Contemporary Japanese art has become synonymous with the wide-eyed world of manga and Takashi Murakami’s superflat monopoly. Needless to say, such a short-sighted view overlooks the rich variety of contemporary art issuing forth from the island nation. The 86th issue of Artkrush delves beyond the manga-mania. In Tokyo, we uncover numerous galleries and collectives, photographers and installation artists, animators and performers. For our One to Watch, we highlight the work of Tomoo Gokita, painter of obscure monochromatic portraits, and for reading material, suggest Tokyolife, which delves further into the creative minds invigorating the nation’s cultural capital. As usual, don’t forget to peruse all the artistic eye candy in our new image gallery.

In Flavorpill NYC this week, I spoke about my recent trials and balmy tribulations in getting my new A/C unit into my window. And, it appears my sweat was not all in vain! One faithful and informed reader wrote in with a detailed installation procedure, and the diagram you see above. So: if you find yourself in a similarly sweltering predicament, check out Dean’s advice, after the jump. And if you’ve got a horror story — or a remedy! — post it in the comments.

This was That Weekend. That one I’ve heard about from friends, warning me of my eventual fate: that scorching weekend when I would be forced to set up a window A/C unit. As a former Californian, I’ve languished in this city’s summer humidity for years, too cheap or stubborn to give up my meager fan. Last Saturday, I finally gave in. But nobody told me about all the sweaty obstacles I’d encounter on the road to a 70-degree living room. I hadn’t immediately considered the laborious, $20 cab ride required to get the A/C home from PC Richard & Son — or how the heck I was going to install it. People, is there enough cardboard and duct tape in Brooklyn to keep that thing from falling out my window? A central-air lover wants to know. (more…)

Competition is getting fierce, but there’s still plenty of opportunity for budding photojournalists and Flickr fiends: Activate’s 100th Issue Contest is open until Thursday, June 25. Just join our Flickr group, upload, and tag your most incredible pics that tell a distinct story. You can win a digital video camera, a pro Flickr account, and a one-year subscription to the New Yorker — just by sharing your unique perspective. Check out the submissions so far, then get going on your own entries.

Like “baile funk,” the house-music subgenre known as “Baltimore club” has racked up plenty of MySpace mentions, thanks largely to proselytizing on behalf of M.I.A and Diplo. That’s why we’re thrilled to have Baltimore City Paper music editor Michael Byrne sit down with Baltimore club veterans Scottie B and Shawn Caesar in the new issue of Flavorpill sister publication Earplug. We also present in-depth with reviews of Detroit’s Movement festival and Hercules and Love Affair’s recent live debut at Brooklyn’s Studio B alongside reviews of new music by Ellen Allien, Steinski, Midnight Juggernauts, the Notwist, and Adam Beyer.

This month’s issue of Boldtype — Creatures — is all about the creepies and the crawlies. The books cover a range of thematic interpretations, from a cultural history of Frankenstein to a biography of the special effects master behind Japan’s kaiju classics. The issue also features an interview with the anti-Disney himself, adult-animation pioneer Ralph Bakshi, and a think-piece on Maurice Sendak’s beloved children’s book Where the Wild Things Are.

News shouldn’t be a spectator sport. To celebrate the 100th issue of our sister publication Activate, we’re stepping out of the mainstream media to let you showcase the stories that activate your universe. Enter to win some great prizes — including a video camera and subscriptions to the New Yorker — by sharing your photos or video on our Flickr group.

Earlier today, sometimes-Gawker editor (and erstwhile Flavorpill contributor — remember those days, Josh?) Joshua David Stein took a look at some Netflix queues, highlighting not necessarily the most viewed films of a particular zip code, but those that deviate from nationwide norms the most. Or something? We never did that great in stats class. Regardless, it’s a fun social examination (or “Urban Anthropology” as Josh calls it), so we thought we’d check out the top picks of Flavorpill cities. (more…)

The most recent issue of Boldtype took a hard look at the meaning of the portrait — from a micro-history of Chinese food by New York Times foodie Jennifer 8. Lee to a memoir of controversial Bishop Paul Moore Jr. by his daughter. The issue also features reviews of Richard Price’s new novel, Lush Life, Aleksander Hemon’s The Lazarus Project, an interview with novelist A.M. Homes, and a feature on oral history archivist Studs Terkel.

If your city has a post office, it probably has a biennial. São Paolo, Sydney, New York (via the Whitney), Havana, Venice, Paris… it’s a bit much for any art lover to digest. But, chin up: Flavorpill sister-publication Artkrush has your back with a brand-spankin’-new image gallery and issue #83. This week, we discuss the 5th Berlin Biennial for Contemporary Art inside Mies van der Rohe’s iconic Neue Nationalgalerie and other venues throughout the city. Peruse work by contributor Paulina Olowska, then sit in on a conversation between Mexico City-based artist Daniel Guzmán and AK contributor Anna Altman, as we discuss his work for BB5 and a new show with Steven Shearer at the New Museum.

Flavorpill’s world-news publication, Activate, is on e-newsstands and in your inboxes now. The latest issue examines Zimbabwe president Mugabe’s stronghold over his country’s elections; the continuing ascent of oil prices; the death of LSD inventor Albert Hoffman; Obama’s back-and-forth with his former pastor; and the dissection of a 900-pound squid. Read all about it.