Tokyo Auto Car-Wash Sucks

Had my car washed the other day at Tokyo Auto Car-Wash in Nakano. Got the works: a wash, steam cleaning of the underside, window coating, and body coating. It wasn't cheap. And when I got home, I realized these dumb-asses forgot to wax both tires on the left side. Not only that, they scratched a wheel. How do I know? Because I always clean them myself. By hand. When I returned to complain, they said they'd wax the tires, and denied scratching the wheel. Like I'm dumb enough to let these guys touch my car again? I didn't let them do the tires, and demanded they do something about the wheel. They again denied it, and refused to do anything besides wipe it off. Not sure how many of you reading this live in Tokyo and have a car. But if you do, do yourself a favor and avoid Tokyo Auto Car-Wash. They suck. And their work is totally not worth the money.

東京AUTO洗車. You suck.
And what's with your name?! Very original dumb-asses.

Earthquake

Snow!

Made this last Friday night. We got a pretty good amount of snow in Tokyo, it came down hard for 5 or 6 hours. Unfortunately though, it didn't last long. The following couple of days were quite warm and it all disappeared quickly.

New G-Shock!

I was pretty excited about the G-Shock Riseman when it came out a little while back, but even more excited when the all back version came out this month. I had to get it. The Riseman features an altimeter, barometer, thermometer, a few alarms, world time, etc. Perfect for camping, outdoors, and travels.

Matsuri

Every summer, towns all across Japan host festivals (matsuri) featuring dancers, music, food stands, games, and more. My neighborhood's summer festival was this weekend. Lots of action, noise, and smiling faces. Good times. And toys too!

Los Angeles

Free day in LA. China Town, Olvera Street, Little Tokyo, veggie dogs and rootbeer.

Proud Supporter

Sea Shepherd Conservation Society

www.seashepherd.org

Couldn't Resist

Got the Indiana Jones Complete Collection. Looking forward to Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and the DVD extras.

Update

No pictures, sorry. I'm out on the east coast of the states right now with a super slow dial-up internet connection. Been boating, relaxing, eating, and doing a little shopping for stuff to bring back to Japan. Time has been going by slow and that's good. Friday I'm off to Los Angeles, and the following day I'm driving up to San Francisco for my solo show, River Children. I'm back in Los Angeles on Sunday, and then returning to Tokyo on Monday. Expect some more San Diego Comic Con news, some vacation/Los Angeles/San Francisco shots, and River Children action when I return.

Best Meal Award

Today I had the best meal of this trip, a (fake) chicken sandwich and fries from Native Foods in Westwood. For those who aren't familiar, Native Foods is a vegan restaurant chain with a couple of shops in California. The place is pretty small, but the food is awesome.

Last Day

We head up to Los Angeles from San Diego yesterday and have been spending most of our time eating, shopping, and visiting friends. We met up with Kiyoshi from Drunken Master zine yesterday, and Pete and Carl from the LA Skull Krew today. Lots of fun and food. Tomorrow I am heading to the east coast while the remaining Gargamel team heads west to Tokyo. I will later return to California for the River Children show at Super7 which opens on August 9. I hope to see some of you there.

In Los Angeles

Just arrived in LA today. Did some driving, shopping, a little skating, and a lot of eating. Tomorrow we're off to San Diego, where we'll have to set up for SDCC Preview Night. Everyone is so tired. Good night.

New Stuff

Got Matt Alt's new book the other day, Yokai Attack! This is the first detailed book on Japanese Yokai (ghosts, spirits, monsters) written in English. The book features profiles of the most popular Japanese yokai, fully illustrated, and done in a fun, easy to read layout. Definitely worth checking out if you're either into yokai, or living in Japan. You can see more of the book on Matt's blog, link below. And that's Garuban (Galvan?) on the left, a funky scrap metal creature from the Captain Ultra series.

AltJapan

Today

Got my international driver's license this morning. Pretty easy to do but it's annoying having to do it every year. On the way back, I got a pic of this crazy apartment building. Not sure what the story is on this but it's pretty nuts. Must be difficult arranging furniture inside. I locked myself in my room the rest of the day, preparing for the San Diego Comic Con and my show at Super7 next month. Got a few pieces done and decided on an upcoming Tokoji Seijin colorway. More info on that later. Today's soundtrack included Das Oath, Kid Dynamite, Mastodon, and Tragedy. Tragedy has to be one of the best hardcore bands rocking these days, highly recommended if you haven't already heard them. Later in the evening I head over to Gargamel's studio to put the finishing touches on the SDCC Tokoji Seijin exclusive. I'm pretty excited about this release. Info and photos to come.