zoom japan no.006
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All the latest news &exclusive articles on today’s Japan
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MusicNew kids
on the rock
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Zoo
m Ja
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Editorial
The Japanese youthhave been a little underthe weather lately.Employment prospectsafter leaving school arenot very bright andworking conditions
have progressively gone down hill. A studyin 2011 by the Foundation for Political Inno-vation, that focused on youth all over theworld, revealed that despite this strong fee-ling of pessimism ( Japan ranked bottom interms of optimism), not all give up. Withmusic, many have found a way of expressingtheir concerns. Using all the means of com-munication they can lay their hands on, theyare well and truly ready to rock the archipe-lago. We met up with these new kids on therock, who are making their voices heard.
THE EDITORIAL [email protected]
NEWS
A DAY IN JAPAN by Eric Rechsteiner
The 25th Tokyo International Film Festival was held in the capital from 20th to the 28th of October. Though theinternational competition resembles most other events of this kind, TIFF also offers a great selection of Japaneseproductions in order to promote them to foreign viewers. All the films are subtitled in English.
12 October, Roppongi, Tokyo
© E
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On front cover : Noko from Shinsei Kamattechan
2 ZOOM JAPAN number 6 november 2012
POLITICS Hashimotoprepares the groundThe leader of new Japanese political party,
ishin no kai (Japan Restoration
Association) and mayor of Osaka,
Hashimoto Toru, has begun an extensive
campaign to win over western Japan. His
aim is to rally support for the coming
elections. In spite of a decrease in
popularity, he appears to be a possible
candidate for prime minister.
DIPLOMACY A difficult timewith KoreaA joint poll by Tokyo’s Mainichi Shimbun
and Seoul’s Chosen Ilbo shows that people
on both sides of the Tsushima Strait are
aware of the deterioration in bilateral
relations. 71% of Japanese and 78%
of South Koreans share this feeling.
The main reason is the disagreement
relating to the island of Takeshima (Known
as Dokdo in Korea).
In its 2012 report on worldwide economic
parity, the World Economic Forum places
Japan 101st out of 135 nations, although it
was previously in 98th position. This fall
can be explained by the small number of
women in Parliament and on company
boards of management.
101
NEWS
Foreign trade statistics have never been so bad,but there are still some strong pockets ofresistance.
On the economic front, news is abundant andever changing. Morale was low when thegovernment announced that the country had
recorded its highest trade deficit ever over the firstsix months of the2012 fiscal year.3,200 billion yen is avery impressive num-ber, but the increaseis what is most wor-rying, as it has risenby 90% compared tothe previous year.The main causes forthe deficit are theEurozone crisis andthe tense relationswith neighbouringcountries. On theone hand, the Euro-peans have started toreduce theirc o n s u m p t i o nbecause of their ownworsening economic situation, and on the other, Chi-nese calls for a boycott of Japanese products followingthe recent territorial disagreements have also had animportant impact on Japan’s trade balance. Only lastSeptember, Japan’s trade deficit reached 559 billionyen. Toyota’s car sales in China dropped by half in Sep-tember and if this trend continues, the Japanese manu-
facturer might not reach the magic number of 10 mil-lion cars it sold in 2012.Nevertheless, the current situation in Japan has beenlucky for some. A few Japanese companies have takenadvantage of a strong yen by greatly increasing theirforeign portfolios, especially in emerging markets. Thisshould allow them to resist the weaknesses of the Japa-nese market that is marked by the twin problems of
deflation and anageing population. Inthe first nine monthsof 2012 alone, Japa-nese companies havespent over 63 billiondollars buying upforeign businesses.This figure rose againafter the announce-ment on the 15th ofOctober that Sprint,the third largestmobile phone opera-tor in the USA, wasbeing taken over bySoftbank. The Japa-nese investor spent 20billion dollars buyingup 70% of the Ame-
rican company’s shares, propelling them into third posi-tion in the world in terms of revenue. The Japaneseeconomy is not doing well, but it is not yet ready togive in. Year in, year out, Japanese businesses have tryingto encourage growth elsewhere when unable to rely onthe local market. This has caused some to cry, but othershave found ways to smile. GABRIEL BERNARD
ECONOMY Laughter andtears
november 2012 number 6 ZOOM JAPAN 3
Son Masayoshi, manager of Softbank, with Dan Hesse, number
one at Sprint, when they announced the American company’s pur-
chase on 15 October in Tokyo.
FOCUS
4 ZOOM JAPAN number 6 november 2012
D on’t keep quiet. Use music to assert yourselfand make your voice heard! Such is themotto of many modern Japanese artists who
wish to make use of their talent to communicate cer-tain values and to proclaim their right to be heard.Most of them are independent and they refuse tobe controlled by Tokyo’s music industry. Some of thesemusicians have succeeded in imposing their alterna-tive outlook on big record companies. The latter needto accept that music is changing and that Japan’s lit-tle world of pop (J-pop) will never be the same again.When some artists, such as RC Succession, tried toraise a debate on nuclear power in the archipelago
with their song “Summertime Blues” back in 1988,their record company suspended sales, despite the suc-cess of their version of Eddie Cochran’s song. In theland of consensus, issues that might upsetpeople cannot be raised. Nevertheless,Imawano Kiyoshiro, leader of RC Suc-cession, did not give up and pursued asolo career, during which he used histalent to try and wake up a sleeping society. In the sameway as Serge Gainsbourg turned the Marseillaise intoa reggae tune, Imawano Kiyoshiro covered Kimigayo(the Japanese national anthem) as a rock tune in hisalbum Fuyu no jujika [Winter's cross] in 1990. Thiswas widely seen as a desecration of the piece that wasoriginally written in 905 and only played on instru-ments for the first time in 1880. Imawano's death inMay 2009 sparked a wave of emotion throughout thecountry, but his commitment and desire to use music
to raise a different voice, in contrast to the dull voicesof the J-pop singers, spawned many emulators. All overthe country, bands or solo artists have emerged, and
succeeded in increasing their audiencesthanks to concerts, internet promotionsand the ability to produce their musicmore easily with online tools. Over thelast fifteen years, Japan has faced a small
musical revolution that might just turn the whole mar-ket upside down. This does not mean that protest musicnever existed in Japan before Imawano Kiyoshiro. Inthe nineteen-sixties, when Japanese students where radi-calising and protesting against the Japan-American secu-rity treaty, artists (most of them folk-musicians) becamea conduit for this unease, but at the time they were notas well received as Tha Blue Herb and Takahashi Yû arenowadays. The internet has completely changed theway things work. Shinsei Kamattechan is a good exam-
New kidson the rock
It isn’t easyraising touchysubjects.
They originate from outside the capital and reject the imagegiven to music by Tokyo, proclaiming their origins andengaging with an increasing number of societal issues.
MUSIC They won’t keep their mouths shutAll around the world, dozens of artists andbands fight to defend their right to bedifferent. It is no exception in Japandespite its reputation for reticence.
Shinsei Kamattechan, the latest sensation on the rock scene.
FOCUS
november 2012 number 6 ZOOM JAPAN 5
ple of a band that has built its notoriety with its useof the internet. In many of its songs this band fromChiba raises the issue of bullying at school (ijime), whichcaused its leader to hide away from society (A pheno-menon known as hikikomori) before finding a way ofexpressing through music the difficulty of living in asociety in which differences are not accepted and theugly duckling is always left out. Nevertheless, this dif-ference is just what many rising rock bands are makinguse of. Many of them are from outside the capital. Theymake great play of their origins and refuse to adapt tothe trends developing in Tokyo. They embody a deep-rooted movement that is taking over the whole coun-try: regionalism. The hip-hop band Tha Blue Herb isa perfect example. This group, probably one of the bestin Japan, was formed in Hokkaido. Like others before-hand, they fought to maintain their local character, andcreated a label to promote artists like themselves andensure that the influence of Tokyo will not put a stopto their progress. On the other side of Japan, in Oki-nawa, Cocco also defends her cultural heritage in hermusic, proof of which can be found in her latest albumEmerald. After having spent two years as a beachcom-ber, in 2003 she organised a concert with only one song:Heaven’s Hell, calling for a change in attitude amongthe population in Okinawa. Her performance had agreat impact and she became an icon for the poorestregion of Japan. However, do not imagine that Japanhas been transformed into a place of constant protestwith music as an expression of dissent. The music sceneis still dominated by middle of the road artists. Althoughnow, there are also musicians all over the country, whouse their talent to question the state of society, with arising number of young people fighting against poverty
and injustice. Takahashi Yû is one of them. In his songs,this writer-composer tells of the growing difficultyhis generation encounters in the search for happiness.Other artists, such as Taiyozoku from Hokkaido, arenot as dark in their approach, but they also demandtheir share of happiness, and do not appear ready togive up their claims and just keep quiet.
ODAIRA NAMIHEI
Since the sixties, rock has beenassociated with counter-culturein the West. This is not the casein Japan.MORI Yoshitaka : It is often saidthat there are very few countercul-tural elements in Japanese rockwhen compared to the West. Ne-vertheless, I disagree with this. Inhis book Japrocksampler: How thePost-war Japanese Blew Their Mindon Rock ‘n’ Roll [pub. Bloomsbury]which focuses on Japanese rock, Ju-lian Cope says that there werebands like Joe With Flower Travel-lin’ Band, produced by UchidaYûya that played a similar role totheir European counterparts. Du-ring the second half of the seven-ties, indie bands and rock musi-cians from Tokyo played quite alarge role in punk and new wavesubcultures. But where they diffe-red from what was going on in Eu-rope is that they never left the un-derground scene, because theywere never able to conquer a wi-der audience. And unlike the West,there was no concession to thedrug culture in Japan. This drugand rock culture never became roo-ted in the archipelago. It was thesame for the psychedelic scene.The only exception is ImawanoKiyoshiro, who experienced thegolden age of rock in the sixtiesand succeeded in attracting a very
large audience. He sang in Japa-nese and was able to reinterpretthe anti-establishment approach forJapanese tastes. It made a strongimpression, even for those whowere not that interested in rock.
How did the music industryevolve over the past twodecades?M. Y. : Since the late eighties, Japa-nese pop and rock has mergedinto J-pop. Despite the financialbubble, it contributed to better CDsales over the following decade.Every year, over twenty albumseach sold over a million copies. Butat the turn of the century changesin lifestyle, the advent of the inter-net and its diversity of online toolshave all had negative conse-quences on record sales. In just tenyears they have drastically decrea-sed, and weakened a great num-ber of labels.
Have the difficulties since thenineties, related to the economicand social crises in Japan, hadan impact on Japanese rock?M. Y. : The strong decrease in CDsales didn’t necessarily have nega-tive consequences in the musicsector. Thanks to the internet andthe progress of small labels, thereare many more ways of distribu-ting music. For artists who focusmainly on concerts, the role of CDs
isn’t as important as it used to be.The music industry has undergonea huge change. Recorded musichas lost its pole position to mer-chandising and public perfor-mance. Young people are progres-
sively looking away from the mar-ket to focus on bands with a mes-sage that directly concerns them.The result is greater diversity in themusic on offer. Quite a few bandsfocus on problems of Japanesesociety (the social divide, poverty).This is particularly true for hip hop.
Many young bands nowadaysgive the impression that they areconcerned with political andenvironmental subjects, as wellas their regional origins. Is thattrue?M. Y. : In the underground scene,young musicians are indeed quiteconcerned with political issues,and they want to express theirown identity. Nevertheless, youneed to distinguish music frompolitical engagement becauseartists are inspired by their perso-nal experience, and that is whatthey express. They aren’t concer-ned with general interests in theway a politician is. Shinsei Kamat-techan is quite an interestingexample. By introducing the per-sonal, individual experiences of thegroup, they talk publicly to today’sgeneration, which demands a poli-tical response from the country’sleaders. This is what differentiatesthem from artists like Bob Dylan orJohn Lennon, whose messageswere more direct and universal.Nevertheless, artists are indeedprotesting on the hip hop andhardcore punk scenes. Tha BlueHerb, a hip hop band from Hok-kaido, defends its regional origins.Its members created a communitycalled Struggle For Pride, whichgives you an idea.
How do you think Japanese rockwill evolve over the next fewyears?M. Y. : I think it will continue todevelop in two directions. On onehand, there will always be J-popthat is dependent on television andmass sales strategies. On the otherhand, there will be small commu-nities on the internet amongstwhich charismatic bands will suc-ceed. These bands might increa-singly experience international suc-cess thanks to their online activity.Among them, a few will probablybecome associated with the emer-ging trans-national solidaritymovement.
INTERVIEW BY O. N.
MORI YOSHITAKA, AN EXPERT’S OPINION
I NTERVIEW
Mori Yoshitaka is a sociologistand a professor at TokyoUniversity of the Arts. Hecarefully analyses the evolutionof the music scene, and haspublished many articles andbooks on the subject, includingSutorîto no shiso [The Thoughtin the Streets: a turn in the1990s, 2009]
Kiyoshiro Imawano (left)
Popular Music and Capitalism
was published in January 2012
FOCUS
6 ZOOM JAPAN number 6 november 2012
From the 3rd to the 5th of September 2010,Watanabe Ken wanted to set fire to Tokyo andset up a new event dedicated to the music indus-
try. “Although Japan’s record industry is second in theworld in terms of sales, there isn’t an event dedicatedto it in the archipelago. Everybody knows MIDEM,but there is nothing like it in Japan. Faced with thisJapanese complacency, I wanted to take advantageof the indie scene’s energy to organise the first TokyoBoot Up!” says the man who has been working in themusic industry for 35 years. Amongst other things, hetook part in promoting Dreams come true on the inter-national scene. “In the US there is South By SouthWest (SXSW). It’s a very important business meetingand was launched by managers of independent artistswho wanted to promote their protégés. In Japan, therewas nothing like it. And it’s all the more a shame sinceJapanese rock is experiencing its golden age. The Japa-nese indie scene is maybe one of the best in the world,
with first rank artists.Despite this, Japaneserecord producers donothing to support themor promote them totheir audience. Theyseem completely closedto the idea,” says Wata-nabe.During the 2012 eventthat took place from the6th to the 8th of Octo-ber, over 90 bands per-formed, includingMotion, Marz and Mar-ble, and it allowed themto demonstrate theirtalent to an audience who did not know them before-hand. Watanabe Ken considers his initiative as an essen-tial step in a band’s career if it wants to move beyondthe local scene. “It’s a shame that most Japanese artistsadopt this state of mind. There’s so much more that
ORGANISATION Joining forcesA successful launch for Tokyo Boot Up! -the first indie scene market.
can be done,” he adds. Considering the country’s evo-lution and the trend of some bands to involve them-selves in debates about society, he believes it to be evermore important to support them. “I believe that a greatnumber of these artists are concerned about the socialdivide and that they want to fight it. But in orderfor it to be of any use, they need to be heard outsidethe independent scene. Gaining the confidence of bigrecord producers is not easy nowadays and I believethat most young artists are aware of this. So, they needto proceed differently and invite a wider audience tounderstand their approach”. The founder of TokyoBoot Up!'s ambition is crystal clear: to become thenumber one talent hunter. Amongst the dozens ofbands he saw and heard during the 2010 Event, Wata-nabe Ken was particularly taken with Owarikara, SonicAttacks Blaster, Okamoto’s and Counterparts. Hechose them because they offered more than just theirpleasing artistic qualities. “The freshness of somethingnew,” he summarizes. “Nowadays it’s very importantfor listeners, especially the young. They don’t wait fortraditional media to tell them about this or that bandanymore. It doesn’t mean they’re not interested inmusic anymore, they just want to participate in disco-vering new talents,” says the founder of Tokyo BootUp! That is precisely why he developed this festival,to include the audience and give more weight to hisinitiative. Nevertheless, Tokyo Boot Up! will requirea little more time before becoming an unmissible event,such as MIDEM and SXSW, but Watanabe Ken is abeliever. He is already preparing for the 2013 event.Until then, he intends to promote it as much as pos-sible to convince those who still doubt that the musicscene needs such an international event. “Japaneseartists have wonderful qualities to export. But it isessential to give them the tools to do so, and make surethey are aware of them,” he adds.
ODAIRA NAMIHEI
Could you tell us about the band ?Mono : There’s Noko (guitar, vocals),Chibagin (bass guitar), Misako(drums) and me (keyboard). I’veknown Noko and Chibagin since kin-dergarten. Misako teamed up with usafter we published an ad on the in-ternet. We were then discovered inChiba [a little town situated East ofTokyo] before arriving where we aretoday.
Kamattechan is often presentedas an okatu band. Is that true?
M. : That is very true. Kamattechan’smentality is very different from mostJapanese bands, and we have alwaysbeen very active on the internet.Most of our songs are available onthe internet. And we prefer to stayat home rather than going out inpublic, so being called okatu is quiteappropriate.
Was growing up in the suburbsimportant to you?M. : I don’t think living in Chiba hashad an influence on our songs. I
think they’re closer to a diary inwhich we express our feelings andtalk about all kinds of experiencesthat aren’t always positive.
Does distributing your music onthe internet have something to dowith declaring your independencefrom the system?M. : You can’t count on CD salesanymore. A band can’t count on justits music production. We started put-ting our songs online because wesaw that other bands were doing so,and it seemed to be a good idea.
You also give a lot of importanceto public performances…M. : Indeed. It’s very important to usbecause it’s a good way of being incontact with our fans.
How do you see the future ofJapanese rock?M. : Unlike what is going on abroad,I have the impression that most Japa-nese bands have a better sense ofmelody and are more interested inthis aspect. That is why I believe theywill have trouble pleasing a societythat is getting tougher.
INTERVIEW BY O. N.
Shinsei Kamattechan shares his secrets
I NTERVIEW
MU
RATA
Yuki
From left to right, Mono, Misako, Chibagin and Noko. The four membersof Shinsei Kamattechan.
Shin
sei K
amat
tech
an
Okamoto’s on stage at the Loft, 3 September 2010.
november 2012 number 6 ZOOM JAPAN 7
FOCUSTh
a Bl
ue H
erb
You are from Hokkaido. Your regionalroots are often said to be veryimportant to you. Why is that?Boss : It’s very simple. This is where wewere born, where we grew up, and wherewe still live today. Before we formed ThaBlue Herb, all hip hop business was concen-trated in Tokyo. Labels, producers, media,everything took place in the capital. If peo-ple from outside the capital wanted tobreak through, they needed to forgetabout their past and their origins, move toTokyo and do rap there. We would see theMCs (masters of ceremony) come from thecapital to perform in Hokkaido and havegirls fall for them. In some way, it lookedlike the setting up of a system of submis-sion. It was just unbearable. If someonedidn’t accept you, there was no chance ofrecording any music. We couldn’t toleratesuch a system. In Hokkaido, there were allkinds of music we could study. We were ins-pired by a lot of it. By making music thatcould only have come from this area, wewere able to turn the situation around, sothat not all decisions would be made in To-kyo anymore. Since then, a similar trendhas been developing in other parts of Ja-pan. There are many lovely places in thiscountry. And although we have friends allover the country, we always like to comeback to Hokkaido, to Sapporo, this city co-vered in snow, where I like to write.
What are the topics that inspire you?Boss : It all depends on the moment. I’mobviously very interested in the situationthat Japan is in today, and its future. Japanis a quiet country, but it comes at a price,which is having a controlled society. It’s acountry with some wonderful traditions,but there are also many things that are oldfashioned and should not be accepted any-more. Then there is our neighbour, to thewest, that is slowly waking up with the ap-petite of a dragon. As you can see, we haveall we need in terms of inspiration.
I imagine you meet many Japanesemusicians and you listen to a lot ofthem as well. How do you feel aboutImawano Kiyoshiro?Boss : We perform many concerts. It’s al-ways a great opportunity to meet musicianswith great talent. But I don’t listen to thatmany of them back home. I have piles ofCDs that I have bought, but I haven’t lis-tened to all of them (laughs). On the other
hand, I often listen to Imawano Kiyoshiro.I often play his cover of John Lennon's Ima-gine with my friends after a party, when thesun is about to rise over Hokkaido.
Your own compositions are wellknown in Hokkaido and the rest ofJapan. Don’t you think Tha BlueHerb’s songs could be exported?Would you come to Britain if youwere invited?Boss : Of course! However, you must re-member we are rappers. Many foreignrappers perform in Japan, and the Japa-nese audience doesn’t always understand
what they are on about. But if you do itwell, you can still succeed in conveyingsomething. That is all that counts. Thatis why I would really like Tha Blue Herb
to perform in France. There is the lan-guage barrier, which isn’t easy to over-come. But if we perform properly, wecan get over it. The message just isn’tconveyed as instantaneously. I knowwe have some listeners in Great Britain.We have had messages from Britishpeople who have told us they like ourmusic and that they listen to our musicregularly. That’s very cool. So all we need
now is to take an additional step forward.It would be great if a skilful French rap-per translated our songs.
INTERVIEW BY GABRIEL BERNARD.
Tha Blue Herb, alive and kicking
I NTERVIEW
From left to right, O.N.O. the beat maker, and Boss, the MC (master of ceremony). The two members of Tha Blue Herb.
Zoom Japan’s favourite albums.
The Blue Hearts, Live All sold out,2010
Taiyozoku, The Sun’s song, 2009Kazuyoshi Saito, One night acousticrecording session, 2012
Asian Kung-fu Generation, Best HitAKG, 2012
CULTURE
T HIS MONTH’S EVENT
“In 2006, a lucky encounter with a salaryman (white-collar worker) in Kawaguchiko Forest gave me the ideafor the existence of a parallel universe in Japanese firms.Soon after, I was walking through the streets of the capi-tal armed with a compact camera and with the inten-tion of discovering – or inventing – a new dimension
to the stereotypeof the workingman. The care Itook in protec-ting the identityof my unkno-wing models,and in describingthe feelings ofthe Japanesethrough the sea-sons, tend to
reveal mystery and poetry in these workers’ busy days,”explains Bruno Quinquet, who has just published Sala-ryman Project Business Schedule 2013, a book that isboth beautiful and useful. It contains splendid photostaken by this Frenchman, put together in the form ofthe working agenda of an up-market office. Bruno Quin-quet is not completely unknown in Britain; his work hasalready been selected for the Street Photography Nowproject, published by Thames & Hudson.As well as being practicaland containing lovely pic-tures, this book is a beauti-ful essay on contemporaryJapan, including pieces onthose working in the sha-dow of others, salarymen,who are ever-present in thecountry’s landscape. Every-thing about their behaviourcontributes to their invisibi-lity. Thanks to Bruno Quinquet, they reappear and aregiven status in their daily surroundings, added to a poe-tic dimension gifted by the photographer’s sensitivity.To purchase this multifaceted book, go to :www.brunoquinquet.com
ODAIRA NAMIHEI
BOOK Bruno’s humanexperience
Five years after the atomic
bomb explodes, young
Yasuko is living with her
uncle and aunt in a village
near Hiroshima where they
took refuge after the city
was destroyed. Graceful,
clever, and gentle, Yasuko
has yet to find a husband. A
rumour says she was caught
in the shower of black rain
that fell over the western
side of the city after the
monstrous atomic cloud had
risen into the sky. The rain
was radioactive.
Nevertheless, she shows no
sign of illness, so in order to
find her a husband, her
uncle decides to prove that
it is only a rumour and that
she was not affected. To
achieve this, he uses the
diaries that he and Yasuko
kept at the time. These
diaries are the backbone of
the story. The smallest
details guide the reader
through this horrific event.
He is able to imagine all the
suffering that was endured
immediately after the
explosion, and over the
following years. Those who
were not killed immediately
went on to suffer
unimaginable agony. This
book is a must-read if you
want to find out and
understand what really
happened on that day; or
maybe, on the contrary, to
refuse to understand, and
rather question how
mankind could ever have
taken the decision to drop
such a disproportionate
weapon of death on fellow
human beings.
Black Rain, Masaji Ibuse,
translated by John Bester,
Kodansha America, £8.99
EXHIBITION Moriyama at theTate ModernWhen thinking of Japanese post-war
photography, the first name to come to
mind is Daido Moriyama. He occupies a
status equal to that the American William
Klein does in his own home nation.
Deciding to bring both these geniuses of
photography together in one exhibition
is, of course, a great idea.
Tate Modern presents a beautiful
exhibition that offers the opportunity not
just to understand their work, but also
the influence they both had on one
another.
With Moriyama, photography becomes
lyrical. Until the 20th of January 2013.
Bankside, London SE1 9TG - Tel. 020 7887 8888
10am-6pm daily, until 10pm Fri
£12.70, concessions available
8 ZOOM JAPAN number 6 november 2012
LITERATUREDiscovering or rediscovering Black Rain
Ominato (Small Colour Portfolio) 1974
© D
aido
Mor
iyam
a
Brun
o Q
uinq
uet
CULTURE
This gothic thriller was adapted from FuyumiOno’s novel (The Twelve Kingdoms). Shi Kiwill lead you to the outer limits of horror
within an enclosed space, where the dead and theliving are playing a macabre game of chess. Shi-ki arecadaveric beings better known as vampires. They onceonly inhabited our ancestral beliefs… until they movedto Sobota! Sobota is a village with a population of1,300 souls, overlooked by an old castle. Cut off fromthe rest of the world, the villagers live an untroubledlife… without realizing that a terrible curse is mena-cing them. When Sakoto becomes worried about hiscolleague Yuki, who has still not come home sincethe previous evening, doctor Ozaki does not seemthe slightest bit interested in his employee’s disappea-rance. In fact, he is preoccupied with his wife’s deadbody that he is secretly hiding in his office. Havingbeen dead for a few days after being attacked by a ShiKi, Ozaki plans to experiment on her in order to findout more about the curse. Disgusted by the doctor'sbehaviour, Seishin disagrees with his friend. Divisionincreasingly affects the villagers… What price willhave to be paid to save Sobota, and how will thismonstrous situation end?Shi Ki is a suspense anime thathovers between horror and
mysticism, although the main plot is easy to grasp.The characters lack a certain depth because the storyis not really about them, but rather about the waythey behave, about what a human is capable of whenunder pressure from anguish and fear?The graphics might not please everyone but thatdoes not matter too much. The colours are brightand well mixed. The landscapes are pleasant andrepresentative of a Japanese village lost in the mid-dle of the countryside. All these details allow usto become rapidly immersed in the intrigue. Theproduction is straightforward and efficient, andalthough the music is not outstanding, it helpsemphasize the atmosphere.However, what is most interesting in this adapta-tion of Shi Ki is the way the story unfolds, while fol-lowing the progressive deterioration in the cha-racters’ attitudes after each episode. This
transformation in their behaviour encourages us toquestion whether they are really good or bad. Weobserve the changes caused by the ever-present fearthat is wreaking havoc in the village. In this regardthe change in the character of the doctor is the mostnotable.Nevertheless, this series is not for everyone. Somescenes are extremely violent, and it is sometimes quitedifficult to suppress ones feelings of disgust. Thedoctor plans all sorts of disgusting experiments, inwhich morality plays no part. One of Shi Ki’s mostdistinctive qualities lies in its demonstration of howhuman beings always reject the unknown. Shi Kiis a surprising anime. It cleverly combines diversegenres, and has a real depth to it that makes it worth-while to watch. The second and concluding part willbe released on December the 31st 2012.
ODARIA NAMIHEI
Adapted from Fuyumi Ono’s novel, Shi Kiis a high quality anime that you can nowwatch on DVD. Full of suspense, this storywill send shivers up your spine.
DVD Twilight in the country of therising sun?
november 2012 number 6 ZOOM JAPAN 9
REFERENCESHI KI PART 1, directed by TetsuroAmino, Manga Ent., £17.99
© F
uyum
i Ono
, Ryu
Fuj
isak
i/SH
UEI
SHA
, SH
I KI C
omm
ittee
CULTURE
Tell us about the time when the band was created.Ruki : Our first show. I want to experience that sensa-tion of tension again.
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the GazettE.You are now among the most popular Japanese bandsoutside Japan. How do you explain your success over-seas? When you first started to play, did you have astrategy to conquer the world?Ruki : I’ve never imagined myself playing in the sameband for 10 years! (laughs) In Japan, it’s not easy to main-tain a band for 10 years. I owe my freedom of expres-sion to our fans and all the staff who have supportedus throughout the years. The band is a part of our lives.We only think about keeping on moving forward.
What has been the most difficult moment for theband in the past?Ruki : We’re always taking on difficult tasks, so there’sno one thing that has been particularly challenging.
And the happiest moment?Ruki : Hmm. That’s a difficult question. But above all,it’s definitely the feeling of being appreciated as a band!(laughs).
You seem to take a lot of pleasure playing live. Canyou explain why? Your contact with the fans is verystrong, isn't it? Which live experience do you think
MUSIC An interview with the GazettE
On the European release of "Visual Kei"band the GazettE's latest album, Division,the band members answered our questionsduring an exclusive interview.
was the most impressive one for you?Ruki : I get a real sense of accomplishment when wecome to the final show on a tour and get to see every-thing that we have worked for coming together andtaking shape.
The main catalyst of your popularity overseas is yourmusic. How would you define your music? What is thedifference between the GazettE and other Japanesebands which can't get the same audience overseas?Ruki : To be honest, I think it would be much moreinteresting to hear what people overseas have to say onthis question than to answer it myself. However, for theGazettE, I can say we are thorough and meticulousabout what we offer directly from ourselves.
Let's get back to your new album Division. Can youexplain the basic idea of your album? Where did youtake your inspiration?Ruki : We wanted to redefine what ‘MADE INJAPAN’ is all about. We also wanted to show that
the world of the GazettE is a whole package, even downto the album cover and other visuals. So we want toexpand our appeal to many more countries.
I guess that all the songs in this album are importantfor you, but is there any one that you prefer? Ruki : I like all of them, but especially “DRIPPINGINSANITY”.
The two tracks HEDORO and ATTITUDE are veryinteresting. I have the feeling you wanted to try some-thing new with these two songs. Am I right?Ruki : Basically I like the distorted bass sounds like yousee in electro or dub-step. Perhaps that influenced me.
Anything to say to your European fans?Ruki : We see many people coming from Europe toJapan to see us. So we feel that now it’s our turn to visityou. Have your fingers crossed. Thank you always foryour support and messages!
INTERVIEW BY ODAIRA NAMIHEI
10 ZOOM JAPAN number 6 november 2012
The Visual Kei (VK) genre sankto the bottom of Oricon’s musiccharts a long time ago. To survive,most of the bands concerned havebeen condemned for a long timeto fulfilling the frustrated hopes ofa European audience that is also fastdisappearing. The GazettE is unde-niably an exception to this trend.Since 2006, every one of the band’soriginal albums has been ranked inthe top 6, with sales figures that
would make many envious. Theband's latest album Division, relea-sed for the quintet’s 10th anniver-sary, is no exception. Nevertheless,it is far from being a good album.Not VK enough for VK fans, too VKfor others, the record has a foot ineach camp and fails to perform pro-perly either one way or the other.In the end, it is just a series of run-of-the-mill melodies and boring,messy arrangements. O. N.
ABOUT THE ALBUM DIVISION
CULTURE
Film director Sogo Ishii is back with a ven-geance. He now calls himself Gakuryu, andafter being unable to make any feature films
for the last ten years, he has decided to start afreshand launch his own production company, whosename – Dragon Mountain – is the English transla-tion of his newly adopted name. The director waskind enough to meet Zoom Japan and talk abouthis latest film “Isn’t Anyone Alive?”. “This film was a new challenge for me,” Ishii says, “asearlier films didn’t feature so many characters. Also,it was my first experience adapting a work that hadbeen originally written for the theatre. I found ShiroMaeda’s play very fascinating – all those people whosuddenly start dying for no particular reason. If youthink about it, the act of dying is a very common factof life. This story, of course, is also about the end ofthe world, but I didn’t want to overdo or exagge-rate things. It’s very easy to paint such a story in heavy,dark tones. But I decided to treat this huge tragedymatter-of-factly, with a rather light touch”. Another thing that attracted Ishii to Maeda’s play wasthe dialogue. “I’ve been teaching at a university forsome years now. I like to observe my students, the waythey speak and express themselves, and I was sur-prised by how faithfully Maeda had reproduced theirspeech patterns. In this respect, the characters’ linessound exceptionally real, authentic”. In making this film, Ishii was greatly inspired by Spa-nish director Luis Bunuel’s “The Exterminator Angel”.“I’m a big fan of Bunuel, and I believe you can findhis influence in a number of my films. In both sto-
GAKURYU ISHII “I like to highlight the strange,unpredictable side of life”Gakuryu Ishii talks about life, death,Japanese cinema and his latest movie “Isn’tAnyone Alive?”.
ries, for example, there is no real explanation for whathappens, and they both have an open ending. I likeit when a film doesn’t answer all the questions it poses.Ultimately each viewer has to come up with his orher own answers”.Ishii admits that he does not like a straightforwardapproach to reality. “I’m not interested in recordingthese things documentary-style. I want to expressthem in a creative, original way. I want to have fun
while making a film, and I want to make it fun. I liketo highlight the strange, unpredictable side of life.You could say it’s a way to sublimate reality. So whatI really mean when I speak about breaking free fromreality is not simple escapism, or finding refuge in afantasy world, but injecting a sense of wonder intoa story”.The movie was entirely shot at the Kobe DesignUniversity campus where Ishii has been teaching for
12 ZOOM JAPAN number 6 november 2012
Gia
nni S
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On 12 October, in Tokyo, Zoom Japan met Gakuryu (Sogo) in his studio to learn about him and his new film,
which has just been released on DVD in Great Britain.
november 2012 number 6 ZOOM JAPAN 13
CULTURE
the last few years, going so far as to cast some of hisstudents. This was their first acting experience, butapparently Ishii was so satisfied that he now plansto use them in future projects as well. “They werevery focused and rehearsed a lot in order to deli-ver their lines naturally. This also allowed them toimprovise a little”. Looking for a fresh approach to filmmaking, Ishiieven brought his 20-year-old son on board. “My soncomposed the music,” he says. “Actually he wrote itbefore I started working on this film, so it wasn’t spe-cifically composed with this story in mind. I hap-pened to listen to it one day, and I really liked it, soI decided to use it. I also liked the fact that most ofthe people involved in this project were around hisage. I enjoyed the energy all these youngsters broughtto the story”.Asked to compare today’s youth with the studentsand rebels he portrayed in his first films, Ishii saysthey are the same. “The main difference is more amatter of expression. When I was young, we used tobe very open and assertive, while today’s youngstersare more introverted. They also appreciate harmonyand don’t like to stir things up, while my friends andI were not afraid of controversy. This, of course,doesn’t mean that people today are shallower or don’thave an opinion. Deep inside they have the same pro-blems, dreams and ambitions”. According to Ishii, his film actually only tells half thestory. “I had budget limitations, and I didn’t want toend up with a four hour long film. But I hope to beable to make the second part someday in the future".
The budget for this movie was much cheaper thanIshii’s earlier projects, because this time the directorinvested his own money. “That was the only way Icould make it,” he says. “Right now nobody is goingto shell out money for films like this. Going inde-pendent is the only way”. Ishii has a long history ofproblems dealing with production companies, begin-ning with his very first film, “Panic High School”,that was remade for Nikkatsu but ended up lookingcompletely different after he was forced to co-directit with Yukihiro Sawada. Yet Ishii thinks that thingshave gotten even worse. “Probably, it is the same eve-rywhere, but in Japan the need to make commercialfilms that appeal to the masses has become even stron-ger. In the past you could sometimes find sponsorsand producers who were interested in original ideas.Now it’s nearly impossible. That’s why I did every-thing myself. I used mostly unknown actors, shot all
the scenes at my university and managed to makeit cheaply using digital technology. So in a sense youcould say I’ve come full circle. When I was a studentI used to borrow my university’s materials, and nowI’m back making indie films. I can work with a smallcrew, shooting light, cheaply, and having fun in a waythat doesn’t hurt my wallet – even though I knowtoo well my films are never going to be big hits, espe-cially in Japan”.After many problematic years, Ishii has lately beenat peace with himself. “In the past, not being able tomake the films I wanted to was very hard psycho-logically. In 1989, for example, I made “The Masterof Shiatsu” as a sort of therapy. At last I’m resumingmy work by using new technological and humanresources. Now that I’m back I plan to make at leastone film a year”.
GIANNI SIMONE
Third
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s
ABOUT THE MOVIE“ISN’T ANYONE ALIVE?” Original Title: Ikiteru mono inai no ka, 2011Running Time: 113 minsProducer: Hironobu OsakiEditor: Gakuryu Ishii, Takahiko TakedaArt Director: Toshihiro IsomiProduction Company: Dragon MountainCinematography: Yoshiyuki MatsumotoMusic: Haru Ishii
“It was my first experience adapting a work that had been originally written for the theatre,” says the director about
his latest film “Isn’t Anyone Alive?”
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EATING & DRINKING
Des
tiny
Rose
Dorayaki is a Japanese pancake which tradi-tionally contains a red bean paste filling(Anko/Azuki beans). The traditional"Azuki Dorayaki"has a subtle yetsweet flavour;and although thebeans have beencrushed, thereare still wholebeans left which adds another dimension tothe texture.However, apart from "Azuki Dorayaki", otherflavours are available including "Green TeaDorayaki" and "Custard Dorayaki". The greentea dorayaki contains a cream filling which isinfused with a tender hint of green tea. Thegreen tea flavouring is strong enough to alertthe consumer as to its existence, however, itis not overpowering. The custard dorayaki onthe other hand contains not cream, but asthe name suggests, custard. The custard isnot too sweet and works well together withthe dorayaki.On a final note, these are just two of themany varieties of dorayaki now available onthe market. Other flavours include "Strawber-ries & Cream"; "Cream Cheese Anko"; "LemonCheesecake" and "Chocolate". All are incredi-bly delicious and pleasing to a wide variety ofpalates. So next time you feel like eatingdorayaki, why not try "Custard" or maybeeven "Chocolate"?! They are definitely crowdpleasers!
RESTAURANT Shabu Shabu: The Swishing Experience!
In order to prepare the dish, the meat used at Mit-sukoshi is carefully hand-picked and selected asso to ensure that only the best cuts are used. In addi-tion, the meat used is meat not only ordered froma Scottish farm, but it is meat that is so extraordi-nary that it is not sold in bulk to places other thanclassy department stores and supermarkets suchas Harrods and Waitrose.The Shabu-shabu served here is just as exquisite asthe decor. All of the ingredients are home-grown
in Britain; not to mention beingvery healthy and very fresh.Thinly sliced pieces of beef arebeautifully cut and laid on a plate;another large plate contains skil-fully prepared vegetables andtofu; the nabe is a polishedbronze and so much more. Theactual flavour of the meat andvegetables, along with the udonand sauces are divine. It is almostlike a healthy heavenly expe-
rience! Therefore, if you would like to try shabu-shabu for the first timeor if you want to have awonderful shabu-shabuexperience then go toMitsukoshi! You will notbe disappointed!
Destiny Rose
REFERENCERESTAURANT MITSUKOSHI LONDON14-20 Lower Regent Street, London SW1Y 4PHphone 020 7930 0317www.mitsukoshi-restaurant.co.uk
Dorayaki: JapanesePancake Journey!!!
Available at The Japan Centre and various Japanesesupermarkets.Mail order at www.wagashi-uk.com
Shabu-shabu is a Japanese hot-pot consistingof various components. The Shabu-shabuexperience includes a plate of thinly sliced
beef, served together with tofu and an array of vege-tables such as Chinese cabbage, carrots, shitake andenokitake mushrooms. In addition, the dish isaccompanied by two dipping sauces. Ponzu andGoma. Ponzu is a tart and citrus-like sauce but it isa sauce which works well with the dish. Goma isa sesame seed based sauce with a strong nutty aroma.Using chopsticks, one takes oneslice of the meat, submerges itinto a nabe full of hot kelp soupstock, and swishes it arounduntil the item is cooked - thisis why the dish is called "ShabuShabu" as it means to "Swish".At the end of the meal theremaining broth is then com-bined with a small bowl ofudon noodles and consumed.So, where can one eat such adish in London? The answer is Mitsukoshi. Mitsu-koshi is a famous and well known department storein Japan with a branch existing in London. Mit-sukoshi not only consists of a luxury boutique, butit also contains a restaurant in the basement. Onceyou enter, it is evident that the restaurant is beau-tiful. There are beautiful Japanese decorations andthe decor is simple but elegant and classy. The moodis a calming and soothing one so one is made to feelas though they can take their time when eating andnot feel rushed. The lighting also adds to the mood.It is quite dim which gives it that almost intimatefeel. Mitsukoshi is the kind of restaurant where youcan go with not only your family, but also with thatspecial someone. It is a place where all can enjoy!
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EATING & DRINKING
16 ZOOM JAPAN number 6 november 2012
Paying tribute to one of Japan’s most famousauthors of graphic novels is the aim of theFujiko F. Fujio museum that opened on the
3rd of September 2011 in Kawasaki, just south ofthe capital. The name Fujiko F. Fujio does not really
ring a bell with most Europeans but in Japan, heis one of the greatest and most respected authors.His fame has spread all over Asia where his mostfamous character Doraemon, the blue robot catwith no ears, has become a favourite with youngand old. Immersing oneself in the world of FujikoF. Fujio by visiting this museum is an interestingexperience. It puts his work into perspective andfamiliarizes those not yet acquainted with it. Kawa-
saki town council invested a lot in the venue, wor-king hand in hand with Fujiko Pro, the author’sbusiness representatives. Situated in the Tama quar-ter, close to the house in which the artist lived untilhe died in 1996, the intention of the museum is toshow both where and how he worked, as well as todemonstrate the importance of his work in post-warJapanese culture. The museum has an impressivestock of over 50,000 original drawings, donated by
You will enjoy visiting this museum whetheror not you are a lover of Fujimoto Hiroshi’srobot cat."
Doraemon, busily reading, awaits visitors who enter this room where all of Fujiko F. Fujio’s works can be viewed.
DISCOVERY Kawasaki, home of Doraemon
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the mangaka’s widow, which will be exhibited overthe years. The spacious exhibition room situatedat the entrance of the museum can hold around 150drawings and helps introduce visitors to the creativeprocess of Fujimoto Hiroshi, alias Fujiko F. Fujio. Afew short films are also screened demonstrating howthe creator of Doraemon worked.The omnipresent blue cat in the museum underlines
his importance in the collective memory of the Japa-nese. He first appeared in 1969, in educational jour-nals published by Shogakukan, and the charactersoon became visible everywhere. Fujimoto Hiroshiand Abiko Motoo’s robot cat became famous becauseit appealed to a very large audience. Both childrenand adults fell for the large cat (over 140 kg) with awide mouth, a bell around its neck, and the equi-valent of a nuclear powered engine in its chest. Having different plans for the Japanese hero’s future,Fujimoto Hiroshi split with Abiko Motoo in 1987and became Fujiko F. Fujio. Just like the goose thatlaid the golden egg , as a manga, Doraemon soldhundreds of million of copies in the archipelago.In total, 45 volumes were published between 1974and 1996, when the author passed away, but theanimated series is what really conquered people’shearts. Asahi TV has been screening Doraemon’sadventures since 1979 for the enjoyment of his manyfans. Many identify with Nobi Nobita, the little boywhom the blue cat wishes to help avoid building up
too many debts. Coming from the future, Dorae-mon has access to many resources to get his friendout of the difficult situations common to all teen-agers. Nobita has many rivals, such as Goda Takeshiand Honekawa Suneo, who spend their time tryingto get him into trouble, but Doraemon and his gad-gets always end up saving the situation. On thesecond floor of the museum, a screening room boas-ting 100 seats shows original films so that visitorscan immerse themselves in Fujiko F. Fujio’s stories.Many are happy to sit and watch, even though theycan regularly see Doraemon and his friends on tele-vision and at the cinema. The films were first scree-ned in 1980 and turned the robot cat into a natio-nal institution, just like Astro boy, Tezuka Osamu’slittle robot. Once a year, in March, during the Springholiday, an animated feature film is released in thecinema, and attracts millions of viewers who neverget tired of Doraemon and Nobita’s adventures.The museum also boasts the mangaka’s work deskon which are scattered a few objects he used as ins-piration for his stories, books and journals. Thereis even a rumour that he died while preparing a newadventure for his mascot. When you get closer tothe desk and look upwards you can see an eight-metre high air duct which houses Fujiko F. Fujio’slibrary. It is quite a surprise to discover the author’spassion for books and objects of all kinds, especiallythose related to Star Wars, of which he was a greatfan. In September 1978, a few weeks after EpisodeIV was released in Japan, he wrote a parody in whichNobita and Doraemon played leading roles. Thisis what makes the museum so interesting, as it couldhave been just another theme park. You learn a lotabout the author, his passions, and what led him tocreate a character loved by children and adults alike.Fujiko F. Fujio felt that Doraemon could meansomething to everyone. “Adults and children havedreams that they wish will come true. Even thoughthey express them in different ways, they have lots
▶ GODA TAKESHI IS ALWAYS UP TO NO GOOD.
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NOBI NOBITA, THE BOY WHO DORAEMON HAS COME TO HELP.
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in common. One can dream for something to hap-pen, one can hope to become stronger, smarter, andlong for a better life. In most cases, these wishescome true in my manga,” this is what he used to sayto explain the popularity of his characters.What distinguishes Doraemon from many other mangaheroes is his extreme kindness and his continual opti-mism. Children are very sensitive to this, as they, liketheir parents, often have to deal with difficult situa-tions in their everyday lives. The museum’s creatorstook this on board and have created a place in whichvisitors feel comfortable. Pastel colours, blue especially,give the place a feeling of serenity and encourage thevisitors to take their time wandering around the diffe-rent rooms. Children, who are the blue cat’s principalfans, even have a playroom at their disposal, decoratedto resemble a cloud and where they are greeted by asmiling Doraemon. There are reproductions of themain characters everywhere in the museum, even onthe roof where Piisuke, the dinosaur, is prominentlydisplayed along with Goda Takeshi, who always hasa trick up his sleeve to play on Nobita. You become increasingly familiar with these charac-ters straight out of Fujiko F. Fujio’s imagination aftermeeting them one after another, and will feel they havealways been part of your life, even though you may haveonly just encountered them. They awaken childhoodmemories in everyone. The mangaka really succee-ded in creating a link between the worlds of both chil-dren and adults. “You cannot write children’s stories
from an adult’s point of view. You need to create some-thing that you will enjoy and that the children willunderstand. In a certain way, I feel that there is partof me that is a child that refuses to grow up. I’m par-ticularly lucky because they like what I enjoy drawing,”said Doraemon’s creator. Another of the museum’sstrong points is the way it focuses on the author’s work.“This profession is often considered as something won-derful, but it’s a very unstable job. When your workdoesn’t sell, you earn nothing. When it does, you haveno time to spend your money. And when you earn alot, taxes take away a large part of it. All in all, no man-gaka would like his children to have such a job,” FujikoF. Fujio once said. Nevertheless, it was his passion andit is well represented in the museum. Thanks to digitaltechnology, you can follow his creative work step bystep and hand in hand with his animated characters. The visit will suit all tastes, all ages and all budgets.Indeed, the museum also boasts a shop in which all
kinds of gadgets can be found to suit all sorts of peo-ple. There is also a cafeteria where even the food anddrinks have a connection with Doraemon, Nobita andthe others. However you will need to buy your ticketsin advance if you want to make sure you can enter thiswonderful museum, because its creators have limi-ted its capacity to 500 people per day in order to gua-rantee a comfortable visit. The museum welcomes visi-tors only four times a day, and then only those whohave made a reservation. Be warned!
GABRIEL BERNARD
“That’s all folks!” says a virtual Doraemon after a demonstration of Fujiko F. Fujio’s work.
GETTING THEREFUJIKO F. FUJIO MUSEUM 2-8-1 Nagao, Tama-ku, 214-0023 Kawasaki. Tel. 0570-055-245 - www.fujiko-museum.com - Entrance : 1000 yen, 500 yen for children. Tickets onsale in Lawson convenience stores. Opens at 10 am,12pm, 2pm and 4pm. 15 minutes away from Shuku-Gawara station (on the JR Nambu line).The entrance to the Fujiko F. Fujio museum.
www.itojapanese.comLondon日本語教師になるコース
Come and LearnJapanese with us!Beginners toAdvanced Welcome.
november 2012 number 6 ZOOM JAPAN 19
NIHONGO
PIPO IN JAPAN
After having finally settled down and gottenused to how small the spaces around youare, and as a Westerner, feeling the need to
question your relationship to space, after havingsmelt that the air is different, that the light is dif-ferent, and that everything seems to be happeningat high speed because you don’t want to miss a thing,and after realising that everything is about to begin,it is time to be introduced. Following a very scho-larly training, and still dependant on the linguis-tic logic of one’s mother tongue, just like Pipo, itis easy to opt for the phrase “anata no namae wa nandesu ka” to ask the name of the person you have justmet. It is because it is very close to the English equi-valent “What is your name?” However, there aremore natural and easier solutions.
お名前���
は…?O namae wa…?You are called?
And to answer, simply reply:
ゆみです。Yumi desu.Yumi.
What is good about Japanese, is that you need notalways finish your sentences, and neither do youneed to include a verb. Understatements are prefer-red. It implies that you are paying attention to thedialogue and listening to your interlocutor. Japanese
LANGUAGE Being introducedis easy peasy
is sometimes like a game in which each answer com-pletes the question. You stay focused on what yourinterlocutor says to take up the thread he is handingyou. The question is but a beginning, a draft of asentence, but it announces the form the answer willtake.
趣味���
は…？Shumi wa…?You like…?
読書Dokusho desu.Reading.
マンガは…？Manga wa…?What about Manga?
大好���
きです。Daisuki desu. I love it.
Remember to focus on just one thing : staying insync.
PIERRE FERRAGUT
When spoken, Japanese often omits quite alot of difficult grammar. Beginners are infor a treat.
PRACTICETHIS MONTH’S WORD
興味����
(kyomi) : Interest
ゆみさんもマンガに興味����
があるので、気�
が合�
いそうです。Yumi san mo manga ni kyomi ga aru no de, ki ga aisodesu.Because Yumi is also interested in manga, weshould get along.
