July 2006

This is the cut-paper studio.

One of the quirks of living in Japan is that furniture is just a touch smaller than I’m used to. This table is 2 or 3 cm shorter in all dimensions than the student drafting table I was using back in the States. Until I really get used to it, I expect I’ll keep knocking things off it. I learned quickly to be careful with anything liquid or sticky. Or sharp. On the plus side, it’s built like a rock. I also hope to be able to add a lamp to the mix one day.

Space is pretty vital over here, which is why everything is piled on top of one another. Rooms are measured in tatami mats (about 34 x 70 in). An average room like this is 6 mats. I began using one of the tables to flip through my piles and piles of paper, but that didn’t work out. The paper has a tendency to spread and fill any semi-available space. I’ve tried to control this entropy, but it’s pretty futile.
Here’s the business nook. I try to keep my business and promotion work separate from where I do my art. The idea is to prevent distractions. Occasionally it works.

The computer is one of those newfangled intel-powered iMacs. Love it. It’s great to watch movies on. At night. After work. It does keep the music playing all day – something I find essential to doing any kind of art.

I love Japanese food. Pretty much all Japanese food. Okonomiyaki, yakitori, kushiage, sushi, sashimi, soba, udon, takoyaki (which, by the by, suffers from what may be the worst case of mis-translation in history, burdened with the unfortunate moniker “octopus balls”. They aren’t. I’m almost positive). Raw or cooked, grilled, breaded or fried, served in a broth or on a stick; no other cuisine can hope to match the sheer variety of subtle shades of flavor. There’s even a sake served with a grilled fish fin in it-and lit afire before drinking (note: please do not drink flame). Doesn’t sound all that special? It’s brain melting.

But there are some foods I just can’t get behind. Most of my friends think I’m talking about natto- I’m not. Nothing lurking in a damp, dark hole for a year or more still gets to call itself food. Not in my world, not while I’m still in charge.

Spam sushi. I’m pretty open-minded. I’ve gulped down some pretty questionable plants and critters in my time. Gone back for seconds too. But…spam. sushi. sushi with spam. It’s bizarre. It’s inconceivable. It’s available in Shinjuku at Tokyo Punch Kitchen. Advertising itself as a 「スパムむすびの店」- Tokyo Punch Kitchen is an entire shop dedicated to the idea that traditional sushi was neat, but sadly behind the times and missing that special something that only spam can provide. What blew my mind hardest was the menu. By which I mean the fact that there is a menu.

I almost regret not going in. True confession: I’ve never even tried spam. I know that it has a long and storied history in world culture. For now though, I think I’ll have my food on sticks.