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By Julian WatersLifestyleMOVIES FASHION PLACES & MOREMusic Dir En Grey — Japan’s Most Exciting Rock Band — Heads to the NorthwestAfter releasing its seventh album, the provocativeand exhilarating band Dir En Greywill hit North America along with Finnishco-headliner Apocalyptica on August 23rd inToronto before weaving its way across the US.Having taken control of the Japanese rockscene, Dir En Grey is collecting fans globallyon a scale rarely seen by Japanese bands.The band’s fan base reaches from Japan liketentacles, touching almost every continent. Togive you an indication of the hype and frenzygenerated by Dir En Grey, when touring inBerlin and Paris, its concerts sold out in eightdays with no promotion, strictly by word ofmouth. Also in 2009 it headlined two NipponBudokan concerts (the famed venue where theBeatles made their Japanese debut), entitled,“UROBOROS — with the proof in the nameof living… —,” which sold out in 15 minutes.Dir En Grey has a reputation for leaving itall on stage, which is why the band has beeninvited to play at top rock events around theworld such as the European Rock Am Ringfestival alongside such outstanding artists asMotley Crue, Iron Maiden and Green Day.Dir En Grey does not put on a run-of-themillgeneric rock concert. Be warned: If youhave heart problems or easily find yourself outof breath, get to the concert early and finda guard rail to hang on to. If there ever hasbeen a band that rocks concert goers beyondutter exhaustion and climax, Dir En Grey isthe one.Dir En Grey is anchored by Lead singer Kyo,who has been with the band since the beginning.He has an incredibly strong voice andcan go from a smooth melody to shoutingwith the devil in a split second. But whatwhips fans into a frenzy is his wicked performanceon stage. Kyo has been known tostart the show in a calm subdued manner andslowly transgress into a trance before burstinginto an intense performance that many fansdescribe as enjoyably shocking.Without giving away too much, I will just saythat Kyo as well as Kaoru (guitar), Die (bassguitar), Toshiya (guitar) and Shinya (drums)provide excitement on par with a StephenKing movie. .Book FOOD SAKE TOKYOFOOD SAKE TOKYO by Yukari Sakamotois a crash course on Japanese food combinedwith a useful Tokyo travel guide filled withplaces to eat and shop. Author Sakamoto wasa trained chef at the French Culinary Instituteand draws on her years of experience workingin the depachika (epicurean food hall) atTakashimaya department store in Tokyo. Thishandy guide is divided into five chapters, eachdevoted to specific categories. Chapter 1 explainsdining etiquette, Japanese food terminologyand the types of dining experiencesyou are likely to encounter. The food chaptercomes next. It explores the most commonJapanese foods, including produce, soy, meats,rice and noodles, and sweets.The beverage chapter quickly introduces morethan 20 Japanese teas and related terms thatyou are likely to run across. Saké, shochu andJapanese wine are explained here, and severalbreweries and wineries are listed in the guide.Chapter 4 deals with places to eat and shop.Starting with Tsukiji, the largest fish market inthe world, Sakamoto helps travelers navigateTokyo’s countless neighborhoods. The finalchapter is aimed at Tokyo travelers who onlyhave a few days in the city. Sakamoto lays outone- and two-day tour suggestions that allowa traveler to experience many of Tokyo’s mustseedestinations in a short amount of time. InSeattle, you can find the book at Elliott BayBook Company, University Bookstore, ThirdPlace Books as well as Barnes & Noble andBorders locations.More info can be found at http://www.littlebookroom.com/© Little Book Room28 息 吹 ibuki • SEPTEMBER / OC TOBER 2010