Anime NYC is always a highlight of the fall convention season, spanning four days of panels, screenings, and an overwhelming array of exhibitors and fan experiences. This year, however, my time on the show floor was limited to the Thursday evening preview, since I flew out the next morning for a long-planned San Diego vacation. That meant I had just a few hours to explore before the weekend crowds rolled in, and I knew I’d need to be selective with what I chose to cover. Continue reading My Speed-Date With Opening Night of Anime NYC 2025!→
Few designers collapse the boundaries between fashion and art as audaciously as Rei Kawakubo, the visionary force behind Comme des Garçons. In 2017, the Metropolitan Museum of Art mounted a landmark retrospective of her work, Rei Kawakubo / Comme des Garçons: Art of the In-Between, spotlighting the designer’s relentless pursuit of ambiguity, contradiction, and reinvention. This week’s featured kimono-inspired ensemble, however, was photographed as part of the exhibit Kimono Style, featuring items from the collection of John C. Webber. Continue reading Eye On Design: Rei Kawakubo, Manga-Inspired Kimono Ensemble→
Named after Blanche Dubois, the self-deluded protagonist of Tennessee Williams’ 1947 play A Streetcar Named Desire, Shiro Kumata‘s Miss Blanche Chair (1988) is an icon of postmodern design. Kamata originally experimented with embedding natural roses in the chair, but the flowers burned in the acrylic resin, so he instead used artificial flowers. Continue reading Eye On Design: Miss Blanche Chair By Shiro Kuramata→
Tea isn’t just a beverage; in many Asian cultures, it’s a cherished art form deeply woven into daily life. Nowhere is this truer than in Japan, where tea has been part of the nation’s traditions and hospitality since the 1100s.
The Japanese tea ceremony, in particular, is a solemn and beautiful ritual — far from casual teatime. In these ceremonies, hosts serve carefully prepared matcha using specialized Japanese teaware. And yes, a Japanese tea set is far more intricate than it might first appear. Continue reading What are Traditional Japanese Tea Sets?→
When I was vacationing in Los Angles at Christmastime, I spent a day exploring and visiting various museums in downtown. That adventure included a walk through the very fun and colorful Little Tokyo neighborhood near East 2nd Street, which is were saw this Pink Magazine (best guess) Kiosk, which was sadly closed for business, as it was a Sunday. I wonder what they sell?
