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Ando House A full-scale model of architect Tadao Ando's Row House in Sumiyoshi (1976) that you can walk around inside is featured at a new exhibition examining Ando's origins. 'You need courage to make good architecture," says Tadao Ando. He should know. The self-taught architect — arguably Japan's most famous — has a current client list that includes the city of Abu Dhabi (he's building a maritime museum), French businessman Francoise Pinault (he renovated Palazzo Grassi and is now working on the Punta della Dogana on the Grand Canal in Venice), soccer star Hidetoshi Nakata (an apartment in New York) and rock band U2's Bono (a house in Dublin). An exhibition at Gallery Ma, "Challenges — Faithful to the Basis," examines the origins of Ando's practice. So fastidious is the show that it includes a full-scale model of Ando's first masterpiece, the Row House in Sumiyoshi, which was built in his native Osaka in 1976. That means you can actually walk around inside — and in the process you can appreciate just how "courageous" a building it is. Behind an imposing concrete exterior are four rooms built on two levels around a central open courtyard. The only problem is that to go from one room to another, you have to walk the gauntlet of the open courtyard — with an umbrella if it's raining. Ando is now working with the Tokyo Metropolitan Government on what the Olympics should look like in Tokyo if the city were to win them in 2016. If "courage" is one of International Olympic Committee's criteria, it may be in the bag. Tadao Ando "Challenges — Faithful to the Basis" is at Gallery Ma, near Nogizaka Station, until Dec. 20. Admission is free. www.toto.co.jp/gallerma/ Halloween2008/10/30 Balloon FestaMiya MatsuriParticipants in the Miya Festival carry portable shrines through the sea in the fresh Autumn frost from their place of enshrinement in Gamagori, Aichi Prefecture. Dressed in loincloth and bleached cotton salashi, some 1,000 revelers transported the huge decorated floats from Yatsurugi Shrine to Wakamiya Shrine. The festival dates back to more than 300 years ago and is held during the 3rd or 4th weekend of October each year. 2008/10/25 Mini E My friends Ray and Alvin in Hawaii have recent matching Mini and now there is the new Mini E which is interesting, time to buy another car... BMW has introduced the new Mini E all-electric car which features a lithium-ion battery with a range of 150 miles, a top speed of 95 mph and 0-60 mph in 8.5 seconds too! The cost of charging the Mini E is like nothing and the vehicles can be recharged overnight at any standard power outlet. BMW will also install a high-speed "wallbox" charger at a customer's garage that can recharge the battery pack in just 2.5 hours with the ability to decelerate with less braking and while charging the battery. As soon as the driver releases the gas pedal, the electric motor acts as a generator. This results in braking force, and the power recovered from the kinetic energy is fed back to the battery... In city traffic, some 75 percent of all deceleration can be done without the brakes. Making substantial use of this energy recuperation feature extends the car's range by up to 20 percent. Paris Closer Japan, France agree on direct Haneda-Paris flights AP http://www.ap.org/ TOKYO — Japan and France have agreed that the two countries’ airlines will be allowed to operate direct late-night and early-morning flights between Tokyo’s Haneda airport and Paris after a project to expand the airport is completed in 2010, the transport ministry said Friday. The agreement to allow Japanese and French airlines to operate a daily flight each between Haneda airport and Paris from 10 p.m. until 7 a.m. was reached in negotiations between the two governments’ aviation officials held in Tokyo on Wednesday and Thursday, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism said. Japan Airlines, All Nippon Airways and Air France currently mainly use Narita airport for flights between Japan and Paris. The agreement will allow JAL to operate flights between Haneda and Paris for the first time in about 30 years. Tokyo International Airport, located in Ota, Tokyo, Japan, is one of the two primary airports serving the Greater Tokyo Area. It is commonly known as Haneda Airport. Unlike the Tokyo New International Airport (Narita Airport) in Narita, Chiba, Japan, which is now the main international airport and takes more than an hour to reach from Tokyo, Haneda is in Tokyo itself and is easily accessed in about 30-40 minutes. Although Haneda was originally the primary airport for the Tokyo region, it now shares that role with Narita. Haneda handles almost all domestic flights to and from Tokyo while Narita handles almost all international flights. In recent years, however, international service from Haneda has expanded significantly with the addition of "scheduled charter" flights to Seoul, Shanghai, Beijing, Taiwan and Hong Kong. The Japanese government plans to further expand Haneda's international role in the future with more regional flights and off-peak charter services. Haneda handled 69.3 million passengers in 2006. By passenger throughput, it was the busiest airport in Asia and the fourth busiest in the world (after Atlanta, O'Hare and Heathrow). It is the primary base of Japan's two major domestic airlines, Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways, as well as low-cost carriers Hokkaido International Airlines and Skymark Airlines. Haneda is now undergoing extensive expansion to become a full service international airport again. Thanksgiving DoughnutTunnelling GiantA gigantic boring machine, known as tunnelling shield, that was used to excavate a 4.3-kilometer tunnel on the new Central Circular Shinjuku Route of the Metropolitan Expressway, was unveiled to the media. The machine, which measures 13 meters in diameter and 11 meters in length and weighs 2,000 tons, has 568 alloy blades at its tip. 2008/10/20 Snowbound The skiing season opened Saturday at Snowtown Yeti in Susuno, Shizuoka Prefecture.
Skiers dressed as Ultraman characters and a lot of others just plain naked ski at the Snowtown Yeti resort in Susono, Shizuoka Prefecture, on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2008. The resort became the first to open in Japan for the tenth year in a row. Some 800 skiers flocked to the skiing ground on opening day this year, with free admission for those in costume. Mount Fuji can be seen in the background. 2008/10/18 Into AutumnBrilliantly-colored maple leaves in Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture.
Check out more into autumn color all over Japan...
Carpenters Comeback! Singer Richard Carpenter planning comeback Japan Today http://www.japantoday.com/category/entertainment/view/singer-richard-carpenter-planning-comeback TOKYO — Richard Carpenter, of the Carpenters, says he is ready to make a comeback. All he needs is a partner. Carpenter, who with his sister Karen was one the most successful pop acts of the 1970s, announced on his 62nd birthday Wednesday in Tokyo that he is planning to get back into the music business. “It’s a different business. Music is a different world from when Karen and I were signed by Herb Alpert in 1969,” he said. “But I feel I have some talent.” He said he will help to produce and perform on a tribute album of Carpenter covers due out late next year, then on a Christmas album and finally a solo collection of largely original material. The Carpenters’ phenomenal rise to the top of the pop world, with such hits as “Close To You” and “Yesterday Once More,” came to an abrupt end in 1983, when Karen died of a heart attack at age 32 following complications from an eating disorder. Carpenter said he will never get over his sister’s death, which he called the saddest moment of his life. He said he still prefers singing duets and is looking for a female vocalist partner for his upcoming projects. “I’m looking for someone who has her great talent but does not—doesn’t try to—sound like Karen,” he said. “I’ve been looking for years.” Carpenter said his work continues to be along the lines of the soft rock albums that he and his sister produced. “There is always a market for a good song and a good melody,” he said. Otaru HokkaidoRanked Hokkaido's Nicest Place to Visit
Otaru is a port town on Ishikari Bay, located on the west coast of Hokkaido bordered by the Sea of Japan. It is a renowned tourist destination and in recent years has become popular among travelers from overseas. According to a survey conducted by Hokkaido Prefecture, foreign visitors to Hokkaido in fiscal 2007 ranked Otaru as their favorite spot on the island.
 The Otaru Canal. Nostalgic Warmth The Otaru Canal, a symbol of the city, was completed in 1923. Formerly it was the primary means of distributing goods; now it is a tourist attraction with a promenade and gaslights. Buildings like the massive stonewalled warehouses that line the banks of the canal create a nostalgic atmosphere, conveying the feeling that the entire city belongs to another time. Glasswork shops and one of Japan's largest music box stores are some of the other points serving to make the city a popular tourist attraction. Otaru differs from more traditionally Japanese cities like the former capitals of Kyoto and Nara; its blend of Japanese and Western influences produce an ambience of warmth and nostalgia. Otaru is blessed with natural coastline and mountain wilderness, enabling visitors to bathe in the ocean in summer and go skiing in winter. For these reasons, as well as its proximity to Sapporo, Hokkaido's largest city, Otaru draws visitors all year round. Another attraction is the enchanting Otaru Snow Gleaming festival held every year in February, featuring snow structures embedded with candles that cast a warm glow over the city's streets at nightfall.  Sushi Town
But perhaps the most enjoyable aspect of Otaru is its abundant seafood. Famous above all for its delicious sushi, with over such 130 restaurants, Otaru has acquired the nickname "Sushi Town." The city even has a "sushi street" lined with restaurants, some of which offer freshly caught delicacies at low prices impossible to find in larger cities. Many locally renowned sushi shops are tucked away out of sight, so visitors can enjoy searching for them as they stroll through the city. In addition to sushi, there are a number of other kinds of restaurants to round out the visitor's gourmet tour. There are trendy establishments offering a variety of fresh seafood, izakaya (Japanese-style pubs) where one can gorge on the bounty of the sea, and an arcade full of restaurants built into an old warehouse where patrons can enjoy a view of the canal with their meal.
 A lavender field in Furano
 The natural splendor of Shiretoko According to Otaru City, 44,500 foreign visitors stayed in Otaru in 2007, an increase of 3.3% over the previous year. This increase is attributed to the growing number of visitors from South Korea and Hong Kong, suggesting that Otaru's popularity among tourists from other Asian countries is on the rise. Hokkaido is blessed with magnificent natural surroundings, and one can enjoy splendid scenery and delicious food not just in Otaru, but in all the prefecture's sightseeing localities. There are the famous Furano lavender farms that fill one's entire field of view; the world-renowned ski resorts of Niseko; Toyako, the picturesque site of this year's G8 summit; and the Shiretoko Peninsula, part of which has been designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, among other destinations too numerous to count. No matter how many times one visits Hokkaido, there is always something new awaiting discovery. 2008/10/17 Chocolate Bath Fizz Chocolate bath fizz
Japanese love taking a bath. I love taking a bath too and just love the local interior shop francfranc just as much. The next time you want to curl up in a bath of chocolate, check out francfranc. Franfranc's new line of "bath fizzes" was released last month in two flavors, raspberry chocolate and mint chocolate. These treats are available in gift-friendly packaging shaped like candy bars or a cute heart box. As the temperature drops, add some fizz to your bath-time routine and soak your cares away...
Sukiyaki Natto Natto with sukiyaki sauce
Here’s something for natto lovers. Kume Quality Product Corp is combining it with sukiyaki sauce rather than soy sauce which is often used. The company says salty-sweet sukiyaki sauce is a good combination with natto and boiled rice. The product is available at supermarkets. 2008/10/16 Toyota SmartsToyota to release new 'micro premium' car next month
Toyota President Katsuaki Watanabe stands next to the new iQ car. Toyota Motor Corp. will release a new ultra-compact car "iQ" late next month, the automaker has announced. At less than three-meter-long, iQ is the world's shortest four-seater passenger car. And weighing only 890 kilograms, its 23 kilometer-per-liter mileage is expected to boost the demand for small cars that is already surging due to soaring gasoline prices. The 1,000-cc iQ will go on sale on Nov. 20, priced between 1.4 million and 1.6 million yen, which is slightly more expensive than the average light car. Toyota aims to sell 2,500 units per month. To reduce costs in the automotive industry, increasingly many of the same parts are used in different cars, however 90 percent of the parts in iQ have been newly developed. "The iQ will create a new market as a 'micro premium' car," said Toyota President Katsuaki Watanabe. Karasumi Karasumi, or dried mullet roe, is being prepared in Owase, Mie Prefecture. Karasumi, made by salting fresh mullet roe and sun-drying it for about two weeks, is a popular autumn delicacy that goes well with sake. Production of karasumi will continue until late November. 2008/10/12 Into Snow |
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