Noisy birthday at Yokogawa Cinema

This week, Yokogawa Cinema is celebrating 10 years of showing many films that would never get shown anywhere else in Hiroshima to, it must be said, an often almost empty house. In celebration of their passion and staying power, a late night screening of Olivier Assayas' Sonic Youth pic Noise was held on Saturday night. It was proceeded by some local musicians doing their own noise thing, captured on video by Sophie Andersen.

The film continues to play this week, daily at 21:00 until Friday, November 14.



NOISE from Sofie Andersen on Vimeo.



I will post the details of part two of the anniversary celebrations later.

Miyoko Asagaya Kibun: Yokogawa Cinema 10 Year Anniversary Part II

After last weekend's noise-fest, Yokogawa Cinema holds the second part of it 10th anniversary celebrations on Saturday, November 14 with a screening of Miyoko Asagaya Kibun. The film is based on a manga drawn by legendary artist, Shinichi Abe, contributor to legendary monthly anthology Garo "the film portrays a pure and brutal love between the artist and his muse, Miyoko". Some of the music in the film is provided by the rock band SPARTA LOCALS which includes two of Abe's sons.




Watch the trailer with English subtitles here.

Before the film starts at midnight there will be live music from local artists, including Goto Izumi+Accordion starting at 23:00. Admission is ¥1400.

Drag Me To Hell, The Burning Plain & The Boy In The Striped Pajamas

Movie picks this week are Sam Raimi's very well received Drag Me To Hell (unfortunately, opening here a week after Halloween), heavy kids' movie based on real life horror, The Boy In The Striped Pajamas, and the not so well received romantic drama, The Burning Plain.

Where times not shown, click on cinema name to got to schedule page.

Drag Me To Hell [Superu] (English with Japanese subtitles)




Reviews

Wald 11, Toho
Midorii, 109


The Burning Plain (English with Japanese subtitles)



Reviews

Salon Cinema Nov 7-Nov 19 at 11:45, 14:00, 16:15, 19:00



The Boy In The Striped Pajamas (English with Japanese subtitles)





Salon Cinema Nov 7-Nov 13 at 17:35

Free rental cycle pilot scheme this month [e-サイクルひろしま]

In an encouraging, and long awaited, move Hiroshima city government is trying out a community bicycle system from today. Until now, excluding those available from hotels, the number of bicycles available for rent by tourists totals less than 10. Until December 4, a total of 110 "electric assist" bicycles (including 40 with "electric assist") will be available at 11 different places around the city for people to borrow free of charge. You can return the bikes to any of the 11 places and they also qualify for free parking at any of the city bicycle parking lots.

Bicycles can be borrowed and returned between 09:30 and 18:00. You have to be 13 years old or over,  show some form of picture ID and be prepared to answer a questionnaire on returning your bicycle. The pilot scheme will run until December 4.

According to the publicity pamphlet, the scheme is aimed at international and domestic tourists, but why not give the system a go and provide some valuable feedback. In a city so suited to cycling, it would be great if the scheme is not only made permanent, but expanded to be used by commuters and residents à la Paris.

The bicycles are available at the following places (it isn't possible to make reservations, but phone numbers are included to check availability)

1. Futaba Giga (Hiroshima Station) 090-7374-4258
2. Hiroshima Prefectural Art Museum 090-7374-3093 (available 09:00-17:00, until 18:00 on Saturday, not available Mondays)
3. Hiroshima Castle 090-7374-2162
4. A-Bomb Dome (at the old baseball stadium) 090-7374-4182
5. Rihga Royal Hotel 090-7374-3663
6. Grand Via Hotel 090-7374-0241
7. Sunroute Hotel 090-7374-2746
8. ANA Crowne Plaza Hotel 090-7374-3821
9. Mitsui Garden Hotel 090-7374-6172
10. Oriental Hotel 090-7374-5344
11. Grand Prince Hotel (Ujina) 082-256-1111

Click here for the original PDF file (and here for the front of the pamphlet).

Halloween X, Club Chinatown: Video

Shot and edited by genkijin

Lovely shot of sun setting over Okunoshima

Prolific Flickr-bug Kamoda has a series of shots of the sun setting over Okunoshima at the end of a beautiful autumn day. This is our favorite.

The Korean Memorial at Hiroshima: A poem by Andrew Motion

Former poet laureate Andrew Motion's poem The Korean Memorial at Hiroshima is featured as The Guardian's poem of the week.

The poem is below. I enjoy poetry, but am nowhere near confident enough to attempt criticism and analysis. Luckily Carol Rumens has done a great job of that,  so click please click through to the piece on the Guardian and see what she has to say  and if you agree. 

The Korean Memorial at Hiroshima

 There was hardly time
between the Peace Museum
and the bullet train to Tokyo,
but our hosts instructed the taxi
to find the memorial to the Koreans.
Ten thousand Koreans, killed that morning.
You, being Korean, had to see it.

*
We had been crying in the Museum:
the charred school uniforms;
the lunch-box with its meal of charcoal,
the shadow of a seated woman
printed on the steps of a bank.
Everyone else was crying, too.
We shuffled round in a queue,
crying and saying nothing.
Then we stood in the rain
squaring up to the Memorial.
A spike of rusty flowers
and a tide-scum of dead cherry blossom.
Five or six miniature ceremonial costumes
made of folded paper and left to moulder.
Pink. Pink and custard yellow.
You could hardly leave soon enough.
*
The taxi was on its last legs,
sputtering among black cherries
then stalling by the skeleton
of the one dome to survive the blast.
No need to worry about the train, though.
The trains in Japan run on time.
In two hours and fifteen minutes
we would see Mount Fuji,
cloud-cover permitting,
and the snow-cap like a table-cloth
stretched over a tumbler of water
in the moment of surprise
before a magician taps his wand
and the tumbler disappears.

Free entry to public cultural facilities on November 3, Culture Day

Admission to Hiroshima's public cultural facilities is free of charge on the November 3 Culture Day holiday.

• Shukkeien Garden
  
• Prefectural Art Museum
  
• Contemporary Art Museum
  
• Folklore Museum
  
• Children's Science Museum & Planetarium
  
• Transport Museum
  
• Meterological Museum
  
• Asa Zoo
  
• Hiroshima Botanical Gardens
  
• Hiroshima Insectarium
  
• Hiroshima Castle
  
  

Know any more? Pop them in the comments.

Chinatown Halloween Party Pics: First Look

Last night saw another great party at Chinatown this year. Great job by Natasha and all the staff at the front and working the busy bar. MC Saemi did a great job on stage, Flo did a great job with the Polaroid UNICEF fundraiser (will publish the total raised soon) and Rebecca and Tobias for taking photos and video at the party.

Thanks also to everyone who dressed up in such great costumes - sorry we could choose so few of you for prizes!

Top 3 costumes (male):

• 1st Dr.Evil and Minnie Me
• 2nd Ikura Sushi
• 3rd Wal-ee Robot  
• Runners up: Roboto and MC

Top 3 costumes (female):

• 1st Harem Girl
• 2nd Goth witch bride
• 3rd Dark Angel
• Runners up: Maid and Corpse Bride

Hope everyone had a great time!

Message from Natasha the organiser:

Huge THANKS to everyone who showed up last night and made the 10th such a great success!! Hope you had a wonderful time... BIG "otsukaresama" to the DJs, MC Saemi, BAR STAFF, SECURITY boys, DOOR boys, Joy for the COSTUME CONTEST and all the judges. THANK YOU for the great work! SPECIAL thanks to Flo, Rebecca ...and Tobias for taking the pictures and video. THANK YOU ALL for the biggest and best Halloween in Hiroshima!

If you use Flickr and would like to add your pictures to the slideshow below,  just tag your pics with the tag ChinatownHalloween2009. Click through to the original pics via the slideshow below to download full resolution versions to keep, print and share. Also, feel free to add pics to the Halloween album on the GetHiroshima Facebook Page.

As always, if we have published a photo of you that you'd rather not be public, please write to us at gethiroshima@gmail.com  and it will be gone.