Asakusa’s door shutters

Posted on December 9, 2016 by Ginger

In Japan, as in many places around the world, shop owners secure their shops with roll-down metal shutters when they go home at night. In the morning, they roll the shutters up, bring out whatever signs or wares they place on the street near their door, and open for business.

In Asakusa, many of these metal shutters are painted with wonderful pictures–so full of Japanese life and vitality. Sometimes the picture gives a clue to what kind of shop is sleeping behind it; and sometimes not–though the writing probably takes care of that function in many cases. Here are some shutters that we saw as we walked the streets in the morning, when the shops were just starting to open.

Here’s a particularly detailed and complicated one:

I’ve saved my favorite for last–that trompe-l’oeil fabric over the entry just makes me smile!

The streets of Asakusa

Posted on November 19, 2016 by Ginger

As a “shitamachi” (or low city) district of Tokyo, Asakusa has numerous charming pedestrian streets. For example, this is the street leading to the Sensoji shrine. It is lined with shops selling wares to tourists and to devotees.

The entry to this street is emphasized by a fine gate.

There are streets with a covered arcades — interesting both by day and by night.

And, of course, there are just plain pleasant pedestrian streets!

Lining the streets, whether pedestrian or not, are, of course, buildings. Some of these buildings are heart-meltingly attractive.

Others, not so much–though these, too, sometimes have a certain charm.

One feature of even the most ordinary buildings is a certain tendency to decoration–wonderful, very Japanese decoration.

A dragon!

Samurai!

Finally, we found one especially fortuitous combination of all these things–pedestrian street, building, and decoration.

Smile! We’re in Budapest!

Posted on January 17, 2014 by Ginger

Moving on–at last!–from Austria to Hungary, we arrive at the part of the trip where my photographic zeal was so great I hardly know how to deal with the resulting volume of pictures.

The best thing, I suppose, is to pick up where I left off in Vienna, with a more or less random assortment of things that made me smile.

Budapest is a lovely city full of friendly people. There’s a lot to smile about here. And so it’s not a surprise that some of it has gotten, well, built in. For example, this set of urchins.

Too loud!

Too wet!

And here are some building entrance lights:

Children welcome!

Um… satyrs welcome?

Identification emblems:

Needs no translation:

Couldn’t agree on the color:

Buddha has his back to the window because…

…enlightenment must come from within!

And finally, just because dancing water is always joyous:

Welcome to Budapest!

Prague – Building details

Posted on November 4, 2013 by Ginger

Prague buildings are to architecture as Viennese pastry is to food.

Beautiful, sweet, and delicious. Hard to carry on without other things in the diet, too. Maybe now I have to visit some ugly city just to cleanse my palate.

Okay, that was a joke.

I know I said I wasn’t going to do any more posts about the human figures on Prague’s buildings. But. I can’t not. They really are everywhere. However, in this post I will focus on ornamental features found near the tops of various buildings, including (where it happens) human figures.

Some of this ornamentation is quite ornate.

It can be sculpted or painted.

We saw a lovely sundial…

…and elegant second- and third-floor bridges between buildings.

This crowded boat looks like it might have some allegorical significance–but what?

Best of all, these rich buildings seem content to live together side by side. It’s like having all the helpings of dessert you want and never getting sick!

Prague — human figures are everywhere, part 4

Posted on November 2, 2013 by Ginger

This is the last post on human figures on Prague’s buildings, I promise. (Though not the last on other aspects of Prague’s buildings, to come.)

You may remember the courtly gentleman and lady in yesterday’s post. Today, we have a pair of farmers near the top of this much-painted building.

Here are some close-ups.

I’m sure there’s some allegorical significance in the figures on the next building. The man on the left appears to be holding a hammer; the woman on the right is holding a basket, perhaps for harvesting. But what to make of the central figure? She wears a crown and carries a sword, and the infant beside her has a shield. (Don’t look at me; I’m just the reporter.)

I’m not going to be much help with the next building, either. Perhaps the central figures are Adam and Eve, with a golden apple. At the left, a young man watches a flight of giant swans; at the right, a young father points out some pretty futuristic buildings to his son.

The next building has a row of pictures all along the roofline…

…but what I really want to show you is the lovely naked people (at first I thought they were angels, but that appears to be fabric, not wings) at the corner…

…and (this is really too much) cute little cherub heads in the stonework just below.

Finally, we come to a building whose figures I do understand. And I can get with its program. I cannot vouch for the Hotel Koruna as a hotel, but it appears to be advertising its Happy Hour…

…with Bacchus presiding up above…

…and one of his Bacchae, somewhat disheveled, carrying a jug of wine just below.

Prague — human figures are everywhere, part 3

Posted on November 1, 2013 by Ginger

Everywhere you look in Prague, there are people.

With so many visitors everywhere, even in the off-season, you would hardly think the buildings need to add more people of their own.

But they do. And delightfully so. Today, let’s just take a look at one building.

Up on the top floor there seems to be some kind of motto, flanked by a man and a woman.

I wish I could read it, but the letters are so old-fashioned I can’t quite make them all out.

I do know, however, that the man and woman seem gentle, courteous, well-brought-up. The kind of people you might like to get to know.

And, as if this weren’t enough–take a closer look at the corner of the building.

Here we have a woman framed top and bottom like a saint, offering the ends of her headscarf as if it were some kind of benediction.

Prague — human figures are everywhere, part 2

Posted on October 4, 2013 by Ginger

They are certainly all over the buildings. Here are a few more choice specimens.

A pope or other church official (with admiring cherub)…

Two angels, male and female…

An assortment of men and women sharing the stage…

And even a very learned Rabbi!

Prague — human figures are everywhere

Posted on September 10, 2013 by Ginger

When I say, “Human figures are everywhere,” I am not referring to the tourists. Though heaven knows, we tourists are certainly everywhere, too. But in Prague there are people all over the buildings. Around doorways and windows, holding up balconies (often with great difficulty), preaching from rooftops.

Squat and rather plain buildings take on an unexpected grace.

In corners, on rooftops, and right at street level we can find angels in human form with wings, hugely muscled men, gracefully draped women as well as naked ones, and even babies.

G. S. Kenney Author

Thousands of words, millions of words' worth of pictures

Tag Archives: building ornamentation

Asakusa’s door shutters

The streets of Asakusa

Smile! We’re in Budapest!

Prague – Building details

Prague — human figures are everywhere, part 4

Prague — human figures are everywhere, part 3

Prague — human figures are everywhere, part 2

Prague — human figures are everywhere

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