japan

Tokyo Tower

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Tokyo is full of iconic locations and landmarks, and to list them all would take a stupidly long time. However, without a doubt, my favourite icon would be Tokyo Tower. Sure, there are a lot of things that catch the eye in places like Harajuku and Shibuya; but Tokyo Tower offers something that the others (in my opinion) simply can‘t match –the view.

Standing at a height of 333 metres, it is the tallest self–supporting steel tower in the world. Originally built for broadcasting purposes, the tower nestled in Shiba–Koen now serves as a popular tourist destination, whilst remaining a principal provider of digital and analog broadcasts. Visitors are treated to a 360–degree view of Tokyo from the main and special observation decks. In a country where a lot of time is spent walking backstreets and traveling in underground subways, the view from Tokyo Tower offers a new perspective on what the city is truly like. People become the size of ants, and the buildings resemble Lego blocks stacked tightly (and somewhat chaotically) together. It makes you realise how small you really are in an electric metropolis.

If you ever have the good fortune of going to Japan, make sure visiting Tokyo Tower is on your list of to–do things.

www.tokyotower.co.jp/english/

Yosuke Yamashita

Yosuke Yamashita is a Japanese musician and artist from Tokyo. He has performed extensively worldwide, and has composed music scores for various films, from the late 60s until the present; most notably for Shohei Imamura‘s 1998 Dr. Akagi. He has also recieved various awards, including Japan‘s Award for Fine Arts in 1999 and the Medal With Purple Ribbon in 2003. Currently, he is a visiting professor at both the Kunitachi College of Music and the Nagoya University of Arts. The ten minute video featured below has its‘ origins in one of Yosuke‘s most intruiging works. This 2008 piece, titled Burning Piano is exactly that; albeit with Yosuke playing an improvised jazz piece on the piano throughout its‘ inflammation. However, this was not the first time Yasuke had played a burning piano. That was some 35 years earlier, when he was approached by filmmaker Kiyoshi Awazu to play a burning piano for his short film of the same name. The 2008 version was filmed after Yosuke had revisited the original work, and thus he felt it needed a revival. The 1973 film can be found on Awazu‘s website: www.kiyoshiawazu.com

DJ Krush

Thursday evening saw Japan’s No.1 DJ hit the decks and fx down at The Corner in Richmond.
Reverberating the venue (I refrain from suggesting dubstep) with what could be described as down–tempo tech breaks, the set rocked to the bemusement of the crowd. I must say I could really dig this vibe and it was fantastic to hear Krush in the now; throwing down new, unique and thumping sounds.
However, after half time he realised the crowd were, let‘s say ‘traditional‘ fans and thus Krush‘s appeasement then ensured that the rest of the set reflected the mediocrity of the Mo‘ Wax back–catalogue with a tweak or two on the side.

The video below features half a dozen short clips that give a fairly broad overview of the set.

-RTB

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