Self-isolation
It’s March 2020 in Grand Rapids, MI.
Like many people in the world, I am hunkered down. “Self-isolating” is the current term. Canceled travel. No dinner parties to attend or to give. Restaurants aren’t open. The gym is closed. Friends are staying home. No Pilates in the studio. Museums are shuttered. Flights canceled. It’s a very strange time.
Everyone is dealing with it differently and I do better some days than others, but one thing that is personally helping me to cope is to go back through photos I have taken. I see this as an opportunity to edit, delete and process them, but most of all I am enjoying the memories of interesting experiences.
Escaping? Maybe. It is a distraction from the gloom and doom of the news of the day.
I decided to collect and post some images from a trip to Japan a year ago that made me stop, ponder and remember. I hope you enjoy. Actually I hope this might distract you from the worries at hand for a few minutes with some scenes from faraway.
I’d first like to talk about the Mt. Fuji photo above, taken from a bus. I have learned that this iconic mountain is often shrouded in clouds. We were lucky to have such a great view. The photo looks fake but it is the real deal. Snapped from a moving vehicle.
teamLab: borderless
The photos above are from teamLab: Borderless. I did a blog post about this experience it was so memorable. We were surrounded by video images– floor, walls and ceiling in a constant kaleidoscope of color and sensation. Every minute changing. Immersion in a sensory experience. The future of art, say some.
For a blog post on teamLab: Borderless click on teamLab: Borderless in Tokyo
Yayoi Kusama
Yayoi Kusama
In Tokyo we visited the Yayoi Kusama museum where I took the photos above. Later we saw this well known artist’s work in Naoshima Island. For more about Naoshima Island, here’s the link.
Naoshima Island is a fascinating destination for art pilgrims.
Yayoi Kusama is creative and fun and I love the red hair. The last photo in the series above is a self portrait. I often try creating self-pertains, having taken a Sante Fe Workshop where our instructor challenged us to do self portraits to exercise our creative muscles. Not selfies. It’s become a bit of an obsession. As you can imagine I’m always looking for spots with reflections or mirror images. This polka dotted pumpkin was perfect.
Cherry Blossom Festival
We were in Japan for cherry blossom season. I thought….cool….all those pretty trees. I learned that cherry blossom time is both commercial and spiritual along with an opportunity to picnic in the park. Commercial in that stores were filled with cherry blossom merchandise and spiritual because it highlights the Japanese belief in idea that nothing is permanent.
The cherry trees blossoms bloom fleetingly. Their natural beauty changes quickly. A storm can blow up and the blossoms flutter to the ground like snow. It’s a reminder of the importance of enjoying the moment.
It’s a good lesson right now as we cope with health and economic crisis on a global level.
For a blog post and more on the Cherry Blossom season in Japan, click on Viewing Cherry Blossoms in Japan
I tried to include lots of scenes of the beauty we saw during this special time in Japan on that blog post.
Manhole Covers
A couple of years ago I was on a photo trip with a man who loved taking photos of manhole covers, inspiring me to be more aware of what was under my feet. Here are two I observed in Japan. Works of art, really.
Elevator Portrait
This is a fun one. Our group from Tiny World Tours was jammed into an elevator, having just had lunch on the top of a very tall building at a private club. The view was amazing and our host was the executive director of the Mori Art Museum.
I looked up and realized that the ceiling of the elevator cab was covered in a mirror so…..quickly I snapped images with my red phone. Not your typical group portrait.
Below is view from private dining club in Tokyo.
Perfect presentation of food is important to the Japanese. We had a couple of opportunities to visit the food halls in Tokyo’s large department stores where I took lots of photos. Like lots. Visual treats. Here are a few that I’d like to share. Everything is perfect and the process of buying your lunch or an orange to take home is an “experience.”
One of my favorite memories is the day we were given the assignment of buying our lunches at one of the extensive food halls and then going to the top of the building to eat outside. As you can imagine, I enjoyed taking pictures as much as making my lunch selections but I think everyone in the group had a good time interacting with the Japanese to make their culinary choices.
Architect adds signature to building
Never seen this before. The following photo is a signature of Tadao Ando, a famous Japanese architect, on the wall just inside the front door of a private guest house we were able to visit. I’m going to do a blog post about this and other architectural experiences so stay tuned.
I asked an architect friend if he had ever heard of an architect “signing the building.” He said no. Clearly both he and the owner of the guest house believe it to be a work of art. What do you think?
Enjoy these two photos of the Prada building in Tokyo. My fashion oriented friends will love that it is so architecturally interesting. Looks like a gorgeous place to shop.
The next image combines the new name for the era of the current emperor, who was actually installed while we were there. I’m capturing the sign on a window of a building with reflections with my iPhone. It’s one of those images that I wonder: artistic? cool? difficult to understand? silly? Delete because it doesn’t work? Personally I kinda like it, but then I was there. What do you think?
Meandering the Streets of Japan
This old building was tucked into a group of sky scrapers. I wish I knew the history. Family home? How old? business? Why wasn’t it torn down?
I will never forget the lace covered seats in the cars. The taxi drivers wore white gloves. The handles were polished and gleaming, demonstrating the pride the drivers take in their vehicles.
Tenji blocks
I was fascinated with the the raised symbols in the side walks which are installed as guideposts for blind and visually impaired. They are called Tenji blocks and have been used in Japan for over 50 years. Each block has a series of elevated bumps and ridges symbolizing direction such as go forward.
And to end this post here are two images from a large shopping center in the Ginza in Tokyo. This is an upscale shopping area filled with architecturally significant buildings and oodles of history like the old Kabuki theater. I think these two images capture a bit of the Japanese culture–importance of beauty and attention to detail.
Designated elevator in the large shopping center.
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This art focused trip to Japan was organized by Tiny World Tours in conjunction with Espirit Travel & Tours. I wish them and the other travel companies I have enjoyed trips with the best in these difficult times. Other companies are Jim Cline Photo Tours, Wild Photography Holidays , Strabo Photography Tours and Sante Fe Workshops.
