TOKAI
World Cosplay Summit 2014
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
Kawaguchi Lake
Mount Fuji, Japan’s national symbol, was registered as UNESCO’s world heritage site on June 26, 2013 for its spiritual and cultural importance, making Japanese people and the media get more excited about the Mountain itself and tourist spots around Mount Fuji in Yamanashi and Shizuoka prefectures. Aside from the aim of reviving local businesses and tourism, the UNESCO registration has also raised the awareness of Mount Fuji’s environment and hikers’ safety. As Fuji’s climbing season, which is usually in September, has already ended, this article will introduce you to the beautiful autumn scenery around Kawaguchi Lake, a place where you can do several activities while enjoying Mount Fuji view.
Kawaguchi Lake or Kawaguchiko (河口湖) is the biggest lake among the five lakes around Mount Fuji. It is famous for the reflection of Mount Fuji upon the lake water, as well as many activities in gardens and museums all year round. The season of Kawaguchi lake autumn leaves starts from N
Mount Fuji
Mount Fuji is one of the most iconic symbols of Japan. You can ask anybody to tell you about the image of Japan and Fuji San will be among the first five things that they’ll mention, among other clichés such as samurai, ninjas and geishas. It is so important in the Japanese culture that it features in many pieces of art, from the traditional ukiyo-e of Katsushika Hokusai, to the distinctive technique of Yokoyama Taikan, and more modern appearances in many manga and anime, as well as TV shows, Mount Fuji is one place you have to visit during your trip to Japan.
With a height of 3776 meters, Mount Fuji is the highest mountain in Japan. An active volcano that had its last eruption around the year 1708, it is located in the border between the Yamanashi and Shizuoka prefectures, in the southwest of Tokyo. It was recently named a “World Cultural Heritage” site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO); mainly because of its religious significance and
Cosplay
Every year around the first weekend of August, the streets of the city of Nagoya transform into an international stage for people from all around the world that dress up as their favorite manga, anime or videogame characters. The reason behind this sudden change from a gray city landscape into a colorful catwalk full of whimsy is the World Cosplay Summit, an annual event that takes place in Nagoya and some of its neighboring cities, in Aichi Prefecture.
The main goal of the World Cosplay Summit, or WCS, is to promote a friendly international exchange through Japanese pop culture; bringing together people from all corners of the globe to engage in activities related to their passion and love for this unique Japanese culture. What started as a simple, small event in which cosplayers from 4 countries (Germany, France, Italy and Japan) share their experiences of being involved in such an interesting hobby, evolved into an international championship, in which representative teams from 20
