It is my kind of Sunday. Wake up late. Take my pace leisurely....and visit an Art center. It would be too difficult to do many activities in Bangkok in a day. To confess, I have not been able to manage myself to see art scenes in Bangkok, except one at the Emporium and the other at the Central Chidlom.

Thanks for Chiang Mai, and its not-too-bad-traffic-jam-at-the-moment, I don't have to worry to commute between my place to the Chiangmai University Art Center, Nimmarnhaemin Road (a trendy road for many Bangkokians when thinking of Chiang Mai). I consider it a bonus to see two art exhibitions in one go at the museum.

Currently, the cultural center is showing 'ARTSPACE Germany' and 'Hidden Japan'.

For now, I want to take you to the 'Hidden Japan': A Look of Nature in Japan. It was previously held in Bangkok before coming to Chiang Mai, perhaps some of you had seen it.

The 85 black and white photographs were taken through Japan by Yahagi Kijuro, a renowned photographer of present day Japan.

Be it the atmosphere of the building itself, or the tone of the photographs, I am not quite sure, but I can feel 'silence' speaking to me throughout the exhibition. I have not been to Japan before, but quite familiar with images of busy intersections in Tokyo and its other big cities. Seeing these 'Hidden Japan' has given a serene, calm and peace of the country.

Atmosphere of the exhibition, not too crowded...well I should say, it is quite empty.

Roots of trees in Kuramayama, Kyoto 1992.

protection trees against the wind, Hokkaido, 1992

Mountain.

I hardly see any people in these photographs. The artist may have wanted to reflect different dimensions of Japan, I understand through the pictures of

wave comes through the rock

garden

trees

curved roads

mountain

river

sand dunes

empty spa

abandoned apartment

ruin fishing port

rice fields...

The list can go on and on

The town view of Wakatakemachi, Nagasaki Prefecture 1992. The town is quiet, still and ghostly:

Even looking at Tokyo image, you won't hear any sound from the photos, it seems everything is in a manageable order.

Nagawado dam, Nagano, prefecture 1992.

I thank the artist for taking us to the 'Hidden Japan', the different Japan, the candid look at nature, surroundings and towns in the country.