Thank you!

So,....the contributor copies have gone out, and the response has been really great. Lots of mails and blog posts and tweets, etc. Amazingly, the book is at #1 on amazon.jp for Fashion > commercial, #1 for Pop culture> fashion and #17 for overall overseas books, and # 19 on amazon.uk for fashion due to orders, although it isn't available yet, and I really thank everyone for their support and will be busy writing thank you notes this week. All this is happening and I haven't even seen the book yet. Yes.... True story. All 80 contributors have their copies before the author! Thanks again everyone, I presume I will do a few book related events this year, plus another book coming out soon as well from my numerous recent sojourns to Tohoku.

Book Finished!

The project is finished, now Im just waiting for the books to actually arrive. Thanks to everyone at Random House, the numerous photographers who participated, the models and the interviewees. So, the big news regarding the book is we have a new cover. It looks fantastic and I can't thank Ai from Useless and kera! model Kurebayashi enough for making it happen. I just need to point out that there was nothing actually wrong with the old cover, in fact we loved it, but it was decided that the cover should be a fashion cover. Here it is!

preview

Book is rolling along, full steam ahead into production and design (by the wonderful PONY in London) -- here is sneak preview off the prestel catalog with Kumamiki, organizer of Harajuku fashion walk, a shot taken at the san-x office of Rilakkuma, Vani of 6%dokidoki and Hello Kitty's bedroom, as well as spreads by Junko Mizuno and tokidoki (one of the few non-Japanese designers who are in the book).

Osamu Watanabe

Despite having officially finished the book, and going into the design process, when I came across the Fake Cream work of Osamu Watanabe, I knew we had to have it in the book. His work has everything this book encapsulates -- sacchirine sweet, pastel-colored, romantic, frilly, over-embellished, no limits love for kawaii. Asides from his opulently decorated fake cream unicorns, giraffes, crocodiles, etc, he has made homages to Botecelli and Rodin, as well as a cream Zen garden and seated Buddha.

Last shoot: kokeshi!

At Naruko Onsen in Tohoku at the moment which is possibly the cutest village in Japan. This region is home to the kokeshi doll, a traditional wooden doll which is experiencing something of a revival at the moment　(mostly due to the Tohoku disaster and the fact that these areas are still struggling). Naruko Onsen is kokeshi heaven! Spent the weekend sitting in hotsprings at Bentenkaku ryokan, learnt how to do the matsuri dance (although couldnt remember any of the steps) and joined in the festival carrying the mikoshi (portable shrine). The locals are super friendly, and everywhere you look, there are kokeshi motifs and several craftsmen's studios-- this village is SO cute -- Japan at it's best! Thanks Naruko Onsen for the loveliest weekend shooting this book, esp. the people at Bentenkaku ryokan. Photos: Kokeshi telephone box, kokeshi firetruck, festival peeps, kokeshi on the portable shrine, kokeshi street signs and hand rails, kokeshi coffee stirrer. <333

Bukkoro

Interviewed Yukiko Yokoo at her house in Nakano and currently working with her on hopefully banging out a cover.
Check out her work, we love it <3333 Surely if you have been in Japan, at some point you have played on this game! A curry eating game within the game. (the taiko drums are eating curry....) Why go to the gym when you can play happy hardcore on the taiko game? (ﾟ口ﾟ; Psy trance taiko? The characters in this have had too much coffee?

Kitty chan robot show

BABY,THE STARS SHINE BRIGHT Kitty robot