China (1) The 798

When: April 2007
Where: Dashanzi (aka The 798), Beijing
Words: The 798

The 798 art district was one of my favorite neighborhoods in Beijing. Modern and cosmopolitan and gritty/chic, it's nestled in a streamlined corner of the slapdash craziness of urban China.

Street Art

As you might expect in an area overflowing with young creativity, the 798 has more than its share of sweet (sanctioned and unsanctioned) public art.


These figures stood guard all over the neighborhood—sometimes on solo watch, sometimes in pairs—like silent, benevolent grandfathers.

Gallery Openings

Stacey's gig at TimeOut Beijing calls for him to attend as many openings as he can handle. Our first stop was the Long March Gallery. Clearly, I had Canteen on the brain:


The current exhibit, NONO, posed this question: "Is NONO a double refusal and rejection, or is it the refusal of rejection?"

Having seen the art, I still can't tell you, but the snails were cool.

"using the cheapest method to love your soul 2," he an

"unicorn," colin chinnery

There was a nice symmetry in discovering this place out the back door of Long March.


Next up was the Tang Gallery, where some heavier hitters show their work.

"phantom," zhao nengzhi

"gesture," ye yongqing

Then I found this portal with my doppelganger inside, on the right:


Our final opening of the night was Platform China, featuring the mental implosions of new talent Jia Aili, plus some outdoor couches that brought me back to my (very brief) Cranberries period.

The Farewell Committee

I revisited the 798 the day before I left Beijing, so the last two locals I met were a red discus-thrower and an extremely surprised giant fish. Closure doesn't get much better than that.

Japan Directory

If scrolling gets you down, don't worry—here are all the Japan posts in order.

Japan (1) Iwakura
Japan (2) Nijojo Castle
Japan (3) Philosopher's Path
Japan (4) Gion
Japan (5) Mt. Hiei
Japan (6) Nara

I also put together a Japan Highlights post for my word blog, on the off chance that you don't have an afternoon to spare for the entire batch.

Japan (6) Nara

When: April 19, 2007
Where: Nara
Words: I never found time to write a Nara post, so you'll get a side dish of anecdotes with your serving of photos today.

The Deer

Nara is famous for three main reasons: age, the world's biggest buddha, and the pack of wild deer wandering freely through the city. They're mangy but friendly, and they have a truly freaky tendency to bow at you when they want to say hello and/or eat your food.

Also, they can stare you down.

When the deer need to cross, they need to cross.


Be wise and stay out of their way—unless you have a huge supply of snacks.

Isuien Garden

We almost skipped Isuien on the way to more famous sights, but it wound up being one of my favorite places to photograph in Japan.

"if you would like to drink green powdered tea,
please hit the board to let us know"

The sky looks ominous here, but it was a sunny, brisk, perfect day.

Todaji Temple

The crowds were hectic at some sights in Nara, but they thinned out on the approach to the buddha. Or it could just be relative, since he's made of gold and outweighs everyone in this picture by a few tons.


Before you enter the temple, you can stop at a cleansing station to wash your hands or take a drink.


The buddha himself is way too large and poorly lit to photograph without fancy equipment, but the little metal insects around his feet are more cooperative.


This next guy sits near the temple entrance, glowering in red-hoodied splendor. But it turns out he's benevolent—if you touch the part of his body that corresponds with any damaged or painful part of your body, you'll be healed.

I gave him a little pat on the lower back, but my guess is he doesn't have to spend nine hours a day at a computer. We'll see if he comes through for me.


I don't remember where we saw this bell, but it was beyond enormous. For a small city, Nara has an impressive collection of "world's biggest ____."

Nigatsu Hall

On the walk back to the train station, we visited a few pagodas. When I went to photograph this one, a small, middle-aged Japanese woman grabbed my arm with sumo strength and made me crouch down just so to get the right picture—the same one she'd taken a moment before.

"You have to get the cherry blossoms," she insisted. And here they are:




We tipped our hats to Nara's guardian on the way out.

Japan (5) Mt. Hiei

When: April 18, 2007
Where: Kyoto
Words: Demons and Gangsters

Watch out, here comes the toodle train . . .

beware its fiery wrath!

aaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!

OK, you get the idea. It's not the grandaddy of steam engines. We were bummed we didn't get to ride in the jungle-themed one, though.


This is the Mt. Hiei cable car line. Take my word for it, and don't look down.


We passed several small graveyards during our hike. The stones wearing red and pink aprons are for young children.




If you kneel down right where the arrow points, you can hear all these weird water noises. The signs weren't forthcoming with the reasons why.


At Amido-do Temple, the monks have kept two lamps burning continuously for more than 1,200 years beside the central shrine.

thirsty dragon

the only panhandler in japan

We missed the cable car back down by two minutes, so we had to wait half an hour for the next one. Annoying at first, until it turned into a great chance to try and capture the view.