Your chance to get your hands on the creations of some of Japan's funkiest and talented independent artists and designers.
The next multifaceted Sunday afternoon event brought to you by TOKYOMADE will be held at Wedge in Shimokitazawa.
June 29, 2008 from 3pm - 9pm.
1000 yen gets you a tasty beverage and access to the creations of over 30 Japan-based designers coolness as well as live painting, DJs and other music makers.
BLITZ Kiss, creator of all things colorful and acrylic, is shaking things up here at TOKYOMADE. In the lead up to the next TOKYOMADE event, Fragment at WEDGE in Shimotkitazawa, BLITZ Kiss has put many of her original accessories and funky tanks on SALE.
If you don't know and love Polyvore by now you totally should. In case you were wondering, Polyvore lets you create sets composed of individual images using an easy to use, drag and drop editor. After you have created a set, you can publish and share it with your friends and the Polyvore community.
Big love to the fabulous fashion creators on Polyvore using TOKYOMADE pieces. Here are just a few of the ones that we are loving recently! Cute Thing Irregular Choice and Shojono Tomo are the hottest sisters around!
Be Bold BLITZ Kiss and Mickey make a bold statement.
Life as a supermodel has been fun so far but it is not all runways and photo shoots... ;)
On Friday night I skipped happily along to Veggie Paradise in Yoyogi Uehara for the Raw Food meet up . This time it was not a raw food potluck it was a divine five course RAW dinner prepared by Yuki, visiting vegan chef Caroline Ishi and the Veggie Paradise team. Mouthwatering stuff! If you have not been to Veggie Paradise I highly recommend it. Gorgeous, open atmosphere, friendly vibe and of course scrumptious raw food to feed every cell of your body with goodness.
This weekend is Design Festa at the Tokyo Big Site. We spent yesterday happily bumping into many friends and finding new greatness to love. We are just about to leave for another day full of Design Festa fun. Hope you are having a great weekend. What is happening in your part of the world?
Zoestyles fashion range created by Japanese designer Takada San is the funkiest look on the streets of Tokyo this season. Recently featured in Kera magazine and selected to show in the Shinjuku Marui Department store, Onejuku, the uniquely styled jackets are spreading style and individuality.
A while back when Zoestyles came to TOKYOMADE, Masao and I had some fun taking pics of the latest styles. I got to do my best model impersonation and Masao donned his photographer hat. The photos turned out pretty well for a quick shoot so when Masao told me that Zoestyles might use some of the pics I was happy to share them.
Remembering about the Onejuku showing while strolling through Shinjuku yesterday I decided to take a peek and see if I really had become famous! ;)
I was actually a bit overwhelmed with seeing my image throughout the department store so of course I forced Mark to archive the event by taking some silly pics.
At Design Festa today we stopped into the Zoestyles booth for a quick chat and I thanked him intensely for giving me my 15 minutes of model stardom! I always dreamed of being a model for a funky fashion label...
You would be surprised who you meet in the park. Since taking the hoops to Yoyogi each sunny Sunday and sharing them around I have had the opportunity to meet some of the most interesting, creative and open souls.
A hula hoop and a smile have the most attractive qualities and so many people from the crowds of wanders stop in to our little circles for a chat and a whirl. Last time I had the pleasure of meeting Laughter Yoga facilitator, Akira. I believe that we all cross paths for great reason, life is full of wonderful connections and coincidentally Akira had spent a great deal of joy filled time in the US with sensational hooper Christabel - Hoop Girl, a laughter yoga enthusiast.
I made a strong connection with a world traveling German based in Berlin currently creating a sequence of films called On the Way to Japan. Well he made it to his destination and has some intensely interesting stories to tell. Luckily much of his tour has been creatively captured on film. Rumor has it that there will be a certain Yoyogi loving hoop group featured on the final segment of the journey. Looking forward to it, thanks Herry!
I remember in my first few years as a primary school teacher in Australia a very powerful program called Brain Gym was a favorite flavor of many teachers. Known as educational kinesiology, it was a wonderful way to switch on student awareness as well as bring some of the high flyers down to a calm and more focused level. After finishing my Hooping class this afternoon with a multi-age, diverse group of elementary school students I couldn't help but think about the correlation between the brain gym program and hooping.
A powerful reminder of the ability of the hoop to calm even the most easily excited kiddies came on Monday morning. There was a twinge of anxiousness when I found out that Lindsey and I would have to choreograph and train 80 students to hoop dance for the school community on Sports Day (May 30). However I had full faith in the power of the hoop. When it came time to settle the students down, help them find their positions in the big dance scheme and show them the beginning dance moves, all done in their third language English, I felt total bliss as I looked out over a sea of little people sitting, transfixed as we gave instructions and showed off some off the hoop moves.
The power of the hoop sounds itself strongly each and every recess and lunch time when I have droves of happy hoopers lining up to grab their hoops and find their space in the rotation. It truly is a revolution that has taken hold in a very positive way. Calming, challenging and focusing their little brains.
And now something to excite adult minds... Anah the Hoopalicious one
I am sitting here writing this and bubbling with excitement. My hoop dreams are unfolding so smoothly, so it is with much giddiness and giggling pleasure that I announce the first of many hoop love sharing sessions.
Enjoy a weekend of Hoop Dance fun. The Beginner Level 1, 2 day workshop is designed to provide you with the skills and tricks you need to Hoop Dance for fun and fitness.
This two day workshop will explore a variety of Hoop Dance skills, tricks and moves that you can take away and enjoy. Level 1 classes include a warm up, hoop conditioning, turns, skills and drills, hoop circle and warm down, each day. In addition to the basics you will also be supported to explore your natural hoop dance style.
No previous experience necessary. Hoops will be provided. Wear comfortable clothing and get ready to embrace your inner hoop dancer!
Members: ¥6000 for 4 hours over 2 days Non-members: ¥8000 for 4 hours over 2 days
Limited to 10 spaces. Reserve your spot hooplovers@gmail.com
To celebrate the first hooplovers workshop we will be heading to Yoyogi Park afterwards for an evening hoop up!
I enjoyed pole dancing class but this ROCKs my socks more!!
That hoop slam down gives me shivers!! HOT In case you were wondering this mind blowing performer is Karis, known for his sizzling performance in the Scissor Sisters Filthy Gorgeous film clip among other things. (oh hey these vids may not be safe for work...guess it depends on where you work, but a heads up just in case, watch em at home they are fun)
To be completely honest I just don't do sexy. My underwear never matches, I quite enjoy slobbing around at home in my pajamas scratching my butt and high heels give me shivers. So the pole dance craze never really had appeal to me.
Sure I had watched plenty of pole dance lessons on youtube, read countless blog entries about it's benefits and liberating power but the thought of shimmying up and down a pole with plastic stilettos on kind of just made me cringe.
That all changed when fellow hooper and athlete Erin gave me the full report after taking a pole dance class here in Tokyo at Art Flow. She assured me there was no sign of plastic stilettos, no cheesy strip music and no talk of doing this as an act of love for your partner.
I had read about pole dance instructor and performer Lu Nagata, and watched an interview with her on Spinshell TV a while back. Her strong features and independent style were definitely a draw card. So I was up for the challenge and joined Erin at one of Lu's classes today.
After running through the pouring rain to make it just in time for the class I was greeted by a very welcoming, gorgeously open and clean studio. The Art Flow studio is set up specifically for pole dance lessons, although they also offer pilates and other dance classes, so it is an interesting atmosphere. Super stylish yet warm and comforting.
I was looking forward to a strong work out as well as gaining some inspiration for my own hoop dance classes. Lu began the class with a strong and dynamic stretching session demonstrating her superior flexibility from years of dance experience and study.
The basic class with Lu was a 70 minute class in which she gradually demonstrated and guided us from a basic walk and pivot to an elevated spiral down to the floor with a sultry yet powerful dance routine back up from the floor to standing. At no point did I feel the need to start stripping my clothes off or pressing my chest up against anything, the moves and instruction were strong, graceful and artistic. Best of all they were a work out from head to toe. Try standing and walking on your tip toes for an hour - hello calves. Try swinging round and round a pole supporting your whole body weight with arms stretched above your head - hello all upper body muscles.
A trial lesson is only 2500 yen and gives a strong introduction into the kind of workout your body is in for should you chose pole dancing as your new favorite past time. My only wish is that the class was longer, I wanted more, I always want more. Although my back muscles will probably be thanking me tomorrow that it ended when it did.
Pole Dance Classes at Art Flow 70 minutes (of which 10 minutes will be self practice time) Member ￥4,200, Non-Member ￥5,250, Trial Class ￥2,500 Open to women only
The universe sent me a little message yesterday... Happily, deanne, we've got forever and ever. And fortunately, it's never too late to see what one's missed, remain focused on the dream instead of the "hows," and move with unwavering faith.
Yeeeeeee-haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!! The Universe
So I thought I should share my dreams with you... Claska studio filled with hot hoopers!
Thank you so much to all of the hot hoopers that had faith in the sun and came out to play in the park yesterday. You make my day, my month, my entire life more joy filled. Just watching you hoop it up with smiles on your faces and rhythm in your bodies is the ultimate hoop high.
Hello to all of the new friends we met yesterday. We are so happy that you stumbled into our lives. A big hug to all of my hoop buddies the circle is expanding thanks to you! Share the hoop love.
I was still filled with energy on the walk back to the station from Yoyogi Park last night, despite having hooped for about 6 hours, so I thought I would give the LED hoop a quick spin before getting onto the jam packed train. We picked a sweet little spot at the top of Omotesando Dori, Harajuku and I spun to the sounds of the passing people and traffic. A true Tokyo hoop up.
In other hoop news...I may have secured one of Tokyo's funkiest studio spaces so Hoop Dance for Beginners, Hoop Work It and Hoop Love classes will begin very soon! I am super excited! Check out HOOPLOVERS for more info.
As I have not heard from her since Friday night I am assuming that she is still out partying on the streets of Tokyo celebrating her birthday! (Please excuse my camera - or the shaky drunken hands of the peep that took this photo - Erin looks a little blurred in this pic in reality she is a beauty like no other!) Partying in fine style with all the ladies of the night! We embraced the fact that being in our 30s and still having our body parts where they should be is a mighty fine achievement! Yay to that! Who would have thought, I swear I tried my hardest in my early 20s to party my vital bits OFF!
Some of the biggest art and design events in Asia are happening right here in Japan this month.
This weekend is the 9th Spiral Independent Creators Festival held over four days at The Spiral building in Minami- Aoyama. The four day event is broken up into two 2 day showings. Group A and Group B each consist of a gathering of 50 selected independent creators.
Sonja de Boer, Discrete Bag and de Boer creator and Kana San of Sci Fi fame were both selected for this year's festival. Congratulations to them both.
Next weekend marks the return of GEISAI to Japan. After an extended break from Japan and making big news with global events the GEISAI event, founded by Takahashi Murakami, is back in full effect. Held at the Tokyo Big Site, GEISAI Museum 2 gives both amateur and professional artists a chance to display their work to the community. The one day event, Sunday May 11, will involve a panel of museum directors judging the displays in each booth.
In two weeks time, May 17 & 18, the biggest art event in Asia will be held at Tokyo Big Site. Design Festa Vol. 27 is almost here, it seems every one is talking about it too! While applications for space are closed there is still much anticipation about who will be showing their latest ranges, what acts will be there to delight and how many people we will bump into.
Many TOKYOMADE designers will be there on the day as booth dwellers or as aisle wanderers. This year TOKYOMADE is not going to have a booth, while we had an amazing time at Vol. 26 we dearly missed wandering around with friends and getting to learn about new creators and their mind blowing greatness. We do intend to be there for the two days from open til close, there is just SO much to see at Design Festa.
The Bla Bla Hospital head nurse is back from the laboratory with a new range of fashion remedies. She has reworked her previous range and launched a new series of funky, fat ties. Each with their own unique medicinal qualities all have been handmade in Japan using hospital grade materials and the Bla Bla Hospital methods of fashion revival.
Sasa of lo-fi-me fame is a new face on TOKYOMADE but already making a mammoth impact. His one-of-a-kind bangles are a combination of illustration and images giving new, stylish life to recycled tape rolls. Good for the Earth and your daily fashion mix.
I love my inbox it is always full of surprises. One of today's surprises was from friend and photographer Martine of Frangipani blog fame. She always knows exactly what I need and want. This morning's link to The Sun article Steal Kylie's high-tech style was the perfect morning make up tutorial.
