Kansai Scene #160 September 2013

Kansai’s English Magazine

無料 issue 160 September 2013

www.kansaiscene.com

Glorious Great Britain Just smashing: afternoon tea, a heavenly garden, and patriotic cooking Plus+ The GB files: who’s doing what in Kansai Oxford: not just a college town

Listings: Where to go & what to do Kansai Scene is proudly published and printed by Mojoprint

Events / Art / Film / Live / Club / Maps & Classifieds

Kansai Scene magazine September 2013 kansaiscene.com

Contents

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Features Features

The GB Files

p08

Venetia’s Garden

p12

Oxford, UK

p10

© Nearski

Travel COVER ARTIST: Nearski Wierd and wonderful birds taking tea feature on this month’s cover. Find out more about the artist, Nearski, in our interview on p.36.

Food and Drink

There’s always time for tea

p16

Makani, Kobe

p21

12

10

14

16

21

26

Made in Kansai

Broadhurst’s p14 Business Matters

Alan Gibson: J Soccer Magazine p07 Events

World Craft Beer Tasting

p26

Listings Events p22 Film p27 Art

p30

Club

p32

Live Music

p34

Business Finder

p38

Classifieds p40 Maps p44

kansaiscene

@kansaiscene

Kansai Scene is published monthly by Mojoprint Publisher/Creative Director...............Daniel Lee Editor.............................................. Carla Avolio Sub-editor................................Donna Sheffield Production Manager..................... Rie Okamoto Accounts Manager......................... Michiko Lee

Art....................................................Colin Smith Event & Festival............................ Yuki Uchibori Film................................................. Adam Miller Live music................................. Phillip Jackson Club.................................................Terumi Tsuji

Interested in writing for Kansai Scene? Please contact editor@kansaiscene.com after reviewing our writers guidelines: kansaiscene.com/write-for-us

DISCLAIMER Opinions expressed herein are not necessarily endorsed by the publisher. We take no responsibility for the quality or content of advertisements. Public and private parties appproached by those claiming to work for or on behalf of Kansai Scene should call this office to confirm the truth of any such claim, especially where money may be involved.

Contact Kansai Scene General mailbox@kansaiscene.com Editorial editor@kansaiscene.com Advertising sales@kansaiscene.com Tel. 06-6539-1717 Fax. 06-7635-4791 Address Osaka-shi, Nishi-ku, Shinmachi 3-5-7, Eiko Bldg. 2F Website kansaiscene.com A bit of history Kansai Scene was founded by Peter Horvath and Nishikawa Keiko in 2000 and published by Jatin Banker between 2003 – 2011. Published monthly, KS provides English articles, information and listings for visitors and residents of the Kansai area.

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Kansai Scene magazine September 2013 kansaiscene.com

Got some news?

for on the lookout KS is always ents and new newsworthy ev n. und tow openings aro ggestions to Email your su cene.com ais editor@kans

News & Openings

Future shorts for summer

Check out the new buns

KANSAI — The world’s biggest short film festival is back for summer season with three separate screenings in Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe. At each event, for ¥2,000 you can watch six short films and have one drink. It’s a great chance to watch some independent movies from around the world, and meet new international friends.

Kyoto’s event is on Sept 15, Osaka is on Sep 28 and Kobe is on Sep 21. You must register to attend as spaces are limited, so check the Facebook page as soon as possible.

SANNOMIYA — If you’ve ever sunk your teeth into the delicious Malaysian baked creation, the rotiboy, you’ll be happy to hear they’ve finally arrived in Japan. Those who haven’t tried it are in for a treat. A soft oval with a crispy top and buttery taste, the rotiboy is also known as a Mexican coffee bun, though it has absolutely nothing to do with Mexico. Combined with a coffee it makes a sweet on-the-go bready breakfast. Roty’s Roty, nestled under the train track between Sannomiya and Motomachi JR stations, is offering a cafe menu as well as several flavours of the bun with gooey fillings. Roty’s Roty is open 11.30am-midnight.

KOBE — As reported in last month’s Kansai Scene, a massive party will taking place across multiple venues in Kobe this month. Kinyoubi no Yoru wa Kobe de Kimari, or KYKK runs from September 27 to October 6 and costs ¥2,000 for an entry wristband. During the party, simply wear a wristband to get special deals in more than 200 venues. There’s also a main hall event with live shows, fashion, stand-up comedy, DJs and loads more.

facebook.com/events/202020813292692

rotysroty.jp

project-kykk.com

Calling all you party people

Free music to our ears KANSAI — For the fifth year running, the Kansai Music Conference (KMC) will be in town this month. Japan’s only globally-oriented music conference features bilingual seminars, workshops and networking opportunities as well as some live music to enjoy.

Events are taking place across four days. On September 20 there’s an opening ceremony at the Hard Rock Cafe Osaka. September 21 will be alive with live performances across many venues in Osaka and Kobe. September 22 and 23 hosts the conference and festival itself at Osaka Museum of History. Most of these events are free. kansaimusicconference.com

Baby M (Tokyo)

Top: Katya (US), Left: Go Gerila! (Malaysia), Right: Florez Duo (Peru/Osaka)

Kansai Scene magazine September 2013 kansaiscene.com

Score for footy fans KOBE — This month’s Kansai Scene Business Matters event

will be featuring Alan Gibson, who publishes a J-league soccer magazine. See p7 this issue for more about Alan.

The talk will be on Sep 18 at KR&AC Kobe, 7:30–9:30pm.

Entry is ¥1,000 w/1d.

kansaiscene.com/businessmatters

Business Networking and

Presentation Event

The Beautiful Game

J Soccer Magazine Whether as player, supporter or referee, Alan Gibson has a passion for football.

After 20 years in Japan, he fulfilled his lifelong dream of publishing a J.League mag by releasing J Soccer Magazine in 2011.

Alan will be talking us through the ideas behind its inception and the challenges of publishing a niche market magazine.

Expect a flurry of star-stud ded J.League anecdotes along the way. Drinks at full-time.

Date:

Sep 18 (Wed)

Venue: Kobe Regatt a & Athletic Club (KR&A C), Sannomiya Time: 7:30–9:30pm (doors open 7:00pm ) Entry: ¥1,000 w/1d Address: Kobe Regatta & Athletic Club, 2-1-20 Tel: 078-231-2271 Hachiman-dori, Kobe-shi, • Access: Sannomiy Hyogo 651-0085 a sta. (5 mins walk) • Url: www.krac.org

To register for this

event, see either

: www.kansaiscene.com /businessmatters www.facebook.com/g roups/ksbusinessmatte rs

Bringing in the harvest OZO — Fancy seeing how rice is harvested in Japan? Get your hands (and everything else) dirty at Peace & Nature’s organic harvest event. If the weather’s good, it’ll be held on Saturday, September 21. If it’s heavy rain, it’ll be done the next day. Meet the team at the Fruit Flower Park at 9.40am to get directed to the farm. Participation costs from ¥250 to ¥1,000 depending on your age and if you are a member of their supporter’s club. Please contact them by September 17 to register for the event.

Tel: 078-778-5291 info@peace-and-nature.com • peace-and-nature.com

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French Connections The latest news for francophiles in Kansai,

by Stephan Ducoup

Bonjour and félicitations!

Summer is behind us as we finally head into the month we’ve all been waiting for - September. It’s funny because when I was a kid in France, I always dreaded this month. This is because in France, school, university and the work year start in September, rather than April like in Japan. So September meant that it was time to exchange my beach sandals and shirt for leather shoes and heavy school bags. But living in Japan, September has become my favorite month. It means no more sweating every day, cooler evenings, and nights without air con… just paradise. So in the spirit of ‘70s band Earth Wind and Fire’s smash hit ‘September’ (Ba de ya/say do you remember/Ba de ya/ dancing in September/Ba de ya/never was a cloudy day) let’s boogie at some French events this month.

OSAKA: See the six-part tapestry celebrated as one of the greatest masterpieces of Medieval European art during its first visit to Japan. The Lady and the Unicorn from the Musee de Cluny at the National Museum of Art, Osaka, until 20 October.

KYOTO: Polish your French and have fun with an afternoon of French games at Institut français du Japon in Kyoto, 14 September, 4:30pm-6pm.

France Kansai is meeting in Umeda and Kyoto. Check link for the exact date and place (facebook.com/ francekansai) If you prefer to stay at home, don’t forget to check your new episode of the French and Japanese web drama PARIS ALEAS on www.parisaleas.com

Dress up and party OSAKA — Trick or treating and carving lanterns out of pumpkins may not be big in Japan, but dressing up and partying hard definitely are part of the annual halloween tradition. Start planning your outfit now then, for the first Kansai Scene

Halloween Costume Party!

Dress up, bring your friends and enjoy three hours of all-you-can-drink party fun, with prizes for best costumes, an international finger-food spread and non-stop music guaranteed to keep you on the dance floor.

Oct 26 (Sat) at Pure Osaka • Time: 7–10pm • Entry: ¥3,000 (¥2,500 for students – with valid ID) • All-you-can-drink • facebook.com/kansaiscene/events

Charity art project KYOTO — A collaborative art exhibition by Kyoto-based Brazilian artist, Walderedo De Oliveira opens this month.

At Bridges to Brazil “Small Art for Big Nature” exhibition, 10% of proceeds will be donated to www.survivalinternational.org, a charity dedicated to improving the lives of indigenous peoples around the world, including the Amazon rainforest and its native inhabitants.

The opening party is on Sep 20 (Fri), and will feature live painting, body painting dance and music. The exhibition runs from Sep 19–Oct 4 at Halo Galo, Kyoto. cafe-hello.jp

Networking opportunities Seminars & presentations Connecting professionals in Kansai.

Parties & events

Presentation & networking event:

The Beautiful Game

with J-Soccer Magazine publisher, Alan Gibson Sep 18, Wed, 7:30–9:30pm @ Kobe Regatta & Athletic Club, Sannomiya Entry: ¼1,000 w/1d More details and event registration:

kansaiscene.com/businessmatters facebook.com/groups/ksbusinessmatters

Kansai Scene magazine September 2013 kansaiscene.com

Business Matters

The beautiful game Whether as player, supporter or referee, Alan Gibson has a passion for football. After 20 years in Japan, he fulfilled his lifelong dream of publishing a J.League fanzine by releasing J Soccer Magazine in 2011. KS tackled him about the challenges of publishing.

Text and images: Kansai Scene

Kansai Scene: What was your motivation to start JSM? Alan Gibson: My original idea was simply to do a free magazine about J.League football. I was at the first J.League game and was a fan of Japanese football even before it became the J.League 20 years ago. I was following Matsushita Denki at the time (now Gamba Osaka). I started a website (jsoccer.com) blogging about J.League news and had always wanted to take that further.

KS: Who are your readers?

AG: Essentially it is English speakers but from all over the world: Indonesia, Thailand, England, Scotland, Australia. Those are the direct subscribers anyway. The domestic sales of the magazine are harder to pin down. The magazine is mostly English, but I do try to throw in a little Japanese. Ideally it would be 50-50 but it’s difficult.

KS: What is your revenue model?

AG: Despite initially wanting it to be free, the magazine is for sale. We were able to get sponsors - notably Nike and Asics - which helps cover printing costs. We have a pay-what-you-like system online for accessing PDFs. Some people pay just ¥100 yet others will pay ¥2,500. Every little helps. The writers are all volunteers, but the translators and magazine designer are paid.

After the first three issues, I signed up with a large Japanese publishing house called Baseball Magazine-sha,

who distribute the magazine in Japan.

It works well because I get some free images from the big image banks and they don’t interfere with the content.

Ultimately though, we need more sponsors if we are to survive. Attracting those is the hardest part of the process. I have had to be bold and use the direct approach to even get this far, but people prefer to shower us with kudos and goodwill than pledge advertising dollars.

KS: Is it a one-man operation, or do you have a team?

AG: Essentially it is just myself. I had a partner until recently and of course there are the contributors and designer, but all the management and day to day running are done by me.

KS: Is publishing JSM your fulltime occupation?

AG: It takes up a lot of my time, but I have to do other work to pay the bills. It isn’t a money-spinner. I referee J.League practice games, write for Gamba Osaka and Vissel websites, and occasionally still DJ (my main breadwinner in life - 30+ years in almost 20 countries) to make ends meet.

KS: Do you have a digital version?

AG: Aside from the PDF version, no.

I’m thinking to create an App, but am still in the planning stages.

KS: Who are your competitors?

AG: Many of the big soccer mags mention J.League or release out-of-

date results, but as far as I know, there is no-one else publishing a dedicated English-language J.League magazine.

KS: How do you see JSM developing in the future?

AG: There is a new J3 League being launched next year and I would like to cover those smaller teams. Also women’s football. It just so happens that Rokko Island is home to the best women’s team in Japan (if not the world) - INAC Kobe Leonessa.

KS: Any advice for someone looking to start their own special interest magazine?

AG: Ha! Don’t. It’s no get-rich-quick scheme. But if you are prepared to put in the hard work and have a passion for whatever it is you are doing, it can be extremely rewarding.

To get your own copy, or find out more about Japan Soccer Magazine, visit: www.jsoccer.com

The Beautiful Game: J Soccer Magazine Want to learn more about everything J.League and gets some tips for starting your own mag? Join us at the next KSBM meeting to listen to Alan’s presentation.

• Date: Sep 18, Wed • Venue: KR&AC, Sannomiya, Kobe • Entry: ¥1,000 w/1d For full details and registration visit: kansaiscene.com/businessmatters

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Kansai Scene magazine September 2013 kansaiscene.com

Brighton

The GB Files What leads to one swapping tea with the Queen for sencha with the Emperor? Meet some of Kansai’s British expat royalty.

Text: Compiled by Sam Evans

From artists to businessmen, culinary extraordinaires to animal rights activists, Brits have had, and continue to have, quite the impact on Kansai (if not just in keeping the pubs in business). What brings Brits to Kansai? And what exactly makes them stay - despite the distinct unavailability of reasonablypriced PG Tips?

Elizab

er eth Anne Oliv

The Consul General

Simon Fisher

Feature

The Animal Lover

Somerset t what you do Tell us abou fuge Kansai, of Animal Re I’m the CEO anagement of olved in the m t ARK. I’m inv ion. We adop at this organis r all aspects of ou on ucate funds and ed animals, raise aff in Osaka st 30 er ov ve cause. We ha . come? d 400 animals why did you and Tokyo, an Kansai and in en be u yo ve ha How long riosity. me out of cu Too long! I ca n? pa a.

First job in Ja rsity in Osak ish at a unive Teaching Engl t? ou ng ha er m nsai Sum Favourite Ka Home! taught you? t Japanese ing in Japan What has liv me a lot abou als has taught im an y nderful ra st wo some Dealing with azy but also met some cr rld, ve ha wo I e d th an re in society ists everywhe of to animals ex k lty lac ue d Cr an e le. nc peop s from ignora uelty here stem . ed ne but I think cr als feel and of what anim understanding

Tell us about what you do and Head of I’m the UK Consul General tern Japan. wes for ent Trade and Investm ent’s ernm gov sh Briti the t I represen t interesting mos the far by in ests inter leading our half of Japan. This involves licising pub in team al Consulate-Gener ltural country with shared i-cu mult e, vativ inno an Britain as ent into the UK from stm g inve values of Japan; promotin nce and innovation scie ing build and Japanese companies; e and leading western Japanes research links between UK Kyodai. universities like Handai and e to Kansai?

Why and when did you com sh to learn Japanese at the Briti ago s I came to Japan 23 year four s; year n seve I’ve lived here for Embassy language school. in Kansai.

First job in Japan? in assy, visiting British nationals Vice-Consul at the Tokyo Emb Fuchu prison. hangout?

Favourite Kansai summer hbouring Clapham Inn and the neig My local “British pub” the tapas bar in Ashiyagawa. taught you?

What has living in Japan few words of Kansai-Ben a king spea r igne fore That a guarantees a laugh.

Peter John Broadhurst

Leicester

The Patissiere

Tell us about what you do I’m the owner of Broadhurst’s Patis

and Cacao En Masse chocolaterie

serie

in

Osaka, where I create and produce cakes, bread, chocolates and biscu

from around the world; especially

British items.

When and why did you originally

I first came to Kansai 15 years ago

lovers a different side to baking.

First job in Japan?

I was first employed at Nakatani

its

come to Kansai? to show Japanese cake

Patisserie in Osaka as Sous Chef for four years before opening my own shops.

Favourite Kansai Summer Hang out?

The beach at Kotobikihama, Kyot o.

What has moving to Japan taug ht you?

Since moving to Osaka I’ve beco me more of an opportunist but also more patient and have learn ed to be open-minded about everything I encounter.

Philip Harper

The Sake Brewer

Cornwall

David Syrad

The Businessman

Carshalton, Surrey Tell us about what you do I’m the owner and CEO of AKI Japan Ltd. We provide support and project management for foreign-owned companies dealing with Japanese businesses globally and for Japanese companies dealing with Europe and North

America. I’m also a managing partner in CBI Partners founded in Yokohama in 2007.

When and why did you originally come to Kansai?

I’ve lived here twice: 1979 to 1983 and 1997 to now; mainly in Kansai, but often working and staying in Kanto or travelling to the US, Europe and Asia. I’ve travelled far too much! I was originally curious about the culture after seeing a dramatisation

Tell us about what you do I’m the master brewer at Kinoshita Sake Brewery where I’m in cha rge of the sharp end of the sake brewing business. This is my twenty-third year as a sake brewer.

When and why did you come to Japan?

I’ve been in Japan since Showa 63 (1988).

Apart from a one week orie ntation in Tokyo when I arrived, and a ten month stint in a brewery in Ibaragi Pre fecture, I have been in Kansai the whole time. I was attracte d to the exoticness that Japan offe red, and the chance to enc ounter a language with no links to European languages.

What was your very firs t job in Japan?

I was an English teacher in Osaka City schools with the JET Programme.

Favourite summer han gout in Kansai?

Somewhere cool, if ther e is anywhere like that!

of Basho’s Narrow Road to the Deep North on a school trip

Alan Gibson

when I was 14.

Birmingham

The Football Fanatic

First job in Japan?

Tell us about what you do I’m the owner and publisher of J Soccer magazine - a niche magazine covering

English teacher in Mie. Favourite Kansai summer hangout?

Seta river in Shiga.

What has living in Japan taught you?

That education is a key factor in creating a civil society.

That all societies have strengths and weaknesses. That time flows slowly inside karaoke bars, but the time flow outside is unaltered…

stories on all aspects of J.League football.

I also referee matches and have recently started my own kids soccer school.

When and why did you originally come to Kansai?

Portopia Hotel I came 25 years ago in November to DJ at the in Kobe for a month!

First job in Japan?

Stephen Gill

The Poet

Harrogate, Yorkshire Tell us about what you do I am a haiku poet, radio scriptwriter, and translator. I’m also an English and Comparative Cultures lecturer for both Kyoto and Ryukoku Universities.

When and why did you originally come to Kansai? and I originally came to Japan out of a love for haiku poems wrote.

Basho Matsuo which about places the visit to wanted 1974, I After working and studying in and out of Japan since came to Kyoto to stay in 1995.

First job in Japan?

An Information officer for a diamond company in Tokyo.

Favourite Kansai summer hangout?

Kumihama, Tango.

What has living in Japan taught you? but To value soulful moments more than monumental works, ment also the dangers of unnecessary, ill-conceived develop projects like nuclear power stations in earthquake zones!

Working as a DJ for Juliana’s Tokyo.

Favourite Kansai summer hangout?

Kobe Regatta & Athletic Club What has living in Japan taught you?

If you put your mind to it and your heart is in anything in Japan.

Kevin Elliott

it, you can do

The Economist

Stratford upon Avon Tell us about what you do I’m the Director of Finance and Business Operations at Canadian Academy - an international school in Kobe. Our team prepares annual budgets, oversees spending and plans capital projects.

When and why did you come to Kansai?

I originally came to Japan 15 years ago on the JET programme, I came to Kansai after three years.

First Job in Japan?

ALT in Oita city.

Favourite Kansai summer hangout?

The River mall on Rokko Island.

What has living in Japan taught you?

That anything is possible and to take risks,

whenever and wherever they appear.

grabbing chances

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Kansai Scene magazine September 2013 kansaiscene.com

SHETLAND ISLANDS

NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN

ORKNEY ISLANDS

HEBRIDES

Travel

Spires and dreaming

Scotland

Aberdeen

Ben Nevis

North Sea Edinburgh

Glasgow

Northern Ireland

Newcastle

Belfast

Isle of Man

IRELAND

Irish Sea

Manchester Liverpool

England Wales

Birmingham

Oxford Cardiff Bristol

LONDON

In England’s most famous college town, academic legacy, modernity, and the countryside converge with surprising results.

Text and images: Skye Hohmann

From a distance, across the hazy English countryside, few things are prettier than Oxford’s dreaming spires. The honey-coloured sandstone towers that reach up above the leafy valley seem delicate and unreal.

But Oxford is real enough, even with its many mythologies, its plural nature, and the vivid fictions that overlay it.

It’s a funny place; a city made of many ideas that pushes against itself, forcing branches out along the Thames and Cherwell rivers, but manages to hold together as an incohesive whole.

It has been said that Oxford – home of arguably the world’s most famous university – is not one city, but rather three cities that overlay each other: the academic institution, which is itself a kind of city; the modern, multicultural city, home to factories and theatres, hip cafes and Halal grocery stores; and the ancient English country town, with red-faced farmers in for Sunday roast in the pubs and game hanging in the covered market in all seasons.

I lived there once, and now, it’s difficult to separate nostalgia from regret when I think about the beautiful, storied city, set amidst the improbable kelly green landscape of the Thames Valley as it rises towards the low, rolling hills of the Cotswolds. Oxford is a city that keeps her secrets well, and every time I return there is something I have never seen before, a place I have never visited, a pub I have never tried.

Fractal-like, even the University is more a federation of colleges and institutions than a cohesive campus.

Up close, the warm stone buildings of Oxford University are abruptly angled, and on dark days loom menacingly.

Up close Oxford has a lot of walls.

Long before the modern city grew up around it, the medieval town was walled against the wilderness and wildness outside the gates, with the great colleges themselves walled within it and against it. Parts of the ancient city wall still stand, and the colleges are so fortified that from the roads no trace of the lush lawns and gardens inside are visible.

I have been behind them, though.

Most are open to the public, and at prescribed times and for a fee you can walk the grounds and visit the chapels and dining halls and quadrangles of the great colleges. Magdalen, enchanting with its chapel and the Cherwell meandering lazily by, has its deer park, Christchurch its buttercupped meadow that stretches down to the Thames, and Worcester is so large that a small lake fits behind the ancient walls. There is an unstudied grace to the formal beauty of the lawns and gardens, manicured vegetation lapping up against the ochre Cotswold-sandstone buildings that span nearly a millennium of the best of British architecture.

My student connections get me in for social events, and I have been to the

Kansai Scene magazine September 2013 kansaiscene.com

Getting there There are no direct flights from Kansai to the UK, but transit via Europe or Asia e.g.

KLM (via Amsterdam) or Korean Airlines (via Seoul) are good options to get to London. From there Oxford is about an hour away by train or bus.

When to go The best time to see the city in all its sandstone glory is Jul–Aug, but beware, the British summer can be fickle.

Far left: Traditional Morris Dancers.

Above-left: The Perch, one of many picturesque pubs to be found around Oxford.

Above-right: Canal boat cruising along the Thames.

Where to stay There are numerous good hotels and B&B options to be found online, but how about

kind of formal dinners that I thought had died out a century or more ago – butlers ring dinner gongs, champagne is served before, port passed to the left after, and wine flows lavishly in between – and even, once, to a ball. Behind the walls, the often-closed gates, is an enchanted, privileged world.

It is no wonder that tensions between “town” and “gown” have historically run so high. Blood has been shed on both sides, most famously in 1355 when things came to a head, aptly, on St. Scholastica’s day. Despite the still-thriving Morris car factory (now run by BMW) that helped shape the city, and the multitude of cultures that converge there, modern Oxford seems compelled to try to prove itself as something more than a university town. Even now a kind of half-friendly rivalry hangs in the air.

The real centre of Oxford’s modern side is outside the university and off the tourist route. Its real heart is the Cowley Road: a stretch of low, unexciting buildings that house pubs and music venues tucked between Halal butchers, Middle Eastern grocery stores, bike shops, thrift stores, record stores and off licences that sell expired alcohol at cut rates. It has a gritty, alive, very nearly working class feel, though most of the moderately hip crowd are more likely to be junior editors at Oxford University Press than factory workers at East Oxford’s BMW Mini plant.

July begins on Cowley Road with the Cowley Road Carnival: a mix of

spectacular hippy parade and music festival. The festival is a rowdy, inclusive event, with plenty of food, cheap beer, and truly excellent music. You can dance all afternoon to Oxford’s best new bands, and drink all evening in pub gardens. No-one cares which direction drinks are passed in. If this intentionally takes place after the students have finished soaking each other with champagne to celebrate the end of their exams and gone home for the summer or not, no one mentions it.

At roughly the geographical centre of the city is the pedestrian only Cornmarket Street. Now lined with mobile phone shops, chain clothing stores, and run-of-the-mill buskers, this was once the centre of town, where farmers brought in their harvest. The country town still penetrates the heart of the city, though it’s better hidden now.

Tucked in just behind Cornmarket, game hangs – still fur coated – from the butcher shops in the Covered Market, and people come in from the surrounding countryside to shop, or have a fried breakfast or a meat pie at one of the many cheap and cheerful eateries.

Just outside the old city walls, where the Oxford Canal splits from the Thames, the countryside itself juts a promontory of green into the impressive terraced houses that make up Jericho. Port Meadow and Wolvercote Common, which blend into each other in a huge stretch of flood-meadow where cows and horses graze all year, is where all sides of Oxford meet. Even in poor weather, people from every walk

staying in the University itself? Rooms are available during the holiday periods. oxfordrooms.co.uk

Where to eat Country pubs abound in the Cotswolds, and many offer excellent dining options.

Of note are The Perch, The Plough and The Trout.

of life ramble across the grass. In summer, picnickers spread blankets and unpack hampers, and locals and tourists alike fill the excellent pub gardens at The Perch, The Plough, and The Trout, which mark the three corners of the green space, with accents and languages from every imaginable place.

Radcliffe Camera, one of the most photographed sights in Oxford, although not open to the public.

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Feature

Personal growth inspired by nature Arguably one of the most famous Brits in Japan thanks to her NHK programme, Venetia StanleySmith is also one of Kyoto’s most fascinating residents. She opens her garden to visitors, but is also very open about her life experiences.

Text: Donna Sheffield • Images: KS

Summer is one of the hardest times of the year for city living. All the concrete traps the heat and it’s not long before we have to switch on the air con, and stop by a vending machine for a cold drink as we rush to catch the train.

Not so many miles away, in the village of Ohara, Kyoto, it feels like an entirely different kind of summer.

Cicadas chorus, birds tweet, and the river cools the air a little. The scent of seasonal herbs fills the air. Although there’s still work to be done, life in the Japanese countryside visibly has a calmer pace.

This is where you’ll find Venetia Stanley-Smith, ex-pat, teacher, author, and star of her own NHK show. She begins each day rising just after dawn, tending lovingly to plants around her century-old cottage, and brewing up some herbal tea.

While she only formally teaches English three to four times a year at her

Venetia International School, each day is filled with teaching of some kind: she writes blog entries, gives lectures on making herbal products, and is very heavily involved in bringing up her grandson.

Outwardly, Venetia leads a life that many people envy. She has a beautiful old home, a lush green cottage garden and a big family (two ex-husbands, four kids, two grandkids). Watching her NHK show, At Home With Venetia in Kyoto, you might imagine everything in her life is idyllic and has always been so. But like everyone else, Venetia has her fair share of hardship.

It’s true she was born very privileged.

Her mother was the granddaughter of Lord Curzon, Viceroy of India.

As a child she grew up in beautiful stately homes in Jersey, the Channel Islands, Spain and Switzerland. “But I remember feeling out of place,” she says. “I must have been around 7 years

old, travelling, and I saw a beautiful cottage garden. I thought, wow. I want to live there.”

As a teenager in the 1960s, gardening was far from her mind. She was playing with a band and had plans to release a record, but things went awry when the same song was released by Simon and Garfunkel. A nagging feeling to learn more about the meaning of life led her to the teachings of Prew Rawat, an enlightened guru. Although he was only 12 years old, she went to India to join his ashram. “The whole reason I am who I am is because of India,” she says. “This 12 year old told me to slow down, and the importance of breath.”

After ten months learning from him about meditation and enlightenment, Venetia continued her eastern travels.

She landed in Japan in 1971, and after a brief job as a go-go dancer in Tokyo, she followed the advice of another

Kansai Scene magazine September 2013 kansaiscene.com

The Venetia Movie Venetia’s Garden (ベニシアさん の四季の庭), a beautifully filmed documentary about Venetia’s life in

traveller to visit Kyoto. And it’s here she has remained.

Like many before and after her, Venetia began teaching English, opening her own school in 1978. As part of her daily teaching routine, she served herbal tea made from tiny pots growing in her home in the city. Those tiny pots were the start of something huge that she couldn’t even imagine at the time: her love affair with herbs, plants and all things from nature. By 1996 she had four children and was onto husband number two. The family moved from the city to Ohara, and began at last to build her dream garden around a 100-year-old cottage.

Plants and herbs, Venetia believes, are the answer to many of life’s medical and environmental problems. After seeing washing detergent pollute the stream next to the cottage, she vowed to look for more natural solutions for everyday living. She rejects plastic packaging and tools, and surrounds herself with wood, greenery, and tatami. She has spent years researching herb and plant uses, experimenting with them, and for the last four years sharing them with the Japanese public on NHK. She has already written several books about plants, but has been working on a new book tie-in recently, a kind of seasonal diary-come-herbal guide. “There are many books or herbs and gardening but nothing that follows the seasons, like what’s in season and

how to use it, so basically I’ve written a book that I wanted to read.” The book will also be translated into Japanese by a friend.

Venetia has drawn her own illustrations of all the herbs for the book.

It’s this attention to detail, care and passion for nature that has made her such a fascinating subject for NHK viewers, and the public who still come to visit her garden. “NHK tell me that the show cheers people up, you know, they live in the city and sometimes they feel depressed, but they see the country lifestyle and it inspires them.

Some people see the cottage and they say, I use to have one of those but I tore it down. Now I wish I hadn’t.”

While she has been able to steadily cultivate her dream garden, sow the seeds and then sit back to enjoy the results, Venetia’s personal life has been a little wilder. Her first husband didn’t work out, leaving her working full time and a single mum for six years. Her second husband had a few affairs, and they’re now divorced but remain good friends. Of her four children, one still lives with her and utterly depends on her mother’s support after developing Schizophrenia. It’s another of her passions, she explains: “In Japan there’s a low understanding of mental illnesses. There are 100 different reasons people can develop schizophrenia and medication can help them lead a more normal life, but it’s also crucial that their needs are understood.”

Ohara, is out on general release from Sep 14. In Kansai, you can catch it at Kyoto Cinema, Theatre Umeda or Cine Libre, Kobe (from October).

Official movie site: venetia.jp

So while it looks tranquil on screen, her life is not perfect in a Hollywood sense. “You can’t have a perfect life, happy ever after, it doesn’t exist,” she says. “The truly rich are those who can enjoy what they have.”

Which sums up another Venetia life philosophy. While her NHK show is about a literal garden, the same crew have been working on a movie about her life. This movie is more about what Venetia calls an inner garden: your life, your spirit. What moves and motivates you. She believes abandoning the cell phone and the office building and being close to nature really helps us find that inner garden.

All very well if you live in Ohara, but what about those of us that have to live in tiny apartments and have commute on the JR line to earn a living?

“You don’t need a garden like mine to enjoy nature,” she says. “Just go and sit outside – on a beach, or by a riverbank.

Just take some time to experience each season. Our time on earth is sacred.

We should celebrate each moment.” www.venetia-international.com Please note that Venetia’s garden is not open to the public.

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Made in Kansai

Sweet success is in store While British food gets bad press internationally, one thing that even its sternest critics can agree on is that its cakes and buns are some of the best in the world. Meet Peter Broadhurst, a chef that wants to bring the best of British desserts to Osaka.

Victoria Cake

Text: Matthew Coslett • Images: Broadhurst & Kansai Scene

Looking over his selection of delicious cakes, British-born pastry chef Peter Broadhurst shows he is a man who knows exactly what he wants, or rather doesn’t want, to cook. “My policy is that I don’t make Japanese-style British cakes. I make cakes like I used to eat or really wanted to eat in England.”

And it seems that nobody in Osaka is complaining. Since opening his patisserie, Broadhurst’s, the demand for British classics such as Bakewell tarts, Victoria cakes, and summer pudding has increased every year. And Peter thinks that much of this success is precisely due to the strict authenticity of his cooking. “I am bringing the image of British cooking up to date, but at the same time keeping what makes it British.”

Authenticity is one of the charms of British cooking, which is brimming with dishes that haven’t changed for centuries. “The thing about British cooking is that it comes from amateurs cooking for their families,” Peter explains. While he admits that many of the dishes are simple, he is also aware of the irony that the more simple the cake, the better trained you have to be to make it well. “It’s a careful balance.

You can actually risk making it too well. The simpler it is, the less you do to change it, the better it tastes.”

In the communities where most of Britain’s cakes emerged, many of the cakes were designed to be taken to work fresh and eaten soon that day. Treats such as lardy cake, bread and butter pudding, and scones are

prepared using fresh cream, butter, and lard, which taste better when they are eaten on the same day. Peter is keen to continue this tradition. “All our cakes are made fresh,” he says. “We don’t resell anything the next day. We definitely don’t buy pre-prepared, packaged cakes either. We always use fresh cream and no vegetable fat cream… and definitely no margarine.”

While Peter is determined to keep his foods as British as possible, he also admits to loving European cooking techniques and happily using them when necessary to get the right taste.

Originally trained in the UK, Peter discovered his love of desserts when he furthered his training in Switzerland.

Outside of England, he found a new freedom by experimenting with the

Kansai Scene magazine September 2013 kansaiscene.com

techniques of the French and Italian master patissiers. After returning home, he discovered that this mixed background meant his talents were in demand. “I worked at 5-star hotels, Michelin star hotels and the (worldfamous) Nadell Patisserie,” Peter explains. He even worked as part of the team that prepared Buckingham Palace’s famous banquets. “Her Majesty said she loved our team’s mandarin macaroons,” he laughs. “That was a good moment for all of us.”

The turning point came after Peter moved to Japan to work as a sous chef.

One day, the famous tea company Lipton approached him about making some British sweets for a promotion. Using all the techniques he had mastered, he created delicious dishes that reflected modern British cooking while remaining true to its roots.

The success of the event told Peter that the market for British cooking was there. “People approached me after the event, saying how much they liked the British sweets,” he recalls.

“After that I opened Broadhurst’s.”

As the popularity of the patisserie grew, Peter realized that he could also use his shop to introduce Britain’s unique culture alongside its food.

Most Japanese people aren’t familiar with British festivals, so Broadhurst’s began to offer a seasonal menu that included the traditional foods eaten at these events. One of his early successes was with parkin, a treacly oatmeal cake traditionally eaten at Bonfire Night to celebrate King James I surviving an assassination attempt. Similarly, Peter’s hot cross buns at Easter and puddings and mince pies at Christmas are equally popular even with people who don’t celebrate these festivals. “We make everything as authentic as possible, even down to the coin at the bottom

of the Christmas puddings,” he adds, referencing a Victorian tradition where a coin was added to the puddings to invite riches in the following year.

While Britain’s rich culinary culture inspires Peter, he also has another passion that influences his cooking: British rock music. Take, for example, his “Oasis pudding”. Much like the ever-feuding, drunken brothers who make up the band, the dessert is made of opposing tastes (fig crème brûlée, chocolate mousse and, of course, alcohol) that combine to make something inspired. Then there is the “Weller”, named after the frontman of The Style Council. Much like the band’s ethos, the dessert is a down-to-earth combination of the simple flavors of rhubarb and custard put together in a novel way. This admiration is returned by the musicians themselves. Both Santana and Herby Hancock have asked the chef to cook them something special.

“My son even got to go on stage with Santana after I cooked for him,” Peter reminisces. “I am not sure he knew who the guy was, but it was a special moment for me.”

In his gastronomic love letter In Defense of British Food, George Orwell lamented “As anyone who has lived long abroad will know, there is a whole host of delicacies which it is quite impossible to obtain outside the English-speaking countries.” Over half a century later, Orwell would have appreciated Broadhurst’s as a place dedicated to introducing the world to the finer side of British cooking.

“I want foreign people to taste something they never thought they’d get in Kansai… I think many people will find something nostalgic here, something that they loved from their childhood,” Peter explains, showing me some of my own favourite treats like banoffe pies, Dundee cakes and gingerbread. “At the end of the day, I want to introduce British items to Japanese people. I am glad to show everyone that British food is not just scones and afternoon tea served on doilies.”

Broadhurst’s • Address: Osaka, Chuo-ku, Tamatsukuri 2-25-12 • Access: Morinomiya (Exit 2) or Tamatsukuri (Exit 1) stations.

The store is located on Rekishino-Sanpomichi road near St. Mary’s cathedral.

• Open: 10am-8pm, closed Mon. • Lunch: 11:30am-2pm (Sat/Sun), 11:30am-3pm (Mon–Fri) • Tel: 06-6762-0009 • Url: www.broadhursts.com

Recommendations Peter recommends the summer pudding, Victoria cakes, bread and butter pudding and lardy cake. He has also started selling alcohol and recommends Fullers London Pride and Old Mout Cider. The author personally recommends the banoffe pie, Bakewell pudding and the Chelsea buns.

Chocolate shop As well as Broadhurst’s, Peter also runs a chocolate shop in Yodoyabashi called Cacao en Masse, located in the wonderfully antique Shibakawa building.

Weller

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Kansai Scene magazine September 2013 kansaiscene.com

Food and drink

There’s always time for tea Just had lunch and dinner feels like a lifetime away? Make like a true British gent or lady, and sup some afternoon tea.

Text: Richard Mort

As a Brit in Japan, you are sometimes asked, ‘does everyone really have afternoon tea in England?’ Well, most Brits have a cup of tea any time of day, but yes, to take ‘afternoon tea’ is indeed a long-standing tradition of the genteel folk. The tradition started in England in the mid-19th century, where Anna Maria, the seventh Duchess of Bedford, is thought to have enjoyed tea and light snacks to bridge the long gap between lunch (usually noon) and dinner (around 7-8pm).

Cream tea is simply tea, scones and (preferably clotted) cream, while high tea is more of a full meal than an afternoon snack and was originally a substantial after-work meal. Here are some of the best Kansai venues to enjoy:

Delight Tea Room

Broadhurst’s

Kobe

Osaka

Any higher up the Rokko slopes and it would be on the mountain itself!

Delight Tea Room offers the English country tea room experience, i.e. flowery décor, pastel colours, flowers, fine china and freshly-baked scones and cakes. But it’s all done superbly well here by the hardworking mother and son (chef) combo, with around 25 teas, the house special soufflé made to order and even jam and cream freshly homemade. Weather permitting, the outside seats are perfect for a view over Kobe.

British-run Broadhurst’s has a very deliberate “modern British” feel to it, reflected in the tea (served in mugs, builder-style!) and the target logo on the web site and shop, borrowed from rock group The Who. This is also one of the very few places in Japan serving authentic banoffee pie, bakewell tart and over 50 other special British cakes, puddings and biscuits and thus comes highly recommended.

• What you’ll get: Very much mix and match, typically a choice of hot/iced tea/coffee and a cream cake to match

• What you’ll get: For around ¥2,500, the afternoon tea set offers a choice of quiche/curry, tea and cakes or scones.

• Price: Tea around ¥700-800 a pot, scones around ¥400, soufflé ¥600.

• Go for: Homemade heart-shaped scones and ginger chai tea.

• Open: Wednesday to Sunday, 11am to 8pm, closed Mondays and Tuesdays.

• Address: 6-16 Rokkodaichou, Nada ward, Kobe city, Hyogo 657-0013

for a little over ¥1,000.

• Price: Drinks around ¥500-600 a mug, cakes around ¥400-500 each.

• Go for: A weekend cuppa and cake, maybe at 4-5pm after a walk in nearby Osaka castle.

• Open: Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 8pm, if Monday holiday, closed Tuesday instead.

• Web: broadhursts.com

Kansai Scene magazine September 2013 kansaiscene.com

Elmers Green Café Osaka

Mariage Frères

• What you’ll get: Depending on

Kobe / Kyoto

your choice of tea and cake, you

For lovers of tea, this French shop is paradise.

There really is nowhere better in Kansai to enjoy the world’s favourite drink, and with at least 400 varieties in stock, whether green, oolong, white or fruit, there’s one to suit you. Osaka sadly lost its branch but Kyoto and Kobe have thriving stores and it goes without saying that freshly baked cakes and snacks are the perfect accompaniment.

can enjoy a light lunch including croque monsieur made with salmon, a fresh cake and tea from ¥2205-2890.

• Price: croque monsieur around ¥1,200, teas around ¥800-1,000 (per pot, also available iced).

Generous cakes around ¥700-800.

• Go for: The classic favourite is Marco Polo fruit tea and the cakes are to die for!

• Open: daily 11am to 8pm (Kobe and Kyoto) • Kobe Address: BAL 2nd floor, 3-6-1 Sannomiya-cho, Chuo ward, Kobe city, Hyogo 650-0021 • Kyoto Address: BAL 1st floor, Kawaramachi-dori Sanjo-sagaru 2-chome, Yamazaki-cho 251, Nakagyo ward, Kyoto 604-8032

Kitahama may be famous as the home of Osaka securities exchange, but it earns a very deserving place on the tea-lovers map thanks to Elmers Green café, just a short walk from the station. With a sunny open feel, this ground-level eatery is a hot favourite for the many office workers nearby and it’s easy to see why. There are cakes of every description (lemon, banana, carrot and more, chocolate scones, cheesecake...you get the picture) as well as plenty of savouries for the less sweet-toothed among you.

Open daily, this is particularly highly recommended.

• What you’ll get: Weekdays 3-5pm, cake set with tea for ¥900 or scone set for ¥800.

• Price: curry ¥800, soup ¥700, scones ¥200-250 each, cakes ¥400-500, coffee ¥400-500, tea ¥600-700.

• Go for: Croque madame (variation on croque monsieur), carrot cake with cream cheese and wash it down with some fine tea or coffee • Open: Monday to Saturday, 10am to 8pm, Sunday 10am to 6pm.

• Web: elmersgreen.com

• What you’ll get: A number of sets available, afternoon tea (3-6pm) includes scones, small cream bun, two cakes, ginger biscuits and finger sandwiches plus tea for ¥1,500.

• Price: scone/muffin ¥250,

Kitayama Kochakan Kyoto

Literally meaning “north mountain tea house”, this wonderful venue is nestled at the foot of northern Kyoto’s hills. With a busy kitchen and a pleasing wooden “at home” feeling, the experience is made even more special with the British Portmeirion china and home-made oven baking for that “Mum made it” taste.

cakes around ¥400-500, tea around ¥650-700 • Go for: The apple crumble is superb and authentic, the pick of many good cakes.

• Open: daily 10am to 8pm, closed Wednesdays • Web: kitayamakochakan.

Kansai Tea and Dining A club for all those who love meeting people, enjoying good food (especially new places, rare cuisines, local secrets) and afternoon tea in the best cafes and hotels.

We’ve done Greek, Russian, Thai and more in the last few months and just enjoyed Osaka’s newest hotel (Intercontinental). We also try to keep it reasonable and affordable and give the members the best experience possible, often in a private room or with a customised menu. Originally, I did this group for afternoon tea only but since I also love food and sharing with you all, I decided to open it out to “tea and dining all over Kansai”. I live in Kobe but I am happy to organise events in Osaka, Kyoto and Nara as well.

com • More info: meetup.com/kansaiteaanddining • FB: facebook.com/groups/kansaiteaanddining

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Kansai Scene magazine September 2013 kansaiscene.com

Language

海外生活日記

Batten down the hatches Now the worst of the heat and humidity is behind us, we have the peak typhoon season to look forward to. Typhoons (tropical cyclones) wreak havoc in Japan just as they do everywhere else – an unstoppable force of gale-force winds and furious thunderstorms, coupled with the dangers of flooding and landslides. Whoopee. Although the typhoon season spans Jun–Sep, the peak is right about now. Even the mildest ones can bring public transport to a standstill, so understanding the weather warnings on TV, radio and online may help prevent you from being stranded someplace you’d rather not.

Typhoons are given numbers rather names here in Japan and are numbered in order of occurrence. So on TV you might hear an approaching taifu (from the Chinese tai feng) being referred to as “typhoon no.6” (taifu roku-go) etc. by weather forecasters. Most typhoons seem to pass us by here in Kansai luckily, but watch out for the following warnings regardless, or be prepared to seek shelter in a karaoke box for several hours while the storm passes.

Vocab 台風

たいふう

taifuu

Typhoon

洪水

こうずい

kouzui

Flood

津波

つなみ

tsunami

Tsunami/Tidal Wave

暴風

ぼうふう

boufuu

Windstorm

低気圧

ていきあつ

tei kiatsu

Low Atmospheric Pressure

高気圧

こうきあつ

kou kiatsu

High Atmospheric Pressure

前線

ぜんせん

zensen

Weather Front

注意報

ちゅういほう

chuiho

Weather warning (caution)

警報

けいほう

keiho

Extreme weather warning

風速

ふうそく

fusoku

Wind speed

大雨洪水

おおあめこう

警報

ずいけいほう

oame-kozui keiho

Heavy rain and flooding warning

運転見合

うんてんみあ

わせ

わせ

unten miawase

Delayed (trains, planes etc.)

What’s it like living in...

Romania?

A love of running led Hiroko to meeting her husband at the international marathon and traveling to Bucharest, Romania. KS asked her all about it. ルーマニアで何をしていますか。 日本語教師として、ルーマニア人教師とと もに大学などで会話や発音のレッスンをサ ポートしています。もうひとつ力を入れて いるのは、市民ランナーとして、ヨーロッ パ各国のマラソン大会に参加すること。 ルーマニアで最初の市民ランナークラブ 「RO Club Maraton」に所属し、フラ ンスの国際大会「Tour du pays de Caux」 では10年連続入賞・年代別優勝を続けています。 ルーマニアで暮らすきっかけ。 無二のマラソン好きである私が、ルーマニア人の夫と出会うきっか けとなったのが、招待選手として参加した2004年のフランスで開 かれた国際大会「Tour du pays de Caux」です。ランニングとい う共通の趣味から意気投合し、2005年に初めてルーマニアを訪問。 「走ってみない？」と誘われ、当日参加したマラソン大会で年代別優 勝した際、表彰台の一番高いところで「ブラボー、日本人！」の歓声を 聞き、 「私はこの国で走ることになるかもしれない。」と、予感しまし た。その翌年、ブカレストへ移り住みました。 普段は何語を話しますか。 日常会話はルーマニア語、少し込み入った話になると英語。生徒さ んに日本語を教える時や、多くのラン友たちとランニング談義を交 わすなかで、日々ルーマニア語を聞き覚えしています。 ルーマニアでおすすめの食べ物を教えてください。 屋台で気軽につまみたいのが、ひき肉に各種スパイスを練りこんで 炭火で焼いたミチ。もくもくと煙が上がる中、 ミチを焼く匂いが漂っ てきた時、冷たいビールがあれば最高のバーベキューになります。ま た、ルーマニアやバルカン半島周辺で有名なファストフード、シャオ ルマは、ギリシャではギロス、 トルコではケバブと呼ばれています。 香ばしいスパイスの効いた焼肉、野菜サラダとフレンチフライを焼 いた小麦粉生地で巻いたものかぶりつきながら街を散策するのがブ カレストっ子の定番。 住んでみて驚いたこと。 東欧にあって唯一ラテン民族であるルーマニアの人々は人懐こく、 知らない人同士が乗り合わせた地方都市行きの列車内でも、すぐに 話がはずみ、降りるころには旧知の友達のように接します。また、日 本人の秩序正しさや勤勉さなどはとても評価されていて、人々も丁 寧に接してくれます。歴史的にも敗戦から立ち直った国「ミラクル・ ジャパン」と尊敬されているほか、最近は若い世代を中心に人気の あるアニメを通じて日本を知るうちに日本を好きになったという人 も多いです。 Follow Hiroko: http://blog.goo.ne.jp/mademoiselle_hiroko/ Interview by Sarasa Kitano

Kansai Scene magazine September 2013 kansaiscene.com

Food and drink

Say aloha to pancake paradise No need to travel all the way to Hawaii for a trip to the paradise state. Just a hop away from Sannomiya and Motomachi stations there’s a cozy spot perfect for your summer island getaway.

Text: Esperanza Urbaez • Images: Ken Ramos & Makani

Ever put a seashell to your ear and heard the ocean? Dining at Makani is like hearing, tasting, and seeing Hawaii right in Kobe. The seashell chimes that ring when you enter, the welcoming “Alohas” from the lei-clad staff, and the tinkling of Hawaiian music and appetizing aroma of delicious food that fill the ‘tropical’ air make for an exotic and relaxing dining experience.

Having opened in April 2012, Makani is renowned for its pancakes: large, fluffy, delectable and memorable pancakes. (I have had friends tell me weeks later they still think about them!) The 3-tiered Macadamia nut pancake (¥850) doused in warm milk-based Macadamia nut gravy and sprinkled with Macadamia nuts is my personal favorite. The Makani Mixed

Fruits Special whip Tower pancake

(¥1,500) – five pancakes with strawberry, banana, kiwi, blueberry and pineapple toppings with a mountainlike tower of whip cream and ice cream – is definitely one to share with friends.

Pancakes are not the only things sizzling at Makani. At 7:30 every night,

muscular ‘ikemen’ waiters regale customers with pelvis-gyrating hula performances on the second floor.

(Needless to say, the majority of customers are female.)

It’s true that Makani’s star menu item doesn’t exactly fit their ethnic label, but those looking to try more authentic Hawaiian fare won’t be disappointed.

Lunch sets (¥980) include Loco Moco, and Ahi Poke; dinner includes Ahi (¥1,200), BBQ (¥900), garlic steaks (¥900), spare ribs (¥1,100), BBQ chicken (¥900), mahi mahi (¥850), and spam with rice (¥400) or potatoes (¥650). And in the spirit of Polynesian hospitality, all meals are well portioned. The drink menu includes an array of exotic fruit cocktails, tropical juices, and traditional Hawaiian brews like Kona beer (¥850).

As even paradise has its flaws, so does Makani. A long line snaking to the street is a usual scene at Makani despite its two floors of seating. During rush hours, expect to wait 20 to 30 minutes for a seat. Service can be slow and you can feel a bit rushed to eat and

move along. Also, there are not many options for vegetarians. Reservations can only be made after 5pm.

Despite these points, Makani is a great place for a midday teatime break, a fun date with hula in the mix, or birthday celebrations with a group of friends and lots of pancakes that will make everyone say, “Mahalo!”

Makani • Address: Kobe-shi, Chuo-ku, Sannomiya-cho 3 -8-1 (3 mins from JR Motomachi Stn) • Tel: 050-5828-7062 • Opening Hours: Everyday, Lunch 11:30am–2:30pm, Cafe 2:30pm– 5pm, Dinner 5pm–10pm • Food Price Range: Lunch ¥1,000 Dinner ¥2,000 • Go to dish: macadamia nuts pancake, Loco Moco plate • Go to drink: acai Smoothie • Best bit: delicious pancakes, live hula, close to the station • Worst bit: long wait, crowded

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Kansai Scene Listings: Where to go & what to do

Event pickups

Until Sep 29

Flowers from Captain Cook’s Voyages トロピカルフラワーショー キャプテンクックの見た世界 Kisekinohoshi Botanical Museum, Hyogo

Travel back 300 years to when Captain Cook became the first European to explore the Pacific islands. In an intriguing historical exhibition, Kisekinohoshi Botanical Museum’s tropical flower show presents the plants that the famous British explorer would have encountered on his island explorations, including Hibiscus, Allamanda and Queen of the Night.

After the flower show, make the most of summer’s bounty by tasting exotic fruit grown in the tropical plant house. Experience the unusual flavours of hot pink dragon fruit and tiny jabuticabas from Brazil. If you are lucky to be there at harvesting time, you might even be able to eat the fruit straight off the tree, just as an early explorer may have done.

Admission: ¥600 adults, concessions • Access: JR Kobe line Maiko stn bus (intercity bus) to Awaji Yumebutai-mae • www. kisekinohoshi.jp/exhibition/archives/3870#page

Oct 4 & 5

Provided by Biwako Visitors Bureau

Sep 1–30

An Evening with Insects 玄宮園で虫の音を聞く会

Benkei Festival 弁慶祭り FREE

Tokei-Jinja Shrine and Surroundings, Wakayama

Hikone Castle, Shiga

Time: 6:30pm–9pm • Admission: ¥500 adults, concessions •

Celebrate the legend of Japanese folklore’s favourite bad-ass: the heroic warrior monk Benkei. Living in 12th century Japan, Musashibo Benkei, popularly known as Benkei, was a legendary figure loved for combining bear-like strength with the esteemed virtues of a big heart and deep loyalty to his lord. Stories depicting Benkei’s loyalty and honour have traditionally been popular in kabuki and Noh plays, and continue to be referenced in popular culture. In honour of the legend’s life, Tanabe City, believed to be his birthplace, will host the annual 2-day Benkei Festival. See the “Legend of Benkei” performed at Tokei-jinja, jive with 1,000 geta-clad dancers at Aoi Street in a nod to the sandal-wearing hero, and browse the large market selling local produce and food at Ogigahama beach.

Access: JR Biwako line Hikone stn; 15 min walk • Tel: 0749-22-

Admission: free • Access: JR Kinokuni line Kiitanabe stn; 5 min

0001

walk • kishu-benkei.com

Nothing says late summer like the thrumming of insects as they bask in golden rays of sun. But as the warmer months draw to a close, so too do the lifecycles of these little critters. To make the most of the time we have left, Genkyu-en garden is staying open every evening during September for people to enjoy the varied sounds made by insects and other mini-wildlife prominent during summer. Located in the historic Hikone-jo Castle, this beautiful garden was built in the early Edo period using exquisite landscaping techniques. Offering a fantastic view of the moon over the castle, this is the perfect way to relax after work in the tranquillity of nature.

Kansai Scene Listings: Where to go & what to do

Event Listings September Yamato Sakurai Festival 大和桜井万葉祭り Kanaya Kasenjiki Park, Nara • Sep 7 FREE

Celebrate the colourful history of Yamato Sakurai, which was once a cosmopolitan city in the 6th century, with an event boasting a large market of local products, paper lantern floating and more.

Admission: free • manyou-fes.jp

10 min walk • Email: info@kokakanko.org

Aviation Day 空の日フェスタ FREE Nanki Shirahama Airport, Wakayama • Sep 14

Nanki Shirahama Airport will be open to the public to celebrate Sora no Hi (Aviation Day), with an aerobatics show, an exhibition of aircrafts and airport duty cars, demonstrations of rescue exercises and much more. • Admission: free

Catatonic Cabaret #5

Lanterns in Hachimanbori

ザ・カタトニック・キャ暴レ

八幡堀まつり 町並みと灯り

Namba Benitsuru • Sep 8

FREE Omi Hachiman, Shiga • Sep 14 & 15

Monsters, minstrels, preachers and performers, arise! See saintly visions and demonic nightmares at Osaka’s top review show.

Time: 6–11pm • Admission: ¥2,500 / ¥2,000 with flyer • Access: Nipponbashi subway

5 Years of Building Bridges; KMC 2013 うめきたTalkin’ About Vol. 4 FREE Grand Front Osaka North Tower-C 713, Osaka • Sep 12

Having hosted Kansai Music Conference since 2009, Duane Levi speaks about overseas musicians who performed at KMC and featured events of 2013.

Time: 7pm – 9pm • Admission: free • facebook.com/ MidosujiTalkinAbout

Ninja Fireworks Festival 瀬古の流星 祭 FREE Seko Yakushido Temple, Shiga • Sep 12

A display of old-world fireworks thought to be used by ninjas as signals during their reign in Japan.

Time: 6:30pm • Admission: free • Access: JR Kusatsu line Konan stn;

Lanterns of all shapes and sizes will illuminate old streets and classical houses in Hachimanbori, a town famous for beautiful canals.

Admission: free • Access: JR Biwako line Omihachiman stn bus to Osugi-cho • omi8.com/topics/hmatsuri.htm

Steelpan Carnival 2013 KOBE スティールパンカーニ バル2013 FREE Suma Kaihin Park, Hyogo • Sep 15

A Caribbean music festival on Suma beach with steel pan bands and orchestras from all over the region.

Admission: free • asuta-steelpan. com/pancarni

Katsuura Hachiman Shrine Festival 勝浦八幡神社例大祭 FREE Katsuura Hachiman Shrine and Surroundings, Wakayama • Sep 15

At this shrine’s annual grand festival, bearers jump into the sea carrying a portable shrine on their shoulders.

Aerobatics show at the Nanki Shirahama Airport on Sep 14

Time: 9:30am – 6pm • Admission: free • Access: JR Kinokuni line Kiikatuura stn • Tel: 0735-52-0555

Bush Clover Festival

Uneme Festival Water Pageant 采女祭り

FREE Nashinoki Shrine, Kyoto • Sep 21–23

FREE

Sarusawa Pond, Nara •

Sep 19

A ceremony comforting the spirit of an uneme (an ancient court lady) who killed herself in despair from falling out of favour with the emperor.

Admission: free • kasugano.com/ kankou/autumn/uneme_matsuri

The Harvest Moon 第46 回万葉の明日香路に月を観る会 Ishibutai Kofun Tumulus, Nara • Sep 21 FREE

An annual event to celebrate the harvest moon with Japanese harp music and a moon lecture delivered by a professor at the ancient stone tumulus.

Admission: free Access: Kintetsu Railway Kashihara Jingu-mae stn bus to Ishibutai • Tel: 0744-54-4577

World Craft Beer Tasting 2013 Riverside Place, Namba • Sep 21 & 22

A weekend of craft beer, live music, good food, a hip riverside market and fun kids activities in downtown Osaka.

Time: 12pm–8pm (Sep 21), 11am– 6pm (Sep 22) • Access: Namba Sta • Admission: free • Advance sales: ¥2,000 ticket set (¥2,200 value).

Tickets can be bought from Craft Beer Base in Umeda.

Web: facebook.com/ WorldCraftBeerTasting2013 Steelpan Carnival at Suma Beach on Sep 15

萩祭り

Held when the flowers are in full bloom, the hagi (bush clover) festival features religious events such as a spiritual offering of bell crickets, classical performing arts and the art of Japanese archery.

Admission: free • nashinoki.jp

Fiesta Mexicana 2013 2013

フィエスタメヒカナ

FREE Umeda Sky Building, Osaka • Sep 21–23

A 3-day Mexican celebration with mariachi folk music, colourful dance performances, and Mexican cuisine stalls.

Admission: free • www.skybldg.co.jp

Nishinomiya Festival 例祭西宮まつり FREE Nishinomiya Shrine and Surroundings, Hyogo • Sep 21–23

A large-scale religious event with various dazzling ceremonies, including live shows, a procession of children dressed in colorful traditional costume, a shrine parade in the streets, and a boat parade in the sea.

Admission: free • nishinomiyaebisu.com

Midosuji Cycle Picnic 第5回御堂筋サイクルピクニック FREE Nakanoshima Park, Osaka • Sep 22

A cycling event held to appeal for cycleways on Midosuji Street featuring a riding tour, fashion show, and stalls selling food and cyclists’ gear.

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Kansai Scene Listings: Where to go & what to do Hair Comb Ceremony

Sep 21 & 22

Sep 23

櫛祭り FREE

Yasui Konpiragu

Shrine, Kyoto

The Autumn Festival 百舌鳥八幡宮秋祭り FREE

Mozu Hachimangu Shrine, Osaka

Give a big, bright welcome to Japan’s other beautiful month with the annual Autumn Festival at Mozu Hachimangu Shrine. Held each year when the moon is at its fullest and brightest, the festival features a futondaiko float that is carried through the shrine grounds by 60 bearers. An object of extreme weight, the futondaiko is carried slowly to the thumping of taiko drums and a choir of singing children.

But be prepared: onlookers tend to create a bit of commotion each time the massive float makes a turn.

Time: 10am • Admission: free • Access: JR Hanwa line Mozu stn; 10 min walk • www.mozu8.com

As the Japanese saying goes ‘Hair is the essence of a woman’s beauty’. And it’s true that Japanese women have some of the best styled hair in the world. To celebrate the history of hair fashion, head down to Gion to see a procession of women wearing traditional styles from bygone days.

Using their own hair (strictly no wigs!) women will present a chronology of styles from ancient times up to the present day. The hair procession forms part of an annual religious ceremony called Kushi Matsuri whereby worn out combs and hairpins are brought to be blessed for their hard work. If you’re at the shrine, you may as well join the line of women praying for their beauty, because as the saying goes ‘You never know your luck’.

Time: 1pm • Admission: free • Access: Keihan Railway Gion-shijo stn / Hankyu Railway Kawaramachi stn bus to Higashiyama Yasui • Tel: 075-561-5127

Event listings cont.

Admission: free • cyclepicnic.wordpress.com

Tajima-Ushi Cattle Festival 但馬“牛祭り” Tajima Bokujo Park, Hyogo • Sep 22 FREE

Get to know Tajima beef the fun way, with a contest for paper cattle cut-outs, a traditional bride parade with a cow cart, beef tasting and more.

Admission: free • Access: JR Sanin honsen line Hamasaka stn bus to Yumura Onsen, shuttle bus to the venue • Tel: 0796-92-1131

A fantastic opportunity to explore samisen - a traditional Japanese string instrument - at an Englishlanguage workshop that’s part of the Kansai Music Conference 2013.

Time: at 12pm – 1pm • Admission: free • wakanagi.com

Rakugo in English 英語落語会 おふく寄席 FREE Osaka Museum of History, Osaka • Sep 23

Traditional Japanese comedy and rakugo (story telling) spoken in English.

Time: 12:30 • Admission: free • Access: Subway Taimachi / Chuo line Tanimachi4-chome stn; 3 min walk

Takase-Bune Boat Festival 高瀬川船祭り FREE Takasegawa River Ichinofunairi, Kyoto • Sep 23

Free Samisen workshop on Sep 23

Samisen Workshop

A chance to board these historic Japanese wooden boats, a photo session with maiko, and more.

Admission: free • Access: JR Kyoto stn bus to Kyoto shiyakusho-mae

Sunset Viewing 夕日を見る会 Saigasaki Lighthouse, Wakayama • Sep 23 FREE Witness a legendary phenomenon on the cape of Saigasaki where sunlight appears to be like confetti twice a year at the equinoxes.

Time: 2pm – dusk • Admission: free • Access: JR Wakayama stn bus to Saigasaki Yuen; 20 min walk • Tel: 073-447-0844

Hankyu British Fair 阪急百貨店 英国フェア FREE Hankyu Umeda Main Store, Osaka • Beginning of Oct (TBA)

Hankyu Department Store’s annual event showcasing the very best of British food and goods including clothes, artisan products, tea workshops, demonstrations by British bakeries, whiskey sampling and live shows.

Admission: free • hankyu-dept. co.jp

KYKK 10,000 people party Kobe, Sep 27–Oct 6

Week-long party in Kobe. Purchase a wristband for ¥2,000 and enjoy discounts and offers from more than 200 bars and restaurants in Kobe • project-kykk.com

A Glint of Light

三味線ワークショップ

Gojo Kaikan (formerly known as Gojo Rakuen), Kyoto • Oct 5 & 6

Osaka Museum of History, Osaka • Sep 23

A solo Butoh performance based on mythological gods of water

FREE

and earth held at a traditional Japanese theater.

Time: 7pm start (Oct 5), 3pm start (Oct 6) • Admission: ¥2500 adults, ¥2000 concessions • Access: 5 min walk from Kawaramachi-Gojo or Kawaramachi-Shomen bus stops on Bus routes #17, #4, and #205 • Reservations: ima_kiraza@yahoo. co.jp

Find more listings online at: www.kansaiscene.com/listings

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Kansai Scene Listings: Where to go & what to do

Event pickup

Sipping in the city Two-day craft beer event returns bringing fine booze, shopping and entertainment to the city Text: KS • Images: WCBT

Water views, entertainment for the kids, and ten times more beer than you can sample in one day. Sounds like one of those pricey luxury cruises, right?

Nuh uh. It’s World Craft Beer Tasting, and it’s back to delight discerning beer lovers with a new convenient location and festival fun for the family.

For those not in the know, WCBT is a two-day event offering the chance to drink beer from small, independent and traditional breweries around the world. Following the success of last year’s event in Nakazaki-cho, which attracted some 1,300 people, WCBT 2013 will see beer lovers kicking back on the banks of the Dotombori River in Namba’s glorious Riverside Place.

Making an appearance at this year’s event will be over 100 different brews selected by beer specialists and importers. The list includes international beers sourced from Belgian, English, German, and American breweries, plus around 50 beers from Japan’s growing microbrewery industry.

And while craft beer is the definitive star of the show, organisers have ensured the event is uber family friendly by throwing in some serious entertainment. There’ll be a Europeanstyle market along the lower boardwalk selling handicrafts, organic veggies and antiques. Food stalls will be serving up festival favourites (think yakitori, BBQ, and ramen), and music comes courtesy of live jazz, blues, acoustic, and folk performances all day. And if you don’t fancy browsing the marche with a toddler pulling at your leg, little ones can be kept busy in the kids area with balloon art, workshops, Japanese sweets, and pantomime.

So whether you’re a hardcore beer fan, a casual drinker, or simply associated with one of the above, WCBT will be a laid-back way to enjoy a September weekend.

World Craft Beer Tasting 2013 • When: Sep 21 (Sat) 12pm–8pm, Sep 22 (Sun) 11am–6pm • Where: Riverside Place, Namba • Cost: Free entry. Pay as you go for drinks, food, workshops or items from the market.

• Advance sales: ¥2,000 ticket set (¥2,200 value, 5 x ¥400 + 2 x ¥100).

Tickets can be bought from Craft Beer Base in Umeda.

• Web: worldcraftbeertasting.com

Kansai Scene Listings: Where to go & what to do Sep 13

© 2012 Happy Pill Productions

Side Effects Steven Soderbergh • 106 mins • Crime Thriller • Jude Law, Rooney Mara.

© 2013 Twentieth Century Fox

Insider trading, a mysterious murder and a suspicious medication make up the narrative for this whodunnit film. Jude Law is a doctor dragged into a murder investigation, as one of his patients has seemingly turned violent.

KS

Film previews

Pick

The Wolverine James Mangold • 126 mins • Hero Movie Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Russell Crowe, Michael Shannon

Following the disappointing 2009 “Origins” movie, it seems that Jackman had a point to make about his Wolverine being alive and well. The last film suffered from throwing in lame side characters, a love story that never rang true and the sacrilegious way in which Deadpool was handled, adding a sub-par lore to the already rich Marvel universe. The new film is loosely based on Chris Claremont’s and Frank Miller’s awesome 1982 comic-book narrative, which spanned over four issues and is a strong foundation on which to build a movie. The story has been tweaked and rearranged so that it still fits in with the increasingly confusing arc running through the X-Men movies, and although hard-core fans will notice some obvious gaps, everyone else should find something to like.

The story begins in 1945 with Logan saving a young Japanese soldier, Yashida, from a nuclear blast. Fast-forward to the present day and Yashida is now an entrepreneur with no shortage of cash, but for all his wealth, he cannot stop the inevitability of his death. Calling on his long-lost savior, Yashida offers to strip Wolverine of his mutant healing power, giving him the gift of mortality.

Deprived of his powers, Wolverine faces up against giant samurai and hordes of ninja, but the real smack in the face action sequence is a knife vs claw fight on top of a bullet train. Inevitably, there is a love triangle to counteract Wolverine’s bouts of savagery, to try and keep the character humane and likeable, but it is hard to believe he has the potential for compassion, when in previous scenes he butchers henchmen without remorse or hesitation.

Luckily, the film is far more focused than its predecessor, and endlessly more enjoyable. The pacing can be a little jarring, and the side-characters a little undercooked, but for fans of the Wolverine, it is a must-see.

Don’t forget you can find a list of local cinemas (and what’s playing) online at: www.kansaiscene.com/cinemas/

Elysium Neill Blomkamp • 109 mins • Sci-fi Matt Damon, Jodie Foster

A dystopian future where the dregs of humanity live on Earth while the privileged few enjoy paradise on the Elysium, a Ringworld like haven that circles the planet.

But it ain’t easy keeping the masses down, especially when Matt Damon gets pissed and turns cyborg!

© LEIJI MATSUMOTO/CAPTAIN HARLOCK Film Partners

Space Pirate Captain Harlock Shinji Aramaki • Anime Sci-fi Yu Aoi, Shun Oguri

A beautiful CGI animation that brings swashbuckling to outer-space. Gargantuan space battles are set against one-on-one sword fights, to keep the action fresh and exciting. Substance and depth take a backseat to pure entertainment.

© 円谷プロ

Ultraman Ginga Yuichi Abe • Children’s Film Mio Miyatake, Takura Kusakawa

Unless you are under six years old or a massive Ultraman fan, this isn’t one for you! Ultraman is no stranger to fighting monsters, which is good in this case, as he has a new set of kaiju to cut through!

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Kansai Scene Listings: Where to go & what to do

Art

The Eyes of Pop Art

Until Oct 6

KS

Pick

The Museum of Modern Art, Shiga

The Pop Art movement emerged in the US and Britain in the 1950s and rose to global prominence in the 60s spearheaded by artists such as Andy Warhol and Roy Liechtenstein. After over a decade of being dominated by profound, painterly Abstract Expressionism, the art world was overturned by young pop artists who championed “low art” imagery, mass production, and all that was bright and banal. Drawing on its extensive collection of postwar American art, this museum presents a retrospective focusing on the theme of what the 60s Pop artists saw in contemporary society.

In addition to the two artists mentioned above and other big 60s American names, the exhibition features work by major Japanese Pop artists such as Shinohara Ushio and Akasegawa Genpei, more recent Pop-influenced “simulationist” Morimura Yasumasa, and proto-Pop pioneers (or “Neo-Dadaists”) Jasper Johns and Robert Rauschenberg. Among them are four large ceramic pieces made by Rauschenberg in Shigaraki (famed for its Tanuki figures) during a visit to Japan, owned by the museum but rarely displayed. This is a chance to see one of the 20th century’s most important art movements explored on a scale not often seen in Japan.

Sep 7–Oct 6 • Comprehensive overview of Pop Art, particularly 60s American, drawing on the Shiga museum’s extensive collection of the genre.

Open: 9:30am–5pm • Closed Mon • Admission: ¥750 • Access: JR Biwako (Tokaido) Line Seta Stn, then bus to Bunka Zone-mae • shiga-kinbi.jp

Art Listings Osaka Hirofumi Nakamae CAS (Contemporary Art and Spirits) • Aug 31–Sep 21 FREE

Artist’s trip to Irkutsk region of Siberia recreated through photos, videos, words and music.

Open: 2pm–7pm • Closed Wed and Thu • Admission: Free • Access: Namba Stn • cas.or.jp

Add me! (Japan-Korea Friendship Exhibition) CASO (Contemporary Art Space Osaka) • Aug 27–Sep 8 FREE

The Blueprint Drawings by Keith Haring FREE Tezukayama Gallery Sep 9–Sep 27

Haring’s 1990 silkscreens based on early 80s sumi ink drawings incorporate his iconic motifs including dogs, babies, UFOs, pyramids and crowds.

Open: 11am–7pm • Closed Sat, Sun and hols • Admission: Free • Access: Namba Stn or Yotsubashi Stn • tezukayama-g.com

Young Japanese and South Korean artists explore the theme of building new relations between their countries. Show scheduled to travel to Seoul as well.

Open: 11am–7pm • Closed Mon • Admission: Free • Access: Chuo subway line Osakako Stn • caso-gallery.jp

Buggy: Velvet Code FREE DMO Arts Aug 28–Sep 17

Stylish, ironic works on the theme of legendary NYC disco Studio 54

by Osaka-based artist Buggy.

Open: 10am–8pm • Open every day • Admission: Free • Access: JR Osaka Stn (Isetan-Mitsukoshi Dept.

Store 3F • dmoarts.com

Figurative Abstraction FREE Yoshimi Arts Sep 14–Oct 6

Work by three artists who interpret the visible world figuratively, rather than literally, aiming to get at the truth of things through abstraction.

Open: 11am–7pm • Open every day during exhibition • Admission: Free • Access: Yotsubashi subway line Higobashi Stn • yoshimiarts.com

2013 ADC Exhibition FREE

ddd Gallery, Sep10–Oct 25

Kansai Scene Listings: Where to go & what to do Until Oct 20 ©《木蘭》 （左隻） 1918年 DIC川村記念美術館蔵

Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art

Reading Cinema, Finding Words: Art after Marcel Broodthaers

Until Oct 27

Hashimoto Kansetsu (18831945) was a Kobe-born painter of nihonga (Japanese-style paintings) active in the early 20th century. He was based in Kyoto, where his former residence near Tetsugakuno-michi (the Philosopher’s Walk) is also a museum of his work. A scholar of classical Chinese culture, he spent much time in the country and painted many works on themes derived from its literature or history. Many of his works feature vibrantly depicted animals and hint at some allegorical meaning.

Kansetsu aimed to update traditional Japanese art for the modern age, arriving at the style of shin-nanga, or neoSouthern school painting. His work melds classical traditions with a modern edge, the often-portrayed animals imbued with a human-like presence and psychological depth lacking in traditional Japanese or Chinese paintings, which can be deeply moving. In celebration of the 130th anniversary of the artist’s birth, the Hyogo museum presents around 70 of his best-known paintings in this retrospective exhibition.

The National Museum

Sep 14–Oct 20 • Retrospective of renowned early 20th-century

Sep 7–Oct 27 • Overview of seminal 1960s-70s conceptual artist/

nihonga (Japanese-style) painter active in Kansai • Open: 10am–

writer/filmmaker Marcel Broodthaers’ impact on artists up to this

6pm (until 8pm on Fri/Sat) • Closed Sep 17, 24 and 30

day • Open: 9:30am–5pm • Closed Mon • Admission: ¥850

• Admission: ¥1,100 • Access: Hanshin Iwaya Stn

• Access: Tozai subway line Higashiyama Stn • www.momak.go.jp

of Modern Art, Kyoto

Though perhaps not so widely known, Belgian poet, artist and filmmaker Marcel Broodthaers (1924-1976) was a pioneer whose work remains influential and much discussed. Claiming to have started making art objects after getting fed up with 20 years of living in poverty as an aspiring poet, he worked in collage, assemblage, installation and film, creating wry Dada- and Surrealist-flavored pieces that incorporated text and ideas prefiguring the conceptual art movement of the 70s.

This exhibition presents Broodthaers’ work and that of 13 other artists exploring similar themes, with a particular focus on film. It’s an opportunity not only to view the work of an important 1960s-70s artist but also to gain a deeper understanding of later trends that continue today, such as the prevalence of video art and installation, and critiques of the role of art itself and relationships between artists, viewers and institutions.

• www.artm.pref.hyogo.jp

Hyogo

Annual exhibition showcasing the very best of Japanese advertising and graphic design as selected by the Tokyo Art Directors Club (ADC).

Art Picnic Vol. 3: My Home, Your Home

Open: 11am–7pm daily, closed Sun/Mon/Hols. • Admission: Free • Access: 5 mins Namba Stn (Yotsubashi line) • dnp.co.jp/gallery/ddd/

Kyoto Chisa Ueno: Frontier FREE Kunst Arzt Sep 3–Sep 8

Solo show by artist who articulates “universal formulas” through explorations of day-to-day revelations and awareness of the body.

Open: 12pm–7pm • Admission: Free • Access: Tozai subway line Higashiyama Stn• kunstarzt.com

Ashiya City Museum of Art & History Aug 31–Oct 6

Takashi Iura and Sachiyo Oshima: Connect With Art Space Niji Sep 17–Sep 22 FREE

Works by two artist/musicians that explore relationships between the visual, aural, and tactile.

Open: 11am–7pm • Admission: Free • Access: Tozai subway line Keage Stn • art-space-niji.com

© 大西康明「垂直の隙間」 （撮影：大島拓也）

Dreamscape: La Porte de L’ Écume FREE Kyoto Art Center Aug 3–Sep 16

Work by artists in diverse fields, including both contemporary artists and untrained creators or people with disabilities.

Open: 10am–5pm • Closed Mon • Admission: ¥500 • Access: Hanshin Ashiya Stn • ashiya-museum.jp

Interpreting summer vacation as a time when the door to the extraordinary opens, Yasuaki Onishi and Yuko Matsuzawa present works exploring the “other world next door to our own”.

Open: 10am–8pm • Open every day • Admission: Free • Access: Subway Karasuma Stn • kac.or.jp

Find gallery access details and more listings online at: www.kansaiscene.com/listings

アナ・ トーフ《乾杯》2003年 (C) photo: Ana Torfs

Hashimoto Kansetsu Retrospective

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Kansai Scene Listings: Where to go & what to do

Club

Sep 15

Park It! Osaka Nanko Sankaku Park It’s time to pack your picnic rug, because the unique outdoor party Park It! is coming back to Osaka, offering the same laid-back, family-friendly vibe and 100% free entry. Set in the leafy Nanko Sankaku Park, and boasting a super-cool view of the red bridge across Osaka Bay, this is the party that offers something for everyone. There’ll be funky’n’groove sounds by a number of awesome DJs including Yoshihiro Okino from Kyoto Jazz Massive, a fully stocked bar and tasty food stands, a lovely grass playground, and even a Bouncy Castle for the kids. To get there, walk about 10 minutes from Port Town Higashi Station on the New Tram Line or 30 minutes from Cosmosquare Station on the Chuo Line - just keep heading towards the big red bridge! Take your friends and your favourite picnic blanket, but please no food or drink. Let the friendly folk at Park It! take care of that for you. It’s less stress for you and will allow them to keep this unique party free. Have a remarkable and refreshing time under the sun!

Yoshiro Okino from Kyoto Jazz Massive is the speclal guest DJ at Park It!

Sep 15 (Sun) • Park It! (House/Jazz/Funk/Disco/Hip-hop) • DJs: Yoshihiro Okino, Dan Elliot, Shawn Basik, Luku Hunter, Jules, Joey, Byrne, Khash, Mu-chan, Hirro + more • Open: 10am–7pm • Admission: Free • Where: Nanko • facebook.com/events/583630015027042/

Club Listings September 6 (Fri) Circus DJ Marky Japan Toure (Drum’n’Bass) • DJs: Marky, Toyo •

Open: 8pm • Admission: ¥3,000/1D (ADV: ¥2,500/1D) • Where: Shinsaibashi • Tel: 06-6241-3822 • circus-osaka.com

Neo Snipe Special Free Party (Trance ) • DJs: Moe:t, Fullmoon Mondo,

Syaman, Fly, sion Akihabara + more • Open: TBA • Admission: ¥Free • Where: Shinsaibashi • neo. xxxxxxxx.jp

7 (Sat) Circus Agile 1st Anniversary (Techno)

• DJ: Monashee • Open: 8pm • Admission: ¥2,000/1D • Where: Shinsaibashi • Tel: 06-6241-3822 • circus-osaka.com

Joule

Universe

Splash! (EDM/House/Hip-hop/ Electro/R&B) • DJs: David Byrne,

Area 52 (Chill punk/House) •

Steve Lowrise, Blasqstone, Joey, Dmitri + more • Open: 9pm • Admission: Gentlemen: ¥2,500/1D, Ladies: ¥2,000/1D • Where: Shinsaibashi • Tel: 06-6214-1223 • club-joule.jp

Onzieme Lime feat. Nick Curly (Techno/ House) • DJs: Nick Curly, Yashima,

Freak Menu, Dimitri, Masataka • Open: 8pm • Admission: ¥3,000/1D • Where: Shinsaibashi • Tel: 066243-0089 • onzi-eme.com

Troop Cafe Kobe Underground Meeting (Techno/House) • Acts: Antal,

Rondenion, Kohji Matsuda, Wesuun, Telly • Open: 11pm • Admission: ¥2,500/1D • Where: Kobe • Tel: 078-321-3130 • troopcafe.tumblr.com

Union Gulp! (House) • DJs: Osakaman, Mottsu, Koji Fujimoto • Open: 9pm • Admission: ¥1,500/1D • Where: Shinsaibashi • Tel: 06-6251-2242 • club-union.jp

Live: Damage - Special Eternal Set • DJ: Altz • Open: 8pm • Admission: ¥3,500 (ADV: ¥3,000) • Where: Namba • tce.bz/ua_live

Osaka Nanko Sankaku Park Open Air Party Trancist (Trance)

• Acts: Fullmoon Mondo, ShowHey, Yajin, Rie, Noriko Namba + more • Open: 9am - 5pm • Admission: ¥1,000 • Where: Nanko

Yogo Kohgen Resort Yap

Sobra Sansou

GodBless 2013 Open Air Party (Trance/Techno) • Acts: Symbolic,

No.9 orchestra Open Air Party (Electronic) • Acts: No.9 orchestra,

Cylon, I.P.U, Ryosay, Kouhei & Ka-kun, Show-Hey, Shu + more • Open: 6pm • Admission: ¥6,000 (ADV: ¥5,000) • Where: Shiga • yogo45.co.jp

8 (Sun) Circus Steppers Dub Addict meets Saiko Onkyo (Dub) • Acts: Sak-

Dub-I, Regal Iwah, Dubby bon, Hondub Hiroaki, Roots Far I • Open: 7pm • Admission: ¥2,000/1D • Where: Shinsaibashi • Tel: 066241-3822 • circus-osaka.com

Senju + more • Open: 11am • Admission: ¥3,000 (ADV: ¥2,000) • Where: Kaizuka • Tel: 072-478-2661 • sobrarecordings.com

13 (Fri) Circus Petar Dunduv New Album “Sailing off The Grid” Tour (Techno) • Live: Petar Dundov •

DJs: Yasuhisa, Ryo Yoshida • Open: 9pm • Admission: ¥3,000/1D (ADV: ¥2,500/1D) • Where: Shinsaibashi • Tel: 06-6241-3822 • circus-osaka. com

Joule Shinichi Osawa DJ Set (House/ Electro) • DJs: Masatoshi Uemura,

Kansai Scene Listings: Where to go & what to do Shinichi Osawa + more • Open: 9pm • Admission: ¥3,000/1D (ADV: ¥2,000/1D) • Where: Shinsaibashi • Tel: 06-6214-1223 • club-joule.jp

Claussell, Danny Krivit, Francois K • Open: 1pm - 8pm • Admission: ¥6,000 (ADV: ¥5,000) • Where: Namba • bodyandsoul-tokyo.com

Union

19 (Thu)

4Rapture (House) • DJs: Masaaki,

Nagisa • Open: 9pm • Admission: ¥1,500/1D • Where: Shinsaibashi • Tel: 06-6251-2242 • club-union.jp

14 (Sat) Circus Do Ur Thing (House) • DJs: Kay

Suzuki, Two Sevenclash, Monkey • Open: 8pm • Admission: ¥2,500/1D (ADV: ¥2,000/1D) • Where: Shinsaibashi • Tel: 06-6241-3822 • circus-osaka.com

Grand Cafe

Circus Ben Sims Japan Tour 2013 (Techno) • DJs: Ben Sims - Open

to Last • Open: 8pm • Admission: ¥3,000/1D (ADV: ¥2,500/1D) • Where: Shinsaibashi • Tel: 06-62413822 • circus-osaka.com

21 (Sat) Arataki Camp Site ChillMountain “Classics” Camping Party 9th Anniversary (House/Techo/Chill) • Acts:

Daishi Dance monthly regular Midnight! ((House) • DJs: Daishi

Dance, Anyan • Open: 8pm • Admission: ¥3,000/1D (Before 10pm: ¥1,500/1D) • Where: Shinsaibashi • Tel: 06-6213-0031 • grandcafeosaka.com

aYsmMedley, Afro Babes, aMadoo feat Mayuko, Based on Kyoto, deadream, Mamezuka, Yama + more • Open: 1pm - 23rd sunset • Admission: ¥5,500/1D (ADV: ¥3,500/1D) • Where: Kawachi Nagano • chillmountain.jimdo.com

Neo

Circus

Newworld & Brain Busters Presents Goa Gil 2013 (Trance ) • DJ: Goa Gil• Open: TBA •

Admission: ¥4,000 (ADV: ¥3,000) • Where: Shinsaibashi • neo. xxxxxxxx.jp

Factory (Techno/House) • Live: Takenawa • DJs: Spider, Aida, yacht, Aluca • Open: 8pm • Admission: ¥2,500/1D (ADV: ¥2,000/1D) • Where: Shinsaibashi • Tel: 06-62413822 • circus-osaka.com

Onzieme

Grand Cafe

Mask feat. Phntm Black Rose Tour 2013 (Techno/House) • DJs:

Drop Zone presents Sole Channel Music apparel line Osaka Japan Kick Off Party (House) • DJs: Mr.V, K-Katsu,

Phntom, Shine, Kunio TOrikai, Milk Bro., Kuwaman, Youk • Open: 9pm • Admission: ¥3,000/1D • Where: Shinsaibashi • Tel: 06-62430089 • onzi-eme.com

Union Extended Mix (House) • DJs: peechboy, Liqued Brothers, Yusuke Afr • Open: 9pm • Admission: ¥2,000/1D • Where: Shinsaibashi • Tel: 06-6251-2242 • club-union.jp

15 (Sun) Circus Holic Osaka (Techno/House) • Live: Mr.G • DJs: Tomoki Tamura, Ageishi & Ackin, Fumi • Open: 9pm • Admission: ¥3,000/1D (ADV: ¥2,500/1D) • Where: Shinsaibashi • Tel: 06-6241-3822 • circus-osaka. com

16 (Mon/Hol) Zepp Osaka Body & Soul Live in Osaka 2013 (House) • DJs: Joaquin “Joe”

Banzawa, Masaaki • Open: 8pm • Admission: ¥3,000/1D • Where: Shinsaibashi • Tel: 06-6213-0031 • grandcafeosaka.com

Fuminno Mori Hiyoshi Zettai-Mu 18th Anniversary 2013 (Hip-hop/Dubstep/Abstract) •

Acts: Dry & Heavy, Turtle Island, Kodama Kazufumi, Soft, O.N.O aka MachineLive, Calm, Kuranaka, Hikaru + more • Open: TBA • Admission: ¥TBA • Where: Kyoto • zettai-mu.net/18th

Onzieme Eleven Lights (EDM) • DJs:

Benkay, Ko-Matsushima, Ypy, Marvy, Mj-Michi • Open: 9pm • Admission: Gentlemen: ¥3,000/1D, Ladies: ¥2,000/1D • Where: Shinsaibashi • Tel: 06-6243-0089 • onzi-eme.com

Triangle Meets Soul Kitchen (Jazz/ Hip-hop/Disco) • Live: Fubulous

Vibrations • DJs: Sarasa, Hiroko Otsuka, K-Flash, Mo-ri + more • Open: 7pm • Admission:

¥3,000 (ADV: ¥2,500) • Where: Shinsaibashi • Tel: 06-6212-2264 • triangle-osaka.jp

Union Vino (House) • DJs: Yabu, Uoshima,

28 (Sat) Circus Outdraw (Techno) • DJs: Kazuya

Kino., Toshimi • Open: 9pm • Admission: ¥1,500/1D • Where: Shinsaibashi • Tel: 06-6251-2242 • club-union.jp

Ninagawa, Dan Elliot, Ume, Mikami & Synya • Open: 10pm • Admission: ¥2,500/1D (ADV: ¥2,000/1D) • Where: Shinsaibashi • Tel: 06-62413822 • circus-osaka.com

23 (Mon/Hol)

Larus Kobe

Matsuo Shrine

• DJs: Yoji, Master Azia, Yu Suke • Open: 9pm • Admission: Gentlemen: ¥3,000/1D, Ladies: ¥1,500/1D (Before 10pm: Gentlemen: ¥2,000/1D, Ladies: ¥600/1D) • Where: Kobe • Tel: 078391-2016 • larus-kobe.com

Yoji in Larus Kobe (Hard dance) Mind-Bending presents Roumon Live (Chill/Dance) • Live: Seiichi

Yamamoto with Ieguti • DJs: Pwu, Kazuma • Open: 5:30pm - 8:30 • Admission: ¥Free • Where: Kyoto • 1.newb.ne.jp/wa/matsuo

27 (Fri) Circus Cross Point (Cross over) • DJs:

Flip, Monk a, Eagle84, MaMoo, Mop, Betty, Sekai • Open: 9pm • Admission: ¥1,500/1D • Where: Shinsaibashi • Tel: 06-6241-3822 • circus-osaka.com

29 (Sun) Circus Swindle Japan Tour (Techno)

• DJs: Swindle, Part2Style Sound, Seiho, Chelsea Jp • Open: 7pm • Admission: ¥1,000/1D (ADV: ¥2,500/1D) • Where: Shinsaibashi • Tel: 06-6241-3822 • circus-osaka. com

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Kansai Scene Listings: Where to go & what to do

Live Music

The Datsuns

Sep 20

Loud, raucous, and full of extreme energy. The Datsuns, a hard rock outfit from New Zealand that formed in 2000, have been hailed by the UK music press as “the future of rock.”

After the success of their self-titled debut and follow-up lead to numerous awards and prominent festival and support slots (Ozzfest 2003, Metallica 2004), some critics would say that the band’s best days are behind them. But don’t let that deter you. Releasing their fifth studio album Death Rattle Boogie in October last year, the band has proven that there’s still plenty more life in them!

On their upcoming tour dates, guitarist Christian Livingstone recently said that he preferred the immediacy of live performances and that the band would be getting back to brass tacks, so - down to business it is.

KS

Pick

Heavy Rock quartet from New Zealand • Club Quattro, Osaka • Metal • 6pm • Heavy Rock • 7pm • ¥3,900 • Tel: 06-6535-5569

Live Music Listings Sepember/October Rock & Pop Kyary Pamyu Pamyu Pop fashion idol ‘Kawaii Ambassador’.

Orix Theatre, Osaka

Sep 15 • Pop • 4pm • ¥5,000 • Tel: 06-7732-8888

Sep 16 • Pop • 5pm • ¥7,300 • Tel: 06-7732-8888

Lianne La Haves English soul singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist.

Billboard Live Osaka, Osaka

Imany

The Birthday

Afro soul singer Nadia Mladjao performing under the stage name Imany.

Japanese blues infused garage rock band including Ross and Michelle Gun Elephant members.

Sep 24 • Soul • 7pm • ¥4,000/¥4,500 • Tel: 06-6311-8111

Sep 30 • Rock • 6pm • ¥4,500/¥5,000 • Tel: 06-6341-3525

Club Quattro, Osaka

Sep 17 • Singer-songwriter • 8pm • ¥6,300/¥7,800 • Tel: 06-6342-7722

Ali Project Japanese progressive rock and baroque pop theatrical/aristocratic image group.

B1A4 Korean pop boy band.

Big Cat, Osaka

Zepp, Osaka

Oct 3 • Prog Rock • 7pm • ¥5,250/¥5,775 • Tel: 06-6344-3326

Sep 19-20 • K-pop • 7pm • ¥9,800 • Tel: 06-6344-3326

Alvino Rake @ Club Quattro, Sep 15

Rake Japanese R&B singer-songwriter.

Club Quattro, Osaka

Sep 15 • Male vocal • 5pm • ¥4,750/¥5,250 • Tel: 06-7732-8888

B’z Veteran Japanese rock duo, guitar and vocals.

Kyocera Dome, Osaka

Sep 15 • Rock • 5pm • ¥5,000/¥8,500 • Tel: 06-6357-4400

AAA Japanese pop band a.k.a Attack All Around.

Osaka Jo Hall, Osaka

Three-piece Japanese rock band including ex-members from the bands Jun and Koji.

Muse, Osaka

Namba Hatch, Osaka

Plastic Tree @ Zepp Osaka, Sep 27

Godiego

Plastic Tree

70s Japanese pop-rock legends best known for the track ‘Monkey Magic’.

Veteran Japanese visual Kei rock band.

Zepp, Osaka

Billboard Live Osaka, Osaka

Oct 3-5 • Pop-rock • 6:30pm/9:30pm (Oct 5: 6:30pm/9:30pm) • ¥7,900/¥9,400 • Tel: 06-6342-7722

Sep 21 • Rock • 6pm • ¥4,500/¥5,000 • Tel: 06-6245-5389

Sep 27 • Rock • 7pm • ¥5,300 • Tel: 06-7732-8888

KRA

Ikimono Gakari

Japanese visual Kei rock with influences ranging from rock to jazz.

Popular Japanese pop rock trio fronted by Kiyoe Yoshioka.

Sep 22 • Rock • 5:30pm • ¥4,200/¥4,700 • Tel: 06-6387-0203

Sep 28-29 • Pop • 5pm • ¥6,300/¥6,800 • Tel: 06-7732-8888

Suga Shikao

The Cherry Cokes

Japanese musician and singersongwriter from Tokyo.

The Pogues meets The Ramones, Japanese folk punk rock.

Ex-Buffalo Springfield singersongwriter and Rock & Rock Hall of Fame member.

Sep 23 • Pop-funk • 6pm • ¥5,800/¥9,100 • Tel: 06-7732-8888

Sep 29 • Folk Punk • 6pm • ¥2,800/¥3,300 • Tel: 075-223-0389

Oct 8 • Rock • 6:30pm/9:30pm • ¥6,900/¥8,400 • Tel: 06-6342-7722

Muse, Esaka

Zepp, Osaka

Osaka Jo Hall, Osaka

Muse, Kyoto

Aoi Teshima Japanese vocalist and voice actor (Studio Ghibli) from Fukuoka.

Zepp, Osaka

Oct 5 • Female Vocal • 5:30pm • ¥6,000 • Tel: 06-6344-3326

Richie Furay

Billboard Live Osaka, Osaka

Kansai Scene Listings: Where to go & what to do Oct 3–5

Oct 3

Oct 9

Godiego

Jon Cleary

Suede

“Born from an egg on a mountain top, the punkiest monkey that ever popped”.

Everyone knows the opening lyrics from the Godiego-performed title track of the legendary Japanese 70s television drama Saiyuki (known as Monkey in the UK.) Over a 30-year career, the band have released a staggering 55 albums (and all of this with a 14-year hiatus from 1986 to 1999), which shows the commercial demand for the band’s music.

Best known for their songs ‘Monkey Magic’ and ‘Galaxy Express 999’, the band are musically so much more than just their hits. Still fronted by Yukihide Takegawa, Godiego has an appeal that goes out to music fans of all ages; this is definitely not a gig to be labelled nostalgia.

Born in England and now a resident of New Orleans; pianist, vocalist and songwriter Jon Cleary has over the years performed with the likes of BB King, Bonnie Raitt, Taj Mahal and Eric Burden (some of whom have also recorded a selection of Cleary’s compositions).

Playing funk rhythm and blues, Cleary has been described by Rolling Stone as “a monster on his own, but Cleary’s full combo R&B is as broad, deep and rolling as the Mississippi river”.

Cleary’s last studio release was the 2012 Occapella, which the musician describes as “having fun with the songs of Allen Toussaint” (influential New Orleans musician). The album features Dr John (who happens to be live at Billboard Live Osaka on 2 October) and Bonnie Raitt.

In the intimate settings of Kyoto’s Taku Taku this is not any old gig - it’s a real New Orleans experience!

It’s a busy time right now for the 90s music press darlings Suede, with a lengthy successful tour in full swing, the new album Bloodsports, and the release of the full remastered back catalogue.

The band have lost none of the alluring swagger that propelled their success 20 years ago and on the remastered releases frontman Brett Anderson says: “It’s the complete audio history of a band and, like any band of interest, it’s flawed, strange and sometimes beautiful.”

Formed in London in 1989, Suede released their self-titled debut album in 1993 winning the Mercury Music Prize.

They disbanded in 2003, but a series of reunion concerts in 2010 and this year’s commercially successful album could mean that Anderson & Co. will be around for a good while to come.

Japanese 70s Pop-rock legends Billboard Live Osaka, Osaka • Pop-rock • 6.30pm/9.30pm (Oct 5:

90s Britpop leaders reunion • Namba Hatch, Osaka • Britpop-rock • 7pm

6:30pm/9:30pm) • ¥7,900/¥9,400

New Orleans based R&B pianist/songwriter

• Tel: 06-6342-7722

• Taku Taku, Kyoto • Funk-R&B • 7pm •

• ¥7,350/¥8,000 • Tel: 06-7732-8888

¥4,000/¥5,000 • Tel: 075-351-1321

Ihsahn Black Metal multi-instrumentalist from Norway.

Club Quattro, Osaka

Oct 11 • Metal • 7pm • ¥6,500 • Tel: 06-6535-5569

Inoran Japanese vocalist, guitarist and founding member of the band Luna Sea. Club Quattro, Osaka

Oct 12-13 • Rock • 6pm • ¥5,500/¥6,000 • Tel: 06-6344-3326

Jazz & Blues

Oct 1 • Jazz • 6:30pm/9:30pm • ¥6,900/¥8,400 • Tel: 06-6342-772

Oct 14 • Jazz • 7:30pm/9:15pm • ¥4,000/¥4,500 • Tel: 06-6342-5821

Dr. John

Benjamin Herman

US Blues piano legend playing boogie woogie, jazz, blues and rock ‘n’ roll.

Dutch alto saxophonist, founder of the jazz, soul, latin band New Cool Collective.

Oct 2 • Blues • 6:30pm/9:30pm • ¥8,300/¥9,400 • Tel: 06-6342-7722

Oct 15 • Jazz • 7:30pm/9:15pm • ¥4,200/¥4,500 • Tel: 06-6342-5821

Billboard Live Osaka, Osaka

Jon Cleary English funk/R&B pianist based in New Orleans.

Taku Taku, Kyoto

Oct 3 • Rhythm & Blues • 7pm • ¥4,000/¥5,000 • Tel: 075-351-1321

Madeline Peyroux

Tobias Preisig Quartet

US jazz vocalist and guitarist with a vocal style compared to Billie Holiday.

Swiss violinist playing experimental improvised jazz.

Billboard Live Osaka, Osaka

Mr. Kellys, Osaka

Mr. Kellys, Osaka

World Misko Plavi Serbian multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger.

Club Quattro, Osaka

Dr. John @ Billboard Live Osaka, Oct 2

Oct 2 • World • 7:30pm • ¥3,500/¥4,000 • Tel: 06-6311-8111

Find more listings online at: www.kansaiscene.com/listings

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36

Kansai Scene magazine September 2013 kansaiscene.com

Art

The global traveller A childhood in England, adolescence in Germany, and adulthood in Japan have combined to form the unique style of this month’s cover artist.

The bird looks regal, cloaked in exquisite feathers and crowned with a scarlet comb. But why is it standing in front of a grimy, graffiti-marked wall?

To the casual observer, the avian subject and it’s backdrop may seem incongruous, but for Osaka-based artist Nearski (more on the name later), this juxtaposition of nature and urban grit is exactly what inspired him to create his latest collection of paintings, Osaka Birds.

“Birds can amazingly adapt to almost any surrounding, while still keeping their appearance the same,” he says. Having made the move last year to Osaka, a city with “little greenery but plenty of birds”, he was inspired to further adapt these hardy animals to their surroundings by creating new birds with influence from colours, shapes and patterns from his new home. The result: a collection of over 30 paintings depicting paradisiacal birds all set against a snapshot of urban decay.

This fusion makes for striking imagery, but it also tells the story of a life lived in different places and imbued with myriad influences.

Growing up on a farm in the English countryside, Nearski developed a deep love of nature that continues to influence his work today. At age 13, a move to Germany opened up another world to the budding artist. “Germany has a huge street art and graffiti scene,” he says. “Everyone around me was writing so I got into to it too.”

It was during these teenage years spent exploring graffiti, letters and characters that the artist’s catchy

moniker was born. “I used to like drawing the letters Near, and sometimes for fun I would add endings like Nearski or Nearamov,” he recalls. “My friends picked up on Nearski and the name just stuck.”

Rather unusually, it was in Dusseldorf (“a city with a very high population of Japanese”) that Nearski became interested in Japanese culture.

At university, he jumped at the chance to go on exchange to Hiroshima, and the romance blossomed.

“I fell in love with Japan instantly, the people, the food, the art… but after about 10 months I had to go back to the UK to finish my degree,” he remembers. Hungry to learn more, he snapped up a teaching job in Kyoto five years ago and has been in Kansai ever since.

As ever, Nearski has added inspiration from his current surrounds to his evolving artistic style. “I’d say my current style still has a graffiti element to it. My usual subjects are from nature but I also have a fascination with the run down areas of the city. Now I’m fascinated by traditional Japanese art like Ukiyo-e prints and especially the work of Ito Jakuchu, which I think is evident in my latest work.”

In July and August, he exhibited Osaka Birds at two light and music extravaganzas in Nipponbashi and Shinsaibashi. Next up, he plans to collaborate with a Gunma-based artist and to start printing designs on TShirts and other clothing.

And while he’s in no rush to cash in on his work (“I create because I enjoy creating”) Nearski’s original artwork

and postcards are being snapped up by eager fans. So if you fancy one of those T-shirts, you’d be wise to keep checking his site so you can nab some before they’re goneski.

To see more please check facebook. com/nearskinearski or contact Nearski at info@nearski.com

38

Kansai Scene Listings: Where to go & what to do

Kansai Business Finder Wining & Dining Absinthe Mediterranean Restaurant Cafe/Bar

Nishi-ku, Kita-horie 1-2-27 South Yotsubashi Bldg. 1F Osaka Tel: 06-6534-6635 Url: www.absinthe-jp.com

Asbinthe Solaar Roof Top Restaurant Cafe Bar & Beer Garden

Chuo-ku, Namba 5-1-18 Namba Dining Maison 8F Osaka Tel: 06-6633-1445 Url: www.absinthe-jp.com/absinthesolaar

Outback Steakhouse Australian Themed Steakhouse

Kita-ku, Umeda 2-1-24 Shinsakurabashi Bldg. 1F Osaka Tel: 06-6457-7121 Url: www.outbacksteakhouse.co.jp

Murphy’s Irish Pub First Irish Pub in Japan

> for more listings and maps see kansaiscene.com/business-finder

Chuo-ku, Higashi-shinsaibashi 1-631 Lead plaza 6F Osaka Tel: 06-6282-0677 Url: www.murphysosaka.com

Tel: 06-6213-1122 Url: www.irishpub-dublinbay.com

Tel: 06-6553-2292 Url: www.aliskitchen.jp

Zerro

Go_suke

Fubar

The Place to be...

Beer & Pizza restaurant and bar

Chuo-ku, Shinsaibashi-suji 2-3-2, Queen’s Court Bldg 1F Osaka Tel: 06-6211-0439

Kita-ku, Sonezaki-cho 2-5-24, Chuo Bldg. 3/4F, Osaka Tel: 06-6312-3387 Url: facebook.com/beerpizzagosuke

Restaurant and Bar

Chuo-ku, Shinsaibashi-suji 1-5-22F Osaka Tel: 06-6245-3757 Url: www.fubarosaka.com

Captain Kangaroo Food, Sports & Rock ‘n’ Roll

Kita-ku, Sonezaki-shinchi 1-5-20 Okawa Bldg. 1F Osaka Tel: 06-6346-0367 Url: www.roo-bar.jp

The Blarney Stone Shinsaibashi The Irish Pub in the Heart of Osaka

Chuo-ku, Higashi-Shinsaibashi 2-527 Kohda Bldg B1F Osaka Tel: 06-6484-2220 Url: www.the-blarney-stone.com

Chinese Cafe Eight

The Blarney Stone Umeda

Chinese Cuisine

The Irish Pub in the Heart of Osaka

Chuo-ku, Soemon-cho 7-2 Luz Shinsaibashi 5F Osaka Tel: 06-6125-5338 Url: www.chinesecafe8.com

Kita-ku, Sonezaki 2-10-15 Sonezaki Center Bldg. 6F Osaka Tel: 06-6364-2001 Url: www.the-blarney-stone.com

Dublin Bay

Ali’s Kitchen

Irish Pub

Pakistani & Arabic Cuisine

Chuo-ku, Dotonbori 2-1-5-B1 Osaka

Chuo-ku, Shinsaibashi-suji 1-10-12B1 Osaka

México Mexican restaurant and bar

Chuo-ku, Dotonbori 2-1-8, Zelkova III 5F, Osaka Tel: 06-6212-6766

Nepaliko Chulo Authentic Nepalese Cuisine

556-0015 Osaka, Naniwa-ku, Shikitsu-nishi 2-9-7 Tel. 06-6636-5131 Url: oasiscafejapan.com

Education Kobe YWCA Global Network of Women

Kansai Scene Listings: Where to go & what to do Chuo-ku, Ninomiya-cho 1-12-10 Kobe Tel: 078-231-6201 Url: www.kobe.ywca.or.jp

Osaka YWCA Global Network of Women

Kita-ku, Kamiyama-cho 11-12 Osaka Tel: 06-6361-0838 Url: www.osaka.ywca.or.jp

Arthur Murray Dance School Dance Studio

Chuo-ku, Minami-senba 3-5-28 Osaka Tel: 06-6245-1731 Url: www.arthurmurray.co.jp

Marga Language Service Japanese Language School

Chuo-ku, Onoe-dori 5-1-27-8F Kobe Tel: 078-271-6446 Url: www.marga.jp

Osaka Abacus Association Let’s learn Abacus!

Minatoku, Yunagi 2-13-7 Osaka

Tel: 06-6572-6877 Url: https://sites.google.com/site/

osakasoroban/

Espeto Sports Acrobatics and Capoeira school

Osaka, Minato-ku, Namiyoke 5-4-20 Tel: 06-6582-7177 Url: www.espeto-sports.com

Shops & Services Mojoprint Full Color Printing

Nishi-ku, Shinmachi 3-5-7, Eiko Bldg. 2F Osaka Tel: 06-6539-1717 Url: www.mojoprint.jp

Brastel Remit Send money overseas

Sumida-ku, Yokoami 2-6-2 Tokyo Tel: 0120-983-891 / 03-6869-4851 Url: www.brastelremit.jp

TNT-PC English PC Support

Nishinomiya-shi, Maruhashi-cho 6-8-1F Nishinomiya Tel: 0798-65-7555 Url: www.tnt-pc.com

Miyabi Int’l Gyoseishoshi Law Firm

Sweatshop Union

VISA Lawyers in Osaka

Naniwa-ku, Sakuragawa 4-5-19 Osaka Tel: 06-4394-8850 Url: www.sweatshopunion.jp/eng

Kita-ku, Nishitenma 1-8-9 Viequ tower #2406 Osaka Tel: 06-4981-7439

Yuko Tamaki Accounting Office Accounting & Tax Services

Chuo-ku, Tanimachi 1-7-3-8F, Osaka Tel: 06-6809-1955 Url: www12.plala.or.jp/ytaccounting/ indexeng.html

Creamy Kids International Modeling Agency

Kita-ku, Umeda 1-2-2 Osaka Ekimae, Dai-2 Bldg. 2F Osaka Tel: 06-6347-7705 Url: www.pre21.com/creamy

Pakmail Amagasaki We Ship Anything, Anywhere!

Tsugiya 2-2-28 Amagasaki Tel: 06-6492-8950 Url: www.pakmail-ama.com

Pakmail Esaka We Ship Anything, Anywhere!

Suita, Esaka-cho 1-23-17 Osaka Tel: 06-6330-8988 Url: www.pakmail-osaka.com

T-Shirt Print Shop

Shinmei Law Office Business Lawyer

Kita-ku, Nishi-tenma 4-11-22, Hanshin-shinmei Bldg. 501 Osaka Tel: 06-6362-8013 Url: www.shinmei-law.com/e

Exeo International International Dating Parties

Kita-ku, Umeda 1-1-3-3F Sky Lounge Mariage Osaka Tel: 050-5810-3977 Url: www.exeo-international.com

Travel GS Travel Best Fares in Osaka

Chuo-ku, Higashi-Shinsaibashi 1-13-21, Wadayoshi Bldg 302 Osaka Tel: 06-6281-1230 Url: www.gs-travel.com/en

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Kansai Scene magazine September 2013 kansaiscene.com

Classifieds

Place your ad online at: kansaiscene.com/classifieds

Employment > Education English Chat Host CHAT

HOSTS & TEACHERS WANTED @ LEAFCUP (Osaka).Seeking enthusiastic & proficient English speakers, who can teach and lead lively conversations. ¥1,000-¥1,500/ hr.Apply online: www.leafcup.com/ job.htm Oliver lord: hr@leafcup. com All kinds of Native Speakers

Wanted Lesson at any place you like, payment decided by yourself and without any fee charged. Only you need to do is sign up to the teacher user list and wait for contact from student users. Download the iPhone app at here: http://talking-mall. com/app

Native English Teachers wanted! Small yet friendly

growing school in Senrioka seeks PT native English teachers for Tue & Fri for kids & adults. Starting 1,5002,300 per hr depends on experience.

Please send your resume and recent photo to abies_kids@yahoo.co.jp or 08042450011 for more details

Hyogo On-site Corporate Position CES is seeking a Native

English speaker for a semi-f/t (4-5 days) on-site corporate teaching position in the Hyogo area from

September/October. 1-year contract.

Daytime and evening classes.

Attractive remuneration. Send resume to mark@cesjapan.co.jp English Teacher needed for September in Maizuru, N.

Kyoto F/T experienced (3 years +) NATIVE English teacher needed in Maizuru. Starts Sept. Comfortable teaching children. Must drive & be eligible for working visa. Salary 250000¥@month after probation, subsidized apartment & utilities, 7 weeks paid holiday. Reply with CV, cover letter, references & photo Best Eikaiwa: HRbesteikaiwa@gmail.com Native English teacher wanted ASAP for full or part

time to teach adults and kids near Hankyu Kawanishi-Noseguchi station, 20 min from Umeda on the Takarazuka line. Salary 250000 to 290000 based on experience and ability + transportation. Only applicants being considered will be contacted. Adam: cv@englishaccess.jp

Energetic PT Instructor Wanted For New School!!

October/November 2013: Native/ near-native PT language insructor for adult classes. Require proper visa, BA minimum, and experience: 2500/hr plus transport. Please send your CV and contact information to: inoue@motherese.co.jp 06-63778844 Only interview prospects will be contacted: we thank you!

MODERN ENGLISH MINOH PT

Native English Teacher wanted Native English Teacher wanted Minoh city, nth Osaka opp stn.

Now Thu + Fri afternoon and evening classes, expanding into any weekday plus Sat. Ability to work independently a MUST. Start Sep 1st. 1,600/hour + transport.

Proper Visa required, experience preferred. Please send CV and photo by email. Modern English: info@modernenglish.net www. modernenglish.net/ Hyogo On-site Corporate Position CES is seeking a Native

English speaker for a semi-f/t (4

days) on-site corporate teaching position in the Hyogo area from October. 1-year contract. Daytime and evening classes. Attractive remuneration. Send resume to mark@cesjapan.co.jp PT ENGLISH/FRENCH TEACHERS School in Ashiya/

Okamoto is looking for FT/PT English and French teachers ASAP. University diploma is preferable.

Must be native speaker with valid visa. Payment: 2700-3000yen per hour and transportation. Contact us by email. ashiyaplus@hotmail.co.jp Love to teach kids

(Kindergarten age to H.S.)? Then we are looking for you! Mon/Wed/Thu & some Sats. If you're interested for a PT teaching position (could lead to FT if willing to give at least 1year commitment) please call 06-63216108 1-5pm. Email us disc_eng@ yahoo.co.jp with C/V and picture, Hankyu Kyoto Line Kamishinjo DISC ENGLISH SCHOOL Energetic native English speaker wanted. Energetic native

English speaker wanted. Int. Kinder in Shukugawa. F/T M-F. Visa s/ship avail. 2 min from Hankyu.10 min JR. Travel included. Email: treehouse@pearl.ocn.ne.jp

> General PART-TIME: Nightclub Hostess スタッフ募集 Bar/

Nightclub Female hostess wanted for Fri&Sat! Located in Fuse (Kintetsu line) we offer Englishonly service. Basic Japanese abil. & proper visa required. Will provide transportation after shift ends. ¥1500/hr~ please call 080-61883645 worldline888@yahoo.com Let's talk in English with customers!

English speaking bar staff

wanted for newly opened bar in Umeda. Beer & Pizza Gosuke.

Conversational level Japanese required. All nationalities welcome.

3 hrs a night, 6pm–5am. ¥900/ hr (first month ¥850/hr). Please

contact the manager, Mr. Asada at 06-6312-3387 (4pm–midnight).

> Media/IT Japanese graphic designer wanted Mojoprint is hiring!

We are looking for a Japanese graphic designer to join our team, with immediate start. A great opportunity for a Japanese designer looking to work in an English speaking environment. Native Japanese speakers only. Send your application today! jobs@mojoprint. jp www.mojoprint.jp/jobs.php

緊急募集 日本人グラフィックデザイナ ー / DTPオペレーター Mojoprintに働 いてみませんか? 電話/メールでの印刷 入稿サポート(日本語/英語)、取引先と のやり取り、印刷物のデザイン全般等。 また必要に応じて弊社が発行している フリーペーパー「関西シーン」のサポ ートまで。jobs@mojoprint.jp www.

mojoprint.jp/jobs.php

For Rent Shinsaibashi 2LDK ¥160000/ month. GREAT LOCATION!!

10year old building, All Flooring 2LDK, 60 square meter apartment.

Fully Furnished for 160000yen/ month. (utilities additional).

6month min. stay required, No Key money, No guarantor nor guarantor companies needed., No agency fees.

Owner direct!!!!!Center of Osaka City Apartment. Alex 09037030314 www.abhousingosaka.com alex@ abhousingosaka.com

Apartments in Kobe - NO KEY MONEY No guarantor required. 1R, and 2LDK from 40,000 yen - 80,000 yen pcm. Call 090 6777 9864 or email kevin@ elliottventures.com KOBE: No Key money No agency fee KOBE: No Key money No agency fee. Furnished with washer, fridge etc. 2LDK Hankyu Ojikoen, near shops, 51m² ¥98,000 Good for sharing Very convenient Eng or Jpn. 090-9286-1216 ffeilden@yahoo.co.jp

42 42

Kansai Scene magazine September 2013 kansaiscene.com

Short term stays from

¥140000/mth, 3mth+ stays from ¥80000/mth 2DK fully furnished

by Osakako subway station. 11min trainride to downtown Honmachi area. Short term stays from 1month at 140000yen/month. 3months and longer stays 80000yen/month. No Key money, No Guarantors, No Agency Fees, 1month refundable deposit required. Alex 09037030314 alex@abhousingosaka.com Bentencho Apartments Available. 1DK from 55000yen/

month. (Semi, and Fully Furnished also available) 1DK 55000 unfurnished, 1DK 70000 full furnished, 2DK 70000 unfurnished, 2DK 75000 unfurnished, 2DK 80000 semi furnished, 6min walk to Bentencho subway and JR Loopline stations. 15min bikeride to downtown Nanba/Shinsaibashi areas. Alex 09037030314 alex@ abhousingosaka.com

30000en lower than the normal charge!! 2 person, English speaker or teacher. Task is English teacher 1 hour per week. DREAMERS INC: info@dreamers-jp.com http:// dreamers-jp.com

Health KANDA MEDICINE IN KOBE

SHIATSU, ACUPUNCTURE and MOXIBUSTION Okamoto stn. on Hankyu Kobe-line, or Settsumotoyama stn. on JR Kobe-line Open everyday except Sunday and Public holiday 6am - 8pm 5,000 yen / session Tel: 078-412-5385 iPhone 090-9692-8758 hidomo@gmail. com SHIATSU COURSES are also Offered. ENGLISH SPOKEN

Rent ¥39,000~, 9.72m2~, 8min walk from JRSenrioka st. / Marche Awaza: Rent ¥46,000~, 7.29m2~, 7min walk from Awaza st. No key money, deposit or guarantor.

Furnished. Initial cost: 1st month’s rent & handling fee(15,750).

Mention Classified ad & handling fee is FREE. info@entrance-japan

Share House Supporter Share-college KOBE.

JR Nada station Room charge \32000(included utilities) about

mm 255L 58kg.Not your typical small J-fridge. xxjsxx@hotmail. Free delivery in Namba and Daikokucho or nearby neighborhoods. Others need to find transport.

Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy at

Language Exchange

Doshisha, Kyoto Mindfulnessbased Cognitive Therapy research program is continuing at Doshisha University, Kyoto. It is open for all English speaking foreigners living in and around Kyoto and is free to participate. Anybody interested in joining in please visit the website for details. http://www.doshisha.vpweb. com.au

FOREIGNERS FREE ABACUS CLASS for FOREIGNERS offered

by O.C.C.I. and Osaka Abacus Assoc. to promote int'l goodwill.

Individualized lessons taught in Japanese or English. Saturdays 10-12 am. Course material provided for free. Near Sakaisuji-Hommachi and Kitahama. Call: Moritomo Ken 066572-6877 https://sites.google.com/ site/osakasoroban//

Courses & Classes Ikebana for busy Kansai

people Relax with flower arrangement lessons in English!

One or two lessons/month. Choose classes from Osaka (Friday eves + Saturday), Kobe (Wednesday eves), and Shiga (Sunday). Tuition-Free Trial Lessons available for those considering enrollment. Tomoyo Wells: cosmoflorita@ezweb.ne.jp http://www.cosmoflorita.com/ JAZZ-DANCE, POLE-DANCE LESSONS Jazz-dance and

Pole-dance lessons in Osaka, all

our living room. Looks great! Black 2 door units measures 00cm (W) x 60cm (D) x 201cm (H) Paid 23850 yen each. Selling for 1/2 price. GR dphelyar@gmail.com

by a professional native Japanese speaker at a coffee shop, your office, anywhere convenience. **Instructor can speak English, Private lessons, Communication, Brush up on your Japanese, Preparation for JLPT. mail: fu.nihon555@gmail.com www. jpnlessonosaka.net/

FREE ABACUS CLASS for

Penthouse Apartment in Kobe! Spacious, 124-square-

Shared accommodation for rent in Osaka Wagokoro:

Japanese lesson in Osaka From beginner. Taught

Events

Room/Flat Share meter flat has room available.

Fully furnished + special extras (surround-sound movie theater system, 2-person sized bathtub, tons of closet space and sunlight, and gorgeous views!) Walk to most major train lines. 45000 yen + bills.

Contact Darren and/or see my blog. :) Darren Larson: zoobiechan110@ yahoo.com http://www.kobeliving. blogspot.jp/

levels are welcome! more info: darkangel.dance@hotmail.com

For Sale (second hand) Osaka Moving SALE -

Awesome sized Fridge Sanyo SR-26A 596X656X1400

English-Japanese in a coffee shop in Kansai ! Friendly

English teacher and businessman is looking for a friendly Japanese for friendship and language exchange. Lets speak in Japanese.

I need to speak more pera pera Japanese. Onegaishimasu! canyoubemyfriend@usa.com

Language Exchange Hi. A

tiny Japanese man looks for an English native speaker for language exchange. I will improve your Japanese, and you can help me with my English. Also,I want to go to an event in Osaka together. Yasu: idowhatido@hotmail.co.jp

Other Japanese rice business Anyone interested to invest in a

Japanese rice farm in the Amazon? I can help with accommodation, visa, buying a suitable land and company set up. This is a serious invitation.

Contact me. tecno.enka@gmail.com English Discussion Group interested in having discussions

furnishings, clothes, etc. Contact Sarah - sarahmovingosaka@gmail. com CLOTHING -- FURNITURE -- APPLIANCES -- FURNISHINGS Pick-up only, near U.S. Consulate in Umeda All Prices Negotiable *SEE SLIDESHOW http://goo.gl/ c9NMKL

on important topics? Please join us!

We get together in Osaka 1-2 times a month at a café. Please email for details! Everyone welcome. Brian Connelly: satoriboy@yahoo.com

Ikea Pax Hemnes Wardrobe

Due to space restrictions we are unable to print all classified ads.

See kansaiscene.com for more classifieds online.

(5) We have 5 of these wardrobes we have been using for storage in

Sorry…

Be seen in Kansai Scene There is no better way to reach those interested in foreign lifestyle and cultures living in the Kansai area.

To find out more about how to advertise your business in Kansai Scene, please email sales@kansaiscene.com or call us in English or Japanese on 06-6539-1717.

www.kansaiscene.com

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Grand Front Osaka

Umeda Sky Building

35F German Umeda 4F Consulate Garden Cinema Westin Hotel

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Nikko Hotel

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Family Mart

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Kyoto City Hall

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