Just took a hot bath with the window open, which I like doing because it makes me feel like I’m at a rotenburo. I especially like it when there’s violent weather outside (Tokyo is being hit by a typhoon, it rained all day and now it’s really windy). There’s something I like about feeling very strong wind blowing, while at the same being completely enveloped in steaming hot bath water right up to my chin. To me, it’s relaxing. Now I’m in my jinbei, and we’re soon going to start watching the Japanese horror film UZUMAKI, which is based on Junji Ito’s excellent manga.
Month: May 2003
Based on a Moblog
I’ve been meaning to mention Based On A Moblog for a while now. I really like the way the pics are presented by themselves in a big block, with no accompanying text. Nice and simple.
Today I turned 30. Just enjoyed a bottle of Chardonnay, accompanied by some delicious cheese and a fresh baguette from Donq. Also played a shitload of SUPER MONKEY BALL 2 on my GameCube. How old am I again?
Check out the new Tokyo-based blog KoKoRo. “P2P, i-mode, mobile gadget and game biz in Japan.”
Dragonfly Cafe
View from the Dragonfly Cafe terrace in Aoyama.
Fantagraphics Books in Trouble
Fantagraphics Books, better known for underground classics like the Hernandez Bros. LOVE AND ROCKETS and Peter Bagge’s HATE, are in financial trouble because of the bankrupty of their former distributor, and they need help. Help them by buying some of their excellent offerings, which you can do directly from their website. For those in Japan, you can order from Amazon Japan, which offers free shipping as usual for orders over 1500 yen. I’ve just ordered Daniel Clowes‘ LIKE A VELVET GLOVE CAST IN IRON, Peter Bagge‘s BUDDY BITES THE BULLET (collects the last five issues of the now retired HATE series), and QUIMBY THE MOUSE by Chris Ware (author who caused quite a stir in the graphic novel world with the release of his JIMMY CORRIGAN book).
ALERT: It seems that the only way to really help out Fantagraphics is by ordering directly from their website. Ordering from places like Amazon will just get you books that are already in their warehouses, and they got them from the distributor that went bankrupt.
Dragonball
Yuko was checking out an online message board where people mostly sell and trade things, and she saw one post about a guy requesting help finding the real Dragonballs that will permit him to embark on a world journey. Some of the replies continued with people suggesting places in Yokohama where his hunt could begin. The tone of the initial post was very serious.
DRAGONBALL is a very famous manga by Akira Toriyama that follows the martial art adventures of Sangoku and his friends and family. The Dragonballs are 7 magical spheres that when collected cause a huge dragon to appear who then offers to grant a wish.
Just a note about the Toshimaen park wich I mentioned in a previous entry. I found out that it’s just another lame amusement park. There are some hot springs, but most of the water attractions are just water slides and such. This is definitely not an example of what I was thinking when talking about good modern renewal that incorporates green spaces. Oh well.
Sapp
Bob Sapp selling DVD players.
Map
A map of the Harajuku/Aoyama area.