The Fall Will Probably Kill You!

Yesterday was a whirlwind ride driving to Aizu-Wakamatsu in mostly rainy weather. The rain very kindly ceased during the wedding, but started again as I drove home. I made plenty of stops along the way and much to my surprise, I didn't spend that much money. I didn't buy a single toy or Gatcha or UFO Catch character. (That last one is a bit of a lie, I did try UFO Catcher a few times, I just didn't win.)  I regret not wearing a jacket, hat or poncho when popping into the half dozen shops on the way home, I was drizzled upon often. Today, I'm paying for it with a runny nose and sneezing. The first place had this display for Halloween, a lovely tree at the entrance to a Game Center.

 If only I had room in my place...

The next place, U-PURA in Koriyama, had a great mural as you walk in and spooks on the ceiling.

Though tempted, I didn't buy this TMNT/Frankenstein mashup. I couldn't afford the 7000 yen.

A pee break at a Tsutaya offered up this tidbit. Again, at 15$ out of my price range.

 

I'm guessing the secret is Flash.

There were also some intriguing Gatcha machines, but not enough for me to spill some coin.

 

Mmm. Zombie bread and cheese.

Speaking of Zombies, the next U-Para was in Fukushima. It was ゾンビ de NIGHT. A nice mixture of Japanese, French and English.

I did buy something here, some Halloween treats for school.

That's it! I got home exhausted before midnight, scrolled the feed for a while and went to bed. I woke up today at 12:50! I must have been more tired than I thought!

Oh yeah, I popped into a Book Off in Odawara and found a Movie Pamphlet. I picked this up.

 

I Googled the Japanese title and got this strange result:

 

I asked a friend and she says, "Shoot for the Sun" is probably the best literal translation.

Sadly now, it looks like I'm going to have to dig up my Pamphlet for Annie Hall. I do believe I bought it to showcase Woody Allen's passing. Who knew he'd outlive Diane Keaton?!?

Since it was rainy yesterday, it was invariably muddy as well. How about a Mud-Oni? 

 

 

Panto is either a mud demon from Okinawa or a performer in a Pantomime about Swamp Thing.

Because I have a rainy week ahead of me, who better to shoo it in than the God of Thunder?

 

That's it for now. I'm going to relax, watch some TV and maybe go to bed early. For more Halloween hijinx go to 31 Days of Halloween and click around.

 

Merry Birthday!

This was the first Christmas that I had off in decades. Santa duties dry up on the weekdays and especially Mondays so I had nothing to do all day. Oh right, I did spend all afternoon at the Pension office to see whether I qualify. I do, but the news isn't great, I have a few more hoops to jump through and since Canada Pension is mostly in slumber mode until next year, it'll be a while before I get any definitive answer. So I'll continue doing what I've been doing which isn't as much as I wish I were doing.

I received a care package from my fellow Santa on Saturday and took the time to peruse it today. Most of it is stuff he asked if I'd like him to purchase it for me, though there are a few surprises. (Also I had forgotten about the stuff so, even then it was unexpected.) First up, a Justice League BluRay.

Although I already own this movie, he noted that it was only 220 yen, so would I be interested. I was and am glad he bought it. FIVE BluRay Discs(!), including 3D if I ever get such a player. 

I only noticed three discs when I opened it, there are two more hidden as inserts.

A nice little folder showing posters and ads.

Hey, I've been there!

Compare this to the disc I already own.

I just noticed something. NO JAPANESE! No wonder it was so cheap! This is a disc probably from Canada, for it has English and French only.

So why was the 5-disc set sold so cheaply? Someone bought the mega set that included a figure and kept it (or sold it at a profit) and then just trashed the discs.

It was going for 35000 yen, which is a substantial mark-up!

I also scored a Movie Monsters Servum, from one of the Godzilla Anime I think?

And a couple of イラストボード, Illustrated Boards.

And a Pencil case.

Not a bad haul at all.

What did you get for yourself, Michael? 

A pair of socks and a Scarlet Spider Bearbrick that almost completes the set.

A low-key Birthday indeed. 

Still, I also watched several Christmas specials that I'd never seen before. About the only one I liked was the BC one.

I won't bother reviewing them, suffice to say, they won't be getting a rewatch anytime soon.

I'll end the day with the true meaning of Christmas. Kaiju!