Ootoya

Ootoya is a chain restaurant in Tokyo that offers Japanese dishes for a reasonable price. Meals range from Y700-Y1300.

My favorite is this traditional Japanese dessert with vanilla ice crean, red bean, and green tea mochi.

Forrest Gump: Ang Unang Pagsasadula

***originally published in the July Issue of Pinoy Gazette

Also published on Pinoy Gazette's official blog: pinoygazetteofficial.blogspot.jp

 “Life is a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get.” Sino nga ba ang hindi nakakatanda ng linyang ito na pinasikat ng pelikulang “Forrest Gump” na ipinalabas noong 1994 at pinagbidahan ni Tom Hanks? Base ito sa isang nobela na isinulat ni Winston Groom at inilathala noong 1986.

Sa kauna-unahang pagkakataon ay itinanghal bilang isang dula ang “Forrest Gump” na ginanap dito sa Japan. Ipinalabas ito sa Globe Tokyo noong Mayo 30 hanggang Hunyo 22. Ang Globe Tokyo, kilala rin bilang Panasonic Globe Theater, ay isang replika ng orihinal na Globe Theater sa England kung saan ipinapalabas ang mga dula ni William Shakespeare.

Ang dulang “Forrest Gump” ay pinagbidahan ni Junnosuke Taguchi, isang kilalang idolo mula sa Johnny’s Entertainment at miyembro ng bandang KAT-TUN. Kasama rin niyang nagtanghal ang iba pang respetadong aktor tulad nina Masahiro Takashima (na gumanap bilang pitong iba’t-ibang tauhan kabilang na si Lieutenant Dan), Hitomi Takahashi (bilang ina ni Forrest) at Aki Maeda (bilang Jenny).

Ang Kwento ni Forrest

Ang dula ay umikot sa kwento ng buhay ni Forrest mula pagkabata hanggang sa kanyang pagtanda. Kakaiba si Forrest dahil mas mababa ang kanyang IQ kumpara sa ibang mga bata at dahil dito kadalasan siyang tinutukso at kinukutya ng kanyang mga kaklase. Hindi naman naging hadlang kay Forrest ang kundisyong ito para hindi siya magtagumpay sa buhay.

Nakapasok siya sa kolehiyo at naging star player ng kanilang rugby team, nagtrabaho siya bilang sundalo at nakaharap niya sa White House ang dalawang pangulo ng Estados Unidos, naipadala siya sa Vietnam War at ginawaran ng Medal of Honor pagbalik niya, naging austronaut din siya, runner, table tennis player at kung anu-ano pa.

Bumili rin siya ng bangka at nagtayo ng isang fishing company tulad ng ipinangako niya sa matalik niyang kaibigan na si Bubba. Mababa man ang IQ ni Forrest, may busilak naman siyang kalooban at tapat na pagmamahal sa mga taong nasa paligid niya.

Ang Pagtatanghal

           

Tumagal ng dalawang oras at kalahati ang dula. Tuluy-tuloy ito kaya halos walang pahinga ang mga nagsiganap dito, lalo na si Taguchi na gumanap kay Forrest, dahil bahagi siya ng halos lahat ng eksena at dire-diretso ang kanyang mahahabang linya.

Para sa isang dulang may mahabang timeline at malawak na setting, napagkasya ng dula sa limitasyon ng teatro ang epektibong pagsasaganap ng iba’t ibang mahahalagang kaganapan sa kasaysayan tulad ng Vietnam War at pagpatay kay Pangulong Kennedy. Tuluy-tuloy ang pag-usad ng kwento at may madalas na pagpapalit ng mga eksena kasabay ng paglilipat ng maliliit na props na mayroon sa entablado.

Hindi kinailangan ng dula na gumamit ng magarbong props o stage design para ma-establish ang lugar at kapanahunan ng dula. Nadaan nila ito sa paggamit ng mga simple at maliliit na props na madaling ipasok at ilabas sa entablado tulad ng mga kahoy na upuan, pinto,  bakod, malalaking kumot, magagaang dingding at iba pa. Nagbukas ang dula na mayroon lamang isang wooden bench sa gitna ng entablado at malaking net na nakabitin sa ibabaw nito. Tumataas at bumababa ang net na ito depende sa eksena sa dula.

Dahil minimal ang props at stage design, mas nakatutuok ang mga manunuod sa galing ng pagbato ng linya at paghugot ng emosyon ng mga aktor at hindi lamang basta-basta sa ganda ng entablado. Kapansin-pansin rin ang stage chemistry ng mga nagsiganap lalo na sa pagitan ni Forrest at ni Lieutenant Dan. Masasabing isa sa pinakamalakas na eksena sa dula ang bahagi kung saan nagpasalamat si Lieutenant Dan kay Forrest sa pagligtas sa buhay niya noong sila ay nasa Vietnam.

Higit na pinasigla ang dula ng live music mula sa violin, gitara, keyboard, at iba pang instrumentong tinugtog ng live ng mga aktor. Kung hindi tumutugtog ang mga aktor ay nagbibitaw naman sila ng linya sa entablado. Kahit si Taguchi mismo ay nag-aral pa ng harmonica para sa pagtugtog niya sa dulang ito. Sa kwento, nagmula kay Bubba ang harmonica na naging paboritong pang-aliw ni Forrest lalo na sa mga panahong malungkot siya.

Ang Sorpresa ng Dula

Kagaya ng isang kahon ng tsokolate, maraming mga hindi inaasahang bagay sa dulang ito ang gumulat, nagpasaya, nagpaiyak at nagpatawa sa mga manunuod. Isa na rito ang natatanging pagganap ni Taguchi. Hindi man siya ang pinakamagaling na aktor na gumanap kay Forrest, pero binigyan naman niya ng kanyang sariling interpretasyon ang tauhang ito. Isang Forrest Gump na hindi mo lang katutuwaan, kung hindi mamahalin rin ng lubusan.

A Double-Edged Sword

She stares into the photo for a few seconds before finally confirming to herself that she actually knows who it is. The boxed photo at the corner of the tabloid is relatively small, quite blurry, almost pixelized. But she cannot be mistaken, she knows him too well. She knows every single detail of his face – from the lines of his jaws to the bridge of his nose, from the curb of his lips to the waves of his hair, from the way he walks and talks, the way he smiles, the way he frowns. Above all, she very well knows how he holds a hand, how he used to slide his fingers in between hers, squeeze it and let her feel the warmth of his palm. So she is sure, it is really him who is in the photo. 

It was not a photo of another drunk-til-you-drop night in LA or a shot of his weed-smoking groupies. This time, it is a photo of him and a woman. No, it is not any blonde woman with whom he is caught with in a thousand and one paparazzi photos featuring them wasted outside a bar or smoking pipe. She looks quite a decent one, with a pretty face. He is holding her hand. He is not holding it the way that he used to. He did not put his fingers in between hers, instead, he wrapped his fingers around her hand, showing his ring and hiding hers. He holds it in such a way that appears like he wants to get hold of her, all of her, in an instant; encompass all of her, own her. She does not know if he was just in a hurry that he just grabbed her hand and pulled her away, or is just that he just wanted to hold her in such a way that he does not want to let her go. Not anymore. Not like the way he let go of others including her. 

It is not just that that bothers her big time, but more so the way he looks in the photo. His face is… bland, expressionless. And this is what she cannot take. She would have preferred seeing him with a smile. At least she knows what a smile means and what a smile does not. But a bland face? What does it say about him? What does it say to her? He is looking sideways, turned a little on his right, as if looking at something, something unknown. He is not looking at the woman but at something else, as if looking away, far away into space. The line of his jaws are well-defined, the waves of his hair covering his forehead and almost his eyes. His lips are parted a little, not sure if he just said something after the photo was taken or probably would just about to say something. She cannot tell and she hates that feeling. She hates the feeling that she could not understand the language of this photo.

This photo is like a double-edged sword, she thought. It can either preserve a lie or expose the truth. If there is anyone who knows this fact very well, it is her. She has been playing with the camera ever since she was thirteen. She knows how to make a face that would sell. She knows how to force a smile after she woke up on the wrong side of the bed. But she also knows how to smile big time when hse feels like doing so. In front of the camera, she gets to show what she wants and it is what will stay forever in that frozen moment in time. 

She knows that this photo in the tabloid has a story, like all other photos do, but she is not quite sure what this photo wants to say. The photo hurts her good enough, but not understanding it hurts even more. In that bland, emotionless face, she could not decipher anything. Is that the face of regret concealed behind a mask of absolute resolve for things that could not be undone or a face of utter peace that does not need any extreme expressions to convey what he truly feels?

Parasailing Away!

***originally published in the June Issue of Pinoy Gazette

Also published on Pinoy Gazette`s official blog: pinoygazetteofficial.blogspot.jp

Ilan sa mga pinakapatok na beach activities tuwing summer ay ang surfing, snorkeling, scuba diving, helmet diving at kamakailan, unti-unti na rin nagiging popular ang cliff diving. Pero hindi lang mga water sports ang pwedeng pagkaabalahan tuwing summer. Para sa mga naghahanap ng bagong experience, magandang subukan ang parasailing.

Parasailing vs. Paragliding

           

Ang parasailing ay kilala rin sa tawag na “parakiting.” Nakasabit ang parasailers sa isang malaking parachute gamit ang harness. Ang parachute na ito ay especially designed para sa activity na ito at naiiba sa mga karaniwang ginagamit sa skydiving.

Naiiba rin ito sa paragliding dahil ang parasail ay hinihila ng isang sasakyan. May dalawang uri ng parasailing – aquatic at terrestrial. Sa aquatic, hinihila ang parasail ng isang speedboat o yate, habang sa terrestrial naman ay hinihila ito ng isang 4x4 jeep. Walang control ang parasailers sa kanilang parasail dahil ang may control sa pagtaas at pagbaba nito ay ang mga tao na nasa sasakyang humihila nito. Samantalang sa paragliding naman, may kakayahan ang paraglider na ikontrol ang taas, bilis at direksyon ng paraglide. Karaniwang pinalilipad ang parasail sa taas na 400ft-1200ft, samantalang umaabot naman sa 15,000ft ang paraglide.

Sa pagtake-off ng parasail, kailangan walang ibang bagay na nakasasagabal sa paglipad nito. Karaniwan itong ginagawa sa isang open space o sa gitna ng laot kung saan hindi masyadong malakas ang alon. Hindi nagiging stable ang pag-angat ng parasail kung nauuga ang bangka ng malakas ng alon. Samantalang, sa paragliding naman, kailangan itong gawin sa isang mataas na lugar tulad ng bundok kung saan may tamang lakas ng hangin.

Parasailing sa Boracay

Ang isa sa mga pinakakilalang lugar sa Pilipinas kung saan maaaring magparasailing ay walang iba kung hindi sa Boracay. Nagkakahalaga ng P1,500 bawat tao ang parasailing. Maaari itong gawin ng dalawa o tatlong tao ng magkakasabay. Sa una ay isasakay ang parasailers sa isang speedboat na magdadala sa kanila sa laot. Sa laot ay ililipat sila sa isa pang maliit na yate kung saan isusuot ang life vests, helmets at iba pang safety gear. Dito rin ikakabit ang kanilang mga harness sa parasail. At dito dahan-dahang paaangatin ang parasail hanggang sa maabot na nito ang gustong taas.  

Tips sa mga Mga Nais Sumubok mag Parasail

Sadyang nakakakaba talaga sa una ang pagpaparasail lalo na yung panahon kung kalian dahan-dahan itong itinataas sa ere. Pero hindi naman mabilis ang pagtataas na ito, mabagal at maingat itong ginagawa kaya ligtas naman. Ang sumusunod ay ilang tips para sa mga nais sumubok ng parasail:

• l  Huwag titingin sa ibaba. Tumingin sa malayo at i-appreciate ang laot, ang mga isla, ang papalubog na araw, pero ‘wag na ‘wag titingin sa ibaba dahil siguradong magbibigay kaba at lula lamang ito.
• Kumapit sa harness at mag-relax. Sa una lang naman nakakatakot ang pagpaparasail, pero kung nasa itaas ka na ay nakakarelax na ito. Presko ang simoy ng hangin at tahimik. Marami kang mga makikita at madidiskubreng mga bagay mula sa pagtanaw mula sa ibabaw ng dagat. May makikita kang mga lumulundag na mga isda, may mga taong kumakaway mula sa mga dumadaang pampasaherong barko, may magagandang isla sa malayo at marami pang iba.  
• Magsama ng pamilya o malapit na kaibigan. Mas masaya kung may kasama kang kabahan, matakot, tumawa at tumingin sa ganda ng paligid. Mas nagiging maganda ang mga tanawin kung nakikita mo ito kasama ang mga taong mahalaga sa’yo.  

Parasailing sa Japan

Hindi lamang sa Pilipinas maaaring masubukan ang parasailing. Marami rin mga lugar sa Japan kung saan maaaring subukan ang parasailing, Okinawa ang pinakapopular dito. Tulad ng sa Pilipinas, maganda rin ang dagat sa Okinawa – malinaw ang tubig at maraming mga magagandang magkakalapit na isla. Pwede rin subukan sa Kanagawa, Chiba at Saitama ang parasailing. Mayroong mga package online na maaaring ipa-book ilang linggo bago ang planong pagpaparasail para hindi maubusan ng slots lalo na kung peak season.

Kaya ngayong summer, para maiba naman, isang magandang experience ang subukan ang parasailing. Hindi lamang ito isang bagong paraan ng pagtanaw sa paligid, kung hindi isang bagong paraan sa pagsalubong ng tag-init!

Natsu

gif by Genjitsuda

i hate you no more, not because i have totally forgiven you, i don't think i will ever do. let's just say that probably, yeah most probably, i just have reached my limit when it comes to hating you. it's not because i ran out of reasons to hate you (i know soon enough you'll stir up some trouble in the new world you're forcing yourself into) but i guess, i just ran out of energy to bite you. Too hurt to react, too numb to care, too tired to love and hate you at the same time. it's a whirlwind of emotions that took so much of me, while it took nothing of you. so i guess, it's about time for me to cut it out, let it go, snap out of it. after all the hate had gone, where a big space was left by faded bitterness and the love that once was there, the only thing left was nothing else but a bunch of good memories that would make me smile and remember - of things i can never bring back and things i can never have again.

A Forrest Full of Charm: A Review of the First Ever Stage Adaptation of Forrest Gump

           This is the first time that Forrest Gump was adapted for the stage and I was very fortunate to secure a ticket to see it with a good seat. Last June 8, 2014, I got to watch the matinee show of Forrest Gump at the Globe Theater. The play was topbilled by famous Johnny’s idol and KAT-TUN member Junnosuke Taguchi in the title role. This is Taguchi’s first ever starring role in a stage play. He was joined by other famous actors such as Aki Maeda (Jenny), Hitomi Takahashi (Forrest’s Mother) and Masahiro Takashima (played seven characters including Lietutenant Dan). It was produced and written by G2 who is known for other high-quality stage productions in Tokyo.

Photo from QLAP Magazine

Forrest Gump was originally a novel written by Winston Groom in 1986 and was turned into a movie in 1994 with Tom Hanks in the lead role.  The story revolves around the life of Forrest Gump who has a relatively low IQ as compared to other people. Out of such condition blossomed the naivite of a child and the purity of his heart that led him to great lengths – getting into college and playing for the rugby team, meeting two American presidents, joining the US Army, having a medal honor for saving his colleagues during the Vietnam War, and becoming an astronaut just to name a few.

 

Photos from QLAP Magazine

Highlights of the Play

It has very smooth transitions and props-change. For a play that has a very long and complicated timeline – starting from Forrest’s childhood up to the time that he becomes an adult – transitions are very difficult to pull off. The play also happens in different settings that require proper establishment of environment and milieu. The life of Forrest is told with a lot of historical events in the background starting from 1944 to 1986 such as the assassination of Kennedy, the Watergate Scandal, the Vietnam War, and the hippie counterculture. The stage props are not grand but enough to establish a particular setting. They’re simple, easy to move and very practical. The best part I have to say is when they staged the part where Forrest and Liuetant Dan are at sea, trying to catch some shrimps, when they encounter a strong storm that almost sinks their ship. The construction of the scene is quite simple. A blue cloth was put to cover the whole stage, and a small elevated platform was set in the middle to serve as the boat. At the four corners of the stage, there were people waving the blue cloth to create the image of waves. The lighting on stage, hitting the blue cloth created a beautiful imagery of ocean waves. It is not real but it gives you the right feel.

The live music adds a certain vibe to the show. All the music played within the whole show was actually played live. The musicians who played the keyboard, the violin and other instruments, also played supporting roles in the show. Sometimes they would play their instruments on the side, but on another time, they would leap on stage and throw some lines. This is a clever way of creating more people on stage. For a play like this, there are a lot of “extra people” needed to play as friends, classmates, rallyists, soldiers or other random people who do not have names but just need to be on stage to make a populated scene look more credible. Using actors as instrumentalists and vice versa is a clever idea to maximize the potential of the cast.

Photo from QLAP Magazine

Another strong point is Taguchi’s live playing of the harmonica. I was surprised at how well he could actually do it with just about four months of learning it. I am no music expert, but when I listen to it, sometimes, I feel like, some notes are wavering a little, but not so bad as to distract you from the beautiful music. For me, it is believable. He plays the harmonica like someone who does it as a hobby.

Though I like the live music so much, sometimes, I feel like it is not very consistent. There were some scenes that make give me the pseudo-musical feel, but then this feel was not sustained for the whole show. There was a scene showing Taguchi and his classmates singing and dancing in class, and a few ones with Jenny singing on stage with the new band that she had just joined. There is an incorporation of live music played on stage and off stage, which I like, but I would have preferred more on stage. I understand though that this play was written not as a musical so I can actually forgo this minor point. More so, the beautiful music of the violin and the harmonica overpowered my disappointment.             

            The imagery of the opening and the last scene created a perfect circle. I like how the play started and ended, basically because they happened in the same setting. The play opened with a scene with Forrest and his famous bench and it ended with him in the same place, but with Jenny and their little son. For me, the imagery created a full circle in the life of Forrest, from being a kid to growing up, losing Jenny and finding her again, from little Forrest to having Forrest Jr.

Best Scenes

            As I have mentioned earlier, the part when Forrest and Liutenant Dan are at sea is very good and heartwarming for me, not only because the scene is so beautiful with the blue cloth and the lighting on stage, but also because it is the part where Liutenant Dan finally realizes that he should be thankful to Forrest for saving his life in Vietnam.It is not too sentimental, not too dramatic, it has just the right emotions for me. But another good part is the ending. At the end of the play, the whole theater dimmed and small lights lighted up on stage like stars in the sky. Forrest delivered again the lines that he first said in the opening scene. The scene is so peaceful, seeing it as the last image of the whole play creates a light, heartwarming feel as you exit the theater. 

Photo from QLAP Magazine

Junnosuke Taguchi as Forrest Gump

            Taguchi is a very charming Forrest Gump – too charming, actually. This is a double standard though, it can either work for or against the production depending on what the audience is looking for. I am sure that there are other more experienced actors who can play Forrest better than Taguchi, but he put some of his own flavor in the character. His acting is sometimes theatrical, yet not contrived; very light and easy on the eyes; very smooth and amusing to see. Taguchi owned the role of Forrest. This is not the Forrest that I am expecting to see on stage when I entered the theater. I am expecting a different kind of Forrest, probably because I already have an image of another Forrest on my mind. But the thing is, Taguchi created his own version of Forrest Gump – the iriguchi-deguchi-taguchi-Gump if I may say. It is the overwhelmingly charming, lighthearted, beautiful Forrest. He may not be the best actor who can play the role, but he made a way to claim a particular version of Forrest as his own – enough to make me respect him more as an actor.

Note: Usually, when Taguchi introduces himself he says, "Iriguchi, Deguchi, Taguchi desu!" It literally means "Entrance, Exit, I'm Taguchi!" (^_^)

Niku Shokudou

Niku Shokudou is a small restaurant near the Takadanobaba Station that specializes in sizzling hamburger steaks. A set meal consists of rice, salad and a sizzling hamburger steak costs around Y800.  

What amazes me is how you cook the burger patty. There's a small round black metal on your plate where you can put a piece of the burger and wait until it cooks. Brilliant isn't it? Most of us are having trouble getting the correct texture of the meat we order: some like rare, medium-rare or well done. Having this small tool right on our plates solves the problem right away. We won't have the right to complain if we don't like the texture of the meat because we cooked it ourselves. ;) 

  

To get there, take the JR Yamanote Line and get off at Takadanobaba Station. Go to the Waseda Exit and find Becks Coffee (right beside the JR ticket office). From Becks Coffee, cross the street and walk straight ahead towards a long line of restaurants and cafes. Walk for a minute or two and you'll find the restaurant on your left side. Be careful though because the entrance to the restaurant easy to miss because it's so small and hardly noticeable. I posted the photo of the entrance above as your guide. The restaurant  is on the basement of this restaurant. It's quite small with only a few tables and chairs.

TIP:
For the hungry wolves though, this is not the place to go because preparing the order and cooking it might take a long time. But if you have time to spare for a good talk with a friend or a few laughs with the stranger on the next table, waiting will not be so bad.

Art Overdose: Art Fair Tokyo 2014

***originally published in the May Issue of Pinoy Gazette

Also published on Pinoy Gazette`s official blog: pinoygazetteofficial.blogspot.jp

Kuha ni Munetoshi Iwashita

Noong nakaraang buwan ay ginanap ang pinakamalaking art event sa Tokyo na pinakaaabangan hindi lamang ng art collectors at professional artists, kundi pati na rin ng mga nag-aasam gumuhit at mga gusto lamang makakita at mamangha sa iba't ibang klase ng malikhaing gawa. 

Ang Art Fair Tokyo 2014 na ginanap sa Tokyo International Forum ay nilahukan ng mahigit-kumulang 180 galleries, organizations at sponsors mula sa 28 siyudad sa Japan at iba pang bahagi ng mundo. Kabilang ang Embahada ng Pilipinas sa mga sumuporta sa event na ito. Sa nakaraang walong taon ng Art Fair, ito ang unang pagkakataon na mayroong lumahok na gallery mula sa Pilipinas. 

Dumalo ang ilang mahahalagang tao tulad ni Unang Ginang Akie Abe, maybahay ni Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, sa Kagami-biraki sake cask ceremony, na opisyal na nagbukas sa Art Fair. Sa loob ng apat na magkakasunod na araw ay itinampok sa Art Fair ang iba't ibang klase ng gawa, nasa linya man ng fine arts o applied arts kabilang dito ang Nihongo o Japanese-style painting, Yoga o Japanese oil painting, contemporary art, media art, pop art, mga litrato, at ilang antique at handicraft. Nagkaroon din ng mga panayam tungkol sa woodblock prints at media art. Nagsagawa rin ng guided tours para sa ilang mga bisita. 

Bukod sa indibidwal na mga gallery na nagpakita ng gawa ng kanilang mga sariling artists, ilan sa mga highlights ng Art Fair ay ang sumusunod:

Discovering Asia. Sa section na ito nakibahagi ang ilang mga gallery mula sa Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Indonesia at Pilipinas upang ipakita ang mga gawa mula sa kanilang mga bansa kabilang dito ang 1335 Mabini na mula sa Pilipinas. Sila ang kauna-unahang Filipino gallery na nakilahok sa Art Fair.

Artistic Practice. Ang section na ito ay may temang “Modernity, Created by Japan” na siyang kinabibilangan ng mga modern painting na nagpapakita ng pagbabago sa tema at technique sa pagguhit ng isang bagong henerasyon ng Japanese artists. Kabilang ang ilan sa mga gawa nina Kaoru Yamaguchi, Soutaro Yasui, at Ryuzaburo Umezawa sa ipinakita sa Art Fair.

Tokyo Unlimited. Sa bahaging ito ipinakita ang iba't ibang applied art tulad ng handicrafts, pottery, ceramics at alahas. Ilan sa mga gallery na nakibahagi ay ang Toyama Glass Studio, gallery deux poissons, O-Jewel at Kanazawa Utatsuyama Kogei Kubo.

Art, Media and I, Tokyo. Kapansin-pansin kamakailan ang pagiging popular ng media art kung saan gumagamit ang mga artists ng kanilang sariling sistema, device at medium ng paggawa ng painting na iba kaysa sa pangkaraniwang ginagamit. Ang section na ito ay may layuning ipakita kung paano ang mga media art na gawang Hapon ay higit na maipapakilala sa global art market. Tampok sa exhibit na ito ang mga gawa ng ShimuraBros at nina Yuko Mohri, at Lyota Yagi.

Total Recall - Works of Mitsutoshi Hanaga (1959-1999). Itinatampok sa bahaging ito ang mga larawang kinuhanan ni Mitsutoshi Hanaga mula 1959-1999 na nagtatampok ng mga aktibidades ng mga avante-gard Japanese artists tulad ng grupong Hi-Red Center at nina Tetsumi Kudo, Akaji Maro at kanji Ito.

Pap-Aki Cafe Project. Gamit sa munting cafe na ito ang mga upuan at lamesa na gawa sa makakapal na karton na ginuhitan ng matitingkad na larawan ni Aki Kondo. 

Dinaluhan ang Art Fair ng halos 50,000 bisita mula sa iba't ibang panig ng Japan at ng mundo. Umabot rin ng halos isang bilyong yen ang halaga ng mga art pieces na naibenta sa loob ng apat na araw ng Art Fair. Patunay lamang ang ika-siyam na taon ng Art Fair Tokyo sa patuloy na pagiging globally competitive ng bansa at higit na nagkakaroon ng mataas na value ang mga malikhaing gawa mula sa Asya.