Some of the coolest things I picked up in Tokyo were a trio of Katsuhiro Otomo art books – although sadly they weren’t for me, intended instead for my favourite Otomo-san obsessive Al T. Shame, as I would have liked to have spent some quality time with these beauties. Luckily though, I was able to grab a few shots before I let him get his grubby paws all over them.
Despite having been boringly safely back in the UK for over a month now, I’m still only just managing to mentally process everything we saw and experienced in Tokyo. A major highlight for us, in fact one of the main reasons for going in the first place, was our trip to the Studio Ghibli Museum in the suburb of Mitaka.
Looks like anime demi-god and Ghost in the Shell/Sky Crawlers director Mamoro Oshii is taking a break from his trademark dystopian futures to travel back to medieval Japan for his next flick Musashi: The Dream of the Last Samurai. Production IG have just launched a teaser site/trailer for the movie, which is due to hit Japanese theatres next summer, and the infamous auteur is backed up by an impressive staff, including Mizuho Nishikubo (GiTS, Sky Crawlers) and Kazuto Nakazawa (Kill Bill 1, Samurai Champloo) amongst others.
You couldn’t make this shit up.
Check this guy’s outfit – I’d have killed for that get-up back in my early 90s techno days.
I took this photo outside our apartment in Shinjuku; apparently this guy was paid to stand there all night waving his lightsabre at the passing, minimal traffic. Another reason Japan has such low unemployment – well, until recently at least.