If you have been reading Serge the Concierge for a while, you came to realize that certain themes get a weekly treatment.
In the case of Tokyo Thursdays, It has survived or rather thrived for over 3 years now.
As 2010 comes to an end, I look back on one definite hit and a few misses or should I say under-the-radar stories.
Definite hit (most read) has to be Erotic Art of 17th to 19th Century Japanese Bedroom, Poem of the Pillow and the Floating World (October 28).
Online, many stories have a short life span, this one is still an attention getter.
Now for those who got overlooked.
In the culture realm, I wish that Tokyo Wonder Site, New Art and Culture in the Heart of Tokyo (September 9) showcasing this beehive for talent got more attention. More than an art center, it also faciliates international cultural exchanges.
Foodwise, Vegetarian Kaiseki Restaurant in Spotlight, Sustainable Tokyo, Earth Day 2010 (April 22) might have been too 'niche' for most, yet it is worth looking at the long vegetarian tradition and the love and patience that goes into its preparation.
Same was true with Dusting Off Sake's Image, Smile Nihonshu Events Attract Younger Crowd (July 29) on how Sake connects with the hip crowd. Not everyone is ready to sit down for a professoral take on Sake. Informal tastings are a way to go.
Samurai movies were not a hot item when I offered free seats in Revenge, Redemption, Win Pair of Tickets for Kenji Misumi's Destiny's Son Film Screening (February 16)…Maybe it was announced on too short a notice?
Looking back on 12 months of Japanese Flavors for Tokyo Thursdays # 172
Previously: Ame Zaiku, Candy Sculpture as an Art Form in the Hands of Takahiro Mizuki
(* Illustration from Poem of the Pillow, courtesy of Phaidon, its publisher)