Heeeeh? Sugoi!: Yokohama

I had a really good day in Yokohama today. It's about 30 - 40 minutes away from central Tokyo and is technically Japan's second largest city, but physically it's just another part of Tokyo, sprawling down the bay.

I saw a beautiful exhibition by a Korean Mono-ha painter called Lee Ufan, who I wasn't that keen on up until now, but he is actually really good. I then went to the BankART gallery, which I'd not been to before and found copies of the catalogue to my friend Lieko's photo exhibition in Osaka this spring and which I couldn't see, obviously, because I was in Cambridge slaving over the many books I had to skim read in time for my exams. Finding these catalogues totally made my day.

I noticed more than ever before how much more of a low-rise city Yokohama is compared to Tokyo. It also has many more public spaces, squares and wider pavements, so it's quite comfortable to walk around and I can see why so many westerners end up living there. The whole of Japan is strange, in one way or another, but Yokohama's schtick is that it has that corporate utopia feel to it (at least, the bayside bit I was walking around today). Everything is decked out in fairy lights at the moment and a flowerbed on the pavement was even singing "Oh come all ye faithful" in a rich old baritone voice. Yes, it was. This is Japan.

Here are some photos of the strangeness of the urban environment of Yokohama and some of that strangeness rubbing off on me.

This is a really cool fountain outside the Yokohama Museum of Art.

Landmark Tower, Japan's tallest tower with the world's fastest lift which makes your ears pop. This photo is taken from the balcony of the BankART Gallery.