The Japan Situation

"Contained" /  8" x 8"  /  mixed media on acrylic 

My cousin was in Sendai at the time the tsunami hit. With the inability to reach her by phone our family impatiently waited. It troubled me. But the next day, we were relieved to hear from her.  My family was lucky but it's tough to admit others are not. My friend Norine and I met the fine volunteers of the Tzu Chi Foundation hustling to raise money and awareness. We made our donations and I hope it goes to the people that need it the most.

Giant Robot and UNICEF are doing their part too. They are hosting a group art show that will benefit the people of Japan. My contribution to this show is this painting above entitled, "Contained."

Participating artista include: Gary Baseman, David Choe, Luke Chueh, Ayako Fujitani, Matt Furie, Joe Hahn, Clement Hanami, Mari Inukai, James Jean, kozyndan, Lisa Ling, Barry McGee, Ryan McGinness, Jeff McMillan, Junko Mizuno, Megan Mullally, Gary Musgrave, Mark Nagata, Saelee Oh, Bryan Lee O'Malley, Nathan Ota, Mu Pan, Albert Reyes, Rob Sato, Jillian Tamaki, Katsuya Terada, Edwin Ushiro, Esther Pearl Watson, Daniel Wu, Yoskay Yamamoto, and Kohei Yamashita.

"Water Works" - A benefit for UNICEF and child victims of the earthquake in Japan
Reception: Saturday, March 19, 6:30 - 10:00 p.m
at: GR2
2062 Sawtelle Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90025
(310) 445-9276 

Train Food

Here is something interesting. A hot train meal without the use of microwaves. Step one: Pull string. Wait for 10 min. Step two: Dig in. I'm not quite sure what the contents are in the last pic, but it's the source of the heat. Any idea what is in this thing?

Wednesday's Fun Video

Here is a stupid video I did while in Japan. Enjoy.

Japan: Depature

Here are pictures from Hokkaido. The first couple images are from an old train station in Kofuku (meaning: Happiness). The station was littered from floor to ceiling with love letters, business cards, pictures and written memories. It's kind of like a wishing well. Hokkaido was dam'n cold at first until you get used to it. I had a great time hanging out with my eldest cousin and her kids. We played baseball, visited museums, went to the ski lift, local zoo and a ramen shop (which coincidentally has another location in West Los Angeles). My Brother and I visited Hokkaido for several days then returned to Misawa to see Grandma for another night ...then visited my relatives in Hanyu for one last night ...then it was off to Narita to catch our flight back to the US. Man, we did so many things it felt like I stayed in Japan an entire year. Sitting here typing all this stuff makes me really appreciate everything we did. The last image I want to share with you is a quick 10 minute sketch of Omiya Station. It's my last drawing of Japan.

Japan: Median

Picking up and going is the harshest part for me as a traveler. Leaving, knowing there could have been more laughs and tears made goodbyes difficult to begin. It was Yamaguchi, (the platform for our reunion with my Ushiro relatives which is also the hometown of my Great Grandfather) then Hanyu (to visit my Uncle, Aunty & cousins), as we shot out to visit Tokyo (with my cousin as guide: Harajuku, Shibuya, Marunochi, Ropponngi, & Shinjuku) and Misawa (to share a few days with my Grandma & relatives). Traveling vast plateau in short amounts of time became analogous to the blurry images of neighboring cities we stared at from the Shinkansen window. In one week, my Father and Brother met our Japan Ushiro-side relatives for the first time, fished off a pier & collectively catching 7 for a nice breakfast, visited many museums, Hiroshima, white water rafting, attended nightly cat fight scrimmages, and all the while eating great sushi. Then it was off to Hokkaido. Stay tuned!

Japan: Arrival

Japan is a wonderous country that encased happy memories for me. This year, between Oct. 17 and Nov. 7 more memories would be added. My adventure started in Narita at 6:15PM. My Brother and I traveled by train to Asakusa. I explore my habitat to find hustlers and bars. Not my kind of town, but it felt good to make that stroll. The evening felt fresh and ends at the Tokyo Hostel.
The next day we located our parents and our home for the moment (a family friends' place near Shibuya). From there we drove back to Asakusa to see the hand of a Kappa. A Kappa is a mythical creature that lived in the water, ate small children, animals and somehow found a way to mingled with villagers. Every store here capitalize on the Kappa phenomenon. I mean, even my ice cream was a Kappa!

Back from Japan

Will post regularly soon. Wazzup with you?

International Electronic

So I just secured 2 roundtrip tickets for me and my brother to Tokyo. We will be out there from Oct.17 through Nov.7. Any suggestions?