I’ll make this one short and sweet because it’s late and my bed is calling my name.
Today was really fun. I’m realizing more and more what a HUGE blessing it is to be given an opportunity like this: an all-expenses-paid 10-day holiday in Japan! Yup, God is pretty dope.
We start every day at 9:50 in the Hotel lobby with a briefing of the day’s shooting schedule. I wish all things in life could start AFTER 9:30am. This I could get used to.
First on the agenda was a visit to an 8-storey shopping mall that specializes in some of the funky sub-culture fashions that Tokyo is so well known for. Jane, our resident “fixer” has some serious connections and got us all-access-passes for filming whatever we wanted within the mall.
It was absolutely INSANE! Apparently there are themes to the various counter-culture fashions in Japan. First there is “Lolita” which is one of the more wholesome images. Imagine Little-Bow-Peep meets Strawberry-Shortcake. Lots of bows, frills, lace, pink, white, and child-like bliss. Jane tried on a couple of outfits while the camera man filmed our whole Lolita shoping experience. Then there is “Punk” which is exactly what I expected it to be. Next stop was the Goth shop – and apparently it was my turn to try on the outfit. Gasp! They dressed me up in a style that the Tokyo kids call “Sebastian.” Imagine this – white button-down shirt with SUPER HIGE collar. Circulation-inhibiting black pants. A metal-studded black kilt around the waist. A four-button black vest (with coat tails) and a black top-hat! I looked like Abraham Lincoln on the set of an Avril Lavigne music video. Totally laughable. It was nothing I would ever dream of wearing in a million years, but the gothic female store attendants all through I was pretty hot stuff with my “new look” so I posed for a couple of pictures in the most gothic way I knew how. Lots of Ozzy-Osbourne-style tongue action.
As we eventually made our way to the ground-floor, I started seeing a couple of things that I would actually wear. Funky T-shirts, hoodies, and caps. The producer wanted to see how the store clerks wrap pieces that are to be given as gifts – as the Japanese are well know for their gift wrapping presentation – so I volunteered to buy a T-shirt for my friend Abiel as a demo. (Abiel, bro, you better tune in when the episode airs so you see the whole process!)
Next stop was the Tokyo City Hall where the producer, script writer and “Fixer” had a meeting with the local government officials to ensure all filming permits and other documents were in order before we did any “general shooting” of the mass public.
While the meeting was going on, the rest of us went for an AMAZING ramen lunch. A hot bowl of Japanese ramen tastes SO good on a cold day! (The weather here is like 60F/17C this time of year – so really comfortable!)
Next stop was the heart of the City: Tokyo 109. This is where all of the action happens. It is like the Times Square of Japan. There is even one place where you can stand and watch masses of people crossing the street in 5 different directions at once! And amazingly, NOBODY bumps into one another. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen so many people in my life. We filmed a couple of short scripted scenes and then started the fun part: street interviews! Me and my co-host pulled random folks off of the street and grilled them on anything and everything under the sun pertaining to our views and perceptions of the Japanese culture.
Our filming was rudely interrupted by a bunch of raucous American college kids who were on a “World Tour” with their wack-tastic A Cappella group. They reminded me exactly why I quit singing A Cappella in college, and exactly why God created instruments. Get out of here with that zhen-da-zhen-doooh-doo-dwaaaaayyyy-doooohhhh. Arigato very much.
Well that’s all for now . . . tomorrow we’re doing shopping in Harajuku . . . should be really interesting!
Today was really fun. I’m realizing more and more what a HUGE blessing it is to be given an opportunity like this: an all-expenses-paid 10-day holiday in Japan! Yup, God is pretty dope.
We start every day at 9:50 in the Hotel lobby with a briefing of the day’s shooting schedule. I wish all things in life could start AFTER 9:30am. This I could get used to.
First on the agenda was a visit to an 8-storey shopping mall that specializes in some of the funky sub-culture fashions that Tokyo is so well known for. Jane, our resident “fixer” has some serious connections and got us all-access-passes for filming whatever we wanted within the mall.
It was absolutely INSANE! Apparently there are themes to the various counter-culture fashions in Japan. First there is “Lolita” which is one of the more wholesome images. Imagine Little-Bow-Peep meets Strawberry-Shortcake. Lots of bows, frills, lace, pink, white, and child-like bliss. Jane tried on a couple of outfits while the camera man filmed our whole Lolita shoping experience. Then there is “Punk” which is exactly what I expected it to be. Next stop was the Goth shop – and apparently it was my turn to try on the outfit. Gasp! They dressed me up in a style that the Tokyo kids call “Sebastian.” Imagine this – white button-down shirt with SUPER HIGE collar. Circulation-inhibiting black pants. A metal-studded black kilt around the waist. A four-button black vest (with coat tails) and a black top-hat! I looked like Abraham Lincoln on the set of an Avril Lavigne music video. Totally laughable. It was nothing I would ever dream of wearing in a million years, but the gothic female store attendants all through I was pretty hot stuff with my “new look” so I posed for a couple of pictures in the most gothic way I knew how. Lots of Ozzy-Osbourne-style tongue action.As we eventually made our way to the ground-floor, I started seeing a couple of things that I would actually wear. Funky T-shirts, hoodies, and caps. The producer wanted to see how the store clerks wrap pieces that are to be given as gifts – as the Japanese are well know for their gift wrapping presentation – so I volunteered to buy a T-shirt for my friend Abiel as a demo. (Abiel, bro, you better tune in when the episode airs so you see the whole process!)
Next stop was the Tokyo City Hall where the producer, script writer and “Fixer” had a meeting with the local government officials to ensure all filming permits and other documents were in order before we did any “general shooting” of the mass public.
While the meeting was going on, the rest of us went for an AMAZING ramen lunch. A hot bowl of Japanese ramen tastes SO good on a cold day! (The weather here is like 60F/17C this time of year – so really comfortable!)
Next stop was the heart of the City: Tokyo 109. This is where all of the action happens. It is like the Times Square of Japan. There is even one place where you can stand and watch masses of people crossing the street in 5 different directions at once! And amazingly, NOBODY bumps into one another. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen so many people in my life. We filmed a couple of short scripted scenes and then started the fun part: street interviews! Me and my co-host pulled random folks off of the street and grilled them on anything and everything under the sun pertaining to our views and perceptions of the Japanese culture.Our filming was rudely interrupted by a bunch of raucous American college kids who were on a “World Tour” with their wack-tastic A Cappella group. They reminded me exactly why I quit singing A Cappella in college, and exactly why God created instruments. Get out of here with that zhen-da-zhen-doooh-doo-dwaaaaayyyy-doooohhhh. Arigato very much.
Well that’s all for now . . . tomorrow we’re doing shopping in Harajuku . . . should be really interesting!
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