Simple Tribe

Asakawa Maki portrait

sarah — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 00:06:47 +0000

Through circumstances of coincidence, for the past year or so I’ve been drawing the Last Word author portraits for Metropolis Magazine. Quality varies, and for that I’m both apologetic and happy this is not the skill that puts food on my plate. With the (kinda) recent death of songstress Maki Asakawa, I was asked to do [...]

Searching for sweet nothings

sarah — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 02:52:10 +0000

Valentine’s Day has long been an oft-reported institution in Japan. For February 14, a girl can now choose to give giri-choco (obligatory chocolates, usually inexpensive and given to male coworkers), honmei-choco (sweetheart chocolates, often homemade and given to the man she likes), tomo-choco (chocolates for friends, often either designer or homemade), and finally jibun-choco (chocolate [...]

(Relatively) clear skies

sarah — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 08:45:55 +0000

Winter sunset in Beijing, China

Learning through experience: hamburger photo shoot

sarah — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 12:45:31 +0000

Was recruited to do a photo shoot for a Metropolis dining story about a gourmet burger shop in Sangenjaya called Harakara. I’ve lucked out on photo shoots in the past in that I’ve either just happened to get the flash correct, there has been good lighting indoors, or we were able to take photos outside. [...]

Paying attention to detail (and why I’m not a fashion photographer)

sarah — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 23:51:40 +0000

Attended a fashion event in Roppongi on Saturday night that was a perfect example of a good idea with awkward execution. A fashion show sponsored by a luxury car company at the posh Roppongi den 57. The crowds certianly flocked in as the room was filled with a classic mix of aspiring models waiting to [...]

The Cove and the circus that follows it

sarah — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 14:53:14 +0000

On Sept. 25, the Foreign Correspondent’s Club of Japan (FCCJ) held a press screening of the controversial film, “The Cove.” I’ve read quite a bit about it in the news, along with written a bit about it for one of the papers I’m at, and was thus quite excited to get in and get to [...]

TiltShift Generator for iPhone

sarah — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 22:11:36 +0000

I don’t often pay money for iPhone apps, but when a friend recommended TiltShift Generator, I figured the ¥115 was worth it to turn my phone into an awesome toy camera. Tilt-shift images are all the rage nowadays for the cool “miniature” photos they produce, although such lenses can be used for a variety of subjects, [...]

Stormy days

sarah — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 13:26:22 +0000

Was unusually stormy the past few weeks, and now we’ve moved on to earthquakes.

The Last Word: Robert Masucci

sarah — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 07:05:21 +0000

This week’s Last Word comes from Metropolis intern Robert Masucci. Not sure what the reaction to his piece will be, but I can just hear the eye-rolls of hardened long-time expats already. I thought this one looked alright until I took another look at it a few days later. So close, but still so far!! For more [...]

Just another Sunday in Harajuku

sarah — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 02:51:57 +0000

The bridge in front of Meiji Shrine in Harajuku, once a mecca for crazy cosplayers, lolitas and decora kids, has seen more lively days now that the boom is over and most people have dyed their hair back to a normal color. But the tourists still flock there in droves, ready to gawk and grab [...]