JULY 2014 Japan’s number one English language magazine CHARITY & CELEBRITY SUMMERTIME IN KYOTO DANCING MACHINE Model and UN World Food Experience a Festival of Talking with “America’s Programme Ambassador Lights, Gion Matsuri and Got Talent” Winner Kurara Chibana Riverside Dining Kenichi Ebina ALSO: Novelist Barry Lancet, Natural Beauty at La Yamano Salon, People Parties and Places, Agenda, and More ... JULY 2014 www.tokyoweekender.com JULY 2014 CONTENTS 6 UFC IN JAPAN MMA heavyweights set the stage for a battle in Fight Night Japan 2014 8 14 22 SUMMER IN KYOTO LA YAMANO KURARA CHIBANA Festivals and riverside dining liven up the Treatments that help you find harmony An international beauty shows that she’s storied city’s warmest months between inner and outer beauty more than just a pretty face 12 Guide to Hiking 20 Barry Lancet 30 Movies The lighter side of hitting the trails, The novelist explains how he found Sleeping Beauty villainess tells her side of Japanese style, with Ken Seeroi inspiration in a police interrogation the story and Tom Cruise lives to die again 16 Kamata Hakensha 21 Charity 32 Agenda The Asakusa knife emporium shows us a How you can get involved with Japan’s Festas around Tokyo, running becomes few of their best and brightest blades communities in need electric, and a century of lingerie 18 Kenichi Ebina 24 People, Parties, Places 34 Back in the Day America’s Got Talent winner talks about Diplomatic parties, reports on Tokyo’s Time traveling back to the brutal—yet his million-dollar moves showbiz scene, and posing with Pelé refreshing—“Beer Wars” of 1989 www.tokyoweekender.com JULY 2014 THIS MONTH IN THE WEEKENDER Heading down to Kyoto, we got a chance JULY 2014 to see the ways that Japan’s ancient JULY 2014 capital beats the heat and even turns Japan’s number one English language magazine up the dial on the thermostat, from a festival of lights to a month-long party worthy of the gods. Catching up with some of the city’s many movers and shakers, we’ve got an interview with Kenichi Ebina, a Publisher BC Media Group dancer whose moves recently put him Chairman Ray Pedersen on the top of one of the United States’ most well known talent shows. We also Executive Producer Asi Rinestine sat down with Kurara Chibana, one Editor Alec Jordan of the faces of the UN’s World Food Art Director Liam Ramshaw Programme, as she talked about the CHARITY & CELEBRITY SUMMERTIME IN KYOTO DANCING MACHINE varied roles that celebrities can play Media Director Kotaro Toda Model and UN World Food Experience a Festival of Talking with “America’s Programme Ambassador Lights, Gion Matsuri and Got Talent” Winner as charity ambassadors. And we found Account Executives Nobu (Nick) Nakazawa Kurara Chibana Riverside Dining Kenichi Ebina Ohad Elbaz out from writer Barry Lancet how an ALSO: Novelist Barry Lancet, Natural Beauty at La Yamano Salon, People Parties and Places, Agenda, and More ... interrogation at the hands of the police Media Consultant Mary Rudow ith the rainy season coming can be turned into literary inspiration. Marketing Ingrid Dubreuil Even with this warmer weather, Editorial Consultant Sami Kawahara to a close, Japan’s hottest days will soon be upon many of us take the weekends as a Society Bill Hersey W chance to get outdoors and hit many us. But one of the things that we look forward to along with of the country’s hiking trails. But that Editorial Associates Vivian Morelli exercise and fresh air doesn’t need to be Matthew Hernon the swelter are the many nights of fireworks, reminding some of us of the taken too seriously, as funny man Ken Film Christopher O’Keeffe pyrotechnics we might be missing back Seeroi shows us in his humorous take at home during the month of July. on the ins and outs (or ups and downs?) IT Manager Nick Adams of mountaineering in the Land of the Development Manager Stephane Boudoux We look at this issue as a bit Finance & Admin Keiko Suzuki of a fireworks display: a variety of Rising Sun. DBA Iryna Sundutova contents that we hope will entertain, Thanks as always, and we’ll see you and maybe even dazzle you a bit as next month. you as you flip the pages of this issue of the Weekender. First on the card, the big boys of mixed martial arts fighting came to town to promote UFC’s next event in EST. Corky Alexander, 1970 Japan, and we had ringside seats to Editor the action. Published monthly at the Regency Shinsaka Building, 5th floor 8-5-8 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-0052 (03) 6666-4924 / (03) 6432-9229 (fax) [email protected] To subscribe to the Tokyo Weekender, please call (03) 6666-4924 or email: [email protected] For ad sales inquiries, please call (03) 6666-4924 or email: [email protected] www.tokyoweekender.com Opinions expressed by Weekender contributors are not necessarily those of the publisher Published by BC Media Group www.bulbouscell.com JULY 2014 www.tokyoweekender.com www.tokyoweekender.com JULY 2014 UFC HITS TOKYO The fastest growing sports organization in the world, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is set to return to Japan this autumn, with heavyweights Mark Hunt and Roy Nelson taking center stage for UFC Fight Night Japan 2014 at the Saitama Super Arena on September 20. This is our guide to the show, including a brief history of the sport and an introduction to the two heavyweights who will headline the spectacle. WHAT IS THE UFC? Brainchild of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner Rorion Gracie, screenwriter and director John Milius, and fight entrepreneur Art Davie, the UFC launched in 1993 as a tourna- ment to identify the most effective martial art among disciplines such as karate, judo, jiu-jitsu, kickboxing, boxing, wrestling, sumo and sambo. The aim was to find how the various martial arts would stack up against one another in competition. As the format grew in popularity, more events followed, drawing more and more fighters. Initially, they focused on the discipline they had the most training in, but UFC soon evolved into a mixed martial art tournament, with fighters realizing that they would have to train in a variety of disciplines in order to remain competitive. Despite its original tagline “there are no rules,” matches are not complete- ly lawless. There are more than thirty acts that are considered illegal, such as head-butting, eye gouging, or biting, which may result in a penalty or even disqualification. A “main event” or championship match lasts up to five rounds, and normal events last three rounds. Each round is five minutes or shorter. The winner of a match is usually decided by submission, knockout, technical knockout (a referee stoppage, doctor stoppage or corner stoppage), decision, disqual- ification, forfeit or a no contest. There are eight weight classes in total, starting at Flyweight (125 lbs./56.7 kg.) going up to Heavyweight (265 lbs./120.2 kg.). Fights are staged in a cage known as “The Octagon.” FIGHT NIGHT JAPAN 2014 Described as the “battle of the bulge” by Mark Hunt, the New Zealander’s headline clash with American Roy Nelson is a much-anticipated fight between two of UFC’s most popular heavyweights. Several other Japanese MMA fighters will round out the card, including the UFC debut of female fighter Rin Nakai as she goes toe-to-toe with Miesha Tate. MARK ‘SUPER SAMOAN’ HUNT ROY ‘BIG COUNTRY’ NELSON RECORD: 9-8-1 RECORD: 21-9-0 FROM: SOUTH AUCKLAND, NZ FROM: LAS VEGAS, USA AGE: 40 AGE: 38 HEIGHT: 5’ 10” ( 177 CM ) HEIGHT: 6’ 0” ( 182 CM ) WEIGHT: 265 LB ( 120 KG ) WEIGHT: 263 LB ( 119 KG ) JULY 2014 www.tokyoweekender.com UFC | FEATURE | 7 ner of the tenth season of the Ultimate Fighter series A bouncer witnessed (a reality show that com- bines an MMA fight tourna- Hunt knocking out ment—UFC president Dana White hopes to launch a a number of people worldwide version of the show within the next year), by himself and the Las Vegas–born star is a subsequently invited talented grappler who has a black belt in Jiu-Jitsu, but him to his gym where has also trained in karate and kung-fu. he trained as a Known for his bulging gut and his MARK HUNT killer mullet hairstyle, Nelson comes kickboxer across as somewhat of a joke-figure, The man known as the “Super Samoan” regularly jesting about the cheeseburgers is set to for his fourteenth bout in Japan, and fries he eats after each bout, but he a country he described as being “like a is a serious and formidable competitor. second home.” His love affair with Japan A quick look at his record of 29 wins and began in 2001 after he won the K-1 Grand just 9 losses confirms that. Prix Championships at the Tokyo Dome. It was a remarkable victory for a fighter HITTING THE SUMO STABLE who had only been in the industry for This is not the first time Nelson has been two years. to Japan: the martial artist has long been Prior to that Hunt seemed set for a a student of the country’s history and life of crime: he had been arrested twice, culture, so he jumped at the chance to but an altercation outside a nightclub in train with some of Japan’s most iconic Auckland helped set him on a very differ- fighters: its sumo wrestlers. Before the ent path. A bouncer witnessed him knock- UFC press conference at the Tokyo Hyatt ing out a number of people by himself in Shinjuku, Big Country dropped by the and subsequently invited him to his gym Dewanoumi-beya sumo dojo in Ryogo- where he trained as a kickboxer.