A Life in Jazz, Pop, and Film

Tracing the Creative Journey of a Japanese Music Pioneer

Akiko Yano, a pop and jazz singer, is a major talent and influence in the Japanese music industry. She has released 50 albums and collaborated with musicians like Hiromi Uehara, Rei Harakami, Pat Metheny, Thomas Dolby, Swing Out Sister, Little Feat and the Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO). She has also collaborated as a composer and voice actor with numerous film directors, most notably the anime legend Hayao Miyazaki of Studio Ghibli. Yano’s music is known for its whimsical, mischievous touch and innovations. Attending an Akiko Yano concert live is a transformative experience, inspiring audiences with joy and admiration to also express themselves as raw and authentically as she does. Formerly married to the late globally acclaimed musician Ryuichi Sakamoto, a pioneering member of YMO, she continues to inspire both the Japanese and American music industries today with both her talent and melodies. In 2025, Akiko’s live album with Hiromi, Step Into Paradise, won the Japan Gold Disk Award for Jazz Album of the Year. Tokyo Journal’s Editor-in-Chief, Anthony Al-Jamie, met with Akiko in Los Angeles to discuss her career.

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Photographs courtesy of Shingen-ko Festival Executive Planning Committee

Heroes of the Sengoku Era Revived

The Shingen-ko Festival has been held in Kōfu, the capital of Yamanashi Prefecture, every April since 1970 to commemorate the legacy of Takeda Shingen, a renowned general of the Warring States period of the 15th and 16th centuries. While this event is relatively new compared to other Japanese festivals, it has gained support from local residents and gradually expanded in size. The festival was briefly postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but it returned in full swing in 2022 with high attendance by both Japanese residents and foreign tourists. Today it is recognized as a major festival and a source of local pride.

The Shingen-ko Festival: A Showcase of Local Culture

Compared with other Japanese festivals, Shingen-ko Festival is young. It was created on April 12, 1970 to commemorate the anni- versary of Takeda Shingen’s death. Initially a small-scale event, the festival has gained popularity thanks to its celebration of Kōfu’s culture, Shingen’s achievements and the legacy of the Takeda clan. While local residents and government officials are the primary organizers of the festival, Shingen-ko Festival has become a nation- ally recognized event. The festival attracts and captivates people with its grand historical reenactment of Takeda Shingen’s life and legacy.

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Dr. Tshilidzi Marwala, Rector of the United Nations University and Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations, stands as a towering figure in the realm of global cooperation and innovation. His life story is a testament to the transformative power of education and the boundless potential of the human spirit. Rising from humble beginnings in rural Venda, Limpopo, South Africa, he has ascended to a position of global leadership, driven by an unwavering commitment to solving the world’s most critical challenges. Dr. Marwala holds a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Case Western Reserve University and the University of Pretoria, respectively. He earned his Ph.D. in artificial intelligence and engineering from the prestigious University of Cambridge. Dr. Marwala is a pioneer in harnessing the power of technology for human advancement. His illustrious career has seen him serve as Professor of Electrical Engineering at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, and as Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of Johannesburg, where he boldly introduced mandatory AI and African Insights curricula for all students – shaping a new generation of globally aware and technologically competent leaders. He currently contributes his expertise as Deputy Chair of South Africa’s Presidential Commission on the Fourth Industrial Revolution and lends his wisdom as a trustee of the Nelson Mandela Foundation. Tokyo Journal Editor-in-Chief Anthony Al-Jamie delved into Dr. Marwala’s visionary mission, explored his innovative strategies for confronting global crises, and uncovered the personal narrative that propelled him from a childhood in rural South Africa to becoming a leading voice for unity and progress on the world stage, promoting education as a fundamental human right.

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We Are X Documentary is a Must See

Visual Kei Pioneers Go from the Center Stage to the Silver Screen

By Tokyo Journal Intern Michael Tang

We Are X is a documentary about the lives of the Japanese rock band X Japan and its leader Yoshiki. Even those who have never listened to X Japan before will leave the theater incredibly emotional and moved.

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2016 OC Japan Fair

A Japanese Cultural Experience in Southern California

By Tokyo Journal Intern Michael Tang

On September 9th and 10th, 2016, the OC Japan Fair returned for another amazing festival showcasing Japanese culture in Orange County, California. This year’s event was located at the Phoenix Club of Anaheim. The OC Japan Fair featured an exhibit hall where vendors sold various Japanese related goods, from anime merchandise to traditional Japanese kimonos. There was an area for children to play kingyo-sukui, the fun and sometime stressful game of catching goldfish with a paper scooper.

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Perfume kicked off their latest world tour, Cosmic Explorer, at The Wiltern in Hollywood. Perfume is one of Japan’s most popular and recognized girl groups and the energy that surrounds the group while on stage can only be matched by the level of bass that was blasting through the speakers. In the 16 years since their formation, Perfume has not lost any steam, as they dominate both Japanese and foreign electro-pop music scenes. Tokyo Journal intern Michael Tang had a chance to experience their Hollywood performance during their Cosmic Explorer World Tour.

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日本摇滚传奇Yoshiki摇滚古典乐排行震撼全球

视觉系摇滚开创者摇滚传奇，古典天才与TJ的零距离接触

采访者：Anthony Al-Jamie

To read this article in English click here.

横跨十五个国家，十八场合共一百万粉丝的Tokyo Dome世界巡回演唱会的门票，在尖叫声中销售一空。 Yoshiki和他的乐队X Japan正快马加鞭准备下一场世界巡演。在他的闲暇时间，Yoshiki创作并灌录了Eternal Melody这张独霸日本古典乐排行鳌首的专辑， 而他最新发行的“Yoshiki Classical”刚一亮相便占据了全世界iTunes古典音乐榜榜首。他也曾与世界首屈一指的艺术家和制作人，包括Queen乐队的Roger Taylor和传奇乐队披头士的制作人Sir George Martin 合作为日本天皇演奏。他创作了世博会和最新两届金球奖的主题曲。这位古典音乐天才更是硬摇流派的创新者和“视觉系摇滚”的创造者—结合朋克，摇滚，重金属，华丽摇滚和古典音乐的摇滚新形态。2008年，在图派克的全息影像震撼了图切拉音乐节的四年前， Yoshiki和X Japan就通过全息影像将逝去的吉他手HIDE带回了演唱会现场。许多人认为只有一个超级英雄才能完成这些。 Stan Lee， 漫威漫画的创始人，蜘蛛侠，无敌浩克的创作者，同意以Yoshiki为原型创作了名为“赤血飞龙”的超级英雄。Yoshiki是否无所不能？让我们来一探究竟。

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Making Music and Movie Magic

MIYAVI is making waves on both sides of the ocean in the music and movie industries. Born in 1981as Takamasa Ishihara in Osaka, Japan to a Korean father and a Japanese mother, the singer, songwriter, guitarist, record producer and actor took on the stage name MIYAVI. Known for his unconventional style of slapping the guitar rather than playing it with a pick, his international fan base has nicknamed him the Samurai Guitarist. Tokyo Journal’s Executive Editor Anthony Al-Jamie talked to MIYAVI about his multifaceted career.

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Akira Kurosawa’s Legacy Impacts a New Generation of Filmmakers

Hisao Kurosawa Shares his Father’s Legacy with Young Filmmakers Throughout the World

AKIRA Kurosawa, one of the most influential directors in the history of film, will once again shape a new generation of filmmakers through a medium that Kurosawa himself might only have imagined: an online MFA program in digital filmmaking. Like celebrated moviemakers before them, aspiring filmmakers will learn their craft by studying with experts in the field. In addition, they will view hours of never-seen-before footage of Kurosawa himself on the set, allowing students to go behind the scenes and learn visual articulation directly from the master.

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Dr. Sanjay Gupta: A Real Life Superhero

From Mild-Mannered Reporter to Lifesaving Neurosurgeon

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, who can be seen on the ground reporting from sites of natural disasters and wars around the world, discretely changes from suit to scrubs on Monday mornings to perform neurosurgery on patients’ brains, spinal cords and other parts of the nervous system. Dr. Gupta is CNN’s multiple Emmy award-winning chief medical correspondent. In addition to hosting CNN’s Vital Signs, he has reported on topics ranging from health care reform to brain injury, medicine, HIV/AIDS, fitness and dis- aster recovery. Dr. Gupta advised First Lady Hillary Clinton as a White House Fellow and authored three New York Times best-selling books. He is currently the associate chief of neurosurgery at Atlanta, Georgia’s Grady Memorial Hospital and a member of the staff and faculty at the Emory University School of Medicine. He is so committed to the profession of neurosurgery that to continue his work as a practicing neurosurgeon he withdrew his name from consideration for the position of Surgeon General of the United States. If all of this isn’t enough to qualify him for superhero status, then add being named as one of the sexiest men alive by People magazine and one of the most influential celebrities by Forbes. Tokyo Journal Executive Editor Anthony Al-Jamie spoke with Dr. Sanjay Gupta on December 3, 2014 for an update on the Ebola outbreak and insight into medicine, health and the multifaceted doctor’s extraordinary career.

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