"Zipper Boat," a work by international artist Yasuhiro Suzuki, which has toured cities around the world, will be cruising along the Sumida River from Azumabashi Bridge to Sakurabashi Bridge near the riverbank from December 14th to 28th as the third installment of the "Edo⇄2018 Sumida River Rediscovery! Boat and Waterside Art Project."

©Yasuhiro Suzuki exhibited at the Setouchi Triennale 2010
Inspired by ordinary everyday scenes and familiar objects, Suzuki has produced many works both in Japan and abroad that change the way we see things, and "Zipper Boat" is one of his most popular. Using the water's surface as a canvas, the ship's wake as it moves forward resembles a zipper, with its metal fittings sliding to open fabric. The idea for this work came from Suzuki, who was gazing out over Tokyo Bay from an airplane when a certain boat suddenly resembled the metal fittings of a zipper.
The "Zipper Boat" project began in 2004 with a radio-controlled model, and in 2010 it was unveiled at the Setouchi Triennale as an actual artwork piloted by a captain. This marks the first time the boat has operated on an urban river.
The Sumida River, where this will be its first operation, has been a playground for commoners since the Edo period, as well as a border separating the two provinces of Musashi and Shimousa. The "Zipper Boat" expresses the way the Sumida River, which has played such a role as a boundary, opens and closes. As a symbol of "opening up a new future" for the Sumida River, it will operate along the riverbank from Azumabashi Bridge to Sakurabashi Bridge.

Suzuki commented, "The idea for the 'Zipper Ship' came to me when I mistook a ship I saw looking down from the window of an airplane for a zipper. I opened the Seto Inland Sea in 2010, Lake Hamana in 2011, and now it has finally come to Tokyo. The Sumida River that I am opening this time is a historic waterway that has been essential to the lives of people who have lived there throughout the ages. By opening up the surface of the Sumida River, which reflects modern-day Tokyo, I hope to awaken memories that flow deep within the city and inspire a fresh perspective on the Sumida River."

Cielo y Rio "Fuji Apple Wrapped Baked" (750 yen)
Also, Cielo y Rio, a riverside cafe along the Sumida River, will be offering a limited-edition dessert, "Fuji Apple Wrapped Baked" (750 yen), until December 28th. The dessert is inspired by "Fine Wind, Clear Morning" (Red Fuji), one of the famous ukiyo-e prints from "Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji" by Katsushika Hokusai, who has a connection to the Sumida River. The dish features a crispy thin skin dyed with raspberry powder, pata filo, topped with Fuji apple compote and white bean paste kneaded with yuzu for an accent. Why not enjoy some beautiful sweets along with the "Zipper Boat" that sails down the Sumida River?