Off to the Mall + Outfit 06.11.27.

Another weekend has passed and another week begins. A bummer, there's no two ways about it. Well, I will fill you in on the weekend that was. First on Sunday I went to a new shopping mall near Tokyo Bay: Lalaport Toyosu.


It was big and new, and crowded as hell. They had some nice shops, mostly cheaper stuff. I was on a search for a new winter hat, and of course the only hat I liked came from Swiss Army: not cheap. Overall, the place has a similar feel to an American shopping mall, but better in many ways. For example, it was organized by shop type: a kid's area, a men's area, ect. It also had interesting architecture and design, but that also made finding your way around more complicated. See for yourself...


Three floors, weirdly shaped buildings, and lots of different connecting passageways made for some back-tracking and looking at the map a lot. When we got there, I was starving. They had a lot of interesting options: a gyoza place, yakiniku, Chinese, curry, and on and on. But, as my girls says, you can’t go to the mall without going to the food court. So, we by passed all those delicious options to make our way over to the food court. At the time I was pissed, because food courts irritate me to no end, but damnit, my girl made the right choice again.


It was called Food Circus, and it has to be the most advanced Food Court ever. Before you can enter, you are given instructions by a friendly chap, a card with a barcode, and a reservation sign.



You are then led to your table by a host....a first for me to be sure. This reservation holder is the key. It allows you to walk around to look at the various options TOGETHER, without losing your table, a significant problem in most food courts. Another interesting feature how you pay. When you order, you only have to have your barcode read, you don’t need to pay at that time. When you leave, they read your card and give you the total. There were about 8 options to decide from, plus a drink and dessert bar. I was pleased with my choice of a steak sandwich and my girl was happy with her Pad Thai.

There has been a great leap forward in the food court. People of the world celebrate!

Today was also a shopping day for me. But before I get to another shopping story, it is outfit time again. It was a decent outfit, but not the best ever. I’m still trying to figure out how to work my new kicks. Let's start at the top and work our way down.


The weather called for layers today...and I heeded the call. This jacket is old. (8 years?) But it is the perfect lightweight zip up. It is not the most exciting piece of this outfit, so let's keep moving. My second layer is a gray thermal shirt. It has a military feeling with the shoulder and elbow patches. I love it. My girl and I found it at BEAMS while we were shopping for my birthday present. It is so comfortable. My bottom layer is one of my all time favorite t-shirts. I’ll give you 3 guess who made it and some time to think. Why don't you look at some pics while you think.


Nice thermal shirt....right? Now let’s get to the t-shirt. If you were one of those people out there who guessed it is a purple LEGO t-shirt. Great job! Some pics to make it all clear.


Love the stripes with the purple base. Never seen this t-shirt on anyone else, ever. I bought it in Tokyo a couple years ago. If you ask me, we need a close-up of those LEGO people doing their thing.


And last, but far from least we come to my newest shoes. With my shoe purchases lately I felt like I was neglecting my long time love New Balance. So, when I found a pair that I had almost bought a year ago...on sale, I just had to pull the trigger. I'll hit you with a close-up first.


And before we go any further, let’s see how they look with this outfit.


They are New Balance 586s. I have been into them for a while. The soles are really thick and strong. The mix of different materials is impressive: suede, leather, and mesh all present. And I’m loving the teal and purple highlights. The cherry on top though is clearly the hits of 3M reflective material. Observe...


As you can see, the top row is normal, while the bottom row has an extra punch. The difference is the 3M on the "N", the heel, and a tiny strip on the toe. I am happy about these.

So back to my shopping trip today, I rocked these over to my girl’s work for lunch. After some tempura I was off to Shibuya and Ebisu. In Shibuya I checked the Click Brick store to see if they had any LEGO stuff I needed. Then over to a cheap shoe store where I was extremely tempted by a pair of Adidas that have gone on sale. Stay tuned....I might get them later this week. Then to some book stores and Tower Records before jumping on the train to Ebisu. I wanted to check the real world location of a site I check all the time: PASSOVER. Their site always has kicks that blow me away. Their store however was T-I-N-Y!! Like a closet. They had about 12 pairs on display and maybe 15 t-shirts. They had one pair that I drooled over, but I couldn't justify the price. Check their site, skip their shop.

Happy Thanksgiving!

It is Turkey day again in the US. And once again I find myself far from home. Ahhh...such is life. To get in the Thanksgiving mood, I give you this....


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It is Nike's Thanksgiving version of the Air Force 1 Mid. I think it's kind of strange to make a shoe to celebrate a holiday, but at the same time, it is quite clever. I kinda like the colorway, in spite of the fact it is for the holiday. I think they are a limited, so if you want a pair, act fast. How about one more pic that shows the hot orange laces?


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So, what did I do in Japan to celebrate Turkey day you ask. Not a whole lot. By coincidence it is a national holiday in Japan today also. (A type of Labor Day....I think.) But the weather was crap, and I have been having a crap week so far, so me and my girl decided to kick it indoors. We watched some movies and relaxed. A nice day. And for Thanksgiving dinner....


Not exactly the most traditional dinner ever. But, what are you gonna do? It was tasty and I had some delicious Fanta grape to wash it all down. Let’s hope my family's big dinner turns out better than mine!

And just like back home, after Turkey day comes the shopping. Yippee!! I have to admit, I am off to an early start. Last Monday I scored some kicks.


It is only a teaser shot, cause I have yet to find the right outfit to rock these with. I really like the colors and the price was right. Sadly, the size was wrong, a half size too small. The good news is that I wore them for a while and I think they should work out just fine. I will give you all a nice shot of them very soon.

Continuing with the shopping theme....something on many people's list this season will be the PS3. If you get your hands on one, how about a matching pair of sneakers??


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These are EXTREMELY limited...24 pairs worldwide. It makes the Sony PS3 look as common as a potato. They are another hybrid of the Air Max 360 and 90. For more info click HERE. A lovely shoe. A lovely shoe that I will never own. A lovely shoe that you will not own. A lovely shoe that no one you know will ever own. Oh well. Life goes on.

And last, but not least. A holiday gift idea for all my dog owning, gangsta rap loving peeps:


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That's right, Snoop Dogg endorsed dog toys. Can you get anymore hardcore?? They are available for pre-order from Amazon now. For the whole collection click HERE. Make sure not to miss my personal favorite: the dog hoodie!


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Enjoy your turkey and your family...and good luck shopping Friday.

Colors, colors everywhere...

Today was all about bright colors. I ran into this yellow hatted monster on my way to work. Apparently, it's that time of year again...school trips! I love to see the large groups of innocent, well organized, and joyous kids. But...I hate, hate, hate to be stuck in the same train carriage as them. Luck was with me today. There must have been some stragglers in the group, because they chose to wait for the next train.


What do you think this billboard is advertising? Any guesses? How about a close up?



Getting clearer? A new dessert shop? A new candy? Last chance...



For all of those people out there that guessed a job placement agency ...well done! I've been seeing these everywhere for the last couple months. I was surprised to find out what they were advertising. Interesting concept...if a little on the immature side. According to the ad, each person has there own color. And this agency will find the right job for you. So...why not represent this with various colored pudding desserts? None to surprising for Japan I guess. But for me, using cartoon characters in serious adverts is still a bit bizarre.

On to the next one. Or as my man MC Guru says, “...now your my ex girl, cause I’m onto the next girl.” Next we move onto some hot shoes I found. As you may have noticed I usually focus on Air Maxs and other fashion oriented shoes. But these technie running kicks caught my eye.


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The same shoes come in these hot colorways as well. Although I like the still like the first ones better. The soles on these are real nice.


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How about a little love for the ladies?


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These are the Nike Zoom Moire+. The yellow, green, and pink colorways are from the Lance Armstrong 10//2 NYC Marathon pack. The little “+” sign means they can communicate with your ipod when you go running....if you choose to roll like that. Me...I would just rock them cause they look nice. I am pretty sure I will be picking up these at some point in the future. It is a touch too early though...it seems like they are still finding their footing color-wise.

Last we come to my outfit. As I got dressed today I went with bright colors. It just felt like that kinda day....and boy was I right. Anyways, as I left my apt, I was wondering, is there a chance I'm matching TOO much? See for yourself.




Laces and t-shirt are the same color. The jacket and the shoes also share a color. I think it is ok....but just on the edge. Some people may think I crossed over....but...to each his own. The t-shirt is from The Quiet Life again. Love the colors and the font. The jacket is from LL Bean...representing New England style! The more I look at the pics...the more I think I went too far. Oh well...what's done, is done.

Numbers 1 - 4

Number 1

The greatest thing about people visiting you, besides seeing old friends of course, is having the perfect excuse to eat delicious food. Witness the goodness. First up, shabu shabu.




We met in Ginza for shabu shabu Sat night. It was damn tasty. The appetizers did their job of filling you up way before the main course arrives. When will I learn not to that. Food this good made it really hard. This place was all about the pig, each course had some kind of pork. And the main course was amazing thinly sliced pork. By the time we rolled out of there 3 hours later...it was me who was the hog. (Puns like that are unavoidable...I saw it coming a mile away, but could do nothing to get out of the way.) Great food and great friends. To continue the happy times we all met again on Sunday for some lunch.

Number 2


A lunch of really tasty sushi. It hit the spot after such a huge dinner the night before. One regrettable part of the weekend was the service at both places. Being in Japan you become accustomed to super polite service. It is great. BUT....when you do encounter a bitchy waitress or 4...it is really quite shocking. In New York or Boston you are almost ensured crap service. Strange how you can become so used to things.

Whatever. It was really great to see Kit, Sis, and their Mom. So glad you made it the entire trip without any disasters!

Number 3


Whether you know it or not, this weekend marked the official release of the Playstation 3 in Japan. Not a huge deal for me, but still news worthy. I am a bit of a gamer, and will most likely buy a PS3 when all the hubbub dies down. This pic is from one of the main electronic stores in Japan. Click HERE for a eye opening first hand report of what it was like there. Not good at all. But, from what I read in other places on the wide wide wide, it was not as chaotic and badly organized everywhere in Japan. See this clip for evidence.


Granted this was hours before the release....so maybe people were just saving their energy. But how ever messy it got in Japan, just think of what it would be like, or will be like, in the US. Not a pretty picture.

Lastly click HERE to find out where a lot of those first PS3 wound up. Besides those first stupid ones listed, many are being sold for 4 and 5 times the sales price. On the evening news in Japan, they are calling the resellers “brokers". I guess the black market is stronger than big business...again. For those of you in the US, click HERE if you want your overpriced Japanese PS3 now.

Number 4

That's no regular four, that's Audi RS4 to be more exact.


Came across this one in Ginza late Sat night. For a long time it was my dream car. Loved the station wagon looks and the Porsche beating engine. I wouldn't have bought it in yellow, kind of destroys the the undercover aspect of the car.

As seen in Tokyo today...

As cool a brand image l-r-g has developed over the years, when you see a heavier fella wearing one of there logo covered sweatshirts...it's hard not to think lrg = large. For me it’s impossible NOT to make that connection. I mean all the letters are there...in the right order no less!

I mean no disrespect to the guy, he had all the right labels going: Carhartt hat, Atmos bag, and brown Air Force Ones to pull the whole look together. He also had a nice lady friend to keep him company. He is probably a very nice man...now I kinda feel bad for calling him out. Oh well. No harm, no foul.

I have a confession to make: I'm addicted. I can't stop taking pictures of taxis in Japan. Tonight as I left work I was confronted with a long line of taxis. Oh, happy day! I slowed down and grabbed two shots as I made my way to the subway entrance. I have been trying to catch one of them for a long time: the elusive yellow with an orange center stripe. It is my all time favorite.


The other one was a version I had never seen before. I don't hate it or anything...but it doesn't do much for me. I like it, but it’s no yellow with an orange stripe...if you know what I mean!



Finally...since I started this post by calling out my man in the l-r-g sweatshirt, I will continue in the same vein. I wanted to call out two celebrities that are making some cash out in Japan. I see their billboards and TV ads way to often to NOT call them out. Who is it you ask? I give you Cameron Diaz:


I think she looks great. The ads are really simple, mostly because they are trying to publicize Softbank as a cellphone company. In the past they were mostly a web service provider. Recently they are bought out Vodaphone in Japan and they have new ads to make sure people notice. If a print ad is not enough...how about a TV ad.



And the other celebrity is a bit more perplexing. Someone who usually stays out of the spotlight: Tommy Lee Jones. Looking old as hell, I might add.


The ads are for a canned coffee. Apparently, he is reprising his role from the movie Men In Black. Not quite sure what that has to do with coffee....but I guess that is not for me to say. How about a TV add?



I prefer Tommy's ad to Cameron's, it is much less annoying. How about you guys?

ps. If you follow the link to YouTube, there are many more ads from both of them.

Dark and dirty

So yeah....here we go again. It was a nice relaxing day here in Tokyo. It was supposed to rain, but it never materialized. I like it when that happens, it’s like I pulled a fast one or something? Let’s end this rambling and get to it...


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In Las Vegas they just held SEMA, Specialty Equipment Market Association for those not in the know. This is the show were you can see all the aftermarket goodness and badness. (click HERE for more info) For the most part it all goes in one ear and out the other if you know what I mean. But I am excited about this car.


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You can’t tell me that this is not Darth Vader personified. Or...car-ified to be more specific. It's a concept car from Volkswagen. The R-GTI, for all those people who thought the regular GTI was too heavy and underpowered. Read about it HERE. It is not decided if they will release it or not, but as the link says, most of it is available for tuners to buy already. All it takes is a little DIY spirit and effort! (Or just some $$$ to have somebody build it for you.)

Sticking with dark theme...I give you these. Witness Nike taking polka-dots to the next level.


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Who knew there was another level for polka-dots to go to? And of course this begs the question; if the dot is square...is it still considered a dot? On the forums these have been dubbed “square-dots.” Whatever the name...they are nice. I love me some Air Max 90's and these have a strong chance of joining my (mini) collection. I love the "dots" and I’m digging the teal highlights. They look like they would be fun to wear.

And to tie in the dirty part of the title, I give you some YouTube. I am known to kill some time on there. I am also known to get down to some hip-hop. While I was bumming around on there yesterday I came across Chamillionaire's "Riding Dirty" video. I always kinda liked the song...in spite of the fact that I haven’t been riding dirty for some time now. The video is nothing so amazing, but I like the beat and he’s got a nice smooth flow on this song. Plus, you can’t go wrong with bringing a little Krayzie Bone back around. For your viewing pleasure:



And I also came across something strange. Guess who is still alive and well....and apparently still doing what he does.......wait for it.......Weird Al. Here is his version, it’s called “White & Nerdy"...just in case you thought he wasn't.



Now, which do YOU think was better? Whatever your final answer....Weird Al is still bring his A game. Try this on for size: "My rims never spin, to the contrary, you will find they are quite stationary." How can you not respect the skills.

ps. Happy 50th post to me!

Return of the Taxis

Today was a holiday in Japan, Culture Day to be specific. I wanted to do something culturally relevant to honor the day. But then I realized all the museums and such would be crowded, and that sounded a less than fun. The best I could do was NOT to go shopping. Wait...hold the phone! I went to a library today. That's culturally fitting. Nice! Now I don’t feel so nonintellectual.

It was a perfect autumn day so we decided to go on a long walk. It was one of those days when you just feel happy to be alive. Never one to be satisfied with simple pleasures, I decided to make the walk a bit more interesting. I tried to capture photos of all the different taxis I could find. Everyone seemed to enjoy the last post about taxis so much, I thought I would do it up Hollywood style and make a sequel. Here are some more taxis for your viewing pleasure.









And just like last time, I will connect these taxis to shoes. I found some more pics of the complete Taxi Pack from NikeSB. There will also be some clothes tied into the pack, but I have not found any good pics yet. Here are all 4 of the shoes.


And how about a close-up?


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As you can see they have the New York and London sneakers that are closely related to the taxis of those cities. There is also the Tokyo version that was talked about in my first Taxi post. And finally there is the last shoe which doesn’t really seem to match. I have seen it called a Tokyo version as well, but I can’t seem to find the taxi that it's related to. Unless it is this one...


That seems to be a bit of a stretch color wise. Whatever the case...if I were to buy any of the shoes, it would still be the green and yellow Tokyo dunks.

Remember to be kind to your local taxi drivers!