Japan Probe

11/11/09: Tatsuya Ichihashi arrested in Osaka Tatsuya Ichihashi has finally been arrested by Japanese police for the murder of Lindsay Hawker in 2007. Lindsay was an English teacher for Nova in Koiwa, and was originally from England. Tatsuya has been on the run from police ever since he was seen fleeing from his apartment, where Lindsay was found dead in a bathtub on his balconey. He has undergone several plastic surgery procedures to alter his appearance. More details about the case can be found here.

11/08/09: Nomura sued for sex and race discrimination
Nomura, a Japanese company that took over after Lehman Brothers failed, has been accused of making female employees serve tea, and subjecting them to sexual comments and insults. Nomura is denying the claims, but two former employees have hit them with a formal lawsuit regarding the allegations. More news to come…

11/05/09: Ai Haruna, Miss International Queen 2009 Ai Haruna has crowned winner of the Miss International Queen 2009 pageant in Thailand last week. The pageant is a beauty contest for transexuals, and Ai mentions that such tolerance is not to be found so easily in her home country of Japan. She won $10,000 as the grand prize, but Japan Probe points out that her plastic surgery has cost her around $660,000.

Japanese Pod 101

11/09/09: Learn Japanese Kanji – Everyday Kanji (Electric Water Heater)
Another week, another post of useful kanji! Though this is really for those living currently in Japan, unless you have a fancy imported water pot! These electric kettles are very useful for whenever you need boiling water for tea, instant noodles, and more. From when I lived in Japan, I knew what these buttons did from trial and error, but I never knew the readings or exact meanings!

Pink Tentacle

11/07/09: Velvet kaiju paintings Okay, these paintings just crack me up. Tired of having that old black velvet Elvis on the wall? Why not replace it with a shining Godzilla or Mothra? Japanese pop culture + velvet = A winning combination!

Jamaipanese.com

11/09/09: A Look back at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics
Coverage of the 1964 Tokyo Olympic games and what they meant to Japan back then. These Olympics were the site of many “firsts” such as the first Asian hosting city, the premier of women’s volleyball and judo as events, and the first color and live TV broadcast of the games.

Tokyo Times

11/05/09: Abandoned mining houses #1: Personal possessions A great post on Japanese haikyo (abandoned buildings), specifically in an old mining town in Chichibu, Saitama Prefecture. I find old buildings like these, especially when all the possessions are still there, a fascinating glimpse of history. These houses are like time capsules from the Japan of 1988. What happened here that made all the inhabitants leave without even packing? We may never know.

Blue Lotus

11/11/09: Food Ever wonder what daily meals look like in Japan? This post doesn’t necessarily contain “typical” meals, but if you want to see some more elaborate Japanese dishes and delicacies, then this post is for you! Many of the foods are from Hokkaido since they were received as omiyage (souveniers). The blogger here takes photos of both homemade and restaurant meals, so it’s a nice photo tour of Japanese food.

Other

11/10/09: How Japan Defines “Fat”
An essay by an American living in Japan about how body weight and image is perceived in Japan. The article argues that peer pressure in Japan about food and eating is much more intense than in much of America, resulting in a thinner (though perhaps more anxious) population on the whole. I personally lost weight in Japan, though I think that’s probably because I don’t like fish, and that was served for almost every meal. Ugh. The thought that Japan is only full of healthy food is of course a misconception, though the portion sizes are what keeps many people slender, I think.

11/05/09: Is Technology Dumbing Down Japanese?
Just as this same argument has been made for the English language, the debate rages on in Japan as well. Though Japanese may be hit even harder by advances in technology since computers and cell phones can make the hand writing of kanji characters nearly obsolete. As a result, quite a few Japanese may not remember how to write certain words! Though much the same could be said for Americans who can’t spell even simple words because of ubiquitous spell-checkers. Is this a corruption of language, or just an evolution? Well, it depends on who you ask.

5.0 out of 5 stars The best and most complete book on the subject

Many of us have grown up on the myths of Japan, on the fairly tale land of samurai and geisha, of castles and 10 foot square huts. Like the knights of Europe, it can be hard to distinguish between the real living beings and the legends. However, fortunately for a brief moment the ancient and the modern intersected, and cameras were able to capture a feudal society on the brink of change. Cameras are like time machines. One little click of a button, and a small slice of the past is captured and preserved, opening a window from then to now, and allowing modern people to experience something so far lost as to almost be unreal. While they seem to be relatively modern inventions, cameras have been around for over a century, and the images captured from so long ago are a fantastic treasure.

“Photography in Japan 1853-1912″ is much more than just a picture book, however. It is a complete education on the history of photography in Japan, from its barren beginnings to its flourishing boom as the country modernized and a craving for Western technology meant a constant demand for new equipment and skilled photographers. Absolutely everything is here, including the earliest known photograph of a Japanese person, a castaway rescued by sailors, as well as impressions from Eliphalet Brown Jr., the official daguerreotypist for the Perry Expedition. This could easily be a college text book, and its depth and breadth of knowledge is astounding.

But for those less than interested in a history course on photography in Japan, and just want to be blown away by the images, it also has exactly what you need. Gathering the best of 50 worldwide collections, over 350 images show the ancient Japan of our dreams, with full-page, hand-colored images of samurai in their finest armor, and beautiful geisha in their most expensive and extravagant costumes. Some of the photographs would be impossible to achieve know, like castles uncluttered by power lines and parking lots. Not that everything is just posed work. Several photographers of the time were interested in more photojournalistic “slice-of-life” shots, showing people going about their daily business blissfully unaware that these stolen moments would be studied and appreciated in a book over a hundred years into the future.

Takano Ryudai, Long hair nesting on pink cloth, from the series "In My Room", 2002

Pregnant men posing in a fertility clinic; strangers photographed from outside the windows of their homes; a young woman dressing up in various fashion trends of Japanese teenagers, exploring the superficial concept of ‘youth’.

This exhibition features photographic work by eleven contemporary Japanese artists that questions things in their world and society that they have long accepted as ‘obvious’. Their work explores the complexities of our ever-changing world and the instability of Japanese society behind the façade of economic prosperity.

Dates and venues:

• 24 January to 28 March 2009 – Oldham Gallery, Oldham.
• 16 April to 23 May 2009 – Millais Gallery, Southampton.
• 30 June to 26 August 2009 – Rugby Art Gallery and Museum, Rugby.
• 5 September to 17 October 2009 – Oriel Wrecsam, Wrexham.

I decided to do some photography last night.

Hope you enjoy the pics!!

Reflection of the Tokyo Tower on one of the Mori buildings, it’s not as good as some of the other Tokyo Tower reflection pictures I have seen, will have to do better next time!

A sign at a bus-stop near Shiba Park.

 JAPANESE PHOTOGRAPHY

 Thank heavens for youtube which has given us a whole new way to appreciate art and learn about artists.

In these video interviews, internationally-acclaimed Japanese photographer Hiroshi Sugimoto gives us a glimpse of his warm personality. Intelligent and mild-mannered, he responds with self-deprecating humour to questions about the source of his inspiration and his innovative approach to traditional photographic techniques.

What we found particularly fascinating in these videos is how Sugimoto uses one series of work to inform and serve as inspiration for later ones. In the T Magazine video, he describes how his earlier work with waxworks and still forms inspired him to photograph mannequins instead of live models and the resulting images have a sculptural quality, an interest which he explored in his ‘Joe Series’ based on Richard Serra sculptures.

T Magazine: It’s all about Hiroshi Sugimoto – 4: 29 – Feb 2008 – fashion as sculpture – In his first fashion commission for the New York Times style magazine, Sugimoto describes why he photographs fashion on mannequins rather than live models and how he develops his ideas some of which lie latent for 30 or 40 years. “There is always something being cooked in my noodle”

Art 21: Hiroshi Sugimoto –  1:27 mins – Feb 2008 – Photography as a tool to explore time – A  video snippet of the delightfully warm Hiroshi Sugimoto explaining how he shuns sophisticated and computer-generated techniques. He demonstrates how he manipulates light with shades in his Paris studio: difficult to control he says but still the way to make the best pictures.

Hiroshi Sugimoto Portrait series

Hiroshi Sugimoto Part 1 - 6:50 mins – 2007 – Waxworks and the ‘Portrait’ series – As his work is being installed in Villa Manin in his first serious show in Italy, Sugimoto talks about his photographs of wax images of the Pope, Lady Diana, Holbein’s Henry VIII, Queen Elizabeth. Sugimoto explains that when he makes the images of the waxworks he aims to recreate the original photos and paintings on which the wax works are based.

Hiroshi Sugimoto talks – 3:55 mins – Oct 2006 – at his ‘Joe Series’ exhibition at the Pulitzer in 2006 – In 2003 Sugimoto visited the Pulitzer Foundation to photograph the building designed by fellow countryman Tadao Ando but quickly turned his attention to Richard Serra’s sculpture Joe installed in the courtyard and dedicated to the late Joseph Pulitzer. He discusses the resulting photographs and  his ‘twice as infinity’ technique in which he focuses beyond infinity to make the images.

Related posts:

• Internationally-renowned fashion photographer Wing Shya returns to art – Nov 2008
• Survey of Japanese photography at Paris Photo 2008 – Oct 2008
• Survey of Japanese photography at ICP first at US in decades - Jun 2008

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The Gion Matsuri is probably Japan’s most famous festival and spans the whole (!) of July in Kyoto. On various days there are different events which take place but most impressive are the nights leading up to a parade which takes place during the day. I was luckily in Kansai for most of July and so was lucky enough to see some of the Gion festival. There are 3 nights where the streets are closed off for the pedestrians and special floats ride throughout the streets. High up on the floats there are actually musicians who play flutes whilst the procession takes place. There are also stalls selling food and many people come wearing yukata (traditional Japanese clothes for the summer). I was in Kyoto for one of these nights and I was able to take some pictures. After the 3 nights there is a parade which takes place early one morning (I don’t remember the specific date though), I tried to see it but missed it. But, luckily I talked with a woman at the Yasaka Shrine and she told me something else was happening in the evening. I stayed in Kyoto the whole day and in the evening there was a second parade with people dressed in traditional clothing and some special guys riding on horse-back. Anyway, if you’re visiting the Kansai region then it’d be really good if possible to visit Kyoto during July in order to experience the Gion Matsuri- it really is something not to be missed!!

Oh, and just one last thing- the festival was actually started by a cult of the Gion Shrine (The original name for the Yasaka Shrine) in Kyoto as part of their actions to ‘appease’ vengeful spirits known in Japanese as ‘goryou.’ This was back during the Heian Period, a time when a lot of the aristocracy were very supersticious.  Enjoy the pictures, I’d love to experience the festival again and take more photos!!

Today I’m going to share one of my favourite pictures which I took in Japan. Like pretty much all of my photography it’s nothing particularly special and it doesn’t look impressive whatsoever but I think I was just able to capture a good moment. Right about this time in Japan the plum blossoms must be blooming, my memory is quite bad and I can’t remember if they bloom before or after the cherry blossoms, I get the feeling they last just a bit longer than the cherry blossoms though. Anyway, the place where this picture was taken is a park in the west of Tokyo, near Mount Takao. I don’t remember the name of the place because I was taken by someone I used to work with. Anyway, I just saw this couple sitting down in front of me and I thought having them in the centre gazing out at the beautiful blossoms would make a good picture. Not particularly great or original but hey, I thought it made a nice picture!

Here’s a random pic I took of Ueno Station one evening, it kinda has a retro feel I guess, nothing special anyway but enjoy!

Today I’m gonna write about Himeji, without a doubt one of my favourite places which I visited in Japan. Himeji is located quite near Osaka and Kyoto but it’s actually a part of Hyogo prefecture if my memory serves me well. The most famous tourist attraction in Himeji is Himeji Castle, located a convenient 20 minute walk away from the station. And to be honest, it’s really not surprising to see why its so popular – Himeji Castle is regarded as one of Japan’s finest and it’s one of few that have actually survived to this day (the vast majority of castles in Japan have been destroyed and were replaced with reconstructions).  I’ve heard it is great to visit the castle during the cherry blossom season, but naturally be prepared, it’ll probably be quite crowded! Near the castle there is a really neat ice cream shop which sells a variety of unusual flavours, the watermelon sounded good but I thought it was just a bit too sweet!

Himeji Castle isn’t the only site in Himeji though. Movie enthusiasts might already know that part of the Last Samurai was actually filmed in there! The place which was used for filming in the Last Samurai is a temple complex located at Mount Shozan, the complex is called the Engyoji. Getting there requires a little bit more effort than Himeji Castle, well, not much, you just need to get a bus which is quite easy as the stop is right outside the station. For info on how to get there, look here Himeji information

The last picture below was taken from the main tower of Himeji Castle. If you visit Osaka, Kyoto or Kobe be sure to take a day trip to Himeji, you won’t be disappointed!!

Yamaguchi Noriko

JAPANESE PHOTOGRAPHY

Back in the 1850’s Japan was the first country in Asia to embrace photography and since then the diversity, technical prowess and originality of Japanese have made an impression world-wide. Paris Photo which claims to be the premier fair for static images in the world was established 10 years ago and now attracts 40,000 visitors and 120 exhibitors. This year it will feature a panoramic survey of Japanese photography from the 1850’s with special coverage of the 1930’s avant-garde, the journalistic images of the 1950’s and the contemporary scene in the years 1990 to 2000.

Yoneda Tomoko

Thirty galleries in the general section will pay homage to modern masters including Shoji Ueda, Ihei Kimura, Masahisa Fukasi, Eikoh Hosoe, Shomei Tomastu and comtemporary photographers including Hiroshi Sugimoto, Nobuyoshi Araki, Daido Moriyama, Naoya Hatakeyama.

The ‘Statement’ and the ‘Project Room’ (the latter devoted to video) will introduce the work of emerging artists in the lively photographic scene which has been developing since the year 2000.

See

• for more images visit Paris Photo site
• more posts on photography, Japanese art

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 JAPANESE PHOTOGRAPHY SHOW UNTIL SEPTEMBER 7 2008 ”It was probably too much to expect the International Center of Photography to have two excellent group shows of contemporary art in a row. Not many New York museums, especially small ones, manage that regularly” says the New York Times. ”Thus ‘Heavy Light: Recent Photography and Video From Japan’ is just average, or a little less”.

With some new and some familiar names, this 13 artist exhibition organized by Christopher Phillips, a curator at the center, and Noriko Fuku, an independent curator from Japan is the first large museum survey of Japanese photography in the USA in decades. 

Two noteworthy artists both dealt with conformity and divergance in humanity.

The New York Times describes Hiroh Kikai, born in 1945, as a kind of August Sander without a studio. Since 1973 he has roamed the Asakusa district of Tokyo, briefly interviewing and then taking black and white photographs of strangers who pose themselves against the blank walls of the Sensoji Temple.A morose-looking man wearing a “love and peace” T-shirt and a skull-and-cross-bones cap provides his own caption: “I’ve always wanted to be different since I was a kid, and I’ve always been knocked around for it.” 

Born in 1977, Tomoko Sawada is widely known for photo-booth and yearbook pictures of girls and young women in which, using computers and variations in hair, makeup and expression, she plays each and every character. Here Ms. Sawada is represented by two examples of her “School Days” series, which show groups of girls in their school uniforms lined up in neat rows, satirizing Japan’s homogeneity and emphasis on conformity.

Source: New York Times
Image details: Tomoko Sawada, School Days

See (in new window)

• full story in New York Times
• more on contemporary Japanese art
• more on contemporary photography
• catalogue in Art Radar Amazon bookstore
• more on survey exhibitions of Asian art

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One of my first impressions of Japan was the color green, but not just any kind of green. The green that stuck with me was the green glow of the city streets as captured through two dimensional photographs. That green like a seductive slime oozing from the streetlights catches me off-guard even now after all this time at once frightening and alluring. Two weeks ago I found this photograph by a Japanese photographer named Issey Niwa revealing to me the beauty and almost inhuman radiance of the industrial habitat.

At times, the interface becomes the medium through which we see ourselves, through which we reassemble ourselves and lose ourselves. The Japan of my neighborhood on rare occasions has glowed for me in this way, the ambient glow from the sliding-glass windows of the mansion down the street, the silent fullness of the rickety train station with its solitary stationmaster patient in uniform, the construction-infused landscape passing before the train window in the evening, the lonely back-alley behind the hospital down the way with its bags of hospital refuse and syringes, the countryside convenience store parking lot surrounded by fields of factory debris jutting from the weeds like obscene sculptures.

I don’t know what kind of industrial complex this photograph is showing, what they are creating in there, but the green glow that has stayed with me is projected back with a soft intensity amidst this mechanical network under the pink and orange sky.

On the periphery of this monster, I stand agape with wonder and from this perspective, walking the train tracks at night, one may get the feeling that this is not planet Earth, that this is not Real. The trees and weeds in their dull greenness continue to grow, flowing through the branches intaking this human project of progress and production. This photograph almost seems to merge the human and the mechanical, the human creature with legs brushing against brush, gravel, weeds and grass and minds reaching out in transformation and imagination. The veil of the industrial sits against the chaotic growth of the natural and the human sits somewhere between these two worlds, in the margins of this twisting act of development.

Lupin Issey’s Photo Blog: http://lupinissey.blog102.fc2.com/

Websters dictionary defines collage:

collage

Main Entry:

col·lage

Pronunciation:

\kə-ˈläzh, kȯ-, kō-\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

French, literally, gluing, from coller to glue, from colle glue, from Vulgar Latin *colla, from Greek kolla

Date:

1919

1 a: an artistic composition made of various materials (as paper, cloth, or wood) glued on a surface b: a creative work that resembles such a composition in incorporating various materials or elements <the album is a collage of several musical styles>2: the art of making collages3: hodgepodge <a collage of ideas>4: a work (as a film) having disparate scenes in rapid succession without transitions

— collage transitive verb

— col·lag·ist \-ˈlä-zhist\ noun

Please see Joseph Cornell, Rose Hobart

or also Drop of Dreams, Toshiko Okanoue