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Things to do this weekend in Tokyo September 19th-September 22nd; Dress up as a Cosplay character and visit the Tokyo Game Show

Things to do this weekend in Tokyo September 19th-September 22nd; Dress up as a Cosplay character and visit the Tokyo Game Show

Posted on Sep 20, 2013 in Japanese customs, Must see, News, Stories about Japan, Things to do |

On your way to the Tokyo Game Show?  Trying to decide which costume to wear? Wait! The organizers of Japan’s biggest videogame industry meet have come up with a long list of do’s and don’ts for cosplay fans attending the event. Cosplay, short for costume play, has reached an art form in Japan. Events such as Comiket attracts hundreds of thousands of manga and anime fans intent on demonstrating their affiliations by dressing up like their favorite characters. The Tokyo Game...

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Things to do: Dress up in cosplay and have your picture taken

Things to do: Dress up in cosplay and have your picture taken

Posted on Sep 18, 2013 in Japanese customs, Japanese technology, News, Stories about Japan |

Cosplay (コスプレ kosupure), short for “costume play”, is an activity in which participants wear costumes and accessories to represent a specific character or idea from a work of fiction. Cosplayers often interact to create a subculture centered on role play. A broader use of the termcosplay applies to any costumed role play in venues apart from the stage, regardless of the cultural context. Favorite sources include manga, anime, comic books, video games, and films....

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Anime fans flock to temple to offer prayer tablets featuring favorite characters

Anime fans flock to temple to offer prayer tablets featuring favorite characters

Posted on Sep 18, 2013 in History of Japan, Japanese customs, Stories about Japan, Things to do |

Anime enthusiasts are flocking in droves to Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples, but not in a spiritual pilgrimage or prompted by a sudden interest in religion. Instead it’s worship of a different kind, a devotion to fictional characters from their beloved animated works. At the shrines and temples, these anime buffs are dedicating mountains of votive picture tablets, called “ita-ema,” containing drawings of their favorite characters. On one weekend in...

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Only in Japan: Old fart prances around town living out his “school girl fantasy”. Check out his youtube video!

Only in Japan: Old fart prances around town living out his “school girl fantasy”. Check out his youtube video!

Posted on Sep 17, 2013 in Japanese customs, Must see, News, Stories about Japan |

ressed in schoolgirl’s uniform, “GrowHair” has become has an Internet phenomenon in Japan over the past five years, and he’s a regular sight in Tokyo’s über-trendy Harajuku/Shibuya district. According the website dedicated to him (Google Translate): GrowHair enjoys walking the streets wearing a sailor-suit school uniform where he is widely known as ‘Sailor Uncle.’ In born 1962, his real name is Hideaki Kobayashi and he has master’s degree in Mathematics from the...

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A guide to Japanese whisky

A guide to Japanese whisky

Posted on Sep 16, 2013 in History of Japan, Japanese customs, Things to do, What to buy, Where to drink |

In Ian Fleming’s You Only Live Twice, the Australian spy Dikko Henderson gets a vile hangover drinking Japanese whisky. James Bond, more of a martini man, is amazed that Dikko would even consider drinking that gutrot, saying, ‘I can’t believe Japanese whisky makes a good foundation for anything.’ That neatly sums up the attitude of most foreigners to Japanese whisky for most of its more than 80-year history. In 2001, that all started to change when a 10-year-old Yoichi made...

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