Los Angeles. Ah! What a heavy metal adventure. Serial killer art, fudge cake, a Zen garden, Twisted Sister Xmas, cosplay book signings and wearing each other’s clothes… hold tight for a deluge of photos!

The LA book signings picked up some press, so let’s begin with a round-up. Liz Ohanesian of LA Weekly interviewed me about the differences between Western and Japanese Goth fashion and subcultures; the article included photos of GPK Prince Ken, DJ SiSEN, and yours truly with the LA Adventure Team (Ementhy and Lemon, above). You can read the interview here as well as after the jump.

The LA Times food section did a feature on my adorable cookbook, Cute Yummy Time. The article refers to me as a “cool hunter” and devotes an entire paragraph to my baby bear, Basil Farrow!

- The About.com Manga blog by Deb Aoki (a must-read), included Crazy, Wacky Theme Restaurants in its “Great Gift Books” guide.
- WaCowLA featured Cute Yummy Time in a front page article that also plugs my book signings.

Wasabi Fashion Kult calls me a Harajuku Alien and asks me 22 random questions. I tried to be entertaining. Below is a sampling; you can read the rest here.

One word that Basil Yuen Farrow would use to describe you. Mommy!
Your preferred method of transportation? Piggyback.
Tell me about your personal heaven? Cute Visual Kei boys hand-feeding me cute food in a room full of cute earless cats.

Speaking of… Hi Hi Caro took several Polaroids of me and the boys for her blog. Can you figure out what my cosplay outfit is? Are you excited to see more photos of the LA Adventure Team?

Song of the Day #251: Alphaville – Forever Young (80s dance mix) (because that’s how it should be.)

Oh, the things I do for my writing gig at CNNGo. I went around New York City with my camera, asking random people to do “the cheek punch” and “the horns face.” Then, I did the hand gestures myself. Voila: an Asian poses showdown!

“Why do V-fingers suddenly appear — every time a camera is near? Because just like me, they long to be… FOB. At least according to the Asian Poses website, a hilarious deconstruction of the hand symbols Asians make in front of cameras. I asked New Yorkers to give the cutesy gestures a go, and then did them myself, me being Asian and all. Whose V-fingers spelled victory?” Come here, quick, to see how La Carmina and random New Yorkers fared on the Pose-o-Meter!

(The beautiful floral wrist cuff was sent to me by Eclectic by Sari Asaf, a designer of colorful accessories with mosaic techniques. You’ve got to visit her site to browse through the beautiful bags, bracelets, belts and more!)

How funny to see my goofy expressions all over the front page of CNNGo. The original Asian Poses site that inspired this article is a riot — you’ve got to check it out. And there are more photos of me doing Asian poses here.

Chef Mom recommended my recipe book, Cute Yummy Time, as “the perfect gift for the artistically inclined chef” — yay! I’ve been getting terrific feedback from children and families in particular, but of course, cute cooking is for all ages. You can learn more here, and I hope to see you at LA book signings (info here).

I’ve been juggling projects recently, and something awesome was just confirmed… NHK, Japan’s national public broadcaster, is shooting a 20 minute documentary about cute cooking that will focus on my work and book, Cute Yummy Time! I’m currently brainstorming with the producer and director, so I can’t say much more about it yet. But NHK will be shooting the “New York Wave” episode in January, and it’ll air internationally (many US cities receive the channel). There might even be some way you can be part of the filming… I’ll keep you posted.

(The image above is from the manga, Welcome to the N.H.K. — but I thought it was cute.)

Basil Farrow is one lucky Scottish Fold — he receives wonderful parcels in the mail (including autographed books and a Nintendo DS.) And look what arrived the other day: Titus, a slightly spooky plush teddy bear from Rocket World!

Reader Stephanie emailed us about the awesome design company she’s working for. “We have a plush character line called I.nsurgents W.ilderness G.ruppo. The I.W.G. is a group of endangered species that have been given sentience from an alien force, dedicated to protect the world from evil humans and environmental apocalypse.”

Basil Farrow loves his new friend — probably because Titus is squishy and has a round, adorable face like him! The skull is attached with Velcro and can detach from his paws. This teddy is a perfect gift for a Goth-inclined friend or baby bat — and it’s for a good cause, too (part of the proceeds go to select wildlife conservation groups). Come on over to Rocket World’s site to order plush characters, vinyl figures, artwork and more.

I am so excited for Los Angeles that I can’t sleep! My book signings are Nov 28, 29 and 30 and I’ll be dressed up in an outrageous cosplay outfit, oh yes. Please pass on the info below to your LA friends, and if you’re in the area, I hope to see you soon!

Two CUTE YUMMY TIME book signings
WHEN: Saturday, Nov 28 and and Sunday, Nov 29; 2-4pm
WHERE: Kinokuniya Bookstore, 123 Astronaut S Onizuka #205, Los Angeles CA

CRAZY WACKY THEME RESTAURANTS TOKYO book signing
WHEN: Monday, November 30, 6:30-8:30pm
WHERE: Giant Robot LA gallery, 2062 Sawtelle Blvd, Los Angeles CA
RSVP on Facebook

Musing of the Day #3: “Television. A medium — so called because it is neither rare nor well done.” – Ernie Kovacs quote

My first NYC book signing for Cute Yummy Time went well enough that the store kindly invited me back — and on Halloween, too! (As if I need an excuse to wear spooky clothes for my events.) I am costumed as Pierrot, the classic French clown. The pointy hat is from Village Paper; I decorated it with skull stickers from Tokyu Hands. The panda’s a bit of a trompe d’oeil; it looks like a pendant but is actually a sticker from a Harajuku store.

Fun fact: I use Staedtler purple pens to sign my name.

To my surprise, as you can see in the video, the books sold out in 10 minutes! But I stuck around to demonstrate bento cutters, turning cheese and crackers into kawaii animals. (If you’re interested in my Cute Yummy Time cookbook, you may find out details and ordering info here.)

New York City, I will be back soon! I got some thrilling news today; I’ll let you know what’s up as soon as it’s set in stone. Maybe you can even be involved, dum dum dum…

Thanksgiving is almost upon us. What are you doing for the holiday? Eating, cooking? Maybe you can give the cute turkey dinner and pecan pie recipes in my cookbook a spin.

Musing of the Day #2: “Never pass over a chance to have sex or be on television.” -Gore Vidal quote.

My family is originally from Hong Kong but I have relatives scattered all over the world, including Washington, DC. And so, my Cute Yummy Time book signing in the capital city turned into a mini-reunion with family — Basil Farrow’s father included.

I fell in love with Hill’s Kitchen the second I stepped in. A bright, loft-like space filled with modern kitchen gizmos, with a studio for cooking lessons upstairs… ah, cute cooking heaven!

Dress with military buttons: Algonquins Addiction
Dead teddy T-shirt: Akina

The stylish Harukosama, who interviewed me about cool hunting/trend scouting, brought several boxes of Georgetown Cupcakes to the event. (What a sweetie!) The bakery is a DC legend, and deservedly so: the dark chocolate ganache was lick-your-fingers delicious, yet not too sweet; the lemon, red velvet and key lime flavors were perfectly balanced. Next time you’re in DC, swing by Georgetown Cupcake for a treat… or two, or three!

The best part about book touring? Meeting all of you (insert awws)! It was a pleasure to speak to readers in person, especially after chatting in the comments and on Twitter. If only Basil Farrow could travel with me, life would be complete, wouldn’t it? (If you’re interested in my cute cookbook, you can find out more here.)

When I returned, my Scottish Fold turned on the cuteness and I took hundreds of new photos. You can see them daily on Basil’s blog, and I added a large batch to his Facebook (add him to see them: “Basil Farrow”).

Wrote a new CNNGo article about Robot Chefs. Can you believe that Mr. Roboto can prepare okonomiyaki (Japanese pancake) from scratch, make nigiri sushi, cook ramen and take your order in Cantonese?

CNNGo has several other fascinating articles about Asian robots at work. Before long, we’ll be seeing cute white bears that take care of the elderly and a doe-eyed entertainment robot. Already, androids have replaced a number of mechanical jobs — and now, they can do the work of chefs and caretakers. What do you think about the rise of robots? Could they spiral out of our grasp and cause more harm than good? Don’t be fooled by their kawaii faces: there could be Kilroy lurking inside! (After all, the ramen robot is capable of engaging in a knife fight..)

You’re all winners when it comes to creativity — it was a delight to read about your dream theme cafes in the comments of this post. But Mark Batty Publisher and I can only send out five autographed Theme Restaurants books, so here are the lucky ladies chosen via a random number generator. (I will email you with further instructions.)

1. Samina Spookiness: I’d so run a romantic gypsy-themed restaurant. Lots of candles, violin music, wooden walls with lots of scarves and fabric hangings. The servers would be dressed as Gypsies, and there would be live musicians on a stage playing folk songs, with a fortune teller booth in back. Lots of reds and golds, with bits of green thrown in, and hearty food and drink like thick stews, roasted meats, ales and wines served to tables with long and heavy tablecloths.

2. Brie Cante: My restaurant would be like a freaky circus type of place with lots of themed performers (Cirque Du Soleil daily) and there would even be rides (nothing super fast or upside down because afterall, it is a restaurant) and super cute packaging on the burgers and fries etc… Also, each table would have built in gaming systems and the floors would be clear so there would be a fish pond underneath and make you feel like you were walking on water. I forgot to add that the food would be the fun foods that you only find at a carnival such as: funnel cakes and hotdog on a stick, lemonade etc…

3. Marie: Hmm… I would have a to make a Harry Potter theme restaurant! I’m such a huge fan! When people would arrive, they would be given a property of one of the characters from Harry Potter. The café could look like The Great Hall, where the kids at Hogwarts eat. That would be totally awesome. The food they would serve will be Harry Potter inspired, and of course Pumpkinjuice and Berty Butt’s Every Flavour Beans would be awailable! Plus magical chocklatefrogs. The waitresses and waiters would have Hogwarts uniforms on them, and people would be seated after houses.

4. Laura: Oh my. I think mine’s theme would be “ethereal dreamland”. It would be all be very soft, with damasc wallpaper, and tulle curtains, and the waiters would be suspended in wire (like that restaurant that has the tower of wines, where the waiters get suspended by wire to get the bottles for the customers) but aaaalll over the place, and they would have to wear long tunics to enhance the “ethereal” element. and there would be just a tiny ammount of smoke (produced by smoke machines, or dry ice) to give a foggy illussion. About the food? Well, it would be more of a cafe, with cotton candy and sweets and tea for everyone!

5. Malone: Can I have a Basil Theme Cafe? The waitresses have to wear folded cat ears. People sit on comfy couches with Basil pillows! Complete with a fuzzy tummy to snorgle! They eat pastries shaped like Basil and the coffee mugs have whiskers. And the cappucinos can be dressed up so the foam looks like basil peeking out of the mug! And on the walls you get pictures of famous people with Basil’s face superimposed! Foremost among them has to be Basil as Buddha.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to enter the contest and spread the word; I’ll have more giveaways for you soon. I’m also blown away by your kind words about my NBC Weekend Today Show cute food demo — you’re all so good to me!

I am gnawing my teeth in anticipation for my Los Angeles book signings and events. Already planned: M/R/X New Romantic club night on Nov 28 (I went to the Minimal party last December and loved it), the Pinky Violence Japanese B-movie poster exhibit at Hyaena Gallery (where my Dienzo vampire portrait hung), possibly jazz at Matsumoto’s and a burlesque show at Bordello… and lots of good food and friends. What else should I check out while in LA? Let me know in the comments!

La Carmina – LA Cute Yummy Time book signings
WHEN: Saturday, Nov 28 and and Sunday, Nov 29; 2-4pm
WHERE: Kinokuniya Bookstore, 123 Astronaut S Onizuka #205, Los Angeles CA

A new day, a new video: my NBC Weekend Today Show appearance! I talk about character bentos (charaben) in Japan and the healthy approach to cooking in my book Cute Yummy Time. Then I demonstrate two cute food demos, which turn a fried and hardboiled egg into chick critters! For behind-the-scenes photos of the 30 Rock Today Show studio, check out this post. I invite you to subscribe to my YouTube channel as I have more videos in the works!

I am making a head-to-toe cosplay outfit for my LA book signings at the end of November (event details here). While flipping through books at the fabric store, I did a double-take when I saw this “Harajuku Girls” Halloween pattern.

I also came across a pre-made Harajuku Girl costume at Ricky’s. The adult and child’s versions cost around $40.

Reaction? It’s a given that these are Halloween costumes for a general audience; I’m not surprised that they’re not very well executed. But my main response was that of marvel. Remember that very few people knew the word “Harajuku” five years ago. Now, most people can associate the word with a look (decora and Lolita, for the most part) and Japanese youth culture — to the point that it’s become a dress-up option for Halloween. This phenomenon is precisely what I was referring to in this Reader Question: you can’t predict what people will latch onto in even a few years from now… What are your thoughts?

Once upon a time, I was a guest on the weekend edition of Today Show in New York — and the experience was like a fairy tale. The previous night, I stayed up late prepping for the food demo (unlike Cinderella, the neighborhood rats didn’t lend me a paw). Somehow, I managed to crawl out of bed at 5am to do my hair and makeup. A sleek black car drove up to my doorstep; the driver popped open a large black umbrella and walked me to his chariot. I felt like a princess — or maybe Sleeping Beauty, as I wanted to doze on the Dr. Oz talk show couch!

Lolita kitty dress: Innocent World, from Closet Child Harajuku
Silver sheer skull leggings: from Hong Kong
Runched ankle boots: MB Shoes from Kris + Cris shoe store in Vancouver

The chariot drove to 30 Rock, the famous address of NBC Studios. Getting past the metal barricade required a security check and airport levels of security. Fun fact: the elevators are designed so that you can only get off at your designated floor (so no, I couldn’t stalk Tina Fey or Jimmy Fallon). I crossed four more security guards and got lost several times before finding the Today Show studio.

I wanted to show a spread of cute food, so I brought some hardboiled eggs and quickly decorated into chicks. The singing crab bagel and ham/cheese animal face sandwiches are recipes from my cookbook, Cute Yummy Time. (Want to learn how to turn boring breakfasts into cute creations? There’s info on my book here.)

The sun had hardly risen, and yet the TV hosts were inhumanly perky. They gushed that their children loved the book and cooed, “Eeeeee, look at the little egg guys!” I waited for a swine flu Q&A session to end. During the commercial break, my publicists and I set up the Cute Yummy Time display. Then at 7:45am, photos of kawaii food flashed on the screen and I was up.

Nervous? Nah — you know I do cute food demos on my YouTube channel all the time. A quick photo with Erika, and 3… 2… 1… we’re on the air! (Tomorrow, I’ll post the video of my Today Show appearance on my YouTube channel.)

I’ve had some intriguing TV experiences lately — what would you like to see more of? Asia travel hosting? Cute and Gothic food demos? A reality-style show? Let me know your thoughts.

I had a grand time in Philly. In particular: Chapterhouse coffee house (they have an amazing green apple soy chai smoothie), vegetarian Chinese food, jazz at the Kimmel Center jazz (I snatched this witch’s hat from the store) and the Fabric Workshop and Museum. (Found a ring that, when pressed, shoots out purple light. And I couldn’t tear my eyes away from Ryan Trecartin’s campy cross-dressing drama-filled films, which remind me a little of my own… life…)

I wasn’t thrilled about the inclement weather, but did my best to keep warm. I put my h.NAOTO dress over a John Galliano sweater (a gift from someone awesome) and wore warm tights with Leche by Yosuke shoes.

Possibly my favorite part of the trip: Fante’s Kitchen Wares, the sprawling shoppe where my Cute Yummy Time book signing took place. The friendly staff warmed me up with rose tea and coo-ed over the photos of my Scottish Fold cat. (Tip: if you ever want to win me over, just start gushing about Basil Farrow.)

What a pleasure to see friends, old and new, and see their reaction to my third book. Many of them are IN the book, in the form of cute animal characters.

The Fantes staff was sweet beyond words; if you’re ever in Philly, you’ve got to stop by to sip home-brewed tea and browse the incredible selection of kitchen goods. Fantes even put a photo of me in the “some of our famous friends” section of their website — with Emeril Lagasse and Jacques Pepin.

Between the signings, I’ve been doing radio interviews (I’ll post the recordings, if I can find them). One of the neatest experiences was Kid’s Place Live on Sirius/XM. The target audience is 10 years old — so the host and I had to speak in slow, eager, high-pitched voices for the sake of the listeners! While I was on the air, children called in and asked for advice on how to “cute-ify” their school lunches. I gave them suggestions — cut cheese into eyes, add cucumber ears — and they couldn’t wait to get started. (Children and parents have been loving Cute Yummy Time; if you think you might too, check out the info here.)

I’m in a marvelous mood. Planning a handmade cosplay outfit for my upcoming LA book signings. Also in the works: an LA meeting of J-rock/Goth/pop culture minds, and mad adventures with a team of undead metal-heads… oh, you shall see.

Eeek, the grandiose giveaway to win an autographed copy of La Carmina’s new book, Crazy Wacky Theme Restaurants Tokyo, ends today! Hayaku, come enter the contest to win (it’s easy — just comment and spread the word).

I’m coming to Los Angeles to do a Cute Yummy Time book signing in late November! Details TBA, but need I say I’m bursting with excitement?

I did two cute food demos and signings at New York’s Broadway Panhandler, a wonderland of kitchen goodies. I’m wearing an h.NAOTO skull dress from Closet Child Shinjuku, a steal at $70. My witch hat and pumpkin hair clips are from Tokyu Hands in Shinjuku. The crown choker necklace is Black Peace Now from Closet Child Harajuku. (My outfits get progressively weirder on the tour, as you’ll see.)

I did a cute cheese and cracker demo: bento cutters are an easy way to add a twist to hors d’oeuvres. The children in the store rushed up and were wide-eyed at the transformation. One girl couldn’t stop flipping through the photos. Another loved the fairytale about Basil Farrow and me (found inside the book — it’s not just recipes!). And it was a pleasure to see old friends and meet blog readers.

The books sold out at the store — but you can find Cute Yummy Time online here. (Video from The Today Show and another store demo coming soon.)

Oh, Hello Kitty — that ol’ queen won’t stop celebrating her birthday! Coming up in LA on Nov 11: Hello Kitty Gyaru Beauty Parlor party at Royal/T maid cafe. Featuring DJs, fruity cocktails, photo ops with Miss Kitty and Fuji Instax photos by Caro. Be a high-maintenance Japanese gal for a day; get your hair, nails and makeup done like a little hime princess. Visit the Zippercut website for more details.

Keep the contest entries coming to win an autographed copy of my Tokyo Theme Restaurants book; please spread the word and comment here to enter. Thanks!