Chin Music Press is at it again, and even though you know I can’t help but show love to them, I’m here to inform you that you WILL be pre-ordering their upcoming release NOW! ART SPACE TOKYO: AN INTIMATE GUIDE TO THE TOKYO ART WORLD is a guide to twelve of Tokyo’s art spaces by way of 20 interviews and eight essays from people who know a thing or two (or three) about the Tokyo art scene. The book is edited by Ashley “TAB and TABlog editor” Rawlings, and of course lovingly designed by Craig “I will build myself a Moulton” Mod.
The book will be out in April, but you can pre-order it now and save $8 — that’s only $22 with free shipping anywhere — which is what I just did (hey, as much as I want to support them, I can’t pass up on a deal).
Tokyo-based illustrator Shantell Martin is everywhere these days, the latest being in a report currently airing on Music Japan TV. You can watch it online here.
I stopped by the Creation Gallery G8 in Ginza the other day for the “86th Art Directors Club Annual Awards” exhibition. I always enjoy going to this to see all of the interesting ad work and TV commercials I don’t see here in Japan, and this year I really liked watching the winning works in the hybrid section (sort of a mixed-media category).
The show also has me thinking that I need to start buying THE NEW YORK TIMES on Sundays, just to get a hold of the Sunday magazine — a bunch of their covers and layouts were awards winners, and looked amazing. Also, great to see Canadian magazine THE WALRUS get some attention. You still have a few more days to catch the exhibition (until February 29).
Having to deal with empty stores (in Tokyo at least), I guess Bape has to do what it can to sell some products. Everybody loves the DS, right? Enter the Bape-branded Nintendo DS Lite. Via Kotaku.
Update
If the Bape-branded Nintendo DS Lite doesn’t interest you, then how about a DS co-branded with the Honeyee magazine and website and Hiroshi Fujiwara.
THE JAPAN TIMES covers the Manga Museum in Kyoto. I agree with Imprint Talk, why isn’t there one in Tokyo?
Over at Clast, Marxy examines booms as a marketing strategy, and the end of an era. I’m just sorry I missed out on 1957, the year of the Calypso Style.
Time to share some cycling playlists! If you have some mixes you’ve made for riding please post the track list in the comments thread. Here’s my latest one, I call it “Cyclo de GO!”
- Air Miami – “Airplane Rider”
- Mark Robinson – “100% Garanteed”
- Holland – “Anorexic Colt Herd”
- Pixies – “Alison”
- Black Francis – “Threshold Apprehension”
- Superchunk – “Slack Motherfucker”
- Pavement – “Flux=Rad”
- Peaches – “You Love It”
- Mother Mother – “Oh Ana”
- Eric’s Trip – “Girlfriend”
- New Model Army – “Poison Street”
- Thee Headcoatees – “Wild Man”
- Whitey – “Non Stop”
Studio Coast in Shin-Kiba, where I saw The Arcade Fire perform earlier this month. It’s part of the Ageha club complex, and seeing that show marked the first time I’d been in the area — the only time I’m even in Shin-Kiba is to change trains on my way to the Makuhari Messe convention center. The hall itself was rather nice, and it’s pretty much as big as I can handle for a live show (I avoid stadium shows at all costs).
What is TB.Pensar? Find out here.
Recently I’ve been thinking about making a few changes on the site. Nothing major, just a few little tweaks here and there. One thing I’ve been noticing is that most readers don’t realize that you can go through the posts on this site by way of categories, which are listed at the top of the page, underneath the “jeansnow.net” title. Those are parent category links that bring you to even more categories. I’m thinking I have to make this more clear, and so will probably include them in the sidebar somehow. Also, I don’t have any direct links to date-based archives because I find them to be useless, but am I wrong? Are there people that like to check posts on a site for a particular month?
Recently I was experimenting with using Google Search for the site instead of the regular WordPress search, thinking it would provide better results. I found that I had more trouble finding content with Google — yes, I actually search my site all the time looking for info — and so I’ve decided to go back to the original WP search feature.
I’d of course appreciate getting any comments or suggestions on things that you think would make the site easier to use. I think it pretty much works fine for what it needs to do, but I’m sure I could improve parts of it. The site is probably due for a major overhaul (structurally and graphically), but it’s not something I really want to take on right now.
Kengo Kuma‘s inflatable tea house was part of an installation at the Museum für Angewandte Kunst in Frankfurt last year. More info at PSFK.
My weekly Tokyo post for MoCo Loco is up, this time covering Takumi’s Chimney III humidifier, I.D.E.A International‘s One Strap Nylon Bag, and No Quiet‘s utsuwa line.
A while back when I stopped by the Less Rain offices, I was just blown away by the site Carsten was working on. It’s now live, so go to the Red Bull Flugtag Flight Lab, build yourself a plane, and get flying! More on the site here from the Less Rain blog.
I mentioned it last year, and I’m very happy to announce that we’re finally getting close to hosting a Speakerdog exhibition at Cafe Pause. The show, which will take place the week of March 17-23, is called “The Greatest Hits,” and will include, well, a greatest hits collection all five series that have been released so far. Time to get folding!
Josh McKible‘s Nanibird site gets a major update, now with 15 available designs, including contributions from Shantell Martin and Yuki Nakano. There’s even a special collaboration between Josh and Ben the Illustrator of Speakerdog!
Jean Snow is a contributor to 
He will be contributing to the upcoming fifth editions of 
