“Tora-san Museum Illustration Exhibition ’10” is being held
The forth “Tora-san Illustration Exhibition ’10” (http://tollustration.com/index.html) is now being held at “Tora-san Museum” in Katshika-ward in Tokyo.http://www15.j-server.com/LUCKATUSHI/ns/tl.cgi/http%3a//www.katsushika-kanko.com/tora/index.html?SLANG=ja&TLANG=en&XMODE=0&XPARAM=search,&XCHARSET=UTF-8&XPORG=,
The event is held Aug.16th(Mon.)-Sep.5th(Sun.) and such sub-events as mini tours with a participant illustrators, and drawing performances of likenesses of visitors by participant caricaturists on the spot.
“Tora-san” is a name of the main part of “Otoko wa Tsuraiyo”(/「男はつらいよ」、It’s Tough to Live Like A Man) ,which is a nationally popular TV drama and movie series that set in the Katsushika area http://www.tora-san.jp/index.html. The TV version aired in 1968 and the movie series were filmed 1969-1995 with totally 49 works(48 regular works and one special work). The main part of all the works were played by one same actor ! ..whose name was Kiyoshi Atsumi(/渥美清) who past away in 1996. 
Tora-san is a friendlyand funny but a little clumsy “tekiya”(/的屋、a bit vulgar peddler at festivals) who usually leads a vagabond life from a festival to another festival nationwide. The movie series describe the Tora-san’s falling love with a heroine in every work , which was never fulfilled, and the daily life of his family and friends all of whom are banal but friendly people in the street in Katsushika area comically, where the nostalgic atmosphere of good old days of a bit poor but pure life of Tokyoites remains and always around . The series was recorded in the Guinness of World Records as the longest movie series that is played by the same actor of the main part for 30 works in 1983.
To tell the truth, Mr. Kiyoshi Atsumi was a vice president of a society of friendship between Japanese people and African people, which I am a member of and was a vice president of as well. Though I had never met him, my father who also was a vice president in those days was his friend.
The museum is a memorial one for the “Otoko wa Tsuraiyo” movie series, it exhibits and introduces art works related to the cultural aspects of the people there and their life in Katsushika area. And at the exhibition this time, a lot of famous and popular illustrators, caricaturists such as Ochazukenori(/御茶漬海苔） and Big Joe(/ビッグ錠), and cartoonists partcipate and show their illustrations concerning the life of that area .
One of the famous and popular particimants is Ms. Tomoko Ogawara, who is my friend caricaturist. I wrote about my guiding service for her and her American caricaturist friend in Kamakura in last autumn here before.http://www.tenkai-japan.com/2010/01/14/one-day-in-kamakura-with-great-nigaoe-artists-part-1/
Ms. Ogawara and her caricature company now also host the 3rd “NIGAOE EXPO”（/似顔絵博覧会）whose theme is “you can certainly find a celebrity who shares the same birthday as yours”, with likenesses of popular celebrities any of whose birthday is one of the 365 dates of a year.
This event is held Aug.21st(Sat.)-29th(Sun.) at “AEON HALL” on the 3rd floor of “AEON Lake Town kaze” in Koshigaya City Saitama Pref. in the East Japan Area near Tokyo.http://laketownkaze-aeonmall.com/event/eventinfo.jsp
On 29th and 30th, aspiring caricaturists ,the students of the company’s school perform drawing likenesses on the spot.
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