Tokyo Respite – Xmas Eve
Went to Nakano with Paul. Checked out the otaku collections and ate takoyaki at Gindaco. Yum!
We found a sort of Tokyo version of Philz Coffee called Wada Coffee. Not quite the same as Philz, but enjoyable. Mom and pop shop. Pop heats water over an open fire in a metal kettle and strains it through a filter one cup at a time while Mom does the table service.
Met up with various Santas to check out the Team*Lab design studio.
Very cool stuff. It’s sort of a tech incubator and hacker co-op. Our host Takashi Kudo introduced us to the team. They have been working on some impressive CG animations that retain the look and texture of traditional Japanese art. First we watched “100 years sea” then they showed us a project called “Flower and Corpse” which was recently on display at the Louvre. We had a nice round table discussion with some of their animators, designers and developers.
One of their creations, SketchPiston, combines crayon physics with various interactive techniques. I think my favorite is the SketchPiston V.4Â Bamboo Play Room they made for Wacom. It’s a music synthesizer combined with crayon physics. Way cool!
Ate a nice dinner of Kaiten Zushi near the hotel and dropped in to a seriously epic karaoke session in Shibuya before hitting up the Maruhachi Izzakaya for some late night eats.
