Tian'anmen and Di'anmen

Tian'anmen is such a strange space. Open, yet heavily monitored, I felt almost unsure about what I should do there. The protests of 1989 are not mentioned. When visiting a world famous location one would expect to see monuments or plaques discussing the past, but nothing like that exists at the square. I visited during a national holiday where the square was a barren space full of mostly Chinese tourists taking their photos in front of large floral sculptures or pictures of Mao. Being there felt off. I didn't feel like I was in a place where martial law had been imposed and massive hunger strikes were held. I felt insignificant and displaced. I felt disturbed by the flowers.

In search of a Di'anmen, a famous snack street where strange street food is sold, you have to go around the forbidden city, just north of Tian'anmen Square. There is a moat and it is calm and peaceful and really reminded me of living in Hikone, Japan. Hikone is a small town outside of Kyoto that has a castle called Hikone Castle, aptly. There is a moat surrounding the entire circumference of the Castle that is lined in beautiful Cherry (Sakura) trees. The moat surrounding the Forbidden City is similarly designed, but with Weeping Willows.

 There were also people posing for engagement photos alongside of the moat.

On the west side of the Forbidden City is a great bar called Old What Bar. Punk rock shows and ska bands play here nightly. I will talk more about this gem in another post. We passed by it during the day, so it was closed up.

Di'anmen Street is the snack street full of strange foods, mostly strange foods on sticks.

The photo above is scorpions on a stick. The photo below is anticipation of eating said scorpions.

Di'anmen snack street is full of stalls mostly selling the same things. It's not as crazy or claustrophobic as Wanfujing because it's open and the smells have space to dissipate into the air.

The street is certainly crowded, though, and all sorts of tourists are trying strange things to eat. 

I didn't have anything on the street. I am not into high priced insects on sticks. Not too far from the snack street are normal Chinese restaurants that serve yummy food for very cheap. The following is Ma Po Doufu (Numbing Spice Tofu), Eggplant/Potatoes/Green Peppers in a sauce, Spinach/Garlic in a sauce, 2 bowls of rice, 2 bottles of Yangjing. Yummmmm

U know Uniqlo

There are so many protests going on in China right now about Japan's interest in buying a disputed island territory. People are bonkers. International schools have been shut down and the Japanese embassy has been flooded with angry protesters around their grounds. There are notices everywhere telling any and all foreigner's to stay away from the protests because with the government change-over that is happening in October, officials are looking for any reason to revoke Visa's. That being said, Uniqlo was packed this weekend. Uniqlo was my favorite store in Japan for clothing basics, and in Beijing it is the best price for good quality stuff. I prefer Uniqlo to H&M, Zara, etc., because the pieces are typically timeless and last longer than a few months without being overly priced. The photo above is the Uniqlo in Sanlitun.

I have a killer cold right now. The weather has been great, but I've done a lot of going in and out of cold nights/mornings, warm afternoons, and dusty particles in the air. I was in Sanlitun for a Chinese lesson! Tea! Chinese study! Productive SIIIIiiiiIIcknessssss.

ART: Dr. Lakra

Chicago is hot right now. The heat today was dry and there was wind.

I want to talk about this artist named Dr. Lakra. While I was in Mexico, I went to Museo Amparo, which has art exhibits by contemporary artists. Dr. Lakra is a Mexican artist and tattooist. I fell in love with his work immediately. I am a huge fan of graffiti artists like Banksy, Miss Van, Shepard Ferry, etc., and Dr. Lakra's creativity felt fresh to me and in a similar spirit.

I should explain. I don't know how to explain. I wonder if listing off my favorite contemporary artists would be more clear than attempting to explain my take on art right now. I took a "Philosophy of Aesthetics" class while I was in college and we talked a lot about how to quantify beauty. We learned about Orlan, a french artist who has undergone numerous plastic surgeries to transform herself into what is perceived as "the most beautiful woman". (Just a note! Lady Gaga has definitely just become obsessed with Orlan, I think, because she is mimicing her signature look, though Lady Gaga's, I assume, are prosthetic)

Talking about art is not comfortable for me and I cannot do it well enough without drawing on a million examples and then it becomes less fun. The art I like is fun.

Dr. Lakra uses his background in tattooing in the work that he displays. He embellishes found objects, like old magazine clippings, dolls, and portraits of famous people with intricate tattoo designs or spooky, shadowing figures.

 

I am always surprised when I see how influential Japanese culture is throughout the world. Tattoos, in Japan, are mostly associated with the Yakuza (Japanese mob), and are extremely stigmatized. Yakuza men will have their entire body covered in tattoos and I couldn't help but see a comparison when looking at these dolls. Even the doll itself reminds me of a Kewpie doll, which are not Japanese, but are everywhere in Japan and are meant to be seen as the epitome of kawaii (means: CUTE! OMG!!). He's covered the figure in tattoos, adding scars and kanji to its face. He continues with a Japanese sumo wrestler, and then I wanted to add an image of his work on an old photo of a Lucha Libre wrestler for comparison.

 

While studying in Mexico, my teacher had me watch an old film called Los Tres Garcia, from 1947. One of the actors, Pedro Infante, is incredibly famous and renowned. He is a Mexican hearthrob and croons beautiful women in all of his films. Dr. Lakra did designs on a famous image of Pedro Infante, too.

When visiting new countries, finding new artists and musicians to become obsessed with is the easiest way for me to become more comfortable with the culture. I went to this exhibit on my second day in Puebla, and from that moment I knew Mexico had a lot to offer me. The culture is intense and fresh. Dr. Lakra was my introduction for what was to come during the rest of my stay.

Designer Vinyl Toys: America

This post is the second to my previous post, and may not make sense out of context.

As with all evolutions of creativity, the form and concepts are distinct to their creator. Brightly colored conceptual monsters can trigger other forms of inspiration, and the cultural differences from Japan to America have allowed for fluid interpretations. Well known toy makers and distributors in America include Kid Robot, Super7, Double Punch in San Fransisco, and Rotofugi in Chicago.

With Bwana Spoons at Double Punch

I was really lucky during my first trip to San Fransisco, Bwana Spoons was painting a mural on the wall. He signed a photo book I bought of his Edward the Gator vinyl toy. He was kind and not at all upset by my interruption. Bwana Spoons a really good example of a vinyl toy artist in America. The whole subculture of vinyl toys is still very much immersed in Japan. Everyone knows about Kaiju. Bwana Spoons is a painter and designer and has made really good connections and choices. When I lived in Japan I was excited to see that Bwana Spoons was a staple at Gargamel, often designing toys with Gargamel's designers. I am so happy a bit of the mural is shown in the background, because that image is exactly his style. He uses bright, fun colors, and has a distinct California feel.

There are noticeable differences between Japanese and American vinyl toy aesthetic. Japanese toys tend to draw from their roots of 60s and 70s Kaiju characters. American toys are more rounded, probably inspired by graffiti and underground urban culture. People in America who design toys also design shoes and have painting exhibitions and create graphic novels. Japanese toys are considerably more grotesque and alien. American toys, inexplicably, are cuter, maybe more marketable...? I like both styles. I find it difficult to describe, but I hope I am not far off base in my generalization.

Kaws's Bounty Hunter: Rotofugi, USA

Hedora: Secret Base, Japan

Designer Vinyl Toys:Japan: A Rough Introduction

Kaiju, 怪獣、means "monster" in Japanese. Monster characters are very popular in Japanese culture, and while Godzilla and King Kong are the most well known in America, there are other, more creative versions that are well known in Japan. 

Gamera: Turtle Monster

Gigan: Godzilla Opponent

My favorite aspect of Kaiju is the subculture of designing vinyl toys after well known monsters, showcasing an evolution from action figures to underground pop art. The following two photos are from a store called Gargamel based out of Koenji, Tokyo, Japan.

Designer vinyl toys are usually created by a toy company that specializes in this sort of thing, as well as established artists who are commissioned by the toy company to design a toy. The toy company is not a big corporation like Matel or Hasbro, rather specifically niche centered and small. Secretbase, for example, is a store based out of Harajuku, Tokyo, Japan. Secretbase first created a design for a figure, then did interesting coloring on the figure, then had the capabilities to expand to new figures, collaborate with other toy stores and designers, and ultimately pair up with cool artists, which allowed for international expansion and recognition.

An Astro Brain toy from Secret Base

Can you see the evolution? Monster movies like Godzilla and Gamera inspired a lot artists and companies as a merchandise opportunity, just like Star Wars and X-Men more recently. First an action figure is created in the monsters likeness, then more creative people who do not necessarily work for big toy companies create their own designs. Some of the most interesting toys are just simple figures that have been painted with unexpected colors, like lime green and fluorescent pink. Other examples could be popping the heads off of a Snoopy toy and putting Godzilla's head on top. These sorts of creations evolve into people creating their own monsters, completely independent of a film or book or other sort of inspiration.


Next post will be about America's take on Japan's Kaiju toys.

Northwest Indiana

I love Japan. I had the best experience of my life there. I have no idea what to expect from my life now that I have left. I don't know where I fit in to America or Chicago or even in stores. Everything in the States is confusing to me. Being able to communicate in English, of course, is easy, but there are nuances of everyday circumstances that are no longer innate to me. Interacting with a waitress while I am eating out is unfamiliar and going to the grocery store takes at least an hour. I cannot explain everything all in one post. I will just start with with some photos of my house and new American-ness.

This is from the airplane flying in to Chicago. Chicago is the largest city in the Midwest of the United States. The Midwest is the north-central part of the United States that is primarily congregated around Lake Michigan, but also touches Lake Superior, Lake Huron, and Lake Erie of the Great Lakes. Most Midwesterners would say Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Minnesota are the core of the region. I was mostly raised in Indiana, but have lived all over both the Midwest and East coast. Here is what a typical highway looks like in Indiana:

Notice the seemingly endless field of corn and the nothingness on either side of the road. Due to extremely high volumes of pollution that blow over Northwest Indiana and Northeast Chicago from the US Steel Mills in Gary, IN, the region has the most beautiful sunsets. The oranges and pinks in the photo are electric.

My parents live right on Lake Michigan, so this is the view from the back of their house. The sun is setting on the left and if you get close to the computer, you can see Chicago's silhouette on the right.

The front garden.

My dog, Tippie, and I in the front garden.

When entering my parents village, you must first cross train tracks. Trains are mostly cargo transporters in America. In Japan, I almost never saw cargo transporting trains. Japan is conveniently set up for public transportation, primarily by train, but also by bus. Traveling in Japan is easy and extremely accessible by public transport. I never drove during my three years in Japan. In America, unless living in a city like NYC, Chicago, Denver, or, maybe, San Fransisco, one must have a car. A person would feel stranded and very well could be without a motorized vehicle in America. [Another thing: The town I grew up in has many railroad stops. It is easy to forget that you are constantly driving over railroad stops, but you are. When I was in high school, I feel like every year someone died from being hit by a train while crossing the tracks. There are crosses  (you know the religious symbol?) near almost every railroad crossing in memoriam of someone who died trying to beat the train before it came. Isn't that the saddest thing?]

I wish there was more graffiti on these trains.