(image via Taiyaki NYC / Facebook)
Fish and ice cream typically don’t mix, though I wouldn’t put it past the crazy milkshakes at Black Tap to offer up some sort of weird thing like that. But at Taiyaki NYC, a Japanese ice cream shop having its grand opening today on the border of Little Italy and Chinatown, this union is oh-so sweet.
Always dreamt of traveling to Japan but couldn’t face the 14-hour flight? If so, you’ll be glad to know that this weekend your biggest obstacle to experiencing all the cultural wonders of that far eastern isle will be a trip on the G train. Presenting the inaugural “Waku Waku + NYC” Japanese pop culture festival, a cornucopia of “anime, video, games, fine art, fashion, cosplay, food, music and sports” taking place at the Brooklyn Bowl, Verboten and the newly opened Brooklyn Expo Center. “Waku Waku” roughly translates to “excitement in a dream-like state.” With that in mind, we scoured the schedule in search of events likely to precipitate the most dream-worthy excitement, featured below.
Kids enjoy one of EXPG’s classes (Photo: Kirsten O’Regan)
The East Village’s newest exercise outpost opened its doors yesterday, and the boutique workout it’s offering is unlike anything you’ve spun—ahem, seen—before. Exile Professional Gym, near the intersection of Second Ave and East Second Street, is a studio devoted solely to street dance.
More →
Richard Flanagan’s latest novel,The Narrow Road to the Deep North, is based on the experience of an Australian man in a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp on the 1943 Thai-Burma death railway. This sounds fairly grim, and indeed the novel oscillates “between scenes of relentless violence and the desolations of war’s aftermath” while nevertheless (!) offering the possibility of redemption. This magician-worthy feat, courtesy of Flanagan’s literary prowess, has been rewarded with a Booker nomination. The author’s previous works (including Gould’s Book of Fish and The Sound of One Hand Clapping) have also been highly praised. See the man himself in conversation with Patrick McGrath, a writer of ‘gothic fiction’. Looks to be a cheery evening, then.