Japanzine Archives
Japanzine has been in publication now for 20 years, and is one of Japan's best-loved magazines. In the last few years, the magazine has helped to expand the Japanese underground music scene with insightful articles, up-to-the-minute reviews, and...
The following story was selected as a winner in our Sudden Fiction competition, 2008.
It’s a hot autumn midmorning, and the caretaker is distracted. He squats in the alley behind his building, Royal Lion Apartments, where...
Sex, death and kittens. If you ask Japan's gaijin community to let its literary muse run wild, that's what you get. Sex, death and kittens. This month we welcome back our Sudden Fiction edition, an old friend that hasn't been seen 'round...
OSAKA
Bar Absinthe (Fri 21st)
Once again, Head Nod is back. Featuring DJ ZEIDA and PEET. This little event is turning into a monthly underground throw down of some of the funkiest underground hip hop, soul, funk, and jazz...
What it is...
A versatile sound lounge that can provide anything from a party atmosphere for a small group at the bar, to a full-on-Saturday night on the dance floor. The physical layout basically consists of three areas: the lounge sofas...
Aroop Roy, once described as a "soul-slinging nomad", looks good in a hat. That's worth noting straight away, 'cause not many British men pull it off these days. In fact, the cat in the hat looks pretty damned funky any which way you...
Well whaddayaknow!! 4 or 5 editions of Tokyo Live under my belt, and I've got REAL LIVE FANS! And, no, I don't mean The Watanabes. I actually received mail this month that wasn't threatening. Does that constitute fan-worship? In my book,...
Nanayomachi
Nara-based film director Naomi Kawase made a quite a splash on the international film scene last year when her film, The Mourning Forest , won the Grand Prix at Cannes. The story of a caregiver and her testy relationship with...
Walking around the Nishiki district can provide a colorful view of the well-to-do 'society folk' in suits and kimonos inhabiting this part of town. Business deals are struck, copious amounts of alcohol are consumed, and more than a few cars with...
"It's all in English! We don’t support English computers!" It's a phrase that's made Ray Proper a very sought-after figure in the Nagoya foreign community. It's the phrase that has sent many a frustrated customer with an English...
Hello plebs! Welcome to Nagoya in November, the ultimate month, the make or break month, where dreams are either realised in a spectacularly explosive fashion, or crushed like the bones of a tiny animal beneath the wheel of an ATV. It's time to...
Some people are lucky and have everything handed to them on a plate. But if you're especially lucky, you might have everything handed to you on a Noritake plate. Besides being one of the world's most prestigious makers of fine china tableware,...
After a Sunday morning band practice in Sakae, I sat down with the boys of Doimoi. They're an all Japanese, super nerd, hard rock (with a soft side), grunge band. With all that in mind, they claim to be, "the boldest hard rockers in...
Daigo Sekimoto may not know how many lawyers it takes to change a lightbulb (apparently, it takes three: one to change it, and two to sue him for malpractice), but he's probably the only lawyer who knows how to change a bicycle tyre. Often...
What is it with male British singers? Morrissey had the witty lyrics, and Morrissey had the soaring melodies. Unfortunately, Morrissey also had the foghorn baritone, and it sent most of his countrymen into a filthy depression. Billy Bragg didn't...
Living as I do in scenic Arashiyama, November on the calendar basically signifies two things. First, the mountains outside my window will start turning a brilliant orange-red as the leaves begin gently falling in the autumn breeze blowing down...
"When it's a question of money, everybody is of the same religion." So said the French philosopher, Voltaire, and in this uneasy world, it's heartening to see that there's a faith we can still share. However, as expatriates living in a...
Maru
Lo-bit Music of the Fairy Tale Insane
Tsuji Techno
Okay, I must admit this baby’s already more than a few months old, but please forgive this humble reviewer his lack of omnipresence. Maru is a Japanese chiptune artist...
The Boys Next Door is a comedy about love, doughnuts and wanting to be normal when you – or the world – are not. One of American theater’s best kept secrets is coming to Aichi Arts Center, Nagoya 6th and 7th December, with...
BIVIO is a relatively new gym that has opened up in the Ebisu area, catering entirely to women. Specializing in the comfort and safety that female members may not usually find in a regular gym, BIVIO is the first all-female gym in the Tokyo area....
