This post at Bedazzled, reminded me that, for some weird reason, we actually bought a couple of boxes of cereal recently. (I generally have a couple of boiled eggs for breakfast, sometimes a full on Ulster fry if I can manage it.)

One thing about the homebrew Japanese cornflakes is that the boxes are pretty cool looking; here’s a box of Ciscorn Frosted -

And the malt choco variety -

Next time I go shopping I might splash out and buy some Frosties, so you can see that Tony the Tiger stays the same, only the writing changes…

I went to a great exhibition last Friday, taking in some really cool artwork that was used to promote plastic models in Japan in the last century. There were a lot of war machines, racing cars, motorbikes, monsters, superheroes, mecha and even some Gerry Anderson. Parts of the exhibition were very meta - art of things that really existed in scenes that never did used to sell something that will then be rebuilt and used to reenact further scenes that never existed. The artwork from the sixties in particular seemed to be very much in the vein of Moah! Moah!

Peruse, if you will, this dazzling scene -

You may notice that the artist finally ran out of things to add, and was probably a little bit upset when he realized there weren’t any guns left to paint going off.

Other parts of the exhibition were just plain cool; I discovered some hidden gems.

Take this guy -

His name is Diamond Eye, and he fights mythical beasts disguised as humans in the manner that Japanese superheroes have been fighting mythical beasts since the concept first appeared: he uses some kind of voodoo and transforms. He also has a Honda motorcycle, like any self-respecting, patriotic Japanese superhero, and a couple of snazzy weapons, as I learned from Japan Hero -

His sole weapon of choice is his [Diamond] Stick, a sword-like weapon, which he carries constantly in hand. In addition to using it as a stabbing and slashing weapon, from the base of its handle Diamond Eye can fire his “Noble Punch” special attack. His “Noble Punch” attack is a beam ray attack of incredible power that can stun and immobilize his enemies.

Sweet.

My favourite piece of art was probably this one -

- which turns out to be from a series named 戦闘メカ　ザブンぐル - Sentou Mecha Zabunguru, which turns up in Wikipedia as Combat Mecha Xabungle, putting me in mind of an anime starring Mike Patton. I’ve never seen or heard of the series before, but this picture is just so beautifully rendered, yet utterly mad - giant mecha on skis?!!!!!111 - its hard not to love it.

You have until the 20th May to pick your own fave, at the Shizuoka Prefectural Art Museum (Link to their website, which is shocking looking, as is the custom with all government websites across the globe.)

Living in Japan for any serious amount of time may begin to corrupt your view of just how anthropomorphized animals are allowed to be. One only has to see the variety of ways Kitty Chan is used to sell any number of things to appreciate this, and once you’ve seen a cartoon pig wearing a chef’s hat and showing kids how best to prepare a delicious pork curry in a commercial, you’re all set for any further madness that may hap upon your path.

All these adverts with animals talking and cooking their own kind has probably contributed to my latest fad; I have been really enjoying flickr photostreams which feature almost exclusively an animal or stuffed toy doing things they wouldn’t normally do. And I don’t mean putting out on the first date. (Although maybe I just didn’t find those photos…)

It may be a rabbit who can use electronics or it may be a dinosaur dragon thing who eats dessert, either way, this kind of mayhem is exactly what I need when I’m feeling down.

Any more you know of, any explanations, any stories, any reasons as to why the two I have found have both come from Japan - do tell in the comments, or email if you’re shy.

Next time you head out to an all night karaoke sesh, take comfort in the fact that we got your back (and your front). When you stagger blinking into the dim light at 5am, all the early commuters will instantly understand what has happened to you -

Available at Cafepress.

The Herald Sun is reporting a recent scam in Japan where around 2000 women were sold Australian and British sheep and told they were poodles. These pets, valued at around 160,000¥ were sold as fashion accessories by a company called Poodles as Pets. The scam was only uncovered when devastated celebrity Maiko Kawakami was told on a TV talk show that her prized poodle was, in fact, a sheep.

Now, you may ask why these consumers never noticed that their bleating and wool producing new puppies had hooves, not paws? Well, the life of a pampered Japanese pet does not include walking on is own feet, they prefer to be carried…. everywhere.

Caveat Emptor Indeed.

For more on Pet consumption and adoration check out this article in Japan today on the life of a dog in Japan.

I live in Fuji City which has the highest concentration of factories on Earth. Well, OK, I made that up. But it feels like it sometimes.

There’s a factory on the outskirts of town that always reminds me of the Shinra power station at the beginning of Final Fantasy VII. These ugly monstrosities actually take on a weird beauty of their own, if the light’s right and you let ‘em. It appears that I am not alone in this oft derided viewpoint, as a book entitled 工場萌え(The Thrill of Factories) recently hit bookstores. Sadly, you can’t see much inside the book at Amazon (link) although I did find a tidy looking gallery of factory pr0n here and I’d also recommend Lenny Kox’s Fuji photo set for a few good factories. If that’s your bag.