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c h i k k a
w a n d e r l u s t
PHOTOS
MANAMI OKAZAKI
BIG BIRD
Osaka is brimming with art, and it
is definitely Japan
,
s creative capital.
Famed Dutch artist Florentijn Hoffman
created this 10ft-tall rubber duck that
sailed on the canals of Osaka for an art
project. The city was so obsessed with
this adorable duck.
PINK EXPRESS
I passed this pink ninja train on the way to a ninja village in Iga, which is close to Osaka.
The place is known for these masked assassins. Leiji Matsumoto, the famous manga
(comics) artist, did the illustration on the train.
FIGHTING FORM
Every time I am in Bangkok, I try to go to
Lumpinee Stadium to watch the beautiful
(albeit brutal) art of muay Thai. After the
match, you can have your photo taken
with the winner.
GET THE DRIFT
Here I am with D1 champ Yoshida at
his garage in Osaka. Drifting is the most
intense thing I have ever watched — and
tried. I was thrilled to interview him for
the May 2011 issue of
Smile.
LIGHT UP THE NIGHT
What do I love about The Peak in Hong
Kong? It offers a
Blade Runner
-esque,
futuristic landscape of the city at night.
STREET ART IN SHANGHAI
I didn
,
t expect Shanghai to have some
of the best street art I
,
ve ever seen.
Here
,
s one I found right next to the
brilliant M50 gallery.
CHERRY BLOSSOM TIME
One of the magnificent landmarks of
Osaka is the ancient Osaka castle. In the
spring, the entire area is covered with
cherry blossom petals.
OH, DEER!
Just 40 minutes away from Osaka,
the city of Nara during springtime is
absolutely divine. During this trip, I
found the deer a wee bit too friendly.
At one point our crew had to run away
from these zealous creatures!
This pink ninja train is
the handiwork of manga
artist Leiji Matsumoto
A giant rubber duck once lorded it over an
Osaka canal as part of an art project