Or the Beauty overdose.

OK : I think I have added this place to the list of the places I prefer in the world. It's just amazing. If you have a chance, you really have to go and see Chokoku no Mori Museum, at Hakone, 2h30 by Odakuy lines from Shinjuku station (details below). The perfect destination for a summer week-end. You're not going to regret it, even if, like me, you don't especially fancy contemporary art - there, the way the pieces of art are displayed is so perfect, so beautiful... I really got a shock contemplating these unexpected shapes, especially in the nature, like this... like gods, or fairies... wow. Have a look !

So, this is the concept : about 120 works by famous scuptors from all over the world - Japanese, American, Canadian, Italian, French, Hungarian, Argentine... among others, from Rodin to Niki de St Phalle - are hiding in the nature. You just have a stunning walk and enjoy every corner of every bush.

Hakone amazing landscape

I had the feeling my eyes were not wide enough for all this beauty, or maybe my brain.

Aesthetic shocks

Nature is female, and so is inspiration, if you trust the many curvy figures of this amazing museum.

Women

There were also many funny stuff in this park, it was not about being serious all the way long.

UFOs

The best play-ground ever, designed by a Canadian artist. But why is it always reserved for the kids ?? Great artists, let us adults have fun too ! Make it more resistant !

The stars of the Museum

Achille Talon et la Main du Serpent

At the end you don't know anymore who is here to be watched, and who is the public.

Family visiting

Lovers...

And also Van Gogh.

Finally, my very favourite parts. The first work is called Symphonic Sculpture (by Gabriel Loire) ; it was a tower you enter in to discover the one of most beautiful thing I have ever seen. Colors, colors, colors - and light. It reminds you the most joyful side of churchs, of faith, of customs and traditions, but at the same time this is something else, this is only pure beauty.

The second one gives a radically different atmosphere, but I liked it so much too : a kind of white paradise, between the Japanese stone-gardens and the contemplatio of the sea. As it was in a gallery, the air was a bit cold, and it suited the art works perfectly.

You got it, you absolutely have to go an see by yourself if you live in the surroundings of Tokyo. I guess that the Museum changes wonderfully with the seasons, and it's opened 365 days from 09:00 to 17:00. Want to taste a bit of contemporary sculpture in Japan ? Chokoku no mori !

Chukoku no Mori Bijutsukan - Hakone Open-air Museum

Admission : 1600 yen (adult)

Access : Shinjuku JR station > Odakyu Line to Odawara station > Hakone Odakyu Line in the direction of Gora, to Chokoku no mori station (total : about 2h30 by train, 1500 yen)

I got free tickets for Thai Fight Tournament at Ariake Colosseum, Odaiba, Tokyo - a nice opportunity for me to go and see what it looks like...

The Opening Speech has been said by Mr,Suwat Liptapanlop, former Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand - boxing seems to be a serious matter, in this country !

I was surprised to see that a Thai Fight Tournament are actually something very beautiful to watch (I don't talk of bodies only). Check it out :

Then, I have the feeling that in Thai Boxing the aesthetic performance is almost as important as the sport itself. We had a wonderful "Thai Fight Dance" to start, with an exciting warrior choregraphy and people jumping in the air :

The Fight itself : two teams (Japanese team and Thai-French International Team), 5 victories for the International. Sorry, Japan !

• Match 1 : Saiyok Pumpanmuang VS Koh Suman (Thailand wins)
• Match 2 : Fabio Pinca VS Yamato Yuya (France wins)
• Match 3 : Yodsanklai Faitex VS Shirasu Yasuhito (Japan wins)
• Match 4 : Sudsakorn Sor Klinmee VS Nishikawa Tomoyuki (Thailand wins)
• Match 5 : Buakaw Por Pramuk VS Makino Tomoaki (Thailand wins)
• Match 6 : Yohan Lidon VS Gohno Akihiro (France wins)

Funny detail : see on the left, there was a portrait of the King of Thailand, and the Thai Fighters went and bowed in front of it before entering the ring. Taiko for the atmosphere. Very impressive.

Here, Yohan Lidon, 73 kg French Thai Fighter (winner) :

Final victory of the Thai-French Team

Final Ceremony

The valiant Fighters

Eye of the Tiger !

Comme un pois assassin guettant dans le duvet

Comme une tache sur une clé, une quenouille aiguisée

Ces petits riens majeurs qui pourrissent la vie

Et qui nous font vouloir rester au fond du lit.

"GRUFPW"

Trop dure la vie...

Le doigt de pied qui s'écrase dans le coin de la table, de l'armoire, de la porte, etc.

La poignée de porte qui s'enfile dans la manche jusqu'au coude et qui vous retient brutalement

La porte d'entrée qu'on claque une nanoseconde avant de réaliser qu'on a laissé les clefs à l'intérieur

La bouteille d'huile qui explose par terre

Le paquet de farine qui explose par terre

Le thé bouillant qui valse hors de la tasse, vous cramant les doigts qu'on ne peut évidemment pas lâcher tout de suite

Le robinet en mode bouillant quand on le pensait tiède

Le vêtement qui déteint dans toutes la machine

Le PC qui claque juste la veille d'une remise de mémoire, de dossier, de présentation etc.

L'ampoule qui re-claque une minute après que vous ayez rangé l'escabeau

Les clés perdues au fond du sac, et le téléphone sonne dans la maison

La feuille de papier qui froisse quand on gomme

Le stylo bic qui ne marche pas à la verticale

Le papier qui pour des raisons obscures, refuse le bic alors que le bic marche sur votre doigt

La page internet que vous fermez sans réfléchir et que vous n'arrivez plus jamais à trouver

L'allergie au médicament censé soigner un autre problème

La TV qui s'allume en son maximum et la télécommande est introuvable

Le Télérame qui a disparu et que tout le monde cherche en se jetant des regards suspicieux

La chaussure qui couine sans qu'on sache pourquoi

Le moustique introuvable dans la chambre, qu'on entend pourtant à plein volume dès que la lumière s'éteint

L'acouphène la tête sur l'oreiller

L'ongle qui se retourne quand on fait le lit

Le collant à 7 euros qui file pendant qu'on l'enfile

Le coup de jus avec la portière de la voiture

La petite culotte toute propre qui tombe sur le sol douteux de la cabine de la piscine

Le cheveu dans la bouche qu'on arrive pas à attraper

La limite des 72 minutes de Mégavidéo au moment le plus palpitant

Le sac plastique pour les fruits et légumes qu'on arrive pas à séparer

La chaise en paille imprimée sur l'aarière des cuisses tout l'après-midi

La mascara qui tâche la paupière sur l'ombre à paupière fraîchement mis

Plus de papier toilette au moment le moins opportun

Plus de batterie au milieu de la conversation

Les doigts englués ensemble alors qu'on essayait de recoller un truc

Le voisin qui fait des travaux le samedi matin

Le voisin qui met de la musique à fond le samedi matin

Le voisin qui prend une leçon de vilon le samedi matin

La fermeture éclair du sac qui craque - sac nickel par ailleurs, devenu inutilisable

La boule de glace qui s'échappe du cornet et qui s'écrase par terre

Le sac d'ordures qui perce, répandant son jus dans la poubelle

L'arrivée devant des portes de sortie du RER, en se rendant compte qu'on s'est trompé de zone, qu'il n'y a pas moyen d'ajuster ni d'expliquer son cas mais seulement de passer par dessus avec des sacs et ses talons hauts

S'apercevoir qu'on s'est trompé de date et que l'émission qu'on attendait avec impatience depuis une semaine, c'était hier

Pas de stylo sous la main alors qu'on doit noter ce numéro de téléphone

Le pinceau qui perd ses poils dans la peinture

Le génie de la lampe qui apparaît, on n'a pas eu le temps de penser à ses voeux, trop tard la deadline est dépassée le génie disparaît

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Vous en avez d'autres ?

Random suprise at the corner of the street - Nishi-Koyama area

The nicest thing about living in Tokyo is that you can randomly find little unknown treasures anywhere you go - even in the peaceful area of Nishi-Koyama, next to my place, where I am used to go twice a week for the swimming pool.

This gorgeous yukata is a present from my Fantastic Friend A.

This is the season of yukata. Many women, and a few men, are wearing them on the street by night - some of them going to a matsuri, some of them just wearing it for the pleasure to feel a bit special, in harmony with summer.

For a little French girl like me, putting on a yukata by myself is not exactly easy. Fortunately, Youtube gives tips bout the way to make it stands on you (without any button, any pin, any zip. Japanese Magic). You can learn how to put it on here, and for the obi this is here.

I can say that I am now an expert in obi-tying, but keeping my yukata tight on me is still a challenge. Anyway, it worked for one night !

Pieces of me in yukata

Who masters the obi, uuh ?

Mali has no seashore, which means, no tsunami. Sometimes the rivers flood the lands in the Southern regions; but the biggest part of the country suffers from the dryness and desperatly lacks of water. For a very long time, Japan has helped Mali to quench the thirst of its kids, for example through the UNICEF-Volvic program "1 liter for 10 liters"  (every time someone buys 1 liter of Volvic mineral water in Japan, it means 10 liter for local communities in Mali. Think about it next time you go to the supermarket).

This time, the kids in Mali sent support messages to the kids of Tohoku, for the earthquake and tsunami. It is funny to look at their drawings, because they have only TV to imagine such a disaster - most of them have never seen the sea. They are exposed at the UNICEF Bureau in Tokyo.

後ろ髪をひかれる

Ushirogami O Hikareru

The hair pulled from the back

Dedicated to K.

Second Matsuri of the summer : the Festival of Fireflies !

ホタルを初めて見て幸せでした！

I was totally excited about it because I had never seen firefies in my life. Actually, you need to be very lucky to see it in the nature : they are very fragile, have short life and produce only subtle, twinkling light, just like stars... So the easy way to watch fireflies is going to a place people "cultivate" them on purpose. Show-type fireflies. At Kamimachi, Setagaya-ku, every year, a dark "dome" (a tent, I would have said) full of fireflies is open to the public. You can enjoy matsuri and watch fireflies for free ! Sorry, no possibility to take pictures inside the dome, but trust me, it is so moving and so beautiful...

Matsuri Opening

Taiko, saiko !

Mandatory cute girls in yutaka

Matsuri by day...

... Matsuri by night

Dancing people

Me and Anne-Sophie, trying to follow the dance

The Best Smile Team is back !

Hotaru Matsuri, 16-17 July 2011, Hotaru Domu - Taikan Yashiku

Kamimachi Station, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo (20 minutes from Shibuya by Den-En-Toshi line and Setagaya-Line)

Free entrance to Hotaru Dome !

I had the Owl City song in my head all time long...

If you plan to come to Japan one day, you have to understand the concept of matsuri. Matsuri is a Japanese "festival" consisting in gathering the greatest number of food stands a possible ; plus cute girls in yukata ; plus something traditional like dances, songs, contemplation of fireworks or wathever. In summer, you have dozens of matsuri all around Japan. They are most of the time totally packed and you come back home with the smell of takoyaki on your clothes. Actually, there is nothing very funny about matsuri, except the very special feeling to be in Japan for real.

In the case of Mitama Matsuri, the beauty of the lanterns alone justify your presence there. Of course, Yasukuni Jinja is one of the most controversial subject in the Japanese International Relations, because it is dedicated to the people who fought on behalf of the Emperor between 1868 (Opening of Meiji Era) and 1951 (end of the war) - about two million soldiers are honored there, including, unfortunately, some war criminals. The Yushukan Museum, just next to the shrine, is also famous for providing very incomplete information about the war crimes perpetrated by Japan in Asia during WW2. As a result, this beautiful place in Tokyo is considered abroad as a symbol of extreme nationalism and even Japanese imperialism ; and the Japanese people themselves are not in favour of their governement's high-level visits at Yasukuni Jinja anymore. To mak it short, Yasukuni is a touchy subject and sometimes people are surprised you go there, even for an innocent matsuri. Whatever.

But let's go back to the basics : as I said, matsuri is made of

Food Stands

Girls in Yukata

And something traditionnal : shrine and beautiful lanterns

Magic, isn't it ?

The lanterns stand for the souls of the dead soldiers. In the middle of the way, a dancing group performs a simple choregraphy and every one can join the dance.

Mitama Matsuri 2011 / July 13th-July 15th / Yasukuni Jinja, Kudanshita Station / Free entrance