Konnichiwa everybody,
As some of my students already know, I have begun offering travel curation services for Tokyo (東京), and was recently hired by an American company for a project in Japan. I flew to Tokyo in early June for a brief, busy trip, and although I could only be there for a few days, it was great to be back! I am going there again this fall for the same work project, so I’ll talk about it more at that time. Stay tuned!
Until recently, the future of the world’s biggest fish wholesale market, Tsukiji (築地), was up in the air after Tokyo’s governor, Koike Yuriko (小池百合子), put a hold on its relocation to Toyosu (豊洲). Soil pollution was found on the new site. (You can read more about this saga in my newsletter from last year ). However, Koike just announced that the relocation (移転- iten) would be executed as planned, and Tsukiji would be redeveloped as a food theme park, instead of completely closing. While some question the business decision of maintaining two large sites, some are relieved that the internationally beloved Tsukiji brand will be preserved. And you, what do you think? You can have a look at the world famous fish market in the “Tsukiji Wonderland” trailer:
FASHION ／ ファッション
Last month, French fashion maison Louis Vuitton held its 2018 cruise show at the beautiful Miho Museum, in the prefecture of Shiga (滋賀県), southeast of Kyoto (京都). The secluded scenery and architecture (建築 – kenchiku) are so breathtaking, you have to check it out! Also, for the fashionistas, in this video, you will recognize world renown Japanese model and actress, Fukushima Rila (福島リラ), opening the runway show:
ART EXHIBITIONS ／ アート展
This summer, I’m particularly interested in two exhibitions (展覧会 – tenrankai): “Flower Power” at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco is a group exhibition that includes Japanese artists Yoshida Ayomi (吉田亜世美), Murakami Takashi (村上隆) —known for his past Louis Vuitton collaboration— and teamLab, whom I introduced in my May 2016 newsletter.
You can see Yoshida’s interview here:
| The other art show I am interested in is the solo exhibition (個展 – koten) of Japanese landscape-inspired artist Takahashi Nobuyuki (高橋信行), at the Rena Bransten Gallery in San Francisco from July 1 to August 19. “お茶の時間／take a break” is the result of Takahashi’s first trip to San Francisco in 2015, inspired by the landscape of the U.S. and the laid-back atmosphere of Northern California. http://renabranstengallery.com |
SHOUGI FEVER ／ 将棋フィーバー
A new star is born and has spread shougi fever across Japan: at 14 years old, Fujii Souta (藤井総太) is Japan’s youngest professional shougi player (棋士 – kishi). Shougi is a traditional Japanese game that is often compared to chess. Currently undefeated, Fujii won 29 matches consecutively since his professional debut last October, and just beat the record of 28 straight wins set by Kamiya Hiroshi (神谷広志) 30 years ago. Only a few months into his professional career, the teenager already has a fan club and his official goods (グッズ – guzzu), released by the Japan Shougi Association (日本将棋連盟 - Nihon Shougi Renmei), are sold out.
MOURNING ／ 哀悼
Japan is mourning after the death of 34-year old former newscaster and actress Kobayashi Mao (小林麻央). Kobayashi was a high profile TV personality, sister to TV personality Kobayashi Maya (小林麻耶) and married to kabuki star Ichikawa Ebizo (市川海老蔵). She battled cancer for 2 years and a half, and had started to write about her experiences last September. In Japan, it is rare for celebrities to open up about cancer while still being sick; her blog became quickly one of the most popular. Through her openness and positivity, Kobayashi raised awareness and gave hope to those fighting their own illness. She had been nominated as one of the“100 Women 2016” by the BBC and everyone closely followed her struggle, believing she would overcome the illness. Unfortunately, she passed away on June 23, leaving behind her husband, two young children, and a nation in sadness. You can read about the BBC’s nomination here:
http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-37861457
That’s all for today—thank you for reading. Looking forward to seeing you soon at our next lesson!
最後まで読んでくださり、どうもありがとうございます。皆さまにまたお会いできるのを楽しみにしています。よろしくお願いいたします！
★MY PREVIOUS NEWSLETTER CAN BE SEEN HERE
★CALENDAR
■ June 28-29 / “Princess Mononoke” in Oakland
■ ~ June 29 / “Your Name” in Oakland & SF
■ July 1 / “Internment, Japanese Americans” in SF
■ July 1-Aug 19 / “お茶の時間／take a break” in SF
■ July 6 / “Dragon Ball Z” in Oakland
■ July 8-9 / “News from Fukushima” in SF
■ July 12-Aug 6 / “The Four Immigrants” in Palo Alto
■ July 14-15 / “Akira” in SF
■ July 20 / “Shamisen of Bachido + Awakko Ren” in SF
■ ~ October 1 / “Flower Power” in SF
■ ~ March 31, 2018 / “Exclusion” in SF