Divas Yuko Ando, who recently released her ninth album, "Itamono," is here. In this second part of our stroll around East Tokyo, we take in the sights and sounds of the capital, accompanied by Ando, clad in a beautiful kimono, just like the album cover.
■ "Restaurant Katayama," where you can eat delicious steaks using a patented secret technique
Our third stop, Restaurant Katayama, may be the highlight of the day for Ando. She's always been vocal about her love of meat, and on her latest album, "Itamono," she even performs a song called "Shimofuri Kouhaku Uta Gassen" with DJ Misoshiru and MC Gohan-san.
Restaurant Katayama, located near Shirahige Bridge over the Sumida River
"When I want to splurge and change my mood, I opt for meat over designer clothes or clothing. I like to buy some high-quality meat at the department store and grill it." She also mentioned the "Datinchō Cut" method, developed by Katayama's owner to maximize the flavor of meat. "Of course I knew about it. I've seen it on TV a couple of times," she said. "I often record TV shows with a meat theme."
Her eating manners at the restaurant are also impressive, and the way she brings each slice of meat to her mouth is truly beautiful, but before you know it, she's already gobbled down the entire dish.
Delicious meat makes people happy
Her menu choices were the Marukin Omelette Rice Steak Set Meal (100g/¥2,855 including tax) and the Special Tenderloin Set Meal (100g/¥6,480 including tax), both of which were quite generous, but she boasted, "It's so delicious, I could eat 250g even with rice!" Regarding the omelet rice, she smiled and said, "The classic, nostalgic taste is wonderful."
One of the attractions is that you can enjoy both omelet rice and steak! Marukin Omelette Rice Steak Set Meal (100g / ¥2,855 including tax)
[Store Information]
Restaurant Katayama
4-2-6 Higashi-Mukojima, Sumida-ku, Tokyo
03 (3610) 1500
Hours: Mon-Fri 11:00 AM - 2:30 PM, 4:30 PM - 8:45 PM (Last Order)
Sat, Sun, and Holidays 11:00 AM - 8:45 PM (Last Order)
Open Year-Round
http://dabintyo.jp/
On our way to the next restaurant, I asked her about her album "Gift," which features original songs written by a diverse group of artists. We learned the story behind this unprecedented album.
"Over the past few years, with the passing of my grandmother, the birth of a child, and the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, I've been paying a lot of attention to the concepts of birth and death, and my views on life and death and the end of life have become heavily reflected in the music I create. At the same time, while before, when I approached music, having fun was the main focus, I found it difficult to write songs in a playful manner."
Ando's director then suggested, "If you can't write songs, why don't you try singing?" This led to the release of this album. "The first band to offer the role was Sukima Switch, but at the time I was asked, I really wanted to get away from myself, so I asked them to write the song without thinking about Ando Yuko singing it. But as I asked each person to do it, that rule gradually started to break down (laughs)." Singing songs written by other artists, Ando says she thoroughly enjoyed the various quirks that each artist has, from the way they assign words to sounds to the way they enunciate consonants. But writing the final song herself also reminded her once again how great it is to be able to sing her own songs. "Singing my own songs is not just fun, it's also heartbreaking. It makes me feel truly alive." Ando also cherishes this feeling by absorbing the discoveries and encounters she encounters in her daily life and the emotions that come with them, as evidenced by Ando's shining eyes at her next stop, the antique button shop CO Antiques & Collectables.
■ "CO Antiques & Collectibles"
"People often buy buttons even if they have no plans to use them. When I was little, I loved receiving kimono scraps from my grandmother," says Ando.
Antique buttons at "co-" in Bakuro-cho
The interior of the store, with antique buttons ranging from as little as 100 yen to as much as 100,000 yen, is like a button museum. The owner, who purchases his buttons directly from England and France, says, "Buttons are small, but their charm lies in the way that each button reflects the era." The buttons, which come in Art Nouveau and Art Deco styles, are so fun to look at that you can even attach them to the store's original ring base to create a one-of-a-kind ring.
"The charm of this shop is that the era is reflected in each small button," says owner Kosaka.
[Store Information]
CO (Co) Antiques & Collectibles
1F Morinami Building, 1-8-11 Higashikanda, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
03 (5821) 0170
Hours: 12:00 - 19:00
Closed: Sundays and Holidays
https://co-ws.com/
Yuko Ando
Yuko Ando Profile:
Born in 1977. Singer-songwriter. Debuted in 2003 with the mini-album "Sally." Highly praised for her accurate portrayal of emotions in stories, she has also written theme songs for numerous films and TV dramas. She designs CD jackets and merchandise, does her own makeup, and even styles her own hair, sometimes even directing music videos. In 2014, she was selected to play the heroine in the film "Tears of Grapes" starring Yo Oizumi. Her latest album, "Gift," was released in March 2016. In May, she will be holding "Live 2016 'Gifts'" at two venues in Tokyo and Osaka.
http://www.ando-yuko.com
--"Ando Yuko strolls around Yanaka, Tokyo, in a kimono, where the atmosphere of the old downtown area lies. From nostalgic school lunch tableware to natural smoothies, she visits famous shops in [East Tokyo Time Travel Vol. 3]"
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