Month: August 2016

  • Kokoro & Moi & Escalator Records

    Back during the heights of the Shibuya-kei scene, Escalator Records was one of my favorite labels, and I loved visiting its shop and cafe as well. Kokoro & Moi were responsible for a lot of the label’s branding (including at their physical spaces), and it’s nice to see a few examples here. Now I really…

  • House Vision 2

    It’s too late to take in the “House Vision 2” exhibition (it ended this past Sunday) but you can still experience some of the highlights courtesy of this Japan Times piece, written by Mio Yamada, who was the last editor of my “On Design” column (and who continues to write it now). The exhibition offered a…

  • Poweredby.Tokyo

    I’ve just come across Poweredby.Tokyo, a new community site that looks to shine a light on the “Tokyojin,” the people (Japanese or not) who make up the creative spirit of Tokyo, and to share the parts of the city that give them the most joy. The site is incredibly slick, and you can dig into the various stories…

  • Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin

    My first steps leading to me getting into Gundam started earlier this year when I watched the episodes released so far of the OVA series Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin. This prequel series to the original 70s Mobile Suit Gundam anime really kicked off my interest and love of Gundam, and since then I’ve watched a few…

  • PauseDraw

    Even though I’m no longer in Tokyo running my PauseTalk events, it warms my heart to see that its offshoot, PauseDraw, is still going strong. Unlike PauseTalk where talking’s the thing, the sister series is all about getting a group of people together to draw, draw, and then draw some more. Originally started by Luis…

  • Hi and Goodbye

    Earlier this year, the fine folks behind the “moment sharing site” Hi (né Hitotoki) shared some big news: they would shut down the site on September 1, as part of a novel archiving project (here’s what Craig Mod had to say about the “Hitotoki Archives” project). We’re just a few days away from the site shutting…

  • Nintendo Monthly iPhone Wallpapers

    I use the Line app once a month, and for the exact same reason every time: to check the new messages from the official Japanese Nintendo account, for the purpose of downloading the new iPhone calendar wallpaper it shares each month. Pictured above, the wallpapers we’ve gotten for July, August, and September (which is now adorning…

  • Hidden My Game By Mom

    Right now I’m enjoying the hell out of a strange little iOS game called Hidden My Game By Mom – Escape Room, developed by Hap Inc. It’s a pretty simple concept — your mom hides your portable game machine, and you try to find it — but it’s done in such an adorable way, and…

  • Astro Boy: Edge of Time

    I wrote about my experience playing the demo that was released alongside the just-launched Kickstarter campaign for the Astro Boy: Edge of Time digital card game, but I wanted to bring it up here as well as a project that I want to highlight. I liked the demo (more of a tech test of the…

  • Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV

    Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV isn’t a game, but rather a CG-animated movie that acts as an intro to the world that will be depicted in the upcoming Final Fantasy XV game. My buddy James Mielke just reviewed the film for Rolling Stone (as part of its Glixel initiative, which will culminate in a proper game…