Diary > Saskia Te Nicklin - Tokio
Tokyo, Japan02/17–04/17
Saskia Te Nicklin
Tokyo is, at first, sight a megacity where it seems as if people are at least 15 years ahead of us concerning technology. But after not so long you also see that people are still bound to their, at times, out-dated traditions concerning gender, family, and social structures. As a resident, you might feel a strong isolation there since language is a barrier. Hardly anyone speaks English, or they are not willing to. You might notice sometimes people asking: When do you go back? The Tokyo people can be very complicated and seem to shy away from you rather than to just talk to you. But this also lies in that they do not want to feel shame.
| 1. | Dos & don’ts in this place: |
| Travel around as much as possible. Japan is an amazing country, with beautiful nature and much diversity. Don't stay too long in Tokyo. And don't try to be/act Japanese; just be yourself. Be a Gaijin. But be polite of course. Japanese people value politeness a lot! | |
| 2. | Where you can buy great supplies: |
| I go to all the homeware/DIY stores. There are stores for everything you want. It’s also easy to find stores and their whereabouts on the internet. There are many art stores too. | |
| 3. | On art at my residency location: |
| Around the residency area, there is hardly any art. It takes more than one hour to go to galleries, museums, and art institutions by train. Tokyo is full of museums, and they are huge. A lot of them show mainly traditional Japanese art though. And you will often have to wait in line – sometimes for up to an hour. | |
| 4. | Around the studio – this is where I go shopping, drink a coffee and get the best lunch specials within walking distance: |
| Best lunch deal experience near the residency would be at the Machiya Station mall that has a basement/food court called ???. It’s a place where locals go to have traditional Japanese food. A place with a very authentic mood without being overly traditional. I did not find good coffee in walking distance. Then you will have to go to the Yanaka district. For everyday shopping there is a Life supermarket that seems to sell almost everything. It's just behind the residency. | |
| 5. | Where I like to spend the evening (dinner, drinks and best sound): |
| For experimental sound and a smaller underground scene with concerts I would go to Ftarri that operates as a record shop but also as a venue for very interesting concerts. After-work I would go to any izakaya. More relaxed place where you drink beers and have some smaller dishes to munch on. Cheerful atmospheres usually. | |
| 6. | What I would have liked to know about the studio already at the start of my residency: |
| That it is to some extent quite important to be in contact or to establish contacts, if possible, with people in Japan before going there. |
Website resident: stnicklin.net