Plain Talk
TOKYO NOTICE BOARD APRIL 11. 2025What did you eat for lunch yesterday?
As I am rushing on a train to go to work in the morning, I look at other people. Some of them are carrying bags with lunch boxes, thermoses, and other food to be consumed later in the day. Commuting to work every day from Monday to Friday is hard just as it is, especially when you don't live in Tokyo. Why make your life harder than it already is and bother with carrying homemade lunch, when there are so many options in Tokyo?
Let’s dive into different options together.
Bringing your lunch to work is cheaper than eating out. With the yen getting weaker and other economic factors, lunches are getting more and more expensive these days. If you work in an area where many foreign travelers are expected, it just makes things worse. I mean, expensive. Forget the good old times when a hearty lunch was around 1000 yen. Now, it can go up to 1500-1700 yen. If you are willing to eat with other salarymen or construction workers in a tiny crumpled space, you can get a decent teishoku (set lunch) quickly for 1000 yen. Just don’t expect anything fancy.
There is probably only one microwave in your office. If the lunch break begins at the same time for everyone, it is a problem to get your lunch warm. Then, you need to find a place to eat your obento. There is probably a park or at least a decent bench near your office, but chances are that it is raining or that the bench is already taken. On rainy days, I sometimes eat at my desk together with my coworkers. If you don't mind the smell, it is okay.
Washing your lunchbox afterward presents the next hurdle. All in all, there are too many time constraints involved.
So, sometimes I bring my own lunch to work, sometimes go to a cheaper family restaurant, and on special occasions treat myself to a 1000-1500 yen lunch. How about you?
朝、仕事に向かうため急いで電車に乗った。他の乗客を見ると、その日に食べる弁当箱や水筒、食べ物を入れたバッグを持っている人が何人かいる。月曜から金曜日まで毎日通勤するのは大変だ。特に東京に住んでいない人にとってはなおさらだ。東京にはたくさんの選択肢があるのに、わざわざ手作りの弁当を持って、今以上に生活を苦しくする必要はないだろう。
どんな選択肢があるか考えてみよう。
弁当を持って出勤すれば、外食するより安く済む。円安など経済的な要因もあり、昨今ランチの値段がどんどん高くなっている。外国人旅行者が多い地域で働いている場合、状況はいっそう悪い。つまり、高い。ボリュームのあるランチが1000円程度だった古き良き時代は忘れよう。今は1500円から1700円になることもある。他のサラリーマンや建設作業員と一緒に、狭いスペースで慌ただしく食べることを厭わなければ、まともな定食が1000円で食べられる。ただ、おしゃれなランチは期待できない。
電子レンジはオフィスに1台しかないだろう。昼休みがみんな同じ時間に始まると、弁当を温めるのが大変だ。それに弁当を食べる場所を探す必要がある。オフィスの近くには公園やベンチくらいはあるだろうが、雨が降っていたり、ベンチがすでに占領されていたりする可能性もある。雨の日は同僚と一緒にデスクで食べることもある。においが気にならなければ、それでもいい。
弁当箱を洗うのが次のハードルだ。概して、時間的な制約が多すぎる。
というわけで、私は弁当持参で出勤することもあれば、安いファミレスで済ませることもあるし、特別な日には自分へのご褒美として1000〜1500円のランチを食べることもある。皆さんはどうですか？
Plain Talk
TOKYO NOTICE BOARD TNB Throwback FEB 26. 2016Tasty Japanese food: Will want to avoid? by Olga Kaneda
Before coming to Japan I was a vegetarian. A vegan, to be precise; and now here I am, stuffing my face with nama choko crepe, cheesecake and a brownie, washing them down with ice matcha latte from Lawson. I keep telling myself that they are all tiny and therefore count as a one full-fledged dessert, but deep in my mind I know that this is very, very bad and I don’t know how to put an end to this. I really don’t.
Of course I stopped being vegan before I actually came to Japan, not just because I encountered delicious foods like yakiniku, okonomiyaki, takoyaki and karaage. Anyway, about two years ago I was happy that I started eating meat, eggs and fish again. It had broadened my horizons and now I know fancy fish names like splendid alfonsino (kinmedai) and how yummy squid ink fried rice (ikasumi chahan) is.
But the real problem is not the carbs, and not even the sodium, which is found in enormous quantities in such supposedly healthy foods as miso, umeboshi and noodles. It is the flavor and taste enhancer MSG, which stands for monosodium glutamate. I was taught by my mom that it is a vile substance and we should avoid it at all costs. On the contrary, Japanese people admire it tremendously and add practically everywhere. Imagine my shock when I found out that glutamate is the reason why umami (one of the basic tastes in Japan) came into existence? My Japanese husband firmly believes that there is nothing bad about consuming MSG every day and that it has nothing to do with his blood test results. Ignorance is bliss, indeed.
Please don’t bring the umami culture to Europe! I am aware that glutamate is already used there, but still… I don’t want my family back there to stop loving simple foods and become gourmets like me. It goes without saying that Japanese people will never become fat even if they consume all that sugar, carbs, meat, sodium etc. But take a look at Japanese kids and you won’t be that optimistic any longer.
For the record: I want to scream every time someone exclaims: 《Japanese diet is the healthiest in the world! How on Earth did you manage to get fat?》
日本に来る前、私はベジタリアンだった。正確に言うとヴィーガン（完全ベジタリアン）。でも日本にいる私はナマチョコクレープ、チーズケーキ、ブラウニーを口一杯ほうばり、ローソンのアイスマッチャラテで流し込む。全部ちっちゃいけれど、動物性食品デザート一皿とカウントしようと自分にいいきかせながら、これは絶対、絶対いけない行為だと心の底で知りながら、やめられるだろうか。やめられない。
もちろん、来日前に私はヴィーガンでいることをやめた。やきにく、おこのみやき、たこやき、からあげといったおいしい食べ物に出会ったからというだけではない。とにかく、２年ほど前からまた、肉、卵、魚を食べ始めた。こうして食の幅が広がり、うまい『きんめだい』やおいしい『いかすみちゃーはん』の味を知る事となった。
しかし健康食品と思われているみそ、うめぼし、そば／うどんに大量に含まれる炭水化物でなく、ナトリウムでもでもなければ、化学調味料であるグルタミン酸ソーダこそが本当の問題だ。母から有害物質だから絶対口にするなと言われてきた。反対に日本人には欠かせず、何にでも使われている。うまみ成分がグルタミンだと知った時の私の驚きがおわかりになるだろうか。日本人の夫は、頑にグルタミン酸ソーダを毎日口にしてもなんら問題ないし、彼の血液検査の結果と何ら関係がないと考えている。知らない事はいいことだ。
ヨーロッパにうまみ文化を持ち込まないでほしい！ グルタミン酸ソーダがすでに使用されているのを知っているが、ヨーロッパの家族が私のようにグルメにならず、簡素な食事で満足したままでいて欲しい。日本人はこんなにも砂糖、炭水化物、肉、ナトリウム等を口にするのに太らないと言われているが、日本人の子供を注意してみると将来について楽観的ではいられない。
念のために記しておくと、誰かが「日本人の食事は世界中でもとってもヘルシーなのに、一体全体どうしてあなたはそんなに太ったの？」と声高に非難しようもんなら悲鳴をあげたい。
Unfinished business
TOKYO NOTICE BOARD MAY 17. 2019Farewell to a Japan Jazz Icon by David Gregory
The messages from all over Japan read aloud during the service helped us realize how widely Koyama-san touched lives and how many like us were feeling something newly missing from our worlds. But, although wonderful and sometimes saddening us, they did not trigger crying. That happened next.
Those first few notes of the "'Round About Midnight" Miles Davis version, the cut Koyama-san always used to open Jazz Tonight, performed by a live piano and trumpet duo up front near the coffin, did it: Instant recognition, recollections, sighs around the room, eyes closed, arms crossed, heads dropped back or down, and tears, at least for me. How many times had we heard, after Miles breathed his somber opening, Koyama-san's low, raspy voice welcoming us into the studio with, "Minna-san, gokigen ikaga desho-ka everybody, how are you feeling?"?and never thought that someday we would hear him ask about us no more?
Koyama-san's widow, whom, like him, had never known me, stood alone at the coffin head and bowed in silence to everyone in turn after they placed flowers around his body as the duo continued with another slow number, the trumpet sounding so strong and crisp and unusual in a memorial service hall. After we placed our flowers, she responded to my hand on her shoulder, a touch just meant to console her, by immediately turning and reaching for me?a total stranger?burying her head in my chest, and breaking down. She needed that hug that everybody sometimes needs. She let go after her respite when she was ready to face the coffin and everyone else again, and returned to her position. Going to Kashiwa in a snowstorm was worth it just for those few moments when I could do something for her.
So our Kashiwa day was both sad and good. But, why did I even want to go a funeral for a man whom I only knew by voice, and who, although linked to jazz, was not even a musician?
Koyama-san and his Jazz Tonight program I listened to since at least the early 2000s. For more than sixteen years, while my life in Japan has been filled with huge uncertainties, he has been here Saturday nights on the radio, reliable, keeping me connected to the world's music and opening my ears to music from Japan I would not know without him. Listening to him always made me feel good, no matter what had happened in my life during the week or what was coming up in the weeks ahead. Koyama-san and Jazz Tonight were my respite. How well can I replace that comfort?
Koyama-san, thank you for helping this foreigner feel good in Japan. Please rest well in jazz heaven.
NHK Radio, thank you for giving Koyama-san a way to connect with us. Please encourage other DJs to continue doing what he did so well.
To Koyama-san's surviving family members: Please care well for yourselves now, and thank you for supporting and sharing Kiyoshi with us.
The Smallest Box by David Gregory
She came over to my table and asked if I remembered her.
“That’s my boyfriend over there.”
Their table hugged a pillar blocking the sunny Tokyo Bay view enjoyed by the other customers that afternoon in Chiba’s AquaRink ice skating facility café.
“Maybe we will marry next year.”
On my way out, I stopped to congratulate the potential groom to be. What I later heard happened with Hiromi and Hiroshi that night at another place also close to the bay sounded so too good to be true that I visited that place to confirm it really happened. It did.
Hiroshi had reserved for the course menu that night at OCEAN TABLE, next to Chiba Port, on the second floor, where tables sat by the huge windows facing Chiba Port Tower and Tokyo Bay. No view-blocking pillars there. And they had a wait, even with their reservation, because it was Christmas Eve, which in Japan matters much more than the following day; the Eve is the year’s couples’ night out, and single women without dates that night can feel their whole year was wasted.
Hiroshi had changed into a suit after skating, and had urged Hiromi, against her protests about overdressing, into a plaid one-piece, raising expectations. They had never come to a place this nice, one requiring reservations. Saizeriya was more their speed: fast faux-Italian, cheap, and everywhere.
The unexpected wait made Hiroshi antsy. He relaxed and all was perfect after they were seated.
They talked. They ate the Christmas Dinner courses. They ignored the soft Christmas background music. They admired the gleaming, golden Christmas Tree rising from the first-floor buffet area through the open center space across from their table. They could see outside the sparkling flashes and half the tree in Port Tower’s Christmas Illumination, and beyond, the lights from the ships on and facilities around Tokyo Bay, appearing almost twinkling. Perfect—but not for Hiromi.
She went to the toilet. Still he had not asked. The day was done. The reservation system only allowed them two hours there. They had been together all day. He had remembered her birthday-just by coincidence, also that day-with a necklace at AquaRink. Nice, but was that all? He had pestered her since early December about what Christmas present she wanted until she had finally exploded with, “Nothing! Don’t you know I just want a proposal?!” And had added she wanted it to be a surprise. Here he had the perfect chance, and he was wasting it.
She could try enjoying what was left of the evening. Dessert was next. At least here was better than Saizeriya….She was still stuck when she returned to the table, and had no chance to do or say anything, anyway. It was his toilet turn.
Their desserts came. Hiromi sat and waited and pondered the future. Outside, the tower stood alone against the dark sky and Tokyo Bay’s inky darkness.
Their desserts waited. Maybe his tooth was bothering him again. Maybe he was just tolerating it to make the night go well. Maybe for her. Maybe she should go to check on him. Wait-maybe she just heard his voice across the room.
No, only Santa Claus, posing for photographs with diners at the far table. He then started circling the room, giving a small present from his big sack at each table. She could check after he was done.
Hiroshi still had not returned to his seat when Santa reached their table. He handed Hiromi a big, red stocking, by far the room’s largest gift, accompanied by a squeaky, “Atari! You’re a lucky one!” Yeah. She set it aside and Santa moved on. What was he still doing in the toilet?
Santa finished his round, returned to Hiromi, and pointed at her unopened stocking with squeaky, “Un! Un!” grunts. The other diners had opened their presents. She forced a smile and said she was waiting for her boyfriend to return. “Un! Un!”
When Hiromi still resisted, Santa took the stocking in his white-gloved hands and opened it himself. Out first came a big, pink box, heart shaped. He opened that and pulled out another heart-shaped box, and then, from inside that, another heart-shaped box. Another smaller, heart-shaped box followed. He removed from that an even smaller heart-shaped box, and thrust it to Hiromi with one more squeaky, “Un!”
Still gone. Well, he’d miss it. Hiromi obeyed Santa this time and opened it, the smallest box in the room …and her mind and face went blank.
After that frozen moment passed, Hiromi looked at Santa. The second shock hit, and more followed. Santa Claus had ripped off his gloves, furry hat, sunglasses, and huge, flowing beard. He took the box from her?she was still speechless?dropped onto one knee, held the open box out and up to her in both stretching hands, and said in a voice loud enough for everyone in the room to hear, “Hiromi-san, boku-to kekkon shite kudasai! Hiromi, please marry me!”
Outside, to anybody looking, Port Tower’s Christmas Illumination still flashed, and the lights on and around Tokyo Bay still appeared almost twinkling. Inside OCEAN TABLE, on the second floor, everything was happening so fast that Hiromi just did not know which was more difficult to believe: Hiroshi and the ring he first tried slipping onto the finger on her right hand, the one he had taken in his before she held out her left hand, or the following PAN! and PAN! PAN! PAN! PAN! PAN! and PAN! PAN! and PAN! explosions ripping and ribbons shooting around the room as diners at the floor’s other tables popped the party crackers they had found with the notes in their presents from Santa Claus.
Copyright © 2018 David L. Gregory All rights reserved.
I Did It! by David Gregory
She had been here before. But, those were tour-guided or hand-held visits. After living most of her life in white-bread suburban USA, driving everywhere, shopping in giant malls and supermarkets, and needing only one currency and one language, my mother ventured out on her own, within and beyond Chiba, during one trip to Japan. From her notes, here are Dorothy's...
ADVENTURES IN JAPAN
Grocery Shopping in Neighborhood―Walk five blocks...buy only one bag...walk five blocks back. Survived it!
Shopping in City Center―Walk six blocks to bus stop. Ride bus fifteen minutes. Arrive at stores. Walk around. Look. Decide: cookies.
Buying: “Ikura desu-ka how much?” Hmm. “Kakimasu kudasai write please.”
Paying options: give large bill, let clerk figure change, or open change purse, let clerk take out correct amount. Decide to just give some cash.
Clerk shakes her head (“NO! MORE!”), then counts out correct amount needed from register and shows me. I mimic her action from my change purse. Smiles! Deep bows with many, “Arigato gozaimasu thank you very much!”-es.
(My error: thought there was decimal point in Yen price....)
Open cookies, expecting pirouettes with chocolate centers. Instead, peanut butter waffle rolls, no chocolate. No wonder, now I see peanut sketch on package. “Shoganai can’t be changed,” I did it to myself. It could have been worse!
~~~
Travelling to Visit Friend’s Family on Other Side of Chiba―Walk ten blocks to train. Purchase ticket. Electronic lady on ticket machine screen says, “Arigato gozaimasu” and bows. Ride train twenty minutes, watching for correct stop, get off, walk seven blocks to house. I did it myself!
Visiting Hisae Overnight―My Japanese study partner in USA returned to Japan, now lives on other side of Tokyo Bay.
Take large purse and large tote bag with jacket, nightie, toothbrush, cosmetics. Walk six blocks to bus stop. Ride bus to train station. Ride train eighty minutes to Yokohama. Find correct exit from station. EASY. Did not even look at note in pocket explaining route and Japanese signs. And, look! Hisae and three-year old Kei are waiting! “Hello!” they say! Many hugs!
I did it!
Then, still more travel: train together fifteen minutes, short taxi uphill to lovely apartment, sunny and bright.
Returning to Chiba, just reverse process. Next time, we can meet at a station halfway in between. I can do it.
I can do it!
Copyright (C) 2015 David Gregory. All rights reserved. Chiba, Japan
Book Review
TOKYO NOTICE BOARD MAY 11 2018Cherry Blossoms in the Time of Earthquakes and Tsunami
by Rey Ventura Reviewed by Randy Swank video maker and scriptwriter Rey Ventura won the 2015 National Book Award for his third collection of essays, Cherry Blossoms in the Time of Earthquakes and Tsunami, but for some strange twist of fate you will find very little information on this book. You can’t even buy it on Amazon. This is a shame because Cherry Blossoms... is a beautiful, insightful and thought-provoking book. |
Cherry Blossoms in the Time of Earthquakes and Tsunami |
In "Miniskirts and Stilettos" we meet Ginto, a young lady who comes to Japan dreaming of making it big as a singer and entertainer but has to deal instead with a much darker reality; while "Mr. Suzuki Tries Again" and "Into the Snow Country" are tragicomic tales of arranged marriages where the dreams and expectations of bride-starved farmers from Japan's Deep North clash with those of young Filipino women who want to escape their poverty and go into marriage "as a girl goes into a convent." Ventura tells these stories with a great eye for detail and manages to find a ray of light even in the darkest corners, or poetry in the midst of a nuclear disaster. The book's first essay is called "The Slow Boat to Manila" and indeed, slowness is the first word that comes to mind when considering Ventura's approach to writing. Everything Ventura does is slow. He is no magazine reporter after all, and will spend days or even months getting to know a person he wants to write about. That's the kind of personal commitment and deep connection with his subject that one feels when reading his essays. |
Tokyo Fab
TOKYO NOTICE BOARD APRIL 11, 2025
YOKOHAMA Fru¨hlings Fest
Fru¨hlings Fest is an event held throughout Germany where people spend a spring day with family and close friends, eating, drinking, and enjoying exciting performances.
This year will be the 10th time since the first event was held in 2013. Last year, 420,000 visitors came to Yokohama to enjoy the German Spring Festival, a popular event during Golden Week.
In addition to a variety of German beers, there will be a market selling German goods, attractions and workshops for children and adults of all ages to enjoy.
"Yokohama Fru¨hlings Fest 2025" is actively working on SDGs. Most of the beer and beverages sold at the event will be served in reusable cups, and eco-friendly cutlery and packaging materials will be used to reduce the amount of plastic. In addition, the festival is in cooperation with the "Fly to Fly Project," a project aimed at reducing CO2 emissions through the use of GTL fuel and realizing a decarbonized society through domestic resource recycling.
April 25th (Fri) - May 6rh (Tue) @ Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse
https://www.yokohama-akarenga.jp/yff/
Nico Nico Chokaigi 2025
“Nico Nico Cho-Kaigi 2025" is one of the largest cultural festivals in Japan created by everyone. With over 10 million registered members, it is the largest Nico Nico Nico event held both on the Internet and in real life. Niconico Chokaigi, held by Japan's largest social video website "Niconico," is an annual festival whose concept is to recreate Niconico's virtual world in real life. This unique festival is the melting pot of Japan's internet culture, which brings together various entertainment, such as Japanese tradition, anime, games, music, and more!
Offline events/activities such as cosplay shows and game tournaments will also be streamed live via Niconico Live Streaming, where users worldwide can enjoy interactive communication with guests/performers on stage through Niconico's commenting system.
Gaming streamers and VTubers will gather in Makuhari Messe for a two-day gaming tournament with cash prizes. Join and witness who will become the champion of 2025 and claim the prize money!
4/26 (Sat) & 27 (Sun) @ Makuhari Messe (Closest Sta.: Kaihimmakuhari Sta.)
Have You Been To...
TOKYO NOTICE BOARD APRIL 11, 2025
Showa Memorial Park [Tachikawa, Tokyo Tachikawa Sta on Chuo line]
The park is overflowing with greenery and seasonal flowers. In addition to cherry blossoms, tulips and poppies in spring, sunflowers in summer, cosmos in autumn, and Japanese apricots in winter, visitors can enjoy the beautiful scenery of flowers at any time of the year. The area is also known for its autumn foliage (late October to late November).
Shirogane Blue Pond - Hirosaki [Shirogane, Hokkaido]
Blue Pond is one of several weirs constructed along the main stream of the Biei River to prevent volcanic mudslides caused by sediments from the eruption of Tokachi-dake volcano in December 1988. As a result of the construction of concrete block weirs to the interior of the forests on both banks of the Biei River, water began to accumulate in the block weir on the left bank of the Biei River.
Shiretoko Goko Lakes [Shiretoko, Hokkaido]
Shiretoko is a World Natural Heritage site where pristine nature remains undisturbed and is home to precious species such as brown bears and white-tailed eagles. The Shiretoko Five Lakes are a place where visitors can experience Shiretoko's natural wonders up close and personal.The Shiretoko mountain range reflected on the surface of the lakes is especially worth seeing.
Shirahige Waterfall [Shirogane, Hokkaido]
The name comes from the fact that it looks like a white beard. The drop-off is about 30 meters, and the groundwater seeping out from between the natural rocks flows down into the mountain stream with great force, creating the cobalt blue sparkling splash. This waterfall is one of the sightseeing spots in "Biei Shirogane Onsen Town" where you can see the Biei River splashing up close.
Tokyo Voice Column
TOKYO NOTICE BOARD TNB Throwback: JULY 27. 2018
Promotion. Why? by Mardo
I mean, seriously, why would I want a promotion? At work I have seen the extra work those above me do, and I know how much more they get paid than me, and quite frankly, it’s not worth it.
I know if I worked harder and got the promotion, theoretically I could get more money and possibly have a better retirement, or even retire sooner. But the cost would be almost all my free time now! Aren’t I better off with free time now instead of in a lump sum just before I die?
I love my job, I am off to the side with not too many people really above me, and no one really below me. I have my niche and I am very good at it. I had a really bad boss at my last work. She thought she knew everything about my job, but knew nothing. And since her management style involved walking into my office, making a ridiculous statement and walking out before I had a chance to speak, trying to explain was pointless.
It is possible I could get bored in my job in a few years, or that management trends could ignore all the research data and decide my job should no longer exist, then I would have to think about a new job, going back to my old one would be boring, so then I suppose moving up would be the plan. So I will keep my skills up, go to the conferences, meet people I need to know and do more than I need to.
I love my job, I love my free time. I love my work life balance. So why, when I am offered a promotion, would I accept?
自分に問いかける。本当に昇級したいだろうかと。超過勤務する職場の上司を見て、僕よりどれくらい余分に給料がもらえるのか知っている。実際、見合う報酬ではない。
がんばって働いて昇級したら、理論的にはもっと給料が上がるし定年ももっと安定する、いやもっと早くに定年が迎えられるというのはわかっている。しかしその対価は今の自分の時間にのしかかってくる！死ぬ前の一時金をもらうには今の自分の時間がある状態だとうまくいかないんだよね！
自分の仕事は好きだ。特殊な領域の仕事で上司は多くないし、部下もいない。僕にとって適所でありうまくやっている。前の職場では最悪の上司にあたった。上司は僕の仕事を何でも知っていると思っていたが、何も知らなかった。さらに彼女の監督の仕方は職場に来てはばかばかしい事を言い、僕が話をする前にいなくなるので、説明する事もできなかった。
２、３年で自分に仕事に退屈し、会社はすべてのリサーチしたデータを顧みる事なく、僕の仕事はいらないと判断したので、次の仕事を探さなくちゃならなくなったが、同じ事をするのは退屈だったので、出世する道を選んだ。そこでスキルをみがき、会議に出席し、さまざまな人と合い、人脈を広げて努力した。
自分の仕事は好きだ、自分の時間も好きだ。やりがいのある仕事で生活のバランスはとれている。昇級の話が来たら、どうしよう。
MUSEUM -What's Going on?-
TOKYO NOTICE BOARD MARCH 14. 2025
Hilma af Klint: The Beyond
This exhibition is the first major retrospective in Asia of Hilma af Klint (1862−1944), a pioneer of abstract painting. The painter from Sweden has been reevaluated in recent years as a creator of abstract paintings that preceded her contemporaries, such as Wassily Kandinsky and Piet Mondrian. For many years, her oeuvre of more than 1,000 works was known only to a very few people. As late as in the 1980s, several exhibitions began to introduce her works, and by the turn of the 21st century, her presence became international all at once. Her 2018 retrospective at the Guggenheim Museum in New York, attracted more than 600,000 visitors, the largest attendance in the museum’s history. *As of 2019
Including The Ten Largest (1907), a set of ten paintings over three meters high, all 140 works in this exhibition will travel to Japan for the first time. Centering on her representative accomplishment, The Paintings for the Temple (1906−15), the exhibition will provide an overview of af Klint’s career in five chapters, while introducing materials left by the artist and diverse sources of her inspiration, including the esotericism and the women’s movements of her time.
The Ten Largest, Group IV, No. 3, Youth,
1907
By courtesy of
The Hilma af Klint Foundation
Hilma af Klint（1862−1944）
Hilma af Klint grew up in a wealthy Swedish family, graduated with honors from the Royal Academy of Art and worked as a professional painter. At the same time, she was devoted to esotericism and, through her experience of se´ances, created abstract expressions that differed from academic painting. She is considered an extremely important figure in the history of modern art for her pioneering nature of expression and meticulous systematization.
Period: − June 15, 2025
Venue: The National Museum of Modern Art Tokyo
Closed: Mondays (except 3/31& 5/5), 5/7
Hours: 10am - 5pm / -8pm on Fridays and Saturdays (last admission 30 minutes before? closing)
Admission: Adults ￥2,300 (￥2,100) College & University Students ￥1,200 (￥1,000) High School Students ￥700 (￥500)
For more information, please visit
The heretical genius - Beardsley
Aubrey Beardsley (1872-1898), a painter who died at the age of 25. This British genius continued to create highly refined works, consisting of precise line drawings and bold black and white color planes, by candlelight. This Exhibition will feature approximately 220 pieces of Beardsley's art, including his breakthrough work Morte d'Arthur (1893-94) by Malory, Salome (1894) by Wilde, which is also well known in Japan, and his later masterpiece Mademoiselle de Maupin (1898) by Gautier, as well as illustrations and rare hand-drawn sketches from his early to later years, as well as colored posters and contemporary decorations.
Aubrey Beardsley (1872-1898) died at a young age, but left behind more than 1,000 works. To help his impoverished family, he worked as a clerk from the age of 16, while studying painting on his own and immersing himself in his creative endeavors while fighting the progression of pulmonary tuberculosis. It wasn't long before he started receiving job offers.
Even after achieving success as a painter, Beardsley did not belong to any particular school of painting, and continued to maintain his own unique style of painting, drawing the thick curtains closed and working by candlelight, even during the day.
Aubrey Beardsley, The Peacock Skirt,
1893 (original), 1907 (print),
line block/Japanese vellum,
34.4 x 27.2 cm (paper size)
Victoria and Albert Museum
Photo: Victoria and Albert Museum, London
This chapter recreates part of the creative environment in Beardsley's London home, which he acquired at the height of his career but then sold in the aftermath of the Wilde scandal.
Additionally, we will be showcasing some excellent examples of the "obscene pictures" he produced as a quick source of income to earn a living and which he hoped to dispose of towards the end of his life, namely those included in "Lysistrata" (1896).
Period: February 15 (Sat) - May 11 (Sun), 2025
Venue: Mitsubishi Ichigokan Museum,Tokyo
Closed: Mondays (Except 2/24, 3/31, 4/28, and 5/5)
Hours: 10:00-18:00 / - 20:00 on Fridays (except for national holidays), the last weekday of the session, the second Wednesday of each month, and April 5th) (last admission 30 minutes before? closing)
Admission: General ￥2,300 / university student ￥1,300 / high school student ￥1,000
Strange but True
TOKYO NOTICE BOARD APRIL 11. 2025
Interview tomorrow but I am green...
While preparing for a job interview, you set out to look your best. Whether it's over Zoom or in person, how you look on your big day plays an important part in whether you get a job or not. So one woman was left begging for help after her attempt to relax with a face mask before the big day went very wrong. The TikTok user tried out a chlorophyll face mask - the latest beauty trend to go viral on TikTok. You might remember the green compound from biology class - but aside from its sun-absorbing qualities, it helps nourish and feed the skin. It is an antioxidant that helps protect the cells from damage and can reduce inflammation.
But it is VERY GREEN and actually, not ideal to put straight on your face without mixing it with a cream, or it can stain....as this TikTok user found out. After scrubbing her face, she was left with a very green face - which reminded some of the famous green ogre Shrek.
Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained
If you were at home, heard a scratching sound from the cat flap then spotted a rat trying to get inside, what would you do? The ‘hungry’ rodent is thought to have been keen to find some food when he was seen making the daring mission into a stranger’s house earlier this month. Luckily, the person who spotted him realised he was not a wild rat and called the RSPCA rather than pest control. They brought the animal inside and put up posters in the neighbourhood in Winsford, Cheshire, and posted on Facebook to try and locate the owner. Sadly, no owner has come forward for the one-year-old rat so the Manchester and Salford branch will look to rehome him soon. Rats are intelligent, highly social animals and have very complex needs so a lot of research is needed before taking on rats as pets.
Links
Guesthouse Tokyo
10 minutes to Ikebukuro.
Interhouse
safe and accessible solution for your accommodation needs in Tokyo.
Sakura House
1830 monthly furnished rooms at 204 locations in Tokyo.
TOKYO ROOM FINDER
Contact our international team that will assist you in finding housing
and overcoming any communication barriers in Japan!
J&F Plaza
Furnished & unfurnished guesthouses and apartments in Tokyo.
May Flower House
Tokyo furnished apartments. Ginza, Roppongi, Yotsuya and more.
TenTen Guesthouse
33,000yen/30 days for working holiday students.
GOOD ROOM TOKYO
Share room, Private room, under 50,000yen
MOVE JAPAN
Private furnished rooms in Tokyo with free internet. Call us first or call us last!
Tokyomove.com
Hassle free moving starts from 6000yen.
Tokyo Helping Hands
Very flexible working hours to effectly help you with moving, deliveries, disposal, storage and more!
AirNet Travel
We'll cut you the best air ticket deals anywhere.
Fun Travel
Discount air travel & package tours 2min from Roppongi Stn.
No.1 Travel
We go the extra mile for you. International air tickets and hotels.
JR Tokai Tours
Top-value travel to Kyoto, Osaka, Nagoya from Tokyo by Shinkansen.
Matsuda Legal Office
All kinds of Visa, Immigration & Naturalization, International Marriage etc.
Futaba Visa Office
Licensed immigration lawyer & certified public tax consultant.
American Pharmacy
English speaking pharmacy since 1950.
Tokyo Skin Clinic
EU-licensed multi lingual doctors.
Tax-free AKKY
Japanese Appliance, Watch, Souvenirs
Tokyo Speed Dating
1st Sat. & 3rd Sun. at Bari n Roppongi ETC.
Tokyo Spontaneous
Picnic, Parties, Language exchange
TMA
Japanese women & Western men.
Tokyo Fab
TOKYO NOTICE BOARD APRIL 11, 2025YOKOHAMA Fru¨hlings Fest
Fru¨hlings Fest is an event held throughout Germany where people spend a spring day with family and close friends, eating, drinking, and enjoying exciting performances.
This year will be the 10th time since the first event was held in 2013. Last year, 420,000 visitors came to Yokohama to enjoy the German Spring Festival, a popular event during Golden Week.
In addition to a variety of German beers, there will be a market selling German goods, attractions and workshops for children and adults of all ages to enjoy.
"Yokohama Fru¨hlings Fest 2025" is actively working on SDGs. Most of the beer and beverages sold at the event will be served in reusable cups, and eco-friendly cutlery and packaging materials will be used to reduce the amount of plastic. In addition, the festival is in cooperation with the "Fly to Fly Project," a project aimed at reducing CO2 emissions through the use of GTL fuel and realizing a decarbonized society through domestic resource recycling.
April 25th (Fri) - May 6rh (Tue) @ Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse
https://www.yokohama-akarenga.jp/yff/
Nico Nico Chokaigi 2025
“Nico Nico Cho-Kaigi 2025" is one of the largest cultural festivals in Japan created by everyone. With over 10 million registered members, it is the largest Nico Nico Nico event held both on the Internet and in real life. Niconico Chokaigi, held by Japan's largest social video website "Niconico," is an annual festival whose concept is to recreate Niconico's virtual world in real life. This unique festival is the melting pot of Japan's internet culture, which brings together various entertainment, such as Japanese tradition, anime, games, music, and more!
Offline events/activities such as cosplay shows and game tournaments will also be streamed live via Niconico Live Streaming, where users worldwide can enjoy interactive communication with guests/performers on stage through Niconico's commenting system.
Gaming streamers and VTubers will gather in Makuhari Messe for a two-day gaming tournament with cash prizes. Join and witness who will become the champion of 2025 and claim the prize money!
4/26 (Sat) & 27 (Sun) @ Makuhari Messe (Closest Sta.: Kaihimmakuhari Sta.)
Have You Been To...
TOKYO NOTICE BOARD APRIL 11, 2025Showa Memorial Park [Tachikawa, Tokyo Tachikawa Sta on Chuo line]
The park is overflowing with greenery and seasonal flowers. In addition to cherry blossoms, tulips and poppies in spring, sunflowers in summer, cosmos in autumn, and Japanese apricots in winter, visitors can enjoy the beautiful scenery of flowers at any time of the year. The area is also known for its autumn foliage (late October to late November).
Shirogane Blue Pond - Hirosaki [Shirogane, Hokkaido]
Blue Pond is one of several weirs constructed along the main stream of the Biei River to prevent volcanic mudslides caused by sediments from the eruption of Tokachi-dake volcano in December 1988. As a result of the construction of concrete block weirs to the interior of the forests on both banks of the Biei River, water began to accumulate in the block weir on the left bank of the Biei River.
Shiretoko Goko Lakes [Shiretoko, Hokkaido]
Shiretoko is a World Natural Heritage site where pristine nature remains undisturbed and is home to precious species such as brown bears and white-tailed eagles. The Shiretoko Five Lakes are a place where visitors can experience Shiretoko's natural wonders up close and personal.The Shiretoko mountain range reflected on the surface of the lakes is especially worth seeing.
Shirahige Waterfall [Shirogane, Hokkaido]
The name comes from the fact that it looks like a white beard. The drop-off is about 30 meters, and the groundwater seeping out from between the natural rocks flows down into the mountain stream with great force, creating the cobalt blue sparkling splash. This waterfall is one of the sightseeing spots in "Biei Shirogane Onsen Town" where you can see the Biei River splashing up close.
Tokyo Voice Column
TOKYO NOTICE BOARD TNB Throwback: JULY 27. 2018Promotion. Why? by Mardo
I mean, seriously, why would I want a promotion? At work I have seen the extra work those above me do, and I know how much more they get paid than me, and quite frankly, it’s not worth it.
I know if I worked harder and got the promotion, theoretically I could get more money and possibly have a better retirement, or even retire sooner. But the cost would be almost all my free time now! Aren’t I better off with free time now instead of in a lump sum just before I die?
I love my job, I am off to the side with not too many people really above me, and no one really below me. I have my niche and I am very good at it. I had a really bad boss at my last work. She thought she knew everything about my job, but knew nothing. And since her management style involved walking into my office, making a ridiculous statement and walking out before I had a chance to speak, trying to explain was pointless.
It is possible I could get bored in my job in a few years, or that management trends could ignore all the research data and decide my job should no longer exist, then I would have to think about a new job, going back to my old one would be boring, so then I suppose moving up would be the plan. So I will keep my skills up, go to the conferences, meet people I need to know and do more than I need to.
I love my job, I love my free time. I love my work life balance. So why, when I am offered a promotion, would I accept?
自分に問いかける。本当に昇級したいだろうかと。超過勤務する職場の上司を見て、僕よりどれくらい余分に給料がもらえるのか知っている。実際、見合う報酬ではない。
がんばって働いて昇級したら、理論的にはもっと給料が上がるし定年ももっと安定する、いやもっと早くに定年が迎えられるというのはわかっている。しかしその対価は今の自分の時間にのしかかってくる！死ぬ前の一時金をもらうには今の自分の時間がある状態だとうまくいかないんだよね！
自分の仕事は好きだ。特殊な領域の仕事で上司は多くないし、部下もいない。僕にとって適所でありうまくやっている。前の職場では最悪の上司にあたった。上司は僕の仕事を何でも知っていると思っていたが、何も知らなかった。さらに彼女の監督の仕方は職場に来てはばかばかしい事を言い、僕が話をする前にいなくなるので、説明する事もできなかった。
２、３年で自分に仕事に退屈し、会社はすべてのリサーチしたデータを顧みる事なく、僕の仕事はいらないと判断したので、次の仕事を探さなくちゃならなくなったが、同じ事をするのは退屈だったので、出世する道を選んだ。そこでスキルをみがき、会議に出席し、さまざまな人と合い、人脈を広げて努力した。
自分の仕事は好きだ、自分の時間も好きだ。やりがいのある仕事で生活のバランスはとれている。昇級の話が来たら、どうしよう。
MUSEUM -What's Going on?-
TOKYO NOTICE BOARD MARCH 14. 2025Hilma af Klint: The Beyond This exhibition is the first major retrospective in Asia of Hilma af Klint (1862−1944), a pioneer of abstract painting. The painter from Sweden has been reevaluated in recent years as a creator of abstract paintings that preceded her contemporaries, such as Wassily Kandinsky and Piet Mondrian. For many years, her oeuvre of more than 1,000 works was known only to a very few people. As late as in the 1980s, several exhibitions began to introduce her works, and by the turn of the 21st century, her presence became international all at once. Her 2018 retrospective at the Guggenheim Museum in New York, attracted more than 600,000 visitors, the largest attendance in the museum’s history. *As of 2019 |
The Ten Largest, Group IV, No. 3, Youth, |
Hilma af Klint（1862−1944） |
Period: − June 15, 2025
Venue: The National Museum of Modern Art Tokyo
Closed: Mondays (except 3/31& 5/5), 5/7
Hours: 10am - 5pm / -8pm on Fridays and Saturdays (last admission 30 minutes before? closing)
Admission: Adults ￥2,300 (￥2,100) College & University Students ￥1,200 (￥1,000) High School Students ￥700 (￥500)
For more information, please visit
The heretical genius - Beardsley Aubrey Beardsley (1872-1898), a painter who died at the age of 25. This British genius continued to create highly refined works, consisting of precise line drawings and bold black and white color planes, by candlelight. This Exhibition will feature approximately 220 pieces of Beardsley's art, including his breakthrough work Morte d'Arthur (1893-94) by Malory, Salome (1894) by Wilde, which is also well known in Japan, and his later masterpiece Mademoiselle de Maupin (1898) by Gautier, as well as illustrations and rare hand-drawn sketches from his early to later years, as well as colored posters and contemporary decorations. |
Aubrey Beardsley, The Peacock Skirt, |
This chapter recreates part of the creative environment in Beardsley's London home, which he acquired at the height of his career but then sold in the aftermath of the Wilde scandal. |
Period: February 15 (Sat) - May 11 (Sun), 2025
Venue: Mitsubishi Ichigokan Museum,Tokyo
Closed: Mondays (Except 2/24, 3/31, 4/28, and 5/5)
Hours: 10:00-18:00 / - 20:00 on Fridays (except for national holidays), the last weekday of the session, the second Wednesday of each month, and April 5th) (last admission 30 minutes before? closing)
Admission: General ￥2,300 / university student ￥1,300 / high school student ￥1,000
Strange but True
TOKYO NOTICE BOARD APRIL 11. 2025Interview tomorrow but I am green...
While preparing for a job interview, you set out to look your best. Whether it's over Zoom or in person, how you look on your big day plays an important part in whether you get a job or not. So one woman was left begging for help after her attempt to relax with a face mask before the big day went very wrong. The TikTok user tried out a chlorophyll face mask - the latest beauty trend to go viral on TikTok. You might remember the green compound from biology class - but aside from its sun-absorbing qualities, it helps nourish and feed the skin. It is an antioxidant that helps protect the cells from damage and can reduce inflammation.
But it is VERY GREEN and actually, not ideal to put straight on your face without mixing it with a cream, or it can stain....as this TikTok user found out. After scrubbing her face, she was left with a very green face - which reminded some of the famous green ogre Shrek.
Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained
If you were at home, heard a scratching sound from the cat flap then spotted a rat trying to get inside, what would you do? The ‘hungry’ rodent is thought to have been keen to find some food when he was seen making the daring mission into a stranger’s house earlier this month. Luckily, the person who spotted him realised he was not a wild rat and called the RSPCA rather than pest control. They brought the animal inside and put up posters in the neighbourhood in Winsford, Cheshire, and posted on Facebook to try and locate the owner. Sadly, no owner has come forward for the one-year-old rat so the Manchester and Salford branch will look to rehome him soon. Rats are intelligent, highly social animals and have very complex needs so a lot of research is needed before taking on rats as pets.
Links
Guesthouse Tokyo10 minutes to Ikebukuro. Interhousesafe and accessible solution for your accommodation needs in Tokyo. Sakura House1830 monthly furnished rooms at 204 locations in Tokyo. TOKYO ROOM FINDERContact our international team that will assist you in finding housing and overcoming any communication barriers in Japan! |
J&F PlazaFurnished & unfurnished guesthouses and apartments in Tokyo. May Flower HouseTokyo furnished apartments. Ginza, Roppongi, Yotsuya and more. TenTen Guesthouse33,000yen/30 days for working holiday students. GOOD ROOM TOKYOShare room, Private room, under 50,000yen |
MOVE JAPANPrivate furnished rooms in Tokyo with free internet. Call us first or call us last! Tokyomove.comHassle free moving starts from 6000yen. |
Tokyo Helping HandsVery flexible working hours to effectly help you with moving, deliveries, disposal, storage and more! |
AirNet TravelWe'll cut you the best air ticket deals anywhere. Fun TravelDiscount air travel & package tours 2min from Roppongi Stn. |
No.1 TravelWe go the extra mile for you. International air tickets and hotels. JR Tokai ToursTop-value travel to Kyoto, Osaka, Nagoya from Tokyo by Shinkansen. |
Matsuda Legal OfficeAll kinds of Visa, Immigration & Naturalization, International Marriage etc. |
Futaba Visa OfficeLicensed immigration lawyer & certified public tax consultant. |
|
American PharmacyEnglish speaking pharmacy since 1950. |
Tokyo Skin ClinicEU-licensed multi lingual doctors. |
|
Tax-free AKKYJapanese Appliance, Watch, Souvenirs |
Tokyo Speed Dating1st Sat. & 3rd Sun. at Bari n Roppongi ETC. Tokyo SpontaneousPicnic, Parties, Language exchange |
|
TMAJapanese women & Western men. |
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50 Shades of Yikess
