Hanairogoromo Kaito has the feel of a father! That's what many collectors say on myfigurecollection and that's exactly what I think too. Well, people in olden days do marry much, much earlier than we do now after all.
However, I feel that from the back, this figure really catches Kaito's inquisitive side, where he bends forward to get a closer look at something in front of him--like a poster on a wall...
Hm... how about a WANTED poster of Enbizaka's most malicious, psychotic tailor? I'll love to create that diorama someday~ And you'll definitely get a step-by-step tutorial when that happens, no worry!
Now, let's get down to it.
Packaging
This month is one of my most expensive months and I split my packages into two separate ones. The first containing Phat's scale of Nanami Chiaki (which I have reviewed and you can read it here) as well as an Ao no Exorcist clear file, and Nendoroid Oikawa Tooru and Iwaizumi Hajime. The second package contains (obviously) Hanairogoromo Meiko and Kaito.
I already have Hanairogoromo Miku with me (review here) and have Luka on pre-order. If it isn't obvious yet... I plan to collect all from this line and have them lined up and gaze upon the beauty of traditional Japanese clothes (wafuku) in awe.
Now, let's appraise the outer box.
I never really liked Hanairogoromo's outer box. They are elegant and pretty with all the repeating gold embroidery patterns but it has never appealed much to me, possibly due to the small size. Don't get me wrong, small boxes make it so much easier to store, but there is some kind of beauty about the larger boxes that just makes it look so much prettier and eye-catching. Still, back to Kaito's box, we see that it is in blue instead of Miku's red, which matches the main color of his attire. This makes it seem like there's a ton of blue going on for Kaito (blue hat, hair, scarf, clothes) and his other contrasting color is green (ribbon on hat and socks) which I will cover more later when I talk about painting.
I love how gold words and patterns are all around his box as it really adds a splash of color to an otherwise overly-blue figure and box. Sadly, due to how wafuku prioritizes beautiful and intricate designs for females and as a result, leave males with plainer designs. Kaito models that out perfectly when contrasted against Meiko and Miku (who have also been released at this point), and hopefully he comes with enough subtle details to make him as pleasing as the girls are!
A simple 360 of the box shows Kaito in a few views, mainly focusing on what is pretty about him--face, pose, parasol and of course the pattern at the bottom of his outfit, which has a majority of white (instead of blue) which contrasts well and becomes really eye-catching.
I would also like to take this opportunity to talk about how damage during shipping is likely to be inevitable and I am just glad that this slight peeling of the box is all the damage I got.
Similar to Miku's, he comes with the exact same backdrop in the box, which is coincedentally the same one they had for the illustration picture, so it is probably safe to assume that that is what we'll get for all the other figures in this line as well.
Blister-wise, it is securely pushed in and taped around to prevent shifting. He also comes with really minimal parts, just a parasol, base and himself, all adequately spaced so there's no overlap of items that might incur damage during shipping. You can also see the hints of green on the figure already.
Foam sheets are also placed behind Kaito to help cushion him... perhaps due to his bent pose which might be fragile? Base
This is the exact same base as Miku's and I'll also leave a comment here to mention that it is the same design as Meiko (as well as the background sheet) so I expect to see the same for Luka, Rin and Len. Honestly, I would have preferred if they came with a slightly different deisgn so they could paint a scene with just their bases but you gotta take what you get! Assembly
Here's how he connects to the base, through a peg hole on his left foot. His base also only comes with one peg as he doesn't come with other accessories (like Miku with her plant and Meiko with her sakura branch) The Figure!
Kaito is a beautiful figure and you can see the amount of detail on his outfit without me zooming into any individual details yet. Still, I am fully intending to do that and I'll like to first talk about his outfit before moving on to his accessories such as his hat and parasol.
The majority of his outfit is in a plain navy color and it hugs his lean figure quite nicely. There are slight creases all around, especially at his thigh area, which goes to symbolize how lightweight and "figure-hugging" these outfit is, just like how wafuku usually looks, same for both genders. I like how the bottom opens up and you can get a sneak peek over at how his tabi (traditional Japanese socks) end and moves to his skin. You can see that the socks look exactly like an additional layer sculpted above his skin, and not sculpted together on the same layer as his calf. His scarf looks very long yet lightweight and the ends of his scarf adds in a very Western touch, which matches the era that these outfits were popular. This is quite a nice detail to include!
Taking a closer look at the checkered pattern of his outfit, we see that there are some white squares on the navy portions which add nice contrast and detailing to the flat color. The white part near the end of the attire also adds in a slight detail to try to brighten up his attire and comes with immense amounts of shading to add dimension and depth. At that area, you can also see that he has more strips of blue checkered patterns going down vertically to tie back to the main color. Though, I must admit that those strips just look like bathroom tiles to me >w>!! The checkered pattern lines his sleeves too and it uses a form of optical illusion as these look darker than the ones at the white patch though they are of the same shade. The inside of his sleeves are in a shade of green that is... apparently his chosen contrasting color as you see it at his obi and tabi as well.
A closer look at his tabi shows that there is indeed shading going around the green, especially closer to where they meet the shoes. Sadly, there isn't much sculpting going on to show how the tabi is pulled and creased from Kaito's pose or from the navy straps.
From the back, we see that many of the details that I mentioned earlier are preserved and the green tabi even has shading for his ankles! There is a seam going down his back, which is actually how these kimono is supposed to look like so... yay for not hiding the seamline? I'll like to draw attention to his obi as well, which is green with navy stripes. The stripes are very cleanly painted and adds to the obi by increasing the level of detail instead of damaging the looks of this figure. Just like what an obi does for the kimono, here it ties the entire outfit together by becoming that single silver lining we needed.
But well, that's not all! One thing that I really didn't like about this figure is how chunky the scarf looks from the back. As you can see from the image above, his scarf is made is two very huge layers and this extends very high up and you cannot see his neck from the back. This makes it look very heavy and not at all comfortable to wear, unlike how it looks from the front.
Now, let's move on to the other accessories that Kaito comes with, starting from his hat. His hat doesn't have much shading but is accentuated by the small detailed badge attached to the side. The red ruby with the silver flower-y pattern adds a splash of detail and color that you can't find anywhere else on this figure!
And of course, we have his trustworthy little parasol! This is how the underside looks and it actually has a pale pinkish-purple hue. I love the detail of the green dot right in the middle, lined around its circumference with white, and the "strips of metal" going down the parasol to the center and all these really make the parasol come to life! It looks as realistic as it can get, just shrunk down to scale!
The back of his parasol is a single blue color but you see little details like the black center and the shading hear it as well as at the outer ends of the parasol. I love Kaito holding up the parasol but as you can see from the 360 below, at some angles it may look like the parasol is held a little too high. However, this is similar to how the prototype Kaito held it, yet the parasol looked much shorter then. This could be a problem which arose due to angles or translating something in 3D to 2D, where something in real life looks slightly different when in a picture.
This is one of the few, if not the only, figure of Kaito I'll probably ever buy and I'm proud to own him. Someday, when Rin and Len gets released, I'll be able to line this full set up and gaze upon it with awe because the wafuku and vocaloid cast just fits my tastes so perfectly! ~ Reina-rin
Yunomori Onsen is a place that I have only visited once, about 2 months ago. I went there with a friend after getting an early-bird ticket (which was on sale in Kallang Wave Mall before its official opening), thus offering it at a cheaper rate than its usual price. The "entrance fee" to Yunomori Onsen could very well just be admission to the onsen alone, which was what I chose, or you could also opt to go for other treatments like massages. Yunomori combines both onsen and Thai massage techniques to give you the best they can. And I'm sure we have all heard of the amazing things that Thai massage can do, right?
As mentioned before, on my trip to Yunomori Onsen, I took the cheapest package, which is the onsen only at SGD$38. Any package in the facility consists of the onsen as well, and of course, full day access as well. Unfortunately for some massages (aromatic, I believe), you are prohibited from entering the onsen after then, so be sure to plan your day properly in that case! Now, I obviously cannot show any pictures of how things look inside the facility as there were other customers when I was around. Instead, I'll use official images together with my description to detail how my experience was like.
This is what you will see upon entering the facility, and this is where you will "book" a session. They will then pass you a shoe locker number.
At the shoe locker, which you put your shoes in and change into their indoor sandals. After which, you pass your shoe locker key to the receptionist, then enter the main part of the facility.
At the end of the corridor are the onsen, segregated by gender. You be given a yukata (optional), towels (1 large and 1 small) and a key to one of the wooden cabinets (left in image) to store your clothes and bags (the key is waterproof and to be worn at all times). Extra towels are chargeable but personally, you can make do very well with just the 2 provided towels. The yukata would be worn throughout the facility, namely to the cafeteria and massage. For females, two additional sheer black pieces will be provided to cover the privates. You can, of course, enter the onsen completely naked as well. You can use the sink and hairdryer (on the right in image) after you step out of the onsen. Hair ties, tissues, and q-tips are also provided free-of-charge.
As per Japanese onsen etiquette, you are expected to shower before using the onsen. This showering place is found in the onsen area itself and comes with shampoo, conditioner and soap. For those with long hair, do note that your hair is not supposed to touch the onsen water so make sure to bring a hair tie in along with you!
Onsen area itself is divided into different baths as well as a steam room. The image above is the steam room and is actually quite relaxing to stay in, according to personal experience. However, due to the steam it can get very humid so make sure to stay in for as long as you can only!
As you can see in the image above, each bath has a metal plague to describe what it is and what it does so be sure to read it properly before entering. Just do make sure to remember to wash your feet with the water of the bath and the provided wooden scoops before entering each bath. There are several different baths, and these are some of them. 1. Bubble bath: Warm and filled with minerals to give a holistic and relaxing bath experience. 2. Soda bath: Infused with high concentrations of CO2, this bath helps to improve blood circulation, reduce high blood pressure as well as detoxify the body. It also aids in providing a youthful glow to your skin. 3. Jet bath: Oxygenated water here helps to increase blood circulation and metabolism, aiding with weight loss. In addition, it also helps to soothe tension and muscle aches in your body. 4. Silk bath: Namely, my favorite bath here. It is the only opaque bath (milky white color) and is filled with small bubbles to help stimulate and relax your muscles. The relaxing aspect of this bath also helps to relieve mental stress. In addition, there is also the traditional hot and cold baths, as well as a sauna room that I forgot to use.
And if you happen to get hungry after a round of onsen, you can always go for a round of food in the cafeteria before you return to another round of onsen. I had a bowl of udon (which was relatively cheap, at about $7 if I recall correctly) as well as kakigori (shaved ice). The kakigori comes in several flavors and I remember getting the limited-time Sakura kakigori!
That's all I have today. If you have anything you'll like to share, especially for the massages, leave a comment down below! ~ Reina-rin
If you don't know Good Smile Company's shipping benefits, now you will. Shopping from GSC is excruciatingly expensive as you don't get any discounts, quite unlike the 19% for each Nendoroid at Amiami. In exchange, you get benefits such as exclusive parts -- which, in my opinion, are mostly not worth the 19% when most of them are small trinkets or just background sheets. But what is worth is the shipping price. GSC offers EMS shipping at a flat rate of 2000 yen (and also SAL for 1500 yen) per order. That means that you can order items from different months, so long as all those items were in one single order. This is something that you cannot do on most of GSC's partner shops and local online shops. This makes it a lot more worth it if you are ordering large orders (>15 figures) or large items (such as wedding Sonico scale figure, which I ordered), which would pretty much cost more than 3000 yen for shipping in other shops. Recently, GSC came up with a new policy where they would only be charging USD and EUR for their global shop.
Their Japanese online branch would still charge in JPY, however, you will need to use a proxy service in order to make use of this currency. Both options seem (obviously) less appealing than how they were before. Personally, I was contemplating ordering 3 Nendoroids (Sakura Quest Yoshino Koharu, Fullmetal Alchemist Edward and Alphonse Elric) together with my friend's order of 1 scale figure and at least 3 other Nendoroids, to make it not just worth the shipping but also to get the exclusive items. With the recent change of currency rule without prior warning, I am at a loss as to whether it is still worth it. To put it simply, let's look at Yoshino Koharu's Nendoroid. The exclusive is a background sheet that looks comical and is a perfect addition to not only her Nendoroid, but can also be used in photography or display with other Nendoroids.
At her discounted price on Amiami, she goes for 3980 yen (~ SGD48 or USD36). This does not come with the exclusive background sheet but comes with everything else.
At her original price of 4500 yen (~SGD55 or USD40) on GSC, she comes with everything and her background sheet.
With the new policy, her price surged to USD43.99 (~SGD60 or 4900 yen) which puts her background sheet at approximately SGD10, excluding shipping. Would you buy pay the extra for a Nendoroid exclusive as well? Let me know! ~ Reina-rin
Dear Yushiko, Konnichiwa! Genki? I am the sheep from the local barnyard...okay, not really. I have seen you around, though at first I wasn't completely sure if you were 'real'...if you know what I mean. But I understand that you hold an important position...two to be specific. Otsukare. I know just how challenging it is to be the judge of others. At least, you don't suffer nosebleeds, do you? Speaking of which, you make the perfect candidate for...one of the competitions that have been going about lately. Anyway, I wish I could doodle without subjecting myself to embarrassment. Art used to be one of my worse areas in school, and there wasn't a single art teacher who didn't hate me. But I also laughed at myself sometimes, since my art pieces looked so ridiculous. I could easily destroy a good apple on the drawing block! The apple would look as if it had come from the dark side, all mangled and unappetising. Even Snow White would just throw it back at the witch. Do you have a favourite anime, or a bunch of favourites? Recently, I have been looking out for a few. Ah, do you know there is an anime on ballroom dancing? Don't worry, you won't get a headache from all that spinning across the dance floor! Though the extremely sweaty faces can be a little cringy, especially when the characters are in gowns and tuxes! The main character is a sweet, charming guy nonetheless. Well, it is really nice seeing you around! The power of technology is just amazing, now that more and more people are uploading and sharing their beautiful creations. As the new Head of "Spirits of Symphony", do you sing as well? Say, you should join the karaoke contest! I believe the first prize is a big watermelon...
Juggling school work and holding two important portfolios are not easy, do take care of your health because I am waiting for the day to come when I can dance with you.
Welcome to the continuation of the Shikoku Chronicles. The next day we got up early (again, ugh) and had breakfast again at the hotel. We decided to do some sightseeing and go higher up the mountains. There were some old houses we wanted to visit: the Kimura-ke (Kimura house) and Chiiori. Chiiori, "house of the flute", is a 300-year old thatched-roof which was bought by Alex Kerr, an American Japanologist. You could also stay there to get the old house experience. For those interested, please see here for more information:
Day 2: steep roads, old family houses, mountains, mountains & mountains
So we set out first to Kimura-ke and put in the map code into our navigation. We went to the Seven Eleven again and got some drinks and food (well, snacks..). I got some Mitsuda Cider, this drink tastes exactly like Uludag gazoz for the Turkish people among us.
Time to go up the mountains to find the old traditional farmhouses. I must say these roads are not only steep but also dangerous. I stared at the ledge of the road and it was not nice I must say. Also the roads were so narrow that only one car could pass at a time. So I was praying for no countering cars. Unfortunately there were from time to time cars, and the locals here drive SO fast around this area. I can not even fathom it! We were turtles on the road basically, so I guess we pissed off some locals who also couldn't overtake because of the narrow roads. I prefer being yelled at than end up in the deep end of the below picture.
Brrrrrrr.....
Very narrow!
Even the navigation was like, ehhh, guys? Where are you going? Please turn back?
Anyway, arriving at Kimura-ke, the view was quite stunning, from the house as well as of the house. But man, no safety rails nothing! So scary! So we arrived at the house, the thatched roofed style was really authentic. So a little background on the Kimura-ke: it prospered during the Edo period and is about 300 years old.
After going in the house and sitting down, for the price of 700 yen we could get into the house and order something small. We had some matcha and dango (a sweet round dumpling) which really went well with the cold weather: it was about 8 degrees and luckily we were sitting on electrically heated floor mats. According to the owner, a 70 year old man, this house hadn't changed since the Meiji era, so about a 100 years. He was burning a fire so the smoke was really getting into our eyes which was not that nice but somehow the smokiness was really going well with the weather.
Burning a fire in a sunken fireplace, old house style with tatami floors
Nice hot Matcha tea (traditionally made so it was really good, not lumpy), one dango (I think it was matcha flavored maybe and had an azuki, or sweet red bean, filling), and of course a warm o-shibori (wet towel), all in all a good combination for the cold weather.
Stunning view from the inside, beautiful old house with Japanese sliding doors.
Not my video but gives you a good impression
As soon as the old man found out I spoke Japanese he immediately asked if we were American. When I said we were Dutch he immediately talked about the 'terrible' situation of Dutch politics (which is not that bad honestly). He then continued on about how the world is changing and every country is getting more inwards instead of uniting to become whole as a world. And that we should learn from our history. Gloomy little man, but I agreed with him. I do wonder how the conversation would have been if we said we were American, oh boy. Glad we didn't get into that!
The smoke got the better of us so we decided to leave after a long conversation with the owner. We got some hand made souvenirs for cheap to support the local tourism and decided to drive to Chiiori, it started to rain and it was cold, especially up in the mountains. The old man gave us the directions to Chiiori, he said just drive up 700 meters. Well, it was definitely more than that because we were going and going, eventually we found it. It was really high up in the mountains! And at one point some of the hardened roads stop and you kind of just have dirt or stones roads. We couldn't reach it by car so we had to walk a bit. When we arrived unfortunately it was closed, so we couldn't get in. We took a picture from afar and because it was raining we decided to go back quickly.
Chiiori, the 300 year old thatched roofed house
Walking back to the car we encountered some older people. I told them it was closed and they were disappointed. They were really nice folks from Shikoku, we talked a bit and then waved them goodbye. On our way we had the most memorable views of the mountains.
I just can't get enough of these misty mountains, they look so mysterious.
We had gotten hungry so we decided to go to this lunch place which was recommended by the hotel receptionist earlier. It was called Iyabijin, a very authentic feeling place with traditional Japanese music playing where you can enjoy soba, udon and other things. I had a nice tendon (tempura rice bowl) and I got a little bowl of soba to go with it. I usually eat gluten-free but it was hard, especially in these regions, to find a gluten-free meal. Lactose-free on the other hand, is quite easy.
Tired and done with the cold and rain (but not the beautiful misty mountains) and also the narrow curvy roads which take a toll on you, we decided to head back. Back at the hotel we just had some relaxing time, we did our laundry and played some pingpong. We watched some Japanese television, there was a traveling show about the Naruto bridge and the whirlpools which seemed really interesting and not far from us. We also enjoyed some Japanese chocolates we got at the Seven Eleven, but we both agreed we Europeans do chocolate better hehe.
Strawberry chocolate, it was pretty ok
Well if you sit on the ground, might as well have some back support!
Sick in bed
The next day I was sick and wanted to stay in bed. Because futons aren't really great for that we were able to transfer to a Western style room. The room was smelly though (also throughout the hotel), it was probably a smoking room. The hotels up until now were all so old and outdated. Yet still expensive. Opening a window meant that it would get really cold inside so we just endured the smell. I wouldn't recommend this place for a longer time but for a couple of nights it's fine. We traveled so intensely that I just needed a rest, also it was so cold and we didn't really count on that. Hello! Spring in Japan?? Nowhere to be found. So I watched some Dragon Ball Super in bed. It was a bit cringy to me, they really butchered Goku's character. I get that he's carefree but this is overkill. No wonder he is seen as a villain, but I am sure he will win and save the universe or something lame.
We played a bit of pingpong again, as we had a lot of fun the day before. But we were both tired and gave up after a while. We both suck at the game anyway but hey, it's about having fun! I skyped with my best friend and my dad, I won't be in my home country for a while but technology is nice so we can still keep in touch. When I studied in Fukuoka 10 years ago we didn't have that. It was all about the phones, which makes me a bit nostalgic thinking about it. I even still had a landline phone in my room back then, lol.
Lots of bridges and whirlpools
Our last day in Shikoku, we checked out early because we had a really long drive up ahead. So first stop, Naruto! No, not the anime. If someone invents a portal to travel to anime land that would be interesting (and scary). It was a long drive to Naruto, and really not on our way at all to our next destination in Tsuyama where we would check in that day. Arriving there, the weather was amazing! Perfect to take pictures of the area. And also: not cold and rainy so we were happy! Well, we didn't arrive exactly at first... We accidentally drove a bit too far, Navigation failed us this time! But Navidevi got us on the right track again. This did mean that we got on the bridge and went all the way almost to Kobe! The tollbooth mister was really kind to let us go back for a reduced price! Tolls already cost an arm and a leg in Japan, yigh.
Only on highways each city had its own 'logo', it's great and very cute (ergo very Japanese) I made a compilation of all the logos I could photograph.
Woops, drove a bit too far...
Hello Kobe on the other side.
After getting back we were on the right route to the whirlpool watching place. We only went to the observatory, it's also possible to go on a boat and see the whirlpools up close but we didn't do that because of our tight schedule. Entrance to the observatory was 510 yen, and parking was 500 yen (so expensive for just parking for a little while). Before we went into the observatory, we climbed up to the lookout to snap some nice pics of the bridge. The weather was really nice that day.
The Onaruto bridge
Going into the observatory it was quite a long walk before actually getting there. But the views kept on being amazing so I did not mind one bit!
You could see that the observatory is located underneath the bridge
The combination of tides/depth of water etc. create these whirlpools, this picture shows the difference in depth and a boat with tourists trying to catch some whirlpools in action.
Beautiful colors
The best moments to catch these whirlpools were in the morning, and in the afternoon around 1.30 pm so we got there by 1.00 pm. And then waited. We didn't really see anything. At one point I heard some Chinese tourists yelling 'you da de'! With the bit of Mandarin that I understand I went to them and asked if they saw a big one as they yelled. And he said just wait a minute and then you will see. So I crouched next to him with my camera in my hands. We waited and waited and thennnn... YES! 'You da de!' we yelled together! We saw some big whirlpools.
This is a smaller one I was able to photograph, but it's quite clear
After seeing the whirlpools we drove onwards to Tsuyama. So our route was basically this:
It took way longer than 5 hours let me tell you that, because we stopped at Takamatsu (above the name Kagawa in the above picture). We wanted to eat something, so we went into the city. Checking the internet I saw that there was a good sushiplace, but when we finally found it it was closed. So hungry, getting hangry even, we saw a Turkish restaurant! You can always count on the Turks to be everywhere hah! We went in, ordered some kebab, and I talked to the Turkish owner. His wife is Japanese and she spoke some Turkish too! I was quite impressed.
After having a nice meal we went on our way to our final stop: the airbnb artist house called Ujitei. On the way we passed the other bridge, 2 wonderful bridges in 1 day with wonderful views. We were so lucky that the weather was great too.
Beautiful sunset and view of the islands from the Seto bridge
Welcome to Okayama prefecture! Another cute highway logo
Afterwards we had a really, really long drive. Really looking forward to the airbnb in the middle of nowhere, just to get some rest. We will stay there one week so lots of resting time and enjoying the countryside! When we arrived quite late, the host's mother saw us drive in the street because we were looking for the house. It was quite hidden so we were going back and forth a bit (like what the hell did we get ourselves into), in the pitch dark of the countryside. No street lighting nothing, just dirt roads and darkness. Luckily she came out and waved at us. We met her and Yuka, her daughter whom is the host on airbnb. These people and this house are so memorable and so amazing, I will write all about that in my next blog! So stay tuned..
Shikoku spring conclusion
All in all, we saw no sakura (as was the intention of this trip starting the end of march). So I would definitely recommend this area, but not in march. Maybe april would be better, a bit warmer also to go rafting. The Sunriver Hotel was ok, not spectacular, and quite old. We have also seen some other hotels in the neighborhood, like the Kazurabashi hotel near the vine bridge, this one looks so much better from the pictures. Going in the onsen with a mountain view is amazing. Also, I think that in the fall you would have even better views to watch the changing colors of the leafs, called 'momiji'. Our original plan was to go to Shiundeyama, which is a mountain full of sakura blossoms. But since it was so cold and no sakura in sight in Shikoku we decided not to waste our time, so this one is still on our bucket list! I would definitely recommend to go to Naruto and see the whirlpools, check online about the best seasons and best times to visit, because you don't want to miss those whirlpools! As you know we drove a looong way to catch them lah! Stay tuned for more adventures, still to come: artist house airbnb, Himeji, Tottori, Kyoto and more!
artist house airbnb, Himeji, Tottori, Kyoto and more!
