Monthly Archives: June 2007
Books on the Tatami by the Futon
Our far-flung correspondent Takumashii, in Alabama (formerly of Osaka, via Chicago), muses on how, upon arriving at someone’s home, we immediately make a beeline for their bookshelf and “the knicknacks”. Trouserpress, of lesser-flung (from here) Nara, adds “record collection,” to … Continue reading
Unwrapping a Building
A very overcast Tuesday in the middle of a sporadic Rainy Season (tsuyu 梅雨 – literally plum rain: as if on cue, big bags of the little green sour plums used to make plum wine appeared in the shops last … Continue reading
Reader’s Paradise
The Japanese are voracious readers. True, a huge chunk of that reading is of manga or fashion magazines (and most men’s magazines here are glorified catalogues), but even in this iPod iAge, you can still see an amazing amount of … Continue reading
Basquiat – The Osaka Years
Seen on a staircase/ramp to a pedestrian bridge in Minase (水無瀬), near the Osaka-Kyoto border.
“It is the stance of inhale … “
“It is the stance of inhale to pierce through thinking of an inhale no one but.” — Message seen Monday evening on the back of a white long-sleeved t-shirt worn by a large man sitting with his girlfriend at the … Continue reading
CyberSilas®
Every night this week, I’ve been reading a chapter or two of Silas Marner, by George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans). It takes time to get used to the style (it was written, after all, in 1861), but I find that … Continue reading
Art For Queuing Up’s Sake
Unless you’re a hairdressing student and want to study the backs of heads, don’t go to an art museum on a Sunday in Japan. The line to get into a popular show can wind right around the building (Dali at … Continue reading
