Art of being a pop idolIkuko Kitagawa / Japan News Staff WriterToday, many Japanese entertainers have multiple skills to add value to their profession. For Ayaka Wada, a member of teenage pop idol group S/mileage, art is her favorite subject, regardless of whether it will eventually become her second career.“You can’t be friends with the painting if you don’t show interest in the subject or open up your mind to it. You’ll learn nothing from the painting if you do that,” said the 19-year-old idol, adding that she visits exhibitions in smart attire to show respect for the art.At the end of January, Wada visited “Ukiyo-e: A Journey Through the Floating World,” which is currently under way at the Tokyo Metropolitan Tokyo-Edo Museum. Full article:http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0001031454
Ukiyo-e show offers a taste of time travelAyaka Wada / Special to The Japan NewsJapan was seen as an international leader in the field of art in the 18th and 19th centuries—the middle of the Edo period (1603-1867)—when ukiyo-e artists produced numerous masterpieces. This was the thought that came to my mind when I finished appreciating the works on display at “Ukiyo-e: A Journey Through the Floating World.”Back then, a single ukiyo-e print was reportedly sold for the price of a bowl of soba noodles, or about several hundred yen in today’s money.It was common for ukiyo-e, which had a significant influence on such artists as van Gogh, Monet and other impressionists, to be circulated among people in the town of Edo.Considered a simple, ordinary item, ukiyo-e prints came to be used for wrapping porcelain pieces to be exported abroad. In Europe, they were received with great surprise by artists there. Many painters overseas reportedly became enthusiastic collectors of ukiyo-e.I imagine Japanese people back in those days probably were not aware that ukiyo-e prints could be valuable artworks, unlike today, when they are highly appreciated.Full article:http://www.the-japan-news.com/news/article/0001010072
RihoRiho makes Wada Ayaka mad, and Ayacho passes on her judgement.Please turn on CC for subtitles.From Sayashi Riho's 2013 birthday event, "Sayashi no Koto Itsu Iwau no? Ima desho!!"