Light and Shadow

Light and Shadow

Monday, 18 June 2018

There are many places I really love in my own city, not many of them are actually that difficult to get to but I never really get to visit them any more. You know when you know that you can visit any time you tend to leave it till later and then you would just forget. Or maybe that is just my excuse.
Hara Museum has always been my favourite, it's small, has a lovely garden, beautiful old architecture, and it's located somewhere that you really have to aim to get there. I visited there last summer after many years, nothing really had changed but one big change I noticed was that we were now allowed to take photos inside. Most of the Japanese museums didn't allow photography inside but it's changing and you'd notice that you can take photos at many of the places, often with some limitations.
I don't remember how hot that day was when we visited here but it looks like it was a very hot day, that light and shadow tell it don't they.

Comments: 6

AFTERNOON IN YANAKA #2

AFTERNOON IN YANAKA #2

Monday, 15 April 2013

I said that Yanaka (or Yanesen) is full of beautiful traditional stores but there are also some really interesting shops and galleries run by young creatives. Seen in the first 4 photos is a new art house that had just opened when we went there called HAGISO (thanks to Ros for finding out about it!).

HAGISO used to be a shared apartment which had been loved by students of the neighbouring Tokyo Geidai (Tokyo University of the Arts) for a long time but this 57-year-old building was planned to be demolished to be a car parking space after the 3.11 earthquake from 2011.

Fortunately, the demolishing plan was replaced by a huge renovating project by some of the graduates of the Tokyo Geidai and the new life was put into the beloved HAGISO! Now it has a cafe and gallery space on the ground floor, and on the second floor houses an artist's atelier, hair salon and a design office. This is a really interesting space that is innovating and so modern yet mingling well with the local community in this lovely shitamachi atmosphere.

In the Yanesen area, you can also find some cute & pop retro shops including Biscuit Yanaka and Hitoyasumi Kichi Nanaco.
There are so many more shops I want to check out in this area so I really need to go back for a good exploring around Yanesen soon!!

HAGISO
3-10-25 Yanaka Taitou-ku 110-0001 (google map)

Comments: 12

Art Deco Palace

Art Deco Palace

Thursday, 20 October 2011

Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum holds the annual Art Deco Palace Exhibition which actually doesn't exhibit anything but to showcase the architecture itself as a piece of art. Some rooms can only be seen during this special occasion. The museum building was built in 1938 as the residence of the Prince Asaka Family and is also known as "The Art Deco Palace". Yes, Art Deco!

I love coming to this museum and every time I come here I can not help gazing at every little detail that attracts and destructs me from what is being exhibited, but when I come here for this annual exhibition it's a different story. I can only look at the architecture and interior as much as I like, and the best part is that only during this exhibition they allow you to take photographs inside! Unlike last time I came here to take photos some years ago today was unbelievably crowded with people (with over 80% of the visitors being senior citizens!) and it was so hard to take photos :( I tried to wait and get shots without people in them many many times but my patience snapped before I could snap the shot! I might try and go back again before this exhibition ends at the end of the month before closing for renovation for a while, perhaps early in the morning when people start showing up.... if I can, hmmm.

Comments: 8

MOT with a little one.

MOT with a little one.

Thursday, 14 October 2010

These are from late August (late late post) when my niece Ako was visiting during her school holidays. One day we went to the MOT (museum of contemporary art tokyo) and had a wonderful time. They were having 2 exhibitions which kids can really enjoy, one was "kodomo no niwa" (garden of children) where everyone can enjoy physical art experience, and the other one "Karigurashi no Arrietty & Yohei Taneda Fusing Fantasy With Reality" which exhibited a life-sized set based on Ghibli's film Arrietty. I'm not a big fan of Ghibli works or animations but no it was quite interesting and amusing.

Ako was staying with my mum while she was in Tokyo like always, but after this MOT fun day she decided to spend the night at our apartment. This was the very first time she had a sleeping over at our place, she had always said she couldn't sleep without her dad or grandma so that was a real big step for her and aunty was so pleased :)

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Comments: 17

3331 Arts Chiyoda & The Tokyo Art Book Fair 2010

3331 Arts Chiyoda & The Tokyo Art Book Fair 2010

Friday, 30 July 2010

The Tokyo Art Book Fair started today and I went to the opening last night as I was lucky enough to have lovely Ebony of Hello Sandwich inviting me :) It was huge and I was really impressed with the quality of the zines all the creators were exhibiting at the fair, of course including the new Hello Sandwich Scrap Book Zine and now too-famous-to-mention Hello Sandwich Tokyo Guide! Having booths alongside Ebo-chan, I also met cute mogu-chan and lovely Anna Glesson from Australia who had the prettiest pale blue dress on that suited her perfectly.

The venue 3331 Arts Chiyoda (seen in above images borrowed from their website) was also awesome! Renovated from an old junior high school it provides cool art spaces that host many exhibitions and create many art scenes. I loved how it has a big open space at the front of the building (even with a green grass that you can go and sit on, which is (believe me) rare in Tokyo), especially being in the middle of the busy office area of Kanda.

The Tokyo Art Book Fair will be held for the next 3 days, so if you are free in Tokyo I'd recommend you get there and have fun!! And also do visit Hello Sandwich blog to see the photos from last night which Ebony took ;)

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Comments: 4

Aoyama in the evening.

Aoyama in the evening.

Friday, 12 February 2010

Aoyama is a nice area to just wonder around taking photos. It gets prettier in the evening. The main purpose of going to Aoyama this time was the Watari-um museum (one of my favourite museums in Tokyo) to get to the last day of the Luis Barragan exhibition. Barragan is a true master, a colour genius and light magician I really I admire him but it was far too crowded. I should never rush in on the last day of anything, I told myself so for the hundredth time. I really have to go to Mexico, then I thought for the thousandth time.


Happy weekend to you all! Friday is about to end in Tokyo.

Comments: 13

minä perhonen x torafu @ CLASKA

minä perhonen x torafu @ CLASKA

Monday, 18 January 2010

All images are from CLASKA.

Over the weekend, I went to the exhibition of a collaborative furniture project by mina perhonen and wonderful torafu architects at my very favourite shop/gallery in Tokyo -DO in Claska. Some very interesting new furniture pieces were exhibited including prototypes, and also there were some really lovely cushions and tablewares for sale. I could not resist that hasami-yaki ceramic (from Nagasaki) grey coffee cup & saucer seen in the top picture! (I'm seriously considering for going back for more.) It came in a pretty grey box too :) This exhibition will be going till the end of January, so if you will be in Tokyo check it out. You can also buy these wonderful items at CLASKA's online shop (Japanese).

Also, now the mina perhonen exhibition "The future from the past" is held at the Kanazawa 21st Century Museum until the end of May, so hopefully I will get the chance to go see it!

And for all mina lovers, do check out this and this (wonderful magazines full of mina perhonen!).

New posts here too ;)

Comments: 14

Makoto Kagoshima Exhibition @ biotope

Makoto Kagoshima Exhibition @ biotope

Friday, 6 November 2009

All images are from biotope.

I went to an exhibition of a Japanese ceramic artist Makoto Kagoshima held at a lovely little shop called biotope in Gakugeidaigaku. I first saw his plates at aaA of yu (she has a great collection!) and later at ii-ne-kore. I instantly fell in love with his works and I did get to go to a little exhibition at the spiral but there weren't so many left there though I got a little plate for myself :)

At biotope today, I was literally surrounded by all his works from beautiful plates, bowls-big and small, coffee cups, vases, cute little objects and paintings! (you can see what it was like here) It was marvelous and I got really excited!!!! I liked many of them and didn't know which one I should get so I ended up not getting anything at all. The ones I really liked were too expensive for me anyway (30,000yen+). But I might go back soon as the exhibition will be going till Sunday, hmmmm.
You can buy them online here too, though am not sure they'd ship internationally.

Well, hope you will have a great weekend!!

biotope
5-14-1 Shimouma Setagaya-ku Tokyo 154-0002
Open: 14:00-19:00 Weekdays / 12:00-19:00 Sat&Sun&holidays / Closed on Wednesdays.
*biotope has moved to aoyama
　

Comments: 14