Susie Bubble (of fashion blog Style Bubble) recently learned of British Pathe’s giant archive of films (1897-1970). She was amazed by the wealth of material available — free to stream — on the site. Thinking I’d have the same jaw-dropping reaction, Susie referred the site to me. And boy, was she right. I could spend hours watching rare footage of Victorian ladies, 1920s jazz dancers, Hong Kong’s skyline in the 1950s, Emperor Hirohito attending the premiere of Ben Hur…

Cute Japanese food (1968) (click to view)

The British Pathe has over 90,000 reels: there’s something to hold everyone’s interest. I searched for “Japan” and came across this remarkable food demo at a London restaurant. Believe it or not, the Japanese were making food cute even in the 1960s! In the video, Chef Kusama Toshio carves birds from sweet potatoes and places them over vegetable flowers.

When you search for “Japan,” the highlights include…
† Very early 1930s mute reel about Japanese ways
† 1963 footage of Japanese fashion models in Australia
† Japanese students in London, 1970
† 1950s Geishas entertain men at a business meeting
† Japanese Royal wedding 1959: “Crown Prince Akihito has married a commoner, so breaking Japanese tradition of more than 2,600 years”
† Two year-old Prince Hiro, 1962

Tokyo ladies’ fashion show (1954) (click to view)

Here’s a video of Japanese models displaying the latest designs at Tokyo Kaikan Hall. I love the kimono and princess-style ladies overcoat.

Victorian corset striptease (1960) (click to view)

For all you Victorian/Rococo/Steampunk lovers, British Pathe is an excellent plae to find retro inspiration. The clip above shows a Victorian-attired girl performing a striptease, and models showing off historical corsets.

British Pathe is a wonderful resource for anyone intrigued by bygone eras. Come take a gander at the videos, and let me know if you find anything that amazes you! (You can share the link in the comments, which are always appreciated.)

VERSAILLES has announced Summer 2010 World Tour dates! The epic heavy metal Visual Kei band is hitting Europe and South America. Will you be at any of these J-rock concerts?
Apr 30 2010: Tokyo JCB Hall (I’ll be there!)
Jun 4 2010: Sao Paulo
Jun 6 2010: Santiago
Jun 9 2010: Buenos Aires
Jun 11 2010: Lima
Jun 13 2010: Mexico City
Jun 27 2010: Moscow
Jun 29 2010: Helsinki
Jun 30 2010: London
Jul 2 2010: Barcelona
Jul 3 2010: Montpellier
Jul 6 2010: Amsterdam
Jul 7 2010: Cologne
Jul 9 2010: Hamburg
Jul 11 2010: Budapest
Jul 13 2010: Paris

Japanese Word of the Day: Instrument = Gakki
Song of the Day: Seal – Kiss from a Rose (for Adventure Teamster K!)

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.

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!

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.

I know you’ve been waiting for photos of the Harlem bento-making class… so here’s a slideshow on YouTube! (I’ll post my favorite photos and tell you more about what happened in the next few days — so check back.)

NHK, Japan’s national public broadcaster, shot a 20 minute TV documentary about character bentos that focused on my work and recipe book, Cute Yummy Time. In this segment, I taught Harlem students how to make healthy, cute bentos. It was a success — the children loved it and ate vegetables that they’d never tried before! The New York Wave episode about cute bento boxes will air this February on NHK; Ill be sure to let you know the exact time and put up segments on YouTube (please subscribe so you wont miss out).

Paws up! Baby paws up, gimme your heart gimme gimme your heart, gimme gimme…

Because we can all use some Scottish Fold kawaii to make our day a little sweeter.

When Basil Farrow is in an especially good mood, he rolls onto his back and puts his fat paws in the air…

… and gives you “the look” until you come and rub his tummy. You can see zillions of cute photos of Basil and his flop-eared friends on his Scottish Fold blog. Come see!

He’s also featured as a character in my cute cookbook, inspired by Japanese bento decoration. If you want to get in on the charaben action, please consider my recipe book, Cute Yummy Time. (Now in major bookstores and available online.)

Have a super-cute day!

Song of the Day #293: The Creatures – Believe In Yourself and Mike Mareen – Dancing In The Dark (Galactica Mix). Because feel-good Italo seemed appropriate for my Harlem bento lesson video.

Ah, the scratch-your-head experience of being on Japanese TV! Here’s day two of behind-the-scenes photos from my NHK Japan filming (courtesy of Shichi). I call this my “genki outfit”; think energetic, fun, bright:

Cobweb sweater top: Black Peace Now, from Closet Child. (It comes with trailing sleeves, not worn.)
Ganesh elephant god top: Vivienne Tam. Bought it almost 10 years ago in Hong Kong.
Punk plaid skirt with furry dangles and detachable leg covers: Peace Now, from Closet Child. (Such a unique piece.)
Hair: tied up in two loose, messy bundles. The TV director marveled: “How very spiky!”

The cameras filmed me doing what I do: chilling with Hello Kitty, reading Japanese bento books, blogging and writing all day. Let’s play Where’s Waldo! Can you spot…

† The blue feather I wore at the Halloween Vampire Masquerade ball?
† The gift that came with Blablahospital’s Xmas card?
† The dead kitty scarf I wore to Christon Cafe Shibuya?
† Part of my Phoenix Wright bento lady cosplay outfit?

The director interviewed me about my work. I don’t mind cameras in my face; I’ve had a lot of practice on my YouTube.

After, I Gothed up my lips for a fashion segment. Black lipstick from Lime Crime and a dab of dark blue from Make Up For Ever.

Fuzzy black beret with sparkles: Nile Perch, from Laforet Harajuku.
Silver and black crucifix ring: What’s your guess? Guess again? (Oh that never gets old!)
Crystal and black leather cuff: Yohji Yamamoto (one of my favorite pieces ever, from a Shibuya vintage store)
Spiky ankle boots: Tripp NYC, from Trash and Vaudeville in NYC

Here’s a closeup of one of my favorite eye makeup techniques. First, put on loads of black eyeliner (I use Urban Decay). I swept Aromaleigh Sonic Rocks in a teal shade over the edges, added blue glitter from Too Faced to the inside of my eyelids, and finished with Japanese dollar store stickers.

In one of those classic “montage” segments, I modeled the coats from my previous collection. Can’t wait for the first printing of the Akumu Ink collaboration t-shirts, now available for order here (and more info here – thanks for your enthusiasm!).

You’ll see how the TV shoot turned out in early February when it airs on NHK (and I’ll put up video clips on my YouTube.) Please keep in touch: I added Google Friend Connect and Facebook Fan boxes to the right sidebar. You can also receive special announcements via my Twitter and mailing list; please subscribe by entering your email in the top right box on the sidebar. And here’s a brilliant song for you…

NHK Japan documentary shoot, day one… lights, cameras, action! Photo-journalist Shichi took a zillion behind-the-scenes photos, which we’ll share with you in upcoming posts. He also gave me this stuffed Domo (the NHK mascot!).

Dress: Yumi, a flirty London brand inspired by Asian fashion. I couldn’t resist the Yorkie terriers print and the price (on sale for $70).
Leggings: Vivienne Westwood, a gift from my cousin and aunt. This is the first Westwood item I’ve owned!
Cute animal hair ties: from Daiso, the 100 yen (dollar) store.

TV shoots involve a truckload of equipment: lighting, tripods, cameras, you name it. The crew consisted of a cameraman, audio person, director, reporter, makeup artist — and yours truly. (The NHK team spoke to each other in Japanese; luckily, I knew what was going on!)

Before the cameras roll, there are hours and hours of preparations. The previous night was a mad rush to create sample character bentos (animal pancakes, frog pita sandwich, eggs dyed yellow with turmeric and transformed into chicks). I showed the host, Hana, how to draw kawaii animals.

Top: We had a five minute race to make cute faces out of healthy ingredients. Right: Our completed character bento sandwiches (can you recognize my cat, Basil Farrow?). Left: This is Japanese TV — so we had to be extra smiley and energetic and cute. Hana picked up a cashew nut and said, “This looks like a smile.” I held raspberries in front of her eyes and made them dance. V-fingers!

Filming involves take after take after take… Hana had to repeat a line six times: “Kawaii, ne? I’m going to turn this into a sandwich!” We began at 10 am and kept on going until well past 6pm. TV work is tiring, but oh so fun…

The New York Wave episode about cute bento boxes will air this February on NHK; I’ll be sure to let you know the exact time and put up segments on YouTube (please subscribe so you won’t miss out). More goofy photos from the shoot to come.

In recent press

† Popular Philadelphia radio show Chef’s Table interviewed me about my recipe book Cute Yummy Time (you can stream the show on the site).
† CNNGo is doing a four-part series about Cute Yummy Time recipes; the first one gives a tigerish makeover to India’s chicken tikka masala.
† If you’re interested in many more cute-faced recipes, please check out my new cookbook, in stores and available online.

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.

Congrats to Amanda, who was the first to figure out my cosplay outfit! I’m dressed as Angel Starr, the bento lunch lady from the Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney game for Nintendo DS.

What do you think of my handmade cosplay outfit?
Pillbox hat: Magenta felt glued and sewn around a cardboard cake tin (!!). A white face sponge and black fabric forms the onigiri decoration.
Furry cardigan: An old knit cardigan with faux fur trimming sewn onto the bottom and sleeves.
Mermaid dress: Sewn from a pattern.
Octodog necklace: Red felt and black fabric. Close-ups to come.
Tights: I know, they’re in horrendous condition. Blame Ementhy; he tore a huge hole in them.

When the Adventure Team came across this painting (in Little Tokyo’s Weller Court), we felt moved to re-create it for your amusement. Lemon was reluctant to lie face down on the floor: “But it’s dirty!” Our photographer, Caro, gave him the look and pointed at the ground. He sat.

The bizarre artwork is by Tokyo artist Heisuke Kitazawa, aka PCP. It’s titled “The New Kid Revival” and described as “An illustration about the desperate need to communicate.” We did an interpretive dance to complement the theme of despair — do you think we succeeded?

Once you’ve started shooting with a pro camera, you can’t go back to dinky digitals. My Sony DSLR 700 with Minolta lenses makes everyone look a little more lively.

Tomorrow, I’ll post photos from the LA Kinokuniya book signing. I’m glad you’re enjoying the cute yummy male fashion photos! What are your thoughts on ripped jeans? Silver jewelry for guys?

I can’t stop laughing at the video above: Yukiro Dravarious and the Mad Hatter Happy Phantom Candyman sing a glorious Disney duet, A Whole New World. Obviously, drinks of the non-soft variety were consumed prior to the filming. The “over sideways and under” hand movement! And the crotch thrust at “freewheeling!”

Finally, it’s Environment Week on CNNGo, so I wrote an article about Green Kids: 6 fun programs get kids environmentally engaged. It begins with a funny anecdote about my dippy-hippie fifth grade camping experience — hope you dig it, man.