Interview with Mina and Jaky (Team Yorozuya Senpai), representatives of Mexico at the World Cosplay Summit 2014.

Nowadays, Cosplay is a cultural phenomenon that has expanded globally. The biggest proof of this is the World Cosplay Summit, an international contest in which 22 teams representing countries from all around the world participate to see who is the best cosplayer. This year, Mina and Jaky had the honor of representing Mexico, and won the Audience Award (Nico Nico Douga Award). We contacted them to have a short interview about how they first got in to cosplay, the Mexican scene, and what it meant to them to be able to represent their country at the WCS, and their image of Japan after fulfilling their dream to visit the country.

BMJ: When did you start doing cosplay?

TYS: Four years ago, we entered into the Cosplay world.

BMJ: How did you first approach the Cosplay world?

TYS: Well, to tell you the truth, we never

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Interview with Gloria Capetillo, Lolita artist and illustrator living in Japan.

Harajuku is an area of Tokyo known for being the center of fashion for young people, a place where the subcultures of this enormous city live together. After walking just two steps down Takeshita Dori, you can immediately notice that this is more than just a commercial district, this is an area where Japanese youths come to express their individuality. In a society where being part of the community is very important, thanks to the subcultures such as Lolita, Goths, and even Punks, Harajuku has become the place where young people try to express themselves as individuals, making a stand to show who they are, without any restrictions. Without a doubt, this is a place that every person visiting Japan has to see at least once.

Across in front of this street, behind the famous Murasaki Sports store, you can find a small alley that will take you to the Design Festa Gallery, a space design

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Kyoto is a city known for its strong connections with Japanese traditional culture. It used to be the imperial capital of Japan and even today, it still preserves its cultural and economic importance. The efforts of the city to keep and protect its traditional culture and architecture, can be exhibited throughout the city, making it one of the favorite destinations among foreign and national tourists.

Kyoto has also succeeded in connecting Japan’s traditional culture, to its emerging modern culture. The Kyoto International Manga and Anime Fair (Kyomaf), is an event that combines Japan’s present, past and future. The grounds of the Miyakomese and the Heian Jingu Shrine provide the perfect background for this event, and gives visitors the chance to enjoy their favorite Anime or Manga within a Japanese setting. The shrine works as the perfect stage for the cosplayers to display their talent, and is a great setting for photo shoots.

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Entrevista con Gloria Capetillo, ilustradora lolita que reside en Japón

Harajuku es una zona de Tokio muy famosa por ser el centro de moda para los jóvenes, un lugar donde las subculturas de esta gran urbe conviven. Al dar dos pasos sobre Takeshita Dori uno inmediatamente se da cuenta de que más que un pasillo comercial, esta es un área en el que los jóvenes japoneses vienen a expresar su individualidad. En una sociedad donde ser parte de la comunidad es algo tan importante, es en Harajuku donde gracias a las subculturas como lolita, góticos o el mismo punk, los adolescentes tratan de expresarse como los individuos que son, sin ningún tipo de ataduras. Sin duda alguna, es un lugar al que todo visitante tiene que venir a ver.

Cruzando esta calle, detrás de la famosa tienda Murasaki Sports, se encuentra un pequeño callejón que lleva a la Design Festa Gallery, un espacio pensado para dar a los jóvenes artistas de esta ciudad la oportunidad de presentar su trabajo

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Entrevista con Mina y Jaky (Team Yorozuya Senpai), representantes de México en el WCS 2014

El Cosplay es un fenómeno que se ha extendido a todo el mundo. La mayor prueba de ello es el World Cosplay Summit, un concurso internacional en el que participan equipos de 22 países compitiendo para descubrir quién es el mejor cosplayer. Este año Mina y Jaky formaron el equipo que representó a México y obtuvieron el Premio del Público (Nico Nico Douga Award). Nos pusimos en contacto con ellas para poder charlar un poco sobre sus inicios en el mundo del cosplay, la escena en México, lo que significó para ellas representar a su país en el WCS, así como su imagen de Japón después de haber cumplido su sueño de venir a este país.

BMJ: ¿Hace cuánto que empezaron en el mundo del Cosplay?

TYS: Empezamos hace cuatro años, en el mundo “Cosplayeril”

BMJ: ¿Cómo fue su acercamiento al mundo del Cosplay?

TYS: Bueno, originalmente nuestra intenci

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Located northwest of the Saitama Prefecture, is the small town of Nagatoro, which has been considered a prime destination for tourists visiting Japan, since the late 19^th century. Its natural beauty is such, that the whole town has been designated as a natural park by the authorities of Chichibu. Nagatoro possess its own charm, worthy of a village that has been blessed with one of the most beautiful landscapes in Japan. The Arakawa River crosses through the middle of the town, creating many sightseeing spots where visitors can enjoy some of the most fascinating scenery. Even from the moment of exiting the train station, visitors can appreciate a natural monument: a 5 km rock bed along the riverbank, which is thought to have been there for thousands of years.

Nagatoro is a place that you can easily take a day trip to. It offers a peaceful space, far away from the noisy and crowded urban life of Tokyo, giving visitors the chance to be in touch with nature. The arc

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It’s that time of the year again, and once again, BMJ was there at the World Cosplay Summit in Nagoya to bring you the best of this year’s edition of the world’s most important Cosplay event. As every year, people from all over the world travel to Nagoya to meet at the Oasis 21 in order to share their love for Japanese popular culture and to dress as their favorite character from anime, manga or Japanese videogames. The World Cosplay Summit is a great event that allows fans of Japanese pop culture to express their passion for Japan, taking their fandom one step further, by transforming themselves into their favourite characters.

This year was one of the best editions of t

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Yakushima is an island located south of Kyushu and is part of Kagoshima’s Prefecture territory. This island is one of the less built up places in Japan. Its unique tropical and rainy weather, along with its forests, mountains and waterfalls make Yakushima one of the natural wonders of Japan. Its natural beauty is such that many parts of the island have been declared as UNESCO’s World Heritage sites. Yakushima has also been an inspiration for artists such as Hayao Miyazaki, who, inspired by its landscapes was able to illustrate the forests of the animated movie “Princess Mononoke.” This is why Yakushima is a must see destination not only for adventure seekers and nature lovers, but for anyone planning a visit to Japan.

Yakushima’s weather cannot be compared to the weather in any other region in Japan. It is extremely rainy, which is why, among the locals, there is a phrase that says that in Yakushima “it rains for 35 days a month.” This may sound li

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Accommodation:

Green Guest House

Without a doubt, the best place to stay in Kagoshima is the Green Guest House. It has a very convenient location, no further than a 10 minute walk from Tenmonkan and only 5 minutes away from Dolphin Port and the ports where the ferries depart, towards Sakurajima and Yakushima. Additionally, GGH has a policy to support travelers, therefore they will always lend a hand to people visiting Kagoshima, by recommending places to visit, helping to plan a trip or even assisting with making reservations of tickets and accommodation for travelers that cannot speak the Japanese language.

The facilities of GGH are extremely clean, with available options for every budget and taste. If you are on a budget and you don’t mind sharing a room, you can pay 1,800 Yen for a night at one of the split (male and female) dormitories or 2,300 to stay in a “capsule” in the mixed dormitory. If you want to have a little bit mo