All hail the Butt Detective!

As I explained in an older post (https://otakutokyojp.blogspot.jp/2017/08/a-very-poopular-attraction.html), the Japanese love to put a scatological twist on any aspect of life, be it education, science or crime.

Take, for instance, Oshiri Tantei (Butt Detective), a gentlemanly Sherlock Holmesian detective who solves the strangest crimes. Not only he is a deep thinker; he's an action man who stops the bad guys by... farting in their face.

Originally the subject of a popular children’s picture book series, the Butt Detective has been recently turned into an Internet anime.

Directed by Ishitani Megumi, these delightful episodes are produced for YouTube and the Japanese YouTube KIDS app.

Here's a link to a few Butt Detective-related videos:

 https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=butt+detective

And don't forget to check out my guide!

Otaku funerals for anime figures

How do you say goodbye to someone special that has occupied a place in your heart, shared your apartment, and been with you for years? At Akihabara Shrine you can give them a proper spiritual farewell.

True otaku can never have too many anime figures, toys and collectibles, amassing huge collections in their homes and spending tons of money for years or even decades. Akihabara is dotted with hundreds of stores catering to all kinds of hobbies and obsessions – from gaming, figures, anime series, to manga and model kits.

Over the years, as series end and new characters are born, we’ve always wondered how owners discard unwanted toys and figures they’ve outgrown, aside from being sold in second-hand shops, or worse, being thrown away. There are so many collectible anime figures in Japan that it’s physically impossible to keep an ongoing collection for long without needing to make space for more.

Recently opened particularly for grieving otaku figure owners, Akihabara Shrine offers “memorial services” for anime figures and figurines that owners would like to let go respectfully, and express gratitude for the fond memories they’ve shared.

In Shintoism, it is believed that an inanimate object is capable of having a spirit, and when a person owns that item they also develop a temporary relationship. However, when the owner loses his or her emotional attachment to the toy, it is considered “deceased” and that’s the time to officially let go and give these possessions a graceful exit. Similar to the Shinto ceremony called ningyo kuyo, which is held in Japan annually to pray for dolls, the “memorial service” for toys is performed by the Shinto priest at the new Akihabara Shrine as a way to purify their spirits too.

The ceremony can be as solemn as a funeral because it marks the end of a relationship between two spirits and it also a respectful way of saying farewell to a spirit that once became a part of the owner’s life.

At the Akihabara Shrine, owners simply need to bring their anime figures and figurines to the shrine, where maidens (miko) will be ushering and assisting them through the process. Once you’ve filled in the form at the counter and paid the memorial service fee, the ceremony will be held on the fourth floor, where a Shinto priest receives the toy and places it on a wooden box in front of the altar.

Following a short prayer, he uses a purification wand to release the spirit of the object (called o-harai). It is a solemn ritual and the owner can stand behind the priest to observe and pray with him. Finally, these anime figures and figurines will be kept by the priest and scheduled to be burnt in the mountains at a later date. Owners have the option to join the burning ritual to give a final goodbye to their former friends.

While the inside of the shrine is filled with anime figures of all kinds, they are mostly to create ambiance, much in a way traditional shrines and Buddhist temples have small statues memorialising the dead or gods and goddesses. If you’re a figure lover coming to Japan, what better way to say goodbye than to bring them to the land of their birth and give them a proper farewell?

Location:
Akihabara Shrine
Opening hours: 10AM to 7PM
Closest station: Akihabara station (10 minute walk)

Address:
Sotokanda building 1F / 4F
1-6-1 Soto-Kanda, Chiyoda-ku

Speaking of Akihabara...

... you can find tons of information on Akiba and other Tokyo otaku spots in my brand-new Tokyo Geek's Guide. Check it out.
https://www.amazon.com/Tokyo-Geeks-Guide-Cosplay-Ultimate/dp/4805313854/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1513686872&sr=1-1&keywords=tokyo+geeks+guide

How to reach Tokyo from Narita Airport

Okay, after a few (or many) hours flying over continents and the seven seas you have finally touched down safely at Narita Airport - which, by the way, is located not in Tokyo but in Chiba's deep countryside.
Now what?
You are, after all, still 60 kilometers away from Japan's capital.
Lucky for us, our friends at Tokyo Cheapo want all visitors to reach Tokyo safely, quickly, and possibily cheaply. So read on about the many options for travelling those last 60 kilometers.



For newcomers to Tokyo it can come as quite a icarprise that Tokyo’s main international gateway—Narita Airport—is not really very close to Tokyo at all.  In fact it’s so rural and remote that the view on the first part of the train journey is predominantly of rice paddies—oh, and a faux-Dutch windmill.

Photo by wendy huff used under CC While finding the cheapest transport to get from Narita to Tokyo is a worthy quest in itself, it has become more important because of the arrival of low-cost carriers like Jetstar Japan—which use Narita as their base of operations for domestic flights out of Tokyo.  Some of the fares are cheap enough to make tourists coming to Japan consider whether they should get the JR Pass or just book a couple of flights on an LCC. However, since Narita Airport is not right in the middle of Tokyo (like the much more conveniently located Haneda Airport) transport fees to and from Tokyo should be factored into your overall costs. Bus From Narita to Tokyo

Limousine Bus lineup | Photo by Rob Young used under CC Limousine Bus  – Although the convenience of not having to cart your luggage around is great, theLimousine Bus service (the buses are in fact the least limousine-like wheeled transport you are likely to take) to major hotels all over Tokyo at 3,100 yen each way (and 4,500 yen for a return ticket) is definitely not the cheapest option. Tokyo Shuttle – Considerably cheaper, is the Tokyo Shuttle.  The bus costs only 900 yen with a reservation (and 1,000 yen cash without a reservation) and runs to the Yaesu Exit of Tokyo Station from where you can easily jump on the subway or various JR Lines.  The service does have a few small conditions—you can catch it at any time of day without a booking from Narita Airport (buses leave every 20 mins!) for the advertised 900 yen.  However, when returning to Narita Airport from Tokyo, without a reservation, it will cost you 2,000 yen for early morning and late night buses. Early morning buses are any that depart before 6 am.  Note that unlike Limousine Buses, the first Tokyo Shuttle leaves Tokyo Station at 1:30 am—which means you can catch those ridiculously early flights out of Narita. As an added bonus, you can pick up a 1-day Tokyo Metro pass for 600 yen—a 110 yen saving on the regular price. You still have to take about four regular trips on the subway to make it worthwhile which could be quite ambitious after a long-haul flight! The Access Narita – Another cheap bus option from Narita Airport is The Access Narita, which will drop you off at either Tokyo Station for quick access to JR Lines or Ginza Station so you can jump on the subway. The one-way journey is only 1,000 yen for adults and 500 yen for kids. The Access Narita claims to be easier to use than the Tokyo Shuttle because you only have to line up at their bus stop rather than buy paper tickets at a counter.  Its buses do look rather nice and they also have toilets, which might come in handy after a long flight. Regular Train The cheapest regular trains that run the route from central Tokyo to Narita Airport run on the Keisei Line.  The good thing about the Keisei Line is that it connects with the Toei Asakusa Subway Line and the Yamanote Line so it can be accessed from a lot of different stations in central Tokyo.  The bad news is that it’s a regular train—so catching it with your suitcase during rush hour can be hazardous to your health! To help you on your first visit, here’s photo guidance of catching the cheap train from Narita to Tokyo: Cheapest Train From Narita Airport to Tokyo – Keisei Limited Express Here’s a summary of the route and cost to get from Narita Airport to some main stops in central Tokyo: Destination           Start (from Narita Airport) Change at                 Next Train Total Cost 1. Ikebukuro Keisei Narita Limited Express Nippori Station JR Yamanote – forShinjuku/Shibuya 1,200 yen 2. Shinjuku Keisei Narita Limited Express Nippori Station JR Yamanote – for Shinjuku/Shibuya 1,230 yen 3. Shibuya Keisei Narita Limited Express Nippori Station JR Yamanote – for Shinjuku/Shibuya 1,230 yen 3. Tokyo Keisei Narita Limited Express Nippori Station JR Yamanote – for Tokyo 1,190 yen 2. Asakusa Keisei Narita Limited Express Ueno Station Tokyo Metro Ginza Line – for Asakusa 1,200 yen First find the Keisei Line at Narita Airport and get on Once you arrive at Narita, follow the signs for “Railways” taking the escalator down to the lower level. Once there, look for the nice blue Keisei Line:

Ask for a ticket to your destination but not on the Skyliner, or if you’re planning on having a few days in Tokyo, ask for a Pasmo card—this is a top-up card usable on all trains, buses, etc. in the Tokyo area. You can also get a Suica card, from the JR station ticket office opposite—it doesn’t matter which one you buy, they both work on all trains and cost the same (500 yen for the card + the amount you wish to charge it with). Next go through the (two) ticket barriers and down the stairs to the Keisei platform. N.B. NOT the Skyliner platform. 1) Trains From Narita to Ikebukuro, Shinjuku, Shibuya or Tokyo For transfers on to the JR Yamanote Line, get off at Nippori. Look out for the notice on the train:

This is what the Nippori Station Platform looks like:

Head up the escalator, following the JR signs:

Go through the JR transfer gate—it’s marked as “This is not an exit”:

Head to the JR Yamanote line – platforms 10 (to Tokyo) and 11 (to Shinjuku/Shibuya)

Platform 10 for Tokyo:

Platform 11 for Ikebukuro, Shinjuku, Shibuya:

And get on the train! (Every train leaving from the platform is going in the same direction.)

2) Trains From Narita To Asakusa For this route, stay on the Keisei train until it reaches Ueno (usually the last stop). When you leave the ticket gate, head left, and down stairs following the signs for Tokyo Metro Ginza Line (this line is orange).

You’ll then head through an underground walkway till you reach the Tokyo Metro Ginza Line.

And here’s a nice picture of the Ginza Line platform—make sure you’re on the platform headed to Asakusa:

Photo credit chezjulia   Sky Access Express and Skyliner Slightly more expensive than the regular Keisei train is the “Sky Access Express” (not to be confused with the Skyliner) which actually offers better access to central Tokyo than the Skyliner because it dives into the Toei Asakusa Subway Line instead of arriving at the relatively inconvenient Nishi Nippori orUeno stations. You’ll pay an extra 180 yen over the regular train so the trip from Narita to Shinbashi will cost you 1,280 yen and take 1 hour and 2 minutes. The Skyliner offers the speediest travel time—just 36 minutes to Nippori or 41 to Ueno—but it will cost you 2,470 yen each way (or 2,200 yen if you purchase a ticket online before coming to Japan). This is the same company that runs the Tokyo Shuttle—so they also offer some discount tickets for the subway. Narita Express and the N’EX TOKYO Round Trip Ticket

Photo by Daniel Mennerich used under CC   Introduced in March 2015, N’EX Tokyo Round Trip Ticket provides round-trip travel from Narita to Tokyo city and back for 4,000 yen for adults and 2,000 yen for children.  The ticket will get you as far as Kurihama in Kanagawa Prefecture and Omiya in Saitama, which is extraordinarily good value.  The ticket is only available at Narita Airport to foreign passport holders (you don’t need a tourist visa) and has a validity period of 14 days. Even if you can’t take advantage of some special ticket or pass, the Narita Express is still the most trouble-free way of getting to the main JR stations in Tokyo as you don’t have to fight for a seat, there’s space for luggage and there’s no need to change trains. The regular price isn’t cheap though as it costs 3,190 yen each way. You can buy tickets at the JR station at Narita Airport. Also if you plan on traveling beyond Tokyo the same day, then you can use a JR pass (see below). JR Pass Given that it doesn’t cost that much to get into Tokyo, you should think very carefully before you activate your JR Pass especially if you plan to spend the first few days of your trip in Tokyo.  If you’re spending a few days in Tokyo first, you might want to choose another option to get into Tokyo and then activate the pass when you embark on a longer inter-city trip.   If you haven’t reserved your Japan Rail Pass yet, you can reserve your pass online. Not sure if you need one? Check our article on which JR pass to choose. For the Stupidly Rich Catch a taxi for 20,000 to 25,000 yen or charter a helicopter for 270,000 yen. For more helpful info on getting around once you’ve made it into the city, as well as other essential Tokyo basics, check out our ebook guide.

Another Godzilla head in Shinjuku

Did you know that Godzilla is Shinjuku's honorary resident?

It happened some time ago when the district's Gracery Hotel added a couple of special rooms devoted to the Big G and went so far as to put its head on the roof.

Now another head has appeared near Shinjuku Station (not far from the hotel) to advertize the brand-new animation film Godzilla: Monster Planet.

This one is, if possible, an even more unsettling vision than the first one.

You can find information on both Godzilla-related Tokyo spots and the Gracery Hotel in my Tokyo Geek's Guide.

https://www.amazon.com/Tokyo-Geeks-Guide-Cosplay-Ultimate/dp/4805313854/ref=pd_rhf_ee_p_img_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=2X9H7ZZABG2DYGX89FRP

Two books about Honda Ishiro

Great news for fans of Godzilla and director Honda Ishiro: a brand new book about the late director's life and films has just been published:

Featuring a foreward by Martin Scorsese, the book has been hailed as the definitive work on Honda.

I wanted to write about the book myself, then I found this excellent review by my good friend and Japanese film expert Mark Schilling, so please check his piece instead:

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2017/11/18/books/ishihiro-honda-master-behind-godzilla/#.WhgcrNIUlMs



While Schilling says this is the first English-language book on Honda, another book came out in 2009:

Here's the review I wrote back when the book came out:

Mushroom Clouds and Mushroom Men: The Fantastic Cinema of Ishiro Honda

By Peter H. Brothers

AuthorHouse

2009, 282 pp, $14.95

www.authorhouse.com

Until not so many years ago, well before the rise of Hideo Nakata, Takashi Shimizu and J-Horror, Japanese genre cinema was almost exclusively known abroad for monsters movies. You had Mothra, Ghidorah, Gamera, and then the king of them all: the mighty Godzilla. The original Gojira was directed in 1954 by Ishiro Honda. It proved so popular that it was followed by 27 more films featuring our favorite radioactive lizard, and is still considered one of the most influential franchises in the history of monster movies. Honda himself went on working on many other such films and became one of the most prolific fantasy film directors.

Author Peter H. Brothers saw the original Godzilla when he still was a child and instantly became a hardcore Honda fan, so much so that he later became one of the original staff writers on the legendary fanzine, Japanese Giants, and went on studying and writing about his work for such magazines as Cult Movies, Fantastic Films and especially G-Fan.  

Mushroom Clouds… starts with a short but detailed biography of the Japanese director and is followed by a meticulous analysis of his filmography. Despite the huge amount of research he must have put into this book, Brothers’ approach is far from academic. He is a fan at heart; someone who for 30 years has written for fanzines, and it shows in his enthusiastic “ziney” style, which at times can be a little repetitive. Also, after having problems finding a mainstream publisher, Brothers decided to do everything himself and self-publish the book. As a result, there are some spelling mistakes and redundancies, and in general the text needs better editing. These minor problems notwithstanding, this is a must for Honda fans and lovers of fantasy films. There is a great deal of information never before seen in English book form, a good deal of which was translated from Japanese-language sources. Most of all, far from being a dry list of names and facts, this book is the story of a humble and soft-spoken man, a dedicated craftsman who during a remarkable 60-plus year career created some of the most amazing "beautiful nightmares" people worldwide have had the pleasure to watch on screen.

And don't forget my book!

https://www.amazon.com/Tokyo-Geeks-Guide-Cosplay-Ultimate/dp/4805313854/ref=pd_rhf_ee_p_img_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=TZ2S8Q05S1N9J6NWC116

2D character marriage certificates anyone?

 Many Japanese otaku are often derided for being hopelessly (and really) in love with manga and anime characters. Now a Japanese company is offering a helping hand - in exchange for some yen, of course - to make their dreams come true.

Gatebox, a company that “lets you experience cohabitation with characters,” is releasing marriage certificates for 2D loved ones.

The certificates can be used for traditional 2D characters as well as those from 3D or VFX anime. Non-human characters such as elves are okay, but, the press release makes clear, no actual living humans allowed.

Needless to say, the certificate has no actual legal effect.

The certificates come in four different versions:

Normal:

 European:

 Japan:

 Furure:

https://gateboxlab.com/tokoukyoku_marriage/

Alas, my Tokyo Geek's Guide will not help you find the love of your life, but if you go to one of the events listed in the book you will make plenty of friends.

https://www.amazon.com/Tokyo-Geeks-Guide-Cosplay-Ultimate/dp/4805313854/ref=pd_rhf_ee_p_img_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=NCE2R0ASDTPY46CYECKD



Godzilla & Co.



 In anticipation of the upcoming Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters, Japan’s TV Asahi celebrated the Big G on November 12.

While the main event was a screening of Shin Godzilla, the network also held what it dubbed the Godzilla General Election.





 10,000 fans from around the country were polled about their favorite monsters and films from the long-running series.

Can you guess which kaiju and titles were the winners?

Top Five Godzilla Films
5. Godzilla vs. Mothra (1992)
4. Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964)
3. Godzilla (1954)
2. Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964)
1. Shin Godzilla (2016)
[Personally I would have put the original 1954 film and Shin Godzilla on top of the list, ex aequo]
Top 20 Godzilla Monsters
20. Battra
19. Godzillasaurus
18. Varan
17. Destroyah
16. Baragon
15. Monster X/Keizer Ghidorah
14. Jet Jaguar
13. Super Mechagodzilla (1993)
12. Mechagodzilla 3 (2002)
11. Biollante
10. Hedorah
9. Gigan
8. Baby Godzilla/Godzilla Junior
7. Mecha King Ghidorah
6. Anguirus
5. Mechagodzilla (1974)
4. Minilla
3. Rodan
2. King Ghidorah
1. Mothra

Lots of love for King Ghidorah and Mechagodzilla: multiple versions of both monsters appear on the chart, spanning the Showa, Heisei and Millennium versions of the franchise.

But at the top is everyone’s favorite butterfly, Mothra.

Who’s your favorite Godzilla monster? Let me know your opinion either on this blog page or Facebook. 

By the way, you can find more information on the love/hate relationship between Godzilla and Tokyo in my Tokyo Geek's Guide, where I list some of Big G's favorite stomping grounds. 

  https://www.amazon.com/Tokyo-Geeks-Guide-Cosplay-Ultimate/dp/4805313854/ref=pd_rhf_ee_p_img_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=FXHV9E0RX6FCMKS925AY