'Greenery Day' is a time for appreciating nature (an indirect reference to Emperor Shōwa's love of plants), and Kyōto certainly is verdant with fresh leaves around this time.

#Japan #Kyoto

**Sumikai** @sumikai@mstdn.social · 1h

Sumikai @sumikai@mstdn.social

Spiegel an Rolltreppen in Japan sollen das heimliche Filmen unterbinden. #japan

https://sumikai.com/nachrichten-aus-japan/japan-setzt-auf-spiegel-gegen-heimliche-aufnahmen-an-rolltreppen-355138/

**MPI for Gravitational Physics** @mpi_grav@astrodon.social · 2h

MPI for Gravitational Physics @mpi_grav@astrodon.social

Masaru Shibata erhält japanische Ehrenmedaille (紫綬褒章 „Shiju hōshō“) am Violetten Band

Der Direktor am @mpi_grav in Potsdam wird für seine herausragenden wissenschaftlichen Leistungen in der Astrophysik geehrt. Der japanische Kaiser wird dem @maxplanckgesellschaft Direktor die Medaille am 21. Mai 2025 in Tokio verleihen.

https://www.aei.mpg.de/1245677/masaru-shibata-is-awarded-japan-s-medal-of-honor

„Ich freue mich sehr über diese großartige Anerkennung meiner wissenschaftlichen Arbeit“, sagt Masaru Shibata. „Und es ist mir eine besondere Ehre, die Medaille am Violetten Band zu erhalten und an einer Audienz beim Kaiser von Japan in seinem Palast in Tokio teilzunehmen. Bei dieser Gelegenheit möchte ich der Max-Planck-Gesellschaft meinen tief empfundenen Dank für die kontinuierliche Unterstützung meiner Forschung aussprechen.“

Portätfoto von Masaru Shibata. Bild: sevens[+]maltry

#Auszeichnung #Forschung #Astrophysik

**Sumikai** @sumikai@mstdn.social · 2h

Sumikai @sumikai@mstdn.social

Das Vertrauen der Japaner in die USA als Sicherheitspartner verschwindet. #japan #usa #trump

https://sumikai.com/nachrichten-aus-japan/japans-vertrauen-in-die-schutzmacht-usa-schwindet-355134/

**autochthon** @autochthon@mas.to · 2h

autochthon @autochthon@mas.to

See the Mesmerizing Interlocking Geometric Patterns Produced With This Ancient Japanese Woodworking Technique
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/see-the-mesmerizing-interlocking-geometric-patterns-produced-with-this-ancient-japanese-woodworking-technique-180986494/

Smithsonian Magazine · 4dSee the Mesmerizing Interlocking Geometric Patterns Produced With This Ancient Japanese Woodworking TechniqueBy Roger Catlin

#woodworking #japan #geometry

**1001 Other Albums** @1001otheralbums.com@1001otheralbums.com · 3h

1001 Other Albums @1001otheralbums.com@1001otheralbums.com

Sadistic Mika Band (サディスティック・ミカ・バンド) – Black Ship (黒船) (1974, Japan)

Our next spotlight is on number 84 on The List, submitted by avi_miller.

Black Ship (黒船, or Kurofune) is Sadistic Mika Band’s second LP, their line-up at the time consisting of married couple Mika (vocals) and Kazuhiko Katō (guitar and vocals) with Yukihiro Takahashi (drums), Masayoshi Takanaka (lead guitar), Ray Ohara (bass), and Yu Imai (keyboard). The album was produced by Chris Thomas, who at this point had already worked with the Beatles, Roxy Music, Pink Floyd, and Badfinger.

I feel like the cover art plus the fact that this band’s name is a parody of “Plastic Ono Band” – with “sadistic” a reference to how Mika used knives in the kitchen – tells you exactly what Black Ship is going to sound like. It’s quirky, it’s breezy, it’s delightful. And I’m not certain if Black Ship was intended as a statement or concept album, but the title at least seems symbolic, referring to the Perry Expedition or “Arrival of the Black Ships” in the 1850s that essentially forced Japan to open up to trade with the West and resulted in “Japonisme” or the influence of Japanese art/design on Western art. While Black Ship sold poorly when it was first released, it has since been regarded as an influential album in Japanese rock history. With the release of the band’s next album, Hot! Menu (1975), Sadistic Mika Band toured with Roxy Music, becoming the first Japanese rock band to tour the UK.

Upon release of Hot! Menu (another Thomas-produced album), the band broke up, essentially due to the end of the Katōs’ marriage. The band members would all continue to go on making music together, solo, or in other bands, and in various genres – including the jazz-rock/fusion focused The Sadistics, Kazuhiko’s solo ska and experimental work, and, of course, Takahashi’s synth-pop trio with Haruomi Hosono and Ryuichi Sakamoto, Yellow Magic Orchestra. In other words: rabbit hole time.

Happy listening.