Tomovsky - Nou

As a follow-up to that last post, here is the video for Nou, one of the newer songs Tomovsky played last night.

Nou is the Japanese word for brain, and the lyrics (as far as I understand them) deal with the cruel and unfair relationship between mind and body.

Asakusa Natsu no Yomatsuri

Last night we went to Asakusa to see Tomovsky play a free outdoor live show as part of the Asakusa Summer Night Festival series.

Asakusa is a part of Tokyo that I hadn't been to yet, so we had to get in a little sightseeing before the show. Here is Akiko in front of the Kaminarimon, the "Thunder Gate" entrance to the Sensoji temple (the largest temple in Tokyo).

The concert was right on the banks of the Sumida river, across from the famous Asahi building designed to look like a glass of beer, and the even more famous Asahi building with the golden turd on top. There was a big O-bon festival happening on the other side of the river, which caused a few gripes from the performers about having to compete against the noise level, but I thought it added a touch of flavor to hear the Japanese folk music off in the distance between songs.

It was a decent sized crowd (maybe 150 people by the end of the night), mostly young people, but with a few families and seniors as well. The show started out with two adorable elementary school girls doing an overly sexualized hip-hop dance number. I can't remember their name of their act, but I'm pretty sure it was Japanese for Sparkle Motion.

Next up was Matsuzaki Nao, a singer-songwriter I wasn't familiar with. She played piano and guitar, with the standard rock accompaniment of guitar, bass, and drums. Solid melodies, a lovely voice, and a charming stage presence. I couldn't help but smile every time she finished a song and turned to bow to her drummer, or raised her arms in the air with a little Power Rangers-inspired flourish. She won me over enough that I shelled out the 3,000 yen for a signed copy of her new album, even though I've been doing my best to curb my CD buying impulses and stick to the libraries and CD rental stores.

And finally, the main event. I was excited to see Tomovsky (aka Ohki Tomoyuki) play live - I've been a fan since back in '98 when my friend Mitch first turned me on to him. His music has a very Beatles-inspired indie pop sensibility, full of catchy hooks and playfully immature lyrics. He used to be signed to Epic/Sony, and even released a single in the US back in '99, but now he puts out most of his stuff on his own Famires label. I've never quite understood why he hasn't achieved bigger commercial success.

Tomovsky was scheduled to start at 8:15, and he actually took the stage a little early. You could tell he was a bit drunk, and he admitted that he had enjoyed a few glasses of "Denki Buran" (electrified brandy) at the Kamiya bar (the oldest Western style bar in Tokyo, and one of the event sponsors) before the show. He wore a bandage on one side of his face, apparently covering a mysteriously swollen cheek muscle (he said he'd been to four different doctors and no one could tell him what was wrong). He played a solo set - just him and his guitar, with a mic taped to the floor of the stage that he would step on for a low-budget kick drum effect. For a few songs he relied on a mini-disc player for the backing music, and he jokingly apologized for the karaoke-like nature of the performance.

There was no need for apologies, though. It was an amazing show, with an energetic vibe, funny stage banter, and a clearly enthusiastic audience. He played lots of older material, and a few new songs from his more recent albums that I haven't been able to track down yet. After last night, I'm even more excited to get back out there and start looking.

Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra - Sapphire no Hoshi

Can't resist adding another music video post. This one is a Skapara single off their latest album, Wild Peace. Guest vocals courtesy of pop chanteuse Chara.

Cornelius - Music

I knew that YouTube was popular in Japan, but I hadn't appreciated the wealth of great music videos available. This should make excellent blog fodder.

Here is "Music," the first single from Cornelius' new album (due in October).

Proof

I don't know about the photshop job Steve did, but I was really in Sydney on business. Here is the proof.


Update:
That's a great picture, but I think it could still use a little more local color.
-S

Declaration

Who knew it was that easy? Now if we could just get someone to declare world peace, we should be all set.

Lost (In Translation)

It's no surprise that many popular television shows from the US are also successful here in Japan. The last time I lived here it was ER, the X-Files, and Beverly Hills 90210, with a little Full House for good measure. Now the hit American shows are stuff like 24, Lost, and Prison Break.

What cracks me up is to see that even the paperback novelizations of these shows are translated, and appear to sell quite well. In our local bookstore, they happen to be shelved in the Harlequin section for some reason. (That sign at the top of the display says "Love is sold in bookstores.") Not sure what love and romance have to do with torturing terrorists or a mysterious island with marauding polar bears, but then I'm not real familiar with those shows either.

Anyway, this all gives me hope that perhaps my Nash Bridges fanfic may finally find an audience in Japanese.

G'day

Akiko is in Sydney on business this week. She was supposed to be blogging from there and posting pictures from the Land Down Under, but unfortunately she forgot her camera. So it's up to me to provide this photoshopped rendition of what I can only assume her trip must be like.

Neighbors pt. 2

The shrine next door to our apartment.

Kawaii

It's true. Everything in Japan is cute.

Tokyo Time Slip

Sign in front of our local video store.

Stop Signs

You see stop signs like these painted on the ground at just about every little intersection. I like the fact that they have separate symbols for bicycles and pedestrians. If people really paid attention to these signs, I don't think anyone would ever get where they are going.

Couch

Our new couch arrived yesterday. Woohoo! Now we have a place to sit.

For those of you keeping score at home, our list of furniture and appliances now stands at: couch, mattress, refrigerator, washer/dryer, and microwave/oven.

POMPMAN

A free air pump for bicycles, courtesy of POMPMAN. I assume his sidekick, CIRCUMSTANCEBOY, must be close behind.

Pep Boys

Manny, Moe, and Jack, spotted on the road to Musashikoyama.

Togoshi Koen Doori

Togoshi Koen Doori is the shopping street that extends from either side of our local train station. It contains a fun variety of mom & pop stores, restaurants, and pachinko parlors. There are loudspeakers on every corner that play elevator music throughout the day, so that on weekends we wake up to the sounds of Glen Miller, the Beatles, and the Beach Boys drifting in through the windows.

Dry Mist

We took a field trip to Akihabara on Friday, the geek mecca for all things electronic and/or anime. We didn't have time to browse any of the shops or visit a maid cafe, but we did experience the new "dry mist" generators which debuted at last year's World Expo in Aichi. According to the Expo 2005 web site:

"The generators spray artificial mist in ultra-minute particles at a height of four meters, thus removing heat from surrounding air by evaporation; this cooled air descends to the ground, cooling those in line. Because the mist is made of ultra-minute particles, it evaporates very quickly, and hardly feels wet.

Experiments have proven that the mist lowers the temperature by two or three degrees on average. To gain the same effect with air conditioners would require twenty times as much energy as these generators. They are therefore ideal cooling equipment, from an environmental point of view. "

Inner-Leg Fashion

A clothing store in Oimachi.

Women Only

Japanese trains and subways are famous for being overcrowded, and you often hear about the dirty old men who take advantage of the situation by groping young women. Apparently the problem is bad enough that some train lines have instituted a "no men allowed" policy in certain cars, where women can enjoy their morning commute without fear of unwanted touching and other lecherous advances.

Now, I'm as opposed to sexual assault as the next privileged white male, but this sounds like a clear case of reverse discrimination to me. Does this mean that any women riding on co-ed trains when there is space available in a ladies-only car are fair game?

Electric Massage Revival

Frito-Lay is currently running an "Adult Doritos" ad campaign starring a pair of manly cartoon men in full body tights.

The theme of this bag is "Falling in love for the first time, every year."

This one suggests you "Knock her out with the taste of adulthood."

But the clear winner is this bag heradling the revival of the Denki Anma ("electric massage") , a playground torture method that involves rubbing your opponent's groin vigorously with your foot.

For Judgment

Garbage in Japan is generally separated into burnable trash, non-burnable trash, and assorted varieties of recyclables. This is our burnable trash can, and it is the subject of today's Engrish lesson. Please note the use of the apostrophe between "will" and "nt."

Indo-mexicalicious!

Was pleasantly surprised to learn that there's a Mos Burger within a block of our apartment. Easily my favorite Japanese fast food chain. Their summer specials are all Indian-themed, including this nan-taco hybrid. Yum!

Neighbors

There's a nice looking Chinese restaurant just outside our front door. Haven't eaten there yet, but I have a feeling we may become regulars.

How To

This is our toilet. It comes with the standard Japanese features of big flush/little flush, and a faucet at the top for washing your hands with the clean water that refills the tank. Nothing fancy like the heated seats, bidet, and blow-dry features that are common in many newer models.

The only reason it made the blog is the operating instructions sticker someone thoughtfully affixed to the lid, complete with stick figure diagrams. Now I have no excuse for leaving the seat down.

Bird's Eye

Google Maps provides the satellite view.

New Digs

Akiko points out our apartment. Note the shiny new curtains.

New!

Hello family and friends,

As we set out our new life in Tokyo, we've decided to start a blog to a) stay in touch with you all, and b) share any silly stuff we come across. Enjoy!


Happy blogging,
S and A