We were planning an excursion to one of the more famous onsens in Gunma, however, a last minute cancellation occurred when the resort came down with a few cases of food poisoning. That was disappointing, but we made the most of it by getting naked regardless.

Bonding is not officially bonding until you share a small jacuzzi sized tub with 4-5 coworkers, full buck. The snow was falling while we were in the rotenburo , which set a movie-like backdrop for the night. The night finished with a feast of all feasts, with Asahis and $100 bottles of sake consumed like water. Needless to say, I was one of the first ones rolled up in my futon and didn’t hodai with the rest of them

Pictures include our stay at our onsen and Toy and Car Museum of Gunma. The museum was wild on it’s on. It was our ‘snowy weather plans,’ but it turned out to be the right mix of nostalgia and nightmares. I got to see some of the toys I remember playing with as a child and met some dolls I will only get reacquainted with in my sleep.

All in all a great way to see the other teachers off.

Nikon FM3a and Mamiya RZ67

This London based English rock crew first caught my attention a few years ago when I saw them do a Take Away show with La Blogotheque. I didn’t download any of their many albums at the time, but their latest album, Long Black Cars, is definitely worth a listen. I didn’t think I would be bobbing my head to a minimal hi-hat, cowbell, and guitar solo section that felt simple, but interestingly left a lasting impression. If you love UK rock, or any of the Moshi Moshi artists, I’m sure The Wave Pictures will find a place in your playlist.

Eskimo Kiss

Spaghetti

On the first night, after a relaxing onsen and seemingly endless Kaiseki (Japanese multi-course dinner), we went to Tobu World Square. This small attraction park replicates major World Heritage sites from around the world into 1:25 scale models. Though it was virtually uninhabited, it was illuminated and intricate enough to keep my attention.

The next day, we left our beautiful bathhouse resort and went for another short hike in the town over. I really enjoyed the area and the pictures came out better than I thought.

Nikon FM3a and Mamiya RZ67

My buddy Tim sent me this album, Lost Ones, and I can’t really stop listening to it. It’s really what chillwave should be. Though it’s made by one guy, Justin Morales, it’s diverse in synth and guitar. I can almost feel the California sun radiating through the unique combination of fx and layers. The best part about it is that it’s offered to you for free on bandcamp, so show him some support. It’s rare to see this much emotion in a first album.

Get it here:Bandcamp

laura

swells

Destination of choice for me and my girlfriend was Kinugawa Onsen. The city and station name has the word ‘onsen’ in it, so you know they take this ish seriously. This hot spring resort town is located in Tochigi prefecture, right above Nikko. The town is named after the Angry Demon (Oni) River that flows through it.

Here are some photos I took of our trip ( I think this post might be two/three parts)

Nikon FM3a- Kodak Gold 400/ Portra 800, Mamiya RZ67

Next up: Tobu World Square and more Hiking!

Beach House is the biz. This album doesn’t really bring anything new to the table, but I think that’s just what I like about it. It’s a CD you just play a few times through, and soon enough you’re humming every note in the song. If you like Beach House, you will be glad to hear ten new gems by them. Enjoy.

Myth

The Hours

Shots taken with Nikon FM3a//Kodak Gold and Portra 800 & Mamiya RZ67 Portra 400 220

What a beautiful album of the chillwave variety. There are many times where chillwave falls short musically. The artist concentrates on the filters and fx before getting a proper musicality. Mike Diaz definitely knows his musical palette and rhythm of the genre. Been on repeat.

04 On & On

11 Sentimental

Leica CL

Henry Laufer a.k.a. Shlohmo, hails from LA, repping the wedditcollective. His wobbly (sub-)100 BPM songs are glittered with a lo-fi air and layered with his own personal field recordings. You can tell he heavily embraced the Low End Theory movement and made it his own. Though this is only a 3 song EP, it’s been on repeat with some other remixes he’s done. Their collective put outs a lot of free mixes, so please check their site and support accordingly.

The Way U Do

I didn’t take too many photos, but at least I got one keeper.

Leica CL and Mamiya RZ67. Negatives were self scanned with a Canonscan 9900F.

So we ended up waiting for a few hours in traffic because a helicopter landed on the road to help someone with a medical situation (I’m guessing). The heli ended up having some engine problems, so they brought another one in. Just ended up taking poorly lit pictures for a long time. Good fun.

So, I know you all love the late and great Nujabes. He was an amazing producer with some of the best emotion in sound that I’ve ever heard. I recently was introduced to his partner in crime, Uyama Hiroto, who’s also on Hydeout records. He’s just as jazzy, smooth, and passionate. Though this album came out almost four years ago, I think it’s worth a few spins. Hopefully this is the first step in effort to bring you more awesome Japanese musicians

Vision Eyes (Feat. Golden Boy)

Fly Love Song Featuring Pase Rock