Journeys of the Imagination: Mexico and Japanese Artists
Jennifer Pastore
Japan-Mexico relations were first forged in 1609, when a ship headed to Mexico from the Philippines wrecked off the coast of Chiba. Now, more than 400 years later, Chiba's Ichihara Lakeside Museum takes a look at the cultural influence of Mexico on Japan in The Impact of Mexico: Mexican Experiences Shake Japan Radically. This exhibition explores how Mexico has shaped eight Japanese artists in a range of fields including painting, sculpting, conceptual art, and filmmaking. more...
Cutting through the Mystery of Japanese Swords
J.M. Hammond
Japanese swords may seem to exist in an esoteric world of their own, but with a little background knowledge, appreciation of the beauty of these hand-crafted works of art can be deepened significantly. A new exhibition at the Japanese Sword Museum in Ryogoku, Tokyo, provides such an opportunity to learn more about this traditional artform. On display until 20 September, Contemporary Swords and Artworks introduces Japanese swords made in the last few years alongside some historical examples, allowing visitors to make connections across the centuries. more...
School of Rock: The Subterranean Museum of Oya
Alan Gleason
The first hint that there is something different about Oya comes when you turn off the highway down a side road and find yourself winding through a landscape of sheer rocky white cliffs, many showing the scars of quarrying. This is the Oya tuff zone, a unique protrusion of volcanic rock that measures only four by six kilometers in area, but whose quarries once yielded 900,000 tons of the rhyolitic tuff known as Oya stone every year. Long a coveted construction material for its fortuitous mix of strength, softness, and fire resistance, the stone is also attractive. Its mottled surface and greenish-gray hue caught the eye of the American architect Frank Lloyd Wright, who made Oya stone famous when he used it to build the original Imperial Hotel in Tokyo. more...
