A Signs and Artwork

How is this for a sign? Found on a street in Taipei, Taiwan, as we travelled on the tour bus to our next destination. I guess it means that motor bikes can either park at 90 degrees or parallel to the curb.

There is also some interesting artwork in the shop front windows, though it is hard to decipher what it actually is. The pic was taken through the bus window as we travelled along, and that artwork is behind another layer of glass, so it is a little hard to see. I would have liked to have a close look though.

Dining Room Art

How is this for ding room art? Slightly different to the artwork that I have in my own dining room at home. I had spotted this fellow a few times on the way to breakfast, so this morning I would capture him. Not quite sure what he is though, some creature out of Greek Mythology pehaps.

A Water Sculpture

We found this sculpture in the main street of Okinawa, just outside the main shopping strip. We were to wait near here for our bus ride back to the Diamond Princess.

Taking on the form of a fountain, we think it was some kind of memorial.

I found the artwork interesting, finding tree shapes and leaves in amongst the cut metal.

Protection

Lion or dog? I think he is a lion. Known as a "Shisa" he is there to protect the building. Made of some kind of metal he is very decorative, and we can see the Chinese influences again in the scrolls. They usually come in pairs at a gateway, entranceway or roof top. One on the right will have an open mouth to ward of evil spirits, while one on the left will have a closed mouth to keep in the good spirits. Interesting Okinawan mythology.

A Lightpost

How is this for a light post? Something a little different from home. Decorative as well as functional in more ways than one. Interesting that the birds still sit on a light post no matter where it is.

Another Wooden Panel

Another wooden panel that I found in a shop in Okinawa. This one was different to the previous post, but still inspirational for my stitching. This one was actually decorating the shop in which I found it.

Wooden Artwork

Just one of the wooden panels that I found in one of the shops in Okinawa. I found the "leaf" patterns interesting and thought that perhaps I could use them somehow in my stitching.

Decorated Shells

This shell was found in one of the shops in Okinawa. Being on a small island in the Pacific, I would imagine that the cowrie shells would abound. I have a collection of cowrie shells myself that I have found over the years on Australian beaches, but not as big as this one. I have seen them this size of course, and yes I have seen them decorated before. This one caught my eye though as it was decorated with a seahorse. 

Pavement Decoration

How Chinese is this? This was a tile in the pavement of the main street in Okinawa.It had  obviously been walked and stepped on a few times given the wear. Just goes to show how much influence the Chinese have  had in Okinawa, even though it is an island owned & ruled by Japan.

Artwork

This artwork was on the wall inside the shrine in the grounds of the Shurijo Castle in Okinawa. Obviously done in inks of some kind, it tells a story. The story would have been written somewhere, but we were on limited time and I have missed it. I am assuming that that is the King being transported by his court members in a procession of some kind.

I would have liked to study this drawing more closely, but it was high on a wall and we were being escorted through this section quite quickly.

Garden Artwork

Another pic taken from our cabin balcony. This one is the artwork that was at the entrance to the green space of yesterday. If we look close there are signs at the sides of each artwork that would tell us what they were. In hindsight maybe we should have gone for a walk on shore. At least then I might have known what this garden was all about. Though we did have a very restful day, something that we both needed.

The Atrium - Diamond Princess

We were finally on board the beautiful Diamond Princess and could breath a sigh of relaxation.

We had booked shore tours before we left home, and as we unpacked in our cabin we found a note saying our shore tour for the next day had been cancelled. We did discuss what we would do & decided to have a quiet day relaxing on board. The last five days had been very full on and we both needed a rest. We did go and have a look at all the other shore tours that were still on offer, and to do this we went via the Atrium.

The Atrium is the center section of the Diamond Princess and is three levels high. If you find yourself in the Atrium, you can find your way to anything on board. Dining rooms, the main desk, shopping, bars, lounges, theater,  the list goes on.

I personally was more interested in the artwork that went three levels in height.

Artwork

Along the other end of The Processional Walk we found artwork framed behind glass.

The artwork obviously told stories about the gates and the temple.

Artwork

This carved dragon is artwork at the bottom of the red lantern of the Kaminairmon Gate. I had to practically stand on my head to get this pic, and am a little disappointed I didn't get him all. I think I would have had to lie flat on the ground to get the whole carving, and then taken the chance to get trampled on by all the visitors.

Station Artwork

While trying to find our platform to catch the train back to the hotel, this is what I spotted. Beautiful stained glass panels, all back lit, and all joined together to give this stunning artwork. This was just above one of the platform entrances inside Tokyo Station.

Functional Artwork

How it this for artwork? Functional too. This clock was on one of the buildings that we walked past to get to the station. I am not sure what it is made from, it looks like it is made from re-cycled parts of something, though I am not sure.

To me it resembles a house of some kind ( though nothing Japanese that I saw), with balconies, doors, windows, people, giant taps to get water from, They look like cannons on the right to ward off any enemies, and little covers over the doors to protect them from weather. I can see what looks like an oven with people cooking, and of course that old fashioned alarm clock.. What I don'r get are the chicken feet clutching at eggs.

This is just what I see, but in reality it is a functional working clock. Apparently at certain times the clock will chime, and it would have been interesting to see if any of the parts moved. I am sure that they did, so it would have been even more fascinating to see.

Artwork

Artwork was rare inside the Tenryu-ji Temple. This horse was in a stand on the floor, not hung from a wall, and from memory the only one we saw.