Today after a lot of hard work I managed to release the new mockup to the site. It might come to a surprise to some because it was only recently that I updated the old one but I felt the time was right to have yet again another change. As you might have noticed or remembered from it, the old design was pretty much influenced by dannychoo’s mirai gaia design. At first I felt very happy but after a while I slowly started to feel disorientated with it. Designing this new layout was a challenging time fitting everything into my busy schedule but im glad I managed to put it together in time. I hope you like it. So whats new?
You’ll find the category pages now under the menu navigation located beneath the logo. Ive added 2 new sections called “Archives” and “Links“. The former being what the name is of all my collection of post sorted in a timeline, so that viewers can find specific post written in a specific time. The latter is where you’ll find my blogroll links of my fellow comrades, for those that want to share their blogs please let me know and ill be happy to add you, for those that Ive already linked, let me know so that I can re-add you. You’ll find many of the pages have its own background picture which has been taken throughout the years during my holidays. The other thing ive fixed is the annotation of photos in the post section, before I had a problem with the script conflicting with the wordpress commenting one but all is good now and public viewers can use the tool now (example annotation in picture above) just clock on the add note on the top corner of the picture once youve hovered on it, select your area and write up the message and it will appear in the comment section.

Thats about it, I think anyway your feedback is important and if there is anything please let me know because this blog is also are of you the readers. Thank you :)

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Since my visit at the Ghibli Museum in Japan, Ive been aching to re-watch some of the old Studio Ghibli classics and so after coming back to Perth I started the “planned” movie nights with my friend Wibi. So far we watched only Spirited Away and after a few busy weeks we finally had time on Friday for another Ghibli movie night. We decided to watch Kiki’s Delivery Service because firstly Wibi hasnt seen this one, secondly Its probably my all time favorite Ghibli movie and thirdly because It was recently rumored in Japan that It is getting a Live-action Movie.

Kiki’s Delivery Service has a very simple storyline. Based off a book of the same name. Following the life of the young witch Kiki and her cat Jijii, we follow her adventures as she goes out into the world to make a life for herself as a witch in the modern world where witches are not as commonly known as they once were, with her only real witches skill being her ability to fly on a broom. This as the title suggests brings her to create a delivery service in which she uses her flying skills to help people deliver various things.

In the end we both thoroughly enjoyed it, this time we had the Ghibli cookies I bought from the Museum shop so it really felt like a all Ghibli movie night! Although it may not be the most famous movie of the Studio Ghibli collection, however Kiki’s Delivery Service is a brilliant film in it’s own right and in my opinion is often over shadowed and under appreciated because of its more famous cousins such as Spirited Away.

Looking forward to our next Ghibli movie night, decided it will be My Neighbor Totoro! We also enjoyed the cookies, the quality was good as expected from Japan. Each cookie had a special Ghibli design and there was lots of flavors, chocolate, green tea etc. If ever your at the museum shop in Japan, definitely buy it! Had the movie plugged from my computer through hdmi to my TV and big screen is definitely a nice experience.

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London Bridge, Thames River, London Tower and London Eye, London! London! It’s London! Yes, Yui is actually from London!

You got to love K-ON! Its such a heartwarming and very well crafted anime. The movie might just be about a group of girls who go on a trip to London, but they’re are quickly made into characters who you develop emotional connections with and naturally want to watch as they go about their lives. While it may seem like a light message delivered in a sugar-coated package, K-ON! does a brilliant job of reminding us that sometimes who you choose to spend your time with is more important than what you do with that time.

You could tell the production quality for the movie is insanely high. I love Kyoto Animation’s realistic rendition of the city of London, which looks exotically breathtaking. The detailed and vibrant background is noteworthy, and it exactly highlights London’s busy streets and beautiful scenery. When our heroines arrived in the promised land, much of the stereotypical sightseeing the girls do is summarized fairly quickly in a montage of short moments at famous locations. The speed at which this all goes by may be a let down to some, but on the contrary, I find this approach does an excellent job of capturing how a highly-planned overseas vacation in an unfamiliar land might feel, as rather than actively engaging in their sightseeing, the girls’ experience seems to passively happen to them as they whisk themselves off from one spot to the next.

After watching the movie with such a nostalgic notion of London I decided that on my return to London back in December 2012 I shall make my very own pilgrimage. The result: 1 day of researching, planning and implementing into an itinerary (not to mention the process of taking screenshots from the movie); 3 days to cover the locations; more than 150 pictures taken; 20 pounds for transportation and LOTS of walking! Was it worth it in the end? Of course! Even though there were times where I made myself look like a clown, crouching and doing all sort of poses in order to get the most accurate angle for the picture or even being called out at the train station by security officials for standing to close to the rail tracks but in the end it was such an experience that after going from one spot to another it does really feel like as if Yui, Ritsu, Mio, Tsumugi and Azusa existed and actually did do the trip. Each location was very much a reminiscent of the movie so you got to salute Kyoto Animation’s effort in making it as realistic as possible. I also thought it was a good test for me to see how well I knew London and while I did manage to pin-point some of the locations myself (lets put aside the common landmarks) there are still others where I cant seem to identify which shows you the extent KyoAni’s staff has covered.

All in all, I hope you enjoy the pilgrimage and hope it helps future K-ON! fans interested in doing one. I would like to thank fellow Londoner blogger Azu-catto who also did a K-ON! pilgrimage of his own and a few Japanese fan sites notably K-movie! London pilgrimage Navi for helping me make this possible.

For other K-ON! related pilgrimage, check out my visit to Toyosato elementary school also known as Sakuragaoka Girl’s High School where our heroines and other characters attended.

Traveling around London by foot, tube, bus, train or river bus is more energy/costly-efficient than taking your own vehicle or a taxi to most K-ON! locations. You would definitely need a travel cards such as the Oyster card which cover extensively the London Underground, some of the Overground and buses. Below is a recently published map by Japanese fan site.

View 映画けいおん！　ロンドン聖地巡礼Navi in a larger map

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Mega Web has a number of elements linked to Toyota (as per this post) and this review focuses on the History Garage, at the opposite end of the Venus Fort shopping Center from the showroom, test driving area and Meg@web.

The place covers two floors of classic cars from the 1950′s to 1970′s. Starting with The upper floor it has a small number of permanent exhibits and cars on display (some I have never ever seen or even heard of before!) and several of which you are encouraged to sit in and take a photo. The cars are all European or US which kinda confuses you at first since you would think of this garage being the related to the history of Toyota, the exhibit layout has been recreated back in those times to try and create this nostalgic feeling. For example you’ll see recreated reproduction of a US Texaco gas station. You’ll see many memorabilia displayed in the cabinets behind which all came from France, England or the USA. At the other end of the “garage” there were a few Japanese autos from the 1950s/60s, from a mix of manufacturers, not just Toyota, its really a shame they didn’t in any way tell the story of how Japan became a world force in car manufacturing.

Anyway its still probably the closest thing to heaven on earth for any car lovers and motorsport fans if your in Odaiba. My overall remark is that History Garage shouldn’t be a priority given there is other more important places to visit in the island. If you have the time, then why not but make sure you visit the main Mega Web Showroom of Toyota at the entrance of Palette town first!

The History Garage is located in Aomi, Odaiba, 5 min walk from Aomi station on Yurikamome line or 10 min walk from Tokyo Teleport station on Rinkai line. Make sure to enter Palette Town and into the shopping district in the ground floor. The garage should be at the end of the mall as you enter.

http://www.megaweb.gr.jp

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Also known as Tokyo International Exhibition Center, Tokyo Big Sight is Japan’s largest exhibition and convention center and one of the bay islands’ boldest architectural creations. A wide array of events are held at the Big Sight throughout the year including the famous Tokyo International Anime Fair, the Comiket fair and the Tokyo Motor Show. Ive yet to attend any of them, Comiket being high on my wishlist, hopefully it will be in the near future!

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The Panasonic Center in Odaiba is a showroom for the latest products and technologies by the Panasonic Corporation. On display are the newest cameras, TVs, computers, Nintendo games, home appliances and more. The third floor is Risupia, a hands-on math and science museum. Being a Panasonic user myself I just had to visit and discover more about its products.

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Mega Web is at Aomi near Odaiba, and presents a wonderful showroom of all the latest Toyota motor vehicles and with other entertaining attractions like electric car rides to try. The first floor takes you through Hybrid Wonderland gives an opportunity here to learn about the concepts behind hybrid designs in an easy to understand manner. There is also an impressive Lexus gallery, plus the brand new zone and experience i-Real Winglet interesting to look at and chance to take a ride in these ingenious mobility vehicles.

For kids there is a 150 meters “Kids HYBRID RIDE ONE” indoor kart course to enjoy too. You can even select and test drive a Toyota model on a 1.3 kilometer course, particularly if buying a new Toyota is on the agenda I guess. But an international drivers license is required to take part in a test drive (Charge is 300 yen per test drive). The Motorsports Square provides plenty of info on racing machines, drivers and technology which Toyota supports.

You can take a break from admiring all the new models and having a chance to ride the safety simulator or motor sports simulator at Cafe One, ground floor. The complex is huge and the friendly staff with good english are eager to answer questions and help you around the place. I do not like playing favorites but Toyota sure is making me love the brand.

Toyota Mega Web Showroom is located in Aomi, Odaiba, 5 min walk from Aomi station on Yurikamome line or 10 min walk from Tokyo Teleport station on Rinkai line.

http://www.megaweb.gr.jp

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One of the reasons why I went to Odaiba was to see the huge Gundam Statue right in front of Tokyo Diver City Plaza which Ive been longing to see since its construction. If you are a fan of the animated show, the statue is definitely a must see. You got to appreciate the craftsmanship and detail that went into building this life size model, its simply overwhelming if only I could have one in my back yard, imagine that!

The 1/1 RX-78-2 Gundam Life-size Statue has quite a history, it first stood at Shiokaze Park here on Odaiba island in July of 2009 as part of the 30th Anniversary of the Gundam series after the company officially announced the project back in March 2009 called “Real-G” to build the first 1:1 real-size, scaled Gundam statue in Japan. The statue was then taken down in September. It was re-erected in the city of Shizuoka self-described as the “model capital of the world” and the home of Bandai’s plastic model factories in July 2010 until March 2011, near the Higashishizuoka station, this time with a beam saber. The statue did return to Tokyo in August that same year but in disassembled parts as a charity drive from fans after the Great Eastern Japan Earthquake disaster. It was not until April of 2012 that the Gundam was finally rebuilt where it still stands today in front of Tokyo Diver City Plaza Mall.

Its very impressive indeed, so impressive that neighboring China decided to create what they called an “original” statue of its own in one of its theme park, Oh China! Anyway back to the original one in Japan, it was nice to see fans coming together to bring it back up as well as helping those affected by the disaster at the same time. Normally you would see lots of people taking pictures but for some odd reason it was relatively quite when I was there. Youll find the Gundam Front Tokyo shop besides the statue where you can buy lots of Gundam goodies as well as the Gundam Cafe opposite it. Note the Gundam Front Tokyo is actually a museum/mini-theme park on the top floor of the DiverCity shopping complex.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4ny9V2ic0c

Another cool feature the Gundam has is that you can enjoy a short 5 minutes “life show” where it steams, moves, and has loud sound effects. Apologies for the moving too much while filming, after a minute or so I already started getting cramps >.< The Gundam statue stands before a dramatic backdrop, in a brand-new lighting installation. The steamed Gundam during its “life-show”. The Gundam Front Tokyo shop. The Gundam cafe, the other one being in Akihabara.

The 1:1 Gundam is standing outside the to-be opened Diver City Tokyo Plaza in Odaiba, 5 min walk from Daiba station on Yurikamome line or 3 min walk from Tokyo Teleport station on Rinkai line.

http://gundamfront-tokyo.com/en/

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The Fuji TV Head Office Building is pretty much one of or the most recognizable buildings in Odaiba and probably also Tokyo. It is home of Fuji Television, one of Japan’s private nationwide TV stations. The building is predominantly office space but contains ten studios, spread over 25 stories and rising 125 meters above our heads. It was designed by Kenzo Tange Associates, with construction starting in 1993 and lasting three years.

The extraterrestrial like ball that seems to have lodged itself into the otherwise very rational grid like structure weighs 1200 tonnes and is 36 meters in diameter, but it appears so alien that you find yourself thinking it must be hovering, weightless, unsupported by the intersecting beams. It actually serves as a spherical observatory platform which gives you a unique and beautiful view of Tokyo. It is said to be inspired by Fuji TV’s logo which has straight lines radiating from a red ball and so considered to be the “heart” with a grid structure of arteries radiating out to the body of the building..interesting!

Spent around three quarters of an hour just staring out trying to pin point Tokyo’s landmark, if your lucky and the weather is on your side, Fuji-san can be spotted. The place also has tickets for a studio tour (available from the booth at the top of the elevator) but it may not be of great interest if you dont have the enough Japanese proficiency to understand the tour guide. Oh and also sometimes during the day you get to see Laugh-kun, the Fuji TV mascot walking around, you can meet him and even take your photo with him. If you’re not so lucky you may be content with the statue from the observatory or with one of the many souvenirs available at the shops. Big Christmas tree set up during my visit given it was in december. It was sponsored by Coca Cola and whats nice is that you can take a picture of your face and the picture will join the rest of the other pictures of peoples faces on the tree. Long stairs covered with promotional art of One Piece and its upcoming movie. A look up at the observatory and the many structural grid lines of the building. Was lucky to have met Laugh-kun! The ticket booth. Made my way up to the 23rd floor, now standing inside the ball! View of the other famous landmark in Odaiba, the red ferris wheel and the Telecom Center. View below us where stand the replica statue of liberty on the seaside. View of Fuji-san at a distance with its snowcap covering the mountain. Beautiful view of the famous rainbow bridge and Tokyo Tower behind it. View of many residential skyscrapers with Tokyo Skytree also at a distance. View of TokyoDiver City behind us. On my way heading back down, the lift gave a nice close up view of the observatory ball. Another shot from below coming out of the lift. That ball is fascinating and surely an architectural wonder!

The Fuji TV Headquarters is located in Odaiba, 5 min walk from Daiba station on Yurikamome line or 3 min walk from Tokyo Teleport station on Rinkai line. It is opposite Aquacity but in any case the building itself stands out so youll easily recognize it.

http://www.fujitv.co.jp/en/

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Here is the anime Spring schedule or chart for this year. Chart made by @moetron which Includes everything from new TV series premieres to OVA and Movies – full size chart click here.

Good thing I just started watching Anime again. Personally looking forward to — Oreimo S2, Date a Live, Photo Kano, Girls Und Panzer S2, Yahari Ore No Seishun, and the most anticipated series of all… Railgun S2!
Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

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