About This Site

Taking inspiration from the #1 vanity site on the Internet, WEBmikey.com, I started Takoyaki.org in July 2000. I wanted to have a place where I could post pictures, writings, video clips, whatever!

I chose the name "takoyaki" because it is one of my favorite foods. Truth be told, I actually like okonomiyaki better, but the domain name was taken. If you want to learn more about takoyaki, check out the takoyaki forums I created. You need to register if you want to post, but it's free!

So, who am I? My name is Barron, and if you are reading this, you probably know me already. In case you don't (and if you are interested) I live in Austin, Texas, and work for a company doing interface design, a lot of html/css, graphic design, digital video, and photography. In my spare time, I like to work on my photography, play video and computer games, and ride my BMW F650 GS around the Texas Hill Country. And of course I love to spend time on the Internet. If you want to see a pretty complete listing of my Internet "presence", just head on over to www.barronfujimoto.com. I've also got another blog called motofuji.net where I post stuff about motorbikes.

My brief bio: I was born and grew up in Southern California. I went to Torrance High (Go Tartars!), and then UCI (Fine Arts). After college and several years of working, I decided to move to Japan. I lived there for about three years. While there, I lived in Kawasaki, then Kichijoji (Tokyo), and then Yokohama. In 1998, my wife, Mariko, got a job offer in Austin, Texas so we moved and have been here ever since.

We now have two great kids, Bay and Koa, and two cats, Miki (the angel) and Amo (the cat from hell). The six of us enjoy hanging out watching Japanese dorama, Baseball (if I get my way), or Pokémon (if Bay and Koa get their way, which is 90% of the time). We also spend a good amount of time cooking. Actually, Mariko cooks a lot, and Bay, Koa and I get to eat like kings. I don't eat much meat (still eat dairy and seafood) except on the weekends, which makes it harder for Mariko, but the veggie food she cooks is amazing.

To create and maintain this site, I use Dreamweaver, Textpad, ExpressionEngine, and Photoshop. I use DreamHost for my web hosting. I am proud to say that I own all of those programs! For the original pictures, I use a Konica-Minolta Maxxum 7D, a Panasonic DMC-TS2, an Olympus XA, a Minolta a507si, and a Canon S200. I also have lots of other film cameras. Probably too many, if you ask Mariko.

Some randomness: I like the Dodgers, and hate the Giants. I guess that is typical. I like(d) burgers, yakiniku, donburi, and sushi. I love spicy foods, often adding jalapenos or sriracha (or both). Not a big fan a Tabasco. The vehicle I want is a 2001-2007 BMW F650 GS motorcycle. The car I have is a Honda Odyssey mini-van. I like watching Japanese dorama, but mostly offbeat types. I enjoy most types of music except Country. I am an otaku about some things, like cameras. I am not an anime-freak, though!

You can find me on the Internet at the following places:
flickr
twitter
foursquare
gowalla
yelp
del.icio.us
technorati
facebook
last.fm
stumbleupon
plurk
tumblr
skype
amazon.com wishlist

Some of my old avatars that I've used over the years.