Music

Art & Culture

‘Motion Science’ 21_21 Design Sight, Jun 19-Sep 27 Curated by filmmaker Seiichi Hishikawa, ‘Motion Science’ shines a light on how mobility in technology, engineering and aesthetics has both made our daily lives more convenient and widened our artistic vistas, offering a selection of cutting-edge examples representative of one or both of these aspirations. Many of the installations are interactive, allowing visitors to experience the wonder of optimised movement for themselves. 9-7-6 Akasaka, Minato. 03 3475 2121. www.2121designsight.jp/en. 10am7pm, closed Tue (except for Sep 22). The National Art Center, Tokyo, Jun 24- Aug 31 Taking the year 1989 and the death of Osamu Tezuka as its point of departure, the centre’s investigation into the visual forms of modern Japanese pop culture is an ambitious attempt to say something comprehensive about how manga, anime and games have impacted culture and society, and about how said genres in turn adapt to and mirror social changes. Consisting of eight sections, from ‘Contemporary Heroes and Heroines’ to ‘The Creators’ Handiwork’, the exhibit takes visitors on a journey through the last 25 years of these media while also highlighting how the people behind them work and create. 7-22-2 Roppongi, Minato. 03 5405 8686. www.nact.jp/english. 10am-6pm (Fri until 8pm), closed Tue. ‘Kyosai – Master Painter and His Student Josiah Conder’ Mitsubishi Ichigokan Museum, Jun 27-Sep 6 One of the last greats of traditional Japanese painting (Nihonga), Kyosai Kawanabe (1831-1889) witnessed Japan and Edo make the leap towards modernity – a leap that the artist often ridiculed in his work, caricaturing the new system and society. Kyosai regularly skirted decency and traditional morality both in his art and in private, but maintained a close connection with the mythology of traditional Japan. Later in life, Kyosai accepted British architect and enthusiast of Japanese art Josiah Conder as his student. This extensive retrospective focuses particularly on how the two men influenced each other. Note that some of the displays will be rotated after the first part of the exhibition (Jun 27-Aug 2). 2-6-2 Marunouchi, Chiyoda. 03 5405 8686. mimt.jp/kyosai. 10am-6pm (Fri & Aug 31-Sep 4 until 8pm), closed Mon (except for Jul 20 & Aug 31). ‘Erik Satie and His Time’ The Bunkamura Museum of Art, Jul 8-Aug 30 Travel back to Paris in the 1920s and venture into the peculiar world of the fascinating composer Erik Satie, who counted Picasso, Debussy and Cocteau as his drinking buddies. The Bunkamura’s summer special sheds light on his artistic relationships in Montmartre, where Satie hung out with Man Ray, André Derain and Georges Braque, soaking up influences and impacting the creatives around him. B1 Bunkamura, 2-24-1 Dogenzaka, Shibuya. 03 5777 8600. www. bunkamura.co.jp/english. Sun-Thu

Essential exhibitions Have an art-filled summer with artistic relationships, playful architecture and introspective photography

‘Manga＊Anime＊Games from Japan’

10am-7pm, Fri & Sat 10am-9pm. ‘The Prolific World of Togo Murano – Architectural Models’ Meguro Museum of Art, Jul 11-Sep 13 One of Japan’s best architects, modernist Togo Murano was impressively productive, working on up to 300 projects until he passed away aged 93. The Nissay Theatre in Yurakucho displays his penchant for the playful, with the organically inspired, mysterious interior perhaps marking Murano’s most experimental work. This exhibition covers around 80 projects and draws attention to the architect’s lifelong desire to design buildings specifically for the people living in and visiting them. 2-4-36 Meguro, Meguro. 03 3714 1201. www.mmat. jp/english. 10am-6pm, closed Mon (except for Jul 20) & Jul 21.

‘Cai Guo-Qiang: There and Back Again’ Yokohama Museum of Art, Jul 11-Oct 18 Returning to Japan with a largescale exhibit this summer, Chinese contemporary artist Cai Guo-Qiang has earned plenty of international recognition since taking his talents to New York in 1995. Cai is famed for applying unconventional materials and techniques while incorporating elements of traditional Chinese culture – from gunpowder to herbal medicine – and is well-attuned to the tastes of Japanese audiences having previously lived here. ‘There and Back Again’ features both

signature pieces and new work, and highlights the artist’s search for harmony between Eastern and Western philosophy. 3-4-1 Minatomirai, Nishi, Yokohama. 045 221 0300. yokohama.art.museum/ eng. 10am-6pm (until 8pm on Sep 16 & 18), closed Thu.

‘Masahisa Fukase – The Incurable Egoist’ Diesel Art Gallery, until Aug 14 Internationally renowned as one of postwar Japan’s finest photographers despite not being as well known in his native land, the late Masahisa Fukase was invited to participate in the epoch-making ‘New Japanese Photography’ exhibition at New York’s MoMA in 1974. Unlike most of his contemporaries, Fukase experimented with introspective themes, documenting the life of his

family and expressing private feelings through his subjects. This display includes previously unreleased prints and offers an overview of Fukase’s colourful career, which ended tragically after he fell down a set of stairs and was left in a coma until his death in 2012. B1F, 1-23-16 Shibuya, Shibuya. 03 6427 5955. www.diesel. co.jp/art/en. 11.30am-9pm.

‘Cy Twombly: Fifty Years of Works on Paper’ Hara Museum of Contemporary Art, until Aug 30 Cy Twombly famously elevated

scribbles, doodles and scratches to high art, but his abstract paintings were always rife with allusions to antiquity and classical mythology – due in no small measure to the fact that this Virginia native lived most of his life in Rome. ‘Fifty Years of Works on Paper’ recounts Twombly’s career with the help of around 70 drawings, paintings and monotypes. 4-7-25 Kita-Shinagawa, Shinagawa. 03 3445 0651. www.haramuseum.or.jp. 11am-5pm (Wed until 8pm), closed Mon (except Jul 20) & Jul 21.

‘I Love Art 13 – 100 Artists from the Watari-Um Collection’ Watari-Um, The Watari Museum of Contemporary Art, until Sep 13 Look forward to a total of 250 pieces by the likes of On Kawara, Joseph Beuys, Nam June Paik and Marcel Broodthaers, all well represented in the museum’s permanent collection, plus cutting-edge work by French street art enigma JR, Chinese fusionist Cai Guo-Qiang, Berliner Michihiro Shimabuku and many more. Worth a peek for any friend of contemporary art. 3-7-6 Jingumae, Shibuya. 03 3402 3001. www.watarium.co.jp. 11am-7pm (Wed until 9pm), closed Mon (except Jul 20).

For more exhibitions, culture features and artist interviews, go to timeout.com/tokyo

Music

Festivalgoers, start your engines

Summer is finally here, and that means music’s happiest, sunniest season. Use our handy dandy flowchart to find the fest for you This is a strictly pre-boyband-era zone. Do you find your music on the blogs, Let me say this: Pitchfork should hire me. or is everything you listen to at least two decades old? Are you all

Do you like I treat about the music, or do you want temples? I’m all my tunes like I live for to get down with templed out. my Pokémon: gotta catch the beats, man. some film and art, too? ’em all. What

Does a duck with one leg swim in a circle? would bring more joy to your ears: techno or the saxophone? Would you rather party in a stadium or in the mountains? I’m the ultimate culture vulture.

I’ve loved techno since the ’90s.

Sax me up like Color Me Badd! Classic cool

Is your style more vintage or current?

Contemporary casual

The stadium–we go big or go home

All parties belong in the mountains.

Slow Live Listen to laidback tunes under the summer sky at a traditional temple (the headquarters of the Nichiren Buddhist sect, no less) in the heart of the city. The festival’s three-day lineup includes Yoshie Nakano, Yuko Ando and Original Love. Sep 4-6. Ikegami Honmonji. tinyurl.com/TOTslowlive

The Labyrinth Techno nerds come from around the world for this outdoor dance party that maintains high standards by capping attendance at 1,000, only having one stage, and booking DJs who know how to make the most of the sound system. Sep 19-21. Naeba Greenland. tinyurl.com/ TOTlabyrinth

Tokyo Jazz Festival This festival delivers jazz with inspiring acts and legendary performances from famed local and international musos. This year, look forward to super quartet Fourplay as well as Grammy Award-winning saxophonist Pharoah Sanders and top drummer Steve Gadd. Sep 4-6. Tokyo International Forum. www.tokyo-jazz.com

Summer Sonic Fuji Rock’s main rival competes to snag headlining artists, although the mix they end up with is often random. This year, Pharrell Williams is the most hyped name, while ’90s kids can revisit their formative years thanks to the likes of Marilyn Manson. Aug 15-16. Makuhari Messe. tinyurl.com/ TOTsummersonic Fuji Rock Festival Although Japan’s biggest festival has lost a bit of its street cred in recent years, it’s still a spectacular setting and atmosphere. Foo Fighters and Muse headline this year, while hippies and ravers are catered for with jam sessions and house. Jul 24-26. Naeba Ski Resort. tinyurl.com/TOTfujirock

Earth Celebration The mesmerising taiko drumming amidst the natural beauty of Sado Island is almost too much to comprehend. Hosted by renowned drumming troupe Kodo, the festival is complemented by dance workshops, musicians’ seminars and fringe performances. Aug 21-23. Sado Island. tinyurl.com/TOTearthfest

W H O T O W A T C H

D’Angelo and The Vanguard at Summer Sonic He’s kept fans guessing for over a decade now, but D’Angelo has finally made a comeback, releasing his new album ‘Black Messiah’ in December 2014 to critical acclaim. The ’90s neo-soul star is set to perform at this year’s Summer Sonic, and if recent performances are anything to go by, he’s still got it going on. Set your heart to ‘throb’ and head to the Mountain Stage on Sunday, August 16. Yoshie Nakano at Slow Live Japanese band Ego Wrappin’ has been around for a decade now, but they’ve continued to evolve thanks to iconic vocalist Yoshie Nakano who infused pop and rock into their sound. At the end of last year, Nakano released her second solo album, ‘Madokei’, an acid-folk masterpiece that calls to mind the likes of Joni Mitchell and Sufjan Stevens. Watch her at Slow Live on Friday, September 4.

Jim O’Rourke and Gaman Gilberto at Fuji Rock Festival He moved to Tokyo in 2008 for a quieter life, so it’s rare to catch former Sonic Youth guitarist Jim O’Rourke playing a live concert. These days he prefers to spend time in studios, producing awardwinning albums for bands like Wilco. But in May he surprised us with a new album, ‘Simple Songs’, and on Sunday, July 26 you can see the elusive

experimentalist on stage at Fuji Rock.

Pharoah Sanders at Tokyo Jazz Festival If you like to combine your jazz with your spirituality, Pharoah Sanders’ legendary sax playing mingled with his penchant for gospel is your happy place. His career goes back to the ’60s when he played with John Coltrane’s band, but although he is jazz at heart, his music goes beyond genre restrictions and is loved across the board. See the 74-year-old at Tokyo Jazz Festival on Saturday, September 5.