Friday, June 13, 2008
HAKONE- ON THE WAY TO FUJI-SAN!!!
Today we headed for Hakone fr a day to try to get a view of Mt Fuji, otherwise known as Fuji-san (but never Mt. Fuji San). We gagthered for lunch once we arrived at a place where we sat on tatmi mats and ate hot udon noodles called Tomaga Tojii. It was extremely awkward once we get settled in our seats- everyone in the restaurant was blatantly staring at us...I think I saw a couple of people even taking our pictures...
Later we took an expensive train ride up in to the Hakone mountains and traveled in funicular where we were able to fly over the sulfur mines (in the pictures below) and we fortunate enough to get an exciting view of Mt. Fuji despite the fact that it was a bit of a hazy day and the moron selling the tickets to the cable cars told us we would not be able to see a thing (because he told us this we almost did not go, and in fact two of the group members missed out and decided to go home and skip the funicular ride up the mountain. I felt so angry with the ticket guy- I guess he must not understand that this may be a once in a life time experience for some people!!)
At the end of the day we went back down to town and found an Onsen- natural hotspring for relaxation. The was likely the most serene/ transcendental experience of my life!!! The onsen was outdoors cut into the side of the mountain and it was night time. The baths were beautifully designed and we could float about with a view of the moon and stars while watching the wind gently blow through the trees. I know this all sounds really cheesy, but I know of know other way of even coming close to trying to explain what this was like- the only thing else I can think to say is why aren't these things eveywhere- I feel like I need it at least once a week!!! I wish I had some pictures to share, but the baths are not something you can photograhp as they are split in to segregated areas- one hidden side for men and one hidden side for woman. Swim suits are not allowed- you have to go naked.
Later we took an expensive train ride up in to the Hakone mountains and traveled in funicular where we were able to fly over the sulfur mines (in the pictures below) and we fortunate enough to get an exciting view of Mt. Fuji despite the fact that it was a bit of a hazy day and the moron selling the tickets to the cable cars told us we would not be able to see a thing (because he told us this we almost did not go, and in fact two of the group members missed out and decided to go home and skip the funicular ride up the mountain. I felt so angry with the ticket guy- I guess he must not understand that this may be a once in a life time experience for some people!!)
At the end of the day we went back down to town and found an Onsen- natural hotspring for relaxation. The was likely the most serene/ transcendental experience of my life!!! The onsen was outdoors cut into the side of the mountain and it was night time. The baths were beautifully designed and we could float about with a view of the moon and stars while watching the wind gently blow through the trees. I know this all sounds really cheesy, but I know of know other way of even coming close to trying to explain what this was like- the only thing else I can think to say is why aren't these things eveywhere- I feel like I need it at least once a week!!! I wish I had some pictures to share, but the baths are not something you can photograhp as they are split in to segregated areas- one hidden side for men and one hidden side for woman. Swim suits are not allowed- you have to go naked.
EXHIBIT PROJECT SNAP SHOT "GREASY JAPAN"
I made the project by using blotting papers to collect the sweat from my face throughout each day. I traced the shape of the stain left on the blotting papers which ended up looking a lot like land masses on a globe or ironically like island masses floating in the sea. The project for me was about the temporal aspects, for instance, the fact that the trip has to come to an end, permanance/ impermanace for instance in the case of the shrines- in particular the shrines at Ise where every 20 years they are rebuilt the and the sacred space is marked off and laid out out- the fact that you can see the shrines built and next to it you can see the lack of the shrines where they will be rebuilt. It was also a recording of the change in activity from day to day- the climate changes- levels in humidity and temperature, and the levels of effort put in to daily activities.
The fact that each resembled landmasses or islands when the stain was highlighted with the line of the pencil got me thinking about how often I would relinquish control and my atempts at gaining a new sense of patience. This was necessary while traveling in groups in situations that required navigation especially for the train stations. Also, becuase I was able to experience the trip with my friend Yuko, for a couple of days, and travling around in smaller groups of people it was often unnecessary for me to have to try to figure out how to get around. Many times I felt like I was just going with the flow to avoid confusion and conflict.
This project became an analogy and meditation on some of these aspects.
The fact that each resembled landmasses or islands when the stain was highlighted with the line of the pencil got me thinking about how often I would relinquish control and my atempts at gaining a new sense of patience. This was necessary while traveling in groups in situations that required navigation especially for the train stations. Also, becuase I was able to experience the trip with my friend Yuko, for a couple of days, and travling around in smaller groups of people it was often unnecessary for me to have to try to figure out how to get around. Many times I felt like I was just going with the flow to avoid confusion and conflict.
This project became an analogy and meditation on some of these aspects.
YOKOHAMA WALKING TOUR
Here are a few brief images from our walking tour lead by Kenta Kishi around Yokohama, where we had been staying for our last week or so in Japan. It is just a short tran ride outside of Tokyo and is the location of our studio where the exhibition took place.
Sunday, June 8, 2008
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