PHOTOS FROM AKIHABARA, TOKYO: OTAKU NERD HEAVEN. JAPANESE MAID CAFES, FIGURINES, CUTE SEXY GIRL DVDS.
My business, La Carmina & The Pirates, offers a number of services (TV hosting, arranging, consulting, promoting)… Recently, Naomi and I have been organizing personal tours for visitors to Tokyo, Japan. Or, to be exact, we’ve been sending our Cabin Boys (aka young slaves) to do our bidding. Seba is currently entertaining a famous TV host you’ll all recognize… we can’t spill the beans yet, but check back soon!
Most of our clients want to visit Akihabara, the otaku / electronics district. I don’t usually hang out there (we Goths stick to Kabuki-cho), but I visited many of the maid cafes for my Theme Restaurants book.
Akiba is called Electric Town for a reason. Everywhere you turn, there are bright cartoon girls busting out of tiny outfits.
The district is filled with electronic and game centers.
There are dozens of maid cafes in this area, and shops for buying cosplay outfits.
Naughty toys and DVDs? Not hard to find.
Here’s a sign from inside the Miko-san (Shinto temple girls) maid cafe that now closed down. You can see more photos of the cute girls in this post and in the Theme Restaurants category of my blog.
Hungry for more? You’ll have to flip through my book, Crazy Wacky Theme Restaurants: Tokyo, which has full-color photos and stories from the best Tokyo maid cafes.
Anyone have plans to visit Japan in the near future? What would you most like to see? You can hire a Pirate to take you around!
PS: My latest Lip Service Global Gothic column is out. I write about Tokyo’s best Christmas Goth parties this year, and the dark fashion you can expect to see.
Japanese Word of the Day: Makeup = O-kesho
Song of the Day: South Park Goth Song (Love the Goth kids.)
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DANGEROUS NUDE, SEX POT REVENGE MEN & WOMEN’S CLOTHES OSAKA. JAPANESE HEAVY METAL BANDS, BLOOD STAIN CHILD & GASTUNK.
My Los Angeles invasion with Seba is shaping up swimmingly — every day, there’s more good news. We’re on a roll, and grateful that you’re riding along with us!
LA friends, we hope you can party with us on Saturday, January 1st at Bar Sinister (here’s the info, and the Facebook RSVP is here). Oops, the event is actually 18+, not 21+… so we hope more of you can come.
What to wear? Anything Goth, alternative or indie works. Such as this Sex Pot Revenge dress… the zebra stripes are actually weapons!
Here are more Osaka store photos, continued from this post. A Shinsaibashi collection of electro-punk brands.
The Punk’s Not Dead sign is near-identical to the one in the Sex Pot Tokyo boutique. My Harajuku photos from 2008 are proof. (Yes, I’ve been at this for a while…)
Ever wish you could hide in a store and live there?
The interior has an underground sensibility that matches the labels.
Toxic Star tees always have bright, punky graphic designs.
I know many of you are fans of Swimmer, a slightly scary-cute accessories and stationery store. I took Laforet Harajuku Swimmer photos for this post from 2009.
Dangerous Nude is an indie brand inspired by burlesque and ero-Loli. Corsets and tutu skirts and top hats, all handmade. The designer is close with the Tokyo Decadance crew.
The shop has a Moulin Rouge atmosphere. What do you think of Dangerous Nude’s barely-there clothing?
Want to see more Osaka Gothic Lolita boutique photos? It’s all in my big fat Japan shopping guide.
And now, for a word from First Mate Naomi: “Long time Austin party organizers New Noir had their first foray into the LA Scene with “Tokyo Social Club” this October at the Royal/T Café and Art Space in Culver City. The event’s unexpected center piece was multiplayer ping-pong mayhem! Each guest was given a paddle and the chance to take a shot in a musical chairs style throw-down.
Organizer Anthony (DJ New Berlin) got the idea for the game from one of Berlin’s many social clubs that defined itself with group ping-pong escapades. Culver City’s Cake Divas matched the massive paddle-battle with their own intimidating creation: A rampaging Godzilla cake! All the yummy play time was set to New Noir’s smooth DJs Unconventional Science & FONIKS.
Want to experience New Noir’s slick LA party for yourself? They’ll be taking over the Royal/T again on Dec. 22nd for a Holiday Taco Party and Costume Contest.”
Last but not least, I wrote a CNNGo article about the Japanese heavy metal scene. I interviewed Blood Stain Child, Tatsu of Gastunk / Killing Red Addiction, and actor-headbanger Avery Fane. Please give it a gander and let me know what you think!
Are you familiar with Tokyo and Osaka metal bands? What do you think of Dangerous Nude’s burlesque circus girl fashion?
Japanese Word of the Day: Eikyou = Influence, effect
Song of the Day: Art Cube – Petal (Visual Kei taken to a girly extreme?)
LA CARMINA
