Best Yokohama dim sum
December 20, 2011 by JapanGuide
Filed under Japan Today
In traditional Japan, it was considered impolite to walk and eat at the same time. That prohibition, though, never extended to Yokohama’s Chinatown.
With barrels of nikuman steaming on every corner and shops selling all manner of takeout dim sum, strolling while eating is the neighborhood’s favorite pastime. Here’s a guide to enjoying a local dumpling feast, movable or otherwise, on the best Yokohama dim sum.
Sheng jian bao: Wanchuchin
Wanchuchin is responsible for more ruined shirts than anyplace else in Chinatown. The specialty of the house, sheng jian bao, is a juicy, square-ish dumpling whose underside is browned on a griddle.
Yokohama Jazz Promenade
October 6, 2011 by JapanGuide
Filed under Japan Today
This weekend, stop in to Yokohama
as the entire city turns into one big stage for the Yokohama Jazz Promenade.
The two-day event is Japan’s
largest jazz festival, featuring thousands of musicians in over fifty venues. Performers
range from local high school bands to headliners like Sax Supper Session and jazz-funk
stars the Shuffle Demons.
In addition to traditional concert
venues like Landmark Hall and the Red Brick Warehouse, performances will be
held along the streets of Motomachi, in Isezaki Mall and in Queens Circle.
October 8 – 9, 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.
Yokohama. More info online.
Yokohama Oktoberfest 2011
September 28, 2011 by JapanGuide
Filed under Japan Today
We know what you’re thinking. Another
“Oktoberfest”? But the difference this time is that it’s, well, actually
October — which makes Yokohama’s version the only true Oktoberfest in the
Kanto area.
For just over two weeks the plaza
outside the Aka Renga Red Brick Warehouse will be filled with a sea of tents,
raucous chants of “ein prosit” and frequent conga lines.
Yokohama typically puts on one of
the better versions of this sudsy fall festival. But seeing as 2011 marks not
only the 150th anniversary of German-Japan relations, but also the centennial
of Aka Renga itself, this year’s celebrations are sure to be extra special.
Yoga Fest Yokohama 2011
September 21, 2011 by JapanGuide
Filed under Japan Today
Did you indulge a bit too much
over the first three-day weekend? Find out how to kickstart your body’s
revitalization process at the Yoga Fest Yokohama.
This annual event features three
days of lessons, seminars and lectures by some of the top yogis from Japan, the
US, Hong Kong and beyond. Stop by the free expo area to check out booths
showcasing the latest in fashionable yoga wear and spiritually enlightening
music as well as information on local studios.
Experience some of the more
untraditional sides of the sport over at the main stage, which features a
lineup of yoga as performance, fusing dance, art and live music.
Tokyo to Yokohama on a 40-kilometer bar crawl
September 13, 2011 by JapanGuide
Filed under Japan Today
My theory: If you want to find a great bar,
you should ask a bartender.
And my method: Visit a bar, drink the house
specialty, then ask the bartender to suggest the next destination.
I asked Masa Kon, bar manager for the
Rigoletto chain, to pick a starting point. Kon introduced me to Tokyo’s
cocktail scene several years ago by taking me on the most expensive bar crawl
of my life.
This time he nominated Ishinohana in Shibuya.
Stuck-up it’s not
Ishinohana happens to be one of my favorite
bars. You get all the tea-ceremony precision of classic Japanese bartending but
none of the uppityness that often comes with it.
Charity Japan Beer Festival Yokohama
September 7, 2011 by JapanGuide
Filed under Japan Today
Like the Tokyo counterpart that
was held back in June, the Yokohama leg of the Great Japan Beer Festival
provides one of the better suds-fests in Kanto.
From September 17 – 19, step
inside the whale-shaped Osanbashi Hall and discover nearly 200 varieties of
microbrews. This year’s offerings range from local favorites like Coedo and
Baird Beer to more esoteric choices including Taybeh from Palestine.
Unlike other festivals where you
pay by the glass, entrance to this event lets you sample as many beers as your
liver can handle. The first 800 customers will also receive a special “2011 Yokohama”
commemorative glass. Oh, and did we mention it’s for a good cause?
Yokohama Triennale
August 10, 2011 by JapanGuide
Filed under Japan Today
Soak up a variety of works from
both Japanese and international artists of all stripes at the Yokohama
Triennale.
Curated by Yokohama Museum of Art
Director Eriko Osaka, the theme of this year’s event is Our Magic Hour. Visitors
are invited to explore myths, legend and the “magical mysterious powers in our
daily lives.”
Spread out between BankART Studio
and the Yokohama Museum of Art, the program encompasses all genres, including
lectures on Japanese yokai monsters; a performance series entitled “Music for
Plants” that takes place in a greenhouse; and an interactive exhibit where
visitors can apply stickers by the artist Carsten Nicolai to the construction
barrier in front of the museum.
Aloha Yokohama 2011
July 20, 2011 by JapanGuide
Filed under Japan Today
If you suddenly start hearing the
strains of a ukulele or notice the scent of tropical flowers wafting in the
breeze as you walk down the street, don’t worry — it’s not your imagination.
It’s probably Aloha Yokohama 2011.
This annual extravaganza is
billed as one of the world’s largest Hawaii festivals. The slate of
international performers certainly backs that up. This year’s lineup includes
father-and-sons trio Manoa DNA, Grammy Award-winner Daniel Ho, reggae musician
Iakopo and former Miss Hawaii USA/hula dancer extraordinaire Aureana Tseu.
If you’re keen to participate and
show off your own skills, join in the “thousand person hula” event at 3 p.m. on
July 24, where you can learn some moves from Aureana Tseu herself.
Nice buns: Yokohama Chinatown’s magnificent 7 dumpling shops
July 3, 2011 by JapanGuide
Filed under Japan Today
In
traditional Japan, it was considered impolite to walk and eat at the same time.
That prohibition, though, never extended to Yokohama’s Chinatown.
With
barrels of nikuman steaming on every corner and shops selling all manner of
takeout dim sum, strolling while eating is the neighborhood’s favorite pastime.
Here’s a guide to enjoying a local dumpling feast, movable or otherwise.
1. Sheng jian bao: Wanchuchin
Wanchuchin is responsible for more
ruined shirts than anyplace else in Chinatown. The specialty of the house, sheng
jian bao, is a juicy, square-ish dumpling whose underside is browned on a
griddle.
From Broadway to Yokohama as Japanese theater gets a new home
February 7, 2011 by JapanGuide
Filed under Japan Today
One of the most
entertaining songs in the Japan-themed Stephen Sondheim musical “Pacific
Overtures” is called “Welcome to Kanagawa.”
It seems apt, then, that the
director who revived the work on Broadway in 2004, Amon Miyamoto, should this
month be beginning his new position as head of the Kanagawa Arts Theatre (KAAT)
in Yokohama.
Miyamoto, known best for large-scale musicals and
operas, is surely now very welcome in Kanagawa indeed.
