Giant Robot Store and GR2 News
Image: post art show. Family conferences are pretty sacred. This was post art show at the after party which took place at the Soho House. That’s the Brothers Choe. Jimmy, David, and Paul in descending age order. You’d like to think they were talking for just a minute about how life has so far brought them to this point. It was perhaps the biggest possible gallery show. Glad I shot this with 1600 iso. I’ll bet their mom might want a copy, but there’s beer and hi ball drinks in the pic. Parking attendants, tons of them in front of the gallery. Just walking up, you know this one is special. It’s just massive from the front. This is a weird blow up figure in the window. This must have been a huge clothing shop before hand. The thrift store blankets are awesome. A few of the smaller works. This art exhibition was huge and David brought his A game. So much art filled this giant room. I didn’t think he had enough when I visited him at his studio, but it got done in a fury. The crates were from JANM show, but they look a lot different here! Whale guts ala the streets of Taiwan. David and Nikki. That red scarf looks amazing. I want this one! Hook me up someone. Ben and Bobby Hundreds. I like how Ben is really into sports. That’s cool. Their athletic based action wear (what a term) still has some athletics involved. Nikki, Basterd David, Inglorious Eli Roth, and his friend with the fruity name of Peaches Geldof. David and Bobby Hundreds. The giant whale floated in the middle. Probably 1000 came through. Joe Hahn and Heidi Woan. The watercolors in the back room are amazing. Michael and Pearl Hsiung Joe To and Rob Sato Harry Kim get your movie done. Dirty Hands is starting soon. Whoa. Jason sports the Jimmy face shirt. See this video. Another watercolor The dressing rooms served as tiny art rooms Matt, Dave, Gary, and Nikki at Norms. We never got a table. That’s her! Junko, Aki, and this dark sketchy dude in the back. Mysterious. No matter what, Taco Bell is always there. Great show David! How do you top it? ——-
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Hara Museum is Shinagawa is a pretty cool spot. It’s a small museum that has changing exhibitions, but also has a permanent room by Yoshitomo Nara. I couldn’t take a photo of it. I think it was the only room that had a videocamera watching. The above image was in a room by some french artist. Yeah, it’s like a bathroom or something, but it’s also like TRON! Akihabara – retro game hunting. There’s a reason for it. Junk at Akihabara. Japanese junk looks cool. You really don’t know what you’re going to get. That’s the sculpture Garden at Hara Museum. Next to Kohei’s face is a vertical piece of metal which is an Isamu Noguchi piece. Tai Yaki and they don’t even cut out the extra parts Too many toy figures. They’re everywhere. retro games at Super Potato. You’d think this spot is the best, and it’s quite great, but in the end, it’s the most expensive too. Ice cream in a baguette, yes it totally works. That’s Taro Goto on the right. He used to be part of the SF Asian Film Festival. He led us to an Okinawan spot in Shibuya. Super great. Sadatoshi shows off ice cream. ——-
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Kichijoji’s Inokashira Park has a few cats that like to hang out. I’m thinking that Japan definitely has a strong cat culture especially since they often appear in old woodblock art. I see cats roaming around quite a lot, and not too far away, people leave food out for them. Ayako Fujitani plays with the cat. Also in Japan, they cut tails off of the cat to prevent infection. I’m a bit unaware as to what kind of infection, but that’s what I’ve heard. Overhead train! I did capture a train going overhead, but underneath the bridge is a stream, a bridge, and trees. Oh my. That’s in the Thai restaurant in the park. It’s a rice omelet. Another cat naps in the leaves. You can walk along the bank of the stream. It looks like just one person is around, but there are others for sure walking their dogs and such. The pink in the trees. It’s near the very end of the Hanami season. This couple found the last pink in the trees and took advantage. I’d give the guy a pound if it was all his doing. Yes, the GR Digital still lives. I’m actually shooting these pics with a GX200! Jizo protects the dead children. That’s why people dress them up and take care of him. When I saw this, I said, “keep protecting the kids.” I’d give him a pound too. A train crosses over a bridge in the middle of the park. A train going through a park sounds bad, but it’s totally not. Tyson Termintor with sneakers in hand. It’s a sneaker shop. The best thing is the sign. I really like this poster. It’s done by a manga artist who lives in the area. People are in line for a croquette. I hear it’s made with kobe beef. Mogu art sold here. The no smoking sign rules. No, I wouldn’t do it. This shop was cool. Art gallery and indie products. A cute teahouse This is telling. Look at the wood and the divots that are carved in to make other pieces hold better. The white building on the right was a tiny cafe facing the park below. I’m not sure if I could capture the cute stuff, but it’s ok. A small park. I swear kids were blowing bubbles, so you’d see them flying around. The rad donut shop. Organic and across from that cute mini park above. I like this little stretch of area. Dreamgirls, then Man Ray. It’s rad when you see posters for artists like Man Ray. In LA, it’s street banners, but never advertisements like this in subways. Hobbit door. It’s not because they’re short I’m hearing. It’s totally not.
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The folks from the fine shop and brand Dicokick in Ura Harajuku took me out to dinner. Seafood is always nice and this spot was super cool. I have no idea how people pick places to eat in Japan. There’s way too many of them. Thanks much Dicokick and Goodsmile The angles people play to take photos. That’s Masahiro Takeda! I dig the iphone shooting. Toro y Moi! straight up on a billboard in Tokyo. Nice job. ——-
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Ayako Fujitani and her new old camera. It shoots 35mm and although film is a dying breed, this is a cool rangefinder. I think it’s called a bosley, but I’m no longer sure. Who’s going to preserve the film cameras as digital everything takes over? When will film just be cancelled? It’s all in the hands of the fans. Meanwhile, we went through Ueno area, and ate some yakitori. That’s spanish mackerel pate! It looks like I have a blonde mullet in this frame. That’s what it would look like with a neckwarmer. If I was Canadian, maybe. Not good. Now flip it to yourself. Imagine you with a blonde mullet. No! Don’t rock that. I wonder if the woman sitting behind me would have ever thought her hair would be used so well in the background of a photo. Yakitori is always good. No… amazing. Hand it over! This is what a public bath employee used to do way back in the day. If you want to take a bath, this guy lords over the entrance and peeps at the ladies changing. The flowers are almost gone from the trees. This is in Ueno park. It’s cool how there’s tons of vendors dealing up Japanese snacks. Saigo Takemori in Ueno. I haven’t been to this park in perhaps more than 15 years. I’ll guess that’s a shiba inu. This isn’t good. This is good. It’s awesome how they sell great slices of fruit on the street. Too bad they have to use chopsticks, but the fruit was good. Thankfully, the chopsticks absorb water well, and the fruit sticks! Since fruit is pricey in Japan, you sort of don’t get to eat much of it, so when you do it’s refreshing. ——-
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