Helsinki revisited

It has been rather silent over here as I had to leave my computer in Japan. That is the outcome of slowly packing life into cardboard boxes of various sizes (some of which still wait to get shipped home) and a distorted hierarchy of preference. I have been slowly trying to sum up everything that happened during my temporary alienation from the ordinary but well. It is completely pointless to look for a point.

Helsinki has treated me well (excluding the fact that it has been raining almost every single day since I arrived some three months ago). Making tea feels odd but I have missed visiting galleries and having time to see art and read books.

Of the things I have seen during the last three months worth mentioning would be at least the Korean dancers visiting Teatteri Union. To me, even just observing movement and listening to the sound it makes, is a pleasure. All Asian arts seem to have some esoteric level that connects everything that happens now to everything that has happened before. Even simple things carry a weight of past generations. Like in tea it makes light things weigh a ton and the other way round.

Yesterday I visited Kaapelitehdas and the Ärt exhibition by the graduates of Lahti Institute of Fine Arts. Surprisingly classic and subdued works but as such an interesting visit.

Paintings by Lila Vainikka at Kaapeli

Hotaru

Time really flies when you are taken to a context far from the one you are used to. Our first semester in Kyoto is drawing to an end. Summer is far and it’s hardly possible to go out during the daytime due to humidity and hot air. Even if I enjoy heat, it’s hard to find comfort in constant sauna kind of temperatures.

Nights are nice and warm though and I saw the first fireflies yesterday walking along one of the streams leading to Kamogawa! They are so cool though I was told that they are basically just looking for a partner to mate with. Well, I guess there are worse reasons to look flamboyant enough to be easily eaten by predators. They look very calming. I could have stared at them for hours (that, of course, would not even have been possible because of my home coming time).

Kamogawa today, +28

I also made a 4-day trip to Finland of all places (!) to help with the events there. We had series of Japan-related events going on in Helsinki last week. Despite the jetlag and constant tiredness it was really nice to meet friends and to be able to take part in the festivities. And to be reminded that I actually have a life outside of tea, too.

But it was also nice to get back to our usual practice here. I still enjoy our daily keiko, even more so now that we start doing different things every day. I just love studying. And I do feel very lucky to be here.

Ballet

I started going to a ballet class a few weeks ago. It’s a perfectly humiliating hobby, but finding the discomfort zones definitely makes a person happy. It is fantastic to find joy in movement and some beauty in the way you use your body. I also realized that my brain requires sports at least four times a week to avoid frustration. I can only recommend. So welcome clear thinking, more solid movement and better life.

Helsinki coffee

Realised that I only write about coffee places abroad and not in Helsinki. You’d figure that with a yearly coffee consumption as huge as in Finland the coffee you get should be more or less decent where ever you go. But no. Here is a list of cafes that I would recommend in Helsinki (in the order of preference).

Sävy
I love Sävy! It has the best price/quality ratio of all cafes in Helsinki. And in general well-made coffee. The staff is super friendly. They play vinyls without making a number of it. Very homey feeling. Everything just works.

Kaffecentralen
This is the best cafe around my office. Friendly Finnish-Swedish service.

Kaffecentralen

Helsingin kahvipaahtimo
It is in fact a roastery, but you can get coffee here. One table with two chairs and a little note at the door. A bit chaotic. Good coffee.

Freese
Very nicely made coffee, but a bit too Töölö-style to my taste. I say expensive, but I’m so much of a Vallila person that everything in the centre seems pricey. The coffee is wonderful!

Goodlifecoffee
A beautiful place and well-situated in Kallio. Good coffee, wonderful name, but slightly too hipster. But if you are looking for a hip place, you should go here.

Lento!

It’s been ages since I last saw contemporary circus. And this was the first thing I ever saw of Cie Nuua. Cirko (where the show took place) is actually only a 15 minute walk from my home! And it was my first time there. I can’t help thinking of all the things I’ve already missed.

Lento is a study of the point when dialogue turns into manipulation. The artists interact not only with each other but also with the objects around them (helium balloons, mostly). The distorted communication of Olli Vuorinen , Luis Sartori do Valereminded and the balloons turns into a beautiful play that escapes all laws of gravity.

Intelligent and witty combination of modern dance, contemporary circus and physical theatre. The set up was very minimalistic, black stage and white helium balloons with a will of their own. The organized chaos reminded me of the artificial natural of Japanese gardens.

A lovely one hour show that was entertaining for both kids and adults. And even more so, the kids’ reactions just added a feeling of here and now. This made me so happy! Soijasiili warmly recommends!

Random shot, sun revealing the beauty of every day objects!

Hamlet private

Saw a private Hamlet play yesterday! It’s hard to describe, how luxurious it feels to follow a private theatre piece. The concept is based on cards made of scenes from Hamlet that are supposed to help people make decicions in their life. So a rare chance to be Hamlet for half an hour! Oh man, he must have been puzzled.

My private Hamlet

My main concern was thinking of the fragility of life and finding a way to accomplish my own goals instead to doing what you are supposed to. Not to be black and white, but to accept things as they are and to be able to recognise feelings and give names to them.

Guess these are things that would fit anyone’s life, but I have actually been thinking of mortality and the fact that life might go by without noticing. Nice, intensive half an hour of presence. Intimate without being intimidating. Hamlet private is made by the Gnab collective.

Definitely winter

Winter came to Helsinki. I was still cycling yesterday, but this morning the city was all wind and snow. Even the tram had some difficulties to make its way from Vallila to the city centre. For the weekend temperatures should sink below -15 degrees. Winter is so early this year. Should start some indoors activity to keep busy.

Lunta! Snowstorm approaching Helsinki

 

Slush

This is how it looked like in the morning in Helsinki. The wet snow definitely makes you stop dreaming about a long and warm autumn. Winter is here to stay, at least for the next five months.

Helsinki in the morning