Tsukimi- a celebration of autumn moon, took place on the night of Sept 23rd. This is a fragment of video footage I recorded that evening at the Tsukimi which was held at the Kamigamo Shrine. Click on the highlighted link: Tsukimi, and then on the link that appears next (“? attachment id= 403”) to see […]
This afternoon I cycled across the river to the Higashiyama area of the Kyoto to the National Museum of Modern Art to see the current exhibition of paintings by the Japanese Avant -Garde group “Rekitei Bijutsu Kyokai”. Founded in the late 1930’s, the painters in this group sought to break with the traditional Japanese painterly […]
Each time I see Fuji It appears changed And I feel I view it Ever for the first time. How shall I describe Fuji To those who have not seen it? It is never seen twice alike And I know no one way Of describing the sight. Date Masamune (1565-1636), from Zen and Japanese Culture, […]
Last night I went to Nankano to meet with Tokyo-based composer and musician Christophe Charles and to the home of video artists Sei Kazam and Hatsune Ohtsu, who work under their collective name- “Visual Brains”. Over a wonderful meal provided by Sei and Hatsune, and with the aid of Christophe’s translation skills, I asked them […]
Today I took the Tokyo Subway to Roppongi, and since the National Art Center was closed (a fact I failed to notice in my guidebook), I visited the impressive Mori Art Museum in the Roppongi Hills Complex. I was fortunate to find that there was a particularly interesting exhibition currently on show- Sensing Nature: Rethinking […]
Arrived in Tokyo yesterday later afternoon and found my hotel in the Shinjuku district without much trouble, navigating the Tokyo Metro is easier than it looks- even for someone with my compromised sense of direction! This morning I explored the area near the JR Shinjuku railway station on foot- visiting the observation room in the […]
This evening I did an evening walk along the Pontocho, a narrow lane full of restaurants and bars, crossing the Kamo-gawa in search of Ozawa, a highly recommended tempura restaurant. It was worth the walk!
I was awake early and spent the morning visiting some of the sub-temples of the Daitokuji Monastery. The Daisen-In, which has a well-known Zen Garden did not allow photography, and was full of tourists, but the Koto-In, which has a wonderful moss garden was peaceful and contemplative. However, it seemed that I saved the best […]
Last night I had an enjoyable evening with Prof Shinsuke Ina and his two colleagues- Isanori Oha and Naoki Nishigushi, who are currently working together on the book translation. They treated me to a delicious meal (as well as several bottles of Kirin Beer!) My Tokyo visit is also now taking shape. I have booked […]