February 28, 2005
Day Twenty
It was a simple day at work. I went to pay rent in the morning in Shin Nakano. The rest of the day was spent fixing up the writing of a treatment for Hifana’s new video, which we shared with them around 5pm. The album should be interesting, particularly if we get all the visuals we want to make in there (maybe up to 9 tracks worth, including one main video, on the scale of what we did for Fatbros). Next step is to fix the story, continue to think of ideas for other pieces, and review live footage for a live cut.
Posted by shane at 11:31 PM
February 27, 2005
From Internet to Reality
I met with Mari from myspace.com today. It’s probably the first time I’ve met someone in real life that I had previously only known online. I think it went well, as long as she didn’t let the long silences get to her (It seems neither of us are the talkative type). I met her in Kichijoji, which is quite a nice place that I hadn’t been to before. We ate at some restaurant inside Inokashira Koen. We went for a walk afterwards, and saw some crazy guy dressed only in a yellow sheet that was draped over him, hanging out under a small footbridge, next to a tiny river. (Will ry to upload photo later) Actually, there was quite a crowd around trying to get a look at him. Eventually he climbed up, went into a nearby public restroom, and didn’t come back out. (Perhaps he changed back into normal clothes, and emerged unnoticed, indistinguishable from the other sunday park-goers). We meandered around the Ghibli Museum, which was crowded with families. We didn’t enter, but now I know where it is. Mari kept remarking that I looked cold, so after this we went into numerous clothing stores in the area looking for a coat I might buy, but I found nothing. After this we hung out at some café, had cheesecake, and a chocolate brownie with ice cream, then went our seperate ways.
Posted by shane at 10:35 PM
February 26, 2005
Some Purchases
I woke up around 4 after yesterday’s late night. I had some curry and then headed to Shibuya. Bought one record from Tower, and a watch from Beams that I had my eye on for a couple weeks. Actually, to be fair, I’ve had my eye on it for probably about 2 years. I first saw this BOHLA watch at Sputnik the first time I came to Tokyo. I was pleasantly surprised at the low price tag of around ¥4000, but I didn’t buy it for two reasons: 1. My mom had just bought me a new watch for Christmas, which had just passed, and 2. Said new watch bore somewhat of a resemblance to the one I had just received; especially the white model. On a subsequent trip to Tokyo, I met another white guy named Alex, from New York, who had bought the white version of the watch. That pretty much excluded me from buying it that time as well. But now, probably over another year later, in a limited edition collaboration between BOHLA and Beams, the same watch is available in an unnatural toy-like fluorescent green color (not pictured in the link previously). And now it’s mine, serving as a welcome alternate to my much cherished, and rare Seiko H-Slim.
Posted by shane at 10:24 PM
February 25, 2005
A Fun Night Follows A Huge Nike Presentation
Today I worked about 11 hours. It wasn’t so bad until around 5, when there was massive pressure to finish the large presentation document we were to take to Nike. So we took it there, Eric had me present, and there was some debate afterwards. I could go on...
When we finally left Nike we went to catch the end of Gino’s set at Sign café Daikanyama. He was pretty much done already, but at least we got to drink some much-needed beer. Morita, director of Kakurenbo was there. It seems Kenji has taken quite a liking to him and I can see why. He, Kenji, Eric and I walked toward Ebisu when Sign closed after 11. We went to eat at Monsoon. Kenji and I took the last train out of Ebisu to Shibuya, and the last train from there to Shimokitazawa, to attend a show where Tatsuya (Mas) was playing, as his solo project, Tyme. Unfortunately we had already missed his set. I did get to meet him however, and he’s a really nice guy. It seems we will attend the Aichi 2005 World’s Expo together, as well as meet this crazy guy whose name I don’t remember, whose work I have just learned about, and who Tatsuya is working with. More on this later. I will try to find some links, his work is really amazing (a bit on the Meiwa Denki side of things, but completely different thematically)
We also met to the founder of Flyrec tonight, who thanked me for the business, but didn’t seem interested in talking to us beyond that. There were two great performances, made even greater by the fact that I was completely exhausted, and wasn’t expecting anything other than to get a few drinks, and sit around until trains started running again.
First was a live performance by some guy with a turntable, sampler, and maybe a digital delay pedal or something. It wasn’t necessarily anything I hadn’t heard before, (some of that late-nineties IDM / hip-hop crossover stuff a-la Gescom, or Push Button Objects). But imagine something like that Gescom remix from PBO’s Unauthorized EP, but being assembled completely live from hand-triggered samples, digital delay, and record scratches. In terms of live performance style, this guy was kind of a heady version of Hifana.
The next kid to perform was probably the best DJ I’ve ever seen. And when I say DJ, I mean pop-culture performance artist. He played an eclectic mix of J-indies (I heard some Guitar Vader in there), hip-hop, and then out of nowhere you hear the muffled drum-mahcine+guitar riff from the beginning of Michael Jackson’s Black or White. Yes, thats right, that nostalgic, gimmicky cut featuring Macaulay Culkin, who has a rap solo in it. This kid, performed the rap solo. What’s more, he performed over his entire set yelling YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH! into a mic, and dancing and singing his ass off to everything he played as if he was performing the music himself. During the intro to Black or White, he gave a bit of a japanese plot summary overtop. You remember that part, where a kid (Macaulay) argues with his dad about having music on too loud, before the song actually starts...
It’s wonderful when a pop-parody rockets itself into genius territory far beyond anything you would have imagined could have been created based on the original material. His performance was at once a ridiculous parody, and a ritualistic act of worship; something from a junior high talent show, gone completely off the hook. Except it was performed by a skinny, twenty-something japanese guy, in a club in Shimokitazawa for about 15 people. I guess that’s what made it so good. That, and the fact that you would have never expected to hear that song in the context of that night at that club. I was practically rolling on the floor through the whole track.
When we were leaving the club, someone asked me where I was from, to which I replied “California,” to which he replied “Duuuude,” to which I replied “Duuuuuuuuuude!!” “But you live in Japan now?” I tell him I live in Toritsudai, and he just laughs. I thought it might have been that DJ who I enjoyed so much, but I’m not sure.
Posted by shane at 09:45 PM
February 24, 2005
Late February Snow
Today was the day that I worked 15 hours. Hard fucking core.
During a really late meeting, it began snowing outside. It was really quite beautiful. When we finally left work around 1:30 or something, we went walking in it, looking for a taxi, only to find it absolutely impossible to get one. This was a first for me here. Apparently it happens every once in a while. You couldn’t even call for one, because all lines to the taxi companies were busy. Anyway I stayed at Kenji’s which was in walking distance.
Posted by shane at 09:44 PM
February 23, 2005
Day Fifteen: It Begins
I came in in the morning, and did as much research as I could into updating this blog. Concluded it was time to start uploading entries. I’ve been keeping them on my computer, simply as text files you see, since I have no internet connection at home. I was interrupted in my research to do some actual work a little after 11am. There was a meeting on the bukatsu web stuff. I know I wrote about this last week. The ONE person, Sato-san, who was taking on the whole project solo style, has come back with his first stab at it. Eric is generally disappointed, but I just feel sorry for the guy.
We make the decision to try and help out internally. We try to basically match the work that he has done in about a week, with the rest of today, and most of tomorrow. We concept for a half-hour or so at Starbucks. Eric’s going to be in meetings the rest of the day, so Gino and I return to start pulling the shit together somehow. By the end of the day we’ve got the conceptual foundation written out, some tweaking to the sitemap, and a flowchart and explanation of how the pages transition together. Now I’ve got to do schematics of each page. Gino has been looking through photographs, and starting style frames for the mutha. By tomorrow evening we’ll have to be done. Additionally we have to fix the Katsu-kun scripts, as Sumiko has just read them, and thinks they need to be much simpler. This will have to be done by 5pm, as there will be a presentation to Nike. I’m going to bed.
Posted by shane at 06:56 PM
February 22, 2005
Bye to Sun
Performed some banal office tasks such as burning DVDs and filling out my new employee paperwork. Had first Katsu-kun meeting including account and production staff, as the scripts are nearing completion.
Today was Sun’s last day (or night rather, he leaves in the morning) in Tokyo. As such, we went out for dinner. He shows up at the office around 9. We go for coffee, and soon after that, go to meet people at Nakameguro station. Sun and I meet Mooog, Mikie, and Maki, I girl I hadn’t met before. We go to an Ethiopian restaurant called Queen Sheeba. The waiter / owner says I look cold and tired. He’s probably right. More fools show up: Eric, Maeda from Brutus magazine, and his girlfriend (I hate referring to people by their attachments to other people, but what the fuck). Later Kenji, and an anime director, Morita, who he’s just had a dinner meeting with, show up.
As a side note, I saw a short version of his film, Kakurenbo, in Onedotzero last year. It’s really quite good. He is an ex-Production I.G. guy who left to do this project with only three people, self-funded with ¥3,000,000. It seems it’s been expanded into a full-length film, and now he’s getting offers from everywhere, and plans to move to San Francisco.
Queen Sheeba’s food was good, but expensive. I took off early to catch the last train home. Guess I won’t be seeing Sun for a while. It was fun having him around.
Posted by shane at 06:54 PM
February 21, 2005
Day Thirteen
Started the second work week. Somehow I felt much better this week (could be the satisfyingly relaxing weekend). Worked on Katsu-kun scripts most of the day. Met with Yone-san and things seemed to be coming together, the whole group of final scripts becoming a bit more solidified as an overall campaign. We worked late, as usual, but it didnt bother me.
We went to Office, Gaienmae, for dinner and drinks. Tomorrow is Sun’s last day in Japan (for the time being), so Gino and I (who both live in Toritsu Daigaku, and can thus split the cab fare home) decide to stay out and chill past the last train. Still, we don’t stay out that late. Everyone hops in the same cab home.
Posted by shane at 06:58 PM
February 20, 2005
Fujimama’s
Was woken up by Sun on the phone around 1. Neither of us wanted to get up, but remembering a promise to go out for pancakes Sunday morning, made by everyone the night before, we agree to try and make it to Fujimamas in Omote Sandou by 1:45. Everyone was a bit late, but everyone made it. Me, Kenji, Eric, Sun, Mikie, a woman who does documentaries for NHK and her husband...I hadn’t met them before. I hadn’t been to the restaurant before either. Apparently it was started by Australian ex-pats. The clientele is also extremely heavy on the gaijin (a glance around the place reveals an LA-like diversity). Anyway it’s quite hard to find good, American style (and I don’t mean Denny’s) pancakes in Japan, and if you someday find yourself craving that shit on a Sunday morning (or any day), I highly recommend it. The portions are western-style too (i.e. too big for me)
After eating, didn’t really do much the rest of the day. Walked around Harajuku a little, hung out at Kenji’s some more, had a bit of a hirune, then went home around 8 or 9.
Posted by shane at 06:51 PM
February 19, 2005
Onsen Gorgeosity
It was another good, relaxing day. Got around to waking up around 12:30 or 1. Called up kenji, having planned to go to an onsen. Tried to get Grace to go, which didnt work out, as we had reserved a room and kaiseki ryouri for 2 people, and it proved too late to add anyone else.
The onsen was fucking great. Excellent food in our own private room, and amazing relaxation. And we got stoned before going (and after). This made most of the train rides a soupy, sensual blur accompanied by really good music.
Afterwards we return to Kenji’s place.
We’ve been put on the list for tonight’s event at Unit Daikanyama. Eventually we go to that. Barton and his girlfriend are there. Later Kana and Mikie show up. Eric and Sun do as well. Everyone gets really drunk. At some point Sun (or someone) somehow starts trying to convince the two girls to make out, which is ultimately unsuccessful. Interstingly it comes closer to myself and Sun kissing rather than the two girls, although if I remember correctly Kana seemed quite willing. Walked back to Kenji’s place to stay with him around 4.
Posted by shane at 06:57 PM
February 18, 2005
Hisashiburi Ni SuperDeluxe E
Things got a lot better from yesterday. Eric sent a huge email about the expectations of us as a team. His discipline and direction is always intimidating, yet motivational.
Anyhow we went to some bar after work. I think it was called PB. It’s kind of themed on American Classic Rock. Sun really likes it. Eric is the opposite.
After this we went to Super Deluxe. It’s the first time I’ve been there since coming back to Tokyo. Before long we ran into a group of friends: Kana from Resfest, this animator / editor / director girl I’ve met before and really like but always forget her name, and one other girl who does something like artist management (my japanese isn’t so great), and happens to be a very old friend of Hifana. Some designer who called himself Magic showed up. Also a photographer from Illdozer, and his apparent girlfriend. I talked to Mike, of Namaiki, who I learned is from Fresno. I stayed out until the trains started again. It was snowing at 5am when I finally left. A good time was had by all.
Posted by shane at 06:56 PM
February 17, 2005
Hardest Job In The World
It was a tough day. I don’t even want to think about it, but im sure just having this sentence written down here will probably be enough of a reminder should I come back and read it in the future.
Posted by shane at 06:50 PM
February 16, 2005
Stupid Details About Work
Today was busy again. Did expense reports (promp payment) in the morning, but didnt get to turn them in. Started to think about W+KTLab update ideas, but was sidetracked into more Bukatsu stuff (web strategy) for a meeting which was to take place at 5. There was about an hour or something to write ideas for this presentation. I say an hour because we were already booked most of the day with other shit. There was a meeting with Uppercut around 2, which we recorded. His new album is better than the last (which was more of an EP). It’s good for what it is, but what it is isn’t much, unfortunately. I’d still never listen to it. There’s a whole lot of good music in the world. If you’re going to make something new, thats a fucking huge pile you’re trying to climb on top of.
Speaking specifically, it’s just based on samples of old Hip-Hop. I don’t have anything against sampling, mind you. In fact, I listen to, and love a lot of music composed completely of samples, and I have no moral dilemma with it whatsoever. But if you want to hear an example of a great fucking record that’s made almost entirely of samples and recorded recently, look toward Satanicpornocultshop’s Anorexia Gas Balloon.
The thing is, I’m just not sure how much Uppercut is really adding to his source. And I don’t mean adding in the sense of putting his own sounds in there, but adding in the sense of providing any kind of new experience, or spin on things that merits listening to HIS shit, rather than just the source songs that he is referencing. I guess for kids who aren’t already familiar with what he’s stealing from, it could serve as an encapsulation of, and shortcut to that music.
Anyhow, I’m sure the packaging will be fucking great, and if he gets all the MCs he wants to perform on it, it will turn out to be quite a trendy record, it’ll sell well, and there’s nothing wrong with that.
After these meetings there was more writing for the bukatsu presentation, which we entered soon after. It became immediately clear that this meeting was a waste of a lot of Eric’s (and our) effort to communicate the concepts we had been thinking about, when it was clear that no one besides us has much interest, or the resources to make any of the ideas come across.
About half-way through the meeting, we find out that there is ONE guy executing a MAJOR portion of the site, complete with products sections, etc. The motherfucker is going kamikaze on the shit, trying to execute a major branded product website for NIKE without anyone’s help but his own. OH, and hes going to be doing it within the next 3 weeks. Ridiculous.
This meeting finally ended, there was one other small meeting with Yone, then we went to dinner. It was myself, Eric, Gino, Kenji and Sun. We went to Ichioku. It was good. I wish I had some pot.
Posted by shane at 06:50 PM
February 15, 2005
Work Work
Came in at 10, having to make corrections to Katsu-kun concepts. The corrections continued waaay longer than it seemed like it should have, up until lunch when myself, Eric, Gino, and Kenji go to lunch. Everyone orders tonkatsu teishoku.
Gino and I step out to go set up cameras to shoot a meeting with Hifana at 2pm. Eventually eric shows up and chews us out for not being more prepared, but mostly he just scolds gino, the poor guy. The interview goes well. Hifana has some really good ideas about the video content for their next album... Possible explanation on this later. In fact I will probably go into obscene and utterly unnecessary detail when I actually start working on it. Uppercut is supposed to show up next, but he doesnt. Meeting postponed until tomorrow.
After the meeting, I return to the Katsu-kun scripts. Soon after, there is a meeting with Yone-san. Because there is no translator present, and our ideas are heavy on the English, he says he will read it by himself later. Yone slyly remarks, someday I hope you can write in Japanese, Eric. Eric says he needs to find a japanese date first. Everyone laughs, but Sun reeeallly laughs. Soon after this I go with Eric to act as somewhat of a TA at a class hes teaching at Temple University, Nishi Azabu. We go through demos of Final Cut Pro and After Effects. I head home after 10pm, arrive in my neighborhood closer to 11, go to the neighborhood Mos Burger, go home, shave and take a shower, and manage my mp3 collection, bringing us to 2am today. Or the date just changed, rather.
Posted by shane at 06:49 PM
February 14, 2005
First Day
First real day at work. Wrote shit about Katsu-kun all fucking day. Ate lunch at the usual chinese place. Dinner at the other chinese place, which is a new one to me. Went home after 11pm. Yes, indeed, I went home at 11pm on my first day of work.
Posted by shane at 06:49 PM
February 13, 2005
Day Five
I wake up really late, having stayed out until 6 or so the night before. I go to Shibuya. I intend to buy a nice, big warm jacket, having been inspired by Sun lending me one of his the night before. I find nothing. I eat Mos Burger. I buy one CD from Tower: Juana Molina’s Segundo. I look at televisions and small stereos in Bic Camera and Sakura-Ya, with the intention of buying both soon. The only thing I actually purchase is two towels. I go home and take a shower with them.
Posted by shane at 06:47 PM
February 12, 2005
A Long Story Starting With Pancakes
Everyone wakes up craving pancakes. Eric and Sun help me to carry my bags to my new apartment in Toritsu Daigaku. Knowing that Ando also lives here, we call him to get advice on restaurants in the area. We quickly conclude there is no good option, and head instead to Daikanyama, where Eric thinks he knows a place that serves pancakes. It turns out to be a place that serves waffles, and only waffles. Their menu is pink, and filled with dainty, confectionary waffle dishes accompanied by fresh fruits, or sprinkled with cinnamon and whipped cream. There isn’t a single member of the male sex in the place. Sun says he wants more of a man’s portion of food. We leave.
We eventually meet Ando, continue searching, and arrive at another restaurant of which i dont remember the name. There, two of us order a pasta special with bacon and tomato sauce. Another orders a chicken curry, and I order some kind of maguro donburi. We never found pancakes, but the food we do eat is excellent. From daikanyama we walk to nakameguro. Eric stops to get a haircut. As that’s happening Sun, Ando and I go sit in a café. We order two sakura cola floats, and one regular. Ando and Sun meet informally about his possible album release. We talk about records and how shopping for and buying them in Japan is so much better than in the US. Eric joins us again, Ando leaves, and soon after we all take off. Sun and I go to the W+K office to use the internet. Upon entering, Shin and Shun stop us a moment to read a script they’re in production on for Nike Bukatsu. Upon our reading and understanding it, they are vindicated, as for some reason the director they are working with doesn’t seem to get it. Shin takes an additional 15 minutes after this to bitch about the job and rail on everyone involved.
We browse the internet for a while. I call Kenji. Sun calls Mooog. He invites us to dinner, and thus begins a highly interesting evening at an extremely Lynchian restaurant... nantoka no maruken. This was among the strangest restaurants I’ve been to. If you tried to design something as crazy as this place, with the stated and focussed intent of doing so, you would still never come close. It feels as if you’re in the belly of an old clipper ship. Everything has got a sepia-tone to it, like there is a haze in the air. The windows are actually portholes. Behind one of them there is a female mannequin posing. A huge, archaic-looking world map is on one wall. On the wall, there are at least two original prints by renowned graphic artist Tadanori Yokoo: A duotone of a snow-topped mountain sits on the horizon; a photoshop-quality gradient, maybe from light green to purple fills the background. A circle and square or two float in neon pink, or perhaps shiny gold. Mooog informs us that some of the other paintings are by Yokoo’s daughter. The captain of this boat-like restaurant, with long stringy black hair, fish-like lips, and a whisper for a voice, soon brings everyone’s drinks. I’m having a Guiness. There is only one other party of two there, who soon leave, and then it’s just us. The captain apparently also runs the galley. And his food turns out to be not half-bad. After eating we actually have a fairly long visit and conversation with the guy, but I’m not even going to get into it.
After we finally leave, Mooog invites us to his home, which is quite near the ICC communications center, Hatsudai. We buy some beer at a nearby konbini. Sun and Moog discuss Sun’s music. Moog has an huge collection of vinyl, in the same room where his son plays Playstation 2, Gamecube, and Nintendo 64, all of which are hooked to one TV. I speculate on what kind of life this kid is going to lead, being born with access to this completely obscene music collection right in his own fucking living room. The culmination of probably over thirty years of hard-core collecting from the most obscure shops in the most record-centric city in the world. On one hand, I think, wow, he doesn’t need to seek out any of his own shit. But then Sun comes up with the smarter conclusion, that since his Dad owns all this, that just means he’s going to be listening to all of that. Mikie comes over, maybe around 3:30 or 4. I fall asleep, or go into some sort of daze soon after. I vaguely remember traveling home, half-asleep with Sun on the train. He goes back to Eric’s. I go back to my new place in Toritsudai.
Posted by shane at 07:00 PM
February 11, 2005
Found My Guesthouse
It’s Friday, and I wake up at Eric’s place along with Sun. We all walked to Roppongi. Eric had volunteered to front me the cash for my deposit on the Guest House / Apt I will be moving into, so he went a withdrew a large sum of cash for me, which I soon take to the fudousan of my new place. After all the paper work, a young, nice Japanese guy drove me out to the apartment. we talked for most the time about Sakura House, the closest direct competitor to Fontana (the housing company i am using now), and how it was different / better / worse, etc. We also talked about how i hate cars, and don’t want to live in California (or socal and LA more specifically), but probably will some day because all my best friends, and my Moms are there.
This was the longest conversation I’ve had in japanese in a long time, and as such I always come out thinking that I really need to get a tutor, start studying again, or at least talk to someone regularly, as I’ve come far enough to be able to have a halfway decent conversation, but am always frustrated at not being able to really articulate many aspects and nuances of what i want to say. Of course, there is a certain amount of letting go, and expressing things only at the highest resolution that one is capable of. Incidentally, this may often lead to an unintended impression of yourself, or a strange and jilted rendering of the opinions you actually have. This is actually somewhat fascinating, like passing your personality through a sort of filter, and not being completely in control of how that will change its output.
Anyhow, I got my apartment, though I didn’t actually move my luggage there yet, and left back for Eric’s. I got off at Hiroo station, it was dark out, and I started walking the wrong way. This made me a bit late coming back. He calls and says hes going to dinner with Ando and friends, but I decide not to go, instead getting some cheap-ass food at a conbini, and eating back at his place which watching the Gus Van Sant film Elephant, followed by the Ben Stiller / Owen Wilson rendition of Starsky and Hutch. I enjoyed both. At some point during those films I talked to my friend Grace on the phone, whom I hadn’t seen yet since arriving back in Tokyo. She says she’s going to a club later, so I agree to meet her at Hachiko at 11. We meet up, go for a drink, meet a bunch more of her friends, then go to La Fabrique, some French-owned Tokyo club. We wait for a while to get in, its really fucking crowded and it ends up that it’s not really my cup of tea, so I leave a little bit before 3, leaving the whole posse I showed up with to dance the night away.
I return to Eric’s place instead of my new apartment, which would mean an expensive taxi ride. Upon arriving around 3:30 am or so, I am surprised to show up at an empty apartment. I go to sleep, and am awoken some brief length of time after by Eric and Sun, who say i missed an amazing night out with them, which saw DJ sets by Sun’s friends DJ Codomo (yes, he spells it with a ‘C’), and Mooog Yamamoto of Buffalo Daughter, who Sun (and Eric for that matter), says played probably the best DJ set he’s ever heard in his life, in musically chronological and evolutionary order, completely fulfilling on a rump-shaking, as well as intellectual, and curatorial level.
Posted by shane at 06:46 PM
February 10, 2005
Day Two
I make my first appearance at the W+K office (unless you count briefly last night). I see all the usual faces. I make use of the internet to search for temporary Guest House / Apartments. I find one that sounds OK managed by a place called Fontana. I call the place. I set up an appointment to go check the shit out. I head over to their office in Shin Nakano, which is a bit of a ride from Roppongi. I get there, and they drive me out to see it. The Nakameguro place isn’t so nice, and it seems a bit far from the station. After this however, he mentions he has a room opening up in Toritsu Daigaku. I go to see that room as well. It’s pretty nice. It’s about 30 seconds walk from the station. I tell him I’m 90% gonna take it, just have to round up the money for the deposit.
Posted by shane at 06:44 PM
February 09, 2005
Day One: The Return
I have arrived in Tokyo today. It’s February 9th, 2005. I usually don’t get hung up in any sentimentality, but I guess this is for all intents and purposes the day in which my actual life begins. If my life somehow became a film, this would be like the moment it flashes back to in the beginning to begin the story. It’s basically my first ‘real’ job; the first thing I am doing after having completed my formal education.
And so I sit, on Eric's floor (while he is at the W+K office), Audio Visual Japan DVD projecting onto the section of blank wall which serves as a screen. It’s obvious to me that I want to fall asleep, but am somehow physiologically unable to do so.
I come directly from a modest 2 weeks or so in Orange County, CA. Full of old friends, burrito eating, and World of Warcraft playing, followed by sleeping in really late. And suddenly I land here, exhausted, and half-asleep and somehow intoxicated by a lessening degree of seperation to this hyper-oshare Tokyo glamour world which somehow I just drop straight into the moment after disembarking from a cab ride to the office, which was preceeded by the ever-savory Airport Limousine ride between Narita and ANA Hotel Akasaka coupled with Ipod.
Within a minute of entering the office I am hearing that Sun (who is also staying in this apartment I am in now) is going to be in Relax magazine with someone from Buffalo Daughter, (A band who's recordings I do enjoy, although the one live show I saw of theirs wasn’t the best thing I’ve ever seen), and is at the photo shoot now. On top of this, he will play at some exclusive party with Cornelius, and other members of the Japanese indie music elite guard, in a couple of weeks. On W+KTLab front news, Hifana and Uppercut will be in the office on Tuesday to discuss new albums, and particularly the video content therein, which will be developed simultaneously within a production schedule of the next 70 or so days. There may be a collaboration with Koichiro Tsujikawa (Cornelius vids for drop, etc.) in the works, which would be nice, as I quite enjoy his work.
Apart from all this, I must finish the details of my job, get a proper visa, find an apartment, and try to find time to work on personal shit (because its been reeeally long since ive done that in any capacity, and this modest blog is a small start of it.) In short, there's gonna be a whole lot of work to do.
Posted by shane at 10:45 AM