Tokyo Weekender - October 2016

OCTOBER 2016

Japan’s number one English language magazine

O Y K O T INSIDE S T N E M APART TO H IO R I K A W A M O S R E H P A R G O W IT H P H O T

CITY GUIDE

NEW MINI MAG FEATURING THE BEST SPOTS IN TOKYO

PLUS: Exclusive Q&A with Anime Director Mamoru Hosoda, YouTube Sensations, and Our Biannual Education Special

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THIS MONTH’S HEAD TURNERS 8 AREA GUIDE: SHIMOKITAZAWA Step into this bohemian hub for vintage shops, casual dining, and damn good coffee.

10 STYLE This season’s must-haves? A wrap skirt by Japanese brand Sacai, and Paul Smith boots.

12 TRENDS Four top Tokyo juice bars serving up coldpressed deliciousness.

in-depth COFFEE-BREAK READS

24 SO YOU WANT TO BE A YOUTUBE STAR? We chat with some of Japan’s key players in the online TV channel business to find out more about what it takes to gather a following.

26 DRAWING WORLDS TOGETHER Anime director Mamoru Hosoda discusses the impact that his personal life has had on his work.

29 THE CREDIT CARD CONUNDRUM Japan still mostly runs on cash, but why is it so hard for foreigners to get their hands on a credit card here?

31 EDUCATION SPECIAL

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guide CULTURE ROUNDUP 39 THE ART WORLD This month’s must-see exhibitions, including Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock prints.

41 FILM Top picks for the 29th Tokyo International Film Festival.

42 AGENDA Celebrate Halloween, eat curry, and tuck into an Oktoberfest spread.

44 PEOPLE, PARTIES, PLACES Yacht cruising, Bastille Day celebrations, and pole dancing with Junko Koshino.

17 INSIDE TOKYO APARTMENTS

Take a learning break in Iwate; find a relia-

48 TRAVEL: AKITA

A new photo book takes you where you’ve

ble babysitter in Tokyo; meet Summerhill’s

never been before.

inspiring new school director; and more.

Visit the snowy wonderland of Yokote, and experience the rustic cuisine of Odate.

OCTOBER 2016

radar

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OCTOBER 2016 Publisher

ENGAWA Co., Ltd.

President

Takanobu Ushiyama

Executive Producers

Asi Rinestine Naoya Takahashi

Editor in Chief Senior Editor

Annemarie Luck Alec Jordan

Art Director Features Writer Contributors

Sales Director Sales Executives

Media Strategist Media Consultant Media Relations Media Producers

Liam Ramshaw Matthew Hernon Vivian Morelli Luca Eandi Bill Hersey Dorothee Erle Bunny Bissoux Takaaki Murai Hirofumi Ohuchi Kahori Terakawa Nobu (Nick) Nakazawa Yu Suzuki Mandy Lynn Mary Rudow Junko Shimaya Yumi Idomoto Claudia Sun

EST. Corky Alexander, 1970 Published monthly at JPR Sendagaya Building 8F 4-23-5 Sendagaya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 151-0051 (03) 6863-3096 / (03) 5413-3050 (fax) editor@tokyoweekender.com To subscribe to the Tokyo Weekender, please call (03) 6863-3096 or email: customer-support@tokyoweekender.com For ad sales inquiries, please call (03) 6863-3096 or email: sales@tokyoweekender.com 広告に関するお問い合わせ先 電話：(03)6863-3096 メール：sales@tokyoweekender.com Opinions expressed by Weekender contributors are not necessarily those of the publisher

Published by ENGAWA Co., Ltd.

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@bapawn: Hey Annemarie, how do you respond to those countless friends and acquaintances who are coming to Tokyo and asking for advice about what to do and where to go? I always feel overwhelmed by that responsibility. @mizrama: Ah yes, the old “what’s the best restaurant in Tokyo” question. I basically have a couple of standard options that I give out, although I always feel like I’m not really doing the city justice. @bapawn: Even though it made this month a bit busier, I’m glad we were able to put together The Concierge [included with this issue of Weekender]. We can just hand out copies of that to people when they come to town. @mizrama: Exactly, I’ll definitely be keeping a couple of copies of it in my kitchen drawer for this purpose.

It’s a handy little supplement I think. Also great for accommodation options, although we haven’t yet included apartment rentals. Speaking of which ... since you’ve been in Japan, how have you managed to adapt to living in tiny Tokyo apartments?

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@bapawn: Strange as it sounds, you do start to get used to it after a while. It has forced me to cut down on the clutter. A bit. @mizrama: Me too. I’ve started to want to embrace Japanese minimalism. On the flipside, I am quite fascinated by the chaotic rooms pictured in this month’s cover feature, too. Any of those apartments take your fancy? @bapawn: Full confession: there is part of me that is intrigued by the over-the-top manga/anime room [page 20]. Perhaps in another lifetime... @mizrama: Yeah, I think the closest I ever came to this kind of decor was when I was at university and painted my bedroom walls purple and orange – because I read that Van Gogh said orange is the color of insanity. @bapawn: Well, that’s what you get for listening to artists.

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WH AT ’ S O N O U R RA DA R TH I S MONTH . . .

There’s nothing like a stroll through Shimokitazawa’s colorful streets to make you feel alive. Except maybe a cold-pressed juice with a shot of kale and lime.

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Vintage clothing stores are a dime a dozen in Shimokita, and that’s not where the deals end. Haight & Ashbury and Flamingo are popular destinations for classic American threads and European fashions, while New York Joe Exchange offers more modern duds, as well as cold hard cash for your unwanted clothing. For finding that perfect pair of well-worn jeans, hit up Taro’s House or Bears. While you’re in the market for preowned merchandise, there are numerous used record stores in the area as well. Disk Union has a great selection of records to flip through, and General Record Store restocks their bins daily with great vinyl.

DAMN GOOD COFFEE Shimokitazawa wouldn’t be a center of hip youth culture without its share of coffee houses, and luckily, it offers up a wide array of choices. On top of that list is Bear Pond Espresso, specialty coffee luminary Katsuyuki Tanaka’s place. This java shop is serious about its craft, and there are strict rules to follow, such as no espresso after 2pm, no photographs, and no wi-fi to leech on. If you don’t do well with rules, perhaps you’ll want to visit more lenient establishments, like Frankie, Ballon D’essai or Zebra.

ENTERTAIN YOURSELF One of Tokyo’s better-regarded performing arts theaters, the Honda Gekijo is located right next door to another popular attraction, the Village Vanguard books and gifts store.

If stage shows aren’t your thing, there are plenty of live houses in the area. Basement Bar and Shelter are good spots to see indie bands do their work, while Apollo is a basement bar offering jazzy jam sessions. For established domestic and international touring acts, Live House Fever is a stop away on the subway, near Shin-Daita Station. But why not grab the microphone for yourself? Karaoke spots are found all over the neighborhood and they’re a fun, cheap option for quality entertainment.

CASUAL DINING The dining options fit the vibe of the neighborhood, and eating out is seemingly more economical than in the rest of central Tokyo. Samurai Curry, Moet’s Curry and Magic Spice all offer flavor-packed hearty goodness for a fair price.

Rabukyou and Thicchai will satisfy your craving for spicy pho or other Thai fare. Avocado does modern Tex-Mex, but be aware that their margaritas and other tequila-based cocktails can get pricey. For Japanese standards, Tonsui has dealt in tonkatsu for nearly 50 years, having only raised their prices a couple times along the way, and Kotetsu is a great spot for ramen.

POUR ME ONE MORE There’s perhaps no better place to get a drink in Shimokita than Mother. From its facade, a mosaic of colorful tiles and plaster, to its interior, carved wooden benches and mirrored tiles, the place is visually striking.

The drinks and snacks are trendy and the soundtrack is provided by their vast collection of hip 60s and 70s vinyl. If craft beer is more your speed, Ushitora has both a sit-down and a stand-up bar, depending on your mood. For cocktails, Barnitas has got you covered, or head to Never Never Land for a friendly neighborhood bar atmosphere. In the warmer months, outdoor Petite Garden is a tool shed-turned-bar complete with wooden lawn furniture.

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STYLE

SACAI SKIRT The next Japanese brand on your radar should be Sacai.

Although it’s been around since 1999, the brand has only recently been gaining attention on the international scene. The designer behind Sacai, Chitose Abe, worked as a pattern cutter for the iconic Japanese label Comme des Garçons before starting her own line. Ms. Abe’s brand is characterized by its femininity and its juxtaposition of textures, layers, and details. This wrap skirt is the embodiment of the Sacai aesthetic, combining velvet, chiffon, gold studs and a contemporary print. sacai.jp

HERE ARE A FEW OF OUR FAVORITE LOOKS TO ACCOMPANY THE APPROACH OF JAPAN’S ALL-TOO-BRIEF AUTUMN Compiled by Vivian Morelli

LANVIN HEELS A pair of black pumps will last you a lifetime (well, a decade at least!) and this pair by French label Lanvin will take you everywhere, from cocktail parties to a day at the office. Showcased on the Fall ‘16 runway in Paris, this stunning design is literally fresh out of the oven.

We love the pointed toe, which is coming back in full force, as well as the criss-cross straps, the mix of glossy and matte leathers and matelassé velvet.

If you’re only splurging on one pair of heels this season, this should be it. lanvin.com

CHLOÉ ALPHABET RINGS Wear your initials on your fingers with this chunky Chloé ring that comes in every letter of the alphabet. From A to Z, take your pick and keep it simple by just wearing the first letter of your name, or be playful and spell out a word on your hand. The rings are crafted in Italy and gold plated, and they strike a perfect balance between bling and elegance. Make them stand out paired with a simple pair of jeans and button-down shirt. chloe.com

MONCLER GILET October is just rolling in, and slowly the temperatures are finally dropping a bit, after a long hot summer. Autumn in Japan is very short, and there are actually just a few weeks of pleasant weather between the humid summer and the bitter winter days, when it’s a bit too warm for a winter coat but too cold to not cover up. That’s when this luxurious Moncler vest (called gilet in French, which sounds a lot fancier) comes to the rescue: filled with a mix of goose down and feathers, it’s lightweight but insulating, and it’s Moncler, so it looks good no matter what you pair it with. moncler.com

DIPTYQUE TAM DAO EAU DE TOILETTE Founded in 1961 on Paris’ Boulevard Saint-Germain, Diptyque specializes in handmade candles and fragrances. They now have a flagship store in Aoyama where you can indulge in all their fragrant goodness, and find your new signature scent or pick up a gift for someone. One of our favorite aromas is Tam Dao, which was apparently inspired by an Asian jungle. It opens with rich floral notes, and is layered with notes of sandalwood, cedar, amber and rosewood. Tam Dao is a balanced blend of musky and spicy, and its smell is pretty addictive, so you might want to add the matching shower gel to your basket as well. diptyqueparis.com

PAUL SMITH BOOTS It’s no secret that Paul Smith loves Japan: the British designer has stated that Japan has inspired him in every facet of his craft.

And, as he has opened more than 200 shops in the country, it’s safe to say Paul Smith is big in Japan. While his designs show a distinctly British vibe, they also display immaculate tailoring skills, making his brand a Japanese favorite. For autumn, a musthave are these workwear-inspired boots, which are both elegant and timeless and look great in the office or out on an adventure. paulsmith.co.jp

TRE ND S SUNSHINE JUICE T H E S TORY Launched in 2014, Sunshine Juice was Tokyo’s first coldpressed juice shop. Although you’ll find that cold-pressed is a tad more expensive than your standard type, the price tag is justified by the hefty portion of fruit and veg that goes into squeezing out the purest, most nutrient-rich (because no heat = preserved vitamins and enzymes) juice around.

W H Y W E LOVE T H E M They take health seriously, offering advice on how to give your digestive system a rest by opting for one of their Cleanse Programs (one to five days).

W H AT TO T RY We might be choos-

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EJ JUICE T HE STORY Based in Kojimachi, EJ Juice promises you three things: great taste thanks to a commitment to the cold-pressed method and sourcing directly from local farmers; great health since no chemicals are used in the production process and they have a registered dietician on hand to create their menus; and reasonable prices.

W H Y WE LOVE THEM Aside from all of the above, they also offer two types of juice cleanses, with the Standard Cleanse (¥4,200) offering a good balance of veg and fruit, along with dashi soup for a light morning-after breakfast.

W H AT TO TRY For something more substantial, choose the Serum Milk (¥650) smoothie – it’s a pleasing pale pink color, and a delicious blend of cashews, almonds, walnuts, banana, blueberry, and cardamom.

3-5-5 Kojimachi, Chiyoda-ku. e--j.jp

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ing this one based on its name alone, but “Detox in the Sun” (mini ¥980, regular ¥1,180) is also packed with green goodness in the form of kale, spinach, and komatsuna (Japanese mustard spinach). sunshinejuice.jp

ORGANIC WORKS T HE STORY As one of Japan’s main importers and distributors of US-made industrial blenders and juicers, Organic Works has been at the forefront of the smoothie/juice trend in Tokyo since 2014. The brand was created under the umbrella of a larger, family-owned company called OKS – which also imports gourmet popcorn machines – and offers three different kinds of machines to juice bars and smoothie stands in Japan that are looking for top quality equipment. Naturally, it made sense for them to also open their own shop, and you can sample the fruits (and veg) of their labor at Organic Works Juice Bar and Grocery Store, which sits on a busy corner in Nishi-Azabu.

W HY WE LOVE THEM They are committed to being fully organic, and they work directly with farmers, mainly in Kyushu, to source the best raw ingredients and to ensure a high level of traceability. They offer not only raw juice and smoothies, but also cold-pressed juice, which contains no fibers and is therefore good for fasting. Need help with that? They’ve thought of that too by hiring an in-house nutritionist who puts together their Cleanse Menu, which offers three different plans depending on your needs. Each plan consists of a number of raw juices, which you can collect from 9am, and then drink at two-hour intervals through the day in place of meals.

W HAT TO TRY We love the Kale Detox juice (small ¥700, regular ¥1,000), which packs a citrus punch, and the Raw Cacao smoothie (small ¥600, regular ¥800), which is a simple but uber delicious blend of almonds, soy milk, banana and raw cacao. For something different, try their Amazake juice (¥600), served cold in summer and warm in winter. Afterwards, pop next door to their grocery store to stock up on organic wine, coffee, raw chocolate, healthy bento boxes, organic veg and plenty more. 2-13-13 Nishi-Azabu, Minato-ku. www.oks-organicworks.com

ORGANIC WORKS HAS BEEN AT THE FOREFRONT OF THE JUICE TREND IN TOKYO SINCE 2014

WHY JUICE T H E S TORY Born out of a desire to help the onthe-go Tokyoite balance their diet, Why Juice started producing cold-pressed juice, which they sell around Tokyo from a mini truck, a bicycle wagon, and their store in Daikanyama. They also deliver.

W H Y W E LOVE T H E M They try not to waste anything – they even send their leftover pulp to local farmers to use as livestock feed. They also use glass bottles instead of plastic, striving to always recycle and reuse.

W H AT TO T RY Tired of all the green juice out there? Why Juice makes a delicious Nuts Milk (small ¥700, large ¥1,400) from hazelnuts, walnuts and more. www.why-juice.me

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[ PROMOTION ] [ PROMOTION ]

THE PERFECT PARTY HOST

Prepare dinner for friends or co-workers, hold a cooking class, or simply enjoy a casual get together at the elegant kitchen space at HOTEL the M INNSOMNIA akasaka

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et’s face it, Tokyo apartments are small.

So small, in fact, that people tend not to host many parties or even dinners at home, preferring to eat out at restaurants. But this means you often end up having to sacrifice the comfort and intimacy of hosting a dinner party or drinks celebration in your own private space. As a solution to this dilemma, HOTEL the M INNSOMNIA akasaka has created an entertainment space that combines a state-of-the-art kitchen complete with dining area, and can be rented out by both guests and the public.

The “Kitchen Drinker,” as the space is quirkily named, fits in perfectly with the atmosphere the hotel has created since opening in March 2016. They’ve created a blend between smart business hotel and casual apartment-style accommodation, with several unique facilities included to allow visitors to work and socialize in one place. Whether you’re in Tokyo on business and looking for a place to host a party for co-workers; you live in the city and want to arrange a small gathering with friends; or you’re

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THE ‘KITCHEN DRINKER’ ROOM IS DESIGNED TO MAKE YOU FEEL AT HOME

searching for a spot to hold cooking classes, here’s why you should book in at the “Kitchen Drinker.”

YOU’LL FEEL LIKE A CHEF If you long to prepare a meal in a kitchen space that looks like it’s straight out of a home décor magazine, then your dreams are about to come true. Here, you’ll have the luxury of being inside a customdesigned Bulthaup kitchen. This German brand is renowned for its innovative designs, which combine traditional craftsmanship with cutting-edge manufacturing. You’re bound to feel inspired, whether you’re putting on an experimental cooking class, or you’re simply treating friends to a dinner of roast chicken and veg.

Picture yourself sipping a glass of Pinot Noir, slicing and dicing at the wooden kitchen island, while your guests gather around the open-plan room, snacking on hors d’oeuvres and waiting for the main course. Picture perfect, no?

YOU DON’T ACTUALLY HAVE TO COOK Even though the “Kitchen Drinker” is designed to make you feel at home, you’re also welcome to arrange professional catering. This is a great option for those who want to host a more formal occasion, or who don’t have time to plan and prepare a meal. If you’re imagining a sit-down dinner, the dining table has seating for eight, but it’s also possible to shift the table to the side and create a buffet-style meal. To see how it all

RENT THE “KITCHEN DRINKER” ROOM For non-guests, the space costs ¥29,000 (including tax and service fee) per four hours. For guests at the hotel, it’s half price.

For more information, visit www.m-innsomnia or call 03 3568 3456.

works in practice, Weekender recently hosted our very own party here, with food prepared by Ultimate Catering.

Their exquisitely presented dishes included tasty platters of cold meats; creative skewers such as shrimp, olive and potato; and crostini topped with salmon and cream cheese. For more information or to make enquiries, visit www.ultimatecatering.jp or email info@ultimatecatering.jp.

24-HOUR COFFEE ON OFFER No dinner would be complete without a cup of delicious coffee to round things off. Luckily, HOTEL the M INNSOMNIA akasaka has its very own café on the first floor, which stays open 24/7 and serves freshly brewed speciality coffee by Kyoto brand Unir.

Simply pop down to the café to order your after-dinner espressos or lattes.

And here’s a top tip: if you’re a guest at the hotel, you’re entitled to drink as many cups of coffee as you’d like – for free.

AN AFTER-PARTY ON YOUR DOORSTEP As the evening flows and the party really gets going, you may want to head out for after-dinner drinks.

Once again, HOTEL the M INNSOMNIA akasaka has thought of everything, even choosing their location to cater for those who like to work and socialize around the clock. The hotel is positioned in the center of Akasaka, one of Tokyo’s liveliest and most culturally rich neighborhoods, so you need only take a short walk to find the bustle. Now you know why they call it “the hotel that never sleeps.”

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TA K E A LO O K A R O U N D How many times have you rearranged your furniture in Tokyo and wondered, “How do people live in such small apartments?” Although providing decor tips was probably not on Shiori Kawamoto’s list of aims when he compiled his latest photo book, his intimate images of women in their Tokyo homes do go some way to answering this question. Over the next few pages, we showcase a collection of photographs featured in “Onago Room,” and ask Kawamoto about the inspiration behind the project. Now, if you had to choose, what would you go for: complete pop culture immersion or Japanese minimalism?

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IN HIS NEW PHOTO BOOK, “ONAGO ROOM,” SHIORI KAWAMOTO OPENS THE DOOR TO THE MYSTERY OF “GIRLS’ ROOMS”

F

or a man who has enviably been inside more women’s bedrooms than most people will have a chance to visit in a lifetime, Shiori Kawamoto initially seems surprisingly disinterested in them. The 43-year-old photographer has just released his second photo book, “Onago Room,” and sits at a table in an Oshiage gallery, currently holding a commemorative exhibition for his latest release. “At first I just wasn’t that interested; photographing rooms seemed like it would be a lot of hassle,” he says, laughing.

The project began in 2012 when Kawamoto was asked to take some pictures of idols posing for a photo book, but decided he wanted to pitch something a little bit different to generic portraits and pinups. He had heard about infamous dormitories where female idols were living together, with messy rooms so chaotic they were nicknamed daraku beya, which translates best as “depravity rooms.” Out of mild curiosity, he arranged a shoot at the apartment of a former daraku dormitory inhabitant now living by herself.

I TRY NOT TO BE SYMPATHETIC TO THE ROOM WHEN I SHOOT; I TRY NOT TO LIKE IT TOO MUCH

The entire room was plastered with images of smiling anime girls, on posters, wall hangings, and pillows scattered across the barely visible floor; hundreds of faces beamed down from every angle while the owner sat proudly amongst them. The striking impact of the room sparked something in the photographer who was intrigued by this unique form of self expression and felt new motivation to document the incredible scene. After presenting just a small sample of pictures to his publisher, they quickly commissioned him with the challenging task of shooting 50 people within three months to create the content of his first photo book, “Daraku Room.”

After originally seeking out otaku girls (people with an above average interest in a hobby or subject, stereotypically manga, anime, video games, and so on), fanatics, and those with “extreme” rooms, Kawamoto soon discovered that there is something interesting to be found in even the most minimal of rooms. With “Onago Room,” he builds on his previous work, this time with a

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O Y K O T E D I S N I S T N E M T R A P A N N Y B IS S O U X W O R D S BY B U

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THE ITEMS PICTURED MIGHT SEEM UNBELIEVABLE AT FIRST, BUT ASSUREDLY THESE ARE REAL GIRLS’ ROOMS

more diverse spectrum of women from a selection of professions including underground idols, artists, musicians, housewives, and company employees. Each is photographed in her home – and these include everything from minimal studios, stylish monochrome pads, and pastel pink hideaways to sprawling nests of eclectic knick knacks. Of course, you’ll also find more of the trademark geeky daraku girls whose rooms are overflowing with characters, creatures and handsome 2D faces.

The photographs document all aspects of the space, with wide-angle shots catching glimpses of ceilings and adjacent rooms, yielding clues about the structure of the buildings surrounding them and life outside. Intriguing as it may be to marvel at the contents and unique decor, it can be just as fascinating to observe the practical usage of space, showing hints of how the girls function within them.

The shoots are done organically, with Kawamoto capturing his subjects in their private rooms behaving in their natural way, reading books, playing games consoles, lounging on beds and sofas, yet without the pictures ever feeling contrived or intrusive. Some women choose to maintain a level of privacy and hide their faces behind masks or curtains while others gaze playfully or glance inquisitively, connecting with the visitor in their room.

Whether or not the owner is present in the frame, they are always present during the shoot, a fact Kawamoto actually finds more liberating than being left there alone.

These are not really portraits of the figure, nor are they still life images of the rooms; if anything, they could be considered a portrait of the room as a whole, capturing it in its everyday active state without any shame for imperfections and clutter. Empty tissue boxes, discarded clothes, half-eaten snacks, cans of insect repellent – the items pictured might seem unbelievable at first, but assuredly these are real girls’ rooms.

“I try not to be sympathetic to the room when I shoot; I try not to like it too much,” explains Kawamoto. He doesn’t really take notice of the composition or subjects until he

reaches the editing process, which is when he considers presentation and selection of the best images. In his mind, he doesn’t separate the person and the background; instead he describes the whole room as “scenery” … “The person, the room, everything is scenery. It all becomes the picture and so becomes the scenery,” he says. Disregarding the distraction of the often overwhelming stimulus, he simply looks for a way to make the pictures his own.

As a man, perhaps especially in Japan, it could be difficult to gain trust to enter such a personal space and shoot so intimately without some misunderstanding of intention, but aside from a few awkward encounters with overbearing family members, Kawamoto has had little difficulty in convincing women to allow him access to their rooms. Initially through work connections at live bars and the underground idol community in Akihabara, he found willing par-

ticipants almost entirely through word of mouth. These people would then introduce more friends and contacts as well as vouch for his professionalism, which allowed him to build an ongoing stock of rooms. Kawamoto is not sure if photographs of men’s rooms would captivate a similar level of interest. He wonders whether female readers would feel as much fascination for rooms that they might have difficulty relating to, or whether the prevalence of men within many of Japan’s subcultures makes it a less intriguing prospect.

Since a bedroom displaying even a single anime figure or poster can sometimes be enough to warrant the label “otaku” – as well as the stigma that can come with it – it’s not surprising that Kawamoto’s pictures are sometimes met with shock. At worst, the lack of knowledge of Japanese culture (or of subcultures existing within Japanese society) can result in confounded disbelief

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and loaded gender assumptions about cleanliness, in addition to stern judgment of the women’s habits. But for the most part, reactions to the book have been positive, curious and often verging on awe. There is a warmth to the “Onago Room” pictures that make them inviting to the eye, a welcoming window into a previously inaccessible world.

Discovering his passion for photography whilst at university, Kawamoto describes his early work as “totally not cool.” It was the mid-90s, a pre-internet time when mainstream photography was lacking in style and substance, and a wave of creative photographers – such as Hiromix, Mika Ninagawa, Takashi Homma and Nobuyoshi Araki – opened the door to different approaches to subject matter. Kawamoto was inspired by the resurgence of the medium as an art form in Japan.

Today he is never seen without a camera draped around his neck or resting close beside him, and confesses to a constant need to take photos, “…like eating and sleeping, a part of daily life.” Capturing daily life seems to be the central theme of his 20-year career, whether shooting commercial projects, idol portraits or bedrooms, he finds himself drawn to things a little bit “off the path.”

His perspective as someone skirting the line between mainstream outsider and niche insider adds an unexpectedly familiar charm.

THE HOMES INCLUDE EVERYTHING FROM MINIMAL STUDIOS TO PASTEL PINK HIDEAWAYS

“I have a lot of respect for these women and their rooms … I’m not making fun of them,” Kawamoto is careful to point out. He doesn’t want his intentions to be misconstrued, and is aware as a male photographing women’s bedrooms that he could face criticism of exploitation. In fact, the opposite is true. His predominantly undirected shooting methods manifest as a kind of collaboration, and the subject matter makes his photos a celebration of these women and their spaces – places that they have created completely for themselves.

Women like those in Kawamoto’s books may be a minority in Japan, but they do reflect a part of Japanese culture that he is inherently proud of. The greatest compliment to his work is the fact that the daraku girls and owners of these bedrooms are happy with his photographs, and share that sense of pride. Whether it provides viewers with entertainment, inspiration or intrigue, projects like this have a value beyond documents, and hopefully encourage people from all walks of life to take a greater interest in the people, places and communities around them. Few photo books can comfortably deliver such an interesting and unknown slice of everyday life.

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BUY T HE BO O K “Onago Room” is available on Amazon.jp for ¥2,484 via this link: tinyurl.com/amazon-onagoroom For more information about Shiori Kawamoto, visit shiorikawamoto.com

T OKYO WE E KE N DE R | OCTOBE R 2 0 1 6 | 2 3

SO YOU WANT TO BE A

You Tube Star?

We chat with some of Japan’s key players in the online TV channel business to find out more about what it takes to gather a following Words by Alec Jordan

T

he Boston-born Michelle Phan began posting makeup and makeover tips online when she was 18, branching out to YouTube two years later. She now makes $3 million a year in online revenue alone, not including revenue from the cosmetics platform ipsy, which generates approximately $120 million in sales per year. Lauri Vuohensilta and his wife Anni, the Finnish couple behind the Hydraulic Press Channel, earn tens of thousands of dollars per video in ad revenue for clips that depict a variety of objects – everything from giant gummi bears to diamonds – being flattened under an industrial strength press. They’ve only been running their channel for one year. The common threads between these content creators and thousands more online? One is the medium where they’ve chosen to post their content, and the other is the loyalty of the fans that they’ve amassed, each one supporting their creators with clicks, comments, and even purchases of the products that their creators put onto the market.

YouTuber power couple Simon & Martina 2 4 | O CTO BER 2 0 1 6 | TOKYO W E E K E NDE R

In this new media landscape, performers are no longer beholden to managers, agents, or production companies, traditional standards for “quality” are upended, and community is king. This DIY trend in online entertainment is a worldwide phenomenon, and has also found fertile ground in Japan, a media market that is best known for doing things in a completely different way from the rest of the world (remember, this is the only country in the world where Yahoo reigns supreme on the internet).

One person who has been working within this media landscape for more than two decades is Alan Swarts, the founder and CEO of the digital media company, Breaker. The half-Japanese/half-American Swarts grew up in Colorado, and he remembers watching his very first music videos playing in heavy rotation on those old UHF channels.

After he graduated from university in New York, he spent some time working in production before talking his way into a position at MTV Japan. As he recalls, “the pitch was, I was going to be the Kurt Loder of Japan.” It only took him a couple of years to understand that he really wasn’t cut out to be a presenter.

He worked in production and distribution at Nickelodeon for a few years before he moved on to MTV International, where he helped launch the channel in several different countries. An opportunity with a mobile video venture called Flux brought him back to Japan after six years, and three years later, he was ready to launch his own brand.

He launched Breaker (named for “breaking barriers, breaking borders, breaking new talent”) three years ago with John Possman, a music industry veteran who had worked with EMI and Virgin Records, and Shigeo Maruyama, who was the head of Sony when CDs were at their peak, and when the PlayStation rose to ascendancy in the video game world.

Swarts is well aware of how YouTube commonly fits into the evolution of standard media – from network TV to hundreds of channels on cable TV to an internet that serves up more than a billion websites to hundreds of millions of hours of streaming video on YouTube. “But that sequence has yet to happen in Japan. Cable TV is already on its decline in Japan; it peaked at 20% distribution. There’s cord-cutting in the US, but that was after about 98% distribution.

That’s largely due to gatekeepers like Dentsu and the networks that didn’t want cable TV to be successful.

It’s the same thing in talent and entertainment – the same management companies have been successful.

There are people in their 80s who basically run the entertainment industry right now. That’s probably not going to be toppled any time soon; it just has to coexist, and you just have to corner a different part of a big pie. That’s why the team we’ve assembled for Breaker is a combination of new generation media people as well as people from established media. Having someone like Maruyama-san is great because in order to disrupt the existing system, I think you need to work within that system.”

A key aspect of success in today’s online arena is to foster a strong sense of belonging between artists and supporters as well as giving those fans a platform where they can connect with one another. David Craig, a media studies professor from the University of Southern California who had previously interviewed Swarts about the Breaker project, has coined a term for this new media format: communitainment. As Craig describes it, one of its hallmarks is a change in the usual relationship between artist and public. As he describes it, these platforms become “places where audiences can hang out online with their friends … even if that includes a million other friends. They are not just viewers, listeners, or readers. Rather, they hope to belong to a community that shares similar interests, including interests in that one communitainer’s life, skills, insights, experience, or looks.”

Another crucial component of the communitainment dynamic is the idea of “authenticity.” It’s a word that you’ll often hear from people who make their living on YouTube, but it’s not an easy one to define. While some content creators may call it staying true to themselves or their audience, it becomes more problematic when brands and companies court these creatives in the service of commerce, and earning money becomes not just an issue of online ad revenue, but endorsements as well. When it comes to this term, Craig takes a somewhat cynical approach to the idea of authenticity. “The ability to at least appear genuine keeps coming up as a value proposition for their

communities … and their brand sponsors.”

What matters far less for participants – creators and viewers – in this new media environment is how “good” a given piece of content is. As Swarts explains, this might be important, but there are other things that take precedence: “It’s not about how something is shot, or how good the narrative is – or, better yet, it is those things, as well as how do you get your audience involved? How do you co-create the content with your audience and make it communal and shareable?”

One husband and wife duo who have answered these questions perfectly are Simon and Martina Stawski. Simon and Martina came to South Korea as high school teachers, and began uploading videos to YouTube with the channel EatYourKimchi. Over the course of several years, Simon and Martina’s humorous observations about Korean food and culture earned them not only a large and devoted base of followers, but also led to brand sponsorships, the establishment of their own studio – even their own café and clothing line. It didn’t start out brilliantly, though, as Simon points out. “Our first month, we made five dollars, and I remember saying, ‘we’re fucked.’ But by the end of the year, we were able to grow our channel enough that Martina could quit her job and we could make a living off of this.”

From the beginning, though, they had their sights set on Japan, and after meeting Swarts at the annual VidCon conference two years ago, Simon and Martina decided to make their move. Since they arrived in Japan at the beginning of the year, they changed the name of the channel to EatYourSushi and made some alterations to their programming format, but the secret to their success hasn’t changed.

They are actively engaged with their followers, and they pay ruthless attention to what works and what doesn’t on their channel.

As Martina explains, “one of the things that we tell everyone that we meet that’s on YouTube is that you have to be so self-critical. YouTube gives you this entire analytics suite to look at your videos and you can watch when people drop off. You can see exactly when it happens.” Simon adds, “So at the five-minute mark you see a dropoff, and then you go back to the video to see what happened – oh, we did a 30-second montage of flowers. Well flowers are out.”

And although Simon and Martina have achieved a degree of internet stardom that many would envy, they look at their fame with a bit of detachment.

Martina explains, “We’re still part of the old school idea of having to be talented and good-looking. Like Michael Jordan and Tom Cruise: those are famous people!” Simon adds, “The YouTube scene is very bizarre to us. For people who grew up with YouTube, the idea of YouTube fame makes sense, but to me it still doesn’t.”

“There are people on the internet that make significantly better videos about Japan than we do, significantly better videos about food. But they don’t get the views that we do. So it’s not just about the quality of the content that you produce, a major thing that you also have to consider is the community that you foster.”

OUR FIRST MONTH, WE MADE FIVE DOLLARS, AND I REMEMBER SAYING, ‘WE’RE FUCKED’

Breaker CEO Alan Swarts T OKYO WE E KE N DE R | OCTOBE R 2 0 1 6 | 2 5

©2015 THE BOY AND THE BEAST FILM PARTNERS

DRAWING WORLDS TOGETHER DIRECTOR MAMORU HOSODA DISCUSSES HOW PERSONAL HIS ANIME IS – AND HOW THE BEST WAY TO REALLY GO GLOBAL IS

BY DEEPLY EXPLORING THE SITUATIONS CLOSEST TO YOU Words by Alec Jordan

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From “The Boy and the Beast”: Kumatetsu and his new pupil Kyuta face off ©2015 THE BOY AND THE BEAST FILM PARTNERS

IF YOU DIG DEEP ENOUGH, THEN EVERYONE CAN UNDERSTAND

W

elcome to an imaginative world where train delays are brought on by the breaching of a gigantic whale in Western Tokyo, where the fate of the digital world is decided by a centuries-old card game, and where a single mother struggles to raise two young children – who also happen to be half wolf. This is the cinematic universe of anime director Mamoru Hosoda. Since the release of “The Girl Who Leapt Through Time” in 2006, his films have achieved both box office success and critical acclaim here and abroad – “The Girl Who Leapt Through Time” won the Japan Academy Award for Animation of the Year in 2007, as did the three films that followed – “SUMMER WARS” in 2010, “Wolf Children” in 2013, and “The Boy and the Beast” in 2016. These last two were the #5 and #2 top grossing films in the years they were released in Japan. These are just a few of the reasons why the Tokyo International Film Festival will be conducting the first retrospective of Hosoda’s animation work later this month (see sidebar on page 28), and also why some film observers are ready to hail the genial director from Toyama Prefecture as the next Hayao Miyazaki.

But a closer look at his career shows that he’s more interested in following his own muses, and proudly so. Take his ability to artistically stand alongside the celebrated Japanese artist, Takashi Murakami. When we met with Hosoda last month, he explained that Murakami became interested in collaborating with him after seeing his work on the popular TV series and movie, “DIGIMON ADVENTURE,” and that their partnership developed into a

short promotional anime, produced as a collaboration between Louis Vuitton and Takashi Murakami. One of the hallmarks of Hosoda’s visual style in the franchise was an array of colorful characters floating in an otherwise empty space, which also appeared in the longform ad. Although many might think that the idea was solely Murakami’s, Hosoda feels that both had equal creative footing. “Of course, Louis Vuitton is more famous than DIGIMON, but I made it first!” Hosoda laughs. A graduate of Kanazawa College of Art with a degree in painting, he also made the ahead-of-his-time choice to use images by the Edo period painter Jakuchu (see page 41) in the intro sequence that he directed for the hit anime series “Samurai Champloo.”

While he takes professional pride in his artistic vision, it’s clear that Hosoda is also willing to dig into common emotions and experience that inform everyone’s lives, even though these stories are presented along with the fantastic trappings that we’ve come to expect of the anime genre.

His 2009 film “SUMMER WARS” tells the story of Kenji, a high school math genius who has been recruited by Natsuki, a female schoolmate, to pass himself off as her boyfriend as she visits her massive extended family at her grandmother’s house in the town of Ueda, in Nagano Prefecture. The Jinnouchi family is dozens strong, and filled with plenty of colorful characters, who are fiercely proud of their history, which includes a victory over the powerful Tokugawa clan. Hosoda explains that his choice to include these characters was, of all things, inspired by envy of his wife’s

family, who comes from Ueda: “Of course, my wife’s family wasn’t that large, or as well established. During the Warring States Period, the Ueda clan managed to defeat the Tokugawa shogun clan. Even though they were a small group, they were brave enough to fight the huge clan, and they defeated them a few times.

My wife’s family often talks about how they won against the Tokugawa family, and they’re very proud of it. I’m a little bit envious of that, because not all areas of Japan have a history that they can be proud of like that.”

Things take a wild turn in the movie as an AI hacking program that one of the family members inadvertently helped to develop threatens computer networks worldwide as well as the ancestral home. In one of the crucial scenes, Natsuki battles the AI, not with a high-tech weapon, but with a deck of cards.

Hanafuda is a game that dates back to the Edo period, but Nintendo – yes, that Nintendo – got its start at the end of the 19th century making hanafuda cards. Video game nerds (this writer included) might catch the reference, but as Hosoda points out, it’s not just an Easter egg for the digitally inclined: “It connects back to my personal experience. When I was young-

©2012 “WOLF CHILDREN” FILM PARTNERS

T OKYO WE E KE N DE R | OCTOBE R 2 0 1 6 | 2 7

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time ©2006 TOKIKAKE Film Partners

ANIMATION FOCUS AT TIFF

T er, I would visit my grandmother’s house, and when I was there, I would always play games with my older relatives. But we didn’t play “cards,” we played hanafuda: it was a game that older people knew very well. It’s the sort of thing that unites several generations, and that’s why I wanted to put it into “SUMMER WARS”: it’s about a family uniting, and taking on something much larger than itself.”

In his last two films, the family ties involved are not those of a massive extended family of more than 40; rather, they are the fraught relationships that exist between parents and children. In “Wolf Children,” Hana, a human woman has to raise her two children – a girl named Yuki and a boy named Ame – alone, after the death of her husband, who was a werewolf. They move to the countryside, where Hana has to learn not only how to raise crops and restore an old, rundown house, but also how to raise children who belong both to the

The Jinnouchi family ©2009 SUMMERWARS FILM PARTNERS

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world of animals and of humankind. As the children grow up and choose different paths to maturity, Ame changes from a tomboyish child who loves being a wolf to a young girl who chooses to identify more with the human world, while Yuki grows from a weakwilled boy into one of the toughest beasts in the countryside. Although Hosoda wasn’t raising children yet, he had that growing process in mind, as well as a sympathy for those torn between worlds: “I was very interested in how children grow up, and what kind of choices they make, and how those choices determine what kind of adults they will become. How do they make the right choices, and make the kinds of choices that are truest to themselves? I think this film might be of help to those people who may be trying to make that decision themselves.”

In his most recent film, “The Boy and the Beast,” Hosoda did not have to look very far in order to find a model for the gruff character of Kumatetsu, a bear who adopts a human boy and raises him as a warrior apprentice in a realm of beasts. “My father looked like Kumatetsu,” he says, laughing. “He worked on the railway, doing maintenance. He did very hard work, outside, not the kind of desk work that most of us do nowadays. He also wasn’t the kind of dad who played a lot with his kids.

He played the role of the old-fashioned, strong father. I wanted to get to know him better, but he died when I was around 30 years old. So it was wanting to know him more that helped me get closer to the character of Kumatetsu. I tried to imagine what it would be like if my own children were to be able to meet him, somewhere in the afterlife.”

Hosoda’s films are now being distributed by various companies but when he looks back to “The Girl Who Leapt Through Time,” his first film to receive considerable international attention, he talks about what he learned on the festival circuit, and it’s a lesson that continues to inform his work.

Mamoru Hosoda

he Tokyo International Film Festival brought the Special Focus on Japanese Animation back to its program in 2014 with a focus on Hideaki Anno (“Evangelion,” “SHIN GODZILLA”) and followed with “THE WORLD OF GUNDAM” in 2015. This year, TIFF has lined up a retrospective of Mamoru Hosoda’s work – the first in the imaginative director’s career. All of his major films will be shown at the festival, and attendees will also be able to see a selection of some shorter pieces that gave hints of the mature films that followed.

TIFF will also be showing a selection of anime films, including the wildly popular “Your Name.” and a special screening of the film “In This Corner of the World.” Finally, on October 31, TIFF will hold a special, one-day anime event at the Tokyo International Forum that will include film, music, and talk events.

For more details, visit 2016.tiff-jp.net

“At all of these film festivals, I saw how my films are seen in relation to all of these films around the world, and I was able to see how other directors decide to make films for a global audience. When I was observing that, I felt that different countries have different environments and economic and political situations, but they don’t have to try to globalize what they have in their own country. I realized that I don’t have to try to pick up things from overseas or set the story in an overseas location. Rather, I can just show honestly what I feel by living in Japan and what I see here, and just throw it into my work. If you dig deep enough, then everyone can understand.”

THE CREDIT CARD CONUNDRUM Words by Louise George Kittaka

JAPAN STILL MOSTLY RUNS ON CASH, BUT WHY IS IT SO HARD FOR FOREIGNERS TO GET THEIR HANDS ON A CREDIT CARD HERE?

I

t’s a familiar topic on online forums for foreign nationals in Japan: What does it take to get a credit card here?

While it’s hard to find a definitive answer to that perennial question, I did a bit of digging to try and at least offer some insights into the issue.

I began my research by calling up a few banks and credit card companies and speaking to their PR departments. However, while everyone I spoke to listened politely to my spiel, nobody wanted to be interviewed for an article in the English media. Undeterred, I then contacted the helpline numbers for several different credit cards on the pretext that I was “calling on behalf of a foreign friend who didn’t speak Japanese.” My “friend” has been in Japan a few months and, while gainfully employed, she has already been turned down for several credit cards. My “friend” and I were wondering if there was anything foreign nationals needed to know about the application process that could improve her chances?

Everyone thanked me and my “friend” for our interest in their credit card but they reiterated that each application was judged on its own merits, so all one could do was “apply and see.” One company did say that they make an evaluation (shinsa) based on a number of criteria. In the case of a foreign national, these may include residency status, Japanese language skills (if a person doesn’t read, know or understand enough of the conditions of the application, it could be a basis for rejection), and income.

Next, I talked with Katherine Nozaki from Asian Tigers Mobility. In her role as relocation consultant working with transferees, Katherine handles everything from helping clients find an apartment to setting up banking and mobile phone services. However, she says that the seemingly straightforward procedure of obtaining a credit card in Japan can leave even the experts stumped when it comes to foreigners.

“There is a lot of conflicting information. Many credit card companies simply refuse applications from foreigners. For other companies, it seems to depend greatly on the individual you deal with,” Katherine explains. “Recently, one institution we dealt with recently ruled out the possibility of applying unless the applicant can understand written Japanese. However, other applications at that same company by individuals without any Japanese language ability have been approved in the past.”

While there is no guarantee, Katherine and her team suggest trying the following credit cards for foreign nationals: AMEX, ANA, Costco Orico, Costco AMEX, JAL Card, Prestia, Shinsei and Rakuten. As an alternative to a standard credit card, she notes that a Visa-debit card, such as those issued by Mitsubishi Tokyo UFJ and Risona Bank, are also currently worth trying.

Finally, I chatted with a financial expert who has experience in the credit card sector. He was willing to comment but requested that his name not be used. “Given that

MANY CREDIT CARD COMPANIES SIMPLY REFUSE APPLICATIONS FROM FOREIGNERS

the foreign population in Japan remains relatively small, most lenders have not found it necessary to modify their underwriting criteria. And one of the key criteria for that is Japanese-based income from Japan-based employers. Traditionally, even self-employed Japanese found securing credit much more difficult and were only served by the ‘non-banks’,” he points out.

“If that has remained the case, I assume that foreigners seeking to get Japan-issued credit cards might find it challenging if they have little credit history in Japan and/or do not have a Japanese employment record.”

Bearing this in mind, he suggests that it not necessarily an anti-foreigner mindset that makes it difficult for foreign nationals to obtain credit cards. “If the Abe administration is successful at increasing professional immigration, over time perhaps the banking establishment will see a sizeable unmet need and expand that criteria. In the meantime, I expect them to be carefully vague on the topic as specificity is not good publicity in this case.”

Thank you to taxation consultant Calvin Tong for assistance with background information for this article.

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「Insect collecting」2016 Kiri sculpture (toso) clay, pastel 100 × 73 × 30 cm

Mami Itagaki /Tomorrow’s Bread

The National Art Center, Tokyo

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Opening Hours: 12:00 - 19:00 | Closed: Mondays Opening Reception: Friday October 14th from 18:00 onwards The gallery will be open until 22:00 on October 21-22 (Friday & Saturday) for Roppongi Art Night

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LEARN SOMETHING NEW Our biannual Education Special kicks off with a trip to Rikuzentakata, which was one of the towns that was heavily damaged by the 2011 tsunami. Not only does it make for an inspiring mini vacation, but visitors can also take part in a new crisis management workshop being held in the city. After that, we pick up tips on the the power of questioning and play in education, the relevance of homework, and how to find a reliable babysitter in Tokyo.

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Fumonji’s resident monk, Koyo Kumagai

A LEARNING BREAK IN IWATE Words by Annemarie Luck

Looking for a holiday with meaning? We visit Rikuzentakata to find out more about a new crisis management workshop being held in the city that’s slowly recovering after the 2011 tsunami

W

hen you stand on the steps leading up to Suwa Shrine, exactly 15m above sea level, and look down at the land in repair below, it’s hard to imagine just how picturesque the town of Rikuzentakata was before the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. Fifteen meters is the height the water reached, engulfing the entire city center, and destroying its oncewhite-sand beach as well as the 70,000 pine trees that framed this little patch of paradise.

Now, from our viewpoint, there are only mountains of soil – which are being brought in to raise the land so that all new buildings will be constructed above sea level – and one lone dilapidated house owned by a man who

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refuses to tear his home down even though it’s unlivable.

Today, Amya Miller, who works as a Principal Consultant for the City of Rikuzentakata, has brought us to this particular spot so that we can try to imagine what it must have been like for those who scrambled up these very stairs to escape the waves, and were forced to spend the night on top of the small hill where Suwa Shrine is perched. It’s also one of the spots she brings participants in the Cross

Cultural Crisis Management Experience, a program set up this year by Miller and the City with the aim of using their experience to educate others how to respond during a disaster.

“One of the biggest lessons we learnt after the tsunami was that even though the city had an instruction manual dictating what to do and where to go, the manual was not good enough,” explains Miller. “For example, out of 33 evacuation sites, 28 were not high enough, and as a result many people died even though

SEE THE MIRACLE PINE

EAT SOY SAUCE ICE CREAM

The only tree that stood standing in the bay, it was reconstructed to be a symbol of hope and will form part of a National Memorial Park currently being constructed over 1.5km of land.

Created by famed soy sauce maker Yagisawa Shoten, this ice cream is available at a small roadside café as you drive into town. The taste? Imagine vanilla with a hint of salty caramel.

Photographs by Simon Bonny

they believed they would be safe.” Out of the city’s population of 24,000, nearly 1,800 died, and 213 are still missing. “No-one expected the water to reach fifteen meters,” she says.

“So we realized we absolutely have to raise the bar now.”

Recognizing that Japan is not the only country that faces the constant threat of earthquakes and tsunamis, she believes Rikuzentakata and its residents can share valuable lessons with people around the world in terms of understanding how to react during a crisis. Miller, who is American but was raised in Japan, has already held three workshops this year made up of groups of students and experts from the US. The city also welcomes tourists who might be planning to visit Japan on vacation and would like to include a few days spent in Rikuzentakata, both for learning and sightseeing.

The workshop extends over a number of days, depending on the package booked, and Miller takes participants to a variety of sites around the city, putting them through physical exercises that force them to make life-or-death decisions within a matter of seconds.

“I want people to realize that how you respond immediately creates a domino effect. You cannot take your decision back, and you have to deal with the consequences, which might even be that you are responsible for someone else’s death.” Miller also poses some tough questions, which she says can cause emotions to run high. But this is exactly the point: “I want people to deal with difficult emotions – like survivor guilt – before they find themselves in a crisis position. That way they can respond rationally in the moment, because they will have already processed the emotional stuff.”

Survivor guilt is one of the most prevalent feelings among local residents, says Miller.

“Many people lost loved ones, and there is often a sense of ‘why did I survive?’”

During the two days we spent in Rikuzentakata, we met one woman who has had to deal with losing not only her home but also her husband and two sons. Although there

was no way Fumiko Osaka, who is in her seventies, could have saved her family, she now lives for one objective: “I need my husband and sons to say ‘you did a good job,’ so that when it’s time to join them, they’ll let me in.” Osaka tells her story in simple English to visitors, many of whom come from abroad to learn about recovery efforts in the area. After showing us around the empty plot of land where her home once stood, we follow her up a hill to her new, modest home, where she performs a traditional Japanese tea ceremony. It’s incredibly moving to hear her speak of her loss, but also inspiring and humbling to witness her resilience.

Visiting Osaka’s home is not officially part of the Crisis Management Experience, but it is an additional activity that participants can request to be added to their itinerary.

While in Rikuzentakata, we’d also recommend scheduling a visit to Fumonji, a majestic temple that sits serenely on the side of a mountain amidst a forest of tall pine trees. Here, you’ll meet Buddhist monk Koyo Kumagai who’ll take you through a session of zazen meditation, and tell you tales of fate that are bound to make you consider the validity of a collective consciousness. He’ll also show you around the temple garden that’s dotted with arhat sculptures, all handmade by locals and tourists (if you’d like to try your hand at carving one, the best time is during summer).

Undoubtedly, one of the most meaningful experiences when booking into the program is that fact that you get to stay with a host family, giving you a rare chance to experience what life is really like for those who live here. We were warmly welcomed

by Mutsuko and Souichi Ozawa, a couple who own a small wagyu cow farm that’s tucked neatly in between a row of houses.

Over a dinner of sashimi, miso soup, pickled veg, and their own brand of white rice grown in a nearby paddy field, we ask Mutsuko how she and her husband managed to

OUT OF 33 EVACUATION SITES, 28 WERE NOT HIGH ENOUGH

move on after losing their home and several family members to the tsunami. Her answer is matter of fact: “We had no choice; we had to save the cows. We had to find food for them, even though there was none for us.”

It’s a remarkable statement when you think of all they’ve endured. And it’s testament to the enduring spirit of Rikuzentakata, which Miller succinctly sums up in just a few words: bold, stubborn, and unfailingly proud.

For more info about the program, email visit@rikuzentakata.iwate.jp (Japanese, English, German, Chinese and Korean are okay.

If you prefer to email in another language, please allow some time for a reply).

Fumon Temple

The steps to Suwa Shrine

The man who owns this house refuses to tear it down

TAKE IN THE VIEW FROM HAKONE YAMA A short drive up Hakone mountain takes you to this vantage point, which lets you look out across the entire bay.

DRINK PINK JUICE It’s made from purple shiso leaves, tastes a little like cranberry juice, and can be ordered at Riku café, which also serves up delicious set lunches and cheesecake made with mulberry leaf.

Host family, the Ozawas

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[ PROMOTION ]

The Bigger Picture Summerhill International School’s new director, Kathryne Imabayashi, on the power of questioning, the importance of play, and the school’s forward-thinking vision SINCE THEN, YOU’VE BEEN AWAY FROM JAPAN FOR 12 YEARS. WHAT MADE YOU CHOOSE SUMMERHILL FOR YOUR NEXT ROLE? Summerhill has a focus on play and inquiry, and really is a place – as the logo says – where the children are happy. Last year, the school was bought by new owners, and I have been very impressed by their vision.

They have a desire to help improve the quality of education in Japan, so that the way of thinking changes. Instead of solely being this intelligent society that is brilliant with rote learning, they want to help to create a society that also recognizes the power of questioning rather than answering; of people who are allowed to be creative; and of being able to make independent decisions, especially in the case of emergencies.

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WHAT ORIGINALLY BROUGHT YOU TO JAPAN? It was an impulsive decision, made after reading “Shogun” by James Clavell – something about the book just spoke to me. It was 1985, and I ended up teaching at Fukuoka International School’s kindergarten. After 12 years, I set up my own school together with my husband. It was a lovely little school, and perhaps a little ahead of its time – back then, people didn’t quite grasp that you could learn a language well without actually paying much attention to language; and that play is an important part of child development. We ran the school for seven years before relocating to Lebanon.

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We have begun incorporating the International Baccalaureate (IB) framework [an international education program that’s known for its high standards of teaching, pedagogical leadership and student achievement]. This means that there is some guarantee on the quality, focus, and philosophy of the education. Within the IB framework, we have been approved as a candidate school for the Primary Years Programme (PYP), and have begun working towards becoming authorized. This means there will be quite a bit of professional development for our already wonderful teachers. For my part, I will be assisting with this development, and offering workshops for parents.

WHAT KIND OF WORKSHOPS? The first one I’m holding is on October 10 and is about communication. I’ll be offering parents easy tips to recognize the impact of the way you talk and listen. I will also be doing something on discipline, and on gender differences in terms of recognizing the differences between girls and boys when it comes to education. My aim is not to impose my ideas on parents. I encourage people

to research the different avenues they can follow to get the answers they’re looking for. But in the end, I think we’ve got all the answers; we’re just not confident enough to follow through on them.

YOUR CAREER HAS FOCUSED MOSTLY ON EARLY EDUCATION. WHY IS THAT? There is a purity and an honesty in young children that I find fascinating. Also, part of the reason is possibly because I feel that early years education is so unrecognized.

You should have your very best people with the youngest of children, and they should be the most qualified and recognized teachers. Because is there anything more important than a child understanding that they are safe, loved, and treated with respect? And in raising children who are thinking about the big picture?

For more info, visit www.summerhill.jp

Photographs by Keren Louis Photography

athryne Imabayashi is one of those people whom you could say has lived a life less ordinary. After growing up in a small Canadian town, she spread her wings by moving to Vancouver where she discovered her passion for early years education.

Since then, she has lived and worked as a teacher and school principal in multiple countries including Japan, Lebanon, Georgia, Thailand, and Qatar – all the while nurturing her talent for working with young children and helping parents raise the “kind of kids who are able to make decisions independently.” As she takes up her new role as school director at Summerhill International School, she sat down with us to share how things are changing for the better at one of Tokyo’s most popular international kindergartens.

HOW DO YOU PLAN TO REALIZE THESE GOALS?

YOU SHOULD HAVE YOUR VERY BEST PEOPLE WITH THE YOUNGEST KIDS

[ PROMOTION ]

Held over five weeks during July and August, Aoba-Japan Extension (AJE) Summer Camp 2016 welcomed more than 225 kids from eight different countries for a jam-packed program that traversed the world through creative activities. Here’s what went down…

WEEK 1: SOUTH AMERICA The overall theme of the camp was “Communication Unites the World,” so as soon as we arrived, each camper was assigned to one of five “Continental Teams” with a corresponding color. As every team held a mix of ages from five to 18, the kids learnt how to work together – especially important if they wanted to win challenges like the Pokemon Scavenger Hunt. Besides designing a flag for each group’s designated continent, campers enjoyed a jazz and tap dance workshop taught by pro dancers Satoko Iida and Nobuyuki Kato, and a comedy performance by Pirates of the Tokyo Bay.

WEEK 2: ASIA Each day at camp started with morning classes covering subjects like geography, history, society, and culture. Afterwards, we joined our “continental” teammates for plenty of fun activities. This week we began making models of rockets, boats, planes, cars, and trains. One day, a percussionist and composer named BB Mo Franck – who is originally from the DRC and now lives in Japan – came to perform for us. We also went river rafting at Minakami, worked on our soccer skills, and tucked into a delicious barbecue lunch.

WEEK 3: EUROPE The most exciting thing about this week had to be the day we launched our model rockets. It’s a great sense of achievement to learn how to make them, and then see them set off in motion. We also practiced slacklining – balancing on that tightrope is really not as easy as it looks! – and visited the JR Railway Museum, which is home to Japan’s very first steam locomotive made in 1871. Amazing!

WEEK 4: NORTH AMERICA By week four, we had made so many friends from around the world that it was hard to think about saying goodbye. Luckily, many of our friends who weren’t planning to stay for the full five weeks changed their minds and decided to stay on. They definitely wouldn’t have wanted to miss out on this week’s adventures – we hiked up Mt. Takao, had a barbecue next to the Tama River in Oume, and raced remote control cars.

WEEK 5: AFRICA Did you know that capoeira is a form of martial art? It was created about 500 years ago in Brazil by African slaves, and is a combination of dance and fighting techniques. In our last week at AJE Summer Camp, we learnt some capoeira moves along with some more jazz and tap dance steps. We painted African masks, visited different embassies, and exhibited our creations including robots, cars, and pottery. The week ended with the 2016 Olympiad and Family Day, along with a graduation and awards-giving ceremony. But the best reward of all has to be the memories we’ll always keep of summer 2016 in Japan.

COMING UP NEXT… Aoba-Japan Extension hosts annual summer camps at Hikarigaoka campus in Tokyo. To make sure you get a spot for next year’s camp, download the application form for AJE Summer Camp 2017 via tinyurl.com/AJE2017.

Keen to get involved sooner? Join AJE’s new Evening Academy which includes sports and performance programs: tinyurl.com/AJE-evening More info at www.japaninternationalschool.com

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[ ADVERTORIAL ] [ PROMOTION ]

THE BRITISH SCHOOL IN TOKYO GETS TOP MARKS FOR GIVING YOUNG PEOPLE THE HEAD-START THEY DESERVE

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his year, for the first time in its history, The British School in Tokyo will be home to well over 1,000 students. There are many good reasons to explain the remarkable surge in student enrolment at BST in recent years, but foremost among them is the widespread recognition that this is a school where young people of all abilities from the most diverse backgrounds can find their niche and fulfil their potential.

Since 2012, we have seen the number of 15- to 18-year-old students on our IGCSE and A level courses more than double to almost 250. What’s more, examination results have improved to the point where they match the gold standard set by the United Kingdom independent sector, and our graduates are winning places at some of the most prestigious universities around the world. But we have no intention of standing still. Here are five ways we’re making a difference…

CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT

MEANINGFUL MNEMONIC

While academic excellence is always a priority and our results are consistently far above the UK national averages, it is also clear that our care for each student as an individual, our focus on character development, and our offer of a rounded education extending well beyond the four walls of the classroom have all struck a chord with the many parents who share our values. Our unique BST Outdoors programme, for example, offers exciting challenges to students of all ages, while our sport and ECA provision is now second to none. After all, opportunities to practise teamwork and leadership, to explore and build confidence, and to exhibit and perform are every bit as important as exam preparation.

We use the British mnemonic, not because we consider these characteristics to be the exclusive preserve of young people educated in the British system – far from it – but it certainly helps even our youngest students to understand what BST really stands for and to remember what it is we are trying to achieve.

TEACHER TALENT There is no doubt that good schools are built on the vision, commitment and talent of good people. Almost without exception, our teachers are recruited from the very best schools in the UK or from other highly rated British international schools around the world. Because we know that finding the right people is crucial to our future (and to that of our students), we insist on seeing each one of them teach in their own schools before any appointment is confirmed. Only the best will do.

UNITED AMBITION

CURRICULUM INNOVATION In keeping with our determination to accommodate a range of interests and ambitions, we continue to develop our curriculum. Next year, for example, in response to increasing demand, we will offer both economics and drama at A level, in addition to the arts, humanities, maths and science courses that are already proving to be so popular.

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Underpinning all that we do at BST is our simple model of the young learner whom we aim to nurture here. This template guides us as we seek to encourage in our students the skills and attributes that we believe will help them meet the exciting challenges they will face in what has become a demanding and rapidly changing world beyond school.

The British School in Tokyo and the closeknit community it supports can take pride in the achievements of recent years – but it is the future that counts: the goals for the next academic year, the journey towards the next milestone. Perhaps it is this ambition, this rejection of complacency that has resulted in so many parents making it the school of choice for their children here in Tokyo. Or perhaps it is simply because at BST we have the right team in the right place, all working together with one aim in mind – to bring the best out of the young people in our care.

Why not come see us and judge for yourself?

For more information, visit www.bst.ac.jp.

To arrange a visit, contact admissions@bst. ac.jp, 03 6418 5351.

[ PROMOTION ]

Looking for a Babysitter?

Meet Megumi Moss, the woman changing the way parents and childcarers connect in Tokyo

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he year 2013 was a serendipitous one for Megumi Moss.

In April, she resigned from her job as business planner at Sony with the aim of launching a babysitter matching service, and just one month later she found out she was pregnant. “So I ended up building CareFinder while raising my daughter,” she says with a smile. “It actually worked out well because I learned a lot from my experience of using babysitters after Anika was born. It helped me to understand parents’ feelings on the subject.”

For Moss, who has poured a great deal of time and research into building up CareFinder’s community of sitters and parents, testing the market and being able to understand first-hand the challenges faced by new mothers has been invaluable. Having spent a decade in the corporate world at Sony, she was already well aware of the concerns amongst women who wish to return to work after having a child – not least that fact that in Japan, there is still pressure to work long hours and a serious shortage of space in government pre-schools.

“Although I really enjoyed my job, it was a male-dominated company and my role required a lot of overtime,” says Moss.

“I was worried about how I could continue working there while raising a child.” Even though the company offers support for women in the form of maternity leave and flextime, Moss says there were not enough female role models who were able to return to their previous, high-pressured positions.

So instead of just accepting the way things were, Moss decided to become part of the solution by setting up CareFinder. “After chatting to my husband, who is American, about how popular casual babysitting is in the US, I thought that perhaps it was time to introduce this concept to Japan,” explains Moss. “If you need to work late or go on a business trip, it’s important to know that you have someone reliable on hand to take care of your kids.”

While there are already several babysitting services in Tokyo, a key difference between these and CareFinder is that Moss is cutting out the middleman.

Her aim is to connect parents with reliable babysitters through her website, and then,

I WAS WORRIED ABOUT HOW I COULD CONTINUE WORKING WHILE RAISING A CHILD

after a relationship has been established, reduce the need to go through the site.

This means that costs can be lowered because there is no agency fee, and parents can build long-standing connections with the sitters. “This is also good for your child because they can remember and trust the person who looks after them,” she says. Another key difference is the fact that Moss does background checks on each babysitter. “As a parent myself, I am concerned about safety matters. I do interviews and ID checks, and I help each person to register their details as a freelance babysitter with the government.

I also organize regular parent and babysitter meetups.”

CareFinder is the only babysitting matching service in Tokyo to provide both Japanese and English support, and some babysitters are able to communicate in other languages too. The site currently has around 120 babysitters and 300 parents registered, with the sign-up process being simple and straightforward. At the moment, it’s a free service and parents can browse all the registered babysitters, and post job advertisements, but Moss says she does plan to introduce a small fee in the future. Babysitter fees start from ¥1,200, and parents pay the sitter directly.

As for the babysitters, CareFinder has attracted a range of ages, from students in their early twenties to mothers in their sixties. “I have heard from some of the older women that they remember how difficult it was to take care of their children without having any help. Many of them have signed up because they want to give back to younger moms now.” And that, right there, is the heart of CareFinder’s supportive community.

For more information, visit the website at www.carefinder.jp/en

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H MEW RK Worthless blight or vital to success? Brian Christian weighs in on the debate

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omework – is there a more divisive issue in our schools?

There are those who argue that homework is only set because parents expect it, and that we should allow our children to reclaim their childhood. Conversely, others assert that we must we take note of the tuition-driven, homework-heavy climate that prevails in the PISA powerhouses of Asia and wake up to the fact of life that there is no gain without pain.

Who is right? The answer must lie somewhere between the two extremes of the outright ban and the Tiger Mom’s pile-it-on-atall-costs approach.

Let us start with the very youngest children in our nursery/kindergarten classes. No one would dispute the idea that these little ones should have all the time in the world to play, to explore, to grow and develop in their own time – of course they should. But at this age the distinction between work and play is as blurred as it can be, and what happens at home is every bit as important as what goes on in school.

How many parents’ most treasured moments

have been those precious times spent with their children practising letters, colours and shapes? How long will you hold on to those memories of painting and making a mess together, of gluing and sticking, building (and demolishing!) or simply reading bedtime stories? This is learning – and it’s fun.

WHAT HAPPENS AT HOME IS AS IMPORTANT AS WHAT GOES ON IN SCHOOL

FOCUS, TIME MANAGEMENT, AND GOING THE EXTRA MILE

The Olympic and Paralympic athletes who have recently enthralled us in Rio can point us in the direction of another important benefit from regular homework. Talent may be a gift, but it is worthless if not accompanied by self-discipline and hard work. It is no surprise that success stories in many walks of life reference determination, single-mindedness and a strong work ethic as often as they do natural talent. As long as young people can see its relevance, homework can help them to develop many of the attributes that will allow them to make the most of their abilities throughout life – including focus,

time management and a willingness to go the extra mile.

Even the simplest idea of homework as practice is an important one. Ask any musician. There are so many aspects of our learning that benefit from the little-and-often approach as we aim to turn something new to us into a familiar friend. Here in Japan it is often said that learning kanji is a physical exercise as much as a mental one: the repetition of the brush strokes building a muscle-memory that lasts forever. I am sure that the same may be said of playing a musical instrument. Practising simultaneous equations may be slightly different, but there is still no doubt that familiarity with mathematical exercises encourages confidence and that confidence in turn breeds mastery.

WE LOVE IT WHEN WE’VE MADE IT ON OUR OWN And, of course, there is the small matter of independence. To return to the very young child for a moment, consider the toddler’s first unaided steps; or that first wobbling stabiliser-free solo effort on a bicycle; or even the first walk to school without Mum. None of these things happen without adult guidance, but the smile of triumphant satisfaction that always comes with independent achievement tells a powerful story: we love it when we know we’ve made it on our own. It is a primary function of schools – and parents – to provide a nurturing environment where children can grow and develop to the point where they don’t need us any more. Homework of the now-try-itfor-yourself variety is an important part of that provision.

In Tokyo we are not blessed with the long summer evenings enjoyed by children in my home country (perhaps a topic for another article!) but even so I believe that it is vital that all children are given time to play, to explore, to develop interests beyond the narrow focus of an exam-centred curriculum and simply to spend time with their families. That doesn’t mean the end of homework, but it does mean that teachers should think carefully about what they are aiming to achieve by setting it. It is our responsibility to get the balance right.

Brian Christian is the Principal of the British School in Tokyo.

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©“One Hundred and Eight Heroes from Tales of the Water Margin: Kanchikotsuritsu Shuki” (exhibited in the 2nd term)

BE I N S P I R E D Looking for tattoo design ideas? Utagawa Kuniyoshi’s ukiyo-e woodblock prints from the early 1800s might just capture your imagination.

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Theater of Shadows, 1984. Photo: André Morain Courtesy the artist and Marian Goodman Gallery

ART & FILM

CH RI S T I AN B OLTA NS K I – “A NI MI TAS – LE S ÂM E S QU I M U RM U RE N T ” Much like Marcel Proust, the French video artist Christian Boltanski found rich material in his own past, producing several short films that made the art world stand up and pay attention. As he moved on from mining his own experience to reconstructing the memories of others, he began creating films and mixed media works that poignantly evoke individual experiences as well as the universal sense of longing that time leaves in its wake. Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum Until December 25 www.teien-art-museum.ne.jp/en

THE ART WORLD

OU R PIC K O F T H E C I T Y’S B ES T EXHI B I T I ONS Compiled by Alec Jordan

KU N I YO SH I H E ROE S – H E ROE S FROM TALE S OF T H E WAT E R MA RGI N A master of the Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock prints, Utagawa Kuniyoshi found fame as an artist in 1827, when he published the series “One Hundred and Eight Heroes from Tales of the Water Margin,” based on a famous Chinese novel. The pictures of the powerful and exotic foreign quickly gained popularity but Kuniyoshi was also known for other masterpieces in various genres such as caricatures, landscapes, and portraits of beautiful women, many of which can be seen here. Ota Memorial Museum of Art Until October 30 www.ukiyoe-otamuse.jp/eng

Left: “One Hundred and Eight Heroes from Tales of the Water Margin: Rōrihakuchō Chōjun” Right: “One Hundred and Eight Heroes from Tales of the Water Margin: Kaoshō Rochishin” (exhibited in the 1st term)

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Watanabe Shiko”Cranes with Plum,Bamboo and Pine” (left screen) Mid Edo period,Okada Museum of Art

FILM Aside from our anime picks on page 28, here are more movies to watch at the 29th Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF), which kicks off on October 25…

OPENING FILM: “FLORENCE FOSTER JENKINS”

WITH A DISPLAY OF EDO PERIOD PAINTINGS The centerpiece of this exhibit is “Peacock and Phoenix” by celebrated painter Jakuchu Ito. The painting was rediscovered after 83 years this January, and will be shown with other Jakuchu works from the Okada Museum, as well as paintings by his contemporaries, including Yosa Buson, who with Jakuchu is also celebrating what would be his 300th birthday. Okada Museum of Art Until December 18 www.okada-museum.com/en

Tipped for an Oscar nomination, Hugh Grant has admitted to being intimidated by co-star Meryl Streep in this true story about a New York socialite from the 40s who dreamed of being an opera singer.

Hiroshi Sugimoto (Franklin Park Theater, Boston) [Rashomon, 1950, directed by Akira Kurosawa] 2015 Gelatin silver print ©Hiroshi Sugimoto/Courtesy of Gallery Koyanagi

CLOSIN G FILM: “SATOSHI – A MOVE FOR TOMORROW” Follow the dramatic tale of famed shogi (Japanese chess) master Satoshi Murayama, who pursued the game’s highest title while battling terminal illness at the age of 29.

COMPETITION SECTION: “JAPANESE GIRLS NEVER DIE” This movie is directed

by Daigo Matsui, who describes it as a “rather disturbing story about suburban Japan.”

More info at 2016.tiff-jp.net

WIN!

HIROS H I S U G I M OTO: LOS T H U MA N GE N E TI C ARCH IVE This exhibit features three sobering sections: a work that imagines “the demise of mankind and civilization” in 33 installations; “Abandoned Theater,” a series that brings long unused American movie theaters back to haunting life; and “Sea of Buddhas,” a work populated by dozens of Buddha figures that Sugimoto photographed at Sanjusangendo Temple over 10 years. Tokyo Photographic Art Museum Until November 13 www.topmuseum.jp/e/contents/index.html

We’re giving away one pair of tickets for a special event hosted by TIFF at Kabukiza Theatre on October 27 at 5.30pm. The event includes traditional dance and classic Japanese silent films with live narration. More info at tinyurl.com/TIFFkabukiza.

To enter, email editor@tokyoweekender.com by October 14, 2016.

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©2016 Pathé Productions Limited. All Rights Reserved, ©2016 “Satoshi no Seishun” Film Partners, © 2016 Japanese Girls Never Die Film Partners

JAKUCHU & BUSON – CELEBRATING THEIR 300TH BIRTHDAYS

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AGENDA: THE WEEKENDER ROUNDUP OF WHAT’S HAPPENING IN OCTOBER 1 OCT 6-9

2 OCT 7-16 GUI MARTINEZ – OUT OF REACH

A collection of photographs that captures the bittersweet feeling of past memories and the longing for undiscovered experiences.

Where: Shibuya Hikarie How much: Free More info: tokyoweekender.com

4 OCT 22-23

CONCERT

TIM BURTON & DANNY ELFMAN HALLOWEEN

Could there be any better way to get into the mood for Halloween?

Cosplaying as a Burton character is highly encouraged.

Where: Tokyo International Forum How much: ¥5,800-¥9,800 More info: elfman-burton.jp

3 OCT 1-23 SHIMOKITAZAWA CURRY FESTIVAL

133 cafés and restaurants in the popular Shimokitazawa neighborhood will be serving a variety of special currybased dishes for a period of 10 days.

Where: Around Shimokitazawa How much: Prices vary More info: tokyoweekender.com

6 OCT 1-31 HALLOWEEN 2016 AT TOKYO DISNEY SEA Tokyo Disney Sea is being taken over by Disney villains, and simultaneously celebrating its 15th anniversary – so you’re in for a double (trick or) treat.

Where: Tokyo Disney Sea How much: ¥4,800-¥7,400 More info: tokyoweekender.com

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WORLD PRESS PHOTO 16 Selected from 82,951 photos shot by 5,775 photographers from 128 countries, this exhibition features the winning photos from the 59th World Press Photo contest.

Where: Tokyo Photographic Art Museum | How much: ¥400-¥800 More info: tokyoweekender.com

7 OCT 15-31 FESTIVAL/TOKYO 2016 Tokyo welcomes the return of Japan’s leading performing arts festival. The extensive program comprises talks, workshops, film screenings, a symposium, and numerous performances.

Where: Ikebukuro Nishiguchi Park How much: Free-¥4,000 More info: tokyoweekender.com

4 OCT 1-31 OKTOBERFEST AT BEBU Autumn fun awaits you at Andaz Tokyo’s BeBu, where you can enjoy a selection of German dishes and the original Munich Oktoberfest beers.

Where: BeBu, Toranomon Hills How much: ¥5,500 More info: tokyoweekender.com

8 OCT 6-7 RICHARD ASHCROFT The singer-songwriter performs songs from his latest solo album, “These People,” as well as older tunes from his days with popular band The Verve (“Bitter Sweet Symphony”).

Where: ZEPP Tokyo How much: ¥8,500-¥9,000 More info: tokyoweekender.com

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People, Parties, Places TOKYO’S LONGEST RUNNING SOCIETY PAGE WITH BILL HERSEY

Junko Koshino at her summer yukata party with a group of pole dancers

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guess I’ll start this month’s column by putting on the ritz and talking about a few very special events. I had the privilege of being invited to two great happenings on the yacht of my long-time friend, former business partner, and now business tycoon Tsukasa Shiga. The beautiful, four-bedroom Italian yacht, “Primavera”, was docked at Urayasu Marina and we (about 25 people and six crew members) left at about noon. Fellow passengers included several university student friends of Shiga’s son Christophe, who were in Japan for the holidays; a couple of players from the Urawa Reds soccer team; Shiga’s super executive secretary, Hiroko; Shiga’s mom Reiko; his wife Anna; their beautiful three-year-old daughter Anastasia; and Dewi Sukarno. The scenery – many small, tree-covered islands and tiny fishing villages – was gorgeous. We all relaxed and enjoyed the gourmet food that Kyra, one of the crew members who hails from Canada, had prepared. At about six, we dropped anchor near Yokohama’s Intercontinental Hotel and discovered that Hiroko had arranged for us to have the best locations among the many boats there to view what had to be one of the best hanabi (fireworks) shows I’ve ever seen.

I boarded the “Primavera” again a couple of weeks later. We were scheduled to see another fireworks show, but once we got anchored between three islands and everyone got into jet skiing, swimming, or just catching up on their tans, we gave up on the fireworks and just relaxed and enjoyed the ambience, serenity and beauty of Japan. I really hope you all have the opportunity to do this while you’re in this great country.

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AWESOME BASTILLE DAY RECEPTION It was raining most of the day, but the evening was mostly clear for the beautiful Bastille Day celebration that French Ambassador Thierry Dana and his partner Florence Godfernaux had at the Embassy. The hosting couple are very popular, and the large embassy residence and white tent-covered garden were packed with their many friends from all walks of life.

French and Japanese relations are really strong, and there were so many familiar faces from the worlds of fashion, art, politics, and business there. I was happy to have the opportunity to say sayonara to one of my favorite ladies, Reiko Szerdahelyi, and meet her beautiful daughter Mayuko who lives in London. Reiko is an accomplished pianist, and she and her husband Istvan are busy settling in for his new posting as the Hungarian Ambassador of Singapore. They will really be missed here. I was also sorry to hear that another great diplomatic couple, Cuban Ambassador Marcos Rodriguez Costa and his wife Rosa will be leaving soon. I’ll miss them as well. There have been a great deal of changes in the diplomatic corps recently.

The program for Bastille Day included a welcome speech by Ambassador Dana, congratulatory speeches by several Japanese VIPs, and a rendition of France’s national anthem by a group of young Japanese students. Many top French restaurant owners here in Tokyo were brought in with their staff to work with the embassy chefs, and they were all super busy preparing and serving their specialties. The lavish buffets set up all over the residence and garden had to be seen to be believed.

JUNKO KOSHINO’S YUKATA PARTY 1. Junko and her photographer husband Hiroyuki Suzuki 2. Junko and Hiroyuki’s DJ son Yoriyuki 3. One of the pole dancers shows her stuff 4. Talento Kuruma and Junko’s secretary Izumi Morikawa 5. Izumi, Tony Kaito, Masahiro Sugimachi 6. Tony Kaito, Dewi and Hoki Tokuda, widow of late great author Henry Miller 7. Emi and Yann Gahier 8. Miki and Keiko

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ART/ENTERTAINMENT CHARITY ART SHOW

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9. Italian 1st Sec. Maria Manca and Minister-Counsellor Lorenzo Morini 10. Keigo Kimura, Matteo Ceccarini, Lorenzo Morini special guests Gon Suzuki, Kumiko Matsuoka 11. Italian artist Matteo Ceccarini, Infinity president Atul Parekh, Miss Supranational Japan Lisa Nagashima, the multi-talented Steven Haynes 12. Matteo Ceccarini’s opening speech

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FRANCE’S AWESOME BASTILLE DAY CELEBRATION 1. The host, French Ambassador Thierry Dana, and hostess Florence Godfernaux 2. Lithuanian Ambassador Violeta Gaizauskaite, her husband Vitas Juozas, Israel Ambassador Ruth Kahanoff, US Deputy Chief of Mission Jason P. Hyland 3. Angolan Ambassador João Vahekeni, Takako and Hisanaga Shimazu, Holy See Archbishop Joseph Chennoth 4. Cuban Ambassador Marcos Rodriguez Costa, his wife Rosa 5. Reiko Szerdahelyi, her London-based daughter Mayuko 6. Just some of the delicacies on offer 7. Philippe Sauzedde, Herve Couraye

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TOLMAN BIRTHDAY AT CONRAD HOTEL

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8. The birthday guy Norman Tolman, with his daughter Allison 9. The Tolman Team: Shin, Daisuke, Kiyo, Eiji and Nori

ON SHIGA’S BEAUTIFUL PRIMAVERA YACHT

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10. Anna Shiga, her three-yearold Anastasia, her friend Oksana and her daughter 11. Urawa Reds soccer player Tadanari Lee, Urawa manager Mizukami-san, Shiga’s son Christophe, Urawa player Yuki Abe 12. Bill and Ceremony’s Executive Secretary Hiroko Ijichi

The rain held off until the party was almost over, and then it started pouring down. Thanks to Dale Toriumi, manager at National Azabu Supermarket, I could leave my car at the store, which is near the embassy.

Even so, it was raining too hard to walk there, and it was impossible to catch a taxi. I was lucky, because Israeli Ambassador Ruth Kahanoff was waiting for her car and kindly offered me a ride. Not only did she take me there, she went into the store so I could introduce her to Dale.

I was really happy to get the ride, but I really enjoyed getting to know Ambassador Kahanoff. She’s a very capable diplomat, and an interesting lady.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, NORMAN Still putting on the ritz, but this time high in the sky, while noted art dealer Norman Tolman’s daughter, Allison, was visiting here from the Big Apple. Tolman’s super staff hosted a special birthday party in his honor at the luxurious Royal Suite on the 37th floor of the beautiful Conrad Hotel. The spacious suite was wall-to-wall with an extremely interesting bunch of Norman’s friends. After the 60-some guests sang “Happy Birthday” and cut the cake, the Tolman Gallery staff presented Norman with a big digital picture mosaic that Shin, one of the members of his staff, had made for him. It’s a real work of art. I might add that both Norman and his daughter looked super cool in black and silver Issey Miyake creations. Happy birthday, my friend – and many more to come.

JUNKO’S SUMMER YUKATA PARTY The dynamic, never-slows-down fashion designer Junko Koshino has been even busier than usual. I was sorry I couldn’t get to see one of my favorite groups – Drum Tao – at Bunkamura. Their shows are always the best – they’re colorful, full of energy and amazing drumming, and show off plenty of great costumes by Junko. I was also out of town for her Cuban night party and had to miss her birthday party as well. Junko’s taken her fun fashion shows to Cuba three times and really loves the island country and the Cuban people. I knew her show and party here would really be special. In addition to the beautiful models and Cubaninspired fashion, there was a Cuban band that had everyone up dancing, and a bountiful buffet of Cuban cuisine. Friends who were there had nothing but raves for what they called a great evening in every way.

I felt the same way about her yukata party at her big chic boutique on Kotodori Street. Most of the classy crowd were wearing Junko’s original kimonos or yukatas. Her new line is a bit pricy, but when you have a Junko creation, you have the best. Guests really got a nice surprise when they were asked to go up to the second floor where Junko’s son Yoriyuki was DJing. Two floor-to-ceiling poles had been set up and famous pole dancer Ryota and four of his gorgeous girls put on one very impressive pole dancing show. It’s amazing what people can do if they really work at it.

THE MERICS’ ART EXHIBIT & CONCERT I’m really sorry that I had to miss Turkish Ambassador and

Mrs. Meric’s many cultural events. These included the opening of the exhibition of 16th century genius Matrakci Nasuh, a conference, and a concert of Turkish classical music. Several years ago, I spent eight days in exotic Istanbul as an ambassador’s guest. I loved the city, loved the people, and really appreciate having friends like Ambassador and Bulent Meric and his wife Kumiko.

ENTERTAINMENT ART EXHIBITION 2016

I had another great day on the water when I joined a large group of artists that included high-ranking government people, business leaders, top photographers, fashion designers, models, and showbiz celebrities. These included several actors, actresses, and musicians I hadn’t seen for a long time.

The opening ceremony took place in an auditorium at the Hinode Marina. There were several speeches and an introduction of some of the many VIPs there. As the exhibition was one of the many events to celebrate 150 years of friendly relations between Italy and Japan, one of the principal speakers was Matteo Ceccarini, a very talented Italian artist friend of mine. His painting of 104-year-old doctor Shigeaki Hinohara looks like it could walk right off the canvas.

After the ceremony, we all boarded the huge white cruiser “Symphony,” mixed with the crowd, and checked out the fantastic exhibition artistically displayed throughout the ship. Proceeds for the charity project went to victims of several natural disasters. Kudos to the over 100 people, including Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, his mother Yoko, former prime ministers Taro Aso and Yasuo Fukuda, Kyoko Kano of the Kano sisters, Dewi, about a dozen child actors, and even a painting by the late and great Japanese singer Hibari Misora.

PEOPLE AROUND TOWN It was nice having old friend Thomas Ireton back in town. I joined him for lunch with his father, Bill, and one of our city’s best-known DJs, Guy Perryman, at the Roppongi Hills Club. I watched Thomas and his siblings grow up, so it’s great to see they’re all doing so well. He graduated from his university in L.A. with honors, and has become a talented DJ in his spare time.

Koichi and Daniele Yoshikoshi should be back from their annual long summer holidays. They have a beautiful home in France, where they stay when they’re not visiting friends in many European countries.

As most of you probably know, Daniele is now president of the prestigious International Ladies Benevolent Society (ILBS) charity organization and I’m sure she’ll be super busy working on their many worthwhile projects.

Thanks to showbiz personality Raymond Johnson, I met Indonesian film star Raline Shah when she was here for several days on a fashion shoot and to do some shopping. Raline is very popular in Indonesia, and was cast as a young Dewi Sukarno in a film about the late President Sukarno’s Japanese wife. Unfortunately, there were some script problems so the film was put on hold. Raline is a great girl – fun, outgoing and full of energy. I’m sure you’ll be hearing a lot about her in the near future.

[ SPONSOR ED C ONTENT ]

Olivia Dong and Joel Sng from food delivery service Honestbee at National Azabu

Showbiz personality Raymond Johnson with Indonesian actress Raline Shah shooting on location in Omotesando

Takumi Watanabe and his wife Kiyo at their coffee shop Nem, in Hiroo

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R EASO NS TO LO V E T H E

Akita Inu

From the country’s earliest recorded history to a best beloved tale of animal loyalty, these are a few of the things we cherish about this Japanese dog breed 1. A DOG FAMOUS FOR ALL TIME Even before you set foot in Japan, you probably knew the story of Hachiko. The dog, an Akita that was born in the city of Odate in Akita Prefecture, belonged to Professor Hisaburo Ueno, who taught at Tokyo University. For a year and a half, Hachiko would walk to Shibuya Station, see him off to work, and like clockwork would be waiting for him when he returned. Sadly, the professor died one day at work in 1925. Of course, Hachiko (so named because he was the eighth in the litter) was there waiting at the station for his master. Hachiko returned to the station at the same time every day – for nine years, nine months, and 15 days – until he passed away on March 8, 1935.

2. CELEBRATED STATUES Hachiko’s remains were laid to rest next to Professor Ueno’s at Aoyama Cemetery. But before he died, he had already been honored for his loyalty:

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THE AKITA WAS CELEBRATED AS A GUARD AND HUNTING DOG, CAPABLE OF CHASING DOWN DEER, ELK, AND EVEN BEARS

a statue of the dog had been erected in 1934.

Reconstructed in 1948, Shibuya’s Hachiko is now a tourist destination as well as, quite fittingly, a meeting place. The dog has gone on to inspire another pair of statues: at the Akita Dog Museum in Odate (see far right), a statue in Hachiko’s likeness waits patiently, facing in the direction of the original Hachiko statue, more than 650 kilometers to the south. Finally, in March 2015, a statue was unveiled at the Department of Agriculture at the University of Tokyo, which depicts a meeting, perhaps in the afterlife, of Hachiko and his beloved master.

3. A TALE MADE FOR RETELLING A tale like Hachiko’s couldn’t help but inspire other works of art as well. The story of this beloved canine has made its way onto the pages of children’s books in the US, and has been brought to life on the silver screen in Japan, the US (in a film starring Richard Gere), and even India.

TRAVEL GUIDE: AKITA [ PROMOTION ]

4. A DEEP HISTORY Of course, Hachiko belongs to the entire country of Japan, but it must be remembered that the story, and the breed, begins in Akita. The dog that would become the Akita inu is related to an even older dog breed, known as the Matagi, and it was famed for its size and its hardiness. Some of Japan’s earliest recorded histories include references to dogs that look like the Akita, and pooches with a similar appearance can be found in picture scrolls that date back to the Heian and Kamakura eras. In later periods, the dog that we now recognize as the Akita was celebrated as a guard and hunting dog, capable of chasing down deer, elk, and even bears.

5. THE COMEBACK CANINE Despite the outpouring of love the people of Tokyo showed to Hachiko, the Akita breed was struggling to continue by the early 20th century. A pair of rabies outbreaks had decimated the population of purebred Akita dogs. By the end of World War II, there were as few as a dozen dogs that remained, according to some accounts. But thanks to the dedication of some Japanese breeders and enthusiasts who refused to let this proud line disappear into history, its numbers began to rise again, and now the Akita can be found around the globe, making appearances at dog shows around the world and becoming a part of families everywhere.

bearlike, and are topped with triangular ears.

A thick double coat would have helped keep the dog warm during the cold winter months.

The upcurled tail, which you can also see on the smaller Shiba inu, is both part of the breed standard and is undoubtedly a charming feature for its owners.

7. EVERY DOG HAS ITS DAY

6. A CANINE WITH HIGH STANDARDS Given its history as a hunting and guard dog, you would expect the Akita to be a large breed, and it is: male Akitas stand 24-26 inches (6066cm) at the shoulder and can weigh up to 120 pounds, while females stand 22-24 inches (5660cm) and can weigh as much as 110 pounds (50kg). They have thick heads that almost look

FROM TOP The statue of Hachiko and his owner at the University of Tokyo (top), the Akita Dog Museum in Odate (below)

While the famous Hachiko is honored every year with a special ceremony on April 8, the city of Yuzawa holds a yearly festival in the middle of February that includes an homage to the Akita inu. During the Akita Inu-kko, which has been celebrated for more than 400 years, the copious snowfall that hits the region is used to make miniature versions of Shinto shrines, and plenty of canine inhabitants. Many breeds of dogs can be found among the snowy pack, but the pure white Akita inu holds a special place of pride.

8. THE AKITA DOG MUSEUM Dog lovers who are making their way north should definitely visit the city of Odate, where they can visit the Akita Dog Museum, which was built to honor the storied breed that is associated with the region. Built in recognition of the 50th anniversary of the foundation of the Akita Dog Preservation Society, the museum is open from 9am to 4pm. Until November, visitors can see an Akita inu just to the right of the main museum building.

Admission to the museum is ¥100 for adults and ¥50 for children, and considering the sheer amount of information available about this noble animal, it is well worth the visit, for dog lovers or anyone whose heart was touched by the story of loyal Hachiko.

The Akita Dog Museum Sannomaru 13-1, Odate City, Akita Prefecture www.akitainu-hozonkai.com/index.html

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TRAVEL GUIDE: AKITA [ PROMOTION ]

Odate: WHERE CRAFT MEETS CUISINE

The city of Odate is not just known as the birthplace of Japan’s most celebrated dog. It is also a location where artisans have been transforming the area’s local cedar into fine pieces of craftwork for centuries, and where one of the prefecture’s regional culinary specialities has been elevated to the highest art

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FINE-GRAINED QUALITY Walk through forests around Odate and the raw material for the craft of magewappa (traditional wood turning) is all around. In this cold climate, the aromatic cedar grows slowly, developing dense rings that make for a rich, lustrous grain.

Odate developed a reputation for this craft as a result of hard times and of the clever thinking of a local lord. Following the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, the people of Odate were suffering from extreme poverty due to the effects of the great war. As the story goes, the feudal lord at the time knew that he needed to come up with a way to help his people. Seeing that the workers who cut down trees and shaped the wood made their bento boxes out of rough-hewn pieces of cedar, an idea came to mind.

He requested that his samurai take up the woodworking craft, but approach it with the skill that would be expected of a highly trained warrior. After gaining popularity around Akita, the crafts achieved a great reputation in neighboring provinces as well. Although the lord, whose name remains lost to history, asked his samurai to take up magewappa as a side job, the craft eventually became the primary livelihood of many of these samurai, and the skills required to create magewappa pieces were passed down from generation to generation.

In contrast to wood turning that is done with a lathe, magewappa pieces are made by soaking thin pieces of wood in hot water, and then bending them into oval or cylindrical shapes. To complement the light color of the cedar, dark pieces of cherry wood are used as accents, and the surfaces of some pieces are treated with a luxuriously dark red lacquer.

Although the craft was first restricted to bento boxes and o-hitsu (small tubs for serving rice), it is now used for everything from serving trays to elegant drinking vessels.

Although the development of plastics did have an effect on the artisans who specialize in magewappa, this woodworking tradition remains a favorite of those who recognize the unique qualities of Akita cedar – from its distinctive aroma to its characteristic straight grain – and the centuries of tradition that go into making these pieces. In 1980, magewappa was recognized as an Official Craftwork of Japan, and visitors to Odate are welcome to take part in magewappa workshops, as well as taking back a piece of this portable tradition with them, wherever their journeys take them.

WELCOME TO A CITY FAMOUS FOR HIGH-QUALITY HOMESTYLE CUISINE AND FINE-GRAINED, TIMEHONORED ARTISANAL TRADITION

SOUL FOOD FROM AKITA

FROM TOP TO BOTTOM An assortment of magewappa pieces, and a traditional magewappa bento box

One of the best known dishes in Akita is kiritampo nabe. In principle, it’s a simple meal, but as with all fine food, the ingredients are of greatest importance. The main ingredient in kiritampo nabe are the cylindrical dumplings made from sticky rice called kiritampo. Given that Akita Prefecture is celebrated for its rice, it’s no wonder that this fundamental part of the dish is as good as it is, and Odate is said to be where this particular dish got its start. Along with this basic ingredient, fresh ingredients from the region are added – burdock, onion, and other regional vegetables. Another star of the dish is the meat of the famed Hinai-jidori chickens, free-range birds that are raised on the fresh grasses and produce of the central highlands of Akita.

Like the tradition of the magewappa, the history of kiritampo goes back many centuries. Some believe that it was the food that people – particularly hunting parties – would cook while on the move. The ingredients would be simmered in a cast iron pot over an open fire, making for hearty food that would keep people satisfied for the long day’s hunt that would follow the next day. Since those times, kiritampo nabe has become the epitome of home cooking in Akita, with each family preparing it in a slightly different way. Now, you can also find many restaurants around Akita, particularly in Odate, that serve this traditional meal, with each particular restaurant preparing the meal with a unique touch – based on tradition, but flavored with individuality.

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TRAVEL GUIDE: AKITA [ PROMOTION ]

The Comforts of the Cold Although it’s hard to even imagine snow at this time of year, in just a few short months, Akita Prefecture will soon be covered with it. The region – particularly the city of Yokote in the southeast part of the prefecture – regularly experiences some of the coldest and snowiest winters in all of Japan. Nonetheless, just as many communities around the country put on some of their most vibrant festivals during the hottest weeks of summer, the people of Yokote City – where 20 to 30 centimeters of snow can fall in a single night – embrace the cold and the snow during a centuries-old tradition called the Yokote Kamakura Festival.

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Walk through the streets of Yokote in the middle of February and you’ll see them: small, round huts made of snow that look almost like igloos, grouped along the streets of the central neighborhoods and making their way to the foot of Yokote Castle. They’re known as Kamakura, and the people of the city have been building them for almost 450 years.

The huts stand nearly three meters high and four meters wide.

In previous generations, they would have been illuminated by the flickering light of candles. Given the frigid temperatures outside, you shouldn’t expect the Kamakura to be particularly cozy, but the greeting you receive should certainly warm you up. During the Kamakura Festival, which takes place from February 15 to 16, guests to the Kamakura are served mochi (rice cakes) and amazake (a sweet drink made from fermented rice). As you walk by the huts, the people inside beckon would-be guests – locals of all ages and foreigners – with

YOKOTE YAKISOBA It was developed soon after the end of World War II in the city of Yokote, as an afternoon snack for kids and made with wheat flour noodles that are thick and straight, rather than the crinkly noodles that you find in most yakisoba. They are fried noodles, seasoned with a sweetened Worcesterstyle sauce, and topped with a fried egg, served sunny side up, and a relish of soypickled vegetables known as fukujinzuke. As it’s a local specialty, each restaurant in Yokote puts its own unique touch on the dish, from the recipe of the sauce to the extra ingredients each chef might add.

hearty greeting in Akita-ben, the local dialect.

As you look around the inside of the Kamakura, your eyes will eventually fall upon one of the hut’s most important guests.

According to local Yokote tradition, Kamakura aren’t just shelters for people, they are temporary homes for kami, or local spirits. In all of the Kamakura, you will find a shrine carved out of snow. Typically, it is a shrine for a Shinto water god, and the festival has its origins as a means for praying for a good harvest, and also for the success and safety of the local communities – including protection from fire.

Knowing about the spiritual history of the celebration isn’t necessary, of course; the most important thing is to enjoy the warm hospitality during the coldest time of the year.

Even if you’re not able to make it to Yokote during the time of the Kamakura Festival, you can experience the atmosphere inside the huts even during the middle of summer. Next to Yokote City Hall, they maintain a few of the igloo-like structures at a temperature of -15ºC, so you can feel the cool comfort of an authentic Kamakura year-round.

THE GREETING YOU RECEIVE SHOULD CERTAINLY WARM YOU UP

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www.akitafan.com/en/