Man's Best Friend

Due to technical difficulties some of the students are unable to post to the "Japanese Visual Culture in Context" blog. Please read Allison Wilson-Adams's story, "Man's Best Friend" by clicking on the link.

Body Talk

Due to technical difficulties some of the students are unable to post to the "Japanese Visual Culture in Context" blog. Please read Allison Wilson-Adams's story, "Body Talk" by clicking on the link.

Due to technical difficulties some of the students are unable to post to the "Japanese Visual Culture in Context" blog. Please read Allison Wilson-Adams's story, "T-Time" by clicking on the link.

Up Front

Due to technical difficulties some of the students are unable to post to the "Japanese Visual Culture in Context" blog. Please read Balsam Ali's story, "Up front" by clicking on the link.

In Praise of Shadows and Art: Tokyo National Museum

On Friday, our second to last full day we traveled to Ueno to visit the Tokyo National Museum. Tokyo National Museum is located in Ueno park where there are what seems to be a handful of different museums and dozens of different areas, parks and exhibits. Tokyo National Museum actually had about 6 different museums in side of the area but the main one for focus on this trip was the Japanese Art exhibit in one of the museums that highlighted everything from Edo period lacquer ware to swords and Noh costumes.

The Honokan gallery is located on the second floor and features art from many different areas. What probably caught my eye the most weren’t the statues and figures in the first room of the gallery but rather the darkness of the area and the silhouettes that precede the statues on the walls. The darkness of the rooms and the light glaring at the “art” reminded me of our reading on the In Praise of Shadows. This goes back to the older Japanese appreciation for dark instead of light. We are sometimes surrounded by this idea that we are in museums everything must be bright and sterile. In many art galleries or museums I go to the brightness defines how we see the art. IT must be clear, easy to dissect and contain an uncomfortable cleanliness to the area.

However when one enters Honokan each room is different and the nature of each area is to understand the art behind the walls through information defined on the walls and themes to understand the way in which those once lived. As naively American as this sounds I want to be able to understand fully what I am looking at when I see it. Very few places have given me this opportunity on the trip to really understand what I’m looking at and the way of the art due to the lack of English translation.

When it comes to art and message if we do not know what the artist or creator is thinking can we really appreciate the work to it’s fullest?


For more information on the Tokyo National Museum please visit
http://www.tnm.go.jp/en/servlet/Con?pageId=X00&processId=00

Those Damn Yankees

Although much of the rest of the group had returned to America, four of us found ourselves in Yoyogi park (fully named Yoyogi-Kamizono-Cho). This massive park had a little of something for everyone. There were many green spaces with lush plant life (we saw someone sunbathing nude), bridges over beautiful bodies of water (we saw Harajuku style for the first time here), and then we found a massive asphalt surface (where we saw some Japanese Yankees).

I was not familiar with "Japanese Yankees" (as our Japanese friend described them), but I will try to give you a mental image before posting a video. If you remember the days of Grease and poodle skirts; well, think of the "greasers", the bikers with slicked back hair with a totally "bad" attitude. Now imagine a snapshot of a gang of those bikers in today's society. Now imagine those dudes being Japanese.

We stumbled across the area not knowing what we were hearing, but there was some American rock and roll from the 60's blasting loud. As we reached the massive circle, we realized that these full grown men were a working snapshot of the 1960's in America. They were drinking (and throwing) beer, dancing with each other, and posing for hundreds of onlookers.

There's no possible way for me to have captured the essence of this experience, but I have learned that there really is no way to truly capture Japan to share with people who have not experienced it. I hope you enjoy the following video, as it will be the last one I'm posting. I apologize for the low quality of the footage; I was not comfortable getting much closer to the Yankees, honestly. Feel free to check up on my thread on starcityscene.com to read more about my adventures in Japan. I suppose this is my Sayonara for this blog.

Amazed by that which is not seen.

In Japanese visual culture, the result of a creation is not as important as the process itself. This was told to me before coming to Japan but I didn’t really understand until I saw examples for myself. There is a huge contrast between the traditional culture of Kyoto and the modern culture of Tokyo and it would be easy to list or describe them. But, over time, this ‘process before result’ concept is something that I’ve seen all over Japan. For example, the man-altered sand formations at Ginkakuji are impressive. But this is partially due to the mystery as to the process of their creation. If you consider that it was raining heavily only two days before these pictures were taken, you can begin to imagine the amount of work It took to make them.




In the following picture, taken at Ryoanji, It is unclear if the roots of this tree moved the wall over time in order to become a part of it or if the wall was built around the roots of the tree. Either way, the roots are not in the way. They make up the missing piece of the wall, and help water to flow along the canal while simultaneously hydrating the tree.



More modern examples of this were seen at Mori Art Museum in Tokyo. Some exhibits had videos which detailed the extensive amount of time needed to create the exhibits. There were artists present discussing the processes of creating their work. Other pieces being displayed were on such a scale that the time required to create them could only be hinted at.

The presentation at Wieden and Kennedy, a particularly creative ad agency that redefines how such an agency should function, not only showed us projects they had worked on but also videos revealing the creative process of the group.

This kind of insight to the creative process causes one to connect with the effort put into various projects. Whether you are in a traditional or modern part of Japan, what is done is not always as important as how it is done.

Random Encounters

My plan from there was just to explore. I had spotted a music store and figured I might be able to find something for cheap for Alec. As I got closer to the store, a man came up to. He was wearing a robin egg blue Japanese jacket, the kind you see on typical Japanese game shows or competitions…I hope that explains it well enough. Anyways, he asked me if I’d be willing to take a picture with this singer that was appearing there in 10 minutes to do a concert later. It would be in the Japanese newspapers as well, if I agreed to it.

Of course I said yes, since he asked politely. I didn’t really care, but I figured it would be something to talk about. There was a tall skinny box covered by a black sheet in front of the music store, and I figured that she would be coming out from behind that. I was close, instead they tore the sheet down to reveal a young woman, presumably the singer, in a beautiful purple kimono, typical geisha makeup and chimes in her hair. She was very pretty and very elegant; she remained as still as possible, resembling a Barbie in her box but when she did move, she moved with a gentleness yet intensity that I didn’t realize people still possessed.I got close enough to tell that her nails weren't done at all, quite beat up looking actually.

The photographers took their pictures, and then the same man who had originally approached me explained that I needed to go sit next to her now and stare at her. I did as I was told, but the whole time I didn’t really understand why I was doing this. I mean, what was the point choosing a foreigner to stare up at her? Were they trying to show their superiority over foreigners? That seemed pretty tactless on their part. Maybe they just wanted to show that she’s even admired by non-Japanese people? Whatever the case may be, I did what I was told and because of this, I was given free admission to her small 30 minute concert.

I headed upstairs with the other group that had gotten privilege, mainly a bunch of older men but a few older women as well. I soon realized not only was I the only foreigner and one of the few women in the room, but I was also the youngest person there aside from the singer herself, who was probably around her 30s. Her audience is probably based upon the fact that she sung more traditional style music, but even as an outsider I was impressed. She had an excellent singing voice, with a larger range than I gave her credit for. She sang four beautiful songs, laughed with the crowd several times, and then got us all to sing along with the first song she had begun with by reading the back of the pamphlets we had received. Luckily most of the kanji had hiragana above it, so I could read the rest from there.

When she finished, she went to the back of the room, and in a neat ordered fashion, we got up line by line to get signatures from her. I was grateful I knew how to spell my name in Japanese, albeit in katakana for foreign things. After everyone had a signature, she went to the stage again, to take individual pictures with everyone. By this time, I had had enough so I quickly slipped out the room. I had wanted to buy one of her CDs but I believe everyone who wasn’t able to get into the concert bought one, because there were none to be found.

The way they advertised this girl was incredulous to me. On the one hand she wanted to be famous, so I can understand. On the other, she looked tired having to do each individual thing one by one. I don't know but I hope she's well in the future. She was nice, giving me a worn smile of understanding when I was awkwardly staring at her for pictures.

Parallel worlds

I think one of the reasons that people find the Japanese people so mysterious is what they view as important to them. When we look at ourselves, what’s important to us are things like success, happiness, love. The whole gang. They all belong in a same or similar category. However we can see a diversity, strange enough in such a homogeneous society, with what they love.

It’s not just love, and tranquility. It’s what brings those things. Such as nature. The Japanese are obsessed with nature. Every family strives to have at least one little garden, or even a miniature one. They want to connect with their ancestors, viewing the same cherry blossoms that others once watched. As much as they love nature and all its beauty, the Japanese are also obsessed with controlling their environments.

I walked through the Hama Rikyu gardens only to see that several of the branches and tree trunks were being supported by wood and rope, in order to bend the trees the way the owner saw fit. They trim everything just right, so they can have the utmost control over it. You can see some of the desire to control yet blend with nature in their architectural designs. A few buildings have been built to curve, allowing people to pour into the area. It seems more connected to nature than the other skyscrapers around it. Clearly this is a place of defined order.

From what I can see so far, is that the Japanese have a major sense of beauty, most being in nature, but the rest being in the falsified created environment. So their unique ability to admire both sides appeals and labels their true nature as mysterious.

Assaulted by Akihabara

One of the first things you see when exiting the Akihabara metro line is an advertisement of one kind or another. At first it starts out pretty tame with only a few posters here and there across the walls. But as soon as you leave the terminal it’s a never-ending assault on your senses. The streets echo with the voices of shopkeepers shouting our their special discounts, girls dressed in pretty clothes handing out flyers, flashing neon signs displaying shop stores, and television screens plastered to the sides of buildings informing bystanders of the latest and greatest products. I imagine it’d probably be a lot like going to Times Square.

Unlike Times Square however you’re still surrounded by ads, to the point where they can literally cover the walls and ceilings. You don’t really notice it a first since most of the ads use a lot of negative space, but when you have a moment to look around you notice them. Whether you look left, right, up, or down your eyes are bond to land on some form of ad. While this can make sense form an advertisement standpoint in which you want to provide the younger consumers with as many options as they need to select their own style. Which is the main goal of most advertisement agencies in Japan, because once a consumer chooses their brand chances are they’ll continue to buy that brand for the rest of their life. So the main thing an ad wants to get across to the consumers is that their brand is a brand they can empathize with. It’s much more important for the consumer to relate to a brand then for the brand to actually be functional, and it would appear that the ad companies can be quite aggressive to get their empathic messages across.

The Gundam Cafe

In Japan, there's this thing called Mobile Suit Gundam. Its an epic animated series that has spurred nearly countless spin-offs and sequels. As a cultural icon, I've read that it can be compared to what Star Wars has become in the States. Ever since it was introduced in America, I've been a pretty avid fan. When walking around Japan If you know what to look for there are quite a bit of iconic references. But to be even more specific: The Gundam Cafe. Everything about this place has been designed to reflect different aspects of the anime, from the outfits of the employees to the restrooms. It's also actually a pretty classy place, which struck me as odd at first because back home, Gundam isn't something that's necessarily associated with people dressed in formal attire, enjoying fine dining and expensive drinks. When I say expensive I mean it. The cheapest drinks were around 800 yen and I remember seeing some food items for over 3000! I've been there a few times now and every time I go it's pretty busy. Two of those times there was a line of people coming out of the place, waiting to get in. I think its really great that something that back in the U.S. that would be considered kind of nerdy can hold this kind of status here in Japan. Of course, I might be slightly biased because I'm such a fan but either way it was a pretty interesting and enjoyable cafe.

To see more, here is a link to the Official website.

Creativity and Conformity

I never viewed the advertising industry as something that could have much diversity in it; it was always, in my mind, this one huge conglomerate with uniform procedures and philosophies. It's true that some commercials and billboards are more brilliant than others, but the fact that this division between the good and the bad could be related to the companies that produced them hadn't registered in my mind. I didn't realize exactly how different it could be.

After our visits to Wieden + Kennedy and McCann Erickson, this division was made very clear. It was incredibly stunning to go to McCann Erickson after our meeting with W + K, and in fact, this second presentation turned out to be much as I predicted the first would be before we visited. I was dreading the W + K visit. But whereas the first visit turned out to be an extremely pleasant surprise, the McCann Erickson visit left me with shivers of disgust. It was their cold presentation, the way they broke everything down to statistics and numbers, that caused my stomach to roll; I could hardly believe it. As an artist, the freedom and creativity of the artistic process is the most important part of art for me, and it has always appeared to me that the more brilliant the process and the idea, the more attention the piece will receive, no matter the science and math backing it. You can't quantify beauty or interest; you just need to put your heart in a piece to make it worth anything. The pieces that I saw hanging on the walls of McCann Erickson as we walked through the building were lifeless and dull. They were the kind of advertising that repulses me.



On the other hand, Wieden + Kennedy seemed entirely driven by creativity and heart. Their commercials were the kind that I always remember, and the ideas that they came up with were so innovative and imaginative that I couldn't help but love them for it. All through their presentation and even through their building itself, there was an energy that is indescribable -- and amazingly inspiring, and it seemed clear to me that this was why their products were so good; they embrace originality and flair, instead of stifling them by the status quo.

Very clearly in my mind, there is a gulf between the two companies, and there is a hell and a heaven on either side. If nothing else, this trip has shown me how diverse and rich the field of advertising is.

Tattoos in Tokyo

Tattoos have a long history in Japan which has made it hard for modern Japanese citizens to get tattoos. Throughout Japanese history tattoos have been outlawed for various reasons. This has made trying to find a tattoo parlor very difficult.

On the first free day in Tokyo I planned to get a tattoo of a koi fish because koi are so prominent in Japanese culture. I thought that it would at least be somewhat easy to find an open tattoo parlor while in Tokyo because it is the second largest city n the world. I was so wrong.

The people at the front desk of our hostel gave me the name of a local tattoo artist and directions to his shop. Two other girls went with me to look for the shop and it was a lot harder to find then I ever could have imagined.

The map only gave us a few land marks so we had to ask multiple people for directions as to where the shop was. Most people made funny faces when we asked, because of the continued stigma of tattoos. After searching for a few hours we were lead to an apartment building by a nice shop keeper. Many Japanese tattoo artists still tattoo in their apartments instead of the traditional shops in America. This scared me quite a bit but I really wanted this tattoo. When we rang the doorbell the man who answered said that the tattoo artist was away on business in Australia.

Undeterred I decided to look for more tattoo shops online. With help from others in the class I found another shop, this one was a traditional American style shop where you can just walk in. I figured out the directions to this shop and planned to go on our last day in Tokyo.

We took the train all the way to Harajuku and walked down the main street during rush hour. It was packed full of people in the strangest clothing I have ever seen. This made it extremely distracting and hard to find the tattoo shop. Eventually we found a body piercing shop and asked for directions to the tattoo parlor. The shop keeper said it had left and that there were no tattoo parlors in Harajuku. Disheartened but not totally convinced we asked another person on the street if they knew one. He called the number on the shop's sign but wasn't able to help. In the end I wasn't able to get my tattoo in Japan as I had dreamed.

For those of you who think it would be great to get a tattoo while in Japan, do your research way ahead of time. Have many backup plans and give yourself plenty of time to find the shops. Because of the still persisting negative opinion about tattoos and those who have them Japan is not the place to get one.

Japanese Alternative Fashion

What do you get when you dress your nation's children in the same old plain school uniform 6 days a week for 12 years in a country that has one of the longest school years in the world？　The answer is explosive Japanese alternative fashion!

Even during the pre-adolescent years when the urge to assert independence is not as great in teen years, youth still seem to eschew an explosion on color and self-expression in the few ways they are allowed to as far as the dress code of their school is concerned. Below is a picture of Japanese girls approximately 12 years old wearing fun and colorful shoes (the only part of the school uniform which is typically up to students).

On Sundays, the only day of the week Japanese youth are typically not in class, many school-age teens dress in wild outfits and strut their stuff around Harajuku, a neighborhood well-known in Japan for its fashionable youth. These outfits are inspired by well-known popular characters of Japan and by the teens own sense of fashion. There is a sense of explosion from pent up desire for self-expression in the fashion of many of these youth. Some of these youngsters perform in character for hours. The girl in the picture below performed and posed for pictures with tourists.


Check out more amazing photos of Japanese fashion at http://www.japanesestreets.com/

Japanese Abstraction

For our last day in Japan we went to the Mori Art Museum to see what one of our professors called, “The pulse of modern Japanese art.” It was… different. Modern art is not really my cup of tea, so I have to say that I enjoyed previous museums better. But the exhibition had a theme that I have seen throughout my stay in Japan: abstraction.

The idea of the abstract is nothing new in Japan. Dating all the way back to the Kofun period's haniwa dolls, many artistic Japanese artifacts are obviously not trying to mirror the world. Probably the most famous example is the typical Asian lion. None of the statues of lions look like real lions, but that is what they are and that is what everyone accepts them to be. Another example is Japanese calligraphy. Calligraphy can be so abstract that even Japanese people can’t read it but there is still a deep appreciation for it. I’ve noticed that Japanese people are far more appreciative of abstraction in Japanese art than Westerners, as seen by the dwindling amount of non-Japanese in the modern art part of the museum and the crowds of non-Japanese in the Boston Western Art exhibit.

I think that this appreciation comes from what most people refer to as the “Japanese heart.” Japan is a very homogenous and conformity-oriented culture and people, so Japanese already know surface values and ideas. This allows artists to go even farther with abstraction, because no one needs to play catch-up. This is a sharp contrast to Westerners, who often have to bridge cultural gaps to make their message understood. As a Westerner, I have to say that I am able to appreciate Western art better than Japanese art. But who knows, perhaps if I study more I can finally understand the Japanese heart, and dive in to the remarkable world of Japanese abstraction.

Sings of the Right Light

We left Kyoto, although I could have happily spent the rest of our remaining time there. From Kyoto station, we took the Shinkansen to Tokyo; a serene ride to an overcrowded city. Upon arrival, it took us a while to get our bearings straight and we had plenty of time to adjust to the city that (as we would find out to be true) never sleeps. The first thing that caught my attention was the way that Tokyo used lights. There were attention grabbing sights in Kyoto, but many of them were centuries old. This was in stark contrast to the high-tech competitive nature of Tokyo. I took advantage of our downtime to capture the following raw footage of a sign near our subway station exit.



Much like the digital age travelers we were, much like the city, and much like the “mono no aware” nature of things, this sign encapsulated a part of everything. Like most everything we have experienced here, I did not understand the sign. I did, however, understand some universal emotions upon looking at the lights; fascination, awe, an impression. Of course there are hundreds if not thousands of signs like this one, but it was really my first look at Tokyo. Shortly after this was filmed, I saw another usage of light play in the city. Located next to our hostel is a hotel where patrons can pay for either a full night or merely take a “rest” for a cheaper bill. The ever-changing-chromatically-lit sign for the hotel can be seen for miles around Senso-ji (the temple near our hostel). The following was filmed right outside our rooms.



These signs go to show that for advertising in Japan, many times it's just a matter of the right light.

Feel free to check up on my thread on starcityscene.com to read more about my adventures in Japan.

Rice in Japan- Why White?

Upon my airplane's decent into Japan I saw many shiny rectangular plots of land geometrically arranged in a farm-like fashion. I knew from and previously read material and photographs that these were Japan's infamous rice paddies. Never before had I been so inspired to learn about rice in Japan though.



Rice is not native to Japan. In fact the crop was introduced to Japan in the third century B.C. In the Yayoi period. It is likely that rice traveled to Japan from China or Korea. It naturally grows in more tropical conditions which is why there is sometimes an agricultural and economic scare in cooler summers in Japan.

There are many types of rice. The type of rice found most often in Japan is a short-grained “japonica” variety. It is uniquely sticky and round. Rice in Japan is also typically white which means that the outer husk (a wonderful provider of insoluble fiber which is responsible for healthy digestion and protection from cardio-vascular disorders) is removed. I wonder why a highly health-conscious culture such as Japan would remove this healthy outer husk. After hours of research the reasons I found for this action are as follows:

-Brown rice (which maintains it's husk) is chewier than white rice which adds another element to the palate upon eating. White rice is simpler, a characteristic of food which is appreciated especially in Japan.

-White rice has a sweeter, more pleasant fragrance than brown rice, which has a grassier, more harsh scent to it.

-White rice is also purer in appearance. It's brightness lends a clean and clear element to any meal. This aspect is also appreciated in Japan.

Brown rice is also available in Japan but not nearly as readily as white japonica rice. Even though fiber is removed from the number 1 grain of Japan, Japanese people seem to experience enhanced digestive health due to their consumption of high amounts of fermented foods and beverages which are not often consumed in the west.

To find out more about rice in Japan visit http://japanese.japan-talk.com/jt/guide/japanese-rice

Japanese Food

Most people see Japanese food as something strange and disgusting which is far from the truth. Japanese food is very simple yet filling and always comes with a nice presentation. The food in Japan is rather inexpensive for the amount you get. Sometimes this is not always the case and you pay high price for just a bowl of something. I found that most of the time I ate the food was rather cheap and I always got lots of it. The food was always presented in a decorative way with either a garnish on top or an interesting side dish to accentuate the main dish. In fact ramen was always very cheap and came with great presentation. I don't think I will be able to eat top ramen in the states ever again. We also went to a conveyor belt sushi which consisted of a bar with cups and small containers of tea lining the bar area with a chef in the middle and producing the sushi. Once seated you just grabbed what you wanted and the prices were set according to the plate design or color. Not only is there authentic asian cuisine there is also McDonalds, Subway, KFC, and even Burger King. I sampled each of these and they all had their own Japanese menu items to cater to the local population, and each of these items was delicious. There is also something known as the tower cheese burger which has 1o patties with cheese on top of each. I did try this incredibly larger burger, and let's just say it was very greasy and a few hours later my stomach was turning in agitation from it. Never the less I am in deep love with Japanese food and could never tire of the delicious taste, aroma, and visually appearance of every dish there is to order. To get a guide to Japanese cuisine and table manners go to http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e620.html

Branding an Area

Walking down any street that neighbors a temple, a shrine, or anything that could even be remotely of interest to tourists, you will see several blocks worth of shops selling trinkets and memorabilia. They are not only tailored for the specific sites, but also to buy anything Japanese as well. The colors are bright, and the patterns ornate, everything sold is very graphic and simple to understand. This is the touristy side of all of the places we have gone, and it is interesting to think about how it helps to define the area.

One of the areas with the most extensive expanse and quantity of these shops was Nara. Nara is famous for its very aggressively hungry sacred deer and Todai-ji temple with its monumental Buddha. Though, if you didn't know these things about the area, you would figure it out very quickly from the souvenirs. They have everything from blow up plastic deer, deer hats with little knit antlers, and an extense of cell phone key chains with little Buddhas and deer . Even within the walls of the temple, there was an entire large corner that was dedicated to selling things relating to the giant Buddah that was just a few feet in front of them, or the deer that were wandering around outside. As you walked onto the temple grounds to get to the exit, you would run into a half a dozen more of these souvenir stands, all selling the same things for the same prices. The street that had all of the tourist shops, including places to buy food for both you and your friendly deer friends, was nearly a mile long.

The thing that is most interesting about this is the branding of what a certain part of the country is by what you can get there. Areas will become famous for things, such as Nara for its deer and Buddha, and that branding will give it a very superficial and commercial definition. This can apply to even larger areas, such as buy paper fans and chopsticks at the Japan airport. It is strange to think about how you can really make a culture into something super commercial if you just pick out a few things to focus on and offer a consumer a variety of ways to buy it. They are presented in usually graphic visual cues, like cute pink Buddhas or brightly colored deer cell phone charms. There is a non verbal understanding between consumer and shop owner. “If you give me a pastry with a deers face plastered on it, I will give you money.”

The Ins and Outs of Tenryuji Temple

When we headed over to Tenryuji temple I was expecting another tour consisting of the inner part of some super beautiful temple and an explanation of the temples history. This was not the case however as we only took a tour of the gardens, which while quite exquisite, and I was a little saddened that we wouldn’t get to see more of the temple. Though would not have been surprised if the gardens were the most impressive part of the temple. We weren’t allowed to spend to long on the grounds as we had to head off for Tokyo at around 2:00pm, but what I did get to see was absolutely beautiful.

Like Ryoanji this temple is known for it’s garden, which is one of the oldest in the world. The main difference between the Tenryuji temple and the Ryoanji temple is while the Ryoanji temple focuses on its rock garden the Tenryuji temple focuses more on the garden as a whole instead of one specific site. The temple’s garden felt more like walking though a small park if only because of all the trees and greenery. And while the view was quite spectacular I didn’t get the chance to view the garden in its entirety due to lack of time. Of course the fact that my feet were still throbbing from our previous hikes around Kyoto didn’t help much in terms of getting around swiftly either.

Even though my time in the garden wasn’t quite what I would have liked it to be I still got a chance to witness first hand how the Japanese attempt to imitate nature. The garden as a whole definitely showcased a strong sense of shin-gyo. This is a Japanese aesthetic term used to describe where something lies between man and nature. Shin-gyo happens to be in the middle of the two but leaning slightly more towards man.

After the temple we walked through the bamboo forest, which was only about2 blocks long, and I found it quite disappointing. Personally I was expecting more of a forest and less of a smile climb up a hill and the large amounts of people crossing though didn’t help to create the atmosphere I was expecting either. The easiest way to describe it would be to say that the real forest doesn’t do the pictures justice.

But enjoy a quick sketch of the gardens at least:

Harajuku Lovers

Like many Americans, I think the first time I ever he

ard about Harajuku is from Gwen Stefani. After walking up and down the streets, it’s true, they do have some wicked style. I’ve always been a fan

of Japanese fashion- it’s cute, it’s colorful, it’s quirky. In Harajuku, you can find bows, short skirts, and leggings in all patterns and colors. The street is busy and full of tourists, but there is a distinct flair for style everywhere you turn. In addition to fashion, Harajuku is famous for it’s freshly made crepes. The sweet smell of berries and whipped cream entices your tastebuds throughout the experience. I had a savory crepe, however, with Italian salad and prosciutto. It was the freshest thing I had ever tasted, and visually appealing as well. If you like clothes, bring plenty of money. Unlike most of Japan, you can use your credit card in most places, so shopaholics beware! I was fortunate enough to find a Japanese thrift store, however, where most clothes and jewelry were under 400 yen. While it is easy to throw down thousands of yen on outfits, there is something for even the most conservative shoppers. I took some pictures with locals, and it’s clear to see a range of fashion. There are gothic outfits, babydoll gowns, Victorian style dresses, sequins…

whatever you’re into, it’s there. At any rate, every outfit is hyper stylized, exaggerating or bending gender norms. In one of my images, there is a girl with wearing an adorable pink outfit, and I noticed something very different about her eyes. According to my eye doctor, there are special contacts only sold in Japan to increase the size of your iris. It’s hard to tell in my photo, but this girl’s eyes looked like she could have been an anime character. For me, Harajuku was an amazing people watching experience. It was a place to express your own unique essence through your style. Whether or not people want to, the way you dress yourself gives people an impression of who you are. The uninhibited nature of dress in Harajuku deeply impressed me to wear what I want for me, and not for anyone else.

Click here for more info about Harajuku!

Why I love what I do: A trip to W + K

On Tuesday I took the class over to the Tokyo branch office of Wieden and Kennedy one of the largest independent advertising agencies in the world.
I feel in love with Wieden + Kennedy about a couple years ago when I was writing a piece about Target and was researching some of the international advertising. Some of their better-known clients have been Nike, Google, Play station and Old Spice. I fell in love with them again this year when I watched the documentary Art and Copy (which everyone should see regardless if you are in Advertising or not) and again with the new Google search campaign.

What makes Wieden + Kennedy unique is that they are not just an advertising agency (in fact, one might say that they reject that title) they are more of creative entertainment inventors. W +K Tokyo created their own recording label called W + K Tokyo Lab seven years ago and it is still going amazingly strong. On Tuesday, when visiting their offices many of their creative’s stopped by to show us some of their work samples for Nike and PS3 as well as answer any questions we had on graphic designing, advertising, art, music and just how to survive in Japan.
The great thing about W+K is the variety of people who work in their Tokyo branch. Everyone comes from a different background, speaks different languages and yet still somehow finds away to communicate amazing ideas to one another.
Please check out their blog at http://www.wktokyo.jp/blog/

From fish in shoes, to 360 degrees of gamer faces, to graphically appealing music videos W+ K Tokyo does all that and a bag of wasabi beans.
I think the most appealing moment for me though was realizing how an optional agenda piece that I created and wanted to see turned into a must-do event that I think the whole class enjoyed.



This isn’t an advertising trip, it’s a visual culture in contact class combining both advertising and art—I believe W+K Tokyo’s presentation was one of the best things so far the really highlighted both.
I whispered to Frauke at the end of the presentation ‘ Thank You’.

Modern Architecture Condensed

If you’re looking for modern architecture in Tokyo, Omotesando delivers all in one street. The tree lined avenue is of full of designer flagship stores designed by internationally known architects like Tadao Ando, MDRDV, Toyo Ito, and Kenzo Tange. The bulk of the must see buildings are between Subway Meiji-jingumae Station and Subway Omotesando Station, so it makes for a perfect stroll with bridges above the street providing prime viewing spots.
The people, buildings, brands, and just the whole atmosphere of the area is fashionable and the shady tree lined street is reminiscent of Champs-Élysées in Paris or Las Ramblas in Barcelona. I noticed that even the subway entrances are more stylish than what you would normally see.

Every step I took gave me something new to look at and more to get excited about. It was amazing to be able to see buildings by some of my favorite architects. The fresh, modern designs seen on the street had clean lines, interesting materials, and abstract forms that I have never seen in person before. Some highlights for me were the dreamy translucency of Christian Dior by SANAA, the branching lines of Tod’s by Toyo Ito, the geometric reflectivity of the Hanae Mori Building by Kenzo Tange, and the diamond bubble grid of Prada by Herzog and de Mueron. PingMag has a great page that shows a map and more images of buildings on the street.
I visited during the day, but I hear the whole appearance changes when the buildings glow in the night. There are some other great architectural pieces around the city, but this street made it so easy to check a good chunk of buildings off my list of must see Tokyo architecture.

The Magic of Studio Ghibli Museum

For a couple of years now, I have been a huge fan of Hayao Miyazaki’s films. Naturally, when I found out there was a Studio Ghibli Museum (his studio), I had to go there. We somehow made it in time for our entrance appointment (you must get there prior to your reservation or you cannot go in), and I entered what could only be described as a world of imagination and whimsy. Designed my Miyazaki himself, the museum is as amazing and visually stunning as any of his films. If you are ever fortunate enough to go here, you will first be given the honor of seeing a short, exclusive film only shown in the museum. Our film of the day was a heartwarming tale about sumo wrestling rats. What struck me most about the film was it’s lighthearted animation and background scenery that almost looked as though it was made with pastels.

Words cannot describe the experience I had inside the animation exhibit. Inside were three dimensional animated sculptures unlike anything I had ever seen. The most amazing one was a Totoro animation. It’s difficult to describe, but basically there were many figurines positioned in a circle. Each sculpture was posed slightly different. Then, the tree starts spinning and a strobe light starts going off. In doing so, there was an almost magical effect of hundreds of tiny Totoro and friends dancing around a tree. Then, the wheel stops spinning, and you realize the animated figures are merely still objects. It was unlike anything I had ever seen before, and I will never forget the whimsical effect it had.

Found this on YouTube.... you are totally not supposed to film this!

It was as though I had stumbled upon a tiny village of Totoros myself. This was not the only animation either. We also had the chance to see many original storyboards and concept drawings done by Miyazaki himself. The room that held these treasures was designed to look like Miyazaki’s own workspace. The architecture of the museum was simply otherworldly, with cartoon-like walls, and rich stained glass murals of characters in his films. I was expecting a lot, and my expectations were blown away. Every detail, from the sewer drains to the rooftop garden was something else to see. It sounds cheesy, but going to the Studio Ghibli Museum felt like a trip to a magical land, where you can view the world with the hopeful eyes of a child.

Check out their website to read Hayao's unique dedication statement to his museum!

Japan's Gaming Culture

Japan is known for its crazy food, manga, and strange TV. When I think of Japan I think of games. I am in love with gaming and have been since I was younger, and being in Japan is like the Meccah of gaming. We spent the first few days of this trip wandering around going to temples, and I always on my mind was thinking of where I could find the closest arcade. We finally went to Nishiki Market and right before we left we happened to run across A-Cho one of kyoto's more famous arcades. I was in heaven. I walked in and the first thing that caught my eye was the Taiko Drum game which was incredibly fun and easy to play. The visual culture of these places is incredibly intricate from the bright colors and lights to the black light fighting game area. The games have fun colorful characters and the machines are also quite bright and flashy. When you step into these places its like walking into a different world with the door being the separator. Arcades are so different from American arcades which happen to be dying out quite rapidly, and in Japan they are still going quite strong. In fact we would walk in at night and businessmen were always there playing games and its amazing to me the age range that come into these places. In fact they were not only older, but you were not allowed into these places if you were under 18 after a certain time and in some cases not at all. The players in these arcades are incredibly good at these games that well have been around for a long time and even those that are new. Just walking around in the arcades was awesome and sitting in the huge Gundam pods was an experience all its own. Sitting in these pods made it like you were actually controlling these robots in real life and the actions required are what would be required in real life to operate such machines. In many of the arcades there were girls dressed in Cos-Play as maids, samurai warriors, and even cats. These girls are used to attract the customers and it works very well in most cases. All in all the arcades of Japan are something you have to experience for yourself and its an awesome jaw dropping experience. Arcades are an essential feature in Japan to find out more go to Here

Skylines: Tokyo vs Kyoto

Skylines are visually stimulating. I think that you can tell a lot about a city by looking at it from above. In Kyoto the view was of trees and mountains, with a bit of city thrown in at the bottom. Tokyo, however, goes a completely different route. Instead of mountains, all you can see from any given window is a mass of tall buildings, always glowing from either the sun or neon signs. The sky, when you can see it at all, is jagged from all the skyscrapers. Also, plant life is not part of Tokyo; all greenery is carefully relegated to parks.

As an example, here is a picture of what I saw in Kyoto when I went to a higher-up restaurant:

Here is a picture from about the same height in Tokyo:

The visual differences between Tokyo and Kyoto reflect the different cultures that are found in the cities. Kyoto was very much about the preservation of the past and the quiet serenity that Japan is known for. This is reflected in the fact that the buildings there are relatively short, and, as I have stated in a previous blog post, the city does not encroach upon nature, but instead tries to work with it. Tokyo is about moving forward; it seems that builders were not concerned on what they were encroaching on, they just wanted to build as high and as fast as they could. Progress does not include building around what is there first, you just build through it. There is no serenity in Tokyo and very few visual nods to the past. You either go forward or go home.

Whether or not one city is better than the other is a matter of personal preference, but I will say that that they are most definitely different. It’s no wonder that tourists always want to go to both Tokyo and Kyoto; they are two vastly different places, but they are both Japan.

This is just one comparison of cities in Japan. For Osaka vs Kyoto, check out Mijoe's blog here.

A Vertical World

Man has long delighted in creating infrastructures that ascend as close to heaven as possible -- delighted in testing their mastery over gravity. Yet for century upon century, only the most massive of projects could achieve any sort of height; the product of these attempts can be seen most clearly in the vast cathedrals of Europe, which soared ever higher through the Gothic Period. However, for all the sweat and blood that our ancestors put in these creations, they are nothing compared to their modern counterparts. The skylines of Tokyo and New York are interrupted by countless giant fingers reaching towards the sun; some even manage to break their way through the clouds. The people of a hundred years ago couldn't ever have imagined the system of life that we've created in the metropolises of the world.

There is a sort of safety, I think, in living in the shadows of these buildings. When we first stepped out of the subway and were greeted by the bright lights of the restaurants and stores and the towering walls of hotels and corporate headquarters, I instantly felt at home. Perhaps it is unsophisticated of me, but the lively, crowded feeling of sleepless cities is a comfort like no other; they are cocoons of verticals. After spending so long in Kyoto, which crouches low to the ground and allows only its bright green hills to reach any sort of height, Tokyo is a stark, artificial difference. Kyoto is a sprawling land of horizontals and I often found myself disconcerted walking through its streets; and yet, I always knew where I was going. North and South were concepts that easily stuck in my mind, and I never had any trouble returning home. Tokyo, however, is composed only of verticals, and I often find myself completely devoid of any sense of direction, locked in by walls; the only way I can orient myself is by looking up to the towering buildings and trying to find landmarks. Essentially, the element of the city that gets me lost is the also the only way that I can find myself.



There's something more interesting and confounding in this way of finding your bearings than in a horizontal world's way. There's no curiosity or adventure when you innately feel the world's compass, but when you're lost and completely stripped of this knowledge, it's a humbling experience and a good one to have.

Ghibli Museum shows the Cute side of Tokyo

This museum is by far the best thing about staying in Tokyo. The building is a delight to the eyes form the beginning to the end. Totoro, a giant stuffed rabbit character from one of Hayao Miyazaki's movies greets you while you walk to the entrance. Once you enter the building you are given a ticket to an animated movie of Miyazaki's that is only shown in his museum.

The movie I saw in the museum was about sumo wrestling rats. It was adorable in typical Miyazaki style. The movies alternate between about seven different original animations. I don't want to give away the film but it was cute like most Japanese animated movies.

The cute theme found in Japanese culture continues throughout the Ghibli Museum. There are small doors for children to run through on the first floor as well as metal spiral staircase that goes nowhere.

The second floor has sketches and storyboards from Miyazaki's movies on one side and a room showing scenes from the other short films that the museums alternates on the other side. The room with Miyazaki's work in it was absolutely beautiful. It shows the characters and scenery in various stages of completion and color. The final pieces are absolutely stunning. The museum also has a cafe which sells everything from hot dogs to ice cream and fancy cakes.

The third floor has a gift shop and a play area for small kids to climb on the cat bus, another character from a Miyazaki movie. Outside the third floor is another metal spiral staircase leading to the roof. On the roof is a statue of a Robot Soldier from the movie "Castle in the Sky."

The architecture of the buildings of the Ghibli Museum are designed to look like the cute buildings in his movies. They continue the Japanese love for cute designs throughout the whole museum.

If you love the Japanese cute themes or Miyazaki's movies you have to stop into the Ghibli Museum. It is a fantastic adventure that brings you back to your childhood.