海の見える街

This is another one of those random isn't-Japanese-culture-cool posts. Waaaay back around February I went to the Tokyo-Edo Museum with a friend's mom who I'm fond of. If you like Japanese history or replicas at all, it's definitely worth a stop. The museum's claim to fame is this huge (read: true to size) replica of 日本橋, the wooden bridge around which the mercantile district of the same name grew during the Edo period. (FYI 日本橋 is now a major business/financial district.) I know, I read wikipedia too much for my own good.

Pfft, bridge- whatever, right? But the 日本橋 district was where Japan saw it's first department store and the precursor to Tsukiji fish market. I don't know about you, but I love a good "before" and "after" comparison, so it's pretty cool to see what Tokyo looked like in bygone eras compared to now.

Another reason I really dug the museum is because they had an exhibit on the development of 浮世絵 (ukiyo-e, woodblock prints). While the kind of traditional paintings you'll find in other museums are pretty and all, ukiyo-e are especially interesting because they give you a little insight into everyday life in the Edo period. Since the prints were made for the masses, the subjects range from scenic beauty to naughtier subjects like so-called pleasure districts.

The museum also had a little section on Hokusai. Chances are you've seen one of his woodblock prints from his series called Thiry-six Views of Mt. Fuji (富嶽三十六景). Of those prints, the most famous one is called The Great Wave (look up).

I think what I like best about Hokusai is how eternal his works are. Nowadays you can find his works on everything from cell phone decals to the JR Rail passes. Not only that, but people are always recreating this classic image. Below are a few of the cooler portrayals I found. There's even a bible-themed one here.

The Wave of the Future made for an IBM users group.

Cover of issue 28 of Giant Robot Magazine done by kozyndan