Bottle Sized Panties

Imagine the scene. It is a humid hot day, you head to the vending machine and get a nice chilled bottle of water, it glistens, moist and sparkling in the sunlight. As you raise it to your lips for a sip you suddenly realise it is missing something...it's not wearing any panties, so lewd.
But fear not, bottles have always been naked, until now.

I recently read online that a set of 'bottle panties' or ボトルのおぱんつ was due to be released at the end of May, as a follow-up to the highly successful underwear series that was released for the iPhone's touch button. The iPhone series' of panties proved to be such a popular novelty gift, that it actually spawned 4 further series with different designs. Therefore it is no surprise that they are finding other ways to exploit the perverted masses.

Imagine my excitement this morning on the way to Costco, when I randomly stumbled across one of the panty machines. I showed no hesitation in dropping 200yen into the machine as elementary school kids were getting Dragonball toys nearby.

But what design would I get...!?

Maybe the Shimapan? (Striped Panties?)

Ta-da!! It turns out that I got the 'Frilled Lacy' panty design. As I took it out of the plastic ball I immediately felt a sense of shame and bewildered amusement. I just bought a miniature pair of panties, for 200yen. I'm actually surprised at the quality, its legit lace and the band is elasticised just like the real deal...perfect for peeling them on, and off. What. But how does it look?

Straight tea - complete with innocent frills.

When you stand the bottle up, it looks kind of ridiculous, sort of like a really feminine beer cozy. Unless your really yank the panties up, you can't really tell that it is a pair of underwear. I didn't want to give my tea too much of a wedgie though!

いやーん！そこで見ないで！

It is only when you tip the bottle backwards, feeling like a complete pervert in the process that you have the eureka moment, this is underwear. Miniature underwear, for my drinks container. I felt like one of those otaku who tilts a figure back just to see up their skirt, kinda wrong. Haha.
Although the design is meant for bottles, I was curious if it works with cans too.

Size Zero panties

It actually looked better on a can, since the leg holes were more apparent. Size zero if you will, I wonder if the plus size cans will protest against double standards.

Overall, it was an amusing and shameful experience, totally worth my 200yen, although I was hoping for the striped one as that is the anime stereotype set. You can see the various designs below, I'm really curious as to what the mystery special edition pants are but I doubt I will drop another 200yen on a pair, my lack of shame only has so much limit.

The designs are 40mm in size and you have a chance of receiving either the plain white pants, striped, polka-dot, strawberry, frilled, leopard print, or the unknown mystery set. I can imagine that this run will sell out fast, but if it proves popular enough I imagine they will release more.
These would make amazing souvenir gifts for friends back home, or just as a general joke gift. So if you have no shame, are a panty fetishist or just want a hilarious and weird experience, go hunt for a machine near you! I found mine in a specialist gacha gacha machine zone.

...Don't judge me. (>_>;)

Corpse Party Live Action Trailer

Today after coming home from finishing at work at 11am on a Friday, my day was made even better by finding out that Japan has just released a trailer for the live adaptation of the Corpse Party horror game series!

Check it out!

 

What is corpse party?
Corpse party is a survival horror game that was originally released in 1996 and was made using the RPGMaker software, you may have seen many other games made with this becoming popular on steam. 'To the moon' is another example. Despite the simple graphics, it is possible to create an effective emotional narrative whether it is the poignant reminiscent feelings of 'To the moon' or a creeping sense of terror in 'Corpse Party'.

My first experience with Corpse Party was on the PSP, there has been several remakes since, one of which was even released on IOS! It has since led to a series of spin off games, manga and anime adaptations, now its time for a live action movie! I really, REALLY, hope that this doesn't suck. I really enjoyed the Japanese voice acting from the original game and how the characters interacted with each other. It managed to blend terrifying scenes with quirky humour, I'm intruiged to see how this will play out with real actors.

In the game there were a variety of endings, mostly bad that were based depending on the player's decisions throughout the five game chapters. Corpse Party is set in a Japanese high school that was built upon the grounds of an old elementary school that was torn down after a number of murders and disappearances took place. After conducting a ritual to ensure that a group of friends 'stay together forever', a freak earthquake transports the students to an alternate dimension where the elementary school still exists and is haunted by the murdered children. The students must find a way to escape, many of which die a gruesome death in the process.

I'm most intruiged by how they handle some of the more quirky dialogue scenes. The english translation was renowned for having some obscure OTT dialogue lines...the most famous of all is the 'butter up my pooper' line, which sounds completely ridiculous.

The original scene depicts one of the girls asking for medicine as she hasn't been feeling good, aka constipation. In Japanese the line can be read as "Thanks I'm going to apply some of the medicine real quick!" But the English translator decided to go with "Thanks! I'm gonna go butter up my pooper with it real good!" I mean, who says that!? Honestly?

The trailer actually seems to have a lot of potential, the effects seem a little tame so I hope they don't become too jarring against the real actors. There also seems to be a ju-on esque element too with the young children ghosts.

Pooper butter scene or not, I'm excited to see whether they can truly capture the morbid atmosphere of the games, or whether it will just turn into a generic low budget horror flick. 

Osaka Thailand Festival 2015

May is an awesome time of year to be in Japan, it is starting to get hot without being unbearably comfortable and there are a ton of international or cultural events taking place each weekend. In Osaka alone there are a few events and festivals happening every weekend! This weekend on the 23rd and 24th May, the 13th Annual Thai Festival comes to Osaka! If you are a big fan of thai food, I highly recommend it.

It takes place in the Osaka Castle grounds so its a good excuse to enjoy the local sights while also enjoying some foreign food. Unlike other events, there is no entry fee, you can come and go as you please and there is no problem with taking out your food an drinks. Which is a blessing considering that the available seating is ALWAYS full if you don't get there early. Near the event there were a ton of people sitting on the grass and walls happily enjoying a Singha while munching on some Pad Thai.

So you enter the area and are faced with this...!

The layout of the area seemed a bit...bare to be honest. Everything was laid out in a big semi circle with food stands on the right and centre, a stage and culture related goods in the middle, and general thai stores on the left. The remaining space was filled with lines, lines and more lines, like every festival event in Japan...the line for mango ice alone was roughly 60 people long!

There were a variety of drinks available, with 3 local beers and 2 local wines, with a variety of extra cocktails too, thankfully the booze bars had the shortest lines! So stock up on something to drink while you wait for food.

As you can see here the food was reasonably priced! Comparable to local prices for food at Japanese festivals, it doesn't break the bank. Normally international events like this charge WAY more, for example at Octoberfest, they were charging 1200+ for a small selection of sausages, whereas here I can get a big packet of pad thai for 500yen, good stuff! This combined with the open entry meant that this event felt a lot more 'free' than the others which often restrict you.

The food was pretty reasonable, it obviously doesn't compare to a decent thai restaurant but if you want your fix you can definitely get it here. I don't recommend the pad thai as the flavour was lacking but the noodle curry dish above was epic, really really good value for the price. The fried goods such as chicken and spicy pork were really good too. Most of the servers and cooks appeared to be Thai which was a nice bonus!

However, apart from the food and drink, there was a lot going on...events were few and far between with long lulls between performances. The cultural stores too were located too far away from everything else and too small to actually have an impact. The one thing I did get hyped about was the Thai Boxing ring but found out that I had sadly missed the time slot!

I did managed to catch a music performance as well as some Muay Thai fighters doing a traditional dance though.

Overall I would say that the Thai Festival is worth it but don't plan on spending the whole day there, especially if you don't get there early enough for seating. It is best enjoyed as a few hour detour on a day out, due to its location you can go and enjoy the castle grounds or hop on a train to Shinsaibashi or something with a belly full of Thai food and beer!

To find out more information you can visit the official website at http://www.thaifes.com/

Nintendo and Universal Studios Japan collaboration announced!

Mario ponders about what to ride in future USJ.

This week it was announced that Nintendo will now be introducing its characters and games to Universal Studios Japan (USJ). The press release stated that“The immersive experiences will include major attractions at Universal’s theme parks and will feature Nintendo’s most famous characters and games,”. This is fantastic news because USJ has a proven track record for teaming up with famous video game and comic book company's to provide amazing attractions that bring our favourite video game worlds and characters to life.

Past attractions such as Monster Hunter themed areas as well as the spectacular Raccoon City Halloween special which included a realistic shooting game that brings the zombies of Biohazard to life. It was extremely popular with tickets selling out shortly after the park opened, every single day. Not only that, but it wasn't a casual experience either! The first iteration boasted an impressive 0% survival rate for guests, yes, zero. Some people I knew didn't even get past the first section. This year too, a Biohazard themed zombie escape again has also proved to be a success, challenging you to cure yourself of the zombie virus before it is too late while exploring zombie infested areas. Utilizing current technology such as ipads to deliver a great interactive experience.

Despite being immensely popular the pass rate was 0% in 2014.

With Nintendo's abundant range of characters and licenses there is so many chances for exciting attractions to be built, just imagine...

• Mario Bumper Karts / Real Kart Racing - although I guess there would be safety issues!
• Hybrid 3D roller coasters - Similar to Spiderman this type of ride could easily be adapted to the Starfox, Metroid, Mario Kart, F-Zero, Pokemon series and more.
• 3D Dark interactive shooter rides - These would be FANTASTIC for Starfox, although could also work for Luigi's Mansion, Metroid, and so on!
• Interactive water rides - Pokemon Snap, Mario Sunshine, the new Splatoon series etc.
• Platforming Playgrounds for all ages - Donkey Kong, Mario, Yoshi, Pikmin...would be great fun!
• Themed Restaurants - Cooking Mama, Kirby, Character themed dishes and drinks.
• Haunted Houses - Luigi's Mansion, Bowsers Castle, a montage of spooky areas from all of their games would work well too!

An on rails dark 3D shooter for Starfox would be great!

I'm personally super excited to see what they will announced. The release added that “More details will be announced in the future, as the Nintendo and Universal creative teams work to create specific concepts.” Fingers crossed they use series beyond just Pokemon and Mario. Whilst these two series would undoubtedly prove popular and be fun to visit, there is so much potential to be used from series that have been quiet as of late.

I'm hyped about the idea of a Starfox on rails shooter or 3D F-Zero rollercoaster, how about you?

The 360 degree racing world of F-Zero offers tons of potential.

No.1 Takoyaki in Osaka!

No.1 Best Takoyaki in Osaka : Naniwa, Nagai

Most countries usually have a few signature dishes that define it's country's cuisine whether it be fish and chips for the UK, pasta and pizza for Italy or curry for India. While some regional variants are available such as Chicago Pizza or Cornish Pasties, Japan has them in ridiculous abundance! If you are a food tourist, you need to add Japan to your list. Every prefecture or sometimes city has more than one local speciality to offer travellers, these are often well known across Japan, compounded by the omiyage and package tour culture here.

I live in Osaka, Kansai and if you ask anyone what food is famous in Osaka you will probably hear "Okonomiyaki, Kushikatsu and...Takoyaki!" To be honest, Kushikatsu has been revealed by surveys to not actually be eaten much by local Osakans but is very popular with tourists but that's a discussion for another day. Today I want to talk about Takoyaki, Takoyaki's literal translation means 'grilled octopus', but its a lot more than that! Takoyaki is made with a special indented pan that is filled an egg and flour based batter with octopus slices and any additional flavourings which could include kimchi, ginger, green onion or any other variations. The pan then moulds the mixture into a ball shape as it is expertly rotated and formed by the chef. Various toppings are available but the most popular combination is Takoyaki sauce and Mayonnaise.

There are a ton of Takoyaki stalls in Japan, it's a popular street snack, according to Tabelog there is a whopping 1130 in Osaka alone! But which is the best one? Each one has their own recipe or cooking technique, I've eaten a lot of damn Takoyaki but I want to share what I, and the majority of Tabelog eaters recommend as the NO.1 place for Takoyaki!

That place is called 浪花や - なにわや、read as 'Naniwaya'. It is a small stall located in Nagai on the Midosuji line, next to Nagai park, for more in depth directions check the end of this post! If you look at the poster below they proudly announce that they are currently the no.2 rated Takoyaki store out of a whopping 1130 stores. However looking further, it was rated no.1 overall for both the cooking/taste and cost performance categories! I'm pretty damn lucky to have this place within a 15min walk from my house and have visited many times.

Naniwa is a small and humble establishment that has been running for 25 years, it offers a small seating space of just 8 seats but I have always managed to grab one as most people order to take away. Inside there is a free iced water machine which is heaven on a hot day. The store is ALWAYS serving someone, I have never seen them not busy or idle, there is a constant flow of custom which explains why they have been around for 25 years! But enough about the place...lets check the menu!

There are four variations available. 

1) Shouyu aka. soy sauce. This is included within the batter so there is no actual topping.

2) Takoyaki Sauce

3) Mayonnaise (Chefs recommendation)

4) Mayonnaise and Takoyaki sauce, my personal favourite.

The prices vary depending on how many you order, ranging from 8 to 24 pieces per order. As you can see it is CHEAP, really really cheap despite the amazing taste and reputation.

Myself and my partner went for options 3 and 4 which you can see below, each order comes with a side of pickles and is served piping hot, sadly my camera didn't capture the steam coming off of them!

Takoyaki is traditionally eaten with these little toothpicks, which may prove to be a little tricky for those without good dexterity! Some Takoyaki can be quite farm or even crunchy on the outside depending on the place but Naniwa's texture is pretty soft and malleable. As you can see it is kind of drooping off my toothpicks and can easily break if you randomly jab at it! 

Fortunately chopsticks are also available if you don't want to fiddle around and just want to tuck in! Much easier and can take advantage of how hot it is! The batter has a nice smooth texture and isn't 'stodgy' like most cheap places, it is satisfying from beginning to end and the pieces of octopus are of good quality. Not rubbery or chewy like cheaper variations, taste satisfaction guaranteed, at Naniwa there are also small pieces of Konyaku to add texture, they aren't really noticeable so don't worry if you aren't a Konyaku fan. I personally love option 4 as the the sauce and mayo blend well with the Katsuobushi dried tuna flakes and smooth texture to create a tangy sweet ball of awesomeness.

If you have never had Takoyaki, you are probably thinking that this sounds really fishy but it isn't at all so give it a try! Its more like a savoury tangy dumpling that happens to have some octopus in it! I highly highly recommend this place because despite the staff being busy they are always friendly, the seating area is clean, plus even with the popularity, the waiting time between order and service is really quick! Definitely No.1 in my eyes.

Where to find Naniwa: It is located about 30m from exit 5 of Nagai park, Nagai is located on the red Midosuji line that connects to Tennoji, Namba, Umeda and so on. It is just around the corner from Mister Donuts so use that as a marker point! 

It is open from 10am to 7:30pm but please note that it is closed on Wednesdays and Thursdays! I have attached a few googlemap pictures of my location at the time to help!

Naniwas official website is http://takoyaki-naniwaya.com/top

You can also view their tabelog at http://tabelog.com/osaka/A2704/A270404/27003447/

Next time you are in Osaka, come and try the best Takoyaki that Osaka can offer!