Hello Friends and Fans! :)
You may not be able to tell, but I just updated the Edo Museum blog. As you know, I had ridiculous good fortune and so much fun that I was unable to blog in "real time" as everything was taking place or even when I had down time in Tokyo or Hawaii and that time was spent either napping or eating. I will blog some more this weekend but getting ready for my good friend, Domonique's "Moonlight Painting Cocktail Party" this evening. Domo came up with a brilliant idea to get creative (and tipsy) at her house and paint underneath the stars! All of our artsy, fartsy, beatnik, poetry reading, and Pablo Picasso creative wannabe's will be there. I am looking forward to it! I was so inspired in Japan and Hawaii that I am sure that will factor in my painting tonight. I already painted a kabuki performer a couple years ago (I will try to scan it in another time, so you all can see). Anyways, hope everyone has a good weekend and check back in for another blog shortly!
I now leave you with one of my favorite quotes by Cecil Beaton:
"Be daring, be different, be impractical, be anything that will assert integrity of purpose and imaginative vision against the play-it-safers, the creatures of the commonplace, the slaves of the ordinary."
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Friday, July 11, 2008
Promises, Promises
Okay, I know I said I would get right back on it and continue blogging where I left off, or at least back track and relive Tokyo and I will. I promise to blog tons this weekend. I plan to sit at the beach/pool with drink in hand tapping and wiping the tears of joy away from my face until i am back in Tokyo's loving arms. ; )
Yes, Mom and Dad...I am serious, so prepare yourselves.
Here is another sneak peak of the fun that was had in Hawaii.
Cliff jump at Waimea Bay!
Shai san is not afraid of Tower of Terror
Nicole san IS afraid of Tower of Terror and will not go on the ride.
Nicole san could not, however get Shai san to cliff jump with her at Waimea Bay.
They are still friends and respect eachothers strange phobias. : p
How spectacular is Hanauma Bay? Pretty spectacular....
Hanauma Bay, a scenic snorkeling spot on O'ahu, draws many tourists to its shores daily. The impact of these crowds on its delicate eco-system has necessitated restricted access and occasional closure of the beach in an effort to preserve this island treasure. (luckily, it was open the day we were there).
That's all you get for now. It's 3:32am and I need to force myself to sleep so I can look somewhat fresh as a daisy again ; p
Thanks for checking in everyone and thank you so much for the comments, birthday wishes and love, love, love
Also, shout out to my broheim, Anthony who has been travelling all over Scandanavia (Sweden, Norway, and he is currently making his way to Ireland, I believe) I love you Anthony and can't wait to see you!!!
Until tomorrow,
Nicole san
(thank you also to the photographic stylings of miss. shaina stahl, who acted as proud parent and soccer mom every stop along the way) i love you xoxo
Yes, Mom and Dad...I am serious, so prepare yourselves.
Here is another sneak peak of the fun that was had in Hawaii.
Cliff jump at Waimea Bay!
Shai san is not afraid of Tower of Terror
Nicole san IS afraid of Tower of Terror and will not go on the ride.
Nicole san could not, however get Shai san to cliff jump with her at Waimea Bay.
They are still friends and respect eachothers strange phobias. : p
How spectacular is Hanauma Bay? Pretty spectacular....
Hanauma Bay, a scenic snorkeling spot on O'ahu, draws many tourists to its shores daily. The impact of these crowds on its delicate eco-system has necessitated restricted access and occasional closure of the beach in an effort to preserve this island treasure. (luckily, it was open the day we were there).
That's all you get for now. It's 3:32am and I need to force myself to sleep so I can look somewhat fresh as a daisy again ; p
Thanks for checking in everyone and thank you so much for the comments, birthday wishes and love, love, love
Also, shout out to my broheim, Anthony who has been travelling all over Scandanavia (Sweden, Norway, and he is currently making his way to Ireland, I believe) I love you Anthony and can't wait to see you!!!
Until tomorrow,
Nicole san
(thank you also to the photographic stylings of miss. shaina stahl, who acted as proud parent and soccer mom every stop along the way) i love you xoxo
Thursday, July 3, 2008
HAWAII !!
Hey Friends!
I arrived in Honolulu, Hawaii a few hours ago (actually yesterday) and should be sleeping. Shai and I already hit the beach yesterday around Kaneohe and ate Korean BBQ. It was delish. We are going to go on a hike today and check out some waterfalls and tidepools and later head to the North Shore. : )
Life is good. I am blessed. : )
I arrived in Honolulu, Hawaii a few hours ago (actually yesterday) and should be sleeping. Shai and I already hit the beach yesterday around Kaneohe and ate Korean BBQ. It was delish. We are going to go on a hike today and check out some waterfalls and tidepools and later head to the North Shore. : )
Life is good. I am blessed. : )
Park Hyatt Tokyo
We had our Lost in Translation evening at the locale where the movie was filmed.
Park Hyatt was fantastic. I would gladly pay $60 for the view alone. The cover was 20 yen a person, we had drinks (Rockefeller Center) which was lychee loveliness, pizza, and french fries, with an accompanying jazz band entertaining us as we toasted the amazing time we all had in Tokyo. Check out the ridic view of the Tokyo skyline. It was pretty fantastic.
Park Hyatt was fantastic. I would gladly pay $60 for the view alone. The cover was 20 yen a person, we had drinks (Rockefeller Center) which was lychee loveliness, pizza, and french fries, with an accompanying jazz band entertaining us as we toasted the amazing time we all had in Tokyo. Check out the ridic view of the Tokyo skyline. It was pretty fantastic.
Having way too much fun to blog...sorry mates!
Hey Fans : )
I'm now in Kaneohe, Hawaii (Oahu). I am beyond behind on my blogs but I will not disappoint as I have been having ridiculous amounts of fun in Tokyo and met amazing people and plan to move back in a few years.
By the way....I can now say that I am BIG IN JAPAN, as Shai and I were out at Tokyo Disney, we were scouted and asked to be photographed for an indie mag called Tokyo Graffiti. Here is a sneak peak....
We had a blast at the Park Hyatt with friends high atop the city with the most amazing view of the Tokyo skyline. We also went to a hot springs where we had salt and seaweed scrubs and also had a treatment where turkish doctor fish eat the dead skin cells from your feet. It was amazingness deluxe.
Gotta get sleep. I don't even know what time zone I am on anymore...
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Edo Tokyo Museum
Shaina-san and I decided to soak in some more culture and go on an adventure to the Ryogoku District to the Edo Tokyo Museum. We had a blast! On the east bank of the Sumida River, Ryogoku was a great entertainment and commerce center in Edo's Shitamachi. These days it is a quiet place but it still has it's famous residents - sumo wrestlers. Many beya (sumo stables) are here and it is not unusual to see huge young men walking the streets in yukata (light cotton kimonos) and geta (wooden sandals). Unfortch, we did not see any sumo wrestlers frolic-ing in the streets but Shai and I did get hit on by some school boys who called us, "Hey Sexy!" : )
Beside the sumo stadium is the huge Edo Tokyo Museum, built to resemble an old style of elevated warehouse. One of Tokyo's most imaginative and interesting museums, it's exhibition space is divided into two zones on two floors tracing life in Edo and then Tokyo, as Edo was renamed in 1868. The exhibits which are interactive, appeal to both adults and children and have explanations in Japanese and English.
The historic route around the museum starts at a traditional arched wooden bridge, a replica of Nihonbashi.
There are life-sized reconstructed buildings, including the facade of a Kabuki theater.
Marvelous scale-model dioramas, some of which are automated, show everything from the house of a daimyo (feudal lord) to a section of Shitamachi.
This is an example of a instrument used by firefighters during the Edo period to alert others when there was a fire. Edo firefighters were established in 1718 to prtect the townspeople. Standards, like this one were symbols for each unit. There were 47 units, each named after a kana character. The "su" unit has been in charge of the Tsukiji area in Chuo-ku.
Most Edo streets were lined with houses (machiya) on both sides. Many shops and flourishing businesses also faced the streets. Off the street, in the back, were the row houses, (nagaya) in which the citizens made their homes. Wells, garbage dumps, and toilets were communal. Each ward had it's facilities for crime prevention and fire prevention, as well as aqueducts and sewers.
Homeowners (yanushi)in each ward were responsible for the management and repair of facilities in the ward. Yanushi oversaw the operation of the fire brigade and supervised other activites directly related to everyday life. Representatives of the yanushi served as town officials and/or as employees. Top authority in city matters was delegated to the town magistrates(machi hugyo), below whom were the town elders and the community heads. These officials were not directly involved with the management of the city. Instead, their duty was to give orders and to oversee city administration.
Here is a life-size reconstruction of a kabuki play come to life. In this section of the museum there were also miniature animated models of a kabuki theatre, showing how special effects were cleverly created. We enjoyed this section very much after having experienced our first live kabuki show earlier in the week!
Here is a closeup shot of what looks like the villian in this kabuki play....
Here is me on a reconstruction of an Edo period rickshaw (jinrikisha). You can still ride in a rickshaw if you are in the Asakusa district.
Here I am on an oversized adult tricycle. This made me laugh uncontrollably as I was getting on it as well as off it....
This is an example of one of Japan's first "light" automobile, a three seater Subaru with a 360 cc engine.
Calling home...collect ofcourse.
If you are in Tokyo and only have a chance to check out only one museum, then I highly, highly recommend Tokyo's most imaginative and interesting museum, Edo-Tokyo Museum. Hope you enjoyed the preview!
Beside the sumo stadium is the huge Edo Tokyo Museum, built to resemble an old style of elevated warehouse. One of Tokyo's most imaginative and interesting museums, it's exhibition space is divided into two zones on two floors tracing life in Edo and then Tokyo, as Edo was renamed in 1868. The exhibits which are interactive, appeal to both adults and children and have explanations in Japanese and English.
The historic route around the museum starts at a traditional arched wooden bridge, a replica of Nihonbashi.
There are life-sized reconstructed buildings, including the facade of a Kabuki theater.
Marvelous scale-model dioramas, some of which are automated, show everything from the house of a daimyo (feudal lord) to a section of Shitamachi.
This is an example of a instrument used by firefighters during the Edo period to alert others when there was a fire. Edo firefighters were established in 1718 to prtect the townspeople. Standards, like this one were symbols for each unit. There were 47 units, each named after a kana character. The "su" unit has been in charge of the Tsukiji area in Chuo-ku.
Most Edo streets were lined with houses (machiya) on both sides. Many shops and flourishing businesses also faced the streets. Off the street, in the back, were the row houses, (nagaya) in which the citizens made their homes. Wells, garbage dumps, and toilets were communal. Each ward had it's facilities for crime prevention and fire prevention, as well as aqueducts and sewers.
Homeowners (yanushi)in each ward were responsible for the management and repair of facilities in the ward. Yanushi oversaw the operation of the fire brigade and supervised other activites directly related to everyday life. Representatives of the yanushi served as town officials and/or as employees. Top authority in city matters was delegated to the town magistrates(machi hugyo), below whom were the town elders and the community heads. These officials were not directly involved with the management of the city. Instead, their duty was to give orders and to oversee city administration.
Here is a life-size reconstruction of a kabuki play come to life. In this section of the museum there were also miniature animated models of a kabuki theatre, showing how special effects were cleverly created. We enjoyed this section very much after having experienced our first live kabuki show earlier in the week!
Here is a closeup shot of what looks like the villian in this kabuki play....
Here is me on a reconstruction of an Edo period rickshaw (jinrikisha). You can still ride in a rickshaw if you are in the Asakusa district.
Here I am on an oversized adult tricycle. This made me laugh uncontrollably as I was getting on it as well as off it....
This is an example of one of Japan's first "light" automobile, a three seater Subaru with a 360 cc engine.
Calling home...collect ofcourse.
If you are in Tokyo and only have a chance to check out only one museum, then I highly, highly recommend Tokyo's most imaginative and interesting museum, Edo-Tokyo Museum. Hope you enjoyed the preview!
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Lunch at the Edo Tokyo Museum...
Here is Shai and I enjoying our melon floats and tempura udon noodle soup before heading inside to the Edo Tokyo Museum in the Ryogoku District. I was feeling a bit under the weather, as I lost my voice and a nice soothing bowl of udon noodle soup is just what the doctor ordered. I finally got to taste a melon float which is simply delish. It's melon soda (which as you can see is electric glow in the dark) and comes complete with vanilla bean ice cream on top to compete a lovely and delicious float situation. : p (Yeah, i said situation).
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