Metropolis-Aug-8-2014

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city life in person ANIMAL ADVOCATE BY JEFF W. RICHARDS Tell us how long you’ve been in Japan and a little about what you do... I’ve been in Japan for just over 25 years now and I am the CEO for Media Solutions, John Moore a market research and international marketing company based here in Tokyo. My job is to help our Western clients get the most out of Japan and Asia while also helping Asian companies look outside of their own countries and markets. and your passion for animals... Yes, I’m an animal lover and advocate for their health and safety here in Japan. When not running Media Solutions, I work closely with ARK (Animal Rescue Kansai). ARK is a non-profit group of dedicated members who love animals, are devoted to sharing their lives with them, and work actively to rescue them from suffering. It originally started in Osaka but is now busy here in Tokyo and other areas. When did you start working with ARK? I’ve been involved with ARK for quite a long time—initially as a private donor and then as a corporate one. This past spring, I took on the role as their Outreach Adviser with the main purpose being to help develop promotional opportunities for ARK in the corporate world. How can Metropolis readers get involved with ARK? There are many ways for people to get involved with ARK, but mainly it’s through adoption and fostering of ARK animals and volunteering. Adopting, of course, involves bringing a rescued animal into your family, but if you’re unable to Dear AMA, ASK METROPOLIS ANYTHING I’m an American and I’ve been married to my Japanese wife for about four years, happily for most of it. We’ve just recently returned to Japan after an unsuccessful attempt at going back “home” to the States. My wife didn’t adjust well at all and was often anxious or depressed. It got so bad that we returned to Japan late last year before she gave birth to our baby boy. Now the issue is that I’m back in a country where I feel I can’t give my new family the financial support I would be able to back in the U.S. I’m beginning to feel stressed out and fear this issue will end up tearing us apart—something I absolutely don’t want with a new addition to the family. I don’t want to keep teaching English forever, but I feel stuck. What should I do?—Not a Salaryman Dear Not a Salaryman, We passed your question on to the good people at TELL. Here’s what they had to say… Feeling stressed and pressured about your financial situation is understandable, especially given you and your wife are new parents. Becoming new parents is one of the most challenging times for any relationship, but it sounds as if your stress is also being compounded by the cultural differences you have both been experiencing. Understanding and managing these issues are why many people call the Lifeline. All relationships are different; what works for one couple may not work for another and intercultural marriages are no different. However, they also bring their own unique set of challenges, and it is not uncommon for these differences to become more acute when the relationship is placed under stress, such as moving countries, getting married or becoming new parents. There are so many rituals and customs we develop as we grow up that we never stop to think about. We all use these as a basis to feel competent and correct with our interactions with others. It is often not until we are living in another country or with someone from another country that we bump into opposing or different views, which can bring the best of us tumbling to the ground. Some people feel they have failed and become homesick or depressed, while others can get angry and complain about the differences, over-idealizing life back home. Sometimes it can feel frightening or challenging to bring these issues up and some couples find counseling helpful in negotiating these hurdles. TELL counseling has a number of bilingual therapists who specialize in relationship counseling. Learning to recognize your own values and customs—along with those of your wife—and being able to discuss these and support each other will be important as you adjust to being new parents and deciding which country is the best option for your family. Developing a support network, perhaps friends from your home country or other intercultural couples and being patient with each other will also help. You might also like to know that many intercultural couples do successfully manage these hurdles, and your cultural differences can make for a fun and interesting relationship. Answer courtesy of TELL. If you need to talk, they're here to listen. Call the TELL Lifeline at 03 5774-0992 from 9am-11pm, 365 days a year or visit their website at www.telljp.com If you want to “Ask Metropolis Anything” about life in Tokyo, send your questions to askanything@metropolis. co.jp and we’ll find the most appropriate people to answer your queries. commit to the full-time responsibility of having a pet, you can help by fostering—this is especially important for us in the Kanto area. We’re always looking for volunteers to help with the care of the dogs and cats at ARK’s shelters, and aid its adoption events in Tokyo, organize fundraising events, as well as gather needed goods such as newspapers, blankets and pet food as donations. Additionally, animal lovers in Tokyo can help spread the word about ARK through social media. What are some upcoming events or milestones for the organization? ARK will be celebrating its 25th anniversary next year, which also happens to be the 10th anniversary of Tokyo ARK. We’re planning to have some big commemoration events, both in Tokyo and Osaka, and get people out to meet some of our wonderful animal friends. What’s your favorite animal-friendly park or location in Tokyo? My wife and I have three little guys who adore parks—although not the hot weather. We most frequently go to Hikarigaoka Park, which has a large space where pets can get a good run before the general public arrives. Our dogs have their own network of friends at the park so touching base with them is very important at the weekends. http://meturl.com/arktokyo 06
family matters THE FULL POKÉMON EXPERIENCE BY BRAD STEPHENSON LINGOIST IT’S SUMMERTIME Summer is the season of beer, fireworks, kakigori (shaved ice) and bon odori dance festivals. So throw on your yukata, get out in the sun and use “-tai desu” to express a few of your hot-weather desires! With the July release of the latest Pokémon movie, Diancie and the Cocoon of Destruction, Poké-popularity is once more at a peak. The whopping 16 Pokémon features produced since 1998 have consistently ranked among the most watched films in Japan—partly due to the success of the long-running video game and anime franchise, but also owing a great deal to the comprehensive experience built around each Poké-movie release. If you’re wondering why your kids are desperate to drag you to the theater, this is it. Any regular moviegoer will know to save ¥600-800 per ticket by buying in advance from a konbini or music shop months before a film’s release. But each Pokémon movie ups the ante by not only offering an exclusive battle card with purchase, but also printing a unique code on the ticket that can be entered into the latest Pokémon video games to download a rare creature over Wi-Fi. A few of these codebearing tickets can still be tracked down after the movie has opened, but they’re typically advance purchase only, and the code is only valid for a limited time. (This year’s code, which unlocks the Legendary Pokémon Darkrai, is good until September 30, 2014.) Fans are then encouraged to bring their Nintendo 3DS systems and Pokémon games (in this case, Pokémon X and Y) to download yet another Pokémon at the cinema. Both the cinema download creature and the ticket code monster are very rare, which makes movie attendance key to achieving the coveted 100 percent completion ratio in each game. There are still occasional chances to catch up, though—the ticket creature is sometimes a re-release of a previous cinema-only download. With a large portion of the audience arriving with a 3DS in hand, the movie theater quickly becomes a prime location for using the system’s wireless StreetPass feature to interact with other players and help complete puzzles, finish mini-games, trade creatures and challenge one another to battles. Until a few years back, theaters were filled with kids playing games throughout each screening, but complaints from less-obsessed moviegoers led to the creation of an animated message that now advises kids to wait until the movie is over to continue their play and download the exclusive prizes. Then, when they open their systems at the end of the film to check their data, they’re left with a surprising amount of content that will keep them busy long after the credits have finished rolling. Pokémon the Movie: Diancie And the Cocoon of Destruction is now playing in theaters nationwide. © Nintendo・Creatures・GAME FREAK・TV Tokyo・ShoPro・JR Kikaku, © Pokémon, © 2014 ピカチュウプロジェクト AMBER GLOW JP Watashi wa beeru wo nomitai desu. EN I want to drink some beer. JP Beeru wa oishii desu-ne. Edamame mo tabetai desu. EN Beer tastes great, doesn’t it? I want to eat some edamame, too. CULTURE CONNOISSEUR JP O-matsuri de kakigori wo tabetai desu. EN I want to eat some shaved ice at the festival. JP Hanabi taikai ni iku node yukata wo kitai desu. EN I’m going to see fireworks, so I want to wear a yukata. Lesson by Meros Language School www.meros.jp K A N 1 う 2 3 4 A C R 2 5 2 21 6 2 7 2 8 9 Down 1. Driving 2. Summer dance: __ odori 3. Ladybug 4. Shaved ice 7. Summer Solution: 1 1 2 3 O ANSWERS AT meturl.com/kanacross 3 S Across 1. Beach or ocean 4. Easy 5. Weather 6. Say 7. Repair or fix 8. Festival 9. Stone S 07
Page 1 and 2: Aug 8-21, 2014 Japan’s Nº1 Engli
Page 3 and 4: inside AUG 8-21, 2014 Photo by Kohj
Page 5: Scientists in Hiroshima have bred a
Page 9 and 10: UKIYO-E TOUR Ukiyo-e (literally,
Page 11 and 12: MORE SPECIALS ONLINE → METURL.COM
Page 13 and 14: fashion fix FESTIVAL CHIC BY SAMUEL
Page 15 and 16: with bands that wore their politica
Page 17 and 18: Concerts POPULAR MTV Zushi Fes Rip
Page 19 and 20: Open Tue-Thu 10am-5pm, Fri 10am-8pm
Page 21 and 22: discover new model trains. Aug 22-2
Page 23 and 24: More reviews and theater details: m
Page 25 and 26: ©100taro Cosme Kitchen Juicery in
Page 27 and 28: Metropolis and its subsequent Class
Page 29: THE JAPAN HELPLINE, 24 hours a day,
Page 32 and 33: Many more Classified ads online! Pl
Page 34 and 35: the last word Side Project PLAYING
Page 36: From Japan’s most famous sites…

Metropolis-Aug-8-2014

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