16 May 2024 Tokyo: Yayoi Kusama Museum Home of Large Pumpkins

 

The works by this artist have been following us throughout our time in Japan.  We saw pumpkins while we were at Naoshima Island and at other museums in Japan.  So it was just reasonable that we would visit her here in Tokyo.  

Some public art at the transfer station

From the F line to the M line

Another nice mural at the final station

A huge bell that seems out of place in the concrete building

Does this boat float?

Dots in the bathroom

Does it float your boat?

Dots and mirrors in the elevator!

Weeee!

This pumpkin gets a spot outdoors on the 5th floor

I see me!

https://youtube.com/shorts/xRn4o2cxbYY

A different take on the pumpkins as seen in a book at the museum

Nice layout of the interior

Fritz seen in reflection

Signed by Yayoi

A darkened room where we only had two minutes

Mirrors all around

https://youtube.com/shorts/VDyfvtB_6Y0

The two minutes went by super fast

https://youtube.com/shorts/3viPAe3kdmc

Very fun

"Every Day I Pray for Love"  was the name of many of her paintings

The artist with her iconic red hair

I was drawn to this one because it was a maze for the girl and her dog

Yes, I can see the influence of the mushrooms on the art

A nice drink

We are not in Kansas anymore

Love the hat and the watch, this is one stylish beast

The building is stylish as well

A very modern construction

It could use some polka dots!

Mascot for a dry cleaners

More art at the station

A very large piece

A advertisement for Octoberfest in May?

Stopped in a local bakery on the way home

It has been 1 year and 346 days since we began our Migration

15 May 2024 Tokyo: Der Weiner Sangerknaben

 

The Global Ring Theater is an outdoor venue that is just a few blocks away from the apartment.  We have passed it several times and researched it on the interweb.  We saw that the Vienna Boys Choir were going to sing there so we put the date in our calendar.  There are seats that they set up but the seats were sold out before we even knew that the concert was scheduled.  Since it was an outdoor concert we were still able to attend without having tickets.  There were some benches along the perimeter where we could sit.  Also we stood for a while towards the end of the show to get the feeling back in our nether regions.  The show was a mix of classical and modern tunes.  We especially enjoyed  the Sound of Music tunes Edelweiss and The Lonely Goatherd.

So many choices, caviar flavor of Iberian ham?

The frog picks caviar flavor

The ring in the Global Ring

A polite reminder of the rules

No pictures of the performance were allowed but here is a promo shot up on the top of the stage

As the rain picked up, they passed out ponchos to the folks in the seats

Some umbrellas for folks 

The crowd was very respectful

I snapped a shot during the last song

Thankfully the rain never got too intense

It has been 1 year and 345 days since we began our Migration

14 May 2024 Tokyo: The Imperial Gardens

 

Another beautiful day!  That calls for a trip to another garden.  Which garden is best?  Actually this time the question is which garden is closest to the tea shop.  We want to stock up on the gyokuro tea before we leave in a couple of weeks.  That way we will be sipping the most tasty tea available to us while we are in Copenhagen.  We decided to sit down for a cuppa while we were in the shop.  There were two different ways to get matcha tea, Koicha and Usucha.  Koicha was described as thick and viscous while Usucha was just your regular cup of tea.   When they brought out my cup of tea my reaction must have given away my confusion.  The server told me to drink this cup and then when I was done they will add more hot water so I can finish the cup.  The level of viscosity was on par with molasses or a thick honey.  I got green on my mustache, lips and tongue!  From there we walked over to the Imperial Castle grounds where we strolled through the gardens.  The gardens were pretty low key but  it was a nice day so we still enjoyed the stroll.

New old?

One fancy hotel

A fancy door to boot

A unique way to tour the city

I choose you, pikachu 

Welcome to Ippodo tea

A good haul

Pre sweetened, so no thanks

An actual tea plant

So very thick

The fine lines on the top of the rim are from my mustache hairs

Leslie has a normal cup of tea

I tilt the cup and I have to wait for the tea to arrive at the edge!

Mmmmmm, messy

At the Imperial Castle, sweeping the rocks

A guard shack

Float in the moat

The gate that we could not enter

More moat

Love the tree shapes

Another entrance where we could not enter, they are so particular when it comes to Royalty

Only one water bird seen in all this water

A guard shack

https://youtu.be/a_DODMwS43E

These were quite detailed and made from cut stone

Floral motifs

Very delightful

The wind is whipping up

The reflection of the guard shack

Finally a gate we can enter

These fish were used to adorn the tops of the roofs

The large stones are not stacked like bricks, rather it is more like a puzzle

It takes a village of gardeners

Maybe two villages, the green village and the white one

The lawn was immacualte

Very few roses in the rose garden

The garden was small as well

Not made of leggo

Some of the original plans are still in the Tokyo Museum

They were used to rebuild it after WW2

Some of the oldest granite rocks on the site

Blooms in a small tree

The secondary gate

A member of the Dull Man's Club taking pictures of the hinges

Hot Dog!

Tasty treats coming home with us

We have determined who is actually number 1

It has been 1 year and 344 days since we began our Migration