EDITORIAL FEATURES & REVIEWS (37)
Akiko Yano Featured
A Life in Jazz, Pop, and Film
Tracing the Creative Journey of a Japanese Music Pioneer
Akiko Yano, a pop and jazz singer, is a major talent and influence in the Japanese music industry. She has released 50 albums and collaborated with musicians like Hiromi Uehara, Rei Harakami, Pat Metheny, Thomas Dolby, Swing Out Sister, Little Feat and the Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO). She has also collaborated as a composer and voice actor with numerous film directors, most notably the anime legend Hayao Miyazaki of Studio Ghibli. Yano’s music is known for its whimsical, mischievous touch and innovations. Attending an Akiko Yano concert live is a transformative experience, inspiring audiences with joy and admiration to also express themselves as raw and authentically as she does. Formerly married to the late globally acclaimed musician Ryuichi Sakamoto, a pioneering member of YMO, she continues to inspire both the Japanese and American music industries today with both her talent and melodies. In 2025, Akiko's live album with Hiromi, Step Into Paradise, won the Japan Gold Disk Award for Jazz Album of the Year. Tokyo Journal’s Editor-in-Chief, Anthony Al-Jamie, met with Akiko in Los Angeles to discuss her career.
Shingen-ko Festival Featured
Photographs courtesy of Shingen-ko Festival Executive Planning Committee
Heroes of the Sengoku Era Revived
The Shingen-ko Festival has been held in Kōfu, the capital of Yamanashi Prefecture, every April since 1970 to commemorate the legacy of Takeda Shingen, a renowned general of the Warring States period of the 15th and 16th centuries. While this event is relatively new compared to other Japanese festivals, it has gained support from local residents and gradually expanded in size. The festival was briefly postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but it returned in full swing in 2022 with high attendance by both Japanese residents and foreign tourists. Today it is recognized as a major festival and a source of local pride.
The Shingen-ko Festival: A Showcase of Local Culture
Compared with other Japanese festivals, Shingen-ko Festival is young. It was created on April 12, 1970 to commemorate the anni- versary of Takeda Shingen’s death. Initially a small-scale event, the festival has gained popularity thanks to its celebration of Kōfu’s culture, Shingen’s achievements and the legacy of the Takeda clan. While local residents and government officials are the primary organizers of the festival, Shingen-ko Festival has become a nation- ally recognized event. The festival attracts and captivates people with its grand historical reenactment of Takeda Shingen’s life and legacy.
United Nations University Rector Dr. Tshilidzi Marwala Featured
Dr. Tshilidzi Marwala, Rector of the United Nations University and Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations, stands as a towering figure in the realm of global cooperation and innovation. His life story is a testament to the transformative power of education and the boundless potential of the human spirit. Rising from humble beginnings in rural Venda, Limpopo, South Africa, he has ascended to a position of global leadership, driven by an unwavering commitment to solving the world's most critical challenges. Dr. Marwala holds a Bachelor’s and a Master's degree in mechanical engineering from Case Western Reserve University and the University of Pretoria, respectively. He earned his Ph.D. in artificial intelligence and engineering from the prestigious University of Cambridge. Dr. Marwala is a pioneer in harnessing the power of technology for human advancement. His illustrious career has seen him serve as Professor of Electrical Engineering at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, and as Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of Johannesburg, where he boldly introduced mandatory AI and African Insights curricula for all students – shaping a new generation of globally aware and technologically competent leaders. He currently contributes his expertise as Deputy Chair of South Africa’s Presidential Commission on the Fourth Industrial Revolution and lends his wisdom as a trustee of the Nelson Mandela Foundation. Tokyo Journal Editor-in-Chief Anthony Al-Jamie delved into Dr. Marwala's visionary mission, explored his innovative strategies for confronting global crises, and uncovered the personal narrative that propelled him from a childhood in rural South Africa to becoming a leading voice for unity and progress on the world stage, promoting education as a fundamental human right.
We Are X Documentary is a Must See Featured
We Are X Documentary is a Must See
Visual Kei Pioneers Go from the Center Stage to the Silver Screen
By Tokyo Journal Intern Michael Tang
We Are X is a documentary about the lives of the Japanese rock band X Japan and its leader Yoshiki. Even those who have never listened to X Japan before will leave the theater incredibly emotional and moved.
2016 OC Japan Fair Featured
2016 OC Japan Fair
A Japanese Cultural Experience in Southern California
By Tokyo Journal Intern Michael Tang
On September 9th and 10th, 2016, the OC Japan Fair returned for another amazing festival showcasing Japanese culture in Orange County, California. This year’s event was located at the Phoenix Club of Anaheim. The OC Japan Fair featured an exhibit hall where vendors sold various Japanese related goods, from anime merchandise to traditional Japanese kimonos. There was an area for children to play kingyo-sukui, the fun and sometime stressful game of catching goldfish with a paper scooper.
Perfume’s World Tour Hits L.A. Featured
Perfume kicked off their latest world tour, Cosmic Explorer, at The Wiltern in Hollywood. Perfume is one of Japan’s most popular and recognized girl groups and the energy that surrounds the group while on stage can only be matched by the level of bass that was blasting through the speakers. In the 16 years since their formation, Perfume has not lost any steam, as they dominate both Japanese and foreign electro-pop music scenes. Tokyo Journal intern Michael Tang had a chance to experience their Hollywood performance during their Cosmic Explorer World Tour.
Miyavi: The Samurai Guitarist Featured
Making Music and Movie Magic
MIYAVI is making waves on both sides of the ocean in the music and movie industries. Born in 1981as Takamasa Ishihara in Osaka, Japan to a Korean father and a Japanese mother, the singer, songwriter, guitarist, record producer and actor took on the stage name MIYAVI. Known for his unconventional style of slapping the guitar rather than playing it with a pick, his international fan base has nicknamed him the Samurai Guitarist. Tokyo Journal’s Executive Editor Anthony Al-Jamie talked to MIYAVI about his multifaceted career.
Akira Kurosawa’s Legacy Featured
Akira Kurosawa’s Legacy Impacts a New Generation of Filmmakers
Hisao Kurosawa Shares his Father’s Legacy with Young Filmmakers Throughout the World
AKIRA Kurosawa, one of the most influential directors in the history of film, will once again shape a new generation of filmmakers through a medium that Kurosawa himself might only have imagined: an online MFA program in digital filmmaking. Like celebrated moviemakers before them, aspiring filmmakers will learn their craft by studying with experts in the field. In addition, they will view hours of never-seen-before footage of Kurosawa himself on the set, allowing students to go behind the scenes and learn visual articulation directly from the master.
X Japan Rocks New York (Japanese)
2014年10月11日、X Japan は多くの日本人バンドにとっての長年の夢を達成した。レッド・ツェッペリンやザ・ローリング・ストーンズ、ザ・フー、
X Japan Rocks New York
X Japan Rocks New York's Madison Square Garden
Japan’s Greatest Rock Band Takes a Bite out of the Big Apple
Interview by Anthony Al-Jamie
On October 11, 2014, X Japan did what most Japanese bands and performers have only dreamt of doing for decades. They played the most revered concert venue in the United States–Madison Square Garden–on the stage that has been graced by the likes of Led Zeppelin, the Rolling Stones, The Who, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Elton John and Michael Jackson. X Japan is one of the most successful Japanese rock bands in history with more than 30 million albums, songs and videos sold. They sold out the 55,000-seat Tokyo Dome 18 times, and in fall of 2014, just prior to their historic Madison Square Garden concert, the band returned to their old stomping grounds for a two-night stint at Yokohama Arena. X Japan pioneered an entire musical genre known as visual kei, fusing glam rock, punk rock and heavy metal with wild hair, androgynous makeup and flamboyant costumes. Formed in 1982, X Japan was one of the first Japanese bands to achieve mainstream success while on an independent label. In their three-decade career, they have released five studio albums, six live albums, eleven compilation albums and numerous videos. They’ve had their share of drama with the tragic deaths of their beloved guitarist HIDE and bassist TAIJI. At HIDE’s funeral in 1997, more than 50,000 fans came out to mourn his passing. At the same time, lead singer Toshi was struggling with the beginning of a horrific 12-year experience of being abused and taken advantage of by his wife and her co-conspirator as described in his alltelling autobiographical book Brainwashed. After X Japan’s breakup in 1997 and reunion in 2007, fans around the world have been eagerly awaiting a new album and another world tour. What’s in store for X Japan? The following is a series of interviews carried out by Tokyo Journal Executive Editor Anthony Al-Jamie with X Japan, including a pre-Madison Square Garden New York interview with the entire band and pre- and post-MSG interviews with the individual band members. These interviews with bandleader Yoshiki (drums and piano), Toshi (vocals), PATA (guitar), HEATH (bass), and SUGIZO (guitar and violin) took place while the band members were in Los Angeles, New York and Tokyo.
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