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New York to hold Japan Week from March 1

NEW YORK — Japan Week, a multi-part festival to be held in various locations in New York City, will kick off March 1. The key events of Japan Week—the Kickoff Event and Japan Pavilion—will specifically focus on the unique world of Japanese cuisine. Sponsored by the Organization to Promote Japanese Restaurants Abroad (JRO), these events aim to promote a deeper understanding of Japan through a positive image of its food. Additional support is provided by the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) and Japan Tourism Agency (JTA). Japan Week’s Kickoff Event will be held in Vanderbilt Hall in Grand Central Terminal from March 1-3. Hosting a diverse array of vendors featuring distinct Japanese food and merchandise, the Kickoff Event will welcome the public to cultural performances as well as cooking demonstrations of Japanese dishes by renowned chefs. During the evening of March 1, an Opening Gala at Vanderbilt Hall will invite New York’s restaurant industry connoisseurs and major media to experience the latest in Japanese cuisine. The second event, the Japan Pavilion at the 2012 International Restaurant & Foodservice Show of NY at the Javits Convention Center, is open to professionals in the food trade only. For the sixth consecutive year from March 4 6, the Japan Pavilion will provide an exclusive opportunity to encounter enticing gourmet Japanese foods and products from various companies in one place. The Japan Pavilion’s highlights include the Soul Food of Japan Section, the Japanese Bar, and numerous seminars on Japanese food and restaurant business trends. An additional feature is the JRO Umami Culinary Challenge Recipe Contest, in which the grand prize winner will receive a round-trip ticket to Japan for a special culinary tour. Japan Week will also be celebrated throughout the city in other related events. Taking place concurrently with the Kickoff Event on March 1st will be a Japan tourism-focused event in Times Square commemorating the National Cherry Blossom Festival Centennial. An additional related event includes one that encourages restaurants and patrons to voluntarily raise money for Japan’s recovery from the Great Tohoku Earthquake. For more information, visit http://japanweek.us.

NHK to broadcast documentary series for 9 days to mark 1st anniversary of March 11 disaster

What really happened on March 11? How have the lives of the victims changed since the tragedy? What are their futures? NHK is to broadcast a “NHK Special” documentary series on NHK General TV for nine days beginning on March 3 to mark the first anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake. It will use the extensive footage and stories it has gathered since the disaster in the search for answers and to look toward a more optimistic future. The lineup is as follows: ◆3rd March (Sat) “FUKUSHIMA - Witnesses to a Nuclear Disaster” The interim report into the Fukushima nuclear disaster by a government-commissioned panel spared neither Tokyo Electric Power Company nor the Japanese government from blame. The program will investigate the causes of the accident and the failures that contributed to the worst nuclear accident in 25 years through the accounts of government officials, TEPCO workers and local residents. ◆4th March (Sun) “The Great East Japan Earthquake – A Chronicle “ This program will use footage taken on March 11 from across Japan to analyze the triggers of the huge earthquake and the powerful tsunami that followed. It will also examine what might have been done to reduce the number of lives that were lost. ◆5th March (Mon) “Minamisoma - Living on the frontline of a nuclear disaster” Southern side of the community of Minamisoma lies within the 20-km evacuation zone around the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, but the government has decided that residents of other parts of the town can return to their homes. As residents ask themselves whether they should leave or stay, the program examines the wavering emotions of people living on the frontline of the disaster. ◆6th March (Tue) “The 38 minutes - Testament of a Mega-Tsunami” An NHK reporter based in Kamaishi filmed the tsunami as it engulfed the seaside town over a period of 38 minutes. The program follows the 174 survivors captured in that footage, gathering witnesses’ accounts of moments that decided life and death as well as their subsequent experiences, making it an unparalleled account of the mega-tsunami. ◆7th March (Wed) 　“Winter in Otsuchi – Life on the Edge” 　　 The town of Otsuchi lost 1,400 of its residents in the disaster. Those whose homes were destroyed are enduring the bitter winter of Iwate in modest temporary housing. Life is tough. Many are taken ill and others suffer from depression, with some losing all hope for the future. Through the activities of volunteers, the program records the new crisis that threatens Otsuchi. ◆8th March (Thurs) Program on Nuclear Crisis (Title to be confirmed) ◆9th March (Fri) “ Never Give Up - Revival of Kesennuma’s High Street” The high street in the seaside town of Kesennuma, which was devastated by the powerful tsunami, is still partly under water where the land subsided. Reconstruction seemed a forlorn hope, but determined local residents have rallied. The program follows the struggles of local shopkeepers in the run-up to the day they reopened their shops in a temporary housing area. ◆10th March (Sat) “Battle of a Beleaguered City Hall – Minamisanriku’s long road to recovery” Reconstruction is a difficult business; finding the right place for a relocated community, creating employment, helping the elderly and rehabilitating children who have been traumatized. The program follows the disaster-stricken area for a year and considers the challenges facing the town of Miamisanriku. ◆11th March (Sun) “Live Broadcast From Tohoku - On the Night of that very Day” Just hours after the devastation of the afternoon of March 11, the stars shone in the sky, recall survivors of the earthquake. By sharing the victims’ experiences at the same locations they stood on that very day, the program aims to convey their thoughts and emotions, connecting them with viewers throughout Japan.

0 of the best bars and clubs in Tokyo

http://m.guardian.co.uk/travel/2012/feb/01/top-10-clubs-bars-tokyo?cat=travel...

Tokyo is teeming with dimly lit boozers, chilled-out jazz bars and hip basement clubs. James Hadfield picks his favourite watering holes from across the city

• As featured in our Tokyo city guide

James Hadfield
guardian.co.uk, Wed 1 Feb 2012 12.13 GMT
Bar High Five
Hidetsugu Ueno worked as the head bartender at legendary Ginza cocktail spot Star Bar before opening his own place nearby. The interior at High Five is as drab and functional as the drinks are exquisite, emphasising precise technique (and even more precisely carved ice) over flashy mixology. There's no menu, of course – Ueno and staff pride themselves in being able to tell what customers want to drink – but you'd do well to try their famous White Lady (Beefeater gin, Cointreau and lemon juice). Oh, and one of the hot dogs.
• 26 Polestar Building 4F, 7-2-14 Ginza, Chuo-ku, +81 3 3571 5815, www8.ocn.ne.jp/~highfive
Eleven
Ageing party-goers still remember it as Space Lab Yellow, the legendary nightclub that closed in 2008 when its building was earmarked for demolition. When that demolition didn't happen, the two-floor subterranean space was overhauled and reopened under a new name but many of the same staff. Eleven is a regular stopover for big-name house and techno DJs – Jeff Mills, Carl Craig and Seth Troxler all played there last year – but also hosts the odd dubstep night, as well as a weekly reggae party overseen by Japanese ragamuffins Rub-a-Dub Market. And while it's within easy walking distance of Roppongi, the capital's hotbed of sleazy pickup joints, it tends to draw a classier crowd.
• B1F/B2F Thesaurus Nishi-Azabu, 1-10-11 Nishi-Azabu, Minato-ku, +81 3 5775 6206, go-to-eleven.com
Goodbeer Faucets
The newest addition to Tokyo's blooming craft beer scene is a monster, with more than 40 microbrews on tap, dispensed via a state-of-art draught system that owner Teruya Hori built himself. Expect to find popular imports like BrewDog and Green Flash alongside a well chosen range of Japanese brews, including Hori's own Nide Beer. The prices are pretty reasonable by Tokyo standards, but you'll still be paying upwards of ¥780 (around £7) for a 400ml glass; on the plus side, it's got a location to die for, while the sleek, modern interior – chrome and wood surfaces come with TV screens displaying the day's beer menu – make it somewhere you might actually want to take a date.
• Shibuya Crossroad Building2F, 1-29-1 Shoto, Shibuya-ku, +81 3 3770 5544, goodbeerfaucets.jp. Open daily 5pm-midnight
SuperDeluxe
Established in 2002 as an experimental art and music space, SuperDeluxe has endured far longer than its lofty ideals might have suggested it would. A typical month in this spacious, minimally decorated Roppongi basement might involve butoh dance, abstract electronica, psych rock, art exhibitions and charity fundraisers, but look out for regular events like the monthly Pecha Kucha designer gatherings (which started here) and free Test Tone improv gigs. The kitchen whips up serviceable pizzas and veggie curry, and be sure to sample the Tokyo Ale microbrew served on tap – it's produced just a few miles down the road.
• B1F, 3-1-25 Nishi-Azabu, Minato-ku, +81 3 5412 0515, super-deluxe.com. Open Mon-Sat 6pm-2am
Trump Room
First-time visitors can take a while to get their breath back when they arrive at this hipster playpen, housed in a rundown Shibuya building whose interior has been transformed into a mess of glitterballs, mirrors and stuffed animal heads. Amazingly, the punters sometimes look even more outlandish than the decor, sporting fashions so impractical they border on fancy dress – wigs, bunny ears, military regalia and naked torsos are the norm. Music comes secondary to the preening, but you'll occasionally hear something memorable amid the onslaught of electro and house, including the odd DJ set by touring indie bands such as The Go! Team and Metronomy.
• Hoshi Building 4F, 1-12-14 Jinnan, Shibuya-ku, +81 3 3770 2325
Zoetrope
If you're looking for an introduction to Japanese whisky, this intimate, dimly lit boozer is the place to start. Zoetrope has somewhere in the region of 300 bottles behind the bar, ranging from better-known Suntory and Nikka varieties to obscure single-cask offerings that are all but impossible to get hold of anywhere else. Owner Atsushi Horigami's malt obsession is rivalled only by his passion for movies: he screens silent films in the evening, and the bar's eye-shaped logo – not to mention the surrealist paintings hanging on the wall – were created by the late Takeo Kimura, art director of choice for cult director Seijun Suzuki.
• Gaia Building #4 3F, 7-10-14 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, +81 3 3363 0162, homepage2.nifty.com/zoetrope. Open Mon-Sat 7pm-4am
Dommune
Tokyo's answer to the Boiler Room is housed in a dinky basement with space for 50 people, and a Funktion One sound system that's equipped for somewhere far larger. Dommune is open for business most weekday evenings, and its events follow a similar format, starting with an interview or Q&A session before letting the DJs take over – all of it streamed online. Everyone from SBTRKT to Derrick May has played there recently, although you'll need to keep an eye on the Twitter account (@DOMMUNE) for details of who's coming, as spaces tend to get snapped up quickly.
• Sunrise Building B1F, 4-6-5 Higashi, Shibuya-ku, +81 3 6427 4533, dommune.com. Open Sun-Thurs 7pm-midnight
Brooklyn Parlor
Equal parts café, bar and bookshop, this basement retreat is run by the company behind the Tokyo incarnations of Manhattan's Blue Note and Cotton Club – and it shows. As with its sister venues, Brooklyn Parlor is cultural karaoke at its finest: granted, its idealised vision of a typical New York hangout – all brick walls, open-plan seating and shelves crammed with art and design books – may seem contrived, but once you've sunk into one of the expansive sofas and ordered a round of draught Brooklyn Lager, you probably won't be too fussed either way.
• 3-1-26 Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, +81 3 6457 7763, brooklynparlor.co.jp. Open 11.30am-11.30pm
Unit
With its killer sound system and eclectic booking policy, this multi-story basement club must be one of the most consistently entertaining nightspots in Tokyo. The main room has space for about 600 people, with a second dancefloor downstairs that feels more like an oversized cupboard, and an all-night cafe that sometimes gets used during bigger events. You'll find a more discerning brand of clubber here than you would at nearby rivals like Womb, and Unit doubles up as a live venue for touring indie bands and local acts.
• Za House Building B1F, 1-34-17 Ebisu-Nishi, Shibuya-ku, +81 3 5459 8630, unit-tokyo.com
Stand S
A cross between a Scandinavian sauna and a neighbourhood bar, Stand S is all blonde wood surfaces and irritatingly good-looking clientele. Its location on the outer rim of Shibuya's entertainment district means that it doesn't get as rammed as some places closer to the station might, while the vibe is downtoearth and the drinks relatively inexpensive. Try one of their trademark Mojito beers (which are a lot better than they sound), washed down with a steady soundtrack of Latin jazz, soul and funk.

• 37-16 Udagawacho, Shibuya-ku, +81 3 5452 0277, stand-s.blogspot.com. Open 6pm-midnight

For more information go to the Japan National Tourism Organisation's website: jnto.go.jp/eng
• James Hadfield writes for Time Out Tokyo

Bilingual Japan Online Radio

http://www.bilingualjapan.com/

10 Best Universities in Japan

http://www.japan-talk.com/jt/new/10-best-universities-in-Japan

Ishihara says he is ready to help new political party change Japan

Tokyo Gov Shintaro Ishihara said Friday that he is eager to join a new political party with Shizuka Kamei, who leads the People’s New Party, the junior coalition partner of the ruling Democratic Party of Japan, and Takeo Hiranuma, head of the opposition Sunrise Party. The party will be the New Sunrise Party. Ishihara, 79, said he has done all he can for Tokyo and he now wants to help the New Sunrise Party to improve Japan for future generations, NHK reported. The New Sunrise Party is expected to draw support from disgruntled members of the ruling Democratic Party of Japan and opposition parties. The group is also believed to have contacted Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto and Aichi Gov Hideaki Omura.

Area near Yokohama school closed due to high radiation levels

A vacant lot beside a canal near an elementary school in Yokohama’s Seya Ward, has been designated a no-entry area following the detection of high levels of radiative cesium. According to Yokohama authorities, topsoil to a depth of 1 cm was found to be emitting 6.85 microsieverts per hour, almost 12 times the government’s legal limit of 0.59 microsieverts per hour, TV Asahi reported Saturday. The radiation is believed to be connected to the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, city officials said. Authorities added that they have closed the premises of the disused canal in response to the discovery, TV Asahi reported. Plans are being made to decontaminate the site by removing topsoil, a spokesperson added.

The Gucci of Sushi has come to Houston, TX

When you were young your dreams of adult life were filled with YSL clutches, rich red Dior lipsticks and Horchow bowls to feed your pup. Cut to real life where your dog drinks out of Tupperware and your clutch came from the sale bin at Forever 21.

 

 

Pull up a chair at luxe hotspot Uchi, which opened to foodie’s delight last night. Upgrade your sushi experience—the destination is the sequel to the resto that Austinites have been panting over for years, a Japanese farmhouse style concept created by James Beard winner Tyson Cole. Indulge in authentic delights like blue fin tuna belly, seared foie gras, baby yellowtail with thai powder and ponzu sauce, and scallops you sear yourself with a hot rock. The backdrop? A decadent wood design, pretty floral walls and an open kitchen.

You deserve a chopstick experience that doesn’t result in a splinter in your tongue.

Uchi Houston
902 Westheimer Rd.
Houston, TX 77006
713.522.4808
www.uchirestaurants.com

 

To win a $100 gift certificate go to:

http://houston.gotidbits.com/library/eat_and_sip?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_term=Subscribers%20Houston%20Tidbits&utm_campaign=Houston%20Tidbits%20-%20The%20Gucci%20of%20Sushi

JAL, bankrupt two years ago, posts Y146 bil profit

Japan Airlines, which went bankrupt two years ago in one of the country’s biggest-ever corporate failures, reported a nine-month profit of 146 billion yen Thursday, in part thanks to the strong yen. The carrier was bailed out by the government after filing for bankruptcy with debts of about 2.32 trillion yen, and emerged from a court-supervised restructuring in March last year. JAL said net profit reached 146 billion yen in the nine months to December after aggressive cost-cutting. It posted an operating profit of 162 billion yen on sales totaling 909 billion yen in the period. Because of the massive restructuring JAL carried out under government supervision—led by Chairman Kazuo Inamori—the airline does not have comparable data from the previous year. The company upgraded its forecast for the full year to March to a net profit of 160 billion, partly due to a stronger yen that encourages more Japanese to travel overseas. “Revenue for the third quarter… has increased from the original projection in part due to the high yen rate, which encouraged international leisure travel from Japan, as well as from stable corporate travel demand,” JAL said. In contrast, many Japanese exporters have blamed the strong yen for hurting their balance sheets, as it makes their products more expensive abroad and erodes the value of repatriated profits from overseas operations. “JAL continued to review aircraft scheduling on each route and enforced measures to increase revenues while examining every cost category to achieve greater cost reduction, such as in fuel costs,” the airline said. The number of passengers travelling to Thailand decreased in October due to severe flooding in that country, but JAL increased flights on its Delhi route to meet robust corporate travel demand, the airline said. For the year to March 2012, JAL now expects a net profit of 160 billion yen and operating profit of 180 billion yen on sales of 1.19 trillion yen. In November, JAL had expected a lower net profit of 120 billion yen and an operating profit of 140 billion yen on sales of 1.15 trillion yen. During its restructuring the company cut unprofitable routes, reviewed its fleet, and reduced fuel expenses. It also started using a new revenue management system to improve productivity.

Ex-U.S. diplomat Maher pulls no punches on Japan

http://www.japantoday.com/smartphone/view/national/ex-u-s-diplomat-maher-pull...

WASHINGTON — U.S. diplomats typically are unfailingly polite and reverential toward their countries of expertise and, upon retirement, go away quietly into research or business. Not so with Kevin Maher. Since he was unceremoniously removed from his position last year, the veteran diplomat on Japan has gone on the offensive with biting criticism on issues from Tokyo’s political paralysis to the Fukushima nuclear disaster. To his own surprise, he has found an eager audience. A book he wrote in Japanese, “The Japan That Can’t Decide,” has sold more than 100,000 copies and for weeks topped the country’s best-seller list for non-fiction paperbacks. Maher’s main thesis is that Japan—which has had six new prime ministers since 2006—has been crippled by a failure of its politicians to accept responsibility and, hence, to make hard decisions. Maher pointed to the crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, which was devastated by the March 11 tsunami, and dismissed the government’s declaration last month that it had stabilized the leaking reactors. “It’s not stable,” Maher said recently at the Heritage Foundation in Washington. “Tokyo is safe, but Fukushima Daiichi is in really bad shape.” The State Department sacked Maher as its Japan desk chief just a day before the historic 9.0-magnitude earthquake but he stayed on for another month to coordinate the U.S. disaster response. Maher said that the U.S. government was privately terrified over the unfolding crisis. He accused Japan’s then prime minister, Naoto Kan, of evading responsibility and trying to pass the problem over to the plant’s operator, the Tokyo Electric Power Co. “I remember sitting on a task force many a time thinking, ‘Who the hell is in control in Japan?’ The government’s not doing anything. Kan made one trip and flew up and got in the way and came back,” Maher said. Maher said that he watched in horror as he saw television footage of a sole helicopter dropping water on the stricken plant. “Is that the best Japan can do?” Maher said. “Frankly what happened is the U.S. government called in the Japanese ambassador and said, look, you have to take this stuff seriously. We don’t know what’s going to happen.” Maher said that the United States was even looking at whether it would have to evacuate some 100,000 Americans, although it soon became clear that Tokyo was not in harm’s way. Maher’s earlier strident critiques led to his downfall. While in office, he spoke to students about Okinawa—home to half of the 47,000 U.S. troops in Japan—and accused local leaders of playing on mainland Japanese guilt to “extort” concessions. Japanese media accounts of his remarks stirred outrage. Maher, 57, who has worked on Japan for three decades and has a Japanese wife, called the controversy “water under the bridge” and said he was making a good living as a consultant. Nonetheless, he criticized the two officials he said were behind his dismissal—then deputy secretary of state Jim Steinberg and Ambassador to Japan John Roos. “They just wanted to get this out of the press and decided that the best thing was not to address whether these press reports were actually true or not but just to remove me from my position,” Maher said. Despite his criticism, Maher—like current U.S. officials—sees bright spots in Japan’s latest prime minister, Yoshihiko Noda, who is pushing forward controversial plans to raise taxes and join talks on a U.S.-backed trade pact. Maher said he has received little backlash over his book. He believed he won over potentially hostile readers with a message that Japan worked well in the past and needed to return to its traditions. “We used to have an image back in the ‘80s, if a Japanese corporation had a problem, you were worried that the chairman would go to commit ‘seppuku,’” he said, referring to ritual suicide. “He would take responsibility even if it was not a mistake that he made. But now it’s reversed in Japan,” he said. Maher said he was surprised when he visited Okinawa to promote his book. “There were four demonstrators. When I was consul general in Okinawa, I could always get 40.” © 2012 AFP