Uniqlo’s U.S. Expansion

[Flickr/Ricecake That!]

It’s been confirmed by Women’s Wear Daily – Fast Retailing (the parent company behind Uniqlo) announced during the National Retail Federation’s convention and expo that the Japanese clothing brand will be opening more U.S. stores  and taking it’s business online. W00t! W00t!

Let’s hope that one of these new brick-and-mortar locations includes San Fransisco – I can see the store fitting nicely in Union Square or even next to the New People mall in Japantown. But if they skip over us Bay Area peeps, at least, we’ll be able to shop online.

Filed under: Breaking News, Fashion, Retail, Fashion, Japan, Retail, San Francisco Bay Area, Uniqlo, Web Site

Mochi Studios: Uber Cute Alert!

[Flickr/Ritapizza]

In honor of Black Friday – AKA national shopping day for crazy Americans who enjoy camping out in front of stores after eating their turkey dinners - I’m writing a five-part series dedicated to the cute stuff made by Asian/Asian American crafters that would make awesome gifts.

To kick off this series, this post is dedicated to my dear friend, Rita of Mochi Studios. I don’t know how she does it, but she comes up with the cutest plush (not to mention, green) toys. Case in point: check out the eco-friendly felt rice babies (e.g., they’re made from recycled post-consumer plastic bottles). If you’re still not convinced, then I dare you to not say awe at these cutie patuties…

So where can I get my own ninja bean, shroom and pea pod you ask? Check out the Mochi Studio Etsy Store. You can also meet Rita when she makes her craft show debut next month:

Bazaar Bizarre Holiday Craft Show
Sat., 12/12 to Sun., 12/13, from 12 to 6 p.m. daily
San Francisco County Fair Building, Golden Gate Park

Renegade Holiday Craft Show
Sat., 12/19 to Sun., 12/20, from 11 to 7 p.m. daily
Fort Mason Center Herbst Pavilion

Filed under: Crafts, Retail, Asian-American, Craft Fairs, Crafts, Designer, Event, Plush Toys, Retail, San Francisco Bay Area, Toys

Post-Valentine’s Day with Khalil Fong

[Flickr/Pryon]

So while I still haven’t figured out how to get tickets to the Utada concert in January, I’m all good to see Khalil Fong live in concert on the day after Valentine’s Day (special thanks to DL for taking me to the SF concert). W00T! W00T!

So who is this Chinese guy with the trendy/hipster glasses and emo hair? He’s an musician (piano/guitar) with an amazingly soulful voice. I’ll write more about the concert after it happens in a couple of months. In the meantime, if you haven’t heard his stuff yet, checkout these covers of Faye Wong‘s “Red Bean” and Ray Charles‘ “Georgia On My Mind.”

Filed under: Music, Asian-American, China, Concert, Khalil Fong, Music, San Francisco Bay Area

UTADA SF Concert, Sold Out! WHY?!?!

[Flickr/Random J]

[Insert Heavy Sarcasm] Good job, Daisy – Hikaru Utada, your J-pop music idol for the past 10 years, is on a rare U.S. tour and you completely missed the boat on getting tickets for the SF concert (on 1/24/09 at the Fillmore). What the heck is wrong with you! With millions and millions of fans around the world, did you really think that this wouldn’t sell out?

Yea, I admit it. I didn’t think it would (given that her recent albums haven’t been as hot as her previous stuff). So here I am, 4 freakin days after the tickets go on sale, without a ticket.

The concert isn’t for another two months, so all hope is not lost. However, I ain’t going to pay an outrageous finder’s fee to a scapler either….to be continued….

In the meantime, here’s her latest English single, “Come Back to Me” – this song has definitely grown on me, so I’m giving it a Daisy Stamp of Approval…Ha!

Filed under: Music, Concert, Fillmore, Hikaru Utada, J-Pop, Japan, Music, San Francisco, San Francisco Bay Area, Utada

Chinatown Smack Down on SF MUNI

I’m not the first person to blog about it and I most certainly am not the last. This was one crazy smack down between a Chinese woman and a Black woman. While it’s unclear who started the fight, the burning question is: What’s wrong with these two crazy middle-aged women? If anything, the lesson here is: If you throw the first punch in a fight with a stranger, you may shut that other person up or you may just get your ass kicked (and it may end up on YouTube and spread like a bad rash).

From a PR perspective,….sucks for Muni…..their PR team definitely has their work cut out for them. Good luck on trying to clean up that mess (along with all the other messes your nutty passengers make).

That’s all I have to say on the matter, but if you’re curious, this is what’s been buzzing on the Web:

• Angry Asian Man – “just another day on muni“
• Gawker – “Bus Seat Fistfight: More Transit Mayhem Policed By YouTube“
• San Francisco Chronicle – “Fight on Muni Lights Up YouTube“
• The SFist – “Fight on SF Muni Bus in Chinatown“

Filed under: Breaking News, Social Media, Asian-American, Chinatown, Muni Fight, Public Transportation, San Francisco Bay Area