There's so much I can say about what I experienced that night. Let's start with some basics:

+ Melanie Charles, Mark deClive Lowe, Shigeto [artists]
+ Wall Wall Tokyo [venue]
+ Last official day of the residency
+ Incredible show

So back when Scion was making beat sampler cds and passing them out at auto shows, I remember hearing the song Rendezvous by Mark and DJ Mitsu and I was pretty obsessed with it. Fast forward over a decade later, I didn't realize I'd actually meet the guy. During the course of the residency, I got a chance to learn more about Mark and Melanie's artistry—mainly how well they make Jazz sound. They performed for the residency 4 days before this show, but its one thing to see a 4-5 min set and then see an hour+ of some mind bending sounds.

Truly trill as shit.

Shortly after this, this place turned into a rave and I found myself insanely lit, walking to the Mustard House at 6am.

An optional part of the residency experience was traveling to a mountain village outside of Kaga City called Ohzuchi. The man who resides in the village is the one of the last members of his family who owned the area.

[in the gif you'll notice some tombs, that's a graveyard of his family ancestry]

At the time of taking these photos, he returned to the village 6 years prior with his mom to provide upkeep and preservation of this land. The company he worked for Nicce, worked with him and members of the Japanese government to formally recognize the Ohzuchi area as an Historic District so that he can continue to improve the area and continue hosting the same tour we were part of.

For some added context, the tour was done in two parts. You could opt to go on a hunt for wild boar or you can forage the area for rice, vegetables, and herbs and prep them for a stew. I chose to stick around for the foraging so I can take in the sights a bit more (and taste the food being prepped).

After settling into Kagaonsen, I spent some time with a few members of the residency exploring the town of Kaga. What I love about these rural spaces is that they remind me a lot of Philadelphia. The near seamless blend of an older civilization still finding permanence and tradition among the more contemporary ways of life.

Back home, we have Olde City, a microcosm of the very first capital of the "free world", with houses, buildings, halls, and other artifacts of the late 1700s. In Kaga, and in many places around the super island of Japan, have temples littered throughout towns big and small. A slice of what was, and what is. Both spaces are still occupied and maintained and I am grateful that preservation of culture exists.

I loved the overcast and the smell from the rain. I spent probably 4 hours just roaming around taking photos of signage, and the generic activities of the city which feel far more universal than many care to admit.

Aside from language, traffic exists, people live full lives, and rain makes us all a bit more introspective.

First off, I love Akihabara. It's one of the coolest shopping districts in Tokyo. Literally anything electronic, you'll find it here. Combined with dope arcade and internet cafes for gaming—if I wasn't here for the art, I would've been here day in and day out grinding League of Legends and plundering stores for some kooky gadgets.

It's definitely a place I'll go back to.

As the sun lost its will to rise, we managed to arrive at Hashitate Nature Park. We got to observe its descent into the ocean waters beaming its last light across the horizon—an orange light stained in blood—marking the end of a cycle in the eternal battle of night and day.

Journal: vsco.co/sirsuhayb/journal/sunset-hashitate

It is the discovery that even in the averages of dining, this city remains consistent in taste while being affordable. The beef bowl I had was ordinary—it’s taste? Incredible.

📍35.71029º N, 139.79742º E

Journal: vsco.co/sirsuhayb/journal/making-a-beef-bowl-tokyo-2019

A dynamic swell of energy, technique and tradition. The first night arriving at the Hatori we were greeted with the sounds of Taiko drums emanating through the halls of the Onsen.

Journal: vsco.co/sirsuhayb/journal/observing-a-tradition-taiko

Who knew Canon had an imagination lab in Tokyo? I was in that space for hours admiring the projection mapping tech they littered rooms with. They had all sorts of fun stuff going on. But nothing beats touching something real. So these balloons were exactly what I needed.

Fun fact:

Tōeizan Kan'ei-ji Endon-in is a Tendai Buddhist temple in Tokyo, Japan, founded in 1625 during the Kan'ei era by Tenkai, in an attempt to emulate the powerful religious center Enryaku-ji, in Kyoto.

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The temple resides in Ueno Park, where we stayed during our time in Tokyo for the duration of the artist residency. I would return some time later after the residency to explore the area further. At night it feels so alive with the lights generating this reddish tint as if its charging its energy to ward off evil spirits as intended from its original creator.

I forgot exactly where this was in Tokyo and the subsequent wall in which this work as affixed—but what I do remember quite strongly was the feeling of magic. I had never felt so close to the source material of a place I romanticized a lot as a kid. To be there, to take it all in...it was a moment I'll never forget.

Drive. Drive. Drive.

Become the streaks of white ever continuing.
Eternity wrapped in grey upholstery—
You never know where you're going
But it's far enough from where you're at.

Drive. Drive. Drive.