If you know me you know I like my stuff customized and when they asked me if I wanted to make my own set I jumped at the offer. I’m constantly riding the train and almost feel naked without my headphones on, now I can rock some OG shiet instead of them bummy iPhone joints. lol

This season I am playing for the Saitama Broncos and the team colors are green. I especially like to listen to music while working out or warming up for a game so I took the team spirit route and copped some green ones. You can also choose headphones but earphones were easier for me to move with so I went with those.

You’re probably wondering how they perform right? I was not only impressed that I can control my iPhone with them but they sound really really really really good! I liked the noise cancelling and the bass was hitting. These are def not cheap gimmicks, these are the real deal and I highly suggest you check em out for yourself.

KOTORI

PRESS BLOG

If you want to make the same exact colorway of mine, here is the link:
Darin’s custom earphones

みんな元気？ブログ更新するのもなかなか大変なことだな。それか、単純にツィッターが便利すぎるかだ。で、今日はKOTORIのヘッドフォンとイヤフォンを紹介しにきました。

俺をよく知る人は知ってると思うけど、基本、色々カスタマイズするのがすごく好きなんだ。だから、オリジナルのイヤフォンをカスタマイズする話しがあったとき、飛びついた。常に電車に乗ってるから付けてないと裸同然な感じで仕方ない。iPhoneの付属イヤフォン脱出して、オリジナルKOTORI装着中！

今シーズン埼玉ブロンコスでプレイしてて、チームカラーはグリーン。音楽はワークアウトとウォームアップの時によく聞くこともあり、イヤフォンはチームスピリット満載のグリーンにしてみた。ヘッドフォンもあるけど、動きやすいように僕はイヤフォンにした。
音質は？！と思ってる人も多いと思うからそれについてもひとこと。iPhoneがコントロールできるのもすごいが、音が最高にいい！ノイズキャンセルもあるし、ベースも格別！これがまさにホンモノだ！みんなにオススメします！！

KOTORI

PRESS BLOG

俺のはこれ：
Darin’s custom earphones

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12-1pm: Coach’s clinic
2-5pm: Kid’s clinic
530-8pm: Celebrity basketball game

We will have some big named guests as well as some of the top Japanese-American college players so you don’t want to miss, plus it is for a great cause. For more information please check out our Facebook page: PLAY4JAPAN

You do not want to miss out, we will have many special guests and appearances. See u there!

Check out my profile too: Darin Maki

- エキサイト翻訳 Excite Translator

- Excite Translator

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For more information check us out at Rising Suns

- Excite Translator

So this epic, historical tournament was to hit Tokyo last week but mother nature had other plans. For the first time ever, Jordan Brand was gonna host a streetball tournament in Tokyo. If you didn’t know this coincides with the super limited releases of the Jordan V and CP3 Tokyo edition sneakers.

I was on Team Cohey, which is comprised of pro JBL and BJ-League players. The top 8 teams receive the CP3 models while the MVP gets the Jordan V edition. These kicks are selling on ebay for up to a $1ooo dollars! Our team was loaded and prepared to take the tourny chip, rain ended the fun but it’s not over for me. I will be at the ORIGINAL, QUAI 54 in Paris again this year.
I appreciated the experience of being there last year but if you know me, that was not enough. I made sure we took some real players this year and I sculpted the team to give us a great chance to take it.
Anyway peep the Jordan Tokyo 23 site and my interview!

JORDANTOKYO23
Darin Maki Interview

1ove, D-MAK

Excite Translator

So we get outside and it was utter chaos. I mean it’s cliché to say “like a scene from a movie’ but it was seriously unreal. Koenji is a pretty old town so the old buildings made the situation worse. That’s why I got out too, the tat shop was in an old building and it felt like it was going to jump right off it’s foundation. So I’m outside trying to assess the situation while trying to stay calm, we were in the middle of an intersection and tried to figure out our outs. The streets were real narrow and I can see the buildings swaying right above us in all directions. The way back to the station was a death trap as the shopping alley had a glass ceiling which was about to shatter onto everybody. People were running around screaming and when I saw dogs and cats all over the place I was like “seriously? This is like a movie scene.” So after I snap out of it we see a small street with no overhangs or hazards and we make our way to an open area. The movie scene wasn’t over, we were dodging other people and trying to keep our balance and focus at the same time. The floor felt like it could split at any second and there were power lines all over the place swaying and sparking. So after avoiding the falling debris and shattering window glass we make it to an open area about a block down from the intersection.

We finally felt safe there but the aftershocks kept coming, I mean hard ones too! After our hearts slowed up and we calmed down it was time to contact our peoples. All phones were not working so I was worried about everyone else because who knows what could of happened to them? Thanks to technology I was able to get information through my iphone; email, Facebook, Twitter, Viber, Heytell were all working and I was able to reach people. After all that fuss, we decided to wait it out until these aftershocks lightened up so we bought some beers and toasted to life, sooo needed a beer after that ordeal.

The trains were definitely not running so we had to figure out how we were going to get home. We thought quickly and jumped on a bus back to Shinjuku, good thing because within the next hour, bus lines throughout Tokyo were hours long. From Shinjuku we walked back to my area where we ate and waited for friends to meet up. I live on the 6th floor so I was in no rush to feel the aftershocks from up there; walking up the stairs was not fun and there was minimal damage to my place. From watching the news and checking my Twitter account, I was devastated and shocked to see the tsunami’s damage. We were all glued to the TV trying to get as much information as possible at the same time I was able to relay some news via KCAL and CBS to people back home. Throughout the whole night and into the next morning, the streets of Tokyo were packed with millions of people stranded or walking home. Many had to walk 10 hours plus back to their homes, department stores in Shinjuku actually opened their doors for people to stay until trains started running. It was a very stressful day and I didn’t get much sleep, actually I didn’t sleep much that whole week.

We went back to practice that following Tuesday and had a meeting with the front office. The team decided we will continue on with the season as there was no immediate danger to us in Tokyo but if something should happen, they would charter a plane and get us out of there. The league wanted everyone to play that weekend but basketball was far from everyone’s mind, some guys wanted to leave the very next day. Later that afternoon I got a message from our front office saying we would be suspending operations and all the company imports would be sent home until further notice. I had the option to leave the next day but I had to take care of some things and left the day after on Thursday.

I had all these mixed emotions about everything, doing as much research I could to see how safe it would be to stay in Japan. There were so many conflicting reports that I didn’t know what to believe. All I know was that never in my life did I trust nuclear ANYTHING. I decided it was best to leave for the time being and wait in LA for things to be sorted out. I left with the intention of returning to finish out the season but our season was cancelled soon after we left. The western conference is still playing while Tokyo, Sendai, and Saitama had cancelled their seasons. It is saddening because I knew we had a shot to win the whole thing. I mean it would have made sense if the whole league halted for two weeks or so to figure stuff out. But because we suspended immediately, with intent to continue when it was deemed safe, we were not allowed to play out the rest of the season. Very disappointed…

Right now there are so many things going through my head, we worked so hard to get to this point to vie for a championship and now it’s all gone. Again I am writing this almost a month after the incident and they have yet to control those nuclear reactors. It is sad because I know they are trying to save the nuclear industry over human lives, tens of thousands have been affected and who knows about the future of Japan?? It is a very small country and the radiation spewing into the environment doesn’t seem to stop anytime soon; It’s in the water and food which is very scary. I have been involved in several fundraisers out here in LA but one thing is for sure, I will make a trip out to Sendai and physically help anyway I can. Earlier this season we had a game in Sendai and that same town, hotel, n gym we played in is now gone. There are people I know that are unaccounted for so it hits close to home, I gotta do my part. I will be back in Tokyo this month but I have to seriously contemplate and try to plan out my future, everything has changed.

東日本大震災と津波から一ヶ月が経とうとしてる。今日は、ここで僕の体験をみんなにシェアしようと思う。今でもあの日のことを鮮明に覚えてる。決して忘れる事はないだろう。あの日、僕は高円寺のタトゥーショップにいた（高円寺は総武線で新宿から約十分ほど離れた場所にある）。ここまで話すとよくみんなに、地震でタトゥーずれちゃった？と聞かれるけどそういうわけではない。それはそれでちょっと面白いけど。とにかく、スタートして十分ぐらい経ったとこで建物が少し揺れ始めた。日本は割とこの程度の地震が多いから、はじめはそこまで気にならなかった。でも、気づけば次第にどんどんどんどん揺れが大きくなって、「これは、やばい」と思った。壁からものは落ちるし、水槽の中の魚は飛び出るし、本能的に「まずい、ここを早く出ろ！」と感じ、ジャケットを手に取ってソファーで固まってた友人のRoryをつかみ、階段を風のように降りてった。三階にいたんだけど、おそらく一秒掛からない速さで降りてきた気がする。

そして外に出るとそこはカオスの世界だった。人はよく言う、「まるで、映画のワンシーンみたいだ」と。でもまさにその通りだった。高円寺は割りと古い建物が多く、タトゥーショップもその一つだった。それもあって急いでショップから出た。地面からすっぽり外れそうな勢いだった。ショップを出て小さな交差点の真ん中に僕たちは出た。道は細く、四方八方には大きく揺れるビルたちがたくさん。深呼吸をしてどういう道順でその場所を去るかを考えた。駅に行く方向はまさに死へのトラップだった。ガラスばりの天井がカタカタしていて今にも割れて落ちそうだった。人は走り回り、犬やねこもてんやわんや。「これは現実か？ホントに映画のワンシーンみたいだ」、そう思った。すぐさま我に戻り、その瞬間、広いエリアに続く、ガラスの天井もない安全そうな小道を見つけた。バランスを崩さないように他の人たちから身をかわし、集中しながら前に進んでいった。映画のワンシーンは終わってなかった。今にも波打つ地面は真っ二つに割れそうで、上を見るとバチバチと鳴る電線だらけ。落ちる破片や割れる窓を避けながらようやく交差点から一ブロック離れた広いエリアに辿り着いた。

身の安全を確認し、やっと一息ついたとこから今度は余震だ。しかも結構強い。気持ちも少し落ちつき冷静になったところでみんなに連絡をし始めた。携帯がほとんど使えなかったのでとにかく他のみんなの安全が心配だった。でも、iphoneのお陰で、メール、Facebook、Twitter、Viber、 Heytellなどが使えたので、ある程度の連絡がついて安心した。ざわめきが引いたとこで僕たちは余震が落ち着くまで思わずビールを買い生きていることに乾杯した。

電車は全く走っておらず、どうやって帰るかを考えた。すると機転を利かしすぐバスに乗り込み新宿に向かった。これは結果として正しい選択だった。なぜなら、次の一時間でバスの乗り場が人でいっぱいになり数時間待たないと乗れない状態になってたからだ。そして僕たちは新宿から歩いて家がある近くまで辿りつき、少し腹ごしらえをしながら別の友達を待った。僕は六階に住んでいるので、余震のこともあり、一旦部屋には行ったがすぐ出てきてしまった。階段の上り下りも大変だったが部屋のものもそこまで倒れてなかったのでそれも一先ず安心だった。ニュースやTwitterで津波の被害を目の当たりにした。出来るだけ情報を取り入れようとテレビに釘付けだった。同じとき、僕は地元のテレビ局,、KCALとCBSにも日本での一部始終を伝えることができた。その晩から翌朝まで東京は、歩く人や駅で待機してる人で溢れ返っていた。中には十時間以上かけて歩いて帰った人もいて、新宿のデパートなどは家に帰れない人のために場所提供もしていた。気持ちが落ち着かずその一週間はなんだか寝れない日が続いた。

その次の火曜日には練習に行き、フロントオフィスとミーティングをした。「シーズンはそのまま続行する、現時点では危険はない。しかし、何かあれば飛行機を全員分チャーターする」という内容だった。リーグ自体は、予定通りその週末に試合を続けてほしいという願いがあったのだが、その瞬間はバスケのことなど考えられなかった。中には、次の日にでも国に帰りたいという選手もいた。そして、その日の昼過ぎにフロントオフィスからメッセージが入った。「ひとまず、活動を休止する。そして見通しが付くまで外国人選手を国に帰す」という内容だった。僕は翌日帰るというオプションがあったのだが、片付けなくてはならないものがあったので二日後の木曜日に帰国した。

本当に色んなことが頭を過り、感情の渦の中、日本にいることが安全なのかを精一杯調べた。食い違う情報だらけで何を信じていいか分からなかった。ただ、信じていたのは一つだけ。原子がつくもの全ては危ないということ。それで、まず日本を離れ、LAで様子をみようという決断をしたんだ。シーズンは最後までやりとげるつもりで日本を離れたが、出発して間もなく中止になった。東京、仙台、埼玉のシーズンが中止になる中、ウェスタンカンファレンスは続行した。今年こそイケル！と思う気持ちが強かっただけに本当に残念だった。二週間ほど待ってくれれば少し状況も落ち着き、色々なことが変わってたかもしれないのに、直後に一時活動を中止しために、僕たちは残りのシーズンをプレイすることが許されなかったのだ。本当に残念だ。。。

今も色んなことが頭を過ってる。チャンピオンシップをとるために一人ひとり本当に頑張って来たのに、一瞬にしてそれが消えてしまった。あの悲劇から約一ヶ月が経とうとしているが未だに原発は落ち着いていない。人の命よりも核工業を守ろうとする姿を見てると悲しくなる。何千人、何万人という人たちに関わってくるものなのに。これからの日本にだって。小さな国である日本に未だに放射能が漏れていて、止みそうにもない。水や食べ物まで汚染されている。LAに来てから様々な資金集めのイベントに参加している。一つだけ分かるのは、何かできる事があるのであれば僕自身が仙台に行くことだ。シーズンの前半、仙台に行った。僕たちがプレイしたあの町も、泊まったあのホテルも、あの体育館も全部無くなった。知り合いでまだ見つかっていない人たちもいる。だから他人事にも思えない。今月東京に戻り、これからの将来、これからの人生をどう生きて行くかを考えなければならない。一瞬で全てが変わってしまったから。

10 minutes in

Koenji, shopping alley

Power lines EVERYWHERE!

Long lines to use pay phones, calls where free that day.

We are alive, will toast to that!

Minimal damage

Before

After

KCAL 9 news

Helmets in the streets, people where REALLY prepared

My emergency kit

Tub with drinking water, just in case

Panic buying, shelves empty

More panic buying…

Home safe in LA