La Carmina and Seba present… a cute panda bear necklace collaboration with Soho Hearts, with proceeds to benefit Japan!

Show your support with the Pray for Japan Panda Bear Necklace. Half of the proceeds will go directly to disaster relief efforts in the Miyagi prefecture in Japan. No middleman taking a cut; the funds go straight to the Sendai government for rebuilding work.

The design is beautiful: a silver metal chain with a panda bear pendant, covered with Swarovski crystals. The red circle on the stomach, also made with Swarovskis, represents the Japan flag.

Dimensions: The twisted rope style chain is 36 inches long (you can adjust the length). The bear is 1.5 inches x 1 inches.

The media has stopped running stories about Japan, but there’s still so much work to do. Questions about the aftermath; concerns about health.

Please don’t forget Japan. Do your best to help. Our charity necklace is available online here, for $99.95 (50% going straight to relief efforts). Soho Hearts ships internationally and accepts many forms of payment.

Thanks to the Soho Hearts team for collaborating with us! The international jewelry brand is known for its cute designs, worn by celebrities like Kate Moss and Kelly Osbourne.

Photos by Carlo Travaglio of Context Productions in Milan.

Please check out our necklace and consider picking one up (or putting it on your wishlist).

What do you think of the panda bear meets Japan flag design? Have you heard any updates about Japan’s rebuilding? What are your thoughts? Feel free to share in the comments.

PS: This necklace is 100% nonprofit: the cost is to cover manufacture, and the rest goes direct to Japan. Seba and I aren’t making a cent from this; you can ask Soho Hearts on Facebook, Twitter or email to confirm. Thanks.

Song of the Day: X Japan – Kurenai

Venice! Milan! Rome! Seba and La Carmina’s Italian invasion wouldn’t have been possible without Hostelbookers, a well-established online booking company that put us in hotels all over Italy.

The term “hostel” or “discount accommodations” doesn’t have to mean lacking in value. We stayed in places full of color and character. Read on for a glimpse inside our Italy hotel rooms!

As you’ll recall from my Venice post, Hostelbookers put us in a charming hotel away from the tourist traffic.

Warm, classic decor — exactly how romantic Venice should be experienced. We could hear the soft sounds of water and a gondolier singing outside the window.

The room was surprisingly spacious.

A 4-star value, in my opinion, for a discount price. Hostelbookers lets you compare listings, with ratings and photos, which makes it easier to choose a place to stay.

Casanova, however, is not included with the rooms.

A big bathroom…

… and red carpet treatment from the staff.

In the mornings, a simple but delicious breakfast is laid out in this dining room.

A natural, “caught in the moment” pose!

Black sunhat from Hong Kong, red Goth dress gifted from Sourpuss. More photos of our outfits and Venice sightseeing in this post.

In Rome, we were given a stack of keys. Why? Because we had to unlock four doors in order to get to our room!

Naturally, we had a mad hatter time figuring out the correct keys and doors. That’s a memory you would never get from a cookie-cutter hotel!

Milan’s Hotel Demo was eccentric in a different way. The lobby was filled with marble statues, and every inch of the walls hung with paintings.

Tip: arrive for breakfast either early or late, to avoid the bustle. We were fans of the coffee machine.

Mr Orlando was very sweet, and helped us set up the Internet. (Seba and I are wearing t-shirts from our HOPE collection to help Japan.)

V-fingers to Hostelbookers for letting us experience their excellent service! The secure site lets you book discount hotels and hostels all over the world, particularly in Europe. A great option for young travelers and backpackers — give it a try, and pass it along.

Have you ever stayed in hostels or discount hotels? What were your experiences like, good and bad? What would you recommend to young people looking for budget rooms?

PS: Tonight at New Lex Tokyo: join me, Seba and talented manga artist Alice and the Cat – we’re hosting an art party at the Roppongi club! Full info here.

Song of the Day: Assemblage 23 – Let me be your armor

I’m going back to TOKYO! La Carmina & The Pirates have locked down a big new TV job (research, translation, arranging, hosting), from late July to August. But first, I’m tackling a travel hosting project… in Wisconsin? Details below, keep scrolling.

(I’m wearing t-shirts from our HOPE collection, with funds going to the Japan earthquake and tsunami victims. You can learn more and nab one here, thanks for your support.)

Naomi and I are the Tokyo fixers for Strangers in Danger, a ridiculous travel adventure show — starring BMX riders Zach “Catfish” Yankush, and Mike “Rooftop” Escamilla (perhaps you know him as Kat Von D’s roommate on LA Ink). The guys take on ridiculous and risky challenges in each country they visit, from deactivating Vietnamese landmines to biking Bolivia’s road of death.

We can’t reveal what we have planned for the Japan episode, but with Pirates involved… bring on the crazy! Strangers in Danger premieres September 6th on Fuel TV, and will be distributed internationally by National Geographic and Discovery Channel. I’ll be sure to keep you posted on my appearance. (You can see my previous TV clips on my YouTube.)

This is my first return to Tokyo since the earthquake; I’m curious to see if/how things have changed. I’ll be sure to take plenty of photos for you, like these Sweet Lolita ones from the 2009 Gackt concert. (More pics and show review here).

But first, I’m headed to a place I’ve never been… Wisconsin, USA! Why? How? I can’t tell you yet, but it’s for a project involving travel, culture, and on-camera hosting. (Basil Farrow will miss me, as always…)

All in all, the TV work’s been coming along nicely. You can find out more about The Pirates on our site. In addition to film arranging and hosting, we also offer coolhunting, subculture consulting, and Japan brand connecting.

Coming up, more pop culture and fashion reports from Italy and Hong Kong… and the travels aren’t about to end. Seba and I are lining up several more sponsored trips this year. We’ll keep you posted on our whereabouts.

What type of Tokyo coverage would you like to see on my blog? Stores, concerts, people, events? To start, I have a zillion Tokyo Gothic Lolita Punk store photos from 2008-11.

PS: Would you kindly add my Facebook Page and give my site a thumbs up (click below)? Thanks you, Pirates! We couldn’t do any of this without you.

Song of the Day: Jack Off Jill – My Cat (“is amazing… he can play the guitar…”)

Happiness…. our HOPE charity t-shirts to benefit Japan are available for sale! You can pick up our special design from the Like Atmosphere website (they’ll ship internationally).

Sebastiano Serafini and La Carmina co-founded the HOPE project, a t-shirt line with proceeds going to the victims of the Japan tsunami and earthquake. Various artists contributed designs, which were printed on superior-quality cotton by Japanese brand Like Atmosphere.

Our design (above), by Alice and the Cat (left), was inspired by Seba and Carmina. The artist says, “The concept is love. In difficult times, embrace and love one another, and let’s help to build a better future.”

The t-shirt has the striking HOPE logo, and a Goth-aristocrat manga drawing of Seba and me. Red, white and black colors symbolize Japan.

The HOPE family includes a range of styles. On the right, Sebastiano wears the “holding egg” t-shirt by Like Atmosphere.

Here, we’re modeling the “Glue-boy” tee by Ricardo Cavolo, “Hinomaru” shirt by Phuc Van Dang, and “Patched” by Like Atmosphere. All of these designs can be purchased online here.

I’m so pleased with how the photos turned out! The shooting took place in Milan, in a studio near the Duomo.

Carlo Travaglio of Context Productions was wonderful to shoot with. He worked fast, and rocked the colors and contrast.

He also works on fashion apps, videos, and other multi-media projects — very cool.

Let’s support Japan in style! We hope you’ll pick up our HOPE charity t-shirt here (ships internationally, PayPal accepted). Available in men and women’s sizes, M or L.

PS: if you send a photo of yourself wearing the shirt, we’ll put it on the Like Atmosphere site!

Thank you for supporting our nonprofit work. Big hugs if you can help us get the word out on the HOPE t-shirts — perhaps you could write a blog post or Facebook note? You’re free to use these images; just link back to www.lacarmina.com

What do you think about our HOPE charity t-shirt project? Have you been continuing to help Japan’s recovery?

Song of the Day: Anosphere – New Hope (I heart space disco.)

2010 has turned out to be an outstanding year for Visual Kei bands touring North America. We’ve been blessed with visits from Miyavi, D’espairsRay, Dir en Grey, X Japan… and now, Luna Sea. The legendary Jrockers are reuniting for a worldwide tour — including a stop in Los Angeles in December 4th! The tickets for the show (held at Hollywood Palladium) will be on sale via Ticketmaster on September 8th. Who’s going to be headbanging in the audience??

Thanks to everyone who joined our impromptu BlogTV chat last night! Yukiro and I bared our fangs, drank disgusting apple-lemon-milk, displayed my Miffy products and dueled with stuffed toys. Would you like to see more live webcasts? (If so, please add me on Twitter so you won’t miss the next one.)

Prior to our show, we abused a 17 year old emo boy under the name “Pokemon.” We were responsible for the non sequitur comments about G-suS on his BlogTV webcast!

While we did our web show, we turned on the TV to Japanese fitness infomercials. I am very fond of informercials. Not surprisingly, Japanese ones take the cake.

I’m astounded by your response to the La Carmina t-shirt giveaway! Thank you to everyone for entering the contest. The winner, chosen by random number generator, is Inochii.

Don’t pout if you didn’t win — I have great news. Akumu Ink is extending the deadline for one more week… which means this is your absolute last chance to get one of these t-shirts! Pick up a Mens or Womens Gothic Lolita & earless kitty portrait tee in size S to XXL. (Surf over here and scroll to the bottom to buy.) If you’re having trouble ordering, leave a comment in this post or email me. Thank you so much for your support; without it, I can’t keep on releasing new fashion designs!

Finally, I did a fun interview with Trespass Magazine. Who do I have a crush on? People I admire most? Desired superpower? You can read my answers here and after the jump.

Anyone else here a fan of watching infomercials? Which ones are your favorite? Cathy from Xpress Redi-Set-Go is my heroine.

Japanese Word of the Day: Kojinteki = Private, personal
Song of the Day: E’m – Seelenheil