kanji kanji

dont.but.jp
I have no idea who this is but I like it. although the bg singer kind of sounds like he's dying at points.

oh also I uploaded all of my digitals from japan. they're right shite but you can look at them anyway. I started trying to organize them into more manageable groups but not completely finished yet. I promise I will be better at photo graphing some day.

Medicine and Art

If you're in Tokyo, try to check out the Medicine and Art exhibit at the Mori Art Museum in Mori Tower. The show is a unique attempt to reconsider the science's role in health and happiness and also the meaning of life and death [from the web page].



and maybe you'll see her there! from STYLE from TOKYO.

Film Noir

This winter my inspirations come from a modern film noir style.

Exhibit 1 is Josie Packard from Twin Peaks. I couldn't find any full shots of her, but she wears some really fantastic stuff in the show.





Rachel from Bladerunner. I'm not much of a fur person but she's making me reconsider [fake fur].




Geum-ja Lee from Sympathy for Lady Vengeance - the red eye shadow!




Marla Singer from Fight Club.



I really want to watch Brick.

Tokyo film, no. 1

I just scanned my first batch of film from the tokyo adventures. Here is a small taste.





You can see the rest here. These were taken with a pentax k1000, which I really enjoy using but for which I really need to invest in a flash bulb. Even though I was in Japan for three & a half months where there are like a gajillion photo ops, I really didn't take that many pictures. On the one hand, I really regret not taking my cameras out more but on the other, I had my reasons for not doing so. It was mostly about engaging myself in the moment and not being overly preoccupied with taking pictures as well as not looking like a complete tourist all the time. This is just the first batch of what I have to offer from my trip but I only have maybe two more rolls of film and a few hundred digital photos, compared to many of my friends' thousands of photos and video footage. Speaking of which, I highly recommend you take a look at Vaughn's pictures!

It's pretty weird to be back home. almost feels like japan didn't happen. Before going there, I thought of tokyo in the same light as new york city in that they both seem like big exciting cities that I would want to live in, but just like for ny, I think I decided that I don't really want to live in tokyo anymore. I feel far too anonymous in both places. Especially towards the end [when I was broke] it was kind of a depressing and lonely time, so I guess I left japan with that feeling. But with that said, it was a truly amazing experience. It wasn't everything I thought it would be and it was disappointing in some respects, but I'm so happy I finally got to go. Hopefully I'll find my way back someday, but most likely just to visit.

Home.

I just got back from Tokyo. In the process of unpacking, getting pictures online, finding a new computer, meeting up with friends, readjusting to the cold, reading up, looking up, eating up, getting reacquainted with the Flowbee, getting out into New York before Philly, did I mention eating everything in sight?, and you know, trying not to miss Tokyo as much as I do.

Looking for a new layout. I have a lot of things to sort out but once I do, you will be hearing all about it.

A dream

from lynann.

i imagine myself here

Daniel Askill

Daniel Askill - WE HAVE DECIDED NOT TO DIE from Cgunit on Vimeo.

reposting this video. I was thinking about it the other day and then Becky brought it up during hookah tonight. This time in one week, I'll be in the sky.

RIP

Daul Kim! What happened?

(@_@)

gimme some adderol for the next week or two.

Fuji-Q

Fuji-kyu Highland on Sunday?

Also, I am officially broke.

Rainy day thoughts

I don't mean to turn this into a fashion blog (or do I?) or whatever but as I was looking for rain boots today, I remembered that I'm not particularly fond of rain boots. No, I will not settle for anything less than these. oh baby. If you find these anywhere, let me know. I just want to be a vision of grey.

I've got big plans.

I'm finding it a lot harder to blog in Tokyo than it was in Philly. But I'm doing it now as a way to procrastinate from writing term papers and also to remind myself of these big plans of mine. So far, I've stayed in Tokyo, with the exception of a day-excursion to Yokohama. So here's what I'm thinking.

Nov 6-8: Kanazawa area in Ishikawa Prefecture (right after a Lightning Bolt show!).
Nov 12: Tokyo Disney Land
Nov 14-15: Nagoya and Hamamatsu
Nov 27-29: Osaka, Kyoto, Nara. Although I should do this on the 20-23 since I've got that Thanksgiving holiday, but Battles is playing on the 21 so I don't know..
Sometime during weekend of Dec 4-6: Hakone onsen/ryokan trip. OMG LAST WEEKEND can you believe dat ish?



And apparently we only have one full week of school left, so I still want to make it out to a few places in Tokyo on my days off. Everyone is scrambling to make plans for the remaining weekends. kind of looks like we're all going our separate ways but I'm looking forward to it.

Edit: I want every single pair of United Nude shoesies. check the new collection.

Shows

GAH! I missed Autolux in Philly on 9/9 - the last time they toured was almost 5 years ago. And I will be missing Tim Hecker on 11/21 and Do Make Say Think on 11/30. However, I will be seeing Fennesz next week, Lightning Bolt on 11/13, and BATTLES on 11/21 in TOKYO!

Edit: Also, Mew will be in Philly on Nov 30. painful.

Irrrrrashaimase!

Let's see. everyone rides a cool bike. no one locks their bikes. parks galore. the city is immaculately clean, despite the sparse placement of trashcans. the trash don't stink. little doggies in little rain boots. 7/11s that aren't grimy. pasmo. elevator doors that close as soon as you press the close button. city-wide 5:00 dinner call. school children with sailor hats and square backpacks. stray cats, not stray dogs. stray cats with stubby tails. homeless people who don't ask for money. man purses. smap. punctual subway trains. shimokitazawa. men in uniforms. indian food/HUGE nan. happy hour at junkadelic. the occasional gaijin stare. mcnuggets after an all nighter in shibuya. kawaii culture. being LEGAL. my alien registration card (I really do look like an alien). oktober fest in september. the view from mori biru. deciphering engrish.

I've been in Tokyo for 1 month, 2 weeks, which means there are about 2 months left. NOT MUCH TIME AT ALL. My motherboard is fried and I'm using a makeshift tablet computer so I don't have any pictures for you at the moment &&& I am sorry that it took so long to update.

Japan has been totally good to me and I was seriously considering trying to stay the rest of the school year but I don't think this is a realistic plan. I'm really jealous of all the kids I've spoken to who have already been in Tokyo for five years. I met a bunch of people who originally only intended to stay for a semester but ended up staying for three years, so I thought it would be cool if I could be one of them but I think for now I should stick to the plan of going back in December. It's just that I really want to be here. I don't know if I can come back if I don't stay now. Not to say that I don't have my issues with Japan. For instance, race is a huge deal here. To be honest it's not really something I thought about that often in America. I feel like I have assimilated to American culture pretty well, too well in fact, and so I've lost a lot of my Chinese identity. I still identify as an ethnically Chinese person, but as a Chinese-American. The first things that most Japanese people have asked me are "Where are you from? What race are you?" I say that I'm a Chinese person from America. And every single one of them thought that meant that I'm half white. The concept of Asian-American or African-American or whatever is lost on a lot of people here, even people who go to TUJ, which was really surprising to me. Then some people started telling me that I look half white, which made me feel really weird for awhile. People either told me I looked Japanese or that I look half white; it's very strange. But apparently a lot of people, especially the younger generation, view half white/half Japanese people as very attractive and a lot of them are employed by the entertainment business. So maybe they think I'm super attractive (wishful thinking).

Well I have plenty to say about Japan but I think I will save it for another time. 3-day weekend is here and I think it'll be a good one. Another thing I love about Japan is all the holidays that give us days off from school. chyeah.. I will leave you with my favorite cell phone picture - passed out pops and passed out baby at the zoo.

Meow.

Japanese boys have far exceeded my expectations as far as looks go.

DO THE TIME WARP

I stepped onto the El Shuttle today, that is, El Shuttle de TIMEWARP. Let's party like it's 1980 y'all. It was a pretty hectic day and it seemed like most people didn't know about this but my sister had called earlier to warn me about subway difficulties because there was a jumper at 8th and Market. Not something we really hear about around here but this is the second incident this year.

This is what Wikipedia says about suicide by train in Japan.
Trains are also used as a means to commit suicide. Its relative popularity is partly due to its practical ease, and to avoid causing a nuisance to one's family, though families are often charged or sued by the railway companies to compensate for the trouble caused by the accident... The costs to the surviving families by the railway companies' "delay fee" is often in the 100 million yen range.
Talk about two hits in one blow.

THIS PLACE IS HAUNTED

Tokyo - Akasaka - Weekly Mansion Akasaka: "There have been reports from many people that the weekly mansion building No.1 is haunted. Many have seen visions standing at the end of their beds, white mists coming in through the air vents, the room becoming suddenly very cold. There have also been reports of lights going out or coming on by themselves, television and radios turning themselves on and a feeling of someone stroking their heads while they sleep and even being pushed into the bed by some unknown force or being forced into a state of being so frozen they cannot move. One person even reported being dragged from her bed to the other side of the room and then back again, she had scratches on her back the next day!"

from Haunted Places in Japan
hahaha this is going to be so much better than I ever thought. Here are pictures from the hotel's website. And here are pictures from a former student. I've also seen pictures of rooms with balconies, but let's not get our hopes up, ay?

My New Home

Dear Lillian,

HOUSING ASSIGNMENT
TEMPLE UNIVERSITY JAPAN
Fall 2009

You have been assigned:

Akasaka Double*

Roommate: Jade ---*

*Please note that both this housing and roommate assignment are tentative and could change before arrival.

International Plaza Akasaka is a residential hotel located in a business district in Tokyo, and is an approximately 30-40 minute walk from the TUJ campus (or several stops by subway). Each two-person unit includes a bedroom, kitchenette and bathroom. Basic furnishings, linens, dishes and kitchen utensils are provided. Each unit also has a television, phone, and air conditioning. There is ethernet internet access for students bringing a laptop. As the floors tend to be cold and removal of shoes is mandatory, students are strongly encouraged to bring a comfortable pair of slippers. There is a coin laundry in the building. There is also an on-site manager.

The Akasaka International Plaza is centrally located. Nearby you will find a supermarket, convenience store, a 100 yen shop, office supply stores, and a Starbucks. Roppongi, the center of the entertainment district for foreigners, is a 10-15 minute walk from the Akasaka facility.

Sincerely,
International Programs

haha I asked for a single in Ontakesan and got neither. At least the commute won't be as long. I guess I will never know the experience of using a bathroom shared with tens of other girls, but that's okay.

This is Japan.

Hello! Since I killed my other blog, I am going to use this one to document my adventures in Tokyo, which will begin three weeks from today. I probably won't post much until then so please stop by later. In the meantime I will be practicing taking pictures with a steady hand so I can try something like this when I get back.

This is Japan! from Eric Testroete on Vimeo.