(This article is photo heavy, so please give it time to load!) One of the first anime that really got me into anime was the 2006 series the Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. This was a 2006 anime series based on…
White Sand and Blue Sea: Chinen Village in Aquatope on White Sand
This is the first part of a one-day trip to Nanjo City, Okinwa, broken into two stories. Those interested in how a real seaside Okinawan village is depicted in modern pop culture can start here. If you’re just here for…
Relax and Explore Scenic Japan with Laid-Back Camp!
Who needs fantasy escapism when Japan’s natural beauty is pretty amazing already? With all the COVID travel restrictions in place, it’s a good time to watch TV shows to help you distress while you’re stuck at home and that show…
Nanja Koriya?! Meiji Tokyo Renka (2019 Anime) Review
Thanks to COVID 19 I’ve been perusing the archives and came across this unpublished anime review from last year when I saw one of the oddest things I’ve seen since, well, the last odd thing I saw. Also, it was…
Woodpecker Detective’s Office Review and Real History
One of the lower profile shows to come out this season was Woodpecker Detective’s Office, a murder mystery series that uses real life literary figures as consulting detectives in late Meiji-era (1868-1912) Tokyo. If it sounds like Sherlock Holmes, that’s…
Sakura Wars: The 1990s Steampunk Mecha Adventure Series Returns
Since I can’t get out during quarantine I’ve instead been doing a lot more reading, drawing and gaming so today we’re reviewing a game set an alternate romanticized Taisho era, Sakura Wars. Ready for the story-driven early 20th century steampunk…
Saturday in Den Den Town
I found Haruhi Suzumiya. She’s working in a popular chain anime goods shop in Osaka’s Nippombashi district. I didn’t plan to find a god-like entity hocking over-priced character goods, but it just sort of worked out that way. Nippombashi has…
Golden Kamuy: Half Japanese Western and Half Ainu Cooking Show
Golden Kamuy is the turn of the century story of a war veteran that teams up with a native girl out to avenge her father’s murder as they hunt for a missing treasure of raw gold in an untamed, rugged…
Old School Toyosato : Visiting the Real-Life School from K-On!!
The other day after a whirlwind weekend of sakura planting, reenacting and touring the greater Maizuru area I decided that before starting the long trip back to Sasebo I needed to take a break. Get some country air and have…
In This Corner of the World Movie Review
I knew I was going to like this film just a few minutes into it. There’s a scene in the opening of our protagonist as a young girl looking through a telescope at a beautiful hall with a green dome…