a slowboat to mediocrity: November 2009

this is going to be another super quick post but i am obsessed with this japanese online shop called 密買東京 (mitsubai tokyo). they sell a small and strange selection of stuff, all of which are made in japan and super random, ranging from ceramics, bags and books to kimonos and 8000dollar sushi tables. all the items come with a pretty lengthy description (very personal too, almost like blog posts) so u can really get to understand the ideas behind them...and also get a sense of the effort and love that the buyers put into selecting them

i often find myself taking photos of faded or cracked walls so this book immediately caught my eye
"book of walls"

and i am in looooooooove with these earth bags by writtenafterwards (really interesting label worth checking out). the backpack is crazy no? they are made of leather so theyre a bit expensive but im hoping i can save up for the smaller handbag

they also sell anrealage's infamous gold button jacket from a few seasons ago, manga sound effect rings, cute paintcoated shoes, stuffed toy chandeliers, uneven bookshelves and other weird things

hi im back!
wish i could blog more but ive been busy working in this little shop that sells japanese sake and young artists' ceramics. its a whole new world for me, very japanese and traditional. there are so many types of sake, and they actually each taste different if you pay attention, and depending on how theyre made you use different cups and glasses to drink them..i always thought there was something vulgar about foodies and foodism but this stuff is kinda interesting.
working 6days a week is tough but the upside is that my shop is right near the Book 1st building in ginza so i get to read tons of magazines and books during my lunch break. the other day i got michiko kitamura's "the method of costume". but more on that next time

i saw these images of the actor odagiri joe in some magazine and really fell in love with the styling. i looove this messy, slightly japanese take on european style. the idea of layering cotton henley shirts is interesting... id like to try this

ive been watching a lot of japanese movies lately.
yesterday i saw maboroshi no hikari (loosely translated as illusory light; english title: maborosi) it was slow paced in an uninteresting way but the images were fantastic. michiko kitamura chose mainly black costumes which were really effective in that the story deals with suicide and the cameras do lots of long shots where u can see only the silhouettes of the characters. the costumes worked so well with each background (a very small and beautiful town in ishikawa, north of kyoto i think) every scene was well thought out and looked like an editorial photo, but not in an unnnatural way.

i particularly liked this scene where asano and esumi paint their bicycle green.
i could only find this crappy screencap but it's nighttime and theyre decked out in black, and the bike is a beautiful green...later they ride this bike together and their bodies sort of blend into the darkness....it was so pretty

i also watched koroshiya ichi (ichi the killer) again. it's the perfect halloween movie, stylish japanese gore/horror comedies are the best!! i especially love asano tadanobu's performance in this one.

my favorite scene is when he cuts his tongue off...love the colors here

since we're talking about movies i also saw kimagure robot (capricious robot?) the other day and LOVED IT. it was one of the best short films ive seen in a while. if you know me you would know that i have a weird obsession with robots...there is something so funny and sad about the idea of human-shaped robots and how useless they are... anyway watch it if you have the chance, it's great

i took a bunch of outfit photos all in one go today but this post is long enough as it is so i think ill leave them for next time. but here's a picture of my favorite black boots at the moment:

lastly, have you ever heard of miss atomic bomb? is she famous or something? i just saw this photo for the first time while randomly browsing the web today...its morbid but im sorry to say i kind of like it.this must be what they call tragic comedy ?

"Her image has come to symbolize the bizarre love affair Las Vegas had with the Bomb in the 1950s. The famous photograph of the smiling model in a mushroom cloud bathing suit with her arms outstretched to the sky remains a powerful reminder of how sex appeal and atomic energy were once inseparable Cold War ingredients."

hope u had a good halloween <3