Traditional Japanese Masks: Own a Piece of Japan’s Rich History

Nowadays Japanese people commonly wear surgical masks to prevent the spread of germs, as a fashion statement, or even just for a little sense of privacy. But masks have a history almost as old as Japan itself. Originally they were used in prehistoric religious rituals beginning in the Jomon period (10,000 B.C. to 300 B.C.). Masks are alive and well in Japan today, and you can own a piece of the tradition! But if you want to hang one on your wall, you may want to know what they’re all about when someone asks!

(more…)

Totoro Merchandise that Recaptures Your Inner Child

  • Post category:Anime

My Neighbor Totoro: the film that captured our childish imaginations and sent us scrambling for our leaf umbrellas on rainy days, hoping to catch the Catbus. Despite his long career as a film director, Hayao Miyazaki has yet to create a character more loveable, recognized, and kawaii than his 1988 Totoro.

(more…)

5 Cute Japanese Robot Toys to Spice Up Your Life

Robots: those mysterious technologies from the future with A.I. for brains. Whether they cause a worldwide cyber-dominion, or become our best friends and trusted allies, we’re all secretly excited about owning a robot of our own. Perhaps the days of Mobile Suit Gundam and Evangelion are still a few decades (or even centuries) away, but Japanese robots are actually head and shoulders above those of most nations. The country has made huge strides in bringing the mechanical beings of the future into the home and workplace of today—as humanoid helpers and even toys!

(more…)

Top 10 Anime Phone Cases for iPhone

  • Post category:Anime

Admit it: you’re obsessed with your iPhone. And why shouldn’t you be? It’s an all-in-one gadget that keeps you current with your friends and family, the latest trends, and newest releases. It’s your camera, your calculator, your instant messenger, your planner, and a home to all the apps you need in life.

Your phone is important. It’s a part of you. And that’s why you don’t have to settle for a bland case like everyone else’s. Go beyond protecting your phone, and diversify it with your favorite anime and Japanese pop culture characters! Next to setting your ringtone to the likes of “World is Mine” or “Tank!”, snazzing up your tech with an anime phone case is the best way to show the world your otaku love and which anime characters define your unique personality.

(more…)

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

  • Post category:Hobby

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.

(more…)

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!

Japanese fake food
Can you pick out the real ones? (Answers below)

(more…)