Category Archive for Nightcrawling
JAPANESE DOLL EYELASHES & CHEAP SUSHI IN SHINJUKU. PURIKURA EYE-ENLARGING STICKER BOOTHS IN TOKYO GAME CENTER, ABSINTHE JELLY.
I’m going to let you in on a little secret: our favorite sushi restaurant in Tokyo. Hibari is a cheap but melt-in-your-mouth fresh conveyor belt sushi parlor, located a few steps to the left when you exit Shinjuku Club Marz (map here). Since it’s open all night, we often head here after dancing at monthly Goth event Midnight Mess. Daytime, this is the prime spot to ogle spiky-haired Japanese host boys!
Skull tshirt: Mari’s Rock, from Closet Child Shinjuku
Gothic vest: Gramm, from Closet Child Shinjuku
Lavender casual skirt: Algonquins, from Closet Child Shinjuku
Ashi dashi pencil knee highs: gifted from Sock Dreams
(Count de Sang is wearing a Tokyo Gore Police t-shirt.)
Mihoko is always the picture of elegance. Her clothes are by Moi-meme-Moitie, Mana’s Elegant Gothic Lolita brand.
That night, the sushi restaurant was invaded by spooks and schoolgirls. Everything is 130 yen (about a dollar) a plate, so we ate a lot!
Makeup: Using gifted Sugarpill Cosmetics black eyeshadow, I did a cat eye. Above, I applied lavender eyeshadow to match my skirt, and blue eyeliner below. I put matching pastel heart stickers on my forehead, and Dolly false eyelashes. The effect is dramatic up close, but softer from far away.
Hair: I pinned the top to one side and covered it with dollar store paper flowers.
Shinjuku’s kabuki-cho district is known for scantily-dressed hostesses. This advertising truck drove by and Yukiro ran out to be part of the action.
Look who’s here… I Am Sebastian! V-fingers for joy!
We picked up more spooky spooks and went into a noisy gaming center for purikura (sticker picture “print club” booths). The latest machines feature technology that make your eyes Godzilla-sized.
Sebastian and I did our best imitations of the kawaii gyaru models.
About ten of us piled into the tiny booth and tried to fit our faces onto the screen. See how the machine makes us white as snow, with big and shiny eyes? (I have a guide to taking perfect purikura and decorating the print-out stickers in this post.)
Funny story: great minds think alike, so Yukiro and I both gave Cotton Bale fake eyelashes as a gift. And them the purikura machine spat out yet another free pair… so she’s stocked up for life. On the right, Kana and I did a shoot-em-up zombie video game and got a bit too excited.
The night didn’t end there. Five of us went upstairs for all-night, all-you-can-drink karaoke. The photos aren’t fit to be seen by the public… however, let me sing the praises of Kana, who invented absinthe jelly and brought it for dessert. Aren’t spooky friends the best?
Do you and your friends like to go for sushi, purikura and karaoke? Where are your favorite haunts?
PS: Tokyo friends, come watch Yukiro’s musical debut this Saturday at Midnight Mess! He’ll be singing original songs and a Lady Gaga cover, and performing a one-time-only vulgar act. All details here.
Japanese Word of the Day: Shibafu = Lawn
Song of the Day: Dalida – Besame Mucho (My favorite era of the tragic Egyptian chanteuse.)
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OSAKA VISUAL KEI BARS, LIVE CONCERTS & MUSIC STORES. BAR ROCK ROCK, CUTE JROCK HEAVY METAL BOYS AT BAR MOONWALK.
How about a run-down of Osaka’s best Visual Kei joints? There’s a large Jrock / VK music store in Shinsaibashi’s Big Step building (it’s the Visual dot on my Osaka shopping map). At the entrance, you can pick up free flyers plastered with the faces of your favorite Visual rockers.
Last May, Deluhi and Mix Speaker’s Inc were well-ranked in the Top Ten. Their Tokyo concert proved that they could deliver live as well (you can read my full show review here).
The Vambie demonstrate two cute new Asian poses.
Kansai is also home to several head-banging bars that blast Visual Kei music. In my new CNNGo article, I write: “When bands tour Osaka, they frequently stop by Territory, DJ Taiki’s occult shop in Shinsaibashi. Then they might walk around the corner to Moonwalk, a bar that pumps Marilyn Manson and Japanese glam metal to a young, heavily pierced crowd.”
Yukiro and I randomly found Bar Moonwalk after we left DJ Taiki’s haunt. We saw a sign that said “All drinks 200 yen” — and then glimpsed the eyeliner-smeared bartender above (named Kouta) — and that sealed the deal. Kouta is the bassist in a new Visual Kei act, which also has a Swedish member. Even though the band hasn’t even started rehearsing, he’s got the look down. And just like Fu-ki, he brought over free drinks… three shots, for all of us!
Osaka’s most famous hard rock / heavy metal hangout is Bar Rock Rock; Alice Cooper and Motley Crue are among the celeb customers. And don’t forget Midian, run by the ex-member of BLOOD: “Like a Goth Elvis, vocalist Fu-ki is alive and ominously wielding an ice pick behind the counter of his Bar Midian.” (You can see photos and in-depth directions to Fu-ki’s bar here).
Come read the rest of my CNNGo article about Osaka’s rock bars here. Please rate and “Like” it so that CNN will publish more articles about Visual Kei and boy-on-boy antics.
Wahh, my Scottish Fold’s fancy outdoor playpen featured on the Catio Showcase blog! “This isn’t the kind of catio for rambunctious cats, but Basil Farrow is quite well-mannered (no jumping or escaping), plus he is always supervised on his catio, I’m assuming by his bodyguards.” That’s about right…
Have you been to any of Osaka’s Visual Kei bars or record stores? Which bands would YOU rank in your top ten? Thanks for supporting my CNNGo article with a Like.
Japanese Word of the Day: Goumon = Torture
Song of the Day: Malice Mizer – Beast of Blood
LA CARMINA
