Plain Talk
TOKYO NOTICE BOARD AUGUST 25. 2023Japanese Police Boxes by Tokyo Five
Are there “police boxes” in your country?
I have never seen a police box in America. I don’t think that there are any there,
.
But I’ve heard that the UK has police boxes.
But it seems that police boxes in England are different from Japan’s “koban” police boxes.
The police boxes in England, according to what I read, are very small and simple. Just a phone that people can use to contact a “real” police station, and a small desk and a first-aid kit. They aren’t manned by a police officer. They’re just a way for people to contact the police before cell-phones became an item carried by everyone.
These are very different from the Japan’s police boxes, which are called “Koban” in Japanese.
In Japan, “koban” police boxes are an important and helpful part of every neighborhood in Japan. They can be seen all around Japan, especially near train stations and many major intersections. But there are also “koban” police boxes at many seemingly random places too.
They are staffed by at least one police officer (busy areas have bigger police boxes with more officers). The officers stationed at them make periodic patrols around the neighborhood...so small “koban” police boxes that only have one officer will be unmanned during those brief periods － but there will be a sign in the window that says 「パトロール中です。」 (“On patrol“).
“Koban” police boxes in Japan are probably most commonly used by the public for asking for directions. This is no problem. If you’re lost while in Japan, you shouldn’t go to a gas station to ask for directions, which is commonly done in America and maybe other countries. Rather, you should go to the nearest “koban” police boxes and and ask them to how to find your destination.
Other helpful services provided by “koban” police boxes include: “Lost and Found”. If you find some misplaced property (train pass, keys, wallet, cell-phone, etc) or if you’ve lost something, go to a “koban” police boxes for help.
Also, of course, they are police officers, so crimes or other emergencies can be reported there.
あなたの国に "交番 "はあるだろうか？
アメリカでは交番を見たことがない。アメリカにはないと思う。
でも、イギリスには交番があると聞いた。
でも、イギリスの交番は日本の交番とは違うようだ。
僕が読んで得た知識では、イギリスの交番はとても小さく簡素なんだそうだ。「本物の」警察署に連絡するための電話と、小さな机と救急箱だけ。警察官が常駐しているわけではない。携帯電話が誰もが持ち歩くアイテムになる前に、人々が警察に連絡するための手段となった。
日本の交番とは大きく異なる。
日本では、交番はどの地域にもある重要なもので、役に立っている。 特に駅や交差点の近くに多く設置されている。 しかし、交番は一見何の変哲もない場所にもある。
交番には少なくとも1人の警察官が常駐している（繁華街には大きな交番があり、警察官の数も多い）。交番に常駐している警察官は、定期的に近隣をパトロールしている......だから、警察官が1人しかいない小さな交番は、その短い期間中、無人である。しかし入り口のガラス窓に「パトロール中です。のサインが掲げられている。
日本の「交番」は、一般の人が道を尋ねるために利用するのが一般的だろう。これは問題ない。ガソリンスタンドに行って道を聞くというのは、アメリカや他の国ではよくあることだが、日本で道に迷ったら、最寄りの交番に行って、目的地までの行き方を聞くといい。
これは問題ない。日本に道に迷ったら、ガソリンスタンドに「パトロール中です。
「日本の交番といえば、道を尋ねるために利用するのが一般的だろう。
交番が提供するその他の便利なサービスには次のようなものがある： 「落し物」。定期券、鍵、財布、携帯電話など、落とし物をしたときは、交番に相談しよう。
また、もちろん警察官なので、犯罪やその他の緊急事態も通報できる。
Plain Talk
TOKYO NOTICE BOARD TNB Throwback: DECEMBER 09. 2018Sengakuji in Shinagawa by Joseph
Have you ever heard of the Sengakuji shrine? It's best known as the final resting place of the loyal 47 ronin in Tokyo, Japan. It's a place with a rich tapestry of historical significance.
The story of the 47 ronin is probably one of Japan’s most famous historical tales exemplifying the lengths of loyalty by which the samurai code curtails one to, even while facing certain doom, in rectifying injustice. Endless retellings that take shape around fictionalized accounts based on the actual event have long captured the imaginations of innumerable people worldwide. The story has been spun over a multitude of artistic formats: from Bunraku, kabuki, to cinema (Hiroshi Inagaki's Ch?shingura, along with Kenji Mizoguchi's The 47 Ronin, are probably the most well known versions of the story outside of Japan that do not feature Keanu Reeves wielding magic like a Wild Stallion slow strumming an air guitar).
The gravesite itself is nestled into the high-winding side street of the posh Minato-ku area of Tokyo. It’s by no means hard to locate, and is accessible from Shinagawa station, but it is rather unassuming in it’s understated appearance. The 47 Ronin rest off to the left of the spacious courtyard, where a functional temple resides. It’s a sparse layout, but if you’re there to pay deference to the deeds of these brave folks, you won’t need any gaudy trappings because actions speak louder than words.
For sure, Tokyo may offer other places where glitz and glamour will overstimulate your ocular cavities like a barrage of paparazzi on the prowl at a Kanye West concert, but the subdued reverence witnessed at Sengakuji temple is awe inspiring to those with even the faintest familiarity to its backstory. Whether you're a film buff (yes, I've also visited Ozu's grave, but that's a story for another time), a history buff, or just someone that enjoys finding serenity in the center of Tokyo, Sengakuji is a slice of culture well worth the time.
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 SEPTEMBER 15, 2023
Japan Soca Weekend
Japan Soca Weekend, a 4 day music festival, is Asia's largest Soca music (Caribbean music) festival held every September in the Kanto region of Japan (Tokyo, Chiba).
Many Soca music fans and Caribbean people from all around the world come to Japan to enjoy this music festival. If you would like to experience Soca music and Caribbean culture we invite you to come and enjoy.
Soca in Japan was founded in 2016 by a team of young energic Soca lovers from Trinidad and Tobago and Japan. It's sole mission is to grow the Soca music culture and industry in Japan and provide opportunities for both Caribbean people and Japanese Soca fans.
The festival last for four days and includes four main events: Soca Magic, Rum N Bass, J’ouvert in Japan, and Island Nations.
9/15(Fri) - 18 (Mon, National Holiday) @ Shibuya and Chiba
THE HOPE
One of the largest JAPANESE HIPHOP FESTIVALs in Japan.
More than 50 artists from the forefront of the HIPHOP scene, from the freshmen to the leading artists of the scene, transcending generations, will be gatherd. This year, the event will be held on an even larger scale at the Odaiba THE HOPE special venue.
The festival wants to provide a place where the next generation of young artists in their teens and twenties can be in the spotlight, focus on the future "hope" of Japanese HipHop, build a place where young artists can shine more brightly and create a new bright future for the scene. We want to draw the future of a new and brilliant scene. The HIP HOPE festival in Odaiba will be a catalyst for the revitalisation of the scene and the expansion of HIP HOP as a culture.
This year's line-up also includes many female artists, in response to the recent rise and success of female artists, and we would like to draw your attention to the vigorous performances by female artists that are as strong as their male counterparts.
23.09.2023 (Sat) @ Odaiba (Tokyo Teleport Sta. on Rinkai Line )
What’s App With You?
TOKYO NOTICE BOARD SEPTEMBER 15, 2023
iNaturalist:
One of the world's most popular nature apps, iNaturalist helps you identify the plants and animals around you. It is a remarkable wildlife observation tool that uses image recognition technology in conjunction with a strong community of users to identify plants and animals in pictures that users share. The photos submitted to iNaturalist fuel citizen science projects around the world. Tapping into that collective bank of expertise, in addition to the app’s powerful algorithms, confirmed that our local serpent was indeed a copperhead. It was one gratifying observation of many.Get connected with a community of over 400,000 scientists and naturalists who can help you learn more about nature! What's more, by recording and sharing your observations, you'll create research quality data for scientists working to better understand and protect nature.
AllTrails:
Whether you hike, bike, run, or walk, AllTrails is your companion and guide to the outdoors. Find detailed reviews and inspiration from a community of trail-goers like you. The app will help you plan, live, and share your outdoor adventures. AllTrails offers more than a running app or fitness activity tracker. It’s built on the idea that the outside isn’t a place to seek, but rather a part of us all. Discover trails that fit your nature!
Tokyo Voice Column
TOKYO NOTICE BOARD TNB Throwback: MARCH 20. 2020
Tokyo Police Museum by Hamish Withers
One of the most interesting places that I have been to in Tokyo, is the Tokyo Police Museum. This museum is good for a number of reasons:1/ It’s free! 2/ It’s easy to find and 3/ It has some interesting exhibits.
The Tokyo Police Museum is located at 3-5-1 Kyobashi Chuo, 104-0031. It is close to Ginza and Yurakucho. So you can take the Ginza metro line and get off at exit two at Kyobashi station and walk to the museum in a few minutes. It is also open from 9:30-5:00pm six days of the week and is closed on Monday.
The exhibits at the museum which I liked were the police motorcycles, the police cars, and the police helicopter. Other people like the police uniforms and the movie about the police dog and the movie about how Japanese police respond to emergency calls.
Some visitors have complained on the internet that the museum needed more English information on the exhibits. They are right to a degree. However, we can see and understand what most things are and many people don’t read everything they see on exhibits in museums anyway. Also, if you are studying Japanese trying to read things in Japanese at this museum is another opportunity to practice and learn hopefully. Or you can try to ask the museum staff in Japanese about exhibits to practice your Japanese speaking skills.
Lastly, I hope you and I never need to call the police but if you do and can speak Japanese dial 110, or dial 03-3501-0010 which is a police consultation service in English.
東京でもっとも興味深かった場所は、警察博物館だった。理由を挙げるときりがないが、第一に無料、第二に迷わず行けた。第三に興味をひく展示がいくつもあった。
警察博物館は、〒104-0031 東京都中央区京橋３丁目５－１にある。銀座や有楽町の近くだ。銀座線の京橋駅でおり、２番出口を上がり数分歩けば着く。開館時間は午前9時30分から午後5時まで、火曜日から日曜日の週６日開館しており、月曜日が休館日だ。
警察博物館の展示でもっとも気に入ったのは黒／白バイ、パトカー、警察ヘリだ。警官のユニフォームが好きな人もいれば、警察犬の映画や緊急電話に対応する警察官を描いた映画が気に入った人もいる。
展示について英語の説明がもっとほしいとネットで不満を訴えた人もいる。ある程度あたっているが、見ればなんだかわかるし、たいていの人は博物館で展示の解説をすみからすみまで読まない。それに日本語を勉強しているなら、博物館で日本語で書かれたものを読もうとするのが日本語を学ぶいい機会となる。あるいは博物館の学芸員に日本語で展示について尋ねるのも日本語の会話の上達に役立つ。
最後に、君や僕が警察に緊急相談するような事態に遭遇しないといいが、緊急時は、日本語が話せるなら、１１０番、英語での緊急相談が必要なら、03-3501-0010番と覚えておこう。
MUSEUM -What's Going on?-
TOKYO NOTICE BOARD SEPTEMBER 15. 2023
Yves Saint Laurent, Across the Style
As the sobriquet the “King of Fashion” suggests, Yves Saint Laurent was a dominant figure in the world of 20th century fashion.
Following the sudden death of Christian Dior, in 1958 Yves Saint Laurent made his brilliant debut as a designer at the House of Dior. In 1962, he launched his own brand, Yves Saint Laurent. From then until his retirement in 2002, Yves Saint Laurent remained at the forefront of the international fashion scene and revolutionized women’s clothing for nearly half a century by establishing safari looks, pants suits, pea coats, and trench coats.
Cocktail dress-Homage to Piet Mondrian
Autumn-winter 1965 haute couture collection
Client’s piece-Atelier Blanche
Wool jersey
(C) Yves Saint Laurent (C) Alexandre Guirkinger
This exhibition, organized with the full cooperation of the Muse´e Yves Saint Laurent Paris, marks the first retrospective of the designer’s works ever to be staged in Japan after his death. The exhibition presents a comprehensive overview of Yves Saint Laurent’s work, throughout his 40-year career, from his debut at the tender age of 21 and the first collection that appeared under his own brand to the establishment of his own style, through 110 of the designer’s looks as well as accessories, drawings, and photographs in twelve chapters.
This is a rare opportunity to get up close and personal with the unrivaled and magnificent world of beauty that emerged from Yves Saint Laurent, one of the great talents of the second half of the 20th century.
Period: September 20 (Wed), 2023 － December 11 (Mon), 2023
Venue: The National Art Center, Tokyo
Closed: Tuesdays
Hours: 10:00-18:00 / -20:00 on Fridays and Saturdays (last admission 30 minutes before closing)
Admission: adults: 2,300yen / University & college students 1,500yen /
High school students: 700yen
For more information, please visit
From the Scene of Creation - Artists’ Archives in Films and Photographs
In 1953, the Bridgestone Museum of Art, the Artizon Museum’s predecessor, established its Film Committee. In what it entitled the Art Film Series, the committee had, by 1964, filmed 61 artists and produced seventeen documentary films. These extraordinarily valuable materials record Japanese artists such as Umehara Ryuzaburo (1888-1986), Takamura Kotaro (1883-1956), and Maeda Seison (1885-1977) at work and in their daily lives.
The project was originally proposed by Ishibashi Kanichiro, the son of our founder, Ishibashi Shojiro. Taking the post of chairman of the Film Committee, Kanichiro sought “To help people who really love art and are working to understand it and also to illustrate moving portraits of leaders in the arts” in leading this project. Among the many art films produced in the 1950s, these played a pioneering role, particularly in the field of modern art, and were highly regarded in Japan and abroad, including being awarded a prize at an international film festival in Italy.
Recently, our museum has collected photographic works by Anzai Shigeo (1939-2020), who chronicled the contemporary art scene. Anzai, calling himself a contemporary art accompanist, produced, from the 1970s, portraits of artists and photographed transient works such as installations and performances.
*
This exhibition introduces the Art Film Series and photographs by Anzai accompanied by works of the artists pictured in these films and photographs. It includes about eighty works, both from our collection and on lease from other museums in Japan. By displaying the Art Film Series and Anzai’s work together, the exhibition offers a comprehensive view of Japanese modern and contemporary art in the making.
Period: - 19 November [Sun], 2023
Venue: Artizon Museum, Ishibashi Foundation
Closed on: Mondays (except 9/18, 10/9), 9/19, 10/10
Hours: 10:00-18:00 / -20:00 on Fridays except 11/3 (last admission 30 minutes before? closing)
Admission: General: 1,500 yen / Younger: Free entry with advance booking
For more information, please visit
https://www.artizon.museum/exhibition_sp/from_the_scene_of_creation/
Strange but True
TOKYO NOTICE BOARD SEPTEMBER 15, 2023
Hungry Fella?
A koala named Claude has been caught red-handed － or green-fingered － chewing his way through seedlings worth ￡3,000 at a nursery in Australia. The sneaky marsupial broke into Eastern Forest Nursery, near Lismore in northern New South Wales, and helped himself to thousands of young eucalypt plants before staff stopped him. He was found one morning sitting on a pole, drowsy with well-fed bliss among the stripped branches, bringing an end to months of cute criminality. The nursery is used to grow new plants which will later be used to try and boost the endangered koala population － so Claude might have been allowed to enjoy a lot more if he’d had a little more patience. Australia officially announced koalas were an endangered species in February last year, after an already-declining population was devastated by bushfires that spanned the summer of 2019 to 2020.
Give me a Ride!
The bizarre incident happened in the Brixington area of Exmouth last week. A local who lives close to a bus stop spotted the horse trying to climb aboard the local 57 Stagecoach service. The horse was seen being guided on by two people in high vis jackets － one was seen taking pictures of the animal clambering onboard. This is not the first time horses and ponies have tried to escape onto public transport, MailOnline reports. In 2020, a runaway pony tried to ride a bus after it was spotted in the midst of vehicles on the A48 near Cardiff.
As kind members of the public climbed out to calm the animal and call for help, a single-decker passed and loaded the pony aboard to safety.
Links
Guesthouse Tokyo
10 minutes to Ikebukuro.
Interhouse
safe and accessible solution for your accommodation needs in Tokyo.
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Fun Travel
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American Pharmacy
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Tokyo Fab
TOKYO NOTICE BOARD SEPTEMBER 15, 2023Japan Soca Weekend
Japan Soca Weekend, a 4 day music festival, is Asia's largest Soca music (Caribbean music) festival held every September in the Kanto region of Japan (Tokyo, Chiba).
Many Soca music fans and Caribbean people from all around the world come to Japan to enjoy this music festival. If you would like to experience Soca music and Caribbean culture we invite you to come and enjoy.
Soca in Japan was founded in 2016 by a team of young energic Soca lovers from Trinidad and Tobago and Japan. It's sole mission is to grow the Soca music culture and industry in Japan and provide opportunities for both Caribbean people and Japanese Soca fans.
The festival last for four days and includes four main events: Soca Magic, Rum N Bass, J’ouvert in Japan, and Island Nations.
9/15(Fri) - 18 (Mon, National Holiday) @ Shibuya and Chiba
THE HOPE
One of the largest JAPANESE HIPHOP FESTIVALs in Japan.
More than 50 artists from the forefront of the HIPHOP scene, from the freshmen to the leading artists of the scene, transcending generations, will be gatherd. This year, the event will be held on an even larger scale at the Odaiba THE HOPE special venue.
The festival wants to provide a place where the next generation of young artists in their teens and twenties can be in the spotlight, focus on the future "hope" of Japanese HipHop, build a place where young artists can shine more brightly and create a new bright future for the scene. We want to draw the future of a new and brilliant scene. The HIP HOPE festival in Odaiba will be a catalyst for the revitalisation of the scene and the expansion of HIP HOP as a culture.
This year's line-up also includes many female artists, in response to the recent rise and success of female artists, and we would like to draw your attention to the vigorous performances by female artists that are as strong as their male counterparts.
23.09.2023 (Sat) @ Odaiba (Tokyo Teleport Sta. on Rinkai Line )
What’s App With You?
TOKYO NOTICE BOARD SEPTEMBER 15, 2023iNaturalist:
One of the world's most popular nature apps, iNaturalist helps you identify the plants and animals around you. It is a remarkable wildlife observation tool that uses image recognition technology in conjunction with a strong community of users to identify plants and animals in pictures that users share. The photos submitted to iNaturalist fuel citizen science projects around the world. Tapping into that collective bank of expertise, in addition to the app’s powerful algorithms, confirmed that our local serpent was indeed a copperhead. It was one gratifying observation of many.Get connected with a community of over 400,000 scientists and naturalists who can help you learn more about nature! What's more, by recording and sharing your observations, you'll create research quality data for scientists working to better understand and protect nature.
AllTrails:
Whether you hike, bike, run, or walk, AllTrails is your companion and guide to the outdoors. Find detailed reviews and inspiration from a community of trail-goers like you. The app will help you plan, live, and share your outdoor adventures. AllTrails offers more than a running app or fitness activity tracker. It’s built on the idea that the outside isn’t a place to seek, but rather a part of us all. Discover trails that fit your nature!
Tokyo Voice Column
TOKYO NOTICE BOARD TNB Throwback: MARCH 20. 2020Tokyo Police Museum by Hamish Withers
One of the most interesting places that I have been to in Tokyo, is the Tokyo Police Museum. This museum is good for a number of reasons:1/ It’s free! 2/ It’s easy to find and 3/ It has some interesting exhibits.
The Tokyo Police Museum is located at 3-5-1 Kyobashi Chuo, 104-0031. It is close to Ginza and Yurakucho. So you can take the Ginza metro line and get off at exit two at Kyobashi station and walk to the museum in a few minutes. It is also open from 9:30-5:00pm six days of the week and is closed on Monday.
The exhibits at the museum which I liked were the police motorcycles, the police cars, and the police helicopter. Other people like the police uniforms and the movie about the police dog and the movie about how Japanese police respond to emergency calls.
Some visitors have complained on the internet that the museum needed more English information on the exhibits. They are right to a degree. However, we can see and understand what most things are and many people don’t read everything they see on exhibits in museums anyway. Also, if you are studying Japanese trying to read things in Japanese at this museum is another opportunity to practice and learn hopefully. Or you can try to ask the museum staff in Japanese about exhibits to practice your Japanese speaking skills.
Lastly, I hope you and I never need to call the police but if you do and can speak Japanese dial 110, or dial 03-3501-0010 which is a police consultation service in English.
東京でもっとも興味深かった場所は、警察博物館だった。理由を挙げるときりがないが、第一に無料、第二に迷わず行けた。第三に興味をひく展示がいくつもあった。
警察博物館は、〒104-0031 東京都中央区京橋３丁目５－１にある。銀座や有楽町の近くだ。銀座線の京橋駅でおり、２番出口を上がり数分歩けば着く。開館時間は午前9時30分から午後5時まで、火曜日から日曜日の週６日開館しており、月曜日が休館日だ。
警察博物館の展示でもっとも気に入ったのは黒／白バイ、パトカー、警察ヘリだ。警官のユニフォームが好きな人もいれば、警察犬の映画や緊急電話に対応する警察官を描いた映画が気に入った人もいる。
展示について英語の説明がもっとほしいとネットで不満を訴えた人もいる。ある程度あたっているが、見ればなんだかわかるし、たいていの人は博物館で展示の解説をすみからすみまで読まない。それに日本語を勉強しているなら、博物館で日本語で書かれたものを読もうとするのが日本語を学ぶいい機会となる。あるいは博物館の学芸員に日本語で展示について尋ねるのも日本語の会話の上達に役立つ。
最後に、君や僕が警察に緊急相談するような事態に遭遇しないといいが、緊急時は、日本語が話せるなら、１１０番、英語での緊急相談が必要なら、03-3501-0010番と覚えておこう。
MUSEUM -What's Going on?-
TOKYO NOTICE BOARD SEPTEMBER 15. 2023Yves Saint Laurent, Across the Style As the sobriquet the “King of Fashion” suggests, Yves Saint Laurent was a dominant figure in the world of 20th century fashion. |
Cocktail dress-Homage to Piet Mondrian |
This exhibition, organized with the full cooperation of the Muse´e Yves Saint Laurent Paris, marks the first retrospective of the designer’s works ever to be staged in Japan after his death. The exhibition presents a comprehensive overview of Yves Saint Laurent’s work, throughout his 40-year career, from his debut at the tender age of 21 and the first collection that appeared under his own brand to the establishment of his own style, through 110 of the designer’s looks as well as accessories, drawings, and photographs in twelve chapters. |
Period: September 20 (Wed), 2023 － December 11 (Mon), 2023
Venue: The National Art Center, Tokyo
Closed: Tuesdays
Hours: 10:00-18:00 / -20:00 on Fridays and Saturdays (last admission 30 minutes before closing)
Admission: adults: 2,300yen / University & college students 1,500yen /
High school students: 700yen
For more information, please visit
From the Scene of Creation - Artists’ Archives in Films and Photographs In 1953, the Bridgestone Museum of Art, the Artizon Museum’s predecessor, established its Film Committee. In what it entitled the Art Film Series, the committee had, by 1964, filmed 61 artists and produced seventeen documentary films. These extraordinarily valuable materials record Japanese artists such as Umehara Ryuzaburo (1888-1986), Takamura Kotaro (1883-1956), and Maeda Seison (1885-1977) at work and in their daily lives. The project was originally proposed by Ishibashi Kanichiro, the son of our founder, Ishibashi Shojiro. Taking the post of chairman of the Film Committee, Kanichiro sought “To help people who really love art and are working to understand it and also to illustrate moving portraits of leaders in the arts” in leading this project. Among the many art films produced in the 1950s, these played a pioneering role, particularly in the field of modern art, and were highly regarded in Japan and abroad, including being awarded a prize at an international film festival in Italy. |
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This exhibition introduces the Art Film Series and photographs by Anzai accompanied by works of the artists pictured in these films and photographs. It includes about eighty works, both from our collection and on lease from other museums in Japan. By displaying the Art Film Series and Anzai’s work together, the exhibition offers a comprehensive view of Japanese modern and contemporary art in the making. |
Period: - 19 November [Sun], 2023
Venue: Artizon Museum, Ishibashi Foundation
Closed on: Mondays (except 9/18, 10/9), 9/19, 10/10
Hours: 10:00-18:00 / -20:00 on Fridays except 11/3 (last admission 30 minutes before? closing)
Admission: General: 1,500 yen / Younger: Free entry with advance booking
For more information, please visit
https://www.artizon.museum/exhibition_sp/from_the_scene_of_creation/
Strange but True
TOKYO NOTICE BOARD SEPTEMBER 15, 2023Hungry Fella?
A koala named Claude has been caught red-handed － or green-fingered － chewing his way through seedlings worth ￡3,000 at a nursery in Australia. The sneaky marsupial broke into Eastern Forest Nursery, near Lismore in northern New South Wales, and helped himself to thousands of young eucalypt plants before staff stopped him. He was found one morning sitting on a pole, drowsy with well-fed bliss among the stripped branches, bringing an end to months of cute criminality. The nursery is used to grow new plants which will later be used to try and boost the endangered koala population － so Claude might have been allowed to enjoy a lot more if he’d had a little more patience. Australia officially announced koalas were an endangered species in February last year, after an already-declining population was devastated by bushfires that spanned the summer of 2019 to 2020.
Give me a Ride!
The bizarre incident happened in the Brixington area of Exmouth last week. A local who lives close to a bus stop spotted the horse trying to climb aboard the local 57 Stagecoach service. The horse was seen being guided on by two people in high vis jackets － one was seen taking pictures of the animal clambering onboard. This is not the first time horses and ponies have tried to escape onto public transport, MailOnline reports. In 2020, a runaway pony tried to ride a bus after it was spotted in the midst of vehicles on the A48 near Cardiff.
As kind members of the public climbed out to calm the animal and call for help, a single-decker passed and loaded the pony aboard to safety.
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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. BAUHOUSEPrivate furnished rooms in Roppongi, Akasaka, Azabu-Juban etc. |
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. |
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American PharmacyEnglish speaking pharmacy since 1950. |
Tokyo Skin ClinicEU-licensed multi lingual doctors. |
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Tax-free AKKYJapanese Appliance, Watch, Souvenirs |
Tokyo Speed Dating1st Sat. & 3rd Sun. at Bari n Roppongi ETC. Tokyo SpontaneousPicnic, Parties, Language exchange |
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TMAJapanese women & Western men. |
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50 Shades of Yikess
