JQ Magazine’s Spring 2009 “Utada Issue” Now Available Online!
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The Spring 2009 Issue of JQ (JETAA NY Quarterly) Magazine is now available online at http://jetaany.org/magazine/.
O-tsuakare sama deshita to Editor Justin Tedaldi (CIR Kobe-shi, 2001-02) for all his hard work in putting out another outstanding issue, this one featuring a one-on-one interview he did with Hikaru Utada in New York.
Tanjo!! JQ‘s Spring 2009 Utada Issue is Here!
- What do an Oscar-winner, a celebrated ambassador-turned-president, an international author summit and one of the best-selling singer-songwriters the Eastern Hemisphere’s ever seen have in common? That’s right! They all (I heard) turned down Conan O’Brien to appear in the new issue of JETAANY’s quarterly magazine JQ!
- Months in the making but well worth the wait, our new issue also features our newly elected officers, Sakura Matsuri at Brooklyn Botanic Garden, a you-are-there piece on the Tokyo Marathon that you’re guaranteed to learn a thing or to from, and interviews with an Off-Broadway star, community honchos, noted authors and local JETs-made-good in both Japan and beyond.
- And how’s this for a main course: for the first time ever our feature interview was too long for the print issue, so we’ve posted the complete 13-page interview with Hikaru Utada at the handy link below. Whether you’re a Hikki-mania or just want to read what might be the most in-depth interview she’s ever done in English, we’ve got you covered. It all happens in the new issue of JQ. Dozo and enjoy!
SPRING 2009 ISSUE – click to download PDF
(Click Here to Read the Complete Hikaru Utada Interview)
Editor: Justin Tedaldi – magazine@jetaany.org
SPRING 2009 TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Page 3…..Letter From the Editor / Letter From the Country Rep
- Page 4…..Nippon News Blotter / JQ National Photo Contest Winners
- Page 5…..Comings & Goings – New Officers and JLGC Changes
- Page 6…..JETAANY Author Showcase by Gina Anderson and Justin Tedaldi
- Page 6…..TAIKOPROJECT in Philly by Renay Loper
- Page 7…..Japan Society’s New President Motoatsu Sakurai by Justin Tedaldi
- Page 8…..JETlog featuring Ed Thompson (Chiba-shi CIR, 1994-97)
- Page 9…..STOMP New York’s Yako Miyamoto by Liz Wanic
- Page 10…Running the Tokyo Marathon by Stacy Smith
- Page 11…Nihonjin in NY – Featuring Noriko Furuhata of the CGJ by Rick Ambrosio
- Page 11…Sakura Matsuri at Brooklyn Botanic Garden
- Page 13…Hikaru Utada: The JQ Interview by Justin Tedaldi
- Page 14…Adren Hart’s ConnectForce Productions Jazzes Up NY by Matt Matysik
- Page 15…JETAActivity Photos
- Page 16…An Animated Talk with Japanamerica Author Roland Kelts By Larry Heiman
- Page 17…Destination Nippon: JNTO and Kintetsu International by Sylvia Pertzborn
- Page 18…New York-Tokyo Founder Taeko Baba by Marea Pariser
- Page 19…Film Review: Departures by Lyle Sylvander
- Page 19…Book Corner: Shutting Out the Sun by David Kowalsky
- Page 20…Shutting Out the Sun Author Michael Zielenziger Q&A by Kelly Nixon
- Page 21…Awaji Puppet Theater at Japan Society by Beata Wilk
- Page 23…Top 14 List / Life After the B.O.E. / Let’s Make Chirashi!
- Major domo to (from left) Anson Mau, Kayoko & Rob Werner, Marea Pariser, Louie Reyes, Joe Marucheck, Justin Tedaldi, Steven Horowitz, Laura Pollak, Stacy Smith, and (off camera) Nancy Ikehara and Peter Mallik for pitching in to mail out the Utada Issue.
VAMPS is a star duo project of Oblivion Dust guitarist K.A.Z and L’Arc-en-Ciel vocalist Hyde.The fairly new side project that launched in February 2008 has been an interest for fans of the duo. This summer, VAMPS are scheduled to tour the United States to give a taste of their sound to those that normally wouldn’t have the chance to. For more info check: www.newyork-tokyo.com/wp/vamps/
TOUR SCHEDULE
July 11th, Saturday – New York NY @ The Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza
July 12th, Sunday – Hartford CT @ Warped Tour / New England Dodge Music Center
July 14th, Tuesday – Columbia MD @ Warped Tour / Merrlweather Post Pavilion
July 16th, Thursday – Baltimore MD @ Sonar Baltimore
July 19th, Sunday – Seattle WA @ The Showbox
July 20th, Monday – Portland OR @ Hawthorne Theater
July 25th, Saturday – San Francisco CA @ Regency Grand Ballroom
July 29th, Wednesday – San Diego CA @ SOMA
August 1st, Saturday – Los Angeles CA @ The Wiltern
Thanks to CLAIR-NY’s Taichi Hanzawa for posting this nifty video by Nakashima Miyuki on his Facebook status page:
UTADA POSTPONES IN-STORE PROMO
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INTERNATIONAL POP STAR POSTPONES U.S. PROMOTION FOR ALBUM RELEASE
Renowned international singer and songwriter, Hikaru Utada, who is set to release her new album This Is The One on May 12th (Island Def Jam Music Group), has been forced to postpone her promotions to launch the album along with a series of in-store appearances. The 26 year-old artist, who had planned to arrive today May 11th to promote and drive the album release, has been diagnosed with an acute case of left relapsing peritonsillitis.
Utada, who is Japan’s best selling artist ever, was set to make highly anticipated in-store appearances in New York City, Los Angeles, Seattle, San Francisco, and Honolulu to promote the May 12th album. Upon consultation with doctors and a brief hospitalization, she’s been advised not to travel or use her voice for at least two weeks. A full recovery is expected.
According to the artist’s representative, “Utada was very much looking forward to sharing her new album with her U.S fans and is very disappointed that her illness has forced her to postpone these promotional activities. She looks forward to rescheduling them as soon as she can.”
Fans are encouraged to check www.utada.com for more information.
By Kirsten Phillips (Niigata-ken, 2005-08)
Loving Japanese music from afar is hard.
If it sucks this bad in the red, white, and blue I can only imagine what my poor J-music loving kindred in Yugoslavia must be enduring. Living in Japan was my oyster! For years I had to pay massive amounts every time Shiina coughed out a single or assisted someone else in coughing one out (I am dedicated, if broke…) In addition, much of the Japanese music that gets any play whatsoever on these shores doesn’t usually cater to my taste. Sure, I love Cibo Matto and Shonen Knife but they are practically unheard of in Nippon. That’s because by now they’ve worked themselves so firmly into the American indie diaspora, they are never to return. They didn’t so much make it over there, they left and began over here.
And truly no offense? But PuffyAmiYumi can kiss my ass. No, no, I don’t hate them? But I’m also not 12, thank you. Read More
According to JETAA Ongaku Connection, Hikaru Utada is back in the U.S. and will be making the below store appearances. Meanwhile, stay tuned for the JQ (JETAA NY Quarterly) Magazine exclusive interview with Utada, coming out in two weeks!
UTADA IN STORE APPEARANCES
Tuesday, 5.12 @ 7:00 PM
Best Buy
529 5th Ave
New York, NY 10017-4608
For more info call: 212-808-0309
Wednesday, 5.13 @ 6:00 PM
Hard Rock Cafe Hollywood & FYE
1000 Universal Studios Blvd
Ste. 99
Universal City, CA 91608
For more info call 818.622.ROCK (7625) or 310.641.7170
Thursday, 5.14 @ 6:00 PM
Best Buy
1717 Harrison
San Francisco, CA 94103-4272
For more info call 415.626.9682
Friday, 5.15 @ 6:00 PM
FYE @ Southcenter Mall
2636 Southcenter Mall
Ste. 2110
Seattle, WA 98188-2823
For more info call 206.439.3636
Saturday, 5.16 @ 3:00 PM
Sam Goody
1450 Ala Moana Blvd.
Ste. 1049
Honolulu, HI 96814-4607
For more info call: 808.945.9027
Music: Hanami Taiko tonight at Drom (NYC)
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JET alum Ariel Shearman (a member of the the Soh Daiko taiko group) shared the following (FYI, Ariel studies under Kaoru Watanabe, a longtime member of KODO, based in Brooklyn, and Kaoru is in the group performing tonight):
http://dromnyc.com/home/index.php?option=com_gigcal&task=details&gigcal_gigs_id=736
Thursday May 7th 2009 (TONIGHT)
Naka Naka Series presents:
HANAMI DAIKO!
Yoshikazu and Yoko Fujimoto
(founding members of KODO)
and Special Guests
7:30pm
$15 Advanced Tickets, $20 at the Door
Music: ConnectForce Productions Presents…
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Producer Adren Hart (Nagano-ken, 1998-2000) is showcasing some new music talent this weekend at Drom in NYC’s East Village.
Friday, May 8th 7:30pm – $10 in advance/$12 at the door
Vocalist Catarina dos Santos sings a unique mix of African, Brazilian and Portuguese music with a groove that is bright, colorful and full of the joy of the tropics.
Saturday, May 9th 7:30pm – $10 in advance/$12 at the door
Described as “the kind of artist musicians love to play with and audiences love to appreciate” NY-based Japanese jazz vocalist Mamiko Taira takes center stage along with Tadataka Unno on Piano, Joseph Lepore on bass, and Luca Santaniello on Drums.
DROM
85 Ave. A (btwn 5th/6th Sts.)
NYC 10009
www.dromnyc.com
JetWit job poster Stephen Palanik (Fukushima Ken, 2004-08) learned of the following events through the Consulate General of Japan in Toronto website and thought they might be of interest to former JETs in the Toronto area. Stephen is a translator based in Hamamatsu city, Shizuoka Ken, and he periodically posts job listings and event information for JET alumni.
Click the respective links for more information related to the following events taking place in the Toronto area at the end of April and throughout May.
April 29 – The Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre hosts a Dedication to Bill Hashizume, the translator of an invaluable directory of Japanese living in Canada, published in 1921.
April 30 – The Tokyo String Quartet plays the secnd concert of a Beethoven cycle which will develop over two concerts each season of Music Toronto for three seasons.
May 1 – The Japan Foundation, Toronto presents ANTIMATTER: A Viewpoint on Contemporary Japanese Art, a lecture by Yuri Mitsuda, the Curator for the Shoto Museum of Art in Tokyo.
May 2 – It’s time once again for the annual JCCC Bazzar at the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre!
May 3 to 31 – East Meets West – The Art of Gerald and Setsuko Lazare at the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre is the coming together of two people from distinctly different cultures, in love with art, and how it affected their future lives and careers.
May 6 – After hugely successful performances for two years in a row, Katsura Sanshi, the Rakugo master, will be returning for the third time to Toronto for a single performance at the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre.
May 6 to 9 – The annual CanAsian International Dance Festival is known for the presentation of world-class, pan-Asian dance that ranges from rarely seen traditional dances, to cutting edge contemporary forms.
May 25 – The Canadian Soccer Association will host the Women’s National Soccer Team of Japan for an intermational friendly match.
U.S. High School Japanese Karaoke Contest – via YouTube
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Definitely some future JET alums in this crowd. It turns out there’s a national contest for U.S. high school students to submit “karaoke videos” in which they sing Japanese songs which are then judged by a panel of experts. (Come to think of it, I wonder if there are any JET alums now working as Japanese teachers who have students who submitted videos.)
You can see the full slate of the winner and finalists here: http://www.cheng-tsui.com/superstar/index.php?q=finalists
And the winning entry below:
Via Sabrina Carlin on the JETAA Pacific Northwest e-mail list:
For those Yoshida Kyodai fans out there, the Brothers are playing at the Triple Door on May 20th. There are two shows, 7 pm or 9:30. Tickets are $23 or $26 at the door. You can call over the phone for tickets for a small service fee. http://www.tripledoor.com/ The doors open at 5 pm, and they have a full dinner menu available. A few of us Alums are going to the first show. Want to join us?
For those of you who’ve never heard of them:
One more video clip below the fold: Read More
“Bankruptcy Lover” – by Bankruptcy Bill and The Fresh Starts
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Bankruptcy Bill is a cartoon created by Steven Horowitz (Aichi-ken, 1992-94) and Gideon Kendall. To see more strips as well as original bankruptcy haiku, go to bankruptcybill.wordpress.com.
Ladies and gentlemen, debtors and creditors, we are pleased to share the debut single by Bankruptcy Bill & The Fresh Starts….
“Bankruptcy Lover“
http://bankruptcybill.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/bankruptcylovermp3.mp3
(Click either the link above or the image below to listen.)
Bankruptcy Bill & The Fresh Starts groupies can get their…
Click here for the lyrics and explanatory notes as well as a note on copyright and use restrictions. Read More
Happy Fun Smile, will play at Columbia on April 10.
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/japansociety/matsuri.html
Date: Friday, April 10, 2009
Raindate: Friday, April 17, 2009
Time: 4:00 – 8:00 PM
Location: Low Plaza
Thanks to JQ (JETAA NY Quarterly) Magazine editor Justin Tedaldi (CIR Kobe-shi, 2001-02) for sharing this info for the benefit of all the Utada fans out there. Oh, and stay tuned for Justin’s exclusive, in-person interview with Utada-san in the Spring 2009 issue of JQ.
Utada will be appearing at the following Sephora Locations:
Sephora Hollywood & Highland
Tuesday, March 24 – 6-8PM
6801 – Hollywood Blvd.
Hollywood, CA 90028
Sephora 5th Avenue
Wednesday, March 25 – 6pm-8pm
597 5th Avenue
New York, NY 10017
Sephora South Beach
Friday, March 27 – 7-9pm
721 Collins Ave
Miami, FL 33139
More info at http://utada.com/news/default.aspx?nid=1698
Hey Folks,
Fresh from the desk of the JETAA Ongaku Connection Group, here are a few shows around NYC for music fans. Click here for more info or to join the group.
NOTEWORTHY SHOWS
– NIPPON JAZZ NYC Meet-Up – 1st & 3rd Sunday of the month, 8pm –
11pm. Yours truly hosts an event bringing together Japanophiles and
emerging Japanese talent.
Blue Owl Cocktail Lounge, 196 Second Ave @ 12th St., NYC 10003, $5
cover
www.meetup.com/Nippon-Jazz-NYC-Meetup-Group/
– CHIEMI NAKAI AFRO-CUBAN JAZZ PROJECT @ KITANO March 19, 2009, 8:00pm
– 11:00pm, The Kitano, 66 Park Ave. @38th St., NYC 10016, $15 min. www.myspace.com/chieminakai
– JAPAN NITE ’09 @BOWERY BALLROOM March 22nd, 8pm, 6 Delancey St. New York, NY 10002, NY, New York 10002, www.myspace.com/japannite
– ASOBI SEKSU @ BOWERY BALLROOM April 2, 8pm, 6 Delancey St. New York, NY 10002, NY, New York 10002, www.myspace.com/asobiseksu
