JAPAN UNLAYERED: MUJI Pop-up

I found this cultural exhibition from a sponsored post on Instagram. It was from real estate developer Westbank Corp and it featured BEAMS JAPAN, so naturally I was curious. Is this how targeted ads work? I don't remember the last time I was influenced by something sponsored. Usually they're just white noise.

I didn't know what else to expect, but knowing BEAMS is opening a pop-up shop was good enough for me. I checked out the exhibition exhibition website and there was a MUJI feature as well, and it was also a pop-up!

(ﾉﾟ0ﾟ)ﾉ /gasp!

I've been a fan of MUJI for a little while now and have been waiting for news of a possible Vancouver location, but a pop-up is the next best thing. The MUJI pop-up requires registration as they are expecting a lot of people to show, and to be fair the everyone interested reservations are released 48 hours in advance for any given day. That said, they sell out fast, like people-camping-in-front-of-their-computer-for-12:00am fast. I got lucky and nabbed an available spot in the morning. JAPAN UNLAYERED will run until the end of February at the Fairmont Pacific Rim. I will more than likely visit again. The Kengo Kuma architecture exhibition is worth a thorough look.

MUJI stationary

The MUJI pop-up shop was tiny. It couldn't have been any larger than 250 sq ft (excluding the MUJI Pavilion just outside) and occupied a small corner immediately to the left of the Pac Rim entrance.

Despite its size, the shop housed a good representation of what MUJI has to offer. I didn't get to capture some of the wares, like the patterned socks, the array of coloured pens, acrylic storage units, or the sweet snacks for sale. The claustrophobic space quickly became such. I was there for about 10 minutes just taking it all in and before I knew it everyone else scheduled for their reservations showed up!

I was chatting with one of the MUJI sales associates and my eyes widened when she told me that MUJI is in fact opening up in Downtown Vancouver and Burnaby! Robson Street and Metrotown to be exact. While she was unsure when, their special promotion leaflet states Fall 2017—I'm giddy with anticipation. I was tempted to pick up many items form the pop-up. The price and quality of MUJI products is too attractive to pass up: mechanical pencil, polycarbonate LED flashlight/lamp, those socks I mentioned, a wall-mounted CD player (because it's kind of in retro territory now), and various porcelain ware. I ended up buying two of the small compact mirrors seen on the second bottom shelf—one for myself and one as a gift. I figure I can wait a few months when the permenant (yay!) retail locations eventually open.

Aroma diffusers. The scents were soothing at first, but after a while it was too much in such a small space.

Those mechanical pencils are amazing for $7 CAD. The steel grip gives the pencil a satisfying weight.

Minimalist porcelain dinnerware and miniature teapots

The JAPAN UNLAYERED exhibition was a good opportunity for me to work on my photo capturing abilities. I thought about correcting the white balance of these photos but the exhibit lighting, display stands, and general mood was quite warm, so I left the pleasant natural yellow tint that cast itself on everything (plus, I'm way ahead of myself to correcting white balance accurately and consistently within a set of photos).

I use a Fuji x20. When I was looking for a camera I tossed around the idea of a DSLR versus a compact shooter. The more I looked at the x20 the more I fell in love with it. It has many features of a DSLR but in a smaller and more stylish body. In fact, one of the MUJI sales associates complimented on the cuteness of my camera. I still have lots to learn, however. My composition is still shaky, and I'm not used to the crop of the x20's viewfinder. My focus is also off sometimes. Eventually I'd like to be able to shoot entirely in manual, but for now automatic is my friend!

It made the expected cuckoo clock noise

I am definitely coming back to visit JAPAN UNLAYERED. That's the thing about temporary exhibitions. They're fleeting, drawing on a sense of urgency even though it will be here for a little while longer. If I don't go I'll miss it!. I'm usually not one to dwell on the idea of fear of missing out, but Japanese culture will do that to me.

If I can get another reservation to the MUJI pop-up I would love to capture more of the products, especially the multi-coloured pens. Then there's the rest of the exhibition, which I also got a good look at, but what's another visit or two. The Kengo Kuma part of the exhibition is loaded with content and takes up the entire second level. The "Layering" wall explains many Japanese traditional art forms and gives an architectural application, or interpretation of that art form.

Of course, I can't forget the BEAMS JAPAN pop-up. MUJI was my main focus today simply because it required a reservation, and I wanted to take in as much of that as possible. I hope to explore and apprehend the rest of the exhibition soon!