Make it your own

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I took this picture in the neighborhood of Roppongi in Tokyo. [It is kind of the nightlife center of Tokyo...and the mecca for foreigners looking to have fun (with a bunch of other ex-pats). I have a bad attitude about the area, but its not really worth going into.] My girl recently started going to a new salon there, and I discovered this little playground festooned with robots nearby. It was dope and I hope to tag alone again next month and snap some more pics.

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As anyone who has read this blog for a minute will know, I have a little thing for track bikes. I continue to see them in the streets and outside shops more and more often. The fad/movement shows no signs of flagging with the release of a new toy. (JB...that is the bike I was trying to explain the other day.)

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That's right, now you can buy your own 1/9 scale track bike from PedalMafia for a measly $30. Not only that, but they sell optional parts you can get to customize your mini-ride.

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[via: PedalMafia blog]
If and when I see this in the shops, I might have a hard time not throwing away some hard-earned cash on it. I have resisted buying toys for a while, and there is only one good way to reward myself for such good behavior – buy some toys! Until then, I have will to settle for PedalMafia's online application.

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Yup, you can build your own virtual track bike. So far I have thrown together four, but I will show some restraint and only show you my two favorites. And it is very possible that, since I have no practical knowledge of these bikes, that I have embarrassingly misplaced some part. That would be really sad, but if that is the case...please do tell. (I'm looking at you JB) I would hate to remain ignorant.

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You can try it out yourself HERE. All the items are way on the left, so make sure to scroll on over. If anyone wastes as much time as I did, feel free to send the pics my way.

So customization seem to be the name of the game, from bikes, mobile phones, and all the way to cars – see Ferrari's Carrozzeria Scaglietti program for evidence.) And let's not forget sneakers! Nike introduced their NikeiD program years ago, and now Puma has its Mongolian shoe BBQ, and Reebok and Adidas have both had different schemes running in the last year or so. Well...not to ruin the suspense, but I finally did it after debating about it for a long time.

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I have to explain, there are two different types of NikeiD's you can do: (1) you can use their Web site and select from the options available or (2) you can go to a NikeiD Studio and have a "Design Consultant" help you and there are "special" options that are not available online. Wanting only the best, I always hesitated going the online route but there was a problem – there was not iD Studio in Tokyo. (Well, after I had mine made...one just opened last month in the new Nike Sportswear store in Harajuku, but that's a story for another time.)

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Until very recently the only iD Studio has been in Osaka. And wouldn't you know it, I had an opportunity to go there this past September for the first time since 2002. I knew I would only have one afternoon there...after spending time with my girl's family and before heading back to Tokyo. My only goal was to go to the NikeStore...never imagining that I would have a chance to make a shoe.

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But...since we didn't really have much to do, my girl and her brother encouraged me to go bananas. But I knew they would be patient only for so long...I figured an hour max before there would be trouble. (Not really enough time...but since I didn't even make a reservation and it was such a spur of the moment thing, I was game!)

So, with no real time to prepare I sat down at the terminal and started working. It was a given I would make an Air Max 90 (if there had been the Air Max 87 I would have had to make a tough decision) the only real question was whether or not they had mesh available: and boy did they ever!

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They had white and black mesh available so those were easy bases to work from. But I quickly ended up wasting quite a bit of time trying out some wacky lime-centered colorways. After regaining my senses, I decided to take a more conservative path. The Design Consultant was not all that helpful and I have no idea if I used any of the "studio only" options. But at that point I was getting signals to wrap things up, so I said I was done.

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All of the colors came out a little darker than what I had expected, but I can't really complain. I am pretty happy with the results. They provide two lace options and I was sure I would like the blue better than the red...but I like the red a lot. And of course any sneakerhead worth his sole can see the influence the original Infrared 90 colorway had on my shoe. What can I say...I like the classics.

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In addition to the two laces that came with it, I can easily see some crisp white or black laces spending some quality time in there. But for now, I am really enjoying the red.

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I am not sure if I will ever do another pair of iD's again...but I am happy I did at least one. I to think that at some point, you will be able to customize shoes even more – either online or in a studio and more options and colors would be a nice start.

Music

Here is a great video for my favorite track of DJ /Rupture's new mix album Uproot. I might do a more complete review of the album in the near future. For now...enjoy.



That's it and I'm out.

Knowing without understanding

I'll admit it, I can't understand everything I see in Japan. I am always improving, but it is taking longer than it should. Oh well. Luckily, a lot of the time, complete understanding is not really necessary. Case in point.

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I always loved this sign in my girl's hometown. We always end up visiting the local supermarket where I encounter these 16 people encouraging me to "Take my time shopping" (but way more polite). Even if you can't read it (rest assured...this sign I can read) you can understand the meaning. On our last visit to her hometown, I spotted another sign I enjoyed, and it takes no reading to understand.

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Homeboy looks like he is having way too good a time popping pills! But even without the English writing, the slowest person would peg this as a drug store.

Moving on...

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This is the cover to the Keep Watch Vol. 2: Teki Latex put out by Mishka NYC brand. The mix is really good, although a bit of a slow starter. You can read an intro and download it HERE.

The mix by Teki Latex – being the Frenchie that he is – reminded me of this post I have been meaning to put together for the longest time. See...I have this fascination with foreign/non-English hip hop. The following clips (none of which are new) come from different countries and artists. And they are able to pull "it" off with varying degrees of success. The French for their part, seem be able to do just about anything and look good while doing so.



We have a chubby guy (in two different pairs of colorful Nike's) who infects everything he touches with rainbows. He ain't trying to be nothing he isn't. And he pulls it off with aplomb. I love the electro-vibe of the song.



This is Afasi & Filthy and all I know about them is that they are from Sweden. I do like the beat and can enjoy it, even though I don't understand one word. But, I feel like they are trying just a bit too hard, fronting in some way. It is a small thing, but I'm pretty sure these two homies check the mirror on the way out the door for a bit longer than Teki Latex.



Sexfemman seems to be another Scandinavian rapper, couldn't really find that much info on him. (Didn't look all that hard.) I like this song better than the last one. But again, there seems to be a false vibe of trying to be "down with the streets" here as well. Being down is not necessary to make good hip hop. The sparse beat – featuring a well used tambourine of all instruments – is slick enough to stand alone. (But maybe I am reading all the wrong stuff into the track. How would I know??) [both clips via - Discobelle]

Alles Neu - Peter Fox
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One of my favorite tracks that I have stumbled across knowing absolutely nothing about the artist. This is Peter Fox (according to the meta-data and the fact that he says his name multiple times) and I like the way his German just cuts through the dense track. I love the building of momentum with the cellos in the verses that burst in varying ways into the chorus. The video ain't too shabby either. There is no pretense here...just an artist making a good song. [via Kanye West]

That is about all. No big statement about non-English hip hop. Its just something that has been floating around in my head for ages. For me, if you don't try to emulate something, and just put out good music I will give it a listen.

CAUTION: Since I really know nothing about any of these artists, I really don't guarantee my judgement over their entire bodies of work. I only know these track which could be their best or worst work...how would I know??

Until next time.

Bless this...

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Went on a trip the other day to some small town called Nakayama in Chiba. It was only 40 minutes outside of Ueno, but it felt really far outside of Tokyo. We went to visit this small gallery – the Higashiyama Kaii Memorial Hall if you must know – but the temple on the walk from the train sation was almost as interesting.

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My girl and I weren't sure if this temple was famous, but it sure was nice. There were hardly any people which always makes us happy. On the temple grounds there were also a lot of cemeteries. Outside of one of them there was actually a salesman chatting up some older ladies about securing a plot. According to the sign, it was quite a deal, only about $20,000. I'm not sure if that is over- or under-priced to have your name carved on a a stone for eternity...but it sure did look beautiful though.

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As we were leaving, we heard some chanting and bell ringing coming from behind this large Buddha. Oh, just to set the scene, here is the enlightened one.

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So, we followed the chanting up and behind Buddha. And this is what we encountered. Can you figure out what's going on?

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This Burberry-pants-wearing lady and her husband were getting their (newish) BMW 5 series wagon blessed. Hence the opening of all the doors and such. I never considered the need to bless a car, but I guess its not any worse or better than praying before eating. And while applaud that they got their car washed prior to the blessing, I think not cleaning out the tennis gear in the back was in poor taste.

Just in case you were wondering what shoes I wore on such an (un)eventful trip...here you go:

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OK. As for music this week, I give you a 10 min clip from Starkey's 15 minute set on Mary Anne Hobb's big show from last month – Generation Bass. It was good, I mean as good as six 15-minute sets can be. But Starkey's was the most impressive in my mind. As you watch the clip, after the short interview, the drops at 5:55 and 7:45 get me moving the most.



If you want to hear the whole show, click HERE. It is 2 hours of mostly new dubstep. And its worth a listen, even if you only get into each set as it ends.

That's it for this one. Hope to be back posting again soon.

Traveling man

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Yes, I was in Honolulu – and no, I wasn't happy about it. My direct flight to Minneapolis quickly spiraled into a 36-hour marathon trip that had me fly from Tokyo to Hawaii, wait for 8 hours than fly to Minneapolis. Not fun at all. But, it was worth it to see my people, even if for only 27 hours.

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Luckily, I had some new shoes to wear on the trip that just wouldn't end. These Nike Rejuven8 fit the bill perfectly. Besides the obvious breathability, they are extremely comfortable and light.

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This version was released to celebrate the Olympics in Beijing. The regular version doesn't have the speckled mid-sole, but this tier zero version does. And I like it. It also came with an Olympic inspired interchangeable liner. But, I kept things simple with the black liner - which made for the perfect in-flight slipper.

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As you can see, the other liner really represents the Olympic flavor. Shocking, but I have yet to wear the multicolored version. Maybe someday. If anyone does a lot of flying, I highly recommend these kicks. From now on, these are my travel shoes. (Which will same me a lot time debating and deciding which shoes to wear each time I fly anywhere.)

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I don't get to ride in cars all the much here in Tokyo, and certainly don't get to see many corn fields. But that is really neither here nor there. It was good to see my whole extended family all in one place, even if the occasion was not happiest. One happier occasion is coming up soon...my b-day. And I got an early gift.

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While shopping my girl's Goyard wallet I spotted this orange masterpiece. I have been pining for this wallet ever since, and thanks to a very generous soul, it is now mine.

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This will be my first bi-fold wallet in many years. I might have to get a card case to hold all the various store point cards, business cards, etc that didn't fit in this fella. We are still just getting to know each other, but I have high hopes for the relationship - considering how much it was, it better work out really well.

I will leave you with a taste of this hilarious meme that I stumbled upon last week. It is the perfect mix - combining footage of revival churches and the audio from drum & bass parties. It matches up way better than it should. I had thought I had found the best one ever, (the "raise it up" at 1:45 is amazing!) but i was proved wrong when I hit this one.

Festival time

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My man Boba Fett welcomes you to another installment of my blog. Its a Be@rbrick that came a free gift with Pespi Nex. Confession time: I hate Pepsi, and I really don't like Coke too much either...but it was worth the price of the soda to get the free gift. And other thing, I don't love Be@rbricks all the much, but this bounty hunter special came out pretty dope. Shout out to John at Super Punch who was interested to see the finished version.

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Mid-summer in Japan means fireworks and natsu matsuri. And since I am not waiting all day in the hot sun to see some fireworks, this leaves the local summer festival.

With my old job, I would always miss the party...but happily I was able to go this year. (By "go" I mean walk through the tiny park filled with the local community on my way home from the grocery store.)

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It was a nice thing to see. I was also happy by the way the pics turned out. I tried a bunch of settings and ended up with something kinda cool...in my opinion.

Well, on to other things.

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This is the poster that Mita Sneakers used to announced a special edition that they designed with Asics. The images of the shoe were the first I saw and they looked promising. Even from the drawings, I was already leaning towards the black ones - call it growing up, blame it on the new job, who knows - but these days I like a bit more subtle look.

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On the day they were to drop I woke up early to snag me a pair. I think I was at the shop a bit before 11 a.m. (they open at 10 a.m.) and if you were in the Ueno area around that time, I was the tall white guy walking fast and trying not to run. I'll admit it, I got all worried at the last minute that the black one would be sold out.

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But of course, all was well...and it looked like I was one of the few people interested in the release. The one thing that made me hesitate before pulling the trigger was the patent leather. I have never had patent on a shoe before, and I am still getting used to the idea.

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The ripstop nylon toebox saved the shoe for me. I mean, the mix of materials is quite interesting. I mean, the tongue is a quilted nylon with the inside being some felty kind of thing. It sounds bad, but its actually really well done.

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And as you can see, it's only on the toe and the heel of the Gel Lyte III's. And I looked past it - to the split tongue, the specked outsole and the braided laces. And I love the electric blue highlights that add a nice contrast to the overall darkness of the shoe. Last pic here, I promise.

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And there you have it folks, my latest pick up. I have already worn them a couple times and they are very comfortable. If you like them...head HERE to get yourself some. But hurry, they don't have many sizes left.

MUSIC

I don't have much this week. Just one clip and one mix. Clip first - an oldy but a goody. This track has turned up an a bunch of the mixes I have been listening to lately and I simple love it.
I give you Poison Dart the Bug featuring Warrior Queen.



The mix is from Nick Catchdubs of Fools Gold fame.

Click HERE for the download (scroll down to the bottom) and a track listing.

Later

Pay attention people

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Some street art I ran across in Harajuku a while ago. Always nice to see a little creativity popping up in unexpected places. Always puts a smile on my face. In certain areas in Tokyo, graffiti everywhere. But one thing you very rarely see is graffiti on trains. One reason is that they if there ever is any...they hold the train in the station. See HERE for an example.

But the other day I found some etching on the windows of the Yamanote Line. It was the first I had ever seen.

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Not sure why "VEGAN" chose such a lame name...but I thank him for reminding me, if only for a moment, of all the time I spent on the trains of NYC. Those windows were often so scratched up you couldn't see the grime walls! For shame!

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I will use the pic above, possibly THE most boring picture ever posted online, serve as the intro for my latest pair of shoes. Those of you who have been paying attention will remember that I teased you with a receipt a short time ago. Well, here is what I bought.

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They are a pair of Visvim F.I.L. Jokhang's. Most of you are scratching your heads right about now. That's all right. It's not the most famous brand in the world. They have been on my radar for awhile, as a step away from sneakers, but staying within the streetwear spectrum. The company doesn't have a full on website. The designer, Hiroki Nakamura, is part of the Honeye collective and the site carrys news and some products.

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As you can see, the F.I.L. of Visism F.I.L. stands for Free International Laboratory. And if you think that sounds all fancy, wait till you here the name of the name of the Spring/Summer '08 catalog. "Dissertaion on the Future Relationship Between Materials and Technologies in Product Fundamentalism"

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So yeah, with a catalog title like that, you know them shits is gonna be pricey. And boy were they. But, I justified it as a grown-up shoe, not just another sneaker. And again, for those of you who are paying attention, just might be sensing a hint of a moccasin in the design. For the catalog: "The fusion of the 1/2 California construction used for running shoes and the self-customizing foot-wrap of the Native American moccasin crafting featureing our original engineering updates with custom outsole and midsole components." And that people is just the first paragraph describing the shoe.

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So basically these are handmade with the best materials by people who spend way to much time thinking about what makes the best shoe. Japan being Japan, of course the company has a cult following, and there stuff is hard to get. Visvim makes clothes and bags, like $200 button-down shirts and $700 backpacks. And me being me, I love it.

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So, I like them. They are amazingly comfortable and breathable in a way I didn't expect for a suede shoe. Of course all the people that see them don't like them much at all. So it goes. Feel free to tell me just how you feel about them, cause you know I wouldn't hold back.

MUSIC

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This is L-VIS 1990's album preview. It's exactly how my girl reacts when she hers some of the dubstep I have been listening to lately, except for the dying part at the end of course. But maybe it would happen if I made her listen long enough.

This is N.E.R.D.'s track Spaz. It's the best song I have heard from them in a long time. "Everybody Nose" is alright, just gets annoying really quick. Maybe that's the point...who knows. (achoo, achoo)

Amazing stuff from Africa again with DJ Mujava Kwaitodance's number “Township Funk." Not new apparently, but still a banger, even if it does go on a little long.

Later

Spend, spend, spend!

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As promised, no longer just a boring shot of the sky to get us going. This time I give you a "trying-to-be-arty" shot of a new building in Ginza. I like the twisty-ness of it, plus the reflection of the sign on the left. And since I started in Ginza, I might as well keep it going on the commerce tip.

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This is my new Porter pass-case. I had been wanting to get a leather case for my commuter pass for a long. And partly in celebration of getting a new job, I treated myself to this little piece.

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It was not cheap, but I am kind of obsessed with perforated leather and I dropped a chunk of change on it. But each day I get to use it and it makes me smile. Actually a couple weeks back I dropped a boat-load of money in a matter of hours.

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It was fun, but now with the empty wallet ain't so fun. At least I used cash so I don't have to live in dread of some massive bill coming. And some how that bill is always more than you think it should be, every time! I guess that is one advantage of using mostly cash in Japan – no bill shock.

Eagle-eyed readers (viewers?) will notice a large Undefeated purchase in the pic above. I will share that one in the next post. (I think)

One more example of out of control spending.

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Ever seen a baby-blue Lamborghini Murciélago? It was a first for me too! Maybe first and last? I mean how many Lambo owners can reject the factory options and go for the customizing route? One more look?

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I say the color works. Thoughts?

Lastly, tell me, is it wrong that I like this song, even though it is basically an add for _______. Can you figure out what its for?

Santogold, Julian Casablancas, and N.E.R.D. Produced by Pharrell


The song was produced by Pharrell for Converse. I want to dislike it for its so thinly veiled corporate message, but I like the song. (Shrugging my shoulders)

Later