Visiting Denmark to see the house of my dreams: learning the essence of architecture with my eyes and body
Kumiko Ouchi / Architect
I had been wanting to visit Denmark for several years. My main goal was to see the home of Finn Juhl, the furniture designer and architect who was a driving force behind Scandinavian modernism. The house, located in a lush green area on the outskirts of Copenhagen, is much more compact than I had imagined when I actually visited. However, it doesn't feel cramped at all, probably because Juhl was a furniture maker.
"You can live comfortably with these dimensions." The greatest benefit of the trip was experiencing his unique sense of scale. During the two weeks we spent mainly driving around suburban towns, we were impressed by the beautiful, adorable townscape of Ribe, Denmark's oldest town, which resembled a picture book by Mitsumasa Anno, and were amazed at the potential of modern wooden architecture at the Vadehavscentret Maritime Center, located on the Wadden Sea, a World Heritage Site. It was a continuous series of discoveries.
Architecture is inseparable from the environment, climate, and culture of a place. That's why traveling, seeing with your own eyes, and experiencing with your own body is the best, and most importantly, the most fun! That's what I thought again.
Experience Melbourne's music scene through records and live shows
Marty Holobec/Bassist
I went back to Adelaide, Australia, in midsummer for about three weeks from New Year's Day. After that, my wife and I headed to Melbourne. From Adelaide, there is a route that goes through the Great Ocean Road, which has famous places such as the 12 Apostles, a group of strange rock formations. It takes two days, but it's a fun drive that never gets boring.
Melbourne has a high level of musicians, so it's fun to visit record stores and live music venues. Northside Records mainly carries recordings of local musicians, as well as soul and jazz bands. Thornbury Records has an interesting selection of vinyl records that are popular in Melbourne, including rock and contemporary music.
Also, many live music venues in Australia, like The Jazz Corner Hotel in Melbourne, combine a stage and a pub and call them "hotels." They look like bars you'd see in a Western movie (laughs). Watching a live show while drinking beer with the locals is the best.
I followed the path that piqued my interest and encountered live reggae music and mountain tribes.
Yuto Miyazato / Owner of Backpack Books
I like traveling without making advance plans, and just going with the flow of what seems interesting between my hobbies and what I become interested in while I'm there. When I visited Thailand in February 2023, all I had secured was the outbound flight ticket. I particularly enjoyed Chiang Mai, where I spent the last week of my roughly two-week stay.
I found it fascinating that small, unique shops such as second-hand clothing stores, bookstores, and galleries were scattered among the old-fashioned scenery lined with temples, so I cycled around the city. I found a bar that played live roots reggae and went there every night, and saw Japanese junior high school jerseys with the school's name on them being circulated widely as second-hand clothing (lol). I made many unexpected discoveries.
Another meaningful experience was visiting the hill tribe museum, which I visited as a result of my love of mountains. I visited places that caught my eye, and then went back to places recommended by people I met there... It's not much different from spending time in Tokyo (laughs).
History and modern art: the authentic feel of Britain
Aoko Matsuda / Writer, translator
At the end of March 2023, I went to Thailand for an international book fair, and then to the UK in June. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and giving birth, it was my first time abroad in five years. This time, I was invited to participate in a program called the Translation Exchange at Oxford University.
I spent 10 days in Oxford, followed by four days in London, which was a long stay. It was actually my third time in the UK, but it had been a while since I'd been abroad, and I was reminded for the first time in a long time of how stimulating it was to have a change of scenery from my everyday life. The streets of Oxford have a deep historical feel, and I was so impressed that I never got bored of walking around them every day.
The most memorable experience of this trip was the Hilma af Klint exhibition at the Tate Modern in London. I had previously seen her documentary, "The World of Hilma af Klint: Beyond the Visible," so I was truly moved to be able to see the actual paintings in front of me.
