Yell it to the rafters: there’s a Gothic Lolita store in New York City — Tokyo Rebel! The lovely husband and wife team behind the new boutique invited my all-girl Visual Kei group to visit. (I believe This Maddening Shroud is our favorite of all the killer band names you suggested for us.)

Jeff (a web designer) and Masayo (a nurse) opened Tokyo Rebel “because we love Japanese street fashion and we wanted to bring it to America.” Tucked away in the Lower East Side, they’re the only retailer in NYC to stock Japanese brand-name Goth Lolita Punk clothing and accessories.

Kanae headed straight to the vintage rack in the back (the store will accept and sell your secondhand Lolita clothing.) I couldn’t resist putting on an old-school Algonquins dress (left). Atelier Pierrot (right) is one of the bestselling brands because it appeals to a broad range of shoppers; a girl looking for an alt prom dress fell in love with the one I’m holding.

The Sweet Lolita dresses from Angelic Pretty (left) are the same ones on the racks at Marui One Shinjuku. Masayo and Jeff source the clothes and accessories directly from the Japanese designers, which include Victorian Maiden, Innocent World, Putumayo and Maxicimam.

All new Lolita clothing is expensive ($150-300 range). But at Tokyo Rebel, the price tags aren’t — or are barely — marked up. Amazing, and well worth saving up for.

I tried on an Evil Tail Frill One-piece by SEX POT ReVeNGe. Regi couldn’t resist buying a two-piece jumper set by Algonquins. We were also tempted by the crucifix/cute accessories under the glass counter, and the display of Kera Magazine. (Need we say the selection is excellent, and ranges from casual rock/punk to lace and bows elegance?)

I ended up with a warm and fuzzy Sex Pot Revenge skull scarf. And if I may reach for a metaphor… that’s the feeling we got from visiting Tokyo Rebel! Masayo tells me she first fell in love with Gothic and Lolita fashion over a decade ago, in Tokyo. She wanted to create a haven where she could be around the elegant clothing and meet others who appreciate the fashion — and the boutique was born.

Jeff says the store aims to stock more items from the current brands, including shoes, and expand to include more lines. If you’re in NYC, even for an afternoon, you’ve got to stop by to say hi and try on a couple of coordinates. Happy face for those who live elsewhere: you can order from Tokyo Rebel’s website as well. (All photos by Shichi.)

Have any of you been to Tokyo Rebel? What are your thoughts on the atmosphere and selection?

The NHK documentary about cute bentos has aired! Come watch my segments on my YouTube channel (please subscribe) or embedded below. Japanese TV is absolutely bananas, isn’t it?

In Part 1, I show the reporter how to draw and create cute character bentos. How many times can you spot my Scottish Fold cat, Basil Farrow?

Part 2 documents my visit to the Harlem elementary school to teach children (and their parents) how to make cute and healthy sandwiches. Don’t you love their enthusiasm?

Some parts didn’t make the final cut: the reporter and I had a five minute race to make cute food faces, and there was a segment where I modeled my fashion line. But I’ll post behind-the-scenes videos from the shoot later on (shot by Shichi, as were the photos above). You can see more from the NHK Japanese TV show in the last few pages of this blog — and to learn cute bento-making, do consider my book Cute Yummy Time!

Yesterday was an interesting press day. The Guardian (UK newspaper) reported that Cute Yummy Time was named one of the oddest book titles of the year — along with “Bondage for Beginners” and other head-scratchers. I hope my book makes the shortlist…

Moreover, a giant image of Ronan Farrow (Basil Farrow’s dad) is currently gracing the front page of Rosie O’Donnell’s website. The photo was taken by me! Next time, Rosie should post a photo of our fat, furry, earless son, don’t you think?

What do you think of NHK documentary? Are you eager to make kawaii character bentos now?

† Name: Lindsay Jensen (various characters/outfits have their own names)
† Age: 20
† Location: Los Angeles, CA
† How were you introduced to Gothic Lolita fashion?
I first saw a picture of Mana in 7th or 8th grade, and immediately was attracted to the sheer beauty of the style.
† What do you find appealing about GL style and culture?
It can be very ethereal to me, even with sub-styles that are darker, and I appreciate the hard work that goes into looking the way they do.
† What are your favorite Gothic Lolita clothing brands?
Moi-meme-moitie, h.NAOTO.
† Any other comments (inspiration, tips, favorites)?
If you haven’t been to an actual GL store in Japan, get your butt over there right now. There is nothing like walking into a department store full of gorgeous dresses and shoes. PS: The pink dress is from a music video I worked on a few years ago for an artist called Judamang who does frequent shows all over Los Angeles, especially in Hollywood. The dress was actually designed by me, and we went in to pick out the fabric and patterns ourselves, then headed to a seamstress! The doll seen briefly in the video is my BJD, Ariel, who is actually a boy.

Film of the Week #42: Hausu (directed by Nobuhiko Obayashi. Thank you to New York’s IFC Center for sending me the DVD.) Hausu or House was co-written by Obayashi’s seven year old daughter, which is why it plays out like an acid trip. (Remember my LSD-like childhood drawings? Why do children have psychedelic imaginations?) The dreamy rainbow “horror-dorama” centers on a group of teen schoolgirls named after their dominant traits: Gorgeous, Melody, Kung Fu, Fantasy, Prof, and Mack (the one who loves to eat). They visit Gorgeous’s spinster aunt who rolls around in a wheelchair while stroking her white cat. Suddenly, the acid kicks in: a watermelon turns into a floating head in a well, mattresses and pianos attack… Those of you with a twisted sense of humor and love of strong visuals, you’ve got to watch Hausu. If you’ve seen it, who was your favorite girl? Kung Fu was mine. As someone on IMDB commented, “She was hot and she kicked haunted house @$$ all over the place, so naturally I was like wtf when she got killed/eaten by that lamp.” Wahh!

CNNGO published an exclusive, original cute recipe of mine: Winking Coconut Gelatin. Healthy and refreshing — and adorable. Also from the 4-part series: Penguin Onigiri and Tiger Chicken Tikka Masala. There’s info about my cute cookbook on this page — please consider checking it out, so that I can continue to put out books for you!

Other recent articles on CNNGo (all of them are found here)
† Unconventional conventions: Asia’s most intriguing trade shows of 2010. Our wonderful “I Am Sebastien” is quoted.
† Take five for Asia’s jazz festivals in 2010. Bill Evans, Christian McBride and others are coming…

If you would like to be the next Gothloli of the Week, please read the submission instructions here. For all your Lolita shopping needs, check out the links to clothing brands on the right column of my blog.

If you are purchasing from Amazon.com, may I ask you to please consider supporting this blog by buying via my site? Just click here and search for whatever you want from Amazon (there are no extra costs to you).

Thanks so much and please keep in touch (I do my best to respond to messages): RSS feed, posts in your inbox, MySpace, Facebook Group, Facebook Fan page, Twitter, YouTube, Bloglovin and Google Friend Connect.

Hope to see you at our Lunar New Year + Purikura Jpop party, Feb 13 in LA! RSVP on Los Angeles Going or Facebook.

Save the date: I’m hosting a J-pop party on February 13, 2010 in Los Angeles! The infamous Yukiro and other familiar faces from this blog will be there… we hope to see you!

Celebrate the Lunar New Year on Saturday, February 13th at Kira Kira, a sparkling photo-sticker shop with all of the newest Purikura machines from Japan! Our special event will be hosted by Harajuku fashion and Cute Food blogger La Carmina. The DJs from Tune in Tokyo will also be there, spinning the best in J-Pop, J-Rock, and Global Dance Pop all night long.

There will also be prizes and giveaways sponsored by Hear Japan, Lime Crime, and Gloomth! (Photo of Carmina by Shichi; flyer by Greg.)

WHEN: Saturday, Feb 13th, 8PM – 12 AM. Free and all ages.
WHERE: Kira Kira is located at the Seasons Place shopping center in City of Industry (2nd floor, above Red Mango). There’s plenty of free parking.
RSVP on Facebook here.

Look forward to seeing you there!

The cauldron is bubbling, my friends… we have multiple magical adventures in the works for our time in LA and Vegas. Too bad we just missed GPKISM, Seileen and SiSeN’s stop in LA. Liz from LA Weekly wrote an awesome report on the concert (and kindly let me post a few photos, taken by Shannon Cottrell). “We’ve noticed that J-goth has developed its own devoted following in the U.S., one that’s separate from the domestic goth scene, but isn’t necessarily that different [...] It’s this strange amalgamation of now-vintage musical elements with a contemporary flair that makes J-goth so appealing to a younger generation of fans.” Check out the rest of her review here. Were you at the event, or the recent X-Japan music video shoot? What did you think?

Young author/illustrator Realm Lovejoy interviewed me for her blog and drew a charming image of me in maid cafe cosplay! I love the little bento nibbles in the background, and my ever-present earless teddy bear cat. You can read the interview on her site and pasted below.

1) Thank you for joining us, La Carmina! What is CUTE YUMMY TIME about? And what are bentos?
Imagine opening up your lunch to find Hello Kitty or Pikachu made out of rice, eggs and ham! Cute Yummy Time is inspired by Japanese “charaben” bentos, or box lunches that are arranged to look like cute faces. I created my own characters — including one based on my Scottish Fold cat Basil Farrow — and made recipes that focus on healthy, Western ingredients. You can find out more and order Cute Yummy Time here.

2) I enjoy making bentos! I’ll have to try some of your recipes out. What are some examples of how you adjusted bento-making to suit the western palate?
My cookbook builds on the Japanese trend by “thinking outside the bento box.” There are 72 recipes for all occasions: breakfast, meals, desserts, holidays. You don’t need any special bento equipment to make the cute faces (almost everything can be decorated in under 10 minutes). And I focus on healthy ingredients that are easily found in all Western grocery stores; recipes include a baby chick egg salad wrap, cow-faced cheeseburgers and hobgoblin dark chocolate cupcakes. Cute Yummy Time is a whimsical new approach to cooking that all ages can enjoy.

3) You also have a book called CRAZY, WACKY THEME RESTAURANTS: TOKYO. It sounds like something I want to bring next time I visit Japan! Can you tell us about the book and some of your favorite wacky restaurants?
In Tokyo, a theme dining experience isn’t complete unless you’re molested by monsters, attacked by ninjas, or charmed by cross-dressing maids! I endured and photographed over 30 such cafes — and wrote about my ridiculous adventures in Crazy, Wacky Theme Restaurants: Tokyo. My favorites
are Christon Café (which features church relics and a “disco Jesus”) and Alice in Wonderland (you’ll see how my friends cosplayed as the characters). I also visited the haunted jail restaurant, Alcatraz ER, with Andrew Zimmern for an episode of Bizarre World (airing this May on Travel Channel!).

4) What aspects of the Harajuku culture inspired you and drew you in? And what exactly is the Harajuku scene like?
As a teen, I remember walking through Harajuku and feeling like I was on Mars. I love the neo-Rococo fashions, cute-meets-Gothic aesthetics, towering Visual Kei hair and theatrical makeup… there’s an exhilarating, experimental pulse heard all through this district. I post street snaps and store photos from Harajuku in this section of my blog.

5) You’ve got a popular blog and you have been on TV such as The Today Show and NHK, as well as writing articles for CNN. What’s your advice to other writers on building an effective platform to promote themselves?
My blog and YouTube channel are ongoing portfolios for my creative work. I often land writing and TV gigs when people find my site and dig the spooky-cute adventure palace I’ve built. Social networks and blogging are great ways to be in touch with readers and make connections. Be personal, reach out, write diligently about what excites you — and opportunities will naturally unfold.

CUTE YUMMY TIME can be ordered here. CRAZY, WACKY THEME RESTAURANTS can be ordered here.

We hope to see you at our Chinese New Year & Purikura party on Feb 13! Please mark your calendars, RSVP and tell your LA friends!

Anddddd here’s the other scary-sweet print from my clothing collaboration with Akumu Ink! It comes in various sizes and ships internationally.

† CARMINA IN WONDERLAND HOODIE
Features Scotitsh Fold Basil Farrow as the Cheshire Cat, grinning and pouring La Carmina tea. In tribute to Alice and Gothloli fashion, she wears a lace headdress and lace-up rocking horse shoes. Each is hand-screened in gold ink on a black background. Silver razorblade Akumu Ink logo on the chest.
BUY MENS (S-XXL), $48.50
BUY WOMENS (XS-XXL), $48.50

† CARMINA IN WONDERLAND T-SHIRT
As designer Joey comments, “Take a look at how stylish you can be all the while retaining maximum comfort!” Each tee is hand-screened in gold ink on a black background. Optional La Carmina x Akumu Ink print on the back.
BUY MENS (S-XXXL), $21.99
BUY WOMENS (S-XXL), $21.99

As always, Basil Farrow willingly participated a photoshoot. This cat is too cute to be real. As soon as I put him on the table, he went up to his image on the t-shirt… and head-bonked himself!

Basil Farrow adores my new Juicy Couture owl ring, a gift from my mother. Whenever I show it to him, he sniffs it… and taps the face with his big, furry paw! (Perhaps Basil likes it because he looks like an owl?)

For more flop-eared cat photos from this shoot, you can view my Facebook Group and Fan Page. All of the items from my clothing line can be viewed and ordered here. Hugs , everyone, for making 2010 a killer year so far!

I asked three Asian designers about 2010 style predictions for CNNGo — including Fumiko of Classical Lolita brand Chantilly! Read the article here and find out what Fumiko predicts for the future of Lolita style in Japan. Thanks to Valerie Fujita-Conchartre for the photographs; check out the Visual Kei and Gothloli photos on her blog, Alice and Peter Punk. Sachi from Kokusyoku Sumire is the cutest model – and her band is one of my favorites.

Dreaming up a creative project and making it come to life… is there anything more fulfilling? The cherry on top: working with a tireless and ultra-talented collaborator, Akumu Ink. Here are the fruits of our labor (and play!). Introducing my new La Carmina x Akumu Ink fashion website, coded by yours truly. All of the t-shirts and hoodies are available now for you to order!

† BLACK LA CARMINA + BASIL PORTRAIT T-SHIRT †
Featuring your Harajuku-Goth fashion blogger/author and her Scottish Fold cat, Basil Farrow. His worried expression, heart-shaped nose and jutting fang are too cute for words! Gothic details include a skull/cake hat, eye stickers and a key necklace. Each is hand-screened in white ink on a black background. Optional La Carmina x Akumu Ink print on the back.

BUY MENS (S-XXXL), $21.99
BUY WOMENS (S-XXL), $21.99

For the girls, we have a lovely cranberry red. Each is hand-screened in white ink on a red background. Optional La Carmina x Akumu Ink print on the back.
BUY WOMENS (S-XXL), $21.99

My personal favorite: a purple V-neck that goes great with a black feathered boa. Each is hand-screened in white ink on a purple background. Optional La Carmina x Akumu Ink print on the back.

BUY MENS UNISEX (XXS-XL), $23.99
BUY WOMENS UNISEX (XXS-XL), $23.99

This one’s for the boys. It’s too big for me, but I’ll rope some cuties into modelling the shirts for me soon! Each is hand-screened in white ink on a grey background. Optional La Carmina x Akumu Ink print on the back.
BUY MENS (S-XXXL), $21.99

I can’t take off this hoodie — it’s so unbelievably comfortable and warm. Even Basil Farrow loves to sit on it! Each is hand-screened in white ink on a black background. Silver razorblade Akumu Ink logo on the chest.
BUY MENS (S-XXL), $48.50
BUY WOMENS (XS-XXL), $48.50
SEE MORE HERE

I’m so happy with the prints; they’re of the topmost quality — you won’t be disappointed! We’ve got a range of sizes and colors, and kept prices low. Please do support indie clothing company Akumu Ink — their range of J-horror/Goth/Steampunk shirts is outstanding, and we hope to keep putting out new designs for you.

So please take a moment to check out the new La Carmina x Akumu Ink clothing line website. If you have any questions or want to carry the clothes in your store, send me a line. (Tomorrow, I’ll spotlight our Alice in Wonderland print.)

PS: Thanks for the band name suggestions! Keep them coming, you’re a devilishly creative bunch!

We formed a band! An all-girl J-Goth spooky band! From left to right:

Regi is the cross-dresser. La Carmina is the vocalist. Kanae is the Asian skinhead. Jenny is the Mana-like lurker who plays guitar and never speaks.

What should we call our band? Can you help us think of a name? Leave your suggestions in the comments, and we’ll choose our favorite! (Just click the Comments link in the bottom right corner; you don’t need to register.)

Shichi took these photos of us on St Marks Place in NYC. Quite a few alternative stores have closed down, but the street remains the hangout of Goths and punks. Passersby stopped and gawked at us while we made Candy Spooky faces for the camera.

Zombie alert! We took advantage of the red light from the store window of Trash and Vaudeville.

Three ways to wear black lipstick. Jenny drew slightly upturned lines at the edges of her mouth. Kanae smeared the stuff. I used Lime Crime Styletto to outline my lips, and filled the middle with dark blue.

How about some Japanese Goth eye makeup inspiration? Jenny bats her fake eyelashes with white beaded tips. Kanae drew arched brows and radiating lines under her eyes. I played around with glitter dots and put a spider on my third eye.

When Kanae reviewed these photos, she laughed, “That’s me with my Nazi wife!” Her armband, black trenchcoat and “baldness” got some interesting comments and glances. But it’s all aesthetic, folks. Remember that Gackt and his fans wear Nazi-like helmets and armbands.

Dangling the creaky Trash and Vaudeville platform… that’s how we kill time before eating delicious Japanese izakaya fare at Kenka once again. After your meal, don’t forget to go upstairs to the sex punk store Search and Destroy. You’ll probably find Kanae there — whenever she enters the shop, she is utterly incapable of leaving!

What do you think of our funereal outfits? What shall we name our scary Visual Kei girl band?

I began my speech by telling the Harlem schoolchildren that I brought a cute friend with me. I pulled her out of a large bag… and they awwed in recognition: “It’s Hello Kitty!”

I talked about kawaii in Japanese culture and character bentos, and gave pointers on healthy eating. The nine-year-olds were very high-energy and asked me rambling questions. Then it was time for the students to try making their own cute-faced sandwiches. They chose ingredients from the spread I had prepped the previous day. By the end of the shoot, almost everything was gone!

The children intuitively understood how to use cookie cutters, straws and other basic tools to make kawaii characters out of food. I went around the tables to help and encourage them.

Amazingly, the children ate vegetables that they’d never seen before — sprouts, green snap peas, red peppers — and said they tasted great. Their parents took away a fun, new approach to making healthy food accessible for kids. I was pleased.

Hana cheered, “Let’s make kawaii character bentos together!” — and we all raised our fists and yelled “Yayyyyy!” Ah, the wonders of Japanese TV.

You will love the episode of New York Wave, which will air next month on NHK (I’ll upload clips). Much thanks to Thomas, a teacher at the school, for his invaluable help in making the lesson possible. Arigato also to Shichi for the photos and help in dishing out the food.

For more images from the Harlem TV segment, you can watch this video slideshow. If you’re interested in cute healthy cooking for picky eaters, I have a new book out, Cute Yummy Time.

I Tweeted a link that got a lot of responses: Condom Fashion Show in China. A very creative use of the material (and my mom sent me the link!). Birth control couture: kawaii or ai-yah?

Received my Akumu Ink x La Carmina t-shirts today and AHH the prints are so eye-catching! Each tee and hoodie is hand-screened; you won’t be disappointed by the quality. (They’re available for order at www.akumuink.com — I’ll post photos of me in them soon.)

What’s next? My visit to NYC Lolita store Tokyo Rebel, my spooky Goth girl band, Bowie’s birthday party, and more undead adventures in LA!

Yesterday, I did a simple DIY project that was blast in the past: I wrapped the covers of my books! When I was in elementary school, we had to wrap our textbooks to protect them from damage. Back then, I used Hello Kitty gift wrap.

How little I change. I ripped out color concert photos of Miyavi and Kamijo (Versailles) from the Gaku-X magazine issue that featured my DIY Gothic Lolita crown article.

The book-wrapping process is pretty self-explanatory. Cut the paper to size, snip out the “spine” area, fold and tuck the corners, tape. Since the paper edge is exposed at the spine, I reinforce the area with tape.

Underneath the Visual Kei glamor are Japanese vocab and grammar books. The covers were blah, so I replaced them with colorful pretty-boys; I figured this would motivate me to pick them up. I’m also sick of people who come up to me while I’m reading, and try to make conversation about learning Japanese. Look, I’ll talk to you if you can recognize the J-rockers!

(Incidentally, wrapping books is very popular in Japan and offered in many bookstores. Why? Well, most businessmen don’t want to broadcast to the world that they’re reading Shojo Beat…)

Kawaii stationery is also big in Japan. How amazing is the Happy Panda letter set from Japanese dollar store Daiso? The caption reads, “Some day, I want to ride a camel.”

My high school issued free organizers, but being me, I refused to carry around the same thing as everyone else. So every year, I bought cute, colorful planners and notebooks. Here’s a selection from the archives; you can see the Death Cookbook in here. If you don’t have cash to spend on Sanrio goods, you can put stickers on the cover of a sketchbook, like I did.

Lastly, I keep a Rilakkuma ballpoint pen in my purse at all times. Whenever someone needs to borrow a writing instrument, I get a kick out of pulling out a yellow stick topped with a bear’s head.

If you’re itching for cute pens and kawaii stationery, Jlist is your one-stop web shop (come browse the website for your favorite Sanrio character goods). Are you a fan of cute writing equipment? I don’t think I’ll ever outgrow mine…

Kisses for Basil Farrow, my Scottish Fold cat who modeled for these photos. I leave you with a free recipe: Hockey Penguin Onigiri on CNNGo.com. For more, please take a look at my J-pop cookbook, Cute Yummy Time.

A 20 minute documentary about cute character bentos requires 20 hours of filming… and 200 hours of preparation!

The NHK makeup artist, Tamami, is ultra talented and a doll to work with. She has a phenomenal line of makeup brushes — the lip brush is flat and made of high-quality hairs, and I really want one!

The New York Wave reporter, Hana, got her army green dress from a boutique in Shibuya 109. My silky dress is handmade — it’s part of the cosplay outfit that I later put on. I own three skull scarves; this one is from a random mall vendor.

I was scheduled to teach sixteen rambunctious 9-year-old students how to make kawaii bentos. We set up the tables with Tupperware boxes, cookie cutters, straws, toothpicks, plastic knives and other tools for making sandwiches with cute faces.

On camera, I interviewed Principal Cesar of the Talented and Gifted School for Young Scholars. Her school is one of five housed in a large complex at East 109th and Lexington. It’s crazy: in the course of a few blocks, the neighborhood goes from fancy Chanel to Harlem housing projects.

Tamami helped me clip on my onigiri hat. This and the furry cardigan complete my handmade Phoenix Wright costume; I’m the bento lady Angel Starr. (You may recall I wore this to my LA book signings; more photos here and here.)

To hold the childrens’ attention, I drew cute animals, wrote on the whiteboard and dangled my stuffed Hello Kitty.

Time to hide in the back… the uniformed schoolchildren are about to enter the library! (All photos by Shichi. You can see a slideshow of the Harlem photos in this video-post.)

Thank you to each of you for reading my blog; you make my work possible, and I appreciate your comments and camaraderie. You can also view the posts by RSS and posts in your inbox. I also post updates several times a day on Twitter and try to add everyone back.