A beautiful image from Universal stuidos in Osaka.
While in Tokyo a fantastic display in Ginza.
Father christmas is giving Tokyo natives some early snow this year as well.
tokyo
Star wars joins with Ginza Cozy Corner
Japanese confectionery chain Ginza Cozy Corner to weigh in on the celebrations, with a stunning lineup of cakes, tarts and limited edition tins that feature some of the cutest characters from the movie alongside some edible dark foes. We’ll need to summon up every ounce of the force within to bite into these because these are the most amazing sweets we’ve ever seen!
Available from November 1 until December 21,
there are a number of special sets to choose from. The adorable nine-pack below retails for 2,160 yen (US$18) and contains (from top-left to right) a Storm Trooper cheese tart, a Wicket chocolate roll cake, a C-3PO lemon tart, Jabba the Hutt pistachio tart, a Star Wars Logo rasberry and chocolate cake, R2-D2 yoghurt cake, Darth Vader chocolate cake, The Imperial Army and Rebel Army pistachio and chocolate tart, and Yoda as a matcha powdered green tea tart.
Snoopy museum coming to Tokyo
there’s always something new popping up in the neighborhoods of Tokyo. This time the new kid isn’t so new, welcome to the Snoopy Museum.
Set to open it’s doors around March of 2016, the Snoopy Museum Tokyo is a “cooperative” effort between Sony Creative Products and the Charles M. Schulz Museum.
The Snoopy Museum will display original artwork, vintage memorabilia, and other related artifacts on loan from the Research Center on a rotating, six-month basis.
Advance tickets will become available this December, with pricing details yet to be announced. Oddly enough, the Snoopy Museum is being planned as a non-permanent (similar to the John Lennon museum) facility, and is tentatively scheduled to close its doors for good in September of 2018, we already have our eyes set on it.
Museum information
Snoopy Museum Tokyo / スヌーピーミュージアム
Address: Tokyo-to, Minato-ku, Roppongi 5-6
東京都港区六本木五丁目6番地
Trivia note: the name Peanuts wasn’t something the creator really like. Shultz said ” I have never been very fond of the name”
The roof top of Ghibli Museum in Tokyo
The Robot Soldier located on the rooftop garden of the Ghibli Museum.
On the museum’s roof is a garden with a life-size statue of a robot from the final episode of Lupin III Part II and Castle in the Sky.The Robot Soldier was made by the artist Kunio Shachimaru. The statue is made from bronze and took a year to create.
The first image is my original picture and the other two are my attempts to play with levels. This is from when we went to the Ghibli Museum in Tokyo (September 2014)
Fuji TV’s Rafu-kun
Fuji Television: Rafu-kun
A small blue dog who is a tad goofy but rather passionate and devoted.
Laugh loves music, especially the Beatles.
Always on the lookout for something new,
Laugh loves to browse the web on his laptop wherever he goes.
Pal: Chibi the cat
Favorite Food: Hot Dogs
Puppy Rafu-kun is the Fuji Television mascot whose name is derived from the English word “laugh” and was originally a character for a TV show broadcast in 1998. You can find Rafu these days on all sorts of adverts and available in many types of products, but his background has not yet been made public in much detail.
On the island of Odaiba stands the Fuji TV building.
We have been to Odaiba every time we go to Japan, but last September (2014) was the first time we ever noticed Rafu-kun.
He was everywhere, from the stairs to all the booths,Nooks and even on logs.
He is on the ticket to the observation deck of Fuji TV.
I only wish I knew who designed him. Stay tuned to our YouTube channel where we will show you a lot more from Odaiba and Fuji TV.
Godzilla will scare you in Shinjuku
Tokyo’s ever-changing urban landscape is about to get a new addition in Kabuki-cho, the glitziest part of Shinjuku’s entertainment district. Scheduled for completion next Aprilis the Toho Cinemas Shinjuku movie complex, replacing the older Shinjuku Toho Kaikan theater which closed down in 2008. At the top of the eight-story building is a terrace where visitors will be able to relax in the open air, marvel at the surrounding skyline, and tower in fear of the Godzilla Head bursting out the roof.
With the building’s roof being 40 meters high, Godzilla’s head will be standing at just over 50 meters above street level, matching his stature in his 1954 cinematic debut. The plan is for the head to be illuminated at night, and for the head’s eyes and mouth to glow, accompanied by periodic roars.
Godzilla won’t just be looking hard at moviegoers and pedestrians, though. In the above render, you may have noticed that being built adjacent to the new Toho theater is the Hotel Gracery Shinjuku. The hotel’s managers aren’t worried about Godzilla spoiling the view from their guestrooms, though. In fact, they’re counting on him enhancing it, and are already taking reservations for special Godzilla View Rooms, which can be booked here at prices starting from 15,000 yen (US $125) a night for guests checking in from April 24.
Gundam Burgers at Tokyo station
AnimeAnime reports that the Tokyo Station Gundam Cafe is being turned into McDaniel Hamburgers Gundam Cafe. The restaurant appeared in the Mobile Suit Zeta Gundamanime as a secret meeting place for the Anti-Earth Union Group, and now it will appear in Tokyo starting November 19.
McDaniel Hamburgers will serve up Sleggar Burgers, Gundam Burgers with cheese, Char’s Zaku Burgers with tomatoes (top pic), Zaku II Burgers with avocado slices to eat in the cafe or for take out.
Goku and Luffy destroy Shibuya
One Piece and Dragon Ball Destroy a store front in the heart of Shibuya.
The front of department store Shibuya Parco in Tokyo is a scene taken straight out of. Any great Anime or Manga! One Piece’s Luffy threw a massive punch into the pavement decimation on a grand scale while Goku charges up a deadly attack using his famed kamehameha!
This sculpture was on display until March 23 and was installed to promote manga fighting game J-Stars Victory Vs.
photos courtesy of Game Watch Impress.
Japan the Otaku show: Yokohama’s fried penis
Japan the Otaku show: Yokohama’s famous fried penis
Originally posted on Danny Choo’s Facebook page.
ちんちん焼
This sign says Chinchin Yaki or simply Fried Penis. Not too sure why this sign has fried penis on it or even what it would be for.
Nevertheless, it’s another wacky sign that we just love to see. Also a great little picture to teach some Japanese!
The breakdown is ち=chi ん=n
焼=yaki. Translation breakdown: ちんちん=slang for penis 焼=fried.
Maid Cafe New York Grand Opening
Maid Cafe NY grand opening
On August 18th, Maid Cafe NY officially open to a packed crowd.
But have they given the fans the true Maid Cafe experience? Or at least made changes that we had so desperately asked for?
Lets first explain what an actual maid cafe should be: Maid cafes (メイド喫茶 / メイドカフェ Meido kissa / Meido kafe?) are a subcategory of cosplay style restaurants found predominantly in Japan. In these cafes, waitresses dressed in maid costumes act as servants and treat customers as masters (and mistresses) in a private home, rather than as cafe patrons.
Maid cafes come in all shapes and sizes. Most provided a vivid depiction of master and servant without crossing the ecchi line (creepy). Usually, the cafes aren’t about the level of food but more about the experience. It’s a little weird to Westerners because you’re basically waited on hand-and-foot.
Here’s a link to a bunch of sample maid cafes:http://matome.naver.jp/odai/2133810394961862001
So, our correspondents attended the grand opening only to find that nothing has changed at all.
Still no awning…
Still no TV screens…
and no actual “Maid” service.
They had J-Pop music and girls on stage but this was just for the event and held in a separate restaurant above. Plus, there was a 5 dollar cover charge, for a cafe grand opening?
They did nothing to bring the true experience of a Maid Cafe to life. Most of the girls looked as if they didn’t even want to be there. This is a grave mistake and we feel the owner, who is Japanese, is “phoning it in” just to make a quick buck and figured Americans wouldn’t even know the difference, but we do.
The Japanese Curry was sub par and the lack of decor was still uneventful and empty.
If they would have called this an Express Maid Cafe or something else, fine, but making a Maid Cafe without the interaction is like going to Disney and not meeting Mickey or Goofy or riding on any rides.
In the end, we were hoping to recapture the unique and wonderful experience we had in Tokyo, but all we got was a watered down sweet shop with some young women dressed in maid outfits. This is not the same thing as an actual Maid Cafe.
So to all the Otakus and Japanese fans looking for something you only read about in Manga or seen in Anime and J-Dorama, look somewhere else. The best thing to do is to buy a plane ticket and head to Akihabara or Ikebukuro.
Final thoughts: Hopefully, if Maid Cafe NY wants to keep their doors open for a long time, they simply need to add something truly authentic that could only be found in Japan. Unfortunately, many other Maid Cafes have tried but could not keep their doors open for very long: click here
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