Plain Talk
TOKYO NOTICE BOARD NOVEMBER 08. 2024One day trip hiking to Honita −Yama by Adriana Stoica
One of the best way to spend the weekend during the red-leaves season it taking one-day-trip hiking in Japanese mountains. I recently prefer going to less-known areas, since I like the feeling of silence, peace and connection to the nature, which is much more present in such areas than in crowded, popular places. One of these hidden gems I had the pleasure to visit some time back is Honita −Yama, located about 2 hours from Shinjuku, on Chuo line between Oku-tama and Hatonosu station.
Honita-Yama has a 4 hour-trail marked as beginner level, but it is steep and challenging enough to surelly burn some extra calories on the way. Expect to be surprised by the spectacular view of mountains, majestic,tall pine trees, a narrow path that goes to the top, fantastic view from the top and of course, some old temples and some nice an cozy relax spaces on the way. But what is really special in this place is the silence. It is a complete, deep,and profound silence, there is no traffic noise, no train whistle, there are very few people taking this route and they also, almost whisper a soft Konnichiwa!, only when getting really close to each other. It looks like nobody wants to disturb the natural silence and peace. Much to our surprise, even the houses around the station are immersed in complete silence, like nobody lives there. There was even no staff at the station!
Since this area is completelly isolated, make sure to bring enough snacks and drinks with you for the way. There is only one local restaurant at the Hatonosu station and one vending machine. We did so hoping to finish out trip at Okutama station and relax in an onsen nearby.
Also, just make sure you can complete the course before the sunset, as it gets dark very quickly at around 4 pm. Just in case, it is reccomended to carry a bell for bears. Keeping in mind the above mentined advice, have an enjoyable trip to Honita-Yama!
紅葉の季節、日本の山々を訪ね日帰り登山を楽しみ充実した週末を過ごす。最近は、あまり知られていない場所に好んで出かける。大自然がもつ静けさや平穏が感じられるからだ。大勢の人が集まる人気スポットでは、それは得られない。私のお気に入りで何度か訪れている山は本仁田山だ。新宿駅から中央線で二時間、奥多摩駅と鳩ノ巣駅の間に位置する。
本仁田山は、初心者向けの４時間の登山コースがある。しかし急登の連続でかなりカロリーを消化するので体力が求められる山だ。山々の景観や高いスギ林に息を飲みながら、細い山道を登り、山頂を目指す。もちろん山頂からの眺望はすばらしいし、寺や休憩地点もいいが、一番素晴らしいのはこの山がもつ静けさだ。完璧な深い静寂だ。車の音や列車の汽笛は聞こえず、登山者も少ない。そして登山者は間近で顔が会ってはじめてソフト声で「こんにちわ。」とささやかくようにあいさつする。誰も静けさと平穏を壊したくないようだ。さらに驚くのは、駅のまわりの民家も静けさに包まれておりまるで空き家のようだ。駅構内では駅員も見当たらない！
人里離れた山間部のため、食べ物と飲み物は必ず持参しよう。鳩ノ巣駅近くに食堂が一軒と自販機があるだけだ。私達は奥多摩駅側で下山し、駅近くの温泉で疲れをいやした。
必ず日が暮れるまでに下山できるようコースを決めておこう。４時くらいになるととたんに日が暮れる。そして万が一に備え熊よけの鈴を持っていくといいだろう。以上の注意点を心に留めて、本仁田山をたっぷり堪能してください！
Plain Talk
TOKYO NOTICE BOARD TNB Throwback MAY 15. 2015Kagurazaka by Simon Duncan
Kagurazaka is an area near Iidabashi centered around Kagurazaka Dori, a sloping shopping street. Perhaps best-known nowadays amongst Tokyoites for French restaurants, there is a lot more to the area, you can take a trip back in time to the Tokyo of old; not only traditional buildings, but also less cars and less people!
The best way to get here is probably by going to JR Iidabashi station, taking the west exit and turning right. Now you will find yourself on Waseda Dori, the long road that leads, eventually, to Waseda University. Crossing at the traffic light you will find the start of Kagurazaka Dori flanked by Starbucks on the left. There is also a McDonald's further up the street, several convenience stores and a pachinko parlor.
Aside from several French restaurants and bakeries the main street boasts many old-style independent shops selling pottery, tea, hats and various traditional crafts that would make great souvenirs. There are also plenty of cafes, restaurants, izakayas and a temple. Even the Circle K has local produce, selling 3 different kinds of Kagurazaka Beer at 565 yen including tax for 330ml.
Local beer is popular nowadays in Japan and with Kamakura and Kawagoe having their own brews it makes sense that Kagurazaka, being another old town beginning with 'K', decided to join the craze in 2009.
Kagurazaka is an old geisha town, although compared with 100 years ago your chances of seeing one will not be so high. Aside from the main street it is well worth wandering along the side alleys, some not much wider than one meter. You will find a variety of buildings, from old houses largely unchanged from a century ago, ryokan and fancy restaurants to a Scottish pub that is smoke-free, much like pubs in Scotland nowadays.
Further up the main street on the right hand side you will find the Akagi shrine, re-opened in 2010 with a building designed by acclaimed architect Kengo Kuma. The shrine has a cafe open until 8 pm.
If you are looking for something else to do in Kagurazaka besides eat, drink, shop and pray then I recommend Ginrei Hall. This can be found one street to the right of Kagurazaka Dori. Ginrei Hall is an independent cinema that celebrated 40 years of business in 2014. The tickets are 1500 yen and the films are usually modern but not the typical blockbusters shown in most theaters. They also have screenings of older films sometimes and I was lucky enough to catch the 1976 Scorsese classic, 'Taxi Driver' here recently.
If all this isn't enough reason to visit, then as a bonus the main street is car free at lunchtimes and also from 12:00-19:00 on Sundays and national holidays.
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 NOVEMBER 08, 2024
Tokyo Great Santa Run
Charity fundraising/running event?
to raise money for delivering/handing out christmas present for hospitalize children in Japan
Participants dressed in Father Christmas costumes run around the Jingu Gaien garden circuit and then take on the challenge of building the world's largest people tree. By using the participation fee to provide medical assistance to children in Japan and abroad, we contribute to society while enjoying Christmas to the fullest. This event is a project in which the children of the Planning and Management Committee (approximately 30 junior high, high school and university students) are proactively involved and form the Children's Council, which works to solve social issues through sport under the theme ‘Dream Charity where children support children’. The programme is carefully built up one by one through regular meetings.
Date: 11/17 (Sun) @ Yoyogi Park
YAKIIMO FES TOKYO 2024
This year's Yakimono Fest (R)?, which offers a variety of innovative and exciting menus that also incorporate trends, is full of ways to enjoy the festival. First of all, the festival is divided into four main categories: [Play the potato: rhythmical textures and flavours], [Science of potato: the fruit of shops' inquisitiveness], [Crossover potato: transcending the borders of culinary genres] and [Trace the potato: seeking the depth in the basics], to thoroughly dissect the potato culture from all angles!
For those who want to tour yakiimo festivals efficiently, we recommend choosing one of each of the four categories, which cover everything from basic to new culture. For those who are crazy about the sweet potato type, the ‘Play the potato’ & ‘Trace the potato’ are the perfect choices. For those who can't get enough of the visuals as well as the taste, the ‘Imo wo Kagaku Shiru’ is a perfect choice for a good photo finish. For pioneers who are always looking for something new, try ‘Imo wo Crossover’ to find your favourite yaki-imo. Yaki-imo fans will be thrilled to find a space where they can enjoy themselves even if they pass by every day.
− November 10 (Sun) 2024 @ Nakano Shikinomori Park
Have You Benn To...
TOKYO NOTICE BOARD NOVEMBER 08, 2024
Naruko-kyo Gorge [Osaki, Miyagi]
The autumn colours of Naruko-kyo Gorge usually change from late October to early November. From the viewing platform in front of the Naruko-kyo Gorge Rest House, visitors can enjoy a dynamic and spectacular view of the autumn colours and the Ohfukazawa Bridge over the V-shaped gorge. The Ohfukazawa Bridge is also accessible on foot, and the view of Naruko Gorge from the bridge is spectacular!
Ginzan Onsen [Kaginodaki, Akita]
The banks of the Ginzan River in the hot spring resort town are lined with Taisho-romantic wooden inns, which are lit up at dusk to create a photogenic space. The area is famous for its winter scenery, but a stroll through the area while admiring the autumn colours from around November is also exceptional! After relieving travel fatigue in the hot springs, why not head out to the autumn foliage spots with a warm body?
Goshikinuma Ponds [Kitashiobara, Fukushima]
The lakes and marshes scattered around the northern side of the summit of Mt Bandai are collectively known as the Goshiki-numa Lake Group, and the name ‘Goshiki-numa’ comes from the variety of colours that can be seen in the lakes and marshes: emerald green, cobalt blue, turquoise blue, emerald blue and pastel blue. The best time to see the autumn leaves is from mid-October to early November.
Kenroku-en Garden [Kanazawa, Ishikawa]
Kenrokuen Garden, which offers seasonal beauty, was created using garden techniques from different periods and has numerous attractions. The 300 maple trees planted in the park usually start to turn red and yellow from early November. Every year, starting with the Karasaki pine trees at the beginning of November, the trees begin to prepare for the snow.
Tokyo Voice Column
TOKYO NOTICE BOARD TNB Throwback: OCTOBER 23. 2015
A View From Tokyo tower by Jennifer Nakajima
Are you afraid of the heights? I know some people afraid of the heights known as the fear of falling ( Acrophobia) I tend to think that when you visited Tokyo Tower you'll be going to conquer your fears. The wonderful view from the Tokyo Tower was absolutely exciting as you climb higher and higher, set in the backdrop of the solid red steel construction. At the Tokyo Tower you don't use elevators to get to the observatory, the stairs are open so you can climb by yourself.
A great place to get a view of Tokyo aside from Sky Tree is "Tokyo Tower". Standing 333 meters, Tokyo Tower is 13 meters taller than the Eiffel Tower. When completed in 1958 it symbolized the rebirth of Japan as a post war economic power. The tower has two observation decks, a main observatory at 150 meters and a special observatory at 250 meters. The last month of July we visited Tokyo Tower, as far away you can view the Tokyo Sky Tree and Mount Fuji on a good day, and down over the Zojoji Temple.
Tokyo Tower at night is really romantic panorama with illuminated skyscrapers, a beautiful sceneries for couple and family. That night was so perfect, you are able to feel the city and embrace that moment. Another amazing attraction is to "Meet Tawabo", a new quadrilingual tour guide robot at Tokyo Tower. This one can speak no less than four languages - Japanese, English, Chinese, and Korean. Its computer monitor face appears to display a smile all the time, information about the tower and its surrounding is also shown on the screen.
We enjoyed so much at that time and we hope we will visit again Tokyo Tower by winter next time. And I hope you guys can visit the wonderful place, " Tokyo Tower".
Enjoy for adventure!
For more information about Tokyo Tower admission fees: please visit www.tokyotower.co.jp
Copyright (C) 2015 Jennifer Nakajima. All rights reserved. Ibaraki Ken, Japan.
高い所は嫌い？ 高所恐怖症なら一度東京タワーに上ってみるといい。高所への恐怖心がなくなるだろう。東京タワーからのすばらしい眺めは、赤い鉄塔を昇って行くに従って気持ちを高揚させる。東京タワーではエレベーターを使わず、階段が解放されているので自分の足で上ってみよう。
東京のバノラマな景色眺めるにはスカイツリー以外では東京タワーだ。全長３３３メートルでエッフェルタワーより１３メートル高い。１９５８年二建設された東京タワーは戦後日本の経済力を象徴する。１５０メートルにメイン展望台、２５０メートルにスペシャル展望台のふたつのの展望台がある。７月下旬東京タワーに上った。はるかかなたに東京スカイツツリー、よく晴れた日は富士山が見え、下を見下ろすと増上寺が見える。
夜の東京タワーからの景色は、高層ビル群のイルミネーションの輝きで本当にロマンティックな展望が広がる。さらに魅力的なアトラクション、東京タワー展望台ガイドロボット「タワボ」がいる。タワボは日本語・英語のほか、中国語・韓国語の４カ国語を話す。顔がコンピューターのモニターになっており、いつも笑顔をふりまきながら、タワー情報を伝えている。
私たち家族は楽しいひとときを過ごせた。今度は冬の東京タワーに上りたいと思う。あなたもすばらしい場所『東京タワー』を訪れて、楽しい時間をお過ごし下さい！
MUSEUM -What's Going on?-
TOKYO NOTICE BOARD NOVEMBER 08. 2024
SIDE CORE｜Concrete Planet
Someone said, "In the basement of a certain building in the city, you can hear the murmur of a culverted river late at night.” When we actually visited there, we found that during the daytime we could not hear it because it was blocked by the hustle and bustle of the city, but when the city quieted down at night, we did indeed hear a sound like flowing water. In fact, this may be the sound of wastewater flowing through a sewer pipe. But standing still in the pitch-black basement, you feel as if you are inside your own head, or as if you are asleep but only your consciousness is awake. Then someone's story, "This is the sound of a river," draws you in, and the endless expanse of the invisible underground water vein vaguely appears in your mind.
rode work tokyo_spiral junction
year: 2022
photo: Natsuko Fukushima, Tokyo Art Beat
This exhibition will feature a group of works categorized into three themes based on the keywords of our perspective, action, and storytelling. In the perspective section shows a new series of three-dimensional works that model urban cycles, primarily using materials from the street. The action section presents video and photographic documentation of actions/expressions that intervene in urban situations and cycles. And the storytelling section features the latest version of "under city," a project that has been ongoing since 2023, exploring Tokyo's underground spaces with skateboards. Exploring the dark side of the city, accumulating small actions, and feeding back noise to the urban landscape. Such a series of actions constitutes an intervention of the vision of a small unit of individuals into the urban system of Tokyo, but at the same time, it is a way to touch the chain reaction of cultural activism that transcends borders and time, and to create a connection with someone unpredictable.
Period: - December 8 (Sun.), 2024
Venue: WATARI-UM, The Watari Museum of Contemporary Art and outdoor
Closed: Mondays
Hours: 11:00-19:00 / - 20:00 on Fridays and Saturdays (last admission 30 minutes before? closing)
Admission: Adults 1,500 yen / Student (high school to 25 years) 1,300 yen / Children (elementary to junior high) 500 yen
For more information, please visit
TOKYO ART BOOK FAIR 2024
The 14th edition of TOKYO ART BOOK FAIR (“TABF”) is set to be held at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo from November 28 (Thu) to December 1 (Sun). Around 300 publishers, galleries, and artists from Japan and abroad will gather to showcase their art books and zines during the TABF.
This year’s “Guest Country” will be Germany. “Guest Country” is our annual project, in which we introduce the publishing culture of one country or region. We invite a variety of bookmakers who are spearheading the German art publishing scene at the moment, starting from the artist Stefan Marx, who has had steady popularity in Japan; the Berlin Art Book Fair “Miss Read”; the long-established publisher Walther Ko¨nig; and Steidl famed for their beautiful publications. Related to this, we also offer a book selection space curated by the aforementioned Marx; Michalis Pichler, the artist who runs “Miss Read”; curator Tenko Nakajima; bookstore Do You Read Me?; and creative agency Studio Yukiko, offering a glimpse into the contemporary German independent publishing scene.
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Ahead of the upcoming exhibition, “Ryuichi Sakamoto | seeing sound, hearing time”, which opens at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo on December 21, there will also be a “Sakamoto Library Extension”, presenting his collection of books; and special booths by New Balance, Hanatsubaki, BEAMS CULTUART and THREE. This year again, we plan to offer a diverse range of talk shows, workshops, book signing sessions, live performances, and the community project “Neighbors.” We aim to create a platform where we can locate the possibilities of the ever-evolving art book culture together with all participants at the fair. We look forward to seeing you at the TABF 2024.
Period: November 29 (Fri.) − December 1 (Sun.)
Venue: Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo
Closed: Mondays
Hours: 11：00-18：00 /
12:00-19:00 on November 28 (last admission 30 minutes before closing)
Admission: [Weekdays]: General 1,200 yen
Strange but True
TOKYO NOTICE BOARD NOVEMBER 08. 2024
Keep Bananas Fresh
Want to avoid food going off before you have had a chance to eat it? It is also bad for the enviroment for food to be thrown away like this. Some popular food items, like bananas, are worse than others for going over faster than you might expect, but experts have revealed that this can be in part due to how they are so often stored in many of our homes. Bananas emit a gas called ethylene - a plant hormone which ripens them up quickly and makes their flavour stronger. This is why the expert recommends storing your bananas in the fridge - even if you wouldn't expect to keep them there. Storing bananas in the fridge can be a practical way to extend their shelf life, especially once they have reached the desired level of ripeness. The cooler temperatures in the fridge slow down the ripening process, which is caused by the emission of ethylene gas from the bananas.
This is THE Cheese Burger…
A Nando's customer has left people horrified after ordering a chicken burger with 50 additional slices of cheese. The restaurant allows people to customise their meals when ordering through an app for home delivery and one worker shared the enormous receipt of the bizarre request which had come through. It shows a grilled chicken burger with 50 cheddar cheese slices (with each adding 60p to the bill totaling £30 for cheese topping!!), as well as garlic peri peri sauce and 10 chicken wings, Daily Star reports. Images posted and captioned: "Someone ordered a burger in Nando's with 50 slices of cheese" show a bun piled up high with the chicken, lettuce and sauce all separated by a sizeable pile of cheese.
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 NOVEMBER 08, 2024Tokyo Great Santa Run
Charity fundraising/running event?
to raise money for delivering/handing out christmas present for hospitalize children in Japan
Participants dressed in Father Christmas costumes run around the Jingu Gaien garden circuit and then take on the challenge of building the world's largest people tree. By using the participation fee to provide medical assistance to children in Japan and abroad, we contribute to society while enjoying Christmas to the fullest. This event is a project in which the children of the Planning and Management Committee (approximately 30 junior high, high school and university students) are proactively involved and form the Children's Council, which works to solve social issues through sport under the theme ‘Dream Charity where children support children’. The programme is carefully built up one by one through regular meetings.
Date: 11/17 (Sun) @ Yoyogi Park
YAKIIMO FES TOKYO 2024
This year's Yakimono Fest (R)?, which offers a variety of innovative and exciting menus that also incorporate trends, is full of ways to enjoy the festival. First of all, the festival is divided into four main categories: [Play the potato: rhythmical textures and flavours], [Science of potato: the fruit of shops' inquisitiveness], [Crossover potato: transcending the borders of culinary genres] and [Trace the potato: seeking the depth in the basics], to thoroughly dissect the potato culture from all angles!
For those who want to tour yakiimo festivals efficiently, we recommend choosing one of each of the four categories, which cover everything from basic to new culture. For those who are crazy about the sweet potato type, the ‘Play the potato’ & ‘Trace the potato’ are the perfect choices. For those who can't get enough of the visuals as well as the taste, the ‘Imo wo Kagaku Shiru’ is a perfect choice for a good photo finish. For pioneers who are always looking for something new, try ‘Imo wo Crossover’ to find your favourite yaki-imo. Yaki-imo fans will be thrilled to find a space where they can enjoy themselves even if they pass by every day.
− November 10 (Sun) 2024 @ Nakano Shikinomori Park
Have You Benn To...
TOKYO NOTICE BOARD NOVEMBER 08, 2024Naruko-kyo Gorge [Osaki, Miyagi]
The autumn colours of Naruko-kyo Gorge usually change from late October to early November. From the viewing platform in front of the Naruko-kyo Gorge Rest House, visitors can enjoy a dynamic and spectacular view of the autumn colours and the Ohfukazawa Bridge over the V-shaped gorge. The Ohfukazawa Bridge is also accessible on foot, and the view of Naruko Gorge from the bridge is spectacular!
Ginzan Onsen [Kaginodaki, Akita]
The banks of the Ginzan River in the hot spring resort town are lined with Taisho-romantic wooden inns, which are lit up at dusk to create a photogenic space. The area is famous for its winter scenery, but a stroll through the area while admiring the autumn colours from around November is also exceptional! After relieving travel fatigue in the hot springs, why not head out to the autumn foliage spots with a warm body?
Goshikinuma Ponds [Kitashiobara, Fukushima]
The lakes and marshes scattered around the northern side of the summit of Mt Bandai are collectively known as the Goshiki-numa Lake Group, and the name ‘Goshiki-numa’ comes from the variety of colours that can be seen in the lakes and marshes: emerald green, cobalt blue, turquoise blue, emerald blue and pastel blue. The best time to see the autumn leaves is from mid-October to early November.
Kenroku-en Garden [Kanazawa, Ishikawa]
Kenrokuen Garden, which offers seasonal beauty, was created using garden techniques from different periods and has numerous attractions. The 300 maple trees planted in the park usually start to turn red and yellow from early November. Every year, starting with the Karasaki pine trees at the beginning of November, the trees begin to prepare for the snow.
Tokyo Voice Column
TOKYO NOTICE BOARD TNB Throwback: OCTOBER 23. 2015A View From Tokyo tower by Jennifer Nakajima
Are you afraid of the heights? I know some people afraid of the heights known as the fear of falling ( Acrophobia) I tend to think that when you visited Tokyo Tower you'll be going to conquer your fears. The wonderful view from the Tokyo Tower was absolutely exciting as you climb higher and higher, set in the backdrop of the solid red steel construction. At the Tokyo Tower you don't use elevators to get to the observatory, the stairs are open so you can climb by yourself.
A great place to get a view of Tokyo aside from Sky Tree is "Tokyo Tower". Standing 333 meters, Tokyo Tower is 13 meters taller than the Eiffel Tower. When completed in 1958 it symbolized the rebirth of Japan as a post war economic power. The tower has two observation decks, a main observatory at 150 meters and a special observatory at 250 meters. The last month of July we visited Tokyo Tower, as far away you can view the Tokyo Sky Tree and Mount Fuji on a good day, and down over the Zojoji Temple.
Tokyo Tower at night is really romantic panorama with illuminated skyscrapers, a beautiful sceneries for couple and family. That night was so perfect, you are able to feel the city and embrace that moment. Another amazing attraction is to "Meet Tawabo", a new quadrilingual tour guide robot at Tokyo Tower. This one can speak no less than four languages - Japanese, English, Chinese, and Korean. Its computer monitor face appears to display a smile all the time, information about the tower and its surrounding is also shown on the screen.
We enjoyed so much at that time and we hope we will visit again Tokyo Tower by winter next time. And I hope you guys can visit the wonderful place, " Tokyo Tower".
Enjoy for adventure!
For more information about Tokyo Tower admission fees: please visit www.tokyotower.co.jp
Copyright (C) 2015 Jennifer Nakajima. All rights reserved. Ibaraki Ken, Japan.
高い所は嫌い？ 高所恐怖症なら一度東京タワーに上ってみるといい。高所への恐怖心がなくなるだろう。東京タワーからのすばらしい眺めは、赤い鉄塔を昇って行くに従って気持ちを高揚させる。東京タワーではエレベーターを使わず、階段が解放されているので自分の足で上ってみよう。
東京のバノラマな景色眺めるにはスカイツリー以外では東京タワーだ。全長３３３メートルでエッフェルタワーより１３メートル高い。１９５８年二建設された東京タワーは戦後日本の経済力を象徴する。１５０メートルにメイン展望台、２５０メートルにスペシャル展望台のふたつのの展望台がある。７月下旬東京タワーに上った。はるかかなたに東京スカイツツリー、よく晴れた日は富士山が見え、下を見下ろすと増上寺が見える。
夜の東京タワーからの景色は、高層ビル群のイルミネーションの輝きで本当にロマンティックな展望が広がる。さらに魅力的なアトラクション、東京タワー展望台ガイドロボット「タワボ」がいる。タワボは日本語・英語のほか、中国語・韓国語の４カ国語を話す。顔がコンピューターのモニターになっており、いつも笑顔をふりまきながら、タワー情報を伝えている。
私たち家族は楽しいひとときを過ごせた。今度は冬の東京タワーに上りたいと思う。あなたもすばらしい場所『東京タワー』を訪れて、楽しい時間をお過ごし下さい！
MUSEUM -What's Going on?-
TOKYO NOTICE BOARD NOVEMBER 08. 2024SIDE CORE｜Concrete Planet Someone said, "In the basement of a certain building in the city, you can hear the murmur of a culverted river late at night.” When we actually visited there, we found that during the daytime we could not hear it because it was blocked by the hustle and bustle of the city, but when the city quieted down at night, we did indeed hear a sound like flowing water. In fact, this may be the sound of wastewater flowing through a sewer pipe. But standing still in the pitch-black basement, you feel as if you are inside your own head, or as if you are asleep but only your consciousness is awake. Then someone's story, "This is the sound of a river," draws you in, and the endless expanse of the invisible underground water vein vaguely appears in your mind. |
rode work tokyo_spiral junction |
This exhibition will feature a group of works categorized into three themes based on the keywords of our perspective, action, and storytelling. In the perspective section shows a new series of three-dimensional works that model urban cycles, primarily using materials from the street. The action section presents video and photographic documentation of actions/expressions that intervene in urban situations and cycles. And the storytelling section features the latest version of "under city," a project that has been ongoing since 2023, exploring Tokyo's underground spaces with skateboards. Exploring the dark side of the city, accumulating small actions, and feeding back noise to the urban landscape. Such a series of actions constitutes an intervention of the vision of a small unit of individuals into the urban system of Tokyo, but at the same time, it is a way to touch the chain reaction of cultural activism that transcends borders and time, and to create a connection with someone unpredictable. |
Period: - December 8 (Sun.), 2024
Venue: WATARI-UM, The Watari Museum of Contemporary Art and outdoor
Closed: Mondays
Hours: 11:00-19:00 / - 20:00 on Fridays and Saturdays (last admission 30 minutes before? closing)
Admission: Adults 1,500 yen / Student (high school to 25 years) 1,300 yen / Children (elementary to junior high) 500 yen
For more information, please visit
TOKYO ART BOOK FAIR 2024 The 14th edition of TOKYO ART BOOK FAIR (“TABF”) is set to be held at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo from November 28 (Thu) to December 1 (Sun). Around 300 publishers, galleries, and artists from Japan and abroad will gather to showcase their art books and zines during the TABF. |
* |
Ahead of the upcoming exhibition, “Ryuichi Sakamoto | seeing sound, hearing time”, which opens at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo on December 21, there will also be a “Sakamoto Library Extension”, presenting his collection of books; and special booths by New Balance, Hanatsubaki, BEAMS CULTUART and THREE. This year again, we plan to offer a diverse range of talk shows, workshops, book signing sessions, live performances, and the community project “Neighbors.” We aim to create a platform where we can locate the possibilities of the ever-evolving art book culture together with all participants at the fair. We look forward to seeing you at the TABF 2024. |
Period: November 29 (Fri.) − December 1 (Sun.)
Venue: Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo
Closed: Mondays
Hours: 11：00-18：00 /
12:00-19:00 on November 28 (last admission 30 minutes before closing)
Admission: [Weekdays]: General 1,200 yen
Strange but True
TOKYO NOTICE BOARD NOVEMBER 08. 2024Keep Bananas Fresh
Want to avoid food going off before you have had a chance to eat it? It is also bad for the enviroment for food to be thrown away like this. Some popular food items, like bananas, are worse than others for going over faster than you might expect, but experts have revealed that this can be in part due to how they are so often stored in many of our homes. Bananas emit a gas called ethylene - a plant hormone which ripens them up quickly and makes their flavour stronger. This is why the expert recommends storing your bananas in the fridge - even if you wouldn't expect to keep them there. Storing bananas in the fridge can be a practical way to extend their shelf life, especially once they have reached the desired level of ripeness. The cooler temperatures in the fridge slow down the ripening process, which is caused by the emission of ethylene gas from the bananas.
This is THE Cheese Burger…
A Nando's customer has left people horrified after ordering a chicken burger with 50 additional slices of cheese. The restaurant allows people to customise their meals when ordering through an app for home delivery and one worker shared the enormous receipt of the bizarre request which had come through. It shows a grilled chicken burger with 50 cheddar cheese slices (with each adding 60p to the bill totaling £30 for cheese topping!!), as well as garlic peri peri sauce and 10 chicken wings, Daily Star reports. Images posted and captioned: "Someone ordered a burger in Nando's with 50 slices of cheese" show a bun piled up high with the chicken, lettuce and sauce all separated by a sizeable pile of cheese.
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. |
|
50 Shades of Yikess
