Monks have taken over the menus at restaurants in the posh Shin-Marunouchi building in Tokyo to offer real soul food. Throughout the weeklong Koyasan Cafe event, diners can fill their stomachs and their spirits with Buddhist-inspired dishes. Koyasan Cafe takes its name from the spiritual center of Japanese Buddhism, Koyasan in Wakayama Prefecture. Also known as Mount Koya, it is the last resting place of the eighth-century monk Kukai, the headquarters of the Shingon sect he...
Read MoreThings to do: Dress up in cosplay and have your picture taken
Cosplay (コスプレ kosupure), short for “costume play”, is an activity in which participants wear costumes and accessories to represent a specific character or idea from a work of fiction. Cosplayers often interact to create a subculture centered on role play. A broader use of the termcosplay applies to any costumed role play in venues apart from the stage, regardless of the cultural context. Favorite sources include manga, anime, comic books, video games, and films....
Read MoreThings to do this week in Tokyo September 9 – September 15
‘Embrace the Animal, Strive for the Human’ Until Sat Sep 21, 2013 Vanilla Gallery You generally know what you’re going to get from a trip to Vanilla Gallery, which specialises in work that flirts with the erotic, sadistic and fetishistic. True to form, this solo show by controversial American artist John Santerineross will feature 58 ‘dark magic’ photographs that delve into Greek mythology, religion and the spiritual world. As the title...
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