where`s - Metropolis Magazine
Transcription
where`s - Metropolis Magazine
Japan’s Nº1 English Magazine #938 Mar 16~29, 2012 FREE! where’s the art? Free thinking spaces TRAVEL Apres ski in Niseko DINING OUT California wine and Japanese kushiyaki—we double down in Yokohama THE LAST WORD Japan overcomes class consciousness AKAI MEDICAL CLINIC Cosmetic Surgery Laser Treatment Skin Care www.akaiclinic.com Board Certified Plastic Surgeon and Dermatologist Other cosmetic procedures available. For fees and detailed information services, please refer to our homepage. SEARCH AKAI CLINIC DR. HIDEMI AKAI Is a board-certified plastic surgeon and an associate professor of the Plastic and Reconstructive department of Showa University in Tokyo. Trained at Harvard Medical School, Akai has over twenty years of experience. DR. KEIKO AKAI Is also a board-certified plastic surgeon and skin care specialist, and the Akai Medical Clinic offers a range of cosmetic surgery and laser treatments, including the latest techniques and state-of-the-art technology. NON-SURGICAL TREATMENT Eyelid surgery (technically called blepharoplasty) Is a procedure to remove mostly fat from the upper and lower eyelids to correct drooping upper lids and puffy bags below your eyes - features that make you look older or even interfere with your vision. While it can add an upper eyelid crease to Asian eyes, it will not erase evidence of your ethnic or racial heritage. Blepharo- AccuSculpt plasty can enhance your appearance and your self-confidence, but it won't necessarily meet your ideal. As with all surgery, think carefully about your expectations and discuss them with me. A detached retina or glaucoma gives reason for caution; check with your ophthalmologist before you have surgery. (laser-assisted lypolysis) The AccuSculpt is a state-of-the-art piece of equipment that can help you secure a trim, sexy body without putting in hours at the gym. The new kind of laser-assisted lypolysis it effects, known as Laser-Lipo, removes excess fat deposits in typical areas such as chest, jowls and hips. This innovation uses a specific wavelength to eliminate fat with a minimum of collateral tissue damage. Stop in at AMC to be one of the first in this country to try the AccuSculpt, already a hit AccuSculpt, already a hit in the US market. Breast Procedures Take care of your breasts with a range of procedures at AMC. Augmentation can increase bustline by one or more cup size, at a cost of ¥700,000-900,000. Reduction can reduce back and neck pain, skin irritation and bra strap grooving. And the breast lift can raise them or firm them up nicely. Get in touch for more info. Omotesando → SAG, DROOP, WRINKLES, SUN DAMAGED SKIN, FRECKLES, PORES • EndyMed Pro: 3D RF skin tightening NEW! • Portrait Plasma (Plasma Skin Regeneration) • Affirm / Affirm Multiplex • eMax (Aurora Pro, Refirm, Polaris WRA) • Aurora Pro • Polaris → ACNE & ACNE SCAR • Portrait Plasma (Plasma Skin Regeneration) • Photo Dynamic Therapy • Chemical Peeling, Microdermabrasion → CELLULITE & BODY CONTOURING • AccuSculpt (laser-assisted lypolysis) NEW! • EndyMed Pro: 3D RF Body Contouring • Vela Smooth, MesoTherapy → LASER HAIR REMOVAL Under Arms → BOTOX (ALLERGAN) • Glabeller Lines, Crow’s Feet, Hyperhydrosis, etc. → COLLAGEN & HYARULONIC ACID for Tear Trough, • Laugh Line, Lip Augmentation, Nasal Reshaping → TATTOO REMOVAL with Q-YAG Laser → PRFM(GROWTH FACTOR) & STEM CELL THERAPY NEW! for Skin Rejuvenation and Breast Reconstruction → LEG VEINS SURGICAL TREATMENT → EYELID SURGERY • Upper Eyelid, Lower Eyelid, Baggy Eye → NASAL RESHAPING → FACE LIFT → SILHOUETTE SUTURE FOR THREAD’S LIFT • Minimal Invasive Lifting Surgery with Special Thread → BREAST SURGERY • Breast Augmentation, Lift, Reduction, Nipple Reduction → FAT & STEM CELL INJECTION THERAPY for Breast Augmentation or Facial Contouring → LIPOSUCTION with the Latest Ultrasonic Device → TUMMY TUCK → HAIR TRANSPLANTATION → SKIN SURGERY • Mole / Cyst / Wart / Skin Cancer • Biopsy, Excision, Laser Surgery → FEMALE / MALE GENITAL SURGERY Yokohama KNK Bldg. 3F 3-5-17, Kita-Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo. 1 min. walk from Omotesando stn, A3 exit. Katsukou Bldg. 4F 1-2-8, Houraicho, Naka-ku, Yokohama-shi. 3 mins. walk from JR Kannai stn. Tel: 03-5771-4114 Clinic hours: 11AM~8PM (Mon~Sun) Tel: 045-252-9455 Clinic hours: 11AM~7PM (Tue~Fri) & 11AM~5PM (Sat) We welcome email and phone inquiries | [email protected] www.akaiclinic.com Metropolis Members Club This week’s winner! Congratulations to: Kevin Chambers who won a ¥10,000 dinner voucher Courtesy of Taj Akasaka Do you have some mad n social media skills? Ca e you find cool biz on th ? se ne pa interwebz in Ja d an Interested in print olis online media? Metrop . is looking for an intern If that's you, send a CV and cover letter to .jp [email protected] ★ Prizes ★ Exclusive Events ★ Discounts Upcoming prize! One lucky MMC member will win a Chisun/Loisir accommodation voucher Courtesy of Solare Hotels & Resorts inside Register on the beta site for your chance to win: www.metropolis.co.jp/club #938 Mar 16-29, 2012 Photo of the week Send your snaps to metropolis.co.jp/photo for our online Photo of the Day. The best entries will be chosen for Photo of the Week. Courtesy of The Container The Tokyo Metpod: If it’s going on in Tokyo, it’s going on at metpod.com 10 FEATURE A Place in my art Finding space with Tokyo’s independent art entrepreneurs By David Labi 04 THE SMALL PRINT 05 Upfront 08 Travel 12 Arts & Entertainment Art, Music, Stage 17 AGENDA 23 REAL ESTATE 24 MOVIES 27 Dining out Bites, Izakaya Review, Bar Review 31 ClassifiedS & JOBS 37 horoscope & mediabox 38 the last word cover design: kohji shiiki; Photo: Vanessa Franklin; models: Ines Kljakovic, Julien Sato, artwork: Amano Takeru Chillin' porcine-style at Naha’s Makishi Public Market, by Daniela Brockmann METROPOLIS is Japan's No.1 English magazine, founded by Mark and Mary Devlin in 1994 and published for Japan’s international community by Metropolis KK, a subsidiary of Japan Inc Holdings. METROPOLIS is the only English-language magazine in Japan certified by ABC, Audit Bureau of Circulations. 30,000 copies per printed issue guaranteed CEO/PUBLISHER Terrie Lloyd CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER Neil Butler EDITORIAL Jeff W. Richards (Editor-inchief) David Labi (Editor) Akane “Margarita” Ichikawa, Lisa Wallin (editorial assistants) Anna Cock Gibson (Proofreader) Kyle Hedlund (Content Manager) Franki Webb (INTERN) CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Dan Grunebaum (Music & performing arts) Don Morton (Movies) C.B. Liddell (ART & architecture) Fred Varcoe (SPORTS) DESIGN Kohji Shiiki (ART DIRECTOR) Shane Busato, Louise Rouse (designers) PRODUCTION Helen Langford (Production Assistant) ADVERTISING Niki Kaihara (chief sales manager) Karl Nakashima (Sales manager) Akane Ochi (sales manager - online), Miyuki Miyama, Dai Tanaka (SALES EXECUTIVES) Kanae Mochizuki (interns) ADMINISTRATION/ ACCOUNTING Cherry Cheung (ADMINSTRATION/HR MANAGER/ Classifieds) IT Guilhem Malfre (IT AND web developer) EVENTS Ryo Saito MEDIA Kamasami Kong (Manager) facebook.com/MetropolisMagazine twitter.com/MetropolisTokyo [email protected] Reach over 60,000 Metropolis readers. Advertise with us: [email protected]; http://metropolis.co.jp/advertise 外国人へのプロモーションならメトロポリス6万人の読者へあなたの企業を紹介します。 © Copyright 2011 Metropolis KK. The views expressed herein are not necessarily those of the publisher. Metropolis KK reserves the right to edit or delete any advertisement without notice. 4F Roppongi OG Bldg, 1-3-4 Nishi-Azabu, Minato-ku, Tokyo 106-0031 Tel 03-4550-2929 Fax 03-4550-2859 web www.metropolis.co.jp The Small Print This week’s required reading, by Reg Dunlap “ Miwa Kaneoya I want to… create French dishes that cannot be made by the French” —Nagano native Kei Kobayashi, whose Paris restaurant Sola earned a Michelin less than a year after opening last March SUFFER THE CHICKENS ćć It was reported that 4.37 million chickens in northeastern Japan died following the March 11 earthquake due to disruptions in the supply of feed from overseas. ćć A court in Aichi found that a municipal worker who committed suicide in 2002 was the victim of “power harassment.” Apparently, the guy’s boss would openly harangue his subordinates, and the poor fella couldn’t cope. ćć A 37-year-old woman in Machida killed her 65-year-old mother “following an argument over nutritional breakfasts.” ćć A research team at Tokyo University has found that people who are “surrounded by more acquaintances and tools” benefit from elevated brain functioning compared to their lonely, tool-less counterparts. SNOW GO ćć The roof of a n art museum in Yubari, Hokkaido was crushed by a massive accumulation of snow. The museum was closed at the time, and the fate of several Picassos is unknown. ćć Five teenagers who were caught throwing firecrackers at monkeys in a zoo in Kyoto made amends by cleaning the monkeys’ living area and apologizing to the animals. ćć An American manga called I Kill Giants beat out 145 comics from 30 countries to snag the gold prize at the Fifth International Manga Award in Tokyo. ćć A female junior high school teacher in Osaka was arrested for sending four letters to an acquaintance urging her “to commit suicide by jumping.” COMING & GOING ćć A Gifu-based import company has donated 1 million packages of tofu from Paraguay to victims of the March 11 disaster. ćć Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba said it would be no big deal if Iran carried through with its threat to close off the Strait of Hormuz, as Japan has 200 days worth of oil reserves and a 70-day supply of liquefied natural gas. ćć It was reported that interest in car-sharing services in Japan has surged in the past two years, with the number of users increasing 10-fold, to about 167,700. stats ćć Talk about tough times: bus drivers in Osaka are faced with having their annual salary cut from an average of ¥7.39 million to ¥4.41 million. Ouch! Flyjin by the numbers ćć The justice ministry says the number of foreign residents in Japan decreased by 55,000 in 2011. ćć The prefectures that saw the biggest drops were, unsurprisingly, the ones hit hardest by the Great East Japan Earthquake: Iwate, which lost 15.5 percent of its gaijin, Fukushima (15.1) and Miyagi (13.2). ćć The average flyjin attrition rate in prefectures nationwide was 2.6 percent. ćć The ministry also said that the three largest expat groups currently in Japan are Chinese (674,871), Koreans (545,397) and Brazilians (210,032). ćć Overall, there are 2,078,480 registered foreigners in the country. BOOK SMARTS ćć The Mathematical Society of Japan reported— w ith great sadness, one assumes—that 24 percent of college students who were tested on basic math skills “gave incorrect answers to a question on the concept of averages that is taught to sixth graders.” ćć Scholars hope that the recent discovery of the earliest known published work by 20th-century literary giant Yasunari Kawabata—an account of a funeral that appeared in a magazine in 1917—will help shed light on “the way in which [he] created novels.” ćć A study panel with the infrastructure ministry advised officials in Tokyo to make sure the city can defend itself against “a huge tsunami [that’s] expected every 1,000 years or so.” ćć The University of Tokyo became the first public Japanese university to set up a student recruitment office in India. DUMPLING DIPLOMACY ćć A group of students from the University of Shanghai for Science and Technology traveled to Fukushima and cooked up a bunch of potstickers for evacuees using local ingredients. ćć An unknown perpetrator hacked the website of the Nagoya Zoo and posted a message that said, “Please acknowledge the Nanjing Massacre!” ćć A 22-year-old female exchange student in Beijing suffered cuts to her face in what police believe was a random slashing. ćć The Cabinet approved boosting the coast guard’s law enforcement abilities in territorial waters. Among the new powers is the ability “to investigate cases of illegal entry and destruction of lighthouses.” STRANGE BEDFELLOWS ćć The municipality of Nagaoka in Niigata has entered into a sister-city partnership with the Hawaiian capital of Honolulu. Which is interesting, because Nagaoka’s most famous son is Isoroku Yamamoto—commander-in-chief of the fleet that attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. ćć The mot her of AK B48 performer Minami Takahashi—one of the group’s most popular members—was arrested for having sex with a 15-year-old boy. ćć The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Consumer Agency will distribute 500,000 leaflets urging people to get rid of nonchildproof cigarette lighters. ćć Bottom Story of the Week: “Researchers have discovered that a wooden strip unearthed at an ancient ruins site in Ibaraki Prefecture bore a ‘kanji’ Chinese character meaning the unit for a length of cloth, which had been in use in an ancient capital in western Japan.” (via Mainichi Daily News) Compiled from reports by AP, Japan Today, The Japan Times, The Asahi Shimbun, The Tokyo Reporter, Japan Probe, The Mainichi Daily News, Daily Yomiuri, AFP, Reuters and Kyodo. � 580,000 Construction workers involved in the building of Tokyo Sky Tree, which was officially completed on March 4 � >60 Number of Japanese headed to North Korea next month to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Kim Il Sung � 325 Eggs consumed by an average Japanese person in a year � 1 Countries whose per capita egg consumption exceeds Japan’s. Only Mexicans love their huevos more 04 • download our podcast at • podcast.metropolis.co.jp Coutesy of Andrew Loader people, trends & miscellany q&a Andrew Loader Area Director of Sales & Marketing, ANA InterContinental Tokyo Why did you come to Japan and when? I have been in Japan for six months now, for my work with InterContinental Hotels Group. How’s your Japanese? I realized I was making progress when I was recently in a store. I was able to understand when the sales attendant told someone on the phone she had a crazy foreigner in the store trying to get his order early—and that he would not be getting it... How long have you worked with the ANA InterContinental Tokyo? I was appointed Area Director of Sales and Marketing—Tokyo, based at the ANA InterContinental Tokyo six months ago, but I have worked at IHG for a total of six years. I am responsible for the sales and marketing operations at ANA InterContinental Tokyo, The Strings by InterContinental Tokyo, and ANA Crowne Plaza Narita. Any sticky situations in the marketing department since you got here? Anything to do with mistaken use of auto translation. Can you tell us one of the celebrities and VIPs you’ve met at the hotel. One of the most interesting personalities I met in the last six months was the President of Costa Rica, Laura Chinchilla. Some people make such a striking first impression that you never forget the moment you met them. Where is your favorite spot at the ANA InterContinental Tokyo? Without a doubt, our Club movie news If you were planning a new film festival, what ingredients would you want to stir into the mix? Put it in a tropical paradise? Give it a thematic twist like making it a comedy festival? Even add a marketplace (or “Contents Bazaar”) where international and Japanese producers can meet to talk about co-productions? That’s pretty much the formula that major entertainment agency Yoshimoto Kogyo has hit upon for their Okinawa International Movie Festival (www.oimf. jp/en), now in its fourth year. Held in Naha, the film fest will run March 24-31 and feature world premieres, including Japanese political satire Ah! Minister, and Signal, starring popular actor Kengo Kora. It will also showcase the flick that InterContinental. It is located on the 35th floor of the hotel, and because of the triangular design of our building, has the most incredible vistas from three different perspectives. Any recommendations for readers? Our Michelin-starred Pierre Gagnaire restaurant on level 36 is a very special restaurant indeed. For a magnificent nighttime perspective of the beautiful Tokyo skyline with a dry martini in hand, our cocktail bar MIXX also on level 36, is perfect. Spring is on its way, what kind of events will be on offer at the hotel? Some of the highlights include special accommodation packages for weekend getaways for both couples and families, our Sakura lunch and dinner menus in restaurants Unkai and Karin, and a range of new pastries and breads based on spring seasonal produce in Pierre Gagnaire Pains et Gateaux, located in our lobby. What’s your favorite Tokyo spot to unwind when you’re off duty? High on my list of interests are architecture, and interior and landscape design. So Tokyo is a neverending feast for me. I’m crazy for examples of contemporary Japanese gardens based on traditional design principles. I love the rock terraces at the Imperial Palace Gardens. What’s the best and worst thing about living in Tokyo? The best? I always feel I’ll find a new brilliant discovery around the next corner, and I nearly always do. The worst? People might not agree, but to me this is a silent city, and silence can be deafening. Jeff W. Richards Upfront cinematic underground © Channel Four Films In what is sure to be a surreal evening, an all-night marathon of works by Jan Švankmajer, the wizard of Czech animation, will be held at Shin-Bungeiza in Ikebukuro (3F, 1-43-5 HigashiIkebukuro Toshima-ku; www.shin-bungeiza.com), March 24 from 10:30pm. Švankmajer developed his trademark, dreamlike style by combining live actors, illustrations and props in stop-frame animation, and has applied his time-consuming brand of filmmaking to numerous shorts and features such as Alice (1988; pictured), based on Alice in Wonderland. ShinBungeiza will also pay tribute to the late Takeo Kimura, the most-esteemed art director of Japanese cinema, with a retrospective March 19-24. Kimura created the lush, futuristic sets that characterized Nikkatsu films of the ’50s and ’60s, and debuted as a director at the ripe old age of 90 before passing away in 2010… Momo Matsuri, a showcase of works by young female directors working in Japan, will be held at Shibuya’s Eurospace (1-5 Maruyamacho, Shibuya-ku; www.eurospace. co.jp), March 17-30. The fest started in 2006, and this year’s installment features nine shorts on the theme of suki (which translates as “like” or “love,” depending on who you ask). www. momomatsuri.com Kevin Mcgue scene around town ©CHENMAN Courtesy of Okinawa International Movie Festival swept the Academy Awards, The Artist, and feature the Japan premiere of the Oscar-nominated comedy Bridesmaids. The fest always runs retrospectives and this year we’ll be able to see the film of respected actor Yoshio Harada and muchheralded director Yoshimitsu Morita, both of whom passed away since the last fest was held. All screenings will have English subtitles and, in all, over 80 films will unspool in this meeting of tropical paradise and celluloid. Rob Schwartz Young Pioneer with the Three Gorges (2009) What? Paintings blending febrile imagination with fashion genius Who? Hot Beijing photographer Chen Man Where? Diesel Art Gallery How much? Free See exhibition listings (Shibuya/Ebisu) for details. #938 • wWW.METROPOLIS.CO.JP • 05 CORPORATE IMAGES METROPOLIS READERS GET 25% EXTRA CREDITS ON YOUR FIRST TIME PURCHASE, SEE DETAILS AT www.fotolia.com/metropolis #28813505_XL © olly; #30713504_L © Nomad_Soul; #33343513_L © Doc RaBe; #33956908_L © paylessimages; #24320728_XL © taka; #8019721_L.jpg © Paul Hakimata; #10273593_L © eyedear; #17346395_L © farsouthtommy World leading creative resource. 15 million royalty-free photos, vectors and videos starting at $0.75 Phone: +1(888)674-2299 | www.fotolia.com people, Trends & MIscellany Upfront Hanami Happenings Life is a bowl of cherry blossoms Courtesy of Kamakura Jinrikisha Yufutei Courtesy of Fukagawa Kanko Kyokai Strange Artifact www.strangeartifact.jp 1 2 Join international and Japanese fans of everyone’s favorite Victorian sci-fi fashion mode for a trendy moshpit amongst the cherry blossoms, aka Sakura Steampunk. Bring food, musical instruments and yourself—dressing up not mandatory, but you might feel dumb if you’re the only one not wearing a steel girdle. Apr 1, free. Yoyogi Park. Nearest stn: Harajuku. Tel: 03-3469-6081. http://meturl. com/21 Courtesy of Chichibu-Railway A Moving Sight Punk Ambulant alternatives to the traditional hanami party 1 Boat Take to the water during the Edo Fukagawa Sakura Matsuri in a variety of different boating experiences offered by the local tourist board. The night cruise among the illuminated trees has to be a winner. • Foyboat: ¥500. From 9:30am, Mar 31, Apr 1, 7-8 & 14-15. Kurofunebashi. Nearest stn: Monzennakacho. • Motorboat (day): ¥600. 9am-2:30pm, Mar 31, Apr 1, 7-8. Nihonbashi. Nearest stn: Nihonbashi. • Motorboat for up to 30 people: ¥1,500 per person (inc. tea/sweets and guide). 9:30am-5:20pm. Kurofunebashi. Nearest stn: Monsennakacho. • Night cruise: ¥1,200 (tea & sweets). 4:30-8pm (every 30 min), Mar 31, Apr 1 & 14-15. Kurofunebashi. Nearest stn: Monzennakacho. Koto-ku no Mizube ni Shitashimu Kai. Tel: 03-56392818. www.mon-naka.com/sakura Tidbits Topped with delicate cherry blossoms, the Sakura Mont Blanc Roll Cake (¥1,900, http://meturl.com/ sakcake) is the perfect dessert to round off your hanami party and make you the envy of all the expat wives. Match your booze to the views with Sakura Wine (¥1,200/500ml bottle, http://meturl. com/sakwine) a light rosé with floating blossoms making for a delicate, fruity flavor. App 2 Horse Get equine with the Japan Racing Association Sakura Festival where you can grab a free ride on their horses around the sakura-filled Baji Koen, JRA’s 180,000m2 equestrian park. Firstcome, first-served. Mar 30 & Apr 1, 2-1-1 Kamiyoga, Setagaya-ku. Nearest stn: Sakura Shinmachi. Tel: 03-3429-5101. www.jra.go.jp/bajikouen 3 © Metropolis If your phone is smarter than the average bear, grab the free app Yahoo O-hanami Navi 2012 (http:// sakura.yahoo.co.jp/app). Contains all the best hanami spots countrywide, an up-to-the-minute blooming schedule/ calendar, as well as recipes and a photo gallery. Set the tarp on fire with Joysound Karaoke (http://meturl. com/appkaraoke). Free to download, ¥250 per month for unlimited song downloads. (Both apps in Japanese). 3 Rickshaw Sit back while someone else gets really good exercise. A man-powered rickshaw will take you on a tour of the most popular hanami spots in Kamakura. Grab 13 minutes for ¥2,000, half an hour for ¥5,000 and a full hour for ¥9,000, for you and a partner. Available 9am-5pm while the flowers last. Kamakura Jinrikisha Yufutei. Tel: 090-3137-6384. Nearest station: Kamakura. 4 4 Train Board the 1944 retro steam locomotive Paleo Express for an adventure across the Arakawa River, and gaze on the blushing blossoms from Kumagaya station all the way to Mitsumineguchi station. Unreserved seating is ¥500, but reserving is recommended for just ¥200 more. Chichibu-Railway. Tel: 048-523-3317. www.chichibu-railway.co.jp Rides To soar over the cherry blossoms like a drunk pigeon, Yomiuri Land offers a variety of options. The Sky Shuttle (¥300 one way/¥500 return) and ferris wheel afford you a bird’s eye glimpse of their 270-meter-long colonnade of 1,000 trees. If that ain’t enough, rush through the trees on a 110km/h rollercoaster ride. ¥1,200 (adults)/¥600 (children and seniors). 4051-1 Yanoguchi, Inagi-shi. Tel: 044-9661111. www.yomiuriland.co.jp. #938 • wWW.METROPOLIS.CO.JP • 07 Travel Ski Niseko Japan’s St. Moritz is an international winter playground Text & photos by Brandi Goode T his winter I discovered t he mea n i ng of champagne powder, a ph rase t hat conjures bright eyes and ear-to-ear grins for skiers and snowboarders alike. Interestingly enough, a hefty daily dumping of snow plus a lack of sunshine conspire to produce this magical snow, but no one seems to mind grey skies and persistent snow flurries when it’s a trade-off for this soft, cotton-like snowfall. Niseko, Hok kaido earned its stripes on the international ski scene roughly 50 years ago when Australians started f locking to the area. Hirafu is the central village where most restaurants and bars are also located. Purchase an all-mountain lift pass and you gain further access to Niseko Village and Annupuri, which are home to some nice accommodation choices, including the Hilton and Greenleaf properties. Rates start at around ¥15,000 on weekdays and can double on weekends. Annupuri is also quite popular for beginning ski bunnies and families because of its w ide, gent le slopes. Local buses run between all ski areas between 8am and 8pm for a small fee, but with the all-mountain pass there’s no charge. The less costly Grand Hirafu lift pass includes the Hanazono runs, which can be reached via free shuttle buses that ply the mountain route and include convenient pickup points around Hirafu. The Terrain Park and backcountry zones Blueberry and Strawberry Fields draw a fair crowd of snowboarders to the area. Try the 308 Café to enjoy the finest slope-side food in Niseko; their ¥1,400 bowl of steaming kani (crab) ramen (pictured, top right) is legendary. For lunches near the Hirafu lifts, Downtown Cafe and J-Sekka Deli, located across from The Vale Niseko, are top picks. J-Sekka wins the prize for best coffee in town (amazing cappucino for ¥450)and also sells fresh Hokkaido meats and cheeses. Man cannot live on snow alone Unlike Niseko’s sister city St. Moritz, Ni seko’s après-sk i opt ion s a re rather tame, but fear not, as there are plenty of places around Hirafu to enjoy some mulled w ine and regale your companions with tales of your conquests (or fiascos) on the slopes. Unfortunately the turnover is high within the food and beverage industry and you’ll likely find that last year’s hot spots have either shut down or changed ownership, name or concept. Some of the region’s stalwarts are Blo Blo Bar, located on Aleisha Riboldi Getaways Cape Soya W 08 • download our podcast at • podcast.metropolis.co.jp it h coordinates of 45 deg rees, 31 m i nutes, and 14 seconds North, Cape Soya in Hokkaido is the northernmost point of Japan. and the journey to the top is a long one: an Advertorial © Vuk Vukmirovic - Fotolia.com Crash Course Niseko the main road, Hirafu-Zaka Street. Its signature ¥600 flaming cocktail ensures a steady stream of customers late into the evening (1am in these parts). There are also some novelty bars worth checking out, including Gyu, or “Fridge Door.” Look for a miniature, bright red freezer door in a snowpile (pictured, top left) midway down Yotei-Zaka Street to find the entrance to this drinking institution. The Ice Bar, rebuilt in a new location every year, is also not to be missed. This year’s venue featured a snow slide in the rear, an ice luge, and ice glasses with colorful, albeit pricey, ¥1,000 cocktails. Hiraf u has an abunda nce of restaurants, but if you want a table around prime dinner hour (7-9 pm), it’s wise to book ahead. Rin is a noteworthy izakaya in the Lower Village while Kakashi has a convenient location on Koen Avenue just off the slopes. The latter is a friendly, family-run establishment with a mama-chan who loves to drink with her guests. For affordable upscale dining, we recommend Lupicia in Hirafu South Village with fourcourse dinner sets priced at ¥6,500. Lupicia’s concept is European-Asian fusion prepared with local Hokkaido ingredients. Book ahead and they will send a van for pick up. Finally, what ski holiday would be complete without an onsen trip? If you plan to visit at least two, consider buy ing a Yumeg uri Onsen Pass. There is also a Yumeguri bus that will take you to all 12 participating onsens. Most facilities charge a towel fee in addition to the average ¥600 entrance fee, so be sure to bring your own or be prepared to pay ¥300 extra. There are typically a couple vending machines outside the main bathing area, so you’ll want to buy any drinks before heading in to change. In Hirafu my favorite onsen is Yukoro on Yukemuri Avenue. It’s tiny, but they have an indoor and outdoor pool (rotenburo, pictured center) framed with snow-covered boulders. Venture a little further out past Annupuri to Grand Hotel to find a scenic mixed-gender rotenburo, a rare find in Japan. For something truly special, Yukichichibu Onsen boasts over 10 different pools set amidst a mountain backdrop. Their red and yellow-hued pools have a strong mineral content and ladies can enjoy a mud bath. Yuk ichichibu is 25 minutes from Hirafu by car or the last stop on the Yumeguri shuttle bus. early flight from Tokyo to Sapporo, and from there an eight-hour drive to Wakkanai. Make that 10 hours if you make a wrong turn or two. It’s a long, scenic road trip across Hokkaido. Endless green pastures and blue skies. Fresh air, cool breeze, the sea on one side and rice paddies on the other. Stretches on endlessly. It’s dark by the time we arrive at the port town of Wakkanai. Here we find road signs not only in Japanese and English, but also Russian, for we are only a stone’s throw away from Sakhalin, across the water. Wakkanai is the last major town before you reach the tip of Japan. From here you can get a ferry to nearby Japanese islands Rishiri and Rebun. You can even catch a boat to Russia. A f ter a long day of d r iv i ng through the Hokkaido countryside, we stop over in Wakkanai for the night. Wakkania Youth Hostel turns out to a surprise bargain. Despite the rundown exterior, we are pleasantly surprised. For around ¥2,000 a private room, we eschew the shared dorm for the run of a large furnished mini-apartment. There’s our own washing machine, stove, fridge, TV, bathroom, and a separate tatami room that comfortably sleeps four, though we are only three. Hotel trimmings at hostel prices. Early the next morning we are on the road again, for Soya Misaki (Cape Soya). From Wak kanai it’s just a 30-m i nute d r ive, a nd a l l roads head north. No getting lost this time around. We take the obligatory photo at the monument informing us of the fact that we stand at “the most northern point in Japan.” Lucky for us, it’s a clear September morning, and the faint shoreline of Russia can be seen glowering darkly in the distance. An icy chill runs down our spines. A shrine offers some northerly prayertime and a souvenir store allows the buying of a multitude of trinkets. Across the road can be found the Peace Park, up on higher ground. From there, you can score a higher vantage point onto the convergence point of the Sea of Okhotsk and the Sea of Japan. You might even spot the odd fox or two. It feels great to be on top. It’s just a shame that it’s a long, long way back down from here. Aleisha Riboldi Tokyo Trip Tips ● From Tokyo, fly to Sapporo’s Chitose airport. Air Do operates budget flights from Haneda. ● From Chitose, you can take either a JR train or shuttle bus to Kutchan, the next major town to Niseko’s central Hirafu Village. You can then catch the free shuttle bus on to Hirafu. ● Both the train and bus take around 2.5 hours with the Niseko Express train that operates during peak season, Dec-Feb. The bus is more direct, cheaper and simpler for those with heavy bags, but the train stops in Sapporo if you want to schedule a stopover in Hokkaido’s capital. Attorney Kei Sumikawa gives Metropolis readers fender bender advice W hen involved in a car accident in Japan, and keen to claim damage against the insurance company, it is advisable to consult an attorney-at-law (bengoshi). To receive appropriate compensation, you’ll first need to assess how much you are entitled to. This is where you need someone with the technical knowledge to do the complicated calculations required for assessment. Of course, the insurance company might assess the damage themselves and offer you a settlement, but insurance companies are likely to restrain their spending—so they might not pay you the desired amount. In that case, you’ll have to calculate the damage yourself and negotiate with the company to receive the appropriate sum. Other problems can crop up. For example, insurance companies can demand you terminate medical treatment so they can save on costs. You’d then have to convince them the treatment is still necessary. Negotiations with an insurance company are very difficult—even for native Japanese. Obviously it will be even worse if you’re not a native speaker, and not used to negotiating such things in Japanese. If you’re not satisfied with the insurance company’s offer, you’ll then have to bring the problem to court. You might also have to file a lawsuit. If you appoint an attorney, he or she can represent you through the whole process. So, it’s recommended to seek a specialist’s advice for assessing your damage, and negotiating with the insurance—the sooner, the better. Contact for more info. Sumikawa Law Office. 2-690-9 Saiwai-cho, Saiwai-ku, Kawasaki. Email: web@sumikawa. net. Nearest stn: Kawasaki. http:// sumikawa.net #938 • wWW.METROPOLIS.CO.JP • 09 Feature The first art gallery space as we know it is said to be the Palais du Louvre, opened as a museum in 1793 by the French Revolutionary government. By 1863, sufficient opposition to the narrow views of the artistic establishment led to the opening of the Salon des Refusés featuring work by “rejected” artists. This process occurred in Japan, too, with the Meiji government’s first westernstyle exhibition, the Bunten, quickly garnering criticism as being élitist and conservative. Since then, Japan’s artistic reactions against the establishment have taken different forms, like the mass production of socially critical art magazines in the early 20th century, and avant-garde movements such as the Hi-Red Center in the ’60s, who responded to the government’s pre-Olympics cleanup of the city by heading out in white suits to “clean” it themselves. Today, the élitist and conservative tags have given way to a charge that the main galleries in Tokyo only pander to big names from overseas— or Japanese artists who have proven t hemselves i n ot her cou nt r ies. Emerging and mid-career artists can rent gallery spaces for their exhibitions, but this is pricy, and they will probably only reach a limited audience of friends and contacts. Those familiar with the thriving independent art projects of London or New York might be surprised to come across fewer such ventures here in Tokyo. A common refrain from new artistic entrepreneurs is that the Tokyo scene is “too clean.” So at least, says Julien Sato, cofounder of M (Event Space & Bar), a combined arts space in Daikanyama. Sato points at the graffiti on the bar by Japanese artist Must. “That kind of thing is street art in other countries,” he says. “Here in Japan there is very little space for that kind of expression.” M, he hopes, can offer one. Canadian maverick curator Shai Ohayon began running his successful ArtGig event in Tokyo for much the same reason. During his time working in London, among other things using Heritage Lottery funds to develop historic mansion Fulham Palace as an open gallery space, he didn’t feel the need to organize any of his notorious art installation and music marathons. “London is dirty enough already—they don’t need my dirt on top of it,” he laughs. “But Tokyo really needs it.” During his time working with bureaucracy and red-tape in London, Ohayon “realized that restrictions can make you more creative.” Putting this to the test he began to curate The Container, a gallery that a place in my art Finding space with Tokyo’s independent art entrepreneurs By David Labi is literally a shipping container inside Bross Hair Salon in Daikanyama. There, he runs four exhibitions a year, of which the creative part is working out how to integrate them into the limited space. This issue of art and space in Tokyo is, of course, inf luenced by the restrictions imposed by one of the most expensive cities in the world. Tamura Masamichi took the notion to the extreme by opening Tana Gallery Bookshelf on the bookshelf of Bigakko art workshop in Jimbocho, renting the space for ¥2,000 a month—a symbolic rental agreement that he only ever paid once. “People might say it’s small, but I don’t think it’s small,” says Masamichi. “It’s an adequate space if you want to have an independent art space in Tokyo—in terms of the financial conditions.” T he ga l ler y has had va r ious experimental exhibitions that are interesting precisely because they have to deal with such a limited area. The current work is “Klangstube” by German artist Florian Haupt, which is a moving contraption that makes a variety of noises, and which visitors are encouraged to push and pull the buttons of to alter the sound and movement. Brad Bennett, an American photographer, cyclist, and tour guide amid many other passions, hopes his new arts space in Sasazuka, Studio C—home of live music events, art and photography exhibits, art 10 • download our podcast at • podcast.metropolis.co.jp classes for kids, artisanal workshops and more—can provide a platform for collaboration. Bennett funds the space, for example, by hiring it out as a studio, or allowing teachers to rent the space or pay a percentage. This allows for Studio C’s free monthly art events, and regular exhibitions such as experimental photo exhibit “Sparks” by Ken Iwai. Wel l-k now n a r t s a nd music space SuperDeluxe in Nishi-Azabu was founded ten years ago, and they also host corporate events to allow for ot her more ar t ist ic happenings that would probably not reap financial rewards. “People always say to me that in any other country we would benefit from some kind of governmental support for all we do for the arts,” points out co-founder Mike Kubeck. By providing spaces for lesser-known artists, without the resources, contacts or know-how to make it big, are spaces like SuperDeluxe confronting the startling lack of institutional arts funding in Japan? “We’re not consciously doing that,” replies Kubeck. “We are primarily motivated by what interests us. If that has the effect of plugging the gap then that is great.” M employs a similar system. Set up by 30-year-old Japanese-French twins Julien and Kenji Sato, along with Japanese associate Yoneda Norifumi, it was a natural follow-on from the brothers’ work running arty PR events for companies such as Perrier. “Our idea was to take underground artists from Japan and overseas and bring them out.” In December 2009, they founded M Space to separate the artistic side from the PR event organizing side, using one to fund the other. The idea of M is a neutral platform. “Even the name “M” can mean whatever you want it to mean,” says Sato. The layout is minimal with comfortable furniture that makes people feel at home, while being easily rearrangeable for different events. The space has a rotating gallery of works by international and Japanese artists, and has brought DJs, musicians, live painters, dancers and more within its walls to reach new vistas through collaboration. As in Studio C, where Bennett says, “I don’t consider myself a qualified curator but I do know something good happens when people get together.” That is the thinking behind SuperDeluxe, too. Kubeck refers to the “cross-pollination” that takes place when creative people get together— no matter their favored medium. This is something the founders learned working in a shared office space—formerly a taxi garage—in Azabu-Juban, where they would host monthly experimental music events under the name “Deluxe.” “In a shared office you can get stuck on your own stuff, only to find the solution by spending time with people engaged in something totally different,” says Kubeck. “The energy and buzz make everyone more than the sum of their parts.” But t he space needs to ex ist for these disparate forces to come together. “Artists could be doing something vital and significant in their own world but never get outside that,” explains Kubeck. As “curator,” SuperDeluxe has brought many of these people outside their worlds to create somet hing ma r velous together. A prime example is slated for May 10-13, when a performance and exhibition will bring together underground manga artist Toyo Kataoka with experimental theatre troupe Crack Iron Albatrossket. Funk y artist collective Shibu House push this collaborative ideal to the extreme by living together. Their house in Shibuya where 17 residents currently lay their head (most of them in the same room), boasts painters, musicians and a theater director among its gang. There, they live and breathe art among a stupendous manga, DVD and game collection, and host various events such as monthly parties with DJs in the basement and live painting on the roof. Like the Sato brothers, Shibu House founder Keita Saito was working in art PR when he had 1 Other alternative art spaces... 2 4 the idea. “The Tokyo art scene is not interesting,” he says. “The problem is the Edo Period was too good, we can’t compete.” According to Saito, Shibu House is the only place of its kind in Tokyo, and the lack of this kind of artistrun residence here is what surprises Ohayon, who is planning to host an ex hibition of Shibu House in The Container next year. The current exhibition is a haunting video installation by UK artist Ami Clarke, “Be Seeing You,” which makes use of footage from cult TV series The Prisoner. The black and cramped shipping container focuses attention on the flashing images, while noises 3 5 and smells wafting in from the surrounding hair salon serve to further increase one’s disorientation. So by experimenting with how art should be produced, displayed and experienced, are these initiatives changing the face of Tokyo art? Masamichi believes that these kinds of spaces were always there, though he concedes that Tana Gallery Bookshelf and The Container are two of very few spaces of their kind right now. Shibu House’s uniqueness, on the other hand, could influence other artist-run residences of this kind. Ohayon, for his part, believes a change might be nigh, owing in part to the tragic disasters of March 11, 2011. “3/11 facilitated SCAI the Bathhouse This Yanaka gallery in a 200-year-old bathhouse supports avant-garde and emerging artists. Closed for installation. www. scaithebathhouse.com 3331 Chiyoda Based in a done-up high school, 3331 blends cutting edge and day-to-day in a free-to-enter gallery and arts center. www.3331.jp Tokyo Wondersite In three central Tokyo locations, TWS nurtures young talent in various fields through residences and other programs. www. tokyo-ws.org Kid Ailack Hall With a name meaning joy, anger, sorrow and humor, Kid Ailack offers live painting, poetry, performance, buyo dance, etc. to stimulate these emotions. Founded in 1964, it is one of the oldest shared arts spaces in Tokyo. www.kidailack.co.jp. something,” he says. “People became more aware of political matters, started organizing things themselves.” In the end it is that reliance on 6 one’s own projects that is essential for this breed of Tokyo artistic pioneers. This is what Kubeck calls the “punk esthetic,” the DIY nature of an art that people do themselves, without worr ying about institutional support or any other considerations. This keys into the purpose of art itself, according to Masamichi. “Art can do something independent of the dominant logic in the market.” And if you are keen on stepping outside of that dominant logic, these spaces might be a good place to start. See highlighted listings for details of upcoming events at these venues, and check their homepages for more info: • M (Event Space & Bar) www.mevent-bar.com • Shibuhouse, www.shibuhouse. com • Studio C http://studioctokyo. core.ne.jp • The Container, http://the-container.com • Tana Gallery Bookshelf http:// rad-commons.main.jp/tana 1 M (EVENT BAR & Space), Photo by Vanessa Franklin; models: Ines Kljakovic, Julien Sato; 2 superdeluxe, Photo by beermike, Tensui-ren vs DH Rosen 3 Shibuhouse; 4 Studio C tokyo, Photo by Brad bennett 5 Tana Gallery Bookshelf: Photo by Masaru Kaido, Klangstube by Florian Haupt, at Tana Gallery Bookshelf 6 The Container #938 • wWW.METROPOLIS.CO.JP • 11 Arts & Entertainment All the best in arts & culture across the metropolis art Art Fair Tokyo Find your own way at this feast of variety By C. B. Liddell E very year Art Fair Tokyo comes around and every year it tries to find a big idea to tie everything together and sell the event. Last year, it was all about pick ing up the pieces following the big earthquake, a natural enough storyline and certainly a compelling one for the event. This year, it’s time to move on and find a new narrative for the weekend of art. With Deutsche Bank Group serving as the main sponsor and the President of Art Fair Tokyo a former trader in the financial industry, not surprisingly they’ve gone for the idea of internationalizing the Japanese art world by reaching out to the rest of Asia. This year’s slogan is “Tokyo as a city within Asia,” and there is a new section called “Discover Asia,” where prominent galleries from major Asian cities will be showcased along with Japanese galleries that have been receiving international acclaim. But this is all fanfare, hullabaloo, and design by committee. The real story, as it is every year, is the individual story of each visitor. With more than 160 participating galleries, what Tokyo Art Fair does best is to present a great deal of real variety, simply because it is impossible to get so many galleries toeing the same line. This is not like, say, going to a Jackson Pollock exhibit, deciding halfway through you don’t really care for the pissed-off guy with a paint can, and then having to endure the rest of the exhibition. With AFT, there’s always something completely different in the next booth. In such an environment, subjective taste is king and each visitor will put together his or her own unique “exhibition” simply by following his or her artistic nose. With this in mind, here are some of my picks from the forthcoming fair. Art Fair Tokyo, Mar 30-Apr 1 at Tokyo International Forum. See other events listings for details. 1. A Year (2012) by Kumi Machida With an elegant feel for line, neoNihonga artist Machida creates images suffused with a strange sentience and mystique. 2. Sparkling Port (2011) by Chisato Tanaka Tanaka uses an updated chiaroscuro style to set off her bright acrylic colors, creating a work that evokes the precarious nature of life on Japan’s tsunamiprone seacoast. 3. Pagoda Pot (2008) by Keiko Matsumoto Matsumoto’s keen sense of humor throws together unlikely objects in odd ceramic works. Sometimes it fails, but this time it definitely works. 4. Taito-ku Brain Music Street (2010) by John Hathaway Gaijin otaku artist Hathaway’s fine art inkjet prints evoke a rich world of sensation and desire, putting the 12 • download our podcast at • podcast.metropolis.co.jp kawaii into our Blade Runner city. 1 5. Blood, Natsuko (2012) by Yasunari Ikenaga Using a mix of Japanese and western painting techniques, Ikenaga creates a sumptuous and stylish work that evokes a mood of intimacy and pleasure. 6. In a Dream (2011) by Yoko Shimizu With a clear debt to the rich decoration of Austrian symbolist Gustav Klimt, Shimizu evokes the polymorphous world of dreams. 7. Tomorrow (2012) by Hiroki Yamamoto Like a Dutch master transported to 21st-century Tokyo, Yamamoto’s realist oil painting combines modernity with a classic feel to create timeless beauty. 8. Sushi with Balan (2011) by Shoji Miyamoto Miyamoto’s 6 2 7 3 4 5 8 woodcuts on Japanese paper create caricatures of food that actually make the mouth water. 9 9. Looking for Good Things (2011) by Toru Kamei Kamei’s oil painting combines a mood of memento mori with a tacky sense of humor to create an odd feeling of optimism. Promoted by IGR The Hiatus Courtesy of FOR LIFE MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT W hen the Tohoku earthquake struck, Takeshi Hosomi was in the studio recording with his band The Hiatus. “It was a hard experience because we had to face the real meaning of being a musician,” the singer says about halting work on their new album A World Of Pandemonium. “All I could do was go up north and help as a volunteer,” continues the frontman for alt-rock juggernaut Ellegarden,who are currently taking a break from activity. Hosomi helped out in Ishinomaki, Kesennuma and other locations. “I always want to say to people, ‘Hey wake up, do you think it’s going to last forever?’ I thought 3/11 might provide that moment, but nobody wants to listen.” Despite appearances, the album title doesn’t refer to the disaster. “This record is all about my perspective on the world,” explains Hosomi in English learned in a brief stint as a Silicon Valley software engineer. “To me chaos is kind of a good thing—it also means chance… opportunity.” Hosomi still hopes 3/11 can provide the impetus for change. “Japanese society always wants stability, like the smooth surface of water, but perfect stability is to me almost like death,” he says. “For example, the education system doesn’t encourage people to be unique. It’s good to be different from everybody else—but if you go that direction the teacher or boss won’t like you. This seems wrong to me.” Hosomi should know. The soft-spoken frontman for two of Japan’s most successful bands dropped out of high school. His goal wasn’t to become a rock star, but to race motorcycles. “My life became twisted, but in a good way,” he laughs. Leaving high school, Hosomi worked in a factory to pay for his motorcycle, and then ended up piling up debts playing pachinko before turning to the computer industry as a source of cash. “It was good money, but I felt like doing music,” says Hosomi, who had long played music as a hobby. “Then I had a chance to get a production deal. My intention was not to be a professional musician—I just wanted to have fun—it was a lot more fun than wearing a tie.” Not only did Hosomi get a production deal, he ended up leading one of Japan’s most successful rock acts of the ’00s. Between 1998 and 2008 alt-rockers Ellegarden played Fuji Rock, backed the Foo Fighters, and had a number one album in the form of 2006’s Eleven Firecrackers. But then it was time to, um, go out with a bang. “Everyone wants to think that the name The Hiatus [not to be confused with Iranian-English producer “Hiatus”] comes from Ellegarden’s taking a hiatus,” Hosomi comments. “But I just took that word from the drawer. It captured my imagination.” The Hiatus is something of an all-star outfit, bringing together Hosomi with fellow rock royalty bassist Koji Ueno formerly of leather-clad garage group Thee Michelle Gun Elephant and drummer Takashi Kashikura of math-rock outfit Toe. Filling out the lineup with keyboardist Hirohisa Horie and guitarist “masasucks,” the group takes Hosomi’s vocals in an artier, more progressive direction. The first song of the album “Deerhounds” opens with acoustic guitars before building to a head on the strengths of Kashikura’s protean drumming. Hosomi sings, “My empty soul is screaming out/Just starting out in the world of pandemonium,” in the fluent—if sometimes inscrutable English—that offered the title for the album. “I don’t know where my lyrics come from—they just seem to be there,” he says. “But it’s not like I write my songs alone and then bring them to the studio. It’s a group effort. In Ellegarden I was writing all the songs, but now just the melodies.” The Hiatus recently finished an extensive nationwide tour that wrapped up at Tokyo’s Studio Coast. Next month they tour overseas for the first time to Seoul, Korea, where they’ll headline the V-Hall. The gigs should make for plenty of pandemonium—but of the good kind. Takeshi Hosomi performs solo at Studio Coast on Mar 18. See concert listings (popular) for details. #938 • wWW.METROPOLIS.CO.JP • 13 Embrace the city Metropolis provides for your dining, traveling, shopping—and living—needs in Japan MetroHomes • Largest English-language property website in Japan with 10,000+ properties • Listings from major realtors: Ken, Plaza, Japan Home Search, Sumitomo, and others Shopping • Shop in English from anywhere in Japan • Wine today and more on the way • 25%~35% discount on listed wines • Easy search and filter • Selection cases available • Handy history to save previous searches • New World wines a specialty • Updated daily • Next day delivery metrohomes.jp metroshopping.jp JapanTourist.jp • Japan’s fastest-growing recommendation-based dining website • Hundreds of reviews from Metropolis experts • Rank and review your favorite restaurants • Special discount and campaign coupons from participating stores • Register to become a MetroDining expert writer, and earn free meals metrodining.jp • Japan’s first English-language recommendation-based travel website • Hundreds of articles growing by 500+ a month • Local experts write about favorite places with photos • Post your own experiences and earn redeemable points • Top contributors compete in our TourSumo Banzuke japantourist.jp Arts & Entertainment music Orbital The Hartnoll bros’ second coming By Dan Grunebaum O stage Gabez Silent comedy gets the Tokyo treatment Japanese samurai.’ We choose topics people can relate to easily.” Influenced by Charlie Chaplin’s silent comedy, and Japanese humorists The Drifters, Gabez blends mime and physical gags with alarmingly Courtesy of Beatink rbital’s Paul and Phil Hartnoll may be the landed gentry of electronic music, but that doesn’t mean they’re stuck in their old analog foxhunting ways. When I reach younger brother Paul he’s reveling in the rare English sun, programming a live set for their new album on his laptop. “We didn't find a computer approach that was good enough until Ableton software came along,” Hartnoll explains about their move to computers. “These days everyone’s spoiled. We've got too much technology. You have to be disciplined— there is no end to the recording process now.” Orbital’s first disc since their 2009 reunion, Wonky excels at the kind of hooky, melody-driven techno that made them giants of ’90s electronic music. “In the old days you could hear the simplicity of music that was made with only a few synths,” Hartnoll says. “There was a kind of raw joy to it that we’ve tried to maintain.” A band that’s headlined Glastonbur y and Woodstock presumably has all the gear time and money can provide. How do they stay focused? “I'm not entirely sure… it’s something you instinctively feel over the years,” he muses. “The first few hours of a song are going to be the heart and soul—the rest of the time is wrestling that into shape. The discipline is knowing when to stop.” Exposure to Detroit techno was an ear-opening experience for the Hartnoll bros, but their sound derives as much from pop as it does from hardcore dance music. “If it doesn't stir me emotionally it's not working,” Paul affirms. “The stuff that influenced me was Kraftwerk, Cabaret Voltaire—song-based electronic groups more than my contemporaries.” Now 43 a nd w it h t h ree k id s, Ha r t nol l approaches music from a different perspective than two decades ago, when he and his brother named their group “Orbital” after the London ring road near which many raves were held in the late ’80s and early ’90s. “It feels totally refreshed,” he says breathlessly. “We had to go away and have a break. We were fed up with each other and what we were doing. We had to appreciate what we’d given up. We came back to it wiser, and with knowledge to resurrect creatively, which is an amazing thing to do—to find that it is still very full of life.” Invited to play England’s Big Chill in 2009, the Hartnolls were so enthused at being back on stage together that they decided to get to work on a new album. The resulting collection of tracks takes its name from the second to last outing, the zany “Wonky” featuring the wind-up raps of voluble 23-year-old Brit-hopper Lady Leshurr. Other tracks bear the distinct imprint of the currently inescapable subterranean bass lines of dubstep. “For me, music is a cultural group experience,” Paul explains. “We play music to people, we listen, it's like one big circulated idea, a big melting pot. You take your influences and do it your way. We've got modern dubsteppy sounds because we enjoy some of the great stuff going on, but then there’s also a lot of contemporary modern folk music I listen to which influenced it. Influences are unavoidable because music is one big thing we all experience together.” Orbital returns in May to reprise an appearance at Metamorphose, which was canceled last September amid a typhoon. First on these shores 20 years ago, they’ve headlined all the big events in Japan, including some of the formative ’90s raves on the slopes of Mt. Fuji. Where will they be another two decades down the road? “Sitting on this bench, talking to people like you,” Hartnoll affirms. “Stopping and starting again was the best thing we ever did. We are really fired up and wouldn't have been as inspired as we are now. Retiring once was great, but I'm not doing that again.” Metamorphose @Makuhari Messe, May 12. Wonky is available on Beat Records Mar 28. explains Masa ruefully. “We felt worthless. So we decided to call ourselves ‘garbage.’ But we changed the spelling to make it cooler.” With his movie star looks, Masa plays the straightman to Hitoshi’s Dan Grunebaum by Dan Grunebaum Y oyog i pa rk sees its f a i r s h a r e of s t r e e t entertainers. But comedy duo Gabez’s lud ic rous sendup of samurai swordsmen seems to catch more attention than most. No matter how many times they slice and dice each other they just refuse to die, making a mockery of mortality. “It’s easy to make people laugh because everybody has played at sword fighting as kids,” says Hitoshi (right) in an interview with partner Masa at park headquarters, after engaging an international crowd on a blustery winter’s day. While the Japanese love for swords is no news, the skit strikes a chord with foreigners, too. “They think, ‘Of course, dexterous dance moves honed by many years of practice. A n increasing ly hig h prof i le hasn’t helped their opinion of themselves. “We did street performances for a few years, TV auditions, everything… but no one responded,” irrepressible buf foon. “For him everything’s a joke,” Masa says about Hitoshi, whom he met years back in a theater troupe. “At first it pissed me off, but now I’m amazed at his ability to keep it up.” Gabez were recently taken under the wing by Gamarjobat, the silent comedy duo that has been Japan’s most successful comedic export. At the end of the month, the two pairs will join others as the Gamarjobat Project. “We don’t know exactly what’s going to happen,” admits Hiroshi. “Basically it will be the four of us plus a few more. We haven’t begun rehearsing yet, although apparently Gamarjobat already has a plan.” Comedy is ha rd to t ra nslate —despite centuries of tradition, Japa nese com ics a ren’t k now n abroad. Gabez uses body language to sidestep linguistic barriers. “We Japanese respond to comedy because we’re so serious in daily life,” Hiroshi says, pointing to forms from 600-year-old kyogen to contemporary owarai. “But Gabez jokes around all the time.” “It’s our sheer idiocy that makes people laugh,” says Masa, drawing the inescapable conclusion. “From k ids to the elderly—anyone can understand it.” Kinokuniya Hall, Mar 27-28. See stage listings for details. www. gabez.jp #938 • wWW.METROPOLIS.CO.JP • 15 AGENDA Metpod By Dan Grunebaum Courtesy of Makyo © Pascal Victor / ArtComArt nightlife dance opera � Blending Indian music, bellydance and dub, Tokyo musician Makyo has forged new ground as a producer. Of late he’s turned in a more acoustic direction, adding Indian hammer dulcimer player Jimi Miyashita, oud virtuoso Madoka, percussionist Tateiwa and belly dancer Hayati to his band. Makyo himself provides beats and electronics to the delicate and vibrant mix. He notes this is about “real live music, not just pressing play on a laptop. Electronic music gear these days has the flexibility to do a lot of stuff in real-time.” Rob Schwartz Tsukimiru, Mar 29, see concert listings (jazz/ world) for details. � English Royal Ballet director/choreographer Will Tuckett turns his hand to an ancient Japanese folk tale in a ballet world premier starring Japanese dance phenom Yasuyuki Shuto. The Crane Maiden tells the tale of a poor old couple whose wish for a child is answered in the form of a beautiful girl after they rescue a wounded crane. The girl secretly weaves them a beautiful cloth of unimaginable value, but when the couple reveals her clandestine handiwork she reverts to a crane and flies away. Kanagawa Arts Theater, Mar 16-18. See stage listings for details. � Renowned English theater director Peter Brook takes his final bow as head of Paris’s Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord with a highly acclaimed, stripped down version of the Mozart opera. In the 86-yearold Brook’s hands, the two-act opera is culled to a no-intermission 90-minute romp, with only a cast of seven singers, two actors and virtuoso pianist Remi Atasay to occupy the stage. Composed in 1791, Mozart’s beloved The Magic Flute follows the handsome Tamino as he overcomes trials to win the hand of the lovely Pamina. Saitama Arts Theater, Mar 22-25. See stage listings for details. Takehiro Goto (Yukai) Courtesy of Creativeman ©2010 六本木アートナイト実行委員会 Makyo album Release The Crane Maiden A Magic Flute festival gig event � One hundred cheerleaders in cute Sumida River-themed minisk irts w ill be on hand to encourage participants in next weekend’s Sumidagawa Parade. With the Tokyo Sky Tree due to open in May, the event is part of efforts to highlight the rejuvenation of the old downtown shitamachi neighborhoods along the river. Side attractions include a market featuring goods representative of the district’s monozukuri traditional crafts culture, a Designeast Mobile Workshop highlighting the area’s cutting-edge designers and a curiously titled Light x Fashion Workshop. Azumabashi to Sakurabashi, Mar 24. See festival listings for details. � The bands that launched a million moshpits are back in Japan for the seventh annual Punkspring festival. In a dream bill for local melocore heads, SoCal warhorse Offspring head up the bill along with Canada’s Sum 41. Bringing the funk to the punk will be Suicidal Tendencies, while Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas take punk to the darkside. Rounding out the bill are LA hardcore icons the Descendents and younger bands like New Found Glory. One-off gigs in town are also scheduled for Suicidal Tendencies and the Descendents. Makuhari Messe, Mar 31. See concert listings (popular) for details. � Canceled last year in the wake of the quake, Roppongi’s annual all-night art fest returns to the districts museums and galleries. Major works— including a new installation by Japanese modern art doyenne Yayoi Kusama—will be on display at the Roppongi Hills Arena, while major museums and galleries will open their doors to punters till 6am. Among the shows underway is an exhibition of leading Chinese woman artist Lee Bul at the Mori, while special screenings of works by young animators will be shown at the NACT. Mori Art Museum, The National Art Center, Tokyo and other venues, March 24-25. See other events listings for details. Sumidagawa Parade Punkspring Roppongi Art Night #938 • wWW.METROPOLIS.CO.JP • 17 Agenda Listings hot list 18 Concerts 19 Stage 19 Dance 20Clubbing 21 Exhibitions 22 Sports 22 Festivals 22 Forums & Expos 22 Bazaars & Markets 22 Learning 22 Film 22 Other Events Concerts Popular Every Little Thing J-pop, soft-rock duo. Mar 16, 7pm, ¥6,800. Tokyo International Forum Hall A. Nearest stn: Yurakucho. Tel: 03-5221-9038. Zeebra Japanese hip-hop DJ and MC. Mar 16, 7pm, ¥4,500+1d. Akasaka Blitz. Nearest stn: Akasaka. Tel: 03-5720-9999. Amzarashi J-rock. Mar 16, 7pm, ¥4,000+1d. Shibuya-AX. Nearest stn: Harajuku. Tel: 03-5720-999. Pygmy Monster presents Monster Parade Okinawan rock band with a female vocalist, etc. Mar 16, 5:30pm, ¥2,000 (adv)/¥2,500 (door) +1d. Milkyway. Nearest stn: Shibuya. Tel: 03-6416-3227. Voices for Nature Email your event information to [email protected] 18, 3pm, ¥4,800+1d. Duo Music Exchange. Nearest stn: Shibuya. Tel: 03-5458-4681. Live Dragon Vol.7 Feat. Special Others and Zainichi Funk. Mar 19, 7pm, ¥3,800-4,200+1d. Shibuya-AX. Nearest stn: Harajuku. Tel: 03-5720-9999. Warp-D-Vision Feat. Masterlink, Kiyoshi Sugo, Atom on Sphere, and Chrovio. Mar 19, 7pm, ¥2,500+1d. Duo Music Exchange. Nearest stn: Shibuya. Tel: 03-5459-8716. Beni “Kiss, Kiss, Kiss” J-pop singer. Mar 20, 5:30pm, ¥4,200/¥5,250. NHK Hall. Nearest stn: Shibuya. Tel: 03-3465-1751. Screw Up Event featuring hardcore bands Dolls Realize, Artema, Another Story, etc. Mar 20, 6:15pm, ¥1,800 (adv)/2,000 (door) +1d. Milkyway. Nearest stn: Shibuya. Tel: 03-64163227. Doremidan Visual-kei. Mar 20, 4:30pm, ¥4,500+1d. Akasaka Blitz. Nearest stn: Akasaka. Tel: 03-3584-8811. Urbangarde Japanese technopop band. Mar 20, 6pm, ¥4,000+1d. Shibuya-AX. Nearest stn: Harajuku. Tel: 050-5533-0888. Boycott Rhythm Machine Versus Ryuichi Sakamoto heads up a musical Celebrity Death Match. Mar 21, 7:30pm, ¥5,500(door). Korakuen Hall. Nearest stn: Suidobashi. Tel: 03-5800-9999. www.vinylsoyuz.net A Cappella Graduation Live Feat Grazioso, Signal, Gents to Prank, etc. Mar 21, 6pm, ¥2,500. Duo Music Exchange. Nearest stn: Shibuya. Tel: 03-5459-8711. Roach No Reason in the Pit Release Tour Charity concert from Hawaii. Nathan Aweau, Chino Montero, etc. Mar 17-18. ¥7,000. Theater 1010. Nearest stn: Kitasenju. Tel: 03-5244-1011. Roach (hardcore from Okinawa) accompanied by C.B.S. A Barking Dog Never Bites, etc. Mar 22, 6:30pm, ¥2,500 (adv)/¥3,000 (door) +1d. F.A.D. Yokohama. Nearest stn: Ishikawa. Tel: 045-663-3842. Red Line Beginning Tour Gardening Song Japanese rock band Fat Prop, etc. Mar 17, 7pm, ¥2,500 (adv) +1d. O-West. Nearest stn: Shibuya. Tel: 03-57847088. www.redlinetour.jp My Morning Jacket Psychedelic rock band from Kentucky. Mar 17, 7:30pm, ¥6,500. Shibuya-AX. Nearest stn: Harajuku. Tel: 03-57382020. Guitar Wolf/Zainichi Funk J-rock and funk collaboration. Mar 17, 6:30pm, ¥3,000 (adv)/¥4,000 (door) +1d. Fever. Nearest stn: Shindaita. Tel: 03-63047899. Sound Shooter Feat. Frontier Backyard, The Pillows, Takeshi Hosomi (The Hiatus), etc. Mar 18, 5pm, ¥3,500. Studio Coast. Nearest stn: Shin-Kiba. Tel: 03-5534-2525. Exit Tunes Academy Another Infinity feat. Mayumi Morinaga, Underbar, Gurutamin, etc. Mar 18, 4pm, ¥4,000. Akasaka Blitz. Nearest stn: Akasaka. Tel: 0570-064-708. Hige J-rock band. Mar 18, 6pm, ¥3,800+1d. Shibuya-AX. Nearest stn: Harajuku. Tel: 03-5720-9999. Synchronicity Feat. Kimonos, Cro-magnon, Regda Jabberloop, etc. Mar J-pop performers Otsukarez, Masashiro Oochi, etc. Mar 22, 6:30pm, ¥2,300 (adv)/2,800 (door) +1d. Garden. Nearest stn: Shimokitazawa. Tel: 03-37951069. Makichangu Japanese singer songwriter. Mar 22, 7:30pm, ¥3,800+1d. Duo Music Exchange. Nearest stn: Shibuya. Tel: 050-55330888. Shakalabbits J-pop band. Mar 23, 7pm, ¥4,500 +1d. Liquidroom. Nearest stn: Ebisu. Tel: 03-5464-0800. Ziyoou-vachi Androgynous rock quartet. Mar 23, 7pm, ¥3,150+1d. Akasaka Blitz. Nearest stn: Akasaka. Tel: 050-5533-0888. Kylee J-pop. Mar 23, 7pm, ¥3,800+1d. Duo Music Exchange. Nearest stn: Shibuya. Tel: 03-34626969. Punkloid: Caught in the Mosh! Moi dix Mois Visual-kei band's 10th anniversary concert. Mar 24, 6pm, ¥5,250 +1d. Liquidroom. Nearest stn: Ebisu. Tel: 03-5464-0800. Brilla X Final stage of live vocalist audition. Mar 24, 6:30pm, free+1d. Duo Music Exchange. Nearest stn: Shibuya. Tel: 03-5459-8716. www.fontz.jp/b/ index.html Shibuya Live Rally Feat. Man with a Mission, SiM, and other J-rock bands. Apr 1, 6pm, ¥2,800 +1d. Club Quattro. Nearest stn: Shibuya. Tel: 03-3477-8750. Pop Attack Tour J pop-rock bands Human Hybrid Ideology, BxAxG, hunch, etc. Apr 2, 6pm, ¥2,000 (adv)/¥2,500 (door) +1d. Ruido K2. Nearest stn: Shibuya. Tel: 03-3462-5310. Alvino, Imalu, Gari, Canta, etc. Mar 25, noon, ¥5,250+1d. Duo Music Exchange. Nearest stn: Shibuya. Tel: 03-5459-8711. www.shibuya-liverally.jp Suicidal Tendencies Dark Tranquillity Lenny Kravitz Hardcore punk band from California. Apr 2, 7pm, ¥5,800 +1d. O-East. Nearest stn: Shibuya. Tel: 03-5458-4681. Dome City Hall. Nearest stn: Suidobashi. Tel: 03-3402-5999. Avenged Sevenfold Metalcore band from the USA. Apr 16, 7pm, ¥6,500-7,500 +1d. Zepp Tokyo. Nearest stn: Tokyo Teleport. Tel: 03-34626969. Yes Progressive, artsy, and symphonic rock. Apr 18-19. 7pm, ¥8,000/¥9,000. Shibuya Koukaido. Nearest stn: Shibuya. Tel: 03-3402-5999. Flogging Molly Seven-piece celtic punk band from L.A. Apr 18, 7pm, ¥5,800. O-East. Nearest stn: Shibuya. Tel: 03-3444-6751. Lulu Gainsbourg Singer-songwriter Lulu's tribute to Serge Gainsbourg. Mar 15-16,7&9:30pm, ¥5,8007,800. Billboard Live. Nearest stn: Roppongi. Tel: 03-34051133. Great East Japan Earthquake Charity Concert Jazz, modern, and traditional music. Mar 17, 1:30pm, ¥2,000. Franciscan Chapel Center. Tel: 03-3423-2067. www.cwaj.org/Cultural/ Images/201202ConcertFlyer. pdf Shuichi Hidano Taiko drum performance. Mar 18, 3:20pm, free. Enoshima Kitaryoku Hiroba. Nearest stn: Fujisawa. www.fujisawakanko.jp/event/spring_f.html, Apr 7, 7:15pm, ¥4,500(door). Musicasa. Nearest stn: YoyogiUehara. Tel: 03-5464-7531. Rock/funk legend returns to Japan after a 14 year absence. Apr 4&6, 7pm; Apr 7, 6pm, ¥9,000-9,800. Tokyo Dome City Hall. Nearest stn: Suidobashi. Tel: 03-58009999. The Birthday 773Four records “Four Seasons” Feat. hardcore J-rock bands locofrank, Pay Money to My Pain etc. Apr 5, midnight, . TBA Famous veggie and former The Smiths’ frontman. Apr 21, 6pm, ¥8,000+1d. Club Citta. Nearest stn: Kawasaki. Tel: 044-246-8888. Spanish guitarist mixes modern and traditional styles. Mar 18, 6pm, ¥8,400. Blue Note. Nearest stn: Omotesando. Tel: 03-54850088. The Pillows Stardust Revue Kazumi Watanabe Vote for your favorite artist. Mar 28, 3pm, ¥2,000+1d. Akasaka Blitz. Nearest stn: Akasaka. Tel: 03-3470-1970. www.road-to-major.com 8otto Roger Daltrey Unite Totalfat 12th Anniversary Haru Live Bump of Chicken Swedish melodic death metal band. Mar 27, 7pm, ¥6,000 (adv) +1d. Club Quattro. Nearest stn: Shibuya. Tel: 03-3477-8750. J-Wave “Tokyo Real Eyes” Feat. Man with a Mission, Okamoto's, and other J-rock bands. Mar 27, 7pm, ¥3,200 +1d. Shibuya-AX. Nearest stn: Harajuku. Tel: 050-5533-0888. The Pogues Celtic punk band from London. Mar 28, 7pm, ¥7,000 (adv). Studio Coast. Nearest stn: Shin-Kiba. Tel: 03-3444-6751. Road to Major 2 Visual-kei. Mar 29, 6:30pm, ¥3,500+1d. Akasaka Blitz. Nearest stn: Akasaka. Tel: 044-276-8841. Feat. Yumi Uchimura, Under Graph, Nikiie, and Loop Child. Mar 29, 7pm, ¥2,500+1d. Duo Music Exchange. Nearest stn: Shibuya. Tel: 03-5459-8716. Fountains of Wayne NY-based power pop band. Mar 30-31. 7pm, ¥6,000. Liquidroom. Nearest stn: Ebisu. Tel: 03-3444-6751. Keytalk Young J-rock group. Mar 30, 6:30pm, ¥2,500 (adv) +1d. Unit. Nearest stn: Daikanyama. Tel: 03-3444-6751. Girl Next Door Avex J-pop trio. Mar 30, 7pm, ¥5,000. O-East. Nearest stn: Shibuya. Tel: 03-5458-4681. De De Mouse + his drummer Japanese electronic musician. Mar 30, 7:30pm, ¥2,800 (adv)/¥3,300 +1d. Fever. Nearest stn: Shindaita. Tel: 03-6304-7899. Neu Visual-kei. Mar 30, 7pm, ¥4,000+1d. Akasaka Blitz. Nearest stn: Akasaka. Tel: 050-5533. Punkspring 2012 Feat. The Offspring, Sum 41, Totalfat, etc. Mar 31, 12:30pm, ¥8,900. Makuhari Messe. Nearest stn: Kaihin-Makuhari. Tel: 04-3296-0001. www. punkspring.com Kaori Kishitani Japanese singer songwriter. Mar 31, 6pm, ¥6,500+1d. Shibuya-AX. Nearest stn: Harajuku. Tel: 050-5533-0888. Feat. But By Fall, The Trust Blast and other J-rock bands. Mar 23, 6pm, ¥2,000 (adv)/¥2,400 (door) +1d. Shibuya the Game. Tel: 03-3409-1336. Golden Bomber K-Pop Good Friends Music festival with David Guetta, LMFAO, Big Bang, etc. Apr 1, 1pm, ¥9,500 +1d. Makuhari Messe. Nearest stn: Kaihin-Makuhari. Tel: 03-34626969. www.springroove.com K-pop artists 2am, Block B, X-5, etc. Mar 24, 7pm, ¥9,000. Ryogoku Kokugikan. Nearest stn: Ryogoku. Tel: 03-36235111. Space Shower Biographies: Monster Rock Go to www.meturl.com/listings Visual-kei parody band. Apr 1, 5:30pm, ¥5,000. Olympus Hall Hachioji. Nearest stn: Hachioji. Tel: 042-655-0802. Springroove 18 • download our podcast at • podcast.metropolis.co.jp Japanese pop rock band. Apr 6, 7pm, ¥4,200 +1d. Club Quattro. Nearest stn: Shibuya. Tel: 03-5436-9600. Rock band from Osaka. Apr 6, 7pm, ¥2,800 (adv) +1d. Unit. Nearest stn: Daikanyama. Tel: 03-5459-8630. Japanese punk rock band. Apr 6, 7pm, ¥3,000. ACB Hall. Nearest stn: Shinjuku. Tel: 03-3205-0901. Flightless J-rock band. Apr 7, 6pm, ¥6,500. Makuhari Messe. Nearest stn: Kaihin-Makuhari. Tel: 04-3296-0001. Veteran J-rock band with husky vocals. Apr 18, 7pm, ¥4,500 +1d. Club Quattro. Nearest stn: Shibuya. Tel: 03-3444-6751. Morrissey Veteran J-rock band. Apr 21, 5:30pm; Apr 22, 5pm, ¥6,500. Nakano Sun Plaza. Nearest stn: Nakano. Tel: 03-3388-2893. Iconic rock singer from The Who. Apr 23-24, 7pm, ¥9,000/¥10,000. Tokyo International Forum. Nearest stn: Yurakucho. Tel: 03-3402-5999. Apr 27, 7pm, ¥9,000/¥10,000. Kanagawa Kenmin Hall. Nearest stn: Nihonodori. Tel: 04-5662-8866. Asami Chiyuki Japanese singer-songwriter. Apr 23, 7pm, ¥5,250. Shibuya Kokaido. Nearest stn: Shibuya. Tel: 03-5561-9001. K-Pop Dance in Nihonbashi The Hitch Lowke: The Rock Theater Vol 2.0 Sissy Bad Food Stuff K-pop artists Seed, SOS, etc. Apr 8, 5:30pm, ¥3,000. Nihonbashi Mitsui Hall. Nearest stn: Nihonbashi. Tel: 0570-064-708. J-pop/rock band. Apr 8, 5pm, ¥3,500. Akasaka Blitz. Nearest stn: Akasaka. Tel: 03-35848811. Geki Rock Tour vol.1 Hip-hop artist Manafest (Canada) performing with Uzumaki, Underland, Dolls Realize, etc. Apr 8, 5:30pm, ¥3,000 (adv)/3,500 (door) +1d. Aube. Nearest stn: Shibuya. Tel: 03-5459-2896. Steve Lukather Guitarist and vocalist from soft-rock band Toto. Until-Apr 11. 7pm, ¥7,500/¥8,500 +1d. Akasaka Blitz. Nearest stn: Akasaka. Tel: 03-3402-5999. August Burns Red American metal-core band with Roach and Her Name in Blood. Apr 11, 7pm, ¥5,800 (adv). Club Quattro. Nearest stn: Shibuya. Tel: 03-3477-8750. Masafumi Isobe Band J-rock band. Apr 14, 7pm, ¥3,000 (adv). Fever. Nearest stn: Shindaita. Tel: 03-3444-6751. Jaweye Album Release Tour Final Japanese alt rock electronic band. Apr 14, 6pm, ¥2,500 (adv)/¥2,800 (door) +1d. Star Lounge. Nearest stn: Shibuya. Tel: 03-6277-5373. Earth X Heart Live 2012 Music festival with Fishmans, Sakana Cushion etc. Apr 15, 5pm, ¥5,422. Saitama Super Arena. Nearest stn: SaitamaShintoshin. Tel: 04-8601-1122. www.tfm.co.jp/ehl2012 Extreme American rock band. Apr 16-17. 7pm, ¥7,800/¥8,800. Tokyo J-rock band's solo show. Apr 27, 7pm, ¥2,500 (adv)/¥3,000 (door) +1d. Deseo. Nearest stn: Shibuya. Tel: 03-3405-9999. Back Drop Bomb, Brahman and other J-rock bands. Apr 28, 3:30pm, ¥3,980 (adv) +1d. Studio Coast. Nearest stn: Shin-Kiba. Tel: 03-3444-6751. www.badfoodstuff.com Lady Gaga The Born This Way Ball. May 10, 7pm, ¥9,000-32,000. Saitama Super Arena. Nearest stn: Saitama-Shintoshin. Tel: 04-8601-1122. www. ladygagajapan2012.com Metamorphose The Flaming Lips, Orbital, Galaxy 2 Galaxy, Derrick May, Adrian Sherwood, EboTaylor and Afrobeat Academy, etc. May 12, 10am-9pm, ¥12,000+1d(door). Makuhari Messe. Nearest stn: Kaihin-Makuhari. Tel: 04-32960001. www.metamo.info/ news/020122206.php Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds The slightly less bad boy of the Manchester brothers. May 23, 7pm, ¥7,500-8,500 (adv). Nippon Budokan. Nearest stn: Kudanshita. Tel: 03-5720-9999. Rocks Tokyo 2012 Rock festival in its 3rd year running with One Ok Rock, Big Mama, Totalfat, etc. May 26-27, noon, ¥8,500 (one day)/¥15,000 (two days) +1d. Wakasu Park. Nearest stn: Shin-kiba. Jazz/World Il Divo Multinational operatic pop vocal group. Mar 12-13 & 15-16, 7pm, ¥10,000-12,000. Nippon Budokan. Nearest stn: Kudanshita. Tel: 03-3402-5999. Vincente Amigo World-class jazz guitarist with Janek Gwizdala and Obed Calvaire. Mar 20, 5:30&8:30pm, ¥6,300. Blue Note. Nearest stn: Omotesando. Tel: 03-54850088. Mamiko Bird with the Mike Price Jazz Quartet Performance of vocal jazz with scatting plus instrumental jazz. Mar 21, 7pm, ¥2,500. Roppongi Satin Doll. www.leglant.com/ satindoll Hiromitsu Agatsuma Tsugaru-jamisen player. Mar 22, 7pm, ¥5500. Nihonbashi Kokaido. Nearest stn: Nihonbashi Clementine French jazz singer now based in Japan. Mar 27-28, 7&9:30pm, ¥7,500. Blue Note. Nearest stn: Omotesando. Tel: 03-54850088. Makyo Album release party. Mar 29, 7:30pm, ¥4,000. Tsukimiru. 4-9-1 Minami Aoyama, Minatoku. Nearest stn: Gaienmae. Tel: 03-3948-1662. www. moonromantic.com Hanggai A blend of Mongolian folk music and punk. Apr 7, 7pm, ¥5,500 (adv) +1d. Club Quattro. Nearest stn: Shibuya. Tel: 03-3477-8750. Chie Ayado Japanese jazz singer. Apr 7, 3:30pm, ¥6,500. Olympus Hall Hachioji. Nearest stn: Hachioji. Tel: 0570-00-3337. Classical Spring Festival in Tokyo 80+ classical concerts held at various places in Ueno. Mar 16-Apr 8. various times. Tokyo Bunka Kaikan, National Museum of Nature and Science, etc. www. tokyo-harusai.com. Concert in Memory of Vladmir Horowitz Concert by winners of the International Competition for Young Pianists. Mar 16, 7pm, ¥3,500(general), ¥1,500(students). Yamaha Ginza Hall. Nearest stn: Ginza. Tel: 03-3572-3171. www. yuna-japan.jp/en/content/113. htm Vive Saxophone quartet. Mar 16, 11-11:20am; Apr 7, various times, free. Tokyo National Museum. Nearest stn: Ueno. Tel: 03-5777-8600. Saxophone quartet. Apr 1, 1 & 3pm, free. Kyu-Iwasaki Garden. Nearest stn: Yushima. Tel: 03-38238340. for complete listings Piano Etoile Vol. 17 Piano recital by Kaneko Miyuji. Mar 18, 3pm, ¥2,500-3,000. Saitama Arts Theater. Nearest stn: Yonohonmachi. Tel: 048-858-5500. The Festival of Visiting Japanese Orchestras Orchestra band from Osaka. Mar 18-27. 3pm, ¥1,000-4,000. Mar 27, 7pm, ¥2,500-4,500. Sumida Triphony Hall. Nearest stn: Kinshicho. Tel: 03-5608-1212. Orchestra from Hiroshima. The 813rd Subscription Concert Kazuki Yamada conducts the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra. Mar 18, 3pm, ¥4,500-7,500. Bunkamura Orchard Hall. Nearest stn: Shibuya. Tel: 03-3477-911. La Fête Resonante Takahiro Yasuda's viola and violin recital feat. Emiko Maeda etc. Mar 19, 6:30pm, ¥2,500-3,000. Tokyo Opera City. Nearest stn: Hatsudai. Tel: 0120-936-649. Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra Feat. Cornelius Meister (Cond) and Lidia Baich (Vn) performing Brahms and Mendelssohn. Mar 20, 2pm, ¥5,000-15,000. Tokyo Opera City. Nearest stn: Hatsudai. Tel: 050-3776-6184. Lunch Time Concert Feat.Mutsumi Tsuuzaki on xylophone and Chika Nishiwaki on piano. Mar 22, 1pm, ¥1,000. Saitama Arts Theater. Nearest stn: Yonohonmachi. Tel: 048-858-5500. Bee Piano, cello and violin, arranged by Kohji Oikawa. Mar 23, 7pm, ¥3,500-5,500. Suntory Hall. Nearest stn: Roppongiitchome. Tel: 03-3234-9999. 66th Tokyo Opera City Series Performances of Bach, Haydn and Mozart. Mar 24, 2pm, ¥3,000-¥7,000. Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall. Nearest stn: Hatsudai. Tel: 03-5353-0788. Japan Philharmonic Orchestra Feat. Alexsander Lazarev (conductor) and Hisako Kawamura (piano). Mar 24, 6pm, ¥1,500-7,500. Yokohama Minato Mirai Hall. Nearest stn: Minatomirai. Tel: 045-6822020. Zerosai Maenotameno Charity Concert Help tsunami disaster-stricken pregnant women and babies. Mar 25, 3pm, ¥2500. Hakuju Hall. Nearest stn: Yoyogi Hachiman. Tel: 03-3261-9933. Tokyo Opera City Weekday Teatime Concert 14 Norichika Iimori (cond) with the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra. Mar 28, 2pm, ¥3,000-4,000. Tokyo Opera City. Nearest stn: Hatsudai. Tel: 03-5353-9999. Heirs of Russian Pianism Feat. Sergei Edelmann, and Lilya Zilberstein. Mar 29 & Apr 3, 7pm; Apr 30, 3pm, ¥5,0006,000. Sumida Triphony Hall. Nearest stn: Kinshicho. Tel: 03-5608-5404. Kenichi Furube Oboe player of New Japan Philharmonic. Mar 29, 11am, ¥2000. Tokyo Bunka Kaikan. Nearest stn: Ueno. Tel: 03-5685-0650. www. tokyo-harusai.com Tokyo Metropolitan Symhony Orchestra Special Feat. Eliahu Inbal (cond), Iris Vermillion (ms) and Robert Gambill (t) performing Mahler. Mar 30, 7pm, ¥3,500-7,500. Suntory Hall. Nearest stn: Roppongi-itchome. Tel: 03-3584-9999. Special Day of Orchestra Joint performance by 12 orchestras in Tokyo. Mar 31, 6pm, ¥1,000-3,000. Tokyo Bunka Kaikan. Nearest stn: Ueno. Tel: 03-5610-7275. Gogo no Uruoi Piano duo. Mar 31, 3pm, ¥1000. Green Hall. Nearest stn: Sagami-Ono. Tel: 042-7492205. Taro Hakase Japanese musician and violinist. Apr 3, 7pm, ¥6,800. Suntory Hall. Nearest stn: Roppongi-itchome. Tel: 03-3584-9999. Apr 18, 7pm, ¥6,800. Tokyo Bunka Kaikan. Nearest stn: Ueno. Tel: 03-38282111. The 60th Anniversary Nikikai Gala Concert Tokyo Symphony Orchestra performing Mozart, Puccini etc. Apr 3, 6:30pm, ¥5,000-8,000. Tokyo Opera City. Nearest stn: Hatsudai. Tel: 03-3796-1831. Afternoon Concert Series Feat. Yoshikazu Mela (Vo) and Junji Nagamachi (Pf). Apr 17, 1:30pm, ¥4,800. Tokyo Opera City. Nearest stn: Hatsudai. Tel: 03-5774-3040. Tokyo Bunka Kaikan Morning Concert Vol. 58 Schuman's Liederkreis Op.39 etc. Apr 19, 11am, ¥500. Tokyo Bunka Kaikan. Nearest stn: Ueno. Tel: 03-3828-2111. Stage 7 Doors A staging of Bartok's Bluebeard’s Castle feat. Sugizo from X Japan. Mar 16 & Apr 1, various times; ¥ 8,000-9,500. The Globe Tokyo. Nearest stn: Shinokubo. Tel: 03-3779-2681. Yokoso Kyogen Japanese traditional comedy for English speakers. Feat. Thane Camus and Manzo Nomura IX. Mar 16, 7pm, ¥3,000(general). Cerulean Tower Noh Theater. Nearest stn: Shibuya. Tel: 03-34776412. A Magic Flute Mozart opera directed by Peter Brook. Mar 22-23, 7:30pm; Mar 24-25, 3pm, ¥5,000/¥8,000/¥3,000 (student). Saitama Arts Theater. Nearest stn: Yonohonmachi. Tel: 048-858-5500. Kofuku on the Doro Suspense drama by Mikuniyanai Project. Mar 22-24, various times, ¥2,800 (adv)/¥3,200 (door). Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse. Nearest stn: Minatomirai. Tel: 04-52111555. www.nibroll.com Tannhäuser Richard Wagner’s opera based on Germanic legends. Mar 24-25, 2pm, ¥2000-15000. Kanagawa Kenmin Hall. Nearest stn: Nihonodori. Tel: 045-662-8866. Shoujo no Yamai Shishu ¥3,000-12,000. Nissay Theater. Nearest stn: Hibiya. Tel: 03-3201-7777. Kaito Lupin Yumeji Takehisa no Sokyokusen L'opera de l'eclipse lunaire’s interpretation of Arsene Lupin. Mar 28 & 30, 7:30pm; Mar 29 & 31, 2:30 & 7:30pm; Apr 1, 2pm, ¥3,900(adv), ¥4,100(door), ¥2,400(HS). Theater Samsa. Nearest stn: Asagaya. Tel: 03-6657-3889. Yoimachi Gusa wo Mitsumete Verse drama by Gesshoku Kagekidan. Music by J.A. Caesar. Mar 31, 5:15pm; Apr 1, 4:45pm, ¥2,700(adv), ¥3,100(door). Theater Samsa. Nearest stn: Asagaya. Tel: 03-5327-7640. Verdi does Shakespeare. Apr 1-13, various times, ¥5,250-26,250. New National Theater. Nearest stn: Hatsudai. Tel: 03-5352-9999. The Glass Menagerie Four-character play by Tennessee Williams. Until Apr 3, various times, ¥5,000-9,000. Bunkamura Theater Cocoon. Nearest stn: Shibuya. Tel: 03-5423-5906. Blue Man Group in Tokyo A unique theatrical performance of music, comedy and multimedia. Ongoing, various times, ¥7,500/¥8,500/¥6,500 (student), Roppongi Blue Man Theater. Nearest stn: Roppongi. http://blueman.jp Musical based on the novella by Robert Louis Stevenson. Until Mar 28, various times, Life in Chiba WELCOME PACK Why not stay in one of our apartments while you find your perfect home in Japan? At ODANGO HOMES we are dedicated to finding the right home to fit the lifestyle of each of our guests!! ¥20,000→¥6,000~/day 03-5366-6217 [email protected] Talk to us first! www.odangohomes.com Mention Metropolis for free admission Evita Musical on the life of Argentine political leader Eva Perón. Ongoing, various times, ¥4,000-9,800/¥3,0004,000(student). Jiyu Theater. Nearest stn: Hamamatsucho. Tel: 03-5776-6730. www. shiki.gr.jp/applause/evita JR S oto bo li ne Keiy oH igh wa y Admission JR Keiyo Dance Line Anna Karenina Remake of Leo Tolstoy’s novel. Mar 16-20, various times, ¥3,150-10,500. New National Theater. Nearest stn: Hatsudai. Tel: 03-53529999. The Crane Maiden Will Tuckett's adaptation of Japanese folklore feat. Yasuyuki Shuto. Mar 16-18, various times, ¥6,500-8,500. Kanagawa Arts Theater. Tel: 045-633-6500. www. tsuru-ukjp.com 1 Japan’s To Belong Oyama Jekyll & Hyde Family friendly Specialist Real Estate Agent For Visitors To Japan Japanese version of the hit Broadway musical, produced by Gekidan Shiki. Ongoing, various times, ¥3,000-9,800. Cannon Cats Theater. Nearest stn: Shin-takashima. Tel: 03-5776-6730. www.shiki. gr.jp/applause/cats Perm-ya Sumire Silent comedy feat. Masa (Gabez), Hiro-pon, etc. Mar 27-28, 7pm, ¥4,500. Kinokuniya Hall. Nearest stn: Shinjuku. Tel: 0570-00-3337. ODANGO HOMES Cats Choreographed by Akiko Kitamura. Mar 16-17, 7pm; Mar 18, 4pm, ¥2,000. Morishita Studio B. Nearest stn: Morishita. Tel: 03-56245951. www.akikokitamura. com/tobelong A Go Go II WWW.METPOD.COM Othello Verse drama by all-women theatrical group. Mar 24-25, 5:15pm, ¥2,700(adv), ¥3,100(door). Theater Samsa. Nearest stn: Asagaya. Tel: 03-6657-3889. Based on famous case of discriminiation against zainichi Koreans in the 60s. Until 25, various times, ¥3,1505,250. New National Theater. Nearest stn: Hatsudai. Tel: 03-5352-9999. REAL PEOPLE. REAL INFO. REAL TOKYO. The venerable butoh troupe Dairakudakan Kochiten feat. Akijo Takakuwa, under the direction of Maro Akaji. Mar 15-20, various times, ¥2,500(adv)/¥3,000(door). Dairakudakan Kochuten. Nearest stn: Kichijoji. Tel: 0422-21-4984. www. dairakudakan.com Hungry Like a Wolf Dances based on fairy tales. Mar 23 & 26-27, 7pm, 7pm; Mar 24-25, 2pm, ¥3,000-4,500. Setagaya Public Theater. Nearest stn: Sangenjaya. Tel: 03-54321526. www.condors.jp No. Second-hand Bookstore! 40,000 International books available from ¥200 Café Book Off - Shirokanedai 10:00~22:00 03-5475-5696 Cafe Corner 8:00~20:00 L.O. 4-3-19 Shirokanedai, Minato-ku Spa Shirokane Metro Namboku line Toei Mita line Shirokanedai station Exit No.2 Happoen Grand Hills Shirokanedai n atio Post office i st eda kan o ir Sh Seven Eleven #938 • wWW.METROPOLIS.CO.JP • 19 Agenda Listings Yoshi2 Tahito Dance Studio Exotic dance showcase. Mar 31, various times, ¥4,200+1d. Duo Music Exchange. Nearest stn: Shibuya. Tel: 080-2258-2171. Dance to the Future The National Ballet of Japan dancers perform in a contemporary dance production. Apr 21-22, 3pm, ¥3,150-6,300. New National Theater. Nearest stn: Hatsudai. Tel: 03-5352-9999. Vienna State Ballet Program A: Vienna Gala. April 24-25, 6:30pm, ¥2,00017,000. Program B: The Bat. Apr 28-30, various times, ¥3,000-18,000. Tokyo Bunka Kaikan. Nearest stn: Ueno. Tel: 03-3791-8888. Japanese Lesson The Taming of the Shrew facebook JLPT Preparation Course Saturday 10am~1pm or 2~5pm Start 7th April, 2012 Course Fee ¥39,800~ Group Intensive 10:00 AM~12:00 PM Course Fee ¥19,800 (First 4 weeks) Call to ask about our full range of courses ALPHA Japanese Institute www.alpha.ac.jp Toranomon Yokohama Tel: 03-3504-8080 Tel: 045-316-8282 1min from Toranomon stn • 5min from Yokohama stn Ballet based on Shakespeare's comedy. Jun 1-2, various times, ¥5,000-18,000. Tokyo Bunka Kaikan. Nearest stn: Ueno. Tel: 03-3791-8888. Swan Lake Performed by Stuttgart Ballet. Jun 5-6, 6:30pm, ¥5,000-¥18,000. Tokyo Bunka Kaikan. Nearest stn: Ueno. Tel: 03-3791-8888. Les Ballets de Monte Carlo Scheherazade, Daphnis and Chloe, and Altro Canto Part 1. Mar 6-7, 7pm, ¥1,500-13,000. Tokyo Bunka Kaikan. Nearest stn: Ueno. Tel: 03-3791-8888. Clubbing Friday 16 Ageha Fever. Hip-hop: DJs Hazime, Koya, etc. From 11pm, ¥3,500. Nearest stn: Shin-Kiba. Tel: 03-55342525. www.ageha.com Air Tight. Abstract hip-hop: DJs Vadim, Yas, etc. From 10pm, ¥3,000 w/1d. Nearest stn: Shibuya. Tel: 03-5784-3384. www.air-tokyo.com Club Asia Vivivi. Electro, pop: DJs Uchida, Nishimura, etc. Live: Tenga16, etc. From 11pm, ¥3,500 w/1d. Nearest stn: Shibuya. Tel: 03-5458-2551. www.clubasia.co.jp Eleven Reboot. Techno: DJs Qhey, Mayuri, etc. From 10pm, ¥3,500. Nearest stn: Roppongi. Tel: 03-5775-6206. www.go-to-eleven.com Module TOP QUALITY AND THE MOST REASONABLE JAPANESE LESSONS We make Japanese language lessons fun! March Beginner’s, BJT & JLPT N1, N2, N3 courses start now! Sound Museum Vision Dfa Night. House: DJs Juan Maclean, Kza, etc. From 10pm, ¥3,000 w/1d. Nearest stn: Shibuya. Tel: 03-57282824. www.vision-tokyo. com The New Matrix Bar Azabu-Juban School Private & Course lesson • Excellent English-speaking instructors with plenty of experience. • No registration fee • Private lesson: NIC school, your office or home. Free trial lesson System. House, techno: DJs Sakurai, Lamb, etc. From 10pm, ¥2,500 w/1d. Nearest stn: Shibuya. Tel: 03-34648432. www.module-tokyo. com 30 sec walk from AzabuJuban stn. Tully’s Coffee Darjeeling Drug store Nanboku/Oedo Line Contact us for details. Metropolitan Area. Hotel the Glanz NIC Azabujuban Stn exit 1 Nanboku/Oedo Line Tel 03-3454-5002 • Email [email protected] • www.nicjapanese.com 20 • download our podcast at • podcast.metropolis.co.jp Matrix Friday. Old school hip-hop, west side, south side, all mix: DJ Ykk, etc. From 6pm, ¥1,000 (after 11:30pm). Nearest stn: Roppongi. Tel: 03-34051066. www.matrixbar.jp The Room Wah Wah. Rare groove: DJs Kuroda, Ryuhei, etc. From 10pm, ¥2,500 w/1d. Nearest stn: Shibuya. Tel: 03-34617167. www.theroom.jp Warehouse702 Fire. House: DJs Hokuto, Ryuzo, etc. From 10pm, ¥2,500 w/1d(f), ¥3,500 Go to www.meturl.com/l w/1d(m). Nearest stn: Azabu-Juban. Tel: 03-62300343. www.warehouse702.com Womb Trouble House. House: DJ Emma. From 11pm, ¥3,500. Nearest stn: Shibuya. Tel: 03-5459-1383. www.womb. co.jp Saturday 17 Ageha House Dream. House: DJs Sander Kleinenberg, Sugiurumn, etc. From 11pm, ¥3,500. Nearest stn: Shin-Kiba. Tel: 03-5534-2525. www. ageha.com Bar Jam Discoteca Tokyo. DJs Nob, Flower, Elik. From 10pm, free. Nearest stn: Ebisu. www. discotecatokyo.blogspot.com Eleven Strength Music Recordings Showcase. House: DJs Qu, Joey Anderson, etc. From 10pm, ¥3,500. Nearest stn: Roppongi. Tel: 03-5775-6206. www. go-to-eleven.com Club Asia In Business. Funk, soul DJs Jin, Kuroda, etc: Live: Osaka Monaurail. From 11pm, ¥3,000 w/1d. Nearest stn: Shibuya. Tel: 03-5458-2551. www.clubasia.co.jp Eleven Strength Music Recording Showcase. House: DJs Qu, Joey, etc. From 10pm, ¥3,500. Strength Music Recordings Showcase. House: DJs Qu, Joey Anderson, etc. From 10pm, ¥3,500. Nearest stn: Roppongi. Tel: 03-5775-6206. www. go-to-eleven.com Le Baron de Paris Black Out. DJs Beert, Dai Light, etc. From 9pm, ¥3,000 w/1d. Nearest stn: Shibuya. Tel: 03-5728-2655. www.under-dl.jp Sound Museum Vision The Star Festival. House, techno DJs Xavierl Morel, Kunimitsu, etc: Live: A Mochi. From 11:30pm, ¥3,000. Nearest stn: Shibuya. Tel: 03-5728-2824. www.vision-tokyo.com SuperDeluxe Timeless. From 7pm, ¥1,500. Nearest stn: Roppongi. Tel: 03-5412-0515. www. super-deluxe.com/2012/03/ The New Matrix Bar Saturday Night Fever. Hip-hop, R&B, reggae: DJ Ykk and more. From 6pm, ¥1,000 (after 10pm). Nearest stn: Roppongi. Tel: 03-3405-1066. www. matrixbar.jp The Room Magic. Disco, house: DJs Kawasaki, Endo. From 9pm, ¥2,500 w/1d. Nearest stn: Shibuya. Tel: 03-3461-7167. www.theroom.jp Warehouse702 Over the Tech. Techno DJs Ishino, Premiere, etc: Live: Nzm. From 11pm, ¥3,500. Nearest stn: Azabu-Juban. Tel: 03-6230-0343. www. warehouse702.com Womb Crosstown Rebels. Disco, house DJs Damian Lazarus, Maya Jane Coles, etc. From 11pm, ¥3,500. Nearest stn: Shibuya. Tel: 03-5459-1383. www. womb.co.jp Sunday 18 Module Dem. House, techno: DJs Hellth, Yoshikawa, etc. From 4pm, ¥2,000 w/1d. Nearest stn: Shibuya. Tel: 03-3464-8432. www.module-tokyo.com Saloon Resonance. DJs Iwaki, Magara, etc. From midnight, ¥1,500. Nearest stn: Daikanyama. Tel: 03-5459-8633. www. unit-tokyo.com/saloon/ The Room Groovy Rock Caravan. Rock, ska: DJs Onuki, Fujii, etc. From midnight, ¥2,000 w/1d. Nearest stn: Shibuya. Tel: 03-3461-7167. www.theroom.jp Warehouse702 High Up. Hip-hop: DJs Tatsu, Maa, etc. From 11pm, ¥2,500 w/1d. Nearest stn: Azabu-Juban. Tel: 03-6230-0343. www. warehouse702.com Womb Space Cruisin’. Techno, house: DJs Gonno, Shitaro, etc. From midnight, ¥2,500. Nearest stn: Shibuya. Tel: 03-5459-1383. www.womb.co.jp Thursday 22 Air Donutz. House: DJs Sugiurumn, Yummy, etc. From 10pm, ¥2,500 w/1d. Nearest stn: Shibuya. Tel: 03-5784-3384. www.air-tokyo.com Club Asia Bcd. Drumnbass: DJs Asamoto, Velocity, etc. From 11pm, ¥2,000 w/1d. Nearest stn: Shibuya. Tel: 03-5458-2551. www.clubasia.co.jp Eleven Monkey Mountain. House: DJs Dazzle Drums, Kenta, etc. From 10pm, ¥2,000 w/1d. Nearest stn: Roppongi. Tel: 03-57756206. www.go-to-eleven.com Warehouse702 About Returns. House, funk: DJs Hayakawaz, Kiri, etc. From 10pm, ¥2,000 w/1d. Nearest stn: Azabu-Juban. Tel: 03-62300343. www.warehouse702. com Womb Sensual. House, techno: DJs Fumi, Oo-Kazu, etc. From 10pm, ¥1,500. Nearest stn: Shibuya. Tel: 03-5459-1383. www.womb.co.jp Friday 23 Ageha Goa Trance Party. Trance DJs Masa, @raki, etc: Live: Goasia and more. From 11pm, ¥3,500. Nearest stn: Shin-Kiba. Tel: 03-5534-2525. www.ageha. com Air House Around. House, techno: DJs Tigerskin, Yuyama, etc. From 10pm, ¥3,000 w/1d. Nearest stn: Shibuya. Tel: 03-5784-3384. www.air-tokyo. com Eleven Space Time Garage. Techno, electro: DJs Kawanabe, Ishino, etc. From 10pm, ¥3,000. Nearest stn: Roppongi. Tel: 03-5775-6206. www. go-to-eleven.com Micro Cosmos The Sky. Hip-hop: DJs Hisaki, Saat, etc. From midnight, ¥2,000 w/1d. Nearest stn: Shibuya. Tel: 03-5784-5496. www.microcosmos-tokyo. com Module Inner Space. Trance, techno: DJs Singular, K-Go, etc. From 11pm, ¥2,500 w/1d. Nearest stn: Shibuya. Tel: 03-34648432. www.module-tokyo.com Sound Museum Vision Shibuya Fashion Festival After Party. House, hip-hop DJs Inoue, Nobu, etc: Live: Kakato. From 11pm, ¥4,000 w/1d(adv). Nearest stn: Shibuya. Tel: 03-5728-2824. www.vision-tokyo.com The Room Champ. Funky, jazzy music: DJs Tominaga, Oibon, etc. From 10pm, ¥2,500 w/1d. Nearest stn: Shibuya. Tel: 03-3461-7167. www.theroom.jp Unit Cabaret. Barbara Preisinger, Masda, etc. From 11pm, ¥3,000(adv)/¥3,000(w/ listings for complete listings f)/¥3,500(door). Nearest stn: Daikanyama. Tel: 03-54598630. www.unit-tokyo.com/ schedule/2012/03/23/120323_ cabaret.php & Sat-Sun 10am-5pm, Fri 10am-8pm. 3-7-6 Kyobashi. Nearest stn: Kyobashi. Tel: 03-5777-8600. www.momat. go.jp Womb National Museum of Modern Art Tokyo Cross Mountain Night. House, techno: DJs Daniel Stefanik, Dr Shingo, etc. From 11pm, ¥3,500. Nearest stn: Shibuya. Tel: 03-5459-1383. www. womb.co.jp Upcoming Ageha Black Ball. Men only: various DJs. Mar 24, from 11pm, ¥4,000. Nearest stn: Shin-Kiba. Tel: 03-5534-2525. www.ageha.com Unit Dubstep Warz. Massive, Miyu, Takaki, Tetsuji Tanaka. Mar 24, from 11:30pm, ¥3,500(adv)/¥4,000(door). Nearest stn: Daikanyama. Tel: 03-5459-8630. www. unit-tokyo.com M (Event Space & Bar) Lost 2nd Anniversary, Yarigasaki free session. Feat. Takkyu Ishino and Kaoru Inoue. Mar 28, 9pm, free. http://m-event-bar. com Exhibitions Akasaka/ Roppongi 21_21 Design Sight Irving Penn and Issey Miyake. Visual Dialogue. Until Apr 8, ¥1,000/¥800 (univ). Open Mon & Wed-Sun 11am-8pm, closed Tue. 9-7-6 Akasaka, Minato-ku. Nearest stn: Nogizaka. Tel: 03-3475-2121. www.2121designsight.jp Gallery Side 2 Rirkrit Tiravanija. Various media. Until Apr 20, free. Open Tue-Sat 11am-7pm, closed Sun & Mon. 2-6-5 Higashiazabu. Nearest stn: Akabanebashi. Tel: 03-6229-3669. www. galleryside2.net/gallery/ current/index.php Mori Art Museum Ho Tzu Nyen. Video. Until May 27, ¥1,500/¥1,000 (univ, HS). Lee Bul. Asia’s leading female artist. Until May 27, ¥1500. Arab Express. The latest art from the Arab world. Until Oct 28, ¥1,500 (general). Open Mon & Wed-Sun 10am-10pm, Tue 10am-5pm. 6-10-1 Roppongi. Nearest stn: Roppongi. Tel: 03-5777-8600. www.mori.art.museum Mori Arts Center Gallery One Piece. Experience the world of Eiichiro Oda. Mar 20-Jun 17, ¥2,000 (general)/¥1,500 (HS, MS)/¥800 (elem and under). 52F Roppongi Hills Tower, 6-10-1 Roppongi. Nearest stn: Roppongi. Tel: 03-5777-8600. Ginza/Kyobashi/ Tokyo Idemitsu Museum of Arts Eternal Beauty. From karamono tea ceramics to bronzeware. Apr 3-Jun 10, ¥1,000(general), ¥700(HS&univ). Kohitsu Tekagami. Calligraphy. Until Mar 25, ¥1,000 (general)/¥700 (univ,HS). Open Tue-Thur 10am-5pm, Fri 10am-7pm, closed Mon. 9F Teigeki Bldg, 3-1-1 Marunouchi. Nearest stn: Tokyo. Tel: 03-3213-9402. www.idemitsu.co.jp/museum Mitsubishi Ichigokan Museum Katagami Style. Japanese pattern paper from turn of the 20th century. Apr 6-May 27, ¥1,400(general), ¥1,000(HS & univ). Wed-Fri 10am-8pm, Tue, Sat & Sun/hols 10am-6pm, closed Mon. 2-6-2 Marunouchi. Nearest stn: Tokyo. Tel: 03-5405-8686. www.mimt.jp National Film Center Nihon no Eiga Poster. Retro Japanese movie posters. Until Mar 31, ¥200. Open Tue-Thu Hara Hiromu and The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo. The artist’s posters designed for exhibitions held by the museum. Until May 6, ¥420 (general). Jackson Pollock. Painting. Until May 6, ¥1,500. Open Tue-Thu & Sat-Sun 10am-5pm, Fri 10am-8pm. 3-7-6 Kyobashi. Nearest stn: Takebashi. Tel: 03-5777-8600. www.momat.go.jp Nichido Contemporary Art NCA Collection. Various media. Until May 5, free. 4-3-3 Hatchobori. Nearest stn: Hatchobori. Tel: 03-3555-2140. www.nca-g.com/en/ Shiodome Museum KON Wajiro Retrospective. Painting. Until Mar 25, ¥500 (general)/¥300 (univ, HS). Open Tue-Sun 10am-6pm, closed Mon. 4F, 1-5-1 HigashiShimbashi. Nearest stn: Shimbashi. Tel: 03-57778600. www.mew.co.jp/corp/ museum Span Art Gallery Kenichi Koyama. Illustrations. Until Mar 17, free. Jet-black Labyrinthus. Illustrations. Until Apr 7, free. Trevor Brown. Mixture of innocence, violence and J-pop culture. Until Apr 22, free. Open Mon-Sat 11am-7pm, closed Sun. 2-2-18 Ginza. Nearest stn: Yurakucho. Tel: 03-5524-3060. www.span-art. co.jp Vanilla Gallery Hiroaki Samura & Kaoru Mori. Sensual works by a manga artist and a doll artist . Until Mar 24, free. Hikari Shimoda. Images depicting dystopian worldview in the aftermath of 311. Mar 26-31, free. Open Mon-Fri noon-7pm, Sat noon-5pm, closed Sun. 4F Daini Kamata Bldg, 6-10-10 Ginza. Nearest stn: Ginza. Tel: 03-5568-1233. Harajuku/Aoyama Nezu Museum Splendid Hina Miniatures. Masterpieces of Hina Festival dolls from the Toraya Collection. Until Apr 8, ¥1,200. Korin. Paintings of irises and eight bridges. Apr 21-May 20, ¥1,200(general). 6-5-1 Minami-Aoyama. Nearest stn: Omotesando. Tel: 03-34002536. www.nezu-muse.or.jp/en Tokyo Wonder Site Aoyama New Community Design. Works with the theme of art and environment. Mar 17-24, free. 3F Cosmos Aoyama, 5-53-67 Jingumae. Nearest stn: Omotesando. Tel: 03-57663732. www.tokyo-ws.org Ukiyo-e Ota Memorial Museum of Art Sakura Sakura Coming of Spring. Ukiyo-e of cherry blossoms. Until Mar 25, ¥700 (general). Harunobu, Kiyonaga, Utamaro. Works of 3 ukiyo-e masters. Apr 1-26, ¥700 (general)/¥500 (univ, HS)/free (MS and under). Open Tue-Sun 10:30am5:30pm, closed Mon. 1-10-10 Jingumae. Nearest stn: Harajuku. Tel: 03-5777-8600. www.ukiyoe-ota-muse.jp Shibuya/Ebisu Nadiff Gallery Mirror, Music, Multimedia with Coffee Party. Various media by Shimon Minamikawa. Until Apr 1, free. Open daily noon-8pm. 1-18-4 Ebisu. Nearest stn: Ebisu. Tel: 03-3446-4977. www.nadiff. com Space O Asami Kiyokawa. Embroidery on photos. Apr 27-May 6, 11am-9pm, free. B3 Omotesando Hills, 4-12-10 Jingumae. Nearest stn: Meiji-Jingumae. Tel: 03-3497-0310. www. omotesandohills.com/ english/index.html Spiral Hall SICF13. Spiral Independent Creators Festival. May 3-6, 11am-7pm, ¥700(general). Open daily 10am-8pm. 5-6-23 Minami-Aoyama. Nearest stn: Omotesando. Tokyo Wonder Site Shibuya Tokyo Story. Works of hundred artists on display. Until Apr 29, 11am-7pm, free. 1-19-8 Jinnan. Nearest stn: Aoyama and Hongo. Tel: 03-3463-0603. www. tokyo-ws.org Diesel Art Gallery Glamorous Futurist. Photographic imagination by Beijing fashion photographer Chen Man. Until May 11, free. Open daily 11:30am-9pm. 1-23-16 Shibuya. Nearest stn: Shibuya. Tel: 03-6427-5955. www.diesel.co.jp/art Shinjuku/ Ikebukuro Eitoeiko Gallery Junta Egawa. Colorful and mysterious abstract paintings. Mar 31-Apr 28, 12-7pm, free. Slap, Stick and Mark by Ichiro Irie. Various media. The LA artist's first solo exhibition in his birthplace. Mar 17-26, noon-7pm, free. Open Wed-Sun noon-7pm, closed Mon-Tue. 32-2 Yaraicho. Nearest stn: Kagurazaka. Tel: 03-6479-6923. www. eitoeiko.com The Watari-Um Museum of Contemporary Art Mirei Shigemori 1896-1975. Japanese style garden designs. Until Mar 25, ¥1,000 (general)/¥800 (student). Open Tue & Thu-Sun 11am-7pm, Wed 11am-9pm, closed Mon. 3-7-6 Jingumae. Tel: 03-3402-3001. www. watarium.co.jp Sompo Japan Museum of Art Outstanding Rising Artists. 2D and 3D works. Until Apr 1, ¥500. Henri Le Sidaner. Painting. Apr 14-Jul 1, ¥1,000 (general). 42F Sompo Japan Bldg, 1-26-1 Nishi-Shinjuku. Nearest stn: Shinjuku. Tel: 03-54058686. www.sompo-japan. co.jp/museum Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery Nambata Fumio: Works 1960 - 1974. Painting. Until Mar 25, ¥1,000 (general)/¥800 (univ, HS). Open Tue-Thu 11am-7pm, Fri-Sat 11am-8pm. 3-20-2 Nishi-Shinjuku. Nearest stn: Hatsudai. Tel: 03-5353-0756. www.operacity.jp/en/ag Since 1949 今年は"にほんごをもの"にする EVERGREEN LANGUAGE SCHOOL D A I LY CO N V E R S AT I O N A N D B U S I N E S S J A PA N E S E APPLY NOW FOR WINTER COURSE! * ONE MONTH INTENSIVE * 2 DAYS & 3 DAYS A WEEK 2012 Summer term * PRIVATE & COMPANY student VISA * BUSINESS JAPANESE registration open!! * PREP FOR JLPT (N1,2,3) * COLLEGE VISA COURSE www.evergreen.gr.jp YUTENJI 03-3713-4958 JIYUGAOKA 03-3723-4785 [email protected] FREE TRIAL LESSON 03-3713-4958 Ueno Edo-Tokyo Museum The Tower. Artwork of towers in Paris, Osaka, and Tokyo in celebration of the completion of the Sky Tree. Until May 6, ¥1,300(general). Open Tue-Fri & Sun 9:30am5:30pm, Sat 9:30am-7:30pm, closed Mon & hols. 1-4-1 Yokoami. Nearest stn: Ryogoku. Tel: 03-3626-9974. www.edo-tokyo-museum. or.jp National Museum of Nature and Science Inka Teikoku Ten. The Inca empire revealed. Until Jun 24, ¥1,400. Open Tue-Thu & Sat-Sun 9am-5pm, Fri 9am-8pm, closed Mon. 7-20 Ueno Park. Nearest stn: Ueno. Tel: 03-3822-0111. www.kahaku.go.jp #938 • wWW.METROPOLIS.CO.JP • 21 Agenda Listings Other Areas 3331 Arts Chiyoda Yoshiaki Kuribara. Drawing. Until Mar 25, free. Open Wed-Mon noon-7pm. 6-11-14 Soto-Kanda, Chiyoda-ku. Nearest Station: Suehirocho. Tel: 03-6803-2441. www.3331.jp Actual Proof Postcard Ranking. 50 postcards on display. Until Mar 27, free. 2F, 2-10-8 Kitazawa. Nearest stn: Shimokitazawa. Tel: 03-64262461. www.actual-proof.com Hara Museum of Contemporary Art Hiroshi Sugimoto: From Naked to Clothed. Various media. Mar 31-Jul 1, ¥1,000(general). Open Tue-Sun 11am-5pm, closed Mon. 4-7-25 Kita-Shinagawa. Nearest stn: Kita-Shinagawa. Tel: 03-3445-0651. www. haramuseum.or.jp Hoki Museum The Aesthetics of Life: Gazing, Smiling, Feeling. Figure paintings. Until May 20, ¥1,500/¥1,000 (senior)/¥750 (MS)/free (elem & under). Open Mon & Wed-Thu 10am-6pm, Fri, Sat 10am-7pm, Sun 10am-5pm, closed Tue. 3-15 Asumigaokahigashi, Midoriku, Chiba. Nearest stn: Toke. Tel: 043-205-1500. www. hoki-museum.jp/en Kawamura Memorial Museum of Art The Unseen Relationship: Form and Abstraction. Painting by Tomoo Gokita. Until Apr 15, ¥1,200 (general). Open Tue-Sun 9:30am-5pm, closed Mon. 631 Sakado, Sakura-shi. Nearest stn: Sakura. Tel: 04-3498-2131. kawamura-museum.dic.co.jp Kawasaki City Museum Mukashi no Kurashi Ima no Kurashi. Historical reflection through display of everyday tools and goods. Until Apr 1, free. Open Tue-Sun 9:30am-5pm, closed Mon. 1-2 Todoroki, Nakahara-ku, Kawasaki. Nearest stn: Musashi-Kosugi. Tel: 04-4754-4500. www. kawasaki-museum.jp Makuhari Messe Dino Kingdom. Jurassic showcase. Jul 21-Sep 23, 9am-5pm, ¥2,500(general), ¥1,200 (elem&MS). Nakase 2-1, Mihama-ku. Nearest stn: Kaihin-Makuhari. Tel: 04-3296-0001. www.m-messe.co.jp Meguro Museum of Art, Tokyo Meguro Address. Creative works by six groups of artists from Meguro. Until Apr 1, ¥700 (general). Open Tue-Sun 10am-6pm, closed Mon. 2-4-36 Meguro. Nearest stn: Meguro. Tel: 03-37141201. www.mmat.jp Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo Bloomberg Pavilion Project. Akihisa Hirata’s paper building stages exhibitions and performances. Until Oct 5, free. The Art of Connecting. Painting by Atsuko Tanaka. Until May 6, ¥1,000 (general)/¥800 (univ, 65 and over)/¥500 (MS, HS). Ay-O: Over the Rainbow Once More. Large-scale, participation installation and painting. Until May 6, ¥1,100 (general)/¥850 (univ, 65 and over)/¥550 (HS, MS). 4-1-1 Miyoshi. Nearest stn: Kiyosumi-shirakawa. Tel: 03-5245-4111. www.mot-artmuseum.jp National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation Design a Letter Yourself, with Algorithmic Thinking. Various typography using Go to www.meturl.com/listings for complete listings the latest IT. Until Jun 25, ¥600. 2-3-6 Aomi. Nearest stn: Telecom Center. www. miraikan.jst.go.jp/index_e.html Pola Museum of Art The Development of Impressionism: Monet, Renoir and the Next Generations. Painting. Until Jul 8, ¥1,800 (general)/¥1,300 (univ, HS)/¥700 (MS. elem). 1285 Kozukayama, Sengokuhara, Hakone-machi. Nearest stn: Gora. Tel: 04-6084-2111. www. polamuseum.or.jp Sogo Museum of Art Basketball Japan Basketball League Brave Thunders vs Levange Hokkaido. Mar 16-17, 7pm, ¥1,000-3,000. Todoroki Arena. Nearest stn: Musashi Nakahara. Tel: 044-798-5000. Boxing Dangan48 Mar 31, 5:50pm, ¥4,000-10,000. Korakuen Hall. Nearest stn: Suidobashi. Tel: 03-5800-9999. Figure Skating Miyako no Asobi, Ocho no Bi. Hosomi Museum Collection of Kyoto artifacts. Until Mar 20. Open daily 10am-8pm. 2-18-1 Takashima, Nishi-ku. Nearest stn: Yokohama. Tel: 04-54655515. www2.sogo-gogo.com/ common/museum/ Prince Ice World Tana Gallery Bookshelf Ice Ribbon March Klangstube. Sound machine installation by Florian Haupt. Until Mar 31. 3F Dai 2 Fuji-Bldg, 2-20 Kanda, Jinbocho, Chiyoda-ku. Tel: 03-3262-6708. http://rad-commons.main. jp/tana Tokyu Tama Plaza Arty Punchi: Handmade in Korea. S. Korean artists and craftspeople exhibit ceramics, jewelry, paintings, and interior goods. Tokyu Department Store. Nearest stn: Tama Plaza. Mar 29-Apr 4, 10am-7pm, free. www.artypunchi.com/about The Container Be Seeing You. Video art by Ami Clarke. Until Apr 9, free. Mon–Fri 11am-9pm, Sat–Sun & hols 10am-8pm, closed Tue. 1F Hills Daikanyama, 1-8-30 Kami-Meguro. Nearest stn: Naka-Meguro. Tel: 03-37707750. www.the-container.com Sports Baseball Central League Tokyo Yakult Swallows vs. Hanshin Tigers. Mar 17, ¥500-2,000. Jingu Stadium. Nearest stn: Shinanomachi. Tel: 03-3404-8999. Yomiuri Giants vs. Tokyo Yakult Swallows. Mar 21, 6pm, ¥500-4,500. Tokyo Dome. Nearest stn: Suidobashi. Tel: 03-5800-9999. Interleague Tokyo Yakult Swallows vs. Saitama Seibu Lions. Mar 23-24, 1pm, ¥500-2,000. Jingu Stadium. Nearest stn: Shinanomachi. Tel: 03-34048999. MLB Season Opener Seattle Mariners vs. Hanshin Tigers. Mar 25, noon, ¥1,80010,000. Tokyo Dome. Nearest stn: Suidobashi. Tel: 03-58009999. Yomiuri Giants vs. Oakland Athletics. Mar 25, 7pm, ¥800-6,000. Tokyo Dome. Nearest stn: Suidobashi. Tel: 03-5800-9999. Oakland Athletics vs. Hanshin Tigers. Mar 26, noon, ¥800-6,000. Tokyo Dome. Nearest stn: Suidobashi. Tel: 03-5800-9999. Yomiuri Giants vs. Seattle Mariners. Mar 26, 7pm, ¥1,800-10,000. Tokyo Dome. Nearest stn: Suidobashi. Tel: 03-5800-9999. Oakland Athletics vs. Seattle Mariners Day 1. Mar 28, 7pm, ¥1,500-18,000. Tokyo Dome. Nearest stn: Suidobashi. Tel: 03-5800-9999. Oakland Athletics vs. Seattle Mariners. Mar 29, 6pm, ¥1,500-18,000. Tokyo Dome. Nearest stn: Suidobashi. Tel: 03-5800-9999. Pacific League Chiba Lotte Marines vs. Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles. Mar 21, 1pm, ¥300-2,500. Chiba Marine Stadium. Nearest stn: KaihinMakuhari. Tel: 043-296-1227. Apr 28-May 4, 11am & 3:30pm, ¥2,500-15,000. Shin-Yokohama Skate Center. Nearest stn: Shin-Yokohama. Tel: 045-4741112. Pro Wrestling Mar 20, noon, ¥2,500-8,000. Korakuen Hall. Nearest stn: Suidobashi. Tel: 03-5800-9999. www.ice-ribbon.ne07.jp Rugby HSBC Tokyo Sevens Mar 31-Apr 1, 10am, ¥900-8,000. Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium. Nearest stn: Gaienmae. Tel: 03-3401-3290. Japan Rugby Championships Finals. Mar 18, 2pm, ¥300-4,000. National Olympic Stadium. Nearest stn: Gaienmae. Tel: 042-342-8950. 03-3401-3290 Soccer J. League, Division 1 FC Tokyo vs. Nagoya Grampus. Mar 17, 7pm, ¥500-6,000. Ajinomoto Stadium. Nearest stn: Tobitakyu. Tel: 04-2440-0555. Kashima Antlers vs. Kawasaki Frontale. Mar 17, 2pm, ¥1,400-7,500. Kashima Stadium. Nearest stn: Kashima Soccer Stadium. Tel: 02-99846622. Kashiwa Reysol vs Urawa Reds. Mar 17, 2pm, ¥1,000-4,500. Saitama Stadium. Nearest stn: Urawamisono. Tel: 048-8122002. Yokohama F Marinos vs. Vegalta Sendai. Mar 17, 2pm, ¥1,100-5,000. Nissan Stadium. Nearest stn: Kozuke. Tel: 04-5477-5000. Kawasaki Frontale vs. Cerezo Osaka. Mar 24, 2pm, ¥800-4,500. Todoroki Stadium. Nearest stn: Musashikosugi. Tel: 044-722-0303. FC Tokyo vs. Sanfrecce Hiroshima. Mar 31, 2pm, ¥500-5,000. Ajinomoto Stadium. Nearest stn: Tobitakyu. Tel: 04-2440-0555. Urawa Reds vs. Kawasaki Frontale. Mar 31, 3pm, ¥1,000-4,500. Saitama Stadium. Nearest stn: Urawamisono. Tel: 048-8122002. Yokohama F Marinos vs. Kashima Antlers. Mar 31, 7pm, ¥900-5,000. Nissan Stadium. Nearest stn: Kozuke. Tel: 04-5477-5000. Kawasaki Frontale vs FC Tokyo. Apr 8, 4pm, ¥800-4,500. Todoroki Stadium. Nearest stn: Musashikosugi. Tel: 044-7220303. FC Tokyo vs Kashima Antlers. Apr 14, 1pm, ¥500-6,000. Ajinomoto Stadium. Nearest stn: Tobitakyu. Tel: 04-2440-0555. Kashiwa Reysol vs Vegalta Sendai. Apr 14, 1pm, ¥1,000-4,000. Hitachi Stadium. Tel: 047-162-2250. Urawa Reds vs Vissel Kobe. Apr 14, 3pm, ¥1,000-4,500. Saitama Stadium. Nearest stn: Urawamisono. Tel: 048-812-2002. FC Tokyo vs Shimizu S-Pulse. Apr 28, 1pm, ¥500-6,000. Ajinomoto Stadium. Nearest stn: Tobitakyu. Tel: 04-2440-0555. FC Tokyo vs. Sagan Tosu. May 20, 3pm, ¥500-5,000. 22 • download our podcast at • podcast.metropolis.co.jp Ajinomoto Stadium. Nearest stn: Tobitakyu. Tel: 04-2440- Swimming Japan Synchronized Swimming Championships 2012 May 2-5, 1pm, ¥2,000. Tatsumi International Swimming Center. Nearest stn: Shin-Kiba. Tel: 03-3547-0900. Taekwondo All-Japan Championships Mar 17-18, 9pm, Yoyogi National Gymnasium. Nearest stn: Meiji-Jingumae. Tel: 03-3468-1171. Volleyball V Premier League Men and Women's Final Mar 24-25, noon, ¥1,0009,900. Yoyogi National Gymnasium. Nearest stn: Meiji-Jingumae. Tel: 03-34681171. Festivals Kin Ryu no Mai Golden dragon dance. Mar 18, 11am & 2 & 3pm, free. Sensoji. Nearest stn: Asakusa. Tel: 03-3842-0181. Takaosan Hiwatari Matsuri Buddhist monks walk on flaming cypress for good luck. Mar 18, 1-2pm, free. Takaosan Jidosha Kitoden Hiroba. Nearest stn: Takaosanguchi. Tel: 042-661-1115. Saint Patrick's Day Parade Meetup Get a free bacon sandwich, cup of tea and a Hobgoblin T-shirt to wear at the parade. Mar 18, noon, free. Hobgoblin Shibuya. Nearest stn: Shibuya. Tel: 03-6415-4244. http://meturl. com/hobstp Ogose Bairin Ume Matsuri Anime Contents Expo Major anime producers’ showcase. Mar 31-Apr 1, 9am-6pm, ¥1,500. Makuhari Messe. Nearest stn: KaihinMakuhari. Tel: 04-3296-0001. www.animecontentsexpo.jp Bazaars & Markets Arab Charity Bazaar Arabic culture, food, calligraphy, henna tattoo and raffle organized by SWAAJ (The Society of Wives of Arab Ambassadors). Apr 8, 11am-5pm, ¥1,000. Ark Hills Karajn Place. Nearest stn: Roppongi-itchome. www. morocco-emba.jp Oedo Antique Fair Japan’s largest outdoor antique market. Every first and third Sun, 8am-4:30pm, Tokyo International Forum Hall C. Nearest stn: Tokyo. Tel: 03-5805-1093. Aoyama Marche Farmer's Market Farmers from around the nation gather to sell their organic fruits and vegetables. Every weekend. United Nations University. Nearest stn: Omotesando. Tel: 03-3456-0960. Yasukuni Shrine Antique Market Every Sun, sunrise-sunset. Yasukuni Shrine. Nearest stn: Kudanshita. Tel: 03-3261-8326. Fudaten Jinja Market Every second Sun, Fudaten Jinja. Nearest stn: Chofu. Tel: 04-2489-0022. Tokyo International Forum Flea Market Every second Sun. Handmade crafts. Mar 3-Jan 1, 10am-4pm, free. TBA Learning Light-fashion and furniture workshop, cheerleader's parade, and market. Feat Pyuupiru, Fantasista Utamaro etc. Mar 24, all day. Koedo Kawagoe Haru Matsuri 90th anniversary spring festival. Mar 31, 10am-4pm, free. Main street, Kawagoe City. Nearest stn: Kawagoe. Kanamara Matsuri Shinto-style penis festival. Apr 1, 11am-5pm, free. Kanayama Jinja. Nearest stn: Kawasaki. Tel: 044-222-3206. www. tomuraya.co.jp/wakamiya-10. htm Midtown Beer Night 2012 International beer tasting party in Roppongi Midtown. Apr 20, midnight, ¥3,200 (adv). Tokyo Midtown Hall. Nearest stn: Roppongi. Tel: 03-34753100. Forums & Expos Tokyo Motorcycle Show Get your bike on. Mar 23-25, various times, ¥1,200. Tokyo Big Sight. Nearest stn: KokusaiTenjijo-Seimon. Tel: 03-55301111. Pet Fair Asia's largest pet paraphernalia expo. Mar 31-Apr 1, 10am, ¥1,000(general). Makuhari Messe. Nearest stn: KaihinMakuhari. Tel: 04-3296-0001. Shibuya-wide clothing design event. Mar 17-23, various times, free. www. shibuyafashionfestival.com Marunouchi Ekiden Relay race around the Imperial Palace, to support 3/11 disaster relief. Mar 18, 9:30am, ¥10,000 per team (of four). Kokyogaien National Gardens. Nearest stn: Tokyo. Tel: 03-5218-5100. www. tokyo-event.jp/ekiden Journées de la Francophonie Movies, rakugo in French, Senegalese hip-hop by Daara-J Family, chanson by Constance Verluca, DJ Gypsy Sound System, etc. Until Mar 22, various times, free. The French Institute. Nearest stn: Iidabashi. Tel: 03-52062500. www.institut.jp/ja/ evenements/11529 Roppongi Art Night All-night art extravaganza across numerous Roppongi venues. Mar 24-25, free. www. roppongiartnight.com Chant Down Babylon As part of Roppongi Art Night. Live: Die Kosmisch Loops, etc. DJs Violet Fizz, etc. VJ: Onnacodomo, animation, poetry reading, live painting. March 24, 8pm, ¥1,000. SuperDeluxe. B1, 3-1-25 Nishi-Azabu, Minato-ku. www.super-deluxe.com/ room/194 Various performances and fashion shows of students from 60 high schools. Mar 28, 3pm, ¥500+1d. Akasaka Blitz. Nearest stn: Akasaka. Tel: 090-1778-6773. Tsukubasan Ume Matsuri Sumidagawa Parade Other Events Shibuya Fashion Festival Aonisai Plum blossom viewing and other events. Until Mar 20, 8:30am-5pm, ¥200. Ogose Bairin. Nearest stn: Ogose. Tel: 049-292-3121. www.town. ogose.saitama.jp/umematsuri Plum blossom viewing festival in Ibaraki. Until Mar 20, Free. Tsukubasan Bairin. Nearest stn: Tsukubasan Jinja Iriguchi or Miyawaki. Tel: 029-8698333. women directors. Feat. Mia Hansen-Løve, etc. Until Mar 18, various times, ¥1,000 (general). The French Institute, Shinjuku-ku. Nearest stn: Iidabashi. Tel: 03-5206-2500. www.institut. jp/ja/evenements/11541 Art Fair Tokyo MAR 21, 6:30-9:30pm TELL Suicide Prevention Workshop Anyone can save a life if you know what to look for and are willing to reach out. Wesley Center 2F, Minami Aoyama. Visit www.telljp.com for more information Transpacific Field of Dreams The history of US-Japanese baseball exchange. Mar 23, midnight, free. International House of Japan. Nearest stn: Roppongi. Tel: 03-34704611. www.i-house.or.jp/en/ ProgramActivities/japan_ihj Film Films in the Gallery Selected film suitable for all ages. Movies start from 2pm. Bring snacks to share. Mar 18, noon-6pm, free. Studio C Tokyo, 3-36-10 Sasazuka, Shibuya-ku. Nearest stn: Sasazuka. http:// studioctokyo.core.ne.jp I Am Happy Screening of Brazilian documentary, with Q&A, and live samba/capoiera. Mar 18 & 24, 4 & 7pm, ¥1,500 (adv)/¥2,000 (door). Uplink Cinema, Shibuya-ku. Nearest stn: Shibuya. Tel: 03-6825-5503. www. streetwitnessproductions.com Women, Women, Women Screenings devoted to new generation of French Domestic and international galleries covering wide range of genres, periods and media. Mar 30-Apr 1, ¥2,000. Tokyo International Forum. Nearest stn: Yurakucho. Tel: 03-57714520. www.artfairtokyo. com/en Paracup Charity marathon aimed to support children around the world. Apr 8, ¥4,800(general), ¥2,400(MS& HS), free(elem). Furuichiba Rikugyo Kyogijo. www.paracup.info ACKid A week full of performance, music, screening, fine arts, etc. From Apr 22-29, 7pm, ¥2,000 (adv)/¥2,500 (door). Kid Ailack Hall. 2-43-11 Matsubara, Meidaimae, Setagaya-ku. Tel: 03-3322-5564. http://blog. livedoor.jp/kidailack Shibuhouse Party All-night house party on 22th of every month. Contact [email protected] for address/directions . Mar 22-Dec 22, 7pm-7am, ¥1,000 w/food & drink. Shibuhouse. Nearest stn: Shibuya. www. shibuhouse.com TTT Table Tennis Tuesday. Every Tue, 8:30pm. M (Event Space & Bar). Nearest stn: Daikanyama. Tel: 03-3416-1739. http://mevent-bar.com Movie ReviewS & cinemas P. 24 Metrohomes selected listings All english-language services! MetroHomes.jp Just a few examples from Japan’s biggest English-language real estate database... Veneo Minami-Azabu Minato-ku. Nearest Stn: Hiroo (12 min) • 324.54m2 • 4LDK • ¥1,800,000 • No key money Denenchofu House Ota-ku. Nearest stn: Tamagawa (5 min) • 186.18m2 • 4 bedroom house • ¥500,000 • No key money Hiroo House Shibuya-ku. Nearest Stn: Hiroo (10 min) • 184.3m2 • 3LDK Wooden House • ¥950,000 • No key money Akasaka K Tower Residence Minato-ku. Nearest stn: Akasaka-Mitsuke (1 min) • 51.03-98.05m2 • Studio-2LDK • ¥285,000-¥560,000 Green Court Azabujuban Minato-ku. Nearest Stn: Azabu-Juban (3 min) • 64m2 • 1LDK • ¥300,000 Saigo Compound Meguro-ku. Ikejiri-Ohashi (7 min) • 212.54m2 • 4LDK • ¥730,000 Uehara 2 chome House Shibuya-ku. Nearest Stn: Yoyogi-Uehara (9 min) • 444m2 • 4BR • ¥1,400,000 Forest Form Komaba Meguro-ku. Nearest stn: Yoyogi-Uehara (12 min) • 145m2 • 3BR • ¥580,000 La Tour Mita Minato-ku • Nearest stn: Mita (4 min) • 55.00-224.26m2 • 1R-4LDK • ¥300,000¥1.400,000 • No agency fee/ key money Central Park Tower LaTour Shinjuku Shinjuku-ku • Nearest stn: Tochomae (5 min) • 49.62-289.57m2, 1R-5LDK, ¥248,000-¥1,580,000 • No agency fee/ key money Uno Mansion Nakano-ku. Nearest stn: ShinNakano (4 min) • 19m2 1R • ¥85,000 • No agency fee/ key money New Life Azabu Minato-ku. Nearest Stn: Roppongi-1-chome (3 min) • 12m2 • 1R • ¥90,000 • No agency fee/key money JAPT. Toritsudaigaku A Meguro-ku. Nearest stn: Toritsudaigaku (10 min) • 21.38m2 • 1K • ¥120,000 • No deposit/agency fee/ key money JAPT. Roppongi 2 Minato-ku. Nearest stn: Roppongi (2 min) • 27.56m2 • 1DK • ¥160,000 • No deposit/ agency fee/key money No.2 Fujitomo Bldg. Edogawa-ku • Nearest stn: Kasai (5 min) • 64.41m2 • 2LDK • ¥130,000 • No agency fee/ key money Sangenjaya Casa Alegre A Setagaya-ku • Nearest stn: Sangenjaya (10 min) • 20.3m2 • 1K • ¥128,000 • No agency fee/key money No.1 Fujitomo Bldg. Edogawa-ku • Nearest stn: Kasai (5 min) • 13.32m2 • 1R, ¥53,000 • No agency fee/key money Itabashi-ku Motohasunuma Itabashi-ku. Nearest stn: Motohasunuma (3 min) 29.7m2 • 1DK • ¥118,000 • No agency fee/key money Property information accurate at time of printing. Please check Metrohomes.jp for up-to-date listings metrohomes key features: ● Over 10,000 rental properties to search through ● Add favorites to a basket to keep an eye on them ● “What’s New” column updated daily by participating realtors ● “Property Spotlight” features a home of the day ● Guesthouse, service apartments and houses for sale to be added ● Intuitive search filters #938 ● wWW.METROPOLIS.CO.JP ● 23 Agenda Movies By Don Morton Carnage Two sets of parents (Jodie Foster, John C. Reilly, Kate Winslet and Christoph Waltz) gather in a NYC apartment to discuss a schoolyard altercation between their sons. They’re initially civil and polite, but gradually become contentious, allegiances shift, and cracks begin to appear. Then the scotch comes out and the gloves come off, and someone pukes on a pile of art books. It’s wicked funny. Roman Polanski has made no effort to “cinematize” this comedy of manners in adapting Yasmina Reza’s award-wining stage play, and its obvious contrivances are best enjoyed if you imagine yourself at the play. (79 min) Japanese title: Otona no Kenka. Cinemas 7 86 91 The People vs. George Lucas Metpod Puss in Boots T he swashbuckling title kitty in the big boots and plumed hat (flawlessly voiced by Antonio Banderas) virtually stole the show in Shrek 2, making a spinoff inevitable. Thus this fun origin story about how a lowly gato burglar becomes involved with shady childhood friend Humpty Dumpty (Zack Galifinakis) in an ill-fated scheme to steal magic beans or golden geese or something from the avaricious thugs Jack and Jill (Billy Bob Thornton and Amy Sedaris). This doesn’t go well, but in the process he meets feisty fellow feline felon Kitty Softpaws (a purring, equally flawless Salma Hayek) Bloodrayne: The Third Reich NEW Children of the Corn: Genesis NEW The second sequel to one of t h e wo r s t va mp i re m ov ie s ever made by one of the worst directors who ever made them (Uwe Boll—House of the Dead, Postal) takes the action to Nazi Germany, where the large-breasted “good” vampire/human heroine accidentally infects/turns an already vicious SS officer. If you thought Michael Pare was a bad actor when he was young and good-looking, wait’ll you get a load of him as a middle-aged Nazi vampire. Adapted from a video game. Gratuitous gore and nudity, a little pointless lesbian sex, and even a vampire Hitler! This would be a good bad movie if it weren’t so… just…bad. (79 min) Cinema 27 This is the eighth in a string of TV or DVD movies (and thankfully the first I’ve had to watch) that started in 1984, spawned from a Stephen King short story about a band of murderous, demonically possessed Nebraska kiddies who kill. This time a couple’s car breaks down in a California desert and they have to spend the night with a mad preacher, his Ukrainian bride, and, oh yes, the evil kid chained up in the shed. Snore. Good production values, and Billy Drago is always creepy, but it plays like a TV episode, which I guess is what it is, and goes nowhere. The only corn is in the script. (80 min) Japanese title: The Child: Akuma no Kigen. Cinema 27 Also Showing Young Adult Charlize Theron brilliantly portrays another detestable character, but the film lacks the edge and humor of the filmmakers’ Juno. (94 min) Cinemas 7 20 40 81 82 85 91 95 97 and falls for her like a sack of catnip. We then learn how he earned the boots and the funny hat. There’s little depth to the plot or even continuity, and it feels improvised because it is. But it’s clever, colorful, kinetic, and cute as hell. (In an early saloon scene, Puss breaks his macho character to primly lap up his milk. Hilarious.) And, somewhat amazingly, considering its Shrek roots, it eschews gross-out gags and pop-culture riffs. Kids will dig the pure silliness of this theme park ride, and parents will enjoy the nudge-nudge, wink-wink humor. Japanese title: Nagagutsu wo Haita Neko. (90 min) Cinemas 45 61 62 63 79 80 84 85 88 92 93 The Iron Lady A direct-to-DVD crime thriller for people who believe rap star Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson’s talents extend to acting. One member of a trio of hoods shoots the other two and absconds with the five mil in diamonds they have just stolen. But one survives and has to wade through a sea of tough-guy clichés and riffs on better movies to get even. Bruce Willis inexplicably appears as a mob boss, but it’s little more than a cameo. Predictable, repetitive and dull as dirt. I don’t know, but it’s a pretty good bet that the fabulously wealthy but charisma-free Fiddy bankrolled this. Dood’s a black Steven Seagal. (85 min) Cinema 13 The Bang Bang Club The Bang Bang Club was a quartet of daredevil photojournalists who covered the bloody violence in South Africa in the last days of apartheid. Their photos brought t h i s l it t le -ack nowle d ge d wa r to the world’s attention, and for this they deserve commendation. This movie, however, from a memoir by the two that survived and made by a documentarian, is disappointingly light, muddled and comes close to trivializing their efforts as well as the suffering of their subjects. While the excellent recreations of street battles are real-world and immediate, the characters remain two-dimensional and the narrative thin. (106 min) Cinema 27 Shame Sex addiction can be every bit as debilitating and life-destroying as drugs or drink. The joylessness of sex is examined with clarity and power in this grim yet compelling character study. M ichael Fassbender puts in a flawless, ferocious portrayal of the central character, a Manhattan highroller whose life is an endless hunt for the next compulsive, unsatisfying climax. He’s driven and miserable, but carefully copes until the arrival of his needy sister (Carey Mulligan) exposes his intense self-loathing. It’s harrowing and heartrending and hard to watch, but it will stay with you. (101 min) Cinemas 21 36 84 97 A retired CIA agent is called back to find a vicious Soviet assassin in this slack, outdated Cold War potboiler. Japanese title: Kaononai Spy. (98 min) Cinemas 43 62 76 80 81 84 91 92 94 97 24 • download our podcast at • podcast.metropolis.co.jp Setup NEW An Oscar-winning Meryl Streep p e r for m a nce s u r rou nde d by movie-like substances. Margaret Thatcher busted Britain’s unions, divided the nation, stayed in office for 13 years, and fought a needless war. Not many people are without strong opinions on the woman. Yet I left this maddeningly conventional, rise-to-power biopic feeling disappointed, knowing nothing about her I didn’t already know. The most effective (and affecting) parts are the present-day sequences showing Lady T mildly delusional, talking to her deceased husband Denis about her career. Focusing on that might have made a better movie. Japanese title: Margaret Thatcher. (105 min) Cinemas 43 45 50 60 61 62 63 80 84 85 88 92 93 96 97 The Double The title defendant, of course, made, starting in 1977, the original three Star Wars movies (episodes 4-6), for which legions of fanboys referred to him as “The Creator.” This pop-deification, however, was shaken with the release of the three subpar prequels (1-3), and Lucas’s downright sacrilegious re-mastering of the first film made them howl like wounded Wookiees. Complainers, they were. This is an exhaustive airing of these grating geek gripes and grievances, some of them quite hilarious. (Could The Phantom Menace actually suck? Impossible!). Did you know that the French actually like Jar Jar Binks? (93 min) Cinemas 21 89 Melancholia Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows Elementary (-school level), my dear Watson. If you go to movies to see car (buggy) chases, elaborate fisticuffs and stuff getting blown up, you’ll find it here. But, as with the 2009 “original,” if you subtract the star power of Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law (whose clever interactions have become a bit twee), what’s left is overproduced, off-the-shelf and repetitive action-movie dazzle. And compared to what Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote more than a century ago, there’s zero suspense, mystery or intrigue. Chuckle: Stephen Fry baring it all as Holmes’s oddball brother Mycroft. (129 min) Cinemas 3 16 35 43 52 53 60 61 62 63 66 77 78 79 80 81 82 84 85 86 87 88 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 Lars von Trier turns his singular talents to the disaster genre. Laughable science and cheap SFX, but this one will stay with you. (135 min) Cinemas 8 40 63 86 91 92 The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo David Fincher’s taut and kinetic adaptation is cinema-digestible while remaining evocative and compelling. Japanese title: Dragon Tattoo no Onna. (158 min) Cinemas 1 35 43 45 50 53 61 62 63 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 90 91 92 93 94 96 97 (inside Mullion) 8 7 10 4 Ginza Imperial Hotel (subway) Printemps Ginza Dept Store Matsuya Dept Store 11 13 Higashi-Ginza Tobu Hotel (subway) Ikiteiru Mono wa Inai no ka War Horse A misguided but well-meaning English farmer buys a thoroughbred racehorse when what he needed was a plow horse. In order to keep it, his young son Albert trains it to accept a harness. But when WWI breaks out, the animal is sold and begins an arduous odyssey, pressed into hauling everything from ambulances to cannon. But he never forgets Albert, now older and a soldier. This painterly epic from Steven Spielberg is an unabashedly sentimental homage to John Ford and the kind of uplifting, Technicolor-saturated, dramatic crowdpleasers that Hollywood made in the 40s. Good, old-fashioned movie magic. Japanese title: Senka no Uma. (146 min) Cinemas 2 19 50 76 79 96 97 The Dead and the Damned And the dreadful and the dopey and the decidedly disastrous. A bounty hunter circa 1849 must team up with a renegade Injun to battle the townspeople, who have all been turned to zombies by a mysterious green rock. Not a second take in the entire flaccid effort (Ed Wood lives!). I know actors are paid to pretend, but these guys are pretending to be actors. All the zombies look different. Once in a while a big-breasted woman takes off her top. Anachronistic rock soundtrack. The only reason I’m writing about this is that it will make a pretty good Bad Movie if you see it with friends and drink a lot. Japanese title: Cowboy & Zombie. (82 min) Cinema 27 Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close Too soon for movies about 9/11? In the case of this cathartic, illuminating and honestly (mostly) moving film, I think it’s okay. Japanese title: Monosugoku Urusakute Arienaihodo Chikai. (129 min) Cinemas 2 19 43 50 61 62 76 78 80 81 83 84 85 86 88 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 24 Bunkamura 25 Shibuya Tokyu Inn Hachiko Shibuya Shibuya Yamaha Tokyu Plaza ag aw aD Keio Inokashira line Ta m 29, 30 Meiji Dori JR Yamanote line & subway 15 Shibuya 1. Toho Cinemas Nichigeki (033574-1131) www.tohotheater.jp 2. Marunouchi Piccadilly (03-3201-2881) www. shochiku-eigakan.com 3. Marunouchi Louvre (03-32147761) www.tokyucinemas.net 4. Toho Cinemas Yurakuza (033571-1946) www.tohotheater.jp 5. Human Trust Cinema Yurakucho (03-6259-8608) www.ht-cinema.com 6. Yurakucho Subaruza (03-3212-2816) http://subarukougyou.jp/movies 7. Toho Cinemas Chanter (033591-1511) www.tohotheater.jp 8. Toho Cinemas Scala-za/ Miyuki-za (03-3591-5358) www.tohotheater.jp 10. Marunouchi Toei (03-35354741) http://theaters.toei.co.jp 11. Cine Switch Ginza (03-35610707) www.cineswitch.com 12. Ginza Theatre Cinema (033535-6000) www.ttcg.jp 13. Ginza Cine Pathos (03-3561-4660) www.humax-cinema.co.jp 14. Togeki (03-3541-2711) www. shochiku-eigakan.com Shibuya 15. Shibuto Cine Tower (03-54894210) www.tohotheater.jp 16. Shibuya Tokyu (03-3407-7219) www.tokyucinemas.net 17. Shibuya Toei (03-54675773/5774) http://theaters. toei.co.jp/theaters 19. Shibuya Cine Palace (03-34613534) www.mitsuba-inc. co.jp/scp/ 20.Shibuya Humax Cinema (03-3462-2539) www.humax-cinema.co.jp 21. Cine Quinto (03-3477-5905) www.cinequinto.com/ 22.Cinema Rise (03-3464-0051) www.cinemarise.com 24.Uplink X (03-6825-5503) www.uplink.co.jp/x/ 25. Le Cinema (03-3477-9264) www.bunkamura.co.jp/ cinema ori inj Ave Shinjuku Gyoen 47 Toshima Ward Office Ikebukuro 48 (subway) Marui Dept Store Ikebukuro JR Yamanote line Tobu Dept Store Tokyo Met Art Space 52 50 49 46 Seibu Dept Store Ikebukuro Metropolitan Hotel Shinjuku- uk Gyoenmae u D (subway) or i Amlux Tokyu Hands Prince Hotel Sunshine 60, Sunshine City Seibu Ikebukuro line JR Saikyo line Cerulean Tower Higashi-Ikebukuro 33 (subway) other areas (no map) Cinema Key Ginza/Yurakucho/ Hibiya (subway) Sh 43 51 16 17 19 109 Aoyama Dori 22 or i Shibuya S ince he won the Grand Prize at Tokyo International Film Festival in 2003 for Vibrator, Ryuichi Hiroki has been consistently one of the best filmmakers in Japan. He’s put his distinctive touch on both documentaries and fiction pieces, which generally examine the alienating nature of modern society and the strategies people use to break through that loneliness. His 2005 piece Yawarakai Seikatsu (It’s Only Talk) received plaudits from the critics (including this one) while snatching the Grand Prix at the Singapore International Film Festival that year. The present work delves even deeper into alienation and depression, perhaps too deep, but this is not surprising in light of the disasters of a year ago. River focuses on Hikari (Misako Renbutsu), a woman in her early twenties whose boyfriend was murdered in the Akihabara massacre of 2008. Clearly unable to function due to grief, the film follows Hikari as she wanders the Akiba streets, aimlessly. She runs across a photographer and is even recruited to work in a maid café (though she quits immediately). Finally, she meets a young man whose seems to be as damaged as she. His horrible break from his parents has left him bitter but now he must deal with the fact his town has been destroyed by the 3/11 tsunami. Meditative, touching and rather meandering, River is not for everyone; but for those who like quiet, contemplative work this will be food for thought. (89 min) Cinema 30 Marui Parco Store 20 41 Shinjuku 42 Sanchome Marui 34 ori iji D Me By Rob Schwartz do Kai 40Mitsukoshi East Exit South Exit Marui 42 Isetan Takashimaya 27 Parco Part 3 Tokyu Hands 21 Shinjuku West Exit hu Kos 14 Ginza Daiichi Hotel i Do ri 45 Chuo Dori Higashi Kabukiza Theater Shimbashi 44 Studio Yas uku Alta n (subway) Matsuzakaya Dept Store Nikko Hotel Koma Theater Shinjuku Prince Hotel (subway) 1, 2, 3, 5 36 Seibu Shinjuku Line 35 Ginza Itchome JR line (subway) Seibu Shinjuku 12 Yurakucho Meiji D Bic Camera 6 Shinjuku Hibiya M ei ji D or i eiga Hibiya Park Ikebukuro Ginza • Hibiya • Yurakucho Puss in Boots: PUSS IN BOOTS © 2011 DreamWorks Animation LLC. All Rights Reserved.; Bloodrayne The Third Reich: © 2010 BLR3 Filmproductions GmbH & Co.KG; Shame: © 2011 New Amsterdam Film Limited, Channel Four Television Corporation and The British Film Institute; The People vs. George Lucas: © 2010, Exhibit A Pictures, LLC, All Rights Reserved; Setup: © 2011 GEORGIA FILM FUND; The Bang Bang Club: Credit: Marcus Cruz; Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows: ©2011 VILLAGE ROADSHOW FILMS (BVI) LIMITED; War Horse: © Dream Works Distribution Co., LLC. All Rights Reserved.; The Dead and the Damned: © 2010,Mattia Borrani Productions. All Rights Reserved; River: © 2011 ギャンビット 27. Human Trust Cinema Shibuya (03-5468-5551) www.ttcg.jp 29.Cinemavera Shibuya (03-3461-7703) www. cinemavera.com 30.Eurospace (03-3461-0211) www.eurospace.co.jp 33. Theater N Shibuya (03-54892592) www.theater-n.com 34. Theatre Image Forum (03-5766-0114) www. imageforum.co.jp/theatre Shinjuku 35. Shinjuku Tokyu Milano Building (03-3202-1189) www.tokyucinemas.net 36. Shinjuku Cinema Square Tokyu (03-3202-1189) www.tokyucinemas.net 40.Shinjuku Musashinokan (03-3354-5670) http:// shinjuku.musashino-k.jp 41. Kadokawa Cinema Shinjuku (03-5361-7878) www. kadokawa-cinema.jp 42.Cinemart Shinjuku (03-5369-2831) www.cinemart.co.jp 43. Shinjuku Wald 9 (03-5369-4955) www.wald9.com 44.Theatre Shinjuku (03-3352-1846) www.ttcg.jp 45. Shinjuku Piccadilly (03-5367-1144) www. shinjukupiccadilly.com Ikebukuro 46.Ikebukuro Humax Cinemas (03-5979-1662) http://e-ticket.hmxede.com 47. Shin Bungeiza (03-3971-9422) www.shin-bungeiza.com 48.Ikebukuro Tokyu (03-3971-2727) www.tokyucinemas.net 49.Ikebukuro Theatre Dia (03-3983-9793) www.ttcg.jp 50.Cinema Sunshine Ikebukuro (03-3982-6388) www.cinemasunshine.co.jp 51. Ikebukuro Cinema Rosa (03-3986-3713) www.cinemarosa.net 52. Cine Libre Ikebukuro (03-3590-2126) www.ttcg.jp 53. Toho Cinemas Roppongi Hills (03-5775-6090) www.tohotheater.jp 54. Cinemart Roppongi (03-5413-7711) www.cinemart.co.jp 57. Iwanami Hall (03-3262-5252) www.iwanami-hall.com 58.Jimbocho Theater (03-52815132) www.shogakukan.co.jp 60.Ueno Tokyu (03-3831-6620) www.tokyucinemas.net 61. Shinagawa Prince Cinema (03-5421-1113) http://princecinema. smartreserv.jp 62. United Cinema Toyosu (03-6219-3000) www.unitedcinemas.jp 63. Cinema Mediage Odaiba (03-5531-7878) www.tohotheater.jp 64.Pole-Pole Higashi-Nakano (03-3371-0088) www.mmjp.or.jp 65. Kichijoji Toa Kogyo (0422-48-6521) www.toakogyo.com 66.Kichijoji Baus Theater (0422-22-3555) www.baustheater.com 67. Kichijoji Plaza (04-2222-5336) http://movie. walkerplus.com 68.Kineka Omori (03-3762-6000) www.ttcg.jp 69.Waseda Shochiku (03-3200-8968) www.wasedashochiku.co.jp 70.Ginrei Hall (03-3269-3852) www.ginreihall.com 71. Shinbashi Bunka (03-3431-4920) http://movie. walkerplus.com 77. Toho Cinemas Kinshicho (03-5637-1040) www.tohotheater.jp 72. Meguro Cinema (03-34912557) www.okura-movie.co.jp 73. Sangenjaya Cinema (03-3421-3322) http://movie. walkerplus.com 74. Sangenjaya Chuo (03-3421-4610) http://movie. walkerplus.com 76. Rakutenchi Cinemas Kinshicho (03-3631-7020) www.rakutenchi.co.jp 78.Heiwajima Cinema Sunshine (03-5764-8801) www.cinemasunshine.co.jp 79. 109 Cinemas Kiba (03-5683-0109) 109cinemas.net 80.United Cinema Toshimaen (03-5912-9800) www.unitedcinemas.jp 81. Warner Mycal Cinemas Itabashi (03-3937-1551) www.warnermycal.com 82.Toho Cinemas Minami-Osawa (042-679-6180) www.tohotheater.jp 83.Warner Mycal Cinemas ShinYurigaoka (044-965-1122) www.warnermycal.com 84.Cinecitta Kawasaki (044-223-3190) www.cinecitta.co.jp/theater 85.109 Cinemas Kawasaki (0570-007-109) 109cinemas. net 86.Toho Cinemas Kawasaki (044-230-1122) www.tohotheater.jp 87. Movil (045-311-0330) 109cinemas.net 88.109 MM Yokohama (045-664-0109) www.109cinemas.net 89.Yokohama New Theatre (045-261-2995) http:// yokohamanewtheatre.web. fc2.com 90.Warner Mycal Cinemas Minato Mirai (045-222-2525) www.warnermycal.com 91. Toho Cinemas Lalaport Yokohama (045-929-1040) www.tohotheater.jp 92.Movix Saitama (048-600-6300) www.movix.co.jp 93. United Cinema Iruma (04-2965-9999) www.unitedcinemas.jp 94.Toho Cinemas Ichikawa Colton Plaza (047-314-0055) www.tohotheater.jp 95.Cinema Ikspiari (047-305-3855) www.ikspiari.com 96.Kyosei Roza (043-225-6355) www.keiseikog.co.jp 97. YokohamaBurg 13 (045-222-6222) www.burg13.com #938 • wWW.METROPOLIS.CO.JP • 25 NEW EVENT NEW EVENT 26 • download our podcast at • podcast.metropolis.co.jp the latest dish on food & drink in the big city B i t e s network Dining Out drams Courtesy of Tokyo International Bar Show veg Courtesy of Connect Tokyo Courtesy of Creme de la Creme C Y A opening ice order in onnect Tokyo, a shared office space in Shirokanedai (5F LB Bldg, 3-14-4 Shirokanedai, Minato-ku) opens its doors once a week for people to experience its trendy working environment. From 1-9pm on Wednesdays, pay a crisp ¥1,000 note to gain entry to the Drop-in & Jelly Drinks, where you can connect to the wi-fi, study, work and network. After 6pm, everyone pitches in ¥500, and drinks are brought in to further lubricate the mingling action. This casual event welcomes people to bring snacks and drinks to share, too. our mother always told you to eat your vegetables, but she never said how you had to do it. Kyoto cream-puff specialists Crème de la Crème have brought their patisserial knowledge to the manufacturing of a chou cream from local vegetables to fill their tasty pastries. Kyo Vegetable Chou comes in a veritable buffet of flavors such as burdock, wild mustard, turnip and more, enabling you to indulge and keep mum happy at the same time. Could make a nice spring gift for vegetable gourmets. From ¥1,050 for a box of 5; http://cremedelacreme.jp fter 7,700 thirsty aficionados gathered last year, Whisky Live 2012 is back for more at Roppongi Midtown, May 5-6, with the Tokyo International BarShow. Started in Tokyo in 2000, the event is now decidedly trendy with the move to Midtown. Tickets are ¥5,000 and get you access to single malt heaven and blends aplenty. Beer and more is around for a fee, but this affair is all about kicking out the drams. Masterclass seminars (¥3,000) by distillers, blenders and whisky writers let you try some damn rare bottlings, learn some perfect food pairings, and probably go blind. www. whiskylivejapan.com Courtesy of Yoyo Market F ill yourself with the strength of a sumo wrestler and the sexual capacity of a rutting rhino—while narrowly avoiding a fatal poisoning—at the powerfully named Wolf (2F Atago Green Hills Plaza, 3-21-5 Toranomon, Minato-ku; www.wolf.jpn.com). Specialities include chankonabe, the famed proteinous broth that gives sumo stars their stamina, along with the aphrodisiac soft-shelled turtle and the notorious fugu (pufferfish), too—all dishes bound to inject some exhilaration into your dining experience. T he chunky ice cream with the unconventional image, Ben & Jerry’s, is coming back to Japan for the first time in 15 years. Started in 1978 by two guys (guess their names), armed with knowledge obtained from a correspondence course in ice-cream making, the brand now has 815 outlets in 27 countries. The branch hits Omotesando Hills on April 14, and will offer ice cream, chocolate and banana sundaes, milkshakes and some original varieties for Japan. Stop in to chomp on a Chubby Hubby. Or just eat some ice cream. S urely not much more needs to be said than “Costco, Ikea and more delivered to your door— anywhere in Japan,” the tagline emblazoned across the website of Yoyo Market (http:// yoyomarket.jp). Their easy-to-read English-language info clearly explains all the details, such as the ¥950 shipping fee per box (no matter what’s in it), free delivery over ¥30,000, how to access their friendly, accessible support and other features likely to make the western consumer weep with joy. Proper baking powder, 3D paint sets, lightbulbs, pillows, it goes on… #938 • wWW.METROPOLIS.CO.JP • 27 We welcome all kinds of parties. Please contact us. Each branch has different hours. www.dubliners.jp ST. PATRICK’S DAY EVENT Pints of Beer at all branches: ¥500 ALL (except Akasaka) DAY! March 17th Guinness, Murphy’s, Kilkenny, Ebisu Irish Live Music March 17-18 Akasaka closed on March 17 & 18 Toranomon closed on March 18 (Apologies for the inconvenience) Visit our website for more information Pub Crawl March 1 - March 16 Collect stamps at all six Dubliners branches to get your VIP card! Cardholders can get ¥800 pints, ¥500 half-pints and enter a draw to win Tokyo Sevens rugby tickets NEXT METROPOLIS PARTY: (expires March 16th, 2013) Ask staff for more details 17 March Shibuya branch open late!!! @ FREE ENTRY ONE COIN DRINK MAR 30 (FRI) Shibuya brunch show: Rugby Union Six Nations game: Ireland vs England Shinjuku 03-3352-6606 Ikebukuro 03-5951-3614 Akasaka 03-3539-3615 Shibuya 03-5459-1736 Shinagawa 03-6718-2834 Toranomon 03-5501-1536 MORE INFO AT: http://metropolis.co.jp/events 28 • download our podcast at • podcast.metropolis.co.jp the latest dish on food & drink in the big city by JEff W. Richards Dining Out Photos by Jeff w. Richards izakaya review Gaburiya Grapefruit cocktails and tuna skewers in Yokohama W hen I f i rst entered Gaburiya ten years ago I didn’t even know what an izakaya was, but a memorable cocktail and delicious grilled skewers have kept me coming back despite its tiny smokefilled space. It’s time you tried it, too. Once inside (difficult on Friday and Saturday nights) it’s always the same drill. First off, no matter your drink of choice—the Gaburiya opener is the vodka nama grapef r u it (¥6 8 0). T he g r ap ef r u it i s freshly squeezed for each drink right t here at t he bar (turns out the reddish cheaper fruit make for better juice). Trust me, you’ll want to order another round as soon as your first arrives. Next, the maguro no satoyaki in olive sauce (¥300 each). Be quick on this one as they run out most nights. This is their signature dish, and what keeps me coming back. The tuna—squared and skewered on a stick—is lightly seared on the outside, delightfully raw on the inside and drizzled with a near perfect olive sauce. I’ve been trying to figure out the recipe for a decade now and I know this much: diced olives, garlic, sardine, lemon, and pepper in virgin olive oil. Order two per person. Better yet, order three because you’ll order more once you try it. W hile you’re at it, order from over 60 different kinds of yakitori, (from ¥180). Get the sasami (chicken slightly grilled outside, practically raw inside, ser ved with wasabi), and the tsukune (grilled minced chicken)—one shio kosho (salt and pepper) and one tare (sauce). Always a good sign for quality restaurants in Japan, it’s packed with young, upwardly mobile, trendy young women. This ain’t your aging salaryman izakaya (despite being filled with smoke). The soft-lit dark wooden counter and seating area is scarred from scrapes with Louis Vuitton handbags and f lashy baubles. A sunken private table near the entrance is available for groups, but you don't want that. This is one of those places where it’s better to sit in the thick of it all. Rou nd out t he ch ic ken a nd tuna with yaki onigiri (grilled rice ball, ¥380) done yakitori st yle on a wooden skewer and served with soup for dipping. Now you’re on your ow n. Be adventurous. Ask the long-serving tencho (the manager—who doesn’t speak much English, but loves the practice) for an osusume (recommended) menu item. You can’t go wrong with the deep-fried Camembert or your straight-shooting negima (grilled chicken and green onion). Or try the hotate (scallop): grilled open-faced and in their shell with a little white wine sauce. Collect some points to use on your next visit at the cash desk when you head out. Just don’t wait ten years to tell anyone about it. J Menu in Japanese only Drinks from ¥500, skewers from ¥180 No nonsmoking seats Intimate main space for the action The maguro skewers, hip crowd, great service Fills fast, gets smoky 2-6-1 Minami-Saiwai, Nishi-ku, Yokohama. Tel: 050-5816-3404. Nearest stn: Yokohama Open daily 5:30pm-4am http://meturl.com/gaburiya bar review Tomei’s Wine Bar California grapes on the Motomachi side streets Y okoha ma’s Motomach i might have lost some luster in the last few years, with big names heading to trendier areas like Minato Mirai, but its eating and drinking spots haven’t lost their charm. While the main shopping avenue is geared towards weddings, jewelry and brand-name shops—the real allure has always been Motomachi’s side streets. Among various bars catering to the usual tastes, Tomei’s Wine Bar, caters to just one: the wine lover. More specifically, the lover of wine from California. Native Michael Scott opened the original Tomei’s in April 2004 across the street. Easy to talk to and passionate about his bottles, he’s happy to help satisfy your palate. He’s guided many through the tasting experience—newbies and oenophiles alike. “I also have a high conversion rate for beer drinkers,” he says, with a laugh. We sampled a Ferrari Carano 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon from the Alexander Valley in Sonoma. Smooth and velvety soft, it brought back childhood aromas of Mom’s baking: hints of molasses and maple syrup on a messy, flour-covered counter. Drinkable and not too complex—just how I like things. Glasses of wine at Tomei’s average about ¥1,000—but these are big, healthy pours for grown-ups. Pours that make you want to wrap your hand around the glass—rather than pinch the stem daintily— and talk about the day as you work through full-bodied Merlots, Cabernet Sauvignons and summer-fruit-tinged Sauvignon Blancs. Prime example: the 2006 MacRostie Syrah (¥1,500) from Wildcat Mou nta i n V i neya rd i n Sonoma County. A little harder than the Cabernet, this was more upfront and cool, with a bite of black pepper and a tail of bramble fruits. While we sampled, Scott waxed poetic about vitis vinifera grapes and his search for quality vintners. “We only offer wines we like to drink ourselves,” he says. While most “wine bars” offer draft and spirits with a just few wines, Tomei's offers around 20 wines by the glass each night, no spirits and just a few craft beers. To sample even more wines from The Golden State, Tomei’s does a happy hour Tues-Fri, 5-7pm, with 100ml glasses for ¥300, ¥600 bottled beers and ¥500 tapas dishes. Glass wines change weekly, as Scott doesn’t buy in volume. He deals directly with wineries and heads back regularly on tasting and buying missions. As a registered importer and wholesaler, he can charge less for higher quality wines, and you’ll find bottles you won’t find anywhere else in Japan. Ensconced on t he scenic Motomachi backstreets, Tomei’s Wine Bar could have the same motto as California itself—“Find yourself here.” J/E Menu in English and Japanese Glass wines from ¥500, bottles ¥3,000 upward Entirely nonsmoking One counter, an alcove for tastings and dinners Friendly, affordable and only from California Low capacity, not much seating 4-167 Motomachi, Naka-ku. Tel: 045-212-5446. Nearest stn: Motomachi Chukagai Open Tue-Thu, 5-11pm, Fri 5pm-midnight, Sat noon-midnight, Sun noon-11pm, closed Mon www.tomeis.co.jp #938 • wWW.METROPOLIS.CO.JP • 29 Teach English One-to-One April is the start of the new school year. Considering a change? Thinking to supplement your income? Look no further! Choose your own schedule Fit Gaba around other work or study commitments 29 convenient Kanto locations Akabane Akasaka-Tameike Aobadai Chiba Ebisu Fujisawa-Shonan Futakotamagawa Ginza Hachioji Ikebukuro Jiyugaoka Kashiwa Kawasaki Kichijoji Kitasenju Machida Meguro Omiya Omotesando Otemachi Seijo Shibuya Shimokitazawa Shinbashi-Shiodome Shinagawa Shinjuku Tachikawa Tokyo Yokohama gaba One-to-One English teaching-in-japan.gaba.co.jp Application and Visa inquiries / Apply now ! 03 - 5790 -7054( Monday - Friday 10am to 7pm ) The majority of classified ads have moved online! Note: Printed Classifieds! CLASSIFIEDS Metropolis and its subsequent Classifieds section are printed every other week. The upcoming publication dates and corresponding deadlines for print are as follows. This does not affect the online Classifieds, where ads are visible immediately after they are approved. Our online classified ad system gives you more power to find, place and track your classified ads. You can place FREE or commercial ads with online tools to help you calculate the number of words and price. All ads placed on this system will appear in Metropolis; Japan’s No. 1 English magazine, which hits the streets every other Friday at over 800 locations throughout Tokyo, Yokohama and Chiba. All classifieds submitted for business purposes are considered commercial. Commercial and upgraded free ads can appear in any section. To place Job ads please visit http://classifieds. metropolis.co.jp or email: [email protected] classifieds.metropolis.co.jp 1 AT YOUR SERVICE 1.1 Health Acupuncture in Tokyo/ Aoyama/Shibuya area . Non-invasive, gentle treatment. Soothing & relaxing. Only disposable needles used. Fluent/nativeleve l En gli s h . In dividual assessment, personalized therapy program. Nurturing and supportive atmosphere. Fully integrated w/ conventional practices and medication. Covered by most foreign insurance. Te l : 03 - 5 4 69 - 0 810 www.acuraclinic.com MORE IN S UR A NCE F OR LESS! Medical insurance to fit your needs, with 3-, 6- and 12-month plans available. Low-cost, quality coverage wit h few exc l u s i o n s a n d no deductibles for fast, dependable claim payments in Yen. Japan-licensed, with over 60 years of experience. Easy premium payment by credit card or at any convenience store. Get more for less - with MedOne! info@ medone.jp www.medone.jp 06-6263-8688 SPORTS PHYSIOTHERAPY ( p h y s i c a l t h e r a p y) c a r e in Hiroo. Native Engli sh speaking therapists, specializing in sports i n j u r i e s , p o s t- o p e ra t ive rehabilitation, back/neck pain, running-related, headaches, orthotics, ergonomic consultations, and women’s health. www. tokyophysio.com 03-34436769 Os t e o p a t h y by a UK-trained, qualified osteopath, providing safe and effective treatment for headaches, back/neck pains, arthritis, nerve-compression syndromes such as sciatica, TMJ problems, etc. AOP -Aoyama Osteopathy Practice-. Visit the English page at www. aoyamaosteopathy.com/english/ 1.2 Hair & Beauty 1.8 General Services Sophisticated Private Hair Salon. Bondz Salon’s owne r ha s expe rie nce in NY. H i g h q u a l i t y s e r vi c e and natural products. Cut: ¥5000. Color: ¥5000~. All menu 20% off on first visit. 1min from A z a b u -J u b a n s t n . w w w. bondzsalon.jp/index_.html Reservation: 03-64265562 1.3 Moving MOVING OVERSEAS? Call ECONOSHIP! With over 30 years’ experience, you can c o u n t o n Ec o n o s h i p fo r courteous, efficient, reliable s e r vi c e a n d r e a s o n a b l e prices. Call, email, or see our new website. Ask how you can receive 10 boxes free of charge. info@econoship. n e t w w w. e c o n o s h i p . n e t 0120-222-111 1.7 Business Services H o n e y Cl o v e r Ba b y s i t t i n g a n d Housekeeping Services. We specialize in Englishspeaking and foreign babysitters. We will provide qualified babysitters who are best suited to you and your child. LAST MINUTE calls ok! Reasonable prices. Tel: 03-6431-9647 M o b i l e : 0 8 0 - 4 2 74 - 3 2 3 7 w w w. h o n e yc l ove r. c o . j p [email protected] Lovi n g Baby Massag e . Teaching mothers, fathers and other family members professional baby massage and child yoga techniques from internationally acclaimed Peter Walker’s “Developmental Baby Massage” and “YogaGym”. E/J. ¥3000/session. Foursession discount: ¥10,000. Call Shino at 080-3362-0429 or email babymassage123@ gmail.com 2 FIND A PLACE 2.1 Guesthouse Day Bar & Spa in AzabuJuban. 2min from AzabuJ u b a n s t n . Ly m p h a t i c massage and aroma oil treatment by professional therapists at a stylish spa salon. Available for both men and women. Special d i s c o u n t fo r M e t r o p o l i s readers! Aroma body treatment ¥6900/60min, or facial treatment with Chinese massage plate ¥6900/60min. Reservations: info@dayspagrace .com www.dayspa g r a c e . c o m /e n g l i s h . p d f 03-3455-0935 O n ly C u t Z o n e s a l o n provides a hair cut service for only ¥1000. 5min walk from Kita se nju stn . Friendly English-speaking staff is available. Contact us at 03-3882-1550. Open from 10am until 7pm, 7 days a week. http://meturl.com/ onlycutzone. ARE YOU READY FOR YOUR INDIVIDUAL TAX RETURN F OR 2 0 1 1 ? W e a r e t a x consultants who do income tax for foreigners. Please l e ave yo u r c o m p l i c a t e d Japanese individual t ax re tu rn to u s! S p e c i a l cam paign on n ow! w w w. kaori-fuchi.com/en/index. htm l Te l : 81 -3 - 6 3 27-7 113 . Em a il : t axreturn @ ka o ri fuchi.com To Adverti se in Japan’s No. 1 English magazine, log on at www.metropolis. co.jp/classifieds or email your commercial ads to [email protected] TA X CON S U LTATION IN ENGLISH! If you are anxious about your tax return, we can handle your problem for a reasonable price. Please call 03-5843-6511 or email us at [email protected]. Check our website for more info: http://takedatax.jp/ Next to Azabu-Juban and Minami-Shinagawa stn. Private furnished room s in Akasaka(2min), AzabuJuban, Minami-Shinagawa, very close to the station. Cleaning every week. First two months special offer ¥46,000~¥56,000/m, utilities included. No key money, free Internet. 日本 人向けのシェアハウスもあり、全室 インターネット・家 具付 個 室 。敷・ 礼 金 、仲 介 料 、水 道 光 熱 費 及 び 保 証 人不 要!0 9 0 - 2 4 0 5 - 0 0 2 2 [email protected] www.bauhousetokyo.com 2.2 Rent Under 200,000 yen ¥55,000~/ M ONT H IN ROPPONGI . Roppongi ¥63,000~. Hanzomon ¥48,000~. Ikejiri-Ohashi ¥48,000~. Ginza ¥53,000~. Gotanda ¥48,000 ~. Kachidoki ¥48,000~. Utilities ¥7000/m. Fully furnished, w/ f r e e I n t e r n e t . Yo t s u y a ¥68,000 (utilities ¥10,000). Dormitory ¥45,000 (utilities ¥ 5 0 0 0). N o key m o n ey, classifieds.metropolis.co.jp Issue 940 Issue 942 Fri, Mar 30 Fri, Apr 13 Deadline: Deadline: Mar 22, 3pm Apr 5, 3pm ¥10,000 refundable deposit. 03-3560-7405 / 080-5436-1777 w w w . r o p p o n g i mayflowerhouse.com AFFORDAB LE APARTMENTS & GUESTHOUSES IN TO K YO ’ S POPULAR AREAS: Azabu, Roppongi, Asakusa, Kichijoji, Yokohama ¥49,000~/m. No key money/ guarantor/brokerage fee. O ve r 1 0 0 g u e s t h o u s e s (Internet, utilities included) and apartments. Call Oakridge : 03-3 502-23 51 [email protected] www.oakridge-housing.com Find short or long term stays in furnished/ unfurnished apar tments for singles and families in the Kasai and Nishi-Kasai area. Urban Renaissance p ro p e r t i e s i n Ro p p o n g i , N i n g y o c h o , Ts u k i s h i m a and Nishi-Ojima available. Buy condominiums and i nve s t m e n t p ro p e r t y. [email protected] www. fujitomo-fh.com03-5696-2341 F ONTA N A , e s t a b l i s h e d over 30 years ago. With a wide range of locations at competitive prices, our apartments and guesthouses are some of the best. Let our international team find you the perfect p l a c e t o l i v e i n To k y o . fo n t a n a @ g o l . c o m w w w. TokyoCityApartments.net 03-3382-0151 ICHII CORPOR A TION . Over 600 affordable, quality-furnished apartments in central To k yo l o c a t i o n s . N o key m o n ey/g u a ra nto r/a g e nt fe e re quire d . New, clean apartments, simple contract system, full English support. Call us today 03-5437-5233 www.japt.co.jp PRI V A TE F URNI S HE D A P A RTMENT S . O d a k y u l i n e , M u k o g a o k a -Yu e n / Yomiuri-Land-Mae, 20/30 min from Shinjuku. Keikyu line, Haccho-Nawate, 15min from Shinagawa. 1K~2LDK, ¥58,000/m ~ ¥120,000/m. Tel: 044-933-7000 Email: [email protected] w w w. minowagroup. jp/ minowahomes S ERVICE D A PA RTMENT S in a quiet residential area of Hiroo. Studios and s u i te s . 4 m i n f r o m H i r o o s t n . R a te s : D a i ly ¥ 78 0 0. Weekly ¥68 50 -/day. Monthly ¥5900-/day. Over three months ¥4950-/ day. Tax, utilities included. f r o n t d e s k@ a z a b u c o u r t . com w w w. azabucour t . com/ 03-3446-8610 Toshimaya Apartments. We have furnished apartments in the Itabashi area of Tokyo. Nice, sunny 2 D K a n d o n e - stu d io a re available now. No agent fe e , n o r e n e wa l fe e , n o key money, no insurance fee: all included in rent . C h e c k h t t p : // t - h a l . c o m [email protected] 03-3972-6411. YOKOHAMA APARTMENT. ONE MONTH FREE RENT! Clean studio apartment, w/loft, in Yokohama, near Yayoidai stn, Sotetsu line, and JR Totsuka stn. NO key money, one month FREE RENT. Unit bath, flooring, new aircon. Pets ok. ¥45,000/m. [email protected] 2.3 Rent Over 200,000 yen TO K YO APART M ENT S . Bilingual real-estate agency, o f fe ri n g fu rn i s h e d a n d unfurnished apartments throughout central Tokyo. Also providing shortstay serviced apartments, relocation service, furniture rental and property management services. Please call 0120-957-520 www.tokyoapartments.jp Metropolis reserves the right to refuse, cancel or edit any ad without notice. Metropolis takes no responsibility for the quality of items or services advertised. Please carefully examine vendors or items offered before commitment. Please be careful when contacting and arranging to meet people. Visit classifieds.metropolis.co.jp for complete listings. #938 • wWW.METROPOLIS.CO.JP • 31 Many more Classified ads online! Please visit classifieds.metropolis.co.jp N2 and N3. Reserve now at our website. JLPT ACADEMY, special school for JLPT. www.jlpt-academy.com jlpt. [email protected] 3.2 Japanese Teachers P L A Z A HOME S , L T D . We h a v e b e e n a t r u s t e d English-friendly real estate agency since 1969. We guarantee to cater to the needs of expatriates with our experience and enormous database of properties for sale or r e n t i n To k y o . C o n t a c t us at 03-3583- 6941 or [email protected] h t t p : // w w w. r e a l e s t a t e tokyo.com 2.4 House Share VILLA SARANDA. Furn i s h e d s in gl e ro o m s , 8min from Odakyu YomiuriLand-Mae stn ¥54,000 ¥58,500/m. ¥30,000 deposit, plus monthly utilities. Wi-Fi, kitchen, laundry, garden, bathrooms part of common area. fleetofdreams@ gmail.com 080-1672-7210 Facebook@”Villa Saranda” http://villasaranda.blogspot. com ROOMM A TE W A NTE D . Native English - speaking roommate wanted to share a 2DK room on the Toyoko/ To k y u l i n e . R e n t u p t o ¥ 50,000/m . Non smoker. Contact for more details. kanaemochizuki@yahoo. co.jp Housemate for Nishi Azabu/ Roppongi. Seeking a new housemate for my bright, sunny flat in Nishi-Azabu. 2min from Roppongi Hills. Two floors, balcony, fully furnished, available now. ¥90,000/m, plus shared utilities. na_ka_to@ hotmail.com 3 EDUCATION 3.1 Japanese Schools J APANE S E LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY TEST: FREE MOCK EXAM. Sun, Apr 1, JLPT ASSOCIATION OF JAPANESE TEACHERS. Highly qualified, experienced in structors offer individual/small group lessons at your home/office/ instructor’s home. Business/ daily conversation/JLPT available. Lesson fee from ¥2200/h at instructor’s home, from ¥2700/h + transportation fee at other places. Discount n e g o t i a b l e f o r l o n g e r/ frequent /group lessons. 03-3918-0876, 044-855-5039 [email protected] http:// ajt.rakurakuhp.net/ JAPANESE LESSONS. Would you like to study intensively in our JLPT N2/N3 prep class? Or would you like to study at your own pace in a private class? Qualified instructors welcome you at the Nihonbashi classroom. http://n-bridge. net [email protected] COSMOS CLUB JAPANESE LESSONS. Group of volunteers offer basic Japanese lessons for foreigners. Every Wed, 10am-12pm. Kudan Shogai Gakushuukan, Kudan. Nearest stn: Kudanshita. Tel: 03-6379-6898. [email protected] 3.4 English Teachers Free English Lessons. I am a new arrival in Japan, planning to do private lessons as a job eventually. I have no teaching experience, so I’m offering free lessons as practice! All I ask in return is your feedback. fr3yjaa@ gmail.com 3.5 Language Exchange English and Japanese. Do you want to become a translator or interpreter? Let me help. I’m a Canadian, 40s, seeking someone who is a translator or who wants to be a translator or interpreter. Let’s meet over tea. tarry2@hotmail. com English and Japanese. Hi, I’m a JM, 30, living in Tokyo. For business and personal reasons, I’m trying to totally devote myself to English. So, if you do not mind, let’s do an exchange! mikankt1333@ gmail.com English and Japanese. Canadian male, 30s, have lived in Japan 14 years, seeking language exchange partner on Tobu-Tojo line. I’m hoping to improve my keigo. [email protected] English and Japanese. Foreign man seeks language exchange. Am 55, professional English teacher. Relaxed and friendly person. Saitama or Tokyo. [email protected] English and Japanese. I’m a Japanese office worker, 27. I’m studying English, but am still a beginner. For this reason, I’m seeking an exchange partner. I’m very interested in other cultures and people. [email protected] English and Japanese. I am a 26-yearold Japanese man who lives in Tokyo. Could someone teach me English? Japanese will be taught in return. [email protected] English and Japanese. Hi, I’m a JF, 20. I can help you with your Japanese. I seek a native English speaker, M/F ok, 20-29. [email protected] English and Japanese. JF, 30s, seeks English speaker for exchange in AzabuOji, Namboku line. M/F, professional, any level, with the desire to improve Japanese, who can enjoy helping my English. Sense of humor a plus. [email protected] English and Japanese. Hi, I’m seriously seeking someone to teach me English, no romance. I’d be glad to help your Japanese in return. I’m female, 23, living in Yokohama, but my office is near Shinjuku. [email protected] English and Japanese. JF, 25, seeks a native English speaker to exchange language, culture, hobbies. Not really seeking business-like lessons: more interested in having fun hanging out. [email protected] English, Chinese, Japanese. Japanese man seeking language exchange, weekdays and weekends ok. Shinjuku is convenient for me. Let’s meet up and talk about culture, art, sports, politics, economics. swatchskinswiss1@yahoo. co.jp English , French , Japanese. European man seeking a language exchange partner to improve his Japanese. I can teach you Fr or E. Let’s enjoy sharing our cultures and interests. West of Tokyo preferable, but Yokohama or central Tokyo are ok. understanding_ [email protected] English, French, Mandarin, Japanese. Konnichiwa. I’m a Japanese seeking an E, Fr, or Mand speaker. I’d be glad to help your Japanese. I hope to hear from you soon. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu. [email protected] German and Japanese. JF seeks Ger/J language exchange partner. Seit Sechs Monaten lerne ich Deutsch aber ich spreche Englisch. F/M ok. If interested, drop me a line. gardenstate2005@ hotmail.com 32 • download our podcast at • podcast.metropolis.co.jp German and Japanese. Recently back to Tokyo from Zurich. I went to a language school for two months there and am hoping to continue learning German. Is anyone willing to help me? [email protected] Korean and Japanese. Japanese male, 30s, seeks a native Korean speaker for Kor/J exchange. I like music, reading, cooking. I hope we can learn from each other and have some fun. [email protected] 3.8 Other Languages N ATI V E S PA NI S H - S PE A KIN G BABYSITTER WANTED. Buscamos un canguro de lengua materna española para cuidar de nuestras dos hijas (9 años, 11 años). Los miércoles de 1-4pm. A 5mn de la estación de Iidabashi. Pagamos ¥4000/tres horas. [email protected] 3.9 Teach Me! TUTOR FOR FIRST GRADER. Our son, a native English speaker, is entering Japanese elementary school. After-school tutor sought one-two days/week to maintain and develop his English reading and writing skills. Bright, enthusiastic, well-mannered boy. Near Meguro stn. [email protected] URGENT! PART-TIME LANGUAGE TEACHERS NEEDED. Are you tired of absurd Japanese school/office policies and dress codes? Pick your own lesson fee, schedule and location, and then students will directly contact you! http://hello-sensei.com/en/ sensei [email protected] good condition; small, round, white coffee table. Pick up Hirai, Edogawa-ku. [email protected] Stand, for appliances, two shelves, all metal, wheels available ¥500. Pick up Nakamurabashi, Seibu-Ikebukuro line; Saginomiya, Seibu-Shinjuku line; Koenji/ Asagaya, JR Chuo line. ohpopshop@ gmail.com Stool, Deluxe, sturdy, adjustable height handle, black, w/casters, fabric-covered, rectangular-shaped seat, w/rounded corners ¥2500. Pick up Meguro. [email protected] 090-8301-4489 Table, Balinese, wooden (H74xL 107xD51cm). New ¥30,000. Sell ¥4000/ obo. Pick up Moto-Azabu. Photo available. [email protected] Table, side (HDW50cm), wooden, Balinese, w/drawer, in perfect condition. New ¥20,000. Sell ¥3000/obo. Pick up Moto-Azabu or pay for delivery. Photos available. [email protected] 4.2 Appliances Aircon, Mitsubishi MSZ-GM220-W, in excellent condition, less than one y/o. New ¥52,000. Sell ¥29,000. Pick up Sakuragicho, Yokohama. lin_nrt@ hotmail.com Clock, Seiko, alarm, digital, w/ electric wave correction, temperature reading, date, am/pm, LED and alarm functionality, in perfect condition ¥2300. [email protected] Coffee mill, Kalita CM-50, electric, hardly used. New ¥3500. Sell ¥1500. [email protected] Fridge, Sanyo, 109L, works well, clean, quiet ¥3000. Arrange own delivery. [email protected] Classical guitar. I am seeking reasonably priced classical guitar lessons. Prefer two one-hour lessons/ month. I am a beginner. Serious only. [email protected] Heater, oil, w/three settings (600W, 900W, 1500W), 24-hour adjustable timer, thermostat, used one year, in perfect condition, w/original box ¥6000. [email protected] French lessons for piano lessons. Hi! Female French teacher, 26, native French speaker, seeking piano lessons in exchange for French lessons or conversational English. Nezu, Tokyo. [email protected] Heater, panel, electric, Uniola, DeLonghi type (W93xH58cm), 1000W ¥12,000. Pick up Himonya, Meguro-ku. feetokyo@ aol.com 090-8301-4489 4 HOUSEHOLD GOODS 4.1 Furniture & Fittings Chair, Western-style Chinese, wooden (seat: H46cm; back: H105cm). New ¥12,000. Sell ¥3000/obo. Pick up MotoAzabu or pay for delivery. Photo available. [email protected] Chair. N av y b l u e a r m c h a i r (W68xD54xH39), in perfect condition ¥3000. Pick up near Shimokitazawa. [email protected] Sofabeds, two available, beige, in Light, ceiling, in great condition ¥1000. Pick up Sakuragicho, Yokohama. lin_nrt@ hotmail.com 4.3 Sayonara Sale Sayonara sale! Double bed, w/mattress, sheet cover ¥15,000. Single Ikea bed/ mattress ¥9000. Dining table, w/two chairs ¥5000. Aircon, mirrors, drawers, desk, etc. [email protected] Sayonara sale! Dining table; wooden TV stand, from FrancFranc; wooden selves, beehive style; wooden kids’ bed; white Ikea table; Xtreamer; five Dome surround speakers; microwave; toaster oven; iron; electric heater; etc. Photos available. [email protected] 0803318-2123 Sayonara sale! Large fridge, washer, microwave/oven, sofabeds, TV and stand, table and chairs, stove, kotatsu, lights and shades, storage drawers, heater, fan. Pick up Tsurumi, Yokohama. Available in May. [email protected] Sayonara sale! Fridge (150cm), in good condition ¥15,000/obo. Sony Vaio laptop ¥17,000/obo. Bookshelves, coffeemaker, Muji chair, etc. Pick up Shonandai. [email protected] 09085007598 4.6 For Kids Saitama English Playgroup. We’re an English-speaking playgroup for families with kids aged 0-12. We meet regularly for birthdays, play dates and holidays. Call/email Amy for information. long@ sta.att.ne.jp or 048-883-2536. Trike, Ides Cargo ¥6000. Toy Story scooter, new ¥2700. Nursery goods, male toddlers’ clothes, etc. Pick up Ebisu. [email protected] 4.7 For Free Audio-visual equipment. Sony DVD player, Marantz amp and speakers, in working condition. sergeimagic@ hotmail.com Humidifier, small. Chakubarai. Photo available. [email protected] Mobile, jungle-themed, attaches to side of crib, in good condition. Pick up only Moto-Azabu. [email protected] Table, coffee, dark wood and glass, in good condition. Pick up Shibuya/ Omotesando area or takkyubin. [email protected] Various items. Washer; sofa, seats three; two mattresses. Koenji. Details available. [email protected] 5 HOBBIES & INTERESTS 5.2 Sports Equipment Shoes, golf, Footjoy Softjoy, white, waterproof, US size 5W/23cm, w/hard spikes, new, in original box ¥5500. Pick up Meguro-ku. [email protected] 090-8301-4489 Ski equipment. Skis, 172cm ¥2700. Poles: 105-120cm ¥1000. 62cm ¥500. Ski boots: Raichle, 22cm ¥3500. Dachstein, 23cm ¥2000. Pick up Meguro. [email protected] 0908301-4489 Treadmill, in perfect condition ¥15,000/obo. Pick up Nishi-Koyama. [email protected] 5.3 Musical Equipment Guitar, USA Fender Strat, vintage ‘79, w/Boss ME-8 multi-effects pedal, Piano, Yamaha P-140, digital, built-in loudspeakers, w/stand and pedal, in perfect condition, bought in ‘09 ¥55,000. Pick up Kagurazaka. cjriach@ hotmail.com problems and also offer a data recovery service in Tokyo. We provide a range of computer services to corporate, small and medium-sized businesses, and individual PC and Mac users as well. Onsite call and English computers for sale. Rentals also available. 1min walk from JR Yamanote line, Hamamatsucho stn S5 exit, 3min from Daimon subway B4 exit. 10am-6:30pm. Call 03-3437-2312. www.tokyoit.jp/english 5.4 Books/CD/DVD 8.2 Hardware gig bag, strap, two packs of strings, well-used, in good working condition ¥149,000/obo. Pick up Shirokanedai. [email protected] 090-24845146 in English. Call 03-5573-8776 or email mac@autodirect. jp www. autodire ct . jp/ Keyboard, Casio CTK-230, in excellent condition, w/adapter and metal stand ¥6500. Pick up Komaba-Todaimae. [email protected] Books, English, topics include Japan, business, reference, finance, marketing, MBA, etc., in very good condition: cheap. allanjardine9@ gmail.com Books, around 50, fiction and nonfiction ¥300/each. Cheaper if you take a few. Pick up Nishi-Ogikubo. [email protected] Dictionary, English, Pocket Oxford ¥500 firm. Pick up Azabu-Juban stn. [email protected] English teaching materials. Eight books available: Side by Side 1; New Headway: Pre-intermediate Student’s Book; New Headway: Beginner Student’s Book; Techniques and Principles in Language Teaching; etc. ¥3000. [email protected] Japanese learning materials. Seven books available: Minna no Nihongo I, Minna no Nihongo I: Translation and Grammatical Notes, Minna no Nihongo II, Basic Kanji Book: Volume 1, etc. ¥3000. [email protected] Kurosawa, 16 -volume limited edition, out-of-print, complete works, in Japanese, unmarked condition, in “book boxes” ¥10,000/all. [email protected] Pregnancy/parenting books. The Baby Book, Sears; Womanly Art of Breastfeeding, LLLI; The Sleepeasy Solution, Waldburger; Solve Your Child’s Sleep Problems, Ferber; in great condition ¥300/each. Discount for all. Pick up Azabu area or chakubarai. [email protected] 5.5 Gaming Gamepad, ThrustMaster Ferrari Motors F430 Challenge, limited edition ¥2500. Pick up Azabu-Juban stn. Details, photos available. max_815@ yahoo.com Motorbike, Ducati, remote-controlled, roughly the size of a large house cat ¥3000. [email protected] 5.7 Pets JCEAUTOS-THEAUTOMOBILE PRO F E S S ION A L S . Specializing in car sales, buy-backs, door-to - door s h i p p i n g , l o n g - te r m c a r storage and any other carrelated matters. If you need assistance with your car, we are here to help. Tel: 03-68683 3 6 6 o r 0 9 0 - 93 6 2- 5 0 9 8 [email protected] www. jce-autos.jp 6.2 Motorbikes, Parts, & Accessories HONDA CB400, ‘93, new shaken, 13,000km, in perfect condition, full maintenance, new tires, shaken until Dec ‘13, reliable, fun, easy to drive ¥290,000. Tel: 090-1702-7860. [email protected] 6.3 Bicycles, Parts, & Accessories 2010 LADY’S BIKE, almost new, 21-speed, in superb condition, l ig ht ye ll ow, w/b a s ket i n th e front , night lights , lock . New ¥40,000. Sell ¥12,000/obo. Pick up Akasaka. [email protected] 080-3753-6807 Bike trainer, Minoura VFS150, indoor, works perfectly ¥6000. Pick up NishiOgikubo. [email protected] Bike, Bridgestone Angelino, light blue, used two years, w/wind cover. New ¥70,000. Sell ¥29,000. Pick up Ebisu. [email protected] Bike, 20”, foldable, white, in working condition, six-gear, rear disc brake, automatic light ¥10,000/obo. Pick up Nishi-Koyama or Gakugei-Daigaku. [email protected] Road bike, Devinci Millennium Optimum Carbon C-T, 61cm, suits rider around 187cm, Ultegra 9-speed shifters, derailleur, 105 cranks, brakes, XSR-2 rims, Schwalbe tires, Serfas saddle, Cateye computer, Sachs bottle holder, Shimano SPD pedals ¥100,000. [email protected] iPad 1 16GB, Wi-Fi, in good condition, w/ many covers ¥25,000. maryryu2002@i. softbank.jp Keyboard, Mac, Japanese, aluminum, full-sized ¥4000. mbekiares@gmail. com New year, new you. Try Yuri: our new junior stylist cut ¥5,500! colour 30% off your first time! SIN DEN Hair Makeup & Nails 03.3405.4409 www.sinden.com Printer/scanner/copier, HP C4480, three y/o ¥1000. Pick up Kichijoji. [email protected] Scanner, IRISPen Executive 6, digitizes text, w/drivers and character recognition software, Win/Mac ¥4000. [email protected] To Advertise In Japan’s No.1 English magazine, log on at www.metropolis. co.jp/classifieds or email your commercial ads to commercial@ metropolis.co.jp 10 HELP! 10.2 Support NEE D TO TA LK ? We’re here to listen. TE L L ( T o k y o English Life Line) provides free, anonymous telephone counseling everyday, 9am to 11pm, by trained volunteers: 03-5774-0992 . Affordable and professional face-to-face counseling in Tokyo and Yokohama in multiple languages, a preferred CIGNA and I n t e r n a t i o n a l S O S / TRIC A RE provider: 03-4550-1146. Information on resources, Adult Talk lectures, Exceptional Parenting workshops, and other events available on the TELL website: www.telljp.com Alcoholics Anonymous Tokyo. If you have a problem with drinking, we can help. English-speaking meetings daily. 03-3971-1471 inquiries@ aatokyo.org http://aatokyo.org 12 SOCIAL SCENE 12.1 Let’s Party 7 GENERAL NEXT WEB SENSATION? Fun-loving 8-year-old tuxedo kitty needs a new home. Kocha is playful, talkative and loves people and their shoes! Free to a loving home. Please contact Sadia at 090-1806-4739 or [email protected] Litter box, Littermaid Elite, selfcleaning, new, w/24 extra receptacles ¥10,000. [email protected] 6 VEHICLES 6.1 Cars, Parts, & Accessories 7.2 Fashion Jacket, Savile Row, men’s, leather, brown, size M, neck-sleeve end 89cm, in excellent condition, hardly worn ¥6000. [email protected] Jersey, Boston Red Sox, #18, XL. New ¥29,000. Sell ¥12,000. Pick up Hiroo. [email protected] Wallet, Prada, black, enamel, in good condition ¥6000. [email protected] Wig, deluxe, full bob, black, w/slight brownish tinge, w/storage box ¥3000. Pick up Meguro. Photos available. [email protected] 090-8301-4489 8 COMPUTERS 8.1 Services AUTO DIRECT is a one-stop shop for all your motor equipment and services in English. Buying cars in Japan? Rent/sell/lease cars, import your favorite car from outside Japan, and insurance GINZA WORLD FRIEND S PARTY - SPRING SPECIAL. Sat, Mar 17, 6-8:30pm, at Cafe de Centro. Ginza’s only full-scale and the biggest international party. Meet 200 people. All-you-cand ri n k a n d fre e s n a c k s . ¥3000. [email protected] www.worldfriends-party.com T o k y o IT S e r v i c e s . We fix all kinds of computer JAPAN INTERNATIONAL PARTY - SPRING SPECIAL. Sat, Mar 24, 6:30-9pm, Devi Fusion (Roppongi). Japan’s biggest international party. Meet 250 new people. Allyo u - c a n - d ri n k a n d fre e snacks. ¥3000-3500 (JM). Mobile: getyourfriend.com/ mobile/. jiparty@hotmail. com 090-1735-5405 www. getyourfriend.com #938 • wWW.METROPOLIS.CO.JP • 33 Many more Classified ads online! Please visit classifieds.metropolis.co.jp SPECIAL INTERNATIONAL PARTY - SPRING SPECIAL. Sat, Mar 31, 6-8:30pm, Po lyg o n (O m ote s a n d o). Held by Japan’s biggest international friendship site and English portal site. 2 5 0 p e o p l e . Eve r yb o dy welcome! All-you- can drink and snacks. ¥3000. [email protected] www. toeiclesson.com/sip/ JR HARAJUKU Sta. 2 3 OTA MEMORIAL HARAJUKU MUSEUM OF ART QUEST SOFT BANK NIKE MUJI 1 LAFORET HARAJUKU ZARA 5 6 Tokyo Metro MEIJI-JINGUMAE ‘Harajuku’ Sta. 4 7 Aesthetic Dentistry FREE COUNSELING FOR METROPOLIS READERS Ceramics Implants Orthodontics Closed Wed. & Hols. 1F Osakabe Bldg, 5-46-12 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku. Tel: 03-3486-4484. [email protected] www.aoyama-omotesando.jp GAITOMO INTERNATIONAL PARTY, TOKYO. Gaitomo International Party is held every weekend. Sat, Mar 10, 7:30-10:30pm, @Spoon Bread Jiyugaoka. Mar 24, 7:30-10:30pm, @Nishi-Azabu Lounge CADENAS. Cash bar. ¥1500. [email protected] http://gaitomo.ninja-web.net “EDES Event” - Learn and enjoy. Mar 18, 3-5pm, Aurra S h i b uya . ¥2 5 0 0/p e r s o n , includes food and drinks. Information on Fukushima animals, tsunami debris, w/ film, photo exhibit of Tohoku area. Location: http://hwsa8. gyao.ne.jp/aurra/. Contact: www.facebook.com/ events/386422788035724/ or canada_water05@ yahoo.ca TOKYO INT’L FRIENDSHIP PARTY. Best int’l party every w e e k e n d i n M a r c h ! Fr i , 16: TGIF party at Velours, M inami -Aoyam a! Sat , 17: Ebisu! Fri, 23: TGIF party, Roppongi Quest! Sat, 24: Kanda! Also, Tokyo speed dating: Mar 18 and Apr 1. Please check website! www.internationalparty. com/index _e.html best@ internationalparty.com still on the hunt? more ads online: classifieds. metropolis.co.jp 13 CLUBS & INTERESTS 13.1 Sports Strong, beautiful, flexible Transform your body & soul at BASI PILATES! Offering you “Authentic Pilates” Metropolis Campaign Admission Fee: ¥15,750 ¥0 Trial Machine Private Lesson: ¥10,000 ¥8,400 Package 3 Machine Private Lessons ¥30,000 ¥18,000 Machine Private Lessons available at our Roppongi studio Lessons in English available Studios in Roppongi, Ginza, Nakameguro and more 03-6425-7054 • [email protected] www.basipilates.jp/english/ 34 • download our podcast at • podcast.metropolis.co.jp A M ERI C AN F OOT B ALL . Nihon Unisys Bulls, X league Central Division, seeks fit players w/ US college football experience for all positions. Practice every Sat/Sun from 10am-3pm (including meeting) in Tokyo/Saitama (time & venue subject to change). Attendance at practice must be over 60%. Please contact for tryout info and send your profile to team admin. bullsxleague@gmail. com http://www.unisys.co.jp/ football/ Kal i Majapah it – S o u t h e as t Asian Martial Arts Seminar. Sun, Mar 25, 9:30am-5:30pm, Mita. Fee: ¥8000. Master Fred Evrard, founder, will hold a special seminar in Japan. 080-4173- 7544 or [email protected] to reserve. www.kali-majapahit.com ages, shapes and sizes welcome. [email protected] http:// ycacrugby.com ALL-NATIONALITY TOUCH FOOTBALL . N o n - co nt a c t t a g r u g b y ( OZ t a g ) a n d Rugby League players. We play every Sat from 10am in Tatsumi. M/F and beginners welcome! Good exercise and fun! Many other activities such as BBQs and drinking parties! Email for details. tokyorugbyleague@ hotmail.com http://ameblo. jp/tokyo13warriors Volleyball Club Intervoll. Japanese and foreign volleyball players gather in Takadanobaba to enjoy playing. Have at least a basic level and want to play volleyball in a friendly atmosphere? [email protected] http:// intervoll.sakura.ne.jp/ AMATEUR RUGBY LEAGUE PLAYERS . Japan ANZAC S rugby league team is looking for rugby league players for J a pa n e s e Ru g by Le a g u e official games from Apr to S e p. Eve r yo n e we lco m e . For more details, contact [email protected] FENCIN G IN TOKYO. Th e YMC A F e n c i n g Te a m i s looking for new members! Fencing is both a mental and physical sport that is fun and challenging! Both Japanese and foreigners, beginners and advanced fencers welcome! [email protected]. ne.jp for more information! English inquiries welcome. h t t p : // m e m b e r s 3 . j c o m . home.ne.jp/tokyo -ymcafencingteam/home.html 13.2 Leisure Sewing Classes. Interested in learning sewing and tailoring te c h n i q u e s u s i n g t h e s ewi n g machine, and patternmaking? Various workshops and classes can be booked at http://sewingcircle. wordpress.com Tokyo Extreme Weekenders. For those who like to escape into nature to enjoy four seasons of adventure and activities with like-minded people, our purpose is to have fun and fulfilling weekends. Subscribe to mailing list for latest details. tokyoweekenders@ yahoo.com http://tokyoweekenders. jimdo.com/ 13.3 Arts Art model for fashion art photography by individual photographer. No payment, but will provide a DVD or prints for your time in return. Please contact for more details. dreamforart@nifty. com Love Shakespeare? Amate ur group in Tokyo, meeting once/month to celebrate our love of the Bard. Come to read or just to listen. All nationalities welcome, no experience necessary! rchrd_schwartz@yahoo. com http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ Shakespeare-sama/ 13.4 Music Join the NAB Tokyo Goannas. Aussie Rules Footy in Japan with your mates. Please check out our website or email us for training details. Season launch: Mar 31, 2pm, Hobgoblin Roppongi. www.tokyogoannas.com [email protected] TAMBOURELLI. Very unique new s p o r t fro m S cotl a n d . U s i n g a tambourine-like instrument as a sports racquet, players hit a shuttlecock! We play two or three ti m e s/m o nth o n we e ke n d s i n Meguro with many socials. Join us! More details: www.tamjapan.org/ en/ [email protected] Aikido in English. Seidokan Aikido of Tokyo invites you to practice a modern style of aikido in an international environment. Sat, 1-3pm, Itabashi-ku, Toei Mita/Saikyo line. We welcome men and women, foreign and Japanese. [email protected] www. tokyoseidokan.com 03-5994-1185 Advanced tennis! Advanced tennis players wanted for our group. We play in central Tokyo, Minato-ku, on weekday evenings and weekends. Level must be advanced/competitive, between 4.5 and 5.5 USTA rankings. Great people, fun workouts. tennis. [email protected] A m e r i c a n b a s ke t b a l l c l u b seeking foreign and local players for competitive 5-on-5 indoor games. Located in Minato-ku. All levels welcome. Get fit, have fun and make new friends! Details available. [email protected] Futsal players wanted by a very friendly international team. Practice is in Tokyo and Kanagawa on Sat. Details available. [email protected] Interested in tai chi? Then why not start now! Take a step to counter the stresses of daily living. Practice is in Toyama Park on Sun mornings, near Takadanobaba stn. [email protected] Rugby in Tokyo. Tokyo’s top rugby club. Own ground, showers, jacuzzi, bars, restaurants. Two teams, weekly fixtures, free beers, birds, international tours and great camaraderie. All Bassist wanted for alternative rock band. Must have stage and recording experience. Influences include U2, Evanescence, Oasis, Dido, etc. [email protected] Melodic hardcore band seeking drummer. We play melodic hardcore and punk. You can listen to our songs at our Myspace page. If interested, email us. [email protected] http:// www.myspace.com/1004984417 Soul sax player sought by JM soul vocalist (+ guitar, bass, drums, keyboard) for originals and covers. Favorites: Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Sly Stone, The Isley Brothers, Donny Hathaway, Aretha Franklin, etc. [email protected] 13.5 Mind, Body, Spirit BASIC BUDDHISM COURSE IN ENGLISH. Every 3rd Tue, 10am-12pm: Feb 21, Mar 20, Apr 17, May 15, June 19, July 17, Aug 18, Oct 16, Nov 20, Dec 18 at Fumonkan 5F, 2-6-1 Wada, Suginami-ku, Tokyo. Near subway Honancho stn on Marunouchi line. Lecture by Dr. Miriam Levering of International Buddhist Congregation. Free. ibc-rk@almond. ocn.ne.jp www.ibc-buddhism.info/ basic-2012.html 03-5341-1230 Diamond Way Buddhism Tokyo. Do you want to explore your own mind? Guided Buddhist meditation every Sun, 6pm, near Azabu-Juban. International practitioners, beginners welcome, Japanese spoken. Please call 090-3598-3072 for more information. [email protected] http://www. diamondway.jp/ 13.9 International Intercultural activities. JII (Japan Intercultural Institute) is a nonprofit, member-run organization that sponsors activities (seminars, cultural events, conferences) for those wanting to further develop intercultural competencies and meet other interculturalists. yuko. [email protected] www. japanintercultural.org JANZ Ladies Group. We’re a friendly JOBS To advertise: [email protected] 03-4550-2929 GREENGRASS, an international hostess club in Roppongi, seeks female English speakers and international ladies. Good salary of ¥3500/h and good bonus. Please call 03-3401-3788 or 090-7202-9208. 日本人歓迎. CHAT HOSTS & TEACHERS WANTED @ LEAFCUP (Tokyo, Yokohama , Om iya). Se eking enthusiastic & proficient Korean, French, Spanish, German, and/or English speakers who c a n te ac h a n d le a d l ive ly conversations @ chat tables and group lessons. ¥1000-¥1800/h. Apply online: www.leafcup.com/job.htm SAKURA is seeking hostesses for its girls’ bar in Roppongi. ¥1800~¥3000/h, plus 50% back system. Any nationality o k . Wo r k i n g h o u r s : 8 p m - 1 a m . Part-time ok. Please call after 10pm. 090-9990-0990 Native English teacher to teach in Jiyugaoka, part and full-time. Base salary is over ¥250,000/m. University degree and teaching experience preferred. Please send your resume to B M C b y e m a i l . Jiyugaoka@ bmc-eikaiwa.jp or fax 03-5731-3392. and supportive organization for women from Australia and New Zealand living in Japan, and Japanese women who have lived in either Australia or New Zealand. [email protected] http:// www.janzladies.com 090-6560-0640 14 PERSONALS 14.1 Friends “Risk.” I used to play the board game “Risk,” but I’ve forgotten how to play. Would anyone come to play and teach us? Thanks! [email protected] Female pop/rock singer sought by male Japanese guitarist. Perform around Tokyo. Pop, rock! Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus, etc. kamikaze_ [email protected] From Denmark or Germany? If so, drop me a line! JF, 30s, seeks Danes and Germans for friendship because she’s a huge fan of both countries and wants to learn the languages and cultures more. Nonsmokers, 28-37 preferred. [email protected] Let’s talk in English or Italian! Hi, I’m a friendly, gentle, serious, mature JF, mid-30s, seeking friends for having a chat over caffè, or beer or wine. I love traveling, cooking, music, films, walking, playing with dogs. Ciao! [email protected] Survey Participants Wanted. Fill out surveys based on profile details provided by you. Payment depends on project. Free registration. Check website for more job opportunities. w w w. o v e r s e a s l i n k . j p / i n f o @ comebackhouse.jp writes of passage Love travel? Want to help others understand Japan? Fancy free flights, hotel stays and more? Become a JapanTourist contributor. Writers of all levels welcome. www.japantourist.jp/about/contributing SALES EXECUTIVE wanted! R - d x . co . , Ltd . N o w h i r i n g PC- operators and net models. Conversational Japanese speakers preferred. Many cute Cos ready! Dorm ready! Double-work welcome! Trial welcome! Average ¥3000/h + ¥10,000/day bonus depending on your potential. Open 24 hours, flexible time (early birds, night owls welcome!). Work at Ikebukuro, Fussa, Shin-Koiwa office. Work from home available. Tel: 090-6256-9339 Metropolis is seeking an E/J Sales Executive to join the most successful English language advertising team in Japan. Great opportunity to work in advertising (online and paper) in an exciting media environment. If you have an interest in advertising sales and have got the skill, style and confidence, we’d like to hear from you. Please send your resume (E/J) to [email protected] EMBASSY OF BRAZIL seeks bilingual Portuguese/Japanese or English full-time assistant cook, w/experience. I n fo r m a t i o n a t www. b ra se m b. or.jp/top_topics/editalAPO2.html. [email protected] TeTeS is seeking E/J bilingual cafe staff, M/F ok. Working location: Nishi-Azabu/ Toyosu. ¥1000~/h. http://organic. munchiesdeli.com/ fernando@ nonpi.com 080-5896-7938 Sales Intern. Metropolis is seeking an E/J bilingual intern to join the most successful English-language advertising team (Restaurants & Bars team) in Japan. Great opportunity to learn about advertising in an exciting environment. No pay, but transportation provided. Please fax your resume (E/J) to 03-4550-2859 or email: knakashima@ metropolis.co.jp Urgent! I’m forgetting how to speak English. I need a foreign friend to remember it. You don’t need to be a native English speaker, just friendly, please. Tokyo JM seeking new friend to hang around Tokyo, day and night. [email protected] British male, 31, friendly, tall, slim, seeking a nice girl to hang out with. Nationalit y/race unimpor tant , but should be 20-35 and have a nice personality. Interested in music and film: you should be, too. [email protected] 14.2 Men Looking For Women Coffee without cigarettes. SJM, mid-3 0 s , se eks conversation , coffee, drinks, lunch, dinner, your smile and hopefully a meaningful relationship. My interests are music, art, photography, painting, movies, jokes and you. No playgirls, please. [email protected] S UBMI S S I V E S J M . C u t e submissive SJM, 33, is seriously seeking a woman who is into, or interested in, dominating men. I a m s o s u b m i s s i ve , w i t h s i x years’ experience, that I can take whatever and can serve you in any way. slaveintokyo@gmail. com All hands on deck. Wealthy, handsome, generous American executive seeking attractive, discreet sugar baby(ies) to keep my friends and me company on our business trips to Tokyo. Stay at five-star hotels and wine and dine at Tokyo’s best restaurants. You must be intelligent, fashionable, sexy and funny. Mail/ photo to [email protected] Believe or not? Do you think Japanese guys who place ads here are usually not attractive? If you think so, please write me. No regrets! tapness@ hotmail.com Cool and unique SJM seeks cute, sincere, interesting SWF or JF for friendship and additional fun. Let’s share various ideas and impressive experiences. Will you help me reach out and find you? dreamones@gmail. com Cool JM, intelligent, interesting, seeks attractive foreign or Japanese girl for friendship or possibly more. Let’s share and talk about interesting and exciting things and meet face-toface. Looking forward to hearing from you. [email protected] Do you like beards? Canadian, 30-something, with a full beard, seeking a woman who likes beards and the outdoors. treblekicking@ yahoo.com #938 • wWW.METROPOLIS.CO.JP • 35 Many more Classified ads online! Please visit classifieds.metropolis.co.jp Foreign male seeking chubby JF. Seeking a female, 20-45, for a longterm friendship and more. I’m a kind, sincere, single Asian male, early 40s, living in Saitama. Serious females only, please. [email protected] through a rough time lately; need some new people to talk, laugh, eat, and maybe BBQ with! I’m a SWM, 30, seeking an understanding SJF who’s smart, fun, likes to talk, around Tokyo or Matsudo. [email protected] Girlfriend along the Keio line sought by JM, 182cm, 76kg. Music, movies, Japanese and spicy foods. [email protected] My Japanese girlfriend? American in Japan seeking a Japanese girlfriend to share a long or short-term relationship. Travel, adventure and fun await. Join me on this wild ride. Clothing optional. [email protected] Good-looking and exotic JM, 33, caring, friendly, seeking a warmhearted woman. I watch movies and listen to classical music. I’m fluent in J/E. Language exchange is welcome, too! [email protected] Great, fun time. Just contact this outgoing, international, smiley Japanese who is seeking a sweetheart. Books, comedy, shopping, cooking, and more are favorites. Sounds great if we have a chat w/beautiful cuisine, huh? ultrachocolate2010@yahoo. com H and some and ge ntle SJ M seeks well-educated, interesting, nonsmoking Caucasian female to share wonderful times and make a good friendship. So let’s start our communication and understand each other. If no experience, just try me. [email protected] Handsome single guy seeks serious relationship with a wonderful SJF. Let’s be friends first, then get to know each other better. Photo of you is a must. No gamers. [email protected] Humble gentleman. Active, attractive gentleman, kind, generous, cultured, well-educated. I appreciate good, charming women with qualities. I bring good, happy things to relationships. I’m new to this site. I hope to find a life partner. Email w/photo. Serious only. [email protected] Interested in JMs? I’m a JM who is very much into Western (Caucasian) women. I’m a professional, sexy, with good manners, and overseas experience. Email me if you wanna hang out! [email protected] Japanese girlfriend, 18-26, with lots of free time, especially in the afternoon, sought. I’m 178cm, have blond hair and blue eyes - cute like a young DiCaprio. Mail me for my photo! [email protected] Kiwi guy, early 30s, seeking JF for friendship and more. I am an active Kiwi guy into snowboarding, cooking and keeping active. I am in Tokyo for one month from Feb 27. Would love to meet a cool JF for friendship and more. [email protected] Mature lover. Young SJM, early 30s, seeking mature girlfriend over 50. I might be unusual, but I only like mature women. Japanese women also welcome. [email protected] Movie friend. SJM, 31, almost bilingual, loves traveling and movies, seeks someone to go to the movies with, and to talk with after the movies to get to know each other well as a first step! rainbowaftertherain@ hotmail.co.jp Moving on to better things! Going Pretty woman for my love. Seeking a cute, romantic, happy SJF, 25-35, for friendship and hopefully a serious relationship if the chemistry is good. I’m a single Canadian male, 40, 184cm, with an athletic body. I like sports, nature, music, and traveling. Let’s have some fun together. glowbend@ hotmail.com 14.3 Women Looking For Men SINGLE? Then this is for you. Singles-only dating parties, every Fri night, for foreign men and Japanese women. Leave the event with a new date! Always more women than men. FREE if signing up in advance! ¥2000 otherwise. info@exeo-international. com Romance with an older lady. Very nice and sexy gentleman seeks an older, or much older, woman to have nice dates and a romance. feeltokyo@ yahoo.co.uk Run away, little girl! I’m a selfish, arrogant, rich, handsome, fit American man, 34. I do what I want, when I want. Seeking a cute JF, 26-34, thin, classy, TOEIC 800+. No stalkers, please. [email protected] Seeking a mature woman. American guy, 24, needs a mature woman’s touch. I have a great sense of humor, lots of energy, and am extremely good-looking. Let’s get together and have some fun. Darbyshaw891@ hotmail.com Seeking female friend. Hi, I am a JM living in Tokyo. I’m 34, 176cm, 66kg. My hobbies are movies, the outdoors, traveling abroad, basketball, drinking. I’d like to enrich my sensibility through contact with other cultures. [email protected] Are you the one? If you can respect others and are a one-girl-only type of person, please drop me a line. I’m an attractive businesswoman seeking a successful, single businessman to share and enjoy life with. Nonsmokers only. [email protected] Seeking serious girlfriend. Kind guy, 45, good-looking, open-minded, talkative, loves nature, seeks serious Japanese girlfriend. I like the gym, good food, nice wine. Nihongo ok desu. [email protected] Attractive JF, 30s, in Tokyo, seeks a Caucasian businessman, nonsmoker, over 40, fun to be with. Let’s meet after work and see if we click. [email protected] UK lady. SJM, 30s, tall, slim, lover of books, films, and music, seeks an attractive British lady with the same interests. hurryondownboy@yahoo. co.jp Wanted: attractive SJF. SWM, intelligent, confident, gentle, goodlooking, sense of humor, medium height, solid build, seeking a mature, educated, attractive, nonsmoking SJF for a meaningful relationship with possibilities. Reply w/photo. [email protected] Why not? Bored? Want more excitement? Wanna practice your English at the same time? I’m a tall, handsome, 29-year-old British guy seeking a sexy JF, mature works, for food, karaoke, dating, sex. tall.brit. [email protected] International Japanese guy. JF seeks an international-minded Japanese guy, up to 40, for a serious relationship, possibly leading to marriage. It would be perfect if he has lived abroad or has been with a non-Japanese female before. [email protected] Best friend and boyfriend sought by cute, fun, adventurous SJF, 39. Please email w/photo. Intellectual SWM with superb sense of humor and love of traveling preferred! Serious only. [email protected] Classical music concerts together. Attractive SJF, 37, hobby pianist, seeking a man who knows how to feel and appreciate classical music for listening to it live together. We can do much more if the chemistry is there. [email protected] European? I would like to meet a European gentleman for a serious relationship. I’m a Japanese female, 30s. [email protected] Fine Japanese woman. I’m a SJF, mid-30s, tall, slim, with dark, straight hair, seeking a single and successful gentleman, 30s-40. Would you like to talk over coffee with me? Nonsmokers only! [email protected] Friendship first. SJF, 30, 5’4”, welleducated, funny, sociable, nonsmoking, Romantic love with me? SF, 30s, seeks a caring, reliable life partner, 35-45, with a good career, who deserves all my love and beauty, to share a happy life together. [email protected] Serious only. SJF, 32, seeking special someone to care for and settle down with. I’m not seeking “the perfect one.” Timing is more important to me. You can be imperfect, but mutual respect and attraction are important. [email protected] Sincere European male, i n / around Yokohama, sought by pretty, intellectual JF, 40s. Must be nonsmoking, intelligent WM, mid-30s40s, with thoughtful/warm character and sense of humor. Hobby (walking, films, art)/chatting friend is fine as a start. [email protected] SJF seeks soulmate. Pretty, sweet, smart SJF, 44, medium height, good job, very good English, wants to meet a tall, smart, sweet SWM, American or Australian, in Tokyo, for a serious relationship leading to marriage. My interests are traveling, reading, movies. [email protected] Smile together. Genuine, attractive, down-to-earth JF, soon to be 40, is seeking a serious relationship. Would love to meet gentlemen who are sincere, active, successful. Let’s have coffee to see if there’s good chemistry between us. [email protected] Smile with me! I’m 25, Asian, and I love taking walks on sunny days, trying new things, eating anything and everything, and learning. Seeking someone fun, friendly, respectful, interested in the world. Under 30 and single are musts. [email protected] Travel lover. Cute, fun SJF, 39, loves traveling inside Japan and overseas, seeking a handsome SWM boyfriend who also loves traveling. A sense of humor is a must for traveling and a relationship! Email w/photo. [email protected] Lesbian friends and girlfriend sought by nonsmoking JF, 30s. My English isn’t great. Friendship first, serious females only! No couples. [email protected] 14.5 Escorts NO.1 ESCORT CLUB IN TOKYO. G o rg e o u s a n d b e a u t ifu l young Japanese ladies. Clean and discreet. Nurses, OLs, models. Over 19 years only. Call: 080-1262-8080. Open: 5pm-12am. Check out real images at www.clubboo.jp A A A D E A R S IR S . C A L L U S F IR S T A N D G ET THE BE S T . To p - q ua l it y g i rl s fo r to p d e m a n d a r e w i s h i n g fo r the opportunity to share e n j oy a b l e , w o n d e r f u l l y satisfying times with generous, classy gentlemen. Our best attention at all times. www.lipsescorttokyo.com Te l : 03 -3 5 8 8 -1 5 9 0. Prompt referrals. Seeking new girls. 応募歓迎. American lesbian life partner, fluent Japanese speaker, sought Japan’s complete Adult Nightlife Guide for foreigners! Having trouble finding a Japanese girl for fun? Come to http://erolin.net and check all possible clubs, b roth e l s a n d e sco r t s fo r foreigners! When you visit, don’t forget to mention “Erolin Guide”! [email protected] J A P A NE S E MI L F L I V E VIDEO CHAT! Want to talk 14.6 And Others Role play partner wanted. Very simple, just to spice things up and get really hot. No special clothes needed, just come to my house pretending to be a Duskin cleaning woman or perhaps an insurance saleswoman. After a few moments, say you are tired and ask me to rub your shoulders. Please imagine what happens from there. I am a MWM, late 40s, living alone in central Tokyo, seeking only one SJF or MJF for talking, dinner out, and hot, hot times together. septeros919@ gmail.com Kinky play. Male seeking a female, male or couple for S&M and kinky play. [email protected] Oriental massage? Fun-loving and creative SJM seeks SWF for erotic fun. I’ll also give you oriental massage if you would like. If you are interested, please send me a message. ihi.houtoku@ gmail.com This isn’t for everyone. Handsome, tall, clean SBM, mid-30s, absolutely loves to kiss and make love to an eager woman. I’m not ashamed of my appetite, and I want to meet ladies who feel the same. Any takers? [email protected] Threesome/SM fun. Couple seeking female. No males, please! lilychan. [email protected] 15 JOBS HOME HELPER. Experienced Filipina cleaner and babysitter. Excellent service with a smile. References available. ¥1500/h. Please contact Chai at 080-4092-8923. [email protected] J-STAR PATENT, TRADEMARK & IMMIGRATION OFFICE Reasonable prices. Free first time consultation • Visa & Immigration Procedures • Mixed Marriage, Naturalisation and Refugee Status • Establishing a Company & Branch Office • Accounting Services, Acquiring Business Licences • Preparation/Translation of Legal & Business Documents • Other Legal & Business Matters We can support you with: 36 • download our podcast at • podcast.metropolis.co.jp Asian Mystique provides “girl-next-door” type escorts for your g i rl fri e n d e xp e ri e n c e i n Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya. Sexy, friendly Japanese escorts provide the fun, professional staff provide peace of m i n d . S eve n d ays/we e k , same day orders welcome. asianmystiquejp@yahoo. co.jp www.asianmystique. com 15.1 Job Wanted We can help you with: http://www.wada-lats.com/ E-mail: [email protected] 3-5-3-1402 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-0023 with mature Japanese women? Register FREE and send an email to inq-en@ madamu.tv saying “I saw Metropolis ” to get ¥1000 wo r t h o f BONU S p o i n t s ! Valid once/person. www. madamu.tv Seeking couples for threesome. SWM, 49, 172cm, muscular build, company executive, strictly straight, seeks couples for threesome fun. First timers ok. Asakusa-Ryogoku area preferred. 日本語もokです。 owen. [email protected] 14.4 Gay & Lesbian WADA Legal & Administrative Office For information: Tel: (03) 3345-7977 FAX: (03) 3345-5377 by gay Japanese man for marriage. [email protected] Pretty JF seeks attractive, intelligent, professional friends working and living in Tokyo. I’m in my 30s, attractive, slim. I like dining and drinking out, so let’s have a drink after work first! ydatw@ yahoo.co.jp Seeking submissve boyfriend. I’m a bossy, selfish, beautiful JF, 37, seeking a submissive white boyfriend. I’m a single mom, but financially secure. Only long-term and serious relationship. [email protected] J A P A NE S E W OMEN S EEK MEN f o r s e r i o u s relationships possibly leading to marriage. Confidential & affordable, since 1994. Contact TMA for free pamphlet in English or Japanese. [email protected]. ne.jp http://tma-marriage. com 0120-937-909 Seeking you. Tall and handsome Aussie/European male, 30, seeks nice Japanese lady for friendship and a good time. [email protected] slim, with long hair, seeks SWM, 30-43, for a stable relationship after a friendship. Nonsmoking and single only, please. sports24classical@ yahoo.co.jp Visa and immigration Intellectual property rights (Patent, trademark, copyrights) Establishing a Company & Branch office Other Legal & Business matters Hiroshi Oogai, Patent attorney Immigration lawyer www.j-star.jp Grand Prince Hotel Akasaka Exit 4, Nagatacho stn Supreme Court Aoyama Ave Akasaka Mitsuke stn Akasaka Excel Hotel Tokyu National Diet Library 608 Kitano Arms 16-15, Hirakawa-cho, 2-Chome, Chiyoda-ku ,Tokyo, 102-0093 Tel: 03-5216-6890 Fax: 03-5216-6891 Email: [email protected] Imperial Palace by Cathryn Moe Horoscope ♥ Love ¥ Money ♣ Luck ARIES TAURUS GEMINI May 21~June 21 ♥♥♥♥ ¥¥¥¥ ♣♣♣♣ June 22~July 22 ♥♥ ¥¥¥ ♣♣♣ It is you, Aries, who sends your light out to others. The Spring Equinox heralds the Sun entering your Sign on Tuesday. So not only do you enter your Birthday Zone—Happy Birthday!—you also reap the benefits of changing what no longer works, opening a new chapter that suits who you truly are, and getting on top of the powerful insights revealing your intuition is working fine. Love is a few steps away. Friends are all over the place and you’re still trying to stay connected. Whether you’re flying around the globe or just trying to get across the street, love has a way of following you around this week. The Spring Equinox Tuesday says “a new cycle is starting—time to clear the way” but Saturn in Libra just won’t let you know the big picture as yet. No worries. This is a time to get yourself into balance and enjoy the perks. Eating desserts and chocolate bars are fun, but there’s the long-term equation to consider. Would you like to have a moment’s pleasure, or spend your energy seeking out the best museum, restaurant or art show on your block? Geminis need to be ready to travel or fly at a moment’s notice (many of you have your bags packed and ready, just in case!). Plan with friends to let Tuesday’s Spring Equinox inspire you. Hot chocolate, hot sake, being a hottie. Cancer, get ready for one of your most interesting weeks yet. Friends are fun, with possible luxury nights out, or quiet get togethers enjoying the warmth of kindred spirits. Career matters are bursting with options as the Spring Equinox arrives on Tuesday. You’re turning a corner and considering what the future holds. It holds surprises and much love for you. LEO VIRGO Libra SCORPIO Finances may seem to move “backwards” with Mars retrograde in your finance sector. This is handled by its direct and out of shadow transit late June. In the meantime, a partnership could bring you great magic and romance, a form of illusion, or a little of both. Let the Spring Equinox on Tuesday help to show where your priorities lie. Be open to experiencing your joys daily. A new cycle is about to begin. You, of all the Zodiac, know you have a chance to change your life in a big way these days (along with Pisces and Aries, of course). Learning to trust yourself is one aspect of Mars continuing to move “backwards” in your Sign. The Spring Equinox on Tuesday coincides with a sunny positive aspect to bring revelations and a revolution in your approach to love, partnership and personal finances. It’s not that you’re outmatched. It’s more that there is so much positive energy in people and places that you may as well sit back, relax and appreciate the line up. (Be sure to thank them profusely. Maybe they’ll keep it up even when it isn’t Spring Equinox with the Sun in your sector of balance and partnership). Tuesday starts the ball rolling. Reach out to those who are supportive and likely to “get” you. Wondering what it’s all about lately? That’s a Scorpio thing. What may take you by surprise is Tuesday’s Spring Equinox providing a “new path in the woods.” Ok, it may be a skyscraper or row of buildings in your neighborhood, but your former ruler Mars is running back and forth to create balance in your life. Even if it’s a whisper in the breeze, an increase in happiness and security is developing for you. SAGITTARIUS CAPRICORN AQUARIUS Jan 20~Feb 18 ♥♥♥ ¥¥¥¥ ♣♣♣ Feb 19~Mar 20 ♥♥♥♥ ¥¥¥ ♣♣♣♣♣ You know you can leap if you want to. Enhancing your career, changing it entirely, renting a new place, finding love. Or you may settle for cleaning out your closet and wearing clothes that reveal another “you!” Travel and feeling free are a Sagittarian trait. It’s the finances that may have you taking a step back. Never fear. The Spring Equinox and the Sun both come into full romantic flame beginning Tuesday. The Moon transits your Sign Friday and Saturday, clearing the way for Tuesday’s Spring Equinox. People think of “Spring Cleaning” as new cycles begin. Communications are direct, holding promise. The Sun shines in your area of home and hearth. Do you want to hold on, or take a chance and leap into the unknown? Whatever you choose, love is waiting for you, but you will have to be a rebel this week. Watching those sugars and fat grams can get in the way of fun. Luckily you’re able to say “all rules are off” and give yourself a break when you need it. Your chart is definitely focused on dreams, opening to your inner mystic, and communicating in a big way. Finances continue to be slippery but there’s magic in them, too. Love is a karmic stage at the moment. Giving and receiving soothes loved ones this week. The Sun leaves Pisces, entering your area of money and possessions on Tuesday. Since the Spring Equinox on this day heralds new energy, you can start fresh and expect results. Things may be complicated or you may feel embroiled. Wondering what your choices are? There’s a focus now in your Sign, the Vertex, which indicates meeting someone who helps simplify your life while you dream big. Mar 21~Apr 19 ♥♥♥ ¥¥¥ ♣♣♣♣ July 23~Aug 22 ♥♥♥♥ ¥¥ ♣♣♣♣ Nov 22~Dec 21 ♥♥ ¥¥¥ ♣♣♣♣♣ Apr 20~May 20 ♥♥ ¥¥¥¥ ♣♣♣♣♣ Aug 23~Sep 22 ♥♥♥ ¥¥¥¥ ♣♣♣♣ Dec 22~Jan 19 ♥♥♥♥ ¥¥ ♣♣♣♣ Metropolis Mediabox Regarding “The Final Frontier” (Feature, Mar 2): Great article. One haikyo often overlooked is literally all around us: the abandoned homes and businesses of the Meiji and postWWII era. Often highly personable spaces, they sit awaiting the inevitable wrecking ball. As soon as the weather warms up, I’ll be covering my shitomachi area to record the final days of these lovely abandoned sites. You should do so, as well. Because the replacements are not nearly as personable.—darthmiffy Sep 23~Oct 22 ♥♥ ¥¥¥ ♣♣♣♣ Oct 23~Nov 21 ♥♥♥ ¥¥ ♣♣♣ PISCES facebook.com/MetropolisMagazine metropolis.co.jp/community twitter.com/MetropolisTokyo metrodining.jp DOING LUNCH DEMOLITION MAN CANCER Regarding “The Battle of the Bento” (The Last Word, Mar 2): The thing I don’t like about this bento culture is that appearance has precedence over taste and/ or quality of ingredients. i.e an Anpanmanshaped riceball jammed with flavorings would be “better” than an organic brown rice one with an organic plum from your own garden. Nice article, but why not show that western lunchboxes can be just as filling, and even as beautiful looking as Japanese ones?—Charltzy “Why not show that western lunchboxes can be just as filling, and even as beautiful looking as Japanese ones?” Ha ha! Because they’re not. get over it! Love this article, very cute. “It was such a tiny sad little sandwich”— now that’s hilarious!—johnnyrabbit CONSUMPTION DUTIES Regarding “Taste Tester” (Global Village, Mar 2): Thanks for the article about a really important topic. As someone who helps on a local organic farm, I think it’s great people care more about quality and safety of food, but there remains a responsibility to dig even deeper. Learn when things in your region are in season. Learn how to decipher the kanji for various locations. Otherwise it’s not fair to the growers and producers all around us. There are plenty of farmers’ markets in Tokyo too, where shoppers can learn seasonality while having a chance to talk face-to-face with farmers. Language isn’t a huge barrier, as most speak a wee bit of English and will do their utmost to honestly answer your concerns. An English list of this month’s markets is here: http://meturl.com/ farmers. Shameless marketing, I admit, but it’s time for consumers to sort out answers for themselves and stop being afraid of their food.—joanlbailey Japanese pop music, but your factoid about Korean acts selling out Madison Square Gardens, well, that’s likely the case as there are over 200,000 expat South Koreans living in greater NYC and maybe 5,000 expat Japanese. The Japanese quit migrating just before WWII whereas most of the Koreans living in the US went in the last 25 years or so. Japanese-Americans are now into the fourth generation, most don’t speak Japanese and most have never been to Japan. This, in fact, is a major problem with JapaneseAmerican societies around the country—like in the “homeland,” they are graying rapidly because their children, grandchildren and great grandchildren have next to no interest in—and feel little connection to—“the old country.” The Korean diaspora, being more recent, looks much more like the Chinese one—their own businesses, churches, and even their own schools in some places.—Jeffrey KIMCHEE POP Regarding “Can’t Stop the K-Pop” (The Last Word, Feb 17): Yes, there is a tiny fan base amongst American otaku for Metropolis wants to hear from you. Send your comments to [email protected]. Note that letters may be edited for length and clarity. #938 • wWW.METROPOLIS.CO.JP • 37 The Last Word Want to have The Last Word? Send your article to: [email protected] All in this Together? Julio Shiiki In praise of the Japanese community spirit By Henry Watts A n i n f luent ia l piece of research last year would no doubt have warmed the cock les of t hose on t he lef t of the political spectrum—and the Japanese. The Spirit Level: Why More Equal Societies Almost Always Do Better claimed that people tend to be healthier and happier living in more equal societies, namely, Japan and the Nordic nations. In these countries, the rich-poor gap is significantly narrower than in most developed nations. In Japan, for example, Nikkei company CEOs take home an average wage of 16 times the average worker. In the UK, the figure is 88, and in the US, 319. As a consequence, the UK and the US see more kids dropping out of school, more violent crime, more people in prison, more babies dying, more mental illness, less social mobility and less trust. Japan, on the other hand, is represented as a haven of good health and social development. T he f indings a re a da m n ing appraisal of the Anglo-American model. Nonetheless, the UK—and to a greater extent, the US—have been adamant down the years in their defense of the model, on the grounds that “Higher incentive leads to greater entrepreneurial drive,” and therefore, “There is no Steve Jobs in Japan.” The science makes sense; there are clear advantages to inequality. But willfully encouraging it on such a scale is a different matter. It’s a heinous attempt at morality. Especially when studies such as the above show how income inequality does not spur us on, rather it divides, alienates, and damages us. T he Occ upy Movement t hat sprung up last year was indicative of such alienation. Thousands took to the streets as governments threw notions of accountability and fairness out the window to bail out financial markets. President Barack Obama acknowledged in his recent State of the Union address that some sort of correction was in order, when he called for greater fairness and equality in the US economic system. The UK government has likewise tried its best to reassure its public with the catchphrase: “We’re all in this together.” But divisions run deep in the UK. The US might be more unequal today, but the UK has a deeper history of class division. Even if disgraced UK bankers were to go ahead and cut their indulgent bonuses, few there would ever believe a statement like “We’re all in this together.” I must confess to my British fixation with class. When I look at passengers on the London Underground, I can easily tell a working-class man from a middle-class one simply by looking at his hair or how he walks down the aisle. Particularly in times of hardship, UK citizens seem to know where they belong, and, when it comes down to it, whom they would defend. On the Tokyo Metro, by contrast, I see only masses of impeccably dressed middle-class urbanites and a thick, black canvas of salarymen. I used to think it was all for show, owing to the uncanny Japanese ability to keep up appearances, but I’m now convinced there is a deep-seated egalitarianism here. In Japan, statements in public such as “We’re all in this together” are commonplace, and there is much greater cause to believe them. Not only do Japanese CEOs pay themselves more modestly, some of them, such as the former JAL CEO Haruka Nishimatsu, commute by bus, eat in the company cafeteria and engage with their workers. Notions of duty and responsibility are upheld not just by the workers, but also by the CEO and t he management, and therefore have far more credence in Japan than in the US and UK. There is an age-old propensity for unity over confrontation here. It’s by no means a perfect model. The Japanese suffer from long working hours and meager time off, and you could say they are more docile, but, the absence of a vitriolic “class consciousness” in Japan is perhaps the greatest reward of all. If the findings of the The Spirit Level are not evidence enough, then picture the apocalyptic scenes in the UK streets last summer, where bands of hopelessly disillusioned socalled “under classes,” for no other reason than because they could, tore apart their communities, setting buildings on fire, looting shops, and fighting police. Such an occurrence would be unthinkable in Japan. Yes, Japan has its social problems. There is a balance to be struck somewhere between the two models, but there is no doubting that the US and UK would stand to benefit massively by adopting the great humility and community spirit that exists over here in Japan. I, for one, will be singing the praises of Japan—all the way home to Blighty. The absence of a vitriolic “class consciousness” in Japan is perhaps the greatest reward of all” ■ Henry Watts is a politics and international relations graduate and a freelance writer ComingupINMETROPOLIS FEATURE: eCommerce: A look at ordering online from overseas DINING OUT: A roundup of Saitama eateries Q&A: Japan Tourism Agency commissioner Hiroshi Mizohata on Fukushima, the high yen and other barriers to tourism 38 • download our podcast at • podcast.metropolis.co.jp check us out www.metropolis.co.jp get your next printed copy Friday, Mar 30