The Chunichi Nagara Gawa Fireworks Festival is held yearly on the last Saturday of July from 7:15 p.m.-8:45 p.m. This year, the festival falls on Saturday, July 31st-this weekend! This is one of the largest fireworks displays in Japan. It is a part of the All-Japan Fireworks Competition, which I know nothing about, but it sounds cool, right? I have personally been to this festival 4 times, and it is always worth the trip. Prepare for crowds, but the selection of food and drink locations is great, and there are plenty of spots to watch from. Highly recommend!

This event is located on the banks of the Nagara River in Gifu, in between the Nagara and Kinka bridges. The event begins around 4:30 p.m, but if you want a decent spot you should show up much earlier. Like I said, this is a big festival though, so you will find a spot no matter when you come somewhere.

Special buses run from JR Gifu Station and Meitetsu Gifu Station, but the lines are long, and I usually just walk. It takes about 30 minutes, but you can follow the crowds and not get lost at all. The buses you are looking for should be pretty obvious; just look for the long line of older folks.

Hope you enjoy the show!

Enjoy an Evening of Fireworks for Charity.

H&R Consultants would like to invite you to participate in a fun event on August 22nd 2010. All the proceeds from this event will be donated to charity. If you have ever been to a fireworks festival in Japan you have seen people wearing what foreigners often mistake for kimono; a yukata. A yukata is much simpler to put on, and much more comfortable to wear than a kimono. Importantly, the fabric is very light, so it is also a very cool garment to wear. Getting dressed up in a beautiful and comfortable yukata and enjoying a warm summer evening watching the fireworks is a very traditional Japanese experience that we would like to share with you. Join us on August 22nd to enjoy these two quintessential experiences; wearing a Yukata and watching fireworks in Yokkaichi!

Before the festival, we will meet at one of Japan Residence’s serviced apartments in Fushimi, and Ritsuko Nakashima, from our office, will be teaching everyone how to put on and wear a yukata correctly. Anyone who attends the class will also receive a handout that outlines what you learned about yukata in English to help you remember! The lessons will begin at 3:00, and will cost 2000 JPY donation to charity. If you do not have a yukata, Ritsuko will help you to buy one. For information about purchasing a yukata, or attending this event, please email us, and Ritsuko will have you in your yukata looking incredible before you know it.

If you are not interested in attending the class, but plan to buy a yukata for the event, or already have your own, we have a second option! Starting at 4:00, we will help you put on your yukata correctly for a 1500 JPY donation to charity. After everyone is dressed up, we will be making out way to Nagoya Station. If you are planning to meet us at Nagoya station, please be at 5:30 at Nagoya Station, at the gold clock in front of Takashimaya Department Store. We will be on the white tiles in front of the escalators waiting for you! Do not feel you have to wear a yukata; come as you are!

Time Schedule for August 22nd 2010
3:00 (15:00) Yukata lessons - 2000 JPY donation
4:00 (16:00) Assistance putting on your Yukata - 1500 JPY donation
5:30 (17:30) Meeting at Nagoya Station

For information please contact us at the H&R Consulting
Phone: 052-973-3957
Email: Ritsuko Nakashima ritsuko_nakashima(AT)morethanrelo.com

This weekend is the long awaited World Cosplay Summit and Nagoya will be overrun with anime, manga, and other characters here to celebrate their geekdom. I am personally planning on going to check out these costumed wonders, and marvel at the imagination and passion these highly dedicated fans bring to their respective art forms.

There are many events this weekend, and if you would like info on all of them please see the website for a complete schedule. The Osu Shopping District, Nagoya’s funkiest neighborhood, will host the Cosplay Parade on Saturday July 31st. The event starts at 3:30, and will end at the mini-stage on the Osu Kannon Temple’s grounds at 5:00. Costumed spectators are welcome, but participants are required to have registered in advance with the event. The explanation is a bit unclear, so see the website if you are interested in participating. Click here for a parade route map of the parade.

On Sunday August 1st you can see the World Cosplay Championship at Sakae’s Oasis 21. The gate opens at 4, and the contest itself opens at 7. This event is a paid event if are interested in sitting down in front of the stage, but there are plenty of spots you can check this event out for free in the “standing room” that surrounds the stage. This event is a spectacle, and is very much worth the trip down to see it. Click here for a map of the venue.

While taking photos is permitted, video is not, and the staff and contestants of the championship ask that you be respectful when snapping shots of the costumes. Remember to ask permission before hand. I seriously doubt they will object, and it is a great opportunity to strike up a conversation about the new Gundam, or whatever is popular these days. This being Japan, the staff will be on the lookout for secret photo takers! Unlike on the subway, violators will be punished.

Nagoya American Studies Summer Seminar 2010


Nanzan University invites the public to attend a free American Studies seminar entitled "Toward a Common Memory of Our Past.” Three keynote speakers from the US and Japan will each speak for 60 minutes on the theme of historical memory with a focus on WWII and reconciliation. Simultaneous translation (and A/C) will be provided! It is hard to find a good panel discussion in English in Japan, so do not miss this opportunity. It brings me back to my university days and the intellectual stimulation of the University of Washington Campus in Seattle. As I am more likely to spend my nights at karaoke recently, this is a very exciting change of pace for me!

Moderator
Yui Daizaburo (Tokyo Woman's Christian University)

Speakers:
Lisa Yoneyama (University of California, San Diego, Literature and Culture)
Robert J. McMahon (Ohio State University, Politics and International Relations)
Mariannna Torgovnic (Duke University, History and Society)

Commentators:
Kan Hideki (Seinan Jo Gakuin University)
Takahashi Hiroko (Hiroshima City University)
Kondo Takahiro (Nagoya University)

July 24th 10:00-17：00
Nanzan University Nagoya Campus - B building (B11); Nagoya Daigaku Subway Station, exit 1. Access Map

As a foreigner in Japan, I have heard that many people utilize something called “bit torrent” to download, sometimes illegally, TV, movies, music, software, and other forms of media from their home countries. This has allowed many in our community to see new movies before they are even out in Japan yet, the lucky dogs. This has traditionally been quite safe in Japan, as existing laws and rules were not strongly enforced, if at all.

That changed recently with the arrest of an unemployed 31 year old Saitama man in Tokyo for uploading TV shows he captured using his computer, and then uploaded to cyberspace using bit torrent software. This news comes with some additional news we were not aware of, that the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department has a cyber crimes unit. I have to wonder if they have their own Koban, or if it is a virtual police box online…

Be warned my foreign friends and compatriots, that even in Japan, copyright infringement is a crime, and you could be prosecuted!

This weekend is the Toyota Oiden Matsuri in Toyota City. Oiden is apparently from the local dialect, and means “Come on,” as in come on and dance! This festival brings hundreds of dance teams to the center of Toyota City to dance to the Oiden song. I am not entirely sure what that entails, but follow this link to see a random sample of it from YouTube. The costumes and decorations are bright and interesting, and the dance styles range between the very traditional and the bizarre-much like most of Japan seems to on a regular basis. Keep an eye out, and you may even see some disco, but I am hoping not! The dancing begins on Saturday at 16:00 (4pm) and continues until 20:30 (830pm). An interesting side note, there is “little dancers” from 1815-18:45 (6:15pm). This is apparently kindergarten kids and such all decked out in cute costumes and doing their thing-highly recommended!

The festival concludes on July 25th 19:10-21:00 (7:10-9:00), Sunday evening, with a bang. Almost two hours of fireworks will be set off to much applause and merriment. Not really much more that needs explaining about a fireworks festival. Japan does them well, and they do them often.

Japanese Only Site
Festival Home- Japanese Only

About a half a year back I was having trouble concentrating some mornings, and my head hurt. I could not quite figure out why I was suffering the effects of a hangover after having only a few, as in 3 drinks. Was I getting old? Was my liver finally failing? Well, after some consideration on the subject, I determined that the problem was not in fact yet my advancing age and declining liver performance, but the content of my drink.

I realized that my three drinks were 8% alcohol tall cans of chuhai. At double the level of alcohol and pretty big besides, the reason for my haze was quite obvious. I think it was pretty close to the same thing as drinking a case of that NASCAR favorite; Budweiser (commonly referred to as piss). I switched to 5% chuhai and things have been much happier since. And Why would you be interested in this? I proudly present Asahi’s latest contribution to modern society and the world at large: the 9% tall boy called Sparxs. It tastes, as one might expect, much like an 8% chuhai-kind of a boozy sour thing. This is a great day for college students, English teachers on a budget, salary men, and bums! Hooray for Asahi!

These concoctions boast a whopping 9% of alcohol content, a 30% increase in carbonation, and a 70% decrease in sugars. The sugar reduction makes it healthy! Additional nutritional information is available at the site, but truly, does it really matter? This stuff could be used to clean car parts! Asahi is now ahead of Kirin... what could be next from Kirin to top that? Just a guess, but perhaps heroin?

If you are looking to get your festival on, it is on and popping this weekend in Toyohashi City. At the Toyohashi Gion Matsuri there are hand held fireworks on Friday, and aerial fireworks on Saturday. On Sunday is the Mikoshi parade. Saturday is probably the best day to go, and in my experience fireworks and vendors selling greasy Japanese junk food are rarely far apart. If you have not tried it yet, I recommend you give the “Tamasen” a try. It is a fried egg, yakisoba, cheese, and heaping helping of mayonnaise sandwiched between a couple of really big shrimp crackers. Good stuff, but very rich. Both Friday and Saturday’s festivals start at 18:45. Have fun!

Access
Get off at Toyohashi station on the Meitetsu Nagoya-Honsen Line or JR Tokaido-Honsen line.
Transfer to the Toyohashi City Line, (Shinai-Densha) and get off at Shiyakusho-mae station. It is a 5 minute walk from there, but follow the crowd and you should be fine.

Lolita Style: Playing with Really Big Dolls?

Lolita is an interesting aspect of Japanese cosplay culture, and while Nagoya is not as famous as Tokyo for its Lolita community, we do have enough here to keep things interesting. Wander around Sakae or Osu on the weekends and you are basically guaranteed to see one or more of these girls strutting their stuff and attracting attention. The term Lolita actually encompasses an array of styles, but I usually sum them up with the somewhat dismissive “dressed like a dol.” In actuality, the term Lolita could be a dizzying array of dissimilar styles- There are; black, casual, classic, country, dandy, EGA, EGL, erotic, French maid, gothic, kodona, nun, Nurse, cosplaying, princess, punk, qi, schoolgirl, sweet, waloli, and white Lolitas- just to name a few. I have a personal preference for the EGL, waloli, and white, although for spectacle, really any will do.

EGL, or Elegant Gothic Lolita, is similar to the gothic variety of Lolita, and just as the name might lead you to expect and EGL is a dark and broody looking Lolita that may or may not have a personality to match. This style is strongly influenced by fans of Mana and Malice Mizer, and features an impressive amount of make-up. Think “elegance of the grave,” ala Interview with the Vampire, and then take it a notch or two up in true Japanese style.

Waloli, or Kimono Lolitas, truly represent the Japanese soul to me. Like Japan generally is famous for, these girls borrow heavily from overseas and add their own touches of traditional or quasi-traditional flourish to create a completely new and interesting style. Imagine a Kimono top with a more standard Lolita black bottom, add a wooden fan for good measure. Elegant and lovely, this variety is not as popular in Nagoya as I might like!

White Lolita is an offshoot of the sweet, or Amalolis style. This style can be sickeningly cute and sweet. For this style imagine Betty Boop meets Little Bo Peep, and then dress her from head to toe in pink or white, or both and add about five times the cutesy. Lace ribbons, teddy bears, lunch boxes, and other adorable accessories complete the look, and make the wearer, no matter what age, look about 7 years old. When most people think of Lolita style, they are thinking of this style.

I would say keep your eyes open, but really, could you actually miss a life sized doll walking down the street? If you are interested in seeing more of these styles, I would recommend you check out the up and coming World Cos-Play Summit here in Nagoya. The preliminary round is scheduled for August 1st, 16:30-17:30 at the Sunshine Sakae Studio in Sakae. Admission is 1000 yen, and special guests include SKE48, and MC Nobuo Aizawa from TV Aichi. Why not?

Those wild and crazy guys at Ran Magazine are at it again with another charity event at the Hard Rock Cafe!

Their last event, RockThisTown, was a rocking good time that raised money for the relief effort in Haiti and brought the best of the Nagoya music scene out to party, well, like rock stars. This time, the publishing magnates that are Ran Magazine have decided to put on an Unplugged event. In case you have never seen MTV, and the rock you have been living under is in fact on a different planet, this means that only acoustic instruments-- no electric guitars, drum machines, synthesizer, etc- will be used. It should be a cool evening of tunes, perhaps a bit mellower than last time, but no promises!

This evening will be in support of the relief effort in the Gulf of Mexico working valiantly to clean up all that oil gushing from below the sea. It is an unmitigated ecological disaster of epic proportions and no small source of general pissed off-ness for me. Bad Oil! Bad Government! Bad Consumer! No! No! No!

So come out this Friday, July 16th, from 7pm 'til 10pm at the Hard Rock Café in Fushimi. Dig deep people, and remember that the 500 yen MINIMUM donation will go entirely to the clean up. You do not want to look cheap in front of your date do you? Cough it up and help out!

Looking forward to seeing you there!

RAN Unplugged info

On Wednesday July 14th the Independent Business Committee of the ACCJ　Chubu will be hosting an event bringing together people to　empower small businesses and entrepreneurs in the Nagoya area. This　is a casual opportunity to meet with fellow entrepreneurs and　established business people over drinks to bounce ideas, seek advice,　and create new connections. Non-members of the ACCJ are highly　encouraged to attend, as are potential entrepreneurs who are thinking　of starting a business in Japan. The event takes place at the Midwest　Café in Sakae, and the cost is 1000 yen for members, 1500 for non　members. Please register in advance by calling or emailing Noriko Kato of the ACCJ by noon, July 14th.

DATE: Wednesday, July 14th
TIME: 6:30 - 8:30 pm
COST: 1,500yen includes one beer or soda
VENUE: Midwest Café 953 1222>
MAP
The contents of this program are OFF THE RECORD

Noriko Kato
Operations Manager - Chubu
The American Chamber of Commerce in Japan (ACCJ)
Tel: 052 229-1525
Email: Noriko Kato
Public website: www.accj.or.jp

Finally, They are adding flights rather than subtracting at Central Japan International Airport! It used to be so great that I could go direct from Seattle to Nagoya, but then it all changed, and I was forced to go through either Tokyo or San Francisco to get home. I guess it is only a few hours, but still... its the principal of the thing, and besides, they are MY few hours! I need those!

So where will these new routes lead? Not Rome this time, but Honolulu-umbrella drinks for all! Daily service to Honolulu aboard one of Nagoya's favorite companies, a Boeing 767-300ERwith 216 seats is scheduled to begin Dec. 22-assuming government approval (Here's hoping!).

I am formulating a plan for weekends in Hawaii as we speak... see you there!

If you are looking for a great place to spend a hot summer evening then I have just the spot for you!

Gifu City is just a 20 minute train ride outside of Nagoya, but for many of us it might as well be Tokyo. If you have not gotten around to checking out Gifu yet, you might be interested to know that it is generally a bit cooler than Nagoya, although in fairness it is also colder in the winter-funny how that works, isn’t it? It stands to reason that cooler generally means evenings will be cooler yet, and if you add a mountain top into the mix you could be looking at, well, let’s just say significantly cooler temperatures. If you are looking to beat the heat, and enjoy a tremendous view of Gifu and Nagoya Cities then you should check out the Panorama night view at Gifu Castle. The castle is open until 10 during the special summer hours from July 17 to August 31, and the view from the top of Mt. Kinka, is completely worth the trek.



Perhaps this is too obvious to mention, but this is a great date spot. Just the cooler weather would be worth it-hard to look cool when you are not, but the view and the atmosphere make this quick trip out of Nagoya a real winner.

The Panorama Night View summer hours run from July 17 to August 31. Regular hours are until 10, but Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays are until 9:30. Admission is 200 yen for adults, less for kids. If you are truly a stalwart soul you can hike up the mountain, but for the less adventuresome there is always the ropeway! The ropeway (Gondola) is costs 1050 round trip for adults and 520 for children ages 4 to 11.
If you are only going for the Panorama view though, the ropeway fee drops after 6:00 p.m. during the night view period to 800 yen for adults and 400 yen for children.

To get to Gifu, take the JR train from Nagoya, and then the bus at JR Gifu Station to the “Gifu Park/ Gifu City Museum of History”. It should take about 15 minutes and cost 200 yen each way. The following buses will get you there:

Gifu City Bus “N80 Bound for Takatomi”
Any Gifu City Bus numbered from “N32” to “N86” bound for Gifu Park /Takatomi
City Loop-line” Counterclockwise direction

From the bus stop, it is a 3 minute walk to the ropeway station, a 3 minute ride to the top, and an 8 minute walk to the castle itself. Why not take a little trip out to Gifu and enjoy the cool night air?

Gifu Castle Website

2010 July Grand Sumo Tournament
Sun. July 11th, 2010 - Sun. July 25th, 2010
Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium - Nagoya

The 2010 July Grand Sumo Tournament is about to kick off! Nagoya hosts one of six annual Grand Sumo Tournaments. Grand Tournaments are held every two months and each last for 15 days. Fukuoka, Osaka, and Nagoya each host one of the Grand Tournaments, while three more are held in Tokyo.

With the current scandal unfolding involving sumo wrestlers, gambling, and fraternizing with the Japanese mafia, there is a good chance that you may not be able to see the tournament on TV. NHK announced that barring a big change in the Japan Sumo Association's response to the scandal it will not broadcast the tournament live. Given the public reaction to that, I am inclined to think that one of the two organizations will blink, and fans of large men grappling will not be left deprived.

On the off chance that this scandal continues unabated and the tournament is not broadcast live, you can still attend the event itself. Advanced ticket purchases can be made by telephone, online, at the venue (Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM / closed Saturdays, Sundays & holidays), or through a variety of other ticket agents outlined on the Nihon Sumo Kyokai Official Grand Sumo Home Page. Ticket prices run from 2800 yen for an unreserved seat purchased on the day off the event at the venue, to Ringside Seats at 14,300 yen available only through the telephone reservation system.

I am guessing that ringside seats, especially for any good matches, are probably already reserved, but you can contact one of the above outlets to find out for sure. Unreserved seating on a weekday for an ordinary match would probably not require showing up super early to get tickets. Weekends, on the other hand, especially on days with big matches such as the final match of the tournament, you should arrive as early as possible if you want to get in; let alone get a good seat. This is Japan, and this is Sumo; need I say more?

As an added bonus, if you do go early, you will have the opportunity to watch the “Maezumo” Matches, where new sumo wrestlers enter the ring for the first time, and compete for a place on the “banzuke,” or official listing of rank, from the next tournament. Maybe you will see the next champion in the making!

Nihon Sumo Kyokai Official Grand Sumo Ticket Information
Nihon Sumo Kyokai Official Grand Sumo Home Page

A New Immigration System Planned for Japan Starting in 2012

Overview:

Japan's "Alien Registration System" amongst other things will be changing in July of 2012 in a large overhaul of the Immigration System. The main points in the changes are;

1. The introduction of a new "Resident Card" system for foreigners, which will basically take the "visa" out of your passport and put it in your wallet in the form of a ID card containing an IC chip.

2. The extension of periods of stay from 3 years to 5 years for most visa categories.

3. Exemption from needing a "Re-Entry Permit" if you are out of Japan for less than 12-months

Full Article
The new law has been passed by the diet, and although many of the details remain undecided, the new system is scheduled to be implemented in July of 2012. The biggest change is the abolishment of the Alien Registration Act（外国人登録法）. From 2012, all information will be managed under the amended Immigration Act（入管法）, which is administered by the Ministry of Justice.

The new “Residence Card” will replace the “status of residence” stamp in the passport. Because of this, there will be no need to have a status of residence stamp (sticker) changed from one passport to the other, as the Resident Card itself will replace this.

The maximum visa period of 3 years will be extended to 5 years for certain visa categories: which categories are still under consideration. The re-entry permit system will remain, but under the new system, leaving for Japan for periods of less than 12-months will not require a re-entry permit. However, leaving for Japan for longer than 12-months would automatically revoke residence status, regardless of the reason. The immigration bureau therefore recommends obtaining a re-entry permit for longer periods of time out of Japan.

Under the previous system could receive documents that recorded the details of their alien registration（記載自己証明書）but, they were not registered like Japanese under the Juminhyo（住民票）system. Under the new system, eligible residents (medium to long term foreign residents) will be able to apply for（住民票）like Japanese nationals do.

Even if you were an illegal immigrant, under the former system, you could apply for and receive an alien registration card. Under the new system, illegal immigrants will not be able to receive the new “Resident Card”, as it is basically the same as the stamp (sticker) in your passport. The new “Resident Card” will display fewer details than the current card, although details such as the name and address of your employer will be required.

Additionally, under the new system, people whose visa in their passport based on a Certificate of Eligibility (COE) will have their “Residence Card” issued at the airport. The COE holder will be given 14 days to report to their local authority (ward office, city or town hall) to register their new address in Japan.

Any changes made to your home address in Japan will need to be reported to local authorities within two weeks, as before. However, changes to name, date of birth, sex, nationality, and employer or their address will need to be reported to the Immigration Bureau. This means reporting in person, but whether proxy applications will be allowed or if reporting can be done by post or internet (etc.) is currently being considered.

Maximum fines for not reporting changes in details, reporting incorrect information, adjusting or falsifying a “Residence Card, etc. will be JPY 200,000. As there are no other authorities administering penalties other than the Japanese police and the regular judicial system things are unlikely to be much different from what they are now. It is highly unlikely that first offenders or minor offenders will be fined for such things as not renewing their details within 14 days of a change, etc.

Once the new system is implemented; there will be a 3-year grace period to change old alien registration cards to the new “Residence Card”. However, on the implementation of the new system, the alien registration act would be abolished, and therefore an “old registration card” would be treated the same as a new “Resident Card” in terms of immigration law.

Further information is available at the Immigration Bureau of Japan's Website.