Touched down in Tokyo today after being away for 3 weeks. First stop after Tokyo was France followed by Frankfurt with Los Angeles after that. Came back to Tokyo with a load of new comrades and wonderful experiences - it really has been an incredible 3 weeks which have given me more insight - especially into how I should be running the business.
Speaking at the Cannes Festival of Creativity and MC'ing for the Hatsune Miku concert were two biggies for me and am humbled that I was asked to fulfill the roles.
This photo taken this afternoon in my neck of the woods at Musashikoyama.
Saying goodbye to some very good comrades. Jun is my Associate Producer for all things Culture Japan in the US and is also the man who made the US broadcast of Culture Japan on Mnet happen. Being able to meet so many folks from around the world is the best thing about this job.
As it was late, the flight attendants just let us sleep instead of entertaining everybody with food for the first 3 hours. Unlike the lovely Swiss Air business class seats which lay completely flat, the ANA seats slant at an angle which was not so comfy! I tried to sleep on the floor instead for a while before an attendant asked me to return to my seat ^^;
Sendai is right next to the most damaged areas after the quake. This year they decided to go ahead with the Tanabata Festival - an annual event that has been taking place since the early Edo period (1603).
Many folks thought that it was not appropriate to have such a festivity after the terrible disaster but it was thought necessary to continue the event to bring business into the area which will contribute to the recovery effort for the locals.
Saber sits in a gift from Greg Penny - perfect fit!
Eiji Seiun fanart? ^^;
The 6 pack Mirai T-shirt is from J-List and the Mirai Millennium full color T-Shirt from Cospa which you should be able to pre-order from one of the following stores.
http://www.1999.co.jp/search.asp?Typ1_c=101&scope=0&scope2=0&itkey=%83%7E%83%8C%83j%83A%83%80
http://ow.ly/5BYqc (amiami)
http://www.hlj.com/scripts/hljlist?Word=mirai+millennium&x=0&y=0&Dae=All&Series=All&Dis=2
http://www.hobbystock.jp/item/view/hby-apr-00001709
http://www.toylet.net/
http://www.kidnemo.fm/
The Madoka bag is by Cospa from Toylet.
These huge banners that you saw at Anime Expo are available at Kid Nemo who ship worldwide.
I just love Nao-sensei's work! Banner available for purchase at Kid Nemo. Its made of a kind of coated cloth - you see them outside shops from time to time.