a big holiday festival where you clean up the house, make it welcoming to visitors with food and a beautiful paper lantern. Check the wikipedia website for more info.
August 12th
To close the exhibition, we had movie night! A nice evening where I played some of my films and we finished with Miyazake's Totoro.
August 11th
Today we went to Fukuoa, the city, to handle some things and get money from the one machine that my cards accepts... And I saw this cute robot!
Toilets
Toilets are definitely something else in Japan. THE PUBLIC ONES ARE SO CLEAN!!! and there's so many buttons, it's a whole culture. Look at these photos I took from a toilet at a road restaurant! It's like your in the Hilton or something. Luckily I found a sheet with instructions on how to use in English.....
Oh so many buttons!!
My Studio
Here are some photos of the studio I have been working in. Because of the Obon festival the room is cleaned a bit and there's a Japanese style vase with flowers.
Pachinko
The Japanese are very quiet people. Very quiet indeed. Also Gambling is forbidden in Japan. But there's Pachinko! Pachinko is very weird. It's a sort of arcade game. Like pinball, but different and without flippers. They say it originated in Korea, but somehow there I find no Pachinko parlors. Anyway, it's an experience. It's very very very loud. A game machine looks like this and I also taped the sound of such a parlor... very loud! Check more info on Pachinko here: wikipedia.
August 7th
Some photos of the piece, the opening and the party afterwards
August 6th
We start building up [for real now] the expo
August 5th
Busy day today , being interviewd by the Fukuoka magazine and later me and Martijn went with Maki to some Boedhist Festival in Imajuku with major fireworks!
August 4th
In the morning we had live music as a gift in the gallery
August 3rd
Today we have a BIG pizza party [because if you have an oven like this ] ...
August 2nd
Slightly hung over we go to the beach [if you squirt your eyes a little, it's like Thailand!]...
August 1st
A reading party in the temporary library / gallery...
July 31st
We picked up Martijn today, at Tetra ... [he did a concert there]
July 30th
I saw this brilliant film last night, I can recommend it to everyone :
July 27th
So let's eat a pizza... when you have you own personal stone oven! :
July 26th
It is so freakin' hot, an extra airco needs to be installed! :
July 24th
Today I joined Hiro in his class of 3-6 year olds, painting :
July 21st
Fish delivery to the house:
July 20th
Studio Kura and the view from the road:
July 18th
Interesting gathering around the corner from where I stay. A carnival with kimono dancers, Japanese drum players, flashy things for the kids and lots of food and drinks. The queue for the cotton candy was a mile long! Very colourful, felt like walking inside a movie. The evening ended with firecrackers and sake, so nice.
July 17th
When we were waiting for our dinner with Toshiya, I saw this sad girl:
Visited the MOMAT [Museum for Modern Art in Tokyo] today and was struck by this work by Katsuhiro Yamaguchi, a Japanese sculptor and videoartist:
August 17th
Moving on to Korea!
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My last night in Japan, Hiro has left already for Tokyo. With Gucchi and Maki I visit one more Obon festival with dancing and fireworks. Perhaps not the biggest, perhaps not the most professional; but very local at a school in Nijo [the village within Itoshima where I'm staying] and the kids made the lanterns and helped with the Obon singing.
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Listen | |
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Miyazake is far more tropical than Itoshima and the Fukuoka prefectue. So we go to the beach, before heading back. Makes me think of Thailand a bit.
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So, the exhibit is properly finished. Because of the Obon festival there's not much to do, schoolwise, let's go for a trip! We go to Miyazake to check out some party and on the way we pass by the Kumamoto Samurai Castle in Kumamoto...
By the way, to Miyazake is a much much longer drive than just three hours!
| Big Castle! |
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Hiro as a Samurai warrior >>>> |
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| Finally we arrive in Miyazak and just a bit later at the party where Hiro tries out the balancing board! |
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Today is the start of the Obon Festival. Three days where you take time to honour your ancestors. It's a big holiday festival where you clean up the house, make it welcoming to visitors with food and a beautiful paper lantern. Check the wikipedia website for more info.
|
To close the exhibition, we had movie night! A nice evening where I played some of my films and we finished with Miyazake's Totoro.
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Today we went to Fukuoa, the city, to handle some things and get money from the one machine that my cards accepts... And I saw this cute robot!
|
Toilets are definitely something else in Japan. THE PUBLIC ONES ARE SO CLEAN!!! and there's so many buttons, it's a whole culture. Look at these photos I took from a toilet at a road restaurant! It's like your in the Hilton or something. Luckily I found a sheet with instructions on how to use in English.....
Oh so many buttons!!
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Here are some photos of the studio I have been working in. Because of the Obon festival the room is cleaned a bit and there's a Japanese style vase with flowers.
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The Japanese are very quiet people. Very quiet indeed. Also Gambling is forbidden in Japan. But there's Pachinko! Pachinko is very weird. It's a sort of arcade game. Like pinball, but different and without flippers. They say it originated in Korea, but somehow there I find no Pachinko parlors. Anyway, it's an experience. It's very very very loud. A game machine looks like this and I also taped the sound of such a parlor... very loud! Check more info on Pachinko here: wikipedia.
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Listen |
Some photos of the piece, the opening and the party afterwards
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We start building up [for real now] the expo
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Busy day today , being interviewd by the Fukuoka magazine and later me and Martijn went with Maki to some Boedhist Festival in Imajuku with major fireworks!
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>>>>>>> Maki!!! |
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In the morning we had live music as a gift in the gallery
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And in the afternoon Hiro and I went to Fukuoka city, where we went to a bar to get tacoyaki [octo-balls - very oishi] and they had a beautiful sake bottle on stock!
Most sake bottles are beautiful, but this one extra [we didn't drink it though....] |
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Today we have a BIG pizza party [because if you have an oven like this ] ...
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Slightly hung over we go to the beach [if you squirt your eyes a little, it's like Thailand!]...
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A reading party in the temporary library / gallery...
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lovely poem ["happy"] |
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We picked up Martijn today, at Tetra ... [he did a concert there]
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I saw this brilliant film last night, I can recommend it to everyone :
| Fantastic Mr Fox |
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So let's eat a pizza... when you have you own personal stone oven! :
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But then it starts to rain .... the first I encounter in Japan... [rainy season] but it's welcomed! |
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It is so freakin' hot, an extra airco needs to be installed! :
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Today I joined Hiro in his class of 3-6 year olds, painting :
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Fish delivery to the house:
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July 20th
Studio Kura and the view from the road:
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Interesting gathering around the corner from where I stay. A carnival with kimono dancers, Japanese drum players, flashy things for the kids and lots of food and drinks. The queue for the cotton candy was a mile long! Very colourful, felt like walking inside a movie. The evening ended with firecrackers and sake, so nice.
July 17th
When we were waiting for our dinner with Toshiya, I saw this sad girl:
Visited the MOMAT [Museum for Modern Art in Tokyo] today and was struck by this work by Katsuhiro Yamaguchi, a Japanese sculptor and videoartist:
