J-世界的gimp: A Curious fascination with all things Japanese

J-2019 is here! Yup, after a NINE (count 'em) YEARS I finally made it back to Japan for their beautiful Spring time blossom. Sheesh... There's a lot of pictures to get through, but I'll try and add some when I can. I think it's fair to start with the Studio Ghibli museum in Mitaka, Tokyo. These have been a long time coming...

TET-SU-OOOOOOOOOO!! KAN-E-DAAAAAAAA!! A-KI-RAHHHHHHHHH! Yes,welcome to the endless shouting of people's names amidst a backdrop of end-of-world type carnage that is AKIRA. AKIRA was set in 2019, when Japan was supposed to be in meltdown. The poignance of visiting japan in 2019 is palpable. The world is supposed to be in a post-apocalyptic nightmare, which is where Akira got it wrong (well, maybe too early is probably closer to the truth). Instead we western earthlings appear to be more in the middle of a political nightmare rather than a nuclear one, but the impending demise of humanity and destruction of the environment is a very real one... But it won't happen just yet.

Which brings me back to AKIRA: The Manga, the movie, the myth (ooh I like that). There are two pages for you to enjoy. The first is a small yet dedicated page about the EPIC release of Akira in the USA (BELOW). The second page is about the AKIRA ART WALL (well, part of it) which was on show from late 2018 until late 2019 in Shibuya! Really very super.

Phew! It's been a while since I updated this part of the site. Truth be told, I needed a break from the endless scanning of 35mm negatives, cleaning the pictures (removing dirt etc...), sorting through the digital pictures, blah, blah, blahhh. But now I'm updating again, and let me tell you the best is yet to come! Below is a link to pictures of Asakusa. They are very pretty indeed, so enjoy...

November 2010. Destination Versailles for a retrospective of J-Artist Takashi Murakami. Exceptional unique event! Japanese tourists everywhere! Heavy on the bling and Japanese manga stylings, here are some pictures of that remarkable event.

Destination Japan April 2010 & The J-2010 project

Well, well, here we finally are... it's been on my mind for while, oh yes indeed a looong time before this site was up and running, that I should create some pages about my ever-so-slight obsession with Japan. Of course, I haven't all the time in the world, so getting around to creating anything takes effort. Hmm. Effort is indeed a dirty word around these here parts, boy howdy... But things changed quite rapidly recently, when, after seven and a half years, I returned to Japan. This meant a new project was born... J-2010, which entailed creating a new section of the site which will comprise of several things:

1) Adding any photographs and any other pictures / all things Japanese which related from my 2010 trip.

2) Scanning all the negatives from my first trip to Japan in 2002, and uploading those to this part of the site.

3) Adding any other madness and/or beauty related to Japan, which may be of interest. In this case, a great many things.

Obviously this means lots and lots of crap stuff is going to be added from now until... welllllll, the end of time. And, apologies in advance about the colours, shapes, patterns and smells I'll be using within this part of the site. I'm gonna have a lot of fun doing this, and, besides... garish just feels right, damnit!

BELOW: Ginza! Shop 'til you drop! Style 'til you pile! But only if you have hard credit cash to buy the expensive items in the designer-brand boutiques that Ginza houses. Steady now...

Aki-ha-ba-ra don't stop! Affectionately known as Akiba, this district of Tokyo is electric city! Home to the Otaku (Nerd). Here, Otaku can shop for all the latest gadgets, the latest Anime films, computer games, hentai films and magazines, girls used knickers (!) cosplay uniforms, you can visit the arcades, visit maid cafés and luxuriate in having a massage from a silly J-girl dressed as a cop (!) Yes, this is Japan, folks! And Akiba/Electric City is always buzzing with the latest technology.

35km from Kyoto, before the year 794 AD (when Kyoto became the capital), Nara was the capital of Japan, and could very well be the birthplace of Japanese civilisation itself! Wow. Nara houses some of the finest (and oldest) architecture in Japan... some of the temples are not only huge, but also very beautiful. As I got there the Spring blossom was just past its peak, and the weather was lousy. But what a place! The Heijo-kyo (now known as Nara) 1300th anniversary is this year (2010), which celebrates Nara's former status as capital of Japan in the 8th century. Let baby buddha (with antlers!) guide you through the city...

Harajuku. So much has been written about this area I don't know where to begin. Best I keep it brief. Many iconoclasts visit Harajuku, not only to shop 'til they drop, but also to be seen. Dressing up in a unique way, or following the latest trends (of which there are many), they all come out of the woodwork to go to Harajuku. The 'Goth Lolita' phase is still a big thing around these parts.
To be honest, I only captured a few shots of the area in general, as it gets waaaay too busy during the day, and has a nasty habit of pouring with rain every time I set foot in the place. I get the hint Harajuku, but you haven't seen the last of me yet! Muu-ah-ha HA HA HARRRR!

And right next to Harajuku is Aoyama, which is more of an up-market designer shopping area - very much like Ginza - but with much more modern architecture. I'm mostly focusing on the Prada building in these pictures, as it is a stunning work of art. Enjoy...

Ebisu is a very lovely area of Tokyo with a strangely European feel to it. Ebisu has a few nice sites to see during the day (Yebisu Gardens, including the Sapporo Brewery being a good example), and can get quite lively and self-consciously cool by night. Ebisu is one of the best places to relax away from the teeming masses, and one of my favourite districts in Tokyo.

Ikebukuro is a part of Tokyo often ignored. There are some small sites to see, and it's also a decent place to eat, sleep & drink inexpensively (not necessarily in that order).

Pachinko parlours are indeed a Japanese phenomenon. Gambling is very big business in Japan. From cycling to horse-racing, gambling is an extremely popular past-time, but Pachinko is bigger, brasher and has more balls. Pinballs, folks. That is what it consists of. Ball bearings and holes and flashing garish colour and incessant noise. Trillions of Yen is spent gambling away in various pachinko joints all over Japan. Alot more have appeared since I was last in Japan. Hmm. They always seem to be jam-packed with people, often with others walking around trying to find a space. Must... gamble... got to.... need...

As Spring is in the air, a fitting place to start these Japanese pages is Ueno. This is the part of Tokyo where J-2010 started. A place that held a Spring festival in Ueno Park, which is the ideal place to catch the Cherry Blossom in Tokyo. Let us begin...