RANMAGAZINE.

COM
August/September 2009
| ISSUE 1 |

art | music | LIFE

Nagoya
Grows UP...
Nagoya BOOGIE
Dancing in the Streets

Sento Time
Naked, hot and wet

Pillow Psych
The Life of a Male Host
Sonic Land
Peacemakers
Nagoya’s Next Wave

Multiculti LOVE
PLUS: RAN Recommends
 August/September 2009 - ISSUE NO. 1

Mo’ Money, Mo’ Problems

16

Features
A Japanese gigolo lets us know why it really
isn’t as easy as it seems.

Dancing the Night Away

19 Street dancers spin on their heads and open
up about their world of mirrors and music.

Getting into Hot Water

22 What’s it like to be naked and wet in front of
strangers? Jason Gatewood has the 411.

Wall-Bombing in the Chukyo

24 We paint the town with Nagoya’s 3SR Crew.

“Did You Say Jellyfish?”

28 Taking the sting out of the Obon mystery.

4 Foreword 12 Listen
Departments

A new voice has arrived on the Welcome to Sonic Land,

scene in Nagoya... where music sets you free.

6 Deadly’s Tips
Mixed relationships ain’t all fun 14 Create
Cooperative art from a local
and games, take it from Deadly. Brooklyn-Wakayama couple.

7 The Green Spot

A few practical tips to help our 15 Nagoya Fashion
Oxymoron? Maybe...
environment, today. Interesting? Definitely.

8 Should I Stay
or Should I Go
30 RAN Recommends
What to do and where to do it.
Mixed feelings? Join the crowd.
32 When In Rome
How to adapt to life in Japan
10 Profiles
A Native Nagoyan makes without losing yourself.
a go and let’s us know.
33 Let’s Japaning
For your shell-shocked sex life

34 Taste Looking for a good burger?

Try C’s Ave Café.
PHOTO: MATT HELMINSKI

Cover photo: Matt Helminski

|RAN| 3
Foreword
初
め
に
Nagoya Grows UP...
A
new voice has arrived on the
scene in Nagoya, just in time
to wake the sleeping giant that
seems to be stirring here in
Nagoya’s cultural and creative bosom. RAN.
We hope to be a sounding board for what-
ever is on the minds of whomever we meet,
whomever meets us, them, their friends,
you, your friends, your friends friends..etc,
we’re all in.
Our coverline, “Nagoya Grows Up,” has
a double implication. Over the course of
the last decade or so, and more recently,
in just the last two years, Nagoya’s archi-
tecture has taken a sudden leap skyward.
Besides the towering JR Central Towers
complex that rise into the air at Nagoya Sta-
tion (completed in 1999), Toyota recently
completed work on it’s 47-story, Midland
Square project, home of cinemas, high-end
luxury shops and the giant automaker itself.
There’s also the majestic slope of Nagoya
Lucent Tower sitting nearby, 40 stories high
with it’s glowing rainbow of colours softly
illuminating the ground below, and finally,
the Mode Gakuen spiral tower corkscrews
it’s 36-floor glass and metal frame 170 me-
ters above the streets below, incorporating
4 |RAN|
*
the latest in ‘green architecture,’ and hous- festivals, cafes, clubs, shows, interesting
ing educational facilities for three different characters and lots of flavor. Interesting
disciplines, twisting into the air above like places to go and things to do and see, people
some giant shimmering glass-on-metal be- with to talk to, Nagoya is much more than
anstalk. just miso, cars and fine china. It’s alive and
Shiny new buildings don’t necessarily growing, and we want to show it to you in
mean a city has ‘arrived,’ so to speak, but a new way.
Nagoya is surely ‘growing up,’ if up means
up into the sky.
The second meaning of the phrase is not
as easily identified, not quite so quantifiable
with numbers, stories, height...
A city is essentially identified by it’s resi-
dents more than anything else. The charac-
ter of any place is always a reflection of the Publisher: TD Houchen
minds and hearts of the people who walk the Art Director: Matt Helminski
streets, take the subways, live in the homes, Editor: Jason L. Gatewood
and drive the roads. Nagoya has always been Photographer/Writer:
known as a sort of humble manufacturing Achim Runnebaum
center located between Tokyo and Osaka
on the Tokaido Shinkansen line. “Not much Send story ideas to:
there to see or do,” has always been the idea editor@ranmagazine.com
PHOTOS: MATT HELMINSKI
lots of folks harbor about Nagoya. Send photography and illustration
We aim to change that, and to show you to: mhelminski@ranmagazine.com
that it’s just not true. There are lots of things To advertise, contact:
going on here, lots of people making art, ad-sales@ranmagazine.com
taking chances, making statements. Film-
makers, musicians, writers, painters, actors, www.ranmagazine.com
*
CAUTION!

is not for children.

W
e want to expose  you to things that exist,
even if they aren’t so P.C.. We’re not trying to
be politically correct, we’re trying to be use-
ful and informative, even entertaining. Life isn’t
perfect, neither are we. Not everything is funny or cute, but
some things are. We hope we can show you some of both.

HEY!
And, we want you to let us know what you like, what you ************** **************
think, how you feel and what’s on your mind. ************** **************
We hope RAN will be a truly multicultural piece of work. ************** **************
We hope it will be a “bulletin board” of ideas, events, ************** **************
opinions, expressions, thoughts from a wide variety
of people. The racial boundaries of yesterday are dissolving
*****
***** We’re ONLINE! *****
*****
before our eyes, but traditions die hard.
RAN hopes to shed light in dark places. We want You can find us at www.ranmagazine.com.
to connect people in order to build a society of people
looking forward with hope and optimism— Our site has all the regular content of the magazine, plus
based on what we’ve learned, and are still learning—a true bits and pieces of stuff you won’t find in our hardcopy...
community of open-minded people.
We’re into music, food, sports, fashion, politics, humor, The Web is the portal into the entire world’s consciousness,
culture, spirituality, relationships, shopping, travel, language, and www.ranmagazine.com will be home to voices from
adventure, friendship, community, and more. We’re not around the globe, giving us a truly international presence!
into hate, but if you are a hater, send us your feelings and
PHOTO: J.L. GATEWOOD; ILLUSTRATION: NANA UENO

comments. We’ll talk about them.
RAN is about healing and progress. Let the dead bury
the dead. We’re into the future...
It’s about the society we’re building, not the one that’s
falling apart. But we’ve got to learn about what we’ve done
wrong to be able to do it better. Society is at stake. It’s our
“family” outside of our homes. Everything is connected.
If you’re into Twitter, just follow @ranmagazine. You’ll
also be able to link to us soon on Facebook
and tune in to our RSS feed as well.
We aim to be a true voice of the
global community, so we’d
like to hear from YOU!

We want your comments and opinions. Write much? Hit us at

www.ranmagazine.com.
What are you thinking/doing/feeling/ Is everybody in?
saying/wanting?
The RAN Zoo.
Let us know.
Deadly’s Tips
恋
愛
関
係
Maintaining an
Inter cul tural
Relationship:
Part 1
+ By DEADLY D “Who was it that said
we learn by mak-
ing mistakes? ” asks
Deadly, “If that’s
true, than I am a f---
--g Einstein, because
I’ve made ‘em all…”
Deadly D is a dude who has lived in Asia
for way too long, has survived countless
break-ups with beautiful, but emotional-
ly challenged, Asian women, and now he
feels the time has come to open the lid
on the Pandora’s Box of wisdom he has
acquired from these relationships.
W
hen you throw in vast differ-
ences of culturally implanted
upbringing, totally divergent
views on history, morality, social correct-
ness, the expected roles of men and women
in society, unspoken rules on who should
reach orgasm first, you’ve got disaster just
waiting to happen. So it is with great humil-
ity and hope for a better tomorrow for us all
that I offer:
Enjoy the Passion;
Get Out While It's Still Hot
I cannot stress this one enough. Because
people are totally incapable of thinking and
simply will not listen when they are un-
der the influence of the Exotic Love Drug.
You’ve managed to connect with an enticing
person from a culture full of mysteries. It’s
6 |RAN|
the stuff of fantasies, and it isn’t very often
we get to have our wildest fantasies fulfilled.
I still remember the time my rich upper class
Japanese girlfriend showed up at my house
in full kimono and demonstrated that this
beautiful traditional garb was designed for
having sex without taking it off. My eyes still
cloud over just from remembering... I was
dumbfounded with love. I wanted to marry
her and bear her children. This was of course
just a few months before she left me for a guy
that was into candle wax, whips and chains.
But back to reality. If you and your loved
one are having the wildest, scariest sex of all
time, if your body and psyche are battered
and bruised after each breathless encoun-
ter, if you can’t look at each other across the
room without giggling and going all sticky
wet, do not marry that person!
What, you may ask is wrong with pas-
sion? Nothing, my dear, but if you are going
*
Relevant quote:
“A woman looks for one man to fulfill
all her needs, while a man looks for
every woman to fulfill his one need.”
to build a long term relationship together,
you’re going to have to take a rest sooner or
later, to heal the chaffing if for no other rea-
son. And what then?
I strongly urge you, I abjure and plead
with you to take this test: Pledge to each
other to not wham-bam or even touch each
other for a three-day period. No phone sex,
no watching each other do things with fruits
and vegetables from across the room. Sit in
a room alone together and try to have an in-
telligent conversation for three days straight.
Simpering about all the nasty stuff you’re go-
ing to do to each other when the time period
is up doesn’t count. The question is, can you
stand each other’s company when you are
*
Relevant quote:
“Don’t believe in enthusiasm or love.
Both are temporary and easily sway.”
—Bob Dylan
not either humping, drunk, high, or dancing
to bangara? Do you, in the end, have any-
thing substantial to even say to each other?
Do you even like each other? If not, take
it for what it is, a wild brief love affair and
move on when the flame dies. A life together
entails an awful lot of time when you are
not beefing each other’s eyes out. I have lost
count of how many unhappy couples I know
who pledged eternal fidelity when under the
influence of the Exotic Love Drug and have
been suffering acute withdrawal ever since
the passion died and they found out they
have absolutely nothing in common. Enjoy
it when the passion hits, but don’t make life
plans when it’s raging through your veins.
My advice: enter into romance with joy and
abandon; approach marriage and commit-
ment with trepidation and suspicion.
Any comments, barbs, questions, vitriolic
denials, free gifts of money are welcomed
by Dirk and the editors of this magazine:
comments@ranmagazine.com
 The G reen
| By Achim Runnebaum |
環
境
REDUCE
your carbon footprint
This is an ongoing look at the state of the
environment both globally and locally. In
every issue, we’ll take a look at some cold,
hard facts, how people are affected by those
facts, and what you can do to help the envir–
onment. This is a collaborative effort and
we need your help now!
A
aah, Nagoya: A.K.A. Miso, Na-
goya-jo, and blue skies? Wait a
minute, is that what most people
think about our city? Many people refer to
Nagoya as the white cloud, because in this
area the industrial output is 4 times higher
than Tokyo. What does that mean for us?
Let’s just say that Nagoya isn’t exactly
known for its air quality. Don’t believe me?
Just go outside on a day when it’s sunny, but
with a milky haze to the sky. That’s smog
and happens quite often in our city. Fill your
PHOTO: MATT HELMINSKI
lungs with the air and you’ll know what I’m
talking about.
These days, the buzzwords are “being
green,” or “going green.” It’s an easy concept
and everybody seems to support it, but not
many people are actually doing something
TIP: Plant more trees. A single, mature tree absorbs 48 pounds of carbon dioxide a year.
SPOT
about it. They’re still living their comfort-
able, stable lives. In today’s world of smog,
pollution, urban decay, demanding sched-
ules, and ever-changing social values, we
need to stop feeling comfortable and start
taking action. Stop talking and start doing.
I mean, wake up and smell the... double
maple nut crunch with extra whipped cream
served out of a styrofoam cup. The time to
act is now. Yes, right now, which is why in
every issue of this magazine we’ll take a look
at current environmental concerns and what
you can do to help. We’ll take a look at what
you can do to reduce your impact on the
planet. Some people like putting “Save the
Earth” bumper stickers on their car. If the
hypocrisy of that doesn’t smack you right
in the head, go back to your ‘perfect life’ in
your ‘perfect world,’ and pretend nothing is
wrong with the world today. For the rest of
us who want to make a significant change,
keep reading this magazine for all kinds of
good tips and tricks on how you can help
out the planet in a practical way.
In our next issue: RAN’s Top 10 Ways to
Help the Environment Now!
A Few Things
“
To Consider:
You go into a community and they will
vote 80 percent to 20 percent in favor
of a tougher Clean Air Act, but if you
ask them to devote 20 minutes a year
to having their car emissions inspected,
they will vote 80 to 20 against it. We
are a long way from taking individual re-
sponsibility for the environmental prob-
lem. —
­ William D. Ruckelshaus
(former EPA administrator)
New York Times, 30 November 1988
The packaging for a microwavable “mi-
crowave” dinner is programmed for a
shelf life of maybe six months, a cook
time of two minutes and a landfill dead-
time of centuries. —David Wann
Buzzworm, November 1990
Why should man expect his prayer for
mercy to be heard by what is above him
when he shows no mercy to what is un-
der him? —Pierre Troubetzkoy
|RAN| 7
Profiles
生
き to do that for you, you’ve got to do it yourself,
方 R: Do you think it’s possible for local acts
N
agoya isn’t quite as well known
for producing artists and cultural
mavens as it is for producing miso
or cars or fine china, but if you’re looking for
someone who represents Nagoya’s art scene
in all its nascent glory, look no further than
Steve Pottinger.
Dude is a walking talking hyphen: actor-
singer-songwriter-sound designer-film-
maker-cook, and more. How does this guy
have time to cram so much into his life when
most of us can barely find time to take a
deep breath?
Steve graced the stage of Maiden Nagoya’s
stellar autumn production of Romeo and
Juliet, playing Mercutio, Romeo’s devil-on-
his-shoulder best friend. “Graced” may not
quite capture Steve’s rendition of Mercutio
though, after seeing the show, I’d say
“slithered” is a better word, but I’ll let Steve
tell it himself.
We caught up with our resident polyglot at
Red Rock’s in Toshincho and tongue wagged
a bit, Read All Now.
RAN: Caught you singing a tune here (Red
Rock) a few nights ago, really nice….
Steve: Thanks. Thanks.
R: So, tell me about your background.
8 |RAN|
The
GET OFF
POT
An Interview with
Steve Pottinger
| By TD Houchen |
S: Sure. I was born in Kasugai, just outside
Nagoya, I lived 17 years in England, in
Winchester and York. Mum is Japanese, dad
is English, that’s me….
R: Seems you’re a busy man, doing lots of
interesting and creative things, what one
thing pays the bills?
S: I’m an elementary school teacher, still
crackin’ at the AET thing, I do a lot of other
things, but the teaching is the main roof
holder right now.
R: How do you find Nagoya?
S: It’s good, but I sometimes go to Tokyo,
when I was doing the band, we used to go
to Tokyo quite a lot….
R: Tell me about the band.
S: FishTank TV. It was a 3 piece rock band.
We did originals. We released an album and
a single and we played lots of live houses
here and in Tokyo. It was hard rock, really
good stuff, lots of jumping up and down,
that stuff... fun.
R: Is that band still going?
S: We’re making a comeback around
March—it’ll still be a 3 piece, but this time
we’ll have a keyboard player, we’re going
to record all the drums in the studio with
a rhythm track, so it’s gonna be a hybrid
sound, still hard rock, but encapsulating
a lot of funky grooves, orchestral sounds,
other synth sounds to push it a bit more….
R: Do you plan to tour, try to get a label deal,
videos?
S: Well, we just want to get it right before we
put it on stage. I had made some videos with
my solo thing....
R: Tell me about that.
S: Basically, it’s just acoustic guitar and
vocals live-but in the studio, I do it as a full
band with orchestration, you can see my
videos on YouTube.
R: What do you think of Nagoya’s music
scene?
S: (Long Pause) Ahhh, well, a lot of famous
bands come through Nagoya, that’s good, as
far as people like me trying to play music,
there are a lot of variations. Lost of people,
recently, it’s been easier for people to get
known because there’s been a lot more
PHOTO: MAMI ITO
people helping out with the organization
of it. When I was doing it and bands like
Sushi Cab[aret Club] was doing it, we had to
do it all ourselves, and, it’s really fun to play
live but it’s a lot of hard work and legwork
walking around promoting yourself to the
clubs and bars, selling tickets, there’s no one
and that means it’s expensive, it’s hard…
working out of Nagoya to make it to a
national or international level?
S: Yes. But I think there needs to be more of
an interest from Japanese about what’s going
on musically here in Nagoya. At the moment,
there really is no interest. I was lucky because
my bass player and drummer were Japanese,
but I was the biggest crowd puller as far
as selling tickets was concerned... I think
Japanese people are willing to see foreign
“
s this
music, it’s just getting
a
w ,
aracter
rcutio
c My Me
h
f
kin d o
ocking n asty
sh , almo
st
ial
mercur
the message
across that “WE ARE HERE” that
is difficult….
R: Tell me about your acting, how did you
hook up with Maiden Nagoya?
S: I’m good friends with Michael Walker,
and he was thinking of putting together a
different group than Nagoya Players. The
first play we did was Death and the Maiden. I
wrote the soundscore and did the soundwork
for that. In Romeo and Juliet, he wanted me
to play Mercutio, and I said “yeah, fantastic,”
and I loved doing it.
R: Your take on Mercutio was spellbinding,
dude had lots of movement, like dance.He
was very sexy. Was that on purpose?
S: Yeah. I didn’t want him to be like any
other Mercutio I had seen before, different
than the Zeffirelli version and different than
the Baz Luhrman version in the movie….
R: Who played him in Baz Luhrman’s flick?
S: I can’t remember his name, anyway,
whomever played him in the movie was
fantastic, but our play was set in the Meiji
era, so I wanted Mercutio to be rooted in
the Meiji era, but I also wanted him to have
an English feel, so I used a lot of my own
experiences about how people in England
are open, as opposed to how they are closed
here in Japan. I wanted him to have a sort
of “foxy” appeal, so I came up with this sort
of foxy, dancey kind of walk, which was
completely filthy and which had a lot of
sexual connotation to it. My Mercutio was
this shocking kind of character, mercurial,
almost nasty....
R: Do you think Romeo and Juliet resonates
with today’s generation?
S: Completely. It’s the classic love story. It
takes you to a world where love is a perfect
ideal, no matter what is going on, love can
control everything. It’s great. It resonates
now, and if not, it’s great to leave reality
behind and go somewhere else for a couple
of hours.
R: Do you think Nagoya is a romantic city?
S: (long pause)… No.
R: Why? What
”
does Nagoya need to
make it a more romantic place?
S: When I think of romantic in Na-goya,
I think of changing leaves in autumn, or
Sakura parties in spring, or going to the
temple at New Year, or sitting in a park in
summer, but there is no one “thing” that
says “this is Nagoya.” I think there could be a
few more nice restaurants... alot of Japanese
seem to think romance is a cheap restaurant,
but that’s okay.
R: Three words that describe Nagoya for
you?
S: Hmm… quiet, slow… and bright.
R: Why “bright?”
S: I think everywhere you go
“
in Nagoya, it’s
Nago
ya ne
eds m
are d
edica
ore ev
ted to ents th
at
bright and genki. It’s
not full on in your face like Tokyo, but
it’s definetly bright, and quiet, yes, because
you can be on a really busy street in Nagoya,
turn one corner, and it’s suddenly dead, I
like that…
R: You can definetly find someplace to just
chill and be quiet in Nagoya… so, what’s
your plan after Nagoya? Staying here for the
long term, or….
S: Well, I like writing sound scores for
films and movies, so if more people want
to make small movies here, I want to make
soundscores for them…[I’d like to] go to LA
and have a crack at it, but what I’d really like
to do is go someplace like Hakuba and have
my own studio with an internet connection
and work from there.
R: Sounds exquisitely rustic man. I find that
in today’s hyperconnected world, you don’t
really have to “go” anywhere as long as you
have an internet hook-up in your home,
wherever that may be…
S: Definitely. As internet becomes faster and
more convenient, then you can definetly
work from home. The only thing a place like
LA has that Nagoya doesn’t have is the huge
studios and the people to do the things they
do-15 years ago-there was no way to have
your own studio unless you put a whole
lot of money out. But now, I’ve got a fully
working studio in my house, I’ve got what I
need to make it right. It used to be obscenely
expensive, but not anymore.
R: No doubt. Do you think it is, or ever will
be, possible for a person to make his or her
living in Nagoya doing only his or her art?
S: Well, if it can happen in Osaka or Tokyo,
then it can happen in Nagoya, yeah? Nagoya
needs more events that are completely
devoted to the artist, like Springfest, but
I wish Springfest was in a more open and
green space than Central Park. (we’re
working on it Steve, but the city gives us a
great deal on Central Park and the TV Tower
is so easy for everyone to find, and Sakae has
so much walking traffic, and… well, you
get the picture, but we’re working on it, I
swear). Walk-a-Thon is a great event, but it’s
focus isn’t the music necessarily, it’s the fund
raising, which is great. But Nagoya definitely
needs more music events. I think there’s a
lot of people doing really good things now,
much more so than just a few
years ago, and
the ar
tist
”
I think the
level of talent and art is much
higher than it used to be, people just need to
support what’s going on.
Well said, Mr. Pottinger.
Steve plays Red Rock and Misfits occasionally,
and is currently working on reintroducing
FishTank TV to the world. Catch it live!
|RAN| 9
 u l d I S t ay
h o
S or Should I Go?
| By TD H
ouchen |
“If I go there will be trouble
An if I stay it will be double”
—The Clash
E
very six months or so, I get this
almost sudden urge to break camp
and boogie back ‘home.’ Frustrations
reach a sudden peak, my adenoids
swell up, one more person refuses to sit
down on the train next to me, or my boss
finds fault within my perfection. The next
morning I’m calling the airlines for the
first flight out. Living in a for-eign country
is exotic, interesting, fun, exciting... and a
giant pain in the ass.
And sometimes I hate it. Any country,
any where that isn’t ‘home’, is going to have
something about it that pisses you off at some
point. Can’t find bagels? Supermarkets don’t
have your favourite mustard? No Hostess
fruit pies? Trains stop running too early
for you? Tired of being stared at/ignored/
ridiculed/ostracized/etc? Weird people
everywhere you look? (Can’t be that YOU’RE
the weird one, could it?) Eventually that one
small thing could be enough to tip your boat
over. It’s happened to me about half a dozen
times since I’ve been here in Japan. Maybe
10 |RAN|
Mixed feelings about
your adopted home? Join the crowd.
twice that much, can’t quite remember, but
one day I’m loving the challenge of adapting
to a new culture and seeing and learning
new and different things about myself and
life and people, the next day my teeth are
in permanent grit mode and everything
about this new land is killing me. Get... me...
OUT... of... here... FAST.
But sometimes I love it. It’s intoxicating
to meet people who are different in so many
ways than I am. The pace is different and
what people focus on and how they interact
and live is enriching and sometimes bizarre.
But I like bizarre. In fact, I am bizarre, at
least it seems that way. Here, I’m the zoo
animal, all eyes are on me and people find
me instantly interesting just because I’m not
from here. I can tell my stories and reinvent
myself and act like a spaceman and no one
knows the difference. It’s invigorating. There’s
a freedom in being in a foreign land that
you just can’t buy when you’re home. Fewer
expectations, less dogma, less ideology that
you feel you have to cater to. It’s like living
on… another planet. Sometimes lonely,
sometimes exciting, sometimes fantastic,
sometimes dreadful. But rarely boring. And
that’s the thing.
Do we all feel this ambivalence? Who
wants to live out their lives split between
going “home,” wherever you think home is,
and staying here, where your actual home
really is. What is home? It’s too easy to say
wherever you were born is “home,” where
you came from, where your family is, your
country of origin. Easy. But where do you
sleep at night? Where is your job? Where
do you conduct the vast majority of your
social life? Where do you shop? Where do
you pay bills? Where are you right now? I’d
say wherever you are, is pretty much your
home, like it or not. Wherever you go, there
you are.
Challenges are forever. And life is short.
I’ve got a lot going on here in this foreign
land, but I miss my folks, miss my friends,
(though I haven’t seen them in a while), and
I’ve made a lot of new friends here. I also
miss fat, juicy hamburgers, cherry pop tarts,
4 A.M. rides home on the subway, beachside
PHOTO: MATT HELMINSKI
sunsets. And I miss English. I miss the certain
peculiar craziness that Americans seem to
have in common, the nutty blind optimism
we share, the spontaneity and casual friend-
liness that is absolutely priceless. Yeah,
Americans are kinda obnoxious (kinda?)
and maybe not the most cultured bunch, but
we know how to have fun and we know how
to make you have fun, too.
But I also like my new digs. The challenge
and variety has become addictive, and
whenever I do go back “home,” there’s this
creeping sense of feeling out of place, like
this is not my country anymore. I left my
“home” behind and I no longer quite fit
in, in fact, many of us left home precisely
“Look around.
because home didn’t feel quite like home
anymore.
Try to remember
My native America is sud–
denly not “spicy” enough for me.
It’s become quaint and nostalgic,
what brought you here”
like I suppose home is sup–posed
to be, but it doesn’t really excite
my senses, like a rerun of a TV show
you’ve seen all too many times. It’s all so
“normal” there.
And loud. Since I’ve been in Japan, my
ears have gotten used to not being able
to understand what is being said, I’ve
learned how to automatically tune out the
conversations taking place within earshot.
It’s actually a kind blissful silence, feels like
my mind is floating in it’s own world most
times. Japan is, by comparison, probably one
of the most quiet countries on earth, maybe
the most. People speak in hushed tones,
nobody blows their car horns, things don’t
come crashing down from the buildings
above, no one is yelling “HEY MAC, DO
YOU MIND GETTING THE HELL OUTTA
MY WAY?!” I can actually hear myself think
and I can feel my emotions more clearly. Not
much competition going on in my head for
my own attention. My mind is my own, in
some weird way. However the moment I
arrive in America, I’m greeted by the sudden
cacophony of a thousand conversations
I don’t really want to hear. My brain is
overloaded with various voices, thoughts,
opinions all around me, “… and then I broke
up with him because…” “… so I quit and then
tried to look around for a while and…” “…
she never really understood what I meant…”
“…I’ll call you tomorrow after work…” “…
well I hate you too…” and so on. It’s slightly
maddening and sorta brain nauseating.
I’m eavesdropping without wanting to
eavesdrop. Sensory overload. Turn it off.
Take a moment. Look around. Try to re-
member what brought you here in the first
place. What were you escaping? Why did
you come? What were you looking for?
All of us who came here, or most of us
at least, were looking for adventure, and
sometimes the adventure can become an–
noying, and bitterness can crawl into your life
without you realizing it. It isn’t easy being so
different from almost everyone else around
you. But this can easily be turned around.
Take stock of what’s good about your new
environment and let the neg–atives
fade into the background.
You left your home most
likely because something
was wrong with where
you came from. That’s
what brought you here
in the first place, that, and
the need for discovery. Keep this in mind
on those days when they won’t put cheese
on your sandwich just because the menu
doesn’t specify cheese, when they don’t have
your size or when no one seems to “get” who
you are or what you’re talking about. Home
is where you are and your real ‘home’ isn’t
going anywhere. You carry it with you.
So, you’ve got mixed feelings, too? Send
us your thoughts for a future column!
comments@ranmagazine.com
Listen
聴 down at his shoes, so that’s why it’s called
く
Make SONIC peace LAND.
W
ho else do you know that is
making SonicLand Peace music?
Think about when was the last
time you heard a band with a name as cool
as this: SonicLand Peace Makers. I mean,
come on, if these guys are half as good as
their name, I want in.
Luckily, SLPM make gloriously enchanting
dance rock -that lifts you and carries you and
caresses you and challenges you. You may
not know what gloriously enchanting dance
rock sounds like, but after hearing SLPM,
you will know.
Music has too many names and genres
these days anyway, everything is a hybrid—
why try to categorize it anyway? I know the
record stores need to find a properly titled
bin to put music, rock, reggae, funk, soul,
classical. SLPM is, well, how about future
darkcore progressive industrial tribal ambi-
ent electrofunk, can I call it that? With pretty
colours and sounds that sound like water-
falls and space-ified synthesizers and angelic
voices echoing and shimmering in the air?
With tribal drums and flashing electric gui-
tar and electrobeats that sort of force you to
dance? Oh, and there’s Hiro’s mystical voice,
which sounds like a cross between Tears For
Fears Roland Orzabal and Depeche Mode’s
Dave Gahan, soaring and majestic, dude
can sing and play and rocks out completely.
12 |RAN|
This disc is one of the most well-worth-the-
cost discs ever. The songs aren’t long enough.
When the cd ends I’m exhausted and exhila-
rated and confused and ecstatic. I’ve been
somewhere, music is supposed to do that.
Lead guitar/vocalist Hiroyuki Miyazaki
formed the idea for his band about 4 years
ago in response to the post-rock scene hap-
pening in the states, while he was living in
San Diego. He posted an ad and… we’ll let
him tell it. Hiro and I sipped and slurped at
the Kanayama Starbucks. Nice chat, brah.
RAN: How long have you guys been to-
gether?
Hiroyuki: We’ve been together about 4
years.
R: How many band members?
H: 3 members, Tak is our bass player, Nayu-
ta is our keyboard player and he programs
our beats.
R: How did you guys get together?
H: I was in San Diego for about seven years,
I was into the post-rock scene, which was
huge there, I played gigs, and when I came
back to Japan, I posted an ad on the internet
for band members, Tak responded to my ad
and we started looking for band members,
he had come back to Japan one month ear-
lier than me, he was living in the states also,
| By TD Houchen |
living in Tennesee…we had similar ex-
periences in the states, so we had similar
ideas.
R: Did you know what kind of band you
wanted to put together when you posted
the ad?
H: Well, I wanted to do some electronica,
something like what I was into in San Di-
ego, I didn’t know we would end up being
a club-rock band.
R: Where did you get the name?
H: We three wanted to think of a cool
name, I don’t know, we just came up with
it, we thought it was original, but long, but
we think it’s unique…
R: What influences are in your music?
H: I’m into post-rock like I said, Radio-
head, stuff like that, it’s not like hard rock,
more mellow, but uses lots of effects, like
shoe-gaze bands use lots of those same ef-
fects… I like Björk, Sigur Ros, Jeff Buckley,
I’m also into blues and jazz, John Coltrane,
Stevie Ray Vaughan...
R: For those of us (like me) who don’t
know, what is ‘shoe-gaze’?
H: It’s not as heavy as heavy metal or hard
rock, it’s simple really, sorta mellow, may-
be kind folksy with effects, fuzz, that stuff,
and the lead guitarist is usually looking
shoe-gaze.
R: Is there a message in your music?
H: Um, maybe we’re sarcastic? Like, anti-,
well, we were all overseas for a while, so all
of us express life from different attitudes
than what is here. I try to write songs that
have messages, we try to say all of what you
see is not all that there is.
R: What do you think are the best and worst
things about Nagoya’s music scene?
H: Well, people like to party, there’s a lot of
potential in Nagoya, but you’ve got to be cool,
then people will come to your events. It’s not
as big here as Tokyo or Osaka, so there are
more chances to be noticed, that’s a bright
side. The bad side is that it’s very commercial
here, not as artistic, there isn’t much diver-
sity. I wish there were more ‘scenes’ here, like
solid genres, so people can choose.
R: Lots of people say the gaijin and Japanese
music and art communities don’t mix so
much here in Nagoya, thoughts?
H: I think it’s true. Maybe. It’s the system.
Venues here require bands to sell a certain
number of pre-show tickets. If you don’t,
then the band has to pay for them. The ven-
ues don’t help to promote shows or market-
ing, so it’s hard for foreigners to go into that
scene and deal with that system. If I was a
foreigner, I wouldn’t want to deal with that
system. I’d rather go to bars where there’s
enough space to perform and try to make
my own events.
R: Why don’t club owners and promoters try
to help promote the scene? And the music?
H: This system has been around a long time.
All the bands that come into the scene want-
ing to play don’t know any other system, this
system is all they know. The club owners
and promoters take advantage of the newer
bands coming in.
R: What’s the solution?
H: Event organizers need to talk to club
and venue owners and negotiate a different
agreement. They might agree to start from
scratch to help promote the local music
scene, I think that’s the only solution.
R: Right on. Can you tell me what your fa-
vourite live experience has been here in Na-
goya?
H: We played Diamond Hall last summer. It
was great. Diamond Hall is a respected and
established live house. Many people came
out, it was quite exciting. We were invited
to an annual event called WAVE sponsored
by a local band called Bone Idol. We’re good
friends with them. Also, of course, there’s
our event called ‘Fever’. Most events, people
are just standing or talking or watching, but
at Fever, people dance. It’s exciting to see
people respond to what we put together.
R: How did you start Fever?
H: We do it every other month at Plastic
Factory in Imaike. We started it because we
didn’t want to be a part of the pay-to-play
system. We wanted to have our own for-
mat, lots of times if you book a show, you
are booked with all types of genres of music,
like J Pop, hard rock, etc.
R: Why Plastic Factory?
H: Rent is cheap, it has a good foreigner
crowd, good size, reasonable sound system.
R: What does the SLPM crowd look like?
H: Half gaijin and half Japanese.
R: That’s the ideal mixture, how do you ac-
complish that?
H: Because of Fever, and we ask foreigner
DJs to play our events, so there will be gaijin
customers who come to see gaijin DJs. And,
we play club music, so people like the mix-
ture that we give them.
R: Tell me about this new disc, ‘Welcome To
SonicLand’.
H: We recorded it ourselves. It’s our first cd.
We produced it also, mixed it, mastered it.
Everything. The concept of our songs is club
type beats, 10 minute songs to make people
dance, it’s not like regular bands’ music. We
want people to get into the music. So our
songs are long, it makes us unique. Some of
the songs are mellow, some are danceable. I
use a lot of effects, synthesizers, etc, but the
beats and programs are club-oriented. Tak’s
bass is pretty aggressive. We call it electro-
rave rock.
R: Does the local media cover what you guys
are doing?
H: We entered an independent music festi-
val/contest thing, we were a finalist, we got
on TV, and Radio I interviewed us… we
mailed our album to a few radio stations,
but Radio I was the only outlet that was sup-
portive of what we are doing. A few people
heard our interview on the radio, and came
to our Fever event. That was quite nice for
someone to hear our interview, do a web
search, and come out to our live. It encour-
aged us to keep going.
R: Do you think there is enough support in
the media for local music here?
H: I don’t think so. In the states, every ra-
dio station hosted an event at least every
month for local music, it was quite big...
but here, there’s no promoters or booking
agents or stations that cover or host events
that promote the local music scene. They
say they do, but they don’t. Only the few big
annual events, like SummerSonic and Fuji
Rock... it’s a pretty hopeless situation for lo-
cal music. Music has to be commercial to get
enough crowds and support here, especially
in Nagoya... I tried to find booking agents
and music promoters and radio stations
that promote local music when I came back
here from the states, and there was nobody.
Freaked me out. We still don’t really know
how to market and promote to Japanese
people.
R: What is SLPM’s dream?
H: We want to continue to do events, but
we’d like to do an outdoor club-style event,
like a rave….
R: Don’t you want to be huge rich and fa-
mous stars?
H: We’d like to get signed by an indie la-
bel, put out a few more albums, that’ll be
good….
R: What do you think is the future of Na-
goya’s music scene?
H: That depends on us, and people like
you… Event organizers and promoters have
to do something to promote independent
music, otherwise it will stay the same. I hope
there will be a few big events that promote
the local music scene.
R: Ever done a video? Plans?
H: Not yet, hopefully for the next album.
R: How would you describe Nagoya to
someone who has never been here?
H: It’s a wanna-be big city. People here like
brand names to feel secure, they don’t have
their own identity. People are a little inse-
cure. It’s a big city, but the people have nar-
row minds here.
R: What do you think it would take for Na-
goya to establish it’s own identity?
H: We need to stop trying to follow what To-
kyo is doing. I explain to people, when I am
asked where I’m from, that I’m from where
Toyota is from.
R: SLPM future plans?
H: We hope to get more media exposure, we
hope to hear from people, like the people
who will read this article. People can contact
us at http://slpm.jp, or http://fevermusic.jp.
|RAN| 13
Create
創
造
A Couple of
Artists
Brooklyn Meets Wakayama in Nagoya.
| By TD Houchen |
W
hat do Brooklyn, New York
and Wakayama, Japan have in
common besides both being on
planet Earth? Well, both locales spawned a
pair of street artists who eventually met in
Wakayama, and resettled in Nagoya to take
their art styles into the world.
Derrick “D’mojah” Wilson and Sawa met by
chance in Wakayama, and the rest is, well,
history as they say. Read all about it:
RAN: D’mojah, how long have you lived in
Japan?
D’mojah: Three years, I lived in Toyohashi,
Waka-yama, and now Nagoya. I’ve been in
Nagoya for one and a half years.
R: Where are you from, Sawa?
S: I’m from Wakayama, south of Osaka.
14 |RAN|
R: Why do you draw?
D: Well, I realized that I
have been painting and
drawing for as long as I
can remember. When I
was young, my mom used to leave notes
with a little picture at the bottom. I guess
that’s what started my drawing, I fed off my
mom.
S: I have always liked images, I have many
images in my head that I want to explain
and bring outside of me….
R: Sawa, what are your plans for the future?
S: I am interested in Buddhism, street art
and body art. So I want to mix all these to-
gether. Later, I plan to get into graphic art.
R: Favorite food?
D&S: Mexican hard tacos.
R: Favorite place(s)?
D&S: Brooklyn, New York.
R: Favorite music artist(s)?
D: Well, it changes with my emotions,
but my two favorites are Bob Marley and
Miriam Makeba.
S: India Arie
R: What did you think you would be when
you grew up?
D: Well, I always thought I would be an
entrepreneur and I am still working on
becoming that now. It’s not a destination,
it’s a journey.
S: I wanted to travel around the world.
R: What’s next for you both?
D: Well, I’m taking it one day at a time,
I enjoy where I am now, but I am always
PHOTOS: ACHIM RUNNEBAUM
thinking about the future, I’m glad to be
where I am now.
S: Me, too… my life is good as long as I
can make my art.
Well said. Keep bringing light and color
to Nagoya you guys, we appreciate it. Art
lives in Nagoya.
 Nagoya Fashion
流
行

Fitting IN
A look at fashion in Nagoya. | By Achim Runnebaum |

F
rom hair so spiked that it requires at styles here with something for just about
least four cans of hairspray, women anybody.  around here), a dark suit with faded jeans, a
wearing high heel boots with short In this column, we’ll explore various styles
skirts in the winter, to the long-toed boots on  in and around the Nagoya area to get to the
guys, who  seemingly took their inspiration bottom of what is fashion in Nagoya and
directly from the Ringling Brothers,  we’ll what sets us apart from other cities in Ja-
take a look at all the various fashion trends pan. I talked with some young people around
in Nagoya and throughout Japan. Think Na- the Sakae area to get their opinion on what
goya’s fashion is just about wearing the latest they consider fashionable in Nagoya. It cer-
designer clothes? Well, think again. Located tainly isn’t easy to get people to talk to you
at the intersection of conservative and ec- when you have a big camera in one hand....
clectic, The fashion here is quite varied with People here are actually kinda shy. But a true
many different Nagoyan doesn’t give up so easily, so here’s
facets.  There’s what some of the young people in Sakae had
the haute couture to say about their fashion.
look of down-
town Sakae, and Finish this sentence for me:
just a short walk “Nagoya Fashion is...”
down the street The responses varied greatly, ranging from
(Otsu Dori), the conservative, to fashionable, to fresh, and
style changes com- even trendy was mentioned.  So, if you want to look cool in Nagoya, you
pletely in Osu.  See,
it’s not just about If I want to look “Nagoya chic,” what is one
the Nagoya maki essential item I need?
(those big, permed Here people really lit up with their respons-
curls)... there are es. There were so many things mentioned,
many in- but some of the most important items seem
teresting to be: large boots (like
PHOTOS: ACHIM RUNNEBAUM
those clown-like boots you see on most guys
large wallet with a chain attached, designer/
brand-name clothes, and the ubiquitous
Luis Vuitton wallet.
What sets Nagoya apart from other cities
in Japan in terms of fashion?
This question kinda threw people a bit, and
there really was no consensus on the an-
swers. Some people believe Nagoya’s fashion
is conservative. Others mentioned that Na-
goya’s fashion is kind of crazy. I pressed for
a clearer answer and found out that others
meant that there’s no single clear style other
than Nagoya maki. On the other hand, a lot
of people believe Nagoya’s fashion is trend
setting. The Nagoya maki is popping up in
other cities as well.
need to go out and get a designer wallet,
preferably with a chain that attaches to your
faded designer jeans.  But people here don’t
just follow certain trends, they try to express
who they are through their individual fash-
ions. Nagoya is a lot more complex in this
area than most people realize.  There
are so many different factions that it’s
impossible to just throw everything
into one drawer.  One thing that really
surprised me was that many people
thought Nagoya’s fashion is conserva-
tive.  I’m from Europe, so not much
will amaze me when it comes to out-
rageous fashion, but if they consider

what young people wear around town

conservative, I’d love to see what they
consider avant garde....
Next month we’ll look at the alter-
native fashions of Osu and we’ll talk
to some local artists and designers to
get their take on this issue.

|RAN| 15
 W
ork is hard and then you die,
but some work has more
perks than other work. Take
the life of a Japanese host,
for example. From the outside it may seem
like the cushiest job on earth: “entertain”
women during your days and nights. Dress
sharp, look good, and get paid handsomely
for it. Sounds easy, right? Imagine a bar
or club where upscale women come and
regularly drop thousands of yen, to hear
how beautiful and classy they are, nothing
much more than sweet talk. Sounds like
some kind of adol-escent male fantasy,
and here in Japan, there are thousands of
these establishments where lonely or sad,
sometimes rich and sexy women come to
dole out hundreds of thousands of yen to
dolled-up pretty boys with aerodynamic
hair and tight conversational skills. Where
do I sign up?
Hosts and hostesses are therapists of the
night and the gig ain’t nearly as easy as it
sounds. Most customers of host clubs have
personal issues with themselves, their jobs,
or their relations. Some are high-class so–
Mo’ Money,
ciety women, some are in the sex industry
themselves. In both cases a few lucky hosts
are absolutely P-A-I-D for their “services,”
| By TD Houchen |
m s
which, in most cases, ain’t what you think
o b l e
it is… peep game, a real-life “Number One
Mo’ Pr The hustler’s life of a male host.
Host” chops it up on his life, his gig, his
customers and his favourite thing in Nagoya
with me, Achim, (our photographer), and
PHOTOS: ACHIM RUNNEBAUM
my man, Jason.
RAN: How long have you been a host?
Tsubasa: Five years.
R: How did you become a host?
T: My friend introduced me to the host
business.
16 |RAN|
R: What is a host’s job?
T: My job is to make female
customers happy.
R: Do you like your job?
T: I like women a lot, so, yes, I
like my job. A lot.
R: What’s the best thing about
your job?
T: I enjoy listening to different
people’s stories about their
lives. It helps me to grow.
R: What do your tell your female guests?
How do you entertain them?
T: I talk to them. They want to talk a lot,
and they want to listen also, so I talk about
anything with them.
R: Why do you think a woman comes to a
host club?
T: Number one reason is because they are
sad and lonely. Second reason is because
they are women and a woman needs a man.
R: What type of woman comes to a host
club?
T: Basically, young women, many of them
work in the kyabakura or “health clubs,”
these women go to the first type of host club,
it’s a “host pub,” but there is another kind
of host club, that is a ‘host club’ and older,
richer women go to those. Pubs have younger
women who are in the sex business.
R: Why do you think the women who go to
the clubs are sad and lonely?
T: They work hard. They don’t have such
good life. They have problems. Many of
them are mentally sick I think, but we get
their sickness, too.
R: What do you mean?
T: They have many problems, emotional
problems, problems with their family, their
husband or they are too lonely... Many of
them are really sick.
R: How do you get a woman to start giving
you money?
T: Well, it isn’t really like this… not so
simple… I have my own life and this is just
my job. But, of course, I have to get money,
or I can’t do anything, so...
R: Hmm. So have any of your customers
ever fallen in love with you?
T: (Laughs) I don’t know. I don’t ask them,
but they are giving me money and they come
back again, so I think if they are coming often
and giving me money, this is a signal of their
feeling I think. If they didn’t “love” me, they
couldn’t give me their money... deshou?
R: Do you have sex with customers?
T: No. Never. Not me. But there are others
who do. They are called “makuro” or “pillow
|RAN| 17
 important for his such a great job, so when my friend asked me
business, so we can’t to be a host, I wasn’t really into it, I couldn’t
have physical fights. really say yes so soon….

R: What is your R: What is your favourite thing about

average day like? Nagoya?
T: I finish my work at T: There’s a special Nagoya spaghetti, it’s
about 5 A.M. everyday. called “ankake spaghetti,” it’s like a Chinese
I get home around 7 soup with spaghetti. Oishi desu yo!
A.M.. I take a shower
and sleep until maybe R: Spaghetti… got it. What about Nagoya
12. Then, if I have any don’t you like?
appointments with T: Nagoya is not sensitive for new things,
customers, I go out it isn’t like Tokyo, Osaka, etc.. Those cities
with them and then I enjoy new things, people, ideas, music.
go to the club. Nagoya is closed and slow…

hosts,” but not me. This is my job, I don’t
think of sex with my customers.
R: How long do you plan to be a host?
T: I’m 27 now. 27 is said to be old in the
host club business. So I’m thinking about
my future. I can’t quit now though, but I’m
thinking if I quit, what will I do? Maybe I
can have my own club, I don’t know.
R: How long is the average host’s career?
T: The best time for a host is between 20-
25. A host starts training around 18 or 19.
Customers think I am a bit old, but since
I’m 27, I have good experiences I can talk
about, and I can give those experiences to
my customers, so it’s good for me.
R: Is there a lot of competition between
hosts?
T: Yes. In the clubs there are groups of hosts.
Each group has a “Top Host.” The groups
battle each other, and the groups each have
young hosts, so the “Top Hosts” battle each
R: Do hosts ever marry
their customers?
T: Some do. But not
many. If a host and
customer want to get
married, then the
host will quit his host
job so he can marry
the customer. But this
is very rare. This is a
job so we don’t think
about our customers
so seriously. It’s just a
job.
R: Do you want to get married some day?
T: Me? [laughs] Yes. I want babies! I love
children. I feel old, so I want someplace I
can relax.
R: What’s your monthly budget for clothing
and appearance?
T: I buy most of my clothes here in Sakae.
One month I can spend 500,000 yen on
clothes and my appearance, but most times,
I spend around 200,000, but mostly the
women buy my clothes and what I need
while I am dating them.
R: You are pimping homey. When you were a
child, did you see yourself one day becoming
a host?
T: No. When I was younger, like in
elementary school and junior high school,
I thought I would do something different,
something that would require more of my
brain and more studying, like a business. I
don’t hate my job at all, but I [still] want to
have my own business one day.
J: What does your family think of your job?
T: My family at first was against it, but now,
since I’m not a child, I do what I want to do.
I don’t care what they say, and no one says
anything to me.
T: Can I ask a question?
R: Sure, bro.
T: What do gaijin think of hosts and the host
business?
Jason: When I first saw guys and girls being
hosts and hostesses, I thought it was a really
cool lifestyle, guys and girls getting paid
to be somebody’s company. You’re like the
ultimate psychiatrist…
T: Hmm...
R: I think the job isn’t that easy, because
you have to make yourself special to get
money from the women, and you have to
keep yourself sharp and in shape and be at
your best at all times to get the women and
the money, I think that’s not easy, and then
there’s the competition…
T: Yeah, a host is kind of like an actor.
R: Exactly.
J: Yeah, if there are 10 hosts, you have to be
the one to stand out. Can’t be easy…
T: It’s a job, like any business, we have to
work hard and train the younger hosts.
People who come to host clubs are sick. My
job is to find the sick people and make them
happy. If I get their sickness, too, that’s life.
There aren’t many foreign dudes in Nagoya
lucky enough to work this kind of gig. In
Tokyo, however, there are plenty of foreign
hosts taking money from nice women kind
enough to give it. Seems respectable and
PHOTO: ACHIM RUNNEBAUM

other for the attention of the customers using
their groups. They use their younger hosts.
It’s serious. There is a lot of competition.
R: Does the competition ever get violent? Or
physical?
T: No. We don’t do that. A host’s face is very
Jason: What was your opinion of hosts when
you were younger?
T: I didn’t have such a good image of hosts,
because I thought hosts had to play a game
with women and I thought hosts had to do
bad things to women. I didn’t think it was
simple enough. I’ve got lots I think I could
share with these lonely, wealthy, troubled
female souls. So, where can a brother get
an application? Do I have to be fluent in
Japanese? Is there some kind of host union?
Are there any hosts with dreadlocks? Why
didn’t I ask him these questions?

18 |RAN|
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|RAN| 19
 R: Yeah, it does seem like a great way to get
some exercise and make new friends. How
has the scene changed since you started here
in Fushimi 8 years ago?
N: At first breakdancing had kind of a bad
reputation. People thought that only bad
boys/girls did breakdancing. Now it has be-
come more accepted in the mainstream me-
dia and anybody can try it. Recently there
are more and more dance studios popping
up all over town, so many young people are
getting into it.
R: If I wanted to start breakdancing, how
long would it take me to get good?
N: Well, it depends... but usually about 2 or
3 years to get comfortable with the moves.
After that time you don’t have to think about
every single
move anymore and can just
enjoy coming up with your
own style.
R: Well, I better get started
then. Can you show me
some basics?
Norima performs some
“easy” basics. I try to follow
him as best as I can. How-
ever due to the giggling
and whispering from the
other dancers, I assume I
need more practice.
R: Have you ever had any
problems with the police
or other people?

Are there any “turf wars?”

Why do they dance?
What makes them come back night after
night, week after week, month after month?
The first night I set out to meet the danc-
ers, it was around 9 PM, and they were
already practicing their newest moves.
While my friends and I set up our gear,
we got some really curious looks from the
dancers. People were speaking in hushed
voices and probably wondered what we
were doing there. They quickly warmed
up, and soon weren’t bothered by the cam-
era and lights at all anymore, while show-
ing off some of their moves. A young girl
named Yuko was the first to be interviewed.
RAN: How long have you been dancing?
Yuko: Since I was a child. I started with bal-
let dancing and have been doing this kind of
dancing [street dance] for about 4 years.
R: Interesting! That’s a big difference from
ballet. How did you get into breakdancing?
Y: I saw a show on TV and thought it was
cool, I tried to emulate the moves at home.
My parents hated me for always playing the
music too loud and dancing around the
home (laughs). Then I saw an ad for a dance
school in a magazine and eventually I joined
that dance studio to learn new moves. It
was around that time that I started going to
Fushimi at night time to practice and meet
like-minded people.
R: Why Fushimi?
Y: There’s no place where we can practice
that’s this big and is covered, so even on
rainy or snowy
days we can practice here. Also, I don’t feel
very comfortable in Sakae because some-
times there’s some weird people and home-
less people who come and try to talk to us
there.
R: Hmm, maybe they just want to join you
(Yuko laughs). Did you have any problems
fitting into the group at Fushimi?
Y: No, no problems at all. Everybody was
very accepting and friendly.
R: So none of the “in-group,” “out-group”
segregation that sometimes seems so appar-
ent in Japanese society?
Y: It was actually the opposite. Since we were
all trying to learn new moves and had the
same hobby, everybody is accepted right
away.
R: How has dancing changed your life?
Y: Well... I’ve met many good friends that
way (pauses, then puts on a big grin)...oh,
and my husband.
R: Very cool! When did you get married?
Y: Six months ago.
R: Congratulations!
It was at this point that we noticed a young
man really showing off his stuff. His name
is Shinsaku and he has competed in two big
dancing competitions and was now practic-
ing for the next one.
R: You’ve been dancing for a while now.
How did you get started?
Shinsaku: I saw a show on TV [Exile] and
N: No, we never had any problems here.
There are no “turf wars,” but sometimes
friendly competitions, heheh.
thought it R: Ok, last question. Well, two actually. Who
was cool. So I bought a breakdancing picks the music for the night, and are there
DVD and asked some friends to get to- ever any fights about who gets to pick it?
gether so we could teach each other. Norima (laughs out loud): No, no fights,
R: Why do you practice at Fushimi? we’re all very peaceful here. I guess it chang-
S: Breakdancing is not as popular in Ja- es from night to night. So one night one
pan as it is in New York, so there aren’t person picks it then another night someone
so many studios yet. This is a great place else. There’s really no system. It’s usually de-
to make friends and learn new moves. cided by the group what music we practice
R: Yeah, it seems like a great atmosphere to.
here in Fushimi. Is there a difference be- R: Great talking to you. Thanks for your
tween the groups at Fushimi compared time!
to Sakae or other places around town?
S: No, not a big difference, but I think There you have it, folks.  Those people you
that the groups in Fushimi are a little see dancing in front of mirrors lead a sur-
smaller in size than the groups in Sakae. prisingly normal life during the daytime. 
Also people here in Fushimi are friendlier They are students, businessmen, office la-
since it’s a smaller group (laughs). dies, etc, but at night time they can relax
by dancing with their friends, build new
One of my friends who volunteered to friendships, prepare for a competition,
help out with this project then introduced and even find love in front of the mir-
me to Norima, a sort of “pro” in the scene. rored buildings in Nagoya.  Starting out,
He’s been dancing for about 9 years and I was a bit hesitant to approach these
has been to many competitions. He’s also groups at night time, but I quickly found
a choreographer and designer. many open minded people who were
R: How did you get started? just as excited to show off their moves
Norima: I wanted to get some exercise, so and tell their stories, as I was trying to
I started dancing at a sports gym. get their voices heard by others.  It’s not
R: Really? Wow, how did find your way just about the dancing, it’s about getting
here to Fushimi? together with like-minded people who
N: I guess the same way everybody eventu- share the same passions, and want to
ally does. I came for the extra practice, the break away from the traditional life-
atmosphere and the friendships. style in Japan. 

20 |RAN| |RAN| 21


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Getting into

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hen I first arrived in Japan in the
W spring of 2001, I knew of onsen,
but I was introduced to their ur-
ban cousins, the sento, in a rather round-


about way. By chance, I took up residence in
an apartment in Osaka that, while very ac-
cessable to everything, had two annoyances:
it was so close to a high school that I could
strain my ears and hear teacher-student dis-
cussions fairly often. Not a real problem,
since I was usually at work myself during
school hours. The other issue couldn’t be
overlooked: while my bathroom was spa-
cious, I had a small, square bathtub. Fold-
ing my 6 foot (180cm) body into it was not a
relaxing experience.   the first two meant “electricity”. So I asked
One day, my landlady asked me how I was
adjusting to life in Japan and the apartment
and I jokingly told her about my “bathtime
misadventures” and she said, “You should go
22 |RAN|
| By Jason L. Gatewood |
to the sento like everyone else that has that
style tub.” Wait, there was a public bath in
our neighborhood? I wasted no time—once
directions were clear, I grabbed towels, fresh
underwear, some soap, and ¥350 and ran to-
ward the sento mark (♨)on a building that
I hadn’t noticed before that day.
The small place had a nice collection of
pools to relax in. There was a regular hot
tub and a cold tub that sat at 17°C. I noticed
the old man I’d met before was currently re-
laxing in a pool that had the characters 電
気風呂 on the side. I had no idea what it
all meant (I’d only been in Japan for about
3 weeks at this point) but I did know that
the old man in my broken Japanese at the
time for an explanation. He simply asked me
to put my hand in the tub. “Yeeeoooww!” I
yelled, jerking my hand back. I knew im-
mediately that the sign had to mean “electric bathtub.” I also real-
ized then that Japanese people sometimes take things too far. Who
mixes electricity with water, on purpose anyway?
I soaked in the first tub while talking to the older guy, and it
became a regular event to meet at the sento then go grab a beer
at the izakaya across the street afterwards.  I met a lot of people in
my neighborhood in the sento, I wouldn’t have seen or talked to
otherwise. Maybe it was because seeing a naked foreign guy in the
same place was a slight shock and made people curious, but I’d like
to think that it was because it was a purely Japanese thing to go to
the public baths. Maybe it makes Japanese people feel at ease to see
a gaijin take part in this activity. After all, when stripped to nothing
but our birthday suits, there isn’t much else for us to hide...
Here in Nagoya, I had a hard time trying to find a good sento.  A
sure fire way to find one is to ask the older Japanese people in your
area—they know everything!  An older lady in my neighborhood
shed a little light on the subject: there used to be a few sentos in
the area where I live but the last one closed about 4 years ago due
to declining customers. “Sentos existed because most apartments
and houses didn’t have their own bathtubs at one time, but that’s
different nowadays,” she told me. Oh right, forgot about that. But
I was in luck because she also told me about something called “su-
per-sentos.” These are more like mini-spas and bring the best of
an onsen visit to the middle of the city. And it just happens that I
live quite close to one called Miya no Yu. It sports a massage room, .&3
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saunas, a full service restaurant, and oh yeah, bathtubs and show-
ers. It also sports a rotenburo (outdoor bath), so you can get the
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feeling of being in an onsen without leaving town. Like any good *U
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Japanese establishment, Miya no Yu has a gimmick: they import BMTP
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their water from different onsens throughout Japan. One time I
went there the water was purple in a particular tub; they’d imported BOE
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some onsen water that was high in minerals that made the water
turn that color.   *U
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you’re the shy type and don’t think you can stomach being around
other naked folks, all in the name of trying to get clean, do your
best to try to quell those feelings for one hour and just go. You’re in
Japan because you’re different, so you might as well try something
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else new, right?  You just may make it a weekly habit like me—you
wash away not only the dirt and grime of day-to-day living, but also XJUI
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your stress, fears, and inhibitions of living in this different culture.
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 R: I haven’t really R: How does your crew get along with other
seen any of the “writers?”
other writer’s graffiti S:  How should I answer that. There used to
anywhere. be a graffiti shop called OSS that would host
S: Yeah, you don’t see live events and we could go watch and talk
much of it around.  to the other writers.  We used to get together
Only two of us are like that.
really out writing a R:  So are you close with other Nagoya crews,
lot.  We formed the for example Evil Dots Crew, or MCK?
crew when we were S:  We are really close with MCK.
in high school, so R: How about EDC?
all of us got together S: We don’t really associate much with EDC,

-
because we wanted to they are our superiors in many ways.  I think

l l
make graffiti.  But all they are much older than us in the first

wa
of us still like graffiti. place
R: Is there a leader of R: You mean like ZECS and ESPY, or
the 3SR crew? especially CASPER is very famous.

n g
S: The first person S: yeah or SQEZ. Those guys are really

b i
to say “Let’s go write writing a lot. When people from other

i n g
graffiti” was NOBI. prefectures talk about Nagoya writers, its

o m
N: That’s not true, it always like “You mean EDC, right?”

b
was you. (laughing) R:  On that note, how do you think Nagoya’s
S: Well anyway, all of graffiti is different from other parts of Japan.
us were studying art S: Hmm... good question. Let me think...
in high school, and R: Do you think it is different?

the
total gyaru so at the time I really hated the somebody came out and said, “hey, there S: Its hard to say. I think more than hip-

In
In the
nickname, but now I have sort of come to is this cool culture called ‘graffiti,” and after hop, the designs are a lot harder like rock or
VIEW
AN INTER
like it. that we started seeing it all over and we said, metal mixed with a sort of pop style. At least
R: So even in high school you were called “let’s try it.”  It was just sort of natural. individually speaking. The pieces are like

kyo : 3SRCrew
Crew
NOBI? R: So when did you first go out tagging? that, I’m not sure about the tags.

u
WITH 3SR
Chukyo:
Ch 3SR Crew N: Yeah, but it has nothing to do with that S: About three years ago. The two of us went N: Or stickers.
girl. What was her name? “Matsu” something out together. S: Yeah stickers, there aren’t any stickers!
or other I think. N: We did? N: There are a lot of half-assed stickers out
| Story & Photos by Adam Pasion | SPACEMONKEY: SPACEMONKEY, of S: Yeah, that’s how it was in the beginning. there.

S
treet art and graffiti culture
may be relatively new con–
cepts in Japan, but they are
exploding all over the country
and the international art world is paying
attention. Japanese graffiti writers have
caught the attention of major companies
like Nike, Airwalk, and even Disney. There
are books and magazines dedicated to this
exciting new world, and yet somehow
it seems only the heads from Tokyo or
Osaka get seen—Nagoya’s graffiti remains
largely overlooked and under-appreciated.
For those who take the time to notice, the
spray-painted walls in neighborhoods like
Osu, Yabacho and Chikusa are bursting with
creative energy, perhaps even more than
their Kansai or Kanto cousins. To get a better
understanding of just what gives Nagoya that
distinct style, RAN Magazine sat down with
a local Nagoya-based graffiti crew called 3SR
whose stickers, tags and pieces can be seen
in virtually every corner of the city. Talk
about pounding the pavement.  Two of the
writers took time out of their busy schedule
to answer some questions for us.
 
RAN: First of all let’s get into names. Are
there any meanings to the names NOBI,
SPACEMONKEY or 3SR?
NOBI: When I was a high school student,
somebody told me I looked like Nobita-kun
from Doraemon.  The girl who said it was a
course, means a monkey who has gone to
space, but that monkey is probably amazed
at going to space. So when people see my
graffiti, I want them to feel surprised just
like that monkey. I want them to experience
something they have never seen before. So
SPACEMONKEY.
R: and 3SR?
S: 3SR is an acronym of the members names.
Three of our names begin with an “S” and
one begins with an “R.”
R: So how many members are in the crew
now?
S: 4 members, at least 4 that write graffiti
We went together I think.
R:  Do you still remember it well, the first
time?
S:  I remember going, I don’t remember the
specifics like time or day. It was sort of like,
“Uh, I bought some spray paint, lets go!”
R: Do you remember what you painted?
S: A “throw-up” and some characters.
R: And that was in Nagoya?
S: It was in Nagoya, but we only bought one
can of paint, so we couldn’t really paint at
all.
R:  That piece has already been erased.
S:  Yeah its been “buffed.”
S: Haha, that’s what people say.  I think the
status of stickers is seen as pretty low in the
whole of graffiti.
N:  It’s more interesting in other places. 
There is nothing new coming out here.  If
something new were to come-out I think
it would become more interesting. Even
when people think they see something new,
its already been done in Tokyo or Osaka or
somewhere else in Kansai.  I want this scene
to really take-off on its own.
S: Nagoya’s time just hasn’t come yet.  Slowly
as more young people get into it will become
a much more interesting scene.

24 |RAN| |RAN| 25
 Terms
Terms
GraffitiTerms Tag - An artists signature done very fast, simple and usually in
very visible areas to create a name.  Tags are usually done with
NOT MENTIONED IN THE ARTICLE:
Getting-Up - The process of building one’s
markers or paint pens, but can also be done with spray paint or reputation in the graffiti community heaven
crayons. Spots (Giraffiti) - Graffiti in dangerous and high
Throw-up - Also called “throwies,” throw-ups are slightly more locations such as billboards or freeway overpasses.
elaborate than tags and usually much larger as well.  Throw-ups Bomb - to cover a particular location heavily with
Graffiti

are also done in very public places where speed is essential.  tags and throw-ups from either one writer or one
Graffiti

Throw-ups are usually only one or two colors and lack detail.
Piece - Short for “masterpiece,” pieces are characterized by
very elaborate lettering, the use of many colors and an attention
to detail.  These are often either legal commissioned works, or
are done in less trafficked areas.
Slash (Go-over) - To paint over another writer’s work, often
putting one’s own name next to it.
Buff - When graffiti is removed or painted over by the city or
building owner.
crew.
Toy - a new or inexperienced writer with either no
reputation or a bad one.
King - a well respected and very prolific writer
Beef - a grudge or rivalry between two writers
Bite - to copy or imitate another writer’s style.
Racking - stealing spray paint.  Traditionally the
graffiti is not respectable or not ‘true’ graffiti unless
the paint has been stolen.

R: Nagoya’s writers are sort of new to the
scene, huh?  So why did you begin writing?
S:  I was already drawing pictures at home,
but the size of my drawings was really small.  S: I don’t think it would change anything for
When I saw pictures of graffiti I thought
“wow, you can draw pictures that big?” It was
a big shock, and they were so colorful.  Like
I could feel the power.  It was sort of natural
for me. I thought to myself how beautiful it
would be to see that sort of scenery all over
town, and I could paint anywhere I wanted.  of that wall.
I wanted that sort of freedom. I felt like I had
to paint after that.
R:  If graffiti was made legal, do you think
you would still want to do it?
N: I don’t think I would do it anymore.
me.  I don’t think what’s legal and illegal has
anything to do with what is good or bad. I
started writing because I wanted to write.
Maybe for normal people when they think
about writing they think “oh but the law
says...” But I don’t,  I just get right in front
R: But there are some people who love the
thrill of it being a crime. Do you feel that
R: What happened to you?
S: That time was just an abandoned car, so
we got off with a warning. We were lucky.
R: Were you ever caught again after that?
S:  There was no second time.
R: In the Nagoya graffiti scene, there isn’t
much going over or slashing through people’s
graffiti. Do you think Nagoya writers are
more respectful?
N: I don’t really like when people do that. I
guess if there was a lot of graffiti out there it
might be okay, but there just isn’t that much
out there yet.  If you don’t allow the amount
of graffiti to increase first then its just
meaningless. Besides that its just boring.
R: So you want the scene to grow?
N: Yeah, I want it to grow. Even if it
way?
N: For me its a good feeling. Isn’t if for you?
S:  When the wall is in front of me it doesn’t
matter.
R: Have you ever been caught, or been close
to being caught?
S: Yeah, just three days ago, it was a really
close call.
R: By the police?
S: Yeah, the police.
R: And you ran away?
S: Yeah, but one time our whole crew got
busted.
does grow, maybe I still don’t want slashing.
S: Besides that, I think everyone started
writing here by copying what they saw from
other countries so they copied the form and
shape like tagging, but they haven’t really
caught the true meaning of expressing
themselves.  The true—I don’t know if you
can call it true—but the true way its done
isn’t really understood, and they haven’t
really adapted to the real style.
R: So do you guys have any rivals?
N: Rivals?  I have no idea.
R: You don’t really care about other writers?
N: Hard to say.
R: Okay.  Well most graffiti until now has
been based on lettering, but 3SR’s graffiti is a
little different.  Is that intentional?
S: Yeah, we don’t want to just imitate. Of
course when we paint it’s sort of imitation.
If we had never painted before and then saw
graffiti and thought “I want to make that,”
then of course it would be similar, but we
started out with a love for drawing. So we
just included graffiti into the mix and the
style never really changed that much. I
hope it creates a really good balance.
R: So do you make any art besides
graffiti?
N: Yeah a few things. I make these sort
of stuffed dolls and I’m into dyeing.
R: And SPACEMONKEY, do you do any
other sorts of art?
S:  Not really, just a lot of 2D drawings.
R: So what is 3SR’s plan for the future?
S: For now, to be the best in Nagoya!
Its just recently the Evil Dots Crew
are doing a lot of tags and throw-ups I
think, and if we can continue like that
our stuff will be seen everywhere. I
really want to express my own style.
Lastly, I don’t want people so focused on
just the illegal graffiti. I want everyone
to join in on the stuff that is legal just
as much, because I don’t think enough
people care about that. Recently NOBI wants
to be the number one tagger.
N: I want to be number one for stickers.
Haha.
R: What do you have to say to people who
say that graffiti is not art, but just a crime?
S: That’s hard. I mean the definition of
graffiti really comes down to the individual.
Every person has their own interpretation.
Everyone has their own opinion about what
is good too. You can’t just reject the people
who are doing it illegally, but you can’t deny
the people who are doing it legally either.
Graffiti is about the battle, and its about
expressing yourself.
N: You can try to explain it again and again,
but if the people don’t write themselves then
they just don’t get it. I want people to know
more about art than just the fine arts.
S: It’s like if it isn’t in a museum then its not art,
or if it’s illegal then it’s not art. Its art because
it’s an expression of one person’s passion. So
even if that person is out painting illegally, if
there is no feeling there then it’s not art. The
law is clearly defined—if you do this then
you are a criminal. Art is more a question
of feelings. But I guess it’s true, I don’t want
to call people who never do the illegal stuff
graffiti writers. I don’t think we should be so
obsessed with that word “graffiti” and what it
is and isn’t. A good artist is a good artist.
R: Anything else you want to say?
S: If you try it once and you like it, I think
you can change the way this city looks. You
can transform the values of society. I want all
kinds of people to try it for themselves.

26 |RAN| |RAN| 27
“Jellyfish? ”
Did You Say

Obon traditions decoded at last. | By Emily Millar |

I
wanted answers about Obon, which perhaps is the
only extended vacation period in Japan with its exis-
tence tied to a concept also rooted in Western tradi-
tion. Beyond the obligatory shrine (or was it temple?)
visits on January 1st and god-like status bestowed upon
the jolly red bearded man at Christmas, Colonel Sand-
ers, Japan seems like one of the few places in the world
less preoccupied with their own religious and spiritual
matters and more taken with worshipping mistaken
icons borrowed from others. But jellyfish?
“What exactly do jellyfish have to do with Obon?” I
asked my boyfriend, who’s Japanese and therefore must
be far better informed than I am regarding Japanese
religious fodder.
“Er, well, jellyfish come during Obon. That’s
PHOTO: MATT HELMINSKI

why you should go to the beach before Obon

period starts. Most Japanese people do.” And
all along I thought it was the spirits of the
dead ancestors coming back for a family
reunion party.
“There’s that, too, of course that’s what

28 |RAN|
 Obon is about... Actually, maybe the jelly-
fish have nothing to do with it...” he offers
sheepishly. But after a few minutes of cross
cultural communication confusion, I finally
understand the connection.
“So, what you’re saying is that if you visit
the beach after Obon and go swimming, not
only is there a chance you’ll get stung by a
giant jellyfish, but the spirits of your dead
ancestors might grab you and drag you into
the sea to your own death, right?”
“Yes!”
Jellyfish are scary, to be sure, and despite
the remote chance of death by drowning at
the hands of vengeful deceased zombies,
it doesn’t seem to phase the thousands of
people who go home over the Obon holiday
period in summer.   For the non-Japanese
among us, Obon can be an isolating holiday,
with friends and workmates vacating the
large cities and heading to the countryside
to spend three days or so with their fami-
lies.  While it appears to be a deeply religious
custom held in honour of both recently and
long deceased, Obon is much less a reflective
”
somber period and more like three days of
extensive eating, drinking and dancing that
comes with catching up with long time, no
see relatives and hometown friends.
Though Obon isn’t officially recognised
as a national holiday, most people take time
off and most companies allow it. The time
it’s celebrated depends on the region, but
generally, Obon falls between the 13th and
16th of August.  Some parts of Japan still cel-
ebrate it according to the old lunar calendar
system which has it falling in July. Obon is a
time for families to remember their ances-
tors, and holds slightly more significance for
families who have suffered a recent death.
The apparent religious customs that take
place are actually not as closely related to
Buddhism as many people think they are,
and though Obon appears to have been born
from Buddhist beliefs and traditions, these
days Obon is a ritual of its own accord with
little religious overtone. A friend of mine
whose grandmother recently died told me
this. Probably more telling is that after a long
Japanese explanation, he finished by saying
“basically, I get a long vacation for Obon.”
©ISTOCKPHOTO.COM / AHMAD FAIZAL YAHYA
Again, the slim chance that Japan may actu-
ally celebrate a holiday that had a scrap of
any religious meaning was shaved slimmer.
Obon’s primary purpose is about bringing
family members together, both those still
present and those in another realm, with
families hanging red lanterns in the home to
guide their ancestors back, making trips to
gravestones to offer food and gifts, and also
within the home on the family altar (butsu-
dan). This is where another bizarre custom
takes place, elevating the ever-present role
About Gujo-Hachiman Bon Odori:
If you are fancying cutting a late-night traditional rug with the
of food in Japanese society locals of Gujo, then visit their official tourist website at www.
to another level. In aid of gujohachiman.com/kanko/index_e.htm for information on
the spirits’ safe and swift getting there and hanging out... And don’t worry, it’s in the cen-
journey back to their fam- ter of Gifu—hours away from the nearest jellyfish hangout...
ily birthplace, an eggplant
is placed on the altar, turned on its side and is also a loosely borrowed Buddhist tradi-
stuck with 4 sticks to make legs. Hey pres- tion, alleged to have been started by a monk
to—your own spiritual veggie vehicle with named Mokuren, who saw visions of his de-
which to return the dead souls to the home ceased mother suffering torment in The Hell
with in the shape of a horse (which, natural- of Hungry Ghosts (warning: instant karma
ly, the eggplant is meant to resemble). When will get you). He wanted to free his mother
Obon is finished and the spirits are ready from her pain, and was instructed to offer
to return to the other world, they are then food from land and sea to his fellow monks
escorted by cows made of cucumber - the following a 90 day retreat. He did so, and was
idea being that a cow offers protection with rewarded with the release of his mother and
its slow and steady pace. Depending on the other relatives, and was so happy he rejoiced
region, this practise may be reversed so that and performed a dance which has since
the spirits arrive on the back of a bovine and turned into the Bon Odori. These days, its
are returned with the speed of a trusty steed. become a favourite summer activity for Japa-
A rather more spectacular way of sending off nese and foreigners alike, and you don’t have
the relatives once Obon is over is by float- to be an excellent dancer to participate—
ing them down a river in a candle-lit paper friendly locals a good half-century older
lantern. than you, are always happy to direct your
Though foreigners may find it difficult to feet and hands to resemble something like
find a way of participating in overtly familial a traditional dance move, and promptly put
practises, Bon Odori (Bon festival dance) is you to shame with their own smooth turns.
an easy entry into the Obon tradition. The The Gujo Hachiman tetsuya-odori (all-night
most famous Bon Odori in Japan is held in dance)   lasts an incredible 3 days straight;
Gifu’s Gujo Hachiman, and is a testament to it’s then a question of whether you can last
the longevity and supreme ‘genkiness’ of the as long, too. It’s held at night because that’s
predominantly older folk in the rural back- the time when Japanese people believe their
waters of Japan. The Gujo Hachiman Bon relatives return home. Nighttime is also the
Odori is like a rave for geriatrics: all night setting for the most famous (and most ter-
dancing, hot sweaty bodies crammed to- rifying) Japanese ghost stories, too...
gether in a small space, and constantly dron- While it may not hold on to its historical
ing hypnotic music. There may be drugs, meaning these days (sure, like we lament the
too, but they’d be more likely of the variety loss of traditional meaning during holidays
popped to ease the pain of a prosthetic hip like Easter and Christmas?), Obon still feels
that’s beginning to burn a little. like the closest thing to a truly Japanese cel-
The most impressive aspect of the Bon ebration of life, death, family and happiness.
Odori is the vast number of people from That being said, anyone heading to a beach
all different age groups and ethnicities who after August 16th should hope they gave their
come together in the tiny cobbled streets of relatives a damn good send off during Obon,
Gujo to shuffle about in yukatas and geta or else angry ancestors may enlist an army of
(and in some cases, flip flops). The dance jellyfish to express their displeasure...
|RAN| 29
 Imaike, Harmonium Parlor bills itself as
an “art space” what it really is is an open
mic session hosted by local Nagoya band
Semi-on. Whatever-is-clever is the theme
of this eclectic monthly event held by and
for performance artists of all types and
| Compiled by RAN staff | genres. Bands, harmonica players, rappers,
drummers, dancers, spoken word poets,
daily, really nice for late night Jazz heads.
Swing man.
www.jazzinnlovely.com, 052-951-6085
CINEMA
There seems to be no escaping the out-of-
control movie ticket prices in Japan, expect
there? Coffee shops are almost by definition
supposed to be quirky and have their own
character, and YURI JAZZ and COFFEE
fits the bill nicely. This little gem is across
the street from the TV tower and serves up
delicious coffees, while Jazz, Bossa Nova, or
some other mellifluous sound fills up the air
above. Lots of earthy wood and hushed con-

recommends etc, they’re all here, follow the yellow brick

flavour? What kinds of food do you dig? Where do you go for the
What's your
absolute best mixed drink? What kind of music do you get your
groove on to? Where do you go to ROCK OUT? Stiff back or... other body parts?
massage anyone? Read much? …where can you get books and magazines
in your language—for cheap? How about some tea? Catch any good movies lately?
Where’d you buy that? JAZZ, man? ROOTS-ROCK? Reggae?
RAN ’s staff and readers like these places. You might, too...
DJ BAR
You want a cool, low-key place with great music, delicious drinks,
atmosphere, and comfort? SOUL GROUND is a relaxed getaway
on the third floor of the CYPHER/UNDERGROUND/LUSH club
complex in Toshincho. The live DJs play an assorted mix of rare
grooves, soul classics and plush R‘n’B. The spot is small and cozy, all
soft lights, candles and mellow, without being pretentious. The DJ
is spinning Luther Vandross or Donnie Hathaway or Billie Holliday
and the girl over there is smiling at you…
Very cool spot to go for conversation and privacy, and, if you’re
trying to romance someone, this place works. Cool spot, puts you in
the know.
www.underground.co.jp, 052-241-7336
PUB
English pubs are all the rage these days in Nagoya and THE HUB
seems to be out front in terms of popularity and convenience. The
city has three Hubs: one near Fushimi station, one in Sakae near the
big ferris wheel, and now one just east of Nagoya station behind the
Dai-Nagoya building. It’s already a hit with gaijin and Japanese alike,
due to its convenitent location near Freebell and major businesses.
The Sakae location is a bit older and more established, with a reg-
ular cast of folks dropping in for some decent chinwag, nice social
scene happening there.
Happy hour from 4 to 7, half-price drink specials and great appe-
tizers, open ‘til 5 a.m. on weekends, plus music on the digital jukebox
and sports on the tube. You can’t lose with The Hub. Hub it lately?
www.pub-hub.com, 052-862-8682
road…to the Plastic Factory. 500 yen cheap.
Dates vary, usually held the last Sunday of
every month.
www.plasticfactory.jp, 090-3937-5672
JAZZ
Sure, you could go to Blue Note and pay about
a third your monthly salary to see some fa-
mous Jazz musician do his or her thing for
an hour, but why do that? A good friend of
ours is a respected jazz singer here in town,
we asked her where she goes when she wants
to be serenaded by the sweet sounds of scat,
sax, or piano. She without hesitation said we
should make our way to JAZZ INN LOVELY,
located about a 5 minute walk away from the
TV Tower, catacorner to the NHK building.
Jazz Inn Lovely has almost nightly sessions,
it’s cozy and warm and prices are just right.
Something different than the norm for sure.
Doors open at 6pm and stay open until 3am
to pay upwards of 2000 yen anywhere you
go. That said, there’s a small theatre located
on a side street in Fushimi called MILLION
THEATER, which also doubles as a sort
of café/store. Besides popcorn, they’ve got
fresh juices, coffee, muffins, cakes, post-
cards, cushions, keychains, all sorts of in-
teresting stuff to look at. The place has huge
glass windows and comfortable seating if
you just want to relax, or, if you’re interested
in the films, they show first run major re-
leases starting at 10 a.m. daily. The theatre is
run by Starcat, and this one is part of a chain
of three, the others being in PARCO, and be-
hind Nagoya Station. Off the beaten path but
actually more accessible than Nagoya’s other
theatres. Date spot fer sure.
www.eigaya.com, 052-212-2437
COFFEE
We know there’s a Starbucks for almost
every person here in Nagoya, but why go
versation, and the owner’s smile is worth the
trip itself. Really nice, light foods available
also. Java anyone?
052-951-7800
FAST FOOD
We hesitated to include this one, but since
McDonalds and Taco Bell aren’t quite as
conspicuous here as in our native lands, we
figured we should clue you in to something
fast, cheap, delicious, and somewhat nutri-
tious. Ever heard of YUMMY? It’s a mash-
up of Hawaiian Barbecue and Korean spices.
This place lives up to it’s name and beyond.
Meats, fish, chicken, rice, soup, veggies, I
could eat here every night, well, maybe…
Prices are more than reasonable and it’s
served up hot, fast, and delicious. 11 a.m.–
10 p.m.. It’s seriously yummy.
Located in a couple places, Fushimi and
PARCO.
www.yummy-bbq.com, 052-222-0831

RESTAURANT
Two words: Brazilian food. ADEJO, located in the heart of Fushimi,
serves up a delicious mix of meats and salad, pastas and rice, all with
a Brazilian flair that is mouth watering—not to be missed. They’ve
got a daily all-you-can-eat buffet and prices are decent. Their operat-
ing hours are 11:30-2:30 lunch, 6-10:30 dinner daily.
052-223-0303
CLUB
Dancing is making a comeback in a big way, remember the lights?
The music? The moves? MAVERICK bills itself as Nagoya’s “new-
est and biggest” nightclub, and with good reason. The space is truly
magnificent, large sunken dance floor, VIP, two large bars and an
extra room. Maverick turns up the volume until 2 a.m. Friday and
Saturday nights, with an assortment of Nagoya’s best DJs. Electro/
house/hip hop/R’n’B, an amazing soundsystem and lightshow, plus
the occasional live performance make Maverick a fun night out get-
ting all hot and bothered. Boogie Nights indeed. Fushimi.
www.club-maverick.com, 052-223-5200
ROCK
There’s a recent surge of bands in Nagoya playing live rock ‘n’ roll,
or some variation of it, acoustic, electric, folk, Irish, tribal, chances
are you’ll see them pass through MISFITS at some point. Misfits,
located near Exit. 5 in Imaike, is a live/house cum sports bar, bill-
ing itself as the “biggest little live house in Nagoya”. Always showing
live premiership soccer on weekends, Misfits recently underwent a
change in management and it shows - open 7pm-2am daily, no cover
except for special events. You ain’t seen nothing until you’ve seen
Nagoya drum band Baion Zoku rock the spot at Misfits, everyone’s
welcome.
www.misfitsnagoya.com, 052-733-7525
POTPOURRI
What the hell is potpourri? Well, besides that plate of dead flowers
above your toilet, potpourri is a blend, a mixture of sometimes
disparate elements that make a greater whole. HARMONIUM
PARLOR is just that. Held monthly at Plastic Factory, located in

30 |RAN|
When in ROME
郷
に
入
れ
ば
Where is
The
Love?
“People acting like they AIN’T GOT NO MAMA”
| By TD Houchen |
Y
ou know the saying, “When in Rome,
do as the Romans do.” Wherever you
find yourself, you should act in the
same manner as the locals. But what if the
locals aren’t acting quite right?
I’ve been in Japan over five years now, tried
to assimilate myself as much as possible,
learned some of the language, customs, laws
and mannerisms all in the effort to “fit in.”
But one thing I haven’t been able to accustom
myself to is how Japanese treat themselves,
each other and other people in public places.
In a word, it’s cold.
It’s a given that Japanese are an introverted
people, not so open to things non-Japanese,
people included. Sometimes, this cultural
trait causes nothing more than frustration
and bewilderment, other times, it is outright
racism and discrimination, but I’ve noticed
a strange thing since arriving. Many for-
eigners have taken to doing exactly what
the “Romans” are doing, subtly and overtly
discriminating against each other. Weird.
Seems at least here in Nagoya, many
foreigners seem to have caught the “I’m-a-
cold-robot-person” disease, too. How many
times have you been walking down the
street, noticed another foreigner coming to-
wards you, and purposely avoided making
eye contact, or went out of your way to
avoid them altogether? Why? What is the
reason for this behavior? Afraid if you say
hello or make eye contact the other person
might think you are (egad!) polite? Or how
about this one, you notice a foreigner on a
32 |RAN|
train and you move as far away as you can,
fearing being in the same location as another
foreigner. Wow, two foreigners on the same
train car. I better move or someone might
notice us! I don’t get it.
Or you see another foreigner on the train
and you freeze up like an icicle, hoping
somehow if you don’t move, maybe he won’t
see you. Crrazy! What’s the deal? Afraid
someone might notice that there are two of
you on the same train?
Or this one: You are on an elevator and
another foreigner gets on and you both don’t
say a word to each other as though neither
one of you exists. Bizarre. Is this how you’d
act in your native country? Of course not,
so why act that way here? Isn’t the social
atmosphere here already difficult enough
without foreigners treating each other like
foreigners?
A close friend of mine owns a business.
Recently, this friend told me he doesn’t
like foreigners coming to his place. He says
foreigners are somehow “bad” for business.
So he actively discourages them from pa-
tronizing his biz. The fact that he himself
is a foreigner seems to not factor into the
equation. I suppose if I were to say he’s
discriminating against him-self, that would
be a stretch. Or would it?
Of course, there are enclaves around town
specifically catering to the foreign pop-
ulation, where we foreigners can be our
outgoing, expressive, cheerful, talkative and
friendly selves. But outside these few places,
—Black-Eyed Peas
we seem to be treating each other the same
way the natives treat us, and sometimes, it
ain’t nothing nice.
Come on folks, does it hurt to smile? Is
it so difficult to say “hello” to the person
walking towards you? Forgot how to make
eye contact? Let’s not even mention touch
and affection, those things seem to have
absolutely no place here….
The little pleasantries of everyday life
are what help to take the edge off. We’ve all
got issues, bills to pay, difficult bosses, un-
satisfying jobs, health issues, no money, bad
relationships, the list goes on, but every-one
experiences them.
We don’t always have to “do as the
Romans do,” even in Rome. There are some
things that make our daily existence a more
pleasant and tolerable one and we don’t have
to forfeit these just because the natives don’t
have this culture of general “feel good” social
lubricants. The basic manners and social
etiquette that we are used to in our countries
are a few things that make life better, even
just for a moment.
Next time you’re on the train, or in the
street, or on an elevator, or if you own a
business, show some love to your fellow
ILLUSTRATION: BRAD MUNNS
foreigner, chances are he or she needs it and
what goes around eventually comes back
around, and who can’t use some extra love
once in a while, especially in Japan?
Disagree? Got advice about life in Nagoya?
Send us your thoughts for a future column!
H
Taste
味
わ
う
C’s Ave.
Café
| By Achim Runnebaum |
J
apanese food is considered some
of the healthiest in the world. It’s
satisfying and tastes great. But if
you’re a foreigner in Japan, sometimes you
just have a craving for something different,
something meatier. Sometimes you just
want that good ‘ol staple of the American
diet: The Burger.
If you really want a good burger on your
plate, something that will put a satisfied
smile on your face, head to C’s Avenue Café
The Burger.
This place is a true haven for burger lov-
ers. They have everything from the nor-
ger
r
Fe bu
Sante
mal burger and clas-
sic cheeseburger, to the more
exotic Hawaiian burger and the Santa Fe
burger (for lovers of spice!). The portions
are hearty, the burgers are delicious, and all
come with crispy fries just like back home.
The atmosphere is lively, yet comfort-
able… a 60’s style American burger joint
crossed with a movie buff ’s wet dream.
So what goes well with a burger? Beer, of
course. It may not be the healthiest combi-
nation, but you’ve gotta admit it’s a match
made in heaven. And if you head to C’s on
a Wednesday night, you can get your beer,
or any other alcoholic beverage, for 50% off
‘til last call.
So, if you’re looking for a break from
Japanese cuisine and want a taste of home,
head over to C’s Ave. Café The Burger to
PHOTOS: ACHIM RUNNEBAUM
satisfy all your burger cravings.
The DETAILS:
Location: 名古屋市千種区今池1丁目2-2
1-2-2 Imaike, Nagoya (near Chikusa station)
Phone: 052-735-0158
Web: www.cs-family.co.jp