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Nadeshico Sushi tour by Cool Tours

“Nadeshico Sushi”‘s interview video clip in Akihabara is now shown on this site’s homepage. The video clip on Youtube is here; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Yq9BG9Axu4

And that clip is also available on “Le Gros Terry” corner of our “Cool Tours” site which you can visit by clicking on the banner of Cool Tours on the top part of this homepage of Tenaki-japan here; http://japan-cooltours.com/ .

We,Cool Tours can arrange and provide you with a trip in Japan including a plan to visit Nadeshico Sushi and other interesting stores and places in Akihabara, the mecca of Japanese subculture and other attractions. You can contact us via the contact form on our site, so, please feel free to ask any questions regarding your plans of visiting Japan.   We can arrange a creative trip plan upon your request and we really look forward to your contact with us all the time. You will have an opportunity to talk to the Nedashico’s female sushi chefs, some of whom are voice actors, idols, actors, and others  in person in our travel.

You can find in the clip quite interesting interviews of the female staff and the owner of the unique sushi restaurant , through which you can learn the pleasant and unique atmosphere. In the clip one Chinese sushi chef speaks in English, Chinese, and Japanese. She explains the uniqueness of the restaurant referring to the meaning of the name of a flower Nadeshico, the fact all staff is female and such a sushi restaurant is very rare, and  asks you to visit Nadeshico Sushi as many good people visit it for Akihabara is a paradise to Otaku culture fans in Chinese.

Gundam-town Kami-igusa

A Monument to ‘Mobile Suit Gundam’

 

 

Exit Kami-igusa Station on the Seibu Shinjuku Line and you will be face-to-face with a bronze ‘Mobile Suit Gundam’ statue. Kami-igusa is the location of Sunrise, the anime studio which produces ‘Gundam’. Sunrise, Inc. ,is a Japanese animation studio and production enterprise. It is a subsidiary of Namco Bandai. Its former name was Nippon Sunrise, and prior to that, Sunrise Studios. Its headquarters is located in Suginami Tokyo.Town flags feature ‘SD Gundam’ motifs, and Gundam are drawn onto store’s shatters as well.

 

Among Japan’s largest and most famous studios, Sunrise is renowned for several critically-lauded and popular original anime series, such as ‘Gundam, Armored Trooper Votoms’, ‘Vision of Escaflowne’, ‘Cowboy Bebop’, ‘Witch Hunter Robin’, ‘Mai-HiME’, ‘Mai-Otome’, ‘Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion’, as well as its numerous adaptations of acclaimed manga and light novels such as ‘Dirty Pair’, ‘City Hunter’, ‘Inu Yasha’, ‘Outlaw Star’, ‘Yakitate!! Japan’, ‘Planetes’, ‘Keroro Gunso’, ‘Gintama’ and several others. Because of the fluidity of much of their work, some fans refer to some of their animation as ‘Sunrise Smooth.’

Mobile Suit Gundam,, lit. Mobile Soldier Gundam, also known as First Gundam, Gundam 0079 or simply Gundam 79) is a televised anime series, created by Sunrise. Created and directed by Yoshiyuki Tomino, it premiered in Japan on Nagoya Broadcasting Network on April 7, 1979, and lasted until January 26, 1980, spanning 43 episodes. It was the very first Gundam series, which has subsequently been adapted into numerous sequels and spin-offs.

Set in a fictional universe in the Universal Century year 0079, the Principality of Zeon has declared independence from the Earth Federation, and subsequently launched a war of independence. The conflict has directly affected every continent on earth, also nearly every space colony and lunar settlement. Zeon, though smaller, has the tactical upper hand through their use of a new type of humanoid weapons called mobile suits. After half of all humanity perishes in the conflict, the war settled into a bitter stalemate lasting over 8 months.

The story begins with a newly deployed Federation warship, the White Base, arriving at the secret research base located at the Side 7 colony to pick up the Federation’s newest weapon. However, they are closely followed by Zeon forces. A Zeon reconnaissance team member disobeys mission orders and attacks the colony, killing most of the Federation crew and civilian in the process. Out of desperation, citizen boy Amuro Ray accidentally finds the Federation’s new arsenal—the RX-78 Gundam, and neutralizes the situation. Scrambling everything they can, the White Base sets out with her newly formed crew of civilian recruits and refugees in her journey to survive, and unknowingly, change the course of the war.

The series was later re-edited for theatrical release and split into three movies in 1981. The characters were designed by Yoshikazu Yasuhiko and Kunio Okawara was responsible for the mechanical designs, including the titular giant robot, the RX-78-2 Gundam. When the first movie was released on February 22, 1981, it was regarded as the new age of Anime and an event called Declaration of new age of Anime in Shinjuku and director Tomino delivered a speech questioning the then social concept in which stereotypical Anime was portrayed as being bad and poorly made to the gathered 15,000 youngsters.

The series was the first winner of the Animage Anime Grand Prix prize, in 1979 and the first half of 1980. By the end of 2007, each episode of the original TV series averaged a sales figure of 80,928 copies, including all of the different formats it was published in (VHS, LD, DVD, etc.). The first DVD box set sold over 100,000 copies in the first month of release, from December 21, 2007 to January 21, 2008.

As part of the 30th Anniversary of the Gundam series, the company officially announced a project on March 11, 2009 called Real-G, a plan to build a 1/1 real size scale Gundam in Japan. It was completed in July, 2009 and taken down later. The 18 meter tall statue was reconstructed in Shizuoka Prefecture and will remain until March 2011.

＜Reference materials＞

Japan Anime Tourism Guide published by Japan Tourism Agency

Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

We are very happy to introduce “Gundam-town in Suginami”. If you have something to ask or need to hire an English speaking tour guide, please feel free to contact us. Thank you for your kind cooperation, we are looking forward to your contact.

Contact us at: http://www.tenkai-japan.com/cooltours/

 

 

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Saitama Municipal Cartoon Art Museum

 

 

Name:	Saitama Municipal Cartoon Art Museum
Address:	150 Bonsai-cho, Kita-ku, Saitama-shi, Saitama, 331-0805, Japan
Phone:	+81-48-663-1541
URL:	http://www.city.saitama.jp/www/contents/1245128492178/index.html
Business hours:	9:00-16:30
Closed:	Mondays (on national holidays closed on the day following), New Year’s holidays(Dec.28-Jan.4)
Admission:	Free

 

The Saitama Municipal Cartoon Art Museum was built on the site where Japan’s first professional mange artist, Rakuten Kitazawa lived in his later years. The museum is Japan’s first museum dedicated to cartoons. Over the years the Saitama Municipal Cartoon Art Museum has held various programs, such as exhibitions of Rakuten’s works and personal belongings and the Saitama City Citizens’ Manga Exhibition.

1st Floor: Permanent exhibition room for Rakuten

 

Displays and planned exhibitions with belongings and works left by Rakuten Kitazawa are held several times a year in order to spread cartoon culture. The exhibition hall is split over two floors with the first floor displaying achievements, works and other item associated with Rakuten. The second floor displays a wide range of cartoons in special exhibitions of modern and contemporary cartoon works. There is also a well-kept Japanese garden which can be enjoyed in all four seasons.

Rakuten’s art studio (left) and well-kept Japanese garden(right)

 

Rakuten Kitazawa /Japan’s first professional mange artist

Rakuten Kitazawa, was a Japanese cartoonist and a Japanese-style painter.

He was born in Meiji 9 (1876) in the Kita Adachi district of Ohmiya in Saitama Prefecture, and established his popularity by drawing manga, primarily satirical, from the Meiji through the Showa eras. (*In1876, Alexander Graham Bell was awarded the first U.S. patent for the telephone.)

He is considered by many historians to be the founding father of modern Japanese cartoon because his work was an inspiration to many younger cartoonists and animators.

He was the first professional cartoonist in Japan, and the first to use the term “manga” in its modern sense.

He studied western-style painting under Ohno Yukihiko and Japanese-style painting under Inoue Shunzui.

In his 19 years old, he joined the English-language magazine Box of Curios in 1895, and started drawing cartoons under an Australian artist Frank Arthur Nankivell, who later immigrated to America and became a popular cartoonist for Puck magazine.

 

The founder Mr. Fukuzawa & works of Rakuten in ‘Jijishinpo’

 

When he became 23 years old in 1899, he moved to another newspaper called ‘Jiji-shinpo’ a daily newspaper founded by Yukichi Fukuzawa as a member of artists, Mr. Fukuzawa asked him to draw cartoons to make articles in his paper easier to understand. From January 1902, he contributed to Jiji Manga, a comic’s page that appeared in the Sunday edition. His comics for this page were inspired by American comic strips such as Katzenjammer Kids, Yellow Kid, and the work of Frederick Opper. His works of so-called ‘ponchi-e’ or ‘odoke-e’ in every Sunday issue became very popular.

 

Full-color satirical magazines published by Rakuten ‘Tokyo Puck’ & ‘Rakuten Puck’

 

In 1905, Rakuten started a full-color satirical magazine called Tokyo Puck, named after the American magazine. It was translated into English and Chinese and sold in not only Japan but also in the Korean peninsula, Mainland China, and Taiwan. He worked for this magazine until 1915 (with the exception of a short period around 1912, during which he published a magazine of his own called Rakuten Puck), and then returned to Jiji Shimpo, where he remained until his retirement in 1932.

In 1929, Rakuten held a private exhibition in Paris on the recommendation of the French ambassador, and was awarded the Legion d’honneur. During World War II, he was the chairman of the Nihon Manga Hoko Kai, a cartoonists’ society organized by the government to support the war effort.

Both before and after his retirement, Rakuten trained many young cartoonists and animators, including Hekoten Shimokawa, creator of Japan’s first cartoon animation. Along with Ippei Okamoto, he was one of the favorite cartoonists of the young Osamu Tezuka.

 

＜Reference materials＞

Japan Anime Tourism Guide published by Japan Tourism Agency

Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

http://www.city.saitama.jp/www/contents/1245128492178/index.html

 

We are very happy to introduce ‘Saitama Municipal Cartoon Art Museum’. If you have something to ask, please feel free to contact us. Thank you for your kind cooperation, we are looking forward to your contact.

Contact us at: http://www.tenkai-japan.com/cooltours/

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Suginami Animation Museum

 

 

Name:	Suginami Animation Museum
Address:	Suginami Kaikan 3F, 3-29-5 Kamiogi, Suginami Ward, Tokyo, Japan.
Phone:	+81-3-3396-1510
URL:	http://www.toei-anim.co.jp/tag/index.html
Business hours:	10:00-18:00(admitted by 17:30)
Closed:	Mondays (on national holidays closed on the day following), New Year’s holidays, and temporary closing
Admission:	Free

 

Suginami Ward in Tokyo is known as an anime town, where a lot of animation productions and related companies are located. Anime is created in some 400 studios in Japan, and more than 70 of these are concentrated in Suginami Ward, making this area as a true anime town. Located in this anime town, Suginami Animation Museum is not a specified artist named museum such as ‘Ghibli Museum’ (三鷹の森ジブリ美術館,), but as like Japan’s first comprehensive animation museum. It had been originally a public facility of Suginami Ward as a morgue for animation related materials since May in 2003. Then, it was promoted into the Animation Museum on March 5, 2005.

The Animation Museum provides you a fun and systematic way to learn, experience, and understand anime. In addition to an exhibition covering general information on animation, such as the history of animation and animation production process, the museum has a participatory exhibition in which visitors can actually experience dubbing and an ad-hoc exhibition featuring popular animation works and creators. The museum also invites professional creators to give talks, and organizes workshops where you can actually experience producing anime.

 The museum is operated under the Association of Japanese Animations (AJA). The curator of the museum is a famous animation writer Mr. Shinichi Suzuki. He often appeared as a character ‘Mr. Koike’ in the works of Fujio Fujiko.

[Guidance of the Museum]

 

[1] History of Japanese anime 

A timeline tracing the history of anime in Japan 

 

When you go into the museum, a huge chronicle of Japanese anime catches your eyes. Animation was first created in Japan in 1917, but only after World War II did it begin to be produced commercially and shown regularly.

Few complete animations made during the beginnings of Japanese animation have survived. Oten Shimokawa was a political caricaturist and cartoonist who worked for the magazine Tokyo Puck. He was hired by Tenkatsu to do an animation for them. Due to medical reasons, he was only able to do five movies, including ‘Imokawa Mukuzo Genkanban no Maki’ in 1917, before he returned to his previous work as a cartoonist.

Feature-length anime films produced by Toei, a major movie company, were shown at movie theaters during summer vacation beginning in 1958, and anime first made an impact on television in 1963 with the weekly broadcasts of Astro Boy, created by Osamu Tezuka.

In 1948, Toei Animation was founded and produced the first color anime feature film in 1958, Hakujaden (The Tale of the White Serpent, 1958). This film was more Disney in tone than modern anime with musical numbers and animal sidekicks. However, it is widely considered to be the first “anime” ever, in the modern sense. Osamu Tezuka started a rival production company called ‘Mushi Productions’. The studio’s first hit Mighty Atom became the first popular anime television series in 1963. Contrary to popular belief, Atom was not the first anime series broadcast in Japan; that honor falls to Otogi Manga Calendar, which began broadcasting in 1962. The first non-series anime broadcasted was Three Tales. However, Atom was the first series to feature regular characters in an ongoing plot. American television, which was still in its infancy and searching for new programming, rewrote and adapted Atom for the US in 1964, titled differently as Astro Boy.

The chronicle area of the museum includes video footage and provides an easy-to-understand explanation of the history of Japanese anime.

 [2] How Anime is Made area

 

Each work process under general director, drawing director, and art director is introduced from the beginning to completion of cell animation with exhibiting continuity, ‘cel-ga’ or celluloid sheet on which objects are drawn for traditional animation, and also through experience of ‘afureco’, or post recording.

Just go into the dubbing booth and you can become the voice actor for one of your beloved anime characters. Within the booth are a microphone and a screen, where Osamu Tezuka’s Black Jack is projected on to the screen. You assume the role of either Black Jack or Pinoko, and after speaking your lines into the microphone, your work is played right back for you.

[3] Recent technology in Japanese animation 

 

This corner exhibits recent process of making animations including a report from animation studios using most advance digital technology.

[4] The basic animation

 

You can understand what principle is based on the animated actions while learning on several devices such as zoetrope, thaumatrope, and others. A zoetrope is a device that produces an illusion of action from a rapid succession of static pictures. A thaumatrope is a toy that was popular in Victorian times. A disk or card with a picture on each side is attached to two pieces of string. When the strings are twirled quickly between the fingers the two pictures appear to combine into a single image due to persistence of vision.

[5] Digital workshop

 

The museum, which has many hands-on exhibits, also has a digital workshop, where visitors can add color to illustrations and then set them in motion as animation. For anyone who thinks they might like to become an animator in the future, this is a great place to visit.

[6] Special Exhibit Zone

 

There is also a Special Exhibit Zone, where exhibitions on various anime series are held. The exhibition presents the world of featured series, and the many changes it has undergone in all the years since it was first created. There is also a collection of panels, exhibits, and images of the series included in the exhibit.

[7] Anime Theater & Library

 

The museum also has an anime theater, where anime films are shown on a 150-inch screen, as well as an anime library, where books and documents on anime can be read and filmed interviews with anime directors and producers can be viewed. Moreover, in the library filled with a rich collection of anime-related materials, you can browse through books and watch DVDs.

＜Reference materials＞

Japan Anime Tourism Guide published by Japan Tourism Agency

Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

http://blog.asiahotels.com/anime-town/

 

We are very happy to introduce “Suginami Animation Museum”. If you have something to ask, please feel free to contact us. Thank you for your kind cooperation, we are looking forward to your contact.

Contact us at: http://www.tenkai-japan.com/cooltours/

View Suginami Animation Museum in a larger map

The Conductor of “GALAXY EXPRESS 999” named as The Honorary Station Master

Oizumigakuen Station on the Seibu Ikebukuro Line

Galaxy Express 999 (銀河鉄道999,) is a manga written and drawn by Leiji Matsumoto, as well as various anime films and TV series based on it. The number, “999”, in the title is pronounced “Three-Nine”, as opposed to “Nine-Nine-Nine” or “Nine hundred ninety nine”.

The story depicts the adventures of the main characters Tetsuro and Maetel as they travel to various planets on the space-travelling locomotive, Galaxy Express 999. It is set in a space-faring, high-tech future in which humans have learned how to transfer their minds (but not their emotions) into mechanical bodies, thus achieving practical immortality.

Since Matsumoto lives in Nerima Ward and Toei Animation’s nearest station is Oizumigakuen Station on the Seibu Ikebukuro Line, Galaxy Express 999’s conductor has been named honorary station master of the station. Nearby the station’s north exit is a large mural of “GALAXY EXPRESS 999.”

The Conductor is the main crew member of the Galaxy Express 999. He is an alien being with an invisible body; only his eyes can be seen while he is wearing his conductor uniform. The Conductor prefers to go ‘strictly by the book’ and frequently cites the Galaxy Express rule book, but occasionally ends up bending the rules and getting into adventures with Tetsuro and Maetel.

＜Reference materials＞

Japan Anime Tourism Guide published by Japan Tourism Agency

Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

As a certified guide-interpreter in English and also a writer of the website “Cool Japan Guide”, I am very happy to introduce “Oizumigakuen Station” and “Toei Animation Gallery”. If you have something to ask, please feel free to contact us. Thank you for your kind cooperation, I am looking forward to your contact.

Contact us at: http://www.tenkai-japan.com/cooltours/

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Toei Animation Gallery

 

  

Name:	Toei Animation Gallery
Address:	Toei Animation Studio 1F, 2-10-5 Higashi-ohizumi, Nerima, Tokyo, 178-8567 Japan.
Phone:	+81-3-3978-3111
URL:	http://www.toei-anim.co.jp/tag/index.html
Business hours:	9:30-17:00(admitted until 16:30)
Closed:	Mondays, New Year’s holidays, days when exhibits are being changed etc.
Admission:	Free

 

The Toei Animation Gallery is a museum established to commemorate the 40^th anniversary of the foundation of Toei Animation Studio. It exhibits a full array of works taken from the world of Toei animation, from “The White Snake” to “Dragon Ball” and “Sailor Moon.” Visitors can browse among variou8s important artifacts including setup materials and advertisement posters of each period.

 Toei Animation Co., Ltd. (東映アニメーション株式会社) is a Japanese Animation Studio owned by Toei Co., Ltd. The studio was founded in 1948 as Japan Animated Films (日本動画映画). In 1956, Toei purchased the studio and it was reincorporated under its current name. Over the years, the studio has created a large number of TV series, movies, and adapted many Japanese comics by renowned authors to animated series, many popular worldwide. Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata, Leiji Matumoto, and Yoichi Kotabe have all worked with the company in the past. Toei is a shareholder in the Japanese anime satellite television network, Animax, along with other noted anime studios and production enterprises such as Sunrise, TMS Entertainment and Nihon Ad Systems Inc. The company headquarters are located in the Ohizumi Studio in Nerima, Tokyo.

 Until 1998, the company was known as Toei Doga (東映動画株式会社,) (although even at that time the company’s formal English name was indeed “Toei Animation Co. Ltd.”), with “dōga” being the native Japanese word for “animation” which was widely used until the 1970s. Their mascot is the cat Pero, from the company’s 1969 film adaptation of Puss in Boots.

Toei Animation produced the anime versions of works by many legendary manga artists, including Go Nagai, Shotaro Ishinomori, Masaki Kurumada, Akira Toriyama and Naoko Takeuchi. In addition, the studio helped propel the popularity of the Magical Girl and Super Robot genres of anime; among Toei’s most legendary and trend-setting TV series include the first magical-girl anime series, Mahoutsukai Sally the anime adaptation of Mitsuteru Yokoyama’s manga of the same name, and Go Nagaii’s Mazinger Z, animated adaptation of his manga, which set the standard for Super Robot anime for years to come.

Anime created by Toei Animation that have won the Animage Anime Grand Prix award have been Galaxy Express 999 in 1981, Saint Seiya in 1987, and Sailor Moon in 1992.

In addition to producing anime for domestic release in Japan, in the 1980s, Toei Animation also provided animation work for several American animated series for US companies.

 When you arrived at the entrance gate, you need to register your name at the gatekeeper station and receive the entrance pass before getting into the gallery.

A wonderful souvenir, consisting of a few cells of 3.5mm film is given to you from the galley.

 

Special Salon	Shop

 

Special Salon

You can enjoy watching special making movies, promotion previews, and video tapes and DVDs of the past works created by Toei Animation at the salon.

Shop

Character figures used for Toei Animations and DVDs and other various related goods are exhibited. A part of these character goods and DVDs are available here.

 Exhibition hall 

 

All filmmaking materials and related goods of Toei Animations from the beginning are exhibited. Scenarios, image continuities, creating process of characters, and, original drawing of cells help you to imagine how the animations were made.

 

 

And also, promotional posters and other related items are exhibited. Some of exhibits are shown exceedingly from the gallery and arranged in the showcases placed in the corridor of the Toei Animation Studio.

 

 

At the early stages of Toei Animation, various clay models of characters were created for helping animators when making films. Only limited remains of these valuable figures are also exhibited.

 

 

These framed pictures were used as background sceneries for film making. Artistically value of background drawings were regarded as something like “Yamato-e” （大和絵） or traditional Japanese genre painting.

PC Play Corner

Special programmed animation game “The Pretty Cure Series” are prepared for attracting arrival children. Characters from the series for coloring and short puzzles are included in the program. 

Special Event Corner

 

Periodical events are performed four times a year. One Piece, is exhibited to promote DVD Box now on sale.

 

One Piece (ワンピース,) is a Japanese shonen manga series written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda, that has been serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump since August 4, 1997. One Piece follows the adventures of Monkey D. Luffy, a 17-year-old boy who gained incredible abilities by eating a magical fruit, and his ragtag crew of heroic pirates, named the Straw Hats. Luffy’s greatest ambition is to obtain the world’s ultimate treasure, One Piece, and thereby become the next Pirate King.

The series was adapted into an original video animation (OVA) produced in 1998 by Production I.G. It was later adapted into a full anime series by Toei Animation that premiered in Japan on Fuji Television on October 20, 1999. Since then, the still ongoing series has aired more than four hundred episodes. The anime series was licensed for a heavily edited English dubbed broadcast in North America by 4Kids Entertainment. It has since been licensed for a full Region 1 DVD release and broadcast by Funimation Entertainment in its original and uncut form. In addition to the anime series and OVA, One Piece has been adapted into ten feature films by Toei and multiple video games based on the series have been released.

＜Reference materials＞

Japan Anime Tourism Guide published by Japan Tourism Agency

Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

As a certified guide-interpreter in English and also a writer of the website “Cool Japan Guide”, I am very happy to introduce “Toei Animation Gallery”. If you have something to ask, please feel free to contact us. Thank you for your kind cooperation, I am looking forward to your contact.

Contact us at: http://www.tenkai-japan.com/cooltours/

View Toei Animation Gallery in a larger map

Moomin Bakery & Café

・Name: Moomin Bakery & Café
・Address: Tokyo Dome City LaQua, 1-1-1 Kasuga, Bunkyo Ward, Tokyo 112-0003 Japan
・Phone: 03-5842-6300
・URL: http://www.benelic.com/moomin_cafe/tokyo_dome/
・Business hours: 8:00-22:30 (Last orders by 22:00)
　　　On Sundays & Holidays / 8:00-22:00 (Last orders by 21:30)

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Yayoi Museum & Takehisa Yumeji Museum

●Name: Yayoi Museum & Takehisa Yumeji Museum
●Address: 2-4-2&3 Yayoi, Bunkyo ward, Tokyo, Japan
●Phone: 03-3812-0012 (Yayoi Museum)
●03-5689-0462 (Takehisa Yumeji Museum)
●URL: http://www.yayoi-yumeji-museum.jp/
●Business hours: 10:00-17:00 (Enter before 16:30)
●Closed: Every Monday (If it is on holiday, the following day)
●Admission: ¥900 (Adult), ¥800 (Student above senior high),
●¥400 (Student under junior high)

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Get to know the work of Osamu Tezuka

Osamu Tezuka (手塚 治虫 November 3, 1928 – February 9, 1989) was a Japanese manga artist, an animator, a producer, and a medical doctor, although he never practiced medicine. Born in Osaka Prefecture, he is best known as the creator of Astro Boy, Kimba the White Lion and Black Jack. He is often credited as the “Godfather of Anime”, and is often considered the Japanese equivalent to Walt Disney, who served as a major inspiration during his formative years. His prolific output, pioneering techniques, and innovative redefinitions of genres earned him such titles as “the father of manga”, “the god of comics” and “kamisama of manga”.
There are two interesting spots related to the God of mange in the Tokyo metropolitan area.

Takadanobaba in Tokyo

The God of manga in Japan, Osamu Tezuka’s own company Tezuka Production is in Takadanobaba, Shinjuku Ward. Takadanobaba is also known as the setting of “ASTRO BOY.” The characters of Osamu Tezuka are used as regional currency here, ornamenting such places as the wall along the shopping street which runs underneath the town train tracks.

Astro Boy, a fictional character created by Osamu Tezuka in 1952, was supposedly “born” in Takadanobaba on April 7, 2003. In commemoration, starting in 2003, the JR platform uses the theme music from the TV series to signal the departure of a train. Also, many lamp posts in the area carry pictures from the TV series, and two large murals depicting Tezuka’s works are across the street of JR Takadanobaba Station.

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The home of “ASTRO BOY”, Niiza City

“ASTRO BOY,” work of the God of manga, Osamu Tezuka. Turned into an anime in 1963, “ASTRO BOY” boasts immense popularity. The story stars Astro, a robot with feelings. Trapped between being a robot and a human, Astro struggles to find a balance between the two. Tezuka Production, the studio which created “ASTRO BOY,” is located in Niiza City, and in honor of this the city has awarded Astro with special residential status on the year when Astro was born, 7 April, 2003. Additionally, the city adorns street seals with the image of Astro and hosts a stamp collection rally each year starting from Niiza and Shiki Stations.

View Niiza City in a larger map
＜Reference materials＞
Japan Anime Tourism Guide published by Japan Tourism Agency
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 
Contact Us at : http://www.tenkai-japan.com/cooltours/

Suiho Tagawa, Norakuro Manga Museum

 

Name: Norakuro Manga Museum
Address: Morishita Bunka Center
3-12-17 Morishita, Koto-ku, Tokyo, 135-0004, JAPAN
Phone: +81-3-5600-8666
URL: http://www5a.biglobe.ne.jp/~norakuro/sub1/index.htm
Business hours: 9:00-21:00
Closed: First and third Monday of each month, New Year’s holidays
Admission: Free

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“Lucky☆Star” and the City of Moe, Kuki

 

Post card with date stamp is given from the museum.

Lucky Star (らき☆すた,) is a Japanese four-panel comic strip manga by Kagami Yoshimizu. The strip has been serialized in Kadokawa Shoten‘s Comptiq magazine since January 2004. Cameo strips were published in other magazines such as Shōnen Ace and others. Like many four-panel comic strips, it has no ongoing plot, and typically focuses on the daily lives of the characters.

Lucky Star’s story mainly portrays the lives of four Japanese girls attending a Japanese high school. The setting is mainly based on the city of Kasukabe in Saitama Prefecture.　The main character is Konata Izumi, an athletic and somewhat intelligent (even though she likes to copy), but also slightly mischievous and laid-back girl who, despite these attributes, is not in a sports club and has to resort to all-nighter cramming for tests. She would rather read manga and play video games than do her homework.

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Tokyo Anime Center

Tokyo Anime Center 

 

 

Name:	Tokyo Anime Center
Address:	Akihabara UDX 4F, 4-14-1, Soto-kanda, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan.
Phone:	+81-3-5298-1188
Fax:	+81(03)-5298-1215
Website:	http://www.animecenter.jp/jp/
Business hours:	11:00-19:00
Closed:	Mondays, except on holiday Mondays
Admission:	Free

 

The Tokyo Anime Center is a permanent facility that has been created, to market anime to residents of Japan, as well as Western visitors. The facility will host regular events, live radio interviews with creators and voice actors, and merchandising fairs. It includes the AKIBA3DTheater. It dubs itself as “The definitive “spot” for anime entertainment!”

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WELCOME TO the “COOL TOURS” !!

 

 

<Enjoy the diversity of the land !>  

 

   You can enjoy everything in Japan.  As you recognized in each articles in Tenkai-japan, both western and eastern cultures are mixed in each city.   We will help you unveil the secret  by providing you with a customized tour based on your  likings and requests.  Please see  below  and some examples of our tours… 

 

*  “Seichi” Tours:

    Visit locations that  appeared in famous anime or movies  as “Seichi-junrei”( a pilgrimage)

  Tour all around Hakone

  Yubara Onsen (guess in what anime  it appears !)

 

 * Historical Tours:

   Find sources of Japanese culture :

  Visit  the Kamakura big Buddha

  Nikko (enjoy wearing old Japanese style attires)

 

  Stay in local families:

  Stay in a Japanese family along journey

  Stay in a Buddhist temple

 

  *Nature Tours:

    Enjoy a variety of life in the countryside in a very short time

    Onsen tour

  First day : Ski at Nagano   Second day: “Hana-mi” (admire cherry blossoms) in Izu peninsula

 

  *Pop Culture Tours:

  Feel and experience meccas of animations and “Otaku” culture

      Visit Maid-Café s and  the Mecca of Otaku at Akihabara

 

…If you are interested in those kinds of tours, please contact us using  the Contact Form in  http://www.tenkai-japan.com/cooltours/

 

<Your Guides> 

  *Ken (Kiyoshi Miura) :

  “Welcome to Japan!  I am a licensed tour guide in English. I have worked in the hotel and restaurant industry for more than 40 years. With my   long career in the field, I am very familiar with condition of accommodations and eating places in Japan. Actually, I am still   participating with a well known architect who is a specialist for Onsen design. It is my great opportunity to help you when   you try to find comfortable hot spring or tasty Japanese cuisine while guiding you around sightseeing spots.”

  Major guiding areas: Imperial Palace, Tsukiji Fish Market, Ginza

 

  *Jack Amano Maruta:

  “Hi everyone!!  I am an English speaking guide living in Utsunomiya, Tochigi.  I’ve been working in travel industry whole my   life.  “Omotenashi” is the key word for your pleasant stay here in Japan.

  “Omotenashi” simply means Japanese style hospitality.  What makes you think that you come to Japan?  I presume, not   only seeing historical and beautiful places but experiencing something memorable.  Let me help you. ”

  Major guiding areas: Tohoku region, North Kanto such as Nikko, Mashiko and various places where you must see.

 

  *Terry (Teruo kawamura) :

  “Hello.  I am a certified guide-interpreter in English as well as an interpreter, a translator,　and a historian.  I am interested   in Japanese history, games,　anime, and young idols.  I can show you around historical places, such as Kamakura where   there are a lot of  old shrines and temples.　 Some historical  personages were my relatives.  I can provide you with   unique guiding services and experiences.”

  Major guiding areas : Kamakura, Ginza

 

 *Midori:

“Hello　ladies and gentlemen！I　am a licensed　English　guide.Though I　live in central Tokyo　now, I have lived in Sendai, Sapporo　and Kansai　region.  I have guided  VIP ,doctors, a scientist  and businessmen and continue to study to  satisfy  visitor‘s  intellectual curiosity and to offer good explanations. In addition　to guiding you to scenic spots and historical sites, I would like you to experience Japanese culture such as the tea ceremony and the flower arrangement. I am looking forward to seeing you.”

  Major guiding areas: Tokyo,Nikko and Tohoku region such　as Sendai,Matsushima,Hiraizumi　and Morioka

 

<Samples  of  Custom-made “Cool Tours”>

 

*Plan 1   Nature  Tour

 

The First day :   visiting Tsukiji Fish Market, Akihabara(a maid café , Electric Town),

               and, Urayasu(Heli Cruising)

 

The Second day : experiencing rice planting     lodging : Tokyo (Hotel Asia Center of Japan)   

 

The Third day :  skiing in  Echigo-Yuzawa (NASPA Ski Garden)

 

The Fourth day :  cherry blossom viewing in Izu   lodging: Ito (Hotel Sun Hatoya)

 

The Fifth day : visiting Harajyuku(Takeshita Street, Omotesando), Shibuya

 

 Travel fee : 1 tourist  ￥299,000

            2 tourists  ￥210,000  /person

            3 tourists  ￥180,000  /person　

     The fixed charge of ￥177,000 shall be divided by the number of the tourists.

 

 

*Plan 2   Pop Culture Tour

 

The First day :  visiting Harajyuku(Takeshita Street, Omotesando), Akihabara(a maid café,Electric Town, maid karaoke, maid bar )

 

The Second day :  visiting GHIBLI MUSEUM, MITAKA, model sites of anime works, joining convivial meetings with anime societies of colleges(or customers of English conversational cafes)

 

The Third day : all-day sightseeing in Hakone

       

 Travel fee : 1 tourist   ￥230,000

            2 tourists  ￥156,000  /person

            3 tourists  ￥130,000  /person　

     The fixed charge of ￥151,000 shall be divided by the number of the tourists.

 

 

*Plan 3   Historical Tour

 

The First day :  visiting historical sites related to the last days of the Tokugawa shogunate (Tokyo,Yokohama)

 

The Second day :  sightseeing in Kamakura and Yokosuka

 

The Third day :  Nikko (EDO WONDERLAND)    lodging : Tokyo(Hotel Asia Center of Japan), Nikko(Onsenji Temple)

 

  Travel fee : 1 tourist   ￥262,000

            2 tourists  ￥160,000  /person

            3 tourists  ￥126,000  /person　

     The fixed charge of ￥203,000 shall be divided by the number of the tourists.

 

＊The above plans are all just samples. We can make up your plan as you like in principle.

＊Travel fees vary at different periods and the seasons. The above fees are all just rough indications.

＊Meal charges are not included in the above sample travel fees.

A couple nights Home-staying experience

Have you ever stayed with someone’s house before?  Actually I have experienced in New Zealand when I was a student.  It was the best experience I have ever had in my life at that time.  As an English speaking guide, I would like overseas visitors to enjoy staying with our ordinary people’s home time to time while you are here in Japan.  Unfortunately, home staying should not be a business here in Japan according to our current law.  People like me, wanting to overseas visitors to stay at our home, covering the cost, cannot be acceptable.  No pay, OK.  Therefore it is very difficult to find home-staying experience in Japan. 

However, you still have a chance to stay at one of ordinal people’s home!! 

Why don’t you plan a couple nights stay at Utsunomiya, Tochigi.  Be my guest!!

I can accommodate up to two people, ideally for a couple (husband and wife). 

I will take you to the world renowned Shrines and Temples of Nikko (World Heritage) and Nikko National Park by my car.  If you love to see Potteries, I will take you to Mashiko where you can see Shoji Hamada’s great work.  If you wish to play golf, I will arrange the game for you.  Of course I will take you to the golf course and I might be playing with you if you want to. 

You have to try to sleep on Tatami mat.  You may feel Futon a little bit hardish but good to your back, I guess.  You have an opportunity to try authentic Japanese family cuisine both breakfast and dinner.  

I　suggest you to buy JR pass before you come to Japan. 

http://www.japanrailpass.net/eng/en001.html

I will pick you up at the JR Utsunomiya station and I will see you off there.

To conduct above, all you have to do is just hire me a couple days.Currently my guiding fee is 30,000 yen per day.

If you are interesting in this experience, please contact below;

travel.a.la.carte@nifty.com

I hope I will see you soon.

Jack A. Maruta

Now, here we are starting “Cool Tours”, a new project of providing YOU with “REAL” COOL TOURS IN JAPAN !

DEAR  VALUED READERS OF  TENKAI-JAPAN,

Thank you very much for your  kind viewing of our Tenkai-japan website.  Here, we are now  starting  a new project of  “Cool Tours” by “Cool Tour Guides”  FOR YOU, THE READERS OF THIS TENKAI-JAPAN WEBSITE !

This  new project is about  travel agent services of  tours in Japan for those who would like to visit Japan and enjoy  our country and its various attractions.

This ” Cool Tours” project is designed  especially for readers who kindly read entries about cool Japan written by our writers  on this website.  For you who get inclined to come to Japan and visit places described in some entries here  or  experience the events referred to in some entries here, this new service project of ours will be surely helpful. Those “real experiences” and “live events” in the tours we would provide you with are available  in the reality !

Each tour of ours for you will be guided by a professional tour guide who is a certified guide-interpreter in English (or some may be of other languages as well) ,some of whom are writers of  entries of  Cool Japan of this website as well.

The “Cool Tours” project is cooperated  by a registered travel agency. Therefore, we can supply a full arrangement of  a tailor-made tour with a total itinerary of your stay in Japan.   (Notice: we take charge of  only Japan internal tours and not of  tranportation of come-and-go to/from Japan nor any other services outside of  Japan)

From now on, we shall  suggest  our  tour plans  here in the category of  this “Cool Tours”  , writing  and posting  one plan for one entry as  a ” Tour Plan”  sequentially.   If you take an interest in any of our ” Tour Plans” , then please contact us or the guide in charge of the plan via email.

At the onset, we shall propose  our first ” Tour Plan” of  “IMPERIAL PALACE  EAST GARDEN ” as written below.

Thank you for your kind cooperation, we are looking forward to your contacts with us.

Cool Tour Guides (Cool Tours Japan Office)

Please contact us via our Contact Form in  http://www.tenkai-japan.com/cooltours/  Read the rest of this entry »