Casio Livin' It Large In Shanghai.

What better way to advertise the importance of time than to have a giant-sized wrist watch in the street- so big that it forces every passer by to look at it and therefore use it. It highlights the convenience of owning a watch in general, especially as it was positioned outside one of the main train station links in Shanghai where time is the essence in many city lives, while advertising the brand Casio. The watch was designed as a typical, retro, Casio wrist watch showing the real time, immediately communicating directly to a wide audience, making it memorable and forcing passers by to interact with it by reading the time.

A Touch Of French... In China.

The French Concession district of Shanghai was a beautiful and quite surreal change of scenery from the usual Chinese city atmosphere. Established in the mid-nineteenth century, it wasn't originally very French despite its name. Previous to 1949, the district was low rent, mainly inhabited by Chinese and Russians. The former Russian Orthodox Mission Church featuring a blue dome roof can still be seen. Many French characteristics have lingured in the area, including various fashion boutiques, bakeries and expensive department stores. What interested me most however, was the Art Deco architecture and trees lining the streets, really making you feel as if you're in a quaint town in France, or one of the main shopping streets of Paris. It was difficult to believe we were still in China in some areas, as it resembled European architecture so much!

Above: The former Russian Orthodox Mission Church.

The French Art Deco architecture of the above building caught my eye instantly. I thought it looked like a former, typical 1930's cinema, before realising it still is today.

Beijing's CCTV tower

Unfortunately we were unable to enter even the grounds of the Beijing CCTV tower, as they were still developing it as the new Headquarters of Central Chinese Television, but the 40-storey building was tall enough for us to view far back from the construction boards surrounding it! I was previously interested in the building, as I had read about local controversy surrounding it due to its unusual shape- some people interpret it as someone kneeling, while others see it as a giant 'Z'. I loved how the building appears to completely change shape depending on the angle at which you view it. The geometric, "gravity defying" shape looks really impressive and has been labelled both the world's most complex building and one of the most expensive at $1.3 billion. It's chunky, yet angular form looks geometrically digital, as if made up of pixels, but also fun, youthful and innovative, as if constructed from giant lego pieces.

Traditional Chinese Symbolism.

Within the Forbidden City in Beijing, I noticed various interesting animals sculptured in a very traditional Chinese style to represent different things...

Two that I continued to see throughout China were the Imperial Guardian Lions, always shown as a pair (Yin and Yang)- one female (Yin, traditionally on the left) and one male (Yang, traditionally on the right). They are believed to have powerful, mythical powers, and are often seen guarding important entrances such as those of temples, government buildings and palaces. The more recently made ones seen outside restaurants and hotels however, are for more decorative purposes. The male lion holds his paw over a sphere, representing power and protection of the structure behind, while the female holds her paw over a cub to represent the cycle of life, protecting the people inside the building. There is also speculation over the representation of the position of the jaws, as they are often seen with the female's mouth closed and the male's mouth open. The Chinese traditional meaning behind this is that it represents the sacred word 'Om', while some Japanese people interpret it as the female inhaling to represent life, and the male exhaling to represent death.

I also came across a turtle, sculptured wearing armor with the head of a dragon (some American tourists made me chuckle when they referred to it as the "dragon turtle"). I have found various different meanings behind this sculpture when I was researching it, including strength, wealth, health, prosperity and fertility. By combining the dragon symbol of success and power, and the turtle symbol of long life, it traditionally brings good fortune and success to your life.

The third animal that I saw at The Forbidden City was a bronze statue of a crane, which is simply believed to bring good luck!

Advertising On The Move...

Throughout China, I experienced many taxi rides with a new advertising medium I haven't come across before. Although it's not a new concept to us to have screens on the back of the front seats in cars, many Chinese taxis used them as interactive screens for various brands to advertise their products. On one single screen, it would play over various video advertisements in a screen saver mode, until you touched the screen to interact with it. Then you would be presented with about 10 different tabs, each representing different brands such as holiday destinations, make-up products and soft drink brands. Select one, and the options are in the advertisers hands- many offered different kinds of interactive opportunities, none that were very memorable or enjoyable though. I couldn't help but feel this medium offers much more potential for creative and innovative advertising than it's currently used for. It's the advertiser's chance to get the audience directly involved with the brand through the interactive screen, in any emotional, playful and/or entertaining way they please! Which would also make it much more memorable and successful as an advertisement. Instead they were rather boring and disappointing if I'm honest. This medium is great but there's vital advertising potential here that's not being used to it's fullest!

World Cup Promotional Posters.

While exploring Seoul's World Cup Stadium, I came across these print based promotional posters from the 2002 FIFA World Cup, when it was held in S.Korea and Japan. Each poster represents key cities of S.Korea that held games within their stadiums, with imagery reflecting themes of each city. While promoting the World Cup Games, this also promotes the tourism in S.Korea by highlighting the main attractions of each city and the variety of  things to see and do throughout S.Korea. They also encourage local patriotism, pride and game spirit, while advertising the games to the local Koreans. The layout and creative illustration of the logo in the style of the chosen city theme, creates continuation throughout the poster campaign.

Seoul City Life In Lights.

As Soon as we arrived in Seoul, we walked out of the train station to be greeted by this huge LED media art display in Seoul Square. It immediately reminded me of the British artist, Julian Opie. The resemblance was so recognisable I wondered whether it was by him and after researching it, turns out I was right!

Although I noticed no direct advertising link to Opie's piece of video art, it definitely creates a branding identity for the city, which people first entering the city via the main train station, as we were, are immediately greeted with. It positively reflects the city with a vibrant and modern atmosphere, while visually stylising the existing energy of city life. The almost catwalk-like motion of the illustrated figures reflects a sense of style from the everyday movement of walking through crowds in the street, perhaps subconsciously promoting the idea of fashion and style in a capital city where leisure shopping is a large part of the economy.

I also found out that the screen is made up of 42,000 LED bulbs that are able to generate 1,073,741,824 different colours, making it the world's largest LED screen!

Inspiration From... A Bus Timetable?!!

Throughout South Korea, we noticed some innovative bus and underground train timetables- okay, not the most interesting thing in the world, but it was useful and I couldn't help but believe it would be a great thing for us to adopt in the UK! We first saw one at a bus stop in Busan, which was an interactive screen that tells you of the exact current location of the next bus due, while providing an accurate estimation of what time it will arrive.

We also came across a similar system in the Seoul underground stations, which visualised all the trains' current locations by animated trains moving across the lines. We are forever moaning about late buses and trains in England- perhaps our frustration of not knowing where the bus is, why it's late or when it will arrive would be decreased with the use of these informative systems in the UK!

Finally! Some Ambient Advertising!!

Throughout Japan, I was disappointed with the lack of ambient advertising used. So, as geeky as it may be, this very large advertisement for the BMW Mini car excited me more than it probably should have done with an added hint of relief... ambient media DOES exist over here! This one uses the large space to it's full advantage, enhancing the message of the Mini being practical, while creating an extremely eye-catching advertisement. Such a simple idea- stick a mini on the side of the building- but anchor it with the message "park wherever you damn well please" and it says a whole lot more.

The tone of voice is clever and witty, implying that the car has similar characteristics, with the use of colloquial language (it doesn't just say "park wherever you please"), which reinforces the witty tone of voice. The message is presented visually by the use of exaggeration humour (parking wherever they please on the side of a building), strengthening the memorability of both the message and the product advertised, as humour is arguably the most memorable method of advertising when directly linked to the message AND the product (it's surprising how few humourous advertisements do this!) As with most BMW advertising, it also uses the Helvetica typeface in white against black. Not only does this stand out dramatically, but it triggers audience's recognition with the brand, while linking the campaign to the brand itself.

Another interesting point is that despite the advertisement being situated in S.Korea and few Korean people being able to speak fluent English, the advertisement is written in English. I doubt that it was targeted towards Western tourists, as there were few here and surely they should be persuading the local Koreans to buy from the BMW showroom below! One possible reason for this could be within the Asian culture- I have noticed that people over here seem to admire and almost look up to the Western culture in the sense of style and trends (music, fashion, beauty etc). Myself and fellow travellers are puzzled and have often debated as to why this is, but it could give the reason for the use of the English language in this advertisement- it shows that it's a Western product, reflecting connotations of style and modern design.

The Dragon of Hae Dong Yong Gung Temple.

This dragon sculpture was definitely my favourite part of this whole temple! We were Quite disappointed, as the temple (being the only one in the world by the sea apparently) appeared to be purpose built for tourism, as it seemed fairly new, complete with a plastic-built cave resembling something from Disney Land and there were mainly only tourists there. I thought this Dragon was beautiful though, with it's snake-like, winding body and strange antlers from it's head. It's positioning over the hedge also made it that bit more mystical, with various little Buddhist ornaments surrounding it.

Kobe Earthquake Museum.

In memory of the tragic Kobe earthquake in 1995, Kobe earthquake museum was built, which practices many of the known architectural defenses to withstand an earthquake. The grid like formation across all four faces of the building, a moat, a base insulator using seismic engineering and a shear core to the building can clearly been seen from the outside:

Rather than taking away the visual appeal of the building, these earthquake defense systems add a modern twist to the building almost as if it was effortless, as I presume the earthquake defenses were prioritised over the visual appeal of the design. The base insulator also allowed the building to have the outer section around the whole building suspended over the moat, which you can also see above.

The Difference between Japanese and Korean Advertising.

As I have previously posted, I was slightly disappointed in being unable to appreciate most of the Japanese advertising due to the language barrier. I got talking to a French guy in our Busan hostel, S.Korea, who works in web design around there and can speak a little of both Japanese and Korean. He was telling me how the Japanese value the use of good typography and copy writing within an advertisement, spending the majority of their creative time for an advertisement perfecting the layouts- hence why a lot of the ones I had viewed in Japan appeared largely copy based. In S.Korea however, he explained that they mainly value acting skills to deliver their message in television advertisements, but in a much more direct and honest tone than Western advertising. He gave me the example of L'Oreal advertising back home- over here, people wouldn't fall for the scientific babble, so in general a much more factual message is delivered to the target audience. Obviously I'm not sure how reliable this theory is and how extreme the differences are, as it may be a simple matter of opinion, but it was really interesting to hear his point of view and from what I've seen it definitely makes sense.

So Fast, You Can Barely Feel It.

The Japanese 'Shinkansen' bullet train is another famous piece of Japanese design that I was fortunate enough to experience. I wasn't sure what to expect the journey to be like, possibly just like any other train except with a rocket like exterior and traveling extremely fast. However, I was pleasantly surprised. Reaching speeds of up to 300 km/hr, it is initially slightly unnerving that no seat belt is required. The ride is so smooth however, the closest comparison I can think of is perhaps being on an aeroplane but a lot quieter and probably even smoother than that. Even when one flies past you on the station platform, it's amazing how quiet they are despite it's high speed. The aerodynamic design of the train must be the main aid to this smooth journey, allowing it to almost glide through the air- as a passenger this is certainly what it feels like it's doing!

Adam and Eve, Are You Following Us?!

The first statue below, was photographed at the grounds of the Tokyo Government buildings. It struck me as the first creative piece that looked particularly Western that I had seen in Japan. It also depicts the scene of the apple tree from the Adam and Eve story- The first Christian related piece that I have seen in Japan. Strangely, I also came across a similar statue in Kobe, which immediately reminded me of the one in Tokyo! I  have no idea if they're by the same artist, but their similarity in materials used, the golden apple features and the tree as the centre piece seem far too similar to not have been designed together. I particularly like the elongated form of the Kobe statue, adding an element of elegance to the design.

Osaka Umeda Sky Building: Artistic On The Inside Too!

The two paintings below were shown on the top floor of the Umeda sky building, along with various other pieces of local Japanese modern art. I particularly liked the colour schemes of both the paintings, which is what I think first drew me to them. I particularly like the second one- made up of many small blobs of paint, almost as if done with cotton buds, to create this large, accurately organised cubist piece. It definitely compliments the structure of the building too, as the design mirrors the geometric exterior of the architecture, while adding a contrast of bright colours.

Osaka Umeda Sky Building.

When we first viewed the Umeda sky building back home on the internet, we picked up on it's amazing design as a piece of modern architecture and how it's known as a modern Arc de Triomphe. Seeing the building in person was completely different though. Approaching the building from the side, it looked like a pretty regular sky scraper. Viewing the building from the ground underneath however, revealed the huge arc form of the building, and the connecting elevators at the top, which you could go on to get from one tower to the other (we read it was almost like a white knuckle ride due to the height of it, but it more amazing for the views to be honest). The design of the building was very geometric, using a grid like layout for the face of it, almost as if it was a giant Arc de Triomphe built with lego or in a pixelated form!

Above: A pretty regular sky scraper at first glance from the side!

 We were also able to go out onto the roof, where the views of Osaka were spectacular. We stayed long enough to catch views of the sunset and the city at night:

 Above shows a view from the escalator.

The Art of The Sumo.

Sumo wrestling itself is definitely considered an art form as well as a popular sport to watch within Japan. It also has various pieces of art dedicated to it, which we viewed in Tokyo's sumo stadium museum, in Ryogoku- the sumo district of Tokyo.

This modern sculpture represents the sumo wrestlers in an extremely basic and simple form- in fact, looking at it now, if it wasn't situated within the sumo district of Tokyo, I don't think many people would be able to identify them as sumo wrestlers. Being in the subway station of the sumo district also definitely advertises the local sport well, capturing the artistic and cultural side of it.

 The above painting was presented on the outside of the sumo stadium.

The above wooden sculpture represents the dramatic side of sumo wrestling. It is commonly thought of as a bit of a joke sport, particularly within the Western part of the world, as a bunch of overweight people fighting in a ring. This sculpture challenges this stereotype well, as the huge muscular arms and strength and skill of the body that is required for sumo wrestling is depicted well throughout the form, shape and expression shown on sculpture.

The above poster was a photocopy, posted on the outside of the sumo stadium museum. The illustrations looked really old and I imagined it to be an old advertising poster for a local sumo tournament. I wasn't able to read any of it, but the illustrations successfully communicated the artistic form of the sumo sport.

Temple Paintings.

Below are two ceiling paintings within Asakusa's Sensoji temple (Tokyo). I believe that most people who enter the temple will probably miss them, as very few people appeared to look up and were naturally more drawn to the shrines and religious focal points within the temple. The first image of the dragon was so dramatic- this photo doesn't give it justice. The darkness of it suggests age, as with the yellowing of the bottom painting, perhaps from when the temple was built in 1649. I also don't think I've ever seen two ceiling painting side by side within a religious building, that are so contrasting in every way possible!

The Subtle Japanese Art That Will Brighten Up Your Day.

Travelling through the Japanese subways, or even just walking through the streets, you will find your day to be subtly brightened up by all the Japanese art that you will stumble upon. Most of it is so subtle that a lot of people take very little notice of them, but it's there and in many cases it would negatively change the overall feel of the street/subway scene dramatically if it wasn't...

 Above are two paintings that were on the side of a building in Tokyo, which was just being converted into a shopping mall. It took away from the negative, shabby build up that most unfinished buildings show. The detail in them was beautiful, with traditional themes of Japanese carnivals and a colour scheme that linked all the paintings together, preventing them from appearing just randomly stuck up for decoration. I particularly liked the dragon on the left, and the depth of the detail in the image on the right.

The above painting was situated just further down the road from the two Tokyo paintings above. It was done on an otherwise grotty looking board surrounding a building site, which I liked to think was some graffiti art although I'm not sure. It was clearly hand painted, as the paint runs and swift brush strokes can be seen. I don't particularly like the clashing colour scheme, although it certainly adds a dramatic effect to the soft, casual, rough style of the painting.

 Above is a large painting situated inside a subway station in Tokyo. It appears to depict a scene of an emperor or someone of a high status, surrounded by his workers who's key focus appears to be him- the central focus point of the whole painting. It was other areas of the painting that I was drawn to, however- I particularly liked the detailed patterns within the painting, such as the background of the woman on the left, and of the clothing of he women on the right.

In another Japanese subway station was the artwork above. Situated where hundreds of people will walk past as they enter the station from their subway journey, it brings a welcoming uplift as you walk by. I didn't have time to have a closer look, but it seems to be constructed from painted metal, giving it a very modern finish.

The above stained glass artwork was in a Japanese train station, depicting various images of nature. I presume they represent local crops and scenery. The style of the piece looks very Japanese, with the detail and the flowing overall composition, although the theme of it could be located just about anywhere.