iPOD CITY GUIDES
I travel. I photograph. I write.
And now I even share. Christ, I'm generous. So what are you waiting for? I've already done the ground work. Download a free iPod City Guide and find out where to sleep, eat, drink, and sightsee.
It's simple:
1. Download
2. Install
3. Read
4. Go
5. Donate
iPODS
iPod Video
30 GB Black iPods available now.
iPod Video
30 GB White iPods available now.
HEAR
The Blue Hearts
Paired punk and politics to become Japan's answer to the Clash.
Guitar Wolf
Rockabilly meets speed metal meets jet engine.
Love Psychedelico
Their debut album. Frequently catchy. Occasionally English.
Eastern Youth
Legendary Japanese indie rockers overdue for a U.S. breakthrough.
Cheap Trick at Budokan
The best live album of all time. Yes, seriously.
WATCH
Tokyo Drifter
A pouting gangster wanders Japan to avoid being executed.
Stray Dog
A detective tracks down a stolen pistol in Kurosawa's classic film noir.
Tokyo Story
Ozu's masterpeice regularly graces critics' All-Time Best lists.
Harakiri
An ANGRY samurai enacts revenge over the needless death of his son-in-law.
Onibaba
Chilling visuals and a macabre score intensify this tale of a cursed mask.
Blind Beast
A blind sculptor kidnaps a shapely model in this strangely erotic thriller.
Blade Runner
Shinjuku provided the inspiration for Ridley Scott's futuristic LA.
Black Rain
Or how a puffy-faced Michael Douglas learned to stop worrying and love Japan.
READ
Tokyo Lucky Hole
Is Nobuyoshi Araki a dirty old man or a genius photographer? Have fun deciding.
Speed Tribes
A study of 12 Japanese living on the fringe of their conformist society.
Pink Box
A vivid, behind-the- scenes glimpse into Tokyo’s imaginative sex industry.
Love Hotels
Tokyo's wildest and most outlandish by-the-hour hotel rooms.
Tokyo Underworld
The rise of organized crime through the eyes of an American hood.
Ugly Amerians
A true story of greedy expatriates and the millions they bilked from Asian financial markets.
Mavo
A critical study of Japan's avant-garde art movement in the 1920s.
The Dark Side
Japan's most infamous crimes. And you just know they're gonna be bizarre.
SPEAK
Outrageous Japanese
All the slang, expletives and anatomical nicknames you'll need to speak potty mouth in a 2nd language.
Pimsleur Level 1
Load this course onto your iPod and begin learning Japanese simply by listening.
Pimsleur Level 2
Level 1 too easy for you? Here's more listening and more learning.
Pimsleur Level 3
If you haven't paid a visit to Japan by this point, what the fuck you waiting for?
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
The past two weeks have seen local newspapers and blogs heaping praise onto Tokyo's latest mega-development. The launch appears to have been an overwhelming success with visitors expected to top 25 million in 2007.
Personally, I can't be arsed to drop by. Partly because I'm adverse to crowds. Partly because I've got a backlog of shows to plow through on my Tivo. But mostly because, as a general rule, I oppose all urban gentrification that doesn't yield a Kenny Rogers Roasters.
However, I shan't let a complete lack of first-hand knowledge stop me from posting on this hot topic. I can easily regurgitate a review similar to the current crop:
"Blah blah design blah blah Japanese aesthetic blah. Blah design blah minimalism blah blah. Blah luxury brands blah design blah blah fashionista blah design blah design blah design blah design."Plus, in addition to the above, I've also gone to the effort of gathering observations through a random sampling of people within earshot:
Colleague 1: "A lot of good food."
Colleague 2: "Really? I didn't think so."
Colleague 1: "Also, less up-and-downy [sic] than Roppongi Hills."
There you have it. Check out Tokyo Midtown for yourself. Or don't. Either way you'll have to make due with my sketch for the time being. I'll post a photo in the near future. Or won't.
Posted on April 10, 2007 11:44 PM
Permalink | Comments (0) | Trackback (0)
Search This Blog
Recent Posts
Monthly Archives
Flickr
