TOKYOMANGO

Get your hand-printed limited edition TokyoMango t-shirt now (2 weeks only)

My friend Ben and I made a test run of TokyoMango t-shirts on Saturday. They're really nice, do you want one? If so, you can buy one here. Below are the details:

- All shirts are 100% cotton.
- Each t-shirt will be hand-silk screened by me and Ben on his Yudu machine. The shirt logo was custom-designed by Ben. Mango design courtesy of my web designer James.
- The Women's tees come in a t-shirt style (pistacio and white) and a spaghetti strap ribbed tank (yellow).
- The Men's tees come in orange and white. In the pic above, Ben is actually accidentally wearing a girl's tee, but you get the idea... the sleeves will be more manly on the one you get.
- You can choose a custom colored tee for $25. Just shoot me an email with your preference after you place the order.
- The sizes tend to run a little big (except for the tanktops). They might shrink in the wash.
- Some of you will receive a free surprise Japanese toy or gadget with your t-shirt! I'm just gonna randomly stick them into bags, so keep an eye out.
- We're taking orders over the next two weeks only, at least for this first printing. They'll ship at the end of those two weeks, when Ben & I will silkscreen them by hand.
- Last day to order is Monday, October 5th.

UPDATE: T-shirts are no longer for sale. Maybe we'll do another round sometime!

Tokyo again, and what I like to do on planes

I'm heading back to Tokyo tomorrow to work on a radio show with the crew from PRI's Studio360, so I probably won't be blogging until I get there.

When are we going to have wi-fi on trans-Pacific flights? But then again, would I want that? I kinda cherish the offline time—nap, read a book, listen to podcasts, nap, watch a movie, eat, brush teeth, pee. Airplanes make me want to do not much more than all that.

Flying back to Tokyo today

I'm flying back to Tokyo this afternoon after 10 days in the south of France and Amsterdam. Highlights from my agenda when I get back:

- Korean BBQ with the parents.
- Tokyo Game Show.
- Muscle Park (again)!
- An otaku in Akiba symposium.

Stay tuned!

Fancy cars and Japanese tea garden in Monaco

I'm in Monte Carlo right now, at the beginning of a one week trip in Provence/Cote d'Azur. Monaco is a gorgeous little principality surrounded by France and the Mediterranean Sea. Grace Kelly is the big royal local hero here—the Academy Award-winning actress became Princess Grace of Monaco in the 50s. I snapped this photo of Monaco's Japanese tea garden today on my way back from the aquarium. Did you know Monaco is less than one square mile total? It's tiny! Also, all the cars here are ridiculously expensive. I have never seen so many Ferrarris, Rolls Royces, Aston Martins, and Ferraris all on one block as I did today in front of the Hotel de Paris.

How to fight jet lag from US to Tokyo?

I usually arrive at my parents' house in Tokyo right before dinner. Flights arrive around 4, and it takes 2-3 hours to clear Narita and settle down at destination. I'm always starving. I eat, and immediately get sleepy. Last night we had a big feast—shabu shabu, sashimi, potato salad, white asparagus (in season!), sweet edamame, kimchee-and-squid, rice. Persimmons, figs, and nashi (Japanese pear) for dessert. I unpack/shower. Pass out at 10PM. And then, almost without fail, I wake up in the middle of the night and stay up and listen to the city sleep. In the dead of summer, you hear cicadas all night. Tonight, I heard some other critter chirping outside my window until about 5am.

I know it's 5am because the first trains hit the tracks, and I hear them speeding across town and the house shakes just a little bit. It's also right around the crack of dawn, so the room starts to light up. Then the mean crows start cawing and the newspaper guy comes around in his little moped and I hear him doing the stop-and-go around the neighborhood. Then my dad wakes up. And I start to get sleepy again, but I usually eat breakfast and stay up til about 4PM, when I take a super power nap, and stay sleepy throughout the night until about 2-3AM the next morning when I wake up and do the same thing.

After all these years of going back and forth, I still don't have a good strategy to fight the brutal California-to-Tokyo jet lag. I'm open to tips!

Where's Lisa? Surfing and Chasing Whale Sharks on Maui

If you're wondering why I haven't been updating TokyoMango, it's because I'm on vacation in Hawaii with the family. Yesterday, I learned how to surf. (I'm JUMPING off, not falling off, in this photo.) Today, we went on a little 2-hour snorkeling trip to Molokini, and were lucky enough to encounter a 30-foot whale shark! Whale sharks are the largest fish in the world. They don't eat people, just algae and stuff. The captain of the ship—he grew up on Maui had never seen one before—told us to jump in and grab his fin, so I did. There's something inexplicably amazing about chasing a giant creature through the middle of the ocean. I crave to do it again but I know it was a chance of a lifetime. Check out the video after the jump!

10 Reasons Why Japanese People Should Emigrate to Brazil

I'm back home after a week in South America. What did I think? I think all Japanese should become Japanese-Brazilians. Here are 10 reasons why (in no particular order):

1. The sunset in Rio kicks the sunset in Tokyo's ass.

2. Brazil has some of the coolest night clubs in the world. This one, called Rio Scenarium, is a giant three-story building on the oldest residential street in Rio. It's filled with antiques, giant comfy couches, live music, and porcelain dolls.

A Quick Photo Tour of Sao Paulo's Japanese District

Hello from Sao Paulo! This is a great city. Eclectic food, awesome graffiti everywhere, soccer fans, lots of PDA, and a big-city vibe comparable to the kind you feel in Tokyo, Paris, and New York. Yesterday, our gracious hosts from Mouses took us to Liberdade, the biggest Japanese district outside of Japan. Very cool. I took lots of pics. Keep reading for a short photo tour.

Where's Lisa? I'm in São Paulo Looking for Lovefoxxx

Yep, I'm off to São Paulo for a week—and hopefully taking a side trip to Rio and some jungly rain forests. Look! São Paulo kinda looks like Tokyo. Did you know it also has the largest Japanese population outside of Japan? There are about 1.5 million Japanese immigrants and descendants living in Brazil—more than in the US. And some of them are hot and talented! My two favorite Japanese-Brazilians are supermodel Juliana Imai and Lovefoxxx of CSS. CSS is a kickass indie-electro girl band from Sao Paolo that I've seen in concert a couple times in San Francisco. Pics after the jump.

My Favorite Japanese Restaurant in the US

I went back to Boston this weekend for the first time in years, and ate at my favorite Japanese restaurant in the country, Cafe Mami. I was surprised to read a bunch of mediocre reviews on Yelp, because I really think this is the best Japanese food outside of Japan. Maybe I'm biased because back in my college days, this was where I went when I was homesick. (It's also where I got my inspiration on how to make karaage—fried chicken.)

But, whatever, Yelpers! I have my own blog where I get to profess whatever opinions I want and give it as many stars as I want, and I'm giving Cafe Mami 10 stars! I love it! The hamburger steak, the ginger lemon chicken, the green tea milkshake...it's all perfecto.

Plus, I heard a rumor that it might be closing soon due to the owner's personal reasons. So I'm really really glad I went to Boston this weekend, if only to get my last fix.

Where is Lisa? In NYC

If you're wondering why the hell I'm not updating my blog as often as I should, it's because I'm in NYC for the week. I am traveling with the family and working remotely, and running around town trying all the different new ramen joints that have opened up here since I left 3 years ago. I promise a roundup when I return from my urban scramble this weekend, plus a review of the 70s gay sex scene photography exhibit in Chelsea, more crazy new products that will make your life much easier, and my two cents on the prime minister's resignation.

So stay tuned!

China Airlines Update: They Repainted the Plane

Look! They painted the plane! Embarrassed and shamed by the negative media coverage that has been bombarding the brand since the post-landing explosion yesterday, China Airlines hired some painters to paint over the plane's logo to make it a generic white aircraft. I don't know why it makes a difference, since pics of the original wreckage are all over the news already anyway. But whatever. The airline's official stance is this: "We followed international procedures. We do not have detailed information."

Smart.

Link
Related article: China Airlines Plane Explodes in Okinawa

Tokyo Beach Guide

Dying from the scorching sweaty heat yet? Last summer, I wrote a feature for Metropolis showcasing some of the best beaches accessible from Tokyo. The Kanto area actually has some cool beaches despite the pollution and gray sand.

P.S. News today reports that over the last two days, 18 people drowned to death across the nation at beaches and rivers. Be careful!

Read Life's a Beach

London's First Capsule Hotel

Japan's newest export? A capsule hotel, in which patrons stay in little compartments just large enough to fit a human body. Yotel just opened in London's Gatwick Airport, providing travelers a cheap, clean place to sleep. The Mainichi reports:

with features including mood lighting and luxury bedding to "induce relaxation," high-end bathroom fittings, not to mention access to free digital television, radio and Wi-Fi Internet, the cabins exude a level of comfort not previously associated with the average airport hotel.

Luxury? I guess. In my mind, luxury = a lot of private space, not a tiny slit in the wall reminiscent of the morgue. Yotel's founder, Simon Woodroffe, expects to open another Yotel at Heathrow by the fall, and plans on creating many more branches in the coming months.

New Panasonic Hipster Electric Bike

Panasonic's Cycle Web Studio is releasing a new electric bicycle that combines hipster street fashion with motocross style. For this project, Panasonic teamed up with Harajuku fashion brand Beams to release just 200 limited edition units, in orange and green, purchasable only from their "bikes are cool and so are we" Cycle Studio Web site. The bikes are 22x63 inches and weigh 44lbs. They run on nickel metal hydride batteries which last almost 2 hours--that'll take you approximately 20 miles.

Book A Room At An Akiba Capsule Hotel

You know you've always wanted to stay in Capsule Hotel. (Capsule hotel=cheap ($30), no-frills lodging that consists of a single "bed" contained in one capsule among many, stacked in rows in one big room. Shared bathrooms, snack vending machines, and lockers for your belongings are also available.) But it's hard to figure out the logistics, like where to find one, how to book one, etc. Well I'm gonna make it real easy for you. You know that trip to Akihabara that you've been yearning to take? Your fantasy of totally geeking out for a day by being inundated with comic books and cosplay shops and electronics, and electronics, and even more electronics? It's just a couple clicks away. Don't forget to book your plane tickets first.

Get a "room" at the Capsule Inn Akihabara here.

Where's Lisa? I'm At Nintendo Park, Canada

If you've been following this blog from the get-go, or even if you jumped in midway, you've probably figured out that I have a secret mission to find Mario World. Such a fantastical, wonderful place must exist somewhere in our universe! A place where turtles smile, mushrooms kill humans or give them extra lives, princesses are captured by giant thorny Koopas, and plumbers save the world. Well, guess what. I think I found Mario World. It's in Whistler, Canada, at about 6000 ft above sea level. But it's not called Mario World, it's called Nintendo Park. And it's not made of green steel pipes, but of icy half-pipes.

Yep, Nintendo Park is a freestyle terrain park at one of the world's best ski resorts, and that's where I am right now. Looking for Princess Peach!

In the meantime, since I won't be putting up new posts as often, I invite you to check out the Tokyomango archives. There's tons of timeless, fun craziness that you just might have missed along the way!

And if you have any messages for Luigi, leave me a comment and I promise to pass the word on. I ran into him on the Excelerator ski lift, and he promised to back me up on my mission.

Ninja Train

I've never been to the Iga Ninja Museum in Mie Prefecture, but I did go to a makeshift ninja house in Odaiba last month. They show you all the tricks that these feet-shuffling, shuriken-hurdling spies had to manipulate, like slanted rooms and fake doors and spinning hallways.

But I think the museum is much more realistic. It showcases real ninja swords and outfits; teaches you about ninja traditions and customs; and will pretty much fix any misconceptions about the feudal assassins that Americans now associated with a bunch of masked green turtles.

You can even learn their skillz and sneak into the Ueno Castle. Fucking rad, huh? I wanna go.

Pictured left: the Ninja Train you take to get there.

(Thanks, Nelson!)

Housewives Buy Gay Boys In Bangkok

Okay, Yaoi is one thing, but you know the gay boy fetish has gone too far when Japanese women start flying to Thailand to frequent go-go bars there. Apparently, it's the new trend for young housewives bored out of their minds to head out to Bangkok's gay bars in pairs and bring go-go boys home to their hotels and pay them to fuss over them and treat them like princesses.

Link

The Magical Roppongi Hills Elevator

The Mori Tower at Roppongi Hills features some of the best 360 aerial views of Tokyo as well as this post-modern, super-silent, double-decker elevator that goes straight up to the 53rd floor in a total time of about 12 seconds. The only time it takes longer is if somebody is using the other 'vator that runs on the same rails in the upper or lower floors--in which case the elevator stops temporarily and a female robotic voice announces that the other car is in use.

It also stops when there are earthquakes. My mom was stuck in this elevator once when there was an earthquake. The robotic lady once again came on to tell her about it. The elevator didn't make a noise or a twitch. Just stood there calmly, an oasis of peace in mid-air, at the nucleus of a chaotic giant shaking metropolis, silently waiting for the tremors to end.

(Thanks, Brian!)

Japanese Tourists Needed In Hawaii

Think there are enough Japanese tourists in Waikiki yet? Apparently, Hawaii's tourism bureau doesn't. A new $8 million campaign seeks to bring a new influx of aloha shirt-wearing teamers, kogyals, and young family vacationers--some of whom have been deterred in recent years by higher airfares and the threat of terrorism--to come back to WahooO! Oahu. 

Yeah. So if you haven't discovered "Aloha" yet, you definitely should. And if you can't afford a ticket, then fork up a few bucks for my friend Makana's new CD, it's fucking rad.

Gasoline From The Sky

People are always asking me if it's true that gasoline comes from the sky in Japan. Yes, it is, they come out of those pumps hanging from the ceiling light, which advertises regular or high-octane gas. And you don't have to do a thing at the gas station, either, cuz the guys in red do it all for you--fill up your tank, wipe your mirrors, squeegee your windows, and stop oncoming traffic to direct you out of the gas station.

Cyber Cycle Hunters.

Every year, hundreds of thousands of motorcycles are stolen from the streets of Japan and smuggled out to Taiwan and Thailand for black market resale. But thanks to a new Web site set up by comedian Supataro Kondo, Japanese bikers can rely on more than just their U-locks for the safety of their beloved Harley. Currently, over 4,000 lost bikes are listed on the site, and 25 have been found abroad thanks to the tips and pics posted on the site.

Full story here.

Tokyo Mango - India

I just came back from two weeks in India. I was planning to blog about my trip while traveling, but Internet access was super slow and inconsistent. So I'm doing it retroactively, piece by piece.

Dharamsala is the craziest, funnest place in the world. I highly recommend going there if you like people, jewelry, speeding backwards down windy mountainous roads crowded with cows and monks and rabid dogs, or all of the above.

Link

I can't believe it's airplane food!

Japan Airlines rocks! And let me tell you why:

1. The seats are notedly clean and super comfortable.
2. The aircraft is well ventilated, there's no stuffy smell of grossness like United has. I can't even smell the two businessmen sandwiching me.
3. You get super awesome individual TV screens and remote controls with a dozen movies, online shopping, and all types of video games from Mah Jongg to Tetris.
4. The food! I almost jumped out of Seat 23D when I read the menu, and yes, there's a beautiful folded menu with an illo of a flower on the cover, not some cranky flight attendant yelling "Beef or chicken!" in your face while you sleep. This is what I'm having for lunch:

Nikujyaga (Simmered beef and potato in sweet soy sauce)
Steamed rice
Sesame marinated seafood
Chicken pastrami
Potato salad
Chinese jellyfish
Fresh salad with French dressing
Banana panna cotta
Bread and butter
Green tea...I can't wait!

5. They have foot rests in economy class.
6. The flight attendants are polite, non-invasive and pretty.
7. Tickets are relatively cheap.

The only downside for me is that they just banned dogs in-flight. Since I usually go back to Japan with my puppy, I only get to take JAL when I'm going somewhere random, like New Delhi or Tel Aviv, via Tokyo. But those of you who don't have a port-a-doggy...you gotta try this. This is what living the high life is supposed to be like.

Ok, I gotta go. I have 2 hours left before I reach my destination, and I think it's time for my foot massage.

Commuter-generated electricity.

JR East's new experiment consists of energy-generators under ticket wickets, a milliwatt-tracking counter, and 700,000 daily commuters. For the next two months, the railway company will be using using the vibrations of human footsteps at Tokyo Station to generate up to 100 milliwatts per second per person that walks through. The idea is to be able to generate enough electricity to power the wickets themselves and their display panels regularly.

Don't even think about going there and stomping your feet like a maniac to fuck up their results. That wouldn't be nice.

White-gloved Super Shuttle man.

I am flying on an airplane today!

Last time I flew was to go to New York City. I took Super Shuttle to the airport. A middle aged Japanese man got on at the downtown Sheraton. I thought he was funny because he put on white gloves every time he had to carry his suitcases on and off the shuttle. To protect his hands from getting calloused, maybe? Or to protect his suitcase from getting grimy?

I might never find out the answer. Unless, by some miracle, he is on my Super Shuttle again today. You just never know.

The Salaryman and the Stationmaster

Yesterday, a drunk salaryman in his mid-fifties fell onto the train tracks in Ginza, got run over by a train, and died.

It's actually really easy to find wasted salarymen on platforms in Tokyo. This cutie pie I shared a Yamanote Line ride with had to be escorted off the retiring train by the stationmaster. Notice how he's still sleeping in all three frames. A few seconds after that, he put both hands on the wall of the escalator, opened his mouth, and yawned really loudly. Then he walked off up the staircase like he'd never had a drink in his life.