#azabu juban

[sorakazeno]

Mamoru's Apartment

Mamoru's apartment in the Crystal series.

Building is not exactly the same but rather similar. I wasn't able to walk all the way around the building. Maybe next time.

Slightly different angle.

Up next is Makoto's Crystal Apartment!

[muratagawa]

Azabu Juban, Tokyo, October 2022

[morporkian-cryptid]

🖋🎴Daily Hanafuda pt.3 progress!

Day 31

Wait I didnt post anything on day 30. I didn't forget to write, did I??

Anyway. No writing today because I didn't have the energy to come up with new words, but I did do a serious bit of editing. Past me, come on, you're not even making an effort...

[caelenath]

Meanwhile, Tokyo Tower just gets up and moves to wherever the animators want it.

😂

Okay, I have revised and updated my Azabu-Juban Crystal map!  Because I am a nerd and this is the sort of thing I do, I “walked” down the street where I think Usagi’s house is using Google Street View, and I think it’s a bit further down the hill than I assumed.

At this intersection, the road takes a sharp turn, and is just steep enough that the Tokyo Tower is visible.

As you can see, Tokyo Tower is still quite hidden by buildings, and there is not quite as much greenery here.  But the angle, the wall and trees on the left, and the green railing by the sidewalk all match.  As well, this corner has only apartment buildings, no houses.  

I think Crystal deliberately paints Azabu-Juban in an idealistic way.  There is more greenery, more houses than apartment buildings, and Tokyo Tower is much closer and more visible.  In fact, Tokyo Tower seems to migrate depending on where the animators want it, but we’ll get to that.

The Osa-P Jewelry Store is also located in one of Azabu-Juban’s more visually appealing areas.  This area is called “Patio Juban,” and features a small shopping area surrounding a tiny park.  At one end of the park is the Kimichan statue, which is often used as a landmark for meeting up with people.  

(Images courtesy of Azabu-Juban Walking Guide)

Both Usagi’s house and Osa-P appear to have moved from generic side streets to more visually appealing parts of Azabu-Juban.  

Meanwhile, Tokyo Tower just gets up and moves to wherever the animators want it.

Should you be able to see Tokyo Tower from Osa-P?  Nope.  

Do we care?  Well, I’ve always considered the Tokyo Tower to be an iconic fixture of Sailor Moon.  I would be sad if it were not visible just because it is now so hidden by other buildings.  

I like this merging of fantasy and realism the animators are doing with Azabu-Juban.  It suits the magical element of the series.

[demonslayedher]

The first fanbook tells us that lately, Mitsuri is hooked on "youshoku" (Western food) like pork cutlet and omelette rice, so her expenditure on food is pretty extreme.

Nowadays, these Japanese-style "Western foods" are pretty ubiquitous but not actually things you run into much in "the West." The ingredients and recipes have changed here and there with how long they've been around, so a nerd buddy who knows Tokyo better than I do (and who is a Mitsuri fan) insisted I try out what these things would have tasted like in Taisho. That's why she took me to Rengatei, where some of Mitsuri's favorite dishes were born.

I'm going to let this food blog do the talking about the restaurant itself and how it has the credit for creating many well-known dishes, including pork cutlet and omelette rice. It's an interesting, short read.

We'll focus most on what Rengatei might mean for Mitsuri, and on that note, I'll call your attention to the fact that this food blog article first mentions looking for a similar restaurant with a long history in the Azabu Juban area. Mitsuri is from a spot that was known as the Iikura neighborhood of the Azabu area in the Taisho period, and what is now known as the Azabudai area. Back in the Taisho period, this was a glitzy shopping and entertainment area where Mitsuri would have had many options for popular Western style restaurants. Even today, Azabudai feels like an area meant for people who make far more money than I do.

So, if she was spoiled for choice closer to where she lived back then, would she have bothered going over to Ginza, another glitzy shopping area of Tokyo, to visit Rengatei? The restaurant opened in 1895, a year or so before she was born, so it would have been well established, but not exactly new. To that I say, let's assume she'd have had plenty of opportunities to go to Ginza. It's perfectly reasonable to assume she might have visited the restaurant that developed some of her favorite dishes. Even today, Rengatei plays up the retro atmosphere with the table setting and wait staff uniforms.

Thing is, despite the retro feeling of modern-day Rengatei, this building was constructed in the 1960s. Mitsuri's wouldn't have seen the place in the same way you can see it today.

The kicker is that it would have been the same Meiji era recipes.

My friend who took me along asked for my thoughts on the food afterward, and we arrived at the same conclusions about it being not amazing, but feeling a little imperfect compared to many other versions of these recipes that we've had. Like you can tell these were freshly developed and on the homestyle side. I had the omuraisu (omelet rice, as it is better known today instead of the long o-mu-re-tsu-rai-su* as it used to be known), and she had the tonkatsu (pork cutlet, which is also a shorter way of saying po-o-ku-ka-tsu-re-tsu*, with "ton" for "pork").

*Both the KnY fanbook and the Rengatei menu use old, long names, though there was some linguistic variation like ka-re-ka-tsu or ka-to-re-to until the current names were settled on.

So why were these sorts of foods such a big deal? There were a lot of new foods introduced to the Japanese diet over the course of the Meiji period, especially meat, since Japan was very influenced by Buddhism and not widely in the habit of eating it (but you can always find exceptions, and different strains of Japanese Buddhism vary in how much they condemn certain lifestyle choices). Many new meat dishes, like curry and sukiyaki (or rather, gyunabe as Rengoku knew it in his bentou), were fancy and expensive and novel in the Meiji period. Perhaps more surprisingly, eggs were also a luxury item (though they have a complex history in the Japanese diet).

Granted, by the time the Taisho period rolls around, a lot of high society in Tokyo has already had some time to get used to these new menu items being a thing, and how much they were adopted into people's lifestyles varied as much as how much they adopted Western attire and houses. On that note, it is very interesting how in the flashback to Mitsuri's family life, they live in a very Japanese-style home and visit Japanese-style establishments and eat Japanese-style sweets, but by the time we join Mitsuri for Hashira training, there are Western elements to her home (though it is not clear if she lives with family or not), and she eats Western style sweets (beekeeping has a long history, and Western methods of beekeeping were introduced in Meiji long before Mitsuri was born). We can see how quickly what was normal for Mitsuri changed over the course of her life, so it's possible she really hadn't been in a habit of eating Western food until closer to when she joined the Corp. While I'm sure Rengoku was happy to eat anything, his home and tastes still seem to lean distinctly non-Western in comparison.

Anyway, so how was the food at Rengatei? Back to that topic!

I usually associate restaurant omuraisu with being impeccably fluffy, and with a variety of sauces and rices seasonings to choose from, even if ketchup is traditional. However, this omelet had a distinctly flatter, more inconsistent texture than you usually get with standard restaurant omuraisu. It's closer to just the usual flat, bumpy, but at least smoothly beaten omelette you'd be more likely to accomplish at home. Even the ketchup had a bit of a freshly-blended quality to it, but I can't exactly say I'm ketchup connoisseur. For all we know about Mitsuri, she might be.

The pork cutlet was, as you get into it yourself instead of having somewhat pre-cut strips like at many tonkatsu establishments, very clearly a hunk of meat. My usual image of tonkatsu is a evenly tenderized, evenly cooked hunk of white meat, with a stretch of fat along one side. Not so with this--the textures and darkness and lightness of the meat, as well as the amount and distribution of fat, was more typical of a cut of meat that is first and foremost meat; not a uniform product. My friend really loves tonkatsu, and says she prefers this juicy, not-quite-perfected version. Because it is a greasy dish, this is why Rengatei introduced the convention of serving it a bed of shredded cabbage to aid in digestion, which all of Japan has copied ever since.

As a brief note, most online sources say "yeah, Rengatei invented tonkatsu (but we're all probably copying the same source)." It seems there is another restaurant (Ponchitei) that claims to have invented tonkatsu before or after 1897, and for what I've poked around, the claims for Rengatei's invention aren't clear, but 1899 seems like the most likely time it entered the menu (I saw a claim for 1890, but the restaurant didn't open until 1895...).

Anyway, tl,dr; I did feel I was eating something closer to what Mitsuri would have known and loved by having eaten at Rengatei.

I also felt it went to show why her food bill was so high, because Rengatei is not cheap (like, about twice what I'd typically be willing to pay). You're paying for some ambiance and history here, as opposed to just a standard meal. Also, it is worth noting that although there is scant official information for the parent restaurant in Ginza, there is a lot more information for an off-shoot restaurant in Fukagawa that opened in 1928. That includes a short, cute English article introducing Western foods.

But hey, despite the stiff prices, I was full and satisfied after one plate of omuraisu and a couple bites of pork cutlet. Mitsuri-chan has a Hashira salary, so she can afford as many servings as she likes.

[sug4rsweet]

ᯓ★ // ... Kaori Takahashi (Japanese: 高橋 かおり, Hepburn: Takahashi Kaori; born February 6, 1995), also known as Kimberley Ava Takahashi and mononymously known as Kaori, is a Japanese-American singer-songwriter, actress, producer, DJ, and fashion designer. Making her debut as a singer in 2011, she has gone on to be one of Japan's most popular singers. She is portrayed by Hirai Momo.

Kaori Takahashi was born on February 6, 1995 in Azabu-Juban, Tokyo, Japan as an only child. Born into a wealthy family, her father is Takahashi Hidehiko, a businessman. Her mother is Nakamura Mamiko, a singer-songwriter, socialite, designer, and former member of the eighties idol girl group Onyanko Club.

Takahashi's parents suddenly divorced in 2004, which caused her and her mother to move out of their wealthy neighborhood and into a small apartment in Yanaka, Tokyo. Takahashi and her mother would reside in Yanaka for two years until they moved into her maternal grandparents' home in rural Nakagawa, Nagano, Japan. They lived there briefly, moving to a larger townhouse apartment in Brooklyn shortly after.

After moving to the United States, Takahashi began acting and modeling as a way to support her mother. She attended an audition for Hannah Montana (2006) and secured a supporting role, and would continue working with Disney until 2010. Takahashi signed with Hollywood Records and released music under the label, but her debut album, scheduled for release in 2009, was shelved.

Takahashi attended high school in New York for a year, but moved to attend school in Tokyo in 2010. She would continue her modeling and acting career there, sending her mother a percentage of what she made.

Takahashi speaks Chinese fluently, as her mother studied it while in high school. She also speaks decent Spanish and French, the former of which she learned in high school, and the latter of which her mother also studied.

2005–2010: Career beginnings, stints with Disney, cancelled debut album

Shortly after moving to New York, Takahashi was scouted by IMG Models. She began modeling for magazines such as Seventeen and Elle Girl, for fashion brands such as Abercrombie & Fitch, and in commercials for the fashion doll brand Bratz.

Showing an interest in acting due to her love for actresses Lindsay Lohan, Angelina Jolie, and Lucy Liu, Takahashi began taking acting classes and auditioning for roles. Due to her inexperience, she didn't get many roles at first. However, she landed a small role in the television series Ugly Betty in 2005.

Around the same time, Takahashi's mother would spot a casting call in a newspaper for socialites Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie's reality show The Simple Life, calling for "eccentric families" on the East Coast that Hilton and Richie could live with. Seeing it as an opportunity for her daughter, Mamiko answered the call, and the Takahashi family was chosen by production. The family's episode aired in October 2005.

Takahashi would continue modeling following her role in Ugly Betty until she was convinced to audition for Disney's Hannah Montana. She scored a supporting role in the series, and she received critical acclaim once it premiered.

Following this, Takahashi would star in other TV shows such as the the sitcom Seven Street (2006), Law & Order: Criminal Intent, and in the film Cherrytree (2007). She also had a guest role in the show Wizards of Waverly Place (2007). In 2007, she began writing music and recording demos for Hannah Montana and other Disney productions, which included The Princess Protection Program (2008), 16 Wishes (2010), and Shake It Up (2010). Takahashi was also a cast member of The Mickey Mouse Club at this time, remaining on the show until 2008.

In 2008, she had a supporting role in the Emma Roberts-led film Wild Child. Afterwards, she had her first major film role in Lucky, playing the lead character Elizabeth "Lucky" Jones. The role garnered Takahashi a Kids' Choice Award nomination, as well as a Young Artist Award. In September, she was cast as Patrice in the Broadway production of the musical 13. Takahashi's popularity as an actress picked up, and as a result, Disney decided to push her as a singer, as well. Her debut single album, Kimberley, was released on October 9th, 2008. The album's lead single, "Girlfriend," debuted at No. 1 on Radio Disney. That same year, she also appeared in the music video for Miley Cyrus' "7 Things."

In early 2009, Takahashi starred in the television film Anything But, playing the rebellious Riley "Lee" Sawai. It garnered her first nominations at the Teen Choice and MTV Movie & TV Awards.

The same year, Takahashi was in talks with Disney to star in her own television series, but that would never come to fruition. She later confirmed that her debut album, titled Don't Tell, was set for release that year. However, months passed, and after the album's release faced multiple delays, news about it eventually stopped. By early 2010, Takahashi revealed that Don't Tell had been shelved and that she had moved back to Japan to continue school. Disney confirmed the news shortly afterwards.

The last two films Takahashi was in before resuming school was Talk Talk Talk and Superficial (both 2010), which both premiered in theaters to positive reviews. Takahashi contributed to the former’s soundtrack, which became her only album release in the States at the time. She also sang the track used in the opening credits of the latter and a track that appeared on the film’s soundtrack. Takahashi also appeared in a few episodes of the Nickelodeon TV show Victorious, which she also wrote music for.

2011–2015: Other acting roles, debut in Japan, rising popularity

After moving back to Tokyo, Takahashi moved into her maternal aunt and cousin's apartment. While in school, she continued to write music with the help of her mother, and recorded a few songs which would be posted to her Facebook page.

Takahashi would ease back into work through modeling, scoring jobs with Seventeen, Egg, Nylon Japan, Vivi, and S'Cawaii. She modeled for the clothing brands JSG and Fig & Viper, the former of which was founded by former model Kaoru Watanabe. Takahashi was also featured in various commercials, as well as in campaigns for cosmetics brands such as Dolly Wink and ColourPop. She also became an exclusive model for Egg, appearing on five separate covers.

After modeling for a while, Takahashi had a supporting role in the Japanese drama Switch Girl!! (2011). The drama made her popularity as an actress rise in Japan, and later that year, she scored another major film role.

Playing the lead in the film High School Debut, it would do immensely well, becoming one of the most popular teen films in Japan and skyrocketing Takahashi to star status. She was nominated for numerous awards in the country, most notably for the Best Newcomer awards at the Japan Academy Film Prize. Additionally, Takahashi also sang "Heart no Tonari Ni," the song used in the films opening credits, which would go on to chart highly in Japan. As a result, the record label Avex Trax would later contact her and offer her a recording contract.

Takahashi accepted, wanting to restart her music career. After nine months of development and recording, Takahashi released her debut single, "Treat Me (Akachan o Atsukatte)."

Meant to establish her "eccentric" image and technopop sound, "Treat Me" debuted at No. 4 on the Oricon charts, selling over 100,000 units. It fared moderately in the States, landing at No. 39 on the Billboard Hot 100. The single brought Takahashi back into the public consciousness, and it set the precedent for what would be her debut album.

2012–present: Debut album, expansion into other countries, superstar status

Finally, on February 17, 2012, Takahashi released her debut album, Kaori. It was massively successful, selling over 400,000 units and debuting at No. 2 on the Oricon albums chart. It also did well in the United States, garnering a placement of No. 70 on the Billboard 200. With sales of over a million, Kaori was one of the highest selling albums in Japan by the end of 2012. Takahashi's sophomore album, Sweet 18 (2013), would turn her into a teen idol in the country.

After releasing her second studio album, Takahashi released her debut Chinese album, K.T. (2013). Prior to its release, the single "I'm Not Yours" was released. It topped the Global Chinese Pop Chart, selling over 90,000 units in the country.

In 2020, Takahashi signed with JYP Entertainment and ventured into the Korean pop market with the single "I'm Not Cool" off of her extended play Spicy 'n Sweet. Both the single and album topped the Gaon charts, and Takahashi became the fastest female soloist to garner a first win after just four days. She would achieve a triple crown three weeks later.

With over 10 million albums sold in total, Takahashi is one of the highest-selling musical artists in Japan as of 2024. On September 6, 2024, she released her eighth studio album, CHECK IT!, alongside the single "ESCALATE."

The album sold over 2,500,000 units within its first week, and its projected to be the highest selling album in Japan by the end of the year.

Takahashi is a lesbian, of which she's been open about since her debut in 2012. She has stated that she has known she was into girls since she was in middle school, stating, "I guess I've always been this way. I naturally gravitated towards girls more, but I think it really clicked when I was around 11. I never clicked with boys in a romantic sense."

Since 2014, Takahashi has been dating singer and DJ Elizabeth "Liz" Ronson. The two were in a highly publicized relationship for six years, until they publicly split in 2020. They remained apart for three years, but rekindled their relationship in 2023. In September 2024, Takahashi and Ronson announced that they were engaged after seven years of dating. The two live together in Los Angeles and own a cat, Matcha.

At the age of nine, Takahashi was formally diagnosed with autism and attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD). Since the start of her career, she has been very open about her experiences with both, and has been an advocate for other neurodivergent individuals.

In 2013, nine years after their publicized divorce, Takahashi's parents were remarried at a small ceremony in France. Takahashi acted as the maid of honor. The year prior, she had seen her father in person for the first time since 2004.

In 2014, Takahashi founded the fashion brand Jazzy. Targeted at mainly teen and young adult audiences, the brand was based around Takahashi's own individual aesthetic, as well as around the gyaru subculture. In 2016, Jazzy expanded into cosmetics and began housing Takahashi's first of two fragrances, Electric Pink. The brand, now worth over USD$400 million, is well-known for its eyewear, handbags, and accessories.

Takahashi began deejaying in 2014, following a surprise set at Tommorowland. Since then, she has done sets at Glastonbury, Coachella, and at the Governor's Ball in New York City.

In 2014, Takahashi became the face for Moschino's Toy 2 fragrance, but left the brand shortly after. In 2016, Takahashi was named the global ambassador for the Italian luxury fashion house Versace, which was teased in an Instagram post in April of that year. She became the face of the brand's Crystal Noir fragrance shortly after, and has remained with them since.

In 2016, she became the ambassador for SK-II, the largest luxury skincare company in Japan. A year later, Takahashi was chosen as the face of MAC Cosmetics, signing a USD$10 million contract with the brand. She was later featured in a pictorial for their Viva Glam lipstick line in Vogue Japan.

Takahashi has also been named the global ambassador of Bulgari in 2018, and Hermes the following year, and Marc Jacobs in 2022. In 2020, she became the model for Chum Churum, a soju brand founded in South Korea.

The following year, Takahashi was named the ambassador for South Korean eyewear brand Gentle Monster. In 2022, she partnered with the brand to create her own limited edition line of sunglasses. The line, called Kashi x Gentle Monster, was sold for six months.

In 2023, Takahashi partnered with Push! Color, a colored contact lens brand founded in Japan, to release her own line of colored lenses, called DEJA U. Four separate colors, ranging from light blue to hot pink to gray to yellow, were released in May.

format entirely inspired by @venusvity ! ★

[carsonfilm]

E500 @ Azabu Juban

[city-cost]

On a walk from Azabu-Juban, climbing north to Azabudai Hills and the Reiyukai Shakaden Temple, and then west and downhill into the backstreets of Roppongi, mid March.

[stickydinosaurkoala]

Since Sailor Moon Crystal is a week away from its 10th anniversary, Usagi's birthday is on Sunday, and I must admit that the Saban Moon pilot really has to be surprising for Victoria to show up in Azabu-juban!

[pretty1npnk]

Ever since she hit the mainstream internet in 2017 through her ever-popular YouTube channel, Chouka Aikawa has been fashion's favorite It girl. However, fashion isn't the only thing she's good at. She's a designer, a businesswoman, a former ballerina, and more recently, an idol. And she's taken the industry by storm. From her debut in the States to her debut in South Korea, Chouka has proven that she can really do it all, positioning her as the world's next pop princess.

𝜗𝜚 ... BASICS.

BIRTH NAME ... Aikawa Chouka

ENGLISH NAME ... Love Rose Antoinette Aikawa

BIRTHDAY ... March 14th, 1999

BIRTHPLACE ... Milan, Italy

HOMETOWN ... Kyoto, Japan // Azabu-Juban, Tokyo, Japan

ETHNICITY ... Japanese

NATIONALITY ... Italian-Japanese-American

𝜗𝜚 ... PHYSICAL.

HEIGHT ... 5'8" 1/2 (174 cm)

WEIGHT ... 119 lbs (53 kg)

BLOOD TYPE ... O

PIERCINGS ... N/A

TATTOOS ... N/A

FACE CLAIM ... Minatozaki Sana

𝜗𝜚 ... CAREER.

COMPANY ... Republic Records // Flowerbank Entertainment S.Berry Media

DEBUT DATE ... April 5th, 2024

YEARS ACTIVE ... 2024–present

FANDOM NAME ... Rosettes (로제트 // ロゼット)

COLORS ... #FFA3B9 // #FFFFFF

𝜗𝜚 ... BACKGROUND.

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ 🩰 … ONE. IF I WAS A RICH GIRL

Aikawa Chouka was born on March 14th, 1999 in Milan, Italy. And unlike most in her field, she was born into immense wealth and prestige. Her father, Aikawa Chujirō (also known as Michael Aikawa), is the current president and CEO of the Aikawa Group. Originally founded in 1969 as a technology conglomerate, the company sold its shares twenty years later for $20 billion, turning itself into a sprawling holdings company. Owning mostly luxury brands (including Versace), they also own multiple department stores in the United States such as Saks Fifth Avenue and Macy’s, and even Paramount. The Aikawa Group has been touted as the “Samsung of Japan,” and with a net worth of over $480 billion, the Aikawa family is the richest in the world.

Meanwhile, Chouka’s mother, Nakamura Aiko (also known as Liliane Aikawa) is an accomplished, London-born actress and designer, as the founder of luxury lifestyle brand Lily by Liliane, as well as a socialite, art dealer, and former model. Aiko was born into a family older and wealthier than her husband’s (or at least that would’ve been true in 1990), and is the only child of Nakamura Hiroaki, the president of the Nakamura Foods Company. Founded all the way back in 1909 (although the Nakamura family was rather high up in Japanese society generations prior), the food packing conglomerate is worth over $20 billion. Like her husband’s family, Aiko’s family also owns a department store, having acquired ownership of the Tokyu Department Store in 2009.

Obviously, Chouka grew up in the lap of luxury. Living in Milan for the first five years of her life, she attended a Japanese international school and learned her native language of Japanese, along with Italian and English. In 2004, Chouka and her family moved to Kyoto. And due to her family’s wealth, they would spend a lot of time moving.

During the summers of 2009 and 2010, they would live in three separate cities: Berlin, Amsterdam, and Paris. Starting in 2011, they would live in Singapore for a year. And finally, in 2015, the Aikawa family would move for the final time to the wealthy and fashionable neighborhood of Azabu-Juban in Tokyo. Chouka completed her final two years of high school there, and was involved in quite a few extracurriculars. She was a cheerleader, a member of her school’s tennis team, and she served as editor-in-chief of its newspaper club. Chouka would move again in 2016, but without her parents this time. She spent that winter at a boarding school in Switzerland, like most rich girls of her caliber.

By then, Chouka was a seasoned ballet dancer. At the age of three, she was placed in classes by her mother at the request of Chouka’s grandmother. She attended two separate ballet academies at some point: the Dutch National Ballet Academy and the Paris Opera Ballet. For years, Chouka believed that she would become the world’s next prima, but the universe had different plans.

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ 🩰 … TWO. DRESS TO IMPRESS

For the most part, Chouka’s childhood was normal. However, when you have a designer for a mother, you tend to get dragged to a whole lot of fashion shows. At the tender age of thirteen, she attended her first show for Dior. And it wasn’t just that, either. Chouka grew up watching her grandmother order couture from Paris and Milan, she would be gifted old pieces from her mother, and her father even gifted her Louis Vuitton for her tenth birthday. After that Dior show, however, Chouka’s entire world changed.

She became quite obsessed with fashion, and she would spend hours flipping through fashion magazines or rummaging through her mother’s closet. All the balls and launch parties and red carpet events that Chouka would attend with her family changed her outlook on fashion, and after she was scouted by a modeling agency at fifteen, her interest only grew. She attended Fashion Weeks in Tokyo and New York, and modeled for brands like Betsey Johnson.

Chouka kind of knew that her career as a model was temporary, though, and her “true calling” was a fashion designer or journalist (courtesy of her mother). With the rise of the beauty guru, Chouka’s interest in fashion blogs, and all the time she spent on Instagram, however, she decided that, instead, she would become social media famous.

In 2015, Chouka launched a blog of her own: Love Moda. This was unusual for her family, as like the real-life, Japanese rendition of the Young family from Crazy Rich Asians, they were notoriously private. They would sporadically appear in news articles, Aiko would give the occasional magazine interview solely for brand reasons or to promote a new project, and Chujirō mainly limited his media appearances to business publications. Obviously, though, Chouka had vastly different aspirations. Love Moda was mentioned in an editorial she did with Tatler, and that kind of exposure—plus the fact that she had money—made interest in her blog skyrocket. By 2016, it had amassed over 10,000 readers.

By the next year, Chouka had cemented herself as a somewhat of a “baby influencer.” Despite the invites to Paris fashion shows and the articles being written about her in Vogue, however, she was far from mainstream. Her small legion of fans wanted her to be, though. Chouka was asked to start a YouTube channel by one of them, and so on May 19th, 2017, she did.

Chouka was already a bit of a “micro-celebrity,” so by the summer, her sizable following had transferred to her new channel. Her YouTube gradually begin to grow larger than her blog as the beauty community gained traction themselves, and her status as the “Aikawa Group heiress” was definitely a selling point, alongside her feminine, “rich girl” fashion and peculiar accent. By the end of 2017, the brand deals were beginning to roll in, and everyone was gradually starting to know her name.

In early 2018, a particular video of Chouka’s suddenly went viral. What followed afterwards was the exact mainstream fame that she’d been looking for. She moved to Los Angeles from New York and was scoring ambassadorships with the likes of Kate Spade, Nina Ricci, and even Prada. She was getting invited to award shows, launch parties, and was a seasoned Fashion Week attendee at that point. And by 2019, Chouka blew up even further. She was named “fashion’s newest It girl,” she made her way into the acting industry, and it was pretty much impossible to escape her.

2018 was also a rather difficult year for her, though. At that point, Chouka had been a ballerina for sixteen years. But with her rising career online, she knew that she couldn’t pursue her lifelong dream of prima stardom without giving up her YouTube career.

Although ballet would always have a special place in her heart, her career aspirations had obviously changed. Even then, though, Chouka was still training, and she still wanted to attend another ballet academy. But balancing that and what clearly transformed from a hobby into her way of life was asking for too much. So that year, Chouka hung up her pointe shoes and bid goodbye to ballet. That decision was a difficult one, but it was probably for the best, as her career as an influencer has done more for her than a ballet career ever would. And there was still a whole lot more in store.

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ 🩰 … THREE. ALL THE INFLUENCE IN THE WORLD

Within the next five years, Chouka would grow to become one of the best fashion influencers on the planet, with 11 million subscribers, over twenty brand deals, and countless successful business ventures to her name. Even with a billion dollar bank account, though, she—like most influencers nowadays—couldn’t help but branch into the music industry.

In late 2023, Chouka suddenly signed to Republic Records, unexpectedly promising her fans a music debut by the next year. And on April 5th, 2024, she fulfilled her promise. Debuting with the single “Girls Don’t Cry,” her debut was a smash hit. Surprisingly, it was received far better than the music of other influencers, nearly becoming a No. 1 hit and turning Chouka into an up and coming pop princess. Months later, she signed to Flowerbank Entertainment, which was definitely... a choice. Chouka was pretty much the only active artist under the label, but her debut was still fully-funded and massively successful. However, she only had two full comebacks afterwards, before she jumped ship herself. Immediately after her departure, Flowerbank was no more.

In October 2024, Chouka founded S.Berry Media, her very own entertainment company. As of now, she's the only artist underneath the label, but like everything she touches, it could quickly grow into something much bigger. But with complete control over her career and a vision like no other, Chouka's not leaving the industry anytime soon.

Flowerbank Entertainment belongs to @pinkscaped // @venusvity ... 𝜗𝜚

[sorakazeno]

Amishiro Park

90s Anime, Episode 1 of the Super season.

Fountain at the park taken on December 3, 2023.

R season swing set when Chibi Usa ran away.

Swing set in the park.

Swing Set In the Eternal Movie.

Cosmos Movie.

Not sure where all these trees came from in the Cosmos Movie.

Hekisho. The monument is a girl riding a phoenix over clouds and waves. It is supposed to represent soaring in the blue sky towards aspiring love, dreams, and coexistence with all living beings.

Playground in Eternal Movie.

Slide and signs.

Slide in the background in the left hand side.

Benches and sitting area.

Other side of the park looking back.

Sailor Moon Crystal Season 1 side view of the park.

View from the picture but on the other side of the park.

Park Safety.

This sign was really hard to get a good picture. Likely built when the park was in 1949.

I love the drawings that go with the rules!

Please don't feed the pigeons!

Next up will be Arisugawa Park and a very familiar fountain!

[todayintokyo]

Hi there! Hope you’re well and not melting away in the humidity. I am super excited to be planning a trip to Japan again after almost four years away. Considering I lived 1) in Kansai-ish territory and 2) near Nagoya, I never got much chance to explore Tokyo outside of the usual tourist places. I already have Jinbocho on my list (along with one of the Aoyama flower market tea houses and Nakano Broadway)— do you have any suggestions for what’s fun in Tokyo for someone who is a little more experienced with the area?

Welcome back!

Now here's a challenge! I don’t know whether you're looking for new & trendy, or old & traditional, and a lot depends on the season, but…

1) Stroll from Ueno Park or Nezu to Yanaka and Sendagi. See if you can find Snake Street and follow its curves. Yanaka is as Kyoto as Tokyo gets. Yanaka and Kagurazaka.

2) Shibamata for more old Edo vibes. Cross the river on the ferry. Only ferry in Tokyo.

3) Sunamachi Ginza Shopping District in Koto-ku: another old area that's being transformed by gentrification.

4) Get lost in Shibuya Station, just for fun, but take tranquilizers with you. Walk from Shibuya via Shoto to Yoyogi Park. Shoto is one of the wealthiest areas in Tokyo, but it's not as famous as, say, Azabu-Juban or Denenchofu. Stop at Levain for bread and Fuglen for coffee.

5) Explore the swanky, hipsterish areas of Kichijōji, Shimokitazawa, Daikanyama. Take the Setagaya Tram Line from Sangenjaya to Gotokuji and visit the temple birthplace of the famous maneki-neko. Lots of tiny shops and quaint shopping streets in a relatively upmarket area along the way.

6) Okutama. Walk along the Mitake Valley Riverside Trail, from Ikusabata to Sawai, stop for sake at the Sawanoi Sake Brewery, visit the Gyokudo Museum. You can continue past Mitake to the Okutama Fishing Centre. If you are here in autumn, you'll see breathtaking autumn colours.

7) Yokohama! Not exactly Tokyo, but a nice day trip. Minato-Mirai, Yokohama Foreign General Cemetery (no, seriously, Google it), Sankeien Gardens.

I'm not a food expert, but there are really nice restaurants in all these areas. Add Yakitori Alley in Yurakucho to your list: great atmosphere. (There's a maze under the tracks between Yurakucho and Shimbashi. Well worth a visit, but it gets a bit dystopian.) Museums? Fukagawa Edo Museum in Kiyosumi, all the art museums in Ueno Park. Plants 'n stuff? Yumenoshima Tropical Greenhouse Dome. Shinjuku Gyoen remains my favourite Tokyo park/garden.

It's very touristy, but so iconic that it's really worth it: New York Bar and Grill in the Park Hyatt Tokyo. Expensive though. Cocktail Works is a craft gin bar in Kanda (close to Jimbocho), and a very good alternative (but without the glorious view) (which is the whole point) (actually).

Oh, by the way, Piss Alley in Shinjuku? So yesterday. Try Sankaku Chitai in Sangenjaya or Nogecho in Yokohama instead. Shh, don't tell anyone.

Best free and still relatively uncrowded view of skyline: Bunkyo Civic Center observation lounge. Shh again.

Would this suffice? If you send more details about your timing and what you're interested in, I'll happily add more.

Enjoy the planning as much as the trip! 😊

[glitchdecay]

can we talk about how clever the code for episode 763 ("Conan and Heiji, Code of Love, Part 1") was?

for context: this was The One Where the Detective Boys Found a Drug Dealer's Notebook.

the code looks something like this:

the blurred kanji by themselves should be enough for the viewer to figure it out at home with the right knowledge, but Conan (and later Heiji) explain it for the reader/viewer all the same.

hit the Keep Reading button if you wanna read how i break it down.

here's how it works:

Conan figured out that the left column refers to station numbers. G11 and the kanji 日本 (Nihon) bring to mind Nihonbashi — station number 11 on the Ginza line.

being the autistic gremlin stellar detective he is, Conan has the entire Tokyo subway map memorized, but i don't have such an ability, so here's the Tokyo subway map.

the circled character in the code is the letter G (the first character), which means you have to pick the corresponding kanji in the station name: 日本橋. following from which, we can find the following:

E22: Azabu-juban 麻布十番

C10: Nijubashimae 二重橋前

Y21: Tsukishima 月島

M09: Shinjuku-sanchome 新宿三丁目

H02: Ebisu 恵比寿 ※ here, the entire thing is circled so all the characters are taken

I02: Shirokanedai 白金台

T22: Baraki-nakayama 原木中山

putting them in the table gives the following (please excuse my handwriting, i suck at kanji):

from here, we know that the first five lines give 十二月三日, or December 3rd.

in the screenshot, N22 is written on the right-hand side of the left column (confusing, i know) with 京橋 (Kyobashi) next to it. this is where Conan, our Edokko detective, initally gets confused: Kyobashi is station G10 on the Tokyo subway map.

enter Heiji, the resident Canadian Kansai boy, and his knowledge of Osaka. there, N22 is indeed Kyobashi station, as it is station number 22 on the Nagahori Tsurumi-ryokuchi line.

here's where the placement of the station numbers in the left column matters. you see, it's good etiquette to stand on one side of an escalator while riding it. in Tokyo, you stand on the left-hand side; but in Osaka, you stand on the right-hand side. if the left-hand side refers to Tokyo station numbers, then the right-hand side must refer to Osaka station numbers.

so let's look at the Osaka subway map as well.

from above, we know that N22 is Kyobashi (京橋). filling in the rest of the table gives:

N11: Taisho 大正

Y12: Higobashi 肥後橋

C22: Takaida 高井田

which completes the table like so.

now, the line after the date reads 正後恵比寿橋白井原. but instead of being read as is, Conan and Heiji broke them down further:

"shogo" being "noon" (正午),

"Ebisubashi" being the one in Osaka (which is written 戎橋), ※the arrow on the row with Ebisu indicates this

and "shiroibara" referring to the white roses worn by the drug dealers.

i am in awe of how clever this code is. like, this is why i love detective stories. being able to come up with stuff like this and present it as a Thing for the people in your head to figure out? wow.

p.s. also i love these goobers so much

[yokohamabeans]

When do you think Tenjiku was formed? Also how old were the haitani brothers when they were in juvie in your opinion? I thought it was after they killed that gang leader but ran had brown hair in juvie so it must be after that and they seem to already have established themselves in roppongi

Like I’m really curious about what got them in juvie I wish wakui will give us more background about the s62 😭

Hey anon!! Please accept my apologies for answering an ask from 2022 in 2023...... Nonetheless, I hope that the new year has started off splendidly for you!!

Tenjiku's Timeline & Formation

I think Tenjiku started on 3 levels: firstly in the orphanage between Izana and Kakucho when they were kids, though it's a really idealised version and probably something of a fantasy at that point. The second level is when Izana met the S-62 and they probably had a hunch they will all be in a gang together under Izana. Third is when Tenjiku officially formed and began operations.

The second level, which I consider the 'ideation' stage of Tenjiku, was in 2001 when they met in juvie (Chapter 139). That's when the S-62 were 13-14, and Kakucho was 10 (though he probably wasn't really involved then).

The third level, the official launch of Tenjiku, was mentioned to be 'new' relative to year 2006, and based on this interaction between Izana and Kisaki (who was said to have a hand in forming Tenjiku's operations) in Chapter 121...

...we can tell that Tenjiku had already been formed by 2006 (because of the uniform that Izana was already wearing), but haven't put their plans in full motion yet.

So putting all of these together (along with the Haitanis being seemingly unaffiliated as of the Valhalla arc which was October 2005), I think I can safely say that Tenjiku started as a smaller gang (with only Izana and Kakucho and some of their other guys) in 2005ish (or earlier), but only really started to build itself up in 2006 (after Kisaki's banishment from Toman at the start of January). I'm thinking something along this...

2001: Izana meets the S-62 in juvie, they all have talks about ruling Tokyo as a gang / criminal syndicate.

Before 2006: Izana is released from juvie, he and Kakucho start Tenjiku with their guys.

Early January 2006: Kisaki meets with Izana to scheme and advise how he should operate Tenjiku. Izana sends Kakucho to round up the Haitani Brothers (and presumably Mocchi and Mucho) to join their gang. I think Izana himself got Shion to join because it would've been an easy deal with their BD relationship.

Late January 2006: Tenjiku launches their attacks on Toman

22 February 2006: Kanto Incident (Toman vs Tenjiku). Izana's death and the disbandment of Tenjiku.

Haitani Brothers' Juvie Stint

As mentioned, they probably entered in 2001 (when Ran was 14, and Rindo was 13). I personally think that they entered shortly after their fight with the Max Maniacs (i.e. the Roppongi Incident), because that's a serious crime they committed. The Max Maniac VP ended up in the hospital, which was likely what led to the Haitani Brothers' arrest.

I think Ran's hair is brown in the flashback because it got shaved, so his natural hair colour (which is dark) grew out a little then! They were also already out by 2003, because Mitsuya spotted them out and about in the Azabu Juban Festival (which in real-life, typically occurs in late-August) then. So they didn't spend that much time (around 2 years) in the can.

According to this twitter thread by RanHaruchiyo, which is a summary/translation of an interview with Wakui-sensei, we were supposed to get a lot more Haitani backstory. Basically, Ran was a low-ranking member of the 'Rokusei Community' which was controlled by the Max Maniacs, and Ran stole money from their leaders, which was what sparked the Roppongi Battle of the Ashes which led to the Haitani's rise. (Unfortunately, the original interview is no longer available.... I will try to dig around and find some captures of it to get a better idea of what Wakui said in the inteview!!)

[underlash-owl]

ur brother is so pretty icl set me up w him ‼️😳

[japanesedoramaandanimelover91]

#SHO

Otonoha 2024.06.15

Vol.250

Prologue to the First Half of the Year 2024

Hello. This is me.

The first half of the year 2024 has come early, in the middle of June.

As the first half of the year is coming to an end, I would like to share with you the goals I have secretly set for the year 2024 and where we are now.

(...I didn't know there was such a thing. Hurry up and tell me.)

Take the train as much as possible. Smoothen the train ride.

I'm going to take the train as much as possible.

(What do you mean?)

One day, I suddenly had an idea,

I wanted to put a lot of "If you want to get to exit X at X station, you need to take X car.

I wanted to put a lot of "If you want to get out at exit X at station X, you need car X" into my head.

So, recently I have been looking at the paper on the station platform very much.

Well....

One day when I was spending my time doing that.

I took the Ginza line to Shibuya. The place is Miyamasuzaka.

I have been going there since I was a child...

(There was an episode when you had a fight with your mother in Shibuya when you were little and went home by yourself.)

(When I was in high school, I used to say that I was in Shibuya 8 days a week.)

He knew the area well, so to speak, and it was his "garden.

I can't tell you how many times I walked back and forth along the now-defunct "Toyoko Noren-gai" (Toyoko Goodwill Street)....

I also went to Shibuya for my electone and piano lessons when I was a child.

I can't tell you how many times I passed by the now defunct Tokyu Cultural Center, which used to have a planetarium.

It is one of the towns that holds many memories for me.

I got off at Shibuya.

The doors of the Ginza Line open.

Go out of the ticket gate.

... No, seriously, where is here?

(If you sympathize with me, please don't be silly!

I don't understand at all.

I can't go outside I can't go outside I can't go outside !!!!!!

(Image with echoes)

Guruguru. Giggle, giggle, giggle.

I keep getting lost while looking at the former Tokyu Bunka Kaikan (now Hikarie) outside.

......... Okay, let's go outside.

Let's go outside.

Anyway, once we get outside, we're all set.

After all, it was once a "garden.

First!

Outside!

......... Got it: !!!!

...The statue of Moyai!South entrance!!!! The exact opposite of Miyamasuzaka!

(If you sympathize with me, pucha-henza!)

Oh no. It's very difficult to get around Shibuya.

In the end, I managed to get to my destination by going from the south exit to Hachikou-mae to Miyamasuzaka.

and somehow arrived at the destination.

Then another day.

I boarded the Namboku Line from Meguro Station.

I was a user of the Inokashira Line and the Toyoko Line when I was a child, so I was a little nervous to take the Namboku Line, which I was not so familiar with.

(A man in his 40s, in a state of "Hajimete no Otsukai" by himself.)

The destination was Azabu-juban.

(rattling) Passing through Shirokanedai.

Passing through Shirokanedai.

(clattering)

Passing through Shirokane-Takanawa.

(clattering)

All right. That's the train.

It's so fast.

If you get off at the next station, you will be in Azabu...

No!Koko Sanda! !!!!!

What?

Why?

Where is this warp going?

Sakurai gets off in a hurry.

The first time he went to the Otsukai, he was unsuccessful.

Sakurai looks around.

...This is the Toei Mita Line, isn't it?

The body of the train is not green. This is blue, isn't it?

(For those who sympathize with me... ... are you there? I'm not sure...)

As a result, we returned to Shirokane-Takanawa, changed to the Namboku Line, and arrived at Azabu-juban Station without incident. Congratulations!

(This is a Tokyo local story, sorry if I didn't convey it well.

I am sure that many of you may have noticed this after reading this article.

Yes, I did.

I am enjoying this happening very much.

If you get on car x, exit x is closer to exit x."

It will be a while before I can master "If you get on car No. x, the exit is closer to exit No. x.".

I have renewed my determination to make this my goal for the second half of 2024.

Thank you for your continued support in the second half of the year.

June 15, 2024

Sho Sakurai(Ichiro Seike)←Talk about it!