Jplus 2015 07 26 lores

Vol. 2 No. 35 I July 26 - August 1, 2015

Martha Tilaar

No time for ‘galau’

Eka Kurniawan

the author's Korean bow

At Your Leisure

Jakarta’s sushi secret

Unmasking Japan From Fukuoka to Tokyo, with stops for Kobe beef

Noted in passing

Check List

Welcome back The party’s over. By the time you read this, things will have returned to normal in the city: Monday marks the beginning of the first full work week in Indonesia after Idul Fitri.

Well, maybe things won’t be exactly normal tomorrow.

While it will take some time for the millions who made the mudik (exodus) to come back to Jakarta; the mikrolet (minivans) are back clogging the streets, the ojek (motorcycle-taxi) drivers are waiting for passengers and the warung (food stalls) are open, albeit a little later in the day than usual.

It seems that things never really cooled off in the city this Lebaran.

Sure, the streets were refreshingly empty – sorry about that, Yogyakarta, Bandung and Bali, please enjoy your temporary bigcity bustle – but things were not so quiet in the capital as before.

Case in point: I saw the satpam (guards) at one very popular mall in Jakarta directing cars to an overflow outdoor parking area over the holiday. Outdoor mall parking? Here? Really? This is not

the Jakarta of yesteryear.

It’s not even the Jakarta of two years ago: Our friends at The Jakarta Post reported that around four million people were to have left Jakarta to pulang kampung (return home) for Idul Fitri in 2015, which was down a staggering 50 percent from the eight million souls who left in 2013.

Things are busier and the city is fuller than ever, but don’t bemoan the faster pace. This only means there will always be something unexpected awaiting you.

Just take a look at our review of Sushi Tengoku in this issue: A long-standing restaurant, relatively hidden on a busy street, serving authentic, delicious and inexpensive sushi here in Jakarta. Really.

In any event, I hope you all had a festive holiday with the family, enjoyed your capital staycation or relaxed on the sands of Anyer, Bali or Dubai. I‘ll see you on the streets.

Chris Razukas jplus@thejakartapost.com

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Where’s the beef

12

Dressing for success

JPlus Team mark my words

Editor Christian Razukas Art Director Budhi Hartono Marketing & Advertising Sales & Marketing Director Ady P. Pamungkas

Big Durian gone empty REQUIEM FOR THE ALL-TOO-BRIEF HOLIDAY RESPITE WORDS Sondang Grace Sirait

For us residents of the Big Durian, life is beautiful when it takes only five minutes to go from Kebayoran Baru to Pondok Indah – and even more stunning if it requires no more than fifteen minutes to travel from South to Central.

Sadly, this only happens once a year, during the Lebaran holidays, when the city is strangely, pleasantly empty.

“If only Jakarta was like this every day it would make living here more bearable,” I heard someone saying.

Which is true, given the insane traffic load we have to bear at least 358 days a year, from morning until nighttime.

Any relief, even temporary, is much appreciated. But for all the niceties, some things have got to give.

Along with the decrease in congestion, there came an upsurge in the level of stress among Jakartans I know, most of who have families with young children.

A friend posted “nanny-less, expect slow response” on her messenger status. Another had to scramble for a temporary babysitter to look after her toddler, phoning almost every single provider in town, and ended

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up paying twice as much as usual for the nanny’s working period of two weeks.

Many more couldn’t go anywhere without dragging their children with them – even to the point of setting up miniplaygrounds at their offices, bringing boxes of toys, coloring pens and all that.

For yours truly, the biggest challenge was in getting my favorite treats. The guy selling ketoprak (rice cake, fried tofu, vermicelli and crackers doused in peanut sauce) went home for three weeks. My favorite nasi Padang restaurant closed for one whole month and so did that mouthwatering warteg around the corner.

All that was left, especially on the two Lebaran days, was the fast food chains and food court bakso (meatballs). Don’t get me started on the calorie count.

On the news, holiday travel updates went on for two weeks, ending with the anti-climax of the reverse exodus, which seemingly gets bigger and longer each year.

With such high turnover rates of domestic helpers, this period is actually a boon, for both people seeking jobs and those offering jobs.

ady.pamungkas@thejakartapost.com

Marketing Executive Dewi Damayani

dewi.damayani@thejakartapost.com

@JPlusSunday JPlusSunday

Nevertheless, if you’re like me and thousands of households out there, there’s a period of at least two weeks when you get to do EVERYTHING yourself.

Horrid, isn’t it, when you’ve always got someone else doing things for you, and suddenly that luxury is gone.

Pampered as they may be, some people I know prefer to stay at hotels or go on holidays overseas for weeks, “until the dust settles”.

Well, I suppose it’s nice if you could afford to do that, but wouldn’t it be as if you’re running from reality?

I know I wouldn’t be able to handle returning from a leisurely walk down an avenue in Paris to suddenly face the crazy amount of honking on the streets of Jakarta.

In the end, this is and will always be home. With all the crazy traffic, tough life and but superb mix of cultures and cuisines, there’s no other place I’d rather be than here in Jakarta.

But next time, I’ll be more prepared and start stocking up on food earlier. That said, I do wish those vendors I mentioned above will not be away far too long next Lebaran!

SundayJplus jakplus.com

ON THE COVER Torii Gate on Miyajima Island Photo Aulia R. Sungkar

inspiringMIND

Humble, sustainable

& strong Having received international awards for her cosmetics business, Martha Tilaar maintains a humble attitude and encourages the young to follow her path WORDS SEBASTIAN PARTOGI Photos Martha Tilaar, UNGC

“G

ood morning. I hope you’re not bored seeing oma [grandmother] again,” 77-year-old cosmetics businesswoman Martha Tilaar said when greeting this JPlus reporter recently at her home on Jl. Patra Kuningan Utara, South Jakarta, exuding a graciousness that made me feel at home.

As the founder of the Martha Tilaar Group , which has been producing cosmetics and jamu (herbal medicine) products since 1977, she is a prominent figure in Indonesia’s beauty industry scene.

However, those who have met her will tell you that in daily life, Martha shows nothing but humility.

A former history teacher, her passion for beauty led her to open a small salon in a garage in the early 1970s.

“Actually, the salon was meant to supplement my and my husband’s incomes as teachers, because we were not able to make ends meet. I started small, with the hopes of being able to empower common people and women through my business,” Martha said.

“Little did I know, with perserverance, persistence and the ability to find the right business partners, that the beauty business would grow larger than what I would have ever dared imagine.”

Her efforts earned her an award from United Nations Secretary-general Ban Ki-moon during the UN Global Compact (GC) Leaders Summit in New York in 2010 for her compliance with the ethical business guidelines outlined by the organization.

Global Compact is an organization that encourages ethical business practices, based on 10 principles, including human rights, fair competition,

environmental conservation and anticorruption, in line with the Millenium Development Goals.

The GC comprises more than 8,000 companies from 106 nations. The figure includes 115 firms from Indonesia.

The recognition places her company on par with global giants such as the UK’s Unilever and Brazil’s Natura Cosmeticos.

“A small thing that we do sincerely can result in something very big, even international-scale,” she said, referring to

the award.

Martha said that her company wants to motivate other Indonesian companies to follow suit. “Business is a formidable force, and it can even be more powerful than the government, because they open jobs and provide welfare

for a lot of people. Therefore, their role in society needs to be optimized by adherence to ethical business practices.”

It is not very difficult to join, she adds.

“GC is a multi-stakeholder organization, as companies joining it come from different areas, comprising profit-oriented corporations, NGOs and universities. A particular organization’s leader needs only to send a letter to the UN secretarygeneral expressing interest in joining the organization and support of the 10

principles,” she said.

However, few Indonesian companies want to join, according to Martha, who says that submitting compliance reports and adhering to daunting antibribery and anti-corruption principles might be possible obstacles for local businesspeople.

“My organization, however, always strives to encourage people to join the organization due to its benefits, namely global citizenship and the opportunity to form new partnerships and collaborations with fellow GC members,” she says.

“My success did not come easily,” Martha says, undeterred. “When I accompanied my husband while he was studying in Indiana [in the US] in the 1960s, he received a single scholarship, which meant that we had to live on a very small amount of money. Therefore, we could not afford to stay in high-rise buildings so we stayed in a military barracks instead.”

To supplement her income, Martha placed an advertisement in local

newspaper offering babysitting service.

“When I came to an apartment for my first baby-sitting job, I did not even know how to use the elevator. I was really kampungan [hillbilly] back then.” She laughed.

Seeing Martha’s potential as an entrepreneur, her husband suggested that she opened a beauty salon, which she eventually did in the 1970s when they arrived back in Indonesia.

“I was bankrupt once and all my friends left me behind and I had nothing,” she says. “When we are faithful and sincere, however, God will never abandon us. Eventually, I was blessed with four wonderful children and they strengthened my will to live. Soon new partners came to me and I was able to start my business anew again.”

She continues. “This is why I’ve always told the young generation, don’t complain too much or spend oo much time being galau [melancholy]. You need to be strong and perservere in something you’re good at.”

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Sprites Biennale This niche art festival is one of Bali’s best-kept secrets. The biennale, slated to end in 2021, has five planned themes: Earth (2013), Water (2015), Wind (2017), Light (2019) and Ether (2021).

This year the festival, expected to run from June 21 to Sept. 6 at Griya Santrian Resort in Sanur, showcases nine different moments that are produced from various artists, or “scenographers”.

“Sprites is inspired by the balance of modernity and tradition that exists in Bali. This is an island of great beauty and paradox, which I want to explore more through art,” founder Yoka Sara says.

This year, Sprites will fuse multiple media to create pieces

The next modern art destination

rethinking balinese art the island IS MAKING A NAME FOR ITSELF FOR ART THAT IS ANYTHING BUT TRADITIONAL WORDS Deisha Tamar photos courtesy of the artists

Judith Kirana, a native of Salatiga, Central Java, says that even though she has been living on Bali for four years, what comes to mind when she thinks of Balinese art are the traditional sculptures that are typically found in temples or houses.

“I don’t really think of contemporary art, but of things from the more traditional side. I imagine a Balinese man carving grandiose Balinese mythical creatures or gods,” Judith says.

These days, however, Bali is slowly making its name as a destination for lovers of contemporary art – thanks in part to these art spaces, festivals, or collectives.

Ketemu Space Established in February, Ketemu Space, run by the husband-and-wife team of Budi Agung Kuswara (Kabul) and Samantha Tio (Minthio), fosters exchanges between artists and the community.

Kabul and Minthio, who previously lived in Yogyakarta, said that they founded the space after seeing a growing trend in relational art, which aims to make a dialog between artists, viewers and the larger world.

Ketemu (the word means “meeting” in Indonesian) also highlights its artist residency project, although it’s currently

by invitation only. Minthio says that they created the program for artists to absorb Bali’s culture – and to give back to the local community.

“We always try to connect our resident artists with real social issues on the island, because we want them to benefit the local community as well,” Minthio said.

Kabul, a native of Bali, said that many on the island see art as a commodity – although he’s hopeful that Ketemu can help Bali keep up with the scenes in Bandung and Yogyakarta. ketemuprojectspace.com

ranging from video mappings to music, dance and theatre performances.

Adding to the merriment is that each moment or performance is scheduled according to the Balinese Lunar calendar, such as an upcoming performance by Yudane on July 30, which will be during the full moon. spritesbali.com or facebook.com/SpritesBali

Lingkara Photo Community The photo community started in 2009, when it was known as the Lingkar Community. Today, it has its own gallery, workshop and studio in Renon, Denpasar.

“We are an out-of-the-box photo community, because we use all kinds of media to create our photos, such as wood or glass,” says Arso Putra, one of the members of Lingkara.

Lingkara focuses on fine-art photography, which according to members is still rare in Bali or even Indonesia. The community also works to dispel the notion that photography is merely about presenting “beauty”. Some members, such as Komang “Totok” Parwata, have been involved within the photography and art scene since the 1980s.

Lingkara welcomes anyone with a similar vision as a member. lingkara.com

NEWS FOR YOU TROMARAMA HOLDS OPEN HOUSE FOR KIDS

RUANGRUPA OPENS RURU HUIS

Contemporary art group Tromarama has built a special open house inside the National Gallery of Victoria in Australia, and everyone is invited to play.

Inspired by ordinary places inside the home, this exhibition transforms familiar places like kitchens and bathrooms into creative spaces filled with surprises.

Children can enjoy apps like Tromaramix, which is designed to introduce kids to stop motion animation, enabling them to make their own animations to share with friends and family.

The exhibit runs until Oct. 18. Tromarama is comprised of three young artists – Febie Babyrose, Herbert Hans and Ruddy Hatumena – who met when they were studying art in Bandung. They have since shown off their stop-motion films at many exhibitions.

Indonesian arts collective ruangrupa is celebrating its 15th anniversary with the opening of ruru huis (Dutch for “ruru house”), a branch of ruangrupa in Arnhem, The Netherlands.

The ruru huis is part of Sonsbeek 2016, which ruangrupa is curating. Sonsbeek 2016 will be the 11th edition of the large-scale outdoor contemporary art exhibition, traditionally taking place in Sonsbeek Park in the city of Arnhem.

Much like ruangrupa’s own space in Jakarta, the ruru huis aims to be a social space where people from Arnhem, artists and friends can come together, hang out, transact and interact.

It will also host a program of public events, discussions and publications, semi-public gatherings, film screenings, karaoke parties and small exhibitions.

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Profile

Syagini Ratna Wulan

Inspire, question solve

& I

t's possible that a person can go through life without ever having any healthy outlets for relieving pent-up emotions.

That’s why anxiety is a thing – and the same holds true for repression and nervous breakdowns.

Indonesian artist Syagini Ratna Wulan’s latest creation, Catharsis, has addressed this age-old issue in a novel manner.

Held from July 25 to 26 at Art Stage Singapore with the support of the Mizuma Gallery and Gillman Barracks; Syagini's Catharsis, a participatory performance art piece, gave the audience a chance to creatively cleanse themselves of negative energy.

It took place in an empty gallery with text diagrams such as “belief” and “institution” written on the wall. Visitors were given plates and invited to write words on them before throwing the plates against the wall, taking aim at words that resonated with them.

“Post-event, all pieces of broken plates will be collected into a sculptural memento mori [rememberance] that could be exhibited in one

WORDS Prasiddha Gustanto Photos courtesy SYAGINI RATYNA WULAN

form or another, for example, an element of sound could be added,” the 36-yearold Syagini said in a pre-performance interview.

“This, in turn, will result in a mapping of our emotional lives: in different urban settings, different obsessions will find their release in each of Catharsis’ installments.”

The emotions and obsessions explored in the work are typical themes for Syagini, who focuses on human behavior through what she refers to as “the lens of interdisciplinarity”.

“Art is not merely a visual indulgence.

There are so many layers behind it capable of awakening the unconscious to react,” Syagini said. “[Art can] inspire, question and solve things through a universal language.”

If I were a color I’d be metallic As a child I was boyish My guilty pleasure is Nothingness My hidden talent Mind reader Words I use too often Seperti itu [Like that] The artwork that defines me best I think the more recent the piece, the more layers of myself embodied in it.

Five years from now I will look older What keeps me busy Gardening I would never say Never In three words I am Woman in millions

Most prized item A lion skull The person who inspires me most Christo [of Christo and JeanneClaude fame] What makes me laugh Love What makes me cry Love Don’t ever call me Mister People will be surprised to know I have three dogs My life in a movie Princess Mononoke If I was not an artist I would be a scientist I can’t stand Waiting My life motto I can only pretend to pretend

Eka's Korean breakthrough WORDS Prasiddha Gustanto Photo courtesy eka kurniawan

Ask readers from around the globe to name their favorite contemporary Japanese novelists and they’ll likely answer Haruki Murakami or Kenzaburo Oe. Ask them to name even one Indonesian author and they’re bound to get stumped.

Eka Kurniawan’s steadily growing international popularity, however, is poised to change this.

Born of Sundanese descent in Tasikmalaya, West Java, in 1975, Eka has been described as “the brightest meteorite” in contemporary Indonesian literature. His bibliography includes three novels, several short stories and a number of non-fiction pieces.

Eka has also been included on Publishers Weekly’s list of “Writers to Watch” and been positively compared to Salman Rushdie, Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Mark Twain.

“After half a century,” wrote renowned

Indonesia scholar Benedict Anderson, “Pramoedya Ananta Toer has found a successor.”

“His ability to combine history, satire, family tragedy, legend, humor and romance is very unique,” noted Anna Soler-Pont, founder and director of the Pontas Agency, which handles the world rights for Eka’s works.

The writer has found resonance with with readers across the world. Now, he’s poised for a breakthrough in South Korea, a country with no previous significant appreciation of Indonesian letters.

Sohyun Park of South Korean publishing house Maybooks is currently translating two of Eka’s novels, Cantik Itu Luka (Beauty Is a Wound) and Lelaki Harimau (Tiger Man), both of which are slated for release in 2017.

For Park, Kurniawan’s works have been captivating from the get-go.

“When I started to read Cantik Itu Luka, I was thrilled by the very first sentence, ‘Sore hari di akhir pekan bulan Maret, Dewi

Ayu bangkit dari kuburan setelah dua puluh satu tahun kematian.’ [One afternoon on a weekend in March, Dewi Ayu rose from the grave after 21 years of death.]

This kind of setting and imagination never happens in South Korean literature, where the sphere is always too confined in ‘realism’,” Park said.

“Eka’s works incredibly represent Indonesia’s history as a family chronicle.

I wish South Korea had this kind of novel about its own past. At the same time [Eka’s novels] are also very contemporary, so I thought they could be really great references for South Korean readers,” she said.

Eka’s introduction to South Korean readers will mark a big step forward for Indonesian literature in that country.

“Even Pramoedya Ananta Toer’s works have not properly translated,” Park says.

“This is the very first chance to seriously introduce Indonesian literature, which has been totally ignored so far, to Korean readers.”

Eka says that the lack of international interest in Indonesian literature is part of a general problem. “Let’s face it: there are almost no Vietnamese, Malay, Iranian, Korean, etc., representations in world literature nowadays,” he said in an email interview.

“The world is dominated by the English language. At the same time, only three percent [of ] books published in English every year are translations. It’s not a good figure for world literature.”

Eka also thinks that Indonesian literature might need a change of focus.

“Localism is a good thing, and unique, but can be misdirected into provincialism.

If our literature cares only about ourselves, why should the world have to take a look at ours?” he said.

“Great literature is always about a dialog – person to person, society to society. A culture with other cultures. We have to open our arms to other literary traditions, and the world will open their arms.”

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Akihabara

View of Yokohama

A visit to the floating world

Tracking the natural beauty and unique culture of the Land of the Rising Sun

Words & photos Aulia R. Sungkar

Kurashiki Bikan

K

nown for high-tech innovations that have led to decades of sustainable economic growth, Japan is a unique travel

destination.

Apart from local delicacies and an astonishing number of modern shopping and entertainment centers, the country features a host of heritage sites that represent the hospitality of the Japanese people and their culture and traditions.

JPlus was invited by the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) and Cathay Pacific to explore what the Japanese archipelago has to offer.

The media familiarization trip also marked Cathay Pacific’s addition of five flights a week between Jakarta and Hong Kong, with conencting service to Japan; as well as its new business class cabin.

Cathay Pacific business class provides travelers with a comfortable

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space and a controller that enables you to adjust your seat from an upright position all the way to a fully flat bed. It’s a convenient – and comfortable – way to embark on a journey.

While we were in transit at The Bridge, the newest Cathay Pacific lounge at Hong Kong International Airport, I was looking at photos of my previous visit to Tokyo a few years back for a short work trip.

The photos were mostly of big buildings and modern developments.

But that’s not really what Japan is: The cities are where traditional heritage and aesthetics meet cutting-edge technology.

A five-hour transit wasn’t that tiring; thanks to the lounge’s facilities that helped us relax and unwind. It was almost noon and we were set to board a three-hour flight to Fukuoka, which would be the start of a more-than-1,500kilometer journey.

Himeji Castle

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Asakusa

Cradle of Culture

A sunny afternoon greeted us at Fukuoka International Airport. Fukuoka, also known as Hakata, is the capital of Fukuoka prefecture. With a population of approximately 1.5 million, the city is Japan’s sixth biggest and the largest in Kyushu, the southwesternmost region of the country’s main islands.

Dubbed the cradle of Japanese culture, Fukuoka was the first place in the country to be exposed to the culture of the Asian continent. This is also where the first Japanese rice was cultivated in the third century BCE. Today, the city is home to big shopping malls, as well as museums and heritage sites, such as Kushida-jinga, a Shinto shrine dating to 757. Our tour guide, Tatsuo Yoshino, said Fukuoka has been the hub of Kyushu ever since.

We walked around the city center and strolled along Canal City Hakata, a shopping and entertainment complex boasting shops, cafes and restaurants. With curving sculptures surrounding fountains, the architectural design of the complex was quite fanciful.

Our hotel, the Hakata Miyako Hotel, was in the central business district of Tenjin. The streets nearby were filled with department stores, boutiques and

fashionable coffee shops and restaurants.

Located just across from the hotel is Tenjin train station, where you can see thousands of commuters caught in fresh chaos during the rush hour.

Here was where we took Shinkansen (a bullet train) to Hiroshima the next morning. The distance between the two cities is 282 kilometers, which took only two hours to traverse on this high-speed train.

Historic City

We arrived in Hiroshima station at around 9:30 a.m. and started a three-day road trip by bus exploring different cities and prefectures.

Devastated by an atomic bomb during World War II, Hiroshima is now a modern city on Honshu Island boasting gleaming skyscrapers and modern developments.

Among the city’s 1.1 million residents, you will find difficulties in meeting locals who speak English – a condition that is also apparent in other cities across the country. Yet, Japanese folks are truly friendly and helpful in many ways.

For example, on a previous trip to Japan, I asked a resident about one particular address. Despite the obvious language barrier, she volunteered to walk with me to find my destination.

We didn’t encounter such obstacles during our

Shin-Yokohama Raumen Museum journey, as our tour guide Yoshino-san (Mr. Yoshino) was with us throughout the trip.

“Hey look! That’s Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. It’s built to commemorate the dropping of the atomic bomb over the city on August 6, 1945.

And it’s now a UNESCO Heritage site.” Yoshino explained on our way to Miyajima Island. Other prominent sites worth a visit are the beautiful Shukkei-en Chinese style gardens and Hiroshima castle, which is surrounded by a moat and a park.

Heritage Exploration

A one-hour drive took us to Miyajima-guchi station. From a pier near the station, we took a ferry to Miyajima Island. Also known as Itsukushima, it’s one of the most scenic spots in Japan.

“Literally meaning 'Shrine Island', Itsukushima has been part of Hatsukaichi, a city in Hiroshima prefecture, since 2005. Prior to that, the island was known as the town of Miyajima,” said our guide as the group had a sightseeing walk.

Strolling through the island was fun. Our eyes feasted on a stunning array of traditional Japanese style shops selling handicrafts, souvenirs and local foods.

“The Japanese regard it as a sacred island, thus no one is allowed to be born or die there,” goes a

Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park

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coverSTORY local saying. The island is home to the Itsukushima Grand Shrine, another UNESCO World Heritage site.

It’s also famous for its iconic torii gate.

Both the shrine and the gate, which were built over water, appeared to be floating especially during high tide.

Back on the road, we enjoyed beautiful panoramic views along the 150 kilometers to Kurashiki, a historic city in western Okayama prefecture. With a population of only around 500,000, the city featured a blend of new and old.

The main tourism attraction is the Kurashiki Bikan historical quarter.

Nestled along a narrow canal with Mount Tsurugata as a backdrop, the quarter is a magnificent green townscape that displays a mixture of Japanese and Western flavors.

Technology has long been an inseparable part of the local lifestyle, including the use of exotic electronic toilet seats – just as in other parts of the country.

Here, however, I found that the

Universal Studios

old traditions still prevailed, with some people wearing traditional clothes as part of their daily routine.

Another heritage site worth the visit is Himeji castle in Himeji city. Nicknamed

“White Heron” for its white walls, the castle was built of wood. Unlike many other castles, it was never destroyed in wars.

The large complex was completed in 1609. We spent about an hour walking around and climbed a ladder to the top of the main tower, which is 46.4 meters high.

It was quite tiring, but fatigue fell away when I feasted my eyes on the spectacular view.

Tokyo ABCDs WORDS Prasiddha Gustanto photos itunes, afp, orchid bar

The Japanese capital may look small on the map – but that doesn’t mean that a traveler will have an easy time finding out what to do. To help you find the best of the megalopolis, here’s our ABCD guide to Tokyo: a few apps, a book, some cool things to do and a historic place to get a drink to end your day.

APPS MapsWithMe is perfect for when you have no online connection and check out the Tokyo Subway's multilingual app so that you don’t get lost in the capital’s labyrinthine train corridors.

You can’t expect people to know English as you travel around Japan, so you’ll need offline-ready apps such as VoiceTra+, where you speak in English and have it translated to Japanese. You can also use CamDictionary to submit pictures of Japanese text for translation, while Imiwa is a popular dictionary app that works in English, Spanish, Italian, French, Portuguese, German, Korean and Russian.

Hungry? Japanese gourmet website GuruNavi has an app that will help you find restaurants close by.

BOOKS Graphic artist Florent Chavouet’s illustrated Tokyo on Foot isn’t your typical guidebook. You

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won’t find an impersonal summary of the city’s landmarks. It’s a heartfelt memoir of the six months Chavouet spent exploring Tokyo while his girlfriend interned at a local company.

It’s full of illustrations of interesting places and individuals he met during his stay, mixed with personal commentary and anecdotes to capture the experience of life in Tokyo outside the typical tourist beat.

COOL It’s not everyday that you can eat with the Hulk Hogans of Japan.

The iconic Palace Hotel Tokyo, known for its distinctive omotenashi (Japanese hospitality) and moat-side location across from the Imperial Palace, offers a Grappling Tokyo experience so you can dine with rikishi (sumo wrestlers) – and get a behind-the-scenes look at Japan’s beloved national sport.

During the in-season (January, May and September), you can have a seasoned sports broadcaster and sports writer give you a tour of the legendary Ryogoku

Kokugikan sumo wrestling arena.

In the off-season, you can go further with a private tour of a sumo training stable and chat with the wrestlers over a lunch of traditional chanko nabe, a the hearty stew eaten by rikishi to add to their bulk, prepared by the wrestlers themselves.

DRINK With its low ceilings, stained-glass panels, dim lighting and its smoked-glass ashtrays, the Orchid Bar of the Okura Hotel “looks like something straight from the set of Mad Men”, according to The Washington Post.

While the atmosphere alone is enough reason to visit, the landmark bar’s rich collection of whisky is its biggest draw.

Once seated, you can order a 30-year-old Hibiki, a classic Japanese whisky, or more international selections, such as a 25-year-old Highland Park malt.

The bar also features a long list of spirits, cognac and brandy, alongside a menu that includes 10-gram caviar as well as sautéed fillet of Japanese beef.

Don’t miss your chance: The Okura Hotel is slated for demolition at the end of August to make way for new development for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

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Seto Ohashi Bridge

Himeji Castle

Tokyo

Tokyo One Piece Tower Nestled in the iconic Tokyo Tower, the large-scale theme park features attractions, live entertainment and restaurants set around the adventures of One Piece, a manga series published since 1997.

Shinkansen

Canal City Hakata

City Attractions

There are countless numbers of attractions and must-visit tourism sites in the country’s largest cities: Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka and Kobe. And we had a quick visit to some of them to make the most of our trip.

Amuse Museum This is where you can feel and experience Japanese culture through such functioning spaces as theater, live stage and galleries. There’s also a museum shop that sells traditional arts and handicrafts.

Asakusa Built around the ancient Buddhist temple Senso-ji, this one of Tokyo’s most popular tourist spots features an attractive array of shops selling various souvenirs and knick-knacks cheaper than many other places in the city.

Yokohama

Shin-Yokohama Raumen Museum Founded in March 1994, the world’s first food-themed amusement park is dedicated to the Japanese ramen noodle soup. Here, famous brands of ramen restaurants from Kyushu to Hokkaido are exhibited – and visitors can also dine there.

Osaka

Dotonbori Known as the 'gastronomist's town', this area is home to varieties of F&B establishments, souvenir shops and entertainment centers. The area, which is wrapped with a lot of large signboards, is a great spot for a fun walk.

Kobe

illustration: budhi button

Kitano Ijinkan Literally meaning “foreigner residence”, the area was established in 1867 along with the opening of the Port of Kobe.

Located in Hyogo Prefecture, the area showcases houses in old European architecture style.

JPlus July 26, 2015

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coverSTORY

Okayama-Korakuen

Green Living

Japan is also known for the magnificence of its natural landscapes and beautiful green spaces. If you happen to be in Okayama Prefecture, head to Mount Washu, about 20 kilometers south of Kurashiki.

Along the way, stop at Washuzan Observatory for a beautiful sunset against Seto Ohashi Bridge. Connecting Okayama and Kagawa prefectures, the 13-kilometer bridge has highway lanes on the upper deck and railway track on the lower deck.

We visited Okayama-Korakuen, one of the most famous gardens in the country. One of the Edo Period’s legacies, the garden has retained its original appearance. We had an hour walk through greenery while feasting our eyes on various bonsai and flowers. Later, we visited Sazanami Chaya in a tea room located inside the premises for a maccha green tea tasting.

We ended our bus tour in Osaka and took a bullet train to Tokyo – a journey of about 550 kilometers that we completed in about two hours – to spend the last three days in the country’s largest cities: Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka and Kobe.

Amid the presence of modern buildings and technological advances, these metropolitan cities are still conducive to green living. Despite blending into the rhythm of the city’s busy scene, many Japanese cosmopolites are still accustomed to creating gardens in their houses, apartments and even shops.

In Japan, even a crack in the sidewalk can be a place to grow a flower.

Miyajima Island

New routes Cathay Pacific Airways has added five additional flights between Jakarta to Hong Kong to provide a well-connected schedule to seven cities in Japan including Fukuoka, Nagoya, Osaka, Okinawa, Sapporo, Tokyo, and Hiroshima (to start in August.

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Pleased to meat you carnivorous delights outside of KOBE WORDS Brea Olivia Salim Photos AFP

It was the end of my third day in Osaka when I realized that I had eaten all I could in the city, which is often called “the nation’s kitchen” by the Japanese.

But I still had some room in my stomach for the next item on my culinary adventure: Kobe beef.

A one-hour train ride later, I made my way to Kobe and to Wakkoqu, one of the best-known restaurants serving Kobe beef - or more specifically, Tajima beef from Hyogo prefecture.

Upon arrival, I was seated across a teppanyaki grill and our chef. He showed us the meat he would be cooking for us that day, with its high-grade marbling.

For those unfamiliar with the term, “marbling” comes from the patterns that intramuscular fat makes in meat.

It did not disappoint: Kobe beef does literally melt in your mouth.

After my trip to Japan, I was fascinated by the tenderness (and taste) of the beef, so I spoke to Tomohiko Omori, the chef at Miyamato, the Japanese restaurant at the Hotel Borobudur in Jakarta.

“With American and Australian beef, the meat is tougher, as they are usually very healthy cows that are bred naturally and eat natural organic vegetables,” Omori said. “With the cows for Kobe beef, it is different. They don’t do that much exercise, because if they do, their meat becomes tough. Instead, they get massages everyday and also have special food.”

He continues. “Breeding Kobe beef requires people’s heart, not machines. This is why Kobe beef is very limited and very expensive.”

The chef was spot on when saying that eating Kobe beef can hurt your wallet.

The least expensive lunch set I tried at Wakkoqu, which offered a 130-gram Kobe sirloin, was 3,500 yen (Rp 380,400), while a 250-gram sirloin or 230-gram tenderloin was priced at 12,250 yen.

Don’t get me wrong – the culinary experience was definitely worth it. But, as a thrifty Indonesian, I sought out other options.

Omori says that gastronomes shouldn’t stop with Kobe. “There are a lot of different types of beef in Japan that have a similar breeding process to Kobe beef,” according to the chef. “Some might have more marbling. Some might be a little more tough. Some taste different – but they are more or less very similar to each other.”

Omori’s personal favorite is Kagoshima wagyu, a more marbled and tender beef that comes from cows raised in Kagoshima, a town that is hotter than Kobe.

“With colder seasons, the meat is usually harder, and vice versa with hotter weather,” Omori says.

With my taste buds stimulated after Osaka, l visited Hida-Takayama, a small town in the heart of the Japanese Alps, to try another one of these delicious beefs, hida-gyu, which comes from black-haired Japanese cattle raised in Gifu prefecture.

As Hida-Takayama is in a colder part of Japan, hida-gyu is a bit firmer than Kobe beef. The city offered endless options for the carnivore, with Hida-gyu skewers for sale at morning markets, Hida-gyu sukiyaki on the menu for lunch and Hida-gyu shabu-shabu for dinner.

I look forward to the next time I can devour this delicious delicacy. Trying Japanese beef was life changing. It makes me wonder how I will be able to get through life eating meat that I have to chew. Believe me when I say I’m still wondering about that, every day.

at your LEISURE

Ocean of

Heavenly Treats SUSHI TENGOKU OFFERS A SERIOUSLY AUTHENTIC TAKE ON THE POPULAR DISH. Words&Photos Agnes Ilyas

S

ushi, like many elements of Japanese culture, has long been popular in this city of ours – especially with younger Jakartans. Some might even say that it’s a hipster staple.

But what does an old lady like me know about being a hipster? I’m just somebody who likes good food.

Sushi has always been on my own personal top-10 for favorite eats.

There have been quite a variety of sushi joints popping up all over town in the past decade or so, typically serving fusion sushi. Most have been “Indonesianized” in flavor, and are frankly rather blah.

When you want authentic crème-de-la-crème sushi, you often have to resort to Japanese restaurants in fancy hotels, which tend to be very damaging to the pocketbook – and those joints in Blok M's Little Tokyo that are aimed at Japanese expats can be pricey and intimidating.

Recently, a friend of mine let me in on a little secret: Sushi Tengoku (the Japanese word for heaven). I had heard it mentioned in passing a few times, but it never interested me until this friend of mine (the foodiest foodie I know) pretty much prodded me to try it out.

There are several Tengokus in Jakarta (Pluit and Kelapa Gading are the others), but the one on Radio Dalam is the first and supposedly the most heavenly.

As a blow to my foodie cred, I have been going around the area for about two decades without ever visting it.

I was told that the place offered extremely authentic fare with a few fusion dishes – some with a decidedly local twist – and all at a price considerably lower than the popular mall joints.

So I grabbed my favorite guinea pig, a.k.a. my husband, and hightailed it to Radio Dalam one evening.

The signage wasn’t that visible from the road, so I passed it a few times. Eventually, I texted my friend who told me to look out for a pharmacy and a 7-Eleven. I found it not a stone’s throw from those landmarks.

Upon entering, we were greeted by a jovial and bouncy waitress who took us to our table. The decor was simple and unpretentious. I immediately knew that this place was the real deal, due to the fact that about two-thirds of the patrons in there with us were Japanese expats chowing away with pleasure.

One glance at the menus (Yes, plural: three different large plastic laminates with pictures galore), and we realized why they named the place “Heaven”. After agonizing over the choices, we ordered far more than what two people should eat at one sitting.

Upon the suggestion of my aforementioned friend, we ordered the Volcano Roll and The Kanisoka (crab meat) Special Roll. We also ordered the Nigiri Sushi Nami set (eight varieties including unagi (eel), scallops, tuna, and yellow fin), Salmon Onigiri (stuffed rice balls wrapped in seaweed), and my husband’s favorite: Sanma Shioyaki, which is grilled Pacific Saury fish.

As I said, we went nuts.

When we wanted to order sashimi, the kind waitress suggested we try Usuzukuri instead, which is “raw” fish, sliced tissue-paper thin and served with a special dipping sauce. Since it was something new to us, we immediately said yes.

She said we should go with the Usuzukuri Hata, or grouper, because it was exceptionally good that day, and so we did. Boy, were we glad. My husband and I now have a new favorite Japanese delicacy. The grouper almost melted in our mouth; it was simply divine.

The Volcano Roll had to be the best of its kind I have ever tasted anywhere in the world outside of Japan. The creamy mayo was tangy and soft at the same time.

As recommended, we ordered the Kanisoka Special roll with a decidedly local twist: three chopped-up Bird’s Eye rawit chilies blended into the Kani, which added a brilliantly fresh and fiery kick to it. The onigiri and shioyaki were very lovely but not mind-blowing, just the way one would expect those items to taste.

For our beverages, we went for the usual cold ocha tea, because it does not interfere with the palette and does a great job of clearing and preparing it for the next flavors.

The meal comes with free fruit for dessert, which we felt was a nice way to end it.

But the greatest finishing touch to the whole heavenly experience for us was the bill, far less than I’ve ever paid in any sushi restaurant in town, considering the feast we ordered.

During the drive home, I must have annoyed my husband my constantly ranting about why the heck we hadn’t gone there before in the last 20 years.

It just goes to show that even if you’ve lived in this city for decades, Jakarta will always have something up her sleeve to surprise you.

Sushi Tengoku Jl. Radio Dalam Raya, No. F11, South Jakarta Telephone: 021-7396940, 021-7233973

JPlus July 26, 2015

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alamode

woman Sharp-dressed

DRESS LIKE RIHANNA AT WORK, EVERY DAY OF THE WEEK WORDS Natalie Kitroeff

Don’t let the fact that Rihanna once arrived at an awards show in an entirely transparent dress stop you from wearing her outfits to work. Here is a helpful day-by-day guide to Rihanna looks you can rock at the office.

Monday

The Media

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JPlus July 26, 2015

ff/Fil m Jon K opalo

Rihanna somehow makes baby pink look like a legitimate office option. Try this two-piece suit from Altuzarra’s spring 2015 collection for a meeting with your work boo or your boss. It exudes prehump-day enthusiasm for work. Just be sure to wear something else – a tank top, or at the very least a bra – with the blazer.

Thursday

Rihanna brings us an orange Chanel getup fit for Angela Merkel, if Merkel wore miniskirts.

Corporate has never looked so fly. This is good for job interviews, morning meetings, or impressing your parents with your status in life.

bloomberg

Circuit/A

KM-GSI via

bloomberg

Tuesday

Magic

via bl oomb

erg

This treasure is quintessential Rihanna work edition. It is a scrub pinstripe pantsuit by Alexander Wang, and only a little bit fancier than pajamas, which is what we should all shoot for when we dress for work. Perfect starting the week and looking like you’ve tried – a little. One half of the uniform is on sale for US$119 at Barneys.

alamode

Wednesday

Here are some actual pajamas. Rihanna wore this shiny couch-wear from the Fall 2012 Emilio Pucci collection to a premiere of Battleship, a movie that cost $220 million to make. You can wear it to your office. Put it on before bed, wake up, go to work, feel luxurious.

Repeat as many times as feels right.

Saturday

bloomberg

Koki Nagahama/Ge

tty Images

bloomberg

Wearing this white jumpsuit from Max Azria in an urban environment may seem risky. Just think about the snow in New York right now: it’s pretty dirty. But guess what? Life is full of risks. Take this one, it’s a really hot jumpsuit. Plus, if you have to work on Saturday, you should bring Saturday levels of ferocity.

friday

Rebel against casual Fridays and rent a puffy Dolce & Gabbana tuxedo.

Get some black gloves and a black little bow-tie. Roll up to work looking like a concert pianist.

sunday

This is just a hoodie that ends way later than normal. It’s a Snuggie for outside, created

by DKNY and currently sold out at Opening Ceremony. This is what you wear to show the kind of boss that makes you come in on a Sunday exactly how you feel about them.

GVK/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images via bloomberg

JPlus July 26, 2015

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personality

tara tiba

personality

HAILING FROM IRAN, THIS EMERGING AUSTRALIABASED SINGER WITH DIVA-LIKE LOOKS COMBINES CULTURAL AND MUSICAL WORLDS.

WORDS HANNAH MADDISON-HARRIS photos courtesy tara tiba

T

ara Tiba arrived in Perth, Western Australia, three years ago as a skilled migrant working in architecture. But she soon moved on from creating buildings to getting her musical career off the ground.

She began studying music in her childhood – and as a young woman undertook seven years of training in the classical Radif system.

As an adult, Tara recorded a set of songs in Iran, but was unable to release them due to restrictions on women publicly performing in her home country.

Following her move to Australia, Tara continued to study music, forming a band and releasing her debut album, A Persian Dream.

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“I got what I needed [in Perth],” Tara told Jplus recently in Adelaide, South Australia.

While grateful for her architectural background - which she said gave her “a broader view of art” – Tara says that being a musician has been more personal. Channelling herself into her art is what makes her work so compelling.

Her band’s music is innovative: There are few others fusing the motifs of traditional Persian classical music with the genre of Western jazz at present.

Besides performing at festivals and venues in Australia, Tara and her band are set to play in New York City at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. “World Music in Australia is still

struggling,” Tara said, adding that it’s because of globalization that performers can now travel and tour.

She says that Perth, a city just shy of two million residents that is known for its isolation from the rest of Australia, has a good jazz scene. Tara says that she has no plans to relocate from the metropolis any time soon.

Tara, who is self-managed, said that balancing her administrative chores, such as bookings and arranging studio time, with her work as a professional musician has not always been easy, admitting that sometimes she might “spend more time on [the business] than the music”.

Performing on International Women’s Day at the recent WOMADelaide music and arts festival in Adelaide, Tara appeared regal and commanding in a floor-length blue gown with long sheer sleeves and statement jewellery around her neck.

Surrounded by five band members on a range of instruments, namely the guitar, the saz (long-necked Middle Eastern lute), drums, the tonbak (goblet drums), the daf (frame drum), saxophone and double bass, Tara reigned over the traditional songs with original arrangements amid her band’s jazz improvisation.

The performers turned to classical

Persian influences for inspiration, such as the works of Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi, better known as Rumi, the 13thcentury Sufi poet whose works remain popular throughout South and Central Asia; as well as Hafez, the 14th-century poet famed for his creations in the ghazal format, and Baba Taher, the revered poet from Hamadan who wrote in 11th century.

Tara says that Persian classical music and jazz have a common quality of improvisation, meaning that both genres lend themselves to fusion.

A Persian Dream is a highly listenable album, despite the unfamiliarity of the language and a genre that might be unusual for most jazz fans. Tara’s highly trained vocal technique and deep, layered songs create a unique sound.

She’s a go-getter, with her performance at WOMADelaide coming about after she sought out the festival’s director and handed him an album that was only partially finished at the time, hoping he would invite her band to perform.

Tara’s position in the line-up put her among the likes of international women artists such as Ireland’s Sinead O’Connor and Canadian Cree singer and activist Buffy Sainte-Marie.

One song, Tara said during her live performance, told the story of a man who moved to Azerbaijan but who couldn’t get back to his homeland and had to cope with leaving loved ones behind. “That’s the story of immigration for me,” she added.

Tara was at home as she belted out her Persian lyrics on an outdoor stage surrounded by quintessentially Australian eucalyptus trees. Her drive and ability to blend not only musical worlds but also two cultures is clear.

Later, Tara told people in the audience that the song she was about to sing was about having faith in the future.

“That’s where it always works, if you hold on to hope”.

Tara cited Europe and the US as the next markets for her to explore. “My music could go further,” the up-andcoming performer said.

Fatayer

tasteBUD

CHEESE-FILLED TREATS FROM THE MIDDLE EAST Words & Photos Theodora Hurustiati

W

hile I was researching Ramadhan recipes, I came across these savory pastries called fatayer; quite popular in Middle Eastern and Arabic countries and eaten mainly as snacks or at teatime. They come in different forms and fillings. Square ones are usually filled with minced meat, pyramids are full of spinach and cheese ones are shaped like little “boats”. I gave the later a try by adapting the recipe using feta and mozzarella since akkawi - the fresh cheese used originally - is hard to find outside the region. Feel free to get creative with the cheeses available at your local grocery store.

Fatayer Dough

• 350 g flour plus 25 g for dusting • 125 g plain yogurt • 100 g lukewarm water • 5 g dried yeast • 1 tablespoon sugar • A pinch of salt • 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Cheese Filling • 200 g feta cheese • 100 g shredded mozzarella cheese • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil • Few fresh mint leaves • Few fresh parsley • Salt, if needed

Mix yeast, sugar and water. Stir and let stand for 5 minutes until slightly frothy.

Combine flour and salt in a large bowl. Create a well in the center and pour in yogurt, 3 tablespoons of the olive oil and the bubbly yeast mixture.

Combine until the dough comes together and doesn’t stick to the bowl.

Transfer onto a lightly floured working surface and knead for about 10 minutes until it’s soft and elastic. Make sure to apply pressure with your palms and fold the dough a few times while kneading as if you’re washing a cloth.

Shape dough into a ball and lightly brush its surface with some of the remaining oil. Place it back into the bowl and cover with cling film.

Leave to proof at room temperature for about 1.5 hours until it

has risen and has almost doubled in volume. Meanwhile, prepare the filling.

Crumble feta cheese and combine with the mozzarella cheese, oil, chopped parsley and mint. Add salt if necessary. Divide into 10 small balls of about 30 grams each and shape them to resemble leaves.

Once the dough has risen, knock the air down with your fist and divide into 10 small balls of about 60 grams each. Brush the surface lightly with oil to prevent it from drying.

Flatten each ball into a 0.5-cm thick oval disc using a rolling pin. Place the filling in the center and fold the sides inwards to create a boat shape pie (see picture).

Brush again with a veil of oil and bake at 200°C for about 2025 minutes until the pastries are golden.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Jakarta-born chef Theodora Hurustiati, a 12-year resident of Udine, Italy, was the runner-up in the TV cooking program La Scuola – Cucina di Classe (The School: Classy Cooking) in 2011.

JPlus July 26, 2015

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trendDIAL

Ray-Ban Round Flash Collection

Inspired by 1960s counterculture, RayBan’s latest series, Round Flash, celebrates a hippy vibe as it recalls Woodstock and the British invasion. These sunnies are available with lenses in dazzling colors such as silver, blue, green, mauve, copper, yellow and red. Featuring its signature circular model that has been worn by legendary musicians, the collection looks retro while coming with advancements such as a curved brow bar, adjustable nose pads and thin metal temples with comfortable plastic end tips that rest behind the ears. To ensure you never go unnoticed, the mirror coating helps deflect envious glances for greater visual comfort.

Soie Dior by Victoire de Castellane

Three Animals

Chinese-born Paris-based designer Ming Yin just released her latest collection, Three Animals. Combining Eastern and Western elements, Yin turns indigo-dyed fabrics and hand-woven materials from India and China into bomber jackets reworked in crumpled textile. Perfect for summer raging, her mandarin collar shirts and blazers have a breezy feeling to go along with pleated slouched-fit trousers. Differing from designers who don’t think about the sources of their ideas – and who evince a “Made in China” prejudice – Yin believes it is time to give credit to her country of origin, offering pieces that combine artistry, top-notch materials and high-quality construction.

Dior once said that no elegant woman follows fashion slavishly.

The house's latest jewelry collection, Soie Dior, offers a haute-couture statement in rich exquisite forms. Known for her unexpected concoctions of distinct colors and gems, designer Victoire de Castellane has made nouveau creations that bridge couture and bijouterie brilliantly. Combining diamonds, pink sapphires in gold, emeralds and rubies, de Castellane echoes the shininess of silk. While no two pieces are alike, de Castellane shows that the mark of true high jewelry is to pay as great attention to the back of a piece as the front.

Embrace the

psychedelic IT’S TIME FOR A DEVIL-MAY-CARE ATTITUDE

De Bethune

Alena Akhmadullina

Ever thought going whimsically blue for summer? Alena Akhmadullina recently debuted her head-turning Resort 2016 collection, complete with a good dose of folktales and nature.

Known as an exotic fusion of Russian and Parisian audacity, Akhmadullina offers designs that boldly represent the modern independent woman.

Inspired by Sadko, a character from the Russian folk tale The Sea King’s Daughter, Akhmadullina has transformed cashmere and fur into waves and sea foams with delicately cut and printed Hokusai-like rip curls on silk and chiffon. Above all, her collection is a statement of prestige and abundance.

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JPlus July 26, 2015

The De Bethune DB25 Midnight Blue and White Night series of watches may appear modest on the dial-side, showing only hours and minutes. But turn them over to uncloak a universe of intricacy and see house-made automatic movement that shows no balance-wheel movement.

Most of the parts are patented, including the watches’ unique shape, flat terminal curves, triple pare-chute shock-absorbing system and even their unique silicon escapement wheels. + Banyubening Prieta