("Friends of Same Hat" by our friend Jillian Tamaki)
FOR REAL, SOME GREAT THINGS AHEAD IN 2013: More posts, new contributors, print zines, a new t-shirt, a hosted Forum for us!
Showing posts with label sh community. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sh community. Show all posts
Thursday, January 03, 2013
Thursday, October 18, 2012
FAVORITE SAME HAT SISTER TUMBLRS?
While SAME HAT (the blog) has been on temporary hiatus, SAME HAT TUMBLR has continued going strong. I have some theories (capital-T "THEORIES") about TumblrGeneration and the Tumblrfication of how youth discoveries artifacts of cultural history -- theories that come out mostly once I've had a few glasses of whisky. All that considered, and aside, Tumblr is one of the most interesting and jarring places for discovering new artists (duh, right?).
Rather than attempt a list of ALL TUMBLRS SPANNING ALL ASSORTED INTERESTS INCLUDING-BUT-NOT-LIMITED-TO COMICS (exhausting and unfocused!), I thought It'd be more fun to toss up a quick post of our favorite "SAME HAT-esque" Tumblrs we are following and enjoying. I'll start with a few that feel like "siblings" to Same Hat... if you don't mind adding your faves to the comments, I'll go ahead and build out a community list!!
NOTE: Special points to Tumblrs that actually scan/post new, additive materials to the Tumblrverse. Tumblrs that ONLY EVER RT images are weak/lame.
(To note, I see posts from all of these fleetingly via Dashboard and haven't read all their posts, so apologies if I accidentally linked to gross/intense stuff here!)
1. AANNIIMMEE
http://aanniimmee.tumblr.com/
2. Feh Yes Vintage Manga
http://fehyesvintagemanga.tumblr.com/
3. Goth Summer
http://gothsummer.tumblr.com
4. Vagabonded Life
http://vagabondedlife.tumblr.com/
5. Corporal Steiner
http://gurafiku.tumblr.com/
[PS: The other things about the SAME HAT TUMBLR is that you can ask any random question you might have and I'll probably answer it! Just click Ask me anything! and submit.]
Rather than attempt a list of ALL TUMBLRS SPANNING ALL ASSORTED INTERESTS INCLUDING-BUT-NOT-LIMITED-TO COMICS (exhausting and unfocused!), I thought It'd be more fun to toss up a quick post of our favorite "SAME HAT-esque" Tumblrs we are following and enjoying. I'll start with a few that feel like "siblings" to Same Hat... if you don't mind adding your faves to the comments, I'll go ahead and build out a community list!!
NOTE: Special points to Tumblrs that actually scan/post new, additive materials to the Tumblrverse. Tumblrs that ONLY EVER RT images are weak/lame.
(To note, I see posts from all of these fleetingly via Dashboard and haven't read all their posts, so apologies if I accidentally linked to gross/intense stuff here!)
1. AANNIIMMEE
http://aanniimmee.tumblr.com/
2. Feh Yes Vintage Manga
http://fehyesvintagemanga.tumblr.com/
3. Goth Summer
http://gothsummer.tumblr.com
4. Vagabonded Life
http://vagabondedlife.tumblr.com/
5. Corporal Steiner
http://gurafiku.tumblr.com/
[PS: The other things about the SAME HAT TUMBLR is that you can ask any random question you might have and I'll probably answer it! Just click Ask me anything! and submit.]
Saturday, October 29, 2011
HALLOWEEN MANGA MAKE-UP 2011
In previous years, the Same Hat community has shared some intense and rad costumes. If you bust out a manga-related costume and wanna share, please send it to SAMEHAT at GMAIL doot COM and I'll post it after the weekend! Can't wait to see what folks come up with... I wonder what the Tokyo Scum guys will bust out this year?
Friday, October 28, 2011
THE INAUGURAL SAME HAT SHIRT!
DETAILS:
(click for bigger versions)
This shirt features a design by JONNY NEGRON, and lettering by MICHAEL DEFORGE. I’m planning to sell it in sizes XS -XXXL depending on what you want, and it’s looking like it will be around $16-18 bucks depending on how many we print. I’m getting printing help from apparel wizard/buddy SEIBEI, and he says the shirts will be a supersoft print on a high-grade American Apparel Men's tee.
I am planning to have the shirts at the Brooklyn Comics & Graphics Festival on December 3 (where DeForge/Negron will be in person too) and then selling via this site right beforehand!
And yes, creating an actual t-shirt means that I plan to fully revive Same Hat with regular posting!
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
WHILE THIS BLOG LANGUISHED, THE TUMBLR LIVED!
I'm back on the scene, and working for you to keep Same Hat rolling and interesting. I'm happy to report that while the blog was in temporary haitus, the SAME HAT TUMBLR has continued serving up the goods!
I've continued to post at least a few times a week, and the other super contributors like Jim, Olivia, Caroline, Mis Nas, and the crew have been keeping it fresh. Here are a few highlights recently:
Please follow this thing and contribute links if you aren't already!
I've continued to post at least a few times a week, and the other super contributors like Jim, Olivia, Caroline, Mis Nas, and the crew have been keeping it fresh. Here are a few highlights recently:
- Stills from the new Gyo adaptation!? - Even Junji Ito is excited about this one
- SleepyTezuka, the hottest new meme (also as an animated .gif)
- Anna Tsubaki punk scans
- Kaneda by Jonny Negron
- and much, much more!
Please follow this thing and contribute links if you aren't already!
RIP JERRY FELLOWS
[My first post back! I've been working on zines and translations and mostly my day job, but have plans to get this jam up and rolling again--- with guest posts and some long-planned essay posts. We are also just about a month away from finally releasing our first Same Hat shirt--- a joint-design by Michael DeForge and Jonny Negron that I think you will love. My goal is to get posting regularly on here again before that happens, so you and I won't be ashamed to don the shirt!]
I read last month that early fandom contributor and zinester Jerry Fellows passed away -- my condolences go out to his friends and family. I never had the chance to meet Jerry, but he sounds like a dude after our own hearts and the kind of person I'd like to highlight here on Same Hat.
Jerry came to my attention a few years back, when I was reading Fred Patten's personal history of the development of Anime/Manga fandom in America, "Watching Anime, Reading Manga: 25 Years of Essays and Reviews". In Patten's timeline of anime fandom, he noted the following about February 1983 (the same month that Nakazawa's I Saw It was published in English by Educomics):
Manga fandom is a strange and fascinating thing to me, and treads somewhere between the two (formerly-overlapping) worlds of early SF fandom and comic book fandom. Manga (and more specifically, Anime) fandom developed along similar timeframes as the SF scene, but remained the realm of very devoted enthusiasts for a long time; the scene was, perhaps happily, kept small initially by the double-whammy limitations of 1) a physical barrier to getting your hands on the actual media you wanted to consume-- first 16mm films, then later more easily VHS tapes-- and 2) a language barrier to understanding the anime/manga, in a time before the "boom" in Japanese Language programs at US universities that happened alongside the Japanese economic bubble of the mid-to-late 80s.
Interestingly enough, a "collector" market of manga/anime (as distinct from toys, models, vinyl) remains mostly non-existent to this day; you can find old VHS tapes and 1st editions of early Viz floppies for under a buck easily at used book shops. The fan translations, early dubs, and fanzines at the start of the scene were simply labors of love, currency of in-group identification between folks "in the know" but mostly invisible and valueless to folks outside of fandom--- and now mostly forgotten to all but the hardest core/weirdest of current anime/manga fans.
In the context of typewriters and expensive/early Xerox technology (and no access to things like InDesign or um, the internet), the gleeful and thorough devotion of fans like Steve, Ardith and Jerry impresses me and inspires the little zine projects I want to work on. Steve wrote a detailed and very personal recounting of the experience creating Space Fanzine Yamato on his blog, Let's Anime!, and it details the dorky/poignant way in which friendships blossom and wither over the course of a long project. Please take a second to read it!
This excerpt from my interview with Fred Schodt in 2007 gives a little more context to the scene that Jerry was a part of, the pioneers of fandom from which all weeaboos are descended:
Here are a few more images from Steve's post, I gotta take a minute and track down a PDF/scans of this great piece of fandom history sometime soon.
RIP, Jerry Fellows... and hats off to all the early fandom pioneers!
(The staff of Space Fanzine Yamato)
[More soon: Gyo manga, tons of Vertical releases, my dumb projects, Umezz Carnival 2011, etc!]
I read last month that early fandom contributor and zinester Jerry Fellows passed away -- my condolences go out to his friends and family. I never had the chance to meet Jerry, but he sounds like a dude after our own hearts and the kind of person I'd like to highlight here on Same Hat.
Jerry came to my attention a few years back, when I was reading Fred Patten's personal history of the development of Anime/Manga fandom in America, "Watching Anime, Reading Manga: 25 Years of Essays and Reviews". In Patten's timeline of anime fandom, he noted the following about February 1983 (the same month that Nakazawa's I Saw It was published in English by Educomics):
Space Fanzine Yamato is published by Steve Harrison, Ardith Carlton, and Jerry Fellows in Michigan as "the ultimate information source" on Space Battleship Yamato/Star Blazers. This is the first American fan effort to produce a "Roman Album"-style complete information guide to a particular anime title.
Manga fandom is a strange and fascinating thing to me, and treads somewhere between the two (formerly-overlapping) worlds of early SF fandom and comic book fandom. Manga (and more specifically, Anime) fandom developed along similar timeframes as the SF scene, but remained the realm of very devoted enthusiasts for a long time; the scene was, perhaps happily, kept small initially by the double-whammy limitations of 1) a physical barrier to getting your hands on the actual media you wanted to consume-- first 16mm films, then later more easily VHS tapes-- and 2) a language barrier to understanding the anime/manga, in a time before the "boom" in Japanese Language programs at US universities that happened alongside the Japanese economic bubble of the mid-to-late 80s.
Interestingly enough, a "collector" market of manga/anime (as distinct from toys, models, vinyl) remains mostly non-existent to this day; you can find old VHS tapes and 1st editions of early Viz floppies for under a buck easily at used book shops. The fan translations, early dubs, and fanzines at the start of the scene were simply labors of love, currency of in-group identification between folks "in the know" but mostly invisible and valueless to folks outside of fandom--- and now mostly forgotten to all but the hardest core/weirdest of current anime/manga fans.
In the context of typewriters and expensive/early Xerox technology (and no access to things like InDesign or um, the internet), the gleeful and thorough devotion of fans like Steve, Ardith and Jerry impresses me and inspires the little zine projects I want to work on. Steve wrote a detailed and very personal recounting of the experience creating Space Fanzine Yamato on his blog, Let's Anime!, and it details the dorky/poignant way in which friendships blossom and wither over the course of a long project. Please take a second to read it!
This excerpt from my interview with Fred Schodt in 2007 gives a little more context to the scene that Jerry was a part of, the pioneers of fandom from which all weeaboos are descended:
ANT: There’s some stuff written about other early fandoms – whether it’s science fiction fandom or American comic book fandom – that thing when a sub-culture scene later turns into a big business. I’m always curious about how that gets started. The people you knew in the US who read your first book were probably part of a sort of vanguard of manga or anime fans. Who were those people? Were they science fiction fans? Dungeons and Dragons people? Or Japanophiles?
FRED: I knew a lot of those people in the very beginning, the people from the really enthusiastic manga and anime fans were very unusual people. Jared and I were actually working and interpreting for Tezuka on an early trip – I think ’79 or 1980, I don’t remember the exact date, but I know that we went to see the C/FO folks (Cartoon Fantasy Organization) and I had never met people like that in my life. It was almost frightening. [LAUGHS] I had never met people who were so dedicated to something which was so obscure in the United States at the time, and it was a very small group. But they were people who became quite big in fandom, such as Fred Patton in particular, he was a real central figure in American fandom, and still is.
They were people who were obsessed with anime – more anime than manga, very few people could read it because there weren’t any English manga available. So their entry point had been actually the early 60s anime that was shown in the United States, such as Astro Boy and Kimba the White Lion. Fred Patten's good friend Robin Leyden from the C/FO was a huge Astro Boy fan, the likes of which you’d rarely see. He later on became a special effects animator. Robyn actually made a model of Astro Boy and presented it to Tezuka...
ANT: What was Tezuka’s reaction to that, to these strange American anime fans?
FRED: Oh, he was overwhelmed. [Tezuka] had been in contact with some of them even before Jared and I met him. But they were the first Anime fans in the US, to such a serious degree. Almost scary. These were not people who were interested in Japanese business or technology or anything like that. They were just focused on anime, the characters and the stories, they just loved it. So it was actually very touching.
ANT: It seems like a lot of those people in the early 80s were the ones that eventually drummed up interest in anime, and a lot of them were the people who first ones that did fan subtitles.
FRED: That’s right. And organized the first conventions.
Here are a few more images from Steve's post, I gotta take a minute and track down a PDF/scans of this great piece of fandom history sometime soon.
RIP, Jerry Fellows... and hats off to all the early fandom pioneers!
(The staff of Space Fanzine Yamato)
[More soon: Gyo manga, tons of Vertical releases, my dumb projects, Umezz Carnival 2011, etc!]
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
KOIKE KAZUO IN NORTH AMERICA?
Hey folks! Today's post is something a little different than usual-- a guest post by Ryan Holmberg, who as many of you know was the curator of Garo Manga: The First Decade (1964-1973) show earlier this year and is currently a postdoc in Contemporary Art.
This is a group research project of sorts, as he's looking for our help (and the help of the greater comics/mangasphere) to dig up details about the American reaction to the translated works of Koike Kazuo. I'll let him take it away below, and please add your thoughts/links/contributions in the comments. Some answers to these questions may be in interview with Frank Miller and Dark Horse editors, along with books by Paul Gravett or Frederik Schodt. But I also I know there are lots of other writings from the 80s and 90s, along with personal anecdotes, that can fill in the details. Thanks in advance!
(Frank Miller/Lynn Varley's cover to the first issue of First Comics' run of Lone Wolf & Cub. Check out the complete covers from those floppy issues)
From Ryan Holmberg:
(Lone Wolf & Cub board game by Mayfair Games, 1989. Cover by Grendel artist Matt Wagner)
UPDATE: Received this update from Ryan Holmberg:
This is a group research project of sorts, as he's looking for our help (and the help of the greater comics/mangasphere) to dig up details about the American reaction to the translated works of Koike Kazuo. I'll let him take it away below, and please add your thoughts/links/contributions in the comments. Some answers to these questions may be in interview with Frank Miller and Dark Horse editors, along with books by Paul Gravett or Frederik Schodt. But I also I know there are lots of other writings from the 80s and 90s, along with personal anecdotes, that can fill in the details. Thanks in advance!
(Frank Miller/Lynn Varley's cover to the first issue of First Comics' run of Lone Wolf & Cub. Check out the complete covers from those floppy issues)
From Ryan Holmberg:
A colleague of mine in Tokyo is currently writing about the famous manga script writer Koike Kazuo of "Lone Wolf and Cub" and "Crying Freeman" fame. He recently asked me some questions about the reception and reputation of Koike Kazuo in North America. Having first come into contact with his work in Japan, I was not sure how to answer. So on his behalf, and to satisfy my own curiosity, I wonder if readers of Same Hat might be able to share some facts or general impressions or anecdotes? The more specific people can be about dates and places et cetera, the more helpful it would be.
First, does anyone know the history of how Koike's work came to be translated in the United States? Is there an industry back story of any note? Also, any thoughts about what kind of audience his work was initially marketed to – age-wise, reading taste-wise, et cetera? Was there any substantial critical response at the time?
Second, Frank Miller's admiration of Koike Kazuo is well-known. I wonder if anyone could flesh out the details of that, and the various ways in which it shaped Miller's work, or how Miller was involved in popularizing Koike's work? I am aware that Miller/Varley did covers for Lone Wolf and Cub, and the impact on Ronin and Sin City…but I am wondering if anyone might be able to expand on that.
Third, it seems the status of writers is much lower than that of artists when it comes to comics in North America. Do you think this might also be the case for Koike? In other words, do people first think of Kojima Goseki and Ikegami Ryoichi when the titles of Koike's work come up?
Last, in the early 70s, Koike was writing a Japanese version of the "Hulk" for Bokura Magazine. It has never been collected, and probably never will be because of copyright issues. My colleague is wondering whether, in North America, at the time of "Lone Wolf and Cub's" release, would it have had the same readership as the Hulk? He’s trying again to get a sense of if the readership of Koike's work in Japan overlaps with that elsewhere?
Sorry for the many and lengthy questions. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
(Lone Wolf & Cub board game by Mayfair Games, 1989. Cover by Grendel artist Matt Wagner)
UPDATE: Received this update from Ryan Holmberg:
"Thanks for this treasure trove of information. It's amazingly helpful and much much more than I had hoped for. I apologize for not being active on the posting myself. On the one hand, I couldn't be of much use as my contact with Koike's work has been almost entirely in Japan. Also, I have been too buried in circa 1960 "hardboiled" manga the past few weeks -- essentially the breeding ground for Koike-type gekiga. Maybe I can return the favor in a week or so with some gems from that world. Again, thank you thank you"
Monday, November 08, 2010
MARUO WOULD BE PROUD
Here is some serious Halloween/Suehiro Maruo realness, courtesy of my friends Monika and Yuichiro.
Yuichiro is dressed in a Maruo/Rampo-inspired outfit, while Monika is dressed as Midori, the Camellia Girl (Mr. Arashi's Amazing Freak Show).
What did YOU dress up as for Halloween?
Yuichiro is dressed in a Maruo/Rampo-inspired outfit, while Monika is dressed as Midori, the Camellia Girl (Mr. Arashi's Amazing Freak Show).
What did YOU dress up as for Halloween?
Friday, November 06, 2009
SAME HAT COMMUNITY HALLOWEEN PROWESS
You guys are awesome! I ended up staying in on Halloween and drinking an abundance of whiskey-- too lazy to put together a good costume. I DID come up with a costume for next year, as a juggalette (look it up!) or maybe Shaggy 2 Dope. I have to stay true to my Michigan roots, you know?
Not to be outdone by anyone, Same Hat readers rocked the manga/horror angle like mad geniuses. Here are their radical costumes!!
TOMODACHI (from 20th Century Boys)
as worn by Johnny Landmine
SAMARA (from Ringu)
as worn by M
SUEHIRO MARUO BOY
as worn by Dreed
LYCHEE HIKARI CLUB
as worn by Diana & friends
NEKOME KOZO
as worn by Dr. Senbei (Tokyo Scum Brigade)
GEGEGE NO KITARO
as worn by voidmare (Tokyo Scum Brigade)
HORROR MANGA MAKE-UP
as worn by Jaclyn
KAZUO UMEZZ
as worn by Jaclyn
and because it's simply awesome...
ANDREW WKs!
as worn by Helvin
Not to be outdone by anyone, Same Hat readers rocked the manga/horror angle like mad geniuses. Here are their radical costumes!!
TOMODACHI (from 20th Century Boys)
as worn by Johnny Landmine
SAMARA (from Ringu)
as worn by M
SUEHIRO MARUO BOY
as worn by Dreed
LYCHEE HIKARI CLUB
as worn by Diana & friends
NEKOME KOZO
as worn by Dr. Senbei (Tokyo Scum Brigade)
GEGEGE NO KITARO
as worn by voidmare (Tokyo Scum Brigade)
HORROR MANGA MAKE-UP
as worn by Jaclyn
KAZUO UMEZZ
as worn by Jaclyn
and because it's simply awesome...
ANDREW WKs!
as worn by Helvin
Monday, August 17, 2009
"BUILD THE SHGTE" CONTEST RESULTS
The "BUILD THE SHGTE" Contest ended Friday night, and in the course of a week 68 new hotspots were added to our community map. THIS IS FUCKING AWESOME!! I'm extremely stoked to have had this great response, and I really appreciate your help in building out this map.
View Larger Map
The Same Hat Guide to Everything continues to be a work in progress, and when I finalllllly launch samehat.com, it will be a key part of the site. I will keep adding cool stuff that I hear about or visit, and hope you'll do the same.
Now for the results: there were a lot of great additions to the map. I wrote down names for everyone who added items, but it got confusing to remember who added 1 or 2, etc. I've decided to give everyone who added items a Junko Mizuno sticker and a copy of my zine (plus some mail from me!). Please send your email and mailing address to SAMEHAT[at]GMAIL[dot]COM.
For the winners, four contributors stood out for adding the most numerous and interesting additions to the map. These 4 people will get the stickers/zine and a Shintaro Kago postcard, purchased in Tokyo from Kago-san himself. These are the Google Nicknames that showed up on the maps, send me your name/address to claim your prizes:
Connor
kittenmeats
karl
gyyguy
Many, many thanks again to everyone who helped improve the map. Keep up the great work!
View Larger Map
The Same Hat Guide to Everything continues to be a work in progress, and when I finalllllly launch samehat.com, it will be a key part of the site. I will keep adding cool stuff that I hear about or visit, and hope you'll do the same.
Now for the results: there were a lot of great additions to the map. I wrote down names for everyone who added items, but it got confusing to remember who added 1 or 2, etc. I've decided to give everyone who added items a Junko Mizuno sticker and a copy of my zine (plus some mail from me!). Please send your email and mailing address to SAMEHAT[at]GMAIL[dot]COM.
For the winners, four contributors stood out for adding the most numerous and interesting additions to the map. These 4 people will get the stickers/zine and a Shintaro Kago postcard, purchased in Tokyo from Kago-san himself. These are the Google Nicknames that showed up on the maps, send me your name/address to claim your prizes:
Connor
kittenmeats
karl
gyyguy
Many, many thanks again to everyone who helped improve the map. Keep up the great work!
Sunday, August 09, 2009
"BUILD THE SHGTE" CONTEST
On Friday I re-posted details about the slowly-growing Same Hat Guide to Everything. The idea is that anybody and everybody in the Same Hat community can share their favorites shops, museums, and spots in one consolidated place.
I've been updating it today with a few favorite Tokyo bookstores, and thought a contest would be a fun idea in order to grow this sucker quickly!
Announcing the BUILD THE SHGTE contest! The idea is that I want to encourage folks to add stuff to the map this week. Adding an entry takes about 2 minutes, and step-by-step details on doing so are here. It can be anything that other Same Hat readers would be interested in, in any part of the world. Some examples:
+ A custom doll gallery in Akihabara that displays Suehiro Maruo's paintings.
+ Your local manga shop where you buy new books each week.
+ The Kyoto Manga Museum (and the train route to get there from Kyoto Station).
+ A club with a monthly gothic lolita cosplay night in Seoul.
+ The restaurant in Kichijoji where you spotted Demerin out eating soba and playing Gameboy.
The deadline to add entries is 11:59pm PST on Friday (August 14, 2009).
How about these for "prizes"?
THE "PARTICIPATION" PRIZE:
Everyone who submits at least one new entry to the SGHTE will get a Junko Mizuno / Last Gasp sticker and some mail from me:
THE "SILVER MEDAL" PRIZE
Everyone who submits two (or more) new entries to the SGHTE will be mailed the Junko sticker and a copy of my zine of Japanese self-introductions from when I lived in Saitama. Check it out here:
(Don't you want one??)
GRAND PRIZE
The three people that made the most/best additions to the map (left up to my discretion!) will win all the stuff mentioned above (Junko Mizuno sticker, My Seat is Your Behind zine) plus...
A LARGE HANAKUMA / LAST GASP STICKER!
and...
A SHINTARO KAGO POSTCARD!
After you've made additions to the Same Hat Guide to Everything, please leave your name and a quick list of what you added in the comments. Can't wait to see what everyone posts up on the map! If you have any questions, let me know!
I've been updating it today with a few favorite Tokyo bookstores, and thought a contest would be a fun idea in order to grow this sucker quickly!
Announcing the BUILD THE SHGTE contest! The idea is that I want to encourage folks to add stuff to the map this week. Adding an entry takes about 2 minutes, and step-by-step details on doing so are here. It can be anything that other Same Hat readers would be interested in, in any part of the world. Some examples:
+ A custom doll gallery in Akihabara that displays Suehiro Maruo's paintings.
+ Your local manga shop where you buy new books each week.
+ The Kyoto Manga Museum (and the train route to get there from Kyoto Station).
+ A club with a monthly gothic lolita cosplay night in Seoul.
+ The restaurant in Kichijoji where you spotted Demerin out eating soba and playing Gameboy.
The deadline to add entries is 11:59pm PST on Friday (August 14, 2009).
How about these for "prizes"?
THE "PARTICIPATION" PRIZE:
Everyone who submits at least one new entry to the SGHTE will get a Junko Mizuno / Last Gasp sticker and some mail from me:
THE "SILVER MEDAL" PRIZE
Everyone who submits two (or more) new entries to the SGHTE will be mailed the Junko sticker and a copy of my zine of Japanese self-introductions from when I lived in Saitama. Check it out here:
(Don't you want one??)
GRAND PRIZE
The three people that made the most/best additions to the map (left up to my discretion!) will win all the stuff mentioned above (Junko Mizuno sticker, My Seat is Your Behind zine) plus...
A LARGE HANAKUMA / LAST GASP STICKER!
and...
A SHINTARO KAGO POSTCARD!
After you've made additions to the Same Hat Guide to Everything, please leave your name and a quick list of what you added in the comments. Can't wait to see what everyone posts up on the map! If you have any questions, let me know!
Friday, August 07, 2009
SHARE YOUR WISDOM ON THE SHGTE
Every couple weeks, I get a nice email from a reader or friend of friend heading to Japan looking for recommendations. I have a go-to list of cool places to see in Tokyo and Kansai, but those are just the picks of one dude. It's better to ask a big group of like-minded folks and post the information somewhere easily accessible.
Good news, this wisdom is captured in our collaborative Google Map, The Same Hat Guide to Everything. I hadn't updated it in a while and wasn't sure if newer readers were aware of it. Sounds like good timing for a post!
I'm summarizing a lot of the stuff I said when it was first launched, so you long-time readers please bear with me for a minute. Generally speaking, the SHGTE is an open and editable map, detailing any and all spots of interest to rabid Same Hat geeks around the world. It includes a lot of spots for folks heading to Japan for the first time, along with your local shops, museums, etc.
THE SAME HAT GUIDE TO EVERYTHING!
View Larger Map
From my first post:
I'm gonna spend some time adding things to the map; I just put the Gundam statue in Odaiba, and the NEW PEOPLE Japantown center in San Francisco on there. Here are some instructions for you to add things as well:
STEP 1: When you're viewing the Same Hat Guide to Everything, click on the [Edit] button on the left side to start adding stuff or making changes to other people's stuff on the map.
STEP 2: When you click [Edit], new little tools will show up at the top of the map frame, including a icon marker thingy, a line tool for drawing routes, and a blobby-looking tool for drawing areas and shapes. In this case, I know where Otafuku is on the block, and clicked the icon marker thingy there on the block in the East Village.
STEP 3: Now that the placeholder is there, it's time to start the magic. I'm sharing as much detail as I have, which in this case is my experience there and a picture from Yelp. If I know the hours they were open or had specific recommendations on times to go or what to order, I should add them too.
Alright, jump in if you got something to share:
CLICK HERE TO START ADDING TO IT!
Good news, this wisdom is captured in our collaborative Google Map, The Same Hat Guide to Everything. I hadn't updated it in a while and wasn't sure if newer readers were aware of it. Sounds like good timing for a post!
I'm summarizing a lot of the stuff I said when it was first launched, so you long-time readers please bear with me for a minute. Generally speaking, the SHGTE is an open and editable map, detailing any and all spots of interest to rabid Same Hat geeks around the world. It includes a lot of spots for folks heading to Japan for the first time, along with your local shops, museums, etc.
THE SAME HAT GUIDE TO EVERYTHING!
View Larger Map
From my first post:
If you haven't used the Google Maps My Maps feature, it's basically a way to create custom maps by pinpointing specific spots (think: The Kazuo Umezu Makoto-chan house), insertings overlays (think: A scanned floorplan to the Nakano Broadway mall's shops) or drawing custom routes and shapes. You can choose the icon associated with each entry you add, and Google provides pre-made icons to denote shops, train stations, and shopping. Evan and I also whipped up a few Same Hat icons for Sentai toy shops and Umezu, Maruo and other hot spots.
With the SHGTE, the focus isn't on duplicating the work of others, but thinking about what your fellow readers would have in common with you and wanna know about; Basically what is the shit you'd send in an email to a friend going to that/your city for the first time?
I'm gonna spend some time adding things to the map; I just put the Gundam statue in Odaiba, and the NEW PEOPLE Japantown center in San Francisco on there. Here are some instructions for you to add things as well:
STEP 1: When you're viewing the Same Hat Guide to Everything, click on the [Edit] button on the left side to start adding stuff or making changes to other people's stuff on the map.
STEP 2: When you click [Edit], new little tools will show up at the top of the map frame, including a icon marker thingy, a line tool for drawing routes, and a blobby-looking tool for drawing areas and shapes. In this case, I know where Otafuku is on the block, and clicked the icon marker thingy there on the block in the East Village.
STEP 3: Now that the placeholder is there, it's time to start the magic. I'm sharing as much detail as I have, which in this case is my experience there and a picture from Yelp. If I know the hours they were open or had specific recommendations on times to go or what to order, I should add them too.
Alright, jump in if you got something to share:
CLICK HERE TO START ADDING TO IT!
Monday, December 22, 2008
ZINE SECRET: THE COVER WAS A CONTEST!
So, some explaining is in order. It's not a big deal to anyone, but it's time to reveal a minor secret. The cover to the first issue of Electric Ant had a little more to it than initially meets the eye. As noted in the Table of Contents:
If you have a snazzy Japanese or European cell phone, you've probably got a barcode reader built in to the applications. QR is also supported on the iPhone and gPhone. I decided early on to use QR to link to the websites of contributors, and also put a little secret embedded in the cover.
SO! The rub with the contest was that you had to decode the secret URL and then be i) one of the first people to respond, and ii) willing to dish about your first kiss. Here are the results and prizes!
1ST PRIZE: JAMES!
2ND PRIZE: ILYA!
3RD PRIZE: VIC!
4TH PRIZE: ERIC!
For those that haven't read the zine, the questions from the survey spread are:
1. Name
2. How old were you?
3. Who was it with?
4. Where did it happen?
5. Describe it in 3 words.
6. If you could kiss any historical figure, who would it be?
(THE PRIZE: 3 original hand-painted YOUR FIRST KISS scrolls used in the center spread!)
1. James
2. 12, I think
3. A girl called Octavia from my class
4. Her bedroom
5. Weird but nice
6. Melanie Safka (in her prime)
(THE PRIZE: Three free copies of Electric Ant #1 to hand out to friends!)
1. Ilya Atkin
2. 15
3. My first serious girlfriend
4. A park bench
5. She had braces.
6. Cleopatra
(THE PRIZE: A Suehiro Maruo postcard and pin, from Tacoche in Nakano Broadway Mall.)
1. Vic Wong
2. 19
3. A girl in my dorms, 2nd night there
4. On the 4th floor of Griffiths Hall in my room
5. College is amazing
6. Lorraine McFly circa 1955
(A packet of Same Hat goodies, including the 2007 booklet, a copy of my Your Seat Is My Behind zine, and an advance copy of the 2009 SAME HAT SAMPLER - featuring non-web content like new Hanakuma and Kikuni comics, outtakes from Electric Ant #1 and other surprises.)
1) Eric Nakamura
2) 15 (depends, first one with tongue?)
3) Some chick I don't talk to, never want to remember her again, disgusting
4) In a car, her piece of shit car
5) Smelled like smoke
6) Queen Lillioukulani
I'm mailing out prizes tomorrow! Thanks to the folks that responded, and for everyone that's bought a copy and supported the project. You can start playing with QR using the free, open-source Kaywa Reader. Copies are still very available via the site, and work on issue 2 preparations are underway!
QR is a 2D barcode format that's common in Japan but still hasn't caught on yet in backwardsville, America. They're used commonly to encode text, URLs and other secret messages.
If you have a snazzy Japanese or European cell phone, you've probably got a barcode reader built in to the applications. QR is also supported on the iPhone and gPhone. I decided early on to use QR to link to the websites of contributors, and also put a little secret embedded in the cover.
SO! The rub with the contest was that you had to decode the secret URL and then be i) one of the first people to respond, and ii) willing to dish about your first kiss. Here are the results and prizes!
1ST PRIZE: JAMES!
2ND PRIZE: ILYA!
3RD PRIZE: VIC!
4TH PRIZE: ERIC!
For those that haven't read the zine, the questions from the survey spread are:
1. Name
2. How old were you?
3. Who was it with?
4. Where did it happen?
5. Describe it in 3 words.
6. If you could kiss any historical figure, who would it be?
(THE PRIZE: 3 original hand-painted YOUR FIRST KISS scrolls used in the center spread!)
1. James
2. 12, I think
3. A girl called Octavia from my class
4. Her bedroom
5. Weird but nice
6. Melanie Safka (in her prime)
(THE PRIZE: Three free copies of Electric Ant #1 to hand out to friends!)
1. Ilya Atkin
2. 15
3. My first serious girlfriend
4. A park bench
5. She had braces.
6. Cleopatra
(THE PRIZE: A Suehiro Maruo postcard and pin, from Tacoche in Nakano Broadway Mall.)
1. Vic Wong
2. 19
3. A girl in my dorms, 2nd night there
4. On the 4th floor of Griffiths Hall in my room
5. College is amazing
6. Lorraine McFly circa 1955
(A packet of Same Hat goodies, including the 2007 booklet, a copy of my Your Seat Is My Behind zine, and an advance copy of the 2009 SAME HAT SAMPLER - featuring non-web content like new Hanakuma and Kikuni comics, outtakes from Electric Ant #1 and other surprises.)
1) Eric Nakamura
2) 15 (depends, first one with tongue?)
3) Some chick I don't talk to, never want to remember her again, disgusting
4) In a car, her piece of shit car
5) Smelled like smoke
6) Queen Lillioukulani
I'm mailing out prizes tomorrow! Thanks to the folks that responded, and for everyone that's bought a copy and supported the project. You can start playing with QR using the free, open-source Kaywa Reader. Copies are still very available via the site, and work on issue 2 preparations are underway!
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