Oh yeah, Japan
May. 22nd, 2012 11:18 pmQuick and dirty rundown of some of the high and lowlights of our Japan trip from last month.
Tokyo Anime Fair: Meh. I gather this may have been a worse than average year as a lot of the usual exhibitors pulled out in protest of the new laws about selling manga with sexual content1 to minors2, but what was left wasn’t good for more than a couple of hours’ entertainment, and I’d be skeptical that a few more big name exhibitors would have made much difference. To any future Madman winners who may be reading this: should you be offered the chance to go to TAF for your own prize trip, some renegotiation may be in order. See if you can get them to send you to the World Cosplay Summit, Tokyo Gameshow or Comiket instead – they’re all much more cosplay-friendly.
Osaka Aquarium: Words cannot express the joy several minutes in the presence of a real, live Capybara brought us. Words give up altogether and break down into tears when asked to describe the sea otters.
Disney Land: Missed out on going. Turns out the school holidays in fine weather are not the optimal time to be doing this one. :/
Ghibli Museum: Missed out on this too, same reason. Tickets were supposed to be booked for us in advance, but it seems no-one anticipated quite how far in advance they’d be sold out.
Mt Fuji: Holy fuck that thing is big. Landscape where we come from just does not pull that kind of shit. Also, the dinner they served us at our first night at the ryokan stands as a trip highlight on its own.
Osaka Street Cosplay Festival: Got there late, change room queues took forever, but pretty cool to be cosplaying out in public for once, when Japan is usually so uncomfortable letting that sort of thing happen outdoors. I made at least one girl’s day with my Waka costume and my poingy wings, and I do believe my sister’s Robin costume made just about everyone else’s.
Baths taken: Too many to count
Spending All The Money Saved On Flights On Ridiculous J-Fashion: HUGE SUCCESS!
( Japan 3: The Search for Sakura )
( So you may have heard One Piece is pretty big in Japan right now )
Tokyo Anime Fair: Meh. I gather this may have been a worse than average year as a lot of the usual exhibitors pulled out in protest of the new laws about selling manga with sexual content1 to minors2, but what was left wasn’t good for more than a couple of hours’ entertainment, and I’d be skeptical that a few more big name exhibitors would have made much difference. To any future Madman winners who may be reading this: should you be offered the chance to go to TAF for your own prize trip, some renegotiation may be in order. See if you can get them to send you to the World Cosplay Summit, Tokyo Gameshow or Comiket instead – they’re all much more cosplay-friendly.
Osaka Aquarium: Words cannot express the joy several minutes in the presence of a real, live Capybara brought us. Words give up altogether and break down into tears when asked to describe the sea otters.
Disney Land: Missed out on going. Turns out the school holidays in fine weather are not the optimal time to be doing this one. :/
Ghibli Museum: Missed out on this too, same reason. Tickets were supposed to be booked for us in advance, but it seems no-one anticipated quite how far in advance they’d be sold out.
Mt Fuji: Holy fuck that thing is big. Landscape where we come from just does not pull that kind of shit. Also, the dinner they served us at our first night at the ryokan stands as a trip highlight on its own.
Osaka Street Cosplay Festival: Got there late, change room queues took forever, but pretty cool to be cosplaying out in public for once, when Japan is usually so uncomfortable letting that sort of thing happen outdoors. I made at least one girl’s day with my Waka costume and my poingy wings, and I do believe my sister’s Robin costume made just about everyone else’s.
Baths taken: Too many to count
Spending All The Money Saved On Flights On Ridiculous J-Fashion: HUGE SUCCESS!
( Japan 3: The Search for Sakura )
( So you may have heard One Piece is pretty big in Japan right now )