FROM JAPAN Blog: Japanese Auction & shopping proxy service

The Gunpla Top Coat Guide: Giving your Gunpla a Fantastic Finish

What is top coating? After assembling, painting and detailing your Gunpla model, you can use top coating to help protect it. Top coating is a method wherein you use a clear colored paint to seal in and protect whatever surface you are applying it on, and it is actually used in car manufacturing to help give cars a glossy finish. Therefore, you can imagine that a Gundam top coat is much more than a protective measure; when properly applied to your Gunpla, it also brings an extra aesthetic touch in either gloss, matte or even in-between.

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The Japanese Fake Food Display: An (In)edible Culinary Art Form

Your mind and stomach will question reality upon first seeing a Japanese fake food display. Whether hotdog or hamburger, risotto or ramen, it looks good enough to eat—an illusion that is only broken when you reach out and touch it, discovering the hard, plastic truth. Experience the artistic craftsmanship—and fool your friends—with your very own fake food display!

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Desktop Zen Garden Kits: 5 Reflections on Why You Need One

What is a Desktop Zen Garden?

Stressed at work? Stressed at home? Escape from the never-ending stream of incessent noises and thoughts that bombard your daily life. If you’re open to Eastern meditation, maintaining a personal zen garden is a great way to find your inner piece. Keep reading to find out why you should have one in your home or office and where you can find a truly authentic Japanese desktop zen garden!

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Shibuya 109 Shop Showcase: Top 10 Popular Fashion Brands

Shibuya 109 (called “Ichi Maru Kyu in Japanese) is one of the most iconic fashion destinations for young women in Japan. The high-rise building and large 109 sign have become a familiar part of the Tokyo landscape along with the famous Shibuya Crossing and Hachiko statue.

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Traditional Japanese Tea Cups: Top 5 Japanese Pottery Styles

The biggest difference between traditional Japanese tea cups and Western tea cups is that Japanese tea cups have no handle. There are two kinds of Japanese tea “cups” – yunomi, which are tall cylindrical cups, and chawan, wide bowls used to drink matcha in the Japanese tea ceremony. Unlike a chawan, a yunomi can be used for everyday tea drinking at your home or even at work. Japanese tea cups come in all kinds of styles and glazes, from white porcelain, to iron black, and unglazed clay. Like Western tea cups, however, there can be a huge range in prices for a single piece. A mass-produced factory yunomi are quite affordable, but a quality yunomi made by a master can cost over 10,000 yen.

When buying a Japanese tea cup, you should not only consider the style but also hold it in your hands and try imagine yourself drinking tea from it. The evolution of traditional Japanese tea cups can be traced through the Japanese pottery styles of yore—let’s examine the top five types.

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Anime Figure Showcase 2015: Top 10 Most Anticipated Fall Releases

Autumn in Japan is one of the most beautiful times of the year, with green leaves transforming into a collage of red, yellow, and orange.

Even if you live outside of Japan, though, you can still celebrate the fall season with these in-demand anime figurines (oh, and Racing Miku, of course) being released in Japan this autumn. Stretching from September to December, there’s at least one must-have figurine coming out every month, so let’s count down the top ten figurines you simply must get your hands on in fall 2015!

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