Posts Filed Under: japanland

That is how you throw a grand opening celebration.  With a DJ mix that sounded like it was straight out of WOMB, we knew ROYAL/T pulled all the stops to kick things off right.  Even details like maids servicing the people lining up outside were not over looked.  Once inside, I do not think I was once without a cocktail, ranging from espresso martinis to some innocent looking fresh-squeezed watermelon concoctions that proved to be anything but innocent.

The art collection was straight out of the pages of Superflat, and will probably be easier to appreciate when ROYAL/T isn’t at max capacity like it was last night.  I can imagine this space (for lack of a better term) will be quite delightful when afternoon tea is being formally served by its attentive and doting staff.  But when they aren’t concerned about waking the neighbors, they can make you think you just stumbled out of a club in Roppongi Hills.

A small graft of Akihabara has been planted within walking distance of my apartment on Washington Blvd. in beautiful Culver City. Whether or not this graft takes and sprouts new growth remains to be seen, but I for one am excited to see the addition of ROYAL/T, LA’s first Japanese-style Maid cosplay cafe, to my neighborhood.

It seems they are expanding the scope of what a “traditional” maid-cafe offers, with an extensive art gallery and book/gift shop. I would also imagine they are going to downplay the fetish aspect of these cafes. But who knows. That remains to be seen. I’ll know it has gone too far when Yakuza deny me access to a groping-friendly train-themed cafe opening across the street.

The Grand Opening is tomorrow, and I will let you know how it goes with a hands-on impression.

Every once in a while there’s something that really highlights the cultural divide between the American and the Japanese consumer, and I just got to eat 1.26GB worth of it.

I loved the Japanese demo of Folksoul.  You start off as shy girl Ellen, walking around a strange town, wearing your plaid skirt with red tights.  After meeting some of the colorful locals, you are gently guided towards your new destiny (and sexy outfit transformation animation sequence).

In the American demo of Folklore, you start off hopped up on powerful souls, calling in motherfucking airstrikes from A10 Warthogs equiped with airborne radar systems.  America, FUCK YEAH!

I love BEAMS T. I love their ‘Art for Everyday’ philosophy. My first trip to Japan I made sure to make a pilgrimage to their flagship store in Harajuku.

BEAMS Co. is now into everything. There’s a BEAMS Records, a BEAMS Modern Living, and even a Uniform Circus BEAMS. It’s nice to see BEAMS spreading their rays of light into multiple arenas. But last week I think they jumped the shark with this BEAMS design:

What the hell is that? The new Subaru Impreza is already having a hard time as it is.  Does it really need to be dressed up like a creamsicle flavored Jelly Belly?

Now this auto fashion blunder inspired me to do a little digging around the Internets, and what I found is even more disturbing.  A Bathing Ape took one of the sexiest cars on the planet, and made it a complete abomination:

This was the 1001 HP, 253 MPH Bugatti Veyron. These hand built cars come in the widest spectrum of color combinations, letting you even customize the supple leather interior in an array of 144 complimentary selections. I have spent hours dreaming up my perfect Veyron, but I am kind of partial to the hyper-rare and paintless Pur Sang version, clothed only in brushed aluminum and clear coated carbon fiber.

But pink on diseased inner colon was never intended be a color option. Ever. Period.