2010年08月16日
Art Setouchi in Megijima 2
Art Site Logistics and Info
If you want to see all the art sites on Megijima, it will take about half a day, allowing time for resting and eating. Seven of the sites are within 1 to 5 minutes walk from the port. Two are at the top of the hill by the cave (10-minute bus ride up, 45 minutes at the top, 10-minute bus ride back). I went on the 10:00 ferry and returned on the 13:00 but had to go very slowly due to the heat – 35ºC. Thank goodness the video art exhibits in Fukutake House are air-conditioned! At that pace, I only managed to see 5 out of 9 sites. During August and September, which can be very hot, it’s probably wiser to take the 8:00 AM ferry and do most of your wandering before it heats up. Then have a picnic under the pines along the beach or eat at a restaurant (see previous post). Alternatively, you could either take the 15:10 ferry from Takamatsu or go to Ogijima first and stop by Megijima in the late afternoon to visit the sites that close at 17:00 and then check out those sites that remain open until 20:30. There are photos and brief explanations of each work at the art festival’s official site:
http://setouchi-artfest.jp/en/artworks/island/venue-megijima/. Below I’ve added some extra information concerning 3 sites.
Site #38 Leandro Erlich (Argentina)
The Presence of Absence
Erlich renovated an old 2-story building to create two installations, the Twofold Teahouse and a Zen-like rock garden called Invisible. Both play interesting tricks with perception. The works were inspired by the building itself, in which the artist felt the presence and history of the many generations that once lived there. Hence the overall title, The Presence of Absence. The building also houses a small library space and a restaurant/cafe (IARA). It was not air conditioned when I went. Though it does have some breeze, in summer it’s nicer to view the two artworks before the restaurant opens (at 11:00) and then stay on for lunch or refreshment before it heats up. After that, visit the nearby Fukutake House, which houses solo exhibits by a variety of artists and has several airconditioned exhibits that provide a refuge from the heat. Or go jump in the sea!
Hours: 9:00-20:30 (Restaurant: 11:00-20:30)
The Presence of Absence
Site #39 Harumi Yukutake (Japan)
Equipoise
I visited this site while it was under construction and it really was painstaking work. The artist spent about 4 months on the island, hand-shaping over 10,000 rectangular strips of mirrored glass and stringing them from the ceiling of a 2-story storehouse to make a glass tube. You can walk right in and enjoy the reflections and the light shimmering in the breeze (there’s a fan in the ceiling). Entering through a second door you can also view the work from behind and above. The building was in a state of partial decay and Yukutake chose to display the craftsmanship of the original builders by reinforcing the exposed beams and latticework with transparent material. I’d like to try viewing it at different times of day because the effect will change with the light.
Hours: 9:00-20:30
Site #36 MEGI HOUSE by Art Project Team, Aichi Prefectural University of Fine Arts and Music
This is another site I visited while it was still in process and I was very impressed with the result this time around. The team of university students and professors has successfully transformed a traditional old house and high stonewall into a stage, reusing secondhand materials such as copper plates, discarded beams and even what looks like the top of a rice winnower to make a window slit. They started in April 2009 and plan to continue working on this site and presenting art and concerts here for the next 10 years. Concerts and workshops will be held frequently during Art Setouchi (see below).
Hours: 9:00 – 20:30
MEGI HOUSE Events: Details are posted on http://setouchi-artfest.jp/en/events/ (scroll down to Art Project Team). To this, I’ve added extra info below from the project’s Japanese website. Tickets can be bought at the Takamatsu Port General Information Center or at the Megijima ferry terminal building – Oni no Yakata.
Oni no Yakata
Mini-obon concert: Aug. 13 (Fri.). Featuring the islanders and university students with a local musician who graduated from this university. Looks like it’s free but only open to non-participants if there is extra room. The Takamatsu Summer Festival Fireworks display starts after the concert. According to a Megijima resident, it’s worth going on this day just to see the fireworks anyway. The last ferry leaves at 21:00 after the display.
The Sound of Tactics: Aug. 22 (Sun.) A collaborative workshop with students of music and art from the graduate program. Time not decided yet. No fee listed.
Yorokobi no Shima (Island of Joy): Aug. 28 (Sat.) Pianist and associate professor Jun Kitazumi performs Debussy, Hayashi Hikaru, and Bartok. Capacity: 40. Doors open 18:00, Starts 18:30. Ends about 20:00. Admission: JPY 1,500; with art passport only JPY 1,000.
Percussive Earth: Sept. 23 (Thurs.) Percussion performance. Capacity: 70. Doors open 16:45. Starts 17:15. Ends about 18:45. Admission: JPY 2,000; with art passport JPY 1,500.
MatsuRHYTHM: Sept. 26 (Sun.) Participatory percussion performance using instruments made from bamboo from Megijima. Performers, including islanders and visitors, will perform as they walk through the streets. Instrument making workshop and practice on Sept. 25. No fee listed. Will be changed to Oct. 2 and 3 in event of rain.
MEGI (Music and Electrically Generated Information): Oct. 10 (Sun.) Computer generated music and digital art, live performance. Doors open 18:00. Starts 18:30. Ends about 20:00. In case of rain, will be held the following day. Admission: JPY 2,000; with art passport JPY 1,500.
Umi no Fanfare (Sea Fanfare): Oct. 31 (Sun.) Brass band concerts in several outdoor locations, including Megijima port. Special fanfare composed for the event. Starts 13:00 (Ending time undecided). Will be held in Megijima school gymnasium in event of rain (capacity 200). No fee listed.
If you want to see all the art sites on Megijima, it will take about half a day, allowing time for resting and eating. Seven of the sites are within 1 to 5 minutes walk from the port. Two are at the top of the hill by the cave (10-minute bus ride up, 45 minutes at the top, 10-minute bus ride back). I went on the 10:00 ferry and returned on the 13:00 but had to go very slowly due to the heat – 35ºC. Thank goodness the video art exhibits in Fukutake House are air-conditioned! At that pace, I only managed to see 5 out of 9 sites. During August and September, which can be very hot, it’s probably wiser to take the 8:00 AM ferry and do most of your wandering before it heats up. Then have a picnic under the pines along the beach or eat at a restaurant (see previous post). Alternatively, you could either take the 15:10 ferry from Takamatsu or go to Ogijima first and stop by Megijima in the late afternoon to visit the sites that close at 17:00 and then check out those sites that remain open until 20:30. There are photos and brief explanations of each work at the art festival’s official site:
http://setouchi-artfest.jp/en/artworks/island/venue-megijima/. Below I’ve added some extra information concerning 3 sites.
Site #38 Leandro Erlich (Argentina)
The Presence of Absence
Erlich renovated an old 2-story building to create two installations, the Twofold Teahouse and a Zen-like rock garden called Invisible. Both play interesting tricks with perception. The works were inspired by the building itself, in which the artist felt the presence and history of the many generations that once lived there. Hence the overall title, The Presence of Absence. The building also houses a small library space and a restaurant/cafe (IARA). It was not air conditioned when I went. Though it does have some breeze, in summer it’s nicer to view the two artworks before the restaurant opens (at 11:00) and then stay on for lunch or refreshment before it heats up. After that, visit the nearby Fukutake House, which houses solo exhibits by a variety of artists and has several airconditioned exhibits that provide a refuge from the heat. Or go jump in the sea!
Hours: 9:00-20:30 (Restaurant: 11:00-20:30)
The Presence of Absence
Site #39 Harumi Yukutake (Japan)
Equipoise
I visited this site while it was under construction and it really was painstaking work. The artist spent about 4 months on the island, hand-shaping over 10,000 rectangular strips of mirrored glass and stringing them from the ceiling of a 2-story storehouse to make a glass tube. You can walk right in and enjoy the reflections and the light shimmering in the breeze (there’s a fan in the ceiling). Entering through a second door you can also view the work from behind and above. The building was in a state of partial decay and Yukutake chose to display the craftsmanship of the original builders by reinforcing the exposed beams and latticework with transparent material. I’d like to try viewing it at different times of day because the effect will change with the light.
Hours: 9:00-20:30
Site #36 MEGI HOUSE by Art Project Team, Aichi Prefectural University of Fine Arts and Music
This is another site I visited while it was still in process and I was very impressed with the result this time around. The team of university students and professors has successfully transformed a traditional old house and high stonewall into a stage, reusing secondhand materials such as copper plates, discarded beams and even what looks like the top of a rice winnower to make a window slit. They started in April 2009 and plan to continue working on this site and presenting art and concerts here for the next 10 years. Concerts and workshops will be held frequently during Art Setouchi (see below).
Hours: 9:00 – 20:30
MEGI HOUSE Events: Details are posted on http://setouchi-artfest.jp/en/events/ (scroll down to Art Project Team). To this, I’ve added extra info below from the project’s Japanese website. Tickets can be bought at the Takamatsu Port General Information Center or at the Megijima ferry terminal building – Oni no Yakata.
Oni no Yakata
Mini-obon concert: Aug. 13 (Fri.). Featuring the islanders and university students with a local musician who graduated from this university. Looks like it’s free but only open to non-participants if there is extra room. The Takamatsu Summer Festival Fireworks display starts after the concert. According to a Megijima resident, it’s worth going on this day just to see the fireworks anyway. The last ferry leaves at 21:00 after the display.
The Sound of Tactics: Aug. 22 (Sun.) A collaborative workshop with students of music and art from the graduate program. Time not decided yet. No fee listed.
Yorokobi no Shima (Island of Joy): Aug. 28 (Sat.) Pianist and associate professor Jun Kitazumi performs Debussy, Hayashi Hikaru, and Bartok. Capacity: 40. Doors open 18:00, Starts 18:30. Ends about 20:00. Admission: JPY 1,500; with art passport only JPY 1,000.
Percussive Earth: Sept. 23 (Thurs.) Percussion performance. Capacity: 70. Doors open 16:45. Starts 17:15. Ends about 18:45. Admission: JPY 2,000; with art passport JPY 1,500.
MatsuRHYTHM: Sept. 26 (Sun.) Participatory percussion performance using instruments made from bamboo from Megijima. Performers, including islanders and visitors, will perform as they walk through the streets. Instrument making workshop and practice on Sept. 25. No fee listed. Will be changed to Oct. 2 and 3 in event of rain.
MEGI (Music and Electrically Generated Information): Oct. 10 (Sun.) Computer generated music and digital art, live performance. Doors open 18:00. Starts 18:30. Ends about 20:00. In case of rain, will be held the following day. Admission: JPY 2,000; with art passport JPY 1,500.
Umi no Fanfare (Sea Fanfare): Oct. 31 (Sun.) Brass band concerts in several outdoor locations, including Megijima port. Special fanfare composed for the event. Starts 13:00 (Ending time undecided). Will be held in Megijima school gymnasium in event of rain (capacity 200). No fee listed.
2010年08月10日
Art Setouchi in Megijima 1
The Setouchi International Art Festival is now well underway and I have been to several islands since it started. One of those was Megijima, the closest of the 7 art islands to Takamatsu. Japan-guide gives a good overview of the festival at http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5410.html, including Megijima at http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5412.html. So in this post I’ll try to provide extra details that could be helpful in getting around the island. I’ll follow with a post on tips for visiting the art sites in Megijima and glimpses of a few sites.
Island Logistics
Megijima is less than 20 minutes away from Takamatsu port by ferry. The island’s fishing village is very picturesque with high stonewalls called “Ōte” that protect it from winter gales. A beautiful sandy beach lies barely 5-minutes walk from the port and it has a large pine grove nearby with welcome shade. I really enjoyed just strolling down the village streets and along the beach, taking in the scenery and chatting with the occasional villager. Like all the islands, the population is decreasing and aging, with 60% of its 199 residents over 65 years of age. The nursery school closed over 8 years ago and the elementary school over 5 years ago when the last students graduated. In July and August, however, the population swells with swimmers, sunbathers, fishermen and campers. The beach is really nice so consider taking swimsuits, etc. (Swimming season lasts to the end of August when stinging jellyfish start floating in.)
Megijima Beach
The Ogres’ Cave near the top of the high hill above the beach is a popular sightseeing spot. Admission normally costs JPY 500 for adults (seniors JPY 450, JPY 250 or less for children depending on their age) but with a festival passport you can get in for only JPY 200. It’s quite impressive for a manmade cave (400 meters deep with more than 10 chambers and covering an area of 4000 square meters) and was reportedly carved out by pirates centuries ago. The bus up to the cave is conveniently timed to coincide with ferry arrivals so if you want to see the cave, the lookout point or even just the 2 art sites at the cave entrance, take the bus when you arrive (Adult JPY 300 1-way; Children 2 years and up JPY 150 1-way). You can catch the bus from behind the Oni no Yakata information center at the port.
The Ogre'sCave
Oni no Yakata Information Center:Open 9:00 to 21:00 during the Art Festival. Stop here first if you need any information, etc. It was well staffed when I went. They have art festival passports, tickets for the bus as well as for individual art sites and events, maps with some English, rent-a-cycles (regular: JPY 200; mountain bike: JPY 300; moped: JPY 500), flush toilets, drink machines and a simple cafeteria (open 11:00 – 15:00).
Oni no Yakata Information Cwnter
Fireworks August 13:Megijima is reportedly a great place to watch the annual Takamatsu Summer Festival Fireworks display. The last ferry is at 21:00 but if it’s crowded, they will add an extra ferry.
Food and Drink
Oni no Yakata:11:00-15:00; light meals such as noodles (JPY 350 and up) and beverages. Usually closed on Tuesdays but open 7 days/week during the festival. (Closed January through February.)
IARA (Leandro Erlich Site #38): 11:00-20:30 Lunch: cheese panini (JPY700), beef curry (JPY 900), paella or pasta (JPY 1,200), sweets, beverages. (The curry was good.) Dinner: full course JPY 3,200
IARAsMenu
Fukutake House:
One of the art installations is also a café. JPY 500/drink.
Beachside Stalls: Open till about the end of August. Regular fare like noodles fried, cold or in soup, with prices from JPY 400 and up as well as ice cream, drinks, etc.
Camping: There are campgrounds in the pine grove right by the beach (150 meters from the port). You must bring your own tent and gear but it’s only JPY 200/adult and JPY 100/child. The site is run by the Seniors’ Association. Usually the people in charge are sitting under the pine trees but if you don’t see them, set up anywhere under the pines and they will come around later to take the fee. The prefectural campsite at the far end of the island is free. (Contact: 087-873-0402; Japanese only.)
Ferry Schedule: http://setouchi-artfest.jp/en/access/islands/#r9 (Or under Access at the English Art Setouchi site: http://setouchi-artfest.jp/en/ )
Fares: Adults JPY 200 1-way; Children JPY 100 1-way. These are special art festival rates. Try to get there at least 20 minutes before your ferry in summer and on weekends because the line up for tickets is quite long. The day I went, they had set up a table outside to sell tickets in addition to the ticket office.
Pier and Ticket Office: Located directly across the intersection from Tamamo Park and the ANA Clement Hotel behind the small brick ferry terminal. The tickets are sold from a window around the back of the terminal facing the piers. The map below is courtesy of the Takamatsu International Association. (I don’t think the pier is called 1st Pier but you can see where the ticket office is.)
Island Logistics
Megijima is less than 20 minutes away from Takamatsu port by ferry. The island’s fishing village is very picturesque with high stonewalls called “Ōte” that protect it from winter gales. A beautiful sandy beach lies barely 5-minutes walk from the port and it has a large pine grove nearby with welcome shade. I really enjoyed just strolling down the village streets and along the beach, taking in the scenery and chatting with the occasional villager. Like all the islands, the population is decreasing and aging, with 60% of its 199 residents over 65 years of age. The nursery school closed over 8 years ago and the elementary school over 5 years ago when the last students graduated. In July and August, however, the population swells with swimmers, sunbathers, fishermen and campers. The beach is really nice so consider taking swimsuits, etc. (Swimming season lasts to the end of August when stinging jellyfish start floating in.)
Megijima Beach
The Ogres’ Cave near the top of the high hill above the beach is a popular sightseeing spot. Admission normally costs JPY 500 for adults (seniors JPY 450, JPY 250 or less for children depending on their age) but with a festival passport you can get in for only JPY 200. It’s quite impressive for a manmade cave (400 meters deep with more than 10 chambers and covering an area of 4000 square meters) and was reportedly carved out by pirates centuries ago. The bus up to the cave is conveniently timed to coincide with ferry arrivals so if you want to see the cave, the lookout point or even just the 2 art sites at the cave entrance, take the bus when you arrive (Adult JPY 300 1-way; Children 2 years and up JPY 150 1-way). You can catch the bus from behind the Oni no Yakata information center at the port.
The Ogre'sCave
Oni no Yakata Information Center:Open 9:00 to 21:00 during the Art Festival. Stop here first if you need any information, etc. It was well staffed when I went. They have art festival passports, tickets for the bus as well as for individual art sites and events, maps with some English, rent-a-cycles (regular: JPY 200; mountain bike: JPY 300; moped: JPY 500), flush toilets, drink machines and a simple cafeteria (open 11:00 – 15:00).
Oni no Yakata Information Cwnter
Fireworks August 13:Megijima is reportedly a great place to watch the annual Takamatsu Summer Festival Fireworks display. The last ferry is at 21:00 but if it’s crowded, they will add an extra ferry.
Food and Drink
Oni no Yakata:11:00-15:00; light meals such as noodles (JPY 350 and up) and beverages. Usually closed on Tuesdays but open 7 days/week during the festival. (Closed January through February.)
IARA (Leandro Erlich Site #38): 11:00-20:30 Lunch: cheese panini (JPY700), beef curry (JPY 900), paella or pasta (JPY 1,200), sweets, beverages. (The curry was good.) Dinner: full course JPY 3,200
IARAsMenu
Fukutake House:
One of the art installations is also a café. JPY 500/drink.
Beachside Stalls: Open till about the end of August. Regular fare like noodles fried, cold or in soup, with prices from JPY 400 and up as well as ice cream, drinks, etc.
Camping: There are campgrounds in the pine grove right by the beach (150 meters from the port). You must bring your own tent and gear but it’s only JPY 200/adult and JPY 100/child. The site is run by the Seniors’ Association. Usually the people in charge are sitting under the pine trees but if you don’t see them, set up anywhere under the pines and they will come around later to take the fee. The prefectural campsite at the far end of the island is free. (Contact: 087-873-0402; Japanese only.)
Ferry Schedule: http://setouchi-artfest.jp/en/access/islands/#r9 (Or under Access at the English Art Setouchi site: http://setouchi-artfest.jp/en/ )
Fares: Adults JPY 200 1-way; Children JPY 100 1-way. These are special art festival rates. Try to get there at least 20 minutes before your ferry in summer and on weekends because the line up for tickets is quite long. The day I went, they had set up a table outside to sell tickets in addition to the ticket office.
Pier and Ticket Office: Located directly across the intersection from Tamamo Park and the ANA Clement Hotel behind the small brick ferry terminal. The tickets are sold from a window around the back of the terminal facing the piers. The map below is courtesy of the Takamatsu International Association. (I don’t think the pier is called 1st Pier but you can see where the ticket office is.)
2010年08月05日
Sanuki Takamatsu Festival 2010
Summer in Japan means festivals and festivals mean fireworks and dancing in the street. The only fireworks I remember being allowed anywhere near when I was a kid in Canada were sparklers and the most exciting pyrotechnic event occurred when a family member I will not name threw a ship’s flare in the campfire just to see what would happen (not recommended). So I was blown away when I first saw the fireworks that accompany Japanese summer festivals – spectacular bursts of light and color that draw ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ from the crowd. And there are understandably crowds where there are fireworks.
Takamatsu’s fireworks display will be held on August 13 (Fri.) in the Sunport area and lasts a whole hour from 8PM to 9PM with 6,500 fireworks (according to the website). Last year about 10,000 people gathered at Sunport to watch. To avoid accidents, the rockets are launched out on the sea and they are visible from quite a distance. People in my area (near Yashima) often take picnic chairs or blankets to the riverbank to watch. Personally, however, I love being close enough to feel the thunder of the rockets in my stomach. There’s lots of room for viewing at Sunport, but it’s wisest to go by bicycle, train or bus. While there are 1500 parking spaces available, the one year I drove, the journey home took far too long because of the traffic jam. (If the weather is bad on August 13, the fireworks display will be postponed to August 15.)
(Fireworks in Sunport Takakamatsu)
Dancing in the street takes place on August 14 (Sat.). The summer festival coincides with the Obon period, a Buddhist festival in which families gather together to clean the family grave and welcome back the souls of family members and ancestors. Traditionally, the whole community would gather together at night to dance, welcoming the souls back home. In some places (for example Honjima, an island west of Takamatsu), people dance with the family’s memorial tablet strapped to their back. Now, however, Bon Odori is more a form of summer entertainment. Each region has its own music and dance steps. In Takamatsu, people dance to Ichigo Maita and the event itself is a big competition between groups of dancers. Thousands come out to dance down the main streets from 18:30 to 21:00. Of course, it’s fun just to watch. But if you want to get into the action, the Takamatsu International Association (TIA) welcomes non-Japanese participants in its dance troupe. For just JPY 300, they will lend you a yukata (summer kimono) and provide instruction. Practice will be held on the 3rd floor at I-PAL Kagawa on Aug. 10 from 18:30 to 20:00. Contact TIA staff at 087-837-6003 (English OK).
Takamatsu’s fireworks display will be held on August 13 (Fri.) in the Sunport area and lasts a whole hour from 8PM to 9PM with 6,500 fireworks (according to the website). Last year about 10,000 people gathered at Sunport to watch. To avoid accidents, the rockets are launched out on the sea and they are visible from quite a distance. People in my area (near Yashima) often take picnic chairs or blankets to the riverbank to watch. Personally, however, I love being close enough to feel the thunder of the rockets in my stomach. There’s lots of room for viewing at Sunport, but it’s wisest to go by bicycle, train or bus. While there are 1500 parking spaces available, the one year I drove, the journey home took far too long because of the traffic jam. (If the weather is bad on August 13, the fireworks display will be postponed to August 15.)
(Fireworks in Sunport Takakamatsu)
Dancing in the street takes place on August 14 (Sat.). The summer festival coincides with the Obon period, a Buddhist festival in which families gather together to clean the family grave and welcome back the souls of family members and ancestors. Traditionally, the whole community would gather together at night to dance, welcoming the souls back home. In some places (for example Honjima, an island west of Takamatsu), people dance with the family’s memorial tablet strapped to their back. Now, however, Bon Odori is more a form of summer entertainment. Each region has its own music and dance steps. In Takamatsu, people dance to Ichigo Maita and the event itself is a big competition between groups of dancers. Thousands come out to dance down the main streets from 18:30 to 21:00. Of course, it’s fun just to watch. But if you want to get into the action, the Takamatsu International Association (TIA) welcomes non-Japanese participants in its dance troupe. For just JPY 300, they will lend you a yukata (summer kimono) and provide instruction. Practice will be held on the 3rd floor at I-PAL Kagawa on Aug. 10 from 18:30 to 20:00. Contact TIA staff at 087-837-6003 (English OK).
