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<strong>Aug</strong> 8-21, <strong>2014</strong> Japan’s Nº1 English Magazine www.metropolis.co.jp<br />

無 料 PRICELESS<br />

FIND SPIRITUAL<br />

ENLIGHTENMENT<br />

INSIDE TOKYO<br />

CLASSIFIEDS<br />

THE CITY’S<br />

BIGGEST<br />

AGENDA<br />

LISTINGS!<br />

GUIDING<br />

MAIDENS<br />

CITY TOURS WITH A TWIST<br />

IT’S A LONG WAY<br />

TO THE TOP<br />

(IF YOU WANNA<br />

ROCK IN TOKYO)<br />

EAT, PRAY, LOVE<br />

PIZZERIA IN EBISU<br />

THE<br />

ALARM’S<br />

MIKE<br />

PETERS<br />

KEEPS<br />

MARCHING<br />

ON


your beauty<br />

specialist in<br />

Japan<br />

rejuvenate<br />

yourself<br />

with the best<br />

in beauty<br />

technology<br />

Surgical<br />

Treatments<br />

• LIPOSUCTION<br />

• LASER-LIPO<br />

• BREAST SURGERY<br />

• EYELID SURGERY<br />

• NOSE SURGERY<br />

• FACE LIFT<br />

• TISSUE ENGINEERING<br />

TECHNIQUES<br />

• SKIN TUMORS<br />

Cosmetic Surgery<br />

Laser Treatment<br />

Skin Care<br />

Non-surgical<br />

Treatments<br />

• BOTOX & FILLERS<br />

• LASER & REJUVENATION<br />

• CELLULITE, BODY CONTOURING<br />

& STRETCH MARKS<br />

• LEG VEIN, BROKEN CAPILLARY<br />

• LASER HAIR REMOVAL<br />

• ACNE & ACNE SCARS<br />

• PHOTOTHERAPY FOR HAY FEVER<br />

Other cosmetic procedures available. For fees and detailed<br />

information services, please refer to our homepage.<br />

We welcome email and phone inquiries.<br />

Omotesando<br />

KNK Bldg 3F 3-5-17, Kita-Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo.<br />

1-min walk from Omotesando stn, A3 exit.<br />

Tel: 03-5771-4114 Email: amc@akaiclinic.com<br />

Clinic hours: 11AM~8PM (Mon~Sun)<br />

NEW<br />

Quality of<br />

Akai Clinic<br />

At Akai clinic, we only<br />

use products and<br />

technologies approved<br />

by the FDA.<br />

DR. HIDEMI AKAI<br />

is a board-certified plastic<br />

surgeon and an associate<br />

professor of the department<br />

of plastic, aesthetic and<br />

reconstructive surgery at<br />

Tokyo’s Showa University.<br />

Dr. Akai trained at Harvard<br />

Medical School and<br />

Massachusetts General<br />

Hospital before amassing<br />

over twenty-five years of<br />

experience.<br />

DR. KEIKO AKAI<br />

is also a board-certified<br />

plastic surgeon, and a<br />

dermatologist.<br />

The Akai Clinic offers a<br />

range of cosmetic-surgery<br />

procedures, laser<br />

treatments and skin care,<br />

using state-of-the-art<br />

equipment and the latest<br />

techniques.<br />

www.akaiclinic.com<br />

Board Certified Plastic Surgeon and Dermatologist<br />

Yokohama<br />

Quadrifoglio 4F 5-14 Kinkocho, Kanagawa-ku, Yokohama.<br />

1-min walk from Yokohama stn, North East exit.<br />

Tel: 045-620-5745 Email: amc-skincare@akaiclinic.com<br />

Clinic hours: 11AM~7PM (Tue~Fri) & 10AM~5PM (Sat & Hol)


inside<br />

AUG 8-21, <strong>2014</strong><br />

Photo by Kohji Shiiki<br />

Courtesy of L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele<br />

08<br />

14<br />

24<br />

Exporing Tokyo isn’t only about temples and shrines—<br />

so we present some alternative ways to tour the city.<br />

PLUS…<br />

Mike Peters made a declaration with The Alarm in the<br />

’80s. This month, he returns to Tokyo for a solo tour.<br />

A question on intercultural relationships, giving your kids the full Pokémon experience and<br />

summer lingo in our City Life section—see page 6. Get your fashion fix with festival chic,<br />

manga-inspired garments, boutique info, our calendar and more—see page 13. All the best in arts and culture across<br />

the metropolis including a mind-expanding exhibition and a major Sailor Moon reboot—see page 14.<br />

Cover design & photography: Kohji Shiiki, courtesy of Akibaland Maid Tours<br />

A 140-year-old pizzeria from Naples (judged the city’s<br />

best) now has a branch in Ebisu.<br />

GET PRINTED!<br />

SEND YOUR “PEOPLE AT HANABI” PHOTOS FOR THE SEP 5 ISSUE.<br />

DEADLINE AUG 25 metropolis.co.jp/features/photo<br />

8F Nishi-Azabu Sonic Bldg, 3-2-12 Nishi-Azabu,<br />

Minato-ku, Tokyo 106-0031 Tel 03-4588-2277<br />

Fax 03-4588-2278 • metropolis.co.jp<br />

METROPOLIS is Japan’s No.1 English magazine, founded in 1994<br />

and published for Japan’s international community.<br />

CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER Neil Butler EDITORIAL Jeff W.<br />

Richards (Editor-in-chief) Mike Kanert (Editor) Lisa Wallin<br />

(Editorial Assistant) Aly Lawson (Proofreader) Taiichi Izawa,<br />

Layla Nagasaka (Interns) CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Dan<br />

Grunebaum (Entertainment) Don Morton (Movies) C.B. Liddell<br />

(Arts) DESIGN Kohji Shiiki (Art Director) Davi Azevedo (Graphic<br />

Designer) Minh Douangprachanh (Web Designer) PRODUCTION<br />

Helen Langford (Production Assistant) ADVERTISING Akane<br />

Ochi (Director of Sales) Karl Nakashima (Sales Manager)<br />

Yo Takahashi (Sales Executive) Ai Hosokawa, Keiko Adachi<br />

(Sales Assistants) Angiele Cabaluna, Sophia Tsuyuki (Interns)<br />

ADMINISTRATION/ACCOUNTING Jeanette Komatsu (Manager)<br />

Michiko Anezaki (Adminstration/Classifieds)<br />

IT Guilhem Malfre (It/Web Developer)<br />

<strong>Metropolis</strong>Magazine<br />

@<strong>Metropolis</strong>Tokyo<br />

<strong>Metropolis</strong>Tokyo<br />

editor@metropolis.co.jp<br />

Reach over 60,000 <strong>Metropolis</strong> readers.<br />

Advertise with us: sales@metropolis.co.jp<br />

http://metropolis.co.jp/advertise<br />

外 国 人 集 客 なら6 万 人 の 読 者 を 持 つN o .1ブランド・<br />

メトロポリスをご 活 用 ください。 詳 しくは:03-4588-2277<br />

© Copyright <strong>2014</strong> Japan Partnership Inc. The views expressed herein are not<br />

necessarily those of the publisher. The publisher reserves the right to edit or<br />

delete any advertisement without notice.<br />

Search over 30 million photos<br />

✓ 10 free starter credits with registration<br />

✓ 25% credits bonus on purchase<br />

Promo Code: <strong>Metropolis</strong><br />

www.123rf.com/metropolis<br />

IN FOCUS<br />

After torrential rain, a puddle reflects Tokyo station, by Takashi Imabayashi<br />

03


upfront<br />

RANKING ROUNDUP<br />

©<strong>2014</strong> Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. & Legendary Pictures Productions LLC<br />

Each<br />

branch<br />

has<br />

different<br />

hours.<br />

We<br />

welcome<br />

all kinds<br />

of parties.<br />

Please<br />

contact us.<br />

www.dubliners.jp<br />

8/5~31<br />

Pint Beer<br />

Festival!!<br />

SPECIAL LIVE EVENTS<br />

Opening in Japan on July 25, the new Hollywood remake of Godzilla quickly<br />

stomped its way to the top of the box office. The next day at San Diego’s Comic-<br />

Con, director Gareth Edwards confirmed plans for a sequel via a pre-recorded video<br />

message, with silhouetted images of Mothra, Rodan and King Ghidora hinting at<br />

what’s to come.<br />

TOP JAPANESE SINGLES<br />

1. Exile—“New Horizon”<br />

2. Busaiku—“Ti Ti Ti Terette Teretititi<br />

~Dare no Ketsu~”<br />

3. Afilia Saga—“Magical Express<br />

Journey”<br />

TOP OVERSEAS ALBUMS<br />

1. Disney—Frozen: Original Motion<br />

Picture Soundtrack (Jpn: Anna to Yuki<br />

no Jo-o)<br />

2. Judas Priest—Redeemer of Souls<br />

3. Unisonic—Light of Dawn<br />

TOP MOVIES<br />

1. Godzilla<br />

2. Maleficent<br />

3. Pokémon the Movie: Diancie and the<br />

Cocoon of Destruction<br />

TOP MANGA<br />

1. Inuboku Secret Service vol. 11<br />

2. Vagabond vol. 37<br />

3. Magi vol. 22<br />

Movie rankings from Eiga.com. Music and manga<br />

rankings from Oricon. All rankings as of <strong>Aug</strong> 1.<br />

Shinjuku<br />

2F Shinjuku Lion Hall<br />

3-28-9 Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku<br />

03-3352-6606 | sali3292@sapporo-lion.co.jp<br />

http://r.gnavi.co.jp/g209300/<br />

Ikebukuro<br />

B1 Sun Gorou Bldg.<br />

1-10-8 Nishi-Ikebukuro, Toshima-ku<br />

03-5951-3614 | sali2709@sapporo-lion.co.jp<br />

http://r.gnavi.co.jp/g029000/<br />

Everyone who purchases<br />

a pint of beer gets a raffle<br />

ticket for a chance to win<br />

a 3000 yen Dubliners’<br />

voucher.<br />

Shinagawa<br />

Shinagawa Mitsubishi Bldg.<br />

B1F Grand Passage<br />

2-16-3 Kounan, Minato-ku<br />

03-6718-2834 | sali6654@sapporo-lion.co<br />

http://r.gnavi.co.jp/g008220/<br />

Shibuya<br />

2F Dogenzaka Center Bldg.<br />

2-29-8 Dogenzaka, Shibuya-ku<br />

03-5459-1736 |sali6581@sapporo-lion.co.jp<br />

http://r.gnavi.co.jp/g008214/<br />

Akasaka<br />

B1 Sannou Park Tower<br />

2-11-1 Nagatacho, Chiyoda-ku<br />

03-3539-3615 | sali2645@sapporo-lion.co.jp<br />

r.gnavi.co.jp/g008233/<br />

Closed: Sat., Sun., & Holidays<br />

CHECK IT OUT<br />

Strung out for souvenir ideas? How about a<br />

kimono bottle cover? Simple to slip into your<br />

suitcase for friends back home, all they’ll<br />

need are two strips of adhesive tape to geishify<br />

their bubbly from the neck down (¥3,800-<br />

4,000). Handmade in a Kyoto kimono fabric<br />

shop, with a dozen different styles from subdued<br />

traditional tones to gleaming gold<br />

leaf, the maker even promises to accommodate<br />

orders of up to 1,000 at a time to<br />

outfit a major event in jidai style.<br />

www.kimono-bottlecover.com<br />

<strong>Metropolis</strong> Members Club<br />

THIS WEEK’S WINNER!<br />

Meredith Peruzzi<br />

won a set of seven nail enamels<br />

courtesy of Revlon<br />

UPCOMING PRIZE<br />

One lucky MMC member will win a ¥10,000 gift<br />

voucher courtesy of adidas<br />

Register for prizes & discounts<br />

www.metropolis.co.jp/club<br />

04


Scientists in<br />

Hiroshima have<br />

bred a flightless<br />

ladybug for use as<br />

a biopesticide in<br />

greenhouses.<br />

the small print<br />

BY STEVE TRAUTLEIN<br />

LINGO BOX<br />

Wairo wo uketoru<br />

( 賄 賂 を 受 け 取 る) = accept a bribe<br />

Saiban-in ( 裁 判 員 ) = lay judge<br />

Tento-mushi (てんとう 虫 ) = ladybug<br />

Sekai-isan ( 世 界 遺 産 ) = UNESCO<br />

World Heritage Site<br />

THE SEA HAS BOTH ITS GENTLE AND VIOLENT SIDES,<br />

BUT THE PACIFIC OCEAN IS THE SEA OF BLESSING,<br />

THE SEA OF OUR TREASURE.”—Tsuyoshi Maekawa, leader of<br />

a shopkeepers’ association in disaster-hit Otsuchi, Iwate Prefecture, on the<br />

opening of a local beach for the first time since the 3/11 tsunami<br />

BRASS ACTION<br />

⊲For ⊲ the first time ever, the top uniformed<br />

military officers of Japan, the U.S. and South<br />

Korea held face-to-face talks. The meeting<br />

took place early last month in Hawaii.<br />

⊲Japan’s ⊲ youngest mayor—29-year-old Hiroto<br />

Fujii of Minokamo city in Gifu Prefecture—was<br />

arrested for allegedly accepting a bribe from<br />

a local business owner.<br />

⊲About ⊲ 300 people attended a meeting in<br />

Adachi-ku to call for the dissolution of Aleph,<br />

the successor to the Aum Shinrikyo doomsday<br />

cult.<br />

⊲Members ⊲ of a government advisory panel<br />

have recommended that a group of Christian<br />

churches in Nagasaki be listed as UNESCO<br />

World Heritage Sites.<br />

THE AIR UP THERE<br />

⊲Japanese ⊲ officials are set to adopt the Boeing<br />

777-300ER as the government’s new official<br />

state aircraft.<br />

⊲The ⊲ planes will be used for shuttling the<br />

prime minister and the imperial family on<br />

at a glance<br />

BY GRACE MINETA<br />

overseas trips.<br />

⊲Among ⊲ the requirements for the new aircraft<br />

are that they’re able to “fly directly to the U.S.<br />

East Coast” as well as provide VIP rooms and<br />

executive offices.<br />

⊲Meanwhile, ⊲<br />

ANA is set to introduce a<br />

“stretched” version of the Boeing Dreamliner,<br />

dubbed the 787-9.<br />

FOREIGN INTRIGUE<br />

⊲Newly ⊲ declassified documents from the foreign<br />

ministry show that officials were unsure<br />

about the protocol for issuing a passport to<br />

Emperor Hirohito before a state visit to Europe<br />

in 1971. The emperor had not embarked<br />

on an overseas trip since assuming the throne<br />

in 1926.<br />

⊲A ⊲ bilateral economic partnership agreement<br />

is being credited with a surge in wine imports<br />

from Chile. Chilean wines have overtaken<br />

imports from Italy and trail only those from<br />

France in terms of market share.<br />

⊲Under ⊲ the provisions of a new trade deal,<br />

Mongolia has agreed to reduce tariffs on Japa-<br />

stats<br />

74<br />

Percent of respondents to a newspaper<br />

survey who believe that the lay judge<br />

system, which was introduced five<br />

years ago, should be continued<br />

79<br />

Percent of respondents who say they<br />

do not want to serve as lay judges<br />

1.03 MILLION<br />

Number of EcoCute water heaters that<br />

Panasonic is recalling over concerns<br />

that the devices “could blow up due to<br />

metal corrosion”<br />

nese cars while Japan will lift import restrictions<br />

on Mongolian “heated beef.”<br />

GRIM TIDINGS<br />

⊲Officials ⊲ at the trade ministry have determined<br />

that if a magnitude nine earthquake<br />

were to strike along the Nankai Trough, it<br />

would liquefy the soil underneath nearly half<br />

of the petrochemical complexes on the Pacific<br />

coast.<br />

⊲Authorities ⊲<br />

at the justice ministry say more<br />

than 200 organizations that participated in a<br />

government-sponsored training program for<br />

foreigners abused their interns last year.<br />

⊲The ⊲ labor ministry announced that the number<br />

of compensation claims for “work-related<br />

depression or other mental illnesses” hit a<br />

record high in fiscal 2013.<br />

INTO THE WILD<br />

⊲According ⊲ to the environment ministry, the<br />

number of licensed hunters in Japan has fallen<br />

from 518,000 in 1975 to just 198,000 in 2011.<br />

⊲What’s ⊲ more, only 9 percent of hunters 40<br />

years ago were aged 60 or older; today, that<br />

figure is 66 percent.<br />

⊲Bottom ⊲ Story of the Week: “Composer<br />

Writes Music for Poem by Barefoot Gen creator<br />

Keiji Nakazawa” (via Mainichi Japan)<br />

Many Japanese women's desire to become—and remain—pale-skinned extends to the beach, where they<br />

will wear several layers of clothing to protect their complexion. This can leave their Western counterparts<br />

feeling a little overexposed.<br />

Small Print Updated Weekly<br />

→ METURL.COM/SMALLPRINT<br />

Compiled from reports by AP, Japan Today, The Japan Times, Jiji, The Tokyo<br />

Reporter, The Mainichi, The Japan News, AFP, Reuters and Kyodo<br />

05


city life<br />

in person<br />

ANIMAL<br />

ADVOCATE<br />

BY JEFF W. RICHARDS<br />

Tell us how long you’ve<br />

been in Japan and a little<br />

about what you do...<br />

I’ve been in Japan for just<br />

over 25 years now and I am<br />

the CEO for Media Solutions,<br />

John Moore<br />

a market research and international<br />

marketing company based here in<br />

Tokyo. My job is to help our Western clients<br />

get the most out of Japan and Asia while also<br />

helping Asian companies look outside of their<br />

own countries and markets.<br />

and your passion for animals...<br />

Yes, I’m an animal lover and advocate for their<br />

health and safety here in Japan. When not running<br />

Media Solutions, I work closely with ARK<br />

(Animal Rescue Kansai). ARK is a non-profit<br />

group of dedicated members who love animals,<br />

are devoted to sharing their lives with them, and<br />

work actively to rescue them from suffering. It<br />

originally started in Osaka but is now busy here<br />

in Tokyo and other areas.<br />

When did you start working with ARK?<br />

I’ve been involved with ARK for quite a long<br />

time—initially as a private donor and then as a<br />

corporate one. This past spring, I took on the<br />

role as their Outreach Adviser with the main<br />

purpose being to help develop promotional<br />

opportunities for ARK in the corporate world.<br />

How can <strong>Metropolis</strong> readers get involved with<br />

ARK?<br />

There are many ways for people to get involved<br />

with ARK, but mainly it’s through adoption and<br />

fostering of ARK animals and volunteering.<br />

Adopting, of course, involves bringing a rescued<br />

animal into your family, but if you’re unable to<br />

Dear AMA,<br />

ASK METROPOLIS ANYTHING<br />

I’m an American and I’ve been married to my<br />

Japanese wife for about four years, happily<br />

for most of it. We’ve just recently returned to<br />

Japan after an unsuccessful attempt at going<br />

back “home” to the States. My wife didn’t<br />

adjust well at all and was often anxious or<br />

depressed. It got so bad that we returned to<br />

Japan late last year before she gave birth to<br />

our baby boy. Now the issue is that I’m back<br />

in a country where I feel I can’t give my new<br />

family the financial support I would be able to<br />

back in the U.S. I’m beginning to feel stressed<br />

out and fear this issue will end up tearing us<br />

apart—something I absolutely don’t want with<br />

a new addition to the family. I don’t want to<br />

keep teaching English forever, but I feel stuck.<br />

What should I do?—Not a Salaryman<br />

Dear Not a Salaryman,<br />

We passed your question on to the good<br />

people at TELL. Here’s what they had to say…<br />

Feeling stressed and pressured about your<br />

financial situation is understandable, especially<br />

given you and your wife are new parents.<br />

Becoming new parents is one of the most challenging<br />

times for any relationship, but it sounds<br />

as if your stress is also being compounded by<br />

the cultural differences you have both been<br />

experiencing. Understanding and managing<br />

these issues are why many people call the<br />

Lifeline. All relationships are different; what<br />

works for one couple may not work for another<br />

and intercultural marriages are no different.<br />

However, they also bring their own unique set<br />

of challenges, and it is not uncommon for these<br />

differences to become more acute when the<br />

relationship is placed under stress, such as<br />

moving countries, getting married or becoming<br />

new parents.<br />

There are so many rituals and customs we<br />

develop as we grow up that we never stop to<br />

think about. We all use these as a basis to feel<br />

competent and correct with our interactions<br />

with others. It is often not until we are living<br />

in another country or with someone from another<br />

country that we bump into opposing or<br />

different views, which can bring the best of<br />

us tumbling to the ground. Some people feel<br />

they have failed and become homesick or depressed,<br />

while others can get angry and complain<br />

about the differences, over-idealizing life<br />

back home. Sometimes it can feel frightening<br />

or challenging to bring these issues up and<br />

some couples find counseling helpful in negotiating<br />

these hurdles. TELL counseling has<br />

a number of bilingual therapists who specialize<br />

in relationship counseling.<br />

Learning to recognize your own values and<br />

customs—along with those of your wife—and<br />

being able to discuss these and support each<br />

other will be important as you adjust to being<br />

new parents and deciding which country is<br />

the best option for your family. Developing a<br />

support network, perhaps friends from your<br />

home country or other intercultural couples<br />

and being patient with each other will also<br />

help. You might also like to know that many<br />

intercultural couples do successfully manage<br />

these hurdles, and your cultural differences<br />

can make for a fun and interesting relationship.<br />

Answer courtesy of TELL. If you need to talk,<br />

they're here to listen. Call the TELL Lifeline<br />

at 03 5774-0992 from 9am-11pm, 365 days a<br />

year or visit their website at www.telljp.com<br />

If you want to “Ask <strong>Metropolis</strong> Anything” about life in Tokyo, send your questions to askanything@metropolis.<br />

co.jp and we’ll find the most appropriate people to answer your queries.<br />

commit to the full-time responsibility of having<br />

a pet, you can help by fostering—this is<br />

especially important for us in the Kanto area.<br />

We’re always looking for volunteers to help<br />

with the care of the dogs and cats at ARK’s<br />

shelters, and aid its adoption events in Tokyo,<br />

organize fundraising events, as well as gather<br />

needed goods such as newspapers, blankets<br />

and pet food as donations. Additionally, animal<br />

lovers in Tokyo can help spread the word<br />

about ARK through social media.<br />

What are some upcoming events or milestones<br />

for the organization?<br />

ARK will be celebrating its 25th anniversary<br />

next year, which also happens to be the 10th<br />

anniversary of Tokyo ARK. We’re planning to<br />

have some big commemoration events, both in<br />

Tokyo and Osaka, and get people out to meet<br />

some of our wonderful animal friends.<br />

What’s your favorite animal-friendly park or<br />

location in Tokyo?<br />

My wife and I have three little guys who adore<br />

parks—although not the hot weather. We most<br />

frequently go to Hikarigaoka Park, which has<br />

a large space where pets can get a good run<br />

before the general public arrives. Our dogs<br />

have their own network of friends at the park<br />

so touching base with them is very important<br />

at the weekends.<br />

http://meturl.com/arktokyo<br />

06


family matters<br />

THE FULL POKÉMON<br />

EXPERIENCE<br />

BY BRAD STEPHENSON<br />

LINGOIST<br />

IT’S SUMMERTIME<br />

Summer is the season of beer, fireworks,<br />

kakigori (shaved ice) and bon odori dance<br />

festivals. So throw on your yukata, get out in<br />

the sun and use “-tai desu” to express a few<br />

of your hot-weather desires!<br />

With the July release of the latest Pokémon<br />

movie, Diancie and the Cocoon of Destruction,<br />

Poké-popularity is once more at a peak.<br />

The whopping 16 Pokémon features produced<br />

since 1998 have consistently ranked among the<br />

most watched films in Japan—partly due to the<br />

success of the long-running video game and<br />

anime franchise, but also owing a great deal<br />

to the comprehensive experience built around<br />

each Poké-movie release. If you’re wondering<br />

why your kids are desperate to drag you to the<br />

theater, this is it.<br />

Any regular moviegoer will know to save<br />

¥600-800 per ticket by buying in advance<br />

from a konbini or music shop months before<br />

a film’s release. But each Pokémon movie ups<br />

the ante by not only offering an exclusive battle<br />

card with purchase, but also printing a unique<br />

code on the ticket that can be entered into the<br />

latest Pokémon video games to download a<br />

rare creature over Wi-Fi. A few of these codebearing<br />

tickets can still be tracked down after<br />

the movie has opened, but they’re typically<br />

advance purchase only, and the code is only<br />

valid for a limited time. (This year’s code, which<br />

unlocks the Legendary Pokémon Darkrai, is<br />

good until September 30, <strong>2014</strong>.)<br />

Fans are then encouraged to bring their<br />

Nintendo 3DS systems and Pokémon games<br />

(in this case, Pokémon X and Y) to download<br />

yet another Pokémon at the cinema. Both the<br />

cinema download creature and the ticket code<br />

monster are very rare, which makes movie attendance<br />

key to achieving the coveted 100 percent<br />

completion ratio in each game. There are still<br />

occasional chances to catch up, though—the<br />

ticket creature is sometimes a re-release of a<br />

previous cinema-only download.<br />

With a large portion of the audience arriving<br />

with a 3DS in hand, the movie theater quickly<br />

becomes a prime location for using the system’s<br />

wireless StreetPass feature to interact with<br />

other players and help complete puzzles, finish<br />

mini-games, trade creatures and challenge<br />

one another to battles. Until a few years back,<br />

theaters were filled with kids playing games<br />

throughout each screening, but complaints from<br />

less-obsessed moviegoers led to the creation of<br />

an animated message that now advises kids to<br />

wait until the movie is over to continue their play<br />

and download the exclusive prizes. Then, when<br />

they open their systems at the end of the film to<br />

check their data, they’re left with a surprising<br />

amount of content that will keep them busy long<br />

after the credits have finished rolling.<br />

Pokémon the Movie: Diancie And the Cocoon<br />

of Destruction is now playing in theaters nationwide.<br />

© Nintendo・Creatures・GAME FREAK・TV Tokyo・ShoPro・JR Kikaku, © Pokémon, © <strong>2014</strong> ピカチュウプロジェクト<br />

AMBER GLOW<br />

JP Watashi wa beeru wo nomitai desu.<br />

EN I want to drink some beer.<br />

JP Beeru wa oishii desu-ne. Edamame mo<br />

tabetai desu.<br />

EN Beer tastes great, doesn’t it? I want to<br />

eat some edamame, too.<br />

CULTURE CONNOISSEUR<br />

JP O-matsuri de kakigori wo tabetai desu.<br />

EN I want to eat some shaved ice at the<br />

festival.<br />

JP Hanabi taikai ni iku node yukata wo<br />

kitai desu.<br />

EN I’m going to see fireworks, so I want to<br />

wear a yukata.<br />

Lesson by Meros Language School<br />

www.meros.jp<br />

K<br />

A<br />

N<br />

1<br />

う<br />

2 3<br />

4<br />

A<br />

C<br />

R<br />

2<br />

5 2<br />

21 6<br />

2 7 2<br />

8 9<br />

Down<br />

1. Driving<br />

2. Summer dance:<br />

__ odori<br />

3. Ladybug<br />

4. Shaved ice<br />

7. Summer<br />

Solution:<br />

1<br />

1 2 3<br />

O<br />

ANSWERS AT meturl.com/kanacross<br />

3<br />

S<br />

Across<br />

1. Beach or ocean<br />

4. Easy<br />

5. Weather<br />

6. Say<br />

7. Repair or fix<br />

8. Festival<br />

9. Stone<br />

S<br />

07


cover<br />

Yushima Tenjin from the “36 Views<br />

of the Eastern Capital” series.<br />

Hiroshige, 1862.<br />

Paul Tierney of<br />

Orientation Tokyo<br />

Photo by Guilhem Vellut, Creative Commons<br />

Chinzanso Gardens three-storey pagoda<br />

St. Mary’s Cathedral<br />

SEE A<br />

DIFFERENT<br />

SIDE OF<br />

THE CITY<br />

Specialist tours of Tokyo for<br />

fans of art, architecture and<br />

Akihabara<br />

BY CAL WIDDALL<br />

“To your left you’ll see Tokyo Tower, opened in 1958…”<br />

We’ve all done them, the standard city tours that tick main<br />

sights off a list while listening to a series of facts that could all<br />

be gleaned from a cursory Wikipedia check. But there’s more<br />

to Tokyo than this. Its rich, diverse history and its 26-millionperson<br />

present-day incarnation, with all the vibrant culture<br />

and subcultures those people provide, shouldn’t be whittled<br />

down to a standard set of landmarks to be bussed through.<br />

And they don’t have to be.<br />

Whether you’re looking to learn about a specific aspect<br />

of Tokyo, or just for something more than a mainstream<br />

overview of the city, here are three recommendations.<br />

Ueno Kiyomizu Hall Shinobazu<br />

Pond from the “100 Famous Views<br />

of Edo” series. Hiroshige, 1856.<br />

Jiyu Gakuen Girls’ School<br />

@Home Café<br />

Super<br />

Potato<br />

08


UKIYO-E TOUR<br />

Ukiyo-e (literally, “floating world pictures”) are<br />

the foundation on which our guide Paul Tierney’s<br />

Orientation Tokyo tour is built—this one set in<br />

the Ueno area. He explains that throughout<br />

Tokyo’s rapid expansion and modernization,<br />

the general layout of the city often remained<br />

the same. Because of this, old photographs and<br />

ukiyo-e images can be used to directly contrast<br />

Tokyo today with Edo hundreds of years ago,<br />

enabling a tour through time as well as place.<br />

Kyoto is often thought of as the historical center<br />

of Japan, but Tierney insists that Tokyo is by far<br />

the most interesting.<br />

Before we begin, Tierney produces what he<br />

considers to be the greatest link to the past he<br />

has at his disposal—a map of Tokyo’s train stations.<br />

Western Tokyo was populated by samurai,<br />

he explains, hence the name Yamanote (“High<br />

City”) and the number of large park spaces and<br />

constructions now found there, all made possible<br />

by reclamations of feudal lords’ land at<br />

the beginning of the Meiji era (1868-1912). He’s<br />

far more interested in eastern Tokyo, though,<br />

where common people lived. He points to various<br />

stations and explains the origins of their<br />

names—fleshing out a living, breathing old city<br />

buried beneath the skyscrapers and pachinko<br />

parlors of modern-day Tokyo. The information<br />

comes thick and fast: dates, statistics and locations<br />

are precise, and even when asked for<br />

specific details on related topics, Tierney is able<br />

to answer with the surety of a man recounting<br />

what he ate for breakfast that morning.<br />

During the tour we visit sites where entertainment<br />

districts and brothels stood, civil war<br />

battles raged and rulers were laid to rest. Images<br />

show how each area once appeared, and we<br />

stand in the same spots where the painters must<br />

have stood, with one foot in the past. Tierney<br />

pours life into the images with his stories and<br />

trinkets of information, and by the end of the tour<br />

we’re able to calculate a feudal lord’s income<br />

based on his gate, name the one time commoners<br />

could get away with assaulting samurai, and<br />

understand why the city looks as it does today.<br />

Orientation Tokyo’s other options include a<br />

“47 Ronin” trail, an examination of Edo’s religious<br />

and entertainment center, Asakusa, and an Edo<br />

castle-focused tour of Nihombashi.<br />

Orientation Tokyo. Price: from ¥3,000 per<br />

person. www.orientationtokyo.com<br />

AKIBALAND MAID TOUR<br />

Akihabara, the labyrinthian monument to otaku<br />

(nerd) culture, is a fascinating but baffling window<br />

into a subculture like no other. Without<br />

an insider to help you make sense of it you’re<br />

unlikely to discover the most interesting sights,<br />

and that’s where Akibaland Maid Tours comes<br />

in—via a guide dressed as a maid, of course.<br />

The tour’s first stop is Volks, which has a<br />

whole floor dedicated to dolls and their accessories.<br />

In fact, “accessories” doesn’t do the collection<br />

justice: there are clothes, makeup, wigs,<br />

eyelashes—even a section to build your own<br />

doll by choosing your perfect proportions for<br />

every part, with costs ranging from a few thousand<br />

yen to a few thousand dollars. The most<br />

expensive are one-of-a-kind and come with an<br />

“adoption ceremony.” In one corner, fur-lined<br />

violin cases are for sale, targeting doll owners<br />

who don’t want to risk public ridicule by carrying<br />

them openly or, even worse, stuffing them into a<br />

regular bag like some common figurine.<br />

Within the space of an hour, we stop by a<br />

“rental showcase” where people rent glass<br />

boxes for a month at a time to display items<br />

they want to sell, a gachapon shop stocked entirely<br />

with hundreds of gumball machines selling<br />

everything from animal figurines to underwear<br />

for your phone, and a place called Super Potato.<br />

The last is a claustrophobic retro games store,<br />

so packed with old games and equipment that<br />

the interior resembles a losing game of Tetris.<br />

As we walk along “Maid Crossing,” a few costumed<br />

maids smile and wave—one by wiggling a<br />

teddy bear puppet—and we enter @home Café<br />

for a lunch break. Our guide, Megumi Kimura—a<br />

former maid café worker herself—explains the<br />

system and culture behind it. As she does, a<br />

server comes over to kneel by the table and take<br />

our order in honorific Japanese. Upon her return,<br />

she draws a caramel sauce Anpanman on a latte,<br />

then casts a “spell” to make it more delicious.<br />

A trip to Donki’s cosplay section is the last<br />

stop before we head to Akihabara’s tourism<br />

office. With map in hand, Kimura then makes a<br />

few recommendations of other things possible<br />

to see based on clients’ preferences. A goodbye<br />

wave and bow at the train station end the tour as<br />

some nearby otaku watch enviously.<br />

Akibaland Maid Tours. Price: ¥3,000 per person<br />

(min. 2 per group). Email: info@akiba-tour.com.<br />

www.akiba-tour.com/information<br />

ARCHITECTURAL TOUR<br />

Tokyo’s architecture is exceptionally modern,<br />

but also adheres to traditional Japanese themes.<br />

The Tours by Locals walking architectural tour<br />

provides a thorough exploration of all the city’s<br />

most famous buildings, as well as some (perhaps<br />

undeservedly) lesser-known sites.<br />

Our first destination is St. Mary’s Cathedral,<br />

which is designed in the shape of a gigantic<br />

cross clad in stainless steel. After experiencing<br />

the cavernous concrete interior, we stroll around<br />

nearby Chinzanso Gardens to a three-storey<br />

pagoda, where tour leader Yasuko Miyamoto<br />

uses her iPad to draw a diagram explaining how<br />

the movement of its three sections has allowed<br />

it to remain standing through a number of large<br />

earthquakes over the years.<br />

Most of her clients are from the U.S., and Miyamoto<br />

says the next building, a school designed<br />

by American architect Frank Lloyd Wright, is<br />

often the most popular. Wright was responsible<br />

for not only the structure of Jiyu Gakuen Girls’<br />

School, but also the furniture and doors, all of<br />

which feature the same minimalist lines.<br />

Daikanyama’s main street, Kyuyamate Dori,<br />

makes up a significant part of the tour, focusing<br />

especially on the exquisite Kyu Asakura<br />

House and the Hillside Terrace complex. One<br />

man, Fumihiko Maki, designed every building<br />

within the complex, and Miyamoto jokes about<br />

how jealous her architect husband is of such a<br />

liberal commission. Daikanyama feels different<br />

from the rest of Tokyo, but it’s not until Miyamoto<br />

gives the reason that it becomes clear: The garish<br />

use of signage, which gives most of Tokyo<br />

the appearance of an old internet browser sorely<br />

in need of a pop-up blocker, is forbidden on<br />

the main street. A perfect example of this is the<br />

Tsutaya building, with its facade of interlocking<br />

T-shapes creating larger Ts, subtly referencing<br />

the brand’s logo.<br />

Many of the standard sights of Tokyo are included—the<br />

skyscraper offices of Shinjuku, the<br />

National Art Center, and the outdoor museum of<br />

modern architecture that is Omotesando—but<br />

with architectural insights that wouldn’t be offered<br />

on a regular tour. Just be prepared for a<br />

full day on your feet.<br />

Tours by Locals/Yasuko Miyamoto. Price:<br />

¥37,000 plus transportation costs (for up to 4<br />

people). Email: yasuko-m@palette.plala.or.jp.<br />

www.toursbylocals.com/tokyo-tours<br />

ALTERNATIVE ALTERNATIVES<br />

SUMO STUDIES<br />

At certain times of the year<br />

it’s free to go and watch sumo<br />

wrestlers train, but organizing<br />

entrance can be difficult. A<br />

number of companies such<br />

as Inside Japan Tours offer<br />

tailored trips with all the<br />

details taken care of.<br />

www.insidejapantours.com<br />

MACABRE & MYSTERIOUS<br />

Venture into another<br />

dimension of the city with<br />

Haunted Tokyo Tours, who<br />

give English commentary<br />

at locations researched<br />

by a certified paranormal<br />

investigator.<br />

www.hauntedtokyotours.com<br />

KIMONO PHOTO SHOOT<br />

Learn how to put on a<br />

traditional kimono and tie an<br />

obi (belt) at Inspire Space, then<br />

have pictures taken around<br />

Tokyo with a photographer.<br />

Covers the basics for women<br />

and men. Groups welcome.<br />

www.inspire-space.net<br />

TSUKIJI COOKING<br />

Another option from Inspire<br />

Space is their Tsukiji Market<br />

tour. Visit the famous fish<br />

market with a guide, then learn<br />

from a local chef how to turn<br />

your purchased seafood and<br />

vegetables into tempura or<br />

sushi (depending on the tour).<br />

www.inspire-space.net<br />

LINGO BOX<br />

Baishun-yado ( 売 春 宿 ) = brothel<br />

Naisen ( 内 戦 ) = civil war<br />

Kenchiku ( 建 築 ) = architecture<br />

Cho-koso biru ( 超 高 層 ビル) =<br />

skyscraper<br />

09


SPECIAL<br />

ADVERTISING<br />

SECTION<br />

Visitor Vibes<br />

Treat your guests to these Tokyo classics<br />

SPECIAL OFFER<br />

• 3-sake taster sets from ¥800<br />

WEBSITE<br />

AKITA PURE<br />

RICE SAKE BAR<br />

Tokyo Station<br />

Savor the smooth taste of Akita<br />

in a relaxing bar environment.<br />

Just 1 minute’s walk from Tokyo<br />

station’s Yaesu North exit, take a<br />

seat at Japan’s first bar specializing in Akita junmaishu pure<br />

rice sake. Choose from a large selection of seasonal specials<br />

and high-end sake that can only be tasted on-site—and just<br />

so you don’t have to limit your experience, you can get a<br />

three-sake taster set from ¥800. The shop is located inside<br />

Abeya, which specializes in yakitori and other dishes using<br />

Hinai Jidori, chickens crossbred from Akita’s Hinai chicken, a<br />

protected breed recognized as a natural living monument of<br />

Japan. So slide on by for a tradtional taste of the north!<br />

2F 1-9-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku (in Kitamachi<br />

Dining)<br />

03-6256-0518<br />

Mon-Fri 11am-11pm, Sat-Sun & hols 11am-10pm<br />

Tokyo (Yaesu north exit)<br />

http://r.gnavi.co.jp/g286919/lang/en/<br />

WEBSITE<br />

1F Kaneko Bldg, 3-3-9 Ginza, Chuo-ku<br />

03-5250-7767<br />

info@azabu-skinclinic.com<br />

Mon-Fri 11:30am-3:30pm (lunch)/5pm-4am<br />

(dinner), Sat 11:30am-4am, Sun & hols 11:30am-11pm<br />

Ginza or Yurakucho<br />

http://j.mp/dedesuke<br />

SPECIAL OFFER<br />

• <strong>Metropolis</strong> readers making any<br />

purchase over ¥10,000 will<br />

receive a large nail clipper for free.<br />

WEBSITE<br />

MENU<br />

• Japanese 17-layer-steel 2-knife set, hard case,<br />

¥17,400<br />

• 17-layer stainless steel Santoku, ¥6,800<br />

• 17-layer stainless steel Santoku with Japanese<br />

wooden handle, ¥9,800<br />

• 17-layer stainless steel small knife with Japanese<br />

wooden handle, ¥7,500<br />

HORUMON<br />

DEDESUKE<br />

Ginza<br />

Among the high-class avenues of historic Ginza, there is an affordable, top-quality<br />

yakiniku place to put paid to your carnivorous cravings. Instead of purchasing<br />

different cuts of beef like other restaurants, Horumon Dedesuke leaves nothing<br />

to chance. Its practised chefs buy up a whole cow every month. And it’s not just<br />

any basic bovine they’re talking about. They make sure to purchase an A5-ranked kuroge wagyu—famed<br />

as source of the best meat this side of a Buenos Aires steakhouse. Step in for a hearty dinner—or a juicy<br />

weekend lunch. Peruse the menu, or talk to the chefs so they can carefully match something to your taste and<br />

appetite. Among the recommended cuts is the “Zeppin Wagyu Zanmai Mori,” an assortment of the rare parts<br />

of top-quality A5-rank Japanese beef. The restaurant is open well into the early hours for those requiring a<br />

meaty end to a late night out.<br />

KAMATA<br />

HAKENSHA<br />

Asakusa<br />

Established in 1923 with a history<br />

spanning four generations,<br />

Asakusa cutlery maker Kamata<br />

Hakensha knows how to slice<br />

it. The company’s 800-strong product lineup includes topgrade<br />

handmade knives as well as factory-made ranges.<br />

These blades have made repeat customers of some of the<br />

world’s finest chefs, thanks to stringent quality checks and<br />

a 100-percent satisfaction guarantee. All the knives are<br />

designed by the owner, created by skilled craftsmen, and<br />

individually edged. Free engraving and an inexpensive<br />

sharpening service seal the deal on a fine gift idea. They can<br />

engrave your name for free on any knife selected in just three<br />

minutes. Perfect for a gift or souvenir of your stay in Tokyo.<br />

SHOP INFO<br />

2-12-6 Matsugaya, Taito-ku<br />

03-3841-4205<br />

Open daily 10am-6pm<br />

Asakusa or Tawaramachi<br />

www.kap-kam.com/index_english.html<br />

10


MORE SPECIALS ONLINE → METURL.COM/VISITOR<br />

WEBSITE<br />

SPECIAL OFFER<br />

Each customer who brings this copy of <strong>Metropolis</strong><br />

or displays this ad on their mobile device (one<br />

per person) will receive 20% off admittance to the<br />

show<br />

PRICES<br />

• Entrance fee: ¥6,000/person<br />

• Meal fee: ¥1,000/person<br />

B2F Shinjuku Robot Bldg, 1-7-1 Kabukicho,<br />

Shinjuku<br />

03-3200-5500 (9am-10pm)<br />

Daily 6pm-11pm<br />

Shinjuku<br />

www.robot-restaurant.com/E/<br />

ROBOT<br />

RESTAURANT<br />

Shinjuku<br />

Who hasn’t seen the large Valkyrie-like female robots on trucks whizzing around<br />

Tokyo to a pumping soundtrack? These pulchritudinous automatons are waiting<br />

in the heart of Shinjuku’s red-light district at the Robot Restaurant. The venue is a<br />

dizzying design of gold, glittering mosaics and shiny surfaces. The all-action show<br />

involves massive robots, teams of bouncy dancers, mindblowing flying machines and more. Lest you think this<br />

a guy thing, the audiences are always a merry mix of girls and boys, young and old, foreign and Japanese. Make<br />

a reservation before your visit, then confirm by phone one hour before the show. The future is here and it's<br />

kaleidoscopic and robotic… as well as an unforgettable experience.<br />

WEBSITE<br />

SPECIAL OFFER<br />

Receive a copy of Tamiya Model Magazine with<br />

purchases over ¥1,000<br />

6 Toyokaiji Bldg, 4-7-2 Shimbashi, Minato-ku<br />

03-6809-1175<br />

Mon-Fri noon-10pm, Sat-Sun & hols 10am-6pm<br />

Shimbashi (Karasumori exit)<br />

http://www.tamiya-plamodelfactory.co.jp/<br />

shimbashi/about_e.htm<br />

TAMIYA<br />

PLAMODEL<br />

FACTORY<br />

Shimbashi<br />

Get your geek on at the Tamiya Plamodel Factory in Shimbashi—where you can find every<br />

single plastic model kit, RC model and Mini 4WD model produced by world-famous maker<br />

Tamiya, Inc. With 6,000 items on sale over two 170m2 floors, you can get your hands on all<br />

types of cars, tanks and aircraft, as well as RC models and Mini 4WD vehicles plus upgrade<br />

parts. The site also offers model-making classes and exhibitions, while the upper floor is<br />

a multipurpose space with a circuit for racing Mini 4WD cars. The Plamodel Factory is stocked with everything<br />

you need to prepare the perfect kit, from enamel and acrylic paints to high quality airbrushes, tools and model<br />

guidebooks, as well as a selection of unique Tamiya products normally only available online. Keep an eye out for<br />

items featuring the popluar Tamiya twin star logo—and even if you don’t want to build anything, Tamiya T-shirts,<br />

stickers and pens make for popular gifts.<br />

WEBSITE<br />

MENU<br />

• Aitchbone: ¥1,700/80g<br />

• Rump beef: ¥980/80g<br />

• Sirloin: ¥2,600/80g<br />

SHOP INFO<br />

2F Atsumi-yakuhin Bldg, 1-21 Sakumacho,<br />

Kanda, Chiyoda-ku<br />

03-3253-3329<br />

Mon-Fri 11:30am-2pm (lunch)/5:30-11:30pm<br />

(dinner), Sat-Sun & hols 11:30am-2pm (lunch)/5pm-<br />

10pm (dinner), closed over New Year’s holidays<br />

Akihabara<br />

www.yamano29.com<br />

YAMANO<br />

Akihabara<br />

A5 is the highest grade of kuroge wagyu—a particularly succulent type of Japanese beef.<br />

And that’s what you’ll get at Yamano, a cozy yakiniku restaurant just one minute’s walk<br />

from Akihabara station. Yamano’s culinary crew prepare their own yakiniku sauce to make<br />

the wagyu shine, or you can opt for simple rock salt to up the ante. Popular at Yamano are marbled steaks, rump<br />

beef, skirt steaks marinated in special sauce and the king of beef—sirloin—all selected by the experienced<br />

owner-chef. You can always get your barbecue on by roasting your carne at the table yourself, but if you’d like to<br />

take it easy, just ask the staff to grill it up in advance. It also offers meat and vegetables grilled in miso sauce, and<br />

fresh organs (horumon) cooked in a Japanese hot pot with Osaka-style soy-sauce soup. Vegetable dishes are<br />

available too, as well as a host of other options à la carte.<br />

11


One broadcasts original fashion programming to<br />

over 300 million people in 44 countries worldwide.<br />

The other is Japan’s No.1 English magazine.<br />

Now we cover Tokyo couture together—in print, online and<br />

in front of the camera!<br />

Talent Wanted Immediately!<br />

Do you have what it takes to report on<br />

Tokyo’s fashion,trends and style?<br />

We Want You!<br />

Writers | Editors | Reporters<br />

On-Screen Hosts<br />

Send a CV, cover letter and link to any previous<br />

work—on-camera or off—explaining why you would be the<br />

perfect fit for Fashion One and <strong>Metropolis</strong>.<br />

We’re looking for people who can report in Chinese, English,<br />

French, Japanese and Spanish.<br />

fashionone@metropolis.co.jp<br />

metropolis.co.jp/fashionone


fashion fix<br />

FESTIVAL CHIC<br />

BY SAMUEL THOMAS<br />

Fuji Rock may have come and gone for another year, but the rest of the<br />

music festival season is still with us, bringing with it the opportunity to<br />

sweat your stress away.<br />

Those looking for a “cool”—in both senses of the word—way to combat<br />

the heat of the scrum should look to Japan’s oldest textile: hemp. Worlds<br />

away from the shiny, artificial AIRism offerings from Uniqlo, hemp has<br />

been part of the Japanese wardrobe since the Jomon era. It’s used as light<br />

layers in the hottest months and avoids the transparency of sheer cotton.<br />

Festival- and wallet-friendly basics for men and women can be had from<br />

Goa (www.goa-net.com), but for those who can justify spending a couple<br />

of crisp ¥10,000 yen notes on a single item, the premium all-Japan hemp<br />

shirts from Share Spirit (www.sharespirit.jp) ensure you keep your cool.<br />

ON POINT<br />

Released this month, Japanese<br />

label Ne-net’s latest collection is<br />

the talk of Tokyo with a mangameets-fashion<br />

lineup that seems<br />

to have captured the attention of<br />

rebellious street kids and nostalgic<br />

adults alike. The “KiraKira” series<br />

features original illustrations and<br />

characters from two masters of<br />

the manga world: Katsuki Tanaka,<br />

known for his cute, subversive and<br />

surreal characters, and the worldfamous<br />

shojo (ladies’) manga maestro<br />

Yumiko Igarashi—as well as<br />

illustrations from Ne-net designer<br />

Kazuaki Takashima himself.<br />

Fashion civilians can indulge<br />

themselves in printed and embroidered<br />

illustrations on relatively<br />

easy-to-implement wardrobe staples. But the<br />

adventurous can look deeper into the lineup,<br />

where there are a whole host of silhouette-altering<br />

garments to give your body the appearance<br />

of having stepped off of the page. The collection<br />

is on sale now at Ne-net stockists nationwide<br />

and online (www.hmr.jp).<br />

SHOPPING STRATEGY<br />

One of Tokyo’s best-kept fashion secrets, the<br />

Bedrock boutique in Omotesando Hills has<br />

been dressing Japanese rockstars, including<br />

Hyde, for the best part of a decade—not to mention<br />

being responsible for styling the likes of<br />

international icons such as Steven<br />

Tyler and Lenny Kravitz. The boutique—literally<br />

underground—does<br />

not appear on any maps, hidden as it<br />

is in the basement under the Forbidden<br />

Fruit Café on Omotesando dori.<br />

Those curious and with the necessary<br />

fashion credentials are advised<br />

to walk confidently around the cafe<br />

counter to the unmarked stairs beyond<br />

and follow the smell of incense<br />

down into the gloom. Your reward is<br />

an apocalyptic bunker—half pirate’s<br />

treasure trove, half Mad Max wasteland—complete<br />

with DJ decks for<br />

when the space plays home to some<br />

of Tokyo’s most exclusive parties.<br />

On the racks, Bedrock mixes<br />

rare vintage and antique accessories<br />

from around the world with high<br />

fashion from two of Tokyo’s most exclusive and<br />

secretive brands: Le Grand Bleu and If Six was<br />

Nine. Perfect for those ready to rock.<br />

STREET<br />

FOCUS<br />

At the moment, the edgiest of Tokyo’s menswear<br />

is all about the hard-versus-soft, masculineversus-feminine<br />

contrast, with its most stylish<br />

fashion ambassadors mixing leather and lace,<br />

or pairing a higher heel with heavy rounded<br />

shoulders to ensure that their rebellion is not like<br />

that of their parents’ generation. Showing us how<br />

it’s done, the design student above has paired a<br />

hard, body-armor-like leather chest piece with a<br />

loose sweater beneath, balancing out the spikes<br />

and piercings with a feminine, sheer layer hanging<br />

like a skirt off the waist.<br />

Photos by Samuel Thomas<br />

FASHION CALENDAR<br />

<strong>Aug</strong> 8 | Rick Owens x Adidas<br />

The stealth-bomber-inspired<br />

Adidas Tech Runner by<br />

designer Rick Owens hits Tokyo<br />

in four monotone colorways.<br />

Even priced at the upper end<br />

of the market at ¥71,000 plus<br />

tax, the leather and neoprene<br />

designs will be selling for more<br />

on auction sites post-launch.<br />

www.rickowens.eu<br />

<strong>Aug</strong> 8 | Fake Furniture<br />

by Fake Tokyo<br />

Those looking to echo their<br />

avant-garde fashion in their<br />

homes can head to Fake<br />

Furniture in Meguro, a new<br />

interior design venture from<br />

Shibuya underground hub Fake<br />

Tokyo. www.faketokyo.com<br />

<strong>Aug</strong> 5-17 | Mode of<br />

Barbie Exhibition<br />

Celebrate 55 years of Barbie<br />

in fashion at Seibu Shibuya. In<br />

addition to 250 examples of<br />

her own stylistic shifts over the<br />

years, Barbie will be dressed by<br />

some of Tokyo’s leading lights,<br />

including G.V.G.V and Yasutoshi<br />

Ezumi. meturl.com/seibubarbie<br />

<strong>Aug</strong> 8-17 | Celebrating 20 years<br />

of Keita Maruyama<br />

Omotesando Hills is hosting<br />

a retrospective exhibition for<br />

luxury label Keita Maruyama,<br />

showcasing 20 years of high<br />

fashion decadence for all to<br />

enjoy, regardless of the price<br />

tag. www.omotesandohills.<br />

com/english<br />

<strong>Aug</strong> 15 | Kiko Mizuhara for<br />

Opening Ceremony<br />

Model and actress Kiko<br />

Mizuhara is adding “designer”<br />

to her repertoire with an<br />

exclusive collection for<br />

Opening Ceremony. The Disco<br />

Bowling-themed series puts a<br />

modern spin on retro bowling<br />

shirts and adds disco flair<br />

to streetwear basics. www.<br />

openingceremonyjapan.com<br />

13


arts&culture<br />

MUSIC<br />

MIKE<br />

PETERS<br />

Something to Declare<br />

BY C.B. LIDDELL<br />

lenges is a reflection of the positive spirit with<br />

which he and other budding musicians embraced<br />

the punk explosion of the 1970s—something that<br />

fed directly into the Alarm’s debut album Declaration,<br />

released 30 years ago this year.<br />

While punk is often seen as nihilistic and antisocial—more<br />

associated with glue-sniffing than<br />

smiles—Peters is keen to point out its positive<br />

aspects. “That’s what it became the moment the<br />

Sex Pistols put Sid Vicious in the band,” Peters<br />

says of punk’s self-destructive edge. “But before<br />

that, it was about being creative. I saw the Sex<br />

Pistols in 1976 and there was nothing negative<br />

about them then. They took a hard line approach,<br />

but they brought change with them—they brought<br />

it into the room. They brought it in their lyrics at a<br />

time when all the established bands were singing<br />

about goblins and pixies and mountainsides.”<br />

Peters remembers the hope that early punk<br />

generated. “There were a load of young people<br />

starting fanzines, taking control of a camera, learning<br />

how to utilize a photocopier, how to express<br />

themselves by making their own clothes—and<br />

that was the punk rock that fired the imaginations<br />

of Bono or Bob Geldof or myself.”<br />

As the noted names imply, while the movement<br />

itself had a short shelf life, punk provided the impetus<br />

for much of the music of the of the ’80s, the<br />

era of New Wave and later rock with a conscience,<br />

ANIME<br />

FLY ME TO<br />

THE MOON<br />

The forces behind<br />

the anime reboot<br />

BY MIKE KANERT & BRAD STEPHENSON<br />

Fumio Osano sits in a small meeting room accessed<br />

beyond a box of rolled-up Fairy Tail<br />

posters. The editor of Naoko Takeuchi’s wildly<br />

popular Sailor Moon manga, as well as its predecessor<br />

Codename: Sailor V, Osano boasts four<br />

decades of immersion in the anime and manga<br />

world. “I own the magazine where the word<br />

‘otaku’ (nerd) was first used,” he says proudly.<br />

Prior to columnist Akio Nakamori’s 1983 popularization<br />

of the term in Manga Burikko, a nowdefunct<br />

lolicon manga magazine, adult interest in<br />

anime was simply referred to as a form of “mania.”<br />

Looking at Japan now, it’s hard to believe<br />

© 武 内 直 子 ・PNP・ 講 談 社 ・ 東 映 アニメーション<br />

only live twice: Once when<br />

you're born, and once when you<br />

look death in the face.” Basho’s<br />

haiku may have inspired the title<br />

of a Bond movie, but Mike Peters,<br />

“You<br />

singer-songwriter behind 1980s<br />

rock legends The Alarm, has never heard of it.<br />

“I wasn’t aware of that poem. That’s fantastic,”<br />

Peters says down the phone from Wales. It has<br />

particular relevance: Since 1996, Peters has been<br />

fighting a recurring battle against cancer that, just<br />

like the poem, has given him a new lease on life.<br />

“It’s absolutely true, and that’s how I look at<br />

it,” Peters says of the poem. “In addition to The<br />

Alarm, my wife and I also run a charity, so yes, we<br />

do live two lives.”<br />

The couple’s Love Hope Strength Foundation<br />

supports families affected by cancer, raising<br />

money and promoting bone marrow registration<br />

drives—the latter inspired by Peters’ more recent<br />

battle with leukemia.<br />

Peters’ fighting response to his health chalthere<br />

was ever a time when anime wasn’t for<br />

everybody. Anime movies account for four of<br />

the top ten all-time box-office draws in Japan,<br />

with Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away holding the<br />

top spot from 2001 until June this year—when it<br />

was surpassed by Disney’s Frozen.<br />

Yet back in the early ’80s, Osano complains,<br />

“Otaku were seen as crazy. If you said, ‘What<br />

are otaku like?’ and got into the real image,<br />

you’d see a strange pattern of overweight, bagcarrying,<br />

Ramu-chan T-shirt wearing men.”<br />

This might explain why, even following the<br />

raging success of Sailor Moon in the ’90s, Osano<br />

was staggered by the response to the announcement<br />

of Sailor Moon Crystal. “We didn’t<br />

expect this many people to remember it and<br />

for it to still have this much popularity,” he tells<br />

<strong>Metropolis</strong>. “We had no idea at all.”<br />

Rebooting a series with such a dedicated<br />

global following has its own unique challenges,<br />

which are only exacerbated in a wired world.<br />

Sailor Moon Crystal was announced at Japan<br />

Expo in Paris because, Osano says, “If we don’t<br />

make the announcement simultaneously in Japan<br />

and overseas, we immediately lose control<br />

of the information.” Rather than go through<br />

Japanese TV, the new anime series is being<br />

14


with bands that wore their political hearts on their<br />

sleeves. Hailing from North Wales, The Alarm<br />

were often associated with other anthemic rock<br />

acts from the Celtic fringe like U2, Big Country<br />

and Simple Minds.<br />

Peters rejects criticism levelled at Bono, who<br />

is a close personal friend. “Recently I was doing<br />

a show in Cardiff,” he recalls. “Towards the end,<br />

the presenter pulled me to one side and said<br />

we’ve got a video message here from an aspiring<br />

young band who have got some questions for<br />

you. I had no idea what was coming, and up on<br />

the screen popped Bono and all of U2 eulogizing<br />

Declaration and singing ‘Going Out in a Blaze of<br />

Glory.’ I was absolutely blown away. They didn’t<br />

have to do that, but they took the time out to<br />

send their best wishes, and I think that says a<br />

lot about them.”<br />

Peters is now reviving The Alarm’s stirring<br />

debut album in a unique one-man show that will<br />

come to Tokyo later this month. But those who<br />

remember the original Declaration album may<br />

be in for a surprise, as Peters is reinterpreting the<br />

album with a more acoustic slant.<br />

“Yes, the show will be very acoustic," he says.<br />

"But it’ll have the crossover. Y’know, there was<br />

always a point in an Alarm gig where we put<br />

our foot on the stomp box and everything suddenly<br />

went electric, so expect some of that.” It<br />

seems fans can expect even his one-man show<br />

to live twice.<br />

Billboard Live, <strong>Aug</strong> 25. See concert listings for<br />

details. www.thealarm.com/archives/21506<br />

aired entirely online, with subtitle options in up<br />

to 12 languages depending on the broadcaster.<br />

A retelling of the 1992-1997 series, Sailor<br />

Moon Crystal promises not only to take advantage<br />

of developments in animation technology,<br />

but also to offer depth that was not previously<br />

possible even in the pages of the manga.<br />

“The old anime series and the manga started<br />

simultaneously,” explains Yuh Kaminoki, series<br />

producer for Toei Animation. “Our advantage<br />

now is that the series is complete. … We know<br />

where we’re going, and we can determine how<br />

to give the animated version a strong sense of<br />

completion as a whole work. So as we produce<br />

[manga arist Naoko] Takeuchi-sensei’s story as<br />

an anime this time around, we’re conscious that<br />

there are elements that weren’t included last<br />

time but which are now complete, and we want<br />

to focus on those areas.”<br />

Kaminoki hints there were even developments<br />

discussed between Osano and Takeuchi<br />

that were ultimately dropped—but which might<br />

be explored this time around. Asked if there will<br />

be any intentional changes to the source mate-<br />

ART<br />

ART X SPACE<br />

A mind-expanding<br />

exhibition at MOT<br />

BY C.B. LIDDELL<br />

What better escape from the hot, humid days<br />

of summer than an hour or two in a spacious,<br />

air-cooled and uncrowded museum with an<br />

exhibition that transports you into the chilling<br />

realms of space?<br />

The Museum of Contemporary Art,<br />

known for some obscure reason by the acronym<br />

MOT (Museum of Tomorrow?), likes<br />

to justify its existence by putting on exhibitions<br />

that are either “worthy,” “educational”<br />

or “popular.” While its best attended shows<br />

tend to offer famous animation art or “kid appeal,”<br />

such content threatens to undercut the<br />

institution’s “serious art” credibility.<br />

The latest show, “Art X Space,” seems to<br />

be an attempt to square some of these circles<br />

by mixing serious art with geek-‘n’-kid fodder.<br />

Kids will be excited by the rockets and<br />

other space gear on display, like the moon<br />

buggy posed against a lunar film set or the<br />

discarded fairing (the external structure<br />

added to the nose of a rocket to streamline<br />

it during launch) placed next to a model of<br />

the rocket it fell from.<br />

rial, Kaminoki says coyly, “Well, a little—you’ll<br />

just have to wait and see!”<br />

The original Sailor Moon comprised 200<br />

episodes and 18 volumes of manga, spawning<br />

dozens of video games, three TV specials,<br />

three movies, a live-action TV show and<br />

a musical, the latter running for roughly 850<br />

performances from 1993-2005. The musical<br />

was revived last year, even drawing cast<br />

members from respected Japanese theater<br />

troupes Takarazuka and Gekidan Shiki.<br />

Osano and Kaminoki are cautious, however,<br />

about the prospect of other anime being<br />

slated for simultaneous multilingual release.<br />

“The success of this effort will have a pretty big<br />

effect on the methods we use in the future,”<br />

Osano says. But he remains optimistic: “I think<br />

this is an anime that foreigners and people<br />

overseas can enjoy even as adults. We’d very<br />

much like them to check it out.”<br />

Sailor Moon Crystal airs the first and third<br />

Saturday each month on niconico, Hulu,<br />

Crunchyroll and others.<br />

Universe of Water Particles under Satellite’s Gravity,<br />

<strong>2014</strong> by teamLab.<br />

Such exhibits, along with examples of the<br />

space-themed manga of Leiji Matsumoto, have<br />

obvious space-geek appeal. But this is not just<br />

another science museum show; there is also<br />

plenty of more serious and creative art.<br />

Takuro Osaka’s Fullness of Emptiness Integral<br />

(<strong>2014</strong>) is a large room with 500 LED lightbulbs that<br />

switch off as they are hit by cosmic rays. The idea<br />

is fascinating, but aesthetically it’s a little bleak.<br />

But there are also works that create real beauty,<br />

like Keiko Kimoto’s Velvet Order (<strong>2014</strong>), which<br />

uses computerized mathematical equations to<br />

create dynamic abstract patterns that have all the<br />

beauty of shifting clouds and waves—or undulating<br />

gas nebulae several light years from Earth.<br />

Also worth seeing is teamLab’s large video<br />

installation Cold Life (Calligraphy: Sisyu)” (<strong>2014</strong>)<br />

in which the Japanese character for “life” ( 生 )<br />

is animated in virtual 3-D space, then metamorphoses<br />

into a tree that passes through the<br />

seasons while emanating various lifeforms.<br />

Just when you think the exhibition is a science<br />

fair, it suddenly turns into an art show and<br />

vice-versa. And as soon as you conclude that<br />

it’s a serious event geared for adults, it suddenly<br />

reverts back to being an outing for the<br />

kids—as driven home by Space Dance (2009),<br />

an extremely interactive work right at the end.<br />

Museum of Contemporary Art, until <strong>Aug</strong> 31.<br />

See exhibition listings (Kayabacho/Kiba) for<br />

details.<br />

Fullness of<br />

Emptiness<br />

Integral,<br />

<strong>2014</strong><br />

Photos by C.B. Liddell<br />

15


agenda<br />

WATCH LIST<br />

東 京 高 円 寺 阿 波 おどり<br />

EDITOR’S PICK<br />

AUG 23-24<br />

KOENJI AWA ODORI<br />

Ten thousand dancers and a million oglers<br />

cram the streets of Koenji for what has<br />

become one of Tokyo’s most energetic<br />

annual festivals. The Koenji Awa Odori<br />

is a recent Tokyo tradition, though—the<br />

festival is based in the folk traditions of<br />

Shikoku’s Tokushima Prefecture, which for<br />

centuries has been known for its unbridled<br />

take on Japan’s bon odori dance for the<br />

dead. The Tokyo edition was apparently<br />

launched by Tokushima migrants in 1956,<br />

and is now Japan’s second-largest Awa<br />

dance event. —Dan Grunebaum<br />

<strong>Aug</strong> 23-24, all day, free. Koenji area.<br />

Koenji. www.koenji-awaodori.com<br />

©Koen Broos<br />

AUG 29-31<br />

BABEL<br />

High art, pop culture, drama and<br />

dance collide in this strange and<br />

evocative new work reuniting<br />

Belgian choreographers Sidi Larbi<br />

Cherkaoui and Damien Jalet with<br />

visual designer Antony Gormley.<br />

Theatre Orb. Shibuya. http://<br />

theatre-orb.com/english/<br />

AUG 22<br />

FABRIC LONDON X WOMB TOKYO<br />

Mega-clubs Fabric and Womb team up to bring drum ‘n’<br />

bass avatar LTJ Bukem to Tokyo. <strong>Aug</strong> 22, 11pm, ¥3,000<br />

(member or w/flier)/ ¥3,500 (door). Womb. Shibuya.<br />

www.womb.co.jp<br />

AUG 14-17<br />

SLEEP<br />

Choreographer<br />

Saburo Teshigawara’s<br />

latest piece, with<br />

Aurélie Dupont. <strong>Aug</strong><br />

14, 7pm; <strong>Aug</strong> 15 & 17,<br />

4pm; <strong>Aug</strong> 16, 3 & 7pm,<br />

¥4,000-7,000. Tokyo<br />

Metropolitan Theatre.<br />

Ikebukuro. Tel:<br />

03-5391-2111. www.<br />

geigeki.jp<br />

Courtesy of Womb<br />

UNTIL SEP 25<br />

SPECTERS,<br />

GHOSTS AND<br />

SORCERERS IN<br />

UKIYO-E<br />

Traditional prints of ghastly<br />

ghouls and creepy critters.<br />

Until Sep 25, ¥600-900.<br />

Ukiyo-e Ota Memorial<br />

Museum of Art. Open<br />

Tue-Sun 10:30am-5:30pm,<br />

closed Mon. 1-10-10<br />

Jingumae. Harajuku.<br />

www.ukiyoe-ota-muse.jp<br />

Utagawa Kuniyoshi “Haunted Old Palace at Sōma”, private collection<br />

UNTIL AUG 31<br />

SPACE EXPO <strong>2014</strong>: THE GREAT<br />

CHALLENGE OF NASA/JAXA<br />

Extraterrestrial exploration from 1897 until modern times.<br />

Until Sep 23, ¥900-2,500. 2-1 Nakase, Mihama-ku.<br />

Kaihin-Makuhari. www.m-messe.co.jp<br />

Courtesy of Sierra Nevada Corporation<br />

hot tickets<br />

AUG 13-14<br />

Lady Gaga<br />

With Momoiro CloverZ and Lady<br />

Starlight. <strong>Aug</strong> 13-14, 6pm, ¥10,000-<br />

25,000. QVC Marine Field. Kaihin-<br />

Makuhari. Tel: 043-296-1227. http://<br />

ladygaga-japantour<strong>2014</strong>.com<br />

Tickets on sale now!<br />

SEP 14-28<br />

Sumo: September Grand<br />

Tournament<br />

Sep 14-28, various times, ¥2,200-<br />

37,200. Ryogoku Kokugikan.<br />

Ryogoku. Tel: 03-3623-5111.<br />

www.sumo.or.jp/en<br />

Tickets on sale from <strong>Aug</strong> 9<br />

NOV 1-24<br />

Singin' in the Rain<br />

Popular West End musical show<br />

makes a splash in Tokyo. Nov<br />

1-24, various times, ¥6,500-<br />

13,000. Theatre Orb. Shibuya.<br />

Tel: 0570-08-9999. http://<br />

singinintherain.jp<br />

Tickets on sale now!<br />

NOV 15-16<br />

Knot Fest Japan<br />

Slipknot, Limp Bizkit, Korn and<br />

others. Nov 15-16, noon, ¥14,000<br />

(1 day, adv)/ ¥27,000 (adv, 2days).<br />

Makuhari Messe. Kaihin-Makuhari.<br />

www.knotfestjapan.com<br />

Tickets on sale now!<br />

FEB 27-28, 2015<br />

One Direction<br />

Feb 27, 7pm; Feb 28, 4pm; Mar 1,<br />

3pm, ¥12,000-28,000 (adv). Saitama<br />

Super Arena. Saitama-Shintoshin.<br />

www.creativeman.co.jp<br />

Tickets on sale now!<br />

16


Concerts<br />

POPULAR<br />

MTV Zushi Fes<br />

Rip Slyme, AK-69, Cream<br />

and others. <strong>Aug</strong> 8-10, noon,<br />

¥8,200 (1 day)/ ¥20,000 (3<br />

days). Zushi Marina. Riviera<br />

Zushi Marina Mae or Kotsubo.<br />

Tel: 0570-550-799. www.<br />

mtvjapan.com/zushifes<strong>2014</strong><br />

Eddie Sheeran<br />

English singer-songwriter who<br />

thinks out loud. <strong>Aug</strong> 8, 7pm,<br />

¥5,800 (adv) +1d. Studio Coast.<br />

Shin-Kiba. www.smash-jpn.<br />

com<br />

Flumpool<br />

J-pop anime songmakers<br />

from Osaka. <strong>Aug</strong> 9, 6pm;<br />

<strong>Aug</strong> 10, 5pm, ¥5,800 (adv)<br />

+1d. Yokohama Arena.<br />

Shin-Yokohama. Tel: 045-474-<br />

4000. www.flumpool.jp<br />

Rock in Japan Fes<br />

Kreva, Kyary Pamyu Pamyu,<br />

Orange Range and more. <strong>Aug</strong><br />

9-10, 10:30am, ¥12,000 (1<br />

day, adv)/ ¥22,500 (2 days,<br />

adv)/ ¥41,000 (4 days. adv).<br />

National Hitachi Kaihin Park.<br />

Kaihinkoen. Tel: 029-265-<br />

9001. http://rijfes.jp<br />

Jolt Touring Festival<br />

Legendary sound artist<br />

Akio Suzuki plays with Tetsu<br />

Saitoh and others. <strong>Aug</strong> 9,<br />

7pm, ¥2,800 (adv)/ ¥3,300<br />

(door) +1d. SuperDeluxe.<br />

Roppongi. Tel: 03-5412-<br />

0515. www.joltarts.org<br />

The Watanabes<br />

Tokyo indie pop outfit with<br />

folk rockers The Kave. <strong>Aug</strong> 9,<br />

8pm, free. What the Dickens.<br />

Ebisu. Tel: 03-3780-2099.<br />

www.whatthedickens.jp<br />

Richie Sambora<br />

Longtime lead guitarist of<br />

Bon Jovi goes solo. <strong>Aug</strong><br />

13, 7:30pm, ¥8,000-9,000.<br />

Ex Theater Roppongi.<br />

Roppongi or Nogizaka.<br />

Tel: 03-3499-6669. www.<br />

ex-theater.com<br />

Mothercoat<br />

With How to Count One to Ten<br />

and others. <strong>Aug</strong> 13, 6:30pm,<br />

¥2,500 (adv)/ ¥3,000 (door)<br />

+1d. Shinjuku Loft. Shinjuku.<br />

www.mothercoat.com/en<br />

The King All Stars<br />

Collaboration project with<br />

members from Mongol800, Soil<br />

& “Pimp” Sessions and more.<br />

<strong>Aug</strong> 14, 7pm, ¥5,500-6,500<br />

(adv) +1d. Ex Theater Roppongi.<br />

Roppongi or Nogizaka. www.<br />

ex-theater.com<br />

Sonicmania<br />

Kasabian and others. <strong>Aug</strong><br />

15, 10pm, ¥10,500-20,000.<br />

Makuhari Messe. Kaihin-<br />

Makuhari. www.summersonic.<br />

com/<strong>2014</strong><br />

Rising Sun Rock Festival<br />

Crossfaith, 9mm Parabellum<br />

Bullet, Boom Boom Satellites<br />

and more. <strong>Aug</strong> 15-16, all day,<br />

¥9,300 (adv, 1 day)/ ¥18,500<br />

(adv, 2 days). Ishikari, Hokkaido.<br />

http://rsr.wess.co.jp/<strong>2014</strong><br />

Summer Sonic<br />

Music festival with Arctic<br />

Monkeys, Avenged Sevenfold<br />

and more. <strong>Aug</strong> 16-17, 11am,<br />

¥15,500 (1 day)/ ¥28,500<br />

(2 days). Makuhari Messe.<br />

Kaihin-Makuhari. www.<br />

summersonic.com/<strong>2014</strong><br />

Cheeky Parade<br />

J-pop idol group. <strong>Aug</strong> 16, 1<br />

& 5pm, ¥3,900 (adv) +1d. Ex<br />

Theater Roppongi. Roppongi<br />

or Nogizaka. www.ex-theater.<br />

com<br />

Dreams Come True<br />

J-pop duo. <strong>Aug</strong> 23-24, 5pm,<br />

¥8,100 (adv). Saitama Super<br />

Arena. Saitama-Shintoshin.<br />

www.dreamscometrue.com<br />

Mike Peters<br />

Former vocalist of The Alarm<br />

goes solo. <strong>Aug</strong> 25, 7 & 9:30pm,<br />

¥4,800-6,800. Billboard Live.<br />

Roppongi. www.billboardlive.com<br />

The Three Degrees<br />

’70s soul music. <strong>Aug</strong> 26-27,<br />

7 & 9:30pm, ¥7,500-9,500.<br />

Billboard Live. Roppongi.<br />

www.billboard-live.com<br />

Animelo Summer Live <strong>2014</strong><br />

The biggest anime song<br />

concert in Japan. <strong>Aug</strong><br />

29-31, 4pm, ¥8,700 (adv)<br />

+1d. Saitama Super Arena.<br />

Saitama-Shintoshin. www.<br />

anisama.tv<br />

Kitazawa Typhoon<br />

One-day rock festival with<br />

But By Fall, Snail Ramp<br />

and others. <strong>Aug</strong> 30, 2pm,<br />

¥3,300 (adv) +1d. Livehouses<br />

around Shimokitazawa.<br />

Shimokitazawa. www.<br />

kitazawatyphoon.com<br />

Otodama Sea Studio<br />

Music festival on the beach<br />

with Aqua Timez, Konishiki and<br />

more. Until <strong>Aug</strong> 31, various<br />

times, various prices. Otodama<br />

Sea Studio. Yuigahama Beach,<br />

Kamakura. Kamakura. www.<br />

otodama-beach.com/<strong>2014</strong><br />

Danger Danger<br />

American ’80s hard rock band.<br />

Sep 3-4, 7pm, ¥6,500 (adv)<br />

+1d. Club Quattro. Shibuya.<br />

Tel: 0570-02-9999. www.<br />

creativeman.co.jp<br />

Fear, and Loathing in Las<br />

Vegas<br />

Electro-metal youngsters.<br />

Sep 4, 7pm, ¥3,300 (adv) +1d.<br />

Studio Coast. Shin-Kiba.<br />

Tel: 03-3499-6669. www.<br />

creativeman.co.jp<br />

Delay <strong>2014</strong><br />

Indie psychedelic rock band<br />

Ogre You Asshole with<br />

Manners. Sep 5, 7:30pm,<br />

¥3,600 (adv) +1d. Shindaita<br />

Fever. Shindaita. Tel:<br />

03-6304-7899. doobie-web.<br />

com/event/140905oya.php<br />

JAZZ/WORLD<br />

Na Leo<br />

Authentic Hawaiian music<br />

featuring Aureana Tseu and<br />

Kumu Hula Kamaka Kukona.<br />

<strong>Aug</strong> 8, 5:30 & 8:30pm; <strong>Aug</strong><br />

9, 2 & 5pm, ¥6,700-8,700.<br />

Billboard Live. Roppongi.<br />

www.billboard-live.com<br />

Inner Garden Live<br />

Various musicians performing<br />

throughout the day. <strong>Aug</strong> 9,<br />

6pm; <strong>Aug</strong> 10, 3pm, free. Mori<br />

no Hall. Hashimoto. Tel:<br />

042-775-3811. www.hall-net.<br />

or.jp/02hashimoto<br />

Naruyoshi Kikuchi<br />

Smooth jazz. <strong>Aug</strong> 10, 5 & 8pm,<br />

¥6,000-24,000. Motion Blue.<br />

Bashamichi. Tel: 045-226-<br />

1919. www.motionblue.co.jp<br />

Dean Brown Group<br />

Legendary jazz fusion guitarist.<br />

<strong>Aug</strong> 10, 5 & 8pm; <strong>Aug</strong> 11-12,<br />

6:30 & 9pm, ¥7,500-9,500.<br />

Motion Blue. Bashamichi.<br />

Tel: 045-226-1919. www.<br />

motionblue.co.jp<br />

Takada Izumi Trio<br />

Instrumental jazz. <strong>Aug</strong> 11, 8<br />

& 9:30pm, ¥3,200. Softwind.<br />

Roppongi. Tel: 03-6808-<br />

7337. www.softwind.jp<br />

Ryo Ogihara Trio<br />

Smooth jazz. <strong>Aug</strong> 12, 7 & 9pm,<br />

¥3,600-20,400. Motion Blue.<br />

Bashamichi. Tel: 045-226-<br />

1919. www.motionblue.co.jp<br />

David Benoit<br />

Solo pianist, will play your<br />

requests during the second<br />

half of the show. <strong>Aug</strong> 13-15,<br />

6:30pm; <strong>Aug</strong> 16-17, 5pm,<br />

¥8,500-10,500. Cotton Club.<br />

Tokyo. Tel: 03-3215-1555.<br />

www.cottonclubjapan.co.jp<br />

Banda Mandacarinho<br />

Brazilian music. <strong>Aug</strong> 14,<br />

7 & 9pm, ¥4,500-24,000.<br />

Motion Blue. Bashamichi.<br />

Tel: 045-226-1919. www.<br />

motionblue.co.jp<br />

Hiromi<br />

Jazz pianist. <strong>Aug</strong> 17, 2 &<br />

3pm, ¥2,000. Softwind.<br />

Roppongi. Tel: 03-6808-<br />

7337. www.softwind.jp<br />

Akira Ishii and Ken Ohta<br />

Jazz piano and sax duo. <strong>Aug</strong><br />

18, 8 & 9:30pm, ¥2,500.<br />

Softwind. Roppongi.<br />

Tel: 03-6808-7337. www.<br />

softwind.jp<br />

Robert Glasper<br />

Experiment<br />

American jazz pianist. <strong>Aug</strong><br />

19-21, 7 & 9:30pm, ¥6,700-<br />

8,700. Billboard Live.<br />

Roppongi. www.billboardlive.com<br />

Edogawa Jazz Night<br />

Summer jazz event with<br />

various artists. <strong>Aug</strong> 23, 5pm,<br />

¥5,500. Edogawa Bunka<br />

Center. Shinkoiwa or Koiwa.<br />

Tel: 03-3652-1111. edogawabunkacenter.jp<br />

Hapa<br />

Authentic Hawaiian music<br />

duo. <strong>Aug</strong> 23, 5 & 8pm,<br />

¥6,500-8,500. Cotton Club.<br />

Tokyo. Tel: 03-3215-1555.<br />

www.cottonclubjapan.co.jp<br />

Sukiyaki Tokyo<br />

World music festival with<br />

Mayra Andrade and others.<br />

<strong>Aug</strong> 26-28, 7pm, ¥4,800-5,500<br />

(adv, 1 day)/ ¥12,000 (adv, 3<br />

days). WWW. Shibuya. http://<br />

novusaxis.com/st14.html<br />

Tokyo Big Band<br />

19-piece ensemble led by<br />

Jonathan Katz and featuring<br />

Tokyo-based musicians. <strong>Aug</strong><br />

28, 7:30 & 9pm, ¥4,000 (adv)/<br />

¥4,500 (door). Akasaka B Flat.<br />

Roppongi. Tel: 03-5563-<br />

2563. http://bflat.biz<br />

Blue Mt. Boys<br />

Classic country and western<br />

and bluegrass. Every third<br />

Sat, 6:30 & 7:30pm, free,<br />

Cafe Sepia. Shibuya.<br />

Tel: 03-3406-1300. www.<br />

nagaremono.com/sepia<br />

CLASSICAL<br />

Tokyo New City Orchestra<br />

Operetta. <strong>Aug</strong> 8, 3pm,<br />

¥2,000-4,000. Muza Kawasaki<br />

Symphony Hall. Kawasaki.<br />

Tel: 044-520-0100. www.<br />

kawasaki-sym-hall.jp<br />

Danny Elfman’s Music from<br />

the Films of Tim Burton<br />

Live orchestra plays famous<br />

scores by Danny Elfman<br />

with visuals of Tim Burton’s<br />

original sketches and<br />

storyboards. <strong>Aug</strong> 9, 6:30pm;<br />

<strong>Aug</strong> 10, 1pm, ¥5,800-9,800.<br />

Tokyo International Forum.<br />

Yurakucho. Tel: 0570-550-<br />

799. www.elfman-burton.jp<br />

Joe Hisaishi<br />

Performing various songs<br />

including popular pieces<br />

from Ghibli films. <strong>Aug</strong> 9, 5pm,<br />

¥6,800-8,800. Suntory Hall.<br />

Roppongi-itchome. Tel:<br />

0570-55-0017. www.suntory.<br />

co.jp/suntoryhall<br />

Saito Kinen Festival<br />

Annual classical music<br />

festival. Until Sep 6, various<br />

times, various prices. Various<br />

venues across Matsumoto<br />

city, Nagano. Matsumoto.<br />

Tel: 0570-084-735. www.<br />

saito-kinen.com<br />

Tokyo Symphony<br />

Orchestra Finale Concert<br />

Conducted by Shigeo Genda.<br />

<strong>Aug</strong> 10, 3pm, ¥2,000-4,000.<br />

Muza Kawasaki Symphony<br />

Hall. Kawasaki. Tel:<br />

044-520-0100. www.<br />

kawasaki-sym-hall.jp<br />

Piano Quartet<br />

France-themed music. <strong>Aug</strong><br />

11, 7pm, ¥3,500. Tokyo Opera<br />

City Recital Hall. Hatsudai<br />

or Shinjuku. Tel: 03-5353-<br />

9999. www.operacity.jp<br />

Klar<br />

Percussion ensemble<br />

performance for the entire<br />

family. <strong>Aug</strong> 14, 11:30am, free.<br />

Suntory Hall. Roppongiitchome.<br />

Tel: 0570-55-<br />

0017. www.suntory.co.jp/<br />

suntoryhall<br />

Nobuaki Yamamasu<br />

Male tenor singer. <strong>Aug</strong> 15,<br />

7pm, ¥3,000. Yokohama<br />

Minato Mirai Hall.<br />

Minatomirai. Tel: 045-682-<br />

2020. www.yaf.or.jp<br />

Dolce Summer Concert<br />

For the entire family. <strong>Aug</strong> 16,<br />

11am, free. Yokohama Minato<br />

Mirai Hall. Minatomirai. Tel:<br />

045-682-2020. www.yaf.or.jp<br />

Senzoku Gakuen Concert<br />

Performed by junior high and<br />

high school students. <strong>Aug</strong> 17,<br />

5pm, ¥2,000-3,000. Suntory<br />

Hall. Roppongi-itchome. Tel:<br />

0570-55-0017. www.suntory.<br />

co.jp/suntoryhall<br />

Minato Mirai Indoor<br />

Concert<br />

Performed by top musicians<br />

from the Tokyo Philharmonic<br />

Orchestra. <strong>Aug</strong> 18, 12:10<br />

& 2:30pm, ¥800-1,400.<br />

Yokohama Minato Mirai Hall.<br />

Minatomirai. Tel: 045-682-<br />

2020. www.yaf.or.jp<br />

Yomiuri Nippon Symphony<br />

Orchestra Summer Festival<br />

With pianist Nikolay<br />

Khozyainov. <strong>Aug</strong> 20, 6:30pm,<br />

¥3,600-7,200. Suntory Hall.<br />

Roppongi-itchome. Tel:<br />

0570-55-0017. www.suntory.<br />

co.jp/suntoryhall<br />

Pascal Dusapin<br />

Conducted by Alexander<br />

Liebreich and performed<br />

by the Tokyo Symphony<br />

Orchestra. <strong>Aug</strong> 21, 7pm,<br />

¥1,000-4,000. Suntory Hall.<br />

Roppongi-itchome. Tel:<br />

0570-55-0017. www.suntory.<br />

co.jp/suntoryhall<br />

Movie Classics<br />

Tokyo Pops Symphony<br />

Orchestra performs Moon<br />

River, Speak Softly Love and<br />

other popular movie songs.<br />

<strong>Aug</strong> 22, 7pm, ¥5,000-6,000.<br />

Yokohama Minato Mirai Hall.<br />

Minatomirai. Tel: 045-682-<br />

2020. www.yaf.or.jp<br />

Stage<br />

Moon Saga: Yoshitsune<br />

Hiden Dainisho<br />

Starring Gackt. <strong>Aug</strong> 8-18,<br />

various times, ¥8,000-26,000.<br />

Meijiza. Hamacho. Tel:<br />

03-3666-6666. www.meijiza.<br />

co.jp<br />

Slava's Snowshow<br />

Snow spectacle to cool down<br />

in the summer heat. Until <strong>Aug</strong><br />

17, various times, ¥6,500.<br />

Theater 1010. Kitasenju.<br />

Tel: 03-5244-101. www.<br />

slavasnowshow.jp<br />

Blast!<br />

Explosive musical spectacle.<br />

Until <strong>Aug</strong> 24, various times,<br />

¥8,000-13,000 (adv). Tokyo<br />

International Forum Hall C.<br />

Yurakucho. Tel: 0570-550-<br />

799. www.blast-tour.jp<br />

War Horse<br />

South Africa’s Handspring<br />

Puppet Company brings<br />

breathing, galloping, full-scale<br />

horses to life onstage.<br />

Until <strong>Aug</strong> 24, various times,<br />

¥8,000-13,000. Theatre Orb.<br />

Shibuya. Tel: 03-3477-<br />

9999. www.theatre-orb.com<br />

Idomeneo<br />

Mozart’s opera recounts the<br />

story of Helen of Troy. Sep<br />

12-13, 3pm; Sep 14-15, 1pm,<br />

¥2,000-18,000. New National<br />

Theatre Tokyo. Hatsudai.<br />

Tel: 03-3234-9999. www.<br />

nikikai.net<br />

Dance<br />

A Night of Royal Elegance<br />

Top dancers from the Royal<br />

Ballet and the Birmingham<br />

Royal Ballet. <strong>Aug</strong> 8, 7pm;<br />

<strong>Aug</strong> 9-10, 1:30pm, ¥11,800-<br />

13,800. Nippon Seinenkan<br />

Hall. Sendagaya. Tel:<br />

0570-02-9999. www.<br />

royalelegancenight.com<br />

Argentango<br />

Collaboration project between<br />

dance groups Badgirls<br />

and Tango Boys. Until <strong>Aug</strong><br />

26, various times, ¥8,800.<br />

Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre.<br />

Ikebukuro. Tel: 03-5391-<br />

2111. www.geigeki.jp<br />

Rock the Ballet 2<br />

21st century dance company<br />

performs with art video<br />

projection and modern<br />

music. <strong>Aug</strong> 28-31, various<br />

times, ¥6,000-8,000. Tokyo<br />

Metropolitan Theatre.<br />

Ikebukuro. Tel: 03-5391-<br />

2111. www.geigeki.jp<br />

The Tokyo Ballet 50th<br />

Anniversary Gala<br />

Performances from La<br />

Bayadère, Boléro and more.<br />

<strong>Aug</strong> 30-31, 3pm, ¥5,000-<br />

22,000. NHK Hall. Shibuya.<br />

english@nbs.or.jp. www.<br />

nbs.or.jp<br />

Ochiatteiru<br />

All-female dance company<br />

presents its latest creation.<br />

Sep 4-5, 7pm; Sep 6, 2 & 7pm;<br />

Sep 7, 3pm, ¥3,000-4,500.<br />

Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre.<br />

Ikebukuro. Tel: 03-5391-<br />

2111. www.geigeki.jp<br />

Hear My Sole<br />

New York-based tap dancer<br />

Kazunori Kumagai’s solo<br />

show. Sep 12, 7pm; Sep<br />

13, 2pm, ¥4,000-8,800.<br />

Bunkamura Orchard Hall.<br />

Shibuya. Tel: 03-5353-<br />

9522. www.bunkamura.co.jp<br />

Men in Pink Tights<br />

Ballet Eloelle presents a fresh<br />

and funny take on classical<br />

dance. Sep 14, 2pm; Sep<br />

15, 2pm, ¥5,000-7,500.<br />

Bunkamura Orchard Hall.<br />

Shibuya. Tel: 050-3776-<br />

6184. www.bunkamura.co.jp<br />

Clubbing<br />

FRIDAY 8<br />

Ageha<br />

Tjo to Waipa to Yukaina<br />

Nakamatachi. All good music,<br />

hip-hop: DJs Wildparty, Kz,<br />

etc. From 11pm, (m)¥3,000,<br />

(f)¥2,500. Shinkiba. www.<br />

ageha.com<br />

AUG 8 (FRI) - 10 (SUN)<br />

GRAND OPENING<br />

PARTY<br />

Top 40 by DJ Klutch (NYC)<br />

and more. Open from<br />

11pm. (M)¥3,000/2drinks<br />

(F)¥2,000/2drinks. Tel:<br />

03-6826-8438. 2-17-3<br />

Shibuya. Shibuya.<br />

www.socialclubtokyo.com<br />

Air<br />

Reboot. Techno: DJs Tom<br />

Hades, Qhey, etc. From<br />

10pm, ¥3,500. Shibuya.<br />

www.air-tokyo.com<br />

Daikanyama Unit<br />

10th Anniversary. House: DJs<br />

Maurice Fulton, Sprinkles,<br />

etc. From 11:30pm, ¥3,000.<br />

Daikanyama. www.<br />

unit-tokyo.com<br />

Module<br />

Double A Side. Electro,<br />

techno: DJs Miyu, Signal, etc.<br />

From 10pm, ¥2,000 w/1d.<br />

Shibuya. www.moduletokyo.com<br />

Origami<br />

Funk D’void x Iam O’brien.<br />

Techno: DJs Funk Dvoid x<br />

Iam Obrien, etc. From 10pm,<br />

¥3,500. Omotesando. Tel:<br />

03-6434-0968. meturl.com/<br />

origamiclub<br />

Sound Museum Vision<br />

Girls Festival. Hip-hop: DJs<br />

Kango, Showwgo, etc. From<br />

10pm, (m)¥3,500 w/1d, (f)<br />

free. Shibuya. www.visiontokyo.com<br />

T2<br />

Shibuya Mixx!! Edm: Various<br />

DJs. From 10pm, (m)¥3,500<br />

w/2d, (f)¥2,500 w/2d.<br />

Shibuya. Tel: 03-5428-<br />

8692. www.t2-shibuya.com<br />

The New Matrix Bar<br />

Matrix Friday. Old-school<br />

hip-hop, west side, south<br />

side, all mix: DJ Ykk and<br />

more. From 6pm, ¥1,000<br />

(after 11:30pm). Roppongi.<br />

www.matrixbar.jp<br />

The Room<br />

Destination. Broken beats:<br />

DJs Oka, Sayuri, etc.<br />

From 11pm, ¥2,000 w/1d.<br />

Shibuya. www.theroom.jp<br />

Womb<br />

Edm Music Festival. Edm: DJ<br />

Future Boyz and more. From<br />

11pm, ¥3,500. Shibuya.<br />

Tel: 03-5459-0039. www.<br />

womb.co.jp<br />

SATURDAY 9<br />

Ageha<br />

The Wonderland. Edm,<br />

house: DJ Daishi Dance and<br />

more. From 11pm, ¥3,500.<br />

Shinkiba. www.ageha.com<br />

Air<br />

Acid City. Techno, house:<br />

DJs Emma, Gonno, etc. From<br />

10pm, ¥3,000. Shibuya.<br />

www.air-tokyo.com<br />

Daikanyama Unit<br />

Traxman. House: DJ Traxman<br />

and more. From 11pm,<br />

¥3,500. Daikanyama.<br />

www.unit-tokyo.com<br />

Origami<br />

Libre. Techno: DJs Aril Brikha,<br />

Tsutsui, etc. From 10pm,<br />

¥3,000. Omotesando. Tel:<br />

03-6434-0968. meturl.com/<br />

origamiclub<br />

17


Enjoy our great selections<br />

of Irish and European brews.<br />

Spacious 5F terrace<br />

over looking<br />

central Shibuya!<br />

More details<br />

http://failte.jp<br />

For the cost of postage get <strong>Metropolis</strong><br />

on your doorstep—and have ransom<br />

note material for decades.<br />

http://metropolis.co.jp/subscription<br />

World Craft Beer Fair <strong>Aug</strong> 9-17<br />

Limited beer barrels and bottled beer.<br />

Beer barrels from Scotland and Czech Republic.<br />

Bottled beers from America, Czech Republic,<br />

Scotland, and New Zealand.<br />

Tokyu<br />

Plaza<br />

5F, Sede Bldg. 1-5-2 Dogenzaka, Shibuya<br />

OPEN 5:30pm-2am (Mon-Sat)<br />

3-11pm (Sunday & hols)<br />

tel: 03-3476-7776<br />

Sound Museum Vision<br />

Alien Radio. Techno: DJs<br />

Mandy, Groove Patrol, etc.<br />

From 10pm, (m)¥3,500 w/1d,<br />

(f)¥3,000 w/1d. Shibuya.<br />

www.vision-tokyo.com<br />

The New Matrix Bar<br />

Saturday Night Fever.<br />

Hip-hop, R&B, reggae: DJ Ykk<br />

and more. From 6pm, ¥1,000<br />

(after 10pm). Roppongi.<br />

www.matrixbar.jp<br />

The Room<br />

Tokyo Jazz Meeting. Jazz,<br />

crossover: DJs Patrick Forge,<br />

Shacho. From 11pm, ¥2,500<br />

w/1d. Shibuya. www.<br />

theroom.jp<br />

Womb<br />

Tresvibes. House, techno: DJs<br />

Dana Ruh, Otsuki, etc. From<br />

11pm, ¥3,500. Shibuya. Tel:<br />

03-5459-0039. www.womb.<br />

co.jp<br />

SUNDAY 10<br />

Module<br />

Hell. All good music: DJs Tetta,<br />

Onny, etc. From 4pm, ¥2,000<br />

w/1d. Shibuya. www.moduletokyo.com<br />

The Room<br />

Em. Nu classic: DJs Sazanami,<br />

Cbtek, etc. From midnight,<br />

¥2,000 w/1d. Shibuya. www.<br />

theroom.jp<br />

Womb<br />

Release. Drumnbass, electro:<br />

DJs Signal, Hibiki, etc. From<br />

midnight, ¥2,500. Shibuya.<br />

Tel: 03-5459-0039. www.<br />

womb.co.jp<br />

TUESDAY 12<br />

Module<br />

Lov. All good music:<br />

DJs Java, Sayuri, etc. From<br />

9pm, ¥1,500 w/1d. Shibuya.<br />

www.module-tokyo.com<br />

Ruby Room<br />

Open Mic. Open Mic. From<br />

7pm, ¥1,000 w/2d. Shibuya.<br />

www.rubyroomtokyo.com<br />

T2<br />

Super Tuesday. Edm: Various<br />

DJs. From 10pm, (m)¥2,500<br />

w/2d, (f)¥1,500 w/2d.<br />

Shibuya. Tel: 03-5428-<br />

8692. www.t2-shibuya.com<br />

Womb<br />

Tuemix. Edm, top40: DJs<br />

Alpha One, Sylar, etc. From<br />

10pm, (m)¥1,500, (f)free.<br />

Shibuya. Tel: 03-5459-<br />

0039. www.womb.co.jp<br />

WEDNESDAY 13<br />

T2<br />

Shibuya Girls Party. Edm:<br />

Various DJs. From 10pm,<br />

(m)¥2,500 w/2d, (f)¥1,500<br />

w/2d. Shibuya. Tel:<br />

03-5428-8692. www.<br />

t2-shibuya.com<br />

The Room<br />

The Room Bar. Bar style: DJs<br />

Seimei, Saitou, etc. From<br />

midnight, free. Shibuya.<br />

www.theroom.jp<br />

Womb<br />

Wedm. Edm: DJs Hiroki,<br />

Ikezawa, etc. From 10pm,<br />

(m)¥1,500, (f) free. Shibuya.<br />

Tel: 03-5459-0039. www.<br />

womb.co.jp<br />

THURSDAY 14<br />

Air<br />

Sonica. Techno, house:<br />

DJs Sodeyama, Qp, etc.<br />

From 10pm, ¥2,000 w/1d.<br />

Shibuya. www.air-tokyo.<br />

com<br />

T2<br />

Happiness. World mix: Various<br />

DJs. From 10pm, (m)¥2,500<br />

w/2d, (f)¥1,500 w/2d.<br />

Shibuya. Tel: 03-5428-<br />

8692. www.t2-shibuya.com<br />

Womb<br />

Pop Girls. Edm: DJs Saorin5,<br />

Mamicho, etc. From 10pm,<br />

(m)¥1,500, (f) free. Shibuya.<br />

Tel: 03-5459-0039. www.<br />

womb.co.jp<br />

FRIDAY 15<br />

Ageha<br />

The Big Party. All mix: DJs<br />

Kaori, Hal, etc. From 11pm,<br />

(m)¥3,000, (f)¥2,500.<br />

Shinkiba. www.ageha.com<br />

Air<br />

Party Jam. All mix: DJs<br />

Daruma, Jommy, etc. From<br />

10pm, ¥3,000. Shibuya.<br />

www.air-tokyo.com<br />

Origami<br />

Dense & Pika x Sodeyama.<br />

Techno, house: DJs Dense<br />

& Pika, Sodeyama, etc.<br />

From 10pm, ¥3,500.<br />

Omotesando. Tel: 03-6434-<br />

0968. meturl.com/origamiclub<br />

Sound Museum Vision<br />

Natsumatsuri. Hip-hop,<br />

electro: DJs Verbal, Taku, etc.<br />

From 10pm, (m)¥3,500 w/1d,<br />

(f)¥3,000 w/1d. Shibuya.<br />

www.vision-tokyo.com<br />

T2<br />

Shibuya Mixx. Edm: Various<br />

DJs. From 10pm, (m)¥3,500<br />

w/2d, (f)¥2,500 w/2d.<br />

Shibuya. Tel: 03-5428-<br />

8692. www.t2-shibuya.com<br />

The Room<br />

Wah Wah. Rare groove:<br />

DJs Kuroda, Ryuhei, etc.<br />

From 11pm, ¥2,500 w/1d.<br />

Shibuya. www.theroom.jp<br />

Womb<br />

Dash Berlin. Edm, progressive:<br />

DJs Dash Berlin, Hirata,<br />

etc. From 11pm, ¥4,000.<br />

Shibuya. Tel: 03-5459-<br />

0039. www.womb.co.jp<br />

UPCOMING<br />

Ageha<br />

Summer <strong>2014</strong>. House, techno:<br />

DJs Luciano, Cesar Merveille,<br />

etc. <strong>Aug</strong> 16, from 11pm,<br />

¥3,500. Shinkiba. www.<br />

ageha.com<br />

Air<br />

Avn/ Ocs B2b. Techno: DJs<br />

Shifted, Sigha, etc. <strong>Aug</strong><br />

16, from 10pm, ¥3,500.<br />

Shibuya. www.air-tokyo.<br />

com<br />

Module<br />

Quark x Init. Techno, house:<br />

DJs Standard Fair, Yoshitaca,<br />

etc. <strong>Aug</strong> 16, from 10pm,<br />

¥2,500. Shibuya. www.<br />

module-tokyo.com<br />

Origami<br />

John Daly. Electronic: DJs<br />

John Daly, Okamoto, etc.<br />

<strong>Aug</strong> 16, from 10pm, ¥3,000.<br />

Omotesando. Tel: 03-6434-<br />

0968. meturl.com/origamiclub<br />

Sound Museum Vision<br />

Ol Killer. All mix: DJs Ol<br />

Killer, Osawa, etc. <strong>Aug</strong> 16,<br />

from 10pm, (m)¥3,000 w/1d,<br />

(f)¥2,500 w/1d. Shibuya.<br />

www.vision-tokyo.com<br />

The Room<br />

Magic. House, disco: DJs<br />

Kawasaki, Endo. <strong>Aug</strong> 16, from<br />

9pm, ¥2,500 w/1d. Shibuya.<br />

www.theroom.jp<br />

Womb<br />

Session. House, techno: DJs<br />

The Junkies, Ohnishi, etc.<br />

<strong>Aug</strong> 16, from 11pm, ¥3,500.<br />

Shibuya. Tel: 03-5459-<br />

0039. www.womb.co.jp<br />

Exhibitions<br />

AKASAKA/ROPPONGI<br />

21_21 Design Sight<br />

Image-Makers. Mixed media<br />

portraying a world of images<br />

and fantasy. Until Oct 5,<br />

¥500-1,000. Open Mon &<br />

Wed-Sun 11am-8pm, closed<br />

Tue. 9-7-6 Akasaka, Minato-ku.<br />

Nogizaka. Tel: 03-3475-<br />

2121. www.2121designsight.jp<br />

Mori Art Museum<br />

Go-Betweens: The World Seen<br />

through Children. Various<br />

photographers express the<br />

complex emotions and unique<br />

experiences of childhood. Until<br />

<strong>Aug</strong> 31, ¥1,000-1,500. Open<br />

Mon & Wed-Sun 10am-10pm,<br />

Tue 10am-5pm. 6-10-1<br />

Roppongi. Roppongi. Tel:<br />

03-5777-8600. www.mori.art.<br />

museum<br />

Mori Arts Center Gallery<br />

Takehiko Inoue Interprets<br />

Gaudi’s Universe. Japanese<br />

artist’s take on one of Spain’s<br />

architectural geniuses. Until<br />

Sep 7, ¥800-1,300. 52F<br />

Roppongi Hills Tower, 6-10-1<br />

Roppongi. Roppongi. www.<br />

roppongihills.com/art/macg/<br />

Ota Fine Arts<br />

Tang Dixin. Mixed media. Solo<br />

exhibition by contemporary<br />

artist from Shanghai. Until <strong>Aug</strong><br />

9, free. Tue-Sat, 11am-7pm,<br />

closed Mon, Sun & hols.<br />

3F Piramide Bldg. 6-6-9<br />

Roppongi. Roppongi.<br />

Tel: 03-6447-1123. www.<br />

otafinearts.com/en<br />

Suntory Museum of Art<br />

The Radiance of Stillness<br />

and Motion: Bohemian Glass.<br />

Exclusive pieces from the<br />

Museum of Decorative Arts<br />

in Prague. Until Sep 28,<br />

¥800-1,300. Open Wed-Sat<br />

10am-8pm, Sun-Mon & hols<br />

10am-6pm, closed Tue.<br />

9-7-4 Akasaka, Minato-ku.<br />

Roppongi. www.suntory.<br />

jp/sma<br />

The National Art Center,<br />

Tokyo<br />

The Birth of Impressionism—<br />

Freedom in Painting:<br />

Masterpieces from the<br />

Musée d'Orsay. Impressionist<br />

masterpieces from Paris. Until<br />

Oct 20, ¥800-1,600. Ballets<br />

Russes: The Art of Costume.<br />

Luxurious and painstakingly<br />

made apparel. Until Sep 1,<br />

¥600-1,500. Open Wed-Thu,<br />

Sat-Mon 10am-6pm, Fri<br />

10am-8pm, closed Tue. 7-22-2<br />

Roppongi. Nogizaka. www.<br />

nact.jp<br />

Wako Works of Art<br />

Nellie. Photography and film<br />

by Fiona Tan. Until Sep 27,<br />

free. Open Tue-Sat 11am-7pm,<br />

closed Sun-Mon. 3F Pyramid<br />

Bldg, 6-6-9 Roppongi.<br />

Roppongi. www.wako-art.jp<br />

GINZA/KYOBASHI/<br />

TOKYO<br />

Bridgestone Museum of<br />

Art<br />

Time and Painting — 24<br />

Episodes. 160 works ranging<br />

from ancient art to Rembrandt,<br />

Renoir and Monet. Until Sep<br />

23, ¥500-800. Open Tue-Sun<br />

& hols 10am-8pm, closed Mon.<br />

1-10-1 Kyobashi, Chuo-ku.<br />

Tokyo. Tel: 03-5777-8600.<br />

www.bridgestone-museum.<br />

gr.jp<br />

Craft Gallery, The National<br />

Museum of Modern Art<br />

For Kids & Adults: Exciting<br />

Patterns. Mixed media. Explore<br />

patterns and rhythms in<br />

nature and ordinary objects.<br />

Until <strong>Aug</strong> 31, ¥70-200.<br />

18


Open Tue-Thu 10am-5pm,<br />

Fri 10am-8pm, Sat-Sun<br />

10am-5pm. 1-1 Kitanomarukoen.<br />

Takebashi. Tel:<br />

03-5777-8600. www.momat.<br />

go.jp/english<br />

Ginza Graphic Gallery<br />

So French. Posters by Michel<br />

Bouvet. Sep 3-27, free. Open<br />

Mon-Fri 11am-7pm, Sat<br />

11am-6pm, closed Sun & hols.<br />

1F Ginza Bldg, 7-7-2 Ginza.<br />

Ginza. www.tokyo.mae.lu/jp/<br />

node_19876/hana-hito-tokyo<br />

Idemitsu Museum of Arts<br />

National Treasures of the<br />

Munakata Shrine: The Sacred<br />

Island of Okinoshima and Holy<br />

Treasures from the Shrine.<br />

Historical items from a sacred<br />

island in Fukuoka prefecture.<br />

<strong>Aug</strong> 16-Oct 13, ¥700-1,000.<br />

Open Tue-Thu 10am-5pm, Fri<br />

10am-7pm, closed Mon. 9F<br />

Teigeki Bldg, 3-1-1 Marunouchi.<br />

Tokyo. www.idemitsu.co.jp/<br />

museum<br />

Mitsubishi Ichigokan<br />

Museum<br />

Félix Vallotton—Fire Beneath<br />

the Ice. Swiss painter<br />

influenced by Japanese<br />

woodcuts. Until Sep 23,<br />

¥800-1,600. Wed-Fri<br />

10am-8pm, Tue, Sat-Sun &<br />

hols 10am-6pm, closed Mon.<br />

2-6-2 Marunouchi. Tokyo.<br />

Tel: 03-5405-8686. www.<br />

mimt.jp<br />

Mitsui Memorial Museum<br />

Noh Masks and Costumes—<br />

Look, Learn and Compare.<br />

Discover the meanings behind<br />

the different styles of masks<br />

and extravagant stage-wear.<br />

Until Sep 21, ¥500-1,000.<br />

7F Mitsui Main Bldg, 2-1-1<br />

Nihombashi-Muromachi,<br />

Chuo-ku. Mitsukoshimae.<br />

Tel: 03-5777-8600. www.<br />

mitsui-museum.jp<br />

National Film Center<br />

The Works of Hicozoh<br />

Akamatsu and Movie Title<br />

Design in Japan. Typography<br />

and character styles. Until <strong>Aug</strong><br />

10, ¥70-210. Open Tue-Sun<br />

11am-6:30pm, closed Mon.<br />

3-7-6 Kyobashi. Kyobashi.<br />

Tel: 03-5777-8600. www.<br />

momat.go.jp<br />

The National Museum of<br />

Modern Art, Tokyo<br />

Guess What? Hardcore<br />

Contemporary Art’s Truly a<br />

World Treasure. Selected works<br />

from the Yageo Foundation<br />

Collection including art by<br />

Francis Bacon. Until <strong>Aug</strong> 24,<br />

¥500-1,200. Hishida Shunso: A<br />

Retrospective. Works by a Meiji<br />

period painter and innovator<br />

of nihonga. Sep 23-Nov 3,<br />

¥300-1,400. Open Tue-Thu<br />

& Sat-Sun 10am-5pm, Fri<br />

10am-8pm. 3-1 Kitanomarukoen.<br />

Takebashi. Tel:<br />

03-5777-8600. www.momat.<br />

go.jp<br />

HARAJUKU/AOYAMA<br />

Espace Louis Vuitton<br />

Steve McQueen. Mixed media.<br />

New and original work by the<br />

acclaimed British artist and<br />

filmmaker. Until <strong>Aug</strong> 17, free.<br />

Open noon-8pm daily, irregular<br />

hols: see website. 7F, 5-7-5<br />

Jingumae. Omotesando.<br />

Tel: 03-5766-1094. www.<br />

espacelouisvuittontokyo.com<br />

Nezu Museum<br />

Cool and Breezy: Summer<br />

Greetings through Paintings<br />

and Ceramics. Artworks and<br />

messages conjure a sense<br />

of cool respite from the heat.<br />

Until Sep 7, ¥800-1,000.<br />

Tue-Sun, 10am-4:30pm. 6-5-1<br />

Minami-Aoyama, Minatoku.<br />

Omotesando. www.<br />

nezu-muse.or.jp/en<br />

Ukiyo-e Ota Memorial<br />

Museum of Art<br />

Utagawa Kunisada: 150th<br />

Anniversary of His Death.<br />

Collection of prints by one of<br />

the great ukiyo-e masters. Oct<br />

1-Nov 24, ¥700-1,000. Open<br />

Tue-Sun 10:30am-5:30pm,<br />

closed Mon. 1-10-10 Jingumae.<br />

Harajuku. www.ukiyoe-otamuse.jp<br />

KAYABACHO/KIBA<br />

Museum of Contemporary<br />

Art Tokyo<br />

Mission: Space X Art—Beyond<br />

Cosmologies. Space-related<br />

illustrations, photos and<br />

installations. Until <strong>Aug</strong> 31,<br />

¥800-1,300. Wonderful World.<br />

Child-friendly event where kids<br />

are free to explore and discover<br />

art. Until <strong>Aug</strong> 31, ¥500-1,600.<br />

Tue-Sun, 10am-6pm, closed<br />

Mon. 4-1-1 Miyoshi, Koto-ku.<br />

Kiyosumi-Shirakawa. www.<br />

mot-art-museum.jp/eng<br />

SHIBUYA/EBISU<br />

Bunkamura: The Museum<br />

Visual Deception II: Into the<br />

Future. Art that plays tricks on<br />

the spectators’ eyes. <strong>Aug</strong> 9-Oct<br />

5, ¥500-1,500. The Dream<br />

of French Paintings: From<br />

Impressionism to Ecole de Paris.<br />

Select works by Monet, Chagall,<br />

Cézanne, Foujita and more. Oct<br />

18-Dec 14, ¥500-1,400. Open<br />

Mon-Thu & Sun 10am-7pm,<br />

Fri-Sat 10am-9pm. 2-24-1<br />

Dogenzaka. Shibuya.<br />

Tel: 03-5777-8600. www.<br />

bunkamura.co.jp<br />

Meguro Museum of Art<br />

George Nelson—Architect,<br />

Writer, Designer, Teacher.<br />

Mixed media works by one<br />

of the founders of American<br />

Modernism. Until Sep 18,<br />

¥800-1,000. Open Tue-Sun<br />

10am-6pm, closed Mon.<br />

2-4-36 Meguro. Meguro. Tel:<br />

03-3714-1201. www.mmat.jp<br />

Tokyo Wonder Site Shibuya<br />

TWS-Emerging <strong>2014</strong>. New<br />

artists showcase their works.<br />

<strong>Aug</strong> 9-31, free. 1-19-8 Jinnan.<br />

Shibuya. Tel: 03-3463-0603.<br />

www.tokyo-ws.org/shibuya<br />

SHINJUKU/IKEBUKURO<br />

Bunka Gakuen Costume<br />

Museum<br />

Beads of the World. Bead<br />

embroidery jewelry and trinkets<br />

from all over the world. Until<br />

Sep 13, ¥200-500. Mon-Sat<br />

10am-4:30pm, closed Sun &<br />

hols. Shinjuku Bunka Quint Bldg,<br />

3-22-7 Yoyogi. Shinjuku. Tel:<br />

03-3299-2387. www.bunka.<br />

ac.jp/museum/text/english.html<br />

Hiromart Gallery<br />

Freedom. Acrylic and oil<br />

paintings by Yuka Goto and<br />

Sachie Kashima. Until <strong>Aug</strong><br />

10, free. Open Wed-Sun<br />

1-7pm, closed Mon-Tue.<br />

1-30-7 Sekiguchi, Bunkyoku.<br />

Edogawabashi. www.<br />

hiromartgallery.com<br />

NTT Intercommunication<br />

Center<br />

ICC Kids Program <strong>2014</strong>: Inspiring<br />

Questions—Questioning<br />

Inspiration. Interactive<br />

wonderland that encourages<br />

children to think outside the<br />

box. Until <strong>Aug</strong> 31, free. 4F<br />

Tokyo Opera City Tower, 3-20-2<br />

Nishi-Shinjuku. Hatsudai.<br />

www.ntticc.or.jp<br />

Sompo Japan Museum of<br />

Art<br />

Kinetic Art. Mixed media that<br />

seems to move. Until <strong>Aug</strong><br />

24, ¥800-1,000. Tue-Sun,<br />

10am-6pm, closed Mon. 42F<br />

Sompo Japan Bldg. 1-26-1<br />

Nishi-Shinjuku. Shinjuku.<br />

Tel: 03-5405-8686. www.<br />

sompo-japan.co.jp/museum<br />

Tokyo Opera City Art<br />

Gallery<br />

The Way of Painting. Works by<br />

new artists from 2000 onwards.<br />

Until Sep 21, ¥800-1,000.<br />

Open Tue-Thu 11am-7pm,<br />

Fri-Sat 11am-8pm. 3-20-2<br />

Nishi-Shinjuku. Hatsudai.<br />

www.operacity.jp/en/ag<br />

UENO<br />

The National Museum of<br />

Western Art<br />

The Rings of the Hashimoto<br />

Collection of the National<br />

Museum of Western Art. Circular<br />

bands of cultural significance.<br />

Until Sep 15, ¥700-1,400.<br />

Ferdinand Hodler: Towards<br />

Rhythmic Images. Paintings by<br />

one of the best-known Swiss<br />

artists of the 19th century. Oct<br />

7-Jan 12, ¥800-1,600. Open<br />

daily 9:30am-5:30pm. 7-7 Ueno<br />

Park. Ueno. www.nmwa.go.jp<br />

Tokyo Metropolitan Art<br />

Museum<br />

Art as a Haven of Happiness.<br />

Mixed media. Rich harmonies<br />

and vibrant colors by artists<br />

born with Down syndrome.<br />

Until Oct 8, ¥400-800.<br />

Ancient Egyptian Queens and<br />

Goddesses: Treasures from The<br />

Metropolitan Museum of Art,<br />

New York. 200 masterpieces<br />

including jewelry made for<br />

Pharaoh Hatshepsut and<br />

images of deities. Until Sep 23,<br />

¥1,000-1,600. 8-36 Ueno Park.<br />

Ueno. www.tobikan.jp<br />

OTHER AREAS<br />

Hakone Museum of<br />

Photography<br />

Mt. Fuji. Katsura Endo's portrayal<br />

of the ever-changing symbol of<br />

Japan. Permanent exhibition,<br />

¥300-500. European Scenery.<br />

Photographs by Katsura Endo,<br />

from the museum’s collection.<br />

Until Sep 2, ¥500. 10am-5pm,<br />

closed Tue (9am-9pm Sat from<br />

May to <strong>Aug</strong>ust). 1300-432<br />

Goura Hakonemachi,<br />

Ashigarashimogun, Kanagawa.<br />

Gora. Tel: 046-02-2717. www.<br />

hmop.com<br />

Hara Museum of<br />

Contemporary Art<br />

Art Scope 2012-<strong>2014</strong>: Remains<br />

of Their Journeys. Results of a<br />

Daimler Foundation-created<br />

artist exchange between<br />

German and Japanese artists.<br />

Until Oct 13, ¥500-1,100. Open<br />

Tue-Sun 11am-5pm, closed<br />

Mon. 4-7-25 Kita-Shinagawa.<br />

Kita-Shinagawa. Tel:<br />

03-3445-0651. www.<br />

haramuseum.or.jp<br />

Hoki Museum<br />

Hito Omoi, Hito Omou.<br />

Painting. Lifelike portraits by<br />

contemporary artists. Until<br />

Nov 16, ¥900-1,800. Open<br />

Mon & Wed-Thu 10am-6pm,<br />

Fri-Sat 10am-7pm, Sun<br />

10am-5pm, closed Tue. 3-15<br />

Asumigaokahigashi, Midori-ku.<br />

Toke. www.hoki-museum.jp<br />

Japan Folk Crafts Museum<br />

Shoji Hamada: Commemorating<br />

the 120th Anniversary of the<br />

Artist’s Birth. Pottery that fuses<br />

both Eastern and Western<br />

ceramic techniques. Until <strong>Aug</strong><br />

31, ¥200-1,100. 10am-5pm,<br />

closed Mon. 4-3-33 Komaba.<br />

Komabatodai. www.<br />

mingeikan.or.jp<br />

Miraikan<br />

Toilet!? Human Waste & Earth’s<br />

Future. A playful explanation<br />

of “what goes in, must come<br />

out” and how it affects the<br />

environment. Until Oct 5,<br />

¥600-1,200. 2-3-6, Aomi,<br />

Koto-ku. Telecom Center<br />

station. Tel: 03-3570-9151.<br />

www.miraikan.jst.go.jp/en<br />

1F Kaneko Bldg, 3-3-9 Ginza, Chuo-ku<br />

Nearest stn: Ginza or Yurakucho<br />

Tel: 03-5250-7767<br />

www.dedesuke.com/horumon/<br />

Ginza Dedesuke<br />

Includes all-you-can-drink plan<br />

(2 hours for ¥4500 per person)<br />

*Available for groups of 4 people or more.<br />

Food Menu<br />

• Appetizer Assortment<br />

• Choregi Salad<br />

• Kimchi Assortment<br />

• Vegetables Assortment for Grill<br />

• Red Meat “Zanmai Mori”<br />

(Cow Tongue, Today’s Red Meat,<br />

and others)<br />

• Horumon<br />

• AssortmentIshiyaki Bibinpa or Rice<br />

• Ice Candy<br />

Open Hours: Mon-Fri 11:30am-3:30pm (lunch)<br />

5pm-4am (dinner), Sat 11:30am-4am, Sun & hols 11:30am-11pm<br />

19


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<strong>Metropolis</strong>, Japan’s No. 1 English magazine,<br />

has full-time positions available in its editorial department.<br />

See http://metropolis.co.jp/jobs/ for details<br />

Museum of Contemporary<br />

Art Tokyo<br />

Mission: Space X Art—Beyond<br />

Cosmologies. Space-related<br />

illustrations, photos and<br />

installations. Until <strong>Aug</strong> 31,<br />

¥800-1,300. Wonderful<br />

World. Child-friendly event<br />

where kids are free to explore<br />

and discover art. Until <strong>Aug</strong><br />

31, ¥500-1,600. Tue-Sun,<br />

10am-6pm, closed Mon. 4-1-1<br />

Miyoshi, Koto-ku. Kiyosumi-<br />

Shirakawa. www.mot-artmuseum.jp/eng<br />

Okada Museum of Art<br />

Spirit of China: Masterpieces<br />

of Jade. Exquisite works of art<br />

made from ornamental rock.<br />

Until Sep 30, ¥1,800-2,800.<br />

Open daily, 9am-5pm. 493-1<br />

Kowakudani, Hakone-machi.<br />

Kowakidani. Tel: 0460-87-<br />

3931. www.okada-museum.<br />

com/en/<br />

Pola Museum of Art<br />

Finding Modigliani: From<br />

Parisian Avant-garde to<br />

Classicism. Oil paintings and<br />

sculptures by the Italian artist.<br />

Until Sep 15, ¥700-1,800.<br />

9am-4:30pm. 1285<br />

Kozukayama, Sengokuhara,<br />

Hakone-machi. Gora. www.<br />

polamuseum.or.jp<br />

Setagaya Art Museum<br />

Looking East: Western Artists<br />

and the Allure of Japan from the<br />

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.<br />

Mixed media, including Claude<br />

Monet’s “La Japonaise.” Until<br />

Sep 15, ¥500-1,500. Open<br />

Tue-Sun10am-6pm, closed Mon.<br />

1-2 Kinuta-koen, Setagaya-ku.<br />

Seijogakuenmae. Tel:<br />

03-3415-6011. www.<br />

setagayaartmuseum.or.jp/<br />

index_e.html<br />

The Container<br />

Love Me, Bomb Me. Mixed<br />

media by Brazilian-born Pedro<br />

Inoue. Until <strong>Aug</strong> 17, free.<br />

Mon-Fri 11am-9pm, Sat-Sun<br />

& hols 10am-8pm, closed<br />

Tue. Hills Daikanyama, 1-8-30<br />

Kami-Meguro. Naka-Meguro.<br />

www.the-container.com<br />

The Museum of Modern Art,<br />

Saitama<br />

Legendary Houses in Postwar<br />

Japan. Mid-20th century<br />

architectural elegance. Until<br />

<strong>Aug</strong> 31, ¥710-1,100. Open<br />

daily 10:00am-5:30pm. 9-30-1<br />

Tokiwa, Urawa-ku, Saitama-shi.<br />

Kitaurawa. www.momas.jp<br />

Tokyo Fuji Art Museum<br />

Genius and Ambition: The<br />

Royal Academy of Arts, London<br />

1768-1918. Oil paintings by<br />

Turner, Constable and others.<br />

Sep 17-Nov 24, ¥400-1,300.<br />

10am-5pm Tue-Sun, closed<br />

Mon. Yano-machi 492-1<br />

Hachioji. Tokyo Fuji<br />

Bijitsukan. Tel: 042-691-4511.<br />

www.fujibi.or.jp/en<br />

Sports<br />

BASEBALL<br />

Central League<br />

●●Yomiuri Giants vs. Chunichi<br />

Dragons. <strong>Aug</strong> 8-10, 6pm,<br />

¥300-5,300. Tokyo Dome.<br />

Suidobashi. Tel: 03-5800-<br />

9999.<br />

●●Yomiuri Giants vs. Hanshin<br />

Tigers. <strong>Aug</strong> 12-14, 6pm,<br />

¥300-5,300. Tokyo Dome.<br />

Suidobashi. Tel: 03-5800-<br />

9999.<br />

●●Tokyo Yakult Swallows vs.<br />

Yomiuri Giants. <strong>Aug</strong> 19-21, 6pm,<br />

¥500-4,600. Meiji Jingu Gaien.<br />

Shinanomachi or Gaienmae.<br />

Tel: 03-3401-0312.<br />

Pacific League<br />

●●Chiba Lotte Marines vs.<br />

Saitama Seibu Lions. <strong>Aug</strong><br />

8-10, 6:15pm, ¥800-4,900.<br />

QVC Marine Field. Kaihin-<br />

Makuhari. Tel: 043-296-1227.<br />

●●Saitama Seibu Lions vs. Orix<br />

Buffaloes. <strong>Aug</strong> 12-14, 6pm,<br />

¥600-4,600. Seibu Dome.<br />

Seibukyujomae. Tel: 04-2925-<br />

1141.<br />

●●Saitama Seibu Lions vs.<br />

Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters.<br />

<strong>Aug</strong> 15-17, 6pm, ¥600-4,600.<br />

Seibu Dome. Seibukyujomae.<br />

Tel: 04-2925-1141.<br />

●●Chiba Lotte Marines vs. Orix<br />

Buffaloes. <strong>Aug</strong> 19-21, 6:15pm,<br />

¥800-4,900. QVC Marine<br />

Field. Kaihin-Makuhari. Tel:<br />

043-296-1227.<br />

BOXING<br />

Dynamic Glove &<br />

Dangan110<br />

<strong>Aug</strong> 11, 5:50pm, ¥4,000-<br />

12,000. Korakuen Hall.<br />

Suidobashi. Tel: 03-5800-<br />

9999.<br />

Shintoken<br />

<strong>Aug</strong> 18, 5:50pm, ¥3,000.<br />

Korakuen Hall. Suidobashi.<br />

Tel: 03-5800-9999.<br />

Dangan111: Rookies Cup<br />

<strong>Aug</strong> 22, 5:50pm, ¥4,000-6,000.<br />

Korakuen Hall. Suidobashi.<br />

Tel: 03-5800-9999.<br />

GOLF<br />

JLPGA<br />

CAT Ladies. <strong>Aug</strong> 22-24, all day,<br />

¥3,500. Dai-Hakone Country<br />

Club. Sounzan.<br />

KICKBOXING<br />

Krush. 44<br />

<strong>Aug</strong> 9, 6pm, ¥4,500-15,000.<br />

Korakuen Hall. Suidobashi.<br />

Tel: 03-5800-9999.<br />

Kick Guts<br />

<strong>Aug</strong> 10, 5pm, ¥5,000-15,000.<br />

Korakuen Hall. Suidobashi.<br />

Tel: 03-5800-9999.<br />

MMA<br />

Deep Jewels 5<br />

<strong>Aug</strong> 9, 6pm, ¥5,000-10,000.<br />

Shinjuku Face. Shinjuku. Tel:<br />

03-3419-0536.<br />

Pancrase 260<br />

<strong>Aug</strong> 10, 2:30pm, ¥6,500-<br />

10,500. Differ Ariake. Ariaketennis-no-mori.<br />

Tel: 03-5500-<br />

3731.<br />

Deep 68 Impact<br />

<strong>Aug</strong> 23, 6pm, ¥6,500-15,000.<br />

Korakuen Hall. Suidobashi.<br />

Tel: 03-5800-9999.<br />

Inoki Genome Fight 2<br />

<strong>Aug</strong> 23, 6pm, ¥5,000-<br />

50,000. Ryogoku Kokugikan.<br />

Ryogoku. Tel: 03-3623-5111.<br />

MOTORCYCLE RACING<br />

Motegi 2&4 Race<br />

<strong>Aug</strong> 23, 7:30am, ¥1,500-4,000.<br />

Twin Ring Motegi. Motegi.<br />

Tel: 0285-64-0489. www.<br />

twinring.jp<br />

PRO WRESTLING<br />

Dragon Gate<br />

<strong>Aug</strong> 17, 3pm, ¥4,320-8,640.<br />

Ota City General Gymnasium.<br />

Umeyashiki. Tel: 03-5480-<br />

6688.<br />

Noah: Summer Navig.<br />

<strong>Aug</strong> 24, 12pm, ¥4,000-7,000.<br />

Korakuen Hall. Suidobashi.<br />

Tel: 03-5800-9999.<br />

RUGBY<br />

Top League<br />

●●Panasonic Wild Knights<br />

vs. Toshiba Brave Lupus. <strong>Aug</strong><br />

22, 7:30pm, ¥2,050-3,600.<br />

Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium.<br />

Gaienmae. Tel: 03-3401-<br />

3881.<br />

●●NEC Green Rockets vs.<br />

Kubota Spears. <strong>Aug</strong> 23, 7pm,<br />

¥2,050-3,600. Chichibunomiya<br />

Rugby Stadium. Gaienmae.<br />

Tel: 03-3401-3881.<br />

●●NTT Shining Arcs vs.<br />

Murakata Sanix Blues. <strong>Aug</strong><br />

23, 4:40pm, ¥2,050-3,600.<br />

Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium.<br />

Gaienmae. Tel: 03-3401-<br />

3881.<br />

SOCCER<br />

J. League, Division 1<br />

●●Kawasaki Frontale vs.<br />

Urawa Reds. <strong>Aug</strong> 9, 7pm,<br />

¥800-4,600. Todoroki Stadium.<br />

Musashikosugi. Tel: 044-722-<br />

0303.<br />

●●Omiya Ardija vs. Gamba<br />

Osaka. <strong>Aug</strong> 9, 7pm, ¥1,000-<br />

5,500. NACK5 Stadium.<br />

Kitaomiya. Tel: 048-644-<br />

7950.<br />

●●Yokohama F. Marinos vs.<br />

Kashiwa Reysol. <strong>Aug</strong> 9, 7pm,<br />

¥1,000-5,300. Nissan Stadium.<br />

Kozuke. Tel: 04-5477-5000.<br />

●●Kashima Antlers vs. Ventforet<br />

Kofu. <strong>Aug</strong> 16, 6:30pm, ¥1,400-<br />

8,000. Kashima Soccer Stadium.<br />

Kashima Sports Stadium.<br />

●●Kawasaki Frontale vs.<br />

Cerezo Osaka. <strong>Aug</strong> 16, 7pm,<br />

¥800-4,600. Todoroki Stadium.<br />

Musashikosugi. Tel: 044-722-<br />

0303.<br />

●●Urawa Reds vs. Sanfrecce<br />

Hiroshima. <strong>Aug</strong> 16, 6pm,<br />

¥1,000-4,500. Saitama<br />

Stadium. Urawamisono. Tel:<br />

048-812-1001.<br />

Festivals<br />

Kumagaya Fireworks<br />

Festival<br />

Boom Factor: 10,000. <strong>Aug</strong> 9,<br />

7pm, free. Kumagaya area.<br />

Kumagaya. www.kumagayakanko.jp<br />

Tokyo Bay Grand Fireworks<br />

Competition<br />

Boom Factor: 12,000. <strong>Aug</strong> 10,<br />

6:50pm, Free-¥7,000. Port of<br />

Tokyo area. Kachidoki or<br />

Tsukishima. http:// meturl.com/<br />

okyobay14<br />

Ueno Summer Festival<br />

Parades, ice sculpture shows<br />

and more. Until <strong>Aug</strong> 12, various<br />

times, free. Ueno Park. Ueno.<br />

www.ueno.or.jp/ichioshi/<br />

ichioshi_27.html<br />

Port of Kisarazu Summer<br />

Festival and Hanabi Taikai<br />

Boom Factor: 8,000. <strong>Aug</strong> 15,<br />

7:15pm, free. Nakanoshima<br />

Park. Kisarazu. http://<br />

meturl.com/kisa14<br />

Higashi Matsuyama<br />

Hanabi Taikai<br />

Boom Factor: 5,000. <strong>Aug</strong> 23,<br />

7pm, free. Tokigawa Riverside<br />

Park. Takasaka. www.<br />

higashimatsuyama-kanko.com<br />

Super Yosakoi<br />

Large groups in traditional<br />

costume compete in<br />

choreographed dances<br />

originating from Kochi<br />

Prefecture. <strong>Aug</strong> 23-24, all day,<br />

free. Yoyogi Park. Harajuku.<br />

info@yosakoi-harajuku.com.<br />

www.yosakoi-harajuku.com<br />

Forums &<br />

Expos<br />

Transformers Expo<br />

10,000m² jam-packed with<br />

animations, models and more<br />

of Optimus Prime, Bumblebee<br />

and friends. <strong>Aug</strong> 9-17, 9:30am-<br />

7pm, ¥1,100-2,600. Pacifico<br />

Yokohama. Minatomirai.<br />

Tel: 0570-000-777. www.ntv.<br />

co.jp/TFE<br />

The International Model<br />

Railroad Convention<br />

Mini train lovers unite to<br />

play with, learn about and<br />

20


discover new model trains.<br />

<strong>Aug</strong> 22-23, 10am-7pm; <strong>Aug</strong><br />

24, 10am-5pm, ¥1,800. Tokyo<br />

Big Sight. Kokusai-Tenjijo-<br />

Seimon. http://jam.gr.jp<br />

Japan Jewellery Fair<br />

Over 400 exhibitors<br />

from 18 countries. <strong>Aug</strong><br />

26-27, 10am-6pm; <strong>Aug</strong><br />

28, 10am-5pm, free (adv<br />

registration)/ ¥3,000 (door).<br />

Tokyo Big Sight. Kokusai-<br />

Tenjijo-Seimon. www.<br />

japanjewelleryfair.com/en<br />

bazaars &<br />

Markets<br />

Flea Market<br />

<strong>Aug</strong> 30, 10:30am-4pm, free.<br />

Yoyogi Park. Harajuku.<br />

Tel: 03-3469-6081. www.<br />

yoyogipark.info<br />

Oedo Antique Market<br />

Rare treasures and cheap<br />

knickknacks between the<br />

Zelkova trees. <strong>Aug</strong> 31,<br />

8am-4pm, free. Yoyogi Park.<br />

Harajuku. Tel: 03-6407-<br />

6011. www.antique-market.<br />

jp/yoyogi-park<br />

Shinagawa Intercity<br />

Flea Market<br />

More than 120 vendors.<br />

Sun & hols, 9am-3pm,<br />

free. Shinagawa Intercity.<br />

Shinagawa. http://meturl.<br />

com/shinflea<br />

Iidabashi Ramla Market<br />

Every first and third Sun,<br />

10am-4pm, Iidabashi Ramla.<br />

Iidabashi.<br />

Umi no Koen Flea Market<br />

Every third Sun, 10am-4pm,<br />

Umi no Koen. Uminokoen-<br />

Shibaguchi. rinpodan@<br />

umino-kouen.net Tel:<br />

03-3226-6800.<br />

Best Flea Market<br />

Every second Sun,<br />

10am-4pm, Tokyo<br />

International Forum Hall C.<br />

Yurakucho. Tel: 03-3226-<br />

6800.<br />

Hanazono Shrine Market<br />

Every Sun, 8am-4pm,<br />

Hanazono Shrine.<br />

Shinjuku-sanchome. Tel:<br />

03-3200-3093.<br />

Ibaraki-ichi<br />

Farm-fresh veg from the<br />

north. Every Sat, 7-9am,<br />

Roppongi Hills East Court.<br />

Roppongi. Tel: 03-6406-<br />

5285.<br />

Nogi Shrine Market<br />

Every second Sun,<br />

5:30am-3pm, Nogi Shrine.<br />

Nogizaka. Tel: 03-3478-<br />

3001.<br />

Oedo Antique Fair<br />

Japan’s largest outdoor<br />

antique market. Every first<br />

and third Sun, 8am-4:30pm,<br />

Tokyo International Forum<br />

Hall C. Yurakucho. Tel:<br />

03-5805-1093.<br />

Aoyama Marché<br />

Organic farmers market. Every<br />

weekend, United Nations<br />

University. Omotesando.<br />

Tel: 03-3456-0960.<br />

Yasukuni Shrine Antique<br />

Market<br />

Every Sun, sunrisesunset,<br />

Yasukuni Shrine.<br />

Kudanshita. Tel: 03-3261-<br />

8326.<br />

Fudaten Jinja Market<br />

Every second Sun, 10am-4pm,<br />

Fudaten Jinja. Chofu. Tel:<br />

04-2489-0022.<br />

Shinjuku Central Park<br />

Market<br />

Local produce stalls,<br />

workshops and live<br />

performances. Every Sat,<br />

10am-4pm, Shinjuku Central<br />

Park. Tocho-mae. Tel:<br />

03-2504-2128. http://meturl.<br />

com/shinjukuparkmarket<br />

Yebisu Marché<br />

Organic fruits and vegetables.<br />

Every first and third Sun,<br />

11am-5pm, Ebisu Garden<br />

Place. Ebisu. www.<br />

facebook.com/YEBISUMarche<br />

Community<br />

Tsunageyo<br />

Live ikebana show performed<br />

by masters of the art with<br />

proceeds going to charity.<br />

<strong>Aug</strong> 9-10, 10am-7pm, ¥2,000<br />

(1 day)/ ¥2,500 (2 days).<br />

Zojoji Temple. Shibakoen.<br />

http://tsunageyou.jugem.jp<br />

Sunday Spin<br />

Hula-hoop it up in Yoyogi,<br />

no need to bring your own.<br />

Drop in/out at any time. Every<br />

fourth Sun, Yoyogi Park.<br />

Harajuku. Tel: 03-3469-<br />

6081. http://meturl.com/<br />

hoopinginjapan<br />

Stitch-n-Bitch<br />

Meet fellow knitters,<br />

crocheters and sewers<br />

to talk, share ideas, eat,<br />

drink and create. Every first<br />

and third Tue, 7pm, free,<br />

Cafe Respekt. Shibuya.<br />

www.meetup.com/<br />

TokyoStitchandBitch<br />

Half-Fast Cyclists<br />

Bicyclists of all treads meet<br />

for slide shows, lectures,<br />

ride-planning, etc. Every<br />

second Wed, 7pm, free, The<br />

Pink Cow. Roppongi. Tel:<br />

03-6434-5773. cowmail@<br />

thepinkcow.com<br />

Dr. Sketchy’s Anti-Art<br />

School<br />

Burlesque models pose<br />

for artstars and sketching<br />

newbies alike with arty<br />

socializing. Every third<br />

Wed, 7pm, ¥2,000<br />

w/1d. Studio and Space<br />

IVVA. Meiji-Jingumae<br />

or Harajuku. www.<br />

drsketchytokyo.wordpress.<br />

com<br />

Learning<br />

Master Drawing with<br />

Glenn Vilppu<br />

Drawing instructor from<br />

Disney and Dreamworks<br />

Studios holds a two-day<br />

seminar teaching<br />

professional artists’<br />

techniques. <strong>Aug</strong> 16-17,<br />

noon-6pm, ¥28,000 (2<br />

days). Studio and Space<br />

IVVA. B1, 4-25-35 Jingumae.<br />

Meiji-Jingumae.<br />

masterdrawingjapan@gmail.<br />

com. http://peatix.com/<br />

event/45980<br />

Provence Wine Seminar<br />

Learn about wines from the<br />

south of France and enjoy a<br />

French gourmet dinner. <strong>Aug</strong><br />

30, 6:30pm, ¥11,980 (adv).<br />

Stellato.<br />

http://meturl.com/<br />

monthlywine<br />

Shirokanedai.<br />

Nihonga Class<br />

Regular classes and<br />

one-day workshops on basic<br />

Japanese-style painting<br />

techniques. All classes<br />

in English and Japanese.<br />

Weekdays 6pm, Sat 11am<br />

& 3pm. Email for details<br />

on flexible class times,<br />

4B Maruoka Bldg, 5-49-7<br />

Jingumae. Meiji-Jingumae.<br />

www.mariatanikawa.com<br />

Celebrity Wine Tasting<br />

Wine seminar with a delicious<br />

SEP 20 - NOV 29<br />

Phone Counselor<br />

Training Program Fall<br />

<strong>2014</strong><br />

12-week training beginning<br />

Sep 20 then every Tues and<br />

Thu 6:30-9:30pm in Minami<br />

Aoyama. Omotesando.<br />

Online program also available.<br />

For more info: training@telljp.<br />

com or www.telljp.com<br />

buffet in an international<br />

atmosphere. Sep 6, 6:30pm,<br />

¥5,980 (adv). LB8 Hachiman<br />

Bldg, 16-2 Daikanyama,<br />

Shibuya-ku. Daikanyama.<br />

www.wineandcooking.info/<br />

en/specialevent.html<br />

Other Events<br />

Euro Fest<br />

Food, drinks and<br />

entertainment from various<br />

regions in Europe. <strong>Aug</strong> 9-10,<br />

10am-8pm, free. Yoyogi Park.<br />

Harajuku. www.eurofest.jp<br />

Transformers Battle<br />

Autobots and Decepticons<br />

transform and fight before<br />

your very eyes. <strong>Aug</strong> 11,<br />

7:30pm; <strong>Aug</strong> 12, 7:30pm; <strong>Aug</strong><br />

13, 7:30pm, ¥4,000. Pacifico<br />

Yokohama. Minatomirai.<br />

www.ntv.co.jp/TFE<br />

Citta Summer Festival<br />

Mikoshi, bon odori, festive<br />

games and food. Until <strong>Aug</strong><br />

15, all day, free. La Cittadella.<br />

Tel: 044-223-2333. http://<br />

lacittadella.co.jp<br />

Battle of the Udon <strong>2014</strong><br />

Udon restaurants from all<br />

over the country fight for the<br />

title of the “Nation’s Best<br />

Udon.” <strong>Aug</strong> 22, noon-6pm;<br />

<strong>Aug</strong> 23, 10am-8pm; <strong>Aug</strong> 24,<br />

10am-5:30pm, free. Yoyogi<br />

Park. Harajuku. http://<br />

udon-1.com<br />

Jupiter & Okwess<br />

International<br />

Film screening and live<br />

acoustic performance,<br />

followed by a Q&A session<br />

with the group. <strong>Aug</strong> 27, 7pm,<br />

¥500-1,200. The French<br />

Institute Tokyo. Iidabashi.<br />

Tel: 03-5206-2500. www.<br />

institutfrancais.jp/tokyo<br />

Sanrio Puroland Summer<br />

Festival<br />

Traditional street vendors and<br />

popular characters dressed in<br />

yukata performing at summerthemed<br />

stages. Until <strong>Aug</strong> 31,<br />

10am, ¥2,500-3,800. Sanrio<br />

Puroland. Odakyu Tama<br />

Center. www.puroland.co.jp/<br />

english<br />

Midtown Meets Godzilla<br />

Giant Godzilla statue<br />

makes Midtown his home.<br />

Illumination and mist shows<br />

in the evening. Until <strong>Aug</strong><br />

31, 11am-11pm, free. Tokyo<br />

Midtown. Roppongi. http://<br />

meturl.com/midgoz<br />

Yona Yona Beer Garden<br />

Craft beers and BBQ plates<br />

abound. Until Sep 7, Mon-Fri<br />

5-10pm, Sat-Sun 11am-10pm,<br />

free. Ark Karajan Place.<br />

Roppongi-itchome. www.<br />

yonayonabeerkitchen.com<br />

Horror Hide-and-Seek<br />

Haunted house with a creepy<br />

kids’ game theme. Ages 6 and<br />

up. Until Sep 15, 10am-4pm<br />

(scary)/5-9pm (super scary),<br />

¥820. Tokyo Dome City.<br />

Korakuen or Suidobashi.<br />

http://kakurenbo.info<br />

THE RACE IS ON!<br />

Groups of 4 or more can<br />

compete with each other<br />

Admission<br />

1 ticket (7 min)=¥2100, 3 tix=¥5200, 5 tix=¥7800<br />

¥47,000<br />

Mention <strong>Metropolis</strong><br />

for FREE ADMISSION<br />

21


movies<br />

eiga<br />

movie news<br />

cinematic underground<br />

WHEN<br />

MARNIE<br />

WAS<br />

THERE<br />

By Brad Stephenson<br />

Adapted from the Joan G. Robinson<br />

novel of the same name and directed<br />

by Studio Ghibli’s Hiromasa<br />

Yonebayashi (The Secret World<br />

of Arrietty), When Marnie Was<br />

There follows the story of Anna, a<br />

lonely girl who befriends a ghost<br />

named Marnie while staying in a<br />

picturesque rural Japanese village. What starts off as<br />

a predictable—though charming—tale of childhood<br />

friendship takes an unexpected turn in its second half<br />

as genuinely surprising details are revealed about the<br />

girls’ past and future, and their connection explained<br />

in heartbreaking detail. While Studio Ghibli films have<br />

always threaded a strong cord of maturity through even<br />

ostensibly simple subjects, When Marnie Was There<br />

presents a sense of emotional reality that surpasses any<br />

of the studio’s previous efforts. It may not be as entertaining<br />

for young children as recent animated features<br />

such as Disney’s Frozen, but with a strong emphasis on<br />

self-acceptance and friendship—and a refreshingly honest<br />

portrayal of diversity in Japan presented through the<br />

expert storytelling of Ghibli—When Marnie Was There<br />

packs an emotional punch that’s both unexpected and<br />

well-earned. Japanese title: Omoide no Marnie<br />

Tokyo Disneyland and the success of Frozen prove that<br />

Japan is a key market for the House of Mouse, but there’s<br />

never been a Japanese hero in a Disney film. That will<br />

change with Big Hero 6, set in the futuristic city San<br />

Fransokyo. The animated adventure centers on teenage<br />

tech whiz Hiro Hamada, who builds a robot and leads a<br />

misfit team of crime fighters. Hiro is voiced by 18-yearold<br />

Ryan Potter, who was born in Oregon but spent his<br />

early childhood in Tokyo, where his mother was studying<br />

Japanese. Returning to the States, Potter picked<br />

up martial arts, which helped him land the lead on the<br />

Nickelodeon show Supah Ninjas. Despite a 60-year age<br />

difference, he bonded with co-star George Takei over a<br />

shared interest in all things Japanese. The older actor<br />

also instilled in Potter, who is half Japanese, a sense of<br />

responsibility in representing Asian Americans, which<br />

he took with him to his Disney role. Potter was a surprise<br />

guest at last month’s Comic-Con in San Diego but<br />

didn’t stick around for the clip he introduced, explaining<br />

he wants to wait until the whole film is finished. Big<br />

Hero 6 will have its worldwide premiere at the Tokyo<br />

International Film Festival, and if its young star attends,<br />

he can finally see it then. The Tokyo International Film<br />

Festival will run October 23-31 at Roppongi Hills and<br />

other venues. http://<strong>2014</strong>.tiff-jp.net/en/ Kevin Mcgue<br />

When a mix up occurs in Mumbai’s massive meal<br />

delivery system, a lonely young woman begins a<br />

secret correspondence with an aging businessman in<br />

the hit Indian film The Lunchbox—kind of like You Got<br />

Mail but with curry instead of inboxes. On from <strong>Aug</strong>ust<br />

9 at Cine Switch in Ginza (4-4-5 Ginza, Chuo-ku; www.<br />

cineswitch.com)... French director Sylvain Chomet<br />

won international acclaim a decade ago with his quirky<br />

animated film The Triplets of Belleville. Now he is back<br />

with his equally quirky live-action debut Attila Marcel,<br />

on now at Cinema Rise (13-17 Utagawacho, Shibuya-ku;<br />

www.cinemarise.com). The dialogue is in French, but<br />

the title character is a mute piano prodigy, so talk is<br />

sparse… Given the recent political climate, the time is<br />

probably right for a program of Japanese films on the<br />

horrors of war and the end of World World II, running<br />

<strong>Aug</strong>ust 10-19 at Shin-Bungeiza in Ikebukuro (3F, 1-43-5<br />

Higashi-Ikebukuro Toshima-ku; www.shin-bungeiza.<br />

com). The lineup includes Japan’s Longest Day, with<br />

Toshiro Mifune playing the war minister who resorts to<br />

violence to try to stop the Emperor from announcing<br />

Japan’s surrender. KM<br />

featured movie<br />

BY DON MORTON<br />

TRANSFORMERS:<br />

AGE OF<br />

EXTINCTION<br />

Back in 2009, when the second Transformers flick<br />

came out, I published a facetious review stating that<br />

I hadn’t seen the movie because it would merely<br />

be more of the same soul-sucking Michael Bay<br />

nonsense. A ten-year-old boy chasitized me for<br />

this in our letters section, so I went to see it. This<br />

was a mistake. Well, this fourth entry is a movie of<br />

superlatives: longest, lamest, loudest, least coherent,<br />

etc. The story’s insulting, the people are background<br />

decoration, the product placement’s shameless<br />

and ubiquitous, and the thing goes on forEVER.<br />

(Perspective: It’s twice as long as Annie Hall, and<br />

the four movies combined are longer than LOTR.)<br />

Recommended only for children and adults with the<br />

attention span of a poodle. I’m not going into the plot<br />

here, because I couldn’t really detect one. Tip: Put a<br />

trash bin over your head and have someone beat on it<br />

for three hours. Save you the price of a ticket. You’re<br />

welcome. I call myself the guy who goes to all the<br />

movies so you don’t have to, but I’m not subjecting<br />

myself to any more Transformers movies. This time<br />

I mean it. (165 min)<br />

22


More reviews and theater details: metropolis.co.jp/movies<br />

BY DON MORTON<br />

NEW<br />

HOMEFRONT<br />

In this wan collection<br />

of action-movie tropes,<br />

retired DEA agent Jason<br />

Statham, trying to cope<br />

with single parenthood<br />

in rural Louisiana, runs afoul of the local creeps and<br />

kicks some serious meth-head ass. Nothing new here,<br />

but for those who like their thrillers old-school and free<br />

of surprises or inspiration, it’s briskly paced and moderately<br />

suspenseful. The macho, F-word-heavy script<br />

is a bit clunky, written as it was by Sylvester Stallone<br />

from a novel by Chuck Logan. The cast, which includes<br />

a misfiring Winona Ryder, a scenery-chewing Kate<br />

Bosworth and (yawn) James Franco, is uniformly forgettable.<br />

(100 min)<br />

NEW<br />

SUNSHINE ON LEITH<br />

Jukebox musicals are<br />

highly subjective. This<br />

relentlessly perky effort<br />

bends a soapy story<br />

around the music of the<br />

Proclaimers, famous outside Scotland for “I’m Gonna<br />

Be (500 Miles),” a boisterous, crowd-sourced version<br />

of which breathes some badly needed life into the<br />

film. Unfortunately, it’s the finale and too late. Alleged<br />

plot has three couples dealing with mostly manufactured<br />

bumps on the road to everlasting love. Cloying,<br />

superficial and more than a wee bit twee. Best enjoyed,<br />

obviously, by Scots and Proclaimers fans. The city of<br />

Edinburgh provides some great backdrops for all the<br />

schmaltz. (100 min)<br />

GODZILLA<br />

After the universally<br />

reviled 1998 Roland<br />

Emmerich turkey, this<br />

time Hollywood got it<br />

right. It’s a little slow<br />

getting started, but once it gets up to speed, English<br />

director Gareth Edwards’ (Monsters) creature feature<br />

is plenty exciting. This is no SFX-driven studio factory<br />

job; it emphasizes character and tension over mindless<br />

and repetitive spectacle. And while it’s about battling<br />

behemoths, it’s told from a human perspective. Aaron<br />

Taylor-Johnson is capable if not stellar in the hero role,<br />

and having Bryan Cranston in the cast certainly doesn’t<br />

hurt. The post-production 3-D is useless. (123 min)<br />

VAMPIRE ACADEMY<br />

Cross Harry Potter with<br />

Mean Girls and stir<br />

in selected elements<br />

of sanitized vampire<br />

mythology, and you’ll<br />

get an idea of what to expect of this lazy adaptation<br />

of Richelle Mead’s popular YA books. To humans,<br />

it’s all pretty lame and derivative, but ‘tweeners will<br />

find it sporadically clever in a female-centric highschool<br />

sort of way. And it has a breezy irreverence<br />

that Twilight never had. Director Mark Waters made<br />

Mean Girls and his screenwriter brother Daniel wrote<br />

Heathers. Not really recommendable, but I’ve sat<br />

through worse. Bad news: there are five more books.<br />

Kill it quick! (104 min)<br />

BLOOD TIES<br />

Two brothers in the mid<br />

’70s find themselves on<br />

opposite sides of the<br />

law. One’s a cop, the<br />

other a robber. Their<br />

deep fraternal loyalty, admirable as it is, could destroy<br />

them both. It would be difficult to make a bad movie<br />

with a cast that includes Marion Cotillard, Mila Kunis,<br />

Zoe Saldana, James Caan and Lili Taylor in addition to<br />

leads Clive Owen and Billy Crudup. And it’s true this<br />

low-tension familial crime saga gets better as it slogs<br />

along. Would that the whole film were as riveting as<br />

the final 20 minutes. But for the most part it’s too long,<br />

too talky and lacks momentum. Japanese title: My<br />

Brother: Kanashimi no Judan (127 min)<br />

ESCAPE FROM<br />

TOMORROW<br />

And now for something<br />

completely different.<br />

Stealth-shot at Disney<br />

World, entirely without<br />

permission, this is true guerrilla filmmaking. Director<br />

Randy Moore’s sneakily subversive, darkly if fitfully<br />

amusing story is about an every-schmuck family<br />

guy losing his mind among the anthropomorphic<br />

rodents, corporate kiddie mascots and manufactured<br />

cheerfulness of “the happiest place on earth.” Did<br />

you ever consider the evil side of “It’s a Small World”?<br />

You will. At times massively erratic, at others merely<br />

phantasmagorical. Call it Lynch-lite. Would have<br />

benefitted from a splash of coherence. (90 min)<br />

ENEMY<br />

The two Jakes. Jake<br />

Gyllenhaal plays a meek<br />

Toronto professor who<br />

discovers on a DVD a<br />

bit actor who’s his exact<br />

double. What’s going on? Long lost twin? Or something<br />

weirder? He internet-stalks the guy, but when they<br />

finally come face to exact-same-face, he begins<br />

to wish he hadn’t. French Canadian director Denis<br />

Villeneuve could have taken this in several directions<br />

but opted for a banal erotic head-scratcher set to<br />

florid, preposterous music. Gyllenhaal’s excellent<br />

in both roles, but the absurdist-existentialist central<br />

conceit becomes the film’s own worst enemy, and the<br />

puzzle has no solution. Japanese title: Fukusei Sareta<br />

Otoko (90 min)<br />

FADING GIGOLO<br />

Two broke New Yorkers<br />

(Woody Allen & writer/<br />

director John Turturro)<br />

forge a profitable<br />

pimp/gigolo business.<br />

Things go well until John develops a platonic but<br />

deep relationship with a sad, orthodox Jewish widow<br />

(Vanessa Paradis). Turturro’s offbeat, oddly endearing<br />

little rom-com is so tonally inconsistent that it seems<br />

like two different movies. One addresses issues of<br />

loneliness and longing, and the other’s a pretty good<br />

Woody Allen movie that he didn’t make. They’re<br />

both worth seeing. Could have gone terribly wrong<br />

if not for the intelligence and sensitivity with which it<br />

approaches its subject. Japanese title: Gigolo in New<br />

York (90 min)<br />

DIVERGENT<br />

In yet another dystopian<br />

future, society is<br />

divided into five innate<br />

“types.” And if you<br />

happen, during kind<br />

of a Harry Potter Sorting Hat ceremony, to fit more<br />

than one category, you are a “Divergent” and hunted<br />

down. Can’t see anything going wrong with that. As<br />

cynical, opportunistic, exposition-heavy, overlong<br />

and repetitive attempts at grabbing some of those YA,<br />

sci-fi-fantasy, Hunger Games bucks go, it’s not bad.<br />

What it lacks in originality, Shailene Woodley (The<br />

Descendants, The Spectacular Now) makes up for in<br />

pure watchability. Not terrible, just not memorable. Or<br />

much fun. Two more on the way. (140 min)<br />

THE DEVIL’S VIOLINIST<br />

Niccolo Paganini (1782-<br />

1840) was a pioneer<br />

in the fiddle field.<br />

Bold and innovative<br />

and unimaginably<br />

talented—a 19th-century rock star. Then there’s this<br />

cornball German-Italian movie. It focuses on his time in<br />

London, a visit Wikipedia barely mentions. Moreover, his<br />

strings (sorry) are being pulled by satanic agent Jared<br />

Harris, who stops just short of twirling his moustache.<br />

Nya-ha-ha. German David Garrett, actually a violinist,<br />

resembles a cover model for bodice-rippers, and his<br />

Southern Californian, Keanu Reeves-y accent supplies<br />

the film’s only humor. Really, really bad. Japanese title:<br />

Paganini: Ai to Kyoki no Violinist. (122 min)<br />

MALEFICENT<br />

It’s a neat idea: invert<br />

the Sleeping Beauty<br />

yarn and tell it from the<br />

perspective of the evil<br />

fairy godmother. This<br />

Maleficent is a tragic figure, wronged by an ambitious<br />

king. She curses his newborn daughter, etc. But as<br />

the child grows to become Elle Fanning, Maleficent<br />

grows fond of her and even tries to reverse the curse.<br />

The film succeeds on Angelina Jolie’s committed and<br />

nuanced performance. I’m not saying she rates among<br />

today’s top actresses, but I can’t imagine anyone else<br />

giving the role such emotional punch. I was surprised<br />

to realize what a good time I was having. Not for little<br />

children. (98 min)<br />

EDGE OF TOMORROW<br />

Those not fans of Tom<br />

Cruise will be glad to<br />

know that he dies in this<br />

movie. Several hundred<br />

times. Groundhog Day<br />

meets Starship Troopers. A smarmy army PR flack is<br />

sent along with an invasion of alien-infested Europe.<br />

He dies quickly but wakes up 24 hours earlier and goes<br />

through the doomed invasion another time, and then<br />

another, etc. It’s déjà vu all over again. He teams up<br />

with kick-ass commando Emily Blunt, nailing the Ripley/<br />

Sarah Connor role. It’s a fun little puzzle picture, sharply<br />

written, imaginative, action-packed, unexpectedly funny<br />

and thoroughly entertaining. Adapted from a Japanese<br />

manga. Japanese title: All You Need is Kill. (113 min)<br />

Beyond the Edge: © 2013 GFC (Everest) Ltd All Rights Reserved; Edge of Tomorrow: ©<strong>2014</strong> VILLAGE ROADSHOW FILMS(BMI)LIMITED; Maleficent: ©<strong>2014</strong> Disney Enterprises, Inc.; Divergent: TM ©<strong>2014</strong> Summit Entertainment, LLC.All Rights<br />

Reserved.; Fading Gigolo: © 2013 Zuzu Licensing, LLC.; Paganini: The Devil’s Violinist: © 2013 Summerstorm Entertainment / Dor Film / Construction Film / Bayerischer Rundfunk / Arte. All rights reserved.: Enemy: © 2013 RHOMBUS MEDIA<br />

(ENEMY) INC. / ROXBURY PICTURES S.L. / 9232-2437 QUEBEC INC. / MECANISMO FILMS, S.L. / ROXBURY ENEMY S.L. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.; Blood Ties: © 2013 – copyright : Les Productions du Trésor – Caneo Films; Escape from Tomorrow:<br />

©2013 MMXⅢ BY MANKURT MEDIA LLC; Godzilla: © <strong>2014</strong> WARNER BROS. ENTERTAINMENT INC. & LEGENDARY PICTURES PRODUCTIONS LLC; Vampire Academy: ©2013 VA Blood Sisters All Rights Reserved; Sunshine on Leith: © DNA Films;<br />

Homefront: ©Homefront Productions, Inc. 2013; Transformers: Age of Extinction: © <strong>2014</strong> Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved. HASBRO, TRANSFORMERS, and all related characters are trademarks of Hasbro.<br />

23


food&drink<br />

Bite into a menagerie of sweetness at Ikumi Mama<br />

no Dobutsu Doughnuts (Mama Ikumi’s Animal<br />

Doughnuts). In addition to producing delightful<br />

doughnuts in shapes from kittens to walruses,<br />

alpacas and penguins, Naoko Ikumi eschews preservatives,<br />

margarine and shortening, instead<br />

focusing on choosing the best eggs, flour, salt<br />

and natural sweeteners from across Japan. Visit<br />

the shop or special order online for parties and<br />

corporate events. http://ikumimama.com<br />

With the latest Pokémon movie out, the 52nd floor<br />

of Roppongi’s Mori Tower has been fitted with<br />

a Pikachu Café. The eight-item menu includes<br />

Pikachu-no-Teriyaki Burger (¥1,080)—complete<br />

with tortilla chips for ears—and Monster Ball no<br />

Omu-hayashi (¥1,280), an omelet with a red and<br />

white Pokéball made of dyed rice. Open until<br />

<strong>Aug</strong>ust 31, adults need to shell out the ¥1,500<br />

observation deck fee,while kids up to junior high<br />

school age get in for ¥500. Roppongi<br />

Commemorating the 40th anniversary of its<br />

amazake (sweet sake), Morinaga has released a<br />

couple of sugary new products to help keep you<br />

cool this summer. Its Amazake Ice Cream (¥130)<br />

comes in a handy cup for easy sipping even as it<br />

starts to melt, while the Hiyashi Amazake Caramel<br />

(¥210) is an even sweeter twist on the spirited<br />

chilly treats. Available at supermarkets nationally,<br />

there’s no danger of a hangover with these<br />

low-alcohol treats—only an ice cream headache.<br />

¥¥¥ JP/ITA<br />

RESTAURANT<br />

Mangia! Classic<br />

Neapolitan pizza<br />

awaits in Ebisu<br />

BY MEGAN WATERS<br />

Photos courtesy of L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele<br />

L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele has been serving the<br />

same two pizzas for over 140 years and is known<br />

as the best pizzeria in Naples. The restaurant’s<br />

key role in Elizabeth Gilbert’s best-selling book<br />

Eat, Pray, Love—and the film adaptation starring<br />

Julia Roberts—only helped to increase its popularity.<br />

In late January 2012, the Naples pizzeria<br />

brought its unique menu and format to Tokyo.<br />

Located on a quiet side street near Ebisu<br />

station, the Tokyo branch of the classic eatery<br />

is the first to open outside Naples. According to<br />

a spokesperson for the restaurant, Ebisu was<br />

chosen to be the second da Michele venue<br />

because its “atmosphere and calm mood are<br />

similar to Naples.” Who knew?<br />

Its secret to success is simple: directlysourced,<br />

natural ingredients and a traditional,<br />

tested method of leavening the pizza dough. The<br />

ingredients are carefully selected, and the flour,<br />

tomatoes and mozzarella are all imported from<br />

Italy. Staying true to its Neapolitan roots, the pizzeria<br />

only serves marinara and margherita variations—with<br />

no pasta, no coffees and definitely<br />

no desserts. The margherita combines rich and<br />

creamy mozzarella cheese, basil and tomatoes,<br />

while the marinara uses tomatoes, garlic and<br />

oregano to create a simple masterpiece of subtle<br />

flavors. Baked in a traditional wood-fired oven,<br />

the crust is crispy on the outside and soft on the<br />

inside, exactly the same as that served in Naples.<br />

Both are available in very substantial large and<br />

regular sizes, measuring 35cm and 30cm, respectively.<br />

Unfortunately, they haven’t imported Naples<br />

prices, too. A doppia (large) margherita will set you<br />

back ¥2,000, while the smaller normale costs<br />

¥1,550. The marinara is similarly priced. Straying<br />

from the Japanese tradition of serving a cheaper<br />

lunchtime menu, everything costs the same at da<br />

Michele regardless of when you visit.<br />

Other menu items comprise a selection of<br />

antipasti—served only on weekday evenings<br />

and weekends—including assorted Italian<br />

uncured ham and stuffed peppers as well as<br />

a range of salads (¥381-839). No meal this<br />

good would be complete without a bottle of<br />

wine (from ¥2,380), of which there is plenty<br />

to choose.<br />

The restaurant itself is spacious and modern,<br />

with white tiles lining the walls, high ceilings,<br />

retro light fittings and an open layout. A small<br />

terrace with a big, glass front completes the<br />

relaxed and stylish feel, making it a perfect place<br />

to take friends, family or even a date.<br />

Unsurprisingly, the Ebisu location has been<br />

bustling since its opening, with weekends particularly<br />

busy. Booking a table is recommended—especially<br />

if you visit during peak lunch<br />

or dinner times.<br />

4-4-7 Ebisu, Shibuya-ku. Ebisu.<br />

www.damichele.jp<br />

24


©100taro<br />

Cosme Kitchen Juicery in Daikanyama station<br />

makes a great pit stop before heading into—<br />

or out of—the city. Their certified organic fruits<br />

change according to season. Smoothies (¥580-<br />

780) combine the best ingredients for cleansing<br />

or energy concerns while you can add extra<br />

superfood boosts (cacao nibs and maca or camu<br />

camu powder) to each drink for ¥100-200. Veganfriendly<br />

almond, soy or rice milk options are also<br />

available. http://cosmekitchen.jp/6129/<br />

LOCAL FLAVORS<br />

farmers markets<br />

for summer fun<br />

and goodness<br />

BY JOAN BAILEY<br />

OISO MARKET<br />

Fresh vegetable vagabonds will find more than<br />

a little to whet their appetites at this lively port<br />

bazaar. Oiso’s monthly market runs year-round,<br />

but in summer this Sunday morning event turns<br />

into an evening extravaganza. Musical performances<br />

entertain those settled on party sheets<br />

in the grassy area behind the port building,<br />

while smaller stages scattered among vendor<br />

tables showcase individual singers, musicians<br />

and performance artists. Tables groan with the<br />

best the Shonan-area growers and producers of<br />

Kanagawa Prefecture have to offer, including local<br />

heirloom fruits and vegetables, such as Lee’s<br />

Bread from Chigasaki and Atsugi’s Sankt Gallen<br />

Brewery. Food trucks galore offer everything<br />

from Yaad Food’s spicy jerk chicken to ramen.<br />

Itadakimasu! Every third Sunday of the month.<br />

5-9pm. Oiso Port. Oiso.<br />

Entertainment chain iDarts has come up with an<br />

illuminated drink server that just reached Japanese<br />

shores. Available in seven colors, the LED-lit<br />

iTower (¥10,584) holds up to 3 satisfying liters of<br />

liquid ambrosia while still being slim enough to<br />

fit on the smallest kitchen counter. Our recommended<br />

summer recipe is a boozy iced tea: Fill<br />

the tower half full of ice, add 1.5 liters of iced tea<br />

and follow up with 250ml of Hennessy. Stir, switch<br />

on the LED light and enjoy. www.idarts.jp/itower<br />

EARTH DAY MARKET<br />

Dreaming of fresh organic seasonal fruits and<br />

vegetables with perhaps a steel drum band<br />

playing in the background? Look no further than<br />

Tokyo’s Earth Day Market in Yoyogi Park, where<br />

each month area growers and producers—all<br />

organic, all fair trade, all the time—gather to<br />

share the best their fields and furrows have to<br />

offer. Live music, workshops and samples of<br />

yummy, organic wine make for one of the city’s<br />

best shopping experiences. Those hunting for<br />

staples such as rice, flour and tea will find easy<br />

prey, as will those searching for nifty gifts. Beat<br />

the heat with an ice-cold organic beer from Sun<br />

Brewery while munching on a spicy curry from<br />

Tamana Shokudo.<br />

Last Sunday of each month, 10am-4pm. Yoyogi<br />

Park Elms. Harajuku.<br />

NIPPORI MARKET<br />

Nestled in the plaza just outside the east exit of<br />

Nippori station, this little market is always breezy<br />

in summer and full of good fun. Music and comedy<br />

performances help keep the heat at bay,<br />

while a rotating set of regional merchants keep<br />

taste buds ever on the alert. Regular vendors like<br />

Kimura-san from Aizu in Wakamatsu, with her<br />

homemade tsukemono (pickles) and fresh vegetables,<br />

supply customers for the long haul —and<br />

Onaya-san, with her oh-so-delicious homemade<br />

manju (four kinds, all worth trying) and cups of<br />

ice-cold green tea are always on hand. <strong>Aug</strong>ust<br />

finds growers, producers and customers banding<br />

together to celebrate obon with a mini-Bon Odori<br />

festival and dance around the square.<br />

Every third Sat-Sun of the month, 10am to 5pm.<br />

Nippori.<br />

RECIPE<br />

POWER & BEAUTY<br />

SMOOTHIE<br />

RECIPE & PHOTOS BY KYOKO NAKAMOTO<br />

With the heat beating down on you this summer,<br />

it’s easy to feel tired and listless. If you<br />

have a blender and some fresh produce from<br />

your local farmers market, try this morning<br />

pick-me-up that will keep you genki all day.<br />

The fruits and veggies are packed with immune<br />

system boosting vitamins and omega-3<br />

and omega-6 fatty acids. This particular<br />

recipe is vegan-friendly—but feel free to mix<br />

it up and try your own.<br />

Start to finish: 3 min<br />

Servings: serves 2<br />

• 1 banana<br />

• 60g (¼ cup) frozen blueberries (or berries)<br />

• 60g (¼ cup) fresh pineapple (peeled, cored)<br />

• 100ml (½ cup) soy yogurt<br />

• 1 tablespoon maqui berry powder<br />

• 1 tablespoon coconut oil<br />

• 2 tablespoons almonds (optional)<br />

• 1 teaspoon maca powder (optional)<br />

• 100ml (½ cup) ice cubes<br />

• 50ml (¼ cup) water<br />

DIRECTIONS<br />

1. Add all ingredients in the order listed and<br />

blend until smooth.<br />

2. Pour into two glasses and serve with a<br />

drizzle of honey, if desired.<br />

3. Drink and enjoy!<br />

Kyoko Nakamoto is the<br />

brains behind recipes from<br />

The Juicery in Daikanyama.<br />

Follow her smoothiemaking<br />

adventures on<br />

Instagram: @manak1106<br />

25


Enjoy gourmet steak, fish,<br />

seafood and a selection of<br />

world-class wines with a<br />

superb skyline view.<br />

Tokyo’s No.1 nighttime panorama<br />

Fresh fish direct from Tsukiji market<br />

High-quality Japanese steaks<br />

Selection of high quality wines<br />

from over 2,000 cellars worldwide<br />

Party & wedding catering<br />

English service & menu available<br />

Yakult<br />

Panasonic<br />

Shiodome City Center<br />

Matsushita<br />

Shiodome Eletric<br />

Nihon TV tower<br />

Tower<br />

LUNCH:<br />

Mon-Sun 11:30am-3pm (LO 1:30pm)<br />

DINNER:<br />

Mon-Sun 5:30pm-11:30pm(LO 9:30pm)<br />

Online Reservation:<br />

www.fish-bank-tokyo.jp<br />

41F Shiodome City Center Bldg, 1-5-2 Higashi Shinbashi, Minato-ku 03-3569-7171<br />

̶ Hana・Gakoi ̶<br />

The best Sushi and<br />

Yakitori Restaurant<br />

in Aoyama.<br />

Shibuya<br />

Meiji ST.<br />

Shibuya P.O.<br />

HIKARIE<br />

Aoyama ST.<br />

Roppongi ST.<br />

Shibuya police station<br />

YAKITORI,SUSHI<br />

HANAGAKOI<br />

B1 Diamond bldg<br />

1-1-8 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku<br />

Tokyo 〒150-0002<br />

TEL 03-3498-3228<br />

Lunch 11:30 ~ 14:00<br />

Dinner 17:00 ~ 23:00<br />

(L.O.22:00 Drink L.O.22:30)<br />

26


<strong>Metropolis</strong> and its subsequent<br />

Classifieds section are<br />

printed every other week. The<br />

upcoming publication dates<br />

and corresponding deadlines<br />

for print are as follows. This<br />

does not affect the online<br />

Classifieds, where ads are<br />

visible immediately after they<br />

are approved.<br />

FRI, AUG 22 ISSUE<br />

Deadline: <strong>Aug</strong> 14, 3pm<br />

FRI, SEP 5 ISSUE<br />

Deadline: <strong>Aug</strong> 28, 3pm<br />

Blog post<br />

the official metropolis classifieds blog<br />

http://metropolis.co.jp/classifiedblog<br />

Hate missing summer festivals? So do we! That’s why we’ve<br />

made English-language schedules for the major festivals,<br />

Bon odori, and fireworks spectaculars in Tokyo and area.<br />

You’ll never have to cry into your pillow in regret again. Check<br />

the blog for the <strong>Aug</strong>ust schedules -> meturl.com/augschedule<br />

and meturl.com/bonschedule<br />

Think the Classifieds is just ads? Think again! Visit the blog for saucy ads of yore, ideas to make your<br />

ads pop, updated prices (hello, free vehicles ads!) and plenty more Classifieds goodness.<br />

http://metropolis.co.jp/classifiedblog<br />

1 AT YOUR SERVICE<br />

1.1 HEALTH<br />

BILINGUAL US-LICENSED<br />

PSYCHIATRIST RYUKO<br />

ISHIKAWA, MD, extensive<br />

clinical experience in<br />

Japan and overseas.<br />

Family relationship<br />

conflicts, cross-cultural<br />

human relationship issues<br />

(couples, individuals).<br />

Medication assessment<br />

w/diagnostic interviews.<br />

Fees on sliding scale.<br />

Weekly seminars<br />

available (anxiety,<br />

relationship issues) for<br />

¥3000-¥7000. 5min from<br />

Omotesando stn. www.<br />

cliniczhc.com/en/ Contact<br />

at ryupsy@gmail.com<br />

or direct 080-5199-9271<br />

(until 7pm). Appointment<br />

required.<br />

T H A I<br />

MASSAGE<br />

T O K Y O .<br />

Genuine Thai<br />

massage<br />

shop offers<br />

Thai or oil<br />

massage, open 12-11pm,<br />

close to JR Kamata stn, all<br />

staff are Thai women. A<br />

warm welcome awaits you.<br />

weingping2518@gmail.com<br />

www.weing-ping.info<br />

03-3738-8425<br />

1.7 BUSINESS SERVICES<br />

THINKING ABOUT<br />

ADVERTISING WITH<br />

METROPOLIS? Platinum<br />

¥32,400. Gold ¥27,000.<br />

Silver ¥21,600. Prices<br />

include one photo. Bronze<br />

¥2000 (photo + ¥2000).<br />

Prices are for 40 words,<br />

one print issue, two weeks<br />

online. For details, visit<br />

the Tokyo Classifieds blog<br />

- http://metropolis.co.jp/<br />

classifiedblog/ - or email us<br />

at commercial@metropolis.<br />

co.jp.<br />

LAW OFFICE IN KAWASAKI<br />

(next to Tokyo), member<br />

of the Yokohama Bar<br />

Association. Legal service in<br />

English for traffic accidents,<br />

divorce, inheritance,<br />

bankruptcy, business cases<br />

(contracts, establishing a<br />

company, trademarks, etc.)<br />

and other legal problems.<br />

Email: web@smkw.biz www.<br />

sumikawa.net/<br />

VISA COUNSELING:<br />

female immigration lawyer<br />

handles your visa case.<br />

Permanent residency,<br />

naturalization, eligibility<br />

(inviting your spouse/<br />

children/workers from<br />

your country), extension/<br />

change of visa status.<br />

Consultation ¥5000. OFFICE<br />

LIFE (Miho Fujibayashi).<br />

Tel: 090-8330-0670 Email:<br />

mailto@officelife.jp Website:<br />

http://officelife.jp/en/<br />

CREATIVE SOLUTIONS. Specialists<br />

in branding, web design, photo/<br />

video production. Drawing A Crowd:<br />

a new approach in design. Get in<br />

touch. info@drawingacrowd.co<br />

1.8 GENERAL SERVICES<br />

SMILE STAND: Japan’s first<br />

and only stylish rental<br />

photo booth. An exciting<br />

addition to any party,<br />

event, etc., and the best<br />

way to get crazy, fabulous,<br />

professional photos. With<br />

this ad ¥55,000~. info@<br />

highland-tokyo.com https://<br />

vimeo.com/44976943<br />

www.smile-stand.com<br />

FURNITURE RENTAL. Create<br />

customized furnished<br />

apartments with our<br />

furniture rental service.<br />

Furniture packages arranged<br />

by our qualified interior<br />

designers to accommodate<br />

various sizes and styles. We<br />

also offer apartment leasing<br />

consultation. Please call<br />

0120-957-520. www.smartrental-tokyo.com<br />

2 FIND A PLACE<br />

2.1 GUESTHOUSE<br />

GREAT LOCATION & SUPER<br />

CLEAN. Private furnished<br />

rooms in Roppongi,<br />

Akasaka, Azabu-Juban and<br />

Minami-Shinagawa, all 2min<br />

from stn, ladies-only floor<br />

available, weekly cleaning<br />

service, free internet, aircon,<br />

fridge. From ¥49,000/m.<br />

No key money/guarantor/<br />

agent fee. 090-2405-0022<br />

mail@bauhousetokyo.com<br />

TO ADVERTISE IN<br />

METROPOLIS, Japan’s<br />

No.1 English magazine,<br />

log on at www.metropolis.<br />

co.jp/classifieds or email<br />

your commercial ads to<br />

commercial@metropolis.co.jp.<br />

CREA-UN UENO.<br />

Clean, cute, furnished private<br />

rooms near Asakusa, Ueno,<br />

Uguisudani, Iriya, ladies only,<br />

free internet, nice rooftop<br />

garden, broad 24h-available<br />

bathroom, free bicycle, from<br />

¥56,000/m (management<br />

charge included).<br />

crea-un.sakura@ko-bo.com<br />

www.sakura-ko-bo.com<br />

03-6912-0692<br />

KANAMACHI GUEST HOUSE.<br />

Brand-new furnished share<br />

rooms, separate male and<br />

female floors, all rooms<br />

w/digital locks, aircon,<br />

fridge, 1min walk from<br />

Kanamachi stn, Chiyoda<br />

line ¥40,000/m. room@<br />

airay-apartment.net<br />

03-5876-4575 www.airayapartment.net/<br />

2.2 RENT UNDER ¥200,000<br />

SAKURA HOUSE. Leading<br />

multilingual real estate<br />

agency in Tokyo since<br />

1992. Over 1600 furnished<br />

apartments and guest/<br />

share house rooms, from<br />

¥52,000/m, utilities included.<br />

No key money/guarantor/<br />

agent fee. Contact<br />

us: 03-5330-5250<br />

info@sakura-house.com<br />

www.sakura-house.com<br />

ICHII CORPORATION.<br />

Over 600 affordable, qualityfurnished<br />

apartments in<br />

central Tokyo locations. No<br />

key money/guarantor/agent<br />

fee required. New, clean<br />

apartments, simple contract<br />

system, full English support.<br />

Call us today! 03-5437-5233<br />

www.japt.co.jp<br />

PRIVATE FURNISHED<br />

A P A R T M E N T S .<br />

Odakyu line: Mukogaoka-<br />

Yuen/Yomiuri-Land-Mae,<br />

20/30min from Shinjuku.<br />

Keikyu line: Hatcho-Nawate,<br />

15min from Shinagawa.<br />

1K~2LDK ¥58,000/<br />

m~¥120,000/m. Tel: 044-933-<br />

7000 Email:mh@minowagroup.<br />

jp www.minowagroup.jp/<br />

minowahomes<br />

SERVICED APARTMENTS<br />

in a quiet residential area<br />

of Hiroo. Studios and<br />

suites. 4min from Hiroo<br />

stn. Rates: Daily ¥7800.<br />

Weekly ¥6850-/day.<br />

Monthly ¥5700-/day. Over<br />

three months ¥5130-/day.<br />

Tax, utilities included.<br />

frontdesk@azabucourt.<br />

com www.azabucourt.<br />

com/ 03-3446-8610<br />

0<br />

2.3 RENT OVER ¥200,000<br />

TOKYO APARTMENTS. Your<br />

one-stop housing solution<br />

throughout Tokyo. Providing<br />

serviced, furnished and<br />

unfurnished apartments,<br />

for both long- and shortterm<br />

stays. Also providing<br />

relocation services,<br />

furniture rental, property<br />

management and sales.<br />

Please call 0120-957-920.<br />

www.tokyoapartments.jp<br />

2.4 HOUSE SHARE<br />

HOUSEMATE FOR ROPPONGI<br />

SHARE SOUGHT. Male housemate<br />

sought for my bright, sunny flat in<br />

Nishi-Azabu, 2min from Roppongi<br />

Hills, two floors, balcony, fully<br />

furnished, move in Sep ¥90,000/m.<br />

Shared utilities extra. na_ka_to@<br />

hotmail.com<br />

2.5 PLACE WANTED<br />

Seeking a place to stay from Sep 9,<br />

‘14. Does anyone need a short-longterm<br />

roommate? I’m a Japanese female<br />

coming back to Japan from the Caribbean<br />

and I need a place to live in Tokyo.<br />

kurosawayumi31@yahoo.com<br />

3 EDUCATION<br />

3.5 LANGUAGE EXCHANGE<br />

Chinese and Korean. I am a Chinese<br />

professional in Tokyo seeking a Korean<br />

teacher for language exchange. I am a<br />

beginner. Prefer a professional teacher<br />

who can speak fluent J. thomasyctang@<br />

yahoo.co.jp<br />

Danish, German, Japanese. Hej and ‘N<br />

Tag! JF, 30s, seeks Danes and Germans<br />

to help her with languages in Tokyo/<br />

Kanagawa through fun conversations<br />

over cups of coffee or just hanging out.<br />

Please be nonsmokers, late 20s-30s.<br />

codename107113@live.com<br />

Deutsch und Japanisch. JM seeks<br />

language exchange with someone<br />

who can teach me Ger. I can teach<br />

you J in return. Prefer central Tokyo<br />

or Kanagawa. M/F ok. Native German<br />

speakers only. snowsurfsk8@yahoo.com<br />

English and Japanese. I am 33, male,<br />

live near Koenji. I’m seeking an E/J<br />

exchange partner. Prefer meeting on<br />

weekdays. Maybe once/week. I’ll teach<br />

Japanese in return. yorugaya@yahoo.<br />

co.jp<br />

English and Japanese. Hello. I’m a<br />

Japanese female looking to improve<br />

my English. I can help you with your<br />

Japanese. Because I’m interested in<br />

British culture, British friends only,<br />

please. Any age, M/F welcome! Thank<br />

you. wwwtomodachi-kf@yahoo.co.jp<br />

English and Japanese. Japanese<br />

seeks English speakers for language<br />

exchange or coffee buddies at coffee<br />

shops between Soka and Takenozuka.<br />

Friendship only. Where are you from?<br />

language_exchange3@hotmail.com<br />

English and Japanese. Hi. I’m studying<br />

E. I can teach you J. I’m late 30s, living<br />

and working in Tokyo. I like traveling,<br />

watching movies, skiing, hiking. Please<br />

send me a message. npkpd906@yahoo.<br />

co.jp<br />

English and Japanese. うまく 。や<br />

っと。ちゃんと。きちんと。かなら<br />

ず。や だ! 頭 が 痛 くな る!( 男 ) erol.<br />

pxei@gmail.com<br />

English and Japanese. I’m learning 漢<br />

字 now. I’m just at the early stage, but<br />

it is so much fun, especially names. Like<br />

友 美 is friend and beautiful. What does<br />

your name’s kanji mean? I’m male, from...<br />

Guess! smoothm.assa@gmail.com<br />

English and Japanese. Japanese<br />

IT worker, mid-30s, seeks language<br />

exchange partner along the Keihin-Tohoku<br />

line (Shinagawa to Yokohama) to improve<br />

my language skills. Of course, I can teach<br />

J to you. ashcrofthouse2@googlemail.com<br />

English and Japanese. I’m a JF<br />

government-licensed guide interpreter. I’d<br />

like to practice English with someone from<br />

Singapore before I work as an interpreter<br />

in Singapore this Oct. I will teach you J in<br />

return. Tokyo/Chiba. kaneko@kih.biglobe.<br />

ne.jp https://twitter.com/miki_kaneko<br />

English and Japanese. I’m seeking a<br />

penpal. I’m a Japanese university student.<br />

g.sato425@gmail.com<br />

English and Japanese. I’m a female, 37,<br />

working in Yoshiwara, an area famous for<br />

its special business. I’d like to learn spoken<br />

English. Could you meet me on weekdays<br />

or Sat around noon before I have to go to<br />

work? mail@orz-3.sakura.ne.jp<br />

English and Japanese. Japanese female,<br />

early 30s, seeking an English-speaking<br />

friend to have language exchange<br />

regularly in Tokyo. If you’re interested<br />

in the Japanese language, history or old<br />

culture, please contact me - I can teach<br />

you. Thank you. crnamacka_belimacor@<br />

yahoo.co.jp<br />

English and Japanese. Group language<br />

exchange every Wed, 7:30-9:30pm,<br />

at coffee shops around Ginza. Most<br />

members are 20s and 30s. We switch<br />

languages every 30min. Fun events on<br />

weekends. Free to join. ando.andy@<br />

gmail.com<br />

Español y japonés. Habla español?<br />

Quiere aprender japonés o inglés? Vamos<br />

a conversar e intercambiar idiomas en<br />

Tokio. tempstadesjp@gmail.com<br />

French and Japanese. Fr and J daily<br />

exchange in Otemachi. winds_fr@<br />

hotmail.com<br />

French and Japanese. Un japonais<br />

cherche un locuteur natif de français qui<br />

peut faire un échange français-japonais à<br />

Shibuya. J’ai du temps libre lundi à jeudi,<br />

de 7 heures du soir. unicornio@nifty.com<br />

German and Japanese. JF seeks Ger/J<br />

language exchange partner. Seit Sechs<br />

Monaten lerne ich Deutsch aber ich<br />

spreche Englisch. F/M ok. If interested,<br />

drop me a line. gardenstate2005@<br />

hotmail.com<br />

German, English, Japanese. I’m a JM,<br />

25, seeking to improve my English and<br />

German in Tokyo. If you want to improve<br />

your Japanese, let’s have a language<br />

exchange. takashi.n1575@gmail.com<br />

Italian and Japanese. Would like to<br />

learn basic It from a native speaker<br />

who wants to practice J. Possibly near<br />

Shibuya on weekday evenings after 7pm.<br />

unicornio@nifty.com<br />

Korean and Japanese. Japanese male,<br />

41, seeks a native Korean speaker for Kor/J<br />

exchange. I like music, reading, cooking.<br />

I hope we can learn from each other and<br />

have some fun. astralsky@excite.co.jp<br />

Spanish and English. Hi, I’m seeking<br />

someone to help me learn Sp in exchange<br />

for E or J in Chiba or Tokyo. I’m a total<br />

beginner, so please be patient. Email me if<br />

you’re interested. greg77jp@yahoo.co.jp<br />

Spanish and English. I’d like to have a<br />

language exchange with English-speaking<br />

people. pronusprorsus@yahoo.com<br />

Spanish, English, Japanese. I’d like to<br />

exchange conversation in Sp for E or J.<br />

I’m from South America, native Spanish<br />

speaker, male, educated, mid-40s.<br />

Serious learners. Anywhere in Tokyo.<br />

disenhador@me.com<br />

3.9 TEACH ME!<br />

PhD student in engineering?<br />

Tokyo only. Majoring in wireless/<br />

communication or related area? Help<br />

me with simulation. Must be able to<br />

use Matlab/Simulink and know how to<br />

validate hypothesis with simulation like<br />

Monte Carlo, etc. Will pay ¥2000/h. yatri_<br />

in_town@yahoo.co.jp<br />

Seeking British English teacher.<br />

Seeking a qualified and experienced<br />

native British English teacher for private<br />

lessons in Tokyo. I’m a JF, professional.<br />

Please help me with my English.<br />

mzh0228@gmail.com<br />

Seeking personal trainer i n<br />

Shibuya area. Female student<br />

seeking a personal trainer to come to<br />

apartment gym twice/week. Based<br />

in Shibuya area. Will pay ¥3000/h.<br />

No qualifications necessary, but<br />

experience in personal training<br />

preferred. carissaleadavis@gmail.com<br />

4 HOUSEHOLD GOODS<br />

4.1 FURNITURE & FITTINGS<br />

Cabinet/drawers (L90xD45xH86), w/<br />

outlet for rice cooker/etc. mizi2005@<br />

hotmail.com<br />

Shelf, wooden, BoConcept. New<br />

¥80,000. Sell ¥30,000. Table, dining,<br />

oak, w/four chairs, in excellent<br />

condition. New ¥200,000. Sell ¥80,000.<br />

Desk, wooden, BoConcept, as new. New<br />

¥100,000. Sell ¥40,000. midtown.hills@<br />

gmail.com<br />

27


Many more Classified ads online! Please visit classifieds.metropolis.co.jp<br />

Tel: 03-3796-2411<br />

relaxtokyo.com<br />

COURSES<br />

Body care<br />

30 min: ¥3,150<br />

60 min: ¥6,300<br />

(Early bird 6am-2pm ¥5,250)<br />

120 min: ¥12,600<br />

Oil massage<br />

(daytime only)<br />

60 min: ¥8,400<br />

120 min: ¥16,800<br />

Don't waste time and money<br />

on so-so dental care.<br />

Invest in the best.Your teeth deserve it.<br />

Now You Can Recharge<br />

in Roppongi 24/7/365<br />

<strong>Metropolis</strong> Promo<br />

60 & 120min courses now ¥1,000 off<br />

30min course ¥500 off<br />

03-6435-0993<br />

www.tsuruki-mita.org/english<br />

Hotel<br />

IBIS<br />

Mos<br />

Burger<br />

Almond<br />

Soba shop<br />

Takoyaki shop<br />

Police box<br />

Roppongi-dori<br />

3-2-1 Mita, Minato-ku, Tokyo<br />

Clinic hours: 11:00 am - 8:00 pm<br />

Closed: Thu, Sun and National Holidays<br />

Call today to book an appointment with some of the city’s<br />

best in-room massage therapists!<br />

Service menu:<br />

Aromatherapy treatment<br />

Lymph drainage treatment<br />

Reflexology<br />

Shiatsu<br />

90min. ¥15,000<br />

120min. ¥20,000<br />

150min. ¥24,000<br />

180min. ¥29,000<br />

Tokyo’s<br />

No.1<br />

Relaxation<br />

Massage<br />

Open: 6pm-5am Tel: 03-5206-5134 www.tokyo-refle.com/en/<br />

4.2 APPLIANCES<br />

Fridge/freezer, Sanyo SR-B18J, 175L<br />

(fridge 123L, on top; freezer 52L, in three<br />

drawers), silver, ‘05, good for one-two<br />

people, in excellent condition ¥10,000.<br />

View Shinjuku. Can arrange delivery<br />

for extra cost. metropolisclassified@<br />

jungletelegraph.net<br />

Heater, oil, DeLonghi, as new. New<br />

¥40,000. Sell ¥20,000. midtown.hills@<br />

gmail.com<br />

Iron, T-fal Aquaspeed 3556, powerful<br />

steaming capability ¥3000/obo.<br />

unitynjustice@ezweb.ne.jp 08057127709<br />

Microwave, Sharp RE-S15C-B, ‘11, in very<br />

good, clean condition ¥9000. Delivery<br />

possible for small fee. mizi2005@<br />

hotmail.com<br />

Vacuum, Twinbird, in good condition<br />

¥3000. Can deliver for small fee.<br />

mizi2005@hotmail.com<br />

Vacuum, AIM-R0B01, robotic, white,<br />

new ¥5000. Pick up Shimokitazawa.<br />

aminimia@yahoo.com<br />

Washer, Toshiba AW-50GL, hardly used,<br />

as new ¥15,000. Free delivery within 5km<br />

possible. mizi2005@hotmail.com<br />

4.3 SAYONARA SALE<br />

Sayonara sale! Washer, computer<br />

desk, bed, kitchen table, three aircon,<br />

garden and shop tools, etc. Minami-<br />

Nagareyama, Chiba. ssbhofner@gmail.<br />

com https://sites.google.com/site/<br />

ssbitemsforsale/home 090-3680-1507<br />

4.4 TV & HOME THEATER<br />

Tuner for PC, one-seg, USB, w/antenna<br />

(20x63x9mm) ¥500. Pick up near<br />

Yokohama. sayonara_vancouver@<br />

hotmail.com<br />

T V 20”, Sharp Aquos LC-20E5, in<br />

excellent condition, E/menu ¥19,000/<br />

obo. Delivery possible for small fee.<br />

mizi2005@hotmail.com<br />

4.5 AUDIO & MP3<br />

Speakers, Sanwa Supply, w/charging<br />

for 30-pin iPods (1-4) or iPhones (1-4),<br />

output-only for stereo mini-plug output<br />

devices, output volume 4W ¥500. Koenji.<br />

Photos available. ohpopshop@gmail.<br />

com<br />

4.6 FOR KIDS<br />

Play kitchen, Melissa & Doug, brought<br />

from the US, in good condition (W94xH<br />

[includes timer]74xD31cm), some<br />

scratches ¥2000/obo. Pick up central<br />

Tokyo. txcany@hotmail.com<br />

4.7 FOR FREE<br />

Dehumidifier, Fedders, ‘90s-era, hardly<br />

used, floor model, rolls; freezable ice<br />

packs. Azabu-Juban. jgilbert9990@<br />

gmail.com<br />

Humidifier, Panasonic FE-KL05, 5L<br />

tank, humidity sensor, w/LED indicator,<br />

works well, good for up to 100sqm room,<br />

compact. Yokohama or Tokyo area.<br />

generic.email.address.no17@gmail.com<br />

5 HOBBIES&INTERESTS<br />

5.1 CAMERAS<br />

Digital camera, Canon PowerShot C1, as<br />

new, only took 50 shots and then stored<br />

it away, w/all cables, manuals, etc.,<br />

carrying bag ¥6000/obo. Pick up Tsurumi.<br />

rsd91750@nifty.com 0455064415<br />

5.2 SPORTS EQUIPMENT<br />

Dumbbells, Irotec, Japanese brand,<br />

60kg set, two y/o, as new. New ¥17,074.<br />

Sell ¥5500/obo. kevjdunn@gmail.com<br />

Exercise machine ¥3000. Pick up only.<br />

pinkrose7@hotmail.co.jp<br />

Golf clubs, Iron Daiwa Hi-Trac TCS, w/<br />

carbon shaft 3-5-7-9-11 and Sure-out sand<br />

wedge ¥2000. Pick up near Yokohama.<br />

sayonara_vancouver@hotmail.com<br />

5.3 MUSICAL EQUIPMENT<br />

Guitar, Fender Telecoustic, in excellent<br />

condition, professionally set up to adjust/<br />

lower the action, features a built-in<br />

pickup, tuner and preamp, bolt-on neck<br />

(unusual for an acoustic-style guitar)<br />

¥25,000. kvh@mac.hush.com<br />

Headphones, Shure SRH1540, closedback<br />

flagship model, lightweight, hardly<br />

used, boxed, w/spare pads, spare cable,<br />

carrying case ¥45,000. rsd91750@nifty.<br />

com 0455064415<br />

Headphones, Audio-Technica ATH-<br />

PRO5MK2, great sound quality, hardly<br />

used, almost as new, w/case ¥5000.<br />

mristhisapen@gmail.com<br />

Insect sounds. “Bugs” collection of<br />

insect sounds taken from Ric Viers’<br />

Blastwave Sound Library, thousands of<br />

sounds pre-installed on a dedicated USB<br />

drive, brand new, never plugged in. New<br />

$249. Sell ¥15,000. justcallmehenry@<br />

gmail.com edwardsoperation.com<br />

Sound suppression racks. Two 19” 12U<br />

racks (one normal width, one wide to<br />

accept MacPro-sized computer), quiet<br />

four-speed fan. New ¥360,000 and<br />

¥450,000. Sell ¥85,000/each. Photos<br />

available. justcallmehenry@gmail.com<br />

edwardsoperation.com<br />

5.4 BOOKS/CD/DVD<br />

CDs, over 320, about 80% ‘90-’05<br />

American alternative/indie rock/folk, etc.,<br />

in a flip book (not jewel cases), w/inserts<br />

organized in a separate file, official<br />

releases (not CD-Rs) ¥5000. Sold together<br />

only. smallmediumlarge876@yahoo.com<br />

DVDs, over 100, region 1 (US/Canada),<br />

film and TV series, healthy portion of rare<br />

stuff ¥333-¥500/each. List available.<br />

smallmediumlarge876@yahoo.com<br />

Japanese learning materials. Three<br />

Pimsleur sets (Japanese I, II, III), each<br />

set contains 16 CDs, booklet, guide, in<br />

original package, as new. New ¥60,000.<br />

Sell ¥27,000. mita.yama@hotmail.com<br />

5.5 GAMING<br />

Gaming seat, Playseat, for PlayStation<br />

3, PlayStation 4, Xbox, upgraded<br />

steering wheel, bonus manual shifter<br />

¥35,000. Yoyogi-Hachiman stn.<br />

fishburncf3@gmail.com https://flic.<br />

kr/p/nwJ14p 090-5198-9921<br />

Motion controllers. PlayStation 3 Move<br />

motion controller, eye camera, Move<br />

ray gun controller, PSM-SMG controllers<br />

¥3500/all. sssqsssq@hotmail.com<br />

PlayStation 3 250GB, Japanese,<br />

super-slim console, in great condition,<br />

region-free, menu settings can be<br />

set to English, boxed, w/controller,<br />

all necessary cables ¥16,000.<br />

j.marijeanne@gmail.com<br />

5.6 COLLECTORS<br />

Kimono, antique, 100% pure silk,<br />

heavy silk outer and lining, bright<br />

chrysanthemum and maple print, tiny<br />

stains, otherwise in excellent condition<br />

¥28,000. Pick up 4min from Ikenoue stn.<br />

paola@yogasan.net<br />

5.7 PETS<br />

Bunny, 1 year old, white, black eyes,<br />

friendly, w/cage, water bottle, food<br />

bowl, toilet, heating pad, leftover food<br />

¥5000. stra037@aucklanduni.ac.nz<br />

09093241982<br />

6 VEHICLES<br />

6.1 CARS, PARTS, & ACCESSORIES<br />

Roof rack, Thule, for Toyota Harrier,<br />

in very good condition, hardly used, w/<br />

optional canoe/boat fitting ¥5000. Pick<br />

up Kanda stn. eve.christopher@gmail.<br />

com<br />

6.3 BICYCLES, PARTS, & ACCESSORIES<br />

Racing bike, Panasonic Les Maillots<br />

Mini-Velo, 9.8kg, alloy frame, 16-speed,<br />

upgraded handlebars, seat and<br />

brakes, Maxxis tyres, as new ¥29,000.<br />

Nakameguro. tokyobiker<strong>2014</strong>@<br />

rediffmail.com<br />

7 GENERAL<br />

7.1 PHONES<br />

Fax/phone/answering machine,<br />

Sanyo/Panasonic SFX K-12, thermal<br />

paper-type, clean, works fine,<br />

one cordless handset, PDF manual<br />

downloaded (Japanese) ¥8000/obo.<br />

Pick up Tsurumi. rsd91750@nifty.com<br />

0455064415<br />

7.2 FASHION<br />

Jacket, Hobbs, formal, powder blue,<br />

women’s, pure virgin wool, size UK 12/<br />

USA 10, worn once, as new ¥4500. Cash<br />

only. Pick up only 4min from Ikenoue stn.<br />

paola@yogasan.net 03-6751-1664<br />

Jacket, Max Mara, women’s, woolangora<br />

(50:50), size US 8 (but more like<br />

US 10), in good condition ¥2000. Pick<br />

up only 4min from Ikenoue stn. paola@<br />

yogasan.net 03-6751-1664<br />

Suit. Adidas Originals Kazuki x Ian Brown<br />

business suit. brian.greenough@jcom.<br />

home.ne.jp<br />

7.3 MISCELLANEOUS<br />

Planters. Three-planter terracotta<br />

set (L40xW18xD17cm) ¥2500. One<br />

terracotta planter (W34xD26cm) ¥2500.<br />

One extra round, w/iron stand ¥1500.<br />

¥5000/all. Pick up only Omotesando.<br />

mmcaproni2010@yahoo.co.jp<br />

7.4 ITEMS WANTED<br />

Vinyl LPs and record collections.<br />

Japan-pressed LPs, EPs and singles from<br />

the ‘60s, ‘70s, etc., any genre considered.<br />

Will pay cash for quality items. brian.<br />

greenough@jcom.home.ne.jp<br />

8 COMPUTERS<br />

8.2 HARDWARE<br />

Keyboard dock, for iPad w/old<br />

connector, in great condition, hardly<br />

used, w/original box ¥1000. Pick up<br />

Kanda stn area. eve.christopher@gmail.<br />

com<br />

Laptop, Sony Vaio VGN-NW91VS, Core<br />

2 Duo 2.5GHz, 320GB, 2GB RAM, 15”<br />

display, LAN wireless, Bluetooth, HDMI,<br />

E/Win 7, Office ‘07 ¥22,000. niijo33@<br />

yahoo.com 08050310900<br />

Laptop, Dell Latitude E4300, Intel<br />

Core 2 Duo 2.4 GHz, 4GB RAM, 128GB<br />

SSD, 100/1000 LAN, Wi-Fi, CD/DVD<br />

Multi, Win 7 Professional, E/J ¥20,000.<br />

tokyotechguy@yahoo.co.jp<br />

Laptop. Lenovo Thinkpad X201s, Core i7,<br />

8GB RAM, 128GB SSD, Win7 Pro 64 bits,<br />

E/OS and keyboard, docking station (to<br />

connect additional devices, monitor,<br />

keyboard, etc.). Make an offer. hrmanu@<br />

gmail.com<br />

8.3 SOFTWARE<br />

Mac Microsoft Office, Home Student<br />

‘11 (Word, PowerPoint, Excel), Japanese<br />

version, three m/o, hardly used. New<br />

¥18,360. Sell ¥6000. mristhisapen@<br />

gmail.com<br />

10 HELP!<br />

10.1 HELP ME<br />

Sponsorship. Ten years’ experience<br />

in cafe/bar work, including working at<br />

international hotels. I’d like to open<br />

a cafe/bar, but need sponsorship.<br />

Individuals and companies are welcome.<br />

Please, if interested, let us come to an<br />

agreement. samueladonkor@gmail.<br />

com 090-6152-6274<br />

10.2 SUPPORT<br />

NEED TO TALK? We’re here<br />

to listen. TELL LIFELINE: free,<br />

anonymous English counseling<br />

daily from 9am-11pm by trained<br />

volunteers: 03-5774-0992.<br />

TELL COUNSELING:<br />

affordable multilingual<br />

psychotherapy by accredited<br />

Western-trained professionals,<br />

a CIGNA International Provider:<br />

03-4550-1146. TELL website: www.<br />

telljp.com. Follow us on Facebook<br />

and Twitter @TokyoLifeLine.<br />

28


THE JAPAN HELPLINE, 24 hours<br />

a day, from anywhere, about<br />

anything. From emergency<br />

assistance to simple questions.<br />

Visit www.jhelp.com/ and press<br />

“help,” or call 0570-000-911.<br />

To volunteer or support, please<br />

contact team@jhelp.com. www.<br />

jhelp.com/<br />

WEST PAPUA: ONE SOUL, ONE<br />

PEOPLE. Fifty-one years ago,<br />

West Papua should have been an<br />

independent country. Since 1969,<br />

West Papua has been invaded<br />

and the people robbed of their<br />

rights, culture and country. Help<br />

support West Papuans’ desire to<br />

be free. http://tapol.gn.apc.org/<br />

markhelp2@gmail.com<br />

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS<br />

TOKYO. If you have a problem<br />

with drinking, we can help.<br />

English-speaking meetings daily.<br />

03-3971-1471 inquiries@aatokyo.<br />

org http://aatokyo.org<br />

HIV Peer Support group a n d<br />

workshops. Get together with people in<br />

the same boat as you, who understand.<br />

Held in a safe, considerate, 100%<br />

confidential setting to discuss what’s<br />

on your mind, ask questions and make<br />

new friends. info@peersupporttokyo.<br />

com www.peersupporttokyo.com<br />

Infertility support group. TTC Tokyo<br />

is an infertility support group that<br />

provides informal opportunities for<br />

women and men experiencing infertility<br />

to connect with one another. Please visit<br />

website for more info. admin@ttctokyo.<br />

org www.ttctokyo.org/<br />

10.3 LOST FRIENDS<br />

Seeking Mindy. Is Mindy, a petite blonde<br />

teaching assistant from LA, still in Tokyo?<br />

Any info appreciated. m106819151-tsky@<br />

yahoo.com<br />

11 MESSAGES<br />

11.1 PERSONAL MESSAGES<br />

WRITE A MESSAGE FOR<br />

YOUR SPECIAL SOMEONE!<br />

Write anything, from birthday<br />

messages to proposals, and so<br />

much more! Contact us through<br />

our website at http://classifieds.<br />

metropolis.co.jp.<br />

12 SOCIAL SCENE<br />

12.1 LET’S PARTY<br />

JAPAN INTERNATIONAL<br />

PARTY - SUMMER FESTIVAL.<br />

Sat, <strong>Aug</strong> 23, 6:30-9pm, Devi<br />

Fusion (Roppongi). Japan’s<br />

biggest international party.<br />

250 people expected. All-youcan-drink<br />

and free snacks.<br />

Japanese men: ¥4000.<br />

Others: ¥3000. Mobile: http://<br />

getyourfriend.com/mobile/<br />

jiparty@hotmail.com http://<br />

www.getyourfriend.com/<br />

090-1735-5405<br />

JOIN THE BIGGEST,<br />

BEST, MOST POPULAR<br />

INTERNATIONAL PARTY!<br />

Great people, drinks and food!<br />

Meet new friends and party<br />

with nice people in a friendly<br />

atmosphere. Events in Tokyo<br />

(Ginza, Azabu, Roppongi)<br />

and Osaka. ¥1500-¥2000.<br />

http://english.gaitomo.com/<br />

info@gaitomo.com<br />

13 CLUBS & INTERESTS<br />

13.1 SPORTS<br />

JUST A 3MIN WALK<br />

FROM ROPPONGI HILLS,<br />

Club 360 is a large and<br />

modern health and fitness<br />

club. No membership or<br />

joining fees. Personal<br />

training, physiotherapy,<br />

fitness classes, boxing,<br />

kickboxing, massage.<br />

info@club360.jp www.<br />

club360.jp 03-6434-9667<br />

A MERICAN FOOTBALL.<br />

Nihon Unisys Bulls, X league<br />

Central Division, seeks fit players<br />

w/ US college football experience<br />

for all positions. Practice every<br />

Sat/Sun from 10am-3pm (including<br />

meeting) in Tokyo/Saitama (time<br />

& venue subject to change).<br />

Attendance at practice must be<br />

over 60%. Please contact for tryout<br />

info and send your profile to team<br />

admin. bullsxleague@gmail.com<br />

http://www.unisys.co.jp/football/<br />

AIKIDO IN ENGLISH. Seidokan<br />

Aikido of Tokyo invites you to<br />

practice a modern style of aikido in<br />

an international environment. Sat,<br />

1-3pm, Itabashi-ku, Toei Mita/Saikyo<br />

line. We welcome men and women,<br />

Japanese and non-Japanese. dojo@<br />

tokyoseidokan.com http://www.<br />

tokyoseidokan.com 03-5994-1185<br />

ALL-NATIONALITY TOUCH<br />

FOOTBALL. Non-contact tag rugby<br />

(OZ tag) and Rugby League players.<br />

We play every Sat from 10am<br />

in Tatsumi. M/F and beginners<br />

welcome! Good exercise and fun!<br />

Many other activities, such as<br />

BBQs and drinking parties! Email<br />

for details. tokyorugbyleague@<br />

hotmail.com http://ameblo.jp/<br />

tokyo13warriors<br />

AMATEUR RUGBY LEAGUE<br />

PLAYERS. Japan ANZACS Rugby<br />

League team is seeking Rugby<br />

League players for Japanese<br />

Rugby League official games<br />

from Apr to Sep. Everyone<br />

welcome. Contact for more details.<br />

japananzacs@gmail.com<br />

FUN WITH TOUCH RUGBY! Join<br />

us for social or competitive touch<br />

rugby every Sat at 2:30pm by<br />

Ariake stn, Yurikamome line. Any<br />

age, sex, level ok. Please email for<br />

details. funwithtouch@gmail.com<br />

http://www.funwithtouch.com/<br />

where-we-play/<br />

PLAY RUGBY. The Tokyo<br />

Crusaders are a friendly but<br />

keen international rugby club.<br />

Devoted to the game and its<br />

social side, the “Cru” welcomes<br />

all players and supporters.<br />

Established in 1990, the Cru plays<br />

in the Shuto League 1st Division.<br />

http://www.facebook.com/tokyo.<br />

crusaders www.tokyocrusaders.<br />

com<br />

TAMBOURELLI. Unique new<br />

sport from Scotland. Using a<br />

tambourine-like instrument as a<br />

racquet, players hit a shuttlecock.<br />

We play two or three times/month<br />

on weekends in Meguro with many<br />

socials. Join us! More details: www.<br />

tamjapan.org/en/ info@tamjapan.<br />

org<br />

All-level tennis group in Tokyo. Serious<br />

and motivated tennis players sought by<br />

active tennis group to join their weekly<br />

sessions in central Tokyo. We have advanced<br />

and intermediate groups on weekday<br />

evenings. Beginner and low-intermediate<br />

also welcome. No entrance or membership<br />

fees. Reasonable participation fees. tokyo.<br />

tennis@yahoo.fr<br />

Basketball in the Yokohama area. Want<br />

to play b-ball in the Yokohama area? Mostly<br />

Japanese players play intermediate games<br />

every Mon and Wed night at a local school’s<br />

gym. Feel free to come. Please contact for<br />

further details. satoru.nicolas@gmail.com<br />

Don’s Half-Fast Flash-Mob Weekend<br />

Urban Bicycle Rides. halffastcycling@<br />

hotmail.com<br />

Football/soccer players. Tokyo Redstar,<br />

Setagaya League 2, is seeking soccer<br />

players for FW and GK positions. Practice<br />

almost every Sat/Sun in Tokyo. Attendance<br />

must be over 60%. Players in a spirit of fair<br />

play welcome. saito987@hotmail.com<br />

http://tokyoredstar.com/<br />

Futsal player. Intermediate futsal team<br />

in Tokyo seeking people who can enjoy<br />

playing with other players. Please introduce<br />

yourself (name, age, nationality, where you<br />

live, whether you belong to another team).<br />

futsaluk@yahoo.co.jp<br />

Futsal players wanted by a very friendly<br />

international team. Practice is in Tokyo<br />

and Kanagawa on Sat. Details available.<br />

fkkyn468@ybb.ne.jp<br />

Gracie jiu-jitsu. Seeking a partner to<br />

practice Gracie Combatives techniques.<br />

I’m a long-term foreign resident, can<br />

speak Japanese. Interested in selfdefense,<br />

not MMA or grappling for points.<br />

Prefer Yokohama area. Thanks. breathe@<br />

world.email.ne.jp<br />

Interested in tai chi? Then why not start<br />

now? Take a step to counter the stresses<br />

of daily living. Practice is in Toyama Park<br />

on Sun mornings, near Takadanobaba stn.<br />

chifact@gmail.com<br />

International Adventure Club Tokyo<br />

(IAC-Tokyo). The IAC-Tokyo is an allvolunteer<br />

group of folks from the Tokyo<br />

area who enjoy outdoor activities together.<br />

stephy46800-live@yahoo.co.uk www.iactokyo.org<br />

International football club. Five-a-side,<br />

11-a-side, on grass fields. Two or three<br />

practices/matches on Sun. All nationalities<br />

welcome. Happy and friendly club! We have<br />

many socials. djnorio0417@yahoo.co.jp<br />

Jogging Yokosuka. SJM seeking friends to<br />

jog 3-5km in Yokosuka, mornings preferred,<br />

but depending on the day, other times could<br />

work, too. ジョギング 仲 間 募 集 横 須<br />

賀 . elsalvadorjapan@yahoo.es<br />

Quality football. Interested in playing<br />

football at the weekend and training<br />

midweek? Want to enjoy a few beers after<br />

a good run out? If you consider yourself<br />

a quality player, please drop us a note.<br />

bfcvagabonds@gmail.com<br />

Tennis in central Tokyo. Active group of<br />

tennis friends in central Tokyo welcomes<br />

serious/motivated new players. We play on<br />

weekday evenings and weekends. Different<br />

levels (sorry, no beginners), fun training<br />

sessions and games with great people from<br />

all over. tennis.tokyo@yahoo.fr<br />

Volleyball Club Intervoll. Japanese<br />

and foreign volleyball players gather in<br />

Takadanobaba to enjoy playing. Have<br />

volleyball experience and want to play<br />

volleyball in a friendly atmosphere?<br />

intervollclub@yahoo.co.jp http://<br />

intervoll.sakura.ne.jp/<br />

Strong, beautiful, flexible<br />

Transform your body & soul at<br />

BASI PILATES!<br />

Offering you “Authentic Pilates”<br />

<strong>Metropolis</strong> Campaign<br />

Admission Fee: ¥15,750 ¥0<br />

Trial Machine Private Lesson: ¥10,000 ¥8,400<br />

Package 3 Machine<br />

Private Lessons<br />

¥30,000 ¥18,000<br />

Machine Private Lessons available at our Roppongi studio<br />

Lessons in English available<br />

Studios in Roppongi, Ginza, Nakameguro and more<br />

03-6425-7054 • roppongi@basipilates.jp<br />

www.basipilates.jp/english/<br />

29


The majority of classified ads have moved online! classifieds.metropolis.co.jp<br />

J O B S<br />

To advertise:<br />

commercial@metropolis.co.jp<br />

03-4588-2277<br />

BEER CAFÉ BRUGSE ZOT, a new Belgian<br />

beer restaurant, is seeking part-time<br />

hall staff, European-looks preferred<br />

¥1000/h~. Coredo Muromachi 2,<br />

Nihonbashi, near Tokyo stn. Japanese<br />

ability required. Email CV to Kondo<br />

HR Manager. keiichi.kondo@zato.co.jp<br />

0120-233-182 http://www.world-liquorimporters.co.jp<br />

SEEKING WEBSITE AND PRINT<br />

DESIGNER to join digital marketing<br />

team at Tokyo-based high-tech firm.<br />

Candidate must have professional<br />

design experience both in desktop<br />

publishing (Adobe InDesign) and<br />

website creation. Applicants need<br />

demonstrable skills in HTML coding<br />

and be advanced users of WordPress.<br />

Japanese capabilities desired but<br />

not required. Email us your resume.<br />

digitalmarketing@kvhasia.com www.<br />

kvhasia.com<br />

METROPOLIS is seeking motivated<br />

bilingual (E/J) sales executives,<br />

support staff and interns to join its<br />

advertising and marketing team. Send<br />

E/J resume to jobs@metropolis.co.jp.<br />

Women’s soccer club. Five-a-side,<br />

11-a-side, on grass fields. Two or<br />

three practices/matches on Sun. All<br />

nationalities, experience levels, beginners<br />

welcome. Happy and friendly club! We<br />

have many socials. djnorio@hotmail.co.jp<br />

13.2 LEISURE<br />

MACARTHUR HEIGHTS.<br />

Take a break where General<br />

Douglas MacArthur did! One<br />

hour from Tokyo by car or direct<br />

train. Beautiful cabins on the<br />

ocean, w/onsen, beach, shopping.<br />

housinginjapan@yahoo.com<br />

Free Japanese home cooking. Japanese<br />

housewife offers free home cooking<br />

(washoku) lessons in English (females<br />

only) at her house near Kawasaki stn<br />

during the day on weekdays. You just<br />

pay the cost of ingredients. tome.harukasoushi@ezweb.ne.jp<br />

Join Japanese Sake Club in Tokyo!<br />

Anyone interested in enjoying Japanese<br />

sake with new people who can use the<br />

Japanese language for communication?<br />

We started this group to meet lots of<br />

Japanese sake lovers. Looking forward to<br />

exploring Japanese sake together! info@<br />

dayspa-grace.com http://www.meetup.<br />

com/azabujuban-sakeclub/<br />

Let’s cook together. Why don’t you come<br />

over to my kitchen (Japanese woman in<br />

Shinagawa) to learn how to make yummy<br />

home-style Japanese dishes? Washoku,<br />

Western food, Chinese, etc. Only pay for<br />

ingredients. Women only. cookjapon@<br />

gmail.com<br />

13.3 ARTS<br />

Photo Exhibition. Yuga Kurita, the<br />

best Mt. Fuji photographer in Japan, is<br />

holding an exhibition at Island Gallery<br />

in Tokyo. Visit http://yugakurita.com.<br />

ky0611@gmail.com<br />

13.4 MUSIC<br />

A cappella group. Miss singing? Join<br />

our singing group! We sing orchestral<br />

classical music only in human voice,<br />

conducted by a professional a cappella<br />

singer. ryusei@acappella-cantabile.<br />

jp http://acappella-cantabile.<br />

jp/?page_id=202<br />

Bassist wanted around Yokohama.<br />

We mainly play rock music and have<br />

rehearsals in Shin-Yokohama. Any kind of<br />

player is welcome, so feel free to contact<br />

us. m_a_b1998@yahoo.co.jp<br />

Blues/blues rock band seeks drummer.<br />

We play at pubs and bars in Tokyo.<br />

Seeking a drummer who can play gigs<br />

once/twice a month. Any nationality<br />

welcome. We are English-speaking<br />

Japanese. Let’s have fun! ryohei88@<br />

hotmail.com 080-1165-5529<br />

Female singer wanted. I’m a Japanese<br />

guitarist in Tokyo. I perform in parks, along<br />

streets, at stations, cafes, music venues, on<br />

Youtube. Pop rock! Everybody, let’s try to<br />

play music! Everybody, let’s go now to the<br />

dreamin’! kamikaze_vibe@hotmail.com<br />

HALL STAFF/BARTENDER/RECEPTIONIST<br />

WANTED by Rigoletto Bar And<br />

Grill. Mainly weekends, proper<br />

visa required ¥1000-¥2500.<br />

Casual restaurant, w/gorgeous<br />

international bar in Roppongi Hills.<br />

Join our amazing staff as a star player!<br />

Contact: Miho Omi at 0120-390-927 or<br />

huge_recruit@huge.co.jp. http://www.<br />

huge.co.jp/en/recruit/<br />

POWERFUL, FRIENDLY MODELING<br />

AGENCY WANTS NEW STAFF.<br />

Requirements: management ability,<br />

good communication skills, flexibility,<br />

English conversation. Also includes<br />

office work. Preferably someone<br />

who likes kids. Please contact us at<br />

03-5411-7767 or agency@angel17.com.<br />

www.angel17.com<br />

Female singer/songwriter wanted for<br />

original alternative/rock working band. Stage<br />

experience a must. Recording experience<br />

a big plus. If you’ve got a song, maybe we<br />

can play yours as well. Mostly we play and<br />

rehearse in Tokyo. firstdown49@yahoo.co.jp<br />

Japanese drummer seeking musicians.<br />

Guitar and bass player sought for rock, dance,<br />

pop, blues, jazz, etc. Melody is important.<br />

Hopefully, we can have gigs so everybody<br />

can dance! kosuke1016@hotmail.com<br />

JF musicians wanted. Rock band seeks<br />

Japanese female keyboard player and<br />

guitarist. Rolling Stones, Beatles, Zeppelin,<br />

Iggy Pop, PJ Harvey, originals. We play for<br />

fun. markjngs@yahoo.com 09083169482<br />

Musicians wanted to play northern<br />

European/Scandinavian music together,<br />

especially accordionist. Rehearse a couple<br />

of times/month in Nakano. We are two<br />

violinists, flutist, bassist, guitarist and<br />

pianist. unicornio@nifty.com<br />

You’re right - we can play guitar and sing a<br />

song! Seeking singer or singer-songwriter.<br />

I’m a Japanese guitarist. I play electric and<br />

acoustic guitar. Beginners welcome. Gigs in<br />

Tokyo. Pop, rock, punk. kamikaze_vibe@<br />

hotmail.com<br />

13.5 MIND, BODY, SPIRIT<br />

Diamond Way Buddhism Tokyo. Do you<br />

want to explore your own mind? Guided<br />

Buddhist meditation every Sun, 6pm, near<br />

Azabu-Juban. International practitioners,<br />

beginners welcome, Japanese spoken.<br />

Please call 090-3598-3072 for more<br />

information. daginia@gmail.com http://<br />

www.diamondway.jp/<br />

Tibetan Buddhist meditation in Tokyo.<br />

Part of the Karma Kagyu school of Tibetan<br />

Buddhism. This school puts special focus<br />

on meditation practice. Regular guided<br />

meditations Sun from 7pm. findlay65@<br />

gmail.com http://www.meetup.com/<br />

Tibetan-Buddhist-Meditation-In-Tokyo-<br />

Japan/ 080-4389-8818<br />

Tokyo Dialogue. We have been meeting<br />

in the heart of the concrete jungle called<br />

Tokyo for 10 years to create an oasis of calm<br />

reflection and listening. findlay65@gmail.<br />

com http://tokyodialogue.wordpress.com/<br />

Zen meditation (Zazen). You’ve always<br />

thought it would be interesting to try it<br />

- why not now? Join us Fri evenings at<br />

Tokuun-in in Ueno. Make arrangements<br />

in advance by email, and check our home<br />

page. tokyozazen@jcom.home.ne.jp www.<br />

wgthorpe.com<br />

13.9 INTERNATIONAL<br />

Intercultural activities. JII (Japan<br />

Intercultural Institute) is a non-profit,<br />

member-run organization that sponsors<br />

activities (seminars, cultural events,<br />

conferences) for those wanting to further<br />

develop intercultural competencies<br />

and meet other interculturalists. yuko.<br />

bolick@japanintercultural.org www.<br />

japanintercultural.org<br />

Nihongo 倶 楽 部 いんたぁなしょ<br />

なる. Nihongo Club International is a<br />

volunteer group to help foreign people<br />

learn Japanese at the Tokyo Volunteer<br />

Action Center in Iidabashi. Every Thu,<br />

7-9pm. nci_tokyo@yahoo.co.jp<br />

14 PERSONALS<br />

14.1 FRIENDS<br />

Be my friend! Hi! I’m a Japanese female,<br />

40s. I need a female friend who is a native<br />

speaker of English or French. I like the<br />

drama Sex and the City and I want some<br />

good friends like them. pothos12@live.jp<br />

Can a man and woman be friends?<br />

There’s a man here from the UK who wants<br />

to find someone who agrees that, yeah,<br />

it’s possible - and it might actually be fun!<br />

Any nationality welcome, but nonsmokers<br />

only. cosmo.soda@gmail.com<br />

Deutsches freund? Hallo, zusammen!<br />

Ich suche gute Leute Sprechen<br />

Deutsch als Muttersprache. Ich will<br />

die Sprach weiter lernen als war ich in<br />

Deutschalnd. Es ist nicht besonders für<br />

Tandem. Jeder ist willkommen. Enfach<br />

plaudern beim Interesse! Liebe Grüße!<br />

biyakobiyanbiyan@yahoo.co.jp<br />

Drinks after work. British male working<br />

near Tokyo stn seeking new friends<br />

for drinks after work in the evenings.<br />

Nonsmokers only, please. Any nationality/<br />

sex is ok, especially Brits. I speak some<br />

Korean and Japanese. vint.snap@gmail.<br />

com<br />

Exchange emails. JF would like to have<br />

friendship with foreign people who are<br />

interested in Japan and live abroad. Shall<br />

we share our cultures and various things<br />

through emails in English? Non-native<br />

speakers also ok. gbsrs@hotmail.co.jp<br />

Fellow Japanese learners! English guy<br />

in Tokyo learning Japanese. I’m seeking<br />

other people who are also learning<br />

Japanese to hang out with, share language<br />

tips and resources, and share occasional<br />

frustrations. My Japanese isn’t great<br />

(yet!). vint.snap@gmail.com<br />

French people! Je cherche un ami, homme<br />

ou femme, n’importe qui, qui est vraiment<br />

français. Merci! pothos12@live.jp<br />

Help me! I spend my life going out with<br />

male friends to bars and end up picking<br />

up or being picked up by a girl. So, I’m<br />

seeking a scarecrow - a woman who’ll<br />

scare off women from approaching. ring.<br />

ofdesire@gmail.com<br />

Jazz-playing friends in Tokyo. Japanese<br />

male seeking jazz players for fun in the<br />

Tokyo area. I’ve been playing the alto sax<br />

for a couple of years. Still amateur, but<br />

want to play with others. yossynet@ra2.<br />

so-net.ne.jp<br />

Lived overseas? Genki English chap<br />

seeking people who have lived overseas<br />

- Japanese raised overseas or lived<br />

overseas, or foreigners now in Tokyo.<br />

Looking to meet up and have some<br />

laughs and drinks. Nonsmokers only.<br />

greenteaisyummy@gmail.com<br />

Seeking drinking partner in Tokyo.<br />

White male, 20, currently living in Tokyo.<br />

I would like to find some friends to explore<br />

izakaya around the city. Really love the<br />

atmosphere of pubs. Send me a message<br />

to learn more. nai-5@mail.ru<br />

Seeking friends in central Tokyo. JF,<br />

early 30s, seeks friends to hang out with<br />

in central Tokyo. atkm92@yahoo.co.jp<br />

14.2 MEN LOOKING FOR WOMEN<br />

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SUBMISSIVE SJM, 36, cute, is<br />

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gmail.com<br />

Big Breakfast 45. Do you read<br />

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reply to every man? Do<br />

you get really angry when<br />

they don’t reply back? Get<br />

a life! Lol. Learn how to<br />

be nice and attract a man.<br />

onzeetop+bitch@gmail.com<br />

Black girl wanted. Tall, blue-eyed<br />

white English boy seeks dark-skinned<br />

ebony girl for drinks, and - if there’s<br />

a spark - a little more. A love for (or<br />

tolerance of, at least) dry British sense<br />

of humour is a must. onzeetop@gmail.<br />

com<br />

Brainy JF sought by American professor<br />

and author. coyote@west.net<br />

British for Japanese. Seeking<br />

friendship and maybe more, depending<br />

on if we click. Successful, kind, sexy<br />

and generally fun guy to be with. So<br />

definitely worth getting to know me!<br />

Thanks. stalonelyheart@gmail.com<br />

British male, 31, friendly, tall,<br />

slim, seeking a nice girl to hang out<br />

with. Nationality/race unimportant,<br />

but should be 20-35 and have a nice<br />

personality. Interested in music and<br />

film: you should be, too. shiodomebye@<br />

gmail.com<br />

Cafe and evening out friend sought<br />

by American. Let’s meet up after work<br />

and forget our busy days, try new cafes,<br />

chat and see where things go from there.<br />

Interested? accessmatrix@yahoo.com<br />

Casual daytime fun? MWM, 30s,<br />

educated, professional, fit, attractive,<br />

kind, seeks an attractive Japanese/<br />

Asian lady for passionate casual romance<br />

(not just friends) in Tokyo. Seeking an<br />

uncomplicated relationship weekend<br />

mornings or afternoons-no evenings.<br />

Coffee first. tokyodreamin@gmail.com<br />

Celebrity JFさんへ. Be my friend.<br />

横 浜 に 住 んで い る 男 外 国 人 で<br />

す。よかったらメール 下 さい。<br />

maldonado_4649@yahoo.co.jp<br />

Chinese-Canadian, 32, 175cm, 65kg,<br />

caring, fun-loving, athletic, likes<br />

basketball, music, movies, seeking a<br />

serious relationship with an attractive<br />

JF, 22-32. test697@hotmail.com<br />

Decent SJM. Honest, open-minded,<br />

healthy, mature, curious and sensitive<br />

guy seeks a cheerful lady. Let’s have<br />

dinner or drinks to get to know each<br />

other. Photos available. Prefer non-Asian.<br />

toshinoris1012@yahoo.co.jp<br />

Different from the norm. Englishman<br />

living and working in Tokyo. Very goal<br />

driven - knows what he wants. Fluent in<br />

one Asian language and studies Japanese<br />

daily. Seeking a woman who is attracted<br />

to confident men, and who isn’t seeking<br />

marriage. heads.itis@gmail.com<br />

Enjoy summer nights. Hi, I’m a WM, 35,<br />

from the UK, already married but seeking<br />

friends or more with a JF. I’m tall, kind,<br />

decent-looking, love conversation<br />

over food/drink, looking forward to<br />

meeting you! Let’s just enjoy summer.<br />

cormacguerin@gmail.com<br />

European gentleman, 40s, tall,<br />

educated, good-looking, S, seeks M lady,<br />

under 30, with unusual fantasies, ready<br />

to explore the extraordinary. One mouse<br />

click can make your secret desires come<br />

true! aminimia@yahoo.com<br />

French businessman, 38, 185cm,<br />

good-looking, 日 本 語 ok, seeks a nice<br />

relationship with a Japanese female.<br />

Open-minded, curious, simple, not<br />

afraid to express her emotions and<br />

feelings, wants to share, needs love<br />

and tenderness. jaimeparisalafolie@<br />

yahoo.fr<br />

Guy seeking friends. Guy from the<br />

Netherlands/Holland, 21, is seeking a<br />

nice JF around the sama age. Kuki City,<br />

Saitama. nico_9829@hotmail.com<br />

He’s cheating on you. You know it. It<br />

makes you angry. But you don’t want to<br />

leave him. Get revenge by sleeping with<br />

me. I’m safe - I won’t fall in love with you,<br />

and he’ll never know you’re meeting me.<br />

tallmu.ggle@gmail.com<br />

Hello, mature women in Yokohama<br />

and Tokyo. I am a foreigner, 35, seeking<br />

a mature JF, respectful, passionate,<br />

romantic, extroverted, funny, able to<br />

have smart conversation. 日 本 語 大 丈<br />

夫 。maldonado_4649@yahoo.co.jp<br />

I’m comfortable with hot women being<br />

attracted to me. I use my limited free time<br />

to achieve my goals. I’ll say goodbye if I<br />

disapprove of your behavior. This is who<br />

I am. Tell me why you’re attracted to me.<br />

tokyo.player@gmail.com<br />

Indian? White guy seeking open-minded<br />

Indian female for drinks and more.<br />

Married/single ok. dontea.tsoap@<br />

gmail.com<br />

Interracial. African currently residing<br />

in central Tokyo seeks a lady of any<br />

nationality for a serious relationship.<br />

Looks don’t matter. No jokes, please.<br />

strike4me@yahoo.com<br />

JM seeking foreign girl. Hi, Id like to<br />

make friends with a foreign girl! I’m<br />

easygoing and I want to do fun things.<br />

I play music and work in real estate<br />

in Tokyo. I like to shop, drink, etc.<br />

kosuke1016@hotmail.com<br />

JM seeks female friends who speak<br />

Japanese. Let’s get lunch together. Any<br />

nationality ok. superisajp@yahoo.co.jp<br />

09039098457<br />

Leaving Japan? Leaving Japan in a<br />

few months to live overseas for a year?<br />

Returning to your home country? I want<br />

to meet a girl like you - to enjoy a shortterm<br />

relationship with. Let’s enjoy your<br />

remaining time. c.carander@gmail.com<br />

Let’s become good friends. I am a fun,<br />

kind, active SJM, 40s, seeking someone<br />

who could share good times and possibly<br />

a serious relationship. I like coffee shop<br />

chat, movies, exercise. Looking forward<br />

to hearing from you! toshinoris1012@<br />

yahoo.co.jp<br />

Let’s have a coffee. European, 30,<br />

186cm, educated, seeking women,<br />

25-35, for relaxed, enjoyable times<br />

hopefully leading to more. julio4561@<br />

gmail.com<br />

Marriage. Nice, handsome, generous,<br />

rich SJM, 40, in Tokyo, seeks a Caucasian<br />

woman for marriage. seven8877@<br />

hotmail.com<br />

31


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Imperial<br />

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Marriage. Single man living and studying<br />

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Ni hao? I only know two words of Chinese<br />

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i.do.tricks@gmail.com<br />

Nice gentleman seeks a mature<br />

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and good manners. vbcfgt@hotmail.com<br />

Nice to meet you! I live in Tokyo now.<br />

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a message if you are interested in me.<br />

kaeru-jz30@docomo.ne.jp<br />

One man for two women as friends.<br />

Professional Scottish guy seeking two<br />

women for occasional casual drinks after<br />

work as friends. I know my way around<br />

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not needing a guide. Just friends. get.<br />

stay.real@gmail.com<br />

Outgoing black male seeking attractive<br />

girlfriend, 20-55, 160cm+, who is fun to be<br />

around and seeking intimacy in the Tokyo<br />

area. I’m 35, smart, 183cm, shaved head,<br />

athletic, from NY, working in IT, living<br />

in Ota-ku. Interested? goldfinger726@<br />

gmail.com<br />

Proposal for SWF in Tokyo. Attractive<br />

SJM seeks attractive, spiritually<br />

mature, thoughtful SWF for a meaningful<br />

relationship. Shall we begin to talk? I think<br />

this opportunity will be a great one for us.<br />

followupforme14@gmail.com<br />

Seeking a good woman. I am a black<br />

male who is honest, loyal, romantic,<br />

passionate and a great candidate to be<br />

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meetmrserious@yahoo.com<br />

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SJM seeking friendship and maybe more<br />

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a good sense of humor. july_leo2010@<br />

yahoo.co.jp<br />

Seeking large Japanese girlfriend.<br />

Canadian guy, 40s, open-minded, gentle,<br />

romantic, positive, seeks overweight<br />

girlfriend for long-term relationship in<br />

Tokyo. Serious only, please. bbalajan@<br />

yahoo.com<br />

Seeking marriage partner. Tall Turkish<br />

man, early 40s, sensitive, compassionate,<br />

responsible, fun, 20 years in Japan, likes<br />

fitness, reading, cooking, traveling,<br />

hiking, being near water, not interested<br />

in clubs or discos. I live near Machida,<br />

Odakyu line, speak Japanese. You’re<br />

early 30s-40, wish to have your own<br />

family, nonsmoking, social drinker, happy,<br />

believe enjoying life is important. Photo<br />

required. pisces030771@hotmail.com<br />

Seeking open-minded JF. I’m 29,<br />

from Hawaii. I like to laugh, do karaoke,<br />

drink. I am mixed black, Hawaiian, Native<br />

American, Italian. Seeking a Japanese<br />

woman, 18-42. Looking to have fun. Mail<br />

me if interested. tonykatsu@yahoo.com<br />

Seeking SJF. Seeking JF to enjoy life.<br />

I like travel, nature, movies, concerts,<br />

dining, matsuri, hiking, swimming. Me:<br />

single Asian-American, 30s, professional.<br />

Japanese ok. ilikesandiego@yahoo.co.jp<br />

Seeking some fun with a SJM? Cool,<br />

tall, witty Japanese male is seeking some<br />

fun with a single white female in Tokyo.<br />

We can start from friends. You’re single;<br />

I’m single - life is too short. Why waste<br />

time? kemkekilab@gmail.com<br />

Serious relationship leading to marriage.<br />

I’m a single black guy, mid-30s, living and<br />

working in Tokyo. Work keeps me busy and<br />

stressed at times. I’m seeking a serious<br />

relationship that could lead to marriage.<br />

misscicilia@in.com<br />

Singaporean, Chinese, Indian...? British<br />

guy, 30s, seeking non-Japanese women to<br />

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obvious, but please only contact me if you<br />

have time to meet. No Japanese seeking<br />

marriage, etc., with a gaijin, please!<br />

greenteais.yummy@gmail.com<br />

Sophisticated and cute SJM seeks<br />

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each other. jscit2007@gmail.com<br />

Trigamy? Friendly Canadian, 51, in open<br />

marriage with best friend, wants to find<br />

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having two lovers that is just right. I am<br />

placing this ad with my lover’s knowledge.<br />

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com<br />

Western girl? Let’s start from friends!<br />

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only go for Japanese girls and being lost<br />

in translation? Cool Japanese man right<br />

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waynebrad11@aol.com<br />

フランス ロマンス. Fine-looking<br />

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hotmail.com<br />

14.3 WOMEN LOOKING FOR MEN<br />

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Are you normal? Single female, 34, tall<br />

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or rich, but you must have common<br />

sense. Serious only, please. deep-ocean@<br />

hotmail.co.jp<br />

Be my boyfriend. Hi! I’m a Japanese, 40s.<br />

I’m happy with my life, but I need someone<br />

who loves me, and is sincere, rich and single.<br />

If you’re interested, please send an email<br />

with your photo. Thanks. pothos12@live.jp<br />

Elegant, presentable and loving<br />

in public, and outspoken, sexy and<br />

extremely loving in private. I enjoy<br />

the variety; you enjoy me. Intelligent<br />

beauty, well put-together, a bit over<br />

40, seeks a single American with a great<br />

sense of humor. caligreen2000st@<br />

gmail.com<br />

Friendship first. JF, attractive, educated,<br />

mature, early 30s, seeks a sincere, goodlooking<br />

Caucasian, 20s-30s, in Tokyo.<br />

winterwhite26@yahoo.co.jp<br />

Japanese female seeks husband. Hello,<br />

SJF, 30s, seeking a SWM who can speak<br />

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Can’t wait to see you. Please email me.<br />

rykya614@i.softbank.jp<br />

Long-term relationship. SJF, late 30s,<br />

slim, well-educated, not club type, seeks<br />

SWM in Tokyo for a serious relationship.<br />

I’m busy with work usually, and seeking<br />

someone to spend my weekends with.<br />

summer183@hotmail.co.jp<br />

New life. People describe me as attractive,<br />

elegant, unique and gentle. Seeking a<br />

man who is highly educated, genuine,<br />

open-minded. European preferred. I am<br />

mid-40s. Singles, long-term only. amrita_<br />

banana<strong>2014</strong>@yahoo.co.jp<br />

Oriental beauty. Long sleek hair, fine<br />

skin, toned yet with a very feminine frame<br />

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brainy, mid-40s, maturity with a baby face,<br />

totally bilingual. You: single, articulate,<br />

international, professional, around my age<br />

or older. lemon_somehearts@yahoo.co.jp<br />

Seeking Frenchman for serious<br />

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in France, seeking a relationship with a<br />

sincere and intelligent Frenchman, 25-50.<br />

No language exchange or games, please.<br />

Serious only. framboisier@inter7.jp<br />

Seeking gentleman who likes traveling,<br />

drinking and eating out. If you’re late<br />

30s-mid-40s, send me a message.<br />

hacchiru@gmail.com<br />

Vivacious and cute! SCF, 28, cute, petite, is<br />

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I have a passion for fine art, music, geek<br />

culture and Disney. Hope to hear from you!<br />

nerak_3186@hotmail.com<br />

Weekend date? Attractive Japanese<br />

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casual rather than too serious. I am<br />

pleasant, not aggressive, like three-star<br />

restaurants and quiet, cozy cafes. Reply<br />

w/details and photo. m1979jp@gmail.com<br />

14.4 GAY & LESBIAN<br />

British seeking newhalf to spend some<br />

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touch. stalonelyheart@gmail.com<br />

Top or versatile wanted. Seeking<br />

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and good-looking. Must be able to<br />

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hotmail.com<br />

14.5 ESCORTS<br />

ESCORTS have gone online.<br />

To find a lovely lady<br />

companion, visit http://<br />

classifieds.metropolis.co.jp/<br />

category/personals/escorts.<br />

14.6 AND OTHERS<br />

Massage exchange. European, 30s,<br />

185cm, athletic, seeking a Japanese lady<br />

to enjoy a relaxing and sensual massage<br />

exchange. I have large, soft hands and<br />

oil from Bali. No sex involved. alfred.<br />

manfreud@gmail.com<br />

Seeking JF for online roleplay and<br />

long-distance relationship. Seeking JF,<br />

20-30. I’m a UK male, 37. tardis672@<br />

gmail.com<br />

15 JOBS<br />

15.1 JOB WANTED<br />

NEED A BABYSITTER?<br />

My name is Merinda<br />

Masuda. I’m 16, great<br />

with children and give<br />

them 100% attention.<br />

T r u s t w o r t h y ,<br />

responsible, loving, can do housework<br />

while children sleep. Seeking work in<br />

central Tokyo. Available most<br />

evenings, Sat evenings and Sun.<br />

merindababysitter@gmail.com<br />

32


♥ Love ¥ Money ♣ Luck<br />

horoscope<br />

BY CATHRYN MOE<br />

ARIES<br />

Mar 21-Apr 19 ♥♥ ¥¥¥ ♣♣♣<br />

Rock your weekend and dance with<br />

Uranus retrograde in Aries, currently<br />

aspecting Saturn. It’s all about putting<br />

foundations together and waiting for the<br />

glue to set—or not. At least, not right away.<br />

Luckily this weekend includes the full moon,<br />

reflecting light with a broader view. Thoughts<br />

fill your head and distract you, ensuring that<br />

imagination takes hold as a form of currency.<br />

Old patterns that lack nurturance furiously<br />

erode, moving you closer to a sought-after goal.<br />

GEMINI<br />

May 21-Jun 20 ♥♥♥ ¥¥ ♣♣♣<br />

You can’t travel all the time, but you<br />

would if you could teleport. Off to<br />

other realms, then back in an instant<br />

to shop, work, relax or help with homework.<br />

There’s a sexy side to your mercurial air sign. It<br />

has to do with balance of power, of course. The<br />

full moon over the weekend reflects a mirror of<br />

what others really want, not what they say they<br />

do. In an instant you’re able to assess and take<br />

charge, which instantly becomes second nature<br />

once it happens.<br />

LEO<br />

Jul 23-<strong>Aug</strong> 22 ♥♥♥♥ ¥¥ ♣♣♣<br />

As a leader in the zodiac, you help<br />

create other leaders. You do this with<br />

heartfelt warmth and encouragement.<br />

Incorporating the qualities of your opposite<br />

sign Aquarius, you can stay detached enough<br />

to see your fledglings fly to new destinations.<br />

The full moon over the weekend brings relief<br />

to crowded schedules and overpriced spaces.<br />

Watch for Venus to enter your sign on Tuesday.<br />

Current, belated or early gifts are on their way<br />

to you.<br />

LIBRA<br />

Sep 23-Oct 22 ♥♥♥ ¥¥¥ ♣♣♣<br />

Thank goodness all that planetary<br />

pressure you had moving through<br />

Libra has subsided. Or does it not feel<br />

that way as yet? Spicing up your solar second<br />

house of income, Mars forges through, adding<br />

energy and drive to refurbish your bank account.<br />

So does Vesta, who holds you to a high standard,<br />

allowing you to choose a path that matches your<br />

ideals. Ceres, a protective mothering influence,<br />

has just joined them. It’s early days, but trust is<br />

becoming restored.<br />

SAGITTARIUS<br />

Nov 22-Dec 21 ♥♥ ¥¥ ♣♣♣♣<br />

Holding close to the inspiration in<br />

your environment helps you make an<br />

important connection. This translates<br />

to revelations during the full moon over the weekend.<br />

What has driven you before may not be the<br />

same as you watch your goals change mid-leap.<br />

Not everyone can sense and see what you do.<br />

Your challenges have pushed an intense personal<br />

scrutiny. Venus enters your sector of empowerment<br />

and long-distance travel on Tuesday. Go for<br />

it. Bump your trust into high gear.<br />

AQUARIUS<br />

Jan 20-Feb 18 ♥♥ ¥¥ ♣♣♣♣<br />

The full moon in your sign over the<br />

weekend gives rise to more than one<br />

epiphany. You can see clearly because<br />

you have no choice. Personal will is important,<br />

but you’ve always been aware you’re part of a<br />

collective. At the moment you’re questing to<br />

find the group that best represents your inner<br />

dictates. Feel like your friends are revealing<br />

themselves more quickly than you wanted?<br />

They’re the same—you have grown. Keep working<br />

on yourself and reap the rewards.<br />

TAURUS<br />

Apr 20-May 20 ♥♥♥♥ ¥¥ ♣♣<br />

It’s becoming easier to experience<br />

new vistas. Opportunities you didn’t<br />

think on offer arrive. Many of them<br />

have to do with expansion in travel and finances.<br />

You’ve been working in various realms<br />

including on yourself. It may have seemed<br />

relaxation and fun weren’t part of the equation.<br />

Saturn opposite your sign has given this impression.<br />

The full moon over the weekend reveals<br />

that your career can be easier as you take a step<br />

back and see it from a distance.<br />

CANCER<br />

Jun 21-Jul 22 ♥♥ ¥¥¥ ♣♣<br />

You can’t be the nurturer forever, the<br />

only one making hearty hot soups<br />

and listening to the woes of the world.<br />

At some point you’ll need to kick out and show<br />

everyone you have your own focus, determined to<br />

watch your success story grow. This week is about<br />

paring back. The full moon over the weekend is<br />

your baby as you are the Moonchild. While it’s not<br />

in your sign, it strengthens your connections with<br />

people who mean the most and can help you get<br />

where you want to go.<br />

VIRGO<br />

<strong>Aug</strong> 23-Sep 22 ♥♥ ¥¥¥ ♣♣♣♣<br />

As Chiron pulls out of Neptune’s influential<br />

orb, you see relationships in a<br />

different way. Right now you’re in an<br />

apex of power —all you need to do is own it. In the<br />

past, our world has not directly financed imagination.<br />

Change is coming as innovation makes your<br />

thoughts easier to translate to reality and then<br />

currency—for you. In the midst of the woods, your<br />

intuition is your best guide. The full moon over the<br />

weekend reveals how your career can fulfill your<br />

personal goals, whatever they may be.<br />

SCORPIO<br />

Oct 23-Nov 21 ♥♥♥♥ ¥¥¥ ♣♣♣<br />

You can get all you want done this<br />

week and then some. The full moon<br />

over the weekend reflects a level of<br />

comfort, revealing what needs to be changed<br />

and what you can live with. You’re running on a<br />

high level of intuition in the midst of rather intense<br />

requirements. While the bridge is not yet built, the<br />

underlying plans are solid. Instead of looking for<br />

more money from what you currently do, let Venus<br />

show you options as she enters your house of<br />

career starting Tuesday.<br />

CAPRICORN<br />

Dec 22-Jan 19 ♥♥♥ ¥¥¥¥ ♣♣♣<br />

A smooth flow lets you enter your<br />

comfort zone. The full moon over the<br />

weekend incites a little internal riot.<br />

You can detach from your finances emotionally<br />

long enough to see them. Patterns in spending<br />

and triggers to do so rise to the surface. If<br />

thoughts were things, which they eventually<br />

are, all you would have to do is focus on your<br />

heart’s desire, then wait for Venus to enter this<br />

sector starting Tuesday to see them present<br />

themselves to you.<br />

PISCES<br />

Feb 19-Mar 20 ♥♥♥ ¥¥¥ ♣♣♣<br />

The smart money is on listening to<br />

your own inner wisdom. Chiron has<br />

pulled away from Neptune in your<br />

sign. You’re able to believe that healing comes<br />

as a natural response these days. You’ve had<br />

enough experience to trust the process. Just<br />

remember that your perception and compassion<br />

combine to create a safe journey. With<br />

Pallas Athene in your partnership sector, you’re<br />

likely to attract someone fun and quirky, an outof-the<br />

box thinker to set your heart free.<br />

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33


the last word<br />

Side Project<br />

PLAYING THE TOKYO MUSIC SCENE<br />

WANT<br />

TO HAVE<br />

THE LAST<br />

WORD?<br />

Send your article to:<br />

editor@metropolis.co.jp<br />

BY WILLIAM BRADBURY<br />

Tokyo is a great place to form a band and<br />

play. But further success—touring, making<br />

money from your music and honing<br />

an original sound—are all frustrationinducing<br />

stumbling blocks that are nearly<br />

impossible to kick out of the way.<br />

Like many millions of people out<br />

there, I’ve harbored a dream of being a<br />

musician through my teenage years and<br />

into my adult life. After I arrived in Tokyo,<br />

I started out playing open mic shows—<br />

which are unusually scarce for desperate<br />

musos in this city. I played shows where<br />

I would bang on a toaster and loop the<br />

sounds on my laptop. Nobody thought<br />

it was good, but I still meet people who<br />

remember me as “the toaster guy,” and<br />

it’s from this period that I met future bandmates<br />

and enthusiasts who introduced<br />

Illustration by Christi Rochin<br />

me to other events—all of which earned<br />

me no money and no fans, but at least<br />

brought me temporary satisfaction.<br />

If you’re in a band, you’ll have to check<br />

your ego at the door and accept that<br />

a passion project is probably all it will<br />

ever be. Getting shows is rarely a way to<br />

make money; in actuality it’s more a way<br />

to make money for the venue doing you<br />

the honor of allowing you to play.<br />

I now play in several bands to escape<br />

the reality that my day job is teaching<br />

English and my only fans are a mixture<br />

of family, friends and girlfriends. But<br />

unambitious as I am, I’m aware that even<br />

this would be more difficult if I lived in<br />

another city. If you want your own ragsto-riches<br />

success story, Tokyo is probably<br />

the wrong place to be. But if you just<br />

want to play, you can. A large percentage<br />

of Tokyo-based bands are passion<br />

projects—and if you can’t<br />

find a band to join, you’re<br />

just not looking.<br />

People advertise the<br />

old-fashioned way, and in<br />

neighborhoods famed for<br />

music—such as Koenji—<br />

you can find lots of fliers<br />

from people searching for<br />

others with whom to play.<br />

And yes: being a foreigner<br />

helps. Japanese bands<br />

seem enamored with the<br />

“cool” factor of Western<br />

music. Bands here often<br />

have English names, write their descriptions<br />

and sometimes their attempts to<br />

find members in English. It makes the<br />

band appear more hip—even if half of it<br />

is arbitrary gibberish.<br />

Of course, lots of these projects involve<br />

bands making music suspiciously<br />

like that of their favorite artists—the most<br />

common being soundalikes of My Bloody<br />

Valentine and the Red Hot Chilli Peppers.<br />

Many in the Tokyo music scene are<br />

into gadgets and gizmos, too. There are<br />

people with such huge collections of<br />

pedals and effects that just watching<br />

them set up on stage is like a show in<br />

itself. This can lead to disappointment<br />

if the final product doesn’t justify the<br />

prep time.<br />

IF YOU’RE IN A<br />

BAND, YOU’LL<br />

HAVE TO CHECK<br />

YOUR EGO AT<br />

THE DOOR AND<br />

ACCEPT THAT<br />

A PASSION<br />

PROJECT IS<br />

PROBABLY ALL<br />

IT WILL EVER BE”<br />

Then there are people into perfection,<br />

preparing the most expensive<br />

equipment money can buy—but hesitant<br />

to press the record button. Some<br />

bands have everything thought out<br />

apart from the making and recording of<br />

the actual music.<br />

There are a range of scenes and<br />

communities of like-minded people<br />

playing shows together. Some of these<br />

are based purely on area; others are<br />

based on category. Tokyo, for example,<br />

is famous for being the “home of<br />

noise”—though I’ve always felt a contradiction<br />

in the underground noise<br />

scene here, because although it prides<br />

itself on being “out there,” there are<br />

often many rules as to what sounds and<br />

vocal styles can be used.<br />

It’s hard to ever become fully despondent<br />

in Tokyo, though, because<br />

the population is so large<br />

there are always people<br />

out there somewhere<br />

who share your interests.<br />

There could be another<br />

guy banging on his mother’s<br />

pots and pans and recording<br />

it in his basement<br />

at this very moment. You<br />

just have to put yourself<br />

out there to find him.<br />

There’s an earnest<br />

enjoyment of music in<br />

Tokyo, but that overt earnestness<br />

can also lead to<br />

naïveté. Many musicians accept that it is<br />

enough just to play a show or even just to<br />

be in a band and enjoy that for what it is.<br />

Trying to make music is a strange<br />

thing to call a hobby compared to, say,<br />

golf, and many people don’t try for fear<br />

of failing—and miss the point that not<br />

trying is also failing. Everybody should<br />

try to make music if they’re interested in<br />

doing so, even just to see what kind of<br />

thing they churn out. But after a certain<br />

number of years, you have to question<br />

whether you’re getting enough of a payoff<br />

both literally and emotionally for the<br />

time and life investment.<br />

■ William Bradbury is an English teacher,<br />

freelance writer and musician based in Tokyo<br />

The views expressed in “The Last Word” are those of the authors alone and do not necessarily reflect the position or opinions of Japan Partnership Co. Ltd. or its partners and sponsors.<br />

NEXT ISSUE<br />

TOKYO GHOST<br />

STORIES<br />

KAZUNORI KUMAGAI<br />

BARES HIS SOLE<br />

BLAME IT ON THE<br />

BASSANOVA RAMEN<br />

DON’T BE A<br />

J@P@N N00B<br />

34


Resort style in the big city<br />

This quiet neighborhood will make you forget<br />

you are in the middle of Tokyo...<br />

Tucked away on the back streets of the posh Azabu neighborhood is one<br />

of the city’s best-kept secrets in serviced apartments: Azabu Court.<br />

Location<br />

With the Roppongi Hills entertainment<br />

and shopping mecca only a 15-minute<br />

stroll away, Azabu Court residents<br />

needn’t worry about last trains or taxis<br />

after a night on the town. The<br />

residence is also near expat-friendly<br />

spots like National Azabu Supermarket<br />

and the Tokyo Midtown complex.<br />

Homey, sophisticated and convenient,<br />

Azabu Court is the perfect serviced<br />

apartment for those who want to<br />

enjoy the best in creature comforts<br />

while staying in the thick of things.<br />

5-min walk from Hiroo station.<br />

Facility<br />

This full-service accommodation has all the<br />

amenities to take the edge off that demanding<br />

business trip: free broadband, in-house<br />

concierge services and laundry/dry cleaning<br />

pick-up, to name just a few. Rooms can be<br />

rented at daily, weekly or monthly rates, with<br />

sizes ranging from studios to two-bedroom<br />

suites. All units come equipped with a<br />

kitchenette, giving busy execs a place to<br />

whip up a quick meal or stash away a few<br />

cold ones.<br />

Fitness Benefit<br />

Residents also benefit from Azabu Court’s<br />

membership in the nearby Fitness Club<br />

Hiroo, with tickets sold at the front desk for<br />

just ¥1,080, allowing easy access to exercise<br />

and fitness studio programs to work off that<br />

seductive Tokyo cuisine.<br />

4-5-39 Minami-Azabu, Minato-ku.<br />

TEL: 03-3446-8610<br />

frontdesk@azabucourt.com<br />

www.azabucourt.com<br />

Price List<br />

Room types<br />

Rate types<br />

Feb. ~ Nov.<br />

Dec. & Jan.<br />

Daily<br />

¥7,800 ~ ¥9,700<br />

Standard Studio<br />

for 1 person<br />

Weekly<br />

¥6,850 ~ ¥8,450<br />

(46 units) 20~22m 2 Monthly<br />

¥5,700 ~ ¥7,200<br />

from Feb. ~<br />

Nov. rate<br />

(6 units) 25m 2 Monthly<br />

¥7,700 ~ ¥7,900<br />

Large Studio<br />

for 1 person<br />

Over 3 months<br />

Daily<br />

Weekly<br />

All year ¥5,130 ~ ¥6,480<br />

¥10,100 ~ ¥10,400<br />

¥9,150 ~ ¥9,450<br />

Over 3 months<br />

All year ¥6,930 ~ ¥7,110<br />

10% Off<br />

10% Off<br />

from Feb. ~<br />

Nov. rate<br />

Room types<br />

Rate types<br />

Feb. ~ Nov.<br />

Dec. & Jan.<br />

Daily<br />

¥14,200 ~ ¥21,000<br />

One Bedroom Suite Weekly<br />

¥12,200 ~ ¥18,400<br />

from Feb. ~<br />

for 2 persons<br />

Nov. rate<br />

(8 units) 33~51m 2 Monthly<br />

¥10,300 ~ ¥16,500<br />

Two Bedroom Suite<br />

for 3 persons<br />

(1 unit) 72m 2<br />

Over 3 months<br />

Daily<br />

Weekly<br />

Monthly<br />

Over 3 months<br />

All year ¥9,270 ~ ¥14,850<br />

¥26,500<br />

¥23,100<br />

¥19,100<br />

All year ¥17,190<br />

10% Off<br />

10% Off<br />

from Feb. ~<br />

Nov. rate<br />

Utilities and consumption tax are included in the above price list, no matter the period of stay. A security deposit will be charged if you wish to stay more than one month.<br />

Security deposit is refundable after all payments and damage charges are settled, after complete vacation of the property.


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