TOKYO JOURNAL 発売日・バックナンバー

editorial
about culinary and other secrets

samurai special
yamaoka tesshu
hirouki sanada
the last samurai

coors light mountain jam

tokyo ground zero
birthplace of a boom

pick a fight
a look at tokyo｡ｯs karate clubs
pick a fight

daimind yukai loose lips
what the japanese are saying

lost in translation
diamond yukai

japanese lacquerware
the perfect gift for all occasions

lonely planet
born under a wandering star

marriott hotels
enjoy a rewarding stay
tokyodining

introduction

elysees hikaru
innovative french cuisine

vegetarian treats
skip the meat

akasaka ninja
sneaking up on your tastebuds
akasaka ninja

dvd reviews tokyokaleidoscope

events calendar

cd reviews

dvd reviews

tokyo classifieds

film reviews

book reviews
front art gallery
interview

tokyo faces
ravine life in araki-cho

free gifts
books, shirts, keitai straps & more

horrorscope
predictions and predilections
tokyo faces

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EDITORIAL

about culinary and other secrets

Alert readers will have noticed that we have been running historical features for
some time now. Like the inside story on famous samurai who threw their weight into
the political balance and helped shape the fortunes of modern Japan. One wonders
what these brave men had for lunch, and in all likelihood it is only a matter of
time before we can find out for ourselves when, one day, someone decides to open
a samurai-themed restaurant.

There are several theories that the world is actually ruled by a secret society.
Some finger that society to have its headquarters somewhere in Rome, others point
to the Freemasons. What most of us don｡ｯt know, however, is, that BEHIND these
groups is one even more secret group that is the most powerful of them all.
It's where the real power resides these days. It｡ｯs the mother of all secret
societies. So secret in fact, that nobody knows anything about it. It｡ｯs much
like that nth planet in our solar system. Science tells us it is there, but
nobody has seen it yet.

It｡ｯs a bit different with the ninja. Though stealthy by definition, it is no
secret that they exist. Yes, exist. As in presence tense: ｡ｰNinja are among us
right now as we speak.｡ｱ Their numbers might have dwindled, but they are
definitely here to stay. Next time you come to Akasaka you can check them
out ｨC and sample a few ninja dishes as well. Turn your attention to our dining
section for details.

Of course TJ wouldn't be what it is if we were only running old samurai and new
cuisine stories. That's why we also feature the temporary and contemporary - and
everything in-between. Like the scoop on the latest bonsai craze - read it fast,
before it becomes old hat. Or our roundup of some of Tokyo's better karate schools.
Or our how-to guide to watching Japanese movies with English subtitles. And, and, and.

Well, what can I say. Now you have the secret in your hands,
we hope that you enjoy this issue.

Stephan Hauser

samurai special
of outrage, murder and
unpredictable fate
breaking the glass ceiling

japan's business leaders
provide insight and advice
free gifts
insects
horse racing
a day at the races

puzzle
for the hardcore tokyoite
horse racing

hiking loose lips
what the japanese are saying
hiking
spotlight: iwate prefecture
tokyo faces
imperial belvedere
marriott
exclusive ambiente
tokyo faces - imperial belvedere

mori art museum

high ambitions for a high-rise art project

film reviews
confessions of a dangerous mind
adaptation,
basic
phone booth
secretary

events calendar
where do you want to go today?

cd reviews
Quante Musica, Sky Dancing 3

greater tokyo classifieds
from housing to services

music initiative
jump into the music biz

Events

tokyo time warp
book review
the world of insects

tokyo time warp
take a trip through the edo period

edo's lost adventurers
samurai in old england

jurassic park
a journey back in time

street art
hand-crafted movie posters

edo's lost adventures

Movers and Shakers
I don't know about you, but I'm one of those guys who gets by on a \500-a-day expense
account, courtesy of my wife who hands me one shiny coin every morning together with
an o-bento. Of course I don't spend all that money in one place. In fact, I manage to
save quite a bit, enough to party once in a while. Not that I have any vices, or
anything like that. But having more money than I can spend makes me feel really good,
almost on top of the world. At times, especially after having had one refill too many,
I even think I own this town. It's a great feeling, you should try it some time.
But then there are others who can afford being less careful with money. All those
lottery winners, for example. Or people in high places. The former may be super
rich out of sheer luck but the latter have usually accomplished their feat through
hard work and by constantly using their brain - mostly the left side of it, although
I know a couple of artists who have no sense of numbers, but are still living a
comfortable life. Point is, for this issue of Tokyo Journal we decided to go after
the real movers and shakers, people who, short of running this city, are ruling over
economic empires. Not heads of state, but heads of companies.
Enter Dr. Al-Jamie, TJ's point man for the hard stuff. Hard as in "hard- to-come-by."
Being a mover and shaker himself, Dr. Al-Jamie is naturally rubbing shoulders with
people in power. He even has little flags flying on the front fender of his big (for
big, read huuuge) foreign-made car which he uses to race between meetings. Dr.
Al-Jamie sometimes drops by at my humble abode, mainly because I live a few blocks
from his favorite haberdashery. This would often be at 2 or 3 o'clock in the
morning, when I am usually in deep thought. My favorite deep thought by the way is
that one day, somehow, I will do something - something BIG - and then everybody
will finally recognize what a great guy I am. Anyway, once Dr. Al-Jamie has taken
his shoes off and sat down on the special chair I keep for his visits, and after
remembering that I don't have a coffee machine, he will usually say, "Come on
Steve, let's go down to Denny's." As we step onto the street there will be, nine
times out of ten, half a dozen policemen nervously whizzing about this huge, black
foreign-made double-parked car, the one with the flags on the front fender that
frolic in the wind. These men will then salute Dr. Al-Jamie, before continuing
their patrol. We then drive the 30 meters to Denny's and order two bottomless
cups of coffee - one for each of us - before trading the latest stories about the
movers and shakers of this city.
Now, turn the pages and enjoy the articles in this issue, including what the people
who move and shake Tokyo have to say about the glass ceiling or women in the
workplace.

Stephan Hauser

contents

samurai special
takasugi shinsaku ・ 鍍o think while on the run!・
kabuki versus hollywood
different demands
kidney moneymakers
human organ farm

free gifts
the greenpeace story; beating around the bush

kidney moneymakers

japan痴 first gaijin mp japan痴 first gaijin mp
coming in from the cold

loose lips
what the japanese are saying


tokyo faces
yanagibashi

aids
peace of mind in one or two weeks

helicopter ride
rising above it all


tokyo faces - yanagibashi

spiral/wacoal art center
spiral/wacoal art center
interview with tsutomu okada

film reviews
chicago
all or nothing
far from heaven
8 mile
maid in manhattan
about schmidt


events calendar
where do you want to go today?

music heads
fuji rock festival and summer sonic

cd reviews
555 recordings compilation ・555cd55
susumu yokota ・overhead
jairamji ・kindred spirit

book review (bilingual)
bush in wonderland
Events

modern tea ceremony (bilingual)
don稚 lose this article
finding your way through tokyo痴 斗ost and found・
classifieds
from schools to housing to services

modern tea ceremony (bilingual)
green tea for the 21st century

book reviews
japanese movie posters
secrets of the ninja
cosplay girls

foundation stones
history in Meiji Mura

horrorscope
predictions and predilections
foundation stones



editorial

the right thing

One of the pleasures of life in Tokyo is that it痴 so safe. People who have lived here all their lives may take safety for granted, but for those of us who came to Japan from other places, it痴 something special. For us, it痴 a gift when we forget our wallet in a taxi and the driver brings it to our door an hour later. We feel thankful that we can walk around almost any Tokyo neighborhood late at night without feeling threatened. Even the sex is safer, when you consider how much lower the rate of HIV is in Japan compared to both its Asian neighbors and other developed countries.
In articles in this issue, TJ looks at safety and doing 鍍he right thing.・In the piece titled 電on稚 loose this article,・new TJ contributor Alice Gordenker explains Tokyo痴 amazing system for returning lost items to their rightful owners. We hope this information will help you the next time you lose or find something. In a separate piece, she explains where to go for free and anonymous testing for the HIV virus that causes AIDS. We hope this will encourage you to do 鍍he right thing・and get tested to protect yourself, your partners and the community at large.
Actually, Japan is at a critical point in its fight to contain AIDS. Until the early 1990s, most cases in Japan were due to HIV-infected blood products that were imported for the treatment of hemophilia patients. But in recent years, there has been an increase in the number of infections through sexual contact, most often among men who have sex with men. To date, here has been little spread to the general population, and Japan has one of the lowest rates of HIV in the world. According to the latest estimates from the United Nations, 0.02 percent of the Japanese adult population is infected with HIV, compared to 0.6 percent in the United States, 0.1 percent in China, 1-2 percent in Thailand and 2.7 percent in Cambodia. But Japanese health officials are very concerned about low condom use in Japan, both in the general population and high-risk groups such as female sex workers and men who have sex with men. They are also concerned by the recent drop in the number of people in Japan who go for HIV testing...

Stephan Hauser

contents
nhk museum
tuning in to history

politics
tokyo by sound truck
travel
hot spring luxury (bilingual)

jazz
kicking and alive in tokyo

free gifts
art to view and art to wear
travel - hot spring luxury

baseball - godzilla invades america samurai special
takechi hanpeita ・the tragic will to power

loose lips
what the japanese are saying

baseball
godzilla invades america
tokyo faces
kabukicho

araki
not just a flash in japan (japanese)

tokyo faces - kabukicho

tomio mohri - working with space
tomio mohri
working with space

film reviews
007 die another day
the two towers
red dragon
kissing jessica stein
bowling for columbine
24 hour party people

film festivals
tiff
resfest
filmex

events calendar
where do you want to go today?

classifieds
from schools to housing to services
Events - Keiko Lee

whale watching - in tokyo (bilingual)
joe strummer
a tribute

whale watching
in tokyo (bilingual)

tj crossword puzzle
solve & win

media wars
all the news with fear and favor

horrorscope
predictions and predilections
media wars


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editorial

I don稚 know about you, but I am often mistaken for other people, like Fred Varcoe, for instance. Must be the hairstyle or the fact that I just happen to have a generic face. In any case, I am glad we finally have a chance to run a story about my famous doppelganger. That痴 the good news. The sad news is the occasion, because Fred Varcoe recently lost his job of 15 years to some sort of pressure-group campaign.

Readers who don稚 belong to a pressure group don稚 know what they are missing. Pressure groups are a neat way to bond with similarly minded people to vent your frustrations at almost anything, in a well-targeted and focused fashion. A common modus operandi is for one member of the group to spot a terrible violation against the group code, like finding something disagreeable in a publication (such as Tokyo Journal or the Japan Times) quote it out of context, and post it for the benefit of fellow members. Group etiquette then dictates that every good member should begin raving and ranting, and start harassing the offending party via e-mail. Here at TJ we get this kind of mail all the time. They usually go something like, 添ou have insulted our minority by misquote-misquote blah, blah, blah, and therefore I and my compatriots will boycott all your advertisers.・Wow. Here痴 an attention getter if there ever was one ・especially when it comes from some guy who lives in a small town in the U.S. and has never been to Japan in his entire life.

I prefer the more honest approach by the woman from Kyoto who wrote, 的 severely object to misquote-misquote blah, blah, blah. However, I must admit I have not seen the article in question. If you mail me a copy of your magazine I will give you a more detailed opinion.・Ummm. And then there are those letters filled with profanities. These are actually the most interesting to read, because I am trying to stay up-to-date with street vernacular and with what痴 hot these days. Needless to say, our writers are also targeted from time to time. This is all part of the fun of being in the publishing business and living in the cross-hairs of peculiar pressure groups and odd individuals.

But back to Fred Varcoe. In his case, the hate campaign apparently didn稚 stop at profanities but was upgraded into death threats, and somehow, the Korean embassy also stepped into the fray to pressure Fred痴 employer. The rest is history, and Fred is left involuntarily stuck between jobs. Read all about it in this issue.

Believe it or not, the good doctor was asked to throw the first pitch at the recent Major League Baseball vs. Japanese Professional Baseball All-Star Series at Tokyo Dome...


Stephan Hauser