We've been having very beautiful, warm, unseasonable weather lately, so we've been enjoying the fresh air wafting into the apartment. Kelly's been visiting and we've had a lot of fun with her; on friday night, we had some people over for snacks, and we ended up playing card games until the wee hours of the morning. i haven't played cards in ages. Mr. Adachi really wants Kelly to work for ACC, near us, in Nagoya. last night he took us out for food to talk shop, and now we're all eagerly awaiting her decision...
Yesterday, our friends picked all three of us up at our apartment, and took us out for a day of fun and some amazing encounters. first, we went to Nishio, to the home of a world-famous bamboo artist, to view a private exhibition. How many tourists get to do such things? we are very blessed to have had this opportunity. his name is Torii Ippou (pronounced Ippo), and if you get a book about modern bamboo masters, he's likely to be in there. he spoke only Japanese, but one of his grandchildren lives in California, and she did some translation for us.
Here is a bit of his work. he is famous for these amazing, swirling pieces that look like decorous roller-coaster tracks and ocean waves. i can't think why i never got a better photo of them. you can see some amazing examples of his work here:
Here is a bit of his work. he is famous for these amazing, swirling pieces that look like decorous roller-coaster tracks and ocean waves. i can't think why i never got a better photo of them. you can see some amazing examples of his work here:http://www.textilearts.com/bamboo/toriiippo.html
Here are his granddaughters. the one in black is the translator. the other two were silent, but seemed pleased to meet some strange foreigners. i got the camera out and, with only the slightest gesture to them, they instantly made this pose. it happened in about 1 second! they must be well-photographed.
Here is the whole gang. the three foreigners got to sit with Mr. Ippou, and behind, from the right, are Mr. Ippou's daughter (who works with our friend-hence the connection), then our three friends, Michiko, Hiro, and Yukari, and the four grandchildren. we had tea and goodies.
here's a shot of us in the sun, near a garden we visited after we left the artist's house. it was a beautiful day, as you can tell by Mandy's lack of jacket and her obvious enjoyment of the sun.
Here are his granddaughters. the one in black is the translator. the other two were silent, but seemed pleased to meet some strange foreigners. i got the camera out and, with only the slightest gesture to them, they instantly made this pose. it happened in about 1 second! they must be well-photographed. 
Here is the whole gang. the three foreigners got to sit with Mr. Ippou, and behind, from the right, are Mr. Ippou's daughter (who works with our friend-hence the connection), then our three friends, Michiko, Hiro, and Yukari, and the four grandchildren. we had tea and goodies.
here's a shot of us in the sun, near a garden we visited after we left the artist's house. it was a beautiful day, as you can tell by Mandy's lack of jacket and her obvious enjoyment of the sun.then we went for curry, which was very tasty, and then to a ceramics mall! we bought a few little tiny items, but nothing big. it was nice to see the local fare. mostly, the region is famous for those little teapots that have a sieve inside... you know the ones i mean?
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