Nicolai Bergmann cafe

The Aoyama area, where some of my clients’ offices are located, is a nice place to get around. New commercial establishments such as restaurants, cafes and pilot shops opened one after another. It’s not only fun but also useful to know the recent fashion trend.

However,I haven’t had very much time to visit them very often so far. It’s a shame! I think I should make the most of the advantage of working in this area and step outside a lot more often. I had made a list of must cafes in Aoyama and I invited a friend of mine for lunch.

Nicolai Bergmann café is on a back street in Omotesando. Nicolai Bergmann is a flower artist from Denmark. He established his own brand after working as a florist for 10 years in Japan. What makes him different from other flower artists is his fusion style mixed with European traditional design and Japanese essence. We can see the unique combination of colors and forms in his arrangement.

The café is located inside a flower shop. We ordered Denmark style open sandwiches dressed with salmon, cheese,fruits, nut and such. It was so nice to have lunch being surrounded by beautiful flowers. This place would surely be listed as one of my favorite places in Aoyama.

↓Thank you very much for your click.

にほんブログ村

Ajisai temple in Kamakura

In Kamakura, Ajisai, or hydrangeas are in full bloom. I rushed to Kamakura to see them with an old friend of mine who lives near Kamakura.

Meigetsu-in temple, which is called ajisai temple, is the best place to appreciate this flower. There are tons of hydrangea trees on both sides of a narrow path from the small gate of the temple to the main pavilion. The pale blue round- shaped flowers looked like heads of fairies and I felt being welcomed by the blue fairies. (A temple and fairies don’t go well together though…)

As I stepped up the stone stairs, another piece of scenery of hydrangeas appeared. As I looked back where I came from, a different scene of hydrangeas appeared. In here, there was nothing but hydrangeas and it seemed as if I wandered into an endless hydrangea lane. It’ was incredibly gorgeous.

Meigetsu-in, which was founded in 1160, is a Zen temple. In the main pavilion, there is a round window, called ensou. According to the Zen lesson, ensou expresses a harmonized world and the scenery that you’ll see through the ensou is said to be a utopia. As far as the scene that I saw goes, it surely was a utopia.

We also visited Toukeiji. It is well known as Enkiri-temple, or a safe haven for women seeking to flee from their husband. However, Tokeiji changed to a Zen temple after Meiji era when women started getting the equal rights. Hydrangeas and another flowers are also in full bloom here and many female tourists seemed enjoying their peaceful moment with flowers.

↓Thank you very much for your click.

にほんブログ村

Boston Museum exhibition

Unryu-zu: Shohaku Soga

I went to Tokyo National Museum to see a special exhibition “Japanese Masterpieces from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.” Boston Museum, established in 1876, is known for owning great Japanese art items. The exhibition was a rare opportunity for me to see so-called “home coming” pieces.

It’s interesting to know the reason why the Boston museum owns such a huge Japanese art collection. It’s related to a contribution of Ernest Fenollosa (1853-1908) who was invited to Japan to teach at University of Tokyo. He became a big fan of Japanese arts and made an effort to introduce it widely.

The time was in the middle of Japan’s Westernization movement. People were very eager to adopt Western cultures and technology. At the same time, there was an anti-Buddhist movement and many temples were abolished and important statues and religious tools were being taken away. Fenollosa and other American collectors picked up those art pieces one by one and it became the base of the collection of Boston museum.

The highlight of the exhibition was picture scrolls and Shouhaku Soga’s paintings. My favorite one is Kibi Daijin Nyuto Emaki scroll. It’s kind of a science fictional adventure that Kibi Makibi had. He was a Japanese envoy to the Tang Dynasty China in the 8^th century. It’s fun to see how Makibi used some psychic power when he had to go through some difficult situations in China.

Kibi Daijin Nyuto Emaki scroll

I don’t think that we would always have this kind of opportunity to see these pieces even if we go all the way to Boston. In that sense, the exhibition was really worth seeing.

Matsushima-zu: Korin Ogata

↓Thank you very much for your click.

にほんブログ村

Omohara no Mori (Omohara Wood)

The new landmark of Harajuku was born in April. Tokyu Plaza Omotesandou Harajuku might be one of the places where you should visit in Tokyo.

Tokyu Plaza Omotesandou Harajuku is a fashion complex, which is located on the corner of Meiji street and Omotesando street. Young people might not know but there used to be an apartment called Central Apartment on this site. The place, which had both residential and commercial facilities is a legend.

A lot of photographers, illustrators, writers, editors and fashion-stylists had their offices in Central Apartment and most of them started their career in this building. As a result, their creative activities and gossiping contributed to transition Harajuku into a center of pop culture in 70’s and 80’s.

With inheriting the geographical DNA of the Harajuku culture, the new landmark is expected to be more than just a fashion theme park. What blew my mind most in here is that it has beautiful greenery on the rooftop rest area called Omohara no Mori, or Omohara Wood. It’s a very nice garden, which makes me totally forget about the fact it’s on the building.

When I went there on Sunday, many people were enjoying their holiday over a cup of coffee around keyaki trees that have been a symbol of Omotesando street for many years. Sitting in a deck area or swinging on a hammock, you can chat, talk, and also have a meeting for creating something new.

↓Thank you for your click.

にほんブログ村