Public Service Announcement #2
Hello. How are you? I wanted to write this last week but couldn’t find the time to finish. Posts may look different the next few days, as the link lists get harder to compile as I spend less time in front of screens. I still find enjoyment in sharing what inspires me so that will stay the same. It may just start to look different.
This weekend, my nine-year-old son and I are visiting Japan. When I asked him where he wanted to go for spring break, he suggested Japan. Last year was his first time, so we went to Tokyo and Kyoto. Only the first two nights in our favorite neighborhood, Nakano, are booked this time. There was a special request to stay near the bakery that sells the little chocolate-filled bears and hotdog pastries. And also so we can eat at Kyle’s Good Finds. We are planning as we go, so please follow along.
I don’t know how often it takes for something to become a tradition, but I definitely wouldn’t mind making an annual trip to Japan. Airbnb still works there! And the yen is still at an all-time low, so it’s cheaper than you think. Maybe it’s time to finally buy a traditional Japanese home in the countryside. However, these are more in my price-range.
Last year, Lucas and I saw who could count the most cherry blossom trees, but good friends Naoto and Emi separately informed us that we might be arriving too late. So, instead, we’ll be seeing how many buildings we can find that look like faces, which is a thing. There’s even a book on it.
If you want to meet up with us in Tokyo, send a message. And if you want to recommend something, please share it below with the rest of the readers.
Four things we’re excited to see are:
Artist Stephen Powers’ new Tokyo space, espokyo! (Lucas has been a fan ever since ESPO gave him a roll of toilet paper during the quarantine. I’ve been a fan ever since I saw his huge yellow name by the entrance to the Holland Tunnel. He discusses his recent move to Japan in a new Tokion interview.)
All the Tokyo Toilets (This is what happens when you let a nine-year-old choose.)
The insect museum in Meguro
The new Ghibli Park near Nagoya
Next, I have two pieces of news I’d like to share:
Sherita, the beloved pink dinosaur/mascot/spokesperson of Home Heating Oil along Brooklyn’s Atlantic Avenue, which served as a beacon for many since her appearance sometime in the nineties, has been buffed. There are a lot of new developments underway along Atlantic Ave right now, and when I noticed the tire shop was suddenly closed, I immediately inquired with neighbors and was given the “okay” to take her down for preservation. Alas, I was too late.
On a much more positive note, if you’re in Brooklyn on April 22, please consider stopping by the newly painted basketball court at Raymond Bush Playground in the center of Bed-Stuy for Community Day and grab a free tee designed and printed by yours truly. It’s the same playground where A Tribe Called Quest shot their Oh My God video with Busta Rhymes. I wonder how long the bodega Busta Rhymes stood on will be around.
The Hudson Yards Vessel is reopening (I really hope they thought this through)
Human influencers are being replaced by artificial intelligence
Dali Museum launches campaign replicating artist’s voice using AI
Roy Lichtenstein: from the ridiculous to the sublime
New rules for art in a fallen world
Pankararu artist Aislan Pankararu, has an upcoming show in NY at Salon 94
In a backlash against mass-produced uniformity, today’s homemakers seek unique objects that say something about their personalities
Harvard University’s prized collection of glass flowers
Project Backboard transforms basketball courts to bring communities to life
This Brooklyn record store is about more than music
Vintage is back as LP sales continue to skyrocket (!!!)
Okay. That’s all I have today. Thank you for reading this far. And a special thanks to everyone who sent a note over to say hello. You guys rock. See you soon.
Thomas