monsters
For the first time in forever, this Japanese movie poster seems to be hitting all the right marks.
Did you know that each of Japan’s 47 prefectures has a designated monster that represents their region? The larger-than-life beings were born from the “Gotouchi Kaiju” (“Local Monsters”) multimedia project helmed by Professor Hiroshi Sagae, who’s worked on a number of kaiju-centric films such as Godzilla Millenium, Ultraman Saga and Gamera the Brave.
Now there’s a special crowdfunding campaign that’s calling on the masses to support the plight of the monsters as they strive to protect nature and promote greenery in their towns. Patrons who contribute to their favourite beast will be rewarded with cards, T-shirts or even a 3-D kaiju figurine but best of all, the funds raised for each prefecture will go towards supporting environmental projects in the region.
When monsters strike, we like to think we’d all suit up and do battle with their adorable furry faces, but we reckon it’s probably safe to say that quite a few of us would be worthless in a fight, especially against a vicious onslaught of cute like what this father faced. Seeing the seat he’d bought his child overrun by these kawaii demons, he did what any sane person would do: Snapped photos and tweeted them for the whole Internet to see!
On one of my first days as an exchange student in Tokyo, as a group of us were being shown around the college, someone asked “Where are the parking lots?” Our Japanese guide explained that students in the city don’t commute by car. Neither do the teachers, and even in most companies, the cost of real estate dictates that the few office parking spots available are reserved as perks for the uppermost reaches of the corporate ladder. In Tokyo, everyone takes the train.
Including, apparently, the mythical beasts. Read More
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