OSAKA OCCULT TAROT CARD & FORTUNE TELLING PARLOR, BLEEDING MARIA. RETRO 1980S TOY SHOP IN AMERIKAMURA, SHINSAIBASHI JAPAN.
Do you remember our adventure at the ridiculous Ridiculous clothing boutique in Osaka? It’s not the only wonky place in the building. As we were leaving, we found a door marked with pentagrams. The signs read “Bleeding Maria” and “Protected by Witchcraft.”
Gingerly, we pulled back the beaded curtains — and stepped into a witch’s parlor or haunted apothecary. Shelves cluttered with scary dolls and animal skulls. Potent potions, gems, and spells for sale.
This Goth Punk lady is the proprietor. She offered to give us a tarot card reading or tell our fortune. We were weirded out not by the macabre atmosphere or her styling… but because she spoke perfect English. What’s going on in this ridiculous shop?
She welcomed us to take photos. Virgin Mary statues, scattered rose petals, arachnophobia.
Next to voodoo dolls, a cute bunny and a Nightmare Before Christmas pillow, several of her friends were eating junk food and drinking Coca-Cola. We tentatively said hi and high-tailed it out of there. I think the Bleeding Maria occult shop should be renamed… Ridiculous!
And that’s not all. On yet another floor, we found a rainbow toy shop packed to the brim with 1980s toys such as My Little Ponies and Troll dolls… If you want to check out this ridiculous cluster of shops in Amerikamura (Shinsabashi), the building address and directions are in this post.
PS: Thanks to Jenna for the colorful interview in My Life As A Magazine. I’ve fallen behind on Gothloli of the Week… if you’d like to be featured on this site, please read the submission details here.
PPS: Anyone remember this cartoon theme song? “Sometimes, some crimes, go slipping through the cracks but these two, gumshoes, are picking up the slack there’s no CASE too big no CASE too small, if you need help just call: Ch-ch-ch-Chip ‘N Dale! Rescue Rangers!” I watched Rescue Rangers and Garfield and Friends obsessively in the late 1980s. That’s probably the reason I have an Adventure Team and funny fat cat today.
PPPS: Got any Steampunk literature recommendations? Joe R. Lansdale’s steampunk pulp short, “The Steam Man of the Prairie and the Dark Rider Get Down,” is the most tilt-a-whirl tale I’ve read in ages. Dark humor, spike torture, spaghetti western heroes, time traveling vampires and a giant steam man. Very well written and action-packed. It’s in the Steampunk anthology of short stories.
Japanese Word of the Day: Gaikotsu = Skeleton
Song of the Day: Abney Park – Dear Ophelia (Now it’s time to dress up a la Steampunk!)
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X JAPAN NORTH AMERICAN TOUR ANNOUNCED. HIDE IS ALIVE: MEMORIAL MERCHANDISE AT MARUI ONE SHINJUKU, HIDE'S LEMONED SHOP IN TOKYO.
X Japan has announced a NORTH AMERICAN concert tour! As you may already know, the legendary Visual Kei band will be at Otakon convention in Baltimore (July 30-Aug 1) and Chicago’s Lollapalooza (Aug 6-8). Now, they’ve announced a full tour across the US and Canada, starting in California on October 1. The cities will include Los Angeles, New York, Seattle, Vancouver, San Francisco, and Boston. (Source)
X Japan has been around since the dark ages (ok, they formed in 1982). Guitarist Hide (pronounced Hee-deh) tragically passed away in 1998 — thirteen years ago! But the band lives on, and is now finding new fans outside Japan. This spring, Marui One Shinjuku set up a special Lemoned Shop to commemorate Hide.
In addition to selling Hide merchandise, the store displayed the legend’s guitars such as the one played in Endless Rain.
While this was only a month-long special exhibit, you can always visit Hide’s Lemoned Shop in Harajuku, which sells goodies with a slightly worn or malformed aspect (hence the name “lemoned”). The boutique was also once Hide’s headquarters for his radio station, record label and tireless creative enterprises.
The logo — a bright, juicy lemon sliced in half — perfectly reflects Hide’s electric hair and showmanship.
Break out the… yen, if you want one of these rare Hide vinyls.
Fortunately, there are also affordable and cute little goodies for sale. Hoodies, t-shirts, pins, accessories, notebooks and kawaii bears. Perfect souvenirs.
Hide is alive… and on a t-shirt. Pick one up from the Harajuku shop if you find yourself in Tokyo.
We saw Kaya’s manly look… now let’s marvel at Yukiro’s! He was the model for Sembl’s new collection of Japanese deconstructed high-end mens clothing. (You can see the photos here.) The artsy video above was shot at Mt Fuji; poor Yukiro had to stumble around in icy water while chased by a shinigami (death god).
Are you looking forward to X Japan’s first “new” album in 14 years, to be released later this year? Will you be seeing them live?
Japanese Word of the Day: Higeki = Tragedy
Song of the Day: Kanon Wakeshima – Lolitawork Libretto (New PV from Mana’s cello-playing protege. What do you think of the music video and her Lolita clothing?)
LA CARMINA
