Summer memories 2012

Following my friend Ali over at VIVA☆DREAMER this post is about 'Summer Memories'! 

I have to say, this summer has been one of the best I've had. This year so many exciting things have happened and been put in motion, with more to come yet too! It's hard to list exactly what I enjoyed the most, but most of them circled around those first two weeks in August.

1. Seeing a side to Japan I've never experienced thanks to the Boys and Ku.
2. 飲み会! and the friends that we made through them.
3. Hanabi! Watching fireworks and sitting in a park eating festival Yakisoba with friends.
4. Neputa! Wearing Yukata and seeing the floats and Taiko in Hirosaki and Aomori. Amazing.
5. Getting to work with a Japanese band. Kiryu's manager is terrifying. 
5. Finally getting things sorted out for next year and the big move!

 Overall I've had an amazing summer, and now heading into September even more exciting things are to come. I have the final stage of my ECC interviews at the end of the month and I'm busy studying for my test! Wish me luck!

Friend date.

On the 9th I had set a date with a friend of mine before I even arrived in Tokyo. Meeting at 1:30pm by the Takeshita Dori entrance of Harajuku station! Just that morning I'd arrived back in Tokyo on the night bus, so suffering from lack of sleep I dragged myself up and out to go and meet 'Jellyfish'. He'd spent the morning telling me it was too hot, so I eventually told him just to wear something easy and cool which turned out to be a Jinbe. Cute. We met up at the right time, walked down Takeshita dori before deciding it was way too hot and way too crowded, it only took him a moment to suggest going back to the station and crossing over to Meiji jingu shrine.

Under the shelter of the trees and away from all the people it was much much cooler, but the noise from the cicada was almost deafening in some places! (We don't get them in the UK). Wandering around..boys will be boys, and 'Jellyfish' insisted on poking at every single bug we came across, even the spiders......I've never seen such huge blue and black butterflies either than in Meiji Jingu! It wasn't a very exciting day to report on, but I thought I would add it in. We spent an hour or so wandering around the shrine and the surrounding park, talking and swapping the dictionary back and forth when we got stuck, we went and sat down on some grassy area and chilled out with the skyscrapers towering in the background. I always find going to these places in the middle of Tokyo a surreal experience.

After our walk we hopped the Yamanote line down to Yoyogi and went for another small wander before 'Jellyfish' decided he was hungry and we stopped off in McDonalds. Teriyaki burger ftw. Having to catch the Shinkansen to Akita tomorrow, and me needing to catch up on sleep and deal with Kiryu photos, we didn't stay out too late, instead deciding to part ways at around 6pm.

10th August - Gaienmae fireworks!

Kiryu photography work.

On the 7th of August me and Ku caught the night bus from Tokyo back to Hirosaki. What I thought was going to be a horrific journey turned out to be quiet alright, I'd say the night bus is a pretty decent budget way to travel long distances in Japan, and certainly cheaper than the Shinkansen!!!
So after a 9 or 10? hour bus journey we arrived in Hirosaki early in the morning on the 8th. We went and crashed at Ku's place ready for the evening ahead. Taking the train over to Aomori in the afternoon we went for food and then to head to the venu, loaded with my photography stuff and a nervous buzz. We had to walk past the line of fans to get into the venu before hand (ignoring the looks of curiosity and hatred), we received our press pass stickers and went to set up! Faced with a half dressed band as soon as we walked into the hall, I left Ku to do the talking. I also never really realized Takemasa was so tall......Oh and their manager is terrifying.....

The live itself was packed out! Something of a surprise, but it being a one man and all...I guess it was expected. Personally I've never listened to Kiryu, but I was given a good show and the band ended up being a lot heavier than I expected! Mahiro sounds awesome live. I wouldn't mind paying to be in the crowd to see them one time, it was a very active gig with much jumping and headbanging (unusual for a vk show it seems). Soon after the live was finished we had to pack and leave pretty sharpish, only waiting for the venu to empty and to beable to speak to management, because I was back on the nightbus to Tokyo the same evening!!

Overall I think it went well! I got some good shots (I took over 600 photos that night) and once they are published I'll link you all too them! I can't post any of the band on here because they have to be run through management first and then published with the article, but I'll give you a couple of ones I CAN post.

What happens in Tokyo....

So...after two consecutive nights of drinking, one at random Izakaya and the other at The Lock Up (after which we crammed 8 of us into a purikura booth) we joined some friends for a house party in some back-end suburb in Tokyo. It was beyond fun...and definitely eventful! I don't think any of us expected it, but it was hella fun. We had drunken fireworks at about 3am in the kids play area across the parking lot, but who cares, everything is a good idea when you've consumed your body weight in alcohol!

 




Somehow the amount of alcohol consumed doesn't affect your ability to play guitar.....strange that. The boys were amusing and I spent a lot of my free time in Tokyo hanging out with them, we went to the Hanabi at Gaienmae on the 10th and had a group of 8 of us there which was nice, spent the evening hanging around with food stalls and beer a-plenty! 

Stay tuned for the next installment!

Plasticzooms / Style Band Tokyo.

Sorry for not blogging much recently, but all I've been doing is working! Nothing exciting at all. 
 
My Japan trip is creeping steadily closer, and one piece of good news on that is that I managed to score a ticket to see Plasticzooms after a brief talk with one of their members over twitter. He was the one who dealt with my overseas order when I wanted a shirt, and he's beyond nice. So rather than be an in-depth entry about something, this is just a quick one to let you all know that I haven't DIED.
 
Plus. If anyone is in Tokyo on this date and wants to come hang, COME TO THIS EVENT. It's not just Plasticzooms, an it promises to be amazing!

代官山　UNIT 

■OPEN/START 13:30/14:00
■ADV/DOOR ¥3,000/¥3,500(+1Drink)

STYLE BAND TOKYO 5th Anniversary Party
[Bo Ningen 来日公演ツアーファイナル！]

[LIVE ACT]
Bo Ningen
PLASTICZOOMS
世界的なバンド
ZZZ’s
moja
HATENOHATE
and more„„

[DJs]
TOMO(STYLE BAND TOKYO)
SUMIRE(TWEE GRRRLS CLUB)
HMS CONTROL / SAM & MARK(TOKYO INDIE)
APU(AFTERDARK)
U-HEY(BLACK NEON PARTY)
si oux(VIVE VAGINA)
TOMMY(BOY)
IAN MARTIN(Call and Response)
wizzjones
Judy(Throw that beat!)
Foujita(Less and More)
and more„,

Brand Series: Chrome Hearts

Chrome Hearts Tokyo first opened its doors in December 1999 as the first and only Chrome Hearts boutique in Japan. On April 26th, this location will reopen as the brand new flagship store.

Since its inception in 1999, the concept of Chrome Hearts Tokyo has always been make yourself at home. “Over the years, we began to feel that we’d like to take this concept even further,” said Richard Stark, the designer and founder of Chrome Hearts. “Along with the Chrome Hearts family and staff, we wanted to actualize and extend the Chrome Hearts world, and to share the ‘at home’ feeling we cultivated internally with everyone.” After 2 years of development, the innovative re-creation of Chrome Hearts Tokyo is complete.

The new space has expanded over 2,000-square-feet from its original size and now occupies 7,000-square-feet in the Aoyama shopping district, making it the largest of all existing Chrome Hearts stores around the world.

 A brand often favoured by musicians, Chrome hearts is an american brand but their store in Tokyo is just STUNNING. A must visit for anyone looking to see some amazing jewelry and interior design when in Japan but still keep a bit of the vk vibe! I'm still saving up to buy something from them (be warned, it's EXPENCIVE) but I'm sure it will be worth every penny.
And yes...they do have a basketball court outside...space inside for a band to play too. 

You can buy chrome hearts in store and across various online stores all over the world.

Chrome Hearts HP

Yock

I thought I'd try something different today and start bringing things other than fashion into my blog. So we're having a look at some Japanese artists! I love guro, manga and art, and Yock was an artist who was introduced to me recently by a friend of mine.

Yock (Yoshitaka Kawakami) has produced some amazing CG pieces of disturbing school girls. I see these floating around tumblr every so often, and his skill always amazes me. Currently his website has been removed...I'm not sure what happened there and if anyone else has info it would be appreciated!