Emperor Naruhito To Play Viola With Mongolian Orchestra During State Visit
The emperor will perform two pieces — one Mongolian and one Japanese — in a musical collaboration symbolizing friendship between the two nations. It will be his second time playing alongside the Morin Khuur Orchestra and a rare public display of his long-held passion for music.
List of Contents:
2007 Visit: A Surprise Performance as Crown Prince
Visit Marks First Trip to Mongolia by Reigning Japanese Emperor
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2007 Visit: A Surprise Performance as Crown Prince
This is Emperor Naruhito's second visit to Mongolia, the first being in 2007 as Crown Prince to mark the 35th anniversary of Japan-Mongolia diplomatic relations. During that visit, he surprised audiences at a concert in Ulaanbaatar's National Opera and Ballet Theatre by performing
The Swan
by Saint-Saëns with the Morin Khuur Orchestra.
In a notable gesture, he requested to perform the duet with a local violist rather than solo, believing it would better serve the spirit of cultural exchange. The former Ambassador of Japan to Mongolia, Yasuyoshi Ichihashi, who accompanied the then-Crown Prince, told the
Yomiuri Shimbun
, 'Mongolia is a country with deep attachment and pride in its ethnic culture and music. His Majesty was able to close the emotional distance with the local people through his viola.'
Visit Marks First Trip to Mongolia by Reigning Japanese Emperor
The emperor and empress arrived in Mongolia on July 6 to a warm welcome from Foreign Minister Batmunkh Battsetseg and other dignitaries. The visit is the third overseas trip of Emperor Naruhito's reign and the first by a reigning Japanese emperor to Mongolia.
While in Mongolia, the imperial couple will also visit a memorial for approximately 1,700 Japanese detainees who died there after World War II. They will attend the Naadam Festival opening ceremony, and visit schools, hospitals and local children's facilities with strong ties to Japan.
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The Life and Love of Japan's New Emperor
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Japan Today
22 minutes ago
- Japan Today
Hotel in Osaka offering shaved ice based on historical Japanese warlords
By SoraNews24 Although it's been destroyed and rebuilt several times over the centuries, Osaka Castle remains a specular landmark in the middle of Osaka City. It was also a critical location during the Sengoku Period of Japanese history as warlords vied, supported, and betrayed each other in an attempt to unite the country under their own leadership. When staying in Osaka, the DoubleTree by Hilton Osaka Castle hotel offers some of the best views of the castle, and starting 1 July will also be serving some edible history to go with its view. What better way to battle the brutal heat of a Japanese summer than with some shaved ice warlords on your side? ▼ Osaka Castle (left) and the DoubleTree by Hilton Osaka Castle (right) Shaved ice might sound like a chintzy menu item, but in Japan, it's sometimes done in the form of haute cuisine as is the case with these three offerings. First, Oda Nobunaga was the first of the great generals to attempt to unify Japan and came within reach of succeeding had he not been ambushed in Kyoto and driven to commit seppuku there. ▼ Uji Matcha Azuki Nobunaga (3,500 yen) So perhaps it's fitting for Nobunaga's shaved ice to be based on the region of his last stand with a matcha flavoring from Uji, Kyoto Prefecture. Matcha, along with its common companion of sweet azuki beans, as well as some raspberry cream, condensed milk, shiratama rice dumplings, and a chocolate ornament all come together to represent the legendary leader's armor with a distinctively Japanese taste. While Nobunaga laid much of the groundwork for the unification of Japan, it was Toyotomi Hideyoshi who picked up where he left off and continued the mission further west. He successfully unified Japan for a time and settled in Osaka, building Osaka Castle to be the strongest fortress in the country. However, he died of natural causes shortly after and passed his position on to his son Toyotomi Hideyori. ▼ Mango & Cider Hideyoshi (2,500 yen) Hideyoshi's shaved ice has been given a rich flavor of mango and Osaka-style blue soda. In honor of his work to create Osaka Castle, the treat has a towering white-and-gold look topped with a candy sword resting on a cloud of foam and a candy paulownia leaf resembling a halo. The power vacuum left by Hideyoshi was then seized by Tokugawa Ieyasu, who eventually saw Hideyori as a threat and stormed Osaka Castle in 1615 to remove him from the equation, thus securing his control over all of Japan for centuries. ▼ Whole Melon Ieyasu (5,000 yen) Ieyasu's armor was decorated with a fern leaf motif as a symbol of longevity and prosperity, as is his shaved ice, featuring ferns crafted from cream puffs and chocolate sitting atop flakes of ice and melon scoops all inside an entire half melon with black tea jelly inside. It also comes with melon ice cream, melon syrup, and foam on the side. It isn't necessary to stay at the DoubleTree by Hilton Osaka Castle hotel to enjoy these high-class desserts. One only needs to head up to the Lounge & Bar Sen on the sixth floor where a nice view of the castle can also be enjoyed. They'll only be available for the summer until 30 September though, so be sure to try some before they're history. Restaurant information Lounge & Bar Sen / ラウンジ＆バー SEN（舟） DoubleTree by Hilton Osaka Castle ダブルツリーbyヒルトン大阪城 Osaka-fu, Osaka-shi, Chuo-ku, Otemae 1-1-1 大阪府大阪市中央区大手前1丁目1番1号 Hours: 11:30 a.m. – 9 p.m. Website Source, images: PR Times Read more stories from SoraNews24. -- New hotel with Osaka Castle view is one of the best places to stay in Japan -- Beautiful afternoon tea lounge lets you look at and eat Osaka Castle【Taste test】 -- It's officially Ponyo time as Ghibli character appears as new anime accessory line and clock【Pics】 External Link © SoraNews24
7 hours ago
Shaped by Conflict: Japanese Literature After World War II
The second of a series on Japanese literature in the Shōwa era (1926–89) mainly considers books written from 1945 to 1954 (Shōwa 20–29), as the country recovered from and reflected on World War II. It also includes a few later works with strong wartime themes. No Longer Human by Dazai Osamu A Japanese edition of Ningen shikkaku ( No Longer Human ) by Dazai Osamu. (© Shinchōsha) On June 13, 1948, Dazai Osamu (1909–48) jumped into the Tamagawa canal together with his mistress, ending his life by drowning at the age of 38. The previous year his novel The Setting Sun had depicted the postwar fall of Japan's aristocracy; his death came shortly before the publication of his masterpiece No Longer Human . 'I have lived a life of much shame,' the narrator tells readers at the beginning of No Longer Human , and then, near the end (in the recent translation by Juliet Winters Carpenter), 'Now I am neither happy nor unhappy. Everything passes.' These words leave a vivid and powerful impression. Dazai was born as the tenth child of 11 to a major landowner in Tsugaru, Aomori, in northern Japan. Self-destructive by nature, after joining the French department at Tokyo Imperial University (today's University of Tokyo) he took part in illegal Communist Party activities, then fell into a life of pleasure-seeking before planning a joint suicide at 21 with a Ginza waitress he had only just met. She died, but he survived and lived with the guilt for the rest of his life. After this, he lived with a geisha he called down from Aomori to Tokyo, but fell into despair when she was unfaithful. He made another unsuccessful attempt at suicide, became addicted to a painkiller, and was admitted to a mental institution. Even so, he showed signs of recovery after entering an arranged marriage at the age of 30, based on a recommendation by his mentor, the writer Ibuse Masuji. He wrote a number of great short works from this time, including 'One Hundred Views of Mount Fuji' and 'Run, Melos!' but the chaotic situation in Japan after its surrender led Dazai toward destruction again. In No Longer Human , Dazai makes a confession of his 'life of much shame' in the form of a frank memoir. Today, there are few authors who inspire such fervent devotion from their fans and continue to be widely read (Mishima Yukio is another). Dazai's works have taken on an eternal life, and No Longer Human was his last will and testament. Ningen shikkaku is translated as No Longer Human in separate versions by Juliet Winters Carpenter and Donald Keene and as A Shameful Life by Mark Gibeau. is translated as in separate versions by Juliet Winters Carpenter and Donald Keene and as by Mark Gibeau. Shayō is translated as The Setting Sun in separate versions by Juliet Winters Carpenter and Donald Keene. is translated as in separate versions by Juliet Winters Carpenter and Donald Keene. 'Fugaku hyakkei' is translated as 'One Hundred Views of Mount Fuji' by Ralph McCarthy. 'Hashire Merosu' is translated as 'Run, Melos!' in separate versions by James O'Brien and Ralph McCarthy. The Inugami Curse by Yokomizo Seishi A Japanese edition of Inugamike no ichizoku ( The Inugami Curse ) by Yokomizo Seishi. (© Kadokawa) Japan's defeat cast a long shadow over many popular literary genres that found fresh vigor in the postwar era. The Inugami Curse by Yokomizo Seishi (1902–81), which has become a classic in the mystery genre and been adapted many times, takes inspiration from tragedies of demobilized soldiers returning home. The Inugami Curse is part of a popular series about the great detective Kindaichi Kōsuke, coming after The Honjin Murders, Death on Gokumon Island , and The Village of Eight Graves . Set in a fictional city in Nagano Prefecture after World War II, the novel centers on the battle among the assembled relatives of the Inugami clan over the huge estate of the late, wealthy patriarch Inugami Sahei. His will states that whichever of his three grandsons marries Tamayo, the beautiful granddaughter of his great benefactor, will inherit the estate. The oldest, Sukekiyo, has returned from fighting in Burma; due to a terrible injury, he wears an eerie rubber mask. There are also inheritance rights for Sahei's mysterious illegitimate child, whose whereabouts are unknown after demobilization. A series of bizarre murders ensues. The drama reaches its height as Kindaichi solves a cunning trick and approaches a solution, but the tragedy that assails the Inugami clan is the war itself. The author writes of how the prewar pride and sense of responsibility had been lost, and Sukekiyo laments his ignorance of the great transformation in the feelings of people who remained in Japan. The collapse of the values that the returning soldiers believed in leaves them at the mercy of fate. Inugamike no ichizoku is translated as The Inugami Curse by Yumiko Yamazaki. is translated as by Yumiko Yamazaki. Honjin satsujin jiken is translated as The Honjin Murders by Louise Heal Kawai. is translated as by Louise Heal Kawai. Gokumontō is translated as Death on Gokumon Island by Louise Heal Kawai. is translated as by Louise Heal Kawai. Yatsuhakamura is translated as The Village of Eight Graves by Bryan Karetnyk. Fires on the Plain by Ōoka Shōhei The author Ōoka Shōhei (1909–88) was described by his friend Shiroyama Saburō (who appears later in this article) as having been a soldier from start to finish, saying that 'he spent his whole life grinding his teeth at the enormity of the things that he'd lost and that had been taken from him, while also hating those things.' After studying French literature at Kyoto Imperial University, Ōoka began his working career. In 1944, however, he was drafted and dispatched to the Philippines, where he was taken prisoner the following year by US forces and sent to a prisoner of war camp on the island of Leyte. It was a miracle that he survived such a deadly battleground. A Japanese edition of Nobi ( Fires on the Plain ) by Ōoka Shōhei. (© Shinchōsha) When the war was over Ōoka became an author, recording his own experiences in Taken Captive: A Japanese POW's Story , and writing the novel Fires on the Plain , a book of mourning, which depicts the precarious existence of individual soldiers living on in the Philippines after the defeat of Japanese forces. It is set on Leyte in the last stages of the war. At a time when weapons, ammunition, and food supplies have run out, the protagonist Private Tamura, who must also contend with resurgent tuberculosis, is told by his squad leader to blow himself up with a hand grenade like a true imperial soldier. In one scene at a crude field hospital, wounded soldiers who have lost all desire to fight can only wait with empty stomachs for death. Relentless bombardment by US forces, however, sends them running for the hills. In the distance, smoke rises. As Tamura wanders through the war zone, he repeatedly sights mysterious fires. An abandoned corpse is missing flesh from its buttocks. When his starvation reaches its extreme, Tamura eats 'monkey meat' offered by a fellow soldier. Is it really from a monkey or from a human? Ōoka presents the tragedy of a soldier abandoned by his nation under the purported ideals of 'loyalty to the emperor and love of country.' The author was later recommended as a member of the Japan Art Academy, but declined to join, maintaining his anti-establishment thinking. Nobi is translated as Fires on the Plain by Ivan Morris. is translated as by Ivan Morris. Furyoki is translated as Taken Captive: A Japanese POW's Story by Wayne P. Lammers. Twenty-Four Eyes by Tsuboi Sakae A Japanese edition of Nijūshi no hitomi ( Twenty-Four Eyes ) by Tsuboi Sakae. (© Iwanami Shoten) Twenty-Four Eyes by Tsuboi Sakae (1899–1967) is an antiwar novel about the obscure ordinary people whose lives were overturned by the conflict. It is set in a small fishing village by the Seto Inland Sea, and vividly portrays the heartwarming relationships between a young woman called Ōishi Hisako, newly graduated from a teacher's college at the beginning of the story, and her initial class of 12 first-grade children. The events of the novel span from 1928 to 1946, with the peaceful life of the village in the first half disturbed by gathering war clouds. Ōishi's naive doubts, expressed when a colleague is accused of being a communist, lead to herself falling under suspicion. When the children reach sixth grade, they start to think of the future. Influenced by the atmosphere of the day, the boys talk of becoming soldiers. While she cannot openly oppose them, Ōishi is troubled, losing faith in education and resigning her job. She marries a sailor and has three children, but her husband is killed in the war. The writer asks why people give birth to, love, and raise children if all that awaits them is war. Many of the children in the story, portrayed with such individuality, face harsh destinies, including death in battle. Readers are likely to be in tears when Ōishi returns to teaching in middle age, after the war is over, and meets again with the survivors of her first class. Tsuboi was encouraged by her husband, a literary scholar, to start writing children's books in the 1920s. A 1954 film adaptation of Twenty-Four Eyes , directed by Kinoshita Keisuke and starring Takamine Hideko, became a major hit, helping to establish the classic status of Tsuboi's book. Nijūshi no hitomi is translated as Twenty-Four Eyes by Akira Miura. Black Rain by Ibuse Masuji A Japanese edition of Kuroi ame ( Black Rain ) by Ibuse Masuji. (© Shinchōsha) Although not written in the immediate aftermath of the war, it is impossible to leave out Black Rain from a selection of World War II literature. While many books have taken the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki as a theme, this story stands out as a masterpiece. The author Ibuse Masuji (1898–1993) was born in Fukuyama, Hiroshima Prefecture, so the hibakusha victims of the bombing were a familiar presence. Before the war, he wrote one of his most famous stories, 'Salamander,' in 1929. He also won the Naoki Prize in 1937 for John Manjirō: A Castaway's Chronicle , about a fisherman who became one of the first Japanese people to go to the United States. He was over 40 years old when he was drafted into the army in 1941 and sent to Japanese-occupied Singapore. After he returned one year later, he lived in his hometown until the end of the war. The main characters of Black Rain are Hiroshima residents Shizuma Shigematsu, his wife Shigeko, and their niece Yasuko, who lives with them. At the time of the bombing, Shigematsu is at the station and suffers burns to his face. He is diagnosed as suffering from radiation sickness and begins to experience symptoms like fatigue and hair loss. Shigeko was at home and Yasuko working at a factory outside the city, so neither were injured by the blast. Four years after the war, they live in Shigematsu's home village, far from the center of the city, but the people there spread rumors that Yasuko suffers from radiation sickness and keep their distance. One day, there is talk of a possible husband for her, but the matchmaker wants to know of her movements since the bombing took place. The Genbaku (A-Bomb) Dome in Hiroshima in 1945. (© Jiji) Shigematsu and Yasuko write a diary every day. Shigematsu copies past entries from his diary in an effort to disprove rumors to the matchmaker. Ibuse's presentation of their peaceful daily life together with diary entries reconstructs in detail the tragedy of the atomic bombing. Disaster follows as Yasuko, once healthy, starts to show signs of radiation sickness, caused by contaminated 'black rain' that fell on her after the bombing. A sudden shattering of everyday existence changes the lives of the characters. Rather than shouting about the inhumanity of atomic weapons, Ibuse depicts the reality of the devastation through simple descriptions, and his superb ability brings the hellish event in front of readers' eyes. 'Sanshōuo' is translated as 'Salamander' by John Bester. Jon Manjirō hyōryūki is translated as John Manjirō: A Castaway's Chronicle by Anthony Liman and David Aylward. is translated as by Anthony Liman and David Aylward. Kuroi ame is translated as Black Rain by John Bester. War Criminal: The Life and Death of Hirota Koki by Shiroyama Saburō A Japanese edition of Rakujitsu moyu ( War Criminal: The Life and Death of Hirota Koki ) by Shiroyama Saburō. (© Shinchōsha) One final book I would like to introduce is War Criminal: The Life and Death of Hirota Koki by Shiroyama Saburō (1927–2007), who was known for his historical novels. This tackles the life of Hirota Kōki, who was the only civilian to be executed as a Class A war criminal in the Tokyo Trials organized by Allied powers, and it questions the responsibility of wartime leaders. Shiroyama volunteered to join the Imperial Navy when he was a college student and was undergoing training in a tokkōtai special attack unit (often called the kamikaze) when the war ended. His question of what the leaders had been thinking was a motivation for him to write. He saw Hirota as one of the men in suits who had reluctantly become entangled in the war machine. Hirota served as prime minister and foreign minister in the 1930s, and did his best to stop Japan becoming embroiled in conflict, but could not stand up to the pressure of the military. He made no defense of himself at the Tokyo Trials and was sentenced to death by hanging. His family respected his wishes and also said nothing. Shiroyama had difficulties gathering information, but won assistance from Ōoka Shōhei, who was good friends since school days with Hirota's eldest son. With Ōoka's persuasive words, the family talked to Shiroyama. In particular Hirota's third son, who had acted as his father's secretary when he was prime minister, provided some new stories that were not previously known. This detailed research provided the basis for Shiroyama's novel. Rakujitsu moyu is translated as War Criminal: The Life and Death of Hirota Koki by John Bester. Selected Japanese Literature (1945–54) and Other Books Related to World War II 'Discourse on Decadence' by Sakaguchi Ango, translated by Seiji M. Lippit from 'Darakuron' (1946) The Setting Sun by Dazai Osamu, translated by Juliet Winters Carpenter from Shayō (1947) by Dazai Osamu, translated by Juliet Winters Carpenter from (1947) No Longer Human by Dazai Osamu, translated by Juliet Winters Carpenter from Ningen shikkaku (1948) by Dazai Osamu, translated by Juliet Winters Carpenter from (1948) Taken Captive: A Japanese POW's Story by Ōoka Shōhei, translated by Wayne P. Lammers from Furyoki (1948) by Ōoka Shōhei, translated by Wayne P. Lammers from (1948) The Inugami Curse by Yokomizo Seishi, translated by Yumiko Yamazaki from Inugamike no ichizoku (1951) by Yokomizo Seishi, translated by Yumiko Yamazaki from (1951) Fires on the Plain by Ōoka Shōhei, translated by Ivan Morris from Nobi (1951) by Ōoka Shōhei, translated by Ivan Morris from (1951) Twenty-Four Eyes by Tsuboi Sakae, translated by Akira Miura from Nijūshi no hitomi (1952) by Tsuboi Sakae, translated by Akira Miura from (1952) Ningen no jōken (The Human Condition) by Gomikawa Junpei (no English translation) (1958) (The Human Condition) by Gomikawa Junpei (no English translation) (1958) Black Rain by Ibuse Masuji, translated by John Bester from Kuroi ame (1965) by Ibuse Masuji, translated by John Bester from (1965) War Criminal: The Life and Death of Hirota Koki by Shiroyama Saburō, translated by John Bester from Rakujitsu moyu (1974) Note that some works have multiple translations, but only one is given for each in this list. (Originally published in Japanese on June 2, 2025. Banner photo: From left, Ibuse Masuji, Dazai Osamu, and Ōoka Shōhei. All © Jiji.)
SoraNews24
9 hours ago
- SoraNews24
Yoshinoya's new ramen doesn't smell like it tastes【Taste test】
We head to the beef bowl king to try their first attempt at beef mazesoba. We recently found out that Yoshinoya was adding ramen to its menu, and it was surprising for multiple reasons. First, Yoshinoya is, quite famously, Japan's favorite beef bowl joint, and they've never had a noodle dish served by the entire chain before this. Second, Yoshinoya was promising that it would be a 'refreshing' meal that's 'perfect for the hot summer.' Looking at preview pictures of the Gyutama Stamina Mazesoba, though, we weren't so sure about that claim. See, in Japanese foodie jargon, 'stamina' is often used to refer to garlic, which is indeed thought to help cope with heat exhaustion by some people in Japan, but isn't exactly a taste that most people would describe as 'refreshing,' and the pre-release photos were giving us the impression of a boldly flavored but also heavy-feeling meal. But hey, what were we going to do, not eat ramen? So when Yoshinoya started serving the Gyutama Stamina Mazesoba on July 4, our Japanese-language reporter P.K. Sanjun sauntered over to try it for himself for 767 yen (US$5.30). Before we get to the taste test, though, let's unpack that name. Gyu means 'beef' and tama here is short for tamago, or 'egg,' and the Gyutama Stamina Mazesoba's toppings include Yoshinya's famous simmered beef strips and an egg. Mazesoba, meanwhile, is a kind of no-broth ramen where you mix (mazeru) everything together in a bowl before you start eating. You might feel a twinge of disappointment when the tray placed in front of you doesn't look like the picture on the poster, but that's because the garlic sauce and egg come in their own separate dishes, and you combine everything yourself. ▼ That's better. Speaking of the sauce, it's pretty pungent stuff. As P.K. poured it into his noodle bowl and began to stir with his chopsticks, he could feel the sharp garlic notes prickling his nose. The garlic aroma was strong enough that P.K. braced himself for a powerful punch to his taste buds as he took a bite, only to be swiftly startled by a much smoother flavor profile than he'd expected. That doesn't mean that it's bland, and the flavor that's here is quite nice. It's just that the way Yoshinoya's mazesoba looks and smells had P.K. building up an intense image for how it was going to taste, and when what he actually got was the exact opposite, it was kind of hard for his brain to process right away. But then again, the flavor is entirely in keeping with how Yoshinoya itself told us the Gyutama Stamina Mazesoba was going to be: 'refreshing' and 'perfect for the hot summer.' There are ways to dial things up a notch here, and if you want to Yoshinoya recommends adding a side order of extra green onions with rayu (chili oil) or kimchi to the bowl. But for what it is, and for what Yoshinoya says it is, its first noodle dish does the trick. Photos ©SoraNews24 ● Want to hear about SoraNews24's latest articles as soon as they're published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter! [ Read in Japanese ]
