You guys -- take a moment today to think about all Asian and Pacific Islanders living with or who have died of HIV/AIDS. In addition to the physical effects of the disease, our communities deal with a lot of stigma, which often includes the inability to even mention it to our closest friends and family. Of course, that is counterproductive to the fight against the issue.
This post is a shout out to the A&PI Wellness Center, an amazing Bay area organization dedicated to this cause, and its Banyan Tree Project. The above video is part of Taking Root, a national digital storytelling advocacy initiative.
In Episode 2 of We Are All Radioactive, we introduce you to a fisherman who's weaving a hammock out of fishing net rope. The Japanese artist Shigeki Fujishiro used a similar type of rope to make these awesome (but perhaps not very practical) bags.
I got a taste of Mitsuru Koga's Inorganic exhibition at a little shop in Venice, CA yesterday. In the photo it kinda just looks like a pencil sticking out of a wooden block, but it's actually really beautiful in a display case!
Salaryman Project is a new collection of iconic beautiful fun photographs of Japanese businessmen. Tokyo-based French photographer Bruno Quinquet is currently fundraising for the completion of his self-published book here.
In Chapter 2, a fisherman takes us on a journey around the world on his blue fin tuna boat, and a veteran surfer tells us how his uncle saved his entire family from being swept away by the tsunami.
WE ARE ALL RADIOACTIVE is a brand new crowdfunded online documentary film project created by me and TED film director Jason Wishnow. It's about surfers rebuilding northern Japan after the earthquake and tsunami on 3.11.2011. New episodes are released only as they are funded.
Since 3/11, I've been really busy with the making of my first ever film project. It's called We Are All Radioactive, and it's an online episodic crowdfunded documentary about a community of Japanese surfers and fishermen who are trying to rebuild their community after the tsunami.
Episodes 1-3 are out already, and for some reason I have completely neglected to post them on TokyoMango until right now. Here's Episode 1!! You can watch 2 and 3 on our Vimeo channel, or you can wait until I post them here over the next couple of days!
The most entertaining thing I saw on Japanese TV while I was back last week was a special that had the subtitle: The 48 different kinds of ojisan: What one do you like best? Apparently it's trending right now to study the ojisan zukan (old man almanac). If you've lived in Japan, it's hilarious because you know you've all met these old men before. Maybe he was sitting next to you on the subway. Maybe he is your dad, or your husband.
Hey guys - just a quick reminder to visit We Are All Radioactive's crowdfunding campaign page, when you have a sec. As you know, this is an episodic documentary film that I'm making with TED director Jason Wishnow, and the *only* way you get to see new episodes is if you help us fund them!
Right now, we're just a couple thousand bucks away from funding Episode 3. Episode 2 is in its final stages of post-production before it goes out to the world this Wednesday!! So get excited, and join us. We have some great perks lined up for those of you who do - special shout outs, signed copies of Jason's amazing short film starring a potato and a tomato, and the ability to influence future episodes.
I just watched The Tsunami and The Cherry Blossom, a beautiful Oscar-nominated short by director Lucy Walker. It's a beautiful film that begins with some of the saddest raw footage of the tsunami I've seen yet . Walker interviews several survivors shortly after the disaster, juxtaposing their resilience against the power and flexibility of the sakura trees that survived and, despite being drowned in sea water, proceeded to bloom a month later. Watch the trailer here, and keep an eye out for screenings near you!
And, of course, while you're on the post-tsunami film binge, don't forget to check out and donate to my film, We Are All Radioactive.
Chapter 1 of WE ARE ALL RADIOACTIVE, the episodic online documentary that I'm making with TED film director Jason Wishnow, is now live. Please take a look!
Episodes of WAAR are only released as they're funded. We're just a couple hundred dollars away from unlocking Episode 2. Please visit our IndieGoGo page and donate to what we promise will be informative, beautiful, and engaging.
I just got back from a fabulous two-day trip to Austin, Texas for SXSW with Novmichi Tosa of Maywa Denki. Tomo + I went took him there as part of the IEEE contingency. He gave an amazing performance and debuted the Otamatone Deluxe, which goes on sale next month. (You can buy the normal-sized Otamatone on Amazon.) I've known him for years, but this was the first time I got to see him perform live. So great!
We Are All Radioactive is an interactive, episodic documentary film project about surfers rebuilding northern Japan. I co-directed it with Jason Wishnow, who is the film director at TED.
Sunday is the one-year anniversary of the Tohoku earthquake, and we really need to remind people of how people in Japan are still living with the aftermath + uncertainty about radiation every day.
Because I'm a storyteller and I spend a lot of time on the Internet, I figured the best way for me to help Japan is to tell stories that are normally ignored. Like the stories of these surfers. And the fishermen they're helping. And the government officials who are looking for a neutral third party to connect them with the locals.
We Are All Radioactive is going to do all these things, and more.
Because this is an independent project, we need your help in making it real. We are crowdfunding the film -- as soon as we raise enough money to pay our editors + designers, we'll release a new episode on our web site. Our web site launches on Sunday, so I'll give you the URL as soon as it's ready!
For now, please visit our campaign page to join the movement! We have lots of fun, meaningful interactive perks lined up for those who join the Radioactive community, like video messages from the characters and the chance to contribute your thoughts on a future episode. Super cool right?
Remember: by supporting this campaign, you're helping us tell the inside story of an amazingly resilient community that shared their lives with us so that we can communicate their struggles to the world.
I like this simple but intricate replica of a NYC subway entrance created by architect Naoki Terada. You can purchase it here and build your own for less than $25.
My friend Eve Blossom recently released this beautifully bound, thoughtful, and inspirational book called Material Change. Eve does her part in making the world a better place by connecting artisans from countries plagued by human trafficking with high-end designers to create beautiful fabrics through her company, Lulan. The book puts her story in the context of the larger movement of social entrepreneurship and design thinking, both movements that are super close to my heart as well. There's even a little segment in there about Tofu Project advisor Joi Ito! Be sure to check it out next time you're at a bookstore.
My friend Joe Sabia just finished this video for Bamboo Sushi, a Portland Oregon-based sustainable sushi restaurant run by entrepreneur Kristofer Lofgren. Did you ever think about how fish get from the ocean to your dinner table? Well, now you'll never forget.
All handmade miniatures crafted and filmed in NYC. So great!
There's a bizarre but very intriguing new app that lets you choose what kind of dreams you're going to have that night. You can choose from eight different scenarios -- flying, becoming rich, having someone you like confess their love for you, etc -- the app detects when you're in REM sleep and plays a soundtrack that seduces your brain into imagining whatever scenario you choose at the right time.
It's free, and you can get it here -- if you've tried it, let me know how it worked for you!
I write articles about culture, technology, and human rights for Wired, Popular Science, Fast Company, and the New York Times Magazine. I also produce radio segments for PRI's Studio360 and am a Correspondent for Boing Boing, one of Time Magazine's five most essential blogs of 2010.
I am also the founder of The Tofu Project, a boutique program that helps Japanese entrepreneurs and creators think deeper, tell better stories, and go out into the world in a much bigger way. We work with companies like Mixi, Japan Airlines, and Salesforce.com.
Sometimes I try to explain Japanese culture on CNN, BBC, CBC, WSJ, ABC (so many acronyms!) or in person at places like the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan, ETech, and Ignite!
