August, 2009:

March 24, 1960

Kimio Fujiwara is a former psychologist and the inventor of an inexpensive, compact emergency first aid kit for motorists.

Why are you trying to promote First Aid kits for cars?

When the Kansai Earthquake struck Kobe and Osaka, many roads were rendered inaccessible to emergency vehicles. Also, medical supplies stored indoors are sometimes destroyed in disasters. First aid should be immediately available. This isn’t a new idea. In Germany, every personal car is required to carry one. We are promoting the use of these boxes in vehicles like taxis, buses, patrol cars and delivery trucks. If someone is injured, receiving basic first aid should be as easy as hailing a taxi. We want the FA logo to become a standard so that when someone is seeking help, they can find it by looking for the logo on a car.

How well has this caught on so far?

A few companies have begun using this in their vehicles as a part of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programs. Right now stores in the Mugita Shotengai are carrying them. All of the Yokohama Baystars players also have one in their cars. We are in the process of promoting this to an array of companies and local governments.

The First Aid kits are small enough not to become a nuisance in a vehicle. Even motorcycles can be equipped with them. One innovative feature is that the box itself can be cut to make an effective arm sling. They also contain a CPR guide, which is much easier and more practical than using an AED machine. Quickly receiving first aid treatment can make an enormous difference. The boxes cost less than ¥5000 and last for three years. That works out to about ¥5 a day!

For more information, please see the El Puente (Spanish for “bridge”) International Website at www.elpuenteintl.com

If you are looking for a cool place indoors to take your family on a hot summer day, the Mitsubishi Minatomirai Industrial Museum is well worth a visit. Conveniently located between Landmark Tower and the Yokohama Museum of Art, the museum presents science and technology in a fun way that kids and adults can both enjoy. The two floors of exhibits are nicely divided into six zones: transportation, space, ocean, environment/energy, technology and daily life discovery.

Most of the zones include exhibits that give visitors hands-on experiences with various types of technology. My four-year-old son was fascinated with “jTRAM,” a train-driving simulator in the transportation zone. The “Deep Submergence Underwater Cruise,” a submarine-driving simulator, was also quite exciting for my toddler. Both of these simulators will grade your driving skills. My son received generous C grades for his reckless driving.

Older kids will no doubt enjoy the “Sky Walk Adventure,” a helicopter flight simulator. Reservations are required for this attraction, and the wait for the next available ride is usually rather long. If you want to try this popular attraction, you should go to the reception at Trial Square on the second floor as soon as you enter the museum to make a reservation.

Adults will probably find the Environment/Energy zone most interesting. The museum uses “CO2 balloons” to show how much carbon dioxide is created by everyday activities such as using a vacuum cleaner for ten minutes or taking a ten-minute shower. The Space zone with its rocket engines and model of the International Space Station is also interesting for adults, but I don’t recommend spending a long time in the “Room to Cause Oculogravic Illusion.” A couple of minutes in this tilted, striped room left me feeling sick to my stomach.

Admission to the museum is a very reasonable 300 yen. Your entry card gives you a 100 yen discount on your next visit. Printable coupons are also available on the museum’s homepage. Most signs and simulator instructions in the museum include fairly good English translations.

Mitsubishi Minatomirai Industrial Museum
三菱みなとみらい技術館
Mitsubishijuko Yokohama Building,
3-1, Minatomirai 3-chome, Nishi-ku,
Yokohama-shi, 220-8401
横浜市西区みなとみらい三丁目3番1号　
三菱重工横浜ビル　
TEL：045-200-7351　FAX：045-200-9902
www.mhi.co.jp/museum

The Minami Saiwai area near Yokohama Station is certainly very lively and exciting, but it can be a little hectic, too. If you want to get away from the fray of shoppers to relax in a chill spot, you just have to cross the river to Roku Café.

Started in 2007, this unique little café is billed as a “sofa party” and festooned accordingly. The interior design is a playful bricolage of vintage furniture, daring colors, odd red fur, innumerable magazines, and various incomprehensible sundries not limited to a battle of green army men on the window sill. The environment makes for a cheerful atmosphere that is reflected in the smiles of the friendly young staff.

The menu at Roku can satisfy almost any craving. I wonder how just one kitchen can churn out everything from sweet French toast to mouth-watering Asian fusion dishes. For dinner, we tried the recommended Korean Style Avocado Don and Roku’s own “Obladi” cocktail, both of which were quite delicious and satisfying. The really unique side of their menu is the daily selection of special cakes and coffee, which is always proudly hand dripped.

Enjoy a pleasant break from the madness and heat outside with some great food, drinks or desert. It’s the perfect spot for a casual date, but just as good for coming alone to read and relax.

Roku Cafe ロクカフェ
横浜市西区北幸2-11-23
Nishi-ku, Kitasaiwai 2-11-23
TEL: 045-311-1114
営業時間 (Hours) : 11：30 – 23：30
定休日 : 月（日・月連休の場合は火曜日休み）
Close Mon (or Tues if Mon is a natl holiday)

Craft Beer Bar, tucked away down a quiet back street in Kannai, is a place of sophistication. On first entering, you may think it is an upscale whiskey bar—it originally was. But then owner Suzuki Tetsuya discovered the pleasures of craft beer about five years ago. In addition to the 210 varieties of scotch whiskey, there are always ten Japanese microbrews on tap that change weekly.

Despite the elegant, expensive appearance of the interior, the prices are very reasonable. Whiskies, including some rare ones, are all 800 yen. Pints of beer are always 1000 yen, while glasses are 700 yen. The food menu consists mainly of pub-style snack foods, including specialty ham and sausage.

The elegant wooden interior, jazz music and dimmed lighting make it a good place for quiet conversation with a friend or a date, but many customers come by themselves. Suzuki is polite and formally dressed, but don’t let his quiet demeanor fool you; he seems to wait for guests to strike up conversation. And that’s good, because sometimes you just want to drink alone and focus all your attention on the complex tastes of a good craft beer.

Note, too, that Craft Beer Bar has no charge and is non-smoking!

Craft Beer Bar (クラフトビアバー)
横浜市中区太田町2-31-3-102
Naka-ku, Ota-cho 2-31-3-102
TEL: 045-651-0440
平日 (weekdays):16:00 – 23:30
土、日、祝 (Sat, Sun & Hol): 12:00 – 22:00
月曜日定休 (closed Mondays)
http://craftbeerbar.seesaa.net

Summer in Yokohama can be a hot, sticky, dirty affair. But you need not coop yourself up in a room with an air conditioner! Yokohama city has seven outdoor pools that are open until mid-September. It’s an affordable and fun way to enjoy the dog days of summer. Swimming is also great for overall physical training.

The fees for using the public pools vary, but can be as cheap as ¥200 per hour. Lifeguards are stationed to ensure safety. For personal belongings, use the optional lockers for only ten yen. Showers are provided.

The Motomachi Pool, located in the center of the beautiful Motomachi Park, is just a few minutes walk from the station. Clean and spacious, it is a little unusual for being Olympic sized (50 meters). It isn’t always that crowded, even on a sunny Saturday afternoon. It’s quite nice to have a swim and relax by the poolside to the sound of cicadas singing. City pools are a great way to spend a summer day and they make a great spot for families.

Motomachi Koen Pool
Tel: 045-651-7123
Address: Naka-ku, Motomachi 1-77-5
Access: A 15 min. walk from Ishikawacho Sta. (JR)
Hours: 9 :00-21:00
Fee: ¥200 per hour (9:00 -18:00), ¥300 per hour (6:00-21:00)
Facilities: 50m-pool

Art is certainly blooming in Yokohama. All over the city, creative people are coming together and organizing. Government agencies are endeavoring to assist and promote cooperation, development, and appreciation of the arts by helping organizations such as BankART and the Yokohama Creativecity Center. One of the newer organizations in town is Noge Hana*Hana. Located in the heart of the already buzzing Noge district, and just a minute’s walk from Sakuragicho Station, Noge Hana*Hana is striving to act as a forum for art, media and design. It was completed in April of this year, but is already coming into its own as a local creative hub.

Hana*Hana operates three free spaces that can be used as galleries, photo studios, performance venues, or meeting areas. The walls can be moved to connect the spaces for larger gatherings. Hana*Hana is also the home of the Nogedia Media school, which offers courses in film and video art taught by some well-known local artists. The Media Guild office is a cooperative office of several pre-existing media organizations.

Noge Hana*Hana is already the venue for numerous art exhibitions and public art courses. The facilities are impeccably clean and brand new. Even the hallway is awash in information about events in Yokohama’s burgeoning arts scene. The convenience of having such an accessible space that is open until late and on weekends allows folks with busy schedules to enjoy the galleries and courses. Their website is even bilingual, making it easier for foreigners to enjoy their facilities. It also doesn’t hurt that the location is surrounded by some of our favorite restaurants and bars!

The Darkroom International

Hana*Hana’s adjoining space is a fully functional darkroom. The Darkroom International, formerly located in Zaim, is the first NPO-run darkroom in Japan. Guests can develop and print black and white photos with state-of-the-art facilities and receive assistance from knowledgeable staff. The space is small but 8 enlargers are available for anyone to use. Textbooks (even some in English!) on photography and printing by chemical processes as well as stacks upon stacks of inspiring photo books by Japanese and foreign artists are available for your perusal while you wait for your film to dry. It’s also great to meet other photographers to exchange tips and photos in the developing room.

I had never developed my own pictures myself and had zero knowledge of the process involved, so I arranged to learn from Kondo Hiromitsu, one of the staff members. Hiro wound the roll on the spool for me to save time and explained to me in detail what I needed to do with the various chemicals. After the developed negative strip bathed in water for a while, we dried and cut it into short strips. The next Saturday morning, we picked one negative and printed it several times, changing development time and how long we ‘burn’ the paper until we got it just right. There is something truly amazing about watching your photo bloom into existence in a bath of chemicals. You just don’t get that when you load on your computer digitally or get someone else to print them for you. Getting your hands dirty and getting more involved in the process gives you more control over how the final product will turn out. I compare the process to growing and cooking your own meals. Somehow it always tastes better when your hand guides the whole process from start to finish.

The Darkroom International is available for anyone to use from 10:00 to 20:00, Thursday to Tuesday. All that you need to bring is your exposed negatives and photographic paper to enjoy the process of printing. The Darkroom Photo School will offer photography classes on Saturdays beginning this September. I will definitely be joining that class myself. If you are interested in photography, even if you are a beginner like me, you should take advantage of the rental facilities at Noge Hana*Hana.

野毛Hana*Hana
中区花咲町１丁目４２－１
Naka-ku, Hanasaki-cho 1-42-1
www.noge-hanahana.org
noge.hanahana[@]gmail.com
開館時間: 10：00～22：00
ダークルーム営業時間: 10：00～20：00　
水曜定休
TEL/FAX 045-325-8123
Open from 10:00~22:00
Darkroom open from 10:00~22:00 every day except Wednesday.