Johnny Cupcakes

I went to this HUGE toy shop.

Umm..

Whoa!

After the lecture, the school took us all out to dinner.

I had Takoyaki for the first time. Damn. One of the tastiest treats. Takoyaki is octopus balls. Well, not octopus testicles, but battered balls of goodness with octopus bits inside of it.

The owner of the restaurant gave us a bunch of free random goodies to try out.

This guy is awesome. I want to be like him when I grow up.

Afterward we walked around Osaka. It was probably one of my favorite areas in Japan.

We walked by this crazy place that looked as if it had swastikas all over the place. I guess it reads ‘Hitlers Cafe’ in Japanese. No it doesn’t. We thought it did though. It was a Buddhist temple. For those who don’t know, that swastika-looking symbol is called manji. It’s actually facing the opposite way and represents love and mercy. At first I thought we stumbled into the wrong side of the neighborhood.

Karaoki is everywhere. It might even be bigger than religion. Actually, it might even be a religion.

I learned: Smoking cigarettes inside restaurants and other establishments, is perfectly legal. Smoking outside is illegal and frowned upon. The few people who do, don’t throw their cigarettes on the ground because that’s littering and they take pride in their country, unlike some people in other countries. A lot of Japanese people carry around miniature pocket ashtray cases that they put their cigarettes out in. It’s also frowned upon to eat outside or while walking. Everyone is very kind, positive, well mannered, pays attention to little details, has a great work ethic, very family oriented, and super helpful (even to strangers). Japan makes me happy.

My first lecture in Japan was at the Vantan Design Institute in Osaka, Japan.

I thought that this idea was amazing. I guess Japanese people use this square-barcode on everything. They have barcode readers on their cell phones, so when they see a flyer or poster that peaks their interest, all they have to do is scan the bar code and all of the information loads in their cell phone. I’m not sure if this happens in America, but it’s huge here in Japan.

This character on the soda machine in the school is awesome!

I had an interview beforehand, with Senken newspaper. I think it’s like the WWD of Japan.

Last summer they did a nice feature on my Los Angeles shop.

I had to cut my lecture a little short because since I had a translator it made the lecture double in length. I also had to cut a bunch of my jokes out, because Japanese people don’t understand a lot of American humor. I still figured out how to get a bunch of laughs out of them. Thank you Mariko for being a wonderful translator + host!

I thought it was neat that there were a few people in the crowd with Johnny Cupcakes t-shirts on.

The school set up a workshop which immediately followed the lecture. Everyone was given an assignment. If Johnny Cupcakes were to open a shop in Japan, design/concept a poster that would best get peoples attention. There were a lot of great ideas!

The school supplied all the students and attendees with print outs. It was funny seeing Japanese people playing with enlarged versions of all of my close friends.
Ha!

Hello, I’m Mr. Cupcakes.

Thanks for helping out everyone! Even with the language barrier/translation – it was a success!

Bottled sweat! Yum.
Freddy Krugers daughter.

I like the animal comparisons. I wonder if the elephant ones, are just a box of kitchen trash bags. Also, do bald eagles even have wieners?

I thought this was interesting. There’s a place called the ‘Cat Room’ where people pay to get in and they can play with cats for ‘x’ amount of time.

Look what this American Apparel shirt is printed on.

y0!

Crazy Audi dealership architecture. This photo does no justice, esp since it’s all optical illusion-y.

I’m taller than this truck. I’m honestly thinking about importing one of these next year.

The calm before the store. This intersection is INSANE when the walking lights turn green. I’ll try to post a video in the future. I thought I was a goner for sure.

I ate a the restaurant that Quentin Tarantino used for inspiration for the huge restaraunt fight scene in in Kill Bill (I can’t wait for his new movie!). And speaking of Tarantino – expect a Johnny Cupcakes x Tarina Tarantino collaboration in the future.

About to go hit the streets with my friend Andie. This is both of our first times in Japan and we’re wanting to move here.

Time for more adventures! I shouldn’t be glued to my computer while here. Sayonara!

To consolidate space and to give the die hard Johnny Cupcakers something to munch on, I’ve created this fun work project. We’ve been rolling out a bunch of hidden treasures, last pressings, vintage JC shirts, collectors editions, and warehouse findings – on the Johnny Cupcakes eBay vault. All bids start at only .99 cents, so you might even be able to get a t-shirt for .99 cents if nobody else bids on it. Yes, you can use PayPal when winning your auction. And yes, we ship worldwide.

One of the bazillion things that my sister is working on with my brand, is helping with this eBay vault, and she’s doing a great job! Click here to see some of the latest items, as it’s updated weekly. And remember, it’s only the real deal if it’s from eBay seller: johnnycupcakesvault. Thanks sister – love ya!

Just got to Japan the other day. It’s unreal. I’m half asleep as I type this, so I’ll try to make it short(and comprehensive). My plain ride wasn’t bad at all. Maybe it’s because I can sleep on command?

Almost all of the cars here, have their side mirrors on the hood of the car instead of the normal spots.

The buses and taxis all have these cloth doilies on them.

Panasonic makes bicycles?!

I went to this crazy arcade and saw a prize-claw machine that was filled with containers of Ritz Crackers.

The Japanese/Sega version of Mickey Mouse.

In the arcade, I found this sign posted n the wall. It means don’t run off with strangers I guess? Looks kind of creepy.

I’ll post more photos soon. One of the two lectures I’m giving, is tomorrow. My translator and I are pretty much all set as far as prepping for the lecture.

Optimus Cupcake AutoBones will be available in stores and online this Wednesday (tomorrow). Get your oil changed and come on down!