Missing Asia with keys on our back

I made this project for my Coursera-CalArts class. I hope you enjoy it!

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10 influences

I am taking a Coursera class and they ask us our 10 most important influences, motors, builders and destroyers in my life. Here we go:

Tintin:

http://us.tintin.com/
The possibility to explore the world

Dr Slump anime:

From Arale I take the colours, the absurdity and the happiness.

Gilda:

From Gilda I take the capacity to dare to be different.

Jana Sterbak

http://www.janasterbak.com/

From her I take the boldness and the possibility of uglyness

Born to run:

I take the strenght to GO

Mies van der Rohe:

http://www.archdaily.com/59816/ad-classics-iit-master-plan-and-buildings-mies-van-der-rohe/
My notion of beauty

Jaume Plensa

http://jaumeplensa.com/
Power from the calm

Miquel Barceló

How it is important to know one's nature and explore it so things come easier.

Maus by Art Spiegelman:

I haven't been able to put my jaw back in place since I read it.

South East Asia:

And how they make things look pretty.

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Is Japan expensive?

When I said that I was going to Japan, most of my friends mentioned Fukushima and right after that they said that Japan was very expensive. Surprisingly eating and sleeping in Japan has been really cheap, making the opverall cost of my trip lower than I expected. Here's some ways to make your trip to Japan cheaper:

Transport

• Fly to Japan is very cheap, if you are lucky you can find a ticket for less than 500€ or $600. I visited Japan in the winter and it was very cold. I would not recomment visiting in the winter time, better the spring and the autumn. Tickets before June and after September are still cheap.
• Plan ahead and buy your JR train Pass in a way that makes sense, you can also buy passes for only certain regions.

Sightseeing

In Japan you don't have to pay to use the toilet but for the rest you have to pay. Research about the museums, shrines, palaces and gardens that interest you the most and visit only those.
Remember that there are alternative ways to get to know a country, rent a bicycle, go hiking or go for a walk around the city where the local older generation goes to exercise. Amazing things will happen to you when you get out of the beaten path, just don't forget to greet everybody along the way with a loud "Konichiwa!".

Eating

The food is amazing and really cheap. You can easily eat a full meal consisting of a main dish (rice or noodle soup) and gyoza for 5€ or $7, even in Tokyo. The drinks (water or tea) are on the house! This cheap food will save you so much money that you will be able to slurge in something more fancy every once in a while!
It is a little bit sad but I must admit that some of the best food I had was in train stations! Big  train stations like Kyoto or Tokyo have amazing and cheap food!

$7 or 5€ meal in super tourist town Nara, amazing, uh? The cold udon was yummy!

Sleeping 

Hotels and ryokans can be expensive, specially in the big cities. I have found that renting a studio is cheaper than staying in a hotel. So here's the alternatives:

• Renting a studio for yourself, will come with kitchen and full bathroom. Not more than $40 or 30€/night.
• Airbnb: Japan is slowly opening to Airbnb, stay with a local in their house and have a full cultural experience!
• Capsule hotels: haven't tried them yet, so I can't say.
• HelpX: for some days live with a Japanese family, pay no rent, eat for free and in exchange work with them on their business. Win-win!

Stay with a Japanese family and learn about their culture

Souvenirs

This is my weak point, I haven't been able to find cheap souvenirs... any ideas?

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Cradle to cradle design

McDonough and his team are doing some great work with urbanism, architecture and design. Worth watching!

Best quote of the video:
Imagine this design assignment: Design something that makes oxygen, sequesters carbon, fixes nitrogen, distills water, accrues solar energy as fuel, makes complex sugars and food, creates microclimates, changes colors with the season, and self replicates. Why don’t we knock that down and write on it?

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Yoko en la Akashi Gallery (Barcelona)

La Yoko ens convida a la seva propera exposició "Els Habitants del Bosc" que tindrà lloc @ Akashi Gallery (c/Rosselló 197, Barcelona T93.125.08.77) i que romandrà oberta del 21 del maig fins el 9 de juny.

Akashi Gallery és un espai molt bonic i cómode d'estil japonés on, entre altres coses podeu gaudir de té japones de qualitat. És un lloc ideal per estar tranquil al cor de la ciutat.

El dimarts 21 de maig serà l'inauguració:

a les 19h Inauguració de l'exposició i lectura de poesia de Kenji Miyazawa (gratuït) 

a les 21h Sopar Menú del Bosc, a carrec de Toshie Nagashima

Cuina Macrobiotica apta per a vegetarians, la meva amiga japonesa prepararà el sopar amb collita del seu hort ecològic, sentireu l'aire net del bosc per dins. Places limitades, cal fer reserva prèvia (20 euros per persona).

Hi ha +info actualitzada amb més detalls @ la web oficial: http://elshabitantsdelbosc.carbonmade.com

I també al facebook: http://www.facebook.com/events/152407854931944/

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Yoko nos invita a su próxima exposición "Los Habitantes del Bosque" que tendrá lugar @ Akashi Gallery (c/ Rosselló 197, Barcelona T93.125.08.77) y que estarà abierta a partir del 21 de mayo y hasta el 9 de junio.

Akashi Gallery es un espacio muy bonito y cómodo de estilo japonés donde, entre otras cosas podreis disfrutar de té japones de primera calidad. Es un lugar ideal para estar tranquilo en el corazón de la ciudad.

El martes 21 de mayo van a hacer la inauguración:

a las 19h Inauguración de la exposición y lectura de poesía de Kenji Miyazawa (gratuito)

a las 21h Cena Menú del Bosque, a cargo de Toshie Nagashima

Cocina macrobiótica apta para vegetarianos, mi amiga japonesa preparará la cena con cosecha de su huerto ecológico, podreis sentir el aire limpio del bosque por dentro. Plazas limitadas, se necesita reserva previa (20 euros por persona).

Hay + info actualizada con más detalles @ la web oficial: http://elshabitantsdelbosc.carbonmade.com

Y también en facebook: http://www.facebook.com/events/152407854931944

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For information in English, please visit Yoko's blog: http://koko-yoko.blogspot.com

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Batuan Art

Gusti Putu Sana

I never made it to Bali, but in the flight back from Asia I found this extremely interesting art form: Batuan Art. Here's some reasons why I like Batuan Art:

• It is a little bit like "Where's Wally?" so it is really fun to look at.

• It reminds me of El Bosco in the sense that people in these painings do weird things to my eurocentric eyes.

Sakenan temple and the sea from I. Dewa Nyoman Purwa

Ida Bagus Dupem - Traditional Bali

• Because Bali has been receiving western influence for a long time (think of Gauguin) and it seems that like in most cultures the painings evolved depending on what the rich mentors liked, in this case, European mentors. That mix of bali culture + mentor + wanting to be liked made some really funny art.

I Wayan Bendi paints "Diana Spencer"

• Primitive look: but a totally fake primitive look. Really funny and sympa!

Ida Bagus Rai paints "Beached Whale"

 Here's a fantastic guide to Batuan Art.

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Thoughts about Asia reminding me of my childhood

When 10 years ago and we were still in college, Robert told me that according to his economics book, Spain was a Second World Country. I didn't understand or agree with that until I came to Asia.

I must say that right now Spain is considered a First World Country and Robert's book was very old. Well, now we are considered a First World Country, but we will see how long that lasts...

Where do I see that Spain was a Second World Country while I was growing up?

I was talking to a friend from Australia older than me and I was sure she was going to tell me that Asia reminded her of her childhood years and she was very categoric about it "No, my childhood was in the suburbs. Everything was very sanitized and structured. No, Asia does not remind me of anything I have seen before". Then I went to talk to some other people from north american countries, most of them in their 50s and 60s and they agreed, their childhood was nothing like Asia.
I can't wait to go to the US and talk to the people who are 70 to see if they lived something similar to me! So would that mean that the way people lived in the US 60 years ago is the same that I  lived in Spain 20 years ago?! Fascinating!

Does the difference depend on if you come from a small town or from a big city?

Obviously not, the difference is on how developed your area is, but coming from a big city or a small town might make a difference.

I think the answer might be "yes" in Europe but "no" in North America or Australia where nobody lives in big cities and people live in the suburbs, and suburbs look pretty similar if they are from a small towns or from a big city. All the things that remind me of Asia are related to memories from my grandparent's town but hardly anything from my life in a small flat downtown or later on in the suburbs. The suburbs give us a feeling of small town no matter where we are. Maybe the difference comes on how long it took for the suburbs to arrive to your country. The suburbs are the key when we are talking about middle class people like me or the people I normally hang out with.

I am trying to think about some friends my age from bigger cities in the north of Spain and I have no idea if they share this idea of Asia, maybe you can tell me what you think? What about people in Latin America?

Here's the series of posts about the subject:
Everything is under construction and there are lots of flowers
Sun drying food and stone tables 
Poorly paved roads and reusing stuff 
Excitement




*About the photo: Thanks Max for the photo! Those pineapples where good!!!! :-D
This kind fruit shop can be seen today in many south-east asian countries but is no longer common in Spain.

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