6.5.16: The Last Hurrah

We woke up to the sound of rain and happy birds. After a delicious breakfast of mochi made by Mr. Kawakami, we set off with our hosts, artist Ken Kageyama and his son Hosaku, to a park that had a series of temples and shrines in it. We sat and had ice cream and soft drinks on top of a very steep hill and then it was time to go. We had a very windy drive through tiny country lanes but finally got to the train station and headed back to Tokyo. We never got to see Kamakura’s famous giant Buddha but what we experienced was way better!

We arrived at Harajuku Station two hours later and headed straight to Blum & Poe to set up for a Caffenol workshop followed by the premiere of The Sound We See: Tokyo. Awesome instrumental duo Lo-Shi (who fearlessly volunteered to create a live soundtrack for a film they’ve never seen) arrived and everyone pitched in to set up all the instruments and the projection equipment. We were ready to go by seven and quite a few people showed up! The movie–shown exactly as it was shot without a single cut or edit–turned out great and the soundtrack was a perfect match. Everyone was amazed and excited by the combination. Once we were all cleaned up, it was time to say goodbye to all our new friends. We went to a hotel and got a well earned good night sleep!

IMG_7067IMG_7084IMG_5544IMG_5550IMG_5578IMG_5602IMG_5615IMG_5624IMG_5628IMG_5637IMG_5661IMG_5668IMG_7094IMG_7097IMG_7110

6.3.16: Two Days

We have found paradise on earth and it is Fujino. Imagine everything you loved in one small community: welcoming friends, stunning natural beauty, hot springs, butterflies everywhere, art and spaces to make it, organic food, home grown green tea, happy animals, books, beautiful furniture, handmade ceramics, music, movies, time to talk and walk and eat and laugh and dream together… Thank you, dear Kozue, for inviting us into your magical world for two days we will cherish forever.

IMG_4980IMG_5132IMG_5102IMG_5007IMG_5216IMG_5135IMG_5081IMG_5044IMG_5065IMG_5072IMG_5110IMG_5171IMG_5193IMG_5228IMG_5255IMG_5248IMG_5250IMG_5256IMG_5267IMG_5262IMG_5280IMG_5292IMG_6931

5.20.16: Cinematic Treasure Hunt

SWS: Tokyo is underway…

Friends new and old gathered at Blum & Poe Gallery still not quite sure what they were getting themselves into! We began the evening with a screening of August Blum’s awesome handmade Super 8 portrait of artist Henry Taylor created at EPFC’s Intro To Documentary Class followed by The Sound We See: LA.  Within an hour, the group had morphed into a cinematic super team, mapping out “must-shoot” locations around the city and learning the basics of small gauge filmmaking. At midnight, it was time to hit the streets! Can we really pull this project off in 24 straight hours with a dozen first-time filmmakers???? Woohoo! Here goes!

IMG_1960IMG_1970IMG_1932IMG_1933IMG_1983IMG_2064IMG_2022IMG_2003IMG_2028IMG_2025IMG_2035IMG_2047IMG_2046IMG_2044IMG_2058