Tokyoshoes has become my own person reference site. In fact the word "blog" derives from weblog, literally a log of websites. The Google can't help with things like "what is the name of that fabulous Japanese photographer girl who does these crazy self portraits." (Well, actually that search returns one of her photos in #4 under images, but that's not my point). Since I wrote about her I could easily find her name on my site. So that I can find them again, here is my list of the Japanese supermarkets in NYC near me:

M2M (55 3rd Ave btwn 10th & 11th St) - a good selection of Japanese and Korean staples.

Sunrise Mart (29 3rd Ave between 10th St & 2nd Ave) - a great place to pick up some Calpis.

Jas Mart (35 St. Marks Place btwn 2nd & 3rd Ave) - Japanese food and beauty products.

I want the Hello Kitty credit card so much. The Bank of America website claims it is for: "Friends of Hello Kitty who want a rewards credit card." With this offer you also receive a FREE* "Exclusive Hello Kitty Business Card Holder!" They used to offer the Hello Kitty sequined change purse, which is totally more kawaii, but I'll live. What's even better is a Hello Kitty Pink Crystal iPhone case which is worth every single penny I promise.

Last weekend I saw Heavy Light: Recent Photography and Video from Japan at the International Center of Photography (ICP).

By far my favorite were Tomoko Sawada’s series of Japanese school class photos in which she plays the role of every girl, piecing together her own self portraits.

I just uploaded my own self portraits on Flickr.

The show is on through September 7, 2008
ICP: 1133 6th Avenue at 43rd Street

Design Collaborations in Tokyo
an Exhibition of Photographs on and around Omotesando-dori

I will be having an exhibition of my photography at bite café in the East Village. The launch party is scheduled for Friday, June 6 @7pm.

Location: bite café
211 East 14th Street (2nd & 3rd) map

Date: June 6 thru July 31

Please come and introduce yourself!

I have been desperate to do an update on Tokyo street fashion. The look this season is all about the legs. Long gone are the bright colored outfits of the ganguro and while Lolita is still important it doesn't influence mass fashion to the extent it once did. Outfits are quite bland, but from the knee down the action happens. Either bright colored stockings: hot pink, purple, yellow (as if they took a highlighter to their legs) or black thigh high socks with white, neon yellow, or neon pick patent leather shoes. Shoes include thorough scuffing.

On the other hand, it is the guys who have it this season. Think James Dean meets Sid Vicious: spiky hair, skinny jeans, studded belt, boots. Tragically hip and way too cool for school.

I am in Japan for a visit. It is 4 years, almost to the day, since I left after living here for 3 years. I covered a number of my very important to do's:
- Sushi at Gonpachi
- Ramen
- Onsen (spa baths)

Took a visit to Koyasan (Mount Koya), famous for its temples and shrines. We stayed in a temple with monks, called Fukuchi in, tatami floors, no furniture except for a low table with a heater underneath, and one of those massage chairs. Vegetarian meals or "shojin ryori" were served in the room and included about 20 different dishes (who knew fiddlehead fern could be prepared in so many ways), many the consistency of raw egg white, others cubes of aspic shaped like lego, but most of which delicious. Breakfast was pretty much the same as dinner.

I will slowly be moving my photogalleries to flickr. The first main bunch are the photos I took on my trip to Tibet in August.

This is my favorite photo from the trip, mother & baby on Barkhor Street. I have this printed and hanging at home.

I flew over Beijing on my way to Tibet and had an afternoon to re-visit the Forbidden City. I planned to take a few more shots to the Starbucks inside, as it seemed so bizarre and out of place. As of mid-July, Starbucks has been booted out or "left" as some of the news articles say. Fortunately, I still have my commemorative Starbucks Forbidden City mug.

Tomorrow I am leaving for Tibet for 2 weeks. In planning the trip I found these beautiful pictures of Tibet on Flickr and reached out to the photographer. He was kind enough to send me a long email worth of tips and suggestions. God, I love the internet sometimes!

In the last email from my tour operator they imparted this advice, “Keep the happy mood and take it easy, the Acute Mountain illness would be happen more or less. It is very common! So you do not worry more about it!”

Thankfully my bohemian aunt suggested I get a prescription for Diamox for altitude sickness.

Last night I went to Blue Ribbon Sushi, the SoHo establishment that seems like it has been around since forever. The last time I was there was circa ’97, and I am thrilled to have tried it again. We had a 500ml bottle of the special, seasonal sake drinking from wooden box cups. How elegant! The sushi was Japanese style, smaller pieces, which I prefer, as opposed to the huge slabs of fish common here.

Location:
119 Sullivan Street (between Prince & Spring)
212.343.0404
map

The Cult of the Luxury Brand, a fabulous book on Asian's obsession with luxury goods, will showcase this photo of mine. Well almost, unfortunately my photo lost out to an image from sushicam. Still, the writers were nice enough to send me a copy of the book anyway. Thank you! I hope it will help answer just how the Japanese can account for over one third of Louie Vuitton sales. Amazingly, I never succumbed to the LV “measles,” describes in the book as “everyone has to get it eventually.” Bravo on some brilliant insights!

The new year is a time for lists. Forget the 1,000 Places to See Before You Die, here is my list of 10 places you must go to.

1. Luang Prabang, Laos, a World Heritage site, is simply the loveliest place on earth. Trust me. Stay at the Villa Santi Hotel (not the resort), rent bikes for $1 outside the hotel, and get up early one morning to stroll amongst a sea of saffron robed monks.

2. Angkor Wat, Siem Reap, Cambodia. Stay at the Grand Hotel d’Angkor. Get a guide and driver, you’ll need an air conditioned car to escape to from the heat and the hawkers. Buy something from one of the kids, but don’t haggle if you don’t plan to buy it. Furthermore, ask your conscience do you really want to haggle for 25 cents?

3. Hoi An, Vietnam, another World Heritage site. Make sure you eat some pho and beware of young girls approaching you with, “my auntie has a dress shop, wanna come see?”

4. The Forbidden City and the Great Wall, Beijing, China. Nuff said.

5. The terra-cotta warriors, Xi-an, China. If possible don’t overnight in Xi’an.

6. Harajuku girls, Tokyo, Japan. Even long past Gwen Stephani making them famous, they are still sight to see. I never tire of them. They come out on Sunday’s at Harajuku station at about 11am.

7. Omotesando Dori, Tokyo, Japan. Start at Harajuku station and walk the length of Omotesando to the Nezu museum. Along the way on the right is Louis Vuitton where the Japanese stand in line to buy bags. Past Omotesando crossing/Aoyama Dori, stop at Prada, a must see for the Herzog and de Meuron architecture. Bape Exclusive is behind Prada to the right. Also take a look at the Nezu gardens, but not the museum itself. I lived across from the Nezu when I lived in Japan.

8. The Blue Mosque, Istanbul, Turkey. Huge and illuminated in blue light, simply the most impressive space I have ever seen. My only non-Asian pick.

9. The Four Seasons Chiang Mai, Thailand, the best hotel experience I’ve ever had. Visit the hill tribes while your at it. I purchased a headdress from an Akha hill tribeswoman, something no one should be without.

10. OPTIONAL: The long necked Karen near Mae Hong Son, Thailand. The women of the Karen hill tribe wear brass rings to elongate their necks. Some say exploitive, others a tourist trap. I found them beautiful and gentle. Use you own moral compass.

Check out this 2 minute video of my walking tour in Little Tokyo at nycfilms.org.

Filmed by the talented Daniel Baer, the itinerary included:

air market - Japanocentric shop dedicated to all things cute
97 3rd Ave (12th/13th)

Jas Mart - Supermarket just like in Japan
35 Saint Mark's Place

Otofuku - Tiny restaurant serving takoyaki, grilled octopus balls (no octopuses don’t have balls you sick mind)
236 East 9th St (2nd/3rd)

Panya - Japanese bakery known for their green tea tiramisu
10 Stuyvesant St (3rd Ave/9th St)

Giant Robot - Books, toys, pop culture fabulousness
437 East 9th St (1st/A)

A "Japanese" '60's style pop band, Gaijin a Go-Go, will kick off the cherry blossom festival at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden. Band members are mostly westerners (Gaijin), but with fake Japanese names. This Saturday at 3:30 p.m.

Gwen Stefani's new Harajuku-Lovers.com flash site might have "A Fatal Attraction to Cuteness", but I have a fatal attraction to its usability. The graphics are amazing, but the site navigation leaves something to be desired.

Check out the section �Harajuku Girls� to see videos and pictures of Gwen�s infamous back-up dancers Love, Angel, Music, and Baby.

The �stylish and accessible line of fashion and accessories� is located under The Goods where you can find the Cuteness Tank. Totally Kawaii!

Wallpaper*, the hipper than thou design mag, seems to have made Japan their pet destination with a large portion of each issue dedicated to all that is cool in Tokyo. The December/January 2006 issue covers the Wonderwall revamped Bapexclusive store in Aoyama.

A Bathing Ape trainers revolve on a conveyer belt like all you can each sushi.

The store can be found behind Prada at 5-5-8, Minamiaoyama, Minato-ku Tokyo (map).

Also, check out the official Bape site which has a flash app with Bape related information.

UNIQLO, known as the Gap of Japan (if there was ever a question even their logos look similar), has opened a temporary �holiday� store in SoHo at 76 Greene Street between Spring and Broome. The store is open through 1/31/06.

Leave it to the folks of Sanrio to bring you the Hello Kitty Psychological Test. I took the one I seem to feel anxious lately... My analysis found that I "easily feel stressful" and recommended "exercise and Karaoke."

Other tests include:
� How to avoid breaking-up and keep your relationship strong
� Can your love last forever?
� Do you know your passion index?
� What kind of man suits you the best?

Rest sound knowing that Hello Kitty can help you with all of your life's problems.

Halloween is just around the corner so I thought I�d offer some tips for dressing up as a Harajuku girl.

There are two main archetypes: the Gothic and the Lolita.

For the Lolita-look dress in white and pink. Wear a wide knee length skirt preferably with ruffles and lace and a blouse with ruffles, lace, and/or bows. Add some while socks and platform shoes. Use white face make-up, pink lips, eyes lined in black, and a lace dollie in the hair or a large bow. Wear your hair in ringlets or a wig with ringlets or a pink wig.

For the Gothic thing think patent leather, buckets, black lace, and net. A wide knee length skirt in black with ruffles and a blouse with ruffles, lace, and/or bows, Knee-socks in black and white stripes, platform shoes, and wear a cross. Black straight-haired wig, mini top hat. Paint your face white, black eye liner, black lips, and a tear painted in black down one cheek.

With either look it is best to carry a cute stuffed animal dressed just like you. Totally kawaii!

You can buy the looks here for gajillion dollars, but with some creativity I know you can create the look on your own. What I have seen recently in Zara and H&M was very Harajuku: ruffles and lace. I am sure other stores will have some of the right things.

The Zen aesthetic in Japan does exist� but only in people�s minds. Check out Tokyo: A Certain Style to get a glimpse into how real Japanese people live.

Photography, fashion, Japanese land & cityscapes. I loved Izima Kaoru�s large-scale, ultra-saturated photographs that portray death of super-models.

Von Lintel Gallery, 555 West 25th St., between 10th-11th Ave.

Yoshitomo Nara's menacing cartoonish children and animals make me smile.

Marianne Boesky, 535 West 22nd St., near 10th Ave.

Both through 10/8.

Also check out Nara's Too Young To Die Ashtray and Oh! My God! I Miss You booklet of 30 Postcards.

Government confiscated designer knock offs are being distributed to Katrina victims.

A crowd storms the counter at the Louis Vuitton store in Roppongi Hills, Tokyo.

At restaurants in Japan, patrons are generally greeted with shouts of �irrashaimase!� (welcome) with the same amount of gusto as fans at a hockey game. (A trend catching on in New York at places such as En and Matsuri). One of the highlights of my last trip to Tokyo was an evening at Inakaya, the perfect embodiment of restaurant as performance art, where the shouting didn�t stop at the door. It is a place where hotels send visiting movie stars and no surprise as it is hard to get out of there for less than $150 per person. A country-style grill, the raw ingredients are laid out in front of you to choose from, and the grill-meisters prepare and pass the food to you on wooden pizza paddles.

American Gothic meets Magritte meets Harajuku.

I have posted a photo gallery of Harajuku girls.

A little girl eats on the street in Ubud.

More photos from Bali.

I am leaving today for Bali and will be back in Tokyo next week.

Below, Shinjuku at dusk.

Today I walked my old 'hood, Omotesando. In some ways Tokyo seems exactly the same as when I left it. Then there are the jarring reminders that time has past, such as substantial additions and deletions to the landscape.

In Japan buildings are fashion items: built just to be torn down in a few years and replaced with something new. My local Kinokuniya international supermarket has been replaced with a parking lot and moved to a new location down Aoyama dori. There is the new, very cool Tod�s flagship store on Omotesando (see some great photos of the Tod's store from Jean Snow on MOCO Tokyo).

At Kiddyland, a children's toy store, a darn near pornographic picture is used to sell "girl's briefs."

My first few days back in Japan have been surreal. I feel I am experiencing reverse, reverse culture shock. One of the things to really hit me compared with New York is how mono-cultural it appears to be here. (Harajuku girls or other Japanese sub-cultures might seem extreme and unique, but their extremeness almost always follows a prescribed formula). It is only over time that you really begin to discern the subtle nuances in people.

I am staying with an old friend, V. My first night she took me to a local izakaya in Roppongi. (My beloved "local" is unfortunately now closed.)

This restaurant used a computer touch screen for placing your order . The photos of the various appetizers and entrees are displayed and you simply touch the item you want. Computerized voice over explanations are available as necessary.

The Japanese love to automate everything, robotic dogs, robotic nurses, will they soon eliminate the need for people?

It is nearly a year since I left Tokyo to move back to New York City. This week will be my first trip back to Japan. I plan to stock up on the Japanese pottery that I love and visit with the Harajuku girls now made so famous by Gwen Stefani. I will post some new pictures as soon as I can.

I have finally uploaded an album of photos from my trip to Laos & Vietnam.

About

Photography, fashion, footwear, and travel from a Japanophile's perspective. More...

Elsewhere

Metropolis
japanzine:"Best of Japan on The Web 2003"
webmonkey (04.08.03)
japan media review
The Foreigner Japan
San Francisco Design Center

syndicate this site (XML)