That's right.  I lined up.  For 7 hours to buy a toy!

Saturday September 27th, starting at 9am, the Original Fake store in Aoyama sold the StarWars Figure Stormtrooper KAWS version.

You can read some hype about it here.

I got there at just around 1:30am and to my surprise there was 1 person in line!
I was 2nd in line!

It was dark and sitting on the hard concrete was no fun, but I didnt know what I was getting into when the guy 1st in line was telling that over 1000 people showed up last year for the Darth Vader KAWS version - wow.  Seeing that it was just him and me sitting there at 2am, I wonder if anyone would actually show up.   And yes, yes people showed up.

After swapping spots to head to the convenience store to buy snacks and some fuel for our stomachs, we played some nintendo ds and chatted about nike and other cool trends in tokyo.

The morning came and I took this video at 5:45 am.

Later, in the morning over 1000 people showed up to wait in line to buy the super-duper limited edition toy.

Finally, back at the shop at 12pm, to buy my toy.  Here is the entrance to the Original fake shop!

Now, I havent opened it yet!  Just glad that its over and I can sleep.

Oh, while waiting in the morning, I went to peek-a-boo hair salon and got my haircut and an unbelievable head massage from the cutest Japanese girl.

Check out their Site here

My homie Naito works there and always gives me half price.  I only paid 3000 yen!

This year's Tokyo International Lesbian and Gay Film Festival (TILGFF) is doing something different by expanding to encompass two locales over a total of eight days (July 11-13 and 17-21).

"While the festival's second half will continue to make its home in the artsy venue of Spiral Hall in Tokyo's fashionable Aoyama district, this past weekend's films screened for the first time in festival history at the deluxe Wald 9 Cinemas in Shinjuku, adjacent to Tokyo's famed gay neighborhood of Ni-chome."

Read more about this event on Fridae.

1. Beautiful You
2. Boyfriend / Girlfriend feat. melody.
3. Reasons
4. Kanawanu Koi
5. My Sunset
6. Forever Love feat. Aoyama Thelma
7.  Free

I absolutely loved the opening track, Beautiful You. The piano chords and the overall arrangement are gorgeous and fit the album's title quite well. Tanaka's vocals are top-notch and he has shown the full extent of his composition skills with this song.

I knew Boyfriend / Girlfriend would surface after that episode on J-Melo, lol. But anyway, I think this is a really fun song that combines fast paced and upbeat guitar notes with uplifting strings alongside a nice beat. The chorus was really catchy and both Tanaka's and melody.'s vocals accompanied each other well.

The album's second new track, Reasons, was a breathe of fresh air for me. Tanaka's vocals are much more laid back and are backed up by a nice set of lounge beats and female vocals. I really think that the vocals are the focus of this song, however. The dramatic atmosphere of this song was what made me really like this song on the first listen. I also thought that the automated male vocals in the background were a nice touch.

Next up is the B-side off of Boyfriend / Girlfriend. Kanawanu Koi opens up with the hook consisting of guitar chords and sets the mood for this great song. The overall tone is very dramatic and melancholic, which is why I like it so much. Tanaka was really able to control his vocals and belt out the lyrics with much emotion, ESPECIALLY during the bridge where he hit that high note with such ease. This track is definitely my favorite from this album.

The last new track, My Sunset, starts off with a very quiet guitar arrangement with Tanaka singing along. In fact, I had to turn the volume up because I couldn't understand what was going on. Little did I know that the beginning wasn't really what this song as a whole sounded like. The next thing I knew the blaring electric guitar blasted off with it's gritty arrangement, almost reminiscent of 80s rock (this song actually reminded me a lot of Janet' song Black Cat). Now as for my opinion on this song, I have to say this was my least favorite off of DAYBREAK. I didn't understand what was going on at all because the composition was so sloppy and the chorus was just plain horrible because I doubt there was any way that Tanaka could sing it well. You could even tell Tanaka felt dead throughout the song. Let's just say this track is skippable. And on a sidenote, this is the track they would have named the album if it wasn't for the producers of Boyfriend / Girlfriend > : P

The album hits it's third and final ballad, Forever Love feat. Aoyama Thelma. Although it wasn't as interesting as the first two ballads, I thought both singers sang well alongside the R&B piano arrangement. But I think I like Tanaka more in this song, since his voice matched the song in it's lower register. Thelma's voice was weak compared to his and seemed somewhat drowned out.

DAYBREAK comes to a close with Free, the B-side off of Forever Love feat. Thelma Aoyama. This song brings us back to Tanaka's previous work. This catchy number, a nice jazzy, R&B mood with some light dance beats was a breathe of fresh air for me. I thought that the jazzy guitar improved this song and steered it clear from getting too boring. A huge surprise for me was when Tanaka hit an extremely high note after the bridge. At first I thought it was a female background vocal but it turns out it wasn't, lmao. I still like this song tho ^-^

DAYBREAK is definitely a solid effort from Tanaka, minus the horrendous My Sunset. Each song had it's own interesting aspect and that's why I love this album so much. If you want to get into Tanaka's work, I suggest you give this one a listen.

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Drizzle rain....hmmm I dont know how to say that in Japanese.

Im gonna search on Space ALC. ..

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Hold up.

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cool.

its 霧雨　kirisame. literally fog/mist rain.

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I left my house in time this morning to take a nice leisurely bike ride, but then 5 mins from my house it started to kirisame (drizzle) rain.

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Shit.
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Im stuck in the very light rain. (I mean like god was spitting a little)

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It was bearable.

But I had to manage to get to work on time in the slippery conditions.
I arrived with more than enough time. It was all good.

Rainy season is called　梅雨　tsuyu. Interesting the kanji is Plum and rain. Well tsuyu last until the end of june.

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Not a good month to be biking.

So last night it was not rainy - good thing.

Last night after a lesson in Shinjuku I biked to Shibuya to meet up with Jun - a friend I met through Avery (friend from vancouver whom I met through Jon my current roommate - confused yet.?)

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Jun was at a bar called Underbar (interesting its on the B1 level of the building) and there was some good house music there. Good times.

So on the way to Shibuya from shinjuku I stopped in yoyogi park and ran into some Fixed-gear bike riders.
I met a dude that is a hair dresser in Aoyama at a place called peek-a-boo. Nice dude, his name is Naito. I'm going to get my haircut at his place this sat for 3800 as opposed to the 5500 yen it usually costs.

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He let me ride his fixed gear bike for a bit.

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Wow,

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,,

great feel, but it is a challenge to stop.

he said there is technique.

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Something new to learn.

Finally a new thought.

The #1 blogger in the world, he won a guiness record for most hits on his blog in one hour with 230,000 or something. It was on the news today. His name is 上地雄輔　　shouji yusuke. He is a talent and actor and singer. age 29.

well on his blog.

I noticed that...

He spaces out his sentences

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to make

you

scroll down more and more.

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I guess maybe it makes it interactive of sorts.

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..

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Or maybe its just annoying.

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I think its neat and a new way.
Thank
you
for
reading.

Shibuya is full of department stores, fashion stores, and specialty shops including the flagship Tokyu Hands, an absolutely complete lifestyle and DIY store. For this reason, it the streets of Shibuya are the ultimate trendsetters. Numerous fashion trends and items have originated in Shibuya. In the 1980s, Shibujaki (Shibuya casual fashion, such as jeans with white shirts) was born. After that, the loose socks worn by high school girls and the deep-tanned look of gangurogyaru became representative of Shibuya fashion. Shibuya is especially famous for the trends associated with Gyaru (gals), Ganguro, and Kogal.

Below is an extreme example of the Kogal fashion. Basically it consists of extreme tans, white pearl eyeshadow, bleached hair, miniskirt schoolgirl uniforms, and long leg warmers.

Ganguro is similar, with extreme tans, bleached hair, and pearl makeup, but they also feature white lipstick, colorful outfits like tie-dyed sarongs, and lots of bracelets, rings and necklaces. They are sometimes called the Californian girl look.

If you follow the Koen-dori street, a stylish street lined with major stores and restaurants, you enter Harajuku, an area that boasts some of Tokyo's most attractive landmarks, including Yoyogi Olympic Stadium, Meiji Shrine, and the zelkova-lined Omotesando avenue.
Harajuku fashion is famous for being fashion you can only see in Japan - it is a mixture of various sub-cultures including Gothic Lolita (Gosurori), Ganguro, Gyaru and Kogal. They may also participate in the Cosplay culture by dressing like characters from an anime, movie, or manga, or even dress like their favorite rock stars.
Gwen Stefani of the U.S. fell in love with this fashion style and created her own clothing line called Harajuku Lovers, featuring the Harajuku girls.

This is a video made with pictures of Harajuku fashion with Gwen Stefani's song Harajuku Girls as the background music.

Here's a video that compares Shibuya and Harajuku fashion.

Aoyama is very different from the popular teenage culture of Harajuku and Shibuya. Instead it is the very image of elegance and fashion. Along Aoyama-dori are many luxury restaurants and high quality retailers. The area around Kotto-dori is a microcosm of the fashion world, showcasing the work of major international designers.

 Disney graffti - stickin' it to the man!

Strikingly sculptural pile of garbage outside the United Nations University pyramid

Alien pod - Aoyama dori

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Brazilian designer Alexandre Hercovitch's primitivist-shipping-crate boutique in Daikanyama 

Street spiral!

Hand model

gargantuan green flower, Daikanyama

Alley, Ikebukuro

80s Hip hop movies, left as an offering at the neighborhood shrine, Aoyama

Prada Building

Homoerotic forest of kickboxers, Omotesando subway station

Illusion of 3D meerkat, local shopping mall

Toothy octopus, takoyaki shop in ShimoKitazawa

El piloto Balear Jorge Lorenzo se ha consagrado esta madrugada como bicampeón del mundo de los 250 c.c.

Con todos los elementos a favor, ya que salía en primera línea y necesitaba pocos puntos para ser campeón, Jorge ha sabido administrar sus diferncias con los rivales, consiguiendo coger a Dovizioso que llegó a estar líder en solitario a dos segundos de Jorge.

Cerca del final Kalio tiró a Dovizioso que era el mayor rival de Jorge, hecho que permitió que se relajase y no pensara más que en la celebración de su segundo título. La carraera la ganó Aoyama como anécdota si le interesa a alguien

I feel required to cover at least the iceberg of the Tokyo vegan scene, and even as an avid omnivore, I wholeheartedly recommend this spot to both my health-conscious friends, my hippie compatriots, and my omnivorous foodies. People often get scared away from veggie food, but Pure doesn't just mash together a bunch of moldy vegetables into unrecognizable pate, they create simple dishes with simple sauces, food that looks like what it is, and that makes you feel like you are eating a gourmet forest. Also check out their organic wine and beverages and coffee and apparel to go!

Pure Cafe

http://www.pure-cafe.com/

5-5-21 Minami Aoyama

03-5466-2611

Harajuku és on tots els teenagers van a comprar roba excèntrica o fotos dels seus ídolos juveniles. Les botigues de fotos dels equilavents dels Bustamantes, Grans Hermanos i Eurojuniors són espectaculars, amb mils de fotos de niñatus superkitsch amb cara d'estrella por un dia que cobreixen parets senceres. El carrer està ple de colegialas (les fan anar amb minifalda) que fan diggin' del tema. Moltes d'aquestes que van de colegialas per aquí, igual te les trobes diumenge al parc Yoyogi-koen, on van disfressades de gòtiques o lolitas i coincideixen amb skaters, breakers o rockabillies (tothom tunejat de lo seu). Demà diumenge SI US FA BO nirem a veure aquesta fira humana.

A la tarda vam fer un ruta contra viento y marea i amb el paraigua molestant més que ajudant per Aoyama, on pots trobar edificis multiespai DE LO WAPO amb galeries d'art, restaurants tirant a occidentalot, mercadillos de tonteries de disseny. Una bona opció per refugiar-se del Rumbia.

L'altra raó de força major és que vam quedar amb en Yasu, un japo d'un petit segell (Planetgroove) que conec a través dels recopilatoris de Lasal. El tio ens va venir a buscar a l'hotel vestit amb el chubasquero de SELECCIÓN ESPAÑOLA DE FÚRBOL!!, jajaja, encara ric. Ens va portar a sopar sushi i ens va machacar a sake (de patata, de sèsam, tot a pelo). Després vam agafar tota la Ginza Line (la nostra línia de metro de capçalera) fins a Shibuya (que gran aquest lloc, per favort) i ens va portar a The Room, el punt definitivament més underground del viatge. Un club per a unes 250 persones en un soterrani, sense CAP caracter ni del nostre ni del seu alfabet a la porta. Dins hi havia una festa de Jazzy Sport, la crew d'en Yasu a Tokyo. Ens va apuntar a la llista i ala, unes 4 hores de hip hop, soul i funk amenitzats amb còctels de sake, soda i llimona, per Déu que bons, perdició. La nit era de nivell i les dades ens dónen la raó: L'únic occidental entre el públic a part de la Cris i l'Uri al local era... Cut Chemist!! Un dels millor DJs de hip hop del món... allà fent la cervesa al nostre costat mentre les japos li tiraven els trastos.

Per acabar de veure el tema nocturn Shibuyenc, en Yasu va fer unes trucades i ja ens tenia a la llista d'un altre local, la planta baixa d'un hotel de bastant lujillo, on actuaven uns raperos, amb una vibe general al local més de r'n'b en vestimenta i pintes de la gent. Quan ja es feia de dia hem agafat un tren i després un metro, amb un transbord per una mena de nus de la Trinitat peatonal en plan Blade Runner mentre es feia de dia i els indigents de Tokyo comencen a amagar-se un altre cop, no fos que embrutessin la imatge pulcra i futurista de la ciutat. On els deuen ficar?

Avui hem quedat amb l'Antonio Rebordao, un semi-matemàtic, semi-informàtic que està fent un master becat a la super University of Tokyo, on els ojeadores de la Mitsubishi, Toshiba & co vénen a disputar-se els futurs treballadors. Un tio encantador, que com tots els portuguesos, té un tempo mooolt leeent... Cada conversa deriva en una extrapolació per arreglar el món. Hem quedat a Shimokitazawa, un barri tipo East Village o Friedrichsain, molt grande, de callejear i nar-li fotent a botiguetes petites de segona mà, de discos, cafès, i un ambient do-it-yourself que clar, t'enganxa. Hem jalat a un lloc all-japo no-guiris, sushi fresc, fins a rebentar per menys de 5 euros per cap. Ha vingut amb la seva nòvia japo, Aiko, una 'lady office', la versió femenina dels 'salary men', la penya que curren com uns condemnats amb 3h de transport diari a la feina per només 10 dies de vacances l'any. És comprensible que a falta de temps, la pasta se la gastin en bolsos Louis Vuitton, que aquí es tan famós com Ronaldinho a Barna. Una parella fantàstica.

A la tarda hem passat per la zona d'Aoyama, a través d'Omote-sando, una avinguda amb Ralph Lauren a un costat i Emporio Armani a l'altre, entre d'altres sospitosos habituals, amb un centre comercial de marques per l'estil amb llums làser i música electrònica que et van dient "compra, compra, compra". Les ties van amb MOOOOOLTA minifalda (joder, quanta carn que ensenyen!!!!!!) i minishorts, i l'Antonio ens comentava que inclús existeix la prostitució part-time, per dones normals que volen gastar encara més. I els tios uns pervertits perduts, òbviament. A falta de trauma econòmic, el trauma del país és sexual.

I hem arribat fins a Shibuya, el Times Square de Tokyo, o sigui que no cal dir més, d'aquells llocs que sents que estàs al putu centre del món. Ens hem fotut unes birres per allà i també sopar. Shibuya és el tipic lloc que vindrem cada dos per tres, perquè quedes embobat amb lo merdosament encantador que és aquest infern capitalista en què vivim. No som persones, som clients.

PD: Em comenta la Cris que el post està bé però ha trobat a faltar el concepte "Àsia" (?).