Japanese Inspired Brands!

© Tado 2010.

 Japanese Inspired Brands.

As a Japanophile you're always on the alert for cute new Japanese gadgets to accessorize your life with (and show off). There's a double-take moment that happens when you're walking along, least expecting it, and out of the corner of your eye scope a cute big eyed animated character. You've gotta check it out.

Cute beyond belief? Check.
Weird as all hell? Check.
Unnecessarily necessary? You bet.

And your first impression is, "Well naturally this must be a Japanese owned/created company", but you're wrong!

You no longer have to be Japa-neeza to be successful in the world of cute character art. A little inspiration can go a long way - right Simone Legno?

It's hard NOT think of Tokidoki first when talking about successful Japanaese Inspired Brands (JIB's). For the longest time I assumed Tokidoki was an out-of-Japan brand that made it into the US market, after all "Tokidoki" (時々) is Japanese for "sometimes", so imagine my surprise when I find out an Italian man was behind all the mafia milk carton cuteness. 

© Tokidoki

For an Italian company (really what it is), this JIB is pretty darn successful.  Recently Tokidoki has collaborated with Onitsuka Tiger (Japanese shoe company) and has put out their own makeup line at Sephora! Not to mention it's put its foot, arm, and head in the door with its Hello Kitty x Tokidoki collab.

Besides the obvious, "Anime" answer, I want to know, where did Simone get the "Tokidoki" idea, how did it all start?
To find out check out these websites for first person interview info!

• TheDivaReview
• DeanFreelance 

NOTE: Simone Legno will be at NYCC! *fangirlsqueal*

Speaking of European brands, there are two more JIB's I'd like to mention - Pylones (France) and Tado (UK).

© Tado

Now I'll start off with Tado because I can't really remember how I came across it - it was just on my screen one day. My intentions were to look into it further and perhaps blog about my finding, but it managed to disappear from my collection of browser tabs and I forgot it. A few weeks ago I visited KidRobot and to my surprise, there it was! TADO toys - small figures, gashapon size. I had to google and give them a more thorough examination.
Unlike Tokidoki, Tado creates its own version of already existing Asian characters like a panda, daruma ningyo, and maneki neko (the money cat).  Behind all the cute-ness is Mike and Katie the creators of Tado - the owners of what I'd deem a successful JIB. Toys at KidRobot and ads with Virgin [airlines]? Yes, TADO, you are successful!

© Pylones

Pylones was also a stumble-upon, literally. (Walking around SoHo can only lead to good things.)
Their window display is what sucked me in. It looked Japanese inspired but not quite. In their "About Us" section on their site, there's no mention of Japan, but I'd encourage you to take a look. The look might suggest otherwise.
My impression of Pylones is that it's a brand that sells cuter, wackier versions of everyday items, part of the reason it was hard to get out of the store empty handed.


This blog topic got me thinking about some of the clothing brands that I like and if they're also JIB's. Would LuckyBrand count? Before Jimmyz went out of business, I was obsessed with their Japanese print t-shirts; does that count?
What are some of your favorite Japanese Inspired Brands? I'd love to learn about others and hear more about the ones I've mentioned!

Until next time!
Ja mata ( ' w ' )/

La Tenoli 

Maneki Neko! まねき猫が大好きだ！

Kita-Kamakura, Japan 2009

I love Maneki Neko! 
 He's the "The Lucky Cat" or "The Money Cat" (what I most often hear him referred to as).  I've been obsessed with this fat paw-waving kitty for as long as I can remember. Childhood trips into Chinatown (NY) gave my parents plenty of practice in tuning me out. "Look mami, it's the cat again!"  Little did I know then, that most stores and restaurants place this "lucky money cat" in their front windows to bring their businesses good luck and fortune.

But it isn't just this cat that I became obsessed with, because later on in High School when I was exposed to the wonders of Trigun, I fell in love with kuro neko (black cat) who makes appearances sporadically throughout the show. After that, I became the proud owner of the plushie and bobble head (haha - loser!).



So what's the deal Asia? Why all the cats? And it isn't just cats, but human-kitty hybrids. Anyone ever watch/read Loveless? (Who'll fess up?) Even the robotic ears on the Personal Computer Andriods in Chobits resembled kitty ears. Wait aren't we forgetting the most important kitty of them all? - HELLO KITTY!  These Asian kitties are all up in my personal life from "piggy" bank to planner.

"Where should I feed into my obsession Ms. Tenoli?"
Well check a few of these finds out!

Kitty ear headphones at GeekStuff4U.com!
GeekStuff4U is a great website to buy some of the latest and coolest Japanese gadgets. For all those fellow HK fans out there, they even have a special tab for your own shopping enjoyment!

(click on the image to check these out!)

 What about getting your own kitty "piggy" bank?
This little koneko (kitten) paws your money into the box.  You can buy this little fellow on J-list.
They even have a maneki neko "piggy" bank!

All this Asian kitty love is going to empty my pockets! 
しょうがないね。It really can't be helped.  

I mean look at these HK maneki neko version chopsticks I bought while in Japan - hopeless. 

 Hope you all enjoy the rest of July! Till next time!

 - La Tenoli

UGLY BETTY X HELLO KITTY ?!?!

It's officially the hottest day of the summer so far!  I hit the beach today and tanned under 103 degree-weather sun for a little darkening action. The water was surprisingly freezing, but overall refreshing, and the day is only going to get better with some Toy Story 3!
Enough about that though, let's get on with this week's goodies!

*********************

A recent follow on Twitter, @MannyUncanny, tweeted this the other day:

"Keane has a Track thts Half in Japanese. Its rare when my worlds collide like this..wonder how many people knw just how complete my life is."

No better way to describe the feeling I got when I discovered this!

Hello Kitty X Ugly Betty.

This isn't everyday Shanis world here, so where exactly did this feline brace face come from?
Well for one thing, disappointingly she's NOT for sale, and I'm pretty sure she doesn't exist, but imagine if she did?! :3 What a happy Tenoli I would be.
This isn't the only Hello Kitty Collab; check out the other ones on SneakerFreaker.

I owe this amazing discovery to MaterialKillers who I've been following on Tumblr for quite some time now. Although I'm not a fan of every single one of their posts, I really dig some of their sneaker updates and of course occasional Japan oriented posts like this Hello Kitty one!

Speaking of Hello Kitty, beaches, and hot weather, reminds me of the cooler I saw on Thrillist yesterday. Why? Well remember that HK boombox bag I mentioned back a few months ago? Well think of this as a cooler that plays tunes from your Mp3 player but lacks of HK's tenoli face

I'd recommend giving Thrillist a peep-sies before brushing it off.

Since we're on the topic of music, I'll make mention of a post I'll be working on for next Music Monday. One word - "FLASH". If any of you can tell me what that's about, well then you'll know what artist's new album I'll be covering next week! :3

Hope you're all enjoying the summer weather!

La Tenoli

Stick your [metro] card in it!

Hello Kitty card holder?! Que Que? ( ^ o^)/ ほしーーい！
Remember the Suzy's Zoo teddy bear card holder from this previous post?
Forget it! - ATMOS' HELLO KITTY CARD HOLDER came just in time for the summer - Metrocards need to ride in style too :) めっちゃかわいい！〜

Anybody wondering what to get a Tenoli for graduation - this is looking like the perfect gift :3

Check out the ATMOS blog !
ATMOSは、日本のスニカの店です。アメリカのニューヨークにもあります。日本にいた時は、SUZY'SZOOのカードホルダー買いたかったです。この春の時、ニューヨークのATMOSに、キッティちゃんのホルダーがあります。興味があったら、日本のサイトをチェックしてごらんください。　ブログ　　メインサイト   ( << Links to the Japanese blog & main site )

For those still in college/HS - good luck with exams and papers.  For those already in the real adult world, get ready, I'm coming soon!~ :)

じゃまた来週／Ciao,

La Tenoli

Mameshiba まめしば！

ね、知ってる？ [Hey, do you know?]
Mameshiba are the cutest [most obnoxious] little beans on the planet.
If you don't know much about it, I'd suggest checking out the commercials on Youtube. These cute, Japanese invented, bean characters [ chili, soy, peanuts, etc ] spill out random, sometimes disturbing, trivia - but don't worry, you'll only get one a day.

To continue with the music accessories theme I have going on here lately, I figured I'd share a way for you to Mameshiba-pimp-out your mp3 ( ^ o^)/

Fortunately [or unfortunately] my mp3 is still up and running, but if that bad boy ever decides to stop taking the charge I'll be investing in an iPod. As a Mac user it would make my life a little easier.

But not to worry non-iPod users (are there still any of you out there?) you can always rock Mameshiba on the go with their tenoli headphones ~

Although I'm currently shopping around for a pair of the DJ-looking-headband headphones, it's always good to have a trusty (tenoli) set of earbuds, especially for flying.

I'm personally excited for payday this Friday because I'd like to treat myself to some Mameshiba things! ~

On a slightly related note, as a Gilman Scholarship Recipient I have to carry out the project I proposed during the selection process. The project I came up with, consists of holding an hour long open session where I get to talk to students interested in studying abroad about overcoming culture shock and cultural differences, focusing mostly on the Hispanic community, since I felt there was a lot I could relate to.
Although my presentation is still in the works, I'm pretty certain I'll be using this Mameshiba video in my presentation! ( ^ w ^.)

Hope you all had a great weekend!
Happy Passover & Easter! ~ Feliz dia de la pascua.
La Tenoli

ACGEARS.COM

New York, I love you!  - There's never a dull night in the city; probably one of the many reasons I love to be there.  It may just be alright to state as fact that "in NYC there isn't something you can't find".  For a Hispanic Japanophile with a love for curry&nan, spumoni, and ceviche - it's hard not to fall in love with a city so small yet so diverse. The best part is, you can always rediscover the places you think you know so well.  So just where am I going with all this?
ACGEARS - I found the small white-walled shop by the CRUMBS by Astor Pl.  What really got my attention was the combination of technology and cute. I mean imagine seeing Hello Kitty Flash Drives all lined up at the window waiting for you to buy them - how could you say "no" - I mean, at least without stopping by for a peak first.

If you're a personal friend of mine, you'll know I've been complaining about my broken headphones and my lacking of good ones, for awhile now. Needless to say I was pretty happy when unexpectedly I found out that this store has the same pair of headphones I had been drooling over in Japan a few months back! ( /drooling! )

There are a few other things I found in the store that I've seen before on different sites - like the USB Owl that turns it's head and opens and closes it's eyes ( Mom's an owl collector ).
I also saw a waterdrop shaped shower radio that allows you to play your iPod in the shower and a cute Princess Mononoke tree spirit looking figure that ... well actually I didn't get a chance to see what it did, but I do remember it was REALLY tenoli (cute).


I'd encourage you all to go and check 'em out - but if you're going to consider buying a pair of WESC headphones (since they're having a 15% off WESC sale) you might want to look at the ones on Karmaloop.com first, just because I personally find they have a better selection (plus you get that 20%).

Afterwards my friends and I did the only thing we know how to do well - be our crazy, dorky, energetic selves. Some would like to say we've got "swag" - right Franklyn? (He's the dreaded boy, btw) Instead of eating at KENKA we ate at another Japanese restaurant nearby. Food was great; we had a great time. Just thought I'd share some pictures from that night with you guys : ) 

Hope you're all enjoying the first few days of Spring!

   hasta la proxima! 

La Tenoli