Yes, yes, I know, it has been two weeks since I last blogged and I really am trying to maintain a regular weekly habit, but sometimes there just isn’t that much to talk about. As always, there is the weather and other events of that nature but right now, for me, it’s more of a waiting game: waiting for our flat to sell, waiting for our next guests, waiting for more bookings,… (waiting for Godot?).

This has also been a time of waiting for tropical cyclones. I say that, rather than typhoon, because the Japan Meteorological Agency uses the term “tropical cyclone” on their website, rather than typhoon. Not sure why. On the day that I wrote my last post, we were waiting not for one but two cyclones both heading in pretty much the same direction, nearly side by side. I don’t know how often this occurs, but it was interesting watching them move in sync, somewhat like a dance of the cyclone. The one further to the west was slightly ahead of the other and so kept it further east and moving very close to us – just west of a direct pass over us. Nonetheless, we received strong winds and some good rain although nothing like what the areas to the west of us received (again).

At the moment we are waiting for another, single cyclone, which is heading our way. This one is a lot stronger than the previous cyclones and the eye is forecast to pass very close to us. At this stage the rating of the cyclone is “violent”, but by the time it reaches us it will be “very strong”. This brings me to another term usage difference of the Japan Meteorological Agency – rather than use a numerical rating system for cyclones, such as category 1, etc, they use a naming system of “strong”, “very strong”, and “violent”. Violent equates roughly to a category 4+ in Australian terms (there is nothing higher here, while Australia has one higher category). Having checked on the electronic oracle, it turns out that the rating systems for storm strength vary from country to country, and depend on where the storm is.

In terms of temperature, the last two weeks have proven how wrong I can be – having said the hot weather had finally passed, it turned out that the seven day forecast was slightly optimistic and instead we returned to hot and humid weather.

One other natural occurrence during this period was another ‘rattler’, ie earthquake. Hard to call it an aftershock, given the first earthquake was in June, but it was more like an aftershock than a full tilt earthquake. It happened last Tuesday night and proved to me just how unnerved I have become about these things. I think it is just the issue of not knowing how strong and how long…(!!!)

This week we went to see a Bauhaus exhibition at the National Museum of Modern Art Kyoto (MOMAK), which we had seen advertised on a poster when we were out and about. I had never been to the MOMAK, so it seemed opportune that this poster caught my eye. On another nomenclature note, before moving on, most of the places I would call an art gallery are known as museums here – not sure why.

Anyway, the MOMAK is located in a precinct where there are three other museums related to arts and crafts, so is a good place to go to see a cross section of art works, both Japanese and international. Many exhibitions are held in these museums and they also have a very good selection of modern art in their collection, both Japanese and international. MOMAK has a particular emphasis on artists and arts from Kyoto and the wider Kansai area. There are also a number of other art museums dotted around Kyoto.

Looking out of the window at MOMAK to the Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art (under renovation)

When we arrived at the museum, it turned out there was another exhibition showing of a Japanese artist Higashiyama Kaii which took up most of the space in the museum. Not what we expected, but we thought it would be interesting to see everything on show. As it turns out, I absolutely loved this artist’s work and was very glad we saw the Bauhaus poster. He was born in 1908 and died in 1999 and was/is one of the most popular artists of post-war Japan. The exhibit comprised 68 paintings and 45 studies and sketches.

The majority of his works are landscapes, but he also painted some townscapes, particularly while he was in Europe. Many of his paintings are of significant proportions and, for me, some of them literally did take my breath away. The ones that I really felt an attachment to were quite soft and somewhat low light. It seemed he was trying to create an atmosphere as much as representing details or places. There were a number of paintings of dawn and evening and also at night, under the moon. Quite a few of the paintings comprised a landscape and its reflection in water.

There also was a full installation of some murals and fusuma (sliding doors) paintings which he completed for a hall at the Toshodaiji (temple), Nara. These were laid out as they would be in the hall, not just in a straight line, but rather as two or three walls together. The largest was a set of fusuma entitled “Sound of Waves” which literally rendered me speechless (or did I say “wow”?) as I entered the space. It is a 36-metre long ocean panorama painted on 12 panels which were set out in an L shape, as they are in situ. I stood there some time taking it all in, as did many others who walked while we were there. A number of us stood as far back as the space would allow, just leaning on the wall, letting it wash over us.

Part of Sound of Waves

Ok, enough superlatives! Unfortunately these fusuma are rarely available for public viewing, so it really is a once off viewing. The other fusuma, by the way, were painted in black and white and depicted mountainous scenery from China, as a tribute to the founder of the temple, who was from China. Also beautiful and awe inspiring. In total, the entire commission took ten years to paint.

Yesterday we left home (very) early, picked up Takako and went up to Ohara to visit the Sunday morning farmers markets (there are two, which are fairly close together. Ohara is such a lovely place, in amongst the mountains, and it was a lovely, sunny morning, so very pleasant overall (despite it being so early).

We bought some vegetables and locally made yuba and Takako bought some flowers (a bunch of yellow roses for ¥250) and then had a coffee in a café area made up for the morning market. While we were sitting there, a woman sat down next to us who happened to live very close to Takako, so they started chatting. The a family came along – a man, two women and two children – who also sat down around the table.

As soon as I heard the women speaking, I knew they were from Australia originally. The younger woman is married to a Japanese man and they have two children, and the older woman was her aunt. As you might have worked out from this description, we also struck up a conversation, with these people. The couple and their children live in Kyoto and attend the market recently, while the aunt was visiting from Hong Kong (her home now).

After speaking for a while, Craig and I started to suspect that the younger woman would know Takako’s daughter, because of the work she is involved in. She told us she had help established the annual Kyotographie exhibition and we know that Sara and her partner are involved in art and exhibitions here. Takako hadn’t been listening to our conversation, so when the opportunity came up we told her what we thought – and it turned out we were right! It seems that Kyoto is just like Adelaide, one degree of separation…and we had to travel to Ohara to find out. So, our circle of contacts grows 😊.

Cheers!!!

 Simplicity

 What is that thing in front of the wall for???

 The local bus station at Ohara

 Crepe Myrtle time