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November 6, 2011

ESOW x Toshikazu NOZAKA exhibition

Today we were in Musashi-Koganei to check out ESOW's latest exhibition, a collaboration with street artist and skater Toshikazu Nozaka. There are about two dozen new works, most solo by each of the two artists but a few done together. As always ESOW's style is just great with ingenious usage of wooden surfaces, strong Japanese roots and a touch of humor.

The exhibition's title is "rakugaki shinsekai" (「楽描新世界」, new world of graffiti (written using unusual kanji)). It's held at Musashino Garō until November 13, from 13:00 to 21:00.

And if you like some good cake, there's a nice shop down the road called "Porsche" (Tabelog) where I was happy to find some authentic black forest cake. :)

We also went to the Harappa Festival not too far away, which had a lot of good food stalls and live music. The festival is on this Sunday too (if the weather will allow..!).

Larger sizes and more photos at Flickr

October 14, 2011

Trip to Sri Lanka

Last month we went to Sri Lanka for a one week trip, stopping for a night in Bangkok on the way and back. We were lucky to have great weather for the whole time we were in Sri Lanka. People kept telling us that it had been raining the week before.

Sri Lanka was a beautiful country, with kind people and good food. There were many places we wanted to see so we kept moving to another town everyday. We've been to Negombo, Sigiriya, Dambulla, Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Ella, Galle, Bentota and Colombo.

We arrived at the Colombo International Airport late in the night, and we asked an agent to book us a room in Negombo, a town that's closer to the airport than Colombo itself. We ended up at Hotel Sunset Beach where we had a short night. It wasn't bad, except for a misunderstanding between the agent and the hotel regarding whether our breakfast was included or not (after we had eaten it). We then went to the bus terminal and headed for Sigiriya, changing buses in Kurunegala and Dambulla on the way.

Sigiriya (aka Lion's Rock) is a world heritage site (Sri Lanka has eight), a mountain with ruins of a castle from the 5th century. On the very top of the mountain can be seen where used to be the king's palace, led to by a stairway that passes between sculpted lion paws. On one outer wall of the mountain there are paintings from the same period, said to depict the king's daughters. Steel stairways were attached to the mountain to be able to get to these.

We had spent the night at a guest house nearby named Flower Inn, where we had our first Sri Lankan dinner of the trip, a lot more than we could manage to eat! The rooms are decorated quite colorfully. As it's often the case though there are openings between the walls and the roof, so we had the visit of many insects, especially once it got dark outside and the light in our room was still on. There were also several cats and dogs living there.

The next day we went for a Jeep safari ride in the Minneriya National Park. We had to go midday because we had to leave for elsewhere in the afternoon, and because of that we couldn't see many elephants (only one in the distance, a male our guide said..!). Still we could see many monkeys, spotted deers, peacocks and more. We invited our friendly driver for lunch so we could eat at a place where locals do.

We then left for Dambulla to see the Golden Temple, another world heritage site that dates as far as some 2000 years ago. The temple is built into caves up in the mountain, and holds 153 Buddha statues.

Then we went back to the bus station, and waited for a bus for Kandy. We spent the night at Sevana Guesthouse. The next morning we went to the Temple of the Tooth Relic, another world heritage site, where it is said that a tooth of Buddha is kept. We were present at a worship and took place in line to see the "tooth". We didn't see much of the tooth, but it was a beautiful place anyway.

We walked around some more in Kandy and then took a bus to Nuwara Eliya, a mountain area reputed for its tea cultures. Arriving at the bus terminal someone asked us if we were looking for a place where to stay, and took us to his what seemed newly opened guest house, called Little Heaven. The stay was fine despite being a bit away from the town. Early evening we had a little walk to the town but it as it got dark we had a hard time finding our way back. The next day we took a bus to Mackwoods Labookellie Tea Centre, where we took a free visit of the tea factory. Best of all were the beautiful landscapes of tea fields.

We got back to Nuwara Eliya again by bus, took a taxi to Nanu-Oya train station, and then waited for the next train to Ella. Our train was delayed of about an hour, something that seems to happen often. The train ride was quite nice, with many beautiful mountain landscapes. Most of the time it seemed that the tracks were located on the very edge of a mountain.

We had already booked our room at Ella Holiday Inn, and someone came to pick us up at the station. Ella is a small town, mainly touristic judging by the amount of hotels and foreigners. It was also the first time we found Wi-Fi. There wasn't so much to see, though there are mountains nearby popular for hiking. We did enjoy late afternoon tea with a great view at the Tea Garden Holiday Inn, and also a nice dinner at the Rawana Holiday Resort. Rawana had a quite good dinner, but the taste wasn't much spicy at all. Anyway I was so hungry that I ate two and a half plates of rice. It felt like my stomach just wouldn't ever get full! If we'd have been in Ella one more night we'd have also tried the dinner at Ella Holiday Inn too. Our Sri Lankan style breakfast there was quite good.

The next morning we bought a chicken lamprai (rice dish steamed in a banana leaf) at Nescoffee (another place made too popular by the guide books, it had too many flies), and we checked out a local street market before hopping on a bus to Galle. I really wanted to take an intercity bus (air-conditioned nicer bus than the regular ones) but a regular one came first and we caught it a bit by mistake. Once we got a seat the 6-hour ride really wasn't that bad though. At most bus stops some snack vendors get on board for a moment to sell peanuts, mangoes, corn, etc.

Galle is a town on the west coast, also a world heritage site as it's the oldest remaining fortress in Asia built by Europeans. The west coast of Sri Lanka is reputed for its sunsets, although we were there off-season. It was also the best place to see a lot of coconut palm trees. We took a walk by the ocean and also happened to pass by a shooting for what seemed a TV drama series. We stayed for the night at Khalid's Guest House (which has temporarily moved a block east during renovations). The manager had just taken down king coconuts from a tree in the inner garden and gave us one when we arrived.

The next day we had breakfast on the roof of Oceanview Guest House, a nice little garden where a green-painted turtle was served our papaya remains.

We then took the bus again heading north for Bentota. We were really hoping to stay at Lunuganga, a famous place designed by Geoffrey Bawa (Wikipedia), but it was already fully booked. However we had the good luck to meet an Austrian lady on the bus who invited her for tea at her home, and then introduced us to friend Hashi who was just starting a guesthouse business. He was our host for the night, and as he's also a tuk tuk driver he gave us a few free rides too! We finished the day walking around Bentota, walking on the beach, and ending up sipping drinks at a nice hotel's terrace while watching the sunset.

The next morning we went for a guided tour of Lunuganga, which was very beautiful.

Time was running up, it was already our last day in Sri Lanka, though our flight was only around midnight. We took a bus to large city Colombo, did a little bit of shopping and checked out Seema Malakaya Temple also by Geoffrey Bawa.

This was a very nice trip in a place we hadn't been before. We had to run between each place we visited though, so we could have used a bit more than one week. If we go again we'll have to book at Lunuganga in advance to be sure.

Many more photos at Flickr

May 15, 2011

"Space A" group exhibition

Tonight we were headed to a shop to buy a chair in Nakano, and on the way we passed Look Gallery where we had been before. We weren't even aware whether there was an exhibition going on, but there were several people hanging out there and then we noticed the large welcoming "have a good time" mural that we knew from the T-shirt shop located above The Last Gallery in Shirogane. We had to hurry to the shop so we decided to check this out on the way back.

Half an hour passed and we were now carrying a chair. There were many more people at the gallery, and someone familiar greeted us. I left the chair outside on the sidewalk, and we walked in to see the show. Needless to say it didn't take long until one of the people enjoying drinks outside borrowed our chair. :)

Turned out it was a group exhibition titled "Space A", of works by graffiti artists like QP, EKYS, SECT, WANTO, etc.! Many artists had designed T-shirts that were on display, though they not being sold.

There were various types of artwork on the walls too. At the center were a series of 3 black frames of scratched glass obviously by QP, the middle one that read "Now is the time".

I love these kinds of coincidences like they happen in Tokyo! After having looked around, we picked up our chair and were on our way.

"Space A" goes on until May 29 at Look Gallery (1-34-20 Arai, Nakano-ku).

Also it looks like there's another show with QP, WANTO, SECT, 阿満都" (ALMOND) and many more at The Last Gallery (3-1-11 Shirogane, Minato-ku), this one until May 28.

Larger sizes and more photos at Flickr

April 23, 2011

Farm Party #6 - DJ 810's set list

Tonight I had the chance to DJ at event Farm Party #6 held at Asagaya GaMuSo, and organized by Tokyo Gig Guide! This time I was listed as DJ 810 ("DJ Pato"), and played a 30 minute set between Hosaka Akane and Young Fratellis.

Here's my set list:

fushigi na fushigi na mori no naka (from Kurekure Takora)
　不思議な不思議な森の中（クレクレタコラより）
I Love The Rain / Hideki Spaghetti
Caramel kyokugeidan / Pom Pon Dahlia
　キャラメル曲芸団 / ポンポンダリア
Computer obaachan / Frenesi
　コンピュータおばあちゃん / フレネシ
shinkū Kiss / Apogee & Perigee
　真空キッス / アポジー＆ペリジー
The Island of Curiosity / Halfby
Disco4.5 (Asyk Mix) / Dorian
Dentaku / Comoestas feat. Baroccorins
　電卓 / Comoestas feat. Baroccorins

I had especially a lot of fun watching all the other bands! I'll write a report with photos shortly at Tokyo's Coolest Sound.

Thanks a lot to Craig for inviting me! That was a really farm party!

April 10, 2011

Sakura in Kunitachi

Today we had some great weather, and it's also the peak of the cherry blossoms season so we went to enjoy the sights on the main street south of Kunitachi station (Chuo line).

Then we went to the north side to check out a ceramics gallery and antique furniture shop. The station is the shortest way between the two sides of the tracks, and people wanting to cross with a special card are provided with a special card that allows going from one gate to another without needing a train ticket.

We also dropped by tiny postcard shop Fujikawa Ehagaki where owner Fujikawa-san creates his drawings and paintings in his atelier in the back. Many of his works include trees and birds and other animals. We were intrigued by this small cat that was together with things he had for sale, but turned out it was just a decoration. He suggested I'd take a photo with the camera that hung from my neck. :)

At the end of the afternoon we went back to the south side and headed for a place called "Hiraya Gallery" of which we had picked up a flyer of just earlier. Turned out it's an old house that's set to be torn down soon, and the people who live there have changed it into a small gallery in order to share it with others. It reminded us of Asagaya jūtaku. Hiraya Gallery can still be visited for the last time on April 17, see the official blog for details.

Larger sizes and more photos at Flickr

April 3, 2011

Hints of sakura, and Okamoto Tarō

Yesterday was some really nice spring weather, though today is a bit colder again. Still we're starting to see hints of sakura here and there, such as these trees seen in Jinbōchō.

We then enjoyed a lunch nearby at Restaurant Shichijō, a restaurant that's been around for 35 years in the underground floor of Shōgakukan building, before heading to The National Museum of Modern Art to see the Okamoto Tarō exhibition celebrating the artist's 100th birth anniversary (see this site to see more of his works).

Tarō was an influential artist who made many statues and paintings that are still very impressive today. He was against the thought of selling his art, which conceals the art for only one person's enjoyment, and rather prefered to make art that can be seen publicly. That's why many of his statues can be seen around Tokyo, as well as the huge mural painting that was retrieved from Mexico a few years ago and is now displayed inside Shibuya station. His most notable work is the great "Tower of the Sun" statue that was made for Expo '70 in Osaka and can still be seen in the Expo Park (see my post about my trip there). The exhibition was really nice, and very crowded too! We ended up getting these small toy figures sold in gacha-gacha vending machines, and also some small plates and post-it bookmarks.

Next we walked down to Kasuga for a drink at Corb, a small café/gallery that has some great scones and bread! We've been there almost everytime we pass in the area. Unfortunately it will be closing at the end of April.

Last, here are a few random photos: Dr. Nakamats' political campaign truck, a Pipo-kun family poster promoting cycling rules, and a poster at supermarket Ozeki showing off its brand new staff uniforms.

Larger sizes and more photos at Flickr

March 14, 2011

Doing fine!

Sorry I haven't updated this blog in ages. I thought I'd write a little about how things have been here since the March 11 earthquake, just in case anyone would be waiting for some news or passing by.

When the earthquake happened, it was Friday afternoon around 3pm and I was at the office on the 9th floor. Things shook hard and everything fell down from shelves. We sometimes get smallish earthquakes which we are used to, but this time it didn't take a minute for people to realize this was a big one, and we all rushed downstairs. This was really scary!

Smaller earthquakes followed, and after a while the company boss and a few courageous ones volunteered to go back up to get everyone's jackets and bags. We then moved to a park nearby, and later to a strong building's entrance. Most trains had stopped service and most couldn't go home easily, but the company was able hold of 2 rooms at a hotel where some 15-20 of us stayed for a while, many for the night. I was lucky that a train line I could use got back into service, and I rode one of the most crowded trains ever, leaving at every station people on the platform who couldn't squeeze in. The train was also much slower than usual, taking long stops at every station.

For the weekend things were rather normal here in Tokyo. I didn't really see any apparent quake damage anywhere I went (except for near work where an old building had cracks all around it). Most shops were even open except some department stores, and the train schedules were still sparse. A friend's wedding on Saturday was still supposed to be held as of Saturday morning, but later it was postponed. Relatives in a nearby prefecture were out of electricity since the earthquake and until Sunday afternoon, and at this time still don't have running tap water. In Tokyo too we've been asked to avoid using too much electricity, so I've been offline most of the time and we also spent weekend daytime outside. Of course, these small inconveniences are nothing compared to what victims of the tsunami are experiencing upper north.

Now starting this Monday, there have been scheduled 3-hour electricity blackouts in many areas of Tokyo and surrounding prefectures to force saving power. This is causing further problems to shops, trains, etc. Train lines operate with reduced schedules, causing trains that are packed more than usual (I had to wait 3 passing trains this morning until I could step in), and many lines only operate a partial route if at all, leaving many people without any transportation.

Today at my office people came to work normally (I made it almost for my usual time of 9am), except some who couldn't make it at all, but after doing the essential we were sent home around noon in fear that other transportation problems would arise. Tomorrow we're going from 11am.

At the end of the afternoon I visited several nearby supermarkets and convenience stores, and most were out of daily things such as bread, milk, eggs, tofu, instant noodle bowls, tissues and toilet paper! Luckily we still have some stock of these.

Scheduled blackouts are expected to continue for the time being, and trains will probably keep experiencing problems too. These are little things we have to get used to, it's nothing compared to the more unfortunate.

Thanks for reading! I post more frequent news on Facebook, so if I know you please don't hesitate to become my "friend" if you aren't yet. (Please note that I only accept requests from people who I already know.)

Larger sizes and more photos at Flickr

August 19, 2010

0x20 & the El mas Santo book

A few weeks ago, I turned 20 years old. It's true! In hexadecimal at least. :)

Just the day before my birthday, we got to meet net friends in visit from Poland! Last year I wrote about the El mas Santo figures that I received out the of the blue. Those were part of an art project by artist Kinga Offert, who made some hundreds of these and sent them to photographers all over the world. In exchange she just asked for pictures of them.

Less than a year later, Kinga published a thick and beautiful book containing many of the large color photos that were received. And so I finally got my copy! I was delighted not only to find my photos in there, but also that one of them inspired the title page drawing (actually a carving, like all the other illustrations featured)! See for yourself:

Of course I also got an autograph. :) This was also the first time that she got to meet one of her figures after having shipped it! She was surprised of the good condition, as they're quite fragile.

And the next day I even got this wonderful original birthday card by email, based on a "nurikabe" toy that she found at Nakano Broadway (a character from GeGeGe no Kitarō).

Other gifts I got this year included personalized cookies, a desktop animal box, and Hoshimaru-kun (Expo 85) triangular bags. :) We also found this ESSU frisbee just by chance when checking out a show at Enban!

Those interested in the El mas Santo book can find it on the official site. Aside from the photos, the book also contains an original story about the character, named El mas Santo, in Polish.

Larger sizes and more photos at Flickr

May 20, 2010

Trip to India - Auroville

Picking up from last time, we went down from Chennai to Pondicherry, though our main destination was a place called Auroville just some 6 km north, where we stayed for 3 nights from March 1 to 4.

Auroville is a community founded in the late 60's by Mirra Alfassa, referred to as The Mother in India. The main part of Auroville consists of a village of a closed community, living together with nature and self-dependent in many ways. Located in the woods with paths to get everywhere either by bicycle or scooter, entrance of cars and outsiders is restricted. There are however guest houses where people from outside can come to visit, it's also the way to start integrating for those who wish to become part of the international community. Auroville attracts visitors from India and also everywhere in the world. It's a very relaxing place for sure.

We stayed at a guest house called Afsanah, a beautiful place with Japanese-style gardens and an excellent Indian cook who learned French cuisine in Pondicherry. Our guest house was located in the northwest across from another called Vérité where are held yoga classes. It takes some 10 minutes to get from the entrance of Auroville (Visitor's Centre) by bicycle. We used bicycles lent by our guest house, they're old, bulky and take some getting used to, but they're good enough for getting around. Other bicycles we rented in Pondicherry where quite similar too.

An important part of Auroville is a large gold-plated structure called Matrimandir. Located in a big garden, it's a symbol of peace and perfection and is a place of meditation. Guests are only allowed inside after a few days in Auroville, having to first go to a "viewing point" and then book a guided visit that happens once a day. Matrimandir itself was completed just 2 years ago after 37 years of building by Auroville's residents. The surrounding gardens are still underway.

When taking a guided tour of Matrimandir, it's possible to get inside the large dome. Everything is white and silent, and the only lighting source is sunlight that's directed down each floor using large crystals. Entering Matrimandir everyone leaves their shoes outside, and before entering the main meditation room we had to wear provided white socks. Touching the white walls or floor isn't allowed, to avoid stains. We then sat there on a white cushion and blanket for some time. This place truly feels out of this world.

To get between Auroville and Pondicherry, we first used an auto rickshaw several times, but later we realized that it can be even cheaper to book an Auroville air conditioned taxi with a nice driver who speaks English. Still the rickshaw can be better for feeling the environment.

You can view a map of a day we went from Auroville to Pondicherry and back, at Gmaps Pedometer.

Larger sizes and more photos at Flickr: March 1, March 2, March 3

May 5, 2010

Tokyo's Coolest Sound

It's been a few days already since I launched the new site Tokyo's Coolest Sound. It's basically the "Agenda" blog that was located in this site, moved into a better place where it can grow some more.

I had been thinking of doing this for about 3 years, when the name and design were already pretty much set, but it's only at the beginning of this year that I got the coolestsound.jp domain that I had been wanting, and then I started integrating the site only little by little until now.

The live show reports I used to feature here will also be posted there from now on, so if you like them I suggest subscribing to the new site's RSS feed, or if you use Facebook you can follow the NetworkedBlog. I also post on Twitter as @coolestsound.

I hope you like it!

Oh btw, I will be on radio this Thursday! The show is teknohauswt which contains a 10-minute segment "Elektel's Lounge" hosted by club-lounge unit Elektel. I've been their fan for over 10 years, since the old mp3.com days, and they invited me to present some music that I like.

This is a mini FM station that can only be heard in the west side of Tokyo, FM West Tokyo (FM西東京) 84.2MHz, teknohauswt starts at 23:00 every Thursday. Elektel's Lounge is featured every 2 weeks and I'll be their guest for the next 4 times (2 months!). Dates are: May 6, May 20, June 3 and June 17.

Continue reading in the May 2010 Archives.
Next entry: "Trip to India part 2 - Pondicherry" (May 4, 2010 at 00:38)

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