SusanRaku@AOL.COM on mon 7 jul 03
I am going to Japan on Saturday for two weeks. This is something that came
up recently as we had the opportunity to buy inexpensive tickets. I would love
to connect with Japanese artists or any local there. We will be in Nikko,
Matsumoto, Takajama,Kanazawa, Kyoto, Nara,Mt. Koya and Hiroshima.
If you know of anyone you might recommend, or other inside information on the
above locations please do share it.
Thanks.
Susan
dalecochoy on tue 8 jul 03
Wow! That's a lot for two weeks. You could spend most of that in Kyoto
alone!
But, I'm still jealous.
Here's a couple good websites to wet your whistle:
www.bonsaimuseum.org/e/tenji/_u.html This is the Takagi bonsai and pot
museum in Tokyo. He has an annual pottery competition.
and
www.2000cranes.com
Regards,
Dale Cochoy, Wild Things Bonsai Studio, Hartville, Ohio
DaleCochoy@Prodigy.Net http://www.WildThingsBonsai.Com
Specializing in power wood carving tools.
Yakimono no Kokoro bonsai pottery of hand-built stoneware
----- Original Message -----
From:
To:
Sent: Monday, July 07, 2003 7:54 PM
Subject: Japan trip need advice
> I am going to Japan on Saturday for two weeks. This is something that
came
> up recently as we had the opportunity to buy inexpensive tickets. I would
love
> to connect with Japanese artists or any local there. We will be in
Nikko,
> Matsumoto, Takajama,Kanazawa, Kyoto, Nara,Mt. Koya and Hiroshima.
>
> If you know of anyone you might recommend, or other inside information on
the
> above locations please do share it.
>
> Thanks.
>
> Susan
John Baymore on wed 9 jul 03
Susan,
I am going to Japan on Saturday for two weeks. This is something that ca=
me
up recently as we had the opportunity to buy inexpensive tickets. I woul=
d
love
to connect with Japanese artists or any local there. We will be in Nikk=
o,
Matsumoto, Takajama,Kanazawa, Kyoto, Nara,Mt. Koya and Hiroshima.
If you know of anyone you might recommend, or other inside information on=
the
above locations please do share it.
Wow..... sounds like a lot of time on shinkansen to get all over like tha=
t!
A lot about what you can see depends on your mode of available transport
and your comfort with traveling in the contryside. Do you speak any
Japanese?
Will you have a car?
First off, get in touch with the Japan National Tourist Organization.... =
or
JNTO as it is known. I THINK their website is JNTO.jp or JNTO.org or
something like that. A Google search on "JNTO" will find it fast. They
have a wealth of free information for anyone visiting Japan. The website=
is good too. Ask them for their printed guide to the ceramic centers of
Japan, along with anything else about ceramics that they can supply you. =
You'll be surprised at what you'll get.
Go to Robert Yellin's website JapanesePottery.com and do a little researc=
h
about places of interest and potters there. Also email Robert himself...=
.
he is a really nice guy and might be able to give you some leads. Also y=
ou
might plan to visit his "physical reality" when you are in Japan.
Nikko is the home of the Tokagawa Shrine....and is STUNNINGLY beautiful. =
=
It is "picture postcard" Japan. The cedar lined street leading up to the=
Shrine is breathtaking as is the formal tea garden. See if you can find
the tour (unfortunately all in Japanese) of the temple with the "unique
sound properties". If you are lucky enough to experience it by being in
the room when the tour is there.... you'll know exactly what I am talking=
about . If you are in Nikko (which is a real MUST SEE when in
Japan)....... you will be quite close to Mashiko-machi.
Thanks to Hamada Shoji settling there......... Mashiko has become a mecca=
of sorts for potters. There are about 400 potteries there currently and =
it
is a great place to visit. Just wandering around you will see LOADS of
potters, kilns, galleries, shops, and so on. Like many places in Japan..=
.
you'll see some real schlock right next to museum pieces . (Ah yes...=
..
the dichotomy that is Japan.) Shimaoka Tatsuzo's home and workshop is
there......... although it is pretty unlikely that you'll get to visit
there without some introduction........ but his work is everywhere. =
Hamada Shoji's mingei reference collection is open to the public as a
museum....as is a lot of his former estate and workshop. His beautiful
home has been relocated to the site of the Mashiko Togei Messe (Pottery
Museum) as has one of his noborigama. =
The Togei Messe is a great place to see samples of a lot of the Mashiko
area potters work. Mashiko IS about pottery.
Don't forget to stop in the Mashiko Ceramic Coopoperative (supply compan=
y)
and pick up some great tools you can't get here in the USA.
Nikko is about 45 minutes out of Utsunomiya-shi...... a major city and a
transportationm connection point for the northern/eastern Japan shinkanse=
n.
Being a major tourist attraction, I imagine that there is good public
transport between Nikko and Utsunomiya....but the two times I have travel=
ed
to Nikko from Utsunomiya I have traveled by car.....so I don't know the
details. At the JR shinkansen eki (a-key =3D station) outside right in =
the
front you can pick up a bus that goes to Mashiko. There are numerous
busses a day. It is just under an hour's bus ride to Mashiko. Leaving
Mashiko headed back south you can also go by train and make connections t=
o
end up in Tokyo in about 1 1/2 hours instead of going back thropugh
Utsunomiya..
A very inexpensive and "modest" ryokan for lodging right on the main stre=
et
in Mashiko is the Okadaya Ryokan. It is clean, has nice enough
"atmosphere", tatami matted rooms, sleep on f'ton, supurb food served on
Mashiko yaki, lots of green tea, and attentive hosts. At least that was =
my
last two experiences. It is a little "worn"....but not offensive. It is=
the place that the Mashiko Town chose to put me and the others up in back=
in 1996..... and I stayed there again "for old times sake" on a vist last=
year too. It is OK. Enough for me anyway..... my demands ( and budget
) don't run high. As ryokan go...it is NOT really fancy....very basi=
c.
But the current cost is only about 7500Y per night and that includes
Japanese style breakfast and dinner. Ofuro (bath) is a common one..... b=
ut
I think "private use" can be arranged. Oteari (bathroom) is a common one=
and (like in MANY places) is unisex. It has both Japanese and Western
style toilets along with urinals. The hard part there for you might be
that they do not speak any English if you don;t speak Japanese. The phon=
e
number is 0285-72-2016. They can write very, very, VERY poor basic Engli=
sh
in block letters....... and they have a fax (same #)... so you might be
able to make a reservation that way.
Other possible lodgings in the Mashiko area are:
Hasegawa ryokan 0285-72-2210
Shiraume-so 0285-72-6762
Tozan-so 0285-72-2063
Ohkawado Kozen Spa 0285-72-4546
Minshuku (private guest house) Higeta 0285-72-2559
Minshuju Furusato 0285-72-3156
Minshuku Yamaji 0285-72-2525
Minshuku Yamabiko 0285-72-1829
Business Hotel Toyoda 0285-68-4500
Another really neat place NEAR your stated itinerary is Onda Sarayama
(which translates literally as "Plate Mountain" Sara=3Dplate =
yama=3Dmountain). It is located on the northern (eastern?) end of the is=
land
of Kyushu in Oita Prefecture. Not too far from Koishiwara. Nearest larg=
er
city is Hita-shi. It would be a good place to visit in conjunction wit=
h
your trip to Hiroshima. It sits in a tiny valley only about 250 meters
wide.......... and only has about 20 families or so. We are talking SMAL=
L
here. It is as close to old real "mingei" pottery as you'll probably fin=
d
in Japan anymore. The video "Village Potters of Onda" by Robert and Edit=
h
Sperry focuses on this place. (Steve Branfman's Potters Shop has it.) =
Again getting there will depend a lot on your comfort traveling in pretty=
much non-English speaking areas outside the normal "foreign tourist" area=
s.
This is REALLY out in the boonies .
Kyoto is the cultural capital of Japan. See EVERYTHING you can .....
temples, architecture, all manner of shops, potteries, galleries, kimonos=
,
and on and on and on. Try to find the Kawaii Kanjiro House Museum. It i=
s
a difficult find....cause it is small, located in a tight rabbit warren o=
f
streets, and is only labeled with a Kanji sign. But at the JR station
there are people who speak English...and thay can help you to arrange a
taxi that will get you there. The taxi will cost you two arms and a
leg....... but it'll get you there . It is a LONG walk from the JR
station in Kyoto.... I did that....... and unless you speak the
language..... even with a map...you'll likely get lost. Kawaii Kanjiro w=
as
a potter "compatriot" of Hamada and Leach and Yanagi.
The wood firing capital of Japan....... Shigaraki........ is an easy day
trip from Kyoto. And Iga is basically right next door to Shigaraki. And=
Seto / Tajimi (home of real Shino and also Oribe wares) is right in that=
general area too. All great places to visit. Get a good tourist's map o=
f
Japan ....which JNTO can get to you.
Wish I had more time to get you info... but in the next few days I will b=
e
quite busy. Hope this is at least a little help. I am sure others will
chime in too. I'll try to look up some more stuff from my filing cabinet=
s
.
Have a GREAT time!!!!!!!!!! I am turning a few shades of green right now=
. I was originally supposed to be leaving in a few days myself to hea=
d
to Japan for a month.... but the event I was invited to present at was
cancelled a couple of months ago due to the SARS stuff. (Oh well.)
best,
...........................john
John Baymore
River Bend Pottery
22 Riverbend Way
Wilton, NH 03086-5812 USA
JBaymore@compuserve.com
http:\\www.JohnBaymore.com
603-654-2752 (studio)
800-900-1110 (studio)
"Earth, Water, and Fire Noborigama Woodfiring Workshop: August 15-24,
2003"
dalecochoy on thu 10 jul 03
----- Original Message -----
From: "John Baymore"
To:
Sent: Wednesday, July 09, 2003 10:38 PM
Subject: Re: Japan trip need advice
Susan,
Wow..... sounds like a lot of time on shinkansen to get all over like that!
A lot about what you can see depends on your mode of available transport
and your comfort with traveling in the contryside. Do you speak any
Japanese?
Will you have a car?
Wow John, now THAT was a good post. I had to copy and file in case I get
over there again soon ( meaning within a few years). I've been in Tokyo and
Kyoto but for more "bonsai related" things, next trip will include more
"ceramic things".
Thanks,
Dale Cochoy, Wild Things Bonsai Studio, Hartville, Ohio
DaleCochoy@Prodigy.Net http://www.WildThingsBonsai.Com
Specializing in power wood carving tools.
Yakimono no Kokoro bonsai pottery of hand-built stoneware
Russel Fouts on fri 11 jul 03
Susan,
Some things I learned during my visit to Japan. Some of this may be out
dated. Also, don't spread yourself too thin by trying to see too many
cities:
NEVER refuse an invitation. There will be many and they can often lead
to wonderful experiences and adventures.
ALWAYS at least try any food they put in front of you. Miso soup,
grilled fish, sea weed, rice, left over sushi, fruit and tea are not
weird for breakfast, they're terrific! My host mother and I had a little
game, I'd asked her not to make any special effort to make western food,
she wasn't planning to but took this as a que to try to find SOMETHING
that I wouldn't eat. I ate it all and it was delicious. Listen, many
Japanese won't eat "Natto", (small smelly, fermented beans), but they're
really tasty on rice. Granted, boiled Mochi is strange. And even better,
I lost 6 kilos! And always remember, eating cheap in Japan means getting
a Bento, finding a temple and having a picnic.
GO to the flea market in Nagoya at the Osu-Kannon(?) Temple on the 18th
and 26th of each month. Lots of great, old pots. I spent several hours
in one stall alone! Lots of beautiful and cheap, second hand kimonos as
well. Actually the whole area around the temple is a "cheap/trendy"
shopping area, well worth an exploration. There's a department store
there (can't remember the name of, it's on a corner) that has wonderful,
reconditioned, second-hand kimonos. A man's, heavy silk kimono, deep
blue and black pattern, WITH jacket was about $30. I could kick myself.
BUY a Japan Rail Pass BEFORE you go, by several! It's a win-win
situation, the voucher you don't use you can sell back to the travel
agent for 90% of the value (or 100% if you buy it from JAL). Train
travel is expensive! Other land travel is cheaper but slower. And the
"Shinkansen Experience" is something to be, well, experienced. Just the
ticket from Kyoto to Sendai (where a friend was studying) cost more than
the one week rail pass and I was able to travel a couple of times to
Koriyama (to help them move), visit the "mad potter of Miharu" (has a
Shigaraki ware planetarium hanging in his foyer) and get down to Tokyo
on it.
GET all the free guides you can from the Japan National Tourist
Organisation Offices (near Kyoto station in Kyoto). And search the
Clayart archives for stuff on Japan. Many a Clayarter has gone before
you.
PLAN to spend more than a few days in Kyoto! Stay at the Toji-An Guest
House (it's in the guides), it's not too clean but it's REAL cheap and
they're very friendly and pretty central. Plan to spend LOTS of time
wandering around the Gojo Zaka (Gojo-dori) below the Kiyomizu Temple,
this is the MAIN pottery area of Kyoto. Stay away from the shops selling
"Tenooki ware" (you'll know it when you see it). Avoid the Kyoto Tojiki
Kaikan ("tenooki-ware"). Visit the gallery of Morioka Kasho, his work is
wonderful. His daughter, Hana studied jewelry in France speaks good
french. I hope you stumble onto the Naka Tani (?) Gallery. They had some
of the finest artist potter stuff that I'd seen, in ALL price ranges. I
think I bought 5 pieces there (all cups). A little bit west along the
Gojo-dori is the house of Shimizu Yasutaka, son of Shimizu Uichi, it
looks closed but the sign in front of the door says enter in Kanji
(DO!). I have a sake cup of his that I adore. Just a little further west
down the road from there, past the second pedestrian over pass, is a
terrific old ramen restaurant. The owner has been
there forever, knows the Shimizu family and dragged out several pots
that Shimizu Uichi had given him when he lived there. Wander up and down
ALL the streets, poke your nose in, you'll stumble onto the most amazing
things. Kawai Kanjiro's house is a must! (all this is in the Gojo-Zaka
area). I hear that the Raku Museum has been renovated and they have a
fantastic retrospective of the Raku family there (thanks Robert
Yellin!). It was CLOSED when I was there! We rushed to the Nomura Museum
just in time for the closing but they let us look and buy some post
cards so we would know what we missed (sadists!). Judging from the post
cards, I wouldn't miss it again.
STAY at the Kimi Ryokan in Tokyo (recommended by Clayart). It's not near
as cheap as the Toji-An but a whole lot cleaner, actually beautiful and
the staff are equally friendly. Tokyo was great but I really prefered
Kyoto. The Idemitsu Museum was closed for renovations, the National
Craft Museum (WAY over on the other side of the palace complex!) had
some really nice collection but was disappointingly small. However, do
plan to spend a day wandering around the Omote Sando area. Exit the
metro stop going west. Very hip, very bohemian, a run down area,
inhabited by squaters/artists who opened up workshops and galleries.
It's probably on it's way to becoming too trendy but still alot of fun.
As above, poke your nose in.
--
Russel Fouts
Mes Potes & Mes Pots
Brussels, Belgium
Tel: +32 2 223 02 75
Mobile: +32 476 55 38 75
Http://www.mypots.com
Home of "The Potters Portal"
Over 2300 Pottery Related Links!
Updated frequently
My work can also be seen on:
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The World Crafts Council Belgium Site: http://wcc-bf.org (English
Pages)
EasyCraft: http://www.easycraft.org
"To announce that there must be no criticism of the president, or that
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