app release 1 en

The definitive art app! Tokyo Art Beat App Renewed and Now Available Nationwide

app renewal 1122 1 en

Tokyo Art Beat has been completely renewed! From Tokyo to all of Japan and even easier to use!

<img src="https://www.tokyoartbeat.com/tablog/entries.en/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/logo_400x400.png" alt="" width="400" height="400" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-21616" />
With Startbahn, Inc. as a partner, the bilingual art website Tokyo Art Beat (founded in 2004) shifted from an NPO to a corporation, relaunching on October 1, 2020. It is in the process of renewing and enhancing its website and app, where it lists on average 500 exhibitions monthly in addition to publishing articles on the latest art information. Through its services, Art Beat, Inc. hopes to bring about small but meaningful changes to your life through art. 
Brightening Lives Through Art 
Through the website <a href="https://www.tokyoartbeat.com/">Tokyo Art Beat</a>, Art Beat, Inc. hopes to unite people involved with art across Japan by providing opportunities for art enjoyment. We hope today’s art fans will gain a deeper understanding and that tomorrow’s will come to make art a part of their lives. We hope the act of viewing art will bring about changes in everyone’s lives, enriching their spirits and brightening their lives. This is the purpose of our work. 
Art Beat, Inc. is launching a media renewal. Its new website will feature more exhibition information and articles. App functions will also be updated. Other plans include art-related events such as talks and workshops. 
Our Activities
Tokyo Art Beat 
A website founded in 2004. Posts around 500 monthly bilingual exhibition listings and articles on the latest art news. Articles include photo reports, interviews, reviews, and features. Video content is also posted on YouTube. Its social media channels are popular, with around 260,000 followers on Twitter and 70,000 followers on Instagram (as of January, 2021).
Tokyo Art Beat app (iPhone) 
The <a href="https://www.tokyoartbeat.com/apps/">Tokyo Art Beat app</a> for iPhone includes listings for popular events, the latest news, area searches for exhibitions near you, and MuPon*. Downloads are free (as of Jan. 2021). A paid premium version of the app gives users access to functions including “save” features for events you are planning to go to and have been to and notifications so you don’t miss events. Register your favorite venues to keep track of their shows.
*MuPon 
Focusing on the Tokyo Area and the Kanto region, the <a href="https://www.tokyoartbeat.com/apps/mupon">MuPon app</a> offers discounts on exhibitions and art events at participating museums. Event information is updated weekly. In addition to exhibitions, listings include art fairs, regional events, performances, films, and more. As of Jan. 2021, there are 120,000 MuPon users. 
Art Events 
We plan events letting everyone from children to adults step deeper into the art world. Tokyo Art Beat articles make a record of these events.
About Startbahn, Inc. 
Startbahn, Inc. provides technology necessary for all artists and people involved in the arts around the world, aiming to realize a more enriched society. It is promoting the construction of Startrail, an infrastructure for art logistics and evaluation using blockchain technology. As a service connected to Startrail, it is developing its own online service “Starbahn Cert.” and blockchain joint businesses with other corporate partners and organizations. 
Company Overview 
CEO: Taihei Shii 
Managing Director: Xin Tahara, Keisuke Ota
Directors 
Inquiries: 
Art Beat, Inc. Management: Morooka 
Email: contact@tokyoartbeat.com 
Startbahn, Inc. Communications Officer: Mizuno 
Email: pr@startbahn.jp

article_21625

Tokyo Art Beat Joins Forces with Startbahn

<img src="https://www.tokyoartbeat.com/tablog/entries.en/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/logo_400x400.png" alt="" width="400" height="400" class="imgcaption" />
Sometimes there is a perfect alignment of technology, interests, free time, and friendship. When this happens, you can build anything, and in October 2004, Olivier Thereaux, Kosuke Fujitaka, and a few more of us were celebrating the launch of <a href="https://www.tokyoartbeat.com/index.en">TokyoArtBeat.com</a> in a café. TAB was the culmination of months of hard work over late evenings and weekends. We were all set to open the doors of the Tokyo art scene to the world when…one of us abruptly stood up and ran back home to remove the password we had set on the site’s main page.
“What’s going on in Tokyo? What shows are happening right now or closing soon? I’d love to have an online search engine for art events! Isn’t this what the Internet is for?!” I was thinking this to myself in 2003, a few months after arriving in Tokyo from London by train. I had spent four years in the UK studying design while floating from gallery to museum in a daze with a Time Out London in my back pocket. Here in Tokyo, the art landscape was leaving me confused. I started asking friends where they found out about art and design events, ending my sentences with “Wouldn’t it be nice if all this info could be shown on a bilingual website with easy categories and smart lists?” The answer was invariably the same: They got their info from flyers, magazines, and a couple of blogs. Also, “‘Yes, we’d love a website like this!”
Sixteen years later, Tokyo Art Beat is one of the longest-standing art websites in the world. The reasons for its success are multiple:
1. It was built by art-goers, for art-goers, and not as a tool for the art industry or the actors of the art industry. 
2. It was built by dozens of kind volunteers, and then a core group of paid staff and Gadago NPO <a href="https://www.gadago.org/en/">volunteers</a> who never stopped visiting museums and galleries and spreading their love of art and design: Tomomi Sasaki, Kaori Sakai, Sayo Tomita, Xin Tahara, Chikako Yamamoto, Natsuki Morooka, and many others (listed below). 
3. It was built as a non-profit organization and structured to be financially self-sustainable (from 2005 onwards). 
4. It was built to be and remain bilingual in English/Japanese from the beginning, not as an after-thought or gimmick, but as a foundational echo to the power of art to bring distant cultures and communities closer. 
5. And finally, it was built to list all (or close to all) of the art and design events happening in the Tokyo area, not a selection of some events judged worthy of the site. (It was later expanded to New York and temporarily the Kansai region with partners).
These five principles together are why TAB has been resilient enough to survive a major financial crisis, a major earthquake and nuclear accident, witnessing the birth of smartphones, social media, and Covid. For a more complete history of the platform, including our artist t-shirt collections, the beloved Tokyo Art Maps, the Mupon discount apps etc., please visit our <a href="http://www.gadago.org/en/">NPO website</a>.
A couple of years ago, Taihei Shii of the art x blockchain company Startbahn approached us to share his vision of what his new company was building to power the art world of tomorrow. As we continued to exchange over time, we realized that Startbahn represented the type of energy that TAB needed to enter a third decade with confidence. Sixteen years is a long time on the internet, and the last few years have been challenging. With all the founders and board members of the NPO having moved abroad or on to other activities, the site has cruised along with its popular iOS app and coupon offers, but with few new ideas and an aging infrastructure. Starbahn has stood by us over this trying past year and our operating teams have grown close.
With the Covid crisis, it’s become clear that combining the technology they are developing and the community we have built are the best way forward for the TAB platform and community. A month ago, the NPO members unanimously voted to transfer all operations of the TAB services with the existing staff to Startbahn, Inc. in a non-financial deal to respect the non-profit principles of our NPO.
What will change for the regular TAB art-goers? Nothing at first, and over the next year, the newly grouped entities will be listening to the community to reimagine the future of art-going in Tokyo, in Japan, and beyond. The site and apps will continue to operate and will likely be updated – hopefully to fit this new exciting decade ahead of us. I’m looking forward to seeing what’s coming!
For me and my co-board members, it’s time to take a step back and wish TAB and Startbahn a very stimulating 2021 and beyond. I also wish to thank once more all the people and staff who have selflessly helped TAB and its team over the past 16 years with their time, good will, ideas, passion, and kind hearts. You are the TAB Family.
I hope that we’ll all soon be able to walk the Tokyo art beat once again, see familiar faces, discover new art, and create new dreams. Until then, stay safe.
Paul Baron – Co-founder and chairman of the board of Gadago NPO 
<a href="http://paul@tokyoartbeat.com">paul@tokyoartbeat.com</a>
And many thanks to: 
Akiko Imaizumi, Gen Kanai, Raphaël Mazoyer, Jacob Simon, Arata Nomoto, Jun Kanai, Yoko Omori, Romain Daumont, Hanae Sakai, Hiroko Makuuchi, Hatsumi Izawa, Mitsuhiro Kokita, Yoshida Akiko, Tadafusa Honda, Jeffrey Ian Rosen, David d’Heilly, Aya Matsuura, Kaori Honda, Kosuke Sakai, Jim O’Connell, Chris Heathcote, Adam Greenfield, Yuji Miyazaki, Miho Aoki, Yukiko Nakano, Kohei Aida, Asaka Barsley, Andreas Bovens, Raye Fukuda, Hisako Hashimoto, Tetsuo Hashimoto, Haruna Hirose, Chiharu Hisaki, Yukito Inoue, Miho Kazama, Akiko Kogiso, Shigeo Kon, Satoko Koike, Hiroko Makuuchi, Kaori Matsumoto, Haruna Mizogaki, Yumie Morohoshi, Renna Okubo, Hiroo Otsuka, Kozue Ooyama, Takae Sato, Sang-Hi Suh, Bram Vanmeirhaeghe, Kanako Fujimoto, Yoshihiro Kanematsu, Tomomi Sasaki, Ai Kikuchi, Chris Kobayashi, Kevin McGue, Manami Kamikawa, Mari Mukai, Andreas Bovens, Christophe Sautot, Patrick Benny, Makoto Hashimoto, Ashley Rawlings, Mayuko Kohno, Nozomi Koga, Motoko Shima, Naoki Matsuyama, Juri Okuyama, Hanae Iwamoto, Yohei Ogawa, Mai Kito, Chika Yamasaki, Eimu Matsumoto, Leiko Dairokuno, Akane Miki, Ayaka Sugiyama, Eri Takimoto, Yui Takeshima, Takashi Suzuki, Tatsuro Ide, Aoi Higuchi, Wataru Aoyama, Satoko Shimizu, Ai Kiyabu, Kohei Tsurumoto, Mari Hattori, Kana Koike, Emika Kono, Satoshi Ito, Yusuke Miki, Kumiko Nagaso, Erika Mori, Tomomi Iwamoto, Yuuka Matsuoka, Nen Hyo, Maho Otani, Hitomi Imasu, Asumi Kitahori, Shion Inaba, Nozomi Tanaka, Misaki Tachibana, Haruka Kouchi, Kosuke Shimizu, Nanami Yasuda, Satomi Ogata, Sachiko Otani, Kiwako Kitahata, Chihiro Ikegami, Hiroko Tsukagoshi, Marina Yoshimura, Aya Kuroki, Minaco Takayama, Junko Shimada, Konatsu Yamaguchi, Narumi Hirata, Shizuka Kitani, Ayako Kawachi, Yuko Sakaba, Tomomi Ogino, Ayami Ueda, Mana Yamagiwa, Kokoro Sakuma, Satomi Saruwatari, Kazuki Kameshima, Mizuho Oshiba, Atsuko Matsumi, Ayano Maekawa, Time Sakai, Namiko Obara, Yuki Saiki, Chihiro Ouchou, Risako Okabe, Mao Ono, Mako Saito, Rikako Kashima, Chiu Tze-Min, Rieko Yanagisawa, Yuri Miyazaki, Kaori Sakai, Chikako Yamamoto, Yuya Yamamoto, Kaoru Wada, Darryl Jingwen Wee, William Andrews, Emma Ota, Jessica Howard, Sayo Tomita, Kazuhiro Matsuura, Chris Palmieri, Jérôme Sadou, Patrice LaFlamme, Mei Fujie, Sadayuki Baba, Junya Komatsu, Jennifer Pastore, Emily Wakeling, Nick West, Stuart Munro, Tracy Jones, Randy Swank, Justin Egli, Jesse Freeman, Simon DeBoer, Michelle Zacharias, Mac Salman, Jeremy Woolsey, Magda Rittenhouse, Emily Saya Niemann, Finnegan Campbell, Joshibi University Art Writers, Paul Heaton, Neil Callender, M. Downing Roberts, Rachel Carvosso, Rebecca Milner, Jong Pairez, Anna Gonzalez Noguchi, Katrina Grigg-Saito, Chihiro Murakami, Jason Gray, Dominick Chen, Naomi Crowther, Patrick Brzeski, Winnie Shiraishi, James Way, Fuyuko Sugiura, Jessica Niles DeHoff, Ian Chun, Jun-Pierre Shiozawa, Toshiro Mitsuoka, Megumi Matsubara, Lori Kornegay, Karl, Andrew Conti, Tiffani, Kevin Mcgue, Michael Balderi, A. S. Feinberg, Meighan Ellis, Melaney Lee, Majken Kramer Overgaard, David Willoughby, Matthew Hayles, Naomi Matsuura, Aneta Glinkowska, James Jack, Andrew Woodman, Kenneth Masaki Shima, Mark Feary, Amy Fox, Marcus Bird, Erika Raberg, Sophie Knight, Maurizio Mucciola, Cheri Pitchapa Supavatanakul, Fritz Schumann, Lena Oishi, Sol Jung, Meg Kaizu, Alicia Tan, Vicente Gutierrez, Barnaby Lambert, Olivier Krischer, Cameron McKean, Martina Gahn, Yuma Tanaka, Matt Wyatt, Nick Narigon, Dan Abbe, Elyse Eunhee Lee, Mio Coxon, Chisako Izuhara, Carolyn Hashimoto, Saka Matsushita, Gary McLeod, Yelena Gluzman, Ikuko Kohno, Kumiko Odaka, Yoshiaki Kai, Rie Yoshioka, Koushiro Tamada, Taichi Hanafusa, Xin Tahara, yumisong, Rei Kagami, Chiaki Noji, Junko Okada, Wataru Otsuka, Ayumu Saito, Bunmei Shirabe, Noriko Yaegashi, Hana Ikehata, Tomoco Makino, Nana, Sayaka Shibata, Yuki Okumura, Yukiko Ishii, Yoko Furukawa, Sayako Mizuta, Yohei Yasuda, Nobuhiko Terasawa, Futoshi Hoshino, Yuya Suzuki, Haruka Ito, Tomoki Sakuta, Miki Takagi, Arina Tsukada, Daisuke Katou, Shoko Yorozu, Aie Shimoguchiya, Baba Shinichi, Natsuki Morooka, Takamitsu Mizutori, Tomoki Hirano, Paul Baron, Olivier Thereaux, Kosuke Fujitaka

article_21617

TAB Farewell, What’s Next

<img src="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/tablog/entries.en/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/MuPon-MI.png" alt="" width="518" height="181" class="imgcaption" />
What is <a href="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/apps/mupon.en">MuPon</a></a>?
MuPon museum coupons by Tokyo Art Beat bring you news and discounts on exhibitions and other art events in Tokyo and the Kanto area. Save money on shows at popular museums like <a href="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/event/2017/4124.en">Mori Art Museum</a> and <a href="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/event/2018/9D45.en">The Watari Museum of Contemporary Art</a> – all you need to do is carry your smartphone! MuPon’s special selection is not limited to museums, either. You can also get into art fairs, festivals, performances, and other cultural events for less. To start using MuPon, just download the Tokyo Art Beat app for iPhone or the MuPon app for Android.
2018 MuPon with TAB app in the AppStore:
<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/app/tokyoartbeat/id354579592?mt=8"><img src="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/tablog/entries.en/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/badge_ios.png" alt="" width="183" height="51" class="imgcaption floatl" /></a> 
2018 Android MuPon on Google Play:
<a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=gadagonpo.mupon.android2018"><img src="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/tablog/entries.en/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/en_badge_web_generic.png" alt="" width="183" height="71" class="imgcaption floatl" /></a>
 
130,000 people have used a MuPon discount to date, and our goal is to continue bringing art into people’s lives. With this in mind, we’ve integrated 2018 MuPon for iPhone into the Tokyo Art Beat app. Sign up for ¥120/month or ¥1000/year. There’s also 2018 MuPon for Android, which offers the same discounts through the end of 2018 for just ¥1000.
TAB App with MuPon for iPhone 
If you’re an iPhone-using art fan in Tokyo or the Kanto area, you’ll definitely want to try out the <a href="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/apps/">Tokyo Art Beat app</a>. In addition to built-in MuPon discounts on 20 to 40 events every month, subscribers can enjoy great features like bookmarks for shows they’ve seen or want to go to, keyword searches, automatically updated lists of new events on TAB, and follow functions for the latest shows at their favorite museums and galleries. We recommend the ¥1000 one-year option, which lets you enjoy more art for less money for a full year starting from your subscription date. There’s also a one-month <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/app/tokyoartbeat/id354579592?mt=8">free trial</a>!
How to Use MuPon in the TAB app for iPhone: 
<img src="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/tablog/entries.en/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/app-mupon-1.jpg" alt="1) In the TAB app: Browse→Smart Lists→Tap Discounts from Mupon. 2) Scroll down and tap an event you’d like to see." width="257" height="457" class="imgcaption floatl" /><img src="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/tablog/entries.en/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/app-mupon-2.jpg" alt="3) Tap the MuPon button and present your phone at the exhibition ticket window. Claim your discount!" width="257" height="457" class="imgcaption floatl" /> 
MuPon for Android 
MuPon for Android brings discounts, event info, and other great features only an app designed by art fans could offer. Notifications for openings and closings make sure you’ll never miss another exhibit! Info on show dates and hours make it easy to see what’s on now, so you can head out on your next art adventure without a hitch. 
<img src="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/tablog/entries.en/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Android-MuPon-screenshot.png" alt="MuPon for Android app screens" width="518" height="283" class="imgcaption" />
Whether you’re an iPhone or Android user, you’re sure to get plenty out of MuPon and the TAB app. Check out the <a href="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/events/DiscountsfromMupon">full list</a> of MuPon-eligible shows! You can also follow <a href="https://twitter.com/mupon_en">MuPon</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/TokyoArtBeat_EN">Tokyo Art Beat</a> on Twitter.

article_17773

MuPon is Here!

Summer Night Museum returns for a second year with extended Friday hours until 9:00 p.m. at four museums: Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum in Meguro, Edo-Tokyo Museum in Ryogoku, Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum in Ueno, and Tokyo Photographic Art Museum in Ebisu. The program runs Thursday, July 19 through Friday, August 31. (From July 27 at Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum). Tokyo Photographic Art Museum is open until 9 p.m. on both Thursdays and Fridays.
<img src="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/tablog/entries.ja/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/snm_main.jpg" alt="" width="518" height="324" class="imgcaption alignleft size-full wp-image-41350" />
In addition to late hours, some museums offer special events including mini concerts and talks, night-time discounts or free night admission for students, and extended hours at museum restaurants and shops. Beat the heat and enjoy evening shows on your way home from work or school. 
*Please see the Summer Night Museum 2018 website for details: 
<a href="https://www.rekibun.or.jp/en/nightmuseum2018/">https://www.rekibun.or.jp/en/nightmuseum2018/</a> 
*All talks and events are in Japanese.
Summer Night Museum 2018 Exhibitions & Events
<a href="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/venue/66D9E68D.en" target="_blank">Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum</a>
<a href="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/event/2018/F217">Benches of the Brazilian Indigenous Peoples: Human Imagination and Wildlife</a>
<img src="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/tablog/entries.en/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/0630ブラジルの椅子.jpg" alt="" width="470" height="670" class="imgcaption alignnone size-full wp-image-18429" srcset="https://www.tokyoartbeat.com/tablog/entries.en/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/0630ブラジルの椅子.jpg 470w, https://www.tokyoartbeat.com/tablog/entries.en/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/0630ブラジルの椅子-210x300.jpg 210w" sizes="(max-width: 470px) 100vw, 470px" />
Night Hours: 5 p.m.–.9 p.m. on Fridays July 20–August 31 
Night-Hour Discounts: Free for students with I.D. Group discount rates for general admissions and seniors 65 & over. *No other discounts apply.
◎ Gallery Talk 
When: July 27 (Friday) and August 24 (Friday) from 6:30 p.m. (40 minutes) 
*Exhibition ticket needed
◎ Mini Concerts 
When: August 3 (Friday) from 4:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. (40 minutes each) 
*Exhibition ticket needed 
<a href="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/venue/4BFF53A4" target="_blank">Edo-Tokyo Museum (Ryogoku)</a>
Permanent Exhibition
<img src="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/tablog/entries.en/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/江戸博差し替え画像.jpg" alt="" width="518" height="395" class="imgcaption" /> 
Night Hours: 5 p.m.–9 p.m. on Fridays July 20–August 31 
Night-Hour Discounts: Free for students with I.D. Group discount rates for general admissions and seniors 65 & over. *No other discounts apply.
Tokyo 150 Years (Starts August 7)
<img src="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/tablog/entries.ja/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/0807東京150年.jpg" alt="" width="472" height="670" class="imgcaption alignleft size-full wp-image-41367" />
Night Hours: 5 p.m.–9 p.m. on Fridays August 10–August 31 
*Included in permanent exhibition admission fee.
◎ Edohaku-Yose “Vaudeville Theaters of Edo-Tokyo Museum” 
What: Spooky tales by a professional storyteller 
When: July 20, July 27, August 3, August 10, August 17, August 24 (Fridays) 6:30 p.m.–7:15 p.m. 
Where: 5F Permanent Exhibition Gallery in front of Nakamuraza Theater 
*Permanent Exhibition ticket needed
<a href="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/venue/0B4D9854" target="_blank">Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum</a>
<a href="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/event/2018/756F.en">Foujita: A Retrospective ― Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of his Death</a> 
<img src="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/tablog/entries.ja/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/0731_fujita.jpg" alt="" width="474" height="670" class="imgcaption alignleft size-full wp-image-41353" />
Night Hours: 5:30 p.m.–9:00 p.m. on Fridays August 3–August 31
◎ Evening Lectures 
When: August 10 (Friday) and August 31 (Friday) 6:30 p.m.–7:00 p.m. 
*Exhibition ticket needed
◎ Mini Concerts (Produced by Tokyo Bunka Kaikan) 
When: August 17 (Friday) from 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. (20 minutes each) 
Where: Foyer in front of the Exhibition Room 
*Free of charge
<a href="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/event/2018/A590.en">BENTO—Design for Eating, Gathering and Communicating</a> 
<img src="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/tablog/entries.ja/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/0721_bento.jpg" alt="" width="474" height="670" class="imgcaption alignleft size-full wp-image-41354" /> 
Night Hours: 5 p.m.–9 p.m. on Fridays July 27–August 31 
Night-Hour Discounts: Free for students with I.D. Group discount rates for general admissions. *No other discounts apply.
Tobikan Yakan Kaikan Tour 
What: Guided strolls around illuminated museum grounds 
When: July 27, August 17, August 24 (Fridays) from 7:30 p.m. 
Where: Meet in front of the museum shop (Central Wing Lobby Floor) 15 minutes before the starting time 
Participants: 15 (first 15 arrivals) 
*Free of charge
<a href="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/venue/B6131856" target="_blank">Tokyo Photographic Art Museum</a>
<a href="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/event/2018/988E">TOP Collection: Learning ‘Into the Pictures’</a>
<img src="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/tablog/entries.ja/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/0512TOPコレクション_表紙チラシ.jpg" alt="" width="474" height="670" class="imgcaption alignleft size-full wp-image-41355" />
Night Hours: 6 p.m.–9 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays July 19–August 3 
Night-Hour Discounts: Free for students with I.D. Group discount rates for general admissions and seniors 65 & over. *No other discounts apply.
<a href="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/event/2018/1222.en">SUGIURA kunié: Aspiring Experiments New York in 50 Years</a> 
<img src="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/tablog/entries.ja/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/0724_sugiura.jpg" alt="" width="474" height="670" class="imgcaption alignleft size-full wp-image-41356" />
Night Hours: 6 p.m.–9 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays July 26–August 31 
Night-Hour Discounts: Free for students with I.D. Group discount rates for general admissions and seniors 65 & over. *No other discounts apply.
TOP Collection: Learning ‘The Fragments of Dreams’ 
<img src="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/tablog/entries.ja/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/0811夢のかけら-1.jpg" alt="" width="474" height="670" class="imgcaption alignleft size-full wp-image-41358" />
Night Hours: 6 p.m.–9 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays August 16–August 31 
Night-Hour Discounts: Free for students with I.D. Group discount rates for general admissions and seniors 65 & over. *No other discounts apply.
The Magic Lantern: A Short History of Light and Shadow 
<img src="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/tablog/entries.ja/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/0814_magic-lantern.jpg" alt="" width="474" height="670" class="imgcaption alignleft size-full wp-image-41359" />
Night Hours: 6 p.m.–9 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays August 16–August 31 
Night-Hour Discounts: Free for students with I.D. Group discount rates for general admissions and seniors 65 & over. *No other discounts apply.
◎ Japanese Traditional Magic Lantern Show “Utsushi-e” 
What: Debut performance by the Edo Utsushi-e Company 
When: August 24 (Friday) 7 p.m.–8 p.m. 
Where: 2F Lobby 
Participants: First 50 arrivals 
*Free of charge
◎ Gallery Talk 
When: August 31 (Friday) from 6:10 p.m. (40 minutes) 
Where: B1F 
*Exhibition ticket needed
<a href="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/event/2018/CFA7">World Press Photo 2018</a>
<img src="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/tablog/entries.ja/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/world-press-photo-001.jpg" alt="" width="474" height="670" class="imgcaption alignleft size-full wp-image-41360" />
Night Hours: 6 p.m.–9 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays July 19–August 3
Geigeki Wind Orchestra Academy Concerts (Produced by Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre) 
Woodwind Trio: August 3 (Friday) 6:15–7:00 p.m. 
Flute Duet: August 16 (Thursday) 6:15–7:00 p.m. 
Where: 2F Lobby 
*Free of charge
*Last admissions 30 minutes before closing times. 
*Summer Night Museum events and special offers are subject to change. For details, please see the museum websites or the Summer Night Museum 2018 webpage: <a href="https://www.rekibun.or.jp/en/nightmuseum2018/">https://www.rekibun.or.jp/en/nightmuseum2018/</a>
<img src="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/tablog/entries.ja/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/下町夕涼み.jpg" alt="" width="474" height="670" class="imgcaption alignleft size-full wp-image-41361" /> 
<a href="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/venue/880A1B68">Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum</a> also presents an event with extended summer hours:
◎ Downtown Summer Night Breeze ~ A Museum Festival 
Experience a summer evening on Shitamachi Nakadori, the museum’s recreation of a street lined with old-style downtown shops. Lanterns and dancing make for an enchanting evening at this Bon Odori festival. 
When: August 4 (Saturday) and August 5 (Sunday) until 8:30 p.m. 
*The exhibition “Tokyo 150 Years – The City, Building and People” (July 24, 2018–January 20, 2019) will also stay open until 20:30 on August 4 and August 5.
Seven Museum Mysteries 
This summer also brings a new kind of participatory art event: <a href="https://mysteryrally.com">Seven Museum Mysteries</a>. Run by Tokyo Metro and national and Tokyo metropolitan museums from July 20 through September 17, this self-directed course lets you set out with a detective booklet (available at Tokyo Metro stations) to unravel stories featuring museums as their characters. The four Summer Night Museum venues are among the seven participating museums: Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum, Edo-Tokyo Museum, Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, Tokyo Photographic Art Museum, The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo (MOMAT), The National Museum of Western Art, and The National Art Center, Tokyo. This summer, become a mystery sleuth at museums all across the city! *Please note this event is entirely in Japanese.
■Recap 
Summer Night Museum 2018 
When: July 19 (Thursday) through August 31 (Friday) 
*From July 27 (Friday) at Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum 
What: A Tokyo museum program with extended hours until 9 p.m. on Fridays (Thursdays and Fridays at Tokyo Photographic Art Museum), plus special events including talks and concerts. 
Where: Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum in Meguro, Edo-Tokyo Museum in Ryogoku, Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum in Ueno, and Tokyo Photographic Art Museum in Ebisu 
Official Website: <a href="https://www.rekibun.or.jp/en/nightmuseum2018/">https://www.rekibun.or.jp/en/nightmuseum2018/</a>

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Summer Night Museum is Back!

Anyone who has visited the Impressionist section of the Musee D’Orsay in Paris and wanted to sit down and admire some of the masterpieces has interacted with Tokujin Yoshioka’s work. His mesmerizing Water Block glass benches have been a permanent fixture there since 2011. He also has works in the permanent exhibitions of other key institutions, such as the Honey-Pop chair at the V&A in London and MoMA in New York. 
Now those in Tokyo can enjoy Yoshioka’s “Glass Project.” This small exhibition at 21_21 Design Site Gallery 3 until 13 November provides a brief retrospective of Yoshioka’s career so far. The works begin outside with Waterfall, a table made of the world’s largest optical glass. The piece captures magical reflections of the cedar trees in Midtown Park and the Tadao Ando-designed museum. 
<img src="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/tablog/entries.en/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Tokujin-Yoshioka-Glass-Project.jpeg" alt="Tokujin Yoshioka's 'Waterfall' (2006) outside 21_21 Design Site" title="Photo: Mac Salman" width="518" height="389" class="imgcaption" />
On entering the building, you are greeted with a 12-minute video that showcases Yoshioka’s design, beginning with Transparent Glass House (2002) and Chair That Disappears in the Rain (2002–2003), on through to his incredible Kou-An Glass Tea House (2011) and proposal for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Stadium. Yoshioka’s plan was ultimately not chosen, but incorporated Shintoistic elements and drew inspiration from the stadium’s location in the Meiji Jingu Outer Garden.
The exhibition also highlights corporate collaborations, such as the 2009 Moon Fragment bottle created for Cartier, and Stellar, a 2010 installation at the Swarovski Crystal Palace. You can see an actual example of this year’s Prism Dom Pérignon case with labels Yoshioka designed himself for the 2009 vintage. 
In that same corporate vein, the exhibition is organised by watch maker Seiko and supported by Issey Miyake Inc. This allows them the opportunity to showcase their Glass Watch, a collaboration with Yoshioka taking its place as the sixteenth in the series ‘Issey Miyake Watch Project.’ 
<img src="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/tablog/entries.en/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Yoshioka-watches.jpg" alt="Tokujin Yoshioka's 'Glass Watch' (2017) for the Issey Miyake Watch Project" title="Photo: Mac Salman" width="518" height="389" class="imgcaption" />
Also on display are pieces showing the continual evolution of Yoshioka’s works, such as Water Block – Katana (2017), a beautiful take on the Water Block concept. The triangular form of the bench harks back to the 500 prisms he used in his 2010 masterpiece Rainbow Church. Admission to “Glass Project” is free and provides a nice aperitif before heading to <a href="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/event/2017/8BF9">Wild: Untamed Mind</a> next door in the Design Sight main building.

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Tokujin Yoshioka’s Glass Project

<img src="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/tablog/entries.en/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/cover.jpg" alt="Japanese Tattoos: History* Culture* Design by Brian Ashcraft with Hori Benny" width="257" height="341" class="imgcaption floatl" /> 
As soon as you pick up Brian Ashcraft and Hori Benny’s Japanese Tattoos: History* Culture* Design</a> (Tuttle, 2016), you know you are in for a whirlwind tour of the unique world of irezumi tattoos. This book deals with a topic stigmatized in popular belief for its ties to the Japanese mafia, but which is also a bright and colorful art form packed with flora, fauna and deep symbolism. The authors explore the mysteries of these full-body and sleeve tattoos, presenting accessible and well-researched insights into the world of irezumi.
An introductory chapter reflecting on the roots of irezumi in Japanese culture provides a grounded base for a discussion of the art’s many intricacies and rules, as well as the history of training apprentices with sights set on becoming a horishi (tattoo artist). Ashcraft and Benny sum up each chapter with a profile of a practicing artist, educating the reader on the numerous approaches and entry points into irezumi while praising the yakuza’s enigmatic, underground practice that kept it afloat until it was legalized by Occupation Forces in 1948. As tattooing remains stigmatized to this day in Japan, many may be unaware of the long tradition and high level of planning and research a tattoo entails.
Irezumi are designed to be covered by clothing, changing their ideals from Western concepts of tattoos, which often serve as statements. The contents of irezumi emphasize metaphors and protection through Japanese folklore, myths and the power of nature. Furthermore, the idiosyncratic approach to designing and tattooing a body suit builds a relationship between artist and client unique to irezumi, placing further value on the individuality of the work. The book spotlights several practicing horishi working in different places in Japan, providing an objective overview of techniques, tools, and attitudes varying from city to city.
<img src="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/tablog/entries.en/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Ch4_A_2_Hori-Benny-Invasion-Club-Osaka-Work-14.jpg" alt="Hori Benny, Invasion Club, Osaka Work" width="257" height="386" class="imgcaption floatl" /><img src="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/tablog/entries.en/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Ch2_F1_Hori-Toshi-Bunshin-Hori-Toshi-Tokyo-Works-036.jpg" alt="Bunshin Horitoshi, Tokyo Works" width="257" height="386" class="imgcaption floatl" /> 
Japanese Tattoos is a particularly solid guide for those looking to get Japanese-style tattoos or even delve into the practice themselves. Sections covering common themes in irezumi such as Japanese motifs, Chinese and Buddhist written characters, the seasons, gods, heroes and folklore function as starting points for budding irezumi enthusiasts. Through examples delving further into specific aspects of irezumi, each chapter examines fundamental motifs.
As an artisan craft with strict parameters, Japanese tattoos have their rules and universe. Through the breadth of research and interviews, this book confirms the strenuous training apprentices undertake to even be titled an irezumi artist or earn the horishi title, when they conclude their apprenticeship and embark on a lifelong dedication to research and practice. It is from here they are able to take the craft into their own hands and toward exciting new directions. 
<img src="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/tablog/entries.en/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/CH6-Hori-Benny.jpg" alt="Hori Benny" width="257" height="418" class="imgcaption floatl" /><img src="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/tablog/entries.en/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Ch6_C_3_b_Naoki-TNS-Tattoo-Osaka-Tattoo-Works020.jpg" alt="Naoki, TNS Tattoo, Osaka Tattoo Works" width="257" height="418" class="imgcaption floatl" /> 
Horishi artists approach irezumi in diverse ways as they pay respect to the craft while continuing to advance it. Modern styles are distinct from more traditional ones, and the reader learns about unique ways the artisans interpret this craft as its practice evolves. Being one of the oldest traditions of tattooing, irezumi sets a high standard that has greatly inspired tattoo artists in the West in their own practices, apprenticeships and pursuits.
Irezumi is continuing to evolve as the next generation of artists practice it today. The old traditions are not long forgotten, but pave the way for artists to pay respects to tradition and identity in their own unique and exciting approaches. Japanese Tattoos is an admirable exploration of the craft and provides a foundation for further research into the extensive universe of irezumi and its place in Japanese culture.

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The Art and Craft of Japanese Body Ink

<img class="imgcaption" title="Ippei Shinzawa Photography. Courtesy Asakusa, Tokyo." src="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/tablog/entries.en/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/a1.jpg" width="518" height="" />
A distinctive alternative art space was recently founded in down-town Tokyo in October 2015. Co-directed by Koichiro Osaka and Noriko Yamakoshi, <a href="http://www.asakusa-o.com/">Asakusa</a> is an exhibition venue dedicated to advancing curatorial collaboration and practices.
Situated in the backstreets of Asakusa – one of the most popular tourist districts in Tokyo – the space is set in a traditional house built in 1965. It was renovated by architect Kosaku Matsumoto of Blue Architects, Zurich, and Osaka himself, with help from artist and collector acquaintances.
<img class="imgcaption floatl" title="Ippei Shinzawa Photography. Courtesy Asakusa, Tokyo." src="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/tablog/entries.en/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/a3.jpg" width="320" height="" /> <img class="imgcaption floatl" title="Nobutada Omote Photography. Courtesy Asakusa, Tokyo. " src="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/tablog/entries.en/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/a2.jpg" width="338" height="226" />
 
Koichiro Osaka himself boasts an interesting background. After studying at the prestigious Waseda University, he left Japan to live in Vietnam, but ended up in Thailand for three years. He then moved to the UK and studied social policy for the first two years, and then art criticism and curation at Central Saint Martin. After spending about eight 8 years in the UK, he returned to Tokyo and took up a curatorial position at SCAI The Bathhouse. While working for one of the leading contemporary commercial galleries in Japan, Osaka aspires to further develop exhibition programs at Asakusa.
Osaka explains that the pivotal interest of Asakusa lies in expanding the art circuit to explore fields intersecting with academic research.
“Japan is not a place where the context of contemporary art was initially developed. It has its pros and cons just like anywhere else, and we’d like to take a positive view. The lack of education that informs and disseminates today’s art, the lack of public support and recognition means that we are more exposed to basic questions about what we do; what “contemporary art” is and what it is for. There is no definition of it taken for granted. I’m absolutely for the idea of pushing art’s boundaries into other academic fields to explore the potential of what art can do. I also believe that artwork has an ability to resist being reduced to the scale of academic measurements. We’d like to invite more researchers from outside the art world so we can learn more from this negotiation”.
<img class="imgcaption floatl" title="Nobutada Omote Photography. Courtesy Asakusa, Tokyo." src="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/tablog/entries.en/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/a4.jpg" width="191" height="286" /> <img class="imgcaption floatl" title="Installation view of “Yoshua Okón: In the Land of Ownership” (2016) at Asakusa. Courtesy the artist and Asakusa, Tokyo. " src="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/tablog/entries.en/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/a5.jpg" width="428" height="286" />
 
Asakusa has held six exhibitions to date, frequently collaboration with guest curators. This year, its program focuses on questions of how art can function and engage with society and the role of art versus activism. Exhibitions have included critiques of labor in “1: The Third Entity” featuring Taka Atsugi, Mikhail Karikis & Héctor Zamora, “1923 – Action, Mavo, Futurismo, DVL and others” spotlighting the avant-garde movements which appeared in the year of the Great Kanto Earthquake, discussions of territory and borders in “Yoshua Okón: In the Land of Ownership” and “Radical Democracy: Thomas Hirschhorn & Santiago Sierra” which follows the trail of Agonistic politics in art.
The current show, <a href="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/event/2016/0BE3">“The Right to Opacity” features the work of Pauline Boudry / Renate Lorenz </a>and positions itself in relation to queer identities and the theory of Martinique poet Édouard Glissant. Through till October 13
You can <a href="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/tablog/entries.en/author/jong_pairez">Jong Pairez’ </a>review of<a href="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/tablog/entries.en/2016/09/assemblage-of-tensions-and-dissent.html"> “Radical Democracy: Thomas Hirschhorn & Santiago Sierra”  here</a>.

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Negotiating the Spaces of Contemporary Art: Asakusa

We’ve launched <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/app/tokyoartbeat/id354579592?mt=8">the iPhone app</a> update. 
(Updated: 01-25-2017)
A major update to <a href="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/apps/">the TAB app</a>, a must-have for Tokyo art lovers since 2009, will launch in January 2017 and will be free to download! Current users will receive the new version via regular App Store update. 
With this update, paying members will have access to special features like keyword search, making navigating the Tokyo art scene even easier and fun! Subscriptions will be available on a monthly or yearly-payment basis, with a free trial of all paid features for the first month, so be on the look out for a big announcement in January.
<img class="imgcaption floatr" title="" src="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/tablog/entries.en/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/TABappNews.jpg" alt="" width="257" height="" />Special Features for TAB App Subscribers (First Month Free!) 
・Bookmarking for your favorite art events and venues 
・Notifications of starting/closing dates for bookmarked events and venues 
・Keyword searches (Find the artist, venue, or other topic you’re looking for. That’s 10+ years of art and design event listings at your fingertips!) 
・Import your old MyTAB and Atlist bookmarks.
Free Features for all users 
・Info on art and design events in the Tokyo and Kanto areas. 
・Browse by genre, area, or starting/closing dates! 
・Listings for 500 art and design venues. 
・GPS search to find events near you! 
・The latest art and design news from Tokyo Art Beat’s social network feeds
*The 2017 app update is not available for iPod touch, iPad, or iPad mini. If you do not wish to update your TAB app, please check your Automatic Update settings. There are currently no plans for an Android version of the new TAB app. 
 
<img class="imgcaption floatr" title="" src="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/tablog/entries.en/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/TABappGoing.jpg" alt="" width="257" height="" />Subscriptions Help TAB Improve Its Services 
Tokyo Art Beat, run by the non-profit GADAGO, will use income from TAB app subscriptions for: 
・Staffing costs for event data editing and translation 
・Continued feature development and usability improvements for 
	the website and apps 
・Server hosting, backups, and other infrastructure costs 
・App maintenance to comply with OS updates 
About Memberships 
One of the reasons we’re introducing a new fee structure for the TAB app is to improve the tech side of things. For the past two years we’ve been unable to make frequent updates, and by doing so we hope to make our app smoother running and easier to use.
Your support makes this app renewal possible. By using the new app on your art outings, you help keep Tokyo Art Beat going. Thank you! We look forward to a new year in Tokyo art with you. 
The End of MyTAB and Atlist Services 
MyTAB and Atlist services will end with the TAB app renewal. We’ve already closed the creation of new accounts. We are grateful to our long-time MyTAB and Atlist users, and hope you will give the new app a try. Currently we are working on a download feature for the Want to go / Recommendations / Went lists on MyTAB and Atlist. More details will come soon. We thank you for your understanding!

A New Tokyo Art Beat App and the End of MyTAB

Update Nov. 2017: This position has been filled.
Calling Tokyo-based Translator-Editor! 
(Updated: 2016-10-26)
Passionate about art and driven by a vision to share what is going on in the Tokyo art scene with people of all backgrounds both near and afar, Tokyo Art Beat has led the way in bilingual arts listings since 2004.
We are able to cover so many events across the Kanto region in both Japanese and English due to the work of our skilled translation team and we are excited to inform you of an opportunity to become a member of this team!
If you are a native English speaker, with high command of Japanese and relevant translation experience we would love to hear from you.
Who is Tokyo Art Beat?
Tokyo Art Beat is run by a non-profit organization called Gadago, which also operates the two TAB apps, Tokyo Art Map, and Kansai Art Beat. It is staffed by a small yet dedicated team of Japanese and international people, including many interns and volunteers. TAB is funded primarily by revenue from advertising and its apps.
What is the job?
The opening is for one part-time translator-editor, working approximately 2-3 days a week at our office in Omotesando.
His or her job will be to translate and edit event descriptions into snappy, accurate English.
The translator-editor will deal with events happening in Tokyo and the Kanto area, but also events elsewhere in Japan.
A large part of the work is also editorial judgment: deciding what to translate and how to summarize long descriptions into a shorter English version that works for an international audience.
Candidates will need to have their own laptop. They should also have a friendly, sociable nature in order to fit in with the informal working style at TAB, where the team works around a group desk.
Why join the TAB team?
Working as part of the TAB team offers candidates a window into the art and design scene in Japan’s capital as well as opportunities to hone skills in translating, editing, copywriting, and work management.
Candidates with a passion for art and design will benefit from acquiring and polishing specialist vocabulary.
What future opportunities can working for TAB lead to?
Previous translators and editors for TAB have gone on to have busy and successful careers in the art and design world and other industries, including freelance translation and copywriting, gallery management, event organization, magazine editing and consulting.
TAB is run by a non-profit organization. So… is this a voluntary position?
No, our translator-editors are not volunteers, but nor are they paid at full commercial rates. The pay starts at ¥1,000/hr depending on experience, plus transportation costs. The remuneration is modest, so this is probably an ideal position for a student and/or someone just starting their career as a translator-editor.
The position also has many perks, including free exhibition tickets as well as opportunities to attend opening receptions and previews, and develop a network in the Tokyo art and design scene.
What should I do next?
Please send your CV and cover letter to <a href="mailto:contact@tokyoartbeat.com" target="_blank">contact@tokyoartbeat.com</a>
Deadline: October 31st
We look forward to inspiring more people around the world with the uniqueness of art in Japan and disseminate ever wider art information which is often difficult to come by outside the Japanese language. We can’t wait to work with you in the realization of this ambition!

*Calling Tokyo-based Translator-Editor!*

Currently on show at Mori Art Museum and The National Art Center Tokyo, “Sunshower: Contemporary Art from Southeast Asia 1980s to Now” is so far the biggest Southeast Asian contemporary art exhibition in Japan. It includes participation by 86 artists or groups and four young curators from the region, with the assistance of curators from both museums. It showcases a staggering number of artworks, from videos to multimedia and installation pieces.
The title is taken from a frequent Southeast Asian meteorological phenomenon in which sunshine and rain occur at the same time. According to the exhibition outline, this is a metaphor for the consequentially ambiguous changes the region continues to experience, from its colonial past up to its ongoing economic advancement and urban development. But what exactly is Southeast Asian contemporary art? Why does this exhibition matter?
<img src="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/tablog/entries.en/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Sutthbirat_Supaparinya_My_Grandpa.jpg" alt="Sutthirat Supaparinya, ‘My Grandpa's Route Has Been Forever Blocked’ (2012), 2-channel video installation, 15 min. 49 sec." width="518" height="146" class="imgcaption" /> 
To answer the questions above, the curators divided the exhibition into nine sections for the nine founding member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). However, rather than representing each nation, these nine segments discuss different contemporary issues facing the subcontinent. With their diverse perspectives and ingenious approaches to contemporary practice, each artist describes the region’s dilemmatic changes and how they affect their lives.
For instance, Sutthirat Supaparinya, an artist from Thailand known for her socially conscious video works, illustrates a development in her grandparent’s hometown along the Ping River. In her two-channel video My Grandpa’s Route Has Forever Been Blocked in the “Growth and Loss” section, she shows her grandfather recalling the river that once existed before a mega-dam project. The river has disappeared and what is left are now just memories. To the technocrats, however, this project represents a leap towards the future. 
The paradox of developmental progress discussed in “Growth and Loss” resonates with the “Dialogue With History” segment. By investigating linear historical narratives of progress, these artists portray history outside of mainstream depictions. For instance, the Cambodian artist-photographer Vandy Rattana uncovered unknown history from the Vietnam War during a search for personal family memories. This discovery would lead him to create a series of photographs he would call “bomb ponds.” Rattana’s incidental discovery of bomb-forged ponds hidden and forgotten in the idyllic Cambodian landscape reveals scars left by U.S. bomber planes. Although this piece of history was many years distant from him, Rattana chose to frame it not objectively but rather poetically, re-imagining it as a personal memory reflected in his own contemporary reality. 
<img src="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/tablog/entries.en/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Vandy_Rattana_Kompong_Thom_2009_lower.jpg" alt="Vandy Rattana, ‘Kompong Thom, Sambor Prei Kuk (from the series Bomb Ponds)’ (2009), Digital C-print, 90 x 105 cm (set of 9)" width="518" height="420" class="imgcaption" />
Contemporary art in the Southeast Asian region not only points to the societal uncertainty of economic “progress,” it illuminates the vulnerability of a region with resources powerful international players still contend to exploit. This vulnerability is seen in works by the Singaporean media artist Ho Tzu Nyen, who explores such issues in his CGI animation of a Malay tiger morphing into a British colonialist. In Southeast Asian mythology, tigers are a co-species that play an important role as a medium between the living and the ancestor-spirit world. Now that Malay tigers have gone extinct in the wake of colonial modernity, the beast is reduced into a mere symbol, its importance in mediating the cohabitational life of man and nature eliminated. Today, the representation of Southeast Asia in the global economy is that of a tiger – a subdued beast that has lost its capacity as a liminal figure to shape encounters with otherness. 
<img src="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/tablog/entries.en/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/1-Ho-Tzu-Nyen-2-or-3-Tigers-NACT.jpg" alt="Ho Tzu Nyen, ‘2 or 3 Tigers’ (2015), 2-channel HD video, 10-channel sound, 18 min. 45 sec." width="518" height="324" class="imgcaption" />
Ethnographer Anna Lowenhaupt-Tsing’s concept of “contaminated diversity” describes the shifting identity of people living in precarious conditions and the necessity of collaborative survival. This relationship is exactly how tigers and humans once co-existed in a shared habitat, where they “contaminated” each other and survived together. Moreover, this peculiar strength of Southeast Asia has enriched its culture and allowed for its development before and after colonialism. However, the precarious contemporary situation makes these societies once again vulnerable to more exploitation. In fact, through bilateral trade agreements, powerful nation-states are currently preying on the same vulnerabilities. 
There are many questions that arise from this exhibition, one a geopolitical issue of why hold it in Japan, a country far from the show’s focus. Does the distance allow us to see this place better? However you come down on this question, though, Sunshower does effectively profile Southeast Asia as a vulnerable resource and market for neocolonial advantage, a situation reflected in progressive contemporary art practices. Let this exhibition be your gateway to a more empathic understanding of the region, a place where tigers and man once thrived together.

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Contaminated Diversity

Since its re-opening last September, TOP Museum has featured a string of blockbuster shows where the viewer more or less knows what will be on display. From Nobuyoshi Araki to Hiroshi Sugimoto, you have an idea of what you are going to get! The strong curation and popular stars of these exhibitions translate into ticket sales, of course, but every now and then it is nice to go into a show not having a clue of what to expect and come out with a whole new knowledge set. “Japanese Expanded Cinema Revisited” will do that for most.
<img src="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/tablog/entries.en/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Expanded-Cinema-4.jpg" alt="Iimura Takahiko, A Dance Party in the Kingdom of Lilliput 1964 / 1966 Double projection, 16mm film, B＆W, sound, 12 min., Collection of the artist" width="518" height="376" class="imgcaption" />
Japan’s expanded cinema movement developed around the mid-1960s in reaction to experimental cinema in America and Europe. It caught on quite quickly in Japan, consisting of multi-projection, loop projection, and live performances utilizing the technology and multi-media art of the time. Filmmakers wanted audiences re-think the conventional cinematic experience. To illustrate this, TOP Museum presents expanded cinema films in their entirety (no longer than 15 minutes), along with film posters and two installations – one of which features 18 slide projectors centered around a 360 degree screen. Creating a sequence of moving images from stills, this display has been reconstructed for the first time in half a century.
It is surprising how much of expanded cinema had been overlooked in the context of Japanese film history, making the exhibition that much more special as a single compiled source of knowledge about the movement. The onset of the 1960s concluded what is often considered the Golden Age of Japanese cinema, when a new sensibility prevailed as the postwar youth entered adulthood. Studios seized this opportunity and gave emerging directors the chance to make youth-oriented films following the success of the French New Wave, recognizing the low budgets these directors required to make profitable films. Shochiku’s studio picked up Nagisa Oshima, Kiju Yoshida, and Masahiro Shinodo; Nikkatsu, meanwhile, drew in Shohei Imamura and Seijun Suzuki. Then there were the avant-garde independents such as Susumu Hani, 8mm filmmakers like Nobuhiko Obayashi, and Sogestu Art Centre’s Hiroshi Teshigahara making films with writer Kobo Abe. 
<img src="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/tablog/entries.en/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Expanded-Cinema-5.jpg" alt="Japanese Expanded Cinema Revisited, Installation View" title="Photo: Jesse Freeman" width="257" height="343" class="imgcaptionfloatl" />All of these directors started out creating the films they wanted to make, before financial constraints were put on their increasingly political works. The breaking point came at the end of the 1960s, when several directors went independent while Art Theatre Guild picked up the slack producing art films. They all more or less fizzled with the onset of the 1970s, as most film industries lost audiences to TV. Japan had its own answer to the drop in revenues, lapsing into Roman Pornos and pink eiga. Japanese expanded cinema really fell through the cracks in the middle of all this, yet many of the cinematic masters were involved in the movement in one way or another. Obayashi sat on a festival panel welcoming experimental films, Teshigahara offered space through the Sogetsu Art Centre, and the experimental filmmakers covered several of the political protests Oshima tackled in his full-length features. 
The aesthetics of Japanese expanded cinema for the most part feature no narrative structure, plot, or other conventional cinematic devices. Its films are strikingly similar to those of the late 1920s, when film as a medium was reaching a high point with Soviet montage, the Dadaists and Surrealists in France, Expressionists in Germany, and early exiles like Fritz Lang and F.W. Murnau in the U.S. Japan even had its own avant-garde with films like A Page of Madness in 1926. This amazing period came to end with advent of sound, and cinema would largely be neglected as a cutting-edge art form in Japan until the 1960s. Expanded cinema’s editing techniques and non-narrative expressions of political ideas are very Soviet. One of the exhibition’s political shorts even features opening puddle shots similar to Sergei Eisenstein’s Strike. Another film screened, Takahiko Iimura’s A Dance Party in the Kingdom of Lilliput (1964), harps back to French Dada films with overexposures, intentionally scratched prints, and fragmentary combinations of multiple art mediums. Overall, these films share a sense of liberation from traditional constraints in favor of personal expressions of national identity and culture.
Toshio Matsumoto’s For the Damaged Right Eye (1968) is perhaps the masterpiece of Japanese expanded cinema. Presented in the hallway before entering the show, this film says everything the exhibition does about a wide range of cultural phenomena from the 1960s, using multiple projectors that shift between documentary footage and avant-garde cuts. Maybe even more symbolic, though, is Takahiko Iimura’s Dead Movie (1964), an installation featuring an old projector with a black film loop of no image at all. The projector is lit up in the darkness, casting only its own shadow on the white wall – A fitting eulogy for cinema’s approaching death.

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Japanese Expanded Cinema Revisited

“<a href="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/apps/mupon">MuPon</a>” is an iOS/Android app dedicated to giving you special discounts at key art museums, movie theaters and art events around the Kanto region. We are pleased to announce the release of the 2016 version for both iOS and Android! With this app your world of art museums, art fairs, local art events, film, performance and more will be expanded even further, with a whole assortment of discounts to be had. A must for any art fan!
 
For a limited time only this app will itself be available at a special discount price, with the 1080 yen cost being reduced to 840 yen throughout December 2015, and the app being valid all the way until the end of 2016. 

Up until now over 100,000 people have used the MuPon app to gain special access to art events around Tokyo and beyond!! We are really grateful for everyone’s continued use of this app. This year the number of active users has also increased by 80%. We would like to send our thanks from all the TAB team and hope that even further people will again take up the urge to freely visit art events in around the region through our services.
<h3>What is MuPon?</h3>
MuPon is a smartphone application which supplies users with all the latest information on key art events and exhibitions around Tokyo and the wider region, with discounts available on all features. Such popular venues as Mori Art Museum and the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo are amongst a dynamic list of art museums which frequently offer discounts via MuPon. But of course it is not only those big institutions offering reduced admissions, but also art fairs, local events, performances, and more, with a selection of engaging events across all genres. We don’t just limit ourselves to Tokyo either. For example, in the summer of 2015 we also made a highlight of exciting events around the country, with a key focus upon the Kansai region, which certainly went down well with our users.
<img class="imgcaption floatl" title="If you download MuPon in your iPhone…　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　" src="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/tablog/entries.ja/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/2015-12-02-14.56.16.png" alt="" width="200" /><img class="imgcaption floatl" title="You can see a whole list of art events. Which one will you go to?" src="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/tablog/entries.en/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/2015-12-04-21.40.14.png" alt="" width="200" /><img class="imgcaption floatl" title="You can check the details through the app and then enjoy all the discounts!" src="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/tablog/entries.en/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/2015-12-04-21.40.20.png" alt="" width="200" />
<h3>Key Functions to Please Art Fans</h3>
While you have the chance to check all the latest art event information, the app also has various functions specifically developed from the perspective of art fans. Amongst these functions the event start and end alerts have gained particularly strong praise! In addition there are small features like the “Closed” mark which appears on days venues are not open, preventing that not so infrequent pattern of heading out to some exhibition and realizing it is shut that day. This all comes together to enable you make your way to art events whenever the will takes you.
If you want to tell someone about what you have seen you can share your experiences from MuPon direct to Twitter, Facebook and Line. In some cases there are even discounts available for 2-3 people so you can invite your friends and enjoy the events together. Who knows, it might even be a chance to build new ties through art! If you are more the type to go out alone you can collect the records of the different events you have attended like a stamp rally. In this way, MuPon is an app designed especially to broaden the ways in which to enjoy art events.
<img class="imgcaption floatl" title="Press the “Share” button" src="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/tablog/entries.en/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/2015-12-04_21_40_34.png" alt="" width="200" />　<img class="imgcaption floatl" title="And share with friends on Twitter, Facebook and Line! " src="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/tablog/entries.en/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/2015-12-04-22.00.11.png" alt="" width="200" />　<img class="imgcaption floatl" title="This way everyone can see the events you’ve been to. " src="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/tablog/entries.en/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/2015-12-04-21.40.48.png" alt="" width="200" />
<h3>The Voice of Users</h3>
We are really keen to hear how everyone uses the app and discover how convenient it has been. Here we introduce a number of user comments which have been posted on the App Store review of MuPon 2015.
“As it is valid for the whole year, I thought it would be good value for money and downloaded the app. I soon had a chance to test it out and it proved to be very easy and convenient to use” (NoArtNoLife)
“I used it last year and it turned out to quite good so I downloaded it again this year. You get alerts to new information so you get to know about events you may have overlooked and you can often use the discounts with friends too, so in all I’m quite pleased with it. If you try to get your money’s worth from it then MuPon really becomes an opportunity to open your art horizons!” (limona55)
“The icons are really cute! And it’s well worth the download fee, so I buy it every year.” (Pon)
“I purchased it for the first time, and the museum ticket desks recognized it immediately, making the app very easy to use. I am someone who frequently visits museums so it is a great help” (Kikiyama)
“I bought it when I went to Tokyo over Golden Week. Even in the Kansai area too there are sometimes events I can use MuPon for. Having finished my studies I have very little spare time and so I often failed to buy discounted advance tickets and just as my motivation for going out was waning I found this new stimulus! It would be great to use in many different regions of Japan!” (raymae)
<h3>Special Sale: The 2016 version is on special offer throughout December!</h3>
The usual price of MuPon’s 2016 version, 1080 yen, is being specially discounted throughout December to the bargain figure of 840 yen. The sooner you download the better! All downloads are valid until 31st December 2016. MuPon of course plans to offer you an even further array of information and discounts in 2016. So let’s enjoy our rounds of art events with a great deal!
You can check the events currently offering discounts through MuPon <a href="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/events/DiscountsfromMupon">here</a>.
1080 yen → 840 yen Sale! 
Download your 2016 version of Mupon, valid for the whole year! 
↓↓↓ 
<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/myupon-2016nian-ban-mei-shu/id1061663827?l=ja&ls=1&mt=8"> 
<img class="imgcaption floatl" src="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/tablog/entries.ja/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/badge_ios.png" alt="" width="183" height="51" /></a><a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=gadago.mupon.android2015"><img class="imgcaption floatl" src="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/tablog/entries.ja/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/GooglePlay.png" alt="" width="183" /></a>
 If you would just like to test out the app to see what all the fuss is about then we also have the answer for you. We are offering the 2015 version (valid until 31st December 2015) for free download. Why not try it out? (for iOS only) There is not much time left, but with all of these events selected especially by Tokyo Art Beat then you have the chance to access a whole host of discounts, making it perfect as a trial!
Click here for your free MuPon 2015 trial version! 
↓↓↓ 
<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/jp/app/myupon-2015nian-ban-mei-shu/id942910261?mt=8"><img class="imgcaption floatl" src="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/tablog/entries.ja/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/badge_ios.png" alt="" width="183" height="51" /></a>

«MuPon» 2016 Release – An App for Art Event Discounts

<a href="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/tablog/entries.ja/author/intern">Tokyo Art Beat’s interns</a> conducted a survey earlier this year of its users, hoping to glean information not just about the people who visit the website or use the <a href="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/apps">apps</a> or <a href="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/resources/doc/artmap">Art Map</a>, but also about the Tokyo art world in general.
The survey was kindly answered by 764 users, of which 239 were male and 525 were female.
Here’s a brief summary of the top results: 
– Female users outnumber male ones (as you might have guessed from the breakdown above of the respondents) 
– …and tend to be aged from their mid- to late twenties 
– …who visit art events two or three times a month 
– Favourite galleries and museums are the <a href="http://www.benesse-artsite.jp/en/teshima-artmuseum/index.html">Teshima Art Museum</a> (on Naoshima), <a href="http://www.kanazawa21.jp/en/">21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa</a>, <a href="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/venue/F994A9B7.en">21_21 Design Sight</a>, and <a href="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/venue/4A4AABB8">Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo</a> 
– The mobile phone of choice is the iPhone 
– Users are typically company employees or public servants, or doing something in the creative industries 
– And their preferred art event genres are painting, installations, photography or media art
<img class="imgcaption" src="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/tablog/entries.en/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/tab-survey1.jpeg" alt="" width="700" height="" />
Art-lovers are single!
So it seems in Tokyo at any rate. No doubt partly because art event visitor demographics often skewer younger, 82.2% of the survey respondents said they were single and, surprisingly, over 60% also said that they visit events on their own. (Phew, I’m not the only one! Literally.) In other words, Tokyo’s galleries might just be perfect places to find that special person!
Or are they? Only around 10% of respondents said that they go to events to meet new people. Over 90% said, as you’d expect, they went out of curiosity about an event, or due to work or to learn something new. And a mere 2% said they went in order to spend time with friends, family or lovers. Going to see an exhibition is apparently not a good date! (However, the top reasons for going to art event opening receptions or art talks was answered as in order to meet new people.)
<img class="imgcaption" src="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/tablog/entries.en/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/tab-survey2.jpeg" alt="" width="700" />
Sharing Impressions
Word of mouth and buzz are surely one of the top ways to attract visitors to a show that doesn’t have the mega advertising budget of events like the Yokohama Triennale. How are visitors sharing their impressions of events? Over 73% said they did it over Twitter — almost the same as who said they did it directly with other people. Also, around the same amount of users posted things on their own blogs (25.2%) as on Facebook, mixi or other SNS (29.4%), so it seems that tweeting is the digital platform of choice for TAB users by far.
<img class="imgcaption" src="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/tablog/entries.en/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/tab-survey3.jpeg" alt="" width="700" />
Artistic Influences
Sometimes getting to a gallery or museum in Tokyo is a real pain, in spite of the city’s superb transport system. Venues can be tucked away or far from stations, so what motivates or influences people to make that special effort to go to an exhibition? Practical factors like ticket price, or location or opening hours?
The most influential factor by far (78.6%) is whether there will be exhibits at the show from an artist users. This does not mean that people are completely shying away from things they are not already familiar with: over 50% said that the overall theme of the exhibition also influenced their decision to head out.
You can view the original version of this article in Japanese on TABlog JP (parts <a href="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/tablog/entries.ja/2011/10/todays-art-01.html">one</a>, <a href="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/tablog/entries.ja/2011/11/todays-art-02.html">two</a> and <a href="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/tablog/entries.ja/2011/12/todays-art-03.html">three</a>), where the results are digested in more detail.
Illustrations by Ayaka Sugiyama.

TAB Survey Results: Who are Tokyo’s art-lovers?

We would like to invite 15 pairs of readers to the Mori Art Museum on Saturday, October 22 (16:00). The dress code is…Metabolism Fashion!
The TAB team loves to plan fun events. After a lot of brainstorming and throwing ideas around, we have come up with a new way to make visiting an exhibition even more fun!
We will be visiting Mori Art Museum’s current exhibition <a href="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/event/2011/C8B2">“Metabolism, The City of the Future”</a> exhibition wearing Metabolism-inspired costumes…and we would like to invite you to join us!
What is Metabolism Fashion/Costume?!
Metabolism, currently being survey and introduced in the Mori Art Museum’s “Metabolism – The City of the Future” exhibition is an architectural movement that began in Japan in the Sixties. 
Famous examples of Metabolism include prefab architecture and structures involving capsules and compartments, perhaps most representatively in Kisho Kurokawa’s Nakagin Capsule Tower Building in central Tokyo. To learn more about Metabolism, please refer to the <a href="http://www.mori.art.museum/english/contents/metabolism/minute/index.html">Mori Art Museum’s blog digest series</a>.
<img class="imgcaption" title="Arata Isozaki, 'Shinjuku Project: City in the Air' (unbuilt) (1961/2011) (CG Video)" src="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/tablog/entries.ja/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/metabolism.png" alt="" title="metabolism" width="640" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-12546" />
The architecture of the Metabolism movement is very ambitious and uniquely shaped. Feed your imagination from the images and come up with your original costumes. We welcome any handmade costumes! Join in and become one of the buildings of the Metabolism City. 
The dress code may sound confusing, however with a little creativity you could easily come up with a design. One tip would be to make a collage. As you see below, you can chop up images of Metabolism architecture, and pasted them onto something to make a costume. For example, how about onto a milk carton?! Perhaps you have some clothes that just match the architectural imagery? It’s up to you!
<img src="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/tablog/entries.ja/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/MAMcostume_s2.png" alt="" title="MAMcostume" width="640" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-12591" />
We reckon there there is plenty of room for the imagination here. Just as long as the theme of the costume is Metabolism in some way, the final “look” can be anything you want. You can just imitate or pay homage to the unique forms and style of Sixties architecture — or you could even come in your own version of Metabolism for 2011!
Costumes could be made from anything around you and the simpler the idea, the easier it will be for you to make.
Here’s one idea!
Fold a piece of newspaper nicely into halves until you get the size you want…
<img class="imgcaption" title="1" src="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/tablog/entries.ja/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/作り方１.jpg" alt="" title="1" width="400" />
<img class="imgcaption" title="2" src="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/tablog/entries.ja/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/作り方３.jpg" alt="" title="2" width="400" class="imgcaption" />
<img class="imgcaption" title="3" src="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/tablog/entries.ja/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/作り方４.jpg" alt="" title="" width="400" />
…then cut four ends of the paper to create an X shape.
<img class="imgcaption" title="4" src="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/tablog/entries.ja/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/作り方５.jpg" alt="" title="" width="400" />
<img class="imgcaption" title="5" src="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/tablog/entries.ja/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/作り方６.jpg" alt="" title="" width="400" class="imgcaption" />
When you open the X, you should have patterned paper.
Simply spray the paper with black spray paint and when you paste it on a white piece of paper. Le voilà! Now you have a hat inspired by Kiyonori Kikutake’s “ECO POLIS” architecture!
<img class="imgcaption" title="Hat (left) based on Kikutake Kiyonori's unbuilt 'ECO POLIS' (right)." src="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/tablog/entries.ja/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/MAMcostume_s.png" alt="" title="MAMcostume" width="600" class="" />
There will be room for 15 pairs of readers. Please ask a friend along and <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dEh4TGwzem5kczlXejBEc3Rta2J3QkE6MQ">apply online</a>. And on the day we will have special prizes for the best dressed guests (one male and one female)!
Event Details 
Saturday, October 22, 2011 
16:00 at Mori Art Museum 
Please meet us by the Museum Cone entrance, already wearing your costume. 
Applications: <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dEh4TGwzem5kczlXejBEc3Rta2J3QkE6MQ">Here</a> 
Places are available on a first-come-first-served basis. We will contact successful applicants individually via email. 
Caution  
– Please note that your chosen costume should not damage any of the exhibits. You may not be able to enter the exhibition if your costume/accessories are considered too big or dangerous. 
– Alcohol is prohibited. We will not accept anyone who has been drinking prior to this event. 
– You can use the toilets in Roppongi Hills for changing into your costume.

Metabolism Fashion! Event

<img src="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/tablog/entries.en/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/ot60limitedhype1-1.jpg" title="Photo by LimitedHype" width="329" height="400" class="imgcaption floatr" />For the Japanese, turning 60 is an honour: it completes the 60-year ‘cycle of life.’ It is a magnificent milestone that inspired Japanese sports brand Onitsuka Tiger to create a magazine aimed at Japan lovers and ‘sports-fashion’ enthusiasts worldwide. Made of Japan is the beautiful result: 260 pages presenting the brands’ original sports heritage, its vision and evolution, and its influence as a style icon amongst fashion leaders, artists, athletes and sports fans in Japan, the US and Europe.
Made of Japan features interviews with more than 30 iconic personalities, including Chiharu Shiota (performance and installation artist who explores the cultures of Asia and Europe), Naomi Yotsumoto (colourful and stylish ping pong player), Yusuke Iseya (former model and one of Japan’s most treasured film actors), Hirofumi Kurino (leading authority on the Japanese fashion market), Mamoru Oshii, Kiyoshi Kuroda, Thomas Demand (German artist renowned for his 3-dimensional photographs inspired by Japanese paper art), and former star athletes Dave Cowens and Lasse Virén.
<h3>Collector’s Item</h3>
The creative team of German style title, Zoo Magazine, collaborated closely with Onitsuka Tiger to create this unique publication. Published in English and Japanese, Made of Japan is destined to be a collector’s item. The magazine’s physical attributes merge traditional Japanese book-binding methods with a clean, authoritative look and feel; the use of various types of paper underlines its intriguing contents.
<h3>Purchase online</h3>
Tokyo Art Beat is the exclusive online reseller of a <a href="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/shop/product/26?utm_source=tablogEN&utm_medium=referrer&utm_campaign=OT60">limited-edition set</a> including the 260-page soft cover book, a silk-screened box & a carton sleeve with a laser-cut Tiger motif. Limited to 250, it is available right now in our <a href="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/shop/product/26?utm_source=tablogEN&utm_medium=referrer&utm_campaign=OT60">online store</a>. We ship worldwide.
A non-boxed edition of 10,000 will be distributed in a selection of exclusive shops in Japan, the US and Europe as of September 1st. Stores include Colette (Paris), Do you read me?! (Berlin), SPRMRKT (Amsterdam), International Magazine Store (Antwerp), Selfridges (London) and Henrik Vibskov Boutique (Copenhagen), as well as international airports and railway stations.
<h3>Launch Party</h3>
If you’re in NYC tonight Tuesday 1st of September, LimitedHype are <a href="http://limitedhype.com/2009/08/onitsuka-tiger-official-launch-party/">hosting a launch party at Reed Space</a> with the support of Asahi Beer.
<img src="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/tablog/entries.en/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/ot60limitedhypeg.jpg" title="Photo by LimitedHype" width="518" class="imgcaption floatl" /> 
<img src="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/tablog/entries.en/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/ot60limitedhypea.jpg" title="Photo by LimitedHype" width="518" class="imgcaption floatl" /> 
<img src="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/tablog/entries.en/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/ot60limitedhypeb.jpg" title="Photo by LimitedHype" width="518" class="imgcaption floatl" /> 
<img src="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/tablog/entries.en/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/ot60limitedhypec.jpg" title="Photo by LimitedHype" width="518" class="imgcaption floatl" /> 
<img src="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/tablog/entries.en/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/ot60limitedhyped.jpg" title="Photo by LimitedHype" width="518" class="imgcaption floatl" /> 
<img src="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/tablog/entries.en/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/ot60limitedhypee.jpg" title="Photo by LimitedHype" width="518" class="imgcaption floatl" /> 
<img src="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/tablog/entries.en/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/ot60limitedhypef.jpg" title="Photo by LimitedHype" width="518" class="imgcaption floatl" />

article_5197

Onitsuka Tiger turns 60, releases “Made of Japan” book

When the Tokyo site started, we were merely a group of enthusiastic art and design lovers wishing for a reliable source of information, unhindered by the arbitrary taste and whim of editors and “experts”. 
Neither was information hard to get – the address of a given museum is no state secret, and galleries will gladly send around their schedule to whomever is interested -, nor were we the first site to gather and broadcast information. If anything, we were just insane enough to believe we could hoard and re-broadcast everything, and translate it too. And on top of that, we wanted to make it really easy for us, TAB’s first batch of users, to browse, find or stumble on that information.
That was, and still is, the main added value of the ArtBeat sites: teach good information new tricks; help it entice new audiences, which the art world seldom talks to. A simple and comprehensive web site for the hardcore AND the curious crowds, with translations to open the Tokyo scene to the world. 
Then, <a href="/mytab/">mail alerts</a> for the forgetful, <a href="/resources/doc/badge">blog widgets</a> and <a href="/resources/doc/feeds">RSS feeds</a> for the bloggers and the tech savvy, even a <a href="http://m.tokyoartbeat.com">mobile site</a> for Tokyoites on the go. And for those with a taste for more than raw info, we started the bilingual <a href="/tablog">TABlog</a>…
<h3>What next? You decide!</h3>
We just opened the <a href="/resources/doc/api">Tokyo Art Beat API</a>, which, as any geek will know, stands for Application programming interface. What it means is actually the important part: it means that Tokyo Art Beat is now opening its event data, in a well documented format, for anyone with decent programming skills to use and build upon. In other words, this time we are setting our data free, free for people to share and broadcast to more places and in more ways than we could imagine. The API includes not only all the signature Art Beat event smart lists in a format suitable for hacking, mashups and new applications, but also a brand new geolocated search application: give it a location anywhere in the city, a couple of parameter and voilà! Sweet and shiny event data you can feed to your mashups and web apps.
So mash early and mash often: check out the <a href="/resources/doc/api">API documentation</a>, join the <a href="http://groups.google.com/group/artbeat-api/">discussion group</a> for tips, announces and feedback. Then start hacking… Show us what you can build with TAB’s data. Or, if you are a seasoned traveler or couch cosmopolitan, you may also like the fact that TAB’s sister site <a title="New York Art Beat API" href="http://nyartbeat.com/resources/doc/api">NYArtBeat has an API, too</a>.
Oh, and did we mention this magic mashup of yours could make you rich? TAB is one of the APIs of the <a href="http://mashupaward.jp/english/">4th Mashup Awards</a> contest running for another few weeks until the 16th of September.
Good luck, have fun, and make Tokyo a more beautiful and creative city in the process!
Update: a few apps and websites have already surfaced that make use of the TAB API… 
* <a href="http://fjbears.web.infoseek.co.jp/tab/en/">Tokyo Arts Events Information</a> 
* Search for nearby events from your keitai: <a href="http://www.softdevice.co.jp/~web/art/art.html">携帯Art Map</a> 
* <a href="http://labs.spicebox.jp/artres/">Tokyo Art Island</a> (click on the map) 
* <a href="http://wealthy.spskill.com/hotelinfo/main.html">駅’si VISION</a> 
* <a href="http://tal.l-w-i.net/">Tokyo Art Life</a> 
* a <a href="http://flyer-collection.com/">flyer collection</a> site 
* a simple and practical <a href="http://expre55.net/tab/iphone/">iPhone site</a>. And <a href="http://dalada.la/art/">another one</a>! 
* <a href="http://binbodate.com">Binbo Date</a> (“cheap dates”) which locates nearby art exhibitions (especially the free ones) and bars etc as cheap date spots. 
* a <a href="http://www.geocities.jp/ys_and_otherjp/">Windows Explorer plugin</a>

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