Sunday, March 30, 2025

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Saturday, March 29, 2025

Celebrate the Year of the Snake with Sapporo!

By Eric Harris


Animated projection lights up the Far East Building in Little Tokyo during Sapporo's Year of the Snake event.
Sapporo U.S.A. debuts its Year of the Snake Light Show—an animated projection on the historic Far East Building in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles, on March 20, 2025. Photos by Eric Harris / TTDILA.



Feel the taiko drums echoing through Little Tokyo—an unmistakable sign that something extraordinary is underway! To celebrate the Year of the Snake, Sapporo U.S.A. has released limited-edition packaging on select products, and for the first time in its 148-year history, Sapporo’s iconic 22-ounce steel beer can features custom artwork by a collaborative creator. Experimenting with a classic brand is always tricky business, and Sapporo made a bold choice with Tokyo Hiro, a world-renowned tattoo artist who is known for his unique “east-meets-west” fusion of Japanese motifs, American culture, and modern aesthetics.

Tokyo Hiro’s intricate artwork adorns Sapporo's steel beer can with Year of the Snake design.
The limited-edition Year of the Snake 22-ounce steel beer can featuring artwork by Tokyo Hiro.

In partnership with the Little Tokyo Community Council, Sapporo showcased its artwork at its Year of the Snake Celebration featuring a dazzling Year of the Snake-themed animated light show. The show illuminated the historic Far East Building, famed for its neon “Chop Suey” sign. Inside Far Bar, guests were immersed in Tokyo Hiro’s Year of the Snake artwork, complemented by video vignettes that celebrated Little Tokyo and the rich heritage of the Japanese American community. Hiro’s designs adorned a variety of items, including limited-edition Sapporo cans, cardboard packaging, signed prints, and even a custom-designed guitar.

A lively crowd gathers on Far Bar’s outdoor alley patio, enjoying refreshments amid string lights and paper lanterns.
Guests enjoy food and beverages in Far Bar’s cozy outdoor alley patio.

Hiro has an interesting back story. He was born and raised in Japan where visible tattoos are, to-this-day, considered taboo. He traces the origins of his unique artistic style to a tattoo he received from a classmate at the age of 14 which ended Hiro’s aspirations of being a professional baseball player. Much like a Japanese version of Spider-man, with powers derived from a crude “stick and poke” tattoo rather than of a radioactive spider bite, Hiro reinvented himself and moved to Los Angeles to perfect his craft.

A group of taiko drummers perform in Little Tokyo, delivering powerful rhythms at Sapporo’s celebration.
Taiko drummers energize the crowd at Sapporo’s Year of the Snake celebration.

Tokyo Hiro's Year of the Snake artwork includes eight peony flowers and a pair of wood snakes encircling the Sapporo star. According to Hiro, the peony flowers represent good luck, while the snakes signify balance, with one snake’s mouth depicted open and the other closed symbolizing the end of one year and the beginning of a new year. The design is notable because snakes are much less common in traditional Japanese art than their dragon brethren. 

Tokyo Hiro’s Year of the Snake artwork printed on fine art paper and signed by the artist.
A fine art print of Tokyo Hiro’s Year of the Snake design on display.

The highlight of Sapporo's limited-edition Year of the Snake collection is the 22-ounce steel beer can. Sapporo’s steel can is an iconic example of industrial design. Unlike the lightweight aluminum used for most modern beer cans, Sapporo’s steel can offers a sturdier construction with a distinctive heft and tactile appeal. Its tall, tapered pint glass shape, complemented by structural ridges, creates an elegant yet robust profile. The darker, subtler finish of steel adds visual depth, contrasting with the shinier look of aluminum. Tokyo Hiro’s intricate wood snake artwork wraps fluidly around the can’s complex curves, achieving an aesthetic that would be challenging—if not impossible—on conventional tubular designs. The result is a visually striking can and an instant conversation starter. 

Sapporo's iconic steel beer can, featuring Tokyo Hiro’s wood snake design, photographed in profile.
Side profile of the limited-edition Year of the Snake 22-ounce steel beer can by Sapporo.

So, if you find yourself in Little Tokyo during the Year of the Snake, or anywhere for that matter and you hear the siren call of the taiko drums in your heart, belly up to the bar and order a Sapporo beer in the 22-ounce steel beer can. Only the can. Whether you reconnect with old friends or make new ones, trust in Sapporo, remember the can, and believe in the snake. 

Sapporo promotional vehicles with illuminated signs drive through Little Tokyo, featuring the slogan "Fortune Favors Great Taste" prominently displayed.
Promotional vehicles parade through Los Angeles streets, showcasing Sapporo's slogan, "Fortune Favors Great Taste."


Location
Far Bar
347 East 1st Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Parking
Public parking nearby

Hours
Monday–Thursday
3 pm–12 am

Friday–Saturday
12 pm–1:30 am

Sunday
12 pm–12 am

Happy Hour
Monday–Friday
3 pm–6 pm

Contact
https://www.farbarla.com/
[email protected]
(213) 617-9990


Gallery



Taiko drummers deliver a dynamic performance on the streets of Little Tokyo during Sapporo’s Year of the Snake celebration.
Taiko drummers captivate the crowd at Sapporo’s Year of the Snake celebration.

A group of Taiko drummers perform on the streets of Little Tokyo at Sapporo’s Year of the Snake celebration in Little Tokyo, surrounded by an enthusiastic crowd.
Taiko drummers infuse Little Tokyo’s historic streets with energy and tradition at Sapporo’s celebration.

Event guests queue for photos at Sapporo's branded Step and Repeat backdrop in the Far Bar alley.
Attendees line up at Sapporo’s Step and Repeat station in Far Bar’s outdoor alley patio.

Sapporo's Year of the Snake aluminum beer cup featuring colorful, snake-inspired designs.
The limited-edition Sapporo Year of the Snake aluminum beer cup.

Promotional items featuring Tokyo Hiro’s Year of the Snake artwork, including custom guitar and cooler.
Sapporo promotional materials adorned with Tokyo Hiro’s exclusive Year of the Snake artwork.

Sapporo’s Year of the Snake beer pack designs featuring vibrant snake motifs on cardboard packaging.
Limited-edition six-pack and twelve-pack packaging from Sapporo’s Year of the Snake collection.

A close-up shot of the intricate snake head design featured on Sapporo’s limited-edition Year of the Snake 22-ounce steel beer can.
Close-up detail of a wood snake on Sapporo's limited-edition 22-ounce steel beer can.

Dimly lit alley with brick walls leads to Far Bar’s outdoor patio in Little Tokyo.
The alleyway leading to Far Bar’s outdoor patio in Little Tokyo.

Neon "Chop Suey" sign glows brightly on the historic Far East Building in Little Tokyo.
Far East Building’s illuminated “Chop Suey” sign.

The "Far East" neon sign shines in Little Tokyo.
Far East Building’s illuminated “Far East” sign.

The historic Far East Building in Los Angeles, located in Little Tokyo.
The historic Far East Building in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles, California.

Robert Vargas’s colorful mural of Shohei Ohtani displayed on a wall of the Miyako Hotel in Little Tokyo.
Robert Vargas’s Shohei Ohtani mural in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles, California.

Sapporo’s promotional vehicles travel along East 1st Street in Little Tokyo, prominently displaying the slogan “Fortune Favors Great Taste” as part of the Year of the Snake theme.
Promotional vehicles drive through Little Tokyo, showcasing Sapporo’s slogan, "Fortune Favors Great Taste."

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Location: 347 1st St, Los Angeles, CA 90012, USA

Friday, March 28, 2025

Movie Hype: Hundreds of Beavers @ The New Bev & More

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Absolute Martian Manhunter Darker, Yet Colorful

Dang, this one hits it right out of the park with a nice sense of weirdness. And color flows out like it sickens you and the main character. Gotta love a rainbow that makes you cough. This brand new title and Absolute Wonder Woman are just killing it. Are Absolute Superman and Batman over-rated, yup. 
 
For those who don't follow comics, we get it, Absolute comics are new takes on classic DC comic characters. So new origins and stories mixing their very long and convoluted histories. Further into it, it's easy to say their like edgier versions of older characters.

 On DC's Absolute

*Many have suggested cynically that it might just be a runaround by WB for legal use of the characters in their movies. Example, we're doing a movie on Absolute Superman, not original Superman...sigh.

Others in comic fandom will bring up the argument that Marvel did this idea decades ago with their Ultimate Universe, same concept of reinventing characters. The concept is so old, Marvel just restarted the Ultimate universe for even newer origins and takes on characters. 

Either way, it's kind of fun having both long history characters and whole new takes.

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Thursday, March 27, 2025

WonderCon 2025 Reminders

 Here's a few highlights to checkout before our lovely little con starts tomorrow.

Hero Complex Gallery is back and at BOOTH #1943

If you're there early enough

Mark Waid: 50 Answers in 50 Minutes.
Saturday March 29, 2025 10:30am - 11:30am PDT
Room 213AB
Mark Waid (JLU, Kingdom Come, Daredevil) is here for a rapid-fire, no-boundaries Q&A, answering audience questions about himself, his career, and comics in general! Will he get through 50 questions in 50 minutes? Come prepared to join in and find out! 
*We're loving his work on JLU, World's Finest and Superman.
 

Here's details on the Funko Booth, gonna kind of be hard to miss it. 


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Wednesday, March 26, 2025

Weekly What To Do: WonderCon Is Happening This Week, No Foolin'



DC Day at Golden Apple on Wednesday March 26th!!
Starting at 11am we have back to back signings with creators. First, meet the newest rising star @spacekicker aka Jeremy Adams, writer of Aquaman, Green Lantern & more. Then from 3-5pm we are honored to host Publisher, CCO and President and comic industry legend @jimlee and get your copy Batman issue 158 which marks the beginning of his sequel to the iconic series Hush! 

Free
 
Filmmaker Julie Dash joins curator LeRonn Brooks and directors Bryant Griffin and Kitty Hu for a night celebrating the groundbreaking artists of the L.A. Rebellion—the Black, Asian, Chicano, and Native American artists and filmmakers who emerged from UCLA’s School of Theater, Film and Television following the Watts Uprising in 1965.


DODGERS OPENING DAY 2025
Thursday, Mar 27
 
The Dodgers are back! Are you pumped? The season starts this week. And the first battle is with the Detroit Tigers.
 
 Jason Reitman Double-Feature: JUNO (2007) & UP IN THE AIR (2009)

March 27, 2025, 6:30 P.M. & 8:15 P.M.
The Ray Stark Family Theatre, SCA 108, George Lucas Building, USC School of Cinematic Arts Complex, 900 W. 34th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90007

JUNO (2007): When precocious teen Juno MacGuff becomes pregnant, she chooses a failed rock star and his wife to adopt her unborn child. Complications occur when Mark, the prospective father, begins viewing Juno as more than just the mother of his future child, putting both his marriage and the adoption in jeopardy.

UP IN THE AIR (2009): An idea from a young, new co-worker (Anna Kendrick) would put an end to the constant travel of corporate downsizer Ryan Bingham (George Clooney), so he takes her on a tour to demonstrate the importance of face-to-face meetings with those they must fire. While mentoring his colleague, he arranges hookups with another frequent-flier (Vera Farmiga), and his developing feelings for the woman prompt him to see others in a new light.


 

March 28-30th
Anaheim
 
Celebrate the baby brother of Comic-Con. You'd think it expand with the love of so much countless media today...nope. It's a smaller get together good for fans to check their fan love. Let's hope all the different media companies start getting back of the good graces of their fans by being at these events and showing off their movies/shows/games and what not.
 


Death of a Unicorn is out Mar 28th
 
A father (Paul Rudd) and daughter (Jenna Ortega) accidentally hit and kill a unicorn while en route to a weekend retreat, where his billionaire boss (Richard E. Grant) seeks to exploit the creature’s miraculous curative properties.
 
 
It’s your lucky day, a new Jordan Crane collection is coming! Please join Jordan and the SHQ Crew on Friday, March 28th from 5-7p to celebrate the birth of this new book baby.
 
 
Knott's Boysenberry Festival
Daily, March 28 - April 27, 2025

The Knott's Boysenberry Festival is our annual food and wine festival that celebrates the park's historic roots by highlighting the little berry that started it all, the boysenberry. Indulge in a tantalizing lineup of dishes ranging from savory foods with a boysenberry twist to one-of-a-kind specialty desserts and drinks including a variety of wines and craft beers that you can only find at Knott's Berry Farm during this limited-time food-inspired event.

In addition to the numerous food and drink offerings, the Knott's Boysenberry Festival offers a wide selection of local crafters, live music, musical stage shows, and fun activities for guests of all ages to enjoy. This year's event will introduce entirely new food offerings featuring a selection of more than two dozen food and drink items.

Saturday, March 29, 4:00 PM 8:00 PM
Terasaki Budokan
249 S Los Angeles St
Los Angeles, CA 90012
$50.00

Join Terasaki Budokan for a night of non-stop dancing with Elemental Funk while supporting our non-profit community center! There will be delicious food and refreshing alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks available for purchase. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Saturday, March 29, 11am-7pm
Collector’s Paradise PASADENA
319 S. Arroyo Parkway Unit 4 | Pasadena, CA 91105 
 
Are you new to comics and don’t know where to start? Or are you a longtime fan looking to expand your reading list? Our NEW READER DAY is the perfect event for you!
Join us at Collector’s Paradise PASADENA on Saturday, March 29th for a special day dedicated to helping readers of all levels explore the vast world of comics—hosted by Chloe! She'll be talking about the books that got her into comics, along with great entry point books for queer, indie and different superhero stories.

Doggo 2025: A Canine Themed Art Exhibition
March 29th – April 13th
Live Instagram Tour by curator, Cassia Lupo on @giantrobotstore and Art Available Online on Saturday, March 29th, 11:00 am PT
Giant Robot Store
2015 Sawtelle Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90025
 
 
Ceramics exhibition featuring some of our favorites is back for round two. Begins Saturday March 29th.
 
Selected Shorts: Lost and Found
Mar 29, 2025 at 3pm and 7pm
Getty Center
Tickets: $20

A cherished childhood toy, an unexpected letter, a long-lost friend: when we lose the things we hold dear, the ache can be profound. Yet, within the heartache lies a glimmer of hope. The notion that these beloved pieces of our past might find their way back to us, transformed but still familiar, anchors us through life's chaos. Join us for a delightful and poignant evening of storytelling, as actors of stage and screen breathe life into tales of nostalgia, mischief, missed connections, and the whimsical journey of a nepo baby navigating a world that feels a bit like a scavenger hunt.
 
 
Pop Mart Grand opening at Westfield Culver City on March 29th
 
The grand opening will offer a series of specials, including the MEGA CRYBABY 400% THE QUEEN OF BROKEN HEART, MEGA SPACE MOLLY SMITTEN LOVE 400% and 1000%, and vinyl plush dolls, accessories, and blind boxes from top selling THE MONSTERS series.

Shoppers will have the opportunity to purchase several sold out and sought after THE MONSTERS collections, and to welcome the community, shoppers can also receive free gifts with purchase (THE MONSTERS Almost Hidden Series Magnet Bottle Opener by spending over $99 in store and a LABUBU Comb with purchases over $199). *Note: These products are limited in quantity and will be available on a first-come-first-serve basis.
 
GUNS (1990)
March 31, 2025, 7:00 P.M.
The Michelle and Kevin Douglas IMAX Theatre, RZC 119, Robert Zemeckis Center for Digital Arts, 3131 S. Figueroa Street, Los Angeles, CA 90007
Free, RSVP
 
 No filmmakers capture the playful chaos of action cinema’s Golden Age like Andy and Arlene Sidaris (HARD TICKET TO HAWAII). South American criminal Juan Degas (Erik Estrada, CHiPs) has been using the Hawaiian Islands as his base for smuggling weapons from China to Latin America. Tracking the evil mastermind from Hawaii to Las Vegas, agents Donna (Dona Speir, HARD TICKET TO HAWAII) and Nicole (Roberta Vasquez, PICASSO TRIGGER) must watch their backs while attempting to take down their prey.
 
AGFA Movie Hooky Club IMAX Matinee Screening: VEGAS IN SPACE (1991)
April 1, 2025, 3:00 P.M.
The Michelle and Kevin Douglas IMAX Theatre, RZC 119, Robert Zemeckis Center for Digital Arts, 3131 S. Figueroa Street, Los Angeles, CA 90007
Free, RSVP
 
Would you change your sex to save the entire universe? The fabulous Captain Tracy Daniels would! Disguised as show girls from Earth, Daniels and her fierce space crew travel to the “babes-only world” of VEGAS IN SPACE.
 

The Video Archives Podcast LIVE is happening at @vistahollywood
 on April 1st!  This is our first ever live episode, exclusive to free/paid members of our @Patreon
 -- and we'd love to have you there.  

 "We ♥ LA" Concert at the Hollywood Bowl April 1st. This is a special concert free to the first responders of the LA Wildfires and those who suffered due to them. Getting tickets requires you to register and enter a lottery at the above link.

"Gustavo Dudamel will lead the Los Angeles Philharmonic and special guests in a program featuring the music of close LA Phil collaborators John Williams and Gabriela Ortiz alongside selections from Mahler, Gershwin, the popular canon and more."


Extra:
 
Free Hours at the Autry
Every Tuesday and Wednesday from 1-4 p.m.
Update: During this Wildfire season, The Autry closes off, please check day of event

Let the Autry cover your next visit with Free Hours at the Autry. Every Tuesday and Wednesday from 1-4 p.m. will be free to all Autry visitors. Enjoy access to all the Autry's exhibitions including Imagined Wests, Reclaiming El Camino and more by reserving your spot today!
 

Thanks to the generous support of the Autry Foundation, Free Hours at the Autry* are every Tuesday and Wednesday from 1-4 p.m.
 
UCB, a cheapo comedy show almost every night, see comedians before they make podcasts and have
stories about the UCB and before they hit the big time.
 


American Cinematheque-A celebrated independent theater group that brings both the talent and catalog of films to make for some of LA's best movie nights.
 

Street Food Cinema-Outdoor cult or recent hits you'll love.

Check out classics and cult movies just a few stories above street level. Rooftop Movies at The Montalbán.


 New Bev-Tarantino owned independent theater with old school style

Cinelounge - Hollywood based tiny theater, showing off indies you've never heard of
 
Brain Dead Studios-manages to fill its schedule almost every night
611 N Fairfax Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90036
 
Vidiots -A one-of-a-kind hub for film lovers, filmmakers, and everyone curious about cinema. A small theater is more than made-up for with the constant content and special screenings.
4884 Eagle Rock Blvd
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