Happy Hour International

“Araki Takako Retrospective”
Takako Araki (1921-2004), a native of Nishinomiya City, Hyogo Prefecture, began creating glassware around 1950. From 1956-60, she ran an art gallery in Osaka where she presented works in plaster and steel and introduced Kansai-based avant-garde artists.
In 1963, having returned to Japan from New York where she studied sculpture from 1961, Araki opened a kiln at her home in Nishinomiya. Her unique artworks of black ceramics and silk-screen printed balls garnered acclaim in the contemporary art world, and in 1979 a work in her “Bible series” won her a prize at the fifth Japan Ceramic Art Exhibition. This became a turning point in her career as a ceramist. The Bible, which has become one of her favored motifs, is symbolically used to explore themes related to the core of human existence.

Chilling In Tokyo – Dry Dock: Shimbashi

Perhaps this isn’t the narrowest bar in Tokyo, but it’s certainly the narrowest bar offering such an impressive class of craft beers, both domestic and imported. Cleverly, the tiny space is fashioned to resemble a yacht, with porthole windows and nautical decor throughout. Three small tables fill the upper deck, while the lower deck is standing-room only, with space for maybe seven or eight along the port-side bar.

New Year’s discounts in Yokohama
To celebrate the New Year, the InterContinental Yokohama Grand is holding the hotel’s popular seasonal event, the Otoshidama (New Year’s gift) Promotion.
One plan in the promotion is called New Year Two Plus One, where every third guest in a party of three, six, nine or 12 can have the near equivalent of a free meal: a 33 percent discount for the group. The offer is valid only on weekdays through Feb. 29 for five menus at the hotel’s restaurants, including the lunch buffet at Italian restaurant La Vela and the all-you-can-eat order-style dinner at Chinese restaurant Karyu.

“Everyday Life/Hidden Reasons”
This is the Kanagawa Prefectural Gallery’s second group show of the works of young up-and-coming Japanese artists.
This year, it features three New York-based artists — Satoru Eguchi, Kazue Taguchi and Midori Harima — who each created new works under the theme of “Hidden Reasons.” All three artists have held several solo and group exhibitions internationally and received various awards and nominations for their works.

Recipe – Satsuma-age (deep-fried fish cakes)
1. On a paper-lined sheet pan, lightly salt the mackerel fillets, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours….

“Form in Art: Touch and Sense the Piece — Keiko Masumoto”
“Form in Art: Touch and Sense the Piece” is a series of exhibitions that began in 1989 with the aim of broadening the public’s experience of art by focusing on works that don’t rely simply on vision to be appreciated. This particular show introduces the work of Hyogo Prefecture-born rising ceramicist Keiko Masumoto (b. 1982).
Ceramics can be viewed as functional art — aesthetically pleasing works that have the added appeal of being tangible and usable in daily life. Once such objects are housed and displayed at museums, however, they become untouchable to viewers. This show explores a new way to appreciate art by allowing visitors to touch and interact with around 20 works on show; till Nov. 6.

“Hatakeyama Naoya: Natural Stories”
The Japanese globe-trotting photographer Naoya Hatakeyama explores our relationship with nature through images of mining sites and mountain landscapes related to the world’s mineral resources.
Hatakeyama first became interested in industry and nature during his childhood, having grown up in the then gold-mining city of Rikuzentakata in Iwate Prefecture. Ealier this year, Rikuzentakata was one of the hardest-hit cities during the Great East Japan Earthquake, and the photographer is left with only memories of his hometown.

“Hiroko Inoue: Inside-Out”
Foil Gallery in Higashi-Kanda Closes in 8 days

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Defected celebrates a decade on the dance floor
In the decade since Defected Records released its first single, Soulsearcher’s “Can’t Get Enough,” the label has become a byword for soulful house in Britain and has grown to be one of the biggest independent record labels on the international dance scene. On April 28, the label will bring some of its top artists to Tokyo to celebrate its 10th anniversary with a night of uplifting, classic and funky house at superclub Ageha. Perhaps the secret of the label’s success lies in its business model: None of the artists represented by Defected are actually signed to it. The label simply buys selected tracks by artists and releases them — meaning the only risk to the label is that head Simon Dunmore loses his ear for a great tune. Over the last decade, that hasn’t happened. With nearly 200…

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“Leo Rubinfien: Wounded Cities”
The terrorist attacks in the United States on Sept. 11, 2001, are imprinted on the memories of people around the world. Now, after 10 years, the physical damage in New York seems to be gradually mending. But what about the psychological recovery in society?
Leo Rubinfien saw the 9/11 attack first hand, and has dealt with his experience by photographing the faces of people walking on streets in cities where terrorism has occurred, such as New York, London, Madrid, Moscow and Tokyo.

Windsor Bar
As hotel bars go, this one takes some beating. The Windsor Bar, on the third floor of the Roppongi Prince Hotel, is divided into two spaces. Its most distinctive feature is a dramatic ceiling mural in the style of M.C Escher: a monochrome moonscape glimpsed through a perspective distorting series of pillars and arches. The rest of the bar is no less original, with lots of dark green marble and bla…

“Modes from Rococo to Art Deco: Make up, Hair and Fashion”
Since ancient times, beauty has been a concern for many women, something that has led to various styles in fashion and makeup within different cultures, philosophies and historical periods.
During the 18th-century Rococo Period, when Marie Antoinette was the fashion leader, large, elaborate hair styles and flamboyant sack-back gowns, known as robe à la francaise, came into vogue along with an elegant and sophisticated court lifestyle.

Review – Ivan Ramen Plus: Kyodo
No ordinary ramen shop, Ivan Plus stakes out its territory on the noodle frontier, exploring new styles and trends in the ramen world and offering innovative new dishes. This is the second shop from New York-born and -trained Ivan Orkin. While his first shop served as a proving ground to demonstrate that this American chef could master a traditional bowl, the “Plus” branch is more of a laboratory for experimenting with recipes and ideas. And for diners, a chance to enjoy some uniquely appealing versions of this popular dish.

“The Hunting Party”
Director: Richard Shepard Language: English

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05/23-06/01. Hibiya Oktoberfest 2008 in Hibiya Park.
No, it’s not October yet, but this big ten-day festival will feature plenty of imported German beers, German, German wines, plus live musical entertainment from German bands….

When a girl just refuses to commit
Let me tell you what’s wrong with most chick flicks: They’re hard on real chicks. Here we are, overworked and stressed, between relationships or roughing one out, jilted and depressed or stable and bored. What we want is a little excitement, some peace and maybe a tiny bit of vindication. And granted, the chick flick typically gives us all that — but usually all that does is make things worse. What with all those thin, gorgeous characters and their spacious apartments, idealized (if eventually unfaithful) boyfriends and clever sidekick girlfriends, not to mention the kind of wardrobe (size XS of course) that Lindsay Lohan would steal in a flash, you wind up feeling more damaged than healed.

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“Wilhelm Sasnal: 16 mm films”
Rat Hole GalleryCloses June 6
A snowman on fire, women dancing on a car and the chopped-off roof of a vehicle used as a skate ramp are just some of the countless startling images encountered in the “16 mm films” exhibition of Wilhelm Sasnal.

Summer fun during Golden Week
The Hotel New Otani Tokyo will open its outdoor pool during the Golden Week holidays, from April 29 to May 5.
Covering 2,000 sq. meters, the garden pool Maitai is 25 meters long with a 3-meter-deep diving pool and a 50-cm-deep children’s pool.

Teenage rivalry with real girl power
Women warriors have been a feature of Japanese films for decades, from Meiko Kaji’s revenge-bent heroine in “Shurayuki Hime” (Lady Snowblood, 1973) — a major inspiration for Quentin Tarantino’s “Kill Bill” — to Haruka Ayase’s sword-wielding shamisen player in “Ichi” (2008).
Hardly any of their exploits, however, have been based on any sort of reality. Also, their fans have been mostly men who, for whatever reason, like watching glinty-eyed beauties slice up bad guys.

“Yuka Shimada & Julia Vuori Picture Book Art Exhibition: The World of Bam & Kero, And Sika”
Though based respectively in Canada and Finland, picture-book artists Yuka Shimada and Julia Vuori struck up a friendship after Shimada discovered Vuori’s illustrations at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair Illustrators Exhibition, which was held in Tokyo some 20 years ago.
“Bam & Kero” is a popular series of picture books by Shimada that features warm-hearted and playful animal characters in colorful, bold tones. Vuori’s “SIKA” series of books features a pig who lives in the city, illustrated using similar colors.

“Glittering of Imagination: The Visionary World Of Surreal And Fantasy”
The Surrealism movement, which began in Europe in the early 1920s, was an attempt by artists and writers to release and express the creative potential of humans’ unconscious mind.
Artists used unusual juxtapositions of motifs and bizarre imagery to stimulate the viewers’ imagination and lure them into a world of unreality.

Hotter days, bigger dining discounts
Summer has started and the temperature and humidity in Tokyo is high. The Peninsula Tokyo welcomes the season by offering a special dinner discount called Heating Things Up. Every Sunday, Monday and Tuesday through Aug. 30, the highest temperature reached each day will be the rate of the discount for dinner. For example, if the temperature hits 35 degrees Celsius, the discount is 35 percent.
At 1 p.m. on the given days, the hotel will confirm the day’s temperature on its website. The temperature posted will be applied as the percent of the discount when dining at Peter, Peter: The Bar, Hei Fung Terrace and The Lobby.

‘Amelia’ lands short of the mark
“Adequate” is the name of the game in Mira Nair’s (“Monsoon Wedding” “The Namesake”) biopic of the iconic American pilot Amelia Earhart. With other subjects, adequate may have been fine — but for this particular woman and vehicle, “adequate” just doesn’t pack enough firepower to get the film off the runway and soaring into space. (Puns totally intended.)
Earhart not only altered the course of American aviation history, she also laid the groundwork for feminism and women’s rights long before the notion got through to American society at large — and she did it all during the 1930s’ Great Depression, when the whole nation was feeling down in the dumps. Her story deserves more than an adequate effort — surely there’s enough romance, fantasy and mystery (she and her plane disappeared during a round-the-world flight in 1937) to ensure a glorious action pic, crammed to the gills with incident and adventure.

Two films explore childbirth in Japan
The pain of childbirth, Genesis says, is God’s punishment for the original sin of womankind — if only Eve hadn’t given Adam that apple! But in Japan, traditionalists contend, it’s to be embraced, not lamented, since the deeper the agony, the deeper the motherly love. So hold the epidurals, please, we’re Japanese.
I don’t subscribe to either view, but as someone who has gone through the whole pregnancy-to-birth process twice as a father — that is, as a supporting player rather than the lead — I understand its huge significance, as well as its vast variations and sheer arbitrariness. Expectant mothers in Japan, where the infant mortality rate is one of the lowest in the world, seemingly have little to fear. But as two new documentaries show, anxieties can still be overwhelming, choices difficult and outcomes hard to cope with — or accept.

Peter
Up on the 24th floor of the Peninsula Hotel you’ll find one of Tokyo’s hippest cocktail temples, Peter. The room is decorated with metallic trees which give an ethereal indoors-outdoors effect to the space that’s already pretty striking thanks to the digitized projections on the walls…