Story Japan 1st April

 A Day of Contrasts

I believe it is snowing outside our lovely hotel this morning.  No snow on the ground, but we watch it hit the surface with a splat

Downstairs for a great breakfast. A late start because it is so cold outside we tweaked the timetable. Indoors first, outdoors later.

Taxis to the museum of modern art. Wow, what a building:- brutal and big on the outside, but sparkling and grand in the inside. There is something special about being in a great building.  I remember feeling that way in St Paul's in London. I digress.  Inside this museum, it is so spacious. The windows are 2 or 3 storeys high. There are huge marble columns and shiny marble floors.  And that is just the entry.  I climbed the beautiful staircase, which gives onto the "taa dah" foyer of the exhibits.  There  is an extraordinary, tall, Lallique glass fountain, that, at times, sprinkles like rain. It is comprised of four pale purple statues. At the bottom is a large "saucer"- up above is the upside-down umbrella that does the  sprinkling.  This fountain was only rediscovered in 1980 in a building site in Paris. It's a miracle that it even survived. It is made of glass.  It was from the 1925 Paris Expo.  It is a magnificent centrepiece. Then onto the glass art exhibition.   The first section describes the "Art Nouveau" art movement.  The pieces themselves are displayed  to perfection. The rooms are actually quite dark. Each piece is in a cabinet, some had four tiny spotlights.  Others  were lit from underneath.  All had a downlight.  They were works of art - not only did the colours tell a story, but so did the form.  

Part two was the Art Deco Glass

This was a post WWI movement. 

Once again, the setting and the lighting showed these pieces to great effect. Some were perfume bottles designed specially for a french perfume, like a signature.

Next, we had a morning tea in a very formal restaurant within the museum.  On our way there, we spied the sign for the residences.  People actually live there.  I looked down that halllway and saw an enormous spherical floral arrangement bigger than a metre across. There were  hot and cold running staff. Crikey.  What must it cost to live there?

We were shouted our elegant morning tea. Thanks, Lyle.

We set off on foot towards the old village, Hida No Sato. On the way were some cute shops.  We actually bought something.  There was snow about, but, at the same time, tiny little bulbs were budding. They looked like crocuses. Yellow and purple.

Then the famous old village - snapshot of an older way of life.  It occupied a large piece of land.  Located on a hill, it had views out over town and to the surrounding countryside. There was a pretty lake and a waterwheel. Don went up to see silk makers and the silkworms.

It is a very popular spot.  Despite the weather visitors kept arriving.  Before we left we visited the wood carver.  He had a collection of birds on display.  Don showed him a picture of the tawny frogmouth, that he carved.

Back on a local bus to get to the hotel, but first we had to let passengers disembark. Somehow fifty people got off.  It was like a clown car.....they just kept coming.

We had an Onsen bath to look forward to. The hotel supplied a little basket with Italian soft drink.  We had a seated shower first, then AHH Luxury.. 

Six of us enjoyed a curry for dinner at the Nepalese place.  Lots of fun and an easy walk home to the luxury of the Mercure.  Night night