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More Ordinary people

Posted on 05.17.16 under Meiji Dori, ordinary people, Tokyo, Yamate Dori

Enoki is running for office. Enoki is also a kind of mushroom…

He’s headed for Nakai Station on the Seibu Shinjuku Line.

Yamate Dori runs north-south from Ikebukuro to Tokyo Bay. During rush hour, it’s jammed. This is about 9:30 AM.

There are a number of train and subway stations on Yamate Dori. This is near Nakai.

Between Nakai and Ochiai Station on Yamate Dori.

The dog sensed me, but its mistress was in another dimension.

A semi-rare gaijin pedestrian on Shin-Omekaido Dori between Nakano Sakaue, Marunouchi Line and Seibu Shinjuku station.

Meiji Dori across from Times Square Takashimaya.

Meiji Dori between Sendagaya and Harajuku. This area has a number of large fashion companies that are going extinct.

The same intersection. Take a right to go to Harajuku station.

Preparing for another day of retail in Harajuku on Meiji Dori.

Warm weather brings bicycles.

I believe it is hinoki allergy season…

This geezer may be homeless, but he has wheels.

Ramen and Abulla Soba are fast foods.

And here we are in Daikanyama.

Sumo at Ryogoku Kokugikan

Posted on 05.13.16 under sumo

Day 2 with John Tymkiw, who kindly invited and sponsored my ticket.

John is an art director in NYC now, but a few years back when he was living in Hatsudai, Tokyo we did a few jobs together, a music video and some 2-D print stuff is what I remember.

John and his wife, Takako, have been coming back to Japan this time of year because Takako’s father died May 1, three years ago in Fukuoka. They just had a few days in Tokyo and John contacted me asked if I wanted to go. He would have gone by himself, but he definitely appreciated the company!

Ryogoku is a fun place to be when a tourney is on. Sumotori are everywhere.

Great face!

All the upper deck seats were sold out, so we got box seats that were almost to the very back. It was far, but the level is good.

The Juryo entrance. Professional sumo is divided into 6 ranked divisions. Juryo is one level below Makuuchi, the highest division. Makuuchi is highest division of which the highest rank is yokozuna, followed by ōzeki, sekiwake and komusubi. There are typically 8-12 wrestlers in these ranks with the remainder, called maegashira, ranked in numerical order from 1 downwards.

I’ve always felt that sweeping had a spiritual element.

Big man crushes smaller man…

May I suggest additional support?

Yep, it’s contagious.

The Makuuchi enter…

Many of the sumotori have hoarse voices.

The yokozuna enter…

Sponsors’ banners. Towards the end of the day, the higher ranked sumotori get ads in the form of these banners before their match. Each banner is ¥70,000 which is $644 at today’s rate. The heya (stable) takes half and the Sumo Association takes ¥5,000 leaving the sumotori with ¥30,000 or $276 for each banner.

Ordinary people…

Posted on 05.11.16 under Tokyo people

The people seen when you go south on Yamate Dori, left on Inokashira Dori, right on the road that parallels the Yamanote Line from Harajuku to Shibuya, then a little left to Meiji Dori past Shibuya Station.

“Whoa, he has awesome form,” they thought…

Stars so Bright

Posted on 05.04.16 under Cloud Hands Project, Stars So Bright

A new song by Cloud Hands Project
“Stars So Bright”

Listen on Sound Cloud

Under the African
Under the African
Under the African… Sky

The starts so bright, they mystify
Inspire pleasure’s afterglow
Leads reckless love to Scorpio

Trusting the alien
Trusting the alien
Trusting the alien… Eye

Acknowledge royalty
Bow down to royalty
Acknowledge royalty… High

Los Angeles…

Posted on 04.19.16 under glassblowing, Hauser Wirth & Schimmel, Jug Holt, los angeles, Robert Mapplethorpe, Steve Correia, topanga canyon

It’s been a while since we’ve been to LA. It’s the Jerusalem of Western Culture.

It permeates everything. Drivers seem to think that they’re in their own action movie and with a GPS, you can drive like you think you know where you’re going.

We met up with Steve Correia at his place in Topanga Canyon.

He was my first glassblowing teacher and I hadn’t seen him since 1978. He went to Honolulu for Jug Holt’s memorial service and met up with a lot of his old cronies including my old housemates. I had some photos that Peter Brown had taken and sent them on.

We reconnected and it was the old, “If you’re ever in LA, look me up,” line that old acquaintances say all the time but rarely take up on.

As it turned out we were going to LA and Steve was as good as his word. He blocked off the day and we went to Hauser, Wirth, and Shimmel and LACMA (got us in for minimal cost). There was a 2 hour standby line for the Broad, so we passed on that. But what a fantastic tour guide!

Steve’s had a great run starting with supplying the Carter administration with the art nouveau glassware. Pretty innovative, he was utilizing cheap Mexican labor back in the early 70s!

He segued into cut and polished crystal.