Category Archive for Tokyo + Japan
Our crazy Japan travel TV show filming! Duell um die Welt, host Steven Gatjen in Tokyo, Joko und Klaas, Department H.
Uhh you may have recently seen La Carmina on German TV, with a giant peen… Ach du lieber!
Finally, we can reveal details of the crazy Japanese travel TV show we shot in September. As you may know, Naomi Rubin and I run a Pirates production company. We do local producing or “fixing” for travel television shows, in Tokyo and worldwide.
The Pirates have teamed up before with Joko und Klaas, the prime-time challenge show airing on Pro Sieben Germany. This time, “Das Duell um die Welt” (Duel around the World) featured celebrity guests… so we took presenter Steven Gätjen on a wild ride through Tokyo’s fetish underground!
It was fabulous to be on-camera again for Joko and Klaas’ program. As you’ll see, I delivered Steven Gätjen’s challenge, forced him to dress up in a pink studded suit, and introduced him to his bizarre band-members.
Keep reading to see the behind-the-scenes story of how we turned Steven into Ralf Acapulco, the schlager-industrial superstar singer… culminating in a hilarious performance at Department H, the alternative / S&M / latex / anything-goes party that remain the wildest in Tokyo.
❤ Wanna watch? I can’t post the full episode, but here are clips above and on Vimeo. ❤
Naomi and I love working with the Joko gegen Klaas team, as they’re always keen to do something crazy for the TV show. The production process is a long one: we throw around ideas for the challenge, and then build a story and locations around it.
As fixers, the Pirates make the local arrangements in Japanese including securing permits and locations, casting extras, arranging costume and makeup, hiring a van driver, securing hotels, and any other logistics for a successful shoot.
(You may recall that we gave Klaas a bagelhead, and sewed Joko’s lips together for this show! We also worked with Palina Rojinski on a ProSieben travel shoot in Hong Kong, and Olli Schulz in a Box in Tokyo.)
Steven’s adventure began in a Zen-like fashion. He sat down to a matcha tea ceremony, in a traditional tatami room that we rented.
The four people in kimono are extras that we hired… from the Japanese “rent a family” company! (Yes, you can hire someone to pretend to be your relative or significant other.) We previously rented the same lady to play a fake mother in Olli’s TV show.
Naomi Rubin is an amazing Japanese-English translator who makes the shoot possible by communicating the director’s words to the cast. She is also a talented illustrator, and created the elegant watercolor above based on the tea house scene.
In this scene, Steven received a mysterious card with an address. This led him to the next location…
… A karaoke room, where wacky individuals were waiting for his arrival!
Steven Gätjen is lovely in person, with a gracious and positive attitude. We worked off a script, but had a good time ad-libbing during our scenes.
(My earrings are Alex Streeter, and dress House of Holland.)
Say hello to PicoPico. He makes astonishing full body costumes of monsters and strange creatures. We hired him to be on the show, wearing his original green Becos costume.
While we waited for our scene, Pico Pico and I did karaoke… why not, we were in Karaoke Kan Shibuya after all!
What’s the deal with the blacklight space dolphins on the walls of the karaoke booth? Again… why not! (When you choose a song and it begins, the room lights up with a disco ball and neon lights.)
Pico Pico selected a Power Rangers tune to belt out. Love the spaceship background of the karaoke video.
Yours truly stuck to disco. We did a YMCA duet, of course with the appropriate hand motions!
(If the monster costume looks familiar, it’s because he was also in the French travel TV show I did years back, with Antoine de Caunes for Canal Plus.)
And then, a giant penis arrived… Welcome, Mr Peen! He was so big that he could hardly fit through the doors, no joke.
This phallic character, known as Gachachin, often pops up at Department H and once appeared at Kanamara Matsuri, the Penis Festival in Japan. The old costume got a bit… rotten… so the creator whipped up a fresh and bigger one in just three days.
As you can see, it takes two men to deal with the massive Mr Peen! When Sasano is inside, he can shuffle around and go turgid or flaccid. Check out the vein-y detailing on the foam body, and the arm appendage.
PicoPico also got inside his suit (he can see out of the mesh mouth area).
Naomi arranged for us to shoot in at Karaoke Kan Shibuya, in the exact same glass booth featured in the Lost in Translation movie by Sofia Coppola.
Here’s a screenshot from the scene we shot together. I introduced myself as Steven Gaetjen’s challenge-meister for Tokyo.
I’m sitting in the same place as Scarlett Johansson in the film, but unlike her pink wig, my hair color is real. (My cape is by Pheren Couture)
I presented Steven with his Tokyo challenge. He had to sing live on stage, at a wild party with hundreds of people watching… with Picopico and Mr Peen as his band members!
Steven Gaetjen had to perform a song that mixed schlager (cheesy, upbeat German music) with industrial (Rammstein-esque headbanging). He had to dress the part, hence this pink-studded costume that I declared was “so fash.”
To add insult to injury, I made Steven take part in a nonsensical interview with a Japanese news crew. Our friends Miki, Ken and Yugo did a fantastic job acting as the host and camera crew for this segment.
We hired makeup and hair artist Tomomi Tokuda to give Steven this edgy look. She nailed it, and was a pleasure to work with.
Travel TV shows always need a ton of B-roll footage, so we headed to Akihabara to do a montage of Steven and the monster. PicoPico couldn’t be there for that scene… so someone else literally stepped into his big shoes!
Akiba, the otaku and anime “electric town,” made the perfect setting for these funny scenes. Above, the monster insists on taking a selfie with Steven, who is not amused.
Strolling through Tokyo, dressed ridiculous and shooting a TV show… just a typical day in the life of La Carmina and the Pirates.
Finally, Steven arrived at the most insane party in Tokyo, if not the universe: Department H. (Keep scrolling for photos, and you’ll see why.)
Organizer and mistress of ceremonies, Gogh, generously let us film here many times.
The Dept H party starts at midnight, and takes place the first Saturday of each month. However, the crew got here early to set up and rehearse the performance.
We put up a poster featuring Steven’s flamboyant alter ego, Ralf Acapulco, who would be performing “Sushi of Love” live on stage.
“Itai, itai… painful!” Looks like Mr Peen is made to be a drummer. He even has a hole for his drum stick!
Time to rehearse, with the instruments that we rented. I can’t stop laughing every time I see Mr Peen banging on the cymbals.
As you can see in the video clips, I took Steven to meet his keyboard players. These three are the Gokiburi crew… and they shocked him by sticking a long skewer through their cheeks, like a human shish kebab.
No Photoshop here. These regular-looking folk gleefully stuck a long metal needle through their jowls, connecting themselves together. Gotta love the creativity of Japanese body modifications.
Naomi shows them how to choreograph their headbanging and hand gestures during the live performance. (In this rehearsal photo, they aren’t yet human-centipeded together.)
Looks like somebody is happy to see me. P size wa?!
Department H takes place at Uguisidani’s Kinema Club. The regular club night has been raging since the 1990s, and is still going strong. The event includes a drag queen show…
… and weird, racy performances such as this monster wrestling match.
Hajime Kinoko, shibari artist, tied up a victim on stage with rope. The person’s hair was then dipped in ink, and used to paint calligraphy on a scroll.
And then, “Ralf Acapulco” took the stage! The contrast between the bright schlager and scream-and-groan Industrial rock made for a hilarious performance.
(Watch some clips from the TV show below, as well as extras on my Instagram video.)
Danke everyone for watching me on Joko und Klaas: Duell um die Welt, Tokyo episode! Take a moment to see what we got up to in the video. I hope our surreal monster dance makes you laugh.
I’ll leave you with mind-bending photos from Department H nightclub. The partygoers wear the most bizarre outfits you’ll see on the galaxy. At Dept H, you can be whoever you want to be — whether it’s a one-eyed dolly, or a green haired lady of the night.
You’ll see a lot of anime kigurumi, or dollers, at Department H. Typically handmade, these are full-body suits that include giant masks with big eyes. The effect is a bit cute, a bit creepy… a real-life anime or manga character come to life in three dimensions.
(Click below to see more photos.)
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Park Hotel Tokyo: Japanese artist rooms & design hotel! Synthwave Japan parties, Office Goth meeting.
Meet me in my fishbowl… So happy to be back in the uplifting Japanese art hotel, Park Hotel Tokyo!
As you’ll see in this photo diary, Park Hotel is full of inspiration. In addition to galleries, an entire level of consists of “Artist Rooms” decorated from floor to ceiling in breathtaking designs.
(I’m wearing this Nellie dress by The Reformation. Click the images below for more from the eco-designer:)
Plus, we brought back the “Corporate Goth Boardroom Meeting”! Read on for Tokyo Gothic shenanigans involving body modifications, scandalous Sailor Moon tattoos, and copious amounts of absinthe with yuzu.
You may remember that I stayed with Park Hotel Tokyo in 2016. I fell in love with this view, and was keen to return on my recent trip to Japan (where the Pirates were working on a German travel TV show, with me as host).
Park Hotel is well-located in Shiodome, not far from Ginza and Tokyo Tower. In 2013, the hotel underwent a revamp that put the focus on Japanese beauty and design.
The team runs an “Artist in Hotel” residency, which invites Japanese artists to stay in a room and turn it into a work of art. They paint directly on the walls and fixtures; the space becomes a 3D canvas for expression. Although the artist rooms each have very different styles, they are linked by a Japanese sense of aesthetics, with themes like “Sumo” and “Zen”.
Guests can request to stay in a specific artist room as long as its available (see the different interiors on Park Hotel’s website). This time, I wanted to be One with the puffy-cheeked fish in Aki Narita’s “Geisha Goldfish” queen room!
While she was staying in this room, the artist felt as if she were in an aquarium. Over the course of seven months, Aki Narita covered the wallpaper and ceilings with vermilion goldfish, and traditionally dressed geishas. Lying on the bed and gazing at the art, I felt as if I were floating in water with them.
Dreaming of goldfish was considered lucky in ancient Japan — and I certainly had happy, lucid dreams while staying in Park Hotel.
All of the Artist Rooms are on the 31th floor, along with this Gallery Lounge. Guests can sit by the big windows and enjoy pastries and drinks, while flipping through the wide selection of art books.
We got to peek inside some of the other Artist in Hotel creations. It was astonishing to see the wide range of styles and works: there were rooms themed around nature, yokai (Japanese ghosts and monsters), cats, castles, and more.
Above is a detail from the Mount Fuji room by Shiki Taira. The entrance is fashioned like a red Shinto torii gate, with gods flying around the sky above the famous mountain. On the other wall, seven lucky gods relax on a treasure ship. The theme is linked to the panoramic view out the window; on a clear day, you can see the peak of Fuji-san in the distance.
The works at Park Hotel are never static. One evening, I was delighted to see an artist painting Japanese women in Edo-style kimono, right outside the my door! This is Aki Narita, who also designed my Geisha Goldfish room.
She and Yoko Naito had a joint exhibition at the hotel, called “At the Bottom of a Well.” The two artists transformed the 25th-floor atrium into a well in the sky. (Park Hotel holds four art exhibitions a year, to complement the seasons.)
As we walked around Park Hotel, we felt as if we were in a modern art museum. Sculptures fill the airy lobby, as well as the 31st floor and 34th top floor gallery.
An Art Concierge helps guests learn about local exhibitions and the current displays at the hotel. (Cats in space – love it.)
Park Hotel Tokyo is designed by French architect Frederic Thomas. The building has a contemporary Zen feel, with plenty of greenery. In his words, the interiors aim to create “harmony between the culture and nature of the surroundings.”
Every morning, we devoured a Japanese buffet breakfast (grilled salmon, gobo, hijiki, chawanmushi) in this peaceful lounge, featuring dark woods and gold accents.
The lobby is located on the 25th floor. A glass atrium soars high above it, bringing in natural light and allowing guests to experience the passage of time.
I enjoyed browsing the cases filled with dolls, purses, handicrafts, sculptures and other works (available for sale) by the resident artists.
If you love Japanese aesthetics and culture, Park Hotel is the place to be. With five-star hospitality and inspiring art throughout, there’s no hotel as special as this in Tokyo.
Now, down to serious business…. Your evil bosses held an Office Goth “team meeting” in the boardroom of Park Hotel!
(My dress is Killstar, and my shoes are these platform sandals by Rocket Dog.)
Park Hotel has a takeover-worthy board room, measuring 450 square feet. The space features a large table with chairs, soaring view, projector and screen (which we used to broadcast synthwave music and outrun projections!)
The hotel can provide refreshments, but we brought our own… Can you spot the yuzu citrus liqueur, and absinthe from Oregon?
You may recall that we’ve hosted a few gatherings in meeting rooms, including our “corporate gothic” Shinjuku party.
In Tokyo, it’s expensive to rent out a restaurant or event space. However, business culture is big here, so there are a lot of boardrooms… Why not use one for a few hours, to discuss important Gothic matters?
The “Office Goth” meeting started off with role call, and individual presentations. Atsushi displayed his new ouroboros snake tattoos. Yukiro held up his flyer for his regular Majyo (Witch) party with DJ Sisen, and Lauren told us about her upcoming performances with her band Rough Antique.
Keroppy Maeda (who you may remember from our Bagelheads adventures) demonstrated his latest body modifications. He now has a magnet implanted in his hand, which lets him dangle a spoon from his palm, and move magnetic objects around like a Jedi master.
Yukiro and I reviewed our quarterly projections. Miffy and a pentagram soon appeared on the whiteboard (this is an Office Goth meeting, after all).
Becky and Naomi then staged a takeover, demonstrating their superior drawing skills.
The discussion got heated at times… Good thing we had refreshments and darksynth music to keep us going strong.
Love this view of Tokyo at night, from our perch high above the city. (My dark moon crescent sticker is by Capumon).
Everyone joined the moon cult, and put these temporary tattoos on their foreheads. (Some forgot to wash the crescent off, and went to work the next day with it still attached!)
Certain team members found… more scandalous places to affix their Capumon black moon tattoos! They used ice to apply them for added pain and pleasure.
“Dark Moon crystal power, make up.” I think we’ve achieved Goth Sailor Moon squad goals.
Thumbs up or down for the tattoo placement? I think the reaction is mixed!
Very happy to see old friends again, whenever I’m in Tokyo. Everyone is so creative — werking drag shows, performing in bands, illustrating web comics, writing books.
I spy Joy Division, fetish collars, undercuts and pentagrams. Don’t stare into the eyes of the Medusa for too long…
Let’s just say that things got pretty crazy by the end of the night… Our Office Goth boardroom parties are simply the best!
When the meeting adjourned, the Park Hotel staff let us survey a few more Artist Rooms. Somehow, everyone fit on the bed in Daisuke Kagawa’s Jomon room.
We were awed by his paintings, which reflect the Japanese earthenware and people of this prehistoric period.
Time for a thoughtful pose in the Wabi-Sabi room by Conami Hara. She combined landscapes with sulfur-reacted silver foil, resulting in these shimmering rainbow colors on all the walls.
How many Goths can you fit on a bed? As we demonstrate, the hotel rooms are quite spacious by Japanese standards.
No matter how many times you return to Park Hotel Tokyo, your stay feels unique thanks to these stunning Artist Rooms. You can see more photos from inside these decorated rooms, in my review post from 2016.
A massive thank you to Park Hotel Tokyo, for welcoming us back to your sublime accommodations. I’ll certainly be booking a room here again — can’t get enough of this view of Tokyo Tower.
Have you stayed in an art hotel before? Isn’t the range of Japanese designs here inspiring?
Til our next Office Goth meeting, or slumber party… Tokyo spooks, see you again soon!
LA CARMINA
