BRAND AUCKLAND PRINT AD – JUNE 2009.
A copy driven advertisement for Brand Auckland – what do you love about Auckland?
Guest posts on my Japanese experiences for Melbourne blog This Is Weeny, thisisweeny.com, May 2009
“London, Paris, New York… Tokyo. You’ve seen the films, read the books, and you know you’re in love long before you arrive. I travelled to Japan in 2007 (gosh, has it been that long?) – and still the sweet scent of fresh green tea, the retina gouging lights of Shinjuku and the tranquil sounds at the Meiji Shrine haunt my thoughts. If you’re lucky enough to be visiting this mega metropolis, here are a few essential moments you can’t miss!
EXPLORE
- Let your ears down at Tokyo Disney. Embrace, snuggle, and feed your inner child so much sugar that it vomits. Or buy nothing, save a mouse pizza or two. Either way it’s brilliant! When it comes to rides, I particularly recommend Pooh’s Hunny Hunt. This attraction is psychedelic enough to begin with – but when you throw in hordes of Japanese schoolgirls shrieking in faux horror, it becomes truly trippy. Allow one full day for a Disney visit.
- Play dress ups. If you’re an anime addict, lolita luvvie, or a candy raver kid, costume shopping should be high on your list. However, browsers beware, costumes hanging in a window doth not make a costume shop! Do not do as I did, dragging my mild mannered English friend headlong into the filthiest sex store I’ve ever seen. An experience was had in any case; just make sure your companions are up for it before you charge inside.
- Go wild in toy town. Another must do for the eternally youthful is a trip to one of Tokyo’s iconic toy stores. I loved shopping at the Kiddyland flagship on Omotesando, Harajuku. Stocking both Japanese and international brands, you’ll find several floors of plush, adorable fun. Or perhaps you consider yourself to have a more grown up taste? Head to Nakano Broadway – the destination for vintage, retro and rare collectibles. From watches to the specialty Mandrake store, they have everything a refined geek desires.
- Become a face in the crowd. Watch people teeming across one of the world’s busiest intersections – the mesmerising Shibuya Crossing. You can’t miss it – it’s a scrambled junction of roads right at the doorstep of Shibuya Station. Buy a Frappe and take a perch on the second floor of the Starbucks – it’s a great vantage point.
- Make some new animal friends. Renowned for their appreciation of all things adorable, Tokyo citizens naturally only allow the sweetest faces to become their pets. Stopping in at a local pet store will have you begging for mercy – it’s real life cute overload!
FOOD
- Embrace the unknown. Going to a sushi train restaurant and realising there is no way you know what’s on top of that Nigirizushi. Fall into the abyss of chance and try whatever takes your fancy. At the end of your meal your smiling waiter may present you with an English-pictorial menu, but under no circumstances read it. Just leave, feeling smug about your curiosity and open-minded palate.
- Rock out in Harajuku. On Sundays, Yoyogi Park (the corner near Harajuku Station in particular), comes alive with all sorts of fabulous people. You will probably be lucky enough to see some FRUiTS characters, the Tokyo Rockabilly Club and various other personalities, sharing their talents with the world. There will be a few street food vendors lurking in the vicinity – so go buy a tray of tako yaki (a dough ball filled with octopus, onions, vegetables, ginger and garlic), find a seat and watch the action!
- Buy a can of nectar from one of the city’s army of vending machines. Apparently Japan has more vending machine per capita than any other county in the world, so one will never be too far away. Seek out the weirdest flavour available and whether it’s a green grape soda, or hot canned coffee, prepare for a truly Japanese taste sensation.
SHELTER
- Get a well-designed night’s sleep! The Claska Hotel in Meguro is the one place in Tokyo you have to stay at – if only for a night. It’s a small hike from the nearest metro station, but this boutique hotel is a wonderland worth making a journey for. Hotel amenities include a puppy day spa, a design bookstore, free electric bike hire, a local vintage shopping guide and a rooftop garden with a stunning view! Seriously, just go – how many reasons do you need?
- Tread the floors of a Ryokan. Ryokans are a type of traditional Japanese inn; this means you’re in for Tatami mats (straw floor coverings), shared bathrooms and slippered feet. Don’t be scared though, it’s a wonderful experience! Breakfast is usually included when you stay at a Ryokan, making it a cinch for you to try a proper Japanese breakfast. Miso soup and fish may seem strange so early in the morning, but I really encourage you to give it a taste…”
Guest post for inspirational lifestyle blog Yes and Yes, www.yesandyes.org, published April 2009.
“It’s been a little while since the excitement and glitter of the New Year – when everything was fresh and shiny. As the calendar marches on, it’s often easy to get stuck into a sort of grey mood, but here are some simple actions that will help revitalise you like a good cup of peppermint tea. Let’s just call them little everyday acts of fantastic!
With that, how about trying a different flavour of tea to your normal brew? Investigate exotic sounding delights like hibiscus and lemon, pink grapefruit or perhaps masala chai. Make a week of it, or even better have a tea tasting party with your friends. Coffee lovers do join in too – work your way around a continent of roasts. Taste South America or safari through Africa!
Dragging your feet? Depending on your current climes, opt in for some brazen stripy socks. If you’re in a sunnier locale, paint your toenails a rainbow of colours. Hell, why not do both? Alternately, make like an undercover agent by wearing bright, bold or plain ridiculous underwear! Secretly breaking uniform rules and incorporating a little bit of personality gives me untold joy.
Change your passwords (for your email or forum accounts etc.) to something mythical, delightful or just plain ridiculous. Think of them like itty-bitty magic spells! In my case it is my flat’s video store password, which is used to doubly make sure you’re not going to bring back High School Musical late on someone else’s dollar. Anyway, our password is so hideous we have to whisper it to the attendant in shame – but every time it results in raucous laughter. Mirth!
In a similar vein, make your ring tone jaunty – something you’ll be happy to hear, regardless of who’s calling. Definitely do not consider the embarrassment factor – if it’s embarrassing, think of the joy you’ll bring to your fellow man every time your phone goes off.
A good method that never fails to shake my world up is by giving myself seemingly random photography tasks. Take a nice long walk in your neighbourhood with a camera, while only taking photos of yellow things. Or make it your personal mission to snap a picture of every cat you see. Reframing every day subjects in a new context is as good as a brain massage – it helps you see the beauty in the details!
Last but not least, revisit your goals. Take the time to sit down and go over them, noting which ones you are now ready to take action on. How did you write them up? If they are wavering between inspiration and a tepid to-do list – why not rewrite or revision them? Try making a brilliant collage, or perhaps film a stern but loving video reminder to yourself of what you need to do.
There you go, 7 small but brilliant injections of fantastic. Give them a go! What else do you do to light up your day in tiny easy ways?”
“Recently I traveled around the UK with Alt Albion, sniffing out all that is culturally cool about England, Scotland and Wales. One of the most exciting things I encountered was the emerging fashion community in London – a personal, expressive approach to design.
Loulou Androlia is part of this new wave of young avant-garde London designers putting their stamp on the fashion world. She is the genius behind LouLou Loves You, a range of beautiful luxury lingerie and dashing accessories. I caught up with Loulou on her thoughts regarding inspiration, London, people watching and collaborations.”
Click here to read my interview with Loulou for FashionNZ!
Photo by Katie Coleslaw.
In February 2009 I traveled around the UK, on tour with Alt Albion. It was a trip to remember – and write home about!
“Welcome aboard the Alt Albion UK tour. You’ll be traveling to the heart of creative Britain, with unfiltered access to the underground, the world-famous and the undiscovered.
Forget about stuffy church tours and touristy cheese. You want to hang out with composers, chill with artists, climb mountains, drink in local pubs, discover new bands and shoot the breeze with fashion designers.
Your “tour guides” on this adventure are culture vultures in their own right. A miscellany of savvy individuals chosen for their authentic voice and their ability to seek out the stories at every pit stop of our journey. The poor buggers will be working hard for their dinner.”
A selection of pieces I wrote while on the road:
It is apt I am editing this interview here, sitting in a Bloomsbury hotel room after a hard day’s exploration. This is photographer Sarah McLean’s stomping ground – the city of London. In the years, before physically arriving here, it has been through her work I have gotten to know this place and have developed an appreciation for the details.
A lovely, inspirational interview with photographer Sarah McLean, posted on Code For Something.
I just wrote a short piece on branding – telling Authentic Stories over at Code For Something. Weaving Jamie Oliver and Jack White into the same article is pretty hardcore, so check it out!
Here’s a selection of the best articles posted over at CODE FOR SOMETHING recently. It’s bubbling away quite nicely, I recommend you check these out. You might just discover something useful and inspiring!
Hints and tips for aspiring (copy)writers. These are my favourite little snippets from my notebook, collected over the years. I thought I would share – hopefully they are of some use to you!
- Show people, seek opinions. If your creative director thinks it’s bad but 10 of your friends think its genuinely good, trust them. Who were you trying to talk to anyway?
- Connection is what tone of voice is about. You are the connection between the brand and the consumers.
- Look around before you write. What else is happening out there?
- Once you have looked around, write with your eyes – observe, ask what, ask why!
- Find a tone of voice anchored in a truth. You can handle the truth, so get to the core.
- Brands need to develop a consistent tone over time.
- Write about stuff that you know. Thankfully you can also learn about things.
- You don’t have to be Oscar Wilde to be a writer, you just have to articulate emotion. If you garner emotional involvement, you’re half way there.- Try writing to a specific person, not a glob of demographic.
- If writing is hurting, write it down once, in full wrong. Then it’s down and you can edit, edit, edit.
- Utilise the gossip factor – what’s the one thing you’d tell people if you could only say one sentence?
- Are you executing your idea in a way that does it justice? Don’t let the execution let down the idea. Separating the average from the great is execution. Remember this, ALWAYS.
Code For Something is my new baby, a fashion/style/cool things blog – “thoughts regarding culture and style”. I write in here when it takes my fancy (which is a lot more than I do here)! Lots of other people seem to think it’s cool too. Go check it out my sweets!
In case you hadn’t seen this already, a wee video I worked on by Auckland band The Baby Giant. They are a nice folksy-pastoral-rock band. Starring Lucy, the sweetest pooch in the world.
For more information, to commission freelance work or obtain a copy of my CV, email me at hello@amberparkin.com
For your daily dose of style, design, culture and music visit Code For Something.
