Claim to Fame

So most of you probably know that we live in a little town called Ota.  To be honest, there isn't a lot going on here but Ota does have one claim to fame.  It's where the Subaru car company was born.  It's hard to miss this, since there's an enormous Subaru factory right in the middle of town.

According to my research, a local guy named Chikuhei Nakajima founded the Nakajima Aircraft Company in 1917.  It became a prominent aircraft manufacturer for Japan during WWII.  From what I read, the factory here in town (or it's predecessor) was heavily bombed during WWII.  As you can imagine, after the war they were no longer allowed to make aircraft.  So they started using  leftover airplane parts to make scooters and.....cars.  The umbrella company is now called Fuji Heavy Industries, Ltd. and Subaru is just a division within it.  If you're at all interested in auto-manufacturer history this link and the one above re Nakajima lead to some good reading on Wikipedia.

I took a special trip downtown to take some pictures of the factory but they don't do justice to the enormity of it.  Seriously it's acres and acres of car plant.  And it's quite the bustling area, with lots of trucks---not the best place to be trying to take photos from a moving car.  I tried to pull over in a side parking lot at one point only to be honked at by a semi who wanted me to move so he could pull in too.

There are lots of Subaru dealers around this area and a lot of people drive them, including Chad.  The big semis that carry lots of stacked cars are a common sight here in town too.

the entrance, right before I was nearly mowed down by the semi

driving by, you can barely see a red/white airplane out front.
I can only assume it's in reference to the company's beginning

employee parking?  I assume it's a major employer in the area

Lean In, Licca-chan

I spend my fair share of time in Babies/Toys R' Us these days.  It was there that I ran across Licca-chan, aka Japanese Barbie. (Because of the way "L" is pronounced here her name can sometimes sound like "Rika".  I tell you this only because it can cause confusion---it did for me.)  Actual American Barbie is available here too, although I don't think she is as popular as Licca-chan.

Licca-chan was introduced in 1967 and at first glance she's a lot like Barbie.  She has a back story, family, a personality, careers etc.  One thing I thought was funny is that Licca-chan is described as a "fan" of the Anne of Green Gables books.  I read those books for the first time just before we moved here---imagine my surprise when I learned that they are super popular in Japan.  Japanese kids read them in school.  You can visit Green Gables Farm on Prince Edward Island (the Canadian setting for the novels) and I gather that it's a popular tourist destination for Japanese people and some even get married there.  Go figure.

Anyway, so now on to my personal experience with Licca-chan. After I decided to do a blog about her I went and really examined the merchandise available and took photos.  I was a little appalled by what I found.  The only career options available to Licca-chan in my local toy store are food service, pet shop employee, childcare and beautician.  And one lone nurse Licca-chan stuck in a corner.  Don't get me wrong (or flame me), these are all very noble and important professions.  But come on....

nurse and pet shop

Pizza-La employee and cafe worker.  or parent with two suspiciously
red-haired children straight out of The Shining

beautician Licca

donut store employee is surprisingly popular?

Japanese restaurant worker (lots of tiny sushi)

teenage babysitter, judging by the looks of her

and to top it off, she apparently has a French boyfriend
(on second glance, he is labeled "papa" and the doll next to him is "mama"
--I think they are Licca-chan's very young parents?)

I wanted to get a Licca-chan for Cora, in the spirit of having some neat souvenirs of her early childhood in Japan.  But now I'm not so sure.  I did some additional research on Licca-chan, just to make sure that it wasn't a case of the store only carrying certain models.  As far as I can tell this is the height of Licca-chan's career aspirations.

I also did some research on what Barbie is up to these days, just to make sure that this wasn't an overall doll trend.  I am pleased to report that I was easily able to locate astronaut Barbie on the American Toys R' Us website as well as some other choices that were at least more interesting like singer/songwriter and ice skater.  The full list of Barbie's careers astonished even me.  Computer Engineer Barbie is pretty awesome.

Some of you may be thinking well, duh....feminism isn't as prevalent in Japan so why is this surprising?  I suppose I was just taken aback to see it displayed so blatantly in the doll section of the toy store.  But it is what it is, right?  I guess I'll just let Cora pick what Licca-chan she wants and then get her a US President Barbie when we get home.  Maybe Barbie will be a good influence on Licca-chan.  ;D

So Ugly It's...Cute?

Many months ago I was walking through the kiddie arcade at the mall and happened to glance over at a small toy dispenser.  I did a double take at what was inside.  It was this guy:

yikes

Now, honestly, what does that look like to you?  Am I the only one who thinks it looks obscene?  I took some pictures, mostly just to prove to myself later that I hadn't imagined it.

A few weeks later I ran across an article that explained who and what this.....thing.....is.  I am relieved to inform you that he is a mushroom and his name is Nameko.  He's part of the Japanese trend of popular characters who are supposed to be gross....but in a cute way.  The trend is called "kimo-kawaii" which translates to "gross-cute".  No, I'm not kidding.  You probably already know that anything cutesy is prized in Japan....think Hello Kitty.  I guess they got tired of actual cute things and had to branch out.

Nameko is just the tip of the iceberg, there are tons of these characters (go read the linked article for a comprehensive list) but he is the one I see most often.  I did lose my original pictures and had to go all over the place hunting this weird thing so I could take some new ones and share him with you all.  Because without pictures would you have really believed me? And I don't like to think of how I would've tried to describe him.

lewd fungus arcade game prizes

lewd fungus cell phone charms

I will say that I think America totally has its own version of this stuff, mostly the cartoons you find on Nickelodeon and the Cartoon Network (think Spongebob) so it's really not that particular to Japan.  Nor is the concept of "so ugly it's cute" although I think Americans usually stick to dogs and babies.  I have a feeling if Nameko made it to the States he would get a completely different reaction. :D