Armored Cosplayer

Here’s one pretty hard core cosplayer I caught on Wonder Festa 2009 Summer a couple of weeks ago. I am not sure about what character he is representing but the work he has put into the suit is pretty amazing. Under the circumstances it was almost impossible to get a decent shot of him so bear with me in this rather feeble photo. He was posing with a rather, attractive, female cosplayer that I felt obliged to photograph just for the sake of completeness. Totally NSFW so click this link if you are sure no one is watching over your shoulder right now and want to see more of both the armored man and his companion.

The Cutest Killer Drones

Wonder Festival 2009 was a maze of booths, dealer tables and toy crazy fan boys (and fan girls!). How I ever managed to find anything is a mystery but this dealer wasn’t hard to track down. I saw a table surrounded by girls squeeling in delight at some vaguely mechanic buzzing. Not knowing what to expect I approached and found a gaggle of giddy girls enraptured by the most adorable killer drone robot you could ever imagine! The man behind the table (and the man behind the little one-bedroom production company Light Stuff Product) used an advanced RC hand controller to move this little mecha, picking up (or dropping) some small crates, rotating gatling gun barrels and the cutest waggling of his teeny-weeny killer robot head. Adorable.

The toy (still in prototype mode) moved beautifully. It’s bigger and meaner looking robot brother was still waiting for the micro controller that will make it a truly automatic machine as opposed to the radio controlled smaller mecha toy. Even if you aren’t into killer robot toys you’ll have to admire the skills of this guy. I can’t wait for them to reach full production! If you want to see more, please have a look at this video of the robot in action, and his shy human master.

SMAP’s Shingo as Officer Ryotsu

I recently blogged about a formerly disgraced member of SMAP (Japan’s number one supergroup bar none!), Kusanagi. Now another member of his group is starring in a TV-drama, this one based on the exceptionally successful manga, Kochira Katsushika-ku Kameari Kōen Mae Hashutsujo (こちら葛飾区亀有公園前派出所). Not only is it the longest running manga in the world it is endowed with what must be the most ridiculously long name! When I started learning Japanese I used to practice speed reading the title of this manga, competing with TV announcers in how fast I could say. Then, I used to practice how to write it (it is hard!). All in all, I credit this manga with having a good deal of influence on my spoken Japanese! Incidentally, the title means “This is the police station in front of Kameari Park in Katsushika Ward. A mouthful even in English.

The anime (and ineed the manga) is about the misadventures of lovable but slightly incompetent police officer Kankichi Ryoutsu. In this TV series he is portrayed by Katori Shingo, who is probably the most wholesome-take-home-to-grandmother-all-around-good-guy of SMAP. According to friends who work with him he is also the friendliest and kindest of the all the members. But I wouldn’t know, having never met any of them.

I really enjoyed watching this animated show when I first came to Japan, the police officer is gruff but kind and displays a rather unique disrespect for authority and regulations, constantly rolling up his sleeves, refusing to wear proper shoes and with two massive eyebrows! Despite his lack of footwear he is a very fast runner.

I can’t remember when I last watched TV. I think it must have been sometime in December last year, so I doubt I will see this new show with Shingo, but I sort of respect him as being the most competent comedic actor in SMAP. Fans of Japanese culture should give this an eye ball or two though. Enjoy these snaps of advertising for the show, a statue that is displayed in front of Kameari station in Katsushika ward, and, gasp!, the actual police station that is the center of the show! But, it doesn’t look anywhere near as cool as the manga or anime staiton. Does it?

On another note, Katsushika ward is one of the least blingy parts of Tokyo, so much in fact, that I have only set foot in there two times in my life. Enjoy!

Nakano Broadway – The Other Akihabara, Part 1

It used to be that Japan was all about Samurai and Geisha, the Ginza and sushi. In other words, history, food and high style. These days it seems that nothing has been able to capture the minds of foreigners and Japanese as well as Akihabara. You must have heard of it by now, the electronics and geek capital of Japan. Well, today I am going to tell you a little about the other Akihabara, a place you might never have heard of: Nakano Broadway.

A sampling of the stuff you'll find at Nakano Broadway - The other Akihabara

Nakano is a city in Tokyo located in the western part of town. It is famous for being one of the least developed areas of Tokyo and has a reputation for being a cheap place for foreigners and students, even though it is also the home of the first Marui department store (or OIOI department store as many foreigners know it). The streets are crowded and relatively messy. The clubs and shops cater to a less monied class of Japanese. But it is also the home of the greatest shotengai (shopping street) in Japan: Nakano Broadway. Consisting of two parts, a covered street and an indoors shopping arcade it is very popular with locals and savvy people from all over Tokyo.

So what makes this place the Other Akihabara? Well, Nakano was the first and foremost place for geeks and nerds from all over Tokyo, they had toy and figure shops before anywhere else. They also had some of the very first maid cafes in Japan. About ten years ago Akihabara culture started picking up both in Japan and abroad and naturally most geeks diverted their attention there, hence Nakano Broadway suffered and several shops went under, most of the upper story arcades were deserted during day time. But as with most actions there is a reaction and as Akihabara started to become exploited and crowded, under the attention of too much capital and developers, people started returning to Nakano Broadway and sometime this year the place has blossomed again being bigger than ever. This is where the serious geeks and collectors go, the serious foreign fans of anime culture and cosplay. It’s a place where few tourists find their way and hopefully it will be a grow even stronger in the years to come. Tomorrow I will post part 2 of this post, going even further into depths of Anime geek heaven! Stay tuned.

The covered shopping street at the north end of JR Nakano Station

This is the place to go if you are looking to buy a lot of everyday goods, food, clothes and electronics at dirt low prices. You’ll find some of the cheaper brand stores as well but most of it are shops catering to the budget minded.

This alcohol shop has stock that is so old it would classify as antique

These kind of shopping streets called shotengai (商店街) are quite common all over Japan but arguably the best ones are in Osaka, stretching for kilometers! Nakano Broadway is not that long but even here you can get anything from prescription eye glasses (the examination is a DIY affair: peek into the box, answer the questions and hit print to get the results. Once inside the shop the staff will fit your glasses into the frames of your choice for less than the price of a cocktail at a fancy Yokohama hotel.

DIY eye checker

But you’ll also find more expensive electronics, antique stores, gun shops, etc. One of my favorite places (related to work of course) is this fantastic shop for school uniforms. It is getting better and better every year. New this year is a complete selection of Benetton uniforms. Great stuff.

Benetton school uniforms on sale at Nakano Broadway

For aspiring DJs there are also a fine selection of shops selling second hand gear at bargain prices. Being Japan, you can count on second hand stuff being very close to mint condition – Japanese people know how to take care of their stuff.

Second hand turntables at Nakano Broadway