Month: May 2004

Robert, my ramen rival, makes another great find: Match-Bo. In his words, it “brings Wakayama-Prefecture flava mixed in with a healthy dose of Shibuya style (the store has a digital video projector, an ultra slick interior, and the staff are tres cool).” I think I know where our next ramen date will be.

Thanks to Yuko’s mother, we’re heading to Taipei next weekend! It’ll be the first time there for both of us, so looking forward to seeing what kind of place it is (some people say it’s somewhere between China and Hong Kong). We’ll go on Saturday and come back on Monday, so not much time, but…

We head out for Aoyama late in the afternoon (Saturdays tend to start late for us) and get there around 4:30. I start by checking the map at the Omotesando station koban to find out where the newly opened BOOK246 shop is, only to find out that’s a bit out of the way (it’s close…

This month’s GGG exhibition sees the designs of Sato Taku in a show called “Plasticity.” Designer Sato Taku has been responsible for the packaging of countless hit items, including Nikka Whiskey Pure Malt, Meiji Oishii Gyunyu milk and Lotte Xylitol Gum. Here he shows the whole range of his work and gives his own explanation…

The new issue of AXIS (109) is now out. Here’s a blurb on the feature, “The City in Metamorphosis – creating urban environments in the 21st century,” from their site: The awareness that “the 20th century model has its limits and is on the decline” is a growing perception in virtually every field of human…

I stopped at Junkudo early this afternoon on my way to work to pick up the latest PAPER SKY, and instead picked up the new issue of +81 (24). It’s the “Nipponia Nippon” issue, and covers all sorts of Japanese creative types, from web designers like Nakamura Yugo, to magazine editor/designers like Cap’s Fujimoto Yasushi…

TELEVIEWS, a weekly column on Japanese TV that appears in THE DAILY YOMIURI, this week takes a look at what makes Japanese TV different. Beat Takeshi has been doing quite well with an unsettling, almost spooky, medical check/health advice variety show called Saishu Keikoku: Takeshi no Honto wa Kowai Katei no Igaku (Medical Horror Check…

Just a reminder to one and all that a new issue of online Japanese design zine SHIFT (090) is now up. I must say that I preferred it when the “Girls on the Street” column was based in Japan.