Metropolis #1016 Sep 13-26, 2013

Japan’s Nº1 English Magazine www.metropolis.co.jp

#1016 Sep 13~26 , 2013

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PINCH HITTER WLADIMIR BALENTIEN SWATS 55

DINING OUT

A TASTE OF ISLAND LIFE ART

AMERICAN POP

FEATURE

HAWAIIAN PUNCH: GET YOUR ALOHA ON IN TOKYO Special Housing Promotion

MOVING ON UP!

INSIDE #1016 SEP 13-26, 2013

COURTESY KOULIMA NANI 'E TOKYO

Metropolis Members Club Register for prizes & discounts www.metropolis.co.jp/club

THIS WEEK’S WINNER!

metropolis Getsumatsu Fri sep 27 @ p.c.m

Reema Srivastava won a a set of 7 nail enamels Courtesy of Revlon

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06 FEATURE

ISLAND STYLE

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By Steve Trautlein 03 THE SMALL PRINT 05 UPFRONT 08 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT 11 HOUSING SPECIAL 16 OAKHOUSE ADVERTORIAL 18 AGENDA 24 MOVIES 25 DINING OUT 28 CLASSIFIEDS & JOBS 33 HOROSCOPE 34 THE NEGI

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Jellyfish gazing at Sumida Aquarium, by Tim Buckingham

COVER DESIGN: KOHJI SHIIKI, PHOTO COURTESY OF TOKYO YAKULT SWALLOWS

The Small Print

By Steve Trautlein

WE ARE PLANNING “ TO BECOME JAPAN’S FIRST MUSLIM-FRIENDLY AIRPORT”

—Akihisa Tabe, an official at Kansai Airport, on a project to increase the number of prayer rooms and halal meals available at the facility

the find will lead to a reappraisal of the spread of bronze culture during the Yayoi period (300 BC to AD 300). ćć Officials at JR Hokkaido announced that they would scuttle Japan’s two remaining undersea train stations—both of which are located in a tunnel that passes through the Tsugaru Strait—to prepare the construction of a new shinkansen line.

KIDS THESE DAYS

ARTIFACTS ćć A curator at a history museum in Shinjuku says that fewer than 100 “red papers”—draft notices sent to conscripts during World War II—remain in existence. ćć Authorities in Sendai put on display 200,000 photographs found in the debris of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. ćć Archeologists in Shiga unearthed an ancient casting mold for a dagger whit a design resembling those found in northern China. It’s said

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44.5

CHRISTI ROCHIN

ćć Cops in Tokyo arrested five teenagers for throwing dozens of fireworks at a homeless man in Edogawa-ku. One of the boys said he and his friends “wanted to get a thrill from making a homeless person angry and making him chase us.” ćć Officials at the International Astronomical Union have formally recognized an asteroid discovered by a trio of female Japanese middle school students in 2009. ćć The transport ministry says at least 18 people fell off train platforms last year because they were too absorbed in their cellphones to notice their surroundings. ćć The situation has led officials to try and come up with ways to deal with the scourge of aruki sumaho—smartphone walking.

POLL POSITIONS ćć The sports ministry released a survey suggesting that 92 percent of Japanese are in favor of the country hosting “big international sporting events.” ćć Meanwhile, a Cabinet Office poll has revealed t hat 72 percent of Japanese “are unw illing to take part in the activities of nonprofit organizations.” ćć A survey by the education ministry found that 14,208 schoolchildren were “physically punished” by their teachers last year. ćć Researchers at an association of companies that produce sleep products have discovered that the “ideal summertime bedroom environment is 27 to 28 degrees Celsius, with humidity of 50 to 60 percent.”

Percent of public elementary and junior high school buildings in Japan that were deemed earthquake-resistant in 2002, according to the education ministry

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88.9

Percent that are considered quake-proof today

DRAWING A CROWD ćć About two dozen well-known manga artists showed up at the soon-to-be-demolished HQ of famed comics publisher Shogakukan Inc. to fill the walls with drawings before it was torn down. ćć The Japan Foundation in New Delhi hosted an exhibition of comics to mark the release of a Hindi translation of Yunagi no Machi Sakura no Kuni (Town of Evening Calm, Country of Cherry Blossoms), which tells the story of the 1945 atomic bombing of Hiroshima. ćć Officials at the industry ministry have vowed to team up with private-sector researchers to challenge the US’s dominance in the field of 3-D printing. ćć The British government has awarded the MBE to Mie resident Isao Toji “for his efforts to honor the memory of 16 British prisoners of war who died in the prefecture during World War II.”

STRANGE DAYS ćć A China Universit y scientist and a diving instructor say they’ve identified the source of peculiar markings on a seabed off the coast of Kyushu that locals have dubbed “mystery circles.” It turns out the designs are being made by blowfish. ćć For the first time ever, Japanese transportation authorities have translated an investigative report about a railway accident into English.

The document describes the 2005 crash of a JR West train in Amagasaki, Hyogo, that killed 107 people. ćć Officials at the National Personnel Authority have given the OK for government workers to take a leave of absence—for up to three years— when their spouse is relocated overseas because of work or school. ćć Japanese physicists have recommended a site in the mountains of Tohoku for the construction of a 30km-long particle accelerator tentatively called the International Linear Collider.

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27,000

Displacement, in tons, of the recently launched destroyer Izumo, Japan’s largest new warship since World War II

COMPILED FROM REPORTS BY AP, JAPAN TODAY, THE JAPAN TIMES, JIJI, THE TOKYO REPORTER, THE MAINICHI, THE JAPAN NEWS, AFP, REUTERS AND KYODO

#1016 • WWW.METROPOLIS.CO.JP • 03

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Upfront firestarter

W

ooden kokeshi dolls, with their armless bodies and round heads are something of a symbol of Japan. Someone over at Kokeshi Match Seisakusho (www.kokeshi-m.com) must have noticed that they also look a lot like matches—and ran with the idea. The company’s painted “torches of life” (from ¥189 per box) are almost too cute to burn. Also coming in pig, cat and other designs, they are the perfect conversation starter when lighting a cigarette for that attractive stranger. Since the boxes are also attractively designed, there is no need to wrap them before making them a gift to your favorite smoker or pyromaniac. Available at Communication Mania, Shinjuku Marui Annex.

giveaway

J

apanese wind instruments such as the shakuhachi have their origins in ancient court music known as gagaku, but they continue to be used in new ways today.

The upcoming concert Sound of Breath will give listeners a sampling of the full spectrum of breathy sounds, with a program of traditional compositions as well as an improvisation paired with Japanese contemporary dancers Motoko Hirayama (left) and Kaiji Moriyama. Metropolis has five pairs of tickets to give away.

To apply, email giveaways@metropolis.co.jp with your name, mailing address and answer the question: “What material are shakuhachi traditionally made from?”

Breath of Sound. Oct 5. See stage listings for details.

puppy love © SOMMAI-FOTOLIA.COM

statshot © 2001 二馬力・GNDDTM

T

he Ministry of the Environment established Animal Welfare Week (September 20-26) to encourage awareness of “the welfare and proper care of animals, which are living beings.” While the calendar of events during the designated period is a bit thin, animal shelters and welfare groups across the city are working year round to save pets and find them a new home. We encourage Metropolis readers to get involved. Here’s how…

TNR Japan Animal Welfare Hospital founder Akiko Yui writes an English blog on her frequent trips to Fukushima to care for pets left behind by owners who fled the nuclear disaster. Donations of time, money and food are welcomed. http://arfjapan1216. blog.fc2.com/ Tokyo Ark holds regular adoption fairs and is always on the look out for foster families. www.arkbark.net SALA Network has programs across the country teaching wannabe dog trainers and children about animals by accompanying them on nursing home visits. Regular adoption fairs are held every Saturday in Fuchu. www.salanetwork.or.jp/e_index. html Based in Okinawa, Ozato also has animals up for adoption in Tokyo. http://doggiesinc.org/Ozato. html The Japan Cat Network operates two no-kill animal shelters and is still actively rescuing animals in Fukushima. http://japancatnet.com Other resources include Animal Walk Tokyo (www.animalwalktokyo.com) and Chiba Wan (www. chibawan.net), a dog and cat welfare center with bases across Kanto.

lacelessness

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COURTESY OF CUSTOMIZE PRODUCE CO., LTD

t’s like these babies were made for Japan. Every foreigner initiated to the Japanese custom of removing one’s shoes when entering the house (or restaurant, or izakaya, or change room, or... ) surely curses the day shoelaces were ever created. The awkward stumble out the door while hopping on one foot, or the fiveminute sit-on-the-floor grand entrance is an all too familiar experience. Enter Hickies. These ingenious rubber loops make any shoe an instant, ready-to-go slip on. Available in a variety of colors, they make customizing anything from sneakers to combat boots easy and affordable. They even have an app to help you choose the best style. ¥1,890 for a set of 16. Available online www.hickies.jp

Anime master Hayao Miyazaki announced his retirement this month, meaning there will be no more flicks from the revered storyteller. But which classics do adults want the next generation of cat bus lovers to see?

Ghibli films adults most want kids to watch: 1. My Neighbor Totoro (100) 2. Kiki’s Delivery Service (69.0) 3. Spirited Away (65.0) 4. Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (63.5) 5. Laputa: Castle in the Sky (59.5) 6. Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea (45.2) 7. Grave of the Fireflies (41.3) 8. Princess Mononoke (34.2) 9. Whisper of the Heart (28.4) 10. Howl’s Moving Castle (27.7) Source: http://ranking.goo.ne.jp

#1016 • WWW.METROPOLIS.CO.JP • 05

Feature

ISLAND STYLE A passion for Hawaii is bringing the spirit of aloha to Japan

By Steve Trautlein

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L

ike their modern-day counterparts, early Japanese travelers to Hawaii were drawn to the climate. But they didn’t come to lie around on a beach. Starting in the late 1800s, large American agricultural companies brought over young men by the thousands to work on fruit and sugar plantations. The wave of immigration created an Asian presence on the islands that endures to the present day, but the tide soon threatened to overwhelm the locals. By the 1920s, according to US government data, indigenous Hawaiians represented just 16 percent of the islands’ total population, while Japanese made up the largest ethnic group.

COURTESY OF KOU LIMA NANI ‘E TOKYO (SATOMI)

h e n M i s a o Yo s h i n o was planning her honey moon, Honolu lu wasn’t just at the top of her list, it was the list.

The news producer for a major Tokyo broadcaster would be joined on the trip by close relatives, so she figured that Hawaii—easily reachable by plane and supremely Japanese-friendly—would offer both a romantic getaway and a fun time for her family. And the group would certainly be in good company: According to Hawaii tourism officials, more than 20 percent of the 1.5 million Japanese who visited the islands last year came for honeymoons or wedding ceremonies.

It turns out that Yoshino's choice of accomodations was just as astute—Waikiki’s fabled Halekulani Hotel. “We were going to stay at a more reasonable place,” she says. “But my grandmother said, ‘Why scrimp? Let’s stay at the best hotel in Hawaii.’”

A favorite destination for well-heeled Japanese travelers, the Halekulani (see sidebar) is notable these days for a different connection to Japan. In 2009, its parent corporation entered into a partnership with the venerable Imperial Hotel group.

The tie-up includes joint marketing and promotions, but it’s also emblematic of a larger shift in relations between Hawaii and Japan. Once dependent on Japanese tourism to the islands, the exchange has become a two-way street, with a Hawaiian influence taking firm hold of Japanese culture and lifestyle.

Nowhere is this trend more apparent than in Tokyo, where hula dancers strut their stuff, Hawaiian musicians take the stage, and native cooking feeds the masses. As if hit by a fresh island breeze, Tokyoites are—at long last—finding their inner aloha.

The rise of affordable jet travel in the postwar years set the stage for a second great migration, this time centered on leisure. As Japan Inc. became a global force in the ’70s and ’80s, Japanese tourists began play ing an ever-more important role in Hawaii’s fortunes. In 1997, at the height of the Bubble economy, the number of visitors peaked at 2.15 million. Although salarymen and their families were able to escape for only short vacations—about 5.5 days per trip, compared to a week and a half for US mainlanders—they made up for lost time with their wallets, outspending all other tourists on a per-day basis.

The bursting of the Bubble had a predictably dire effect on the situation; by 2006, tourism had dropped from peak levels by more than a third. The news got worse in 2010, when newly bankrupt JAL canceled the only direct flights between Japan and the Big Island. An airline official spoke for many when he told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, “Local ties, relationships and history that have been cultivated over countless years are now being affected.”

Yet even in the lowest days of the recession,

06 • DOWNLOAD OUR PODCAST AT • PODCAST.METROPOLIS.CO.JP

the Japanese never lost their love of Hawaii. And now that recovery seems to be taking root, they’re returning in force. In 2011, when the March 11 disaster caused mass travel cancellations, the number of Japanese visitors still showed a net gain from the year before. Last year’s total of 1.46 million travelers was the highest since 2005.

A

s Hawaiian officials tr y to figure out ways to keep the tourists coming, here in Japan it’s never been easier to appreciate authentic island culture. The Aloha Yokohama festival, an annual event that began in 2010, now draws more than 200,000 enthusiasts to a breezy bayside location for three days of hula performances, food trucks and retail frenzy. In a kind of reverse economic tourism, clothiers and craftsmen from the islands travel to Japan to set up booths and sell their wares.

Indeed, the drive for authentic Hawaiian goods is changing the face of Japanese retailing— sometimes literally. Last year, the operator of the World Porters mall in Yokohama razed a corner

Waikiki Wonders ALOHA YOKOHAMA

PHOTO BY HILTON GRAND VACATIONS

ALOHA YOKOHAMA

Getting Lei’d in Tokyo Sing, dance, eat, shop—a guide to local Hawaiian treats

FESTIVALS Aloha Yokohama The year’s top event for Hawaii enthusiasts features music and dance performances, food, fashion and art, plus stalls run by islandbased businesses. 2014 dates TBD. www.aloha-yokohama.com COURTESY OF HALEKULANI

of its first floor to make way for Hawaiian Town, a bazaar that features more than a dozen islandthemed shops, including a branch of well-known surf wear brand Local Motion.

But cuisine is the aspect of Hawaiian culture that stirs the greatest passion. Hawaiian Town includes branches of well-regarded eatery Blue Water Shrimp & Seafood and Leonard’s masalada café. Other recent arrivals include Honolulu favorites L&L (2010), Eggs ’N Things (2010) and Kailua Café (2012).

Another authentic expression of Hawaiian culture can be found at dance school Koulima Nani ‘E Tokyo. Established in Sendagaya in 2011, the school represents an official tie-up with celebrated hula master ’Iwalani Kalima. The students must be especially committed—in order to perform in public, they’re expected to make their own traditional grass skirts by hand.

“A lot of people don’t come because it’s hard,” says Jett Edwards, one of the managers. “It's real hula.” He adds, in a sentiment that sums up the recent Hawaii boom: “It’s not fast, and it’s not a fad.”

COURTESY OF HALEKULANI

ALOHA YOKOHAMA

E

xpats in Tokyo who book a stay at the Halekulani Hotel or Grand Waikikian Suites may wonder, on arriving, if they’ve ever left Japan. Thronged with Japanese tourists, these Honolulu mainstays enjoy a sterling reputation—for very different reasons.

The Halekulani (www.halekulani.com) has a heritage dating back to 1917, when, according to the official history, it debuted as a residential hotel called Hau Tree, featuring a beachfront home with five bungalows.

Renamed in 1931—Halekulani means “House Befitting Heaven”—and purchased 50 years later by Mitsui Fudosan America, the property now includes 453 rooms on five oceanfront acres. Its appeal to Japanese travelers lies partly in the large, tasteful guestrooms,

lush grounds and world-class restaurants, but the real attraction is the peerless service—which, like hospitality in Japan, seems an innate part of the culture instead of an affectation of training.

Grand Waikikian Suites, meanwhile, has benefitted from a newfound enthusiasm among Japanese travelers for timeshare properties. Virtually unknown just a decade ago, the timeshare system has grown exceedingly popular in Japan thanks largely to the efforts of the Hilton Grand Vacations Club (HGVC). The club’s spacious condominiums at the Grand Waikikian Suites, located on the grounds of the sprawling Hilton Hawaiian Village, are a leading choice for families thanks to the kidfriendly pools, wandering animals and private lagoon.

HGVC, which operates 57 properties worldwide and has 40,000 members in Japan alone, also offers timeshares at Waikoloa Beach on the Big Island, and a new Honolulu property—Hokulani Waikiki—is set to debut later this year. See www.hiltongrandvacations.com for more info.

Odaiba Hawaii Festival This smaller-scale festival has food trucks, stage performances and crafts workshops. 2014 dates TBD. www.venusfort.co.jp/hawaii/ index.html

DANCE Koulima Nani ‘E Tokyo Based in Sendagaya, Koulima Nani 'E Tokyo is an official partner of the Hilo-based dance school run by legendary hula teacher ’Iwalani Kalima who arrives in town to conduct a workshop Oct 26-27. www.limahula.jp

MASSAGE Queensway This leading chain of relaxation salons offers Hawaiian lomi lomi massage—said to promote well-being by redirecting energy flow—for ¥6,300 for 45 minutes. www.queensway-salon.jp

JEWELRY Maxi Island-inspired rings, pendants,

necklaces, bracelets, earrings and more from this Waikiki-based retailer with locations at Printemps Ginza, 109 Men’s Shibuya and Sogo Yokohama, among others. www.maxihawaii.com http://shop.maxi-j.com

Jake Shimabukuro A Hawaiian of Japanese descent, ukulele star Shimabukuro recently collaborated with JAL on an inflight song for passengers traveling between Japan and the islands. http://jakeshimabukuro.com; www.jal.co.jp/inter/newhawaii

Philip Rickard Hawaii’s premier jeweler maintains FASHION a service office in Tokyo.

Menehune Plantation www.philiprickard.com/jp A one-stop shop for all things Hawaiian, Menehume Plantation Wailea sells clothes, accessories, stage Wailea offers made-to-order costumes, books, music and jewelry crafted in Hawaii, with lots more. 1-17-9 Uchi-Kanda, shops in Yokohama’s Motomachi Chiyoda-ku. shopping street, Odaiba and www.menehune-p.com Shinjuku Takashimaya. http://wailea.co.jp Local Motion The premium surf wear company, MUSIC established Oahu in 1977, has eight Ogo’s Autumn Kanikapila 2013 shops in the Tokyo area, including This twice-yearly concert, organized at Hawaiian Town in Yokohama’s

by Akasaka restaurant Ogo Ono-loa World Porters mall.

Hawaii, introduces leading island www.localmotionhawaii.jp musicians to Japanese audiences.

Sep 29, Harumi Passenger Boat Tommy Bahama Terminal Hall.

This island-themed lifestyle brand www.ogohawaii.net/en debuted its signature aloha shirts in Japan in April with a standKonishiki alone shop-restaurant in Ginza, The Hawaii-born former followed by a store in the LaLaport sumo champion gives regular Yokohama mall. performances of traditional island www.tommybahama.com music. Next up: Sept 16, Kanagawa Kenmin Hall. www.konishiki.net DINING See dining story, page 25.

#1016 • WWW.METROPOLIS.CO.JP • 07

Arts & Entertainment

DIAMOND DOGS sports

Are some records not meant to be broken?

By Todd Wojnowski

T

his is not a baseball story, per se. It does deal with baseball players, baseball games, baseball statistics and baseball history, but it is not a baseball story— and that’s a terrific shame.

Wladimir Balentien, an outfielder for Tokyo’s Yakult Swallows, is standing on the threshold of history. In an awesome display of power, patience and consistency, Balentien is on the verge of breaking Nippon Professional Baseball’s single-season home run record of 55­. The Curaçao native has been nothing short of spectacular this season, hammering ball after ball into the farthest depths of Meiji Jingu Stadium. He leads the Central League in batting average, and despite having missed 12 games due to a leg injury, hit home runs 49, 50, 51 and 52 during a four-day stretch in the last week of August. With 53 homers (at press time) and

a dozen games still remaining in the season, besting the 55 mark seems inevitable.

Yet despite what the math suggests, it remains far from a sure thing that Balentien will become the new record-holder. “Coco,” as his fans call him, is not the first player to stand on the brink of this record. In fact, three other players have been in the same position, but none succeeded. Actually, none of them were permitted to break the record. All three players were foreigners. And this is where things get ugly.

Sadaharu Oh set the current benchmark of 55 single-season home runs in 1964. Perhaps the most legendary and revered figure in Japanese baseball history, many of Oh’s career accomplishments remain not only unmatched, but also largely unchallenged.

Though he carried a Taiwanese passport and had mixed Japanese-Taiwanese parentage, his Japanese bloodline and upbringing separate him from the foreign players who would threaten his record.

The first player to approach Oh’s mark was PHOTOS COURTESY OF TOKYO YAKULT SWALLOWS

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American Randy Bass. While playing for the Hanshin Tigers in 1985, Bass had tallied 54 home runs—­one shy of the record—entering the final game of the season. But that night’s opponent, the Yomiuri Giants, never gave him a chance. All four times Bass came up to bat, the Yomiuri pitching staff intentionally walked him (which gives a player a free pass to first base without giving him a chance to hit the ball). It was later revealed that Yomiuri’s upper management and coaching staff directed the decision, threatening chuckers with heavy fines for every hittable pitch thrown to the American. Bass stood at home plate, holding his bat upside down in protest.

Oh’s record remained intact.

In 2001, it happened again. Tuffy Rhodes, another American, playing for the Kintetsu Buffaloes, tied Oh’s mark of 55 home runs, only to be intentionally walked again and again during his team’s season-ending series against the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks. After the game, a member of the Hawks’ coaching staff reportedly commented that, “He just didn’t want a foreign player to break Oh’s record.”

Just a year later, Venezuelan Alex Cabrera also made it to 55 for the Saitama Seibu Lions. Like Bass and Rhodes, Cabrera was given no more hittable pitches at the end of the season, and was even struck by a pitch.

The opposing coaching staff denied ordering the walks.

Now it’s Balentien’s turn, and the walks are already piling up. Opposing pitchers throw junk to him: pitches much too high, too low, too far to the outside, unhittable and almost always resulting in a walk. Balentien has shown good patience so far, but occasionally his frustration shows through, as he takes a big swing at a ball thrown far outside the strike zone. You can see it in his body language as he takes his free first base, a backhanded reward if there ever was one.

Balentien’s suppression comes during a summer when Tokyo is making its case to welcome thousands of international athletes for the 2020 Summer Olympics. It comes just weeks after Japanese outfielder Ichiro Suzuki, who plays in the US, was showered with affection and ovations by the Major League players, fans and media upon his reaching an important statistical milestone: 4,000 career hits. Around the world, sports transcend nationality and race.

Yet as we watch Wladimir Balentien step up to the plate during the home stretch of this 2013 season, we find ourselves thinking about things other than his technique, his timing or his focus. The shame is that this is not a baseball story. It should be.

Tokyo Yakult Swallows home games at Meiji Jingu Stadium until Sep 26. See sports listings for details.

art

AMERICAN POP ART

By C.B.Liddell

E

very now and then, we art reviewers run into an exhibition that refuses to supply artwork to accompany the review. Instead of appreciating the free advertising they are getting, they expect fees for every image used. Surprisingly, “American Pop Art: From the John and Kimiko Powers Collection” at the National Art Center Tokyo is one of these. To get round this, I have cut up the exhibition catalogue to create a collage from pieces of some of the works from the exhibition—in the process creating an entirely new work of art.

I’m not denying the right of famous artists—no matter how rich they or their next of kin may be—to profit from their creativity, but there is an element of irony

COLLAGE BY C.B.LIDDELL

Iconoclasm and irony at the NACT

in the estates of famous pop artists doing this, since most of the better-known ones made their names by recycling earlier imagery anyway. For example, one wonders how much Andy Warhol paid to the Campbell’s Soup company, one of many brands that he used as the basis of his artwork.

Anyway, on with the show! One of the first things that strikes you about this exhibition is the fact that most of the artists are no longer with us. Pop Art, it seems, is now a piece of receding art history, like the Baroque or Northern Renaissance. This is a problem, because, unlike those earlier movements, one of the main points of Pop Art was not so much what it produced, but what it

clubbing

GOTH-TRAD

Japan’s dubstep avatar looks to broaden his horizons

By Dan Grunebaum

B

efore dubstep blew up i nto ma i n st rea m “brostep,” Tokyo’s Takeaki Maruyama had cultivated a reputation among dubstep followers as the Far East’s premier exponent of the style’s tectonic bass lines and thunderous one-drop drum patterns.

When Metropolis reaches the artist known as GothTrad, he’s busy testing out new sounds for the next evolution in his creative trajectory.

Maruyama, it turns out, came upon dubstep by happenstance. His roots weren’t so much in classic dub or bass music, as in industrial, down tempo hip-hop and the experimental noise scenes. But when his 2005 album Mad Raver’s Dance Floor serendipitously found commonality with the productions of England’s budding dubstep community, Goth-Trad became known as Japan’s first dubstep artist. His music is released on UK imprint Deep Medi Musik, whose label head, Mala, is one of dubstep’s most respected impresarios.

“My music was pretty well received in America and Europe, and I became known as a dubstep producer,” he reflects. “But it was really only by chance that my music came to have a dubstep feel. So now I’m taking one step away from the scene and moving in a more experimental direction again.”

It’s a logical return for Goth-Trad to the overtly investigational quality of his first two albums, 2003’s Goth-Trad I and 2005’s The Inverted Perspective. But

for anyone who got to know Maruyama via the killer dancefloor tracks of Mad Raver’s Dance Floor, New Epoch, or his monthly Back To Chill events in Shibuya, their aggressive sonics come as quite a surprise.

“My second album was essentially noise music. I started producing around 1999, doing very dark stuff that grew progressively experimental,” he recalls. “I was into live music more than the DJ scene. Rather than

did. Namely, it shook things up and questioned conventional values and notions of art—the visual equivalent of punk rock or hip hop.

The energy and iconoclastic excitement that it created in places like New York and London in the 1950s and 60s, by ignoring the boundaries between high and low culture, had to be enjoyed in the heat of moment.

Much of what is on display here, however, has since grown cold. With limited aesthetic merit to fall back on, works seem dull, turgid and uninteresting.

This is especially true for the first few rooms of the show, filled with the grainy, smeared collages of Robert Rauschenburg and the stale, ironic graphics of Jasper Johns. Things pick up a little later when we encounter some of the humor associated with Pop Art, such as Claes Oldenburg’s soft sculptures, including Soft Baseball Bat (1967), literally a baseball bat with an end like a long cushion that the artist reportedly played in a piece of performance art, which must have been hilarious to watch and is still quite funny to imagine.

The aesthetic highlight of the exhibition has to be the section focusing on Andy Warhol’s works. These also include some striking prints and hand-painted prints, some featuring the collector’s wife, Kimiko Powers, dressed in a kimono and looking just a tad like the dragon lady cliché. Cliché, of course, is the essence of Warhol’s work as we see in his iconic color prints of Marilyn Monroe. It’s easy to sneer and look down at an artist who simply reproduced variously colored images plucked from the media mainstream, but on the scale and vividness with which Warhol does it, you can’t help but be impressed.

National Art Center Tokyo, until October 21. See exhibition listings (Roppongi) for details.

using synthesizers I would producing sounds myself from metal parts, and make effects machines from internet schematics. So I am really relatively new to clubland.”

Goth-Trad has mixed feelings about the brostep scene that exploded in North America around 2010, exemplified by artists such as Skrillex, whose set it should be noted was in fact one of the highest rated (if begrudgingly by some) at this summer’s Fuji Rock.

“It was what came after that really surprised me,” he continues. “For me dubstep was progressive, experimental music. There was no set format to it. So when it became an established commercial form around 2010, it was a shocker. There were too many dubstep DJs glomming onto the trend and it became a bit bland.”

Maruyama celebrates the seventh anniversary of his signature Back To Chill [named for the track] events at its home in Shibuya’s venerable Club Asia this weekend. With the event, not only has he brought dubstep to Japan, he’s also cultivated a generation of domestic producers.

“I started Back To Chill to introduce the dubstep scene to Japan. And I think we’ve been able to develop the culture here too,” he says.

Despite the success of Back To Chill, it—and dubstep itself—remains a relatively underground phenomena in Japan.

“Maybe the reason brostep doesn’t take off in Japan is due to the Japanese character,” Maruyama offers.

“Brostep is a druggy, rave-y style that perhaps doesn’t appeal to Japanese. Japanese are very serious about their music, and that’s the scene I grew out of. Sometimes I find the DJs in America and Europe a bit boring from a musical point of view. In Japan, you really have to be a good DJ—you can’t just play to the crowd.”

Back To Chill 7th Anniversary@Club Asia, Sep 15.

#1016 • WWW.METROPOLIS.CO.JP • 09

Welcome to Japan 3 ways of living 7 lives in Tokyo

Come home to the ease of Oakwood living in Asia.

Oakwood offers a choice of serviced apartment solutions in 6 hot spot locations in Asia±’s most cosmopolitan city, Tokyo - Aoyama, Akasaka, Azabujyuban, Midtown, Roppongi and Shirokane.

For details and reservations, please visit our website at oakwoodasia.com BANGALORE BANGKOK BEIJING CHENGDU GUANGZHOU HANGZHOU HONG KONG JAKARTA MANILA MUMBAI PUNE SEOUL SHANGHAI TOKYO

HOUSING SPECIAL ADVERTORIAL SECTION

GET MOVIN’ Let Tokyo’s housing experts take the hassle out of finding a new abode—one that fits your needs and your budget.

WEBSITE

AZABU COURT Serviced Apartments SERVICES

▶▶ Regular rates are daily: ¥7,500-25,000 ▶▶ Weekly: ¥6,500-22,000 ▶▶ Monthly: ¥5,500-18,500 (price per night) ▶▶ Long-term stays for three months or more cost ¥4,950-16,650 (price per night).

I

f you’re ready for some easy living in Tokyo, then you’ll appreciate Azabu Court’s full service packages that include free broadband, an in-house concierge plus laundry and dry-cleaning pick-up among other things. All Azabu Court apartments feature an equipped kitchenette to ensure domestic bliss and residents receive ¥700 daily access to nearby Fitness Club Hiroo so you can stay in shape during your stay.

Not sure how long you’re going to stay? Apartments at Azabu Court can be rented on flexible daily, weekly or monthly terms. Take advantage of their special offer—ten percent off in December and January, or five percent in February and March (for short-term stays).

Whether you’re in Tokyo for a short stopover or a lengthy stay, Azabu Court can provide you with the service you require and more. Its convenient location, amenities and staff are sure to make your business or leisure stay in Tokyo as pleasant as can be.

CONTACT INFO

4-5-39 Minami-Azabu, Minato-ku

Hiroo 03-3446-8610. frontdesk@azabucourt.com www.azabucourt.com

#1016 ● WWW.METROPOLIS.CO.JP ● 11

HOUSING SPECIAL WEBSITE

FONTANA Apartments / Guesthouses SPECIAL OFFER First-time clients get ¥3,000 off their first month’s rent.

R

enting in Tokyo can be complicated, with aspects like key money, agency fees and guarantors. But there’s a way around these tricky details. For individuals, couples or families in search of affordable housing, Fontana can provide exceptional customer service and a living space that meets your individual needs. The approachable staff have plenty of experience dealing with people from all over the world, shown in their range of languages—English, French, Portuguese, Spanish, and, naturally, Japanese. Prices are reasonable, with guesthouse rooms starting at ¥55,000/month and apartments as low as ¥70,000/month. Set up in urban hubs such as Shibuya, Shinjuku, and Roppongi, these housing solutions can be your platform for a better life and a key to unlocking the wonders of Tokyo. Drop by the office any time and say hello. They’re open for consultation every day of the year, from 9:30am until 7pm—and they’re always happy to meet new faces.

CONTACT INFO

1F Asahi Mansion, 3-31-5 Chuo, Nakano-ku

Shin-Nakano 03-3382-0151 Open daily 9:30am-7pm http://www.tokyocityapartments.net

WEBSITE

SOCIAL APARTMENT Apartments SPECIAL OFFER

One month free rent Or one month trial stay, ¥30,000 (includes utilities and cafe credit of ¥15,000) Offer valid Sep 21-Oct 20

S

ocial Apartments offer a new style of living in Tokyo that combines high-quality private apartments with a luxurious communal lounge for socializing with other tenants. An attractive new flagship property in Bunkyo-ku’s Gokokuji provides even more flexible accommodations with a special one-month stay package. Located on its first floor is the World Neighbors Café that is not only for residents to use, but also friends of residents and local neighbors can all gather for a coffee or a drink. The café offers quality food and drink as well as warm hospitality and casual prices to make everyone feel at home. Conveniently located six minutes from Gokokuji station on the Yurakucho line or six minutes from Shin-Otsuka station on the Marunouchi line and priced from just ¥78,000 per month for an unfurnished room with a café credit of ¥15,000 included (an additional ¥5,000 per month includes furnishings), Social Apartments may just be your next home away from home.

CONTACT INFO

9F Shibuya Sumitomo Shintaku Bldg., 1-22-3

Jinnan, Shibuya-ku Shibuya Open Thu-Tue 10am-7pm, closed Wed 03-6455-0790 contact@social-apartment.com http://www.social-apartment.com/pages/ en_home

WEBSITE

J&F PLAZA Apartments / Guesthouses SERVICES ▶▶ Guest house and share house ▶▶ Monthly apartment rentals (furnished and unfurnished) ▶▶ Job bank ▶▶ International parties

J

&F Plaza provides guest house, share house and apartment rental services for foreigners in the Tokyo and Osaka areas. Their properties comprise a perfect blend of Japanese and foreigners to create a great environment to make new acquaintances from all over the world. And if you’re feeling homesick, with so many guests from around the world—you may just find a new friend from home. They have houses in Kanto (Tokyo, Chiba and Saitama) and Kansai (Osaka and Hyogo) that are already furnished, so all you need to set up house is your food, clothes and any personal necessities. Their foreign staff speak English, Chinese, Russian, French and (of course) Japanese with house managers available twentyfour-hours-a-day and are always available to help. If you’d like something different, they also have fully furnished monthly apartments available for rent and unfurnished ones for those who’ve already accumulated some interior decorations.

12 ● SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

CONTACT INFO

8F Dogenzaka 225 Bldg., 2-23-14 Dogenzaka,

Shibuya-ku Shibuya Mon-Sat 9am-6pm, closed Sun 03-6455-0360 info@jafplaza.com http://www.jafplaza.com/

HOUSING SPECIAL WEBSITE

JAPAN APARTMENT Apartments SPECIAL OFFER Up to ¥30,000 off monthly rent

T

he three big bugbears of key money, deposit and guarantor are all off the radar as soon as you make contact with this major agency, which offers over 900 properties in 70 locations. And though it might seem an impressive number, the ease of JAPT’s services means most living solutions are snapped up as soon as they hit the market. Dwellings are available for all needs and desires, with shared guesthouses, private apartments and more on the menu—for both short- and long-term rental—starting at just ¥60,000 per month.

Residences are fully furnished, often including the cookware and linen that turn an apartment into a home.

Internet access is arranged before you move in, meaning no forms to fill in or difficult phone-calls to make. And getting started couldn’t be easier, with a bilingual website on which to browse homes to your heart’s content, and English-speaking staff to get you on your way.

CONTACT INFO

3-5-17 Nishi-Gotanda, Shinagawa-ku

Gotanda 03-5437-5233 info@japt.co.jp www.tokyoeasyrent.com/en

WEBSITE

KIMI INFORMATION CENTER Apartments / Real Estate SPECIAL OFFER Bring Metropolis and get 50 percent off agency fee Valid until Sep 30

SERVICES ▶▶ Rental properties and share houses ▶▶ Jobs agency ▶▶ Translation services

S

earching the vast metropolis for the perfect apartment can be a daunting and intimidating task. Fortunately for those who have just arrived, Kimi Information Center handles over 10,000 properties in areas such as Harajuku, Shibuya, Roppongi, Ikebukuro, Ueno and Yokohama. They have access to a vast number of foreigner-friendly apartment managers and real estate firms, and their friendly and reassuring attitude to newcomers to these shores make them perfectly suited to help you find your next living quarters in the big city.

They can also introduce you to a number of high-quality and affordable share houses across Tokyo if you’d like to settle in and socialize. The folks at Kimi Information Center have been in the service business for over 30 years and unlike other agencies, their skills extend beyond rental housing to job recruitment and translation services.

See their website for details.

CONTACT INFO

8F Oscar Bldg., 2-42-3 Ikebukuro, Toshima-ku Ikebukuro Mon-Fri 10am-7pm, Sat 10am-4pm, closed Sun & hols 03-3986-1604 kimiinfo@kimiwillbe.com https://www.kimiwillbe.com/

WEBSITE

KURUMI MANSION Apartments

K

urumi Mansion i s a 65 - r o o m property on the banks of the Sumida River, surrounded by an enticing mix of t ra d it i o n a l c u l t u r e and modern Japan. Ginza, Asakusa, Akihabara and Tsukiji are all in easy reach, as is Tokyo Station for easy access to every other part of the city. You can enjoy a jog along the riverbank, eat breakfast at Tsukiji Market, indulge in a shopping trip to Ginza or tour the local temples and shrines.

For short-term visitors who don’t fancy a pricey hotel room, this is a great location at a great price.

Kurumi Mansion has singles, doubles and triples, with weekly rents from ¥24,150 and no key money or deposit necessary. The residence is about a ten-minute walk from Suitengumae, Monzen-Nakacho, Kayabacho and Ningyocho stations.

PRICES ▶▶ ▶▶ ▶▶ ▶▶ ▶▶

One bed, six nights from ¥23,100 Two beds, six nights from ¥33,600 Three beds, six nights from ¥37,800 One bed, one month from ¥89,250 Two beds, one month from ¥131,250

CONTACT INFO

1-1-9 Saga, Koto-ku

Suitengumae Mon-Fri & hols 9am-5:30pm, Sat 9am-noon 03-3820-3331 mail@kurumi-mansion.com www.kurumi-mansion.com

#1016 ● WWW.METROPOLIS.CO.JP ● 13

HOUSING SPECIAL WEBSITE

MINOWA HOME’S Real Estate SPECIAL OFFER No agency fees

SERVICES ▶▶ Furnished apartments ▶▶ Accepts inquiries via email

I

f you’re finding it difficult to locate a property to rent in your new city, Minowa Home’s understands what you're going through. They specialize in quality apartment rentals for companies or individuals and are to help with everything from negotiating the contract to moving in. Their list of apartments are affordably priced and include reasonable initial upfront fees. Located in convenient areas with supermarkets and conbini within easy walking distance, some of their current offerings include furnished apartments on the popular Odakyu line, close to Mukogaoka-yuen station and Yomiuri Land-mae station. Minowa strives to offer clients a truly convenient and hassle-free rental experience in Tokyo. Contact them today to see what they have available—perhaps your dream home awaits.

CONTACT INFO

2000 Noborito, Tama-ku, Kawasaki-shi,

Kanagawa-ken Mukogaoka Yuen 044-933-7000 mh@minowagroup.jp www.minowagroup.jp/minowahomes

WEBSITE

OCEANS CORPORATION LTD. Real Estate SPECIAL OFFER

▶▶ A choice of no agency fee OR free appliances and furniture up to 50% of the rent value for selected properties Offer valid Sep & Oct 2013

O

ceans Corporation specializes in corporate housing—from cozy studio rentals to five-bedroom-plus luxury apartments—that range in price from ¥150,000 up to ¥4,000,000. Their database of 120,000 properties with around 5,000 rental units is available on their website and updated every day, including photos and details of recommended places. If you send them an email with the requirements you’re looking for, you can receive a customized list of the latest vacancies within one or two business days—even earlier if you request “express response.” Furthermore, they can provide you with all the information you need on TV, internet, schools, shops, restaurants, bars and to make your life easy. With locations across all of the popular foreignerfriendly areas of central Tokyo, including Shibuya-ku and Minato-ku, Oceans hopes to be your concierge from the moment you start rental search until you leave Tokyo.

CONTACT INFO

2F 1-7-5 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku 03-5766-7747 Open 10am-6pm Mon-Fri, closed Sat-Sun & hols sales@oceans.co.jp www.oceans.co.jp

WEBSITE

SAKURA HOUSE Apartments / Guesthouses / Dormitories SPECIAL OFFER New residents get up to ¥16,000 off the monthly rent for the first three months. Check website for details.

SERVICES ▶▶ Rent and deposit only! ▶▶ Utility costs, regular maintenance and internet all included

T

he Sakura House name is synonymous with foreigner-targeted accommodation in Japan. Twenty-one years after its first residence opened in Harajuku, the company has expanded to over 1,700 rooms in over 160 locations throughout Tokyo. Over 6,000 guests stayed in 2012 alone. Perfect for short- or long-term stays, shared accommodations start at ¥41,000 per month, while apartments start at just ¥68,000.

Rooms are clean, furnished, hassle-free and come with internet access. Support is available in English, Japanese, French, Spanish, Russian, German, Chinese, Korean, Arabic, Bengali, Hindi and Italian. The maintenance teams are just a phone call away and work daily to fix any problems.

Sakura House is committed to enriching its residents’ lifestyles by organizing cultural events such as tea ceremonies, kimono workshops and more. You're sure to make friends and enjoy some exciting new experiences!

Reserving a room online is easy and staff members are available to help via email, Facebook and Twitter.

14 ● SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

CONTACT INFO

2F Nishi-Shinjuku K-1 Bldg., 7-2-6 Nishi-

Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku Shinjuku Daily 8:50am-8pm 03-5330-5250 info@sakura-house.com www.sakura-house.com

HOUSING SPECIAL WEBSITE

SHARE PARK Share Houses SPECIAL OFFER

▶▶ ¥0 move-in campaign: contract fee (¥68,000-86,000), moving fee (up to ¥30,000), room cleaning costs (¥15,000), key issuance costs (¥5,000) all covered SERVICES ▶▶ Rent from ¥68,000-86,000

I

f you’re literally living out of a suitcase, you might want to consider moving in to one of the reasonably priced, high quality share houses in Tokyo offered by Share Company. Located in exclusive residential areas like Omori-sanno, their properties have convenient access to Tokyo, Shinagawa, Akihabara, Kawasaki and Yokohama stations. All you need is what’s in your backpack or valise since all furniture, bedding, TV, internet and other electronic goodies are included. They’ll even clean your room and change your sheets hotel-style for an extra fee.

You can also take advantage of their in-house fitness rooms and enjoy yoga, Pilates and even dance lessons.

With the help of other house mates, you might find yourself not just existing—but exercising, as well. Share Company is all about modern, stylish facilities and attentive helpful service. If you’re thinking about a new place in Tokyo—now’s the time to contact them!

CONTACT INFO

7F NEOX Shinjuku Bldg., 1-9-1 Shinjuku,

Shinjuku-ku Shinjuku Gyoenmae Mon-Fri 10am-7pm, closed Sat-Sun & hols 03-5367-4611 info@share-park.com http://share-park.com

WEBSITE

ENPLUS INC. | TOKYO APARTMENTS Apartments / Serviced Apartments / Real Estate SPECIAL OFFER

▶▶ Rental apartments: Up to ¥50,000 off for signed contracts— referrals also welcome ▶▶ Serviced apartments: Up to ¥30,000 off the first month’s rent SERVICES

T

okyo Apartments offers both short- and long-term rentals throughout the city. Through their recently revamped website, you can find a wide variety of serviced apartments as well as furnished and unfurnished rental apartments of all sizes and for all budgets. If you’re tired of searching through other websites and coming up empty-handed or you have limited knowledge of the real estate market in Tokyo, try contacting their English-speaking leasing consultants. They can help guide you through the process and find the housing solution that best fits your needs. Don't forget to visit their online guide to Tokyo for information regarding transportation, shopping, restaurants, bars and more. Other services include furniture rental, relocation support, property management, sales and investment and serviced offices; making Tokyo Apartments your one-stop housing solution. Check their website for more information and get ready to find your future accommodation today.

▶▶ ▶▶ ▶▶ ▶▶ ▶▶

Serviced apartments Furnished & unfurnished rental apartments Furniture rental Relocation services Property management

CONTACT INFO

Tokyo Serviced and Rental Apartments

2F Nomura Bldg., 4-8 Yonbancho, Chiyoda-ku

Ichigaya, Kojimachi Mon-Sat 9:30am-6:30pm 03-6273-0181 metropolis@enplus.co.jp www.tokyoapartments.jp

WEBSITE

DAIWA LIVING Real Estate PROPERTIES ▶▶ Pacific Royal Court Minato Mirai Room types: studio-3LDK ▶▶ Royal Parks Toyosu Room types: 1K-3LDK ▶▶ Castalia Tower Shinagawa Seaside Room types: 1LDK-3LDK+S

D

aiwa Living offers convenient upscale, urban living in stylish and elegant properties across the city.

Specializing in rental housing management and operations, it is one of the core companies in the Daiwa House Group, with a portfolio that exceeds more than 350,000 rental units across Japan. As part of their company growth strategy, they strive to offer the utmost in high quality customer service. They are currently introducing a new line of luxury apartments: the Royal Parks and Castalia series. Both have excellent locations (most of them in metropolitan Tokyo area and Osaka), layouts (studio- to family-type), amenities and include access to fitness room and guest rooms facilities. Select properties in Shinagawa, Toyosu, and Yokohama’s Minato Mirai area also have a concierge service available in English. You’re sure to find the apartment you’ve been dreaming about among the collection of Daiwa Living properties.

CONTACT INFO

7F 3-13-1 Iidabashi, Chiyoda-ku

Suidobashi Mon-Fri 9am-6pm 03-5214-2329 tokyo@daiwaliving.co.jp www.daiwaliving.co.jp

#1016 ● WWW.METROPOLIS.CO.JP ● 15

ADVERTORIAL

Oakhouse

Our summer interns sum up their Oakhouse experiences

M

etropolis and our sister website JapanTourist offered 32 young people f rom across t he world summer internships to explore, w r ite about a nd photog raph Japan. While in Tokyo they stayed at the Oakhouse Kamata 260 share house. Before they left, we asked them to tell us what they enjoyed about their Oakhouse experience and to share an easy Oakhouse Kamata day trip recommendation. Here are a few of the best.

RYAN REYNOLDS Oa k house’s K a mat a location affords tenants the ability to easily commute and t ravel bet ween bot h Tokyo and Yokohama.

Wit h surrounding amenit ies such as local grocer y stores, pha r mac ies, ba n k s, ramen shops and, of course, convenience stores g uests w ill never be left aimlessly

16 ● SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

"Free internet access and do so in a clean, safe and efficient environment." searching for their next meal, a replenishment of cash or a place to satisfy their next “noodle crav ing.” Similarly, in-house amenities also provide wallet-friendly services such as laundry machines and free internet access and do so in a clean, safe and efficient environment.

Given Oa k house Ka mata’s prox i m it y to Yokohama, its location is an ideal jumping off point for a day trip to Kamakura. Often referred to as Japan’s “Kyoto of the east,” Kamakura is rich in cultural heritage and natural beauty. Access to Kamakura from Kamata is simple and relatively quick. In less than 15 minutes you will arrive at Yokohama, where you can transfer and catch a JR train to the Kamakura. I suggest getting off one stop prior to the main station, at Kita-Kamakura, and walking into town. You can then hop back on the train as it winds its way around the coast and spend the rest of the day at Enoshima and enjoy wandering the narrow streets of the island enjoying tako senbei (octopus cracker) and an ice-cold bi-ru (beer).

CHRIS BARNES One t hing I really enjoyed about Oak house Kamata was the welcoming atmosphere in the building. W henever I came home from a day of sightseeing in Tokyo, I knew there would be friendly staff and guests that I could sit down, relax and talk with. In my experience, staying in larger share houses sometimes leads to antisocial tendencies, Oakhouse however is always welcoming, and it’s so easy to make friends with not only the other guests, but the staff too.

A 12-minute ride from Zoshiki station is the bustling city of Yokohama. I often spent my days there wandering around the beautiful Sankeien

garden, visiting the new city center, checking out the Cup Noodle and ramen museums and enjoying the waterfront breeze along Osanbashi Pier. I think Yokohama is slightly underrated due to its proximity to Tokyo and being so close to Oakhouse, I highly recommend you check it out.

MICHELLE MADDEN Oak house Kamata has ever y thing you need within a five minute walk such as the train station, cheap grocer y store, a pharmacy and a bank—all really convenient. The facilities available at the guesthouse are exceptional. They have a big well-equipped kitchen, an exercise room, a common room with comfortable couches, a bar and a bathhouse. They also grow their own herbs indoors, which is a nice touch. I found the people really friendly as well, both the staff and the other guests.

I went out to Fujisawa for a day on the beach.

It’s about one hour from Oakhouse Kamata by train. The beach was beautiful and full of people engaged in all sorts of activities like surfing and volleyball. I could even see Mount Fuji from the beach: that was a highlight for me.

ERIKA CLARK The best reason to stay at Oakhouse Kamata is the fact that it is safe, f u n a nd welc om i ng.

T here a re p e ople of different ages who live here a nd sha re t hei r lives with others. The managers are ver y friendly, caring and the facility is clean, secure, a nd rela x ing. Wit h friends to make, you’re sure to feel at home in no time.

A trip I enjoyed while I stayed at Oakhouse Kamata was a visit to the Yasukuni shrine for a festival. I went with a couple of people from the sharehouse that were kind enough to invite me. It is fairly easy to travel to anywhere you’d like, and we took a train from Zoshiki station, transferred at Keikyu Kamata and again at Nihonbashi, then walked to the shrine. The festival was extremely crowded with many food vendors and a lively atmosphere. Visiting alone would have been exciting, but the trip was definitely enhanced by the company I was with.

RORY JACKSON

Meeting Room

Herb Garden

I enjoyed my time in Oakhouse Kamata because of the friendly people I met and spent time with.

The communal area is a great place for meeting new f riends and t he residents of Oa k house Kamata come from all over the world—so it’s very inclusive.

With the whole of Tokyo nearby it’s hard to pick a single day trip to recommend, but I had a lot of fun exploring Takeshita-dori in Harajuku. Just catch the train to Harajuku or the subway to MeijiJingumae and it’s the street full of teenagers, crepe stands and weird fashion shops.

Music Room

ABOUT

OAKHOUSE

Founded in 1992, Oakhouse specializes in guesthouses and apartments for both foreign and Japanese clients and has over 16 0 lo c atio n s (u p to 2 ,7 3 2 ro o m s ) t h r o u g h o u t To k yo , Ka n a g aw a a n d Saitama. Guests can choose the location and room type that suits their needs, and there’s no deposit, key money or guarantor necessary. All that’s required is a small application fee (between ¥5,00030,000), one month’s rent, utility fees (¥5,000-15,000) and a minimum stay of one month. They also accept overseas applications and payment by credit card.

The Oakhouse multi-language information center in Shibuya is open seven days a week and its website features seasonal campaigns, event information and residents’ weblogs containing useful tips on guesthouse life and living in Tokyo.

Oakhouse Information Center Daikyo Shibuya Building 1F, 1-13-5 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku.

Tel: 03-3407-8433.

Open Mon-Fri 11am-8pm, Sat, Sun & hols noon-6pm.

Nearest stn: Shibuya. www.oakhouse.jp/eng

Kitchen

#1016 ● WWW.METROPOLIS.CO.JP ● 17

Agenda Listings Concerts POPULAR Pitbull

Party rapper with catchy sing-it-when-you're-drunk lyrics. Sep 13, 7pm; Sep 14, 6pm, ¥9,000 (adv). Tokyo International Forum Hall A. Nearest stn: Yurakucho.

Tel: 03-3499-6669. www. creativeman.co.jp

Nature Airliner

Acoustic ensemble with Johnny Barefoot, Jimmy Binks and The Shakehorns.

Sep 13, 7pm, ¥2,000.

Crocodile. Nearest stn: Shibuya. croco@crocodilelive.jp. www.crocodile-live.jp

Wire 13

Submit your event at metropolis.co.jp/listings/submit

Roach

Heavy rock with traditional Okinawan vocal melodies. Sep 23, 6pm, ¥3,000 (adv) /¥3,500 (door) +1d. Shibuya Milkyway.

Nearest stn: Shibuya. http:// eplus.jp

Bump of Chicken

Melodic J-rock band from Chiba that started as a high school project, now in their 19th year. Sep 25, 6:30pm; Sep 26, 6:30pm, ¥6,900 (adv).

Yokohama Arena. Nearest stn: Shin-Yokohama. Tel: 0180-993602.

Kemuri

Ska band with an upbeat sound and positive lyrics. Sep 26, 7pm, ¥4,000 (adv) +1d. Studio Coast. Nearest stn: Shin-Kiba.

Tel: 03-3444-6751.

All-night musica festival with Djs Takkyu Ishino, Ken Ishii and more. Sep 14, 6pm, ¥11,500 (adv).

Yokohama Arena. Nearest stn: Shin-Yokohama. www. wireweb.jp/13

S.N.F.U

Music Energy

Japanese-American hardcore based in Okinawa. Sep 27, 8:30pm, ¥500 (adv). Shibuya Ekimae Ongakukan. Nearest stn: Shibuya. Tel: 03-57286501. http://shoresofficial. tumblr.com/schedule

Female-only artist collaboration with Kalafina and more. Sep 14, 5pm, ¥6,300 (adv). Tokyo International Forum Hall C. Nearest stn: Yurakucho. http://kyodotokyo.com

Oedo Daikessen

Oriental rock Harvest with Ichigeki, Exist Trace and more. Sep 14, 6pm, ¥2,500 (adv) /¥3,000 (door) +1d.

Star Lounge. Nearest stn: Shibuya. Tel: 03-6277-5373. www.harvest000.com

Miwa

J-pop singer-songwriter from Kanagawa. Sep 15, 5pm, ¥5,500 (adv). Tokyo International Forum Hall A. Nearest stn: Yurakucho. kyodotokyo.com

Infinite

K-pop sensation. Sep 18, 7pm; Sep 19, 7pm; Sep 20, 7pm, ¥9,300 (adv) +1d.

Yokohama Arena. Nearest stn: Shin-Yokohama. Tel: 03-3499-6669.

Less than Jake

Ska punk from Florida. Sep 18, 7pm, ¥5,000 (adv) +1d.

Club Quattro. Nearest stn: Shibuya. Tel: 03-3444-6751. www.smash-jpn.com

The Datsuns

Hardcore punk from Canada.

Sep 26, 7pm, ¥3,500 (adv) +1d.

Club Quattro. Nearest stn: Shibuya. Tel: 03-3444-6751. www.smash-jpn.com

Shores

Roxyparty

Retro rockers Okamoto's, Okinawan pop-rock Oz and others. Sep 27, 6:30pm, ¥3,000 (adv)/ ¥3,500 (adv) +1d. Club Quattro. Nearest stn: Shibuya.

Tel: 03-3582-3030. www. club-quattro.com

The Sketchbook

Melodic punk rock trio. Sep 28, 5pm, ¥3,000 (adv) +1d.

Shibuya-AX. Nearest stn: Harajuku. Tel: 0570-550-799. http://thesketchbook.jp

Teachers for TELL

Kanto Plain International School faculty bands play for charity. Sep 28, 5pm, free (donations appreciated). What the Dickens. Nearest stn: Ebisu.

Tel: 03-3780-2099. http:// meturl.com/tellteachers2

Flumpool

Osaka J-pop rockers. Oct 1, 6:30pm; Oct 2, 6:30pm, ¥5,800 (adv). Nippon Budokan.

Nearest stn: Kudanshita. www. nipponbudokan.or.jp

City Rockers Tokyo

Old school Kiwi hard rock.

Sep 19, 7pm, ¥3,900 (adv) +1d. Club Quattro. Nearest stn: Shibuya. Tel: 03-34446751. www.smash-jpn.com

Bradberry Orchestra, Wrecking Crew Orchestra and others. Oct 1, 6pm, ¥4,000 (adv) +1d. Liquidroom. Nearest stn: Ebisu. Tel: 03-3405-9999. www.liquidroom.net

Cyntia

Beni

All-girl Japanese metal band. Sep 20, 7pm, ¥3,500 (adv) +1d. Shinjuku Blaze.

Nearest stn: Shinjuku. Tel: 03-5720-9999.

Sound Live Tokyo

International music festival with Ant Hampton, Tim Etchells and more.

Sep 21-Oct 6. various times, various prices, various venues. www. soundlivetokyo.com

Yuzu

J-pop duo. Sep 22, 5pm; Sep 23, 4pm, ¥6,500-9,450.

Yokohama Arena. Nearest stn: Shin-Yokohama. Tel: 0570-000-777.

All City Steppers

Japanese rock'n'roll revival pop-rock trio. Sep 22, 5pm, ¥4,800 (adv) +1d.

Shibuya-AX. Nearest stn: Harajuku. Tel: 050-55330888. http://allcitysteppers. com

Screw

Visual-kei metal. Sep 22, 5:15pm; Sep 23, 5:15pm, ¥4,500 (adv) +1d.

Liquidroom. Nearest stn: Ebisu. Tel: 050-5533-0888. www.liquidroom.net

Bilingual J-pop songstress. Oct 5, 5pm; Oct 6, 4pm, ¥4,8005,800. Zepp Diver City. Nearest stn: Daiba. www.kyodotokyo. com

Aaron Yan

K-pop cutie. Oct 5, 7pm; Oct 6, 3pm, ¥7,800-10,800 (adv) +1d. Shibuya-AX. Nearest stn: Harajuku. Tel: 050-5533-0888.

Justin Bieber

Teenybopper heartthrob.

Oct 7, 7pm, ¥9,000-14,000.

Saitama Super Arena. Nearest stn: Saitama-Shintoshin. Tel: 03-3499-6669.

The Strypes

+1d. Shibuya-AX. Nearest stn: Harajuku. Tel: 03-3499-6669.

Backstreet Boys

Princes of pop. Oct 11, 7pm; Oct 12, 5pm; Oct 13, 4pm, ¥9,500 (adv)/ ¥20,000 (premium seat, adv). Saitama Super Arena. Nearest stn: SaitamaShintoshin. Tel: 03-3499-6669. www.creativeman.co.jp

JAZZ/WORLD Nelson Rangell

Modigliani Quartet

Smooth jazz musician. Sep 13-15, ¥7,000-9,000. Cotton Club. Nearest stn: Tokyo. www. cottonclubjapan.co.jp/en

Pheeroan akLaff

Internationally acclaimed percussionist from Detroit leads a quartet of freedom seekers. Sep 16, 8pm, ¥4,000 (adv)/ ¥4,500 (door). Pit Inn. Nearest stn: Shinjuku Sanchome. Tel: 03-3354-2024. www.pit-inn.com

Omar Rosa

Afro-Cuban quartet. Sep 17, 7 & 9:30pm, ¥7,350 (adv). Blue Note. Nearest stn: Omotesando.

Tel: 03-5485-0088. www. bluenote.co.jp

Jonathan Butler

South African singersongwriter and guitarist. Sep 17-18, 6:30 & 9pm ¥7,500-9,500.

Cotton Club. Nearest stn: Tokyo. www.cottonclubjapan.co.jp/en

Joey Calderazzo Trio

Jazz pianist performs with Orlando Le Fleming and Adam Cruz. Sep 20-22, 6:30 & 9pm, ¥6,800-9,000. Cotton Club.

Nearest stn: Tokyo. www. cottonclubjapan.co.jp/en

Shibuya Reggae Matsuri

Spicy Chocolate, Ryo the Skywalker, Shock Eye and more. Sep 21, 4pm, ¥5,250 (adv). Shibuya-AX. Nearest stn: Harajuku. http://kyodotokyo. com

Dianne Reeves

Leading jazz vocalist. Sep 21-22, 5 & 8pm, ¥8,400. Blue Note. Nearest stn: Omotesando. www.bluenote.co.jp

Peter Hammill

The NHK Symphony Orchestra plays works by Brahms. Sep 21, 6pm; Sep 22, 3pm, ¥1,500-8,500. NHK Hall.

Nearest stn: Shibuya. www. nhkso.or.jp/en

Berlin Philharmonic Wind Quintet German woodwind ensemble performs works by Haydn, Mozart, Ibert and others.

Sep 28, 5pm, ¥2,000-4,500.

Saitama Arts Theater. Nearest stn: Yonohonmachi. Tel: 0570-064-939. www.saf.or.jp

Keisuke Toyama

Piano recital featuring works

by Chopin. Sep 29, 2pm, ¥3,000-4,000 (adv). Suntory Hall. Nearest stn: Roppongiitchome. www.suntory.com/ culture-sports/suntoryhall

Nighttime Organ Concert Performance by Megumi Ogata and Hideyuki Kobayashi. Oct 3, 7:30pm, ¥1,000. Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre. Nearest stn: Ikebukuro. Tel: 0570-010-296. www.geigeki.jp

Stage Falstaff

Teatro alla Scala performs Giuseppe Verdi's great opera.

Sep 4-14, 3 & 6:30pm, ¥13,00062,000. Tokyo Bunka Kaikan.

Nearest stn: Ueno. Tel: 03-37918888. www.nbs.or.jp/english

Rufus Lin Jazz Trio

Ozashiki Entertainment

Daikanyama Dazzling Night

Three artists from different genres collaborate to make something new. Sep 25, 7pm, ¥4,500 +1d. Loop. Nearest stn: Daikanyama. Tel: 080-43405820. http://kyodotokyo.com

Tito Jackson

Original member of Jackson 5 sings the blues. Sep 25-27, 7 & 9:30pm, Sep 28, 5 & 8pm, ¥8,400. Blue Note. Nearest stn: Omotesando. www.bluenote. co.jp

Kat McDowell

9mm Parabellum Bullet

Madeleine Peyroux

Recently reformed Brit-rockers. Oct 10, 7pm; Oct 11, 7pm, ¥7,350-8,000 (adv)

No. 1761 Subscription

Rigoletto

Speed blues punk from Ireland.

Oct 8, 7pm, ¥5,800 (adv) +1d.

Liquidroom. Nearest stn: Ebisu.

Tel: 03-3444-6751. www. smash-jpn.com

Suede

Italian string quartet plays Haydn and Ravel. Sep 17, 12:10pm, ¥1,000. Saitama Kaikan. Nearest stn: Urawa. Tel: 0570-064-939. www.saf.or.jp

Van der Graaf Generator founder's singer-songwriter project. Sep 21-22, 8pm; Sep 23, 7pm, ¥9,000 (adv)/ ¥10,000 (door). Pit Inn. Nearest stn: Shinjuku Sanchome. Tel: 03-3354-2024. www.pit-inn.com Mostly traditional jazz. Sep 21, 8pm, ¥1,500 (incl 1 d).

Café Dolce Vita. Nearest stn: Okubo. Tel: 03-3364-1530. http://rufuslinmusic.com/ live_in_tokyo

American jazz singer, songwriter and guitarist. Oct 2-3, 7 & 8:45pm, ¥6,500-8,500.

Billboard Live. Nearest stn: Roppongi. www.billboardlive.com

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FESTIVAL

Koji Oikawa

Pianist plays Beethoven. Sep 15, 2pm, ¥4,000-5,000. Suntory Hall. Nearest stn: Roppongiitchome. www.suntory.com/ culture-sports/suntoryhall

With The Underdogs and Ray Yamagucci. Sep 28, 7pm, ¥2,500 (adv)/ ¥3,000 (door).

Motosumiyoshi Powers II. Nearest stn: Moto-Sumiyoshi. www.katmusic.jp

Punk and heavy metal-influenced melodic rock. Oct 8, 7pm; Oct 9, 7pm, ¥3,500 (adv) +1d. Zepp Tokyo. Nearest stn: Aomi. Tel: 050-5533-0888.

Symphony Orchestra performs works by Mozart and Mendelssohn. Sep 13, 7pm, ¥3,500-7,000. Suntory Hall. Nearest stn: Roppongiitchome. http://yomikyo.or.jp/e

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Teatro alla Scala plays Giuseppe Verdi. Sep 9-15, various times, ¥13,000-62,000.

NHK Hall. Nearest stn: Shibuya.

Tel: 03-3791-8888. www.nbs. or.jp/english Rakugo by renowned storytellers and traditional dances performed by geisha.

Sep 16, 3pm, ¥2,000-4,000.

Yurakucho Asahi Hall. Nearest stn: Yurakucho. Tel: 03-32840131. http://meturl.com/ rakudance2013

Asagiri Jam

Think of it as the real Fuji Rock. Unlike its larger brethren, promoter Smash’s Asagiri Jam is held on a wide plateau that affords stunning views of Mt Fuji. The crowd may be smaller, and the main acts lesser ranking in international fame, but Asagiri is one of Japan’s best music festivals, with an easygoing vibe that lulls you to a state of autumn bliss. Despite not announcing the bill until just ahead of time, Asagiri always sells out. But it’s not hard to figure out who’s coming—simply have a look at Smash’s tour calendar the week of the festival.

Asagiri Arena, Oct 12-13, 10am, ¥13,800 (2 days, adv). Nearest stn: Shin-Fuji. Tel: 03-3444-6751. http://smash-jpn.com/asagiri

Kogawa. Until Sep 29, various times, ¥1,500-5,250. New National Theatre Tokyo.

Nearest stn: Hatsudai. Tel: 03-5351-3011. www.nntt.jac. go.jp/play

Belshazzar's Feast

Operatic portrayal of a Babylonian king's sacrilege and eventual death. Oct 1, 7pm, ¥2,000-5,000. New National Theatre Tokyo.

Nearest stn: Hatsudai. Tel: 03-5352-9999. www.nntt.jac. go.jp/english

Rigoletto

Opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. Oct 3-19, 2 & 7pm, ¥5,250-26,250. New National Theatre Tokyo.

Nearest stn: Hatsudai. Tel: 03-5352-9999. www.nntt.jac. go.jp/english

Breath of Sound

Collaboration of traditional Japanese wind instruments with contemporary music and dance. Oct 5, 6:30pm, ¥2,000-4,000. Tokyo Bunka Kaikan. Nearest stn: Ueno. http://meturl.com/ breathofsound2013

Koten e no Izanai Edo no Hana Ebizo Ichikawa presents a diversified version of traditional Japanese kabuki.

Oct 16, 2pm, ¥4,000-9,500.

Kanagawa Kenmin Hall.

Nearest stn: Nihonodori.

Tel: 045-663-9999. www. tvkcom.net

Showko

Verdi's famed opera performed

by Arena di Verona's resident company. Sep 17-19, 6:30pm, ¥30,000-70,000. Tokyo Dome.

Nearest stn: Suidobashi. Tel: tokyo@veronaaida.jp. www. veronaaida.jp

Enchanting blend of ventriloquism and rakugo performed in English. Oct 17, 7:30pm, ¥2,000 +2d. Bar? CCO. B1F 5-32-10 Daizawa, Setegaya-ku. Nearest stn; Shimokitazawa. info@ show-ko.com www.show-ko. com

Kagura meets Jazz

Duel: Opus 2

Aida - CANCELLED

Traditional Shinto dance gets revamped with the help of jazz guitarist Kazumi Watanabe.

Sep 20, 7pm, ¥1,000-2,000.

Mitsukoshi Theater. Nearest stn: Mitsukoshimae. Tel: 0120-03-9354. http://meturl. com/kagurajazz2013

Gamarjobat

Award-winning comedy performance group. Sep 21, 2pm, ¥4,500. Bunkyo Civic Hall. Nearest stn: Korakuen.

Tel: 0570-00-3337. www. gamar-jack.comAwardwinning comedy performance group. Nov 30, 1pm, ¥4,500.

Shibuya Kokaido. Nearest stn: Shibuya. Tel: 0570-00-3337. www.gamar-jack.com

Opus

Story of a quartet by Michael Hollinger featuring Eriko

COURTESY OF SMASH

Laurent Cirade and Paul Staicu combat with cellos, pianos and a barbecue set.

Oct 19, 7pm; Oct 20, 3pm, ¥1,000-2,500. Setagaya Public Theater. Nearest stn: Sangenjaya. Tel: 03-54321515. http://setagaya.pt.jp

The Marriage of Figaro

Dance What Happened Anyway Mika Kurosawa and Dancers perform with poets and musicians. Sep 16, 1 & 5pm; Sep 29, 5pm, ¥2,000-3,000.

Okurayama Kinen Hall.

Nearest stn: Okurayama.

Tel: 090-8490-5439. http:// mikadancers.seesaa.net

Romeo and Juliet

Performed by La Scala Theatre Ballet. Sep 20-23, various times, ¥5,000-¥18,000. Tokyo Bunka Kaikan. Nearest stn: Ueno. Tel: 03-3791-8888. www.nbs.or.jp/english

Tahiti Ora

Ori Tahiti-style Polynesian dance. Sep 21, 7:30pm, ¥9,00011,000. Akasaka Blitz. Nearest stn: Akasaka. Tel: 04-53210693. www.tahitiora.com

Kathak Dance Tokyo Gharana

Classical Indian dance. Oct 2, 8pm, ¥3,000 (adv)/ ¥3,500 (door). Spiral. Nearest stn: Omotesando. Tel: 080-13305859. www.atsukathak.com

Clubbing FRIDAY 13 Ageha

One Decade and a Half. Rock DJs Tanaka, Baba, etc Live: Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra and more. From 10pm, ¥5,700. Nearest stn: Shin-Kiba. www.ageha.com

Air

Ejoe’s House. House, soul DJs Ejoe Wilson, Pino, etc. From 10pm, ¥3,000 w/1d. Nearest stn: Shibuya. www.air-tokyo. com

Module

R20. House: DJs Yamada, Dunnno, etc. From 10pm, ¥2,500 w/1d. Nearest stn: Shibuya. www.module-tokyo. com

Ruby Room

Up All Night to Get Funky.

From 9pm, free. Nearest stn: Shibuya. www. rubyroomtokyo.com

Comic opera composed by Mozart. Oct 20- 29, 2 & 6:30pm, ¥3,150-21,000. New National Theatre Tokyo. Nearest stn: Hatsudai. Tel: 03-5352-9999. www.nntt.jac.go.jp/english

Sound Museum Vision

Wicked

The New Matrix Bar

Broadway musical spin-off of The Wizard of Oz. Until Oct 31, various times, ¥3,0009,800. Dentsu Shiki Theater Umi. Nearest stn: Shinbashi.

Tel: 0120-489-444. http:// wicked.jp

411. Hip-hop, reggae: DJs Kid Capri, Hazime, etc. From 10pm, (m)¥3,500 w/1d, (f)¥2,500 w/1d. Nearest stn: Shibuya. www.vision-tokyo.com Matrix Friday. Old school hip-hop, west side, south side, all mix DJ Ykk and more. From 6pm, ¥1,000 (after 11:30pm).

Nearest stn: Roppongi. www. matrixbar.jp

LISTINGS FOR COMPLETE FOR COMPLETE LISTINGS LISTINGS

PHOTOGRAPHY

Okino(Kyoko Jazz Massive) and more. From 10pm, ¥2,500 w/1d. Nearest stn: Shibuya. www.theroom.jp

Velours

All seats non-smoking

White Bubbly’s. DJs Daigo, Shunsuke, etc. From 10pm, (m)¥3,000 w/1d, (f)¥1,000.

Nearest stn: Omotesando. Tel: 03-5778-4777. www.velours.jp

Village

Grand Slam. Hip-hop: DJs Kast One, Nuckey, etc. From 10pm, (m)¥3,000 w/1d, (f)¥2,000 w/2d. Nearest stn: Azabu-Juban or Roppongi.

Tel: 03-6230-0343. www. villagetokyo.com

Womb

© VANESSA FRANKLIN

Bleu

Dynamic French photographer and Tokyo resident Vanessa Franklin has shot for top global ad agencies and high-end fashion magazines but her true love is the sort of artistic photography that has garnered her wall space in Paris, Edinburgh—and Roppongi Midtown. Now she’s occupying Jingumae’s Hasselblad gallery with “Bleu.” Created with stylist Matsuda Kosei, the series features the blue canvas familiar from hanami parties wrapped around models in various settings. Franklin’s fashion aesthetic combines with her artistic eye to offer a striking angle on Japanese motifs of ephemeral beauty.

Hasselblad Japan, Until Oct 1; free. Mon Fri 10am-6pm, closed weekends & hols. 1-10-32 Jingumae. Nearest stn: Harajuku. Tel: 03-6434-9567. www.vanessafranklin.com

Intergalactic. Techno, house: DJ Taku Takahashi and more.

From 11pm, ¥3,500. Nearest stn: Shibuya. Tel: 03-54590039. www.womb.co.jp

THURSDAY 19 Air

Jumble Beats. House, disco: DJs Yo-Gin, Stl, etc. From 10pm, ¥2,500 w/1d. Nearest stn: Shibuya. www.air-tokyo. com

The Room

Ryukyu Holic. Loose and hot music: DJs Genta, Sato, etc.

From 10pm, ¥2,000 w/1d.

Nearest stn: Shibuya. www. theroom.jp

Village

Celebration. Hip-hop: DJs Sah, Yaz, etc. From 11pm, (m)¥3,000 w/1d, (f)¥2,000 w/2d. Nearest stn: Azabu-Juban or Roppongi.

Tel: 03-6230-0343. www. villagetokyo.com

FRIDAY 20 Ageha

MEMORIAL Light

COURTESY OF PARTIES 4 PEACE

Expat DJ and producer Dave Twomey touched many people before his death from cancer this year. Now some of his friends come together to celebrate his life and works in an event produced by NPO Parties 4 Peace. “Light” will see a number of Twomey’s fellow Tokyo dance music aficionados perform, including Conoley Ospovat, Naoki Serizawa, Bob Rogue and Mel Bruce. Proceeds benefit the Twomey Scholarship Fund, which will provide underprivileged youth with musical and artistic experiences through the Music & Art Peace Academy, a group that invites aspiring young creators to participate in global voyages onboard the NGO Peace Boat, where they receive hands-on learning opportunities with professional artists.

Sep 20, 8pm, ¥2,500 (adv)/ ¥3,000 (door). M (Event Space & Bar), Shibuya-ku. Nearest stn: Daikanyama. www.parties4peace. com

The Room

Otoko Oibon. DJ Oibon and more. From 10pm, ¥2,500 w/1d. Nearest stn: Shibuya. www.theroom.jp

Velours

Golden Bash. DJs Matcha, Nic Liu, etc. From 11pm, (m)¥2,000 w/1d, (f)¥1,500 w/1d. Nearest stn: Omotesando. Tel: 03-57784777. www.velours.jp

Village

Ongaku. Hip-hop: DJs Matt Cab, Hokuto, etc. From 10pm, (m)¥3,000 w/1d, (f)¥2,000 w/2d. Nearest stn: Azabu-Juban or Roppongi. Tel: 03-62300343. www.villagetokyo.com

Womb

Holic. Techno: DJs Mr. G, Tamura, etc. From 11pm, ¥3,500. Nearest stn: Shibuya.

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

SATURDAY 14 Ageha

Shangri-La. Gay mix. From midnight, ¥4,000. Nearest stn: Shin-Kiba. www.ageha.com

Air

A Night with Onra. Hip-hop,

break beats: DJs Onra, Keizo, etc. From 10pm, ¥3,000.

Nearest stn: Shibuya. www. air-tokyo.com

Liquidroom

Yann Tomita Concert. DJ Yann Tomita and more. From 5pm, ¥7,000. Nearest stn: Ebisu.

Tel: 03-464-0800. www. liquidroom.net

Module

Back2basic. Hip-hop: DJs Watarai, Sakurai, etc. From 11pm, ¥3,000 w/1d. Nearest stn: Shibuya. www.moduletokyo.com

Sound Museum Vision

Indian Summer. House: DJs Rasmus Faber, Kyoko, etc.

From 10pm, (m)¥3,500 w/1d, (f)¥2,500 w/1d. Nearest stn: Shibuya. www.vision-tokyo. com

The New Matrix Bar

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

From 6pm, ¥1,000 (after 10pm). Nearest stn: Roppongi. www.matrixbar.jp

The Room

Sound Sanctuary. House, crossover: DJ Shuya

The Maximum. Techno: DJs Ben Sims, Alan Fitzpatrick, etc.

From 11pm, ¥3,500. Nearest stn: Shin-Kiba. www.ageha. com

Air

Deeper and Deeper. House, disco DJs Eli Escobar, Kza,: etc. From 10pm, ¥3,000.

Nearest stn: Shibuya. www. air-tokyo.com

Online Information Service for Foreign People in Minato City

Module

Texy. Techno, house: DJs Sugiurumn, Saimura, etc.

From 11pm, ¥2,000. Nearest stn: Shibuya. www.moduletokyo.com

Starting on Thursday, October 10, 2013

Sound Museum Vision

Kaikoo. Bass music: DJs Baku, Sarasa, etc. From 10pm, (m)¥3,500 w/1d, (f)¥3,000 w/1d. Nearest stn: Shibuya. www.vision-tokyo.com

The Room

Wah Wah. Rare groove: DJs Kuroda, Ryuhei, etc. From 10pm, ¥2,500 w/1d. Nearest stn: Shibuya. www.theroom.jp

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Village

Fantastic. Hip-hop: DJs Hokuto, Kekke, etc. From 11:30pm, (m)¥3,000 w/1d, (f)¥2,000 w/2d. Nearest stn: Azabu-Juban or Roppongi.

Tel: 03-6230-0343. www. villagetokyo.com

Womb

Trouble House. House: DJ Emma. From 11pm, ¥3,500.

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

UPCOMING Air

Atom. Techno. DJs Gonno, Keihin, etc: Live: Atom and more. Sep 21, from 11pm, ¥3,000. Nearest stn: Shibuya. www.air-tokyo.com

Module

Just Realize. Techno, house: DJs Faster, Takuya, etc. Sep 21, from 11pm, ¥3,000. Nearest stn: Shibuya. www.moduletokyo.com

Target: Foreign people aged 20 and older currently residing, living, working or studying in Minato City.

Available Languages: English, Korean, Chinese.

Date of Delivery: The 10th and 25th of each month.

How to Register: Register via the link below: https://service.sugumail.com/minato-information/html Surveys will be carried out by email approximately twice a year.

We are awaiting your registration.

Contact Information:

Global Community Planning Subsection, Community Promotion Section, Minato City

Tel: 03-3578-2308/2046 #1016 • WWW.METROPOLIS.CO.JP • 19

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Since 1949

今年は"にほんごをもの"にする Unit

Goldie x Dego. Drumnbass: DJs Goldie, Dego, etc. Sep 21, from 11:30pm, ¥3,800. Nearest stn: Daikanyama. www.unit-tokyo. com

Exhibitions AKASAKA/ROPPONGI 21_21 Design Sight

Color Hunting. Directed

by Dai Fujiwara. Until Oct 6, ¥500-1,000. Open Mon & Wed-Sun 11am-8pm, closed Tue. 9-7-6 Akasaka, Minato-ku. Nearest stn: Nogizaka. Tel: 03-3475-2121. www.2121designsight.jp

Fujifilm Square

Traveling Planet. Stunning travel photography from Yemen, Bulgaria, Peru and more. Until Sep 25, free. Ihee Kimura's Travels to Akita and the Ryukyu Islands. Photographer's documentation of pre- and post-war Japan. Until Dec 27, free. Open daily 10am-7pm.

9-7-3 Akasaka, Roppongi.

Nearest stn: Roppongi. Tel: 03-6271-3350. fujifilmsquare. jp/en

Mori Art Museum

Out of Doubt: Roppongi Crossing 2013. Contemporary art series held triennially. This installment takes a fresh look at a familiar intersection to most Tokyoites. Sep 21-Jan 13, ¥500-1,500. Open Mon & Wed-Sun 10am-10pm, Tue 10am-5pm. 6-10-1 Roppongi.

Nearest stn: Roppongi. www. mori.art.museum

Mori Arts Center Gallery

Harry Potter: The Exhibition.

Interactive theatrical event.

Audio tour available in English.

Until Sep 16, ¥1,000-2,500. Ever and Never: The Art of Peanuts.

Original drawings and sketches of Snoopy & co. Oct 12-Jan 5, ¥500-2,000. 52F Roppongi Hills Tower, 6-10-1 Roppongi.

Nearest stn: Roppongi. www. roppongihills.com/art/macg/

Suntory Museum of Art

Drinking Glass. A rare collection of drinking vessels from all over the world. Until Nov 11, ¥800-1,300. Open Wed-Sat 10am-8pm, Sun-Mon & hols 10am-6pm, closed Tue. 9-7-4 Akasaka, Minato-ku. Nearest stn: Roppongi. www.suntory. jp/sma

The National Art Center, Tokyo

Andreas Gursky. Germany's leading contemporary photographer. Until Sep 16, ¥600-1,500. American Pop Art: From the John and Kimiko Powers Collection. Works by Andy Warhol and others. Until Oct 21, ¥800-1,500. Divisionism from Van Gogh and Seurat to Mondrian. Oil paintings. Oct 4-Dec 23, ¥800-1,500. Open Wed-Mon 10am-6pm, closed Tue. 7-22-2 Roppongi. Nearest stn: Roppongi. www.nact.jp

GINZA/KYOBASHI/ TOKYO Bridgestone Museum

Gustave Caillebotte. Oil paintings. Oct 10-Dec 29, ¥1,000-1,500. Open Tue-Sun & hols 10am-8pm, closed Mon. 1-10-1 Kyobashi, Chuo-ku. Nearest stn: Tokyo.

Tel: 03-5777-8600. www. bridgestone-museum.gr.jp

Craft Gallery, The National Museum of Modern Art Close Up Crafts. Mixed media.

Sep 14-Dec 8, ¥300-500.

Open Tue-Thu 10am-5pm, Fri 10am-8pm, Sat-Sun 10am-5pm. 1-1 Kitanomarukoen Chiyoda-Ku. Nearest stn: Takebashi. Tel: 03-5777-8600. www.momat.go.jp/english

Idemitsu Museum of Arts Sengai and the World of Zen. Well-known Edo period Zen priest's humorous yet sophisticated paintings and

calligraphy. Sep 21-Nov 4, ¥700-1,000. Open Tue-Thu 10am-5pm, Fri 10am-7pm, closed Mon. 9F Teigeki Bldg, 3-1-1 Marunouchi. Nearest stn: Tokyo. www.tokyo.mae.lu/jp/ node_19876/hana-hito-tokyo

Mitsubishi Ichigokan Museum

Masterpieces from the Collection of Mitsubishi Ichigokan Museum.

Works by Renoir, Vallotton, Toulouse-Lautrec and more.

Oct 5-Jan 5, ¥400-1,200.

Wed-Fri 10am-8pm, Tue, Sat & Sun/hols 10am-6pm, closed Mon. 2-6-2 Marunouchi.

Nearest stn: Tokyo. Tel: 03-5405-8686. www.mimt.jp

Mitsuo Aida Museum

Even Just One Thing. 10th anniversary special display of the calligraphy artist Aida's most important works. Until Dec 15, ¥200-800. Open Tue-Sun 10am-5:30pm, closed Mon. B1 Tokyo International Forum Glass Bldg, 3-5-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku. Tel: 03-6212-3200. www.mitsuo.co.jp

National Film Center

Japanese Film Heritage.

Permanent collection of works from the National Film Center.

Until Apr 3, ¥40-200. Open Tue-Sun 11am-6:30pm, closed Mon. 3-7-6 Kyobashi. Nearest stn: Kyobashi. www.momat. go.jp

National Museum of Modern Art Tokyo

Seiho Takeuchi. Traditional Japanese paintings. Until Oct 14, ¥300-1,300. Open Tue-Thu & Sat-Sun 10am-5pm, Fri 10am-8pm. 3-7-6 Kyobashi.

Nearest stn: Takebashi. www. momat.go.jp

Shiseido Gallery

Me in Me. Japanese-inspired films and video installations

by Ming Wong. Until Sep 22, free. Open Tue-Sat 11am-7pm, Sun 11am-6pm, closed Mon. B1F Tokyo Ginza Shiseido Bldg, 8-8-3 Ginza, Chuo-ku.

Nearest stn: Shimbashi. Tel: 03-3572-3901. www.shiseido. co.jp/gallery

Zeit-Foto Salon

Tenjiku. Photos by Hitomi Watanabe. Until Oct 12, free. Open Tue-Fri 10:30am6:30pm, Sat 10:30am-5:30pm, closed Sun-Mon & hols. 4F Matsumoto Bldg, 1-10-5 Kyobashi, Chuo-ku. Nearest stn: Tokyo. Tel: 03-3535-7188. www.zeit-foto.com

HARAJUKU/AOYAMA Diesel Art Gallery

Extreme AR Image Core. Mixed media. Psychelic manga-style pop art by Kazuki Umezawa.

Until Nov 15, free. Open daily 11:30am-9pm. 1-23-16 Shibuya. Nearest stn: Shibuya. www.diesel.co.jp/art/

Laforet Museum

100 Headpieces. Haute couture catwalk headwear by Katsuya Kamo. Nov 2-18, ¥500. Laforet Harajuku 6F, 1-11-6 Jingumae.

Nearest stn: Meiji-jingumae. www.laforet.ne.jp/index.html

Nezu Museum

Lofty Elegance: Ink Painting from Medieval Japan.

Kamakura period art adopted from China. Until Oct 20, ¥600-1,000. Tue-Sun, 10am-4:30pm. 6-5-1 MinamiAoyama, Minato-ku. Nearest stn: Omotesando. www. nezu-muse.or.jp/en

Toto Gallery Ma

Christian Kerez: The Rule of the Game. Mixed media. Until Sep 28, free. 3F, Toto Nogizaka Blg, 1-24-3 Minami-Aoyama.

Nearest stn: Nogizaka. www. toto.co.jp/gallerma

Ukiyo-e Ota Memorial Museum of Art

Wild Geese and the Moon Beauties of Nature. Paintings by Utagawa Hiroshige. Until Sep 26, ¥500-700. Open Tue-Sun

10:30am-5:30pm, closed Mon. 1-10-10 Jingumae.

Nearest stn: Harajuku. www. ukiyoe-ota-muse.jp

SHIBUYA/EBISU Bunkamura: The Museum

Masterpieces from Yamadera Goto Museum of Art. Wide range of european paintings of the Barbizon School. Oct 20-Nov 18, ¥1,300. Open Mon-Thu & Sun 10am-7pm, Fri-Sat 10am-8pm. 2- 24-1 Dogenzaka. Nearest stn: Shibuya. Tel: 03-3477-9111. www.bunkamura.co.jp

Meguro Museum of Art

Yukio Tsuchiya. Performance art and design. Oct 19-Dec 8, ¥500. Open Tue-Sun 10am-6pm, closed Mon. 2-4-36 Meguro. Nearest stn: Meguro. Tel: 03-3714-1201. www.mmat.jp

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The Watari-Um Museum of Contemporary Art

Shuuji Terayama: Knock.

Performance art, film and photography. Until Oct 27, ¥800-1,000. Open Tue & Thu-Sun 11am-7pm, Wed 11am-9pm, closed Mon. 3-7-6 Jingumae. Nearest stn: Gaienmae. www.watarium. co.jp

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Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography

We Shall Meet in the Place Where There is No Darkness.

Landscape photography by Tomoko Yoneda. Until Sep 23, ¥500-700. Open Tue-Wed & Sat-Sun 10am-6pm, Thu-Fri 10am-8pm, closed Mon. 1-13-3 Mita, Meguro-ku.

Nearest stn: Ebisu. syabi.com

Tokyo Wonder Site Shibuya

Identities in the World.

Five artists reflect upon the themes "energy" and "identity". Mixed media.

Until Sep 23, free. 1-19-8 Jinnan. Nearest stn: Shibuya.

Tel: 03-3463-0603. www. tokyo-ws.org/shibuya

Yamatane Museum of Art

Hayami Gyoshu and the Elite of the Japan Art Institute.

Nihonga paintings on silk and paper. Until Oct 14, ¥800-1,000. Open Tue-Fri 11am-5pm, closed Mon & hols. 3-12-36 Hiroo. Nearest stn: Ebisu. Tel: 03-5777-8600. www.yamatane-museum. or.jp

SHINJUKU/ IKEBUKURO Bunka Gakuen Costume Museum

Soen & Soen Fashion Award. Fashion. Until Sep 28, ¥200-500. Mon-Sat 10am-4:30pm, Closed Sun and hols. Shinjuku Bunka Quint Bldg. 3-22-7 Yoyogi.

Nearest stn: Shinjuku. Tel: 03-3299-2387. www.bunka. ac.jp/museum/text/english. html

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Hiromart Gallery

Wah Steel. Paintings by Robin Fry. Until Oct 13, free. Open Wed-Sun 1-7pm, closed Mon-Tue. 1-30-7 Sekiguchi, Bunkyo-ku. Nearest stn: Edogawabashi. www. hiromartgallery.com

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NTT Intercommunication Center

Open Space 2013. A melting pot of artists and media.

Until Mar 2, free. 4F Tokyo Opera City Tower, 3-20-2 Nishi-Shinjuku. Nearest stn: Hatsudai. www.ntticc.or.jp

Roonee 247 Photography

Memento Mori. Photography

by Tsutomu Otsuka. Sep 24-29, free. 5-18-11 Shinjuku.

Nearest stn: YotsuyaSanchome. Tel: 03-33418118. www.roonee.com

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Shrove Tuesday. Photography

by Keijiro Kai. Until Sep 16, free. Unholy Matrimony in Kyrgyzstan. Works by Noriko Hayashi. Sep 24-30, free. Open daily 10am-7pm. Tokyo L-Tower 28F, 1-6-1, Nishi-shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku. Nearest stn: Shinjuku. Tel: 03-3344-0565. www.nikon-image.com/ activity/salon

Sompo Japan Museum of Art

Admission 1 ticket (7 min)=¥2000, 3 tix=¥5000, 5 tix=¥7500

JR Keiyo

Line

The Galleria d'Arte Moderna in Palazzo Pitti. Until Nov 10, ¥600-¥1,000. Tue-Sun, 10am-6pm, closed Mon. 42F Sompo Japan Bldg, 1-26-1 Nishi-Shinjuku. Nearest stn: Shinjuku. Tel: 03-5405-8686. www.sompo-japan.co.jp/ museum

Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery

Why Not Live for Art? Nine collectors reveal their treasures. Mixed media. Until Sep 23, ¥600-1,000. Project N53 - Teppei Ikehila. Painting.

Until Sep 23, ¥600-800.

Open Tue-Thu 11am-7pm, Fri-Sat 11am-8pm. 3-20-2 Nishi-Shinjuku. Nearest stn: Hatsudai. www.operacity. jp/en/ag

Tokyo Toy Museum

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Start a Company in Japan Sat, Sep 28, 2013 Entrepreneur’s Handbook Seminar If you have been considering setting up your own company, find out what it takes to make it successful.

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Japan Native Toys Collection.

Until Sep 29, ¥500-700. Open Fri-Wed 10am-4pm. Closed Thu. Yotsuya Hiroba, 4-20 Yotsuya. Nearest stn: Yotsuya Sanchome. Tel: 03-5367-9601. www.goodtoy.org

UENO National Museum of Nature and Science

Deep Sea. Earth's last frontier with a rich biodiversity that we have only just begun to explore. Until Oct 6, ¥300-600, plus special exhibition fee.

Open Tue-Thu & Sat-Sun 9am-5pm, Fri 9am-8pm, closed Mon. 7-20 Ueno Park. Nearest stn: Ueno. Tel: 03-3822-0111. www.kahaku.go.jp

The National Museum of Western Art

Michelangelo Buonarroti.

Painting, sculptures and more.

Until Nov 17, ¥700-1,400. Open daily 9:30am-5:30pm. 7-7 Ueno Park. Nearest stn: Ueno. www. nmwa.go.jp

The University Art Museum

The National Treasure Butto of Yakushi Nyorai and Masterpieces from Kohfukuji.

Wooden sculptures and bronze Buddha heads displayed for 1,300th anniversary of Nara’s Kohfukuji. Until Nov 24, ¥¥800-1,500. Open Tue-Sun 10am-5pm, closed Mon. 12-8 Ueno Park. Nearest stn: Ueno. www.geidai.ac.jp/museum

Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum

La Méditerranée dans les Collections du Louvre. Art and sculptures from the Louvre's Mediterranean collection.

Until Sep 23, ¥600-1,500.

Turner from the Tate: the Making of a Master. British romantic landscape paintings.

Oct 8-Dec 18, ¥600-3,200. 8-36 Ueno Park. Nearest stn: Ueno. www.tobikan.jp

Ueno Royal Museum

Art in Wonderland. Interactive and exploration-friendly art. Until Oct 6, ¥400-1,200.

Open Sat-Thur 10am-6pm, Fri 10am-8pm. 1-2 Ueno Park.

Nearest stn: Ueno. www. ueno-mori.org

OTHER AREAS Hara Museum of Contemporary Art

Enoshima. Photography by Eiichiro Sakata. Until Sep 29, ¥500-1,000. Open Tue-Sun 11am-5pm, closed Mon. 4-7-25 Kita-Shinagawa. Nearest stn: Kita-shinagawa. Tel: 03-34450651. www.haramuseum.or.jp

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Hoki Museum

Feeling the Light and the Wind. Realist painting by Japanese artists. Until Nov 10, ¥750-1,500. Open Mon & Wed-Thu 10am-6pm, Fri, Sat 10am-7pm, Sun 10am-5pm, closed Tue. 3-15 Asumigaokahigashi, Midoriku. Nearest stn: Toke. www. hoki-museum.jp

National Museum of Japanese History

The Great Eastern Japan Earthquake and its Recovery Efforts. Images and talks by people from the area. Until Sep 23, ¥250-420. Open Tue-Sun 9:30am-4:30pm, closed Mon. 117 Jonai-cho, Sakura-shi.

Nearest stn: Keisei-Sakura. www.rekihaku.ac.jp/english

Pacifico Yokohama

The Frozen Woolly Mammoth Yuka. New findings about the prehistoric beasts, featuring a full-size, frozen one. Until Sep 16, ¥900-2,200. 1-1-1 Minato Mirai, Nishi-ku, Yokohama.

Nearest stn: Minatomirai. www.pacifico.co.jp/english

Snow Contemporary XYZ Collective

Scenery as is. Extraordinary paintings of ordinary things by Korehiko Hino. Sep 20-Oct 6, free. 12pm-8pm Mon, Wed-Fri, closed Tue. 1F 2-30-20 Tsurumaki. Nearest stn: Komazawa Daigaku. Tel: 050 1148 7964. www.officekubota. com/snowcontemporary

The Container

H. Gil Yefman explores sex slavery and World War II. Mixed media. Until Oct 28, free. Mon–Fri 11am-9pm, Sat–Sun & hols 10am-8pm, closed Tue. Hills Daikanyama, 1-8-30 Kami-Meguro. Nearest stn: Naka-Meguro. www. the-container.com

The Museum of Modern Art, Hayama

War/Art 1940-1950: Sequences and Transformations of Modernism. Works by Tsuguharu Fujita, Shunsuke Matsumoto and more. Until Oct 14, ¥100-1,000. Open Tue-Sun 9:30am-5pm, closed Mon. 2208-1 Isshiki, Hayama, Miura-gun. Nearest stn: Zushi.

Yokohama Museum of Art

Masterpieces of French Paintings from the State Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts. Cézanne, Renoir and others. Until Sep 16, ¥800-1,300. Fri-Wed 10am-6pm. 3-4-1 Minatomirai, Nishi-ku. Nearest stn: Minato Mirai. www.yaf.or.jp/yma

Sports BADMINTON Yonex Open: Preliminary Round Sep 17, 10am, ¥500. Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium.

Nearest stn: Sendagaya. Tel: 03-5474-2112.

Yonex Open

Sep 18-Sep 22, 10am, ¥500-3,000. Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium.

Nearest stn: Sendagaya. Tel: 03-5474-2112.

BASEBALL Central League

Tokyo

Yakult Swallows vs.

Hanshin Tigers. Sep 13-15, 6pm, ¥500-4,500. Meiji Jingu Gaien. Nearest stn: Harajuku.

Yomiuri

Giants vs.

Hiroshima Toyo Carp. Sep 21-23, 6pm, ¥500-5,900. Tokyo Dome. Nearest stn: Suidobashi.

Tel: 03-5800-9999.

Tokyo

Yakult Swallows vs.

Yomiuri Giants. Sep 24-26, 6pm, ¥500-4,500. Meiji Jingu Gaien. Nearest stn: Harajuku.

Yomiuri

Giants vs. Tokyo Yakult Swallows. Oct 2-3, 6pm, ¥1,700-15,000. Tokyo Dome.

Nearest stn: Suidobashi. Tel: 03-5800-9999.

Pacific League

Saitama

Seibu Lions vs.

Chiba Lotte Marines. Sep 14-16, 1pm, ¥600-20,000.

Seibu Dome. Nearest stn: Seibukyujomae. Tel: 04-29251141.

Chiba

Lotte Marines vs. Orix Buffaloes. Sep 17-18, 6:15pm, ¥800-4,800. QVC Marine Field.

Nearest stn: Kaihin-Makuhari.

Tel: 043-296-1227.

Saitama

Seibu Lions vs.

Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters. Sep 17-19, 6pm, ¥600-20,000. Seibu Dome.

Nearest stn: Seibukyujomae.

Tel: 04-2925-1141.

Chiba Lotte Marines vs.

Fukuoka Softbank Hawks.

Sep 21-23, 2pm, ¥800-4,800.

QVC Marine Field. Nearest stn: Kaihin-Makuhari. Tel: 043-2961227.

More games and ticket info at www.npb.or.jp/eng

FIGURE SKATING Carnival on Ice

Oct 5, 7pm, ¥6,000-20,000.

Saitama Super Arena. Nearest stn: Saitama-Shintoshin. Tel: 048-600-3001.

PRO WRESTLING New Japan: Road to destruction

Sep 14, 6:30pm, ¥6,000-8,000.

Korakuen Hall. Nearest stn: Suidobashi. Tel: 03-5800-9999.

Tenryu Project

Sep 16, 6:30pm, ¥4,000-10,000.

Shinjuku Face. Nearest stn: Shinjuku. Tel: 03-3419-0536.

Zero 1

Sep 16, 12am, ¥4,000-6,000.

Korakuen Hall. Nearest stn: Suidobashi. Tel: 03-5800-9999.

Wrestling New Classic

Sep 18, 7pm, ¥3,000-7,000.

Shinjuku Face. Nearest stn: Shinjuku. Tel: 03-3419-0536.

Stardom: 5 Star GP Final

Sep 23, 12am, ¥3,500-15,000.

Korakuen Hall. Nearest stn: Suidobashi. Tel: 03-5800-9999.

Big Japan

Sep 25, 7pm, ¥3,150-6,300.

Korakuen Hall. Nearest stn: Suidobashi. Tel: 03-5800-9999.

RUGBY Top League

Ricoh

Black Rams vs.

Canon Eagles. Sep 13, 7pm, ¥300-3,500. Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium. Nearest stn: Gaienmae. Tel: 03-3401-3881.

Kubota

Spears vs. Toshiba Brave Lupus. Sep 14, 4pm, ¥300-2,000. Nippatsu Mitsuzawa Stadium. Nearest stn: Yokohama. Tel: 045-3112016.

Ricoh

Black Rams vs.

Toshiba Brave Lupus.

Sep 27, 7pm, ¥300-3,500.

Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium. Nearest stn: Gaienmae. Tel: 03-3401-3881.

NEC

Green Rockets vs NTT Docomo Red Hurricanes.

Sep 28, 7pm, ¥300-3,500.

Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium. Nearest stn: Gaienmae. Tel: 03-3401-3881.

NTT

Communications Shining Arcs vs. Toyota Verblitz. Sep 28, 5pm, ¥300-3,500. Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium. Nearest stn: Gaienmae. Tel: 03-3401-3881.

More game info at www. jrfu.org

SOCCER J. League, Division 1

Kashiwa

Reysol vs. Jubilo Iwata. Sep 14, 7pm, ¥1,0005,000. Hitachi Stadium.

Nearest stn: Kashiwa. Tel: 047-162-2250.

Kawasaki

Frontale vs.

Sanfrecce Hiroshima. Sep 14, 7pm, ¥800-4,500. Todoroki Stadium. Nearest stn: Musashikosugi. Tel: 044-7220303.

Yokohama

F Marinos vs.

LISTINGS FOR COMPLETE LISTINGS Cerezo Osaka. Sep 14, 7pm, ¥900-5,000. Nissan Stadium.

Nearest stn: Kozuke. Tel: 04-5477-5000.

Kawasaki

Frontal vs. Sagan Tosu. Sep 21, 7pm, ¥800-4,500.

Todoroki Stadium. Nearest stn: Musashikosugi. Tel: 044-7220303.

Urawa

Reds vs. Ventforet Kofu. Sep 21, 5pm, ¥1,0004,500. Saitama Stadium.

Nearest stn: Urawamisono. Tel: 048-812-1001.

Yokohama F Marinos vs.

Shimizu S-Pulse. Sep 21, 7pm, ¥900-5,000. Nippatsu Mitsuzawa Stadium. Nearest stn: Yokohama. Tel: 045-3112016.

More game and ticket info at www.j-league.org/eng

grounds and coffee makers from around the world. Sep 25-26, 10am-5pm; Sep 27, 10am-4pm, ¥1,500. Tokyo Big Sight. Nearest stn: KokusaiTenjijo-Seimon. info@ sjac2013.jp. www.bigsight.jp/ english

Tokyo Photo 2013

International art fair with exhibitors from all four corners of the world. Sep 27-30, 12-7pm, ¥1,000-1,300. Zozoji Temple.

Jōdo-shū Main Temple 4-7-35 Shibakoen Minato-ku. Nearest stn: Daimon. www.tokyophoto. org/2013

Community

SUMO September Grand Tournament

Sep 15-Sep 29, various times, ¥3,600-8,200. Ryogoku Kokugikan. Nearest stn: Ryogoku. Tel: 03-3623-5111. www.sumo.or.jp/eng

TENNIS Davis Cup: Japan vs.

Colombia

Sep 13-Sep 15, 1pm, ¥1,00010,000. Ariake Colosseum.

Nearest stn: Ariake. Tel: 03-3529-3301.

Toray Pan Pacific Open

Sep 20-Sep 28, various times, ¥1,000-21,000. Ariake Colosseum. Nearest stn: Ariake. Tel: 03-3529-3301. www.toray-ppo.co.jp/en

FROM SEP 21, 6:30-9:30PM Telephone Counselor Training Program Fall 2013 Comprehensive training program held over 12 weeks, starting September 21. Tuesday and Thursday evenings, 6:30pm - 9:30pm.

Wesley Center 2F, Minami Aoyama.

Email: lls.assist@telljp.com

International Knit Cafe

Rakuten Japan Open: Sunday

Rakuten Japan Open

Japan Armored Battle League Recruitment

Sep 30-Oct 6, various times, ¥1,000-13,000. Ariake Colosseum. Nearest stn: Ariake. Tel: 03-3529-3301. en.rakutenopen.com

Festivals Meguro Citizens Festival

A mixed bag of rakugo, belly dance, legal consulting and grilled saury. Sep 15, 9:30am3:30pm, free. Around Dendo Hiroba Park. Nearest stn: Meguro. Tel: 03-5722-9278. www.city.meguro.tokyo.jp

Daradara Matsuri

Festival dedicated to ginger and its many health benefits.

Until Sep 21, all day, free.

Shibadai Jingu, 1-12-7 Daimon, Minato-ku. Nearest stn: Daimon. Tel: 03-3431-4802. www.shibadaijingu.com

Fujisawa Enoshima Fireworks Festival

Boom factor: 3,000. Beachside fireworks light up the autumn sky. Oct 19, 6pm, free. Katase beach. Nearest stn: KataseEnoshima. Tel: 0466-224141. http:// meturl.com/ fujisawahanabi

Forums & Expos JATA Tabihaku Travel Showcase

International and domestic travel fair. Sep 14, 10am-6pm; Sep 15, 10am-5pm, ¥600 (students)/¥1,200 (adults).

Tokyo Big Sight. Nearest stn: Kokusai-Tenjijo-Seimon. www. tabihaku.jp

Tokyo Game Show

Video games, merchandise and cosplay. Sep 21-22, 10am-5pm, ¥1,000 (adv)/ ¥1,200 (door). Makuhari Messe.

Nearest stn: Kaihin-Makuhari. http://expo.nikkeibp.co.jp/ tgs/2013/en

SCAJ World Specialty Coffee Conference and Exhibition High quality coffee beans,

Regional Disaster Briefing Session on Animals

Informational seminar in cooperation with Animal Welfare Week.

Sep 28, 10am, free. Grand Conference Room. 2F Meguro City Office Complex, Kamimeguro.

Nearest stn: Nakameguro.

Tel: 03-5722-9505.

Languedoc-Roussillon Wine Dinner

Seminar with a South of France style gourmet dinner in an international atmosphere. Sep 28, 7-10:30pm, ¥9,980. Legato.

Nearest stn: Shibuya. www. wineandcooking.info

Other Events

Knitting and more. ; Sep 20, 10am-12pm, ¥400. MIFA. 5F Annex, Meguro City Office Complex, 2-19-15 Kamimeguro. Nearest stn: Nakameguro. quienes_0615@ u05.itscom.net www.mifa.jp

Sep 29, 1pm, ¥2,500-3,500.

Ariake Colosseum. Nearest stn: Ariake. Tel: 03-3529-3301.

Education Center. 2-4-36 Meguro. Nearest stn: Meguro. info@mifa.jp www.mifa.jp

Auditions open for Japan's first full contact, armored sports organization. Sep 22, 6:30pm, free. Ikebukuro Seibu My Space & Business Space, 2F Nukari Bldg., 1-16-20 MinamiIkebukuro, Toshima-ku.

Nearest stn: Ikebukuro. www. armoredbattle.com

Half-Fast Cyclists

Bicyclists of all treads meet for slide shows, lectures, ride-planning, etc. Every second Wed, 7pm, free, The Pink Cow. Nearest stn: Roppongi. Tel: 03-6434-5773. cowmail@thepinkcow.com

Tokyo Street Hockey Association

Casual street hockey group with regular meet-ups. Every first, second and third Fri, ¥2,000-3,000 (per player)/ ¥500 (goalies, girls, first timers) various venues. Check website calendar for details. www. tokyohockey.com

Learning Enjoy Haiku in English

English Haiku workshop with the Meguro International Haiku Circle. Sep 14, 6:30am, free (students)/¥1,000 (gen).

Meguro Citizens Center Community Education Center.

2-4-36 Meguro. Nearest stn: Meguro. yix04102@nifty.com www.mifa.jp

Deaf Culture in the US: Misunderstood Signs

American Sign Language teacher Martin Dale-Hench explores issues related to the deaf community and gives a short ASL lesson. Sep 18, 7pm, free. Lakeland College.

Nearest stn: Shinjuku. Tel: 03-3225-0425. lcj.lakeland. edu/lakeland-lectures

Introduction to Polish Culture

Cooking lesson and a talk about the nation's culture. Sep 21, 10am-2pm, ¥700 (MIFA members)/ ¥1,000. Meguro Citizens Center Community

Tokyo Runway A/W

Pret-a-porter fashion brands Dear Princess, Samatha Thavasa and more. Sep 14, various times, ¥4,50010,000. Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium. Nearest stn: Sendagaya. Tel: 03-54742112. http://tokyo-runway. com

Ark Hills Fall Festival

Obon dance, traditional floats and gourmet food stalls. Sep 14-16, all day, free. Ark Karajan Place, 1-12-32 Akasaka, Minato-ku.

Nearest stn: Roppongiicchome. www.arkhills. com/event

Belgian Beer Weekend

More than 73 different kinds of beers up for tasting.

Sep 6-16, 2-10pm Mon-Fri, 11am-10pm Sat & Sun, ¥3,000 (adv)/ ¥3,100 (door).

Roppongi Hills Arena.

Nearest stn: Roppongi. belgianbeerweekend.jp

Ghosts and Goblins of Old Tokyo

Explore the backstreets of Edo, one of the most haunted cities in the world; Sep 18, 1pm, ¥3,000. Meet outside McDonalds, Higashi-Ueno.

Nearest stn: Inaricho. www. hauntedtokyotours.com

Four Legs Good, Two Legs Bad Opening Reception

Zoo portraits by Yago Partel other unique works available for purchase.

Sep 20, 4:30pm, free.

UltraSuperNew Gallery.

Nearest stn: Harajuku. meturl.com/fourlegs

Mitsu 10

A terrifying haunted house experience under the theme "teeth". Ages 6 and up. Until Sep 23, 10am-4pm (scary) & 5pm-9pm (scarier), ¥800. Tokyo Dome City.

Nearest stn: Suidobashi.

Tel: 03-3817-6001. www. mitsu10.com

Screen Beauties Vol.1

Digitally remastered screening of old movies featuring cinematic stars.

This edition features three movies with Audrey Hepburn. Sep 28-Oct 13, various times, ¥1,000 (adv)/ ¥1,800 (door)/ ¥3,000 (all 3 screenings). Shinjuku Piccadilly, Kawasaki Cine Citta and others. www. screenbeauties.com

Tokyo Grand Tea Ceremony

A unique opportunity to experience firsthand the many different styles of serving Japanese tea.

Sep 28-29, 10am-5pm, ¥700. Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum. Nearest stn: Musashikoganei. www.tokyo-grand-teaceremony2013.jp

#1016 • WWW.METROPOLIS.CO.JP • 23

MOVIES

BY DON MORTON

THE WOLVERINE: © 2013 TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX.; HYDE PARK ON HUDSON: © 2012 FOCUS FEATURES LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED; UPSIDE DOWN: © 2011 / UPSIDE DOWN FILMS- LES FILMS UPSIDEDOWN INC -ONXY FILMS -TRANSFILM INTL -STUDIO37 - KINOLOGIC - FILMS - (UD)-JOUROR PRODUCTIONS -FRANCE 2 CINEMA; SIDE EFFECTS: © 2013 HAPPY PILL DISTRIBUTION, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. ON THE ROAD: ©: GREGORY SMITH; MAN OF STEEL: ©WARNER BROS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.; STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS: PHOTO CREDIT: ZADE ROSENTHAL © 2013 PARAMOUNT PICTURES. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.; GINGER & ROSA: ©BRITISH FILM INSTITUTE AND APB FILMS LTD 2012

More reviews and theater details: metropolis.co.jp/movies

Metpod

THE WOLVERINE

O

kay, conde scend in g critic that I am, I went in expecting yet another pretentious, tediously overblown, save-the-planet exercise in CGI, but found instead a modest, surprisingly fun and refreshingly old-school superhero movie done on a human scale (if that’s the right phrase for a flick about an immortal ronin with retractable metal claws). This time, the action, of which there’s plenty, moves to Japan, because (1) there are lots of yucky yakuza, nimble ninja and smarmy samurai here to throw at our hero, and (2) the filmmakers are not unaware of their second-largest global market.

The requisite violence is relatively coherent, including a very cool battle atop a speeding shinkansen.

It’s the least cartoonish, if you will, of Marvel’s recent offerings, and plays more like a self-contained, J-noir

SIDE EFFECTS

An ambitious psychiatrist (Jude Law) prescribes an unproven anti-depressant for a new patient (Rooney Mara).

The drug causes “extreme sleepwalking,” and when tragedy strikes, the poor shrink is blamed. This is starting to look like a message movie, but Steven Soderbergh doesn’t do message movies, and soon we find our perceptions changing as the story moves from social outrage at Big Pharma into high-stakes gamesmanship and Hitchcockian duplicity.

Rooney Mara holds all this together with a difficult, complex portrayal.

This low-key, elegantly coiled bag of tricks is nimbly plotted and quite satisfying. (103 min)

eiga

O

HYDE PARK ON HUDSON

crime story that happens to involve a gaijin superhero. Hugh Jackman anchors the film with an intense, character-based performance as Logan/Wolverine, and is backed up

by Japan’s Rila Fukushima and Tao Okamoto as ass-kicking sidekick

ON THE ROAD

Jack Kerouac’s legendary 1957 st rea m- of- consciousne ss novel has long been considered unfilmable. That said, this evocatively filmed take by Walter Salles (The Motorcycle Diaries) is surprisingly effective entertainment. The characters’ rebellious hunger for life is there; their wanderlust; their quest for self-discovery. But the overall tone is a little on the sane side, given the source material. The best parts, tellingly, are the voice-overs of Kerouac’s prose, which prompted me to read the book again. And when you think about it, isn’t that the best way to deal with an unfilmable novel? (124 min)

© LEIJI MATSUMOTO/CAPTAIN HARLOCK FILM PARTNERS

riginally a massively popular manga written and illustrated by celebrated author Leiji Matsumoto, Space Pirate Captain Harlock has become a franchise with a long-running animation series. Now a feature film with a budget north of $30 million it’s one of the most expensive Japanese films in recent memory. The Shinji Aramaki-directed work, featuring motion capture effects in the animation, had its world premiere at the prestigious Venice International Film Festival just days before it opened in Tokyo on September 7. Set in 2977, the galaxy is ruled by the evil Gaia Coalition while 500 billon displaced humans fight to return to earth. Chief among them is Captain Harlock (Shun Oguri), a daredevil rebel who attacks the Coalition’s space ships and battles for people’s right of return. In fact, Harlock is trying to turn back time to era when the earth was still human. The CG animation is somewhat disappointing for such an expensive production and the plot is filled with tired action scenes in which Harlock slices up countless baddies, but the overall thrust of the piece has momentum and excitement.

Fans of the genre should buckle up for an intergalactic ride. (115 min) Rob Schwartz

and damsel in distress respectively.

The long-gone Jean Grey character frequently shows up in Logan’s guiltridden nightmares, mostly to give Famke Janssen something to do. In useless 3D. Japanese title: Wolverine Samurai. (126 min)

MAN OF STEEL

This unnecessary reboot is more a blow-stuff-up science fiction fantasy (we don’t have enough of those) than a superhero saga. It badly wants to be taken seriously, but it’s soulless, manipulative, overlong and derivative, the characters are thinly drawn, the tone is dour, the patriotism is faux, and it plods when it should soar.

There’s no joy. The luminous, rather simple Superman story just can’t be shoehorned into the dark, complex Batman mold. Henry Cavill, as the title ferrous fellow, shows that The Cold Light of Day was not a fluke. He really is a dreadful actor. Man of Wood, maybe. Superturkey. (143 min)

movie news

“W

A potentially intriguing but ultimately aimless look at the 1939 visit to FDR’s upstate New York estate by England’s King George VI to seek America’s participation in the coming war. The scenes of the crippled President (Bill Murray, who grows on you) interacting with the shy, stuttering King (an able Samuel West, but no Colin Firth) are energetic and insightful. Problem is, all this energy dissipates abruptly when the film moves into the parallel story of the allegedly randy Roosevelt diddling his mousy fifth cousin. Daisy is so bland that even the excellent Laura Linney can’t make her interesting. Japanese title: Watashi ga Aishita Daitouryou. (95 min)

GINGER & ROSA

Sally Potter’s latest is the emotional and political coming-of-age story of a pair of best girlfriends. The time frame is the Cuban missile crisis in 1962 England, during which the girls’ bohemian families are heavily into the leftist ban-the-bomb movement.

The focus is on Dakota’s little sister Elle Fanning as Ginger (playing a 17-year-old at just 13!). Of special note is Alessandro Nivola as her father, a jailed conscientious objector during WWII who milks his “sacrifice” for all it’s worth, including the justification of an appalling betrayal. A self-involved villain you’ll love to hate. Japanese title: Ginger no Asa. Sayonara, Watashi ga Aishita Sekai. (90 min)

KEVIN MCGUE

e are in a position to change Japan from t h e i n s i d e ,” s ay s Megumi Nishikura, and by “we” the filmmaker is referring to multicultural Japanese. Speaking at a recent press conference at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Japan, Nishikura pointed out the lack of honest depictions of the experience of such people, who are known as hafu in Japan.

Despite the recent popularity of hafu models such as Rola and Becky, Nishikura says there is “no deeper conversation of what their life was like before they became famous” or the everyday life of hafu. Deciding to do something, she and co-director Lara Perez Takagi, both of whom have one non-Japanese parent, spent three years making the documentary Hafu. It profiles five people, including a boy with a Mexican mother who struggles with bullying at school, a man raising money in Japan to build a school in his mother’s country of Ghana, and a woman who didn’t know her father was Korean until she was nearly an adult.

The doc has already had screenings in New York, San Francisco and L.A., but Nishikura hopes many Japanese people will view it. “Many hafu grow up thinking they are Japanese, but that is not reflected back to them,” she explains. “We made this film so anyone can feel like they have walked in the shoes of hafu people and understand them.” Hafu will screen from October 5 at Shibuya Uplink (www.uplink.co.jp). Kevin Mcgue

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NEW

UPSIDE DOWN

Planet-crossed lovers Jim Sturges (breathlessly boyish) and Kirsten Dunst (basically a smiley face) live on twin, nearly abutting worlds with conflicting gravities (called “Up Top” and “Down Below”). Geez, as if it weren’t hard enough to hook up these days! None of this exasperating idiocy makes a lick of sense, but that’s okay, see, because this is, like, social commentary (although of the comically obvious variety). Visually enthralling, but one of the dumbest flicks you’ll see this year. It doesn’t even abide by the wacky laws of physics it posits. This one’s gone seriously sideways. (100 min)

STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS

I saw it, and I enjoyed it. But little re a l ly s t uc k . L e on a rd Ni moy ’s c a m e o ( a n d Z a c h a r y Q u i n to ’s nailing of the character he created), Benedict Cumberbach’s powerful performance as a complex villain, the zowie special effects, its warpspeed pacing. Wisely not ignoring the past, it includes a plethora of little in-joke surprises for long-term fans of the now nearly 50-year-old series/franchise (now, what are they called?). So it hits all its marks and successfully walks the cusp between too much reverence for the ST canon and not enough. A fun and satisfying blockbuster, but no The Wrath of Khan. (132 min)

cinematic underground

© RED CROWN PRODUCTIONS

T

he Tokyo International Film Festival is inviting Metropolis readers to a special screening of What Maise Knew (pictured), which transplants Henry James’s novel to the present day to show divorce from the perspective of a child, at 4pm on September 29 at Akasaka Civic Center Hall.

Email cinematic@metropolis.co.jp for a chance to win one of five available tickets. The 26th Tokyo International Film Festival runs October 17-25 at Roppongi Hills and other venues. http://tiff. yahoo.co.jp/2013/en/… A documentary on one woman shunning modern Japan in favor of a people-friendly and eco-friendly lifestyle is screening at Ginza’s Cine Switch (4-4-5 Ginza, Chuo-ku ; www.cineswitch.com) from September 14. Venetia’s Garden was filmed at the 100-year old Kyoto home and garden tended

by Briton Venetia Stanley-Smith…The microbudget American comedy Strutter is beating the odds to find an audience in Japan.

Directors Allison Anders and Kurt Voss raised $17,000 on Kickstarter to make the gritty, black and white story of an L.A. rocker who loses both his band and his girl to his musical idol.

Screening from September 14 at Shibuya’s Image Forum (2-10-2 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku; www.imageforum.co.jp). KM

THE LATEST DISH ON FOOD & DRINK IN THE BIG CITY

Dining Out

local flavors

ISLAND EATS

Throw down some good grinds at Tokyo’s best Hawaiian restaurants

By Steve Trautlein

J

apanese and Hawaiians share more than just an island heritage—they’re also united by a love of eating and a distinctive culinary heritage. Tokyo diners can sample the best of Hawaiian cuisine at these restaurants; the only thing missing is the lu’au.

OGO ONO-LOA HAWAII

MANOA ALOHA TABLE To get an idea of how passionate the Japanese have become about Hawaiian food, consider the success of the Aloha Table chain, which has expanded into more than a dozen locations here and abroad. The restaurants are notable for their casual yet eye-catching interiors, can’t-miss locations (Daikanyama, Nakameguro, Ikebukuro) and faithful renditions of popular island fare. At the Sakuragicho branch near the Yokohama waterfront, diners can sit on the breezy terrace and wash down their garlic shrimp (¥880) and tuna rice bowls (¥980) with tropical cocktails (from ¥730) and beers from Kona Brewing Co (¥830).

1F Colette Mare, 1-1-7 Sakuragicho, Naka-ku.

Tel 045-664-7110. Open daily 11am-11pm.

Nearest stn: Sakuragicho. http://manoa . alohatable.com

EGGS & THINGS The original Honolulu branch of Eggs & Things, established in 1974, has long been a favorite of Japanese tourists—as evidenced by the crowds that gather outside the restaurant on Saratoga Rd. each day. Now, the frenzy has made its way to Japan in the form of three locations in Kanto. At the Yokohama branch, the customers begin lining up a full hour before the 9am opening time—and the queues only get longer as the day wears on.

The crowds come for fruit-and-nut pancakes piled high with whipped cream, gooey omelets and island-inflected dishes like scrambled eggs with spam, all for around ¥1,000.

Harajuku: 4-30-2 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku; Yokohama: Star Hotel, 11 Yamashita-cho, Naka-ku; Enoshima: 2-17-22 Katase-Kaigan, Fujisawa, Kanagawa. See www.eggsnthingsjapan.com for details.

CAFÉ KAILA Another Honolulu pancake house that’s won an avid following among the Japanese, Café Kaila distinguishes itself by virtue of its location in Omotesando’s upscale Gyre complex. The specialty of the house is the “Kaila original pancake” (¥2,000), which includes a trio of hotcakes topped with fresh strawberries, blueberries and banana; add caramelized apple for ¥300 extra. If you want to tr y the dish, though, you’d better show up early: orders are limited to 300 a day, and the restaurant is always mobbed. Café Kaila also serves

COURTESY OF CAFE KAILA

Hawaii’s most famous chef, Roy Yamaguchi, made a name for himself in the ’90s with an inventive, upscale take on island cuisine. His focus on local ingredients and Asian seasonings rode the wave of fusion cooking and anticipated the locavore movement that’s now sweeping Honolulu and beyond.

Yamaguchi operates more than 30 restaurants around the world. Roy’s Tokyo Bar & Grill, his sleek Roppongi Hills location, recently celebrated its 10th anniversary. Lunch from ¥1,500, dinner from ¥3,800—and don’t forget holiday brunch.

Roppongi Hills West Walk 5F, 6-10-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku. Open daily 11am-4pm & 5-11:30pm.

Tel: 03-5474-8181. Nearest stn: Roppongi.

COURTESY OF CAFE KAILA

ROY’S TOKYO BAR & GRILL

COURTESY OF EGGS N’ THINGS

Considered by many expats to be the most authentic island restaurant in Tokyo, Ogo Ono-loa Hawaii offers huli-huli (rotisserrie) chicken, lomi salmon (diced with tomato and veggies) and kalua (slow cooked) pig. The teriyaki ahi poke (cubed and seasoned raw fish)—one of five poke dishes on the menu—took top prize at the 2007 Hawaii Island Festival. Ogo Ono-loa Hawaii’s mix combo lunch, which includes a choice of mains and sides served in a nifty four-section wooden dish, is supremely filling and satisfying (¥1,100-¥1,200). The 6:30-7:30pm happy hour features ¥500 PuPus and drinks.

5F, 5-1-4 Akasaka, Minato-ku. Tel: 03-3585-5337.

Open Mon-Fri 11:30am-2pm & 6:30pm-11:30pm, Sat-Sun 6:30pm-11:30pm. Nearest stn: Akasaka.

French toast, waffles, sandwiches and 100 percent Kona coffee.

B1 Gyre, 5-10-1 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku. Tel: 03-6427-1310. Open Mon-Fri 9am-8pm, Sat-Sun & hols 8am-8pm. Nearest stn: Meijijingumae or Omotesando. www.cafe-kaila.com

L&L HAWAIIAN DINING CAFÉ With cheery white walls, an open-air layout and a location in the heart of Shibuya, L&L Hawaiian Dining Cafe recreates the casual spirit of Hawaii’s ubiquitous plate-lunch cafeterias. Which is no surprise: the shop is part of an Oahu-based chain that operates more than 175 franchises in the US. Islandstyle bentos (from ¥820) feature mains such as BBQ chicken and fried mahi mahi, served with white rice and macaroni salad. Everything’s available a la carte, so you can mix and match to create your own personal lunch. Open late-night on weekends.

36-6 Udagawacho, Shibuya-ku. Tel: 03-34630141. Open Sun-Thu 11am-11pm, Fri-Sat 11am-3am. Nearest stn: Shibuya. www.plate lunch.co.jp

#1016 • WWW.METROPOLIS.CO.JP • 25

GORGEOUS BAR &LOUNGE CONVENIENT STANDING CASH-BAR AREA SELECTEDALCOHOL & FOOD FROM ¥500

UPCOMING EVENTS 9/13(FRI) HEINEKEN NIGHT featuring SAMBA DANCERS! Beautiful Brazilian Terrace!

Craft Beer from

¥500

9/20(FRI) POMMERY NIGHT FRENCH FRIDAY featuring FRENCH DJ “DAVY” 9/27(FRI) HEARTLAND FRIDAY GIG featuring METROPOLIS GETSUMATSU PARTY! *No cover charge This September, we bring you "P.C.M. Brazilian Terrace".

Experience Brazil with special food and drinks.

Come spend a pleasant evening with us at P.C.M.!

1F Tokia Tokyo Bldg, 2-7-3 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku.

Nearest stations: Tokyo or Yurakucho. Open: Lunch 11am-2:30pm, Tea 2:30-5pm, Dinner (Mon-Fri) 5pm-4am LO 3:30am, (Weekends and hols.) 5pm-11pm LO 10pm

☎ 03-5222-1251www.miyoshi-grp.com/cardinal/pcm

26 • DOWNLOAD OUR PODCAST AT • PODCAST.METROPOLIS.CO.JP

BITES

THE LATEST DISH ON FOOD & DRINK IN THE BIG CITY

demon alcohol

COURTESY OF KONISHI SAKE BREWERY

N

Dining Out

bistro booze

T

early 60 years after he first destroyed Tokyo, a miniature version of everyone’s favor ite l i za rd i s send i n g a new ge ne rat ion of fa n s s c ra m bl i n g— to capt u re one of t he ju st 3,000 av a i l a b l e b o t t l e s o f Ya b u k a iou Sake Godzilla (¥10,500). Shigeaki Ito designed this limited edition shochu decanter, in a ceramic casing molded in the image of the rampaging kaiju. Ito says he was going for a “ferocious, but kind appearance.” Standing only 24 centimeters tall, he’s not likely to knock over Tokyo Tower again, but it’s what’s inside that counts: 720ml of 100 percent barley shochu made with water from the Rokko mountains. Just don’t drink it all at once, or you’ll wake up with a monster hangover.

Available online from Konishi Brewing. http://choujugura.com

he b i s t ro F re nch n a (1F, 2-16-1 Konan, Minato-ku.

Ne a re s t s t n : Sh i n a gawa ; 03-6717-6571) quietly opened at Sh i n a gawa’s E a s t O ne Towe r i n mid-August, but they are already recognized as having one of the cheapest wine lists in town. Bottles of red and white can be ordered for just ¥1,029 a pop (plus a ¥525 bottle charge per person for the first bottle only) and sparkling starts from ¥1,365. It’s a pretty fair deal once you get to your second or third round. The plentiful vino pairs with the equally frugal white-wine steamed clams and mussels (¥1,029 small, ¥1,554 regular), buffalo mozzarella and tomato gazpacho (¥819) and farm fresh veggies. The food on offer is always matched to the wine selection, so you’ll always find the perfect fit. Sante! Open for lunch (11am-2pm) and dinner (4-11:30pm) Mon-Fri, dinner only Sat-Sun.

oenephilia

eat, cry, love

2013 Grand Open!

8 types of draft beer and over 80 types of bottled beer ALL 14:00-19:00 HOUR! ￥500 HAPPY - VEDETT EXTRA WHITE

Searching for Metropolis?

Pick up your copy at these locations: • Tower Records • HMV • Kinokuniya Books • Maruzen Bookstore Aoyama Book Center • Hilton Hotel • Keio Plaza Hotel • Japan Tourist Information Center (JNTO) • Dubliners Irish Pub • Nissin World Delicatessen • Union Motomachi • Peacock Jiyugaoka & Aoyama • Precce Midtown

Marunouchi Central Exit

Open: 11am-11pm (L.O. food 10pm/ drink 10:30pm) Lunch time: Weekdays 11am-2pm, Sat, Sun & Hols 11am-4pm TEL: 03-5220-2272 - Email: repos@eurobeer.net

B1F PCP BLDG, 1-11-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku

Tokyo Stn

- KRIEK BELLE-VUE - EDELPILS - COCKTAILS - GLASS WINE

Yaesu Central Exit Kyobashi Stn Exit 5

7min from Tokyo stn. Yaesu Central Exit, 5min from Kyobashi stn (Ginza Line) Exit 5 10min from Yurakucho Stn.

Tokyo International Forum

uch o St n Soto boridori

http://metropolis.co.jp/ distribution

A

meal so tasty it brings tears to the eyes? Hanagoyomi R o p p o n g i ( P i r a m i d e 3F, 6-6-9 Roppongi, Minato-ku. Nearest stn: Roppongi; 03-5474-4135) has launched its Onna Nakase (“crying lady”) Fair, effectively claiming its offerings are so sumptuous they will have the fairer sex weeping with joy.

It seems that during Edo period, poet Saikaku Ihara mused that women are helpless against the temptations of imo (sweet potato), tako (octopus) and kabocha (pumpkin). The set meal bases three dishes on each of these ingredients, for a total of nine delectable delights. Veggies shaped like gingko and maple leaves create kaiseki feel. Onna Nakase nihonshu from Shizuoka (¥1,200) also promises to turn on the water works. The pumpkin and cheese spring rolls (¥800), tako shabu salad (¥850) and yaki imo chocoloate pudding (¥600) may not be enough to get a modern gal teary eyed, but the selection will definitely get their mouths watering.

Available Mon-Fri at dinner until September 30.

Yur ak

L

o cate d i n t he he a r t of California wine country, Madrona Manor is a historic inn and restaurant known for executive chef Jess Malgreen’s contemporary approach to classic French cuisine. The C a l i for n ia nat ive br i n g s t he taste of Sonoma Valley to Tokyo as he creates special brunch, lunch and dinner menus for the M ichelin star-rated Ekki Bar & Grill at the Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Marunouchi (1-11-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku), October 3-14 (brunch and lunch, ¥4,500; dinner ¥12,000 with optional ¥6,000 wine pairing course). Malgreen kicks off his residency with a gala dinner and wine-pairing course on October 2 (¥18,000). It’s an offer you can’t refuse, sponsored by the Francis Ford Coppola Winery, the San Francisco Travel Association and the Sonoma County Department of Tourism and United Airlines.

Reservations required. Tel: 03-5222-5810. www.fourseasons.com/tokyo

#1016 • WWW.METROPOLIS.CO.JP • 27

The majority of classified ads have moved online!

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CLASSIFIEDS

Metropolis and its subsequent 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.

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Issue 1018 Issue 1020 FRI, SEP 27

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03-6277-4217 http://kimidental-office.com/

J A P A N ’ S M O S T A F F O R D A B L E H E A LT H INSURANCE. If you feel like you’re throwing money away on insurance, come on over to HealthOne and start saving today! Three-, s ix- a n d 12- m o nth p la n s .

Inpatient /outpatient cove ra g e fo r i l l n e s s a n d injury. Online enrollment; pay by credit card or at convenience stores. www.healthone.jp info@ h e a l t h o n e . j p 0 5 0 -3 4 2 4 6713

N A R I TA A I R P O R T C A R / MINIVAN TRAN SFER S E RV I C E . C h e a p e r t h a n a taxi. English - speaking d rive r. M e e t a n d g re e t .

Free baby seat. Luggage assistance. Dependable Safe - Ea sy- Q uic k Airport Tra n s fe r S e r vi c e . B O O K NOW! Email Reservation@ To k yo A i r p o r t e r. c o m . www.tokyoairporter.com

1.7 BUSINESS SERVICES

NIJO-SEITAIIN, JAPANESE CHIROPRACTIC HEALING AND BODY CARE. Our clients are those who have not recovered from hospital or chiropractic care elsewhere.

We treat backache, hernias, shoulder discomfort, etc. Our head office was established in 1970 in Kyoto. Our Tokyo practitioner is a graduate of Fordham University in New York City. ¥9000/70min.

03-3449-1880 http://kazryu. jp kazryukaz@gmail.com 2 - 1 6 - 2 - 5 0 2 Ta k a n a w a , Minato-ku, Tokyo

P S Y C H I A T R Y / P SYC H OTH E R APY (心療 内科 ). Dr. Ryuko Ishikawa, MD, licensed in both the US and Japan, bilingual, wellrespected by international clients, available at Tajima Hospital, located in front of Ryogoku stn. National Insurance accepted.

Appointments: 03-3634-6111 Ta j i m a H o s p i t a l : 2 -2 1 -1 Ryogoku, Sumida-ku, Tokyo

SHIBAURA DENTAL CLINIC ENGLISH-SPEAKING D E N T I S T. G e n e r a l a n d cosmetic dental clinic. Dentist is a graduate of Harvard Dental School, with over 20 years’ experience with dental practices in the USA, Japan.

Blue Shield, Japanese National Insurance accepted. 5min walk from JR Tamachi stn.

Open Mon-Sat. 03-5442-8525 www.shibaura-dental.com/

SPORTS PHYSIOTHERAPY ( p h y s i c a l t h e r a p y) c a r e in Hiroo. Native Engli sh speaking therapists specializing in sports i n j u r i e s , p o s t- o p e ra t ive rehabilitation, back/neck pain, running related, headaches, orthotics, ergonomic consultations and women’s health. www. tokyophysio.com 03-34436769

1.2 HAIR & BEAUTY

O N LY C U T Z O N E s a l o n provides a hair cut service for only ¥1000.

5min walk from Kita-Senju stn . Fri e n d ly En g l i s h speaking staff is available.

Contact us at 03-3 8 821550. Open from 10am until 7pm, 7 days a week. http:// meturl.com/onlycutzone

1.3 MOVING

CHEAPEST, QUICKEST AND SAFEST! Transporter Tokyo supports your moving and delivers your stuff. Moving for singles or couples from ¥12,000. Delivery (furniture, motorbikes, etc.) from ¥7000. English, French and Japanese -speaking staf f available. Inquiries: info@ t r a n s p o r t e r- t o k y o . c o m w w w.tra n s p or te r-tokyo. com/english/contact Tel:036715-9391 Fax: 03-6715-9392 Ad d re s s : 3 -2 9 - 8 N i s h i Rokugo, Ota-ku, Tokyo

LOVI N G BABY MA S SAG E .

Teaching mothers, fathers and other family members professional baby massage and child yoga techniques from internationally acclaimed Peter Walker’s “Developmental Baby Massage” and “YogaGym”.

E/J. Private sessions from ¥4000. Small groups from ¥3000. Four-session discount. Call Shino at 080 -3362- 04 29 or email babymassage123@gmail. com.

2 FIND A PLACE 2.1 GUESTHOUSE BOOKERS, SCHOOL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM ON WEB. No need for clerk staf f anymore. BOOKERS manages students, teachers, lessons and fees. Real-time reservation via web 24/7, 365 days/year. J/E bilingual webpage, documentation and support without additional fees. Roleoriented page layouts for administrators/teachers/ students. Lesson reminders by email. English demo site available. ¥26,800/m. info@ bookers-on.net http://www. bookers-on.net

SAKURA HOU SE . Leading multilingual real estate a g e n c y i n To k y o s i n c e 1992. Over 1600 furnished apartments and guest/ share house rooms, from ¥52,000/m, utilities included. No key money/ guarantor/agent fee.

Contact us: 03-5330-5250 info @ s a kura - hou se .co m www.sakura-house.com

2.2 RENT UNDER ¥200,000

LAW OFFICE IN KAWASAKI (next to Tokyo), member o f t h e Yo ko h a m a B a r Association. Legal service in English for traffic accidents, divorce, inheritance, bankruptcy, business cases (contracts, establishing a company, trademarks, etc.) and other legal problems.

Email: web@smkw.biz http://www.sumikawa.net/

TWO MONTHS FREE RENT CAMPAIGN! No key money, a g e n c y f e e , g u a ra n t o r !

High- grade designer ’s mansion, newly built, mini 1LDK loft-type apartments, semi-furnished, high security, w/internet, cable TV, musical instruments, pets ok ¥48,000/person/m.

Management fee ¥5000.

Two people/apartment. Tel: 03-6419-1560 can100jp@ train.ocn.ne.jp

1.8 GENERAL SERVICES

BILINGUAL TOKYO PHOTOGRAPHER , s p e c i a l ize s i n p o r t ra i t s , model, actor, and musician p h o to g ra p hy, a s we l l a s engagements, family and children. Let's capture those

F O N TA N A , e s t a b l i s h e d over 30 years ago. With a wide range of locations at competitive prices, our apartments and guesthouses are some of the best. Let our international team find you the perfect p l a c e t o l i v e i n To k y o . fo n t a n a @ g o l . c o m w w w.

TokyoCityApartments.net 03-3382-0151

I C H I G AYA G R E E N C O R P. Furni she d , t wo or thre e room, three-story apartment, sunny and quiet, south/north facing, many trees, small Japanese g a r d e n , 5 m i n wa l k f r o m subway station, 13min by bicycle to JR Shinjuku/ Yotsuya ¥100,000 ¥ 1 2 0,0 0 0/m . T E L / Fa x : 03-3341-7875 Email: itto@ itto-jinnai.com

I C H I I C O R P O R AT I O N .

Over 600 affordable, quality-furnished apartments in central To k yo l o c a t i o n s . N o key m o n ey/g u a ra nto r/a g e nt fe e re quire d . N ew, clean apartments, simple contract system, full English support.

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

2.3 RENT OVER ¥200,000

TO K YO A PA RT M E N T S .

Corporate housing provider offering short and long-term a pa r tm e nts th roughout c e n t r a l To k y o . F u l l y customizable packages!

Serviced, furnished and unfurnished apartments, relocation service, furniture rental, and property sale s and management .

Please call 0120-957-520. www.tokyoapartments.jp

2.5 PLACE WANTED

P R I VAT E F U R N I S H E D APARTMENTS. Odakyu line: Mukogaoka-Yuen/YomiuriLand-Mae, 20/30min from Shinjuku. Keikyu line: Hatcho-Nawate, 15min from Shinagawa. 1K~2LDK ¥58,000/m~¥120,000/m.

Te l : 0 4 4 - 93 3 -70 0 0 Email:mh@minowagroup. jp www.minowagroup.jp/ minowahomes

S E RVI C E D A PA RTM E NT S in a quiet residential area of Hiroo. Studios and suites. 4min from Hiroo s t n . R a te s : D a i ly ¥ 78 0 0.

Weekly ¥68 50 -/day.

Monthly ¥5900-/day. Over three months ¥4950-/ day. Tax, utilities included. f r o n t d e s k@ a z a b u c o u r t . com www. azabucour t . com/ 03-3446-8610

S H O RT-TE R M FU R N I S H E D A C C O M M O D AT I O N WA N T E D .

Professional UK-Japanese couple with new baby seeking a furnished apartment or house from Sep-Dec, at least 50sqm, preferably bigger, one-two bedrooms. Any location considered, but central Tokyo or west of Shinjuku preferred. fishersimon@yahoo.com

2.7 OFFICE SPACE STYLISH OFFICE, 2MIN FROM HARAJUKU STN. Conference room, meeting room, communication space, traditional tea ceremony room, color laser printer, triple-locking system for security, dedicated internet lines in every room. From ¥49,000/m. Mr. Matsuoka: 090-2405-0022

COMPASS OFFICES, MEGURO, SHINAWAGA-KU. Fully furnished offices for 1-100 people, virtual offices and meeting rooms. Flexible terms. Co-working and mobile working in the largest business lounge in Tokyo.

Call 03- 4540 -1234, email jpsales@compassoffices. com or visit www. compassof fices.co.jp for more info.

Metropolis reserves the right to refuse, cancel or edit any ad without notice. Metropolis takes no responsibility for the quality of items or services advertised. Please carefully examine vendors or items offered before commitment. Please be careful when contacting and arranging to meet people.

Visit classifieds.metropolis.co.jp for complete listings.

28 • DOWNLOAD OUR PODCAST AT • PODCAST.METROPOLIS.CO.JP

SERVICED OFFICES/virtual offices/co-working space/ event space/cafe lounge in Ginza. A place to connect with future business friends.

Monthly membership ¥ 1 5 , 7 5 0 ~. M ov i e : h t t p : // www.youtube.com/ watch?v=gTxIQTuBFk0 Web: http://league-ginza.com/ Email: info@league-ginza. com

3 EDUCATION 3.1 JAPANESE SCHOOLS

G I N Z A A N D O M I YA . A t “From Zero,” we have highly qualified teachers who help you prepare for IELTS, TOEFL and academic life abroad.

Regular, intensive, group and private courses available. info@from-zero.co.jp http:// w w w.fro m -ze ro.co. j p/ academic2013/ 03- 6278 7704

3.5 LANGUAGE EXCHANGE Deutsch und Japanisch. JM seeks language exchange with someone who can teach me Ger. I can teach you J in return. Prefer central Tokyo or Kanagawa. M/F ok. Native German speakers only. snowsurfsk8@yahoo. com English and Japanese. Japanese female, 33, seeks E/J language exchange in the Tokyo/Yokohama area.

I really need to speak English! Help me! hana213@hotmail.com English and Japanese. English male seeks language exchange and friendship in Tokyo or Kanagawa. mh.phil@yahoo.co.uk

FREE TRIAL LESSON! KES Lepton Language School, Kita-Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo. Japanese classes: Secondary School Student Course: afternoons and evenings. Private lessons: anytime. Survival Japanese Course: mornings, afternoons, evenings.

Business classes: anytime.

Call 0120-03-1933.

3.2 JAPANESE TEACHERS ASSOCIATION OF JAPANESE TEACHERS. Highly qualified, exp e rie n ce d in struc to r s offer individual/small group lessons at your home/office/ instructor’s home. Business/ daily co nve r s atio n/J LPT available. Lesson fee from ¥ 2 2 0 0 / h a t i n s t r u c t o r ’s home, from ¥2700/h + transportation fee at other places. Frequency of lesson/ g ro u p l e s s o n fe e wi l l b e negotiable. 03-3918-0876, 044-855-5039 ajtkyokai@ y a h o o . c o . j p h t t p : //a j t . rakurakuhp.net/ AKASAKA NIHONGO CLUB offers Japanese in a small-scale setting.

Classes taught by volunteer group every Sat, 10-11:30am, at Akasaka Iki-Iki Plaza, 4min from Akasaka stn, Chiyoda line, exit 6. Please call 03-3401-4306 (evenings) or 080-5432-4306. Kawada.

JAPAN E S E LE S S O N S for all levels from experienced private te a c h e r a l o n g t h e Ya m a n o te line. First two lessons free. Let’s e n j oy l e a r n i n g t h e J a p a n e s e language and culture. Please call Setsuko at 090-1210-9285. Email: nihongo123123@ezweb.ne.jp JAPAN E S E LE S S O N S . E a sy Japanese classes for beginner students ¥1500/h. Lessons at my place in Nerima-ku, Iogi stn, Seibu Shinjuku line, 20min from Shinjuku s t n . r i e ko 8 1 8 j p @ y a h o o . c o . j p www.123japaneseschool.jimdo.com 080-5071-5723

3.3 ENGLISH SCHOOLS

English and Japanese. I'm a Japanese male. I work for an American company (financial institution) as an accountant (CPA) in Tokyo. It'd be great if you could help me improve my English. Of course, I'd be happy to help you with J. tkycityjpn@yahoo.co.jp English and Japanese. My friend and I are seeking an English-speaking person who can enjoy conversation with us in E. Any nationality is ok as long as you are fluent in E. We can pay or teach you Japanese in return. dorothytoto215@ yahoo.co.jp English and Japanese. I am a Japanese male, 20s, seeking a language exchange partner who can speak E. I want to learn correct pronunciation for when I read textbooks. Will teach J in return. mklanguageexchange@ gmail.com English and Japanese. JF, mid-30s, seeking a language exchange partner who is available after work on weekdays or on weekend afternoons in Yokohama or Yokosuka. If you are interested in working with me, please email me. japanese_english0624@outlook.jp English and Japanese. Japanese female, 31. Lived in London and seeking casual language exchange with British people. Available weekends.

Nonsmokers only. Thanks. days_in_ japan@yahoo.co.jp English and Japanese. Hello, I'm a JF, 40s, living in central Tokyo. I have flexible time, so meeting time could be up to you! I need to develop my English. Prefer American English.

Azabu, Roppongi, Aoyama areas are best. poccihocci@gmail.com Korean and Japanese. Japanese male, 41, 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. deepgreenforest@mail.goo.ne.jp

4 HOUSEHOLD GOODS 4.1 FURNITURE & FITTINGS Cabinet, white, lacquer and glass, for bathrooms, by designer Jaime Hayon for Bisazza Bagno (H160xW60xD35cm), imported from Italy, new, small flaw in glass ¥20,000. Pick up Jingumae.

Photos available. tokyo.cba2013@ yahoo.com Carpet, Loft (140x200), bought June '12.

New ¥20,000. Sell ¥4000. m72375141@ gmail.com Shelf, as new, adjustable ¥500. mizi2005@hotmail.com Sofa, Curvature (170x100x84cm) ¥20,000. greg.1978@gmail.com

4.2 APPLIANCES IELTS AN D TO EFL PREPARATION SPECIALISTS:

Appliance sale! Kettle ¥1500. Grinder and blender ¥2000. Sandwich toaster ¥2000. Iron ¥1500. Discount for bulk

buyers. aboy4916@gmail.com Hairdryer, Koizumi KHD-1236, w/Turbo and ion function, in good condition ¥1000. mizi2005@hotmail.com Humidifier, Twinbird SK 4975, as new, in box ¥1000. Pick up Shinjuku. likeme4u@hotmail.com Rice cooker, Sanyo ECJ-JG10, IH, 5.5 cups, '08, very clean, as new ¥10,000.

Delivery included. Rice cooker, Zojirushi, IH, '08, in good condition ¥9000.

Delivery in Tokyo area ok. mizi2005@ hotmail.com

4.3 SAYONARA SALE Sayonara sale! National NA-F80RD1 washer/air dryer, 8kg; Toshiba GR 12-RA1 fridge, two-door; folding table/chair set; hanger; curtains. salescontactjed@ gmail.com Sayonara sale! Desk, mountain bike, sofabed, kettle, toaster, TV, etc. Pick up Yoyogi-Uehara by end of Sep. shiro. email@lineone.net 08041114685 Sayonara sale! Mitsubishi fridge, 130L ¥5000. Hayer JW-K50F washer ¥10,000. Foldable Muji chair, legless ¥500. Wooden table ¥2000. Foldable screen ¥1000. And more. Pick up near Shibuya stn. niconico.sayonara@gmail. com 09060390476 Sayonara sale! Shelves, bed, sofa, fridge, microwave, wire shelving, bar stool, kitchen table. New ¥120,000.

Sell ¥25,000. Pick up only. ermcgraw@ gmail.com Sayonara sale! Fridge, washer, microwave, kettle, iron, electric pan, rice cooker, coffee table, curtains, etc., items two y/o, in excellent condition. Pick up Shibuya-ku. candicewebb@ezweb.ne.jp 090-1104-4371 Sayonara sale! Dark blue leather sofa, seats two ¥9000. Sharp Aquos TV, 32", w/remote and stand ¥27,000/obo. limtony28@yahoo.com 080-3247-1430 Sayonara sale! Carpet (200x200cm), in good condition ¥1000. White leather sofa, love seat, in good condition ¥2000. Massage table, in great condition ¥8000. Pick up only. the.yoga. terminator@gmail.com Sayonara sale! Fridge, washer, chair, furniture, phone/fax, iron, kitchen goods, bicycle, etc., all 2.5 y/o, in good condition. Pick up JR Tamachi. Details, photos, manuals available. ger@bloom. ocn.ne.jp

4.4 TV & HOME THEATER 3D TV 32", LG 32LW5700, full HD, warranty until Apr 22, '17, protective plastic still on frame and stand, as new.

New ¥150,000. Sell ¥55,000/obo. Pick up only. boris.labianca@gmail.com LCD TV 37", Sharp LC-37DS3, works well ¥15,000. Pick up only. adriaan. defraeije@gmail.com Receiver, Yamaha RX-V2500, six or seven y/o, in great condition, silver, w/cables and remote ¥10,000. Pick up Hiroo stn. jamie.chie@gmail.com 08030185292

4.5 AUDIO & MP3 CD player, Pioneer Super Audio PD-D6, silver, as new, w/remote, cable, J/manual ¥12,000. Pick up Jingumae. Photos available. tokyo.cba2013@yahoo.com Stereo, Sony, AM/FM radio, CD player, Type-R MDLP, active speakers that light up (green), w/USB, SPDIF, analogue inputs, remote and antenna ¥5000. jayfeirin@yahoo.co.jp

5 HOBBIES&INTERESTS 5.3 MUSICAL EQUIPMENT Bass, Warwick Thumb BO 5, Ovangkol neck and body, Wenge fingerboard, active MEC J/J pickups, Warwick JustA-Nut II, w/Warwick gig bag, in great condition ¥160,000. Pick up Ikebukuro. bloom_marc@hotmail.com Piano, Yamaha P-140, digital, built-in loudspeakers, w/stand and pedal, in perfect condition, bought in '09 ¥40,000. Pick up Kagurazaka. cjriach@ hotmail.com #1016 • WWW.METROPOLIS.CO.JP • 29

Synthesizer, Roland JP-8000, virtual analog, works well, in good condition, easy to use, new battery ¥20,000. Pick up Chiba or can ship. jp8000forsale@gmx.com

10 HELP! 10.1 HELP ME

5.5 GAMING Nintendo Wii, USA, w/console, sensor, two remotes (one motion extender sensor), one game, all cables, console has some scratches ¥6500. Pick up Urayasu stn. g.e.gardner@hotmail.com Xbox 360 250GB, w/11 games, Japanese ¥30,000/obo. Meet central or western Tokyo. Details available. japanveg@gmail.com

5.6 COLLECTORS African Juju hat, decorative, white feathers (diameter 85cm), new ¥13,000. Pick up Jingumae. Photos available. tokyo.cba2013@yahoo.com Ichiro Suzuki stamps.

Commemorative stamps of the S e at tl e M a rin e r s ce l e b ratin g nin e con se cutive sea son s of 200 hits, exclusively released in Japan ¥10,000. Photos available. likeme4u@hotmail.com Wooden ad, bought at flea market 10 years ago, heavy, real wood (61x15xD3cm), Showa 47/1972 ¥3500.

Pick up Minato-ku. mmcaproni2010@ yahoo.co.jp

6 VEHICLES 6.1 CARS, PARTS, & ACCESSORIES

JCE AUTOS - THE A U T O M O B I L E PROFESSIONALS. Specializing in car buy-backs, door-to-door shipping, longterm car storage and any other car-related matters.

I f yo u n e e d a s s i s t a n c e with your car, we are here t o h e l p . Te l : 0 3 - 6 8 6 8 3 366 or 090 -9362- 5098 inquiries@jce-autos.jp www.jce-autos.jp

NEED A WHITE WOMAN WHO CAN ACT. Seeking a white woman, 40 - 60, who can act as my mother to meet my boyfriend who wants to propose. The woman has to answer no. Will be very appreciative. bijou_marine@ yahoo.co.jp

10.2 SUPPORT FREE LEGAL/ACCOUNTING ADVICE?! Yes, that’s right!

Metropolis is offering free p r o f e s s i o n a l a d v i c e by English-speaking lawyers, accountants, and visa support officers to any reader wanting help. Any problem related to le gal matte rs , taxe s , company start-up, visa issues, etc., can be covered and the first no -strings-attached consultation is totally free.

Date: Sat, Sep 21, 1-5pm Address: OG building 4F, 1-3-4 Nishi-Azabu, Minato-ku, Tokyo *Each one - on- one consultation is limited to 30min and is available between 1 and 5pm. By appointment o n ly. Em a i l : eve n t s @ metropolis.co.jp Web: http:// metropolis .co.jp/events/ make-your-paper-work/

NEED TO TALK? We’re here to listen.

TELL LIFELINE: free, anonymous English counseling daily from 9am-11pm by trained volunteers: 03-5774-0992. TELL COUNSELING: affordable multilingual p syc hothe rapy by acc re dite d Western-trained professionals, a CIGNA International Provider: 03-4550-1146. TELL website: www. telljp.com. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter @TokyoLifeLine.

7.3 MISCELLANEOUS

Lawn mower, Briggs & Stratton, gasoline engine, made in USA, four y/o, maintained and in excellent condition.

New ¥50,000. Sell ¥15,000. Adachi area. michalhrouda@mac.com

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS TOKYO. If you have a problem with drinking, we can help.

English-speaking meetings daily.

03-3971-1471 inquiries@aatokyo. org http://aatokyo.org Infertlity 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/

11 MESSAGES 11.1 PERSONAL MESSAGES

THE JAPAN HELPLINE, 24 hours a d ay, fro m a ny wh e re , a b out a ny t h i n g . Fro m e m e rg e n c y 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/

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 INTERNATIONAL PARTY! 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 ://gaitomo.com/ info@gaitomo.com

I N T E R N AT I O N A L PA R T Y @ L E A FC U P. C o m e j o i n u s a n d h ave fun . M e n ¥ 3 0 0 0.

Foreigners/women ¥2000.

All-you-can-drink-and-eat.

Shibuya and Omiya: Sep 14 and 28. Iidabashi and Yokohama: Sep 21 and Oct 5. For more info: www.leafparty.com

13 CLUBS & INTERESTS 13.1 SPORTS

International football club. Fivea-side, 11-a-side, on grass fields. Two or three practices/matches on Sun. All nationalities welcome. Happy and friendly club! We have many socials. djnorio0417@yahoo.co.jp Jogging Yokosuka. SJM seeking friends to jog 3-5km 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 Volleyball Club Intervoll. Japanese and foreign volleyball players gather in Takadanobaba to enjoy playing.

Have volleyball experience and want to play volleyball in a friendly atmosphere? intervollclub@yahoo. co.jp http://intervoll.sakura.ne.jp/ Vovinam (Vietnamese martial art) in Yokohama. Seeking new friends to train with, or even just talk with about it. Contact me if you want to know more about this beautiful art. soyosan_1@hotmail.com

13.2 LEISURE MCARTHUR HEIGHTS. Take a break where General Douglas McArthur did! One hour from Tokyo by car or direct train. Beautiful cabins on the ocean, w/onsen, beach, shopping. mcarthurheights@yahoo.com

13.3 ARTS WRITE A M ES SAG E FO R YOU R SPECIAL SOMEONE! Write anything, from birthday messages to proposals, and so much more!

Contact us through our website at http://classifieds.metropolis.co.jp.

12 SOCIAL SCENE

7 GENERAL

Ladder, four-step ¥1500. Pick up near Tamachi stn. kjellery33@gmail.com 080-4183-4278

WEST PAPUA: ONE SOUL , ONE PEOPLE . Fifty years ago, West Papua should have been an independent country. Since 1969, West Papua has been invaded and the people robbed of their rights, culture and country. Help support West Papuans’ desire to be free. http://tapol.gn.apc.org/ davidhalpern@7ymail.com

TAMBOURELLI. Very unique new s p o r t fro m S cot l a n d . U s i n g a tambourine-like instrument as a sports racquet, players hit a shuttlecock! We play two or three ti m e s/m o nt h o n we e ke n d s i n Meguro with many socials. Join us! More details: www.tamjapan. org/en/ info@tamjapan.org

12.1 LET’S PARTY

JAPAN I NTE R NATI O NAL PARTY - Autumn Special.

Sat, Sep 28, 6:30-9pm, Devi Fusion (Roppongi). Japan’s biggest international party.

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

J a p a n e s e m e n : ¥ 4 0 0 0.

Others: ¥3000. Mobile: getyo u r f r i e n d . c o m /m o b i l e / jiparty@hotmail.com 0901 7 3 5 - 5 4 0 5 h t t p : // w w w. getyourfriend.com/

Strong, beautiful, flexible Transform your body & soul at BASI PILATES! Offering you “Authentic Pilates” Metropolis Campaign

Admission Fee: ¥15,750 ¥0 Trial Machine Private Lesson: ¥10,000 ¥8,400 Package 3 Machine Private Lessons

¥30,000 ¥18,000

Machine Private Lessons available at our Roppongi studio Lessons in English available Studios in Roppongi, Ginza, Nakameguro and more

03-6425-7054 • roppongi@basipilates.jp www.basipilates.jp/english/ 30 • DOWNLOAD OUR PODCAST AT • PODCAST.METROPOLIS.CO.JP

TOKYO METROPOLITAN GYM, equipped to satisfy people of all levels. Starting from ¥600/2.5h including pool use with no additional fees.

Excellent facilities,1min from Sendagaya stn, less than 5min from Roppongi/Shinjuku/ Aoyama by train. http://www. tef.or.jp/tmg/en_index.jsp AIKIDO IN ENGLISH. Seidokan Aikido of Tokyo invites you to practice a modern style of aikido in an international environment. Sat, 1-3pm, Itabashi-ku, Toei Mita/Saikyo line. We welcome men and women, foreign and Japane se . dojo @ tokyoseidokan.com http://www. tokyoseidokan.com 03-5994-1185 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

American comics. Seeking fans of American comics to meet, chat and share ideas. Maybe we can work on projects to get published or just have a good time talking about comics. analogderez1@yahoo.co.jp Love Shakespeare? Amateur group in Tokyo, meeting once/month to celebrate our love of the Bard.

Come to read, or just to listen. All nationalities welcome, no experience necessary! rchrd_schwartz@yahoo. com ht tp: //groups .yahoo.com/ group/Shakespeare-sama/

13.4 MUSIC DJ for a guitar band. Guitarist and vocalist seeking a DJ to bring beats to our songs. Daft Punk, Chemical Brothers, Squarepusher and DJ Shadow-style loops would all be welcome. Can send demo on request. nick_1985@hotmail.co.uk Female vocalist wanted. I'm a JM seeking female vocalists who can sing middle and northern European languages and English for recordings. You can listen to some of my demos at my website. I live in Yokohama. prettypopmusic@ gmail.com http://www.prettypop. net/demo/

Guitarist seeking to join or form band. I listen to Robert Quine, CAN, Eric Dolphy, Muddy Waters, Black Flag, King Crimson, Mingus, Anthony Braxton, Keith Levene. edonara@ yahoo.com Smooth jazz keyboardist needed, with solid chops, to do some funky, cool, smooth jazz for semi-pro gigs. kenzenjazz1nyo@gmail.com String players sought for classical chamber music. European amateur pianist is seeking string players to play classical chamber music (e.g., Brahms, Beethoven). Would like to work on a nice program, then rent a space and give a concert. chambermusicintokyo@hotmail.com

13.5 MIND, BODY, SPIRIT Tokyo Dialogue Group. Beyond conversation , discussion and debate. Is it possible to have genuine communication with others? Next Dialogue: Sat, Sep 28, 3-6pm. findlay65@gmail.com http:// tokyodialogue.wordpress.com/ 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

13.8 PROFESSIONAL Entrepreneurs meet-up. Small business entrepreneurs talk about planning, sustainability, public relation s , share d adver tising (internet, print, broadcast media), shared office space, event planning, fundraising, record keeping, research, programming, business registration, living well. Shinjuku. Contact Francis. info@kichiton.com Tokyo Traders Club. International club for traders and investors. Discuss opportunities in stocks, commodities and forex. Many regular events, including FX trading workshop. New to trading? No problem: beginners also welcome. You can also learn to trade. Join free! info@tokyotraders. com http://www.tokyotraders.com/ 080-5681-1321

13.9 INTERNATIONAL Intercultural Activities. JII (Japan Intercultural Institute) is a nonprofit, member-run organization that sponsors activities (seminars, cultural events, conferences) for those wanting to further develop intercultural competencies and meet other interculturalists. director@ j a p a n i n t e r c u l t u r a l . o r g w w w. japanintercultural.org Languages and friendship. We meet in a small apartment in Shinagawa to enjoy casual conversations to get to know each other. New members are sought. Must be open to differences.

No solicitors, no pick ups, please! snoopy58@ams.odn.ne.jp

JOBS G O L D S A L O N T O K YO c u r r e n t ly has two positions available: salon assistant, with Japanese hairdressing license , basic spoken E nglish an advantage; and bilingual receptionist, part-time. Please call 03-6436-0228 o r e m a i l i n fo@gold salontokyo. com to arrange an interview. www. goldsalontokyo.com MODEL WANTED! Photographer is seeking nude art models for art project.

Privacy is 100% respected. If interested, please email strikeapose@nifty.com.

Serious only. Willing to offer attractive modeling fee.

NATIVE ENGLISH TEACHER to teach in Jiyugaoka. Part/full-time. Base salary over ¥250,000/m. University degree/ teaching experience preferred. Please fax or email your resume, w/photo, to BMC. Jiyugaoka@bmc-eikaiwa.jp 03-5731-3392 (fax) 03-5731-3391

14 PERSONALS 14.1 FRIENDS

To advertise: commercial@metropolis.co.jp

03-4588-2277

CHAT HOSTS & TEACHERS WANTED

BY LEAFCUP @ Tokyo, Iidabashi, Shibuya, Yokohama, Omiya. Seeking enthusiastic and proficient English, Korean, French, Spanish and/or German speakers who can teach and lead lively conversations. ¥1000-¥1500/h. Apply online: www.leafcup.com/job.htm SALES & MARKETING POSITIONS. Metropolis is seeking motivated, bilingual (E/J) sales executives and support staff to join the most successful Englishlanguage advertising and marketing team in Japan. Experience preferred, but not required. Base salary and attractive commissions. Send E/J resume to jobs@ metropolis.co.jp. More info online: http://metropolis.co.jp/jobs/

year, but I haven't gone diving since then. Please contact me if you are planning a scuba diving adventure, too. supermiffy.may@gmail.com

Aussie or any English speaker. JM, 30s, in Tokyo, fluent in English, seeking English-speaking friends. I went to university in Australia. It would be great to meet Aussies since I miss Australia, but any English speaker is welcome. info@eisokukou.com

Seeking a friend in the Yokohama area. Hello! I'm a JF, 30s, living in Kanagawa. I'd like to make friends who speak English. I like traveling, eating/drinking out, cooking and reading books. Please mail me. M/F ok. japanese_english0624@outlook.jp

Cinema. I am a Japanese male living near Tokyo. I love movies, especially mystery, suspense, comedy, and so on.

I'm seeking a friend to go see movies with. mklanguageexchange@gmail. com

14.2 MEN LOOKING FOR WOMEN

Coffee friends with our babies. I'm on one-year maternity leave with my baby girl. Let's share common topics over coffee. Preferably someone on the Odakyu or Keio line. I'm a mid-30s, new mom. mikan5354@gmail.com Drink after work. I am European, 43, wishing to meet near Sagami-Ono. Let's have a drink first at The Hub. Happy hour will be fine. My hobbies are sports and travel. wasabi70@yahoo.fr Female friends in Tokyo. I am seeking English or Russian-speaking female friends in central Tokyo. We can hang out together, go to galleries and museums, concerts, etc. I am female, 30, married. newfriendsintokyo@ gmail.com Female seeking friends. I'm an Australian woman with a 2-year-old daughter seeking Tokyo-based female friends to hang out with. I love travel, art, crafts, photography, flea markets, wine, etc. No language exchange, please. elyse.singleton@gmail.com Jazz-playing friends. JM seeks jazz players for fun. I've been playing the alto sax for a couple of years. Still amateur, but want to play with others. yossynet@ra2.so-net.ne.jp Karaoke. German woman, 20s, seeking nice people to hang out with and do karaoke with. bella.weber@ gmx.de

Scuba diving. Are you a scuba diver?

I got Advanced Open Water in Feb last

SERIOUS ROMANTIC R E L AT I O N S H I P I N T O K YO .

Successful Japanese businessman, early 30s, bilingual, good-looking, caring, seeking something long-term, potentially leading to marriage. If you’re a sincere and serious woman, please feel free to drop me a line. pirlo_cucchiaio@ hotmail.com SUBMISIVE SJM, 35, cute, is seriously seeking a woman who is into, or interested in, dominating men. I am so submissive, with seven years’ experience, that I am happy to take whatever and serve you in any way. slaveintokyo@gmail.com Bigger is better! Canadian guy, goodlooking, white, very large in the most important area, seeking a nice girl to enjoy romantic times. big22cmlong@ yahoo.com Classy, sincere Euro-American professional, divorced, 40, in Japan ten years. I like to laugh, drive, kiss, listen and love. Dark hair/eyes. Great smile.

Big guy, like a teddy bear. Seeking a warmhearted woman for a serious relationship. tgdmailiii@gmail.com Daytime meet-ups in Omotesando or elsewhere. Hi, I have free time during the day. I thought Omotesando or Shibuya would be nice, but anywhere is ok. If you have time, let's meet.

Professional, 50, from the US and Italy. edampaul@gmail.com Friends first. JM seeks friendship or a steady relationship with English or Japanese-speaking people. Any

Hope to meet the right one, potentially for something long-term.

I like someone who is fashionable, attractive, has some confidence, is mid-20s-early 30s, loves to travel. ds.aumail@gmail.com

Curly Hair Specialist & Colorist

Cut ¥7,350~ Nepenji Ebisu: 03-3793-2357 Cut &Treatment ¥10,500 ¥8,400~ Other location in Aoyama & Single Color ¥7,350 ¥6,300~ Ikejiri. Book online today!

Half Head ¥8,400 ¥7,500 Enquiry: info@nepenji.net Full Head ¥12,600 ¥10,800~ Blow Dry ¥3,675

Purhase a cut and color and we’ll offer you 20% off the coloring

www.nepenji.net

If you love massages and laugh a lot. Hi, I'm seeking some company on weekends. I give awesome massages and would love to connect with women who are sincere. I am 30, MBA, 5'10, new to Tokyo. katqwerty8880@zippymail. info Japanese guy, around 40, speaks English/Spanish, seeking a girlfriend for a relationship leading to marriage in/ around Tokyo. I'm not highly paid, but I am kind and humorous. My hobbies are jogging, Latin dance, language learning. elsalvadorjapan@yahoo.es Japanese male, 40, single, seeks sincere, warm, open-minded white female for friendship and romance.

I am generous, nonsmoking, like traveling, reading, philosophy and enjoying my life. skyoverture@mail. goo.ne.jp Just casual fun. Seeking a cool girl for a casual relationship. I'm a nicelooking Caucasian guy, early 30s. Let's meet for a drink and see what happens. ds.aumail@gmail.com Let's see what happens. I am a businessman, 40+. I love life, am a reliable person, financially secure and supportive. If you are ready to share quality time, and are between 40 and 50, let's meet. bejogil@hotmail.com Love hotel romance. American guy, nice body (very well-endowed), white, tall, seeking a Japanese girl for love hotel romance. Please be between 20 and 30. big22cmlong@yahoo.com Love search. Tall black guy, 30, living in Tokyo, seeking a kindhearted girl, 20-35, any nationality. If you are interested, drop me a line. evray7700@ yahoo.com Sex friend. JM, 48, seeking girlfriend.

Do you have a satisfying sex life in Tokyo? I will give you satisfaction. I am an engineer, nonsmoking and gentle.

Let's meet and go to heaven together. espoo@live.jp Sexy woman. Mature guy, fit, active, single, seeks skirt-and-heels-type girl for romance and passion. p.h414@ yahoo.co.uk

00 10

¥ or ls) l ree nai cia ff f for e o ! y k Sp ffer t soa t (onl O Firsscoun di

Gel Nail Art ¥6,800 ~ Hand Painted Art ¥840 ~ Foot Gel Nail Art ¥7,800 ~ Eyebrows Tattoo ¥31,500 Top Eyeliner Tattoo ¥26,250 Eyelash extension ¥6500 PH: 03-6450-2436 / dahlia2112@i.softbank.jp

5 min. walk from Ebisu stn.

East exit 602 Nakaken building 4-9-13 Ebisu Shibuya-ku www.bizserver1.com/dahlia/ contents2.html a St. Komazaw JR Ebisu

Photography. Seeking people with the same interest in the Tokyo area to go on photo walks, to galleries, museums, talk over coffee exchanging ideas, etc. I'm a male, late 20s, friendly and easygoing. English/Japanese/ Spanish ok. Let's explore the city! mike. photomatrix@gmail.com

MARRIED MAN SEEKING WOMAN. There is something that I have missed in my life. Seeking a friend to share some good moments (talking, having romantic dinners and more). Please send your photo to pastasjp@yahoo.co.jp.

nationality ok. I like outdoor activities, movies, music. Tokyo or Kanagawa. snowsurfsk8@yahoo.com

NEPENJI

Ebisu Stn East Exit Café de Crié

Mizuho Bank

Ebisu 4 chome

FedEx Kimukatsu Family Kinko’s Mart

#1016 • WWW.METROPOLIS.CO.JP • 31

Many more Classified ads online! Please visit classifieds.metropolis.co.jp

Staffed by experienced ophthalmologists, we offer not only LASIK, but the examination and treatment of eye diseases.

Spanish season. Have you ever made love to a torridly hot Spanish man? If not, this is your chance to taste a bit of Spanish pleasure. If you already have, why not a bit of comparison? Would you dare? hugorajoy@yahoo.es Tall, dark, handsome American, about to turn 30, speaks Japanese, seeks JF. Have lived in and out of Japan since 2000. I speak, read, write Japanese. lovesorare_2000@yahoo.com Think positive. Fit Caucasian man, 181cm, 75kg, living and working in central Tokyo, financially independent.

I can't promise that I'm the one for you or vice versa, but we can exchange a couple of emails and take it from there. addakota@yahoo.com

Japanese Health Insurance Supported

4F Renai Aoyama Building, 3-3-11 Kita Aoyama, Minato-ku Tokyo 107-0061

For your clearer vision call 03-5772-1451 J-STAR PATENT, TRADEMARK & IMMIGRATION OFFICE

Tokyo cosplay. I'm British, 35, tall, athletic, seeking someone interested in cosplay fun, Japanese or other nationality. I'm new to this kind of thing, but get in touch and tell me about yourself if you're open-minded and sincere! s.c851@yahoo.co.uk

14.3 WOMEN LOOKING FOR MEN

Reasonable prices.

Free first time consultation Visa and immigration Grand Prince Hotel Akasaka

Other Legal & Business matters Hiroshi Oogai,

Patent attorney Immigration lawyer

www.j-star.jp

Exit 4, Nagatacho stn Supreme Court

Establishing a Company & Branch office

Imperial Palace

Aoyama Ave Akasaka Mitsuke stn

Akasaka Excel Hotel Tokyu

National Diet Library

608 Kitano Arms 16-15, Hirakawa-cho, 2-Chome, Chiyoda-ku ,Tokyo, 102-0093

Tel: 03-5216-6890 Fax: 03-5216-6891 Email: hiroshioogai@j-star.jp

SINGLE? Then this is for you. Singles-only dating p a r tie s eve r y Fri n ig ht for foreign men and Japanese women. Leave the event with a new date!

Always more women than men. FREE if signing up in advance! Otherwi se , ¥2000. info@exeointernational.com

We can help you with:

JAPANESE WOMEN SEEK MEN for serious relationships possibly leading to marriage.

Confidential & affordable, since 1994. Contact TMA for free pamphlet in English or Japanese. tma@mxa.mesh. ne.jp http://tma-marriage. com 0120-937-909

• Visa & Immigration Procedures • Mixed Marriage, Naturalisation and Refugee Status • Establishing a Company & Branch Office • Accounting Services, Acquiring Business Licences • Preparation/Translation of Legal & Business Documents • Other Legal & Business Matters

http://www.wada-lats.com/ E-mail: info@wada-lats.com 3-5-3-1402 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-0023

AZUMA

LEGAL AND BUSINESS SUPPORT CENTER a division of azuma consulting ltd.

We totally support your Visa and business needs

Our services include:  Immigration (visa) assistance

Eligibility, Visa change & Renewal, Permanent resident

 Company Foundation  Bookkeeping

L AV I S H DAT E S A N D INDULGENT NIGHTS - WE CREATE OPPORTUNITIES for elite foreign males to meet elegant Japanese females.

Start with a luxurious dinner date,take the night wh e re yo u wa nt it to g o.

Fresh, young women join our club every day. Try our free one-month trial offer: f ir st d ate i s o n u s! 0120 675-858 (E) international@ u n i ve r s e - c l u b . j p h t t p : // universe-club.jp/en Big and beautiful black woman from NYC seeking someone to have some fun with, maybe leading to something more serious. If I am what you are seeking, I would definitely like to hear from you!

Any nationality ok! tkydivine@yahoo.com

 Payroll (withholding taxes etc.)

 Other business documents

www.azuma-law.com

Rafine Higashi Ginza 209, 4-4-14, Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-0045 Attn: Mr. Y.Ogawa, Representative email: info@azuma-law.com | tel/fax: 03-6226-5105 | mobile: 080-1126-2293 32 • DOWNLOAD OUR PODCAST AT • PODCAST.METROPOLIS.CO.JP

Friends, maybe more. Seeking a tall, fit Caucasian guy, 28-45, for friendship or maybe more. Let's meet for a coffee first, no rush, please. Thanks. kittyan88@gmail.com Future. SJF seeking a European SWM, under 30, who loves the arts, music, sports. Should be an artist, engineer, developer. tokyo_arts@aol.com JF seeks African-American.

Educated, charming, nonsmoking SJF seeks single African-American office worker, around 40, living in Tokyo, for a meaningful long-term relationship. No kids, please. caledoniamis@gmail.com

Nurturing, beautiful, playful.

More importantly, intelligent. Radiant Japanese beauty, 44, comfortable with my own femininity and appearance, seeks a professional single American of a mature age. Make me laugh, and I will make you smile when you see me. honeydaisy97@yahoo.co.jp Russian female, 41, 173cm, single, well-educated, working at a Japanese company, likes swimming, seeks a soulmate: tall SWM, 37-50, living in Japan. lenol@hotmail.co.jp SBF in Tokyo seeking single gentleman. You: 30s-40, no kids, not married, with a day job (no night jobs), free on weekends, tall (+6'~). Send photo. blkdiamante@gmail.com

WADA Legal & Administrative Office

For information: Tel: (03) 3345-7977 FAX: (03) 3345-5377

Enjoy the good life together in Tokyo.

Life here can be grand, so let's enjoy it together. I love hiking, biking, outdoor activities, restaurants, cafes, art, movies, music, dancing, languages.

Seeking serious relationship, but friends first. starr.marla@gmail.com

Let's enjoy the autumn! SJF seeks a single guy who can hang out with her after work and on weekends. I am mid-30s, fun, attractive, love outdoor activities, traveling. Would like to meet someone fun, open-minded. magnolia1117@msn.com

We can support you with: Intellectual property rights (Patent, trademark, copyrights)

Dating, activity partner, casual sex... Anything is possible if we have chemistry! Confident SJF, mid-30s, seeks a confident man for good times. I like museums, concerts, films, dining, watching sports and all kinds of outdoor activities. No married men, please. celinewinte@yahoo.co.jp

Coffee/dinner. SJF, 31, seeking an independent single guy for coffee or dinner on weekends. Nonsmoking business professional preferred. Email me with your introduction. Photo appreciated. Thanks. days_in_japan@ yahoo.co.jp

Seeking an American SWM, 35-45, who enjoys life and wants a long-term relationship (marriage). I’m a SJF, very sexy, honest, funny, with a simple heart.

Serious only. donnaem55@gmail.com

14.4 GAY & LESBIAN Boyfriend. I am seeking dating or eventually a long-term relationship with someone special, preferably non-Asian, in Tokyo/Kanagawa. I am a Japanese office worker, gentle, nonsmoking, romantic, warmhearted, friendly. Please contact me with your profile. Thanks. tokgjm@gmail.com Seeking fun? Sweet, smart, safe, sane gay bottom waiting to be corrupted.

Brazilian/Japanese. Let's meet for a drink or some fun. I'm 32, 178cm, 85kg. ander@tokyo.com

14.5 ESCORTS

info@hipness.jp http://www. hipness.jp 090-3147-0069

F O R E I G N E R - F R I E N D LY, 100% LEGAL OUTCALL ESCORT AGENCY. Erotic full-body oil massage using Japanese rejuvenation methods i s a u n i q u e co m b i n ati o n o f s e n s u a l a n d b o d y- to body techniques. Sensual massage-trained Japanese female s ONLY. No sexual diseases, modification pictures. BRANCHES: H o kka i d o, To h o ku , K a n t o , To k y o , C h u b u , Kansai, Chushikoku, Ky u s h u . C a l l 0 6 - 6 6 4 3 1 2 8 1 (E n g l i s h ). B u s i n e s s hours: 9am-5am Email: front@tomato-club.net Info: www.erotic-massagejapan.com

JAPAN’S COMPLETE ADULT NIGHTLIFE GUIDE FOR FOREIGNERS! Having trouble finding a Japanese girl for fun? Come to h t t p : //e ro l i n . n e t a n d check all possible clubs , and escorts for foreigners!

When you visit, don’t forget to mention “Erolin Guide”! info@erolin.net ASIAN MYSTIQUE E S C O R T S p r ov i d e s g i r l next-door type escorts for your girlfriend experience in Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Fu ku o k a . S e x y, f r i e n d l y Japanese escorts provide the fun, professional staff provide peace of m i n d . O p e n 2 4 / 7, s a m e day orders welcome. asianmystiquejp@yahoo. co.jp www.asianmystique. com 080-5454-9795

14.6 AND OTHERS M気ありの女の人と出会いた。東京 出張が多いアメリカ人３５才経営者。外 見は良い。素敵な女性と出会いたい。 経験豊富なので、経験なくても安心し てね。まずは美味しい食事・楽しいデ ートから始めましょう。全てを任したい 方に推薦。人生を満喫しようよ。宜しく ね。tokyoprince4u@hotmail.com

Massage exchange. European, 30s, 185cm, athletic, seeking a Japanese lady to enjoy some relaxing and sensual massage exchange. I have large, soft hands and oil from Bali. alfred.manfreud@gmail.com

NO.1 ESCORT CLUB IN TOKYO. G o rg e o u s a n d b e a u t i fu l yo u n g J a p a n e s e l a d i e s .

Clean and discreet. Nurses, OLs, models. Over 19 years only. Call: 080-1262-8080.

O p e n : 5 p m -12 a m . C h e c k out real images at www. clubboo.jp.

TOKYO HIPNESS. Everyday is payday! ¥30,000-¥50,000.

Seeking a sweet, sexy lady between 20 and 35. It’s a sexy job, but we have a license.

Need basic Japanese, work visa. Will offer free dorm.

Seeking dominant WF. Cute and generous JM, late 20s, seeks a dominant WF to have some fun together. I'm an experienced and wellequipped sub man who's willing to do anything. Mature or inexperienced women are also welcome! sofmaptv@ gmail.com Spanking fetish? Fit, mature guy seeking a lady who is interested in exploring erotic spanking. I like to receive, but can also give if that is your taste. Serious replies only, please. p.h414@yahoo.co.uk S u b m i s s i v e W e s t e r n g u y, generous, seeking a regular female partner for kinky play at a hotel.

Mail for more info. Any nationality. p.h414@yahoo.co.uk

Horoscope BY CATHRYN MOE ♥ Love ¥ Money ♣ Luck

ARIES

TAURUS

You just can’t give up. Not yet. There isn’t anyone who wouldn’t agree with you if they understood! Time for explanations later. Right now, you are concentrating on getting your spirit in alignment with your heart and soul. Not to mention your physical body!

There’s a light in your path that shows who you are and how to get to where you’d like to be. All you have to do is believe in second chance changes.

The Taurus of today is not the same as yesterday. You are all about appreciating the beauty of the moment! You’re willing to build a new tomorrow and enjoy just being here as you do it. At these crossroads of history, every new turn rounds a corner of surprise and potential delight. The influx of information is playing a sweet melody just for you this week. Like violin strings, you are influencing the hearts of those around you.

GEMINI

CANCER

You may not be able to do everything, but you can do a lot of it! You’ve got help coming in the way of stocks, bonds, or legacies, plus a partner jumps in and helps you out of jam! Excitement is something you thought you had enough of, but actually, there’s more. Express your creativity with anything from a painting class to baking bread. Whatever you choose, you’ll be doing plenty of it!

Meteoric emotions become the norm for you, dear Cancer. There is a theory that we are living as if trapped in a mirror-image of true reality. That tenderness, previously thought a ‘weakness’, actually activates your sword of light to fight any shadow on any plane. Your heart is about to be touched by the depth of your own feelings. The Sun enters your solar second house on Tuesday to bring renewal to your income.

LEO

VIRGO

G o d d e s s a s te ro i d Ju n o i n you r partnership sector will balance your environment as best she can, but she can’t do it all. Mars in Leo continues to push you to move incisively, decisively, and quickly. Authentic warrior goddess Pallas Athene has just entered your sign. Combined with Mars, you may feel frustrated if a slow-down is thrown in your path.

Granted, it may be for a good cause. Bring snacks.

You have your schedule well planned, and your subconscious mind makes adjustments to fit. No worries, even if your calendar calls for a holographic re-do. Time is overlaid in magical ways and you may find yourself walking through steps between emotional dimensions this week. Luckily the Grand Water Trine continues so that celestial assistance finds you wherever you may be.

LIBRA

SCORPIO

Oh, Libra. If only every part of the world were filled with beauty, and everyone friends. Then truly you would be in your element. The impact you make in your environment is not to be underestimated. Transneptunian Zeus in your sign enhances your leadership qualities. You can negotiate and direct your energy towards all that fills your soul. Those whom you help are grateful and reward your gifts.

You are saved by the Grand Water Trine which includes your Sign this week. In order to make it work for you, you must include your feelings. Acting on what is merely logical no longer works for those of us on this side of the zodiac. Hurt, betrayal and wounding aside, the inner cleansing from this water trine is tremendous. It’s momentous. Be sure to eat well.

Saturn (now direct) lets you put your own structures in place.

SAGITTARIUS

CAPRICORN

Now add Pallas Athene to Mars fighting for you, and you’re in great shape.

Someone you never really thought of is impressed with your work and wants to back you this week. The full moon puts more light and reflection into the struggles that have brought your talent to fruition. Transneptunian Cupido in Sagittarius has a double-whammy Venus quality, wanting to see you comfortable and in the money.

Rejoice.

You’re a heavyweight in mover and shakerville, though you may not always feel like it. When Pluto transited Sagittarius, people’s ideals were being stirred, pouring over the sides of their belief systems. Now that it’s in Capricorn, there is more to address. Capricorn is an earth sign, one of community and foundation. You put ideology into practice. In shifting tides, that’s a challenge. Know that good fortune finds you this week.

AQUARIUS

PISCES

You like to be included, but you’re not sure how you feel about being cajoled or maneuvered. Pluto in your solar twelfth house can make you feel like you’re shouldering a lot at the moment. The truth is, you are. You’re the way-shower, the clarity in chaos, the light from the shadows. As a role model for the Aquarian era, tag, you’re it. The notes that are missing from the soul you are singing are found this week.

Your soul is on overtime this week integrating all the love and nurturing you receive. You’re immersed in a comfort level previously unknown.

Even if this feels overwhelming, it’s to take you to a new place that will soon become a happy norm.

Body consciousness is a part of this. Treat yourself to a haircut, a make-over, a delicious swim in your pool of hopes and wishes. Your career may be in the process of receiving a make-over as well.

March 20, 21 - April 19, 20 ♥♥♥ ¥¥ ♣♣♣

May 21, 22~June 20, 21 ♥♥♥♥ ¥¥¥¥ ♣♣♣

July 23, 24~Aug 22, 23 ♥♥♥ ¥¥¥¥ ♣♣

Sep 23, 24~Oct 22, 23 ♥♥♥ ¥¥¥ ♣♣♣♣

Nov 22, 23~Dec 21, 22 ♥♥♥ ¥¥¥¥ ♣♣♣♣

Jan 20, 21~Feb 18, 19 ♥♥♥ ¥¥ ♣♣♣♣

Apr 20, 21~May 20, 21 ♥♥♥♥ ¥¥¥ ♣♣

June 21, 22~July 22, 23 ♥♥ ¥¥¥ ♣♣♣

Aug 23, 24~Sep 22, 23 ♥♥♥♥ ¥¥ ♣♣♣

Oct 23, 24~Nov 21, 22 ♥♥ ¥¥ ♣♣♣

Dec 22, 23~Jan 19, 20 ♥♥ ¥¥¥ ♣♣♣

Feb 19, 20~Mar 20, 21 ♥♥ ¥¥¥ ♣♣♣

#1016 • WWW.METROPOLIS.CO.JP • 33

THE NEGI ALL THE NEWS YOU CAN CHEW

by Kevin Cooney

NEW SPECIES OF DEEP SEA FISH DISCOVERED NEAR ANTARCTICA, SUSHI SHOPS SCRAMBLE TO UPDATE MENUS In an exciting breakthrough in the world of marine biology, scientists have discovered several new species of fish and cephalopod in the icy depths of the Antarctic. Researchers call it a breakthrough and say it will lead to deeper understanding of the oceans' habitats, as well as possible clues as to the very origins of life on earth. Japanese restaurateurs are also expressing their enthusiasm over the discovery.

“These previously undiscovered specimens are unlike anything we have seen before,” says oceanographer Dr. Piscis Hooker of the new find. “They bear superficial resemblance to many known species, but also traits seen in ancient fossil remains as well.”

The scientist says the new discoveries may be a surviving link between the sea creatures that faced mass extinctions during the late Jurassic period and modern fish that have survived due to their ability to live at extreme depths.

Gari Ippai, a veteran sushi master of 50 years and proprietor of famed Ginza eatery Sushi Zenbu, echoes the excitement of the scientific team.

“We still know very little about these magnificent creatures. Will they be better as sashimi? Should they be served as nigiri sushi? What amount of wasabi is appropriate, and how much do we charge? We still have so many unanswered questions. We may even be looking at a whole new kind of pickled or dried fish.”

IN AN EFFORT TO INCREASE PUBLIC CONFIDENCE TEPCO LAUNCHES NEW MASCOT Hard hit by public outrage over its perceived inept handling of the ongoing Fukushima catastrophe, TEPCO has announced a new all-out push to reassure the public of its ability to solve the crisis by unveiling a new clean up mascot, Cesium-kun. The cartoon character has received mixed reviews so far. A Tokyo PR consultant and crisis management

specialist told The Negi, “This move shows us that TEPCO does indeed have the ability to clean up the mess this disaster has made of its public image and of nuclear power. They clearly have put their best minds to work figuring out how to prevent any other leaks of confidence in their brand.”

Another expert noted that given the sensitivity of this ongoing issue and its possible effects on public health and the national economy: “Are you F#$%in’ kidding me?”

98% OF MEN REPORT MORNING MUSUME NOT ATTRACTIVE, “TOTALLY TOO YOUNG... HONESTLY” In a recent study conducted by wives and girlfriends across Japan, over 98 percent of men reported no physical attraction to members of the teen, all-girl J-pop group Morning Musume. The number one response to the survey was “What? Are you crazy? No... I was just flipping through the channels. I couldn’t find NHK.” Follow up questions in the study elicited the replies: “They all look the same to me,” “Those costumes are ridiculous anyway,” “I don’t think we should let our son watch this,” “Nobody is that limber,” “Really, they are probably like, 23 or something,” and “I love you honey.”

ENGLISH TEACHER EXPLAINS EVERYTHING TO STUDENTS In what he reported as “another amazing lesson,” 23-yearold teacher Brad Parsons explained how he was able to connect to his students on a deeper level than just “English study.” Said Parsons, “I was finally able to reach them.

It started like most lessons, with a simple phrase from the textbook. But before long I was really opening their minds to all the waste in society, as well as their complicit role in the establishment that continues to suppress their ability to live full lives. I mean, forget this, ‘My hobby is… ’ BS. I told them: they need to live with passion. Then I got into what really happened in World War II, and what is actually happening to the environment and of course women’s rights and a lot of socio-economic stuff: racism, urban sprawl and the semester where I studied aboriginal art. When they walked out of that room, they were literally speechless.”

When asked about the lesson, a middle-aged professor of anthropology at Tokyo University and father of four replied “I just asked about conjugating the irregular verb ‘to be’” Brought to you by TOKYO COMEDY STORE

Next show: Sep 27 at Crocodile in Shibuya www.tokyocomedy.com Contact The Negi at: negi@tokyocomedy.com Foreigner mistakes drinking in street for beer garden.

METROPOLIS is Japan's No.1 English magazine, founded in 1994 and published for Japan’s international community.

It is the only English-language publication in Japan that distributes up to 30,000 copies per printed issue guaranteed

News in Brief � Japanese Phone Carrier Introduces “Free Wi-Fi” for ¥3,000 Monthly Fee � Poll Reveals 60% of Izakaya Happy Hour Crowd Clinically Depressed � Anti-Foreigner Protest Meeting Orders Domino’s Pizza � Setsuden Winds Down as Office Temperatures Return to Sub-Arctic � Family Mart Introduces New Agoraphobic Friendly Shops � New Anti-Social Media Sites Developed for Tokyo's Otaku � Tokyo Selected for 2020 Olympics, Eldery Tokyoite Responds "Oh no, more gaijin" � Police Search Yields Results, Victim Found In Police Station Asking For Help

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