oshio matsuri

As far as I could make out…

Everyone from the local area gathers together in and around a shrine conveniently located next to a large open area (and the hospital…) and has a bit of a jolly in the still-quite-hot autumn afternoon: food, music, games, more food.

Each neighbourhood has a team of young gents that limber up during the afternoon…

…in preparation for all hell breaking loose once it gets dark.

Each team has a large omikoshi carriage thing (but no wheels and no horses!) that weighs about 2 tonnes and must be carried out of the shrine, out into the large open and then used to try and nudge an opposing team into submission.

As you can see from this video clip, the crowd is right in there supporting their team, so it gets a bit hairy when the omikoshi suddenly launches itself in a particular direction: people have to try and scatter out of the way. It gets really interesting when you find yourself trapped between three of them all converging towards you!

and then the next day you’re back to seeing men with flashing beacons emplyed to safely guide you around completely fenced off road-workings…

Gion and Kodaiji

Garyoro (Reclining Dragon Corridor) and Otama-ya (Sanctuary):

Temple Garden:

Gion house:

Gion tree:

Shrine and cars:

Gion lanterns:

Iho-an (The Cottage of Lingering Fragrance, tea house):

Volume 17

This week I was due to meet up with a friend in Kyoto on Saturday, but I altered my plans so I could meet up with momentarium Markuz Wernli Saitô.

This involved arriving a day early and spending the night in a youth hostel… and then oversleeping the next morning, trekking back to the station, faffing around trying to find a locker big enough for my bags, trekking to a different station and then arriving at Kamo Obashi Bridge 10 minutes after the scheduled bridge-sit was supposed to end.

Fortunately there was something of a crowd there and so I was still able to meet Markuz to invite him to take part in the project.

Hopefully I will make it back to Kyoto next week to properly take part in one of the activities.

reunion

I spotted an old friend from last year:

simple is best

Good food, cooked on the table in front of you and eaten with friends.

Even the stuff that’s not cooked in front of you is quite impressive….

end of phase 1

After 4 weeks based at Joshibi, I have now left my rented room in Sagamiono with its views of the mountains and the vegetables on one side…

…and the crazy firemen on the other.

This week I will stay at a friend’s house in the North of Tokyo and then on Friday I will start my travels: Kyoto, Kobe, Hyogo and Kumamoto.

All the everything is always punctuated by lots of food with friends, but this week I have also had a chance to start thinking about my own work as well as continuing to see some interesting exhibitions.

Let’s see what happens in phase 2…

Volume 23

Last week I entered the strange, strange world of Megumi Ishibashi.

This is a world where large, contorted, fibre-glass figures leave flight trails that arch across the sky or
struggle to escape from the arse-holes of technicoloured fish.

We built a new language and then we talked about studio spaces, art outside the gallery and residencies.

It was fun; I gave her a sketchbook.

I hope she likes it…

Kanagawa Prefecture Exhibition of Fine Art

Last weekend I was invited to the awards ceremony for the 42nd Kanagawa Prefecture Exhibition of Fine Art.

A lot of people, a lot of art and a lot of speeches…

Congratulations to those who received awards.

kawagoe

For some reason, I took most of my photos in Kawagoe without looking.

(Cick on the pictures below for larger images.)

[short interval]

Normal service will be resumed once the birthday celebrations have finished and I’ve stopped needing to use the laptop for editing ultrasound footage.