Category Archives: Japan Envy

Japan Envy: Ikemen Beauty Salon

Time and time again, Japan proves that they know how to market products to an extremely wide range of consumers. Call me gullible, but I am almost always on board with whatever weird collaborative campaign or new marketing tactic Japanese companies come up with (yes, even Mister Donut x MOS Burger). Today in “awesome things you’ll only find in Japan,” drug store chain Matsumoto Kiyoshi has teamed up with voice actor Tomokazu Sugita to offer… an otome drama web series?

In Ikemen Beauty Salon, every single guy (pictured above) is voiced by none other than Tomokazu Sugita, who you may know as “that guy in every anime and otome game ever.” But these aren’t just any guys – they’re “cleansing sommelier” specialists, and their number one job is to help you with your daily cleansing routine!* While at first glance, Ikemen Beauty Salon appears to be a otome drama CD series, it’s actually a web-based audio experience that can only be listened to if you buy the product that corresponds to your Sugita guy of choice. 

For example, Nao Yoshino here recommends this Mandom Bifesta cleansing lotion. In order to listen to Nao’s lotion-applying tips, you need to go to a Matsumoto Kiyoshi store and pick up the product. When you purchase one or more of the designated products, you’ll be granted with a QR code and special passcode to input on the site on your receipt. I can’t imagine any of the character scenarios are that long, but it certainly seems like a fun way to get otome fans to try out some of these beauty products! I know I’m definitely going to pick up at least one of them so I can see what kind of audio I’ll be treated to when I’m in Japan. 
What do you think? Have I completely lost it, or is this a neat idea? 
*”Cleansing sommelier” is the exact phrase used on the Ikemen Beauty Salon website, but a little research tells me “sommelier” generally refers to a waiter who is an expert on wine? Though apparently in Japan it’s common to use “sommelier” to refer to an expert of a variety of things. There are even vegetable sommeliers! The more you know. 

Japan Envy: The GUEST x Little Twin Stars Café Collaboration

Since I’m creeping closer and closer to my July trip to Tokyo, I figured I wouldn’t be doing many Japan Envy posts, considering I’ll likely be able to experience many of the things I generally write about in this column when I’m there. Fortunately for you and unfortunately for me, however, one of the café collaborations I’m currently pining over is scheduled to finish on July 7th (five days before I arrive!), which means we can sigh at the loveliness we’ll never get to experience together!

the GUEST cafe Kiki and Lala Little Twin Stars display
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The adorable duo Kiki and Lala of Little Twin Stars were never really on my radar as a Hello Kitty-loving adolescent, but now that I’m older and really into pastels for some inexplicable reason, I think it’s safe to say that the Little Twin Stars are my favorite Sanrio characters. Thus, when I saw that The GUEST café & diner in Tokyo would be doing a Little Twin Stars collaboration, I was utterly thrilled! While I’ve always been a huge fan of café collaborations, I think The GUEST takes the idea to the next level with its attention to detail and presentation!

the GUEST cafe Kiki and Lala Little Twin Stars statue
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There is even a statue of Kiki and Lala to take photos with upon entering the café, and apparently the staff are happy to take your photo for you if you ask. Since I’ll never get to experience this lovely café, I’m very thankful for the numerous posts filled with awesome photos from people who have gone themselves!

Little Twin Stars limited edition coasters in five designs
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At your table, you’ll be treated to a Kiki and Lala placemat that you can take home after you’re finished your meal. If you get it dirty, you can just ask for a replacement and they’re happy to provide one. In addition to the placemat, you can score one of five original coasters (pictured above) with any drink order. I don’t think I’d be able to bring myself to use them!

Little Twin Stars fruit crepes with special mug
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But really, we’re all here for the food, right? And it certainly doesn’t disappoint! This fruit crepe looks both cute and extremely delicious.

Little Twin Stars mini pink and blue burgers
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I also love the look of this mini burger set. I wonder what a pink star bun tastes like?

Kiki and Lala lattes in pink and blue
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And of course there are themed lattes! Not only are designs on the drink adorable, but check out the phrase on the mug: “All you need is love & coffee”! Sounds about right to me!

Kiki and Lala Little Twin Stars nail art on cafe manager
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The manager even has Little Twin Stars-themed nails! Honestly, everything about the presentation of this café is irresistible. There’s lots more to see that I haven’t included, so definitely go check out Matcha and Tokyo Otaku Mode for more images and details about the café! Of course they’re also selling numerous exclusive Little Twin Stars merchandise that I’m sure I’d have to buy all of if I were actually able to attend this collaboration event. Even though they won’t be having this event while I’m in Tokyo, I think I’ll still stop by The GUEST café & diner to see how it stacks up!

Japan Envy: Pokémon Trainer Red Nendoroid

There’s nothing like an out-of-blue announcement to really get the blood pumping, eh? I’d say that’s exactly what happened when Nintendo put up the shocking reveal trailer for the Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire remakes, Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire for the 3DS just the other day. Following that Pokémon announcement, a Japanese Twitter user tweeted a photo of a Pokémon Center poster that is sure to delight all the Nendoroid fans out there: 

That’s right, the original Pokémon trainer Red has been Nendoroid-ified! His design is based on the Pokemon Origins TV special that aired last year, and will be limited to Pokémon Centers and Amazon.jp’s Pokémon Center store, meaning it will sadly be rather tough for anyone outside of Japan to purchase him. 
While these are the only pictures of Red released so far, we do know from the poster that he will come with the three facial expressions shown, four different arm parts, five hand parts, and three leg parts. Three is a rather odd number of legs, but I assume that means one might be bent? 
Even more exciting, however, is the fact that he comes with all three original starter Pokémon, Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Charmander, along with a Pokéball, Master Ball, Pokédex, and his backpack. Think of all the posing possibilities! 
Preorders open on May 24th and will be available until June 29th, and he will retail for ¥4,500. He releases on September 27th, but only those with preorders will be able to get their hands on one at retail price, and you can bet resellers will attempt to gouge unlucky potential buyers soon after. Overseas fans looking to order him will have to rely on a friend to go to a physical Pokémon Center or using a proxy service to order him from Amazon.jp, as they unfortunately will not ship figures outside of Japan. If you’re at a loss of where to look for a proxy service, White Rabbit Japan is a great option. 
So, how about it? Are you a big enough Pokémon fan to pick this one up, or would you prefer a different trainer? I’m not particularly interested in Red himself, but those starter Pokémon are very tempting…

UPDATE: Good Smile Company has put up a listing for the Red Nendoroid on their website, which includes images of his accessories and the three starters:

Japan Envy: Avalanche of Pokémon Battle Trozei Merchandise

Whether you call it Pokémon Battle Trozei or Pokémon Link: Battle!, there’s no denying that the eShop-exclusive match three game’s announcement back in February came as a bit of a surprise. The game’s sudden announcement and its subsequent release in all territories just a month later left this Pokémon-obsessed gal assuming that Pokémon Battle Trozei would be left to die much like poor Pokémon Rumble U. But low and behold, the Japanese release of the game has brought an onslaught of exclusive merchandise, including not one, but two 3DS XLs!

The first item revealed was this lovely white limited edition 3DS XL. It won’t be available at retail, though – it’s a prize for a contest only available to memebers of the Pokémon Daisuki club. If you happen to be a member, you need to watch three videos between March 28th and April 18th and send in your guess of how many different Pokémon icons appear at the end of the videos to be entered in the drawing. There will only be two winners, but 30 runners up will get a cute set of two sticker sheets, which will also be going on sale at the end of April.

A second Pokémon Battle Trozei 3DS XL was revealed in the Japanese children’s magazine Coro Coro, but this one will also be extremely limited – only five readers who send in entries will be selected to win the lottery. In the bottom right corner of the above image it says there are only 5 of these 3DS’s in the world, so it’s probably safe to say we won’t be seeing them elsewhere.

In slightly more accessible Pokémon Battle Trozei merchandise news, Pokémon Centers across Japan are holding a lottery for a slew of adorable limited edition merchandise until April 6th. Anyone who buy the game on their 3DS while in the store will get a voucher for one prize, and after that subsequent entries can be acquired for every 3,000 yen, or $30, spent in the store. Just like the Hatsune Miku lottery event I covered a few days ago, everyone is guaranteed a prize with every entry. Let’s take a look at what’s available to win:

The “lowest” tier of items are Pokémon Battle Trozei postcards, of which there are five designs. Those who draw number 4 will be able to pick one of the five. 

The number 3 prize consists of three different sticker sheets, of which the winner can choose one.

The number 2 prize will win participants one of three different pencil cases. I wouldn’t be able to decide between the first two!

The number 4 prize is this adorable mug – winners can choose either the white or the yellow design. I don’t normally like yellow very much, but I think I prefer that one, personally.

Finally, the “special” prize, which I’m assuming is the most rare, is this very cool 65 cm by 45 cm pillow.

Unlike the Hatsune Miku lottery, the price of entry to this lottery is pretty high, but it’s great that they give people who download the game a free go. While once probably isn’t enough to win the pillow or mug, I wouldn’t mind a free postcard or sticker sheet, personally!

Unfortunately, the chances of any of us outside of Japan getting our hands on any Pokémon Battle Trozei merchandise is quite slim. Here’s hoping Nintendo decides to do at least a little something for the North American release on the 20th!

Japan Envy: 2014 Spring Good Smile Kuji Merchandise

I don’t know about you, but my jealousy towards Japan comes in waves. During certain months it seems as though there’s practically nothing swoon-worthy in the way of limited or exclusive merchandise that makes me curse the day I chose to move to Australia over Japan, while other seasons make it impossible to ignore all of the awesome-looking collaborations and campaigns. This is probably related more to how often I seek out such things than the actual frequency of which they occur, but this year there seems to be something special about spring…

Now that I’ve finally had my “Miku fan” switch turned on, I have the potential to be exposed to approximately 150% more adorable campaigns and tie-in merchandise than ever before, which, as you can probably imagine, is great for me, but horrible for my wallet. Today I’d like to talk about one such recurring event that I only became aware of recently: the Good Smile Kuji. 
You may recall that Good Smile Company does a lot of figures and are well-known for their Nendoroid and figma lines. In addition, they make countless character goods, and twice a year they hold a “kuji,” or lottery, for Vocaloid fans to try their hand at winning a number of adorable items, including some exclusive figures. This spring’s lottery starts on Saturday, March 8th at 6 pm at Family Mart and Tsutaya stores around Japan, and is chock full with awesome looking prizes: 
Graphic ABS figures – 6 designs
Vinyl bag and charm set – 4 types 
Rice bowl set – 4 types 
The first and greatest thing about the Good Smile Kuji that you need to know is that you’ll win a prize for every ticket you buy. For a mere 762 yen plus tax (approximately $8), participants are guaranteed one of these items! Purchasing a ticket gives you the chance to stick your hand in a box and pull out a slip of paper that will have the a letter from A to H written on it. These letters correspond with which prize you’ll get! For letters like the ones pictured above, you’ll only be able to choose one design out of all of the available options per ticket. 
Design tote bags – 2 types
Family Mart designs pictures on left, Tsutaya on right
Tulip piggy bank – Rin-chan version and Ren-kun version
(2 types)
Nap set (neck pillow and eye mask)
Here are the next three prizes, thus concluding the “less exciting” tier of items. I would say “less rare” because I assume they will be much more common than the limited edition figures coming up, but I have absolutely no idea what the win ratio for any of these might be. I’m going to assume the graphic ABS figures (H) will be the most common since there are so many of them – that way people will at least be able to pick different designs when they get duplicates. 
It’s interesting to note that the design tote bags (E) are the only ones that will be different depending on whether you go to Family Mart (a convenience store) or Tsutaya (a film/music/game rental store). Based on the designs shown, which store would you head to? 
Hatsune Miku school uniform version figma
Hatsune Miku school uniform version Nendoroid

Now for the big ticket items! (I’m not going to apologize for that expertly-played pun) Considering the A prize is the Nendoroid and not the figma, I’m going to guess that that’s the rarest item. They’re both pretty adorable, don’t you think? Though Hatsune Miku has been made into numerous figmas and Nendoroids, the various details such as her glasses and headphones make these two pretty unique. But that’s not all… 
Hatsune Miku school uniform special color version Nendoroid

One lucky person at each store will win this alternate Hatsune Miku school uniform version Nendoroid! To get your hands on one, you have to be the very last person to purchase a lottery ticket at a participating Family Marts or Tsutaya. Which do you prefer, this or the regular color? 
Finally, those who purchase 5 tickets will be entered into what I suppose is considered the real “lottery.” The prize is a special tapestry illustrated by KEI, which will be given to only 390 people in the whole country. I suppose it’s safe to guess that it will feature school uniform Miku in some form, too? The below image by KEI is the inspiration behind the school uniform Miku line and is also being used to promote the kuji event as well as the Miku Loves Family Mart 3rd Campaign: Fun Spring Music Festival (wow that’s a mouthful), so I bet we’ll be seeing a variation of the same illustration on the tapestry, too.  
I have to say, if I were to enter this lottery, I’d actually be pretty happy with any of the items! My least favorites are the graphic ABS figure and the nap set, but they’re not exactly bad, and I’d be pretty stoked to win any of the other prizes. If I had to pick a “must-have,” it would definitely be the rice bowls, tote bags, and, of course, the Nendoroid. She even comes with a little piano! 
Sadly, the likelihood that I’ll ever get my hands on most of these items is probably pretty slim. Luckily for folks like me, though, many resellers will be pawning off the Good Smile Kuji merchandise in the upcoming weeks, months, and even years! But be careful – the figures, in particular, will go for insane prices at first, but they should settle down to something more reasonable in the upcoming months. I wonder if I’ll still be pining away over the school uniform Miku by then! 
Bonus: It’s only vaguely related, but this illustration and logo for the Family Mart x Hatsune Miku Menu Development Project kills me: 

Japan Envy: Final Fantasy XI and Creamy Mami Café Collaborations

I think it’s safe to say that I almost like talking about Japanese pop culture-themed food items as much as I like talking about the media represented in said food items themselves. And when it comes to “otaku food,” there’s nothing I enjoy more than a good themed café, whether it be a single café dedicated to a certain character, game, or anime series or just a special collaboration that features themed food and drink items for a limited time. So, for this installment of Japan Envy, I’ll be focusing on two recent café collaborations that caught my eye.

Moogle latte art! 

Since I’ve been on a Final Fantasy kick lately, I’ll start with Square Enix’s special Final Fantasy XI 11th anniversary café series, which will be running for a month at the official Square Enix café Artnia in Shinjuku, Tokyo starting October 11th. Big thanks to Kimimi for tipping me off to this one!

Folks who order a cold drink will be treated to one of two adorable coaster designs.

Speaking of cold drinks, the café will be celebrating Final Fantasy XI‘s main villain, the Shadow Lord, with two themed drinks, one alcoholic (left) and one non-alcoholic (right).

But enough about drinks! How about a three-berry pancake stack with Moogle insignia? I think it’s safe to say that I’d be ordering this one.

They’ll also be offering a “Queen’s Crown” fruit parfait. It contains pineapple, apple, orange, banana, and cherry. Yum!

Finally, Artnia will also be selling some good old-fashioned chocolate featuring a number of Final Fantasy XI-inspired designs. I don’t know if I could eat them! (I’d probably manage)

Next up is the Creamy Mami collaboration with another café in Tokyo (all the best things in Japan are in Tokyo, it seems) called Patisserie Swallowtail White Rose. This also happens to be an anniversary special, in this case celebrating 30 years of Creamy Mami, a magical girl anime from the early 80s. If you’re curious about the show, you can watch it for free, legally, on Anime Sols!

Anyway, pictured above is the first item on the café’s limited special menu, two mini tarts (one sweet potato and the other green tea flavored) and a Creamy Mami mug that you can bring home with you.

Apparently sweets with special characters printed on them is a common item at Patisserie Swallowtail, as a cursory look at their website reveals a couple of different collaborations that feature character macaroons and cookies. The purple macaroon is blueberry flavored, the blue one is pistachio, the yellow-green one is lemon, and the pink one is strawberry. Nothing too special, but the designs are cute!

Now, for the real star of the show: the Creamy Mami cake! At only about $6.50, I’d say it’s a real steal, though I’d imagine it’s probably quite small in person. It contains cheese and raspberry mousse, but honestly, if I could, I would probably buy it regardless of flavor! Too bad the Creamy Mami collaboration is only running for two weeks, meaning even locals would probably have a hard time getting their hands on these limited-run sweets.

Well, this concludes this installment of Japan Envy! Are you hungry yet? I know I am…

Japan Envy: Rilakkuma x Yamanote Train Line

Nearly every popular character in Japan gets its own themed train at some point, so it doesn’t come as a surprise that Rilakkuma is finally getting his turn on the tracks. While this may not officially be the first time Rilakkuma’s adorable mug has appeared on the side of a Japanese train, I did do some extensive research (aka Googling in Japanese) and couldn’t come up with any previous examples, so I’m going to go ahead and call this Rilakkuma’s big train debut! It’s as wonderful as you’d expect:

official site
This Rilakkuma train collaboration is with the Yamanote Line in Tokyo, an extremely busy and famous line that circles the city and hits nearly every one of its major stations. The train is known for its green color, so of course all of the promotional materials, and the train itself, are a lovely shade of green: 

Not only is the outside covered in cute (just look at the windows!), but the inside is covered in special Rilakkuma posters, as well!
Maracas? 

Rilakkuma himself even came out for the train’s debut! Look closely and you can see the Rilakkuma head silhouette on his hat and the buttons of his jacket. Too cute!

The Rilakkuma train will only be running until August 16th, so if you happen to be in Tokyo, make sure to hop on before it disappears!

Of course, there’s always merchandise for those of us who can’t make it or want a special souvenir of the event…

I’m particularly fond of the train design itself, so I’d kill for one of the file folders or the plush train cell phone strap. Or how about that “train enthusiast” Rilakkuma plush on shown on top left? He’s even carrying a little camera!

So, even though it’s only been less than two months since my trip to Japan, the land of the rising sun continues to give me reasons why I have to go back! I think it’s safe to say these Japan Envy posts won’t be going away anytime soon…

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