New tendencies and designer collaborations are to be discovered at one of Japan’s most important design fairs, called Interior Lifestyle Tokyo. Exhibitors and visitors alike come from all corners of the world, including the likes of Martha Stewart, who made a cameo last time around. Held in the gigantic Tokyo Big Sight, the event hosts international brands, classified under different themes. For instance, Ambiente Trends will be displaying four different room set-ups to give a taste of what’s in style this year – think wood finishes, tromp l’oeil effects, graphic structures and opulent materials such as gold.

A platform dubbed Japan Style will focus on the local designs and exhibit select Japanese brands, from traditional domestic utensils to high-tech items. In that same vein, the Trend Cafe will serve Japanese fusion food, in a menu specifically created by Haruyuki Yamashita, who’ll put a twist on traditional Japanese fare. Different talk shows will be held throughout the duration, with topics such as “2014 Spring/Summer Lifestyle Trends”, “How is Japanese design going to survive in the Chinese market” and “Ask Yukio Hashimoto: This is the way Japanese design should appeal to the world”.

As it is a trade show, it’s impossible to buy directly on-the-spot, but it’s a great chance to get to know some designers and order items commercially or personally. Designers also get a chance to meet fellow creative minds to exchange ideas and start collaborations. And well, if you’re clueless about interior design, this might be a chance to catch a glimpse of that world; if it’s good enough for Martha Stewart, we’re there…

Interior Lifestyle Tokyo (click through for more info)

When: June 5-7

Where: Tokyo Big Sight (see map)

How much: ¥2,000 (trade only)/ Free (with free admission tickets or online registration)

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Two artists, two styles, both using the same medium. Mayuko Ono Gray (who was born in Gifu) and Mark Greenwalt teach drawing at College of the Mainland in Texas City, Texas, and exhibit in Houston in that same state. They collaborated last summer on a mural which exhibited their distinctive styles – Greenwalt’s floating figures and Ono’s intricate, 3D-like calligraphy.

In this upcoming exhibit, the artists will combine their work, which represent culture (in Ono’s case) and nature (in Greenwalt’s case), under the moniker of “Sculpted Words – Sculpted Figures”. Ono’s writings, which are cluttered in a dense cluster, and Greenwalt’s figures, which seem to be lost in space, are both the opposite of how they should be: words are usually separated, and people should live close to one another. Somehow the pieces all work together, and the use of graphite keeps a continuity.

The Yellow Cube Gallery, not far from either Omotesando or Harajuku station always presents interesting and cutting-edge artists, so if you’re not familiar with that venue, this exhibit is a good introduction to the place.

Image: Imperfection makes a life interesting (left, Mayuko Ono Gray) and Primordial Couple (right, Mark Greenwalt)

Sculpted Words – Sculpted Figures (click for more info)

When: June 15-28 (Tue – Fri 12:00-21:00　Sat – Sun 12:00-19:00)

Where: Yellow Cube Gallery (see map)

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I flew down to Okinawa for the 5th Okinawa International Movie Festival a few days ago and am really enjoying the laid back ambiance of the festival and the happy, hospitable and helpful people of Okinawa. I arrived on a lovely afternoon – much warmer than Tokyo in these months of course – and checked in at the luxurious Loisir Hotel, Spa and Resort in Naha. First thing was to get a car, and then I drove around a bit and sort of oriented myself to the layout of the city.

That evening I got together for a dinner hosted by Fox TV’s Dan Smith for about a dozen friends. The restaurant, “Sauces” is owned by one of Dan’s former military buddies, and the Cajun style barbecued shrimp, ribs, fish and chicken really added up to one of best meals ever. It was a great evening in every way and actually turned out to be a great way to celebrate Matthew Ireton’s birthday.

The festival officially opened on March 23 and continued through to March 30; from the very beginning it was evident the main sponsor, Yoshimoto Kogyo, the Okinawan people and all involved had really gone all out to make it very special.

My first stop when I arrived at the venue, by the beach just a short drive from the center of Naha, was the press center, where I ran into many journalists I knew – and some I didn’t; they had actually come from all over Asia to cover what really is a growing festival. A couple of girls who I also knew from Tokyo took me under their wing and walked me to an excellent spot to see and photograph an almost two hour red carpet presentation that featured a wide variety of showbiz and film industry personalities.

“Well, I worked when I was nine, smoked when I was 10 and lost my virginity to an older boy when I was 11…” Joel Schumacher with Bill in Okinawa

The long line of celebs ended up on a stage on the beach in front of the world’s largest movable outdoor screen, where they joined local dignitaries for the opening ceremony. All this was followed by the screening of the festival’s opening film, Warner Brothers’ Jack, the Giant Slayer. The huge crowd of mostly Okinawans – all manner of people including families and quite a lot of kids – loved it all.

That was great as one of the goals of the organisers is to promote the bond between the festival and the Okinawan people. Most of the films had English subtitles, and some had Chinese as well – the whole thing felt very international, including the competition section. Sponsors told me the festival was different than most: although this was an international festival, there were many events supported by the local people of Okinawa. These included a fashion show on the beach, a concert by Korean singer Kim Hyun Jong, comedy shows, sports events concerts by top Okinawan artists and dynamic traditional song and dance.

Special guests included Masi Oka (Heroes and Hawaii Five-O) who taught an acting class for Okinawan High School students; he’s often partied at the New Lex in Tokyo and was actually on the cover of Weekender back in 2009. There were special festival themed parties every night at which media and guests had a chance to meet and talk about the industry while having a really fun time relaxing.

I could only stay for three nights so just made it to the opening night one at Laguna Garden Hotel; it was packed and I was amazed at the number of friends I saw there. The food, especially the Okinawan cuisine, was excellent. One of the highlights of the evening was a performance by one of Okinawa’s top musical groups “The Boom”. The next day I went to the local Tower Records and found their CD, Shimauta – mellow music I have been listening to every day since.

Here’s a few places well worth checking out in Naha itself: The American Village is a well laid out “town” where American culture blends with Okinawa. There are dozens of trendy boutiques, movie houses, eateries, hair salons, massage parlors, and a live house.

Check out the Dr. Martens shoe shop and the huge American depot for some real bargains if you are around here. Another great place to shop is the big ultra modern Main Place, in the heart of Naha. There’s lots of both men’s and women’s fashion shops, excellent restaurants, and of course Starbucks. Kids will love the Namco Land and theaters there all first class.

Back to Kokusai Street – it is long, lined with souvenir shops and restaurants and almost always busy. It is a great place to meet and talk with the locals who shop at the near by public markets. I also got into the spiritual world near Naha when I visited some the sacred caves and meditated at a few power and worship spots.

My last night was great. Joined Bill and Charo Ireton, Joel Schumacher, his assistant Greg and a few Yoshimoto Kogyo people for dinner at a marvelous old house on the side of a hill. The Okinawan food was really good. When you go to the island and want to check up current happenings, pick up a copy of This Week in Okinawa and Okinawa Nightlife!

Really wish I could have stayed longer, but I had to get back to Tokyo for the re-opening of the Kabuki theater and a Min-on performance of the ShenYang Acrobatic Troupe of China. Congrats to Yoshimoto Kogyo’s chairman/CEO, Mr. Osaki, his staff and the people of Okinawa: “The land of song, dance and laughter”. Hope to get back there soon.

Back in Tokyo

Indian Ambassador Deepa Gopalan Wadhwa was only posted to Japan a short time before she hosted a marvelous reception at the Okura Hotel. The occasion was the celebration of their company’s 64th Republic Day! No problem as she served as ambassador to Qatar and her husband is Indian ambassador to Thailand. The Indian food was excellent and, like the traditional dance show, colorful and exciting.

Happy I had the opportunity to introduce the ambassador to Hiroyasu Kobayashi, the President of Min-on concert Association at an earlier party. In a relatively short time, Min-on, who are leaders in international cultural exchanges, brought a wonderful Indian show that featured top dancers and musicians in a concert, titled Creative Integration of Indian Dance. It was a beautiful show, perfect for both the celebration of Min-on’s 50th anniversary and the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between India and Japan.

The Indian Embassy in Kudan offers some of the best Sakura viewing in Tokyo. For several days Ambassador Wadhwa shared the awesome view from the terrace of the Embassy with many friends of India. I was out of the city at that time, but friends who were there said it was a very special and festive event.

British Airways and Visit Britain promo at Midtown

Great Britain, as we all well remember, did a great job on their many major events in last year or so. On a smaller scale, but still dynamic and well done, there was the two day Big British Invite at my favorite Tokyo Mall, Midtown, recently. The many visitors really enjoyed the campaign, showcasing the very best of British shopping, food, music, culture, heritage and countryside. In addition to enjoying the exhibits, I got to know most of the nice British Airways cabin crew and staff working with the promo, held in Mumbai and Shanghai as well as Tokyo.

British ambassador Tim Hitchens, Visit Britain manager Ashley Harvey and Vishal Sinha who manages British Airways in Japan and Korea

I really got to know them better at a small party I had for them at the New Lex the night before they left Japan. Special guests at the opening ceremony included British ambassador Tim Hitchins, who was previously in Japan between 1985 and 1989 and really knows this country and its people. It was also nice seeing and hearing the cool sounds of one of Tokyo’s top DJs, Guy Perryman, playing some great British music and checking out the exhibition.

Guests moved upstairs to The Ritz Carlton Ballroom for refreshments, socializing and the opportunity to win a pair of round trip tickets on British Airways to London. At the Reception I also learned from the airline’s man in Japan and Korea, Vishal Sinha, that visitors to the event had a chance of winning travel packages to London, accommodation and even a fashion makeover at iconic fashion house, Temperley.

Through the years – BA put on quite a stylish show

Vishal told me about the attractive fares on offer and I thought it seems a great time to plan a holiday to Britian. He also reminded me of BA’s motto, “To Fly, To serve” – I am planning to take advantage of all this later this year so will let you know.

Kuwaiti Celebration at the Imperial Hotel

Once again Jamilah Al-Otaibi, wife of the ambassador of Kuwait, Abdul Rahman Al-Ottaibi, proved what a creative lady she is. To celebrate the national day of Kuwait she really worked with her staff and the banquet staff at the Imperial to transform the venue into an Arabic wonderland.

The popular hosting couple wore traditional Kuwaiti fashion; he wore black, white and gold and she a beautiful silver, gold and black dress. Their children were all dressed for the occasion as well. Their older son, Humood, who goes to school in Australia, wore a tux and had a new trendy hairstyle. His brother, Khaled, wore a well-tailored suit and tie. Their daughter, Hala, who always is the epitome of chic fashion, wore an Arabic style flower print dress and the latest in fashionable makeup.

As I mentioned, the family are very popular and it was wall-to-wall people in the hotel’s huge Peacock Room. I had to leave early and didn’t see the Otaibi’s youngest daughter, Hessa. She’s an adorable child who loves to be around people and I’m sure she was there somewhere in the crowd.

People I did see who I hadn’t seen for a long time included politician Yuriko Koike, who studied in Cairo and from what I hear speaks perfect Arabic. Egypt expert Esmet Gammal and his wife were also there. Esmet had a travel agency, Egypt Tours, and arranged to have me invited there several times for some really spectacular events including Frank Sinatra’s concert in front of the Sphinx. Esmet is a good man and a great friend.

Other good friends at the Kuwaiti evening included the Peninsula Hotel’s G.M., Malcolm Thompson, with two of his staff. Happy to hear Malcolm, by the way, is not leaving Tokyo as I’d heard, and will be here “for some time to come.”

If you’re down the Peninsula way I suggest you check out their new steakhouse, which replaced the French restaurant Peter’s but which has kept the same name. It’s good healthy food at its best.

Main image: Bill Hersey with Demon Kakka at the 5th Okinawan International Movie Festival

Pampered Cows?

We visited Okaki Honten in Yamanoue, Ryuo-cho in Shiga Prefecture, the home of Ohmi-gyu, to find out a little more. Of course, we were to get our teeth around some juicy steaks, but first there was a chance to see where they came from: the Tajima Black Wagyu at the cattle farm just down the road. Hailing from the Northern region of Hyogo Prefecture, these sable beasts are considered a national treasure and are the source of what is considered by many as the world’s finest meat.

It is the unusually high level of marbling – the fine layers of intramuscular fat – running through their meat that sets them apart from regular cattle. This is what gives ohmi-gyu its juiciness, rich flavour and extraordinary tenderness.

Farmers go to great lengths to enhance this genetic quirk by making sure their cows are properly taken care of. Though their husbandry is surrounded by a certain amount of mystery and intrigue, the cows are generally thought of as the most ‘pampered’ on the planet.

“Foreigners seem to have an image of us giving them beer and massaging them, but I think that may be a little exaggerated,” says Takeki Okayama, President of Okaki Co.ltd.

“Of course we sometimes put dried beer yeast in their forage, but as for real beer, I would rather drink it myself! Still, fermented forage has a good smell and it is indeed very appetising.” For the cows, we’d presume…

“As for massages,” Okayama says, “I am not sure about that either, but in order to make sure they are comfortable we try to provide a stress-free barn. For example, we are constantly changing their flooring and we use an electric fan to ensure it never gets wet. Basically we want them to sit there and feel as relaxed as possible.”

Whatever they are doing it seems to be working; the beef at Okaki Honten lives up to its hype. It is served in a variety of ways, including shabu-shabu, yakiniku, steak and sukiyaki, which Mr. Okayama says originated in Shiga. We opted for the steak set, which was a true feast consisting of a number of small beefy dishes followed by the highest quality miyabi steak that really does have the melt in the mouth quality that everyone talks about.

Health Benefits?

Ohmi-gyu is also said to boast a number of health benefits. As well as being a source of vitamin B and protein, the high percentage of mono-unsaturated fat that wagyu cows produce can, it is thought, help to reduce the cholesterol levels in our arteries. The mono-unsaturated fat to saturated fat ratio, we’re told, is up to three times higher (6:1) in wagyu than in regular beef (2:1).

“Actually, I think I’d prefer a glass of red with my hay today…” A Tajima Black Wagyu at the farm not far from Okaki Honten, where we tasted her friends.

It was reportedly the medicinal properties of Ohmi-gyu that drew the Shogun and many Feudal lords to the beef during the Edo Period, though one suspects its flavour and succulence may also have had something to do with it. The fact that beef was prohibited at the time didn’t seem to deter the most powerful people in the country from eating it.

“People in Japan generally started to eat beef from 1868, during the Meiji era,” says Okayama. “But the history of beef in the Ohmi area (now Shiga Prefecture) goes back much further. We were dealing cattle leather for drums during the Edo Era, the left over meat was put in miso in order to preserve it. This precious food was then offered to the Tokugawa Shogunate.”

Centuries on, it is still highly valued, however these days it is not just served to the country’s elite. There are a number of restaurants throughout Japan serving Ohmi-gyu, though for something more authentic, if you are anywhere near Shiga a visit to Okaki Honten is well worth the effort.

by Matthew Hernon

The collection is somewhat random: there’s the obvious Mount Fuji and Sky Tree, but also Narita Airport and… a mosquito coil? A team of international graphic designers have apparently teamed up to create a collection that reflects their memories of traveling around Japan, and most of them are quite spectacular.

The designs are very playful and don’t look like any old souvenir trinket picked up at a tourist shop, so don’t expect any “… and all I got was this T-shirt” lines. Even though we felt hesitant at the idea of a Narita Airport shirt, the plane looks pretty good wedged between kanji, and the Mount Fuji shirt is reminiscent of the Comme des Garçons’ Play line, with a face-bearing red heart and the name in katakana.

We’d definitely buy the fireworks one and the Sky Tree, as they somehow made it look cool – perfect for gifts to family and friends abroad. Shinjuku, Kyoto and Odaiba are even part of the lot…

If you’ve stocked up on enough tees, totes and handkerchiefs, you can also pick up a typically Japanese item, the versatile furoshiki – that piece of cloth that’s used for everything, from wrapping up bento boxes to presents, or just to carry as a bag. You can even pack up a watermelon in a pretty intricate way to take to your Sunday picnic.

The best part is, they’re insanely cheap (T-shirts are under ¥1,000), so you might keep all those saved coins for your train tickets to hop around the country and give Japan a further tourism boost. Which is your favorite?

Main image: Shinjuku design by Andrew Joyce.

Our regular columnist and commentator Henry Watts takes a look at the facts and asks: Is Princess Masako Really a Tax Thief?

Media punch-bag Princess Masako, wife of the heir to the chrysanthemum throne, was reportedly heckled at Tokyo station this March: “Tax thief! Faking sickness, lazy tax thief! Get out of the royal family!” yelled a man of around 60 in reference to the princess’s health problems and prolonged absence from public view.

Princess Masako was said to have been “frozen” with shock at the encounter, before scarpering to the mountains of Nagano with her husband, Crown Prince Naruhito, and Princess Aiko, her daughter, for an apparently “tense” ski trip.

Reporters followed the family to Nagano, interviewing skiers agitated by the sizable security detail allocated for the trip. “It’s a nuisance,” said one skier of the 30-strong police escort that surrounded the royals. “If she has the energy to enjoy skiing, then why can’t she do her official business?” the onlooker added.

On the last day, Princess Masako, having neither the energy for skiing nor for official business, stayed safely out of public view (how easily a simple family outing can turn into a melodrama, she must have thought).

Disgruntled passers-by are not alone in their disapproval for the princess. It has been nearly ten years since she was first hospitalised with a “stress-induced” illness, and many royalist sympathizers have, as a result, been feeling desperately unfulfilled by the lack of ceremonial ribbon-cutting and unctuous hand-waving that has been going on.

In 2008, for instance, the princess attended a private dinner with Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, but did not appear a few weeks later for the King of Spain, leaving one palace insider to complain to the Times of London, “What logical explanation can we give for that? That the British are healthy but the Spanish make her ill?”

Afterwards in a right-wing magazine called WiLL, Kanji Nishio expressed likewise that it would be better if the princess could “disembark” the “ship named the Imperial System”, since she is “seasick and cannot stay on board”.

Such protestations fail to understand the nature of princess’s woes, the causes that brought them about, or what it really is that constitutes “public duty”. It is worth noting that the captain of the “ship named the Imperial System”, is not the Emperor, but the bureaucratic giant known as the Imperial Household Agency (IHA).

The IHA has itself long downplayed the princess’s illness, calling it “adjustment disorder” – a condition that is by definition acute, rather than chronic, and not supposed to last for more than six months. Though her treatment has gone on for nearly ten years, the IHA has not acknowledged that her illness is what Akira Iwanami, a professor of psychiatry at the Showa University School of Medicine, says is more likely “depression”.

It has not always been thus. Masako Owada, as she was known before becoming a princess, was an Oxford and Harvard educated, multi-lingual daughter of a government official, on the cusp of a promising career in the Foreign Ministry. Things changed in 1993 when she agreed to marry Prince Naruhito (after two rejections, according to rumour) and finally entered the Imperial family.

Soon enough, after the initial buzz of rejuvenated interest in all things royal (prompted by a typically glamorous wedding), the attention around her turned to sexual politics and to whether she could produce a male heir (Japanese succession laws still allow only men to rise to the top).

At the time, there were no grandsons to continue the supposed 2,600-year dynasty of the Imperial family, and pressure weighed heavily on Princess Masako, from the IHA among others, to produce the (male) goods, all the while ensuring she elevated herself from commoner to classy royal.

Then, with her miscarriage in 1999, she had to contend not only with the terrible maternal pain of loss but also the tedium of a royal succession crisis – a position that meant in 2001 she again had to listen to the sighs of disappointment when her baby, Aiko, was born with the “wrong” chromosomes. She became, in the words of one commentator, “a prisoner of her womb”.

That Masako’s rising cosmopolitanism and the palace’s rigid traditionalism would collide is hardly surprising. The IHA has never cared for modernisation. A most conspicuous case was in 1993 when Masako was criticised for speaking slightly longer than her prince during their first joint press conference.

It was, she was told, more befitting of a princess to be deferential and self-effacing. Yet she failed again to exercise sufficient restraint in 1996 when she revealed she enjoyed the novels of Nobel Prize-winning Kenzaburo Oe, an outspoken critic of the Imperial system who turned down the offer of Imperial decoration saying it was unsuited to democracy.

When she finally suffered a breakdown in 2004, Prince Naruhito shocked many by speaking out against the restrictions imposed on her by the IHA – restrictions that he claimed “denied Masako’s career and character” and that, according to Jeff Kingston of Temple University, dictated “clothes, food, press conferences, and a heavy schedule of ceremonial duties”.

If Masako is to be accused of “idle tax-theft” or slacking off, we might first see what “public duty” she can offer when untethered – when the “untraditional” sides to her diplomatic talents are put to good use, and when she is not compelled to conform to the heir-bearing duty and banality of the palace.

That this has been denied to her, and us, is surely the real “tax-theft” here, as well as the likely cause of her psychological decline. And it is therefore not Masako, but her handlers that should feel the ire of the public.

Main image: Crown Princess Masako, Crown Prince Naruhito, His Majesty the Emperor Akihito and Her Majesty the Empress Michiko, Prince Akishino Fumihito, Princess Akishino Kiko in 2011. (Meguro-jin/Flickr)

Interview by Matthew Hernon

After an extensive two-year search, director James Mangold finally decided the Vogue cover star with no acting experience was the perfect candidate to play the superhero’s new love interest, Makiko. But why?

When Tao arrived to meet us at Donna Studios in Shibuya, Weekender found a natural beauty (and this may have had something to do with it…) She lit up the room with both her personality and her looks – without the need for much makeup; she speaks flawless English, is smart and charming and while she has fronted campaigns for the likes of Ralph Lauren, Emporio Armani, Alexander McQueen and Givenchy, there is nothing of the diva about her.

Tao seemed keen to speak at length about her thoughts on the film, a certain Australian actor (and how her ex-boyfriend might see him), her modelling career and what the future holds.

Your first acting job lands you in a major blockbuster with one of Hollywood’s biggest stars, how did that come about?

Well the studio was searching for a Japanese girl for the role of Mariko for around two years. They just couldn’t seem to find anyone so they opened the door wider to include people who weren’t in the industry and that was when my agency gave me a call and asked if I was interested.

I initially said no because I’d never done anything like that, but then they mentioned I was going to be Hugh Jackman’s girlfriend in the movie and that was enough to change my mind.

Two years is a long time to be looking, why do you think they found it so difficult?

There just aren’t enough Japanese actresses who speak English. For James (Mangold) it had to be a Japanese girl because he had seen Zhang Ziyi as Sayuri in Memoirs of a Geisha and really didn’t like it. I think a lot of people in this country also complained about that, but I am sure they wanted a Japanese person for that role, they just couldn’t find anyone.

I think that is something we should feel a little ashamed about and try to learn from.

This void gave you an opportunity to star in your first film, how do you think it went?

I absolutely love acting. Being my first time it was obviously hard at first, particularly the action scenes as I didn’t really want to hit people! With the help of the stunt team I gradually improved. As for the general performance, I am not sure if I was good or not, though the director said I was, so that is positive.

Can you tell us a little bit about your character?

Mariko is a strong, independent girl. Her family is extremely wealthy and they want her to eventually to take over the running of their business, but she has other ideas. Then she meets Wolverine (Jackman) and the adventure begins.

What was it like working with someone like Hugh Jackman?

I know it is a boring answer to say he is so nice, but he really was a dream to work alongside. I have heard some big movie stars can be cold towards fellow cast members who aren’t actors per se, but being one of the producers he appreciated everyone’s support and really took care of us all.

He gave me a lot of advice. This was my first time on a movie set and I didn’t even know what ‘on’ and ‘off’ camera meant. He would tell me where to stand and what I should be focusing on and other little things like not eating too much during the meal scenes in case there were many takes. While it might sound very simple, tips like that really helped me.

Above, the international trailer for the Wolverine, on release this summer.

Did you get close to him on a personal level?

Yes, he is a really open person who wanted to bring the cast and crew closer together. I remember on Fridays he would buy every single person on set a scratchcard. He thought it was a good way to get people communicating. Apparently he has been doing it for around 12 years.

He also invited all of us to dinner during and after the shoot, which was a lot of fun. We got to meet his wife and two kids, who are so cute. A lot of people say he is such a hot guy, but for me he is like a super nice dad. Of course I mean that in a complimentary way!

Tao Okamoto as she appeared on the cover of Tokyo Weekender this May

Were you a big fan of his prior to this movie?

It’s funny, the first memory I have of him is how jealous he made my British ex-boyfriend around 10 years ago. We were watching the X-Men DVD and I didn’t really like sci-fi films at that time so I wasn’t massively into it, but I remember mentioning to my boyfriend about how cute the main star was.

He really wasn’t happy about that and I think he will get quite a shock if he goes to the cinema and sees me as Hugh Jackman’s girlfriend!

It must have also come as quite a surprise to your family and friends, how did they react?

My parents used to be actors so I think they were pretty happy that I was kind of following in their footsteps. I invited them to the set, which they were excited about. My mum was like a stage-mum, trying to analyse my performance. I felt I wasn’t doing well early on and she was adding to the pressure so I eventually decided to send her home. I haven’t really spoken to (my friends) about it yet because I am not so confident about my performance.

Is a lack of confidence something you suffer from when modelling?

Yes, I would love to be more confident. It is the one thing I would most like to change about myself. From a young age I have really had a complex about my looks and especially my height. People would point and stare at me, which made me feel terrible, so I would try to bend my knees or somehow try to stand lower. Anything to make myself look shorter.

After moving to England I started to become a little more confident. My height was less of an issue there and this made be feel better about myself. Doing well as a model has also helped. I have met some really wonderful people in the industry, like (designers) Zac Posen and Philip Lim, who have been really supportive.

Most of your modelling success has been overseas, do you think your look is more popular for foreign audiences/designers than Japanese ones?

Definitely, which makes me feel a little sad. Here in Japan I am often described as an ‘Asian Beauty’, which sounds good, but actually can be negative. People often view it as being too traditional or old-fashioned and as a result I wasn’t what Japanese designers were looking for. On the other hand whenever foreign designers came to my shows they selected me every time. The decision to move abroad was therefore quite an easy one.

You left at a young age [Tao moved to Paris in 2006], how difficult was it to adapt?

It wasn’t easy, though I think it is the same for anyone who leaves their home country. Not being able to speak French while living in Paris was hard and then I moved to this tiny village in Kent, England, called Tenterden (about 90km south-east of London), where there were not really any places for young people to go out, so that was also difficult. I think some people in the area hadn’t seen an Asian person before and didn’t know how to treat me. I even had kids throwing stones at me.

During my first few months in New York (in 2009) I was having a hard time and almost ready to give up on modeling. I was told that that was ‘fine’ as there were a number other Asian girls who could easily replace me. That made me feel really terrible, but I decided to persevere and really try to make a go of it.

There have been times when I have wanted to return to Japan and give up (on modeling) but … my time abroad has generally been very positive. I’ve had some wonderful job opportunities, met some great friends, learned English and lived in some of the world’s most vibrant cities, so I definitely shouldn’t be complaining.

So what’s next? Does your new acting career mean we are going to being seeing less of you as a model?

I am not sure about that. There is still much I want to do as a model, like work for Christian Dior and John Galliano, so I am definitely not ready to give up on that industry yet. Having said that I would love to be in more movies. Hopefully when the film is released and my name is out there, there will be further opportunities. If there are, I will have to be careful about striking a good balance between the two.

Finally, is Wolverine really worth watching?

Of course! I think it will be particularly interesting for foreigners living in Japan as there are a lot of places they will have been to and things they will have seen like the shinkansen etc. I just hope they like my performance too.

The Wolverine is on general release in Japan on September 13. If you are in the US or Europe, you’ll be able to see it in July.

Magazine cover photo by Koichiro Doi. Main Image: Tao Okamoto and Hugh Jackman in The Wolverine (Courtesy of Fox)

Now, Guilfoile, President of Coleman Japan and the Asia Pacific region, says the company is in an excellent position and has had six consecutive years of success.

“It was a difficult time when I joined, “ he says, “the bubble economy had imploded and various industries like the fishing and outdoors business started tanking. We’ve gone through a lot of crazy stuff to get to where we are today.”

A traditional camping company was not going to survive without campers. “The marketing guys came to me and they had all these figures. They told me that the camping population amongst those aged 14-55 in Japan was just 7% but that the ratio of people who wanted to camp was maybe 70%.”

“We had two choices, I thought, ‘we’re either going to have a business, or we’re going to turn off the lights, lock the door and throw the keys in the river and forget about it.’”

Richard L. Guilfoile, President of Coleman Japan

Guilfoile says his team embarked on a diversification process: “picnic goods, barbecue items, products for the beach and other non-camping gear like backpacks for city use were around 6% of sales. ‘How do we get that to 40%?’ I thought.”

“We also quickly realized we needed to move towards Japan specific skewed products.” Considering lifestyles when not camping was a start – small houses means not much storage, meaning products need to be compact.

Right now, Guilfoile says, around 55% of Coleman Japan’s goods are considered “non-camping” – in part due to the success of its rucksacks.

“My boss would tell you that he sees the Japanese team as the thought leaders in terms of the innovative things that we do and products we bring to the market … people in their marketing team say ‘god I love it, I love it, I wish we could do this’, or, ‘you guys are crazy, how could you do this?’”

When taking the model to South Korea in 2005, Coleman faced some challenges. “What I call a heavy camper in Japan will go 12 times but in Korea, maybe 30. Koreans don’t look at weather, Japanese do – they won’t go if it’s going to rain – so they each have different spec/durability requirements.”

“It’s all about comfort here. The stuff people pull out of their cars is incredible – you sit down and eat as you would in your own home as opposed to eating a hot dog on a rock. Cooking is pretty serious too, one reason we’re doing good business with what we call our Dutch ovens.”

Now, a neat LED Quad Lantern with four removable panels (“great if the kids need to go to the toilet…”) is Coleman’s top selling product, but it will never stop selling its “heritage product”, the iconic gas lantern. “To our customers, we are the lantern company.”

Guilfoile, a camper himself – he cites the Fuji Five Lakes and Izu areas among his favourites – says there is no room for complacency:

“We’re looking for ways to appeal to a younger audience, particularly women, and that’s starting to go well. We’ve gone through a little bit of shaking up and doing more free thinking and looking at categories we haven’t worked with much in the past – involving more outside design help too.”

“The goal that we are going for in the next two years, to 2015, is to have fewer, but bigger-hit items. It’s easy to have a lot of guppies floating around, and it’s nice, but they are not necessarily adding to the bottom line.”

Latte art master Hiroshi Sawada is a household name on the coffee scene – he was the first Asian to become a world champion, achieved with the highest score in history and nothing less, at the “2008 Free Pour Latte Art Championships” in Seattle, USA. Two years later, the skillful barista opened his own cafe in Shibuya, and his shop quickly found spots on most “Best Coffee in Tokyo” lists.

The must-try item on the menu is the Streamer Latte, which is served in a large mug, and obviously adorned with intricate, leafy latte art. The coffee is creamy and frothy (perhaps not strong enough for some), and the cup seems bottomless so you can sip on it for what seems like forever. If you don’t have time to sit down you can take out your beverage in a paper cup, which also comes with the art, but sitting in the cafe is half the experience.

The minimalist decor, wooden furniture and great soundtrack is the perfect escape from the nearby Shibuya chaos. You can choose to sit at the large communal table, perch yourself on a chair at the counter, or sink in one of the leather seats – if its not the espresso, the chilled out, relaxed atmosphere usually keeps us there for hours. You can buy their fresh coffee beans, and Streamer-related merchandise such as  glass latte jars, notebooks, pens and Sawada’s (autographed) book.

Streamer Coffee Company has another, smaller branch in Harajuku, and even a recent outlet in the trendy Horie district of Osaka. It’s probably the closest to perfection we’ve seen in Tokyo, all around; the coffee tastes great, you can sit and work for hours in a peaceful environment, and it definitely isn’t a stroller parking lot like chains we won’t name. Yet, one big problem makes us cringe: what happened to the free Wi-Fi?

Streamer Coffee Company

Shibuya-ku 1-20-28

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Main image: Nokton/Flickr

After delighting millions of fans in cities such as Boston, Toronto, Sydney and New York (actually, New York got it twice due to popular demand), it’s now time for the Harry Potter exhibition to stop in Tokyo. Don’t go there only expecting showcases of movie props and costumes behind glass, though, this event is interactive.

The blockbuster exhibit will feature displays inspired by the different sets of Hogwarts, also known as the (fictional) School of Wizardry and Witchcraft, where the bespectacled young man and his posse learned their tricks. Those familiar with the movies will be able to recognize different areas of the school, such as the dormitory, the common room, classrooms, and even the Forbidden Forest. Of course costumes and props will be a big part of the event, which will take place over a 1,400 square meters surface.

Visitors can do more than just take a look – fancy sitting on Hagrid’s massive armchair in a hut, tossing a Quaffle ball in a Quidditch area, or even pull your own screaming mandrake? Even if you don’t know what that all means, it’s all possible…

Tickets are limited to 2-hour blocks, and must be booked in advance.

Harry Potter Exhibition in Tokyo (click for more info)

When: June 22- Sept. 16, 20:00-22:00

Where: Mori Arts Centre Gallery (see map)

How much: ¥2,500 (adults)/¥2,000 (univ.) /¥1,500 (JHS/HS)/¥1,000 (Primary school)

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