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dojo risin’ 

go zEn, gain conFidEncE and gEt in shapE at 

tokyo’s tRaditional maRtial aRts gyms 

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#962 Aug 31~Sep 13, 2012 

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The Small Print 

“ 

This goes againsT 

The principle of 

innocenT unTil proven 

guilTy” 

—Author manabu miyazaki, on a new law that allows 

cops to target yakuza groups even without identifying 

specific members who have committed crimes 

MilesTones 

ć Shunpei ueyama, a philosopher and former 

president of Kyoto university, died earlier this 

month at the age of 91. According to an obituary, 

he survived World War II despite being a 

“member of a human-guided torpedo suicide 

attack group.” 

ć In a survey of 358 movie directors, including 

Martin Scorsese, Woody Allen and Quentin 

Tarantino, Yasujiro Ozu’s 1958 Tokyo Story was 

named the greatest film of all time. 

ć Dynam became the first Japanese company to 

list its shares exclusively on the Hong Kong Stock 

exchange. It also became the first pachinko 

parlor to go public. 

ć Vietnam has become the 17th country in the 

world to sell Pocari Sweat. We can only hope 

the name translates better into the local language 

than it does into english. 

coMing & going 

ć Princess Mako, the 20-year-old daughter of 

Prince and Princess Akishino, will take a break 

from her studies at International Christian university 

in Tokyo to spend a year abroad at the 

university of edinburgh. 

ć It was reported that Ri Sol-ju, the newly 

unveiled wife of North Korean leader Kim 

Jong Un, visited Fukuoka in 2002 to participate 

in a uN-sponsored arts festival. 

ć A JAL jet flying from Tokyo to New York was 

forced to return to Narita—after getting all 

the way to Alaska, no less—when some whackjob 

phoned in a bomb threat demanding the 

release of Aum Shinrikyo cult founder Chizuo 

Matsumoto. 

ć Officials in Osaka suspect the same person 

posted a message on the municipal government 

website threatening “to indiscriminately run 

over people with a truck and randomly stab 

people... before committing suicide.” 

WhaT’s The Japanese for 

“aclu?” 

ć An advisory panel with the Central Disaster 

prevention Council recommended that “the 

movements and personal rights of the public 

should be restricted to maintain order in case 

of a major disaster.” 

stats 

ć Japan’s “vote-value gap”—the discrepancy 

in the population of representative electoral 

districts—is getting wider. The biggest gap is 

between the Chiba No. 4 district (population 

602,996) and Kochi No. 3 (242,976). 

ć Troops from the ground Self-Defense Forces 

joined US Marines for exercises on Tinian 

and guam. The drills are intended to “improve 

defense capabilities on remote islands.” 

ć Scientists at Fujitsu and Nagoya university have 

teamed up on a system that can automatically 

detect phone scams. potential victims will be 

warned via “a synthesized voice message.” 

governMenT in acTion 

ć The Fair Trade Commission scolded three 

wholesalers for selling booze below market 

value to the Aeon supermarket chain. 

ć The DpJ and LDp both say they want to amend 

the Industrial Safety and Health Act to include 

a recommendation that businesses provide 

smoke-free environments for their employees. 

The two parties stopped short of making the 

plan mandatory, though. 

ć In an effort to “correct the gap between the pub- 

lic and private sectors,” government officials will 

cut the retirement benefits of civil servants by 

¥4 million. 

ć The upper house of the Diet passed a bill set- 

ting forth the terms for municipalities to collect 

small electronics items for recycling “rare metals 

and other resources.” 

froM The Business pages 

ć Officials at Sumitomo announced a $2 billion 

deal with a uS company to develop an oil field 

in the permian Basin in Texas. The area is said to 

have “the largest proven oil reserves in North 

America... by far exceeding those of Alaska and 

the gulf of Mexico.” 

ć The company also said it wants to set up a new 

TV shopping network in Thailand that would 

offer viewers “jewelry, cosmetics, electric appliances 

and other high-end products.” 

ć Mitsubishi says labor unrest at coal mines in 

Australia is largely to blame for a big drop in its 

second quarter profits. The company operates 

seven mines in Australia in a partnership with 

BHp Billiton. 

ć Among 47 joint environmental projects to be 

undertaken by Japan and China are the development 

of an electric car and the establishment 

of a “smart city.” 

anD The survey says... 

ć According to the science ministry’s latest survey 

of earthquake readiness, 84.8 percent of elementary- 

and middle-school buildings around the 

country would be able to withstand a quake 

measuring 6 on the Japanese scale of seismic 

intensity. That’s up 4.5 percentage points from 

last year’s survey but still leaves some 3,500 

schools at risk of collapse in a major quake. 

ć A uS-based research firm predicts that China 

will overtake Japan as the world’s second largest 

market for ad spending (after the united 

States), and that it will become the second largest 

internet market the following year. 

ć Analysts say the rise in popularity of carbonated 

drinks aimed at adults—like Kirin Mets 

Cola, Orangina and Schweppes British Lemon 

Tonic—is due to “health-conscious men and 

women in their 30s and 40s who are longing for 

the good old days of their childhood.” 

ć The Kashima Antlers defeated Universidad de 

Chile in a penalty shootout in Ibaraki to win 

the Suruga Bank Championship. The annual 

contest matches the J-League champion against 

the winners of the Copa Sudamericana. 

suMMerTiMe Blues 

ć The NpA says there’s been a 25 percent jump 

in the number of fatal accidents on expressways 

over the past year. This led an official to 

conclude—quite reasonably, we’d say—that 

“drivers have become less cautious about highspeed 

driving.” 

ć A 31-year-old Chinese man drowned while 

swimming in Chuzenji Lake in Nikko. The lake 

is a popular sightseeing spot, but swimming is 

prohibited. 

ć Toyota was forced to recall 780,000 vehicles 

“to fix a defect that could allow rust to form in 

the suspension to the point where parts break 

off.” Yeah, you might want to take a look at that. 

ć Bottom Story of the Week: “Japanese Ambassador 

Sings for uS governor” (via Ap) 

compiled from reports by Ap, Japan 

Today, The Japan Times, Jiji, The Tokyo 

Reporter, Japan Probe, The Mainichi, 

Daily Yomiuri, AFp, Reuters and Kyodo 

� 44.1 Percentage of south Koreans who have an unfavorable view of japan, according to a 

gallup survey � 11.7 Percentage of south Koreans who have an unfavorable view of north Korea, 

according to the same survey � 14 consecutive months that the Toyota Prius has been japan’s topselling 

car � 50,000 Publications on display at the Kitakyushu city manga museum, which opened 

to the public earlier this month 

04 • download our podcast at • podcast.metropolis.co.jp 

This weeK’s required reAding, by reg dunlAP 

miwA KAneoyA

Travel GReAT JoURNeyS IN JAPAN ANd ARoUNd The woRLd 

ImperIal 

Bedrooms 

Nikko Tamozawa 

Imperial Villa 

By Todd Wojnowski 

So, you’re goi ng to 

Nikko for the beautiful 

natural setting 

and amazing historical 

sites far away from 

the hubbub of modern 

city life? Well you’re not alone—so 

did the Imperial Family. The Tamozawa 

Imperial Villa was the official 

residence of Japan’s divine dynasty 

when they escaped Tokyo’s burning 

summers, and today the building is 

maintained as an interesting display 

of their lifestyle there. 

Empress Meisho first built the 

Tamozawa Villa in 1632 as a place 

for her relatives to live, connected 

to the temporary palace in Akasaka 

(in today’s Tokyo). In 1898, that 

three-storied section of the detached 

palace was taken apart and moved 

to its present-day location in Nikko, 

where it was enlarged into a new residence 

built around the same frame 

in 1899. The Taisho Emperor used it 

as his summer residence until 1925. 

The Showa Emperor Hirohito fled 

to Tamozawa in 1943 after evacuation 

during World War II. Bomb shelters 

were built into the building’s gardens 

and can still be seen today (from the 

outside only, as access to the shelters 

is not permitted). Following the 

war, the villa fell into disuse and held 

no consistent official capacity until 

its restoration and re-opening as a 

museum in the year 2000. 

Today, the complex is a fascinating 

tribute to Japanese architecture 

and history. Admittedly, that doesn’t 

sound like the most exciting way 


to spend an afternoon, but the displays 

and explanations have a way of 

bringing the past to life that are quite 

intriguing. 

Tamozawa is one of the largest 

wooden buildings in Japan and uses 

many traditional methods of architecture 

and structure. A tour reveals 

the purpose and symbolism of those 

PhoToS CoURTeSy of NIkko TAmozAwA ImPeRIAL VILLA memoRIAL PARk 

methods, deconstructing everything 

from the coffered gotenjo-style ceilings 

to the wall paintings, tatami and 

washi walls made of layers of paper. 

The gabled entrance to the villa was 

built in the uniquely Japanese karahafu 

style, a featured design that 

points back to the palace in Akasaka 

where the building originated. 

The building is crafted around a 

series of beautiful courtyards. The 

outer gardens beside and behind it 

are beautiful and well worth exploring. 

A wander around will allow you 

to discover ancient trees and meticulously 

maintained landscaping. 

The jewel of the garden is a majestic 

300-year-old weeping cherry tree. 

Positioned outside the Empress’s 

study, it presumably provided a good 

point of reflection. 

The integration of the building’s 

layout with the courtyards was 

designed to promote airf low into 

the building and through its rooms 

to keep temperatures down in years 

before air conditioning. Many rooms 

are separated by lacquered ranma, 

wooden transoms that allow the cool 

NIKKO 

TOKYO 

Trip Tips 

Take the Tobu Nikko Line from 

Asakusa to Nikko. Certain trains run 

nonstop to Nikko in the morning and 

to Asakusa in the afternoon. Alternatively, 

the JR Nikko Line directly 

connects Nikko from Utsunomiya, 

which can be reached from Ueno 

by either the JR Utsunomiya Line or 

Tohoku Shinkansen. 

air to circulate. Here, these feature 

designs thought to be modeled after 

examples in Kyoto’s Imperial Palace. 

Each of the more than 100 rooms 

is also defined by purpose during 

the Imperial Family’s stay. Visit the 

bedrooms of the Empress’s staff as 

well as the waiting room where nervous 

guests awaited their audience 

with the Emperor. Note the Western 

touches combined with traditional 

Japanese features in the dining 

room for distinguished guests, and 

see the pocketless billiard table 

used by notable historic figures to 

play a game called yotsudama (“four 

ball”). 

The Tamozawa Imperial Villa 

is well equipped for non-Japanesespeaking 

visitors and—unusually for 

museums in this country—displays 

all information in several languages, 

including the introductory video at 

the entrance. The quality of the English 

is excellent. 

A s fa r as tou r ist at t ract ions 

go, the Tamozawa Imperial Villa 

remains greatly overshadowed by 

the shrines, temples, and onsen of 

Nikko, the main draws of a region 

attracting over 3,000,000 visitors per 

year. Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage 

Site in 1999, the area contains 

some 100 buildings and structures 

belonging to Buddhist temple Rinnoji 

and Shinto shrines Futarasan and 

Tosho-gu—the latter featuring a 

carving of the world-famous three 

wise monkeys who speak, hear, and 

see no evil. Set within the forests and 

mountains, Nikko is an historic and 

natural wonder that belongs among 

the must-see locations in Japan. 

It’s easy to see why the Imperial 

Family chose the area as a holiday 

destination. Though we might have 

trouble finding accommodation as 

luxurious as the Tamozawa Villa, it 

remains a choice spot to cool off during 

the summer months.

GeTaways 

Metropolis brings you the inside scoop on 

travel from our JapanTourist experts 

InSIde InformatIon 

Looking for other sights to 

see around Nikko? Put these 

on your travel itinerary. 

GOOD FOr YUBA 

Nikko’s local delicacy is yuba, the 

thin skin that forms on the top of 

heated soy milk. originally gaining 

popularity here as a dish to satisfy the 

vegetarian monks at the shrines and 

temples, yuba dishes can be found in 

restaurants citywide in a wide variety 

of forms. you’ll find yuba as a topping 

for soba, deep-fried yuba, yuba curry, 

yuba with jelly, yuba soup, yuba sushi, 

yuba ramen, yuba gyoza, and fresh, 

unprocessed (nama) yuba. It’s when 

the convenience stores start selling 

yuba cola that we’ll know things have 

gone too far. 

iNTO THe aByss 

The Kanmangafuchi Abyss is a neat 

little gorge tucked within a twist of the 

daiya River. The scenic riverside trail 

leads to the Bake Jizo, a line of 70 redclad 

stone statues of Jizo, a Buddhist 

figure who cares for the deceased. 

The statues are rumored to change 

in number each time you count them. 

There’s some great natural beauty 

here as well, but bottomless pit seekers 

will be disappointed at the area’s 

misleading name. 

FaLLiNG FOr NiKKO 

Just up the road from the Tamozawa 

Imperial Villa is the Nikko Botanical 

Gardens, a 105,000m 2 patch of natural 

beauty typically free of the tourist 

crowds of other Nikko attractions. 

The University of Tokyo studies 

and maintains the 2,200 species of 

plant life here, which are set against a 

mountainous backdrop and are most 

beautiful set with the fall colors. 

iCe a Few BUCKs 

If you’re visiting in autumn or winter, 

see the pucks fly and the gloves drop 

with the HC Nikko Ice Bucks. This 

professional ice hockey team gets 

die-hard support from the locals in 

the way only small-town teams can. 

The Ice Bucks compete against other 

teams from Japan, China and korea 

i n A sia League Ice hockey. T he 

Nikko Kirifuri Ice Arena hosts a little 

under 2,000 punters (including a 

standing-only section for spectators 

on a budget) and really gets rockin’ 

on game days. 

CHasiNG 

waTerFaLLs 

Take a bus from Nikko to nearby 

Chuzenjiko Onsen, a quaint resort 

town built in the mountains above 

Nikko and on the shore of Lake 

Chuzenji. Its breathtaking scenery 

makes it well worth exploring for 

an afternoon. Visit the stunning 

Kegon Waterfall [pictured above], 

Chuzenji Temple, take a sightseeing 

boat ride on the lake, or hike around 

the numerous walking paths. As the 

name suggests, there are many hot 

springs to be enjoyed as well. 

■ Todd Wojnowski is a JapanTourist 

contributor based in Kanagawa. 

Todd woJNowSkI 

Instant access to the 

U.S. military news 

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#962 • www.metropolis.co.jp • 07

Feature 

Dojo 

Martial your fitness in 

Tokyo’s training spaces 

By Francesco Agresti 

Why work out in a building 

full of torturous 

machines alongside 

fitness freaks comparing 

t riceps and 

how much they paid 

for their Lycra bodysuits? 

You can do the same thing anywhere in the 

world. Japan is peppered with far more interesting 

places to get in shape, namely martial-arts dojo— 

training spaces for a number of different fighting, 

self-defence and self-improvement disciplines, 

many of which were invented here. 

Doubters might be wary of the language barrier 

on one hand, and the thought of puritanical 

obsessives frowning on beginners on the other. 

But plenty of dojo around the metropolis are 

happy to welcome foreigners into their midst, and 

most are surprisingly relaxed about levels of ability 

and speed of development. 

If you prefer to eschew the bodybuilding gyms 

and get fighting fit in a more traditional way, 

Metropolis offers a simple low-down on some of the 

options available—plus Q&As with two instructors. 

This is by no means an in-depth exploration, 

but a way in for the uninitiated. See further links 

for more info. 

Karate, judo, aikido and kickboxing all 

originated in Japan—while Brazilian 

jiu jitsu and MMA (mixed martial arts) 

have also become very popular here in 

recent years. It’s all here for the taking—the only 

problem you might have is knowing which martial 

art form to choose [see Style File, right]. 

One important factor in choosing is clicking 

with the sensei—if you’re not in tune with the 

sensei’s style, you won’t get the best from your 

training. Fortunately many dojo have excellent 

teachers who give Yoda a run for the money in 

helping you unlock body and mind. 

Tsutomu Chida is one such person. A protégé 

of the late Gozo Shioda-sensei (founder of the 

with the 


Yoshinkan aikido style), Chida teaches people 

of all ages and backgrounds at his head dojo in 

Nihombashi. “Our students range from six to 

eighty-four years old, with a healthy mix of genders 

as well as non-Japanese people,” he says. 

Limbering up in a dojo can be a handy way to 

meet people and improve your Japanese ability, 

too. “I often like to gather my students for parties 

so they can get to know each other better and build 

a sense of community,” says former kickboxing 

champion, Californian Kazushi Nishida. 

There are some English-speaking dojo dotted 

in and around the Tokyo area, and some 

which offer international classes in English, 

often led by a non-Japanese instructor. But it’s 

recommended to join a normal class in Japanese. 

Instructors can sometimes sling in a bit of English—if 

you’re confusing your migi (right) with 

your hidari (left)—but you’ll quickly pick up 

enough language to get by, especially as most of 

the communication is visual. 

Moneywise, the cost-effectiveness is similar to 

that of a gym—the more you take advantage of 

it, the better. Typically, there’s an initial sign-up 

fee of around ¥10,000, and then around another 

¥10,000 per month. Several dojo allow unlimited 

access—three sessions a week at ¥10,000 a month 

would mean a per-session cost of ¥835, for example. 

But you probably won’t be able to last more 

than two hours of intense training at first. 

CourTesy of Aikido renshinkAi 

Sparring plays a big role in martial arts 

training, yet it can be the biggest concern 

for potential students. The aim is 

not to hurt your opponent but rather to 

test and hone your skills in a practical situation. 

Kickboxers, for example, are covered from head to 

toe in safety gear to assure minimal risk of injury. 

Your trainer will always remind you to never strike 

with full force and will have his eyes on the participants 

at all times. Only the more experienced 

students are allowed to participate. 

If that still doesn’t satisfy you, aikido might be 

the option of choice, since it involves no competition 

whatsoever—except with a training dummy, 

that shouldn’t pose too much of a problem. 

Nevertheless, sparring remains one of the 

most enjoyable aspects of martial-arts training 

for many, and can be a great confidence booster. 

When you manage to stay off the mat. 

CourTesy of hide’s kiCk!

CourTesy of Tri-forCe AoyAMA 

Flow 

TSUTOMU 

CHIDA 

Chief instructor of 

Aikido Renshinkai 

» Top student of Gozo 

Shioda, the founder of 

Yoshinkan aikido 

» Yoshinkan instructor 

for Tokyo Metropolitan Police Academy 

» Chief instructor of Yoshinkan headquarters 

Why should people choose aikido over other martial 

arts? Aikido is an extremely unique style, 

therefore we have no other competitors. Aikido 

allows you to take full control of your balance 

so you will never have a weak or strong side to 

your body. 

What can aikido do for you? It teaches you to 

separate your mind and body so they become 

two entirely different entities. For example, 

we learn to push our energy and mind toward 

somebody while at the same time stepping 

back. In other words, we are physically moving 

backward, but our energy and intentions are 

moving forward. 

What kinds of people come to your dojo? Our students 

range from six to eighty-four years old. 

An experienced instructor at my dojo has been 

training with me since he was eight. 

do you organize any activities outside of your classes? 

Every year we organize a summer camp called 

Embu Taikai which usually takes place in early 

autumn (this year on September 15). Here 

people from all over Japan (as well as foreign 

countries) come to watch me and other instructors 

perform demonstrations. We also have an 

annual summer training camp in Chiba which 

lasts for a few days. 

nISHIDA 

KAZUSHI 

Kickboxing champion 

» Record: Ten wins (6 

KO), five loses in five 

professional fights 

» Heavyweight champion 

both in Japan and 

California 

Why should people choose kickboxing? It’s a 

great way to kill stress. We hit punching bags 

and pads, which you can’t do in many other 

traditional martial arts. Kickboxing also utilizes 

great techniques and methods for self defense 

purposes. It can be tough at first for beginners, 

but that is true for any kind of sport. The sport 

can do wonders for your self-confidence and 

general fitness too. 

What would you say to someone who isn’t sure about 

starting kickboxing? At first you should take it easy 

and not worry about getting hurt because you 

won’t be sparring until you are more experienced 

and confident. Just come with determination 

and you will see yourself improve little by little. 

I don’t like to push people, so I always go at my 

students’ pace. 

What goals do students tend to have? Everyone has 

their own personal goals, of course. For example, 

my oldest student’s goal was to participate in amateur 

fights. He achieved that goal but continues to 

improve and never slows down! Sometimes I get 

parents asking me to train their children. Not so 

they can fight back, but to be more confident and 

able to defend themselves if need be. Some ladies 

want to get into shape as kickboxing is cardiointensive 

and works on strengthening and toning 

major muscle groups. The one thing all my students 

have in common is a new-found confidence 

as they pursue their goals. Although kickboxing is 

good for all ages, it’s very well suited for adults. 

STyle fIle 

All martial arts offer general fitness and selfdefence, 

while at the same time helping to 

improve your confidence, reflexes, coordination, 

discipline and balance. There are, however, some 

unique aspects which differentiate one style from 

another. 

CourTesy of Aikido renshinkAi 

» Kickboxing—Cardio-intensive, increase stamina 

and strength, reduce weight and stress 

» Aikido—Strong defensive skills, no striking, 

doesn’t require much of your own strength, 

emphasis on controlling opponent’s energy 

» Brazilian jiu jitsu—Strong ground defensive 

and offensive skills, submission focused, no striking, 

dominate a larger opponent 

» Karate—Emphasis on mental training, strong 

offensive skills, stress relief, weight loss 

» MMA—Learn a variet y of different st yles, 

improve endurance, increase strength, lose 

weight, ground and standing skills 

fInD yOUr WAy 

Some of the many... 

» AACC various (kickboxing/MMA/jiu jitsu) www. 

aacc-sports.com/archives/382585.html 

» Aikido Renshinkai various (aikido) ht t p:// 

renshinkai.com/e 

» Crosspoint Kichijoji/“Scramble” Shibuya (kickboxing/MMA/jiu 

jitsu) www.shibukichi.com 

» Grabaka Nakano (kickboxing/MMA/jiu jitsu/ 

wrestling/judo) www.grabaka.com/english.php 

» Hide’s Kick Shinjuku (kickboxing/MMA/jiu 

jitsu/wrestling) www.hidemiyoshi.jp 

» Purebred Saitama (jiu jitsu) www.purebred.co.jp 

» Trusting Gym Nakano-Shimbashi (kickboxing) 

www.trusting-gym.com 

» Tri-Force Aoyama (jiu jitsu) www.bjjaoyama.net 

» Yoshida Dojo various (judo) www.yoshidadojo.com 

#962 • www.metropolis.co.jp • 09

Arts & Entertainment All the best in Arts & culture Across the metropolis 

Seun Kuti 

music 

Afrobeat’s new 

messenger doesn’t 

mince words 

By Dan Grunebaum 

Gr o w i n g u p t h e 

child of a legendary 

entertainer and 

political firebrand 

isn’t easy—especially 

when you’re the youngest of 

eight. Sean Kuti encountered all 

sorts of headwinds after his decision 

to take on the mantle of his 

towering father, Afrobeat pioneer 

Fela Kuti. 

“The family said, ‘Fela is dead, 

the band can’t survive,’” the lean 

29-year-old Nigerian recalls on 

a sunlit afternoon at Naeba Ski 

Resort, where he and the band his 

father founded, Egypt 80, have just 

wrapped up a feverish two-hour set 

at the Fuji Rock Festival. “But I said, 

‘No, we’re going to keep playing.’ It 

was hard, because people used to 

compare me to my Dad.” 

“I grew up hearing his music 

all my life, but I didn't understand 

how big it was because Fela was so 

humble,” the singer and sax player 

continues about their relationship. 

“He slept on the floor. He was 

not proud. To be that great and be 

down to earth is the philosophy of 

Afrobeat music. The connection to 

the common man is important.” 

The favorite son of Fela’s, Seun 

was joining his Dad on stage by 

age eight. He would open for Egypt 

80, singing a few songs before they 

took the stage for marathon outings 

of jazz-inflected African beats 

and uncompromising messages of 

political empowerment. 

But then it was over. “I started 

playing in ’91 and ’92, but then Fela 

got sick and died,” Kuti says of his 

notoriously free-living father’s 

death of AIDS in 1997. 

It took t he you nger Kut i a We kept playing in Nigeria for ten 

decade to return Eg ypt 80 to a years before we broke out. But that 

place where it could act as a major helped my art. I never thought we 

draw at events like Fuji Rock. “The would play for 100,000, so we just 

government, which controlled the said, ‘Let’s do this.’” 

media, wanted Fela to be dead,” he A generation distant from its 

explains. “Everyday there was bad post-colonial creation, is Afrobeat 

press about me. They said I was a still relevant? “For me, what’s hap- 

cokehead. But my Dad taught me pening now is not a lot different 

about the reality of life. He said, 

the press has that name because 

they are there to press you down. 


from what happened in the ’70s,” 

Kuti responds. “To take a line from 

my father, he sang around 1978, 

‘How can you say the country is 

getting rich when the people are 

so poor?’ The same thing is happening 

today. The government says 

the country is growing by eight 

percent, but every year 20 percent 

more people become poor. So we’re 

still going through the same shit 

our fathers went through.” 

Kuti has little time for the 

bling-bling lifestyle celebrated in 

contemporary pop, whether in 

Africa or the West. “In England 

now, they are taking Afropop, and 

they put a commercial gimmick at 

the end to make something they 

call ‘Afrobeats,’ and they sing about 

champagne and cars, which maybe 

only three percent of Africans can 

afford,” he says. “That is not the 

direction Afrobeat should go. Afrobeat 

cannot be used to sell Gucci.” 

A member of the tiny upper 

class he just described, Kuti could 

have taken the easy route and 

chosen the expat life in London or 

New York, but he prefers to remain 

in Lagos. 

“As a Nigerian, you have plenty 

of inspiration in your daily life. 

The politicians are talking lies 

every day on TV, you see people 

so demoralized they accept the 

bullshit,” he says. “That’s why I 

still live in my country. I want to 

understand how it is for my people. 

I know I am privileged, but I also 

know the music has to be for the 

majority. Art should be about what 

the people are going through. This 

is what drives me.” 

A new album is in the works 

and Kuti offers a hint of what’s on 

it: “I have a new song called ‘IMF’— 

international motherfuckers—that 

tells you all you need to know.” 

K u t i s a y s t h e d i f f e r e n c e 

between the situations his father 

faced and the ones facing contemporary 

Africa is that now Africans 

have the smarts to fight corruption 

and use the system to their 

own benefit. 

“If you look at how people are 

directing their anger, it’s properly, 

and that comes from education,” 

he concludes. “This is where the 

change is going to come from, and 

I hope Afrobeat can continue to be 

the music that drives that.” 

Club Quattro, Nov 20. See conce 

rt list i ng s (j a z z/world) for 

details. 

courtesy of plAnkton

art 

Yoshitomo 

Nara 

coming back to kawaii 

in yokohama 

By C. B. Liddell 

For better or worse, yoshitomo nara’s art has 

become part of the new face of Japan, a country 

that is now associated with manga, otaku, 

and all things kawaii, rather than the outmoded 

salaryman stereotypes of the 20th century. 

it is a Japan that can’t so much say “no” to America 

as one that instead rolls its oversized anime eyes, bites 

its lip childishly, and says, “Goo!” in this sense nara’s art, 

with its cartoon-like depictions of cute little girls with 

a hint of naughtiness and a touch of evil, is a perfect fit 

for the image of the new, infantilized Japan—several 

removes from its proud samurai past. 

but there have been signs that this artistic approach 

has not really been working for nara, especially when 

things “get serious” as they clearly did last year with the 

Great eastern Japan earthquake. in the aftermath of 

that mega-tragedy, painting cutesy caricatures of little 

girls must have seemed redundant, which is why he 

stopped painting for several months. 

sports 

searchiNG 

For a 

YokuzuNa 

the quest to be sumo 

grand champion 

at tokyo’s autumn 

tournament 

By Mark Buckton 

Most Japanese will tell you that sumo is 

the national sport. it is not, and never 

has been—few nations on earth have 

passed legislation to this effect. 

it is, however, recognized as something just a little 

bit “more” than a sport by most, what with men weighing 

anything up to a quarter of a ton launching themselves 

at each other after several minutes of slow and careful 

preparation. throw in a sizeable dollop of shinto-based 

pomp and ceremony, and it is one aspect of the local 

culture most first timers and tourists will never forget. 

And with september rolling around once again, so 

too arrives the holding of the latest Aki Basho (Autumn 

tournament) at the ryogoku kokugikan, from september 

9 to 23. 

With sumo tournaments held every two months, 

and with a mongolian ozeki, harumafuji, winning the 

July basho down in nagoya, all eyes will be on the 129kg 

lightweight to see if he can win back-to-back tourneys 

and thus guarantee himself promotion to yokozuna—a 

the large solo exhibition of his work at the yokohama 

museum of Art charts his route back to painting 

via sculpture, a new medium of expression for the artist. 

subtitled “A bit like you and me…” the exhibition seems 

to be employing the same techniques as nara’s subjects 

by trying to be cute and appeal to our sympathy, before 

getting up-close-and-personal with a life-sized recreation 

of his studio. 

but interesting as this is, the artistic reality is that 

there are serious flaws with the giant sculptures that 

form this exhibition’s centerpiece. the key point about 

nara’s art has always been its cartoonish two-dimensional 

quality. transposing the flat spaces and naïve 

lines of his little ladies into 3-D creates something gross 

and off-putting. 

there is a whole room of these swollen-headed 

monstrosities at the exhibition, but, in accord with 

the wheedling, emotionally manipulative vibe of the 

show, we are encouraged to judge them not purely as 

artworks but also as “therapy pieces” that helped nara 

return to painting. Actually, they might have achieved 

this simply by demonstrating what an abysmal sculptor 

he is. 

As for his new drawings and paintings, some of 

them like Miss Spring (2012) show signs of an enriched 

palette, with a few added touches of color in the hair 

and glitter in the eyes, but essentially his latest works 

show no advance or development. these are still the 

same iconic, naughty, little imps he was painting 20 

years ago; nebulous enough for visitors to associate 

with their own “mischievous darlings.” 

title usually translated as “grand champion” in english. 

should the fighter—who is known for his passion for 

painting—manage to triumph, his nationality will cause 

quite some consternation in the local media—since no 

Japanese sumo wrestler has been promoted to the top 

rank in the sport since 1998. Depending on whom you 

ask, this is either something of a national embarrassment, 

or evidence that the world of sumo is opening its 

doors to the world. 

yokozuna Grand champion hakuho, a mongolian, 

dominates sumo today. in the second rank of ozeki, 

besides harumafuji, there are five other fighters vying 

for promotion to yokozuna, of which just two are 

Japanese—kisenosato and kotoshogiku. the remaining 

trio is made up of an estonian (baruto), a bulgarian 

(kotooshu) and another mongolian (kakuryu). 

come september 9, fans will be watching harumafuji 

in his quest for promotion. Whether or not he will 

repeat the perfect 15-0 score he put together in nagoya 

remains to be seen, but in two previous attempts after 

winning his first two emperor’s cups he flopped badly— 

scoring 9-6 over 15 days of action in 2009, and 8-7 this 

time last year. 

the pressure will thus be on the man like never 

before. yokozuna hakuho and the rest of the men in the 

ozeki rank are all approaching peak form, and there is 

a talented crop of Japanese rikishi champing at the bit 

in the ranks below—all awaiting their own chance for 

advancement. 

myogiryu, Goeido, and chiyotairyu are all names 

outside the upper two ranks to keep an eye out for, as 

is osunaarashi (literally “big sandstorm”) way down in 

the Sandanme division, sumo’s fourth from top. egyptian 

by birth, he is the first African, first muslim and first 

from his nation to enter the professional game. to date, 

he has fought just 12 times and has yet to be defeated. 

he is one who will surely be making his way upward to 

the topmost Makunouchi division—home of hakuho, 

harumafuji and company—sooner, rather than later. 

courtesy of nihon sumo kyokAi 

Miss Spring (2012) 

the earthquake threw nara out of his cozy stride 

and even temporarily into the heroic world of sculpture, 

but this exhibition shows that normal service has 

been resumed. imagine a toddler who gets upset and 

bawls her head off for a few minutes before getting a 

nice candy from her mum. instantly, the dark shadows 

are dispelled, and the sunshine smile is resumed, perhaps 

with a hint of a cunning, manipulative leer. that 

naughty little miss is yoshitomo nara. 

Yokohama Museum of Art, until Sep 23. See exhibition 

listings (other areas) for details. 

Harumafuji has Hakuho on the back foot 

as Bulgarian Kotooshu looks on 

TickeT Tips 

● Don’t be put off by tales of exorbitant prices and 

tickets as rare as hen’s teeth. Prices for reserved 

seats on the second floor start at a reasonable 

¥3,600, moving up to ¥11,300 per person for box 

seats on the first floor. 

● Day tickets cost just ¥2,100 and are usually 

available at the stadium’s ticket office any time 

Monday to Friday. On weekends, lines for these 

tickets usually start around 6am, and with just 

400 available, they sell out pretty fast. 

#962 • www.metropolis.co.jp • 11 

©nArA yoshitomo - photo by: kioku keizo

Metpod 

AGENDA 

Courtesy of Mariana 

clubbing 

mariana 

� Minimal techno regular Mariana (as in Trench) 

returns to the deep electronic seas with guest 

Abdulla Rashim from Sweden. The latest addition 

to the Prologue Records stable, Rashim will lay 

down an acid-tinged live set and also showcase his 

chops on the turntables. Helming the festivities is 

Mariana founder, Englishman Dave Twomey (in 

his Tr nch incarnation), with Drone’s Wata Igarashi 

opening the festivities hot on the heels of 

his debut release for Gynoid Audio. The night will 

serve as a nice warm-up for the Labyrinth outdoor 

rave next weekend. 

Warehouse702, Sep 8. See club listings for 

details. 

gig 

the Pharcyde 

Courtesy of BillBoarD live 

� Spliffs and laidback beats will be on the menu 

when old school LA hip-hop posse The Pharcyde 

perform for the posh crowd at Roppongi’s Billboard 

Live. Formed in LA’s notorious South Central in the 

early ’90s, the group’s Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde 

was one of the alternative hip-hop gems of the era 

on the strengths of the delicious stoner outing “Passin’ 

Me By,” a huge hit in Japan. After a period of ups 

and downs and the loss of producer J-Swift to crack 

addiction, the group is back in contention, now 

touring with a live band for added flava. 

Billboard Live, Sep 8-9. See concert listings 

(popular) for details. 


exhibition 

few colors in 

the dark 

� Young painter Shohei Takasaki says his art is 

about desire, but this isn’t the explicit eroticism that 

has become a cliché of contemporary art. Instead, 

Takasaki’s canvasses are explosions of color and 

form. “Absolute beauty is the indefinable reason 

for desire,” he says. “I can never have enough of 

that desire... I want to create an object out of these 

desires… and put them all into one canvas.” On 

show are 50 works including paintings, sketches 

and prints as well at 3-D work. 

Shibuya Space Edge, until Sep 2. See exhibition 

listings (Shibuya) for details. 

concert 

resonance 

By Dan GruneBauM 

� In 2007, then-director of renowned taiko 

troupe Kodo, Kaoru Watanabe, stepped outside 

of his roots with a musical collision of cultures 

entitled Resonance. The night proved so arresting 

that Watanabe made it a regular series. After last 

year’s Resonance was canceled in the wake of 3/11, 

Watanabe returns with a group featuring beats by 

percussion monsters Kiyohiko Semba and Testuro 

Naito, ethereal vocals from Matsuda Mio, the 

evocative violin of Kaori Takahashi, upright bass 

by Keigo Iwami, a digital backdrop by D. H. Rosen 

and Watanabe himself on flute. 

Orange Lady, Sep 5. See concert listings (jazz/ 

world) for details. 

Courtesy of tokyo Dex 

Few colors in the dark (2012) 

comedy 

Gamarjobat 

� Much local comedy is of the head-slapping, 

pelvis-swinging variety, but Gamarjobat (“Hello” 

in Georgian) have you laughing with them, not at 

them. For their fall Japan tour, veteran mime masters 

Ketch! and Hiro-pon will be presenting sketches 

on a ludicrous Western theme. With decades of 

experience between them, the mohawked pair 

formed Gamarjobat in 1999, and have since become 

seasoned stalwarts of the theater festival circuit, performing 

in dozens of countries around the world. 

Various venues, until Dec 2. See stage listings 

for details. 

festival 

GuruGuru 

mawaru 2012 

shohei takasaki 

Courtesy of GuruGuru Mawaru 

� Translating as “go round-and-round,” Guruguru 

Mawaru is an alternative music festival 

that launched a few years ago. Stages are set up 

around the concourses of Saitama Stadium— 

East Asia’s biggest—inviting punters to a musical 

merry-go-round. The latest edition hosts the likes 

of sharp-dressed funk machine Mountain Mocha 

Kilimanjaro, electro rockers The Telephones and 

indie-folk polymath Shugo Tokumaru. The festival’s 

15 stages also offer sentai live-action comedy, 

an art market and a 100 People Open Mic for all 

comers eager to strut their stuff. 

Saitama Stadium, Sep 16. See concert listings 

(popular) for details.

Agenda Listings 

hot list 

13 Concerts 

14 Stage 

14 Dance 

14 Clubbing 

15 Exhibitions 

16 Sports 

16 Festivals 

16 Forums & Expos 

16 Bazaars & Markets 

17 Community 

17 Learning 

17 Other Events 

Concerts 

PoPular 

Zettai Blend 

Feat. ManYuh (acoustic, 

ambient), N’Toko (hip-hop, 

rap), Swanky Dank (rock/ 

pop), icon girl pistols (rock) 

and DJ Zana. Aug 31, 

7:30pm, ¥1,500. Ruby Room. 

Nearest stn: Shibuya. www. 

rubyroomtokyo.com 

Lil Jon Official After Party 

Grammy-winning US rapper. 

Aug 31, 10pm, ¥1,000 (f), 

¥3,000 (m). Esprit Lounge. 

Nearest stn: Roppongi. www. 

esprit-lounge.net 

XLand Festival 

Sep 1, 10am-8pm, ¥7,000-7,800 

(adv). Sagami Pleasure Forest. 

Nearest stn: Sagamiko. www. 

xland-festival.com 

Girls. JP Music Room 

Teenyboppers’ delight. Sep 

1, 6pm, ¥3,150. Liquidroom. 

Nearest stn: Ebisu. www. 

liquidroom.net 

Steely & Clevie 

Dancehall reggae feat. Reggae 

Legends with Leroy Sibbles 

(The Heptones). Sep 1, various 

times, ¥7,500-9,500. Cotton 

Club. Nearest stn: Tokyo. www. 

cottonclubjapan.co.jp 

Yokohama Summer Rock 

Fes 

Feat. Char, Tenshaw, Ra:in, 

Der Zibet, etc. Sep 1-2.2-10pm, 

¥6,000-6,500. Yokohama Bay 

Hall. Nearest stn: Motomachi- 

Chukagai. www.sensation-jp. 

com 

Autribe 

All-singing all-dancing 

electro-pop band. Sep 2, 

6pm, ¥4,800. Shinjuku Blaze. 

Nearest stn: Shinjuku.autribe. 

jimdo.com 

Hitomitoi 

J-pop singer feat.Dorian & 

Kashif. Sep 2, various times, 

¥4,800-6,800. Billboard Live. 


hitomitoi.jp 

Bushman’s Revenge 

Experiental jazz-rock. Sep 5, 

8pm, ¥3,000. Super Deluxe. 


super-deluxe.com 

Unisonic 

German heavy metal 

supergroup. Sep 6, 7pm, 

¥8,500. Shibuya-AX. 

Nearest stn: Harajuku. www. 

creativeman.co.jp 

K2C Sunshine Band 

Kome Kome Club members. 

Sep 7, 6:30 & 9:30pm, ¥5,500. 

Motion Blue. Nearest stn: 

Bashamichi. Tel: 045-266- 

1919. 

Rock n Roll Summit 

Feat. Kinoco Hotel, Guitar 

Wolf, The 50 Kaitenz, The 

Cherry Cokes, etc. Sep 8, 

2:30pm, ¥3,800. Shibuya-AX. 


shibuya-ax.com 

Tackey and Tsubasa 

J-pop idoru duo. Sep 8-9. 

5pm, ¥7,500. Tokyo Dome. 

Nearest stn: Suidobashi. www. 

tokyo-dome.co.jp 

The Pharcyde 

Old-school LA hip-hop posse. 

Sep 8-9, various times, ¥4,500- 

6,500. Billboard Live. Nearest 

stn: Roppongi. www.billboardlive.com 

Fact 

Mysterious masked J-rockers. 

Sep 11, 6pm, ¥3,200 (adv), 

3,700 (door) +1d. Zepp Diver 

City. Nearest stn: Daiba. www. 

zepp.co.jp/divercity 

Power of Live 

Feat. Atsushi from Dragon 

Ash. Sep 11, 7pm, ¥3,000. Mt. 

Rainer Hall Shibuya Pleasure 

Pleasure. Nearest stn: Shibuya. 

www.atsushi-takahashi.com 

Champagne/Sharks 

Joint gig by J-rock quartet 

and English punk band. Sep 

11, 7pm, ¥4,500. Liquidroom. 


creativeman.co.jp/english 

Mothercoat 

High-speed Tokyo’s rock 'n' 

roll slow life. Sep 12, 6:30pm, 

O-Nest. Nearest stn: Shibuya. 

shibuya-o.com/nest 

Yellowcard 

Alt. rock band from Florida, 

with supporting act Pop 

Disaster. Sep 13, 7pm, ¥6,000 

+1d. Shibuya-AX. Nearest stn: 

Harajuku. www.shibuya-ax. 

com 

Imperial State Electric 

Hard-rock band from The 

Hellacopters’ frontman. Sep 

13, 7pm, ¥3,900. Club Quattro. 


smash-jpn.com 

Nakamura Ataru 

J-pop singer and songwriter. 

Sep 15, 5:30pm, ¥6,300. Tokyo 

International Forum Hall 

C. Nearest stn: Yurakucho. 

www.t-i-forum.co.jp/english 

Kishidan Banpaku 

Rock fest feat. The Gazette, 

Shonan no Kaze, DJ Ozma, 

Momoiro Clovers. Sep 

16-17.11:30am, ¥10,000 

(1 day), ¥19,000 (2 days). 

Sodegaura Seaside Park. 

Nearest stn: Sodegaura. www. 

kishidanbanpaku.com 

Guruguru Mawaru 

Independent music and art 

festival, feat. Lost in Time, 

Harco, Bis, etc. Sep 16, 11:30am, 

¥3,500 (adv), ¥4,500 (door). 

Saitama Stadium. Nearest 

stn: Urawamisono. www. 

gurugurum.wordpress.com 

Sissy 

J-pop quartet. Sep 16, 5pm, 

¥3,500. WWW. Nearest stn: 

Shibuya. www-shibuya.jp 

Sensational Meets Koyxen 

Feat. Kakato, DJ Scotch Bonnet, 

etc. Sep 16, 8pm, ¥2,800 (adv), 

¥3,500 (door). Super Deluxe. 



The Ventures 

US instrumental band does 

a roving Tokyo tour. Check 

their site for times, tickets and 

locations. Until Sep 17. www. 

ventures.com 

Fear Factory 

Industrial heavy-metal band 

with Decapitated. Sep 18, 7pm, 

¥6,800 (adv). Club Quattro. 


smash-jpn.com 

Scissor Sisters 

Glam rock, nu-disco, electroclash 

band from NY. Sep 19, 

6pm, ¥6,500. Studio Coast. 

Nearest stn: Shin-Kiba. www. 

smash-jpn.com 

The Ting Tings 

Retro-pop duo from the UK. 

Sep 21, 7pm, ¥6,000 +1d. Zepp 

Submit your event directly to metropolis.co.jp/listings 

See www.metropolis.co.jp for more listings 

Diver City. Nearest stn: Daiba. 

www.zepp.co.jp/divercity 

Stephen Malkmus and the 

Jicks 

US indie-rock band. Sep 21, 

7pm, ¥6,000.Duo Music 

Exchange. Nearest stn: 

Shibuya. www.creativeman. 

co.jp/english 

Tommy Emmanuel 

Australian guitarist. Sep 

21, 7pm, ¥5,400.Duo Music 

Exchange. Nearest stn: 

Shibuya. www.creativeman. 

co.jp/english 

Let’s Go Young Concert 

Relive the ’80s with various 

Japanese artists. Sep 23, 

5:30pm, ¥4,200-6,300. NHK 

Hall. Nearest stn: Shibuya. 

www.nhk-sc.or.jp 

Asia 

UK classic prog rock group. 

Sep 24-25.7pm, ¥8,000-9,000. 

Shibuya Kokaido. Nearest stn: 

Shibuya. Tel: 03-3463-3022. 

James Iha 

Former Smashing Pumpkins 

axe man. Sep 26, 7pm, ¥6,800. 

Club Quattro. Nearest stn: 

Shibuya. www.smash-jpn. 

com 

Keane 

Best-selling piano-based 

UK soft-rock outfit. Sep 26, 

7pm, ¥6,300. Shibuya-AX. 


creativeman.co.jp/english 

Kool and the Gang 

Celebrate the disco legends. 

Sep 27-29, various times, 



koolandthegang.com 

Muddy Apes 

Feat. Taka Hirose (Feeder), 

Inoran (Luna Sea), Dean Tidey, 

Maeson, Miyoko Yamaguchi 

(Detroit Seven). Sep 28, 7pm, 

¥4,500+1d. Club Quattro. 


red-hot.ne.jp 

Tee 

Japanese singer-songwriter. 

Sep 28, 7pm, ¥4,000-4,200. 

Shibuya-AX. Nearest stn: 


com 

Coldrain 

Emo punk band on their 

Through Clarity tour. Sep 28, 

7pm, ¥3,000 (adv) +1d. O-East. 


shibuya-o.com 

098-2012-Tokyo 

Okinawa rock takes over 

Tokyo. Hosted by Roach 

with Oz, Flip etc. Sep 28, 6pm, 

¥3,000 (adv)/ ¥3,500 (door) 

+1d. Liquidroom. Nearest stn: 

Ebisu. Tel: 03-5464-0800. 

G/R/L/Z 

Pop-rock girl bands, feat. 

Limited Express, Miila and 

the Geeks, etc. Sep 28, 7:30pm, 

¥2,000 (adv), ¥2,500 (door). 

Super Deluxe. Nearest stn: 

Roppongi. www.super-deluxe. 

com 

Ali Project 

Aristocratic Loli-goth female 

J-pop trio. Sep 29, 6pm, ¥5,500. 

Nakano Sun Plaza. Nearest stn: 

Nakano. www.sunplaza.jp 

Tulip 

Old-time quintet combining 

J-pop, J-rock, folk, and boogie. 

Sep 29, 5:30pm, ¥7,500. 

Ichikawa Culture Hall. 

Nearest stn: Ichikawaono 

Station. www.tekona.net/ 

bunkakaikan 

Thriller Live 

Michael Jackson tribute show. 

Sep 29-Dec 9, various times, 

¥6,500-8,500. Blue Theater. 


thrillerlive.jp 

Maroon 5 

LA soft-rock outfit will be 

loved. Oct 2, 7pm, ¥7,800- 

8,800. Nippon Budokan. 

Nearest stn: Kudanshita. www. 

udo.jp 

Tetsuya 

Bassist from visual kei band 

L'Arc~en~Ciel. Oct 2-3.6:30pm, 

¥6,900. Shibuya Koukaido. 


shibuko.com/english 

Wilko Johnson 

English guitarist and 

songwriter. Oct 2, 7:30pm, 

¥6,500 (adv). Club Quattro. 


smash-jpn.com 

Samezame 

J-pop gig for girls only. Sep 

12, 7pm, ¥2,300(adv), ¥2,800 

(door) +1d. Club Que. Nearest 

stn: Shimokitazawa. Oct 3, 

7:30pm, ¥1,500+1d (f). Shibuya 

Boxx. Nearest stn: Harajuku. 

www.samezame-official.com 

Soul’d Out 

Japanese hip-hop trio. Oct 

4, 7pm; Oct 6 & 21 & Nov 3-4, 

6pm. Various locations. www. 

ticket.kyodotokyo.com 

The Inspector Cluzo 

Fusion, groove rock duo from 

France. Oct 4, 7pm, ¥4,000. 


Shibuya. www.smash-jpn.com 

Digitalism 

German electro crew. Oct 5, 

7pm, ¥5,800. Akasaka Blitz. 

Nearest stn: Akasaka. www. 

smash-jpn.com 

Asagiri Jam 

Outdoor music festival. Oct 6-7, 

10am-8pm, ¥13,800 (2 days). 

Asagiri Arena. Nearest stn: 

Fujinomiya. www.smash-jpn. 

com/asagiri 

Tangled Hair 

Indie pop trio. Oct 8, 5pm, 

¥3,500. O-Nest. Nearest stn: 

Shibuya. www.hipjpn.co.jp 

Dirty Projectors 

Sextet from Brooklyn. Oct 9, 

7pm, ¥5,800 (adv + 1d). O-East. 


smash-jpn.com 

Feeder x The Hiatus 

Joint tour by UK alt. rock band 

and Japanese progressive rock 

outfit. Oct 15, 7pm, ¥4,800. 

Studio Coast. Nearest stn: 

Shin-Kiba. www.smash-jpn. 

com/band 

Cannibal Corpse 

Death-metal band from NY. Oct 

15, 7pm, ¥6,000. Club Quattro. 


smash-jpn.com 

Twilight Records Tour 

A Change of Pace, Attack 

Attack, Awake and Dreaming, 

etc. Oct 18, 6:30pm, ¥5,000. 

Unit. Nearest stn: Daikanyama. 

ww.twilight-records.com 

Richard Marx 

US singer-songwriter. 

Oct 19-20, various times, 



billboard-live.com 

Paul Weller 

Legend from The Jam and 

beyond. Oct 22-23, 7pm; Oct 27, 

6pm, ¥7,000-8,000+1d. Zepp 

Diver City. Nearest stn: Daiba. 

www.hitjpn.co.jp 

Sata Andagi 

J-pop trio. Oct 24, 7pm, ¥4,500. 



com 

Loud Park 12 

All-day metal fest feat. Stone 

Sour, Buckcherry, Sonata 

Arctica, etc. Oct 27, 10:30am, 

¥14,500-16,500. Saitama Super 

Arena. Nearest stn: Saitama- 

Shintoshin. www.loudpark. 

com 

Norah Jones 

US singer-songwriter, 

pianist, and actress. Nov 9, 

7pm, ¥7,500-8,500. Nippon 

Budokan.Nearest stn: 

Kudanshita. Tel: 03-3216-5100. 

Skrillex 

US electro producer and 

singer–songwriter. Nov 14, 



smash-jpn.com 

Van Halen 

US hard-rock band. Nov 27, 

7pm, ¥9,000-12,500. Tokyo 

Dome. Nearest stn: Suidobashi. 

Tel: 03-5800-9999. 

Spiritualized 

UK ’90s psychedelic rock 

group. Dec 12, 7pm, ¥6,500. 

O-East. Nearest stn: Shibuya. 

www.smash-jpn.com 

Patti Smith 

The godmother of punk. 

Jan 23, 7:30pm, ¥7,000. 


Harajuku. Jan 24, 7pm, ¥7,000. 

Bunkamura Orchard Hall. 


pattismith.net 

Jazz/World 

Take 6 

American a cappella gospel 

music sextet. Aug 31, various 

times, ¥9,000-11,000. Billboard 

Live. Nearest stn: Roppongi. 

www.billboard-live.com 

Jero 

African-American/Japanese 

enka singer. Aug 31, 6:30 & 

9:30pm, ¥7,000. Motion Blue. 

Nearest stn: Bashamichi. Tel: 

045-266-1919. 

Blow Up 

Veteran musicians play some 

sweet jazz. Aug 31, various 

times, ¥6,500 (adv), ¥7,000 

(door). Pit Inn. Nearest stn: 

Shinjuku-sanchome. www. 

pit-inn.com 

Indo no Uchu 

Indian music feat. Purbayan 

and Anuburata from Calcutta. 

Sep 1, 6pm, ¥4,500. Super 

Deluxe. Nearest stn: Roppongi. 

www.super-deluxe.com 

Rainey’s Band 

Soul and blues trio. Sep 1, 5:30 

& 7:30pm, ¥4,000. Motion Blue. 

Nearest stn: Bashamichi. Tel: 

045-266-1919. 

Shanti 

Japanese lyricist and nu-jazz 

singer-songwriter. Sep 2, 

5:30-7:30pm, ¥2,000. Motion 

Blue. Nearest stn: Bashamichi. 

Blast 

Marching band entertainment. 

Until Sep 2, various times, 

¥7,000-10,000. Tokyo 

International Forum Hall C. 

Nearest stn: Yurakucho. www. 

blast-tour.jp 

Mingus Big Band 

90th birthday celebration 

of legendary bassist Charles 

Mingus. Until Sep 2, various 

times, ¥8,400. Blue Note. 

Nearest stn: Omotesando. 

http://mingusmingusmingus. 

com/mingus-bands 

Bob James Quintet 

Feat. Steve Gadd, Will Lee, Dave 

McMurray and Perry Hughes. 

Sep 3-5, 7& 9:30pm, ¥8,400. Blue 

Note. Nearest stn: Omotesando. 

www.bluenote.co.jp 

Resonance 

Taiko troupe Kodo’s former 

director Kaoru Watanabe’s 

show, feat.percussionists 

Kiyohiko Semba and Testuro 

Naito, etc. Sep 5, 7:30pm, ¥2,500 

(adv), ¥3,000 (door). Orange 

Lady. Nearest stn: Roppongi. 

www.orange-lady.com 

Sky Drive 

Norwegian jazz man Mats 

Eilertsen. Sep 6-7.8pm, 

¥4,000 (adv), ¥5,000 (door). 

Pit Inn. Nearest stn: Shinjuku 

Sanchome. www.pit-inn.com 

Sound Olympic Season 

Yokohama jazz venue’s 10th 

anniversary. Sep 6, 7:30pm, 

¥3,600. Motion Blue. Nearest 

stn: Bashamichi. Tel: 045-266- 

1919. 

Tokyo Jazz 

Star-studded line-up inc. 

Ornette Coleman, Burt 

Bacharach, Ben E. King. Sep 7-9, 

various times, various tickets. 

Cotton Club. Nearest stn: 

Tokyo. www.tokyo-jazz.com 

Eddie Palmieri Salsa 

Orchestra 

Big-band style Latin tunes. 


¥8,400. Blue Note. Nearest stn: 

Omotesando. www.bluenote. 

co.jp 

Indo Ongaku to Buyo no 

Hitotoki 

Indian music inc. bansuri, 

tabla, and kathak dance. Sep 

8, 2:30pm, ¥2,000 (door). 

Chiba Wakaba Bunka Hall. 

Nearest stn: Chishirodai. 

www.f-cp.jp 

Jaga Jazzist 

Norwegian jazz band. Sep 

9, 5:30 & 8:30pm, ¥4,200. 

Motion Blue. Nearest stn: 

Bashamichi. Tel: 045-266- 

1919. 

Burt Bacharach 

Multiple hit-machine at 

the ripe old age of 84. Sep 

10, various times, ¥21,000- 

23,000. Billboard Live. 

Nearest stn: Roppongi.http:// 

bacharachonline.com 

Zaz 

Jazzy chanteuse. Sep 10, 

7pm, ¥7,000. Akasaka Blitz. 

Nearest stn: Akasaka. www. 

hipjpn.co.jp 

Dean Brown Group 

US jazz-fusion band. Sep 

11-13, 6:30 & 9pm, ¥7,500- 

9,500 (door). Cotton Club. 

Nearest stn: Tokyo. www. 

cottonclubjapan.co.jp. Sep 

15, 5:30 & 8:30pm, ¥6,500. 

Motion Blue. Nearest 

stn: Bashamichi. www. 

motionblue.co.jp 

La Caravane Passe 

French group blending 

jazz, alt. rock, and electro. 

Sep 11, 7:30pm, ¥5,000 

(general), ¥3,500 (student). 


Shibuya. www.club-quattro. 

com 

Joe Sample & the Creole 

Joe Band 

Joe’s back. Sep 11-12. 7 & 

9:30pm, ¥8,400. Blue Note. 



Naruyoshi Kikuchi Dub 

Septet 

Japanese jazz man, sax 

player, vocalist, writer, and 

composer. Sep 13, various 

times, ¥6,500. Blue Note. 



Nelson Rangell 

Smooth-jazz musician 

and composer. Sep 14-16, 

various times, ¥6,500- 

8,500. Cotton Club. 



Freddie McGregor 

Reggae singer. Sep 14-15, 

various times, ¥7,500. 

Blue Note. Nearest stn: 


co.jp 

Makoto Ozone Trio 

Feat. Christian McBride 

and Jeff “Tain” Watts. Sep 

16-19, various times, ¥8,400. 

Blue Note. Nearest stn: 


co.jp 

Eric Lee 

Hawaian singer-songwriter. 

Sep 19, various times, 

¥4,800-7,000. Cotton Club. 



Kenny Garret 

Grammy-winning jazz 

fusion sax man. Sep 19-20. 

¥5,500-7,500. Billboard 

Live. Nearest stn: Roppongi. 

beta.asoundstrategy.com/ 

assiwebsites/site476 

Robin McKelle & The 

Flystones 

Soul/R&B with new and 

nostalgic melodies. Sep 

20-22, various times, 

#962 • WWW.METROPOLIS.CO.JP • 13

Agenda Listings Go to www.meturl.com/listinGs for complete listinGs 

¥5,800-8,000. Cotton Club. 



The Mannish Boys 

LA blues band. Sep 20, 

7pm, ¥5,250. Akasaka 

Blitz. Nearest stn: Akasaka. 

www.tbs.co.jp/blitz. Oct 22, 



themannishboys.com 

Tokyo Big Band 

Jonathan Katz leads 

accomplished 20-person jazz 

ensemble. Sep 21, 7:30 & 9pm, 

¥3,500 (adv), ¥4,000 (door). 

Akasaka B Flat. Nearest stn: 

Akasaka. http://bflat.biz 

Kaori Kobayashi 

Sax player. Sep 21, 7pm, 

¥3,500. Mori no Hall. Nearest 

stn: Hashimoto. Tel: 042-775- 

3811. 

Shibuya Reggae Festival 

Spicy Chocolate’s 18th 

anniversary. Sep 22, 4pm, 

¥4,800. O-East. Nearest 

stn: Shibuya.shibuya-o. 

com/east 

Monty Alexander 

Jazz pianist with Jamaican 

flair. Sep 26-28, 6:30 & 

9:30pm, ¥7,500-9,500. 

Cotton Club. Nearest 

stn: Tokyo. www. 


Dag Arnesen Trio 

Norwegian folk songs. 

Sep 27, 7:30pm, ¥4,000 

(adv), ¥5,000 (door). 

Koen-Dori Classics. www. 

radio-zipangu.com 

Rickie Lee Jones 

US vocalist, muscician, 

songwriter, and producer. 


¥9,000. Blue Note. Nearest 

stn: Omotesando. www. 

bluenote.co.jp 

Tokyo Crossover/Jazz 

Festival 

DJ and impresario Shuya 

Okino’s brainchild. 

Sep 29, 6pm, various 

tickets. The Garden Hall. 


tokyocrossoverjazzfestival.jp 

World Music Festa 

Gypsy orchestra. Sep 30, 

5:30pm, ¥4,500-6,500. 

Sumida Triphony Hall. 

Nearest stn: Kinshicho. 

www.triphony.com 

Bobby Caldwell 

Smooth jazz musician big 

in Japan. Oct 1-6, various 

times, ¥9,000-11,000. 

Billboard Live. Nearest 

stn: Roppongi. www. 

bobbycaldwell.com/ 

J.A.M. 

Josei (Piano), Akita 

Goldman (Double Bass), 

Midorin (Drums). Oct 3, 

7& 9:30pm, ¥4,000-6,000. 

Billboard Live. Nearest stn: 

Roppongi. www.billboardlive.com 

Lazlos Belki and his 

Gypsy Band 

Gypsy music concert with 

talk. Oct 4, 7pm, ¥3,800. 

Sagamihara South Hall. 

Nearest stn: Sagamiono 

Station. www.hall-net.or.jp 

Yokohama Jazz 

Promenade 

20th anniversary of Japan's 

largest jazz festival feat.90 

artists. Oct 6-7. Noon-9pm, 

¥4,000 (adv 1 day). Various 

locations. www.jazzpro.jp 

Hypnotic Brass 

Ensemble 

Eight sons of jazz trumpeter 

Phil Cohran. Oct 9, 7:30pm, 

¥6,000. Club Quattro. 


smash-jpn.com 

Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 

Afrobeat musician and son of 

Fela. Nov 20, 7:30pm, ¥7,000. 


Shibuya. www.smash-jpn. 

com 

ClassiCal 

Chinju no Mori Concert 

Absorb multi-genre music 

amid natural beauty. Sep 2, 

6pm, ¥5,800. Meiji Jingu Gaien. 


chinju-no-mori.or.jp 

Mezamashi Classics 

Bathe in the classical vibe. Sep 

5, 7pm, ¥5,500. Oji Hall. Nearest 

stn: Ginza. www.ojihall.jp. Oct 

3, 7pm, ¥5,000. Yokohama 

Minato Mirai Hall. Nearest stn: 

Minatomirai. www.yaf.or.jp 

Koji Oikawa 

Piano Recital. Sep 14, 7pm, 

¥3,800-4,500. Suntory Hall. 

Nearest stn: Roppongiitchome. 

Tel: 03-3234-9999. 

Chopin International 

Festival 

Tribute to legendary Polish 

composer. Sep 15-16, 2pm, 

¥4,000-6,000. Karuizawa Ohga 

Hall. Nearest stn: Karuizawa. 

www.ohgahall.or.jp 

Peter Jablonski 

Piano recital. Sep 21, 7pm, 

¥3,000-5,000. Suntory Hall. 


Tel: 03-3234-999. 

www.suntory.com/culturesports/suntoryhall 

Eguchi Shinichi 

Famous cellist joins pianist 

Aoyagi Shin. Sep 23, 2pm, 

¥3,500. Oji Hall. Nearest stn: 

Ginza. www.ojihall.jp 

Viva Vivaldi 

Feat. New Italy Chorus. Sep 

26-27.3& 7pm, ¥5,000. Sumida 

Triphony Hall. Nearest stn: 

Kinshicho. www.triphony.com 

International Oboe 

Competition of Japan 

10th Anniversary. First prize 

¥1,300,000. Sep 30-Oct 8.free. 

Karuizawa Ohga Hall. Nearest 

stn: Karuizawa. www.oboeck.jp 

All About Heinz Holliger 

Swiss oboist, composer and 

conductor. Oct 6-8.3pm, 

¥4,500-6,500. Sumida 



NHK Symphony Orchestra 

Feat.works by Mozart, 

Mendelssohn, and Tchaikovsky. 

Oct 6, 3:30pm, ¥3,000-7,500. 

Bunkamura Orchard Hall. 


bunkamura.co.jp 

Sayaka Shoji & Gianluca 

Cascioli Duo Recital 

Beethoven sonata for violin 

and piano. Oct 7, 3pm, ¥6,000. 

Saitama Arts Theater. Nearest 

stn: Yonohonmachi. www. 

saf.or.jp 

Citibank Gala Concert 

Concert celebrating the 

200th anniversary including 

orchestral works by Monti 

and Bizet. Oct 10, 7pm, ¥5,000- 

10,000. Bunkamura Orchard 

Hall. Nearest stn: Shibuya. 

www.bunkamura.co.jp 

Road 

Pianist Makoto Ozone with No 

Name Horses. Oct 13, 6:30pm, 

¥6,000. Green Hall. Nearest stn: 

Sagami-Oono. www.hall-net. 

or.jp 

Requiem 

Feat.conductor Toshiyuki 

Kamioka and New Japan 

Philharmonic Orchestra. Oct 

13, 3pm, ¥6,000-8,000. Sumida 



Salome 

The story of the biblical femme 

fatale, by Vienna State Ballet. 

Oct 14, 3pm; Oct 16, 4pm; Oct 

19, 7pm, 

Stage 

Gamarjobat Silent 

Comedy 

Seasoned comic pros. Until Sep 

2, various times, ¥4,500-5,000. 

Kanagawa Arts Theater. Nearest 

stn: Motomachi-Chukagai. Nov 

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

27-Dec 2, various times, ¥4,500- 

5,000. The Galaxy Theater. 

Nearest stn: Kita-shinagawa. 

www.gamarjobat.com 

TACT/FEST 

Performing arts festival. Sep 

1-9, Various times, ¥4,500 

(general), ¥1,500 (children). 

Tokyo Metropolitan Art Space. 

Nearest stn: Ikebukuro. www. 

tact-japan.net 

That’s Gamaru Show 

Feat.silent comedians 

Gamarjobat. Sep 1, 1pm, 

¥4,000-4,500. Kanagawa 

Arts Theater. Nearest stn: 

Motomachi-Chukagai. Tel: 

045-633-6500. 

Shockheaded Peter 

Hungarian musical 

based on German children’s 

story. Sep 1-9, various times, 

¥4,500 (general). Tokyo 

Metropolitan Theater. Nearest 

stn: Ikebukuro. www.geigeki. 

jp/english 

Kyotonomatopee 

Onomatopoeic voice 

performance. Until Sep 2, 

various times, ¥2,200 (door). 

Komaba Agora Theater. 

Nearest stn: Komabatodaimae. 

www.seinendan.org 

Tokyo Fukubukuro 

Various performing artists. 

Sep 2-Oct 9, various times, 

¥3,000 (adv), ¥3,500 

(door), ¥1,000 (HS). Tokyo 

Metropolitan Theater. Nearest 

stn: Ikebukuro. www.geigeki. 

jp/english 

Million Dollar Quartet 

Broadway show based on 

Cash, Perkins, Lewis, and 

Presley. Sep 5-17, various 

times, ¥7,500-9,000. Theatre 

Orb. Nearest stn: Shibuya. 

www.theatre-orb.com. Sep 

8, 3:40pm, ¥11,100. Foreign 

Correspondents Club of Japan. 

Nearest stn: Yurakucho. www. 

fccj.ne.jp 

Kohakuiro no Ame ni 

Nurarete Celebrity 

Musical by all-female 

performing group 

Takarazuka. Sep 8-9, Noon & 

4pm, ¥5,000-7,000. Green Hall. 

Nearest stn: Sagami- Oono. 

www.hall-net.or.jp 

Miss Saigon 

Musical based on Puccini’s 

opera Madame Butterfly. Until 

Sep 9, various times, ¥7,500- 

12,500. Aoyama Theater. 


tohostage.com/miss_saigon 

Hedwig and the Angry 

Inch 

Japanese remake of 

musical about East German 

transgender rock singer. Until 

Sep 10, various times, ¥7,800 

+1d. O-East. Sep 28-30, various 

times, ¥7,800 + 1d. Zepp 

Tokyo. Nearest stn: Aomi. 

www.hedwig2012.jp 

Roppongi Comedy Show 

Stand-up and improv. 

Sep 14, 8pm; Oct 12, 8pm; 

Nov 9, 8pm; Dec 14, 8pm, 

¥2000+1d. Matsuri. Nearest 


tokyocomedy.com/roppongi_ 

comedy_show 

Chicago 

Broadway show about 

celebrity crime in the 

prohibition era. Until Sep 16, 

various times, ¥9,500-12,500. 

ACT Theater. Nearest stn: 

Akasaka. Tel: 03-3589-2277. 

Jack the Ripper 

Musical about the scourge of 

Victorian London. Sep 16-Oct 

8, various times, ¥9,500- 

16,000. Aoyama Theater. 


jack-the-ripper.jp 

My Yotsuya Kaidan 

Rock musical based on a 

popular ghost story. Sep 

17-Oct 14, various times, 

¥5,000-9,500. Bunkamura 

Theater Cocoon. Nearest stn: 

Shibuya. www.bunkamura. 

co.jp 

Peter Grimes 

Benjamin Britten opera 

featuring foreign and Japanese 

performers. Oct 2-14, 2pm 

& 6:30pm, ¥5,250-¥26,250. 

New National Theatre Tokyo. 

Nearest stn: Hatsudai. www. 

nntt.jac.go.jp 

Romeo & Juliet 

French version of the 

star-crossed lovers. Oct 6-21, 

¥5,000-13,000. Theatre Orb. 


theatre-orb.com 

Kyotaro Yanagiya 

Rakugo traditional comic 

storytelling. Oct 13, 3pm, 

¥3,000. Saitama Arts Theater. 

Nearest stn: Yonohonmachi. 

www.saf.or.jp 

The Wiz 

Adaptation of The Wizard of 

Oz. Sep 28-30, various times, 

¥5,000-10,000. Kanagawa 


Motomachi-Chukagai. www. 

kaat.jp/pf/wiz.html. Oct 18-28, 


Tokyo International Forum 

Hall C. Nearest stn: Yurakucho. 

www.parco-play.com. 

Rumors 

Farce by Neil Simon. Oct 

18-Nov 4, 2pm & 6:30pm, 

¥5,000-9,000. Le Theatre 

Ginza. Nearest stn: Ginza 

Icchome Station or Kyobachi 

Station. www.parco-play.com 

The Magic Flute 

Mozart opera directed by Paul 

Weigold. Oct 26, 6pm, ¥7,000- 

9,000 (MS & over). Kanagawa 



kaat.jp 

Festival Tokyo 

International performing 

arts festival. Oct 27-Nov 25, 

Tokyo Metropolitan Art Space. 


festival-tokyo.jp/en 

Tosca 

Puccini opera portrays classic 

story of love and hate. Repeat 

production by Antonello 

Madau Diaz. Nov 11-23, 2pm 

& 7pm, ¥4,200-23,100. New 

National Theatre Tokyo. 


nntt.jac.go.jp/english 

Phantom of the Opera 

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s 

classic adaptation. Ongoing, 


Dentsu Shiki Theater Umi. 

Nearest stn: Shinbashi. www. 

shiki.gr.jp 

Dance 

Namidame Corduroy 

Modern dance by Idevian 

Crew. Sep 1-29, 3pm, 

7:30pm, ¥3,500 (general). 

Yoshidamachi Studios. 

Nearest stn: Kannai. http:// 

izayoiyoshidamachistudio. 

com 

Dance Ga Mitai 

International dance festival. 

Until Sep 5, 7:30pm, ¥2,300 

(adv), 2,800 (door).D-Soko. 

Nearest stn: Nippori. www. 

geocities.jp/azabubu/index_d. 

html 

Dance Triennale 

International dance festival 

with workshops, street 

performances, dance films, 

etc. Sep 27-Oct 14, Spiral Hall, 

Image Forum, Aoyama Round 

Theater, UN University. www. 

datto.jp 

Onegin 

Ballet in three acts by John 

Cranko. Sep 28, 7pm; Sep 29, 

3pm; Sep 30, 3pm, ¥1,500- 

12,000. Tokyo Bunka Kaikan. 

Nearest stn: Ueno. www.nbs. 

or.jp 

Womanhood 

Experimental dance by Miyuki 

and others. Oct 2, 7:30pm, 

¥3,000 (adv), ¥3,500 (door). 

Super Deluxe. Nearest stn: 

Roppongi. www.super-deluxe. 

com 

Dance Dance Dance 

Classical ballet to traditional 

Japanese, street and 

contemporary dance. 

Until Oct 6, various times, 

various price. Various 

venues in Yokohama. www. 

dance-yokohama.jp 

The Universe of Mandala 

Contemporary dance inspired 

by Buddhist themes, by 

Moriyama Kaiji. Oct 17-21, 

3pm & 7pm, ¥3,150-5,250. 

New National Theatre Tokyo. 


nntt.jac.go.jp 

Dedicated Image 

Modern dance performance. 

Oct 19, 7pm; Oct 20, 2pm; 

Oct 21, 2pm, ¥6,000-7,500. 

Kanagawa Arts Theater. 

Nearest stn: Motomachi- 

Chukagai. www.kaat.jp 

Le Nozze di Figaro 

Mozart’s comic opera. Oct 20 & 

28, 3pm; Oct 23, 5pm, ¥29,000- 

59,000. Kanagawa Kenmin 

Hall. Nearest stn: Nihonodori. 

www.nbs.or.jp 

Sylvia 

Leo Delibe’s ballet of a 

nymph-human love affair. 

Oct 27-Nov 13, 2pm & 7pm, 

¥3,150-12,600. New National 

Theatre Tokyo. Nearest stn: 

Hatsudai. www.nntt.jac.go.jp 

Clubbing 

Friday 31 

Ageha 

411 Nightz. Hip-hop: DJs 

Kango, Pmx, etc: Live: Ds455 

and more. From 11pm, 

(m)¥3,500, (f)¥2,000. Nearest 

stn: Shin-Kiba. www.ageha. 

com 

Air 

Motivation. Electro: DJs Towa 

Tei, Moodman, etc. From 

10pm, ¥3,000. Nearest stn: 

Shibuya. www.air-tokyo.com 

Club Asia 

Un Go. Hip-hop, breaks: DJs 

Jin, Shun, etc: Live: Insist and 

more. From 11pm, ¥3,500 

w/1d. Nearest stn: Shibuya. 

www.clubasia.co.jp 

Eleven 

Bob Marley, Roots of Legend 

Release Party. Reggae, DJs 

Kudo, Ienaga, etc. Live: Hiroshi 

Fujiwara and more.10pm. 

From 10pm, ¥3,000. Nearest 


go-to-eleven.com 

Micro Cosmos 

First Choice. Hip-hop: DJs 

Maki the Magic, Yo-Gin, etc. 

From 12am, ¥2,500 w/1d. 


microcosmos-tokyo.com 

Module 

Splendid Sound. Progressive 

house, techno: DJs Ree K, 

Ryota, etc. From 9pm, ¥2,500 


www.module-tokyo.com 

Sound Museum Vision 

Classics. Hip-hop: DJs Evil Dee, 

Southpaw Chop, etc. From 

10pm, ¥3,000 w/1d. Nearest 

stn: Shibuya. www. Visiontokyo.com 

The New Matrix Bar 

Matrix Friday. Old school 

hip-hop, west side, south 

side, all mix: DJ Ykk and 

more. From 6pm, ¥1,000 

(after 11:30pm). Nearest stn: 

Roppongi. www.matrixbar.jp 

The Room 

Flash. Hip-hop: DJs Shark, 

Suwa, etc. From 10pm, ¥2,000 


www.theroom.jp 

Warehouse702 

Turned on. House, electro: 

DJs Vivid, Kiraz, etc. From 


stn: Azabu-Juban. www. 

warehouse702.com 

Womb 

Sterne meets Wire 12 After 

Party. Techno: DJs Egbert, 

Ishino, etc. From 11pm, ¥3,500. 


womb.co.jp 

saturday 1 

Ageha 

Ultra Music. House, tech house: 

DJs Pierre, Emma, etc. From 


Shin-Kiba. www.ageha.com 

Air 

X Juice. House, electro: DJs 

Dexpistols, Kyoko, etc. From 



Club Asia 

Kaikoo Bllr. Hip-hop: DJs Baku, 

Miyu, etc. From 11pm, ¥3,500. 


clubasia.co.jp 

Micro Cosmos 

Black Munchee. Techno: DJ 

Usus and more. From 12am, 

¥2,000 w/1d. Nearest stn: 

Shibuya. www.microcosmostokyo.com 

Module 

Barrier. Techno, minimal: 

DJs Kabuto, Seep, etc. From 


stn: Shibuya. www.moduletokyo.com 

Rockwest 

Afterhours.DJs Twomey, Bob 

Rogue, Mark Wood. 5:30am, 

¥2,000. Nearest stn: Shibuya. 

www.rockwest.jp 


Magic Funk. Electro: DJs 

Designer Drugs, Punkadelix, 

etc. From 10pm, ¥3,000. 


Vision-tokyo.com 

The New Matrix Bar 

Saturday Night Fever. Hip-hop, 

R&B, reggae: DJ Ykk and more. 

From 6pm, ¥1,000 (after 

10pm). Nearest stn: Roppongi. 

www.matrixbar.jp 

The Room 

Especial Records Session. House, 

jazz: DJs Yoshihiro Okino(Kyoto 

Jazz Massive), Yukari, etc. From 

10pm, ¥2,500 w/1d. Nearest stn: 

Shibuya. www.theroom.jp 

Unit 

Future is Now. Electric: DJs 

Ree K, Wada, etc. From 

11:30pm, ¥2,500. Nearest 

stn: Daikanyama. www. 

unit-tokyo.com 

Warehouse702 

Funktaxi. Techno: DJs Marc 

Schneider, Den, etc. From 

11pm, ¥3,500 w/1d (m), 

¥2,500 w/1d (f). Nearest 



Womb 

06s.Drumnbass: DJs Camo & 

Krooked, Disaszt, etc. From 


Shibuya. www.womb.co.jp 

sunday 2 

Module 

Signum. Techno, house: DJs 

Amari, Miboo, etc. From 5pm, 


Shibuya. www.module-tokyo. 

com 

Womb 

Day & Nite. House: DJs Crimson 

K, Ino, etc. 4-10pm, ¥2,500. 


womb.co.jp 

Monday 3 

Air 

Red. House, electro: DJs Nakata, 

Uchida, etc. From 10pm, ¥3,000 


www.air-tokyo.com 

The Room 

Trane. Beat music: DJs Nagao, 

Sayaka, etc. 6-11pm, ¥1,000. 


theroom.jp 

Warehouse702 

Dj StatikSelektah & 

Termanology. Hip-hop: DJs 

Statik Selektah, Termanology,

etc. From 10pm, ¥4,000 w/1d. 

Nearest stn: Azabu-Juban. 

www.warehouse702.com 

Womb 

09edge.Drumnbass, house: DJs 

Takeru, Raymond, etc. From 


stn: Shibuya. www.womb.co.jp 

tuesday 4 

Air 

Martes. House, techno: DJs 

Kikiorix, Timo, etc. From 10pm, 



Ruby Room 

Open Mic. Open mic. 

From 7pm, ¥1,000 w/2d. 



Wednesday 5 

The Room 

Noi. Bar style: DJs Yagisawa, 

Endo, etc. 6-11pm, free. Nearest 

stn: Shibuya. www.theroom.jp 

thursday 6 

Air 

Integration. House, techno: DJs 

Gonno, Kent, etc. From 10pm, 



The Room 

El Amor.Disco, house: DJs Jeff 

Brown, Endo, etc. From 10pm, 


Shibuya. www.theroom.jp 

Warehouse702 

Spec. House, electro: DJs 

Hiroki-Kura, Yo, etc. From 




Womb 

Mid. Tech house: DJs Kitajima, 

Kensuke, etc. From 10pm, 

¥1,500. Nearest stn: Shibuya. 

www.womb.co.jp 

Friday 7 

Air 

Ti$a. Hip-hop 

DJs Hasebe, Jommy, etc: Live: 

Taz Arnold & Ti$a Crew. From 



Club Asia 

Get Hi-Tech. Tech dance: DJs 

Yoji, Shibee, etc. From 11pm, 


Shibuya. www.clubasia.co.jp 

Micro Cosmos 

Honey Drippin’. Hip-hop: DJs 

Da-I, Ryuhei, etc. From 12am, 


Shibuya. www.microcosmostokyo.com 

Ruby Room 

Aotna.DJs Igaram, Groover, 

etc. From 8pm, ¥1,000. 




Rad. Hip-hop: DJs Off the 

Rocker, Verbal, etc. From 

10pm, (m)¥3,000, (F)¥2,500. 


Vision-tokyo.com 

The Room 

Breakthrough. Hip-hop 

DJs Jin, Ladi Dadi, etc: Live: 

Root Soul. From 10pm, ¥2,500 


www.theroom.jp 

Warehouse702 

Fire. House: DJs Usus, Hatori, 

etc. From 10pm, (m)¥3,500 

w/1d, (f)¥2,500 w/1d. Nearest 



Womb 

Star Fortune 5. All mix: DJs Star 

Scream, Sugimoto, etc. From 


Shibuya. www.womb.co.jp 

uPCoMing 

Ageha 

Edm States. Electronic dance 

music: DJs Hard Rock Sofa, 

Hirata, etc. Sep 8, from 11pm, 

¥3,500. Nearest stn: Shin-Kiba. 

www.ageha.com 

Warehouse702 

Mariana. Minimal techno: 

Abdulla Rashim, Dave Twomey, 

So, etc. Sep 8, from 11pm, ¥2,000 

(before 12am), ¥2,500 (f), ¥3,000 

(m). Nearest stn: Azabu-Juban. 

www.warehouse702.com 

Exhibitions 

akasaka/roPPongi 

Mori Art Museum 

Arab Express. The latest art 

from the Arab world. Until Oct 

28, ¥1,500 (general). MAM 

Project: Lee Changwon. Visual 

trickery, mechanism and 

dangers of the act of seeing. 

until Oct 28, ¥1,500 (general), 

¥1,000 (Univ & HS). Open Mon 

& Wed-Sun 10am-10pm, Tue 

10am-5pm.6-10-1 Roppongi. 


mori.art.museum 

Mori Arts Center Gallery 

Ancient Egyptian Book of 

the Dead. Journey through 

the afterlife. Until Sep 17, 

¥1,500.52F Roppongi Hills 

Tower, 6-10-1 Roppongi. 

Nearest stn: Roppongi. Tel: 

03-5777-8600. 

Suntory Hall 

A Wonderland of Japanese Art. 

See, feel, and experience art. 

Until Sep 2, ¥1,000. Akasaka 

1-13-1, Minato-ku, Tokyo. 


www.suntory.com/ 

culture-sports/suntoryhall 

Suntory Museum of Art 

Otogi-zoshi. Illustrated tales 

from medieval Japan. Sep 

19-Nov 4, ¥1,300. Open 

Wed-Sat 10am-8pm, Sun-Mon 

& hols 10am-6pm, closed 

Tue.9-7-4 Akasaka. Nearest 

stn: Roppongi. www.suntory. 

jp/sma 

The National Art Center, 

Tokyo 

Gutai. Avant-garde artist group 

from the ’50s-’70s. Until Sep 10, 

¥1,000. Given Forms. Various 

media by Toeko Tatsuno. 

Until Oct 22, Open Wed-Mon 

10am-6pm, closed Tue.7-22-2 

Roppongi. Nearest stn: 

Roppongi. www.nact.jp 

Tokyo Midtown 

Tokyo Photo 2012. Japan’s first 

international art fair dedicated 

to photography. Sep 28-Oct 1, 

11am-7pm, ¥1,500.9 Akasaka. 


03-3475-3100. 

ginza/kyobashi/ 

tokyo 

Bridgestone Museum 

Debussy, Music and the Arts. 

150th anniversary of the 

French composer's birth. 

Until Oct 14, ¥1,500. Open 

Tue-Sun & hols 10am-8pm, 

closed Mon.1-10-1 Kyobashi, 

Chuo-ku. Nearest stn: Tokyo. 

www.bridgestone-museum. 

gr.jp/en 

Craft Gallery, The National 

Museum of Modern Art 

Crafts Gallery for Kids & Adults: 

Botany in Craft. Handcrafted 

plant-like objects. Until 

Sep 2, ¥200. Open Tue-Thu 

10am-5pm, Fri 10am-8pm, 

Sat-Sun 10am-5pm.1-1 

Kitanomaru-koen Chiyoda-Ku. 

Nearest stn: Takebashi. www. 

momat.go.jp/english 

Galleria Grafica Bis 

Rock & Roll Dragon. Intricate 

dragon drawn with 0.5mm 

mechanical pencil by Hideo 

Aratani. Sep 3-8, free. Ginza S2 

Bldg, 6-13-4 Ginza. Nearest stn: 

Ginza. www.tokyo.mae.lu/jp/ 

node_19876/hana-hito-tokyo 

Idemitsu Museum of Arts 

White Ceramics of China, Korea 

and Japan. White porcelain 

from the Song Dynasty. Until 

Oct 21, ¥1,000 (generals). 

White Pottery of the Orient. 

Chinese porcelain from 

6th century. Until Oct 21, 

10am-5pm, ¥1,000 (general). 

Open Tue-Thu 10am-5pm, 

Fri 10am-7pm, closed 

Mon. 9F Teigeki Bldg, 3-1-1 

Marunouchi. Nearest stn: 

Tokyo. www.idemitsu.co.jp/ 

museum 

Maison Hermes 

Cloud City. Large-scale 

installations by Thomas 

Saraceno. Until Aug 31, 

free.5-4-1 Ginza. Nearest stn: 

Ginza. www.hermes.com 

Mitsubishi Ichigokan 

Museum 

Chardin. Works by 

18th-century French 

painter, Jean-Baptiste- 

Siméon Chardin. Sep 8-Jan 

6, ¥1,500 (door). Wed-Fri 

10am-8pm, Tue, Sat & Sun/ 

hols 10am-6pm, closed 

Mon.2-6-2 Marunouchi. 


mimt.jp 

National Film Center 

Nihon Eiga. History of 

Japanese films from the 

NFC collection. Until Jan 1, 

Ongoing, ¥200. Nikkatsu 100: 

A Century of Japanese Cinema. 

Japan's oldest major movie 

studio's history. Until Dec 23, 

free. Open Tue-Thu & Sat-Sun 

10am-5pm, Fri 10am-8pm.3- 

7-6 Kyobashi. Nearest stn: 

Kyobashi. www.momat.go.jp 

National Museum of 

Modern Art Tokyo 

Kids Momat. Arts and craft 

program for children. Until 

Aug 31, various times, 

¥160. Botany in Craft. Crafts 

Gallery for kids and adults 

at the Museum of Modern 

Art Tokyo. Until Sep 2, 

10am-5pm, ¥200. New 

Footing. Eleven approaches 

to contemporary crafts. 

Sep 15-Dec 2, ¥500. 

Open Tue-Thu & Sat-Sun 

10am-5pm, Fri 10am-8pm.3- 

7-6 Kyobashi. Nearest stn: 

Takebashi. www.momat. 

go.jp 

New Otani Art Museum 

Marie Laurencin and her 

Era: artists attracted to Paris. 

Paintings from early 20th 

century. Until Sep 30, ¥800. 

Open Tue-Sun 10am-6pm, 

closed Mon.6F, 4-1 Kioi-cho, 

Chiyoda-ku. Nearest stn: 

Yotsuya. www.newotani. 

co.jp/group/museum 

Satoshi Koyama Gallery 

Experiences of Place. 

Photography by Suzanne 

Mooney. Opening reception 

Sep 1. Sep 1-22, free. 

Wed-Sat, 1-6pm.501 Shoro 

Bldg, 3-2-12 Nihonbashi- 

Honcho. Nearest stn: 

Mitsukoshimae.tokyo. 

satoshikoyamagallery.com 

Span Art Gallery 

Toru Nogawa.Dark fantasy 

illustrations. Sep 3-15, free. 

Fuyu Yamada. Illustrations 

expressing decadent 

beauty. Sep 17-22, free. 

Katsumi Yamazaki. Satirical 

illustrator and shikoku-e 

artist. Sep 24-29, free. 

Hideki Koh. Contemporary 

shunga of homo-erotic 

boys. Oct 6-13, free. 

Akihiko Aono, Shigeru 

Ozawa, Sihachi Nakashima. 

Creations by three doll 

makers. Oct 15-27, free. 

Nobu Hosana. Landscape 

paintings. Oct 29-Nov 3, 

free. Itsuko Azuma. Mystical 

illustrations. Nov 5-17, free. 

Open Mon-Sat 11am-7pm, 

closed Sun.2-2-18 Ginza. 

Nearest stn: Ginza. www. 

span-art.co.jp 

Vanilla Gallery 

Lesbian & Queer Art. Emilie 

Jouvet and Goodyn Green's 

photography from Paris and 

Berlin. Until Sep 1, ¥500. 

Slaughterhouse-six. Blow-up 

farmer Saeborg's latex 

livestock and rubber ranch. 

Sep 3-8, 2-7pm, noon-5pm 

(last day). Open Mon-Fri 

noon-7pm, Sat noon-5pm, 

closed Sun.4F Daini Kamata 

Bldg, 6-10-10 Ginza. Nearest 

stn: Ginza. Tel: 03-5568-1233. 

Start a 

Company 

in Japan 

Terrie Lloyd 

President and CEO 

LINC Media Inc. and 

Japan Inc Holdings Group 

Sat, 

Sep 29, 

2012 

Entrepreneur's Handbook Seminar 

If you have been considering setting 

up your own company, find out what 

it takes to make it successful. 

Terrie Lloyd, founder of over 17 

start-up companies in Japan, will be 

giving an English-language seminar 

and Q & A on starting up a company 

in Japan. 

This is an ideal opportunity to find out 

what is involved, and to ask specific 

questions that are not normally 

answered in business books. 

All materials are in English and are 

Japan-focused. 

››› www.japaninc.com/entrepreneur_handbook_seminar 


Agenda Listings Go to www.meturl.com/listinGs for complete listinGs 

haraJuku/aoyaMa 

Laforet Museum 

Ozaki 20. Photographs, voice, 

notebooks in memory of 

Yutaka Ozaki a 26-year-old 

singer-songwriter. Sep 7-19, 

¥1,500. Laforet Harajuku 6F, 

1-11-6 Jingumae. Nearest 

stn: Meiji-jingumae. www. 

laforet.ne.jp 

Nezu Museum 

The Tale of the Heike 

Painting Album. Japanese 

paintings and literature 

from 17-18th centuries. Sep 

8-Oct 21, ¥1,000. The Tale 

of the Heike Painting Album: 

Transience in Miniature 

Form. The Tale of the Heike 

in miniature fan-shaped 

paintings. Sep 8-Oct 21, 

¥1,000. Shibata Zeshin: From 

Lacquer Arts to Painting. 

The late Edo-Meiji master. 

Nov 1-Dec 16, ¥1,000.6-5-1 

Minami-Aoyama. Nearest 

stn: Omotesando. www. 

nezu-muse.or.jp/en 

Toto Gallery Ma 

Studio Mumbai: Praxis. 

Reconstruction of materials 

brought back from India. 

Until Sep 22, 3F, Toto 

Nogizaka Blg, 1-24-3 Minami- 

Aoyama. Nearest stn: 

Nogizaka. www.toto.co.jp/ 

gallerma 

Ukiyo-e Ota Memorial 

Museum of Art 

“Fifty-three Stations of the 

Tokaido Road.” Ukiyo-e by 

Hiroshige and Kunisada. 

Until Sep 26, 10:30am- 

5:30pm, ¥700. Tsukioka 

Yoshitoshi: 120th Memorial 

Retrospective. The last great 

master of ukiyo-e (Japanese 

woodblock printing). Oct 

2-Nov 25, ¥1,000 (general), 

¥700 (HS). Open Tue-Sun 

10:30am-5:30pm, closed 

Mon.1-10-10 Jingumae. 


ukiyoe-ota-muse.jp 

shibuya/ebisu 

Bunkamura Gallery 

The Splender of the Kithan 

Dynsasty. Various media 

from Mongolia. Until Sep 

17, free. The Real and the 

Imagined: Watercolours from 

The Whitworth Art Gallery. 

English watercolors from 

18-19th centuries. Oct 

20-Dec 9, ¥1,400 (general). 

Akihiro Watabiki's Piccolo- 

Museum. Small art with 

a big story. Until Sep 2, 

10am-7:30pm, free. Open 

daily, 10am-7pm.2- 24-1 

Dogenzaka. Nearest stn: 


co.jp/english 

Bunkamura: The 

Museum 

Ilya Repin: Master Works 

from the State Tretyakov 

Gallery. Modern Russian 

painter. Until Oct 8, 

¥1,400 (general). Open 

Mon-Thu & Sun 10am-7pm, 

Fri-Sat 10am-8pm. 2-24-1 

Dogenzaka. Nearest stn: 


co.jp 

Nadiff Gallery 

Tango. Photography by 

Daniel Machado and Daido 

Moriyama. Argentine tango 

on Sep 1 from 8pm. Until 

Sep 30, free. Open daily 

noon-8pm.1-18-4 Ebisu. 


nadiff.com 

Space Edge 

Few Colors in the Dark. Vibrant 

paintings, sketches, prints 

and 3-D work by Shohei 

Takasaki. Until Sep 2, free.1F 

Nomura Bldg. 3-26-17 

Shibuya. Nearest stn: Shibuya. 

www.space-edge.jp 

The Watari-Um Museum 

of Contemporary Art 

I Love Art 12: The Angel 

of History. Telling history 

through photos by Man Ray, 

Risaku Suzuki, etc. Until 

Nov 11, 11am-7pm, ¥1,000 

(general), ¥800 (students). 

Open Tue & Thu-Sun 

11am-7pm, Wed 11am-9pm, 

closed Mon. 3-7-6 Jingumae. 

Nearest stn: Gaienmae. www. 

watarium.co.jp 

Tokyo Metropolitan 

Museum of Photography 

Light of Dreams. Previously 

unexhibited works by Akihide 

Tamura. Until Sep 23, ¥600. 

Sound & Vision. Photography 

by Masayoshi Sukita. Until 

Sep 30, ¥800. The Pencil 

of Nature. Photography 

technique and style. Until Sep 

17, ¥500. Open Tue-Wed & 

Sat-Sun 10am-6pm, Thur-Fri 

10am-8pm, closed Mon. 

1-13-3 Mita Meguro-ku Tokyo. 

Nearest stn: Ebisu.http:// 

syabi.com 

Yamatane Museum of Art 

Traveling at the Museum. A 

trip to Hiroshige's Tokaido 

to Saeki Yuzo’s Paris. Until 

Sep 23, ¥1,000. Open Tue-Fri 

11am-5pm, closed Mon & 

hols. 3-12-36 Hiroo. Nearest 

stn: Ebisu. www.yamatanemuseum.or.jp 

shinJuku/ 

ikebukuro 

Crossroad Gallery 

Object. Photography. Sep 11-16, 

noon-7pm, free. Open Tue-Sun 

noon-8pm, closed Mon.5F, 

4-28-16 Yotsuya. Nearest stn: 

Yotsuya. www.roonee.com/ 

crossroad 

Hiromart Gallery 

Robin Fry: Golden Altitudes. 

Paintings and sound 

experimentation by Berlinbased 

Canadian artist. Until 

Sep 16, free. Open Wed-Sun 

1-7pm, closed Mon-Tue. 

1-30-7 Sekiguchi. Nearest stn: 

Edogawabashi. Tel: 03-6233- 

9836. 

Kenji Taki Gallery 

Comet 2012. Photos by Eiji 

Watanabe. Until Sep 29, free. 

Open Tue-Sat noon-7pm, 

closed Sun-Mon & hols. 3-18-2 

Nishi-Shinjuku. Nearest stn: 

Hatsudai. www.kenjitaki.com 

Roonee 247 Photography 

Hat Project: Travelling Hat. 

Photography. Sep 18-23, 

noon-7pm, free. Teoho. 

Photography. Sep 4-16, 

noon-7pm, free. In-visible-land. 

Photography by Matsumoto 

Yasuaki and HeeJung. Until 

Sep 2, noon-7pm, free. 5-18-11 

Shinjuku. Nearest stn: Yotsuya- 

Sanchome. www.roonee.com 

Sompo Japan Museum of 

Art 

James Ensor. Belgian 

grotesque artist. Sep 8-Nov 

11, 10am-6pm, ¥1,000 

(general).42F Sompo Japan 

Bldg. 1-26-1 Nishi-Shinjuku. 

Nearest stn: Shinjuku. www. 

sompo-japan.co.jp/museum 

Tokyo Opera City Art 

Gallery 

Beat Takeshi Kitano. Japanese 

comedian/director's first 

exhibition in Japan. Until 

Sep 2, ¥1,300. The People. 

Photography by Kishin. Oct 

3-Dec 24, ¥1,000. Terao, Shinki, 

Yumoto from Atelier Incurve. 

Atelier in Osaka that supports 

differently-abled artists. Sep 

14-23, ¥500. Open Tue-Thu 

11am-7pm, Fri-Sat 11am-8pm. 

3-20-2 Nishi-Shinjuku. Nearest 

stn: Hatsudai. www.operacity. 

jp/en/ag 

Tokyo Toy Museum 

Ki no Gangu-ten. Wooden 

toys. Until Sep 30, free. Open 

Fri-Wed 10am-4pm. Closed 

Thu. Yotsuya Hiroba, 4-20 

Yotsuya. Nearest stn: Yotsuya 

Sanchome. www.goodtoy.org 

ueno 


Nature and Science 

Genso no Fushigi. Learn about 

chemical elements. Until Oct 8, 

free. Open Tue-Thu & Sat-Sun 

9am-5pm, Fri 9am-8pm, closed 

Mon. 7-20 Ueno Park. Nearest 

stn: Ueno. www.kahaku.go.jp 

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

The National Museum of 

Western Art 

Berlin. European art from 

Renaissance to Rococo. Until 

Sep 17, ¥1,500 (general). 

Traces of Hands. Sculpture 

and drawings by Rodin and 

Bourdelle. Nov 3-Jan 27, 

¥800 (general). Open daily 

9:30am-5:30pm. 7-7 Ueno 

Park. Nearest stn: Ueno. www. 

nmwa.go.jp 

The University Art 

Museum 

The Splendor of the Khitan 

Dynasty. Treasures of the 

Mongolian dynasty. Until Sep 

17, ¥1,400. Open Tue-Sun 

10am-5pm, closed Mon. 12-8 

Ueno Park. Nearest stn: Ueno. 

www.geidai.ac.jp/museum 

Tokyo Metropolitan Art 

Museum 

Earth, Sea and Sky: Nature in 

Western Art; Masterpieces of 

the Metropolitan Museum of 

Art. Various media. Oct 6-Jan 

4, 1,300 (adv), ¥1,600 (door). 

Masterpieces from the Royal 

Picture Gallery Mauritshuis. 

Inc. Johannes Vermeer's Girl 

with a Pearl Earring. Until Sep 

17, ¥1,600.8-36 Ueno Park. 

Nearest stn: Ueno. www. 

tobikan.jp 

Tokyo National Museum 

China: Grandeur of the 

Dynasties. Artifacts from the 

Middle Kingdom. Oct 10-Dec 

24, ¥1,500. The Vision and 

Calligraphy of Aoyama San’u: 

The 100th Anniversary of his 

Birth. Collection of Chinese 

calligraphy and stationery. 

Until Sep 9, ¥1,400 (generals). 

Open Tue-Sun 9:30am- 

5pm.13-9 Ueno Park. Nearest 

stn: Ueno. www.tnm.jp 

Ueno Royal Museum 

Tutankhamun and the Golden 

Age of the Pharaohs. Artifacts 

from Ancient Egypt. Until 

Dec 9, ¥2,500-2,800 (general). 

Open Sat-Thur 10am-6pm, 

Fri 10am-8pm. 1-2 Ueno Park. 

Nearest stn: Ueno. www. 

ueno-mori.org 

other areas 

3331 Arts Chiyoda 

Hiroshi Fuji: Central Kaeru 

Station. Feat. 50,000 toys 

gathered over 13 years, plus 

installations, and workshops. 

Until Sep 9, ¥700. Open daily 

noon-7pm. 6-11-14 Soto Kanda. 

Nearest stn: Suehirocho. 

www.3331.jp/en 

Ai Koko Gallery 

Stylish Flies for Housewives. 

Drawings, sculptures, videos, 

and installations by Masahiro 

Wada. Until Sep 8, free. Thu & 

Sat-Sun, by appointment only. 

Chitose Mansion 303, 2-10-4 

Chitose. Nearest stn: Morishita. 

www.aikokogallery.web.fc2. 

com/index_e.html 

Hara Museum of 

Contemporary Art 

Home Again. Ten gaikokujin 

artists explore the concept 

of “home.” Until Nov 18, 

11am-5pm, ¥1,000 (general). 


closed Mon. 4-7-25 

Kita-Shinagawa. Nearest 

stn: Kita-shinagawa. www. 

haramuseum.or.jp 

Hiratsuka Museum of Art 

Miwaku no Dollhouse. 

Miniature houses from around 

the world. Oct 6-Nov 25, ¥700. 

Tue-Sun 9:30am-5pm. 1-3-3 

Nishiyawata, Hiratsuka-shi. 

Nearest stn: Hiratsuka. www. 

red3.scn-net.ne.jp/art-muse 

Hoki Museum 

Realism Today. Until Nov 11, 

¥1,500. Open Mon & Wed-Thu 

10am-6pm, Fri, Sat 10am-7pm, 

Sun 10am-5pm, closed Tue. 

3-15 Asumigaokahigashi, 

Midori-ku. Nearest stn: Toke. 

www.hoki-museum.jp/en 

Louvre-DNP Museum Lab 

Goya and Spanish Painting in the 

Louvre. Entry by appointment 

only. Until Oct 28, free. Fri 

6-9pm, Sat & Sun 10am-6pm.1F 

DNP Gotanda Bldg, 3-5-20 

Nishi-Gotanda. Nearest stn: 

Gotanda. www.museumlab.jp 

Makuhari Messe 

Dino Kingdom. Jurassic 

showcase. Until Sep 23, 

9am-5pm, ¥2,500 (general), 

¥1,200 (elem&MS). Nakase 

2-1, Mihama-ku. Nearest 

stn: Kaihin-Makuhari. 

www.m-messe.co.jp 

Meguro Museum of Art 

Yomogaetta Kaiga. Works by 

Morisuke Komoda. Until Sep 

2, ¥500. Morisuke Komoda: 

Paintings Reborn. Still life, 

portraits, and landscapes. 

Until Sep 2, ¥500. Futatabi 

Yomigaetta Kaiga. Painting by 

Komodo Morisuke. Until Sep 

2, 10am-6pm, ¥500 (general). 


closed Mon. 2-4-36 Meguro. 

Nearest stn: Meguro. www. 

mmat.jp 

Museum of Contemporary 

Art Tokyo 

Bloomberg Pavilion Project. 

Akihisa Hirata’s paper 

building stages exhibitions 

and performances. Ongoing, 

free. MOT Collection. Works 

from the ’60s-’80s. Until 

Oct 8, 10am-6pm, ¥500. 

Tokusatsu: Special Effects 

Museum. Miniatures used in 

old-school SF movies, curated 

by Evangelion animator 

Hideaki Anno. Until Oct 

8, ¥1,400 (general), ¥900 

(students), ¥4000 (elem).4-1-1 

Miyoshi, Koto-ku. Nearest stn: 

Kiyosumi-shirakawa. www. 

mot-art-museum.jp 


Japanese History 

Gakki wa Kataru. Japanese 

musical instruments of 18th 

and 19th centuries. Until 

Sep 2, ¥830.Dento no Asagao. 

Morning glory. Until Sep 2, 

¥100. Musical Instruments Tell 

Stories. Tokugawa Harutomi's 

collection of traditional 

Japanese instruments. Until 

Sep 2, 9:30-am-5pm, ¥830 

(general). Open Tue-Sun 

9:30am-4:30pm, closed Mon. 

117 Jonai-cho, Sakura-shi. 

Nearest stn: Keisei-Sakura. 

www.rekihaku.ac.jp 

Nerima Art Museum 

Heretic, Orthodox: A Painter 

Apart. 200 paintings by 

Gyokuju Funada. Until 

Sep 9, ¥500. Open Tue-Sun 

10am-6pm, closed Mon. 

1-36-16 Nukui, Nerima-ku. 

Nearest stn: Nakamurabashi. 

www.city.nerima.tokyo.jp 

Newspark: The Japan 

Newspaper Museum 

Watching the Challenge 

into the Unknown: Space 

Exploration & Newspapers. 

Astronaut-related 

photography, newspapers, 

and objects. Until Sep 23, 

¥500. Tue-Sun 10am-5pm. 

Yokohama Joho Bunka 

Center, 11 Nihon Odori, 

Naka-ku. Nearest stn: Nihon 

O-dori. www.newspark.jp 

Pola Museum of Art 

Picasso. Paintings. Until Oct 

2, ¥1,800 (general). Collector 

Tsuneshi Suzuki – Part One: 

Picasso and Paintings from the 

Pola Museum of Art.300 pieces 

from the museum's collection 

on display. Until Oct 2, ¥1,800 

(generals).1285 Kozukayama, 

Sengokuhara, Hakone-machi. 

Nearest stn: Gora. www. 

polamuseum.or.jp 

Sogo Museum of Art 

The Life of Marie-Antoinette. 

Family heirlooms, paintings, 

dresses, and even wigs from 

the Royal Court. Sep 15-Nov 

18, 10am-8pm, ¥1,200. Open 

daily 10am-8pm.2-18-1 

Takashima, Nishi-ku. Nearest 

stn: Yokohama. www2. 

sogo-gogo.com 

Taro Okamoto Museum of 

Art, Kawasaki 

Taro Okamoto’s Animals. 

Paintings and sculptures. Until 

Oct 8, ¥500. Open Tue-Sun 

9:30am-5pm, closed Mon. 7-1-5 

Masukata, Tama-ku, Kawasaki. 

Nearest stn: Mukogaoka-Yuen. 

www.taromuseum.jp 

The Museum of Modern 

Art, Saitama 

Ultraman Art. Design and 

figurines. Until Sep 2, ¥1,100. 

Open daily 10:00am-5:30pm. 

9-30-1 Tokiwa, Urawa-ku, 

Saitama-shi. Nearest stn: 

Kitaurawa. www.momas.jp 

Urawa Art Museum 

Biennial of Illustration 

Bratislava. Children’s book 

illustration. Until Sep 2, ¥600. 

Open daily 10am-5pm.3F 

Urawa Century City, 2-5-1 

Naka-cho, Urawa-ku, Saitama. 

Nearest stn: Urawa. www.uam. 

urawa.saitama.jp 

Yokohama Museum of Art 

A Bit Like You and Me. 

Illustration, painting, 

installation by Yoshitomo Nara. 

Until Sep 23, ¥1,100 (generals). 

Fri-Wed 10am-6pm.3-4-1 

Minatomirai, Nishi-ku. Nearest 

stn: Minato Mirai. www.yaf. 

or.jp/yma 

Sports 

rugby 

Japan Rugby Top League 

Top 14 teams in Japan 

compete. Ongoing, various, 

¥1,500. Chichibunomiya 

Rugby Stadium. Nearest stn: 

Gaienmae. www.top-league.jp 

suMo 

September Grand Sumo 

Tournament 

Sep 9-23, 8:30am-6pm, ¥2,100- 

36,000. Ryogoku Kokugikan. 

Nearest stn: Ryogoku. www. 

sumo-ticket.jp 

tennis 

Toray Pan Pacific Women's 

Tournament 

Sep 21-29, various, ¥1,000- 

20,000. Ariake Colosseum. 

Nearest stn: Ariake. Tel: 

03-3529-3301. 

ATP Sunday Rakuten Open 

Sep 30, 12pm, ¥2,500-5,000. 

Ariake Colosseum. Nearest stn: 

Ariake. Tel: 03-3529-3301. 

Festivals 

Belgium Beer Weekend 

Slurp up 78 types of beer. Sep 

5-9, ¥3,100 (w/glass, and 10 

food tickets). Roppongi Hills 

Arena. Nearest stn: Roppongi. 

www.belgianbeerweekend.jp 

Sri Lanka Festival 

Trade, culture, and food at 

more than 80 stalls. Sep 8-9, 

10am-7pm, free. Yoyogi Park. 


lankaembassy.jp 

Colorful Indonesia 

Cultural festival with food 

and music. Sep 8-9, free. 

Tokyo Midtown. Nearest stn: 

Roppongi. Tel: 03-3475-3100. 

Meguro no Sanma 

Matsuri 

6,000 all you can eat 

charcoaled sanma (saury) 

from Iwate, plus awaodori, 

and rakugo. Sep 9, 9& 

10am&noon& 1:30pm, free. 

Meguro station. www.owarai. 

to/meguro 

Namaste India 

Cultural festival with live 

stage, food and market. Sep 

22-23, all day, free. Yoyogi 

Park. Nearest stn: Harajuku. 

www.indofestival.com 

Thai Fair 

Culture from the South-East 

Asian nation. Sep 22-23, 

10am-8pm, ¥200 (adults). 

Yokohama Red Brick 

Warehouse. Nearest stn: 

Minatomirai. www.bmi-music. 

com 

Days of Taste 

Enjoy French gastronomy 

with food stalls and 

workshops, exhibitions, 

projected movies and a live 

DJ set. Sep 29-30, 11:45am, 

free. The French Institute 

of Yokohama. Nearest stn: 

Kannai. www.institut.jp/fr 

Hokkaido Fair 

Learn about the northern isle 

with local sake, food, tourist 

info, performances, etc. Oct 

5-8, 10am-6pm, free. Yoyogi 

Park. Nearest stn: Harajuku. 

www.hokkai-syokudo.co.jp/ 

yoyogi.php 

Adachi Fireworks 

15,000 fireworks. Oct 13, 

6-7pm, free. Rain date: Oct 14 

Nishi-Arai Bridge. Nearest stn: 

Kitasenju. 

Forums & Expos 

Comitia 

Independent manga 

convention. Sep 2, 11am-4pm, 

¥1,000. Tokyo Big Sight. 

Nearest stn: Kokusai-Tenjijo- 

Seimon. www.comitia.co.jp 

The Future of Energy 

Symposium discussing the 

importance of renewable 

energy. Sep 5, 1-5pm, free. 

Makuhari Messe. Nearest 

stn: Kaihin-Makuhari. www. 

japan-mba.org/ 

JASIS Expo 

Examine scientific laboratory 

instruments. Sep 5-7, 

10am-5pm, free. Makuhari 

Messe. Nearest stn: Kaihin- 

Makuhari. www.japan-mba. 

org/ 

China Fashion Fair 

Japan’s biggest Chinese 

fashion show. Sep 12-14, 

10am-6pm, free. Tokyo Big 

Sight. Nearest stn: Kokusai- 

Tenjijo-Seimon. www. 

china-fashion.jp 

Battle Fever 

Sengoku Basara self-published 

comics (dojinshi) on display 

and sale. Sep 15, 11am-3pm, 

free. Tokyo Big Sight. Nearest 

stn: Kokusai-Tenjijo-Seimon. 

www.akaboo.jp/zenkoku-r/ 

senkou/index.html 

Baby & Silver Show 

Goods for toddlers and seniors. 

Sep 21-22, 10am-6pm, free. 

Tokyo Big Sight. Nearest stn: 

Kokusai-Tenjijo-Seimon. www. 

bigsight.jp 

Tabi Haku 

JATA international tourism 

forum. Sep 22-23, From 10am, 

¥1,200. Tokyo Big Sight. 

Nearest stn: Kokusai-Tenjijo- 

Seimon. www.tabihaku.jp 

Tokyo Game Show 

Get beepy with software, 

downloads, etc. Sep 22-23, 

10am-5pm, ¥1,200 (door). 




Ceatec 

Cutting-edge IT and 

electronics. Oct 2-6, 

10am-5pm, ¥1,000. Makuhari 

Messe. Nearest stn: Kaihin- 

Makuhari. www.m-messe.co.jp 

All Japan Model and 

Hobby Show 

Plastic models and more. 

Oct 13-14, 9:30am-4:30pm, 

¥1,000. Makuhari Messe. 

Nearest stn: Kaihin-Makuhari. 


Cycle Mode International 

Latest bike models, related 

products, and test-rides. Nov 

2-4, various times, ¥1,000. 




Bazaars & Markets 

Shinagawa Intercity Flea 

Market 

More than 600 vendors. 

Held every Sunday and hols. 

Ongoing, 9am-3pm, free. Oi 

Keibajo (race track). 2-1-2 

Katsushima, Shinagawa-ku. 

Nearest stn: Oi Keibajo.

Umi no Koen Flea Market 

Every third Sun, 10am-4pm, 

Umi no Koen. Nearest stn: 

Uminokoen-Shibaguchi. 

rinpodan@umino-kouen.net 

Tel: 03-3226-6800. 

Best Flea Market 

Every second Sun, 10am-4pm, 

Tokyo International Forum 

Hall C. Nearest stn: Yurakucho. 

Tel: 03-3226-6800. 

Hanazono Shrine Market 

Every Sun, 8am-4pm, 

Hanazono Shrine. Nearest 

stn: Shinjuku-sanchome. Tel: 

03-3200-3093. 

Ibaraki-ichi 

Fresh vegetables from farms 

in Ibaraki. Every Sat, 7-9am, 

Roppongi Hills East Court. 


03-6406-5285. 

Nogi Shrine Market 

Every second Sun, 5:30am- 

3pm, Nogi Shrine. Nearest stn: 

Nogizaka. Tel: 03-3478-3001. 

Oedo Antique Fair 

Japan’s largest outdoor antique 

market. Every first and third 

Sun, 8am-4:30pm, Tokyo 

International Forum Hall C. 

Nearest stn: Yurakucho. Tel: 

03-5805-1093. 

Aoyama Marche Farmer's 

Market 

Farmers from around the 

nation gather to sell their 

organic fruits and vegetables. 

Every weekend. United 

Nations University. Nearest 

stn: Omotesando. Tel: 03-3456- 

0960. 

Yasukuni Shrine Antique 

Market 

Every Sun, sunrise-sunset. 

Yasukuni Shrine. Nearest stn: 

Kudanshita. Tel: 03-3261-8326. 

Fudaten Jinja Market 

Every second Sun, Fudaten 

Jinja. Nearest stn: Chofu. Tel: 

04-2489-0022. 

Community 

sep 8, 3:30-7pm 

World Suicide 

Prevention Day 

Free film screening on 

“suicide in Japan,” 

workshop, and candle 

lighting ceremony. Wesley 

Center, Minami Aoyama. 

Email: lifeline1@telljp.com 

Stitch-n-Bitch 

Meet fellow knitters to share 

ideas and food. Every first 

and third Tue, 7pm, free, 

Cafe Respekt. Nearest stn: 

Shibuya. www.meetup.com/ 

TokyoStitchandBitch 

Half-Fast Cyclists 

Bicyclists of all treads meet. 

Every second Wed, 7pm, 

free, The Pink Cow. Nearest 

stn: Shibuya.cowmail@ 

thepinkcow.com 

Learning 

Butoh Intensive Workshop 

A month’s masterclass by 

Taketeru Kudo (a former 

Sankaijuku dancer). Until 

Aug 31, 7-9:30pm, ¥2,000 per 

lesson, ¥20,000 per month. 

Yotsuya Hiroba. Nearest stn: 

Yotsuya 3 Chome. www. 

geocities.jp/mutekisha 

Light Space Laboratory 

Relativity theory for kids 

at this hands-on lab. Until 

Sep 2, 11am-6pm, free. NTT 

Intercommunication Center. 


ntticc.or.jp/index_e.html 

How to Leave a Lasting 

Impression 

Seminar on how to be 

remembered in business and 

social settings, and even on a 

first date. Sep 8, 7-10pm, ¥6,980 

(includes buffet & wine). 

Legato. Nearest stn: Shibuya. 

www.wineandcooking.info 

TCS Improv Workshop 

The Tokyo Comedy Store’s 

weekly improv workshop. 

All levels welcome. Real 

Dear, Mita. Nearest stn: 

Azabu-Juban. Tel: 03-5770- 

7401. 

Other Events 

sep 8-9 

Angyo 

Bonsai & 

Greenery 

Fair, 

Azabu- 

Juban 

Over 2,400 

bonsai 

trees and 

shrubs for viewing or 

purchase. Demos inc. 

bonsai care (1:30pm both 

days). Snap up a tree for as 

little as ¥500. Sep 8, 

11am-8pm, Sep 9, 

11am-5pm, free. Patio 

Juban. Nearest stn: Azabu- 

Juban. http://meturl.com/ 

bonsaijuban12 

Disney Kids Summer 

Adventure 

Mickey and co. get it on for 

elem. kids and younger. Until 

Aug 31, various price.Disney 

Resort. Nearest stn: Maihama. 

Tel: 570-051-118. 

Oktoberfest 

Quaff German beer. Until Sep 9, 

free. Toyosu Park. Nearest stn: 

Toyosu. www.oktober-fest.jp 

Uchimizu Project 

Water sprinkling around shops 

in Naka Dori, Marunouchi 

and the Yurakucho area. Until 

Aug 31, various times, free. 

Marunouchi Building. www. 

uchimizu.info 

Ultraman Festival 

Celebrate the 45th anniversary 

of Ultraseven. Until Sep 2, 

10am-5:30pm, ¥1,600 (adv), 

¥1,800 (door). Sunshine City. 


ulfes.com/2012 

Midtown Water Works 

Mist and rainbow lasers 

outdoors. Until Sep 2, Mon-Fri 

8pm, Sat-Sun & hols 7:40pm, 

8:30pm, free. Midtown Park. 

The Pink Cow Grand 

Opening 

Grand opening for the big 

mooove from Shibuya to 

Roppongi. Sep 2, 5pm, free. The 

Pink Cow. Nearest stn: Shibuya. 

cowmail@thepinkcow.com 

www.thepinkcow.com 

USO Japan 5th Annual 

Service Salute Gala 

United Service Organizations 

allows a closer look at US 

military work in Japan. Sep 8, 

6pm, ¥9,000. The New Sanno. 

Nearest stn: Hiroo. www. 

usojapan.org 

Robert Henke and Tarik 

Barri 

Talk and live sessions from the 

audiovisual researchers. Sep 

9, 4pm, ¥2,800 (door). Super 

Deluxe. Nearest stn: Roppongi. 

www.super-deluxe.com 

Le Grand Bal 

LGBT Film Fest pre-opening 

party feat. MC Onan Spel 

Mermaid, Sho Maaya, 

Baliasi, DJ Shun, etc. Sep 13, 

7pm-12am, ¥4,500. CAY. 


www.tokyo-lgff.org/2012/ 

Tokyo International 

Lesbian & Gay Film 

Festival 

International films touching 

LGBT issues. Sep 14-17, 

various times. Spiral Hall. 


tokyo-lgff.org/2012/ 

BeerFes Yokohama 

Hundreds of craft beers from 

all over the world. Sep 15, 

12:30-4:30pm; Sep 16-17, 

5pm, ¥4,300 (adv), ¥4,700 

(door). Osanbashi Hall. 

Nearest stn: Nihon-Odori. 

www.beertaster.org/index-e 

Unko Eigasai 

Scatological short film 

festival. Feat. Shintaro 

Kago. Send works to unko. 

movie@gmail.com by Sept 

12. Sep 19, 7pm, ¥1,000 (adv), 

¥1,500 (door). Asagaya Loft 

A. Nearest stn: Asagaya. Tel: 

03-5929-3445. 

Jolt Japanese 

Australian Sonic 

Festival 

Feat. Philip Brophy, Daniel 

Buess, Bing, Amplified 

Elephants, Evil Penguin, etc. 

Sep 21, 7:30pm, ¥2,500 (adv), 

¥3,000 (door 1day), ¥7,000 

(door 3days). Super Deluxe. 

Nearest stn: Roppong i. www. 


Promenades Blanches 

Rediscover your 

surroundings via a walk by 

Alain Michard and Mathias 

Poisson. Sep 22-23, 2:30 & 

6:30pm, free. Kanagawa 



kafe-kaat.jp 

Pecha Kucha Night 

Show and tell about a 

new design or project. 

Sep 26, 8:20pm, ¥1,000. 

Super Deluxe. Nearest 


pecha-kucha.org 

Sadistic Circus 

Side show feat. Norwegian 

vaudevillians, a oiran-style 

stripper in her 70s, an 

amputee model, and more. 

Sep 29, 10pm-5am. ¥8,000- 

11,000 (adv). Shinjuku Face. 

Nearest stn: Shinjuku. www. 

vanilla-gallery.com 

Selvhenter 

Danish female experimental 

rock band.Dance feat. Mujer. 

Oct 1, 8pm, ¥1,000 (adv), 

¥2,000 (door). Super Deluxe. 


03-5412-0515. 

Tokyo Grand Tea 

Ceremony 

Tea as art. Oct 7-8, free. 

Edo-Tokyo Open Air 

Architectural Museum. 

Nearest stn: Musashi- 

Koganei or Hanakoganei. 

www.dento-wa.jp. Oct 13-14, 

free. Hamarikyu Gardens. 

www.dento-wa.jp 

Health-Sports Day 

Martial arts demonstrations. 

Oct 8, 9am, free. Nippon 

Budokan. Nearest stn: 

Kudanshita. Tel: 03-3216- 

5100. 

Tokyo Girls Collection 

2012 

Semi-annual showcase 

of autumn-winter line by 

Dazy Clair, Duras, Vivayou, 

etc. Oct 13, 1pm, ¥5,000- 

15,000. Saitama Super 

Arena. Nearest stn: Saitama- 

Shintoshin. www.tgc.st 

MOVIE NEWS & 

REVIEWS P. 30 

JR HARAJUKU Sta. 

2 

1 

3 

HARAJUKU 

QUEST 

SOFT 

BANK 

NIKE 

MUJI 

ZARA 

Tokyo Metro 

MEIJI-JINGUMAE 

‘Harajuku’ Sta. 

Aesthetic 

Dentistry 

Ceramics 

Implants 

Orthodontics 

OTA MEMORIAL 

MUSEUM OF ART 

LAFORET 

HARAJUKU 

5 

6 

4 

Closed Wed. & Hols. 

1F Osakabe Bldg, 5-46-12 

Jingumae, Shibuya-ku. 

Tel: 03-3486-4484. 

7 

FREE 

COUNSELING 

FOR 

METROPOLIS 

READERS 

info@aoyama-omotesando.jp 

www.aoyama-omotesando.jp/en 

Searching for Metropolis? 

Pick up your copy at these locations. 

• Tower Records • HMV 

• Kinokuniya Books • Maruzen Bookstore 

Aoyama Book Center • Hilton Hotel 

• Keio Plaza Hotel 

• Japan Tourist Information Center (JNTO) 

• Dubliners Irish Pub 

• Nissin World Delicatessen • Union Motomachi 

• Peacock Jiyugaoka & Aoyama 

• Precce Midtown 

http://metropolis.co.jp/ 

distribution 


advertorial 

Theodore 

Jennings 

CEO of Vacation Veranda 

and award-winning 

outdoor living designer 

What if we were to tell you that 

you have an extra room in 

your home? And that even 

though you’re paying for it, 

you probably never use it for 

more than hanging your laundry or for dumping 

garbage? That’s right—we’re talking about your 

balcony. 

Vacation Veranda is a premier outdoor-living 

design company that can transform your idle, 

unused urban spaces into beautiful, lush gardens. 

Before you know it, you’ll be taking a daily 

vacation in the privacy of your own home. 

Each job is customized to suit the client’s 

taste and maximizes every last square inch. Not 

only do you get a leisure sanctuary, but you also 

squeeze extra value out of your monthly rent 

or mortgage payments. Having a beautiful and 

relaxing getaway on your terrace could help you 

save money, as you’ll enjoy spending more time 

at home. And with environmentally-friendly 

green plants, vivid colorful flowers and trees on 

your newly customized deck, you’ll not only get a 

stronger dose of oxygen, but you’ll be doing your 

part to help make Tokyo a greener city, one patio 

at a time. 

Vacation Veranda offers designs to suit all 

budgets, from the very simple to the luxurious. 

Maintenance and aftercare services help keep 

your balcony garden in good shape, and you can 

have it removed when it’s time to relocate and 

start all over again. Isn’t it time you had a vacation 

in your own home? 


The summer is on its way out—what is the 

point of sprucing up your balcony now? Last 

year, even after a busy summer with many 

veranda makeover projects, the fall season was 

even busier. While some of my clients share my 

joy for a really hot summer, others don’t. The 

autumn season is a really good time to enjoy the 

outdoors as the temperature starts to cool down. 

Even during Tokyo’s mild winters, your balcony 

could be used for a sunny Sunday brunch. 

Does a renewed balcony really make that much 

difference to life? Any real change in life must 

start from within—but creating a beautiful 

atmosphere to escape from your daily routine 

can help tap into your best self. Most of us 

have probably decorated and organized the 

inside of our homes but have left this additional 

space unexploited for outdoor living. Vacation 

Veranda’s goal is to create an escape space 

within the privacy of your own home. 

How can renters get around finicky landlords 

to install a Vacation Veranda? Seventy percent 

of my clients are renters. Every building is 

different so find out the building rules. In most 

cases, you’re allowed to decorate your balcony 

as long as you don’t block emergency exits nor 

create anything permanent. We offer renters 

strong and high-quality removable items so you 

can return the space to its original form. 

How much does the process cost—ballpark 

figure? We really try to work with every client 

regardless of budget. Designs range from simple 

to luxurious, and have been done for as little as 

¥100,000. 

How long does 

it take, more or 

less? Once the 

design and cost 

has been agreed, 

an installation for 

an average size 

balcony (6-10m 2 ) 

takes three to four 

days. 

What about people 

who don’t have balconies? One of my new 

favorite designs are vertical gardens. These are 

gardens that grow on specially crafted wallplanter 

structures. These beautiful “green 

murals” can be used inside and outside your 

home. 

What’s the weirdest thing someone has asked 

for? Creating a Bali-style water-walkway in the 

middle of one’s terrace. We made it! 

What is the most popular selection? Our 

signature red planter boxes. 

What should people do if they’re not sure what 

they want? We try to work with each client to 

incorporate their ideas into our designs. But 

some are happy for us to work from a blank slate 

to create their personal Copa Cabana escape 

spaces. So whether you have your own idea, or 

want to use ours, we’ll get you an awesome end 

product. 

Tel: 090-5211-0053. Email: info@vacation 

veranda.com, www.vacationveranda.com

ARc AcAdEmy 

special advertorial section 

ARC Academy was established 

in 1986 and has 

taught Japanese to stud 

e n t s f r o m o v e r 4 0 

countries. On hearing all 

lessons are held in Japanese, 

you might wonder 

how you can manage when 

you hardly know any. But 

you’ll soon realize it’s not 

just quick and effective— 

it‘s also fun. The teachers are well-trained and know how to speak at your 

level of understanding. 

The Intensive Course is flexible in duration; from as short as four days to as 

long as months and years. ARC Academy organizes a plethora of activities so 

you can learn about Japanese culture along the way. 

For those too busy to attend a daily course, ARC Academy offers a package 

of ten private lessons at a reasonable cost, with a fixed curriculum. There 

are three courses to choose from—for Japanese beginners, for those starting 

kanji, and for students keen on brushing up their keigo (formal Japanese). 

A short walk from Shibuya, Shinjuku and Yokohama stations brings you 

to one of ARC Academy’s branches, where you’ll find other courses such as 

JLPT Preparation, Business Japanese, and more. For company training, the 

curriculum is custom-made to meet individual needs. 

Whether you’re looking to develop basic conversational skills or business 

terminology, ARC Academy offers the best results. The friendly Englishspeaking 

staff will welcome any inquiries by email, telephone, or in person. 

☛ Main office: 2-14-7 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku. Tel: 03-3409-0391. (Shinjuku 

tel: 03-3345-6411; Yokohama tel: 045-312-5759). Email: shibuya@ 

arc.ac.jp. Nearest stn: Shibuya. Open Mon, Wed & Thu 10am-7:30pm, 

Tue & Fri 10am-6:30pm, Sat 10am-4pm, closed Sun & hols. http://en. 

arc-academy.net 

special 

education 

guide 

ALPHA LANGUAGE INSTITUTE 

Alpha Language Institute 

is a truly global phenomenon, 

with schools teaching 

the Japanese language to 

students in London, Bangkok 

and the Philippines, 

Nepal, Osaka, and closer 

to home in Toranomon, 

Tokyo. This January, their 

newest branch opened up 

in t he beautiful cit y of 

Yokohama, and what’s more, there is a special opening campaign as an incentive 

for you to join in on the fun. Alpha Language Institute was established in 

1987 as a Japanese language school for foreign professionals. Over the last 

two decades, it has developed a reputation for high-quality lessons taught by 

instructors from diverse backgrounds, each of whom brings their specific 

experience to bear in the classes. 

The school provides various types of lessons for elementary- to advancedlevel 

learners from about 30 countries, including private and group classes, 

both on- and offsite—choose the best option for your schedule and needs. 

Courses available are daily conversation, JLPT Preparation, and one-on-one 

(onsite/offsite, long-term/short-term). 

Select Alpha now and take advantage of some fantastic, limited-time 

offers. Students can now sign up for private lessons without paying the 

registration fee—and take advantage of a discount on course fees, too. 

Understanding Japanese adds an unparalleled richness to life here. But the 

Japanese language can present difficulties. Approach the trained professionals 

at Alpha Language Institute, and take a firm step towards your goal. The 

new Yokohama institute is awaiting your visit. 

☛ 22F Toranomon Kotohira Tower, 1-2-8 Toranomon, Minato-ku. Tel: 

03-3504-8080. Email:alpha@alpha.ac.jp. 

☛ 4F Yasda-1 Bldg, 2-21-8 Tsuruyacho, Yokohama. Tel: 045-316-8282. 

Email: yokohama@alpha.ac.jp. 

☛ www.alpha.ac.jp 

AzAbUdAI JAPANESE LANGUAGE ScHooL 

Azabudai Japanese Lang 

u a g e S c h o o l o f f e r s 

practical lessons based on 

real-life situations to help 

students acquire commun 

ic at ive k now ledge of 

Japanese, rather than just 

grammatical structures. 

Because an ability to use 

new language skills helps 

students experience the 

excitement of learning, class activities are based on developing oral proficiency. 

And because learners know that their mistakes will be corrected, they 

gain the confidence to speak freely and naturally. Beginner students at 

Azabudai are given a three-month starter course that introduces hiragana, 

katakana and simple sentences. 

Each instructor at Azabudai Japanese Language School has over 18 years 

of experience, and the students come from a variety of backgrounds and 

nationalities. Lessons are conducted in large classrooms in a relaxed atmosphere. 

The school is located just six minutes from Kamiyacho station and ten 

minutes from Akabanebashi, Azabu-Juban or Roppongi-Itchome stations. 

For those with a car, there is also on-site parking. 

The admission fee is ¥5,000, with tuition going for ¥44,000. That gets you 

20 two-hour lessons. You can get all the materials you need for your classes 

for ¥4,000-¥5,000. Classes are offered twice a week from 10:30am-12:30pm, 

or 1:30-3:30pm, except on Wednesdays. A minimum of three students is 

required to have a class at any one time. 

☛ 1-9-8 Azabudai, Minato-ku. Email: azabudai@itf.or.jp. Nearest stn: 

Kamiyacho. www.itf.or.jp/azabudai 

#962 • www.METROPOLIS.CO.JP • 19

EvERGREEN LANGUAGE ScHooL E v e r g r e e n L a n g u a g e 

School is located in the 

quiet residential area of 

Yutenji, just three stops 

from Shibuya on the Tokyu 

Toyoko line. Established 

63 years ago, the school 

has seen more than 50,000 

students from around the 

g lobe pass t h roug h its 

classrooms. 

Evergreen strives to create effective, enjoyable classes to help students 

learn both the language and culture of Japan. There are several courses to 

suit your daily life—just choose how many times a week you want to come in 

and how you want to learn. If there are specific materials you’d like to study, 

private lessons are available. Group classes offer the opportunity to learn 

Japanese while meeting people from all over the world. Evergreen also has an 

intensive kanji course, as well as lessons designed to prepare you for studies 

at a Japanese university. 

The school’s friendly, professional, and qualified teachers help you build 

confidence in your Japanese ability and lay the groundwork for continued 

learning. Many students who have completed their courses go on to study 

higher levels of Japanese. For prospective students from abroad, Evergreen 

can help you apply for a college visa, allowing you to study in Japan while also 

working part-time up to 28 hours a week. 

Evergreen operates two other campuses on the Toyoko line, and can even 

dispatch teachers to your home—which means fewer excuses not to make 

this autumn the time you start to conquer the Japanese language! 

☛ 1-21-18 Yutenji, Meguro-ku. Tel: 03-3713-4958. Email: info@evergreen.gr.jp. 

Nearest stn: Yutenji. www.evergreen.gr.jp 

HUmAN AcAdEmy 

special 

education 

guide 

The goal of Human Academy 

is the globalization of 

the Japanese language, and 

the promotion of internat 

iona l e x c ha nge. A s a 

Japanese language school 

licensed by the Association 

for the Promotion of Japanese 

Language Education, 

it equips students for an 

ever-changing society. 

Human Academy believes direct communication is the foundation of 

language teaching. Detailed assistance is offered for career guidance plus a 

monthly language exchange event with Japanese people to develop communication 

skills. 

Human Academy boasts over 500 students from over 47 different countries 

and a selection of classes beginning with the long-term Practical Japanese 

Course and Preparatory Course to improve students’ reading, writing, listening, 

and speaking. Meanwhile, the Intensive Course is a firm favorite with 

foreign students, allowing them to choose classes that fit their needs and current 

level. Lastly, the one-to-three-month Short-term Intensive Course is for 

learning practical Japanese. Human Academy fully supports students wishing 

to obtain a college visa. The school also offers private and group lessons, 

corporate training, a JLPT preparation course, and business Japanese. 

Based on years of experience, Human Academy has developed its own 

original textbooks, all based on the central pillar of communication skills— 

necessary in order to live, continue education, or find employment. Contact 

them for information—or to arrange your free trial lesson and level-check test. 

☛ 7F Waseda Yobiko, 4-9-9 Takadanobaba, Shinjuku-ku. Tel: 03-5348- 

8951. Email: tjp22@athuman.com. Nearest stn: Takadanobaba. www. 

athuman.com/hajl/e 

What can Le Lycée Français International de Tokyo offer you ? 

A freshly opened school (May 2012) with an old history in Tokyo, 

a worldwide network, an international education. 

More than 300 000 students and 486 schools all over the world. 

We welcome your children from 3 until they enter University in France, 

Japan (partnerships with Keio, Waseda, Sophia…) or all over the world. 

An international environment : 55 nationalities are represented receiving 

a high education quality with a high success rate. 

A wide choice of languages: French, English, Japanese, German and 

Spanish. 

New and modern infrastructures which correspond to the latest safety 

standards. 

High quality equipments and sports facilities (tennis, soccer, swimming 

pool, gymnasium, theatre, basketball, athletics track…) 

on a 6 — acres — campus. 

JAPANESE LESSONS 

» Business » Conversation » JLPT preparation 

SPECIALCAMPAIGN 

Registration 

FREE! 

(normal fee ¥10,500/mth) 

FREE 

TRIAL 

LESSON 

Toranomon 

22F Toranomon Kotohira Tower, 

1-2-8 Toranomon, Minato-ku 

Tel: 03-3504-8080 

Email: tokyo@alpha.ac.jp 

Yokohama 

4F Yasda-1 Bldg., 

2-21-8 Tsuruyacho, Yokohama 

Tel: 045-316-8282 

Email: yokohama@alpha.ac.jp 

Contact us in French, English or Japanese 

Lycée français international de Tokyo 

5-57-37 Takinogawa, Kita-ku, Tokyo 114-0023 

contact@lfitokyo.org 

Tel : 03-6823-6580 

www.lfitokyo.org 

» Group Intensive course: 

¥29,400�¥19,800/4wks (~Sep 8) 

Mon~Fri 10am-12pm or 1-3pm 

» One on One Fixed course: 

¥42,000/10 lessons 

1 lesson = 90min 

Mon-Fri 10am-9pm, Sat 10am-6pm 

Lessons at any location, Skype lessons, etc 

www.alpha.ac.jp/japanese 


NIcHIbEI KAIwA GAKUIN JAPANESE LANGUAGE 

INSTITUTE (JLI) 

If you’re keen on studying 

basic or advanced level, 

practical or business Japane 

s e , N ic h i b e i K a i w a 

Gakuin is the place to be. 

Students can choose from 

an intensive daytime prog 

r a m; e a rl y mor n i n g , 

afternoon, night and Saturday 

part-time courses; or 

private lessons. At the basic 

level you’ll practice intensive drills for practical conversation skills; at the intermediate 

and advanced levels, more sophisticated conversation and speech 

drills are part of the program. Newspaper articles, TV news, and JLPT preparation—as 

well as Japanese corporate culture studies—are also covered. 

Students include business people, corporate trainees, diplomats, family 

members of working expats, spouses of Japanese and other adult learners 

with various cultural backgrounds. There is an even distribution of students 

from Europe, North America, East Asia, and other areas of the world. 

Founded in 1967 by the International Education Center (IEC), JLI is conveniently 

located in central Tokyo, a three-minute walk from Yotsuya station, in 

a recently-constructed, earthquake-proof building. 

In addition to Japanese lessons, IEC provides a variety of English-language 

education programs and engages in various international exchanges. 

Activities include the International Speech Contest in Japanese, broadcast on 

NHK, and a diversity of other cultural forums, including the Japan-America 

Student Conference, which was originally founded in 1934. 

Prospective students are invited to contact JLI to discuss which course is 

appropriate for them, or to stop in to check the facilities. Everyone is welcome 

to sit and observe classes, too. 

☛ 1-21 Yotsuya, Shinjuku-ku. Tel: 03-3359-9600. Email: jli-info@ 

nichibei.ac.jp. Nearest stn: Yotsuya. www.nichibei.ac.jp/jli 

oLJ LANGUAGE AcAdEmy 

special 

education 

guide 

OLJ Language Academy 

has had a sizeable number 

of students since opening 

doors back in 1985. During 

more than 25 years, 

over 3,000 people from 51 

cou nt r ies have passed 

through. Naturally, this 

has helped OLJ hone its 

system to full strength by 

using students’ experiences 

to keep improving. 

In 2011, OLJ moved from Aoyama to the hip surroundings of Shibuya. The 

new school is clean and comfortable, and just three minutes walk from the 

east exit of Shibuya station. OLJ is not a big school, which has the advantage 

of promoting a nice, cozy atmosphere and a great relationship between students 

and teachers. Each class has fewer than 15 students so everyone has 

plenty of chance to speak Japanese during lessons. 

OLJ can provide lessons for Japan residents with visas such as working, 

artist, dependent, etc. Several students have attended the Intensive Japanese 

Course (five days a week in the morning or afternoon) and successfully 

improved from beginner level to N2 in the Japanese Language Proficiency 

Test—within just one year. 

For beginners, OLJ uses its original textbook Terry and Mai, which teaches 

by using different daily situations. This helps students learn by using their 

imagination—which makes the Japanese easier to remember. 

OLJ also provides private lessons at the school or at your office. Ask your 

HR department if your company has provisions for helping employees with 

Japanese language learning. 

☛ 2F Shibuya New Plaza Bldg, 1-17-16 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku. Tel: 

03-3400-7181. Email: info@olj-academy.com. Nearest stn: Shibuya. 

www.olj-academy.com 

Maximize Your Business 

Success in Japan 

Whether you are an organization in need of fresh ideas 

and an innovative business plan, or an individual 

seeking business training, JMEC is for you. 

JMEC is supported by 16 foreign chambers of 

commerce in Japan including the ACCJ, plus major 

corporations, established SMEs and entrepreneurs. 

Now accepting applications from companies and 

individuals for JMEC 19, which begins this fall. 

Participant deadline: October 31, 2012 

Client deadline: November 30, 2012 


ToKyo ymcA NIHoNGo GAKUIN Ten minutes from Tokyo 

stat ion in Koto-k u is a 

vibrant area filled with 

Japanese gardens; frequently 

brought to life by 

traditional festivals. What 

better place than an Edoperiod 

neighborhood in 

which to get to the roots of 

the Japanese language? 

Tokyo YMCA Nihongo 

Gakuin sits in the heart of this old-new district, and offers a range of courses 

for the aspiring Japanese speaker. One option for getting the foundations 

in quickly is the Daytime Intensive Course—with classes twice a week over 

three months—for just ¥44,000. The Regular Course is four hours per day, five 

days a week, also for three months, and costs ¥150,000. Full-time workers 

should check out the Saturday Intensive Course, where you get five Saturdays’ 

worth for ¥15,000 (one class is ¥3,500). There is also the JLPT Preparation 

Course (twice a week, ¥44,000), and private lessons at ¥5,500 each. All prices 

include initiation fee, study material and tax. 

What makes this language school even better is that it is not just a language 

school. Based in the Toyocho Center, the school gives you easy access to 

the Wellness Center, cafeteria, nursery and international school. For mothers 

taking the Intensive Course, a childcare service is offered to make it easier. 

Reaching out to everyone around the world, Tokyo YMCA Nihongo Gakuin 

is your gateway to understanding Japan. Come and see for yourself. 

☛ 2-2-15 Toyo, Koto-ku. Tel: 03-3615-5548. Email: nihongo@tokyo. 

ymca.or.jp. Open Mon-Fri 9:30am-5:30pm, Sat 9:30am-12:30pm. Nearest 

stn: Toyocho. http://tokyo.ymca.or.jp/japanese 

26 • SPECIaL advERTISIng SECTIOn 

special 

education 

guide 

UNITAS 

International Education For Littler People 

ToKyo ymcA INTERNATIoNAL ScHooL 

TYIS has been serving 

the international comm 

u n i t y s i n c e 19 9 8 , 

providing quality curricula 

and education up to 

grade six. The school is 

located in East Tok yo, 

five minutes walk from 

Toyocho station on the 

Tozai line. 

T Y IS uses a Nor t h 

American curriculum as foundation for the core subjects of Language 

Arts/Reading, Mathematics, Science and Social Studies—all adapted to 

international content standards. This academically challenging curriculum 

provides ample opportunities for students to acquire new skills and 

knowledge so as to express themselves in unique ways. Integrated into the 

curriculum are classes in physical education/swimming, music, art, computer 

skills, and Japanese. Use of the YMCA Wellness Center facilities, with 

its two pools, full-size gymnasium, and rooftop tennis courts, are available 

for use with TYIS programs. 

While English is the language of instruction, native ability is not 

required. Nevertheless, all incoming students are screened to determine 

their level. Based on score results and teacher/administrative input, students 

may be placed in the EAL (English as an Additional Language) 

program until they can perform adequately in the mainstream classroom 

on a full-time basis. The aim of EAL is to develop listening, speaking, and 

reading and writing skills to a degree that the student can engage with the 

educational content. Tokyo YMCA International School looks forward to 

welcoming your family and working together to ensure a bright, successful 

future for your children. 

☛ 2-2-20 Toyo, Koto-ku. Tel: 03-3615-5632. Email: tyis@tokyo. 

ymca.or.jp. Nearest stn: Toyocho. http://tokyo.ymca.or.jp 

Founded in 1983 by the 

Teikyo University Group, 

Unitas Japanese language 

school is just a ten-minute 

wa lk f rom Shin-Ok ubo 

station or a three-minute 

walk from Higashi-Shinjuku 

station. All levels of 

st udent s a re welcome, 

f r o m b e g i n n e r t o 

a d v a n c e d , f o r g r o u p 

classes (Mon-Fri 9am-12:30pm or 1:30-4:30pm), private lessons, and corporate 

classes. That way you can be sure to get exactly what you are looking for. 

Terms start four times a year—in January, April, July and October—but 

students can join any time. However, those who have never studied the Japanese 

language before are encouraged to start at the beginning of a new term, 

so as to be sure they are learning things in the best order. 

Unitas has a team of friendly and dedicated instructors who bring the 

classes to life and create a cozy and comfortable environment. Regular 

cultural events are held at the school too, such as making mochi rice cakes 

during a festival. 

In addition to all these perks, Unitas has highly competitive class fees: one 

month of group lessons starts from just ¥38,000. For one-to-one attention and 

more flexibility, you can opt for private lessons at the rate of ¥3,300/hr. A college 

student visa course with Unitas is available for ¥370,000. 

☛ 3F, 22 Sankyo Bldg, 2-2-9 Okubo, Shinjuku-ku. Tel: 03-5287-5636. 

Email: japanese-tokyo@unitas-ej.com. Nearest station: Shin-Okubo or 

Higashi-Shinjuku. www.unitas-ej.com 

LycéE fRANçAIS INTERNATIoNAL dE ToKyo 

Part of the “gateway to a 

g loba l net work” which 

e d u c a t e s m o r e t h a n 

300,000 students worldwide 

in 486 schools, LFIT 

is an establishment of the 

Agency for French Education 

Abroad (AEFE) within 

the French Ministry of Foreign 

Affairs. It registers 

students from kindergarten 

through high school, with 55 different nationalities represented, follows 

the French National Curriculum, and prepares students for Brevet and 

French Baccalaureat. 

Its mission is to provide a quality educational program within the framework 

of multilingual education, helping students to develop self-confidence, 

respect for others, curiosity and openness to different cultures. Most importantly, 

the school strives to inspire a desire to learn. 

LFIT recently relocated to a new six-acre campus with the highest of safety 

standards and a host of facilities including tennis courts, futsal pitches, a 

heated outdoor pool, a 280-seat auditorium with professional quality equipment, 

an athletics track, a multi-activity sport center, and a Japanese dojo. 

Students can choose to pursue the International Option for the French 

Baccalaureat in Japanese, and can also study English, Japanese, German, 

and Spanish. 

Nearly 100% of LFIT’s French Baccalaureat students pass the exam. After 

graduating, students enroll in major international universities in France, 

Japan, and other countries. LFIT provides valuable opportunities to connect 

with well-known high schools and universities, both in Japan and overseas. 

☛ 5-57-37 Takinogawa, Kita-ku, Tokyo 114-0023. Tel: 03-6823-6580. 

Email : contact@lfitokyo.org. www.lfitokyo.org

8~9 

SEP 

Pack your trunk in 

Azabu-Juban 

So popular were the Azabu-Juban 

Bonsai and Greenery Fairs of 2010 

and 2011 that the organizers are 

branching out once more—in a bigger 

and more impressive format. 

The festival will be held September 8-9, in 

the trendy lanes of Azabu-Juban that hosted 

it last year (see below). City dwellers will have 

the chance to brush leaves with the miniature 

trees and shrubs representative of 

Japanese culture the world over. 

All exhibits will be transported 

to Tokyo from Angyo, near 

Kawaguchi in south Saitama, 

an area famed for its association 

with the plants. This connection 

stems back to the early Edo-period 

when a 1657 fire devastated much 

of what is now Tokyo, prompting 

bonsai owners to flee north to save 

their treasured specimens. 

Last year saw more than 2,000 

attendees from nations as varied as 

the USA, Ukraine, Venezuela and 

France soak up the sights alongside 

Japanese visitors. Demonstrations 

were given by experts in the field of bonsai 

care and maintenance—an attraction set to 

be repeated this year. So check it out if you’re 

planning on buying one—the cheapest ones can 

be had for ¥500—and talk to the growers about 

how to ensure yours reaches its full potential. 

If you miss the festival, or you just fancy 

delving further into the magic of bonsai, head 

up to Angyo on the Saitama railway line, a 

continuation of the Namboku line, just 45 

minutes from Azabu-Juban. 

A further Angyo Bonsai & Greenery Fair 

will be held October 6-8 at Kawaguchi Ryokka 

advertorial 

Angyo Bonsai & Greenery Fair 

Center. For bonsai boffins, or just those with a 

passing interest, neither event should be missed. 

Patio Juban. Sep 8, 11am-8pm, Sep 9, 11am-5pm, 

free. Nearest stn: azabu-Juban (exit 4). Featuring: 

● Bonsai exhibition ● over 2,400 plants on sale 

● demos, inc. bonsai care both days 1:30pm 

● Gardening consultation

Agenda Movies By Don Morton 

Metpod 

MArley 

Bob Marley, the king of reggae—then, now 

and forever—sang for the world. His 

message of global unity, articulated in 

songs like “one Love” and “Judge not” 

(recorded at age 16), survives, indeed thrives. His 

tunes could even be heard during the recent Arab 

Spring. this diligent, two-and-a-half-hour, cradle-tograve 

documentary by Kevin Macdonald (The Last 

King of Scotland; Touching the Void) covers a lot of 

ground, starting with Marley’s meager beginnings 

in a hillside shack in Jamaica and the bullying he 

received due to his racially mixed origins (which 

new 

ColomBiana 

the preposterone flows freely in 

this regurgitated revenge fantasy 

from the Luc Besson factory. 

A preteen g irl w itnesses her 

drug-dealing parents’ murders 

i n C olombia a nd e s cap e s to 

America. Fifteen years later she’s 

a sexy, almost supernaturally skilled professional assassin of 

deserving scumbags (sound familiar?) en route to wreaking 

some badass violence on the murderers. Pluses: Zoe Saldana’s 

(Avatar) adept combinations of skimpy clothing and acrobatics 

almost make up for this empty and amoral retread’s lack of, 

well, anything else. And the actress who plays the younger girl 

is dynamite. (105 min) 

Showing from Sep 1 

promeTheus 

t h e t it u l a r re s e a rc h ve s s e l 

arrives at a distant planet that 

could be the home of a cosmically 

ancient race that brought 

l i fe to E a r t h . W hy? you may 

have heard that this is ridley 

Scott’s prequel to Alien. yes and 

no. It’s true insofar as that movie could start after this one, but 

the genesis of the creature is almost a divergence, and the film 

could stand on its own. It’s got several “boo and goo” sequences, 

but overall it’s quite cerebral. It’s gorgeous and certainly entertaining, 

but whereas images from Alien and Blade Runner will 

remain forever in my head, Prometheus is already fading to a 

flicker. (124 min) 

Also showing 

The Dark knighT rises 

Final entry integrates the first two movies 

into a potent and persuasive payoff that ’s 

both dramatically and emotionally satisfying. 

(164 min) 


would ultimately define his music). yet it remains 

narratively coherent and avoids hagiography. the 

film’s most compelling moment comes when Marley 

brings onstage rival politicians Michael Manley 

and Edward Seaga in an effort to heal a vicious rift 

in Jamaican politics. the interviews with family, 

friends, mentors and musicians are frank and open, 

warts and all (other than a rather open attitude 

toward marital fidelity, he had few). Previously 

unseen concert footage and home movies round 

out this quietly revelatory character study. Marley 

was generous, gentle, magnetic... and a bit naïve. the 

cancer that killed him in 1981 at age 36 could have 

been treated. Japanese title: Bob Marley Roots of 

Legend. (144 min) 

Showing from Sep 1 

faCing ali 

Who better to offer a fresh perspective 

on Muhammad Ali than the 

aging pugs that once faced him in 

the ring? Henry Cooper, George 

Chuvalo, ron Lyle, Ernie Shavers, 

Ernie terrell, Ken norton, Larry 

Hol me s , L e on S p i n k s , G e orge 

Foreman and Joe Frasier can now look back on their fights 

against Ali with a measure of wisdom and perspective that 

wasn’t possible back in the day. In the process, we get compelling 

mini-biographies of them as well. It’s surprising how moving 

Joe Frazier’s shedding a tear over Ali’s current Parkinson’s can 

be. Was Ali “the Greatest?” Who they making the movie about? 

(100 min) 

Burke anD hare 

A pair of Irish con men in 1828 

E d i n b u r g h ( S i m o n P e g g a n d 

Andy Serkis) discovers a lucrative 

untapped market in fresh corpses 

for study by a pair of em inent 

doctors (tom Wilkinson and tim 

Curry). But with natural deaths 

difficult to happen upon and the graveyards closely watched, 

they, well, turn to serial corpse-creation. Director John Landis 

(remember him?) relies on a tone of wry amusement and a bit of 

well-done slapstick to make this (partly true) story funny, with 

mixed results. I laughed some, but more often didn’t. Sweeney 

todd this ain’t. Packed with bit parts that mostly Brits will recognize. 

(89 min) 

goD Bless ameriCa 

Frustrated with the vacuity of US pop culture, 

an unlikely pair embarks on a nationwide 

killing spree in this dark, wickedly hilarious 

social satire. (105 min) 

firsT love 

three spirited Australian teenage girls pursue 

their dream of going to Hawaii to see if they can 

become pro surfers. (52 min) 

For theater details: metropolis.co.jp/movies 

Win Win 

thomas McCarthy’s (The Station 

Agent; The Visitor) modest gems 

are about unsought but revitalizing 

relationships among flawed 

c h a racte r s . I n h i s l ate s t , Pau l 

Giamatti plays a struggling new 

Jersey lawyer and volunteer coach 

of a generally awful high-school wrestling team. He takes the 

ethically questionable step of assuming the paid guardianship 

of a doddering old man and then turns around and puts the guy 

in a home. What he doesn’t foresee is the appearance of the man’s 

16-year-old grandson, who fortuitously enough turns out to be a 

gifted wrestler. Unforced, full of spirit and heart. (106 min) 

The CiTy Dark 

Ian Cheney entertained, educated 

and frightened me with King Corn, 

an excellent doc he co-produced 

about the corn agribusiness. His 

next target is the way city lights are 

obscuring the stars for most of us. (I 

don’t know what he’s talking about; 

in tokyo you can see half a dozen on a clear night.) Light pollution 

also disorients sea turtles and migratory birds, and studies 

show that working the aptly named graveyard shift can cause 

circadian-rhythm-related health problems. It’s nicely presented, 

but let’s be honest, among the myriad things threatening our 

environment, this doesn’t even make the top ten. (83 min) 

The avengers 

Iron Man, thor, the Hulk, Captain 

America and a host of lesser heroes 

unite in the face of a threat to all 

humankind. Director Joss Whedon 

achieves a superhuman juggling 

act here, giving each of several 

Marvel heroes the chance to shine 

while adroitly advancing their individual stories in a kick-ass, 

“let’s get the band together,” self-contained piece of cinematic 

mythmaking. Unpredictable right down to the final, 45-minute, 

smashing-in-every-sense battle, this is a big yet graceful blend of 

heroism and humor, a sophisticated superhero smashup that will 

satisfy both fanboy geeks and humans alike. (142 min) 

a Deeper shaDe of Blue 

Some guys just gotta surf. others, 

apparently, just gotta make surfing 

films. this journeyman effort is 

not at all bad. Clunky narration 

a n d re p e t it ive fo o t a g e a s i d e , 

it ’s an exhaustive outline of the 

development of the sport of kings 

from its Duke and Ka’iulani days to modern-day board shapers 

and champions. the filmmakers have done their homework 

and seem to know what they’re talking about. It’s just that it’s all 

been done before. Many, many, many times. Don’t worry if you 

miss the theatrical release. It will probably be the featured BGV in 

Japanese surf bars for some time to come. (90 min) 

The grey 

A depressed, borderline-suicidal 

professional wolf hunter (Liam 

n e e s o n ) t a k e s o n t h e a l p h a 

male duties among a handful of 

Alaskan pipeline workers who 

have survived a plane crash in 

the frozen wilderness, where the 

highly territorial wolves enjoy a decided home-court advantage. 

Despite some pretty exciting sequences, don’t be looking for an 

action flick here. this spare, subtly existential, even poetic study 

of the will to live in the face of insurmountable odds subverts 

escapist anticipations and goes way deeper than that. Consider 

that the title may not even refer to the wolves’ coloring. (117 

min) 

maDagasCar 3: europe’s 

mosT WanTeD 

Eyeball-gougingly hyperactive babysitting 

movie. If this were food, it’d be a Happy Meal. 

(82 min)

est kyoto restaurant 

www.ryokan-yachiyo.com info@ryokan-yachiyo.com 

Edit Board 

Add 

About Takuya 

Kyoto Garden Restaurant & Ryokan Yachiyo • Tel: 075-771-4148 • 34 Nanzenji Fukuji-cho Sakyo-ku Kyoto-shi Kyoto


tonkatsu» kimukATsu/GenkATsu We’ve all been there— 

you’re suffering from a 

painful tonkatsu craving, 

but the breaded-cutlet restaurants 

you know tend to 

be grease-filled junkyards 

for lone men and wastrels. 

So set your sights on Kimukatsu 

or Genkatsu—two 

delu xe establ ish ment s 

ser v ing up t he pillow y 

chunks of meat the way it should be done. Unlike your typical high-street lard 

palaces, these fine restaurants feature a smooth background of jazz and a 

dining-room atmosphere welcoming to men and women alike. 

Cutlets are prepared with selected pork loin meat. Nowhere can this 

be more fully appreciated than in the signature dish—the “mille-feuille” 

tonkatsu, with 25 layers of meaty goodness (Kimukatsu Zen; ¥1,950). You’d 

better forget about that gloopy bottled sauce that lesser establishments 

encourage you to squirt all over your katsu—a thinly veiled way to conceal 

shoddy materials. Kimukatsu and Genkatsu provide a specially made ponzu 

dipping sauce designed to make the flavors sing like a heavenly chorus. 

Stop in Thursday lunchtimes for the “Kimukatsu Assari Zen” lunch deal. 

The refreshing soumen noodles make it perfect for a hot summer’s day. Then, 

the 29th of every month is “meat day” in Japan (29 = niku = meat), when you 

can win some great coupons to ensure you return. Though once you’ve tasted 

the tonkatsu, you’re bound to be coming back anyway. 

• Kimikatsu: 4-9-5 Ebisu, Shibuya-ku. Tel: 03-5420-2929. Open Mon- 

Thu & Sun 11am-11pm (LO 10pm), Fri-Sat & before hols 11am-11:30pm 

(LO 11pm). Nearest stn: Ebisu. 

• Genkatsu: 3F Ginza Act Bldg, 4-6-18 Ginza, Chuo-ku. Open daily 

11:30am-11:30pm (LO 10pm). Nearest stn: Ginza. 

http://kimukatsu.com 

yakiniku» meushi 

Enjoy the elegant passing 

of the Japanese seasons via 

t he i nter ior desig n of 

Meush i, wh i le load i ng 

y o u r p a l a t e w i t h t h e 

highest-quality yakiniku 

at t he sa me t i me. T he 

ex per ience w i l l su rely 

change your perception of 

g r i l led Japa nese meat. 

Most people categorize the 

foodstuff as a cheap dining option—slightly better than street hawkers’ fare. 

Meushi’s goal is to change that perception. 

Everything about the restaurant drips luxury. From the four-seasons 

décor of vermillion, gold, and green to the waitresses bedecked in short 

kimono, everything at Meushi drips class, just like a sizzling chunk of 

meat drips succulent juices into the burning embers. Concealed lighting 

gives the place a sensual, relaxed feel, and the senses are massaged by 

the tasteful combination of modern Japan with the natural cycle and teaceremony 

motifs. 

If you are all thumbs—culinarily speaking—the charming and easygoing 

wait staff will happily cook your meat for you on your table’s personal grill. 

Both Japanese and Western-style tables are available, so choose what you like 

and settle in for the ride—made even smoother by English menus. 

If you needed any further incentive, simply tell the Meushi staff you read 

Metropolis for a special discount: a ¥7,000 full-course set for ¥5,000. 

3F Hakuba Bldg, 26-11 Udagawacho, Shibuya-ku. Tel: 03-6416-1091. 

Email: contact@meushi.jp. Open daily 6pm-midnight (LO 11:30pm). 

www.meushi.jp

italian» orGoGlio del cAsAlTA O r g o g l i o D e l C a s a l t a 

opened this year to bring a 

small corner of Tuscany to 

the sophisticated environs 

of Ebisu and Hiroo. Offering 

freshly made Italian 

cuisine in a gorgeously 

designed space, the environment 

at Orgoglio Del 

Casalta is set up to be a 

natural fit for foreign sentiments 

and tastes, complemented by the assistance of Italian staff who can 

also speak English. 

The entranceway is notable for its pretty Tuscan-style garden of greenery 

and creeping ivy, and the European-style bar where customers are 

encouraged to sip a drink and relax while waiting to be seated or waiting for 

company. What’s more, the bar is accessible with no charge or time limit. 

With reasonably priced drinks such as Campari and orange juice to flavor 

your experience, you might well end up staying there all night. 

The original restaurant Casalta opened in Siena, Tuscany, with this sister 

store opening back in springtime. The chef began his career at Sabitani, 

an Italian restaurant in Aoyama, before working as an apprentice for several 

years in Rome, Florence, Tuscany and Liguria—picking up local culinary 

tricks along the way. 

If you needed any further incentive to stroll up the street from Ebisu to 

this stylish Italian enclave, then bring along your copy of Metropolis for a 10% 

discount off meals at lunch or dinner. 

1F Hiroo Bldg, 3-12-40 Hiroo, Shibuya-ku. Tel 03-6418-5896. Open dinner 

Tue-Sun 5:30-11pm (LO), lunch Sat-Sun 11:30am-2pm. Nearest stn: 

Ebisu or Hiroo. www.orgogliodelcasalta.com 

steak» ouTBAck sTeAkhouse ropponGi 

Outback is a gateway to 

adventurous meatde 

vou r i ng , w here you 

know that each dish served 

up is created w it h key 

principles in mind. First, 

“serious food.” The chefs at 

Outback use only the best 

quality, freshest and safest 

ingredients, everything is 

handmade, and they are 

always striving for unique and bold flavors. Second, “spirited drinks” that 

bring out those flavors; and third, “concentrated service” that puts customers 

first and gives them a warm, relaxed experience. And finally “no rules, just 

right”—that’s to say, whatever you feel like from your Outback experience is 

okay by them. As long as it involves delicious food, that is. 

Outback only uses superior quality beef produced in Australia or the US, 

seasoned with its original beef seasoning. Though the steaks are served with 

sauce on the side, it is recommended that you savor the taste without the 

sauce at first, to fully enjoy the rich meat. 

A special recommendation for those keen on trying out Outback is the NY 

Strip 300g from the regular menu. With a perfect lean-to-fat ratio, this is the 

kind of meat normally served up on a platter in the penthouse restaurant of 

a luxury hotel. Except for the price. The strip steak with two side dishes and 

the soup of the day or house salad/caesar salad will only set you back ¥3,240. 

Got to be worth a try. 

2F Rocmon Bldg, 6-1-3 Roppongi, Minato-ku. Tel: 03-5413-4870. Email: 

jn12@outbacksteakhouse.co.jp. Open Mon-Fri 11:30am-3pm (LO 

2:30pm) & 5pm-midnight (LO 11pm). Sat-Sun 11:30am-midnight (LO 

11pm). Nearest Stn: Roppongi. www.outbacksteakhouse.co.jp/en 



teppanyaki» sAsAshiGe 

Spac iou s a nd s t y l i s h , 

Nishi-Azabu’s Sasashige 

draws a fun crowd into its 

modern interior for some 

of the best bang-for-yourbuck 

teppanyaki in town. 

The irresistible smell of 

juicy, fragrant meat sizzling 

on a hot plate makes 

Sasashige’s kuroge beef the 

hottest thing on the menu 

(available in sirloin ¥2,200/50g and Chateaubriand ¥3,000/50g). For those 

who prefer to pluck their sustenance out of the oceans, some fresh aquatic 

foodstuffs are up for your enjoyment as well. Our first recommendation 

would be the seared live abalone in its fresh liver sauce, but there’s also a fantastic 

selection of fresh scallops, flounder and lobster for any occasion. The 

course menus can’t be beat either, with three omakase courses (¥5,000- 

8,000)—where you leave your choices up to the seasoned wisdom of the 

cook—and the special ¥12,000 Sasashige course. 

There is a menu of seafood mains, plus a vegetarian menu for those who 

prefer their meat on someone else’s table. Requests are accepted to suit any 

budget and taste. Talk to the chef or the wait staff to work out the details. A 

variety of wines are offered—from California, Chile, South Africa, Australia, 

Italy, New Zealand, and France—because nothing washes meaty juices down 

better than a hefty glass of red. 

2F, 2-13-15 Nishi-Azabu, Minato-ku. Tel: 03-5774-4439. Open Mon-Sat 

5pm-4am (LO), Sun & hols 5-11pm (LO). Nearest stn: Hiroo or Roppongi 

or Nogizaka. www.sasashige.com 

grill» side door hisio 

If the usual izakaya, yakitori, 

and yakiniku joints 

seem passé, maybe you 

need to go somewhere that 

requires a reservation— 

but not a platinum card. 

Tucked underneath Roppongi’s 

nocturnal haunt , 

the Tokyo Sports Café, the 

recently renovated Side 

Door offers course meals 

from ¥5,000 and full entrées like roasted chicken, pan-fried veal with tempura 

zucchini, large f lower- and vegetable-infused salads and more. A 

healthy New World wine selection focusing on California and Australia help 

make a robust, Western-styled gourmet meal even more full-bodied. 

But for serious eaters and meat maestros, it’s all about the grill. Using only 

bincho charcoal, Side Door’s kitchen’s specialties include Tasmanian garlic 

lamb loins (¥2,520), De Bellota Spanish pork (¥3,150), and domestic aged beef 

(¥5,040 per 225g or ¥6,300 per 300g). A prix fixé menu for ¥4,200 offers a daily 

changing array of salad, fish and meat courses, and for ¥5,985 you can get the 

specialty aged beef course. 

You’d do well to stick to the simple grilled items—and whatever you do, 

don’t miss the steak. Side Door’s domestic aged beef costs ¥3,150 per 100g, 

and the 200g hunk of meat arrives looking more like a butt steak or tenderloin: 

a thick disk of boneless beef perfectly cooked medium. Unseasoned—except 

for a dab of salt and pepper—it could be one of the best steaks in Tokyo. 

B2F Fusion Bldg., 7-13-8 Roppongi, Minato-ku. Tel: 03-5785-0573. Open 

Mon-Sat 6pm-1:30am, closed Sun. Bar open until 5am. Nearest stn: Roppongi. 

www.sidedoor.tv

teppanyaki» TeTsuBiroBi 

A pillar of fire rises from 

an iron plate, burning 

coal spits sparks of light, 

succulent meat bathes in 

glorious flames on your 

table... The Promethean 

gift of fire is bestowed 

u p o n e a c h g u e s t a t 

Tetsubirobi. 

Iron plates and grills 

are used to give flavor to 

the meat, which includes the best A4-ranked kuroge wagyu (Japanese blackhaired 

cattle). Akagi beef is also offered from Toriyama livestock in Gunma 

Prefecture, among a selection of other rare viands. So confident is Testubirobi 

of the beef’s source that individual identification numbers are cited 

with each dish. 

Most people have heard of Mie Prefecture’s famous Matsusaka beef, but 

the area’s pork could even surpass that best of beefs. Thin slices of fat wind 

through the loin meat, making its lean-to-fat ratio second to none. Chickenwise, 

try the Arita bird, whose rare-kelp diet results in a natural softness 

and juiciness in the meat. To pair the food perfectly Tetsubirobi offers over 

30 kinds of premium sake and shochu such as Pont Neuf and Dassai. 

No need to wait to taste the products of the 30mm-thick plate dominating 

the open kitchen—the restaurant offers excellent prices on lamb 

(lean; ¥1,900/100g), ichibo (marbled meat; ¥2,100/100g), and tender loin 

(¥2,800/100g). Say Metropolis when making a reservation to get an extra 20g 

on an order of lamb or ichibo. 

B1 Tokyu Bldg, Jinbocho, Kanda, Chiyoda-ku. Tel: 03-3556-2629. 

Email: tetsubirobi@spice-works.co.jp. Open Mon-Thu 11:30am-2pm 

& 5:30-11:30pm, Fri 11:30am-2pm & 5:30pm-1am, Sat 5:30-11:30pm, 

closed Sun. Nearest stn: Jimbocho or Kudanshita. http://r.gnavi.co.jp/ 

b273403 

SPECIAL LIVE PERFORMANCE 

Sep 17 (Mon) 

National holiday 

Open: noon 

Close: 2am 

DRAFT DRAFT BEER BEER 

1PINT 1PINT FOR FOR ¥500 ¥500 

SPECIAL 

Original Draft Cider 

¥1,200/pint, ¥800/glass 

18th(Tue) 

Draft beer 1pint for ¥700 

FREE: 1 small dish for everyone 

Free live music 

from 8pm: 

The Mutiny 

Irish Folk/Punk 

• • Guinness Guinness • • Kilkenny Kilkenny 

• • Bass Bass Pale Pale Ale Ale 

• • Sapporo Sapporo 

Tel: 03-3760-6179 • www.seamus-ohara.com 

Meguro 3-12-3, Matsuda Building B1F, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 

5th Anniversary 

SEAMUS 

O'HARA 

ORIGINAL 

GOODS 

FOR SALE. 

Enjoy our great selections 

of Irish and European brews. 

Happy Hour 

All ¥500!! 

Mon-Fri (except Public holidays) 

Open-7pm. Heineken 1 PINT, 

�e Premium Malt’s 1 PINT, 

Glasses of wine, Cocktails 

More details 

http://failte.jp 

www.failte.jp 

Spacious 

5F terrace 

overlooking 

central 

Shibuya. 

Tokyu 

Plaza 

5F, Sede Bldg. 1-5-2 Dogenzaka, Shibuya 

OPEN 5:30pm-2am (Mon-Sat) 

3-11pm (Sunday & hols) 

tel: 03-3476-7776 


• Largest English-language 

property website in Japan 

with 10,000+ properties 

• Listings from major 

realtors: Ken Corp, Plaza, 

Japan Home Search, 

Sumitomo, and others 

• Easy search and filter 

• Handy history to save 

previous searches 

• Updated daily 

Embrace the city 

Metropolis provides for your dining, traveling, 

shopping—and living—needs in Japan 

MetroHomes 

Shopping 

• Shop in English from 

anywhere in Japan 

• Wine today and more 

on the way 

• 25%~35% discount on 

listed wines 

• Selection cases 

available 

• New World wines a 

specialty 

• Next day delivery 

• Japan’s fastest-growing 

recommendation-based 

dining website 

• Hundreds of reviews from 

Metropolis experts 

• Rank and review your 

favorite restaurants 

• Special discount and 

campaign coupons from 

participating stores 

• Register to become a 

MetroDining expert writer, 

and earn free meals 

JapanTourist.jp 

• Japan’s first 

English-language 

recommendation-based 

travel website 

• Hundreds of articles 

growing by 300+ a month 

• Local experts write about 

favorite places with photos 

• Post your own 

experiences and earn 

redeemable points 

• Top contributors compete 

in our TourSumo Banzuke 

metrohomes.jp metroshopping.jp metrodining.jp 

japantourist.jp

at work and available only on Thu, but 

we can arrange to exchange via Skype! 

Please contact me. metalsadness@ 

hotmail.com 

Chinese, Japanese, English. SJM is 

seeking a language exchange partner 

for weekdays or weekends. Shinjuku 

is convenient for me. Let’s meet 

and talk about culture, art, sports, 

politics, and economics. Yoroshiku! 

swatchskinswiss1@yahoo.co.jp 

English and Japanese. Hello, I’m a JF, 

23. I want to study E, but I’m a beginner. 

hope_ak88@hotmail.com 

English and Japanese. Hello! Did 

you watch the London 2012 Olympics? 

Would you like to learn British English? 

Ok, good! I’m free on Tue in Tokyo at 

a British pub. Nonsmoker, 42. Let’s go! 

a.brit.in.tookyo@gmail.com 

English and Japanese. Hi, I’m a JM, 

26, seeking a language exchange 

partner. I can help you with your 

Japanese in return. I want to make 

friends with foreigners. t-ezaki0412@ 

hotmail.co.jp 

English and Japanese. I ’ m 

seeking English friends to exchange 

languages and cultures. If you want 

to improve your Japanese, I can help 

you, especially your writing, etc. If 

you’re interested, contact me now. I’m 

a decent JM, late 30s. mujyo8602@i. 

softbank.jp 

English and Japanese. Japanese 

brothers. My brother is a medical 

doctor and I’m a pharmaceutical 

college student. We are 25 and 21. In 

Ochanomizu, Tokyo stn, Funabashi or 

Tsudanuma. Native English speakers 

sought. Thanks! kaneko1114y@gmail. 

com 

English and Japanese. Hi, I’m a 

Japanese female living in Yokohama 

and working in Tokyo. I’m seeking an 

English teacher! I’m quite a beginner, 

but I want to be good at English! 

chie0105chie@yahoo.co.jp 

English and Japanese. I am seeking 

native English-speaking language 

exchange partners. I would like to have 

new friends as well. I am a JF, 25. If you 

seek the same, please let me know. 

maegamichan17@gmail.com 

English and Japanese. I’m a JM, 

late 30s, living in Nakano. I’m seeking 

a native English-speaking language 

exchange friend. I’m interested in 

rock/classical music, guitar and 

Japanese chess (shogi). Let’s exchange 

languages! vofreewill@mail.goo.ne.jp 

English and Japanese. JF, 26, seeking 

somebody around my age with similar 

interests. I used to live in London and 

love loads of American indie bands. I’m 

living in Chiba and working in Tokyo. 

tettekemomo@hotmail.co.jp 

English and Japanese. Hi, I’m a JF, 

20. I can help you with your Japanese. 

I seek a native English speaker, M/F ok, 

20-29. mamiringorin@yahoo.co.jp 

English, French, Spanish, Russian, 

Japanese. Konnichiwa, I’m a Japanese 

guy, 20s, seeking someone who I can 

practice E, Fr, Sp or Chn with. I’d be 

glad to help your Japanese. Please 

feel free to contact me. zeno77dst@ 

hotmail.com 

English, Spanish, Japanese. G’day! 

My name is Roberto and I live in 

Saitama, close to Kawagoe. I am from 

Sydney, Australia, but I am Spanish. 

Want to meet Japanese people for 

friendship and language exchange. 

mono_locco@yahoo.com.au 

Thai, Japanese, English. Looking 

forward to meeting anyone who lives in 

the Tokyo area for language exchange, 

cafe, hanging out and traveling 

together sometimes. I’m Thai, male, 

professional career, easygoing and 

fun. freemap49@yahoo.com 

3.6 learNiNG: GeNeral 

lAkelAnd, An 

AmericAn 

college in 

ShinJuku, 

offers evening 

and Sat afternoon courses 

starting Sep 26 in 

international business Skills, 

Website design, powerpoint 

presentations, global 

mindset, Aging prevention, 

negotiating Across culture, 

magazine Article Writing, 

Western Flower Arranging, 

korean, english and others. 

c a l l 0 3 - 3 2 2 5 - 0 4 2 5 . 

http://www.lcjoc.com 

3.9 teaCH Me! 

pArt-time privAte lAnguAge 

teAcherS needed. Are you tired 

of absurd Japanese school/office 

policies and dress codes? pick 

your own lesson fee, schedule and 

location, then students will directly 

contact you! http://hello-sensei. 

com/en/sensei info@hello-sensei. 

com 

teAch me engliSh in AkihAbArA. 

Seeking native english teacher 

around Akihabara. Will pay 

¥3500/90min, plus coffee. 

mohtao@excite.co.jp 

English lesson for group. JM 

seeking native speaker for learning 

English with two friends. Teach us 

English at a business level. Will pay 

¥4000. Shinagawa, Shibuya, Shinjuku 

preferred. gmo_yss@yahoo.co.jp 

Otsin eesti keele õpetajat Tokyo. 

Tere! Australian guy seeking someone 

to help with my Estonian. Mail me if 

interested and we can talk about price/ 

location. Aitäh! arlonr@hotmail.com 

4 HOUSEHOLD GOODS 

4.1 FurNiture & FittiNGS 

Bed, single, wooden, w/two drawers 

underneath and two tape recorders. 

Pick up Hana-Koganei. writerz@ 

hotmail.com 09099778020 

Bookcases, in excellent condition: 

small, three-shelf; large, 16-box. Pick 

up Ikebukuro area. Photos available. 

phayphay29@hotmail.com 

Cabinet, kitchen, wooden 

(83.5x118x45cm), w/glass panels, four 

shelves, two drawers, in excellent 

condition ¥3000. Pick up Ebina, 

Odakyu line. Photos available. 

brianggg@hotmail.co.jp 

Chairs, four (H100cm), white leather, 

in good condition ¥3900/each. Near 

Ueno. funtokyo1@gmail.com 

Chest of drawers, white, lacquered 

(W75xH110xD48cm), in great condition, 

no scratches, w/four drawers ¥69,000. 

Near Ueno. funtokyo1@gmail.com 

Garden furniture. Table, four 

armchairs, cushions, large parasol, w/ 

cast iron base, recently sanded and 

treated. Make an offer. Photos available. 

letssayonaratokyo@gmail.com 

Mirror, Actus, Four Season Quadrato 

(100x100cm), as new. New ¥121,000. 

Sell ¥39,000. Near Ueno. funtokyo1@ 

gmail.com 

Table, dining, dark brown, w/four 

chairs ¥3000. Photo available. 

tokyoclass@hotmail.co.jp 

Table, glass (W90xH72xD80cm), 

translucent, silver feet, in good 

condition ¥19,000. Near Ueno. 

funtokyo1@gmail.com 

Table, glass (W105xH44xD55cm), 

w/round corners, in good condition 

¥14,000. Near Ueno. funtokyo1@ 

gmail.com 

4.2 appliaNCeS 

Cooler/warmer, Centigrade, plugs 

into car’s cigarette lighter ¥8000. 

tj.engineer0124@yahoo.com 080- 

3548-7476 

Fridge, Sanyo, full size (155x54x56cm), 

three compartments (main fridge on 

top, freezer in middle, second fridge 

at bottom), in good condition ¥5000. 

Pick up Ebina, Kanagawa. brianggg@ 

hotmail.co.jp 

Range, Paloma, LP/propane, two 

burners and grill, in good condition 

¥3500. Pick up Tsurukawa stn, Odakyu 

line, or pay for takkyubin. deboivre@ 

yahoo.com 080-3202-6366 

Washer/dryer, Hitachi NW-D6BX 

¥3000. tokyoclass@hotmail.co.jp 

4.3 SayONara Sale 

Sayonara sale! Family fridge, w/ice 

maker ¥30,000. Washer, 8kg ¥11,000. 

Stainless steel microwave oven, nonturn 

table, w/oven and grill ¥7000. 

Wall unit all-season aircon ¥15,000. 

sayonara.44444@gmail.com 

Sayonara sale! Washer, fridge, oven, 

coffee machine, kettle, toaster, rice 

cooker, kitchen goods, corner sofa, 

shelves, cabinet, chest of drawers. 

Cheap. Mita, Minato-ku. guatapal@ 

gmail.com 08044508886 

Sayonara sale! Bed, sofa, washer, 

fridge, microwave, floor lamp 

¥10,000/all. Drawers, clothes hanger, 

kitchen items, TV cabinet, kitchen 

stand, etc.: free. Pick up only Mitaka. 

Details, photos available. mkbrooks@ 

gmail.com 

Sayonara sale! In fairly good 

condition, well-functioning: rice 

cooker ¥1000. Standing mirror, w/ 

blue frame ¥1000. Study desk ¥1000. 

mdhanabm@yahoo.com 

4.4 tv & HOMe tHeater 

Flatscreen TV 13”, Sharp Aquos 

LC-13E2 ¥4000. Minami-Asagaya. 


LCD TV 28”, Hitachi, in excellent 

condition, w/remote, user manual 

¥2000. Pick up only Shibuya-ku. 

xyphilos@yahoo.com 

TV 22”, Sharp LC-22K5, one y/o, in 

great condition. New ¥45,000. Sell 

¥20,000. Pick up Ebina, Odakyu line. 


TV 26”, Sony Bravia KDL-26J3000, 

HD, w/many inputs (HDMI, Phono, 

S-Video, D-Sub, network LAN) 

¥22,000. futuredrive2@yahoo.com 

08037377662 

4.5 auDiO & Mp3 

Earphones, Audio Technica, inner 

ear, w/remote and mic, original box, 

pouch, manual, earpiece (S/M/L), used 

once, for iPhone/iPad/iPod ¥2000. 

jayfeirin@yahoo.co.jp 

Music player, Sony, black, w/mini 

speaker/charging station, over 

100 songs and videos ¥10,000/ 

obo. tj.engineer0124@yahoo.com 

08035487476 

Speaker set, for iPod/iPhone, w/ 

subwoofer, works well, black ¥8000. 

tj.engineer0124@yahoo.com 080- 

3548-7476 

4.7 FOr Free 

Exercise bench/sit-up bench, 

foldable, as new. Pick up only Koto-ku. 

ilker.gungor@gmail.com 090-8478- 

0464 

Microwave oven, Sharp, ‘96 model, 

w/oven and grill function; Bridgestone 

Shiatsu futon mattress. Pick up near JR 

Osaki/Gotanda. tokyoclass@hotmail. 

co.jp 

Washer, Sharp ES-F4A, old, but 

in perfect working order. Pick up 

Ebina, Odakyu line. Photos available. 


5 HOBBIES & INTERESTS 

5.1 CaMeraS 

Digital camera, Sony Cyber-shot DSC- 

V1, w/external flash, battery charger, 

no memory card ¥5000. mdhanabm@ 

yahoo.com 

DSLR, Canon EOS 50D, body, w/all 

accessories, spare battery, CF memory 

card, no lens, hardly used, in perfect 

condition ¥55,000. avoca9@hotmail. 

com 

5.2 SpOrtS eQuipMeNt 

Bench, for heavy duty weight lifting, 

w/leg extension ¥10,000/obo. 


Weight belt, Nike, size L, not available 

in Japan. New US$30. Best offer. Photos 

available. konriki@yahoo.com 

THE RACE IS ON! 

Groups of 4 or more can 

compete with each other 

Admission 

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

Strong, beautiful, flexible 

Transform your body & soul at 

BASI PILATES! 

Offering you “Authentic Pilates” 

Metropolis Campaign 

Admission Fee: ¥15,750 ¥0 

Trial Machine Private Lesson: ¥10,000 ¥8,400 

Package 3 Machine 

Private Lessons ¥30,000 ¥18,000 

Machine Private Lessons available at our Roppongi studio 

Lessons in English available 

Studios in Roppongi, Ginza, Nakameguro and more 

03-6425-7054 • roppongi@basipilates.jp 

www.basipilates.jp/english/ 

Mention Metropolis 

for free admission 

JR Sotobo line 

JR Keiyo Line 

Keiyo Highway 


5.3 MuSiCal eQuipMeNt 

Pedal, Digitech Crossroads (Eric 

Clapton), as new, hardly used. Best 

offer. exitz@leaf.ocn.ne.jp 

Synthesizer, Korg Microkorg XL, 

boxed, in great condition, never 

gigged, w/all cables/manual ¥30,000. 

sergeimagic@hotmail.com 

6 VEHICLES 

6.1 CarS, partS & 

aCCeSSOrieS 

autO DireCt is a one-stop 

shop for all your motor 

equipment and services 

in english. Buying cars in 

Japan? rent/sell/lease cars, 

import your favorite car from 

outside Japan, and insurance 

in english. Call 03-5573-8776 

or email mac@autodirect.jp 

www.autodirect.jp/ 

J ce AutoS - the 

A u t o m o b i l e 

p r o F e S S i o n A l S . 

S p e c i a l izing i n c a r s a l e s , 

buy-backs, door-to-door 

shipping, long-term car 

storage and any other carrelated 

matters. if you need 

assistance with your car, we 

are here to help. tel: 03-6868- 

3366 or 090-9362-5098 

inquiries@jce-autos.jp www. 

jce-autos.jp 

2010 vW golF comFortline, red, 

1.4l, eco, w/very low miles, in great 

condition ¥1,890,000.negotiable. 

email: pumba1820-tky@umin.ac.jp 

6.3 BiCyCleS, partS, & 

aCCeSSOrieS 

Bike, foldable, red, less than one y/o 

¥6000. Pick up Ikebukuro or Otsuka stn 

in the afternoon. avi_mazalto@yahoo. 

com 090-71941-718 

Bike, single gear, three m/o, stylish, in 

good condition, w/mini D-Lock and LED 

light, suitable for tall riders ¥18,000. Try 

before you buy. yiu.ying@gmail.com 

Road bike, Devinci Millennium 

Optimum Carbon C-T, 61cm, suits rider 

around 187cm, w/Ultegra nine-speed 

shifters, derailleur, 105 cranks, brakes, 

XSR-2 rims, Schwalbe tires, Serfas 

saddle, Cateye computer, Sachs bottle 

holder, Shimano SPD pedals ¥100,000. 

cjriach@hotmail.com 

7 GENERAL 

7.1 pHONeS 

iPhone 4S 64GB, factory unlocked, no 

activation required, brand new ¥35,667. 

al-rahmanstores@hotmail.com 

7.3 MiSCellaNeOuS 

Gardening tools. Spades, forks, 

axes, saws, lawnmower, hose, 

rakes, leaf rakes. Make an offer. 


Plant, Ficus Benjamina tree, about 

170cm tall, in an elegant pot. New 

¥20,000. Sell ¥4900. Near Ueno. 

funtokyo1@gmail.com 

Safe, as new, 300kg ¥70,000. Shipping 

within Tokyo included. Details available. 

shagul@gol.com 

Tool bag and tools, Craftsman, 

w/screwdrivers, socket set, etc. 

¥10,000. tj.engineer0124@yahoo.com 

08035487476 

8 COMPUTERS 

8.1 ServiCeS 

tOKyO it ServiCeS. 

We fix all kinds of computer 

problems and also offer 

a data recovery service 

in tokyo. We provide a 

range of computer services 

to corporate, small and 

medium-sized businesses, 

and individual pC and Mac 

users as well. Onsite call and 

english computers for sale. 

rentals also available. 1min 

walk from Jr yamanote line, 

Hamamatsucho stn S5 exit, 

3min from Daimon subway 

B4 exit. 10am-6:30pm. 

Call 03-3437-2312. 

www.tokyoit.jp/english 

8.2 HarDWare 

Desktop and monitor sets, six 

available: Dell Optiplex 740, 22” 

monitor, E/XP OS, AMD Athlon 64X2 

processor 4200+ 2.20GHz, 1GB RAM, 

80GB HD, E/keyboard, laser mouse. 

New ¥110,000. Sell ¥30,000. Discount 

for multiple purchase. bedroc@gmail. 

com 090-7839-5522 

Desktop, Gigabyte, AMD Athalon 

Dual Core 64x2 processor at 2.30GHz, 

2GB RAM, just over 230GB HD, Realtek 

audio, wireless keyboard and mouse, 

Windows Ultimate 7 32-bit, optional 

Office/Photoshop/Lightroom ¥20,000/ 

obo. sergeimagic@hotmail.com 

PC, MicroTower, Vista Ultimate retail, 

Wi-Fi, USB3 enabled, Silverstone 

SG03 aluminum compact case, i7 

920 CPU, Asus Rampage GENE mATX 

motherboard, Corsair H50 Liquid 

Cooler, 6GB Patriot RAM, 9800GTX+ 

video, 1TB HD, w/E/keyboard ¥55,000. 

rsd91750@nifty.com 

Printer, Epson EP-803a, inkjet, bought 

last year. New ¥30,000. Sell ¥15,000. 

Pick up Ebina, Odakyu line. brianggg@ 

hotmail.co.jp 

Router, wireless LAN, up to 300Mbps, in 

great condition. New ¥4000. Best offer. 

Shinagawa-ku. 18th.vow@gmail.com 

10 HELP! 

10.2 SuppOrt 

need to tAlk? 

We’re here to listen. 

tell liFe line: free 

english-language 

a n o n y m o u s 

counseling, daily from 9am-11pm, 

by trained volunteers: 

03-5774-0992. tell counSeling 

center: affordable multilingual 

psychotherapy by accredited 

Western-trained professionals, a 

cignA international provider: 

03-4550-1146. tell website: www. 

telljp.com. Follow us on Facebook 

and twitter @tokyolifeline. 

to AdvertiSe in Japan’s no.1 

english magazine, log on at www. 

metropolis.co.jp/classifieds or 

email your commercial ads to 

commercial@metropolis.co.jp 

WeSt pApuA: one Soul, one 

people. Fifty years ago, West 

papua should have been an 

independent country. Since 1969, 

West papua has been invaded 

and the people robbed of their 

rights, culture and country. help 

support West papuans’ desire to 

be free. http://tapol.gn.apc.org/ 

davidhalpern@7ymail.com 

42 • dOwnLOad OuR POdCaST aT • POdCaST.METROPOLIS.CO.JP 

AlcoholicS AnonymouS tokyo. if 

you have a problem with drinking, we 

can help. english-speaking meetings 

daily. 03-3971-1471 inquiries@ 

aatokyo.org http://aatokyo.org 

Infertlity support group. TGP Tokyo 

is an infertility support group in Tokyo 

which provides informal opportunities 

for women and men experiencing 

infertility to connect with one another. 

Please visit our website for more 

information. info@tgptokyo.com www. 

tgptokyo.com 

12 SOCIAL SCENE 

12.1 let’S party 

SHiNJuKu COSMOpOlitaN 

party - early autuMN 

SpeCial. Sat, Sep 1, 6:20- 

9pm, int’l Club tokyo loose. 

Shinjuku’s biggest fullscale 

international party. 

200 people. everybody 

welcome! all-you-candrink 

and free snacks. 

Female ¥3000. Male ¥3500. 

party@shinjukuparty.com 

www.shinjukuparty.com 

GaitOMO iNterNatiONal 

party. very pOpular 

party iN tOKyO. a Gaitomo 

international party is held 

every Fri and Sat in roppongi, 

Nishi-azabu and Jiyugaoka, 

etc. ¥1500~¥2000. info@ 

gaitomo.com http://gaitomo. 

ninja-web.net/ 

converSAtion lounge 

mickey houSe At 

tAkAdAnobAbA. relax in 

a living room atmosphere 

and meet new friends from 

different countries. open 

m o n - S a t f r o m 6 - 1 1 p m . 

one drink ¥500~. http:// 

mickeyhouse.jp/english 

tokyo int’l pArty. 

Aug 25: kanda party, w/british 

buffet (all-you-can-drink-andeat) 

¥3000. Aug 26: speed 

dating. Sep 1: roppongi int’l 

party. Sep 8: omotesando 

sushi party (all-you-candrink-and-eat) 

¥3000. Sep 9: 

speed dating. please check 

our website! best@internationalparty.com 

http:// 

internationalparty.com/ 

index_e.html 

13 CLUBS & INTERESTS 

13.1 SpOrtS 

a MeriCaN FOOtBall. 

Nihon unisys Bulls, X league 

Central Division, seeks fit 

players w/ uS college football 

experience for all positions. 

practice every Sat/Sun 

from 10am-3pm (including 

meeting) in tokyo/Saitama 

(time & venue subject to 

change). attendance at 

practice must be over 60%. 

please contact for tryout info 

and send your profile to team 

admin. bullsxleague@gmail. 

com http://www.unisys.co.jp/ 

football/ 

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

kick up A Storm At 

bungeling bAy. if your goal 

is to lose weight, tone up, gain 

strength, or simply to feel 

healthier, then our qualified 

and experienced trainers 

can help you. 03-6905-6573 

info@bungelingbay.com 

www.bungelingbay.com 

All-nAtionAlity touch 

FootbAll. non-contact tag 

rugby (oZ tag) and rugby 

league players. We play every 

Sat from 10am in tatsumi. 

m/F and beginners welcome! 

good exercise and fun! many 

other activities such as bbQs 

and drinking parties! email for 

details. tokyorugbyleague@ 

hotmail.com http://ameblo. 

jp/tokyo13warriors 

AmAteur rugby leAgue 

plAyerS. Japan AnZAcS 

rugby league team is looking 

for rugby league players for 

Japanese rugby league 

official games from Apr to 

S e p . eve r yo n e we l c o m e . 

For more details, contact 

japananzacs@gmail.com 

tAmbourelli. very unique 

new sport from Scotland. using 

a tambourine-like instrument 

as a sports racquet, players hit a 

shuttlecock! We play two or three 

times/month on weekends in 

meguro with many socials. Join us! 

more details: www.tamjapan.org/ 

en/ info@tamjapan.org 

All-level tennis group in Tokyo. 

Serious and motivated tennis players 

sought by active tennis group to join 

their weekly sessions in central Tokyo. 

We have advanced and intermediate 

groups on weekday evenings. Beginner 

and low-intermediate also welcome. 

No entrance or membership fees. 

Reasonable participation fees. tokyo. 

tennis@yahoo.fr 

Futsal players wanted by a very 

friendly international team. Practice is 

in Tokyo and Kanagawa on Sat. Details 

available. fkkyn468@ybb.ne.jp 

MMA/grappling in Kanagawa. 

Meeting in Zama, Kanagawa, on 

Tue and Fri nights. Email for more 

information. andrewduncan7@hotmail. 

com http://www.meetup.com/The- 

Zama-BJJ-Grappling-Jiu-Jitsu-Club/ev 

ents/drsrncyqgbjb/ 

Paintball. Hi, I am seeking paintball 

lovers. I love playing paintball and 

would like to meet people who like 

to play paintball so we can play 

together. avi_mazalto@yahoo.com 

090-71941718 

Quality football. Interested in playing 

football at the weekend and training 

midweek? Want to enjoy a few beers 

after a good run out? If you consider 

yourself a quality player, please drop us 

a note. bfcvagabonds@gmail.com 

Rugby in Tokyo. Tokyo’s top rugby 

club. Own ground, showers, jacuzzi, 

bars, restaurants. Two teams, weekly 

fixtures, free beers, birds, international 

tours and great camaraderie. All ages, 

shapes and sizes welcome. ycacrugby@ 

hotmail.com http://ycacrugby.com 

13.2 leiSure 

Japan Outdoor and Leisure Club. 

Tokyo Snow Club is a ski, snowboard 

and outdoor club. We run fun outdoor 

group trips from Tokyo all year round. 

All welcome to join! Trip schedule can 

be found online. trips@tokyosnowclub. 

com http://www.tokyosnowclub.com 

Tokyo International Adventure Club. 

Come hike, ski, dive, bike, climb, run 

with Tokyo’s all-volunteer outdoor club. 

jeremy.bricker@gmail.com http://www. 

iac-tokyo.org 

13.4 MuSiC 

Drummer and bassist wanted. We 

are making an original band in the style 

of ‘70s hard rock. Guys with plans to 

stay in Japan for a long time preferred. 

70hardrockforever@gmail.com 

Drums and bass wanted. I’m seeking 

a bassist and drummers for a CD 

release and performances as support 

members or permanent members. We 

mainly play rock and have rehearsals 

in Shin-Yokohama on weekends. m_a_ 

b1998@yahoo.co.jp 

Guitarist and drummer sought for 

Tokyo noise punk/post-punk/math 

rock band. Me: experienced Japanese 

bassist, late 30s. Influences: Shellac, 

Jesus Lizard, Bastro, Slint, Unsane, 

Don Caballero, Sleeping People, This 

Heat, Hella, Lightning Bolt, Unwound, 

etc. M/F, any nationality, any age. 

0plus2equal1@gmail.com 

Jazz musicians sought in Tokyo. 

Pianist, jazz singer, bassist, saxophonist, 

trumpeter, flutist. Let’s play jazz 

standards. I’m a Japanese guitarist. 

k.chiba106@gmail.com 

13.5 MiND, BODy, Spirit 

Basic Buddhism course: 

“Theory and its Practical Application 

to Life.” International Buddhist 

Congregation, Fumonkan, 2-6-1 Wada, 

Suginami-ku, near Honancho subway 

stn. Free. ibc-information@memoad. 

jp www.ibc-buddhism.info/basic-2012. 

html 03-5341-1230 

Diamond Way Buddhism Tokyo. 

Do you want to explore your own 

mind? Guided Buddhist meditation 

every Sun, 6pm, near Azabu-Juban. 

International practitioners, beginners 

welcome, Japanese spoken. Please call 

090-3598-3072 for more information. 

daginia@gmail.com http://www. 

diamondway.jp/ 

Zen meditation. You’ve always 

thought it would be interesting to try 

- why not now? Join a small, friendly 

group of practitioners Fri nights at 7pm 

at Tokuun-in in Ueno. Check our home 

page! tokyozazen@jcom.home.ne.jp 

www.wgthorpe.com 

13.8 prOFeSSiONal 

Tokyo Traders Club. International 

club for traders and investors. Discuss 

opportunities in stocks, commodities 

and forex. Many regular events 

including FX trading workshop. New 

to trading? No problem: beginners also 

welcome. You can also learn to trade. 

Join free! info@tokyotraders.com 

http://www.tokyotraders.com/ 080- 

5681-1321 

13.9 iNterNatiONal 

Intercultural activities. JII (Japan 

Intercultural Institute) is a nonprofit, 

member-run organization 

that sponsors activities (seminars, 

cultural events, conferences) for 

those wanting to further develop 

intercultural competencies and 

meet other interculturalists. yuko. 

bolick@japanintercultural.org www. 

japanintercultural.org 

JANZ Ladies Group. We’re a friendly 

and supportive organization for 

women from Australia and New 

Zealand living in Japan, and Japanese 

women who have lived in either 

Australia or New Zealand. mloheni@ 

gmail.com http://www.janzladies.com 

090-6560-0640 

14 PERSONALS 

14.1 FrieNDS 

Drinks after work? Drinks after 

work in the Marunouchi area? Any 

sex, any age, any nationality, single or 

married. More people, more fun. I can 

reply to you in English or Japanese. 

Me: JF, 29, working in Otemachi. 

summeriscoming@hotmail.co.jp 

Entrepreneurial minds are sought 

by a Japanese woman who has a lot 

of ideas about business. Let us be 

friends and work together! Anyone 

with a lot of time and energy out there? 

sakosako20122012@gmail.com 

Friend x friend = friends. Hello! 

Middle-aged JF just wants to talk about 

many things and go drinking together 

with my friend sometimes. My friend 

is also a JF. Females welcome! Any 

nationality ok. The only problem 

is I can only speak English a little. 

foodfighter55@gmail.com 

German/Austrian friends? Hallo, I’m 

a JM, 25. I want friends from Germany/ 

Austria. I am interested in the language 

and countries. M/F ok. I like music, 

cooking and having fun on weekends. 

Danke! akaiyuuwaku@gmail.com 

Get together for the summer. Thai 

professional, 30s, living in Kichijoji. 

I want to meet people who live in the 

Tokyo area for friendship. Summer is 

here, let’s make a group schedule for 

hanabi, hiking, the beach and camping 

on the weekends! freemap49@yahoo. 

com 

New friends in Tokyo. I am a Japanese 

who is seeking new friends in Tokyo, 

28-35, speaking English or Japanese. If 

you are interested, please let me know. 

aiko.tsuchida17@me.com 

Shibuya or Machida area. Japanese 

male, 20s, plays piano and drums, 

easy to talk to, seeks language 

exchange partner or friends who play 

instruments. Into American music and 

movies. Machida area preferred. Let’s 

talk over coffee. Where are you from? 

language_exchange3@hotmail.com 

What made you decide to come to 

Japan? I’m of two minds as to whether 

or not I should go to Australia on 

working holiday and open a little 

business there. I’m a JF, 31. I’d like 

to meet someone from Australia or 

someone who has been there on a 

working holiday: someone who has this 

type of experience and can encourage 

me to make it. return.to.oz1985@gmail. 

com 

14.2 MeN lOOKiNG FOr 

WOMeN 

nice guy in tokyo. i am a fun, 

professional, nice-looking SWm, 

31, californian, seeking a nice girl 

who likes to travel, go for walks, 

visit amusement parks and watch 

movies. if you are a slim girl, 24-32, 

seeking an honest and confident 

guy, send me a mail. my Japanese is 

good, so your english is ok. let’s be 

friends first and get to know each 

other. wade.dylan@gmail.com 

A personality to match the legs? 

Seeking an interesting and funny 

Japanese lady to match me and to 

share some time and experiences in 

Tokyo. I’m a SWM, 37, 75kg, European, 

decent job, living in central Tokyo. 

tokyo_james@live.co.uk 

Attractive JM seeks Western woman 

for dating. I can support you. I’m 30s, 

good-looking, fashionable. See you 

soon! ta77555@gmail.com 

Caring and cute JM seeks attractive, 

hearty, nonsmoking Western female for 

friendship. I simply would like to share 

fun, interesting and great experiences 

with you. If you feel the same way, just 

drop me a line. jinzaixyz@yahoo.co.jp 

Casual date. Seeking Western woman 

who wants casual dates. I’m a JM, 

30s, 175, 65kg, nice-looking, friendly, 

like fashion, movies, music, soccer, 

swimming. How about chatting at a 

cafe first? bluedesu5@gmail.com 

Chubby. A very quiet and shy African 

guy living in central Tokyo seeks a 

JF with some weight, 50-70kg, for a 

relationship. Only serious need apply. 

No jokes or funny emails, please. 

strike4me@yahoo.com 

Cool, young black dude seeks 

attractive woman. Young black 

man, intelligent and polite, seeks an 

attractive young woman, 20s-40s, 

of any nationality, for friendship and 

more. Must be sincere, open-minded, 

sweet and lovely. all4yababy@hotmail. 

com 

Hong Kong anyone? Canadian 

businessman, 43, with a sense of 

humor, positive, romantic, very active, 

outgoing, down-to-earth, seeking JF to 

travel to Hong Kong together! Hopefully 

leading to a good friendship. Let’s enjoy

MetrohoMes selected listings 

All english-lAnguAge services! 

Just a few examples from Japan’s biggest 

English-language real estate database... 

NAGANO WOODLAND FORCED SALE 1,032m 2 hillside plot of land next to golf course 

Enrei golf course 

Terrace Nogizaka #201 

Minato-ku • Nearest stn: 

Nogizaka (6 min) • 231m 2 

• 4LDK apartment 

• ¥950,000 

• Tel: 03-5413-5666 

Park Court Toranomon 

Atago Tower 

Minato-ku • Nearest stn: Kamiyacho 

(4 min) • 64m 2 • 2 BR • ¥330,000 

• Tel: 03-3583-6941 

Lions Mansion Azabu 

Minato-ku • Azabu-Juban 

(1 min) • 17m 2 • 1R • ¥110,000 

• Furnished • No agency fee /key 

money/guarantor 

• Tel: 03-3382-0151 

AXEL HOME 

Sumida Riverside Tower 

Chuo-ku • Nearest stn: 

Hatchobori (8 min) 

• 52–186m 2 • 1-4 BR 

• ¥185,000–1,297,000 

• No key money • Tel: 03-5547-3770 

Fujitomo Bldg. 

Edogawa-ku • Nearest stn: 

Kasai (5 min) • 21m 2 • 1K 

• ¥85,000 • No agency fee/key 

money/guarantor 

• Tel: 03-5696-2341 

Cool weather, a verdant 

mountain landscape, clean 

air, and right next to the 

27-hole Enrei Golf Course. 

If you dream of escaping 

Tokyo each summer, this is 

the place to do it. 

Due to business 

circumstances, the 

private owner is 

reluctantly selling this 

wonderful hillside plot. 

King Homes Daikanyama 

Meguro-ku • Nearest stn: 

Daikanyama (4 min) 

• 153m 2 • 3LDK • ¥800,000 

• No key money 

• Tel: 03-5413-5666 

Shibaura Island Grove Tower 

Minato-ku • Nearest stn: Tamachi 

(8 min) • 70m 2 • 2LDK • ¥290,000 

• Tel: 03-5449-6061 

Central Park Tower LaTour Shinjuku 

Shinjuku-ku • Nearest stn: Tochomae 

(5 min) • 49–289m 2 • 1R-5LDK, 

¥248,000–1,580,000 

• No agency fee/key money 

• Tel: 0120-770-507 

JAPT. Hiroo 

Minato-ku • Nearest stn: Hiroo 

(12 min) • 18m 2 • 1R • ¥120,000 

• No key money/deposit/ 

agency fee/guarantor 

• Tel: 03-5437-5233 

The Tokyo Towers Sea Tower 

Chuo-ku • Nearest stn: 

Kachidoki (5 min) • 75m 2 

• 3LDK • ¥200,000 


• Tel: 03-3548-0254 

• Higashiyama, Shiojiri 

City, Nagano 

• 1,032m 2 hillside plot 

• Power and water 

supplied to perimeter 

• ¥6,800,000 

MetroHomes.jp 

Ark Hills Sengokuyama 

Residence 

Minato-ku • Nearest stn: 

Roppongi-itchome (4 min) 

• 65-282m 2 • 1-5 BR • ¥470,000– 

2,510,000 • Tel: 03-3583-6941 

Enplus Inc. 

Contact 

• Frank A. Kasala 

• Tel: 03-4530-9820 

• Cell: 090-6456-1596 

• anacapa007@hotmail. 

com 

Oyamacho F House 

Shibuya-ku • Nearest stn: 

Yoyogi-Uehara (5 min) • 284m 2 

• 4LDK • ¥1,000,000 


• Tel: 03-5449-6061 

Park Habio Shinjuku 

East Side Tower 

Shinjuku-ku • Nearest stn: 

Higashi-Shinjuku (3 min) 

• 43m 2 • 1LDK • ¥177,000 

• No key money • Tel: 0120-957-520 

Gakugeidaigaku (ID:4258) 

Meguro-ku, • Nearest stn: Gakugei 

Daigaku (2min) 

• 32m 2 • 1DK • ¥145,000 

• No key money/deposit/guarantor 

• Tel: 03-5816-0634 

Koto-ku Monzen Nakacho B 

Koto-ku • Nearest stn: Monzen 

Nakacho (7min) • 13m 2 

• Studio • ¥90,000 • No agency 

fee/key money/guarantor 

• Tel: 03-5330-5250 

Property information accurate at time of printing. Please check MetroHomes.jp for up-to-date listings 

metrohomes key features: ● Over 10,000 rental properties to search through ● Add favorites to a basket to keep an eye on them ● “What’s New” column updated daily 

by participating realtors ● “Property Spotlight” features a home of the day ● Guesthouse, service apartments and houses for sale to be added ● Intuitive search filters 

44 ● download our podcast at ● podcast.metropolis.co.jp

♥ Love ¥ Money ♣ Luck 

ARIES 

TAURUS 

GEMINI 

Mar 21~Apr 19 ♥♥ ¥¥¥¥ ♣♣♣ Apr 20~May 20 ♥♥♥ ¥¥ ♣♣♣ 

May 21~June 21 ♥♥ ¥¥ ♣♣♣♣ 

June 22~July 22 ♥♥♥♥ ¥¥¥ ♣♣♣ 

Watch for flare-ups when splitting 

costs or reviewing joint finances. Mars 

has entered this sector of your chart. If 

you’re not the kiss-and-make-up type, don’t let this 

week’s heat get the better of you. Let someone nurture 

you while you’re out slaying dragons (better, 

embrace the winged beings and heal their wounds 

so they fly you straight home). Imagination and 

action are the highlights of your week. 

LEO 

July 23~Aug 22 ♥♥♥ ¥¥¥¥ ♣♣ 

Keeping up with the times is natural. 

Current events attract your attention. 

Your leadership skills are legendary, and 

your endurance and willingness to build others’ 

confidence. But finding your soulmate is another 

kettle of fish. You need someone as strong, with a 

heart to match. Friday ’s Full Moon reflects light as 

it completes a cycle of awareness. Something has 

grown, and it’s probably you. 

SAGITTARIUS 

Nov 22~Dec 21 ♥♥♥♥ ¥¥ ♣♣♣ 

If you’re a single Sag, finding a soulmate 

might be on your mind, but it’s not at the 

top of your to-do list. The North Node 

moves from Sagittarius to Scorpio, and you might 

be looking at options for expansion. You’re going 

to have to take a risk to accomplish this. Friday’s 

Full Moon brings up feelings to remind you what 

has to be done. Intuitively you might know you’ll 

be making decisions late fall. 

Metropolis Mediabox 

WOMEN IN LABOR 

Regarding “Holding Up Half The Sky” 

(Last Word, Aug 16): 

Chinese female astronaut, Liu Yang, 

and J-pop star Kyary Pamyu Pamyu? 

Sounds like a fine ménage-a-trois to 

me—@ramenscoffer 

Regarding “Post-Natal Recession” 

(Feature Aug 17): The writer [Mike 

DeJong] has written a studious and 

well-researched piece on women’s 

job prospects in Japan. But he fails 

to address a very real aspect of the 

The South Node enters your Sign this 

week. You are invited to complete a destined 

area of your life. Which of course, 

allows you freedom in the process. The Full Moon 

on Friday reflects all that you have done in August. 

Prepare for action in September. Your ruler Venus 

moves direct late Wednesday night. Mars is opposite 

Taurus. You know what that means (fight, 

flight or give it up in romance). 

VIRGO 

Aug 23~Sep 22 ♥♥ ¥¥¥ ♣♣♣ 

Virgos often think of rest as unproductive. 

Yet this is the very place 

where your creative flow is restored. 

In the void of the unknown, you can sense what’s 

coming in. Your input makes a great difference to 

how the world works. Once free of the past, you 

might never look back. Nourish yourself to a state 

of natural balance. Let romance approach you. 

Keep the bar high. 

CAPRICORN 

Dec 22~Jan 19 ♥♥♥ ¥¥¥ ♣♣♣ 

The Full Moon Friday holds a powerful 

presence. Feelings are likely to rise as 

this is the second Full Moon of August. 

Mercury moves into balance opposite on the 

same day. Injecting rational thought just before 

you leap, consider that patience is a virtue, but so 

is taking action. Mars in Scorpio is likely to bring 

you proactive friends who can’t wait for you to 

move forward. 

eLeNA OgAWA 

situation. Most 

Japanese women 

don’t want to work. 

They simply want 

to have a ready 

salary for a few 

years in order to 

attract a suitable 

husband, and then 

settle down looking 

after kids. I have 

met countless 

qualified and 

talented women 

who have actively 

chosen that life 

path, and have no desire to do anything 

more stimulating than excessively 

mother their kids until they (the kids) 

are middle-aged.—Doug Chapman 

When will Japan wake up to the 21st 

century? All the developed countries 

around the world have started to tap 

into women’s greater skills of people 

management, organization, multitasking 

and inter-corporate political 

maneuvering. But Japan’s ruling class 

of rich men in their 60s is not going 

to hand over the reins to anyone, not 

LIbRA 

Sep 23~Oct 22 ♥♥♥ ¥¥ ♣♣♣ 

Freedom and responsibility arrive at 

your door. Mars, who strengthened 

social positions in Libra, plows through 

your solar second house. You’re your own whirling 

dervish, unearthing income while expressing 

your talents. Saturn the taskmaster begins his 

closing chapter in your Sign. Next month you’ll be 

in a whole new financial realm. As for romance, go 

ahead and be picky. You have time. 

AQUARIUS 

CANCER 

SCORPIO 

Oct 23~Nov 21 ♥♥ ¥¥¥ ♣♣♣♣ 

August was an emotional month with 

Saturn hanging over your shoulder in 

your sector of secrets, and Mars breaking 

through to your Sign last week. Friday’s Full Moon 

is a completion of awareness you’ve developed 

during this time. You’ve earned your perspective 

and points of view. This “Blue Moon” is anything 

but blue, unless it’s of the true-blue variety. Now 

you’re ready to try something new. 

PISCES 

Jan 20~Feb 18 ♥♥ ¥¥¥¥ ♣♣♣ Feb 19~Mar 20 ♥♥♥♥ ¥¥¥ ♣♣♣ 

The Full Moon Friday affects you in your 

pocketbook. You might be tempted to 

spend out of sentiment. Later that day, 

Mercury moves opposite, throwing details and 

logic at you. Consider enjoying the current Jupiter, 

Vesta, and Ceres trine to your Sign. It’s in your 

house of romance. Before you admonish yourself 

to go back on a decision, an Aries friend has a few 

suggestions to spice up your week. 

facebook.com/MetropolisMagazine 

twitter.com/MetropolisTokyo 

BY CATHRYN MOe Horoscope 

No rules. That’s what gemini, the one 

who rewrites history, is finding out. 

Jupiter, Vesta and Ceres won’t ever be 

in your Sign putting you in charge. But until June, 

Jupiter will bring good circumstances. What 

seems natural now will seem extraordinary when 

you look back—if you do! With all your choices, you 

won’t have time to linger. The South Node moves 

into Taurus, where you can luxuriate. 

even their sons, until they pop their 

clogs. It’s sad to see so many young, 

talented people—men and women 

alike—working in convenience stores 

because the old b*stards won’t step 

aside.—xfgroaner 

My boss is a woman and 

I hate her!—@balldashinquiry 

Right on Metropolis, front line in 

the gender war—@sackrace94 

JUSTIFACTION 

Regarding “To Nuke or Not To Nuke” 

(The Last Word, Aug 3): Am I the only 

one who has seen the orders justifying 

the use of nuclear weapons in the 

closing days of WW2, or who thought 

the excuses of why they were used 

didn’t wash? The reasoning behind 

the actions were summed up in the 

orders (viewable in the Hiroshima 

Peace Museum) as being for two 

reasons: retribution for the bombing of 

Pearl Harbor; and an opportunity to test 

a nuclear bomb on a live population. 

All the other revisionist reasoning and 

justifications that have been given for 

the actions of that day in 1945 are just 

Taking a step back into the flow is an 

act of courage. Staying in your cave 

can be restorative. But when you’re 

ready and trust your home set-up will be there 

when you return, find a way to share your love 

with someone special. Venus in your Sign makes 

you look luscious and deep. The flirtatious many 

might vie for your attention. go for the one who 

can calm and soothe you in this crazy world. 

Friday’s Full Blue Moon in Pisces could 

open a floodgate. Then Mercury, the 

messenger, moves opposite your Sign 

on Saturday. What do you need to say, or tell yourself 

to balance your situation? As a Water Sign you 

need structure to feel secure. But Neptune, your 

ruling planet, governs the oceans. It’s unlikely 

you’ll stay in one place for long. You were meant 

to flow comfortably and won’t be held back. 

metropolis.co.jp/community 

metrodining.jp 

trying to assuage or ignore the feeling 

of guilt that (rightfully so) should have 

risen from such a monstrous decision. 

—Justify what? 

Under the geneva Convention, the 

Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic 

bombings are defined as crimes 

against humanity and Truman as 

a war criminal. Claiming that the 

mass murder of 200,000 saved more 

lives is pure science fiction, with no 

legal or moral founding: otherwise it 

could be used by Hitler, Breivik and 

other mass murderers as a defense. 

Sidell’s comments are offensive and 

his ideology Neanderthalic at best!— 

Monty Carlo 

SHAVE THE EARTH 

Local train to Naoetsu [for earth 

Celebration 2012] packed with hairy 

gaijin and Japanese hippies trundling 

along to #eC2012—MetropolisTokyo 

We call them “guests”—@Sado_EC 

I guess the event isn’t sponsored by 

@AXe or any other anti body odor 

products either?—@AussieinJapan 

Metropolis wants to hear from you. Send your comments to letters@metropolis.co.jp. Note that letters may be edited for length and clarity. 


The Last Word 

ComingupinmETRopoLiS 

FEATURE: wE pREviEw ThE Upcoming bAllET & 

conTEmpoRARy DAncE sEAson boDy & soUl: 

Tokyo giRls collEcTion & FAshion wEEk 

spEciAl: gET ThE gooDs on gETTing iT DElivERED 

Want to have The Last Word? Send your article 

to: editor@metropolis.co.jp 

The Korean InvasIon 

Will it K-pop in 

the US or not? 

By Rob Schwartz 

Supporters of Korean pop 

music have been trumpeting 

the arrival of hallyu, 

or the “Korean wave” of 

music, as a major world 

force for a number of years. There 

is no doubt that, with number-one 

singles and hot albums from superstars 

like Girls’ Generation, Kara 

and 2NE1, the global K-pop phenomenon 

is very present in Japan. But will 

K-pop break in the mainstream US, as 

writer Charles Ayres suggested in this 

column a few months ago [“The Last 

Word,” Feb 17, http://meturl.com/ 

lw934]—the biggest and most influential 

music market in the world? 

It's not for lack of trying. Korean 

music management giant SM Entertainment 

produced “SM Town” at 

Madison Square Garden in October 

2011 with an array of acts from its roster, 

including Girls’ Generation. This 

was a very rare showcase for K-pop at 

such a famous venue, and the company 

claimed the show was sold out. 

But despite it being a one-night-only 

special event, music insiders were 

aware of ticket giveaways. US-based 

Nicole Lent, who writes about Asian 

music, attended and said she saw, “a 

fair amount of empty seats.” Simply 

put, the show didn’t sell out despite 

the all-star line-up of the most powerful 

music company in Korea. 

LA-based K-pop expert Alice Han, 

previously a consultant for SM in the 

US, notes that major US media and 

sponsors don’t have confidence in 

the genre. “The majority of press outlets 

focus on what’s trending here in 

the US, so it’s a bit of a challenge for 

Korean acts unless they are directly 

tied in with a popular US act. And, 

the majority of mainstream sponsors 

still believe K-pop falls under a niche 

market, therefore, they're hesitant to 

bring a multi-million dollar budget.” 

Nevertheless, there is no doubt 

that K-pop is making some progress 

in the States. For example, Jay Park 

(born Park Jae Beom) has found success 

with his 2012 New Breed album, 

which peaked at #4 on the Billboard 

World Albums chart. In addition, 

Girls’ Generation maxi-single “Boys” 

held an impressive #5 spot on the 

Heatseekers chart. 

But in reality, sales for these two 

releases are meager. It’s possible 

to estimate New Breed’s total sales 

(digital and physical) at less than 

4,000 units, and that of “Boys” as less 

than 9,000. Absurdly low considering 

these are the cream of the K-crop 

in the US so far this year. The figure 

for Girls’ Generation is even more 

shock ing when you realize they 

accompanied the song’s release with 

a performance on The Late Show 

with David Letterman. 

W hen you look at cold, hard 

sales figures, the claim of success 

for K-pop in the US does not stand 

up in the least. And remember, in 

the music industry, more than in 

other businesses, “money talks and 

bullshit walks.” 

Another overhyped point is that 

Korean artists are outclassing Japanese 

artists in the US. While it is 

clearly true that K-pop has received 

more at tent ion in t he US t ha n 

J-pop recently, the situation of the 

two industries is so wildly different 

it makes the comparison moot. 

According to the International Federation 

of the Phonographic Industry 

(IFPI), Japan is the second biggest 

music industry in the world, narrowly 

behind the US. In 2011 it did about $3 

billion in physical (mainly CD) sales. 

That’s basically on par with the US. 

The intensely lucrative nature of the 

Japanese market—and the fact 84 percent 

of it is domestic (according the 

latest figures from the Record Industry 

Association of Japan)—make it 

almost ridiculous for a popular Japanese 

star to drop everything to try 

and break through in the US. 

The situation is the opposite in 

Korea. Bernie Cho, president of DFSB 

The views expressed in The Last Word are those of the authors alone and do not necessarily reflect the position or opinions of Metropolis K.K. or its partners and sponsors 


Kohji ShiiKi 

Kollective, a Seoul-based musicmarketing 

agency that was one of the 

first to make K-pop available internationally, 

notes, “Korean artists 

have no choice but to break out overseas, 

it’s not just a creative necessity, 

it’s a financial necessity because the 

Korean market is so small.” 

Clearly, it’s absurd to compare the 

exports of Japanese and Korean music 

when one has a tremendous incentive 

to stay at home while the other has a 

tremendous incentive to go abroad. 

In addition to this, the numbers 

are not actually in Korean artists’ 

favor when compared to (basically) 

the only Japanese artist who has seriously 

tried to break in the US inthe 

last few years. Hikaru Utada made her 

second attempt at US success with her 

album This Is The One in 2009. Though 

many considered it a failure, it did 

grab the top position on the Heatseekers 

chart in May and rose to #71 

on the overall Billboard albums chart 

(the Heatseekers chart is just for new 

artists). Billboard reported the album 

sold about 56,000 copies. Not very 

good, but better than any K-pop artist 

has done this year. 

The upshot is, despite the hype 

for K-pop (and a lot of YouTube hits), 

the idea that it’s any kind of market 

force at all in the US is fallacious. If 

and when K-pop does break through 

to challenge the likes of Lady Gaga, 

R ihanna, Nick y Minaj or Bruce 

Springsteen, there will indeed be a 

seismic cultural shift—but it hasn’t 

happened yet. 

whEn yoU look AT 

colD, hARD sAlEs 

FigUREs, ThE clAim 

oF sUccEss FoR 

k-pop in ThE Us 

DoEs noT sTAnD Up 

in ThE lEAsT” 

■ Rob Schwartz is Tokyo Bureau Chief of 

Billboard magazine 

check us out 

www.metropolis.co.jp 

gET yoUR 

nExT pRinTED 

copy FRiDAy, 

sEp 14

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first round of gridiron action Sep 3-20 

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