Junko Wong | Dog Eaters

Opening the year with a Song

Posted on 01.14.16 under Hawaiian music, Junko Wong, Kaniala Masoe, Kimo Brehm, Napualikolokelani

Recording music with Kimo Brehm (right) on lead vocal, guitar, bass, ukulele and Kaniala Masoe (left) with the high harmony at Anekona Studios at the Koop.

This song is for a future Napualikolokelani solo or group dance under the direction of Junko Wong.

Staci might dance as well!

Saturday Night in Tokyo

Posted on 11.29.15 under Dustin Wong, Junko Wong, Mamoru Sato, Nakano, Takako Minekawa, Tokyo, Uncategorized

It started in Nakano, a place known for Nakano Broadway, a mecca (wait, is that still a positive description?) for Otaku with its vinyl figures, manga, anime cells, maid bars, maid costumes, and all that good stuff.

Nakano Sun Plaza reminds me of the Tyrell Corporation in Blade Runner.

Not nearly as majestic, though — and where are the flying cars? It’s almost 2019…

We had dinner with Jessie, the daughter of my mentor, Mamoru Sato, a sculptor professor at the University of Hawaii, Manoa that advised me to become an art major. This was one of the biggest turning points of my life. We babysat Jessie and Dustin together — they were born just a couple of months apart.

I worked on Mo’s commissions throughout the years I was a student at UH.

Mo and Kathleen Sato — perhaps before they married.
(B&W photos ©Peter T. Brown estate)

Peter Brown (1955-1981) did jump through hoops, but not the usual hoops… I took this photo with his camera, turning the tables.

Signage in “ura” Nakano. The “ura” parts of the major centers (Shinjuku, Shibuya, Harajuku, etc) can be some of the most interesting.

Then I drove Jessica to her hotel in Shibuya and Dustin and Takako back to Wakabayashi, Setagaya.

I think they used this intersection in “Fast & Furious — Tokyo Drift.” Obviously, not going to race in this part of town. There would be more than a few traffic fatalities.

Hachiko intersection. Very interesting on weekends.

This party bus was empty. Kinda sad on a Saturday night!

Harajuku @ the Honolulu Museum

Posted on 11.21.15 under Cross World Connections, Harajuku, Junko Wong, Lolita, Minori, Pierre Grill, Rendez-vous Recording

Cross World Connections coordinated the production of this exhibition about Harajuku fashion that runs from Nov. 20, 2015 to April 3, 2016.

Before we left the hotel, we shot this photo to test the fashion.

Minori was a focal point of this exhibition. She is a shironuri (painted white) fashion performance artist.

Minori does a face painting demonstration. This took about 3 hours to complete. She was was very focused and concentrated.

Sara Oka (far left) and some of the participating Japanese designers.

Believe it or not, there’s a Lolita movement in Honolulu.

And even a girl with a Blythe. She’s a designer at the museum!

The lovely, Maya Uemoto, Shuzo’s daughter.

Minori’s almost finished.

Junko with the Tokyo Boppers.

It was a nice time!

Later that night, went up to the Signature on top of Ala Moana Hotel. The piano player played passionately, eyes closed, with abandon.

At the end of his stint, he asked us: “What is the occasion?” in French-accented English. “Are you Pierre,” I asked. And indeed it was Pierre Grill who I first recorded with when his studio was a room in a small Makiki apartment way back when.

The last time I saw him, his daughter had just been born, 32 years ago…