Open Air Museum

On Sunday, March 26th, we went to the Hakone OPEN AIR ART MUSEUM. It was quite a treat. There are many Picassos at the museum, both indoor and outdoor. This was my first experience at an open air museum. It is on top of a mountain and is as breathtaking as the scenery around it. On a clear day, you can see Mount Fuji. Of course, as luck would have it, it was not a clear day. But we enjoyed the trip nevertheless! Especially since Charles was there to give us the ultimate tour! Tamoko and Yurio were there to help Charles give us one of the best days we've had here yet!



My friend Joe thinks that I am the epitome of Americans. I have never thought of myself as a stereotype before, but when I got down on the ground to be a copycat of the sculpture beside me, he just thought my crossing over the "do not cross this line" sign was too much! He walked away pretending he did not know me. Of course, the "do not cross this line" was in Japanese, so poor me, I did not understand the Kanji!!!! Everyone walking by thought it was funny. No security guards came running after me. I think the picture speaks for itself! Of course, once I got on the train, my friend Chris said he would have photographed the top of the building in the background to make it look like the statue had jumped off. That would have probably made a better picture. Please use your imagination.



This was another piece of art. On the outside, it's a big tower. Charles, however, knew the secret passage to the inside tower. We walked in to the second floor. After I took the picture, I decided that was good enough for me, I did not feel that I had to walk all the way up. My friend Aaron, pictured below in front of PICASSO, complained that he regretted climbing to the top as he was already feeling the affects by 2:30 that afternoon.



Henry Moore sculptures numbered in the double-digits. They were quite impressive!



Dancing man on a hand.



Aaron and Tomoko (our law-school concierge) in front of the indoor Picasso exhibit. Although Picasso was outdoor as well!



Group Power!



This is a very famous Picasso sculpture entitled: MISS BLACK POWER. I loved it! I just don't know why her head is so small? Any art historians out there? Modern art specialists? Interpretive art?



These rotated all around. It was a moving exhibit, although you can't tell much from this picture.



World's largest pendulum.



This man looks cold!



I made a new friend on this trip to Hakone! Denise! She is a Ph.D. here from Philadelphia. She is here for 5 weeks to teach an MBA class. I plan to take her to a few cool places here in Tokyo!



I thought this picture was cool. There is a pathway that goes behind these 4 statues on the other side of the hill, but if you look at the 4 statues from this angle, it looks like they're coming toward you from the other side!