Coppertone Bikini Girls
Coppertone have gone nuts recently in Shibuya station, plastering at least the Yamanote line north-bound platform with pictures of bikini-clad women (and little girls) with a dog biting their butts. When I first saw this I did a double-take, turned…
Dinning Bar
I found the DINNING BAR in ultra-hip Shimo-Kitazawa a few weeks ago, and ever since have been scouring the net for what it could possibly be. My first thought was that it MUST be connected with the word ‘din’ as…
Flatland
At the center of Flatland there was a tall sky-scraper, thirty stories high. In the skyscraper were many offices, filled with workers who spent their days typing at their ledgers, recording the business of Flatland that they could see out…
The ‘other’ Colonel Sanders
His name is Koichi Sanders. He and the Colonel were divided at birth, despite not sharing a common mother nor being born in the same country or year. After that tragic separation, they never saw each other again, but for…
What a wrecked Bowling Alley looks like – the Toyo Bowl
The Toyo Bowl in Kanagawa was a mammoth venture when first dreamed up, the second biggest bowling alley in the world behind the Nagoya Toyo Bowl, featuring 108 bowling lanes spread over 3 huge floors, along with a large pachinko…
Scott and Makiko’s Wedding, Niigata
2 weeks ago my good friend Scott and his long-time girlfriend Makiko had a traditional Japanese wedding ceremony, in a hotel up in Niigata. I say ‘had a ceremony’ rather than ‘got married’ because of course- as things are done…
Push Pops
Push Pops! When I was a kid in England we had these. To have a Push Pop was a total status symbol. Adults may have walked around with ivory gilt gold-headed canes and peacock feathers in their caps, but for…
Youtei Yusui Political Water
Lots of things get politicized in life. Rock has been political for a long time- Band Aid, Live Aid, U2 are heavy into politics. Food got political with Freedom Fries vs. French Fries for a while. Environmental concerns politicize a…
Arakawa Cyclo-Campers
The Arakawa river stretches up out of Tokyo Bay and into the Saitama mountains, passing straight through the bulk of the city, picking up stray cyclists looking for a place to go as it meanders above and below ground. Some…
The Tower
This is a short story set to music with visuals. It’s called ‘The Tower’. The visuals are from Sports World and the Negishi Grandstand. The music is by ‘A Silver Mt. Zion’- ‘Stumble and Rise on some Awkward Morning.’ To…
