Random Japan

China’s Dynasty Warriors are here to remind Yokohama commuters how to behave

Master Blaster

If you take a seat on the Yokohama subway next month don’t be surprised if a warlord from China’s Three Kingdoms period advises you on proper public transport behavior.

Wu leader Cao Cao showing you how to give up your seat, or legendary warrior Lu Bu advising you not to run onto trains are but two of the nine posters recently previewed online. Let’s take a look at them all!

The posters are a collaboration of the Kanagawa Kohoku Police, Yokohama City Transportation Bureau, and Koei Tecmo’s Three Kingdom video game series. This year marks the thirtieth anniversary of the first Romance of the Three Kingdoms game which would later spin off into the Dynasty Warriors franchise of games appreciated by people like me who very much prefer running around and hitting a bunch of people with a big club to allocating troops and managing resources.

STATS

• 56: Percent of Japanese hotels and ryokan that turn away guests with tattoos
• 122,721: Number of reported cases of bullying in primary schools last year, a record high
• ¥300 billion: Sales goal set by Toshiba for its internet of things-related business by 2020

CULTURE CLASH

• Junior high schools kids in Shiga got a surprise when administrators doled out rolls of toilet paper printed with SDF recruitment messages.
• Their parents were … um, pissed and lodged a complaint.
• For the first time in more than 50 years, the Great Buddha at Kotoku-in temple in Kamakura is getting a renovation.
• The work will take place from January to March, and the bill is expected to set the central government back some ¥65 million.

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5 places to meet a robot in Tokyo

By Aaron Baggett, Tokyo Cheapo

If growing up with anime, video games, “kaiju” flicks and other interests of the like that are suddenly mainstream now that would have once made you a social pariah in high school has taught me anything, it’s that Japan owns the monopoly on robots. That being said, where the heck are the robots? I mean schoolgirls, Pikachu and strange appropriations of English? Sure. You can’t turn around without bumping into those Tokyo staples. But where are the rock ‘em, sock ‘ems? Where can a cheapo shake hands with a real life future mechanical overlord?

1. Gundam

Towering over the entrance to Odaiba’s Diver City Tokyo stands a 1/1 scale RX-78 V2 Gundam piloted by none other than Amuro Ray. You don’t need to understand that specific string of numbers and letters to know that the Gundam series is kind of a big deal. You don’t even need to particularly care about robots to marvel at the thing. It’s massive! You can watch multiple projection shows between 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. featuring characters from the anime in battle, and the cockpit even opens up to reveal old helmet hair himself. True, just its head moves, and it takes a little bit of imagination to enjoy the mock battle, but wow, look at it steam! If the non-mobile suit isn’t doing it for you, then there is only one robotic menace that can match the raw power of a Gundam.