Category: Travel

Tuesday lunch concert at the Berliner Philharmonie

I have often visited the Tuesday lunch concert at the Berliner Philharmonie.

Normally there are two or three musicians, with a large audience sitting and standing on the floors and the stairs. The acoustics are not particularly good as it is held in foyer, not in the concert hall, but it is certainly a great experience. What I really like the most the ways explore the building.

The repetitions and layers of Stairs are rhythmic, the colourful tinted glass blocks and floor tiles are melodic. I always tried to stay in this maze until I was told to leave. It is a very different feeling compared to the Staatsbibliothek, despite being designed by the same architect, with similar materials. I have never really read about the architect Hans Scharoun and his works until now on Wiki. Somehow I don’t really question such things, I like experiencing the reality without any information before hand, or even afterwards.

So far, I have never had chance to listen to the orchestra in the main concert hall. I always wonder how it was to listen to Beethoven’s Symphony conducted by Karajan in the 60s.

More photos are here

火曜日に時間がある日はベルリナーフィルハーモニーのランチコンサートによく行った。

だいたい二、三人のミュージシャンで演奏され、入場数は限られていて早い者勝ち、それでもフォイヤーの床や階段はたくさんの人で埋め尽くされる。音響はよくないものの、ベルリナーフィルハーモニカーのメンバーの生演奏を聞けるのはいい経験だ。しかし私が最も楽しみにしていることは建物の中を見て回る事だ。

重なり合って反復する階段は律動的、多色なガラスブロックと床のタイルは旋律的。コンサートの後もこの迷路を追い出されるまでうろうろする、隣の図書館とは建築家、素材等も同じにも関わらずとても違った雰囲気である。私は建築家 Hans Scharoun や彼の作品いついて読んだ事はいまのいままでWikipdiaで読んだ以外に無い、普段からあまり予備知識を進んで得ようとは考えず、実際に経験する、その後もあまり気にならず、よほどのことがない限り調べる事はない。

今までのところコンサートホールで交響曲を聴いたことがないが、60年代にカラヤン指揮のベートーベン交響曲をここで聞けたらどうだったのだろうかと思いふける。

ほかの写真はこちら

An authentic Japanese building

There are many traditional Japanese ways of building houses. I assume this is an authentic shrine-style building.
I do not know exactly when they built it but they must have finished recently, probably around the end of Last year since it was not there last time I was there.
It has got very nice smell of Japanese cypress.
Somehow it reminds me of ships, especialy the roof, and when the Koi fishe swim in the sky.

伝統的な建物はどこか船のようである。

Gero and Nakasendo

下呂温泉と中山道
下呂温泉湯之島館、築８４年木造三階建ての本館と昭和の和洋折衷の建物は複雑に入り組んでどこか迷い込んでしまいそうで一人でいると不気味な感じもする。
そこから南東に車で一時間の所に旧中山道の妻籠宿、馬籠宿がある。特に妻籠宿は江戸時代の景観が良く残り人がまばらだとまた不思議な感じである。

Gero-onsen Yunoshimakan is the Onsen (spa) Ryoka (Japanese style hotel), the 84 years old wooden three-storey main building and the semi European Japanese style building are intricately connected. Some what spooky and feeling of getting lost in the maze when you walk around after the Bath.

Head to south east, one hour by car from Gero, there are Tsumagojyuku and Magomejyuku, the old post station towns of the old Nakasen-do, (do is way).
Especaily Tsumagojyuku has kept the buildings very well, and the scenic from Edo period.

A week in Thailand

It is like eating thai green curry. Too hot and spicy with some strange flavour yet tasty and some how not possible to stop this exhausting eating, but relaxing after.
The city with constant noise and heat (apparently it was winter for them), dirty air and water. Next to it, quiet peaceful clean temples, then again encountering full of tourists, the monks are even making selfies.
Extremity coexists organically.

タイグリーンカレーのように辛くて (hot)、スパイシーで、変わった香辛料と薬味、大変なのに辛いのに食べるのをやめられず、食べ終わった後にリラックスできる。喧騒と熱気、汚い空気と水の街のなか、一角を過ぎると静寂で美しい寺院に入ったかと思うと大勢の観光客に突然出くわし、坊主も自撮りしたりしている。両極が有機的に融合している。

Foods from Travel Guidebook 歩いて回る小さなベルリン

Here are some of out takes or uncropped food photos from the Travel guidebook “歩いて回る小さなベルリン”.
I hope these images would give bit more appetite to check out the book.

ガイドブック、歩いて回る小さなベルリンより食べ物の写真です。　
これ以外にもまだまだあるのでおなかが空きすぎる前に一度ガイドブックを見てみてください。

Travel Guidebook 歩いて回る小さなベルリン

歩いてまわる小さなベルリン
大和書房

This is a travel guid book about Berlin which I photographed for.
Unfortunately It is available only in Japanese, although I think there are lots of potential to attracts more people once its translated to English. Still you can see the photos and check address and visit those cute shops, restaurants and flea markets.

ベルリンのガイドブック、著者の久保田由希さんと夏のベルリンを駆け回り撮影しました。ベルリンに来ようと思っている方、もっと良く知りたい方ぜひ読んでみてください。

Tzia

Tzia is an island, one of Cyclades.
The Incendiary sun and Dry wind, Red soil and deep blue Aegean sea.

It is One hour by Ferry from Main land Greece. However the port for the Ferry is opposite side of the peninsula from Athens, that makes the island less popular destination to the tourists.
In off season, driving unpaved road alone, feels like adventure.

キクラデス諸島ケア島。
灼熱の太陽と乾いた風、赤い土と青いエーゲ海。

ギリシャの本土からフェリーで一時間、しかしながら港はアテネから半島の反対側で観光客からはあまり知られていない。
オフシーズン、未舗装路一人で走ると気分はアドベンチャー。