Sengaku-ji Temple and the 47 Ronin

While underway a few days ago, I was reading up on the Japanese Samurai and history around that time period. Then I came to an article on ritual suicide or seppuku. The concept was, when disgraced or defeated in battle, a Samurai would drive a sharp knife into his gut and make a horizontal cut, while a second person would then chop of their head while leaving a bit of skin so the head didn’t roll away. I imagined what it must have been like to actually witness one of these ritual warrior deaths and I gained a respect for these ancient warriors.

Then, I came upon a link for the story of the 47 ronin. Forty seven brave souls who died such a death after avenging the death of their feudal lord who was forced to commit seppuku.

Epic Captain Minamitsu Murasa Touhou Remixes

It took a while but I have finally managed to stumble across some remixes of the boss battle song of Captain Minamitsu Murasa. She is the 4th stage boss in a character focused danmaku dodging game called Touhou. She is also the second sailor character in the series and the first one in modern Touhou games.

K-ON Plush Doll Christmas Gifts

It’s that time of the year again. Almost Christmas time, and living in Japan it is the crunch time before gifts can make the way from Japan to the states in time.

Was looking for gifts for my brothers who also happen to like cute anime girls when I stumbled across these adorable plushies from the anime K-ON on J-Box. These are dolls made by Banpresto and they measure 8.3 inches (21cm). The dolls are refered to as DX (Deluxe Plushies) or UFO dolls in Japan.

The first two releases of the K-ON dolls were just in time for some Christmas gifts. Mio and Ritsu.

Flandre and Alice Griffon Touhou Figure Preorders

It is rare, but there are some figures that I want so badly that I will actually do a preorder in order to insure that I am guaranteed to have her in my collection. Usually, because I am in Japan, I will just walk into a store and buy them but sometimes I have to go to sea or sometimes the demand is just too great and they will sell out…even in Japan.

These are 2 of those figures for me. Figures of Touhou characters that are on my top 10 list of favorite characters and not only that; they look fantastic!


Flandre and Alice! I can’t tell you how long I’ve been waiting for a decent figure for them. All that’s out at the time of posting are the vinyl figures which are cute but I was looking for a more realistic portrayal of them.

Tokyo Doll Show 26 Part 3

Now to the final part of my 3 part coverage from Tokyo’s Doll Show 26 held in Tokyo yesterday. Hope you enjoyed my photos which focus mostly on the Dollfie Dream side of the convention.

Yuki! I love when Dollfie Dream owners take the time to put the doll in a natural setting. Yuki is a book worm so seeing her sitting at a desk with a book or two is perfectly natural.

Tokyo Doll Show 26 Part 2

Continuing my coverage of Doll Show 26 which was held in Tokyo yesterday. The Doll Show was held in Hamamatsucho in the Tokyo Trade Center. I had a bit of trouble finding the building and even information online. Whenever I searched Doll Show all I got was people saying it was in Hamamatsucho with no specifics. The Tokyo Trade Center is actually on the same street as the Pokemon store (in the direction of the park).

Whoa! This doll looks familiar. ^_^

This is the doll that belongs to Dannychoo which was on display on the second floor. Was so cool to see it in person. That maid uniform is unique and that wig makes his Saber stand out among others.

Tokyo Doll Show 26 Part 1

Today I was able to make it to a Tokyo convention for once. Usually, it is like a curse, and I am always underway whenever a convention comes up. Thankfully, it is one of the best ones I could have been in Japan for.

Doll Show 26 was a convention in which doll owners show off their girls and showcase their skills at dress design/hair care/and accessorizing. As they said in Rozen Maiden, a doll’s beauty is brought out through their care and presentation. As you will tell from this huge multipage update, these owners love their dolls like their own kids. In fact, on Dannychoo, you will hear many people referring to their dolls affectionately as “daughters”.

Before I begin this very lengthy update, I would like to say a bit about my policy on these pictures. I respectfully ask that if you choose to post these images on your websites, please put a link on that article crediting me for my photography work. There are no watermarks on my images because I think they are obnoxious and distracting. Thank you.

Inside Weathercock House, the Rin Tosaka Residence

Weathercock House is the real life western house in Kobe, Japan that is the fictional residence of Rin Tosaka from the anime Fate Stay Night. I wanted to go there honestly because of that. ^^; But also because it is a beautiful house even though I am used to western houses.

The Weathercock House is actually the former house of a European trader who lived in Kobe in 1909. It is of German design and is one of the most popular sites of Kobe’s old European housing district.