Top Story: 23.October
What's POP? Three reports.
Yoko Kanno: Ask DNA
Everyone who is into Japanese anime, must have heard of composer Yoko Kanno. She is famous of her works for
Mamoru Oshii's Ghost in the Shell,
Card Captor Sakura,
Clamp School Detectives, Please Save my Earth and ESCAFLOWNE. Abroad, her tracks in soundtrack of Cowboy Bebop have got very famous. Groove / Ambient group Fila Brazilia with
Tsuneo Imahori, made remix of track "Forever Broke" in Cowboy Bebop. The remix has been played in popular internet shoutcast channel "Groove Salad".
But Ms. Kanno does a lot more than just anime music. She has made music for games, movies, TV, and even J-POP. Her discography is amazingly long.
In her music there is unique freshness. The tracks in Cowboy Bebop OST, have feeling of broadness and influence from jazz, rock, POP, and even world music. Her rhythms have interesting beat and freshness. The track Cosmic Dare (pretty with a pistol) is such honest and simple, but ever so interesting mix of American girl band singers and groove. It fits to the atmosphere of the movie like a glove.
Greatest thing in Yoko Kanno's style is this simple honesty. Maybe this reflects her personality. When she goes to public she wears hat and looks like a school girl, rather than one of the most established composers in Japan.
Yoko Kanno was born Miyagi Prefecture. She was playing keyboard in the band TETSU100% when she made her debut.
Read more: VOICES: Exclusive interview with Yoko Kanno
Knit POP!
As Asahi Shimbun wrote recently, knitting has became POP in Tokyo this autumn. People are forming knitting circles, and both men and women attend to those. Knitting is no more the way of killing time for lonely housewives, but is pleasurable art for everyone.
As Asahi Shimbun wrote, it's no more those bulky sweaters people are knitting. You can virtually create anything from cashmere bikinis to handbags and underwear. As someone said "Knitting must be good for my brain".
Knitter Mitsuharu Hirose is Japan's idol knitter at the moment. He made his visit to The Tokyo Stitch-n-Bitch club, and shared his autographs and knitting books. Tokyo's Stitch-n-Bitch club meets in Pink Cow cafe in Shibuya Ward.
Read more: Pinku: Crafty Archives
Slow life in Tokyo
"Slow life" expert Patrice Julien offers a wisdom: " "The question is enjoyment. That's why we're here on Earth." Julien is one of the famous lifestyle designers in Japan, and is the face of the slow-life movement. The busy schedule advertised straight out from 80's is getting not so cool. People are spending a lot of money now for having a quiet life, buying espresso machines.
Julien keeps "lifestyle workshops" where he teaches people to life less stressfull lives. According to him, for some it works and for some it doesnt. He put on emphasis on importance of consciousness and personal choice.
Needless to say, city like Tokyo needs more experts in this field. Let's all tune our radars into to silent mode for a while.
