Tokyo Fashion Week - March 23-27, 2009

I've been neglecting my blog because I've been guesting on Anthea's. For complete coverage and great pictures, (some by Luke the photographer) see Anthy's site: clotheslinefinds.blogspot.com
Tokyo Fashion Week was so well organized: staff very formal, usually in black, and fresh flowers at every venue. Although there were three lines for each show, entry was efficient and welcoming. Admittance was by invitation only and these were collected, along with your business card before you were led to your seat. On each seat was a press package and often, a small gift. Anthy is now the proud owner of a beautiful set of invitations, a press pass and many small packages of cosmetics, teas and even a purple acrylic bow tie, from a men's wear collection. Being press usually got you a speedy entrance but often there were many heads and bright lights and flashes to avoid. Still, you got to sit with other fashion writers and people from industry, most of whom speak several languages and it was great to be able to compare notes and chat about work life in Japan. The audience dressed for each event; I was dazzled by brilliant gowns, sparkling jewelry, fedoras and top hats, leathers and lace -all so tailored and unique. No socks or silk patterned ones are popular for men and for women, it's all about patterned stockings and the highest heels ever. Kimonos are everywhere and are especially beautiful at the Cherry Blossom festivals and celebrations in the parks. Fashion, Art and parades are all around us and we are off to a parade and giant robot burning event tonight. Will try to add some of my pictures that didn't make the professional cut but are a record of what I saw.

Hama-rikyu Gardens-Family Garden of the Tokugawa Shogun

This property dates back to 1654 and was a residence for the Shogun family and later a detached Palace for the Imperial Family. Earthquakes and WW II bombings all but destroyed the buildings and gardens, but in 1945 the garden was given to the city by the Imperial Family and restored and re-opened in 1946. It was designated a heritage site in 1952 and is of high historical significance. There are 2 watercourses built into the garden that attract many different kinds of wild birds. Originally used for duck hunting, the sites have a grave to console the spirits of the dead ducks. Almost at the entrance is a 300 year old Pine tree that was planted to celebrate the renovation of the garden. This tree is shaped and supported by wooden stakes and is constantly tended as are all trees and plants in all of the gardens, we have seen. While we were visiting, the stone rock walls of the waterways were being repaired. Each stone had been removed and numbered for re-installation. The Peony Garden and flower field features 800 plants of which are 60 different types of peonies. Rape flowers, a yellow sea, were in bloom along with the plum blossoms and the beginnings of Sakora, cherry. The seabus lands here as part of its many stops along Tokyo Bay.

The large pond is drawn from the bay's salt water and is the only remaining seawater pond within Tokyo. There are many varieties of saltwater fish in the pond: sea bass, goby, eel and black mullet.

In 1707, a teahouse was built by the Shoguns and Imperial Court Nobles. It was renovated in 1983 and from it you can see not only the gardens, but also their reflection in the water. It has tatami mats and a huge deck so that you can drink your tea inside or out on the open deck. Either way, you take your shoes off and wear slippers for outside and socks on the mats. There are special instructions for how to drink your Ocha, dark green tea and more for how to hold and slice your sweet and when to eat it. You sip the tea first to savor its special flavor.

This was a quiet day to visit a small museum that featured woodblocks and contained an oasis of rocks, sand and seats from which to see all the exhibits at once, and at the end of a long walk through the park, in the sun, to enjoy the ceremony at the tea-room.

Nikko Shrines and Temples

We left very early in the morning and took trains and buses to get to Nikko. It was a warm, sunny day, although there was some snow at the highest shrine. There are at least two museums on site and so many temples, shrines, lanterns, stone steps and pathways that there is too much to see in a day. When we first arrived, a monk was striking a huge bell that made us all stop and listen. Tall cedar forests surround the whole area and in the middle sit pagodas and moss covered lanterns.
Elephants, dragons, birds and green, blue and golden gods sit on top of buildings and at every gate.
Even hiking, women are fashion conscious and most wear the highest heels and fanciest dresses or shorts you can imagine. Those who do wear boots, carry designer purses and, of course, cell phones and digital cameras or movie cameras.
From the site to the town, you follow a tumbling, rushing river to the bridge and back to the noise and traffic.

Is Spring Finally Here?

Two days of sun and warm winds and everyone is out taking pictures and having picnics with friends and family. On the way to Osakusa, the subway displays are of Spring and flowers and sandals.
At a small shrine, right in the middle of busy traffic and hustle-bustle, two raccoons protect the city from fire and theft. A dragon guards the water.
In front of a huge theatre is Hollywood hands; here the stars leave their signatures and handprints.
A beautiful park at Shinjuko Gyoen features gardens, ponds, sculptures and all varieties of roses, cherry and plum blossoms, fish, herons, crows, lanterns, shrines and teahouses.

The gnome sunned himself and found a friendly lion at the Tokyo Medtropolitan Teien Art Museum.

International Library of Children's Literature

A branch of the National Diet Library is the International Library of Children's Literature. I like the idea of literature as diet, don't you? Founded in 2000, it opened with full services on May 5, 2002. But can you imagine a whole building, 4 floors and gardens, dedicated to children's collections? As one of its basic roles it: "works closely with local libraries of Japan and other countries whcih provide direct services for children and supports their activities, serving as a national center supporting research and study on children's literature." On the first floor is the children's area with one huge area housing the resources and the other area housing another collection, specifically for story times with moms and tots or schools. When Ilooked at the first collection, I saw several language collections shelved together and then the Japanese collection with English books within it. As you know, kids will pick up anything that interests them and are intrigued with books in other languages, too. Computers, cds, cloth books, you name it, they are all available. I did see a mom and tots story time group activity in the other room. From one of the librarians, who was shelf reading and talking to people, I received a welcome and a book bag and information in English to take back to Vancouver. Also on the first floor was a tea-room with children's books and activities, facing a stone tiled patio - all in sun and surrounded by gardens. What a great place to spend a day with kids. The second and third floors contain the research collections but are open to all if you have a card. You can easily get one if you are working or living in Japan for any length of time. The fourth floor was a huge, open concept space with an enclosed glass deck. This space is for presentations, workshops and a gathering place for teacher and public librarians. Every room had fresh flowers and ass the equipment and resources you could ever hope for. Oh, and by the way, the Japanese cloth books are exquisite and I am shopping for some to bring home with me. One of the searches I was encouraged to do while I was at the library was to look for picture books published in the year I was born. It was a trip back to the books I read and to those read to me not so very long ago. This library is at Ueno Park, Tokyo and is in the same area as: Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music, Tokyo National Museum, Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, National Museum of Nature and Science, National Museum of Western Arts, Tokyo Bunka Kaikan and Ueno Zoological Gardens. See its website at: www.kodomo.go.jp/english/On the way home from the library, back in the subway, I noticed children's artwork displayed along the walls.

Numazu - Anthy's home for now

Numazu is a small sea-side city about 2 hours by local train from Tokyo. Anthy is teaching English here, mostly to younger kids but she also teaches older students and adults. We celebrated our birthdays at the Blue Water restaurant, a waterfront, open concept, jazzy place. The food was beautifully prepared and delicious, to boot! We visited Numazu's library, a large, glass and concrete building, topped by an owl and surrounded by sculptures of people reading. Anthy has a library card for cds, dvds, and English language books and magazines. She can order and reserve titles to be brought in for her. Her apartment is efficient and organized and the kind tennants before her left her a decorated Christmas tree and books and videos. A Curves is right around the corner and I noticed other fitness facilities nearby. We went to the huge fish market and walked the sea-wall and took the elevator up the observation tower, where we could see the city, the ocean and a bit of Mt. Fuji. There is a mall, many parks and bicycle paths and lots of restaurants in Numazu. A foreigners' bar with log stools and tables was a winner; it brews its own beer below the restaurant. A funky Indian store offered tie-dyed clothing and interesting jewelry and bags. Another elegant store displayed many items from Canada and the owner's sister lives in Toronto. We took the bus to the Clematis Park and museum center and only managed to see a small portion of it. The sculptures we saw filled one entire building and the outside, and we will definitely have to return to finish our tour. Anthy should have a second job: tour guide extraordinaire!! Thanks Anthy!

Bye to Noh Theatre and Hello Kamakura

Took a picture of the outside of the Noh Theatre - see how it is so beautifully constructed and so picturesque? The next day, off we went to Kamakura. Along the way, we met 2 women who were attending a Philosophy Conference in Japan but had the day off to see some of the countryside and so chose Kamakura. One was from Hungary and the other from Germany and the one from Hungary spoke Hungarian, German, English and French and probably other languages, as well. We all sat in the first class section of the train but were discovered early on in the adventure and had to move to regular seating. First class was nice and you got treats and snacks but the regular train voyage was fine and people ate their own snacks. The Hungarian woman had been to a conference in Greece, recently, so is a confident, goal directed traveller. Kamakura is a smaller town on the sea and was once the capital city. It is famous for its elegant temples and shrines and is filled with shops, restaurants and a museum or two. One of the main streets is bordered on both sides by cherry trees and it is a promenade that leads up to one of the largest buddahs in Japan. Once again, we notice how many Japanese travel their own country and how many seniors are travelling in groups and drawing and painting the sights. I found a button store featuring handmade buttons of all shapes and sizes. There were toy train and motorcyle and doll buttons for children and fancy flower and pearl buttons for dresses and sweaters for adults. We found a handmade knife store and many antique stores - all with wonderful window displays. The giant buddah was completed in 1252. Cast in bronze, it weighs 850 tonnes and is 11.4 m. tall. Luke went inside it to see how it was made and also for good luke, I mean luck. The gnome found a friendly looking stone pet - too big to take for a walk. He also liked the smaller shrines for a great view -far from the crowds. We visited the National Treasure Museum - famous for its collection of Kamakura art, religious sculpures and dolls. We didn't get to the seaside because the weather got cold and windy. We'll save it for another day.

Rockin at the Hard Rock Cafe

We had planned to have a birthday lunch at Spiros - one of the few Greek restaurants here, but it was closed. We ended up at the Hard Rock Cafe which the gnome likes because he loves cheeseburgers, cokes and fries. He also loves the women of rock while I enjoyed The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan and Elvis on the big screen. It was freezing and rainy yesterday so we weren't surprised that there was snow on the roof across the lane, today. It is cold but thankfully didn't rain until after our Noh Theatre experience. At the National Noh Theatre, we saw two performances: The Snow Fight and Kuzu. Would you believe this theatre has white carpets and white plush covered seats - all in pristine condition? It is a small theatre - 500 seats, but full for each show. It has been open since 1983. It a simple stage under a large roof. There are white pebbles on the stage reminding the audience of days past when the performances were staged outside. Ther is a hanging screen at one end which the Noh players use to enter and exit. It has five colours: earth, water, fire, wind and sky. The main characters, usually the hero and heroine, wear masks. There is no improvisation; everything is carefully and efficiently choreographed. In the second play, there were 8 unison singers and a dancer. The first play had 2 main characters and a mother and a priest. We got a translated synopsis of both plays but the best thing was a small screen on the back of the seat in front of us. It had the English version of the script and helped us understand what was going on. The costumes and acting though, really told the story. This theatre had a reasonably priced restaurant/tea room and gift counters as well as seating areas/lounges where people ate a boxed lunch before the show. We were invited in early because it was so cold out. The exterior of the building was simple but was surrounded by carefully scultped trees and plantings. It was like a courtyard in front and contained several interior courtyards. There is always a place for relaxation and reflection. We want to see dance and puppet shows, next. On the way home, we stopped for gyudon, a beef and rice mixture. Luke had a set which contained soup, poached salmon, rice and salad. A box of red, salty ginger provided a new taste and texture and hot tea revived us. Next to us was a teacher from Paris who was in Japan to teach French. He was sharing an apartment with a South American, a Tiawanese and a Japanese. Common languages: Japanese, French, English. Amazine how many people travel and work here. Amazing the language fluency and willingness to say hello.

Another Fantastic Museum

The National Museum of Modern Art in Tokyo is free on Sunday but it is very reasonably priced anyway, so go any time! We saw the four floors of everything from sculpture to collage. Included, was a special photography exhibit: Yutaka Takanashi: Field Notes of Light. This whole museum was surrounded by a garden and outdoor sculptures - untouched by graffeti and surrounded by flowers and blossoming trees. Each floor had a lounge or quiet area and each room had chairs or benches with books about the artists. A clear glass box of a gift shop had books, cards and small prints.

In the morning before we went to the museum, we walked through the Sunday Flea Market at the Tokyo Forum. These were real antiques, not garage sale or plastic at all. Kimonos were $10. and of the most beautiful materials and designs. Swords, knives, pottery, plates, jewellry, boxes - so much that we will be going back to see it all. There was a designer there too; she was displaying capes and dresses, every one completely unique. Tokyo is a shopping paradise and everyone seems to go as a family, especially on Saturday and Sunday.

Venus Fort - Palette Town Odaiba!

This is a truly amazing complex with a man-made beach and boardwalk, a huge shopping complex and a Toyota building with an antique car collection and electric cars for you to try out. It has one of the world's largest Ferris Wheels, a bowling alley, a theatre complex and much, much more. Venus Fort is a French and Italian themed town where the ceiling changes from blue sky to sunset and night sky. There are 170 stores, including the Barbie Store with its collection of vintage Barbies, dressed in the fashions of the day. There are exquiste clothes for us, too. Every sweater is unique and beaded, ribboned or bowed. There are lots of shoes, purses and jewellry, too. There is one whole floor of restaurants with a variety of price-ranges. The first floor is dedicated to family with a fashion zone built around the concept of relaxation and resort. There is a dog bar for Fido or Fifi. We ate at a French restaurant on the boardwalk, where Luke and Kate had crepes three years ago when she was teaching in Japan.