Plain Talk
TOKYO NOTICE BOARD JULY 25. 2025Soft Diplomacy of the Cute by Mardo
I have long been a fan of Japanese pop culture―the cute, the technologically fantastic, and everything else that can be found in any anime catalogue. From the fashion on the streets to J-Pop music, I’ve always appreciated its unique charm. I also knew it had spread widely in the prosperous West. Cosplay conventions in America, the UK, and Australia are big business. But I didn’t realize just how far-reaching the appeal has become.
Today, I see articles in France Today about why young French citizens, in one of the world’s coolest cities, are embracing cosplaying and watching anime. It’s nothing short of a return to the late 19th century, when the great French Impressionists started collecting and imitating Japanese art.
At the National Gallery of Art in Vilnius, Lithuania, an exhibition of Japanese pop culture was held earlier this year. It spanned everything from woodblock prints to modern manga art. Not at a convention―in the National Gallery! Apart from the existence of former Ozeki, Baruto, representing Lithuania in sumo, I’ve never even heard anyone in Japan mention Lithuania. But Lithuania knows about Japan!
And it’s not just wealthy Europeans who are drawn to spiky hair and stylish school uniforms. Zimbabwe is now hosting cosplay competitions―a country with its own serious economic and political challenges. Yet, young people there are finding something to relate to and escape into with manga, to the extent that plans are underway to create local manga-style comics in the Shona dialect.
What surprised me most, though, was the growing popularity of Japanese culture in Korea. When I visited Korea during my second stint living in Japan, J-Pop was still banned due to memories of the colonial era. But with the flow of time and the larger influence of K-Pop internationally, young Koreans no longer need to regard Japanese films as contraband.
I expect we’ll soon see Korean manhwa characters popping up at cosplay conventions worldwide alongside Japanese manga and American comic superheroes. And perhaps more Australians will at least start learning Korean and Japanese to watch Japanese anime and Hanguk Aeni in the future.
僕は長い間、日本のポップカルチャー、つまりキュートなもの、技術的にファンタスティックなもの、そしてアニメのカタログに載っているようなあらゆるもののファンだった。。街角のファッションからJ-POP音楽まで、僕はいつもそのユニークな魅力を高く評価してきた。また、豊かな欧米で広く浸透していることも知っていた。アメリカ、イギリス、オーストラリアのコスプレ大会はビッグビジネスだ。しかし、その魅力がどれほど広範囲に及んでいるのかは知らなかった。
今日、僕は『France Today』の記事で、世界で最もクールな都市のひとつであるフランスの若い市民が、なぜコスプレを受け入れ、アニメを観ているのかという記事を目にする。それは、偉大なフランス印象派が日本美術を収集し模倣し始めた19世紀後半への回帰にほかならない。
リトアニアのヴィリニュスにある国立美術館では、今年初めに日本のポップカルチャーを紹介する展覧会が開催された。木版画から現代の漫画アートまで、その内容は多岐にわたっていた。大会とかではなく、国立美術館でだ！大相撲でリトアニア出身の元大関・把瑠都の存在を除けば、日本でリトアニアを話題にする人は聞いたことがない。しかしリトアニアは日本のことを知っている！
さらにスパイキーヘアやスタイリッシュな制服に惹かれるのは、ヨーロッパの裕福な人達だけではない。ジンバブエでは現在、コスプレ大会が開催されおり、ジンバブエの若者たちはマンガに共感し、夢中になれるものを発見している。ショナ方言でマンガ風のコミックを作る計画が進行中なほどだ。
僕が最も驚いたのは、韓国で日本文化の人気が高まっていることだった。僕の2度目の日本滞在で韓国を訪れたときは、植民地時代の記憶からJ-POPはまだ禁止されていた。しかし、時代の流れとK-POPの国際的な影響力の大きさによって、韓国の若者たちはもはや日本映画を禁制品とみなす必要はなくなった。
近い将来、世界中のコスプレ大会に、日本のマンガやアメリカン・コミックのスーパーヒーローと並んで、韓国のマンファのキャラクターが登場するようになるだろう。そしておそらく、より多くのオーストラリア人が、将来日本のアニメやハングク・エニを見るために、少なくとも韓国語と日本語を学び始めるだろう
Plain Talk
TOKYO NOTICE BOARD TNB Throwback JULY 13. 2018Matsuri Time by Dean Mejia
If you have never been in the middle of a Japanese summer-time festival, or matsuri, then you should definitely find a way to attend one before the season is over. Admittedly there are festivals throughout the year, but summertime matsuri just seem more special to me. It's just something about the feeling in the air.
Some of the more popular ones to attend either as a participant (I’m sure you’ve seen photos, both cringe-worthy and endearing, of foreigners participating in the local festival), or as a spectator are Kyoto's Gion Matsuri in July, Osaka's Tenjin Matsuri (Festival of the Gods) in late July, and Tokushima's Awa Odori (a dance festival attended by over 1 million people) in mid-August.
There is also the visually stunning (the others are too, but this one may just be a little bit more) Aomori Nebuta Matsuri. It starts during the first week of August in the Aomori prefecture and features brightly colored parade floats depicting warriors being hoisted up and transported throughout the city. There are even fireworks on the last day of the festival. This is one of the most famous matsuri during this time of year, so I feel that my words are not doing it justice. You just have to see it to believe it.
Also for a little bit of a foreign festive feel in Tokyo, one can attend the Asakusa Samba Carnival in late August. There will be various dance teams in highly flamboyant costumes shaking their hips to the Samba rhythms. It’s quite a sight.
Whenever I visit a different prefecture, I try to schedule my trip around whatever festival is going on in town. It's a great way to learn the history of Japan and to mingle with the locals.
If you're horrible about planning ahead or sticking to a schedule, you might just be fortunate enough to hear the inviting pounding of taiko drums as you try to read your nihongo textbook at home. If so, please let your inner child-like curiosity take over, find a yukata or casual summer kimono that you can wear, head outside, and see what all the fuss is about. You might just like what you see.
夏祭の時期、日本滞在しているなら、夏が終わる前に絶対、どこかの祭に行ってみるべきだ。１年を通して祭はあるが、夏祭は僕にとって格別な思いがある。なんというか夏祭には特別な雰囲気がただよう。
よくあるのは地域のお祭りに地元民として参加することだ。また７月の京都祇園祭、７月下旬の大阪天神祭、８月中旬の徳島の阿波踊りに見物客して参加するのもいい。
目を楽しませてくれるお祭に青森ねぶた祭がある。青森県で８月の１週目から始まる祭で鮮やかな色どりのねぶた（山車灯籠）のパレードが見物だ。ねぶたには武者等を模った人型や武者絵がつり上げられ市内を列をなして行進する。祭の最後の日には花火が打ち上げられる。もっとも有名な祭のひとつであるが、百聞は一見に如かず、実際に見に行って自分の目で確かめてみるといい。
東京で外国の祭を味わいたいなら８月下旬に開かれる浅草サンバカーニバルがいいだろう。サンバのリズムに腰を振ってダンスする派手な衣装のダンスチームが大勢見られる。十分に見る価値がある。
ちがう県に行く時は、どんな祭やイベントがあるか事前にチェックし自分のスケジュールを調整する。日本の歴史を学んだり、その土地の人とふれあえるいい機会となる。
あらかじめ計画をたてたり、はめをはずすのが苦手な人は、家で日本語の教科書を読んでいた際中、遠くで太鼓の音が聞こえてきたら、童心に返り、浴衣を探し、それを着て外に出かけよう。お祭り騒ぎを自分の目で確かめよう。目にした光景をとても気に入るかもしれない。
Unfinished business
TOKYO NOTICE BOARD MAY 17. 2019Farewell to a Japan Jazz Icon by David Gregory
The messages from all over Japan read aloud during the service helped us realize how widely Koyama-san touched lives and how many like us were feeling something newly missing from our worlds. But, although wonderful and sometimes saddening us, they did not trigger crying. That happened next.
Those first few notes of the "'Round About Midnight" Miles Davis version, the cut Koyama-san always used to open Jazz Tonight, performed by a live piano and trumpet duo up front near the coffin, did it: Instant recognition, recollections, sighs around the room, eyes closed, arms crossed, heads dropped back or down, and tears, at least for me. How many times had we heard, after Miles breathed his somber opening, Koyama-san's low, raspy voice welcoming us into the studio with, "Minna-san, gokigen ikaga desho-ka everybody, how are you feeling?"?and never thought that someday we would hear him ask about us no more?
Koyama-san's widow, whom, like him, had never known me, stood alone at the coffin head and bowed in silence to everyone in turn after they placed flowers around his body as the duo continued with another slow number, the trumpet sounding so strong and crisp and unusual in a memorial service hall. After we placed our flowers, she responded to my hand on her shoulder, a touch just meant to console her, by immediately turning and reaching for me?a total stranger?burying her head in my chest, and breaking down. She needed that hug that everybody sometimes needs. She let go after her respite when she was ready to face the coffin and everyone else again, and returned to her position. Going to Kashiwa in a snowstorm was worth it just for those few moments when I could do something for her.
So our Kashiwa day was both sad and good. But, why did I even want to go a funeral for a man whom I only knew by voice, and who, although linked to jazz, was not even a musician?
Koyama-san and his Jazz Tonight program I listened to since at least the early 2000s. For more than sixteen years, while my life in Japan has been filled with huge uncertainties, he has been here Saturday nights on the radio, reliable, keeping me connected to the world's music and opening my ears to music from Japan I would not know without him. Listening to him always made me feel good, no matter what had happened in my life during the week or what was coming up in the weeks ahead. Koyama-san and Jazz Tonight were my respite. How well can I replace that comfort?
Koyama-san, thank you for helping this foreigner feel good in Japan. Please rest well in jazz heaven.
NHK Radio, thank you for giving Koyama-san a way to connect with us. Please encourage other DJs to continue doing what he did so well.
To Koyama-san's surviving family members: Please care well for yourselves now, and thank you for supporting and sharing Kiyoshi with us.
The Smallest Box by David Gregory
She came over to my table and asked if I remembered her.
“That’s my boyfriend over there.”
Their table hugged a pillar blocking the sunny Tokyo Bay view enjoyed by the other customers that afternoon in Chiba’s AquaRink ice skating facility café.
“Maybe we will marry next year.”
On my way out, I stopped to congratulate the potential groom to be. What I later heard happened with Hiromi and Hiroshi that night at another place also close to the bay sounded so too good to be true that I visited that place to confirm it really happened. It did.
Hiroshi had reserved for the course menu that night at OCEAN TABLE, next to Chiba Port, on the second floor, where tables sat by the huge windows facing Chiba Port Tower and Tokyo Bay. No view-blocking pillars there. And they had a wait, even with their reservation, because it was Christmas Eve, which in Japan matters much more than the following day; the Eve is the year’s couples’ night out, and single women without dates that night can feel their whole year was wasted.
Hiroshi had changed into a suit after skating, and had urged Hiromi, against her protests about overdressing, into a plaid one-piece, raising expectations. They had never come to a place this nice, one requiring reservations. Saizeriya was more their speed: fast faux-Italian, cheap, and everywhere.
The unexpected wait made Hiroshi antsy. He relaxed and all was perfect after they were seated.
They talked. They ate the Christmas Dinner courses. They ignored the soft Christmas background music. They admired the gleaming, golden Christmas Tree rising from the first-floor buffet area through the open center space across from their table. They could see outside the sparkling flashes and half the tree in Port Tower’s Christmas Illumination, and beyond, the lights from the ships on and facilities around Tokyo Bay, appearing almost twinkling. Perfect—but not for Hiromi.
She went to the toilet. Still he had not asked. The day was done. The reservation system only allowed them two hours there. They had been together all day. He had remembered her birthday-just by coincidence, also that day-with a necklace at AquaRink. Nice, but was that all? He had pestered her since early December about what Christmas present she wanted until she had finally exploded with, “Nothing! Don’t you know I just want a proposal?!” And had added she wanted it to be a surprise. Here he had the perfect chance, and he was wasting it.
She could try enjoying what was left of the evening. Dessert was next. At least here was better than Saizeriya….She was still stuck when she returned to the table, and had no chance to do or say anything, anyway. It was his toilet turn.
Their desserts came. Hiromi sat and waited and pondered the future. Outside, the tower stood alone against the dark sky and Tokyo Bay’s inky darkness.
Their desserts waited. Maybe his tooth was bothering him again. Maybe he was just tolerating it to make the night go well. Maybe for her. Maybe she should go to check on him. Wait-maybe she just heard his voice across the room.
No, only Santa Claus, posing for photographs with diners at the far table. He then started circling the room, giving a small present from his big sack at each table. She could check after he was done.
Hiroshi still had not returned to his seat when Santa reached their table. He handed Hiromi a big, red stocking, by far the room’s largest gift, accompanied by a squeaky, “Atari! You’re a lucky one!” Yeah. She set it aside and Santa moved on. What was he still doing in the toilet?
Santa finished his round, returned to Hiromi, and pointed at her unopened stocking with squeaky, “Un! Un!” grunts. The other diners had opened their presents. She forced a smile and said she was waiting for her boyfriend to return. “Un! Un!”
When Hiromi still resisted, Santa took the stocking in his white-gloved hands and opened it himself. Out first came a big, pink box, heart shaped. He opened that and pulled out another heart-shaped box, and then, from inside that, another heart-shaped box. Another smaller, heart-shaped box followed. He removed from that an even smaller heart-shaped box, and thrust it to Hiromi with one more squeaky, “Un!”
Still gone. Well, he’d miss it. Hiromi obeyed Santa this time and opened it, the smallest box in the room …and her mind and face went blank.
After that frozen moment passed, Hiromi looked at Santa. The second shock hit, and more followed. Santa Claus had ripped off his gloves, furry hat, sunglasses, and huge, flowing beard. He took the box from her?she was still speechless?dropped onto one knee, held the open box out and up to her in both stretching hands, and said in a voice loud enough for everyone in the room to hear, “Hiromi-san, boku-to kekkon shite kudasai! Hiromi, please marry me!”
Outside, to anybody looking, Port Tower’s Christmas Illumination still flashed, and the lights on and around Tokyo Bay still appeared almost twinkling. Inside OCEAN TABLE, on the second floor, everything was happening so fast that Hiromi just did not know which was more difficult to believe: Hiroshi and the ring he first tried slipping onto the finger on her right hand, the one he had taken in his before she held out her left hand, or the following PAN! and PAN! PAN! PAN! PAN! PAN! and PAN! PAN! and PAN! explosions ripping and ribbons shooting around the room as diners at the floor’s other tables popped the party crackers they had found with the notes in their presents from Santa Claus.
Copyright © 2018 David L. Gregory All rights reserved.
I Did It! by David Gregory
She had been here before. But, those were tour-guided or hand-held visits. After living most of her life in white-bread suburban USA, driving everywhere, shopping in giant malls and supermarkets, and needing only one currency and one language, my mother ventured out on her own, within and beyond Chiba, during one trip to Japan. From her notes, here are Dorothy's...
ADVENTURES IN JAPAN
Grocery Shopping in Neighborhood―Walk five blocks...buy only one bag...walk five blocks back. Survived it!
Shopping in City Center―Walk six blocks to bus stop. Ride bus fifteen minutes. Arrive at stores. Walk around. Look. Decide: cookies.
Buying: “Ikura desu-ka how much?” Hmm. “Kakimasu kudasai write please.”
Paying options: give large bill, let clerk figure change, or open change purse, let clerk take out correct amount. Decide to just give some cash.
Clerk shakes her head (“NO! MORE!”), then counts out correct amount needed from register and shows me. I mimic her action from my change purse. Smiles! Deep bows with many, “Arigato gozaimasu thank you very much!”-es.
(My error: thought there was decimal point in Yen price....)
Open cookies, expecting pirouettes with chocolate centers. Instead, peanut butter waffle rolls, no chocolate. No wonder, now I see peanut sketch on package. “Shoganai can’t be changed,” I did it to myself. It could have been worse!
~~~
Travelling to Visit Friend’s Family on Other Side of Chiba―Walk ten blocks to train. Purchase ticket. Electronic lady on ticket machine screen says, “Arigato gozaimasu” and bows. Ride train twenty minutes, watching for correct stop, get off, walk seven blocks to house. I did it myself!
Visiting Hisae Overnight―My Japanese study partner in USA returned to Japan, now lives on other side of Tokyo Bay.
Take large purse and large tote bag with jacket, nightie, toothbrush, cosmetics. Walk six blocks to bus stop. Ride bus to train station. Ride train eighty minutes to Yokohama. Find correct exit from station. EASY. Did not even look at note in pocket explaining route and Japanese signs. And, look! Hisae and three-year old Kei are waiting! “Hello!” they say! Many hugs!
I did it!
Then, still more travel: train together fifteen minutes, short taxi uphill to lovely apartment, sunny and bright.
Returning to Chiba, just reverse process. Next time, we can meet at a station halfway in between. I can do it.
I can do it!
Copyright (C) 2015 David Gregory. All rights reserved. Chiba, Japan
Book Review
TOKYO NOTICE BOARD MAY 11 2018Cherry Blossoms in the Time of Earthquakes and Tsunami
by Rey Ventura Reviewed by Randy Swank video maker and scriptwriter Rey Ventura won the 2015 National Book Award for his third collection of essays, Cherry Blossoms in the Time of Earthquakes and Tsunami, but for some strange twist of fate you will find very little information on this book. You can’t even buy it on Amazon. This is a shame because Cherry Blossoms... is a beautiful, insightful and thought-provoking book. |
Cherry Blossoms in the Time of Earthquakes and Tsunami |
In "Miniskirts and Stilettos" we meet Ginto, a young lady who comes to Japan dreaming of making it big as a singer and entertainer but has to deal instead with a much darker reality; while "Mr. Suzuki Tries Again" and "Into the Snow Country" are tragicomic tales of arranged marriages where the dreams and expectations of bride-starved farmers from Japan's Deep North clash with those of young Filipino women who want to escape their poverty and go into marriage "as a girl goes into a convent." Ventura tells these stories with a great eye for detail and manages to find a ray of light even in the darkest corners, or poetry in the midst of a nuclear disaster. The book's first essay is called "The Slow Boat to Manila" and indeed, slowness is the first word that comes to mind when considering Ventura's approach to writing. Everything Ventura does is slow. He is no magazine reporter after all, and will spend days or even months getting to know a person he wants to write about. That's the kind of personal commitment and deep connection with his subject that one feels when reading his essays. |
Tokyo Fab
TOKYO NOTICE BOARD JULY 25, 2025
VketReal 2025 Summer
What is VketReal? VketReal is a sibling IRL event to Virtual Market (Vket), one of the world's largest metaverse events where over 1.3 million people visit!
Virtual Market (aka Vket) is one of the world's largest virtual events - an exhibition of 3D avatars and assets, IRL products (fashion, PCs, food products, etc.) on the metaverse.
Live in the real world in your Virtual Identity. This event is held to create a space where people who value their avatars and virtual life can gather, connect in the physical world, and shape a shared "creative" future.
Play in both physical and virtual worlds With help of XR technology, enjoy interactive activities with people in the virtual space - without complex controls! Such activities have been greatly popular throughout previous events.
Featuring creator exhibitions from the VR world Encounter exhibitions from creators thriving in virtual and physical reality, experience activities using latest XR technology!
Date：7/26 (Sat) & 27 (Sun) @ Bellesalle Akihabara (Closest Sta.: Akihabara Sta.)
https://vket.com/lp/2025Summer_real
TOKYO IDOL FESTIVAL 2025
TOKYO IDOL FESTIVAL (TIF) is the world's largest idol festival held in Odaiba. The year 2010 was dubbed the “Idol Warring States Period” and the idol boom was beginning to revive. It started in Shinagawa, Tokyo, as Japan's first "large-scale, simultaneous music festival specializing in idols. The following year, the stage was moved to Odaiba, and as the year changed from Heisei to 2025, the idol scene grew in proportion to the excitement of the event, attracting some 90,000 visitors. TIF will celebrate its 15th anniversary this year. We are able to reach this milestone of 15th anniversary thanks to your warm support. We are looking forward to welcoming you with many special events and stages to commemorate the 15th anniversary so that we can contribute to the further development of the idol scene. We will continue to strive for the same goal that we have had since the beginning: to enliven the idol scene and spread its appeal.
Date：August 1st (Fri) - 3rd (Sun) @ Odaiba
https://www.fuhttps://official.idolfes.com/
Have You Been To...
TOKYO NOTICE BOARD JULY 25, 2025
Ogasawara Islands [Ogasawara, Tokyo]
The Ogasawara Islands were inscribed as a World Natural Heritage Site in June 2011 because of their unique ecosystem and many valuable endemic species. July is the best season for swimming, diving, dolphin swimming and watching, kayaking and other marine sports. The green turtles usually lay their eggs from May to August, and you may be able to see them spawning on a 'night tour'.
Mizu Island [Tateishi, Fukui]
Mizushima (Mizu) Island, on the Tsuruga Peninsula in Fukui Prefecture, is an uninhabited island that can only be visited during the swimming season. The sea is crystal clear and ideal for snorkelling. Many fish can be seen in the shallows, and the shallow waters are perfect for children to play in, such as picking up beautiful shells. The long, narrow white-sand beaches are a photo-worthy sight.
Akasaki Promenade [Kozushima Village, Tokyo]
This is a spectacular spot located in the northern part of Kozushima, an island rich in nature. From the observatory on the promenade, you can see the beautiful sky-blue sea as well as magnificent views of the Izu Peninsula and the Southern Alps. The sea is said to be the clearest in Japan and is also famous as a diving spot. At night, the area is filled with a star-filled sky.
Hirizo Beach [Minamiizu, Shizuoka]
This secluded beach can only be reached by boat in summer, and the clarity of the water is so high that you can see through to the bottom. It is inhabited by precious corals and migratory fish, and is perfect for snorkeling! The beach is also recommended for family trips with small children, as a lifeguard is stationed on the beach. The observatory at Okuirozaki offers a panoramic view of the beach.
Tokyo Voice Column
TOKYO NOTICE BOARD TNB Throwback: JULY 27. 2018
Matsuri Time by Dean Mejia
If you have never been in the middle of a Japanese summer-time festival, or matsuri, then you should definitely find a way to attend one before the season is over. Admittedly there are festivals throughout the year, but summertime matsuri just seem more special to me. It's just something about the feeling in the air.
Some of the more popular ones to attend either as a participant (I’m sure you’ve seen photos, both cringe-worthy and endearing, of foreigners participating in the local festival), or as a spectator are Kyoto's Gion Matsuri in July, Osaka's Tenjin Matsuri (Festival of the Gods) in late July, and Tokushima's Awa Odori (a dance festival attended by over 1 million people) in mid-August.
There is also the visually stunning (the others are too, but this one may just be a little bit more) Aomori Nebuta Matsuri. It starts during the first week of August in the Aomori prefecture and features brightly colored parade floats depicting warriors being hoisted up and transported throughout the city. There are even fireworks on the last day of the festival. This is one of the most famous matsuri during this time of year, so I feel that my words are not doing it justice. You just have to see it to believe it.
Also for a little bit of a foreign festive feel in Tokyo, one can attend the Asakusa Samba Carnival in late August. There will be various dance teams in highly flamboyant costumes shaking their hips to the Samba rhythms. It’s quite a sight.
Whenever I visit a different prefecture, I try to schedule my trip around whatever festival is going on in town. It's a great way to learn the history of Japan and to mingle with the locals.
If you're horrible about planning ahead or sticking to a schedule, you might just be fortunate enough to hear the inviting pounding of taiko drums as you try to read your nihongo textbook at home. If so, please let your inner child-like curiosity take over, find a yukata or casual summer kimono that you can wear, head outside, and see what all the fuss is about. You might just like what you see.
夏祭の時期、日本滞在しているなら、夏が終わる前に絶対、どこかの祭に行ってみるべきだ。１年を通して祭はあるが、夏祭は僕にとって格別な思いがある。なんというか夏祭には特別な雰囲気がただよう。
よくあるのは地域のお祭りに地元民として参加することだ。また７月の京都祇園祭、７月下旬の大阪天神祭、８月中旬の徳島の阿波踊りに見物客して参加するのもいい。
目を楽しませてくれるお祭に青森ねぶた祭がある。青森県で８月の１週目から始まる祭で鮮やかな色どりのねぶた（山車灯籠）のパレードが見物だ。ねぶたには武者等を模った人型や武者絵がつり上げられ市内を列をなして行進する。祭の最後の日には花火が打ち上げられる。もっとも有名な祭のひとつであるが、百聞は一見に如かず、実際に見に行って自分の目で確かめてみるといい。
東京で外国の祭を味わいたいなら８月下旬に開かれる浅草サンバカーニバルがいいだろう。サンバのリズムに腰を振ってダンスする派手な衣装のダンスチームが大勢見られる。十分に見る価値がある。
ちがう県に行く時は、どんな祭やイベントがあるか事前にチェックし自分のスケジュールを調整する。日本の歴史を学んだり、その土地の人とふれあえるいい機会となる。
あらかじめ計画をたてたり、はめをはずすのが苦手な人は、家で日本語の教科書を読んでいた際中、遠くで太鼓の音が聞こえてきたら、童心に返り、浴衣を探し、それを着て外に出かけよう。お祭り騒ぎを自分の目で確かめよう。目にした光景をとても気に入るかもしれない。
MUSEUM -What's Going on?-
TOKYO NOTICE BOARD JULY 11. 2025
More and More: Unsettling Japanese Art
Have you ever, when looking at a work of art, felt, “What the?,” “Wow!” or “Yikes!” Those emotional responses, reactions to unsettling experiences we cannot put into words, can be critical stimuli for looking more closely at a work. This exhibition is the second of our Unsettling Japanese Art exhibitions. The first was in 2021. Through thrilling, perplexing works and display techniques, your eyes, mind, and emotions are freed, and your intense interest, your feeling that “I really want to look at that work!” aroused.
*
n this exhibition, we are focusing on six themes: “Jam Packed!,” “Folding Freely,” “Lub, Dub, Love,” “Flip, Flap, Turn,” “Prick, Stab, Pierce,” and “Pick up! Gather!” Using not yet widely known works from the Suntory Museum of Art collection, its aim is to inspire you to consciously enjoy the act of looking at a work and freely savoring the essence of Japanese art.
Lend an ear to the stirring of your heart, aroused by encountering a certain work of art, and you may make unexpected discoveries that will deepen your understanding of the fascination of Japanese art.
Long ago and now, too, the heart is stirred―lub, dub. And in the works in our collection, a rich assortment loves unfolds.
Period: - August 24, 2025
Venue: Suntory Museum of Art
Closed: Tuesdays
Hours: 10:00-18:00 / -20:00 on Friday and August 9, 10 and 23 (admission 30 minutes before? closing)
Admission: Adult ￥1,700 / University students ￥1,200 / High School Student ￥1,000 / Elementary, junior high school students
For more information, please visit
https://www.suntory.co.jp/sma/
30th Anniversary Exhibit Nine Profiles: 1935→2025
This year marks 30 years of the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo. The museum’s initial displays from the permanent collection, taken from a total of around 3500 items including works originally from the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, aimed primarily to present currents of contemporary art accessibly and from an international perspective, through carefully-curated selections of representative works with a particular focus on post-war Japanese avant-garde art.
Subsequent ongoing acquisitions then brought new, additional viewpoints, these currents branching off in various directions, and undergoing change. Since 2005, under the MOT Collection banner, permanent collection shows have taken a multifaceted approach to presenting the museum’s holdings, perhaps by focusing on an individual artist, or by comparing works in different media and from different eras, but with a single overarching theme.
*
The Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo collection currently stands at around 6,000 items, and is also far more diverse than it was 30 years ago. Constantly being updated, it will duly pass to the next generation incomplete, but various profiles emerge depending on where we focus, and how those features are presented. We hope “Nine Profiles: 1935→2025” will encourage visitors to take a fresh look at the art of our era, and ponder how the past has brought us to where we are now.
Period: 2 August − 24 November, 2025
Venue: Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, Collection Gallery
Closed: Mondays (except 8/11, 9/15, 10/13, 11/3 &24), 8/12, 9/16, 10/14, 11/4
Hours: 10:00-18:00 / -21:00 on Fridays from 8/15 - 9/26 (admission 30 minutes before? closing)
Admission: Adults − 500 yen / University & College Students − 400 yen / High School Students, Over 65 − 250 yen / Free for under Junior High School Students
Strange but True
TOKYO NOTICE BOARD JULY 25. 2025
Ride Together?
Roller coasters are designed for thrill seekers, but one man got more than he bargained for at the newly opened Ferrari Land in Barcelona, Spain. A man and his friend went for a ride on Red Force, which is being touted as Europe’s fastest roller coaster, on Friday and literally crashed into an unfortunate surprise. While riding the 112 mph coaster, a bird slammed into the man’s face. Shocked by the impact, the man felt his face until he found a bird pushed up against his neck thanks to the ride’s extreme acceleration. He tossed the bird aside and, appeared to tell his friend what just happened. Moments after the encounter, the man seemed to accept his “and the bird’s” fate and rose his hand for another drop. It’s unclear if the man suffered any significant injuries, but, at the very least, he and the bird appear
Things we eat...
Do you know what you have eaten so far today? Perhaps you popped out at lunchtime and grabbed a wrap from the local shop. Or maybe this evening you'll have a quick ready-meal from the supermarket's 'low fat' range. Not too bad, right? So you might think, but lurking in everyday meals are some pretty unappetising ingredients, according to a TV network. Like say... something in the line of vanilla flavouring and raspberry-flavour in alcoholic beverages, baked goods, frozen dairy products, chewing gum, sweets, meat products, pudding, gelatin, ice cream? Guess what it is? Beaver anal gland secretions! Yes, you read that correctly. Castoreum is a tasty additive made from the secretions of glands near the anus of beavers. They use it to mark their territory and attract a mate: we use it as a sweet vanilla, strawberry and raspberry flavouring in drinks and sweets. You wouldn’t know it’s there as it is allowed to be listed as ‘natural flavouring’ on ingredients lists. So, next time you are enjoying ice cream or cakes, just remember you may be eating Beaver anal gland secretions!
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 JULY 25, 2025VketReal 2025 Summer
What is VketReal? VketReal is a sibling IRL event to Virtual Market (Vket), one of the world's largest metaverse events where over 1.3 million people visit!
Virtual Market (aka Vket) is one of the world's largest virtual events - an exhibition of 3D avatars and assets, IRL products (fashion, PCs, food products, etc.) on the metaverse.
Live in the real world in your Virtual Identity. This event is held to create a space where people who value their avatars and virtual life can gather, connect in the physical world, and shape a shared "creative" future.
Play in both physical and virtual worlds With help of XR technology, enjoy interactive activities with people in the virtual space - without complex controls! Such activities have been greatly popular throughout previous events.
Featuring creator exhibitions from the VR world Encounter exhibitions from creators thriving in virtual and physical reality, experience activities using latest XR technology!
Date：7/26 (Sat) & 27 (Sun) @ Bellesalle Akihabara (Closest Sta.: Akihabara Sta.)
https://vket.com/lp/2025Summer_real
TOKYO IDOL FESTIVAL 2025
TOKYO IDOL FESTIVAL (TIF) is the world's largest idol festival held in Odaiba. The year 2010 was dubbed the “Idol Warring States Period” and the idol boom was beginning to revive. It started in Shinagawa, Tokyo, as Japan's first "large-scale, simultaneous music festival specializing in idols. The following year, the stage was moved to Odaiba, and as the year changed from Heisei to 2025, the idol scene grew in proportion to the excitement of the event, attracting some 90,000 visitors. TIF will celebrate its 15th anniversary this year. We are able to reach this milestone of 15th anniversary thanks to your warm support. We are looking forward to welcoming you with many special events and stages to commemorate the 15th anniversary so that we can contribute to the further development of the idol scene. We will continue to strive for the same goal that we have had since the beginning: to enliven the idol scene and spread its appeal.
Date：August 1st (Fri) - 3rd (Sun) @ Odaiba
https://www.fuhttps://official.idolfes.com/
Have You Been To...
TOKYO NOTICE BOARD JULY 25, 2025Ogasawara Islands [Ogasawara, Tokyo]
The Ogasawara Islands were inscribed as a World Natural Heritage Site in June 2011 because of their unique ecosystem and many valuable endemic species. July is the best season for swimming, diving, dolphin swimming and watching, kayaking and other marine sports. The green turtles usually lay their eggs from May to August, and you may be able to see them spawning on a 'night tour'.
Mizu Island [Tateishi, Fukui]
Mizushima (Mizu) Island, on the Tsuruga Peninsula in Fukui Prefecture, is an uninhabited island that can only be visited during the swimming season. The sea is crystal clear and ideal for snorkelling. Many fish can be seen in the shallows, and the shallow waters are perfect for children to play in, such as picking up beautiful shells. The long, narrow white-sand beaches are a photo-worthy sight.
Akasaki Promenade [Kozushima Village, Tokyo]
This is a spectacular spot located in the northern part of Kozushima, an island rich in nature. From the observatory on the promenade, you can see the beautiful sky-blue sea as well as magnificent views of the Izu Peninsula and the Southern Alps. The sea is said to be the clearest in Japan and is also famous as a diving spot. At night, the area is filled with a star-filled sky.
Hirizo Beach [Minamiizu, Shizuoka]
This secluded beach can only be reached by boat in summer, and the clarity of the water is so high that you can see through to the bottom. It is inhabited by precious corals and migratory fish, and is perfect for snorkeling! The beach is also recommended for family trips with small children, as a lifeguard is stationed on the beach. The observatory at Okuirozaki offers a panoramic view of the beach.
Tokyo Voice Column
TOKYO NOTICE BOARD TNB Throwback: JULY 27. 2018Matsuri Time by Dean Mejia
If you have never been in the middle of a Japanese summer-time festival, or matsuri, then you should definitely find a way to attend one before the season is over. Admittedly there are festivals throughout the year, but summertime matsuri just seem more special to me. It's just something about the feeling in the air.
Some of the more popular ones to attend either as a participant (I’m sure you’ve seen photos, both cringe-worthy and endearing, of foreigners participating in the local festival), or as a spectator are Kyoto's Gion Matsuri in July, Osaka's Tenjin Matsuri (Festival of the Gods) in late July, and Tokushima's Awa Odori (a dance festival attended by over 1 million people) in mid-August.
There is also the visually stunning (the others are too, but this one may just be a little bit more) Aomori Nebuta Matsuri. It starts during the first week of August in the Aomori prefecture and features brightly colored parade floats depicting warriors being hoisted up and transported throughout the city. There are even fireworks on the last day of the festival. This is one of the most famous matsuri during this time of year, so I feel that my words are not doing it justice. You just have to see it to believe it.
Also for a little bit of a foreign festive feel in Tokyo, one can attend the Asakusa Samba Carnival in late August. There will be various dance teams in highly flamboyant costumes shaking their hips to the Samba rhythms. It’s quite a sight.
Whenever I visit a different prefecture, I try to schedule my trip around whatever festival is going on in town. It's a great way to learn the history of Japan and to mingle with the locals.
If you're horrible about planning ahead or sticking to a schedule, you might just be fortunate enough to hear the inviting pounding of taiko drums as you try to read your nihongo textbook at home. If so, please let your inner child-like curiosity take over, find a yukata or casual summer kimono that you can wear, head outside, and see what all the fuss is about. You might just like what you see.
夏祭の時期、日本滞在しているなら、夏が終わる前に絶対、どこかの祭に行ってみるべきだ。１年を通して祭はあるが、夏祭は僕にとって格別な思いがある。なんというか夏祭には特別な雰囲気がただよう。
よくあるのは地域のお祭りに地元民として参加することだ。また７月の京都祇園祭、７月下旬の大阪天神祭、８月中旬の徳島の阿波踊りに見物客して参加するのもいい。
目を楽しませてくれるお祭に青森ねぶた祭がある。青森県で８月の１週目から始まる祭で鮮やかな色どりのねぶた（山車灯籠）のパレードが見物だ。ねぶたには武者等を模った人型や武者絵がつり上げられ市内を列をなして行進する。祭の最後の日には花火が打ち上げられる。もっとも有名な祭のひとつであるが、百聞は一見に如かず、実際に見に行って自分の目で確かめてみるといい。
東京で外国の祭を味わいたいなら８月下旬に開かれる浅草サンバカーニバルがいいだろう。サンバのリズムに腰を振ってダンスする派手な衣装のダンスチームが大勢見られる。十分に見る価値がある。
ちがう県に行く時は、どんな祭やイベントがあるか事前にチェックし自分のスケジュールを調整する。日本の歴史を学んだり、その土地の人とふれあえるいい機会となる。
あらかじめ計画をたてたり、はめをはずすのが苦手な人は、家で日本語の教科書を読んでいた際中、遠くで太鼓の音が聞こえてきたら、童心に返り、浴衣を探し、それを着て外に出かけよう。お祭り騒ぎを自分の目で確かめよう。目にした光景をとても気に入るかもしれない。
MUSEUM -What's Going on?-
TOKYO NOTICE BOARD JULY 11. 2025More and More: Unsettling Japanese Art Have you ever, when looking at a work of art, felt, “What the?,” “Wow!” or “Yikes!” Those emotional responses, reactions to unsettling experiences we cannot put into words, can be critical stimuli for looking more closely at a work. This exhibition is the second of our Unsettling Japanese Art exhibitions. The first was in 2021. Through thrilling, perplexing works and display techniques, your eyes, mind, and emotions are freed, and your intense interest, your feeling that “I really want to look at that work!” aroused. |
* |
n this exhibition, we are focusing on six themes: “Jam Packed!,” “Folding Freely,” “Lub, Dub, Love,” “Flip, Flap, Turn,” “Prick, Stab, Pierce,” and “Pick up! Gather!” Using not yet widely known works from the Suntory Museum of Art collection, its aim is to inspire you to consciously enjoy the act of looking at a work and freely savoring the essence of Japanese art. |
Period: - August 24, 2025
Venue: Suntory Museum of Art
Closed: Tuesdays
Hours: 10:00-18:00 / -20:00 on Friday and August 9, 10 and 23 (admission 30 minutes before? closing)
Admission: Adult ￥1,700 / University students ￥1,200 / High School Student ￥1,000 / Elementary, junior high school students
For more information, please visit
https://www.suntory.co.jp/sma/
30th Anniversary Exhibit Nine Profiles: 1935→2025 This year marks 30 years of the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo. The museum’s initial displays from the permanent collection, taken from a total of around 3500 items including works originally from the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, aimed primarily to present currents of contemporary art accessibly and from an international perspective, through carefully-curated selections of representative works with a particular focus on post-war Japanese avant-garde art. |
* |
The Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo collection currently stands at around 6,000 items, and is also far more diverse than it was 30 years ago. Constantly being updated, it will duly pass to the next generation incomplete, but various profiles emerge depending on where we focus, and how those features are presented. We hope “Nine Profiles: 1935→2025” will encourage visitors to take a fresh look at the art of our era, and ponder how the past has brought us to where we are now. |
Period: 2 August − 24 November, 2025
Venue: Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, Collection Gallery
Closed: Mondays (except 8/11, 9/15, 10/13, 11/3 &24), 8/12, 9/16, 10/14, 11/4
Hours: 10:00-18:00 / -21:00 on Fridays from 8/15 - 9/26 (admission 30 minutes before? closing)
Admission: Adults − 500 yen / University & College Students − 400 yen / High School Students, Over 65 − 250 yen / Free for under Junior High School Students
Strange but True
TOKYO NOTICE BOARD JULY 25. 2025Ride Together?
Roller coasters are designed for thrill seekers, but one man got more than he bargained for at the newly opened Ferrari Land in Barcelona, Spain. A man and his friend went for a ride on Red Force, which is being touted as Europe’s fastest roller coaster, on Friday and literally crashed into an unfortunate surprise. While riding the 112 mph coaster, a bird slammed into the man’s face. Shocked by the impact, the man felt his face until he found a bird pushed up against his neck thanks to the ride’s extreme acceleration. He tossed the bird aside and, appeared to tell his friend what just happened. Moments after the encounter, the man seemed to accept his “and the bird’s” fate and rose his hand for another drop. It’s unclear if the man suffered any significant injuries, but, at the very least, he and the bird appear
Things we eat...
Do you know what you have eaten so far today? Perhaps you popped out at lunchtime and grabbed a wrap from the local shop. Or maybe this evening you'll have a quick ready-meal from the supermarket's 'low fat' range. Not too bad, right? So you might think, but lurking in everyday meals are some pretty unappetising ingredients, according to a TV network. Like say... something in the line of vanilla flavouring and raspberry-flavour in alcoholic beverages, baked goods, frozen dairy products, chewing gum, sweets, meat products, pudding, gelatin, ice cream? Guess what it is? Beaver anal gland secretions! Yes, you read that correctly. Castoreum is a tasty additive made from the secretions of glands near the anus of beavers. They use it to mark their territory and attract a mate: we use it as a sweet vanilla, strawberry and raspberry flavouring in drinks and sweets. You wouldn’t know it’s there as it is allowed to be listed as ‘natural flavouring’ on ingredients lists. So, next time you are enjoying ice cream or cakes, just remember you may be eating Beaver anal gland secretions!
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 |
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TMAJapanese women & Western men. |
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50 Shades of Yikess
