I did a double take on my bike as I passed this portable Shinto ceremony on a nearby empty lot. Ostensibly, they are praying to the local gods in advance of constructing a residence. But I think this is not the first year they’ve done the ceremony here.
This summer the weeds were rampant, and the empty space became a bat colony. Somehow the Mercedes in the foreground of a Japanese religious ritual no longer surprises me, even in Nakano.
開店ときに、歩道に花を見せる習慣は素敵だと思います。有名なイギリスのブーツ・ブランドの開店祝いに、きれいなピンクと赤い花のブーツを飾っていました。
Store, bar, and even ramen shop openings often feature sidewalk flower displays. I love the inventiveness of this special pink and red boot for the Dr Marten store opening in Aoyama.
この手袋はオーナを見つけたでしょうか。歩道のもう一つの使い方です。他の国では、落とし物こんな風に見せる習慣はあまり見られません。
It’s quite common to see that lost items are placed prominently at eye level, in case neighbors return to look for something that fell off a bike, stroller, or handbag. I’ve benefited myself from this system of retrieval and display. It’s a little late for gloves this year, but I hope they find their guardian.
早稲田大学で、二人の若いオランダのデザイナーのプレゼンがあります。『即興都市における神話と習慣」についてです。16日、木曜日１８時から。無料です。http://bit.ly/h97QFr
Waseda will be hosting two young Dutch designers talking about the improvised city. Free lecture this Thursday at 6 pm.
Speakers Krijn Christiaansen and Cathelijne Montensways explore “the ways public spaces and landscapes are made by, used by, lived in, transformed and shaped by people.” Their talk is part of Julian Worrall’s LLLABO series at Waseda’s School of Architecture. Please register in advance.
Tokyo Green Space 