The tragic events that took place in Spring 2011 encourag ed many Japanese to ask themselves if, over the last few decades, they had forgotten what is important in life while they were obsessed with the race for economic growth Were human relations sacrificed on the altar of material wealth? Although it is hard to answer that question, for the past two years, it has felt necessary to bring relationships with others into the foreground. The growing success of ‘share houses’ where new relationships can develop is proof of this and ZO OM Japan has investigated the phenomenon We also wanted to share our esteem for the work of Asian Kung-fu Generation who gave us an exclusive inter view before their performance in London on the 31st of May
THE EDITORIAL TEAM info@zoomjapan info
362.4
I N THE EYE OF Eric Rechsteiner
Tokyo on the beach
Only a few tourists know this place Jonanjima
centre
NUCLEAR MOX yesterday, MOX today, MOX tomorrow
LITERATURE Murakami Haruki beats all records
Published on the 12th of April, Shikisai wo motanai Tazaki Tsukuru to, kare no junrei no toshi [Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage] had been long awaited by the fans of 1Q84’s author. In less than a week, publisher Bungei Shunju, who had planned an initial print run of 500,000 copies, decided to double the number in response to readers’ advance orders. is the total in billions of yen for Japan's trade deficit as of March. It’s a record amount that can be explained largely by increasing energy bills related to the depreciation of the yen. Imports have grown by 5.5% while exports by only 1.1%.
On the 17th of April, a cargo containing 10 tons of combustible mixed oxides (MOX), made up of between 650 and 800 kilos of plutonium, left Cherbourg harbour in the direction of Japan. The departure was challenged as Tokyo still hasn’t stabilised the situation at the Fukushima Dai ichi nuclear power station. This will be the fifth shipment of MOX since 1999.
park is situated very near Haneda airport, so it’s practically in the
of Tokyo That’s probably why those who visit it feel they’ve grown wings
SOCIETY On the path to extinction?
Japan's latest demographic statistics aren’t ver y encouraging. The authorities need to rack their brains to find possible solutions to this challenge.
It has been a well-known fact for the past few years that the Japanese population is ag ing . Currently, the number of people over 65 years of ag e continues to g row. It has now exce e de d 23% of the tota l population and this trend will increase over the next few years It isn’t surprising that the number of workers ag ed 60 years or more reached a record le vel of 11 92 million in 2012 The average number of older employees la st year increa se d by 170,000 c o mp a re d t o 2 0 1 1 a n d th e y now represent 19% of the working population The rise in the number of pe ople who choose to continue working af ter retirem ent a g e i l l u s tr at e s th e decrease in retirement pensions. This trend can be explained by the 2006 law that forces companies to continue employing those who wish to work until they are 65 Among Japanese ag ed between 60 and 64, 57 7% continued working in 2012 This data is interesting when compared to the situation for Europeans of the same age. Indeed, unemployment mainly affe cts this ver y same a g e bracket in Europ e during these times of crisis If people over 60 years of ag e are keeping their jobs in Japan it is because the workforce is decreasing and will continue to do so over the years On the 27th of March, the g overnment pub l ishe d demographic projections for 2040 By that date, the
Japanese population will reach 107,276,000, with a drop of 20 million compared to 2010. The countr y ha s exp erience d a natura l de cl ine of its p opu lation since 2007, as the number of deaths has consistently b e en g re ater than that o f b ir ths In 2 0 1 1 th e f er tility rate – the average number of children per woman – was 1.39, whereas a 2.07 fertilit y rate is needed to ensure the same level of population renewal Despite the government ’ s measures to encourage births, it will be ver y hard to improve the situation In 2010 there was no prefe cture in which the percenta g e of a g ing people over 65 years of age exceeded 30% of the total p op u lati on b ut in 2 0 4 0 a l l
pre f e c ture s wi l l re a c h that l e ve l Th e o l d e st pre f e c ture will be Akita with 43 8% of its p op u lati on o ver 6 5 y e ar s o f age, whereas the youngest will be Okinawa (30.3%).
Th is trend wil l have serious c ons e qu en c e s f or th e c o untr y. Fi r s tl y, th e a c c e l er at e d a g ing wil l increa se the ne e d f o r sp e c i a l l y a d ap t e d s o c i a l and medical ser vices The decrease of the population also means a drop in tax revenue The authorities will ne e d to find the means to overcome this imbalance between revenue and expenses It will also be all the more important to improve women ’ s rig hts at work, while offering the support and means for them to produce more children
It is a c omp l icate d situation re qu iring so lutions to be found rapidly, failing which the Japanese population mig ht well face extinction.
GABRIEL BERNARD
An aging population that needs to stay fit
FOCUS
INVESTIGATION We are learning how to live together all over again
House sharing is currently developing as a significant societal trend, especially since the disasters of March 11th 2011.
Household models and lifestyles in Japan have rema ine d prett y stab le throug h the years In particular, most young people usually live with their families well into their 20s and 30s, or move into tiny one- or two-room apartments when they find a job or go to university One thing that the Japanese have avoided for many years though, is house sharing While in the West it is quite common for a group of friends – or even unrelated people – to share a place (se e the American sitcom “Friends” or Ce dric Klapisch’s 2002 film “L’auberge espagnole”), many Japa-
nese traditionally feel uncomfortable about sharing a living space – and the related chores and responsibilities – with people they don’t know.
At lea st th is wa s tr ue until a ne w trend emerg ed a few years ag o that has made house sharing the new hot phenomenon in the lo ca l housing market. So -called share houses (also known as socia l flats) are now so popular that the y have be en the subje ct of a 2011 film and a re cently aire d T V drama , “Share House no Koibito” (Share House Lovers) Indeed, according to an industr y survey, the number of share houses in Japan has increase d 26 times in the la st eig ht years, most of them concentrated in Tokyo and other large urban areas. A typical share house is a two - or three-storey house
where several, usually unrelated, people live together
These kind of specialized agencies are multiplying.
They all have a private room and share the other spaces (kitchen, living room and bathroom). The house sizes range from small 4-5 room places with a total area of 60-100 square metres, all the way up to big build ing s wh ich can ac c ommo date more than 100 people.
Actually, this system is not completely new in Japan ; for many years there have been so -called g uesthouses which work more or less according to the same rules
The problem with guesthouses is that they have acquire d a s o m e what b a d – a l th o ug h o f ten d e s er ve d –reputation for being of poor quality, if not downright dir t y. Be cause of their cheapness, the y a lso tend to attract a hig h percentag e of first-time visitors from
abroad who end up scaring off the loca ls. The new improved versions still welcome foreigners but have been designed to meet the needs of the Japanese, who in general are more demanding and difficult to please. The key to a trouble-free share house is creating the right environment, which includes choosing the right people That’s why all prospective tenants are usually screened with an inter view Only people who can be trusted with the basic rules of cohabitation (e.g . not to leave their rubbish lying around or their unwashed dishes in the sink) are allowed to join.
There are a number of common reasons why people choose to live in a share house
Even though their popularity is partly due to an image of being affordable, share houses popularit y is their affordabilit y, they are not actually particularly cheap. Even in Tokyo, it’s not difficult to find a regular apartment for the same price and if you can afford to pay 70,000-80,000 yen a month, you can probably g et a nice flat with a larg er be droom The real e conomic advantage is to be found in a near total lack of movingin costs First of all, a new tenant does not have to pay all the usual fees (deposit, “key money ” , estate agent ’ s fee) that one is expected to pay in advance when renting a flat Also, share houses are fully furnished, so one does not have to buy all the appliances (fridge, washing machine etc ) that are usually missing in a standard single occupancy property flat
While most guesthouses are rather shabby and basic places, the estate ag ents who mana g e share houses make a point of modif ying and re de corating them in order to attract the design conscious 20and 30-somethings who are their typical tenants Some places are also created in order to attract people with special interests. Moto Azabu Farm Residence for instance, comes with a vegetable garden that the tenants run together What makes it particularly striking is that this 17-room house can be found in Moto Azabu, one of Tokyo’s central districts and one of the
The agencies select the candidates to insure that they will be able to adapt to life in community The common areas are the responsibility of all the residents
Without doubt the most economic way to live in big urban areas.
metropolis’ premier residential areas Another noteworthy place is Bauhaus Minami Senju This former dormitory residence is a wooden house built in the traditional Japanese st yle. Inside it is de corate d with antique objects and displays the kind of East/West blend that was typical of many houses in the early 20th century House sharing is proving to be the perfect accommodation for women Indeed, 70% of share house tenants are females According to Sanno Kog yo ’ s Mogi Shinnosuke, many men have a strong er sense of territor y and, as a consequence, tend to value their privacy more
P RACTICAL INFORMATION
For a foreigner who wants to live in Japan, the easiest and cheapest way to settle down is renting a room in a guesthouse or a share house This type of accommodation is ideal for people who plan short stays (e g business trips) and don’t want to stay in a hotel, but even for long-term residents (e g study abroad students) it is an excellent way to experience Japan differently. Both guesthouses and share houses offer a number of advantages. First of all, the agencies that manage them are not only more open to foreign tenants but actively seek them out Some of them even have English language pages on their website, so loo-
Many women, on the other hand, are afraid of living alone and find share houses safer Particularly after the disasters of 2011, an increasing number of people have come to appre ciate the ava ilabilit y of a handy support network outside their family and workplace. Other agencies focus on different peer groups Gaku Share, for example, specializes in houses for college students ( gaku is short for gakusei – student – and daigaku – university) Especially for young people who leave their hometown and move to Tokyo, a share house often represents the easiest way to make new friends, and their parents appreciate the fact that their children are not living alone in the big cit y
GIANNI SIMONE
Instructions for house sharing
king for a suitable place and checking the relevant information is very easy. The paperwork is quite simple and straightforward and you only need to show your passport, ID and visa When signing the contract, you are supposed to pay a deposit and insurance fee but these are quite cheap Before signing be sure to ask about all the costs involved, because apart from the rent, you are usually asked to pay a monthly fee covering utilities, Internet access and cleaning, etc Another good thing about this kind of accommodation is that the agencies don’t ask for a guarantor (i e someone who can guarantee you and back you financially in
case you find yourself unable to pay the rent or cause a problem) as they do when renting out a flat
The main difference between guesthouses and share houses is that the former have a higher percentage of foreign tenants They are also nicknamed “gaijin houses” (gaijin is Japanese for foreigner), as the foreigner/Japanese ratio is about 7/3 (in share houses, it is around 2/8) So if you don’t speak Japanese, you may find yourself more at ease living in one of these places Share houses, on the other hand, offer a better opportunity to make friends with the locals In general, they are even
cleaner and more attractive, as the companies that manage them take more care with the interior design and other details
The best way to look for a room in either place is to check the Internet by typing “share house” (or, even better, シェアハ ウス in Japanese) into your search engine
You will find pictures of each house, details about availability and fees, comments from the manager and the tenants, etc When you find a place you like, you only have to fill out an online form in order to make an appointment and check out the house in person Be sure to meet the tenants and check the condition of the facilities G.S.
STORY Welcome to our place
For some people, it ’ s hard to imagine living any other way that in a shared house.
Cocoya Shibuya Usuki is a fema le- only, t wostore y, f o ur-b e d ro om s hare h o us e n o t f ar f r o m S h i b u y a S t a t i o n
n To k y o . E l e v e n women – two of them from South Korea – currently live here One of them wa s kind enoug h to ta lk to Z oom Japan about her experiences with house sharing Her na m e i s O g awa Jun ko a n d s h e wo rk s a s an accountant at a trading company in Tokyo.
Ho w l o n g h a v e y o u l i v e d a t C o c o y a S h i b u y a Usuki ?
OgaWa Junko : I moved in when it opened last September. Before this I used to live in a different share house just 200 meters from here Actually, my house-
sharing histor y goes back several years to when I was a universit y student.
sharing ?
O. J. : As a student I lived in Australia for a year and noticed that nobody lived alone. All the local students lived together in rented flats, so I did the same After that I joined an NG O and again found myself living with other people. Eventually I got so used to sharing my living space with other housemates that now I find it difficult to live alone. It’s great when I come home and there is someone to chat with We also have parties, go out together and sometimes we even organize weekend trips outside Tokyo. Another thing is that I can live in central Tokyo cheaply This particular house is within walking distance of the trendy districts of Daikanyama and Ebisu, so it’s perfect when I want to go
shopping or have fun Last but not least, if you happen to have a foreigner as a housemate, you have a wonderful opportunit y to learn about their culture or even learn a new lang uag e In the past I lived with several people from English-speaking countries and my conversation skills have improved enormously because I had a chance to practise ever y day.
I ’ ve noticed there are only t wo toilets and one bathroom for 11 people. Isn’t it a little inconvenient, especially considering that women take a long time getting ready in the morning ?
O J : Not really The youngest tenant is a 19-year-old student and the oldest is 33 We all do different things and have different habits and schedules so it never really gets crowded The one exception is on Saturday nights when we have a party at home and go to bed at about the same time, but even that is not a big problem
Ogawa Junko enjoys being able to share with her housemates
Is this share house similar to the one where you used to live ?
O J : The other one was actually bigger In particular, there wa s a 35-square-metre-wide l iving ro om Besides that it was open to both men and women while this one is female-only
I guess when men and women live together romantic relationships can easily develop, like in the recently aired T V drama “Share House Lovers”
O. J. : Well, it depends Even before moving into a share house I experienced communal living with both men and women but usually our relationship remaine d on a friendship le vel I actually had a romantic episode only once, with a foreign g uy living with me
The problem is that if you break up it’s hard to keep living under the same roof. Perhaps that’s why love
st
In
house is always well equipped
She wouldn’t give up this home for anything in
embarrassed or not like the situation
T ha t s a i d , I
in a share house The y fell in love with each other, got married and are still living in the same place But m
about sharing a place with other pe ople is that you b e come like a big family and those ties can la st for years, e ven when some one moves to another place or e ven another countr y.
INTERVIEW BY G S
Cocoya Shibuya Usuki is ideally situated between Daikanyama and Ebisu
The kitchen is one of the rooms shared by all 11 tenants in this house
The
FOCUS
INTERVIEW A very special agency
Moriyama Tetsuro experienced house sharing as a student. He decided to make a living from it and has had great success.
Tell me the stor y of Tokyo Share House.
M O r Iya M a Tetsuro : Af ter g raduating from h ig h school I went to Australia to study English. At the time I realized that I could learn more by talking to my host family and room-mates than attending classes Besides, it was the perfect environment to make new friends and learn ab out their c ountries I ende d up l iving abroad for about eig ht years and ever ywhere I went I lived in guesthouses or share houses, always enjoying that kind of communal living But when I finally came back to Japan I saw that the situation here was completely different and cohabitation wasn ’ t popular at a l l . Most p e op le d isl ike d the lack of privac y and thought that share houses were dirty In other words, the overall image was pretty bad So I decided to promote them myself and change people’s attitude toward communal living That’s why we are ver y caref ul to include only those places that in our opinion are up to a certain standard
When was Tokyo Share House born?
M. T. : The website went online about two years ago, in the summer of 2011. Rig ht now it’s me and four other people, two of them full time staffers We introduce places belonging to different owners and act as a kind of g o -bet we en Rig ht now we have about 400 houses on our website, ranging from four-room small houses to a 180-room building that used to be company dormitories but has been renovated and refurbished to meet new needs
Who is your typical tenant ?
M. T. : Most of them are between the ag e of 20 and 35 20% of them are foreigners As for the male/female ratio, 70% of them are women Perhaps understandably, many of them prefer to share the place with other women, so many of our houses are female-only
How long is the average length of stay ?
M. T. : Of course there are different patterns, so it’s a little difficult to generalize One thing I ’ ve noticed is that wh ile many p e op le star t with shor t-term c ontracts (1-3 months), the y of ten end up staying up to one or two years Another recent pattern is represented by people who live in one place for a certain time and then move to a different share house As most places only charge a modest deposit – which is returne d when the tenant leaves, m inus clean ing fe es –moving between share houses is much easier and cheaper than renting a flat, especially when all the places belong to the same owner or agency
To attract new house-sharing candidates, agencies run tours of the houses to give a concrete idea of what they are like
In your opinion , why have share houses re centl y become so popular in Japan?
M T : Probably the main sing le reason is that they are a ver y affordable kind of accommodation When you rent a flat in Japan you often have to pay a great deal in advance Depending on the place this could be the e qu iva lent of up to 6 months wor th of rent in advance, split across reikin (“ke y mone y ”), shikikin (deposit) and the estate agent ’ s fees Not only is this a lot of money but when you move out of the flat you on ly g et back par t of the dep osit These e conom ic issues have become more and more important in the last 15-20 years due to the recession
The real change though, has occurred in people’s attitude toward society and human relationships. In particular, people in their 20s and 30s have grown more curious and want to explore different environments and lifestyles The fact is, meeting people who don’t belong to the same university or company is rather difficult in Japan, as these environments are often closed to outsiders But in a share house you can easily make friends with people from different walks of life That’s what makes them so attractive
A recent marketing trend consists in org anizing bus tours for university students. We introduce them to a number of houses, so they can see exactly what kind of environment the y are and what the atmosphere in them is like, etc
I understand some companies also organize events, parties etc. Do you do the same ?
M T : We don’t org anize these events as an ag enc y but the owners and companies who manage the houses do and we post this information on our website, so people can log in and click to join them Some events are open to outsiders while others may have some restrictions, l ike b eing fema le - on ly Also, many Jap anese don’t speak Eng lish well, so sometimes we only advertise an event on the Japanese language page. This do es not mean foreig ners are not welcome It on ly means that the y should b e able to communicate in Japanese
For a foreigner moving to Japan, what are the pros of living in a share house in your opinion?
M. T. : They are the same advantages I enjoyed when I use d to live abroad myself, namely easier communication with the locals The Japanese are especially shy when me eting a strang er, so having the chance to get to know each other over a period of time is probably the best way to make friends here And you don’t e ven have to b e a long -term resident to enj oy th is opportunity, because many share houses are open to ever ybody – even travellers who only want to stay for one week
INTERVIEW BY G S
CULTURE
BOOK
Ogawa unveils herself
“Revenge” is a book containing eleven novellas that form a composite portrait of a group of people who live in the same area. Ogawa’s style is very mundane and the reality she describes is brutal, often bloody and always sad, but the narrator weaves the thread of the narrative through common news items. Reality, as Ogawa describes it in her work, is not only the image we perceive; it has the disturbing profoundness that is sometimes unveiled when you open a door, if you look mouth or if you try to tear out the heart of a dancer.
This book is an excellent roduction to Ogawa's olific work for those who n’t know it already, or a y of reconnecting with r work for those who ve drifted away from it. hen you finally reach the t page, you will doubtedly feel the need go back and read from e beginning again, to try d untie the complex reads king the different ents.
enge
Yoko Ogawa, trans. Stephen Snyder, Har vill Secker, £10
99
EXHIBITION The Art of Japanese books
Japan's Tenri Central Library holds an extraordinary collection of rare books, including manuscripts and documents and you will be able to discover some of these beautiful books for the first time at the Brunei Gallery. "Visitors can experience the one thousand year long history of Japanese classical texts with their bookbinding style, format, paper quality, illustration and calligraphy so that Japanese book culture can be appreciated in all its beauty," say the organisers. Many workshops are being organized to run concurrently, in order to highlight the quality of the artwork. The exhibition will have a programme of public
events and demonstrations to introduce and explain some of the key themes in the exhibition to new audiences. Runs until the 22nd of June Tuesday-Saturday, 10 30 am – 5 00 pm (Thursday until 8 00 pm) 10 Thornhaugh Street, Russell Square, London WC1H 0XG - Tel. 020 7898 4046
T HIS MONTH’S EVENT
EXHIBITION Japanese art as never before
“We are delighted to be staging the first substantial exhibition of Japanese Outsider Art in the UK These diverse bodies of work offer unique visions of the world, richly expressed, which we hope will move, surprise and inspire visitors” With these words Shamita Sharmarcharja, Curator at the Wellcome Collection, presents Souzou, an astonishing and unique exhibition taking place there until the 30th of June The 46 artists represented in the show are residents and attendees of social welfare institutions across Japan and they present diverse bodies of work including ceramics, textiles, paintings, sculpture and drawings. Souzou is spelt two ways in Japanese and has two meanings: the first means imagination, the second means creation These two approaches perfectly sum up this exhibition that allows one to understand both the process of realisation and the unfolding of the ideas behind works of art The exhibition reflects the growing popularity of and acclaim for Outsider Art while questioning assumptions about the category itself Eschewing a purely biographical approach, the show is object-led, with a startling array of works offering remarkable and moving explorations of culture, memory and creativity. You may be surprised by the form some of the artworks take, though you can’t help but be impressed by the artists’ extraordinary capacity to build unique and captivating worlds You must just let yourself be transported away by this collection, which is divided into six sections You will discover the eerie pastel still lifes of Takashi Shuji, the abstract assemblages of Takanari Nitta, demonstrating an ethereal, otherworldly quality but inspired by everyday objects, as well as Satoshi Nishikawa’s surreal sculptures of fruit, which are made entirely from dense clusters of small ceramic rabbits This is not to be missed!
ODAIRA NAMIHEI 183 Euston Road, London NW1 2BE.
MUSIC Ajikan, rock made in Japan
Before setting out on their first European tour, asian Kung-fu generation (ajikan) agreed to answer Zoom Japan’s questions in an exclusive inter view.
If you ’ ve never heard of Japanese rock, it’s about time you opened your ears! Asian Kung -fu Generation is travelling to Europe for their first tour there Ajikan, as their fans call them, g ained recognition when popular animated cartoons such as Naruto or Fullmetal Alchemist used some of their music However, the four band members are actually closer to Weezer and to the Beatles Their music doesn’t have much to do with J-pop “idol” bands It carries us much further into the musical heart of this little archipelago, with a prolific imagination that mixes all sorts of sounds resulting in something completely original. Ajikan formed in 1996, has released over 140 song s and is among st the most famous bands in Japan Their poetic album illustrations are reminiscent of Miyazaki Hayao’s female heroes or the grace of Yoko Tsuno Behind the pure rock aspect of Asian Kung -fu Generation is a concept of Asia that has reached out beyond the musical sphere since the disasters on the 11th of March 2011. After Fukushima’s nuclear catastrophe, vocalist and bandleader, Goto Masafumi, appointed himself editor-in-chief of a free newspaper, The Future Times, for which he also does most of the reporting While launching Landmark, their seventh album, in 2012, working alongside Sakamoto Ryuchi, Ajikan also organized the first anti-nuclear festival in Tokyo, called No Nukes. “Our g oal isn’t to be militant, but to encourag e young people to think about the essential questions,” says Goto Like their beautiful song Marching Band, Ajikan seems to be marching hand in hand with Japanese youth towards a better world, and you don’t need to understand Japanese to like that ! ALISSA DESCOTES-TOYOSAKI
This is your first European tour, what do you imagine the audiences will be like ?
gOTO Masafumi, vocalist : I don’t know, I hope people won ’ t come dressed up in cosplay costumes ! ( laug hs) Other wise we’ll also have to dress like that ! Most Japanese bands that are popular in Europe have ver y extravag ant looks and the men wear makeup They are “idols” But we ’ re ver y ordinar y K ITa Kensuke, guitar : Yes, and we ’ re ojisan, we ’ re old ! ( laug hs)
Can you tell us about how you started the band ?
g. M. : We met at Yokohama University, 17 years ago, and we never parted, so we ’ ve spent half our lives tog ether ! At first we played little concerts with practi-
cally no audience That lasted 4 years Then we left university and from then on decided to commit ourselves completely to music We played more concerts in Tokyo and then were invited to play in evening events In 2003 the Ki/ oon Records label contacted us to reissue our album Hookai Amplifier on an indie label So we signed, g ave up our jobs, because we were also working on the side, and we became freeters, part-time workers.
your indie period lasted from 1999 to 2003. Was it diff icult to f ind venues ?
g. M. : Yes, it wasn ’ t that easy, we weren ’ t sure how to proceed. We produced ever ything oursleves. I had a Mac and I would deal with our online promotion
From now on, all of the band’s shows will use solar energy.
CULTURE
K K : I didn’t know how to do any of that, so I irone d t-shir ts
g. M. : Ever y thing was expensive, the parking , the petrol We were a lways back at square one af ter our concer ts or just broke e ven af ter sa les !
S ome of your song s were used over the titles and credits of animated shows. are you fans of manga ?
g. M. : Frankly, we weren ’ t really that into them and it’s quite hard to start at our ag e. Our references are more likely to come from Miyazaki Hayao We wrote those song s first and the y were use d in car to ons after wards. It helped a lot to make us well-known. And I rea lly like the ninja character Nar uto Ninja s are unique ; the y ’ re the Japanese e quiva lent of James Bond !
The name asian Kung -f u gener ation a l ludes to asia . It ’ s quite an orig inal choice.
g. M. : Yes, a lthoug h we do listen to Western music as well, we consider ourselves Asian It’s also a way of saying that we can write g ood music in Asia too ; there’s no difference. But if we were to produce the same piece of music as an American group, the Americans would probably g et an audience, not us ! I listen to quite a fe w Korean bands a s well and traditi o na l mus i c s u c h a s In d o n e s i a n g a m e l a n But mixing Japanese melodies with rock produces a particular g enre We’ll be really happy if the Europeans like it !
The band’s imag e re volves around orig ina l il lustr ations by Na kamur a yusuke Have you known him for a long time ?
g. M. : He is par t of the Ajikan family. We kne w him when he wa s still ma king indie a lbums We’ve
INFORMATION
ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION will be playing at the O2 Academy in Islington, London on Friday the 31st of May, £18
b e en working tog ether for 10 years now We discovered him thanks to a postcard His Japanese graphics made me think that it would b e a g reat way to develop our ima g e abroad It turns out that my intuition wa s rig ht !
yo u f o un d e d th e Na n o Mug en Fe s ti v a l in 2 0 0 3 that wel c ome s as i a n a nd We s tern b a nd s , including Weezer who played in 2012.
g. M. : Yes. Orig ina lly I thoug ht it would b e f un to org anize an e vent with t wo sta g es At first it was in Shinjuku just in a live house, then it picked up with 12,000 people per day. But the idea stayed the same : intro ducing young bands on a sma ll sta g e with famous bands playing on the big g er one.
In March 2011 the Fukushima catastrophe engulf e d Jap a n a s wel l a s th e r e s t o f th e wor l d . W h at were you doing that day ?
g. M. : We were practising in Tokyo. The Ear th shook in an unimag inable way I didn’t think of the nuclear risk then, Japanese-made te chnolog y could not b e doubte d , and with what the me dia kept telling us, we all trusted it would be all right I went back to Shizuoka and when the explosions star te d I a sked the other members of the band to join me I was ver y upset Nobody could g et hold of G eig er counters and we had no idea of what wa s g oing on . K . K . : I stayed locked inside my home in Yokohama It was a ver y dang erous environment for the 13 million people living in the region But something stoppe d us from moving I think it wa s ver y hard to belie ve
In July 2011, goto became both an editor-in-chief and a journalist He launched the first issue of The Future Times. What did the other members of the band make of this ?
g. M. : The y had no problem with it We’re reasonable adults ! It’s normal to take action in times like these If we have no idea ab out what’s g oing on, it’s
shameful, especially after such an accident Imag ine my son a sking me, “Dad , what do you think of nuclear p ower ?” and not knowing what to reply. The artists that don’t express their opinion on this topic are business-oriented and don’t want to compromise their sponsors But we, Ajikan, don’t care about that We don’t exist for business Even thoug h we ma ke a living from it now, if we stop being paid, we’d still g o on with the music And we will g o on attacking nuclear power. Have you seen what is going on in Fukushima !
K . K . : Me to o, I went to an anti-nuclear demonstration in Tokyo for the first time. I met many musician friends there It was crazy yet reassuring This was when the Oi nuclear power station’s reactors were star te d up a g a in la st July
you also have a connection with Sakamoto ryuichi and together initiated Japan's first anti nuclear festival; the No Nukes festival. alongside this you now play on stages powered by solar energ y How do your audiences react to this ?
g. M. : It is still a s crowde d and a ll our fans a sk us for The Future Times, a lthoug h it isn’t ab out music. Org an iz ing festiva ls under the anti-nuclear banner do esn ’ t chang e our music On the contrar y, it increases our energ y And when we play with instr uments and lig hts p owere d by solar energ y, we ’ re forced to face the future Speaking of which, the technolog y developed by the Eco Live System Company, our partner in Nano Mugen, was chosen as “Best new pro duct in 2011” at the Internationa l L ive Desig n Fa ir in the Unite d States It’s ver y encoura g ing and many Japanese ar tists are intereste d in it In Japan, being green has nothing to do with being a hippie !
Do you have other projects ?
g. M. : Yes, we would like to translate The Future Times in Eng lish. Tsug e, the newspaper ’ s illustrator, wa s a lso a memb er of Ajikan in the ver y b eg inning
and he made a care er in desig n Of course, that’s no coincidence ! I ’ m g lad that our foreig n fans like the paper ’ s design althoug h they may not understand its contents
D o yo u p l a n to d o s ome s ig hts e eing in b e t we en your Europ ean concer ts ?
g. M. : Unfor tunately we wil l b e p erform ing ever y day except for the last one, in Germany If I find time, I would like to write an ar ticle ab out rene wable energ y for The Future Times. It’s a field in which the Germans are leaders As for France, I hope there
won ’ t be any strikes when we ’ re there ! Althoug h, as far a s that matter g o es the French do have a lot to teach the Japanese ( laug hs)
INTERVIEW BY A. D-T. With the collaboration of Kiefer Vudjan from www akfgfragments com
For their first European tour, the Yokohama based band will perform in London (31st of May), Paris (2nd of June) and Cologne (3rd of June)
EATING & DRINKING
RESTAURANT Har mony in Mayf air
Tucke d away among the bustle and boutiques of London's Mayfair on a side street lies a Japanese restaurant called Nag omi that is a haven f rom i t a l l ' Na g om i' in Jap an e s e m e ans ' harm ony ' and this really sets the tone of the restaurant. With is traditional zen interior and minimalist dé cor the am b i en c e i ts e lf re la xe s y o u Th e d im l i g hting an d
s o f t l y p l a y i n g Ja z z music help to build this effe ct.
The joy of Japanese food is that is not as
s tr u c t ur e d a s t h e
Eur o p e a n t hr e e
c o ur s e m e a l a n d
o r d e r i n g a num b e r
o f sma l l er d i s h e s i s common. Nag omi's
d e e p f r i e d Au b e r -
g i n e w i t h s w e e t
M i s o p a s t e ' Na s u Dengaku' is definitely recommended The auberg ine is first de ep frie d and then the spe cial Miso paste is a d d e d an d i t i s th en g ri l l e d wh i c h caram e l i z e s th e m i s o. Th e s we e t au b er g in e c ontra sts won d er f u l l y with the savour y miso
It is de ep -frie d and cr unchy and the flesh is lovely and rich
Nag omi have a well experience d Sushi chef and the 'Aburi salmon sushi' is amazing and beautif ully presente d. The sa lmon is seare d wh ich g ives it a wonderful two tone pinkness and really enhances the flav o ur T h e ‘A
dele ctable, being not t o o s a l t y o r o v e r p owering . One of the Nagomi's own creations is their 'Ramen noodle salad'. It is a bed of ramen noodles covered in a crisp green salad and s w e e t c h e r r y
Another h ig h l ig ht is their ‘S qu id Tempura’ Of ten with Tempura's the cr ust can b e to o overp owering and o ily and ta ke over the flavor of the squ id Th is one was lig ht and had a g olden crust that didn't g et sog g y when dippe d – or soake d in my case – in the ver y tast y soya , fish and kelp stock base sauce which a c c o mp a n i e s i t T i p , i t i s s er v e d w i th sma l l s tr i p s of white horseradish which combine amazingly when thrown in to the sauce to soak a little. Another specialties of Nagomi is their ‘Deep fried soft shell crab’
t o m a t o ' s w i t h Japanese mayonnaise –slig htly more tang y than our own variet ygenerously latticed over it It is a great summer dish being lig ht but filling also
t grey color of the sesame ice cream and the rich green tea lo o ke d ver y tempting when showere d in swe et e n e d g o l d e n
b inati on o f th e nuttiness of the sesame with the g re en tea and soy flour wa s exqu isite
T h e c l i e nt è l e a r e
m
S a v v y Ja p a n e s e b u s in e s s m e n a n d a w e l l h e e l e d f a s h i o n a b
y o un g e r s e t w h i c h g ives Nag omi an interesting and quirky vibe and the feeling that you could b e d in ing in a Jap a n e s e c i t y r ath er tha n in c entr a l L o n d o n . T h
v e a n d know a lot ab out the fo o d on offer The restaurant is on two floors and they both have there own atmospheres. The upstairs is more quiet and rela xing whereas the downstairs basement area has a lively bar area and ser ves a variet y of Jap anese c o ckta ils a s wel l a s a f l o or s i tting d in ing are a Th e ir f re s h G rap e f r u i t and g in cocktail has a lovely sweetness and followed by a nicely sharp after taste. Nag omi is a unique restaurant to come and enjoy excellent Japanese dishes in a rela xing setting in central London.
The family of popular Japanese dishes widely known as “donburi mono” consists of a bowl of white rice with var ous fillings piled on top There are many dif ferent types o donburi available in Japan, such as unagi-don which is to with cooked eel, maguro-don which features tuna sashim ten-don that contains tempura pieces
It was always customar y for the upper classes of Japan to eat their rice and other dishes from separate bowls but th new way of dining became widespread in the Edo period (1603 to 1869) among busy engineers and remains popu as a quick and easy meal to this day
The recipe featured in this month’s ZOOM JAPAN is oyako buri (also called oyako-don), one of the most popular of a many varieties of donburi and a favourite of the Japanese classes
“Oyako” literally means “parent and child” and the name recipe: chicken (the parent) and eggs (the child)
How to prepare:
Ingredients : 50g of chicken thighs 1 egg ¼ of an onion 1 whole spring onion 80ml of water 1 pack of “Chotto Donburi” donburi mix Steamed white rice
Ingredients can be purchased at the Japan Centre www japancentre com / 14-16 Regent Street, London SW1Y 4PH UK
slice the onion and place it into a pan along with the donburi mix and 80ml of water Put the pan on to boil 1
2 3 4
Arranged by Yuco Fujiwara
DISCOVERY The art of the Inland Sea
The second Setouchi Triennial takes place this year. It involves twelve islands and two ports.
To look at a Japanese landscape is, ofetn, to think of art. To look over the middle Inland Sea is, for me, to yhink of the rock garden at the Ryoan-ji in Kyoto - a rectangle of white sand from which rises a number of large stones - and to realize what this amazing piece of landscaping is about” Donald Richie, who died a few weeks ago, found the right words to describe this part of Japan in his book The Inland Sea
(Stone Bridge Press), published in 1971. To him, this quiet landscape with its multitude of little islands inspired art, and his voice seems to have been heard, because some of these places have literally been transformed into works of art The most famous is Naoshima Island that covers 82 km and was drawn out of anonymity when the Benesse group, which specializes in education, decided to contribute to its rebirth by setting up a museum there Since 1989 Naoshima has become a concept island where you can find the Lee Ufan museum, the Chichu museum designed by Ando Tadao and Benesse House, a hotel-museum also created by
Ando, in which the work of great contemporary artists is on display However, Naoshima isn’t just about museums, thoug h to find so many concentrated in such a small area is in itself quite incredible Many other curiosities can be found here, such as the Art Houses that display artists’ permanent installations, or the Shinto sanctuar y designed by Sug imoto Hiroshi You can visit all these places on foot from the Miyaura ferr y terminal, designed by architectural firm SANAA , rent a bike or take the shuttle that runs around the Island On arrival at Miyaura harbour, a g iant red pumpkin with black spots characteristic of Kusama Yayoi’s work
On arrival in Miyaura Harbour on Naoshima, a giant pumpkin by Kusama Yayoi greats the visitors
welcomes visitors. The artist “left” another one by Benesse House at the end of the pontoon, encourag ing you to extend your gaze out towards the open sea What is particularly notable on Naoshima is the desire to incorporate the artwork, as well as the buildings, into the landscape so that they all become one. The Chinchu museum designed by Ando Tadao illustrates this beautifully This “ museum in the heart of the earth” is a wonderful find in which the art exhibited benefits from the setting All these artistic achievements distinguish Naoshima from the other islands and concentrate
tourists’ attention but these others mustn ’ t be forgotten for they also have much of artistic interest Even more so with 2013 marking the second Setouchi Triennial, an international art festival by the Inland Sea. The phenomenal success of the first, in which over 940,000 people participated, encouraged the organizers to repeat the experience Twelve islands (out of the 727 in the Inland Sea) and two harbours (Uno and Takamatsu) are involved. Of course, Naoshima is at the heart of the event, but Inujima, Teshima, Megijima, Ogijima , Shodoshima , Oshima , Shamihima , Ibikujima ,
Honjima , Takamijima and Awashima are also involved Each of these islands offers animations, as well as permanent and temporar y exhibitions during the period of the Triennial that ends on the 4th of November The organizers have decided to divide the festival into three and specific events will be organized for each one The first season ended on the 21st of April, the second will run between the 1st of July and the the 1st of September, and the last will take place between the 5th of October and the 4th of November The idea is not only to use the islands as exhibition areas, but also
TRAVEL
to promote them by highlighting their own history. This is one of the great advantages of this ambitious project On Shodoshima for example, traditional celebrations will be the common theme and most of the projects will take place among rural communities Oshima will be focusing on the future and Inujima , a former centre of copper production, will give pride of place to sustainable development with artwork exhibited throug hout the Triennial. All the islands except for Shamijima, which is linked to Shikoku by bridge, are only accessible by boat from Honshu or Shikoku. In other words, you need to be organized It’s not complicated to get to Naoshima because there are 15 daily ferr y services between the island and Uno Port and 5 crossings from Takamatsu On the other hand, there are only 3 between Oshima and Takamatsu. As for accommodation, Naoshima has a wide range on offer The most expensive, and also the most orig inal, is Benesse House. With rooms available from 35,000 yen you can even stay in one of the wing s of the museum, which is accessible to hotel g uests in the evening . Many of the rooms have a sea view and are ver y comfortable, allowing you to relax in a unique setting while planning the rest of your visit to the islands. Taking into consi-
deration how expensive it is, Benesse House is an inaccessible dream for many Nevertheless, there are ver y affordable Bed and Breakfasts (minshuku) on Naoshima as well as the other islands and they have the advantage of letting the visitor soak up the local atmosphere The
most reasonably priced and practical accommodation plan is to stay in Takamatsu or Uno, the two harbours that are taking part in this year ’ s festival, and to coordinate you journeys to the various smaller islands from there. If you plan to visit two islands per day, except Naoshima and Shodoshima which both deser ve at least a day’s visit each, you can consider spending about a week in this part of Japan before going on to explore the rest of the archipelago It’s worth spending time in Taka-
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
TAKAMATSU from Tokyo: the easiest way is to fly. There are twelve daily flights (1h20) from Haneda airport. To go by train, you need to get the Shinkansen (3h40 from Tokyo, 1h50 from Nagoya, 1h from Shin Osaka) to Okayama and then get the Kaisoku Marine Line (trains every 30 minutes) to Takamatsu (1h).
Takamastu serves most of islands participating in the 2013 Setouchi Triennial.
UNO The train is your best bet You need to change in Okayama and take the Uno line (30 minutes) to its terminus
For more information : http://setouchi-artfest.jp/en
matsu on Shikoku even when the Setouchi Triennial is not on. Its Ritsurin Park, created in 1625 by Ikoma Takatoshi, is especially beautiful Among other sites worth seeing is the Kikugetsu-tei (Moon Pavilion) that was built in 1640. During the festival the harbour will welcome many projects by artists such as Araki Nobuyoshi. A tribute will also be paid to architect Tange Kenzo, as a reminder that one of the region’s characteristics is its mixing of art and architecture The port of Uno, situated on the Honshu side and where the train line from Okayama terminates, also has a part to play Besides a train decorated by Araki Nobuyoshi running several times a day, the port town is hosting work by David Sylvian This British musician, who is also an excellent photographer, has an exhibition called Abandon/Hope, which focuses on the idea of the importance of hope in our lives. “ To live without hope is to live in the present, ” he says In Uno, you’ll also find Chinu, a monumental sculpture of a bream made by Yodogawa – Technique, a duo of Japanese artists who specialize in recycling waste for art It is a show that’s not to be missed
ODAIRA NAMIHEI
The Chinu sculpture dominates the sea view at Uno Port
This bamboo dome is the pride of Shodoshima.
LANGUAGE A mouth to eat with, a mouth to talk with
Do you like Japanese food ? To appreciate it you also need to know how to talk about it… in Japanese.
Whether you like natto or not is not just a question of smell It’s also about consistenc y and texture, as is ever ything that concerns food in Japan. Natto, as Pipo finds out in one of those unforgetable moments, is gluey, sticky, string y and slimy… Strangely enough, even its supporters can ’ t describe the pleasure they get from eating this dish in any other way and its detractors use the very same words when lamenting of its evil qualities! Texture… Often neglected in French cuisine, it can be a source of multiple new culinary perspectives. Searching out new flavours is a good thing but it can get out of control, especially if chemistry is included in the mix Japanese cuisine allows a food’s texture to become a criteria for its quality alongside its taste Many Japanese are capable of appreciating a dish for its consistency alone, with the blandness of its flavour being of little concern Tasting udon for example, requires more than just a good palate
うどんは のどで食 � べる。
Udon wa nodo de taberu.
Udon is eaten with the throat
If this is true then it seems that the taste buds have some competition! The word "oishii" is used ubiquitously to describe how good something you have eaten is, but it covers a lot more than just the flavour We can then join all those Japanese who marvel at a mouthful of tofu, mochi or konnyaku, dishes whose consistency will make you forget all about their blandness So how can all these Japanese gastronomic textures be described? There are many adjectives: 柔 �� らかい (yawarakai / soft, tender) or 固 �� い
(katai / hard) for example Sometimes you can use a verb, alone and without conjugation: とける (tokeru / it melts in the mouth). Nevertheless, onomatopoeia can best express what the teeth, the tongue, and the palate feel こ の パ リ パ リ の せ ん べ い は お つ ま み に も ぴったりです。
Kono pari pari no senbei wa otsumami ni pittari desu
These crunchy rice crackers are perfect as appetizers.
