Wednesday, March 4, 2009

[DAGURA!] The Returner.

Ikebukuro Sunshine City Prince Hotel [3/4/09]

So I find myself again in the heart of the bustling metropolitan machine that is Tokyo. It always strikes me as amazing- even as a return visitor many times over- that there can be such a volume of people and machines and buildings folded into such a compact area. But the result is not squalor, as surely as would happen if a similar situation were to be found in the U.S. Instead, the feeling is as though each person, delivery truck, apartment building and street lamp is part of an intricate construction, like the circuit board of an immense electronic device. I guess we are the particles of dust on the circuit board.

Some observations on the way here.

- Early airport shuttles are the worst. My driver arrived 20 mins. late yesterday morning (5 a.m.) while it was raining. What blew me away is that he actually complained that I was not out there 10 minutes ago, because he was "just up the street and calling my phone." Ok. One, I most certainly was out there waiting for his tardy self 10 minutes ago- as I had been for the 15 minutes before that. I'm sorry if I can't stand in the rain waiting for you. Two, it was raining. Does he expect me to walk up and down the street searching for the van? I think the way it works is that YOU find ME, my friend. I regret paying tip in advance.

- Next time I'm going to go through customs with a shirt that says "ME AMERICAN." They keep trying to get me to go through the domestic arrivals line.

- Why do Japanese office buildings have gigantic, non-reflective windows? I feel like I'm looking into an ant colony when we pass them on the freeway. Strangely, the residential buildings generally have very tiny windows in comparison.

- As one sign read: "Family Mart / TOBACCO AND LIQUOR." Come on kids- Daddy's gonna git loaded!

Ikebukuro Sunshine City Prince Hotel [3/5/09]

I have a direct line of sight to Mt. Fuji. Fantastic.

More later.
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2 comments:

  1. Arizona Museum for YouthMarch 5, 2009 at 1:12 PM

    My name is Jeffory Morris and I am the curator for the Arizona Museum for Youth (AMY), located in Mesa, Arizona. AMY is a museum that introduces contemporary art to children ages 0-8 years of age and their families. I am currently selecting items for an upcoming exhibition entitled “My Favorite Monster,” an artistic look at what it is to be a monster. This exhibition will have 35 artworks (paintings, sculptures, quilts, etc.) that depict and use monster themes in their creation. In addition, the show will feature 10 art making and creative play activities, with titles such as "Build Your Monster," "Giant Monster Attack Movie" etc.

    I was lucky enough to come across your blog and loved seeing your collection of Japanese monster toys. Knowing this may be short notice, I am writing to inquire if I could interest you in displaying a few of your Japanese monster toys in our exhibition. Your collection would be secured in locked cases. The light, temperature and humidity during the exhibition will be regulated to museum standards of 68-72 degrees and 40-50% relative humidity.

    We are estimating that there will be 10-15,000 visitors which will see this exhibition. Please let me know if you are interested in exhibiting in our show. If yes, email to me your mailing address and I will mail out a loan agreement. AMY is very willing to pick up work for the exhibition. All items would be insured through the City of Mesa Arizona's Fine Arts Rider with the Huntington T. Block Insurance Company.

    Here are links to images of past exhibitions:

    http://flickr.com/photos/azmuseum4youth/
    http://jefforymorris.com/AMY/toys/
    http://jefforymorris.com/AMY/onaroll/
    http://jefforymorris.com/AMY/underwater/
    http://arizonamuseumforyouth.com

    If you are interested, please contact me at jeffory.morris@mesaaz.gov/

    Thank you for your time and attention to my inquiry.

    Best wishes,

    Jeffory Morris

    ReplyDelete
  2. RobotXMonsterMarch 11, 2009 at 2:20 AM

    Jeffory- I appreciate your inquiry and readership, however, I unfortunately will have to decline the offer. Among other items, my proximity to the exhibit is a concern. Let me know if I can be of other help.

    ReplyDelete