Art-Inspired Travel – Hammock in the Woods

Have you ever planned a trip because of a piece of art? That might sound silly until you consider that photography is an art form and we’ve probably all drooled over a photo of some exotic location and wishfully added it to our “bucket list.” But in the years before the proliferation of portable cameras and instant photography, another kind of art captured viewer’s imaginations and introduced them to worlds unknown.

One of the most beautiful books I’ve ever seen! I was able to secure this via the Interlibrary Loan service of our local library. The delicate pages are sewn into the binding and then the whole book is carefully contained in a hard cover secured with two bamboo holders.

Enter Japan in the mid-19th century. Renowned woodblock artist, Hiroshige, produced a series of woodblock etchings titled, “One Hundred Famous Views of Edo.” (Edo is the ancient name for Tokyo.) In his etchings he depicts various spots in and around Tokyo during each season of the year.

I first became acquainted with Hiroshige’s work through my father-in-law, who has collected a couple of his woodblock etchings. After we planned and enjoyed a joint excursion to the Big Island of Hawaii last winter, he asked if we would consider planning a trip to Tokyo for the purpose of visiting some of these “Famous Views” to see how today’s largest city in the world compares to its ancient counterparts. I was willing to take on the trip planning, but reluctant to commit because of the cost. And then Scott’s Cheap Flights happened. 🙂

No. 17 “View to the North from Asukayama”

I signed up for the free subscription to Scott’s Cheap Flights, now rebranded as Going, and immediately began receiving travel deals that sounded too-good-to-be-true. Lo and behold, an email arrived in my inbox announcing round trip fares to Tokyo from many major US cities for between $500 and $800. After a little research everything checked out. So after a few quick conversations with Julian and my in-laws to discuss logistics, we booked the flights!

The next order of business was to secure the above publication of Hiroshige’s art in print and begin familiarizing myself with the area. There’s no way we’ll make it to all 118 Views (I know, the title is a bit of a misnomer!), but it has been a surprisingly interesting way to learn about the history and geography of the Tokyo area and structure our time there. There’s still lots of planning to do, and I’m looking forward to learning more as I study this beautiful work of art!

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