1:50 AM Sunday (3/7)

So, Yuri came over Friday night to look over the translations. She stayed for about 2 hours and went over the Introduction, Foreword, quotes and all. Pretty much she tells me I got a good translator with Yoko but she saw a few things she could tweak to make it read better. I fed her pizza and she was happy !

Saturday I decided to print out a few pages to include as a proof so the printers can see what I hope the images to look like. First off all, it takes a bit to tweak the colors right. As you know what you see on screen doesn't always translate to paper - plus it can't really - I mean one is a photo with light going through it (i.e computer screen) while the other is reflective light.

Anyways as I was tweaking the colors and printing another print I realized that I probably should have printed out ALL the pages. You see, sometimes I miss things but if you hold up a 16 x 10 paper with large images on them, it is harder to miss - plus you can see how the black reads on paper. So I bought more paper and printer inks and set upon printing these out.

I ran out of paper around 1:48 am Sunday morning and I stopped at page 150. I'll print the rest out and start looking at the images I printed in the morning - I don't look at my prints at night cuz the light from my light bulb is not true light. Sunlight is the best way to judge the quality of color so I'll do that in the morning.

I'll have to run out and buy more paper..... this printing my book out is gonna get expensive fast....


(Here's what my bed looks like with like 40 pages on it)


(Here's how much ink I used in one day)

12:51 AM Wed (2/3)

So Yoko, the translator came over to double check the layout which is great because she found out that Kyle had mistakenly switch some sentences around plus the incorrect term for "Introduction" was used. He had "to introduce" as from person to person when introduction was use in relation with a book.

In the mad dash to complete everything, I again switch out some cosplayers and add others and I have two more quotes I wanted to have translate. So Yoko will work on it tomorrow night when she gets home from work and email it to me on Thursday morning . Once done I'll take all the files to Kyle - but I can't do it Thursday night so I'll have to go over to Kyle's on Friday night (*note - better email him right now so he knows). I hope Kyle can get it ready so I can pick up the files on Sunday and on Monday morning, bring the files plus references photos to the printer's office.

When that happens, that'll be the end of the five month long process of editing the book together. *whew*

Interview with Greg of Tune In Tokyo

ME : To start off, a j-rock/j-pop club night makes perfect sense here in Los Angeles. Are you folks the first to do or so or were there other nights before in the past ? And how did Tune In Tokyo come into being ?

GREG : We are the first monthly J-Pop and J-Rock club event in Los Angeles. Del Martin, my business partner in Tune in Tokyo, started a global pop DJ team in 2007 called International Pop Conspiracy--we did monthly IPC events that primarily highlighted Spanish, French, and Japanese dance pop. DJ Tora joined us for this, and together, the two of us started working as the first J-Pop DJ team around the indie clubs in LA.

Just over a year ago, Del and I realized that there was a J-Rock scene coming together, but there wasn't anywhere for people to hang out, with exception of the occasional concert. Little Tokyo was a focal point, with shops like Anime Jungle selling music, and lolita and Visual Kei fashion. It seemed like the perfect place, and we found the right venue with 2nd Street Jazz--in the heart of Little Tokyo, and already known for its Asian band showcases. Tune in Tokyo was conceived as both a music and fashion event, and we held our first club party in October 2008.

Since we started Tune in Tokyo, we have actually learned of a couple J-Pop related events in Europe, including our new friends Sakura Syndrome in Greece.

ME : Was it difficult to find a spot to host the night in Little Tokyo ? Honestly I don't usually associate clubs & Little Tokyo together. And was it a pretty quick time period between figuring out you wanted to do a night to actually getting everything put into place to open one ?

GREG : Securing the venue was actually one of the easier things we did, This is because we already knew that 2nd Street Jazz was in the ideal location. The precedent had been set with events like Judo Chop--we knew that J-Rock fans were more likely to come into Little Tokyo than anywhere else. And fortunately, the owners of 2nd Street Jazz understood what we were trying to do, and graciously gave us the berth we needed to get started. It took us about 2 months to put things together. It was relatively quick, but it must be noted that the process really began with International Pop Conspiracy--that laid the groundwork.

ME : Tell me about the International Pop Conspiracy - I know it had to do with world dance and I think that's about it. And if securing the venue was pretty simple, was there any other difficulties in making the nigh happen ?

GREG : International Pop Conspiracy, or IPC, was started by my business partner Del Martin in 2007. He wanted to bring a global dance night to the LA indie scene. LA bars and clubs have played host to many different global pop subcultures--especially Spanish and French. With IPC, Del brought those worlds together, along with Italo-disco, Swedish, British, and American pop, and something else: Asian pop. We weren't sure how people would respond, but DJ Tora and I were pleasantly surprised that J-Pop, J-Rock, and K-Pop resonated with the indie club scene. IPC had a residency at a cool place in Hollywood called the Vine Bar, and we DJ'd other events around town, as well. Tune in Tokyo was essentially spun off from IPC.
It's always tricky securing a venue. The reason 2nd Street Jazz worked was its location and history. Our clubgoers knew the bar, and the owners were receptive to what we're doing. Certainly, there have been challenges. The economic climate is definitely a factor--disposable / entertainment income is down. So, we're always trying to deliver a good night that's also affordable for our patrons. We're also operating in a world that's a niche. We don't expect mainstream crowds or numbers, so we're always asking ourselves what's the best way to target and bring in the select crowd who loves J-Pop and J-Rock? We have made a concerted effort to make Tune in Tokyo a brand, as well as an event. We want people who love J-music & subculture to recognize that Tune in Tokyo comes from the same place, the same passions, that they do.

ME : Besides seeing y'all at your usual location, do y'all do a lot of DJ events related to anime ? I remember seeing y'all once at Royal/T once and I believe you did something in conjunction with VAMPs during AX 2009 this year ?

GREG : We haven't been involved in any anime-specific events, but this is a theme running through just about everything we do. Our club operates at the nexis between different Japan-related subcultures. Primarily we're a dance club, whether we are at our home at 2nd Street Jazz, or other venues. We have always encouraged people who like anime to join us--and you'll here in anime themes in our sets. There's a pretty strong relationship between J-Pop and anime, and a lot of the theme music is catchy and club-friendly.

Our monthly home is 2nd Street Jazz, but we do hire out for, and participate in other J-subculture related events around town. This has included parties at Royal/T, the D1 Grand Prix in Anaheim, and other locations. In July, we organized a release party for the US version of the VAMPs album, in advance of their tour. We hosted a release party for the U.S. debut of their album. We always try make ourselves available for companies seeking to promote Japanese artists in the United States. We co-produced the Cure Mini Live show in July during Anime Expo. This was not a part of the convention, but rather, something we put together with Anime Jungle and Cure to provide a concert venue for their guests attending the Expo. It was the first live event that we produced, and it was a lot of fun for everyone who attended. It was an interesting mixture of Visual-Kei and Akihabara idol pop.


ME : Tell me how you got involved with the whole j-pop/j-rock scene. You're originally from the Midwest, right ?

GREG : I'm now a permanent resident of Southern California, by way of Denver, Colorado...not technically a part of the midwest--but from out here, it sure seems like it. When I first started getting into Japanese music, I seriously didn't know any Americans who were into it. I had some friends who liked anime music, but this was at a time (before Avex, etc.) when there wasn't the confluence of J-Pop and anime, and about the only artist my friends really followed was seiyu and singer Megumi Hayashibara.

My exposure to J-Pop came from friends from Japan living in Colorado. The first bands I really listened to were Princess Princess and Rebecca. The 90s pop boom was underway, and I caught onto the stuff from Okinawa (Namie Amuro, Speed, Max), and artists like Every Little Thing (my personal favorite), Ayumi Hamasaki, and Hikaru Utada. This was the mainstream music that my Japanese friends were listening to, and as they learned that I liked it, they started to kick some music my way. It was an exciting time for J-Pop, and I had an interesting window to it, even in Colorado.

There's a healthy anime community in Denver, but LA really is the place for music, with its connections extending out to the rest of the world--particularly to Asia, of course, since we're talking Asian pop. I relocated to LA for different reasons, but quickly found that it suited my interests in J-Pop, and Japanese fashion, as well. There's a lot going on here.

ME : So it was pretty easy to find folks in the same scene it sounds. How did Del become involved with IPC and now Tune In Tokyo ? And also, why "Tune In Tokyo" as the night's name ?

GREG : Del has been a promoter and DJ in Los Angeles for over ten years, this included founding the indie club event .Comrade, and working with other promoters including Pure Sounds. He has also DJ'd at events such as the Giant Village New Year's party downtown, numerous clubs, and various fashion-related openings and parties. IPC was the culmination of Del's interest in international pop. There has been an absence of an international mix in the clubs in LA for a while, and Del filled that gap with IPC, recruiting talent that came out of Par Avion, and pushing the global sound in new directions by including a heavy amount of Asian pop.

As for the name? I always thought "Tune in Tokyo" would be a good name for a J-Pop club. It's catchy.


Thanks Greg ! I'll catch you out at the clubs ^^

1:34 AM Sunday (1/28)

*whew*

What a week ! Okay, for the book update, the book is pretty much laid out already. I'm waiting on Yoko to get me the translations which she assured me I would get at the end of the weekend. Next step is to add the new Japanese translations to the book (did I mention the book is in JAPANESE ?) Then I'll bring all the files to Kyle the designer and have him tweak and prep the files to CYMK to send to the printers.

I expect everything to be done by the end of this week and then I can take a brief breather before I have to work on marketing the book. You guys know what I'm doing but there's a whole world out there who have no idea about cosplay so I'm busy researching stuff like Google Ads and other online ways to spread the gospel of cosplay in America.

Hard to believe that it has been 10 months since I started at Fanime 2009 and 20 months since I test the idea at AnimeExpo '08 ! Yes, I tested out the idea of using a grey seamless and using a beauty dish light at AX '08. I never got model releases because I had no idea at that time it would turn into a book....funny how 20 months later, yup, a book !


It's been a long road filled with bumps and other hazards but I'm happy that fans on my Facebook page, MySpace page, twitter and blog have been with me on this journey. Man, I have so much anime to catch up with !!!!

I've met many amazing people plus had a chance to travel to cities I've never been before like Baltimore and Atlanta.

Honestly, I can't wait to get out to the cons this year. It's just gonna be an awesome 2010 for me. ^^ I hope to tweet, blog, Facebook, MySpace my way through America and bring everyone with me ^^



Air Gear was one of the first anime I picked up in years....when I started doing this cosplay project, I started to pick up on anime I missed. I started to recognized characters at cons and began picking them up. Everytime I hear the theme song to "Air Gear", I wanna go crazy ^^ WAAAAYYYYHHHHH !!!!