Luxury in Fashion Reconsidered-A Fabulous Exhibition at Kyoto Museum of Modern Art

I have been writing up some visits to Fashion Museums in Kyoto and Kobe. The first one, Luxury in Fashion Reconsidered, is posted at clotheslinefinds.blogspot.com (April 24th) and the one for Kobe is going to be posted some time after May 5th. In Japan, all museums are in newly designed buildings or renovated heritage buildings. All have gardens, gift shops, restaurants and places for children and for large events. Most feature both permanent and special collections. Most are closed only on Mondays and there are discounts available at the museums and at bigger tourist information sites. A lot of advertising is done for all arts and cultural events and often includes an English language website.

We are now back in Tokyo, catching up on what we missed the first time around. We have a baseball game next Tuesday and a trip to Mt Fuji, with our friends, the Watanabes, Thursday. Still many adventures and more blogs before we come back to Vancouver, May 14th.

Osaka

Here we are back in the big city, in a small apartment and getting ready to do day trips again. We went to the tourist info centre and our agent has been in Vancouver many times, most recently this past winter, in Whistler. She hopes to come for the Winter Olympics. We ask for info about Noh Theatre, Baseball games, museums and trips to places nearby. We went on the highest Ferris Wheel ever and not only got a spectacular view of Osaka but also this message in translation at the very top: "We hope you enjoy your walk in space." (Hope not)We also went to a beautiful park with animal and flower sculptures. On a street walk, we ran into a Kentucky Samurai. We took a day trip to Kobe and visited the Fashion Museum. Have a look at that write up on: clotheslinefinds.blogspot.com

Sunrise-Itoyama-Imaburi City

At this resort, you get to ride a bike across 3 bridges and visit small fishing communities. This is a family style, informal place which specializes in sea-food. The breakfasts and dinners are buffets and you eat forever while watching the cruise ships pass in the night. One of the small towns was celebrating Sakura and we had wonderful ice-cream - not fat reduced! It is hot enough to go swimming although we seem to be the only sun lovers. Families stay over and all ride bikes or scooters and then sit on the beaches and fish or picnic. Everyone seems to be having a wonderful time.

Miyajima Island

A boat trip here was spectacular! Weather warm and sunny and the ferry on time and with seating outdoors and inside. This is the site of one of the largest Toris in Japan and it is right out in the ocean and when the tide comes in, it looks like the Tori is floating. Beautiful beaches and a sea wall surround this town and a cable car takes you up to the top of the mountain to see the monkeys and deer. Although you can walk down, the return cable car trip is easier and gives better views. Seafood is a specialty here, but watch out to order it for lunch as everything closes down at 4:00 or so.

Hiroshima

Hiroshima is such a beautiful city considering that it was almost destroyed by the A-bomb and the war. It is totally rebuilt and reminds me of Paris. The Peace Park and remains of the A-bomb site are reminders of what was and what could be. The children's art work, the cranes and the Castle,the scuptures and gardens are monuments of hope. The museum of science and culture for kids, the art galleries and the river banks and celebrations of Sakura are memorable. Our hotel, The Flex, is a great place to stay - right on one of the many rivers and looking out over the city.

Kyoto

A busy and crowded city. We went to the Golden Temple and the market. In the sun, we sat and ate fresh fish soup. Others soon joined us and we crowded the few little tables. There were oysters, crab, squid and all sorts of other seafood. Every vendor called out that her product was best and it was hard to say no. We met Ernesto and Alicia from Buenos Aires and went out for dinner. They have lived all over the world and have picked up the languages too. We walked the city and will go back for a day trip to visit Angelica, who is attending the university of Kyoto to study Robotics. Thanks for the robot research for Tokyo Fashion Week, Angelica!!

Kanazawa

We visited Geisha Town, Samurai Town (had a tea ceremony in Nomura House) and met a wood carver who makes cards and uses cedar seedlings and also makes jewelry. He is a special craftsman, one of a dying breed. We met an Australian couple; he is an antiques dealer and she has just completed her degree in Museum Studies. We exchanged emails and hope to visit at some point. The Kenroku-en Garden is one of Japan's 3 biggest gardens and it has 6 desirable qualities: spaciousness, seclusion, antiquity, ingenuity, flowing water and views. The Nomura House (a preserved and restored Samurai House) has decorated gold dust painted walls and screens. Only the armory and gate of Kanazawa Castle remain, but its shadow is a reminder of feudal Japan. Once again, all of this in the middle of a modern city.

Temple and Youth Hostel

We go by Shinkansen, (fast train) to a Buddhist Temple. This is a big place, with lots of photography and art. It is very quiet until a large family with lots of kids registers and they seem to be awake until late. We enjoy seeing the town, the next day, but really don't see much of anyone else. This was Takayama. There is a gorgeous library and I meet the librarian, who has spent time in Edmonton. I take pictures and get a great brochure. This place has a museum upstairs and story times for all ages. The folk museum here, is great but no English and very cold. We get an idea of what it must have been like, long ago, with no central heating.

Sakura and Shrines

Went to Omotesando and Harajuku for Sakura pictures. We saw a wedding and at the park, a group of students asked us if they could practise their English by taking us to a shrine and teaching us about it. Their English was perfect, although subject specific. Once their main job was done, they were happy to talk about their lives. They plan to go into 'foreign affairs'; one is majoring in Spanish. They have been to other countries to perfect their English. They all have part-time jobs and one is working at McDonald's. They did an incredible job of teaching us how to pray, how to ring the bell and how to observe the correct behaviors. They gave us the background history and the why's and how's of what to do at shrines. We were sorry to see them go, but they had many more assignments to complete and many more people to meet. There were thousands of people at the park, having picnics with their families, under the Sakura. Food stalls were abundant, as always. There were story times throughout the day and young and old watched intently. In Nokashira Park there were boat rides and more Sakura festivities. Gnome is in love with swans and wants to go for a ride. We think the film, Cherry Blossoms may have been shot here.

Blog-oh Blog

Now I am back with reliable internet, I will try to retrace the days from March 27th. The days fly by, especially the warm, sunny ones. After Tokyo Fashion Week, we threw ourselves into more excitement by going to Roppongi Art Night. There were the three main Tokyo museums open, live music, a fire breathing robot and art installations along a path between the museums. There was a balloon/lantern walk and art to look at along the way. It was impressive how the city and the museums staff came together to decorate and watch over the art work. It was a family event with food stalls galore. This event could have happened in the rain because there was lots of cover and it could easily have been moved inside.

We also spent time exploring the neighborhood around our apartment in the district of Sangenjiya, Tokyo. Right behind Denny's and Starbucks, there is an underground shopping mall and subway. Behind that, through a maze of winding, beautifully decorated streets, is red lanterned, brightly lit and crowded area of shops, restaurants and vintage clothing stores. This is a university area so prices are cheap and there is lots of action and loud music. Amazing place and you'd never know about it unless you walked and discovered it on your own.

Yokohama is another day trip we took from Tokyo. It is the second largest city in Japan and the largest seaport. We saw the Cosmo World, the city amusement park, which is lit up at night and seems to be floating on the water. The Chinatown area is the largest in Japan and maybe in the world. It has ten huge, golden gates and more than 500 shops and rstaurants. We met Chinese kids who were learning Japanese and Japanese kids working in Chinese restaurants and learning Chinese. They all speak good English and likely other languages. Many have been to Canada or the USA.