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.

Day 3 of the NHK Japan TV shoot. Regi came to NYC to witness the cute cookery. We both happened to be wearing black and our favorite shade of blue. She refers to it as hyper-active or BAM turquoise; I call it 0099CC (since that’s its hex color for CSS and Photoshop).

My long-sleeve top with a face on it: Etnies, an action apparel brand. Random, eh? This TV segment called for “casual clothes” so I had to do my best!
Skull scarf worn as a skirt: A mall vending cart. Casual, cheap and random: check.
Black leggings: Mall vending cart again.
Blue fishnets worn on forearms: Socks from Barcelona that I wear on my arms.
Cute penguin bands worn below knees: These are actually bento box straps from Daiso, the Japanese dollar store. I’d say the overarching theme of this outfit is… random?

Just like in Food Network competitions, I had to prep a large amount of food for the next day. Believe it or not, I was going to Harlem to teach nine-year-olds how to make cute bentos! Wait til you see the photos…

Since we’re in random mode today, I thought I’d go off on some thought tangents. Digital cameras versus film: this and the previous photo are from a vintage camera Shichi bought, and the difference is perceptible. I’m determined to tinker further with toy cameras — I think the results are worth the price of processing.

And I like Regi’s armbands. Practical and stylish. They add a Goth element and work with a variety of short-sleeved tops.

Top-hatted Shichi took all the photos in this post (except the one he’s in, of course). People often ask if my hair is the result of extensions. Nope, it’s all me. For this style, I tied small bundles with black elastics to fluff up the natural volume.

There was a major kitchen clean-up after the cameras left. On a scale of 1 to 10, how much of a clean freak are you? I’m probably around a 9…

Two random recommendations. Patti Smith’s new book, Just Kids, is impossible to put to down. It’s a memoir of her adventures with photographer Robert Mapplethorpe; 1960s NYC bohemia is a time that has always fascinated me. Pick up a copy and share it with your partners in crime.

Second, if you’re in New York City, go to Kenka. The Japanese word means fighting…

… and it’s the name of a much-loved Japanese izakaya (bar-style restaurant) on St Mark’s Place. There’s always a lineup outside, so try to come at 6pm when the doors open. If you put down your name, don’t go away — the man in the turban skips over absentees!

Don’t order the soggy gyoza, but do get a bottle of sake and yuzu shochu. Gather a group of friends and sample the takoyaki, unagi (eel), grilled mackerel, cod roe onigiri (rice balls), miso tofu, egg and mushroom rice, okonomiyaki, yakitori… so so yummy. At the end, you get a little cup of magic to pour into the cotton candy machine outside. Then you grab a stick and swirl it around and… FAIL. (A Kanae manga for your amusement!)

My new CNNGo articles that I think you’ll like (do take a moment to peruse):
† Asia’s BEST fabric markets unraveled. Crafters, sewers, DIY cosplayers – here’s where to shop.
† 5 unusual world records set in Asia. Why do you think we chose that photo for the world’s biggest orgy? Give me your best guess in the comments, and I’ll reveal the answer tomorrow.

Count de Sang and Lady Raisu recently went to Kyoto… and partook in a most intriguing activity! What on Earth is going on here — and how can we get in on the action? Lady Raisu has the scoop:

The activity we tried is called Maiko (the one he did) / Geiko (the one I did, also known as geishas). There are some agents and tours in Kyoto that provide this experience, since Maiko (apprentice geishas) are as famous in this region as the historic shrines, temples and green tea. The Maiko / Geiko experience is getting so popular that apparently, even high-school students (both girls and boys!) try this activity during their school trips!

One of the funny parts of this activity was how we had our faces painted. (The agent’s makeup artist specializes in traditional geisha and apprentice looks.) To make the white foundation stable, a special sticky oil was applied on our face first. Then, the thin white liquid coated our face and the back of our necks. They used red color for our eyebrows and around the eyes, and made our lips very small. Since geishas should have a rather hard-featured face, they pulled up and taped the edges of my face (by my cheeks and eyes) before putting the wig (which was quite heavy!) on me. So my face must look harder than usual I guess? I think this taping trick will be useful when my facial skin loosens (more than now, I mean) so that I won’t need to have expensive plastic surgery!

Needless to say, Maiko / Geiko are for women, so it was a special case to let Count de Sang dress up as Maiko. The agent doesn’t officially allow male customers to go outside while wearing Maiko / Geiko style. I first thought that it is to protect the respectable Japanese tradition. However, the agent told us that it is to protect these male customers, as not all of them would look good with the style… and once they went out, they might get severe judgements from tourists around them!

If you’re interested in finding out more and trying the experience for yourself, check out this and this webpage.

Gallermic (visionary behind The Fashion Ramone and Narzib) recently had a photography exhibition titled “The Absentee Owner” at Magic Room in Nadiff, the intellectual Ebisu spot. Cotton Bale (who is performing at his next party) attended and took photos. She says, “It was really different from what I have seen of his work before. In the past he took mainly club photos, but this was a narrative series with portraits and figure shots.”

Gallermic’s new party, Willa, promises to be as much of an art/culture/fashion/intellectual love letter as his previous ones. I can’t get enough of the manifestos and flowery self-reflections on the new blog: “I think I am a coquettish person, or with a bacchanalia tendency, I want to faire l’amour a mourir.”

“I’m an art object and very very expensive!” – Caravaggio (in Derek Jarman’s eponymous film)
“One should either be a work of art, or wear a work of art.” – Oscar Wilde

Speaking of… Akumu Ink has started printing the La Carmina collaboration t-shirts! Designer Joey blogged: “Here is the Carmina in Wonderland design: an intricate gold print with fantastic detailing. I placed both La Carmina and her cat Basil Farrow in the roles of Alice and the Cheshire cat at a mini tea party. I even switched the classic British style of tea pot and tea cup for a more Eastern look.” Have you picked one up yet? They’re available on Akumu Ink’s website — please spread the word!

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…

Kampai, Tokyo spooks! Yukiro Dravarious (the purple X-eyed vampire) continues his report on last last weekend’s Gothic revelry. Take it away…

It was time for the first big alternative club events of the New Year to open their hellish gates. Tokyo Dark Castle usually happens the first Saturday of every month, but this time, it was on a Sunday night. Dark Castle is probably one of the most famous Gothic events in Japan. This particular event was “DJ Castle”, which means only DJs performed on stage and there were no bands. So on with your dance shoes and shake that thing to the EBM/industrial/cyber tunes of DJ Sisen, Chihiro, Taizo, Kenzo and more. From my personal point of view, it’s more entertaining when some bands play as well.

One of the night’s highlights: trying on a corset from a famous corset-maker who laces you in tight. He claimed to be the number one maker in Japan, and I never had such a small waist before — so he sure knew his thing. When DJ Chihiro entered the stage at the end, everyone got to go up on stage and dance with him, like always. The club owner Genet was a bit tipsy and we had a lot of fun partying with him (he usually doesn’t drink since his band Auto-Mod always plays at Tokyo Dark Castle). That night, the entry fee with dresscode was 2500 yen, but normally its 3500 yen if I’m not mistaken.

I also bought (with booze) a CD from DJ Sisen. To my surprise, there were a child-prevention product inside the folder branded Noble (see above). Sisen is hysterical!

So on the third day, (barely alive) I went to the same venue again (Club Marz) for Goth/Industrial party Midnight Mess. The New Year Vampire Ball was on and there was an all-you-can-drink offer plus entry for 3000 yen. This time all the staff (including me and Maya the club organizer) had to scrape up the money but it was worth it for 飲み放題 “nomihoudai” (all you can drink).

The belles of the ball were the lovely siblings from up-and-coming group Rose Noire. They put on a show like they always do; Gothic classical and very harmonic (I took a video of the performance). The band Chaos Royal gave us another slap in the face with their high bass sound. The singer Luke had two new recruited professional dancers on stage and they did some pretty impressive stuff: one of them did a rope “self-bondage” act and spun around the room.

Maya, on the other hand, had a booth were she sold her freshly-made mochi-waffles. It’s amazing how she juggles so many tasks — mistress, party organizer, DJ — and made tasty food at the same time. Maya also set aside time for free rope-extensions for anyone who wanted to try it.

The music at Midnight Mess was very good even though only a few people danced. Since the party stopped at 11pm, me and some friends had time for purikura (sticker booth pictures) before the last train. (Above: Yukiro with I Am Sebastien!) Don’t forget to go to the next Midnight Mess on the 23rd of January (tomorrow!).

Itching to check out these parties for yourself? There’s full info, addresses, directions and more in my Tokyo Cyber/Goth Club Guide. Lace on your corset and spread the word.

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.

The art of the letter is falling by the wayside, especially with rising postal prices. So it was a delight to receive not only a Christmas card in the mail, but a cute hand-drawn one — from Lemon! His kawaii drawing captures Basil Farrow to a T: the fat furry face, folded ears, sideways feet and lightly striped tail. I opened it to find a message full of magic and mystery. (I’m keeping it between us, so you’ll just have to guess at what’s written inside…)

Ako, designer of Japanese punk clothing line Blablahospital, also sent me a nifty handmade card. She glued and glittered plush animals over a pink heart. Inside, she included a nurse’s hat as an “emergency cure for fashion sickness!” You can carry it around with you and pull it out if the moment calls for more stylishness… (See more about the hat on Ako’s blog.)

Inside was a greeting in what she calls “strange English.” I can’t get enough of her punk rock playfulness.

Blablahospital’s latest clothes and accessories are as bright and medical-chic as ever. You can see the latest styles here.

I hope you have been enjoying my CNNGo articles and the Asia travel/lifestyle website in general. My latest one is about Chinese belly dancers and Indian pop n lockers: Asia Dance competitions turn up the heat. CNNGo also did a feature about the fiery-haired woman above. Her name is Dr. Porntip and she is an a) porn star; b) Visual Kei rocker; c) cuts bodies open for a living. What’s your guess? Find out in this piece. What do we think of Porntip’s hair: kawaii or ai-yah?

Thanks for your enthusiasm about my new t-shirts and hoodies. The first printing is almost ready to send out — hurry and pick one up on Akumu Ink’s website! For full information about the sizes and styles, take a look at this post. If you can think of any local stores that might want to carry the clothing line, please email me. Much thanks in advance.

Finally, I’m writing a CNNGo article about shopping for plus sized clothing in Asia and the skinny mentality in many Asian cities. I was wondering if you had any anecdotes or experiences to share? Thoughts on size discrimination? Can you name or send links to any plus sized clothing lines in Asia? Let me know in the comments or email me. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts.

More Tokyo party coverage and NYC adventures coming right up…

Last last weekend, while you were cleaning your room, Yukiro Dravarious and friends were conquering Tokyo’s wildest fetish cosplay party, Department H. Here is Yukiro’s report. (You can see my previous coverage of the party here and here.)

We went fabulously late to the most extravagant event I ever been to: Department H. It’s located in Uguisudani on the Yamanote line, so if you live close to central Tokyo, it’s well worth the extra minutes to ride there from Shinjuku or Shibuya (where the parties normally take place). I had only been once before (for the Bizarre World TV episode co-hosted by our lovely La Carmina). I found the party surprisingly amusing, and this time was no exception.

My friends and I did a team-cosplay effort as The Bride of Frankenstein, Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (at the same time), and The Mummy. As you can see, we went with a classic horror movie monster theme. (Jekyll/Hyde is, of course, Happy Phantom in another guise.)

It started off with a bang: all the drag queen or transexual-like people went on stage to show off their amazing costumes. A cat-walk to die for! That day, they had closed the bar to everyone’s surprise so we had to buy cheap “combini” (convenience store) booze instead and we were allowed (and expected!) to bring it inside the venue. A very rare experience in Japan.

Carmina’s note: I am in LOVE with Manabu, the dashing creature in the polyester shirt! I want to marry his Prince Valiant haircut!

Department H opens at midnight and the entrance fees are 3000yen with dress-code, 4000-5000yen without dress-code. So this party really gives you a discount for your effort.

From the bizarre to the disturbing to the amazing, it’s all here. If there is a slight possibility that a fetish or outfit can be done, it WILL be done at Department H — no matter how weird. Such as a cow riding a huge red “robotic-van” octopus. It was available for all of us to try for free and was rather insane!

On the huge stage there were various odd performances. In between the shows, they showed some very “interesting” films that you could watch all day, if there wasn’t a party going on…

Department H is a party worth cosplaying for. Everyone is super-friendly and extreme-ness is appreciated (a rare value in this society!). I recommend that you check it out if you’re in Tokyo on the first Saturday of every month.

Round-up of my latest CNNGo articles (see all of them here):

† Baby mice wine, bat hearts, and other resilient folk medicines (read about strange Asian remedies)
† Tinkering with Asian toy cameras (I try out the Ikimono and Super Fat from Superheadz in Tokyo)
† The true international house of pancakes (yummy photo gallery of Asian pancakes, including cute faced ones)

I think I want a vegan chocolate chip cookie now…

I am thrilled that you like my new fashion collaboration with Akumu Ink! Thanks to everyone who already ordered a cute/spooky shirt or hoodie (featuring me and Basil Farrow). Send me photos of yourself wearing the clothes, and I’ll put them on my blog!

The Japanese TV shoot is over, and I’m wrapping up the NYC nightlife escapades. You can look forward to David Bowie club kids, an all-girl spooky band shoot, and Gothic Lolita Punk store pics in the next week. Til then, here is a guest post from Cotton Bale (who you’ll remember from my Death Cookbook cupcake battle!)

† † † † † † †

Like La Carmina, I am a huge fan of Italo Disco, particularly HiNRG, so after moving to Tokyo it was only a matter of time until I discovered its Japanese counterpart, Eurobeat. I started off listening to 80s and early 90s covers of Western disco songs, such as Wink’s version of Turn it into Love by Hazell Dean, Miki Asakura’s take on Holding Out for a Hero by Bonnie Tyler, or BaBe’s Give Me Up by Michael Fortunati. At first the songs seemed too cheesy, but before long they grew on me.

Then one day I was in Shinjuku when suddenly I looked up to see a sign with what looked like J-pop album covers from the 80s on it. I stopped in my tracks and picked up a flyer from the rack near the entrance, which read: 70s and 80s bar, Showa Boogie, playing music from the 70s, 80s and early 90s. I was determined to go.

Soon after, I made it to Showa Boogie with a friend. As we walked down the steps to the basement bar, we were greeted by Japanese idol pop over the loudspeakers and 7” album covers on the walls. The inside was likewise decorated with idols on record sleeves and magazine covers. These were almost as good as the music itself.

There are only 12 seats and when we arrived shortly after 8pm, there were already seven other customers, all men in their 30s or 40s. Four salarymen were loudly debating the merits and demerits of the 80s as a decade. The three people running the bar were the same age and clearly fans of the music.

Two big-screen TVs at either end of the bar continuously played music videos. When you sat down, you got a sheet of paper on which you can write a request. I asked for Genki Don’t Stop by Noriko Sakai, but unfortunately, they didn’t have it.

They played quite a few songs by artists I know including Pink Ladies, Candies, Yoko Nagayama and Minako Honda. Some of the more memorable videos were Romantic ga Tomaranai by CCB and one from the Hikaru Genji tour Roller Panic (performed entirely on roller skates). However, they also played lots of great songs by artists I didn’t know. My Japanese friend recognized a number of them and said that his mother was a big fan of some. Every so often someone would say: “I had such a crush on her when I was a child” or “This really takes me back.”

There was a wide selection of drinks available at reasonable prices, most cocktails costing about 700 yen. Drinks come with snacks such as senbei, and you can order bar food. I had an awesome time at
Showa Boogie, and I will definitely be going back. If you are in Tokyo and love 80s music, I highly
recommend it, although you might want to take someone who speaks a little Japanese with you, as I am not sure if the staff speak any English.

Showa Boogie is located across from Closet Child, near exit D5 of Shinjuku Nishiguchi or a few minutes walk from the West Exit of JR Shinjuku Station.
Address: B1F Zenkou Bldg, 7-1-4 Nishi Shinjuku.
Phone: 03-5348-2383
Open from 7:30pm to 3am from Monday to Saturday, except on public holidays.