Category Archive for Tokyo + Japan
ANTHONY BOURDAIN CELEBRATING 100 EPISODES OF NO RESERVATIONS, TRAVEL CHANNEL FOOD TV SHOW.
Everyone who reads this blog knows I’m a huge Travel Channel fan. I consider it the privilege of a lifetime to have been on Andrew Zimmern’s Bizarre Foods TV show in Tokyo. Last April, I nearly fainted when Samantha Brown’s producers contacted me about being her guide for the Japan episode. It would have been another dream come true; unfortunately, the timing didn’t work out…
But what really started my Travel Channel love affair was Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations. My “spooky crew” and I are such fans of his show that we re-created his Tokyo episode… Goth style. (If you missed this funny post, you can see it here.)
This August, Bourdain celebrates 100 episodes of his food and travel show, No Reservations. To celebrate, Travel Channel asked viewers to send video messages for Tony (some will be shown on TV!). You can see mine above and on YouTube. If I say please, will you take a minute to watch and comment? Pretty please?
Allo, allo, Tokyo Telephone is calling! The wonderfully designed blog about chic Japanese fashion interviewed me about my style inspirations, subcultures and plans for the future. You can also read the entire text by clicking the title of this post.
“I’m all for inclusiveness. The Japan Goth/alternative underground remains a tiny family; the designers and artists can always use more support. I hope the increased awareness will help Japanese subcultures stay strong and keep breaking new ground.”
Now, for something to put a smile on your face… my Scottish Fold cat, Basil Farrow, in the washing machine. We know he loves to be clean, but this is getting ridiculous.
My kitty found the metal interior cozy enough for napping. Better not turn on the machine — or we’d have a soaked teddy bear.
I hope you enjoy my video for Anthony Bourdain’s hundredth TV episode. Do you think Tony’s next stop should be Hokkaido, to eat scrumptious Japanese food with La Carmina? Please comment on the video if your answer is YES!
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INNOCENT WORLD SHOP IN OSAKA. GOTHIC LOLITA STORES & SHOPPING MAP, SHINSAIBASHI JAPAN. SWEET LOLI SHOES.
Slowly but surely, I’ll get my Gothic Lolita Punk store photos up here for you! Let’s start our journey with the Innocent World boutique in Shinsabashi, the Osaka district where most alternative clothing brands are situated. (I have an Osaka shopping map here; I’ll have to update it, but it’ll give you a general idea of the locale.) The shop is on the fifth floor, so look up for the pink-and-brown sign decorated with playing card symbols.
There’s a mirror in the elevator. If you’re anything like Yukiro and me, that means fixing our makeup and mugging for photos, all in the span of the 40-second ride.
When you step in, you’ll find a beautiful display of Lolita clothing on the back wall, lit up as if this were a Rococo fashion museum. On the right, Yukiro is holding up the Classical Lolita dress style I coveted (although I later found a secondhand Metamorphose one at Closet Child; outfit photos here).
Pastels and playing cards are recurring themes in Innocent World’s spring collection. And the sweet shoes! Words fail me… as does the price (around $140 US)…
The hat is the perfect accessory for a picnic or stroll in the park. To make matters more wonderful, you can store it in a round box decorated with kittens and roses.
Downstairs, there is yet another Innocent World shop. Here, the layout and decor are more casual, but the items (and prices) are about the same. Redundant, if you ask me.
I loved examining the frilled parasols, crown-shaped handbags and sweet knee socks up close. You may recognize the white rabbit purse on the right; I bought it the previous week at Marui One Shinjuku.
Which Loli skirt print do you like best: the roses, baby deer or fruit?
Next, I’ll post photos from Atelier Pierrot in Osaka, which has a section for Chantilly. And I haven’t forgotten your Reader Questions; I’ll get on that too…
Quick, what words come to mind when you see the lovely fashion in the Innocent World shop?
Japanese Word of the Day: Mokusei = Jupiter
Song of the Day: Animetal – Zankoku na Tenshi no Teze (Evangelion theme song, so good.)
LA CARMINA
