Family-oriented 'side-event' proposal

May 6, 2009 9:10 PM

(Copying over this idea from the separate Tokyo 'Ambrosia Voyeur Meetup' thread ...) In addition to a normal bar/restaurant type of evening meetup, I'd like to drop the idea onto the table to (also) have a family-type get-together as well (of course anybody welcome, not just familes). And the 'attraction' would be - everybody would have the chance to make their own woodblock print to take home ...

I have sets of woodblocks that I have prepared for use at local culture festival events. I lay them out on a table, with brushes, pigments, etc. all prepared and ready-to-use. Then, all the people who want to 'make their own print' line up at one end, and work their way down the line, getting instructions as they go, printing a different colour at each step. When they get to the end a few minutes later, they have a hand-made woodblock print ...

I usually do this at the 'bunkasai' culture festival, and over the course of a day, hundreds of kids work their way down the line ... But no reason why we can't do it just for a dozen or so friends.

One problem is, I'm not 'in town'. I live in Ome, and it's around a 90 minute train/train/bus ride west from Shinjuku.

Just brainstorming here, but I have a fibre optic line in my place, so it should be possible to put a streaming video thing together, to 'broadcast' the hot printing action to the rest of the MeFi world ... If we did it in the 'morning/noon/early afternoon' timeframe, that would put it in the right time spot for all the US-based meetups to 'tune in' live during their own parties (assuming some people have laptops at their events). Tokyo MeFites could then have their own drink-drink party back in Tokyo that evening/night if they wished ...

posted by woodblock100 to Tokyo, Japan at 9:10 PM (10 comments total)

When I first read your suggestion in the othe thread I felt a stab of jealousy. Then when I saw the date changed to when I'll be around it changed to a happiness. For us Saturday would probably be better since we fly out Sunday evening, but the flight isn't til 8.20 pm so Sunday morning is possibly doable?
posted by shelleycat at 7:38 PM on May 7, 2009

I love this idea so much woodblock100.

In regards to the train ride I suggest we try to meet up perhaps in 2 -3 groups and catch the train together? Might be more entertaining that way.
posted by gomichild at 8:20 PM on May 7, 2009

catch the train together ...

That would also make more sense once you get to this end. There are three alternatives (I'll of course give more detailed instructions about all this later, if this thing does come together):

• 20 minute walk from Ome Station (very nice river scenery on a good day)
• 12 minute bus ride from Kabe Station (290 yen each)
• 5 minute taxi ride from Ome Station (around 800 yen ...)

So sharing taxis would be one of the possible options. (I'm sorry, I have no car to pick people up)

This is the view from my workshop window; if it is a nice early-summer day, and as it seems families are going to be part of this, we could make it into a picnic ...
posted by woodblock100 at 8:42 PM on May 7, 2009

Let's do this on the Saturday, especially for shelleycat. No offense to woodblock, but having lived in Hino on the Chuo Line for many years and gone to a high school that was a 20 minute walk from Haijima on the Ome Line, I know firsthand how FAR Ome is from central Tokyo. Technically Ome is a part of Tokyo, but really, it's not (See the view from woodblock's window? That's not Tokyo! It's too... green!). I would advise against traveling to Ome to do something then traveling back out to Narita Airport to catch a plane. I really, really wouldn't do it if it's avoidable.

My son is already looking forward to this. If the weather is nice and this turns into a picnic-type event, let me know what to bring (onigiri? kara-age? ...booze?) and we'll haul it out west!
posted by misozaki at 7:44 PM on May 8, 2009

No offense involved at all. No way is it possible to come here to Ome, and then fly from Narita the same day. Impossible.

But Misozaki-san, if your experience with the trains is 'that' long ago, you may not know that there is a whole new class of trains on the Chuo line now that comes directly to Ome (without changing along the way). The 'Ome Tokkai' (Oume Tokubetsu Kaisoku) starts at Tokyo, comes through Shinjuku, through Tachikawa, and on to Ome. They are very quick and convenient for most people who come out this way. There are about two every hour.

And there is yet another option available: there are special 'holiday' trains - aimed at the hiker fraternity - that run out to this area on Saturdays, starting at Shinjuku and zipping straight to Ome:

• Shinjuku: 8:19 ~ Ome 9:20
• Shinjuku: 8:47 ~ Ome 9:45

So if a bunch of Mefites were to meet at Shinjuku and board one of these, we would have a good early start to the whole event - making it possible to 'broadcast' so that US based members would see the activity (Friday evening for them).
posted by woodblock100 at 8:14 PM on May 8, 2009

(Having "subscribed" to one of Woodblock 100's print sets a few years ago and having discussed a possible online project with him that never went anywhere, I'm very jealous of those of you who will be able to participate in this!)
posted by maxwelton at 6:21 PM on May 15, 2009

I seem to recall someone (Jessamyn maybe?) mentioning that we can set up official side meetups now although I don't see any mechanism for it. Am I right? Can we make this into one of those then confirm the dates and stuff so people can say if they're attending?
posted by shelleycat at 8:22 PM on June 29, 2009

You know what, as much as I'd like to do this daytime outing at woodblock's workshop, we seem to just have a bunch of "maybe"s at this point. I imagine it'd be difficult for woodblock to prepare for us if we can't commit.

Also, my son was looking forward to hanging out with flapjax's daughter, but flapjax has become unavailable for that weekend, so my son's kind of bummed about that (this isn't meant to be a reproach or anything, flapjax, if you're reading this. Hope it doesn't read that way). So if there aren't any other children attending this daytime meetup, my son's probably not coming along. But he likes babies. Any babies? （^_^）

So far, it looks like it's just me and shelleycat. Any others? If not, maybe let's focus on the evening Anniversary meetup and do this daytime get-together another time, when more people can make it?
posted by misozaki at 5:27 AM on July 1, 2009

maybe let's focus on the evening Anniversary meetup and do this daytime get-together another time

This is why I've kept quiet recently about more planning for the 'side-event' - I've started to feel that by suggesting it, I sort of screwed up the planning for the 'normal' type evening meetup, which isn't moving forward very well at all.

I'm not sure what to say ... For sure the suggestion to first get things nailed down for the regular meetup makes sense. Then, once that's set, I could ask for a head-count for a visit out here, and if it's more than 1, I'm OK for going ahead with it.

(For what it's worth, the set of blocks I'm suggesting to play with, are the ones that make this print, a design which all you 'kids' know, and which I prepared for a local community festival a while back. (Lettering is optional; I just added it on top by Photoshop for this sample image.))
posted by woodblock100 at 6:09 AM on July 1, 2009

Well I really really want to do this particularly since I'll be out that way anyway. Was going to spend more time trying to organise stuff (or at least contact woodblock for details) but I've been working crazy hours getting ready to go and suddenly I leave today! Boyd will have access to my account for another week and I'm hoping I can access the internet occasionally while I'm away. When I do I'll check in here and the email in my profile. Lets start rounding up the maybes and turn them into yeses :D
posted by shelleycat at 1:34 PM on July 3, 2009