The other day in the Hanabi in Edogawa I had the chance to take quite a few pictures of people wearing yukatas. This light traditional garment can be usually seen in summer, usually in traditional festivals (Matsuri). Apart from being used in summer matsuris, yukatas are also usually worn when going out of the bath in traditional hotels (Ryokan) and at home. In fact yukata in Japanese means literally “bath clothes” (浴衣: bath,clothes)
This chocolate and cream cake adorned with cherry tomatoes grabbed my attention. The tomatoes are almost as big as the piece of cake!! What a mix of flavors!! It reminded me of the strawberry sandwiches.
As I’ve finished reading all the books written by Haruki Murakami, I’ve started reading books written by Ryu Murakami. Their names are similar but both authors are very different. Ryu Murakami is also very popular in Japan but he is not very known outside of Japan, he has written more than 20 books and is also a movie director, producer and screenwriter. Maybe one of his most known films outside of Japan is Audition.
I have specially enjoyed 69, “In Coin Locker Babies” and “Exodus in the Hopeful Country”. “69” is a light novel but it really makes you get into the life of high school students in a small city in Kyushu during the year 1969. “In Coin Locker Babies” is the masterpiece of Ryu Murakami, it tells the story of two kids that are abandoned inside the lockers in a Tokyo subway station in the 70s. It is a book that has influenced many other authors, like for example, the creators of the video game franchise Silent Hill, who have said they have been inspired by some aspects of “In Coin Locker Babies”. A movie based on the book will be released next year.
“Exodus in the Hopeful Country” is a novel about the change and revolution that began in Japan caused by the hacker community in Tokyo. The funny thing is that one of the characters in the book is Joi Ito, a living person and one of my bosses. It is not a coincidence, Joi Ito and Ryu Murakami are friends. If you still haven’t read any book by Ryu Murakami I recommend you 69 or “In Coin Locker Babies”.
Ryu Murakami on the left reviewing some designs for one of his books at my company’s office.
Pictures taken by Joi Ito.