Metropolis 1105

May 29-Jun 18, 2015 Japan’s Nº1 English Magazine www.metropolisjapan.com

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MAY 29-JUN 11, 2015 • #1105

EDITOR’S LETTER

As the weather heats up, the atmosphere in the Metropolis office has become more festive, with an urge to get out and dance!

Yoyogi Koen offers the perfect opportunity this June with the Salsa Street Festival—and we carry the inspiration into the culinary world as well in our food section, with great Brazilian flavors.

Photo by By C Bryan Jones

June is also the time to rumble in the name of those in need, as 16 of Tokyo’s top executives take part in Executive Fight Night V to raise money for children with cancer. Plus, we show you how you can adopt a canine friend to share the summer excitement with, and how to start on the path to summer fitness, too.

Photo by By Samuel Thomas

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Film-inspired Flavor: Meet Mifune’s Japanese cuisine

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MeeWee Dinkee Magic: A Mechanical Fashion Show

Planting Seeds: The return of TV On the Radio

Cover design: Kohji Shiiki. Photography: 37 Frames

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TOP

EDITOR’S PICK

zoos

Edogawa City Natural Zoo

Nogeyama Zoo

Ueno Zoo

A small, yet entertaining, zoo with animals such as penguins and monkeys, and a petting zoo.

Open 10am-4:30pm (from 9:30am on Sat, Sun & hols), closed Mon. Free. 3-2-1 Kita-Kasai, within Gyosen Park. Nishi-Kasai. Tel: 03-3680-0777. http://edogawa-kankyozaidan.jp/zoo

Established in 1951, Nogeyama Zoo boasts around 90 species of animals, with a petting zoo where you can cuddle with mice, guinea pigs, and chicks. Open 9:30am-4:30pm, closed Mon. Free.

63-10 Oimatsu-cho, Nishi-ku, Yokohama. 23-3 Sakuragaokacho, Shibuya-ku. Sakuragicho.

Tel: 045-231-1307. www2.nogeyama-zoo.org/ english

The oldest zoo in Japan is home to 2,600 animals including the ever-popular pandas. Open 9:30am-5pm, closed Mon. ¥200-600. Ueno Park.

Ueno. Tel: 03-3828-5171. www.tokyo-zoo.net/ english/ueno

JUN 19-29

YUKI IDEGUCHI On one level, painter Yuki Ideguchi’s works are psychedelic, and his attempt to capture a world where life and death intertwine are hallmarks of the style. But behind the painter’s visions lies a deeper well of Japanese tradition, including Buddhism and Shinto. Ideguchi’s new exhibition is titled "Somewhere hasn't been here will be here" and represents the fruits of his efforts to bring traditional Japanese philosophical and decorative techniques into the world of contemporary art. Dan Grunebaum Jun 19-29, 12-7pm (3-9pm on Jun 19, until 5pm on final day). Closed Jun 24. Free.

Minna no Gallery. Hanzomon.

Tel: 03-6268-9658. http://minnanog.wix.com/minna-eng

JUN 14

TOMISATO CITY WATERMELON FESTIVAL Kick off the summer with Tomisato’s annual Watermelon Festival, which includes watermelon tasting, games, and the chance to buy freshly-picked produce.

Jun 14, 9am-2:30pm, free. Tomisato center public hall lobby and parking lot, Chiba Prefecture. Keisei Narita.

20min by bus from station.

JUN 6

IKUSA SAMURAI BATTLE: WOW WOAH WAR! BE A SAMURAI!!

Make international friends and learn the Japanese art of Bushido by engaging in a samurai battle! Jun 6, 2pm, ¥1,000 (child)/ ¥1,500 (adult). Price includes all necessary equipment. Yoyogi Park. Harajuku or Meiji-Jingūmae. http://j.mp/beasamurai2015

JUN 13-20 ESNAVI

Soul-belter Esnavi makes her first tour of the Japanese Isles, with several stops in the Kanto region on the itinerary.

Jun 13-20, various times, prices, and venues. http://www.esnavi.com

Photo by Mikki Kunttu

JUN 6-7

ECO LIFE FAIR Celebrate World Environment Month at Yoyogi Park with food, live performances, and a market selling local food and goods from Iwate, Miyagi, Fukushima, and other prefectures devastated by the 2011 Tohoku earthquake. Jun 6, 11am-5pm; Jun 7, 10am-5pm, free entry. Yoyogi Park.

Harajuku or Meiji-Jingumae. www.ecolifefair.go.jp

JUN 20-21

TERO SAARINEN COMPANY “MORPHED” A band of eight men seduce, challenge, demand, and swagger in Tero Saarinen Company’s new production, with music that ranges from the brutally aggressive to the meditatively soft and minimalistic by Esa-Pekka Salonen. Jun 20-21, 3pm, 3,500-5,000. Sainokuni Saitama Arts Theater. Yonohonmachi.

Tel: 0570-064-939. www.saf.or.jp/en/stages/detail/2333

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feature

SALSA! SALSA! SALSA!

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For those who want to brush up on their salsa dancing skills before the festival, here are a few spots where you can dance the night away!

Yoyogi Park cranks up the heat for Salsa Street 2015

f you feel like your life is missing some spice, you’re in luck, because a visit to Salsa Street 2015 in Yoyogi Park is sure to add just that.

Taking place on June 20 and 21, this weekend is jam-packed with everything salsa— from dance and music to food.

Some cultural background … “salsa,” in Spanish, means “sauce,” and originates from sal, the Latin word for salt. “Salad,” “salami,” and “sausage” also have their origins in this word, including “salary,” which stems from the ancient Roman practice of paying workers’ wages with salt.

Just as any type of sauce is made by mixing together different ingredients, salsa is a mix of different styles of music, and this eclectic

EL CAFE LATINO

mashup is exactly what Salsa Street is about— as you’ll no doubt leave with a taste of different Caribbean and Latin American cultures. Here’s what you can expect from the festival …

FOOD AND DRINK Munch on tacos and wash them down with some Caribbean and Latin American beer, a mojito, or caipirinha, Brazil’s national cocktail made by mixing cachaça, a hard liquor made from sugar cane, with sugar and lime. You can also enjoy other tropical cocktails, along with rum, tequila, and even cigars.

MUSIC AND DANCE Of course, salsa music will be playing all day, and if you’re worried your moves aren’t up to par, don’t … salsa dance lessons will be offered!

Will take place rain or shine. Jun 20, 10am8pm; Jun 21, 10am-7pm, free entry. Keyaki Street, Yoyogi Park. Nearest station: Harajuku, Yoyogi Kōen, or Meiji Jingūmae. www. guavaberry.jp/salsastreet

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With drinks ¥500-1,200, El Cafe Latino offers salsa, merengue, and bachata lessons, taught by professional dancers. Some lessons are offered for free and others cost ¥2,500. Open Tue-Thu and Sun, 6pm-12am; Fri and Sat, 6pm-5am. Closed Mon. An admission fee of ¥1,500 (includes one drink) will be charged on Fri and Sat. 1F WIN Roppongi, 3-15-24 Roppongi, Minato-ku.

Tel: 03-3402-8989. www.elcafelatino.com/?lang=en

SALSA CARIBE Lessons are offered every day for ¥1,000, with beginner lessons available free of charge on Wed, Fri and Sat. Open Sun-Thu, 6pm-1am; Fri, and Sat, 6pm-5am. Admission fee ¥1,200 Sun-Thu, ¥1,500 Fri and Sat, both with one drink. Reine 2F, 5-3-4 Roppongi, Minato-ku. Tel: 03-3746-0244. www.salsacaribe.jp

PARAISO Lessons such as LA-style salsa (¥2,000 with one drink) offered daily, with weekly free lessons. Open Sun-Thu, 6pm-2am; Fri-Sat, 6pm-am. B1 Kobayashi Bldg., 7-10-3 Roppongi, Minato-ku. Tel: 03-106-0032. www.paraiso-bar.com

cover story

TAKING THE FIGHT TO CHILDREN’S CANCER Executive Fight Night boxers explain what drives them

BY C BRYAN JONES

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e’re often urged to fight for a good cause, but rarely is the imperative so literal. On July 19, sixteen incredible men and women will take to the ring at the Grand Hyatt Tokyo as part of the Tony Evans and deVere Group Executive Fight Night V to raise money for Shine On! Kids.

What moves these individuals to commit to the fight, to the rigorous process of training, to the inevitable injuries? Metropolis sat down with four of the fighters to find out what drives them.

Chad Lafferty is a native of Oklahoma who works as an associate director in the contract division at Robert Walters Japan. Jacqueline Alexander is a professional freelance makeup artist, an American who graduated first in her class at The London School of Beauty and Makeup. Nick Rees, who arrived from the U.K. more than a decade ago, manages an IT recruitment team at Morgan McKinley. And Gregor Zetsche, a Germany native, is a general manager at Mercedes-Benz Research & Development Japan.

This diversity comes together for a common goal under the guidance of EFN and the trainers at Club 360. Asking why they chose to take part in the event reveals common threads: a competitive nature; a desire to help children suffering from serious illnesses; and a love of physical challenges.

Read Gregor’s full interview at http://meturl.com/efnv-gregor

“I felt like this would be a great challenge for me to take on,” says Zetsche. “You don’t often have the chance to help others by getting punched in the face. I have high regard for what Shine On! Kids is doing, and I’m glad I can help out. My fight lasts six minutes. These kids have to fight every day.”

The driving force is the same for Rees. “It’s those amazing kids I will be thinking of. A young lad in Shizuoka painted me a special picture, and I will be fighting for this little angel on the night. He is seriously ill and will be on my mind.”

EFN is more than just a charity event. At the same time that it gives new hope to a child with cancer, it’s also a program that changes the lives of the fighters through 12 weeks of grueling preparation.

“Training for this fight has been an intense ride,” explains Alexander, who is the wife of fellow EFN fighter John “The Butcher” Trollope.

“These next few weeks leading up to the ‘Big Dance’ are going to shed more blood, sweat, and dedication than I think any of us have endured before.”

Lafferty, who has done FIT and 24-hour charity runs the past couple of years, found EFN to be even more demanding than expected. “The change to boxing from other sports was pretty jarring. I was in good shape, but not boxing shape. The intensity of the training was surprising.”

Read Nick’s full interview at http://meturl.com/efnv-nick

Making it to June 19 requires the kind of determination that has put all of the participants at the top of their business game. “Athletics is not my forte,” confesses Zetsche. “I know how to prepare for an important presentation or an exam, not for a boxing fight. But I have come to realize that, in fact, all three are quite comparable.”

Another challenge that the fighters face is staying free of injury. The training is intense and the timeline short. “I have actually injured my left arm slightly, and have been training with one arm to err on the side of caution; but giving up is not an option,” says Rees.

One thing the four all agree on is that the personal rewards are considerable, and the health benefits outweigh the occasional cut or bruise. Lafferty proclaims, “I’m in better shape than I’ve been in since high school—arguably ever.” And Rees lauds trainer Jan Kazuba, who has been coaching the IT manager for two years now, saying “I’m a fitter and better person for it.”

Fast forward to the big night. In the center of the Grand Hyatt Tokyo Ballroom sits a boxing ring. Pledging for the fighters, a raffle, tables covered with succulent food prepared by world-class chefs, and special entertainment set the celebratory atmosphere as this year’s roster of 16 share the results of their hard work.

One will leave as the champion, but all are winners—including the children.

“At the end of the day, there are a bunch of kids counting on you,” Lafferty reminds us when considering that he might not hoist the belt. “That’s the heartbreaking thing behind all this, and the reason it’s such a great event. Win or lose, Shine On! Kids wins—and that’s more important than my pride!”

Friday, June 19 6:30pm. Grand Hyatt Tokyo

TICKETS WANT TO BE THERE? TICKETS STILL AVAILABLE! ticketing@ginjaninjas.com www.executivefightnight.com

Read Chad’s full interview at http://meturl.com/efnv-chad

Read Jacqueline’s full interview at http://meturl.com/efnv-jackie 07

feature

CAPOEIRA Practicing Brazil’s martial art in Tokyo

BY MUBITA MAMBWE

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razil has bestowed unto the world many of its art forms. However, very few encapsulate Brazilian culture and history as fully as capoeira does. The Afro-Brazilian martial art fuses acrobatics, dance, and percussive music performance to create an activity unlike any other.

“Capoeira is an amazing experience,” says Mestre Sucuri, instructor at Capoeira Zoador Academy, one of Tokyo’s leading capoeira schools; and has been teaching the art internationally for 26 years.

“For me, it’s very spiritual as much as it is philosophical and physical. It draws on every aspect of the human experience.”

Capoeira is often described as many t hing s: a game; a dance; a martial art; or even a music genre.

But at its core, capoeira is its own entity encompassing all its physical and musical elements. In addition to keeping fit, it also allows for creative expression, rejuvenation, and stress relief. And because it’s practiced commonly in a group or circle, the sense of community allows participants to connect and build relationships.

“Everything that people want to do, like yoga, hip-hop, karate … everything is to fulfill your life, something lacking, be it confidence, awareness, pride,” says Mestre Sucuri.

“Capoeira for me is very holistic: it’s yoga,

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kickboxing, karate, samba, salsa—everything rolled into one thing.”

The music is also integral to capoeira—in the same way it is to general dances. Capoeira music has its basis in Afro-Brazilian music, and is heavily percussive and vocal. The rhythms vary and evolve with the vibe of the circle or practitioners.

“Capoeira music is the sound of the energy we create, which we call axé. It’s really powerful when you feel it. It’s almost chaotic, tribal—but organized. Some people say it’s akin to Indian music, but it’s very African in origin. And the rhythms push people in different ways.”

The vibrant experience capoeira provides has led to its increasing prominence internationally.

I t ’s been disper sed outside of Brazil since the 1970s and has recently been gaining exposure in popular culture, being utilized in film and video games.

Japan’s also been catching on to the art, with schools set up everywhere from Tokyo, Yokohama, and Saitama, to more distant areas such as Sapporo, Osaka, and Nagoya. The reason, says Mestre Sucuri, is that it provides a release that’s much needed here—especially in Tokyo.

“It’s a very stressful city; no one works as hard as people in Tokyo,” he affirms. “When you kick that pad or you’re doing Afro-Brazilian dance and the sweat’s running down your face—that’s negative energy being cleansed from your body.

“There’s a very spiritual side we focus on [at Zoador]—not religious, but philosophical.

Something to get people to go …” he states, sighing with relief.

Mestre Sucuri sees people from all walks of life enter the sunny interior of Zoador’s school in Magome. The students range from kids as young as three to grown-ups around 50 years

IT DRAWS ON EVERY ASPECT OF THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE.” old, and of all nationalities. But united through capoeira, the students are able to experience the family feeling predominant in Latin culture—yet another aspect of the art.

“I run it like a very grassroots community center,” explains Mestre Sucuri, who mentions that children are in on weekends and have fun, while adults love the energy. “A lot of the foreigners who come here get caught up in that crazy, single vibe here in Japan, and they want a little bit of groundedness; they want to be able to be around that family feeling once in a while.”

Because capoeira is multi-faceted, there’s a place for everyone—regardless of physical or musical ability. The only requirement is patience.

“If you believe in yourself half as much as I believe in the people that walk in [through] the door, then you’ll be fine. You’ve just got to say, I’m not going to be overwhelmed, I’m going to take one day at a time, one class at a time, and move toward a positive result.”

Capoeira Zoador Academy 2-4-1 Kitamagome, Ota-ku. Tel: 03-37790263. Nearest stn: Magome or Ebaramachi.

Classes also held at Studio Worcle in Harajuku. B1 Biz Harajuku, 3-53-2 Sendagaya, Shibuya-ku. www.capoeira.jp

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food&drink Fans of Koikeya’s mikan-flavored potato chips will be thrilled to find out about the snack manufacturer’s two new fruity options: peach and banana. Although not everyone will appreciate adventurous flavors, these chips are worth a try if simply for that only-in-Japan factor. Consider them dessert chips. Koikeya suggests they be eaten with breakfast, and, who knows, you might soon be skipping your morning cereal or toast for some peach and banana potato crunch! Now available in convenience stores nationwide; going on sale in supermarkets nationwide June 1.

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A new addition to the coconutwater craze that has taken over Japan is the limited-edition Kirin Hyōketsu Coconut Water, a vodka-based beverage containing 10 percent of the tropical juice that’s known for its hydrating properties. A refreshing alcoholic beverage is exactly what’s needed to distract from the overpowering Tokyo heat—and drinkers can see what the coco craze is all about while they’re at it. Available in stores nationwide.

Ice Monster’s mammoth shaved-ice concoctions have made a name for the cold confectionery chain in its native Taiwan—and now they’re branching out with their first Japanese location in Omotesando. Opened in April, Ice Monster serves up several varieties of its monstrous shaved ice, from the fruity Pineapple Sensation and Mango Sensation, accompanied by slices of their respective fruits, to the Coffee Sensation with coffee jelly, Bubble Milk Tea Sensation with tapioca bubbles and panna cotta, and Oolong Tea Sensation with brown sugar jelly and Oolong ice cream. No better way to cool off!

6-3-7 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku. Meiji-jingumae. http://ice-monster.co.jp

California-born U.S. coffee chain The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf opens its first Japanese branch in Nihonbashi. The Coffee Bean boasts a large selection of coffee brewed with beans sourced directly from family farms and estates, as well as a wide variety of teas ranging from the standard, such as English Breakfast and Earl Grey, to the exotic, such as Moroccan Mint, African Sunrise, Swedish Berries, and Lung Ching. Their Japan exclusive is the Matcha Cappuccino, which infuses the Italian treat with green tea zest. Also try their delectable muffins and cookies for a special coffee break. 1-3-13 Nihonbashi, Chuo-ku.

Nihonbashi. www.coffeebean.co.jp

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If wafers of the strawberry kind are too sweet for your palate, reach for the paler corner of the berry basket and grab a box of the new Raspberry Kit-Kats. With a slightly tart flavor, you can give yourself a break without the sugary surge (well, at least on the flavor front). With three mini packs per box, you can share with friends, tempt your colleagues, or treat yourself to a snacktime triple. Available in stores nationwide.

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food&drink Photos by By C Bryan Jones

RESTAURANT

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JP/EN

Non-smoking only during lunch

MIFUNE

BY MOMOKO MOCHIZUKI

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apanese food in an atmospheric Japanese setting is what Mifune in Roppongi offers— and not just any setting, but one themed around the restaurant’s namesake, the late Japanese film star Toshirō Mifune. If you’re a fan, you’ll be able to appreciate various details like the actor’s family crest hung on the walls. And even if you’re not, you’ll no doubt find the restaurant’s interior, made to look like a dōjō (training hall), pretty neat.

In true Japanese style, shoes must be removed upon entry—so make sure you aren’t wearing holey socks! Seating is available at the counter, at horigotatsu-style tables (sunken areas underneath the tables provide plenty of legroom), and in private rooms ideal for entertaining guests. The menu spans a wide range of items, including sashimi and nabe (hotpots), with an impressive selection of local sake from throughout Japan (the Dassai 50 Junmai Daiginjō is their most popular). A course menu is also available, with items ranging in price from ¥5,000 to 8,000.

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Nabe can be ordered in portions for two or more people, and selections include a spicy jjigae, sukiyaki, a chicken broth-based mizutaki, and a chōju, or “long life” nabe containing various herbs and spices, including Chinese wolfberries. The chōju nabe’s broth is a deep red, and is made with bonito stock infused with dried shrimp and shiitake, and contains sesame, spring onions, whole dates, and rāyu, or chili oil, for a little kick. Slices of pork are cooked in the broth, and

eaten wrapped around vegetables and dipped in sesame sauce. Make sure to leave some space for the shime—a choice of ramen noodles or rice added to the broth containing all the goodness from the meat.

The hakozushi, or “boxed sushi” (¥1,500), available at dinner contains seafood such as tuna, shrimp, and salmon roe along with egg, shiitake mushrooms, and snow peas on a bed of vinegared rice. The dish is enjoyed with kuzu shōyu, or soy sauce thickened with kuzu starch.

Lunchtime options (¥900-1,200 on weekdays) include shōgayaki, or ginger-fried pork; sukiyaki; and hirekatsu, or fried pork fillet cutlets. When we visited, the sakana teishoku (fish set) of the week was grilled saba, or mackerel simply seasoned with salt, with a side of tonjiru (miso soup with pork and vegetables), rice, and small dishes which included tofu and hijiki seaweed. The mackerel was soft and juicy—the perfect accompaniment to the rice. The type of fish changes weekly, so each visit can offer a chance to savor new tastes.

At Mifune, you can enjoy great food in a great space. If you’re looking for a place to impress guests, or to upgrade your usual izakaya experience, this is the place to do it!

Open 11:30am-2pm and 5-11:30pm. Closed Sun. 7-18-7 Roppongi, Minato-ku. Roppongi. Tel: 03-6804-5548. http://mifune-project.com/en

RECIPE RESTAURANT

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TASTE OF BRAZIL PHOTOS AND TEXT BY DAVI AZEVEDO

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hen it comes to Brazilian food, I can be very picky about quality and service.

After the 2014 World Cup, Brazilian barbecues achieved great success in Japan—and they're still on the rise. In particular, Japan seems to love Brazilian buffet courses.

Like many foreigners, I’m always craving a taste of my home country. In my four years in Japan, I’ve made many nostalgia-induced discoveries of many kinds of Brazilian restaurants.

In Tokyo, there are at least six traditional restaurants in different areas, all varying in price.

Churrasco, a traditional barbecue, is probably Brazil’s most famous food internationally.

After the World Cup, Japanese media suddenly all were talking about Brazilian culture and music, and especially Brazilian barbecue— a word that derives from the Portuguese “barbacoa,” the grill on which meat is cooked.

The Barbacoa Churrascaria was arguably one of the most-covered restaurants during the World Cup “Brazil Boom.” The restaurant has more than seven branches in Brazil, six in Japan, and even one in Italy.

Usually, traditional Brazilian restaurants offer the rodízio—an all-you-can-eat course.

Those seeking an authentic Brazilian meal will get the most out of this.

This course comes with a huge salad buffet, some tropical fruit, and desserts (which are good for vegetarians), and also includes their famous feijoada (black bean stew with pork, or other meat, and vegetables, served on rice). The rodízio comes with different cuts of meat cooked on skewers, which are then finally sliced right there at the table. This allows guests to tell the waiter exactly how they like their meat cooked.

The staff are welcoming; some can speak English and even Portuguese. The all-you-can-eat course’s price varies with the time of day.

I would recommend a visit during lunchtime on weekdays, when the entire course— including the salad bar, desser t buffet, drink bar, and churrasco—can all be had for ¥3,600 plus tax.

A dinner course at Barbacoa will cost ¥5,400, and comes with the churrasco plus salad bar (omitting the drink bar and dessert buffet).

So far, Barbacoa gave me the best Brazilian dining experience outside of my hometown, serving plenty of Brazil’s comfort food.

Because some of the branches are rather busy on weekends, it’s always better to make reservations at least one week in advance.

5F Roppongi Hills Mori Tower, 6 -10 -1 Roppongi, Minato-ku. Tel: 03-5413-3663.

Roppongi. www.barbacoa.jp

BROWN RICE SALAD WITH BRAZILIAN VINAIGRETTE RECIPE AND PHOTO BY RIEKO SUZUKI

The Brazilian vinaigrette is a refreshing tomato slaw utilizing simple ingredients. Tossing and chilling it with cooked brown rice makes for a filling yet healthy salad! Try other kinds of greens, such as beans or cucumbers, or substitute grains with brown rice, if desired.

Servings: 4 Cooking time: 50 min (active 20 min) • 1 large ripe tomato • 1 medium onion • 2 green peppers • 1/2 cup corn • 1/2 cup chopped coriander or parsley • 1 cup cooked brown rice • 3 tbs extra virgin olive oil • 1 tbs white wine vinegar • 1 tsp lemon juice • 1/2 tsp salt • 2 pinches white pepper • 1 pinch sugar

DIRECTIONS 1. Chop tomato, onion, and green peppers.

2. Combine and mix olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, salt, white pepper, and sugar in small bowl.

3. Add corn, brown rice, and chopped coriander to the tomato batch.

4. Add olive oil mixture to the vegetables and brown rice, and toss. Chill in fridge for 30 min (minimum) to overnight.

Rieko Suzuki Rieko blogs bilingual recipes at http://meturl.com/ruby

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Post Office

city life Photos by Animal Walk Tokyo

SANPO IN THE PARK

Walking the good walk

BY MARTIN LEROUX

F

amilies strolling with their dogs and playing fetch is an everyday sight in Yoyogi Park. Once a year, the park is instead filled with wagging tails belonging to dogs from shelters around Japan, all eager to take walks with people and potential companions at the annual Sanpo in the Park adoption event.

Organized by animal fundraising organization Animal Walk Tokyo, Sanpo in the Park gives people and shelter animals a chance to interact with one another, and lets guests learn about adoption choices available in Japan. The event, typically held on a Sunday, includes a relaxing walk around the park, along with live entertainment, snacks, and a chance to mingle.

Meanwhile, the money raised goes toward supporting the efforts of local shelters to house and care for their animals. 2014’s Sanpo in the Park raised ¥230,000 in benefit of two local shelters. The event also raises awareness of animal welfare-related issues in Japan.

About Sanpo in the Park “Sanpo in the Park was started in 2010 by a group of about 10 people who each had a passion for helping animals in Tokyo,” says Brandy

mances, as well as workshops on training dogs and a chance to make toys for donation to shelters.

The beneficiaries this year are ALMA (Animal Life Matters Association) and Dog Shelter.

ALMA is an organization that operates the ALMA Tokyo Tierheim shelter in Katsushikaku, and adopt-out over 15 animals monthly, on average. Dog Shelter rescues soon-to-be-euthanized dogs from government-run pounds, provides dogs with check-ups and vaccinations where necessary, and assesses families to see if they match well with their pup of choice.

Funds are split between ALMA, who will use the donations raised for general operations of their shelter, such as food and medical costs, and Dog Shelter, who will use proceeds to care for their senior dogs, which especially have difficulty finding adoptive families.

Why adopt?

Speaking of Japan’s pet shop industry, Maho Cavalier, another Animal Walk Tokyo member, explains that Japan’s pet stores regard and market animals as commodities, leading to impulsive buys and animals being seen as disposable.

“People should know that pet ownership enHeyde Montague, an Animal Walk Tokyo mem- tails serious financial and mental commitment. ber. “But not one of us was able to find informa- There are people who impulsively buy animals tion in English on how to do so without adopting and the pet stores are the places that satisfy or fostering.” such impulses. Once a pet becomes a burden The volunteers involved then decided they to the families, they easily surrender them.” could help animals by helping to close the gap She adds that many of the animals in the pounds between Japanese-run shelters and Tokyo’s are brought in by their owners, without looking English-speaking community, and came up with at alternatives. the idea of fundraising walks with shelter dogs.

Regarding adoption, fellow Animal Walk ToThe first Sanpo in the Park event took place kyo member Katrina Larsen states, “By adoptfollowing the 2011 earthquake, in sup- ing from a shelter, you can save a life and will not port of rescue efforts for be supporting puppy factories or Sanpo in the Park animal victims in Tohoku. unscrupulous breeders.” Larsen Jun 7, 9:30am. Yoyogi continues that many animals Park, by the water Sanpo in the Park 2015 from shelters are house-trained, fountains toward the lake. ¥1,500 This year’s Sanpo event, socialized, spayed or neutered, www.animalwalktokyo.org held on June 7, promises with all their medical records upALMA plenty of animal interacto-date, and are patiently waitwww.alma.or.jp Dog Shelter tion and entertainment. ing for forever homes. “[ALMA http://dogshelter.jp Following three walks or Dog Shelter] staff will carefully among cuddly, rescued ensure that you and your buddy dogs, attendees will be treated to some are a good fit before adopting out. hula dancing and live musical perfor“Finally, you will find unconditional love!”

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city life

FOSTERING DREAMS

biggest challenge facing the children, which is that they must leave at the age of 18. Michael explains how one of Living Dreams’ goals “is to see [the children] employed and self-sufficient” when that time comes. “Whether college-bound or employment-bound,” he says, “it is quite necessary for Japan, in this shrinking society, to see all adults ‘firing on all cylinders’ when it comes to employment and the economy.”

BY MOMOKO MOCHIZUKI The children at the homes, Michael says, are “selfless.” He explains, “I think children natus of 2014, research conducted by the Japarally are self-absorbed, but the kids in these nese Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare homes—perhaps due to their experiences—ask showed that 46,000 children were living for very little and appreciate what comes their in orphanages, foster homes, and other way.” Lois Kawashima, Coordinator at Living such institutions throughout the country. Of the Dreams who has been involved with DAA since 28,831 children in orphanages, more than half its inception, feels she has succeeded in influhad been subjected to physical, sexual, or emoencing a positive change in the children’s lives tional abuse, or neglect—before being taken in. “when [she sees] their faces at the end of camp.”

The repercussions of these statistics extend What she hopes Living Dreams achieves is to far beyond the children’s lives in the homes, as “put each child in a group/foster home on an expectations are continually lowered, and per- Michael Clemons, Living Dreams’ Director of Partnerships equal footing with children living in a secure spectives narrowed. What the children often family environment.” lack is the continual mentoring and encourageStarted in 2006 by Tokyo International The Gala proved Living Dreams is already ment needed to see them through high school, School founder Patrick Newell, Living Dreams making this happen. A young woman who grew university, and into a decent-paying job. With has set up computer labs in several of the homes up in a children’s home explained she was now some orphanages housing over 100 children, the where children receive training with software, working as a designer at a cosmetics company staff-to-child ratio is often unsatisfactory, and the and can utilize the internet to gain access to a after attending a vocational design school with children do not receive consistent, one-on-one wider world. Michael Clemons, Living Dreams’ the support of the organization. adult mentorship.

Director of Partnerships, exThe goal of the night was To donate, get involved, The non-profit organization Living Dreams plains, “the use of the laptops to raise ¥10,000,000, which or learn more about provides these children with the support they and access to the internet alwill be used to purchase 350 Living Dreams, visit need to discover their passion and have the moti- lows the children to particicomputers for those living in www.livingdreams.jp. vation and self-confidence to succeed. The orga- pate in 21st-century learning,” the children’s homes of Tokyo nization runs programs such as Designing Artist through which they are able to gain “the skills of and the Tohoku region. The ultimate goal is to Academy (DAA), a summer arts day camp, and communication, collaboration, and seeing the provide a one-to-one computer-to-child ratio Digital Native Program, which aims to provide world in a more holistic way.” in the homes in order to increase their digital children with better access to technology. Living At the recent Living Dreams “Sharing and training, and additional donations are always Dreams also provides career aptitude tests to Caring” Gala and Fun-Raiser, held on May 15 in welcome to help reach this goal. After all, as see what the children’s strengths are, and to help Ebisu, Hayakawa-san, director of the children’s Michael joked at the Gala, “money does buy them focus on career possibilities. home Kiyose Kodomo no Ie, spoke about the happiness … if you spend it on other people.”

Building digital literacy for Japan’s orphans and foster children

Photo Courtesy of Living Dreams

A

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fashion fix

H

BY SAMUEL THOMAS, FASHION EDITOR

BEYOND COOL?

ave you noticed that fashion isn’t “cool” anymore? And I’m not talking about the ironically-dated—or otherwise self-deprecating— waves of fashion responsible for oversized and unnecessary lensless glasses. Rather, I mean linguistically. I, for one, don’t remember the last time I was told I look kakkoii or even kūru. Instead, the charge laid at my door is now one of kawaii, even as my years advance and my wardrobe could easily be shared with a ninja in mourning. The time when I knew the tide had well and truly turned was at the rockstar-friendly Royal Flash in Harajuku, where a salesperson fruitlessly tried to push me in the direction of a black t-shirt with a grotesque skull print. His pitch? That it was very kawaii.

ON POINT

SHOPPING STRATEGY In some of the biggest vintage-fashion news in quite some time, Spank!, the humorously-named Koenji vintage shopping destination, is leaving its original location and taking a short sideways step to Nakano Broadway north of Nakano Station. Largely credited with starting the whole pastel-heavy Fairy-kei boom back in the 2000s, Spank! also put Koenji on the shopping map for a whole generation. The announcement, delivered in typical low-key style by owner and style icon Tavuchi, was greeted with incredulity online that only served to highlight just what an institution the 1980s-heavy hub of kawaii culture has become—a feat altogether more unlikely when you consider the shop never sold any

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STREET FOCUS Not to sound like a broken record, but, even in the ever-changing world of Japanese fashion, sometimes a trend really does have staying power. In the case of the sheer over layers you should have spotted being worn by fashion fans across the city, this has been one of the most enduring and extreme trends seen in quite some time. While some thought this would die out on the backstreets of Harajuku, if anything the trend appears to be on the rise in the mainstream. And at the extreme end of the spectrum, as exhibited by today’s wearer of cult brand Dario, the floaty outer layers are only getting bigger and bigger.

new clothes as such, only remade and vintage fashion. Indeed, it’s that last point that is the most important. This was one of the first vintage shops that, along with its Koenji sister, the now defunct Cult Party, was credited with taking entirely vintage stock and, rather than selling it in its original context, repackaging it and to create something altogether new.

The sight of foreign fashion fans making the pilgrimage to Spank! to buy vintage clothes they could have bought at thrift stores back home is a true testament to the power of Tokyo fashion, and it will be interesting to see if the iconic shop is capable of repeating this feat over in Nakano.

The new location is on the fourth floor of Nakano Broadway and is open now … just follow the pastel-clad acolytes.

Photos by Samuel Thomas

One of the most important competitions in Japanese fashion is actually far from its own shores, in the form of Italy’s International Talent Support (ITS) award. Each year, this competition functions as a means of assessing the current crop of young Japanese designers to find out who has the potential to reach a global audience. And, as ever, the fashion scene—and furthermore Japan itself—is well represented, with five finalists. Key among them is Yuko Koike, a graduate of Esmod Japan’s A.M.I / Accessing Mode Identity program, who is nominated in both the fashion and artwork divisions. The nomination marks this young designer’s brand, Koike, as one you are likely to be hearing about in the future. Elsewhere, alternative fashion school Coconogacco continues to dominate the competition as two of their students, Hiroki Kataoka and Higashi Nobuhiro, join the school’s litany of graduates that shine internationally above their peers from altogether more traditional institutions.

You will have to wait until early July to see who comes out on top, but at the very least it serves to prove—if proof is needed—that Japan is as relevant as ever on the world fashion stage.

FASHION CALENDAR

CHECK METROPOLISJAPAN.COM FOR THE LATEST FASHION CALENDAR.

Get In Tune with MeeWee Dinkee Photos by Samuel Thomas

G

ood fashion rarely springs out of nowhere.

It usually arrives in the wake of another cultural movement, such as the music of punk giving birth to Vivienne Westwood, or shōjo manga easing the way for gothic Lolita fashion. But what happens when you try and create everything all at once?

Fashion brand MeeWee Dinkee is the brainchild of avant-garde designer and socialite Tonico, edgy artist Aruta Soup, and anarchic musical engineers Maywa Denki, from which the brand takes its peculiar name. The cultural brew is a curious one, and deliberately so.

Tonico makes dollesque proportions that are as cute as they are disconcerting, Aruta Soup adds

Maywa Denki

Aruta Soup’s artwork

in uncompromising, and occasionally outright offensive graphics, and Maywa Denki throws in a discordant musical performance element—the key to their fashion presentations and shows.

This season is no different, and finds the trio putting on a fittingly-odd show at Seibu Shibuya.

The event is, in their own words, “a Magical Mechanical Fashion Show” that lives up to the name by providing not only a soundtrack played

by Maywa Denki’s automated gang of robots, but also by decking out the models in makeup by popular artist Jiro, who provided some distinctly otherworldly additional eyes and mouths to the

models. Adding yet another layer to proceedings was manga artist Suehiro Maruo, who contributed a number of his iconic occult illustrations to the collection, as well as allowing some of his character designs to be brought to life by MeeWee Dinkee, blurring the line between fashion and cosplay in the process.

The fashion itself follows the manga theme by distorting the body to shōjo manga-esque proportions in the dresses, bringing the waist up the body to just under the bust in order to give the illusion of ultra-long legs. Those less adventurous are also well catered for in a series of sporty basics covered in arresting graphics.

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movies

BY DON MORTON

GET ON UP

featured movie

He was “The Hardest-Working Man in Show Business.” “The Godfather of Soul.”

He changed the way music was made. He was The Great James Brown. He was also a narcissistic, perfectionist prick who was hated by his sidemen and not above slapping around the occasional wife. This somewhat fragmented film by Tate Taylor (The Help) takes us from the early ’60s through the late ’80s and captures the energy that drove the man. Chadwick Boseman, who recently appeared as Jackie Robinson in 42, absolutely incarnates t he main man doing his thang. He’s got the whirls, struts, splits, and leaps down—and the attitude as well. The music he’s lip-synching, but that ’s not bad news, because ever y n ote i s f ro m B row n’s ow n re m i xe d original vocals. Mick Jagger, whose own legendary stage moves were inspired by Brown, is the film’s music producer. One glaring omission is that the film doesn’t even try to explain Brown’s endorsement of Richard Nixon in 1972. But to be fair, maybe that’s simply not possible to do.

In the end, like Ray, Walk the Line and Jersey Boys, it’s all about the music, and fans, which are legion, will have a funkin’ good time. Japanese title: James Brown: Saiko no Soul wo Motsu Otoko. (133 min)

NEW

PITCH PERFECT A disaf fec ted college freshman (Anna Kendrick) gets an attitude overhaul after joining the women’s staid a cappella group and infusing it with new material. This will appeal most to those with a high tolerance for Glee (“Gleeks”?) or who have already bought into the tired Bring It On formula.

Bright spot: a spontaneous “riff-off” with their male counterparts. And Rebel Wilson shines as an Aussie who calls herself Fat Amy “so twiggy bitches like you don’t do it behind my back.” Bottom line: a synthetic, not-very-funny collegiate comedy (projectile vomiting?) with some very good music. Just buy the soundtrack.

(110 min)

ADVANCED STYLE This cinematic extension by director Lina Plioplyte of photographer Ari Seth Cohen’s popular blog of the same name sends a mixed message. On the one hand, it celebrates eight energetic aging fashionistas ranging from their early 60s to their late 90s who refuse to act, or more accurately dress, their age. More power to ’em, I say. But does individualism automatically mean flamboyancy? I was torn between antiageist admiration and disdain for their cloying “look at me” attitudes. Can one not look interesting without being selfconsciously eccentric? Warm and charming, but pretty thin.

Japanese title: Advanced Style: Sono Fashion ga Jinsei.

(72 min)

LOST RIVER I don’t know why it is that when ac tors turn to f ilmmaking, they invariably shoot for Fellini et al rather than just tell a story. Ryan Gosling’s first effort behind the camera is a nearly incomprehensible collage of David Lynch, Gaspar Noe, Terrence Malik, Dario Argento, and the actor’s Drive director Nicolas Winding Refn. There’s nothing wrong with imitating one’s influences; it’s how we learn. Although Gosling’s ambition exceeds his current ability, there is some nice imagery among the wearisome weirdness, and other signs that one day he will make a good film. It’s just not this one. (95 min)

A WALK AMONG THE TOMBSTONES Among the grimmer and grittier potboilers of Liam Neeson’s resurgent career as a thriller/action hero, this slow-burn neo-noir can be a hard sit. The villains are twisted, the good guys are flawed, and it’s blatantly misogynistic. But it’s extremely well crafted and not without its rewards. Neeson plays an ex-cop unlicensed PI and recovering alcoholic. (Yes, I know.

Again. But no one does world-weary better.) He’s asked to find and foil a sadistic serial kidnapper/killer targeting the wives of drug traffickers, who are unlikely to go to the police. It’s all fairly creepy. Call it the anti-Taken.

Japanese title: Yūkai no Okite. (113 min)

THE MAZE RUNNER What we have here is two-thirds of a serviceable Hunger Games wannabe, featuring a cast of appealingly hunky guys expressly tailored to put YA girl bums in seats.

“The Glade” is an isolated, closed ecosystem bounded by huge walls with only one monstrous door and populated by a properly PC, ethnically diverse, guyonly Lord of the Flies-tinged functioning society. Then a girl shows up. It looks great; the special effects are restrained and support the story. But the film blows it all with a third act that falls all over itself setting up the sequel rather than creating a coherent, stand-alone story. (113 min)

BEFORE I GO TO SLEEP Christine wakes up every m o r nin g w i t h all he r memories of the past 16 years erased. Her longsuffering husband has developed a daily routine to bring her up to speed, and she secretly sees a psychologist on the side who’s trying to help her. What sort of trauma/accident/attack caused her amnesia? Is her husband what he seems? Is the psychologist? Do we care? Don’t be expecting Memento here. Nicole Kidman, Colin Firth, and Mark Strong keep this self-serious 50 First Dates out of the DVD bargain bin, but they don’t make it all that memorable, either.

Unforgivably lame coda. Japanese title: Repeated.

(92 min)

NEW

NEW

NEW

NEW

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Get On Up: © Universal Pictures © D Stevens; Pitch Perfect: © 2012 UNIVERSAL STUDIOS All Rights Reserved.; Advanced Style: © 2014 Advanced Style The Documentary Llc. All Right Reserved.; Lost River: © 2013 BOLD FILMS PRODUCTIONS, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.; A Walk Among the Tombstones: © 2014 TOMBSTONES MOVIE HOLDINGS, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.; The Maze Runner: © 2014 Twentieth Century Fox Film; Before I Go to Sleep: © 2013 BEFORE I GO PRODUCTIONS, INC.; Chappie: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures © 2014 CTMG, Inc. All rights reserved.; Vice: © 2014 GEORGIA FILM FUND TWENTY-EIGHT, LLC; Run All Night: ©2015 WARNER BROS. ENTERTAINMENT INC.; The Signal: © 2014 Signal Film Group LLC All Rights Reserved; The Zero Theorem: © 2013 ASIA & EUROPE PRODUCTIONS S.A. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.; Horns: © 2014 The Horns Project, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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More reviews: metropolisjapan.com/movies

CHAPPIE Hailed as a “visionary” for 2009’s District 9, South Africa’s Neill Blomkamp re c ycle d i t s p seu do social theme for 2013’s Elysium. But it’s wearing thin in this ham-fisted, eyerollingly unintelligent (artificial or otherwise) misfire.

Robocop meets Short Circuit by way of Pinocchio. The jabbering AI title droid vacillates between the moral teachings of his creator (Dev Patel) and the greedy pack of gangsters it’s fallen in with (annoying SA punk rockers Ninja and Yo-Landi). It’s a preachy picture that evokes big themes and then cuts to the chase(s) or blows stuff up rather than say anything about them. (120 min)

VICE The title of this ugly little film refers to a near-future pleasure facility in which any sociopath with the cash can fulfill his most demented rape and murder fantasies with humanlooking cyborg beauties. Said victims are then repaired and memory-wiped for the next sicko. “Story” revolves around one such sexbot (Ambyr Childers) remembering the last guy and escaping with Thomas Jane into a cheapie chase movie. Yawn. A smirking, career-worst Bruce Willis takes it a step beyond “phoning it in” as the villain, with his maybe 10 minutes of screen time merely justifying his image on the misleading poster. Japanese title: Dead City 2055. (95 min)

RUN ALL NIGHT That Taken fluff aside, Liam Neeson does make grittier action films. Here he plays Jimmy Conlon, a mob assassin nearing the end of his shelf life, a lonely drunk wracked with regret.

His only true friend is Shawn Maguire (the great Ed Harris), the boss he has killed 18 men for over the years.

When his estranged son by chance witnesses a double murder committed by Maguire’s hothead kid, Jimmy has to shoot Shawn’s boy to save his own lad. Which resets all the rules and leads to the title all-night chase.

Common is good as an icy hit man. This one’s stylish, kinetic, believable, and ultimately satisfying. (114 min)

THE SIGNAL A trio of graduate students driving from Massachusetts to C a l i fo r n ia s to p i n Nevada to follow the signal of a mysterious hacker who’s been taunting them since they left. They find an empty shack, black out, and wake up in a strange lab being examined by Laurence Fishburne in a hazmat suit. This cinematic puzzle continues to defy expectations as it genrehops from Blair Witch to alien abduction to TRON, all the way to its inconclusive conclusion. Not great, but it ’s thought- provoking and intelligent , and director-to-watch William Eubank does a lot with a tiny budget, so look at this as a calling card. (97 min)

THE ZERO THEOREM A hairless, uncharacteristically uncharismatic Christoph Waltz plays a brilliant cubicle jockey t a s ke d w i t h w o r k i n g on a mathematical proof that, well, nothing really matters. This cluttered sci-fi confection is the kind of colorful, kinetic dystopian vision that director Terry Gilliam (Brazil) does so well, but though this is being sold as existential angst, it’s got a recycled feel, and the clutter mainly serves to distract from the dullness of the story and its take on digital alienation. The repetitious in-jokes are not funny, the characters are not likable, and the whole thing is too, uhm, theoretical. Japanese title: Zero no Mirai. (106 min)

HORNS Splat-pack film(re)maker Alexandre Aja (Piranha, The Hills Have Eyes) tones down the gore in favor of some serious genrejuggling in this—what?—darkly comedic, supernatural, coming-of-age, romantic, demonic horror whodunit.

After his girlfriend is murdered and he is blamed, Ig Perrish (a committed Daniel Radcliffe) finds a pair of horns growing out of his head. These apparently make people mysteriously want to share their darkest secret impulses, and he eventually uses these unnerving powers to seek her real killer. It’s high-concept hooey but undeniably original and compulsively watchable. Japanese title: Horns: Yōgisha to Kokuhaku no Tsuno. (121 min)

© 2015「鏡の中の笑顔たち」製作委員会

© IMAGE.NET

© 1973 Rafran Cinematografica

NEW

eiga This heartfelt ditty, directed

by Ichiro Kita, made its world premiere at the Okinawa International Film Festival in March. The down-to-earth love story charmed crowds

By Rob Schwartz in multiple screenings at the fest. Action star Shunya Shiraishi stars as Ryo, a driven young man who goes to beauty school in Hokkaido and practices so hard that he not only finishes first in his class, but also wins a national prize for stylist students. Soon he’s cutting the hair of the stars in trendy Harajuku and is highly sought after by salons around Tokyo. But when he rejects the advances of a super-model client, he finds himself out of a job and has no choice but to return to Hokkaido.

There we find he treats his widowed mother with disdain and other beauticians with condescension. When the troubled lad meets Mari (Natsuna), he’s intrigued; but it takes him a while—and many human service trips to old folks’ homes—to treat her with kindness. Though the film is a tad melodramatic, and we can see where it’s going from a mile off, Ryo’s slow development is believable and his emerging relationships with those around him welldepicted. Recommended for those who like love stories.

English title: Smiles in the Mirror. (89 min)

KAGAMI NO NAKA NO EGAOTACHI

NEW

movie news The 68th annual Cannes Film Festival wrapped up this week, with Japanese cinema receiving ample representation. Festival favorite Hirokazu Koreeda was up again for the Palme d'Or with his latest feature, Our Little Sister, based on the manga Umimachi Diary.

Naomi Kawase, who has taken several prizes from the French Riviera home to Kyoto in the past, offered her latest work Sweet Red Bean Paste, which was chosen to open the Un Certain Regard section of innovative films. The section also includes Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s Journey to the Shore, his f irst in the fest after getting his start in horror flicks. Gus Van Sant’s Japan-set drama The Sea of Trees was also in the competition. Matthew McConaughey plays an American scientist who travels to Japan’s infamous “suicide forest,” but changes his mind when he meets a fellow troubled soul played by Ken Watanabe.

McConaughey attended the festival with Naomi Watts (pictured), who plays his wife in flashbacks; but things didn’t go as planned. The notoriously fickle Cannes audiences panned the film, leading McConaughey to say “people have as much right to boo the film as to give it an ovation.” Sweet Red Bean Paste opens May 30. Our Little Sister is out June 13.

Journey to the Shore is due out October 1. Kevin Mcgue

cinematic underground The three-week program “Viva Italia!” presents the great variety of the nation’s cinema, from the masterpieces of opera and screen director Luchino Visconti to Spaghetti Westerns. Highlights include 1973’s My Name is Nobody (pictured), a Topo Gigio animated feature, and Juliet Binoche in the drama Certified Copy, shot in English in Tuscany by Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami. June 6-26 at Cinema Vera (1-5 Maruyamacho, Shibuya-ku; www.cinemavera.com) … Tokyo cinemas continue to bring the world’s best stage performance to their screens with two ballets by premiere British choreographer Matthew Bourne.

Swan Lake, which puts a new spin on Tchaikovsky by having men dance the traditionally female roles, will be presented in 3-D starting June 6, while Sleeping Beauty, reimagined as a gothic romance, is on from July 4 at Yebisu Garden Cinema (4-20-2 Ebisu, Shibuyaku; www.unitedcinemas.jp/yebisu) … Fans of classic Japanese cinema with enough linguistic skills not to need subtitles will want to check out the Nagisa Oshima Retrospective on at Image Forum in Shibuya (2-10-2 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku; www.imageforum.co.jp).

The dozen selections focus on the late master’s heyday in the ’60s and ’70s, including Diary of a Shinjuku Thief (1969) In the Realm of the Senses (1976). KM

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arts&culture

MUSIC

TV ON THE RADIO A member down, the Brooklyn band is wiser if not wearier

BY DAN GRUNEBAUM

I

t’s been almost a decade since Metropolis last talked with TV On the Radio. In 2006, the quintet were the latest darlings of the exploding Brooklyn indie rock scene—part of it, but with a lush sound distinct from the disco-punk leanings of many Williamsburg bands of the era.

Nine years later, TVOTR are, if not wizened, then wiser and more reflective in the wake of the death of bassist Gerard Smith, who died of lung cancer in 2011. Their new album, Seeds, is the first recorded without his presence.

“You do a certain amount of creative work with someone who’s basically a family member, and it shifts the notion of what can be accomplished in the band that had five members,” singer Tunde Adebimpe says from their tour stop in Oakland.

“For me, when someone passes away I almost think about them more than when they were alive.

That’s how your heart is connected to friends. But in terms of music, he was not somebody who liked to make bullshit; so we’re conscious of that now.”

Adebimpe plays down the direct effect of Smith’s death on the album, but considerations of love and loss are central to the urgency of Seeds. On the elegiac, synth-driven “Careful You,” for example, Adebimpe sings “I know it’s best to say goodbye, but I can’t seem to move away.” It’s a sentiment that could be applied as equally to a disintegrating love affair as to the death of a friend.

Having absorbed Smith’s passing and elected to continue on, the four remaining members of TVOTR—Adebimpe, producer/guitarist Dave Sitek, guitarist/vocalist Kyp Malone, and drummer Jaleel Bunton—are currently in a sweet spot.

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Seeds has been nicely received as a return to form, and Adebimpe says they’re having a blast touring for the first time in several years.

“We’re in a place now where we realize the value of having been able to pursue the band for as long as we have, and the good fortune to have an audience to sustain us,” he says. “We recognize how special that is—because we don’t make the most accessible music. Bands that are willing to explore as much as we do are not always rewarded with a career, and we realize it’s a super lucky thing.”

TVOTR’s music is unconventional, but on a song such as, for example, “Happy Idiot,” it’s close enough to mainstream at times that one can imagine a record exec pushing them in an out-and-out-pop direction. That’s exactly what happened, says Adebimpe. “We’ve been advised a lot to tone things down to find a wider audience, mostly by people in the music industry,” he explains. “They’ll say, ‘If you would only do this and that …’ You have to look at them and tell them it’s like teaching a fish to breathe air. We just don’t do that.”

Despite the gloss of Sitek’s production work, when you look at TVOTR, you see three aging black guys and one geeky white one—not exactly the recipe for mainstream marketing success. Yet, they’re not really part of the black rock movement pioneered by outfits like Bad Brains, either.

“Thinking about Bad Brains or Living Colour, anytime you have an example of someone who looks like you, it’s helpful to a young person,” Adebimpe recalls about his entry into the rock

world. “But I’ve never considered us strictly a rock band, because, if we were, we’d probably have a few more awards by now. There are a lot of rock bands with people of color in them now, but with genres melding, it’s become diffuse.”

Adebimpe says TVOTR are looking forward to their first visit to Japan since a quick solo tour and appearance at Summer Sonic those many years ago. He says these days crowds are asking for “Staring at the Sun” off Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes, and “Wolf Like Me” off Return to Cookie Mountain.

“We didn’t know what we were doing with those songs,” he laughs. “They just showed up at a time when a lot people connected with them.

It was a fresh sound even though we didn’t realize it—we just knew we liked it.

“The best songs come as epiphanies. It’s like seeing a painting that might look dashed off, but it seems more alive than something that’s been labored over for years. I think it’s because you’re getting a message and you jot it down as quickly as you can. You capture the message, and the immediacy of how it’s put down carries through to the song. Especially with new wave and punk— it’s so earnest and barebones, it’s the only thing they possibly could have done, and the energy of that music is still palpable.”

Seeds Genres: Alternative, Music, Indie Rock, Rock Released: Nov 17, 2014 © 2014 TV On The Radio/ Girl From Nantucket, Inc. Under Exclusive License to Harvest Records

ART

SIMPLE FORMS

BY C.B. LIDDELL

Photo by Uwe Walter

S

tanley Kubrick’s seminal f ilm 2001: A Space Odyssey presents a particularly powerful vision of mankind’s trajectory because it so brilliantly simplifies. The classic moment in the film, in which the entire history of mankind is encompassed in a single jump cut between an ape throwing a bone up into the air and a space station spinning around in space, has become legendary.

A similar sense of aesthetic compression and reduction to the essentials infuses “Simple Forms: Contemplating Beauty” at the Mori Museum of Art, an exhibition that has been honed down to basic geometric figures or biomorphic shapes that evoke our ancient ancestors’ first experience using stones as tools.

anti by Carsten Nicolai (2004)

Birdstone, North America by Anonymous.

Ahrenberg Collection, Switzerland

A key work is Mexican artist Gabriel Orozco’s Boulder Hand (2012), a short video installation made with an iPhone. It takes a similar leap to Kubrick’s famous jump cut, but instead of a bone and spaceship, Orozco’s piece shows us the affinities between the handling of a stone tool and the handling of a smartphone. The video shows a hand rubbing a stone in a way that puts us in mind of how we rub and swipe our phone screens.

Helping to reinforce this point is the presence of a piece of flint, crafted into a blade from the Solutrean Period (22,000-17,000 B.C.), and a selection of sculptures by Brassaï, the pseudonym of Hungarian artist Gyula Halasz, who was fascinated by primordial forms.

Melencolia I by Albrecht Dürer.

Private Collection. Courtesy: Ota Fine Arts

Tayūguro by Chōjirō. Black Raku tea bowl.

Collection: Kitamura Museum, Kyoto

In a similar vein, modernist minimalist sculptures by the likes of Henry Moore, Barbara Hepworth, Jean Arp, and Constantin Brancusi are also included. The latter draws our attention to the surprising absence of Isamu Noguchi at this exhibition. Noguchi was a pupil of Brancusi’s, and in the planning stage would have been an obvious reference point for an exhibition of this nature in Japan.

Besides this minor quibble, the main problem the exhibition has is that it appeals more to the tactile than the visual sense, but with the usual proviso that nothing must be touched. In visual terms, there is a certain bleakness and sterility to the show, with monochromes, geometric shapes, and parsimonious curves dominant.

Apart from sculptures and a number of installations, like Anthony McCall’s f lickering Cinematic Installation (2007)—which evokes the days of projector beams cutting through the smoke-f illed cinemas—the exhibition also includes some two-dimensional works, mainly photographs but also including Albrecht Durer’s famous engraving Melancholia I (1514), which contrasts a geometric solid with a morose angel in what is possibly some arcane allegory.

This suggests that one area in which the exhibition could have done more would have been an exploration of the geometric elements in the symbolism of Freemasonic, cabalistic, and Neo-Pythagorean societies. Arthur Koestler’s 1959 book The Sleepwalkers demonstrated how such mystical concerns related to scientific breakthroughs in earlier centuries, but the intellectual dimension of this exhibition seems superficial by comparison.

Some attempt to compensate for this shortcoming is made by including a Zen-related theme, with circle paintings by the monk Sengai, ink-wash paintings by Sesshū, and some wooden sculptures by the itinerant 17th-century artist Enku.

Runs until 5th July. 6-10-1 Roppongi, Tokyo.

Tel: 03-5777-8600. www.mori.art.museum

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『悪党に粛清を』6月27日（土）新宿武蔵野館ほか全国ロードショー © 2014 Zentropa Entertainments33 ApS, Denmark, Black Creek Films Limited, United Kingdom & Spier Productions (PTY), Limited, South Africa

arts&culture

1 TO 1: MADS MIKKELSEN MARVELOUS DILEMMA

BY DANIEL L. SMITH, FOX EXECUTIVE PRODUCER

D

anish actor Mads Mikkelsen is a man that seems to relish a dilemma. Known to fans worldwide as the actor behind some of entertainment’s most memorable villains, like Dr. Hannibal Lecter in the television series Hannibal and James Bond’s nemesis Le Chiffre in the film Casino Royale, he came to Tokyo to promote a film that finds his character being a little bit of both.

In The Salvation, Mikkelsen is Jon, a simple Danish man who migrated to the American West during the 1870s with the hope of starting a new life with his family.

“I like the fact that we were not dealing with a hero. We are not dealing with a gunslinger. We are dealing with a humble man from [a] simple background. He migrated to America for seven years without his family, and they are coming over, and then obviously terrible things happen; and for that reason he will become a gunslinger. But he does not start out knowing that he will be a hero,” Mikkelsen says of his character.

The film is brutal in its depiction of the Old West, something the actor acknowledged was the intent of the movie’s director, Kristian Levring.

“The last Western I had seen was The Unforgiven.

It was quite brutal as well. Levring said he did not want to be extremely graphic. He didn’t want to go Tarantino. He wanted the emotions to be gruff and rough, but not necessarily in-your-face.

“It is all about how far you can go and still

keep your humanity. The question is, if that is possible at all? Are you crossing a border where humanity is gone? It’s brutal. It’s bloody. But I think that has been a tendency of these films to get gritty, right?”

Going to a place where they haven’t gone could be said about the entire project, according to Mikkelsen.

“The movie was shot in South Africa, which is kind of interesting—Danish people shooting an American Western in South Africa. But it was fantastic. We had an excellent South African crew. If you pointed the camera one way, you would have all these people dressed up like cowboys. If you pointed the camera the other way, you would have all these people standing around speaking South African—and an occasional giraffe or zebra in the background. There were some challenges, but it was a fantastic experience,” he explained. “The Western is not a genre at all in Denmark. It’s the first time that we’ve done a Western.”

He paused for a moment and then corrected himself. “That’s a lie, actually. We did a Western comedy in 1971 or something. So this is the second Western,” he added with a smile.

The smile stood out from a man whose steelyeyed gaze has gotten him cast as villains in most of his major Hollywood films.

Therein is where the dilemma widens.

“If you are only watching American films, then you would see a seedy man; but I’ve done [good

guy] roles before [back home]. It is nice to go back and forth between playing a villain and a good guy, but for me, I try not to make a big difference between them.”

In his homeland, he is more likely to be cast as the hero. He is by far one of Denmark’s most successful actors. He was knighted in 2010 by the Queen of Denmark, and has been voted Sexiest Man in Denmark by several women’s magazines.

With a new film and a new season coming up for his successful TV series, it seemed the only dilemma that remained for the actor on his visit to Japan was how to get out to see some of Tokyo.

“I have seen a lot from the hotel room,” he joked. “I eat a lot of sushi at home, but I think it would taste a lot better here.”

Fox Backstage Pass airs Sat on Fox at 1am; Sun on Fox Movies Premium at 9am; and on Fox Sports and Entertainment at 11:30am.

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agenda

WATCH LIST

hot tickets JUL 18-26

Bolshoi Circus

Consisting of 4,000 artists and staff and more than 6,000 animals, the Bolshoi circus was established 78 years ago, and first came to Japan in 1958. Jul 18-26, various times. ¥3,700-6,200. Tokyo Taiikukan.

Kokuritsu Kyogijo or Sendagaya. www.bolshoicircus.com Tickets on sale now

Concerts POPULAR

SEP 19-20 The Irish Dance Ragús

A show of live, fast moving, traditional Irish music, song, and dance that will leave you with a truly unique cultural experience. Sep 19, 12:30 & 4pm. ¥5,000-8,000. Bunkamura Orchard Hall. Shibuya. Sep 20, 2pm. ¥5,000-8,000. Tokyo Opera City.

Hatsudai. http://j.mp/ragus2015 Tickets on sale now

Jun 4-5, 7pm. ¥7,500. Tokyo Kinema Club. Uguisudani.

Tel: 03-3874-7988. http://j.mp/ leejuck2015

Nickelback

Magma

One of Canda’s most controversial rock bands comes to Japan. May 30, 7pm. ¥9,500. Tokyo Taiikukan.

Kokuritsukyogijo or Sendagaya. http://j.mp/ nickelback2015

French progressive rock band founded by classicallytrained drummer Christian Vander, who invented the language Kobaïan, in which most lyrics are sung. Jun 4-5, 7:30pm. ¥8,600. Tsutaya O-East. Shibuya. Tel: 03-5458-4681. http://j.mp/ magma2015

Stolen.

Female-fronted indie pop rock band Stolen. whose sound has been called a mix between the Gin Blossoms and the Cranberries, celebrates the release of their single “With the Rain.” Also featuring performances by The Watanabes, Erin Wick, and Mountain Fingers. May 30, 7:30pm. ¥2,000 w/ 2d + CD. Tsutaya O-West. Shibuya. www.facebook.com/ StolenJapan Taicoclub ’15

Music festival with artists Autechre, Marcel Dettmann, Sons of Magdalene, and others. May 30-31, 3pm. ¥13,000 (adv)/ ¥14,000 (door).

Kodama no Mori. Yabuhara.

Tel: 03-6303-3690. http://taicoclub.com/15/tag/en

Pentatonix

American a cappella quintet, who rose to fame on YouTube with their all-vocal renditions of Daft Punk hits, now touring the world. Jun 9, 7pm. ¥7,500.

Zepp DiverCity. Daiba. Tel: 03-3527-5256. http://j.mp/ pentatonix2015 Michelle Branch

The American singersongwriter’s heartfelt acoustic tunes have taken her everywhere—and now they’re taking her to Japan.

Jun 8-9, 7 & 9:30pm. ¥6,5008,500. Billboard Live Tokyo.

Roppongi or Nogizaka. Tel: 03-3405-1133. http://j.mp/ branch2015 J.D. Souther

Live From The Kitchen: Disco, Volume 13

Birthday celebration for the monthly showcase of live international indie music from Mana Hardcore, Martin Leroux, and more.

May 31, 6:30-10:30pm.

Free. Restaurant Papera.

Shinjuku-gyoenmae. Tel: 03-3350-0208. http://j.mp/ kitchendiscovol13 Zedd

Russian-German musician, music producer, and DJ who recently won a Grammy for “Clarity.” Jun 4, 7pm. ¥7,000-8,000. Studio Coast.

Shin-Kiba.http://j.mp/ zedd2015 Idina Menzel

American stage actress and singer-songwriter who rose to fame in Broadway musicals Rent and Wicked, and who more recently voiced Elsa in Frozen. Jun 4-5, 7pm. ¥7,5008,500. Nippon Budokan.

Kudanshita. http://j.mp/ idina2015 Lee Juck

Korean pop singer-songwriter and musician who made his debut as a member of Panic.

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American musician, singersongwriter, and actor who has written and co-written numerous hit songs recorded by artists such as the Eagles.

Jun 10-11, 7 & 9:30pm. ¥6,800-8,800. Billboard Live.

Roppongi. Tel: 03-34051133. http://j.mp/souther2015 Rumer

Pakistani-born British singersongwriter whose voice has often been described as being reminiscent of Karen Carpenter. Jun 12, 7 & 9:30pm. ¥6,700-8,700. Billboard Live.

Roppongi. Tel: 03-34051133. http://j.mp/rumer2015

OCT 14 & 17 Paul Weller

English singer-songwriter who is also the principal figure of the 1970s and ’80s mod revival, and is often referred to as The Modfather. Oct 14, 7pm. ¥8,000. Zepp Diver City. Daiba. Oct 17, 6pm. ¥8,000. Yokohama Bay Hall.

Motomachi-Chūkagai. http://j.mp/weller2015 Tickets on sale Jun 6

Australian virtuoso guitarist best known for his complex fingerstyle technique, energetic performances and the use of percussive effects on the guitar. Oct 28, 6:30 & 9pm. ¥7,500-9,500. Cotton Club. Tokyo.

Tel: 03-3215-1555. http://j.mp/emmanuelcotton2015 Tickets on sale now

Tel: 03-3405-1133.http://j.mp/ realgroup2015

Shibuya. Tel: 03-3477-8750. http://j.mp/strypes2015

Blue

Amaranthe

English boyband comprising members Antony Costa, Duncan James, Lee Ryan, and Simon Webbe. Jun 17, 7pm. ¥7,500. Shinkiba Studio Coast. Shinkiba. Tel: 03-3499-6669. http://j.mp/ bluetokyo2015

Swedish-Danish metal band notable for having three lead vocalists, each with their own vocal style of pop, rock, and death metal. Jul 17, 7pm. ¥6,800. Tsutaya O-East.

Shibuya. Tel: 03-5458-4681. http://j.mp/amaranthe2015

Vanessa Williams

JT Taylor

American singer, actress, producer, and former fashion model saves the best for Japan. Jun 14 & 20-21, 5 & 8pm; Jun 15, 19 & 22, 6:30 & 9:30pm. ¥13,800. Blue Note Tokyo. Omotesando. Tel: 03-5485-0088. http://j.mp/ williams2015

American singer and actor best known as the former lead singer of the R&B/funk band Kool & the Gang. Jul 29-30, 7 & 9:30pm. ¥8,800-10,800.

Billboard Live. Roppongi.

Tel: 03-3405-1133. http://j.mp/ jttaylor2015

UNTIL JUN 28 Suigo Itako Iris Festival

Enjoy around 500 varieties of purple, white, and yellow irises at this historic festival that began in 1952. Until Jun 28, all day. Free. Suigo Itako Iris Garden, Ibaraki. Itako.

Tel: 0299-63-1111. www.city.itako.lg.jp

Mike Stern Band

Led by six-time Grammy nominee American jazz guitarist Stern, feat. Victor Wooten, Bob Franceschini, and Will Calhoun. Jun 7, 5 & 8pm; Jun 8, 7 & 9:30pm. ¥8,500. Blue Note Tokyo.

Omotesando. Tel: 03-5485-0088. http://j.mp/ sternband2015 Jef Neve

JAZZ/WORLD

2 Cellos

Croatian cello duo who play mainly instrumental covers of well-known pop and rock songs, and have performed internationally. Jun 23, 7pm.

Bunkamura Orchard Hall.

Shibuya. Jun 30, 7pm.

Kanagawa Arts Theater.

Motomachi-Chukagai. Jul 2, 7pm. Suntory Hall. TameikeSanno. Jul 3, 7pm; Jul 5, 5pm.

Bunkamura Orchard Hall.

Shibuya. All performances ¥7,000-8,000. http://j. mp/2cellos2015 Machine Head

American metal band that is one of the pioneering bands in the New Wave of American Heavy Metal. Jul 2, 7pm. ¥7,500. Tsutaya O-East.

Shibuya. Tel: 03-5458-4681. http://j.mp/machinehead2015 Tony Visconti and Woody Woodmansey

Visconti and Woodmansey play David Bowie’s “The Man Who Sold the World.” Jul 6-7, 7 & 9:30pm. ¥7,800-9,800.

Billboard Live. Roppongi.

Tel: 03-3405-1133. http://j.mp/ tonywoody2015

The Iron Maidens

Linder Brothers

American all-female tribute band to Iron Maiden. Jun 12, 7pm. ¥6,000 (adv)/ ¥6,500 (door). duo Music Exchange. Shibuya. Tel: 03-5459-8716. http://j.mp/ theironmaidens2015

Fusion group consisting of Swedish band Dirty Loops’ bassist Henrik Linder and his brother Erik. Jul 12, 4:30 & 7:30pm. ¥5,500-7,500.

Billboard Live. Roppongi.

Tel: 03-3405-1133. http://j.mp/ linderbros2015

The Real Group

Swedish a cappella group who compose or arrange most of the songs in their repertory themselves. Jun 13, 6 & 9pm; Jun 14, 4:30 & 7:30pm. ¥5,400-7,400.

Billboard Live. Roppongi.

OCT 28 Tommy Emmanuel

for free

The Strypes

Irish rock band drawing inspiration from ’60s blues boom and ’70s pub rock bands such as Dr. Feelgood and The Rolling Stones. Jul 16, 7pm. ¥6,000. Club Quattro.

John Scofield: Uberjam

American jazz-rock guitarist and composer who has played and collaborated with Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, and more. May 28-29, 7 & 9:30pm; May 30, 5 & 8pm. ¥8,000. Blue Note Tokyo. Omotesando.

Tel: 03-5485-0088. http://j.mp/ scofield2015 The Electric Guitar Quartet

With American jazz double bass and jazz fusion electric bass player John Patitucci and Adam Rogers, Steve Cardenas, and Brian Blade. May 27-29, 6:30 & 9pm; May 30, 5 & 8pm. ¥8,500-10,500. Cotton Club.

Tokyo. Tel: 03-3215-1555. http://j.mp/electricguitar2015

Belgian jazz and classical pianist and composer. Jun 16, 6:30 & 9pm. ¥5,000-7,000.

Cotton Club. Tokyo. Tel: 03-3215-1555. http://j.mp/ neve2015 Marc Cary Rhodes Ahead Trio & Daniel Crawford Trio

Double bill by trios led by post-bop jazz pianist Rhodes and Crawford. Jun 16-18, 7 & 9:30pm. ¥7,800. Blue Note Tokyo. Omotesando. Tel: 03-5485-0088. http://j.mp/ carycrawford2015 Simon Phillips

English jazz, pop, and rock drummer Phillips featuring Andy Timmons, Steve Weingart, and Ernest Tibbs. Jun 23, 7 & 9:30pm. ¥8,500. Blue Note Tokyo.

Omotesando. Tel: 03-54850088. http://j.mp/phillips2015 Tom Harrell

Award-winning American Jazz trumpeter and flugelhornist.

Jun 23-25, 6:30 & 9pm. ¥7,800-10,000. Cotton Club.

Tokyo. Tel: 03-3215-1555. http://j.mp/harrell2015

Nels Cline Singers

American free jazz trio led by guitarist and composer Cline. Jun 2-3, 7 & 9:30pm. ¥7,800. Blue Note Tokyo.

Omotesando. Tel: 03-5485-0088. http://j.mp/ clinesingers2015 Robert Glasper Experiment

Led by Grammy-winning American jazz pianist and record producer. Jun 2-5, 7 & 9:30pm. ¥7,400-9,400.

Billboard Live. Roppongi.

Tel: 03-3405-1133. http://j.mp/ glasper2015 Bob Dorough and Nellie McKay

American bebop and cool jazz pianist and singer Dorough with American singersongwriter, actress, and former stand-up comedian McKay. Jun 5, 7 & 9:30pm; Jun 6, 5 & 8pm. ¥8,500. Blue Note Tokyo. Omotesando. Tel: 03-5485-0088. http://j.mp/ bobnellie2015

Kaki King

American guitarist and composer known for her percussive and jazz-tinged melodies, energetic live shows, use of multiple tunings on acoustic and lap steel guitar, and her diverse range in different genres. Jun 24-25, 7 & 9:30pm. ¥5,500. Blue Note Tokyo. Omotesando. Tel: 03-5485-0088. http://j.mp/ kakiking2015 Tye Tribbett

American gospel music singer and founder of the Grammynominated gospel group Tye Tribbett & G.A. Jun 25-26, 7 & 9:30pm. ¥7,800-9,800.

Billboard Live. Roppongi.

Tel: 03-3405-1133. http://j.mp/ tribbett2015

Jul 4-5. 5 & 8pm; Jul 6, 7 & 9:30pm. ¥8,500. Blue Note Tokyo. Omotesando. Tel: 03-5485-0088. http://j.mp/ louquartet2015 Bluey presents “Citrus Sun”

British guitarist, bandleader, composer, and record producer who has led the British acid jazz band Incognito since its formation in 1979. Jul 7-9, 7 & 9:30pm. ¥8,500. Blue Note Tokyo. Omotesando.

Tel: 03-5485-0088. http://j. mp/bluey2015 Kalapana

Hawaiian group performing pop and soft rock music best known for their songs “Naturally” and “The Hurt.”

Jul 17, 7pm. ¥6,900-8,900.

Billboard Live. Roppongi.

Tel: 03-3405-1133. http://j.mp/ kalapana2015 Blue Mountain Boys

Classic country and bluegrass.

Every third Sat, 6:30 & 7:30pm.

Free. Cafe Sepia. Shibuya.

Tel: 03-3406-1300. www.nagaremono.com/sepia CLASSICAL Jonas Kaufmann

German operatic tenor best known for his performances in roles such as Don José in Carmen and Cavaradossi in Tosca. May 30, 7pm. ¥14,000-26,000. Suntory Hall. Roppongi-itchome.

Tel: 0570-55-0017. http://j. mp/kaufmann2015. Jun 1, 7pm. ¥14,000-26,000. Muza Kawasaki Symphony Hall.

Kawasaki. Tel: 044-5200200. www.kawasaki-symhall.jp Wagner & Brahms: The Forest of German Romanticism

Taijiro Iimori, a specialist of German music, will conduct several masterpieces by Wagner and Brahms. Jun 3, 7pm. ¥2,100-6,200. Tokyo Bunka Kaikan. Ueno. Tel: 03-3828-2111. www.t-bunka. jp/en International Organ Festival

Featuring organists Ernst Erich Stender and Mari Kodama. Jun 4, 7pm. ¥6,000.

Sekiguchi Catholic Church.

Edogawabashi. Tel: 03-39450126. http://iofj.net

Lou Donaldson Quartet

Led by Jazz alto saxophonist Donaldson best known for his soulful, bluesy approach to playing the instrument.

Bra Bra Final Fantasy

The Siena Wind Orchestra performs music from the hit video game franchise. Jun

7, 1 & 5pm. ¥4,500-6,500.

Bunkamura. Shibuya. Tel: 03-3477-9111. http://j.mp/ brabra2015 Disney on Classic: Spring Gala

Showcasing popular songs from Disney movies such as Snow White, The Little Mermaid, Cinderella, and more. May 29-Jun 7, various times. ¥7,0008,700. Theatre Orb. Shibuya.

Tel: 03-3477-9999. http://j.mp/ disneyspringgala2015 The European Music that adorned the Meiji Era

Produced by Kunitachi College of Music and performed by its students and alumni, the concert features songs and operas that were translated into Japanese during the Meiji Era. Jun 8, 7pm. ¥2,000.

Suntory Hall Blue Rose.

Roppongi-Itchome. Tel: 03-3505-1001. http://j.mp/ meijieuropean2015 Renaud Capuçon

French classical violinist Capuçon with pianist David Kadouch. Jun 8, 7pm. ¥3,000-6,000. Toppan Hall.

Iidabashi. Tel: 03-58402200. http://j.mp/capucon2015 War and Music: From Darkness to Light

Produced by Ferris University and performed by its students and alumni, the concert features war songs and compositions that helped unite people in their hope for peace.

Jun 9, 7pm. ¥2,000. Suntory Hall Blue Rose. RoppongiItchome. Tel: 03-3505-1001. http://j.mp/warandmusic2015 Gianluca Cascioli

Italian pianist whose career was launched with his victory at the 1994 Umberto Micheli International Piano Competition. Jun 12, 7pm. ¥5,000-7,500. Kioi Hall.

Yotsuya. Tel: 03-5276-4500. www.kioi-hall.or.jp

Womb

Clubbing

Ruby Room

The Room

Space Dizzy Time. DJs Ito, Shidaxxxx, etc. From 11pm. ¥2,000 w/1d. Shibuya. Tel: 03-3780-3022 (evenings) / 070-6969-4816 (daytime). www.rubyroomtokyo.com

Noi. House, techno: DJs Ai, Niwa, etc. 7-11pm. Free.

Shibuya. www.theroom.jp

FRIDAY 29 The New Matrix Bar

Matrix Friday. Old-school hip-hop, west side, south side, all mix: DJ Ykk and more. From 6pm. ¥1,000 (after 11:30pm).

Roppongi. www.matrixbar.jp Sound Museum Vision

Rad. Techno, electro: DJs Off the Rocker, Verbal, etc. From 9pm. (m)¥3,500, (f)¥2,500.

Shibuya. Tel: 03-5728-2824. www.vision-tokyo.com Air

R2. Hip-hop, jazz: DJs Toyoda, Masa, etc. Live: Hiroto Uyama and more. From 10pm. ¥3,000.

Shibuya. Tel: 03-5784-3384. www.air-tokyo.com The Room

Global Rhythm. Hip-hop: DJs Watarai, Takemoto, etc.

From 10pm. ¥2,000 w/1d.

Shibuya. www.theroom.jp T2

Shibuya Mixx. EDM: DJs Baby-T, Shu, etc. From 10pm. (m)¥3,500 w/1d, (f)¥2,500 w/2d. Shibuya. Tel: 03-54288692. www.t2-shibuya.com The Long Set. EDM, house: DJ Daishi Dance and more. From 11pm. ¥3,500. Shinkiba.

Tel: 03-5534-2525. www.ageha.com

To Gothics. All mix: DJs Yaguchi, Adapter, etc. From 11pm. ¥4,000. Shibuya.

Tel: 03-5458-2551. www.clubasia.co.jp Lounge Neo

Poke. Techno, bass: DJs Grimecraft, Qrion, etc. From 11pm. ¥3,000. Shibuya.

Tel: 03-5458-2551. http://loungeneo.iflyer.jp Circoloco Japan. Techno, house: DJs Kabuto, Pi-Ge, etc. From 11pm. ¥4,000.

Shibuya. Tel: 03-5459-0039. www.womb.co.jp

Matrix Friday. Old-school hip-hop, west side, south side, all mix: DJ Ykk and more. From 6pm. ¥1,000 (after 11:30pm).

Roppongi. www.matrixbar.jp

SUNDAY 31

Air

Global Allmix Party. All mix: DJs Kotani, Shu, etc. From 10pm. (m)¥2,500 w/2d, (f)¥1,500 w/2d. Shibuya. Tel: 03-54288692. www.t2-shibuya.com

Satoshi Tomiie. House, techno: DJs Maayan Nidam, Tomiie, etc.

From 10pm. ¥3,500. Shibuya.

Tel: 03-5784-3384. www.air-tokyo.com

Sound Museum Vision

Power. All mix: DJs Ol Killer, Ali&, etc. From 10pm. (m)¥3,500, (f)¥2,500.

Shibuya. Tel: 03-5728-2824. www.vision-tokyo.com

MONDAY 1

The Room

T2 Monday. EDM: Various DJs. From 10pm. (m)¥2,500 w/2d, (f)¥1,500 w/2d. Shibuya.

Tel: 03-5428-8692. www.t2-shibuya.com Womb

Insomnia. EDM, drum’n‘bass: DJs Rowel, Yuki, etc.

From 10pm. ¥1,500 w/1d.

Shibuya. Tel: 03-5459-0039. www.womb.co.jp TUESDAY 2

Open Mic. From 7pm. ¥1,500 w/2d. Shibuya. Tel: 03-37803022 (evenings) / 070-69694816 (daytime). www.rubyroomtokyo.com T2

Conducted by Valery Polyansky with performances of the Overture from Glinka’s Ruslan i Lyudmila, Dvořák’s Cello Concerto in b minor, op.104, and more. Jul 9, 7pm. ¥6,000-10,000. Suntory Hall.

Roppongi-itchome. Tel: 0570-55-0017. http://j.mp/ statesymphonycapella2015

Sound Museum Vision

Artifact. Techno: DJs Dave Clarke, Ken Ishii, etc. From 10pm. ¥3,500. Shibuya.

Tel: 03-5728-2824. www.vision-tokyo.com

Super Tuesday. EDM: Various DJs. From 10pm. (m)¥2,500 w/2d, (f)¥1,500 w/2d.

Shibuya. Tel: 03-5428-8692. www.t2-shibuya.com Womb

The Room

Jazzbrothers. Jazz: DJs Yama, Takehana, etc. From 10pm. ¥2,500 w/1d. Shibuya. www.theroom.jp

Bcc: Holiday. Techno, house: DJs Gonno, Noa, etc. Live: Atom and more. From 10pm. ¥3,500. Shibuya.

Tel: 03-5784-3384. www.air-tokyo.com

Edmf. EDM: DJs Taku, Hirata, etc. 5-11pm. ¥2,000 w/1d.

Shibuya. Tel: 03-5784-3384. www.air-tokyo.com

Ruby Room Air

FRIDAY 5 The New Matrix Bar

T2

Saturday Night Fever. Hip-hop, R&B, reggae: DJ Ykk and more.

From 6pm. ¥1,000 (after 10pm).

Roppongi. www.matrixbar.jp

El Amor. Disco, boogie: DJs Endo, Nishikawa, etc. 7-11pm. ¥1,000. Shibuya. www.theroom.jp

Peak. Bass, grime: DJs Broken Haze, Bashoo, etc. From 12am. ¥1,000. Shibuya.

Tel: 03-5784-5496. www.microcosmos-tokyo.com

Key. House, techno: DJs Bengal, Future, etc. ¥2,000 w/1d. Shibuya. Tel: 03-57843384. www.air-tokyo.com

The New Matrix Bar

Wasted: Soup 9th Anniversary. Cut Hands, Miclodiet, Painjerk, Tetsumasa AKA Devecly Bitte, etc. From 6pm. ¥2,500.

Higashinakano.

Tel: 03-6909-3000. http://ochiaisoup.tumblr.com

Dance JUN 10, 11, 13 & 14

Tuemix. EDM, Top 40: DJs Alpha One, Ashlay, etc. From 10pm. (m)¥1,500, (f)free.

Shibuya. Tel: 03-5459-0039. www.womb.co.jp

Breakthrough. Hip-hop: DJs Jin, Ladi Dadi, etc. From 10pm. ¥2,500 w/1d. Shibuya. www.theroom.jp T2

Shibuya Mixx. EDM: Various DJs. From 10pm. (m)¥3,500 w/1d, (f)¥2,500 w/2d.

Shibuya. Tel: 03-5428-8692. www.t2-shibuya.com Ageha

Agepa. EDM, all mix: DJs Cts, U5, etc. From 11pm. (m)¥3,000 w/1d, (f)free. Shinkiba.

Tel: 03-5534-2525. www.ageha.com Lounge Neo

Weekend Gang London.

Hip-hop: DJs Nok Nok, Cashino, etc. From 11pm. ¥2,500 w/1d. Shibuya.

Tel: 03-5458-2551. http://loungeneo.iflyer.jp Womb

Sterne. Techno: DJs Agoria, Ishino, etc. From 11pm. ¥3,500. Shibuya.

Tel: 03-5459-0039. www.womb.co.jp

BALLET SWAN LAKE

The crown jewel of classical ballet, performed by the National Ballet of Japan. June 10, 7pm; June 11 & 14, 2pm; June 13, 2 & 6:30pm. ¥3,240 - ¥10,800. New National Theatre Tokyo. Hatsudai (Keio New Line). www.nntt.jac.go.jp/english Strawberry Fields

Production by Japanese contemporary dance company Condors, an all-male ensemble who perform wearing school uniforms. May 30, 2 & 7pm; May 31, 3pm. ¥2,000-4,500.

Saitama Arts Theater.

Yonohonmachi.

Tel: 0570-064-939. http://j.mp/fields2015 GQ2015 [Gabby]

Top-level male dancers gather to present a dynamic dance program incorporating elements of ballet, jazz, street, and contemporary dance. Jun 10-12, 7pm; Jun 13, 2 & 7pm; Jun 14, 2pm. ¥8,000-12,000. Ex Theater Roppongi. Roppongi or Nogizaka. Tel: 03-64062222. http://j.mp/gabby2015

Discover Kabuki

Kabuki performed with commentary. Part I: “How to Appreciate Kabuki in English.” A kabuki actor and a TV personality will guide you in both English and Japanese.

Part II: “Tsubosaka Reigenki,” a live kabuki performance.

Audio guide rental service is included in the ticket price of this program. Jun 19, 7-9pm. ¥1,300 (students, all seats)/ ¥1,500 (adults, 2nd grade)/ ¥3,900 (adults, 1st grade). National Theatre.

Hanzomon. Tel: (0570) 07-9900 (10am-6pm). http://j.mp/discoverkabuki2015 Jukebox musical presented in a documentary-style format that dramatizes the formation, success, and eventual break-up of the 1960s rock ’n‘ roll group The Four Seasons. Jun 25-Jul 5, various times. ¥9,000-13,000. Theatre Orb. Shibuya. Tel: 0570-550-799. http://j.mp/ jerseyboys2015

Exhibitions ENDING SOON The Prisoner of Mirrors

Showcasing paintings of flowery goldfish by artist Rika Shimasaki, which portray artificially-bred prize goldfish resembling over-dressed and made-up women. Until May 31, 12-7pm, closed Mon. Free. Nanatasu Gallery.

Nogizaka. Tel: 03-64197229. http://chocorikashimasaki.jimdo.com Measuring: This much, that much, how much?

This exhibition aims to illustrate the types of units that are used to measure a variety of things and phenomena, and to give them a sense of familiarity that they may not already have.

Until May 31, 10am-8pm, closed Tue. ¥500-1,000.

21_21 Design Sight.

Nogizaka.

Tel: 03-3475-2121. http://j.mp/measuring2015

Circus

Moriyama Kaiji, recipient of the 63rd Minister of Culture Art Encouragement Prize for New Talent, creates the world of the circus that the whole family will enjoy. Jun 20-28, various times. ¥1,620-5,400.

The New National Theatre, Tokyo. Hatsudai. http://j. mp/moriyamacircus2015

Louvre Museum

Stage

Guillaume Bottazzi: Recent Paintings

Kikai-ga-shima

Original comic play concerning three Japanese men who are exiled from the capital to Kikaigashima, the Island of Demons. Performed in English with Japanese subtitles. May 30, 2 & 7pm; May 31, 3pm. ¥3,000. World Peace Theater.

Keikyu-Kawasaki. http://ytg.jp/en

FAME

Fame Presents Lock. DJs Sander Kleinenberg, DJ Sawa, etc. From 10:30pm. (m)¥3,500 w/2d, (f)¥2,500 w/2d. Happy Hour: ¥1,000 w/1d (until 12pm). Omotesando.

Tel: 03-3475-0788. http://fame-aoyama.com

portrayal. May 24, 30, Jun 2 & 4, 2pm; May 27, 6pm. ¥4,320-23,760. New National Theatre Tokyo. Hatsudai.

Tel: 03-5352-9999. http://j. mp/rosenkavalier2015

Jersey Boys

Mix Juice. House, EDM: DJs Yamariki, Mizuki, etc. From 10pm. (m)¥1,500, (f)free.

Shibuya. Tel: 03-5459-0039. www.womb.co.jp

Microcosmos

House Tribe. EDM, house: DJs Bryan Cox, Yamariki, etc. From 11pm. ¥3,500. Shibuya.

Tel: 03-5459-0039. www.womb.co.jp

SATURDAY 30

Bootylicious. Hip-hop: DJs Iku, 8man, etc. From 10pm. (m)¥2,000 w/1d, (f)free.

Shibuya. Tel: 03-5784-3384. www.air-tokyo.com

The Room Womb

Air

College (France) at Blackout X Vanity. Featuring College, Maethelvin, La Fraicheur, and more. From 11pm. ¥2,500.

Shibuya. Tel: 03-3770-2325. www.vanity.to

THURSDAY 4

SUNDAY 7 Soup

Womb

Womb

Trump Room

Wedm. EDM: DJs Hiroki, Yo, etc. From 10pm. (m)¥1,500, (f) free. Shibuya. Tel: 03-54590039. www.womb.co.jp

Air Club Asia

T2 Ageha

Vivivi. Electro, pop: DJs Gizumo, Uchida, etc.

From 11pm. ¥3,500 w/1d.

Shibuya. Tel: 03-5458-2551. www.clubasia.co.jp

State Symphony Capella of Russia

Vortex VI -Infinite-. EBM, goa, techno, trance: DJs Masa, Yuta. From 11pm. ¥3,000 (adv)/¥4,000 (day).

Daikanyama. Tel: 03-54598630. www.unit-tokyo.com

Saturdays. EDM, house: DJs Hatiras, Flipside, etc. From 11pm. ¥3,500. Shinkiba.

Tel: 03-5534-2525. www.ageha.com

A unique reed ensemble from Amsterdam that has distinguished itself with its imaginative transcriptions that reach back to the Middle Ages. Jun 13, 1:30pm. ¥2,500-4,100. Muza Kawasaki Symphony Hall. Kawasaki.

Tel: 044-520-0200. www. kawasaki-sym-hall.jp

Italian pianist and composer who won the international selections for young concertists at the San Filippo Theatre in Turin in 1997. Jun 25, 7pm. ¥6,500. Hamarikyu Asahi Hall. Shibashi.

Tel: 03-5541-8710. www.giovanniallevi.com/en

Daikanyama Unit

Shibuya Girls Party. EDM: Various DJs. From 10pm. (m)¥2,500 w/2d, (f)¥1,500 w/2d. Shibuya. Tel: 03-54288692. www.t2-shibuya.com

Ageha

Air

Giovanni Allevi

T2

Shibuya Mixx. EDM: DJs Murasaki, Clay, etc. From 10pm. (m)¥3,500 w/1d, (f)¥2,500 w/2d. Shibuya.

Tel: 03-5428-8692. www.t2-shibuya.com

Club Asia

Internationally-performing professional classical string quartet that was awarded Chamber Music America’s prestigious Cleveland Quartet Award in 2005. Jun 7, 2pm; Jun 11, 13, 18 & 20, 7pm. ¥1,000-5,000 (all five concerts for ¥15,000). Suntory Hall Blue Rose. Roppongi-itchome.

Tel: 03-3505-1001.http://j.mp/ miroquartet2015

SATURDAY 6

T2

Take a musical trip to Naples, Italy, with performances by the Orchestra Italiana Napoletana.

Jul 17, 6:30pm. ¥6,000. Nakano Zero. Nakano. Tel: 03-53405000. Jul 19, 1pm. ¥6,500.

Yokohama Minatomirai Hall.

Minatomirai. Tel: 045-6822020. Jul 20, 12:30 & 4pm. ¥6,500. Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall. Hatsudai or Shinjuku. Tel: 03-5353-9999. http://j.mp/osolemio2015

Calefax Reed Quintet

The Miró Quartet

WEDNESDAY 3

O Sole Mio

Der Rosenkavalier

Set in Viennese high society, this opera’s rich, elegant music expresses memories of the past and fresh youthful love, with production

by Jonathan Miller, who excels at detailed character

With works by Vermeer, Rembrandt, and others.

Until Jun 1, 10am-6pm, closed Tue. ¥800-1,600. The National Art Center, Tokyo.

Nogizaka. www.ntv.co.jp/ louvre2015/english ONGOING

Showcasing works by Bottazzi, which are composed of intangible elements and ethereal forms, and which are imbued with his affinity with Japan. Until Jun 13, 11am-6pm (until 5pm on Sat), closed Sun, Mon & hols. Free.

Gallery Itsutsuji. Sendagi. http://gallery-itsutsuji.com The Beauty of Asian Art

Showcasing prehistoric and ancient masterpieces from China, Korea, and Southeast Asia. Until Jun 14, 10am-5pm, closed Mon. ¥700-1,000. Idemitsu Museum of Arts. Tokyo. www.idemitsu.com/museum/ honkan

25

The Great Amazon

Featuring over 400 exhibits and a 4K theatre experience where you can travel to the Amazon through a 355-inch screen. Until Jun 14, 9am-5pm (until 8pm on Fri), closed Mon. ¥600-1,600.

National Museum of Nature and Science. Ueno. Tel: 03-3822-0111. http://j.mp/ thegreatamazon2015 Perspectives

A unique collaboration featuring artwork by Frankie Cihi and original works created by Tokyo-based performance artists. Jun 10-14, 5pm.

Opening reception (Jun 6) ¥4,000/¥3,500 (door)/¥3,000 (adv)/¥2,500 (students).

Turner Gallery. HigashiNagasaki. Tel: 03-3953-5155. www.tokyoarts.org Modern Crafts and the Tea Ceremony from the Museum Collection

Exhibition focusing on tea-ceremony-related pieces produced by modern artists.

Until Jun 21, 10am-5pm, closed Mon. ¥70-210. The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo. Takebashi. Tel: 03-5777-8600. http://j.mp/ craftsandtea2015 The Ceramic Works of Rouault and the Fauvists

Introducing ceramic works created by some of the great French artists of the early 20th century, including Georges Rouault and Henri Matisse. Until Jun 21, 10am-6pm, closed Wed. ¥500-1,000. Shiodome Museum. Shimbashi. Tel: 03-5777-8600. http://meturl. com/panasonicmuseum Ki Yoon Ko: Stimmung

Hiromart Gallery’s second solo show of works by this Hamburg-based American artist known for his photorealistic paintings.

Until Jun 21, 1-7pm, closed Mon & Tue. Hiromart Gallery.

Edogawabashi.

Tel: 03-6233-9836. http://hiromartgallery.com The British Museum Exhibition: A History of the World in 100 Objects

This exhibition explores human creativity covering two million years, from prehistoric to modern times, through 100 items from the British Museum’s collection.

Until Jun 28, 9:30am-5:30pm (until 8pm on Fri), closed Mon. ¥800-1,300 (adv)/ ¥1,000-1,600 (door). Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum.

Ueno. Tel: 03-3823-6921. http://j.mp/100objects2015 Utrillo and Valadon

Showcasing pieces by Utrillo, a French painter who specialized in cityscapes; and his mother Valadon, an artist whose drawings and paintings mostly included female nudes and portraits, still lifes, and landscapes. Until Jun 28, 10am-6pm, closed Mon. ¥650-1,000 (adv)/ ¥800-1,200 (door). Sompo Japan Museum of Art. Shinjuku.

Tel: 03-5405-8686. www.sjnk-museum.org/en Sayoko Yamaguchi: The Wearist, Clothed in the Future

This exhibition will trace Yamaguchi’s career, who, as a top model, embodied the mysterious beauty of the East, and conquered the world of fashion during the 1970s and ’80s. Until Jun 28, 10am-6pm, closed Mon. ¥600-1,200.

26

Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo. Kiyosumi-Shirakawa. www.mot-art-museum.jp/eng Time of Others

Showcasing works by 18 artists of the younger generation in Asia/Oceania whose practices offer keys to engaging with the time of others. Until Jun 28, 10am-6pm, closed Mon. ¥600-1,100. Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo.

Kiyosumi-shirakawa. http://j.mp/timeofothers2015 Mirror Neuron

A collection of modern art collected by psychiatrist Ryutaro Takahashi. Until Jun 28, 11am-7pm (until 8pm on Fri & Sat), closed Mon. ¥800-1,200. Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery. Hatsudai. www.operacity.jp/en Naruto Exhibition

Experience the spectacular world of manga master Masashi Kishimoto’s iconic Naruto. Until Jun 28, 10am-8pm. ¥500-1,800 (adv)/ ¥800-2,000 (door). Mori Arts Center Gallery. Roppongi. http://naruto-ten.com Masks: Beauty of the Spirits

By laying bare the true allure of masks, this exhibition explores their true essence and what they mean to us in today’s world, through masterpieces from the Musée du quai Branly in Paris. Until Jun 30, 10am-6pm, closed the second and fourth Wed of the month. ¥600-1,200 (¥100 discount to those who come wearing designs or patterns inspired by masks or faces).

Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum. Meguro.

Tel: 03-3443-0201. http://j.mp/masks2015 The World of Edo Dandyism: From Swords to Inrō

Showcasing around 100 carefully selected obects such as swords, sword fittings, and inrō (a traditional Japanese case for holding small objects) that were all the rage among the Edo dandies.

May 30-Jul 20, 10am-5pm, closed Mon. ¥700-900 (adv)/ ¥800-1,000 (door). Nezu Museum. Omotesando.

Tel: 03-3400-2536. www.nezu-muse.or.jp/en The Maestro of Conception, Kenzan is Here

Born in a cultivated Kyoto family, Kenzan was raised in a context of great artistic refinement. As a potter, he introduced new designs based on painting and literature to the world of ceramics. May 27-Jul 20, 10am-6pm (until 8pm on Fri & Sat), closed Tue. ¥800-1,100 (adv)/ ¥1,0001,300 (door). Suntory Museum of Art. Roppongi. http://j.mp/ maestrokenzan2015 Helene Schjerfbeck: Reflections

Showcasing works by Finnish painter Schjerfbeck, who’s most widely known for her realist works and self-portraits. Jun 2-Jul 26, 10am-5pm, closed Mon. ¥800-1,300 (adv)/ ¥1,0001,500 (door). The University Art Museum. Ueno.

Tel: 050-5525-2200. http://helene-fin.exhn.jp Tokyo Story 2015

Showcasing works by artists who participated in Tokyo Wonder Site’s Creator in

Residence program. Until Jul 26, 11am-7pm. Free.

Tokyo Wonder Site Hongo.

Ochanomizu, Suidōbashi, or Hongō-sanchōme. Tel: 03-5689-5331. http://j.mp/ tokyostory2015 Leonardo da Vinci and the Battle of Anghiari: The Mystery of Travola Doria

A unique examination of the revolution in visual perception that da Vinci spawned with his work The Battle of Anghiari, one of the largest mural projects he ever undertook. Until Aug 9, 10am-5pm, closed Mon. ¥300-1,000 (adv)/ ¥400-1,300 (door). Tokyo Fuji Art Museum. Hachioji or Tokyo Fuji Bijitsukan. Tel: 042-691-4511. http://j.mp/ davincianghiari2015 Cy Twombly: Fifty Years of Works on Paper

Featuring around 70 drawings, paintings, and monotypes by Twombly, an American painter of large-scale, freely scribbled, calligraphic and graffitilike works. May 23-Aug 30, 11am-5pm (until 8pm on Wed), closed Mon. ¥500-1,100. Hara Museum of Contemporary Art. Kita-Shinagawa.

Tel: 03-3445-0651. www.haramuseum.or.jp Fukagawa in the Snow: The Reappearance of an Utamaro Masterpiece

Showcasing works by Utamaro, one of the most highly regarded ukiyo-e practitioners, especially for his portraits of beautiful women, or bijin-ga. Until Aug 31, 9am-5pm. ¥1,8002,800. Okada Museum of Art. Kowakidani.

Tel: 0460-87-3931. www.okada-museum.com/en What is Realist Painting?

Exploring the diversity and potential of realist painting through 54 works of landscapes, figures, and more. May 21-Nov 15, 10am-5:30pm, closed Tue. ¥900-1,800. Hoki Museum.

Toke. www.hoki-museum.jp/en/

Art Nouveau Glass

Yokohama FC vs. FC Gifu

Featuring pieces which include some of the finest works of glass produced by the Art Nouveau movement in Paris and Nancy. Jul 4-Sep 6, 10am-6pm, closed Wed. ¥500-1,000. Shiodome Museum. Shimbashi. Tel: 03-5777-8600. http://meturl. com/panasonicmuseum

Jun 6, 4pm. ¥600-5,200 (adv)/ ¥600-5,700 (door).

Nippatsu Mitsuzawa Stadium.

Mitsuzawakamicho.

Tel: 04-5311-2016. www.yokohamafc.com

Sports BASEBALL Yomiuri Giants vs.

Orix Buffaloes

Jun 2-4, 6pm. ¥300-12,400.

Tokyo Dome. Suidōbashi.

Tel: 03-5800-9999. www.giants.jp/en Yakult Swallows vs.

Rakuten Eagles

Jun 2-4, 6pm. ¥500-27,500.

Meiji Jingu Baseball Stadium.

Gaienmae. Tel: 03-34048999. www.yakult-swallows. co.jp Yakult Swallows vs.

Lotte Marines

Jun 5, 6pm; Jun 6, 2pm; Jun 7, 1pm. ¥500-27,500. Meiji Jingu Baseball Stadium.

Gaienmae. Tel: 03-34048999. www.yakult-swallows. co.jp Yomiuri Giants vs.

SoftBank Hawks

Jun 5-6, 6pm; Jun 7, 2pm. ¥300-12,400. Tokyo Dome.

Suidōbashi. Tel: 03-58009999. www.giants.jp/en Yomiuri Giants vs.

Chunichi Dragons

Jun 19, 6pm; Jun 20-21, 2pm. ¥300-12,400. Tokyo Dome.

Suidōbashi. Tel: 03-58009999. www.giants.jp/en Yomiuri Giants vs.

DeNA Baystars

Jun 23-24, 6pm. ¥300-12,400.

Tokyo Dome. Suidōbashi.

Tel: 03-5800-9999. www. giants.jp/en

Festivals TRADITIONAL

Yakult Swallows vs.

Hanshin Tigers

SOCCER FC Tokyo vs. Kashiwa Reysol

May 30, 7pm. ¥600-6,200 (adv)/ ¥800-6,500 (door).

Ajinomoto Stadium.

Tobitakyu. Tel: 04-24400555. www.fctokyo.co.jp Yokohama F. Marinos vs.

Gamba Osaka

May 30, 7pm. ¥1,000-9,800 (adv)/ ¥1,100-5,500 (door).

Nissan Stadium. Kozukue.

Tel: 04-5477-5000. www.f-marinos.com/en

Dr. Sketchy’s Anti-Art School

Burlesque models pose for artstars and sketching newbies alike with arty socializing. Every third Wed, 7-10pm. ¥2,000 w/ 1d. Studio and Space IVVA. Meiji-Jingūmae or Harajuku. www.facebook. com/Dr.Sketchy.Tokyo

Learning California Wine vs. French Wine Seminar

Learn about wines and enjoy an American-style dinner. May 30, 7-10:30pm. ¥11,980 + tax (adv). Stellato.

Shirokanedai. Tel: 03-34425588. http://meturl.com/ monthlywine

Other Events

Torikoe Jinja Matsuri

Summer festival with Tokyo’s heaviest mikoshi. Jun 6-7, all day. Free. Torigoe Jinja.

Kuramae or Asakusabashi.

Tel: 03-3851-5033.

Tsukiji Shishi Matsuri

Unique mikoshi parade featuring two lion mikoshi and one main mikoshi. Jun 10-14, all day. Free. Tsukiji Namiyoke Jinja. Tsukijishijo. www.namiyoke.or.jp Sannō Matsuri

One of the three largest festivals in Japan. Jun 7-17, all day. Free. Hie Jinja.

Tameikesanno. Tel: 03-35812471. www.tenkamatsuri.jp

Forums & Expos Italian Olive Oil Day 2015

Comedy

Jun 30-Jul 2, 6pm. ¥300-12,400. Tokyo Dome.

Suidōbashi. Tel: 03-58009999. www.giants.jp/en

Tanomura Chikuden

Showcasing the winning photos of the 2015 World Press Photo Contest, which has encouraged the highest standards in photojournalism for more than 55 years.

Jun 27-Aug 9, 10am-5pm. ¥350-700 (adv)/ ¥400-800 (door). Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre. Ikebukuro. Tel: 03-5391-2111. www.asahi. com/event/wpph

Jun 21, 6pm. ¥600-5,200 (adv)/ ¥600-5,700 (door).

Nippatsu Mitsuzawa Stadium.

Mitsuzawakamicho.

Tel: 04-5311-2016. www.yokohamafc.com

Yomiuri Giants vs.

Toyo Carp

UPCOMING

World Press Photo

Yokohama FC vs.

Omiya Ardija

Jun 28, 2pm. ¥500-24,000.

Meiji Jingu Baseball Stadium.

Gaienmae. Tel: 03-34048999. www.yakult-swallows. co.jp

Yakult Swallows vs.

Yomiuri Giants

Jun 30-Jul 2, 6pm. ¥500-30,000. Meiji Jingu Baseball Stadium. Gaienmae.

Tel: 03-3404-8999. www. yakult-swallows.co.jp

Commemorating the 180th anniversary of the death of the artist Tanomura, who loved the art of calligraphy and poetry. Jun 20-Aug 2, 10am-5pm (until 7pm on Fri), closed Mon. ¥700-1,000.

Idemitsu Museum of Arts.

Tokyo. www.idemitsu.com/ museum/honkan/

Jun 20, 4pm. ¥1,000-9,800 (adv)/ ¥1,100-5,500 (door).

Nissan Stadium. Kozukue.

Tel: 04-5477-5000. www.f-marinos.com/en

A celebration of olive oil, w/ seminars, taste courses, and certified olive oil sommeliers.

May 30, 11am-8pm. Seminar registration fee: ¥2,500 (one seminar)/ ¥4,000 (two seminars)/ ¥6,000 (three seminars). Roppongi Hills event space UMU. Roppongi. Seminars to be held at Bar del Sole Roppongi. www.jooprize.com

Open Space 2015

Explore an array of representative, historical, and new works from the realm of media art, as well as results of research activities at educational institutions. Until Mar 6, 11am-6pm, closed Mon. Free.

NTT Intercommunication Center. Hatsudai. Tel: 0120-144199. http://j.mp/ openspace2015

Yokohama F. Marinos vs.

Kashima Antlers

Shibuya. www.meetup. com/TokyoStitchandBitch

New Material Night

Standup, improv, and trying out new stuff. Jun 2 & 16, 8-10pm. Free. Double Tall Cafe. Shibuya. Tel: 03-5467-4567. http:// tokyocomedy.com/new_ material_night Standup Comedy at The Hobgoblin

Standup comedians with a variety of styles performing in English. Jun 18, 9-10:30pm. Free. Hobgoblin Shibuya. Shibuya. http:// tokyocomedy.com/standup_ comedy_at_the_hobgoblin

AAYTP Talent Show Benefit

The African-American Youth Travel Program, a Japanbased NPO helping underprivileged kids in the U.S. travel to facilitate crosscultural exchange, will hold a fundraising talent show.

Proceeds go toward funding the program. Jul 12, 7pm. ¥3,500. The Guinguette by Moja, B1F 1-11-1 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku. www.meturl. com/aatyp Manpaku

Fill up to your heart’s content on an array of delicious foods, such as ramen, desserts, gyoza, local and world foods, and more. Until Jun 1, 10:30am-9pm (until 6pm on final day). ¥500 (weekdays)/ ¥800 (weekends). Showa Kinen Park. Tachikawa. http://manpaku.jp Spring Rose Festival

Over 90 varieties of rose plants, including “Maria Callas” and others. Until Jun 7, 9am-5pm. ¥70-150.

Kyu-Furukawa Gardens.

Kami-Nakasato.

Tel: 03-3910-0394. http:// teien.tokyo-park.or.jp/en/ kyu-furukawa Bunkyo Hydrangea Festival

One of Bunkyo’s five major flower festivals. Jun 6-14, all day. Free. Hakusan Shrine.

Hakusan. Tel: 03-38116568. www.city.bunkyo.lg.jp/ bunka/kanko/event/matsuri. html Hotaru no Yube

Enjoy a romantic evening lit by 2,500 fireflies. Jun 1-30, 6-9pm. Free between 6-9pm during firefly season.

Yuyake Koyake Fureai no Sato. Yuyake Koyake. Tel: 042-652-3072. http://meturl. com/yuyakekoyake

Community Half-Fast Cyclists

Bicyclists of all treads meet for slideshows, lectures, ride-planning, etc. Every second Wed, 7pm. Free.

The Pink Cow. Roppongi.

Tel: 03-6434-5773. www.thepinkcow.com

Tokyo Verdy vs. Tochigi SC

May 31, 1pm. ¥600-14,500 (adv)/ ¥800-15,000 (door).

Ajinomoto Stadium.

Tobitakyu. Tel: 04-24400555. www.verdy.co.jp/ index.html

Stitch-n-Bitch

Meet fellow knitters, crocheters and sewers to talk, share ideas, eat, drink and create. Every first and third Tue, 7pm. Free. Cafe Respekt.

MORE LISTINGS ONLINE → HTTP:// METURL.COM/ LISTINGS

advertorial

SEP 19-21 @ TOKYO ODAIBA ULTRA PARK

ULTRA JAPAN 2015

THE BIGGEST MUSIC FESTIVAL IN THE HEART OF THE CITY

U

LTRA JAPAN 2014, a two-day gathering of more than 42,000 music lovers, has officially become the largest electronic music event in Japan. The country's most influential critics and trendsetters in both the music and fashion industries proclaimed it the most exciting event on the music scene in 2014. Tickets sold out within seconds and quickly became premium items. Now, ULTRA JAPAN is back with the world's best DJs to share special music and an amazing time with thousands of music lovers!

Tickets for this year’s event were in such high demand that they sold out immediately after the official Phase-One lineup was announced.

WHAT’S ULTRA MUSIC FESTIVAL? ULTRA MUSIC FESTIVAL (UMF), which started in Miami in 1998, is known as a key catalyst for the worldwide EDM (Electronic Dance Music) phenomenon. It became an annual trendsetting

event thanks to the unique concept of having the most iconic, world-class DJs play music non-stop, back to back, in the middle of the urban jungle.

In 2013, UMF became one of the biggest events in history as 300,000 people came from around the world for six days. The event has always sold out in a matter of seconds no matter where it’s held around the globe: Miami, Spain, Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Croatia, South Korea, South Africa, and, of course, Tokyo.

As one of the year’s most highly-anticipated events, UMF’s VVIP seats are among the most sought-after tickets by top celebrities, who enjoy the festivities as well as hosting their own private parties. Numerous artists and celebrities seek the high-priced VVIP seats each year in Miami, and when Madonna, Paris Hilton, and LMFAO personally purchased tickets, the news went viral.

THE 2015 PHASE-ONE LINEUP

ARMIN VAN BUUREN DJ and producer from the Netherlands. Five-time number-one position holder in the criticallyacclaimed DJ Mag Top 100 DJs poll. Buuren is one of the world’s most influential music pioneers.

NICKY ROMERO TRANCE DJ and producer from the Netherlands. Discovered

by David Guetta and collaborated with him at a party in Ibiza. At the age of 25, Romero produced hit singles for Rihanna and Britney Spears.

DAVID GUETTA DJ and producer from France. Has collaborated with Rihanna, Kylie Minogue, Madonna, and others. Guetta is one of the pioneers of the EDM scene and helped it become a worldwide phenomenon.

SKRILLEX Three-time Grammy Award-winning DJ and artist from America. His shows in Japan have always been immediate sellouts and Skrillex has been called “the most demanded/wanted DJ.”

ULTRA JAPAN 2014 AFTER MOVIE GOES VIRAL WITH MORE THAN 37 MILLION VIEWS! The 2014 festival took place in the urban jungle of Tokyo, with more than 40,000 people descending upon Odaiba to experience the best performances and music by the world’s most iconic DJs. ULTRA JAPAN 2014 After Movie featured Japan’s music lovers, trendsetters, tastemakers, and fashionistas, as well as Japan’s historic landmarks such as Mt. Fuji, authentic shrines, the trendsetting fashion mecca of Harajuku, and the Shibuya Scramble Crossing— one of the busiest intersections in the world.

The aftermovie also features comments by the performers/DJs, including Kaskade, Mark Knight, Fedde Le Grand, Umek, Hardwell, and Axwell. ULTRA JAPAN 2014 After Movie lets those who attended relive the excitement of the festival, and those who never got a chance to participate enjoy the powerful music festival at home. http://youtu.be/d6NSBUZBNXQ

ULTRA JAPAN 2015 TOKYO ODAIBA ULTRA PARK September 19-21 11am-9pm (doors open at 9am) One-day ticket: ¥13,000 (tax included) Three-day ticket: ¥39,000 (tax included) VIP One-day ticket: ¥30,000 (tax included) Official website: http://ultrajapan.jp Facebook: www.facebook.com/UltraJapanOfficial Instagram: http://instagram.com/ultrajapan Twitter: http://twitter.com/ultrajapan Organized by ULTRA JAPAN 2015 Planning Committee

27

Metropolis and its Classifieds section are printed every other week. The upcoming publication dates and corresponding deadlines for print are as follows. This does not affect the online Classifieds, where ads are visible immediately after they are approved.

FRI, JUNE 12, ISSUE Deadline: June 4, 3pm FRI, JUNE 26 ISSUE Deadline: June 18, 3pm

1.1 HEALTH

I N N E R BALANCE. Tr a d i t i o n a l oriental treatment of acupuncture and moxibustion.

Also body massage and reflexology. Mobile ser vice to your home or office. Email Takahito at innerbalance123@gmail.com or see http://tmasuda.wix. com/inner-balance.

ENGLISH -SPE AKING ADACERTIFIED DENTAL CLINIC in Toranomon Hills offers a wide range of preventive, co rre c t i ve an d cos m e t ic dentistry. Superior service focused on customer satisfaction and convenience.

Open until 10pm. Modern dentistry at its best. www. rmdcc.com/english/ 0120-648-071

C O M P R E H E N S I V E H E A LT H C OV E R AG E F O R E X PAT S , D I P LO M AT S , TE AC H E R S .

Inpatient and outpatient care, emergencies, surgery, meds, checkups, dental, lab tests, MRI and more. Thirty-day money-back guarantee. Quick, easy application; convenient payment options. Enroll today! info@earthhealthcare.jp w w w.ear thhealthcare.jp 078-351-7300 TO ADVERTISE IN METROPOLIS, JA PA N ’ S N O.1 E N G LI S H M AGA ZI N E , log on at w w w. metropolis.co.jp/classifieds or email your commercial ads to commercial@metropolisjapan. com.

28

S E R V I C E D A PA R T M E N T S i n a quiet residential area of Hiroo. Studios and suites.

4min from Hiroo Stn. Rates: Daily ¥7800. Weekly ¥6850-/ d a y . M o n t h l y ¥ 570 0 - /d a y .

O ver t hre e mont hs ¥ 513 0 - / day. Tax, utilities included. frontdesk@azabucourt. co m w w w. a z a b u co u r t .co m 0 3 - 3 4 4 6 - 8 6 1 0

p r o c e d u r e s i n J a p a n . Fr e e consultation available in English, Español and Japanese.

Tel: 03-6264-8446 np@nippashi.com http://nippashi.com

1 AT YOUR SERVICE

G E N E R A L D E N T I S T R Y. A merican dental school graduate, 20 years’ experience in hospital dentistry, over 2000 d e ntal im p lant s , n a t i ve English speaker; 3min from JR Harajuku Stn, p a r k i n g a v a i l a b l e. W i l l fill out insurance forms. info@trustdental.jp www.trustdental.jp/english 03-3402-1501

Serious only. Call Bobby at 090-55896864 or 080-8118-4073 or email mybaby-precious@docomo.ne.jp.

SPORTS PHYSIOTHERAPY (physical therapy) care in Hiroo.

Native English-speaking therapists specializing in sports injuries, post-operative rehabilitation, back /neck pain, running related, headaches, orthotics, ergonomic consultations and women’s health. www.tokyophysio.com 03-3443-6769

T H I N K I N G A B O U T ADVERTISING WITH METROPOLIS ? Platinum ¥32,400. Gold ¥27,000. Silver ¥21,600. Prices include one photo. Bronze ¥2000 (photo + ¥2000). Prices are for 4 0 words, one print issue, t wo weeks online. For details, email us at commercial@ metropolisjapan.com.

VISA COUNSELING: female immigration lawyer handles your visa case.

Permanent residency, naturalization, eligibility (inviting your spouse/ children/workers from your country), extension/ change of visa status.

Consultation ¥5000. OFFICE LIFE (Miho Fujibayashi).

Tel: 090 - 8330 - 0670 Email: mailto@officelife.jp Website: http://officelife.jp/en CRE ATIVE SO LUTION S .

Specialists in branding, web design, photo/video production.

Drawing A Crowd: a new approach in design. Get in touch. info@ drawingacrowd.co

2.1 GUESTHOUSE

1.2 HAIR & BEAUTY

2.3 RENT OVER 200,000 YEN

SHIROKANE PENTHOUSE WITH HUGE BALCONY AND STUNNING VIEWS OVER TOKYO. Bright corner 1LDK penthouse (55sqm), w/private roof-deck (65sqm), overlooking Hiroo, Azabu, Roppongi, renovated, fully furnished, w/garden furniture, h o t- t u b h o o k u p, w o o d f l o o r s ¥290,000. alexbrodie@gmail.com 090-3574-0328

ROOM FOR RENT IN YAMATO-SHI, K ANAGAWA-KEN. Room in mansion, w/sofabed and other utentils, on Sotetsu/Odakyu Line ¥30,000/m. Contact email: fikori@ yahoo.com

2.6 BUY/SELL PREMISES

CURLY HAIR SPECIALIST IN TOK YO. English-speaking Kiyoko, highly experienced in NY’s curly hair salons, takes care of curly hair at her salon, Nepenji, in Ebisu.

Reser vations: 03 -3793 2357 or info@nepenji.net http://english.nepenji.net/ index_en.html

MEN’S BARBERSHOP IN ROPPONGI WELCOMES FOREIGNERS. Englishspeaking assistant will get your haircut right. Haircuts ¥ 4 8 0 0. W i t h s h a ve ¥ 5 8 0 0.

Kids’ haircuts ¥4000-¥4400.

Fi r s t- t i m e d i s co u n t ¥1 0 0 0. http://oazo.biz/top 03-55457797 oazo7797@yahoo.co.jp

CREA-UN UENO. Furnished private rooms, w/digital locks, near Asakusa, Ueno, Skytree. Safe area, femaleonly, roof top garden w/ nice view, BBQ space, free bicycle. From ¥56,000/m.

Utilities included. No key money/guarantor. crea-un. sakura@ko-bo.com http:// w w w. s a k u r a - k o - b o . c o m 03-6912-0692

2.2 RENT UNDER ¥200,000

ICHII CORPORATION. Over 600 affordable, qualityfurnished apartments in central Tokyo locations. No key money/guarantor/agent fee required. New, clean apartments, simple contract system, full English support.

Call us today! 03-5437-5233 www.japt.co.jp

I M M I G R AT I O N L A W Y E R AT N I PPA S H I O FFI CE s u p p o r t s visa and naturalization applications, company establishment and branch office installation, including commercial registration, as well as inheritance

2LK HOUSE IN USAMI, two toilets, wood stove, large sundeck, lockup garage, two floors (35sqm each), freehold land, overlooking Usami B ay s u r f b e a c h ¥ 4 . 4 m i l l i o n .

Negotiable. Private sale by owner.

No resort maintenance fees. Photos available. markfletcher@i.softbank. jp 090-9819-1558

3 EDUCATION 3.2 JAPANESE TEACHERS COS M OS C LU B JA PA N ES E LESSONS. Group of volunteers offers basic Japanese lessons for foreigners, every Wed, 10am-noon, at Kudan Shogai Gakushukan, Kudan. Nearest stn: Kudanshita. Tel: 090-2645-5212 nihongocosmos@ yahoo.co.jp

3.5 LANGUAGE EXCHANGE Celtic languages and Japanese. Hello, I'm a Japanese female professional writer in Tokyo learning Gaelic and Welsh for inspiration. I'm a Japanese teacher as well. Seeking native speakers for exchange. Slàinte! Iechyd da! welshcake55@gmail.com English and Japanese. Group language exchange every Wed, 7:30-9:30pm, at coffee shops around Hiroo. Most members are 20s and 30s. We switch languages every 30min. Fun events on weekends. Free to join. ando.andy@ gmail.com

1.7 BUSINESS SERVICES

RENTAL APARTMENTS, HOUSES, CONDOS AND STUDIOS in Yokohama, Kawasaki, Tokyo, and near US military bases.

English-speaking staff will guide you through the renting process.

For a stress-free search, contact Rent Life. 045-470-3214 www. rent-yokohama.com/english e-yokohama@r-life.co.jp

English and Japanese. JF seeks language exchange partner. risa89@ hotmail.co.jp English and Japanese. Interesting, well-educated, cute SJM seeks native English speakers in Tokyo for a language exchange. Let's meet once or twice/week to improve our language abilities. I'm sure that it'll be a wonderful experience.

Just email me. languageex2010@gmail. com English and Japanese. I'm a JF seeking an English language partner and friend.

My place is in Kichijoji. If you are interested, please contact me. sepkay@ hotmail.com

2.4 HOUSE SHARE

2 FIND A PLACE

English and Japanese. JF seeks an exchange partner in the daytime on weekdays at Kawasaki Stn. tome.harukasoushi@ezweb.ne.jp

English and Japanese. Japanese man is seeking a language partner for weekday evenings/weekends, preferably on a regular basis. My interests are contemporary art, photos, travel. Happy to help with your Japanese! Only native English speakers and no romance. alcove2009@yahoo.co.jp English and Japanese. Open-minded Japanese female, 23-40, sought for language exchange and socializing.

English and Japanese. I'm a JF, late 30s, in Tokyo. I'd like to improve my English (vocabulary, speaking, writing). I can teach you J, too. Let's have tea or dinner! Women only, please. madchen0730@yahoo.co.jp German and Japanese. JF seeks Ger/J language exchange partner. Seit Sechs Monaten lerne ich Deutsch aber ich spreche Englisch. F/M ok. If interested, drop me a line. gardenstate2005@ hotmail.com

4 HOUSEHOLD GOODS 4.1 FURNITURE & FITTINGS DINING CHAIRS, Henriksdal, eight available, bought in ‘11, in very good condition, two cover sets (natural and brown) ¥3000/ each/obo. http://bit.ly/1Huxbkv chevorne@gmail.com Armchair, Rolf Benz (L82xW105xD88), in good condition ¥10,000. Negotiable.

Pick up only Waseda. lifejun@gmail.com 080-4157-3729 Mattress, Nitori, single, feather, low repulsion, new, approximately 2kg ¥3800. Shinjuku. hanamizuki337@ yahoo.co.jp Table, low (60x90cm), bright wood, w/two chairs, solid, in good condition, made in Japan ¥2800. Shinjuku.

Photos available. hanamizuki337@ yahoo.co.jp Table, side, brand-new, wooden, brown ¥6000. jjxiao@hotmail.com 08040683296 Wardrobe, three-door ( W 168xH188xD60), w/center-door mirror, solid, sturdy, quality fittings, five y/o, almost as new. New ¥100,000.

Sell ¥25,000. Meguro. kkotval@yahoo. com

4.2 APPLIANCES

Korean and Japanese. Japanese male, 42, seeks a native Korean speaker for Kor/J exchange. I like music, reading, cooking. I hope we can learn from each other and have some fun. astralsky@ excite.co.jp

Air purifier, Venta LW, size 24, Germanmade ¥10,000. Pick up Shinjuku. likeme4u@hotmail.com

Korean and English. 요즘일어배 우고있고한국어안쓰 기 땜에한국어거의다까먹었나봐. juicysummer@gmail.com

Trouser press, Toshiba, stand-up, as new ¥2500. Pick up Shinjuku. likeme4u@ hotmail.com

日本語と英語 。 僕はイギリス人. 毎日日本 語を勉 強してる. で も 言 語 交 換にいつも失 敗しちゃう. juicysummer@gmail.com

3.6 LEARNING: GENERAL

Laminator, w/pouch film ¥4000. tsuneokobayashi@hotmail.com

4.4 TV & HOME THEATER Plasma TV 42", Panasonic Viera TH-P42S3, HD 1080P, as new ¥55,000.

Chiba City. reinsterling@cox.net

4.6 FOR KIDS Baby items. English books, DVDs, puzzles, toys, clothes. Pick up Yokohama or chakubarai. ftl4@hotmail.com http:// bit.ly/1PxNDaM

IKEBANA (JAPANESE TRADITIONAL FLORAL ARRANGEMENT) is a powerful means of self-expression. Trial lesson, including all materials ¥4000. No Japanese necessary. Certification, diploma can be earned. Three classroom locations in Tokyo.

Website: w w w.atelier-soka. com/english/index.html Email: smile@mika-otani.com

3.9 TEACH ME! T R A N S L AT I O N F O R E N G LI S H LESSONS. Working towards becoming an English-to-Japanese translator, but need help polishing my English. Can translate simple documents in exchange for English lessons. michiane256@gmail.com

Chair, Stokke, wooden, designed to grow with child, nine m/o, in very good condition. New ¥34,000. Sell ¥17,000. Pick up Saitama-Shintoshin. al ber tol icandro@hear t.ocn.ne.jp 08068105414 Karate gi and belt, for kids 3-12 years old ¥300+. gnbkaijpn@gmail.com

5 HOBBIES&INTERESTS 5.2 SPORTS EQUIPMENT Golf bag, Le Coq Sportif Golf tote, w/ shoe pocket, as new ¥1500. Pick up Shinjuku-ku. likeme4u@hotmail.com Leg Magic, unused, w/guide book and grade-up set, purple, as new ¥1980.

Shinjuku. hanamizuki337@yahoo.co.jp Surfboard, 5'7", slightly banged up, still shreds ¥9000. Pick up Ikebukuro area. chemists_at_large@yahoo.com Surfboard, 6'3, tri-fin, w/fins, in great condition ¥35,000. Pick up Ikebukuro area. chemists_at_large@yahoo.com

PhD student in engineering? Tokyo only. D2/D3 majoring in wireless communication engineering? Need some mentoring on how to design simulation.

Must know Monte Carlo/Particle Filter/ Neural Network, etc., and be able to use Matlab/Simulink ¥4000/two hours. yatri_ in_town@yahoo.co.jp

Drum kit, Roland V-Drums-TD20, '04, hihat stand, no bass drum pedal, no throne, records nicely, one owner, as new ¥250,000. Pick up Kita-Kamakura.

Details available. vince_vitello63@ yahoo.co.jp

Teach me English in exchange for karate. Do you want to learn real karate?

I can teach you one of the major styles of traditional Japanese karate. We can exchange for your English lesson. gnbkaijpn@gmail.com

Electric guitar, Hagstrom Super Swede, gloss black, in good condition, w/leather gig bag, bought in '13, as new, saw only light action ¥60,000. Can deliver Shinjuku/Yoyogi. akaraduman@gmail. com

Web designer. I am seeking a female web designer. Must know HTML/CSS/PHP. Meet in Ueno/Akihabara/Shinjuku area, two or three times/month. In return, I'll teach you English and pay ¥2000 for two hours of your time. jj08@drivehq.com

Electric guitar, Epiphone Zakk Wylde ZV Custom Bullseye, never played, w/ original case ¥80,000. W/Dunlop wah, Roland amp, Red Monkey strap, etc. ¥100,000. Ishibashi. sj1172@hotmail. com 090-2821-7282

5.3 MUSICAL EQUIPMENT

The majority of classified ads have moved online! classifieds.metropolis.co.jp 6 VEHICLES

10.2 SUPPORT

6.1 CARS, PARTS, & ACCESSORIES Honda Fit, '05, 102,000km, new tires in Sep '14, shaken until Mar '16. ryanandamy2012@gmail.com

6.3 BICYCLES, PARTS, & ACCESSORIES Bikes: old mountain bike ¥1000. Holding bike ¥9000. Mountain bike ¥9000. gnbkaijpn@gmail.com

7 GENERAL 7.1 PHONES Mobile phone, SoftBank, prepaid ¥1800. gnbkaijpn@gmail.com

7.2 FASHION Flip-flops, Olukai brand, XL, made in Hawaii, never worn. New ¥6000+. Sell ¥3000. Pick up Shinjuku. likeme4u@ hotmail.com Shoes: Victoria's Secret, genuine leather, size US 9, 5.5" heel, never worn ¥9800. Victoria's Secret gold sandals, size US 9, 5.5" heel, never worn ¥8000. Aldo wedge heels, size US 9, never worn ¥8900. Pick up Ikebukuro area or ship anywhere in Japan for +¥600. chemists_at_large@ yahoo.com Wedding dress, white, size US 4-6/ Japan 9-11 (adjustable lace corset), worn once. New ¥90,000. Sell ¥40,000.

Ikebukuro area. chemists_at_large@ yahoo.com

8 COMPUTERS

FREE PROFESSIONAL CONSULTATION FOR FOREIGN RESIDENTS, w/lawyers, administrative procedure specialist s, educators, etc.

English, Chinese, Korean and Tagalog interpreters available.

S a t , J u n e 20, 1 : 3 0 - 4: 3 0 p m (r e ce p t i o n c l o s e s a t 4 p m), Itabashi Green Hall, 36-1 Sakaecho, Itabashi-ku. kkouryu@ city.itabashi.tokyo.jp w w w. itabashi-ci.org/int-en

N E E D T O TA L K ? W e ’ r e h e r e to listen. TELL LIFELINE: free, anonymous English counseling daily from 9am to 11pm by trained v o l u n t e e r s ( 0 3 - 5 7 74 - 0 9 9 2 ) .

TELL COUNSELING: affordable multilingual psychotherapy by accredited Western-trained professionals, a CIGNA International Provider (03 - 4550 -1146). TELL website: www.telljp.com. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter @ TokyoLifeLine.

8.2 HARDWARE Laptop, Toshiba Dynabook, widescreen, 15.4", USB webcam, 80GB HD, Celeron M, DVD MultiDrive, built-in Wi-Fi, E/Win 7 Ultimate, MS Office Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Skype ¥11,000. gnbkaijpn@gmail.com M o n i t o r, w i d e s c r e e n ¥ 1 8 0 0 . gnbkaijpn@gmail.com PC, Gateway MD7800-11j, Core 2 Duo P8600 2.4GHz/two-core CPU, 15.6" screen, 4GB RAM, 320GB HD, Wi-Fi, DVD MultiDrive, Win 7, floppy disk drive, webcam, Logicool MK700 mouse and keyboard ¥12,000. synergylive1@ gmail.com 090-2656-9691

10 HELP! 10.1 HELP ME F R E E E N G LI S H -TO -JA PA N E S E TRANSLATION. Working towards becoming a translator and need practice with simple documents.

Have experience working in law office, accounting, HR, advertising and sales. michiane256@gmail. com Are you a very good C++ and Java developer? I need you to help me walk through a program. Need to have good programming skills. Minimum e ducat ion: mas ter's de gre e in engineering or sciences. Can pay ¥3000/ two hours, plus coffee. yatri_in_town@ yahoo.co.jp Climate expert needed. Need a guest speaker to appear on a YouTube streaming show to talk about man-made climate change and what to expect in the future. assassin.wolves.films@gmail. com http://frozen-frame.wix.com/ ageofreason Do you know RDF/XML? I need your help to convert CVE (google it!) file to RDF/XML. You should have good knowledge of ontology, RDF, XSLT, Jena SDB, etc. Can pay ¥4000/two hours, plus coffee. yatri_in_town@yahoo.co.jp Sponsorship. Ten years' experience in cafe/bar work, including working at international hotels. I'd like to open a cafe/bar, but need sponsorship.

Individuals and Cloud Funders are welcome. Please, if interested, let us come to an agreement. samueladonkor@gmail.com 090-6152-6274

THE JAPAN HELPLINE, 24 hours a day, from anywhere, about anything.

From emergency assistance to simple questions. Visit www.jhelp. com/ and press “help,” or call 0570 - 000 -911. To volunteer or support, please contact team@jhelp. com. www.jhelp.com S U B S C R I B E TO M E TR O P O LI S AND NEVER MISS AN ISSUE. O n e y e a r ( 24 i s s u e s) ¥ 3 6 0 0 (corporate subscribers, 7-100 copies ok ¥22,560). Half year (12 issues) ¥1800 (corporate subscribers, 7-100 copies ok ¥12,000). Bank transfer or credit card (Visa, Mastercard, Diners Club). Details at http:// metropolisjapan.com/subscription.

HIV Peer Support group and workshops.

Get together with people in the same boat as you, who understand. Held in a safe, considerate, 100% confidential setting to discuss what’s on your mind, ask questions and make new friends. info@peersupporttokyo.com www. peersupporttokyo.com Infertility support group. TTC Tokyo is an infertility support group that provides informal opportunities for women and men experiencing infertility to connect with one another. Please visit website for more info. admin@ttctokyo.org www.ttctokyo.org

biggest international party.

250 people expected. All-youcan-drink and free snacks.

Japanese men: ¥ 4000.

O t h e r s : ¥ 3 0 0 0. M o b i l e: ht tp://get your friend.com/ mobile/ jiparty@hotmail.com w w w. g e t y o u r f r i e n d . c o m 090-1735-5405

J O I N T H E B I G G E S T, B E S T, M O S T P O P U L A R I N T E R N AT I O N A L PA R T Y !

Great people, drinks and food!

Meet new friends and party with nice people in a friendly atmosphere. Events in Tokyo (Ginza, Azabu, Roppongi) and Osaka. ¥1500-¥2000. http://english.gaitomo.com/ info@gaitomo.com

I N T E R N AT I O N A L E V E N T S .

Looking to join a variety of i n t e r n a t i o n a l e v e n t s? T h e Tokyo Spontaneous Hangout Meetup Group has events such as international parties, picnics, free live English comedy, language exchange and many more. Check this link for further details: www. meetup.com/tokyoites Looking forward to seeing you at an event!

I N T E R N AT I O N A L PA R T Y AT LEAFCUP. Come join us and have fun. Men: ¥3000. Foreigners/ women: ¥2000. All-you-candrink- and-eat. Iidabashi an d Yokoh am a: June 6 an d 20. Shibuya: June 13 and 27. www.leafparty.com TO A DV E RTI S E I N METROPOLIS, JAPAN’S N O .1 E N G L I S H M A G A Z I N E , lo g o n a t w w w.met ro p ol is . co.jp/classifieds or email your commercial ads to commercial@ metropolisjapan.com.

13 CLUBS & INTERESTS 13.1 SPORTS

10.3 LOST FRIENDS Seeking Mindy. Is Mindy Mack, a petite blonde teaching assistant from L.A., still in Tokyo? Any info appreciated. m106819151-tsky@yahoo.com

12 SOCIAL SCENE 12.1 LET’S PARTY

JAPAN INTERNATIONAL PARTY - SPRING-SUMMER SPECIAL. Sat, May 30, 6:30-9pm, Bar Quest (Roppongi). Japan’s

JUST A 3MIN WALK FROM ROPPONG I HILL S, Club 360 is Tokyo’s premier health and fitness club. No membership or joining fees. Personal training, physiotherapy, fitness classes, kickboxing, boxing, massage. info@ club360.jp w w w.club360.jp 03-6434-9667

AMERICAN FOOTBALL. N ihon Unis ys Bulls , X league Central Division, seeks fit players w/

US college football experience for all positions. Practice every Sat/Sun from 10am-3pm (including meeting) in Tokyo/Saitama (time and venue subject to change). Attendance at practice must be over 60%.

Please contact for tryout info and send your profile to team admin. bullsxleague@gmail.com http:// www.unisys.co.jp/football A L L - N AT I O N A L I T Y TO U C H F O OT B A L L . N o n - c o n t a c t t a g rugby (OZ tag) and Rugby League players. We play ever y Sat from 10am in Tatsumi. M/F and beginners welcome! Good exercise and fun! M any other activities, such as BBQs and drinking parties! Email for details. tokyorugbyleague@hotmail.com http://ameblo.jp/tokyo13warriors A M AT E U R R U G B Y L E A G U E PLAYERS. Japan ANZACS Rugby League team is seeking Rugby Le a g u e p l aye r s fo r J a p a n e s e Ru gby League of f icial games from Apr to Sep. Everyone welcome. Contact for more details. japananzacs@gmail.com FUN WITH TOUCH RUGBY! Join us for social or competitive touch rugby every Sat at 2:30pm by Ariake Stn, Yurikamome Line. Any age, sex, level ok. Please email for details. funwithtouch@gmail.com www. funwithtouch.com/where-we-play PLAY RUGBY. The Tokyo Crusaders are a friendly but keen international rugby club. Devoted to the game and its social side, the “Cru” welcomes all players and supporters.

Established in 1990, the Cru plays in the Shuto League 1st Division. http:// www.facebook.com/tokyo.crusaders www.tokyocrusaders.com TA M B O U R E L L I . U n i q u e n e w sp or t from S cot land . Using a tambourine-like instrument as a racquet, players hit a shuttlecock.

We play two or three times/month on weekends in Meguro with many socials. Join us! More details: www. tamjapan.org/en/ info@tamjapan. org Baseball player. Japan Amateur Baseball team is seeking players for baseball games and practices. We play every Sat and Sun in Yokohama City.

Everyone welcome. Email for details. starbay5555@yahoo.co.jp Don’s Half-Fast Flash-Mob Weekend Urban Bicycle Rides. halffastcycling@ hotmail.com Futsal in Tokorozawa. Sun night futsal? Mostly 30-45 year olds play every Sun evening. Non-league, but fairly competitive. Come and play for exercise and fun! Any age ok. futsalintokorozawa@gmail.com Futsal players wanted by a very friendly international team. Practice is in Tokyo and Kanagawa on Sat. Details available. fkkyn468@ybb.ne.jp Ice hockey: Kanagawa Maple Leafs, Yokohama. Join us! The Kanagawa Ice Hockey League for working people is a competitive league, so experience in ice hockey is a must. A team is joining A pool, B team is E pool. norio. ooba@pfizer.com https://sites.google. co m / ka n a g a w a m a p le le a f s / h o m e 03-3258-5401 Jogging Yokosuka. SJM seeking friends to jog 8-20km in Yokosuka, mornings preferred, but depending on the day, other times could work, too. ジョギン グ仲間募集横須賀. elsalvadorjapan@ yahoo.es Quality football. Interested in playing football at the weekend and training midweek? Want to enjoy a few beers after a good run out? If you consider yourself a quality player, please drop us a note. bfcvagabonds@gmail.com Seeking Japanese archery companions. Let’s do kyudo near Tokyo. Once/month for three hours, weekends only. See website for details. datemasamune216@yahoo.co.jp http:// jmty.jp/tokyo/com-spo/article-qa3g

Tennis in central Tokyo. Active group of tennis friends in central Tokyo welcomes serious/motivated new players. We play on weekday evenings and weekends.

Different levels (sorry, no beginners), fun training sessions and games with great people from all over. tennis.tokyo@ yahoo.fr Volleyball Club Intervoll. Japanese and foreign volleyball players gather in Takadanobaba to enjoy playing. Have volleyball experience and want to play in a friendly atmosphere? intervollclub@ yahoo.co.jp http://intervoll.sakura.ne.jp/ Weekend futsal team in Tokyo. Please introduce yourself (full name, age, nationality, whether you belong to another team, experience, etc.). 都内週 末フットサルチーム. umek2002jp@ yahoo.co.jp Women’s soccer club. Five-a-side, 11-a-side, on grass fields. Two or three practices/matches on Sun. All nationalities, experience level s, beginners welcome. Happy and friendly club! We have many socials. djnorio@ hotmail.co.jp

13.2 LEISURE MACARTHUR HEIGHTS. Ta ke a b r e a k w h e r e G e n e r a l Douglas MacArthur did! One hour from Tokyo by car or direct train. Beautiful cabins on the ocean, w/onsen, beach, shopping. housinginjapan@yahoo.com IAC Tokyo, The International Adventure Club Tokyo, is an all-volunteer group of folks from the Tokyo area who enjoy outdoor activities together. bep_11@gmx. de www.iac-tokyo.org Japanese home cooking. Japanese housewife offers free home cooking lessons to females at her house near Kawasaki Stn on weekdays during the day. Free, but you pay the cost of ingredients. tome.haruka-soushi@ ezweb.ne.jp Tokyo ET contact group. Join us beneath the stars as we endeavor to make contact with ET visitors and their craft. nakanosky@gmail.com www. meetup.com/Tokyo-ET-Contact-Group/ events/193113322/

13.3 ARTS ARTSY BUGS CREATIVE SOCIAL CIRCLE. Artsy Bugs is a collection of ar tists, musicians, dancers, performers and people who love and appreciate all things creative. Come out and show your work /per formance, share ideas, collaborate and socialize! cheshmeh@rainineden.com www. meetup.com/artsybugs

13.4 MUSIC

Zen meditation (Zazen). You’ve always thought it would be interesting to try it—why not now? Join us Fri evenings at Tokuun-in in Ueno. Make arrangements in advance by email, and check our home page. tokyozazen@jcom.home.ne.jp www.wgthorpe.com 色ー度カフェ. ライトワーカーヒーリ

ング。任意の助けのための私に連絡 してください。 winds_fr@hotmail.com

13.9 INTERNATIONAL Intercultural activities. JII (Japan Intercultural Iwnstitute) is a nonprofit, member-run organization that sponsors activities (seminars, cultural events, conferences) for those wanting to further develop intercultural competencie s and meet other interculturalists. yuko. bolick@japanintercultural.org www. japanintercultural.org Nihongo 倶 楽 部いんたぁなしょ なる. Nihongo Club International is a volunteer group to help foreign people learn Japanese at the Tokyo Volunteer Action Center in Iidabashi. Every Thu, 7-9pm. nci_tokyo@yahoo.co.jp

14 PERSONALS 14.1 FRIENDS American male seeking friends.

American man, 28, seeking friends in the Yokohama area. I am kind and friendly.

Please email for more info. mikedokter@ icloud.com Friends. Hi, there. I'm a SJF, 30s, from Tokyo, seeking new friends who could hang out with me after work or on weekends for dinner, drinking, movies, something similar. nozomiy14@gmail.com New friends. American male, can never have enough friends. If you feel the same way, please look me up. I enjoy drinking, dining, or just hanging out at a cafe as long as the conversation is interesting. mixnplay@yahoo.com Not Japanese? UK chap, internationally traveled, working near the Imperial Palace, seeking international people for drinks and chats after work. Any nationality ok, but English speakers only.

Tell me your story in a few lines when you contact me. greenteais.yummy@ gmail.com Seeking friends in central Tokyo. JF, early 30s, seeks friends to hang out with in central Tokyo. atkm92@yahoo.co.jp The Magic Whip. If you know whose album this is (without searching on Google), then maybe we can be friends.

White British male living in Tokyo seeking people to hang out, have drinks, talk music. summerfunk@googlemail.com

14.2 MEN LOOKING FOR WOMEN

Bassist wanted around Yokohama.

We mainly play rock music and have rehearsals in Shin-Yokohama. Any kind of player is welcome, so feel free to contact us. m_a_b1998@yahoo.co.jp Drummer/percussionist wanted for new lineup of E/J band playing original songs in central Tokyo. Plenty of opportunity to play live. trashcity@outlook.com http:// www.reverbnation.com/thestraysjapan Seeking guitarist. Tokyo-based hard rock band, Stoning Crows, seeks a skilled and easygoing guitarist to replace our current who is moving back to the States. Influences are vast, from metal to funk, grunge to classic rock. stoningcrowsjapan@gmail.com Seeking tenor a capella singer. We’re four a capella singers, with great singing experience, living in Tokyo, seeking alto, tenor parts. Rehearsals in Shinjuku and Shibuya. We’ll start with Pentatonix songs. konpeiioi@yahoo.co.jp

13.5 MIND, BODY, SPIRIT Diamond Way Buddhism Tokyo. Do you want to explore your own mind? Guided Buddhist meditation every Sun, 6pm, near Azabu-Juban. International practitioners, beginners welcome, Japanese spoken.

Please call 090-3598-3072 for more information. daginia@gmail.com www. diamondway.jp

S E E K I N G A S U G A R DA D DY ?

Safely meet rich and elite men while having fun and making money. We are a members-only dating club with strict rules. Foreign and Japanese executives, lawyers, celebrities. Not an escort clu b. N o ch ar g e fo r fe m ale members. 0120-675 -858 (E) international@universe-club.jp ht t p: //u ni ve r s e - clu b.j p/e n / women ROMANCE IN TOKYO. 年に4回程、 東 京 に 主 張 で 行く欧 州 の 国 際 弁 護 士 で す (4 0 代 ). いつも寂しくて有名な 5 星ホ テル に 泊 まりま す。 結 婚して いま す が e x c i t e m e n t も残 念 ながらないです。 同じような生 活をしている素 敵 な日本人 女 性を探しています。 スポ-ツが 好 きで 見た目も大 丈 夫なので誰 かと出会うのは 簡単ですが、スペシャルな1人を探してま す。美 人でセクシーでスマートで前向きな open-minded な方、せひ連絡をしてく ださい。待っています。t o k y o r m c e @ yahoo.com

29

Many more classified ads online! Visit classifieds.metropolis.co.jp foreign, to enjoy friendship. gnbkaijpn@ gmail.com Good-looking European guy, 30, from the UK, athletic, respectful, seeks sexy Japanese woman, under 35, for casual fun in central Tokyo. If interested, send me a photo. inokashira42@gmail.com

FRIDAY, MAY 29 7PM-11PM

Free entry - ￥500 Drinks & Food

インターナショナルパーティー ･ 入場無料 ￥500ドリンク・フードメニュー有り

CARAT 6-1-6 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo Tel: 03-5413-3689 - http://carat-roppongi.com

MORE INFO»

http://meturl.com/may15

American author s e e k i n g intelligent, slender Japanese woman. You run your fingers through your hair and turn out the lamp. Night turns your world into infinity. ジェイムズ. coyote@west.net Aroma massage. Would you like a nice, relaxing aroma oil massage?

Amateur masseur seek s mature massage partners to practice on. I can meet anywhere in central Tokyo. I speak English and Japanese. amamassage@ hotmail.com A t t r a c t i v e, e x o t i c J a p a n e s e professional seeks romance. Adorable, caring, movie- and classical musicloving Japanese, 36, working for an international firm, is seeking a longterm relationship with a kind, sincere woman of any nationality. Serious only. evanescence0222@gmail.com Black American man, friendly and cute, seeking a long-term relationship.

Any race welcome. Women only, please. mikedokter@icloud.com Black male for conversation and casual fun. Black male, 30s, 180cm, in Tokyo, nonsmoker, non-drinker, fairly fit, seeking a woman for nice conversations in English, discreet encounters, and maybe a bit of casual fun and more. sunsam418@ gmail.com 090-1761-7595

FRIDAY, JUNE 26 7PM-11PM

Free entry - ￥500 Drinks インターナショナルパーティー ･ 入場無料 ￥500ドリンク

Metropolis June Getsumatsu Party, brought to you by Social Club Tokyo!

Join us at the Social Club Tokyo in Shibuya for our June Getsumatsu bash!

Enjoy ¥500 drinks and mingling with Metropolis staff and readers.

6月のメトロポリス月末パーティーは Social Club Tokyo で開催されます！ 渋谷のSocial Club Tokyoで今月の月末パーティーが開催されます！¥500ドリンクを味わい ながら、メトロポリスのスタッフと読者と楽しい時間を過ごしましょう！

B1F/B2F 2-17-3 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku 住所: 渋谷区渋谷2-17-3 B1F/B2

Tel: 03-6826-8438 http://socialclubtokyo.com

MORE INFO»

http://meturl.com/jun15

British gentleman seeking Japanese lady for long-term relationship.

Educated, intelligent, professional, calm, polite and kind, 45, loves physical closeness, seeking a cultured and attractive lady for happy times together.

Thank you. jonnyrepp@sky.com British male seeking mature lady.

Hello, I'm from the UK, 26, seeking some fun with a mature Japanese lady. Any age is great, so if you're a little curious, email me. ttbsbxgb@sharklasers.com Chinese woman? Canadian guy, tall, good-looking, seeking a Chinese woman for romance this spring and summer. big22cmlong@yahoo.com Cuckold marriage? Fun, loyal, easygoing, hard-working, considerate, healthy guy, early 40s, seeks a JF, 20s-30s, slim-bodied, for a long-term relationship. Kanto area, serious only, photo please. Find me–I am as lonely as you are. blueoceanandgreenmountains@ gmail.com Cute, interesting JM for SWF. Seeking attractive Western female with a nice smile. If you are interested in chatting over coffee or nice food, please contact me. I am looking forward to your message. Just try once. juniperten2013@ gmail.com Cute, sweet and smart Japanese man seeks SWF who seeks secret happy events in her spare time in Tokyo. Single/ married ok. Shall we begin to talk? I think this opportunity will be a great one for us. followupforme14@gmail.com European gentleman, 40s, tall, educated, good-looking, S, seeks M lady, 35 or younger, with unusual fantasies, ready to explore her naughty side. One mouse click can make your secret desires come true! aminimia@yahoo.com Fo rei gne r fo r no n -J ap ane s e.

Professional Brit working in Tokyo seeks other interesting foreigners for drinks, chats, etc., after work. Interests include travel, music, the occasional film and book, photography, generally enjoying life. Casual meetup is fine. ja22y@ outlook.com Friendship plus. Asian man seeking a woman, 24-36, healthy, nonsmoking, honest/sincere, non-drinker, for mutually beneficial relationship based on mutual need and trust. I am sincere and caring.

Let's meet once/week and enjoy each other's company. jj08@drivehq.com Girlfriend. Japanese man, 45, decent, cultured, with a good sense of humor, seeking a lady of any age, Japanese or

30

14.3 WOMEN LOOKING FOR MEN

Handsome black guy, 30, slim, athletic body, still studying Japanese, living and working in Tokyo, is seeking a nice woman for a serious relationship and maybe more. nuckprotus@hotmail.com Japanese girlfriend. British man, new to Japan, seeks Japanese girlfriend to show him around. Me: 173cm, blue eyes, blond hair, medium build, likes music, reading, etc. jhdf2007@yahoo.co.uk Japanese male desu. Seeking a new relationship with a nice female who is open-minded and likes to communicate.

I'm a SJM, cool and honest, not a party animal, love freedom. I enjoy movies, rock music, novels, the arts, etc. getloud999-hello@yahoo.co.jp Japanese male, 42, single, seeks sincere, warm, open-minded white female for friendship and romance. I am generous, nonsmoking, like traveling, reading, philosophy and enjoying my life. ruby12ax7@gmail.com Let's enjoy our lives. Married JM is seeking married or single women for discreet meetings. Any age welcome.

Your photo will get mine. I'm fit, being built up by riding my bicycle. samuraijapan2011@gmail.com Lonely Latino in Tokyo. Single male, mid-30s, lonely in Tokyo, seeking discreet fun times with a JF, 20-50, married/attached/single ok. Central Tokyo. Serious replies only. Looking forward to hearing from you. Your photo gets mine. tennistycoon@gmail.com Lonely, romantic married gentleman seeks a lonely woman. I miss romantic moments with a sweet woman. Can we be friends? Sweet, attractive white gentleman, 47, hopes to meet you. vbcfgt@hotmail.com Massage for curvy lady. Tall, elegant, refined Caucasian businessman, fit, mature, experienced, offers deep, relaxing and sensual full-body massage with aromatic oil, followed by dinner, to curvy Japanese lady. Totally safe and discreet—just relax and enjoy. teton001@hotmail.com Mature man for mature woman.

Attractive, mature European man, 50, seeks a Japanese lover. I prefer somebody around my age (40s-60s). I am highly cultured and like Japanese ladies very much. vbcfgt@hotmail.com Mt. Fuji climb. Hi, my name is Michael.

I'm American, 51, seeking a woman who would like to climb Mt. Fuji with me in late July or early Aug. Let's have coffee. usagidesu63@yahoo.com Need love. Handsome Engl ish gentleman, moderate build, mid30s, needs beautiful, passionate JF. I am handsome, fun, intelligent, wellmannered and empathic. Let's have romance together. Please send photo w/email. I'm looking forward to hearing from you. edanoki@gmail.com Seeking girlfriend. Cool guy, 40, kind, seeks mature JF, 40s-50s, for romance in Tokyo. Let's meet up for coffee and talk. Serious only, please. munesan50@ yahoo.com Seeking serious relationship.

European guy, early 40s, positive, easygoing, gentle, romantic, lots of hobbies, seeking female, 35-55, openminded, easygoing, enjoys simple things.

Speak Nihongo. No busy people, please. bbamian@yahoo.com Soft, kind, romantic and also fun, passionate, and British. That's me.

And I'm seeking you—if you're warm, romantic, open-minded. 日本語でも 大丈夫... たぶん. 笑. Please introduce yourself when you write. the.only.brit@ gmail.com Temple pilgrimage lady mate.

European man, 40s, seeking temple pilgrimage lady mate and cultural exchange over hiking on weekends. winds_fr@hotmail.com

LAVISH DATES AND INDULGENT NIGHTS—WE C R E AT E O P P O R T U N I T I E S for elite foreign males to meet elegant Japanese females.

Start with a luxurious dinner date, take the night where you want it to go. Fresh, young women join our club every day.

0120-978-649 (E) international@universe-club.jp http://universe-club.jp/en Are you a SWM? I am a tall, slender, cool SJF, early 40s, seeking a SWM for having a good time on weekends or relaxing, and/ or fun evenings, around central Tokyo. hiroko_linuma@hotmail.com Elegant yet natural woman seeks romance and love in a long-term relationship. Well-educated, healthy, charming European or North American preferred. We all want a bit more warmth in life. I'm mid-40s. Singles only. nikitaeleon@yahoo.co.jp Fine combo. Very soft, but I can be tough, fun. Educated Japanese, 46, feeling blessed from head to toe, with Western spunk and exotic Asian sweetness, seeks an honest single gentleman. You're American/British/Australian/Japanese, my age or older. whiteforeverbeau@ yahoo.co.jp Lost and lonely in Tokyo? Mature only. I'm still seeking a single/divorced guy, 50s preferable, faithful, smart, financially and mentally stable and tough. Me: SJF, late 40s, voluptuous, brainy, spontaneous and workaholic.

More later. philosophia07@gmail.com Mountain woman. If you are fond of the aurora, stars, snow, mountains, animals, the other dimensions... we might have a chance. I am a SJF, 50, fit, open-minded, artistic, intelligent and love all the above. oriontopleiades@gmail.com Occupy me! I'm a SJF, 25, living in Shizuoka, seeking a gentle SWM of a similar age for a serious relatioship.

I can't speak much English. If you don't mind, please send me your info. aphrodite_ms53@yahoo.co.jp Rebirth our lives. Seeking love and a relationship, eventually partnership.

Japanese female, people say attractive and sweet yet intriguing and unique, seeking a well-educated, active, smart gentleman with a positive outlook on life. Singles only. I am 40s. amrita_ banana2014@yahoo.co.jp Seeking Frenchman for serious relationship. I'm a SJF, 30s, interested in France, seeking a relationship with a sincere and intelligent Frenchman, 25-50. No language exchange or games, please. Serious only. cotedor@live.com SJF in Tokyo, 40, seeks SWM, around 40, in Tokyo, for a serious relationship starting from friends. I'm young-looking, down-to-earth, nonsmoking, into traveling, reading, history, museums, sports, etc. tokyo_2015@outlook.jp Tall woman seeking American or European man. Tall, voluptuous single woman is seeking a single or divorced American or European, preferably 30-45, professional, tall, confident.

Honestly, I am not interested in petit men. fumiyomuroya@yahoo.co.jp

14.5 ESCORTS ESCORTS have gone online.

To f i n d a l o v e l y l a d y co m p a nio n , v i s it ht t p: // classifieds.metropolis.co.jp/ category/personals/escorts.

14.6 AND OTHERS TRANCE PARTIES. Attractive couple (European/Japanese) is seeking one or two women to join us for dinners and trance parties. All expenses paid—just enjoy. tokyopleasure6@ gmail.com

JOBS CHAT HOSTS AND TEACHERS WANTED BY LEAFCUP in Tokyo, Iidabashi, Shibuya, Yokohama. Seeking enthusiastic, proficient English, French, Spanish and/or German speakers who can teach and lead lively conversations. ¥1000-¥1500/h.

A p p l y o n l i n e : h r@le a f cu p.co m www.leafcup.com/job.php

SALES REPS WANTED: TOKYO, SAPPORO, NAGOYA, OSAKA, KYOTO, FUKUOKA. If you feel worth high earnings as an independent, motivated, passionate sales rep in the wine business, we should talk. Must speak intermediate Japanese. jobs@estatewinesjapan. com wsf@estatewinesjapan.com www. estatewinesjapan.com 078-777-6616

SEARCH ENGINE EVALUATOR. Leapforce is seeking highly educated individuals for an exciting work-from-home opportunity. Applicants must be self-motivated and internet savvy. sidra@leapforce.com http://bit.ly/1HuylgD O RG O G LI O D E L C A SA LTA ITA LI A N RESTAURANT i s s e e k in g s e r v ice s t a f f . E /J c o n v e r s a t i o n s k i l l s n e c e s s a r y, I t a l i a n r e s t a u r a n t experience a plus; five days/week, 4-11pm; transportation and meals provided; opportunities for full-time employment ¥1000 - ¥1200/h. 1F Hiroo Bldg, 3-12-40 Hiroo, Shibuya-ku Contact: 03-6418-5896/090-2776-3182 o r donorgoglio@gmail .com w w w. orgogliodelcasalta.com WINE BAR MANAGER WANTED. French wine bar in Ebisu is now seeking a full-time wine bar manager and part-time hall staff. Experience and wine knowledge necessary. Great opportunity for the right candidate. 日本人歓迎. alafolie@i.softbank.jp www. cavowinebar.jp 03-5458-2005 METROPOLIS is seeking a motivated E/J bilingual admin intern. Transportation and business expenses provided.

Please send E/J resume to jobs@ metropolisjapan.com.

To advertise: commercial@metropolisjapan.com

03-4588-2277

AUTO PA RTS E X P O RTE R S E E K S CUSTOMER SERVICE STAFF to receive orders and ship goods. Requirements: aged 24-33, strong work ethic, visa, international driving permit, English and Japanese abilit y. Full-time.

Salar y : ¥270,0 0 0/m. Probation period: ¥200,000. Bonus: twice/year.

Location: 311-4 Naganumahara-cho, Inage-ku, Chiba-shi, Japan fumy44@ pom.vc

PART-TIME ENGLISH-SPEAKING TEST FACILITATORS. The Japan Institute for Educational Measurement is developing an English test. We are recruiting par t-time facilitators.

Must be a native English speaker with valid working visa, living in the Tokyo area. Must attend paid training session. ¥1700/50min test session.

To apply: https://business.form-mailer. jp/fms/7273437442779

Free consultation in fluent English Foreign hair experts for women & men No use of thinning scissors without prior consultation Imported hair colors and sample chart for Western hair No hard selling of beauty products No personal questions.We concentrate on our job and let you relax Friendly atmosphere and groovy music

JOIN US IN INTRODUCING JAPAN TO THE WORLD. S eeking energetic , bilingual individuals with a passion for travel and interest in tourism.

We offer excellent career paths and promotion prospects and are an equal-opportunity employer. Our workplace is conveniently located 2min from Roppongi Stn. Positions available include account manager, d e s i g n e r, d e v e l o p e r, p r o j e c t manager. Visit our jobs page for details. To apply, please send your resume to info@japantravel.com. http://en.japantravel.com/jobs ART MODEL NEEDED. Nude model required for sophisticated art project.

Willing to offer attractive modeling fee. Privacy is 100% respected. Serious only. Mail: strikeapose@nifty.com WINE SALESPERSON sought to call on hotels, restaurants and bars to offer our high-quality wines at incredible prices. Candidates should be confident, passionate about wine, love fine dining and travel, have experience in sales, wine or both.

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RELATIONS IS THIS SPICY?

BY GRACE BUCHELE MINETA

My husband and I have very different definitions of “spicy.” I can down a jalapeño without batting an eyelash, yet I have to scrape off a bit of wasabi when I order sushi from a fancy restaurant. Anything more than a dash gives me a horrible headache and burning in my sinuses. My husband cannot handle red peppers, hot sauce, or Indian curry—but has the highest tolerance for wasabi I’ve ever seen. I guess we all tolerate spicy food differently, depending on our childhood diet.

これは辛い？ 夫と私の「辛い」食べ物の定義はとても違います。恥ずかしい話ですが、私は寿司屋 さんに行く度に、お寿司についているわさびを取らなくてはダメなんです。ほんの少 しのわさびでも、頭が痛くなって鼻がツーンとします。でもハラペーニョは丸々1つ、何 の問題もなく食べられちゃいます。夫は唐辛子、ホットソースやインドカレーの辛さが 苦手で全然食べられないのに、わさびは全然平気なんです。幼い頃から慣れ親しん だ食生活によって、何を辛いと感じるかも色々あるみたいです。

■ Grace Buchele Mineta is an author who blogs and draws comics about her daily life in Japan at www.HowIBecameTexan.com.

horoscope

BY CATHRYN MOE

♥ Love ¥ Money ♣ Luck

ARIES

TAURUS

GEMINI

May 22-Jun 21 ♥♥♥♥ ¥¥¥¥ ♣♣

Jun 22-Jul 23 ♥♥♥ ¥¥ ♣♣♣♣

As you open your vision to things you never thought you’d see, your soul takes on responsibilities. What you came in for just seems to go on and on.

You’re burning through the past, the present, and some of the future right this moment. However, the building blocks of how this world will soon be operating are very much part of your domain. Your spirit absolutely knows what to do. Give your body rest and recharge yourself to enjoy revving up once more.

Shocks to your subconscious continue to amaze. Uranus in your solar twelfth house has been negotiating the Moon’s south node for some time. While you may understand the past life connections, you probably aren’t in the mood to be reminded.

Considering your current schedule, anyone who’s a help is welcome; those who are a hindrance are sent packing. The time for dreams and reverie is evaporating as you take charge and make a new commitment.

Yo u r b i r t h d a y e n e r g i e s c o n t inue. The Sun connec t s w i t h Mercury exactly as this weekend arrives. A hidden or confusing situation could be revealed, even in the midst of this planet’s retrograde. Saturn is retrograde too, currently at zero degrees. It’s about to leave your relationship sector, sliding its focus back onto work and volunteering to help others. If you thought you were free and clear, you’ll be thinking again—or possibly planning a trip to get away?

You’re likely to get a bonus, working or not. You may not even have to lock it in, as Venus in Cancer would like to see you spend a little on yourself. The Sun, Mercury, and Mars in your solar twelfth house all push to bring something to the surface, but it’s not time yet. No need to feel guilty that you’re not doing more at this very minute.

Give yourself space as the planetary energies direct and focus what needs to be done. The upcoming weeks will be calling you.

LEO

VIRGO

LIBRA

SCORPIO

Sep 24-Oct 23 ♥♥ ¥¥¥¥ ♣♣♣

Oct 24-Nov 22 ♥♥♥ ¥¥ ♣♣♣♣ There are planetary angels circling you at the moment. You’re the fulcrum, the balance of what’s above and below.

Don’t believe it? Check your chart. Saturn is retrograde at zero degrees, on the precipice of entering Scorpio again. The more mindful you are of each step you take, the better the outcome. This is true at all times, but currently your pacing and confidence about your priority list can make a whole lot of difference.

Mar 21-Apr 20 ♥♥♥ ¥¥ ♣♣♣♣

Jul 24-Aug 23 ♥♥ ¥ ¥ ¥ ♣♣♣

Apr 21-May 21 ♥♥ ¥¥¥ ♣♣♣

Aug 24-Sep 23 ♥♥♥♥ ¥¥ ♣♣♣♣

CANCER

Leos are in good shape with Venus in your solar twelfth house. You can tell something wonderful is coming in, though it’s still held in your dream realm. Friends are working double-time to set up a situation that enhances your days; partners may have something to hide. You won’t even need to exert effort for this to rise to the surface—just be yourself and enjoy the grand trine that makes conversations and abundance flow easily in your life.

You’re off and running, though you may be wishing for peace and quiet.

There’s a new you emerging. Part of you is able to regenerate and self-repair on the go; the other part is on hold, waiting for special moments when you can rest. Let a window of options present itself: Learn to swim, learn to dance. Keep releasing thoughts that don’t serve you. Spend your energy building yourself up so you have enough to share with those you love.

There are new rules and precedents being considered and put into place.

No one is more aware of this than you. With all of your free time, which currently may not exist, you’ll be able to run with the best of them—philosophically, legally, or morally.

The ethics that are being decided will affect a larger group than previously thought. Get someone who’s good with details to pick up the bits and pieces if emotions distract you.

SAGITTARIUS

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

Jan 21-Feb 19 ♥♥♥ ¥¥¥ ♣♣♣♣

Feb 20-Mar 20 ♥♥ ¥¥ ♣♣♣

You’re a freedom fighter and a harbinger for the truth on your own terms.

Both Pallas Athene and Saturn are retrograde in your sign. Rather than it being tiresome, however, you’re enticed to go deeper into research with excellent results. Although you love the excitement of the chase, do delegate if you’ve got an expert in your sphere.

They’ll be pleased to provide real assistance as you are designated to receive it.

You may be sorting out what you want to keep and what goes. Venus has moved past last week’s perfect opposition, so you’re on the completion end of this cycle—how you feel, where your energy goes, and possessions. Communications are all over the place, and for some Capricorns, it’s changing to the point that it has mutated. For those in film and music, your path is one of universal healing.

Healing yourself, you show the world how to do it.

Your sign is part of a grand trine with the Libra Moon on Friday, and the Sun, Mercury, and Mars all week long.

You may notice what you’re thinking becomes reality just a little bit more easily. Of course, it’s important to check on your thoughts in the midst of this! Travel or plans with friends slow as you have a ton of things to check out. In the end, your high standards bring you the best—a spartan budget doesn’t mean you won’t find luxury.

You may find that lately you appreciate those who think for themselves—more so because they can be scarce. With Dark Moon Lilith opposite Pisces, a partner or person who reflects your inner self may kick up a fuss. If someone has made a mistake or takes your hard work for granted, you’re likely to show them just how valuable you are. A water sign, you’re able to absorb a lot, including others’ feelings.

However, right now, focus on personal definition.

Nov 23-Dec 22 ♥♥♥♥ ¥¥¥ ♣♣♣♣♣

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Dec 23-Jan 20 ♥♥♥♥ ¥¥ ♣♣♣♣

PISCES

LINGO BOX Katsudōka (活動家) = Activist

the small print

At the Kosodate Kitchen cooking school in Bunkyo-ku, children as young as two can learn basic knife skills and stovetop techniques.

Higaisha (被害者） = Victim Kikō Hendō (気候変動) = Climate change Shinpai suru (心配する) = To worry

BY STEVE TRAUTLEIN

THERE ARE FEWER OPPORTUNITIES FOR CHILDREN TO SPONTANEOUSLY EXERCISE, AND THEY ARE LOSING THEIR STAMINA.”—Yoshihiro Horigome, a fitness trainer, on the rising popularity of exercise classes for kids

STRANGE DAYS ⊲An ⊲ Ibaraki man biking home from work last month was shot in the leg by an unidentified assailant wielding a bow and arrow. ⊲After ⊲ an outcry by human rights activists, an auction house in New Jersey canceled the sale of 450 pieces of art made by JapaneseAmericans held in WWII internment camps. ⊲It ⊲ was reported that JAXA plans to land a small spacecraft on the moon within the next three years.

GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS ⊲Officials ⊲ at the justice ministry say their new hotline for hate-speech victims has received nearly 100 calls in its first year of operation. ⊲But ⊲ many users have complained that, instead of receiving advice on how to deal with their problems, staff told them it “was important … to help themselves.” ⊲Authorities ⊲ at the agriculture ministry are getting a jump on climate change by “developing heat- and drought-tolerant crops.” ⊲Police ⊲ in Gifu say an 86-year-old woman scammed the government out of ¥51 million

over the course of five decades by receiving pension payments intended for her mother and father, both of whom died in the 1960s.

GULP ⊲Seismologists ⊲ claim the “increased activity” they’re seeing in volcanoes nationwide can be traced back to the March 11 megaquake. ⊲Officials ⊲ at the environment ministry announced that fiscal 2013 was Japan’s second worst year ever in terms of greenhouse gas emissions. ⊲Authorities ⊲ in 38 of the 41 prefectures participating in last month’s local assembly elections say voter turnout was the lowest on record. ⊲A ⊲ newspaper report revealed that Japanese zoos had 96 koalas in 1997, but now the number has fallen by nearly half.

SUFFER THE (ONLINE) CHILDREN ⊲The ⊲ National Police Agency says 1,421 minors were victims of crimes involving SNS and other online communication tools last year. That’s the most since the NPA began keeping track in 2008.

at a glance

BY RODGER SONOMURA

Haishutsu (排出) = Emissions

stats

4 Consecutive years that the top eight execs of ailing Sony Corp have returned their bonuses

13 Age of soccer prodigy Takefusa Kubo, who was signed by FC Tokyo this month after a stint in Barcelona’s youth system

943

Number of times defense officials scrambled fighter jets in response to foreign aircraft approaching Japanese airspace in fiscal 2014—the second highest total on record

⊲An ⊲ education ministry survey found 52 percent of kids between fifth grade and junior year of high school use smartphones or similar devices “until just before going to sleep at night.” ⊲Maybe ⊲ that’s why nearly two-thirds of parents, in a TMG poll, say they’re worried about children becoming addicted to smartphones. ⊲So ⊲ it’s a good thing the technology ministry has established a treatment center for teenaged internet addicts that helps kids become “aware of interesting aspects of life in the real world.”

THANKS FOR THAT ⊲Scientists ⊲ with the Fisheries Research Agency have discovered that Japanese eels swim “deeply during day [and] shallower at night.” ⊲The ⊲ Kawasaki Gender Equality Center issued a handbook for new fathers that includes such advice as, “When you have time, take your child to and from daycare instead of having your wife do it” and “Get up 15 minutes earlier to talk with your child.” ⊲The ⊲ operator of a ferry that runs between Tokyo and the Ogasawara Islands will spend ¥9.1 billion to build a bigger, faster ship. The number of visitors to the area has surged since the islands were granted World Heritage status in 2011. ⊲Bottom ⊲ Story of the Week: “Archer Doll Finely Re-Created” (via The Japan News)

Small Print Updated Weekly → METURL.COM/SMALLPRINT Compiled from reports by AP, Japan Today, The Japan Times, Jiji, The Tokyo Reporter, The Mainichi, The Japan News, AFP, Reuters and Kyodo

33

the last word

your article to: WANT TO HAVE THE LAST WORD? Send editor@metropolisjapan.com

The Battle of the Bulge The difficulty of eating healthy in a land of convenience

BY WILLIAM BRADBURY

Illustration by Christi Rochin

After a few years of living in Japan, I found it hard to ignore the truth: the figure staring back at me in the mirror had become fatter.

So many people say Japanese food is healthy—but that’s the traditional stuff like natto, grilled fish, and vegetables.

There’s just as much—if not more— “unhealthy” Japanese food, such as karaage, tempura, and ramen, with its heartburn-inducing oily soup.

With a 7-Eleven or Family Mart on every corner, convenience culture leads to repetitive snacking, which is more about numbing the stresses and strains of the fast-paced city life than actual hunger.

Sugar, caffeine, and junk food work as antidepressants for those living in a city so crammed and dehumanizing. Though, nobody I know has ever successfully eaten their way out of being fed up with Tokyo—or any problem, for that matter.

Perusing the supermarket reveals an array of options, but I don’t feel it’s separated into unhealthy Western junk food and life-prolonging Japanese fresh food. Instead, one can go back and forth from the cup ramen aisle to the bakery snack section to the bento boxes, and be baffled by how Japanese people manage to stay so slim.

There are also a few eating strategies that feel healthy, but are actually delusional. I call this “the cereal effect.” This is where you trick yourself into believing foods that are obviously junk are healthy.

I’ve eaten excessive amounts of onigiri or bentos as alternatives to so called “junk,” but it’s difficult to see how any of these processed options are doing anything good for the body.

Japanese convenience stores and supermarkets are full of food that might seem innocent in comparison to chains like McDonald’s, but that’s mostly because “Mac” (as it’s affectionately referred to by the Japanese) is used as

a scapegoat for so many food-related health problems.

My consumption of McDonald’s has increased since I came to Japan, mainly because, in Tokyo, the shops are full of both students and young people, rather than the sloths and chavs that used to scare me away in the U.K. Fast-food joints can also feel like something of a haven for foreigners in Japan—a place where not only is the menu familiar but you feel like you fit in, like you’re supposed to be there. It’s the opposite of the feeling I get at the neighborhood izakaya or bar, where the gaijin presence can detract from the local ambience or make regular Japanese customers feel uncomfortable.

For long periods of time, I took part in a kind of junk-food tourism. I insisted that visits to places like Mister Donut and Krispy Kreme were part of the cultural experience of Japan because they didn’t exist in the U.K. I was actually baffled and disappointed to find there was no Dunkin’ Donuts in Japan, a place referred to multiple times in the novels of Haruki

I’VE EATEN EXCESSIVE AMOUNTS OF ONIGIRI OR BENTOS AS ALTERNATIVES TO SO CALLED ‘JUNK’.”

The views expressed in “The Last Word” are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the position or opinions of Japan Partnership Co. Ltd. or its partners and sponsors.

34

Murakami. In fact, craving-fulfillment trips to Burger King were disguised as cultural comparative studies; I made notes on differences in the menu. It all ended with me becoming a bloated slob, of course.

But in the moment, it grew difficult to notice my expanding, flabby stomach, because I no longer had the obvious points of comparison I had back home.

Yet, I’ve got Japanese friends who keep their figures against logic, as if they’re characters from a comic book or TV show. I questioned one friend of mine who ate McDonald’s almost daily and also drank beer heavily. He replied, “Because I'm Japanese.” Sure, he answered the question … but it defies logic. If you have body dysmorphic issues, they’re likely to be worsened by living in Tokyo, where many people have immaculate bodies as beauty and fashion are ways of life. Being “slim” in the U.K. is switched to “slightly tubby” just by setting foot in Tokyo.

I’ve done lots of things I’m proud of in Japan: I’ve travelled, seen temples, and improved my language and teaching skills. Yet, becoming a chubby young man was not something I had on my bucket list. Here’s hoping I can replace a few of those nomihodai with a tabehodai or two—of fruit, of course.

■ William Bradbury is a freelance writer living in Tokyo

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