..TIDBITS of the month Louis Kreslie  2/2007

.Valentine's Day Dinner at Thousand Cranes

Why not treat your special someone to a fabulous romantic dinner?  Bordered by the serenity of a Japanese garden, Thousand Cranes, located in the New Otani Hotel and Garden will serve a gourmet multi-course Valentine’s Day Dinner on Monday, February 14.  The restaurant features a quiet, elegant ambience and kimono-clad waitresses providing polite and gracious service.  And at $80 per special someone, Valentine’s Day Dinner at Thousand Cranes is a splendid opportunity to express your generous nature.  Reservations are recommended.  The New Otani Hotel and Garden is at 120 South Los Angeles Street.  Phone:  (213) 629-1200.

.Ansel Adams at Manzanar

Currently at the Japanese American National Museum in Little Tokyo is the exhibit, “Ansel Adams at Manzanar,” organized by the Honolulu Academy of Arts.  From 1943 to 1944, Adams made a number of trips to Manzanar concentration camp, located in California's Inyo County east of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. His photographs capture the stark lives of thousands of Japanese Americans incarcerated during World War II and remain among the most powerful photographic records of the camp experience as seen through the lens of an American master.  The photos include over 50 vintage prints from the collections of the Library of Congress, the Center for Creative Photography in Tucson, Arizona, the Honolulu Academy of Arts, and the Japanese American National Museum.  The exhibition is guest curated by Dr. Anne Hammond, photo historian and author of “Ansel Adams: Divine Performance.“ Please visit janm.org for hours, admission rates, and directions.  The exhibit will close on February 18.

."Kickboxing Geishas" Now on Sale

Japanese women today are the leaders in a socio-cultural movement in Japan that is shaking the country's gender stereotypes to their core. In her book “Kick boxing Geishas: How Modern Japanese Women are Changing their Nation,” journalist Veronica Chambers writes about her visit to the "new" Japan in 2000 and about the explosive changes taking place. Chambers takes readers inside the world of the boundary-busting new Japanese women who are freely mixing East and West, burying stereotypes, and defining and electrifying a new zeitgeist. With a Japanophile's appreciation for the country's social landscape and the bold changes underway, Chambers explores the ways in which the women of Japan are morphing themselves and their nation as they shatter Western stereotypes.  Available in bookstores and at amazon.com.

.Edo/Tokyo Japanese Prints: @ LACMA

An art exhibition, “Japanese Prints: Edo / Tokyo” are now on exhibit in the Pavilion for Japanese Art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. To the present-day visitor, Tokyo epitomizes modernity. Famous for its avant-garde architecture, fashion and big business, one seldom recognizes the signs of a long and complex history.
Edo, unlike capitals built since the 8th century, was not arranged as a grid, but followed the contours of the land upon which it was constructed. The city radiated from Edo castle, built on the edge of the Musashino plain and overlooking Edo harbor. By the year 1700, Edo was the world’s largest city. The function and ambience of various sectors of the city, and their evolution through time is indicated in the prints presented here. Each wall displays areas within a geographical sector, moving east to west across Edo/Tokyo as the viewer moves north to south through the gallery.  5905 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles.  323-857-6565.  The works can also be viewed online at lacma.org.

.Tokyo City Cup and Japan Family Day @ Santa Anita Park

March 31 is Tokyo City Cup and Family day at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia.  Santa Anita Park and Ohi Racecourse of Tokyo have enjoyed a special relationship since of 1995, and each year the Tokyo City Cup Race is run to acknowledge and celebrate the partnership between Santa Anita and Ohi Racecourse in Tokyo. Last year, the Tokyo City Cup was upgraded to Grade III. Come and experience the thrill and excitement as a field of world-class thoroughbreds thunder down the home stretch at the very place the legendary Seabiscuit ran! Japan Family Day was started as a way to introduce Japanese traditional culture and to interact with the people of Southern California. This event has provided the people of Southern California with an excellent opportunity to experience Japanese culture through performances like the samurai warriors called "Soma Nomaoi". This year, for the first time, the Japan Travel Expo will also be added to the events. For further details, visit tokyocitycup.com.

.“Turnover” at JACCC

"Turn Over: An Angel Is Coming On a Bicycle" (2005) will be screened at Little Tokyo’s Aratani/Japan America Theatre on Sunday, February 18, 2007 at 2:00 pm.  The movie is set in an old Kyoto neighborhood, where the everyday serenity of an elderly artisan and his ailing wife, is disrupted when a college student, whose love of magic enters their life. This chance encounter sets off a chain reaction that brings change for all.  Directed by film pioneer Keiichi Nomura, who also helped pen the film, it features Shiho Fujimura from the Memoir Kiyoshiro series; Asahi Kurizuka of long-time TV series Abarenbo Shogun fame; and Toshiki Kashu as the college student.  Admission Free.  Call (213) 680-3700 for reservations, as tickets are required.  Presented by The Japan Foundation of Los Angeles. In Japanese with English subtitles (1 hr., 51 minutes).