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Old 2012-09-13, 08:26   Link #2441
DonQuigleone
Knight Errant
 
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Dublin, Ireland
Age: 35
Quote:
Originally Posted by aohige View Post
So does Ireland also suffer from the British curse of Bad Food Syndrome?

I kid, I kid.
Irish food is shit (except soda bread ). British food actually has an unjustified reputation. There are great British dishes.

As for Ireland, the only good restaurants are ethnic places. Ireland doesn't really have a native cuisine that's restaurant worthy.
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Old 2012-09-13, 08:38   Link #2442
RWBladewing
Salt Levels Critical
 
 
Join Date: Oct 2007
The best Japanese restaurant I've found around here is this tiny hole-in-the-wall place on the local university campus. I guess that shouldn't be too surprising considering it's a very large university with a very diverse student body, but it's kinda sad that it's the only Japanese restaurant among many that serves more than sushi or store-bought udon (even the well-known restaurant actually run by a Japanese guy in the city is heavily Americanized). Can't get curry rice, beef soba, or my personal favorite, oyako-don, anywhere else around here and I still go there fairly often despite having graduated long ago.
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Old 2012-09-13, 08:40   Link #2443
Vexx
Obey the Darkly Cute ...
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Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: On the whole, I'd rather be in Kyoto ...
Age: 66
Quote:
Originally Posted by DonQuigleone View Post
Personally I don't like Sushi and prefer Ramen and other soups. But to be honest, where I am the Japanese places are simply overpriced with subpar food.

The best ethnic places in Ireland are currently the Kebab joints. There's also a fairly large number of Chinese places, some of which are pretty good. There's also a section of the city that has decent Korean food.

I think the key to good ethnic food is numbers. You need to have a large number of the places crammed into a small area, and so have price competition and competition for food quality. And to get those numbers you need to have large numbers of that ethnic community. Not only because you need those numbers to start restaurants, but also because the best restaurants largely cater to their own community first, and "natives" second. In Ireland there's a lot of Chinese and Arabs, but very few Japanese. That's why our Japanese food is overpriced and subpar, there's not enough competition.

Generally there's a few criteria you should use when evaluating an ethnic restaurant:
1. Decor, the trendier it is, the worse the food will be.
2. Clientele, the greater the proportion of people eating there that are of the ethnicity, the better the food.
3. Competition, If you see the same genre of food being served just across the street, the food and prices will be better.
4. Menu, See a chinese menu with weird dishes almost entirely written in Chinese that's got poorly translated English subtitles? Go for it.

So if you find a lone good looking Japanese place on the trendiest street, filled with trendy 20 something Irish people you're going to get shafted. Instead, go to the ethnic "ghetto", find a dingy Korean place filled Korean old dudes and families, right across the street from 2 or 3 other Korean places where you can barely read the menu, and feel secure that you have probably struck gold.

And the trendiness thing is particularly true. There was a Sichuanese place I used to go to all the time, amazing place, always crowded. It recently switched to a new location and went all "Up market", it's food is now shit. Alas, I never go there any more (now I cook my own!).
This post is pretty much Great Truth. Its the same reason I avoid most 4 or 5 star anythings like the plague (restaurants or hotels). They're like soul-less corporate whores of the world, teleport into one and you may not be able to tell what part of the planet you landed in. I sometimes end up in them on business trips and I hate them.

If you go to Japan, avoid those, make heavy use of the street food nd small eateries, use the mom'n'pop ryokan or minshuku to stay at. Its a lot cheaper and your immersion experience goes through the roof.
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Old 2012-09-13, 08:50   Link #2444
aohige
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Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Somewhere, between the sacred silence and sleep
Although food served at Ryokan are generally a heck of a lot more upscale than your everyday dish.
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Old 2012-09-13, 08:59   Link #2445
SaintessHeart
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Join Date: Nov 2007
Age: 35
Quote:
Originally Posted by aohige View Post
Although food served at Ryokan are generally a heck of a lot more upscale than your everyday dish.
Does it include nyotaimori where you can choose the type of serving dish you want?
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Old 2012-09-13, 09:00   Link #2446
aohige
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Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Somewhere, between the sacred silence and sleep
Is your head EVER out of the gutter?

I can't believe I'm saying this. I'm supposed to be the resident sicko.
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Old 2012-09-13, 09:02   Link #2447
willx
Nyaaan~~
 
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Age: 40
Quote:
Originally Posted by Vexx View Post
This post is pretty much Great Truth. Its the same reason I avoid most 4 or 5 star anythings like the plague (restaurants or hotels). They're like soul-less corporate whores of the world, teleport into one and you may not be able to tell what part of the planet you landed in. I sometimes end up in them on business trips and I hate them.

If you go to Japan, avoid those, make heavy use of the street food nd small eateries, use the mom'n'pop ryokan or minshuku to stay at. Its a lot cheaper and your immersion experience goes through the roof.
Now now.. Let's not go TOO far. When I was in Japan in April, I actually looked up the Michelin 4 & 5 star restaurants in Tokyo and Kyoto .. I didn't make reservations ahead of time (they wouldn't let me make reservations from outside the country ) so I couldn't get into any of them but some of them seem very nice. In fact, I was trying super hard to get into Ryugin in Tokyo, but was told there was a 2 month waitlist.. The cuisine is supposed to be fantastic.. I did however end up at a very high end rooftop teppanyaki restaurant in Kyoto that served Oumi beef, and it was absolutely delicious.. albeit super duper ridiculously expensive.

Perhaps I'm lucky, as a huge foodie, I've managed to discover fantastic Japanese and other restaurants in both the cities I've lived in here in Canada (Toronto & Vancouver). Many of them are NOT 4 or 5 star restaurants at all.. But some of them definitely are (albeit not Michelin, there's no Michelin guide for Canada). As for Japanese cuisine and sushi.. Of the hundreds and thousands of sushi restaurants here in Toronto, I would go to maybe .. 5 or 6 for the sushi? They have fresh uni and toro! I actually have fewer options when it comes to decent ramen..

OH! And I stayed at this GORGEOUS ryokan in Hakone, definitely busted the wallet, but the kaiseki cuisine was breathtaking.. I actually miss having rice for breakfast since coming back to Toronto..

@Sumeragi - Interesting tidbit.. It's true most of the Japanese restaurants outside Japan are owned by non-Japanese, namely Korean and Chinese, but the chefs at the good restaurants (incl. good ramen places) learned their craft for years in Japan before opening up overseas if they're not ethnically Japanese. Also some of the restaurants do have Japanese chefs, even if the rest of the staff isn't Japanese. I've started to try to not judge restaurants based on the ethnicity of the owner/staff .. but that has bitten my in the butt HARD on a few occasions as well
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Old 2012-09-13, 09:07   Link #2448
DonQuigleone
Knight Errant
 
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Dublin, Ireland
Age: 35
I'll add another factor, the age of the clientele. The older the better. Young people aren't as discerning about their food, and are more likely to go to places because they're "fashionable". Older people are generally more discerning.

On the flipside, older people tend to be more set in their tastes, which may not necessarily be the same as yours. And not all young people are such poor judges. But the more fashionable ones definitely are. They'll just go to a place because it look cool, not worrying about value for money or how good the actual food is. The poor student dressed in clothes from Walmart, might be a slightly better judge. He has no pretensions.
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Old 2012-09-13, 09:45   Link #2449
Terrestrial Dream
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Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Tesla Leicht Institute
Age: 34
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sumeragi View Post
The worst part: Why is it that the people running the Japanese restaurants are usually Chinese?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Vexx View Post
On the other hand, the innumerable "teriyaki places" are almost always run by Koreans. Yeah, I can tell the difference in the languages. Often I get sense of "we don't care, just buy it"...

What is a weird experience is I'm starting to see a lot of latino cooks in the "teriyaki" and "kaiten-zushi" places. Some of them are very creative but ... I can see why Japan was thinking about "global sushi rangers" to patrol.
Well my dad runs a small sushi bar despite being Korean, for good reasons. One, not many white people know anything about Korean food, not the case with Japanese food. Second, Korean restaurants are much harder to run and can't not be run by a single person; the fact that banchan is necessity makes it impossible. Japanese has done really good when it comes to making their food famous, so there is little risk for other Asians to open a Japanese restaurant.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Vexx View Post
We have several actual Korean-run Korean restaurants. They're always seem excited to see "da white people" come in. Last time my son and I were in one, we ordered a sampler mix and the owner stood there and talked about each dish, what part of Korea it was from... it was a good thing we didn't have an agenda, but he was entertaining.
This is the reason, Korean restaurants are made for Koreans. Unlike the "Chinese food", and sushi (example being California roll) are rather catered towards Western. White people in the restaurant are rather rare, unlike Japanese and Chinese restaurants. Maybe Koreans should try to change their food to make it more western, but I rather not see that.
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Old 2012-09-13, 09:52   Link #2450
aohige
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Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Somewhere, between the sacred silence and sleep
Korean ran Japanese restaurants are much closer to Japanese food than Chinese run ones in general.
They're still freakin sushi bars though.

I wish there was a cheap Matsuya nearby for some good cheap Gyudon, cheap ramen joints, and cheap okonomiyaki and takoyaki places.

But noooooo. Yet. Another. Freaking. SUSHI!!! *cries*


Last month I bought a deep fryer.
And made my own Katsu-curry. Because you know, unless I make them myself, I'll be eternally denied of them! *sobs*

P.S: btw, mix Lea & Perrin's Worcestershire sauce with a clump of ketchup, and voila, it taste just like Tonkatsu sauce. Amazing.
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Old 2012-09-13, 09:59   Link #2451
SaintessHeart
NYAAAAHAAANNNNN~
 
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Age: 35
Quote:
Originally Posted by aohige View Post
Is your head EVER out of the gutter?

I can't believe I'm saying this. I'm supposed to be the resident sicko.
The name means it is SUPPOSED to be a food PRESENTATION. It is a WORK OF ART. There is nothing wrong about it!

Think of the palette types that are available! Soft and smooth serving dishes can be used for mochi and desserts, brown ganguro types can be used to serve warm barbecue meat, and the endowment levels can be suited accordingly to the food portions, i.e the unendowed ones can be use to serve finger food where no utensils are actually needed.......

As compared to the regular food presentations of sushi on normal coloured plates, this would certainly look more appetising, no?

With regards to food presentation though, I find that Japanese food preparation processes seem to have this OCD about food tasting AND looking good at the same time. The last time I went to one, the sashimi was so slowly prepared; I went through an entire tray and it is still not refilled, the chef slowly slicing and putting the thing into place.
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When three puppygirls named after pastries are on top of each other, it is called Eclair a'la menthe et Biscotti aux fraises avec beaucoup de Ricotta sur le dessus.
Most of all, you have to be disciplined and you have to save, even if you hate our current financial system. Because if you don't save, then you're guaranteed to end up with nothing.
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Old 2012-09-13, 10:11   Link #2452
Azuma Denton
~AD~
 
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
I really miss kushiyaki...
Havent found any Japanesse restaurant served it at Indonesia.

@saintessHearts
Do you know any place served Kushiyaki in SG??
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Old 2012-09-13, 10:25   Link #2453
aohige
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Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Somewhere, between the sacred silence and sleep
They're just BBQ chicken on sticks, other than the sauce used, it's pretty much the same all over the world.

Heck, don't you have kebabs in Indonesia?
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Old 2012-09-13, 10:42   Link #2454
willx
Nyaaan~~
 
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Age: 40
Quote:
Originally Posted by aohige View Post
Korean ran Japanese restaurants are much closer to Japanese food than Chinese run ones in general.
They're still freakin sushi bars though.

I wish there was a cheap Matsuya nearby for some good cheap Gyudon, cheap ramen joints, and cheap okonomiyaki and takoyaki places.

But noooooo. Yet. Another. Freaking. SUSHI!!! *cries*


Last month I bought a deep fryer.
And made my own Katsu-curry. Because you know, unless I make them myself, I'll be eternally denied of them! *sobs*

P.S: btw, mix Lea & Perrin's Worcestershire sauce with a clump of ketchup, and voila, it taste just like Tonkatsu sauce. Amazing.
Haha! This reminds me a couple of years back where I made my own Katsudon. I think I'm blessed.. or maybe I just spend a lot of time hunting for it.. But here in Toronto there are actually a number of ramen places and izakayas (sort of) that serve a variety of food other than sushi..

Then again I eat a lot of sushi as well so I'm not exactly complaining.. although I don't go to 99.9% of the restaurants because they're terrible. The sushi place I frequent here gets a thumbs up on using the appropriate rice, super fresh fish and telling me honestly if they get a shipment of ingredients that is subpar!
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Old 2012-09-13, 11:39   Link #2455
Vexx
Obey the Darkly Cute ...
*Author
 
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: On the whole, I'd rather be in Kyoto ...
Age: 66
Quote:
Originally Posted by Terrestrial Dream View Post
Well my dad runs a small sushi bar despite being Korean, for good reasons. One, not many white people know anything about Korean food, not the case with Japanese food. Second, Korean restaurants are much harder to run and can't not be run by a single person; the fact that banchan is necessity makes it impossible.
The Korean restaurants are actually doing pretty well in Portland... but yes, one has to be a "foodie" and hunting for something eclectic to find them. I love Korean food... well, I'm pretty much up for food anywhere from India to Korea.

I don't have aohige's problem at all comparatively, that may be a regional issue. All the things he's crying for are readily available in all the Japanese restaurants I frequent. (though he's dead on about some street food being horribly overpriced sometimes)

Quote:
White people in the restaurant are rather rare, unlike Japanese and Chinese restaurants. Maybe Koreans should try to change their food to make it more western, but I rather not see that.
Noooooo, I go into an ethnic restaurant to eat food the way its supposed to be eaten, not have mayonnaise poured all over it!!!! Its always a fight in the Thai restaurants to get them seasoned. Thank god they have a seasoning tray. Usually after that when they start recognizing me, I don't have to ask for heat.
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Old 2012-09-13, 11:54   Link #2456
Endless Soul
Megane girl fan
 
 
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Diagonally parked in a parallel universe.
Age: 55
In my area there are quite a number of "Japanese Restaurants", at least 20 in a 10 mile radius. Most of the ones I've been to are run by non-Japanese folks. All are pretty good.

However, my favorite place is a little hole-in-the-wall run by a sweet, old Japanese woman who does all the work herself.

Zod, now I can't wait for lunch!

Endless "Hungry" Soul
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Old 2012-09-13, 16:21   Link #2457
Terrestrial Dream
勇者
 
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Tesla Leicht Institute
Age: 34
Quote:
Originally Posted by aohige View Post
Korean ran Japanese restaurants are much closer to Japanese food than Chinese run ones in general.
They're still freakin sushi bars though.

I wish there was a cheap Matsuya nearby for some good cheap Gyudon, cheap ramen joints, and cheap okonomiyaki and takoyaki places.

But noooooo. Yet. Another. Freaking. SUSHI!!! *cries*
I think that might be because of Zainichi Koreans, my dad learned to make sushi from one. But yeah, finding a non sushi Japanese restaurant is like finding a Chinese restaurant with real Chinese food in the US.
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Old 2012-09-13, 17:54   Link #2458
Siegel Clyne
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
From Country & Western to Chicano Hip-Hop: The Eclectic Musical Tastes of Japan

From Country & Western to Chicano Hip-Hop: The Eclectic Musical Tastes of Japan and the Japanese People

Shoji Tabuchi (April 16, 1944) is a Japanese country music fiddler and singer who currently performs at his theater, the Shoji Tabuchi Theatre in Branson, Missouri. He is a naturalized American citizen.

Tabuchi is thus a Nikkei/Nikkeijin (Japanese immigrants and their descendants) and a Shin Issei (New First Generation), or someone who immigrated from Japan after World War II.

The Shoji Tabuchi Show

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SHOJI TABUCHI [- Jambalaya]

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KoTolán is a cross-cultural based world beat music group led by Japanese born singer Junko Seki and Los Angeles based trombonist/songwriter Otto Granillo.
Front woman, Junko is fluent in Japanese, Spanish and English and sings in all three while playing the accordion as her main intrument in the group. She has already been recognized as a high caliber vocalist with solo guest performances that include The Hollywood Bowl Mariachi Concerts, El Primer Encuentro de Mariachi in Guadalajara Mexico, Tucson Mariachi conference, San Jose Concerts and Salinas Concert. She has shared the stage with Linda Ronstadt, Lalo Guerero and Viki Carr.
Trombonist/songwriter Otto Granillo is a storyteller through his songwriting and creative use of orchestration and sets fourth a soul inspired wave of energetic cross-cultural grooves and lyrics.

Blending languages, sounds and instruments from around the globe, KoTolán's music can best be described as a fusion of eclectic styles, rhythms and beats. From disco, salsa, rock to electro-pop, KoTolán will have you shaking and moving!


Junko Seki con Mariachi Cobre

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La Boca de Cultura - Kotolan

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Junko Seki and KoTolan at Eagle Rock Music Festival Kick Off Party 08-06-2009

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Entertainment News
Caribbean Nationals In Japan Happy About Minmi's Soca Monarch Debut
By Islandevents.com
Feb 5, 2007, 11:47

This is the first time I am ever hearing about anyone from here being in a Soca competition in Trinidad!” said Hollis Humphreys last Friday from his home in Japan.

Humphreys who is an Antiguan was reacting to the news that female Japanese entertainer Minmi was among the semi-finals of the ’07 edition of the prestigious Soca contest scheduled for ‘Fantastic Friday’ (February 16th) at the Hasely Crawford National Stadium in Port-of-Spain.

Caribbean nationals residing in Japan are naturally surprised but equally elated to learn, that a Japanese was among the participants in the 2007 b-mobile International Soca Monarch competition.

Humphreys added, “Although Minmi is not a big star here, I think it is just great to know that someone from here, is actually involved in the Caribbean culture over there!”


Dailymotion MINMI SUMMER TIME!! a ミュージック video

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Minmi sha na na (japanese wine) ft Machel Montano

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MINMI/シャナナ☆ -Trinidad&Tobago ver.-

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BACH COLLEGIUM JAPAN ORCHESTRA AND CHORUS,
Masaaki Suzuki, conductor

Photo Credit: K. Miura
Internationally Acclaimed Chorus and Orchestra

MASAAKI SUZUKI, Music Director


“The performances are, to my ears, of unmatched excellence.”
-Gramophone Magazine

Bach Collegium Japan, hailed in BBC Music Magazine as “Kings from the East,” comprises a baroque orchestra and choir that has been widely recognized among the world’s leading interpreters of J.S. Bach and his contemporaries. Founded in 1990 by its current Music Director, Masaaki Suzuki, Bach Collegium Japan introduced the Japanese audience to period instrument performances and subsequently have shared their intriguing performances around the world through their acclaimed BIS recordings. Bach Collegium Japan made their North American debut in April 2003 performing the St. Matthew and St. John Passions of J. S. Bach across the United States in New York at Carnegie Hall, Los Angeles, Berkeley, Ann Arbor, Grand Rapids & Boston. Recent international tours include concerts in Europe’s major music centers – Madrid, Amsterdam (Concertgebouw), London (Barbican), Rome, Paris, Berlin and Brussels – and at leading festivals in Edinburgh, Santiago de Compostela, Tel Aviv, Leipzig, and Melbourne as well as at the BBC Proms.


Acclaim: “Musicianship is, to be sure, Mr. Suzuki’s greatest strength…a subtle ear for color, a keen sense of harmonic direction, and an ability to make phrases breathe and rhythms live.” -The New York Times

“I have never heard period instruments played with such purity of tone, so reliably in tune. The small, precise, dramatically alert chorus breathed fire but also revealed a heartbreaking tenderness.” -The Los Angeles Times

“The choruses were trim and nimble, and the group’s compact size allowed for a transparency that kept the text clear and in the foreground. The orchestra also played with an appealing fluidity.” -The New York Times


Bach Collegium Japan - Herzlich lieb hab ich dich, o Herr by Heinrich Schütz

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Bach Collegium Japan - Johann Kuhnau Festival Oude Muziek 29 augustus 2012 Utrecht

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Johann Sebastian Bach - Komm, Jesu, Komm BWV 229
(Bach Collegium Japan & Masaaki Suzuki, taken from SACD Bach Motets, BIS 2009)

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ORQUESTA DE LA LUZ was formed in Tokyo as a unique Japanese Salsa band in 1984 and started performing at the clubs such as the Shibuya Crocodile, Roppongi Pit inn.

The lead singer NORA visited NY with a demo tape that finally gave the band an opportunity to perform in NY in 1989. The first NY tour was so successful that the band had a chance to release the debut album “DE LA LUZ (Salsa Caliente del Japon)” through BMG Victor in Japan and RMM in US in 1990, which received the Gold Disc Award and hit No. 1 on the Billboard Latin Salsa Chart and remained for 11 consecutive weeks. Since then the band visited 22 countries including USA, South Central America and Europe, released 6 original albums in total, received the Outstanding Award at the Japan Record Award (91 & 93), the United Nations Peace Medal Award (93), performed at the NHK Kohaku Utagassen (93) and nominated for the Grammy Award “Tropical Latin Album” (95). In 1997 the band was dissolved in order to focus on the members’ solo activities and was reorganized for the charity event “World Peace Music Festival” in 2002.
And the reaction of this event WPMF Vol.2 that was held in the next year made the artist to restart the activity. In July, 2004, the band’s original album “iBANZAAAY!” for the first time in nine years as new DE LA LUZ was released from AVEX io and started developing its energetic live activities such as participation to many events, festivals and made the nationwide concert tour successfully.


LA ORQUESTA DE LA LUZ - SALSA CALIENTE DEL JAPÓN

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ORQUESTA DE LA LUZ - CUERO SONO

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Orquesta de la luz - Close to you

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ORQUESTA DE LA LUZ - DESCARGA

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Soil & “Pimp” Sessions is an energetic Japanese club jazz band that have started to receive international recognition. The band consists of six members: Shacho (“agitator”), Tabu Zombie (trumpet), Motoharu (sax), Josei (keyboards), Akita Goldman (double bass) and Midorin (drums).

The band was born out of Tokyo’s club scene, when Shacho and Tabu Zombie started including live jam sessions in DJ sets. Gradually the other members were invited, the band line up was finalised and the DJ sets dropped.

The band’s adrenalin-fuelled live sets started to create a buzz on the Tokyo live scene, and in 2003 they became the first unsigned band to perform at Japan’s Fuji Rock Festival. They were well received there and in the following months record companies were scrambling to offer contracts. JVC Victor won the battle, and summer 2004 saw the release of the mini-album “Pimpin’”.

The album was a critical and, for a jazz release, commercial success, and this together with constant touring paved the way for the release of their first full album, “Pimp Master” in early 2005. The album captures the sheer power of their live performances as well as higlighting their individual musical talents. Two tracks in particular, “Waltz For Goddess” and their cover of “A Wheel Within a Wheel”, caught the attention of DJs abroad, they began to receive heavy air-play on Gilles Peterson’s Worldwide radio program on BBC Radio 1 in the U.K.


SOIL&"PIMP"SESSIONS X 椎名林檎 [Shiina Ringo]/MY FOOLISH HEART~crazy on earth~

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SOIL & "PIMP" SESSIONS "Summer Goddess"

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SOIL&PIMPSESSIONS/POP KORN

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Nettai Tropical Jazz Big Band is a Japanese jazz big band.

Led by Carlos Kanno of Orquesta de la Luz, the Nettai Tropical Jazz Big Band started out as a group of friends playing for fun and evolved into an 18-piece ensemble. Boasting four percussionists, a three-piece rhythm section, and powerful horns, the group released their first album Live in Yokohama in 1998. That year also saw the Japanese release of their follow-up September which was released in the United States the following year. They have played at various jazz festivals and venues, including Carnegie Hall in New York.


OBATALA 熱帯JAZZ楽団  Tropical Jazz Big Band

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"[An] outstanding pianist. First of all, his technique is extraordinary. And secondly, there isn't an ounce of waste to his performance. It is a wonderful thing to be able to express oneself to the audience with such clarity." – Oscar Peterson (on Makoto Ozone)...

A jazz piano child prodigy from Kobe in the 60s, Makoto honed his jazz chops further at USA’s Berklee College of Music. His discovery by famous vibraphonist Gary Burton led to Grammy®-winning collaborations, worldwide performances, 20 acclaimed albums and collaborative recordings with not only Burton, but a plethora of artists from the USA and his home base in Japan including the late pianist Michel Petrucciani, vocalist Kimiko Ito, Makoto’s own big band No Name Horses and his Makoto Ozone Trio, Paquito D’Rivera, Katsumi Watanabe and Marc Johnson. In recent years, Makoto has turned his focus to classical music and he currently performs several concerts each year, playing with symphony orchestras, combining his skills in jazz and classical music to standing ovation.


Makoto Ozone Trio - Asian Dream (Makoto Ozone)

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BIOGRAPHY
ROJO REGALO IS A OSAKA BASED CUMBIA BAND. THIS UNIT HAS BEEN ON THE LEADING EDGE OF THE JAPANESE CUMBIA-ROCK LATINO, REBEL MUSIC SCENE SINCE THE 2006.

CUMBIA, AFRO-CUBAN, REGGAE, HIP HOP, PUNK, JAPANESE POPULAR SONGS ARE THE BLEND OF THIS UNIQUE BAND. IN 2010, THEY HAVE TOURED OVERSEAS FOR THE FIRST TIME AND THEY DID SHOWS IN THAILAND, BELGIUM AND FRANCE.
IN JAPAN, THEY HAVE TOURED AS SUPPORT ACT OF WELL KNOWN ROCK LATINO ARTISTS SUCH AS VERY BE CAREFUL, ESNE BELTZA, MATE POWER, RUDE HI-FI AND MANY MORE. ALSO DID VERY WELL KNOWN FESTIVALS SUCH AS "DOWN BEAT RULER", "FIGHT FOR RIGHTS", "MONDO SONORO", "FUJI ROCK FESTIVAL" AS WELL AS A NEW TOUR IN EUROPE DURING 2011 DOING GIGS IN FRANCE, ENGLAND AND BELGIUM INCLUDING AN APEARANCE AT "LES 24H MOUSCRON FESTIVAL.
THEY HAVE RELEASED THEIR NEW SPLIT EP WITH EKD“MARGINAL COLLECTIVE“ IN NOVEMBER 2011.
AND THEIR FIRST LIVE CD “LIVE & LOVE IN BANGKOK“ IN 2010. ROJO REGALO CONTINUE TOURING AROUND JAPAN AND THE WORLD AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING THEIR NEXT WAVE OF CLASSICS IN THE MONTHS AND YEARS TO COME.


Rojo Regalo-Bambi-BONEFOOI-BXL

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Rojo Regalo-Sniper J, CUMBIA-BONEFOOI-BXL

Spoiler:


Japanese 'Cholos': Chicano Subculture Finds A Home In East Asia (VIDEOS)
The Huffington Post | By Carolina Moreno
Posted: 09/11/2012 8:24 am EDT

Oversized khaki shorts, white knee-high socks, a plaid shirt and the tattoos to match, a signature look for 'cholos' -- Japanese 'cholos.'

The fashion and tendencies behind the Chicano subculture -- originating in the Mexican-American empowerment movement of the 1940s through 1970s, but now often associated with Los Angeles street gangs -- has found a new home in East Asia. Stemming from the “lowrider” car culture popular in Japan , Tumblrs of Japanese 'cholas' and 'cholos' can now be seen around the internet. YouTube videos of Japanese 'cholos' with their arms raised high as they rap next to hopping cars and Japanese 'chola' artists, like MoNa a.k.a Sad Girl, can be heard mixing Spanish, English and Japanese in their music.


NOTITAS DE NOTICIAS September 19, 2012

Well That’s Interesting: Japan Takes on ‘Cholo’ Culture

Published at 3:17 pm EST, September 19, 2012

A Chicano subculture which reached peak popularity in the U.S. between the 1940s and 1970s, has made its way to Japan.

There appears Japan has a growing community of “cholos” and “cholas”, a look now most commonly seen among Los Angeles street gangs.

Japanese rappers like MoNa aka Sad Girl have created careers with a mix of Spanish, English, and Japanese rapping.

The look includes baggy jeans (pants and shorts), over-sized knaki shorts, flannel shirts, white undershirts, bandanas, flat-brimmed baseball caps, dark lip liner for cholas, lowriders, jerseys, clearly visible tattoos, gold jewelry (often crosses), and knee-high socks. Interestingly, there is often also the presence or depiction of a Mexican flag.


DJ☆GO「SUMMER MADNESS feat. Kayzabro & A☆ZACK」 (PV)フルバージョン

Spoiler:


4 My City feat. AK-69, RICHEE, HOKT, HIRO of LGYankees, BIGIz' MAFIA / DJ PMX

Spoiler:


BUBBLE feat. DJ☆GO / G.CUE フルバージョン公開!

Spoiler:


「Back In Da Day feat. TEE TEE/ DJ☆GO」 Music Video "Sepia Color"

Spoiler:


MoNa a.k.a Sad Girl 【Summer Groove】 feat. MK THE CiGAR

Spoiler:


MoNa aka Sad Girl / For Life feat. MK THE CiGAR

Spoiler:


【OFFICIAL】MoNa a.k.a. Sad Girl 「Azucena」Music Video

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Partly through my own very diverse and eclectic music tastes down through the years, I have discovered that the Japan, while having a fairly homogeneous people and culutre, have one of the most diverse and eclectic musical tastes of any country in the world.

Japan is much more than a nation of Jpop.

By the way, regarding the music videos I linked to in this post, one of them was uploaded by me on one of my channels on YouTube.

Can you guess which one?

Answer:
Spoiler:


"Sing Sing Sing" / ep19 Swing Girls First&Last Concert Live 2004

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Chicken Dishes of the World

Unless one is a vegetarian or a vegan, chicken is a meat which crosses national and religious boundaries.

Some of my favorite chicken dishes include:

Japanese yakitori: skewered chicken

Chinese (Sichuan) gongbao jiding: kung pao chicken

Korean tak toritang: chicken and potato stew

Malaysian nasi ayam: roast chicken rice

Thai gai pad krapow: stir fried chicken with Thai holy basil

Indian murgh makhani: butter chicken

Arabic/Turkish shish taouk: chicken kebabs

Hispanic arroz con pollo (I'm partial to Mexican-style): chicken with rice...

And good ol' American (Southern) fried chicken - though I also like Japanese-style fried chicken, tori no karaage, and Korean-style fried chicken, yangnyeom tongdak.

What are some of your favorite chicken dishes?

Last edited by Siegel Clyne; 2012-10-05 at 10:10.
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Old 2012-09-13, 18:38   Link #2459
MakubeX2
うるとらぺど
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Age: 44
So how authentic is this joint ?

I eaten a few times there and while the dishes is tasty enough and the serving isn't bite sized but the pricings ain't suited for consumption on a regular basis. So I want to see if I got my money's worth.
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Old 2012-09-13, 19:14   Link #2460
willx
Nyaaan~~
 
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Age: 40
Quote:
Originally Posted by MakubeX2 View Post
So how authentic is this joint ?

I eaten a few times there and while the dishes is tasty enough and the serving isn't bite sized but the pricings ain't suited for consumption on a regular basis. So I want to see if I got my money's worth.
Oh god, that place is so awful.. They have one here in Toronto .. I'd describe it as the McDonald's of ramen but I think that would be an insult to McDonald's ..

If I recall, the only thing I liked there was a braised pork dish, but even then it tasted more like Chinese food that my mother made as a child than anything Japanese..

EDIT: Oh, and it's been a year since I've been to the one in downtown Toronto, but I remember the noodles were all wrong. They didn't taste like ramen noodles at all.. and I've tried a variety of ramen joints in Tokyo, Kyoto, Vancouver and here in Toronto..
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