Los Angeles Cosplay Contest at Nagoya Day

The 2014 Los Angeles Cosplay Contest was held on Sunday, August 10, 2014 at The Grove in Los Angeles, as part of "Nagoya Day" to celebrate the 55-year anniversary of sister city relations between Los Angeles and Nagoya. Emcee Ivan Van Norman, a Season One Contestant from TBS television's King of the Nerds hosted the contest which featured over 40 cosplayers from the Los Angeles/Southern California area. The judges of the event were Cosplay/Video Game Journalist Paola Alejandra, Designer/Professional Seamstress Kristine "Space Invader" Carr and Makeup / Special Effects Artist KC Mussman. The 2013 winner of America's Got Talent Kenichi Ebina entertained the crowd during the event with his amazing dance performance. The contest was produced for the Los Angeles Nagoya Sister City Affiliation (LANSCA) by Tokyo Journal / Authentasia. The Nagoya Day event was presented by the City of Nagoya and LANSCA.

Home Makeover Spotlight II

Interior: Sharp Shades and Beautiful Blinds

As this California home has large windows with views of the pool in the front and a hilltop scenery at the side and back, the owners faced the challenge of selecting window coverings that would restrict direct sunlight during peak hours without blocking the magnificent views.

Travel to Las Vegas and Portland, Oregon

TJ’s hotel reviewers headed to Las Vegas and Portland to experience the best places to stay and most entertaining things to do. Here are a few of our favorites.

The complete article can be found in Issue #275 of the Tokyo Journal. Click here to order from Amazon.

Meet Hikari Takara

Actress develops her career by learning English in Southern California

Tokyo Journal has zeroed in on eighteen-year-old actress Hikari Takara as a rising star in the international movie scene. Beginning her acting career at the age of twelve, Hikari has appeared in movies, TV dramas, and commercials. Following the release of her movie “Innocent Lilies,” Tokyo Journal first interviewed Hikari in fall of 2013 when Hikari moved to California to study English and do a homestay with an American host family. After a year in California, Tokyo Journal caught up with Hikari again. Hikari has her sights on being in a Hollywood movie and becoming a global star. Although she still has a long way to go, she has her acting experience complimented by her stunning appearance, height, newly founded English ability, dance skills, and some impressive martial arts moves. Prior to returning to Japan to resume her acting career, Tokyo Journal followed Hikari as she shows us some of her favorite hangouts and attractions in Southern California.

Cosplay Conventions in Los Angeles, Seattle & London

Photos from Anime Expo 2014 July 3rd to 6th, 2014 in Los Angeles, California; Sakura-Con 2014 April 18th to 20th, 2014 in Seattle, Washington and MCM London Comic Con 2014 May 23rd to 25th, 2014 in London, England

Formerly Kenya’s ambassador to Korea and Japan (2004-2009) and now representing Toyota Tsusho Corporation as chairman in 13 African states, Dennis Awori knows a thing or two about Japan and its commercial links to the world. Tokyo Journal met up with Awori to find out more.

The Man Who Brought Sushi to America, Part IV

Introducing Sake to America

This is the fifth in a series of interviews with Noritoshi Kanai, chairman of Mutual Trading Co., Inc. and the man who coined the phrase “sushi bar.”

Chronicles of the Going Home Club (Kitaku-bu Katsudō Kiroku)

The new anime series “Chronicles of the Going Home Club,” based on a popular manga, was first broadcast on Nippon Television Network (NTV) on July 4, 2013. Natsuki Ando, a high school freshman, wondered what kind of club activity she should join in school. She had decided not to join any club to avoid trouble with senior students, but then she found Kitaku-bu (The Going Home Club), a club for those who don’t join any club. The leader, Sakura Domyoji, is just a normal student, and the other members are a little eccentric. One of their main activities is “to do fun things” and their goal is to have maximum fun after school. The show features the club’s activities.

Fantasista Doll

A new original anime series “Fantasista Doll” began broadcasting on July 6, 2013 on the MBS, TOKYO MX and BS11 TV stations in Japan. The creative producer for the series is Goro Taniguchi, known for his work as director of “s-CRY-ed,” “Planetes” and “Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion.” In this new series, the story surrounds Uzume Uno, a young student and former champion of a trading card game competition. She is entrusted with a special device containing five powerful Fantasista Dolls. The dolls are sentient virtual beings that reside within the cards, which now are controlled by their new master, Uzume. By playing the cards in different combinations, Uzume can equip the “Sistas” with an amazing variety of costumes and weapons.