The Tokyo Traveler

The cow-munity is made up of over 70 pieces of bovine art in Tokyo’s Marunouchi district and they aren’t just loafing around!  They are part of Cow Parade 2008. Fiberglass replicas of cows and calves have been decorated by local celebrities and the resulting bovine art won’t be put out to pasture after this unique art exhibit in downtown Tokyo, they will be auctioned off to support social welfare organizations.
I found eighteen cows as I walked along Marunouchi-Nakadori Avenue between Yurakucho and Tokyo Stations.  The artists created some surreal cows – some were subdued, many were very bright and a …read more

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Last week I posted about Willow Trees and Ghosts and The Japan Time talks more about this eerie subject in their article “It’s ghost season in Japan — who you gonna call?“ 
The Mainichi Daily News has put together a photo special covering Tokyo’s Top Tourist Spots.
Matador Nights included 101 Tokyo Contemporary Art Fair on their list of the 10 Hottest Up and Coming Art Fairs Worldwide at the number two spot.
Economic worries in Japan have sparked new interest in a Marxist novel, “Kanikosen”, or “A Crab-Canning Boat”, written in 1929.  The book has been on the best seller …read more

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Sumo was in Los Angeles this past weekend.  NPR has an interesting article and an audio report. (via Japundit)
Japanese women in the San Francisco art scene talk about creative freedom and the differences in the culture.  Hiroko Sakai, one of the artists features says that Japanese women are like willow trees, “They can be bent easily, but it is very hard once you try to break them.”
Einstein’s 1922 visit to Japan was very successful and created an interest in scientific study.  What came shortly after was the exploitation of science for financial gain.
Japan seeks answers on knife attack in …read more

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One of the most recognizable forms of Japanese arts are woodblock prints or ukiyo-e. The word ukiyo refers to the world of common people and e means picture. This art form originated in the late sixteenth century in the ancient capital of Kyoto and the first ukiyo-e were not woodblock prints at all but paintings of everyday life.
As ukiyo-e developed into popular art the subjects of the prints broadened. The equivalent of today’s movie poster were Yakusha-e or woodblock prints of kabuki actors in popular roles and Bijin-ga illustrated beautiful women of Edo. Landscapes came later and were used …read more

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Design Festa is the biggest art event in Asia, with approximately 2,600 booths and 7,000 exhibitors working in a variety of mediums. This art event is held twice a year at Tokyo Big Sight, the biggest event hall in Japan.

In addition to the shopping at the various booths be sure to check out the schedule of live events which include live performances by 20 bands, fashion shows, contemporary dancing and a Japanese drumming. It should be a lot of fun so check it out!
Event Details:
Dates & Times: May 17th & 18th, 2008 (10AM-5PM)
Venue: Tokyo International Exhibition Center “TOKYO …read more

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Junichi Nakahara (1916-1983) was prominent artist well know for his water color paintings, illustrations, fashion design, interior decor and doll making. In the 1920s and 1930s his illustrations of young girls with big eyes were very famous and you can see the art deco influence on his work. The style of his illustrations are typical of Japanese anime and manga drawings that are popular today and he is considered a forerunner of manga art.
I recently ran across a bright and cheerful store dedicated to his work in Hiro-o where I couldn’t resist picking up a few post cards …read more

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Staring on March 28th and running through April the 15th you can get your fill of art in Tokyo during Marunouchi Art Weeks. The three week event will be staged at eleven galleries and the group has prepared a walking tour to make it easier for visitors to get around the area.
Some of the highlights of the event include an exhibition of 45 works chosen from graduation exhibitions of major Japanese art colleges at Art Award Tokyo and Art Fair Tokyo 2008 which is Japan’s largest trade show selling works from over 108 galleries.
The exhibition that I am most …read more

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