That's me after my talk at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan on Monday. 30-40 people came, an interesting mix of journalists and my parents' friends and some others. I think it went well! I talked about the challenges of writing about Japan for a US audience. I didn't eat the chicken-and-avocado dinner that was served to me before the talk because I didn't want to be bloated while I talked.
I've been asked to talk about my book, Urawaza, at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan's Book Break on Monday, October 20th in Tokyo. I am planning to talk about the book a little bit, but also about why writing for magazines is sometimes harder than publishing a book, and about blogging and writing about Japan and all kinds of other fun stuff. Since I'm pretty sure I will run out of things to talk about after a half hour or so, I'm hoping to turn it into a discussion on writing about Japan. So please show up if you can!
Get more info on the event and on how to sign up on the FCCJ Web site. 1850 yen includes dinner.
UPDATE: I just found out that you need to be on my "guest list" to sign up. So if you want to come, email me with the subject line "FCCJ Guest List" and include your name and phone # and commitment to pay 1850. I'll email back a confirmation. Thanks!
A lady who came to my book signing demonstrated her awesome singing skills and a trick in my book by singing while holding a wine bottle. The reason this works is because holding a heavy weight tightens your muscles, including your vocal cords.
Urawaza: Secret Everyday Tips and Tricks from Japan [Amazon]
I was on TV today, on a local ABC show called View from the Bay to promote my book, Urawaza. Lisa Quinn's the host—she's like a bad-ass Martha Stewart. I thought I'd feel like a monkey doing tricks in front of the camera, but it actually wasn't that bad.
You can watch the clip by clicking on the image above or by following this link.
I had a book signing yesterday at Double Punch. It's this super cute toy store in North Beach with an art gallery upstairs (featuring Piximix, an art collective specializing in awesome characters like a deviled Pikachu saying "I hate you.") A few friends came, some fans, and one guy who came to yell at me about how some of the tricks advocated morally bad things. (I explained that it's not a moral book, but a fun book. He eventually left.) Pics after the jump.
Continue reading "Pics from my Book Signing at Double Punch" »
If you've ever gotten a shiatsu massage, you know that a finger in the right spot can make soreness go away. Many Japanese also believe that the same method—that of finding the tsubo, or pressure points, in your body—can cure everything from eye strain from excessive computer use to constipation. Here are a couple examples. Check out a couple of examples below from my Urawaza book.
Continue reading "How to Cure Constipation With the Push of a Finger" »
My cousin Joy and her daughter Gracie show us how to make a baby stop crying using the sound of the "mouthfeel" stage of wine-tasting. We spent all Sunday afternoon on the couch, and it was amazing how well this worked! Sometimes it even made her bust out laughing. And no, she did not end up taking a sip at the end.
For more Urawaza videos, click here.
Pick up your own copy of the book here.
I made Facebook fan pages for TokyoMango and Urawaza. I don't know why—it just seemed like a good idea, plus I'm up early on a Sunday morning and I'm bored. (Same reason I started Tokyomango a year and a half ago...nothing to do on a Sunday morning.)
So far, I'm the only fan of both. :(
Become a fan of TokyoMango.
Become a fan of Urawaza.
In this video, Brian shows us one of the tricks from my book, Urawaza. I spilled egg yolk on the floor this morning. By sprinkling salt on top of it, though, we were able to change the texture of the egg so that it's easier to clean up. It really works!
For more Urawaza videos, click here.
Or even better, pick up your own copy of the book here.
I'm really bad at self-promotion and publicity and all that blah blah, but I think it's time to remind you guys that if you haven't already, you should buy my new book, Urawaza: Secret Everyday Tips and Tricks from Japan. It's a great gift idea for a birthday or Memorial Day or a very belated Mother's Day. Basically, I researched over 100 weird tricks—like how to clear your sinuses using scallions or how to run faster using rubber bands—and wrote up real-world scenarios of when you might need them, and scientific explanations on why they work. My publisher, Chronicle Books, did a great job with the design—it's like a pretty miniature coffee table book.
The first time I wrote about the urawaza phenomenon was in the October 2006 issue of Wired. That was back when TokyoMango was just a month old! One of my editors at Wired, Rob Capps, had been watching these strange YouTube videos at work, and I did a little research and found out it was from a Japanese TV show. Hence the magazine story, and then a Chronicle editor contacted me, and here we are.
In the intro, I write about how the concept of urawaza evolved from being gamer geek lingo to a more universal household term. I also tell stories about getting in trouble in grade school and an important lesson my mom taught me in adulthood.
Curious? You can get it on Amazon. And I'll make sure I tell you guys when my next book signing is. (I did one at Maker Faire, but I forgot to write about it. Did I tell you I was bad at this publicity stuff?)
My book publisher, Chronicle Books, is having an Urawaza contest via their weekly newsletter. Check out the rules!
POST YOUR OWN URAWAZA VIDEO AND WIN!
The first 10 readers to submit a video will win a free copy of Urawaza. Also, one lucky winner, selected by Lisa Katayama, will have the chance to share their urawaza with our readers as a guest author on the Chronicle Books Blog.*
To enter the contest:
1. Create a video of your favorite lifestyle trick in action and post it to your YouTube account.
2. Describe your video and tag it with Urawaza, Chronicle Books, DIY, and anything else you'd like.
3. Send the link to webmaster@chroniclebooks.com with your name, city, and Urawaza in the subject line.
Now go get tricky!
*Winner will be selected from all entries received by June 15, and will be notified by email. By entering the contest, you agree to all credited reuse of your video by Chronicle Books and author Lisa Katayama.
My friend Steven just IM-ed me to say that my book is available on Amazon. Official release date is April 2, so if you order it now, you can be one of the first people in the world to ever read it. Also, I'm looking for people who will make videos of them trying out tricks from the book—there are over a hundred to choose from, and if you send me the file or link, I'll upload it on YouTube and post it on my blog. And maybe someone famous will link to it, and you can become a web celeb. So buy the book, take out your camcorder, and start shooting!
Click here to see videos my friends and I made.
In this video, Melissa shows us how to get rid of excess beer foam using olive oil. This is one of the tricks from my book, Urawaza: Secret Everyday Tips and Tricks from Japan, which comes out next month.
You guys are welcome to submit videos of you and your friends trying out tricks from the book--or even ones that you know yourselves! Just email them to me and I'll put them up on this blog.
James shows us how to prevent body odor using baking soda and lemon...and he takes off his shirt! This is one of the tricks in my book, Urawaza, which comes out soon.
Here's another trick from my Urawaza book.
Here's my friend James sampling a trick from my book—getting pen marks off your hands and arms using tea bags. Check out how well it works with a Sharpie!
Book's not out yet, but once it is, we're gonna be asking readers to submit their own videos too.
Hey, guess what? I wrote a book. It's called Urawaza: Secret Everyday Tips and Tricks from Japan
