Kategorie: Asia

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LAOS: Basile Morin – Ambigrams on the 4000 Islands

During our Laos Trip last year we didn´t only come across the wonderful toilet graffitis, we encountered as well several other mysteries in the jungle and the Mekong scenery. The river island Don Det is only accessable by boat, there are no cars, but therefore bicycles and scooters. And as well there is the Baba Guesthouse. This nice lodge was our accommodation on the idyllic place, a perfect little paradise for relaxing. Above all it turned out that the owner is a French artist who is occupied with poems, pixel photography and ambigrams. And what´s this now again? We didn´t know the word either, but you could describe it as some kind of geometrical writing art.

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JAPAN: Gully & Manhole Design in Japan

Japan is just an awesome country, we really had an astonishing trip. The food is fantastic and the culture has a lot to offer. We have been so excited about all this „Japanese-Difference“… we went some kind of crazy… I don´t know how to describe it, it was like a „Japan-Obsession“. All these exotic signs, the loony pictures and the heaps of wacky things, which we saw and experienced there. For them normal, for us completely new, strange and fascinating. After a while we just have been overexcited about actually EVERYTHING. We were enthusiastic about the famous Samurai sites, about the great architecture and the wonderful gardens. But then we went as well mad in photographing soda machines, street signs and even manhole covers. It just all looks so stylish. Probably it would be different, if we could read the letters, but without that knowledge even „Please don´t park here“ looked like an amazing artwork.

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JAPAN: Grind Records – Osaka Vinyl Store

Today we have some more insight into the Japanese music scene and here is an article about a cool record store in Osaka. I wrote already about the Drum & Bass events in the land of the rising sun. In that previous article is an interview with the UNSALTED founder and organisator Munetoshi Maruyama or just Maru. For recording that interview we needed a place to meet with Maru and DJ Fetus, they suggested the place G.R. Café Terrace. First I thought I would be just a small café or a bar. Actually it is, but as well much more. The place is the homebase of the labels Grind Records and Undergrind. There is a record store included, a lounge where you can get several cocktails and craft beers and as well delicious food. They have cloths and streetwear, magazines and dj equipment and a room where you can get a bit louder and use this dj equipment, make sounds and dance. And of course there are heaps of vinyls and records.

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KYRGYZSTAN: Kloop Radio Kyrgyzstan

We want to present you a new and interessting radio projekt of the Kloop Media Foundation in Kyrgyzstan which you should support. Ilona Pfeffer started with a lot of effort to built up a new online radio which went on air in 2014: Kloop Radio. Meanwhile the radio has about 60.000 listeners monthly and has a 24/7 programm.

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JAPAN: Historical Oldtown – Kurashiki

During our tour of Japan we made a stop in the historical-idyllic city of Kurashiki (Japanese 倉 敷 市, -shi). The Edo-era merchant town is located in Okayama prefecture and the former Bitchū province of Honshu, the main island of Japan. Kurashiki means something like „village from warehouses“. There are still dozens of buildings (Kura) preserved, which represent a symbol of the city due to their typical facades. It’s worth a visit. It is best to stay for a few days in the nearby Okayama and make a day trip by train to the cultural site.

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JAPAN: Himeji Castle and Shironoshita

Hundreds of castles, fortifications and fortresses are scattered all over Japan, some in very good condition or restored and made accessible to the public. During a trip to Nippon you can not avoid a visit, better you should not miss such an amazing and unique tour. One of the most famous sites is the castle tower complex in Himeji (Japanese 姫 路 城, Himeji-jō) from the 17th century. The Himeji-jō in Hyōgo prefecture is one of Japan’s national treasures and was also recognized by UNESCO in 1993 as a World Heritage Site. On our trip from Osaka to Hiroshima we made a stop in this castle town Himeji (Japanese 姫 路 市, -shi), looked at the Himeji Castle and walked through the Koko-en Garden, which is considered one of the three most beautiful in Japan, especially during the cherry blossom festival Hanami. We wandered through the Engyō-ji Temple, climbed Mount Seppiko and shot a video with Tomohisa Shiroshita about the new Shironoshita Guesthouse.

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JAPAN: Anago No Nedoko – Onomichi

The few but increasingly growing tourists who travel to Japan first of course visit the major cultural centers or high-tech cities such as Kyoto, Osaka and Tokyo. But if you have a little more time for your trip to Nippon, you have the opportunity to get to know many other sites in the country. Often the smaller villages are hidden and undervalued delicacies. For example, the fishing town of Onomichi (Japanese: 尾 道 市, -shi) on the southwest coast of Honshū Island.

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JAPAN: Hippie Buddha Monks – Miyajima

Here is a little story from our Japan-trip about the little funny hippie buddha monk figures we found. After we spend some time in the metropolitan tumult of Osaka, we headed south towards Hiroshima. It started getting greener on the countryside and shrine visits started to become the order of the day. An extensive site was located on the island Miyajima (宮島) which means translated „shrine-island“. The island is packed with temple sites and there is as well the famous Itsukushima Shintō-Shrine ( 厳島神社).

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JAPAN: DougoyART Paintaction – Artists Baki Baki & Mon

We already stood several days in Matsuyama, we visited and explored all the fantastic sights and the interesting city. Actually we wanted to leave to Ōzu in the south the next day. But our friend Mathew Iannarone from the Sen Guesthouse recommended us definitely to stay another night because he has some secret special insider event. This hostel is a place we can very recommend by the way, but there will be an article about guesthouse owner Mathew and his exciting life in Japan in another article which is in preparation. But back to our special event, which really was worth it to stay. Mathew took us to a livingroom-live-painting session with the graffiti artists BAKI BAKI and MON. The name of the event is DougoyART. It´s an relaxed artistique festivity in an homelike atmosphere which was in the befriended guesthouse of Hisatsugu Shimizu. As well there is audio included and musicians are taking part, this time the band The Sun.

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VIETNAM: Crazy House – Đà Lạt

The name significates very nicely that the building is kind of wired and crazy. But just only the description „crazy“ isn´t adequately sufficient for this wondrous place. There should be added the terms „fantasy“, „fairy tale“ or „other world“. But well, then the name would be too long. When you step into the Crazy House in the south of Vietnam you literally enter another world. A little magic land. We have a lot of great photographs and a walk around video.

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