Justin’s Japan: ‘The Osamu Tezuka Story’
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By JQ magazine editor Justin Tedaldi (CIR Kobe-shi, 2001-02) for Shukan NY Seikatsu. Justin has written about Japanese arts and entertainment for JETAA since 2005. For more of his articles, click here.
This summer, get to know the “God of Manga.”
From Stone Bridge Press comes “The Osamu Tezuka Story,” a documentary manga biography of the influential artist and the birth and evolution of manga and anime in Japan.
Written and illustrated by longtime Tezuka associate Toshio Ban and newly translated into English by Frederik L. Schodt (author of “Manga! Manga! The World of Japanese Comics”), this colossal 928-page trade paperback covers the entire life of Tezuka (1928-1989), warts and all.
“Readers may be surprised to see how honestly Tezuka is depicted, as an extraordinarily obsessed individual whose family rarely saw him and as someone who suffered from his creative impulse and hyper-competitiveness,” writes Schodt in the introduction.
The creator of such beloved characters as Astro Boy and Kimba the White Lion, Tezuka also experimented with darker, more adult-themed works, penning more than 150,000 pages (over 700 volumes) in his lifetime, dwarfing any other manga artist. The book includes a detailed appendix of his complete creative output.
“As Tezuka grows and develops you are slowly introduced to his world and genius. This book isn’t just a book about a man, it’s a book about the development of a nation,” says Alexis Agliano Sanborn, a New York University program coordinator and Japan specialist. “Japan wouldn’t be the Japan it is today without Tezuka, and this book helps you realize it.”
For more information, visit www.stonebridge.com/catalog/the-osamu-tezuka-story.
WIT Life #291: Waku Waku +NYC event and Sebastian Masuda
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Sebastian Masuda with protege Kyary Pamyu Pamyu
WIT Life is a periodic series written by professional Writer/Interpreter/Translator Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03). She starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she shares some of the interesting tidbits and trends along with her own observations.
This weekend I had the chance to visit “Waku Waku +NYC,” a new Japanese pop culture festival which took place over two days across multiple venues in Greenpoint and Williamsburg. According to the event’s homepage, it brings together the worlds of anime, manga, music, food, film, and fashion via exhibits, panels, screenings, and interactive events. This blend of pop culture from Japan and Brooklyn was envisioned as “Cool Japan meets New York’s Coolest Borough.” The name Waku Waku (わくわく) Read More
Justin’s Japan: VAMPS, ‘Monkey Business,’ AKB48 at Japan Day @ Central Park
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J-pop superstars AKB48 return for their first New York performance since 2009 at Japan Day @ Central Park May 10. (@AKS)
By JQ magazine editor Justin Tedaldi (CIR Kobe-shi, 2001-02) for Examiner.com. Visit his Japanese culture page here for related stories.
As spring continues and the weather continues to warm, New Yorkers can enjoy activities all over the city both indoors and out.
This month’s highlights include:
Friday, May 1, 8:00 p.m.
Best Buy Theater, 1515 Broadway
$35
Japan’s most daring rock band, VAMPS is fronted by vocalist hyde of L’arc~en~Ciel and guitarist K.A.Z of Oblivion Dust. Now touring in support of their latest album, Bloodsuckers (available on iTunes), VAMPS returns to take another bite out of the Big Apple for their first area performance since 2013.
Monday, May 4, 6:30 p.m.
Monkey Business: Japan/America Writers’ Dialogue in Words and Pictures
Asia Society, 725 Park Avenue
$15, $10 Asia Society members, $12 students/seniors
Join this annual conversation between contemporary Japanese and American authors in which Asia Society hosts an international dialogue, curated and moderated by the co-founders and editors of the Tokyo-based literary journal Monkey Business with writers who are featured in the latest edition of Monkey Business (#5), a unique, cutting-edge annual literary journal which showcases newly-translated Japanese as well as contributions from contemporary American and British writers.
Thursday, May 7, 6:30 p.m.
The Magical Art of Translation: From Haruki Murakami to Japan’s Latest Storytellers
Japan Society, 333 East 47th Street
$12, $8 Japan Society members, students/seniors
Since 1989, Jay Rubin has translated many of Haruki Murakami’s most successful and prize-winning novels, including The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, Norwegian Wood and 1Q84. In this program, he is joined by Ted Goossen, translator of Murakami’s most recent U.S. publications, The Strange Library and Wind/Pinball: Two Early Novels, and co-editor of Monkey Business literary magazine, which showcases the best of contemporary Japanese literature for an international audience. They will discuss the unique challenges of translating modern Japanese literary works into American English, and vice versa. Rubin will also talk about his transition from translator to novelist vis-à-vis his debut novel The Sun Gods. Joining the discussion from Tokyo will be authors Aoko Matsuda and Satoshi Kitamura, and Motoyuki Shibata, friend and translating partner of Murakami. Author Roland Kelts, co-editor of Monkey Business, moderates the discussion. Followed by a reception.
For the complete story, click here.
Justin’s Japan: Nippon in New York — ‘Attack on Titan,’ Isamu Noguchi, Mitsuko Uchida, Sakura Matsuri
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Escape from the Walled City, a live team puzzle solving challenge based on Attack on Titan, comes to Richmond County Bank Ballpark April 11. (SCRAP Entertainment Inc.)
By JQ magazine editor Justin Tedaldi (CIR Kobe-shi, 2001-02) for Examiner.com. Visit his Japanese culture page here for related stories.
Spring has sprung in the Big Apple, and that means one thing: a new season of sounds, colors, and spectacular performing arts to match the blossoming sakura trees throughout the city.
This month’s highlights include:
Now through April 26
Asia Society, 725 Park Avenue
$12/$10 seniors/$7 students; free on Fridays from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m.
Takahiro Iwasaki creates detailed miniature landscapes using towels, toothbrushes, used clothing, and other found and recycled materials. This exhibition is a part of Asia Society Museum’s ongoing In Focus series, which invites contemporary artists to create new works, often in conversation with the Asia Society Museum’s permanent collection of traditional Asian art.
April 5-May 3 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
Blue Note Jazz Club, 131 West Third Street
$35
Blue Note Jazz Club and the Japan Foundation present the East Meets West Brunch series to introduce Japanese jazz to New York audiences. This brunch series will take place on five consecutive Sundays this spring, and features food, music and a drink. Performers include Mika Mimura Group (April 5), Hiromi Suda (April 12), Martha Kato Trio (April 19), Sumie Kaneko (April 26), and the Takeshi Ohbayashi Trio (May 3).
Saturday, April 11, 10:30 a.m., 2:30 p.m., 6:30 p.m.
Richmond County Bank Ballpark, 75 Richmond Terrace (Staten Island)
$30, $35 at the door
The titans are coming, and they’re hungry. Based on the manga megahit Attack on Titan, the newest Real Escape Game (REG) takes players to a world inhabited by giant, humanoid creatures that live for no other purpose than to make a snack of all of us. The high walls of the stadium are the only thing keeping you safe…for now. Experience the latest edition of SCRAP’s interactive storytelling and puzzle-solving games on a scale never seen before. Join thousands of other players as you decode clues inside a real stadium! Be warned, though: survival isn’t easy, and teamwork will be essential if you hope to survive. After already hosting over 40,000 players in the U.S. to date, Escape requires participants to use their best detective skills as they race against the clock.
For the complete story, click here.
JQ Magazine: ‘Life of Cats’ Showcases Frisky Furballs at Japan Society
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By A.A. Sanborn (Shimane-ken, 2009-11) for JQ magazine. A.A. is a graduate of Harvard University’s Regional Studies-East Asia (RSEA) program, and currently works as an executive associate at Asia Society in New York City.
It’s no surprise that, in an age where Cats of Istagram reign over our feed with a lofty air, Japan Society in New York’s new art exhibition Life of Cats: Selections from the Hiraki Ukiyo-e Collection is garnering serious buzz. Presenting 86 drawings, paintings, woodblock prints and decorative objects dating from the 17th to the early 20th century, this latest showcase taps into cat fancying for the digital age.
Without a doubt, Life of Cats is a work of heart: it’s made by people who love cats, for cat lovers. Chief among the cat fanciers at Japan Society is Miwako Tezuka, Japan Society Gallery director and curator of the exhibition. To put this display together, she studied over 6,000 prints from Hiraki Ukiyo-e Collection, as well as private American collections. Publications like Forbes, The Guardian and The New York Times have already sung this exhibition’s praises, and why not? Love ’em or hate ’em, you can’t deny that cats are in a category all their own—straddling the intersection of elegant, comical and vicious. And you get to see all their many guises in this dynamic display, which is already drawing substantial crowds.
Believe it or not, this type of exhibition already has precedence back in Japan. Cats have never been hotter, no matter what side of the Pacific you reside. In 2006, the Hiraki Foundation led the way for this new type of cat-themed exhibition in Tokyo, which has now become a national trend in its own right. As quoted from The Guardian, Tezuka said, “People are really crazy about cats in Japan….We thought a New York version of this exhibition would be a great way to introduce Japanese art to a wider audience.” Indeed, looking at the repertoire of recent Japan Society exhibits, they certainly have been hard at work drawing new types of crowds—not simply geared toward the art historian or otaku, exhibitions run the gamut from Japanese Art Deco to interactive digital art, reeling in hipsters and techies alike.
WIT Life #277: Garden of Unearthly Delights
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WIT Life is a periodic series written by professional Writer/Interpreter/Translator Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03). She starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she shares some of the interesting tidbits and trends along with her own observations.
As a member of Japan Society, last night I had the chance to preview the new gallery exhibition Garden of Unearthly Delights. It featured works from two artists and the collaboration teamLab that were largely fantastical with a strong dose of social commentary. As a result, it felt like a very dense exhibit that seemed to occupy more space than the gallery’s actual square footage. 
Garden begins with works from Manabu Ikeda, an artist originally from Saga Prefecture who now resides in Madison, Wisconsin after previously living in Vancouver. The focus of his paintings in this show are on disaster art and 311, an event he witnessed from outside the country. You can see many manga and anime-like aspects in them as well. I particularly liked his work Foretoken, which is often compared to Hokusai’s The Great Wave off Kanagawa, displayed nearby in the gallery. Upon close inspection you can see the intricate detail of his infinite brushstrokes, but when you look at it from a distance you get a whole other perspective. Underneath the huge wave that is cresting you can find things like Read More
WIT Life #276: San Diego’s San-Kei-En garden
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WIT Life is a periodic series written by professional Writer/Interpreter/Translator Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03). She starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she shares some of the interesting tidbits and trends along with her own observations.
My interpreting gig continues westward, and I am currently with my interpreting clients in San Diego. It was my first time here in a while, and I was looking forward to seeing what Japanese connections awaited. As a result, I was happy to have some time in between appointments to visit the Japanese Friendship Garden in Balboa Park with my group. It’s official name is 三景園 (“San-Kei-En”), which means Water, Pastoral and Mountain. San Diego’s sister city in Japan is Yokohama, and the garden was designed to be an expression of the ties between the people of the two cities. Its gate is dedicated to Charles C. Dail, the former Mayor who began this sister city program in 1957.
Classes offered at San-Kei-En include ikebana, origami, bonsai and tea ceremony. The original Japanese tea house in Balboa Park had an interesting story. It was built for the Panama-California Exposition in 1915, and when the city couldn’t operate it post-exposition a Japanese couple managed it until 1941. Read More
JQ Magazine: Book Review — ‘WA: The Essence of Japanese Design’
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“WA is an excellent reminder that the analysis of everyday objects in our lives can be more insightful than we might first think, examining the roles of myriad mediums in Japanese daily life in ancient times to today including practical uses, religious ones, and political statements.” (Phaidon)
By Julio Perez Jr. (Kyoto-shi, 2011-13) for JQ magazine. A bibliophile, writer, translator and graduate from Columbia University, Julio is currently working at Ishikawa Prefecture’s New York office while seeking opportunities with publications in New York. Follow his enthusiasm for Japan, literature, and board gaming on his blog and Twitter @brittlejules.
Whether you like looking at furniture, crafts, art, and everything in between, in museums, magazines, or even Pinterest, you’re sure to appreciate the awe of a magical table, that from some angles is almost invisible, not to mention the rustic austerity of handmade materials for the Japanese tea ceremony and many other fascinating objects featured in WA: The Essence of Japanese Design. Throughout history, design and craftsmanship have had important roles in everyday life and practical uses, as well as in the arts and even in the political arena. WA explores the changing faces and development of Japanese design through the mediums themselves.
The book is divided into sections that include: Wood, Bamboo and Lacquer, Paper, Metal, Fabric and Textiles, Ceramic, and Synthetic/New Materials. Each section features a few dozen stunning photographs of objects, crafts, or even furniture, and a short essay that highlights pieces made from a particular material that, along with the photos, support its discussion about the development of that medium in Japan in a manner approachable for all readers. The contents of the book are written and selected by Rossella Menegazzo and Stefania Piotti, who are both scholars of East Asian arts and crafts, and they have successfully created a beautiful, approachable book on the subject.
WA explores the Japaneseness of Japanese design that has evolved throughout its history of ancient influences, from continental Asia and the Silk Road, through Japan’s periods of isolation, and continuing through today with its integration and innovation of Western design and cultural needs. WA is a very approachable book; the essays are not heavy with jargon and relate more to the pictures, which provides a very special and immediate connection to Japanese arts that would only be rivaled by holding the items themselves featured in the photos.
JQ Magazine: Book Review — ‘Japan 365: A Drawing-A-Day Project’
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“Using nothing more than the simplest tools at hand to capture the moment, the artist establishes a tangible reality that lends an urgency and authenticity to the work that would not be possible in a more polished and composed form.” (J Muzacz)
By Rafael Villadiego (Nagasaki-ken, 2010-13) for JQ magazine. A member of JETAA New South Wales, Rafael is a collector of words on a journey still searching for a destination, who has a tendency to forget, we are all sometimes like the rain…
“If you attach a reason to an adventure, it ceases to be one.” –Uemura Naomi, noted Japanese mountain climber and adventurer.
「冒険に理由をつけると、冒険でなくなってしまう。」植村直己
There is something timeless and romantic about the idea of the wandering artist. Drifting aimlessly down untrodden roads and stumbling across hidden paths. Going wherever the wind might take them and all the while sketching random scenes from daily life, in all its raw and unfettered glory.
Japan 365: A Drawing-A-Day Project by current Melbourne resident J Muzacz (Kyoto-fu, 2010-12) is a drawing-a-day project that sets out to capture this sense of artistic wonder, in a fitting meditation on contemporary Japan. A black-and-white reproduction of sketches produced with nothing more than a simple ballpoint pen and notebook, the project sets aside all pretension and gaudy artifice and pares everything down to its barest essentials and fundamental simplicity. It is especially gratifying to see some pieces scribbled on the back of old pieces of paper or second-hand timetables. Using nothing more than the simplest tools at hand to capture the moment, the artist establishes a tangible reality that lends an urgency and authenticity to the work that would not be possible in a more polished and composed form.
While by no means an artist myself, there is something to be said about living the dream: An errant dreamer recording the world as they see it unfold. However, such whimsical fancy fails to fully appreciate the hard work and dedication inherent to such an undertaking. Consciously choosing to actively produce a completed work of art, every single day, for a solid year, is no mean feat. Having it ultimately culminate into such a hefty tome worthy of sitting comfortably on any coffee table or bookshelf, and feeling the solid weight of it all in your hands, is nothing short of remarkable. Artist/writer Muzacz and his supporters must be heartily commended for seeing it to fruition.
JQ Magazine: Heisei Nakamura-za Kabuki Returns to NYC This Summer
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After a seven year absence, Heisei Nakamura-za brings Kabuki to New York’s Lincoln Center Festival July 7-12. (© Shochiku)
By Mark Frey (Kumamoto-ken, 2002-06) for JQ magazine. Mark served as the editor for JETAA Northern California’s Pacific Bridge newsletter from 2007-11, and is currently chapter president as well as coordinator of the JETAANC Kabuki Club.
A warm thought to heat you up as the Fourth of July approaches: real, live Kabuki is coming back to New York City July 7-12 as part of the annual Lincoln Center Festival.
This is great news for Kabuki fans in America. And if you were ever curious about Kabuki, it is a rare chance to see the real thing in your own backyard. The performance is part of a very interesting project called “Heisei Nakamura-za,” which was started about a decade ago by the late, great Kabuki actor Nakamura Kanzaburo, who passed away unexpectedly at age 57 in December 2012.
Kanzaburo wanted to give audiences the chance to experience Kabuki the way it used to be in the “good old days” of the Edo period. Back then, Kabuki was a popular entertainment for the common people. It featured smaller theaters, a more intimate relationship between actor and audience, and a more festive, earthy, raucous feel. So Kanzaburo started constructing temporary theaters in Japan and around the world that reflected this atmosphere. He extended the mood to the plays he staged, putting a contemporary spin on old classics.
In 2012, this reporter was fortunate enough to be able to see Kanzaburo perform in the last Heisei Nakamura-za theater he constructed, in Tokyo’s Asakusa district. It was an unforgettable experience. Some of the best actors of our day were walking a couple feet away from me on the theater’s modest hanamichi runway. A special energy flowed between the actors and the audience that I hadn’t felt at established Kabuki theaters. At the end of the final play, the entire back wall of the theater disappeared and we enjoyed a beautiful, open-air night view of the Sumidagawa River and the newly constructed Skytree Tower. It was a magical evening.
Justin’s Japan: ‘Ghost in the Shell,’ Kishi Bashi, Luna Haruna at AnimeNEXT
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Ghost in the Shell: Arise – Borders: 1 & 2 premieres at AMC Loews Village 7 May 29. (FUNimation)
By JQ magazine editor Justin Tedaldi (CIR Kobe-shi, 2001-02) for Examiner.com. Visit his Japanese culture page here for related stories.
After an unusually chilly spring, it’s finally starting to feel like summer. Enjoy some seasonal events this month that celebrate the best of both fine art and pop art.
This month’s highlights include:
Wednesday, May 28, 10:00 p.m.
The Bowery Electric, 327 Bowery
$5
An all-female quartet that delivers riff-heavy, post-punk anthems, Each of the Hard Nips came to live in New York at different times, from different parts of Japan. And, as conspired by the ever-dexterous hand of fate, they were to cross paths and become fast friends. They quickly formed a cult-like bond whose rituals all included drinking a lot of alcohol and uncontrollably running their mouths. The wine flowed like Kool-Aid and, somehow, they found themselves buying into the delusion that they were capable of forming a kick-ass rock band. Witness the next chapter in their story, with support from Shakes and the Johnnys.
Thursday, May 29, 7:30 p.m.
Ghost in the Shell: Arise – Borders: 1 & 2
AMC Loews Village 7, 66 Third Avenue
$10
In the first two parts of this highly anticipated prequel series of the anime sensation Ghost in the Shell, it’s the year after the fourth World War and cyborg/hacker Motoko Kusanagi finds herself wrapped up in the investigation of a devastating bombing. But she’s not the only one looking for answers—as she delves deeper into the mystery of who is behind the attack, a specialized team unlike any before begins to take shape.
June 6-8
Garden State Convention Center, 50 Atrium Drive, Somerset, NJ
$45-$60
The largest independently organized anime convention in the New York/New Jersey metropolitan area. AnimeNEXT features Japanese creators of anime and manga, voice actors, musical acts, artists, vendors and exhibits, events, panels, workshops, and gaming. This year’s musical guest is Tokyo’s Luna Haruna, who made her major debut in 2012 with the song “Soraha Takaku Kazeha Utau,” the ending theme song for the second season of anime series Fate/Zero. Her latest single, “Snowdrop,” was featured as the ending theme song the second season of Monogatari. Don’t miss her first-ever performance on the East Coast!
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Justin’s Japan: AnimeNEXT Welcomes Idol Luna Haruna
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By JQ magazine editor Justin Tedaldi (CIR Kobe-shi, 2001-02) for Shukan NY Seikatsu. Visit his Examiner.com Japanese culture page here for related stories.
Fans of manga, anime, cosplay and J-pop are eagerly awaiting AnimeNEXT, the largest independently organized anime convention in the New York/New Jersey metropolitan area.
The annual event, which will be held at the Garden State Exhibit Center in Somerset from June 6-8, will feature the debut East Coast performance of Tokyo-based singer and recording artist Luna Haruna, whose songs have appeared in the anime series “Fate/Zero,” “Sword Art Online” and “Monogatari.”
“Last year was Luna’s first time in the States and she made a successful U.S. debut performance at Sakura-Con in Seattle,” says Tomo Tran, a publicist for Sony Music Entertainment (Japan). “Since her debut two years ago, Luna has released five singles and one full album, which have ranked in the top 20 on the Oricon music chart.”
An amateur model and a finalist at the fourth All-Japan Anime Song Grand Prix, Haruna headlined concerts in Tokyo and Osaka earlier this spring.
“Since she really enjoyed her time here last year, we (SMEJ) felt it was great for her to come back and to continue her success,” Tran says. “I hope that fans are pumped up and ready to welcome Luna Haruna this summer!”
Other musicians scheduled to perform at AnimeNEXT include J-punk band ROOKiEZ is PUNK’D and Chipocrite, who crafts unique soundscapes from original Nintendo Game Boys.
For more information, visit www.animenext.org.
“With wit and humor, Miyazaki offers insight from his long career with every turn of the page. Like an unforgettable sunset or the first time a cooking experiment came out well, he discusses experiences that leave you unexpectedly changed.” (VIZ Media)
By Alexis Agliano Sanborn (Shimane-ken, 2009-11) for JQ magazine. Alexis is a graduate of Harvard University’s Regional Studies—East Asia (RSEA) program, and currently works as an executive assistant at Asia Society in New York City.
I consider myself an aficionado of director and animator Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli. Having seen his work countless times, visited the museum in Tokyo and done a fair amount of supplemental reading, I figured Turning Point—a collection of Miyazaki interviews and articles spanning 1997 through 2008 and newly translated by Beth Cary and Frederik L. Schodt—would probably be a rehash of the similar. I presumed it would be a book for Japan or anime specialists. On the back cover there’s even a quote from the L.A. Times: “Essential reading for anyone interested in Japanese or Western animation.” However, this statement is entirely too narrow and ultimately misleading.
In fact, the book (which is a sequel to Starting Point: 1979-1996, also translated by Cary and Schodt and now available in paperback) is less about animation and Japan than it is the human condition and those existential questions that keep you awake at night. Miyazaki, at one moment reserved and the other candid, plunges fearlessly into complex, introspective and intellectual issues about human’s relationship with education, child-rearing, philosophy, history, art, environmentalism and war (to name a few).
He does this with a sprinkle of romanticism and a dusting with realism. Using his seemingly continual dissatisfaction with the world, Miyazaki aims to positively spark change and inspire. He insists that his films are not just flights of fancy; rather, he makes them to motivate the next generation to improve the world. “Children learn by experiencing…it is impossible to grow up without being hurt,” he writes. “Experiences like: accepting the duality of human nature, the importance of grit, conviction, and perseverance, and respecting nature and the land….For children willing to start, our films become powerful encouragement.”
JQ Magazine: Concert Review—Yoshiki Classical World Tour Dazzles San Francisco with Surprise X Japan Guest
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“The night offered something for everyone in Yoshiki’s ability to merge and bring together different genres and listeners and touch the collective beating heart therein.” (Shirong Gao)
By Shirong Gao (Shiga-ken, 2005-07) for JQ magazine. A member of JETAA Northern California, Shirong is a graphic designer, Illustrator, and breakfast food lover who worked in a Japanese countryside as seen only in Studio Ghibli movies. For more, visit gaoshirong.com.
Every night, as a child drifting off to sleep, I looped a rock ballad. My personal lullaby. A song by multi-million-selling heavy metal band X Japan, the Rising Sun’s answer to KISS. Yet not even in dreams did I see myself growing up to one day meet its leader, Yoshiki, and witness how far he’s come in his career.
A classically trained musician turned rock legend, Yoshiki has now returned to his more refined roots, embarking on a world tour of Yoshiki Classical concerts featuring music from the eponymous solo album released last year in collaboration with talents the likes of Beatles producer Sir George Martin and the London Philharmonic Orchestra.
Shirong Gao
On April 28, Davies Hall, home to the San Francisco Symphony, was packed on a Monday night to host only the second date of Yoshiki’s tour following its debut in Costa Mesa three days prior. “Definitely a different scene from a typical classical concert,” commented attendee Arisa Takahashi (Nara-ken CIR, 1991-92), who has also performed at the hall as part of the Sing Out, Davies! choral workshop. “There were people with blue hair, dressed in their frilly Lolita finery, sitting alongside classical music attendees.”
Justin’s Japan: Nippon in New York — Miyazaki, Godzilla, Tribeca Film Festival, Sakura Matsuri
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New York’s 33rd annual Sakura Matsuri will be held at Brooklyn Botanic Garden April 26-27. (Mike Ratliff)
By JQ magazine editor Justin Tedaldi (CIR Kobe-shi, 2001-02) for Examiner.com. Visit his Japanese culture page here for related stories.
Spring has sprung in the Big Apple, and that means one thing: a new season of sounds, colors, and spectacular performing arts to match the blossoming sakura trees throughout the city.
This month’s highlights include:
Tuesday, April 8
Turning Point: 1997-2008 by Hayao Miyazaki
MSRP $29.99, $34.99
The companion second volume to the earlier chronicleStarting Point: 1979-1996 (also new in paperback),Turning Point is an insightful collection of essays, interviews, memoirs, and illustrations from legendary animation director Hayao Miyazaki. The new title covers the critical stage in the legendary director’s career when his animated films for Studio Ghibli such as Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, and Ponyo began to garner a significant international audience. Turning Point follows Miyazaki as his grand vision continued to mature, cinema-lovers worldwide discovered and embraced his creations, and prominent film critics such as Roger Ebert delivered tremendous acclaim for the director’s films. Bringing us up to the present is The Art of The Wind Rises, which captures the art of the film from conception to production, featuring in-depth interviews with the creative team from Miyazaki’s latest—and supposedly final—Academy Award-nominated epic.
April 8-13, 8:00 p.m. and 10:30 p.m.
Gary Burton & Makoto Ozone Duets
Blue Note Jazz Club, 131 West Third Street
$20, $35
Born in Kobe to a jazz organist father, Makoto Ozone came to Boston in 1980 to study at the Berklee College of Music, where multi-Grammy Award-winning vibraphonist Gary Burton was a composition and percussion instructor. After graduation he made his first American solo appearance in 1983 with a recital at Carnegie Hall. The incredibly talented young man struck a record deal with CBS, making his international debut in 1984 with the album OZONE. Burton and Ozone have been collaborators in the duet format for over two decades and recorded the Grammy-nominated Virtuosi in 2002. The versatile Ozone has hosted a TV series in Japan, ventured into electronics, and composed for and played with classical orchestras in addition to working with his own jazz trio from his home in New York.
Wednesday, April 9, 8:00 p.m.
Carnegie Hall, 881 Seventh Avenue
$22.50-$140
Praised by the New York Times when she last appeared at Carnegie Hall as “among the most respected artists of our time” for her “probing and magisterial performances” of Schubert’s last three sonatas, pianist Mitsuko Uchida returns to perform his “Reliquie” Sonata, once mistakenly thought to be the composer’s final work. Also on the program is Beethoven’s all-encompassing and transcendent Thirty-Three Variations on a Waltz by Diabelli.
For the complete story, click here.
