買いたいこと

I love Tokyo Bopper! I can't remember if I have blogged about it before but it's still true! TB is a clothing and shoe store for men and women, located somewhere in Harajuku. I would have posted a picture of their map but I can't seem to find it.. I found their website/blog before I went to Japan and decided that when I did go, I would find their tiny shop and buy a pair of their signature platform shoes. So I have actually been to their store but I remember for some reason I was kind of intimidated and didn't want to ask if I could try on some shoes. Perhaps they were closing. Also, Japanese store employees are verrry attentive to their customers, which is great, but it always made me nervous. Anyway, in case I don't go to Japan again anytime soon, the good news is that they now have an online shop, international shipping available!

Oh yes, and this is Yama. She works at Tokyo Bopper. You have probably seen her on a bunch of streetstyle blogs because girllll you got style! That's probably another reason why I was intimidated when I went to the store.. *swoooon*

oh, is it terrible that I am procrastinating on writing a paper about capitalism and inequality by blogging about expensive shoes? oopsy poo

東京

Who misses the guacamole at Junkadelic? ah hell yeah.

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.

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.

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.