FULL SPEED AHEAD
Takuya Haneda hopes to paddle his  
canoe to gold at Tokyo 2020
SUMMER SIPPERS
New and true Japanese liqueurs that  
will hold the Tokyo heat at bay
TIME IS RUNNING OUT
Japan’s slapdash love affair with SDGs  
is anything but sustainable
JUL-AUG 2021
THIS MONTH’S HEAD TURNERS 
� AREA GUIDE: TOKYO’S LUMBERYARDOnce Tokyo’s center for all things wood, Shin-Kiba now brightens up at night as a popular entertainment hub.
�� STYLE: ODE TO THE BIRDS���������������������������������������������������������������������������������of modern fashion.
�� SHOP JAPAN: BEST OF THE BEACHThese Japan-made summer accessories help anyone stay cool and look stylish on their next seaside excursion.
�� TRENDS: 5 JAPANESE LIQUEURS THAT WILL MAKE YOU GO MMMMThese locally crafted liqueurs mix perfectly with a chill Tokyo summer.
IN-DEPTH
COFFEE-BREAK READS
�� BALLET IN THE TIME OF CORONA��������������������������������������������director Miyako Yoshida stays on her toes.
�� KYOTO IN SYMPHONY��������������������������������������������masterpiece of sound dedicated to Kyoto. 
���A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A SHAMISEN MAKER����������������������������������������������spreads the word about the native instrument. 
�� ON IMPULSESpecial effects makeup artist extraordinnaire Amazing Jiro takes TW inside his twisted world.
�� FIGHTING IGNORANCE WITH ARTHighly acclaimed New York-based illustrator Yuko Shimizu is here to kick ass.
�� MEET THE 2020 ATHLETES����������������������������������������������������������������������������
�� ACHIEVING TRUE SUSTAINABILITY��������������������������������������explains how Japan can make true progress.
TRAVEL   
WHERE TO GO
�� SHONAI SHRINE������������������������������������������of a former Yamagata castle.
�� SPORTS PARADISETraditional and modern sports have deep roots in Kyushu’s Miyazaki Prefecture.
�� KYUSHU BY TRAIN����������������������������������������������������������������������������
GUIDE   
CULTURE ROUNDUP
�� THE ART WORLD Our pick of the best new art exhibitions. ��������������������������������������
�� TW SOCIAL Staying safe while staying connected.
�� AGENDA What’s on in Tokyo during July and August.
CONTENTS
— 19 —
Kyoto in Symphony
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orchestrates a masterpiece of sound 
dedicated to Kyoto23
On Impulse
Special effects makeup artist 
extraordinnaire Amazing Jiro takes 
TW inside his twisted world
Fighting Ignorance with ArtHighly acclaimed New York-based 
illustrator Yuko Shimizu is here to kick 
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— 23 —
KYOTO IN SYMPHONY
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Words by Matthew Hernon. Photos by Tatiana Khodova
— 24 —
This notion, he feels, is particularly prevalent in 
Japan, a nation that has an intimate relationship 
with nature. He points to the “100 Soundscapes 
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idea of the list was to promote the country’s 
most unique sounds and preserve them for 
future generations while also combating noise 
pollution. 
 Included in the top 100 was the bamboo 
forest of Sagano in the Arashiyama region of 
Kyoto. It’s a stunning location that features 
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 “The instrument being played in the 
forest is the shakuhachi which is of course 
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coincidence. For a project like this you need to 
contextualize everything. The visual and audio 
aspects need to interconnect otherwise you 
have something that is disjointed. To achieve 
that, the timeline of thematic elements must be 
just right.”
 It is not an easy thing to achieve as there 
are so many contrasting components. You have 
very different generations involved, ranging 
from seniors to a kindergarten choir. There 
are also varying routines, including ballet and 
contemporary dance. 
 “On top of that, you have a distinct sound 
palette featuring traditional, modern and 
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is to bring all of these things together to create 
polyphonic musical sequences that represent 
the whole of Kyoto.”
The idea is to bring all of these things together to create polyphonic musical 
sequences that 
represent the whole 
of Kyoto
ollowing the success of his critically 
��������������������������Sound of 
Vladivostok��������������������������
asked to create something similar for 
a city that reigned as the capital of 
Japan for more than 1,000 years. 
 And so, in 2018 began his latest endeavor: 
Sound of Kyoto. Over three years, 560 musicians, 
18 original compositions, 4,000 video clips, 
10,300 documentary photos and 1,650 sounds 
later, the ambitious project is now in post-
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have an idea of when screenings will start. 
 “This project was not just a personal goal 
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tells TW. “From the outset, the intention was to 
musicalize the city and mobilize its citizens to 
take part in an initiative that represents them 
and the place they live. It’s a contemporary 
audio-visual portrait of their hometown.”
He describes Kyoto as the stage and its people 
as the performers. 
 “We are talking about a unique and historic 
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is to then bring everything together. To combine 
those sounds and acoustic elements of the city 
with local musicians, orchestras and choirs, etc. 
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people more aware of the essence of sound 
and its importance to our living environment. 
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everyday acoustical experiences have the power 
to re-energize and aesthetically heal us as long 
as we are consciously listening to them. 
— 25 —
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the beginning of 2018, just a few months after 
Sound of Vladivostok had been released. While 
the concept was basically the same, the two 
cities provided the composer and project’s 
director with different propositions. They are, 
after all, worlds apart in terms of culture and 
history. 
 Founded in 1860 as a military outpost, 
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industrial machinery in addition to a Siberian 
tiger. 
 Kyoto, meanwhile, is known as the cultural 
capital of Japan. The seat of the imperial court 
for centuries, it was spared from large-scale 
destruction during World War II. Secretary of 
War Henry Stimson described the place as an 
“important cultural center,” before removing it 
from the list of potential atomic bomb targets 
in 1945. The fact that he had honeymooned 
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 The city has numerous well-known sites 
such as Kinkakuji (the Golden Pavilion), the 
picturesque landscape of Arashiyama, the 
Geisha district of Gion and the thatched roof 
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September 2018. He and his 32-member crew 
stayed for three months and then returned 
around the same time the following year. 
The idea was to catch the autumn foliage, 
particularly the vibrant red leaves. 
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documentaries but to experience it up close 
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much stronger impact than anything a camera 
can show you.”
 However, getting approval to shoot in 
certain locations in Japan proved cumbersome 
as there is so much red tape. With a limited 
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the box. 
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was one time when we managed to organize a 
symphony orchestra there in one night. That 
would have been impossible in Kyoto. You 
need to work within social codes. That can be 
tricky for a creative person, but it’s why Japan 
functions so well. Things did become much 
easier when we spoke face-to-face rather than 
remotely.”
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coronavirus pandemic, there were many people 
around. To truly capture the sounds he wanted, 
it was essential to shoot and record in a quiet 
environment.
 “Many of our highlights in Kyoto occurred 
��������������������������������������������������
favorite was when we were on a boat heading 
towards Arashiyama. As well as the musical 
performance, you could hear the gentle sound 
of the oarsman’s stick bobbing along on the 
emerald water as the sun was rising. That was 
the perfect harmony.”
 Part of that scene is included in the 
recently released Sound of Kyoto trailer. If the 
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version is certainly something to look forward 
to. There’s still some post-production steps to 
be done, but it should be ready for screening 
soon. 
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next project. Kyoto will be followed by Moscow 
as he continues with his ultimate aim of 
discovering the sounds of the earth.
PROFILE:��������������������������
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extravagant, large-scale concerts 
and cultural events. One of the most 
spectacular came in Mannheim, 
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125th anniversary of the automobile, 
it was an open-air multimedia 
symphony titled “Autosymphonic” 
that involved 290 musicians and 
81 cars. Hailed as the “event of the 
century,” by the German media, 
������������������, described it as 
“one of the world’s most remarkable 
symphony concerts.” 
 He has continued to enhance 
his reputation since, winning 
numerous awards. He’s also become 
one of the world’s most in-demand 
composers. After his hometown of 
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to direct the festivities. He became 
the youngest person in history to be 
given the role.