Low Riding & the Deadly Chainring Disease.

Went on a my first ride into Yamaguchi City today. It was good. Nice to be on the road again & get the old cartilage smoking. Wanted to test out my new panier rack aswell. Getting closer to "tour-ready".  One elderly gentleman came past hooting very happy to see me & my strange steed. He reappeared 15minutes later coming from the other dirtection, and basically stopped his little truck in the middle of the road to come and rattle off some Japanese at me..... and give me a little bottle of green tea. Nice, and I think the japanese for Satelite is "wigi!".... who knows? I had to bight my lip not to deploy the international raised eyebrows of interrogation and ask, "Wiki-wiki-wah?" Here's a little mad video collage of the ride:

(I've been struggling with this video for an hour now that's why it's in two pieces. Hope it works, it took ages to buffer and play)

& part two if you can stomach it...

While I was at the mall I ran into Kako (I shit you not, I have his card.) We met him the other day at the community centre. He did a full catastrophe cycle-circumnavigation of Japan. He was keen for a photo opportunity. Below is a close-up of his speedo showing  mileage.) he did his trip through winter, crazy bastard, and has pictures of some pretty ingenious urban camping. I think he's actually Chinese. Anyhow, the bike culture here is quite heartening there are thousands and thousands of them. Riding everywhere, kids, old grannies, business men, you name it. Lot's of fold up bicycles, some very minimalist, and a rather naff generic version sporting a lowslung seat, very upright posture and less street-cred than would be easily embraced in our image-concious southern colonies. If you're lucky you get a basket. You almost always get a cycle track though.  !!!!!!!!! From a man whose run the woodstock rushhour taxi gauntlet on a fixy more than is prudent, Halle-flippin'-lujah. So some quick bike pics and then enough with the chain grease for you poor uninterested petrol heads.

Finally some pretty pics from the last week or two. (Done in that slick & not un-laborious, I'll have you know, Photoshop technique some of you are growing so fond of.)

So, sayonara!

Which is japanese for "love to ya.."

j

p.s. The next blog to follow is a corker, brace yourself for some contemporary dance as you've never thought feasible. Avante garde, baby. There's going to be some thrashing about I tell ya, and some violin playing (by my friend Yashemi) that'll make  Stradavarius wee in his coffin. I'm warning you....

Nip in the Air...

So, it's been  a little chilly of late. Quite nice though. I've been too much of a woes to ride in it, but maybe a midday ride through to Yamaguchi (I'm told about 1.5hrs away if you're an out of shape Austrian artist with a modest bicycle and no map...?). For all the extra wardrobe requirements, though, it has been stunningly beautiful. Snow falling on cedars.... sigh. Here's a little clip of me in falling powder for the first time in years. Nice.

But it does beg the question, "What precisely are these crazy Japs doing without any kit on?!!!" Hello, konichiwa, & how is your mind? Well, they would answer, "Pretty focused and devoted, origato. And how is yours?"

So, it's a little chanting and hanging about on the icy forecourt, a little jog, up the stairs past the temple, bit of rowing exercises, & er.... yup I think a swim. That'll be nice. Everyone in the pool; nice icy swim. Kids'll love it.

Dedication, baby, dedication!

There was also some extraordinarily beautiful architecture and garden design at a nearby palace build buy the famous Mori family in 1916 to house their family collection of national treasure (some of which are 1300yrs old or so).  And in the garden I saw a little premonition........

Love to you all

J-san

ps For my mense back home, check this out. It's looking pretty good for a last minute gold at Spier! Woo Woo! See for yourself @

http://www.spiercontemporary.co.za/site/index.php/awards/peoples-choice-award/

Fancy a bit of Coori....?

We went to a restaurant last night run by this gem of a guy. He runs it from his house (...which he made ! and would you look at the size of those beams).

It's a kind of shoe off at the door and low slung table affair.

The local curry-house you could say.

They serve a pretty spectacular Nepalese dahl (which he made). He plied us with special saki and then whipped out an Mbira(which he made! Handy sort of fellow) for a little tune.  

Take a listen to this little video clip. No surprise he a cheerful fellow.

Love to you all

j

I've walked up there several times, and had to come down twice in the dark. There is a little Buddhist shrine up near the top ( the size of a big letter box ) with a small statue sleeping inside. I shall be having the odd early morning meditation up there. There is a lovely panoramic view of the area showing the various surrounding farms, towns and forested hills to the horizon.

Walking down through the Bamboo forest in ..... How you say? Trippy!

But beautiful.

Day before yesterday I made my smallest origami lotus flower ever, and gave it to our tireless chaperon and host (-ess) Machiko. She seemed pleased.

I was.

Today I managed to  knockup a very exciting bit of progress in the stu-stu-studio, despite a late start, the arrival of my bike (woo woo) and a long exhausting sojourn to various towns to absorb neon sights and wander through impossibly advanced and stocked hardware stores looking for materials. Have I got some materials for you. 

Expect many pictures of me happily reunited with my strange bicycle beast, and the formative makings of an idea for a new dare I say... wobbly... work

love to you all

j

The "Muji life".....

So this is my clean lined Japanese bedroom. A bit like living in a beautiful storage box made by Muji.  Actually it is a room for two large living Honky's. If I was Japanese I would pack my futon in a cupboard and re-purpose the space. Very rational and cultured. In fact there is a Japanese style room just like that here in my apartment & I have just decided as I type that I shall be moving with the new linen. No  huge culture shock for a happy camper, but some messy living habits may well need changing. 

I leave my shoes at the door where there are leather slip-ons to shuffle about on the coir matting. Climate is controlled by hidden air-con. Furnishings are quite energy efficient if slightly intensive: amazing paper vertical blinds on every widow; you turn on the geyser as you need hot water.  Wood paper read-matting and walls made of a soft grey paper-like substance that is warm to the touch.

 

This pic from my balcony looking in.

....and if I turn around:

I also have a large studio (challenging panoramic pic, sorry). It has a piano, lovely and distracting. The short pillars are state of the art acoustic dampeners that can be placed in the corners of the room to absorb standing waves.

If I look out the window to the left....

....I see the large courtyard. It can be used as an outdoor stage and the rocks about it can me flooded with water. Hmmm, that stage is asking for it!! I'll make rocks move above it if it's not careful. This facility is futuristic beyond anything I have ever seen or is available in South Africa. There are very few people here for various reasons, like winter, a strategic shift towards local values (more traditional) from cutting edge contemporary, and 'cause I'm a lucky guy. Sometimes it feels like I've discovered an abandoned space-ship to be used & explored.

Happy days. If I look out the window in front of me in my studio.....  

... the forest!! And the path up to the mountain.

Good times.

These people are so generous.

Love

j

ps might get some work done tomorrow, but then my bike is coming too. We'll have to see.

Lunch in Japan

Today these 7 magnificent people sat with me for lunch next to a little clump of forest.

The little forest was in the middle of a grassy Japanese plateau high above Yamaguchi.

From right to left : Shin il (Korean artist on same residency as me), Primoz & his girlfiend Nika (Slovenian video artists on residency), Hiro (one of the organisers running this programme  a shy architect working here to mix with other genres and because he likes the building, I suspect) , Tamoko (temporary staff hired specially to keep us company and see that we are alright, a masseuse who takes some pictures and is in the running for "sweetest living thing I have ever met" - think panda trying to figure something out), Machiko (tall Japanese minor goddess chaperon and main translator- last night she made us sea-urchin pasta), Ayaka (local lady back visiting from studying art is Frankfurt), & a tiny clump of forest. 

Wind was brisk off the moody plateau. Spirits were very high.

This is what the the little lunch-boxes looked like, and what they had inside. Special.

About R15 worth of very special; made and delivered in the morning by a local lunchbox company. They are called Benko's. The heart shaped ones were packed for Hiro and Ayaka by her mother (it was a source of envy & amusement at the table as it is typical of newly weds and they are not involved.)

Then we went to see these spectacular caves that are 80m below the plateau.

Magical & warm. Met a small fellow with more legs than one would think was completely necessary.

That was a fine day.

love to you all

J

Greetings from Dubai!

I have crossed the ocean!

I now have a full day waiting in the airport.

My flight is only at 02h00 tomorrow morning.

Oh well what's another day of floating for a traveler like me?

It's nice to be on the road again.

I'm in a place called the "quiet Lounge" dipping into my first Haruki Murakami (After Dark). Quite romantic really except this shirt is starting to turn on me. A squirt of Cologne and  possibly a new Paul Smith shirt from duty free and I'll be a fair tribute to Paul Bowles' character Port from The Sheltering Sky.

 I will call Machiko as I arrive in Osaka if the hour is decent. I have a slight sense of fore boding about my luggage as we were delayed 45min in Johannesburg waiting for missing baggage (the pilot revealed over the PA). I had some last minute issues with some hand luggage condemned to the hold & it had her present from James Webb in it. It better be waiting in Osaka for me.........

What's more The Bicycle I had to freight over is probably going to arrive in Osaka rather inconveniently on the 13th Jan....?

Might have to wait a week for me to return.

"Why don't you buy another one there?", I hear you question.

Well, she's slightly hard to come by...... as well you know.

We shall see what we shall see.

Regards

J

Like a complete unknown

These are the digital ramblings of Justin Fiske on his Japanese mission and beyond. A way for you to keep an eye on Japan. This beautiful photo was taken by Clinton Whaits in Brassbell subway. Beautiful; very James Dene. Thanks Clint, looking forward to see you in Japanese forest. Reminds me to count the friends who see me as I'd like to be. 

Take care