Lab Cafe Special featuring Creative Island Lab Nakanoshima 06
Nakanoshima Research Program: Michihiro Shimabukuro "How to use the waterside of Nakanoshima"
Date and time: January 22, 2019 [Tuesday] 19:00-21:00
Venue: Art Area B1
Capacity: Approximately 30 people (first-come-first-served basis, free entry and exit on the day, free participation)
Guest:
Michihiro Shimabukuro (artist)
Naoki Iwata (Director, Goraiko Cafe, Another Travel Club)
Koji Oe (Secretary Director of Osaka City Cruises Promotion Council)
Eizo Desaki (President of the Kitahama Waterside Council)
Yoshida Corporation (Ippommatsu Shipping Co., Ltd.)
Cafe Master:
Chieko Kinoshita (Associate Professor, Co-creation Division, The University of Osaka Co-Art Area B1 Steering Committee member)
How to use waterside in Nakanoshima
In Nakanoshima, a middle state sandwiched between two rivers, symbolizing the water capital Osaka, various attempts are being made using ships and waterfronts.
Michihiro Shimabukuro, an artist who has presented many works related to the sea, rivers, and water at museums and art festivals in Japan and overseas, explores the idea that linked Nakanoshima to his own works.
In this talk, which was conducted as part of Mr. Shimabukuro's research, we invited guests from various positions who have been involved in the waterside activities of Nakanoshima to talk about their activities.
At the beginning, Mr. Shimabukuro gave a presentation on waterside works that have been performed around the world, and then talked about the waterside activities of the four guests this time.
Kitahama Terrace – Riverbed overlooking Nakanoshima on the other side
The Kitahama Waterside Council manages the Kitahama Terrace, a popular spot for tourists with stylish cafes and restaurants. Mr. Dezaki, who runs tailoring custom clothes in a building along the riverside in Kitahama, has been involved since the beginning of the Kitahama Terrace.
The Kitahama Terrace, facing Tosabori River on the south side of Nakanoshima and facing Nakanoshima Park on the opposite bank, is a river seat. We will get the right to provide a comprehensive terrace from Yodoyabashi to Yoshiyabashi Bridge from Osaka Prefecture and activate this area with that terrace.
Call out to building owners, cafes and restaurants along the river, and put out a terrace on the land of Osaka Prefecture, so the council collects the land fee from each business operator and pays it to Osaka Prefecture. It is a council that manages in the same way as a public institution.
I also brought photos around the Kitahama Terrace around 1907. At that time, Nakanoshima Park was located only in the state. At the place where my tailor is now, there was a culinary inn called "Awaji-ya" at that time, my husbands came to Awaji-ya on a beach boat and exchanged supplies with a small boat. Now that the embankment has been built and both supplies and people can no longer come directly from the waterside, we have the desire to regain the old scenery and create a world-class waterside landscape.
The activities of the Waterside Council began around 2007, but the year after the start of the activities, the Nakanoshima new line was created and it became a beautiful park. I think we've helped that.
Osaka Water Bus: Cruise tour incorporating history, theater and food
The Osaka Water Bus, which is now familiar with the regular sightseeing boat "Aqua Liner" running on the river, which has become part of the waterside scenery of Osaka, has been planning unique cruises with the image of a boat-shaped boat "Aqua Mini" and a river steamboat that traveled around Yodo river in the Meiji era.
On the Nakata Osaka Water Bus, in addition to the Aqua Liner, which is celebrating its 36th year this year, there is also a boat-type ship called Aqua Mini. The seafarers of the Osaka Water Bus are all those who have trained to drive large ships overseas, but this small ship is driven by a sales representative like me. Since it is a small turn, we are trying to utilize various watersides on this boat.
For example, we operated "Ninja Kids Cruise" as one of the events called "Kitemite Nakanoshima (sponsored by Keihan Holdings Co., Ltd., Nakanoshima High Speed Rail Co., Ltd.)". This is an event inspired by the idea that there was a daimyo residence called Takatora Todo in the place where the Mint used to be, and some ninjas told Iga the market price of the rice market on Dojima to Iga. Along with ninjas dressed as members of the theater company, the children aim for the goal while searching for ninja characters in the city from ships and defeating the enemy with shuriken. Five years ago, a theater company called Kiojin used Aqua Mini to perform a theater piece set in the entire city while traveling by boat.
Last year, the storyteller of Yodo river cruised about the waterfront for three hours from Yakenyahama to Hirakata in the image of the former Yodo river boat transport called Yodo river Roman Journey. This tour includes meals such as using natural eels from Yodo river.
In this way, we operate various cruises from the perspective of history, theater, food, etc.
Ippommatsu Shipping – from guerrilla live to art ship
Ippommatsu Shipping, whose yellow passenger ships are eye-catching, such as the Naniwa Expedition Cruise, where rakugo artists guide Osaka and the Nakanoshima River Cruise, which operates on Dojima River north of Nakanoshima.
Yoshida Ipponmatsu Kaiun is a shipping company founded in 1915. When I started more than 20 years ago, my main business was to lay submarine power cables.
At that time, a submarine cable-laying ship that was not yet in Japan was chartered from Italy, and the power cable was flown into the sea to fill it. It seems that it was a big business that could support employees for three years, but as overseas companies started entering the market and competition became fierce, we started focusing on the passenger ship business as the next business.
At this time, we were operating barbecue boats using so-called pompon boats. However, there are few companies that charter barbecue boats, and I myself was so sick that I didn't want to get on the boat too much (laughs).
At that time, I saw the news that a musician played a guerrilla live on the street and was caught for violating the Road Traffic Law, and I wonder if this could be done on the river. Since the river law has not changed since the Meiji era, you can do anything unexpectedly. The river in Osaka also has Dotombori, where people gather, so we started a guerrilla live by boat.
Until now, it has been used to promote movies such as Keisuke Kuwata, DA PUMP, and Kobukuro live shows, as well as Tom Cruise on board. What is good about the ship is that customers can see it in front of them, and even if something happens, they can escape immediately, so security is easy, the number of security guards can be reduced in cost, and PR effect is large.
In another project, when "Mizuto Osaka 2009" was a turning point in Osaka's Kawabe culture, we operated a lucky dragon ship of the Yanobe Kenji Project with art producer Tomoeko Kinoshita. Dragons on the boat blow fire at Hachikenya Beach or water at Dotombori. It was really hard to run this in a normal river. When applying to the Transportation Bureau, there is a division of ships in the same way as cars, but I made a huge amount of documents many times and finally got the Transportation Bureau to make a new item "Art Ship" I was finally able to do it.
In addition, we have installed the work "Rabadak" by Dutch artist Florentine Hoffman owned by Chishima Tochi.
Also, in a project that we are about to start this year, we are trying to revive `` Sanju Ishifune '', which operated from Hachikenyahama to Kyoto in the Edo period, and the water depth from Hirakata to Kyoto is very shallow, but there I made a boat that can run. We are working hard to start operation this year.
Goraiko Cafe — the dawn that can only be seen at this time
One of the unique activities of another Travel Club, an NPO that aims to find and disseminate "other unsightseeing journey" in Osaka, is the "Goraiko Cafe" for only one week per year facing Goraiko from the south side of Nakanoshima.
Iwata I am the director of the Goraiko Cafe at another travel club. Goraiko Cafe is celebrating its 14th year this year. From 5:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m., we rent a pier at Yodoyabashi Port, the Aqua Liner platform, from 5:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m., we rent an Osaka Mizukami Bus to make it a cafe.
The Goraiko Café was born in 2006 when our members could only work in the morning or at night during the day, so we decided to take a walk around the water early in the morning, so when we walked in Yodoyabashi at 4:00 in the morning, we encountered the scenery of the sunrise. It happened that the river of Nakanoshima was flowing east and west, so it was opened to the east, and there was a mountain of Ikoma, and the morning sun rose between the building and the building. There happened to be a pier that could be seen around 8 days from October 1st.
At the beginning, there were a few participants, but now it is the largest time and nearly 200 customers can come. Coffee is hand-in-hand with about 200 cups, and the food is handmade by the staff, so it is difficult.
The business is only 3 hours and everyone is going to Goraiko time, so we have to handle all customers in 30 minutes. A lot of customers come to the sidewalk. The staff will come at 4:00 a.m. and start with the table setting every day. There is a blue hour 30 minutes before sunrise, and this scenery seen only by the staff is very beautiful. As the sun gradually rises, the mood rises, and when there is a cloud, you can see a sunrise or a different scenery every day. On the 10th anniversary, we also launched a cruise ship watching the sunrise from the pier.
We also had a good morning activity. It is a project created by coincidences of time, place, and people from natural terrain.
Shimabukuro, thank you very much. I'm already doing a lot of things, so I'm in trouble with what I'm doing (laughs).
Yoshida Swanboat is also doing a swanboat race at Dotombori.
Shimabukuro: In this experiment on a swan boat, there is a bridge right next to the Kitahama Terrace, but I dare to take a swan boat ride. There is a short road around here, right? When I brought a swan boat, I went through Dotombori from Taisho Ward, but it was completely different from the scenery when I was walking. It may be surprisingly fast. The charm of using the river is still a place that looks completely different from usual.
Yoshida At this time, it is just when there is no river flow at high tide, and there is a trough in Osaka, and there is no difference in height from the sea, so when heading to high tide, it flows backwards. In such a case, the flow is fast. It will be washed away by boat, so if you want to swanboat in the future, you have to think about it.
In the story of Mr. Shimabukuro Nakata, is there anything you can eat in Yodo river using eel from Yodo river?
Desaki: It's the bottom of Osaka Bay. It seems that eel can be caught in Dojima River in Nakanoshima. In birds, there are river cormorants, ducks, and lily gulls.
Shimabukuro Goraiko Cafe is very disappointing for me. It is said that it looks new just by shifting the viewpoint without making it too much. Finding it is an artist’s job. In that sense, Goraiko Cafe is good.
Iwata: It really overlapped again. Only Yodoyabashi can see the morning sun like that.
Shimabukuro: I already have it, but it's not surprisingly known. I want you to know more about it. I can't advertise Goraiko Cafe any more (laughs).
This talk was held with Mr. Shimabukuro's desire to have various people know more about the waterside activities around the Nakanoshima. While each of them came up with ideas, they tried a very diverse riverside from the way they were involved from time, and it was called Mizuto and Osaka, but it was a talk that once again felt that it was becoming everyday. Mr. Shimabukuro's research will continue.
[text: Art Area B1 Office]
