“Sailor moon”, “Naruto”, “The Neon Genesis Evangelion”, “Dragon ball”, “Draemon”, “Sgt. Frog” and “Bleach”……There are infant characters in those comics but there is a possibility that such comics will be banned in Tokyo.

The Tokyo metropolitan government announced that they will regulate comics, anime, radio plays and games which contain “sexual portrayals of unreal infancies” in their amendment for healthy youth development. The dubious expression is criticized by many manga artists and commentators.

FUJIMOTO Yukari, who is a famous comic critic, claimed that the code has a risk of arbitrary administration. The Tokyo metropolitan government says that “unreal infancies” means the characters which look like infants. In addition, the meaning of “sexual portrayals” is not clear at all. It could contain sane expressions such as kiss, hug, or taking a bath.

KURATA Jun, the chief of this matter said that the regulation apply only to porno, though it is doubtful.
The regulation does not carry a penalty at the moment, though the books which will be regulated in Tokyo are difficult to sell in other areas due to the mechanism of book distribution in Japan. As a result, the regulation by Tokyo may become only a virtual banning.

On 15th March, 300 manga artists, critics and journalists are going to hold a meeting to oppose the regulation which is expected to go into effect on 1st July. If you love Japanese manga or anime, you should pay attention to the regulation. Please tell me your opinion on this blog or Twitter; @ginkgraph.

The list of major　opposition manga artists

• ABIKO Yoshikazu
• ADACHI Mitsuru
• CHIBA Tetsuya
• FUJIKO A Fujio
• KAWAGUCHI Kaiji
• NAGAI Go
• SAITO Takao
• TAKAHASHI Rumiko
• TAKEMIYA Keiko
• YAGAMI Hiroki

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(c) Tezuka Production. The large wooden statue of Phoenix was made by sculptor of Buddha statues in Kyoto.

There are many autographs of famous comic artists in the museum cafe.

Wall of Manga.

The museum collects 300,000 items for manga research. The collection contains comics from countries outside of Japan. Some Kyoto Seika university researchers work in the museum. They study energetically with other agencies in the world, visitors can see their research achievements in exhibitions. They have several exhibitions everyday. You can check them on the museum website.

You can not only enjoy comics, but learn a lot about manga and cartoon culture. It is certainly a bastion of manga.
The spokesperson, Ms.NAKAMURA said “Japanese manga have various themes, so all generations can enjoy them. Some visitors enjoy the museum with family. You can enjoy the various aspects of manga. Please learn about manga and culture in your own way”.

Kyoto International Manga Museum

URL: http://www.kyotomm.jp/english/
Admission fee: Adults 500 JPY

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Cao Cao statue displayed in Nagata shop mall

The famous Chinese classic “The Romance of the Three Kingdoms” is called “Sangokushi (三国志)”, and is very popular in Japan. Many Japanese games and manga are based on Sangokushi, such as “Dynasty Warriors” series and “Souten Kouro”. Regardless of the real relation of Japan to China, many Japanese are familiar with ancient China.

Characters in Sangokushi.

YOKOYAMA Mitsuteru, a great comic artist in Japan, made some manga based on Chinese classics. “Sangokushi” is one of his masterpieces, many Japanese read it as an introduction to Sangokushi.

Guan Yu (關羽) statue.

Kobe city is the birth place of YOKOYAMA Mitsuteru, so NPO “Kobe Tetsujin Project” holds an event for Sangokushi, “Sangokushi matsuri” every summer. In this year, they made statues of Sangokushi heroes and Sangokushi displays in Nagata shop mall.

The exhibits about ancient China.

These statues and displays are continuously on show after “Sangokushi matsuri”. You can take photos freely. It is interesting to learn about Sangokushi while taking a walk.

URL : http://www.sangoku-maturi.com/index.html (Japanese)

See also: “Tetsujin 28 gou, Gigantor, has been accomplished in Kobe and is the next robot hero after the Odaiba Gundam.“

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Tetsujin 28 gou is originally a comic by YOKOYAMA Mitsuteru, a famous comic artist in Japan. It started in 1956 and was serialized for over a decade. Tetsujin 28 gou is also known as “Gigantor”.
It is still so popular that it was made into a movie and a game recently.

Kobe city is YOKOYAMA Mitsuteru’s hometown. The Tetsujin 28 gou mock-up was established in Wakamatsu Park to honor the great comic artist.

It is 18m, the same size as the Odaiba Gundum and it was finished on 7th October 2009. Many people have been to see the big robot.

The area around Tetsujin 28 gou is still being paved, so Tetsujin 28 gou is fenced off at the moment.

This Tetsujin 28 gou is made by NPO “KOBE TETSUJIN PROJECT”. The NPO also runs the “Sangokushi-matsuri” event.
“Sangokushi” is another comic of YOKOYAMA Mitsuteru, based on a Chinese novel “Romance of the Three Kingdoms”. It is very popular in Japan too.

Bonus

Tetsujin 28 gou vending machine in the Sangokushi gallery @ Kobe, Nagata shop mall.

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The author of this game, Simon, is a popular illustrator in Japan. The cute and watercolored pictures are very attractive.

It is Simon’s first game. You explore the watercolored room. The unique and high quality picture is interesting.

The click points are little strict. You need a patient search.

There are English version and Japanese version. The Japanese version, a cute girl helps your escape. If you read Japanese, let’s try the Japanese version.

Hints.:

• Search interspaces and the top of shelves closely.
• Substitute a fire for a hot air.
• The drawer get lodged something.
• The cards are “last and first”

Feel free to ask me about the game.:-)

English version: http://members3.jcom.home.ne.jp/kawanagare02/fla/0002.html
Japanese version: http://members3.jcom.home.ne.jp/kawanagare02/fla/001a.html

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Tocho Genso: Tokyo Metropolitan City Hall in ruin.

If Tokyo fell into ruins……? Tokyo Genso paints such Tokyo in ruins with a rich imagination.

Tokyo Genso (東京幻想) is a young Japanese painter. You can see his works on the web.


Big site genso : Tokyo big site, it is the place of the biggest otaku event, Comiket.

He paints “Ruins”, but the pictures have no miseries. Rather, they shows the power of nature and a hope.

Akiba genso: Akihabara city in ruin.

The bright pictures comfort people.

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It went down well at Twitter.:o)

The event about yokai is held in Kyoto, Japan.;”YOKAI PARADISE NIPPON”. Yokai is Japanese ghosts, monsters, demons and so forth. It displays Edo period Yokai illustrations and modern day Yokai manga.
If you like manga such as MOROBOSHI Daijiro or “Mokke”, you have to go this event.
Kyoto International Manga Museum is well known for its huge collection of manga.The museum compiles manga from classics to new works. This museum is a must-see for every manga fans.

admission fee: Adults: 1,000yen

URL: http://www.kyotomm.jp/HP/international/english/2009/07/yokai2009_e.html
Address : Karasuma-Oike, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto 604-0846 Japan

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