Some Randomness

Last week, whilst waiting for my coffee, I was looking out the giant glass wall/window of the shop and to a bridge across the small lake in the park. (whoa preposition overload!) I was checking out what kind of bridge they built in the semi-new "health" park behind Toyama eki. To my surprise, there was a young man at the top of the bridge and he was dancing. At first, I wasn't sure if he was having a fight with an imaginary being, practicing a martial art I am not familiar with, or maybe just dancing? Dancing it was. J-pop style. Sadly, he wasn't 100% into it. There was still some sense of shame or embarrassment to his public display. Part of me was happy he was dancing at all, but another part was hoping he would throw caution to the wind and really break it down.

I turned back to my coffee and when I glanced back before leaving the shop, I saw him stop and run over to his girlfriend who had been sitting further down the bridge. I am left to ponder. Was it a display of love? Courtship? Maybe a dare?

We are going to Kanazawa this weekend, and I'm pretty excited. I haven't been to a museum for quite a while now, and I am starting to feel art pangs.

Also, I need to start sketching out my dreams again, I think. Last night... sabre-toothed antelope babies. Yup.

Nara Yoshitomo


Saturday, some brave adventurers and myself went to Kanazawa for some quality arting. We arrived at the museum right after they opened and had a good wander. I was surprised to see that the artist in residence, Yoshitomo Nara, was anything but. They had two rooms in the main museum devoted to him, and a side building used as his personal studio with a tiny attached cafe, you could enjoy coffee or tea in. We wandered around the rooms, and I was impressed with the typical Nara-fare. It was good. Heavy on the puppies, but good.


The sad realization came when we found the studio lacking in the actual artist. He was nowhere to be found. I kept my eyes peeled in the museum, thinking, perhaps he was enjoying his fame and relative visual anonymity, but to no avail. Little children were scheduled to be wandering around the museum on "Pup Patrol" starting at 2pm, so we went away to see Kenrokuen and have lunch.

Upon returning, we spotted two kiddies dressed as pups. They were both looking rather worse for wear, and the little boy was about ready to faint in the thick fabric puppy-suit. I circled the museum a few times, which is something in and of itself, because the place is set up like a labyrinth, but no more puppies.


I went back to the studio later, to find a note penned by Nara-san. It said that he would not be in the studio from the 8th-23rd of November. Hmmm!? Where was this note this morning? Did the museum staff forget to put it up? Why would they have bothered taking it down in the first place. Damn, I am bitter.


I had to amuse myself by watching a hopelessly unaware man thwapping one of the stuffed dog sculptures viciously in the nose, and seeing the docent freaking out but in typical "meek young woman" fashion, not say anything. I continued to observe as he approached the wall where the costumes were hanging. I knew what was coming, but the docent bit her lip and tried to will away the inevitable. The man proceeded to man-handle the costumes quite roughly, and another docent, hiding slyly in the corner, started bellowing at him.


In another room, there was an intriguing piece displayed on floor. It ran the length of the gallery, and was made of wax, frosted glass, and a graphite spiral drawing at one end. Pretty cool, very fragile. Did I mention the place was crawling with kids? There was a presentation given to primary school kids, letting out when we first arrived. They were proudly adorned with nametags, school uniforms, and their moms (some of whom looked as if they had no concept of museum etiquette). So, back to the fragile sculpture. The room it was in had 3 large sculptures, and 2 docents. The first docent was chillin on the left side of the room guarding two tall pillar-like oceanic/marble formations. The other was in charge of the glassy/wax thingy. She was in a perpetual state of nervous anger. Her hands were stuck somewhere between going back down to her side's and shooing children away. The look on her face was priceless. I would not have traded her places in a million years!


Here are a few of the rugrats playing on the sculptures outside of the museum.

Minor things and Shakespeare



These past couple weeks have hijacked all my spare time. I finally got over the evil disease that had been plaguing me for weeks on end.

I went to see a Japanese interpretation of Shakespeare's Titus Adronicus the next afternoon. It was superb! Eri, the Pope, and I went... alas I had to leave early for Charity Show practice, and thus missed my favorite part of the play. Overwhelming sadness. The only thing lacking from this version of the play was definitely my favorite heathen Goth, Jonathan Rhys Meyers.


Yesterday, J and I took a trip to Kanazawa to go shopping for his sensei's sayonara presents. It was a really nice day, and getting out of Toyama is always good. Don't get me wrong, I love my ken, but the sunshine is missed. We were both off school, which I was tricked into thinking was a lovely holiday. Nay, I have to work tomorrow (Saturday). Balls.

Other things that happened these past 2 weeks.

Charity Show practice - make it stop. I enjoy it, but want to just do the show already!

Got schooled by Yamashita-sensei - started my new Japanese class and was basically informed that I am a moron and need to work double extra special hard. sigh... ego bruised.

Watched Colin get humped on his bike by a random Russian dude - scary

Kanazawa 21st Century Museum

The trees reflected in the stream and pebbles at Kenrokuen Gardens




Yesterday, I was graced with daikyuu, or as I like to say, "screwed out of having a 3 day weekend." Anyways, it was a beautiful day and Ellie and Angelo joined me on my art mission. I have been to the museum once before, for the infamous Matthew Barney "Drawing Restraint" show.




I love the museum, the space is inviting, some of the works are interactive, some structural aspects are simulaneously permanent pieces in the collection, and they have a good sized area of the gallery devoted to touring shows and/or collections, as opposed to throwing the same pieces that they paid an exorbantant amount of money on in your face again and again like other museums. This show was entitled, "Alternative Paradise."


Upon walking in, I was greeted by Hiroto Kitagawa's study of "futuristic human beings." They looked like giant clay manga characters, but painted with acrylic paint to add depth and the artist's touch. I like ultramarine as much as the next painter, but I think these were a bit glorified. Beautiful, yes, overrated, in my opinion... also yes. Sorry, no picture. Moving on.

Here we have Tetsuya Nakamura.


He apparently does fascinating things with fiberglass, etc. The "fast" objects were very shiny and sleek. I felt dismay upon walking into this gallery, because it looked like a 4 year old's dreamland. Life-sized race cars straight out of a video game. The museum explained that Nakamura paints and molds these vehicles using "new" techniques, but doesn't elaborate beyond that. The concept was very perplexing. Something about making speed visible. Perhaps it was just translated badly on the museum wall.


Canan Dagdelen's work (similar to, but not the one displayed above) left me feeling like a part of my soul had been sucked out. The space was horribly underutilized (perhaps the gallery's fault) and the work was very recently re-appropriated. I have seen this method of hanging multiple objects to create a new form dangling below, done over and over. I didn't find it particularly engaging.

Some aspects of the show were great. The T-room, a 4 artist collaboration futuristically interpreting the Japanese tea ceremony, was beautiful. The concept was well thought out, and the giant bubble room enveloped you and instilled a real sense of calm.




I know I am not supposed to take photos in the museum, but it was covered in silicone! I have a weakness for silicone. I also liked the hair/thread works from Anne Wilson (the 100 days one, not so much the video, although it gave me a good idea about milk...), and the plastic organisms created by Sofi Zezmer.

We also spent time at the beautiful Kenrokuen gardens, and had some tea at the garden teahouse. Below is our mochi.


a view of the tea room


My empty chawan.


The overall best part of the day was when we visited the oldest shrine in Ishikawa and were treated like royalty. I was getting my shuin written by the resident calligrapher/hanko mistress, and the caretakers of the shrine came out and chatted with us for a bit. They told us about the temple and gave us arrows as we were leaving. Awww... so sweet. Now I just want to know where I can get one of those awesome shrine maiden uniforms!