She says "There are two types of people who are - in essence - ageless. Asians, and the undead. Thankfully, I happen to be both.". Still it's impressive how much La Carmina has reached in the last few years: She has published three books (“The Cosmos in a Carrot”,” Crazy, Wacky Theme Restaurants” and “Cute Yummy Time”), her Youtube channel is one of the most subscribed in Japan and designed fashion such as her HOPE t-shirt line to help tsunami victims. It’s her J-Pop-Goth-style that’s fascinating everyone. But who’s behind the “Morticia Addams meets Hello Kitty”-look?

LA Carmina

You’re from Canada. How’s the scene for Japan-fans over there? How did you get in touch with this culture in first place?
I was born and raised in Vancouver, but my parents are from Hong Kong. So we constantly visited relatives and traveled in Asia, when I was quite young. In my early teens, I visited Japan and my mind was blown open by the wild Jrockers, Gothic Lolitas and Harajuku Punks I saw. I always tell visitors that Japanese Goths may look scary, but "don't worry - we don't bite." Members of the underground are open and welcoming, if you're the same. When I began La Carmina Blog - http://www.lacarmina.com/blog - in September 2007, I was studying at Yale Law but wanted to move to a more creative field. Blogging was the perfect way to share my love of Tokyo fashion and youth / pop culture. Upon graduation, I had book contracts and TV work, so I decided to pursue this path instead. It continues to be a wild ride, with new opportunities popping up every day.

Do you ever think about going back to your lawyer job?
Never. However, my Yale Law School savvy kicks in every single day. Contracts, negotiations, permissions. I think many artists shy away from business/legal learning, but it’s crucial if you want to protect yourself and reach your fullest potential.

Another basics-question: What does your name mean? “La” seems sort of Spanish, like you were a Latin diva!
I wrote a blog post (http://www.lacarmina.com/blog/2010/07/la-carmina-travel-tv-hosting-reel-origins-of-the-name-army-of-lovers-la-camilla-la-carlotta-italian-occult-fashion-icon-marchesa-luisa-casati/) that explains why my name is La Carmina. Basically, it is a nickname derived from my real name (Carmen), as well as a tribute to La Camilla, La Carlotta and La Casati. They're all flamboyant, eccentric fashion divas.

LA Carmina

You’ve wrote three books about nutrition, Japanese style. Has cooking and eating always been your passion or did it come along with your Harajuku-led lifestyle?
I am fascinated with the intersection of Japan pop culture and cooking. My cookbook "Cute Yummy Time" (http://www.lacarmina.com/cookingcute.php) was inspired by the adorable bento-decoration trend I saw in Japan. Think rice balls and sushi, made to look like smiling penguins and Hello Kitty. "Crazy Wacky Theme Restaurants: Tokyo". (http://www.lacarmina.com/tokyorestaurants.php) is full of stories and photos of Japan’s wildest theme restaurants, from monkey waiters to cosplay maids. All my books are available on my site. (http://www.lacarmina.com/books.php).

Your CV is filled with so much fabulous stuff! Where do you find the energy to attend all those events and where do you get all your outfit inspirations? Don’t you ever feel tired? What’s your biggest motivation?
It looks like a constant circus, but in truth, everything built up gradually. Often, I'm flown to an event for several days, but it spans weeks of blog coverage. My biggest motivation: my readers. I frequently receive emails from young alternative people who feel marginalized by those around them. They say they find strength in the spooky-cute world I’ve created. No matter what, I can’t let them down. I hope my site's a space where they feel supported, and can see there are opportunities for people who walk a topsy-turvy path.

Even your cat has a blog (http://lacarmina.com/basilfarrow/)! Do you ever think “Okay, that’s too crazy” or are you really always do what you feel like doing?
My round-faced Scottish Fold cat, Basil Farrow, deserves every bit of attention! He is an adorable, fat-cheeked cat with tiny folded ears and fuzzy yellow fur - he looks like a living teddy bear. In 2008, I had Thanksgiving dinner at Mia Farrow’s house, since I was invited by her son Ronan Farrow. A cat stuck its round, furry head out from Ronan’s desk and purred. It was love at first sight. With Mia away all the time, Basil was lonely - so he came to live with me. Without a doubt, he’s from an acting family. I put some of his videos on YouTube, and they got tens of thousands of hits. Basil eventually got featured in the Fat Cats episode of Discovery Channel’s Cats 101. He’s also one of the main characters in my cookbook, "Cute Yummy Time", and has thousands of friends on Facebook. I couldn't have achieved as much without him!

LA Carmina

Now you’re really focusing on TV hosting. You’ve been on Norwegian and French television and with your “Coolhunting America” travel TV show for Huffington Post / AOL you’ve visited places like Wisconsin. Isn’t it kind of weird to look like the queen of Japanese subculture and then go to these places? Have you been well received?
My plate has been full with TV presenting work in the past two years, with bigger projects on the horizon. This year, a dream came true: I have a travel TV show on Huffington Post/AOL! I host and arrange all the episodes of "Coolhunting Wisconsin," which you can watch online (http://www.lacarmina.com/blog/category/huffington-post/). I took the cameras to a spy-themed bar, kitsch museum, retro love hotel, and Cheese Castle near Milwaukee. I love discovering oddities in the most unlikely of places, and presenting them in a positive light. The "fish out of water" element was part of the concept from the start, and got a great reception. Each episode has thousands of Facebook Likes, Shares, Tweets and comments.

Where do you want to travel next?
Prague, Taipei, Seoul, Singapore are at the top of my list. I don't think I will ever lose the travel bug. My life can be described as "Where in the World is La Carmina".

What’s still on your “to do list”?
Five years ago, I couldn’t possibly have imagined this career. Or that it’d lead to dream opportunities in TV presenting, coolhunting and writing books. I'm going to keep riding the tech tide, and dipping my feet in new, challenging creative ventures. The "to-do" list keeps growing and changing by the day, and I'm going to keep ticking the boxes.

Thank you, La Carmina!