I picked up these three Captain Action figures a while back for under 20 bucks. (I've seen one of them go for about 100$ on Amazon.) Since today is Children's Day here in Japan and since I know of no bigger child than myself, it seemed like a good time to show them off.
Two villains, Dr. Evil and Ming the Mercilless...
And one hero, Kato!
With artwork by the amazing Carmine Infantino, these were just too nice to pass up. The problem now is seeking out the other ones.
Since it is Children's Day, let's see how families here celebrate the date.
Ahh. So that's what is done. Flying giant carp banners. Makes sense to me.
These were taken in Zao, you can find them all over Japan today, but these ones are pretty cool!
One of the most striking castles has to be (姫路城Himejijo. Unfortunately everyone else had the same idea and it was incredibly crowded. Still, I managed to snap dozens of wonderful images of Himeji Castle.
Upon entering the grounds, one is greeted by 鯱 (Shachi - no, not Chachi), which is a mythical creature with the head of a tiger and the body of a carp.
This is 姫子ちゃん Himeko the elephant. If you look in the background you can see the castle.
On loan from the zoo, she looks more content here than in her cage. I can't say the same for the ostrich, pigs or black-headed squirrel monkeys.
Oh cool, there's a Monorail!
(Monorail)
(Monorail)
As you can see, the lineup to enter the castle was immense with a wait of over two hours. So, I decided to merely check out the grounds and enjoy the view of the blossoms.
Ahh! Glowing fish!
A final shot of the Castle as I walk into the shopping district.
Ironically, this statue of pigeons has NO pigeon poop upon it.
Finally, if I ever decide to get a tattoo, I'm going to get this prick to do it!
