What’s the biggest difference in visiting museums in Tokyo compared to….well most other places? The number of people you rub shoulders with!
On the good advice of my Japanese teacher, Matsumoto Sensei, I decided to arrive at opening time (10AM) to see,
at The National Art Center. You can get off the subway right below the museum for easy access – they even sell entrance tickets in the tunnel leading to the main entrance. Why? Because Japanese young people, housewives and retirees flock to see block buster shows like this one.
Despite being there early, when I entered the first room of paintings, the crowd was already at least 15 people deep. Quite overwhelmed, I skirted around the edges and chose carefully what I wanted to line for. I was definitely impressed, but not so much by seeing these works in the flesh again, rather by the volume of spectators moving around the rooms in such orderly fashion, most with handheld lecture devices held tightly to their ears.
Post impressions? I wasn’t disappointed; I got to stand for sometime (during a lull) in front of some favorite works by Maurice Denis & Henri Rousseau. So today was just another art and culture experience in Japan…one that was just a little more on the culture side, that’s all.
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The Three Graces
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Snake Charmer
Dinner, March 10
Another image for the Art Education 2.0 Photography Group Project. The weather has been bitterly cold in Tokyo. When will the spring warmth decend? Still looking for hearty dishes – I like the idea of photographing some of my more creative dishes – this might become a theme within my 52 Photograph 2010 project. Time will tell.
Arted365/2010 Group
OK – I have slightly lost the plot. This is actually my first Saturday off since before Christmas so I figure I have some excuse for falling behind with my posting for my ’52 Photographs’ project.
The Abot Kamay service trip to Thailand provided great opportunities for photography. This might not completely fit the ’1 per week goal’ but it catches me up. Here is just one image – to see the rest of the set go to Flickr
Espresso
Nothing like a short of coffee to end a magnificant mulit course meal at Amoroso in Kagaruzaka. Dishes included rissoto with shaved black truffle, roasted Italian pork shoulder, hand-made pasta with brussel sprouts & bamboo shoot…and a whole lot more – what a feast.
Kichijoji, Nakamichi.
Snow fall over night had us wondering if school would be cancelled. The bright blue sky and the only semi-slushy surface of the road said otherwise.
I joined an group as part of an Art Ed network – we are documenting by photography the year 2010. I am taking a photograph a week, others are taking one every day. Here is a slideshow of the groups work so far. arted365/2010
Sleeping dog
I give students an assignment to capture movement. We play around with shutter speed and try to create purposeful blur in their photographs. I think the blur in this makes the patterned carpet and my dog start to merge creating a soft dreamy image.
Lily
I realised I’m kind of exploring ‘light’ effects; shadows, reflections and highlights. I’ve been stuck inside with the flu – yes ‘the flu’! Inspiration inside my four walls might have been a challenge if it weren’t for the bunch of flowers I had purchased last week. I wanted to capture the velvety petals. I love the luminous and luscious texture of lilies…
Week 2
Art Ed 2.0 – 52 weeks of photographs Project
I ride a bicycle to work. The chill air and startling sunlight make Winter bitter sweet. Yesterday the streets were empty (Sunday) as I rode to school for a workshop. Despite Tokyo being a dense metropolis of 12 million people, I still pass small open fields where residents cultivate veggies.
Hanazon-ji just east of Shinjuku station.
Just returned from bike riding around Tokyo. My warm up was a ride from Kichijoji to Shinjuku on Sunday were I popped into a shrine sale and flea market. Then we headed out for a two day ride west of Tokyo to Kawagoe – a historic old town that has been preserved in old Edo style. Well worth the trip; easy by train – or bike for the more adventurous.
I really enjoyed creating this little collage on the morning of ASIJ’s Senior Graduation ceremony which I’ll be heading off to in about an hour. Many seniors have craved for this day to come. Right now I am also craving the end of the school year and the summer holiday period. My symbol for all this craving is ‘chocolate’ because everyone craves it and it is often given or received around this time of year.
Happy Graduation class of 2009!
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