Jonelle Patrick's Blog, page 58

March 19, 2014

Lego. Minifig. Popsicles.

LegoPopsicles


Need I say more?


Okay, actually, I also want the minifig & eight-brick ice cube trays.


LegoIceCubes


And the salt and pepper shakers.


LegoS&P


Thank you, Santa. In advance.


Jonelle Patrick is the author of the Only In Tokyo mystery series, published by Penguin/Intermix. I saw all of these at the Venus Fort Lego store (2nd floor) in Odaiba.


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Published on March 19, 2014 07:06

March 18, 2014

Scary Eyes Made Easy

ScaryContacts


If you don’t think it’s quite out there enough to have eyes that make you look like a living doll, say hello to this line of definitely unnatural contacts! How about a nice alien look, with Solid White? Or perhaps a touch of psychopath, with Spiral or Manson Red?


Jonelle Patrick is the author of the Only In Tokyo mystery series, published by Penguin/Intermix. I saw these for sale at Laforet, Harajuku.


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Published on March 18, 2014 08:00

March 15, 2014

Changing The World, One Tag At A Time

281Girls


I started taking pictures of work by the street artist known as 281_Antinuke a couple of years ago because I thought it was beautiful. Now I shoot it because I think it’s the voice of young Japanese saying to their society: we don’t want prosperity at the price of environmental destruction.


While the government tries to distract people with the 2020 Olympics and talk of reviving the economy, street artists like 281_Antinuke are out there reminding people that the radiation coming from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant that melted down in the wake of the 3/11 tsunami and become the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl, still isn’t contained.


They say it takes seven exposures to an idea for people to take notice. 281_Antinuke’s art is quietly ratcheting up the public’s awareness meter, one piece of graffiti at a time.


281KeepFighting


281Bombs


281Invisible


281SantaAbe


Jonelle Patrick is the author of the Only In Tokyo mystery series, published by Penguin/Intermix.


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Published on March 15, 2014 18:59

Yes, I Am A Proud Alumnus Of…

LogCollege


What do you think the hockey team from Log College is called? The Fighting Twigs?


Jonelle Patrick is the author of the Only In Tokyo mystery series, published by Penguin/Intermix.


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Published on March 15, 2014 07:51

March 14, 2014

Cuddle Up With An Adorable Slice Of Raw Fish

SashimiStuffie


Okay, I thought the stuffed animal wizards were pretty much scraping the bottom of the vertebrate barrel when they came up with Kapybara-san a few years ago. I mean, how many of your childhood friends were really dying to invite the world’s largest rodent into bed with them? I rest my case.


Yeah, they managed to make it cute, by not making it look too much like an actual giant rodent.

Of course they managed to make it cute, by not making it look too much like an actual giant rodent.


And I thought they’d outdone themselves when they turned to the vegetable bins for Ao-kubi Daikon. (Yes, Blue-Necked Radish was a somewhat disgruntled, giant, white vegetable character. But endearing, in a surly kind of way.)


Giant white radishes: the giant rodents of the vegetable world.

Giant white radishes: the giant rodents of the vegetable world.


But what could they possibly do after exhausting the entire universe of living things? The only thing left was: meat. Yes, meat. Raw meat. Meet “Kirimi-chan,” a slice of raw salmon. (You can tell he’s cuter and more snuggly than a piece of raw meat though, because he has little pink arms and legs.)


Ooh, raw fish! Snuggleh.

Ooh, raw fish! Snuggleh.


And of course he has friends! Mackerel Dude, Mr. Cod Man, Red Snapper Boy,  Teenage Tuna Kid, Fishcake Girl, and Other Kind Of Fishcake Girl. Oh yeah, and not to be xenophobic, the foreign friend: Roast Boy. (Yes, there’s actually a stuffed toy in this series that looks like a beef roast.)


Collect 'em all!

Collect ‘em all! Trade ‘em with your friends!


Jonelle Patrick is the author of the Only In Tokyo mystery series, published by Penguin/Intermix. Thank you to 3yen.com for the Aokubi Daikon photo – my own extensive collection of stuffed radish characters is back in San Francisco, and they refused to take selfies for me.


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Published on March 14, 2014 04:43

March 13, 2014

Early Spring At A Beautiful Garden

SGplumBridge


Today it was raining. But I went to Shinjuku Gyouen garden anyway.


SGwhitePlum


SGreflection


SGcornus


 


SGbridgeYellow


SGleafBuds


SGboke


SGsinglePlum


SGplumLantern


Jonelle Patrick is the author of the Only In Tokyo mystery series, published by Penguin/Intermix.


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Published on March 13, 2014 00:19

March 11, 2014

The Surfing Golfer

GolfSurf


Surfing and golfing, yep, those go together like coffee and bananas.


Jonelle Patrick is the author of the Only In Tokyo mystery series, published by Penguin/Intermix.


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Published on March 11, 2014 18:11

March 10, 2014

Firewalking 101

HiwatariWalk


I’m not sure who first thought that walking across burning coals would be an awesome superpower to have, but sometime in the distant past, that’s exactly what a bunch of more-rugged-then-thou Japanese warrior priests learned to do. Firewalking is still done once a year at the foot of Mt. Takao by practitioners of shugendo, a rather, er, rigorous form of Buddhism which also features the chanting of sutras while standing nearly naked under a pounding waterfall.


I highly recommend reading up on shugendo (and looking at the gorgeous pictures) on Tokyobling’s blog, but for those of you who’d like the Clif Notes(TM) version of what to expect when you go to the Hiwatari Matsuri, here’s the lowdown:


When you arrive, buy a goma-gi for ¥200 and write your name and age on it. If you tap parts of your body where you've got aches and pains, then give it to one of the priests standing inside the sacred fire area before the ceremony begins. When your stick is tossed on the bonfire, it'll be consumed and purified, along with whatever illnesses you have.

When you arrive, buy a goma-gi for ¥200 and write your name and age on it. Tap it on parts of your body where you’ve got aches and pains, then give it to one of the priests standing inside the sacred fire area before the ceremony begins. When your stick is tossed on the bonfire, your complaints will go up in smoke too.


At 1:00, the participants form a procession that visits the small nearby shrine with much blowing of conch shells, before filing into the sacred bonfire area. Before torching of the mountain of cedar boughs, various ceremonies must be observed: the striking of the flint, the firing of arrows in all four directions, martial arts-like katas with a long-handled axe and a sword, the reading of rather lengthy sutras, and, of course, the recitation of the names of worthy donors (a lot of them).

At 1:00, the participants form a procession that visits the small nearby shrine with much blowing of conch shells, before filing into the sacred bonfire area. Before torching the pyre of cedar boughs, various ceremonies must be observed: the striking of the flint, the firing of arrows in all four directions, martial arts-like katas with a long-handled axe and a sword, the reading of rather lengthy sutras, and, of course, the recitation of the names of worthy donors (a lot of them).


As the fire begins to catch, straw bales poked with thousands of arrow-like charms are paraded around the mountain of cedar. Afterwards, you can buy one to take home if you like.

As the fire begins to catch, straw bales poked with thousands of arrow-like charms are paraded around the mountain of cedar. Afterwards, you can buy one to take home if you like.


Burn, baby, burn! Those things that look like a dismembered picket fence are actually prayer sticks from major donors. They're the first to go.

Burn, baby, burn! Let the chanting of the heart sutra begin! As flames shoot higher and higher into the sky, the intensity of the chanting increases.


The burn is controlled by guys tossing countless buckets of water on the outer boughs.

The burn is controlled by guys tossing countless buckets of water on the outer boughs.


As the blaze settles down, the goma-gi are tossed into the flames.

As the blaze settles down, the goma-gi are tossed into the flames.


Before the actual walking over hot coals can begin, two half-naked shugenja swish great bouquets of bamboo leaves through cauldrons of boiling water.

Before the actual walking over hot coals can begin, two half-naked shugenja swish great bouquets of bamboo leaves through cauldrons of boiling water.


And finally, starting with the most eminent mountain priest, everyone walks barefoot over the hot coals.

An finally, starting with the most eminent mountain priest, everyone walks barefoot over the hot coals.


Some practical advice:


• If you want to get a good spot for taking pictures, get there by 10:00 a.m. because by noon (an hour before the ceremony starts) the crowd will already be three-deep.


• The entire thing takes about two hours, and there’s nowhere to sit. High heels are not recommended.


• Check which way the wind is blowing before choosing your spot. Trust me, you do not want to be in the path of the smoke. There is a lot of it once the bonfire gets going, and not only will you not be able to see a damn thing, everything down to your toenails will smell like you just spent a week crouched over a campfire.


• Ordinary people are allowed to walk across the warm ashes after the priests. If you want to do this, you have to get in the (long) line. Take off your shoes and socks before crossing the ashes, then pay your respects in front of the altar at the end before leaving. Bring along a towel to clean off your feet afterwards if you don’t want your socks to be black.


Jonelle Patrick is the author of the Only In Tokyo mystery series, published by Penguin/Intermix.


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Published on March 10, 2014 04:42

March 9, 2014

The Anime Shrine

If I were one of the gods at the Kanda Myojin shrine, I'd give these mortals whatever they asked for!

If I were one of the gods at the Kanda Myojin shrine, I’d give these mortals whatever they asked for!


If you live, breathe, and want to work in anime, the Kanda Myōjin shrine is the place to pray that your dreams come true. But you’d better bring your markers and all your drawing chops, because competition for the gods’ attention is fierce. At most shrines, prayers are just scribbled on the backs of wooden ema with bleed-y black markers, but at Kanda Myōjin, the ones left by favor-seekers are real works of art.


Kinda makes me want to slink away in shame. Am I the only person in Tokyo who can't draw like this?

Kinda makes me want to slink away in shame. Am I the only person in Tokyo who can’t draw like this?


Jonelle Patrick is the author of the Only In Tokyo mystery series, published by Penguin/Intermix.


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Published on March 09, 2014 07:30

March 8, 2014

Death By Cuteness: Baby Penguin Rice Balls

PenguinRice


A lunchbox filled with penguin rice balls would be dangerous enough, but BABY penguin rice balls definitely sends the message NO MERCY in the cafeteria lunchbox fight-to-the-death!


Comes with easy stuff-it rice mold and a seaweed cutter, so you can leave your lunchboxing nail scissors in the drawer to fight another day.


Jonelle Patrick is the author of the Only In Tokyo mystery series, published by Penguin/Intermix.


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Published on March 08, 2014 02:27