This week my partner and I will make a quick trip to Chicago to visit Wrightwood 659, a new art space designed by Japan’s Tadao Ando. We’ll explore the inaugural exhibition, Ando and Le Corbusier: Masters of Architecture. Ando’s signature concrete, 21_21 DESIGN SIGHT, Tokyo, October 2018. In March 2014 I was vaguely aware of architect…… Continue reading Finding Tadao Ando
Category: Asia
Ma: The Space Between
Entrance to temple, Kyushu, November 2017. A torii (traditional Japanese gateway), and steps receding into the distance to an unseen temple, exemplify the Japanese concept of ma, the space between. The gate frames space. The steps provide space in time to prepare the mind. As I read around, there are many definitions of ma, but…… Continue reading Ma: The Space Between
Snapshots: 1,000 Miles by Train to Tokyo
Posted Snapshots: 1,000 Miles by Train to Tokyo.
Snapshots: 1,000 Miles by Train to Tokyo
September 2018. I had spent the previous week exploring the three national parks in eastern Hokkaido. It was now time to figure out how to chunk a journey to Tokyo over the next 10 days. I had flown to eastern Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost main island. The journey back to Tokyo would be slower. Armed with…… Continue reading Snapshots: 1,000 Miles by Train to Tokyo
Mono no aware: the Pathos of Things
Mono no aware, Japanese.Roughly pronounced: moh-noh noh ah-wah-ray. Roughly translated: A wistful awareness of the impermanence or transience of things. [Source] Kumamoto, April 2014. Cherry blossoms exemplify the Japanese mono no aware sensibility. The intense beauty lasts just a few days before disappearing. The short time blossoms are in season is a time for celebration. Kyushu, southern…… Continue reading Mono no aware: the Pathos of Things
The Best Cold Beer
Woke up from a deep sleep near Seattle. “Anything you need?” asked the flight attendant. “The best cold beer.”
TOTO Demonstration Showroom
On my way to Haneda HND for my flight home, popped into TOTO’s Tokyo “demonstration showroom,” occupying two floors high up in a Tokyo tower. For good, practical reasons, most Japanese have TOTO’s washlets in their homes; we’re having them in our new home
A Level Path
Walked a level path through extensive marshland surrounded by mountains in Nikko National Park. After yesterday’s tough trail, I went easy on myself today.
Mount Toyama
Hiked a gnarly trail: extensive tree roots, scree, erosion, fallen trees, 2,300 feet gain in two hours, no switchbacks. Walking down was even harder than the climb. A guy, older than me, was doing this with camping gear. Mount Toyama (7,230 feet), Nikko National Park.
Should I Press This Button?
In my experience, Japanese hotels are always clean, comfortable, and safe. Usually they are great value. Sometimes they come with a twist. I’ve stayed in a bicycle hotel, an art hotel, but, until this trip, I had never stayed in a hotel modeled on a nursing home. I stayed at this nursing home-themed hotel in…… Continue reading Should I Press This Button?