Home-cooked okonomiyaki January 18, 2009
Posted by ayasawada in Food, Japan.Tags: Food, Japanese, okonomiyaki
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My very own okonomiyaki!
Okonomiyaki is my favourite Japanese food, ever since I visited the okonomiyaki tower in Hiroshima back in 2003. One of the first restaurants I ever went to in Japan was a tiny do-it-yourself place in a small alley in Kyoto’s Kawaramachi, where myself and a random German couple tried to work out what on earth we were supposed to do. And one of my favourite restaurants in London is the okonomiyaki restaurant Abeno, even though it is ridiculously expensive for what it is. >_<
Over Christmas, a couple of friends visiting from Japan gave me the gift of an okonomiyaki ingredients set: okonomiyaki flour mix, okonomiyaki sauce and katsuobushi. So today I decided to try using them. (more…)
Ayaka January 12, 2009
Posted by ayasawada in Music.Tags: Ayaka, Jpop, Music, Zettai Kareshi
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Sing to the Sky cover
Over the last year or so, I’ve been listening on and off to Ayaka, a Japanese songstress, for want of a better word. But it wasn’t until last year, with the release of her second album, Sing to the Sky, that I’ve really become a fan.
I first came across her in 2006 when Omni over at Random Curiosity took time out from anime blogging to highlight one of her PVs. Her first album, First Message, soon followed. She has a really clear voice and a superb range of vocals, which are of course demonstrated in a range of ballads. But whilst those are nice, she also has more upbeat clap-along type songs.
I used to listen to Ayaka on and off, but have really rediscovered Sing to the Sky after starting the Zettai Kareshi drama (more on that when I finish the series). The ending theme is Ayaka’s ‘お帰り’ and it’s a really sweet song, though it opens a little oddly with what sounds like bagpipes (!). The song is about returning home (hence the title) to the warmth of someone who loves you. Yes, it’s as wholesome as it sounds and I love it ^^.
Yes, I’ve finally figured out how to embed tracks into a post.
Anyway, the rest of the album is similarly good. The first two tracks, ‘Power of Music’ and ‘愛を歌おう’ always lift my spirits and are on my early morning playlist. ‘今夜も星に抱かれて’ is a sweet, relaxing tune a little like お帰りbut more subtle. ‘Why’ is also a great, positive tune, though an odd choice to accompany the PSP game Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core if you ask me.
I’ve pretty much been listening to Sing to the Sky on repeat these past couple of weeks. Its great rediscovering albums after a while. If you get a chance, do give some of Ayaka’s songs a listen.
The Good, the Bad, the Weird (2008) January 5, 2009
Posted by ayasawada in Film, Rave.Tags: action, Asia, Film, Kim Ji-woon, Korean movie, Western, World cinema
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I went to the ICA on Sunday to see a preview of the ‘oriental western’ The Good, the Bad, the Weird and boy was it excellent.
It’s a Korean production, big budget and extremely well shot. The plot builds on the basic premise of Sergio Leone’s The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (of course) with three main characters mixed up in a complicated plot, this one involving a treasure map and riches in Manchuria. But it fills this out with a hint of political intrigue with it’s setting around the time of the Japanese Manchurian occupation and the clash of Korean, Chinese, Japanese and others in Asia’s equivalent of the Old West. That and lots and lots of stunning action scenes.
The first half of the movie in particular seems to be a string of actions scenes, but impressively director Kim Ji-woon doesn’t allow the characterisation to suffer. You do learn a little more about our ‘heroes’ and their way of life as the film goes on, even if they are only as three-dimensional as an action-oriented Western will allow a character to be. In terms of the action, I was blown away by two sequences in particular: the opening train robbery (particularly the one-take follow of Yoon Tae-Goo as he heads for the front car and his target) and the shoot out in Ghost Market, with the unbelievably cool Park Do-won swinging around on ropes, shotgun in hand, picking off bad guys, whilst Yoon Tae-Goo wanders around with a diver’s helmet on.
Those two sequences were exquisitely choreographed and paced, and like the rest of the movie beautifully shot. The cinematography and framing really hit home as well, as I watched the end credits accompanied by still shots of the movie. And the music was superb. Ending felt like a little bit of a cop out to me, after building to the shoot out I was hoping for, but overall I enjoyed the film immensely.
I really can’t emphasise how cool this movie is and urge any fan of action or Asian cinema to see it. It’s my first pleasant surprise of the cinematic year and I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to see a Kim Ji-woon film. I’ll be seeking out A Bittersweet Life and A Tale of Two Sisters over the next few months.
