Alright, I have been swamped with work and have clearly been neglecting my blog. I just don’t have the energy for it now so sorry! I do have some plans for a revamp so please bear with me for a bit. I promise to have it going again soon.

Meanwhile, the [...]

I recently had the chance to catch up with Robby!

You may remember him as one of the creative directors of JDM INSIDER!

Since then, he’s advanced quite a bit and it was great to hang out with him in Tokyo.

Robby, thanks for the fun time and wasn’t partying the bomb?

hahaha…hope you made it home [...]

It was cherry blossom season  here in Tokyo and the whole city turned out to enjoy the scenery!

桜が満開になったので花見しに行きました！

This ain’t no joke. Look how crowded it is!

言うまでもないが激混みだった！

They broadcast the exact days when the sakura are in full bloom so the weekend of full bloom is like a carnival!

武道館の外はこんな感じだった。もうお祭り状態！

They’ll [...]

Uhh… no…

ん〜〜…ちがう…

STRONG and takoyaki are the bomb…

those who know, know… = )

STRONGとたこ焼き…

究極のスナック。

This is Tintin’s first time off his leash in a wide open space…

Look at his face…FREEDOM!!

RUN TINTIN RUN~~~!!

初めての大きな空き地…リード無しで遊ぶのも初めて…

初めての自由！！初めての経験！！

ティンティン走れ〜〜！！

RUN TINTIN RUN~~~~!!

走れ〜〜〜〜〜〜〜！

The faster you run, the faster you go!!

速く走れば走るほど進む！！

Do dogs really smile?

犬は本当に笑うの？

Ask Tintin.

ティンティンに聞いてみ〜…

I was recently invited by Keiko to the premiere of her most recent movie, “Hana no Ato”

最近Keikoから連絡があり、彼女の最新作「はなのあと」の舞台挨拶に行ってきました！

Man, the place was PACKED…

Keiko has really built up a big following…Good for her!!

いや〜混んでた〜〜！

やっぱ景子はすごい！

Here, Keiko plays the role of a Japanese girl in the super old school samurai days.

景子の作品としては初めての時代劇。普段の景子とのギャップがすごすぎて楽しみだった！

She has this [...]

One of my favorite things to do on the weekends is Ramen time.

Nothing beats a lunchtime beer with C☆ and some dope Kyushu ramen!

最近は昼間のビールが僕の一つのweekend楽しみになってるんだ。

九州ラーメンとビール…オヤジ達が昼から飲み始める気持ちが少し分かる（笑）

This ramen shop right near my house is the bomb! Check out these gyoza dumplings!

They pack an explosion of flavor!

うちの家の近くにあるラーメン屋。たまたま入った店なんだけど、マジで俺好み。

餃子の味は最高！うめ〜〜〜〜！！

Ahhh, and C☆‘s favorite Negi (onion) ramen.

Nice [...]

Sundays are now a special day to relax, recharge and to exercise.

Tintin and C☆ are my partners in crime!

最近日曜日は体と心のリセットする日になってます。

いろいろな意味で充電し、健康のために運動もしてます。

そして一番の仲間はティンティンとC☆です！

Tintin doesn’t care about our agenda at all. He’s just happy cruising around the city.

でもティンティンはうちのプランにはまったく興味ありません…

Today, we went to check out a dog cafe in Sangubashi called Anea.

It’s been featured on TV [...]

After a great bday party with the crew, it was time for me to indulge in one of my favorite foods!

C☆and I challenged the all you can eat crab festival for 2 hours!!

MEDUSAのパーティーも無事に終わり、C☆と一緒に僕の大好きな蟹の２時間食べ放題に挑戦しました！

They had 3types of crab including this sweet “kegani” …

蟹は３種類もあり、こういう毛蟹も食べ放題！

I love the crab “brains”…the best part!! Yeah, [...]

As Golden February moved on, it was time for my Bday party at Medusa in Ebisu.

Golden Februaryも順調に続き、恵比寿のMEDUSAで僕の誕生会が行われました。

I was so happy that everyone could make it out. Usually they are super busy people so it was really heartwarming.

みんな忙しいスケジュールなのにわざわざ出てきてくれました！

The place had multiple aquariums filled with tropical fish, jellyfish and more…

店の中はこんな感じでした〜

Feb 20 was part of “Golden February”. It was the one year marriage anniversary for me and C☆！

Wow, one year already!? It’s got to be fun if one year went by that fast!

February is “golden” because it has Valentines Day, our anniversary, and my birthday in back to back to back weekends.

Anyways, [...]

I was rudely awakened one Sunday morning by the loud noises outside.

I went out on to my freezing balcony to find this crazy group of striking people.

せっかくの日曜日だったのにこの前、外のうるさい音に起こされた。

ベランダに出てみたらストしてる人たちがいっぱい！

They were mostly old people and it was like 2 degrees celsius (35F) outside…

外気温が２度くらいしかなかったのにほとんど老人だった…

Hope you get whatever you were striking for…just please strike [...]

Check out these pictures by artist Li Wei !!

I’ve split some of his work onto to two entries.

He uses mirrors, physical strength, imagination, and the power of illusion to make these truly remarkable pictures…Amazing…Enjoy!!

アーティストLi Weiさんの作品を紹介します！

画像が多かったので二つのエントリーに別けてアップします。

フォトショップの加工はなく、鏡、体力、想像力、と錯覚の原理を使った作品です。

とても面白い画像を楽しんで下さい！

After a long wait, I upgraded my phone to the new SH03B.

２年間ぶりに機種変更をしました！今回は発売されたばかりのSH03B!!

With my built up points and a plan renewal, I was able to get this for nothing out of pocket on the first release day.

ポイントがたまっていたので頭金はなし！発売日にGET~

Touch screen top with TV, electronic money, I-mode, full screen [...]

Here is Tokyo Tower from the 49th floor of Roppongi Hills.　I never get tired of it.

六本木ヒルズの49階からみた東京タワー。

いつ見てもいいね。

I recently go the chance to catch up with racing driver Tarzan Yamada and Hideo.

It was nice to catching up with them. Quick chats, ideas, and brainstorming.

Great lunch!

久々にレーシングドライバー　ターザン山田と富高さんとランチ。いろんな話したな〜

今後もまた一緒に何かできそう…楽しみだ。

Since it was below freezing outside and we only had one day at the show, I didn’t get to take many pictures at Bread and Butter. Of course, the restriction on photography in general didn’t help much either. The only thing I took was the lunch tent here.

ショーは撮影禁止だったし外気温もマイナスだったので、ショーの写真はあまり撮らなかった。ランチを食べる広場しか撮れなかった…

This was the stage [...]

I recently went to Amsterdam and Berlin to tour the GSTAR headquarter offices and booth at the Bread and Butter Berlin Show.

We had a super tight schedule so it was nice of GSTAR to fly us out on business class…we wouldn’t have made it back without it!

この前GSTARの本社と

On Feb 2, 2010, the drifting community lost another important member.

Atsushi Kuroi passed away due to a motorcycle accident. He was 42.

I had the pleasure of working with him on various projects including JDM INSIDER and all the D1 events…

It’s quite a shock and I’m just sorry that I had to find out [...]

It snowed for the first time in 2 yrs the other night.

この前２年ぶりに都内で雪が降った！

Meiji Dori Street was pure white in just a few hours!

明治通りは数時間で真っ白！

Super fun for some reason…

何故かめっちゃ楽しかった…

Everyone (including me) always complains about Tokyo Auto Salon one way or another…the show is smaller…the cars suck…etc, etc… But the truth of the matter is that we all still go and if you look hard, you’ll usually find a handful of cars you like that makes the whole trip worthwhile.

For me, it’s [...]

Here’s another display from last year. A pair of Lamborghini’s .

これも今年展示されていたな。ランボルギーニー。

But screw that, this is much more to my liking. The Super GT GTR’s!

でもそんな車よりこっちの方が全然いい！スーパーGTのGTR!!

The NSX’s were on display too. Now that the Honda HSV-010 GT has taken the mighty NSX’s place, these guys can now take a rest.

NSXも展示されていた。今年からHonda HSV-010 [...]

Tokyo Auto Salon is full of cars but the camera nerds still dominate the aisles.

Here is Albert wrecking their game by standing next to the model and taking a picture of them!

Hahaha, they were not laughing…but we were!

オートサロンにはもちろんいろんな車が展示されてるんだけどやっぱりカメラ小僧が目立つね。

みんなキャンギャルを撮りに来てるんだけどちょっとやり過ぎな面もあると思う。

そこでアルバートがこんな事を！キャンギャルの横に立って撮影の邪魔！（笑）最高！！

This isn’t a Mustang like you might think,…it’s a JZA80 Supra base…

これはムスタングではない！よく見るとJZA80スープラ…

I’d [...]

DJNABS and Power Enterprise was nice enough to hook us up with tickets to TAS 2010 this year.

今年は渡辺さんとパワーエンタプライズからチケットをもらい、東京オートサロンに行ってきました。

Here is Bon, Shikachan, DJNABS, me and C☆。

ぼんちゃん、しかちゃん、渡辺さん、俺とC☆。

Aside from having a bunch of ECO-POWER showcars, they had this!

A Quad Charged VR!! WTF!?

エコパワー系の車両はもちろん展示してあったんだけどこれもあった！

FOUR CHARGE式のVRエンジン！信じられない！

Of course the engine had the two turbochargers…

もちろんエンジンには二つのタービンが装着されていたが…

I recently went to Grill Suzunari to drink with D1 drivers Ueno and Yoshioka.

As you know, Grill Suzunari is Azusa (Ueno’s pro drifting wife’s)  family restaurant.

They specialize in okonomiyaki, teppan yaki and all kinds of shochu.

先日D1プロドリフトドライバーの上野さんと吉岡さんと飲みに行ってきました！

場所はJDM INSIDERでも紹介した新橋にあるアリサさんの店グリル鈴なり！

いろいろな焼酎に拘っている店です！

We had great tasty dishes [...]

(CLICK TO ENLARGE)

(クリックで拡大）

It’s that time of the year again!

We’re having our Import Denim Family Sale at Eiko!!

Dirt cheap prices for top brand jeans.

Jan 22, 10am- 8pm

Jan 23, 10am-6pm

I’m gonna miss Friday because I’ll be in Berlin but I’ll be there on Saturday!

If you can only make it on Friday but still want the [...]

I love GTR’s…all of them.

僕は昔からGTRが大好きです。すべてのモデルが好きだ。

The GTR was meant to carry more than just 2 people and was originally designed to win at the race track while keeping it’s street car heritage and obligations. They purposely kept the blocky sedan design instead of a more aerodynamic body like the NSX and LF-A. While unfortunately not any [...]

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Since 2010 is the year of the tiger,  I thought this rare picture of the Tin-Tiger in the wild would be nice.

2008 was a year of restarting, 2009 was a year of difficult preparation and study, but with all that almost done, 2010 is going to be a year of execution and active [...]

Merry Christmas everybody!

This year, I’ve grown out my beard to look like Santa.

皆さん！メリークリスマス！

今年はクリスマスのためにサンタみたいに毛を伸ばしてみました。どう？

似てる？

And since today is Christmas, they asked me to show you my new outfit…

そして今日はクリスマスなので僕の衣装を見せるように指示されました…

Hand made for me by C☆！You like!?

C☆の手作り！どう！？

But what to I really want for Christmas?

でも本当は何が一番欲しいの？

A haircut.

毛を切ってもらいたいです…

And some Christmas spirit…

そしてクリスマスっぽい飾りと音楽…

and some Christmas cake…

クリスマスケーキも…

Don’t forget some Christmas candles!

クリスマス用のロウソクも忘れずに！

and now I wait for Santa.

これでサンタを待つだけ！

Merry [...]

Today we gathered at a  bar somewhere in Tokyo for Masatoshi’s Birthday bonanza!

今日は都内のバーでマサトシ君の誕生日会を祝いました！！

“OK, who says we all get wasted tonight!?”

Masatoshi! Your hand isn’t up!

「よっしゃ〜！！今夜死ぬまで飲む人〜〜！？」

マサトシ！手が上がってないぞ！

Ahh, but there was no escape for the birthday boy!!

Icchi (Hayato Ichihara) was there to make sure Masatoshi got super [...]

Finally!

やっとです！

After a few days of trial and error, I finally wired my extra macs and hard drives to a remote vnc network.

Why?  Convenience of course!

I can control my extra macs, PC’s and hard drives remotely from my work or anywhere in the world really. It’s basically my own personal server network. Pretty exciting [...]

1 hour a day of pure fun.  New Super Mario Bros for Wii.

Get it.

最近ぼくの毎日一時間の楽しみ。New Super Mario Bros for Wii

おもろい。

In Japan, many things are digital…so are restaurant menus

日本では何でもデジタル化しちゃいます。海外では珍しいデジタルメニューもあります！

Although there are touch screen digital menus also, this is a more rare version.

チェーン店の居酒屋にはデジタル画面のタッチスクリーン　メニューもあるけどこのタイプはあまり見ないよね。

It uses this touch pen.

このペンを使ってオーダーを入れて行きます〜。

You touch the pen to the corresponding chips on the menu to order.

メニューにはチップがいっぱい入っててそこに商品データが入ってる。

You can choose quantity and other factors from [...]

Our friends from Dr Denim were in town so we decided to get some drinks after a long day’s work.

Here is Alex, Morten, and myself.

Dr Denim が仕事で来日していたので夜も一緒に遊ぶ事に…

マーケティングを担当してるアレックスとデザイナーを勤めているアレックスの父モーテンさんが今回来ました。

Of course, in Shibuya, there is nothing to do except drink lots of alcohol, dance, or play darts/ billiards.

We opted for darts and tequila…as [...]

TINTIN’S PLACE

As promised, the new Tintin’s Place is back online with a new look. Although popular in the US, the comic book style is still rare in manga Japan so I figured I’d mix up some styles. The story is created by Tintin himself so not even I know what to [...]

My family and I have been Lexus fans since day1. We’ve constantly bought many Lexus’s including LS’s, RX’s, and GS’s. We currently have an LS460.

うちの家族と俺はレクサスファン。もう何台も乗っててLS,GS,RXも全部経験済み。今はLAにLS460が一台ある。

But the LFA is one supercar I’d love to have！

でもやっぱりこれでしょう！スーパーカーのLFAです！

I live like less than 10minutes from the Lexus International Gallery in Aoyama so [...]

I dropped by an even that we were having at one of our Levi’s stores, CINCH Tokyo.

World renowned artist KRINK was in town for the event “A Piece of Detail” Installation by Craig “KR” Costello presented by Levis. He was there to promote his work as well as display [...]

It’s only been almost a week since Halloween and it already seems like so long ago!

ハロウィーンが終わってから一週間も立たないんだけどすげ〜昔のような感じ！

So for Halloween, we all met up at the usual place in Shibuya.

I finally got to live the dream of being a real pumpkin head…not just being called one by Jeff all the time.

今年のハロウィーンはいつもの場所でパーティー！

俺もPumpkin Headで登場〜！

学生の頃からJeffにPumpkin headと呼ばれていたため、若干トラウマだった…

この帽子で本当にPumpkin headになっちゃった…

I recently updated to world104 to v3. Still amateur, but better than before!

Same content, different presentation…hope you like.

Now it’s time to update Tintin’s Place.

world104.comのリニュアルをしました！

まだまだアマチュアだけど前よりはマシかな？（笑）

次はTintin’s Placeのリニュアルだ！

I have a job opportunity for anyone who is qualified and interested.

JOB DESCRIPTION:

Branch manager of a well known and respected small tuning company.

Location is Orange County, CA

Starting salary is between $30-40K depending upon experience.

Must be bilingual in Japanese and English.

Must have a decent knowledge of cars, tuning, and the current US tuning market. [...]

Finished work and went out to go eat yakiniku BBQ beef in Shibuya.

今夜は仕事を終わらせ、みんなと食事。今日は渋谷にある韓国風焼き肉。ボンちゃんもおつかれ！

One shot with Erika, Bon, and Masatoshi. Shikachan and Kamecan couldn’t make it because they were too busy trying to conquer the fashion world.

えりか、ボンちゃんとマサトシ君でワンショット！シカちゃんと亀ちゃんは仕事が忙しく、来れず…

Behold the Shibuya river…

食事も終わり、きれいな渋谷川？の横を…

We [...]

I’m from Southern California and in SOCAL, we have some great Mexican food…maybe because it’s because we’re right next door to Mexico.

One thing I can’t find in Japan is decent Mexican food! It’s either waaaay too expensive or just plain tastes like crap. Who pays $50 for Mexican food!? …and many places don’t [...]

Tokyo intersections can be very dangerous if you’re not watching where you go.

ちゃんと周りを見てないと東京の交差点は危ないぞ！

The elderly need to be especially careful.

年寄りの方は特に気をつけなければなりません。

With all these crazy intersections, walkways, and street corners…

交差点がこんなに複雑だと…

You have no chance for survival…the grim reaper is on your butt…

生きて帰れるチャンスは少ない…

Although a bit late news- wise, Toyota will be displaying their new compact FR sports concept vehicle, the FT-86 Concept at the Tokyo Motor Show.

This car is a joint venture between Toyota and Subaru.It’s scheduled to be released in late 2011. Fuji Jyuko (Subaru) will supervise manufacturing and the vehicle will be sold [...]

One cool thing about living in Tokyo is that everything is super advanced.

Let’s take the bath tub.

外国人の目から見ると日本にはまだまだ面白い物がたくさんある！

例えば風呂場…

Here is the control center for my bath tub.

You can automatically fill it…on a pre-programmed timer…

You can set the temperature to exactly how hot you like it…every time!

追いたきはすごいね〜

本当感動ですよ…だって今まで仕組みなんか知らなかったもん！（笑）

You can set the water height [...]

A new era of super huge robot statues is coming.

巨大なロボットの時代がやってくる。

In Kobe, they are just finishing up the statue of Tetsujin 28-go (Metal person no. 28) or Giant Gigantor as it was also called in the western world.

そうです！ガンダムにつづき、神戸に鉄人２８号誕生！

This cartoon was before Gundam and I remember it as a little kid.

いや〜大きなドラム缶に頭を乗せたような…

It’s 9:30am and one of the strongest typhoons in the past 10 years is hitting Tokyo dead on.

I am in the “eye” of the storm right now so it’s earily calm…

Hang on to your hats and glasses folks. This one is gonna hurt.

午前９時半…台風１８号上陸…

でも都内は何故かおとなしい…

今は台風のど真ん中にいるからだ…今から荒れそう…

Article

I just heard from a friend that Shaun Carlson passed away this past Sunday at his home.

“Shaun Carlson, considered among the top 10 innovators in the sport compact world, died suddenly Sunday at his Long Beach home. He was 35.After three heart attacks in one month earlier this year, Carlson was [...]

It’s autumn now in Japan and unlike sunny CA where you only have one season, Japan is rockin’ with all the seasonal delicacies!

I love it.

Today’s selection? Fresh Kegani (hairy-crab)  for only 700 yen (6 dollars!!) You gotta be kidding!

It’s super sweet and has the best kani miso (crab brains…yeah yeah, sounds bad but [...]

Yukko came back from her one year adventure working as an Okami  in Beijing.

She was the head at a super baller restaurant that served the president of China and other super rich people.

The prices for her meals cost up to 10 thousand  dollars PER meal… I better get a  car with that.

She crashed [...]

There are still many unknown tasty foods in the world.

世界にはまだいろいろなおいしい食べ物がある。

Take this cactus for example…and I don’t think it’s peyote.

このサボテンもその一つです…が、食べてもブッ飛びません…

And one of my favorite foods! The boiled artichoke!

これです！俺の大好物の一つ！茹でARTICHOKE!（あざみ）です！！

It doesn’t look very appetizing I know, but don’t let the cactus looks fool you!

全然おいしく見えません…サボテンですね…

After boiling in salt water [...]

Once place I wish was in Japan.. In N Out. This privately owned franchise mainly exists in the Southern California area.

ロスでは定番のバーガースポット, IN N OUT! ロスにしかないチェーン店。

Here’s the inside…but don’t eat too much or you’ll end up like everyone in here!

店内はこんな感じ…でもあまり食べるとこの人達みたいになるよ！

Since the company is super Christian, they have psalm numbers printed [...]

Everyone knows Lawry’s prime rib with the spinning salad bowl.

But for a few who are lucky enough to go to OC, there’s Gulliver’s Prime Rib.

プライムリブで有名なLAWRY’Sなら誰でも知ってると思うけどOCの人はみんなGULLIVER’Sでしょう！

Right across from John Wayne Airport, I’ve been coming here since I was a kid.

John Wayne空港の向かい側にあるこの有名レストラン…子供の頃から来てる。

The Gulliver’s cut with house salad is the only thing [...]

I grew up in Corona Del Mar ,CA, a section of Newport Beach.

今日はCorona Del Marの実家でBBQです！Newport Beach市の中にある街です。

It’s obviously right near the beach and very “California”

とてもカリフォルニアっぽくていい感じです！海の真ん前なのでいつでもリゾート気分!

The weather is usually nice and it makes you want to go outside or take a drive.

この雰囲気もLAでしょう〜？

This is the street in front of my [...]

I recently had a chance to catch up with one of my best friends from childhood. Matt and his family, Pamela, Adrian and Quinn have been close with us forever and it was something that was long overdue.

I went to go visit them at their new house nestled in the San Bernadino mountains.

最近幼なじみと会ってきました！

MATTとその家族: [...]

I went to go visit my old friend Eddie “The Power Doctor” Kim at Dynamic Autosports.

I can’t even begin to tell you how many memories I have with Dynamic.

Let’s just say it’s one of the oldest and original JDM tuning shops in the US.

Many magazines and manufacturers owe their success to this shop.

今回は親友のチューニングショップ　DYNAMIC AUTOSPORTSにきました！

日本車JDMチューニング界では超有名〜。

大学の頃からの付き合いなので久しぶりに来れて嬉しかった。

Japan has good crab but it can be expensive…that’s why I always come to the CRAB COOKER whenever I’m in LA!

Established 58 years ago, this place is known for good seafood at a cheap price.

日本の蟹もうまいけど高い…だからロス行くときは必ずここに来てます！

CRAB COOKER.

58年前から営業してて、おいしいシーフードを安く提供するので有名。

This one is located in an old bank from the 1936.Even the fish is stored inside [...]

This is one of the best Mexican food places in So Cal…Alejandros!

It used to be an Albertos but the flavor is still the same. This place is packed at night with locals, students, and drunk people.

OCで一番うまいと思うメキシカンフード！

アリハンドロスで〜す。

ローカル大学生の常識でもあり、夜はいろんな人で賑わってる。

This is my favorite! A Carne Asada Chimichanga Burrito!

It’s a deep fried burrito that’s not on [...]

It’s been 2 yrs since I’ve been back…

２年ぶりに見るこの家…

Yes, this is my Irvine party pad that I left behind to move to Japan. It’s a small 3BDR house I bought in 1999.

はい、初公開です！僕のアメリカの家で〜す。日本に引っ越す為に置いていった物件。1999年に買った3ベッドルーム＋２バスの一軒家。

It’s not the biggest or most expensive place in the world…

特に広くもなく、値段も高くないけど…

But as my friends will tell you, we had [...]

I am in LA again for work and personal stuff.

Check out the size of this beer can! I love it! …only in America.

現在仕事とプライベートでロスに来てます。

このビールの缶を見て下さい！最高！何でもデカイわ…viva americaだね。

I recently was invited by Shikachan to go wakeboarding and jetskiing with Kamechan and the crew!

シカちゃん、亀ちゃん達に誘われ、wakeboardとjetskii BBQに行ってきました！

Of course, the crew was in full effect!

もちろんいつものメンバーが勢揃い！

It was a unexpected day of good sports, good friends, and…

友だち、スポーツと、

BBQ!!

BBQでした!!

Here’s Shikachan showing Tintin all the food…

シカちゃんとティンコマスター…食べ物をじ〜〜っと見てる。

Not wanting to a quitter (like me), Nabs was up super early challenging the river and the 5 fish that lived there…

I was over it.

DJNABSは朝から釣りに燃えていた。俺とは違い、諦めていなかったみたい。

Meanwhile, here is Tintin’s idea of mixing with the other dogs…

その間、他のワンちゃん同士の触れ合いタイムがあったんだけどティンティンは全く興味無し…

Here’s a POV from the middle of that river. I froze so you could have [...]

I left Tokyo and passed through the crumbling suburban towns to move towards the mountains…I was going camping!

I went to unplug myself from the world for one full day and night.

都内を離れ、古いくたびれた田舎の町を通り抜け、山へ向かった。

キャンプに行く事になったのです！

現代社会から逃げ、すべてのコネクションを切り、自然とゆっくり時間を過ごす事にしたんです！

A nice pleaseant drive through the twisty mountin roads…

気持ちいい峠走行…

Over bridges…

橋も渡り…

Welcome to the Owata Camping Grounds!

約一時間半で大渡キャンプ場に着きました！

The city was filled with girls wearing yukatas…

町には浴衣姿の女の子達がいっぱい…

Yes, it was the Jingumae fireworks show!

はい、神宮外苑花火大会がまたやってきました！

The streets were closed off and the place was packed!

今年も信じられないくらいの人！

It was a battle to find a place with a clear view…trees, buildings, signs were everywhere.

場所取りでみんな必死。取りあえず場所をGETし、待つ事にした。

We thought we found a good spot… until [...]

First off, I have to thank Moris for seriously hooking me up. He basically helped me move for FREE AND paid for the rent a truck! WTF!? What I am I supposed to do?? How can I repay you???

最近超〜お気に入りの新居に引っ越したんだけどモリスにはマジで感謝！！！引っ越しの手伝いをFREEでやってくました！トラック代まで払ってもらっちゃって…一体どうなってるんじゃ！？！？なぜお金を受け取ってくれない！？申し訳なくて夜寝れな〜〜〜い！どうすればいいんだ！？君はどんだけ良い人なんだ！？

Moris scored the Toyota 2-ton rent a truck. We thought we didn’t need [...]

My first time living somewhere higher than the 4th floor…

I am definitely enjoying the new view from my new apartment.

４階以上のマンションに住むのは初めて…

やっぱ景色はいいよね〜

I can see Shinjuku, H&M Harajuku, and Yoyoki Park from my balcony…ahh city life is here…

I finally feel like I moved to Tokyo.

ベランダからは新宿、原宿H＆M、と代々木公園が見える。

なんかやっと東京に引っ越したって感じ…

So we went out to buy some groceries and happened to stumble across the Sendagaya omatsuri festival!

冷蔵庫に何もなかったから近くのスーパーへ…そしたらなになに！？

Of course, that meant that it was time to street drink again!

千駄ヶ谷のお祭りではないか！！

Unlike the recent Yasukuni omatsuri, the games and booths here were a little low budget…

靖国のお祭りに比べてかなりしょぼかったけど…（笑）

However, they had live [...]

I love Uni sushi and sashimi. Yes, it’s sea urchin and yes, not all Japanese people like it either…

うにです！マジで大好き…でも高くて普段は食べられません。

However, I love it and so when I found it on sale at a local supermarket for 600yen, I felt like I hit the jackpot!

でもなんと参宮橋にあるスーパーで６００円！ラッキ〜！

Here we are on the way down taking a break…

そしてみんなでビーチに行く事に…

Once at the bottom, we decided to enjoy the local seafood.

Beer, fresh grilled scallops and Sazae sea snails…yes, that sounds wierd but it tastes really good.

江ノ島と言えばサザエのつぼ焼き！？ま〜俺の中で勝手にそう思っているだけ。サザエと貝柱を買って缶ビールタイム！

いいね〜

Asami trying out a real camera…

あさみっくすも一眼レフに挑戦…重たそう…

Another delicacy is “Nama-Shirasu”. They’re super small fresh [...]

Old school sign…

昔っぽい看板…

It sort of has a European feel to it.

ちょっとヨーロッパみたい…かな？

And the rare looking train the you don’t see too often in the city…

そして都内ではあまり見かけない味のある電車…

It’s the famous ENO-den train line!

そうです！あの有名な江の電でした〜

The beach crew:Jose, Dustin,Phil,Ken-chan,me and C★!

メンバーはまたこちら！Jose, Dustin,Phil,Ken-chan,me and C★!

It wasn’t super sunny but it was [...]

Tintin and the rest of us went to check out the History Garage again.

It’s always nice to drop by when you’re in the neighborhood.

まだお台場にいたのでついでにHISTORY GARAGEとMEGA WEBを見に行きました〜

The remodeled a portion of the exhibit. They still had a cool restaurant…

内装はちょっと変わってたような気がした…かわいいレストランはまだあったけどね

and a really dope make believe garage…

こういうガレージが欲しい！

The cars in the [...]

So here we are again at Odaiba. This is Tokyo Big Site. The Tokyo Auto Salon used to be held here back in the day.

I used to come here to set up early in the morning.

またお台場？今回は東京ビッグサイトで行われたおもちゃショーにやってきた。

Inside was INSANE…

中は信じられない混雑…

As with all other things in Japan, the exhibits were top class. Here is [...]

The theme here was Tokyo street drinking…

テーマはストリート。ストリートDRINKING!!

Drinking in front of the conbini…

コンビニの前でも…

Representing good friends…

仲間と一緒に…

Hitting up  trendy cafes in Shibuya…

渋谷のカフェでも…

Establishing our ground…

店を乗っとり…

Then off to a high class spinoff of TGIF?

そのまま次の店へ…

Trying to figure out what the hell is going on…

この時点ではもうやばい！

Being drunk [...]

With everyone here from LA, NY, SF and Tokyo, we all went to the FATLACE party at the new club/bar/lounge called the Good Life in Harajuku.

This place happened to be just 2 minutes walking distance from my house!!

LA,New York, San Franciscoから友達が来てたのでFATLACEのパーティーに行ってきました。

そしてその場所にびっくり！俺の家から徒歩２分じゃないか！これはいいね〜

The bar had a great vibe and was just the right [...]

No summer in Japan is complete without the “omatsuri” or festival.

夏はやっぱお祭りだね！

They’re usually held at temples you often pass through these huge gateways called torii.

今回は靖国神社の祭りに行ってきました！

There’s dancing and the whole atmosphere is charged with people drinking, partying and enjyong the night.

盆踊りとかやってて賑やかだったな〜。こんな規模のお祭りは初めてだったかも。

It’s super hot and festive. Here uyou see girls [...]

Phil, Dustin, Phi and myself.

It was great to catch up with Phil and Phi. I missed Mark who was partying with Kenta at another place but I hope to catch them before they go back to the US. It was Dustin’s first time in Tokyo so it was also a special occasion.

This is one of my favorite restaurants in the whole world…and it’s a kaiten sushi restaurant.

The sushi moves around on a conveyor belt and you choose what you like. Usually, kaiten sushi places are cheap and not really associated with high class sushi (unless it’s in Hokaido or something) . It’s more a [...]

Thanks to everybody who came to our family sale!

We had actresses, models, stylists, and all sorts of family friends hanging out all weekend!

ファミリーセールに来てくれた皆さんありがとうございます！

本当に有名な方々も来てくれてありがとうございます。光栄です！

Even at 70% OFF, the price point was a bit higher this time because we had more expensive stuff on sale. Next time will be cheaper!

今回は70%OFFでもちょっと高かったね。元々の商品が高かったからね。でも次回はもっと安くできるようにがんばります！

Shoes were [...]

One of the reasons I was in Europe was to check out the Bread and Butter Fashion Show in Berlin.

It was the first time in 4 yrs that the show returned to Berlin from Spain.

ベルリンに行った目的はBREAD AND BUTTERショーでした。

４年ぶりにスペーンからドイツに戻り、話題となっていました。

It was held at the historic Tempelhof airport.

歴史のある古い飛行場を使っていたのでちょっと楽しみでだった。

Always cool to have [...]

So now it was time to change gears and head to Berlin. This is the Kurfurstendamm area, sort of like the main blvd on the west side of Berlin.

そしてベルリンに到着！ここはカーファーステンダム？っていうエリア。ベルリンの表参道みたいなところかな？

There were no more cute cottages like in Sweden anymore…

スワェーデンみたいなかわいい家はなかった…

Berlin was modern architecture all the way！

どこ行ってもかっこいいビルがずらり！

I got dizzy looking [...]

Here’s Johannes taking us through the line…

ヨハネスさんから商品ラインのプレゼンを受け、

Here’s Morten showing us how the new blazer looks! Morten is partner, and chief designer for the brand.

He’s also Johannes and Alex’s dad! He is SUPER young at heart and is really a nice guy.

モーテンさん登場！ヨハネスとアレックスの父親でもあり、ブランドのチーフデザイナーです！

本当に考え方も若くて尊敬できる人です。

Here’s Sarah showing us some ladies items…and Morten goofing [...]

I went to Gothenburg, Sweden for the second time to visit our friends at Dr Denim.

ゴテンバーグ、スワェーデンに行ってきました！

DR DENIM　JEANSMAKERSとmtgがあったので今回で２回目でした。

It’s the second largest city on the west coast of Sweden and a 3 and a half hour train ride from Stockholm.

ゴーテンバーグはスワェーデンの第２の都市であり、西側にある町です。若者も多く、ストックホルムから電車で３時間半。

Full of canals and history, it’s a town full of universities and [...]

Shiokaze Park, Odaiba TOKYO.

Something very cool is happening.

潮風公園で今面白いプロジェクトが始まった

It looks like a mobile suit maintenance station…with trees.

モビルスーツの野外メンテ工場みたい

Looking at the size, you can see the enormous scale…

そしてこのスケール！でかい！！

Yes, you guessed it. Tokyo and Bandai are building a full 1:1 lifesize replica of Gundam!!

It’s technically an RX78-2 model.

そうです！なんとあの初代ガンダムRX 78-2が１：１の実物スケールで作られているのです！

It’s for the celebration of the Gundam [...]

Japan has the worst economy since the war. Japan is getting hit hard because most of the economy is based on exports and the world isn’t buying.
The swine flu has hit Japan hard causing EVERYONE in Osaka and Tokyo to wear masks. Masks are completely sold out!
If you’re not wearing a mask, you’re either a [...]

KEYHOLE TV

One the best things about Japan is TV. This can be a problem if you live in the US or Europe. However, now you can watch Japanese TV real time for FREE even with commercials! It’s called Keyhole TV and it’s actually sponsored by the Japanese governement! Video quality is not the [...]