Almost everyone I talked to about Japanese design had been referring to Kyoto as the origin of the traditional WABI-SABI feeling. Therefore I had to go on a side trip to Kyoto. SOICHIRO was so kind to give me company and guidance trough Kyoto’s cosy streets, the stunning temples and delicious restaurants.
We took the SHINKANSEN express train on Sunday morning and arrived in Kyoto at noon. Until our departure in the late Monday afternoon it didn’t stop to rain.
We stayed at an old RYOKAN built in 1909 with tatami-matted rooms, communal baths, small Japanese garden in the courtyard, sliding doors and lovely owners who told us stories about the house and the visitors while serving green tea and breakfast.
The approach to the red temple along the steep and busy lane of the HIGASHIYAMA district was as atmospheric as the view above the hillside of the eastern mountain.
On the way up we paused in a tea room and had the thick and strong green tea with cherry flavored sweets.
KIYOMIZUDERA means pure water temple and was found in 780 on the side of the OTOWA waterfall in the wooden hills.
YUYA OZAWA suggested to see a life act of NAOITO, one of the artists he is managing and a good friend of his. So we were heading southwards for Enoshima in the early Sunday afternoon.
Enoshima is both a small island and a tiny seaside town in the bay of Sagami which is two hours drive away from Tokyo. The island is dedicated to Benzaiten, the goddess of everything that flows such as water, words, music, and knowledge. It’s nature and the good vibrations attract a lot of surfers, artists, and musicians. It has this certain touch of California feeling.
Despite the smoothness of the sea that evening one could feel the enormous power of the Pacific.
HANAMI means literally flower viewing and when the blossoms starts to flourish people gather in parks and enjoy the ephemeral beauty of the cherry blossoms.
Because of the rainy forecast TRIPLESHIPS decided to move the party to a very charming, and very Japanese restaurant in the stylish neighborhood Nakameguro. New designer boutiques, cafés, and restaurants along with the cherry trees line the MEGURO river.
The restaurant was furnished with low tables and blue seat pads. At the entrance on the second floor there was a wall with tiny lockers for shoes to lock up. Once entered the bathroom a pair of Japanese slippers waited for being used.
One day before his 36th birthday, SOICHIRO NISHIGAKI had a business appointment with ERIKO HIDAKA. However he decided that I should join them. He introduced me to her as the “real girl”. Once in a while he mets up with her to find out about her opinion on projects he is working on. ERIKO works part-time from 9am – 5pm as a programmer. She is married and has two kids, a girl and a boy.
We picked her up at home around 7pm after she had brought the kids to her parents since her husband was still working. We were heading for a restaurant on the 41st floor of the Shidome City Center in Shinbashi. I really love having dinner in restaurants above the city. Especially by night one can witness the magnitude of a new city.
However when we entered the restaurant the view left us speechless. It was gorgeous, a gigantic ocean of lights breathed majestically in front of us.
After dark Tokyo morphs into a mysterious glamourous beauty. It shines and sparkles in the darkness. The shadows disguise the small urban imperfections and the light illuminates the oscillating layers.
The concrete mesh reminds me of Araki’s corded bodies, a Japanese photographer and contemporary artist.
The fine fabric sways gracefully in the chilly wind of the Omotesando hills. The translucent layers allows the body underneath to shine through. The secret behind the effect is a mixture of clear glass on the outside and a second displaced layer of translucent acrylic on the inside.
Akihito Abe and his wife invited me to a delicious seafood restaurant at the seaside of Kamakura. A calm place which seemed to meet the ideal of the traditional Japanese beauty including asymmetry, asperity, simplicity, modesty, intimacy, and a strong connection to the nature.
I had a fish menu served in great number of small pots filled with different colours and different textures: fibrous, bouncy, solid, strong, silky etc…
A stroll through Omotesando. Thin threads pervade the streets like capillaries supplying a huge organism with vital substances. I was thinking why all the pipes, wires, fuses boxes and air conditioners are turned to the outside. It might be the constant earthquake risk and the fallout .
On Thursday, the 18th of March I’ve arrived at the airport and moved for 7 hours into the Jumbo Hostel at the Arlanda airport. The hostel is built into a Jumbo Jet with a manual elevator that lifts the guests to the gate entrance. I’ve spent a really calm night. However at 3 am the alarm clock rang and I moved on to the Terminal 5.
