Japanese Culture in New York - Chopsticks NY

Japan has been developing its art environment for the international art world, and more and more international artists are heading to Japan to exhibit their virtuoso. Japan’s art scenes uniquely take the advantages of compact and complex landscapes into the art site and the indigenous tradition and cultural elements are included in the art.  In the midst of Japanese artists and producers’ effort to provide appreciation for art as well as appealing the beauty of Japanese culture and society to the world, there will be three major international art festivals in the form of triennale, the event in a three-year-interval.  These art events are the latest example of Japan’s modern art scenes, and each is accompanied by the cultural background that provides exceptional travel opportunities to those who attend to appreciate art and culture.

Aichi Triennale (August 21 to October 31)

Aichi, the home of Toyota Motors, has a lot of local industries that connect to artistic elements, and will host the first triennale art festival.  As the capital city, Nagoya continues to develop the typical modern urban life, Aichi Triennale 2010 focuses on the relationship between arts and cities.  The event features various forms of art such as dance, theatrical performance, music, paintings and visual arts, and the exhibition is designed to saturate into the general public.  For this purpose, the installation will be on the street corners of Nagoya where people will walk by and glimpse at it in their daily life.  Nagoya’s historic textile wholesale industry plays an important role in this event: the Choja-machi district has a long history of textile wholesale businesses, and will be a unique local art site to the triennale in addition to other major event sites, Aichi Art Culture Center and Nagoya City Museum.

Another historic industry of Aichi is pottery, and the city of Nagoya also houses ceramic landmarks.  The most known name from the area should be Noritake, the world’s famous exquisite tableware manufacturer, which was founded in Nagoya at the beginning of the 20th century.  Tracking down their brilliant designs and high quality tableware, the company’s Noritake Garden, known as Noritake-no Mori in Japanese (http://www.noritake.co.jp/mori/ Japanese only), displays their historic products for public viewing, pottery workshops in which participants paint their own pottery, and souvenir stores for one-of-a-kind Noritake products that can’t be found anywhere else.

Tokoname City, just within a one-hour train ride from central Nagoya, is home to Japan’s ceramic industry. INAX Corporation, a nearly 100-year-old ceramic manufacturer, reflects the local tradition and the recent innovation in their INAX Live Museum (http://www.inax.co.jp/museum/english/index.html). The museum displays the company’s old kiln that supported Japan’s industrialization in the early 20th century.  The giant kiln that opens as wide as 18 feet and the 36 feet deep, produced the clay pipes, which symbolized Japan’s progressive industrialization process.  The crystallized magnesium coating on the kiln’s interior wall shines in a beautiful caramel color, and this space has the terracotta collection of decorative ceramic pieces that were used for the famous Frank Lloyd Wright’s Imperial Hotel design.  INAX’s collection is a good example of Japan’s high quality manufacturing spirit as well as design sense.  The Live Museum’s ceramic workshops offer visitors experience painting on ceramic pieces, completing the hands-on learning on tiles.

How to access from Nagoya: Take Meitetsu Nagoya Honsen Express from Nagoya Station to Jingu-mae Station, then switch to Tokoname Express to Tokoname station (five stops).

Shigaraki Pottery Triennale 2010 (October 1 – November 23)

If you are a pottery fan, the name of Shigaraki already rings a lot of bells.  Shigaraki is one of Japan’s historic pottery towns in Shiga Prefecture, and Shigaraki pottery is one of Japan’s six oldest pottery manufacturing methods.  In this historic pottery town, the Pottery Triennale 2010 is a unique art exhibition with a special focus on pottery oriented pieces.  For 54 days this fall, Shigaraki will become the pottery event venue with international ceramic designs, traditional and modern pottery arts and traditional Shigaraki pottery art.  The event involves two major nearby art museums, the Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural Park (www.sccp.or.jp) and Miho Museum (http://www.miho.or.jp/), which is well known for the I.M. Pei designed museum facility on a hillside, accommodating a fabulous collection of potteries and ceramic pieces from all over the world.  A stroll in the town of Shigaraki is full of inspiration for pottery art.  Visitors will spot a historic pottery studio and kiln that have been dedicated to the over 1000 year old pottery culture in Shigaraki.  Shigaraki’s pottery is particularly known for organic beauty with a burnt color of clay and grainy surface, and minimalist style, and has been appreciated in the Japanese traditional tea ceremony.

Go to http://tri.shigaraki-sp.com/e/ for more information about the Shigaraki Pottery Triennale 2010.

Setouchi International Art Festival (July 19 – October 3)

Setouchi, Japan’s Seto Inner Sea, has already been one of the major art destinations in Japan among international artists and those who are keen on the contemporary art scenes.  Setouchi is the inner sea between Honshu and Shikoku islands, two of the four main islands of Japan, and there are several small islands scattered around, which will be hosting a very unique yet cutting-edge art event in 2010.  The center of the event is Naoshima Island, which was developed by a Japanese welfare company as an outdoor museum, and opened as an outdoor museum island in 1992.  This island houses internationally renowned, Tadao Ando’s architecture as a museum building and accommodation facility to multiple contemporary art pieces installed in the tranquil air of Naoshima Island.  The art festival will also introduce innovative art projects on six other islands and one port town in Setouchi, where they  will jointly exhibit contemporary artists’ works from all over the world.  The art works on these islands are uniquely displayed.  These islands are perfect for the unique art project because of the rare geography and culture:  Because of its location, Setouchi is always the major maritime route between main islands and sometimes international shipping routes. The islands have absorbed cultural mixture into their indigenous simple island lifestyle.  The islands also became industrial at the turn of the century, and old factories and plants are unique art exhibition venues that reflect the mixture of old western influence and modern Japanese elements.  Along with the geographic beauty of tranquil Setouchi water with gem-like small islands, this outdoor art event highlights Japan’s focus on contemporary art as well as the recent art works that are combined with the islands’ local nature, geography and historic landmarks.  For more information about Setouchi International Art Festivals, go to http://setouchi-artfest.jp/.

——– Nori Akashi : Public Relations Manager at the New York Office of JNTO

Japan National Tourism Organization
New York Office

11 West 42nd Street, 19th Floor,
New York, NY 10036
TEL: 212-757-5640
www.japantravelinfo.com