I apologise for the recent lack of activity on the blog, this is due in part to my shite internet connection and also because I landed myself a third job, so I have been busy with that! I may write a post about the new job later. Anyway, one of the reasons why I like life in Tokyo is because as with other capital cities such as London, there is always something interesting happening. Recently I was rather fortunate enough to see movie legends Tim Burton and Johnny Depp in the flesh!! It was pure coincidence actually, because earlier on during the day I was just passing through Roppongi Hills and stumbled across some guys setting up the stage for an interview session for the Japan Premiere of Sweeney Todd. I asked a security officer what was going on and so I went back in the evening and saw the 2 guys, although I have to say there were quite a lot of annoying screaming school girls, but with Johnny Depp being the centre of attention I shouldn’t be so surprised! I did try to get some pictures but with so many people in the way they didn’t turn out so great.
Anyway, there’s more than just the world of showbiz and glamour… a few days ago I was walking to Shimbashi and there was a festival happening at a temple in Toranomon. I could see some food stalls set up outside the temple so I decided to just go and check out what was happening. It turns out that performances of traditional puppet theatre were taking place at the temple – the audience was treated to a rather interesting ‘dance’ by a puppet, alongside traditional Japanese music. The festival was a pretty good success in the end and I’m looking forward to attending such similar events during the spring and summer months. Fans of art will also find themselves very much at home in Tokyo – if you check the listings in the Metropolis magazine you’ll find a variety of galleries and exhibitions scattered throughout the capital. Of particular interest recently at the Design Sight 21_21 in Midtown there is an insightful exhibition based around water and an Ultra Man exhibition the Mori Arts Centre. A robot exhibition also just took place recently. In terms of music I have already mentioned Yoyogi Park but Shibuya is a good place to check out for gigs. I am really looking forward to seeing one of my all time favourite bands, Jimmy Eat World, when they rock out at the Shibuya AX in March. And finally back to those who are interested in cinema; it’s worth visiting the Roppongi Hills Toho Cinema in autumn… they hold a very impressive film festival whereby you can watch some classic gems or even new films before their general release! The great thing about Tokyo is that you can always find or stumble across something of interest!
