"I Heart Japan" Japan Disaster Relief Fundraising Event!

The hard-working & beautiful organizer Mariko Kanto and always fun & sexy fashion by Dawnamatrix, this event was a big hit!!
Here is a picture of my dear friend gorgeous Dawn and me, making heart shapes for the photographer, Wei Ye :D

(Photo by Wei Ye)

This is the first time to meet Leo Anthony and Jane from the media group called Asian Boston! Leo is the founder ;D It was a big pleasure meeting you two! ;)))

(Photo by Wei Ye)

I am smiling BIG in this picture because the lady behind me said, "You are SO HOT!!", which made me smile huge! ;D I said to her, "Thank YOUUUU!!" I looove when ladies give me compliments!! :D

(Photo by Raquel Goncalves)

This place Splash Ultra Lounge was really awesome! There is a pool with cool blue lighting and this deck you see in the above picture outside with tables and chairs! You can feel summer breeze and have a romantic night here ;D

As always, working with Dawn and Mariko was lots of fun! Thank YOU sooo much for having me there!! It was a wonderful & meaningful event!! ;)))

"Belief" by Bill Downey!

The super talented photographer/artist Bill Downey produced this amazing image!! Please click to see a bigger version of the image :D

(photo: Bill Downey, hair: Brandon Welti, make-up: Mihoko Hakata)

It all started when Bill decided to support Japan by donating a piece to the benefit party called "Art for Japan," which is happening on May 6th. I submitted my pictures right away when I saw his posting asking for a model for this meaningful project. I wanted to support Japan in any possible ways. We talked on the phone and I just felt so comfortable with his great energy :D

Arrived at Bill's house. He even chose a Japanese radio station for me, so that I can feel at home, which he succeeded in doing :) He has a living space on the first floor, the second floor is a photo studio and the third floor space is for make-up and hair. What a great set-up! 

After a long creative conversation with Bill, he wanted us to re-create the hair and the make-up we did for I Heart Japan gallery show. Here are pictures of Brandon painting on my hair after he amazingly stood my hair up in the bathroom!

Brandon likes this picture of himself :P He looks very dedicated! 

And me working on my eye make-up. I love the red accents in this picture which Bill captured:

I didn't imagine doing a geisha make-up, which is my first time, and wearing a kimono, far away from home, in the United States! Thank YOU, genius Ben, for choosing this white face paint for me! ;D

I felt very close to my origin yet at the same time far away from my origin. I felt close because I could feel all the steps women had to go through to dress up, and I felt far because this was my first time to try it even though I am from Japan. Thank You So Much, Bill, for taking these pictures! They look like from a movie scene!

Here, I am getting directions from Bill. He is so wonderful to work with!! He has a cristal-clear vision, gives you precise directions, and says "You are doing great jobs!" which I love to hear ;P

Bill chose a black kimono, which is I rented from my sweet friend Dawn, thank YOU Dawn!!, because he wanted to focus on my facial expression.

The most challenging parts of this shooting was that Bill wanted to capture my emotions, such as sadness, hope, strength, thinking of my parents, even crying...! Oh my, I felt like an actress! This is very challenging because I felt like I am emotionally naked which is more difficult than physically naked.
These days, when I think of my parents and friends in Japan or read newspaper articles of Japan, I start crying so this shouldn't be so difficult for me but in front of camera, you feel a pressure! As you know, my neutral face is smiling, so this was a new level for me! I was happy he didn't choose a picture of me crying for the final version though :P

For the final image, he placed the Japanese sun-ray next to my energetic sun-ray hairstyle. What a great idea! Also, if you click the image to enlarge, you will notice the Japanese character "信念" on the bottom right, which means "Belief" in Japanese. The word and my facial expression work together perfectly!!

Thank You Sooo Much for this amazing evening, Bill!! I am very happy to have met you! :D

It was such a creative, emotional and meaningful project to me. I am really honored to be a part of this project...!

We finished our super fun preparation & photoshoot at midnight, which I couldn't believe it's been 6 hours since we arrived!! Time just flew by super fast!

Before leaving his house, Bill gave me a gorgeous white rose with sweet aroma (in this picture it looks pink, maybe she was blushed because I was taking many pictures of her!).
He said, he gives a flower to every model after a photoshoot. What a sensitive sweet man he is! :D Look, this flower has miracle twin babies!! ;D

Here is the poster for "Art for Japan" party!

Even though I was too late to submit my own artwork, (they quickly received 50 artworks and now it's full), I am so thrilled to be a part of the event!! Please stop by if you are free on Friday, May 6th, 6-9 pm :D

"I Heart Japan" Japan Disaster Relief Fundraising Event Poster

My picture above was chosen for the poster for "I Heart Japan" event happening at Splash Ultra Lounge on May 12th! I will be in the fashion show by Dawnamatrix so you are around May 12th, please stop by! 

Thank you so much for choosing this picture & posting it in your website, Mariko Kanto, and thank you for designing this poster, Ben!  I am so honored to be a part of this fundraising event and will continue searching for any opportunities to support Japan, the country I love :D 

"I Heart Japan" Tee by Dawnamatrix!

I am praying for everyone's happiness & health in Japan every day..... 

(I made this picture whiter because that suits my feeling...)

My dear sweet friend Dawn made "I Heart Japan" Tee to raise money for Japan! The character "日本" on the t-shirts is read either "Nippon" or "Nihon," which means Japan.
Thank you so much, Dawn, for supporting Japan. She had lived in Japan to study Kimono designs for 3 years so has a special feeling for Japan. She can speak Japanese very well too! Sasuga Dawn!! ;D

(Ben, Dawn, Mihoko and Brandon :D)

You can purchase Dawn's "I Heart Japan" Tee at here! 

This fundraising fashion show & art show took place at Hancock 309 Gallery! Huge applause goes to the beautiful gallery owner Valerie Owen and the gorgeous organizer Mariko Kanto! It was such a powerful event! :D
Dawn's "I Heart Japan" Tee Rocks!!

For this fashion show, Brandon wanted to create my hair like Japanese sun rays to echo with Dawn's sun-rays-heart on the t-shirts. My hair was up with the same product Got2b Glued we used for the mohawk you already saw in the previous post, and painted by red and silver face paint to create the sun rays feeling. 

I created red graphic shapes near corners of my eyes to depicts eye-drops & sun-rays = hope...!!

Mariko-san & Dawn gave me a nickname for the night, "Amaterasu Oomikami (天照大御神：あまてらすおおみかみ)," Sun Goddess! Arigatoooo! :D

Thank YOU so much for taking many pictures, Brandon, as always!! ;D

And! Looove YOU TWO!!! :D (Do I say this too often?! but true!) Thank YOU sooo much for having me at this meaningful event... Check out Dawn's gorgeous sexy latex clothing at Dawnamatrix, and Ben's super cool industrial designs! :D

Harvard Loves Japan!

There will be charity events in Harvard all week from March 21st to 25th. Sasuga Harvard! Thank You So Much, the Fabulous President Drew Faust and all the people who made this happen!! Big Respect & Appreciation :D

Let's Send Our Love & Care to Japan

I deeply appreciate all your messages from all over the world... thank you so much for asking about my parents, families, and friends. They are all fine in Japan, which was such a relief when finally I could confirm that they are all okay.
The above picture "Prayer" was taken in New York City by my wonderful friend, a talented photographer, Takami Shimura. I posted here because it depicts my current feeling beautifully. Praying for Japan...

Even though my loved ones are all alright, as you know we lost so many people in Sendai because of this magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami... and still many people are missing and suffering there. Unfortunately this hasn't ended yet, still many earthquakes are happening all over Japan and the radiation from the exploded nuclear power plant in Fukushima has been carried over even to Tokyo. In Tokyo, food is running out in many stores and in many cities planned blackouts are taking places to save energy. I am now concerned if Mt. Fuji will explode stimulated by these continuous earthquakes. I am praying everyday that will not happen.

But worrying & crying doesn't solve anything. We can do now, is to send them positive energy, wish their happiness and health, and send them donation. It will take a while to build the city again so this feeling we have now should be carried on. Please donate Your Love & Care to American Red Cross (in English, click links above or here) or to Japanese Red Cross Society 日本赤十字社(in Japanese, 寄付はこちらから)

All the profits from my store at Zazzle goes to Japanese Red Cross Society to heal Japan. Also, if you are interested in purchasing any of my artworks, please let me know. I will donate all the profits to Japanese Red Cross Society as well.

I hope this incident will encourage all the countries to focus on renewable energy, solar, wind and hydro, instead of nuclear power and coal power plant which has been killing so many people all over the world.

Feeling so many people's love and care... I am forever grateful.

Love & Hope,
Mihoko

Priceless...!!!

Thank you, Thank You, THANK YOUUUU~!!! Priceless time with my sweet families, relatives and friends!! I had such a fun time in Japan and miss them already! ほんとにすっごく楽しかったよ、みんなありがとう！！！

My Aogaku friends! (Some of them I met for the first time at the party but didn't feel that way at all!!) Yoshimi, thank you sooo much for organizing such a fun party with deliciously healthy food & drinks! Yes, there is Santa!! This was Christmas time! ;D Sorry for my super duper late post :P

Here is Richard Basso, the most charismatic teacher I know, in every season outfit he wears (all season no sleeve!!) :D He is the one who taught me about John Lennon & Yoko Ono, Native Indian spirits, how amazing Mother Nature is, our life is... :D
I was soooo happy and thrilled to meet him again after many years!!! Both of us wearing hot pink bracelet :P but the one he has is more useful, it's a wrist wallet! ;D I LOVE YOU, Richaarrrd!!

My Kamako (Kamakura high school) friends!! I haven't seen them for many years but people don't change sometimes, we all have the same spirits! We say in Japanese, "Mitsugo no tamashii hyaku made 三つ子の魂百まで (The spirits of 3 years old last until 100 years old)."

Arigatoooo Makinu-chan for taking us to such a cool spot, Lounge Cafe 1LDK in Fujisawa! It became my favorite cafe in Japan!! This place is kind of hidden, so you have to know how to get there! "1LDK" means 1 Living, Dining and Kitchen, which we use to describe apartments space in Japan. They beautifully renovated such a small space with modern designs :D 

Enjoy their sophisticated delicious food, drinks and dessert! This is Creme Brulee icecrem, first time to have this in my life! Yummm... the sweetness will melt in your mouth... cherish every bite...!

Aya-chan's beautiful hands ;D and perfectly bitter coffee for me! ;)))

Love their utensils...! May I take them home?? :P

So many fun circles... It was like having cafe time in NYC MoMA store! ;D

Ready to leave? How about bathroom? Very welcoming artistic bathroom sign ;)

And finally their cool logo ;D Love it!!

Having not been back to Japan for 4 years made me realized I love Japanese designs, food (even their junk food is healthy!), their "Customers are Gods" service, perfect organization, their environmentally conscious minds, how much I missed my friends and families! Sounds boring, too common, but for me this was an eye-opening feeling. It was almost similar to looking through traveller's eyes. Everything was fresh to me and I could see more good sides of Japan. Sometimes good to step back and see whatever you are looking at. Then you will realize your new perspectives :)

Somehow moody photo of pretty Noriko and me! No filter was used! :P Just seeing the way she speaks makes you love her! :D We found this cool lounge bar/restaurant in Atre Shinagawa, guess what it is called, it is "New York Grand Kitchen"! I guess I Love New York too!! :P

Here is motherly sweet Asuka, her fabulous mama, a very well-behaved beautiful daughter Kanade-chan and sweet son Hitoshi-kun (not in this picture)! :D Asuka is the one said I should change my nickname from Mitan みーたん to Mihoko みほこ when I was 20 years old because I am an adult. So the people I met after her usually call me Mihoko みほこ :P But you can call me Mitan みーたん since I still have the 3 years old spirits ;P

Here is my super-sweet friend Miroku! She is a gorgeous & smart lady and currently looking for a cool boyfriend! wink wink ;D She is a flight attendant for Skymark airline and we are excited for them to have international routes to New York, Paris, London, Frankfurt in the very near future! Woohooo! 

I was so happy we could spend more time together, Miro!! Can't wait seeing you in Boston!!! 

I had dindin with my mother's friend, Yoriko, and her daughter Mariko and my mother! It was like a fun sister time!! :D This cute Mari-chan is looking for a sweet boyfriend now as well! ;))) 

"Yuuri-chan, look at the cameraaaa!" ;D Here are pretty Aishu, her cute daughter Yuuri-chan & sweet Kacchan! :D Thank YOU sooo much for delicious gorgeous lunch, Aishu!! You are a super mom!!! The fun time just flew by so fast. I could have stayed and played with you guys foreverrrr ;)))

Thanks to Tano-kun, I could attended an annual gathering of my elementary school and junior school classmates! That was a fun surprise!! Okay, this time many people have been changed!!

It was so great meeting you again sweet Rie--chan! Thank you so much for introducing Marcia to me! I met Rie-chan at the School of Visual Arts in New York City and now she is enjoying living in Japan, being a graphic designer :D Marcia is working on Half Japanese project - a dialogue about being in between two cultures. It sounds very intriguing. Check out her website! I am not half, 200% pure Japanese, but I know the feeling of not fitting in, feeling like an alien :P I guess it was more about how my parents raised me?! ;D I really love to attend one of her events next time I am in Japan!

AND!! Yes, you know him! My mentor Mako Nagasawa ;D Whenever I meet him, I don't feel like we haven't seen each other for a while! It's like, yeah, we met yesterday too, and see you tomorrow! ;P

Do we look alike? ;))) This hat I am wearing I accidentally kept wearing after we went to the most delicious Ramen place near his house, then at the station, see you sooooon, love youuuuu, then I forgot about the hat and kept wearing it! Sorry Mako but Thank YOU for keeping me warm always!! ;D

Finally, let me thank you to ALL of My Super Precious Friends even whom we didn't take photo with (how did we forget?! but the sweet memory is all in our minds :D) and whom we couldn't get together this time with (gomen ne, but definitely next time ne!!!!). 

You know I am talking to youuuu!! I Really LOVE YOU!!! :D

Happy Amazingly Fantastic New Year 2011 ;D

This winter holiday I was in Japan!! :D Happy super-belated first new year post here!! :P
The beautiful New Year's decoration "Okazari" my mother put on our door says "Welcoming spring" ;D

For 2011...

人のためになることを見つける、人に与えること

Find something helpful to people, giving back to people

感謝と敬いの気持ちを忘れない

Remember to appreciate & respect

期待の気持ちを持たないこと

No expectations

何事もやってみる！

Try everything!

物事を延期ばかりしない

Do not postpone things-to-do

何でもポジティブな面を探してみる

Find positive sides of everything

空を見上げてみる

Look up the sky

鳥たちが楽しそうに飛んでいる

Birds are flying joyfully

微笑む

Smile

心でも微笑んでみる

Smile in your heart

深い深呼吸...　息をすって...はいて...

Breathe in... breathe out.....

愛情いっぱい！

Full of LOVE!

My mother's "Ozouni" is the best!! :D I can have this everyday!!! 

The magical ingredients are mochi (Japanese rice cake), carrots, shiitake mushroom, daikon (Japanese radish), shungiku (garden chrysanthemum), satoimo (Japanese taro), yuzu skin on top which has super refreshing aroma, and of course my mother's amazing "LOVE" to make every dish deliciosoooo....!