son of soy » Style

Haisha art house project

Rick — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 19:30:45 +0000

In one of the spaces inside the house, designed by Shinro Ohtake, a statue of liberty rises through two floors and into the roof beams. The building feels like an old house dreaming it’s a gallery.

Haisha art house project

Rick — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 19:27:30 +0000

Self-portrait of Mari and Rick in a mirror at the Haisha art house project by Shinro Ohtake, one of several installations on Naoshima that combine contemporary art with traditional local architecture. The mirror is etched with the brand name “Miyoshi Lemon.”

Jikatabi

Rick — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 02:01:54 +0000

Jikatabi, canvas split-toed, rubber-soled shoes, have traditionally been worn as work shoes — in construction or gardening, for example. This hand-sewn purple pair I got recently from SOU SOU are one of their more conservative designs. Check out the exuberant patterns and wonderfully odd jikatabi sneakers at SOU SOU’s net store and in this article at PingMag.

Hitawari-sai Firewalk 3

Rick — Sun, 05 Aug 2007 08:46:26 +0000

Spectators, many of whom will later become participants, watch the ceremony from above.

¥2300 Haircut

Rick Elizaga — Mon, 28 Jun 2004 19:13:12 +0000

Mari and I finally found time yesterday to get me a haircut. I have a simple cut, but it had been almost two months since the last one, and each day I got shaggier and more kakko warui.

I had a place nearby in mind — a small barbershop within walking distance on Shirakawa-dori. It seemed no-nonsense, unstyled, hopefully inexpensive.

We waded through the thick Sunday afternoon and found the spinning red, white and blue pole. Inside the shop the air was cooler, and the feeling was very “barbershop.” Aqua-colored vinyl padded bench, tiled floor in the cutting area, rectangular bottles of aftershave, a radio in one corner, manga in the other, and a light hair tonic smell in the air. The owner, a compact grey-haired man, said a cut would cost ¥2300, about $22.

I took out my Powerbook, opened iPhoto and showed him some photos of myself with short hair. Mari translated some of the details, like how I have huge gaps between the tops of my ears and my hairline that I’d like to stay covered.

He used scissors, a comb, and a straight razor for the sideburns and neck.
The short hair is much more comfortable in the humidity, and I feel lighter, restored, relieved. Mari says I look like a cooler guy than before.

Haircut. Please.

Rick Elizaga — Sat, 26 Jun 2004 19:03:46 +0000

This morning when Mari realized how my hair looked, she started laughing and saying, “hidoi! (terrible!)” Isn’t that so. A combination of too long and balding.

My hair’s usual length is half-an-inch. I’ve saved hundreds of dollars over the past 4 years by cutting it myself. I didn’t bring my clippers to Japan because I ran out of space in my luggage.

I’ve been shy about going out for a cut because of the language gap. Mari heard about a $10 place where I can bring a photo, but we haven’t had a chance to go there yet. The other day she met a freelance haircutter who said she could come to our house and do both of us. It rained on the scheduled day, so the freelancer had to cancel, and now she’s travelling.

Add to my to-do list under “important.”