Posts Tagged ‘japan goth’

Anyone in Tokyo this XXX-mas? You are in luck. Japan is the capital of creative, experimental Gothic fashion — and there are several club events happening on December 25th!

Midnight Mess is the longest-running Goth Industrial EBM event in Tokyo. On December 25th, organizer Maya is hosting a † Nightmare After X’mas † party, featuring performer Chaos Royale. For maps, instructions and details, I have a big fat Tokyo club guide on La Carmina blog.

Readers often tell me they feel intimidated to go to Japanese Goth parties alone, especially if they are new to Tokyo. Rest assured that everyone is very nice, and many of the hosts speak English. The crowd may be covered in piercings and leopard print, but they’re some of the nicest folk you’ll ever meet at a club!

Here I am with the Midnight Mess family. In addition to DJs, there are rope suspensions and live musical performers. Covenant, Das Ich, Spanking Machine, Skinny Puppy and more have graced the stage.

On Christmas, Tokyo Decadance is also taking place at J-Pop Cafe in Shibuya. DJ SiSEN and Selia are regular performers.

Organized by Adrien le Danois, Decadance is notorious for its crazy cyber rainbow club fashion. You’ll see every style tribe here — from Gothic Lolita to light-up body suits.

What if you don’t have a flamboyant outfit? You can buy fashion from the booths at the party, such as these custom eyelashes by ViVi.

What if you’re not in Tokyo for the holidays? No problem — the parties happen every month. And Decadance Bar — the hangout of space alien club queens – is open every night of the week.

How to get there? For addresses, RSVP info, maps and reports please check out my Tokyo club guide.

Excellent news - I’m in Los Angeles from December 28 to Jan 10th! Can’t wait to drop by Lip Service headquarters and say hi to the team.

On Saturday, Jan 1st, Sebastiano Serafini and La Carmina are hosting a party at LA’s spookiest nightclub, Bar Sinister in Hollywood.

Two indie-alternative bands are performing that night: Julien-K and The Dreaming. There will be fetish playroom stations, Goth EBM Industrial deejays, and copious amounts of absinthe… we hope you can come!!

WHAT: La Carmina & Sebastiano Serafini — party at Bar Sinister. RSVP on Facebook.

WHEN: Saturday, January 1st, 2011, 10:30pm to late. (Please note this is the evening of Jan 1st, NOT New Year’s Eve)
WHERE: Bar Sinister, 1652 N Cherokee Ave (between Hollywood and Selma), Los Angeles, CA
PRICE: $16.50 advance / $20 at the door / $5 off with a MySpace flyer. Bring your receipt and ID (21+).
HOW TO BUY: Go to the Bar Sinister site, scroll down to Jan 1st and click Buy Now for advance tickets. Or just show up and get tickets at the door.

So excited to party with you on Jan 1st! Please save the date and tell all your Los Angeles friends. We promise not to bite… unless you want us to…

Itching for more Japanese Goth Lolita clubbing photos and fashion? I post daily photos and reports on www.lacarmina.com/blog – please check it out.

† Dark Wishes †
LA CARMINA

La Carmina (www.lacarmina.com)

Good evening, creatures of the night! I’m La Carmina, and I’m devilishly delighted to be writing a new monthly column for Lip Service Webzine called “Global Gothic.”

Who I am (other than a Lip Service fan and spooky kid)? I run a blog about alternative/Gothic fashion and lifestyle, particularly in Japan (think Gothic Lolita and Visual Kei ). I wrote three books on Japanese pop culture/food, including Cute Yummy Time (about turning your food into adorable characters) and Crazy, Wacky Theme Restaurants: Tokyo (think vampire waiters and cross-dressing maids). And I host TV shows on the subject of food, fashion and travel.

Bizarre Foods Tokyo w/ Andrew Zimmern

Ever since I was young, I’ve been collecting stamps on my passport. Now, I’m very fortunate to be able to fly around the world for work. (You may have seen me recently on Travel Channel, taking Andrew Zimmern of Bizarre Foods to a horror prison theme restaurant.)

Whenever I have a day off, you’ll find me browsing local Goth clothing stores and nightcrawling at EBM/industrial parties. So the aim of this column is to shine the spotlight on dark, alternative fashion in various parts of the world. What is Singapore’s Goth scene like? What do people wear to clubs in Berlin, or music festivals in Australia? Let’s globe-trot together and get the scoop… beginning with Osaka, Japan.

In May, I was in Osaka and lady luck was on my side… Black Veil (one of the longest-running and largest Goth events in Japan) was celebrating its 10th anniversary with an all night ball. Japanese Goth female fashion tends to be an alluring combination of spooky and cute. I saw decadent feathered eyelashes, gems around the eyes, and grandiose trailing headpieces.

The men cross-dressed flamboyantly, or wore ruffled shirts and top hats that would befit an undead Victorian aristocrat.

Neon wigs, subdermal implants, elaborate tattoos… Every avenue of alternative beauty is explored in the Osaka Goth nightlife.

Where else do dark ones congregate? Fu-ki, ex-vocalist of Visual Kei band BLOOD, opened a heavy metal bar called Midian in Osaka. (Address, directions and more photos are here.) On any given night, you’ll find spike-haired and pierced rockers headbanging to Black Sabbath, downing cocktails with names such as “Black Rose,” and scandalizing newcomers with boy-on-boy action.

The best place to shop for Goth/Lolita/Rock/Punk clothing is in the Shinsaibashi district, especially the Amerikamura area. (I’ve posted an Osaka Gothic Lolita shopping map here.) My favorite Japanese Gothic/Lolita brands have boutiques in this area, including Atelier Pierrot, Black Peace Now, and the indie designer Dangerous Nude. There’s always fashion inspiration to be found in “Triangle Park”; just take a seat and watch the Goth/Punk youths strut by.

I’m excited to bring more Global Gothic coverage to you every 4th Wednesday of the month. Please feel free to connect with me via Twitter and Facebook — I always love to hear from you. You can also see my Harajuku adventures, Goth outfits, silly Scottish Fold cat videos and more on my daily blog: www.lacarmina.com/blog

† Dark Wishes †
LA CARMINA