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Yoko Ono

Yoko Ono

:For the Die Ärzte song, see Yoko Ono (song) Yoko Ono (song) Yoko Ono Lennon (born February 18, 1933 in Tokyo, Japan) is a Japanese musician and artist who has lived most of her life in the United States. She was already a minor celebrity in the art world when she achieved worldwide fame or notoriety through her relationship and eventual marriage with then-Beatle John Lennon. She currently resides in New York City. In Japanese kanji, her name is written 小野 洋子 (Ono Yōko).

Early Life

Born into a privileged background, she was the oldest child of Isoko Isuda, a member of one of Japan's wealthiest banking families, and Eisuke Ono, who sacrificed a career as a classically-trained pianist to work as a banker. She attended the exclusive Gakushuin academy in Tokyo from primary school to the college division. Ono has mentioned in interviews that her parents left the upbringing of her and her younger brother to nannies; her parents were often distant, emotionally and physically. During World War II, the Ono family survived the bombing of Tokyo in an underground shelter. Ono and her siblings fled to the countryside, and were forced to beg for food while pulling their belongings in a wheelbarrow. It was during this period in her life she developed what some would refer to as her "aggressive" attitude; local children taunted the once well-to-do Yoko and her brother, now reduced to poverty. Determined to protect herself and her brother, she learned to maintain a tough exterior to hide her fear. Her father remained in the city and, unbeknownst to them, was incarcerated in a prisoner of war camp in China. After the war, Ono's family moved to Scarsdale, New York. She soon enrolled in Sarah Lawrence College. While her parents approved her choice of college, they were dismayed at her lifestyle, and often chastised Ono for befriending people they considered to be "beneath" her. In spite of this, Ono loved meeting artists, poets, and people who represented the "bohemian" freedom she longed for herself. Visiting galleries and art "happenings" in the city whetted her desire to publicly display her own artistic endeavors. In 1956, she married composer Toshi Ichiyanagi. They divorced in 1962. Ono married American Anthony Cox on November 28, 1962. Cox was a jazz musician, film producer, and art promoter. Their marriage was annulled on March 1, 1963; they re-married on June 6, and finally divorced on February 2, 1969. Their daughter, Kyoko Chan Cox, was born on August 8, 1963. After a bitter legal battle, Ono was awarded permanent custody of Kyoko. However in 1971, Cox, who had become a Christian fundamentalist after his divorce from Ono, abducted Kyoko and vanished. Ono and her daughter were finally reunited in 1998.

Art Work

abducted Ono was an early member of Fluxus, a loose association of avant-garde artists that developed in the early 1960s. Ono was among the first artists to explore conceptual art and performance art. An example of her performance art is "Cut Piece", during which she sat on stage and invited the audience to use scissors to cut off her clothing until she was naked. An example of her conceptual art includes her book of instructions called Grapefruit. This book, first produced in 1964, includes surreal, Zen-like instructions that are to be completed in the mind of the reader, for example: "Hide and Go Seek Piece: Hide until everyone forgets about you. Hide until everyone dies." The book was published several times, most widely distributed by Simon and Schuster in 1971, and reprinted by them again in 2000. Ono was also an experimental filmmaker. She made sixteen films between 1964 and 1972, and gained particular renown for a 1966 film called simply No. 4, but often referred to as "Bottoms". The film consists of a series of close-ups of human buttocks as the subject walks on a treadmill. The screen is divided into four almost equal sections by the elements of the gluteal cleft and the horizontal gluteal crease. The soundtrack consists of interviews with those who are being filmed as well as those considering joining the project. In 1996, the watch manufacturing company Swatch produced a limited edition watch that commemorates this film. Ono's work may best be appreciated by an open mind. She has been described as "the world's most famous unknown artist: everybody knows her name, but nobody knows what she does." Ono has sometimes been maligned and vilified by critics who condemn her art. For example, Brian Sewell, art critic for the London Evening Standard and television personality, said: "She's shaped nothing, she's contributed nothing, she's simply been a reflection of the times...I think she's an amateur, a very rich woman who was married to someone who did have some talent and was the driving force behind the Beatles. If she had not been the widow of John Lennon, she would be totally forgotten by now...Yoko Ono was simply a hanger-on. Have you seen her sculpture or paintings? They're all awful." paintings However, the more common critical opinion is that Ono's work has been misunderstood and that it deserves attention and respect. Many scholars, art critics and members of the media have begun to reassess her art and to examine it seriously. In the past few years, Ono's work has regularly received recognition and acclaim. For example, Matthew Teitelbaum, director of the Art Gallery of Ontario, believes that "Yoko Ono is one of the world's most original and inspirational visual artists." Michael Kimmelman, the chief Art critic of the New York Times, wrote: "Yoko Ono's art is a mirror—like her work 'a Box of Smile,' we see ourselves in our reaction to it—a tiny prod toward personal enlightenment, very Zen." In 2001, YES YOKO ONO, a forty-year retrospective of Ono's work received the prestigious International Association of Art Critics USA Award for Best Museum Show Originating in New York City. (This award is considered one of the highest accolades in the museum profession.) In 2002 Ono was awarded the Skowhegan Medal for work in assorted media. And in 2005 she received a lifetime achievement award from the Japan Society of New York. Ono received an honorary Doctorate of Laws from Liverpool University in 2001; in 2002 she was presented with the honorary degree of Doctor of Fine Arts from Bard College. Scott MacDonald, visiting professor of film at Bard, said: "She is to be congratulated for the body of work she has made, and celebrated for what she has come to represent, within media history and throughout the world: courage, resilience, persistence, independence, and, above all, imagination, and a belief that peace and love remain the way toward a brighter, ever-more-diverse human future."

Life with Lennon

Bard College, 1969 Ottawa, Ontario]] Ono is best known for marrying The Beatles' John Lennon. They first met when Lennon visited a preview of an exhibition of Ono's in London in 1966. He was taken with the attitude and interactivity of her work, such as a ladder leading up to the word "Yes" written on the ceiling, that she wanted him to have to pay 200 pounds to hammer a nail into a panel of wood (as the show was only beginning the day after), and a decomposing apple. They began an affair two years later, eventually resulting in Lennon divorcing his first wife, Cynthia. They married on March 20, 1969 on the Rock of Gibraltar. Their son, Sean, was born on Lennon's 35th birthday, on October 9, 1975. Lennon referred to Ono in many of his songs. While still a Beatle he wrote "The Ballad of John and Yoko," and also implicitly mentions her in "Julia," a song dedicated to his mother, with the lyrics: "Ocean child calls me, so I sing a song of love" (The kanji 洋子 ("Yoko") mean "ocean child.") Other Lennon songs about Ono include: "Oh Yoko!," and "Dear Yoko." Ono and Lennon collaborated on many albums, beginning in 1968 when Lennon was still a Beatle, with Unfinished Music No.1: Two Virgins, an album of experimental and difficult electronic music. That same year, the couple contributed an experimental piece to The White Album called "Revolution 9," which is to this day a love/hate phenomenon among fans. Many of the couple's later albums were released under the name the Plastic Ono Band. In 1969, the Plastic Ono Band's first album, Live Peace In Toronto, was recorded during the Toronto Rock and Roll Revival Festival. In addition to Lennon and Ono, this first incarnation of the group consisted of guitarist Eric Clapton, bass player Klaus Voorman, and drummer Alan White. The first half of their performance consisted of rock standards, but during the second half, Ono took the microphone and along with the band performed what may be one of the first expressions of the avant garde during a rock concert. The set ended with music that consisted mainly of feedback, while Ono screamed and sang. Ono released her first solo album, Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band in 1970, as a companion piece to Lennon's better-known John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band. The two albums have almost identical covers, and both explore primal scream vocalizations. However, while Lennon's utilized mostly conventional songwriting, Ono's was an all-out screaming assault on the ears - an album including raw and quite harsh vocals that were possibly influenced by Japanese opera. Perhaps, the most (in)famous song on Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band is "Why", which features Ono screaming the word "Why" for five minutes. Some critics were receptive of the work, however, declaring her voice "the most interesting instrument since the Moog". It peaked at #183 on the US charts, but this may be because people mistook it for Lennon's release. 1971 saw the follow-up release, Fly - a double album, which included a poster and a postcard to order Ono's book, Grapefruit. On this release Ono explored slightly more conventional punk rock with tracks like "Midsummer New York" and "Mind Train." She also received minor airplay with the ballad "Mrs. Lennon". Perhaps the most famous track from the album is "Don't Worry, Kyoko (Mummy's Only Looking For Her Hand In The Snow)", an ode to Ono's kidnapped daughter. Ono later released two feminist rock albums in 1973, Approximately Infinite Universe and Feeling the Space, which received little attention. Today, they are recognized with much critical respect, particularly for tracks such as "Move on Fast," "Yang Yang" and "Death of Samantha." Ono is often accused by Beatles fans of breaking up the band (although many other Beatles fans argue that she did not); to this day, women who have (intentionally or not) come between high-profile musicians and their bandmates are compared to Ono, Nancy Spungen and Courtney Love being just two examples. In a 2003 interview with Jay Leno, Ono described the disappointment she felt by the breakup of the Beatles and how it affected the lifestyle that she was used to. There are Lennon fans who, in addition, blame Ono for the experimental phase (considered difficult and bizarre) that Lennon explored in his work immediately before the Beatles' breakup. On the other hand, many fans consider—as Lennon consistently attested—that Ono had a profound and beneficial influence on his body of work. Ono is also sometimes blamed for Lennon's heroin addiction in the early 1970s, as she is widely believed to have introduced him to the drug. Both suffered from addiction on and off for a few years. Jay Leno From the early 1970s until Lennon's public seclusion upon Sean's birth in 1975, Lennon and Ono produced less music as they became increasingly engaged in political activism (which possibly was a cause of Lennon's troubles with U.S. Immigration). The stress of Lennon's almost-certain expulsion from the U.S., coupled with Ono's unhappy and unsuccessful search for her daughter brought out the worst in the couple. Lennon began drinking heavily, and Ono immersed herself further into her work, becoming emotionally numb to each other. When Lennon and Ono separated in 1973, Ono "selected" their secretary May Pang to be Lennon's lover while they were apart. (Accounts on this vary; Ono herself claimed that Pang was merely sent to be an assistant to Lennon while he was scheduled to work on several projects in Los Angeles.) Lennon carried on several affairs at this time, and after each incident, would call Ono, alternately taunting her with his infidelity and begging her to allow him to return. Ono, who was also re-entering the dating scene, remained adamant that he keep his distance. Lennon returned time and again to Pang, his only source of security then. Lennon and Pang were together until 1975, when he and Ono reconciled. In 2003 Ono courted controversy by editing herself into the video of the classic song "#9 Dream" for the "Lennon Legend: The Very Best of John Lennon" DVD set. There you will find her mouthing the backup vocals that were sung by May Pang. Pang claimed, "She is trying to erase everyone who had anything to do with John with her alone. I am definitely upset at her misleading everyone into thinking she is on '#9 Dream.' She had nothing to do with this particular album and it was John's only No.1 album and No. 1 single during his lifetime. Boy, do I understand how Paul [McCartney] feels." However, some fans argue that Ono's inclusion there is called for. The backup vocals are sung immediately after Lennon sings "two spirits dancing, so strange", and at the time Lennon was both in love with Ono and living with May Pang, the two women in his life, hence "two spirits".

Musical Career

May Pang Ono achieved success as a musician in her own right. In 1961, years before meeting Lennon, she had her first major public performance in an all-Ono concert at the 258-seat Carnegie Recital Hall (not the larger "Main Hall"). This concert featured radical experimental music and performances. Ono's music changed after her marriage; while many of her early songs retain the surreal quality of her art and films, her later songs are usually more conventional — for example, the seven pop songs that she contributed to the album, Double Fantasy. Double Fantasy Double Fantasy Ono's first album, titled Plastic Ono Band was confusingly released at the same time as an album by Lennon also titled Plastic Ono Band. The two had nearly identical cover art -- Ono's had richer colors, Lennon's featured his name. To some, it appeared as if the two had conspired to deceive Lennon's fans into accidentally purchasing Ono's album. In the spring of 1980, Lennon heard Lene Lovich and the B-52's' "Rock Lobster" in a nightclub, and it reminded him of Ono's musical sound. He ran to a public phone, called Yoko and said "They're finally ready for us, love!" Indeed, many musicians, particularly those of the new wave movement, have paid tribute to Ono (both as an artist in her own right, and as a muse and iconic figure). For example, Elvis Costello recorded a version of Ono's song "Walking On Thin Ice", the B-52's covered "Don't Worry, Kyoko (Mummy's Only Looking For Her Hand In The Snow)" (shortening the title to "Don't Worry"), and Sonic Youth included a performance of Ono's early conceptual "Voice Piece for Soprano" in their fin de siecle album SYR4: Goodbye 20th Century. One of Barenaked Ladies's best-known songs is "Be My Yoko Ono," and Dar Williams recorded a song called "I Won't Be Your Yoko Ono." The punk rock singer Patti Smith invited Ono to participate in "Meltdown," a two-week music festival that Smith organized in London during June 2005; Ono performed at Queen Elizabeth Hall. On the night of December 8, 1980, Lennon and Ono were in the studio working on Ono's song "Walking On Thin Ice." When they returned to The Dakota, their home in New York City, Lennon was murdered at age 40 by a deranged fan, Mark David Chapman. "Walking on Thin Ice (For John)" was released as a single less than a month later, and became Ono's first chart success, peaking at No. 58 and gaining major underground airplay. In 1981, she released the album Season of Glass with the striking cover photo of Lennon's shattered, bloody spectacles next to a half-filled glass of water, with a window overlooking Central Park in the background. This led some critics to accuse her of being tasteless and exploitative. However, Ono said that she chose such a provocative image because she wanted to remind people that Lennon hadn't just died, but had been murdered. (This photograph sold at an auction in London in April 2002 for about $13,000.) In the liner notes to Season of Glass, Ono explained that the album is not dedicated to Lennon because "he would have been offended - he was one of us."

Life after Lennon

1982 saw the release of It's Alright (I See Rainbows), a more positive album as Ono began the healing process following the loss of her husband. The cover featured Ono in her famous wrap-around sunglasses, looking boldly towards the sun, while on the back the ghost of Lennon looks over Ono and Sean. The album has been described as Ono's pop sensibilites and avant-garde influences meeting each other halfway. It scored minor chart success and airplay with the singles "My Man" and "Never Say Goodbye." In 1984, a tribute album entitled Every Man Has A Woman was released, featuring Ono classics performed by artists such as Elvis Costello, Roberta Flack, Eddie Money, Roseanne Cash and Harry Nilsson. It was one of Lennon's projects that he never got to finish. Later that year, Ono and Lennon's final album Milk And Honey was released in unfinished demo state. Milk And Honey Ono's final album of the 1980s was Starpeace, a concept album glowing with positivity that was intended as an antidote to Ronald Reagan's "Star Wars" missile defense system. On the cover, a warm, smiling Ono holds the Earth in the palm of her hand. Despite almost unanimous critical praise for the album, Starpeace received little commercial attention. The single "Hell in Paradise" was a hit, however, reaching No. 16 on the US dance charts. In 1986 Ono set out on a goodwill world tour for Starpeace, mostly visiting Eastern European countries that she felt were in need of her message of peace. The media were largely unfair in their coverage of the tour, accusing Ono of "ego-tripping" and ridiculing her for underselling venues. In one case, a photo of Ono rehearsing to an empty hall before the show was printed as if nobody had come to the actual concert. A German DJ was also encouraging people to turn up and throw glass bottles at her. Despite the bad press, however, the fans loved the shows, critics unanimously praised her for her performances, and she filled a venue of 15,000 in Budapest. Ono went on hiatus until signing with Rykodisc in 1992 to release the comprehensive 6-disc box set Onobox. It included remastered highlights from all of Ono's solo albums, as well as unreleased material from the 1974 "lost weekend" sessions. There was also a one-disc "greatest hits" release of highlights from Onobox, simply titled Walking on Thin Ice. In 1994, Yoko produced her own musical entitled New York Rock, featuring Broadway renditions of her songs. 1995 saw Ono's comeback with the release of Rising, a collaboration with her son Sean Lennon and his band Ima. It received wide critical praise and is often considered one of her best albums. Rising spawned a world tour that traveled through Europe, Japan and the United States. The following year, she collaborated with various alternative rock musicians for an EP entitled Rising Mixes. Guest remixers of Rising material included Cibo Matto, Ween, Tricky, and Thurston Moore. In 1997, as public interest was growing in Ono's work, Rykodisc reissued all her solo albums on CD, from Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band through Starpeace. Ono and her engineer John Stevens personally remastered the audio, and various bonus tracks were added including outtakes, demos and live cuts. Rykodisc 2001 saw the release of the critically successful feminist concept album Blueprint For A Sunrise. Starting in 2002, cutting-edge DJs began remixing other Ono songs for dance clubs. For the remix project, she dropped her first name and became known as simply "ONO", as a response to the "Oh, no!" jokes that dogged her throughout her career. ONO had great success with new versions of "Walking on Thin Ice", remixed by top DJs and dance artists including Pet Shop Boys, Orange Factory, Peter Rauhofer, and Danny Tenaglia. In April 2003 ONO's Walking On Thin Ice (Remixes) was rated No. 1 on Billboard Magazine's "Dance/Club Play Chart", gaining ONO her first number one hit. On the 12" mix of the original 1981 version of "Walking on Thin Ice", Lennon can be heard remarking "I think we've just got your first No.1, Yoko." During her career, Ono has collaborated with a diverse group of artists and musicians including John Cage, David Tudor, George Maciunas, Ornette Coleman, Charlotte Moorman, George Brecht, Jackson Mac Low, Jonas Mekas, Yvonne Rainer, La Monte Young, Richard Maxfield, Zbigniew Rybczyński, Yo La Tengo, and Andy Warhol. (In 1987 Ono was one of the speakers at Warhol's funeral.)

Political Activism

Since the 1960s, Ono has been a consistent and outspoken supporter of peace and human rights. After their wedding, Lennon and Ono held a "Bed-In for Peace" in their honeymoon suite at the Amsterdam Hilton Hotel in March 1969. The press fought to get in, presuming that the two would be having sex for their cameras, but they instead found a pair of newlyweds wearing pajamas and eager to talk about and promote world peace. Another Bed-In in May 1969 in Montreal, Canada, resulted in the recording of their first single, "Give Peace A Chance," a Top 20 hit for the newly-christened Plastic Ono Band. Other demonstrations with John included Bagism. Introduced in Vienna, Bagism encouraged a disregard for physical appearance in judging others. In 2002, Ono inaugurated her own peace award by giving $50,000 (£31,900) prize money to artists living "in regions of conflict." Israeli and Palestinian artists were the first recipients. In 2003, Ono turned 70, a milestone of sorts. In 2004 Ono remade her song "Every Man Has a Woman Who Loves Him" to support same-sex marriage, releasing remixes that included "Every Man Has a Man Who Loves Him" and "Every Woman Has a Woman Who Loves Her."

Reconciliation with McCartney

Ono has had a turbulent relationship with Beatle Paul McCartney. The dispute has centered on, among other issues, the writing credits for many Beatles songs. While the Beatles were still together, every song written by Lennon or McCartney was credited to Lennon-McCartney regardless of whether the song was a collaboration or a solo project. After Lennon's death, McCartney attempted to change the order to "McCartney-Lennon" for songs, such as "Yesterday," that were solely or predominantly written by him, but Ono would not allow it. She felt this broke an agreement that the two had made while Lennon was still alive. However, McCartney has stated that no such agreement ever existed. The two other Beatles agreed that the credits should remain as they always had been and McCartney withdrew his request. Despite their differences, in 1995 McCartney and his family collaborated with Ono and Sean Lennon to create the song "Hiroshima Sky is Always Blue," which commemorates the fiftieth anniversary of the dropping of an atomic bomb on the Japanese city. Of Ono, McCartney stated: "I thought she was a cold woman. I think that's wrong ... she's just the opposite ... I think she's just more determined than most people to be herself." Recently, accepting an award at the 2005 Q Awards, Ono made a controversial comment that the media have interpreted as an insult to Paul McCartney's songwriting. She mentioned that Lennon had once felt insecure about his songwriting, and asked her why other musicians "always cover Paul's songs, and never mine". Ono then responded "You're a good songwriter; it's not June with spoon that you write. You're a good singer, and most musicians are probably a little bit nervous about covering your songs". [http://www.calendarlive.com/printedition/calendar/qtakes/cl-et-quick12.3oct12,0,5214390.story] Whether she honestly meant this as an insult is debatable. Heather McCartney, when asked about her husband's thoughts on the subject, said "He doesn't even know yet. Look at how successful Yoko's music is compared to Paul's. Speaks for itself". Heather McCartney

Still Provocative

Ono again proved herself to be a provocative and controversial artist with her contribution to the fourth Liverpool Biennial in 2004. With banners, bags, stickers, postcards, flyers, posters and badges, she flooded the city with two images: one of a woman’s naked breast, the other of her pudendum. The piece, titled "My Mummy Was Beautiful," was dedicated to Lennon's mother, Julia, who had died when Lennon was a teenager. According to Ono the work was meant to be innocent, not shocking. She was attempting to replicate the experience of a baby looking up at his or her mother’s body: the mother’s vagina and breasts are a child’s introduction to humanity. Some in Liverpool, including Lennon's half-sister, Julia Baird, found the citywide installation offensive. Indeed, the BBC program North West Tonight invited viewers to phone in their opinion of the piece, and of the 6,000 viewers who responded 92% wanted the images removed. However, others appreciated the conceptuality of the work. Chris Brown, of Liverpool's Daily Post, wrote: "Many have loved the work… and Yoko Ono has again managed to get the eyes of the world looking in our direction." An editorial in The Times of London wrote: "Her unmissable contribution to the fourth Liverpool Biennial dominates the event and seems also to symbolise the new international Liverpool… Ono manages successfully to get right up the noses of the locals, as she always has. Brilliant… As always with Ono's art, a simple act has become a radical one." Some local councillors welcomed the removal of Ono's image from the deconsecrated Church of St. Luke. "I'm delighted that it has been removed," said Joe Anderson, leader of the Labour Party group. "I find it appalling that the picture was put in a place which offended people. St. Luke's is a war memorial and many people felt it was being desecrated with this picture." (Ono's art was placed there at the invitation of St Luke's Peace Centre in recognition of John Lennon and Yoko Ono's steadfast promotion of peace.) The biennial's chief executive, Lewis Biggs, denied the claim that it was moved due to public pressure: "The banner was taken down to replace the one torn down at the Bluecoat Centre over the weekend. The only banner of the same size was at St. Luke's. If the biennial had the money to replace the one at the church, we would have." He further stated, "There are a great many people who enjoy and support this project." Paul Domela, deputy chief executive of Liverpool Biennial, said: "We were aware that some would object to it. But, at the same time, we realised that a great many would love it as well… We have got bags, stickers and badges that are so popular we cannot give out enough of them because they are going so quickly." He continued, "In the campaign for the election in the European Union, there was an image of a woman breast feeding. The campaign was aired across Europe, including some very Catholic countries. Over here, the difference was that the nipple was removed. This baby had its mouth open into nothingness. What does that say about the relationship we have in this country to motherhood? To begin to think about that and talk about it is very important." In response to the controversy Ono stated, "I wasn't trying to insult Liverpool. In fact, when I thought of the idea and I visualized this beautiful mom's breasts and vagina all around the city I thought, 'Ah, it would be so beautiful', and it's like giving them love, because we are all born from [our] mother's body, and that's the first thing that we were nurtured by—mothers' breasts. Somehow people try to inhibit that memory. Women are put in a position of feeling embarrassed about their bodies. It's so ridiculous, but also astounding—we have to always be apologetic about having created the human race." Of her artistic inspiration she said, "I'm always inside myself and listening to what's coming into my head. I'm like a conduit of some message coming through me. I'm interested in everything, equally, every day. I'm in love with life, the world, every moment."

Discography

(with US chart positions)

Albums

Solo


- Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band (1970) (#182)
- Fly (1971) (#199)
- Approximately Infinite Universe (1972) (#193)
- Feeling The Space (1973) (did not chart)
- Welcome: The Many Sides Of Yoko Ono (1973) (Japanese promo album)
- A Story (1974) (Unreleased until 1997)
- Season of Glass (1981) (#49)
- It's Alright (I See Rainbows) (1982) (#98)
- Every Man Has A Woman (1984) (Tribute album with various artists)
- Starpeace (1985) (did not chart)
- Onobox (1992)
- Walking On Thin Ice (1992)
- New York Rock (1994) (original cast recording - did not chart)
- Rising (1995) (did not chart)
- Rising Mixes (1996) (did not chart)
- Blueprint For A Sunrise (2001) (did not chart)

with John Lennon


- Unfinished Music No.1: Two Virgins (1968) (#124)
- Unfinished Music No.2: Life With The Lions (1969) (#174)
- Wedding Album (1969) (#178)
- Live Peace In Toronto 1969 (1969) (#10)
- Sometime In New York City (1972) (#48)
- Double Fantasy (1980) (#1)
- Milk and Honey (1984) (#11)

Singles

Solo


- "Mrs. Lennon"/"Midsummer New York" (1971) (did not chart)
- "Now or Never"/"Move on Fast" (1972) (did not chart)
- "Mind Train"/"Listen, the Snow is Falling" (1972) (did not chart)
- "Death of Samantha"/"Yang Yang" (1973) (did not chart)
- "Josejoi Banzai" (1973) (Japan-only release, did not chart)
- "Woman Power"/"Men, Men, Men" (1973) (did not chart)
- "Run, Run, Run"/"Men, Men, Men" (1973) (did not chart)
- "Walking On Thin Ice" (1981) (#58)
- "Goodbye Sadness"/"I Don't Know Why" (promo) (1981)
- "No, No, No" (1981) (did not chart)
- "My Man" (1982) (did not chart)
- "Never Say Goodbye" (1983) (did not chart)
- "Hell in Paradise" (1985) (#16)
- "Cape Clear"/"Walking On Thin Ice (Re-Edit)" (promo) (1985)
- "Open Your Box" originally released 1971; (remix) (2001) (did not chart)
- "Kiss Kiss Kiss" (remix) (2002) (#20)
- "Yang Yang" (remix) (2002) (#17)
- "Walking On Thin Ice" (remix) (2003) (#1)
- "Will I"/"Fly" (remix) (2003) (#19)
- "Hell in Paradise" (remix) (2004) (#4)
- "Everyman... Everywoman" (maxi-single promoting gay marriage) (2004) (#1)

With John Lennon


- "Give Peace a Chance"/"Remember Love" (1969) (#14)
- "Cold Turkey" (Lennon)/"Don't Worry, Kyoko" (Ono) (1969) (#30)
- "Instant Karma" (Lennon)/"Who Has Seen the Wind?" (Ono) (1970) (#3)
- "Mother" (Lennon)/"Why" (Ono) (1971) (#43)
- "Power to the People" (Lennon)/"Open Your Box" (Ono) (1971) (#11)
- "Happy Xmas (War is Over)"/"Listen, the Snow is Falling" (1971) (#3)
- "(Just Like) Starting Over" (Lennon)/"Kiss Kiss Kiss" (Ono)(1980) (#1)
- "Woman" (Lennon)/"Beautiful Boys" (Ono)(1981) (#2)
- "Watching the Wheels" (Lennon)/"Yes, I'm Your Angel" (Ono) (1981) (#10)
- "Nobody Told Me" (Lennon)/"O'Sanity" (Ono)(1984) (#5)
- "I'm Stepping Out" (Lennon)/"Sleepless Night" (Ono)(1984) (#55)
- "Borrowed Time" (Lennon)/"Your Hands" (Ono)(1984)

See also


- List of number-one dance hits (United States)
- List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart

References


- "Ono apologises for comment". (Nov. 6, 2005). New Sunday Times, p. 29.

External Links


- [http://www.instantkarma.com/ Instant Karma], magazine dedicated to John and Yoko. Since 1981.
- [http://www.artnotart.com/fluxus/yono--.html Yoko Ono fluxus debris!] @ art / not art
- [http://www.jeclique.com/onoweb ::: ONOWEB]: an international network of info and original projects about Yoko from our contributors
- [http://www.a-i-u.net/ AIU: A Yoko Ono Box] An extensive unofficial Yoko Ono Site
- [http://www.lennono.com/ LennOno Online News], an extensive unofficial Lennon/Ono Site in German language
- [http://www.domeus.co.uk/forum/onovox ~ ONOVOX]: spam-free discussion listserv with commented daily Yoko news.
-
- [http://launch.yahoo.com/read/story/12027174 "Yoko Ono Makes Old Song Gay Friendly"], Associated Press article, July 8, 2004.
- [http://www.newmusicbox.org/page.nmbx?id=48vw06 Yoko Ono's Snow] review by Tom Johnson Originally published on February 7, 1977
- [http://home.nyc.rr.com/alweisel/usyokoono.htm 1995 Interview with Yoko Ono]
- [http://nippop.com/artist/artist_id-81/artist_name-yoko_ono/ Nippop Profile | Yoko Ono]
- [http://artorpornography.com/old_mos/apr_02_grafx/apr_02_pages/4_19_02.html Photograph of John Lennon's Bloodied Spectacles ]
- [http://www.gaycitynews.com/GCN16/yokoono.html The Dakota to The Roxy and Back], interview article from Gay City News Volume 1, Issue 16, 13-19 September, 2002. Ono, Yoko Ono, Yoko Ono, Yoko Ono, Yoko Ono, Yoko Ono, Yoko Ono, Yoko Ono Yoko Ono, Yoko Ono, Yoko Ono, Yoko Ono, Yoko Ono, Yoko Ono, Yoko ja:オノ・ヨーコ simple:Yoko Ono

Die Ärzte

Die Ärzte (also spelled die ärzte; German for "the physicians") are a German rock/punk rock band from Berlin. They are self-proclaimed "die beste Band der Welt" ("the best band in the world") and, along with Düsseldorf outfit Die Toten Hosen are among the best-known German punk rock bands.

History

Die Ärzte were formed in 1982 by Jan Vetter (alias Farin Urlaub, which is similar to the expression "Fahr' in Urlaub", that can be translated as "Going to Holiday"), Dirk Felsenheimer (alias Bela B.) and Hans Runge (alias Sahnie). The band chose the name "Die Ärzte" because no other band in Germany or anywhere used the letter "Ä" and when they went into a store they missed this letter. They did not seek any affiliation with medicinal issues whatsoever - a fact that was, until now, all too often forgotten by journalists and bootleg manufacturers, who included wordplays and allusions to hospitals, medicine, surgery etc. in article headers and record titles. On their most recent album Geräusch, they spell their name with three dots over the a in ärzte, a sort of "triaresis" mark that does not correspond to any real language construct—a play on the heavy metal umlaut. This can be represented in Unicode: die a⃛rzte. Please note that "Die Ärzte", with two dots, is correct German orthography and not related to the heavy metal umlaut. Sahnie left the band in 1986 and Hagen Liebing (alias The Incredible Hagen) filled in as bassist until the band broke up in 1988. In 1993 the band reunited with Rodrigo González (alias Rod) playing replacing Liebing. Die Ärzte have shown no fear of controversy and have faced off with the German Federal Department for Media Harmful to Young Persons (Bundesprüfstelle für jugendgefährdende Medien) over their tongue-in-cheek lyrics to "Geschwisterliebe" (over claims that it promoted incest), "Claudia hat 'nen Schäferhund" (over claims that it promoted zoophilia) and "Schlaflied" (over references to excessive violence). Due to these three songs, the band's albums Debil (1984) and Die Ärzte (1986) were "indexed" in Germany (e.g. cannot be purchased by people under the age of 18, and may not be promoted). The group has leveraged these controversies to their advantage and gained popularity by making fun of their censors. Since November 2004 the album Debil with the songs "Claudia hat 'nen Schäferhund" and "Schlaflied" is no longer banned in Germany. The band has been immensely popular in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, while also enjoying some success in other Northern European countries. Much of the band's popularity can be attributed to their humorous lyrics, which are lost on non-German speakers. Die Ärzte are virtually unknown outside of Europe, aside from members of the German diaspora. Ironically, despite being considered controversial in Germany, Ärzte songs have been used in German classes in high schools and universities outside of Germany as a teaching aid to teach German as a foreign language.

Discography

Albums


- Uns geht's prima... (1984)
- Debil (1984)
- Im Schatten der Ärzte (1985)
- Die Ärzte (1986)
- Ist das alles? (1987, best of album)
- Ab 18 (1987, compilation album of "indexed" songs)
- Das ist nicht die ganze Wahrheit... (1988)
- Nach uns die Sintflut (1988, live album)
- Die Ärzte früher! (1989)
- Die Bestie in Menschengestalt (1993)
- Das Beste von kurz nach früher bis jetze (1994, best of album)
- Planet Punk (1995)
- Le Frisur (1996)
- 13 (1998)
- Wir wollen nur deine Seele (1999, live album)
- Satanische Pferde (2000, live album only available to fanclub members)
- Runter mit den Spendierhosen, Unsichtbarer! (2000)
- 5, 6, 7, 8 - Bullenstaat! (2001, only available at concerts, to fanclub members and as digital download [http://www.bademeister.com/indexfs.php?b=news&s=news/news.php&f=0 here]))
- Männer haben kein Gehirn (2001, only available as digital download [http://www.bademeister.com/indexfs.php?b=news&s=news/news.php&f=0 here])
- die ärzte (2001, best of album released in Japan)
- Rock'n'Roll Realschule (2002, MTV Unplugged)
- Geräusch (2003)
- Devil (2005)

Singles


- "Paul" (1984)
- "Zu spät" (1985)
- Original Ärztesoundtrack zum Film Richy Guitar (1985)
- "Wegen Dir" (1985)
- "Du willst mich küssen" (1986)
- "Für immer" (1986)
- "Ist das alles?" (1986)
- "Gehn wie ein Ägypter" (1987)
- "2000 Mädchen" (1987)
- "Radio brennt" (1988)
- "Ich ess' Blumen" (1988)
- "Westerland" (1988)
- "Zu Spät... (Hit Summer Mix '88)" (1988)
- "Der Ritt auf dem Schmetterling" (1988; Came with the album Nach uns die Sintflut)
- "Teenager Liebe" (1989)
- "Bitte bitte" (1989)
- "Schrei nach Liebe" (1993)
- "Mach die Augen zu" (1993)
- "Friedenspanzer" (1994)
- "Quark" (1994)
- "Ein Song namens Schunder" (1995)
- "Hurra" (1995)
- "3-Tage-Bart" (1995)
- "Mein Baby war beim Frisör" (1996)
- "Männer sind Schweine" (1998)
- "Goldenes Handwerk" (1999)
- "1/2 Lovesong" (1999)
- "Rebell" (1999)
- "Elke (live)" (1999)
- "Wie es geht" (2000)
- "Manchmal haben Frauen..." (2000)
- "Yoko Ono" (2000)
- "Rock'n'Roll-Übermensch" (2001)
- "Komm zurück"/"Die Banane" (MTV Unplugged) (2002)
- "Unrockbar" (2003)
- "Dinge von denen" (2003)
- "Nichts in der Welt" (2004)
- "Deine Schuld" (2004)
- "Die klügsten Männer der Welt" (2005)

External links


- [http://www.bademeister.com The band's official website]
- [http://www.kill-them-all.de Legal live bootlegs downloads] Ärzte, Die Category:German punk bands

Yoko Ono (song)

"Yoko Ono" is a song by the German punk-band Die Ärzte. It came out on March 5, 2001. A notable aspect of the single is that it is (according to the Guinness Book of World Records) the shortest single ever released, with a runtime of 30 seconds. The video also holds the world record at 45 seconds. Even though the song is very short, it still has a meaning. Farin Urlaub sings about being deceived, and how it annoys him more than Yoko Ono.

Single tracklisting

# "Yoko Ono" (Do Brasil) # "Yoko Ono" # "Die Welt ist schlecht" # "Yoko Ono (L'Age D'Or Mix)" # "Yoko Ono (Video)"

External links


- [http://www.bademeister.com Official website of die ärzte.]
- [http://www.viva.tv/index.php?action=kongtent_show_page&page=819 The video.]

February 18

February 18 is the 49th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. There are 316 days remaining (317 in leap years).

Events


- 3102 BC - Epoch (origin) of the Kali Yuga- Lord Krishna leaves his mortal coil.
- 1229 - The Sixth Crusade: Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor signs a ten-year truce with al-Kamil, regaining Jerusalem, Nazareth, and Bethlehem with neither military engagements nor support from the papacy.
- 1478 - George, Duke of Clarence, convicted of treason against his older brother Edward IV of England, is privately executed in the Tower of London.
- 1685 - Fort St. Louis is established by a Frenchman at Matagorda Bay thus forming the basis for France's claim to Texas.
- 1797 - Trinidad is surrendered to a British fleet under the command of Sir Ralph Abercromby.
- 1814 - Battle of Montereau occurs.
- 1841 - The first ongoing filibuster in the United States Senate begins and lasts until March 11.
- 1856 - The American Party (Know-Nothings) convene in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to nominate their first Presidential candidate, former President (Millard Fillmore).
- 1861 - In Montgomery, Alabama Jefferson Davis is inaugurated as the provisional President of the Confederate States of America.
- 1861 - With the Italian unification almost complete, King Victor Emmanuel II of Piedmont, Savoy and Sardinia assumes the title of King of Italy.
- 1865 - In the U.S., Delaware voters reject the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, and vote to continue the practice of slavery. (Delaware finally ratifies the amendment on February 12, 1901.)
- 1878 - The Lincoln County War begins in Lincoln County, New Mexico.
- 1885 - Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is published for the first time.
- 1911 - The first official flight with air mail takes place in Allahabad, British India, when Henri Pequet, a 23-year-old pilot, delivers 6,500 letters to Naini, about 10 km away.
- 1913 - Raymond Poincaré becomes President of France.
- 1929 - First Academy Awards are announced.
- 1930 - While studying photographs taken in January, Clyde Tombaugh discovers Pluto.
- 1930 - Elm Farm Ollie becomes the first cow to fly in an airplane and also the first cow to be milked in an airplane.
- 1932 - The Empire of Japan declares Manzhouguo (obsolete Chinese name for Manchuria) independent from China.
- 1943 - The Nazis arrest the members of the White Rose movement.
- 1943 - Joseph Goebbels delivers the Sportpalast speech
- 1948 - Eamon de Valera resigns as Taoiseach of Ireland.
- 1953 - The first 3D film, Bwana Devil, opens.
- 1953 - Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz sign an $8,000,000 contract to continue the I Love Lucy television series through 1955.
- 1965 - The Gambia becomes independent from the United Kingdom.
- 1970 - The Chicago Eight are found not guilty of conspiring to incite riots at the 1968 Democratic Party national convention.
- 1972 - The California Supreme Court invalidates the state's death penalty and commutes the sentences of all death row inmates to life in prison.
- 1974 - The game show Tattletales debuts in the slot vacated by the long-running soap opera The Secret Storm.
- 1974 - KISS releases their self-titled debut album.
- 1977 - The Space Shuttle Enterprise test vehicle goes on its maiden "flight" while sitting on top of a Boeing 747.
- 1983 - Thirteen people die and one is seriously injured in the Wah Mee Massacre in Seattle, Washington, said to be the largest robbery-motivated mass-murder in American history.
- 1985 - The legendary "mirror globe" ident, first used in 1969, is seen for the last time in regular rotation on BBC1.
- 1998 - Two white separatists are arrested in Nevada and accused of plotting a biological attack on New York City subways.
- 2003 - Nearly 200 people die in the Daegu subway fire in South Korea
- 2004 - Up to 295 people, including nearly 200 rescue workers, die near Neyshabur in Iran when a run-away freight train carrying sulfur, petrol and fertiliser catches fire and explodes.
- 2005 - The United Kingdom law banning fox hunting, hare coursing and other sports which kill wild mammals is enforced from this date.

Births


- 1516 - Queen Mary I of England (d. 1558)
- 1530 - Uesugi Kenshin, Japanese samurai and warlord (d. 1578)
- 1559 - Isaac Casaubon, French classical scholar (d. 1614)
- 1602 - Per Brahe (the younger), Swedish soldier and statesman (d. 1680)
- 1635 - Johan Göransson Gyllenstierna, Swedish statesman (d. 1680)
- 1609 - Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon, English statesman and historian (d. 1674)
- 1642 - Marie Champmeslé, French actress (d. 1698)
- 1658 - Charles-Irénée Castel de Saint-Pierre, French writer (d. 1743)
- 1745 - Alessandro Volta, Italian physicist (d. 1827)
- 1835 - César Cui, Lithuanian composer (d. 1918)
- 1838 - Ernst Mach, Austrian physicist and philosopher (d. 1916)
- 1846 - Wilson Barrett, English actor and playwright (d. 1904)
- 1848 - Louis Comfort Tiffany, American glass artist (d. 1933)
- 1849 - Alexander Kielland, Norwegian author (d. 1906)
- 1859 - Sholom Aleichem, Russian Yiddish humorist and author (d. 1916)
- 1871 - Harry Brearley, English inventor (d. 1948)
- 1883 - Nikos Kazantzakis, Greek writer (d. 1957)
- 1884 - Andrew Watson Myles, Canadian politician (d. 1970)
- 1890 - Edward Arnold, American actor (d. 1956)
- 1890 - Adolphe Menjou, American actor (d. 1963)
- 1892 - Wendell Willkie, U.S. Presidential candidate (d. 1944)
- 1896 - Andre Breton, French writer (d. 1966)
- 1898 - Enzo Ferrari, Italian race car driver and manufacturer (d. 1988)
- 1901 - Reginald Sheffield, British actor (d. 1957)
- 1903 - Nikolai Podgorny, President of the Soviet Union (d. 1983)
- 1905 - Jan Gies, Dutch resistance fighter (d. 1993)
- 1906 - Hans Asperger, Austrian pediatrician (d. 1980)
- 1909 - Wallace Stegner, American writer (d. 1993)
- 1915 - Phyllis Calvert, British actress (d. 2002)
- 1919 - Jack Palance, American actor
- 1920 - Bill Cullen, American game show host (d. 1990)
- 1920 - Eric Gairy, Grenadan politician (d. 1997)
- 1922 - Helen Gurley Brown, American editor and publisher
- 1922 - Allan Melvin, American actor
- 1925 - George Kennedy, American actor
- 1927 - John Warner, U.S. Senator
- 1929 - Len Deighton, British author
- 1930 - Gahan Wilson, American cartoonist
- 1931 - Johnny Hart, American cartoonist
- 1931 - Toni Morrison, American writer, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1931 - Bob St. Clair, American football player
- 1932 - Milos Forman, Czech film director
- 1933 - Yoko Ono, Japanese-born singer, artist, and wife of John Lennon
- 1933 - Bobby Robson, English football manager
- 1933 - Mary Ure, Scottish actress (d. 1975)
- 1936 - Jean Auel, American writer
- 1938 - István Szabó, Hungarian film director
- 1943 - Graeme Garden, Scottish writer, comedian, and actor
- 1945 - Judy Rankin, American golfer
- 1947 - Princess Christina of the Netherlands
- 1947 - Dennis DeYoung, American musician (Styx)
- 1948 - Sinéad Cusack, Irish actress
- 1949 - Gary Ridgway, American serial killer
- 1950 - John Hughes, American director, producer, and writer
- 1950 - Cybill Shepherd, American actress
- 1952 - Maurice Lucas, American basketball player
- 1952 - Juice Newton, American entertainer
- 1954 - John Travolta, American actor
- 1957 - Marita Koch, German athlete
- 1957 - Vanna White, American game show presenter
- 1960 - Greta Scacchi, Italian actress
- 1962 - Julie Strain, American actress
- 1964 - Matt Dillon, American actor
- 1965 - Dr. Dre, American rapper and record producer
- 1967 - Roberto Baggio, Italian footballer
- 1968 - Molly Ringwald, American actress
- 1970 - Susan Egan, American musical actress
- 1973 - Claude Makelele, French footballer
- 1975 - Gary Neville, English footballer
- 1981 - Andrei Kirilenko, Russian basketball player
- 1981 - Buddy Nielsen, American singer (Senses Fail)
- 1983 - Jermaine Jenas, English footballer
- 1985 - Lee Boyd Malvo, American serial killer
- 1988 - Rihanna, West Indian singer

Deaths


- 806 - Tarasius, Patriarch of Constantinople (b. 1866)
- 814 - Angilbert, Frankish monk and confidant of Charlemagne
- 901 - Thabit ibn Qurra, Arab astronomer and mathematician (b. 826)
- 999 - Pope Gregory V
- 1139 - Prince Yaropolk II of Kiev (b. 1082)
- 1294 - Kublai Khan of the Mongol Empire (b. 1215)
- 1379 - Albert II of Mecklenburg
- 1478 - George, Duke of Clarence, brother of Edward IV and Richard III of England (executed) (b. 1449)
- 1535 - Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa, astrologer and alchemist (b. 1486)
- 1546 - Martin Luther, German religious reformer (b. 1483)
- 1564 - Michelangelo Buonarroti, Italian artist (b. 1475)
- 1583 - Antonio Francesco Grazzini, Itlian writer (b. 1503)
- 1654 - Jean-Louis Guez de Balzac, French writer (b. 1594)
- 1683 - Nicolaes Pieterszoon Berchem, Dutch painter (b. 1620)
- 1712 - Louis, Duke of Burgundy, heir to the throne of France (b. 1682)
- 1718 - Pierre Antoine Motteux, French-born English dramatist (b. 1663)
- 1743 - Anna Maria Luisa de' Medici, last of the Medicis (b. 1667)
- 1748 - Otto Ferdinand Graf von Abensperg und Traun, Austrian field marshal (b. 1677)
- 1772 - Johann Hartwig Ernst, Count von Bernstorff, Danish statesman (b. 1712)
- 1778 - Joseph Marie Terray, French statesman (b. 1715)
- 1780 - Kristijonas Donelaitis, Lithuanian poet (b. 1714)
- 1788 - John Whitehurst, English clockmaker and scientist (b. 1713)
- 1803 - Johann Wilhelm Ludwig Gleim, German poet (b. 1719)
- 1931 - Milan Sufflay, Croatian politician (b. 1879)
- 1933 - James J. Corbett, American boxer (b. 1866)
- 1938 - David King Udall, American politician (b. 1851)
- 1942 - Albert Payson Terhune, American author (b. 1872)
- 1956 - Gustave Charpentier, French composer
- 1957 - Henry Norris Russell, American astronomer (b. 1877)
- 1966 - Robert Rossen, American screenwriter, producer, and director (d. 1908
- 1967 - J. Robert Oppenheimer, American physicist (b. 1904)
- 1973 - Frank Costello, Italian-born gangster (b. 1891)
- 1977 - Andy Devine, American actor (b. 1905)
- 1978 - Maggie McNamara, American actress (b. 1928)
- 1981 - John Knudsen Northrop, American aircraft designer (b. 1895)
- 1982 - Ngaio Marsh, New Zealand author (b. 1895)
- 1993 - Kerry Von Erich, American professional wrestler
- 1993 - Jacqueline Hill, British actress (b. 1929)
- 1997 - Emily Hahn, American writer (b. 1905)
- 1998 - Harry Caray, baseball broadcaster (b. 1917)
- 1999 - Noam Pitlik, American actor and director (b. 1932)
- 2001 - Balthus, French-Polish painter (b. 1908)
- 2001 - Dale Earnhardt, American race car driver (b. 1951)
- 2001 - Eddie Mathews, baseball player (b. 1931)
- 2003 - Isser Harel, Israeli Mossad leader (b. 1912)
- 2004 - Jean Rouch, French filmmaker and ethnologist (b. 1917)

Holidays and observances


- Independence Day in The Gambia, (1965)

External links


- [http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/february/18 BBC: On This Day]
- [http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/20050218.html The New York Times: On This Day] ---- February 17 - February 19 - January 18 - March 18 -- listing of all days ko:2월 18일 ms:18 Februari ja:2月18日 simple:February 18 th:18 กุมภาพันธ์

Tokyo, Japan

Tokyo (Japanese: 東京, , "eastern capital") is the home to the Japanese government and emperor, and so the Capital of Japan. It is also the nation's most populous urban area (12 million people, or about 10 percent of the country's population, live in Tokyo) and one of the 47 prefectures of Japan.

Structure of Tokyo

Under Japanese law, Tokyo is designated as a to (都, often translated "metropolis"), not a city (although it is often mistaken for one), and its administrative structure is similar to that of Japan's other prefectures. Within Tokyo lie dozens of cities, towns, and villages. It includes 23 special wards (特別区 -ku) which until 1943 comprised the city of Tokyo but are now separate, self-governing municipalities, each with a mayor and a council, and having the status of a city. In addition to these 23 municipalities, Tokyo also encompasses 26 more cities (市 -shi), 5 towns (町 -chō or machi), and 8 villages (村 -son or mura), each of which has a local government. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government is headed by a publicly-elected governor and metropolitan assembly. Its headquarters are located in the ward of Shinjuku. Tokyo includes lakes, rivers, dams, farms, remote islands, and national parks, in addition to its famous neon jungle, skyscrapers and crowded subways.

Location

Tokyo is located in the Kanto region on the island of Honshu. Its center is at 35°41' North, 139°46' East (35.68333, 139.7667) [http://earth-info.nga.mil/gns/html/cntry_files.html], but its borders extend to outlying islands in the Pacific Ocean, some as far as 1,000 km south of the mainland.

Influence

As the nation's center of politics, business, finance, education, mass media, and pop culture, Tokyo has Japan's highest concentration of corporate headquarters, financial institutions, universities and colleges, museums, theaters, and shopping and entertainment establishments. It boasts a highly-developed public transportation system with numerous train and subway lines. This extreme concentration is both boon and bane, prompting an ongoing debate over moving the nation's capital to another region. There is also great fear of a catastrophic earthquake striking Tokyo, which may in effect cripple the entire nation. Nevertheless, Tokyo continues to draw people from across Japan and other countries; a substantial portion of the population is not native to the region, and Tokyo is still a place to meet people from all over the country and the world.

History

outlying islands Tokyo's rise to prominence can be largely attributed to two men: Tokugawa Ieyasu and Emperor Meiji. In 1603, after unifying the warring states of Japan, Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu made Edo (now Tokyo) his base of operations. As a result, the city developed rapidly and grew to become one of the largest cities in the world with a population topping 1 million by the 18th century. It became the de facto capital of Japan even while the emperor resided in Kyoto, the imperial capital. Since the city's early beginnings and even now, Edo/Tokyo has always had a large non-native population. Ieyasu himself was an outsider who brought many outsiders to help build the city and government. The sankin kotai system also required provincial warlords to periodically parade to Edo and keep a residence in the city along with key family members and samurai retainers. The term "Edokko" (child of Edo) was even coined (and still used today) to distinguish the natives from the non-natives. After 250 years, the shogunate was overthrown under the banner of restoring imperial rule. In 1869, the figurehead 17-year-old Emperor Meiji moved to Edo, which was renamed "Tokyo". Tokyo was already the nation's political, economic, and cultural center, and the emperor's residence made it a de facto imperial capital as well with the former Edo Castle becoming the Imperial Palace. Imperial Palace shows the old German name for Tokyo, Jedo.]] Tokyo went on to suffer two major catastrophes and has remarkably recovered from both of them. One was the Great Kanto Earthquake in 1923, and the other was World War II. The firebombings in 1945 were almost as devastating as the atomic bombs of Hiroshima and Nagasaki combined. Large areas of the city were flattened. Today, hardly a trace of the war is evident to visitors to the city, but many people still carry its emotional scars. After the war, Tokyo was rebuilt with excellent train and subway systems, which were showcased to the world during the city's 1964 Summer Olympics. The 1970s brought new high-rise developments, a new and controversial airport at Narita (1978), and a population increase to about 11 million (in the metropolitan area). In the 1980s, real estate prices skyrocketed during an economic bubble: many got rich quick, but the bubble burst in the early 1990s and many companies, banks, and individuals were caught with real estate shrinking in value. A major recession followed, making the 1990s Japan's "lost decade" which still continues today. Tokyo still sees new or renewed urban centers being developed on large lots of idle land. Recent projects include Ebisu Garden Place, Tennozu Isle, Shiodome, Roppongi Hills, Shinagawa (now also a shinkansen station), and Tokyo Station (Marunouchi side). Land reclamation projects in Tokyo have also been going on for centuries. The most prominent is the Odaiba area, now a major shopping and entertainment center.

Geography and administrative divisions

Odaiba (such as Odaiba) has been omitted for clarity. The islands cannot be shown at this scale. Click on the map to enlarge it.]] Tokyo is northwest of Tokyo Bay, and is about 90 km east-to-west and 25 km north-to-south. It borders Chiba Prefecture to the east, Yamanashi Prefecture to the west, Kanagawa Prefecture to the south, and Saitama Prefecture to the north. It also consists of islands in the Pacific Ocean directly south -- the Izu Islands are closest, while the Ogasawara Islands stretch over 1,000 km away from mainland Japan. Toyko has been hit by powerful earthquakes in 1703, 1782, 1812, 1855 and 1923. The 1923 earthquake with an estimated magnitude of 8.3 killed 142,000 people. Tokyo is also part of the Greater Tokyo Area, by far the world's most populous metropolitan region, which includes the surrounding prefectures of Kanagawa, Saitama, and Chiba. Tokyo consists of the following 23 special wards, 26 cities, 5 towns, and 8 villages:

The 23 special wards

Each of the 23 special wards (tokubetsu-ku) of Tokyo is a local municipality with its own elected mayor and assembly. It differs from an ordinary city in that certain governmental functions are handled by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. As of September 1, 2003, the official total population of the 23 wards combined was about 8.34 million, with a population density of 13,416 persons per square kilometer.

Cities

municipality.]] West of the 23 wards, Tokyo consists of cities (shi), which enjoy a similar legal status to cities elsewhere in Japan. While serving a role as "bed towns" for those working in central Tokyo, some of these cities also have a local commercial and industrial base. Collectively, these cities are often known as "West Tokyo."

Districts, towns, and villages

The far west is occupied by the district (gun) of Nishitama. Much of this area is mountainous and unsuitable for urbanization. The highest mountain in Tokyo, Mount Kumotori, is 2,017 m high; other mountains in Tokyo include Mount Takasu (1737 m), Mount Odake (1266 m), and Mount Mitake (929 m). Lake Okutama, on the Tama River near Yamanashi Prefecture, is Tokyo's largest lake.
- Hinode
- Mizuho
- Okutama
- Hinohara Village

Islands

Hinohara Tokyo's outlying islands extend as far as 1,850 km from central Tokyo. Because of the islands' distance from the city, they are locally run by branches of the metropolitan government. Most of the islands are classified as villages. Izu Islands
- Oshima—Islands of Kozushima, Niijima, Oshima, and Toshima.
- Miyake—Islands of Mikurajima and Miyakejima (main town: Miyake).
- Hachijo—Islands of Aogashima and Hachijojima (main town: Hachijo). Ogasawara Islands
- Ogasawara—Ogasawara includes, from north to south, Chichi-jima, Nishinoshima, Haha-jima, Kita Iwo Jima, Iwo Jima, and Minami Iwo Jima. Also includes two tiny outlying islands: Minami Torishima, the easternmost point in Japan and at 1 850 km the most distant island from central Tokyo, and Okino Torishima, the southernmost point in Japan. The Iwo chain and the outlying islands are mostly uninhabited, but there are small local populations on the three islands closer to Honshu.

National Parks

There are two national parks in West Tokyo: Chichibu-Tama National Park, located in Nishitama and spilling over into Yamanashi and Saitama Prefectures, and Meiji no Mori Takao Quasi-National Park, located around Mount Takao to the south of Hachioji. South of Tokyo is the Ogasawara National Park.

Major Districts

Ogasawara National Park Ogasawara National Park in front of the Hachikō exit of Shibuya station.]] The center of Tokyo is Kokyo, or the Imperial Palace, the former site of Edo Castle. The term "central Tokyo" today may refer to either the area within the looping Yamanote train line or to Tokyo's 23 special wards (ku) covering about 621 square kilometers, the most densely-populated area of Tokyo. There are a number of major urban centers where business, shopping, and entertainment are concentrated. They are each centered at a major train station where multiple train lines operate.
- Shinjuku — Tokyo's capital where the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building is located. It is best known for Tokyo's early skyscrapers since the early 1970s. Major department stores, camera and computer stores, and hotels can be found. On the east side of Shinjuku Station, Kabuki-cho is notorious for its many bars and nightclubs.
- Marunouchi and Otemachi — The main financial and business district of Tokyo has many headquarters of banks, trading companies, and other major businesses. The area is seeing a major redevelopment with new buildings for shopping and entertainment constructed in front of Tokyo Station's Marunouchi side.
- Ginza and Yurakucho — Major shopping and entertainment district with department stores, upscale shops selling brand-name goods, and movie theaters.
- Shinbashi—By being the gateway to Odaiba and having the new Shiodome Shiosite complex of high-rise buildings, this area has been effectively revitalized.
- Shinagawa — In addition to the major hotels on the west side of Shinagawa Station, the former sleepy east side of the station has been redeveloped as a major center for business.
- Shibuya — A longtime center of shopping, fashion, and entertainment, especially for the younger set.
- Ikebukuro — Anchored by the Sunshine City (which was once Tokyo's tallest building) hotel and shopping complex, this is another area where people gather due to the various train lines shooting out of Ikebukuro Station.
- Ueno — Ueno Station serves areas north of Tokyo from where many people commute. Besides department stores and shops in Ameyoko, Ueno boasts Ueno Park, Ueno Zoo, and major national museums. In spring, Ueno Park and adjacent Shinobazu Pond are prime places to view cherry blossoms.
- Odaiba — A large, reclaimed, waterfront area that has become one of Tokyo's most popular shopping and entertainment districts.
- Kinshicho — Major shopping and entertainment area in eastern Tokyo.
- Kichijoji — Major shopping and entertainment area in western Tokyo.
- Nagatacho - The political heart of Tokyo and the nation. It is the location of the Diet, government ministries, and party headquarters.
- Akasaka - Upscale commercial district next to Roppongi, Nagatacho, and Aoyama.
- Aoyama - An upscale neighborhood of Tokyo with parks, an enormous cemetery, expensive housing, trendy cafes, and international restaurants (includes the subway station Omotesando).

Economy

Omotesando] Tokyo has the largest metropolitan economy in the world: its nominal GDP of around $1.315 trillion is greater than the 8th largest national economy in the world. It is a major international finance center, headquarters to several of the world's largest investment banks and insurance companies, and serves as a hub for Japan's transportation, publishing, and broadcasting industries. During the centralized growth of Japan's economy following World War II, many large firms moved their headquarters from cities such as Osaka (the historical commercial capital) to Tokyo, in an attempt to take advantage of better access to the government. This trend has begun to slow due to ongoing population growth in Tokyo and the high cost of living there.

Demographics

As one of the major cities of the world, Tokyo has over 8 million people living within its 23 wards, and during the daytime, the population swells by over 2.5 million as workers and students commute from adjacent areas. This effect is even more pronounced in the three central wards of Chiyoda, Chuo, and Minato, whose collective population is less than 300,000 at night, but over 2 million during the day. Population By area (as of Oct. 1, 2003)
- All of Tokyo: 12.36 million
- 23 special wards: 8.34 million
- Tama area: 4 million
- Islands: 27,000 By age (As of Jan. 1, 2003):
- Juveniles (0-14): 1.433 million (12%)
- Working population (15-64): 8.507 million (71.4%)
- Aged population (65+): 2.057 million (16.6%) By time (As of 2000)
- Nighttime: 12.017 million
- Daytime: 14.667 million By nationality
- Foreign residents: 353,826 (as of Jan. 1, 2005)
- Top 5 Nationalities of Foreign Residents: Chinese (120,331), Korean (103,191), Philippine (31,505), American (18, 043), British (7,585)

Transportation

Tokyo is Japan's largest domestic and international hub for rail, ground, and air transportation. Public transportation within Tokyo is dominated by an extensive network of clean and efficient, if occasionally very crowded trains and subways run by a variety of operators, with buses, monorails and trams playing a secondary role.

Airports


- Tokyo International Airport in Ota Ward (Haneda) — Mainly for domestic flights.
- Narita International Airport in Narita, Chiba Prefecture — Major gateway for international travelers.
- Chofu Airport in Chofu City — Handles commuter flights to the Izu islands.
- Oshima Airport— Oshima Island
- Hachijojima Airport— Hachijo Island
- Miyakejima Airport— Miyake Island
- Tokyo Heliport— Koto Ward

Railways and subways

Tokyo Heliport Tokyo Heliport Rail is the primary mode of transportation in Tokyo, which has the most extensive underground network in the world and an equally extensive network of surface lines. Most lines in Tokyo are privately owned and operated, with the exception of Toei Subway (run directly by the metropolitan government). Railway and subway lines are highly integrated; commuter trains from the suburbs continue directly into the subway network on many lines, often emerging on the other side of the city to serve another company's surface line. It is estimated some 20 million people take the 70 plus train lines and go through 1000 stations in the metropolitan area daily. Some of the larger stations, like Shinjuku Station and Tokyo station, are miles long and are the busiest in the world. Tokyo station
- JR East—The largest passenger railway company in the world. In addition to the Shinkansen ("bullet train" lines), JR operates Tokyo's largest railway network, including the Yamanote Line loop, the Keihin-Tohoku Line between Saitama and Yokohama, the