Got Mascots?

Every ninja town needs a frog?

The mascot for McDonald's...Ronald MacDonald. For KFC...Colonel Sanders. For Michelin Tires...the tire guy. That is pretty much about it. When you see ads on television or the newspaper in North America you see the brand name. You also see a logo. But very few products or services have a mascot. Many kids items do in fact have mascots (ie Tony the Tiger) but that seems to be the end of it.

Not in Japan. Here, there is a mascot for everything. For restaurants, stores, train lines, theme parks, shopping malls, tourist attractions, magazines, hotels, government agencies and even funeral homes. The picture above is a small theme park made to look like an old fashion town with ninjas, samurai and everyday folk. Even here, the mascots were a samurai dog and worker frog.

Why are these mascots necessary? My theory is a) they want to be able to sell souvenirs of the mascot to make money and b) to connect an object with a personality.  Japanese people love giving inanimate objects features to make it look more human or animal like. A box with a cute face or a robot with facial features. Everything looks more kawaii if it can be humanized.  Sometimes it is cute, other times annoying but always interesting to see how they can create the most random creatures to represent consumerism.

Only in Japan...

The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat Sans Joseph

It's like trying to find a needle in a haystack

Japan is known to go through tons of fads and trends at an extremely fast pace.  Food, electronics, toys and fashion are constantly being introduced. One of the fastest and most interesting is all the fashion trends that young Japanese pick up.  There is always a growing number of fashion styles being introduced and upgraded. These include, Lolita, Gothic, Gyaru and Yamanba.

This picture shows two girls walking down the business district of Sakae in Nagoya. Many cool Japanese teens congregate here to show off their fashions, meet friends and hang out.  However, these two girls really stuck out as they not only dressed in vivid pink and orange but decided to dress similar. Girl power!

Only in Japan...

Would you like your sushi paper or plastic?

Looks teeth cracking delicious!

Look at that traditional sushi set up. Wooden tray, sushi displayed neatly, sliced ginger to cleanse your palate. The sushi sliced so perfectly ready to be dipped in wasabi-soya sauce and eaten. The only problem: It's made of plastic.

Japan is famous for all the restaurants that display samples of their foods in the window. Everything looks so fresh and tasty...and real. However, this is a big business in Japan. Plastic food factories are a major industry and even have tours for people to see how the food art is created. On a tour, people also have a chance to try and make some food.

I am sure plastic food can be found all around the world but the amount of detail and precision that goes into these displays is truly Japanese. One of my favorite things to do in Japan was to walk around looking at all these displays and touch the food. Not poke, but just slightly brush the plastic foam on the beer or feel the bumps of each individual rice grain.

Not only is it easy to order having these visual aids but you can see exactly what you will get. And trust me, it looks exactly the way it does in the display when it arrives at your table. Sans plastic.

Only in Japan...

Pop the cherry (blossoms)!

Cherry blossom attack

Besides Mt.Fuji and Sumo, the typical person who knows very little about Japan also envisions those pink flowers the Japanese love so much.  Though it is stereotypical, it is true. The Japanese love Sakura. So much so they decide to wake up early in the morning, reserve a nice spot under the sakura trees by placing their tarp on the ground and spend the whole day getting drunk and singing.  This sakura viewing picnic party is called Hanami.

Why is it such a big deal? Well, the cherry blossoms are found all over Japan, bloom late March or early April and only last a couple of weeks before the petals fall to the ground and blow away.  It represents the beauty of life and how short it is. It also is a beautiful sight that should be shared with all.  More than a tree, the sakura represents the celebration of life and death.

Because of the earthquake the government has recommended this year people should avoid having Hanami parties for the respect of those that have lost loved ones or have themselves been lost.  I respect and understand this idea. However, I also see the other side where people want to rebuild, move on and enjoy their lives because much like the sakura flowers, it is gone too soon.

Whatever your opinion, no one can doubt that Japan and the Japanese will always celebrate their sakura tree and feel it is a part of their country's foundation. No other culture in the world loves the sakura tree as much as the Japanese.

Only in Japan...

Samurai fights anime!

Old meets new in Japan

What the hell is this? Are you telling me there are real Samurai's fighting real life characters from Anime? Well, kind of.  For those of you who don't know much about Japan or who are American (just kidding) let's get things straight. Japan no longer has real life Samurai. That is an actor. And anime characters aren't based on real life people. Those are just cos-play fans.

This photo was taken in Kyoto at a theme park called Eiga-Mura which means Movie Village. It is the Japanese version of Universal Studios I guess.  The park looks like a replica of an old Japanese town with people dressed as locals, farmers, fishermen, Samurai and even ninjas. There is even a Godzilla in the pond.

The samurai walk around and take pictures with people. This one just happened to be taking a picture with 3 teenagers who dressed up like their favorite manga characters. I was lucky enough to be watching and grabbed a shot.

Kyoto is famous for temples and shrines but if you are looking for something a little more light and touristy then Eiga-mura is a fun way to kill an afternoon. They even have live shows filming in the studio and a cool "How to shoot a ninja" scene show.

Only in Japan...