Anyone who has tried to find some free wi-fi spots in Tokyo will know just how big a deal this is: Starbucks is set to offer free wi-fi in 94 of its stores in Japan starting November 1, with plans to expand after that. Tokyo web workers rejoice. Via Jason Jenkins.
Update: The service may not be as free as I had hoped, and may be limited to customers of NTT’s Flet’s.
Update 2: Some good news — it’s been confirmed that the service is indeed free.
Update 3: Well, looks like we were wrong. The service is indeed only for customers of Flet’s and Mzone — here’s the press release from Starbucks.
It’s been a long time coming, but White Rabbit Press has finally released the second volume in its Tokyo Realtime audio tour series, this time covering Akihabara. The tour is currently available as a digital download — for $12, with a sample available on the official site — and the full print package will be coming out within the next few weeks.
As I wrote for the Kabukicho tour, this is an absolutely terrific way to take in these areas. More than just a voice guiding you through the streets, spots, and stores, each tour features sound and music elements that help put everything in the proper context.
Chances are you’ve already noticed the tweets and a few posts last week, but yes, I was very happy to see the new CNNGo site go in public beta mode last week. Although it may come off at first as just a new travel portal, the audience for the site are really the expats, the people already living in those cities looking to get more out of them. Of course, anyone passing through will also get a lot out of the site, it just means that the content doesn’t tend to be overly touristy.
The site is currently Asia-only, covering the following cities: Bangkok, Hong Kong, Mumbai, Shanghai, Singapore, and of course, Tokyo. That last one is edited by one W. David Marx, and a look at the list of contributors will immediately reveal a lot of names regular readers of this site will surely recognize (Matt Alt, Patrick Macias, and many more). I’ve contributed as well — one of my pieces is on my fave burgers in town — and look forward to writing more for the site.
TAB‘s Tokyo Art Map for September/October is out — with spiffy new colors — and can be picked up around town at the usual spots (including Cafe Pause, of course). You can also download a PDF version here.
Yes, that is indeed a whole lotta kanji in one spot, and in fact includes the entire 1945 kanji that are considered for “official general use” by the Japanese government. The poster was produced by White Rabbit Press, and is based on their very successful series of kanji cards. The poster can be ordered online here, and if you enter the following code during the checkout process, you’ll receive a 35% discount:
JEANSNOWKP35OFF
In other WRP news, since the last time I covered the Tokyo Realtime series, they’ve now released a downloadable version of the Kabukicho tour that sells for $8 — I’d still recommend getting the physical copy at $20, which includes a beautiful booklet and map. And the next tour is now in the last phases of production, and so should be out by the end of the summer. I don’t know if I can mention the area yet, but I volunteered to do a test run of it this weekend, and I’m very much looking forward to trying out.
At Monday’s PauseTalk (Vol. 33) I called on TABlog editor William Andrews to talk a bit about the Tokyo art scene, and we touched on the fact that galleries in Tokyo tend to be all over the place. It’s interesting to see that today on TABlog, William writes about Bakurocho, and area that is apparently turning into a sort of art town because of all the galleries moving there.
Update: Another aspect of the Tokyo art scene we discussed was in relation to the recession, and William points us to this post that was published on TABlog a while back.
The Superfuture Superguide series of downloadable PDF shopping guides is joined by a new city: enter the Beijing Superguide. Can’t wait to use it on my next trip there. Of course, make sure to grab a copy of the Tokyo Superguide when in town, which I update monthly.
Just a reminder that the May/June ’09 edition of TAB’s Tokyo Art Map is out. If you can’t find it, you can download and print a PDF version as well (fits on four A4 sheets).
Art director Luis Mendo decided to take a 3-month “inspirational retreat” in Tokyo, and he’s been keeping some brilliantly illustrated diaries of his everyday experiences — see the Flickr photoset of some of the pages. He’s also putting together a great web-based diary of his Tokyo adventures, featuring photos, videos, etc.
I posted about it over at PechaKucha Daily last week — where you can see a few images from a PKN presentation — but I certainly need to mention here as well Claska‘s new bilingual (English/Japanese) pocket cityguide, Tokyo by Tokyo. The idea was to invite 70 creatives — our good friend Marxy is even in the mix — who each contributed their favorite Tokyo spots. Each entry even tells you which other entries are nearby, and there are also coordinates for use on Google Maps.
The price is definitely right (1,200 yen) and it can be found in stores around the city — Claska sells it online through its website, but the interface is Japanese-only.
TAB‘s new Tokyo Art Map — their first anniversary edition — is out, and it looks great as always. If you can’t find one in town, you can also download a PDF version.
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.
Codex is a weekly music podcast hosted by Jean Snow, recorded in Tokyo. Playlists for all episodes are posted on the site, and you can subscribe to RSS feeds of posts and episodes.
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.
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.
You can subscribe to an RSS feed of this site, and also follow him on Twitter and Facebook, or get in touch by email.
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