HANGRY & ANGRY H.NAOTO POP UP STORE, STUDIO ALTA. SEX POT REVENGE HARAJUKU. BUY PUNK CLOTHING JAPAN.
h.NAOTO’s cute Goth kitty clothing range, Hangry and Angry, held a pop-up shop in front of Shinjuku’s Studio Alta (right across the station’s east exit). Studio Alta is known for its gyaru (gal) boutiques, so it was nice to see a Gothic presence amidst the fuzzy boots and headbands.
The Hangry and Angry collection consists of plush toys and casual clothing, starring the two undead cat characters. Designer Hirooka Naoto has an impressive range (remember my photos of his Goth fashion show?).
I’m a fan of the cat-face bags. Naoto strikes a balance between spooky and cute, and pop-Goth-punk.
The Sex Pot Revenge boutique in Harajuku is (slightly) more punk.
I like the skull chains and black studded wrist cuffs. But it’s slightly incongruous to see DIY punk fashion in a meticulous (and somewhat pricey) store – don’t you think?
You can compared these Sex Pot Revenge store photos to the ones I took in 2008. Want to see more of Harajuku’s punk and alternative fashion? There are photos and length reports in my Tokyo shopping guide.
† Thank you to everyone who took part in the Ghostlove pirate jewelry giveaway. We truly appreciate your support. Chosen by random selection, the winner of the necklace is ZillowZollow (congrats!).
† Maggie Sensei, a bulldog who teaches Japanese, invited my Scottish Fold cat to be a guest lecturer. What’s Basil Farrow saying in the manga above? “I am a super celebrity. Try Googling me!” You can read the lesson here. I’ve found Maggie’s site to be very helpful for Japanese language learning; do check it out.
† Finally, Kawaii Kakkoii Sugoi interviewed me for their Cute Cool Awesome Japanese culture site. What does it take to run a successful blog? My advice for young entrepreneurs? My answers are here and after the jump.
Hangry and Angry: love or hate them? Thoughts on the clean manifestation of punk fashion in Japan?
Japanese Word of the Day: ググる (Guguru) = You’ll have to read Basil Farrow’s lesson to find out the meaning!
Song of the Day: KanonXKanon – Calendula Requiem (preview of the project between Kanon Wakeshima and An Café’s kanon).
Interview with the Queen of Goth and Harajuku….La Carmina!
KKS: What attracts you to your different styles of expertise, and Goth specifically? Had you shown any signs of being fashionably bold at a young age, and what is your main goal or statement that you try to convey through your style?
La Carmina: Halloween was my favorite holiday from the time I was very young. My mother liked to dress me in chic clothes from Hong Kong (I had a teal-colored dress with a kawaii cat face that I refused to take off). As a teen, I loved to experiment with Goth, punk and alternative fashions. I was awe-struck by the Harajuku street style I saw on summer vacations in Asia. I’ve never tried to convey any particular statement; I enjoy dressing up elaborately and expressing myself visually. I like to mix styles, so I draw inspiration from Goth, cyber, Lolita, steampunk and other alt fashion. Perhaps the thread that holds it together is curiosity and courage in my individual style, regardless of what others might think.
KKS: Who are your fashion icons and why?
La Carmina: I adore the styling of Visual Kei / alt Japanese musicians like Mana, Kaya, Kanon Wakeshima. But most of all, I’m inspired by my “pirates” — my friends and underground associates, who never fail to create out-of-this-world looks.
KKS: How would you say youth culture differs in America and Japan?
La Carmina: It’s hard to generalize about youth culture in general, but among style/subculture tribes, there’s more emphasis on visual expression in Japan. In Harajuku, you’ll see Sweet Lolitas in candy-floss dresses and lace bows in their hair. Or boys with hair that spikes up to the clouds.
KKS: Ok, so tell us which cities in the world are the best in the following areas:
Night Life: For Goth Industrial EBM music and flamboyant fetish parties, Tokyo and Osaka are the best in the world. I have a full Japan Alt Nightlife Guide on my site, which includes maps, directions and photos: https://lacarmina.com/2009/04/japan-goth-club-nightlife-guide-tokyo-decadance-dark-castle-midnight-mess-gothic-lolita-heaven/
Food/Eating out: I love izakayas, sushi and traditional/street food (such as okonomiyaki and takoyaki)… so again, I’ll go with Tokyo and Osaka. And I urge every visitor to check out a maid café or theme restaurant. I wrote about about Tokyo’s craziest, wackiest theme restaurants (https://www.lacarmina.com/tokyorestaurants.php), which include Alcatraz ER, Vampire, Valley of the Fairies, monkey waiters, cat cafes and more.
Fun on a budget: 100 yen (dollar) stores are my wonderland. I stock up on dramatic false eyelashes, stickers and gems to use as eye decorations, nail art polish and various cute items. I’m also fond of making ridiculous videos with my friends; you can see our adventures on my YouTube channel, http://www.youtube.com/user/lacarmina
Friendliness of the natives: Shout-out to my hometown: Vancouver, Canada. The locals are very nice here.
Weird-ness of the natives: I still have nightmares about the mascots at the Hello Kitty theme park, Puroland. https://lacarmina.com/2010/05/sanrio-puroland-hello-kitty-theme-park-in-tokyo-japan-strange-kids-amusement-park-hello-kitty-rides-costumes-musical-performances/
Overall awesomeness: It’s hard to beat Tokyo. But I also love living in Los Angeles and New York.
KKS: Where is your favorite place to visit when you’re in LA? Where is the best place to go for gothic fashion accessories?
La Carmina: I’m a little bit obsessed with the food at M Café. The soy lattes! The chocolate cake! I’ve photographed and written about my favorite Goth clubs, parties and Jpop events in LA; here is the link to my guide: https://lacarmina.com/2010/04/la-goth-club-nightlife-guide-goth-fashion-shopping-guide-where-to-buy-alternative-clothes-in-los-angeles/
KKS: What does it take to run a successful blog? How many people do have helping you?
La Carmina: It takes extreme, obsessive passion about the subject. A genuine enjoyment of the blogging medium (writing posts, editing photos, responding to comments). An eye for design. Regularly posted high-quality content. Social network building and interaction. And a stroke of luck — you never know what will get people reading. I created and manage La Carmina blog (https://lacarmina.com/) entirely on my own. Every once in a while, my friends write guest posts (mostly covering events in other cities). Finally, I couldn’t go on without the support of readers.
KKS: How did you get affiliated with CNNGo?
La Carmina: CNN launched an Asia travel / lifestyle website, and many prominent Asia pop culture authors got involved as contributors. I write for the Explorations section, which covers all of Asia. All my articles are here: http://www.cnngo.com/author/la-carmina
KKS: Do you have any advice for young professionals with not a lot of extra time but who love cute bento lunches?
La Carmina: Many busy bees have found my book, Cute Yummy Time (https://www.lacarmina.com/cookingcute.php), to be helpful. It contains 70 recipes that transform everyday healthy foods into kawaii characters, like the cute bentos found in Japan. Almost everything takes 10 minutes or less to decorate, and doesn’t require special equipment — so any one can do it!
KKS: How was law school? What knowledge do you bring from your time there to your business life now?
La Carmina: My law school savvy kicks in every single day. Contracts, negotiations, permissions. I think many artists shy away from business/legal learning, but it’s crucial if you want to protect yourself and reach your fullest potential.
KKS: So what are your first endeavors with your new company, La Carmina and the Pirates? What lead you to launching your own production company?
La Carmina: Over the past two years, production companies have been finding my blog and inviting me to appear on their shows. My experience as a Japan TV host and “fixer” (making arrangements for TV shoots) has included CNN, NHK, Travel Channel, Canal Plus, Sony Australia, Dutch Pepsi. My first mate, Naomi Rubin is fluent in Japanese and a pro at scheduling/negotiating, so she’s been the perfect partner in the last few shoots. We decided to set up a proper website to showcase our experience and services: La Carmina & The Pirates. (https://www.lacarmina.com/pirates) One day after unveiling our business, we had an offer from NRK, the national TV station in Norway. This Halloween, we’ll be scheduling and appearing on their TV shoot in Tokyo!
KKS: What was the hardest part of starting La Carmina and the Pirates? What difficulties did you have to overcome?
La Carmina: So far, it’s been nothing but smooth sailing. My readers have been wonderfully supportive, and companies are reaching out to us about working with them. We hope to keep expanding our pirate crew and working in a variety of media.
KKS: Do you have any advice for young entrepreneurs?
La Carmina: Buck up and do it. Now. It’s better to launch five projects and have one succeed — than to sit around, doing and learning nothing. Today, it’s possible to get started on nearly no budget; I taught myself video/photo editing and web design, so the sole expense was a URL (lacarmina.com) and a hosting plan. As my readership grew, I went with whatever opportunities presented themselves — writing books, journalism, coolhunting, TV hosting.
KKS: What is the most difficult decision you have ever had to make?
La Carmina: While at Yale, I realized I had no passion for practicing law, and despaired a bit over what to do with myself. I considered and explored a number of creative options, none of which were quite right. But once I got hooked on blogging about Japanese pop culture and fashion, the fog cleared.
KKS: What are you most excited about right now?
La Carmina: Halloween revelry in Tokyo! I’ll be working with Norway TV and attending a Goth wedding. Above all, I’m so excited about La Carmina & The Pirates, my new trend consulting and Jpop TV services company. (https://www.lacarmina.com/pirates/) We have scurvy plans ahead… stay tuned for announcements.
KKS: What do you think is the key to a happy life?
La Carmina: A dependable crew, a sense of meaningful contribution, new experiences and opportunities to learn and grow. Plus living with the world’s cutest Scottish Fold cat… that’s instant happiness! (Check out my kitty Basil Farrow’s blog: https://lacarmina.com/basilfarrow/)
SHARE & COMMENT
LA CARMINA
45 Comments
Personally I love Sexpot ReVeNGe, its one of the only brands I really follow (normally I don’t pay attention to brand names, its a habit born from being a poor college student XD). But I do agree some of their items are overpriced, especially on CD Japan when you have to take into account import/shipping fees. Though I do think its a great label to look at if you want to make your own punk-style clothes with a touch of Japanese Visual Kei flare.
Plus, who doesn’t love a good shirt with a catchy Engrish phrase splattered across it :3
I am very happy with my Sex Pot tshirt; it’s one of my favorites. :)
I am very happy with my Sex Pot tshirt; it’s one of my favorites. :)
Personally I love Sexpot ReVeNGe, its one of the only brands I really follow (normally I don’t pay attention to brand names, its a habit born from being a poor college student XD). But I do agree some of their items are overpriced, especially on CD Japan when you have to take into account import/shipping fees. Though I do think its a great label to look at if you want to make your own punk-style clothes with a touch of Japanese Visual Kei flare.
Plus, who doesn’t love a good shirt with a catchy Engrish phrase splattered across it :3
Thank you for mentioning my site!! Give Basil Farrow a biiiig hug for me! Wan! Wan!! ♥
Basil Farrow says.. wahhhhhh wahhhhhhhh!
Basil Farrow says.. wahhhhhh wahhhhhhhh!
Thank you for mentioning my site!! Give Basil Farrow a biiiig hug for me! Wan! Wan!! ♥
yay for japanese fashion blogs. i would love to interview you for mine. my blog covers all kinds of japanese fashions, brands and designers. If its something you would consider (i’ll understand if you dont want to) i’d love it. You can find my email on my blog or u can jus leave a comment.
Thanks
xxx
thanks so much! <3 I'd be honored to do a short interview (I'm currently swamped with work, but a few questions is ok… ) You can email me via the Contact link on the right sidebar. Arigato!
thanks so much! <3 I'd be honored to do a short interview (I'm currently swamped with work, but a few questions is ok… ) You can email me via the Contact link on the right sidebar. Arigato!
yay for japanese fashion blogs. i would love to interview you for mine. my blog covers all kinds of japanese fashions, brands and designers. If its something you would consider (i’ll understand if you dont want to) i’d love it. You can find my email on my blog or u can jus leave a comment.
Thanks
xxx
omg I love it!!!!!!!! :squees: I am so freakin xcited to get my hands on the CD cant waiiiit lol
omg I love it!!!!!!!! :squees: I am so freakin xcited to get my hands on the CD cant waiiiit lol
H. naoto is so cute and I love his clothes and kitty bags!
H. naoto is so cute and I love his clothes and kitty bags!
awesome!!!
awesome!!!
lol awesomes
lol awesomes
Nice interview! Looks like super tons of fun! UGH, I seriously can’t wait until I save up enough money for Japan and get to do some epic shopping in Harajuku! Shipping brand clothes online just doesn’t cut it anymore, nothing like being there and embracing it… Plus, the selection must be out of this world. ~_~ Just the more motivation to keep saving! It will make my life.
Cheers!
Thanks!! I’m just about to post another interview… xo
Thanks!! I’m just about to post another interview… xo
Nice interview! Looks like super tons of fun! UGH, I seriously can’t wait until I save up enough money for Japan and get to do some epic shopping in Harajuku! Shipping brand clothes online just doesn’t cut it anymore, nothing like being there and embracing it… Plus, the selection must be out of this world. ~_~ Just the more motivation to keep saving! It will make my life.
Cheers!
I loved the interview! I agree with the advice for young entrepreneurs. AND DO IT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE WHILE YOU’RE STILL YOUNG. When you get older, you’ll only have so many responsibilities to take care of. You may have a family and so much more. So take the risk. AND OF COURSE – do something you have passion in, and it’s more fun than it is work. And even if you may not be having fun while you’re “working,” if you really love what you’re doing, you’ll slouch down on the couch at the end of the day and say to yourself “Holy **** that was fun!!”
As for h.NAOTO – for the 4th time…HE NEVER FAILS!!!! Hangry & Angry looks fantabulous! And if I ever do go to Japan…I’ll have to drop by Sex Pot Revenge.
Oh as for personal news – my computer is restored to normal! Did a whole format of the hard drive, and reinstalled Windows 7 AND BAM! BACK TO NEW, SO CLEAN…
A bit too clean. The only bad thing that came out of this? – I’ll just have to reinstall EVERY SINGLE PROGRAM I HAD. Adobe CS5, Google Earth, MS Office, AND SO MUCH OTHER STUFF…oh boy. (sigh!)
I have a lot of friends my age with a steady paycheck and a mountain of despair ahha. I’d rather be chasing a dream for a few years and being poor, than being in their boat… There are decades ahead of us!
Guess what… looks like I’ll be interviewing h.NAOTO… stay tuned! xo
I have a lot of friends my age with a steady paycheck and a mountain of despair ahha. I’d rather be chasing a dream for a few years and being poor, than being in their boat… There are decades ahead of us!
Guess what… looks like I’ll be interviewing h.NAOTO… stay tuned! xo
I loved the interview! I agree with the advice for young entrepreneurs. AND DO IT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE WHILE YOU’RE STILL YOUNG. When you get older, you’ll only have so many responsibilities to take care of. You may have a family and so much more. So take the risk. AND OF COURSE – do something you have passion in, and it’s more fun than it is work. And even if you may not be having fun while you’re “working,” if you really love what you’re doing, you’ll slouch down on the couch at the end of the day and say to yourself “Holy **** that was fun!!”
As for h.NAOTO – for the 4th time…HE NEVER FAILS!!!! Hangry & Angry looks fantabulous! And if I ever do go to Japan…I’ll have to drop by Sex Pot Revenge.
Oh as for personal news – my computer is restored to normal! Did a whole format of the hard drive, and reinstalled Windows 7 AND BAM! BACK TO NEW, SO CLEAN…
A bit too clean. The only bad thing that came out of this? – I’ll just have to reinstall EVERY SINGLE PROGRAM I HAD. Adobe CS5, Google Earth, MS Office, AND SO MUCH OTHER STUFF…oh boy. (sigh!)
I want to cry! I need my hangry and angry right now!!! :'(
Love kanonxkanon, they look awesome!!
Oh and thanks for the advice! *.* it moved me…. we need to take the risk!!!
love love
I want to cry! I need my hangry and angry right now!!! :'(
Love kanonxkanon, they look awesome!!
Oh and thanks for the advice! *.* it moved me…. we need to take the risk!!!
love love
since I started to go to Harajuku (having the adults take me when I visited family :P it was embarrassing but hey! they bought me stuff :D ) and buying jrock zines at Kinokuniya in LA 12 years ago, it always never seemed right- the fabricated punk rawk clothes. maybe it’s because as a pre/teen I had punk friends who were really living it, making their own clothes, and being in bands. I was also more into the goth scene. The fact that the fabricated (thick plastic patches glued onto plaid pants??) punk clothes in Japan are so expensive is totally antithetical to what punk IS, but the good/bad (whichever way you want to perceive it) about Japanese fashion/cultures is that it doesn’t matter. It’s just what is aesthetically interesting and who makes it fashionable. Like you pointed out about Gackt’s nazi-like costume. Don’t get me wrong, there are people in Japan who take what punk is to heart, same with the goth scene, or any other scene.
ugh! I want to be in Japan now! : )
I couldn’t have said it better. There are punk clubs and festivals in Tokyo that are hardddd correee. Then you have your super-clean fabricated punks… but in Tokyo, I think, this isn’t sneered upon as less authentic, the way it would be in the West.
I couldn’t have said it better. There are punk clubs and festivals in Tokyo that are hardddd correee. Then you have your super-clean fabricated punks… but in Tokyo, I think, this isn’t sneered upon as less authentic, the way it would be in the West.
since I started to go to Harajuku (having the adults take me when I visited family :P it was embarrassing but hey! they bought me stuff :D ) and buying jrock zines at Kinokuniya in LA 12 years ago, it always never seemed right- the fabricated punk rawk clothes. maybe it’s because as a pre/teen I had punk friends who were really living it, making their own clothes, and being in bands. I was also more into the goth scene. The fact that the fabricated (thick plastic patches glued onto plaid pants??) punk clothes in Japan are so expensive is totally antithetical to what punk IS, but the good/bad (whichever way you want to perceive it) about Japanese fashion/cultures is that it doesn’t matter. It’s just what is aesthetically interesting and who makes it fashionable. Like you pointed out about Gackt’s nazi-like costume. Don’t get me wrong, there are people in Japan who take what punk is to heart, same with the goth scene, or any other scene.
ugh! I want to be in Japan now! : )
Actually, you inspired me to create my blog in the first place.
I don’t get to update it as much as you do, due to school, but I enjoy writing about the things I love.
And as an aspiring fashion designer I think it could really help me out!
Loved your answer for the key to happiness, so true!
H.Naoto is my favorite brand of all time! So I love anything that has to do with him!
Naoto-san is very kind… I hope I’ll be interviewing him soon for this blog! <3
Actually, you inspired me to create my blog in the first place.
I don’t get to update it as much as you do, due to school, but I enjoy writing about the things I love.
And as an aspiring fashion designer I think it could really help me out!
Loved your answer for the key to happiness, so true!
H.Naoto is my favorite brand of all time! So I love anything that has to do with him!
HOOORAY! Thank you for the contest! I can’t wait to share this awesome piece of jewelry with you :-)
Great interview, too!
Woo hoo!! Can’t wait to see it!
HOOORAY! Thank you for the contest! I can’t wait to share this awesome piece of jewelry with you :-)
Great interview, too!
Do you know where to buy cool, Manga-like bright coloured wigs in Vancouver?
Not really rainbow, but some colorful wigs sold here http://www.abantu.com/
Do you know where to buy cool, Manga-like bright coloured wigs in Vancouver?
Aww, goth kitties have tugged the heart strings right out of my chest! I have always wondered where would a larger sized gothy girl go shopping in japan. I heard that its always best to bring lots of your own clothes before you arrive because the general size in japan is so small. Are there many alternative shops that cater to the plus sized crowds?
Ah, unfortunately the sizing is very small in Japan… for alt shops, I recommend places like Gloomth and Fanplusfriend, where you can get alt / punk / Goth / lolita clothes customized. :)