September 2010Archives

September 24, 2010 3:24 PM

Escape in Setouchi islands 4/4 : Ogijima

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By Martin Faynot

Ogijima is a little cute island at just 30min from Takamatsu port. There you can see many works of art from "The House Project". Some modest and some pretty stunning. I almost bumped into this TV crew in one of the very little streets of the only village in the island. They were filming the installation "Organ" by Tomoko Taniguchi. It was a network of tubes inter-connected all over the village, making possible to communicate through the tubes !

http://setouchi-artfest.jp/en/artworks/island/venue-ogijima/

End of my Setouchi series ! So once again, if you still have some vacation days left, you MUST go and see the Setouchi Art Festival ! It runs until October 31st. Even in a week end, you can visit 2-3 islands. Yoroshiku ! ^^

http://setouchi-artfest.jp/en/

September 1, 2010 10:24 AM

Escape in Setouchi islands 3/4 : Naoshima

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By Martin Faynot

Naoshima may be the most well known island of the Setouchi archipelago, because beside the actual Setouchi Art Festival (running until October 31st), there are three permanent museums : the Benesse House Museum (which is also a luxurious hotel), the incredible Chichu Art Museum & the Lee Ufan Museum. Both were designed by the famous architect Ando Tadao. Other art spots on Naoshima feature some other houses from "the House Project", including two major art pieces by Shinro Ohtake. A "must see" is his public bath "I love Yu (湯)", where you can actually bath like a regular "sento" but surrounded by an incredible decoration and atmosphere.

I made my sketch around the area called "Honmura". I like this kind of little streets with a tiny canal aside it. It was incredibly hot at this time (37-38 C) but I could relax anyway!

http://setouchi-artfest.jp/en/artworks/island/island-naoshima/

« August 2010 | Main | Archives | October 2010 »

: Kevin Cooney

Kevin Cooney is a long time Tokyo resident. He makes regular appearances on TV as a reporter. He has his own popular internet video series. He performs stand-up comedy regularly in clubs around Tokyo. In his free time he is an avid chef, and hiker.

: Claytonian

Claytonian lives in the countryside of Japan. A very different lifestyle to the hustle and hum of urban centers like Tokyo. He takes a look at some of the traditions and settings that make Japan a unique place to live.

: Anna Kunnecke

Raised in Japan, Anna wears many hats: voice artist, international business consultant, life coach, mother. But the hats are nothing compared to the shoes! See Japan through her eyes, a working mother in Tokyo.

: Martin Faynot

Martin Faynot a.k.a. Marutan is a french illustrator living in Tokyo since 2002. He has published many illustrated books and his passion for Tokyo keeps him always on a quest to discover and observe how the city evolves. Tokyo as seen from behind his sketch pad.

: Emily Connor

Emily is a young singer, songwriter just breaking onto the Japanese music scene. Mostly self-taught, she became fluent in Japanese and moved to Tokyo at only 18. Following her musical dream, she has already made a name for herself in Japanese entertainment. She shares in this blog her life experiences in Tokyo and a first hand look at someone already becoming "Big in Japan."

: Alisha

Alisha is a Tokyo resident who works as an English teacher and web marketer. Having studied Japanese in high school and university, she moved to Japan to begin a business career. She explores her life in Japan in depth on her personal blog and via YouTube. In her free time, she enjoys eating both new and familiar foods, playing video games, and adventuring in Tokyo.

: Spring Day

Product of hippie parents, American Spring Day (Yes, that’s her real name) left her hometown of Kansas City in 2001 and has called Tokyo home ever since. Fluent in Japanese and English, Spring does stand-up comedy at the Tokyo Comedy Store and around the world.

: Thatjapanesegirl

Thatjapanesegirl, who often goes by TJG, was born in Kyoto, Japan. She moved to Toyko in 2010. When she's not working she enjoys making fun videos for Youtube. In addition, she loves playing video games, buying cameras and bouldering.

: Danny Choo

Danny registers over two million unique users a month on his very own website and is an expert on his biggest passion: Japanese figurines. In this new Japan themed blog is all the latest from the world of Akiba-culture and society at large.