Tokyo is not Japan. We have been said this so many times, as if all the capitals of the world were not special, existing by themselves while embodying the whole country at the same time. Capitals are a world apart, and maybe, it's true, Tokyo especially differs from the rest of the Japan because of its international airport, because of its cosmopolitan population, because of its business-oriented lifestyle. But... surprise ! Two hours by Shinkansen later, you are in Kobe, more international, cosmopolitan and business-oriented than Tokyo. And a few kilometers away, you enter Kyoto, the old capital, which is paradoxically the symbole of "true", "deep" and "before-the-gaijin-forced-us-to-open-up-to-the-world-and-brought-us-plegs-such-as-imperialistic-desire-and-war-and-loss-of-bushido" Japanese thinking. Do the capitals have to die to represent correctly the national spirit, finally ?...

Whatever the answer, here are the faces of us, ETP guys, playing around in Kansai.

Through the typhun, bright colours remained eye-catching. Kobe and Kyoto are full of colors, so does Felissimo, the direct marketing and mailing company that we visited in Hyogo last week.
Dedicated to my mummy, addicted to natural chromotherapy...

KOBE COLORS
Bright colors for the trendy international city

FUSHIA

Kobe Bay from my hotel room

NEON

Kobe Bay

RED

Kobe Tower

GOLD

Hotel Sky lounge

TURQUOISE BLUE

Kobe Concert Hall

MAUVE

Kobe Bridge

INDIGO

Sexy Melon Cocktail


KYOTO COLORS
Season colors for the honorable old capital

PUMPKIN ORANGE

Maiko-san dance

SLATE GREY

Geikkekan Sake Factory

WOOD BROWN

Geikkekan Sake Factory

TRANSPARENT

Geikkekan Sake Factory


FELISSIMO RAINBOW


Felissimo Blue


Felissimo Green


Felissimo Pink


Felissimo Yellow


Felissimo Orange


Felissimo White


Felissimo Rainbow


Felissimo Rainbow

I am afraid that I am purikura-addict. The following samples are just a small part of my collection.

The word "purikura" comes from "print-colors" and it is used to talk about the little photos you can take with your friends in Japan. It costs 400 yen (around 2,90 euros), you can choose the size and the number and share it with friends using the sissors available in any good purikura-hall. Usually the photo-cabins are gathered in a narrow, over-lighted and over-filled with loud J-pop music place forbidden to boys if they come without girls - it's unfare, but that's the rule.
In the cabin, you can stand with 4 persons. A girly voice encourages you to make funny faces in front of the camera and you have to hurry up adjusting your image in the frame because each shooting takes 5 seconds only. The more numerous you are, the more expert in time-management you need to be. For each pic, you can choose a background (once again, in the limit of 15 seconds for 4 or 5 shoots) and after the shooting you go behind the cabin to ad messages, symbols, drawing or whatever you want on your pics. It's printed very quicky and you can enter your mobile adress to receive it on your phone for free.

It is so funny to do that you can't imagine until you experience it. And the magic of purikura is : your skin always looks gorgeous, your eyes are amazing - the picture of dream that automatically makes you beautiful. I can't believe that it doesn't exist in France...

Happy New Year　- Heureuse année 2009 - 新年あけましておめでとうございます

Djeff color's 2009
envoyé par dekalko