This weeks theme in The Photo Hunt is Different or Kotonatta (ことなった) in Japanese.
Ultraman (ウルトラマン, Urutoraman) is a fictional character featured in tokusatsu, or “special effects” television programs. Ultraman made his debut in the tokusatsu SF/kaiju/superhero TV series, Ultraman, a follow-up to the television series Ultra Q. The show was produced by Tsuburaya Productions and was broadcast on TBS.
Here’s a photo i took of Ultraman last year, he looks decidely different in the comics than he does in real life.
To distinguish him from subsequent Ultra Warriors, Ultraman is referred to as the original Ultraman (初代ウルトラマン, Shodai Urutoraman), the first Ultraman, Ultraman Hayata (a reference to his host’s surname) or as simply Man.
Although Ultraman is the first series to feature an Ultra-being, this is actually the second Ultra Series. Ultra Q was the first. A major pop culture phenomenon in Japan, the show has spawned dozens of imitators as well as numerous sequels and remakes, which continue to be popular today.
Ultraman as he appears on Television.
Anyone spending even the smallest amount of time in Tokyo would know the rail system here is extensive to say the least. For me, living in Yoyogi, the JR Yamanote Line, is the easiest and the line i use most when getting out and about on the weekends. I haven’t fallen asleep on the train for quite a while but if you were to fall asleep and miss your station this is the one to do it on, it’s a continuous loop.
The Yamanote Line (山手線, Yamanote-sen) of East Japan Railway Company (JR East) is one of Tokyo’s busiest and most important commuter lines. Running as a circle, it connects most of Tokyo’s major stations and urban centres including the Yūrakuchō area, Shibuya, Shinjuku and Ikebukuro with all but two of its 29 stations connecting with other railway or underground (subway) lines.
Having said it’s my most frequently used i neglected to say it’s the same places visited each time, Shibuya, Harajuku and occasionally Akihabara. So in an effort to see more of the 29 suburbs the live services i’ve decided to visit each one over the course of the next 12 months, hopefully 1 each weekend.
I had originally thought of doing it in a clockwise direction however i’ve re jigged my plan t do it alphabetically …. so the first cab off the rank is Akihabara.
Over the years i’ve had a knack of climbing the greasy pole and ending up at events and functions many would envy, i guess i’ve just been in the right place at the right time. Some of the best examples would have to be the Nike Speed Olympic Party, CLEO Batchelor of the Year after party, Sportsgirl @ Melbourne Fashion Week & the Emirates Marquee in the Bird Cage on Melbourne Cup Day …. and the list goes on.
Last night i was invited to a gathering in the Keio Plaza hotel, hosted by the guy who’s farm i spent a weekend on earlier in the year. I had no idea what to expect and had been given little detail. It was like a cocktail party, he hosts the same event every Tuesday night to which i’ve been given a flag to each week should i choose to accept. There were about 30 or so people there, only 5 of who i knew.
In typical Japanese tradition it’s advisable to have a healthy stack of business cards on offer and lucky for me i did. I was able to meet a Japanese Comedian, a television personality from TVK Yokohama ”Kyoko Nakayama” along with 2 of Japans’ elite sportsmen, “Tanaka Masato” from Team East Wind – Adventure Racing and “Yoshimasa Wada” from Wadapro – Skiing the Globe.
