I’ve never been a bunny rabbit before, and it feels cool. The Japanese say labbit. Wearing bunny ears is part of the gig i’m doing with Nightbomb! An event management company here in Tokyo.
They liked my youtube videos and asked me to collaborate with them by shooting some video. The event was pretty interesting, with a nice mix of international people and locals chit-chatting, watching performances and drinking all you want for two hours. It was really a Nightbomb! Event. Youtube video coming soon!
I’m trying to write more Japanese on the blogs to both practice and tell my Japanese peeps what i’m up to (I am in Japan after all ). I will still from time to time write my “article-style” nightlife reviews, along with these tidbits about little places I visit and people I hang with.
みんあさん、インターネートつくあうの人、おはよ！もっと日本語を勉強したい。それから、ときどき、私のブログに、英語と日本語のアーチークルがけいていますよ。私に，日本語は、まだ難しですけづ、がんばります！
…….
Today I chilled in Nakameguro, where I was checking out Robert Waters 2010 exhibit, entitled “Man”. There I met some interesting people and snapped pictures and shot video for a Tokyo Art Beat review.
His style is interesting, and relates to the nature of humanity, with hidden positive messages in his art. I’ll be doing a comprehensive review for Tokyo Art Beat in the upcoming days.
Akiko is a talented Japanese artist I met through my travels here in Japan. A few months ago I went to the photo shoot and shot some pictures and video. This is what I produced as I followed her around during the photo shoot for “The Vibes”, her debut album to be released by Domo Records of the U.S.A.
I had the opportunity to check out a very cool exhibit in Tokyo Midtown two months ago it was entitled the “Himawari project”, and it is a collaborative effort between Yoshikawa Kogyo Company and Kyushuu University. The sunflower reacts to natural light. You can read a detailed review here in both English and Japanese. I feel like I need to run for the hills when these things start walking and eating everybody!
“If you guess my job, I will tell it to you.” she says.
The ‘she’ is a tall, statuesque woman with the features of an aging Chinese actress. She tells me she’s part Japanese, Korean and Chinese. Her drink is held close to her lips, and her sly eyes shoot needles at me every time I make a joke. She and a friend are both a little red-faced and giggling. I’m in Ginza, at the monthly International Party meetup.
I can’t really figure out what she does, but I’m guessing hostess lady. She’s wearing a form fitting a purple silk dress with delicately stitched embroidery of flowers on the entire surface are of the fabric. With her hair in a bun, I couldn’t help but think of the heart breaker femme fatale assassin. Her friend, Kyoko, has shy, puppy-dog eyes and a mouth curved downwards into a non-smile. We laugh about silly jokes for a while, then I head to the bar.
I like events like these; they are a welcome break from the madness of Tokyo, and a good way to meet reasonably friendly foreigners and Japanese people. However, these social outings help to confirm the idea of “Japanese shyness” to the extreme. Unless the Japanese men are drunk, they generally stand up without speaking to anyone (except their friends). Several foreign men are the same, walking around aimlessly until the lights blink at nine, indicating that the event is over. Then there are groups of Japanese women who sit at tables with each other, also chatting until everything is owatta (finished).
Despite the ratio of very shy people in attendance, after a few doses of what we call “liquid confidence” in Jamaica, everyone starts chit-chatting and getting chummy. Tonight was interesting, from meeting a French Web Developer studying at a Japanese University named No-beer (Norbert), A genki personal trainer who learned English in Florida, Italian architects, and a girl from Alaska who told me something fascinating.
“I love where I live now because I can eat fruits!” she said.
Tall with an attractive face and dressed in a Yukata, she had the air of a foreigner who was more than comfy with Japanese culture. This was also bolstered by the fact that the Tokyo night outside was oven-hot. From her town in Alasaka, she mentioned receiving fruits twice a year from a barge that came into her town.
“Wow, that’s fascinating.” I said.
It was a fun event, which ended with me going home and losing a bet about an old Japanese cartoon I thought was Speed Racer, but was actually Falcon Boy. Next time.
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