Do you remember our adventure at the ridiculous Ridiculous clothing boutique in Osaka? It’s not the only wonky place in the building. As we were leaving, we found a door marked with pentagrams. The signs read “Bleeding Maria” and “Protected by Witchcraft.”

Gingerly, we pulled back the beaded curtains — and stepped into a witch’s parlor or haunted apothecary. Shelves cluttered with scary dolls and animal skulls. Potent potions, gems, and spells for sale.

This Goth Punk lady is the proprietor. She offered to give us a tarot card reading or tell our fortune. We were weirded out not by the macabre atmosphere or her styling… but because she spoke perfect English. What’s going on in this ridiculous shop?

She welcomed us to take photos. Virgin Mary statues, scattered rose petals, arachnophobia.

Next to voodoo dolls, a cute bunny and a Nightmare Before Christmas pillow, several of her friends were eating junk food and drinking Coca-Cola. We tentatively said hi and high-tailed it out of there. I think the Bleeding Maria occult shop should be renamed… Ridiculous!

And that’s not all. On yet another floor, we found a rainbow toy shop packed to the brim with 1980s toys such as My Little Ponies and Troll dolls… If you want to check out this ridiculous cluster of shops in Amerikamura (Shinsabashi), the building address and directions are in this post.

PS: Thanks to Jenna for the colorful interview in My Life As A Magazine. I’ve fallen behind on Gothloli of the Week… if you’d like to be featured on this site, please read the submission details here.

PPS: Anyone remember this cartoon theme song? “Sometimes, some crimes, go slipping through the cracks but these two, gumshoes, are picking up the slack there’s no CASE too big no CASE too small, if you need help just call: Ch-ch-ch-Chip ‘N Dale! Rescue Rangers!” I watched Rescue Rangers and Garfield and Friends obsessively in the late 1980s. That’s probably the reason I have an Adventure Team and funny fat cat today.

PPPS: Got any Steampunk literature recommendations? Joe R. Lansdale’s steampunk pulp short, “The Steam Man of the Prairie and the Dark Rider Get Down,” is the most tilt-a-whirl tale I’ve read in ages. Dark humor, spike torture, spaghetti western heroes, time traveling vampires and a giant steam man. Very well written and action-packed. It’s in the Steampunk anthology of short stories.

Japanese Word of the Day: Gaikotsu = Skeleton
Song of the Day: Abney Park – Dear Ophelia (Now it’s time to dress up a la Steampunk!)

Why so serious, Carmina-sama? It’s a sunny day in La-la-land, you’re flanked by cute Visual Kei rockers, and you’re at a signing for your very own books! But one must always stay in character for cosplay — at least in my mind — and I’m the bento lady with a grudge from Nintendo’s Phoenix Wright. Grr. (More photos of my costume are here.)

Ementhy attracted random passersby to the table by beckoning frantically and calling: “Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Come here! Hey! Hey!” Half of the time, his approach worked. The other half averted their eyes and speed-walked away in terror.

Here’s a closeup of my octopus choker, made from red felt and black thread. (If you want the edible version, there’s a recipe for octodogs in my cute cookbook!)

Annenberg TV featured me in a news story about “how La Carmina’s Cute Yummy Time is changing the way people think about healthy food.” You can view it here and below:

As I say in the video, all the cute-faced creations in my book are made from healthy ingredients.

Thank you to everyone who came to my signings. It was lovely to speak to you in person, and your outfits rocked.

I’d say Hi Hi Caro wins the award for “most kawaii haircut.”

And this pic wins the Nobel Prize for Awesome. Come join in the fun! My J-pop books, Crazy Wacky Theme Restaurants: Tokyo and Cute Yummy Time are in all major bookstores and can be purchased online. Perhaps you’d consider putting them on your Xmas wishlist? Thanks, everyone, for your continued support.

There’s speed, there’s skydiving… and then there’s the rush of holding a copy of your very own book! No turning back now. Cute Yummy Time: 70 recipes for the cutest food you’ll ever eat will be in stores on October 6th.

The recipes “think outside the bento box” — there’s something for every occasion, including desserts and holiday fare. Everything’s super healthy and super-cute, such as these citrus salmon bunnies.

My Tuxedo Sam penguin fan poses with penguin onigiri (rice balls) made with brown rice and colored with herbs. No junk allowed.

You can see recipes and photos of Totoro bentos, cupcakes, and more on my Cute Yummy Time blog. BOOK TOUR dates to be announced soon! Thanks to everyone who already pre-ordered a copy of the book.

I wrote a blog post for my publisher’s website (Mark Batty in NYC) about “The Making Of” Crazy Wacky Theme Restaurants. Here it is below, with a bonus photo!

The concept was, from the start, a Kool-Aid trip: photograph and write about Tokyo’s bizarre new crop of theme restaurants. But my friends and I decided to up the game by not only observing but participating in the madness. For the Alice in Wonderland cafe, we wore costumes based on the characters (above: Cheshire Cat and the author as the Queen of Hearts). When it came time to shoot the tavern serviced by monkey waiters, I went disguised as a primate. Here’s a glimpse at the whirlwind antics that didn’t make it into Crazy, Wacky Theme Restaurants.

My Goth friends and I were quite the funeral procession as we walked to Vampire Cafe in Ginza. The blood-dripping floor and candelabras suited our aesthetic perfectly – as did the cute Dracula waiter we tried to flirt with. Above, Lady Raisu poses with the coffin-shaped drink menu and a crucifix cracker dipped in blood. (Or is that ketchup?)

My dates for the Wizard of the Opera restaurant (re-named for copyright reasons) were The Phantom and Christine Daae. The backstory: “It’s easy to spot Jim in Ikebukuro Station – the floor-length cape and half-mask give him away. Sebastien and Mayumi wear ominous Eyes Wide Shut masks, while Yukiro’s interpretation of Christine Daae involves glittery eyelashes and a tiara. “I got this gown from a transsexual,” he explains. “The shoes belong to my roommate.” [...] “Why are they playing Disney tunes on the stereo?” Jim wonders, loudly. “This is wrong, all wrong!” He throws on skeleton gloves and beckons at our poor waiter. “Can’t you put on Gothic music? Or at least something Lloyd Webber?” Half an hour later, we hear the title track – Beneath the opera house, I know he’s there…” (We also shot a video at the restaurant, which you can watch here.)

Our beloved I Am Sebastien became a black rabbit for the Alice in Wonderland cafe (left). He created an Eyes Wide Shut mask with red glowing eyes for the Wizard of the Opera restaurant (right). That’s a red folded napkin on his head!

The most extreme of the bunch? It’s hard to choose, but the haunted mental hospital and prison restaurants (Alcatraz E.R. and The Lock-Up) are as out there as it gets. You’re drinking a cock-tail – as in, there’s a penis floating in it – when the lights go off and a red siren blares. Get ready to scream: it’s a full-out monster attack!

Hungry for more J-pop wackiness? There’s daily content here on my La Carmina blog, where I post daily about Harajuku fashion, cute food, fold-eared kitties and much more. For more info about Crazy, Wacky Theme Restaurants: Tokyo, check out this page.

While at the library, I glimpsed the cover of Carnival Masks of Venice: A Photographic Essay and simply had to add it to my check-out pile. J.C. Brown’s book is filled with lush photos of masked revelers at Venice’s Carnival. I was surprised by how much the styling reminded me of Goth and Visual Kei.

According to the intro, Carnival can be traced to Green and Roman celebrations. Today, it’s considered a Roman Catholic tradition: a period of indulgence before the start of Lent. Venetians have been partaking in masked debauchery since 13th century; Napoleon banned Carnival in 1797, but it was revived in the late 1970s. Each year, revelers pile on ornate masks and costumes for the public celebration.

I think every item in the Goth dress-up trunk can be found on this pair. There’s a spooky element to masks, especially when the eyes are concealed. The orgiastic gathering in Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut still gives me des frissons.

I love how Brown’s photos bring out every single texture. I feel like I can reach out and run my fingers over the beads, the smooth gold mask and rough trim.

When I saw the look on the right, I thought: Mana-sama! Aren’t these photos inspiring and strangely uplifting? There are more images in the Carnival Masks of Venice book.

I’m happy that you like my new “cute cooking” video – it was enormously fun to make. I’ve been working on some fiction writing lately – also a nice change of pace. It’s good to do many new things, yes? Now Basil Farrow is maoo-ing and I must give him attention!

Ah, summer… the perfect time to relax in the shade with a good book. What have you been reading? I recently finished (and loved) The Long Hard Road Out of Hell, Marilyn Manson’s autobiography with Neil Strauss. Let’s just say that if you think the Marquis de Sade’s 120 Days is a riot, then you’ll find Manson’s book hilarious and compelling.

For kicks, I used a random number generator to come up with three numbers (between 1 and 269). I then flipped to the appropriate page in The Long Hard Road Out of Hell and jotted down the funniest passages.

† PAGE 94: “In an attempt to reiterate the lesson of Willy Wonka in my own style during other shows, I hung a donkey piñata over the crowd and […] would warn, “Please, don’t break this open. I beg you not to.” Human psychology being what it is, kids in the crowd would invariably grab the stick and smash the piñata apart, forcing everyone to suffer the consequence, qhich in this case was a shower of cow brains, chicken livers and pig intestines from a disembowelled donkey.”

† PAGE 193: “As if having eaten the fruit of knowledge, I realized I had to cover my nakedness. So I took the cardboard tube from a roll of paper towels and duct-taped it around my dick. In an attempt to turn it into a crude jockstrap, I drunkenly tore the television out of the wall and wrapped the cable around my waist like a belt.”

† PAGE 121: “So we had to content ourselves with side projects like Satan on Fire, a fake Christian death metal act with songs like “Mosh for Jesus.” Our goal was to infiltrate a the Christian community (a fantasy I still harbour) but the local Christian club would never book us.”

I leave you with an inspirational quote from page 154: “What nobody understood then is this: The only way that you achieve what you want and fulfill your dreams and become great is by demanding that sort of attention. You have to make it happen.”

Have you read Manson’s autobiography? Can you recommend any other good reads? (I recently enjoyed Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential and Haruki Murakami’s Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World.)

The Marilyn Manson giveaway contest closes on Tuesday, so get your three-word descriptions in fast… you can comment here or send a Tweet with #mmansonin3words. More details in this post. I’ve been listening to Manson’s new CD The High End Of Low and it’s growing on me. And I absolutely love his remix with Lady Gaga, which is our…

Does the name Bando Tamasaburo ring a bell for anyone? Like Mana-sama, he’s a multi-talented performer who transforms himself into an outerworldly female beauty. While browsing in Shinjuku’s Kinokuniya bookstore, I fell in love with his gorgeous new photo-book. I couldn’t resist taking a few sneaky snaps to share with you (please excuse my crucifix-fingers in the left corner!)

Bando Tamasaburo is the world’s most feted onnagata, or male actor who plays female parts in Kabuki theater. His physical beauty, grace, and subtle expression are mesmerizing to watch:

Born in 1950, Bando Tamasaburo has been a Kabuki artist since childhood. A Renaissance man (or woman), he designs his own sets and costumes, performs in every genre from Shakespeare to dance, and collaborates with Western artists such as Yo-Yo Ma. I hope I’ll be able to see him perform live someday.

Hope you’re having a lovely and lazy Sunday! Speaking of male artists in white facepaint… there’s a mega-giveaway involving Marilyn Manson coming up on this site… you don’t want to miss it. (Add me on Twitter so that you’ll be the first to know.)

Reader Naomi writes: “Hello to you and Basil. I have been a reading of your blog for what seems like an age now and I was wondering if you might be interested in this Marie Antoinette magazine that I have stumbled across.”

Basil Farrow raises his paw YES! California art shop/publisher Stampington is the force behind this special publication. “Driven by their fascination with Marie Antoinette, both through historical accounts and glamorized Hollywood perceptions,” several artists created beautiful objects of art – crafts, clothes, jewelry – that grace this magazine.

With pages like this, you’ll never lack Lolita inspiration! You can purchase Marie magazine from Stampington’s website. You may also enjoy my blog posts about Rococo shoes and home decor. Now, who wants a slice of cake?

Most authors stay below the radar (ie, are ignored by the world) – but Chuck Palahniuk (Fight Club, Choke) has a veritable cult following. Maybe it’s because he personally answers fan mail and offers writing critiques via his Writer’s Workshop. Or perhaps it’s because his legendary book signings unfold like the Rocky Horror Picture Show, with games involving blow-up dolls and people fainting when he reads his gruesome story Guts.

I was delighted to attend Chuck’s reading at Chapters Burnaby (right by Vancouver) to promote his new dark, satirical novel Pygmy. The young crowd overflowed into the surrounding shelves but was remarkably well-behaved.

Chuck opened by reciting Lewis Carroll’s Lewis Carroll’s Jabberwocky – a “nonsense” poem that we’re somehow able to comprehend. Pygmy is written in a similar fashion: the narrator’s disjointed English excludes certain words (“to”, “and”, “tomorrow”); he’ll say “the door unhealed” rather than “opened”. To illustrate the socialist-tinged language he created, Chuck read three bedtime stories. Goldilocks becomes: “Quick, next now did savage jaws of Father Bear animal sink jagged teeths into screaming windpipe of imperialist criminal. Entire domicile filled dying screams, spouting blood of decadent state enemy.”

It seems Chuck and I are both fond of contests and blow-up animals. Between the fairy tales, Chuck tossed out plastic penguins that we raced to inflate (“until they’re smooth like Lindsay Lohan”) to win Choke DVDs. Methinks I found another kitchen god for my Death Cookbook show on YouTube!

Some highlights from the Q&A:
† If Chuck had to pick someone to play Pygmy in a movie, he’d choose Dakota Fanning.
† He spoke about the narrative arc found in much modern literature (Great Gatsby, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Fight Club): the good, obedient character destroys himself; the rebel is killed by society; the observer assimilates this knowledge into a synthesis and walks away to tell the story.

Photography wasn’t allowed at this particular signing, but Chuck make an exception for yours truly. He said I looked lovely, and noted that our outfits matched. (You heard it here first: Chuck Palahniuk hearts Lolita fashion.)

While in the bookstore, I flipped through Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: The Classic Regency Romance – Now with Ultraviolent Zombie Mayhem! The title and illustrations (kung fu Elizabeth Bennett) say it all. As you may have seen on my Twitter, I was recently approached to be in a zombie film… I’ll keep you posted!

Finally, Basil Farrow CONTEST WINNERS (apologies for the delay). Megan won the Lucky Cat bento, Carly nabbed the white lucky cat, Mari has the black one, and The Sly Fox and Emilia receive gold cats. Brandi takes home the Astroboy money bank. Congrats, eveyone!

I rarely enjoy fashion magazines that don’t contain kanji, but I heart Metro.POP. Dubbed “the magazine for the rest of us,” Metro.POP contains gorgeous layouts of progressive fashion, art, design, music and more.

On May 19, the magazine published a writeup about “feisty cat” Basil Farrow (and his “Renaissance woman” mommy). Marquita Harris writes:

“With two million hits a month, it’s safe to say that Carmen Yuen knows what readers want. Her gothic lolita/ Japanese fashion blog, simply titled La Carmina, has been the go-to guide for the goth-curious and pros alike. In fact, the following has proven so substantial Yuen is in the works to publish two books. The first book—Crazy, Wacky Theme Restaurants— is set to debut in November of this year. It takes wild ride through Tokyo’s kitchiest themed restaurants and will be jam packed with her own photographs. Next, Cute Yummy Time is set to drop in November this year. It’s a cookbook that brings the recent trend of bespoke bento boxes to the American dinner table. It’ll also feature her super cool anime drawings. Until then, we’re addicted to the blog and her feisty cat named Basil. Did we mention she even has a clothing line? Two books, a cool blog and a fashion line…take that Martha Stewart!”