Japan News Roundup: Daiichi Plant Leaking, No Japan in Presidential Debates, Okinawa’s Firefighters Bare Chests & Hearts

Via.

• Nuclear News: Reuters reported that Fukushima’s Daiichi plant "may still be leaking radiation" into sea 19 months after it was crippled by the tsunami. Japan’s nuclear regulators say the situation is “precarious” (Bloomberg). The New York Times shared the latest study findings that fish near the plant continue to show elevated levels of cesium, noting that "Japan still has bans on the sale of 36 species of fish". Related, The Economist profiled the heroism and humility of the "Fukushima 50"—the plant workers who risked their lives immediately following the nuclear crisis, and Fast Company looked at the robotic innovations developed to address the crisis.

• In a lengthy feature, National Geographic answers the question "Why Are China and Japan Sparring Over Eight Tiny, Uninhabited Islands." As tensions over the islands continue to simmer, The Economist reported that “businesses struggle to contain fallout from the diplomatic crisis” with "almost 30,000 Japanese firms in China". Meanwhile, the South China Morning Post reported that Japan's coastguard saved 64 Chinese seamen from burning freighter.

• "America's top diplomat in Asia" chided Japan over revolving-door politics (Reuters), with U.S. assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Kurt Campbell quoted as saying "If you only have one meeting and you're off to a new minister in a couple of months, it's hard to develop that sense of confidence, that sense of intimacy that frankly ... is an intrinsic component of effective diplomacy."

• Last Friday, the U.S. imposed night curfew on its troops in Japan after arrests from suspicion of rape. This week Kyodo News reported Japanese and U.S. officials agreed to “work closely in reviewing rules governing the off-duty activities of American service members stationed in Japan.” Stars and Stripes, an independent news agency of the U.S. armed forces, noted "the U.S. military hasn’t always been so quick to express regret about accusations of serious crimes committed by troops in Japan – although it seems to be learning it has more to gain from doing so than not."

• As the 2012 U.S. presidential debates came to a close, the Wall Street Journal’s Japan Real Time blog pointed out that while there were 53 mentions of China over the three debates, there were 0 references to Japan.

• Word spread quickly online (and was even picked up by Associated Press) when a photo appeared of Japanese-American WWII vet Frank Tanabe casting his absentee ballot for the 2012 election from his hospice bed. He passed away at age 93 this week.

Photo by Amal Chen via The Epoch Times.

• The Epoch Times carried a moving article from Japan Society's event with atomic bomb survivors and President Truman's grandson sharing stories with New York high school students. A full webcast of the event is now available. Stars and Stripes carried related reports of American WWII POWs sharing their stories of imprisonment with Japanese children, and a Japanese child of war speaking of sacrifices for all sides during war.

• Japan Times reports that 25% of Japanese government funds earmarked for reconstruction and recovery in the disasters-struck northeast region are not benefiting those directly affected. Meanwhile, New Orleans students fundraised to donate jazz instruments to Japan's tsunami-zone kids in need (ABC News).

• Jiji Press reported that "Japan was at the bottom among the Group of Eight major countries" as it fell to 101st place in the World Economic Forum's 2012 global gender equality rankings. Related, a Japanese court rejected a suit challenging outdated remarriage ban on women (WSJ).

• "More than 50,000 years of history" were pulled out of a Japan lake, according to the Los Angeles Times, and the unusual proprieties of the sediment will help scientists improve the practice of carbon dating.

• National Geographic profiles Japan's Otton frog, an endangered species with the rare amphibial trait of having a spike in its even rarer fifth phalange on its front legs, for fighting and mating. Discover christened it the 'Wolverine Frog'.

• New York Times' LENS photo blog wanders in Japan's haunting 'Suicide Forest'.

• In food news, Burger King Japan unveiled their pumpkin burger (HuffPost), Globe and Mail profiled Hidekazu Tojo, inventor of the California roll (plus recipes!), and the Financial Times reviewed Barak Kushner's Slurp!, the author's exhaustive study of the history and culture of Japanese ramen.

• This week Amazon released its first Japanese-language Kindle (PC Magazine).

• Jalopnik got a rare tour of Nissan's Private Heritage Museum in Japan, and shared some amazing photos.

• The Atlantic takes and in-depth look at the fandom and culture growing around Japan's pop superstar hologram, especially burgeoning "do-it-yourself musicians".

• With Halloween around the corner, Kotaku looks at why Halloween has finally become popular in Japan (and conjectures why it wasn't before: because nobody wanted to dress as yurei, Japan's soul destroying ghosts). Japan Times lists Halloween parades happening this year in Japan, and profiles the fearsome Onibaba, Japan's legendary 'Demon-hag'.

• Giving their NYC counterparts a run for their money, Okinawa firefighters bare their chests for a sizzling 2013 charity calendar. According to RocketNews24, money raised goes to the nonprofit MESH Support, an emergency helicpoter ambulance service vital for the health and safety of the multi-island prefecture's inhabitants.

--SJ

Japanese Oktoberfest at Yotel New York

Nothing says “Oktoberfest” like giant blonde men and bratwurst.

Or maybe . . . . . mini Kimchee empanadas and a smooth, unfiltered rice ale?

The latter proved preferable at midtown Manhattan’s Yotel as they launched their first annual Japanese Oktoberfest on a humid and rainy Tuesday this week.

“We decided to put our own unique spin on Oktoberfest, using our Japanese design aesthetic as inspiration,” said Jo Berrington, Marketing Director at YOTEL. In its second year of operation, the hotel, home to restaurant Doyho and Manhattan’s most expansive outdoor drinking space, thought that celebrating the traditional German holiday would be the perfect excuse to extend Terrace’s hours into the fall–they had been strictly cut off at summer’s end in the previous year.

On the night of Oktoberfest’s launch, rain interrupted the city; sleek white picnic tables were taken under Terrace’s sturdy tent, which was effective in keeping all visitors, pork tenderloins, and Weizens dry.

A little past the evening’s halfway point, a young waiter could just barely be seen emerging onto Terrace from Dohyo inside. Approximately 60 seconds later, he disappeared again. This happened once or twice more. When he made it over to the bar, he apologized as he offered New York-style pretzels, paired with chipotle mayo or miso mustard.

“I finally told the kitchen they had to give me a tray that held 18. Ten was not cutting it,” he relayed about his inability to get much further than the doorway when carrying what was clearly the favorite of the night’s Richard Sandoval-prepared food pairings.

Other employees of Terrace were equally attentive and helpful. The bar’s regular servers seemed just as knowledgeable as the brewery’s representatives, happily explaining the differences between Hitachino’s typical Oktoberfest offerings—Nest Weizen and a Belgian-style White Ale—and the company’s Real Ginger Brew, a little something for those seeking more traditional Japanese flavorings.

But perhaps the most popular beer of the night was the Rogue Red Fox, distributed by an American brewery in Oregon—fitting, as it has the added appeal of exclusivity: The red ale is brewed specifically for the Japanese island of Hokkaido and is available only on that island and in New York.

Japanese Oktoberfest runs Wednesday, October 3 – Tuesday, October 9 from 5 pm to 9 pm, and will be available during brunch hours over the holiday weekend. Reservations are required, and can be secured by calling Dohyo at 646.449.7790.

—Marisa Rindone

Destination JS: Macaron Edition

Destination JS explores the sites, shops, and eateries surrounding Japan Society.

How many times have my friends and I argued over the difference between a macaroon and a macaron? More than once, but fewer times than the number of flavors available at Macaron Café NYC. Its brand new location between 46th and 47th streets on Third Avenue, just one avenue from Japan Society, specializes in its namesake confection and also offers a wide variety of sandwiches and “lunch boxes”.

Not surprisingly, given their bright color, diminutive package and delicious flavor, macarons (マカロン or makaron in Japanese) are extremely popular in Japan, not only to eat at any given time (they’re sold at Starbucks, among many other chain eateries and cafés), but also for their adorable form. You can buy mobile straps, stickers, pillows, and nail decorations all in the little sandwich shape. It isn’t surprising to see a young woman with a decorative macaron attached to her keitai these days.

Parisian-style macarons are said to have been invented by the brand Laduree in the early 20th century, and have experienced a boom in popularity since the early 2000s. Japanese makaron differ slightly from French macarons, but the difference in taste is pretty subtle. Many times a Japanese makaron contains actual fruit inside the whipped middle, whereas the French version does not. A type served in Japan replaces the typical almond flour with peanut flour, prepared in a wagashi flavor.

Being the dedicated macaron lover that I am, I decided to make a quick stop at Macaron Café to see what they had. Even though it was a gray and muggy day, walking into the shop immediately lightened my mood. Maybe it was the pale pink, the chic French-inspired décor, or the smell of hundreds of delectable sweets right before my very eyes, but I was instantly transported to my own little Candyland heaven.

Patrons are given the option of either a 6-piece, 12-piece or 24-piece box. I went for the six box, and spent maybe a little too long trying to pick out which would be the perfect representative collection. I ended up leaving with a box of Matcha, Dark Chocolate, Cassis, Honey Lavender, Rose and Blackberry. My absolute top recommendation is the Honey Lavender flavor. It’s intensely aromatic and just the right blend of sweet and musky-floral.

You can follow Macaron Café on Twitter and tumblr, like them on Facebook, or, the best possible option, visit their new store on your way to Japan Society. They also ship anywhere to the U.S. and Canada.

Paris, daisuki desu!

--Sarah Anderson 

The new boutique in Midtown East. Via.

Nuclear-Free Plea Intensifies In 67th Anniversary of Atomic Bombings

Hiroshima, August 6, 2012. Via.

The inscription on the cenotaph at Hiroshima’s Peace Park reads “Rest In Peace, for the error shall not be repeated.” Tens of thousands came to the park Tuesday on the 67th anniversary of the atomic bombing to stand in solidarity with victims and to uphold this message.

With representatives from over 71 countries, including Ambassador John Roos--marking the second consecutive year a U.S. representative was in attendance--the ceremony commenced with one minute of silent reflection and prayer, followed by the ringing of the Peace Bell at 8:15 am, when the atomic bomb was dropped.

Among the speakers were Japan’s Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda and Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui. Both spoke at length about the importance of Japan’s pushing the world towards complete nuclear disarmament, and both shared a common sentiment: that the event never be forgotten or ignored.

"We must never forget the horrors of nuclear weapons and we must never repeat this tragedy that has been engraved into the history of mankind," said Noda. "As the only country to be victimized by an atomic bomb and experiencing its ravages, we have the noble responsibility to the human race and the future of the Earth to pass on the memories of this tragedy to the next generation."

Matsui read the Peace Declaration, saying, “We pledge to convey to the world the experiences and desires of our hibakusha [atomic bomb victims], and do everything in our power to achieve the genuine peace of a world without nuclear weapons."

A main focus of the ceremony is always to strive for a nuclear-free world, but as with last year, an equally pressing matter is related to modern nuclear technology.

In his speech, Mayor Matsui likened the survivors of the recent Fukushima disaster to the hibakusha, saying, "Here in Hiroshima, we are keenly aware that the survivors of that catastrophe still suffer terribly, yet look toward the future with hope. We see their ordeal clearly superimposed on what we endured 67 years ago. Please hold fast to your hope for tomorrow. Your day will arrive, absolutely."

He continued by not only urging the country’s government strongly towards the abolition of nuclear weapons, but also to “promote a safe energy policy”.

Noda responded in his speech, saying, “Based on the fundamental principle of not relying on nuclear power, we will aim in the mid- to long term to establish an energy structure that will assure the safety of the people.”

Meanwhile, attendees were also vocal about their hope for a nuclear-free world, holding an anti-nuclear rally outside of the Peace Park the days before and after the memorial. Many felt that the promise “the error shall never be repeated” had been broken when the nuclear meltdown happened in March 2011.

One of the remaining hibakusha, 87-year old Sunao Tsuboi, spoke to AFP to warn against the usage of nuclear power. “In terms of being nuclear victims we [from Hiroshima and Fukushima] are the same,” he said. “Nuclear technology is beyond human wisdom… I want to see a nuclear-free world while I’m still alive.” Another hibakusha, Toshiyuki Mimaki (70), added “We want to work with people in Fukushima and join our voices in calling for no more nuclear victims.”

This ceremony was different from many of the years before because of the controversial status of the nuclear disaster in Fukushima--Sachiko Sato, a Fukushima evacuee said, “In my mind, Fukushima is like a third nuclear victim following Hiroshima and Nagasaki."--but it was also different because of the presence of one of the attendees.

Clifton Truman Daniel, 55, is the oldest grandson of Truman and the first member of the Truman family to ever attend the Hiroshima memorial. Although he declined to comment on whether or not he agreed with his grandfather’s decision, he did tell Kyodo News at an earlier press conference that the reason he came this year was because he “needed to know the consequences of his grandfather’s decisions as part of his own effort to create a nuclear-free world.”

“I’m two generations down the line. It’s my responsibility to do all I can to make sure we never use nuclear weapons again,” he continued.

August 9 marks the 67th memorial of the Nagasaki bombing, and similar services will take place. John Roos plans to attend, marking the the first time an American Ambassador has visited Nagasaki. Clifton Truman Daniel will also join him as representatives of the U.S.

--Sarah Anderson

Japan’s 2012 Olympic Flips, Dips and Kicks

Japan's "samurai gymnast"Uchimura in flight. Via.

Gymnastics played an important role in the evolution of postwar Japan, notes a recent New York Times magazine article profiling Kohei “Superman” Uchimura. Between 1960 and 1978, Japan’s men’s team won five consecutive gold medals in the Olympics and five consecutive world championships at a time when it was “a really important way for japan to establish itself in the world as a country that stood for global peace,” according to article author Lisa Katayama in an accompanying video. Somehow the state of Japanese gymnastics withered and is only now starting to re-assert itself on the national stage, with wunderkind Uchimura at the helm.

Many experts believe Uchimura may be the best gymnast that has ever lived, with NBC commentator Tim Daggett telling The Times, “A lot of gymnasts are colorful, aggressive, dynamic—but they don’t have the look that he has… His legs are always pencil straight, his toes are always perfectly pointed when he’s doing these crazy, crazy things.”

But Uchimura’s performance during the London 2012 qualifications round got off to a shaky start when he seemed to fall from the pommel horse during a dismount to fourth place. An appeal by his coaches was accepted and bumped him up to the silver, pushing Great Britain to the bronze.

Uchimura eventually proved his reputation in the men’s all-around competition and won the gold with a 92.690 score. In addition, he won a silver medal in the floor routine, and Japan won a collective silver medal in the Men’s Team category.

In Judo, the only Olympic event that originated in Japan, the men won two silver and two bronze while the women won one of each medal. Gold went to Kaori Matsumoto in the -57 kg weight class after Romanian challenger Corina Caprioriu was disqualified for attacking through the back of the legs. The comparatively low overall performance from previous years prompted some Japanese journalists to proclaim “Japanese Judo is dead.”

Of the games to date, Japan has won the most medals in swimming, which does not figure as prominently in Japan’s international esteem as judo or gymnastics. The men have won silver  in the 200m backstroke, the 4x100m medley relay, and bronze  in the 200m butterfly, 200m breaststroke, 100m backstroke, and the 400m individual medley. The women have won a silver in the 200m backstroke and four bronze medals in the 200m butterfly, 100m breaststroke, 100m backstroke, and the 4x100m medley relay.

Rounding out Japan’s achievements thus far are medals in archery (men’s individual silver, women’s team bronze), hammer throw (men’s bronze), badminton (women’s doubles silver), fencing (men’s team foil silver), weightlifting (women’s 48kg silver), wrestling (men’s 60kg Greco-Roman bronze) and table tennis (women’s silver).

But all eyes are on the women’s soccer team, the Nadeshiko, looking to repeat their success at the Women’s World Cup last year. At the time of this writing, they are preparing to face the United States in the final, having defeated France 2-1 in the semi-finals.

Unfortunately, the men’s team lost to Mexico 3-1 on Wednesday, ending dreams of a “Double Japan” soccer final.

--Lyle Sylvander

JAPAN CUTS Goes Down With The 'Space Battleship'

Someone just found  out JAPAN CUTS is about to end. Image © 2011 Monkey Town Productions / Women on the Edge Production Committee.

As the sixth and largest ever JAPAN CUTS film festival heads into its final days, it presents arguably the quintessential range of new films from Japan. After tonight's sold-out screening of Leonie, a lyrical biopic about famed American sculptor Isamu Noguchi's mother, the festival concludes Saturday, July 28, with five films.

Lonely Swallows, receiving its U.S. Premiere, is a documentary following the "heartbreaking, devastating and hopeful" stories of Japanese-Brazilian kids living in Japan, and the complicated, often-ignored immigration issues that surround them.

Women on the Edge and A Gentle Rain Falls for Fukushima, both North American Premieres from the "Focus on Post 3.11 Cinema Series", are fictional narratives that use the Fukushima crisis as a backdrop, clarifying and commenting on the main stories. The former film was shot in director Masahiro Kobayashi’s family home in the disaster-stricken area and tells the story of three estranged sisters who gather for an unplanned reunion. The latter stars Kosuke Toyohara as an architect who runs away from his creditors and meets a host of quirky characters, including a young woman who claims that he is her son. Both films deal with unconventional interpersonal interactions and familial relationships.

In a previous article, festival curator Samuel Jamier commented on the emergence of "post-3/11 cinema" that encompasses not only documentaries but fictional films as well. Expanding on this he says, “Unlike what happened after the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the U.S., there was an immediate response in Japan from filmmakers to 3/11 disasters–to archive, to record, to deal with the trauma–interesting for a country in which distance, hindsight, caution, are so often emphasized. On top of that, major filmmakers (like Kobayashi with Women on the Edge and Yoshihiro Nakamura, whose Chips was featured earlier in the festival) took a 180 and remolded their narratives to 'accommodate' the story of 3/11. A few years from now (and this might also be true outside the film industry), there will likely be a pre- and post-3/11 era. I’m not sure if it’s a fracture or a new beginning, but it’s a major turning point."

The screening of Gentle Rain is preceded by the documentary short We Are All Radioactive. A few months after the quake, director Lisa Katayama filmed a group of surfer-turned-activists as they started to rebuild their coastal town of Motoyoshi. Katayama also gave cameras to a group of residents in town to shoot their own personal vignettes.

Also premiering in North America Saturday is Taichi Suzuki’s The Brat!, a uniquely dark comedy. Hiroki Konno plays Daisuke, a young documentarian who blames his unsuccessful career on his ugliness. He regains his sense of worth when he coaches a young actress named Momoko (Sayaka Toshiro), who is starring in a film by a more successful and better-looking rival. Suzuki’s off-kilter stylistic camerawork and Konno’s deadpan performance make for a subversively entertaining film.

"Overall, this year has been a tremendously fun and rewarding experience," says festival curator Samuel Jamier. "I think we found the right balance between big blockbuster titles and indies, and the final day of the festival reflects that equilibrium: on the one hand we have a bold, from-out-of-nowhere indie title like The Brat!, on the other hand the star-studded, multi-million sci-fi flick, Space Battleship Yamato."

The live action rendition of the classic TV anime Space Battleship Yamato has already sold out tomorrow's North American Premiere screening. Sporting a spectacularly huge budget of ¥2 billion, the movie was an enormous hit in Japan, even beating out Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows at the box office. The storyline reads like a Japanese version of Battlestar Galactica, as the brave ship Yamato travels the galaxy looking for a planet that will save humanity from the evil alien Gamilons. Special effects and breathtaking action sequences abound in this audience-pleaser.

As the Yamato sets sail, JAPAN CUTS 2012, like all good things, must come to an end. Until next year… owari!

終

--Lyle Sylvander 

© 2010 "Space Battleship Yamato" Production Committee.

Japanese Language in Action: Summer Theater Workshop For High Schoolers

SPAC's Medea, performed at Japan Society in 2011. Photo by Takuma Uchida.

When we think theater we think of bright costumes and big sets, flashy musical numbers, tear-jerking soliloquys, black box realness or broad, bawdy comedy. On Broadway alone right now, it's spider men spinning impossible spectacle, invisible family-binding bunnies, all that jazz, music of the night and much more. But when you get down to it, theater is fundamentally story, which can be told through many different languages: movement, character, plot, design. And sometimes, in the best theater, the story unfolds simply in language itself (think Shakespeare).

This year’s Japan Society summer high school workshop teaches the most fundamental tool for storytelling, language (specifically Japanese) through theater and performance techniques. Although participants may be of any proficiency level, the program is recommended for beginner to intermediate level speakers.

Led by Mami Fujisaki, a high school Japanese teacher at Horace Mann School and a recipient of the Bellet Award for Teaching Excellence (2004), participants split their days between basic Japanese courses and purely theatrical workshops. In the morning Fujisaki teaches students dialogue and conversational skills. In the afternoon, guest instructors present an array of mini-workshops focusing on storytelling through acting, movement, and even traditional non-theater techniques and pop music, among other topics. Guest instructors include Jun Kim, Sonoko Kawahara and Kanako Hiyama, who participate as actors, directors or dancers in New York Japan-based theatre troupes; Alex York, a veteran Japan Society language student and New York based Japanese pop-rock singer; and Tara McGowan, a traditional storyteller and practitioner of kamishibai (storytelling through illustrated picture cards).

Over the course of the workshop, students learn two plays--Issun Boushi and John Manjiro--which they perform on the final day of the workshop, August 18. Though they will have a hand in creating costumes, set, and lighting, their primary focus will be bringing characters to life and understanding them from the mind of the author as well as the actor. Having polished performance skills, learned basic Japanese, and mastered lines and delivery, they will demonstrate a deeper understanding of the language, and ultimately connecting to people through storytelling.

--Sarah Anderson

Each summer Japan Society’s Education Program offers workshops for high school students aiming to help them connect with a particular facet of Japanese culture. In previous years, students have discovered tops topics such as anime, fashion and cooking. For more information on the Society’s education programming, visit http://www.japansociety.org/page/programs/education_family.

No American Comparison For Japan's Leading Living Actor

Koji Yakusho. Photo by Kazuto Suetake.

While our JAPAN CUTS roundup last week only touched on this weekend's mini-retrospective honoring living Japanese screen legend Koji Yakusho, today's New York Times carries an extensive critic's notebook by Mike Hale heralding the arrival of Yakusho to NYC:

Few people know more about movies, or have a more prominent place in the world of Japanese film, than Koji Yakusho... Regularly cited over the last 15 years as Japan’s leading actor… Mr. Yakusho’s name is not familiar in the United States, but many American filmgoers, whether they know it or not, have seen his long, wonderfully expressive face and his full head of floppy black (now graying) hair.

Born Koji Hashimoto in 1956, the former municipal government worker became interested in acting after seeing a production of Maxim Gorky’s The Lower Depths. In a nod to his previous career, he took the stage name Yakusho, which means “municipal ward office” in Japanese. After studying at the prestigious Mumeijyuku acting studio, he landed the role of historical figure Oda Nobunaga in the popular NHK series Tokugawa Ieyasu (1983). The role made him a household name in Japan and launched his career in television and film. While best known to foreign audiences for the Hollywood films Memoirs of a Geisha and Babel, his career spans an immense collection of dignified work.

Due to the sheer volume of titles (over 70 films in 33 years), Yakusho does not appear to have any contemporaries in the West. When considering similar U.S. leading men, the staff at Japan Society couldn't decide: DeNiro, Eastwood, Redford and Hanks all seemed to align themselves to various aspects of Yakusho's persona and career. In the end, there was just no comparison.

Even among his peers in Japan, Yakusho stands out for the range of quality films and television dramas. The latter half of the 1990s was his most audacious period and solidified his reputation as Japan’s premier actor. First came the feel-good hit Shall We Dance? (1996), which inspired a dance craze in Japan and a Richard Gere Hollywood remake. The film’s popularity no doubt stemmed from Yakusho’s performance as a worn-out salary man who finds renewed vigor and lust for life when he enrolls in a late night dance class.

Following that triumph, he starred in a drastically different role in Shohei Imamura’s Palm d’Or-winning The Eel (1997). Imamura, one of the maverick directors from the Japanese New Wave of the 1960s, cast Yakusho as a man on the path to redemption following the murder of his adulterous wife. He won a Japanese Academy Award for both performances. 1997 also marked the release of A Lost Paradise, based on the novel by Junichi Watanabe. It features Yakusho as a middle-aged man who has an affair with a woman twenty years younger, ending in tragedy. The film came in second to Hiyao Miyazaki’s Princess Mononoke at the Japanese box office and critics universally praised his performance. That year he also won the prestigious Hochi Film Award for Best Actor for Bounce Ko Gal, a topical film that dealt with high school prostitution. Yet again that year, Yakusho began his collaboration with Kiyoshi Kurosawa with Cure, in which he played an emotionally repressed detective searching for a deranged serial killer. Further films with Kurosawa include the horror-thrillers Charisma, Kairo (a.k.a. Pulse), and Doppleganger .
Koji Yakusho appears tonight at JAPAN CUTS' New York Premiere screening of his latest film The Woodsman and the Rain, followed by a Q&A session and reception. The actor also appears at the July 21 screening of his hit samurai film 13 Assassins. JAPAN CUTS also presents Yakusho’s Shall We Dance?, Chronicle of My Mother, and Cure.

Recently Yakusho directed and starred in the film Toad’s Oil, also screening at JAPAN CUTS a drama about a greedy day trader whose son has a serious accident that results in a coma. Faced with a challenge that cannot be solved by money, Yakusho’s character begins an exploration of emotions and challenges that are new to him. The film received enthusiastically positive reviews from critics and one wonders if the next stage of Yakusho’s career will emulate that of Clint Eastwood or his Japanese contemporary Takeshi Kitano. Considering his long list of accomplishments, it would not be surprising if this versatile actor became one of World Cinema’s preeminent director-performers as well.

--Lyle Sylvander

Dots Mark The Spot: Yayoi Kusama’s Triumphant Return To NYC

Yayoi Kusama holds sway over all. Via.

The Louis Vuitton store on Fifth Avenue has a new look. What appears to be strips of dot matrix snake skin sliced from a coiled, psychedelic cobra, curls around the building. The offbeat aesthetic stems from an unprecedented collaboration between Vuitton and Yayoi Kusama, one of Japan’s foremost pop artists.

Still active at the age of 83, Kusama is known in the U.S. for her meticulous (some might say obsessive) dot-infused creations from the 60s, when she lived in New York at the height of the city’s avant-garde movement, traveling in the same circles as Andy Warhol, Claes Oldenburg and Mark Rothko. According to Holland Cotter writing for the New York Times:

It was during that American sojourn… that she did her best-known work: eyelet-patterned abstract paintings, furniture bristling with soft-sculpture phalluses, and polka-dot designs suitable to any and every surface… In the New York City of the mid-’60s she and her art were everywhere. Newspapers clamored for photographs of her wearing dots, painting dots, mingling with the dot-covered nude dancers in street performances that were part protest, part circus.

After her move back to Japan in 1973, she checked herself into a psychiatric hospital where she continues to work to this day. Talking to Women’s Wear Daily about everything from her time in New York City to collaborating with big business, Kusama said of her living situation:

I think that if I didn’t live in the hospital, I couldn’t continue painting. I have hallucinations and these symptoms. The fact that I feel safe in my surrounding allows me to keep painting.

Despite the psychedelic nature of her work (or perhaps because of it), she remains popular, and the Louis Vuitton project, a commission by creative director Marc Jacobs, is only the latest commercial collaboration with mainstream fashion houses.

Marking her first Manhattan visit in more than 30 years, Kusama was on hand for the launch of Vuitton’s new line of Kusama-inspired clothing and accessories (the store also features two window displays of her work: “nerves”, sprouting elongated pink-and-dotted tubules and “self-obliteration”, chock full of mini Kusama dolls), which coincided with a comprehensive retrospective of her work at the Whitney Museum of American Art. Running through September 30, the exhibit features many of her well-known paintings and sculptures, as well as  immersive large-scale installations. Kusama says these installations recreate her hallucinatory experiences, due to mental illness, at the visual and sensory levels, capturing “the feeling of losing your bearings and losing yourself in the process”. The most recent of these, Fireflies on the Water (2002), consists of hundreds of lights reflected by mirrored walls and pools of water, creating an ethereal and spiritual environment (video).

Kusama has a special connection to Japan Society, which owns one of her early paintings entitled Net S.P. (1961). While smaller than her usual works, it bears her hallmark repeating-pattern aesthetic and has an obvious connection to later works such as the Infinity Net series, according to Reiko Tomii, who co-authored the catalogue to Japan Society’s 2007 exhibit Making a Home, featuring Kusama. The circumstances under which the Society acquired the painting are not quite known, but it assumed that the artist donated it after receiving support from the Society when she first arrived to the U.S.

Over 40 years later in 2008, the Society presented the U.S. premier of the documentary Near Equal Kusama Yayoi: I Adore Myself , which won the JAPAN CUTS Audience Award and introduced her to many that may have been unfamiliar with her life and work.

It seems at last Kusama’s star has risen for a new generation.

--Lyle Sylvander

KUSAMA Yayoi, Net S.P., 1961, oil on canvas, 30 X36 1/8" (76.2 x 91.8 cm), Japan Society JS 12.200; gift of the artist. Photo by Steven Williams.

Tanabata Tutorial: 7 Ways To Wish Upon A Star

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7 types of Star Festival Decorations. Via.

According to an ancient legend, wishes come true during Tanabata, Japan's summer "Star Festival", which occurs every year on the seventh day of the seventh month (those following the lunar calendar observe in August, but people in the U.S. celebrate in July.) On that day, festival-goers write their wishes on a colorful piece of paper called tanzaku and tie it to a branch of a bamboo tree.

Although the legend varies slightly from region to region, it is celebrated all over Japan (and at Japan Society this Sunday!) The story goes that Hikoboshi, the star of Altair, and Orihime, the star of Vega, are two lovers separated by the Milky Way. Orihime was a skilled weaver, but because she spent most of her time weaving, she had no time to love. Her father, Emperor Tentei, saw how sad she was about this and arranged a marriage for her with Hikoboshi. But now Orihime had no time to weave because of her newfound love, so Tentei forbid the two from seeing each other, except for one day a year as long as they wished hard enough every other day. Tanabata celebrates the lovers’ reuniting.

Seven is the magic number for Tanabata, so there are seven types of decorations with special significance:

Tanzaku - wishes for academic success and technical skills.

Kinchaku - shaped like a purse, this decoration is a wish for success with money.

Kamigoromo - shaped like a tiny Kimono, this is for better sewing skills, success with style.

Toami - the net papers, these represent success for good fishing and harvest.

Orizuru - a chain of paper cranes, if you hang these you wish for good health and a long life.

Kuzukago - the trash net, this indicates wishes for cleanliness and thriftiness with money.

Fukinagashi - these aren’t really wishes, they are colorful streamers that represent the fabric Orihime wove.

Click here for a cute manga explaining the decorations and the legend. Our own About Japan teaching rwesource ebsite has some simple Tanabata activity and craft-making guides you can do at home or at school.

Japan Society's Tanabata observance includes interactive, family-friendly activities and an opportunity to hang your own tanzaku on Japan Society's bamboo trees. The event is recommended for children 3-10 and their accompanying adults, but couldn’t we all use a wish or two? Happy Tanabata!

--Sarah Anderson

(UPDATED 7/14/13)