About to run out the door… I’m taking my Scottish Fold cat to the spa for a Brazilian wax. (Or to the vet for a bum shave. He has long fur and it’s hard to keep clean!)

Above, you can see the real reason Basil Farrow has no ears. Yummy, yummy.

Lots of huge new projects, involving TV and fashion and travel, are in the works. Things are changing so quickly. I’ll fill you in as soon as I can.

Thank you to mobileYouth Asia for interviewing me about Japanese cell phone trends. The interview is here and below (along with some randon iPhone outfit photos).

mobileYouth: What keywords feature in your presentations these days?

La Carmina: Social media. Pirates. Let me explain: I run a coolhunting firm called La Carmina & The Pirates with my “First Mate” Naomi Rubin. We have a huge network of insiders — designers, musicians, It Kids — that we call our “Pirates.” Everyone’s part of the same underground family, and helps provide access and information for our clients.

I don’t believe in surveys and focus groups. The real story lies in the individuals who — without being conscious of it — create and spread trends. If you’re part of the same friend circle, and connected via social media (Twitter, Facebook), then you’ll always be in the loop.

mobileYouth: What excites you about youth culture in Japan?

La Carmina: I love how Harajuku fashion is strongly connected to underground music and cultures, such as Goth and Punk. Tokyo street style is often inspired by Western pop culture and given a fascinating and uniquely Japanese twist. The youth culture — wild all-night fetish parties, cosplay gatherings, robot cafes — is strongly visual and over-the-top, which makes it electrifying to participate in.

mobileYouth: What emerging trends do you see within Japan’s youth culture breaking out soon?

La Carmina: My approach to coolhunting is to focus on the lifestyles/cultures/works/people that I’m personally passionate about. Ever since I was a teen, I gravitated towards alternative and Asian subcultures (Goth, Punk, retro, Jrock). I live and breathe this world, so it’s natural for me to pinpoint trends within it. I see the most creative, experimental, DIY designs in Japan’s Goth/cyber/gay/alternative club scene. These ideas often begin underground, then rise to the surface (tomainstream stores and magazines).

mobileYouth: Which mobile companies (handsets and operators) in Japan really “get” youth (if any at all)?

La Carmina: All Japanese mobile companies have features targeted to youths. For example, the text messaging includes multiple options for emoticons, from smiley faces to colorful moving gifs. Japanese cells have their own email address, and features that make mobile blogging and uploading videos easy. Youths have even written popular novels using their cell phones!

mobileYouth: When you see how mobile brands in Japan communicate with youth –what could they improve?

La Carmina: Japanese cell phone technology is pretty much the gold standard for communication and youth-directed features. My only complaint would be regarding the cell contracts, which are inflexible, relatively expensive, and make switching carriers difficult.

My First Mate Naomi and I run a consulting / coolhunting company, La Carmina & The Pirates. We specialize in Asia trends, fashion, pop culture and subcultures. Our services include making arrangements for travel TV crews that wish to shoot in Japan and worldwide. Please check out our work and give us a holler if you want to team up!

Bonus photos: the walls of my bedroom, decorated with Gothic Lolita Punk and Jrock images that I printed out in color. Here are more photos and step-by-step instructions for decorating your room like this.

I’m attached to my iPhone these days. Are you a cell phone addict? Any mobile trends / feature / apps that you recommend, or would like to see?

Japanese Word of the Day: Karakai – Tease
Song of the Day: Aesthetic Perfection – I Belong To You