Here’s a picture of me at work. I had a cute little stuffed animal on my computer. My co-worked in the back had one too. All the girls did, even women in their 30’s!

The sky the other evening was a beautiful shade of blue. Photoshopping not required.

What a busy weekend. Friday night at the comedy event and Saturday at the Auzzie ball. Some 800 people attended the event (at over 20,000 yen a ticket!) and everyone was glam’ed up.


Tim and I towards the end of the night. That pink champagne went down smooth.

The ball room - every chic, well-heeled expat was in attendance as well as a fair number of fake boobs.

All photos taken with new cellphone and emailed here.

Last week I lost my cell phone and took it as the excuse to upgrade to a new one with built in camera. Here it is, in the store, in its entire super-futuristic, pearlized, curvilinear glory.

I was seriously tempted by the pink cotton-candy colored one, but opted for more sophisticated white. A special thank you to “V” for helping me with my recent purchases.

Here is my first photo taken of the seriously embarrassed shop girl who sold me the phone. Unfortunately the protective film was over the lens, which explains the blurriness.

In true Japanese form my lost phone was promptly delivered to the police who have tracked me down and contacted me to pick it up. Where else in the world would that happen?

Manga, comic books NOT just for children, are enormously popular in Japan. On any given subway ride at least half the people will be reading them. Generally in black and white, manga characters have huge hair, large eyes and ultra-stylized features and are well-known for featuring gratuitous acts of sex and violence. Men will openly read graphic manga porn anywhere in public with no (apparent) thought that they are doing anything inappropriate.

Manga on sale in bookstore at Roppongi crossing

Manga cover features western woman with enormous breasts.

Someone I know was kind enough to send me two pages of some fairly graphic manga she is currently doing English translations for. Be sure to look carefully at the last section of the first one. Something has been of so carefully white-ed out.

I walked by this store last night.

In case you haven’t seen my picture has been posted to three sites: hunkabutta, tokyotidbits, and the mirror project (a self posting). A few people have asked me about the mirror project. It is a site of “reflective self-portraiture.” You take a picture of yourself in a reflective surface, submit to the mirror project, and you too can have you .00015 seconds of internet fame.

   

As promised the photos from the sex shop. The entrance is shaped like a giant, well, umm, look for yourself.

The English descriptions of various products for sale are below. I don't remember which description went with what type of product so just use your imagination:

If a part sticks to the portion of a round hole through a penis vibe will operate!! When a feeling is good for the highest!!! Price Down!!

It is this and clitoris is fitted exactly!! It is large reputation!!

Bust up Jel – It’s a lotion with bust rise effect.
Love Love Jel – This lotion is containg a sexual excitement pheromone.

“Why don’t they just have someone proof the translations?” you ask. To deprive me of my countless hours of amusement? . I say bring on the “bust rise, clitorally fitted, price down part”.

And, the moment you all have been waiting for, I present to you the Hello Kitty vibrator.

The Japanese reads “masagi” (massage).

I even got a point card with my purchase.

Last night I went to a MovableType users meeting and met not only the creators of MT, but also the people behind 3 popular Tokyo-based blogs:
Hunkabutta – “a stranger’s life in pictures”, some of the best photography I’ve seen.
Antipixel – “free of the drudgery of being useful”, well designed and well written.
TokyoTidbits – “One women One cell phone Many angles”, great concept, she posts pictures taken with her cell phone.

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s post on my after MT meeting exploits in Roppongi. A friend dragged me into a sex shop where I found some excellent examples of japlish (e.g. “It is hard to break in Made in Japan and relief”) and purchased a Hello Kitty vibrator (for purely anthropological reasons, of course!)

Yesterday I took the photo above on the subway (Yamanote line). A guy wears a "Bozo the clown" hat.

I have been watching a new store under construction outside my bedroom window, elegant white modern structure with glass “cube” top floor. I finally went inside. It is a department store of sorts, with clothes as well as home goods, but with the most edited (and elegant) selection of merchandise.

In American it is about choice: We expect nothing fewer then 31 flavors of Baskin Robins ice cream. In Japan, it is about the comfort in not having to choose. I once was in a ramen shop with Japanese only menus. I asked the waitress (in Japanese) to choose something for me. She freaked out about having to make a decision, for the customer no less, asked a few coworkers their opinion, and continued to become more and more uncomfortable. I resorted to the close your eyes and point to something on the menu just to save the poor girl for her pain.

On one hand the Japanese want what everyone else has/wants (marketers know that if they can get the key 5% of the population to buy a product, they can then get 50% then 90% to buy it.) On the other hand stamp “limited edition” on anything and the Japanese will wait in line for the chance to purchase it. Many store's product selection is very specific and deliberate. The store merchandisers are sometimes referred to as “Directors”. Only they know the “right” item in a product group to complete your life vision. They, in essence, direct the customer’s lifestyle. Never return to a store and expect to find the same selection, it turns over quickly to give people something new to buy.

A dozen or so Japanese businessmen in drab suits (the investors?) storm the store during construction. They looked so funny all in booties. Watching them climb the latter was positively hysterical.

Today is the official Japanese holiday, Coming-of-age-day (Seijin no Hi), which celebrates turning 20 (the legal adult age in Japan). All girls 20 years old dress in kimono and attend parties. This is the only day where it seems like everyone is wearing a kimono. Aren’t these two cute with their white rabbit stoles.

We are back from our trip to Copenhagen (for Christmas) and Germany (for New Year’s). I am very happy to be back in sunny wonderful Tokyo!

Some of my New Year’s resolutions for 2003 include:
1. Update blog 3x per week (have already failed this one)
2. To be able to actually form a sentence in Japanese
3. Learn more HTML

Christmas stickers on Tim's dad's house window, Copenhagen

Here is a photo gallery of other pictures I took on the trip. More to come.