Kamen Rider boxer briefs!

A few days ago I posted a photo of a cute girl so I thought it would be fair to please otaku girls' eyes as well.
So how about these  Kamen Rider boxer brief-wearing dude?

Regarding the briefs, you can choose among 19 different designs, five of which are based on the current series (Kamen Rider Ex-Aid) while the others are based on older Kamen Rider series such as the original, V3, Amazon and Black.

They don't come cheap though: each pair costs 6,480 yen.
If you are interested, they ship in September, and can be preordered now. 


In other news, my Tokyo Geek's Guide is going very well and has gathered positive reviews. If you don't know it yet check it out!
https://www.amazon.com/Tokyo-Geeks-Guide-Cosplay-Ultimate/dp/4805313854/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1503287788&sr=1-1&keywords=tokyo+geeks+guide

Pikachu outbreak in Yokohama!!!

This news is a few days old but what the hell, this is Pikachu after all. And let's not forget the brand-new Pokemon the Movie: I Choose You that hit the Japanese big screens on July 15.

However the more than 100 Pikachus that danced and paraded in Yokohama were part of a festival celebrating the mobile phone game Pokemon Go.

 If you are reading this blog you probably already know everything about Pokemon Go (it is even featured in my Tokyo Geek's Guide on page 17) while if you are hunting for Pokemon goods in Tokyo arguably the best place to check out is Pokemon Center Mega Tokyo inside the Sunshine City building in Ikebukuro (p. 99 of my guide).

Tokyo Geek's Guide
https://www.amazon.com/Tokyo-Geeks-Guide-Cosplay-Ultimate/dp/4805313854/ref=zg_mg_16797_25?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=CJ11RPX8MX770FSGTFX7

In Japan even Playboy likes cosplayers...

... Especially when the cosplayer is a cute big-breasted girl.
 
Weekly Playboy's latest issue features actress and model Fumika Baba dressed as a female, bikini-clad version of One Piece’s main character Monkey D. Luffy.

This special is part of the celebrations for the 20th anniversary of One Piece, which began serialization back in 1997. 
Baba-chan might be not very famous in the west (you may know her for appearing in Kamen Rider) but you can't deny she has a lot of "talent."


And speaking of One Piece, whenever you are in Tokyo don't forget to visit the Tokyo One Piece Tower amusement park! You can find all the info you need in the brand-new Tokyo Geek's Guide.https://www.amazon.com/Tokyo-Geeks-Guide-Cosplay-Ultimate/dp/4805313854/ref=zg_bsnr_16797_12?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=31054G2449V67AE1ZWJS

A very POOPular attraction

The Japanese have a long love affair with scatological humor, stories and characters, and manga are not an exception. Between 1970 and 1977, for instance, Shonen Jump magazine published Torii Kazuyoshi's Toiretto Hakase (Dr. Toilet) to popular acclaim.


Another more recent POOPular character is the mustachioed Unko Sensei (Professor Poop). The bright yellow professor appears in the highly successful writing workbook series Unko Kanji Doriru (Poop Kanji Drills).

So what's the next logical step? Why, a family-oriented indoor theme park of course!
Tokyo's  Namco Namja Town, located inside the Sunshine City building in Ikebukuro (you can find it on page 99 of my Tokyo Geek's Guide) will be "covered in poop" until August 31 while
offering food and attractions based on the famous sensei. 
 

The theme park sells seven different dishes, including Unko Sensei’s sweet curry (see above) and Unko Sensei cotton candy.
Not satisfied yet? They also sell original goods featuring the Unko Sensei character, including notebooks, towels, folders and badges!!!

Your Name bus tour

Visiting anime locations has always been very popular among Japanese fans so it was only a matter of time for someone to come up with a Your Name-themed tour.
Willer Express has partnered up with Cool Japan Travel to offer a bus tour with a Your Name theme between August 3 and September 29. The bus will visit some of the major Tokyo scenes in the film, giving fans an opportunity to take photos of the familiar locations in real life.
The bus will have an onboard café with select items including the pancakes that Mizuha took a picture of when she was mid-body swap with Taki. Guests will also get a special edition coaster (out of eight different designs) with a screenshot design from the film to take home. 
The double-decker bus, that will only carry up to 15 passengers per tour, is divided between the café on the first floor and the open deck on the second floor for photo taking.
The 90-minute tour costs ¥5,800 and includes café food and a drink. A full itinerary of the route can be found here.
Currently, booking is only available in Japanese via the Willer Express website.
For more information about anime that are set in Tokyo you can check out the new Tokyo Geek's Guide

https://www.amazon.com/Tokyo-Geeks-Guide-Cosplay-Ultimate/dp/4805313854/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1499319103&sr=1-1&keywords=tokyo+geeks

Donna Burke in concert

Donna Burke in her Tokyo studio

This year mega-hit video game Metal Gear Solid (over 50 million games sold worldwide) turns 30 and the big anniversary will be celebrated on August 2nd with a stylish concert at Tokyo International Forum Hall A.

The Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra will play the saga's iconic music while huge screens will show some of the game's famous scenes.

And last but not least, voice actress and anime singer Donna Burke, whom I've had the pleasure to interview twice, will sing some of the songs.  

The Japanese concert will be followed by a World Tour. 

Comiket Nostalgie

Comic Market - or Comiket, as this event is usually called - is the world’s biggest dojinshi (fanzine) fair and arguably Japan’s largest otaku gathering, visited by more than half a million people twice a year.

Here's a great video about the 28th edition (1985)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqtzepfEt-I where you can see how cosplayers looked back in the day.
You can find more information on dojinshi, Comiket, and other such events in the Odaiba chapter (p. 116-124) of the brand-new Tokyo Geek's Guide.
https://www.amazon.com/Tokyo-Geeks-Guide-Cosplay-Ultimate/dp/4805313854/ref=zg_bsnr_16797_4?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=2REEK0JNGHT4XMZY98K4