English Blog

A Trip with Amtrak Train 7/8/11 July 8, 2011

As a typical Japanese myself, I grew up riding trains and buses from the very young age. Our family was living in southern part of Japan, Yamaguchi Prefecture, when I was born. We lived there until I was 5 years old. My parents are from Tokyo so we went back to Tokyo with sleeping trains occasionally. […]

Yellow Magic Orchestra Concert at Hollywood Bowl 6/27/11 June 27, 2011

Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO) has not performed in LA since 1979. The Hollywood Bowl was packed yesterday! I usually go to Hollywood Bowl for classical concerts. This venue in summer is really great for non-classic concerts. Noise from the outside or inside does not matter. Some acoustic imperfection does not matter. We just enjoy the […]

A Movie (DVD) – “Tony Takitani” 6/25/11 June 27, 2011

This film is based on Haruki Murakami’s novel, and directed by Jun Ichikawa. And the music is done by Ryuichi Sakamoto. Murakami and Sakamoto’s collaboration! I can’t miss it. It is somewhat in unrealistic situation, but it depicts the human emotion realistically. Eri Miyazawa is as beautiful as always, almost unrealistically beautiful, like a fairy. […]

A Movie “Beginners” 6/22/11 June 23, 2011

What a charming, touching, and witty movie it is! I really loved it. And great acting. Bravo for Ewan McGregor! This is a story of Oliver (Ewan McGregor) facing his dad’s passing and a new relationship with Anna (Mellanie Laurent). He narrates like a diary, and the memory and reality goes back and forth. Oliver’s dad (Christopher […]

A Movie “The Double Hour” 5/31/11 June 3, 2011

It is a twisty movie with romance. The movie does not show the pretty side of Italy, poor lives in Turin. Sonia (Ksenia Rappoport) and Guido (Filippo Timi) meet at the speed-dating site, and quickly hit it off for romance. Guido is a security guard (ex-police officer) and Sonia has a cleaning  job at the […]

A Movie – Midnight in Paris 5/24/11 May 26, 2011

I saw this new Woody Allen movie ” Midnight in Paris” at one of my favorite theatres in LA, Arclight in Hollywood. This is a romantic comedy set in Paris, especially in rains, about a family visiting there. The father, and a daughter Inez(Rachel McAdams) and her fiance Gil (Owen Wilson), are finding themselves so apart each […]

Visiting Getty Center 5/21/11 May 21, 2011

I visited Getty Center yesterday because I wanted to see the special exhibition “Paris: Life and Luxury”. This exhibition focuses on the elite class in Paris in the 18th century, food, cloths, arts, music, furniture, jewelry, science, basically everything in life. I usually visit Getty Center with  family/friends tourists. Unlike my usual visit as a host, my husband and I did […]

Steven Mackey: Violin Concerto with Leila Josefowicz 5/13/11 May 13, 2011

I was very very impressed by Mackey’s violin concerto yesterday at the dress rehearsal of LA Phil’s subscription concert. It is a great piece. And of course, Josefowicz can play. With her command, intensity, energy, and technique, this violin concerto sounded amazing. It reminded me Barber violin concerto. 2 composers use different musical languages, but […]

A Movie – Of Gods and Men 4/18/11 April 18, 2011

It is a quiet and beautiful movie. I believe it is a winner of the Grande Prix at the Cannes Film Festival. The movie is based on the true story. Under a threat by fundamentalist terrorists, a group of Trappist monks who stationed in an impoverished Algerian community must decide whether they leave or stay. […]

A Gem of the Day 4/10/11 April 10, 2011

This is a quote used in the book “Eat, Pray, Love” by Elizabeth Gilbert. She uses this quote in the words of The Bhagavad Gita, the ancient Indian Yogic text. “It is better to live your own destiny imperfectly than to live an imitation of somebody else’s life with perfection.” Bravo!