Long Live The King

in this post i will be talking about a current happeaning artist movement that in not Only China but also Japan. .a man named Tsang Tsou-choi  was known as  the "King of Kowloon"  and as the "Hong Kong Graffiti King" . He ,unlike those who use spray paint in political graffiti, used traditional black calligraphy paint and a traditional black brush for his pictures. He was known through out the world as the oldest graffiti artist of all time. He, through his art, told his story of his life and heritage to explain why he thought he was the king of Kowloon. He did his art on public surfaces and public places, which soon developed the Chinese government to treat him as a  unwanted nutcase. He gained most of his recognition from the incident of Star Ferry clock tower, a historic clock tower once due for a massive relocation. He stood up against the government plans for the tower and pointed out the many flaws of the government dealings with local heritage. This inspired artist and other citizens to protest it's relocation. 

Now, after his death, the citizens of hong kong fight to establish protection for his art work. The government views the art work of the King of Kowloon to be unimportant and not recognizable historic art. The citizens, on the other hand do, stating the fact that he is a political figure that has inspired young artist today. The government offers to only take pictures and some protective shields but much of his work is still exposed to vandalism and weathering. The government hopes to erase the legacy of him so that one would not be inspired to do something as he has done, but this effort is failing. The news of his legacy reached Japan, and soon merchandise was available with his art work on it, including bags, posters, and umbrellas  With his death arose people who wanted his legacy to live on and published book works and inspired graffiti to this day

In the government point of view heritage is not as important as continuing economical development and if it comes down to choosing between the two they will quickly over look it. others believe that preserving his art is important to the China's history. This is a non stopping topic of debate. In my opinion this was a case of peaceful vandalism. he did not make violent threats to the government nor was his work destructive in my opinion. he wanted to be herd his way on his terms, so that people could actually pay attention to him. For who would pay attention to a poor old man in the street about he was a king?

Techno-logic Japan

this is what we are watching about the Japanese bullet train you guys should know that japan is much more than colors and cute stuff you can buy; it is also a place of great technology

MOCHI

my second post today, but i think that i am on a roll for some reason : ). 

in this post i will be talking about the first Japanese desert i clearly remember having for the first time 

Mochi!

mochi is made out of this very sweet rice that is then pounded into rice doe. it is very very sticky and often stretches when u bite into it >__<! it also considered a cake or a bun. i considerate a cake so that i can not be confused with a bean paste bun (another delicious treat of Japanese creation). Mochi is usually filled with red bean paste. it is a very sweet bean that comes in a very dark red (well at least the end paste looks dark red). the bean itself is bright red. 

i have only tastes one type of red bean paste from the mochi i get from this really nice Japanese food place down the street from my school i used to go there all the time but now i seem to be going less : ( 

the bean paste that i have tried (to the right of the image above) is really good in my opinion because i get to taste the bean skin but i heard that it is not as smooth as koshian. 

Yes it is my dream do go over to japan and travel across the island in search for the perfect mochi!!!!!!

but thus, i am confined to this country of america  ='(

Mochi also come in allot of really awesome flavors including:

Azuki Bean 

Blueberry

Cantaloupe

Cappuccino

Chocolate

Chocolate / Coconut 

Chocolate / Espresso 

Chocolate / Mint

Chocolate / Peanut Butter 

Chocolate / Vanilla 

Coconut

Coffee

Durian

Green Tea 

Guava 

Honeydew

Lychee 

Mango

Passion Fruit 

Peach 

Pistachio 

Plum

Raspberry White Chocolate 

Red Bean

Sakura

Strawberry 

Strawberry Dark Chocolate Chip 

Tiramisu 

Vanilla

and wait!  you can also top them of with sesame seeds or any other small seed you can imagine!

AWWWWWWWW THIS POST MADE ME HUNGrEY!!!!

White day!!

don't be racist now it's actually a holiday. And NO! they don't have a holiday for the rest of the other colors i am sorry.

but they do have white day!
i wish america would further adapt themselves to this holiday but of course the world is not square like i want it to be.

apparently women needed an answer in japan to their valentines day chocolates so whit day is just that. men give presents usually white themed or in white box's to the women that they love. the cool thing about white day is that you have not curtsy chocolates >.< therefore if you didn't get a gift it's most likely that you are alone (like myself....... so alone in the world : (....)

i think it is such an adorable holiday  for some odd reason. mostly due to the fact that i have no one to love what so every 

More New New years celebrations

continuing from more new year traditions

Shuri Castle in Okinawa japan just had thier new year celebration as well

        it’s basicaly like a party at Shuri Castle Park, a three-day event daily 8:30 a.m. ~ 5 p.m.  Celebrating the new year.
     
      The ceremony brings the New Year’s greetings to the Emperor who incorporated the essence of the Ryukyu Dynasty, a flashback to history.  Ryukyu dancing suitable for a king and queen is presented in a ceremony called “Chouhaiokishiki”(really long word)
The ceremony runs in three parts.

                  

     The Ninufanuunufee is a ceremony to the God of heavens to worship, and is the ceremony during which the upper and lower sides set the heart to one, also while it was solemn, and celebrated the new year praying for peace.  The second element, the Chounuunufee, looks at the beginning of the year, when people celebrate the king in a ceremony with prayers for prosperity of the Ryukyu Kingdom.

   Shishimai lion brings good harvest for the coming year.

this is scene from a part of a dance with a shishimai lion which is in many other rituals across japan like this one . it is similar to the one used in shinese new accept that i dragon and this is a lion

to further understand how they are similar lets recall snoop dog change to snoop lion as china is dog and japan is lion

The final ceremony, Ohtohri, invites subordinates and the king to drink a cup of awamori together in celebration completing the unity of all people don't you think.  The ceremony includes prayers for the prosperity of a king, a prince and a grandchild.  Throughout the ceremonies, performances of musical instruments and Ryukyu traditional dance takes place.

       as you can see these dancers who are all female (i hope not very sure. you really can never tell. but that is a story for another post) and they dance with theses gigantic head pieces and pretty kimonos

in atempt not to be sexxist there re guy dancer too who do many warior dances 

but girls can be many as well as you can see to the left

MONSTERS BABY

i am really excited to preasent probably on of the reasons why i love japan the most

Japanese
Monster
Wresling

it's probably the coolest thing ever since the invention of underwear

Kaiju Big Battle

it's like a mixture of cosplay and those really bad pro wrestlers with the actors on it and godzilla

most of the monsters mention in the video have died and usually they give birth or fuel revenge for a character like them or their children and or pets and or loved ones 

An example of this is that silver potato he died recently acourding to the kaiju facebook page and they have now revealed that he has two cats: Sinister and Dexter.

his signature was break dancing before his apponents 

my personal favorite is DOCTOR CUBE probably the oldest living monster besides kung pow chicken noddle soup can

DOCTOR WHO?

YES DoCTOR CUBE!!!

he is responsible for making many of the monsters in Japanese monster fighting

he loves knives and disecting live humans 

i just adore him

he also enjoys comming in the middle of the fight and just going crazy 

his overall goal is too take over the world 

• Finishing and Signature Moves

• Iconoclism (Front Flipping Slam)

• Bad Medicine (Fireman's Carry into an Elevated Powerslam)

• Scalpel Kick (540 Degree Kick)

• Jumping Knee to an opponent on the apron

• Theme Music

• Requiem for a Dream
• Cube Means Business

Holidays and eating Sushi

i would like in our nest meeting to watch this short video and compare it to other new years around the world  if you would like to tell me what you thing ahead of time that is also okay.

Another important holiday is children's day it's oh so very fun often you learn little about this holiday in elementary school but you often don't understand that it origins in Japanese culture. but it originally started for boys because the male had stronger authority in ancient japan it was also common for girls not to have  any school to go to or for it to be illegal for girls to participate in education.

children's day is celebrated in many parts of Asia and now includes girls in this holiday

also for anyone who want to do the presentation on Japanese food here ids a funny but very informative video on how to eat sushi. there is a very formal way to eat sushi and in many variations you use your hands and not chop sticks.

the text bellow is an exert from another cite http://sushi-master.com/usa/whatis/history.html

The History of SUSHI

We can trace sushi's origin back to the 4th century BC in Southeast Asia. As a preserved food, the salted fish, fermented with rice, was an important source of protein. The cleaned and gutted fish were kept in rice so that the natural fermentation of the rice helped preserve the fish. This type of sushi is called nare-zushi, and was taken out of storage after a couple of months of fermentation, and then only the fish was consumed while the rice was discarded.
Over time, it spread throughout China, and later, around the 8th century AD, in the Heian period, it was introduced into Japan. Since Japanese preferred to eat rice together with fish, the sushi, called seisei-zushi, became popular at the end of Muromachi period. This type of sushi was consumed while the fish was still partly raw and the rice had not lost its flavor. In this way, sushi became more of a cuisine rather than a way to preserve food.
Later in Edo era, Japanese began making haya-zushi, which was created as a way to eat both rice and fish; this dish was unique to Japanese culture. Instead of being only used for fermentation, rice was mixed with vinegar and combined not only with fish but also with various vegetables and dried preserved foods. Today, each region of Japan still preserves its own unique taste by utilizing local products in making different kinds of sushi that have been passed on for generations.
At the beginning of the19th century, when Tokyo was still called Edo, the food service industry was mostly dominated by mobile food stalls, from which nigiri-zushi originated. Edomae, which literally means "in front of Tokyo bay," was where the fresh fish and tasty seaweed for the nigiri-zushi were obtained. As a result, it was also called edomae-zushi, and it became popular among the people in Edo after Yohei Hanaya, a creative sushi chief, improved it to a simple but delicious food. Then, after the Great Kanto earthquake in 1923, nigiri sushi spread throughout Japan as the skilled edomae-zushi chefs from Edo, who had lost their jobs, were diffused all over Japan.
In the 1980s, in the wake of increased health consciousness, sushi, one of the healthiest meals around, has gotten much more attention; consequently, sushi bars have increased in the United States. With the introduction of sushi machines, which combines the mass production of sushi with the delicate skills used by sushi chefs, making and selling sushi has become more accessible to countries all over the world.

 there is also a link bellw the page on this cite that has the recipe for making some sushi personaly i learned how to cook sushi from cooking mama.

http://sushi-master.com/usa/whatis/recipes.html

that's probably all we will have time for in the meeting so that's that

THE VIG Is It?

i back people after a long time i am now posting again now more than ever so here is some update on the website that i hope that you guys will enjoy.

THE VIG is desired venue for our event. but because of the pricing we will only be using part of the vig which is the outside section of THE VIG

not bad if i do say so myself. will be contacting them soon through letter phone or in person if i am feeling gutsy enough that day.

we are specifically going to the one in Arcadia

ARCADIA

4041 N. 40th St, Phoenix, AZ 85018
602.553.7227

Hours

Mon-Fri 11am-1am
Sat-Sun 10am-1am
(bar always closes @ 2am)

1

What is Cosplay

         Cosplay, is the contraption of the words “Costume” and “play” (So It's not a shocker that our event that we are having in March is going to be called "Costume Art Play"). Those who casplay are known as “cosplayers” or in Japan simply reyazu for “players.”

         So, what is cosplay exactly? It is the act of dressing up as a character from animes, comics, videogames, manga, movies, books, and even Visual-Kei rock bands in Japan. Also lets not forget about Lolita (goth and sweet), Decor and Kawaii. Don't confuse what is the art of cosplay for a Halloween costume, because they're not the same. You may get many arguments on this subject for the 

         The term “cosplay” was coined by Nov Takahashi in 1984, while attending a sci-fi convention in LosAngles. He was so impressed by the costume masquerade that he wrote about it in Japanese sci-fi magazines. Word spread quickly through Japan of this new  proformance art. And the rest is history. Many people believe cosplay originated in Japan, but that’s not necessarily true. Forrest J. Ackerman inspired fan-costuming worldwide when he wore the first futuristic costume, made by Myrtle R. Douglas, to the 1st World Science Fiction Convention in 1939 in Caravan Hall in New York. Don't get it twisted thought Cosplaying is a great part of modern Japanese culture.

now that that you all just got educated in in the art lets go over what we have established for the 

Costume Art Play Event

• probably going to be in early march but this will change according to how the plan plays out.
• there is going to be a cosplay fashion show (depeanding on the number of people who sign up this will be split into a various number of fashion shows.
• we do plan to have a couple of panel speakers
• also a cosplay ball 

we need as many supporters as we can get to make this happen people!!!

lets talk about more cosplay

i know i have been missing something and it has been nagging at my brain for a very long time now. i forgot one of the best cosplay categories of them all 

STEAM PUNK

one of the more westernized cosplay but it is still great. it sort of combines future with the past. like picture the wizard of OZ tin man but in brass with a lot of chains and especially clocks. when i say clocks i don't not only mean pocket watches but the actual gears of the watch are very important. the most dominant colors in steam punk are black, brown and red but their are many other colors that people fantastically pull off. 

i believe that they call it steam punk because i sort 

of goes to the time

 where the steam engine was invented

for reference i would watch the movie "Steam Boy" probubly the coolest steam punk anime i have ever seen.

here are some cool pictures

 

52nd All Japan Plamodel Hobby Show

to the left is a case of white out

      From October 8 to October 11 is the hobby product focused 52nd annual All-Japan Plamodel Hobby Show. Some companies attending include Kotobukiya, WAVE and Bandai. Its basically Dolls for really crazy fanatic people. this is the one event where you'll find that the majority of the population are fanboys.

      Lots of new releases of models where there including releases of anime models of course ,but i personally love the robots it's like transformers are 2003 Word compared to 2010 Word of Japan!! There's these two big companies that goes to the event practically every year. their names are Gundam and Gunjap. they rock!!

i wish i could buy this but in reality this rare beauty is around 1,000 dollars or even more

In the meeting when i am not present

In next meeting we will be going over the j- fashion post everybody!!!

things that we also need to go over is...

• the j fashion show
• we need to have a set date established or estimated and judges asinged. i would like to be in charge of kawaii, decora or visual k
• i want the judges and brainstorms emailed to me at once, that job should be assigned to the secretary of the club.
• i also want people to post on the fundraising idea post and get ideas to the point where we can make progress in the next meeting.
• for dates of the fashion show we should warn students ahead of time so they have time to get their costumes ready and we should have a sign up sheet for people who want to be in the show. whether you guys want their to be an entry fee is up to you but it would give use less money to fundrais.
• for the vice president  tell members about the website and you must run the meeting. i fi get word that there was no meeting i will be angry. 
• you guys should also go over where you want the fashion show to be AND WHAT MUSIC YOU WANT TO BE PLAYED. i recommend some vocaliod music myself 

Update September 30th

here is some other great links for some cool websites on Japanese fashion everyone.
make sure you are checking them out because we will be deciding judges next meeting.
this is more current Japanese fashion.

 http://www.fashioninjapan.com/
http://www.japanesestreets.com/

???

Recognize any one?

JFashion

Kimono

The first thing that comes to mind when thinking of  Japanese clothing is the Kimono, which literally translated simply means 'clothing'. This traditional outfit is one of the most recognizable parts of Japanese culture. Although it is not commonly in use any more, you can still spot Japanese women wearing kimono from time to time, but in most cases it indicates some formal meeting, religious holidays or family ceremonies, such as weddings.  There are many types of kimono, each worn according to the persons age, marital status, season or event. 

The other type of traditional Japanese Kimono is called Yukata. This is a summer casual kimono worn by both men and women. For more formal occasions this kimono type can be accompanied by wooden sandals, called geta and obi belt wrapped around the waist. Yukata is lightweight cotton kimono  normally with very brightly colored designs on it.  It is mostly worn for summer festivals and religious ceremonies such as Bon-Odori.

http://web-japan.org/kidsweb/virtual/kimono/kimono01.html

http://library.thinkquest.org/04oct/00327/jtimeline.html

Lolita , gothic Lolita, sweet Lolita

This is a youth fashion among Japanese teenagers and young women. It emphasizes Victorian-style girl's clothing and often aims to imitate the look of Victorian porcelain dolls. Gothloli's name and origin is a combination of lolita fashion, appearing deliberately cute to the point of looking childish, and certain styles found within gothic fashion. The style started as a youth subculture sometime around 1997-98 and became a well-established genre available in various boutiques and some major department stores by around 2001. 

Gothic Lolita is one of the subcategories of the Lolita look. Other categories include "Classic Lolita" (more traditional, light-coloured, also more mature-looking) and "Sweet Lolita" (childish pastel-coloured clothes, lots of lace and ribbons).





http://www.lolitafashion.org/what_is_lolita.html

Kawaii And Decora

Kawaii itself means very "cute", "adorable", and "pretty".

this fashion consists of very bright colors and many accessories. that means hair clips and lots and lots of bows man.

Decora also known as "Decoration" is a japanese style adopted mainly by young japanese girls. Decora consists of bright colors and hair clips with bows. Lots of layering and colorful accessories are used in Decora. The accessories include plastic and furry toys and jewelry, which stick together and make noise as the wearer moves.

The style is sometimes mistakenly called "Fruits style" by people that are not from Japan. 

for more:

http://gravenkiss.tumblr.com/Kawaii&Decora

http://virtualneko.com/2009/01/20/sweet-kawaii-kitty-and-attachments-101/

Harajuku 

A narrow street packed with young fashionable people and lined with fashion boutiques and cafes. This is definitely the place to be seen if you are young Tokyoite, but well worth visiting as a tourist. Takeshita-dori represents the cutting edge of fashion in Tokyo where you can see all the latest in Japanese street fashion and then buy in the boutiques.

Harajuku Girls is a term to describe women and teenaged girls in Harajuku(Tokyo Japan) who wear a style of clothing that originated in the street culture of major cities in Japan, i.e. Tokyo and Osaka. The "Harajuku style," named for the Harajuku district of Tokyo, combines a wide range of diverse influences, and is also known as "Fruits Fashion" by followers of Fruits Magazine. The terms "Harajuku Girls" and "Fruits" are not used by the Japanese to describe themselves. 

Visual kei

Visual Kei refers to a movement among Japanese rock (jrock) musicians and is characterized by the use of elaborate costumes, eccentric, looks and hairstyles. The Visual Kei look usually involves striking make-up,

The "kei" in Visual Kei is japanese for style of type, meaning "visual style music" The music ranges from eighties goth rock, to heavy metal to punk and usually some combo of the three. Most bands are indie but a not many make it to major labels such as Malice Mizer, Raphael, & Dir En Grey.

Visual Kei has influenced Harajuku style fashion, especially those who gather on Jingu Bashi - a pedestrian bridge connecting the bustling Harajuku district with Meiji Shrine.

Cosplay

Cosplay is an abbreviation of Costume Play. It is a Japanese subculture based on dressing like characters from manga, anime,and video games. The term cosplay pronounced "kosupure" in Japanese.

In Japan, "cosplay" as a hobby is usually an end unto itself. Cosplay can be seen at public events and shows as well as at dedicated cosplay parties.

uerukamu, irasshai, settai, hougei, kangei aka: Welcome

this is the blog for my club members and those who are interested in the Japanese brigade at Arizona School for the arts. the Heads of the club will be putting information on club meetings, events, and for information relating to the club. if you have any ideas OR suggestions leave a comment 

"the Japanese brigade is all about learning, discovering and experimenting with ancient and current Japanese culture in spontaneous displays of pure awesomeness" - IMANI JACKSON (president)