Midsummer Night's Jazz And Pop Extravaganza (2)

   When Bolton appeard on the stage, he said, "Konbanwa(good evening), thank you for coming...I get a phone call from Dr.Handa and he said, 'I feel like jazz.''' That's why they decided to hold the concert.
   Bolton sang 11 songs, including "That's Life,""You Don't Know me,""Night and Day,""Summer Wind,""Fly Me to the Moon,""New York, New York,""How am I Supposed to Live Without You,""Prayer,""When a Man Loves a Woman,""How Cold We be Lovers?" and "Georgia."
  When he sang "How am I Supposed to Live Without You", he said it is the first hit he ever wrote for another artist. It was written for Laura Branigan, who released it in 1983. Later, he sang it himself on an album released in 1989.
   Afterwards, Bolton invited Amanda Brown, a youg female artist who became famous on the U.S.TV program "The Voice," to the stage, telling the audience that She absolutely killed it on The Voice.
  Subsequently, Brown and Bolton sang together "How am I Supposed to Live Without You" and "Prayer."
  For an encore, Dr.Handa and Bolton together sang "What a Wonerful World" and "Nessun Dorma."

  Almost all the auience seemed to be totally fascinated with the songs they sang from the beginning till the end.

 The concert was the third one where Bolton and Dr.Handa made their joint effort to hold a concert.

Dr.Handa gestures as he walks among the clapping audience.

TAF

(source: THE JAPAN TIMES, July.22, 2015)
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/2015/07/22/special-supplements/michael-bolton-entertains-popular-favorites/#.VbHOJoQw_mI





 

Midsummer Night's Jazz And Pop Extravaganza (1)

 On July 14, the Tokyo Art Foundation (TAF) held a concert in which Dr.Handa and Michael Bolton gave the 4,000 people an excellent vocal performance at National Convention Hall, Pacifico Yokohama,  in Yokohama, Japan. 

 The concert was titled "Midsummer Night's Jazz And Pop Extravaganza".

 The two sang popular classics favored for a long time by people around the world, including those by Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles, Edith Piaf and etc.

 At the beginning of the concert, Dr.Handa introduced "Hair Band", all of whom are foreign musicians. Dr.Handa said jokingly, "One guitarist was using a guitar he just bought in Tokyo and a saxophonist brought just a mouthpiece and rented a saxophone."  

 Dr.Handa sang 16 songs, including "Take the A Train," "It's Only a Paper Moon," "La Vie en Rose," "Autumn Leaves,""I Left My Heart in San Francisco" "Moon River,""Misty,""As Time Goes by,""The Shadow of Your Smile,""Summertime,""It's a Sin to Tell a Lie,""Tennessee Waltz,""Fly Me to the Moon,""Danny Boy,""Speak Softly Love," and "When the Saints go Marching in."

 As usual, Dr.Handa gave a short explanation of each song before singing them. Before singing "It's Only a Paper Moon," he said,"It's a song about how true love makes the moon shine."

 While singing "Tennessee waltz," he stopped in the middle as he got emotional sympathizing with the woman in the song. later, he started over to sing to the end. 

Michael Bolton and Tokyo Art Foundation Chairman Dr. Haruhisa  Handa
sing together at a concert in Yokohama onJuly 14.

TAF

(source: THE JAPAN TIMES, July.22, 2015)
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/2015/07/22/special-supplements/michael-bolton-entertains-popular-favorites/#.VbHOJoQw_mI

Exploring A New Realm Of Performance: Not A Solo, Not A Drama, Not A Musical (4)

 On the contrary, Entertainment District can said to be a drama with rather conventional development of the acts.
 In the play, a man dropped in a local bar at the end of the day, and found that the bartender and the customers were all able to read his mind. But the man, who is married, can't read their minds. That is because the bartender and the customers are all single (dokushin in Japanese)...   
 Here, the wordplay stands out because 'being single' explains the reason they are telepathic.

Actors perform in the third play, "Entertainment District."
with Dr.Handa performing his unique stage role at the right side of the stage

TAF

(source: THE JAPAN TIMES, July.15, 2015)
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/2015/07/15/special-supplements/show-features-fantastical-dramas-showa-tunes/

Exploring A New Realm Of Performance: Not A Solo, Not A Drama, Not A Musical (3)

 The four plays were written by Dr.Handa under the pen name of Totoami: "Antarctica,""Minshuku"(Inn), "Sakariba"(Entertainment District) and "Battani Dakarete"(Hugged by a Grasshopper). 
 The four plays were filled with mixture of comedy, puns, black humor, serious stories which were devised within an unprecedented development of the acts, all contributing to a much unique dramatization.  
 The audience entertained a 'weird' love story about a girl and a penguin in Antarctica, where the girl lands on the icy continent alone to meet penguins surrounding a brazier, and a person living with a 2-meter-high grasshopper who is able to 'walk on two legs'.  
 They might have wondered why the girl meets penguins, why the grasshopper walks on two legs... However, these questions are all meaningless in the case of Dr.Handa's dramas. There is no use of thinking seriously about hows any whys when seeing his drama. What he intends to let the audience enjoy is not a reasonably conventional series of drama development, but a funniness which can be found in  a mixture of fantasy, eccentricity, and whim.     



(source: THE JAPAN TIMES, July.15, 2015)
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/2015/07/15/special-supplements/show-features-fantastical-dramas-showa-tunes/

Exploring A New Realm Of Performance: Not A Solo, Not A Drama, Not A Musical (2)

 Most of the songs sang by Dr.Handa between and during the plays were popular Showa Era songs, including "Kiri no Mashuko"(Lake Mashu in mist), "Atsuki Kokoroni"(Fire in my heart), "Akai Gurasu"(Red glass) and "Sasoriza no Onna"(Scorpio woman). They were sang by lots of singers over and over on the media,  and later sang by lots of karaoke fans in Japan.  
 In addition, He sang "Heavy Rotation",  a hit song by AKB48. When he sang, the audience stood on their feet, dancers on the stage danced with colorful glow sticks in their hands. The hall was filled with flashing of stage lights and glittering of a disco ball.
 However, when he sang at the side of the stage during the plays, the actors on the center stage didn't sing at all. This is the uniqueness of Dr.Handa's drama performance. No other conventional drama plays didn't have such a feature.
 Between the plays, D.Handa also entertained the audience with comic relief by mimicking the sounds of a hair dryer, fax machine and the sirens of a fire engine, an ambulance and a police car.   


(source: THE JAPAN TIMES, July.15, 2015)
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/2015/07/15/special-supplements/show-features-fantastical-dramas-showa-tunes/

Exploring A New Realm Of Performance: Not A Solo, Not A Drama, Not A Musical (1)

 TAF, the Tokyo Art Foundation,  featured a new realm of stage performance produced and directed by Dr.Haruhisa Handa, at the National Theater, Tokyo, on July 5. 

 The main attractions in a series of performance was four plays. Between and during the plays, Dr.Handa  entertained the audience by his singing and unique comic relief.

 However, this is not a drama of a classical form like Shakespeare's. 

 This is not a musical of a conventional style, neither. 

 His act between and during the plays was not like one often seen in an interlude in a traditional play. Normally, the interlude is supposed to be a minor act compared to the main drama parts.  However, as he explained, the role between the plays and his own interludes are the other way round...!

 He said , "As we perform this program every year, we aren't sure which part is the main feature of the program..." 

 This is a realization of his effort into always exploring a new realm of art.   

 It was not a solo concert.

 It was not a drama.

 It was not a musical.

 But it was a new realm of artistic performance. 
That's why the performance was titled, "Funnier-Than-a-Musical Fusical & Singing Pantomime Singomime!"

Tokyo Art Foundation (TAF) Chairman Dr.Haruhisa Handa
sings popular Showa Era songs in an interlude
during the sixth annual performance of his theatrical troupe,
at the New National Theater, Tokyo
TAF

(source: THE JAPAN TIMES, July.15, 2015)
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/2015/07/15/special-supplements/show-features-fantastical-dramas-showa-tunes/

The 1st ISPS Handa Global Cup (3)

  In addition, at the award ceremony in the final day, Norio Suzuki of the Japan Golf Tour Organization (JGTO) acknowledged the success of the first ISPS Handa Global Cup. He said, "JGTO intends to train Japanese golfers to be globally successful players. We also want to contribute to society through golf. On these two points, Handa and I have something in common. "

  Mr.Suzuki and Dr.Handa appeared to be happy that  the first champion of the ISPS Handa Global Cup was Japanese. 

ISPS Chairman Dr.Handa (left) and champion Toshinori Muto
pose with the trophy at the awards ceremony.

ISPS 

(source: THE JAPAN TIMES, July.8, 2015)
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/2015/07/15/special-supplements/show-features-fantastical-dramas-showa-tunes/

The 1st ISPS Handa Global Cup (2)

  At the awards ceremony on the final day, Dr.Handa explained the reason why ISPS, which sponsored more than 60 sporting events in and out of Japan, decided to hold the ISPS Handa Global Cup in Japan, saying, "Golf is an international sport, but the Japanese golf industry is becoming isolated." He said  he would continue to plan on improving the image of Japanese golf on the global stage. He also expressed his high hope that he would like to hold the tournament again and reach as much as 600 million households around the world by expanding the broadcast.

   The final day of the tournament was much finer than the first, second and third days. Dr.Handa was very happy with the weather, saying, "The weather was great today and we could show the world the beautiful scenery of Mt.Fuji and the Southern Alps."

   In fact, the fine weather of the final day, together with the international exposure of the tournament, led to much increase in the number of the gllary to 2,511. 


(source: THE JAPAN TIMES, July.8, 2015)
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/2015/07/15/special-supplements/show-features-fantastical-dramas-showa-tunes/

  

    

The 1st ISPS Handa Global Cup (1)

  From June 25, to 28, the International Sports Promotion Society (ISPS) held the inaugural ISPS Handa Global Cup at Vintage Golf Club in Yamanashi Prefecture. It was the first international tournament in Japan with a global broadcast reaching about 170 million households around the world.

  In this competition, Toshinori Muto finally claimed victory.

  Muto finished the four-day tournament at 14-under, tied with Filipino player Angelo Que. 

  Que seemed to be in good shape on the final day, finishing the round at seven-under, one of the two best scores of the day.

  On the other hand, Muto took three bogeys and six birdies, finishing the round at three-under. He said later in an interview, "I had many bogeys on the back nine and was a bit nervous. But it was nice I was able to birdie 16 and 18. "

  Then for the playoff, the two golfers played the 577-yard, par-5 18th hole. They both finished with par on the first playoff hole, but in the second try, Muto birdied and Que had to settled for par. 

  Finally, Muto defeated Que.

  Muto was awarded 20 million yen, a Toyota Prius hybrid, rice sake, watches and a green haori, a Japanese traditional jacket.

  The reason he was awarded such a jacket is because Dr.Handa had an idea that, in a like manner the Masters Golf Tournament awards its winners green jackets every year, the ISPS Handa Global Cup should give green haori to the champion.  This idea, Dr.Handa thinks, contributes to propagating the unique Japanese tradition across the world. 

Toshinori Muto (right), the winner of the first ISPS Handa Global Cup,
and his caddy hold up a flag with the logo of ISPS,
which stands for International Sports Promotion society,
 after Muto won in a playoff at the Vintage Golf Club,
in Yamanashi Prefecture, on June 28.

ISPS


(source: THE JAPAN TIMES, July.8, 2015)
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/2015/07/15/special-supplements/show-features-fantastical-dramas-showa-tunes/

   

International High School Arts festival (4)

  At the end of the ceremony, Dr.Handa, who also runs a chain of cram schools called Misuzu Gakuen in Japan which helps high school students prepare for university entrance exams, advised Japanese high school students to "just do what you have to do right now."
  He then added, "People worry because they have time to worry. When you find yourself worrying, stop and just do what you have to do."

The arts festival welcomes both domestic and international high school students.

IFAC



(source: THE JAPAN TIMES, July.7, 2015)
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/2015/07/07/special-supplements/coming-aspiring-artists-recognized-talents/#.VZ5Mb_0w_mI 

International High School Arts festival (3)

  IFAC Chairman Dr.Haruhisa Handa said to students, parents,embassy officials and other guest at the venue that this admission-free festival focuses on it openness to any high school student, and that the criteria of awards showcases the 'untested potential' of the students.
 In addition, he expressed his strong hope that he would like Japanese high school students students to interact with high school students from around the world. 

  Emphasizing the significance of young people's development of international friendship,   Dr.Handa restated a passage from Wolfgang von Goethe, "Those who knows nothing of foreign languages know nothing of their own," that could be translated from the original German "Wer fremde Sprachen nicht kennt, weiß auch nichts von seiner eigenen."

 Dr.Handa hopes that next year, more foreign students will participate , so that they can see and experience art created by not only Japanese but non-Japanese students, make friends with each other, and have a significant experience in Japan with their teachers and parents.

(source: THE JAPAN TIMES, July.7, 2015)
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/2015/07/07/special-supplements/coming-aspiring-artists-recognized-talents/#.VZ5Mb_0w_mI

International High School Arts festival (2)

 Besides, non-Japanese award winners from Ireland, UK, Israel, Indonesia, Egypt, Cambodia, Singapore, Thailand, China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Myanmar, Laos, Benin and Russia were also invited to the ceremony.
 Of them, Singaporean Ashia Abdullah Kobayashi of St.Margaret's Secondary School won The Japan Times Award for her painting "Crossing," in which an anthropomorphized lion and other animals in an office are depicted.

IFAC Chairman Dr.Handa(center) stands between

high school students, Kenta Mark Boyd Coronan(left) and

Nanami Kuriyama, the two winners of the Prime Minister Awards

in the 16th International High School Arts Festival

at the Ritz  Carlton, Tokyo

on June 27.

(source: THE JAPAN TIMES, July.7, 2015)
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/2015/07/07/special-supplements/coming-aspiring-artists-recognized-talents/#.VZ5Mb_0w_mI

IFAC

International High School Arts festival (1)

 The 16th International High school Arts festival, sponsored by the IFAC was held at The Ritz Carlton, Tokyo, on June 27.
 This year, students from Japan and 15 other countries put more than 11,000 pieces of works up for the festival, including fine art and calligraphy. Of them, 408 works were exhibited at the National art Center, Tokyo.
 28 Japanese students and a Singaporean student won special awards presented by the prime minister, other ministers and media.

 In the fine arts division, the top Prime Minister Awards went to Kenta Mark Boyd Coronan, a senior at Honjo-Daiichi school, Saitama Prefecture.Coronan said, "I'm so honored to receive this award. I didn't think I'd win it because I didn't win anything the past two years. This art festival is a place where I'm on equal footing with the world and wining such an honorable award is very meaningful." His work "Sunbeams of Warmth," manifests warm sunbeams in a forest of bamboos and other trees.

 In the calligraphy division, Nanami Kuriyama, a senior at Omiya Koryo High school, Saitama Prefecture, won the prize. Kuriyama said, "I'm truly grateful to have been selected for the prestigious Prime Minister Award this year. She wrote excerpts from the "Treatise of calligraphy" written by Sun Guoting during China's Tang Dynasty.



(source: THE JAPAN TIMES, July.7, 2015)
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/2015/07/07/special-supplements/coming-aspiring-artists-recognized-talents/#.VZ5Mb_0w_mI

Tokyo Global Concert (4)

 The second part was a stage for Carreras, the main guest of the concert.

 He sang, "Era de maggio", "Piscatore e Pusillico," "T'estimo," "Vurria" and "Me so  'MBriacato 'o Sole." and other famous opera numbers.

  His voice was powerful with his emotion delicately expressed, and fascinated the whole audience. 

 During the concert, He requested the air conditioning to be turned off, but the excitement of the audience contributed to rising the heat in the hall more than the lack of the air conditioning.

 For the encore, Dr.Handa, Coad and Carreras sang together the poplular Japanese song "Kawa no Nagare no Yoni." Their voice together made an exquisite harmony so that the audience give cheers and a standing ovation.

 Besides, Carreras sang "Core 'Ngrato" and "Vierno" during the encore.

From left, Dr.Haruhisa Handa, the chairman of IFAC,
Jose Carreras
and Conal Coad, a bass
preparing to take a bow.

IFAC

(source: THE JAPAN TIMES, June.23, 2015)
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/2015/06/22/special-supplements/audience-gets-rare-treat-world-renowned-tenor/#.VZaS1P0w_mI

  

Tokyo Global Concert (3)

 The concert also featured IFAC Chairman Dr.Haruhisa Handa, a baritone, and Conal Coad, a bass from New Zealand. 
 The first part of the concert began with Dr.Handa and Coad singing solo accompanied on piano by Yuhei Kimura and Phoebe Briggs. The songs not only included famous arias such as "Li Dissoluto Punto" from "Don Giovanni" and "Dio di Giuda!" from "Nabuccho," but also classics, including "I Got Plenty O'Nuttin," "First Love" and "An Evening Primrose." The first part ended with "Furusato" sang by both Dr.Handa and Coad, then "danny Boy" by Dr.Handa.


(source: THE JAPAN TIMES, June.23, 2015)
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/2015/06/22/special-supplements/audience-gets-rare-treat-world-renowned-tenor/#.VZaS1P0w_mI

Tokyo Global Concert (2)

  In the introduction of the concert, Dr.Haruhisa Handa, chairman of IFAC, wrote as follows:
"This is not the concert funded by national or municipal taxes. IFAC, a nonprofit organization, holds it free of charge for philanthropic purposes. In other words, a private nonprofit organization is doing what politicians and governments are supposed to do. That is why there are so many congratulatory messages for the concert from numerous politicians throughout the concert program. There are no boundaries between the government and opposition parties when it comes to the matter of promoting art and culture."
 Messages were received from Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Vice Foreign Minister Minoru Kiuchi, former Justice Minister Kunio Hatoyama, Tokyo Gov.Yoichi Masuzoe and other politicians.


(source: THE JAPAN TIMES, June.23, 2015)
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/2015/06/22/special-supplements/audience-gets-rare-treat-world-renowned-tenor/#.VZaS1P0w_mI

Tokyo Global Concert (1)

 On June 15, The International Foundation for Arts and Culture (IFAC) held its Third Tokyo Global Concert. This time, IFAC featured Jose Carreras, the yougest of the Three Tenors, as the guest singer of honor.
 The concert was sponsored by the Agency for Cultural affairs, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, the embassy of Spain in Japan, the Sankei Shimbun, the Mainichi Shimbun, The Japan Times and others.
 Tickets of the concert were only available by lottery. 1,700 lucky winners received free admission to the opera concert. The reason of this is because IFAC intends to promote art and culture as part of their philanthropic mission.

World-renowned tenor Jose Carreras greets the audience at the Third Global Concert
organized by IFAC in Tokyo, June 15

IFAC

(source: THE JAPAN TIMES, June.23, 2015)
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/2015/06/22/special-supplements/audience-gets-rare-treat-world-renowned-tenor/#.VZaS1P0w_mI

Global Opinion Summit (6)

 Observers, including senior politicians, researchers and other opinion leaders, had their oppotunity to express their opinions.
 House of representative members Kazuhiro Haraguchi, Katsuei Hirasawa and Kenko Matsuki, as well as Pacific Forum CSIS President R.Cosssa and Tokyo Governor Yoichi Masuzoe each had a talk on Japan's development assistance.
 Gov.Masuzoe said, "Training people is the most important aspect of development assistance. We call it human capital."




Dr.Handa speaks
in front of young parliamentarians from around the world
WSD

(source: THE JAPAN TIMES, June.6, 2015)
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/2015/06/06/special-supplements/parliamentarians-discuss-developing-economies/#.VZS3RP0w_mJ


Global Opinion Summit (5)

 The afternoon session featured two speeches, panel discussions and another Q&A session.
 State Minister of Foreign Affairs Minoru Kiuchi made remarks on Japan's ODA.
 Since 1954, Japan has promoted ODA project in order to contribute to the world. Japan became the largest ODA donor in the 1990s, but is now fifth in the world. He explained thee objectives of Japan's ODA: Helping emerging countries develop on their own, reducing wealth gaps within those countries and securing the safety of the people living there.
 Former ASEAN Secretary General Surin Pitsuwan praised Japan for its efforts in helping developing countries.

 In the panel discussion, Chungong mentioned Japan's efforts to its assistance. Japanese government stipulates that recipient countries of Japan's yen loans be democratic, have stable political structures and be able to pay back loans. However, there are 18 countries which do not meet these criteria.
 Dr.Handa said that Japan's challenge is how to support those countries and proposed that Japan should assist in peace building as well as  infrastructure building.

(source: THE JAPAN TIMES, June.6, 2015)
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/2015/06/06/special-supplements/parliamentarians-discuss-developing-economies/#.VZS3RP0w_mJ

Global Opinion Summit (4)

 In a Q&A session in the morning session, one of the participants asked about Japan's policy towards debt forgiveness.
 In response, Okaniwa said that debt forgiveness is a last resort, and that funding is an investmnet for the future, and unless they can pay it back, they cannot stand on their own.
 He added that once a country defaults on debts, it can never borrow again, and that it is critical to use borrowed money for future investments properly.

(source: THE JAPAN TIMES, June.6, 2015)
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/2015/06/06/special-supplements/parliamentarians-discuss-developing-economies/#.VZS3RP0w_mJ

Global Opinion Summit (3)

 Ken Okaniwa, deputy director-general, International Operation Bureau, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, explained in detail  of Japan's official development assistance, or ODA.
 Japan published ODA charter. It focuses an increasing role of funds and activities other than ODA for the development of emerging economies amid a growing idea that the private sector's collaboration is essential for global development.
 Ryokichi Hirono, professor emeritus of Seikei University and Trustee and Steering Committee member of the Japan Forum on International Relations, said that he welcomed the government's move to change the name of the ODA Charter to development Cooperation Charter because the word "official " connotes a focus on the public sector, but the government is no longer the main player for development assistance.



(source: THE JAPAN TIMES, June.6, 2015)
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/2015/06/06/special-supplements/parliamentarians-discuss-developing-economies/#.VZS3RP0w_mJ