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Japan Coffee Culture

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I get asked a lot by visitors who come to Japan - "How come there are so many coffee shops?!"
Today I'd like to share some history on coffee in Japan and talk about Japanese coffee culture and why I'm drinking more of it of late.

History

The first coffee that was consumed in Japan was done so at the end of the 18th century by Dutch folk who were resident at Nagasaki at the time but it wasn't until the end of the 19th century when coffee bagan to be imported in bulk.

The first coffee shop opened in Tokyo in 1888 and while coffee culture started to spread, import restrictions during and after World War II meant that the culture didn't really take off.

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After import restrictions were lifted in the 1960's, coffee imports started to increase - a significant increase being in the 1970's.
In 1980, the Coffee shop franchise Doutor opened its first branch in Harajuku and since then have grown to have 1490 shops across Japan.

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Canned coffee (hot or cold) can also be bought at many of the 5 million vending machines across Japan - and you know coffee is big business when they have Tommy Lee Jones advertising it in Japan.


This post contains a video, click here to view.

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The Tokyo Ginza branch of Starbucks which opened in 1996 was their first step out of the US and thanks to the success of that, Starbucks then started to roll out their brand worldwide.

Japan is traditionally a smoking culture and one is always hard pushed to find an establishment with a non-smoking area.
Starbucks decided to do it the American style and kept Starbucks in Japan a non-smoking environment and is one of the few places I can go without having the pleasure of breathing in smoke which aggravates my asthma ><

The interior design of Starbucks was very different to what Japan has had up until then. These variables and their lovely tasting coffee contributed to their success in Japan and in just a short time, they now have 1000 shops across Japan.

Starbucks was very clever choosing this spot at the Shibuya crossing - not only is it easily accessible, folks can easily identify it and even if folks are not interested in having a coffee, the branding space alone is probably worth the unthinkable amount of rent they are paying for that spot ^^;

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Shibuya crossing by night with the prominent Starbucks branding.

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Shibuya back in 1994 during one of my first trips to Japan - used to be a bank where Starbucks is now.

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Shibuya crossing in 1952 just a few years after World War II.

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Back to present day - this is the view of the Shibuya Hachiko crossing from Starbucks.

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Less than a year after Starbucks entered the Japanese market, Dotour launched a new chain of coffee shops called Excelsior Cafe.
At the time, the font of their shop was all green and looked exactly like Starbucks - and so did their round logo too.
Neededless to say they got sued by Starbucks.

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Just like the way the iPhone changed the Smart Phone market in Japan, Starbucks changed the coffee drinking habits of the Japanese who instead of using a coffee shop as a place to do business, they now use it as a place for recreation, relaxation and doing "stuff" on their macs.

One other recent example of how Western brands have changed the Japanese market is Dyson and their cyclone vacuum - since they entered the Japanese market, Japanese brands have been bringing out cyclone technology vacuum cleaners too.


This post contains a video, click here to view.


And here is the Hitachi version of their Cyclone vacuum cleaner.


This post contains a video, click here to view.


I've spoken to many manufacturers in the Japanese industry and they too agree that Japan these days tends to be a follower rather than a leader when it comes to global brands - something that we need to fix.

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While there are a load of coffee shops in Japan right now which have sprung up to meet the huge demand (Japan is the 3rd largest importer of coffee), I always prefer Starbucks where possible.

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Starbucks with Wifey in Asakusa.

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Starbucks with wifey in Harajuku.

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We dont have Starbucks in this neck of the woods - I need to go out to Meguro station or Gotanda. There is Tully's at our station but its not the same ><

Decided to get into coffee making as the instant powder coffee started to taste decidedly weak.
Picked up this DeLonghi EC200N-B from Amazon for 13,000円 so that we can make coffee in the office. Makes great cappuccino but I still want to know how to make coffee that tastes like Starbucks at home ><

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And this is what the actual machine looks like. Apart from making coffee, its got this spout thingy which makes steamed milk too. Very noisy though ^^;

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Muv-Luv Yui having a cuppa coffee in the morning. This figure by Skytube - photo review recently posted here.

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Wanted to grind our own coffee beans too so got this Melitta MJ-516 grinder from Amazon for 2,500円.

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The wife and I are still newbies to the coffee world and have no idea what beans taste good. We usually go to Kaldi and take a recommendation from the staff.
Are you a coffee guru? What type of beans do you recommend?

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My wife makes a lovely cuppa and this is what it looks like.

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When I make coffee however, it turns out looking like poo ><

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Love having a cuppa coffee with snacks once a day to take a break from being fixated on the computer.

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Serving up coffee for our guests.

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And these are the type of sweets that we have - not every day though ^^;

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Takatsuki Ichika joins me for today's coffee.

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Ebisen!

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I do still love my cuppa tea though - was brought up drinking tea back in the UK.

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And this is the brand of tea that I usually go for - PG Tips. They used to sell it in Japan in some stores but cant find it anymore so need to fill up stock when I'm overseas.

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Find out more about the Culture Japan girls >>>


Smart Doll

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I'm most excited to be able to give you an update on the latest and greatest on my new product Smart Doll modeled after my mascot character Mirai Suenaga.
Looks like its going to be the first ever interactive robotic 60cm doll ^^;

There are many folks in the robot community who have been building robot dolls but Smart Doll is different in two major areas - the robotics are completely hidden underneath the soft vinyl skin and the unit is interactive.

None of the photos in this post is CG - its the actual progress that we have made so far.

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Before continuing to read this post however, you may want to take a look at the posts listed up below which explain how I got to this stage. I talk about the 3D production, electro forming, molding processes and how you can use 3D printers to start to develop your own products.

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The rest of the photos are not censored and some of you wondered why its worth having a couple of censored versions - its because many folks who wrote about Smart Doll wanted some censored ones to put on their blogs ^^;

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I never thought that I'd end up in the robotics field ^^; Its great though as there is so much to learn.
Am glad to see that many seem to be excited about this project. I've seen folks refer to this project as "Real life Chobits" ^o^


This post contains a video, click here to view.

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The design of Smart Doll is about 70% complete - then comes the development of the software which not only controls all 24 servomotors, but also get feedback from the multiple sensors which include touch, ultrasound, visual, acoustic and location sensors.

8945430663_f2305ae95a_b

This is just a prototype and will look slightly different from the mass produced version.
To save on development costs, we are currently using CNC Turning techniques to cut special parts using a lathe which are usually plain colors like black or white.

Once we have figured out all the sizes, we will make parts using injection moulding which is more suitable for mass production.

The video below will give you an idea of the process involved.


This post contains a video, click here to view.

8945431149_8f50cf15a6_b

This is the AeonFrame [イオンフレーム] which holds the servomotors and control circuits that power the legs, torso, neck and shoulders.
"Aeon" is latin for "Eternal" and "Life" - the AeonFrame will harness life for eternity ^^;

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The shoulder and elbow joints are currently black because they are CNC Turned parts but they will be matt and the same color as the skin for the final production version.

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Many folks think that these dolls are creepy. I personally think that folks giving up on their hobbies and interests just because of what others think is way more creepy ^^;

I plan to put a speaker in the frame and it will most likely be placed in the oppai which seem big enough ^^;

Speech will be required to work with sensors which detect movement so that the Smart Doll can say things like "welcome back home!" [おかえり!]. Eyes and mouth will *not* move! Only cute head motions.

If I do licensed anime characters, I can ask the original voice actress to provide recordings too. For now however I'm focusing 100% on Mirai which will be voiced by UTACO who sings Sukirai.


This post contains a video, click here to view.

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There is no wiring at this moment which will come next week - will probably end up looking like C3PO ^^;

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The arm even contains sensors which detect their current location. The small circuit that you see at the side of the photo controls the servomotors - each motor needs its own controller.
To minimize wiring all over the place, we are going to attempt to place the circuits on the motors and cover it in a sleeve.

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We have wracked our brains to come up with a design that not only fits inside the limbs but also had to choose existing components on the market to help reduce our costs so that we can pass on the savings to our consumer.

Metal parts are used to ensure that the AeonFrame is robust enough to withstand the repeated movements that will be expected of it.

While the whole frame can be moved without an electric current, we recommend that you pose her with the power on and use the controls on your Bluetooth paired Android Smart Phone instead.

The soft vinyl parts are heated up with a hairdryer before the frame is inserted inside the skin. We also designed it so that the arms are removable so that the doll can be dressed properly.
Limbs may also need to be replaced for maintenance purposes too.

8945434861_cb81f28e3c_b

The AeonFrame is designed to allow free axis movements that enable dynamic poses.

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The "Cool Factor" is important too and the colors and material will change to something that looks aesthetically pleasing for those who want to display the AeonFrame on its own.
Again, this has not been wired up at all yet. We could even put LED's to indicate motor movement - but will make sure the light is not visible through the skin.

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The elbow has been painstakingly designed to bend enough so that the doll can do the traditional Oppai Squash.

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The AeonFrame is designed to fit the vinyl parts of my Mirai Doll which is shaped different to other 60CM tall dolls.

The AeonFrame *may* fit inside a Volks Dollfie Dream body - but not one that uses an Obitsu frame.
Mirai Doll was designed with a bit more space inside so I wont know until the construction is complete - the arms and legs are a little longer than a DD too.

It would be awesome to collaborate with Volks!

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At this moment in time, the AeonFrame is not that heavy. It makes really nice whirring sounds when the motors are in action though. I wont be supressing the sound either as I think they are kinda cool.

Cant wait to have Mirai sitting on the edge of my desk in Idle mode swinging her legs back n forth looking around the room ><

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As mentioned before, the power will be external to keep a nice form. You can plug her into the mains and we plan to make her so that you can power her using a USB mobile battery.

Mirai is not designed to walk but she will be able to balance and shift her hips left n right, back n forth.

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While we have made special parts for the AeonFrame, most of it is made up of stuff available on the market.
The CPU unit (called MiraiCore [ミライコア)] however is completely custom built and will be installed in the removable head.

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I need to "test run" Mirai before she goes on sale to see if the design withstands everyday doll ownership - does she tip over when placed on shoulder, does she fall over easily, is it easy to change clothes etc.

I'll be doing this for the next few months as I want to make sure that we release a solid product onto the market.

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As part of the test run, I've been taking Mirai to visit many folks including Volks, Nitroplus and Good Smile Company. The following photos taken at the GSC office recently.

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Not as cute as Volks dolls but good enough for a first attempt I think ><

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And these are photos that I showed you before - all the robotics fit inside the body without a single trace.

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Just like the outer skin design, the robotics is also being designed using CAD software.

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Having everything in 3D not only means that we can make modifications easily, we can use the data to make interesting video sequences too.

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Soon we will need a doll production team as I dont think I will last too long doing all this on my own ><
This lady is RONRONSHUKA-san who looks after the makeup for Mirai Doll. I'll be needing project planners and what I'm calling "construction engineers" who will be cutting flash away from the vinyl and putting the dolls together. I'll be posting job position soon.

Ah and yes - folks on the doll production team do get free dolls from now ^^;

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We are in the process of making the paint masks right now and in order to do so we need painted samples which are going to be electroplated just like the molds for the body.
In the process of making the face masks, these painted heads will end up being destroyed through the electroplating process - they sacrifice themselves for the next generation ><

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The mass production process is in motion. Its still very new territory for me to be producing my own dolls and am constantly encountering a load of hurdles. Some of the obstacles I encounter are like WTF?! but I always take them as being an opportunity to learn. And I always have a special sensei to help me - Google Sensei.

The mass production project name is called "Skynet." ^^;

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And Mirai Smart Doll has already been featured on National TV - a show hosted by Sakurai Sho from Arashi on TBS called "Ima Kono Kao Ga Sugoi" [今、この顔が凄い].

Thats it for today - will be posting another update before I head to the US for Anime Expo. The next update should be a video of her moving.
Keep an eye on my Twitter or Facebook for updates.

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Many folks have mentioned that they love Mirai's eyes which are based on the illustration of her by Iizuki Tasuku-sensei ^o^

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Read more about Mirai Suenaga >>>

Smart Doll

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I'm most excited to be able to give you an update on the latest and greatest on my new product Smart Doll modeled after my mascot character Mirai Suenaga.
Looks like its going to be the first ever interactive robotic 60cm doll ^^;

There are many folks in the robot community who have been building robot dolls but Smart Doll is different in two major areas - the robotics are completely hidden underneath the soft vinyl skin and the unit is interactive.

None of the photos in this post is CG - its the actual progress that we have made so far.

8946049324_0f9c6dc67b_o

Before continuing to read this post however, you may want to take a look at the posts listed up below which explain how I got to this stage. I talk about the 3D production, electro forming, molding processes and how you can use 3D printers to start to develop your own products.


It also looks like this post has been picked up in the Western world who seem confused. My profile and this post should shed some light as to why I'm working on this project.

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The rest of the photos are not censored and some of you wondered why its worth having a couple of censored versions - its because many folks who wrote about Smart Doll wanted some censored ones to put on their blogs ^^;

8945429457_089d0e3b99_o

I never thought that I'd end up in the robotics field ^^; Its great though as there is so much to learn.
Am glad to see that many seem to be excited about this project. I've seen folks refer to this project as "Real life Chobits" ^o^


This post contains a video, click here to view.

8945429947_ec767b01d6_o

The design of Smart Doll is about 70% complete - then comes the development of the software which not only controls all 24 servomotors, but also get feedback from the multiple sensors which include touch, ultrasound, visual, acoustic and location sensors.

8945430663_9d495ff716_o

This is just a prototype and will look slightly different from the mass produced version.
To save on development costs, we are currently using CNC Turning techniques to cut special parts using a lathe which are usually plain colors like black or white.

Once we have figured out all the sizes, we will make parts using injection moulding which is more suitable for mass production.

The video below will give you an idea of the process involved.


This post contains a video, click here to view.

8945431149_0a9569da93_o

This is the AeonFrame [イオンフレーム] which holds the servomotors and control circuits that power the legs, torso, neck and shoulders.
"Aeon" is latin for "Eternal" and "Life" - the AeonFrame will harness life for eternity ^^;

8946052954_207d5f7d63_o

The shoulder and elbow joints are currently black because they are CNC Turned parts but they will be matt and the same color as the skin for the final production version.

8946053628_da30601543_o

Many folks think that these dolls are creepy. I personally think that folks giving up on their hobbies and interests just because of what others think is way more creepy ^^;

I plan to put a speaker in the frame and it will most likely be placed in the oppai which seem big enough ^^;

Speech will be required to work with sensors which detect movement so that the Smart Doll can say things like "welcome back home!" [おかえり!]. Eyes and mouth will *not* move! Only cute head motions.

If I do licensed anime characters, I can ask the original voice actress to provide recordings too. For now however I'm focusing 100% on Mirai which will be voiced by UTACO who sings Sukirai.

Ah, nearly forgot to mention the DLC (Downloadable Content) which will comprise of speech phrases and motions.

Also plan to have her let you know about Twitter and Facebook notifications too via movement.


This post contains a video, click here to view.

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There is no wiring at this moment which will come next week - will probably end up looking like C3PO ^^;

8945433723_10437722d7_o

The arm even contains sensors which detect their current location. The small circuit that you see at the side of the photo controls the servomotors - each motor needs its own controller.
To minimize wiring all over the place, we are going to attempt to place the circuits on the motors and cover it in a sleeve.

8945434207_be5927c140_o

We have wracked our brains to come up with a design that not only fits inside the limbs but also had to choose existing components on the market to help reduce our costs so that we can pass on the savings to our consumer.

Metal parts are used to ensure that the AeonFrame is robust enough to withstand the repeated movements that will be expected of it.

While the whole frame can be moved without an electric current, we recommend that you pose her with the power on and use the controls on your Bluetooth paired Android Smart Phone instead.

The soft vinyl parts are heated up with a hairdryer before the frame is inserted inside the skin. We also designed it so that the arms are removable so that the doll can be dressed properly.
Limbs may also need to be replaced for maintenance purposes too.

8945434861_a31be98562_o

The AeonFrame is designed to allow free axis movements that enable dynamic poses.

8945435653_5d8e2ff422_o

The "Cool Factor" is important too and the colors and material will change to something that looks aesthetically pleasing for those who want to display the AeonFrame on its own.
Again, this has not been wired up at all yet. We could even put LED's to indicate motor movement - but will make sure the light is not visible through the skin.

8945436347_88a3d12692_o

The elbow has been painstakingly designed to bend enough so that the doll can do the traditional Oppai Squash.

8945436821_0be1dedded_o

The AeonFrame is designed to fit the vinyl parts of my Mirai Doll which is shaped different to other 60CM tall dolls.

The AeonFrame *may* fit inside a Volks Dollfie Dream body - but not one that uses an Obitsu frame.
Mirai Doll was designed with a bit more space inside so I wont know until the construction is complete - the arms and legs are a little longer than a DD too.

It would be awesome to collaborate with Volks!

8945437517_82b2b9bf74_o

At this moment in time, the AeonFrame is not that heavy. It makes really nice whirring sounds when the motors are in action though. I wont be supressing the sound either as I think they are kinda cool.

Cant wait to have Mirai sitting on the edge of my desk in Idle mode swinging her legs back n forth looking around the room ><

8945438027_b1aa49ea9e_o

As mentioned before, the power will be external to keep a nice form. You can plug her into the mains and we plan to make her so that you can power her using a USB mobile battery.

Mirai is not designed to walk but she will be able to balance and shift her hips left n right, back n forth.

8945439425_21f00018ab_o

While we have made special parts for the AeonFrame, most of it is made up of stuff available on the market.
The CPU unit (called MiraiCore [ミライコア)] however is completely custom built and will be installed in the removable head.

8945439943_0fcce9e141_o

I need to "test run" Mirai before she goes on sale to see if the design withstands everyday doll ownership - does she tip over when placed on shoulder, does she fall over easily, is it easy to change clothes etc.

I'll be doing this for the next few months as I want to make sure that we release a solid product onto the market.

8945440605_f15e552880_o

As part of the test run, I've been taking Mirai to visit many folks including Volks, Nitroplus and Good Smile Company. The following photos taken at the GSC office recently.

8945441313_80e8f7ac87_o

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Not as cute as Volks dolls but good enough for a first attempt I think ><

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And these are photos that I showed you before - all the robotics fit inside the body without a single trace.

8946070048_4940a981f9_o

8946070534_d8a6918552_o

8945449019_6041f2bba5_o

Just like the outer skin design, the robotics is also being designed using CAD software.

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Having everything in 3D not only means that we can make modifications easily, we can use the data to make interesting video sequences too.

8945450513_2c4fd30c18_o

Soon we will need a doll production team as I dont think I will last too long doing all this on my own ><
This lady is RONRONSHUKA-san who looks after the makeup for Mirai Doll. I'll be needing project planners and what I'm calling "construction engineers" who will be cutting flash away from the vinyl and putting the dolls together. I'll be posting job position soon.

Ah and yes - folks on the doll production team do get free dolls from now ^^;

8946073240_23871714a4_o

We are in the process of making the paint masks right now and in order to do so we need painted samples which are going to be electroplated just like the molds for the body.
In the process of making the face masks, these painted heads will end up being destroyed through the electroplating process - they sacrifice themselves for the next generation ><

8945451737_f0f8f489f4_o

The mass production process is in motion. Its still very new territory for me to be producing my own dolls and am constantly encountering a load of hurdles. Some of the obstacles I encounter are like WTF?! but I always take them as being an opportunity to learn. And I always have a special sensei to help me - Google Sensei.

The mass production project name is called "Skynet." ^^;

8945452225_baaab06fe1_o

And Mirai Smart Doll has already been featured on National TV - a show hosted by Sakurai Sho from Arashi on TBS called "Ima Kono Kao Ga Sugoi" [今、この顔が凄い].

Thats it for today - will be posting another update before I head to the US for Anime Expo. The next update should be a video of her moving.
Keep an eye on my Twitter or Facebook for updates.

8946488050_aa7c1b0317_o

Many folks have mentioned that they love Mirai's eyes which are based on the illustration of her by Iizuki Tasuku-sensei ^o^

8945452705_1192584923_o

Read more about Mirai Suenaga >>>

Japan Rainy Season

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The annual rainy season in Japan known as "Tsuyu" [梅雨] usually takes place in June and lasts for about a month. Its usually hot n muggy at the same time too.
While we did get a bout of rain when the season started, its been really dry with only 3.5 mm of rain so far. I'm sure we will eventually get our rainy season though as I'm eager to continue to test my new umbrella a wee bit more ^o^

Will post more details about the Mirai Suenaga Itagasa but for now you can get more info at Seasonal Plants.

Do you have rainy seasons in your neck of the woods too?

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And here is the late-as-usual MoeCalendar wallpaper for this month which you can download from here for free.
Previous MoeCalendar month wallpapers can be found in the posts listed up below.

Culture Japan Convention 2013

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The first ever Culture Japan Convention (CJC) 2013 comes to Penang this year, aiming to bring fans and celebrities of the Japanese pop culture industry closer together as a community over an exciting weekend of activities and showcases.

Following the concept of Culture Japan Night (CJN), a quarterly event hosted in various countries by blogger and TV presenter Danny Choo, CJC will attempt to break barriers between fans, celebrities, and retailers. Fans can look forward to a relaxed environment where they can interact freely with cosplayers, illustrators, retailers, card gamers, and guests from Japan and around the world.

Jointly organized by Penang Global Tourism and Culture Japan, CJC will take place on the 17th and 18th of August 2013 at Straits Quay Convention Centre in Penang, Malaysia.

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Photo by Lim Khoon Weng

The Ideal Getaway

Regional and international fans of Japanese animation and popular culture are encouraged to take this great opportunity to gather, mingle and meet with comrades that they’ve gotten to know online, and enjoy various activities including cosplay contests, Japanese traditional arts, doll displays, card game tournaments, itasha showcases, doujin booths, anime merchandise and more.

Penang is home to a UNESCO World Heritage Site filled with historical buildings from the British Colonial era. It also possesses beautiful beaches, and is known around the world for it’s great food. An enchanting tropical island, Penang is a haven for photography with many breathtaking sights, making it an ideal holiday destination for visitors who decide to stay a few extra days.



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International Guest Line-up

CJC is proud to announce the attendance of the following guests from around the world:

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Asakawa Yuu // Voice actress and singer

Asakawa Yuu is a Japanese voice actress affiliated with the talent agency Arts Vision. Well known for being the voice behind Megurine Luka in VOCALOID2, her other notable works include voicing for Fate/stay night (Rider), Love Hina (Aoyama Motoko) and Maji de Watashi ni Koi Shinasai! (Kawakami Momoyo).

Twitter: @Julia320
Facebook: www.facebook.com/yuu.asakawa.320

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vividblaze // Band

vividblaze is the Japanese duo comprising of singer Miho Tezuka and keyboardist Yasunari Okano. The group plays an eclectic mix of Jazz, Latin music, Pop and House in their songs and have worked together with Danny Choo to perform the Opening and Ending Themes for Culture Japan.

Twitter: @vividblazemiho , @vividblazeokano
Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/vividblaze/185605606304

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Shirahane Nao // Illustrator

Shirahane Nao (also known as DMYO) is a Tokyo-based illustrator who is known for her many artworks of Mirai Suenaga. She has drawn for many media companies in Tokyo such as Konami, Gainax and ASCII Media Works. She also manages the circle “Snow Ring”.

Website: http://dmyo.com
Blog: http://ameblo.jp/d-myo/
Twitter: @dmyomyo

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Maridah // Cosplayer

Maridah is an anime fan and cosplayer of more than 12 years. Her cosplay has been featured in a number of print publications worldwide, as well as on TV and online. Maridah is a show host and correspondent for EX Studio which produces programmes about anime and gaming. She is also a Brand Ambassador for Crunchyroll, the leading online anime streaming service in America. In addition to cosplay, she is an avid anime figure, Dollfie Dream, and ball jointed doll collector. This visit to Penang marks Maridah's first international event appearance.

Website: www.maridah.com
Twitter: @maridahcosplay
Facebook: www.facebook.com/MaridahCosplay

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Angie // Cosplayer

Angie is a passionate, up and coming cosplayer from Malaysia. Also known as Ringo at the popular Moe-Moe Kyun Maid Café, she has captured the hearts of a rapidly growing fanbase in the region with her high quality and wide variety of cosplays. Her love for anime and manga inspired her to start cosplaying 5 years ago, and her cosplays have been featured on various popular pages and blogs. In addition, she is also an illustrator.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/Angie7099

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Ikkyuu // Illustrator

Ikkyuu is a Japanese illustrator who specialises in cute "chibi" character artwork. He is best known for his work on the popular Moekana Japanese Learning Series, for which he has completed almost 200 illustrations. His illustrations have been used as featured artwork for collaborations with Kinokuniya, AmiAmi, Nitroplus, Yuzusoft, Anime Expo, Comic Fiesta, AirAsia, Touch N' Go, Penang Global Tourism, Sony and more. Culture Japan Con will mark his first ever international event appearance, where he will hold a panel sharing his illustration techniques, and provide tips and tricks to aspiring illustrators.

Twitter: @ikkyu019

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Danny Choo // Host

Born in the UK to Chinese Malaysian parents and currently based in Tokyo, Danny Choo is the producer of the Culture Japan brand which shares Japanese culture through a series of terrestrial TV shows, characters, products and events. Danny has also been recognized for his work by the Japanese government and was appointed as a member of their Creative Industries Internationalization Committee.
Danny will return to his hometown to host the inaugural Culture Japan Convention.
Read more about Danny on his profile page.

Website: www.dannychoo.com
Twitter: @dannychoo
Facebook: www.facebook.com/dannychoodotcom



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Good Smile Company is the worldwide leader in Japanese hobby products and service, including the design, manufacture and marketing of Japanese character figures. Not only will they be showcasing some of their upcoming figures and works-in-progress, their popular figures and merchandise will also be available for sale at CJC.

Figure collectors and collectors-to-be, this is your chance to grab all the figures you've always wanted without bothering about shipping fees!

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The same team that brought Culture Japan Shop: Mirai Kopitiam to Comic Fiesta Kuala Lumpur last year is back to bring you more Mirai Suenaga and Culture Japan goodies, this time to Penang! New and upgraded versions of the popular Moekana T-shirts will be on sale, along with other exclusive Mirai Suenaga merchandise.

The highly anticipated sequel to the Moekana Japanese Learning Series: Moekanji, will also be available at the feature booth.

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Little Akiba is well known among players of various anime-related trading card games for its card databases. It also specialises in the sales of anime merchandise. Little Akiba will be hosting trading card game tournaments at CJC!

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VBG Network Sdn Bhd (VBG) is one of the leading companies specializing in marketing and distribution of local and overseas home entertainment products in Malaysia. In recent years, they have expanded their catalogue to include a wide variety of licensed anime merchandise and goods which will be available at the event.

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Cosplay Competition: Win a trip to Tokyo!

Details coming soon!

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Art Competition

Details coming soon!

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Cosplay Photography Competition

Details coming soon!



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A Wonderful Experience Awaits

If you like what you see, hurry now and get your tickets to secure your place in the very first Culture Japan Convention! There will be 2 kinds of tickets: Pre-order Tickets and Walk-in Tickets. Pre-order your tickets to get a discount, as well as a chance to win tickets to Tokyo!

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Pre-order Tickets are 2-day tickets and come with the following goodies:

  • Ticket Wristbands for 2 days
  • Free Comrade Lanyard
  • Free Mirai Suenaga Uchiwa (Hand Fan)
  • CJC Event Guide
  • Automatic entry into Grand Lucky Draw for a pair of tickets to Japan!

Just bring along the tickets you've purchased to the event and redeem your full set of goodies at the redemption counter!

Pre-order Ticket Now

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Walk-in tickets are tickets that are bought on the event day itself at SQCC. They are only valid for 1 day and will not be part of the Grand Lucky Draw to win tickets to Tokyo. Walk-in tickets will come with the following goodies:

  • Ticket Wristbands for 1 day
  • Free Comrade Lanyard
  • Free Mirai Suenaga Uchiwa (Hand Fan)
  • CJC Event Guide

You may purchase walk-in tickets at SQCC on both event days.

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Being held for the first time, we are anticipating many visitors to participate in this event over the two days. If you can’t get enough of Japan, attendees who have pre-ordered their tickets also stand a chance to win a pair of tickets to Tokyo! Remember, only pre-order ticket holders will be registered into the Grand Lucky Draw. If you buy a walk-in ticket, you will not be able to participate in this lucky draw.

Pre-Order Ticket Now



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Getting There

Straits Quay Convention Centre is located at Straits Quay, Penang.
Road map available here.

Address
Straits Quay, Jalan Seri Tanjung Pinang, Tanjung Tokong
10470 Penang, Malaysia

By Car
15 minutes from the city centre of George Town, 20 minutes from Batu Feringghi (Holiday Inn Resort Penang is located there), 35 minutes from the Penang Bridge, 45 minutes from the Penang International Airport.

By Bus
Rapid Penang No. 101 & 103
View location with Google Maps



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Be a part of the event!

Booth applications are now open to artists, doujin circles and vendors alike!* We aim to create a platform for artists to get their works recognised, and have decided to heavily subsidise the costs of booth space to allow artists to focus more on their work and less on the money.

Interested participants can find more details in the application package.
All booth applications will be screened and we may request for information about the items applicants wish to display or sell to ensure that they comply with the venue rules.
*Rules and regulations apply, booth spaces are subject to availability.

Booth Application Package


For further enquiries, please do not hesitate to contact Mr. Jason Sim, Assistant Manager of Penang Global Tourism at +6016-422 8200 or jasonsim@penangglobaltourism.com



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Trusted Partners

Culture Japan Convention would not have been possible without the support of our trusted partners listed below!

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AirAsia // Event Partner

Asia's leading airline was established with the dream of making flying possible for everyone. Since 2001, AirAsia has swiftly broken travel norms around the globe and has risen to become the world's best. With a route network that spans through to over 20 countries, AirAsia continues to pave the way for low-cost aviation through our innovative solutions, efficient processes and a passionate approach to business. Together with our associate companies, AirAsia X, Thai AirAsia, Indonesia AirAsia, Philippines' AirAsia Inc and AirAsia Japan , AirAsia is set to take low-cost flying to an all new high with our belief, "Now Everyone Can Fly".

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AirAsia X // Event Partner

Focusing on the low-cost, long-haul segment - AirAsia X was established in 2007 to provide high-frequency and point-to-point networks to the long-haul business. AirAsia X's cost efficiencies are derived from maintaining a simple aircraft fleet and a route network based on low-cost airports, without complex code-sharing and other legacy overheads that weigh down traditional airlines without compromising on safety. Guests continue to enjoy low fares, through cost savings that we pass on to our guests.

AirAsia X's efficient and reliable operations are fully licensed and monitored by Malaysian and international regulators, and adhere to full international standards. AirAsia X is committed in offering X-citing low fares, X-emplary levels of safety and care, and an X-traordinary in-flight and service experience to all our guests - spreading the amazing AirAsia experience to X-citing destinations in Australia and Greater Asia.

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Holiday Inn Resort Penang // Official Hotel

The official hotel for this event is Holiday Inn Resort Penang, located in the heart of Batu Ferringhi. The resort is comprised of the 7-floor Beach Wing and 23-storey Ferringhi Tower that are connected by a sky-bridge, and all 350 recently refurbished guest rooms come with stunning views - overlooking lush and tropical hills on one, and the beautiful blue ocean on the other side. Whether for leisure or business, a wedding or a corporate outing, Holiday Inn Resort Penang has it all to deliver a memorable experience that will last long after your check-out.

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Shingeki no Kyojin Thai

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Spotted this most awesome piece of Attack on Titan (Shingeki no Kyojin) Thai style artwork over on SquidMan.EXE's Facebook.

Speaking of which, from my last post on Attack on Titan, you will know that my comrade Wada-san just happens to be the producer of Attack on Titan and I'm bringing him Along to Anime Expo that takes place next month. I'll be moderating his panel and prepping slides and a video of something...
Keep your eye on the programming to see when our panel is and see you soon!

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Speaking of Thai, took a ton of photos when I was there earlier this year for the Thailand Game Show but still not managed to upload ><
Will try to sort and upload soon. I think I take too many photos on my trips ToT

Japan Underground Bicycle Parking Systems

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While we do have a load of cars and public transport all over the place - the bicycle is still very much a common way to get around in Japan.
So much so that finding a place to park ones two wheeler can be a problem - its even more of a problem when folks start to park illegally.

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To remedy this problem, construction company Giken have come up with a solution which stores hundreds of bicycles underground using a system called Eco Cycle - a robot system which stores bicycles underground in a 11 meter deep well.

Check out the video below to see the underground bicycle parking systems in action. The video is a snippet from my TV show Culture Japan.


This post contains a video, click here to view.

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And this is what a cross section of Eco Cycle looks like.

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This diagram shows how the bicycles are arranged so that its able to store 204 units.

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This is how the construction is done for those of you who are considering having one in your back yard which will take only 2 months to stick in place.
If this looks impressive then the one that stores cars should impress you more.

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If you want to take a look at Eco Cycle in action, you need to first get off at Shinagawa station and head towards Kounanhoshi Park [こうなん星の公園] at the location on the map below.
Or copy paste the following into your mobile device maps app.
東京都港区港南1丁目9
View location with Google Maps

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Shinagawa is full of offices meaning that you will encounter a load of Japanese salarymen.

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If you go during lunch then you will see a load of them queue up for food.

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Setting up camera equipment. This footage was shot for Season 1. For Season 2 we switched to using Sony - one of the reasons is because of the better noise reduction.

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I'm terrible at remembering my lines which is why from Season 2, I got rid of the script and we done everything ad-lib.

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This was taken at a time when I used to spike my hair upwards - but that wasn't too good at hiding my baldness which is why my hair is now always flat ><

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Warning signs asking owners to remove things like valuables and pets from the basket before stowing their bicycle away.

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There is a little chip inside this black attachment which will open the door of the loading bays when you push the bicycle near it.

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My wife also appears in the short snippet too ^o^
There is a yellow line that boxes off the loading bay and for safety purposes, the speed of the arm that grabs the bicycle will either slow down or stop if you step inside the yellow lines.

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The machine then pulls in the bicycle and finds and empty slot for it by whizzing around and downwards.

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This whole process takes about 8 seconds - same for retrieval too.

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If you watched the video you can see the footage taken from this camera we strapped to the seat.

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And you also see me taking a photo of this bicycle as its pulled into the docking bay.

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This payment unit is available for owners of the bicycle parking systems to charge passers-by for stowing their bicycle away.

For these ones in Shinagawa however, all folks need to have an account.
Folks who are considering to park their two wheeler here should call up the facilities first.

For students it costs 1,300 yen to park for a month and 1,800 yen for the rest of the folks.
Folks can park and retrieve their bicycles an unlimited amount of times for this price.

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We get to take a peek at the security systems in place too which have cameras not only facing the door but also looking down on the silo and at many locations dotted around inside of the well.

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These camera's are not only for security but for safety too.

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We also interview the man in charge of everything too. He said off camera that while they are rolling more of these out in Japan, they are looking into taking this technology overseas too.
If you are interested then let me know and I'll hook you up with him!

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Here are a few screencaps for folks who dont have time to watch the video now which got 240,000 views in a day on YouTube and nearly a million views on Facebook><

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The green button tells the machine that you are ready to have your bicycle stowed away.

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A robotic arm comes to grab the front wheel and pulls it into the machine.

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To retrieve my bicycle, I use my member card.

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All I do is touch my card to the panel like so...

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The robotic arm inside the well goes to the location of your bicycle...

9010384597_fc2d2e7764_o

Grabs the front wheel...

9011568394_b7f04d0f0d_o

There is a window on the other side of the silo which enables you to look inside.

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An within 8 seconds I have my bicycle.

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Taking stuff to put underground and out of sight.

9011570148_c9f746c3a2_o

Freeing up space above ground for those who need it.

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Each well can hold 200 bicycles as long as the length of the bicycle is more than 1400mm and less than 1900mm long and weighs less than 30Kg.

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And I'm off!

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A couple more photos taken during filming.

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After filming we are back to Shinagawa station to head to the next filming location...

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Which is at a high school to cover the archery club activities called Kyudo which you can read all about in this photo post.

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I know where I would want to be parking my Itachari bicycle when I'm out n about ^^

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Read more about Mirai Suenaga >>>

Japan Underground Bicycle Parking Systems

$
0
0

9011547014_de390ef645_o

While we do have a load of cars and public transport all over the place - the bicycle is still very much a common way to get around in Japan.
So much so that finding a place to park ones two wheeler can be a problem - its even more of a problem when folks start to park illegally.

9011547810_b40fc2e377_o

To remedy this problem, construction company Giken have come up with a solution which stores hundreds of bicycles underground using a system called Eco Cycle - a robot system which stores bicycles underground in a 11 meter deep well.

Check out the video below to see the underground bicycle parking systems in action. The video is a snippet from my TV show Culture Japan.


This post contains a video, click here to view.

9011548310_fbf1ca5bc8_o

And this is what a cross section of Eco Cycle looks like.

9010365501_40ae4c655e_o

This diagram shows how the bicycles are arranged so that its able to store 204 units.

9010366071_636390c22d_o

This is how the construction is done for those of you who are considering having one in your back yard which will take only 2 months to stick in place.
If this looks impressive then the one that stores cars should impress you more.

9010366647_2891edbf04_o

If you want to take a look at Eco Cycle in action, you need to first get off at Shinagawa station and head towards Kounanhoshi Park [こうなん星の公園] at the location on the map below.
Or copy paste the following into your mobile device maps app.
東京都港区港南1丁目9
View location with Google Maps

9011550626_c0d299de4b_o

Shinagawa is full of offices meaning that you will encounter a load of Japanese salarymen.

9010368087_344ec1561f_o

If you go during lunch then you will see a load of them queue up for food.

9011552074_d0fe43ebb7_o

Setting up camera equipment. This footage was shot for Season 1. For Season 2 we switched to using Sony - one of the reasons is because of the better noise reduction.

9010369175_8c54b17aa6_o

I'm terrible at remembering my lines which is why from Season 2, I got rid of the script and we done everything ad-lib.

9011553202_0d3b003b1a_o

This was taken at a time when I used to spike my hair upwards - but that wasn't too good at hiding my baldness which is why my hair is now always flat ><

9011553716_4d7653a5cf_o

Warning signs asking owners to remove things like valuables and pets from the basket before stowing their bicycle away.

9010370727_b8dd0078a1_o

There is a little chip inside this black attachment which will open the door of the loading bays when you push the bicycle near it.

9011554768_9970822029_o

My wife also appears in the short snippet too ^o^
There is a yellow line that boxes off the loading bay and for safety purposes, the speed of the arm that grabs the bicycle will either slow down or stop if you step inside the yellow lines.

9010371833_a78bef8662_o

The machine then pulls in the bicycle and finds and empty slot for it by whizzing around and downwards.

9010372299_342b96c7c4_o

This whole process takes about 8 seconds - same for retrieval too.

9010372765_9a172bfba8_o

If you watched the video you can see the footage taken from this camera we strapped to the seat.

9011556722_f0f36906ed_o

And you also see me taking a photo of this bicycle as its pulled into the docking bay.

9010373961_534045ebec_o

This payment unit is available for owners of the bicycle parking systems to charge passers-by for stowing their bicycle away.

For these ones in Shinagawa however, all folks need to have an account.
Folks who are considering to park their two wheeler here should call up the facilities first.

For students it costs 1,300 yen to park for a month and 1,800 yen for the rest of the folks.
Folks can park and retrieve their bicycles an unlimited amount of times for this price.

9011557850_7d10091de2_o

We get to take a peek at the security systems in place too which have cameras not only facing the door but also looking down on the silo and at many locations dotted around inside of the well.

9011558302_3f8b35caf3_o

These camera's are not only for security but for safety too.

9010375567_3f8098fbbc_o

We also interview the man in charge of everything too. He said off camera that while they are rolling more of these out in Japan, they are looking into taking this technology overseas too.
If you are interested then let me know and I'll hook you up with him!

9011559606_eeae428bb9_o

Here are a few screencaps for folks who dont have time to watch the video now which got 240,000 views in a day on YouTube and nearly a million views on Facebook><

9011560158_6c103d623a_o

9011560756_313e688d19_o

9011561250_67ef71cecd_o

9011561768_7d5210bd3c_o

9011562294_28cf64b779_o

9011562794_2cb676cc9a_o

9010380101_11ee8b2376_o

9010380615_fed7ccf3de_o

9010381067_00e3e1d868_o

9010381601_fa285a7e82_o

The green button tells the machine that you are ready to have your bicycle stowed away.

9011565258_19f2634409_o

A robotic arm comes to grab the front wheel and pulls it into the machine.

9011565792_b6d542633f_o

9010383027_581fbd8704_o

To retrieve my bicycle, I use my member card.

9011566734_e77925a10d_o

All I do is touch my card to the panel like so...

9011567130_92bd26a55a_o

The robotic arm inside the well goes to the location of your bicycle...

9010384597_fc2d2e7764_o

Grabs the front wheel...

9011568394_b7f04d0f0d_o

There is a window on the other side of the silo which enables you to look inside.

9011569124_5ccc47d7d4_o

An within 8 seconds I have my bicycle.

9011569634_4d1ea2c147_o

Taking stuff to put underground and out of sight.

9011570148_c9f746c3a2_o

Freeing up space above ground for those who need it.

9010387217_29942533de_o

Each well can hold 200 bicycles as long as the length of the bicycle is more than 1400mm and less than 1900mm long and weighs less than 30Kg.

9010387773_1d883a6f46_o

And I'm off!

9011571746_bf92e7cf5b_o

A couple more photos taken during filming.

9010388817_dbea170daa_o

9010389293_2e1ae78edf_o

9011573170_9385b38f37_o

9011573826_c9a238fa4c_o

After filming we are back to Shinagawa station to head to the next filming location...

9010390819_df9a0133eb_o

Which is at a high school to cover the archery club activities called Kyudo which you can read all about in this photo post.

9010391417_fcbfbae9b8_o

I know where I would want to be parking my Itachari bicycle when I'm out n about ^^

9011575426_9e468448cc_o

Read more about Mirai Suenaga >>>


Akihabara Shops 8

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Akihabara - the worlds largest concentrated area dedicated to anime, games, manga, cosplay, robot, hobby and computing shops. Today we take our regular gander around the otaku haven in this weeks instalment of Akihabara Shops.

Today we take a lookie at places including Yodobashi Camera, Traders, Dospara, Sofmap, Koubu Inari Shrine [講武稲荷神社], Akihabara Crane Lab, K-books, Kotobukiya, Animate and other small stores located in the back streets of Akihabara.

First photo - huge poster for the up n coming eroge title Amairo Islenauts - my team makes the official mobile app that helps you learn Japanese ^o^

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Checking out the back streets of Akihabara is always important as thats where most of the gems are.

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Akihabara is also for the health conscious too, filled with software and products to keep in "tip" top shape.

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Shingeki fever taking Japan by storm.

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Shingeki no Kyojin Manga.

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The main street in Akihabara is called Chuo Dori.

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Cuties in the eroge Magical Charming.


This post contains a video, click here to view.

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No doubt that the cutest girls in Japan are in Akihabara - more of them in eroge Berrys.


This post contains a video, click here to view.

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Haruhi and Shana DVD's.

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Where do you watch your anime watch list?

This post contains a poll, click here to view.

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Nagashi Soumen in the comfort of your own home - for only 1,500 yen.


This post contains a video, click here to view.

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Akihabara - where you can find both useful and maybe not so useful gadgets.

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Katana brollies for the ninja inside of you. Next is to learn how to become a Ninja.

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Quite a few small shrines hidden in the back streets of Akihabara.

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If Mirai Millennium becomes a game it will have a very retro look and feel about it.

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Cutie overload in ALIA'S CARVIVAL

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Japanese eroge culture means no more roneriness.

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Even more (more?!) cuties in Koi Saku Miyako ni Ai no Yakusoku wo ~Annaffiare~.


This post contains a video, click here to view.

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Otome Riron to Sono Shuuhen -Ecole de Paris- - illustrated by Nishimata Aoi-sensei.


This post contains a video, click here to view.

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Madousho no Shisho - Librarian of Grimoire out at the end of this month.


This post contains a video, click here to view.

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Natsukumo Yururu also out at the end of this month.


This post contains a video, click here to view.

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Akiba Rangers - Robots in Disguise.

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Akihabara - something for all tastes...

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Load of Eroge available at Sofmap.

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The latest figure releases - Figma and Nendoroids.

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Gunpla Galore. Me not in touch with the Gunpla scene of late. Are MG builds up to the same quality as PG?

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Review of these two cuties in the Cu-Poche category.

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Anime characters being shop assistants is all the rage ^o^

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Sleeves for your trading card games, Moekana and Moekanji.
And if you want Mirai Suenaga sleeves then we got you covered.

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Dollfie Dream Sakuya Izayoi up for grabs.

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Dakimakura brides.

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Light novels - many of which have been or will become anime titles.

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Senran Kagura goodies.

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Turn your brolley into a cat with these handle covers.

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More lovely brides to keep you company at home.

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Solar powered spinning figure display.

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Gatcha gatcha.

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Lovely Cation 2 by Iizuki Tasuku-sensei!

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Are you an eroge player? How many you have in your collection?

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The traditional Japanese souvenirs.

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Steins Gate apparel.

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TK421 X 20.

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Whenever I get CD's, I usually rip them to MP3 and end up sticking the physical CD on the shelf which I never touch again.
How do you get your music?

This post contains a poll, click here to view.

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Loads of Anime merchandise at the Kotobukiya store.

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K-ON cushion covers.

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The chap at the urinal looks like he got 2 dolphins.

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Railgun Girlies.

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I love these figures! Check out my review of these lovely ladies - Yui Takamura Off Style Ver and Cryska Barchenowa UN Force Easy Jacket.

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Haganai figures.

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Kotobukiya Inia Sestina - Muv-Luv.

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One day Mirai-chan will grade one of those billboards.

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Mirai X Tetsujin.

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I'm going to use my one to scare off cats that keep leaving their poo on my doorstep.

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More Shingeki goodies.

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Which is your fave Tennis Prince?

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Two really nice GSC and Max Factory figures soon.

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Mikazuki Yozora Nendoroid.

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Anime stickers. Looking forward to the Girls & Panzer movie.

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You been watching Date A Live?

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Be one of the Haiyore! Nyaruko-san characters.

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Tried the trial version of Soul Sacrifice but didn't quite tickle my fancy.


This post contains a video, click here to view.

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009 RE:CYBORG - if you watched and waited until the end of the credits then you would have seen me in it ^o^

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Akihabara Electric Town exit - this is the exit you want to get off to see all the hustle and bustle.

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Together with one of my comrades at publishing company Enterbrain after noms at Akihabara Negishi. Enterbrain do titles like Famitsu and Tech Gian.

Previous installments of Akihabara Shops listed up below.


And all Akihabara related posts listed up below.

And if you are visiting Japan then check out some of the places to visit listed up below.

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Read more about Mirai Suenaga >>>

International Tokyo Toy Show

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The International Tokyo Toy Show 2013 took place last weekend and we went down to take a gander at the various toys that they had on display. Unlike the Wonfes, TAF or ACE, the Tokyo Toy Show is largely mainstream toys aimed at the younger audience.

We take a lookie at goodies by Bandai, Takara Tomy, Sega Toys, Bushiroad, Lego, Happinet, Fisher Price, Line, Nintendo (Pokemon), Nerf and more.

First up - life-size Precure figures. How many of you fancy having these around your garden?

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Entrance fee for Buyer's Days for most events are free - just bring a copy of your business card.

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Heading to the Tokyo Big Site East Hall 1-4.

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An area set aside for wheeling n dealing.

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My official LINE account is now up to 243,600 followers ^o^
My ID is "@DannyChoo" (dont forget the "@" mark)

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Up n coming toy products by Takara Tomy Marketing.

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Megatron from "Transformers : Dark of The Moon".

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The new Pokemon X and Y launching worldwide on October 12th.


This post contains a video, click here to view.

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Loadsa pokemon plushie up for grabs.

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Terebi de Pokemon Getto! Poké Ball [テレビでポケモンゲット! モンスターボール] - for those aspiring to become a pokemon master.


This post contains a video, click here to view.

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Even more goodies at the pokemon corner.

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The new Furby Japanese edition works with iPhone and Android.

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Protect your family with Nerf.

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Mr. Potato Head is turning Japanese.


This post contains a video, click here to view.

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Dancing Face-Stand makes your phone more..."interesting."

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Loads of Pretty Rhytym goodies. In Japan many anime targeted at little girls are cleverly crafted to be enjoyed by adults too.

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Some of the Pretty Rhythm girls in action below.


This post contains a video, click here to view.

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Hatsune Miku X Licca-chan.

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This post contains a poll, click here to view.

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More 1/6 scale dolls.

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Huge plarail [プラレール] diorama.

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Madoka Magica movie The Rebellion Story [叛逆の物語] soon.

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Bored of Transformers, Takara Tomy now do Madoka and Homura with their new doll brand "liccarize."

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Hungry?

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Rubie's Japan Iron Man Mark 42 costume will be available for 1,800,000 yen from mid-September. Any takers?

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Hot Toy's Tony Stark Workshop Version 1/6 scale figure.

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Variant Play Arts "DC Comics" Batman by Square Enix.

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Char Aznable x Auris collaboration - the Zeonic Toyota for all Gundam Fans.

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Morinaga & Company's booth with a load of noms.

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Checking out Drecom's social game "Furusato Jieitai" [ふるさと自衛隊] - illustrated by Mibu Natsuki-sensei who brought you the Tetsudou Musume series.

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Tis officially approved by Japan's Self Defense Force too.

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The new Mutant Ninja Turtles will begin airing in Japan next spring. How many of you have seen the original anime?

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At the Bushiroad booth, big boss Kidani-san gives a presentation on their upcoming title Buddy Fight. More info due to be released in October.

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From left to right - CoroCoro Comic Chief Editor Murakami-san, Big Boss Kidani-san and O.L.M CEO Okuno-san.

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Bushiroad have the rights to My Little Pony in Japan - I hear the series is popular among American adults? Is it horses having hanky panky?

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Huge lego crafts of Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader at the Lego booth.

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More Star Wars Lego goodies.

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Evangelion jigsaw puzzle in many different shapes and sizes.

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This post contains a poll, click here to view.

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4D City Scape Time Puzzle Tokyo - for those interested in learning how Tokyo looked like in the past and present.

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3D puzzle of famous architectures by Heart Art Collection.

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Spongebob Squarepants instrument and plushies.

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All kinds of R/C cars and helicopters.

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Gintama, Naruto, One Piece and Precure mini-posters.

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Shingeki no Jigsaw Puzzle.

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Now entering the Bandai booth.

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Soft vinyl kaiju figures.

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Sentai series - Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger.

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How many of you played Bandai's arcade card game Aikatsu! [アイカツ!]?

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Life-size Monsters, Inc.

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HG build Gunplas on display.

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Space Battleship Yamato 2199 booth featuring a huge replica of Yamato.


This post contains a video, click here to view.

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Smart pants for your smart phones...

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Wide assortment of Peko-chan goodies at the Fujiya booth.

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Exhibitors from outside Japan also gathered for the event - many being OEM.

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Macross Sheryl jigsaw puzzle illustrated by HIRONOX-sensei.

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Zuttomo Candy-ful Nail - DIY nail art kit for kids.

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I've always thought that Sylvanian Families were cute but never ended getting any ^^;

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As Tokyo Toy Show is targeted for younger audiences, products like baby strollers were also on display.

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Fisher Price also had a booth.

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Hello-kitty stuff for the wee lads.

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Anpanman face bread at the Anpanman Garden booth.

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The Sega Toys booth.

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Jewelpod Diamond Premium - a smart phone toy for the young girls.

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Anpanman inspired bento boxes.

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Plushies from the Nyanko Daisenso game [にゃんこ大戦争] - available on iTunes and Google Play.

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Big Sight!

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Read more about Mirai Suenaga >>>

Sena Kashiwazaki Cow Swimsuit

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Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai NEXT ended in Japan last season but Sena fans can still catch more of her in this Sena Kashiwazaki Cow Style Swimsuit figure from Alphamax due out this October.

There are quite a few 2D characters that get dressed up in cow girl bikini's - I took a second to wonder why and then realised - milk...

These photos taken at the Alphamax office in Akihabara.

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Folks not familiar with Sena can see her in action below. If the video has been eaten then check out this search query on Youtube.


This post contains a video, click here to view.

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If you are interested in getting your grubby mitts on Sena then check out the following trusted online retailers. Retail price is 9,500 yen.

If you are interested in getting your grubby mitts on Sena, which part of her would you first grab?

This post contains a poll, click here to view.

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This post contains a poll, click here to view.

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And this is what she would look like in your workspace.

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Find out more about the Culture Japan girls >>>

Shibuya 109

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The iconic Shibuya 109 building. The name originates from the Tokyu Group who built the facility. "Tokyu" [東急] (とうきゅう) is converted to the reading for "10" as "To" and "9" as "Kyu". Its also called "Ichi Maru Kyu".
Back in 1979 when the facility first opened, the tenants were stores which catered for women between the ages of 20 - 30. These days however, tenants cater for teenagers to ladies in their twenties.

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And this is Shibuya 109 by day. They've got a small stage at the front where they do live events from time to time - YouTube Neta Battle being one for example.
To get to Shibuya 109, just get off at Shibuya station - you will see it from the Hachiko crossing.
View location with Google Maps

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These photos taken inside Shibuya 109 when filming with Elly Otoguro. There is not much in Shibuya 109 for men apart from waiting spaces, restaurants and men's toilets ^^;

First batch of photos taken at Cocolulu who cater for the street fashionwise girl.

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Oppai support systems.

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For Hideyoshi's and Waai's.

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Some of these photos taken by Ken Lee.

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I think these photos are all mixed up ^^;
Following photos from stores Lip Service and Dilga.

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A sign to remind folks that shop lifting is a crime. Have wondered why they use the term "shop lifting" - is it because many moons ago folks used to actually try to lift and take the whole shop?

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How much of your hard earned cash is spent on clothes? Do you go for brands first or whats comfortable?

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Cute!

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And more photos from filming with Elly in the Shibuya Tour post.

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More places to visit in Japan in the photo posts listed up below.

Mount Fuji

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Grats to Mt Fuji for being granted World Heritage status by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) earlier on today!

Spent last Sunday near Mount Fuji doing some filming. Been living in Japan for about 13 years and realized that we should have done this more often!
Was a gorgeous sunny day and we were just in time for the Shibazakura (Moss Pink) season at the Shibazakura Festival.
This season only lasts until May 27th but if you cant make it this time then just keep an eye on the official site to see when you should be going next time.
Punch in the following address into your carnavi - tis located at Fuji Motosuko Resort.
山梨県南都留郡富士河口湖町本栖212
View location with Google Maps

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Driving up from Tokyo - Mount Fuji in sight.

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Beautiful Mount Fuji also known as "Fuji-san" - I believe there is a card for that.

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Our trusty Mirai Itasha Ver 2.

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Lining up for tickets - costs 500 yen to get in.

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Picking up some Kusa Mochi rice cake.

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Blue skies, light cloud and a clear view of Mount Fuji.

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Some of these photos (and more) are uploaded in full HD to my Google Plus account - feel free to take and do whatever with them!

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Yuki-chan in Mirai Suenaga Winter Uniform cosplay.

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Yuki is joined by a friend - 006!

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Have not seen Mount Fuji this close for a long time so went crazy with the camera ^^;

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All photos taken on the Sony NEX 5N.

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Comrades!

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Yes - my wife does like our daughters too!

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We left Tokyo at about 7:30 AM and got to the area at about 9:30 - but then we discovered some caves which we went to explore. Luckily we arrived at the Shibazakura when we did because it started to cloud over and by the time we left, Fuji-san was completely covered in cloud.

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Getting some noms before moving off to the next location.

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And the next location is Oshino Hakkai - photos in a separate post!
More places to visit in Japan listed up below.

Jobs at Culture Japan

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If you want to work in Japan in the anime, game and hobby field then this entry may be of interest - but first you need to know a little bit about Culture Japan.
If you are going to apply for any of the positions then make sure you read this entry very carefully!

Update: Looks like folks are just not reading this post carefully - I do mention that skills are more important than the language skills - read again!

What is Culture Japan?

Culture Japan’s mission is to share and make Japanese culture more accessible to the world. We do this through the web and mobile platforms that we develop and run, the TV shows that we produce, the merchandise that we develop and the events that we roll out worldwide - all with the help of our mascot character Mirai Suenaga.

Located in the heart of Tokyo Metropolis, we cover all aspects of Japanese Culture including Fashion, Pop Culture, Technology, Gourmet, and Daily Life - we even provide information on how to get a drivers license, get a health checkup, buy a house or even get yourself cloned.

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What do we do?

We do a variety of things which contributes to our mission of sharing Japanese Culture which include:-

  • Disseminate information through our web properties such as this website Culture Japan and our social media networks such as our Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LINE, Instagram and more.
  • We produce terrestrial TV shows such as Culture Japan and Japan Mode which are broadcast across Japan and the world.
  • We produce global events such as Culture Japan Night and Culture Japan Convention which focus on gathering like minded folks to network with each other. We also help with the production of the world's biggest anime events - Anime Expo and Anime Festival Asia.
  • We develop character brands - our main character is Mirai Suenaga - a Japanese high school girl and heroine of the story Mirai Millennium. Mirai is also known as “Mirai-chan.” Mirai has made appearances in Japanese games, anime and has collaborated with companies such as Air Asia, Touch ‘n Go, Kinokuniya, Good Smile Company, Bushiroad, Ascii Media Works, King Records, Nitroplus and more - click all those links to see details.
  • We manufacture and distribute the popular Japanese language learning flash cards Moekana and Moekanji. We currently have sold tens of thousands of packs worldwide with more being planned to join the series.
  • We manufacture and soon will be distributing the interactive line of robot dolls known as Smart Doll.
  • We develop and license a web publishing system called Mirai Gaia which this website runs on. We also develop mobile iOS and Android applications. Some of the companies that use our web technology are mostly in the anime industry and include Konami, Production IG, King Records, Good Smile Company, Bushiroad, Kadokawa, Ascii Media Works, Yuzu Soft, SEGA, Sony Computer Science and more.
  • More details of what we do is covered in my profile and the money entry.

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How is our company doing now?

The best thing about our business is that we don't do it for the money - we do it because we simply love Japanese culture - it has changed our lives and we want more people to discover it so that it can change their lives too.

I believe that if you continue focusing on what you love - you will eventually end up with a strong business or personal brand - the money will *always* come later. You need to believe in what you do and stick through it no matter how tough the going gets. Many folk say that its difficult to make a living from being passionate - who said it had to be easy?!

Its been a tough few years and we continue to face challenges everyday but we are slowly getting on track to where we want to go.
For the fiscal year of 2012, our total revenue amounted to nearly 50 million yen (half a million USD) - the Mirai Suenaga brand accounted for most of it.

While we generated 50 million yen in 2012, we spent nearly the same amount too ^^;

Why is this OK? Because not only do we get to do what we enjoy, we also get to learn a lot on the way too.
It's still day one for our company and I believe that we need to invest cash to gain learnings and experience so that we can identify areas where we can cut costs, spend wisely, generate more cash and more importantly - create an environment where we can not only work hard but also play hard.

In the Why Money Doesn't Motivate Me entry, I describe how it's not about making money - it's about doing what we love and when we do so money just comes naturally.

We immediately pour cash back into the company to enable it to grow which is why we are hiring right now. I dont have expensive hobbies which I need to fuel by increasing my wages - in fact I get paid the lowest among all my staff!

Profits made by the company will always go back into growing the company or dishing out bonuses to staff who have gone above and beyond. If we didn't do this then profits gets taxed like no tomorrow ^^;

Because our focus is not money and don't have investors to please, we are not afraid to spend money to try out new things.
Regarding your new ideas, many companies would say “yeah we can try that as long as we break even.”
I say “If we can learn and gain an experience which will enable us to either do things more efficiently or make profits in the future then it does not matter if we break even for this project.”

A company does indeed need money to grow but more importantly it needs knowledge and experience to enable it to grow smarter. A smart company does not need to worry about making money in the future. Knowledge is power.

It is through this way of long term thinking that has enabled us to reach this point where the business has become sustainable and ready for more growth.

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What are the short term goals for Culture Japan?

  • At this moment of writing (2013/06), we will be expanding office space by moving to a new location this August and fill it initially with an additional 4 full time members of staff.
  • We also plan to launch an ecommerce website and implement logistics to support this new part of the business. The ecommerce site will initially focus on Mirai Suenaga merchandise and Smart Doll. As part of this move, we will be creating relationships with retailers worldwide and empower them with the contacts they need to help their business flourish.
  • We are currently in the midst of producing the original story for Mirai Suenaga called Mirai Millennium. The scenario is written by a very well known Japanese anime screenwriter who has brought us many historic titles - but I can't announce until contracts have been signed >< The scenario of Mirai Millennium is being written as a 13 part animation series but will most likely initially be released as a light novel.
  • Up until now, Mirai Gaia has been running on PHP which meant that we could only support about 800 connections per second - now we are on the RubyOnRails version, we can support millions of connections per second and can finally scale our online operations.
  • Right now we are still developing our line of interactive robots called Smart Doll - currently working on the outer shell, accessories, robotics, software and planning the mass production line and support center. These interactive companions which are controlled by an Android mobile device will also let you know when you get new mail, Facebook and Twitter notifications. New functionality will be downloadable via Google Play. Read more about Smart Doll.

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What are the long term goals for Culture Japan?

  • If you read the How Discovering Japan Changed My Life entry, you will understand just how much Japanese culture has changed my life and I truly believe that it can change the lives of others too.
  • I want to continue to grow our reach by developing relationships with producers around the world and empower them with the tools and connections that enable them to share and be a part of the Culture Japan brand.
  • I have always worked in the technology field since I was a Computer Engineer at Japan Airlines. I moved onto being Website Manager at Amazon and then Product Manager at Microsoft. We will continue to work in the tech field by developing Mirai Gaia and supporting mobile applications and use it to expand our network.
  • I also want Smart Doll to be a household brand of interactive robots which enrich our lives by providing us with useful information that we require on a daily basis - like email and social media notifications.
  • I love Mirai Suenaga and I want her to do well. I want Mirai to be a global brand and have been making efforts on an international front to pave the way for further global development. The Kinokuniya, Touch n Go and AirAsia developments are just some examples.
  • We currently have 2 TV shows (Culture Japan and Japan Mode) - I want to do more seasons and increase the amount of territories that they are broadcast in.
  • One of my goals is to remain a small but nimble and efficient company that can output just as much (and more) than other companies with legions of staff. We will do this by focusing on the well being of staff and prioritize work to focus on the larger impacting stuff rather than the small stuff.
  • All staff are expected to identify areas of improvement in workflows or technology that we can use to help us do things faster. We invest money on things which make us smarter and not just invest in things that make more money.
  • Remember folks - it was single X-Wing Fighter and small team that brought down the Death Star ^^
  • These are just some of the longterm goals that I can talk publicly about - the rest is a surprise ^^;

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Why Culture Japan?

Culture Japan is a brand recognized by the Japanese government and is often referenced by global news and TV networks on and offline which include CNET, CNN, Daily Mail, BBC and more.
We have a wide reach and constant exposure in press outlets worldwide which is utilized to showcase our productions and increase awareness of the Culture Japan brand.

Your implemented ideas will be immediately visible and affect millions of our consumers worldwide.

Culture Japan is a place where you can work together with a passionate team on a common mission to share your love for Japan. Through doing so, you will connect with complete strangers from all over the world who also love Japanese Culture.

Each member plays a vital role in the company and is given the responsibility to make decisions. We have been and are always willing to try new things which include implementing your creative ideas.

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Positions available

Convinced? If so then check out the positions below to see what tickles your fancy.

Marketing Manager (Tokyo/Full Time)

Job Requirements

  • The focus of the Marketing Manager is to constantly think of and execute ideas that increases brand awareness leading to incremental consumers/readers/viewers of our brand while making efforts to reduce churn. The Marketing Manager will execute ideas that will be instantly viewable on a global scale by millions of consumers on and off-line.
  • Be expected to constantly identify weaknesses and potentials in areas of our current content publishing methods or social media platforms which are used to generate incremental readers and continue to engage our current user base.
  • The Marketing Manager will also manage the Culture Japan mascot Mirai Suenaga and constantly think of and execute content dissemination related to her activities and collaborations.
  • Be responsible for increasing brand awareness of all our mascot characters by identifying and executing collaborative projects with current and future clients. Recent collaborations include Kinokuniya, Air Asia, Touch n Go, Pixiv, Nitroplus & Good Smile Company.
  • Be responsible for creating and managing press releases and liaising with various press outlets. This includes identifying potential press outlets which have a wide reach.
  • Manage the schedule and content for domestic and international magazine interviews and columns.
  • Manage syndication of content with partnering websites.
  • Manage content for SNS such as Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Tumbr, Weibo, Google + etc.
  • Manage direction of Imouto (sister) web properties such as figure.fm and doll.fm.
  • Works with the Video Producer to manage licensing of our TV shows domestically and Internationally.
  • Manage contests and shipping of prizes.
  • Work closely with translators who localize marketing content.
  • This position requires the ability to work with ambiguity and the flexibility to work in an ever changing environment.
  • The KPI for the Marketing Manager is the continued increase of our brand consumers for our web properties, social media networks and TV viewers which will be monitored through social media networks.
Required skill set

  • Be familiar with current tools which automate the dissemination of content such as Twitter & Facebook scheduling services, newsletter tools and be aware of current and up and coming social networking platforms which can be utilized for marketing purposes.
  • Be familiar with and a regular user of a wide variety of social media services such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc.
  • Has an understanding of international social media services and their strengths in each region - for example Weibo in China, Plurk in Taiwan etc.
  • Be familiar with a wide variety of Cloud services such as Google Docs, iCloud, Gmail, Monosnap etc
  • Does not have to be a Photoshop guru but needs basic graphic skills to create mockups.
  • Needs Japanese JLPT N2 or equivalent ability.
  • Needs fluent English ability.
If you are interested in this position

  • Imagine its your first week at Mirai Inc and all the staff have been kidnapped and all you see waiting for you on your desk is the above job requirements. This means there is nobody to ask questions and you need to just get on with your mission. The only person that can help you is Google Sensei and your knowledge of the Culture Japan brand. Prepare a proposal on what you want to do in the next 1 month, 5 months, 1 year and where you want to take the Culture Japan brand.
  • Submit your proposal with supporting mockups, videos or images. The length of the proposal depends on how imaginative you are. Do not just submit a wall of text. The Marketing Manager needs to be able to articulate their ideas with visuals too. I'm not looking for master pieces - monosnap is good enough for the job.
  • Write a press release about Smart Doll in English announcing that pre-orders are to open on December 25th 2013.
  • Explain with backing information whether you think that the next region to focus the Culture Japan brand would be Europe or Latin America.
  • Use either Keynote, Powerpoint, Word or Google docs and upload it to a private location on the web and share it with jobs at mirai dot fm.
  • There is no wrong or right answer to this test - it really does depend on your creativity and your ability to research.
  • Dont forget to spell check!
  • We wont be answering any questions regarding this test - you need to be able to work with ambiguity - just as long as you know what your mission is then you have more than enough to go on.
  • Together with your application, create a resume outlining what ninja foo you can do. I will leave it to you to decide what info it should have.
  • Also include a write up in Japanese on how you discovered Japanese culture and why you want to live and work in Japan - this can be as long as you want. If you already live in Japan, write how you came over instead.

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Video Producer (Tokyo/Full Time)

Job Requirements

  • To produce and manage all aspects of our video properties for the Culture Japan brand which include TV broadcast material for terrestrial, cable and internet channels. Our current TV shows include Culture Japan and Japan Mode. Up and coming net programs include Tokyo Tea Time and Culture Japan Network TV.
  • Has experience in producing professional video footage using professional camera, sound and lighting equipment.
  • The Video Producer will be liaising with TV stations in Japan and worldwide to ensure that the footage is delivered on time and to spec through means of either tape, HDD or distribution systems such as Aspera.
  • Liaise with on-location management, management studios of voice actress and anime studios regarding schedules.
  • Liaise with external camera, sound, editing, lighting and makeup staff.
Required Skill Set

  • The Video Producer is expected to be familiar with and be able to use professional camera and sound equipment.
  • Be familiar with the various broadcasting standards (video and sound) and understand issues such as drop frames, sound levels, lighting frequencies, shutter speed etc.
  • Be seasoned in editing main footage, b-roll, inserts and text.
  • Macs are the industry standard in Japan when it comes to video editing so you need a good command of a mac and be able to use Final Cut Pro 7 and X.
  • Japanese proficiency should be N2 or higher.
  • Understand enough English to edit English dialog conversations.
  • A good sense of direction is also required and not just the operation of video equipment. For example, the Video Producer must always be wary of what footage is needed for editing - would the viewer be confused with the current script? Did we take the B-roll of that object that the voice actress picked up in the shop? Did we do a pan down of the shop front etc?
If you are interested in this position

  • Go to culturejapan.tv and download all episodes of Culture Japan season 2.
  • Make a 1 minute and 5 minute trailer choosing the bits which you feel are most interesting from the whole season using the video footage available. When you have finished, upload the rendered files to a location of your choice and share the link with me at jobs at mirai dot fm.
  • Also include in your submission a link to previous video footage that you have created and edited yourself together with a list of all the video editing packages that you are familiar with.
  • Together with your application, create a resume outlining what ninja foo you can do.
  • Also include a write up in Japanese on how you discovered Japanese culture and why you want to live and work in Japan - this can be as long as you want. If you already live in Japan, write how you came over instead.

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Events & Retail Manager (Tokyo/Full Time)

Job Requirements

  • The Events & Retail Manager (ERM) manages the production of merchandise and is also responsible for the planning and execution of events which promote our brand and sell Mirai Suenaga merchandise.
  • Events include Culture Japan Night, Culture Japan Convention and booths that we organize in events across the globe which include Anime Expo and Anime Festival Asia.
  • Is expected to liaise with all parties concerned in event planning including sponsors, talent agencies, customs, construction, shipping and printing companies.
  • ERM is required to travel globally which can be a few times a month for extended periods of time.
  • Will generate relationships with retail stores and other local resources while they oversee booth rollout in each locale.
  • Work with retail stores domestically in Japan and abroad to ensure they are up to date with the latest information of products.
  • Manage logistics for domestic and global distribution of our products.
  • Manage POP & promotional material (Stickers, tarpaulin banners, Itasha etc)
  • Inventory Management using the up and coming online Culture Japan store.
  • Oversee the up and coming World Wide Anime Retail Store Directory.
Required Skill Set

  • Have a good command of SketchUp to design and render booth and hall layouts. If you dont know what SketchUp is then you can learn how to use it in 10 mins - and its free.
  • Photoshop and Illustrator skills is desired but not a requirement.
  • Equivalent to JLPT N3 or above is required for this position to be able to articulate ideas and instructions to various parties in Japan.
  • Excellent organisational skills to manage multiple events at a single time.
If you are interested in this position

  • Take a look at the following map for an up and coming event > http://note.io/14k18PD The arrows show the flow of people from the entrances. The red square is the location of our booth which will be 6 meters x 6 meters in size. We will be selling Moekana, Moekanji, Moekana T-shirts x 4 types, Mirai posters x 8 types and Smart Doll x 1 type. There will also be 1 large screen to show commercials for Smart Doll.
  • Given the above requirements, use SketchUp to create a design of the booth - no need to worry about budget for this test.
  • Make sure to take into consideration of flow of people and clearly mark on your SketchUp submission which way the booth is facing.
  • Render various views of the booth and zip up the images together with the SketchUp file. Then move onto the next test.
  • We also want to see what your inventory management skills are like. Create a Google doc spreadsheet which you will use to manage the inventory of our products before our ecommerce system is up. Lets presume that we have the following products to manage:-
    • Moekana 7000 cartons (36 packs per carton)
    • Moekanji 15000 cartons (40 packs per carton)
    • Smart Doll (600 units)
    • Moekana T-shirts (2000 pcs)
    • Mirai Carry Case (1000 pcs)

  • Share the Google document that you created with jobs at mirai dot fm.
  • The final test is to see if you know how to ask Google Sensei stuff - identify what Japan or anime events outside Japan you think we should participate in during 2014. List up all the information that you think I would need to make a decision as to whether we should attend these events - I'll leave it to you to decide what that information should be.
  • All test material should be sent to jobs at mirai dot fm.
  • Together with your application, create a resume outlining what ninja foo you can do.
  • Also include a write up in Japanese on how you discovered Japanese culture and why you want to live and work in Japan - this can be as long as you want. If you already live in Japan, write how you came over instead.

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Graphic Designer (Tokyo/Full Time)

Job Requirements

  • The Graphic Designer will handle all aspects of graphic design creation for the Culture Japan brand which includes web, products, vehicles, publishing, events, mobile applications, anime and video production.
  • The Graphic Designer will also be expected to manage certain aspects of Mechanical Engineering which include sculpting in 3D and preparing the data to print prototypes on our in house 3D printer.
  • To work on creating concept art for the up and coming series of Mirai Millennium and other stories which we are planning on rolling out.
Required skill set

  • 2D packages = Sai, Photoshop, Illustrator, Fireworks
  • 3D packages = 3D Max, Lightwave, Zbrush (either)
  • CAD packages = SolidWorks, AutoCAD (either)
  • Video packages = Adobe Premiere, After Effects
  • Needs ability to work with Japanese fonts
  • Understanding of 3D sculpting and CAD tools such as 3D Max and SolidWorks (or equivalent)
  • Be familiar with 3D printing techniques and how to prepare data for printing using tools such as Netfabb.
  • Equivalent to Japanese proficiency JLPT N4 or higher.
  • Understand enough English for daily communication with staff in the office.
  • Pay ultra extreme attention to detail - 1 pixel off is just not good enough.
  • An online portfolio of work on either Pixiv or Deviantart is required for this position.
If you are interested in this position

  • Send links to your online portfolio which should include a collection of your 2D and 3D work to jobs at mirai dot fm
  • Make a poster of a "Mirai Suenaga concert" using any of the PSD files - the Mirai poster should replace this poster in this photo - do your best to make it look as realistic as possible given the various lighting conditions.
  • Include in your application 1 piece of 2D artwork of Mirai Suenaga in any of her uniforms using Photoshop or Sai.
  • Make Retrokyu in your choice of 3D software. Render a PNG file with transparency and submit that together with an OBJ file of Retrokyu.
  • Together with your application, create a resume outlining what ninja foo you can do.
  • Also include a write up in Japanese on how you discovered Japanese culture and why you want to live and work in Japan - this can be as long as you want. If you already live in Japan, write how you came over instead.

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What happens after you send in your application?

If you make the mark, we will contact you within a week of your submission for a video interview over Skype. Unfortunately, as we usually get a ton of applicants, we can only contact applicants who make the mark.

All these positions are for immediate hire but we can obviously wait for folks who need to tie up loose ends on their previous commitments.
There is no deadline for these positions but we will start to contact super star applicants as soon as entries start to come in - so if you are interested then it would be advisable to submit something sooner rather than later.

Folks need not be concerned that ideas or work in their applications would be misused in the event that they are not hired - because if their ideas were good enough in the first place then they would have been hired ^^;

Other details

  • We have a probation period of 3 months - we are both on probation as you may decide that Culture Japan is not a fit for you. If you are located overseas then you would do the probation for 3 months in your locale - if the chemistry works out then we bring you over permanently.
  • It doesn't matter what color you are, what gender or age you may be or what disabilities you may have - if you fit the bill then we would love to have you onboard. Unlike a typical Japanese company - we don't require a photo of you with your application.
  • If you fit the bill but are not located in Japan, we will look after sponsoring your visa. We will pay for your airfare to come over and pay you a months wages up front.
  • I previously heard that you need a university degree in order to get hold of the Certificate Of Eligibility. Even if you are not a university grad - as long as you fit the bill then we will go out of our way to work something out.
  • Your compensation will be discussed with you during our Skype call.
  • Even if you fall short of some of the required software skills - you should be able to pick them up as you go so I encourage you to apply.
  • If you fall short of all of the required skills - as long as you can pick them up in order to do the tests then that is fine too as it demonstrates your ability to learn and utilize the software.
  • If Japanese lingo is still your weak spot but think you would be a ninja at performing the tests then still do apply. While Japanese language is important, we will consider your other strengths too.

Who should not apply?

  • Applications which come only with a "I dont have the skills now but I'm willing and am a fast learner" are completely ignored. If these folks were truly willing and are fast learners then they would ask Google Sensei how to go about completing the tests and just do them.
  • I hate to have to micro manage people - which is why I dont hire them ^^; I need you to hit the ground running and start playing a part in running the show. Unfortunately because we are a small team, while you will learn much about the industry and production process of various products, we are unable to hold your hand every step of the way and watch over your back. If you need nurturing and step by step instructions for everything then these positions are not for you.
  • Folks need to be able to adapt to the fast paced constantly changing environment here at Culture Japan - folks who dont like change and prefer a snug comfort zone wont like it here.

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Work Culture

Previously as a people manager at Amazon, I drew a pie chart that my staff started to call "Danny's Pie" which if you say very fast could be made to sound like "Danny's Oppai."

The pie is divided into three - each piece is 8 hours. Presuming that you work 8 hours and sleep for 8 hours then you have 8 hours remaining which is one slice of the pie. I then start to cut up the remaining piece.
The 8 remaining hours is needed for things like personal hygiene, nourishment intake, health care (very important), cleaning, commuting and other chores which are important in life but generally don't contribute a whole lot to your career or personal development.

If you subtract the time needed for all the above from the final piece of the pie then all you would have left each day is 4-ish hours which you need to use on spending with friends/loved ones, entertainment/recreation and personal development - learning a new subject, beefing up current skills, researching etc.
This personal dev time is something I consider to be crucial to the development of an employee's life, career and well being.

Due to the nature of us still being in startup mode however, there may be some days where you need to chip in a few more hours than the regular to meet deadlines but usually, I would want you to go home early and do your own stuff so that you can be in razor sharp tip top shape the next day.

I think one of the reasons why we have been able to build our business to this stage with only a limited amount of resources is because we prioritize what can be done in the available time frame without expecting everybody to work up until the last train.

We constantly make sacrifices on the small stuff and prioritise resources to work on the bigger impacting stuff.

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Whats with all this Google Sensei stuff?

Even if you dont have any of the above skills - its not too late to learn - depending on the position you are going for - you can gain all the skills that you need from asking Google Sensei.

This is Linus from Singapore. I first met him at a Culture Japan Night a few moons ago. He was following me around with a laptop with some of his work on it and was interested in an internship with us.
The graphical work he showed me did look nice but not incredible - but I was impressed with his persistence as he followed me around all the time!
We exchanged business cards. He then sent me an illustration of Mirai-chan that he done in Illustrator. I was impressed with the quality of his vector artwork and proceeded to speak with him over Skype.

Linus could speak quite a fair bit of Japanese which he picked up himself. But he didn't have enough skills that I required. Linus looked like a clever chap so I decided to invest time to train him - well it was more like getting him to train himself - I only gave him guidance.

I gave him test after test which he not only passed but went above and beyond.

The first test was to learn HTML and CSS3 which he ended up doing in 3 days - I gave him a mockup of a website (as a flat image) and a link to W3 Schools and told him of Google Sensei who lived on the planet Dagobah.
Google Sensei taught me all my Internet and graphical skills and I'm sure that Google Sensei would teach Linus the same - all Linus had to do was to ask Sensei.

In 3 days, not only did Linus manage to make the mockup from pure CSS (no table tags) but he also took the opportunity to learn JQuery and put in a rotating slideshow which I didn't request.

The second test was to edit a video for me using Final Cut Pro X - I sent him a few clips and told him to consult with Google Sensei again.
Despite having no previous knowledge of Final Cut Pro, just like myself, he picked up all the information that he needed - it cant get more easier than typing "Final Cut Pro X Tutorial."

The final test was to set up a server on his Mac and open up a port so that I could access it from Japan. Linus had no prior server knowledge but managed to do this task in a single night just by asking Google Sensei.

Linus proceeded to Intern for us for 3 months before becoming a full time employee working remotely in our Singapore office.

Linus has been working with us for a year and a half. At the age of 21, he has just been promoted to be our Chief Operating Officer and will be joining us in Tokyo this September.

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Why do you have to do these tests for free?

You dont! Nobody is forcing you. But to be honest, if you have been living your life thinking that you should be paid for every little thing you do then you have probably already dug yourself an early grave.
I'd like to discuss a few of the things I done for free and where it got me.

How I made it to Japan

I was content working for Japan Airlines after I graduated from university back in London. T'was my first job and it was with a Japanese company. Some of the staff were Japanese and I got to speak a lot of the lingo too.
But I still wasn't in Japan and I never let go of the Japanese Dream that I had which was to live and work in the land of the rising sun.

I started to do the milk rounds looking for jobs online and I found something that caught my eye on a recruitment site called Peoples First. The job was based in Tokyo and the description was something like "Web marketing in SE Asia. Require native English speaker with good command of Japanese/Chinese and who could do the Internets."

Hmmm. I can do a bit of the Internets! I immediately applied for the job and ran home all excited. I told my wife when I got home "we are moving to Japan!"
Wifey gave a smile ^^

A few days later, I got a call to meet the general manager (David Swinbanks) of Nature Japan who had come to the UK to do interviews. I met with him for an hour and the interview included a task to read a scientific article in Japanese ^^;
David didn't expect to find somebody who could also speak Korean which was rather handy as Nature Japan covered Korea in their marketing too.

After the first interview, I went home and stayed up through the night to make a mock up of a simple Nature Korea website which you can see above - they didn't have one at the time and during the interview I discussed how it would be strategically important for Nature to have one. I saved the files on a floppy, printed out a screenshot and found out which hotel David was staying at through the recruitment agency. I got to the hotel, slid the goods under his door and left.

That night, I got a call from the recruitment agency who said that David wanted to meet me again and that "he was surprised by your delivery."
I Met up with David who said that he wanted to send me to their Tokyo office for a week of tests and interviews but that he wasn't guaranteeing me a position just yet. He was going to pay for just the ticket and hotel and leave the rest to me.

I headed to Tokyo and spent a week at the offices of Nature in Ichigaya. I was doing forecasting which I had never done before and had to think of an algorithm that made sense. I used excel to plot some forecasts based on previous years data but I didn't take into account external factors.
Without the experience to understand how things such as seasons affect sales, my forecasts were off but I tried my best to come up with the numbers.

Luckily David was looking for somebody with the willingness to try rather than somebody who knew it all.
I was also doing translating of scientific articles which they don't quite teach in university ^^;

A week packed with intensive tests and interviews had come to an end and I was sitting at Davids desk. "Thank you for coming to Tokyo. We will give you a decision after you get back to the UK."
I started to imagine the pain of sitting on a plane for 12 hours worrying about his answer and said "I probably won't have any finger or toenails left after biting them all off through worrying about whether I got the job or not - I would love an answer before I go back ^^"
David laughed and told me that he will call over the weekend.

I went back to the hotel and was distraught with stress but knew I done absolutely *everything* I could. Everything. I had prepared for a chance like this for the past few years learning not only Japanese but also the technology. I was given the opportunity and I did my best. I wanted to be in Japan so so bad. I just had to be in Japan.
That night, I broke down and cried myself to sleep ^^; lol

The hotel phone rang the next day on a rainy Sunday morning - it was David.

The result of that call was that in July 1999, wifey and I packed up stuff and picked up our one way tickets to Japan.

Had I the mindset to think that I should be paid for everything little thing I do, I would not have put together the mockup of the Korean Nature site.

I was not paid for my time for that week of tests in Tokyo either - but that was not a concern as the chance to prove myself was priceless.

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Stepping stone to corporate life

After working at Nature for a while, I started to seek new opportunities and I found one with a Japanese recruitment agency called Job Dragon. During the interview, the CTO (Nick) then came in to have a chat and we discussed the possibility of me working for them. Amongst the conversation, I suggested how a mobile site would be beneficial for Job Dragon to help increase usage of their service.

From 1999 through to 2001, wifey and I decided to save money and not get a mobile phone but then thought it was time to invest in a pair as I wanted to make a mobile site for Job Dragon - to prove to them that I could do the job. Don't have a screenshot of the Job Dragon site that I made but this was the dannychoo.com mobile version which I whipped up at the same time.

Nick seemed to like what I did but wasn't convinced until I did further tests online - he sent me a link to a site where I was required to take tests in HTML and Dreamweaver. I passed both tests and soon after I was offered a full time position working for Job Dragon as a Contents Producer. It was this stepping stone that lead me to corporate life serving such roles as Website Manager at Amazon and Product Manager at Microsoft.

Had I the mindset to think that I should be paid for everything little thing I do, I would not have put together the mockup of the Job Dragon mobile site. Nor would I have taken those tests for free - but that was not a concern as the chance to prove myself was priceless.

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What are the perks of working at Culture Japan?

Our work involves sharing Japanese culture with the world which means that we need to travel often - we cover flights, hotel and make sure there are a couple of days left over after an event so that we can enjoy the local culture and spend time with our readers and viewers - many other companies ask you to get your ass back home to do work.

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Customise your workspace

Was you working in an environment where it was difficult to have figures or dolls around your own workspace?
At Culture Japan you can display whatever you want around your glass desk - even ecchi figures ^^

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Free figures, dolls, merchandise, clothes and gadgets

Choose from some of the ton of samples that arrive at the office - take whatever you want as they sometimes prevent us from being able to move around properly ^^;

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Macs & Equipment

Depending on the nature of your work, you will be given a MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac or a MacPro to do your cool stuff.

We do a lot of TV and creative work and the industry standard in Japan is Mac. If you are a Windows guy or gal and don't like the idea of using a Mac then nobody is forcing you at point blank range to apply for a position! Complaining will only make you look clever...

I can clone a configuration of Mac OS and restore it to any Mac machine and it will just work - this is just one of the reasons why we save on having a dedicated IT department.

We have built up a library of Mac software over the years and also have a plethora of automated processes that help us do things faster on Macs too.

The only exception is the Graphic Artist who may have to use Windows for software like 3D Studio Max which is only Windows based.

Also, if you need any equipment particular for your line of work - we get it for you.

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Flexible work hours

Once upon a time I used to think that I could effectively run a business with remote staff using tools like mail, skype and monosnap. What ended up happening was that I would spend 90% of the day touching base with my staff located in countries like Romania, Philippines, South Africa, Malaysia, Singapore and the UK.

Moving forward, I’m investing in a larger office and hiring more folks locally in Tokyo. This should enable us to better articulate our ideas and emotions on a 1 to 1 basis.

While we do need to spend a certain amount of time in the office to touch base and communicate with the team - the most important thing is that you deliver your goods which is why we are flexible about allowing staff to go and run personal errands and wot not.

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Video Games

I discovered Japan through games! I’m looking for some arcade cabinets for the office but for now staff can take a break by kicking somebody in Street Fighter or shooting something in Axelay.

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Powernaps

It happens to a lot of us - a sudden spell of sleepiness. I'd rather have staff take a power nap rather than pretend to be awake at the desk.
We have a Mirai-chan dakimakura to help you doze off quicker too.

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Work with the makers

If you have enjoyed Japanese Pop Culture then you would have probably watched a load of anime, played a load of games, read a load of manga or bought a load of figures or dolls - well now you get to work with the folks who make all this stuff because they are our clients or partners.

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Mirai Suenaga

Mirai is one of my biggest motivations - I want to see her do well and if you do too then you can be a part of contributing to the success of her career.

If none of the positions tickle your fancy then still keep em peeled as I'll be posting more positions as we go along.
I'm interested in seasoned RubyOnRails and Android developers but they are of a lower priority compared to the listed 4 so I didn't post requirements this time round.

If you think these jobs in Japan may be of interest to your fellow comrades then please share this with them.

Anyway, thats it for now - I look forward to working with you to work hard, play hard, make cool stuff and make history!

Lawson x Mirai Suenaga

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It gives me great pleasure to announce that Mirai Suenaga is now a mascot for the Japanese convenience chain store LAWSON as announced on their official Facebook Page ^o^

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Its not the 24 hours of service that make these stores convenient - its the fact that they are absolutely everywhere!

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LAWSON can often be found on in the metro too just like at our local station.

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LAWSON is another brand that originated in the US. In 1939, dairy owner called J.J Lawson opened store selling milk - which is why the logo shows a barrel of milk.

Daiei got hold of the rights and launched the first LAWSON store in Osaka in 1975 - which is probably why when I went over to Osaka they seemed to have the most share of convenient stores.

They recently opened stores in Indonesia and are rapidly expanding through the country.

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LAWSON have their own mascot character called Akiko-chan which they have also made into a Vocaloid called Akikoloid-chan - check her out in action below.


This post contains a video, click here to view.

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Back at the Nico Nico Chokaigi 2012, I bumped into KIPI who was cosplaying Akikoloid-chan at the LAWSON booth.
At the same time, I bumped into the creator of Akikoloid-chan.

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This is Shirai-san who is the Manager of Advertising and Sales Promotion at LAWSON - also the creator of Akiko-chan.

We managed to hook up after all this time at their headquarters in Osaki yesterday to talk about how we can work with each other.

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This is Ohno-san - the big boss at LAWSON HMV Entertainment - LAWSON in Japan is now grouped with the music store HMV. Lawson do ticketing for many concerts and exclusively handle the ticketing for the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka.

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Our first collaboration project is of Mirai-chan as a mascot for LAWSON!

Starting next month, we will be working with LAWSON closely and spend time in their stores to take photos to cover the latest and greatest - everything from all the anime goodies that they do to the changing of displays and products to match the seasons.

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LAWSON is a strong brand with anime fans which you can see through their projects like Gintama, K-ON! and Madoka Magica.

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If there is anything in particular you want to see that goes on at LAWSON - just drop a note in the comments and I'll attend to it.

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Look forward to seeing more LAWSON x Mirai Suenaga!
In the meantime, you can keep up with the LAWSON brand at their English facebook page.


Anime Festival Asia Indonesia 2013

Anime Expo 2013 Merchandise & Schedule

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Are you ready for Anime Expo 2013? I'm not! The reason is that there is so much going on at AX that one cant possibly be ready for the onslaught of Japanese animation, industry guests, concerts, merchandise, panels. We expect about 130,000 attendees at one of the worlds biggest anime conventions.

Its going to be another incredible weekend at LACC. Everything for us has already started with a live appearance on KTLA this morning.

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First off, I want to talk about my MC'ing and moderating schedule which is listed up below.

Tuesday, July 2

7:45 KTLA Morning News (KTLA Studios)
2:00 – 3:00 Project Anime (San Gabriel Room, Westin Bonaventure)
5:00 - 12:00 Finish Presentation for panel ><

Wednesday, July 3

11:00 Move merchandise to LACC
12:00 Booth setup
After 3pm Hotel Check-in
7:00 – 10:00 Guests Welcome Dinner (Mc Donalds)

Thursday, July 4

9:30 Staging for Opening Ceremony (Main Events Hall B)
10:00 - 11:30 Opening Ceremony (Main Events Hall B)
3:00 - 4:00 Red Carpet/Press Conference (LACC 301A)
4:00 - 4:20 Junket w/Japanator (LACC 301B)

Friday, July 5

9:00am – 12:00pm Danny Choo Panel & Meet n Greet & signing LP2(502AB)
1:00 - 3:00 Fashion Show (Concourse)
4:00 - 5:00 Studio Trigger: Little Witch Academia screening w/Megumi Han LP2(502AB)
6:30 - 8:30 Japan Film Society Film Fest Awards LP1(Petree Hall)

Saturday, July 6

11:30am – 1:00pm Attack on Titan GOH + Special screening LP1(Petree Hall)
1:00 - 3:00 Fashion Show (concourse)
3:30 - 4:00 Inside AX (LACC 306B)
5:00 - 6:00 Culture Japan X Fakku Meetup LP2(502AB)
7:00 - 10:00 Culture Japan Night LA (Kinokuniya LA 123 Astronaut E S Onizuka St, Los Angeles, CA 90012)

Sunday, July 7

10:00 – 1:00 Meet The Guest Breakfast (Conga Room, LA Live)
5:00 - 6:00 Closing Ceremonies (Main Events – Hall B)
7:00 – 10:00 Farewell Dinner (Taco Bell)

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Setting up booth on Day Zero!

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The booth will be in the South Lobby together with the AX Merchandise Booth so you probably won't miss it.

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Decided to go with some extra large prints for our walls too so people can take pictures with their favourite characters ^^

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For the first time ever in the US, we'll also be selling some event limited Mirai Suenaga goodies.

First up are the T-shirts from the Culture Japan Apparel line. Up until now we only made chibi moekana style T-shirts but I wanted some of the Bishojo line for my daily wear too^^;

The print is a bit shiny though which some folks may not like - do take a look at the samples hanging around the booth before you decide to buy.
I've washed these a few times to see if colours would fade or ruin before I let these go on sale.

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Many folks in the US tell me that they want the Moekana T-shirts we sold at events in Asia so here they are^o^ Any of the above 3 T-shirts bought at Mirai Mart will also come with both of the limited edition cards below of Kizuna and Chitose.
The character cards for the other 5 characters of Mirai Millennium are included in the Moekanji pack, these 2 cards will complete the collection.

Did I mention that you also get the Moekana Hiragana cards of Mirai and Eiji too? So all together thats 4 free cards with each T-shirt.

If $25 is too much than you can afford, you can download the high res photoshop files and print your own T-shirts - but only for your own personal use please!

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And if you're wondering what size would fit you best, here's a T-shirt size chart for you. The measurements are in inches and should be measured around the broadest part of your chest. We are following standard American T-shirt sizing so if you often buy T-shirts, sticking to your typical size should be fine.

These shirts are designed to be slim-fit though! If you want it lose-fitting then you might want to go one size larger.

Please make sure you choose the correct size - we cant change T-shirts if you end up picking the wrong size ><

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And of course, our Moekana and Moekanji Japanese learning card sets will also be on sale. They will also be available at various other booths at AX such as J-List, Good Smile Company and Kinokuniya.

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These deck cases will also be available at Mirai Mart, and are the perfect size for storing your Moekana and Moekanji cards. A full deck will fit nicely in either of these cases. You also get a Moekana Janken card set free.

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If you'd like to see more of Mirai-chan in your room, then these large posters are just what you need. A total of 7 designs of large, A2 (16.5" x 23.5") posters will be on sale at Mirai Mart.

Each design is of extremely limited quantity though > <

Again, If you cant afford these then just use the free high res photoshop files to print your own for free - but only for your own personal use please ><

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[Item F: Moekana] Make use of this Moekana poster to help you learn Japanese hiragana more quickly. Perfect for those of you who have just started learning Japanese.

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[Item G: Koku V1] A poster of Mirai-chan in her solar marine uniform illustrated by Koku-sensei.

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[Item H: Koizumi] A poster of Mirai-chan in her winter uniform illustrated by Koizumi Amane-sensei.

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[Item I: Millennium] A poster of Mirai Suenaga, Haruka Suenaga, and Kanata Hoshikawa in their Solar Marine uniforms illustrated by Iizuki Tasuku-sensei.

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[Item J: Koku V2] A poster of Mirai-chan in her bikini illustrated by Koku-sensei.

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[Item K: Ino] A poster of Mirai in her bikini illustrated by INO-sensei.

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[Item L: School Girls] A poster of Mirai Suenaga, Haruka Suenaga, and Kanata Hoshikawa in their summer school uniforms illustrated by Iizuki Tasuku-sensei.

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Everything that will be on sale has been summarised into this one image. Feel free to print it out or share it with your friends for reference.

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We've also got a little something prepared for everyone. Don't miss this free moecalendar that's included as the center spread of the event booklets ^^

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My panel is Friday 5th from 9AM - Noon at LP2(502AB) - *not* LP1 like previous years!
The reason why its 3 hours is because I'm merging the Signing & Meet n Greet into one session. I'll only chat for about an hour as usual.

Hope to see you there!

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Culture Japan teams up with health conscious portal site Fakku (NSFW depending on where you work) for a meet n greet also at LP2(502AB) on Saturday 6th from 5PM - 6PM.

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After the Culture Japan x Fakku meetup - we head over to Kinokuniya for Culture Japan Night LA from 7:00 - 10:00 in the evening on Saturday.
Address is Kinokuniya LA 123 Astronaut E S Onizuka St, Los Angeles, CA 90012

Costs nothing to join - light snacks available.

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Will have some stuff on display at our booth including...

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MIrai Suenaga Smart Doll ^o^

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And here is a lookie at the T-shirts that we will be selling. This is the "Millennium Girls" version.

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"Hinomaru" version.

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"Tora" version.

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And here are the posters - they are really nice! Very pleased with the quality. Made in America!

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I think we went overboard with the quality - they turned out to be like card ^^;

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Mirai-chan so cute! This is illustrated by Koizumi Amane-sensei.

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Koku-sensei Solar Marine Version.

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Koku-sensei Bikini Version.

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Kanata, Mirai and Haruka in their Solar Marine Uniforms.

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Stick one on your toilet wall too just like I did!

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INO-sensei Bikini Version.

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And here are the glossy Mirai bags that you get free with your purchases at Mirai Mart.
I'll be at the booth when I can to take photos, sign anything you want or to have a chit chat. See you all soon!

AX2013 Culture Japan Booth

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Running for 22 consecutive years now, Anime Expo must be the worlds largest anime focused event in terms of unique attendees - this year we went over 62,000!
But to tell you the truth I think the official numbers must be wrong - there just has to be more! Los Angeles Convention Center is huge and was constantly just filled with anime fans absolutely everywhere - inside and out!

This is my 4th year attending Anime Expo in Los Angeles and is the first time we had a booth selling Mirai Suenaga goodies - we called it Mirai Mart ^^;

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This post shows you some of the setting up, what went on in the middle and how we had to change the layout of the booth on the 3rd day because we ran out of stuff to sell - we sold half of our stock on the first day of AX 2013.

We had Moekana T-shirts Hinomaru (Japanese Flag), Tora (Tiger) and a new design called "Millennium Girls."
We also had our own Japanese learning products Moekana and Moekanji together with the Mirai Deck Cases and posters too.

The booth layout was changed into a Moekana card game playing area so that the booth would not look so sad with all stock gone ><

In the future we will have a display of Smart Dolls so we will be OK but for the time being we need to prepare to convert the booth into a Moekana playing area in the event that we sell out during a long event.

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After Anime Festival Asia Singapore 2012, we realised that Mirai Suenaga was more popular than we anticipated in Asia and that her fans had been waiting for some of her merchandise for a while.

As it was our first time in the US however, I wasn't sure how popular she was so we only brought with us about 1000 T-shirts - sorry to all who dropped by after we sold out ><

However! We will be attending more cons in the US - ones that spring to mind are Sakuracon, Anime Boston and Kawaiicon - what US cons do you think we should be attending?

This post contains a poll, click here to view.

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We had a team of 17 comrades to help out. Staff members are chosen through observing their interest in our brand. For example, one of our team members cosplayed as Eiji Seiun at Anime Expo last year and I met him at my panel. I saw his photo posts on Figure.fm and had enough information to make a judgement call that we can trust him.

We have many folks say that they want to help out and while we would love to trust everybody who makes an offer - it just makes sense to select folks who have already reached out to our brand through their comments on this site or showing their interest through fanart or cosplaying our characters, building a simple app or connecting with our brand through Facebook or Twitter.

I always watch the community so if you are interested in working with us in the future, please start to reach out and participate!

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We thought we brought enough goodies - we were wrong! We plan to increase our selection and make available online too through our own e-commerce store.

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Taylor! - thank this guy for all the techy stuff at AX.

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Setting up booth.

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The booth construction vendor that Anime Expo used is one of the most professional companies we've worked with so far - when we arrived, all we had to do was display stuff - all construction, lighting, wiring and printing was done as soon as we got there to set up on Day 0. Blane Convention Services are the biz!

For some other cons its not quite so smooth >< hardboard foam panels come as stickers and we need to wipe footprints from the walls and face smear marks from the glass cabinets ^^;

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I only had 1 Smart Doll with me which is why she wasn't on display from time to time as I needed her on stage.

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Nearly done!

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Michael and Alan at the controls.

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The queue - sorry to keep you guys waiting and thanks for coming!
If you bought something then post your loot photos in the comments below!

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Thanks to the Doki Doki Maids for helping out too!

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Alodia joined us for AX2013! I have a feeling she will be back soon ^o^

Mini Mirai at the controls of the Itasha.

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The videos that we played are up at YouTube.

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My man Tofuprod to my right - he has just finished work on Pacific Rim which I must see before going back to Japan!

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Our ladies in charge of the booth.

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Sueanga typo!!! ><

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Mirai Suenaga showcase of cosplay and fanart.

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Illustrated by INO sensei.

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The best Iron Man cosplay was at AX 2013!

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Kigurumi Mirai ^o^

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Daughter VS Father.

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Paper Mario cosplay.

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The two Chitose and Kizuna cards to complete your Moekanji collection ^o^

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We use Square to manage our inventory and sales - we also got the reader too for credit card orders which was a lifesaver as 50% of orders was credit card.

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Mirai Nendoroid.

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MiraiClock3 - for iOS and Android.

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And here is the layout change from Day 3 after we ran out of stuff to sell - had a few posters left though.

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The poster quality was just awesome - very happy with them.

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Some DD's came along to play. Photo from Wolf.

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Thanks again to all who helped out, to those who dropped by and to AX for making this year a most awesome event!

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Vroom vroom.
Previous Culture Japan booth photos from other cons around the world listed up below.

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Find out more about Culture Japan Convention - August 17 - 18th 2013 in Penang Malaysia >>>

Anime Expo 2013 Day 1

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Anime Expo 2013 - the biggest one to date! Today we take a look at my Day 1 - Opening Ceremonies in the morning, Press Conference in the afternoon and spending time in the Exhibition Hall and at our Mirai Mart Booth in the South Lobby.

Guests for this year were Eric Vale, Kyle Hebert, Christopher Sabat, Johnny Yong Bosch and Eyeshine, Mari Okada, Starmarie, Ram Rider, Noizi Ito, Alodia Gosiengfiao, Kazuhiko Inoue, Keigo Sasaki, Kaya, Moon Stream, Kazuhiro Furuhashi, Megumi Han, Masaaki Yuasa, George Wada, Porno Graffitti, CELL, Nobuhiro Kikuchi, Kazuchika Kise, Mitsuhisa Ishikawa, Vic Mignogna, Ryohei Huke, Aya Ikeda, Carat and KANAME☆ (copy pasted from Wikipedia)

This year I continued my role from last year as Master of Ceremonies for Anime Expo.

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Since 2008, AX has been held at the Los Angeles Convention Center located at 1201 S Figueroa St Los Angeles, CA 90015.

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The Exhibition Hall - its huuuuuge! You need at least a full day in here to catch everything.

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Setting up our Culture Japan Booth in the morning before running off to...

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...rehearse for the Opening Ceremonies ^^

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Chit chats with comrades Alodia and KANAME.

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Our Taiko drummers open the event.

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Together with my co-host Courtney.

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Alodia!

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KANAME.

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Voice Actress Megumi Han.

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Voice Actor Vic Mignogna.

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Voice Actor Kyle Hebert.

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Voice Actor and Actor Johnny Yong Bosch.

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Japanese visual kei musician Kaya.

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DJ Ram Rider.

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Carat & Aya Ikeda.

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Mobile Suit Gundam UC (Unicorn) Director Kazuhiro Furuhashi.

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Blue Exorcist Supervising Animation Director and Character Designer Keigo Sasaki.

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Masaaki Yuasa - worked on Crayon Shin-chan, Hakkenden, My Neighbors the Yamadas, Samurai Champloo and Kick Heart.

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The boss of Production IG - Mitsuhisa Ishikawa.

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After I told him that he looked like Dr Spock ^^

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Kazuchika Kise worked on Ghost in the Shell, Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence, Blood +, xxx Holic, Evangelion: 1.0, Miyamoto Musashi: The Dream of the Last Samurai, Basara – The Last Party, Blood-C The Last Dark, and most recently Ghost in the Shell: ARISE as Director and Character Designer.

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George Wada - worked on Sengoku Basara: Samurai Kings, Kimi Ni Todoke, Guilty Crown, Robotics;Notes, PSYCHO-PASS and Attack on Titan as Producer.

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Porno Graffiti!

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Time to get the big boss to do the deeds on the long time tradition of filling in one Daruma eye at the beginning of AX.

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Can somebody remind me why I made this face?!

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Off with Alodia to my booth to take photos.

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Alodia as Mirai in Winter School Uniform and Mini Mirai.

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Thanks again to all who dropped by to pick up some goodies!

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The Exhibition Hall about to open.

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No time for sleep or breakfast so need to make up for it at lunch in the Green Room.

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Time to check out the Exhibition Hall which is fitted out with carpet to make it a bit easier on yer feet.

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Together with my man from Kinokuniya - hmmmmm. Whats that we are holding?!

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Press Conference time.

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Group photo with some of the folks who came to my press con.

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Interview time with Japanator.


This post contains a video, click here to view.

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Mirai Suenaga Smart Doll.

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Bushiroad had a huge space for their card gaming.

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Thai food for dindins.

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The menu for our guests in the Green Room back at the hotel.

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Met up with Ito Noizi-sensei in my sleep gear ><
I had no idea she was following my Twitter account - got a DM from her and we hooked up that night in the Green Room for some chit chats.
Turns out that we got many mutual friends like DMYO-sensei and Nishimata Aoi-sensei too ^o^

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Find out more about Culture Japan Convention - August 17 - 18th 2013 in Penang Malaysia >>>

Anime Expo 2013 Day 1

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Anime Expo 2013 - the biggest one to date! Today we take a look at my Day 1 - Opening Ceremonies in the morning, Press Conference in the afternoon and spending time in the Exhibition Hall and at our Mirai Mart Booth in the South Lobby.

Guests for this year were Eric Vale, Kyle Hebert, Christopher Sabat, Johnny Yong Bosch and Eyeshine, Mari Okada, Starmarie, Ram Rider, Noizi Ito, Alodia Gosiengfiao, Kazuhiko Inoue, Keigo Sasaki, Kaya, Moon Stream, Kazuhiro Furuhashi, Megumi Han, Masaaki Yuasa, George Wada, Porno Graffitti, CELL, Nobuhiro Kikuchi, Kazuchika Kise, Mitsuhisa Ishikawa, Vic Mignogna, Ryohei Huke, Aya Ikeda, Carat and KANAME☆ (copy pasted from Wikipedia)

This year I continued my role from last year as Master of Ceremonies for Anime Expo.

9254498464_53b94ab291_o

Since 2008, AX has been held at the Los Angeles Convention Center located at 1201 S Figueroa St Los Angeles, CA 90015.

9251707753_9dd421b602_o

The Exhibition Hall - its huuuuuge! You need at least a full day in here to catch everything.

9254490580_de9e4c7936_o

Setting up our Culture Japan Booth in the morning before running off to...

9254490924_e7fef03b31_o

...rehearse for the Opening Ceremonies ^^

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Chit chats with comrades Alodia and KANAME.

9254491910_00b07f1878_o

Our Taiko drummers open the event.

9254492266_67797aba70_o

Together with my co-host Courtney.

9254492746_b2076bc387_o

Alodia!

9254493360_4fe852f7b4_o

KANAME.

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Voice Actress Megumi Han.

9254494156_2825f42cb4_o

Voice Actor Vic Mignogna.

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Voice Actor Kyle Hebert.

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Voice Actor and Actor Johnny Yong Bosch.

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Japanese visual kei musician Kaya.

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DJ Ram Rider.

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Carat & Aya Ikeda.

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Mobile Suit Gundam UC (Unicorn) Director Kazuhiro Furuhashi.

9251714503_cd3ce2d75c_o

Blue Exorcist Supervising Animation Director and Character Designer Keigo Sasaki.

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Masaaki Yuasa - worked on Crayon Shin-chan, Hakkenden, My Neighbors the Yamadas, Samurai Champloo and Kick Heart.

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The boss of Production IG - Mitsuhisa Ishikawa.

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After I told him that he looked like Dr Spock ^^

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Kazuchika Kise worked on Ghost in the Shell, Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence, Blood +, xxx Holic, Evangelion: 1.0, Miyamoto Musashi: The Dream of the Last Samurai, Basara – The Last Party, Blood-C The Last Dark, and most recently Ghost in the Shell: ARISE as Director and Character Designer.

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George Wada - worked on Sengoku Basara: Samurai Kings, Kimi Ni Todoke, Guilty Crown, Robotics;Notes, PSYCHO-PASS and Attack on Titan as Producer.

9251717049_b02d0f5cde_o

Porno Graffiti!

9254499770_0f68c5e0ee_o

Time to get the big boss to do the deeds on the long time tradition of filling in one Daruma eye at the beginning of AX.

9251717877_12648af5b3_o

Can somebody remind me why I made this face?!

9251718185_b7b96dcda7_o

Off with Alodia to my booth to take photos.

9254500874_7f3948e810_o

Alodia as Mirai in Winter School Uniform and Mini Mirai.

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Thanks again to all who dropped by to pick up some goodies!

9251719125_be19ab218b_o

9251719705_ca8b832c7b_o

9251720053_ba74b04e95_o

9251720451_1a871f74a4_o

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The Exhibition Hall about to open.

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9254503932_cc68b335b7_o

9254504296_772821f774_o

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No time for sleep or breakfast so need to make up for it at lunch in the Green Room.

9254504996_42bb3aa6d7_o

Time to check out the Exhibition Hall which is fitted out with carpet to make it a bit easier on yer feet.

9251722901_938973c02d_o

Together with my man from Kinokuniya - hmmmmm. Whats that we are holding?!

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9251723509_1aea954dce_o

Press Conference time.

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Group photo with some of the folks who came to my press con.

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9254507184_63bce37d56_o

Interview time with Japanator.


This post contains a video, click here to view.

9254507494_18db2d4fff_o

9251725479_9453bcd392_o

Mirai Suenaga Smart Doll.

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Bushiroad had a huge space for their card gaming.

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9254513218_524bf428a0_o

9251731291_8b74fd4089_o

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Thai food for dindins.

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9251735583_e533aa5f37_o

9251735895_75b049f001_o

The menu for our guests in the Green Room back at the hotel.

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Met up with Ito Noizi-sensei in my sleep gear ><
I had no idea she was following my Twitter account - got a DM from her and we hooked up that night in the Green Room for some chit chats.
Turns out that we got many mutual friends like DMYO-sensei and Nishimata Aoi-sensei too ^o^

9254519058_acd6bcf6c5_o

Find out more about Culture Japan Convention - August 17 - 18th 2013 in Penang Malaysia >>>

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