A photo blog from Tokyo. A blog started in 2014 in Chiangmai, then moved to Vientiane, continues now in Japan. Daily photos and some stories to share my life in Tokyo with friends, families and others.
Friday, 30 November 2018
Thursday, 29 November 2018
Christmas Dogs
Dogs in prams were a common sight at the Yokahama Christmas market on Sunday. People taking photos of their dogs in prams was also a common sight - in front of a white Santa and a yellow reindeer - bizarro!!!
Wednesday, 28 November 2018
Tuesday, 27 November 2018
Petersham Nurseries
A highlight of my brief trip to London was Saturday lunch with Tas, at Petersham Nurseries at Richmond. The food was divine and the setting unique and special - inside a glass conservatory with amazing flower arrangements.
Tuesday, 20 November 2018
Yellow Pumpkin
Yoyoi Kusama was a precursor of the Pop Art movement and influenced Andy Warhol. I loved the beach side yellow pumpkin at Benesse House Art Gallery. It is something of an icon for Naoshima Island.
Monday, 19 November 2018
Red Pumpkin
Yayoi Kusama is a Japanese artist known for her pumpkins and dots. This red pumpkin was at the ferry terminal on Naoshima Island.
Sunday, 18 November 2018
Oxford Street Christmas
Exploring the streets of London at night, (after visits and meetings with universities during the day), the Christmas lights are up and looking merry and bright.
Saturday, 17 November 2018
Toyo Ito
A visit to the Toyo Ito Museum of Architecture on the island of Omishima, was a highlight of my cycle ride. He is a famous architect and winner of the Pritzker Prize (like the Nobel Prize, but for architecture). His work is often described as organic as he tries to bring buildings closer to their environment. He designed an amazing building in Ometesando (high end shopping street) in Tokyo for Tod's shoes, with overlapping tree silhouettes ( see below).The museum has two buildings - the steel hut and the silver hut in a spectacular location, surrounded by citrus groves.
Friday, 16 November 2018
U2
My cycle tour on the Shimanmani Kaido started at the Onomichi U2 cycle centre. A great complex in a restored wharf. It was an open and light-filled space with easy flow between each functional area; the Giant (bike brand, not a large person) store and cycle hire facility, the souvenir shop, the cafe, the restaurant, the bar, the bakery and then to the hotel, with a cycling inspired modern sculpture in there as well. An inspiration for the cycle hub at Beechworth Gaol??
Thursday, 15 November 2018
Monet Garden
There was a divine and beautiful art gallery on Naoshima, specifically designed to display five Monet paintings. A pond, with lilies, inspired by Monet's garden at Giverny was next to the path up to the gallery.
Wednesday, 14 November 2018
Tuesday, 13 November 2018
A Pink Rabbit
An interruption to photos from my vacation in Japan. I have been in Vienna, for a conference, and looking for Inspector Rex. I didn't find the dog, but did spot this pink rabbit.
Sunday, 11 November 2018
Drink a Cup of Tea
I loved this blue bowl, at the Benesse Art Site. The work is called Drink a Cup of Tea. Perfect for Mary and for Helen. I think she needs this at her hut on the hill!! The artist is Kazuo Katase - google him for more images of bowls in spectacular locations.
Saturday, 10 November 2018
Benesse House Museum
The attraction for my visit to the island of Naoshima was the art and in particular to visit the Benesse House Museum and Art Site. Below is some information from their website and gives an overview of what is a truly amazing place. Would have loved to stay at the hotel, but it is booked out months in advance and costs $$$$$$$$.
This piece on a grassy knoll, is by an American Kinetic Artist and is called Three Squares Vertical Diagnol.
Benesse House Museum opened in 1992 as a facility integrating a museum with a hotel, based on the concept of "coexistence of nature, art and architecture." Designed by Tadao Ando, the facility is built on high ground overlooking the Seto Inland Sea and features large apertures that serve to open up the interior to the splendid natural surroundings. In addition to exhibiting the painting, sculpture, photography, and installations in its collection, the Museum also contains permanent site-specific installations that artists have created especially for the building, selecting locations on their own and designing the works for those spaces. The Museum's artworks are found not just within its galleries, but in all parts of the building, as well as in scattered locations along the seashore that borders the complex and in the nearby forest. Benesse House Museum is truly a rare site where nature, art, and architecture come together, in an environment containing numerous site-specific works created for the natural environs of Naoshima or inspired by the architectural spaces they inhabit.