Start The Day Right

9:00am. Double fisting beers. Talking to the pole. This guy was missing more than a lens in his sunglasses.

Bikes Ride By With The Boomin' Systems..

Coach Opening

Stopped by the Coach flagship store opening last night (thanks KP). The door girl was kinda bummed that I bent the invitation in half.. Babe, the card was like 2 feet by 2 feet! Ok, maybe not that big, but still. I hate walking around carrying invitations, because then people think, "Who's that tool trying to show off by carrying around an invitation." So I needed it to fit in my pocket.

Spring Blooms

Ah, springtime in China!  The sun is shining, the sky is blue, and the laundry trees are in full bloom..

The Long Bed Truck - China Style

The Originator

Grandmaster Flash played a great house party set at Club Mao last night.  Every track made you smile, made you raise your hands up, made you get on the dance floor - from back in the day favourites by Naughty By Nature, to a Michael Jackson mini-tribute, to some old skool Dre, to of course, his own monster classics, and everything else in between - it brought you back to a time when all was good.  One of the most fun nights I've had out in Shanghai in a long while.

Winner: Best Use Of Microsoft Office 97 Photo Editor

This is a huge wall ad near my apartment for a new spa. I love how they have (badly) cut out the people and just dropped them directly in the foreground. She's getting a massage while floating on the water?? I can see they tried a little harder with the pavilion, by blurring the edges a bit in an attempt to make it blend in, but the proportions are awesome - either the people are giants or the hut is made for midgets. And finally, there's a poor attempt at placing their logo on the back wall. As if this is really where the spa is..

If designers are actually getting paid for this quality of work, I gotta get back into doing print!

Breakfast In The Sun

Wasted Youth, Pt. 13

An unusual 30 minute delay getting out of the gate, as JL is usually on time.

Airline: Japan Airlines

Route: Tokyo (NRT) - Shanghai (PVG)

Delayed flights: 13

Total time spent waiting: 14.5 hours

Beer Testing - Round 13 (Ohanami Edition)

In celebration of sakura season, we did a little beer sampling.  Yebisu went for its second title defense against 4 other beers.

Defending Champ

Name: Yebisu

Origin: Tokyo, Japan

Alcohol: 5%

Price: USD2.56/can USD0.73/100mL

With a score of 8/10, this beer won convincingly during the last Battle Royal.

Challenger 1

Name: Kirin 1000

Origin: Tokyo, Japan

Alcohol: 5%

Price: USD1.42/can USD0.41/100mL

This 3rd grade beer has the "gift of mineral" (magnesium). Apparently, the water has a hardness of "1000", hence the name.  And I assume giving it an "endless clear" flavour.  But it doesn't really taste like alcohol.  It kind of tastes like ginger ale?  Final score 5.9/10.

Challenger 2

Name: Asahi Strong Off

Origin: Tokyo, Japan

Alcohol: 7%

Price: USD1.42/can USD0.41/100mL

We've seen pervious challengers labeled as "Strong", as well as others with the "Off" designation.  None of them were good, so with this 3rd grade beer being both Strong and Off, it looked to be doubly bad.  And we were right. Although it boasted a "rich and satisfying taste", it was really light and fizzy.  It also claims "60% less sugar", so you may think this is a good beer if you're on a diet.  But actually, when you read the label, it has the same amount of calories as a regular beer.  Bad taste and deceptive weight loss benefits means a final score of 4.25/10.

Challenger 3

Name: Suntory Relax

Origin: Tokyo, Japan

Alcohol: 5%

Price: USD1.29/can USD0.37/100mL

The slogan here is "The harmony of 7 hops for relaxing time." You'd think with all that harmony, and the picture of the rainbow on the can, you would be relaxed.  But the smell immediately throws you off - it smells like vegetables - like parsley.  Another bland 3rd grade beer.  Too bad, I kind of liked the whimsical can design.  Final score, 4.4/10.

Challenger 4

Name: Yebisu Silk

Origin: Tokyo, Japan

Alcohol: 5.5%

Price: USD2.47/can USD0.71/100mL

Fighting out of the same camp, Yebisu Silk is the newest edition to the Yebisu family.  Sporting a slick white design, and a .5% alcohol advantage, this looked like it might be the one to take out the champ.  However, it was a little wheaty tasting, and while although definitely a competent beer, it lacked the refinement of the original classic Yebisu.  Nice try young buck.  Final score 7.5/10. 

Again, the defending champ, Yebisu, makes simple work of the competition.

It don't mean a thing..

..if it ain't got that swing.

- Duke Ellington -

Crate and Beer Haul

Homeless

What more can you say about Japanese people?  Even the homeless have a way of maintaining order and tidiness in the face of adversity. This has to be the best cardboard home I've ever seen.  Bookshelves, mini-kitchen, storage space, even a toilet paper dispenser!  This home was located under a bridge, on a street between Shibuya and Harajuku, just outside of Miyashita Park, which currently is the center of a lot of controversy.

Miyashita Park has long been the home of people without a home. Nike has recently bought this park from the city and is planning to turn it into a skate park.  However, the "residents" there are defiantly opposed to it.  Watch this interesting short documentary on the subject, called "Our Park", by Emil Langballe and Maria Samoto le Dous.

500

Ohanami

I'm in Tokyo during sakura, or cherry blossom, season. It only lasts for about 2 weeks each year, so my timing couldn't have been better.

Japanese people have sakura viewing parties, called Ohanami.  It's a day out in the park, where eating and drinking copious amounts of beer and sake under the blossoms are the orders of the day.  The atmosphere is festive, and I saw more than a few people already crunk by late afternoon. Yoyogi park was so packed, in many places you couldn't even see a patch of green grass.

Kinfolk

Back in Tokyo, my friend brought me to the Kinfolk Lounge in Naka-meguro, from the guys who make bikes of the same name.  You'll have to see the bikes for yourselves, so I'll just show you the washroom..

If you want someone to build you a dope ride, or just want to connect with the local riding community, stop by:

http://www.wegotways.com/kinfolk/

http://www.wegotways.com/kinfolkbicycles/