Tokyo Belle

I Met My Kryptonite in Tokyo...

2009-10-27T09:43:00.001+09:00

The day I've been looking forward to for weeeeeks and weeks...the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble finally touched down in Tokyo. I mentioned them in an earlier post, with the clip of them featured on Mr. Jools Holland show on the BBC, something I've also wanted to see since the day I met them. This time it's their first pit stop ever in Asia. After having performed at the Asagiri Music Festival, a small music fest within the views of the iconic Mount Fuji, the brothers were invited to perform an impromptu secret gig for North Face at their boutique in the trendy Harajuku in celebration of a month-long exhibition of photos by female street photographers Miyuki Pai Hirai and Yuri Shibuya (more info here).

The boutique actually wasn't so big, the staff had cleared all their merchandise to make room for the throng of crowd that would later have the place filled to the brim. Knowing that in advance, having witnessed many of their packed performances in London, I made the most of the opportunity to have a sneak peek of the photos on display.

Black and white pictures are always effective in freezing its subjects in time, but I think in particular the monochrome quality seem to emphasize the isolation from the reality that is encompassed within urban American street life...never changing, always the same. Which I think why they are so befitting for a photo exhibition filled with urban imagery, as the G-Star clad Hypnotic brothers resembled physical embodiment of the exhibition theme with their South Side Chicago charm.

I'm almost always pleasantly surprised at how much interest that the Brothers attract. A crowd was slowly developing as they did the sound check, impatiently waiting like a child on Christmas Day after staring at the same present for the past month.

Although the event was kinda promoted as a 'secret gig', it was no secret amongst the loyal fans who already knew of the Hypnotic brothers ever since they released their first ever vinyl in Japan a few years back, hence the huge line outside the boutique.

So as always, the gig goes down a storm. It's a joy being in the know of much the new crowd will repsond every single time, because even if you've heard them on wax, it's never the same as seeing them live. And boy, do they deliver when they go live: the energy, the adrenaline, the Chit-town swagger...I don't do any drugs, but I'm never bored from getting a kick out of seeing them live on stage.

Roco having a Pop-Idol moment there with the Hypnotic geeks, who were going around with their vinyls to have them signed by each member of the band.

And as usual, the crowd was totally blown away, paying the Hypnotic Bros more attention than the photo exhibits themselves. Then again, can you blame them?

Prinz of Korea

2009-10-21T00:55:00.000+09:00

Haha...that's Flying Buddah, repping Top 9 of Russia. After what seemed like a blur that was R-16, everbody upped sticks and left, onto their next leg, many of whom are heading straight to the UK for the Bboy Champs, or getting ready for Battle of the Year in Germany..

Me...well, since my flight was the next morning, I had no plans. Luckily the prospect of roaming around Seoul aimlessly til dawn was saved by the news that Circle Prinz was taking place the same night, hosted by none other than Jaz Ivy, who also presented R-16. So after a few hours of chilling out, we headed to the venue in Ivy's car.

I'd heard that Incheon was unique in South Korea in terms of being a completely new city, though I didn't realise just how much until we drove Seoul. It kinda reminded me of Taiwan, with the irregularities of old and new, with the foggy smog hovering over it. I guess staying in Tokyo for the past six months can really distort your expectation of other east asian cities.

Ivy kindly provided real-time commentary as he drove Jort and I through the streets of Seoul, having lived in the states before settling in South Korea for the last seven years. Famed for its art courses, he told us the district where the Circle Prinz was taking place is called Hongdae, short for Hongik Daehakgyo. Not surprisingly, over the years this area has become synonymous with everything associated with the art crowd: cool boutiques, flea markets, clubs and cozy restaurants. Walking through the place, its kitsch charms resembles Shibuya x Shimokitazawa in Tokyo, downtown Soho in New York, or the popular Brick Lane in East London. It is also an area that was instrumental in the development of the bboy scene in South Korea, being the place where the studio of Rivers crew, of which he is the sole MC, is based, amongst other practise studios of other crews.

Jaz's CD on sale at one of the boutiques...top left...

Being famished, we went to some local diner to get some food. Most of the eateries provide a small pen on the tables, and let you tag on their walls. This is Jort doing his thang thang.

Bless his cotton socks. Jaz went through every single dish, describing what they are, before pointing at a miniscule section consisting of only two dishes that didn't contain any meat, which was to be his vegetarian option.

Turned out I wasn't the only South Korea virgin. Jort, who represents the Funky Dope Maneouvres crew in Holland, was also here for the first time ever. So over the food Ivy pretty much updated us on life in Korea, music and blaxpoitation movies amongst other soulful topics...

Finally, we are here. Ivy kinda went through a bit of panic mode earlier on when we got to the venue at 3pm and there were no one here, thinking maybe it was at a different venue and then checking the other possible places where it could be, which was made even more complicated by the fact that he did not have a mobile phone. But after some wandering around, we bumped into some of the poppers from the day before, who actually told us it was at the right place, except it was too early. Duh!

I'm not sure why, but Seoul has an electricity about it, almost like NYC in the sense that it's such a highly strung city, you feel it without even having to know the people or the culture. Circle Prinz was like its microcosm, with adrenaline pumping through the various cyphers going on as soon as you enter the venue.

With 86 pairs to whittle down to one, it was to be a long ass night. Six whole hours, to be exact. Usually, you'd get bored half way through, y'know, maybe some crews were weaker than others. But no. It was a constant stream of talent one after the other, a mini-colloseum, battle of the fittest, and I do mean the fittest. Korean bboys are known to be high quality, having reigned various international competitions for a good few years. Their energy as carnivorous as their national diet of meat and spicy food. In a small venue like this, all the emotions are magnified 20 times: the hunger, the pain, the sweat, the strive. Many of those competing actually belong to the same crews, namely Gamblerz, T.I.P, Rivers and Last for One.

I have to give it up to the judges Wicket, YNot and Katsu, three of the best bboys around repping the three top crews: Renegade Rockers, Rock Steady and All Areas Crew respectively. These guys sat through the marathon session after coming from R-16, with barely even a break long enough to go to the toilet before being summoned back into the hot seats tentatively. Things got really tough in the rounds where it was a tight round, and they had to make a snap decision to choose one, even if both pairs were equally good. Who said judging was a glamorous job?

This was my highlight of the evening, besides the bboying. Between some of stages during the competition, there were performances by special guests. These guys are called BStar, a Korean flatland crew. Having lived near and walked past Playstation (now X-Box) many times since college (that's high school to you Yanks), a skate board park under a motorway near Ladbroke Grove, I've seen flatlanding but not like this. I spotted these guys practising outside of the venue, not knowing they were actually performing for the event. They were so dope, executing really difficult impressive tricks in such a small space.

It was a face off between Hong 10 and Differ of Seven Commandos crew, against Blanka and Tino Rock of Floor Gangz. Seven Commandos won, although I think Floor Ganz would've had a chance if they weren't so tired, considering how hard they battled all the way through.

So that concludes my first South Korea trip. Definitely not your average, but eye opening in unconventional ways. Ivy keeps a really neat blog to do with everything hip hop in Korea if you're interested, also check out both Ivy and Jort's pages Myspace.

2009-10-17T16:05:00.004+09:00

The isolation of the hotel kind of gave the whole event a summer camp atmostphere. Incompletion of the city meant that the streets were desertedb by early evening, so boredom quickly set in, as the pristine yet empty buildings were no company for those practising an art synonymous with busy urban surroundings. During the day, all the crews attended events at the venue, at night everyone mingled at the local haunts: judges, bboys, organiseres alike, backing bottles of Korean soju either at Chicken and Beer, or at some random Korean barbeque joint a few minutes further up the road. As one member of a team rambled in his inebriated state, there were 'no people, no dogs, no cats, no rubbish...this place is so empty!'

First up on the battle list was the crew performance battle. The crews had been practising the night before in the conference rooms arranged by the organisers back at the hotel, which had sort of turned into a bboy conference centre due to all those participating in the whole event staying there. The picture above is of Top 9 from Russia, who had impressive choreography that really stood out from the rest. They were my firm favourites, though All Area from Japan took the crown in the end by a slim margin.

The crew battle was equally exciting, though my view was a bit obstructed being on the side of the stage the whole time. Once again, it was down to Top 9 and All Areas in the finals, though the US Renegades crew battled fiercely in the semi finals against Top 9. Both finalist were equally strong, it was a very tough decision for the judges but All Areas once again took the battle crown.

Scenes from the stage after the the battles...

Word spread of an 'afterparty' in the evening in the park after the event, which was really just 3 vinyl floors set up in the park opposite the hotel, with the music provided by one of the bboys and his compact speakers. So after celebrations, everybody headed there to cypher. It was very interesting to see these guys in their skewered state, trying to do the same moves after maybe 2 bottles of soju or 5 bottles of beer, most of all the 'no arms' cypher, where they tried to cypher with their arms tucked into their shirts. Definitely entertaining.

I only just discovered how to edit pictures on Photobucket, so I give you this with some Nineties flavour...

Last day of the event was the popping two on two battle, concluded by a special concert with Rakaa from Dilated Peoples...

...DMC champion P-Trix...

... Korean hip hop act Drunken Tiger, who had the most screams from the crowd.

R-16 Incheon, South Korea (Part 2)

2009-10-10T04:02:00.000+09:00

The venue of R-16 was inside a park where the Incheon Global Fair and Festival was taking place, which included many different types of exhibits showcasing world cultures as well as creative and technological wonders. These are just some of the stuff on display in open air.

The first day was a bit slow to start with, there was some showcase from each crew for the sponsors of the event from the local council, which lagged on a bit considering most of the crews still had various degrees of jetlag from flying in from as far as Finland and California. First event on the list was the solo bboy battle.

Judges having a moment- Ken Swift, Storm, and Jr Boogaloo

Throughout the whole event, there were some pretty impressive showcases from different parts of the world. First of all was the famous Iguchi family from Osaka, comprising of daddy Iguchi, his three sons, and his amazing nine-year old daughter Moka. She is the one jumping through the loop, who can do windmills. And air-flares. And headspins. Don't believe me? Check out this advert the family made for Nintendo DS. Look out for daddy Iguchi on the far right of the screen too.

After what seemed like an age of a first day, it was back to the hotel, where some of the crews decided to lay out wherever they can to catch some of that good ol' rest. Bless.

R-16 Incheon, South Korea (Part 1)

2009-10-09T04:28:00.000+09:00

At the end of September, I took off for what was my first ever trip to South Korea. For a person whose knowledge of Korea was limited to kimchi, bulgoggi and bibimbap, there were no expectations whatsoever. Considering my main reason being the Incheon R-16 Bboy Competition, an annual event that involves 16 teams from 15 different countries to battle it out for the crown, anything else would be a bonus. If all else disappoints, I'll just eat my way through Korea.

Nope, it's not photoshop. Incheon, the city where the competition took place, is very dead. As an initiative to bring more foreign investment, Songdo, the part of Incheon where we stayed, was completely built up from reclaimed land in order to create a new 'Free Economic Zone'. Due to the recession, the city will not be complete until 2015, 3 years later than the planned finish date. So at this moment the city has not reached it's full capacity. As one of the bboys put it, there are no cats, no dogs, no rubbish. Which in a way is quite nice, almost like Tokyo with no people.

Anywho. Prior to our arrival, they held the preliminary rounds as well as a graffiti competition.

I had the pleasure of meeting a certain Mr. Jay Lewis, an incredible photographer from New York who has some really nice shots of the grafitti competition, you can check it out on his blog.

Long time no see...

2009-10-09T02:53:00.000+09:00

I know I know, it's been a minute since I've been updating my blog. What can I say, there's so much to do, many things to see in this city. Can't believe it's been six months already, another four months to go. Anyway, while I edit the many adventures of the last three months, I want you guys to check this anime out. It goes by the name of 'Mononoke' (モノノ怪), which means 'monster' in Japanese. I caught it on Japanese tv this morning, and the graphics are pretty eye catching.. According to wikipedia, 'Mononoke' is a spin-off tv anime series from 'Ayakashi: Samurai Horror Tales', produced by Toei animation studios. The plot follows the character of the medicine seller as he continues to face a myriad of supernatural perils. Growing up in Taiwan, one of my favourite book genres was Japanese horror, so it's quite refreshing seeing a horror anime series with intriguing graphics. And from my research on the series, it seems like a first for a major studio to combine traditional Japanese art technics within a modern anime, which made it stand out even more. You can read a review of it here in English. Enjoy.

Meet the Invisible Man

2009-07-26T18:09:00.000+09:00

Came across this article on the Invisible Man Liu Bolin in the Telegraph. The artist uses his work to demonstrate the theme of community invisibility in modern China.

Braid My Hair...

2009-07-25T09:44:00.000+09:00

Wow...I love this story. This is a collection of photographs documenting how an adoptive white father of an Ethiopian child takes care of her hair everyday. And he's very good at it too.

2009-07-17T17:51:00.000+09:00

May 2nd 2009, Metropolis Tokyo Magazine
"Beautiful young Aussie girl seeks sugar daddy to take her shopping and help fund her stay in Tokyo."

May 3rd 2009, 1.02pm
Sam has sent you following message.
Hi, Please email me your details

May 3rd 2009, 1.05pm
arukaderu has sent you following message.
Dear Sally , im 29 years old single jordanian dentist doing my phd in tokyo medical and dental university ..i live now in misato ...this is my forth year in japan.....im very kind, simple and caring person...i can speak basic japanese....i wish to marry..please send me any time mustafa

May 3rd 2009, 1.06pm
Masaaki Shimoda has sent you following message.
OK. I am ready to spoil you. Send me some photos to see if it will click. Thanks.

May 3rd 2009, 1.15pm
Sam has sent you following message.
Hi Tanya,
Thanks for the email. Your position is clear.
Just to get to the point, what will be your telephone number and how can I contact you?
Looking forward to your reply
Best regards,
Sam

May 3rd 2009, 1.20pm
Masaaki Shimoda has sent you following message.
Hi Sally,
Thank you for the reply and detailed explanation. While I understand your situation and am sympathetic, I am not into dohan or dohan-like experience which I can get free of charge with friends. So, a platonic relationship is not going to work for me. If you are really interested in staying in Japan, the best way might be for you to go back to Australia and apply for a working holiday visa. Good luck and hope your rest of the Asian tour will be safe and enjoyable.
xxx
Masaaki

May 3rd 2009, 1.22pm
arukaderu has sent you following message.
thanks Sally for email...in fact im looking for marriage...if you can become muslim and marry me then all your problems will be solved....please think seriously...mustafa

May 4th 2009, 1.07pm
Bagus Hamachan has sent you following message.
Are you interested in watching movies? Who is your favorite actor and director? I prefer slim girl. Are you? Have you ever try slow sex?

May 4th 2009, 1.10pm
James has sent you following message.
I can give you 15000 - 20000 yen every two weeks if you f*** me anytime I wanted. It would be maximum 3 times a week since I have a busy work schedule and need to release some pressure. I would also like to see a picture of you if you want to agree to this.

May 4th 2009, 1.45pm
G-money has sent you following message.
Hey there, Let's be honest...you want a sugar daddy and I want a naughty, hot little slut! I can take care of my end. Can you take care of yours? I think we could make a nice arrangement, if you are ready. Buck

May 4th, 1.47pm
Takashi has sent you following message.
Hi Dear, I am interested to become Sugar daddy, I am 45, 177cm, 72kg, could you reply with your details and some of your photo please. I am manager of (japanese car brand) at Yokohama branch.

May 4th 2009, 1.59pm
G-money has sent you following message.
Sounds nice! But I am not looking for nice, more naughty. I want to take care of someone that wants more than just friendship, I guess more of a friends with benefits thing. If you are into that let me know. If not, cheers!
Take care,
Buck

May 4th, 7.30pm
john roth has sent you following message.
Hi Princess, How are you doing? I\'m a 30\'s business professional from Europe, living in USA, but in Japan regulary. Would love to have a Aussie date for the lonely hotel evenings...I always had a weakness for the Aussie accent, and attitude to life. I would love it if you could send me a picture. Thanks! John

May 5th, 00.45am
Takashi has sent you following message.
Hi Dear Sally,
My best suggestion, you are so intelligent, young and attractive, so for this situation, as you know make a money with your pussy, in Japan are many stupid man like me, want to have a sex with western female, you don't worry abut visa in this industry. look at attachment photo of mine nearly 20cm, if you are interested and surprise, reply with photo of your pussy please.
Hope we can have a love in a nice love hotel, offcourse with condom.

May 5th, 9.05am
System Administrator has sent you following message.
Your advert on Metropolis has now been deleted.

(note-all names and dates in the above post has been altered to protect the identity of the participants)

2009-07-13T02:10:00.000+09:00

'I'll meet you at Hachiko exit.'

Hachiko Exit? That was the first time I'd heard of the meeting point. In a place such as Tokyo, with it's myriad of exits at train stations, it can be so easy to get confused amongst all the numbers and letters which are the only labels of some exits instead of a particular road name. That's IF you even knew the name of the main road close by.

But everybody knows Hachiko.

That was the one thing that puzzled me my first time there, that everybody knew it, and every single person who was meeting a friend in Shibuya almost always meet at the dog mural before continuing their meeting elsewhere.

Legend has it that back in the twenties, a university professor had owned a dog of pure akita breed, whom he called Hachiko. Everyday the dog would see off his master at the station and return at the exact time that his train arrived in the evening in order to greet him, until one day his master passed away from a stroke during class and never showed at the station again. Yet the dog showed up, unwaiveringly, for the next ten years at the same spot and at the same time, hoping to reunite with his master, despite having been given away to another owner living on the other side of town. Eventually, the local people realised the dog's intentions and gave it food and water until it passed away a decade after its owner's death. The bronzed statue of Hachiko stands outside the exit at Shibuya is a testament to the eternal devotion that touched many people, and even if you are not an animal person, you cannot help but to admire the sheer perserverance of love of an animal that had only spent a tenth of its lifetime in total with his owner. Every year, on Hachiko day, people (mostly dog owners) show up at the site to pay their tributes to the loyal canine, and having witnessed how much they love their pets to the point where they wipe their dog's bottoms after excreting waste in public, it's no wonder that Hachiko has such special place in Japanese people's hearts.

During my usual research trawl on the internet, I found this trailer of the original 1987 film they made about Hachiko's life, titled 'Hachiko Monogatari' ('Story of Hachiko'). Hold on to your tissues...

Now Hollywood has decided to (as per usual) remake an American version of Hachiko's story, which, doesn't even convey the same spirit. I can agree that perhaps the makers had to avoid the political context by having the dog uniting the residents of a small town on Rhode Island as opposed to a whole country. Hachiko's passing and life story made the front pages of major newspapers, and to some extent used by the then Japanese government as propaganda to instill the sense of obligation and loyalty in support to Japan's cause during the second World War. Hopefully after seeing the American version, people will be much more interested in the real story of Hachiko and be inspired just like the millions and generations of Japanese people by his loving devotion for his master.

One for the Kitsch Lovers...

2009-07-07T16:01:00.000+09:00

Now....who...wouldn't...want...a...pair...of...these??? People don't realise how much of a geek in me being in Japan really brings out. These speakers are made by Princeton, and yes, they do function as speakers you plug into your computer. And apparently they work very well at that too.

Before I came to Japan, I used to think, who on earth??? WHY on EARTH??? Yet you do realise the contradictory nature of Japanese society. In this case, I'm not surprised that there are so many fun gadgets such as these speakers that are for mass consumption. If you sit long enough on the Tokyo Metro, or hang long enough in Shimbashi, aka 'Salaryman Hell', you would start to recognise the monotony of Japanese corporate culture: everyone strives to have the same black briefcase, same black suit, same black shoes. Therefore, it is not a shock to the system to have cool things like this to brighten up your workspace.

http://www.cscoutjapan.com/en/

ooooh.....for bubble wrap lovers out there....the Eternal Bubble Wrap!

Only in Japan.

Alex Tse (Watchmen Scriptwriter) interview

2009-07-07T15:15:00.000+09:00

"None of you get it...I'm not locked in here with you, you're locked in here with me!"

So last night I got to see 'Watchmen' again, this time on a gimungous widescreen HD TV in bluray format. First time I saw the film was back in London on the silver screen, and even without having read the graphic novel the concept of the plot blew me away. Being in Tokyo and not having a lot of money can be very boring, so to have a dear friend who has an HD tv the size of which is almost measureable in tatami floorspace, not to mention access to films and the whole Invader Zim series is a GODSEND. So I felt very blessed to be in company for his first viewing of the film adaptation, plus I had the bonus of a running commentary from someone that actually read the novel and make comparisons.

Anyway, I digress. Whilst doing post-film research on the makers of Watchmen, I stumbled across this interview with Alex Tse, the screen writer for the film, in which he talks about his experiences being an Asian-American in the Hollywood film industry.

http://www.hyphenmagazine.com/content/view/146/1

Reason I found this interesting initially was because it was a pleasant surprise finding out that an Asian-American actually wrote screenplay for this version of the film. Not that I'm as hardcore Asian as some, but it's always intriguing and inspiring finding out those who are and the road they had to travel to achieve their success.

So proud.....

2009-06-21T12:25:00.000+09:00

From the streets of Chicago to those of New York, now finally on the studio floor of Jools Holland at the BBC in London. From the day of that chance meeting on streets of Camden en route to an Anthony David gig at the old Proud Gallery (the one that had the beds, remember?) I've been tracing their growth, even though prior to our meeting they'd been perfecting their art for nearly a decade. I'm not going to recount the usual biography of these eight younger sons of Phil Kelan Cohran, how these sons of the one-time trumpeter for Sun Ra came to unite in the family tradition of performance, or how they came from playing every single day on the streets to touring Europe with Mos Def and Damon Albarn of Gorillaz. All I'm saying is if you haven't already, ya need a dose of the HBE live treatment. For more info check out their blog www.hypnoticbrass.net.

2009-06-12T20:20:00.001+09:00

April 1st, 2009

Touch down, woohoo! After months of planning, research, saving...I am actually in Tokyo. Unreal. Albeit on April Fool's day and very rainy indeed. Thing is, I don't actually know any Japanese. Tried to learn, but was too busy partying and courting. Plus what's the point when the language wasn't going to stick? Oh the joys of knowing Chinese. That's right. Being here wasn't as shocking as if I was a total non-asian foreigner, as anything can be guessed as long as it had kanji, plus I'd done so much research and surveys on the godamn city that the neon lights was beyond a novelty. So behold my new home. For the next 365 days.

First meal EVER in Tokyo, Japan. Yes, it had to be Yoshinoya. Where else can you find cheap trashy food at midnight in the middle of downtown Tokyo? I didn't realise at the time, but it was definitely the place to break in my virgin tastebuds, being operational 24/7 and at affordable prices. It's literally a national tradition, to get trashed and go for a beef/pork bowl at Yoshinoya amongst the drunk salarymen at god-knows-why-you're-still-out-o'clock in the morning. Well, it was worth it after dragging my luggage in the rain for 45 minutes to the hostel through eerie temples in a foreign land I hardly know.

So...the journey begins

2009-06-02T07:45:00.000+09:00

Tokyo....the people...the obsessions....the food...the culture. Why am I here? Okay. Bringing the story back. After being a happy resident on and off for the best 18 years of my life, London was starting to lose its lustre between the miserable headlines of the broadsheets with the conundrums of the recession. Plus I had the itch to travel. So, to cut a long story short, at the behest of an idea put forward by a friend, I saved up what I could, quit my job and uprooted to the sunny land of Tokyo. That's right. Tokyo. A city whose name is synonymous with hi technology and bright lights. At least that's the romantic association everybody had. Yes, the thought was exciting, and after postponing my flight (twice), I was finally on my way.

After a brief stop over at Incheon International Airport, I carried on my journey to Tokyo. Incheon Airport was interesting, they had these Korean Cultural Centres that you can take photos of traditional Korean costumes and paint your own Korean stuff. Plus they had places where you can sleep and take showers etc before your connection flight. I thought it was pretty neat, being the 'first airport in the world' to provide such services.