A Qoo d'Etat!

Since it's Talk Like a Pirate Day today, I'm going to jump the gun on a Countdown to Halloween post and show some cute Pirates right now.

  

That Pirated gal is none other than Jeongyeon of  Twice fame, a K-Pop group that has sung many of their tunes in Japanese as well. What follows are several of the other gals in Halloween garb anointing the label of either Orange, Apple or Grape-flavoured Qoo.

 

 

 

 

 

It was not until I went to the Qoo website that I noticed that the random letters behind each gal spell out something. (I didn't buy 9 bottles of one flavour, I mixed and matched.)

Here's a brief commercial...



I didn't just buy the Pops (can't really call them juices) for the flavour, I also scored a Clear File and a mini-tote bag.

 

A word of advice, if you want to run out and buy these, I'd do so at a supermarket where they're about 78 yen each, if you go to a Conbini, they're about TWICE that. (See what I did there?)

I don't think I'm going to run out and buy any of their albums, they're a tad to sweet for me.
Case in point...



To wrap up this "Talk Like a Pirate" post, I'd be remiss if I didn't include a silly statement I made on Facebook today. Similar in vein to two years ago, I said,
"Are you King of the Jews?"

"Quod scripsi, scripsi" ("What I have written, I have written.")
"Quid est veritas?" (What is truth?")
"Crucify him!" Why, what has he done?"

It's "Talk like a Pilate Day"!

9 years ago, it was, 

Altitude: 21,000 feet. Speed: 520 knots. Level flight. Course: zero-niner-zero.
As everyone knows, it's "International Talk Like a Pilot Day".

Today's witticism is:

I'm an iron sulfide with the chemical formula FeS₂.
It's "Talk like a Pyrite Day"!

Chicken George!

I have tons of catching up to do wrt. blogs (eg. Tokyo trip, Jazz Fest, etc) because I have been really lazy of late. Hopefully I'll get caught up before the Countdown to Halloween begins in a few weeks!

Today, I popped into one of the several 2nd Street locations today (specifically the one en route home in Minami-Sendai) just to see if I could find some cheap Halloweenish goodies. I didn't. I did though find a few items of interest to me. Several weeks ago, I was in a Mandai location and noticed a guy buying up a bunch of Ultraman Kaiju which I think were on sale. I gave him a thumbs up and he proudly showed me the bottom of the foot of one and it said "Japan". Most figures this millennium sport "China" in that same place and I've noticed that stores often sell the older ones at a premium. I'd always wondered about what makes one cheaper or more expensive and this is my first clue.

So since there were dozens of figures on sale at this 2nd Street, I checked out the feet and sure enough, I landed a few figures at 300 yen a piece. I've seen similar ones selling for 900-2900 so I may have scored a win. (Or not, regardless, I like the kooky kaiju from the Ultraman Universe.)

Here's a few. I don't feel like looking them up on the Net right now to confirm who is whom, so I'll leave that task to the Kaiju Otaku amongst you. (Their names are also written in Katakana under the foot but the lettering is rather tiny and my peepers ain't what they used to be.)

I also landed a couple of Kamen Riders from '89.

At a BookOff, I managed to find a couple of Kubricks for a buck each, a Blackjack and whatever the dude on the left is.

Oddest of all that I found today was this Wacky Walky Toy of Chicken George.

It's not exactly in pristine condition, otherwise I could probably sell it for 30 bucks or so. I only spent 500 yen for it so I may open it up and play with it.

I've never heard of the comic from which it came, here is a review of Fourteen that'll give you a good idea of what the manga is all about and here is a Pinterest page featuring tons of artwork.

Now I'd like to see a crossover between George and mild-mannered Henry Cabot Henhouse III, better known as Super Chicken!



More tidbits to come!

A Remote Chance.

I picked up the first volume of the "Build Your Own Giant Remote Controlled Godzilla Model" by the fine folks at DeAgostini the other day. I was hesitant to fork out the 5 bucks it'd take to purchase and then I saw it for only 300 yen in a BookOff and a sale was made!

Volume 1 is only 490 + tax and with it you receive his head and upper palate with tongue and teeth. It also comes with a fairly informative DVD on: how to assemble, a making of , an interview with original model maker Eizo Kaimai by Gojira expert and sculptor Yuuji Sakai, and a gallery. I tried to upload a minute of it but was unsuccessful.

Above is the aforementioned interviewer and interviewee.
Below is a minute-long video that is similar to what I tried to upload.

If you have 24 minutes to spare, here are three big nerds talking about the model.

There's also a mini-booklet that includes a centerfold of the Big G himself.

Here's an x-ray of what it should look like when near completion.

Above is the beginning of the Godzilla Chronicle which is probably an ongoing entry in future volumes. Below is an excerpt from research that goes into detail on the DVD.

Here's a closeup of the head. I doubt whether I'll ever put it together, I'm too afraid of wrecking it.

The next volume will cost 1900 yen and I think you get a few body parts in each volume for the next 90 weeks at that price. I don't think I'll buy any more volumes, even if I had any competency in model assembly whatsoever, it'd still cost me nearly 171,000 yen (~1800$) and I won't even get all the parts until August 2020! The good news is, I scored a little tube of bond, that alone is almost worth the 3 bucks I spent.

The above blog entry is dedicated to Stephen D. Sullivan whose birthday just happens to be today. Check out his website and maybe buy one of his books.

Of Mammoth Proportions.

I'm back after a long blogless summer! No excuses, just laziness I reckon.

Anyway, I thought I'd get back into the groove by showing an expose of evil geneticists trying to raise the extinct mammoths a recent trip I made to Miraiken Museum in Odaiba. The excursion was a pleasant coincidence for I'd read that there was a new Mammoth display somewhere in Tokyo but didn't research it any further than that. My friend Dan (the Man) and I changed our travel plans from a trek to Kamakura to a wander around Odaiba. Much to my surprise as we got off the train, a poster for the mammoth stared me in the face.

So we rambled towards the museum. First up, I saw a couple of doggies, mascots for a TV network.

At the Miraikan Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation, I plunked down the cash for the tour and first encountered this juvenile mammoth.

Ooh, this is a great skeleton though it's hard to picture it as woolly.

 Tusk above, tooth below.

Even cooler than a Woolly Mammoth was this Woolly Rhino.

This bison is out of Steppe.

I was hoping for a Saber-tooth Tiger or Smilodon, instead it's merely a cave lion.

Cool, a Lena Horse!

Also, a incredibly well-preserved Mammoth trunk.

The final portion of the exhibition features the future which focuses on research being done at Kindai University. One of the scientists explains the importance of what they do in manga form!

How dramatic!

Speaking of drama, we were permitted to photograph this mammoth-sized mammoth but unable to take pics of the recent discovery (I guess, you'll have to go to the museum yourself to see it.) I just happened to have brought Shin-Kun along (my Shin-Godzilla oven mitt which makes a dandy hand puppet).

Here is Shin-Kun interacting with the mammoth.

Here's a shot of the Mammoth after he was fed up with our annoyance.

 And this is his butt.

As we exited the display, we met this wee fellow.

I took the opportunity to show off my hunting prowess and bagged me a big one!

You can see more about the museum in the following video...



Of course I picked up a few items at the gift shop including two clear-files, a post card,  a mini-hand towel, and a Gatcha-magnet.

I'd be remiss if I didn't comment on the further adventures of Shin-Kun who encounters Gundam!

He wasn't full after gobbling up Gundam, so he snacked upon the mini-Statue of Liberty who rests in Tokyo Bay.

In the shopping arcade of the building known as Diver City (get it?), Shin-Kun also met his hero.

And I scored a pair of King Ghiddorah boxers.

We went from Odaiba to Shinjuku mainly because I finally was in time to dine at the Cafe at the top of the Hotel Gracery. Much to my surprise and delight, the tiny street leading up to it has been renamed.

We sat down and I order a Kahlua/Milk and the specialty of the house.

Yummy! (It tastes like a very rich Easter Bunny.)

Aw, man! I never should have allowed Shin-Kun to get near it.

One is not supposed to go out on the terrace to inspect Godzilla unless one is a guest of the hotel or cafe, so I felt perfectly justified in spending some time with my God(zilla).

I'd never seen these carvings before. Sweet!

Because I'm an adventurous sort, I placed my hand in this spot and sure enough something did happen...



Yay, I freaked out a few visitors by making Godzilla roar! Alas, it was not to be for he roars on the hour and, as I placed my hand in the forbidden zone, it had just turned 5:00 pm. and he didn't do so on my command.

Ah well, at least Shin-Kun got to meet his hero again.

Whoa, so cool! There is now a bus that leaves the Hotel. I don't know where it goes, that's an adventure for another day.

Shin-Kun met up with his pal, Andy in Shibuya and quaffed a pint, a perfect ending to a wonderful day!