Justin’s Japan: ‘Naruto’ takes Comic Con, ‘Legend of Zelda,’ L’Arc~en~Ciel
Article/Journalism, Celebrity, Events, Film, Justin's Japan, Music 
Comments Off on Justin’s Japan: ‘Naruto’ takes Comic Con, ‘Legend of Zelda,’ L’Arc~en~Ciel
Naruto creator Masashi Kishimoto makes his first-ever appearances outside of Japan in New York Oct. 7-10. (Courtesy of ForeverWorld)
By JQ magazine editor Justin Tedaldi (CIR Kobe-shi, 2001-02) for Examiner.com. Visit his Japanese culture page here for related stories.
The Japan-centric events of the month ahead promise to be as rich and full as autumn itself—brisk and colorful, with a dash of unpredictability.
This month’s highlights include:
Oct. 8-11
Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, 655 West 34th Street
Limited tickets available
The East Coast’s biggest gathering for fans of comics, film, anime and manga, New York Comic Con returns with its biggest roster of Hollywood talent to date, including the first-ever appearance outside of Japan of Naruto creator Masashi Kishimoto, on hand for an exclusive Q&A panel (Oct. 8, 5:30 p.m.) as well as the North American theatrical debut (Oct. 10, 11:30 a.m. at Hammerstein Ballroom) of Boruto: Naruto the Movie! In addition, Kishimoto will also make live appearances at Apple Store SoHo (Oct. 7, 7:00 p.m.), Kinokuniya Book Store (Oct. 9, 8:30 p.m.) and Barnes and Noble Tribeca (Oct. 10, 3:30 p.m.). Don’t miss this chance to meet one of Japan’s most popular contemporary manga artists!
Oct. 9-Jan. 10
For a New World to Come: Experiments in Japanese Art and Photography, 1968-1979 Japan Society Gallery, 333 East 47th Street
$12 students and seniors, $10, Japan Society members. Free on Friday nights, 6:00-9:00 p.m.
In the wake of the social and political upheaval of the late 1960s, Japanese artists and photographers began crafting a new visual language for an age of uncertainty. Their embrace of camera-based experiments would alter the cultural landscape and lay the foundations for contemporary art in Japan. For a New World to Come is the first comprehensive exhibition to spotlight this radical break with the past. With some 200 works by such luminaries as Ishiuchi Miyako, Daidō Moriyama, Jirō Takamatsu, and Shōmei Tōmatsu, the exhibition charts the stunning diversity of photographic practices during this pivotal era, from conceptual series situated squarely within global artistic currents, to visually arresting meditations on time, place, and self.
Oct. 10, 12, 13, 17, 19, 21
Village East Cinema, 181-189 2nd Ave.
$15
See the next generation of Naruto on the big screen! With Naruto as the Seventh Hokage, Hidden Leaf Village is planning to host the Chunin Exams to train new shinobi. Among the entrants are Sasuke’s daughter, Sarada, who adores Naruto, Mitsuki, an exceptionally talented yet mysterious shinobi, and Boruto, Naruto’s son who shows great potential, but despises his father. Sasuke, who’s been on a mission in another dimension, appears before Naruto to warn of a strange impending danger he has sensed. An inconceivable foe lies in wait as Sasuke, the Five Kage, and Boruto charge into another dimension!Presented in Japanese with English subtitles.
For the complete story, click here.
JET alum Bruce Feiler a CNN commentator during Pope’s visit
Article/Journalism, Celebrity, JET Alum Author Beat, JETs in the News, Notable JET Alums, Writers Comments Off on JET alum Bruce Feiler a CNN commentator during Pope’s visit
***************
Bruce Feiler (Tochigi-ken, 1989-90), author of Learning to Bow as well as several books on religion including Walking the Bible, Abraham and Where God Was Born along with other popular books including The Council of Dads, and, most recently, The Secrets of Happy Family, can now add CNN commentator to his resume. He has been providing religion-related perspectives in live conversations with Anderson Cooper, Wolf Blitzer and others.
****************************
To read prior JETwit posts about Bruce Feiler, please click here.
For more regular updates, follow Bruce on Facebook: www.facebook.com/brucefeilerauthor.
And Twitter: www.twitter.com/brucefeiler.
Nippon in New York: ‘Attack on Titan,’ Taylor Anderson Memorial, Luckyrice Fest
Article/Journalism, Earthquake Tsunami, Events, Film, JETs in the News, Justin's Japan, Music Comments Off on Nippon in New York: ‘Attack on Titan,’ Taylor Anderson Memorial, Luckyrice Fest
The live-action film debut of Attack on Titan premieres at Village East Cinema Sept. 30. (Courtesy of FUNimation)
By JQ magazine editor Justin Tedaldi (CIR Kobe-shi, 2001-02) for Examiner.com. Visit his Japanese culture page here for related stories.
As the summer winds fade into fall colors, the weeks ahead are shaping up with these exciting events, ready to be enjoyed after Labor Day.
This month’s highlights include:
Tuesday, Sept. 8, 6:30 p.m.
Japanese Design Today: Unique, Evolving, Borderless
UL105, University Center, The New School, 63 Fifth Ave.
Free (click here to register)
Japanese design has been proven capable of transcending language barriers and fostering communication and understanding between cultures, enthusiastically embracing elements of other cultures while developing and retaining its own unique sense of design aesthetic, which today is recognized and appreciated throughout the world. But as Japanese society has transformed socially, geopolitically, and economically, so has Japanese design transformed to accommodate these changes which has given way to a new era. Hiroshi Kashiwagi, professor at Musashino Art University, and architect/ furniture designer Yoshifumi Nakamura will each discuss the evolution, distinguishing characteristics, and current state of Japanese design today. A Q&A session will follow the presentations.
Friday, Sept. 11, 7:00 p.m.
The Concert Hall — New York Society for Ethical Culture, 2 West 64th Street
$20
Celebrating its eighth annual concert, this year Circle Wind will give tribute to Taylor Anderson, an American victim of the the Great East Japan Earthquake/Tsunami on March 11, 2011. Anderson was dispatched to Ishinomaki under The Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program in 2008 and was teaching English to schoolchildren there. The newly formed “Never Give Up Taylor’s Choir” from the Ishinomaki/Higashi-Matsushima area will perform an original piece symbolizing their appreciation for the American people’s support to recover from the devastation in 2011. Maestro Gregory Singer and his Manhattan Symphonie Orchestra also returns to perform some tribute songs for Taylor together with koto soloist Masayo Ishigure and other prominent artists. Hosted by New York’s choral harmony group Tomo.
Saturday, Sept. 12
Double feature: Live Your Dream and Dream Beyond 400 Years
Nippon Club of New York, Rose Room, 145 West 57th Street
$10 per film (at 5:00 p.m. and 6:45 p.m.)
Live Your Dream is a story about the courage and sacrifice of Taylor Anderson and for all the young people who travel the world trying to make a difference. Taylor was an extraordinary American who on the JET Program dedicated herself to teaching Japanese children, living her dream right up to the disaster of March 11, 2011. In the New York premiere of Dream Beyond 400 Years, local choir Tomo took a journey to Coria Del Rio in Spain, representing a journey going beyond 400 years. In this town, they met “Japón-san,” the descendants of Japanese travelers to Spain 400 years ago. The members of Tomo and Japón-san form a lifelong friendship in this touching real-life story. An after-screening reception featuring Circle Wind Concert participants and members of Taylor Anderson’s family will be held at 7:30 p.m. ($40).
For the complete story, click here.
Justin’s Japan: ‘Attack on Titan’ Storms U.S. Theaters
Article/Journalism, Events, Film, Justin's Japan Comments Off on Justin’s Japan: ‘Attack on Titan’ Storms U.S. Theaters
Click image to read story
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.
Attack on Titan is the upcoming live-action feature film from Studio Toho and director Shinji Higuchi, which will be released in two parts in the U.S. by FUNimation Entertainment this fall. Part One hits select theaters for three days beginning Sept. 30, with Part Two following Oct. 20.
Originally created by manga artist Hajime Isayama in 2009 and currently published by Kodansha Comics in the U.S., Attack on Titan has over 50 million copies in print, as well a 25-episode anime series, also produced by FUNimation for American audiences. The series is so popular that a special Titan-themed attraction opened at Universal Studios Japan earlier this year.
The film’s official U.S. release comes swiftly after Part One’s world premiere at the Egyptian Theater in Los Angeles on July 14 and its Japanese release on Aug. 1. Written by Yusuke Watanabe, the films star Haruma Miura and Kiko Mizuhara as two young soldiers living in a deadly post-apocalyptic land where humans fight man-eating Titans for their very survival.
“FUNimation is honored to host the world premiere of Attack on Titan here in the United States with Toho,” said FUNimation president and CEO Gen Fukunaga in a press release. “Attack on Titan is truly a worldwide phenomenon and we are excited to bring the live-action movie to theaters.”
For more information, visit http://attackontitanthemovie.com.
JQ Magazine: Book Review — ‘Mashi’
Article/Journalism, Books, JQ Magazine, Reviews Comments Off on JQ Magazine: Book Review — ‘Mashi’
“JETs reading Mashi will relate to the story because just as many of us had support systems of friendly faces outside of the workplace, Murakami was fortunate that members of the Japanese American community in both Fresno and San Francisco provided a helping hand when he needed it.” (University of Nebraska Press)
By Rashaad Jorden (Yamagata-ken, 2008-10) for JQ magazine. A former head of the JETAA Philadelphia Sub-Chapter, Rashaad is a graduate of Leeds Beckett University with a master’s degree in responsible tourism management. For more on his life abroad and enthusiasm for taiko drumming, visit his blog at www.gettingpounded.wordpress.com.
During your JET experience, you probably heard about Japanese baseball icons such as Ichiro, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Hideki Matsui and Yu Darvish excelling in Major League Baseball. However, well before all of them were instilling pride in their countrymen through their feats on American diamonds, one southpaw from rural Yamanashi Prefecture was setting the big leagues on fire.
Baseball historian Robert K. Fitts introduces fans of the sport to Masanori Murakami in Mashi: The Unfulfilled Baseball Dreams of Masanori Murakami, the First Japanese Major Leaguer. The biography documents how Murakami went from a run-of-the mill relief pitcher for the Nankai Hawks to a major contributor to the San Francisco Giants in the mid-1960s that nearly punched a ticket to the World Series—all while being the subject of a fierce tug-of-war between the two organizations.
Piercing together information he obtained from interviews with Murakami, the pitcher’s close friends and experts on Japanese baseball, Kitts explores Murakami’s improbable journey to baseball stardom. Murakami was actually uninterested in baseball as a child and when he did develop a deep love for the sport, his father Kiyoshi objected to his son’s new passion. But Kiyoshi relented when he realized his son could earn a scholarship to an elite Tokyo-area high school.
Despite being a high school starter, a pro career was really not on the cards for Murakami, as his main focus was on attending college (and possibly pitching at that level). However, his success at Hosei II High School made him an attractive pro prospect and representatives from several NPB (Nippon Professional Baseball) teams offered him contracts. One of those teams was the Nankai Hawks, and they offered him something more than solely the opportunity to make a lot of money: the possibility of going to the United States to improve his craft, an idea that intrigued him.
Justin’s Japan: Nippon in New York—‘Dragon Ball Z,’ Liberty City Anime Con, Waku Waku NYC
Article/Journalism, Events, Film, Justin's Japan, Music Comments Off on Justin’s Japan: Nippon in New York—‘Dragon Ball Z,’ Liberty City Anime Con, Waku Waku NYC
Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection ‘F’ premieres the week of Aug. 3 at three Manhattan-area locations. (FUNimation)
By JQ magazine editor Justin Tedaldi (CIR Kobe-shi, 2001-02) for Examiner.com. Visit his Japanese culture page here for related stories.
In the dog days of summer, it’s best to escape the heat in a place that’s cozy and cool. For those into Japanese cultural events, this month offers a diverse selection of film premieres and live music—all in the comfort of indoor air conditioning.
This month’s highlights include:
Aug. 4, 5, 7, 8 & 11
Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection ‘F’
AMC Empire 25, 234 West 42nd Street
Chelsea Cinemas, 260 West 23rd Street
Village East Cinema 7, 181-189 2nd Avenue
$15
Hot on the heels of last year’s summer blockbuster, Battle of Gods, Resurrection ‘F’ is the second film personally supervised byDBZ creator himself, Akira Toriyama. The new movie showcases the return of Frieza, the galaxy’s most evil overlord. After years in spiritual purgatory, Frieza has been resurrected and plans to take his revenge on the Z-Fighters of Earth. Facing off against Frieza’s powerful new form and his army of 1,000 soldiers, Goku and Vegeta must reach new levels of strength in order to protect Earth from their vengeful nemesis. English dub version.
Friday, Aug. 28, 6:00 p.m.
Always: Sunset on Third Street 3
Japan Information Center Gallery, Consulate General of Japan in New York
299 Park Avenue, 18th floor
Free (email RSVP to kanako_shirasaki[at]jfny.org; photo ID required upon entry)
A special screening of the third film in the wildly popular series! In 1964, novelist Ryunosuke Chagawa (Hidetaka Yoshioka) has married Hiromi (Koyuki), and the two now share a happy life with Junnosuke (Kenta Suga), the young boy he had taken in during the first film, who is now in high school. Hiromi is also pregnant, and the family prepares to welcome a new addition to their household. One day, Hiromi discovers a telegram that Chagawa had hidden. Who sent this telegram? What is the surprising identity of this new, rival writer? And what future awaits the people of Third Street? Presented in Japanese with English subtitles.
Aug. 28-30
Crowne Plaza White Plains, 66 Hale Avenue
$50 for weekend pass
The best three-day anime convention (just north of) New York City, the inaugural Liberty City Anime Con features over 100 events and panels, a dozen guests and entertainers, three days of cosplay, game tournaments and anime screenings, and concerts, balls and dances. Guest performers include idol singer Reni Mimura, female J-pop group Starberry, and New Jersey-based anime, video game and J-pop cover band Moshi Moshi.
For the complete story, click here.
Justin’s Japan: Nippon in New York—JAPAN CUTS, Kishi Bashi, ‘Kafka on the Shore,’ Keiko Matsui
Article/Journalism, Events, Film, Music Comments Off on Justin’s Japan: Nippon in New York—JAPAN CUTS, Kishi Bashi, ‘Kafka on the Shore,’ Keiko Matsui
HIBI ROCK: Puke Afro and the Pop Star kicks off this year’s JAPAN CUTS film festival at Japan Society July 9. (© 2014 HIBI ROCK Film Partners)
By JQ magazine editor Justin Tedaldi (CIR Kobe-shi, 2001-02) for Examiner.com. Visit his Japanese culture page here for related stories.
After you’ve seen the outdoor fireworks, enjoy some summer events in the cool indoors, whether it’s catching one of 28 films premiering at Japan Society’s annual festival, enjoying the new sounds of electronic and jazz veterans, or witnessing an all-new retelling of the work of contemporary Japan’s most influential novelist.
This month’s highlights include:
July 9-19
Japan Society, 333 East 47th Street
$13, $10 Japan Society members, seniors and students (most screenings)
North America’s largest festival of new Japanese film, the ninth annual edition of JAPAN CUTS is proud to present actress Sakura Ando with the CUT ABOVE Award for Outstanding Performance in Film, presenting her latest great performances in two new films for the festival’s Centerpiece Presentation. Shingo Wakagi’s elegant Banana Yoshimoto adaptation Asleep makes its North American premiere, and Masaharu Take’s fantastic slacker-to-boxer pathos-drenched comedy 100 Yen Love is presented in its North American premiere, followed by the PUNCH LOVE Party. The festival’s Closing Film is perhaps one of the most memorable Japanese titles of the decade: Juichiro Yamasaki’s Sanchu Uprising: Voices at Dawn, being shown for the first time outside of Japan. Director Yamasaki appears at the festival to present this remarkable independent period film, which offers a valuable fable for the political consciousness of the contemporary moment.
Monday, July 20, 7:00 p.m.
$40
Having collaborated and toured with of Montreal, Regina Spektor, and now Guster, singer, violinist, and composer K Ishibashi (aka Kishi Bashi) embarks on an epic orchestral solo project. His solo live show is a dazzling array of looping and vocal/violin gymnastics. Bright and soaring avant-pop songs are prevalent, as are Eastern-tinged arrangements, gentle ballads, Philip Glass-inspired improvisations, and more than a few moments that flirt with ‘70s prog (in the tradition of ELO or Yes). Jarringly kaleidoscopic, but it works.
July 21-23
High Line at the Rail Yards, West 30th Street and Eleventh Avenue
Free
Aki Sasamoto presents Food Rental, a new performance for which she will bring a custom-built food cart to the High Line’s newest section. From her perch inside the cart, the artist will offer visitors an à la carte selection of micro performances and playful narrative demonstrations. Like an off-kilter life hacking workshop, Food Rental will continue Sasamoto’s history of performances that engage visitors with sneakily shifting stage sets and unruly props.
For the complete story, click here.
Justin’s Japan: Wismettac Wows at Japanese Food Fest
Article/Journalism, Events, Food & Drink, Justin's Japan Comments Off on Justin’s Japan: Wismettac Wows at Japanese Food Fest
Click image to read story
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.
Lovers of Japanese food and drink gathered at 230 Fifth in Midtown Manhattan on June 20 for the Wismettac Asian Foods 2015 NY Premium Sake and Shochu Tasting Event, an annual business-to-business gathering that served up a foodie’s paradise.
Formerly known as Nishimoto Trading Co., Ltd. USA, Wismettac Asian Foods, Inc. was established in Kobe in 1912, and is one of the oldest importers, wholesalers and distributors of Asian food products in North America. It is well known in the U.S. for its Shirakiku brand food products, which include rice, noodles, and seafood.
Now in its eighth year, the event featured around 25 different Japanese sake and shochu companies and 15 different food manufacturers. It’s a place where one can enjoy piping hot savory katsudon curry rice followed by chocolate mochi ice cream with freshly sliced strawberries, finishing with a crisp, refreshing selection of daiginjo sake.
“Participating in this event is a great opportunity, because I can introduce Japanese culture and it’s a great way to introduce how to use Japanese ingredients properly to make a delicious dish,” said Hideko Lilley, a sales associate for Wismettac attending the New York event for her third year.
For more on Wismettac, visit www.ntcltdusa.com.
JQ Magazine: Book Review — ‘Marathon Japan’
Article/Journalism, Books, JQ Magazine, Reviews Comments Off on JQ Magazine: Book Review — ‘Marathon Japan’
“The running boom in Japan shows no signs of slowing. Marathon Japan explains why as it marvelously highlights a growing and evolving sport.” (University of Hawai’i Press)
By Rashaad Jorden (Yamagata-ken, 2008-10) for JQ magazine. A former head of the JETAA Philadelphia Sub-Chapter, Rashaad graduated from Leeds Beckett University with a Master’s degree in Responsible Tourism Management (for more on his life in the U.K., visit his blog at www.gettingpounded.wordpress.com). While in Japan, Rashaad completed the 2010 Tokyo Marathon, ran two half marathons in Yamagata Prefecture, was a part of an ekiden club, and finished fourth in the 2009 Ishidan Marathon (a race up the steps of Mount Haguro).
Hopefully, your JET experience included you busting out your running shoes and joining your prefecture (or village) in a road race. It did for me on several occasions. But if you never got around to working up a sweat over 10 kilometers (or maybe even 21), you might remember your school being enthralled by its annual ekiden, or frequently seeing races televised on Sunday mornings.
So why have such events become an integral part of Japanese sporting culture? Thomas R.H. Havens examines why in Marathon Japan, the first comprehensive English-language book about the history of marathons and ekiden in the country.
Long before Kenya emerged as the world’s elite marathon nation, Japan could make a serious claim to producing the world’s best at 42.195 km. Marathon Japan illustrates the periods when Japanese marathoners dished out most of the world’s fastest times—such as the 1930s (In 1934, nine of the world’s ten fastest times were run by Japanese), the 1960s (1965 alone saw the Japanese record fifteen of the world’s top twenty marathon times), and the 1980s (during which Toshihiko Seko won ten of the fifteen marathons he completed in). And to top it off on the women’s side, in 2004, three Japanese finished among the world’s top eight marathoners.
JQ Magazine: Book Review — ‘Monkey Business Volume 5’
Article/Journalism, Books, JQ Magazine, Reviews Comments Off on JQ Magazine: Book Review — ‘Monkey Business Volume 5’
“Monkey Business is a magnetic force that attracts writers who can create magical kingdoms in a single page.” (A Public Space)
By Brett Rawson (Akita-ken, 2007-09) for JQ magazine. Brett is a writer, translator, and Ramen Runner. He has an MFA in Creative Writing Non-Fiction from The New School, and his writing has appeared in Narratively and Nowhere magazine. He is also co-founder of the quarterly publication The Seventh Wave and founder of Handwritten, a place in space for pen and paper.
After reading Monkey Business Volume 5, the image of a blender might pop into your mind. Perhaps this is because it is almost summer and you have recently begun making smoothies in the early morning. Or perhaps this is because you came across the description Monkey Business as genre-defying, which made you think of cross-genre, blending boundaries, and thereafter, the physical image of the object itself: the blender.
But most likely, this is because you read the opening vignette to Monkey Business, “Photographs Are Images,” by rising Japanese writer Aoko Matsuda, which ends as such:
Everything you’ve read up to this point has been images. […] These strings of letters are images. These chains of words are images. Stories are images. The story you’re reading this very minute is an image.
Carefully selected as the opener to Volume 5, this year’s Monkey Business is all about ways of seeing, and perceiving, images and the imagination, and objects and subjects.
Justin’s Japan: Nippon in New York — Pokémon Symphony, Hiromi, Kamijo, ‘ROBOT,’ AnimeNEXT
Article/Journalism, Events, Film, Justin's Japan, Music Comments Off on Justin’s Japan: Nippon in New York — Pokémon Symphony, Hiromi, Kamijo, ‘ROBOT,’ AnimeNEXT
“Pokémon: Symphonic Evolutions” debuts at the Theater of Madison Square Garden June 6. (Princeton Entertainment)
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:
June 4-5, 6:30 p.m.
New York Japan CineFest 2015: Program 1 & Program 2
Asia Society, 725 Park Avenue
$12, $10 students/seniors, $8 members
Co presented by Asia Society and Mar Creation, Inc., New York Japan CineFest highlights some of the most exciting new voices in cinema, presenting two nights of short films by emerging Japanese and Japanese American filmmakers. The first night features all-new works made within the last year, while the second night’s program spotlights female directors and is followed by a Q&A with Ema Ryan Yamazaki (Monk by Blood) and Hazuki Aikawa (Reflection). The first night’s program is followed by a reception.
June 4-7, 8:00 p.m. and 10:30 p.m.
Hiromi Trio Project featuring Anthony Jackson and Simon Phillips
Blue Note Jazz Club, 131 West Third Street
$40, $55
Part of the Blue Note Jazz Festival! A native of Hamamatsu, Japan, Grammy-winning pianist and composer Hiromi Uehara is one of the world’s top young international performers in jazz. As part of the Trio Project with bassist Anthony Jackson (Paul Simon, the O’Jays, Steely Dan, Chick Corea) and drummer Simon Phillips (the Who, Judas Priest, David Gilmour, Jack Bruce), her passionate and incendiary keyboard work has been a shining light on the jazz landscape since her 2003 debut. She takes up a four-night residency at the Blue Note in support of her latest album with the Trio Project, Alive, which was released in 2014.
June 5-6. 7:30 p.m.
Kota Yamazaki/Fluid hug-hug OQ
Japan Society, 333 East 47th Street
$25, $20 Japan Society members
Global traditions flow together in this latest work by Bessie Award-winning choreographer Kota Yamazaki. Inspired by Japanese ritual poetry readings held at the Imperial Palace, Yamazaki’s OQ (ōkyu is the phonetic reading of the Japanese word for “palace”) features dancers from diverse cultural and dance backgrounds including Western contemporary, butoh and hip-hop. Within a space designed by award-winning New York architect collective SO-IL that complements the dancers’ fluid motions, Yamazaki’s palace, with its own rituals and customs, comes to life before your eyes. The Friday, June 5 performance is followed by a MetLife Meet-the-Artists Reception.
For the complete story, click here.
JQ Magazine: JQ&A with Merry White on ‘Kissaten: Japanese Cafes Past and Present’
Article/Journalism, Events, Food & Drink, JQ Magazine Comments Off on JQ Magazine: JQ&A with Merry White on ‘Kissaten: Japanese Cafes Past and Present’
“Japanese coffee standards are the highest—when there is a new varietal on the market, it is often sent to Japan for testing. If a bean can make it in Japan, it can make it anywhere. The quality tasters are very keen, and there are fewer defective beans permitted than anywhere in the world.” (Courtesy of Merry White)
Brewing Up Something at Japan Society
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 associate at Asia Society in New York City.
When it comes to notable food and drink of Japan, for many “coffee” is not the first thing that comes to mind. Yet, on May 21, Merry (Corky) White, Professor of Anthropology at Boston University, will teach audiences at Japan Society in New York City just how robust their coffee culture is, and how exacting their measurements are. Get ready for something good at Kissaten: Japanese Cafes, Past and Present.
White’s no newbie to food and Japan—it’s been much of the foundation of her professional work. If you look her up on Amazon, you’ll see that she’s been publishing food-related books since the mid-1970s, and regularly offers contributions to publications the world over. Definitely a foodie—and someone who knows her stuff. When not researching coffee and cafes, she’s active teaching about Japanese society, women in Asia, food and culture, and the anthropology of travel and tourism. Check her out on Twitter, where she regularly posts food- and culture-related content.
To whet your appetite for this program, JQ recently caught up with White to learn more about the coffee world in Japan, and what we can expect to hear from this rich presentation.
At your lecture at Japan Society, what do you hope to teach the audience about Japanese coffee culture?
I hope to surprise at least a few people, who may not yet know that Japanese coffee is a well-rooted, well-developed cultural product with a deep history. The coffee experience is also about cafes, koohii hausu, and kissaten, places with a special meaning that have developed over time in Japan. These places have offered people various distinctive experiences, depending on the era. The first ones, in the Meiji period (1868-1912), gave people a window on Europe, decor, clothing, foods—which continued into the Taisho period (1912-1926) when the flappers and lounge lizards demonstrated a new modernity, and the urban cultures were changing to, for example, give women a place in public, too. It was fine for a young woman of good family in the daytime, anyway, to go to a cafe, though probably she might have a chaperone…
Can you describe an iconic Japanese-style kissaten?
Courtesy of Merry White
Kissaten are now places of memory, as well as ordinary community life. Brown kissa are the “sepia-toned” places where especially middle-aged people (I would say over 60s) like to go for a nice place to sit and get good service and maybe see friends. Young people like them, too, as they often share a love of the past (one they wouldn’t have had themselves) as a retro experience. Kissaten, though, also have more contemporary styles.
JQ Magazine: Book Review — ‘Gon, the Little Fox’
Article/Journalism, Books, JQ Magazine, Reviews Comments Off on JQ Magazine: Book Review — ‘Gon, the Little Fox’
“Written by the legendary children’s book author Nankichi Niimi when he was just seventeen years old, the story brings to life a little rascal who never passes up a chance to cause havoc.” (Museyon)
By Rashaad Jorden (Yamagata-ken, 2008-10) for JQ magazine. A former head of the JETAA Philadelphia Sub-Chapter, Rashaad is a graduate of Leeds Beckett University with a master’s degree in responsible tourism management. For more on his life abroad and enthusiasm for taiko drumming, visit his blog at www.gettingpounded.wordpress.com.
You probably remember reading some of Aesop’s Fables—such as “The Tortoise and the Hare” and “The Boy Who Cried Wolf”—during your childhood. Or more importantly, the lessons those fables are supposed to teach.
Likewise, your students in Japan likely read similar tales, and one of them might have been Gon, the Little Fox. Written by the legendary children’s book author Nankichi Niimi (1913-1943) when he was just seventeen years old, the story brings to life a little rascal who never passes up a chance to cause havoc, like setting fire to rapeseed husks held out in the sun, to dry to stealing a farmer’s cayenne peppers.
However, Gon realizes he’s gone too far when he kills an eel intended to be eaten by the ailing mother of a villager named Hyoju. To atone for his egregious misdeed, Gon repeatedly gathers, among other objects, mushrooms and chestnuts to leave at Hyoju’s house. But Gon’s attempts at forgiveness are never acknowledged and the story ends tragically. (Premature deaths were an unfortunate aspect of Niimi’s life; his mother passed away when he was four and he himself died when he was twenty-nine.)
“By dramatizing some of the people who were on the receiving end of that racial hatred, I think the book might give a concrete sense of what American power can do when it is unleashed against people in other parts of the world. I hope the experiences of Jiro and Mitsuko make readers think twice about that.” (Louis Templado)
By Julio Perez Jr. (Kyoto-shi, 2011-13) for JQ magazine. A bibliophile, writer, translator, and graduate from Columbia University, Julio has had experience working at Ishikawa Prefecture’s New York office while seeking opportunities with publications in New York. Follow his enthusiasm for Japan, literature, and comic books on his blog and Twitter @brittlejules.
A Professor Emeritus of Harvard University, Jay Rubin has also served as a distinguished translator of Japanese literature for more than a quarter century, most notably on the works of Haruki Murakami. June 2 marks the release of his debut novel The Sun Gods (Chin Music Press), which is set in Seattle during World War II and explores the relationships between a Seattle-based Japanese national named Mitsuko and her young adopted American toddler, Billy, who are both interned by the U.S. government at the beginning of the war. Years later, Billy begins a journey to newly reconstructed Japan to find his Japanese mother and learn the truth about their shared past.
As part of the book’s launch, Rubin will be making live appearances from coast to coast, starting with Japan Society in New York on May 7 for an event titled The Magical Art of Translation: From Haruki Murakami to Japan’s Latest Storytellers, featuring other guest authors and moderated by JET alum Roland Kelts (Osaka-shi, 1998-99).
In this exclusive interview, Rubin shares with JQ the legacy of the war on his own writing, the attention to historical detail that went into The Sun Gods (with a few liberties taken), and what makes translating Japanese such a liberating experience.
JQ magazine readers are primarily JETs, JET alumni, and others who have worked and resided in Japan or have a strong interest in the country. Could you tell us about what inspired you to study Japanese language and culture and about any time you spent living in Japan?
In my second year at the University of Chicago, I was going to take one course on something non-Western for the fun of it, and one of the courses that happened to be available was an introduction to Japanese literature (in English translation, of course). I was so fascinated by the literature and by the professor’s remarks on the original language that I immediately started studying that language. I sometimes wonder what would have happened if the course I stumbled into happened to be Chinese history. I spent four years studying the language in Chicago before going to the country itself on a Fulbright fellowship. My spoken Japanese was so bad, all I could say to the young woman bartender at the first bar I wandered into was, “Do you realize you just used the word ‘wake‘ (わけ) three times?” I studied in Tokyo for two years, often wish I had made it four. I’m still remarking on how many times people use wake in sentences. I studied mostly Meiji literature while I was in Tokyo, not Noh drama like The Sun Gods’ Bill, though Noh was a side interest, and I did a lot more work on it in later years.
To start off talking about The Sun Gods, how would you describe your new book to potential readers?
This may sound like ad copy, but I’m comfortable with the summary on the book’s front flap:
Opening in the stress-filled years before World War II, The Sun Gods brings together a white minister to a Seattle Japanese Christian church, his motherless young son, and a beautiful new arrival from Japan with a troubled past. The bombing of Pearl Harbor intrudes upon whatever happiness they might have had together, and the combination of race prejudice and war hysteria carry the action from Seattle to the Minidoka Internment Camp in Idaho. Nearly two decades later, the son is ready to graduate from college when memories of Minidoka and of his erstwhile Japanese mother begin to haunt him, and he embarks on a journey that will lead him from Seattle’s International District to war-ravaged Japan in his attempt to discover the truth about his past.
The internment of people of Japanese ancestry in America that occurred during World War II is rarely dwelled on as much as other events of the war, how would you explain the internment and the reasons it warrants further attention to someone unfamiliar with the topic? What is the most important message you hope to get across?
If there’s a “message,” it’s to convey a historical moment, central to which was the fact that our government established concentration camps within its borders in order to lock up members of a particular racial group, and that this was supported by both public opinion and the Supreme Court with no constitutional justification whatsoever. The government has since apologized openly and eloquently, thus making a repeat performance highly unlikely. Japanese-American organizations, it should be noted, were among the most outspoken against anti-Muslim racism following 9/11.
Justin’s Japan: Hello Hoppy
Article/Journalism, Events, Food & Drink, Justin's Japan Comments Off on Justin’s Japan: Hello Hoppy
Click image to read story
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.
Japan is legendary for its social drinking culture, and now fans of its most popular beverage—beer—have a new reason to toast.
Hoppy, a popular 110-year-old beverage that looks and tastes very much like beer, is making its debut in New York. While most beers contain about 5% alcohol content, Hoppy is practically non-alcoholic at 0.8%, and can be mixed with shochu and liqueurs.
Fuko Chubachi, creative director for 3 Day Monk, a local design and promotion business that organized a release party for Hoppy at East Village eatery Wasan on April 9, explains its arrival in America: “Hoppy’s CEO, Mina Ishiwatari, has a very modern approach to what otherwise is a very traditional family business. She wants to see Hoppy expand beyond the boundaries of Japan to break into the international market. And what better place than New York City, with its progressive food and beverage programs, to set the stage!”
Ishiwatari was present at the launch event, as were a throng of guests who enjoyed some custom Wasan cuisines that paired excellently with special Hoppy-based concoctions mixed at the bar.
Natalie Graham, architectural designer for 3 Day Monk, points out Hoppy’s low calorie content and zero purines, which can cause certain metabolic diseases such as gout: “Hoppy is ideal for young people, beer lovers, foodies, and those who care for their health!”
For more information, visit www.facebook.com/HoppyBeverageNewYork
