Since 1970 FREE Vol.41 No.14 Aug 6th–Aug 19th, 2010 www.weekenderjapan.com Including Japan’s largest online classifieds Defining (or Not) the Self Through Art Odaiba’s City Within a City Sustainable Living Near Mt. Fuji Win a pair of scooters or water shoes! See pages 29 & 31 Taken Left-Behind Parents Fight for Their Children Healthy and Nutritious Vegetarian Foods Delivered to your home European Style Spinach Curry Bolognese Demi-glace Lasagna Curry ‘Hamburger’ 150g - ¥630 150g - ¥480 130g - ¥430 150g - ¥420 240g - ¥580 no egg • no milk no egg • no milk no egg • no milk no egg • no milk no egg • no milk frozen for frozen for frozen for frozen for frozen for convenience convenience convenience convenience convenience Coming Soon Soy ‘Ham’ Vegetable Cutlet 120g- ¥260 40g / 5 pieces • ¥550 800g - ¥1500 no egg • no milk no egg • no milk frozen for frozen for convenience convenience Coming Soon www.sofafoods.jp Tel: 03-5284-8136 • Head Office, Akasaka, Minato Ku, 7-5-34-110 CONTENTS Volume 41 Number 14 Aug 6th–Aug 19th, 2010 4 Up My Street 5 5-9 Arts & Entertainment 10-11 Tokyo Tables 12-13 Fashion 14-15 Business 16-19 Feature: Taken 20-21 Weekender Bulletin Board 16 22-23 Real Estate 24-27 Parties, People & Places 28-29 Families 30-31 Products 32-33 Healthy & Responsible Living 30 34 Back in the Day PUBLISHER Ray Pedersen CONTRIBUTORS Kevin Jungnitsch, Sara Kanematsu, Sam Griffen, EDITOR Kelly Wetherille Deborah Im, J.K. Whelehan, Ian de Stains OBE, Dave Kublinsky DESIGNER R. Paul Seymour WEB DEVELOPER Ricardo Costa EST. Corky Alexander and Susan Scully, 1970 MEDIA MANAGER Tomas Castro MEDIA CONSULTANTS Mary Rudow, Pia von Waldau OFFICE Weekender Magazine, 5th floor, Regency Shinsaka Building, RESEARCHERS Rene Angelo Pascua 8-5-8 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-0052 DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Stephen Young Tel. 03-6846-5615 Fax: 03-6846-5616 Email: [email protected] CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Owen Schaefer (Arts), Bill Hersey (Society), Stephen Parker (Products), Elisabeth Lambert (Health & Original cover photo by Frank Jakobi Eco), Darrell Nelson (Sustainable Business) Opinions expressed by Weekender contributors are not necessarily www.weekenderjapan.com those of the publisher. 3 WEEKENDER // Up My Street This neighborhood in central Tokyo is famous for its variety of books—and Up My Street visits righteously so. For lovers of the written word Jimbocho is a gem, with a seemingly endless supply of everything from beloved paperbacks to longer or more scholarly tomes. The area offers everything from second-hand bookshops, where shoppers can nab truly rare finds, all way to the latest novels in multistory book houses. In fact, the streets are so completely lined with bookstores that one can easily get caught browsing for hours. Jimbocho by Kevin Jungnitsch is also home to some of Japan’s biggest publishers, which round it out as the country’s true center for print media. Bohemian’s Guild Books Sanseido Uogashi Sakaba Jimbocho Uohyaku Izakaya 1-1 Kanda Jimbocho, Chiyoda-ku 1-1 Kanda Jimbocho, Chiyoda-ku Tel: 03-3294-3300 Tel: 03-3233-3312 1-2 Jimbocho, Chiyoda-ku www.natsume-books.com www.books-sanseido.co.jp Tel: 03-3291-1295 Jimbocho is filled with secondhand bookstores, This six-story store stands at the center of For those who head down to Jimbocho in the but this little one sticks out. Enter Bohemian’s Jimbocho’s paperback neighborhood. Here later afternoon or early evening, this small iza- Guild and you will be amazed by the eclectic, visitors can find just about any book that is kaya offers a great way to end a day of shopping multilingual selection that it has to offer. The published in Japan. And for those after titles and browsing. The wooden exterior is an imme- store smells a bit like your grandparents’ in other languages, look no further. While diate eye catcher, and the small but comfy in- attic, but that’s because it stocks decades-old the foreign language selection is largely in terior creates a lively, inviting atmosphere. The literature, much of which is still in mint condition. English, there is an impressive offering— place offers a variety of small snacks as well as Although the selection is still predominantly probably one of Tokyo’s biggest—and it some slightly bigger dishes, with a combination Japanese, there is a surprising number of quality doesn’t end with books. Need the latest of both Western and Japanese cuisine. Food English language books, as well as a few titles in issue of BusinessWeek or Vogue? Sanseido and drinks are both reasonably priced, and Spanish, French and German. Shoppers will find has it, although for the typically marked-up especially in the searing hot summer weather, that taking the time to explore the shelves may Japanese prices. The novels and language a fresh draft beer will be much appreciated by just be worthwhile, with plenty of diamonds in books, however, are decently priced and are many. Don’t let the difficult name discourage the rough waiting to discovered. definitely worth checking out. you from having checking it out! Ph ot os b y How will you be K e v spending your summer in J u vacation, or obon? n 3 g 1. Brett, a chef from Canada: “I’ll be n i t s c using the time off to catch up on sleep.” h 1 2. Janick, a teacher from France: “I will be going Word back to France to visit friends and family.” 3. Wes, a husband from the US: “We’re on the not sure yet, but hopefully we’ll find a Street... way to have fun and stay cool!” 2 For more write-ups on Tokyo neighborhoods, go to 4 WEEKENDER www.weekenderjapan.com/upmystreet // Arts & Entertainment Selling the Self Short Naoki Fukuhara + Takashi Fukaya + Masahiko Sato “you < goldfish” “you Sato + Masahiko Fukaya + Takashi Naoki Fukuhara Antony Gormley “Home of the heart I” Gormley Antony by Owen Schaefer One thing I enjoy in an exhibition is a solidly explored concept; a show The Definition of Self will not be the first exhibition to suffer from cloy- that works like an essay, laying out its thesis, arguments and conclusion. ing explanatory placards, of course, but what makes this fault more an- Occasionally, however, one runs across a show which, in the name of its noying than usual is the fact that Definition is otherwise quite good. It ‘theme,’ attempts to hammer a universe of ideas into too small a mold. touches on data collection, self-image, privacy, and the gaze of others; And 21_21 Design Sight’s latest show, The Definition of Self, is wielding and it’s a coherent exhibition with plenty of potential. It only stumbles in exactly that kind of hammer. its attempt to distill all of its complex ideas down to its single so-called keyword. It’s a bit like taking a guided tour of a museum, during which The Definition of Self is a highly interactive show, and one that may push the guide only talks about the architecture. your personal privacy envelope, since the first thing you are asked to do is give your name, weight and height to the gallery for use in several of But there is plenty more to see here. The show begins by breaking down the interactive works to follow. These bits of data will follow you, pop- notions of identity, adding participants’ details to the pool of information ping up in connection with your identity in some places, or in comparison from other visitors, then establishes methods of identification you may with other people. But don’t worry; participation in the info-gathering is never have considered (the measurement of your contours, your heart- entirely voluntary. beat, your cornea), and finally examines your identity as a thing viewed by others. In Peeping Hole, for example, you peer at a beach scene through Once measured and identified, viewers proceed downstairs, where they a peephole, while a device tracks your eye movements and projects the are promptly fingerprinted at Masahiko Sato and Takashi Kiriyama’s exact spot that you are looking at for everyone else to see, revealing Pool of Fingerprints, then processed through a series of gates called something that would otherwise be private. The Nominal Divide, which classify audience members by categories of male/female, over/under 30, and, to be cute, smiling/blank. Here you are Sato could have encouraged more challenging questions simply by allowed to chose your gate, but a computer algorithm working from a being a little less verbose―there are plenty of other readings there for camera above you has the final say, and may send you through the op- those who look. The slightly didactic feel of the show isn’t a failure of posite gate whether you like it or not. the works, but rather a failure to give the audience enough credit. But fittingly enough, the strengths of the show allow it to write its own defini- The designer behind all this is Masahiko Sato, and many of the works are tion by the end. collaborations between himself and various others artists and designers, with a few nicely chosen works from artists such as Antony Gormley and Tomoko Yoneda. Show: The Definition of Self (to Nov 3) But Sato also insists on basing the exhibition around the word zokusei― Gallery: (Roppongi station) which translates as ‘attributes.’ And this is where the show gets repeti- 21_21 Design Sight tive, because descriptions of the works use the word ‘attributes’ over and Hours: 11am–8pm (closed Tue) Admission: ¥1,000 over, just to make sure you get the point.