Tokyo: Day Two

Harajuku, Tokyo

The Brazilian embassy. We got a little lost on the trains and ran into an American girl who has been living and teaching English in Tokyo for 8 years. The embassy is in Gotanda, but we didn't find much else to do in the immediate vicinity. There are a number of Japanese restaurants on a street nearby. The area has a business feel to it. After I got my business done at the Brazilian embassy, we decided to go to Harajuku. (Tokyo is actually comprised of a series of cities.) Harajuku is a more touristy district. It has a lot of stores in the department store or boutique vein, and you see a lot of foreigners. I had some good salad and some okay pizza at an Italian restaurant. Italian is popular here.
I also noticed a sign for a 浮世絵 (Ukiyo-e) museum nearby. It is called the Ota Memorial Museum of Art. (The musuem is in either Harajuku or Shibuya. The museum is close to the Meiji Jingumae and Omotesando stations, if I remember correctly.) The Great Wave off of Kanagawa is probably the most famous Ukiyo-e in the West, but it does not reside at this museum.
It was wonderful to look at the result of fine woodblock carving and the related silk paintings. I even bought myself a book from the museum. The museum is devoted entirely to this art form. The prints are so old that they have to rotate the pieces being exhibited to slow the light damage. Unfortunately, that means no photographs.

Harajuku, Tokyo

The prettiest station I saw in Tokyo.
This is either Meiji Jingumae or Omotesando.
Note: There is no "Harajuku" station.

This type of art form is highly labor intensive. The artist designs a pattern which is then handed over to a carver. The carver shaves away wood on a woodblock until just the pattern is raised. This is simple enough in black and white, but color prints require several different pressings. The carver hands the woodblock over to the printer who carefully applies the color to the woodblock and then places a piece of paper on the block, smoothing it over to transfer the image. This is repeated several times with color prints to achieve the different colors. Basically, the colors have to be layered. The detail in some of the prints is amazing. The prints would be pretty as paintings, but the detail in things such as mosquito nets and women's hairlines, distinguishes the art form.
Overall, Harajuku is an upscale shopping district. If you aren't into this sort of thing, there are still interesting things to do. Apparently, there is shrine, but we didn't make it there. The museum is small but worth the visit. I think I paid 700 yen. I also bought my yukata at a secondhand clothes shop here. Later in the week, we had tea at a tea cafe in the area, and it's always nice to wander the back streets where there are more shops.
Oh, and if you're craving to see masses of humanity, you can either take the train during the evening rush or spend some time in Harajuku. At least you won't be breathing down someone's neck in Harajuku, but you might be on the train.