Just a reminder that following a skip month, PauseTalk returns this coming Monday (February 2) at Cafe Pause. Start time is 20:00 as usual, and I’d urge everyone who plans on coming to try and arrive on time, because it’s a bit awkward to have people arrive throughout the session — I know it’s unavoidable for some, I’d just like to avoid it if possible.

Looking forward to finding out what everyone is up to, and what is being planned for 2009!

Paul sends me word that there’s one week left to apply for the “UK-Japan 2008 Collaborative Project Grant.” Find out more here.

Mekas posts a very long interview with magazine editor/photographer Yasumasa Yonehara.

My weekly Tokyo post for MoCo Loco is up, this time covering Shunsuke Terada’s Oblique vase (above), Jin Kuramoto’s Lilliput series, and Satoshi Nakagawa’s Handy Birdy Minny ballpoint pen.

James Patterson shares his time between the US and Japan — he’s a PauseTalker too — and the latest project he’s worked on is an iPhone version of WordPop — here’s a direct link to the iTunes App Store. The premise is that you make words out of blocks on the screen, racking up points. Simple and fun.

Interesting idea: Norihiko Terayama‘s “Claska 701 Someone’s Atelier” installation is actually set up in one of the hotel’s rooms (701, of course). Even better, you can stay in the room. Spoon & Tamaga posts more details and photos.

In case you missed last night’s airing on NHK of the show featuring Ryue Nishizawa and Bakusho Mondai, it will be rerun February 2 at 15:15, and February 3 at 8:30 (on BS2). The page for the show also now includes more commentary from everyone involved (Japanese-only).

I just put up a post about the Pecha Kucha Night event held in Denver last week over at Pecha Kucha Daily, and wanted to share the image above, of the audience spelling out PKN with their mobile phones — love the effect it created. Maybe we should try and make it happen at tomorrow’s Tokyo edition!

A special edition issue of OK Fred — produced in collaboration with last month’s “Death by Basel” exhibition at Art Basel 2008 in Miami and featuring an interview with the Boredoms’ EYE Yamataka — is now available for purchase online. The 76-page publication is $15 — here’s a look at a few pages inside.

Yet another casualty of the precarious economic climate: Kateigaho International Edition is now over. Quite a shame — it was an attractive magazine, and I had the pleasure of contributing a few pieces to it in the past.

My friend Momo — she directed all the segments of Tokyo Eye that I appeared in — has completed work on a show for NHK that will feature architect Ryue Nishizawa (of SANAA) discussing various topics with comedians Bakusho Mondai. The show will air this Tuesday (January 27) at 23:00.

From the screen grabs found on this page, it looks like they’ll be visiting some of Nishizawa’s works. Above, I believe they are standing in front of the Moriyama House, which I got to cover in one of those Tokyo Eye segments.

Jason may have left Tokyo, but he’s still up to some good stuff, including this, the official launch of a web presence for the Polytron Corporation, which includes teases of upcoming downloadable game Fez — no platform yet announced — and a mysterious iPhone title. Love the press release.

Digiki’s Dense Music project comes to a close with the release of a 12″ vinyl, from Jetset Records and Tokyo Fun Party. More details here.

Kazuaki Kiriya’s follow-up to the visually-stunning Casshern is Goemon, and from the trailer (above), it looks like we can expect another healthy dose of celluloid eye-candy. Via Imprint Talk, which includes more details on the film.

• Tokyo-based illustrator John Shelley will be giving a lecture called “Power Portfolios: Learn the secrets of building a better portfolio and showing it effectively” at the Tokyo Women’s Plaza on February 8 (from 13:30, 1,500 yen). The event will also include one-on-one portfolio critiques (3,500 yen, reservation required by January 25). Email for more details.