Here and There
Aug 18, 2004
An Afternoon in Aoyama
I leave in the middle of the afternoon, and take the subway to Aoyama, accompanying Yuko as she heads out to Todai. I decide to get off at the Gaienmae station, as there are a few things in the area I want to check out. Things don’t start off so well. I start by going to the Cibone shop, only to find it closed. My next stop is supposed to be the +81 shop, but I’m unable to find it (I checked the Superfuture map before leaving, but I should have printed it out; looking at the map now, I’m sure I walked in front of it, but still couldn’t spot it, so I’m wondering if it still exists or not). Since I’m in the area, I drop by the Watari-Um bookshop, drooling over some of the beautiful, yet expensive books.
Next up is Nadiff, and as I walk in that direction, I pass in front of Lotus (cafe/bar), which now seems to have a second floor area called Pond. At Nadiff, I’m surprised to see an exhibition by Yamaguchi Akira, whose t-shirt I recently bought. The works are really nice, showcasing his beautifully detailed illustrative style. Again, I spend a lot of time mesmerized by the beautiful books/magazines, but end up only picking up the first issue of the 3WWW guide (the content is available online, but I wanted a hardcopy for the archives). Amazingly, and with relief, I make my way out while having spent only 100 yen.
I then try to visit Gallery 360, only to find it closed. They’re currently between exhibitions, and the next one will start towards the end of the month. Next up is Spiral, where there are currently no exhibitions (the next event is the Kyupi Kyupi Grand Kayo Show Cabarotica), but I spend some time listening to CDs at Spiral Records (and am tempted by a few).
Going down a few back streets, I end up at the Bapexclusive shop. At the Bape Gallery, located on the second floor, there’s an interesting exhibition called “Autograf: New York City’s Graffiti Writers,” by Peter Sutherland. The show comprises of photos of graffiti artists (most of them hiding behind something, to keep their identity secret), with an autograph written on the picture with a marker by the artists, in their respective styles.
Continuing through the back streets, I end up at the Colette Meets Comme des Garcons collaboration shop (which is to last until December). The first floor has some nice objects, but nothing I can afford (I’m tempted by the COLETTE 6 compilation, but it’s a bit pricey at 6000 yen). The second floor currently hosts the Genevieve Gauckler exhibition, and the works are really fun. I’ve seen the images on the Colette DVD, but here they’re presented with with funny subtitles. The t-shirt for the show is already sold out. While I’m there, popular TV celebrity YOU (who my wife loves) shows up. She talks a bit with what looks like one of the organizers (he’s French, and is sitting there with a laptop).
I’ve been in the area for close to 4 hours now, and getting tired, I start making my way back to the station. I drop by the Rocket Gallery, where they are hosting an interesting exhibition called “Summer Printing Pool.” The gallery space transforms itself in a silkscreen studio, where you can get artwork (you can view the designs here) from various artists printed on any piece of clothing you bring in (or even hats and bags). At the store on the first floor I pick up the new issue of SAL. The final stop before leaving is the And A select shop, where Audrey has recently sold some fashion designs.
Back in Ikebukuro, I meet up with Yuko, to then go to Pause, and cap the evening with a delicious bowl of tonkotsu ramen at Tonchin.
Aug 18, 2004
REALTOKYO has some nice things to say about OK FRED, and the upcoming release party.
OK Fred is one of the better Japanese music magazines with a pleasantly hand-made feel. Increasing its volume with each issue, the makers have geared up and presented a bilingual paper with volume 3, and in celebration of the publication of volume 4 they now host a party with a line-up of artists that equals the magazine’s originality. From France come Mathieu Briand/Cercle Rouge with four turntables and a vinyl cutting machine, as well as Digiki, who plays a week later at a concert with Saeki Kenzo. Rather than the actual music, what sounds like fun at this party are the unique performances it promises, along with the nice fact that it’s free of admission!
Aug 18, 2004
Kosaka Jun
REALTOKYO art director Kosaka Jun has an upcoming solo exhibition called “Dot,” and it looks like quite interesting.
REALTOKYO art director Kosaka Jun shows his works in a solo exhibition. Coming originally from architecture, his regular vocation is — very much like a contemporary creator — graphic and web design, showcased at this exhibition in a variety of two- and three-dimensional, as well as interactive and other pieces. Kosaka’s radical ideas work out surprisingly well in his works considering the rational and logical structures that first seem conflicting with the artist’s overabundant imagination, almost bordering on vagary. Spiced up with references that hint at an awareness of actuality, the works on display come across disquieting and complex, yet dipped in an ironical type of humor that gives them at once a strangely comforting effect. Kosaka appears also in a talk show.
It takes place at Foo in Roppongi (a place I’ve never been to), and lasts until September 18.
Aug 18, 2004
PauseTalk is a regular series of events that take place at Cafe Pause on the first Monday of every month, with a start time of 20:00. The idea is to create a forum where Tokyo-based creatives can get together and discuss their own projects, as well as cultural currents of the city. The next edition happens June 4.
We hereby define a new term, that of the magaziner, described as a person who exerts an unhealthy amount of love for all things magazine. The Magaziner is a site that mostly focuses on the intersection between magazines and the digital frontier, and what it means for the medium. This does not preclude the inclusion of a healthy amount of print love.
Jean Snow is a contributor to Arcade Mania, your guide to the arcade gaming scene in Japan (Amazon US/Amazon Japan). He also provided assistance on Tokyolife: Art and Design, a guide to Tokyo's cultural output of the past few years, covering the works of over 80 influential creatives.
He will be contributing to the upcoming fifth editions of The Rough Guide to Tokyo and The Rough Guide to Japan, due for release in 2011.
Jean Snow is Executive Director of the PechaKucha organization. He also helps run the PechaKucha Night in Tokyo -- please get in touch if you are interested in presenting at a future event. For a more intimate salon-like discussion group, join him at his monthly PauseTalk event.
A longtime resident of Tokyo, he lives and breathes design, pop culture, and gaming, sustained by an unhealthy addiction to magazines and frequent visits to his favorites cafes. He has reported on these obsessions for various online/offline publications, including the following: Time, Inside (Australian Design Review), Gizmodo, Gridskipper, Kotaku, 1UP, Tokyo Q, Superfuture, OK Fred, Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel, I.D. (International Design), Metropolis, Azure, MoCo Loco, Kateigaho International Edition, Wired's Game|Life, PingMag, CNNGo, Phaidon, and The Japan Times.
You can subscribe to an RSS feed of this site, and also follow him on Twitter and Facebook, or get in touch by email.
