Write your wish upon a tanzaku (短冊) and hang it from a bamboo bough! It's time once again for the celestial couple Hikoboshi (彦星) and Orihime (織姫) to be reunited! I'm talking about Tanabata of course!
This year my wife is super busy with work and we won't be able to make it to Sendai for the big celebration. I was still eager to get into the Tanabata spirit, however, so I decided to hang out by myself, and I spent the day at the Shitamachi Tanabata Matsuri (下町七夕まつり).
The festival runs the length of Kappabashi St (合羽橋通り) from Ueno to Asakusa. Both sides of the street were lined with food and drink vendors, games for kids, sidewalk sales and second-hand goods vendors setup flea market style. In addition to lots of over-eating and getting drunk (a fine matsuri tradition!) there was also taiko drumming and music and dance performances.
These tasty snacks are actually not Japanese at all. They're a deep-fried Mongolian treat called Bobb that are similar to chewy cake doughnuts, and they're delicious! After I ate a few of these I found a vendor selling shaved ice (かき氷 / kaki-gouri), but this isn't your average lemon, lime, strawberry or blue shaved ice. This one is called "Adults' Shaved Ice" and rightfully so-- there are two toppings to choose from: yuzu liquor (柚子酒) and plum liquor (梅酒)! I chose yuzu and it was extremely tasty and refreshing, and was also just strong enough to add a pleasant boost to my matsuri mood! As you can see, these guys prepare the ice the old-fashioned way using an old school hand-crank machine. Compared to the modern electric shave ice machines, this one makes the ice a bit crunchier the which seems to match well with the booze. (^_^)
Today was a fun day!! I was reminded again of why I love living in the Shitamachi area. Folks here keep it real and don't bother with lots of frills or bells and whistles. Shitamachi is old and worn-- kind of like a favourite pair of old jeans that's way more comfortable and got more character and style than any pair of new jeans you'll ever buy. That feeling is captured perfectly in a the Shitamachi Tanabata Matsuri.
There's a bunch more photos of the event for readers who are interested; just follow this link to the photo album.
For today's post, it's time for my first music review on Rising Sun, and I can't think of an album that's more deserving than this one by singer-songwriter Shiina Ringo. I've been fan of hers since the early 2000s, and one of the main things I enjoy about her music is how she continuously seeks to reinvent herself by exploring new styles of music and blending them in unique and ingenious ways. Additionally, she's fully able to perform any genre of music that interests her, and listeners are guaranteed that she'll perform it with intensity and feeling. When these fine musical elements are brought together with the expert studio remastering that's standard for a Shiina Ringo release, the end result is beautifully polished without losing its soul or sounding pretentious. Without further ado, I present:
椎名林檎 逆輸入 〜港湾局〜
Shiina Ringo Reimports ~Port Authority~
Shiina Ringo released her latest full length album, "Reimports ~Port Authority~" last month on May 27th. The images in this post show the limited edition hardcover-book version. This album is a compilation of self-covers, meaning that all the tracks she's performing are songs that she wrote for other artists, some of which date back to the late 90s, not long after her debut. Much like her other recent releases, this album is another genre-busting collection of works that challenges the boundaries of musical classification and showcases Ringo-chan's wide-ranging talent. The fact that the songs were first made famous by other singers makes it all the more interesting to hear Shiina sing them herself. It's also worth noting that the album is an even mix of Japanese and English songs, which might increase accessibility for overseas listeners.
1. 主演の女 ("Shuen no Onna" / Leading Lady, written for Puffy)
The opening track of Reverse Import ~Port Authority~ is an exploration of the soundtrack / show tune genre that Shiina Ringo has been frequently exploring recently. Combining a driving bass line with a big band swing musical sound, both in orchestration and vocals, is something really unique, and a sound that I personally have heard only on Shiina Ringo's albums.
2. 渦中の男 ("Kachū no Otoko" / Vortex Boy, written for Tokio)
Shiina's vocals on this track move into a sort of 90s trip-hop direction, which magically compliment the extremely intense if not chaotic and slightly discombobulating instrumentation which can sort of be described as a conglomeration of high-tempo classic jungle, dubstep and techno hardcore. I'm not sure I've ever actually heard a track like this before...one that I liked anyway. It demanded my full attention and left me in shock momentarily!
In huge contrast to the previous track, "Private" brings us to a very playful, happy, pop sound. Even the lyrics are extremely lighthearted and j-pop-like to the point where I had to wonder if she was just toying with us, but then I needed to remind myself that this track was written with a different singer in mind. Indeed this is quite fitting for Ryōko Hirosue. (^_^)
4. 青春の瞬き ("Seishun no Matataki" / The Flicker of Youth, written for Chiaki Kuriyama [Side Note: Remember Gogo from Kill Bill? Yep, thatChiaki Kuriyama])
Shiina's vocals on this tune give listeners a nostalgic feeling of listening to early, classic Shiina Ringo which...what can I say?... feels good! Listening carefully, though, this track has some unique sounds hidden in the sound of nostalgia. The arrangement on this one is actually multi-layered and multi-faceted!
5. 真夏の脱獄者 ("Manatsu no Datsugokusha" / Midsummer Fugitives, written for SMAP)
This is another track that took me by surprise, especially considering that it was made famous by SMAP! In order to classify this tune, I would have to describe it as electro-funk pop rock! It's definitely funky and makes me feel like dancing! Fans of Shiina Ringo know that those are not words that come up very often listening to her music! Very kool!! Not being a fan of SMAP (Sorry) I think it's many times more enjoyable than their version.
6. 望遠鏡の外の景色 ("Bōenkyō no Soto no Keshiki" / View Outside of the Telescope, written for Eri Fukatsu)
"View Outside of the Telescope" is a unique combination of sounds that brings back elements of the show tune / musical soundtrack style I mentioned earlier, along with the sounds of traditional cool jazz as it would be if performed by a big band. This track is an instrumental which something quite unusual for Shiina Ringo, and it's pretty darned impressive!
7. 決定的三分間 ("Ketteiteki Sanpunkan" / The Decisive Three Minutes, written for Chiaki Kuriyama)
This is another track that has a sort of nostalgic feeling in the vocals, but the arrangement is decidedly anchored in the spy movie soundtrack, bringing in subtle element of mysteriousness.
Bringing the listener back to the realm of pop, this track seems straightforward enough, but Shiina's interest in the soundtrack is evident here as well adding a subtle richness to a lovely pop-rock tune.
9. 雨傘 ("Amagasa" / Rain Umbrella, written for Tokio)
When listening to "Rain Umbrella" I can't stop myself from hearing a tiny bit of modern American country in Shiina's singing style and intonations (not something I would have predicted myself ever saying). Any similarity to country ends there, though, since the music in this tune dances on the borders of both hard rock and punk without fully crossing over into either one! Leave it to Shiina Ringo to make a song like this one work and sound great!
10. 日和姫 ("Hiyori Hime" / Weather Princess, written for Puffy)
The sound of hard rock continues on in this track while preserving the feeling of a light and playful pop-rock-alternative tune... perfect for Puffy I think! (^_^)
11. 幸先坂 ("Saisakizaka" / Fortune Hill Road, written for Yōko Maki)
Something unique again! The musical arrangement is best described as provincial, and could easily be mistaken for something from the French countryside. The sound of scratched vinyl is blended in periodically, giving the feeling of listening to an old record. This is really quite a delightful way to end a great album!
Reimports ~Port Authority~ is another masterpiece, album added to Shiina Ringo's already impressive catalog of releases. My feeling is that even if you are not (yet?) fans of hers, you will enjoy it so long as you simply like music. This is an album that really has a lot to offer regardless of one's personal tastes.
On that note♫ I'd like to end this post by first linking to Shiina Ringo's official Youtube channel, and second by leaving you with yet another new Shiina Ringo track that's not on the album I've just reviewed, but was released even more recently as the official soundtrack for Japan's coverage of the 2014 World Cup, a tune that's aptly named, "NIPPON." Enjoy! (Now if only our team would pick up the pace and make themselves worthy of this song!)
Spring is coming to an end in Tokyo, and besides the heat, what comes along with the end of spring? Beautiful Hydrangea of course! Known as "Ajisai" (紫陽花) in Japanese, I went to see a whole bunch of different varieties of them on display yesterday at the 30th annual Ajisai Festival (紫陽花祭り) at Hakusan Shrine (白山神社) in Bunkyo City sort of nearby my home. Each year festival organizers setup a shared space adjoining the grounds of the Shrine with Hakusan Park to display nearly 3,000 hydrangea. Although the festival proper has been held annually for the past 30 years, Hakusan Park has been open to the public since 1891 (明治24年), and Hakusan Shrine dates back to the mid-900s in the Heian Period (平安時代). For today's post I'm ending with a simple introduction. Please enjoy the photos below!
Disclaimer for anyone who may stumble across this post: this content is not based on any actual knowledge about homelessness or experience working / participating in social services; this is just me meandering as usual.
I hope I'm not being offensive to anyone, but this guy is my favourite homeless person in Ueno. I see him several times per week since I usually ride through Ueno Park during my commute to and from work. He's always doing something interesting, he's got an really kool bicycle and is often wearing something ostentatious. In this photo he's performing some sort of ritualistic dance with a discarded potato chip bag. Earlier this week I saw him chanting something while furiously ripping weeds and grass out of the ground and throwing them to and fro, stopping periodically to point at passersby while striking pseudo martial arts poses. The poor guy is probably in need of mental health care, but sadly he's not likely to get it in our society over here. I like this guy! Can I say that? I thought about asking his permission to take a photo, but I'm reluctant to do that because I'm not sure he would welcome it, and his actions often border on the frantic and agitated.
Homelessness in Tokyo is really a mystery to me because it's so very different from what I'm accustomed to in the U.S. There was really no such thing as homelessness until after the bubble economy broke in the 1990s and unemployment became widespread. Recent Japan Census estimates say that there are probably at least 5,000 homeless people living in Tokyo. Many of Tokyo's homeless live seemingly undisturbed in make-shift camps in out-of-the-way corners of public parks, and I've seen many, many homeless folks start their day by waking up early and sweeping and/or tidying up the public spaces around them. Taking shelter under other urban shelters like bridges and underground cross-walks does not seem to be discouraged, but obviously I can't know the true situation for sure.
I can't help but wonder how support systems work here. The vast majority of homeless people in Tokyo have wheeled push-carts and blue plastic-vinyl tarps that all look exactly the same, as if they were issued to them from somewhere. I've also observed that local businesses tend to leave their discarded cardboard cartons out for homeless people to use, as opposed to cutting them up and stuffing them into a trash compactor like they do in the states. For some reason I have never once been asked for change or a handout of any kind, nor have I seen people around me being asked, even in areas with a large homeless population.
Here is a BBC page that shows a handful of photos documenting homeless in Osaka, a city that was particularly hard-hit by the economic downturn of two decades ago.
I can't help the feeling that this post is probably making someone somewhere angry or offended. I sincerely hope not, but I also know that these days good intentions carry no value if one's words are seen to be perpetuating stereotypes or oppression, whether the author is aware of it or not. If anyone is actually informed on the topic of homelessness in Tokyo, I'd love some comments!
Side-note: No, I did not see the movie Tokyo Godfathers (東京ゴッドファーザーズ). (^_^)
