Lights of art

Every year I get excited in December. I love Christmas lights, and decorations and all of this festive spirit.

I feel happier with festive lights even if I walk in an ordinary street which has illuminations.

And, there are some places that I love to see during this season every year. Shopping malls, Ometosando Hills, and Disneyland which are extra festive and special.

The most amazing lights are in Roppongi Midtown. There is a specially designed light garden and every year there are hundreds of Led lights in a meadow come together for 3 –minute- story of illuminations.  These exceptional illuminations provided by Toshiba. The lights have a choreography to tell a story but I believe every one of us thinks or understands a different story from the same lights. That is art.

The illuminations were up until 15^th of December 2016. Such an early New year/Christmas festivity….

It has been on my bucket list for the last 2 years. First year I just missed the dates, second year I was out of Tokyo, so this year the first time I have seen the illuminations.

It was a majestic and artistic and spiritual moment for me. I myself surprised how much the illuminations touched me.

 

The wave of lights coming and going with sometimes dark and sometimes extra bright moments, was the perfect choreography of my personal ups and downs in 2016. The light has such fluid movements.  I watched for a long time in serenity.  

             The illuminations had the effect of a sea scenery on me. I watched and watched, saw many different things and reflected on many other things.

I plan to go to see the illuminations next year, and curious to see what the future holds for me...

Cheers,

Ece

Sweet Note

I can’t believe it is already the end of 2016.

Time flies….

I want to finish this year with a great sweet note.

Drum roll pleeeeease…..

Magnolia Bakery, famous bakery in Upper East Side New York.

Lucky us there is a Magnolia store in Tokyo.

How fortunate we are… Considering 10 shops in US and in total 16 shops all over the world.

Magnolia Bakery is located in Harajuku, but this is not a street faced shop, though I think Magnolia Bakery deserves a street faced shop. The shop is at the same building (Gyre Building) with Chanel store so to find Magnolia Bakery first of all you should find Chanel. B1 of Gyre building, is Magnolia Bakery. It was a challenge for me… but, viola, worth it.

And, to be honest, I was expecting a shop with big light green/blue sign and delicious cakes seen through the shop window, when I entered into the store I forgot all about B1.

My dream shop with big sigh and delicious cakes in the window. And better I was able to watch icing being put on cakes … So it was beyond my expectations.

 I smiled and felt that this is a special treat for me.

Then I almost tortured myself between banana pudding and chocolate banana pudding. What I dilemma…

I get the chocolate one since there is no way that chocolate makes a perfect banana pudding bad.

And I was right, chocolate is always the answer. I guess there is also a quote about “when you don’t know what to wear, wear something red.” In this case, when in doubt go for chocolate.

There are not many seats in the shop but I took a seat and watched the cupcakes while enjoying my chocolate banana pudding.

In every celebration and in every opportunity I plan to eat something from Magnolia Bakery. I can even write it on my bucket list: eat every single item form Magnolia Bakery. Perfect bucket list item for my sweet tooth.

I suggest you to check out Magnolia Bakery even if you don’t know anything about the original one in New York. Trust me, delicious.

And I have congratulated myself that I have planned to go to Magnolia Bakery next year many times.

This is the last perfect sweet note of the 2016, gives me sweet hope for 2017…

Cheers,

Ece

My First Exhibition experience in Japan

Since I am a resident in Tokyo, I try to go to the touristic spots of Tokyo, as an art lover I decided that it is time that I check special events and exhibitions and not just touristic spots in Tokyo.

As you know, my favorite is Tokyo National Museum in Ueno Park. I often tell my friends and family that if you are going to a one and only museum in Japan, It must be The National Museum which sums Japans beauty history esthetics and everything….

I came across this on a train;

Van Gogh and Gaugin, Reality and Imagination Special Exhibition.

It is the perfect timing for me to notice this and check on special events and exhibitions.

And off we go to the exhibition in Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, which is in the same park of my favorite museum. To be honest, Ueno Park has an amazing  nature and arts and culture, since there are many museums in the perimeter. 

I have taken a personal note to hang out in Ueno Park.

Theeeen, I came across a festival in Ueno Park, it was a Sunday. Apparently Ueno Park hosts national, international Festivals almost all the time. Cooll…

Last time I was there, it was Thai festival, now it was Ninja Festival.

The common point of the festival was food stands both Japanese and international and also barbeque style food or small stands where you can buy unique Japanese items besides food.

I had lunch and some snacks and then dinner at the festival, it was delicious and there was full of variety.

Even though I was tempted with the food of the festival, I went to the Exhibition.

 

It was a 3-floor-exhibition, and at the door you can take an audio explanation device in Japanese, with some voice play as Van Gogh and as Gaugin. My Japanese is just enough to survive Japan. And as for the audio, I bought it, I couldn’t understand fully, but I enjoyed what I understood and also tested my Japanese… 

The exhibition was very crowded. There were some explanations Japanese and English. The design of the exhibition was quite easy to figure out and also included some other artists to the period to give a better understanding to the art lovers.

As for me, every opportunity to see a Monet painting is a win.

In summary, Van Gogh was painter who paint only what he saw or was seeing. And he did a marvelous job. Gaugin was a painter who fed from the real items but his paintings included his own imagination and ideas as well. This is why the name of the exhibition is reality and imagination.

There was a period that they lived together and interacted artistically, so that you can see Van Gogh’s painting of Gaugin’s chair, or Gaugin’s painting of Van Gogh while he is painting the famous sunflowers.

As for me, I didn’t know that Van Gogh had such a friend, considering his being a difficult person.

But Gaugin was a good friend, and he even continued to talk about him in his letter and journal after Van Gogh’s death.

It was a nice experience to find out two talented people interact with painting.

And in the end of this exhibition, this two artists interacted and communicated with me and many other art lovers.

It was my first special exhibition visit in Japan. And it was fabulous.

I am looking forward to visiting more special events and exhibitions.

Cheers, special,

Ece