A while back, I went to Osaka with my friend Ken Nishikawa to shoot a promotional video for the Japanese girls group, Shonen Knife. While there, we had some time to wander around and I saw some great sights. I love Osaka! While I was there and wandering around I saw some kids and their fashions really turned my head! Wow! You have to check this out! Here's several for your enjoyment! Enjoy!
I saw these two sweethearts at Shin Osaka station. The train going by the the background gives it a great feel.
Same platform, not 10 seconds later! Wow!
I saw these two guys getting on the elevator and just had to take their photo. Awesome look. Check out those contact lenses! Upstairs from this building was a shop that sold "Lolita Fashions." I went up there but they didn't have any Lolita Fashions in the XXX-Large size to fit me.
Later on, after sound-check, we were walking around by Dontonbori when we came upon a group of ten kids. I thought these three really looked great!
I saw these two going somewhere on Sunday morning. Actually, I saw many others too but everyone seemed in a rush so I didn't have the time to ask them for a pose. I will go to Osaka again soon and take more photos.
This cool photo of Naoko of Shonen Knife was taken by Kevin Riley
Shonen Knife (L-R: Emi (drums & vocals), Ritsuko (bass & vocals), Naoko (Guitar & vocals). (Photo by Kevin Riley)
And here's the Shonen Knife video we made:
Thanks to Ken Nishikawa, Kevin Riley, Kuniatsu "Coonie" Suzuki, Ms. Yoshida, Shonen Knife members and Atsushi Shibata.
The Privates are one of, if not thee most respected rock bands in Japan. The Privates are lead by singer, guitarist and song writer, Nobuhara Tatsuji. They formed in 1983. The Privates have been famous in Japan for over 30 years. Here's some information. http://www.generasia.com/wiki/THE_PRIVATES Here's the data: Nobuhara Tatsuji (延原達治; Guitar and Vocals) Tetsuka Minoru (手塚稔; Guitar) Takahashi Tatsuya (高橋達哉; Bass) Morihara Koji (森原光司; Drums) Yoshida Manobu (吉田学; Keyboards) Anyway, my mates and I made their newest video. Here it is. It fucking rocks. It is a cover of "The Litter" 1966 garage rock hit, "Action Woman." I hope you dig it!
People are arguing and fighting. It's all over the internet and Social Media... Why?
It pains me to see you guys going through this again. Have we learned nothing over these last 30 years? Especially over these last 15 or so?
Let me paraphrase my drinking buddy, "Louie" to tell you how it is: "The US presidency is just like a donut shop; every few years we get a new shop manager of the donut shop, but we NEVER see who owns the donut shop or the parking lot (That's the big banks, Oil companies and the Military Industrial Complex).
These new candidates for donut shop manager come in and always say the same sort of thing: "American's are fat! We need to become healthy! We need to eat more vegetables! We can change!" And the US public eats it all up. Then, after the election circus for donut shop manager ends, the new manager comes in, and he can give lip service to "Change" and eating healthy," but it's just for show. If he doesn't sell the 24 box of glazed donuts, he's out of a frickin' cushy job."
The public foams at the mouth supporting this candidate or that for donut shop manager. Some even take their days off and drive to "conventions" wearing ridiculous-looking hats and waving signs and screaming like idiots. Imagine that! What for? So they can help their team win.
There's no way in hell that any new donut shop manager every 4 years is going to come in and change the business plan of the US corporation with over 150 years of imperialist history. It don't matter if it's The Don or Bernie. (Sorry, Bernie fans, but you don't serve as a US senator for over ten years if you are not part of the establishment.) To think otherwise is delusional and ignores over 150 years of US imperialism.
It seems people have a short memory. Obama was supposedly a Washington outsider too, wasn't he? He was going to change everything too, wasn't he? He was going to end the wars, stop over-throwing foreign governments, stop bombing brown skinned people in the Middle East, and close the prison camps, have a transparent government, not prosecute whistle-blowers, etc.....
How did that work out for you guys?
The system is corrupt through and through. All the donut shop owners (The Powers That Be) care about is if the people (proles) think their vote "matters." That's why we go through this circus (and mass media propaganda) every few years.
Voter participation has been going down steadily for decades. The day less than 20% of the people vote, is the day this system loses all credibility and authority (51% of 20% voters decide the president? 10.5%? That's how the Soviet Union fell down, remember?)
Don't vote. Your vote doesn't matter (Bernie won New Hampshire big, but still Hillary got the most delegates, remember?)
"If voting could change things, it would be illegal" is a saying sometimes attributed to Mark Twain... It is a saying that is at least 160 years old. Think about it. It pains me to see you getting suckered into this nonsense again. No offense, my friends.
Oh, I will admit that I think Hillary is evil incarnate, a criminal and scum-of-the-earth, hence she is the most qualified to be US president.
You might enjoy this too. Doug Stanhope. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4Rm87cqnUI
NOTES: 1) By the way, if you are from another country, don't think your government isn't a donut shop either... OK, maybe not donuts, maybe Belgian Waffles or Swizzle sticks. NOTES: 2) Highly recommended reading: Aborting the Working Class by my good friend, David Cole. takimag.com/article/aborting_the_working_class_david_cole/print#axzz4596I2GKb -Thanks to Lew Rockwell for the inspiration the quotes and for waking me up to the farce. https://www.lewrockwell.com/ -For my dear friends Kevin Hammontree, Jason Brown and James Santagata
We’re back to Cool & Strange Music for April 4, 2016! This is
THEE Cool and Strange Music chart! The only one that matters (probably
the only one that exists, actually...) Here is this week’s chart of the
most out of this world musical bizarreness! On last week's Cool and Strange Music Countdown I got thousands and thousands of emails from folks who just went crazy over the Hexstatic version of Nancy Sinatra's "These Boots Are Made For Walking."
People wrote that they want to see more! (Okay, well, maybe "thousands"
is a bit of a stretch! This is Coldcut and Hexstatic. Awesome! #3) Coldcut and Hexstatic - Timber https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8-QDCKdVO4
It's
Springtime in Japan! And what song always reminds me of Spring? It's
Tom Lehrer! Thomas Lehrer is an American singer-songwriter, satirist,
pianist, and mathematician. He has lectured on mathematics and musical
theater. He is best known for the pithy, humorous songs he recorded in
the 1950s and '60s. This song is hilarious! Check out the lyrics of Tom Lehrer's "Poisoning Pigeons in the Park": Spring is here, spring is here, Life is skittles and life is beer, I think the loveliest time of the year Is the spring, I do, don't you? Course you do But there's one thing that makes spring complete for me And makes every Sunday a treat for me All the world seems in tune on a spring afternoon When we're poisoning pigeons in the park Every Sunday you'll see my sweetheart and me As we poison the pigeons in the park When they see us coming The birdies all try and hide But they still go for peanuts When coated with cyanide The sun's shining bright Everything seems all right When we're poisoning pigeons in the park We've gained notoriety And caused much anxiety In the Audobon Society With our games They call it impiety And lack of propriety And quite a variety of unpleasant names But it's not against any religion To want to dispose of a pigeon So if Sunday you're free Why don't you come with me And we'll poison the pigeons in the park And maybe we'll do in a squirrel or two While we're poisoning pigeons in the park We'll murder them amid laughter and merriment Except for the few we take home to experiment My pulse will be quickenin' With each drop of strychnine We feed to a pigeon It just takes a smidgin To poison a pigeon in the park #2) Tom Lehrer - Poisoning Pigeons In The Park https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhuMLpdnOjY
At
#1 is something that is very Cool and Strange. It's Sweden Heaven and
Hell,
Here's what Wikipedia says: "Sweden: Heaven and Hell (Italian:
Svezia, inferno e paradiso) is an Italian mondo film from 1968 directed
by Luigi Scattini. The film which is made up of nine segments that focus
on different aspects of sexuality in Sweden such as lesbian nightclubs,
porn films, swinging lifestyle of married couples and sex education of
teenagers." ("...lesbian nightclubs, porn films, swinging lifestyle of
married couples and sex education of teenagers"!? I'm in!- Mike). The
film also examines drug addiction, alcoholism and suicides in Sweden
(Been there. Done that. - Mike) The film also featured the debut of the song "Mah Nà Mah Nà" by Piero Umiliani.
I found the best
tasting ramen for the best price in Futakotamagawa. It’s a shop called
Kokumaro and it is the most delicious and reasonably priced ramen in
town. Hello! My name is Mike (in Tokyo) Rogers and I am the Gaijin Gourmet!
Futakotamagawa’s
ONLY ¥600 ramen shop! This is the regular ramen for ¥600 yen (tax
included.) includes two slices of pork in Tonkotsu (Kyushu-style pork
based soup). In this photo and egg is included at an extra ¥100. Best
ramen deal around!…. And, of course, there’s no tipping in Japan!
Futakotamagawa is about 10 ~ 15 minutes from Shibuya station on the
Den-en-toshi line. It is famous for Takashimaya department store and a
bunch of other high class shopping establishments as well as the
headquarters of online shopping giant, Rakuten.
Since this is a high class shopping area, nearly all of the
restaurants are expensive; and filled with rich housewives. That’s why a
find like Kokumaro is a lifesaver for the Gaijin Gourmet who is always
watching for ¥1 coins on the ground at the train stations! Nearly all of
the local ramen shops sell their lowest priced ramen for at least ¥760.
There’s a few places that sell so-called “Gourmet ramen” that goes for
¥1000 ~ ¥1200 a bowl. Kokumaro starts at ¥600. By far the best tasting ramen for the price in this town.
Outside of Kokumaro. This place gets
packed and there’s a line of people there waiting to get in at all hours
of the day. Kokumaro is a chain of restaurants and they have shops in
Futakotamagawa, Shibuya, Kabukiocho and a bunch of shops in their
homeland of Kyushu. See their homepage here: http://www.kokumaro.com/
This is what it looks like at night. The one to the right. The shop
to the left is some high-falutin’ dinery. Never been there… It is
expensive. Of course expensive restaurants are supposed to taste
delicious. The problem is that many of them are just expenisve and not
so delicious. It is a fine art for the Gaijin Gourmet to find the Holy
Grail! I like cheap and delicious establishments!
And speaking of cheap and delicious, when you go into Kokumaro at
Futakotamagawa, you will be immediately confronted by Mr. Meal
Ticket-Machine. Not to worry. Follow the easy instructions: Look at
picture. Insert money. Press button. Take ticket. give ticket to shop
staff. Sit down. Eat. It’s so simple a chimpanzee was able to complete the task in 6 seconds. If you want a beer to drink, just say, “Beer?” the staff and they will help you press the correct button.
Like I said, Kokumaro in Futakotamagawa is always packed and, there
is almost always a line of at least 3 ~ 10 people waiting to get in. The
place is cozy and clean.
Here is what I always have. It’s the regular ramen with extra
mountains of sliced green onions. Cost? ¥800! (with tax!) Wow! At the
top left is Beni-shoga (pickled ginger root). Top right is Takana (hot
& spicy leafy vegetables that originally came from China).
And now we get to why Kokumaro is always packed and there’s always a
line outside: Not only is it cheap and delicious, but you can add the
condiments like Beni-shoga or Takana all you want…. And!….
The plat de résistance! The deal clincher! Fresh garlic and a garlic
press at the counter that you can add as much healthy and fresh, raw and
delicious garlic as you want. Oh my god! I am in heaven! Usually ramen
shops have already crushed garlic in small bins, but those have
preservatives in them. This is the real (raw) deal!
Of course, the Gaijin Gourmet insists upon a spic and span, clean
kitchen. Kokumaro in Futakotamagawa has it as well as friendly staff. On
the right is the manager of the Futakotamagawa branch, Morita san! (If
you go there, tell him Mike sent you!) This guy is great. He and his
staff work hard to make sure that you get the best ramen in town… And
they do it with a smile and they do it every night! Bravo! Well done
Morita san!
Even the ladies love Kokumaro Futakotamagawa. All the locals know
this ramen shop and it has the reputation for the best ramen and best
ramen deal in town! Here’s Ayako giving rave reviews for the taste! I think Kokumaro is the best place to eat ramen in Futakotamagawa. Inside the place is packed and, like I said, there are always people
waiting to get in - Seeing is believing.... Oh, by the way, even if you have to wait, it’s only a
few minutes and well worth it. Kokumaro Ramen at Futakotamagawa? 5 + Stars for value, volume of servings, service, friendly staff and great taste! Futakotamagawa Kokumaro Ramen 3-14-6 Tamagawa, Setagaya-Ku, Tokyo 158-0094
Tel 03-3708-2790
Business Hours: 11:00 am ~ 2 am. 〒１５８−００９４東京都世田谷区玉川３−１４−６ I like this place so much I even made a map for you!
Map
to Kokumaro Ramen. From Futakotamagawa station, take a left out the
ticket gates toward the big street. Walk between the two Takashimaya
buildings straight for about 3 minutes.
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Donald Trump is evil! He is a racist, is divisive, is the cause of violence.... Blah, blah, blah. So what? Is he any worse than any other of these scumbags that are running for president? You have to be a scumbag to be president. Hillary is evil incarnate and a scumbagette. That's why she is the perfect candidate for president. But Hillary isn't funny, so I don't like her. Don is funny.
If I voted, I'd vote for Donald Trum....... Er, no, I wouldn't. I wouldn't vote... I don't vote. Ever. But I do really enjoy the show. I especially enjoy the squirming. Regular readers will know how much of a crusade I've promoted against TV watching and the Lame Stream Mass Media for well over fifteen years. It is hilarious how the MSM and TPTB keep trying to paint Teflon Don in a bad light, but he keeps coming back smelling like roses. Don't think I am dissing the Don. I am not. I laugh at how many said he wasn't a "viable" or "serious politician" what? As if Hillary or these other people are? Donald is his own 5 star entertainment. Recently, even after all the claims Don is racist, Donald Trump has already secured the white supremacist vote (Kill colored people!), the Nazi vote (Kill the blacks!) and now has the Nation of Islam vote (Kill Whitey). I guess Trump is now the equal opportunity hate group candidate of choice. Now, if Trump is such a racist, how in the world could Louis Farrakhan endorse him? That's right. And he got Clint Eastwood too. (By the way, Clint Eastwood is my favorite actor of all time and I've admired Louis Farrakhan for decades as a man who speaks truth to power.) I expect that Trump will be president. I like the entertainment factor in play here. The Don would be great for late night comedy shows. That's why I'm a fan.
Hanafuda Cards
On that note, in Japan, the Japanese call a deck of poker cards, "Trump." So "Trump" is a great name for a cartoon president (well, they are all cartoons, aren't they?) Also, in Japan, there is a traditional card game called, "Hanafuda." In the game, Hanafuda, it is the last card, the all-mighty card, that wins the game. That card is called, "Kirifuda." "Kirifuda" in English translates exactly to "Trump." You couldn't make this shit up!!!!Isn't that an amazing coincidence? Isn't this simply hilarious? I'm hoping the Don wins and then Japan elects a prime minister named, "Kirifuda." Japanese Prime Minister could run on a platform like, "Kirifuda will not be Trumped by Trump!" (English translation: Trump will not be Trumped by Trump!) That would be hilarious. No! I mean, "That would be huuuge!" By the way: Donald Trump has resuscitated a word in the English language and made it cool for the first time in its existence. I'm going to start using the word "Huge!" in many of my conversations. A trend has begun!
And it's gonna be HUGE!
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NOTES: To paraphrase Lew Rockwell, the US presidency is like a donut shop. Every 4 years or so, we elect a new shop manager (president). But we never see who actually owns the donut shop or the parking lots, (the Military Industrial Complex and the big banks). The new candidates for manager tell us, 'Americans are fat, we need to eat healthy! We can change!' and they get elected to manager. The customers (you) cheer! But, as time goes by, even though the new manager still gives lip service to eating healthy, if he doesn't sell the 24 boxes of glazed donuts (and feed the banks and the Military Industrial Complex), then he and his pals are out of a job." And that's why the US presidency is like a donut shop. You don't think for a half a second that one of these people can come in and change 150 years of US expansionist and imperialist history, do you? Check it: http://archive.lewrockwell.com/rockwell/humanitarian-face-fangs.html
