MERRY HEAVY METAL NIGHTMARE BEFORE DIX-MAS! Here’s the greatest gift of all… Scottish Fold round-head, Basil Farrow, wearing a red and white bow tie.

The knit bowtie is a gift from Tomomi of CamdenLock Clothing. I think it suits my sideways-feet gentleman cat.

You may remember that she sent me a Japanese punk sweater and leg warmers (above). There are more photos of me and Basil in this post. Tomomi is currently collaborating with Yukiro on something… excited!

How about another cute kitty pic? Sebastiano made a “buon natale” greeting for his fans. He’s wearing Sixh Cat Mint; you can see him modeling 9 more styles in our CNN collaboration with h.NAOTO, Blablahospital and other brands.

An extra gift for all of you! I’ve uploaded dozens of adorable photos of my Scottish Fold cat on his Facebook. Add him to see!

There’s more cuteness on Basil’s Scottish Fold blog. And you can see him playing and meowing in his YouTube videos (please subscribe).

How was your XXX-mas? Did you get any epic presents? I’m happy for a variety of reasons right now… this is a good time!

Japanese Word of the Day: Umu = To produce, give birth
Song of the Day: Twisted Sister – Heavy Metal Christmas (Remember this post from last year? Let’s sing along!)

One of the most “trick-a-la-ti-doo” aspects of being a pirate (aka TV host and production coordinator in Japan) is that you get to access and film the most incredible youth gatherings. The Australian travel TV show wanted to explore the world of otaku, so Naomi an I set up the perfect outing: Japan Cosplay Festival, the largest annual cosplayer gathering in Tokyo.

Maid costume: Sebastian helped me pick out the skimpiest possible maid outfit in Akihabara.
Makeup: Green eyeshadow on the lids and orange over the top. Fake eyelashes. Pink lips and gloss.
Stripey bat knee socks: from Bodyline (300 yen only!)
Purple sandals: We had a 12 hour shoot with constant walking, so comfort came first!

The shoot began at Don Quixote in Shinjuku. (TV crews can’t just waltz in anywhere and start filming; that’s why you need us pirates to make arrangements in advance!) As their guide, I introduced The Two Tims to the costume display. They tried on masks and decided to splurge on Keroro and Pikachu full-body outfits — even though it was sweltering hot out.

The Japan Cosplay Festival takes place every year at Toshima-en amusement park. Once again, the pirates negotiated the filming permits and fee ahead of time. The TV crews generally are new to Tokyo, so they rely on us to take them from place to place.

I love kigurumi (left). Since they refuse to speak, we communicate by writing on a little white board hung from their necks. Some people think kigurumi (animegao dollars) are disturbing, but I hope my coverage here and on the TV show changes that perception. They’re the sweetest, kindest people you’ll meet.

Most of the cosplayers were in front of the carousel, where they posed for photos and hung out with friends.

The outfits are so intricate and bright. Pop quiz: can you recognize the manga or anime that these youths are cosplaying?

Cosplay means emulating a fantasy character in appearance and role. It’s different from Goth Lolita Punk fashion, which most consider to be a way of life.

However, cosplaying is certainly a youth subculture — and a fascinating one. Participants put much time and money into this pursuit.

We interviewed the young Japanese about when they started cosplaying and what they love best about it. (Arr, we pirates provide translation.)

So cute to see friends bond over their shared love of cosplay, anime, manga and video games.

This scary dog-demon is a coin-operated ride; insert 200 yen and he walks at a glacial pace. Do you remember the time I rode a Panda version of this device in Odaiba?

Have you ever cosplayed, or been to a cosplay event like this one? Which character did you emulate? Deep thoughts on my maid outfit?

Japanese Word of the Day: En ga kireru = Cut off relations. (There comes a time, me hearties, when it be n’ecessary to deliver… the BLACK SPOT upon a buccaneer. Send’im to Davy Jones’ locker!)
Song of the Day: South Park – Somalian Pirates We (Let’s take it from bar 14; all together now: With a yo-ho-ho! And a yee-hee-hee!)

My to-do list is overflowing: I still have a thousand behind-the-scenes photos from my recent Japanese TV shoots to share with you! Remember when my friends and I took the Dutch Pepsi crew to Tokyo’s oddest pop culture spots? We gathered outside Pasela Hon Ten in Shinjuku before singing our spleens out at karaoke.

My white bread birthday cake was quite the spectacle. However, Mistress Maya stole the show — and scared us to pieces — with her heart-stopping rendition of Alanis Morissette’s You Oughta Know. You can watch the entire clip of her performance in this new video.

Don’t you love how everyone looks shell-shocked, while I’m rolling with the cat-scratches? You can see the other Dutch Pepsi video (where we visit Alice in Wonderland cafe, Harajuku and a Sega game center) here.

Thanks to everyone who tuned in to see my Scottish Fold cat on Discovery Channel! I will put up his Cats 101 appearance ASAP; please subscribe to my channel so you won’t miss it.

Head bonks to Weasalgal, who wrote a charming love letter to my “cute, roly-poly, ginger/beige teddy bear” Basil Farrow. You can read it here and after the jump.

PS: This be your FINAL chance to win $400 of Gothic Lolita Steampunk clothing from Gloomth! Wouldn’t ye like to get ye hooks on me pirate jacket? Enter our wardrobe giveaway contest here (it’s easy) before the clock strikes midnight.

Japanese Word of the Day: Daitouryou = President of a country
Song of the Day: Alanis Morissette – You Oughta Know (the Mistress Maya version!)

Mon dieu! C’est Antoine de Caunes, French TV presenter and all-around funny-man. Perhaps you know him from Eurotrash, the sensational British late-night show he co-hosted with Jean-Paul Gaultier.

As you know, I was in Tokyo to co-host a French documentary (for the station Canal Plus) about theme restaurants, subcultures and all that jazz. Antoine de Caunes flew in from Paris, and we kicked off our epic journey with a dinner boat cruise in Odaiba.

The TV crew boarded a quaint boat in Tokyo Bay…

Navy jacket: Alice and the Pirates, from Closet Child Harajuku
Turquoise Lolita dress: Carina e Arlequin, from Closet Child Harajuku
Yellow boots: John Fluevog
Takoyaki-chan plush toy: from an Osaka convenience store

Behold, the traditional Japanese dinner we feasted upon! Sashimi, tempura, edamame, chawanmushi (egg custard). And alcohol. Lots of it. Nama-biru, sake, umeshu (plum wine), shochu… my memory gets fuzzy from this point onward…

Sound director Steve and I show ‘em how to pose like an Asian. (Remember my CNNGo dissertation on this serious subject?)

Apparently, the oysters were laced with LSD.

Monsieur de Caunes and I compared our new Canon cameras (I have a Powershot S90).

Once we were plenty juiced, I got the karaoke started. Driver Hiroshi and I did the Bon “shovel dance” together.

The TV crew was hand-picked from all over the globe, and everyone clicked from day one. By the end of the shoot, we had accumulated a Mount Fuji of funny memories.

Antoine didn’t partake in the sing-a-long. When the producer took over the microphone, he pretended to vomit and jump out of the boat!

Have you watched Eurotrash? Any French readers here who know of Antoine de Caunes? He’s as hilarious and nice as you’d expect…

Japanese Word of the Day: Biko = Nostril
Song of the Day: The Devils Blood – Christ Or Cocaine (Suggested by Akie. Satanic psychedelic rock and roll… soundtrack of our past lives.)

As we were driving to the Yoshitaka Amano art gallery opening, Yukiro glanced out the window and saw a sign: Versailles Cuban Restaurant. “We have to go,” he said. I said the food didn’t look very appetizing. “But it’s called VERSAILLES! We must!”

Yes, we’re ridiculous. And we did end up eating there, simply because of the name. The Cuban dishes weren’t impressive, but our makeup certainly was. (Learn how to achieve the Evil Queen look in this video.)

Inadvertently, we frequently end up wearing something head-turning to restaurants (because we’re heading to a club straight after). Have you ever had Ethiopian food? There’s a Little Ethiopia neighborhood in LA. All the little dishes at Meals by Genet are made from scratch, and you eat by scooping it up with spongy bread. Pricey, but the food and honey wine are exceptional.

Actually, scratch that. Even if all we’re doing is going out for a casual dinner… we still look kind of scary! (See more photos of the Kyoto-themed restaurant in Shibuya, Tokyo.)

Thankfully, in certain eat/drink situations — say, a Japanese absinthe bar — the crazier the outfit, the more you fit in. You can look forward to upcoming photos of certain infamous Visual Kei bars…

… and videos of Tokyo nightcrawling (such as my DJ SiSEN, Chihiro and friends video above). Please take a look at the many videos on my YouTube channel if you have a few minutes — quite a few of them feature Japanese theme restaurants and Goth clubs. And there are many more to come…

Same goes for Horror High School (new trailer above). Hope you’ve done your homework, because more ghastly episodes – starring Professor Fearstone / Candyman and featuring cute Japanese Goths and Lolitas – are on the way! Keep watching the Facebook page and www.horrorhighschool.com for updates…

Do people ever give you a hard time for the way you dress? How do you deal?

Japanese Word of the Day: Handshake = Akushu
Song of the Day: B’z – Super Love Song