JAN- MAR 2017 NO.13 TIMEOUT.COM/TOKYO
FREE
Hello Tokyo…
Inside
Wondering about what that rather serious-looking fellow is doing on our cover? Well, dear reader, he’s here to show you why Tokyo is about to become an even more exciting city than it is now. His name is Kengo Kuma, the architect behind Tokyo’s new Olympic stadium and an influential proponent of a more peoplefriendly city. Flip to page 22 to read about his grand designs, or head straight to page 24 to start digging into our ultimate look at the year ahead, complete with revolutionary food trends, art to die for, robot hotels and a guide to the neighbourhoods on the rise. Take our word for it: the best is yet to come.
January-March 2017
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Rice patrol Don’t go against the grain – get carbed up here
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The mighty wa Get groovy with Japanese oldies
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Explore Tokyo’s latest drinking trend
One day in Kamakura
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Your new favourite town awaits and it is just south of Tokyo
Medicinal booze
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KENGO KUMA: KATSUMI OMORI. ONIGIRI: KISA TOYOSHIMA. WAMONO: KEISUKE TANIGAWA. MEDICINAL BOOZE: MARI HIRATSUKA
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PAGE 66 â FEATURES AND REGULARS
06 Tokyo Update 10 To Do 13 The infographic 15 Courtesy calls 20 Your ultimate 2017 preview 34 Love Tokyo Awards 40 Eating & Drinking 44 Shopping & Style 48 Art & Culture 52 Music 56 Nightlife 61 Film 64 LGBT 66 Travel & Hotels 69 Sport 70 Getting Around 74 You know you’re in Tokyo when... Cover Art direction: Steve Nakamura Photography: Katsumi Omori
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January-March, 2017 Time Out Tokyo
City FAQ DOES JAPAN HAVE A PREJUDICE PROBLEM?
Government to hold first-ever survey on race discrimination in Japan With the number of foreign tourists who visited Japan in the past year passing the 20 million mark, we can safely say the country is seeing a whole lot more foreigners than it used to. With that come some questions – including some potentially uncomfortable ones about racism. Until now, most reports of racist incidents have been mainly anecdotal, with no official figures on racial discrimination or hate speech. Enter the government’s unprecedented plan: to survey 18,500 foreign residents above the age of 18 by March 2017 about their experiences. The questionnaire will come in 13 languages and asks if respondents have encountered any incidents of racism during their daily lives in Japan, while also requesting descriptions of the encounters. The results will be analysed by an NGO, and supposedly taken into consideration when drafting new laws on human rights and discrimination. Reactions to the idea so far have ranged from ‘finally’ to those who question the government’s motives – some suggest that racism in Japan is scarce or non-existent, and that the government’s commissioning of the survey is actually a sneaky way to reassure foreign tourists before 2020.
TOKYO LOVES... AVANT-GARDE WAGASHI
Tokyo-based chef Shiho Sakamoto has a mission: to turn wagashi – the traditional Japanese sweets best enjoyed with tea – into works of art. Sakamoto uses unconventional colours, textures, shapes and names for each sweet she creates. Her designs are never repeated, and when she is commissioned to cater for an event (her list of clients includes the likes of first lady Akie Abe), she comes up with an original sweet that perfectly represents the occasion. Sweet in every sense of the word. à tinyurl.com/TOTwagashi
GODZILLA CURRY
The big red letters printed next to the fiery Godzilla featured on a packet of Yokosuka Godzilla Curry make quite an audacious claim: ‘So spicy it will make you breathe fire!’ Though that’s probably a long shot – and a health and safety nightmare – it’s definitely packed with enough punch to trigger a bout of the hiccups. For those that can take the heat it tastes like a decent beef curry – just keep the fire extinguisher close to hand just in case.
WHAT YOU SAID Here’s what you tweeted about the announcement…
‘Nice, but are they going to criminalise it?’ ‘Hope the results won’t be used to discredit a very real problem’ ‘More than 10 times in the past 2-3 years. I need this questionnaire!’ ‘I don’t think Japan is racist, but then again I live in Ebisu’ ‘There are racist people everywhere, not just in Japan’
à tinyurl.com/TOTgodzillacurry
NATTO ICE CREAM
Few Japanese foods are quite as divisive as natto, those sticky (and, some say, stinky), fermented soybeans that have been a breakfast table staple for centuries. Devoted fans are sure to appreciate this Ikejiri-Ohashi shop run by popular Yamanashi natto makers Sendaiya – though even the haters may find themselves won over by unlikely concoctions like natto ice cream (yes, ice cream). Then again, maybe not... à tinyurl.com/TOTsendaiya Time Out Tokyo January-March, 2017
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‘I don’t know about racist, but it’s definitely sexist’
WAGASHI: MARI HIRATSUKA. GODZILLA CURRY: KEISUKE TANIGAWA. NATTO ICE CREAM: KISA TOYOSHIMA
Tokyo Update
GO GLUTENFREE
WHERE IN TOKYO IS THIS?
Celiacs of Tokyo, unite
Every issue we show you a picture of a Tokyo location and challenge you to name it. In this issue: this hoarder’s paradise sells all kinds of secondhand Japanese books, with some obscure English titles hidden among the heaps.
PHOTO: KISA TOYOSHIMA
ELLE CAFÉ AOYAMA
à To find the answer visit tinyurl.com/TOTwhereintokyo13
THE WASHOKU WAY
PHOTO: KISA TOYOSHIMA
PHOTO: KEISUKE TANIGAWA
CREATE YOUR OWN FANCY BENTO
New Year’s is bento season in Japan, with department stores doing a roaring trade in those nice fancy boxed meals for one. But this year, why not make your own? Chagohan Tokyo, who run a variety of cooking classes from their base in Asakusa, have now started offering bento courses. No matter what level of cooking skills you possess, the entire team at Chagohan are very kind and will do their utmost to make you feel at home (and will even pretend your cooking skills are amazing, even if you manage to burn a boiled egg). Besides the bento lesson, they offer (vegetarian) sushi, okonomiyaki and matcha workshops – all in English.
Until recently, the concept ‘gluten-free’ hadn’t even entered the Japanese consciousness. However, more and more Tokyoites are paying close attention to what they ingest and the city’s gluten-intolerant/ health-conscious residents are now seeing things improve at a staggering pace. If you’re part of that fastidious bunch, we recommend checking out the new Elle Café Aoyama for their gluten-free desserts, made with apple purée and rice flour. Their baked goodies are as scrumptious as their gluten-containing counterparts – particularly the egg custard tart, capable of converting the most hardened wheat-lover. à tinyurl.com/TOTelle
à tinyurl.com/TOTbento
LEARN THE SUSHI MOVE
MACANON
à tinyurl.com/TOTsushimove
à tinyurl.com/TOTmacanon
Anyone who has watched the excellent documentary ‘Jiro Dreams of Sushi’ knows how long it would normally take sushi chefs to even be allowed to touch the fish, let alone create a dish. But wannabe sushi chefs without a decade to spare can now learn the ways of nigiri over a 90-minute, all-you-can-make class courtesy of the Tokyo Sushi Academy in Tsukiji. Let Hiro-san guide you through the steps of shaping the rice, placing the fish on the morsel and, ultimately, finishing off with the ‘sushi move’ (think a slow cocktail-shaking move, but without the pressure). The class runs multiple times a day every Saturday and for those who don’t know any Japanese, don’t worry: this course is held entirely in English.
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Doughnut loving celiacs rejoice – Omotesando’s Macanon churns out hoops of delight that are entirely gluten-free and affordable to boot, setting you back a mere ¥180 per doughnut. Made using rice flour from Kumamoto, the very fluffy rings are baked right in front of you. Be sure to try one while they’re hot: the eggs added into the batter make for a rich sweetness and a mochi-like texture. So far, the plain doughnut is the only available variety, but you can look forward to new additions in the coming months.
January-March, 2017 Time Out Tokyo
TOKYO UPDATE
LIVE LAUGHS
LOCAL LEGENDS
PHOTO: MANABU MOROOKA
SUEHIROTEI
#13: ‘Cinemime’ performers Tennine WHEN WE VISIT the members of Tennine at their warm and welcoming practise studio, the actors and comedians of this ‘cinemime’ group are busy rehearsing for a wedding performance the following day. Although their craft – recreating iconic movie scenes by pantomiming – remains one of the more niche performing arts, that break into the mainstream could be just around the corner. Cinemime (cinema and mime, as you might have guessed) is one of the training methods used by the great French acting instructor Jacques Lecoq, who taught the likes of Geoffrey Rush and Sacha Baron Cohen. Originally intended as a solo exercise, cinemime was turned into a group activity by Makoto Sekine, Tennine’s frontman, who initially hoped it would help promote his acting career. But Sekine fell in love with the wordless world and is now a full-time cinemime. His group’s repertoire includes up to 40 acts, including scenes from ‘Star Wars’, ‘E.T.’ and Studio Ghibli’s greatest hits, in addition to takes on more obscure flicks like Japanese horror movie ‘The Ring’ and Indian comedy ‘3 Idiots’. Adjusting their show to match the audience, Tennine treated us to their very recognisable interpretations of Ghibli classics ‘Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind’ and ‘Kiki’s Time Out Tokyo January-March, 2017
Delivery Service’. The performers are divided into actors and a narrator – similar to a silent film – with the narrator in charge of setting the scene and making verbal jabs at the actors for extra comedic effect. When asked about how the skits are made understandable, Sekiya explained how ‘many [Japanese] people have watched each Ghibli movie more than ten times. So if you act out a scene, they’ll generally know it. With scenes that aren’t as recognisable, we try to appeal to common perceptions – for example, people know how Jackie Chan movies usually go, so they can enjoy our portrayals even without being able to name the specific film.’ So, what’s next for Sekiya and Tennine? ‘We’d like to tour Europe in about two years. We would love to be invited to the Japan Expo, so we’re working towards getting as many people as possible to hear about us and watch our cinemimes. Since our goal is to perform overseas, we’re thinking about incorporating subtitles into our performances as well.’
à Tennine perform three or four times a month in front of the Waseda Shochiku cinema (1-5-16 Takadanobaba, Shinjuku), and once a month at Uchoten Sakaba (1-23-4 Yanagibashi, Taito) in Asakusabashi. 8
There are only a few places in Tokyo to watch rakugo, the traditional Japanese form of humorous storytelling, and this venerable Shinjuku theatre is one of them. First-timers should try the late-night performances on Saturdays from 9.30pm, which only cost ¥500. à tinyurl.com/TOTsuehirotei
GOOD HEAVENS
Formerly known as Heaven’s Door, this quaint pub in Shimokitazawa is run by a charismatic Brit expat and is host to a riotous slew of shows organised by comedy champs Stand-Up Tokyo. Here you’ll see even the sternest Tokyoite crack a smile. à tinyurl.com/TOTgoodheavens
ASAKUSA ENGEI HALL
Famous for discovering big-name comedians including Kinichi Hagimoto and Beat Takeshi, Asakusa Engei Hall – located in the midst of the Koen Rokku entertainment district – is home to Tokyo’s funniest manzai acts: a two-man comedy show that’s Japan’s answer to stand-up. à tinyurl.com/TOTasakusaengei
NEW OPENINGS
CITY DISPATCHES
BEN’S COOKIES
Located inside Jiyugaoka’s Etomo station mall, this is the first permanent Japanese location of Ben’s Cookies. Originally established in Oxford, England, back in 1983, they make, well, cookies (NOT biscuits) that are free from preservatives, artificial colouring and additives.There’s a proper kitchen at this outpost, and all cookies are made by hand in store.The 16 different varieties on offer all use high-grade Belgian chocolate, so to be fair you’d better try them all. à tinyurl.com/TOTbenscookies
PHOTO: KEISUKE TANIGAWA
HITACHINO BREWING LAB TOKYO STATION
TOKYO REIGNS SUPREME IN THE MICHELIN GUIDE 2017 Published annually since 2008, the gourmet bible’s Tokyo edition has rightfully ranked our dear city as the food capital of the world every year from 2009 onwards, so it’s hardly news that Tokyo still stands high above the competition in 2017. Unveiled on November 29, the latest version of Michelin Tokyo lists 12 three-star restaurants – two more than
the 10 found in Paris – 54 two-star joints (up from 51 last year) and 161 one-star places (153 in 2016), giving Tokyo a total of 227 starred restaurants. That’s far more than double the number of closest challengers Kyoto (96) and Paris (92). à tinyurl.com/TOTmichelin2017
Ibaraki’s Kiuchi Brewery, famed for its Hitachino Nest beers that have been instrumental in spreading the gospel of Japanese craft ales abroad, are finally sharing their secrets. The brew curious can now study the art of homebrewing at their second ‘brewing lab’, which offers hands-on classes while also functioning as a full-on bar. Located up on the pedestrian deck on the east (Yaesu) side of Tokyo Station, the newcomer features ten taps and an innovative food menu listing delicacies like the Hitachi mackerel sandwich, pork cutlet sandwiches and colourful pickles served in cans. à tinyurl.com/TOThitachinolab
THE MOST ACCURATE WORLD MAP EVER WINS A GOOD DESIGN AWARD
We love a map at Time Out Tokyo (if you haven’t grabbed one of our pocket guides, what are you playing at?) so we were delighted to hear that a new world map had won the Japan Institute of Design Promotion’s Good Design Award. Then it turned out that this winner is the most accurate map ever made, and the excitement tripled. Created by architect and artist Hajime Narukawa, this world map manages to show the world in a proportionally correct manner. Narukawa divided the world into 96 different sections and then printed them onto an inflated pyramid while still keeping the same ratios within the 96 sections. By flattening it and then cutting along the edges, a new, proportionally accurate (but still rectangular) world map was born.
SAMON
Popular in its native Nagoya, this oden specialist has finally laid its first roots in the Kanto area by opening an outlet under the railway tracks in Nakameguro. Their oden, simmered in a chicken and vegetable stock to give it its full-bodied and rich taste, simply rules. Order the daikon, which soaks up the stock beautifully, and the succulent chicken skewers – you can thank us later.
à tinyurl.com/TOTworldmap
à tinyurl.com/TOTsamon
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January-March, 2017 Time Out Tokyo
TO
DO TIMEOUT.COM/TOKYO
What’s on in town December-March 2017
DON’T MISS
Things to do Tokyo Tower First Sunrise Want to watch the first sunrise of 2017 from Tokyo Tower’s observatory, 150m above ground? Get up real early (or stay up all night) and arrive by 6am when the gates open. Although queues are to be expected, there are no entrance limits to this classic spot which always provides gorgeous views of the sun emerging from Tokyo Bay. àJan 1. 4-2-8 Shiba Koen, Minato. tinyurl.com/ TOTtowersunrise. ¥900, children aged 6-15 ¥500, 4-5 ¥400.
DECEMBER FILM
KENJI MIZOGUCHI & YASUZO MASUMURA FILM FESTIVAL
Shinjuku’s Kadokawa Cinema rolls out a tasty classics programme for winter, featuring filmmaking titans Kenji Mizoguchi and Yasuzo Masumura – and more specifically flicks by the duo that focus on female protagonists. Don’t miss epoch-making ghost story ‘Ugetsu Monogatari’ or ‘Chijin no Ai’, based on Junichiro Tanizaki’s novel ‘Naomi’. àDec 23-Jan 26. Shinjuku Bunka Bldg 4-5F, 3-13-3 Shinjuku, Shinjuku. tinyurl.com/ TOTmizoguchi. ¥1,600, students ¥1,000.
THINGS TO DO JOYA NO KANE (NEW YEAR’S BELLRINGING)
Joya no kane is the traditional bell-ringing ceremony held across Japan on New Year’s Eve. Time Out Tokyo January-March, 2017
Celebrating the passing of the old year and the beginning of a new one, it sees temple bells rung 108 times, once for each of the worldly desires or anxieties central to Buddhism, starting in the old year and finishing right as the clock strikes midnight. Some temples invite everyone to participate in the ringing, but you’ll usually need to queue up for the pleasure.
JANUARY MUSIC HERMETO PASCOAL
A huge figure in Brazilian music, either as an instrumentalist or as bandleader since the Takkyu Ishino
MUSIC LIQUIDROOM NEW YEAR PARTY 2017
The wildest and longest yearend party in the city will be back at Liquidroom again this year. Extended sets by Takkyu Ishino and Fumiya Tanaka have become annual affairs, while the rest of the lineup includes some of Tokyo’s hottest up-and-comers – think Sakanaction’s Ichiro Yamaguchi, Yahyel and company.
’60s, Pascoal makes a rare Tokyo appearance. This tireless explorer of improbable rhythms, melodies and musical formulations may have celebrated his 80th birthday in 2016, but has lost none of the drive that has made him an international phenomenon in the world of alternative music. àJan 7-8. WWW X, Rise Bldg 2F, 13-17 Udagawacho, Shibuya. tinyurl.com/TOTpascoal. Jan 7 ¥8,500, Jan 8 ¥7,000.
THINGS TO DO FURUSATO MATSURI TOKYO
The annual Furusato Matsuri gives Tokyoites the chance to experience the culture and cuisine of faraway prefectures without having to leave the city. There’ll be stalls hawking everything from sake to seafood – once you’ve sated your appetite, sit back and watch large-scale recreations of popular festivals like Aomori’s
àDec 31. 3-16-6 Higashi, Shibuya. tinyurl.com/ TOTliquid2017. ¥4,000 adv, ¥5,000 on the door.
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TO DO colourful bunch of celebrities born in the ongoing year of the Chinese zodiac fling soybeans over the assembled masses. Head over to ensure good health and fortune for the year to come, and take the opportunity to pick up a new ‘omamori’ charm at the temple stalls.
THINGS TO DO EARTH GARDEN WINTER 2017
You know that people are really serious about saving the planet when they’re still willing to gather in Yoyogi Park in mid-January. The winter edition of the quarterly Earth Garden features the usual array of eco-themed stalls, food stands and workshops, with music and art performances also taking place. Nebuta Matsuri and the Akita Kanto Matsuri. àJan 7-15. Tokyo Dome, 1-3-61 Koraku, Bunkyo. tinyurl.com/TOTfurusato2017. Mon-Fri ¥1,300, Sat, Sun & hols ¥1,600.
FILM UNRELEASED FILM ZONE 2017
Head to Human Trust Cinema in Shibuya to witness screenings of films from all over the world which, for various reasons, never got a theatrical release in Japan – until now, that is. The 32-flick programme includes ‘Back in Time’, a documentary about the cast and crew of ‘Back to the Future’ and ‘My New Sassy Girl’, the sequel to 2001’s Korean megahit ‘My Sassy Girl’. àJan 7-31. Cocoti 7-8F, 1-23-16 Shibuya, Shibuya. tinyurl.com/TOTfilmzone. ¥1,300.
SHOPPING WINTER POTTERY FAIR 2017
Originally planned as a oneoff last year, this pottery fair proved so popular that the organisers have decided to bring it back for another round. This year they’ve expanded their lineup of ceramics, and considering how fast things went last year, we’d recommend going early if you want to get your hands on the good stuff. àJan 15. Kishimojindo, 3-15-20 Zoshigaya, Toshima. tinyurl.com/TOTwinterpottery. Free entry.
àFeb 3. Zojoji Temple, 4-7-35 Shiba Koen, Minato. tinyurl.com/TOTsetsubun. Free.
THINGS TO DO BLACK CARD CABARET – A NIGHT IN MONTE CARLO
àJan 21-22. 2-1 Yoyogi Kamizonocho, Shibuya. tinyurl.com/TOTearthwinter. Free entry.
Have a night out for a good cause: this fundraiser for Refugees International Japan at Cruise Club Tokyo features casino games, a burlesque show, a funky DJ and an hour of partying on a boat. The minimum donation includes unlimited booze and canapes, while proceeds go to a pre-school education programme for Syrian children living in Lebanon. Note that the dress code is ‘007/Bond Girl’.
FEBRUARY SHOPPING SALON DU CHOCOLAT 2017
A week before Valentine’s Day Tokyo’s most indulgent romantics will be heading to Marunouchi to stock up on fancy choccies. The Tokyo incarnation of Paris’s famous chocolate trade show bears little relation to its French forebear: gone are the free samples, workshops and chocolate fashion shows, replaced by what more closely resembles a department store on the first day of the New Year sales.
ART YEBISU INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL FOR ART & ALTERNATIVE VISIONS 2017
Known as ‘Yebizo’ for short, this annual event is a fortnight-long bonanza of video art, theatre, film screenings, dance, music, talks and symposia. This year’s edition is subtitled ‘Multiple Future’, a theme reflected in works by the likes of video artist Fiona Tan, whose pieces were last featured here in 2014 and carry a strong social message. àFeb 10-26. Tokyo Photographic Art Museum, 1-13-3 Mita, Meguro. tinyurl.com/TOTyebizo2017. Mostly free, but some events have entrance fees.
àFeb 4. 2-3-16 Higashi-Shinagawa, Shinagawa. tinyurl.com/TOTmontecarlo. ¥15,000.
THINGS TO DO CHINESE SPRING FESTIVAL
While it’s fun to visit throughout the seasons, Yokohama’s Chinatown district is never livelier than during its Lunar New Year festival. The two weeks of festivities are stacked with events, including a countdown party on the night of January 27, traditional lion dance performances and music, a parade of traditional costumes, and a spectacular Lantern Festival on February 11.
àFeb 2-5. Tokyo International Forum, 3-5-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda. tinyurl.com/TOTchocolat. Free entry.
THINGS TO DO SETSUBUN BEAN-THROWING AT ZOJOJI
àJan 27-Feb 11. Yamashitacho, Naka, Yokohama. tinyurl.com/TOTlunarnewyear. Free.
FILM ANDREI TARKOVSKY PROGRAMME
Cinephiles are in for a real treat when this programme composed of eight masterpieces by legendary Russian auteur Andrei Tarkovsky takes over the schedule at Shinjuku’s K’s Cinema. See films including ‘Ivan’s Childhood’, ‘Stalker’ and a digitally remastered copy of sci-fi epic ‘Solaris’. àFeb 11-24. 3F, 3-35-13 Shinjuku, Shinjuku. tinyurl.com/TOTtarkovsky. ¥1,500, students ¥1,300.
An annual occurrence, this bean-throwing festival marks the coming of spring and sees a
Earth Garden Winter
Chinese Spring Festival
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January-March, 2017 Time Out Tokyo
TO DO
Although best known for its cherry blossoms, Yokohama’s spacious Sankeien is also a nice choice for plum-watching. Bursting into white and pink from early February, the 600odd trees here include a few rare varieties. A plum tree bonsai exhibition, performances of traditional music, monkey shows (!) and free barley tea add to the experience. àFeb 11-Mar 5. 58-1 Honmoku-Sannotani, Naka, Yokohama, Kanagawa. tinyurl.com/TOTsankeiplum. ¥500, children aged 12 or under ¥200.
MUSIC TRASHCAN SINATRAS & SUNNY DAY SERVICE
A former Sinatra covers band, Scottish outfit Trashcan Sinatras are still cracking on – 26 years after their classic debut album ‘Cake’. Having long since matured into an easy-listening alt rock act, their melodies can be both epic and intimate. This Shibuya gig will see them joined by dreamy ‘90s indie poppers Sunny Day Service. àFeb 21. Shibuya Club Quattro, 5F, 32-13-4 Udagawacho, Shibuya. tinyurl.com/TOTsinatras. ¥6,000.
MARCH MUSIC EXPLOSIONS IN THE SKY
If you dyed your hair purple, wore
a white belt with black skinny jeans and fell in love for the first time sometime between 2001 and 2008, then chances are you’ve got powerful emotional associations with Austinbased post-rock act Explosions in the Sky. The band really come into their own live with intricate, starry soundscapes and light shows that build slowly in intensity to a pulse-quickening effect. àMar 1. Liquidroom, 3-16-6 Higashi, Shibuya. tinyurl.com/TOTexplosions. ¥6,500.
MUSIC TEENAGE FANCLUB
Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch: Nelken (Carnations)
©JOCHEN VIEHOFF
THINGS TO DO SANKEIEN PLUM-VIEWING
Glaswegian alt-rock heartthrobs Teenage Fanclub have amassed many a fan over the 25-plus years since their debut in 1990. Their tenth album, ‘Here’, was released in September 2016 and proved that guitar riffs and melodic vibes still mix. It’s been a good seven years since they last played in Japan, so don’t miss out.
the beautiful Japanese garden will be lit up in the evening, creating a magical atmosphere for sakura flower viewing. The park stays open until 9pm for the duration of the event. àMar 16-Apr 2. 6-16-3 Honkomagome, Bunkyo. tinyurl.com/TOTrikugien2017. ¥300, children aged 12 or under free.
àMar 4. Ex Theater Roppongi, 1-2-9 Nishi-Azabu, Minato. tinyurl.com/TOTteenage. ¥7,000.
DANCE TANZTHEATER WUPPERTAL PINA BAUSCH: NELKEN (CARNATIONS)
THINGS TO DO RIKUGIEN CHERRY BLOSSOM LIGHTUP
Over her 40 years in the industry, the late Pina Bausch created an incredible body of work in the field of modern dance and founded the now world-renowned dance company bearing her name.
Rikugien’s annual spring celebration will be back again, which means that both the park’s huge cherry trees and the rest of
The globetrotting Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch returns to Tokyo with ‘Nelken’, a 1982 masterpiece considered one of its creator’s greatest achievements. àMar 16-19. Saitama Arts Theater, 3-15-1 Uemine, Chuo, Saitama. tinyurl.com/TOTbausch. S seats ¥11,000, A seats ¥7,000, B seats ¥5,000.
ART ART FAIR TOKYO 2017
Back for its 12th edition, this gargantuan art show will once again be taking over an entire exhibition hall at Tokyo International Forum. With up to 150 galleries due to participate, Art Fair Tokyo is an excellent (if at times overwhelming) introduction to the Japanese art scene. àMar 17-19. 3-5-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda. tinyurl.com/TOTartfair2017. ¥2,300 adv, ¥2,800 on the door.
THINGS TO DO I LOVE IRELAND FESTIVAL & ST. PATRICK’S DAY PARADE
Asia’s largest Saint Patrick’s Day parade is always a good bet for a raucous day out. While you’re there, make sure to also check out the I Love Ireland festival which takes over Yoyogi Park for the weekend with music and dance performances, playful rugby scrums and stalls hawking Irish grub. àMar 18-19. 2-1 Yoyogi Kamizonocho, Shibuya. tinyurl.com/TOTireland. Free entry.
THINGS TO DO NUNO-HAKU IN TOKYO
Revel in textiles out in Chofu, where this massive celebration of fabrics, clothing, bags, embroidery art and much more takes over for a full weekend. Nuno-Haku in Tokyo Time Out Tokyo January-March, 2017
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àMar 25-26. Tokyo Oval Keiokaku, 4-31-1 Tamagawa, Chofu. tinyurl.com/TOTnuno2017. ¥500.
THE INFOGRAPHIC
All about onsen Winter is the ideal season for hot spring bathing. After all, what could be better than soaking in lifegiving, mineral-rich water while gazing out over a snow-covered landscape and dreaming of a heavenly post-onsen meal (accompanied by fine sake, of course)? Before booking your own hot spring getaway, take a minute to review these fun onsen facts.
27,367
705
Total number of onsen in Japan. 17,323 of these are in use, 10,044 aren’t
The founding year of Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan in Yamanashi, the oldest hotel in the world, constructed around one of the oldest hot springs.
4,381
2,430m
19
98˚C
The number of onsen in Oita, the prefecture with the most hot springs. Next is Kagoshima with 2,771.
Altitude of Mikurigaike Onsen in Toyama, Japan’s highest onsen
Number of official onsen minerals. All hot springs need to contain at least one of these to be recognised as an onsen (the temperature also needs to be at least 25˚C).
Temperature of the hottest onsen in Japan (Yumura Onsen, Hyogo)
2,630,428
2,714m
Amount of water in litres that flow through onsen every minute in Japan. 27.9% of this is natural, the rest is artificially propelled.
Depth from which the hot spring water used to flow at Aomori’s Rokkasho Onsen, known as Japan’s deepest onsen before it was closed in 2012.
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January-March, 2017 Time Out Tokyo
TRANSCREATING TOKYO
Theatre for urbanites Takeo Funabiki explains how kabuki has managed to stay relevant in 21st-century Japan
DESCRIBED AS ‘inevitably on the decline’ in
my previous column (see our Autumn issue), kabuki is now constantly drawing sell-out crowds. How did this turnaround happen? Before answering that question, we need to look at what kabuki is exactly – otherwise, the story could be summarised in a single sentence that would read something like ‘debuts by young stars brought audiences back’.
In 2008, kabuki was named an Intangible Cultural Heritage by Unesco – a recognition eagerly reported in the Japanese press. But what is an Intangible Cultural Heritage, really? Taking a look at the long list of performing arts so designated, we find entries such as Uganda’s ‘Bigwala, gourd trumpet music and dance of the Busoga Kingdom’ and ‘Ritual dramatic art of Ta’ziye’ from Iran – in other words, the label applies to folk arts from all around the world. Kabuki, however, does not fit in such a category. Although its origins lie in folk arts, it has kept up with the times for the past 400 years as a contemporary, urban form of entertainment. For kabuki’s inclusion to make sense, one would also need to incorporate entries like ‘Broadway musicals in New York’. Why is that? First, take scale: over a million people watch kabuki at a single theatre – Tokyo’s Kabukiza – on a yearly basis. Add in other kabuki theatres in both Tokyo and elsewhere, and you’ll get a multi-million annual attendance number.
THE AUDIENCE IS KING
Second, we need to consider kabuki’s social significance as an art form – particularly its ability to stay with the times. Kabuki is not merely about performing plays from bygone days. Even the classics would not attract audiences were it not for new performers and the new interpretations they bring to the table. And new works are of course also being performed: 2015 saw the unveiling of an unprecedented (and very successful) kabuki play based on the ‘One Piece’ manga. This vitality is due to the fact that popularity Time Out Tokyo January-March, 2017
PHOTO: KISA TOYOSHIMA
FOLK ART? NOT SO FAST
trumps everything in kabuki – it has survived precisely because it has continued to speak to the feelings of its audience. Preservation and reproduction are two major keywords when discussing any traditional form of art. Some people may think only preservation matters when it comes to tradition, but the continued survival of a tradition actually depends on its ability to reproduce itself through innovation. Kabuki, too, depends on preservation and reproduction. Its case is made unique, however, by the subtle connection and play between the concepts of ‘preservation of the art’ and ‘reproduction of the stars’.
STAR POWER
Kabuki today is performed by around 300 actors, whose art has been passed down in their respective families for generations. Recent years have seen graduates of the Kabuki Training programme at the National Theatre of Japan join the acting ranks, but although this system contributes to passing on certain
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elements to the following generation, it is the art preserved by venerable houses, such as that of Ichikawa Danjuro, that is the mainstay of kabuki. Being born into a family of kabuki actors means taking on the task of artistic preservation, thus becoming the latest link in a chain that reaches far back into history, but it also entails performing one’s ancestral art in front of the audiences of contemporary EdoTokyo. This is the ‘reproduction of the stars’ referred to above – something practised by each young actor bearing the name of a famed kabuki house. To conclude, although old-timers and critics never stop calling for the ‘preservation of the art’, kabuki would quickly fall from grace without the popularity of its stars. Devoid of its heroes, it would be deflated like a punctured balloon. So, then, it was this ‘reproduction of the stars’ that pulled kabuki out of its misery and brought about the prosperity it enjoys today – but how that actually happened will have to wait until my next column.
How to give like a Tokyoite
Courtesy calls
As you may have heard, giftgiving is a big deal in Japan and, when it comes to etiquette, there is no give and take. To avoid rifts when exchanging gifts, here’s what you need to know. Yusuf Huysal
DON’T: COME BACK EMPTY-HANDED
While often translated as ‘souvenirs’, omiyage gifts are not intended for your own consumption but are brought back to friends, family and co-workers who couldn’t join you on a trip. If you’re unsure about what to buy, go for regional delicacies and local products, and remember that kitsch is king. Those ‘I Love Hokkaido’ rice cakes will be a hit at the office.
DO: THE BIG REVEAL
Japanese gift-giving is like a good magic trick: the reveal is the most important bit. Conjuring up an elaborately wrapped gift from its hiding place inside an inconspicuous konbini bag requires more sleight of hand than the old rabbit out of the hat. When presenting the gift, do so with both hands accompanied by the phrase ‘tsumaranai mono desu ga’ (meaning ‘it’s not much’). Don’t be taken aback if your gift is refused as this is a show of politeness and may be repeated once or twice before eventual acceptance.
ILLUSTRATION: BUNNY BISSOUX
DO: OSEIBO
Long before Santa Claus came to town, Japan had Oseibo – the traditional gift-giving season. Oseibo gifts are exchanged in December as expressions of gratitude to those who have helped you during the year. While Xmas has largely supplanted the age-old custom, it is still in vogue among the older generations. Make your obaachan (granny) happy with a pack of fancy fruit, ornately wrapped cookies or a few fine bottles of sake.
DON’T: FEAR FOUR
It is often said that Japan has a
to Valentine’s Day. Somewhere along the way, however, a supposed translation error in one of the ads led to the assumption that only men are on the receiving end. Hence, on February 14, Japanese women treat their male co-workers to ‘giri-choco’ (obligation chocolate) in addition to the ‘honmei-choco’ (favourite chocolate) given to their loved ones. In the 1970s, the National Confectionery Industry Association milked the cow dry by establishing White Day, giving men the chance to reciprocate the gift a month later on March 14.
chronic case of tetraphobia – the fear of things that come in fours – because one of two readings for the number is ‘shi’, which is homonymic with the word for death (死). While the taboo no longer seems to be that relevant, it’s best not to give your loved one a quartet of white chrysanthemum blossoms – the flowers are associated with funerals.
DO: STOCK UP ON CHOC
In the 1950s, Japanese confectionery companies began advertising heartshaped chocolates leading up
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DON’T: SKIMP ON WRAPPING
Though you may have been told otherwise, it’s not always what’s on the inside that counts. In Japanese gift-giving, the presentation of a gift is as important as its contents, if not more so. A great deal of care and effort (often by store clerks) goes towards wrapping the gift with pastel-coloured papers or traditional furoshiki cloth and adorning it with ribbons. Bear in mind that combining black and red wrapping paper can apparently convey a suggestive message. And they say romance is dead. January-March, 2017 Time Out Tokyo
Winds of change
Governor Yuriko Koike shares her vision for a smarter, more diverse and more international Tokyo. Interview by Tak Umezawa, words Ili Saarinen
Time Out Tokyo January-March, 2017
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Tak Umezawa Chairman, A.T. Kearney Japan / NEXTOKYO
PHOTOS: KEISUKE TANIGAWA
Tak has provided strategy, innovation and organisational advice to leading companies in Japan and the US. He has participated in government committees on Cool Japan strategy, and is a technology advisor to the Tokyo 2020 organising committee. Tak also runs the NEXTOKYO initiative that aims to make Tokyo the world’s most attractive city.
SINCE HER ELECTION IN JULY this year, Yuriko Koike has been on a veritable roll. The first woman to hold Tokyo’s top post, she has set out to clean up the Olympic-sized mess left by her scandal-felled predecessors while addressing issues from the controversial (and now stalled) relocation of Tsukiji fish market to the working habits of her more than 160,000 subordinates at the metropolitan government. We caught up with the energetic new governor to discuss some of the most pressing issues facing the capital – and where you should go to get really great yakitori.
EYES ON THE PRIZE
Our chat came only days after Tokyo moved up to third, trailing only London and New York, in the Mori Memorial Foundation’s annual Global Power City Index. But despite this
achievement marking a long-awaited triumph for Tokyo, which had been stuck in fourth place ever since the index was first released in 2008, Koike makes it clear that her sights are set higher: ‘Our goal has to be to reach the top. Many Japanese people don’t realise how full of “treasures” Tokyo is. My job as governor is to find, refine, and tell the world about these treasures.’ Naming safety and food as two of Tokyo’s greatest strengths, Koike is also eager to advance the concept of a ‘smart city’. ‘This relates to two themes: finance and the environment. Tokyo used to be a global financial centre on par with London and New York…and I would like to restore its status as the main financial hub in Asia. But this requires establishing an infrastructure: international schools, making it easier to employ housekeepers, creating one-stop business services in English – encouraging highly skilled professionals to work in Tokyo.’ And how does the former environment minister aim to make her old field ‘smarter’? ‘Tokyo is already on the cutting edge of environmental initiatives in countering climate change, but there’s more we can do. For one, we are preparing to become the first municipality [in Japan] to issue green bonds.’ Another climate-friendly Koike proposal suggests using Tokyo’s existing facilities more efficiently: ’The city’s museums and other unique venues could be used for receptions and the like more often. Closing the doors at 5pm is hardly ideal.’ Ever the cheerleader for our dear city, Koike – whose occasionally adventurous outfits have made her a minor fashion icon – had no qualms appearing in an anime costume for Halloween to plug Tokyo’s subcultural charms. While stressing the power of pop culture, she would like to see it promoted more strategically and made more accessible to foreign travellers. In fact, tourism is one of the soft-spoken governor’s favourite themes, and when asked what Tokyo still lacks in its quest for world’s best city status, her answer comes in the blink of an eye: ‘The viewpoint of people from abroad. Take street signs: signs “in English” are actually in Japanese, only written with alphabetic characters. You can’t even tell if they’re pointing to a station, a street or what. In Libya, all signs are in Arabic only – due to nationalistic reasons – but in Japan, the signs have simply turned out like this, for no proper reason!’ Her thoughts on the street sign dilemma – a seemingly minor issue on its own – provide a glimpse of Koike’s cosmopolitan convictions.
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MENTALITY MAKEOVER
During her first few months in office, the new governor has also proved a champion of shaking up outdated attitudes – particularly when it comes to Japan’s notoriously rigid working culture. She believes in the power of technological advances in increasing remote work – something the 2012 Olympics helped London get a taste for, as she points out – and calls for a ‘change in awareness’ in improving women’s work opportunities: ‘The systems are already there…90 percent of women take maternity leave. On the other hand, the ratio of men taking paternity leave reached a new “high” this year – two percent! It’s ridiculous. Even that 90 percent makes it seem like the system is working, but the problem is many women never come back to work – they quit.’ ‘To prevent this, we need to create an environment conducive to raising children, and daycare spots for everyone need to be secured, of course. But more fundamentally, a change in how we work is needed, which also ties into my advocacy of remote work. Simply doing things to make it look like you’re doing something isn’t going to cut it. A recent World Economic Forum report saw Japan fall to 111th in the Gender Gap index, despite all of the government’s efforts. Why? Because other countries have done more. Various policies are being proposed, but the core issues have remained out of reach.’ That’s where Tokyo can serve as an example, argues Koike: ‘In global competitiveness rankings, the countries at the top have one thing in common. That’s populations around five million – manageable, in other words. Strategies can be implemented very quickly in manageable environments. Japan is a nation of almost 130 million, with the third largest economy in the world, whereas Tokyo has one tenth of that population. We can lead in areas like social security – there are limits, of course, but success in Tokyo means that an initiative can then be taken up on the national level.’ Breaking out of old ways of thinking is all well and good, but sometimes more abrupt measures are needed – take the governor’s recent order that mandates Tokyo government employees to turn off the lights and go home no later than 8pm sharp every evening. That decree hopefully helps the city’s public servants stay fresh and focused, and might even give Yuriko Koike more time to entertain her many overseas guests: ‘No matter what their rank or status, I always take them to Takechan, a yakitori joint in Ginza. Just a counter and a few tables, a charcoal grill and a great atmosphere. Eat there once and you’ll never want to have yakitori anywhere else!’ January-March, 2017 Time Out Tokyo
LOCAL INSIGHT
Promotional feature Stephanie at Minowa-yu, a Shinjuku sento with a beautiful tiled wall
I, TOKYO
Stephanie Crohin Sento ambassador and journalist Age: 31
A SOAK IN A SENTO (public
bathhouse) doesn’t make many tourists’ to-do lists, but Stephanie Crohin aims to change all that. As Japan’s first-ever sento ambassador she’s spreading the word on the joys of communal bathing. When did you first come to Tokyo and what made you choose Japan as your new home? I studied Japanese literature as an exchange student at Rikkyo University in 2008. After going back to my home country for my master’s degree and working a few years in other countries, I was recruited by a company in Japan. What made you first fall in love with sento? During my student days at Rikkyo, my friend asked me to come along to a sento for a project. So we went to Myoho-yu in Ikebukuro, and I just loved it so much that I started going there weekly. It was a little embarrassing to be naked for the first time, but everything there, the relaxing time and being part of the community, captured my heart. When I came back to work in Tokyo, sento naturally came to mind as a way to relieve fatigue and stress. Remembering those
warm feelings of comfort, I started going to sento again every week. Last year, you became the Japan Sento Culture Association’s firstever sento ambassador. What exactly does this job entail? To put it simply, my mission is to tell more and more people in the world about sento. I disseminate information through my website and social media, by holding events and so on. There are three main things I focus on: the effects of bathing, the local community culture, and art. Visiting a sento is like going to an exhibition. Every sento has a different aesthetic based on each owner’s ideas and preferences. For example, in Kagoshima rather than Mount Fuji, you will often see Sakurajima, the prefecture’s symbolic volcano, painted on the wall. And in Oshiage, near Tokyo Skytree, there’s a sento that exhibits photos of the famous tower on its walls. How has your year as ambassador been, and what are you planning to achieve in the coming year? Actually, before my assignment, I had already worked on promoting sento culture to the world – through writing, social media and
visiting as many sento as possible. So becoming an ambassador didn’t really change my life, it just made my work official. I will just keep working hard to make sure sento are on every tourist’s list of things to do in Japan, and will keep visiting more and more sento around Japan. What part of the sento experience do you most want to share with tourists? I really would like people to know that sento are where you can directly interact with the local community. Inside sento, there are literally no barriers between locals and visitors. Unlike many hot spring facilities, local sento don’t prohibit tattoos. Hence, everyone is welcome, and I would recommend talking with locals there as sometimes they’ll point you to their favourite neighbourhood spots. Also, I would like to recommend sento bathing as a cure for jet lag, it really works! When did you first feel like a Tokyoite? When I was able to guide people around Tokyo! Needless to say, I can immediately recommend sento near each person’s
neighbourhood. Moreover, since I love strolling around the city, I know lovely cafés, restaurants and shops that you can’t find in travel guidebooks – all that info comes from locals I met at sento. NHK World offers various TV shows promoting Japanese culture. Do you have any favourite programmes? Japanology Plus. I love watching cultural documentaries, the subjects are varied and it’s entertaining. I think it is interesting for people both living in Japan and abroad. What’s your favourite aspect of Japanese culture? I like Japan’s culture of art, literature and, of course, bathing. I recommend talking to locals, but since many Japanese are naturally shy, it can sometimes be difficult. My advice is to remember your greetings – konnichiwa, arigato, sayonara – wherever you visit. It reduces tension and makes communication easier.
à Check out Stephanie’s website www.tokyo-sento.com for more info and sento suggestions
To find out how you can get NHK WORLD TV 24/7 in your country,
I, GLOBAL Domo The five best NHK World NHK’s mascot introduces Tokyo to the world
services for discovering Japan in 2017
©NHK-TYO
THROUGHOUT 2016, NHK World has kept evolving and improving – all in order to offer ever better programmes to audiences around the world. Now’s the time to look back and sum up the new and enriched NHK World services born in the last year.
What’s new? 1. Grand Sumo Highlights Inviting sumo fans from all over the world to learn more about one of the nation’s most historic sports, this new programme takes viewers into the middle of the action. See the website for free on-demand (VOD) matches from the previous day during each Grand Sumo tournament. Also make sure to check out ‘Sumopedia’, which airs every day after the highlight show and features introductions to sumo's profound history and insight into the sport's fascinating details.
2. Japanese Food PHOTO : TAKESHI NOGUCHI
Another new website, this one focuses on a range of Japanese recipes by the nation’s home chefs. Sorted by categories like ingredients and levels, it lets you discover new ideas for your daily meals and master exquisite Japanese dishes at home. Send in your cooking stories and pictures based on the recipes and have them shared with people from all over the world.
What's even better? 3. Local district features
4. Video on Demand (VOD) 5. News
Featuring a different Japanese region every time, NHK World digs into the districts with programmes highlighting local music, food, fun things to do and much more. The most recent region to be featured was Okinawa, while the next destination (in early February) will be wintery Hokkaido – including Niseko, one of Japan’s finest skiing spots. Don’t forget to tune in!
Ever so convenient, NHK World’s VOD service has been significantly expanded this year. Use the free apps to watch live news or review programmes at any time, anywhere and with any device, and tune in to NHK World radio, broadcast in 18 languages. You’ll want to make the most of these services during your time in Japan.
on your TV, computer or mobile device, visit nhk.jp/nhkworld
Download here!
The best is yet to come There’s so much to be excited about in Tokyo for 2017: from the opening of the capital region’s first robot hotel to the continuing rejuvenation of formerly scruffy shitamachi (old town) neighbourhoods, the Year of the Rooster sure is looking sweet. To up the anticipation further, we’ve put together a jam-packed preview complete with culinary, cultural and creative highlights, which you’ll find from page 24 onwards. But before that we caught up with a man charged with changing the city, architect Kengo Kuma, designer of the Olympic stadium. Turn the page to see his vision for 2020 and beyond... Art direction Steve Nakamura Photography Katsumi Omori
Time Out Tokyo January-March, 2017
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January-March, 2017 Time Out Tokyo
2020 vision Architect Kengo Kuma, designer of the Olympic Stadium, on Tokyo’s brave new future, the importance of heritage and what 2020 will mean for the city. Interview by Ili Saarinen
THEY SAY CHANGE IS the only constant
in Tokyo, with the unstoppable force euphemistically known as ‘redevelopment’ relentless in its quest to conquer new city spaces for faceless glass-and-steel towers and virtually identical shopping malls. But hope is far from lost for Tokyoites with hopes for a less, well, high-flying approach to urban evolution: they have one influential agent of an alternative future in Kengo Kuma, the designer of Tokyo’s new Olympic stadium and an advocate of a greener, more human-sized and tradition-respecting city. We caught up with Kuma at his Aoyama office to hear the superstar architect’s thoughts on how he would like to see Tokyo evolve in the run-up to 2020 and beyond.
HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT YOUR OLYMPIC STADIUM POTENTIALLY BECOMING A SYMBOL OF TOKYO FOR DECADES TO COME?
More than the stadium itself, I see its integration with the surrounding greenery as something that could become symbolic – having the stadium at the centre of a network of greenery combining its immediate surrounds with Meiji Shrine and Shinjuku Gyoen parks.
WHAT MESSAGE WOULD YOU LIKE TO GET ACROSS WITH THE STADIUM AND ITS SURROUNDS?
Traditionally speaking, Japanese architecture doesn’t aim to produce structures that stand out on their own. Instead, it emphasises relations, such as the one between the building and the nature around it. The stadium will make use of wood, have nature, trees, as an integral part of the whole, and is designed to not appear overwhelming when seen from ground level. I hope it will help promote these elements of Japanese architecture to a global audience once again.
SEEN THROUGH THE EYES OF AN ARCHITECT, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE FUTURE OF TOKYO?
In an age of global competition among cities, I think Tokyo really should abandon the idea of competing with big buildings – we can’t win that way. Our strengths lie elsewhere; in greenery and people-friendly alleys. Not in tall and flashy towers.
RESIDENT-FRIENDLY ARCHITECTURE, IN OTHER WORDS?
Right – many cities around the world have similar alleyway cultures, such as the hutongs in Time Out Tokyo January-March, 2017
China or the alleys in southeast Asia, but Tokyo’s homely, welcoming backstreets are unique and ought to be protected and promoted.
ANY ONGOING TOKYO PROJECTS YOU’RE EXCITED ABOUT FOR 2017?
Part of the ongoing refurbishment of Mitsukoshi Nihonbashi [department store] will be completed in 2017. I love renovating old buildings and remember being so impressed by Mitsukoshi as a child…old department stores used to be so flamboyant, they had an aura all of their own. I’d be happy to see it restored it to its former glory.
SO YOU’RE NOT TOO EXCITED ABOUT NEW SHOPPING MALLS…
New structures tend to look the same everywhere in the world. With globalisation, tastes are converging, the same brands and even the same restaurants are found in shopping complexes all over the world. This is obviously boring, so people with a deep interest in cities gravitate towards the old instead. In a sense, buildings like Mitsukoshi have a kind of power that no new replacements could have. It’s about not doing away with tradition, but polishing it instead. When I worked on the Kabukiza [theatre], we did tear down the old building but kept most of the original materials, restored and re-used them. Some of those materials, such as the white marble blocks we worked with, aren’t even available [on the market] any longer.
HOW ABOUT PROJECTS SET FOR COMPLETION BY 2020?
Construction will start soon on the new [Yamanote line] station to be built between Shinagawa and Tamachi. This one will incorporate a significant amount of natural materials, and have a wooden roof framework with a large white sheet spread over it, so the entire station will be bathing in light – something that hasn’t been done before in Tokyo. It’s set to open before the Olympics and will hopefully impress visitors.
AND WHAT ARE YOU PERSONALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO IN THE YEAR TO COME?
The start of [Olympic] stadium construction – I walk past the site every day on my way to the office, so I look forward to seeing the building emerge little by little. It’s my largest project so far, so I can’t wait to be able to sense its scale.
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January-March, 2017 Time Out Tokyo
2017 PREVIEW
Neighbourhood watch These are the local spots, from east to west, set to liven up their respective ’hoods in 2017
SEE MORE TIMEOUT.COM/ TOKYO
RYOGOKU
Sumida Hokusai Museum Spending a day in Ryogoku became even more of a necessity from November, when the neighbourhood that already houses the Edo-Tokyo Museum and the Kokugikan sumo stadium saw the opening of a museum dedicated entirely to ukiyo-e (woodblock print) superstar Katsushika Hokusai. The museum building itself was designed by worldrenowned architect Kazuyo Sejima and stands out with a modernist facade juxtaposed with Hokusai’s iconic works, while the collection is composed of art amassed by Sumida Ward along with one of the world’s leading Hokusai collectors, the late researcher Peter Morse. The addition of pieces gathered by Muneshige Narasaki, a leading expert on ukiyo-e, tops off the collection. In addition to viewing rarities such as the the ‘Sumida River Banks Picture Volume’, a set of elusive original drawings that were presumed lost for over 100 years and depict the old Yoshiwara and the Sumida River, you can admire high-definition replicas of crowd favourites like the ‘Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji’ and the ‘Hokusai Manga’. The exhibits provide a fascinating overview about Hokusai the man, his life in Sumida and what the city looked like between 1760, when Hokusai was born in Katsushika, and 1849, when he died and was buried at Seikyoji Temple in Asakusa.
KURAMAE 2016 was the year of the ‘bean to bar’ chocolate trend in Tokyo, with artisanal choc-makers popping up like mushrooms after the rain. Standing out among the barrage of newcomers is Dandelion Chocolate, an import from San Francisco that’s found a home in Kuramae, a once gritty area currently transforming into a hotbed of hip ‘made in Tokyo’ stores, trendy eateries and specialist coffee shops. At Dandelion, where you can buy treats from cookies to hot chocolate, the chocolate is made only with cacao and cane sugar. You can take a factory tour or participate in a workshop that gives you a behind-the-scenes look at the entire process, including selecting the right beans, roasting them, removing their skins, grinding them into cacao nibs, combining them with sugar, and tempering the finished bars so they don’t melt too easily. And don’t worry – there are plenty of chocolate tasting opportunities at every step of the way. For a sweet start to the year, alight at Kuramae Station and just follow the intoxicating scent. à 4-14-6 Kuramae, Taito (Kuramae Station). 03 5833 7270. dandelionchocolate.jp. Daily 10am-8pm.
à 2-7-2 Kamezawa, Sumida (Ryogoku Station). 03 5777 8600. hokusai-museum.jp. 9.30am-5.30pm, closed Mon (Tue if Mon is a holiday). Time Out Tokyo January-March, 2017
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HOKUSAI MUSEUM, FARO: MARI HIRATSUKA. DANDELION CHOCOLATE: KEISUKE TANIGAWA
Dandelion Chocolate
2017 PREVIEW YANAKA
Tokyobike Rentals It could be said that Tokyobike is the design embodiment of the Yanaka mindset. The company have been knocking out simple, attractive bicycles, just a hop and a skip from Nezu Station, since 2002. The concept is simple: comfort above speed (Yanaka in a nutshell), ideally put together for local life. The minimalist brand has been such a success in its home city, it has spread its wings and now has outlets in London, New York, Berlin and Singapore. Their latest outpost, opened in May 2016, offers both same-day and overnight rentals but you need to book in advance. The reservation website is only in Japanese, but can be navigated even without advanced language ability – just scroll down to the ‘reservation’ button to secure your ride for as soon as the following day. A one-day rental costs ¥2,500 and each additional day will set you back ¥1,500. As far as we’re concerned, there’s no better way to see the neighbourhood than by bike, and Ueno’s parks and museums are just a short pedal away. If you fall in love with one of these stylish bikes en route and would like to make it your own, head straight for the nearby Tokyobike Gallery store.
Life under the tracks Although level railway crossings are still very much part of life in suburban Tokyo, elevated tracks have become the norm closer to the city centre. And why not: besides the obvious safety reasons, moving train traffic a few stories above ground opens up acres of oh-so-scarce inner city land to be used more, well, profitably. In 2016, notable re-development efforts led to the opening of clusters of eateries, bars and art spaces under viaducts in Shimokitazawa (‘Cage’), Nakameguro (‘Koukashita’) and Shinjuku (‘Sanagi’). Doing away with old stereotypes, these newcomers are converting Tokyoites to the belief that maybe life under the tracks isn’t so rough after all. à tinyurl.com/TOTkoukashita
à 6-3-12 Yanaka, Taito (Nippori, Sendagi stations). 03 3827 4819. tokyobike.com/rental.html. 10am-7pm, closed Mon, Tue.
OMOTESANDO/HARAJUKU
Urasando Garden
Opened in spring 2016 but already something of a hub for the local creative community, Faro is located on the second floor of a retro building from the early Showa era. In addition to speciality joe courtesy of Obscura Coffee, you can enjoy their daily lunch menu or the ¥500 morning set (8am-10am) with either toast or delicious granola and fruit. The café is also home to a neat little library, containing books on graphic design, illustration, art, architecture and much more.
A collection of six different stores shoved into a 60-yearold, expertly refurbished house that exudes a charming retro ambience, Urasando Garden is quickly becoming one of Tokyo’s unlikeliest shopping spots. Each outlet has been made as small as possible to allow for a yokochostyle common area, which encourages comfy mingling and furthers the owners’ stated goal: to introduce shoppers to traditional Japanese culture and crafts, from green tea to artisanal stationery. Highlights include hitting the tea store on the ground floor to try your hand at preparing matcha, getting your dose of caffeine via some coffee jelly over ice cream at Cafe Facon and browsing for wagashi-shaped ‘inko’ incense and incense burners at Juttoku on the top floor. Lastly, make sure to check out Kakimori, a stationery dealer selling ink, pens and paper, along with notebooks that can be customised to your liking. More shops are set to join the collective in the months to come, giving you an excuse to keep checking back.
à Echiso Bldg 2F, 2-39-7 Hongo, Bunkyo (Hongo-Sanchome Station). 03 6240 0287. facebook.com/farocoffee. Mon-Sat 11am-11pm, Sun & hols 11am-6pm.
à 4-15-2 Jingumae, Shibuya (Omotesando Station). urasando-garden.jp. Hours vary by shop.
HONGO
Faro
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January-March, 2017 Time Out Tokyo
2017 PREVIEW
SHOIN-JINJAMAE
Matsuzaki Senbei Who says an old dog can’t learn new tricks? In business since 1804, Matsuzaki Senbei is one of Tokyo’s most venerable senbei (rice cracker) purveyors. Their main store in Ginza obviously still caters to all your crackerrelated needs, but the Matsuzakis have also started taking steps into the café business. Quietly opened along the charmingly old-school Shoinjinja-dori shopping arcade deep in Setagaya in April, their senbei restaurant and tea house serves both savoury and sweet delights. When visiting in the daytime, don’t miss out on their organic lunch plate: curated by nutritionist Hareyo Aragaki, this colourful mixture is available to only 15 eager eaters every day and comes replete with fresh goodness that’s sure to fill you up – and boost your Instagram kudos. At the shop, which is well on the way to becoming the area’s number two attraction after the eponymous Shoin Shrine, you’ll want to try the Shamido Kawara Senbei. This traditional sweet cracker can be ordered for dessert or as an afternoon snack. The beans for the excellent hand drip coffee come courtesy of Hayama-based speciality dealers The Five Beans. And as its ’hood is popular with families, the shop is very kid-friendly – think spacious bathrooms and slopes for strollers instead of stairs. You can even bring your young ’uns to take part in a Kawara Senbei painting workshop – and reward them with some green tea kakigori (shaved ice) afterwards.
Burger brothers It can’t be coincidence: 2016 gave birth to not one but two Tokyo eating hubs centred around America’s greatest culinary export: the burger. At Kuramae’s The East, the protagonist is McLean, run by a chef who honed his patty craft at eternal favourite Burger Mania before breaking out on his own this spring. Set up around his joint are a barber shop, a gallery and a coffee house run by Tokyo ‘third wave’ pioneers Kenji Kojima and Yasuo Ishii. Meanwhile, at Ebisu’s Brick End, acclaimed pattypushers The Great Burger are neighbours with a casual izakaya and an Indian curry joint, all of which look out over the Yamanote line tracks. à tinyurl.com/TOTbrickend, tinyurl.com/TOTtheeast
YOYOGI-HACHIMAN
Path
The perfect hangout before or after a day out in Yoyogi Park, this bistro and café has grown into a local revelation over the past 12 months. For early birds breakfast and brunch – including their famous, super-fluffy Dutch Pancake – are served from 8am to 2pm. Get there early to secure a seat and wait around 30 minutes for this oven-baked delicacy, topped with uncured ham and burrata, to appear piping hot at your table. At night, you get to pick from natural wines, Kyoto-made craft beer and rare liqueurs to complement the beautifully plated but very reasonably priced (¥5,800 for a seven-course dinner) Italian cuisine. à A-Flat Bldg, 1-44-2 Tomigaya, Shibuya (Yoyogi-Koen, Yoyogi-Hachiman stations). 03 6407 0011. tinyurl.com/TOTyoyogipath. 8am-2pm, 6pm-12midnight (last orders 11pm), closed Mon.
Time Out Tokyo January-March, 2017
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BRICK END: KISA TOYOSHIMA. PATH, MATSUZAKI SENBEI, NEGURA: MARI HIRATSUKA. UNI STAND: CHRIS LLOYD
à 3-17-9 Wakabayashi, Setagaya (Shoin-Jinjamae Station). 03 6884 3296. 1804.matsuzaki-senbei.com. 11.30am-7pm, closed Wed.
2017 PREVIEW
OGIKUBO
Title
New bookstore openings are few and far between in these print-hostile times, even in a city as committed to physical media as Tokyo. Having started business almost a year ago with very little fuss, Title bucks the trend with its beautiful, 10,000-title collection of tomes and magazines on subjects from philosophy and pressing social issues to everyday life. Run by a former manager of the Libro chain, who aims to recreate the kind of friendly neighbourhood atmosphere that characterised Tokyo’s bookshops of old, Title also houses a small café and an upstairs gallery, while events aimed at reintroducing both locals and visitors to the joys of print are held regularly. It’s the kind of place we’d like to stop by every day if our bank balance would allow.
KOENJI
Negura
à 1-5-2 Momoi, Suginami (Ogikubo Station). 03 6884 2894. title-books.com. 11am-9pm, closed Wed, 3rd Tue of the month.
Having made their name as a pop-up operation on the club and music festival circuit, the folks behind this quirkiest of curry shops set up their first permanent outpost in Koenji in March, only to see the building condemned and torn down within months. Not to be deterred, the spice squad swiftly secured an alternative location and were back in business by September. Run by a fellow hugely obsessed with India despite never actually having visited the country, Negura is a result of the quixotic owner having let his imagination run wild. The menu features south Indian-style concoctions topped with very Japanese ingredients like asari clams and whitebait, plus original chai drinks – and there are heaps of psychedelia-tinged paraphernalia plastered all over the walls. This isn’t the place for authentic Indian grub, but for the brave it is a curry mash-up trip to remember. Negura already draws in daily queues and is often forced to close early after selling out of the day’s batch. Its reputation is only set to grow in the year to come, so you had best make the trip before things start getting really spicy. à 3-48-3 Koenji-Minami, Suginami (Koenji Station). facebook.com/negura.curry. Daily 1pm-9pm.
KICHIJOJI
Uni Stand A now-overflowing supply of ‘third wave’ coffee shops is spoiling Tokyo’s caffeine addicts, but green tea, Japan’s native pick-me-up, appears to have been left by the wayside. The list of matcha-flavoured snacks may be getting longer by the day, but no one is talking about a tea revolution – yet. Kichijoji’s Uni Stand café is here to provide the spark, offering matcha beverages made by the ultimate cha-rista (tea barista). When Uni Stand’s owner began exploring Tokyo’s coffee landscape with the aim of becoming a barista, he noticed that coffee beans were in the process of crowding out green leaves. To set things right, he abandoned his initial plans and opened a green tea café in spring 2016, even hosting workshops to revive the endangered art of verdant brews. Though Uni Stand also serves coffee – got to be realistic, right? – we suggest you try out the Uji Matcha Au Lait, made by the master himself. Since no additional sugar goes in the drink, you can taste the flavourful bitterness of the matcha, perfectly complemented by the creamy milk. Serious tea aficionados will want to go for the Single Origin, which features a different kind of leaf every month. Will 2017 finally see a tea takeover?
Mega-mall madness Newoman, Tokyu Plaza Ginza, Ginza Place, Kyobashi Edogrand…keeping up with all the shopping behemoth openings around Tokyo in 2016 felt overwhelming at times. Although none of the identikit shops within these steel-and-glass temples of consumerism really got us excited, some of the completions did come with positives: the inexplicably named Newoman made Shinjuku Station far less confusing to navigate, Tokyu Plaza’s Edo Kiriko glass exterior is an architectural wonder, and the Nissan showroom at Ginza Place is actually pretty damn impressive. à tinyurl.com/TOTtokyuplaza, tinyurl.com/TOTnewoman
à 1-16-1 Shimorenjaku, Mitaka (Kichijoji Station). 03 6408 9085. unistand.jp. 10am-7pm, closed Tue.
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January-March, 2017 Time Out Tokyo
2017 PREVIEW
Eating and drinking The hottest food trends set to rock Tokyo in the year to come
Extra-green ice cream at Nanaya Shizuoka-based matcha sweets purveyors Nanaya took the capital by storm in 2016, first setting up a gelato counter inside venerable Asakusa tea shop Suzukien, which was soon overwhelmed by Tokyoites on the hunt for the fabled Premium No. 7. Certified as the ice cream with the world’s highest matcha content, this creamy green creation proved so popular that its inventors had little choice but to start their own store – a step they took in August with the opening of Tea & Spoon Nanaya Aoyama. In addition to No. 7, it stocks six other varieties of matcha ice cream ranked in order of richness, as well as matcha daifuku sweets, matcha cookies and even matcha chocolate. If green tea is your cup of tea, so to speak, this one ought not to be missed. à 2-7-12 Shibuya, Shibuya (Shibuya Station). 03 6427 9008. nanaya-matcha.com. 11am-7pm, closed Tue.
Melt-in-your-mouth pancakes at Gram Along with A Happy Pancake and Flipper’s (see page 41), Osaka import Gram is one of the main culprits behind Tokyo’s ongoing ‘fluffy pancake’ boom. Having first landed in Jiyugaoka in April – when the capital’s sweets lovers went bonkers and queued outside for hours – the café now also operates branches in Harajuku and Kichijoji. Their made-to-order, almost impossibly airy ‘premium pancakes’ are only served to 20 diners during each time slot – at 11am, 3pm and 6pm every day. If you’re eager to get a taste of the melt-in-your-mouth delicacy, best pick out a good book or charge up your phone before braving the line, as you’re sure to be waiting for quite a while. Other noteworthy offerings include the Jiyugaoka-only Baked Apple and Black Tea Cream and the pleasantly spicy Chilli Bean. à Gram Jiyugaoka. J Glass Bldg, 2-12-13 Jiyugaoka, Meguro (Jiyugaoka Station). 03 5726 8384. cafe-gram.com. Daily 11am-9pm.
Time Out Tokyo January-March, 2017
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2017 PREVIEW
Lemon sours at the Open Book
New York burgers at Shake Shack
GRAM, OPEN BOOK: KISA TOYOSHIMA. NANAYA: KEISUKE TANIGAWA. CAFÉ HABANA: ALEX SHAPIRO. SHAKE SHACK: YASUHISA SHIMBO.
Tokyoites’ love for everything New York shows no signs of cooling down – on the contrary, restaurants, cafés and shops from the Big Apple only seem to have intensified their efforts of conquering the Eastern Capital over the past year. The most obvious representative of this hardcharging bunch is Danny Meyer’s burger empire, which first spread its tentacles to Tokyo in late 2015. But the Shake Shack boom only took off for real over the past 12 months, when new outposts popped up in Ebisu and Marunouchi. The latter, a spacious set-up inside Tokyo International Forum, is particularly apt for exploring the oh-so-satisfying lineup of burgers, fries, hot dogs and the frozen custard desserts known as ‘concretes’ – one meal there and you’ll be broadcasting the Shack’s virtues to anyone that will listen.
A mixture of shochu, club soda and lemon juice, the humble lemon sour (the Japanese kind, not the cocktail base) isn’t the sort of drink one would think merits a specialist bar. One would change one’s mind, however, after a visit to the Open Book, which opened on Shinjuku’s Golden Gai this spring. Mr Tanaka, the bartender, uses a doublechamber Randall filter to bring out the zesty best of the lemons while mixing them with power-packed shochu and homemade lemon syrup, resulting in a harmony of sweetness, sourness and crispness. If we had to pick one drink to start the new year with, this one would be a, well, strong candidate.
à Shake Shack Tokyo International Forum. 3-5-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda (Yurakucho, Tokyo stations). shakeshack.jp/location/yurakucho. Daily 11am-10pm.
à Golden Gai 5-Ban Gai, 1-1-6 Kabukicho, Shinjuku (Shinjuku Station). 080 4112 0273. tinyurl.com/TOTopenbook. Daily 7pm-2am.
Grilled corn at Café Habana
Coriander salad at Pak-chee Village
Alright, when are these New Yorkers going to leave us alone? Having run his Café Habana for over 15 years in Lower Manhattan, Sean Meeman saw 2016 roll around and thought it was time to see how Tokyoites respond to Cubano sandwiches and grilled corn. The answer: we’re loving it. Meeman’s Shibuya venture started business in May and quickly attracted a loyal following with the pair of signature dishes mentioned above, plus Japan originals like a teriyaki chicken sandwich and grilled garlic tuna with rice and beans. Although the Cuban fare is very good throughout, nothing has been able to overtake Habana’s exquisite corn cob, served with mayo, cojita (a Mexican cheese similar to parmesan) and chilli powder with a spritz of lime – you won’t find anything like it elsewhere in Tokyo.
For some unknown and surely mysterious reason, Tokyo has been gripped by a kind of herb-induced madness. And no, we’re not talking about that herb: the plant in question is coriander, also known as cilantro and pak chi. Restaurants focused on southeast Asian food have started to incorporate the bright green shrub into an ever-increasing selection of dishes, while some maniacs have gone as far as to establish eateries dedicated entirely to coriander. Pak-chee Village, opened along Shinjuku’s Yasukuni-dori in July, is one of these quirky specialists. Their wonderful but slightly terrifying assortment of herby dishes is headed by a massive coriander salad (¥1,490) seasoned with fresh onion dressing – one for the dedicated pak chi enthusiast – while you’ll also find creations like coriander potato salad, coriander lassi and gyoza with coriander and shrimp on the menu.
à 2-11 Sarugakucho, Shibuya (Shibuya, Daikanyama stations). 03 3464 1887. cafehabana.jp. Daily 11.30am-11pm (last orders 10pm).
à FS Bldg 8F, 3-20-6 Shinjuku, Shinjuku (Shinjuku Station). 03 3358 7923. tinyurl.com/ TOTpakchee. Mon-Fri 5pm-12midnight, Sat, Sun & hols 4pm-12midnight.
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January-March, 2017 Time Out Tokyo
2017 PREVIEW
Hotels Where to stay in 2017
Wise Owl, the party hostel Combine your budget stay with dance tunes and craft coffee at this new Hatchobori hostel, which sits right above the station and promises a dawn-to-dusk party atmosphere. In addition to the usual dorms (from ¥3,600) and private rooms, Wise Owl, opened in July 2016 and named after the resident concierge Hachi, a Belgian-born Eurasian eagle owl, offers furnished apartments and houses the underground Howl bar. Here, music by sound specialists Hidemaro Shimoda, Komatsu Sound Lab and Yosi Horikawa hoots (sorry) from the speakers while imbibers explore the specialist sake bar. In the morning, your day of exploring Tokyo is sure to start well with a cup of the hostel’s coffee, made with beans from Sangenjaya’s Obscura Coffee Roasters.
Hoshinoya Tokyo, the urban luxury ryokan
à 3-22-9 Hatchobori, Chuo (Hatchobori Station). 03 5541 2960. wiseowlhostels.com.
à 1-9-1 Otemachi, Chiyoda (Otemachi Station). 0570 073 066. hoshinoyatokyo.com. Time Out Tokyo January-March, 2017
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Hokutosei, the train hostel All you train aficionados out there are sure to sleep well at this one-of-a-kind hostel, opened in December and accessible directly from JR Bakurocho Station. Named after the defunct Hokutosei sleeper train, which operated between Tokyo and Sapporo for 27 years before being retired in 2015, it boasts an interior that faithfully recreates the train’s cabins – think bunk beds, aluminium ladders and dark curtains – made entirely with materials from the Hokutosei carriages. In addition to the usual dorms, they offer ‘private rooms’ that are about the same size as your regular sleeper train cabin. Prices start from ¥2,500 – a bargain compared to the moving Hokutosei’s minimum rate of ¥6,300. OK, you’ll still wake up in Tokyo after a night here, but at least the ride is unlikely to be bumpy. à 1-10-12 Nihonbashi-Bakurocho, Chuo (Bakurocho Station). tinyurl. com/TOThokutosei
HOKUTOSEI: MARI HIRATSUKA. WISE OWL: KISA TOYOSHIMA
Tired of choosing between the lure of the big city and a bit of rest and relaxation when you visit Tokyo? Now you can have both. Hoshino Resorts, who operate a string of high end resorts and hotels, have brought the luxury ryokan experience to the capital with Hoshinoya Tokyo. Opened in July among the office towers of Otemachi, it invites you to experience a Japanese ryokan inn and onsen without the burden of travelling away from town. Strolling through the concrete jungle of high-rises near Tokyo Station, you’d be forgiven for doubting the authenticity of an urban ryokan experience. True, the 17-storey tower edifice that Hoshinoya Tokyo occupies is a far cry from the squat, wooden inns we love and cherish so much. However, once you step in through the entrance, you’ll realise that appearances can be deceiving: the staff will welcome you kneeling and request that you remove your shoes before stepping on the tatami mat floors. The tatami theme continues in all 84 of Hoshinoya’s traditionalstyle rooms, which come with luxury versions of the familiar foldable futon. Each floor features a shared Ochanoma (tea room) Lounge, exclusive to guests staying on that floor. Japanese breakfast is served here in the morning, tea and snacks take over during the day, alcohol is on offer at night – and everything’s included in the room rate. And don’t worry, we’re just getting to the bathing part: the hotel has its own onsen, a defining feature of every ryokan worthy of the name – the only difference is this one is a true state-of-the-art facility that draws on the area’s first natural hot spring, tapped in 2014 and unsurprisingly dubbed Otemachi Onsen. The spring is even siphoned all the way up to the rooftop for your alfresco bathing pleasure. Sure, you’ll have to fork out quite a bit for the right to experience it all, but for traditional opulence in the heart of the city, there simply is no better alternative.
2017 PREVIEW
Art and music
It’s a rap 2016 sure was an eventful year for Japanese music, with the return of Hikaru Utada, the will-they-or-won’t-they commotion surrounding the end of eternal boy band SMAP, the arrival of streaming service Spotify and the abolishment of the ‘no dancing’ law grabbing the biggest headlines. But for us, the grooviest change had to be the rise of domestic hip hop. Although the scene has well over two decades of history in Japan, the newfound popularity of freestyle rap battles – spurred on by a popular TV show on the theme – saw it take a big step forward. No longer a curiosity, Japanese rap is firmly establishing itself as a channel for the nation’s youth to voice their disillusionment and disappointment with the deteriorating economic climate and the new generation’s lack of representation in politics.
Snoopy, rap and shutterbugs
Rabid fans of the little white doggy from ‘Peanuts’ have been raving about Roppongi’s Snoopy Museum ever since its opening in April, and for good reason: a temporary (until September 2018) satellite branch of the Charles M Schulz Museum in California’s Santa Rosa, the facility is jam-packed with original drawings and Snoopy-themed art, plus a number of Mr Schulz’s early works and rare collectibles, all of which are rotated every six months. The current exhibition, ‘Hello Again, Snoopy’, is on until April 9 and consists of around 200 comic strips, videos and vintage merchandise, all centred on the famous puppy and his adventures. Once you’re done with the displays, do consider exiting through the gift shop: the Snoopy Museum’s in-house store is almost as big as the galleries and carries everything from the usual fluffy toys and postcards to limited-edition rarities and items created in collaboration with big-name Japanese brands. And at nearby Cafe Blanket, you can dine on ‘Peanuts’-themed sweets and savoury treats, all courtesy of Nakameguro’s Peanuts Cafe. All in all, the Snoopy Museum is well worth a visit even for non-fans. Just note that tickets are sold for specific time slots and remain very popular – see the museum website for all the details in English. à Snoopy Museum. 5-6-20 Roppongi, Minato (Roppongi Station). snoopymuseum.tokyo/en. Daily 10am-8pm.
©PEANUTS WORLDWIDE LLC
Snoopy loopy
Picture perfect Formerly known as the Metropolitan Museum of Photography, Tokyo’s premier photography showcase was re-opened as the Tokyo Photographic Art Museum after a period of seemingly never-ending renovations. But the two-year wait sure appears to have been worth it: the new TOP (who came up with that abbreviation?) Museum boasts a 33,000-piece permanent collection and brings in leading lights of the photography world for short-term shows – enigmatic Thai director Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s films and photographs are in the spotlight until January 29. Found in the basement, the small Images & Technology Gallery presents a multimedia history of optics, featuring tricks such as morphing, and the occasional media art exhibition. à Tokyo Photographic Art Museum. Yebisu Garden Place, 1-13-3 Mita, Meguro (Ebisu Station). 03 3280 0099. topmuseum.jp. Tue, Wed, Sat, Sun 10am-6pm, Thu, Fri 10am-8pm, closed Mon (Tue if Mon is a holiday) and over New Year’s.
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January-March, 2017 Time Out Tokyo
2017 PREVIEW
2017 in the city What we see in Tokyo’s very near future
Henn na Hotel – the robot hotel
Electric Daisy Carnival – that other EDM extravaganza
If you’re into robots, you’ve probably ‘dined’ at the wacky Robot Restaurant in Shinjuku or seen the countless robot displays at the National Museum of Emerging Science & Innovation. But no amount of android affinity can prepare you for Henn na Hotel (‘strange hotel’) in Nagasaki, staffed by robots of all shapes and sizes (with a handful of human staff ready to intervene in case the bots decide to take over the world). Yes, those T-rexes you see wearing lobby boy hats are actually the resident concierges. Robot-loving Tokyoites are in luck, for the mecha-hotel is opening a second location in Maihama, Chiba in March 2017. Set to be built just a stone’s throw from Maihama Station, the gateway to Disneyland, the new branch will feature all the unusual suspects, perma-eager to attend to your needs and even sing you to sleep.
The 2014 arrival of Miami mega-festival Ultra encouraged the capital’s party people to step out from the darkness of the city’s cramped clubs and into the laser-enhanced light to enjoy the laptop-busting antics of some of the world’s top EDM DJs. With Ultra Japan now an annual – and wildly popular – highlight for the neon-and-frills crowd, the folks behind new entrant Electric Daisy Carnival are set to have their hands full promoting the maiden Tokyo edition of this bass-thumping spectacle, which holds its flagship party in Las Vegas every year. Set to hit Chiba’s Zozo Marine Stadium and Makuhari Beach Park over the last weekend of April, EDC Japan is a blank slate at this point – all we know is that ticket prices will start from ¥20,000 and that the lineup promises to be ‘star-studded’. If having an OTT electronic dance music experience is on your list of things to do in 2017, you had best keep an eye out for further announcements in the months to come. à Zozo Marine Stadium & Makuhari Beach Park, April 29-30. 1 Mihama, Mihama, Chiba. edc.tokyo.
à h-n-h.jp/en Time Out Tokyo January-March, 2017
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PHOTO: KEISUKE TANIGAWA
2017 PREVIEW
SHOW-STOPPING SPECTACLES
Shibuya’s new look
à shibuyacast-apt.jp
‘Yayoi Kusama: My Eternal Soul’ Ginza Six
Ginza Six – the mighty mega-mall Scheduled to open in April 2017 and touted as the largest commercial complex in all of Ginza (and that’s saying something!), this humongous structure is set to take over the Chuo-dori lot last occupied by the Matsuzakaya department store. The concept for Ginza Six is ‘world-class’, presumably meaning a rather upscale version of, well, everything. Facing the area’s central drag on the ground level will be high-flying international brands like Céline, Dior and Fendi, while the more artistically inclined will surely appreciate the inclusion of Tsutaya Books. You can also look forward to plentiful cosmetics boutiques, a massive food court and even a basement Noh theatre. And to make things even smoother for tourists, they’re also adding a sightseeing bus stop smack in front of the main entrance. How convenient.
©YAYOI KUSAMA
Over the past few years, staggeringly high yellow cranes, walkways under construction and an endless stream of orange safety pylons have become the new normal around Shibuya Station. They’re all part of the ‘large-scale redevelopment’ of the area − a bit of a monster task, considering the gazillion different metro and train lines, run by a host of different companies, that pass through the massive hub. All this construction raises the question: what will Shibuya look like in the years to come? And when will the damn thing be finished? Luckily, part of the Shibuya Renewal project plans were announced in October, and they’re looking pretty snappy: set to open in spring 2017, the Shibuya Cast complex will rise at the southern end of Cat Street and house fashion boutiques of the more affordable variety, in addition to shared offices and apartments for creatives, while the side facing Meijidori will have a square perfectly suited for events such as flea markets. But don’t expect the cranes and lorries to disappear anytime soon – the entire redevelopment effort isn’t set to be completed until 2027.
Farewell, Sony Building A true local icon, Ginza’s Sony Building will turn 50 in March 2017, and to mark the anniversary, they’re tearing it down. Demolition work on the old structure is set to begin in April, while the replacement, Sony Park – an actual park, apparently – is set to open by summer 2018. While many lament the demise of a building that, in a way, embodied Japan’s most renowned electronics maker and its spirited culture of innovation, at least there’s a silver lining to this act of architectural brutality: Sony is putting on a retrospective exhibition (until March 31) highlighting the company’s greatest hits, and the Edit Tokyo popup bookstore will sell Tokyo-themed tomes and other items right up until the last minute. àtinyurl.com/TOTitsasony, tinyurl.com/TOTedittokyo
àginza6.tokyo
87 and as young as ever: ‘Time’ magazine recently named Yayoi Kusama one of the world’s ‘100 Most Influential People’, her extensive ‘In Infinity’ exhibition is currently touring Scandinavia, and now Tokyo gets another taste of the bewigged contemporary artist’s seemingly endless vitality. Taking over the National Art Center almost in its entirety, ‘My Eternal Soul’ is set to be one of Kusama’s biggest ever shows in the capital and will consist mainly of large-scale paintings from the eponymous series the artist has been working on since 2009. Visitors will also be able to trace Kusama’s career from her early years in New York all the way up to the present day. àThe National Art Center, Tokyo. Feb 22-May 22. 7-22-2 Roppongi, Minato. 03 5777 8600. tinyurl.com/TOTkusama2017. 10am-6pm (Fri 10am-8pm), closed Tue.
‘Reborn Art Festival 2017’ 2017 will mark six years since the triple disasters of 3.11, when the Great East Japan earthquake and tsunami devastated Tohoku and crippled the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. The recovery is still ongoing, and many people across Japan remain affected by the events of those fateful days. Looking to give the revival efforts one more boost, this summer art festival is set to take over the area around Ishinomaki, a city that saw massive tsunami damage in 2011. Artists from a wide range of genres, including JR, Michihiro Shimabuku and Teppei Kaneuji, will be working with locals in sharing their will and determination to keep living even under the roughest of circumstances. àreborn-art-fes.jp
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January-March, 2017 Time Out Tokyo
2016 Best eats, drinks and things, plus essential activities and outstanding Tokyoites – we reveal the winners of the Love Tokyo Awards… OVER THE PAST few months, the Love Tokyo
in the five categories of restaurant, bar, café, shop and product, in addition to picking out a handful of essential things to do and six excellent individuals who truly deserve the title ‘Face of Tokyo’. Read on for a roundup of the city’s crème de la crème in 2016.
Awards 2016 saw local experts from across the global Time Out network descend on Tokyo and join our own ace team in picking out the very best of the capital. After countless sleepless nights and heated debates, our judges have finally decided on the winners
THE WINNERS BEST RESTAURANT
BEST CAFÉ
Kitafuku Ginza
Higashiya Ginza
àGinza 745 Bldg 3F, 7-4-5 Ginza, Chuo (Ginza Station). 03 6280 6368. Daily 5pm-12midnight. timeout.com/tokyo/restaurants/kitafuku-ginza
àPola Ginza Bldg 2F, 1-7-7 Ginza, Chuo (Ginza, Ginza-Itchome stations). 03 3538 3230. 11am-10pm, closed Mon (Tue if Mon is a holiday). timeout.com/tokyo/restaurants/higashiya
From the moment you remove your shoes to walk on the tatami mats to the moment you eat your final morsel of supple crabmeat, Kitafuku is an exhilarating experience. A meal lasts at least two hours, which is the minimum time necessary for a live king crab to be deshelled, systematically dismantled – leg by leg, claw by claw – and feasted upon boiled, charcoal-grilled and raw.
This tea salon puts a fresh twist on traditional Japanese confectionery. As well as the typical combination of green tea and sweets like cold kuzu noodles, the salon also serves alcohol – ask the staff which beer, shochu or wine goes best with your sweets. It’s a spot relaxing enough for hours of lingering in busy Ginza.
BEST SHOP
Isetan Shinjuku Store Arguably the trendiest department store in Japan, Isetan Shinjuku is renowned for having its window displays created by leading artists and offers only the finest in food, clothing and homewares. à3-14-1 Shinjuku, Shinjuku (Shinjuku, Shinjuku-Sanchome stations). 03 3352 1111. Daily 10.30am-8pm. timeout.com/tokyo/shopping/isetan-shinjuku
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BEST BAR
Bar Oak
BEST PRODUCTS
BEST ACTIVITIES
Tokyobike
Five Tokyo essentials
Hotel bars usually aren’t very inspiring places, but the Tokyo Station Hotel’s version isn’t like most hotel bars. Master Hisashi Sugimoto mixes up his signature Tokyo Station cocktails in a room that incorporates red bricks and wood in the décor, matching perfectly with the newly renovated station’s exterior.
Knocking out simple, attractive bicycles since 2002, Tokyobike adheres to a simple concept: comfort above speed, ideally put together for the local life. The minimalist brand has been such a success in its home city, in fact, that they now have outlets as far afield as New York, London and Melbourne.
àTokyo Station Hotel 2F, 1-9-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda (Tokyo Station). 03 5220 1261. Daily 5pm-12midnight. timeout.com/tokyo/bars-and-pubs/bar-oak
àtokyobike.com
Giving it our very best shot, we’ve gone ahead and picked out five things you only can – and absolutely have to – experience in Tokyo. In addition to visiting the legendary Tsukiji Market (while it’s still there!) and admiring the city skyline from Roppongi’s Tokyo City View, our essential Tokyo activities include taking part in a traditional matsuri (festival), watching a sumo morning practice (asageiko) and bar-hopping your way around the capital’s many yokocho (alleyways).
FACE OF TOKYO
PHOTO: CLAIRE DORN
PHOTO: MASAYA TANAKA
Our picks of the creative people who helped make Tokyo a better place in 2016
Takashi Murakami
Yoshiharu Hoshino
The CEO of Hoshino Resorts, a leading operator of opulent resorts and hotels, Yoshiharu Hoshino oversaw the opening of Hoshinoya Tokyo in July. This luxurious traditional-style inn sits right in the heart of Tokyo, boasts its own natural hot spring and successfully brings the onsen ryokan experience to the capital.
Kris Yoshie
Kris Yoshie is the director of the Slow Label collective, which works to empower people with disabilities and advance their integration into society. Their art project, ‘Slow Movement’, was a surprise hit at this year’s Roppongi Art Night, while Kris herself also had a hand in Japan’s refreshingly diverse ‘handover’ show performed at the Rio Paralympics closing ceremony.
PHOTO: TOWA HIYOSHI
Eccentric artist extraordinaire Takashi Murakami had his hands full in 2016, and not just with a paintbrush: his critically acclaimed ‘The 500 Arhats’ show attracted over 300,000 visitors during its run at the Mori Museum, while an exhibition at the Yokohama Museum of Art showcased the ‘Superflat’ progenitor’s highly eclectic collection of art.
Sheena Ringo
Although singer and songwriter Sheena Ringo has evolved from teenage pop starlet to cultural icon during a career that now spans almost two decades, her influence has been largely restricted to Japan – until this year, that is. Having juggled the roles of creative supervisor and music producer for the flag handover segments of both the Rio Olympics and Paralympics closing ceremonies, the capital’s very own musical misfit has well and truly arrived on the world stage.
Takahiro Saito
2016 finally saw the overturning of Japan’s antiquated ‘no dancing’ law – a potentially farreaching change that came about largely thanks to the efforts of lawyer Takahiro Saito. Having lobbied for reform since 2012, Saito won over an impressive cast of entrepreneurs, artists and politicians, initiating a movement that eventually became too funky for the authorities to resist.
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Makoto Shinkai
Makoto Shinkai was already an established name in the anime world before August, when his new film ‘Your Name’ hit theatres, but the record-breaking success of this fantasy-tinged teen romance saw the 43-year-old director catapulted into the mainstream spotlight and praised for spreading the gospel of anime to completely new audiences.
January-March, 2017 Time Out Tokyo
Promotional feature
ISETAN SHINJUKU OFFERS TOKYO’S VERY BEST SHOPPING EXPERIENCE Fittingly for the city’s most refined department store, Isetan Shinjuku was crowned the winner in the shop category at Time Out Tokyo’s inaugural Love Tokyo Awards. It’s the perfect place for experiencing the essence of Japanese commerce, which has been a refined activity for centuries. In Japan, a range of subtle techniques are used when serving customers and designing shopping spaces – all in order to create a richer experience. Isetan Shinjuku, along with the two other renowned retailers featured below, combine the traditions of Edo-era clothing shops with European and American influences to make your visit as enjoyable as possible.
ISETAN SHINJUKU STORE DISCOVER TOKYO’S LATEST TRENDS SUAVE SUITS AND LUXURY LEISURE
Making your way through the floors of this iconic department store requires plenty of self-control: you’ll be coming face to face with amazing products at every turn. Founded in 1886, Isetan Shinjuku has always been at the forefront of both fashion and innovation, and continues to count on the loyal support of a young client base sensitive to the latest styles and trends. Your first stop here should be Isetan Men’s, a separate building next to the main one. The second floor here is known as the International Creator’s zone and is home to the freshest boutiques and designer wear from around the world, so you’re sure to find something new and unexpected. And on the eighth floor you’ll find Isetan Men’s Residence, a hip space that goes beyond shopping for luxury gear by inviting you to have fun while picking out just the right item. The selection includes watches, cameras, audio equipment, fountain pens, fragrances and much more, as well as a men’s spa and a florist.
HOT RIGHT NOW
The main Isetan building also offers a rich array of items and ideas. The Beauty Apothecary on the second basement floor goes beyond brand and category distinctions to present an exquisite selection of cosmetics and food. Meanwhile, Tokyo Kaihoku on the second floor is a conceptual space with a regularly rotating selection of items. It shines the spotlight on the latest brands and up-and-coming creatives to bring to life novel
collaborations that reflect contemporary Tokyo. But far and away the trickiest place to come out of without reaching for your wallet is the Foods Floor on the first basement level. Easy to navigate and manned by an army of expert staff, it’s a real treasure chest of unique sweets and deli fare. Keeping your hands in check will be harder than it sounds. à Isetan Shinjuku Store. 3-14-1 Shinjuku, Shinjuku. 03 3352 1111. www.isetan.co.jp/int.
In association with Isetan Mitsukoshi Group
NIHOMBASHI MITSUKOSHI MAIN STORE WATCH TRADITION COME TO LIFE THE GOLDEN OLDIE
The flagship location of Japan’s most historic department store, Nihombashi Mitsukoshi occupies a building that’s been designated an Important Cultural Property of Japan. Noteworthy details include the lion statues at the entrance and the pipe organ on the second floor balcony, but you’ll also find plenty of other architectural highlights throughout the luxurious space. On the sixth floor is the Mitsukoshi Theatre, which retains the gorgeous style of entertainment furnishings from the early Showa period (mid-1920s). As a place that fuses the traditions and present of Japanese culture, Mitsukoshi has a loyal crowd of regulars, many of whom have patronised the store for decades, but it is now also being discovered by young locals and international travellers interested in Japanese culture.
CUTTING-EDGE CRAFTS
One of the reasons for this newfound interest is the fifth-floor section featuring handicrafts from Tokyo. This space invites artisans to exhibit their works, many of which offer a contemporary twist on traditional Tokyo crafts. All items here are worth a closer look – our favourites include the traditional Matsuzaki dolls Omame-san (small dolls) and Maneki-neko (‘lucky cats’) by Kakinuma Ningyo, both fun options for decorating your home and wildly popular among people of all ages. à Nihombashi Mitsukoshi Main Store. 1-4-1 Nihonbashi-Muromachi, Chuo. 03 3241 3311. www.mitsukoshi.co.jp/int.
GINZA MITSUKOSHI SHOP WITH ALL FIVE SENSES HOSPITALITY HIGHLIGHTS
Ginza is Tokyo’s most famous shopping district, and it’s here that you’ll find Ginza Mitsukoshi, a true area landmark. Refined shoppers have been frequenting this store for generations, always coming back for the world-class service and hospitality. It all starts with the small things: take the handkerchief corner on the ground floor, where spending a mere ¥32 (incl. tax) on a gift box with your purchase will get you a jaw-droppingly skilful performance of packing that results in an attractive wrapping that’s sure to delight the recipient. And at the scarf counter, you can ask the staff to show you the elegant tying technique known as the ‘Ginza Knot’. Lined with luxurious products from both Japan and overseas, the cosmetics zone also features an information desk where expert advisors will help pick out the perfect item just for you.
FOOD BECOMES ART
Another unmissable part of Ginza Mitsukoshi is the food section, which is spread out across the second and third basement floors. This heaven on earth for gourmands stocks fresh fish, meat, fruit, sweets of both the Western and Japanese varieties, artistic deli fare and much more. Make sure not to miss out on the beautiful and delicious bento boxes: Masumoto’s ‘Fukumasu’ box contains miniature versions of several classic Japanese dishes, while Jiraiya’s ‘Tokugawa’ wows with onigiri rice balls stuffed with shrimp tempura. Take one of these gorgeous treats to a kabuki play or head up to the rooftop Ginza Terrace for a bento picnic. à Ginza Mitsukoshi. 4-6-16 Ginza, Chuo. 03 3562 1111. www.mitsukoshi.co.jp/g/int.
Promotional feature
Why Casio’s G-Shock series has always attracted the professionals LOCAL INSIGHT
Since its birth in 1993, the G-Shock ‘Master of G’ watch series has earned the loyal support of styleconscious professionals who value both practicality and appearance. Here, we take you through the reasons for its popularity and highlight three watches for three very different lifestyles.
Common basic specs to preserve the absolute toughness of the Master of G series SHOCK RESISTANCE
WATER RESISTANCE UP TO A PRESSURE OF 20 BAR (200 METRES)
Each model is designed based on the needs of top professionals The watches are constantly updated to adapt to inhospitable environments
FOR THE AIRBORNE PROFESSIONAL
REQUESTS FROM PROFESSIONALS: 1: The correct time at a
glance
2: Coordinated Universal Time
3: Accurate time with a
Gravitymaster
GPW-1000-1AJF (¥100,000 plus tax)
single touch
ANSWERS: 1: Designed especially for aviation, its features
include a wide face and bulkier hands.
2: The Dual Dial allows you to see both world time and one additional time zone.
3: The solar-powered GPS Hybrid Radio Wave pulls
both satellite radio waves from any location on Earth and standard time radio waves from any of the six transmission stations that exist worldwide, giving you the accurate time for your current location anywhere in the world.
FOR THE MARINE PROFESSIONAL
REQUESTS FROM PROFESSIONALS: 1: Depth indication, plus the
familiar Triple Sensor
2: Additional time recording
Gulfmaster
functions
GWN-Q1000-1AJF (¥100,000 plus tax)
ANSWERS: 1: The new Quad Sensor includes the altimeter/
barometer, compass and thermometer functions of the Triple Sensor, plus a gauge to measure water depth.
2: The Time Stamp function is installed to let you manually memorise the time and date – great for reporting or planning upcoming missions.
FOR THE GROUND-BASED PROFESSIONAL
REQUESTS FROM PROFESSIONALS: 1: A vibration resistance
function is essential for your watch not to break at accident or disaster sites employing heavy machinery
2: Use the compass to get
Mudmaster
GWG-1000-1A3JF (¥80,000 plus tax)
the wind direction and other necessary bearings at the scene of a fire
ANSWERS: 1: A special vibration-resistant structure lets your
watch stand up to wear while operating cutters, crushers, drills and other heavy machinery to break through large obstacles, and the Mud Resist construction helps ensure that nothing gets into the watch when your work takes you deep into the dirt.
2: Triple Sensor capabilities provide instant access to direction, barometric pressure/altitude and temperature information – even under the toughest of conditions.
For more information on Casio’s latest timepieces and where to purchase yours, visit world.g-shock.com
Eating & Drinking Where to eat in… Shimokitazawa Elsa Messi and the Time Out crew point you to the hottest restaurants in Tokyo’s hipster central
Shimokitazawa Cage is an extended pop-up street food and event space which is set to run until 2019 underneath the raised railway tracks a stone’s throw from the station. Beyond the prison-like wire fence lie some of the city’s finest food trucks – in the past, these have included the Good Hood Food truck, which dishes out succulent and fiery pork and chicken tacos prepared on the spot, and carts serving up New York-style hot dogs and rhapsody-inducing bánh mì. Vendors change regularly, so follow the Cage on social media for the latest lineup. To quench your thirst, there’s the Mikkeller pop up bar serving hipster craft beers on tap including Beer Geek Big Blend (a hearty Oatmeal Stout) and the cheeky Imp Stout, Black Hole. There’s more to the Cage than gluttony – you can also browse vintage items, books, board games and knickknacks from the flea markets or get your fortune told by the resident mystic. For more culture, check out the timetable for regular film screenings, art exhibitions and musical performances. It’s the sort of cage you’d volunteer to be stuck in. à 2-6-2 Kitazawa, Setagaya (Shimokitazawa Station). s-cage.com. 1pm-11pm (Tue 3pm-11pm).
RAMEN NAGI SHIMOKITAZAWA Nagi Niboshio Ramen is a popular chain which, as the name suggests, serves piping Time Out Tokyo January-March, 2017
hot ramen bowls. Their new Shimokita outpost is the size of a parking space and pulls in noodle-lovers with its no-fuss menu. Cheap and cheerful, you’re welcomed by the sound of happy diners loudly slurping on thick bouncy noodles swimming in a rich, flavourful umami anchovy broth. You can select a lighter broth too, but the former is recommended by the staff (and who are we to argue with them). Huge round slices of fatty char siu pork is the topping of choice, while other options include scallions and salted boiled eggs. Pots filled with mini anchovies are placed on the table should you wish to use them as a garnish. If you’re tired of ramen or want to try something different, they also serve rice dishes. Ordering is done via an easy-to-use machine and dishes usually arrive within five minutes from the open plan kitchen. This is Shimokitazawa’s go-to place for a quick satisfying bite which doubles as the ultimate hangover cure. What’s not to love? à 2-12-7 Kitazawa, Setagaya (Shimokitazawa Station). 03 5787 5037. n-nagi.com. Mon-Thu, Sun 11am-11pm, Fri, Sat 11am-3am.
NEUE The sweet of tooth rejoice – there’s a place just for you, where you can ditch the preambles of starters and main courses and go straight for dessert. Located three minutes from the station is Neue, a cosy restaurant that caters for around ten people at a time. Focusing
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solely on sweets is a masterstroke, as every item is an indulgent treat. Our current favourites are the nutty yet smooth pistachio crème brûlée, the perfectly executed flan and an indulgent chestnut and white chocolate parfait (pictured below) big enough for two. The tipple of choice is wine by the glass and the list is a cleverly curated selection of reds and whites. Neue is perfect for a catch-up and for those who want a mini restaurant safari having had other courses elsewhere. The place is open until midnight but still retains its relaxed and charming atmosphere, at least until the sugar crash kicks in. à 2-7-3 Kitazawa, Setagaya (Shimokitazawa Station). 03 6407 1816. 6pm-12midnight, closed Tue.
SAMA: KISA TOYOSHIMA. RAMEN NAGI, NEUE, FLIPPER'S: KEISUKE TANIGAWA
SHIMOKITAZAWA CAGE
Neue
FLIPPER’S
SAMA Winter is upon us and hot comfort food is a must which explains why Sama, which only opened in October, has already established itself as one of Shimokitazawa’s essential eateries. The menu here is simple: soup curry, and lots of it. These bowls of hearty hybrid broth are generous in portion and warm you like a culinary cuddle. There are two options: chicken – which comes with a big, tender and well-seasoned chicken leg on the bone – or seafood. The curries start from ¥1,100 and come with a garden’s worth of vegetables including broccoli, carrots and baby corn (talk about stocking up on your five-a-day). The broth is the star though: it is rich, fragrant and has a great consistency. Equally great for a quick bite and a stretchedout lunch, Sama is the kind of charming place that makes you want to become a regular and you’ll soon find yourself crossing town if needed to do just that. à 2-26-18 Kitazawa, Setagaya (Shimokitazawa Station). 03 6407 9633. 11.30am-3pm, 5pm-10pm, closed Wed.
Just when we thought the Tokyo pancake craze was over, the latter half of 2016 brought along a score of new ’cake shop openings. But something is different this time: instead of the thin Hawaiian-style creations offered by the likes of city favourites Cafe Kaila and Eggs’n Things, these upstarts are serving up superfluffy fare made with ricotta, buttermilk or meringue. Joining competitors like Gram and A Happy Pancake, both of which now operate several branches in Tokyo, is this Shimokita joint that charms batter-lovers with pancakes topped simply with fruit or the shop’s original maple butter cream. Although Flipper’s may no longer see the kind of mind-boggling queues we witnessed in summer, it’s still a very popular spot, so don’t expect to just walk in – especially on weekends. But if you have the patience, getting in line for some of Tokyo’s most Instagrammable desserts will be well worth it. à 2-26-20 Kitazawa, Setagaya (Shimokitazawa Station). 03 5738 2141. flippers-pancake.jp. Daily 11am-8pm.
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January-March, 2017 Time Out Tokyo
Eating & Drinking
Rice patrol
Yusuf Huysal visits four Tokyo eateries specialising in that most essential of carbs RICE IS SO DEEPLY INGRAINED in Japanese culture that the
word ‘gohan’ (cooked rice) has come to mean a meal in the general sense. Once used as currency in feudal Japan, the staple grain can be consumed in manifold manifestations: as onigiri balls, senbei crackers, sake, mochi or on its own in a bowl, the sine qua non of any Japanese dish. Don’t go against the grain – get carbed up here.
AKOMEYA Tucked away in a quiet backstreet in glitzy Ginza, both floors of this shop and restaurant are entirely dedicated to the preparation, consumption and appreciation of rice. The shop is particularly impressive, stocking a whopping 6,000 or so items, including a variety of grains and paraphernalia, while the ground-floor restaurant offers one of the best set lunches in Tokyo. The fabled kobachi-zen (¥2,192), served from 11.30am to 2pm, comprises a selection of eight small plates prepared using seasonal ingredients sold in the shop, accompanied by pickles, miso soup and a daily changing variety of rice prepared in an earthenware pot. Nestle next to Ginza’s ladies-who-lunch and work your way through the kobachi-zen: it’s essential that you take breaks between each plate to savour the delicately moreish rice. Don’t worry if you get carried away and polish off the bowl too quickly – you can ask for a refill free of charge. à2-2-6 Ginza, Chuo (Ginza Station). 03 6758 0271. Daily 11.30am-10pm.
KOME NO YA MEGURO The good folks over at Meguro’s rice-focused eatery Kome no Ya are seemingly unfazed by the superstition of opening an umbrella indoors, since the colourful joint is decked with oil-paper versions in full bloom. Read through the menu and you’ll agree that the choice of decoration is pretty appropriate: it’s raining rice. In addition to several varieties of plain rice cooked in a clay pot, the menu features Iwate chicken raised on – you guessed it – rice, plus a plentiful selection of drinks: sake, and wine and craft beer that incorporate Japan’s staple grain in some shape or form. And if you still haven’t had enough of the sticky carb after all that, go for the rice ice cream – the mochi-like texture is delightful. àTakagi Bldg B1F, 2-15-14 Kamiosaki, Shinagawa (Meguro Station). 03 6459 3297. Mon-Thu 4pm-12midnight. Time Out Tokyo January-March, 2017
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Eating & Drinking ONIGIRI ASAKUSA YADOROKU Located right behind Sensoji, the capital’s oldest temple, Onigiri Asakusa Yadoroku has survived earthquakes, redevelopments and a multitude of foodie fads. Founded in 1954, Tokyo’s oldest onigiri specialist began serving rice balls when the grain was a luxury item in the austerities of postwar Tokyo and is still frequented by some of its original patrons, who now drop in with their grandchildren to enjoy delicately moulded balls of rice. Take your place at the counter, pick your choice of filling and watch the onigiri master envelop the ingredients in a bed of sticky rice before wrapping them up inside a thick blanket of nori. We recommend trying the tangy shoga-misozuke (ginger pickled in miso soybean paste) and the umami-laden shiitake-kombu (shiitake mushrooms and sweetened kelp boiled in soy sauce), both at ¥270. The lunch set, available from 11.30am to 5pm Monday to Saturday, comes with two (¥660) or three (¥900) onigiri served in a wicker basket, accompanied by takuan (pickled radish) and a bowl of thick miso soup. à3-9-10 Asakusa, Taito (Asakusa Station). 03 3874 1615. Lunch 11.30am-5pm, closed Sun; dinner 6pm-2am, closed Wed.
ONIGILY CAFÉ Keeping the ball rolling in the 21st century, this hip neighbourhood hangout in fashionable Nakameguro serves up delicious onigiri with a variety of fillings like bonito flakes, ume plum, salmon and kombu, all for ¥167 a piece. While the amicable staff will be happy to pack your onigiri in a custom-fit box for when you’re on the go, if you’re not in a rush, you should settle in on the comfy lounge chairs and thumb through the coffee-table books before sinking your teeth into a warm, made-to-order onigiri. The breakfast set – a choice of two onigiri, pickled cucumbers, miso soup and a drink – is a bargain at a mere ¥540, while salads from their deli counter, including boiled pumpkin with minced chicken (¥378), sweet and spicy potato (¥324) and spinach seasoned with sesame (¥270), have many devotees among the health-conscious residents of Nakame. à3-1-4 Nakameguro, Meguro (Nakameguro Station). 03 5708 5342. Daily 8am-4pm.
The venerable Ginza Matsuzaki Senbei has been turning out senbei (Japanese rice cakes) for over two centuries. Head upstairs to the second-floor café to enjoy their signature tile-shaped kawara senbei with a cup of tea. à 4-3-11 Ginza, Chuo (Ginza Station). 03 3561 9811. Main store Mon-Sat 10am-8pm, Sun & hols 11am-7pm; café Mon-Thu, Sun & hols 11am-7pm, Fri, Sat 11am-8pm.
à 1F Yanaba Bldg, 2-11-20 Shiba-Daimon, Minato (Daimon Station). 03 6450 1559. 6pm-12midnight, closed Sun & hols.
The rice cake specialist Gekko draws crowds with its popular kinako mochi, delightfully chewy mochi cakes coated in a powder of roasted soybean flour. If you’re lucky, you may be able to catch Horiguchi-san’s mallet in full swing: the mochi master does his pounding in-house, several times throughout the day. à 1-22-7 Minami-Senju, Arakawa (Arakawa-Itchumae Station). 03 3891 3105. 12.30pm-8pm, closed Wed.
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January-March, 2017 Time Out Tokyo
ONIGILY CAFÉ: KEISUKE TANIGAWA. ASAKUSA YADOROKU: KISA TOYOSHIMA
Hamamatsucho’s Sake Scene Masufuku stocks a variety of cold and warm rice wines from local breweries across Japan. Their diverse lineup, curated seasonally by resident nihonshu expert and owner Yukari Yanaba, will impress even the most seasoned sake sommelier.
Shopping & Style
Creative outlets Reiko Kuwabara rounds up the five flagship stores you must visit this winter FROM ALIBABA’S WORLD first VR shopping store to drone deliveries,
the development of new technologies continues to change the way we shop. So what can physical shops do to win back online shoppers? During August and September this year, five leading Japanese brands celebrated the grand openings of their new flagship stores in Tokyo. We check them out to see whether physical shops still matter.
ANREALAGE AOYAMA
Yoon, key influencers in the Japanese fashion/ music scene, the brand is noted for its designs that capture the essence of Tokyo street, merged with traditional Japanese techniques and craftsmanship. So far, the brand has participated in various collaborations, listing Louis Vuitton (Kim Jones), Maison Kitsune, Sacai and Undercover as some of their clients. While you’re here, make sure to check out their latest Surplus Sound System collection, which ‘channels a late ’70s reggae- and militaryinfused cultural clash’.
Ever seen clothes with sound-wave changing prints or built-in ‘augmented reality receptors’? Now’s your chance. Inspired by designer Kunihiko Morinaga’s exploration of fashion and technology, the Anrealage flagship, which opened in August 2016, takes the shopping experience to a whole new level. Located inside the By Parco shopping complex in Aoyama, the space combines high-tech gimmicks with traditional Japanese aesthetics – and the best part is that every single item in here is super-exclusive. Designed to reflect the transitions that occur from season to season, the space features special sounds created by Ichiro Yamaguchi of electro-rockers Sakanaction. Programmed by Qosmo’s Toru Urakawa, UMU switchable light control glasses alternate between transparent and translucent to support the ever-changing feel. A peaceful Zenlike appeal comes from the central room featuring carefully groomed white gravel and photosensitive white flowers, which react to the flashlights of mobile phones. Here, you will also find many of Anrealage’s signature pieces from the previous collections, including the custom-made patchwork series and innovative technology series, updated especially for the store.
à1-22-8 Shibuya, Shibuya (Shibuya Station). 03 6451 1410. www.ambushdesign.com. Daily 12noon-8pm.
à5-2-15 Minami-Aoyama, Minato (Omotesando Station). 03 6805 0510. www.anrealage.com. 11am-8pm, closed Thu.
Ambush Workshop
AMBUSH WORKSHOP Tokyo’s famed Cat Street welcomes the first-ever flagship for Tokyo-based brand Ambush. The space stretches across 140 square metres and its design remains true to the gender-neutral vibes of the brand’s collections. Situated in the former site of American Apparel’s Shibuya Men’s store, the store houses the brand’s conceptual jewellery alongside a growing number of its original apparel range. Also carrying an extensive range of store exclusives and books for daily inspiration, it’s so full of variety you’re bound to stumble upon something new each time you visit. Founded by design duo Verbal and Time Out Tokyo January-March, 2017
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Anrealage Aoyama
CHRISTIAN DADA TOKYO Sported by the likes of artist Takashi Murakami (see our Spring issue), designer Masanori Morikawa’s outlandish creations certainly stand out from the crowd. Relocated from Harajuku to upscale Aoyama, the new flagship store opened in August. Designed by Nao Harikae from Twha, the U-shaped retail space immediately generated a lot of attention for its cracked window displays and mirrors, adding an interesting optical illusion. Hammered by the designer himself, the cracked effects add to the overriding theme of finding beauty in imperfection. When we visited, the store was carrying the brand’s A/W 2016 collection made in collaboration with photographer Nobuyoshi Araki. Influenced by the photographer’s Love on the Left Eye series, the collection features photographic prints, alongside some risqué
Mintdesigns Aoyama
bondage references of straps and ropes. à5-3-25 Minami-Aoyama, Minato (Omotesando Station). 03 6451 1056. www.christiandada.jp. Daily 11am-8pm.
MINTDESIGNS AOYAMA Step inside Japanese brand Mintdesigns’ very first stand-alone flagship store, where you’ll find a line-up of modern, minimalistic designs with exquisite attention to detail. Garments are simplistic in silhouette, but there is a commitment to textile innovation and quality materials. Having opened its doors in August in the backstreets of Aoyama, the new shop is designed by Jo Nagasaka from Schemata Architects. A contemporary gallery-like feel comes from the bare concrete walls and exposed ceilings. The store houses the full lineup, from the brand’s upmarket ready-to-wear gear to the more casual Sketch line, along with a
homeware line and other products produced by Mintdesigns designers Hokuto Katsui and Nao Yagi. Limited-edition items will also be available in store, making for great gifts and Tokyo souvenirs. It’s full of print-tastic inspiration and charming adornments – you can’t help but smile when you step inside the shop. à5-49-5 Jingumae, Shibuya (Omotesando Station). 03 6427 9906. www.mint-designs.com. Daily 11am-8pm.
C.E Expect the unexpected at the first and only C.E flagship, which opened in September. Located inside the From 1st building in Aoyama, the long-awaited store houses the brand’s latest creations, as well as limited editions that are bound to sell out quickly. Featuring textured white walls and floors covered with broken mirrors, the space also hosts their startlingly original video content. Launched as a joint project between illustrator/graphic designer Skate Thing (aka Sk8thing, who has worked for A Bathing Ape, Neighborhood and Billionaire Boys Club), Toby Feltwell and Yutaka Hishiyama, the brand made its debut in 2011 and has since achieved a cult following around the world. Inspired by collaboration, C.E takes influences from the streets, music and films to create contemporary streetwear with a strong sense of individualism. àFrom 1st #201, 5-3-10 Minami-Aoyama, Minato (Omotesando Station). 03 6712 6688. www.cavempt.com. Daily 12noon-8pm.
Christian Dada Tokyo
C.E
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January-March, 2017 Time Out Tokyo
Shopping & Style
Clear cuts
Bad hair day? Tokyo’s English-speaking salons are here to help. By Vivian Morelli
Watanabe Hair Dressing Boasting over 20 years of experience, Watanabe Hair Dressing is a reassuring fixture on Tokyo’s salon scene, where you can relax and leave your mane in the hands of highly qualified stylists. Located in the midst of Harajuku, it also offers an escape from the hectic city centre: each haircut includes a soothing shiatsu head massage, essential-oilscented hot towels, complimentary beverages, the latest English-language magazines and lots of time allotted for consultation. We recommend booking an appointment with style director and manager Kenichi Momoi, who speaks fluent English and confidently handles any kind of tresses. After examining your hair, he’s happy to give recommendations for your locks’ particular texture and hairstyles that will suit the shape of your face. He even factors in climatic conditions for the time of year – such as rainy season or August humidity when formulating a style strategy. In addition to the comprehensive hair-related services, his staff also offer manicures, pedicures and makeup should you want head-to-toe pampering. àSun Beauty Harajuku B1F, 3-25-6 Jingumae, Shibuya (Harajuku Station). 03 3405 1188. watanabe-hair.com. Mon, Wed-Fri 11am-9pm, Sat 10am-9pm, Sun & hols 10am-8pm. Closed Tue, 3rd Mon of the month.
Gold Salon
PHOTO: KISA TOYOSHIMA
Hailing from Sydney, Australia, Gold Salon owner Howard Lee Regner has more than 30 years’ experience in the hairdressing industry, and a team of skilled and dedicated stylists who are experts in all hair types, from silky straight to thick and frizzy. A bright, sunlit space overlooking Azabu-Juban, Gold prides itself in its precise colouring work, which can be tricky to achieve in Japan, especially for those with light hair. Whether you’re after a few sun-kissed highlights, a painted balayage, a semi-permanent dye or the trendy ombré look, the staff have been trained to handle any request, and deploy the latest techniques and products. Gold Salon also offers the Brazilian Keratin treatment and Japanese-style hair straightening to smooth out your hair for several months, as well as hair extensions for lengthening or volumising. Visit the website for detailed information about those treatments, or call to book a free consultation. à6F, 4-1-9 Azabu-Juban, Minato (Azabu-Juban Station). 03 6436 0228. goldsalontokyo.com. 10am-8pm, closed Tue & Sun. Time Out Tokyo January-March, 2017
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Shopping & Style
Assort International Hair Salon If you’re busy and looking for a convenient way to book a haircut with an English-speaking stylist, Assort Hair might just become your go-to. The salon has been featured on national television, and has branches in New York and Hong Kong, in addition to the Tokyo salon near Gaienmae Station. Before you make an appointment, though, do some light research on their website: you can scroll through their staff list and see each stylist’s English fluency level. Pick the best match for your own Japanese skills, then fill out the reservation form online. Although Assort Hair probably boasts the highest number of English-speaking hairdressers under one roof, their services are not just about the language, but also about the team’s precision and design skills – which are at the cutting edge, so to speak, of international trends and techniques. First-time clients get a free treatment and a ¥1,000 discount, and the biscuits served with your complimentary beverage are a nice touch. àB1F, 2-10-28 Kita-Aoyama, Minato (Gaienmae Station). 03 5772 6461. www.assort-hair.com/ english. Tue-Fri 11am-9pm, Sat 10am-8pm, Sun & hols 10am-7pm. Closed Mon (Tue if Mon is a holiday).
Éclat Daikanyama Tucked away in the hilly streets between Daikanyama and Ebisu, this little haven is a favourite of Japanese celebrities. Whether you’re hopeful to run into one or just want a stylish haircut, Éclat Daikanyama has an excellent reputation with its foreign clientele as well. Their master colourist Kyosuke has extensive experience, having worked in London, Paris and Bangkok. Their stylists do not use thinning scissors, which work great on Japanese hair but can be disastrous on many non-Japanese hair types, as anyone who’s had the unfortunate experience will know. They also cut dry hair, a technique several stylists swear by as it allows them to see precisely how the hair falls and gives the hairdresser a better sense of the texture. It also eliminates shrinkage, which means if you ask for a 3cm trim, you’ll get exactly that and no surprise short cut. Éclat offers all the usual cutting, colouring, perming and straightening services, on top of soothing and detoxing head spas and kimono or yukata-dressing. You can easily make an appointment in English by phone, or use their online booking form if you’re comfortable enough in basic Japanese. à2F, 1-30-13 Ebisu-Nishi, Shibuya (Daikanyama Station). 03 6455 0614. eclat-daikanyama.com/english. html. 11am-7pm, closed Mon.
BOYS’ CHOICE Barber Shop Takeda With ’70s-style beards making a hip comeback, a good barber is a crucial element in keeping your whiskers trimmed, conditioned and resplendent. Enter Barber Shop Takeda, whose owner, Hideki Takeda, invites you to ‘loosen your tie and relax’ amid the old-school decor adorned with vintage tools. Located in Chofu, on the western edge of Tokyo, the salon may be a bit of a trek for some, but it will be well worth a visit. According to a male Time Out staff member who tried it out, and loved the experience, the ¥4,000 ‘gentleman’s regular’ includes a wash, a cut (employing minimal use of the shaver and instead using scissors for the finest trimming), an effective shoulder massage and a spa-like beard shave involving steaming hot towels. While the salon is mostly for men, they also offer a ‘lady’s shaving’, which is not as bad as it sounds: it simply gets rid of the dull skin layer on your face and helps smooth out your complexion, preventing wrinkles and replenishing your skin. à2-31-16 Kikunodai, Chofu (Shibasaki Station). 042 483 1145. barber1969.com. Tue-Sat 9am-7pm, Sun & hols 9am-6.30pm. Closed Mon, 2nd & 3rd Tue of the month.
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January-March, 2017 Time Out Tokyo
Art & Culture State of the art Yusuf Huysal explores two of Tokyo’s artsiest neighbourhoods Terrada Art Complex
WE KNOW IT’S HARD TO BELIEVE , but Roppongi, Tokyo’s glitzy underbelly of pricey booze, sleazy clubs and boutique shopping, lives a double life as the city’s art hub. The capital’s most famous entertainment district, once known as ‘High Touch Town’, prides itself on an impressive array of small galleries and big museums – the cultural legacy of gentrification efforts over the last decade. Further southeast, Tennozu Isle is no stranger to the art, or artifice, of transformation from the bottom up either. In fact, the artificial island was literally dredged up from the depths of Tokyo Bay during the 1920s and ’30s. Recently, extensive waterfront planning has seen the hitherto quiet warehouse district re-emerge as a be-muraled town dotted with canalside cafés, high-rise office buildings, hip hotels and art galleries.
Tomio Koyama Gallery Time Out Tokyo January-March, 2017
ROPPONGI
This year, Roppongi’s art cred was raised to new heights with the opening of the Complex665 building (6-5-24 Roppongi, Minato), which houses a trifecta of influential galleries: Tomio Koyama, ShugoArts and Taka Ishii. The building sits on a residential back street tucked away from the hustle and bustle of Roppongi, but is hard to miss thanks to what appears to be a squiggle painted on its side. This symbol is the logo designed for Complex665 by artist Yoshihisa Tanaka, who imagined how a ‘fictional artist named 665 might sign their own work’. A major player in Tokyo’s contemporary art scene, Tomio Koyama Gallery moved into the second floor of the building from their previous location in Sendagaya, employing young architects Toru Murayama and Ayako Kato to design their new two-room exhibition space. They represent an impressive roster of artists in Japan, including wunderkind photographer Ryan McGinley, American post-minimalist Richard Tuttle and Yoko Ono. Also on the second floor is ShugoArts, who have championed the avant-garde of Japanese art since the mid-’80s. Their gallery was designed by architect Jun Aoki, also responsible for facelifting the façade of the Louis Vuitton building in Ginza. Unlike their flatmates, ShugoArts keep the shop open on Sundays. Calling dibs on the top bunk are Taka Ishii Gallery, who represent heavy-hitters like Elmgreen & Dragset, Nobuyoshi Araki, Daido Moriyama and Thomas Demand. Furniture and interior design gurus Broadbean, whose offices
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occupy the ground floor, were enlisted to design the sleek gallery space on the third floor, which wonderfully feeds off natural light coming in from the plant terrace. If you’ve enjoyed killing a whole flock of birds with one stone, then head over to the Piramide Building (6-6-9 Roppongi, Minato), which is another great example of the tried-and-tested ‘power in numbers’ model of art collectives. Leading galleries Ota Fine Arts and Wako Works of Art are among its famous tenants. Rising above the rest both in height and, arguably, in might, the 238-metre Roppongi Hills Mori Tower is home to the Mori Art Museum (53F Roppongi Hills Mori Tower, 6-101 Roppongi, Minato. mori.art.museum/eng), which holds some of Tokyo’s most ambitious and influential exhibitions. A retrospective
Taka Ishii
ROPPONGI: MARI HIRATSUKA, TENNOZU ISLE: KEISUKE TANIGAWA
TENNOZU ISLE
dedicated to the Indian artist N S Harsha will be unveiled in February 2017. The brainchild of fashion (and fragrance) designer Issey Miyake and fellow design greats Taku Satoh and Naoto Fukasawa, 21_21 Design Sight (9-7-6 Akasaka, Minato. 2121designsight. jp/en) more than underscores Roppongi’s role as the focal point of Tokyo’s art scene. The common focus of their ever-changing lineup of exhibitions is interdisciplinary design. The National Art Center (NACT) (7-22-2 Roppongi, Minato. www.nact.jp/english), designed by Kisho Kurokawa of Nakagin Capsule Tower fame, boasts the largest exhibition space of any museum in Japan. Unlike most of its counterparts, NACT is an ‘empty museum’, which means it does not have a permanent collection, instead choosing to commission one-off exhibitions – their Monet show was the second most visited exhibition in the world in 2007. Located in Tokyo Midtown and designed by renowned architect Kengo Kuma, the Suntory Museum of Art (9-7-4 Akasaka, Minato. www.suntory.com/sma) possesses the biggest collection of Japanese arts and crafts in the country, comprised of a whopping 3,000-plus objects. Their tea ceremonies, staged on the sixth floor every second Thursday, are a must do. And for the ‘Peanuts’ fans out there, Roppongi has a Snoopy Museum (5-6-20 Roppongi, Minato. snoopymuseum.tokyo/en), showcasing Charles M Schulz’s original drawings and art for the beloved series. A number of the cartoonist’s early works, vintage collectibles and other materials are also on display.
Backed by the Terrada warehouse company, which does far more than just stock Tokyoites’ leftover belongings, Tennozu’s new Archi-Depot (2-6-10 Higashi-Shinagawa, Shinagawa. archi-depot.com/en) museum displays a whopping 116 architectural models by Japanese starchitects, including works by Kengo Kuma, Shigeru Ban and Riken Yamamoto. While the exhibition warehouse isn’t exactly a sight to behold, the architectural models – depicting both real buildings and unrealised projects – gleam like miniature cabinets of curiosities. After paying a visit to Archi-Depot, you’re sure to walk away with a renewed appreciation for Tokyo’s beautiful buildings, often overlooked in the relentless hustle and bustle of our dear city. Just a stone’s throw away from Archi-Depot lies the striking art supplies ‘laboratory’ Pigment (2-5-5 Higashi-Shinagawa, Shinagawa. pigment.tokyo), designed by Kuma and inspired by the look and feel of bamboo. It stocks more than 4,500 colour pigments, 50 kinds of animal glues, and a number of topquality traditional painting tools including over 200 antique ink sticks. The staff are all wellversed in the intricacies of the products and are happy to show you how to use them. Taking a cue from their comrades over in Roppongi, four contemporary art galleries recently decided to nestle against each other on the third floor of the Terrada Art Complex
(1-33-10 Higashi-Shinagawa, Shinagawa). The quartet is comprised of Kodama Gallery, who are getting ready for a solo show by Japanese artist Gaëtan Kubo opening January 14; Urano, representing domestic talents such as Takahiro Iwasaki, who will be flying the flag for Japan at the 2017 Venice Biennale; Yamamoto Gendai, who count the legendary luminary Richard Serra among their artists; and Yuka Tsuruno Gallery, known for their collaborations with renowned artists Candida Höfer and José Parlá. Lest you forget your surrounds, the galleries are located inside a fully operating warehouse and are only accessible by a service elevator. As the former and current residents of neighbourhoods like London’s Shoreditch and New York’s Brooklyn will tell you, gentrification is a double-edged sword that tears through the old to make way for the new. Whichever side of the third wave café/local caff divide you’re on, the number and density of art galleries is often a good litmus test for how far a neighbourhood has come down the line. Less than half an hour apart, Roppongi and Tennozu Isle offer two different cases to study for those interested in the sociocultural effects of Tokyo’s urban planning. Or you could just look at the art.
à Terrada’s main warehouse (2-6-10 HigashiShinagawa, Shinagawa) will be holding an exhibition on David Bowie from January 8 to April 9. tinyurl.com/TOTterradabowie.
Open-air art in Tennozu
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January-March, 2017 Time Out Tokyo
Art & Culture
ESSENTIAL EXHIBITIONS
ANNE COLLIER, "WOMEN WITH CAMERAS (ANONYMOUS)", 2016
New shows to see
DESIGN AND FUNCTION OF FLAME STYLE POTTERY: JOMONESQUE JAPAN 2016
Highlighting the art and culture of Japan’s prehistoric Jomon period (ca 14,000-300 BCE), particularly a trove of 5,000-year-old ‘kaendoki’ earthenware vessels found around the Shinano River in Niigata, this display at the Kokugakuin Museum should be especially fascinating for fans of Lovecraft and Giger. In addition to admiring the exhibits themselves, you’ll be able to learn how and why they were made and used in the first place.
ANNE COLLIER: WOMEN WITH CAMERAS
tinyurl.com/TOTjomon. 10am-6pm, closed Dec 26-Jan 6.
New York-based artist Anne Collier is known for her ‘found photography’: images created with items she discovered scattered here and there. Her latest series features 35mm photos of shots taken by amateurs – all featuring a woman taking a photo – and examines how females are empowered when they are able to reverse ‘the male gaze’ by picking up a camera. There will also be a host of photos of images Collier found through internet auctions and flea markets between the 1970s and 2000s. With the images invoking the pre-digital era, as well as exploring what people throw away, there should be plenty of food for thought at this one.
WORLD BOOK DESIGN 201516: 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE JAPAN BOOK DESIGN AWARD One for all you print geeks out there, this exhibition celebrating the fiftieth edition of Japan’s top book design competition promises to be a very special affair. It showcases 180 beautiful books from Japan, Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, Canada and China, which are judged on layout, binding, typography or all of the above, can all be picked up and touched, and include 13 winners from the prestigious Best Book Design contest at this year’s Leipzig Book Fair plus 50 outstanding entries from past Japan Book Design meets.
àRat Hole Gallery, until Feb 19. B1F, 5-5-3 MinamiAoyama, Minato. 03 6419 3583. tinyurl.com/ TOTcollier. 12noon-8pm, closed Mon.
àPrinting Museum, Tokyo, until Mar 5. Toppan Printing Bldg, 1-3-3 Suido, Bunkyo. 03 5840 2300. tinyurl.com/TOTbookdesign2016. 10am-6pm, closed Mon (Tue if Mon is a holiday), Dec 29-Jan 3.
DEFINITIVE NIHONGA MASTERPIECES: THE KYOTO ART WORLD
Drawing on its extensive permanent collection, Hiroo’s Yamatane Museum is putting on a two-part exhibition on the very best of Nihonga (traditional Japanese painting) from the 19th century up to the present. This first part focuses on Kyoto and its many masters, including Seiho Takeuchi, Shoen Uemura, Chikkyo Ono, Heihachiro Fukuda, Kayo Yamaguchi and
àKokugakuin University Museum, until Feb 5. Kokugakuin University Shibuya Campus, 4-10-28 Higashi, Shibuya. 03 5466 0359. Time Out Tokyo January-March, 2017
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TAKEUCHI SEIHO, ‘TABBY CAT’ (IMPORTANT CULTURAL PROPERTY) 1924 COLOR ON SILK, 81.9×101.6
NATIONAL TREASURE, DEEP-POT TYPE OF POTTERY OF THE JOMON PERIOD EXCAVATED AT SASAYAMA SITE, NIIGATA PREFECTURE, TOKAMACHI CITY MUSEUM
Admire beautiful books, travel back into prehistoric Japan and celebrate the life of Ziggy Stardust at winter’s best art events
Shoko Uemura. A total of around 60 pieces tell the story of how the ancient capital’s painters fused centuries-old tradition with Western influences and transcended existing frameworks in search of a new terrain in Nihonga. àYamatane Museum of Art, until Feb 5. 3-12-36 Hiroo, Shibuya. 03 5777 8600. tinyurl.com/ TOTkyotoart. 10am-5pm, closed Mon (Tue if Mon is a holiday), Dec 29-Jan 2.
ARTISTS ON THE EDGES OF PARIS: LE DOUANIER ROUSSEAU, FOUJITA, AND ATGET Taking a look at the flourishing and expansion of Paris during the first years of the 20th century through the eyes of three influential artists of the time – Henri Rousseau, Léonard Foujita and photographer Eugène Atget – ‘Artists on the Edges of Paris’ explores how the City of Light evolved into a modern metropolis, complete with slum
YOHJI YAMAMOTO SPRING/SUMMER 2016 PARIS COLLECTION
HENRI ROUSSEAU, VIEW OF THE EIFFEL TOWER AND THE TROCADÉRO, 1896-1898, POLA MUSEUM OF ART
Art & Culture
that demonstrate the man’s towering influence over his time. You’ll see bodysuits, sketches, musical scores and diary entries, plus plenty of Japan-only paraphernalia – from Kansai Yamamoto costumes to video interviews with Takeshi Kitano and Ryuichi Sakamoto, who worked with Bowie on ‘Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence’.
àPola Museum of Art, until Mar 3. 1285 Kozukayama, Sengokuhara, Hakone, Kanagawa. tinyurl.com/TOTparisedges. 9am-5pm.
àWarehouse Terrada, Jan 8-Apr 9. 2-6-10 HigashiShinagawa, Shinagawa. 03 5777 8600. tinyurl. com/TOTterradabowie. 10am-8pm (Fri until 9pm), closed Mon (except Jan 9, Mar 20 & 27, Apr 3).
STRIPED BODYSUIT FOR THE ALADDIN SANE TOUR, 1973. DESIGN BY KANSAI YAMAMOTO. PHOTOGRAPH BY MASAYOSHI SUKITA© SUKITA / THE DAVID BOWIE ARCHIVE
THE SLAV EPIC, THE SLAVS IN THEIR ORIGINAL HOMELAND 1912, EGG TEMPERA AND OIL ON CANVAS, 610 X 810 CM, PRAGUE CITY GALLERY, ©PRAGUE CITY GALLERY
districts and suburbs around the historic centre. Taking Rousseau and Foujita’s landscape pieces and depictions of the outskirts of Paris and juxtaposing them with Atget’s eye-opening shots of street life both high and low, it makes for a fascinating journey into the history of an iconic city that continues to capture the dreams of romantics around the world.
PAINTING AND WEAVING OPPORTUNITY: YOHJI YAMAMOTO YUUKA ASAKURA
TOKUJIN YOSHIOKA: SPECTRUM
Delving into the charm of top fashion designer Yohji Yamamoto, this show sees previously unexhibited paintings and installations by the man himself displayed alongside art by painter Yuuka Asakura, who has collaborated with the Yohji Yamamoto brand since its Spring/ Summer 2016 collection. With Yamamoto’s career going strong for over 40 years now, and considering the still-constant flow of innovative design emanating from his hands, this promises to be far more than your average fashion display.
Tokujin Yoshioka seems capable of anything: product design, spatial design, fine art... the list of the fields this Tokyo-based luminary has mastered is long and diverse. Currently one of the most noteworthy Japanese artists, Yoshioka is remembered for his ‘Kou-an, Glass Tea House’ exhibited at the Venice Biennale in 2011 (you might have seen it on our Summer 2015 issue cover, too). This exhibition focuses on ‘Spectrum’, a new installation that emits a mysterious light. The strange sensations it evokes are typical of Yoshioka’s work.
àTokyo Opera City Art Gallery, until Mar 12. 3-20-2 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku. 03 5777 8600. tinyurl.com/ TOTyamamoto. 11am-7pm (Fri, Sat until 8pm), closed Mon (Tue if Mon is a holiday), Dec 26-Jan 3, Feb 12.
àShiseido Gallery, Jan 13-Mar 26. Ginza Shiseido Bldg B1F, 8-8-3 Ginza, Chuo. 03 3572 3901. tinyurl. com/TOTyoshioka. 11am-7pm (Sun & hols until 6pm), closed Mon.
ALPHONSE MUCHA EXHIBITION
Ziggy Stardust, the Thin White Duke, Major Tom… David Bowie was known by many names over a career that spanned half a century and cemented his status as both an unstoppable musical innovator and a 20th-century pop-cultural presence unlike any other. This feverishly awaited collection, curated by the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, gathers together more than 300 pretty things from Bowie’s life including costumes, photographs, videos and other rare ephemera
SPECTRUM 2017
DAVID BOWIE IS
To say that Alphonse Mucha, the Czech painter also known as Alfons, is one of the most popular artists in Japan is no exaggeration, with numerous displays on his work held across the country seemingly every year. This one, however, is a very special affair. It centres on all twenty pieces of the decorative master’s ‘Slav Epic’ series – considered his greatest accomplishment – which are being exhibited outside the Czech Republic for the very first time. In total, around 100 works will be displayed, including the iconic first posters Mucha made for actress Sarah Bernhardt. àThe National Art Center, Tokyo, Mar 8-Jun 5. 7-222 Roppongi, Minato. 03 5777 8600. tinyurl.com/ TOTmucha. 10am-6pm (Fri until 8pm), closed Tue.
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January-March, 2017 Time Out Tokyo
Music
The sound of things to come Kunihiro Miki highlights eight Japanese artists you should catch in 2017
Aragehonzi Recent fashions haven’t favoured bands that combine Japanese folk songs with contemporary pop and dance. Aragehonzi, however, don’t care for trends. Founded in 2007 by Akita-born songwriter Masafumi Saito, the band marries the unique rhythms and singing style of folk and matsuri music with neo-soul influences to create brilliant fusion fare. 2016 album ‘Hanatsuoto’ saw them take their sound up a level, hinting at a bright, stadium-filling, future.
IN THE EARLY ’70S , Japanese musicians and critics were seriously engaged in
what is now humorously referred to as the ‘Great Japanese rock controversy’. Simply put, this was a debate on whether lyrics in Japanese were acceptable at all, with many arguing that English was the one and only rock lingo. Now, when a new generation of artists raised in the age of the internet is emerging, the EnglishJapanese controversy feels less relevant than ever. Today’s up-and-comers care little about some imagined ‘authenticity’, as they all speak the same language – the language of tunes.
Takuya Kuroda A true modern jazz man, trumpeter Takuya Kuroda has already performed with the likes of José James and recently took Manhattan by storm with a string of dates in the home of jazz. Kuroda’s skill and rare versatility allow him to incorporate anything from world music to indie rock. The dynamic content of his latest album ‘Zigzagger’, released in summer 2016, incorporated afrobeat and actively deviated from the framework of jazz.
Keita Sano In Japan, where beat music and EDM dominate, there are only a few producers looking to pure four-on-the-floor. Thank goodness then for Keita Sano. Having whetted appetites with a string of 12-inch records on prestigious labels Mister Saturday Night and Spring Theory, he dropped his debut album ‘The Sun Child’ on Kenji Takimi’s Crue-L imprint in August. The record was a shot in the arm and gave birth to a long-awaited new homegrown star in a Tokyo club scene too often obsessed with veteran mainstays and big names from the West.
Kandytown There are signs of a brave new era in Japanese hip hop, and this 16-strong crew are the standard-bearers. The members, aged between 24 and 26, layer cultured tracks, based mainly on soul and disco samples, with skilful but exquisitely loose rap. It’s the sound that Tokyo needs right now and if there is any justice 2017 should make them megastars. Time Out Tokyo January-March, 2017
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Bigyuki (Masayuki Hirano) Masayuki Hirano, known as Bigyuki, is a gifted keyboardist who ranked fourth on the ‘Jazz Times’ magazine’s 2015 list of the best synth players of all time, trailing only Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea and Robert Glasper. Known for his collaborations with hip hop artists Q-Tip, Bilal and Talib Kweli, Bigyuki is beginning to blossom as a solo composer: his debut album on his own, 2016’s ‘Greek Fire’, saw classical piano and bold synth tones intersect precisely and with thrilling results.
Toyomu In March Toyomu, a Kyoto-based artist and ardent Kanye West fan, was left flustered when he couldn’t listen to Mr Yeezy’s latest longplayer. ‘The Life of Pablo’ was initially released exclusively on streaming service Tidal, which is unavailable in Japan. Instead of resorting to piracy, the ever-proactive Toyomu scoured the internet to piece together the samples Kanye had used. He then used these – and Kanye’s published lyrics – to produce an entire replica album, one he thought would sound just like the real thing. It didn’t – it sounded much, much better. The surreal style of his latest work of all-original material, ‘Zekkei’, which sounds like cruising lightly on a sea of information, proves that he doesn’t need Kanye to create greatness.
Wonk Wonk’s debut album ‘Sphere’ brings to mind the psychedelic neo-soul of Hiatus Kaiyote and his followers, but live this outfit are capable of even more. The members, who astonishingly are all under 25, play with maturity beyond their years exploring soulful grooves, fractured hip-hop rhythms and punchy hooks.
Yahyel Travelling from post-dubstep to LA beat, Tokyo electronica trio Yahyel’s package of dystopian soundscapes and melancholic vocals has been raising some serious interest in underground circles over the last year and a half. Having recently celebrated the release of debut album ‘Flesh and Blood’, the three core members are aiming to break into the wider conscious in 2017. Their gigs, during which they make liberal use of video, are spectacular.
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January-March, 2017 Time Out Tokyo
Chinbanteigoraku Shisho
The mighty wa Kunihiro Miki explores the deep appeal of ‘wamono’ music
Time Out Tokyo January-March, 2017
WAMONO MUSIC – old-school Japanese pop and folk – is having a moment. Wamono records are being prized by vinyl collectors both in Japan and abroad and a string of new club nights are driving a re-appreciation of this once-forgotten genre. Hosted by DJ Kazunao Nagata, the late Tokyo club night Waradise Garage pioneered the revival of wamono and sought to emphasise its dramatic and soulful grooves. That mantle has been taken up by Chinbanteigoraku Shisho, the man behind events like the ongoing Nakano Wamono Borderless night. Although now revered as one of the founding fathers of the scene – Kool Herc to Nagata’s Grandmaster Flash if you will – Shisho wasn’t always a big fan of the scene: ‘Back in the day when I was a hip hop DJ, I had a prejudice towards Japanese music,’ he says. ‘Songs in Japanese felt uncool, and even if I used a wamono record, it was only to cover quiet spots in my sets. But then I heard the Waradise Garage DJs play and realised the deep appeal of wamono.’ Converted, Shisho was instrumental in bringing festival music and folk songs from all over Japan to the dancefloors of Tokyo. ‘American and European DJs of the old guard built their sets based on a deep understanding 54
of the lyrics and the background of the songs, weaving together a story of tunes,’ he says. ‘But in Japan, where mainstream club music is practically all-import fare, it is rare to have a situation where the DJ and the audience listen with a deep understanding of the songs. With wamono, people understand the lyrics, so the DJ can put together a dramatic set while retaining a keen eye on the message.’ But don’t assume that wamono is boring for those who don’t understand Japanese: ‘In the same way that Japanese DJs were fascinated by the DJs in New York, non-Japanese listeners will understand the appeal of a mix with a story in the background, even if the words don’t mean anything to them,’ Shisho continues. ‘The beat and melodies of festival music and folk songs also appeal to our shared humanity, it’s music that gets anyone going.’ ‘The music sounds traditional and nostalgic for Japanese people, but for those without the same frame of reference, it can even sound like afrobeat or reggae. When I played with Traxman [the originator of ghetto house and juke/footwork in Chicago], the non-Japanese in the audience went wild – I sensed the potential for wamono to be interpreted as world music. Wamono isn’t just a fad, and I hope people will take the time to dig deep into it.’
PHOTO: KEISUKE TANIGAWA
Music
Music
Where to get into the wamono groove
Waradise Garage 2017 New Year
are set to provide the tunes.
Hosted by Kazunao Nagata, this quirky party returns from the dead with the aim of ‘closing in on Paradise Garage with supercheap, Showa-era domestic sounds’. Special guests this time will be Aragehonzi (see page 51), who are breaking into the big time with their modern takes on folk songs, and Tokyo scene legend DJ Takeshi Kubota. àJan 7. Heavy Sick Zero, 5-14-8 Nakano, Nakano (Nakano Station). ¥3,000, one drink order required. From 11pm.
Showa Kayo Night Ooomori
Usually held on the fourth Thursday of every month at Rhythm Café in Shibuya’s Udagawacho, the Showa Kayo Night is making an excursion to Ebisu’s spacious Act Square for a one-off ‘jumbo version’ complete with a live ‘kayokyoku’ performance. Tapping into Tokyoites’ yearning for bygone days, this highly therapeutic party allows revellers to bask in the splendour of Showa-era pop tunes. A VJ will be mixing up images and video on the 360-degree display, while DJs Dandy, Ayano Cafebleu, Blush, Taihen Tymen and Baka Daisho
àFeb 9. Ebisu Act Square, 4-19-19 Ebisu, Shibuya (Ebisu Station). ¥3,500 adv, ¥4,000 on the door. 7pm-11pm.
WHERE TO DIG FOR WAMONO RECORDS Disk Union Showa Kayokan
For all types of tunes related to the Showa era, Disk Union is your onestop shop. From hardcore wamono diggers to beginners, there’s something for everyone amongst their huge selection that ranges from rare secondhand vinyl and CDs to ‘greatest hits’ albums by some of the genre’s biggest names. àMitsumine Bldg B1F, 3-28-4 Shinjuku, Shinjuku (Shinjuku Station). 03 6380 6861. diskunion.net/ shop/ct/showa_kayou. 11am-9pm (Sun & hols until 8pm).
HMV Record Shop
HMV focuses on releases from the ’60s to the late ’90s and stocks up to 80,000 titles, with around 60 percent of those being vinyl and the rest mainly CDs. Their independent re-releases of famed wamono records are worth a close look, as is the freely usable laser turntable which lets you try before you buy. àNoa Shibuya 1-2F, 36-2 Udagawacho, Shibuya (Shibuya Station). 03 5784 1390. recordshop.hmv. co.jp. Daily 11am-10pm.
A New York native with a burning love for Showa pop, DJ Dandy (aka Justin Miller) is the host of the aforementioned Showa Kayo Night. His classic wamono recommendations might be difficult to come across in record form, but are all available online.
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Southern All Stars: ‘Kibun shidai de semenaide’
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Jun Mayuzumi: ‘Doyo no yoru nani ka ga okoru’
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Akiko Wada: ‘Waratte Yurushite’
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Judy Ongg: ‘Yuhi no Koi’
Miho Nakayama: ‘Ningyo Hime’
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Yuzo Kayama: ‘Yuhi Wa Akaku’
Jun Fubuki: ‘Futari no Hodou’
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Kiyohiko Ozaki: ‘Mata au hi made’
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Pinky & Killers: ‘Aozora Ni Tobidase!’
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Spectrum: ‘Tomato Ippatsu’
IMAGES COURTESY OF SNOW RECORDS
10 records recommended by DJ Dandy
January-March, 2017 Time Out Tokyo
Nightlife Leading lights Kirsty Bouwers runs around the city in search of the sparkliest illumination shows WE’LL ADMIT IT – we’re massive suckers for pretty lights. On a cold, dreary winter evening, when the only really sensible thing should be to cosy up under the kotatsu (heated table) and share some nabe (hot pot), Tokyo’s multifarious illumination shows still manage to tempt us out and put a smile on our faces. Here are some of the ones worth risking frostbite for, divided by area.
Shibuya Ao no Dokutsu
VenusFort
Yebisu Garden Place
trees around the terrace zone decorated with sakura-like pink fairy-lights and equipped with touchable sensors that activate a special audiovisual show. Partially visible from Yamanote line trains, this one always gets our spirits up around the holidays.
WEST
Shinjuku Terrace City Illumination
As is customary, the Shinjuku Terrace illumination takes place around the Southern Terrace and the Odakyu Group-controlled area that reaches toward the West Exit. 2016’s theme is ‘Smile’, with Time Out Tokyo January-March, 2017
à Until Feb 14. Shinjuku Southern Terrace, 2-2-2 Yoyogi, Shinjuku (Shinjuku Station). tinyurl.com/ TOTshinterrace. 5pm-midnight. Free entry.
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SOUTHWEST
Yebisu Garden Place Christmas Illumination
An annual wintertime display at Yebisu Garden Place, this one incorporates a Baccarat chandelier that’s 5m tall and 3m wide (making it one of the largest chandeliers in the world) and decorated with 250 lights. In total – including smaller displays at the Entrance Pavilion,
Hotel New Otani
medieval European-inspired interior, complete with an opendomed ceiling in the atrium, means the installation invokes a fairytale world. In the run-up to Christmas Day, there will be a dance show every Saturday, Sunday and national holiday. The event is scheduled to run until March 25, so there’s plenty of time to pop by. à Until Mar 25. Odaiba VenusFort, 1-3-15 Aomi, Koto (Aomi, Tokyo Teleport stations). tinyurl.com/ TOTnakedvenus. 11am-11pm. Free entry.
CENTRAL
Sagamiko
Clock Plaza, Promenade, Center Plaza and Glass Square – the venue makes use of tens of thousands of lights.
Hotel New Otani Japanese Garden Illumination
à Until Jan 9. Yebisu Garden Place, 4-20 Ebisu, Shibuya (Ebisu Station). tinyurl.com/ TOTyebisulights. 4pm-midnight. Free entry.
January 9. Set up along a 750m stretch covering Koen-dori all the way to Yoyogi Park, thousands of blue LEDs reflect off the ground to create an immersive light-up experience. Have your selfie sticks at the ready.
Shibuya Ao no Dokutsu (Blue Cavern)
à Until Jan 9. 2-1 Yoyogi Kamizonocho, Shibuya (Harajuku, Yoyogi-Koen, Yoyogi-Hachiman stations). tinyurl.com/TOTshibuao. 5pm-11pm. Free entry.
Dubbed Ao no Dokutsu (‘Blue Cavern’), this illumination show was a huge hit when it originally took place along the Meguro River back in 2014. Brought back for an encore run this year, it’s set to engulf the backstreets of Shibuya in a mysterious glow until
In honour of the hotel’s 50th anniversary, the New Otani’s Japanese garden will be lit up until the end of February. A veritable oasis in the middle of the city, the 400-year-old garden sees an illumination set to shed light (sorry) upon the beauty of nature. This show is supervised by lighting designer Motoko Ishii, known for her sparkly decorations of landmarks like Tokyo Tower and the Kabukiza. Head over to take in the serene surrounds with a bit of LED on the side.
EAST
Odaiba VenusFort x Naked Inc
Naked Inc, known for their diverse light-up installations, are taking over Odaiba’s VenusFort for a Christmas-inspired projection mapping session. VenusFort’s
à Until Feb 28. Hotel New Otani Tokyo, 4-1 Kioicho, Chiyoda (Akasaka-Mitsuke, Nagatacho stations). tinyurl.com/TOTotanilights. 4pm-midnight. Free entry.
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OUT OF TOWN
Sagamiko Illumillion
The risque-ly named Sagamiko Resort Pleasure Forest will be pulling out all the stops once again for its winter show: the Illumillion supposedly uses the largest amount of lights in the entire Kanto region (around six million LEDs – more environmentally friendly than traditional light bulbs). The production has once again been renewed and features a wide range of colours, accompanying music, and light constructions that take advantage of the fountains and lush greenery of the park. This winter’s highlight is called ‘Swan Palace’ and includes an audiovisual show that constantly changes shape and colours. Visitors can also use the amusement park rides (including the ferris wheel) at night, so take advantage of this opportunity to enjoy the sparkling forest scenery from a different vantage point. à Until Apr 9. Sagamiko Pleasure Forest, 1634 Wakayanagi, Midori, Sagamihara, Kanagawa (Sagamiko Station, then bus to Pleasure Forest Mae). tinyurl.com/TOTsagami. 4pm-9.30pm. ¥800, children aged 12 and under ¥500.
à For more illumination shows, check out our full roundup at tinyurl. com/TOTilluminations2017. January-March, 2017 Time Out Tokyo
Nightlife
Just the tonic
Can you really drink yourself better? Meet ‘medicinal liquor’, Tokyo’s latest booze fad. By Mari Hiratsuka
PERHAPS IT’S BECAUSE the city is seeing increasing numbers of health-conscious folks who still like to party, but so-called medicinal liquors (‘yakushu’) are currently bubbling under in Tokyo. These curious beverages are usually natural remedies steeped in alcohol, making them potent brews that blend the power of booze with the fabled medicinal benefits – and flavours – of herbs. While we’re not quite sure about the actual healing properties of these concoctions, at least they make for a break from the usual cocktails and beers. These are some of the best Tokyo bars serving up yakushu – hit any one of them to fortify your system with some herby magic before heading to the clubs.
After working for years as the head bartender at Nishi-Azabu mixology bar Amber, Hiroyasu Kayama opened Bar BenFiddich just west of Shinjuku Station in 2013. It’s given him free rein to pursue a longstanding interest in traditional elixirs and herbal liquors, often using ingredients – anise, fennel, wormwood – grown on his family’s plot: look at the shelves behind the counter to see his jars of spices and housemade infusions lined up. Kayama’s apothecary-style mixtures are the main attraction, as he’s as likely to prepare your drink with a pestle and mortar as a cocktail shaker. There’s no menu at BenFiddich, which is decorated in a faux-Scottish whisky brewery style, and Kayama says that his recipes are in constant flux. à Yamatoya Bldg 9F, 1-13-7 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku (Shinjuku Station). 03 6279 4223. facebook.com/BarBenfiddich. 6pm-3am, closed Sun & hols.
Bar Tram
Ebisu’s dimly lit, beautifully decorated Bar Tram specialises in medicinal herbal liqueurs and absinthe and is owned by Takuya Ito, one of Tokyo’s yakushu pioneers. Procuring most of his drinks directly from overseas, he serves up around 70 varieties of absinthe and 30-40 other concoctions. For cold winter nights, we’d recommend the Vertigo cocktail, made with bitter Amaro Averna liqueur and ginger juice. It certainly warms the body and is even supposed to boost your circulation. When pondering your next choice, try asking the bartender for details on the names, histories and flavours of the many bottles lined up behind the bar. à Swing Bldg 2F, 1-7-13 Ebisu-Nishi, Shibuya (Ebisu Station). 03 5489 5514. small-axe.net/bar-tram. Mon-Thu 7pm-3am, Fri, Sat 7pm-4am, Sun & hols 7pm-2am. Time Out Tokyo January-March, 2017
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BAR BENFIDDICH, GATOSANO: KEISUKE TANIGAWA. BAR TRAM: INAGAKI KENICHI. YAKUSHU BAR: KISA TOYOSHIMA. BONJI BAR: MARI HIRATSUKA
Bar BenFiddich
Nightlife Bonji Bar
Keep wandering into the residential streets past Asakusa’s moribund Hanayashiki amusement park and you might stumble across this most curious of bars. An austere, warehouse-style exterior leads into a room littered with ethnic instruments, hookah pipes and paraphernalia adorned with Sanskrit text (known as ‘bonji’ in Japanese, hence the place’s name). The generously tattooed owner has some unusual tipples to go with the shisha, including cannabis vodka, deer antler liquor and a few dubious concoctions that he’s prepared himself. One real rarity is the Coca Buton, a discontinued liqueur made with coca leaves that’s rich in sweetness and, we’re relieved to hear, completely free of narcotics. If you’re ending the night here, go for the Kuwansou Rum, made from the mimosa leaflike Okinawan ‘ditch lily’ that’s said to be great for curing insomnia. à 3-36-4 Asakusa, Taito (Asakusa Station). 03 3874 0490. www.bonjibar.com. 8pm-late, closed on public hols.
Gatosano
Gatosano, named after the Spanish term for ‘healthy cat’, is a Harajuku bar that’s great for those who find partying hard a bit fatiguing. They cater especially to imbibers who want to ‘live healthily and beautifully from the inside out’, and serve up a range of over 40 shochu-based herbal spirits. Each one is claimed to have a different medicinal property, promising everything from beauty benefits to help with dieting. The stronger, more pungent ones are diluted with ginger ale or other sweeter drinks to make them a bit more palatable. But the one offering here that will really put hair on your chest is the one featuring seahorses – yes, real seahorses – steeped in shochu. Set up by Mr Takada, the owner who also works as an event promoter, Gatosano’s DJ booth occasionally sees visits by top underground spinners. à 3-20-6 Jingumae, Shibuya (Harajuku Station). gatosano.com. Café 1pm-6pm, bar 5pm-11.30pm.
Yakushu Bar Sangenjaya
Finding Yakushu Bar Sangenjaya is no mean feat – you’ll first need to navigate the winding streets of Sangenjaya’s Sankaku Chitai and then enter one of the triangular labyrinth’s most narrow alleys to come upon a small door with a green light on it – but the effort will be worth it. Yakushu Bar Sangenjaya, which celebrated a decade in business in 2016, is a six-seat, counter-only boozer specialising in herbal spirits flavoured with ginger, goji berries, lemongrass, lavender, broiled eel and much more. The drinks variously tout beauty, anti-fatigue and stamina benefits – tell the friendly bartender how you’re feeling and he’ll pick out a mixture to right your wrongs. If you like the experience, consider also checking out their branches in Koenji, Harajuku, Asakusa and further afield: there are now a total of 13 Yakushu Bars in Japan. à 2-13-7 Sangenjaya, Setagaya (Sangenjaya Station). 03 3421 7279. yakusyu.net/sancha.html. Daily 7pm-5am.
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January-March, 2017 Time Out Tokyo
Promotional feature
LOCAL INSIGHT
BACK TO THE FUTURE Kirsty Bouwers checks out an updated show that mixes the modern with the natsukashii
IT’S BEEN ABOUT two years since I visited the
Robot Restaurant for the first time, and when I was invited back to witness another show, I was intrigued but worried that the second visit might fail to live up to the shock and awe of the first. How wrong I was – the spectacle had been made even more spectacular, and now strikes a delicate balance between the modern robot theme and a more traditional touch.
KIMONO GIRLS AND SUSHI FLOATS
The show now boasts a surprising raft of classic Japanese cultural elements, with many of the performing girls, part of the josen (‘girl army’), clad in kimono or happi (festival coats). During one of the sections, which at first felt like a true matsuri (shrine festival) – complete with colourful mikoshi (portable shrine)esque floats and lights – the traditional was eventually abandoned in favour of a sushi float, full of massive nigiri, an outsized crab and, to top it all off, a crazy sushi chef with a tuna dangling casually from his hand, ready to slice it up into bits of sashimi.
ONI HELPING OUT
Another key traditional theme new to the show is the incorporation of oni and yurei, or Japanese devils and ghosts, at multiple points throughout the show. Despite the trademark look (horned masks, billowing grey-white hair, white kimonos), they actually helped out the good girls in their many battles with the dark side, thus being more Casper than creepy.
BACK TO THE ’80S
The past isn’t just limited to distant Japanesestylings, as the glorious ’70s and ’80s get a look in too. Disco is a recurring theme, with dancers dressed to the nines in glittery dresses and boots while belting out late Showa-era pop beats. If it wasn’t for the robots thundering around, you could imagine sitting in a snack bar in 1982, waiting for the ‘mama-san’ (proprietor) to soothe your tormented soul with more old-school music and stiff drinks.
LED DANCERS GET DOWN TO MJ
The natsukashii (nostalgic) theme continues with the LED dancers, who rock out to a funkedup, electronica-inspired compilation of
Michael Jackson’s hits. The LED lights hooked up to their suits may be modern, but the entire atmosphere lends itself – once again – to a more ’80s vibe, with the fluorescent lights combined with MJ reminiscent of an era that liked its flickering dancefloors and its floor-filling pop.
CHILDHOOD TOYS
As a final doff of the cap to years gone by, the grand robot finale includes some childhood favourites, this time in the form of a massive moving Pinocchio and merry-go-round horses. If you’re lucky, you might even get a special treat: they’ve added a surprise during the first intermezzo, but we promised we would keep our lips sealed as to the details. Either way, the rebooted retro robot fest will fill you with enough warm fuzzy memories to keep you going in these cold winter nights.
HOW TO BOOK: Robot Restaurant is open for three shows daily, starting at 5.55pm, 7.50pm and 9.45pm (with an additional show at 4pm on weekends and holidays), and the format is changed every few months to keep things fresh. You can reserve your spot a couple of days ahead by calling the number below between 9am and 10pm. The entrance fee is ¥8,000, excluding food and drinks. Note that the schedule might change due to maintenance. Shinjuku Robot Bldg, 1-7-1 Kabukicho, Shinjuku (Shinjuku Station). 03 3200 5500. www.shinjuku-robot.com. 4pm-11pm daily.
Bring the discount coupon on page 59 with you to Robot Restaurant and get ¥2,000 off your bill.
Film
Martin and me Mari Hiratsuka discusses Martin Scorsese’s latest effort with actor and director Shinya Tsukamoto
‘SILENCE’ IS MARTIN SCORSESE’S
passion project. Based on a novel by one of Japan’s most respected writers, Shusaku Endo, it is a film the ‘Goodfellas’ auteur has been wanting to make for years. The plot centres on two idealistic young Portuguese priests who set sail to Japan in 1640 on a mission to find their mentor, Father Ferreira – who is rumoured to have betrayed his faith under torture. The film stars Andrew Garfield, Adam Driver, Liam Neeson and Shinya Tsukamoto, the Japanese actor and director best known as the man behind cult flicks ‘Tetsuo: The Iron Man’, ‘Tokyo Fist’ and ‘Fires on the Plain’. We spoke with Tsukamoto, who in ‘Silence’ plays the devout Catholic Mokichi, to get an insider’s view on this historical epic.
variety of shots so there’s no way he’ll be missing anything when he goes to edit. And that’s not just for simple scenes, either – he’ll shoot large-scale scenes 100 times, too.
ARE YOU CURRENTLY PRODUCING OR PLANNING ANY FILMS OF YOUR OWN?
Things are finally settling down with the last few things I needed to do for ‘Fires on the Plain’, so when that’s taken care of I can move on to the next thing. At the moment, I think I still need to focus on [promoting] ‘Fires on the Plain’ and ‘Silence’.
BOTH OF THOSE FILMS TOOK A LONG TIME TO MAKE, RIGHT?
The projects were totally different in terms of scale, but both Mr Scorsese and I took a long time to make them, and they were both based on novels by great Japanese authors [‘Fires on the Plain’ was written by Shohei Ooka]. Both have heavy, serious stories as well, so both films are very important to me.
HOW DID YOUR APPEARANCE IN ‘SILENCE’ COME ABOUT?
‘I decided that I would do anything for Martin Scorsese and created a religion around that’
HOW DID YOU APPROACH YOUR PORTRAYAL OF MOKICHI?
I don’t follow any particular religion, so I agonised over how to go about it. As a result, I played the role with two strong motivations. First, I decided that I would do anything for Mr Scorsese and created a religion around that. And secondly, at my age I start to worry about the children of the future. That was why I made ‘Fires on the Plain’ [which follows the desperate struggle of a Japanese private in the waning days of World War II], but I put my fervent prayers that those children will be okay into my performance in ‘Silence’.
WHAT MESSAGE DOES ‘SILENCE’ HAVE FOR US IN THE PRESENT? making a movie were the same. So finding similarities made me happy, like ‘Hey, that’s the same!’ Rather than similarities to my movies, I was encouraged by the fact that the fundamental parts of making a movie were the same.
I HEARD THAT SOME SCENES WERE SHOT UP TO 100 TIMES BEFORE GETTING WRAPPED…
WHAT WAS WORKING WITH SCORSESE LIKE? WERE THERE SIMILARITIES TO THE WAY YOU MAKE YOUR FILMS?
Mr Scorsese films the same scene over and over – that’s a luxury we don’t have in Japanese movies. He is very meticulous about the details in editing, so he gets a
To be honest, the set itself wasn’t all that different from working in Japan. The fundamentals of
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Both Shusaku Endo and Mr Scorsese pose questions about religion and why there needs to be conflict between different peoples. Personally, I’m struck by the absurdity of why, at any given point in history, someone is always using violence to suppress what others believe. ‘Silence’ asks a powerful question about that absurdity. It’s a story about religion, but aspects of our modern culture can also be seen within it.
à ‘Silence’ opens in cinemas across Japan on January 21, 2017 January-March, 2017 Time Out Tokyo
SHINYA TSUKAMOTO: YUKI NAKAMURA, 'SILENCE': KERRY BROWN
I played the role of an English teacher in an NHK television series (‘Full Swing’), which probably helped me get the offer to audition. When I heard the details, I was surprised to learn that it was a movie directed by Mr Scorsese, the director I respect most of all. I got the role soon after the audition, but it didn’t seem like production would start right away... The acting session with Mr Scorsese during the audition was absolutely wonderful, and I couldn’t wait to experience it again.
Six essential things to do in Kumamoto By Akiko Toya
feeding, where the bears catch the goodies thrown at them with their paws, only to munch away and wave around for more. The zoo also lets you cuddle with the baby bears at set times. For those of you who aren’t bear aficionados, there are also ostriches, capybaras and over 90 other species of zoo animals to hang out with. Note that the zoo usually only opens on weekends from January 10 to March 3 (see the website for details).
ALTHOUGH THE RECOVERY IS well on its way,
Kumamoto – the Kyushu region hit by two powerful and deadly earthquakes in April – definitely still needs a bit of love while the wounds heal. You can help by just turning up – tourism is crucial to the region getting back on its feet and with so much to do in this area of outstanding beauty, it is a win-win. We’ve picked out the top family-friendly things to do in the prefecture, which boasts some great options to wind down for kids and grown-ups alike.
à Aso Cuddly Dominion. 2163 Kurokawa, Aso, Kumamoto. 0967 34 2020. 10am-4.30pm .
MUNCH ON SOME AKAUSHI
Akaushi, or ‘red beef’ (the name comes from a local breed of wagyu cattle), is a Kumamoto speciality you really shouldn’t miss out on. Unlike Tokyo, where a slice of this beefy masterpiece can fetch up to ¥10,000 as part of a set meal, Kumamoto’s prices are a lot more budget-friendly. Our favourite is Grill Kudoh, which boasts great river views from the terrace, and where a set meal will generally set you back anywhere from ¥3,000 to ¥7,000 (although beef prices fluctuate along with supply). àGrill Kudoh. Riverport 9 3F, 1-1-26 Kuhonji, Chuo, Kumamoto. 096 288 0596. 6pm-11pm (last orders 10pm), closed Wed.
SLURP UP A BOWL OF TAI PI EN
These noodles may originally hail from China, but we’d argue they were perfected in Kumamoto. Tai Pi En is made with green bean thread noodles, which have a similar consistency to rice noodles, served in a light broth alongside a whole host of toppings. In Kumamoto City, we particularly like the version served at Korantei, which has been in business since 1934 and operates three different restaurants in the same building. If Time Out Tokyo January-March, 2017
KICK BACK AND LET THE KIDS PLAY you can’t get enough of it, most souvenir stores in Kumamoto even sell instant Tai Pi En for you to take home. àKorantei. 1-5F, 5-26 Anseimachi, Chuo, Kumamoto. 096 352 7177. Daily 11am-9.30pm, 3F-5F 11am-10pm (last orders 8pm).
SOAK ON THE CHEAP
Kurokawa Onsen is famed for its amazing ¥1,300 onsen-hopping pass, which lets you visit three different hot spring baths in the region. The rotenburo (open-air bath), located in the middle of a forest, is particularly good. For the kids, it might also be a good place to learn about onsen and how they work, with fantastic hot spring-cooked eggs (onsen tamago) on sale, as well as a box to stick your head into and feel the earth’s heat at work. àKurokawa Onsen. Minami-Oguni, Aso, Kumamoto. 0967 44 0076.
FEED AND CUDDLE SOME BEARS
Cuddly Dominion is a zoo with, well, quite a bunch of bears. One top attraction is the bear
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The Kokopelli café is housed in a 130-year-old building, and if you’re exploring the nearby Reigando cave, it makes for a great rest stop. There’s a playroom for kids in the attic to keep them entertained while parents rest their feet below. Be sure to also check out the hundreds of statues of Buddha’s disciples dotted around Reigando on your way up to the cave. àCafe + Antiques Kokopelli. 592 Hirayama, Matsuomachi, Nishi, Kumamoto. 096 245 8187. Daily 11am-5pm.
TRY SOME SOFT CREAM WITH A CASTLE VIEW
Just outside the Kumamoto Castle grounds, the Sakuranokoji shopping arcade at Josaien offers both the tastes and sights that Kumamoto is famous for. The superb soft serve ice cream, made with milk from Abe Farm near Aso, is worth the trip alone. When you add in partial views of Kumamoto Castle – which was damaged in the quakes of April 2016, but is slowly being repaired after construction work – then you have a pretty perfect afternoon. àJosaien Sakuranokoji. 1-1-2 Ninomaru, Chuo, Kumamoto. 096 288 5577.
TOHOKU UPDATE
Hope swings One Tokyo non-profit is bringing the sound of laughter back to disaster areas. By Nick Narigon
MICHAEL ANOP WAS IN MIYAGI
prefecture’s Kesennuma recently carrying out repairs on some playground equipment when a man filling up at the nearby gas station put down his pump and walked over to shake Anop’s hand. ‘He said there was absolutely no place for our kids to play,’ says the Massachusetts native, whose nonprofit organisation, Playground of Hope, builds playgrounds in cities decimated by the 2011 tsunami. ‘Absolutely nothing, and we are just so thankful for you to come down here and do this.’ Anop, a Tokyo resident since 1989, joined the Save Minamisoma Project immediately after the March 11 disaster. For the next year, he made regular freshproduce and water deliveries to the city on the outskirts of the radiation evacuation zone surrounding the disabled Fukushima nuclear power plants. Anop noticed the only interaction among neighbours living in temporary housing seemed to be the day the food truck arrived. Old men smoked cigarettes together, housewives chatted and children played in the expansive concrete parking lots. ‘So many times you would hear a mum say, “Don’t play in the parking lot because it is dangerous,”’ says Anop. ‘I thought, “What if we made a temporary swing set?”’ He connected with an acquaintance who distributed wooden playground sets for the American company Rainbow Play Systems, who agreed to give Anop a significant discount to become a distributor in Japan. Because radiation levels were too high to build outdoor play areas in Minamisoma, Anop turned his attention further north to Ishinomaki, and the first Playground of Hope was completed there in April 2012. ‘They were in the process of rebuilding the school, but they didn’t have enough money to rebuild the schoolyard,’ says Anop.
‘So we stepped in and said we’ll bring you a play set for free, and all the hands went up.’ Since then, Playground of Hope has built as many as 50 playgrounds and play sets in Tohoku. They also renovate play areas at children’s homes in Kanto, and this fall, built a playground for a school in Kyushu’s earthquakestricken Kumamoto region. With the average build costing approximately ¥4 million, Anop now solicits sponsorships from
corporations who send 30 to 50 employees to volunteer alongside local residents. Mike Connolly, who has volunteered with Playground of Hope since its inception, assists with the pre-build, which involves digging holes, setting the base for the equipment and erecting the basic frame. The corporate builds are then finished in one day, and end with a ceremony complete with a hamburger and hot dog barbecue for all the volunteers. ‘The most difficult part is setting up the security line for the kids before the official opening,’ says Connolly. ‘You haven’t stopped a bull until you try to stop elementary kids from playing on playground equipment.’ Once such playground was built at Komagamine Elementary School in Shinchi, where onefifth of the city was demolished by floodwaters and 110 residents were killed. The school has since received an influx of students from surrounding cities who lost their homes.
‘In one sense, a new community is being built’
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‘Building the playground together with volunteers, parents and local residents provided a good opportunity for neighbours to connect with one another regardless of where they are from,’ says school principal Sumiko Takahashi. ‘In one sense, a new community is being built.’ Sitting in his Azabu-Juban office one recent afternoon, Anop recalls the Kesennuma play set, which was the first standing structure built in the neighbourhood following the disaster. ‘The guy that walked across the street from the gas station. That’s the kind of stuff that makes me glad to come to the office,’ he says. ‘The opening events still bring tears to my eyes. The happiness, the sounds of laughter, that is really rewarding.’ Find out how you can get involved at www.poh.ngo. January-March, 2017 Time Out Tokyo
Boyz will be boys
LGBT
Mayuko Hiramatsu meets the Secret Guyz
SECRET GUYZ – Shuto Yoshihara, Yukichi and Taiki Ikeda – are challenging the conventions of the Japanese ‘idol’ world, which is currently dominated by sugary pop groups performing choreographed song-and-dance routines. An all-FtM (‘female to male’) trio, they are on a mission to raise awareness of sexual minorities while driving glow stick-grabbing crowds wild in the process. The group have released six singles so far and are about to embark on a two-month long nationwide tour in April. We caught up with the busy boyz for a chat about what it means to be an LGBT idol. Why did you choose the idol path as a means of raising awareness of LGBT people in general and FtM transgender people in particular?
FtM people are capable of being idols, too. Taiki: We sometimes perform in shopping malls and similar places, and little kids always get caught up and start dancing. These people aren’t rooting for us because we’re FtM – it has nothing to do with our sexuality. It makes me really happy to see that. And because of that, recently, we haven’t really been making a big deal upfront about the fact that we’re transgender. I guess just devoting ourselves to entertaining is itself part of our role of opening doors for others.
should treat FtM individuals. As there are so few of us in the media, and we’re essentially an unknown entity to most people, we’re just aiming to break the ice. And working from that point, we wanted to avoid being too heavyhanded about things. I guess that’s what idols are good at, though. Shuto: As the notion of an ‘idol’ is a cultural concept deeply embedded in Japanese society, it’s also an easy idea for almost anyone to accept. With Secret Guyz having broken into that genre, we’ve opened a door, and we think it’ll now be easier for other people to walk through it. Yukichi: We perform with the hope of showing the world that
When I stopped by one of your gigs, I was really moved by the sight of countless rainbow flags decorating the floor – not something you’d usually
see at an event as mainstream as an idol concert.
Yukichi: Thank you. I know! I’ve even had people tell me that Secret Guyz were their first step in learning about LGBT people, and I’m often reminded that we’re acting as an effective gateway for people to learn more about these things. Together with our fans, we’d like to build a ‘rainbow bridge’ into the future.
Yukichi: Because I thought the ease with which people understand the idea of a ‘Japanese idol’, who entertains people by singing and dancing, was important. Taiki: Gay men, for example, already appear widely in the media both in Japan and abroad, as personalities on TV shows and so on. But things have not advanced to that level for FtM individuals yet. I guess the idea was to first have people enjoy our fun, entertaining performances, and then later recognise and accept us as FtM transgender people. That’s probably why I chose to become an idol, whose job it is to make people smile.
So the aim was to deliver fun, exciting entertainment on all fronts, with the hope that it might lead people to learn more about LGBT issues?
Yukichi: That’s right. We wanted to avoid being too serious about it, as it would have been putting the cart before the horse, resulting in people worrying how they Time Out Tokyo January-March, 2017
à Secret Guyz will be performing at Shibuya’s Mt Rainier Hall Pleasure Pleasure on April 30. For more details, check out secretguyz.jp. 64
Lost in Harajuku? Head straight for Moshi Moshi Box
AS THE SHOPPING DISTRICT that symbolises Japanese pop culture,
Harajuku is a must-visit for any tourist. But anyone who’s jumped into the shopping fray will tell you it can be a little intimidating. Which is why you’ll be pleased to hear about Moshi Moshi Box, the tourist information centre that’s right in the heart of the area. To find it, walk five minutes from the station and look out for the centre’s symbol – a big, colourful world clock designed by Harajuku kawaii impresario Sebastian Masuda. The centre provides sightseeing information for the Shibuya area, including Harajuku. It also provides essential information and services such as courier assistance, a foreign currency exchange machine, and free wi-fi. But that’s not all: aiming to serve as an entertainment centre in itself, it’s a place where overseas visitors can experience J-pop culture through activities such as karaoke. There’s also a souvenir shop where you can pick up Mt Fuji artwork and quirky items such as sushi socks and accessories with popular Harajuku motifs.
à3-23-5 Jingumae, Shibuya (Harajuku and Meiji-Jingumae stations). 03 6447 2225. moshimoshi-nippon.jp. Daily 10am-6pm.
Get our maps and mag in Shibuya Stop by the Shibuya Station Tourist Information Centre
You can now get your copy of Time Out Tokyo magazine delivered – we ship internationally too! Please visit time-outtokyo.myshopify. com.
Pick up our maps and magazine at one of these venues: Stations: Select Toei Subway stations Tourist information centres: Tokyo Metropolitan Government Headquarters Shibuya Station Tourist Information Centre Tokyo City Air Terminal Ginza Mitsukoshi Tourist Information Desk and more tourist information centres Airports: Haneda Airport Narita International Airport Shops: Tsutaya Tokyo Roppongi Books Kinokuniya Tokyo Tower Records Shibuya and more shops
SHIBUYA INFORMATION CENTER: KEISUKE TANIGAWA
Restaurants: Time Out Cafe & Diner Hard Rock Café Tokyo (Roppongi) All Hub pubs in Tokyo and more restaurants
TIME OUT READERS will know about our popular series of free maps: pocket-sized guides to the multifarious delights this city has to offer. They’re hard to miss these days – as well as our ever-popular ‘101 things to do in Shibuya’ edition and the comprehensive ‘88 things to do in Tokyo’, we’ve come out with maps for nearly all the top areas including Roppongi, Shinjuku, Nihonbashi, Marunouchi, Koenji and Ginza.
All of these publications, along with issues of our magazine, are available to pick up at Shibuya Station’s tourist information centre, conveniently located in the underground passage on the second basement floor of Shibuya Station. The Englishspeaking guides will help you stock up, provide sightseeing tips, and assist you in navigating the bowels of the cavernous station itself.
Each edition squeezes the best of the capital into a compact pamphlet, complete with a city map, and we’ve included everything from offbeat art galleries and otaku meccas to ancient shrines and hipster hangouts. We’ve also recently expanded the series to include places beyond Tokyo, launching special maps for those of you heading to Ise-Shima or Sapporo in Hokkaido – both make for a great mini getaway.
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Hotels that have Les Clefs d’Or Japan member concierge: ANA InterContinental Tokyo The Peninsula Tokyo Palace Hotel Tokyo Park Hyatt Tokyo Mandarin Oriental,Tokyo Cerulean Tower Tokyu Hotel Grand Hyatt Tokyo Conrad Tokyo Hotel Okura Tokyo The Ritz Carlton Tokyo Prince Park Tower Tokyo and more hotels Note: If you can’t find the map you’re looking for, this probably means we’ve temporarily run out of stock. Please be patient while we work on the next print run. Please direct any advertising queries to sales@timeout.jp. January-March, 2017 Time Out Tokyo
Travel & Hotels
A perfect day in Kamakura How to make the most of your time in this picturesque town just south of Tokyo. By Shiori Kotaki
KOTORI STATIONERY STORE
KAMAKURA, LOCATED LESS THAN an hour from the capital, boasts
magnificent temples, fantastic restaurants and a popular beach. Famed for its Great Buddha as well as its seasonally changing landscape, particularly the hydrangeas that appear at the start of summer and the multicoloured splendour of autumn leaves, Japan’s first feudal capital is a big hit among those looking to escape the city for a day. It can get busy, so visit off-season if you want to escape the crowds. Read on for the ideal one-day Kamakura itinerary.
When it comes to pretty notepads, notebooks, pens and pencil boxes, Kotori has you sorted. These high-quality paperpushers also sell a range of limited edition items with Kamakura’s Great Buddha as a motif – the perfect tourist souvenir.
MEIGETSU-IN
à 2-1-11 Omachi, Kamakura (Kamakura Station). 0467 40 4913. www.kamakura-kotori.com. 11am-6pm, closed on some Mondays.
This wonderful temple is where you can see the four seasons of Japan through its round windows. But be warned: when the lush hydrangea on the temple grounds bloom and when the autumn leaves first appear it gets so crowded that queues often form before opening. To avoid the throngs, try going just before closing time. The admission fee is ¥300 (¥500 in June). à 189 Yamanouchi, Kamakura (Kita-Kamakura Station). 0467 24 3437. Daily 9am-4pm (8.30pm-5pm in June)
KYORAI-AN
Operating out of a charming house built in the early Showa era (1926-1989), these beef stew masters prepare their demi-glace sauce over three days, giving it a gloriously rich and meaty flavour. The beef, so tender it almost melts on the tongue, is spectacular. Note that no reservations or credit cards are taken. à 157 Yamanouchi, Kamakura (Kita-Kamakura Station). 0467 24 9835. 11am-3pm (last orders 2pm), closed Thu, Fri (except for holidays). May close early on some days.
Hokoku-ji Paradise Alley
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PARADISE ALLEY BREAD & CO
Could this be Japan’s coolest bakery? Paradise Alley is a newwave, ultra-hip café that takes its bread extremely seriously. Don’t miss the anpan (a sweet bun filled with bean paste), and stock up on excellent focaccia and bagels. à 1-13-10 Komachi, Kamakura (Kamakura Station). cafecactus5139.com. Mon-Fri 9am-7pm, Sat, Sun & hols 7.30am-7.30pm.
Kotori Stationery Store
STARBUCKS COFFEE ONARIMACHI KAMAKURA
Just when you thought that global corporations had homogenised the entire world, along comes a coffee shop boasting the some of the most sumptuous low-key Japanese architecture you’ll ever see – beautiful dark wood panels and a sleek, sloping ceiling. And, gasp, it’s a Starbucks. The US chain café sits on the grounds of a mansion owned by the late manga artist Ryuichi Yokoyama and is surrounded by cherry and wisteria trees which can be admired from the terrace seats.
KOTORI, PARADISE ALLEY, KYORAI-AN, WEBASE: KEISUKE TANIGAWA
à 15-11 Onarimachi, Kamakura (Kamakura Station). 0467 61 2161. Daily 8am-9pm.
HOKOKU-JI
Famed for its beautiful bamboo grove, the fourteenthcentury Hokoku-ji temple is the perfect spot for matcha tea and sweets while taking in the sumptuous scenery. If you’re planning on strolling through the grove to work up an appetite, make sure to return to the temple by 3.30pm – which is when they stop serving tea. The admission fee is ¥200, while the combo of matcha and wagashi (traditional Japanese sweets) costs ¥500.
Starbucks Onarimachi
à 2-7-4 Jomyoji, Kamakura (Kamakura Station, then Keikyu bus for Hokoku-ji). 0467 22 0762. www.houkokuji.or.jp. 9am-4pm.
WeBase Kamakura
Kyorai-an
WEBASE KAMAKURA
Too tired to head back to Tokyo? Stay the night at this warm, welcoming new hostel, which opened in September near Yuigahama Beach. In addition to the usual dorms and private rooms, you’ll find traditional lodgings with tatami floors, yoga classes, Japanese baths, bike rentals and Gent, a casual restaurant rapidly becoming known for its fine seafood dishes.
Meigetsu-in
à 4-10-7 Yuigahama, Kamakura (Yuigahama Station). 0467 22 1221. we-base.jp.
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January-March, 2017 Time Out Tokyo
Travel & Hotels
Welcome to gourmet island The new Hiramatsu Hotels & Resorts Kashikojima offers limitless luxury – and peerless dining. By Noriko Maniwa AS A PROVIDER OF MARINE delicacies including abalone and sazae (horned turban snails) to the Imperial Palace and Ise Grand Shrine for centuries, the Shima region in Mie prefecture has long been known as a culinary paradise. The area has neither Shinkansen (bullet train) service nor direct flights from Tokyo; to get there, you need to change to a local train in Osaka, Kyoto or Nagoya. However, it’s for that very reason that Shima has remained a hidden gem. Kashikojima, the island site of the 2016 G7 summit, boasts an advantageous location from a security viewpoint (visiting dignitaries and members of the intelligence community take note!), with access from the surrounding islands possible only by bridge. This gourmand-favoured spot is also now home to Japan’s second Aman luxury resort (the first opened in Tokyo in 2014), and saw the debut of the much-hyped Hiramatsu Hotels & Resorts Kashikojima this summer. An exceptionally private hotel with just eight rooms and very few communal areas – no tennis courts or banquet halls here – it offers all guests ocean-view rooms that overlook Ago Bay. These minimalist lodgings are subtly decorated with designer furniture and natural materials such as wood, stone and water. Art by Yayoi Kusama and Kaii Higashiyama, two of Japan’s most celebrated artists of the past century, adorn the hotel’s lobbies, corridors and rooms. The annex building’s four rooms are laid out over a single floor and all feature a bathtub – filled with natural hot spring water transported from Hamajima, on the far side of the bay – in Time Out Tokyo January-March, 2017
the living room area. The bathroom connects to a terrace overlooking the sea, lending it a wonderful sensation of openness. At dinner, tuxedoed staff lead you along a labyrinthine path to a private room with even
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more stunning views. The dishes utilise local ingredients wonderfully, combining them with traditional French cooking techniques; think Ise lobster grilled over charcoal and combined with a herby beurre blanc sauce. It’s a harmony of contradictory flavours: simple yet complex, Japanese and European, traditional and innovative. Hiramatsu – the hotel’s parent organisation – is a significant player with 31 restaurants across Japan, including French master chef Paul Bocuse’s Maison Paul Bocuse in Daikanyama, plus one in Paris. Now taking their triple-Michelin-starred expertise into the hotel business, Hiroyuki Hiramatsu’s crew also recently expanded into the hot spring town of Atami and the wilds of Hakone’s Sengokuhara. ‘Our concept is “European-style Ryokan”. We hope our customers feel at ease with the hospitality of a traditional Japanese ryokan inn and lose track of time,’ says Kashikojima manager Miho Imamura, wife of head chef Masahito Imamura and overseer of the service side of things. The hotel’s service staff also wait tables in the restaurant, with no division of labour by rooms and restaurant, and say that even more attentive hospitality can been achieved by tending to the needs of guests in a family-like atmosphere. It’s not cheap – rates start from around ¥70,000 per person – but those longing for an all-out pampering, expense be damned: this is a stay you’ll remember forever. àKashikojima Station is about two hours and ten minutes from Nagoya (two hours and 40 minutes from Osaka) by Kintetsu Limited Express train. The Hiramatsu Hotels & Resorts Kashikojima is five minutes by taxi from Kashikojima Station. 0599 65 7001. hiramatsuhotels.com/eng/kashikojima.
PHOTOS: MARI HIRATSUKA
Sport
Karate chops Kunio Kobayashi
THE SHIBUYA OUTPOST of the
Houkukan Dojo occupies the third floor of an inconspicuous building tucked away in a Dogenzaka back alley. Save for a small kamidana – a Shinto altar enshrining kami spirits – there’s little to suggest this modest, fluorescent-lit room houses one of the most respected dojos in the city. But the Houkukan’s many devoted karateka know well that the dojo kun, the five guiding principles
‘Karate is not always about beating an opponent, but also realising that the real opponent is within’
Yusuf Huysal meets karate master Kunio Kobayashi ambassador to karate in addition to running the Houkukan Dojo. When we met with him, Kobayashi had recently come back from a masterclass in Italy and was about to pack his bags again for a trip to Colombia. When prompted about karate’s upcoming induction into the Olympic programme at the 2020 Games in Tokyo, Kobayashi Sensei told us that ‘there are two sides to it’. ‘On the one hand, the Games will provide more visibility for the martial art, which will lead to more people taking an interest. However, the downside is that karate might gradually be detached from its rootedness in Japanese culture and tradition, where it is celebrated not just as a sport but also as a way of life, whose practitioners strive towards mental and physical self-improvement. Karate is not always about beating an opponent, but also realising that the real opponent is within.’ Like a true sage, the Sensei resorted to
of karate, hanging on one of the walls, is all that is essential. As a children’s class comes to an end on a Saturday afternoon, the young karateka form ranks to recite the dojo kun in unison: seek perfection of character, be faithful, endeavour, respect others and refrain from violent behaviour. While an older group comes filing in and starts warming up, we sit down with their Sensei, Kunio Kobayashi, a seventh dan black belt karate master who has won the Japan Karate Association (JKA) All Japan Karate Championship for both kata and kumite disciplines multiple times. Kobayashi Sensei has been a disciple of the Shotokan school of karate for over 40 years, having been introduced to it at the age of 10. While his obi (belt) – the same one given to him when he was ordained a JKA instructor 26 years ago – has greyed with age, the Sensei is still going strong and serves as an international
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allegory in illustrating his point: ‘The path of karate is not one but many, and some people may progress differently than others. The tortoise was much slower than the hare but persevered at his own pace and outran his opponent.’ After imparting his words of wisdom, Kobayashi began teaching the evening class, which was attended by karateka of all levels sporting a whole rainbow’s spectrum of belts – an accurate reflection of the dojo’s all-inclusive ethos. The congregation included a black belt from Germany, who was on his annual karate pilgrimage to Japan, traversing the country from Kagoshima to Hokkaido and attending multiple training sessions on a single day, often in different cities. The eldest member was a 69-year-old black belt, who told us that he is keen on practicing karate until he drops dead, at which point he intends to be taken to the grave in his karategi whites. As the saying goes, shrouds have no pockets – but sometimes they might have a black belt instead.
à For information on joining the Houkukan Dojo, visit www. houkukan.or.jp. January-March, 2017 Time Out Tokyo
Getting Around
Take the Tokyo Monorail from Haneda Airport
Coming and going All the airport navigation tips you need when flying to or from Tokyo NARITA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT N’EX (NARITA EXPRESS)
Whizz to major Tokyo stations in around 60-90 minutes on the Narita Express for about ¥3,000. Trains leave every 30 to 60 minutes. Check the website for the full list of station stops. tinyurl.com/TOTnexpress.
GET A DISCOUNT
JR East is now offering foreign customers discounted NE’X round-trip tickets to and from Narita International Airport to major stations in the Tokyo area. These can be purchased by anyone with a non-Japanese passport and saves you a third off the usual fare to Tokyo Station. Simply present your passport at the N’EX ticket counter to receive your discount. ¥4,000 for adults over 12; ¥2,000 for ages 6-11.
KEISEI SKYLINER
The proud winner of the Japan Institute of Design Promotion’s Good Design Award in 2010, the Keisei Skyliner is the fastest of Japan’s older (non-bullet train) rail lines and is capable of reaching Ueno Station from Narita International Airport in 41 minutes. All seats are reserved (¥2,470). tinyurl.com/TOTkeisei. Time Out Tokyo January-March, 2017
Tokyo and to nearby prefectures including Kyoto and Osaka. The bus fare varies depending on your destination, but you can get a one-way ticket to Shinjuku for ¥3,100. tinyurl.com/ TOTnarita-bus. If you’re heading downtown, the Access Narita bus will schlep you to Tokyo Station and Ginza in around 90 minutes for a reasonable ¥1,000 (¥500 for children, accessnarita.jp/ en/home), while a trip to Tokyo Station on the Keisei Bus will set you back ¥1,000 (¥900 if you book your seat in advance) and takes the same amount of time. tinyurl.com/TOTkeiseibus.
GET A DISCOUNT
When purchasing your Skyliner ticket, use the Keisei Skyliner e-ticket online reservation service, where you can purchase your ticket for the special price of ¥2,200 – available only to foreign visitors (you’ll need to flash your passport). tinyurl.com/ TOTkeisei-eticket. The Keisei Skyliner & Tokyo Subway Ticket allows you to kill two birds with one stone, giving you a one-way or round trip ticket from Narita Airport to Tokyo plus unlimited rides on the Tokyo Metro and Toei Subway lines for 24-78 hours. The six price options range from ¥2,800 to ¥5,400. tinyurl.com/TOTkeisei-subway.
TAXI
Whatever you do, don’t take a taxi from Narita. Fares are well over ¥20,000 and travel can be even slower than on a bus.
LOCAL TRAINS
They may be a bit slower (and more crowded) than the options above, but local trains are a fair bit cheaper too. The trip from Narita to Tokyo Station on the JR Sobu clocks in at 95 minutes (¥1,320), while the Keisei Limited Express will get you to Nippori Station in 75 minutes (¥1,030). tinyurl.com/ TOTnarita-local.
HANEDA AIRPORT (AKA TOKYO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT) LOCAL TRAINS
Keikyu line trains run regularly to and from Shinagawa Station (¥410), only 15 minutes away, where you can transfer to different trains and access all parts of Tokyo. You can also catch the monorail to Hamamatsucho Station (¥490) and change to
BUS
Several companies operate routes from Narita Airport to various locations in central
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the JR line there. tinyurl.com/ TOThaneda-rail.
GET A DISCOUNT
Choose between the Welcome! Tokyo Subway Ticket (¥1,200¥1,900, tinyurl.com/TOThanedawelcome), which includes a oneway ticket between Haneda and Sengakuji Station plus unlimited transfers between all Tokyo subway lines (validity varies depending on which price ticket you choose), or the Haneda! Keikyu & Pasmo ticket (¥2,600, tinyurl.com/TOThanedapasmo), which gets you a Pasmo travel card for use on local trains in the city in addition to a round-trip ticket to Shinagawa or Yokohama Station.
KEIKYU BUS
The Keikyu Bus stops at a number of major hotels and sightseeing spots. Prices vary depending on destination, but a one-way ticket to Shibuya is ¥1,030 and the trip takes about 50 minutes. hnd-bus.com.
TAXI
Fares to central Tokyo areas including Shibuya, Shinjuku, Tokyo and Ueno are around ¥7,000 (pre-book for a flat-fare discount).
Getting Around
Going Goingunderground? underground? Welcome to the world’s most efficient transport system
Welcome to the world’s most efficient transport system
Getting Around 71 For your full, up-to-the-minute guide to Tokyo visit January-March, 2017 Time Out Tokyo www.timeout.com/tokyo 77
Getting Around
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TOKYO’S BEST
Ice skating rinks Here’s where to glide your way through winter in Tokyo
1.
TOSHIMAEN SKATE RINK
Adjacent to both the Toshimaen amusement park and its neighbouring cinema complex, this is an outdoor, old-school skating rink where the ice is still built up gradually from thin layers of frozen water sprayed down every night. Re-entry is free for the same day, so it makes for a fun family outing as you can combine your skating experience with a quick trip to the rides or lunch at one of the nearby restaurants. Adding to the atmosphere are the Christmas lights and the cheery background music, both of which are turned on in the evening.
à Until Feb 27. 3-25-1 Koyama, Nerima (Toshimaen Station). tinyurl.com/TOTtoshimaen
2.
MITSUI FUDOSAN ICE RINK IN TOKYO MIDTOWN
Tokyo Midtown hosts this grandscale outdoor skating rink, which can accommodate about 200 skaters and gets lit up beautifully by lights lining the entire perimeter from 5pm until 10pm every day. The best thing is that you don’t even need to take off your skates to take a break in the heated ‘rest area’. The entrance fee includes skate rental, but note that wearing gloves (not included) is mandatory. Helmets can be borrowed for free. à Jan 5-Mar 5. 9-7-1 Akasaka, Minato (Roppongi, Nogizaka Stations). tinyurl.com/TOTmitsui
3.
WHITE SACAS ICE GARDEN
This is one of the largest outdoor rinks in Tokyo and, thanks to the pretty lights that get strung around the skating area, it’s a popular spot for loved-up couples. Worried about wiping out in front of your date? Go a few times on your own first as staff here
Time Out Tokyo January-March, 2017
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are happy to teach beginners how to glide around on the ice. They even offer helmets and elbow and knee protectors – great for kids or adults unconcerned about image. Advanced lessons for those with an interest in figure skating are also available. à Until Feb 14. Akasaka Sacas, 5 Akasaka, Minato (Akasaka Station). tinyurl.com/TOTsacas-skate
4.
MEIJI JINGU ICE SKATING RINK
Always dreamed of becoming a pro ice skater? This is a good place to start building towards that dream. This large-scale rink measures 30m by 60m and conforms to international ice skating tournament regulations. It’s generally open to the public all year round – unless it’s being used for regional ice-skating training sessions, competitions or private skating groups – and you can usually spot aspiring professional skaters showing off their stuff.
à Open year round. 11-1 Kasumigaokamachi, Shinjuku (Kokuritsu-Kyogijo Station). tinyurl.com/ TOTmeiji-skate
5.
CITIZEN PLAZA ICE SKATING RINK
Also an international competition-sized skating rink, this one is situated inside the Citizen Plaza entertainment complex in Takadanobaba. It’s open to the public year-round, except for early mornings and early evenings, when it’s reserved for private use. It provides a range of skating classes for all levels, and in the same building you’ll also find a bowling alley and tennis courts. à Open year round except year-end holidays. 4-29-27 Takadanobaba, Shinjuku (Takadanobaba Station). tinyurl.com/TOTcitizen
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Getting Around
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January-March, 2017 Time Out Tokyo
You rely on one of these nifty Japan-only items to help you through winter
You know you’re in Tokyo when…
By Benjamin Boas WINTER IS NO LONGER COMING – it’s here. And with it, the unique humid chilliness that keeps everyone living in dread of Japan’s colder months. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Surviving the deep freeze is a warm, tropical breeze when you’re tapped in to the ingenuity of Japanese culture, which has been dealing with it since the time of legendary first emperor Jimmu. So the next time you feel your arteries icing over, consider utilising one of these six frost-busting items you won’t find outside of this island nation.
KAIRO – Oh sure, there are heat packs in other
countries. And sure, they’re useful. But Japanese ‘Kairo’ heat packs do more than just take the edge off – they’re downright life-savers. First, they’re adhesive so you can stick them between layers. Second, they’re custom-made to be put inside different pieces of clothing, such as socks, so those cold-sensitive extremities that are suffering the most can finally defrost. It’s the most convenient and pleasantly warming source of heat since the sun.
HOT VENDING MACHINE DRINKS – From the beach to the heights of Mt Fuji, vending machines are ubiquitous in the Land of the Rising Sun. But what’s truly impressive about them is not their omnipresence, it’s their ability to dispense hot drinks… in bottles and cans. Truly the perfect thing for a cold day when even a konbini isn’t quite convenient enough. Plus, before you open it, the container serves as a hand-warmer. Or anything-elsewarmer, for that matter. KOTATSU – Anyone who’s been in Japan
longer than a year knows what this is for. It’s a small table with a heater underneath it – you drape a heavy blanket under it and then snuggle underneath it all day and eat mikan tangerines. It’s like a turtle whose shell doubles as a personal microwave oven. Warning: you may not emerge until spring.
HARAMAKI – The haramaki wrap is a Japanese
piece of attire that goes around the lower abdomen, keeping the stomach warm, and is very popular among septuagenarians. Dated it may be, but give it a chance and you’ll find it’s just the trick for improving circulation in some very sensitive areas of the body. Also, Japanese superstition has it that if you don’t wear one, the god of lightning will steal your belly button. So before you write it off on grounds of style, do spend a little while contemplating your navel.
HUG PILLOW – Featured on much-missed
In the next issue of Time Out Tokyo…
Available across Tokyo from April 2017
Tokyo, re-imagined
How the city is embracing tourism for everyone
Time Out Tokyo January-March, 2017
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ILLUSTRATIONS: KENTO IIDA
PERSONAL HOT POT PLATE – Sukiyaki. Shabu Shabu. Nabe yaki udon – all delicious hot pot dishes that are perfect for winter. And you can eat all of them from the comfort of your very own home. That’s right – just pick up one of the many tabletop hot pot heaters available at any home-appliance store and you’ll never have to visit a restaurant ever again. And you won’t want to, because it’s really, really cold outside.
American sitcom ‘30 Rock’, this unique piece of Japanese nerd culture deserves to hit the big time. After all, who wouldn’t feel a warm, fuzzy glow when clutching one of their favourite anime characters close? And if you really want to get inside Japanese cartoon culture this winter, slip on a ‘kigurumi’, a wearable fluffy animal. It’s the cutesy onesie that keeps your tootsies toasty.