Volume 39, Number 04
Things To Do
Saturday, February 16
Spend the day at Yamakita- Town's Buddhist Prayer ritual with Lion, and Asobi Kagura Dances. From 1pm at Noanji Temple.
Sunday, February 17
Take your teens to rock out at a concert by American superstar group the Backstreet Boys at the Tokyo Dome. www.bsb-japantour.com
Monday, February 18
Enjoy the last week of February Grand Kabuki on through Feb. 23 at Kabuki-za Theater in Ginza. Tel. 03-3541-3131 http://www.shochiku.co.jp/play/kabukiza/theater/.
Tuesday, February 19
Enjoy the Grammy-winning vocals of Icelandic songstress Björk tonight and Feb. 22 at Nippon Budokan. Tel. 03-3444-6751.
Wednesday, February 20
Enjoy Better Living and Other Projects by Shinobu Akimoto the Embassy of Canada's Prince Takamado Gallery through Mar. 20.
www.canadanet.or.jp
Thursday, February 21
Enjoy the Night Views in Ukiyo-e at the Ukiyo-e Ota Museum of Art until Feb. 26, ¥200–¥700, www.ukiyoe-ota-muse.jp.
Friday, February 22
Enjoy the opera The Black Ships, based on the story by Percy Noel at the New National Theatre in Hatsudai, ¥3,150–¥15,750, tel. 03- 5352-9999.
Saturday, February 23
Learn about Writing and Illustrating English Education Materials at a talk hosted by SCBWI from 6:30–8:30pm. See www.scbwi.jp for more information.
Sunday, February 24
Take the kids to the last day of the February Bunraku at 11am, 2:30pm, and 6pm at the National Theatre, tel. 03-3265- 7411.
Monday, February 25
Enjoy Monet and French Landscape: Traveling with the Artists in France through Mar. 23 at the Pola Museum. ¥700–¥1,800, www.polamuseum.or.jp.
Tuesday, February 26
View the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum's exhibit: Louvre: Musée du Louvre, Fastes de la cour de France au XVIIIe siècle. Through Apr. 6, www.tobikan.jp.
Wednesday, February 27
See 20 slides shown for 20 seconds each by 20 artists at Pecha Kucha night. SuperDeluxe, starts at 8:20pm, ¥1,000 with one drink, www.superdeluxe.com.
Thursday, February 28
Vegans will love the Tokyo Vegan Meetup's monthly dinner at the Pink Cow. A set menu costs ¥2,650 and starts at 8pm.
Friday, February 29
Treat your ears to the JVC Jazz Festival with Blue Note Tokyo, featuring Harvey Mason, Junko Onishi, and others at 6:30pm, Bunkamura Orchard Hall, tel. 03-5485-0088.
Saturday, March 1
Enjoy the unique Czechoslovakian figurine theater, Kousky V at Aoyama Round Theater, tel. 03-3797-5678.
Sunday, March 2
It's a soy-filled day at the Oyama Tofu Festival; a tofu thanksgiving festival, tofu making, and speed-eating contests. Tel. 090-2322-6599.
Monday, March 3
Visit the innovative National Art Center, Tokyo, for the final day of Yokoyama Taikan: Fifty Years On—A Legend in the Making. ~¥1,400, www.nact.jp.
Tuesday, March 4
Enjoy the Suntory Museum of Art's special exhibition to celebrate their new home at Tokyo Midtown, Lautrec. ~¥1,300, www.suntory.co.jp/sma.
Wednesday, March 5
Take the kids to enjoy the musical Lion King, based on the popular Disney Film. At Shiki Gekijo in Hamamatsucho, ¥3,150–¥11,550, tel. 0120-48- 9444.
Thursday, March 6
Rock out with alternative rock band Broken Social Scene, performing with Stars at Liquidroom in Ebisu at 7pm. Tickets are ¥5,800, tel. 03-3444-6751.
Friday, March 7
Head to Samrat Hiroo to devour a tasty curry and while you're there, pick up the Thailand issue of Weekender, due out today.
Celebrate the Life Of Poet Robert Burns
The Burns Supper
by Danielle Tate Stratton
Don your kilts as you help the St. Andrew Society of Tokyo and Yokohama celebrate the life of poet Robert Burns at the club's Burns Supper on February 23. Robert Burns is the author of Auld Lang Syne and dinners in his honor are held all over the world on or near Burns Night, which is the poet's birthday, February 25. In Tokyo, the celebrations will take place two days early at the Tokyo American Club's new location in Takanawa.
The evening is set to include drinks, a four-course dinner, and entertainment by the Tokyo Pipe Band. Be sure to wear your dancing shoes as there will be dancing into the night as well. Of course, no Burns Dinner would be complete without some of Burns' poetry as well.
Besides promising to be a fantastic evening, the event also supports two important charities—Second Harvest Japan and the Scottish Community Foundation. Second Harvest Japan was the first food bank to be established in Japan and works, in partnership with corporate partners such as Costco and Fujimamas, to provide food to some of the 650,000 people across Japan who lack ‘food security.' To find out more, visit www.secondharvestjapan.org.
Based in Scotland, the Scottish Community Foundation is committed to providing grants to anyone, ranging from an individual to a charitable trust, who would like to give back to their community. Recently funded projects have included a trust to allow mature women to further their education and funding for terminally ill individuals to stay in their own homes through the completion of their lives. For more information, visit www.scottishcommunityfoundation.com.
Dress at the Burns Dinner is traditional or cocktail dresses and lounge suits, and tickets cost ¥15,000. Reserve your ticket online at https://sas.wir.jp/ers/ers.php?ers_event_id=22.