For some reason, I've decided to resume live programming on TalkShoe with Calling Tokyo Calling. Episodes have been done on each of the past three evenings - with varying degrees of success. I intend to continue this effort for the foreseeable future.

The point is that I've found an idea and avenue of expression that I'd like to further explore. This experiment offers a chance to try out some new techniques and develop some new skills. Also, it provides an opportunity for interested Tokyo Calling listeners to talk to me. It even might be a way to attract new listeners. But to quote the old SNL, it's "not ready for prime time."

CTC is still a work in progress. I don't intend to add TalkShoe recordings to the current Tokyo Calling feeds, though I might add a CTC feed to the blog in the future - if there is any interest. There might very well be occasions when excerpts from a live recording find there way into a Tokyo Calling podcast.

The reason for this post is to let you know what's going on. It would be great to talk to any listeners who care to join in. The best way stay abreast of future CTC episodes is to follow me on twitter, or to request to be notified by email. Send me an email if interested in the second option.

I walk under this section of the Sobu and Chuo lines at least twice a week . The name of the station and surrounding area is Suidobashi. Located in the Kanda district of Chiyoda Ward, it is a lively and boisterous neighborhood. Beyond the tracks, standing at full attention, slightly left of center is the 43 story Tokyo Dome Hotel. I was surprised and delighted to find this photo of an area I know so well in the Tokyo section of the 360 Cities Virtual Reality Project.

The 360 Cities project makes use of Apple’s Quicktime VR and claims to be “the worlds fastest growing Virtual Reality network.” The site name would seem to suggest that panorama views of 360 cities around the world are on offer. But on closer examination, that claim becomes dubious. The photos are arranged sensibly by continent. North America and Asia feature seven and eight cities, respectively; Africa and South America each get one slot; Marshall Islands is the only “city” listed for Australia; while the remaining 25 cities are from Europe. That's far from a balanced representation. And the number of cities does not come close to 360.

But I'm not going to throw this site under the bus merely for a little over exuberance among the copywriters. Clearly 360 refers to degrees depicted in the photos. I, for one, happen to savor each and every one of those degrees while moving through these ever amusing panorama shots. It's kinda like crawling around in a little glass bubble. Though they only feature 43 cities, the site boasts that more than 5000 photos can be seen.

The Tokyo section alone has nearly 500 pictures. Some of them are quite stunning. I particularly like this photo of people standing under the cherry blossoms at Koshikawa Korakuen Koen. It seems as though panorama photos are continually being added to the Tokyo section, some as recently as last weekend.

I recently learned about a mysterious journey to Tokyo taken by a small group of American women in mid-January 2008. In Deedlelu’s LiveJournal travelog one can see four gals dining, shopping and sight-seeing around town. What makes this photo-scrapbook more than just another LiveJournal photo-scrapbook is the elaborate Lolita fashion-wear worn by her and her companions: Swdpunk, pawteegal, and maetel9.

For some reason, I find their trip to be most intriguing. Why would four young women go to such effort and expense to travel so far to go sight seeing in such conspicuous garb? Judging from their expressions in the photos, they certainly seemed to be having a grand time. Maybe that’s all it’s about.

Maybe it was all just about a group of gals wanting to have some hard earned fun while realizing a dream in true Lolita spirit. That spirit perhaps finds best expression in the Brand Concept Statement of Lolita Fashion marketer Angelic Pretty:

Angelic Pretty provides adorable clothing covered in lace, frills and ribbons like that (sic) of the fairytale princess you dreamed about as a little girl. We want girls to never lose sight of that dream. And this is a brand for girls who want to keep that dream alive (emphasis mine).

Regardless, the photos and text in Deedlelu’s travelog provide an insightful, informative and entertaining take on getting around in Tokyo. They even managed to transform a potentially harrowing experience with the notorious "Free Huggers" into a smile-filled photo-op.

A quick scan of the five-page-long comment section that accompanies the travelog, shows that many people are interested in the adventures of this small band of travelers' quest to “keep that dream alive.”

Note: In looking through the LiveJournal pages of her companions, it becomes clear that there is more to this than meets the eye. They are up to something, and it looks as if we will learn more in mid-March. I’ll be paying attention. Will you?

Let's not mince words, plenty of folks have discovered Tokyo Calling whilst on a quest for knowledge and information about anime, manga, cosplay, and general otaku shenanigans. For many, these facets of Japanese culture hold great allure. Being of the geezer generation, such matters are beyond my comprehension.

Only seldom have these segments of pop-culture entered the narrative. When the narrative has turned in that direction, it's only been obscurely and tangentially. Every time I've tried to broach these topics, my lack of knowledge has wound up serving no one and further diminishing my already flagging "street-cred."

So, it is with undisguised glee that I share my recent discovery of Akibanana. For seekers of knowledge and lore related to matters of anime, manga, otaku and collector culture who might happen upon these humble pages, Akibanana has what you're looking for. Akibanana's team of Tokyo-based bilingual content creators are trying to build a community for those like-minded souls looking for a cyber-home.

Go ahead and give 'em a visit, you won't be disappointed.

The picture above of a happy tweaker in Akihabara is part of series of interactive panorama photos by Nancy Donaldson and Ben de la Cruz recently published on the Washington Post website. They are part of a larger interactive series from the Post entitled Tokyo Stories.

I'm a sucker for these gimmick shots. Seeing familiar scenes in this format is an amusing diversion.

Hat Tip to the Mellow Monk