Odd Views in Japan

Been sitting on these for a bit.

Anime-themed car-skins

I'm sure anyone who drives in Houston (or any other major metro area) has seen vehicles that have labels wrapped on their body. The ones around here are mostly ad-related and are on pizza delivery cars, etc. Beetles and scions seem to be popular canvases.

I always though it would be very cool (otaku geeky...but fun-cool) to get a wrap done of some fun anime-themes. But, then, who would do that?

While enjoying the models at dannychoo.com I caught a post of his and learned that there are some fans who do just that to their cars, and that there is a term for this art: Itasha. It basically refers to a car that was covered in anime stickers and decorations! Nice.

He has a pair of nice pics. on his site, but then links to Yoshimu-san's blog where there are a large number of additional pictures of all kinds and styles.

Purrrr!

Old with New

Living in Texas and the Gulf-Coast, most of the architecture is relatively modern. Even many of the "older" buildings still fit in well with their more recent neighbors. We don't have the physical historical presence here with our buildings that you find more in the North Eastern US or in Europe and Japan.

Q-Taro posted some pictures he took in a blog post: Old Japanese Houses

Apparently for all the growth and modernity we associate with Japan, there are still pockets of resistance. The contrast is striking and I can only wonder how the owner's feel. While probably not as out-of-place in the more rural areas of Japan, it really intrigues me when I see these homes buried in the middle of the lights and towering buildings.

He links to another blog where there are even more of these contrasts. Kai-Wai

While many Japanese websites don't play well with on-line translators, this one seems to, so if you want to get more info beyond the pictures, go visit via Google's Translation of the pages.

Some of my favorites:

Milk drop box

Wooden evacuation bridges

Green zinc house

Tank bucket

Enjoy.

--Claus