Design a poster for the Yokohama Port Opening Festival

I didn’t notice any mention of a prize but it would be pretty cool to have your design used for the official Yokohama Port Opening Festival poster. There is only one winner which kind of makes sense. I mean, how many posters do they need? My guess is one.
You can find more details here: http://www.yoke.or.jp/englishblog/diarypro/diary.cgi?no=1051. The link on the page was broken but you can check out the Japanese Port Opening Festival Page here: Kaikousai.com.

150 Years of Yokohama in Photos

There is a pretty cool photo gallery on the Mainichi Daily News website showing a selection of photos showing events and scenes from the last 150 years in Yokohama. It is one of the many pieces that have been run by newspapers recently in celebration and support of the 150th Anniversary of the port of Yokohama. Click on the image to go to the Mainichi web site.

If you are interested in Yokohama’s history be sure to check out these four articles from the Japan Times.

• The rise of Japan’s No. 1 gateway
• Newspapers opened eyes in Yokohama
• Chinese immigrants played vital role
• Yokohama — city on the cutting edge

Kanamara Matsuri Photo Gallery (2006)

These photos were taken on April 1st, 2006 when my camera was getting repaired and the lens of the camera I was using here was a little dirty so that is why some of the images look a little washed out in places. Don’t know what going on in these photos? Check out this post on the Kanamara Matsuri.

Flower Art Festival Gallery

We at Yokohama Living went over to the Nihon Odori Flower Art Festival that was held over the weekend to take some photos for those of you who weren’t able to attend. It was nice but I was a little disappointed. I don’t know what I was expecting but I know I was expecting something more. The petals of the flowers seemed to have been placed on what amounts to a great big coloring book and for the most part they kept within the lines. It was windy though and I also felt that some of the art wasn’t finished. It was also difficult to get a good view as we had to look at the flower art from the side mostly so it was difficult to get a good angle when shooting. Well, check them out for yourself.

Y150 – Port of Yokohama 150 Year Anniversary

On July 1st 1859 (June 2nd on the old lunar calendar) Yokohama officially opened the port and the effectively ushered in modern Japan. This year Yokohama is celebrating the 150th Anniversary of the Opening of the Port and it is going to be a big celebration with many events.

The events will be mainly held in three areas: the Bayside Area, centered in the Minato Mirai district; the Mother Port Area Yokohama Station and the Yamashita-Yamate neighborhoods; and the Hillside Area near Zoorasia.

You may have already been to some of these events or perhaps you have seen the news. For instance, the spectacle art group LaMachine from France brought over their huge spider for a performance that has to be seen to believed. And there are a host of other events which you can check out on the official Y150 web site.

While many events are free some of theme require you to purchase a ticket. You can find more information on their ticketing page but to give you an idea. An adult day pass costs 2,400 yen. Befor purchasing your ticket I recommend that you plan your schedule carefully so that you can take in as many of the attractions as you can. If you think that you are going to be a repeat visitor you might consider buying the Bayside Unlimited Use Entry Pass which costs 10,000 yen for an adult. These tickets also entitle you to discounts at other great Yokohama venues such as the Nippon Maru and the Yokohama Museum of Art

Nihon Odori Flower Art Festival

From May 2nd to May 4th this year the Nihon Odori Flower Art Festival will be held in Nihon Odori (of course). Nihon Odori Avenue will be covered in beautiful art created from flower petals. You can check out the official website to get a better idea of what to expect. It’s all in Japanese but if you check out the Pre-Event page you’ll get a good idea about what is going down.

Video: Giant Robot Spider in Yokohama

As if Japan didn’t have enough trouble with robots and giant creatures already they have decided to import (albeit temporarily) a giant spider robot from France. Apparently the spider is walking the streets as I write this which is a pity, as I would love to see it in action. It is here as a part of the Y150 events celebrating the opening of Yokohama Port 150 years ago. While the giant spider probably won’t be seen on the streets after this there will be plenty of opportunity to watch it in action as it will be in Yokohama until September 27th.

Below are a selection of videos so you can see what to expect if you go to see it.

Link: Y150

IKEBANA

Ikebana, or the Japanese style flower arrangement, has more than 600 years of history. It began as part of the Buddhist ritual and developed into a disciplined art form independent from its religious origin. It is distinguished from decorative flower arrangement for its philosophy, different styles and methods. In short, ikebana is about creating the universe where nature and humanity coexist harmoniously. Sounds difficult? Though it is a full-fledged art, it is not esoteric. There is plenty of room for amateurs to enjoy it. If you are interested, Asahi Culture Center Yokohama is offering Ikebana class of Sogetsu school in English for two days:

Asahi Culture Center Yokohama

2-16-1, Takashima, Nishi-ku, Yokohama-shi 220-0011

– 8th Floor of LUMINE building adjacent to Yokohama station.

Time/Date: 6 – 8 PM, September 11th & 25th

Fee: 7,770 yen for two sessions

Bookings can be made online, by telephone or at the school registration office.

Office hours: 9:30-17:00

Telephone: 045-453-1142 (10:30 – 17:00 , Mon – Sat)

Click here for more info.

Red Brick Festival

The Red Brick Festival is being held down at the Red Brick Warehouses also known as Akarenga near Sakuragicho in Yokohama. Actually it has already started and I have even attended a little bit of it. The ice cream part. I took some photos of the cool and crazy ice creams that are on offer and to be honest the choice of flavors is amazing. And I chose the word carefully too because you ought to be amazed that they sell ice cream with flavors such as cow tongue, caviar, garlic, eel and wasabi. (See gallery below for more.) The one that attracted me most though was the stretching Turkish ice cream which I quickly ordered really hoping just to see it stretch. It didn’t stretch though and the flavor was a pretty standard vanilla. No complaints there. I didn’t try the other ice creams not because I was nervous about the strange flavor but just because I didn’t want to ruin my appetite.

There are a few other events at this festival including, I believe, some salsa and samba performances. You can find some information (in Japanese) on the Akarenga web site. It runs from July 25th to August 10th.

Uniqlo’s Uniqlock

I came across this bizarre video/clock on the Uniqlo site. Apparently it is an award winning piece of viral marketing.  (More information on the T-Shirt Review.) Well done Uniqlo. For those who are interested there is a sale on at Uniqlo Online Store selling tees for only 500 yen. Pretty sweet.

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