Plain Talk
TOKYO NOTICE BOARD FEBRUARY 28. 2025Cute Japanese Robots by Olivia
Coming to Japan, most people hope to see a society driven by robots. Cooking robots, cleaning robots, robot nannies, robot policemen, and maybe even ninja robots. In other words, we expect everyday life to be relieved of daily routine and filled with freedom to create and maybe leave work at 3 pm… (hello, Nordic lifestyle)
Instead, people are expected to be like robots - effective, making no mistakes, and working at least 2 hours overtime every day, and robots are expected to heal people when they come home after a long, long working day… Not cook the dinner. Who needs homemade dinner when there is Sukiya or Yoshinoya, or at least a combini bento? That is if you don't have a spouse who comes home earlier and cooks for you.
Anyway, if you expect humanoid robots, this is the wrong place to come.
Disappointed?
At first, yes.
Later, I was somewhat interested. Contrary to humanoid robots, communication robots currently popular in Japan, are virtually useless in the household. Another shortcoming is that they need to be charged quite often. However, they have a cute face and some of them can fart… (pardon my French) Wait, what? Why on Earth would a robot do that?
I am talking about the robot Nicobo, which does not move around or speak illegibly. He can rotate and is spacing out most of the time, acting a little similar to Minion, making sounds, or repeating one of your words. He is positioned as a “weak robot”. Weak robots are not good at doing something on their own, but they are good at making friends.
Another warm and kawaii robot is Lovot. He can move around, and the more time you spend together, he becomes more attached to you. You can play with Lovot robots in a cafe in Kawasaki. Once you fall in love with Lovot, you will not be able to escape. They are too expensive, so I just take a chance to play with them when I encounter them.
訪日外国人の多くが、ここではロボットで制御された社会が見られるんじゃないかと期待する。料理ロボット、掃除ロボット、乳母ロボット、警官ロボット、そしておそらく忍者ロボットも。言い換えれば、私たちはルーティンワークから解放され、自分のための自由があり、さらには、北欧のライフスタイルのように午後3時には仕事を切り上げるような日常生活を望んでいる。
現実はというと、人々はロボットのように効率的でミスをせず、毎日少なくとも2時間残業することを期待されている。そしてロボットには、長い一日を終えて帰宅する人々を癒すことが期待されている。夕食を作るのではない…。すき家や吉野家、コンビ二弁当だってあるから、夕食を手作りしてもらう必要はない それは、早く帰宅して料理をしてくれる配偶者がいなければの話だが。
とにかく人型ロボットを望む人には、ここは場違いかも。
ガッカリした？
最初はガッカリする。
その後、私は多少興味を持った。人型ロボットとは逆に、現在日本で人気のコミュニケーションロボットは、家庭ではほとんど役に立たない。それに充電が頻繁に必要なのも欠点だ。しかし、かわいい顔をしていて、おならをするロボットもいる。なぜロボットがそんなことを？
ニコボというロボットについて話してみよう。ニコボは動き回らないし、判読するようなしゃべり方もしない。回転はできるが、ぼーっとして時間を過ごす。ちょっとミニオンに似た動きをして、音を出したり、あなたの言葉をおうむ返ししたりする。「ゆるキャラなロボット」という位置づけだ。従って、自分で何かをするのは苦手だが、友達になるのが得意技だ。
もう一人、温かくてカワイイロボットが、ラボットだ。動き回ることができ、一緒にいる時間が長いほど愛着がわく。川崎のカフェでは、ラボットと遊ぶことができる。一度、ラボットを好きになったら、もう逃げられない。あまりに高価なので、出会ったらつい遊んでしまう。
Plain Talk
TOKYO NOTICE BOARD TNB Throwback JANUARY 16. 2015Libraries in Tokyo by Simon Duncan
As the largest city in a country where it is not uncommon to see people reading in public, you would expect Tokyo to have some decent libraries. And it does! Firstly there are 'ward'(区) libraries. ** The quality of the ward libraries varies widely: some may have modern buildings with plenty of foreign books, others offer very little.
There are also two main libraries in Tokyo: Tokyo Metropolitan Library (which has a main branch in Hiroo and a smaller one in Tama) and National Diet Library in Nagatacho. For most people Tokyo Metropolitan Library will be of more interest with the National Diet Library appealing more to researchers or students.
The Hiroo branch of the Metropolitan Library boasts close to 2 million books in its collection along with numerous newspapers, magazines and materials related to the city of Tokyo. It is less than ten minutes walk from Hiroo subway station, a pleasant stroll through a park. The scheduled closing days are a little random, but they are marked on an online calendar along with the opening times. For those that cannot read Japanese they have a number of newspapers and magazines in Chinese, English, French, German and Korean. They have around 150,000 books in western languages (mainly English) and a number in Chinese and Korean as well. The library is easy to use and free, you don't even need to register. Lockers are also available free of charge. A few minor points: the library is rarely open before 10 a.m., you cannot take the books out, most staff only speak Japanese, it is not big enough for a city of 13 million people, there is no wifi and the cafeteria closes quite early.
National Diet Library has nothing to do with losing weight, and neither is it a place purely for members of Parliament-also known as the Diet- to use. For this library you will need to become a member which is a relatively quick and easy process. If you cannot speak Japanese at a decent level I would not recommend coming here alone. Unlike Tokyo Metropolitan Library this is not really a place to relax and read a book on a rainy Wednesday afternoon. It does have a huge repository of books and archival material which the staff can retrieve for you. There are also a limited number of books on the shelves, some in foreign languages. This library is the place to come if you want to research say the average size of houses in Ueno from 1900-1920 by looking at archival materials. For most 'normal' people, especially foreigners this library offers little more than a quiet place to sit for free. The cafeteria on the top floor offers views towards Asasaka.
For more information please see: http://www.library.metro.tokyo.jp/english/tabid/3023/Default.aspx (Tokyo Metropolitan Library) http://www.ndl.go.jp/en/ (National Diet Library).
** although sometimes in Tokyo 区 is translated incorrectly as 'city'.
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 FEBRUARY 28, 2025
Anime Japan 2025
AnimeJapan 2025 will be held at Tokyo Big Sight's East Exhibition Halls 1-8, following the record-breaking attendance of more than 130,000 visitors in the previous event, which started in 2014. The exhibition will be the largest ever in its scale, with 117 exhibitors, including major animation-related companies such as Aniplex, KADOKAWA, and TOHO animation (Toho Co., Ltd.). In addition, a key visual featuring 22 anime characters, including Haruka Sakura from “WIND BREAKER,” Hikaru from “The Summer the Light Died,” and Nekoneko from “Yakuya no Hitori Goto” has been released.
It was also announced that Sakurazaka 46 will be the ambassadors for AnimeJapan 2025! Comments from members Rina Matsuda, Hikaru Morita, Aiki Taniguchi, Yuzuki Nakajima, and Mio Matono on the occasion of their appointment as ambassadors have also arrived. Please keep an eye out for their activities that will help boost AnimeJapan 2025 in the future.
03.22 [SAT] － 23 [SUN] @ Tokyo Big Sight (Kokusai-Tenjijo Sta. on Rinkai Line)
Tokyo Anime Award Festival 2025
The annual spring event, Tokyo Anime Awards Festival 2025, is coming up soon. The Tokyo Anime Awards is a major anime event held in Tokyo that started in 2014. In addition to the competition to determine the Tokyo Anime Award, which was separated from the Tokyo International Anime Fair, the festival also features outstanding animation works from abroad that have not yet been shown in Japan, as well as planned screenings of films that have become popular in Japan and are considered classics of the past.
There are 4 nominated works for the Feature Length Competition and 256 nominated works for the Short Length Competition. Happy to see a lineup of films that have premiered in Japan for the first time. Many animated films will not be screened at anywhere else, so don't miss the chance to visit this year's festival and catch some of the films in the Feature Length Competition.
March 7(Fri) － March 10(Mon), 2025 @ Ikebukuro, Tokyo
Have You Been To...
TOKYO NOTICE BOARD FEBRUARY 28, 2025
Oga Aquarium GAO [Oga Akita]
The Oga Aquarium GAO, built along the coast of the Oga Peninsula, is a very popular spot for families. It breeds and exhibits as many as 10,000 living creatures of about 400 species, and visitors can enjoy a wide variety of corners such as the "Hata Hata Museum" specializing in the Akita Prefecture fish, the grouper, and the "Fins Legs's House" where cute seals and sea lions can be seen.
Mototaki Fukuryusui [Nikaho, Akita]
Mototaki Fukuryusui Underflow is located at the foot of Mt. Chokai, at the border of Akita and Yamagata Prefectures. Water gushes out from the rock face of rich and beautiful moss. The white of the vigorously flowing water and the green of the moss on the rocks. What is striking about Motodaki subterranean water is the contrast between the green and white colors. The water flowing overflowing from the rock face grows beautiful moss on the rocks.
Gesshoji Temple [Matsue, Shimane]
It is the family temple of the Matsue feudal lord, the Matsudaira family, and contains the graves of Naomasa I through Naritake IX. The graves and mausoleum gate are almost exactly as they were in those days, and Koizumi Yakumo is said to have praised the quiet elegance of the temple. In the Shoin, visitors can enjoy a cup of green tea (with sweets) with a view of the garden.
Lake Shinji [Matsue, Shimane]
Just looking at it is not enough. The sunset in Matsue is also a bliss to be savored in its entirety with the body, or the serenity of looking at yourself in the shimmering light of Lake Shinji. It is an unforgettable experience and a healing time that fills you with a sense of contentment. Yes, the sunset in this city gives you not only beauty. It is an experience that will dye your heart as well.
Tokyo Voice Column
TOKYO NOTICE BOARD TNB Throwback: MARCH 24. 2017
Four seasons at Kyu Furukawa Garden by Olga Kaneda
When it comes to visiting tourist attractions in Japan, timing is everything. Just imagine your disappointment when you finally arrive at the garden or park of your dreams but there is nothing except green trees and shrubbery.
That is not the case if you decide to stop by Kyu Furukawa Garden in Kita-ku, Tokyo. All year round you can appreciate the beauty of roses, peonies, blooming apricot trees, weeping sakura, azalea, irises. The garden is not too big, but it is packed with possibilities to relax and embrace the calm atmosphere of the ancient Somei-mura Village. It exhibits an eclectic mix of Japanese and Western cultures. You can have a tea break at least in two different places within the garden. The first one is an old western-style building built by the famous British architect Josiah Conder. However, drinking a cup of tea or coffee with cake while looking at the rose garden will be possible only in autumn and spring. A guided tour inside the building is offered three times a day but you need to apply in advance, so it is almost impossible for non-Japanese speakers. The second place is a Japanese tea house.
Perhaps the most romantic time to visit it is Spring Rose Festival in May, especially when the light-up is on. A slightly intoxicating aroma of roses and irises is especially strong when the weather is sunny. At the festival you will be able to buy several kinds of rose-flavored treats. Last year’s most popular specialty was delicious Chou a` la cre`me with rose ice-cream. The Autumn Rose Festival is held in October and the visiting time is not extended.
Kyu-Furukawa Garden is also a must-see if you are into azaleas. If you choose the date wisely, you will be able to catch up both azaleas and roses (but not the light-up).
日本で観光名所に出かける際、重要なのはタイミングだ。念願叶って、庭園や公園に着いたがいいが、葉っぱだけの木や低木だけだったら、さぞかしがっかりするだろう。
東京都北区にある旧古川庭園のは、いつ行ってもがっかりさせられたことのない庭園だ。１年中花の美しさを鑑賞できる。ローズ、シャクヤク、アンズ、しだれ桜、ツツジ、アイリス。庭園は広くはないが、かっての染井村が持っていたゆったりした穏やかな雰囲気が伝わってくる。和洋折衷の文化に浸れる。庭園内にあるふたつある施設でお茶が飲める。ひとつは、イギリス出身の建築家、ジョサイア・コンドルにより設計監理された洋館にある。しかしケーキと一緒に紅茶やコーヒーを飲みながら、ローズガーデンを楽しみたいなら、秋と春に限定される。洋館のガイドツアーは一日に３回行われるが、予約が必要なため、日本語が話せないとむずかしい。ふたつめは、和風の茶屋だ。
５月のスプリング・ローズ・フェスティバルに行くと夢のような気分に浸れる。ローズとアイリスの香りがほのかに漂い、天候がいいとなおさらだ。フェスティバル開催時には、ローズ関連のグッズも購入できる。昨年好評だったスペシャリティはローズアイスクリームの入ったシュークリームだった。秋のローズフェスティバルは１０月で時間延長はない。
ツツジに目がないなら、旧古河庭園は絶対にお薦めだ。うまく訪問日を選んだなら、ツツジとローズを両方とも鑑賞できる。
MUSEUM -What's Going on?-
TOKYO NOTICE BOARD FEBRUARY 14. 2025
― NOTRE-DAME DE PARIS THE AUGMENTED EXHIBITION ―
In this experiential exhibition, making its debut in Japan following a tour around the world, you’ll use a special tablet called a HistoPad to travel through time. Your journey will take you from the construction of the Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral to the present day. As you walk around the venue, designed to make you feel as if you were inside the cathedral itself, you can immerse yourself in digital content that takes you from the cathedral’s construction, through the coronation of Napoleon I, and to the present and the currently ongoing restoration work. The Japan stop of the tour brings with it additional special content exclusive to this exhibition.
The Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral, a World Heritage Site built on the I^le de la Cite´ in Paris about 800 years ago, is considered a masterpiece of Gothic architecture. This historical symbol of Paris suffered severe damage in a fire on April 15th, 2019, after which experts from various fields came together to restore it within a tight deadline: five years. This process utilized a combination of advanced technology, such as drones and CG analysis, and more traditional techniques, honed by craftspeople skilled in the restoration of architecture and artwork.
Touring the World Heritage Site with a tablet in hand
(illustration) (C)The Notre-Dame de Paris Exhibit
Production Committee2
The exhibition has toured the world with the aim of helping guests experience the history of the Cathedral and learn the importance of preserving cultural assets, using the HistoPad to show how modern technology is helping the cathedral regain its light. The exhibition in Tokyo also coincides with the reopening of Notre-Dame de Paris to the public in December 2024.
Period: － February 24, 2025
Venue: "Special Exhibition Zone a" 1F, Miraikan
Closed: Tuesdays
Hours: 10:00 - 17:00 (last admission 30 minutes before? closing)
Admission: Adults [ages 19+]: 1,800yen / Youth [ages 13-18]: 800 yen / Child [ages 6-12]: 500 yen / Seniors [ages 60+]: 1,600 yen
For more information, please visit
https://www.miraikan.jst.go.jp/en/
Joan Miro´
Born in the Catalonia region of Spain in 1893, Joan Miro´ (1893－1983) is, along with his compatriot Pablo Picasso, one of the representative masters of twentieth-century art. His distinctive and richly poetic artistic style, which took shapes found in nature such as the sun, the stars, and the moon and transformed them into symbols, enjoys high popularity in Japan. Today, 40 years after his death, Joan Miro´’s creative legacy is being reevaluated around the world. This exhibition offers a comprehensive introduction to the work of an artist who continued his search for new modes of expression until the age of 90, and features paintings, ceramics, and sculptures from his early period until his final years, including the “Constellations” series. This major retrospective provides an unprecedented opportunity to experience the essence of Miro´’s art, through numerous masterpieces drawn from collections around the world.
Philadelphia Museum of Art:
The Louis E. Stern Collection, 1963-181-46
Successio´ Miro´ Archive
Born in Barcelona in 1893, he gained fame as a Surrealist painter in the 1920s, but he did not stop there, experimenting with various forms of expression. Until his death at the age of 90, he was one of the most influential artists of the 20th century, pursuing a pure and universal art that did not belong to any particular movement.
Until his death at the age of 90, Miro´ continued to challenge himself with new forms of expression. This exhibition will look back on his entire 70-year creative career. It is the largest retrospective of Miro´'s work to be held in Japan, comparable to the 1966 exhibition that was organized by the artist himself while he was still alive.
Period: March 1 (Sat), 2025 － July 6 (Sun), 2025
Venue: TOKYO METROPOLITAN ART MUSEUM
Closed: Mondays (Except 4/28 & 5/5)
Hours: 9:30 － 17:30 (- 20:00 on Fridays) (last admission 30 minutes before? closing)
Admission: General ￥2,300 / College students ￥1,300 / Seniors 65+ ￥1,600
Strange but True
TOKYO NOTICE BOARD FEBRUARY 28. 2025
Soup-flavoured Cough Drops Anyone?
We all have our go-tos when we have a cold. For some, it’s sipping tomato soup under the blanket. For others, it’s cough drops and a box of tissues. While blanket-sized tissues can’t be offered to you, a canned soup company has announced the next best thing: soup-flavoured cough drops. Progresso’s owner and one of the largest food companies in the US, General Mills, announced the limited-time product. ‘What’s a Soup Drop? Well, it’s soup you can suck on, of course!’ General Mills said. The company says the chicken noodle soup-flavoured drops taste like broth, savoury veggies, soft egg noodles and a sprinkle of parsley. The hard sweet drop was released for National Soup Month, which falls during the peak of flu season, and will be sold online each Thursday until the end of the month. ‘When you’re sick, nothing is truly more reassuring than chicken noodle soup,’ said MC Comings, VP, business unit director for Progresso at General Mills.
AI is Slightly Conscious?!
An expert has claimed that AI networks could already be developing consciousness, paving the way for a Terminator-style future. OpenAI co-founder Ilya Sutskever took to Twitter to share his beliefs and has been blasted for the terrifying warning, as the Daily Star reports. He hasn't clarified which technologies he is referring to, but if science fiction is anything to go by then it's not good news for the human race. Other experts and industry insiders are angry about Ilya's comment, as they claim it moves the AI conversation away from "more realistic" risks posed by technology. Other experts believe discussing the issue of AI and consciousness detracts from the real discussions that should surround artificial intelligence.
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 FEBRUARY 28, 2025Anime Japan 2025
AnimeJapan 2025 will be held at Tokyo Big Sight's East Exhibition Halls 1-8, following the record-breaking attendance of more than 130,000 visitors in the previous event, which started in 2014. The exhibition will be the largest ever in its scale, with 117 exhibitors, including major animation-related companies such as Aniplex, KADOKAWA, and TOHO animation (Toho Co., Ltd.). In addition, a key visual featuring 22 anime characters, including Haruka Sakura from “WIND BREAKER,” Hikaru from “The Summer the Light Died,” and Nekoneko from “Yakuya no Hitori Goto” has been released.
It was also announced that Sakurazaka 46 will be the ambassadors for AnimeJapan 2025! Comments from members Rina Matsuda, Hikaru Morita, Aiki Taniguchi, Yuzuki Nakajima, and Mio Matono on the occasion of their appointment as ambassadors have also arrived. Please keep an eye out for their activities that will help boost AnimeJapan 2025 in the future.
03.22 [SAT] － 23 [SUN] @ Tokyo Big Sight (Kokusai-Tenjijo Sta. on Rinkai Line)
Tokyo Anime Award Festival 2025
The annual spring event, Tokyo Anime Awards Festival 2025, is coming up soon. The Tokyo Anime Awards is a major anime event held in Tokyo that started in 2014. In addition to the competition to determine the Tokyo Anime Award, which was separated from the Tokyo International Anime Fair, the festival also features outstanding animation works from abroad that have not yet been shown in Japan, as well as planned screenings of films that have become popular in Japan and are considered classics of the past.
There are 4 nominated works for the Feature Length Competition and 256 nominated works for the Short Length Competition. Happy to see a lineup of films that have premiered in Japan for the first time. Many animated films will not be screened at anywhere else, so don't miss the chance to visit this year's festival and catch some of the films in the Feature Length Competition.
March 7(Fri) － March 10(Mon), 2025 @ Ikebukuro, Tokyo
Have You Been To...
TOKYO NOTICE BOARD FEBRUARY 28, 2025Oga Aquarium GAO [Oga Akita]
The Oga Aquarium GAO, built along the coast of the Oga Peninsula, is a very popular spot for families. It breeds and exhibits as many as 10,000 living creatures of about 400 species, and visitors can enjoy a wide variety of corners such as the "Hata Hata Museum" specializing in the Akita Prefecture fish, the grouper, and the "Fins Legs's House" where cute seals and sea lions can be seen.
Mototaki Fukuryusui [Nikaho, Akita]
Mototaki Fukuryusui Underflow is located at the foot of Mt. Chokai, at the border of Akita and Yamagata Prefectures. Water gushes out from the rock face of rich and beautiful moss. The white of the vigorously flowing water and the green of the moss on the rocks. What is striking about Motodaki subterranean water is the contrast between the green and white colors. The water flowing overflowing from the rock face grows beautiful moss on the rocks.
Gesshoji Temple [Matsue, Shimane]
It is the family temple of the Matsue feudal lord, the Matsudaira family, and contains the graves of Naomasa I through Naritake IX. The graves and mausoleum gate are almost exactly as they were in those days, and Koizumi Yakumo is said to have praised the quiet elegance of the temple. In the Shoin, visitors can enjoy a cup of green tea (with sweets) with a view of the garden.
Lake Shinji [Matsue, Shimane]
Just looking at it is not enough. The sunset in Matsue is also a bliss to be savored in its entirety with the body, or the serenity of looking at yourself in the shimmering light of Lake Shinji. It is an unforgettable experience and a healing time that fills you with a sense of contentment. Yes, the sunset in this city gives you not only beauty. It is an experience that will dye your heart as well.
Tokyo Voice Column
TOKYO NOTICE BOARD TNB Throwback: MARCH 24. 2017Four seasons at Kyu Furukawa Garden by Olga Kaneda
When it comes to visiting tourist attractions in Japan, timing is everything. Just imagine your disappointment when you finally arrive at the garden or park of your dreams but there is nothing except green trees and shrubbery.
That is not the case if you decide to stop by Kyu Furukawa Garden in Kita-ku, Tokyo. All year round you can appreciate the beauty of roses, peonies, blooming apricot trees, weeping sakura, azalea, irises. The garden is not too big, but it is packed with possibilities to relax and embrace the calm atmosphere of the ancient Somei-mura Village. It exhibits an eclectic mix of Japanese and Western cultures. You can have a tea break at least in two different places within the garden. The first one is an old western-style building built by the famous British architect Josiah Conder. However, drinking a cup of tea or coffee with cake while looking at the rose garden will be possible only in autumn and spring. A guided tour inside the building is offered three times a day but you need to apply in advance, so it is almost impossible for non-Japanese speakers. The second place is a Japanese tea house.
Perhaps the most romantic time to visit it is Spring Rose Festival in May, especially when the light-up is on. A slightly intoxicating aroma of roses and irises is especially strong when the weather is sunny. At the festival you will be able to buy several kinds of rose-flavored treats. Last year’s most popular specialty was delicious Chou a` la cre`me with rose ice-cream. The Autumn Rose Festival is held in October and the visiting time is not extended.
Kyu-Furukawa Garden is also a must-see if you are into azaleas. If you choose the date wisely, you will be able to catch up both azaleas and roses (but not the light-up).
日本で観光名所に出かける際、重要なのはタイミングだ。念願叶って、庭園や公園に着いたがいいが、葉っぱだけの木や低木だけだったら、さぞかしがっかりするだろう。
東京都北区にある旧古川庭園のは、いつ行ってもがっかりさせられたことのない庭園だ。１年中花の美しさを鑑賞できる。ローズ、シャクヤク、アンズ、しだれ桜、ツツジ、アイリス。庭園は広くはないが、かっての染井村が持っていたゆったりした穏やかな雰囲気が伝わってくる。和洋折衷の文化に浸れる。庭園内にあるふたつある施設でお茶が飲める。ひとつは、イギリス出身の建築家、ジョサイア・コンドルにより設計監理された洋館にある。しかしケーキと一緒に紅茶やコーヒーを飲みながら、ローズガーデンを楽しみたいなら、秋と春に限定される。洋館のガイドツアーは一日に３回行われるが、予約が必要なため、日本語が話せないとむずかしい。ふたつめは、和風の茶屋だ。
５月のスプリング・ローズ・フェスティバルに行くと夢のような気分に浸れる。ローズとアイリスの香りがほのかに漂い、天候がいいとなおさらだ。フェスティバル開催時には、ローズ関連のグッズも購入できる。昨年好評だったスペシャリティはローズアイスクリームの入ったシュークリームだった。秋のローズフェスティバルは１０月で時間延長はない。
ツツジに目がないなら、旧古河庭園は絶対にお薦めだ。うまく訪問日を選んだなら、ツツジとローズを両方とも鑑賞できる。
MUSEUM -What's Going on?-
TOKYO NOTICE BOARD FEBRUARY 14. 2025― NOTRE-DAME DE PARIS THE AUGMENTED EXHIBITION ― In this experiential exhibition, making its debut in Japan following a tour around the world, you’ll use a special tablet called a HistoPad to travel through time. Your journey will take you from the construction of the Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral to the present day. As you walk around the venue, designed to make you feel as if you were inside the cathedral itself, you can immerse yourself in digital content that takes you from the cathedral’s construction, through the coronation of Napoleon I, and to the present and the currently ongoing restoration work. The Japan stop of the tour brings with it additional special content exclusive to this exhibition. |
Touring the World Heritage Site with a tablet in hand |
The exhibition has toured the world with the aim of helping guests experience the history of the Cathedral and learn the importance of preserving cultural assets, using the HistoPad to show how modern technology is helping the cathedral regain its light. The exhibition in Tokyo also coincides with the reopening of Notre-Dame de Paris to the public in December 2024. |
Period: － February 24, 2025
Venue: "Special Exhibition Zone a" 1F, Miraikan
Closed: Tuesdays
Hours: 10:00 - 17:00 (last admission 30 minutes before? closing)
Admission: Adults [ages 19+]: 1,800yen / Youth [ages 13-18]: 800 yen / Child [ages 6-12]: 500 yen / Seniors [ages 60+]: 1,600 yen
For more information, please visit
https://www.miraikan.jst.go.jp/en/
Joan Miro´ Born in the Catalonia region of Spain in 1893, Joan Miro´ (1893－1983) is, along with his compatriot Pablo Picasso, one of the representative masters of twentieth-century art. His distinctive and richly poetic artistic style, which took shapes found in nature such as the sun, the stars, and the moon and transformed them into symbols, enjoys high popularity in Japan. Today, 40 years after his death, Joan Miro´’s creative legacy is being reevaluated around the world. This exhibition offers a comprehensive introduction to the work of an artist who continued his search for new modes of expression until the age of 90, and features paintings, ceramics, and sculptures from his early period until his final years, including the “Constellations” series. This major retrospective provides an unprecedented opportunity to experience the essence of Miro´’s art, through numerous masterpieces drawn from collections around the world. |
Philadelphia Museum of Art: |
Born in Barcelona in 1893, he gained fame as a Surrealist painter in the 1920s, but he did not stop there, experimenting with various forms of expression. Until his death at the age of 90, he was one of the most influential artists of the 20th century, pursuing a pure and universal art that did not belong to any particular movement. |
Period: March 1 (Sat), 2025 － July 6 (Sun), 2025
Venue: TOKYO METROPOLITAN ART MUSEUM
Closed: Mondays (Except 4/28 & 5/5)
Hours: 9:30 － 17:30 (- 20:00 on Fridays) (last admission 30 minutes before? closing)
Admission: General ￥2,300 / College students ￥1,300 / Seniors 65+ ￥1,600
Strange but True
TOKYO NOTICE BOARD FEBRUARY 28. 2025Soup-flavoured Cough Drops Anyone?
We all have our go-tos when we have a cold. For some, it’s sipping tomato soup under the blanket. For others, it’s cough drops and a box of tissues. While blanket-sized tissues can’t be offered to you, a canned soup company has announced the next best thing: soup-flavoured cough drops. Progresso’s owner and one of the largest food companies in the US, General Mills, announced the limited-time product. ‘What’s a Soup Drop? Well, it’s soup you can suck on, of course!’ General Mills said. The company says the chicken noodle soup-flavoured drops taste like broth, savoury veggies, soft egg noodles and a sprinkle of parsley. The hard sweet drop was released for National Soup Month, which falls during the peak of flu season, and will be sold online each Thursday until the end of the month. ‘When you’re sick, nothing is truly more reassuring than chicken noodle soup,’ said MC Comings, VP, business unit director for Progresso at General Mills.
AI is Slightly Conscious?!
An expert has claimed that AI networks could already be developing consciousness, paving the way for a Terminator-style future. OpenAI co-founder Ilya Sutskever took to Twitter to share his beliefs and has been blasted for the terrifying warning, as the Daily Star reports. He hasn't clarified which technologies he is referring to, but if science fiction is anything to go by then it's not good news for the human race. Other experts and industry insiders are angry about Ilya's comment, as they claim it moves the AI conversation away from "more realistic" risks posed by technology. Other experts believe discussing the issue of AI and consciousness detracts from the real discussions that should surround artificial intelligence.
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
