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.

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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.

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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

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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.

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Big time graphic designer

“Staying in the mold is not the answer. Don’t be afraid to get out of it.” Masayoshi Nakajo, a big-time Japanese graphic designer advised us not to be too particular about your design at a talk session that was held at G8 gallery in April. His advice is helpful for those who are making something.

Nakajo has been leading the design industry especially on typography, graphic design and fashion editorial design for many years. He is already 78 years old but is still going strong and what he designs is cool.

We are likely to play it safe and design something that we think will look okay to the eyes to majority. However, this will lead us to ending up creating just another thing. We need to get out of our comfort zone.

“Something that is just refined and elegant isn’t necessarily attractive enough. It can only go so far.” Nakajo added. “An interesting and appealing design should slightly deviate from the norm. Don’t try to complete your artwork to a T. Always think and design outside the box.

Basically, I understand what he is saying but it’s not easy to practice it. What makes him different from other designers is that he owns an incredible adaptability. Maybe, he is a genius in his own right.

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２度目の春、そして八ヶ岳の花

今日は、ほのぼの日本語です。ww

春をもういちど楽しみたくて、八ヶ岳を散策してきました。

東京はすっかり新緑に包まれましたが、

八ヶ岳では、まだ桜が咲いているところも…。

季節は１ヶ月遅れという感じでしょうか。

天ぷらにすると最高に美味しい「たらの芽」。

ほのかな苦みと、ほくっとした歯ごたえがあります。

山道には可愛いスミレがいっぱい。

気品があってエレガントな花。でも、名前がわからなかった…。orz

これもスミレ。野生なのに、園芸種みたいに色鮮やか。

編み笠をかぶった女の人が踊ってるみたい（横向きね）。だから、オドリコソウ。

花がいっせいに咲き乱れる季節に、また行きたいです。

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Pulse diagnosis

It may come as a surprise to you but our pulse tells us a lot about our mental and physical condition. In Ayurveda and Chinese traditional medicine, well-trained therapists analyze what the patients’ body is composed of and what current condition is like without using a stethoscope and x-ray. Pulse diagnosis is really amazing.

The other day, I experienced a pulse analysis session. The therapist put her fingers on my wrist and zeroed in on analyzing my pulses. After a little while, she said; “There are sugar, wheat and heated oil that are not well digested in your stomach and I think it will makes you get heart burn.“

I tried to remember what I ate and I hit on something. Yes! I had fried Japanese cookies coated with brown sugar in the morning.

She added; “You should avoid heated oil. It’s not good for you. And something sour such as orange and vinegar is not for you neither. Instead, you should have bitter fresh leaves and vegetables such as watercress, bitter chrysanthemum and bitter melon. They would help keep your condition good.

In addition to the food advice, she also explained to me my trend of thought, which is very helpful for me.

I easily get upset when I have stress. That’s might be the result of what I have eaten. There is a saying; you are what you ate. If that it was true, my mental condition and behaviors would change when I acquire a new eating habit. That would be super nice!

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Akira Yamaguchi, TOKIORE(I)MIX

I sometimes drop by Maison Hermes when I go to Ginza. I don’t go there for shopping because most of their products are not affordable for me. I pass through floors watching high-end fashion items and head for the top floor.

There is a small but very nice gallery called Forum there. Now, Akira Yamaguchi, a modern art artist is having an exhibition titled “TOKIORE(I)MIX.”

Even if you don’t know him, you might have seen a piece of his work at terminal 1 in Narita international airport.

Yamaguchi’s typical painting style is a bird-eye view inspired by a national treasure Rakuchu Rakugai zu, or views in and around the city of Kyoto. In this exhibition, he has been drawing a new piece at the site since the exhibition started and every time you go there, you’ll see how much his painting has been completed.

The picture seems to be just a simple bird-eye view of modern Tokyo but soon you’ll find it has multi time axes. For example, there are old buildings that existed before World War II next to today’s buildings. It stirs our sense of time and makes you wander around Tokyo that is a mixture of the past and the present. That’s what the title TOKIORE(I)MIX refers to.

Gallery is open to anyone and you get a free booklet of the exhibition.

With the quality of the exhibitions and a prestigious location, you must want to keep this gallery all to yourself.

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Squid Center

The other day, I found a tweet that a friend of mine made on Twitter. He said; “Squids from Squid Center taste really good.“

It was just a simple message but I never overlook this kind of gourmet tweets because squids are one of my favorite foods. I felt like going for it right away!

At first, I thought that Squid Center was like a fisherman’s marketplace in a seaside village. Soon, it turned out to be an izakaya or a pub restaurant that has some branches in Tokyo.

The one I went to is in Nihonbashi. When we got there at about 7 p.m., tables in the pub were fully occupied and the air was very animated with a lot of guests. There was a big fish tank near the entrance and I found my dinner fish of the day was swimming in it.

One of the strong points of Squid Center is that they provide us with super fresh fish for the reasonable price. They say that they buy fish directly from fishermen and deliver it to their pubs quickly by their own transportation system. They cut the commission of distributors, it enables them to serve us fresh and lower priced seafood dishes.

The dishes we enjoyed at the night were fresh squid sashimi, an assortment of fish sashimi, squid flitter and grilled enzara. I was very happy with them.

A chopstick rest is also squid shaped!

A list of today’s special.

Tokumori, or a special assortment, Onimori, or a fiendish assortment!? ww

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sakura 2012 at Chidorigafuchi.

It was a super sunny day last Sunday. Cherry trees were almost in full bloom here and there. No weekend is complete without having Ohanami in such a lovely day! Then, I went to Chidorigafuchi and Kitanomaru Park, just North-West corner of the Royal Palace.

A picnic under sakura trees.

It must be the most gorgeous lunch.

Rowing a bout in the pink sakura tunnel. It’s like a daydream.

But things are not that easy.

People had to be waiting in line all but two hours for riding a boat on the moat.

Well aged trees stretch their branches down towards the surface of the moat.

It looks like a sakura water fall, dramatic display.

NPP and money

The Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) accident unveiled a lot of problems that are underlying in our society. One of the most serious things is the situation of underpopulated areas that have to depend on the NPPs.

As you know, most of the NPPs are located in remote areas from big cities because originally the NPPs are planned to be built in such a low populated area to avoid possible trouble.

As a matter of fact, in those areas, the number of residents is decreasing and young people are heading for big cities for their jobs. Consequently, only old people remain there and it makes the situation become even worse.

Suppose, you were a mayor and you were offered huge subsidies. With the money, you could create jobs for young people, provide good social welfare services for villagers and finally your village would get animated, though, you definitely have to accept to build the NPPs, in return.

The Reality is that mayors receive tons of funds and donations from the government and TEPCO. I was taken aback to know that it adds up to over 3 trillion yen.

Kashiwazaki city that has 7 plants is way ahead of other cities in terms of the amount of subsidies. It’s 300 billion yen in total. However, the city is in a debt 57.3 billion yen and it exceeds the city’s annual budget. What brought this about to Kashiwazaki?

The money the city received was limited in use. The city was just allowed to use only for facilities like a museum, a gym, a concert hall. Those big facilities have required a lot of running cost and finally it ended up pressing local finance.

As a result, they have to accelerate the invitation of plants for more money to make up for the loss. It is a vicious circle. There seems to be no way out.

Sauce: 「原発マネー」NHK

http://www.nhk.or.jp/special/onair/120308.html

photo: wikipedia

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Is Japan heading for space?

There is no doubt that the TV industry is declining.

Now, people have a lot of other options to spend their spare time on. Besides, as long as information is concerned, it’s not necessary for people to depend only on TV anymore because they can get any kinds of information through the Internet and SNS.

Actually, most TV shows are not worth watching. I’m getting bored with them because they have been broadcasting just about the same contents in the same time zone. Even the news shows pick up the same topic with a similar priority.

Maybe it’s the curse of ratings and marketing.

One thing’s for sure. The research doesn’t tell what people want to see. It only tells what people are familiar with.

The media people are also concerned about their future and some people have started trying out a new type show to demonstrate what they really want us to see. In that sense, I think “宇宙テレビ” or Space News (TV Tokyo, a Tokyo based key station) is a good start.

The idea comes from one of staff members who is a space fanatic. It features only space news, from a new discovery from the edge of space science to breathtaking views from the space station. The show is quite unique and it inspires us with infinite possibilities.

Speaking of space, a young J-pop idol unit “Momoiro Clover Z” has released a new single titled猛烈宇宙交響曲・第７楽章『無限の愛』, Fierce Space Symphony, 7^th Movement, “Endless Love.” Probably, “space” is coming up in Japan.

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神隠しされた街

私の好きな詩人、アーサー・ビナードさんのトークセッションに参加してきました。歯切れのいい、しかもちょっと毒がある日本語はいつも通り！ 鋭い洞察力で、言葉に隠された真実を、白日のもとに「晒し」てくれました。痛快！

たとえば、みんながぼんやり感じてる「絆」って言葉の胡散臭さ。私たちの善意を悪用して、裏で何か誤摩化してるっぽいよね。そんな話のあれやこれやで、あっという間の３時間でした。

その時、アーサーさんが紹介し、朗読してくださった詩があまりにもインパクトがあったので、載せときます。南相馬に住む詩人、若松丈太郎さんが１９９４年に発表した「神隠しされた街」です。現在は、１７年前に予言されていた！？

「神隠しされた街」

　　４万５千の人びとが２時間のあいだに消えた


　　サッカーゲームが終わって競技場から立ち去ったのではない


　　人びとの暮らしがひとつの都市からそっくり消えたのだ


　　ラジオで避難警報があって


　　「３日分の食料を準備してください」


　　多くの人は３日たてば帰れると思って


　　ちいさな手提げ袋をもって


　　なかには仔猫だけをだいた老婆も


　　入院加療中の病人も


　　１１００台のバスに乗って


　　４万５千の人びとが２時間のあいだに消えた

　　鬼ごっこする子どもたちの歓声が


　　隣人との垣根ごしのあいさつが


　　郵便配達夫の自転車のベル音が


　　ボルシチを煮るにおいが


　　家々の窓の夜のあかりが


　　人びとの暮らしが


　　地図のうえからプリピャチ市が消えた


　　チェルノブイリ事故発生４０時間後のことである


　　１１００台のバスに乗って


　　プリピャチ市民が２時間のあいだにちりぢりに


　　近隣３村をあわせて４万９千人が消えた

　　４万９千人といえば


　　私の住む原町市の人口にひとしい


　　さらに


　　原子力発電所中心半径３０㎞ゾーンは危険地帯とされ


　　１１日目の５月６日から３日のあいだに９万２千人が


　　あわせて約１５万人
　

　　人びとは１００㎞や１５０㎞先の農村にちりぢりに消えた


　　半径３０㎞ゾーンといえば


　　東京電力福島原子力発電所を中心に据えると


　　双葉町　大熊町


　　富岡町　楢葉町


　　浪江町　広野町


　　川内村　都路村

　　葛尾村
　　小高町

　　いわき市北部
　　

　　そして私の住む原町市がふくまれる


　　こちらもあわせて約１５万人


　　私たちが消えるべき先はどこか


　　私たちはどこに姿を消せばいいのか


　　事故６年のちに避難命令が出た村さえもある


　　事故８年のちの旧プリピャチ市に


　　私たちは入った

　　亀裂がはいったペーヴメントの


　　亀裂をひろげて雑草がたけだけしい


　　ツバメが飛んでいる


　　ハトが胸をふくらませている


　　チョウが草花に羽をやすめている


　　ハエがおちつきなく動いている


　　蚊柱が回転している


　　街路樹の葉が風に身をゆだねている

　　それなのに


　　人声のしない都市


　　人の歩いていない都市


　　４万５千の人びとがかくれんぼしている都市


　　鬼の私は捜しまわる


　　幼稚園のホールに投げ捨てられた玩具


　　台所のこんろにかけられたシチュー鍋


　　オフィスの机上のひろげたままの書類

　　ついさっきまで人がいた気配はどこにもあるのに


　　日がもう暮れる


　　鬼の私はとほうに暮れる


　　友だちがみんな神隠しにあってしまって


　　私は広場にひとり立ちつくす


　　デパートもホテルも


　　文化会館も学校も


　　集合住宅も


　　崩れはじめている


　　すべてはほろびへと向かう


　　人びとのいのちと


　　人びとがつくった都市と


　　ほろびをきそいあう

　　ストロンチウム９０　半減期　　２９年


　　セシウム１３７　　　半減期　　３０年


　　プルトニウム２３９　半減期　　２万４０００年


　　セシウムの放射線量が８分の１に減るまでに９０年


　　致死量８倍のセシウムは９０年後も生きものを殺しつづける

　　人は１００年後のことに自分の手を下せないということであれば


　　人がプルトニウムを扱うのは不遜というべきか


　　捨てられた幼稚園の広場を歩く


　　雑草に踏み入れる


　　雑草に付着していた核種が舞いあがったにちがいない


　　肺は核種のまじった空気をとりこんだにちがいない


　　神隠しの街は地上にいっそうふえるにちがいない

　　私たちの神隠しはきょうかもしれない


　　うしろで子どもの声がした気がする


　　ふりむいてもだれもいない


　　なにかが背筋をぞくっと襲う


　　広場にひとり立ちつくす

アーサーさんが英語に翻訳した詩は、『ひとのあかし』に収録されています。

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