In 2022, the Japan International Cooperation Center or JICE (sic) invited the Special Olympics UAE women’s football (soccer) team to Japan for cultural exchange and to have a friendly match. The Japan Women’s Intellectual Disability Football Team, organized by JFFID (the Japan Football Federation for those with Intellectual Disabilities), represented the country in the match. As many know, the Special Olympics is an international athletic organization that provides people with disabilities training and events to showcase their accomplishments. The concept is based on the approach of Unified Sports®, which pairs “athletes” with intellectual disabilities and “partners” without disabilities to compete…
Author: Seasider
While digital music is the norm in today’s society, vinyl records seem to be gaining recognition once again. Of course it’s easier to enjoy music using streaming services. But maybe you feel more immersed when you’re listening to records while sipping a drink. Located just a five-minute walk from Yokohama Station, Music Bar 45 creates just such an environment with numerous records and high-end audio. Owner Kei Maki is originally from Shizuoka, but relocated to Yokohama at the age of nineteen. Influenced by both his dad who was a conductor of a school symphony band and radio shows he loved…
This issue, we welcome several new sponsors, a welcome development, of course, after so many difficult years of the pandemic and its lingering economic aftereffects. Naturally, we hope new sponsors will continue to reach out. We’re eager to add more content and know that you’d appreciate that, too. If you’re a business owner (or know one) interested in supporting us, please contact us. We’re a magazine for the community, created by the community. If you’re an individual who’d like to help, check out the “Support Us” section below. As always, thank you!
Greetings, readers. With our 15-year-anniversary last issue, we’ve been thinking about all the radical changes in the media landscape: the rise of social media, the popularity of video, the explosion of digital newsletters. We feel we haven’t really changed that much, though. We’re still a community-oriented magazine, published regularly with the hope of connecting you more closely with Yokohama. Thank you for supporting us and please help spread the word about us!
Chinatown and Yamate Seiyōkan (Western houses) are evidence that Yokohama has long been an international city where you can experience culture and food from different countries. Tie ONE Beer House in Bashamichi serves Taiwanese craft beer with a street food-themed menu. It has been gaining much attention from local residents since opening in November of last year as a place providing a connection to Taiwan. Shop owner Jun Miyashita is the son of a Taiwanese mother and Japanese father. He was born in Taiwan but grew up in Yokohama. His mother has run a trade intermediary business in Yokohama for…
Shinryoku was launched by Shinichi Hiroki, the CEO of software developer Evergreen Co., Ltd., and a man who wears many hats. Hiroki was a foodie who enjoyed food on the go and made many acquaintances in the F&B industry. One of his older friends was the chef of Nitta, a kappo-style restaurant in Kannai and, last year, under his guidance, Hiroki opened his own, long-awaited place. Takeout here is popular but on the second floor there’s a comfortable eat-in space that exudes calm with its wooden decor and simple Japanese aesthetic. Shinryoku offers onigiri with 12 basic ingredients, though for…
“Farmers deserve holidays, too!” This simple yet bold slogan is championed by the company that makes “Zero Agri”, an automated irrigation system in which AI digitizes and analyzes cultivation tasks previously done by hand, then packages the data before presenting it. Smart agriculture like this which utilizes AI has been gaining attention as one way to attract newcomers to farming. Eiji Kaneko, the CEO of Universal Agriculture Support, LLC, has been actively implementing AI on his farm. His motto is “Connecting agriculture with welfare”, and he manages a socially-conscious farm where people with special needs work while receiving the support…
The Noge neighborhood is Yokohama’s best-known nightlife area, with hundreds of drinking places. Some have been around for decades, while others are new. You might have the impression that Noge only has cheap-and-cheerful izakaya bars. But there are also one-of-a-kind bars that offer great music and a sophisticated drinking experience. One of these is “rotary” in Miyagawa-chō, specializing in vinyl records and mezcal. What’s mezcal? It’s a Mexican distilled beverage made from agave, a kind of cactus. While tequila is made out of only one variety of agave, any type can be used to make Mezcal. That’s why it’s called…
Yokohama is a city rich with beer history and culture. Japan’s first beer brewery, Spring Valley, was founded in Yamate in the 19th century. Its assets changed hands over the decades, eventually becoming Kirin, which is still based in the city (and which revived Spring Valley in the 21st century). Yokohama is also home to quite a few craft breweries and two American craft beer importers. One of the oldest Belgian beer bars in Japan (quite possibly the oldest) is located in Noge. Called Le Temps Perdu, it’s where owner Mitsuhashi Ikuo launched Noge Daidougei (the Noge Street Performance Festival).…
This year, I’ve been teaching elementary Japanese at the University of California, Berkeley. I’ve been both surprised and encouraged by the large enrollment and the enthusiasm of the students for language learning. I thought of Yokohama native and veteran educator Ms. Izumi at our long-time sponsor YIEA, and decided to seek her thoughts about language learning today. In this age of machine learning and machine/AI translation, why do you think it is still important to learn a language? Though machine/AI translations have become much more natural now, there are still some nuances that they cannot translate fully. For example, I…