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Tokyo Dance Party 04.26.05
It's crunch time in Tokyo- got only ten days left before I head over to Hong Kong- and there's still much to do. Yesterday I took the day off from writing to scour the record shops in Jinbouchou + Ochanomizu, and there I found the #1 record on my want list- Mieko Hirota's "Nagisa No Tenshi." Oh my lord, what a fabulous day it was! I'll upload a photo so you can check out the sublime sleeve. So let me explain why there's a naked man in my diary. On Saturday night the very sweet and sexy Ayano (who always drives the boys wild) invited me to a Shouwa dance party in Ikenoue where Pizzicato Five, Readymade Records' main man Yasuharu Konishi would be Djing. Shouwa is technically the term for Emperor Hirohito's reign (1926-1989), but it is more commonly used as a reference to '60s-'70s Japan. The Shouwa era marked the introduction of kayoukyoku (Japanese popular songs), an umbrella term that covers '60s beat girls (Linda Yamamoto, Jun Mayuzumi), Group Sounds (The Tigers, The Carnabeats), and countless pop idols (Mieko Hirota, Ayumi Ishida). I'm a Shouwa girl- a little too obsessed with '60s Tokyo, which is why this dance party turned out to be one of the greatest nights of my life. This particular night was a CD release party for the "Moodsville Presents Shouwa Dance Party" compilation, which was put together by the event's three DJs- Readymade Records' Konishi, Moodsville Records' Hirabayashi, and Ballroom Records' Uchimon (the stripper). It was all-you-can-eat, all-you-can-drink all night long, and while the event began on a tame note, by 10 pm Uchimon was Djing in the nude and flocks of fashionable girls and boys were getting hot and heavy on the dance floor. By drink #6 I had finally gained the confidence to go up to Konishi and introduce myself. He was incredibly friendly, and he kept grabbing all his mates, saying: "Yo- this girl knows the words to Sayuri Yoshinaga's "Koi No Yorokobi" Give her your business card." He seemed totally shocked by my Shouwa obsession. The dance party wrapped up at around 12:30 am, and just as I was about to head home for some much-needed rest, I was whisked off to the after-party at Aoi Heya- Tokyo's premier Shouwa club. Of course I couldn't decline such an invitation (though I probably should have seeing as I don't quite remember the rest of the night). For the next few days I'm staying in to work, and then it's off to a friend's Mount Fuji lake house for barbecue, hot springs, and more debauchery. Sheila Photos: the naked DJ, crowd @ Shouwa Dance Party, my glorious find, DJ Konishi Posted by Sheila at 11:47 PM Humbled 04.19.05
About 10 minutes ago I was blatantly reminded of my inability to walk in heels. I thought I'd try out my new vintage bowtie heels (which are not even that high) on a short walk to Lawson (Japanese-style 7-11) to purchase some blank CDs, and on my way home I slipped, flipped onto my back, and lay flat on the side of the street. This was more like a crash than a minor slip, but not one of the thirty people walking by bothered to stop and help me. As I sat up to examine the damage, I noticed a truck that had stopped right next to me. As I got up off the ground, I caught the eye of the driver who looked straight at me and then took off. I guess he just wanted to make sure that he wouldn't run me over. How kind! I'm home with a bruised back, bruised knee, bruised ego, and now I have to rush off to do a radio show. This photo makes me feel better. Sheila left to right: Ayano, Jason, Sheila, Japanese politician, his strange girlfriend? companion? illicit lover?, random man who came with politician and girlfriend. Posted by Sheila at 05:04 AM Green Apple 04.17.05
Friday night my dear sweet gal pal, Ayumi threw a small '60s pop shindig at the Green Apple cafe in Koenji where the waitresses wear Pierre Cardin aprons and the shaggy-haired male patrons look like long-lost Group Sounds' members. The party rule was '60s attire only, but an exception was made for Jason, who prefers the Scandinavian mountain-man look. After consuming much green-apple curry and Tantakatan (shochuu made from shiso leaves, my current tipple, and a wonderfully rhythmic word when repeated three times), Yoshika invited all of us back to her place for more '60s pop. Yoshika- illustrator, bassist of girl group Six, Tokyo club hostess- is my new inspiration. One look at her apartment and I knew that this girl had exceptional taste and a serious passion for '60s Japanese pop, apples (she gave me one of her '60s apple clocks as a gift), erotica, mini dresses, and mod furniture. She introduced me to two Japanese erotica photographers who have become my latest obsession (as soon as I track down the books on Yahoo Auction I'll post some of their work on my diary). Meanwhile here's Yoshika's illustration website and the site for her band Six. It's Jason's last nite in Tokyo, so we're off to meet Maiko and gang for Okonomiyaki in Shibuya. More later! Sheila Photo: The Tokyo Ronettes @ Green Apple: Yoshika, Ayumi, Sheila Posted by Sheila at 05:41 AM SKETCH-EE! 04.14.05
When Jason and I got back my friend Rie's place in Nishikoyama on Sunday night we saw a fairly large soft briefcase stuffed in the paper-recycling bin at the entrance of my building. It looked totally sketchy, and being a little bit drunk and a lot curious, we decided to play detective and open the mysterious case. Much to our delight (and disgust!) we found a ton of porno movies AND once of those penis enlargement pumps! Now I don't know about you, but even with my own twisted imagination, I found it difficult to come up with a possible scenario. Man locks himself up in Shinjuku hotel room with porno flics and penis pump. Police bang on door. Man flees. Throws evidence into paper-recycling bin. Uh no- that makes no sense at all. On Monday, the bag was still there. On Tuesday, the bag was still there, but all the videos were gone. Today the bag has disappeared. Very odd. Whenever I tell my friends where I live in Tokyo they tell me it's the sketchiest neighborhood. Now I understand why. Just got back from a meeting with MTV Japan, and I'm totally beating myself up over my TERRIBLE Japanese. Ugh.... On Friday night my friend Ayumi is throwing a sixties pop party (sixties attire mandatory) and on Saturday I'm Djing at my favorite place in the world- BRANDIN cafe- for a night of Japanese Group Sounds. ハイー！今東京にいて、今日MTVのスタッフと打ち合わせがあった。何かね、今日日本語の言葉が出てこなくて下手な日本語ばかり使いちゃったから、恥ずかしい。今週の土曜日世界一番好きなカフェでDJを招待してくれた。情報を報告しますね。 ●GS WE LOVE YOU! ６０sグループ・サウンズの大特集 DJ＆トーク 日時：平成１７年４月１６日 午後７時ー１１時 時間があったら、遊びに来てね。 Sheila Posted by Sheila at 04:14 AM Into The Bloom 04.09.05
Tokyo + sake + Japanese boys + cherry blossoms = Sheila's happiness. Give me those four ingredients and I am complete. Oh and a game of darts and Feist's Let It Die album could be the cherries on top. Severe liver damage and enormous black circles under the eyes are the unfortunate results of such decadence, but complete happiness always comes with a price. Prior to reaching nirvana, I was a mess of nerves. It had been nearly a year since I saw all my friends at Warner Music Japan (for those that just checked in- I lived in Tokyo from 2003-2004 and worked as an intern at Warner Music) and all the anticipation was making my stomach do flip-flops. The plan was to meet at the Warner office and then go to the Aoyama cemetery to sit under the pink blossom trees and get very drunk with everyone. It's called O-hanami and it's the greatest occasion ever. The big boss- Miyaji-san greeted me with an amazing gift- a 2-hour video dedicated to Tsutsumi Kyouhei- Japanese melody-maker, producer, genius, my hero. I introduced Jason to all the wonderful Warner folks and then we made our way to the cemetery. Next thing you know it's 2 am- we're at some overly lit bar/ restaurant (what's up with all the kill-the-atmosphere lighting in Japan?) with two gargantuan bottles of sake, one guy was so beyond wasted that he would only speak using titles of Garbage songs. "Sheila, why do you love me?" He's in charge of promoting their new album, so I guess the titles are lodged in his subconscious. I took a ton of photos, so I'll just let them do the talking. It's 6 pm- time to go to the Park Hyatt for cocktails and Lost In Translation memories. Sheila Posted by Sheila at 05:17 AM Pink 04.06.05
Two hours after arriving in Tokyo, I joined my gal pal Ayumi (Vamp magazine) at Harajuku's Astro Hall to see Sahara Hotnights. The 13-hour plane ride + two weeks of Texas / Paris mayhem + non-stop traveling had taken its toll, but I knew I had to stay awake (fall asleep on the first day and you're guaranteed one week of jetlag hell). The Sahara Hotnights girls were probably just as jetlagged as me, but you would've never guessed from their flawless, high-energy set. I feel like I've come home. I'm staying in the same apartment building, I have the same phone, ate at my favorite udon restaurant today.... it's like I never left. Most "foreigners" have plenty of nightmare stories to share about living in Tokyo, but (knock on wood) I think I've been one of the lucky ones. Aside from drunk businessmen following me home on occasion, Tokyo has been nothing but wonderful. I planned my trip perfectly! The day I arrived marked the beginning of the cherry blossom season, and today David (Marxy) and I strolled along the river in Nakameguro, where hundreds of blossom trees line the riverbank. There is nothing quite like the cherry blossom season in Japan. It's absolutely breathtaking. Required viewing for all citizens of the world. If you're planning a trip to Japan- hold off. Wait for the cherry blossoms to bloom. Tomorrow my best friend Jason arrives from New York. It's his first time to Tokyo. I am so happy to be back. Sheila Posted by Sheila at 09:08 AM Match-making in Paris 04.01.05
Nassim, Lionel, and I met for dinner at Le Fumoir (6 rue de l'amiral Coligny) where I discovered my new favorite apértif- Kir (creme De Cassis and white wine). As the waitress returned to refill our glasses, I noticed her stealing glances at Lionel. Waitress-adorable, pig-tailed brunette with glossy lips. Lionel- blue-eyed dirty blonde sweetheart and close friend of Nassim's. Of course he had no clue that she had the eyes for him, but after he flagged her down for some matches, I thought I'd share my observations and divulge my plan of attack. Since she had so kindly given him the matches, I thought he should write a note in the matches with his phone number and leave it on the table with the tip. My plan was approved, and we left Le Fumoir, matches next to tip. We headed over to Café Etienne Marcel (highly recommended retro-chic hangout @ 34 rue Etienne Marcel) to meet Antoine, another friend of Nassim's. A few sips into our glasses of Kir, Lionel gets a text message. It was the waitress from Le Fumoir! She certainly didn't waste any time. Lionel was all smiles. Match-making complete! Turns out Miss Waitress and Mr. Lionel met at a café the next day for four hours and planned to meet again on the weekend. Can you believe it? Use your matches well folks- they're not only good for fire. Nassim promised to keep me in the loop on this budding relationship, so I'll let you know what happens. Thanks Nassim for being such a fabulous and charming hostess! Next update from Tokyo. Sheila Photos (clockwise from top left): Nassim + me, Café Etienne Marcel, Lionel + me, Nassim + Antoine. Posted by Sheila at 05:29 PM |
