Yokohama 横浜

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The weekend of October 11-13 we had a day off for Health and Sports Day so we took the opportunity to head up to Yokohama and see some art. Yay!
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We went via Shinkansen, about the best way to travel anywhere in my opinion!
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On Saturday we arrived around lunchtime. We checked into our hotel near Chinatown and headed out for some food. While walking we came across this square, which according to the plaque was where the Japan-America Treaty of Amity and Friendship was signed, back in 1854. This is the treaty forced by the American Commodore Perry which opened Japan after nearly two centuries of seculsion. I geeked out when I saw this.
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After lunch at a Danish Restaurant (of all things, but it was delicious! I guess that's my ancestral blood coming through) we passed by the Customs Building, a beautiful structure.
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Joe and the Cutsoms Dog.
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Yokohama skyline.
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Our main destination for the weekend was the Yokohama Triennale, Time Crevasse. We started at the Red Brick Warehouse No. 1, where I really enjoyed "The Hallway" by Miranda July and "In Times We Live" by Shilpa Gupta.
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After a few hours of art, we were pleasantly surprised to come across Octoberfest.
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Prost!
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The German band.
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While the pretzels were delicious and the imported beer tasty, this special German-Japanese concoction did not appeal to me. Onigiri and bratwurst?
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When the band toasted the crowd, things got crazy.
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The Yokohama skyline at sunset.
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Prost! The wind started to kick up and a cold front came in, so we decided to explore the indoor shopping areas around Minato Mirai.
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An art installation we passed by.
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We happened upon some jazz, as there was a festival going on over the weekend.
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On Sunday we headed out after breakfast at the hotel to see more of the Triennale, first passing this interesting building.
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The NYK Waterfront Warehouse was my favorite venue of the Triennale, and included Christian Holstad's work (pictured above), as well as great pieces by Kosugi Takehisa and Claude Wampler.
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The Shinko Pier Exhibition Hall was our afternoon destination, and overall my least favorite of the three major triennale venues. Too many of the works exhibited at the Pier were remnants of performance pieces, many of which were rather dull, especially when so many of them were viewed together. I did have a few favorites at this venue though, with the most stand out work being Pedro Reyes' "Baby Marx". This installation included a group of puppets based on major Communist and Capitalist figures and a video shot as a preview to a t.v. show. The video was modeled after a mock 1960s variety show about Baby Marx, bouncy soundtrack included. Very whimsical.



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Another favorite at the Pier was "A=P=P=A=R=I=T=I=O=N," Cerith Wyn Evans and Throbbing Gristle. This huge mobile included sounds that eminated from the hanging mirrors and changed as the sculpture moved, bouncing sound off of the various surfaces of the room.
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Finally, Kuswidanato, a.k.a. Jompet, "Java Machine: PHANTASMAGORIA" was another favorite at the Pier.
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In the late afternoon we took a coffee and cake break before doing a little shopping.
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We ran into more jazz as well.
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In the evening we walked over to Chinatown to find some dinner and see the sights.
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Chinatown was bustling with people and full of interesting shops, vendors, and restaurants.
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Yummy!
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