JAPAN: Open Air Art

Chasing cherry blossoms, Picasso and IM Pei in Japan with a breath of fresh air

Elizabeth Poey, traveller@newstoday.com.sg

In the cherry blossom's shade

there's no such thing

as a stranger.

So wrote the 18th century haiku poet Issa. True enough, when I visited the famous Rikugien Garden in Tokyo at the end of March, countless people were clustered beneath the trees, the electric blue tarps they used as picnic mats made for a striking contrast against the pink mop of blossoms above their heads. The grounds were littered with sakura appreciators. Even if one wanted to remain a stranger, it'd be tough. This was a place to bond over beauty.

Hase Dera, also called the Temple of Flowers, in Nara.

To understand the crowd, one must understand hanami, the centuries-old Japanese custom of enjoying the beauty of flowers.

The blossoming period also coincides with the scholastic and fiscal year, and many will begin the year with a hanami. The walks taken through the parks and along canals are forms of retreat for contemplation and a renewal of the spirit. It is also said that the blossoms that last for only a week or two remind one of the brevity of life.

Ritsurin Park in Shikoku Island.

The tradition is very much alive in modern Japan as friends, families and colleagues enjoy the fresh air, the blossoms, the community spirit and a dash of sake.

Tourists will find it harder to partake in the sakura communion as they have a mere two-week window to see the blossoms before they fall. Although the Japan Meteorological Agency issues bloom forecasts, global warming has led to the flowers opening earlier. (It was five days ahead of schedule in Tokyo this year.) But as the blooms start in southern Japan and move north like dominoes as temperatures rise, blossom-chasing tourists can go to where the flowers will be.

Or, they can head straight to Japan's notable museums, where the works of art do not wither and die in a fortnight.

Hakone Open Air Museum

The Hakone Open Air Museum located within the Fuji Hakone Izu National Park stands out from the rest. Opened in 1969, the wide expanse (70,000 sqm) of open space is dotted with over 100 pieces of sculptures by world-renowned masters of modern and contemporary art including sculptors Henry Moore and Rodin and sculptor-painter Miro.

The museum is an excellent introduction to sculpture for children or the nonparty individual. When one gets bored with the displays, there is the Picasso Gallery to wander around. Or one can simply sit and admire the sculpture-accented landscape. There's also a hot foot bath to soak one's weary feet in. The water is drawn from a hotspring.

Miho Museum

The Miho museum, south-east of Kyoto near Shigaraki, is a must see for its inspiring architecture. Designed by IM Pei, the architect behind the Louvre in Paris, this extraordinary museum is built into a mountain, which was moved to make room for its construction. After work was completed, builders moved the mountain back by returning each tree to its original spot.

The site area covers 1 million sqm and three-quarters of the 17,400 sqm building is underground. We came for the architecture more than the exhibits but these were beautiful as well. The collections feature Buddhist art, porcelain and the art of the ancient world with 2,000 items from Asian and Western cultures.

The drop-off point to the museum proper is a distance away and the journey there serves to maximise the impact of the eventual view.

To reach the museum, visitors have to walk on a road lined with bamboo and cherry trees, go through a tunnel, ascend a bridge and a flight of steps to the entrance. The building looks small and insipid until visitors pass through the door and see the expanse of the valley. In front are rolling hills and there's a huge bell tower some distance away. I wished that I could hear the chimes as the bells played their magical music in the spring wind.

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GO NATIVE ...
Eat on the train: To taste the real Japan, have a meal out of a bento box while riding on the bullet train or shinkansen. These can be bought at any convenient store for about $20 and are delicious despite being pre-packed.
Strip: Why limit yourself to gaping at the onsen bathers on Japan Hour? The traditional bathhouses are not to be missed. Sure, you have to take off all your clothes, but once that’s done, you will realise that nobody bothers about how anybody looks — everyone is too busy enjoying the hot spring to care.
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From TODAY, Traveller – Thursday, 14-May-2009

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