Category Archive for Tokyo + Japan
NEW TOKYO TV HOSTING JOB: DUTCH PEPSI WEB EPISODES ABOUT JAPAN POP CULTURE & FASHION! NETHERLANDS PEPSI PICK A NEW ADDRESS.
Time to spill the beans on my latest TV gig. (So excited, just can’t hide it!) Dutch Pepsi contacted me to be part of their “pick a new address” campaign. The host, Bo Jeuken, is travelling to Tokyo and I’ll be whisking her away on a Jpop adventure with my spooky friends. The cameras will follow us around as we try on Goth/Lolita/Punk clothes, belt out karaoke songs, dine at eccentric theme restaurants and nightcrawl til dawn… (Just a day in the life!) Pepsi Netherlands will make the episodes available online, so don’t worry — you won’t miss any of the fun.
You may see us soon on Jingu Bridge, the famous Harajuku hangout for cosplayers…
Dress: Carina e Arlequin, from Closet Child
Leather jacket: Bensoni
Purse: an old Hugo Boss, spiffed up with a Club Marz sticker and Takoyaki-chan
Lolita knee highs: Spider
Shoes: Leche by Yosuke, from Marui One Shinjuku
Professor Fearstone (head of Horror High School) took time off from terrifying youngsters to spend an afternoon with me in Harajuku.
Every Harajuku trip must include a stop at Kiddyland, the gimongous toy store. You’ll find plush toys and merchandise for every cute character in existence, including Miffy, Totoro, Snoopy and Moomin. A whole floor is devoted to Hello Kitty and her Sanrio posse. I got my cat, Basil Farrow, a “magical octopus” that’s supposed to twirl and swim in a water bottle. Instead, it sank and did nothing…
We stopped for red wine at Cafe de Pou. Not a toilet-themed restaurant, but a quaint European-style eatery. Professor Fearstone did a glorious sketch of yours truly with Sailor Moon hair. You can see more of his drawings here.
We kissed the stuffed pig mascot goodbye, and mingled with the Harajuku Goth teens…
Then we filmed scenes in Ebisu for the next edition of Horror High School, the comedy-meets-horror series set in a Japanese classroom. It’ll be released soon… meaning you’ll have a lot of spooky Japan videos to watch in the next month!
Are you excited for the Dutch Pepsi episodes? What type of wild Tokyo activities would you like to see us do?
Japanese Word of the Day: Seikatsu = Life, existence
Song of the Day: Cat Stevens – If You Want To Sing Out (I LOVE the film Harold and Maude. “What gives you a sense of satisfaction?” “Attending funerals.”)
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GOTH CLUBS IN TOKYO, JAPAN: GOTHIC BAR HEAVEN, DJ CHIHIRO, TETRA & D'S VALENTINE. STRANGE NEW JAPANESE FETISH.
Ah, DJ Tetra. Nobody can do the “Death Note L” pose and emo hair like you can. Add a Swedish Barbie and incompetent minions into the mix, and it’s just another night at Tokyo’s darkest dance party, Gothic Bar Heaven.
Kanae looks like death (and that’s a compliment!). The ball gag choker is brilliant. Do you remember her falling over laughing and swabbing the lipstick from my teeth in this makeup video?
As Evil Queens, we treat our minions terribly. Naomi is not allowed to eat anything except stale Hello Kitty apple cakes from the convenience store. These “apples” are dyed bright red and green, and (surprise, surprise) taste like cardboard. Poor thing.
Yukiro dressed like a Swedish plastic Barbie doll for an ultra-Goth party. He ended up being the scariest person there.
Let me tell you about the latest and strangest Japaense fetish: strawberry fish. The poster of the couple embracing, while stroking a strawberry and slimy fish… DJ Tetra and his “sister” stared at the poster for about 20 minutes, trying to figure it out! Inside Club Crawl, hanging from the ceiling, was a fish fused with a strawberry. What’s going on here?
The Goth outfits that night were particularly frightening. I’m afraid of clowns, and Basil Farrow is terrified of belly dancers… and both were in attendance.
The fashion at Gothic Bar Heaven is grittier and less Lolita-elegant. Lots of spikes, torn up tops and fishnets.
The DJs played “Goth rave” music that I loved to bits. (I’ll post a video from the dance floor later). DJ Chihiro performed as well, and his undead singing is better than ever.
D’s Valentine (on the right) puts on some of the best Gothic parties in Tokyo, especially if you’re a fan of classic dark / cyber dance tracks. The events tend to be small, but the crowd is very much into the music. For directions, addresses and previous reports, please check out my Tokyo Goth club guide.
PS: I have several very fun TV/video projects in the works… might be doing a lot of travelling soon! Will keep you posted. Don’t be surprised to see me in your neighborhood.
PPS: I’ve been Tweeting news and articles about X Japan, Deluhi and your other favorite Visual Kei / J-rock bands. You can add me on Twitter to keep up with the latest.
Japanese Word of the Day: Tenno = Heavenly sovereign
Song of the Day: Diva Destruction – Electric Air (If you like Aural Vampire, you may dig this.)
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