#tokushima mission

[demonslayedher]

A Visit to the Homeland of Ufotable

This is the start of a long, collaborative post with Reichel about a little adventure we took (no, not the adventure to USJ—that post is coming eventually, really!). Spoiler alert: this is an Ufotable adventure! I’m preparing the history stuff, so @reicchel, take it from here!

[heart-teyvat]

Happy Dog Dad Day!

Thoma and Taroumaru are delighted to tell you we are officially live!! HEART Teyvat is a for-charity animal rescue zine organized to support HEART Tokushima, one of the very few no-kill shelters in Japan.

You can check out our mission and information about the project in our carrd!

Interest Check opens 01July! Follow us here or on Twitter for the latest news! Please reblog this post to help us get the news out!

[seoafin]

perseids

pairing: gojo x reader ; fushiguro megumi & reader warning: fluff. obligatory gojo warning. mentions of severed fingers. megumi thinks gojo is a stalker word count: ~3.9k

“Megumi,” you say his name one day, unassumingly. He knows that tone. He looks up from his homework, already anticipating what will inevitably follow. "Would you rather lose your hand or foot?”

Gojo guffaws from the couch, suddenly awake for someone who had collapsed on the couch twenty minutes prior and gone slack. Looking tremendously amused, he leans over the end of the couch, awaiting Megumi’s answer.

Underneath your expectant gaze from across him, book spread out in front of you, Megumi isn’t sure, if he’s being honest; to the answer to your question and the reason you asked in the first place. The only thing he is sure of is that he dislikes being fodder for Gojo's entertainment.

You deserve an answer though, for whatever line of thinking prompted this seemingly unexpected question. There's always a reason for it he thinks, however unapparent it may be to anyone else; some unanswered question or unorthodox approach that puts you at odds with people who don't know you.

So. He needs his hands; doesn’t know if he could call out his shadow shikigami without the coordinated hand movements the process entails. He also needs his hands to hold weapons for the training Gojo’s hinted at starting within the next month or two. But he also needs his feet. To run, to fight, to—

You laugh. “You’re thinking about it too hard! Though, I suppose you're thinking about all the potential disadvantages..." you go quiet, deep in thought. You probably don't realize you've stopped talking.

“You’re the one who asked the question,” he retorts, fiddling with his pencil, staring down hard at his homework to avoid having to see Gojo’s expression.

“Where’d this come from all of a sudden anyway,” Gojo says, stretching his arms out with a yawn. “It’s too early for you to be like this.” It comes out like a sigh, but a grin pulls at his lips.

You look down at your spread hand, flexing your fingers. “I lost two of my fingers last month,” you start casually. 

The smirk slides right off Gojo’s face. “Ha?”

“I almost lost my entire hand. A curse sliced it straight off,” you recount it as if you’re discussing how the rainy weather has ruined your plans for a picnic you hadn’t wanted to go to in the first place.

“When was this? Kobe? Tokushima? Hyogo?” Gojo begins to list the very specific locations of your previous missions in a worrying fashion that Megumi thinks should warrant at least some alarm on your side.

“Shoko reattached it.” You observe the pinky like you can’t believe it yourself, as if you’re admiring a pretty ring instead of the wonders of the reverse cursed technique. “Isn’t Shoko amazing?”

Megumi doesn’t have an answer for any of this. The conversation has spiraled past the conventions of normal talk, into wild, unfettered territory akin to stumbling around in the dark, blind, slowly feeling a path out.

“Oi,” A flicker of exasperation and impatience taints the usually unbothered lines of Gojo’s face. “Answer the question already.”

“Oh,” you turn to Satoru as if you had forgotten he was there in the first place. “Tottori. The sand dunes? I brought you souvenirs, remember?”

Gojo makes a face, lips verging on a frown. “Yeah no. That’s not what this is about—”

“I guess it got me thinking. The human hands are really important, you know? Our opposable thumbs are one of the wonders of the human body, and considered one of the greatest evolutionary forces in the development of our brains. It's the reason why I can handle my katana so well. But if for some reason I couldn't get to Shoko in time and had to choose between my foot or my hand, I'd probably choose my right hand. I think if I really had to, I could relearn the katana one handed."

Megumi does not know in what world this conversation would be applicable. Even Gojo is looking distinctly disgruntled, lips thinner than he's ever seen them, but he attributes that more to the fact that Gojo does not like being ignored by you.

"Anyway. We shouldn't be so reliant on Shoko all the time. You never know when she might not be able to come to your immediate aid." You finish with a nod, looking satisfied, and Megumi gets the sense that this is the climactic opinion that has formed the basis of this conversation.

"Oh," he says tonelessly. "Got it."

You smile.

-

“Megumi, Tsumiki,” you say, entering the apartment with a large bulky object under your arm, slightly out of breath. Tsumiki looks up from the table, eyes going wide as her gaze lands on the telescope. You grin. “There’s a meteor shower tonight. Let’s go see the stars!”

He hadn’t heard anything about a meteor shower, but he had seen several papers plastered to the telephone poles on his way to school depicting what he had assumed to be a shooting star for some event at night.

Tsumiki is boundless in her excitement, hands gripping his arm tightly. Even now, she looks towards him for a confirmation. She doesn’t want to leave him alone.

“Can we?” She asks. “Let’s go Megumi!” 

“Well, I don’t want to force you.” You set the telescope down. “You don’t have to come if you don’t want to. But I just thought it’s been a while since the three of us did anything together…”

Tsumiki tilts her head to the side. “Gojo-san’s not coming?”

“He’s in Nagoya for a super top rated secret mission!” She looks intrigued at your exaggeration. “There’s a really amazing place up in the mountains where we’d get a great view…” you trail off, raising an eyebrow at him. “Though if you don’t wan—”

“No,” Megumi says, decision made immediately. “I’ll go.”

Forty minutes later, after a car ride with a person you had introduced as an auxiliary manager and a short hike up the mountain’s trail, he and Tsumiki are spreading two large blankets over the grass while you are kneeling, telescope in arms as you adjust the lens with a precision that tells him this is nothing new to you.

Above them, away from the pollution and the gasses of Tokyo, the stars shine brighter than he’s ever seen. They all blur together, but if he focuses hard he can distinguish semi shapes. Not that he’s ever paid much attention to the stars in the first place. Tsumiki, on the other hand—

“And right there—”

“The milky way!”

“Correct!” you beam. The two of you are huddled around the eyepiece of the telescope as Tsumiki peers in with a smile that reaches to her ears. “Can you find the Orion constellation?”

The two of you chatter about the types of constellations you can see during the different seasons, Tsumiki following along easily. He’s seen the astronomy books checked out of the library, squirreled away in her book bag where she thinks nobody can see them, and he thinks you’ve seen them too.

From the darkness, the shadows morph into two familiar shapes next to him. Eager tongues lap at his hand in greeting. Then the two dogs bound towards Tsumiki.

“How about you?” You take a seat next to him on the blanket. Tsumiki is eagerly adjusting the focus on the telescope in front of the two of you while an absentminded hand scratches an ear of a happily panting dog. “Want a try?”

He makes a noncommittal noise. He’s content with watching Tsumiki. His own gaze gives him more than enough.

“The meteor shower is going to start soon,” you murmur, looking up. “So I suppose we won’t even need it then.”

The two of you observe the stars in silence, as Tsumiki calls out her observations every few minutes. There’s a couple of names that don’t sound real to Megumi, but you nod, pointing out several other constellations to be found in the sky tonight.

You lean back on your arms. “It’d be nice if I could take you two to see the Southern Crux,” you muse, “You can’t see it in Tokyo. The only place you can see it from in Japan is at Ishigaki or the Yaeyama Islands. We could go all the way to Ishigaki for a vacation next summer during June, how does that sound?”

Megumi’s never been outside the grand metropolitan area of Tokyo; has never really had any desire for it, too caught up in the taxing issue of immediate survival and Tsumiki’s care. A vacation. The concept is not unwelcome as it is foreign.

“Do you usually do things like this?”

You hum, now lying flat against the blanket, eyes unfocused. “A long time ago,” you sigh out, face resembling something that looks like indifference although it isn’t. “With my parents.”

A delighted gasp tears out of Tsumiki’s throat just as you finish, and Megumi watches a single bright line streak across the upper atmosphere amongst the thousands of stars glittering like cuts of jagged glass, following the path set by the undiluted milky way. It cuts through the sky until it slowly fades out of view.

Megumi thinks it’s pretty anticlimactic, but still pretty. An invaluable memory to Tsumiki so worth something.

Tsumiki is glued to the telescope as another comes within sight. And then another. Soon more than a few are in sight, looking as if they’re falling from the sky.

“I wish Satoru were here. Shoko too.” There's a space between your words; something you don't say. Darkness falls upon the two of you, a rare cloud engulfing the waning moon. There is a ghost of a smile in the curve of your lips, both content and longing and something sad splayed out on your face.

Megumi thinks that this is where he should say something. So you don’t get too lost in your head like you’re prone to doing.

“Are you leaving soon?”

You inhale, stretching your arms over your head as you sit up. “People have gone missing by Mt. Shiomi. I’m being sent to investigate tomorrow.”

Summers are always busy, that’s what he’s learned in the couple of years since you and Gojo have entered his and Tsumiki’s lives. If you’re going to be gone, then he should expect Gojo in lieu of you. It’s not an appealing trade off.

Megumi can already hear the older boy’s ugly, grating laughter and looming smile. He is suddenly exhausted.

“This is rare,” you say, interested. “You don’t usually ask about our missions.”

He doesn’t. He’s already resigned himself to a bleak future of jujutsu sorcery. His flat lipped disdain pulls your eyes wide.

You blanche, straight as a rod, looking at him. “W-wait…this wouldn’t happen to be because of the other day? When I brought up losing my fingers?” Panic lines your face, and you look vaguely ill. “I didn’t mean to scare you!” You wave your hands frantically to assuage the panic he doesn’t feel. “That was just…” Your head hangs down as you sigh. It takes you a few seconds for you to find your footing.

“Megumi,” you say quietly, eyes sharp. “I want you to know that if you don’t want to be a jujutsu sorcerer, I’ll help you. I’ll do anything.” Then softly: “You don’t need to be a jujutsu sorcerer. Your wants come first,” in an attempt to inject some levity, your lips quirk upwards. “I’d go against the Zenins for you in a heartbeat.”

“Even against Gojo?” He regrets it the moment it leaves his mouth. There’s no backpedaling when you stare at him, a curiously probing gaze that prods at him with the soft graze of a feather. You’ll draw back, expression torn as you struggle for a brief second on how to let him down gently. There’s no way you’d choose him over Gojo, and he’ll regret having even thought it, for letting himself get carried away, for letting himself think for one second that—

You break out in a wide smile. “I think you’ve got the wrong idea here.”

The wind picks up, and a chill climbs up his exposed arms as your hair whips against your face. Grass pricks at the hand situated outside the blanket, flattened against the earth. Even in the dark, he can see your face clearly overlapping with the shadows of the night and the soft glow of the stars above, blanketing the earth.

“I’m on your side, Megumi.” You say it like a fact, and his chest goes tight, as if there’s a quivering fist clutching at his heart. “And whatever you want, I’ll do everything in my power to help you.” Your words are slow and measured, as if you’ve thought long and hard on this, ruminating on the possibility of this very exchange. You exhale. “I’m nobody special so these words might be meaningless, but I want you to know I’m always on your side, whether you want to be a jujutsu sorcerer or not.”

It’s hard to look at you. His vision wavers, blinking in and out like the smattering of constellations above.

“And Satoru, huh?” Your face goes thoughtful. Then inexplicably amused. “Well, I’d just have to make him see reason. Somehow. And if that doesn’t work then—” you chuckle, flopping back on the ground, turned to the sky, and Megumi’s tense shoulders go slack; partially in relief that you aren’t looking at him anymore “—I’d take you and Tsumiki and run!”

The words are heavy in his mouth, throat indescribably thick, even though he feels light enough that he could float into the sky. But he, ever the pragmatist: “Gojo would find us within the week.”

Maybe even less. Megumi wouldn’t put it past Gojo to have installed some sort of tracking device in your phone, like the ones he’s seen commercials for on tv. You don’t seem like the type of person to get easily lost, but he’s witnessed Gojo scouring crowds for you in search of where you’ve wandered off to for the second, third, fourth time, attention captured by an intricate detail in the carving of a marble fountain in the park or some stray cat or something most people wouldn’t give a second glance to. He had garnered it was a regular occurrence in the way Gojo would enter a store, take you by the arm, and ferry you out without another word. In the way you'd let him.

“It’s a full time job with you,” Gojo had said to you, chidingly light, the other day upon finding you. He slid in between you and the man Megumi had assumed stopped you on the street, making a space for himself that forcibly separated you away from the so-called offender. Megumi could tell that there was displeasure lurking underneath the surface of Gojo’s curved lips.

It hadn’t been perceptible at first. But there were moments this irritable character of his peeked out from beneath his ceaseless smiles and taunts in the form of a sharply formed retort, a shadow of a twitching brow, fingers curling into your wrist or shoulder steering you away. And it was most noticeable when you were heavily engaged in conversation with someone other than him.

Gojo had crowded into you, while the man watched eyes wide, and leaned down, gaze forcing yours. “Do you really think anybody but me could handle you?”

You hadn’t understood. Instead you gawked at him in visible confusion. There was a flyer in your hand. Breast Cancer Awareness, it said.

Both thoughts give Megumi a headache.

“H-have a little faith in me, would you?” But you also, look troubled on the account that Gojo probably could and would, find you easily enough.

In fact, you’re looking downright depressed now, face clouding over with a memory he’s sure merits some truth to his words.

“Megumi!” Tsumiki is beckoning him over to the telescope wildly, cheeks red with the cold but eyes alight with an childish excitement that’s been cementing itself on her face more often nowadays, as if it never left with her mother in the first place. His demon dogs bark at her side, spurred on by Tsumiki's enthused demeanor. He’d die before he’d admit it, but It’s nice to see his sister smiling. “Hurry, hurry! I found Orion!”

You’ve propped yourself up on the backs of your elbows and nod with a smile that motions for him to go on.

He stands; takes a few steps forward but his feet stop, back towards you.

“I’ll become a jujutsu sorcerer.” Megumi made a deal after all. And if nothing else, he at least has his word. There’s too much to be lost; all contingent on a transaction his deadbeat of a father made all those years ago, monetizing his existence. He’s too old to be relying on people, yet all too aware of his limitations made painfully apparent, forcibly dragged up to the surface and laid bare in the face of Gojo’s dissecting gaze. 

Megumi understands intrinsically there is security in being a jujutsu sorcerer that’s been lacking his entire life. No matter how much of a shitty job it is, if Gojo’s complaints are anything to go by.

“Think on it,” you say, and he doesn’t need to look at you to know your smile has turned forlorn. “You’re too young to be worrying about these things, you know?”

He also understands that he wouldn’t put the burden of a selfish decision on you either.

—

The three of you are walking down the trail that winds down the mountain, the winds whistling through the trees as owls hoot and other smaller creatures scurry through the dark and crackling branches. The sky is still unnaturally bright, watching over him as you navigate down with an ease that speaks to memories of long ago.

Megumi feels the softness of his dogs flanking him, brushing against his legs. It’s probably two in the morning now, and he feels the grogginess of sleepiness pricking at him while Tsumiki is still wide awake, glancing up at the sky every few seconds in awe.

“Thank you for taking us,” Tsumiki says politely. “We had a lot of fun! Right, Megumi?”

“I’m glad,” you smile, affectionately rubbing her head. “Anytime!"

“...Thank you,” he mutters, because he is still unused to the words. Unused to accepting things from others, especially adults. He hopes you can’t hear that he means it, but judging from the way you try to hide your face to the side, in the darkness of the forest, you know.

The three of you make it down to the base of the mountain, to the gravel lot, and he releases his demon dogs. They bark once in a goodbye, before melting into the shadows of the ground without another sound.

There’s someone leaning against a sleek black car. 

“Ah,” you say instantly, perking up in a way that illuminates your face. “Satoru?”

The implications don’t hit you as quickly as they do him. The drowsiness abates.

Megumi slows to a stop in the gravel of the parking lot. It’s two in the morning and instead of the nice looking man that had driven them to the mountain, there is Gojo Satoru.

There are many words to describe Gojo Satoru. Megumi adds stalker to the list.

“Yo!” Gojo replies, looking energetic, but Gojo is always energetic in your presence as if ensuring being as outlandish as possible will draw your ever fleeting attention towards him and only him. 

On the other hand, it drains Megumi’s energy, depleting him even further.

The smile on your face falters. You open your mouth. “How—” You close your mouth and stare.

Gojo cocks his head to the side. “How?” He parrots.

Your voice sounds a bit reedy, a touch bewildered. “How’d you know I was…?”

The smile touches his sunglasses, high on his face, as you look on blankly.

“...”

“...”

“...”

“...” You sweat. “S-Satoru…”

“There’s my favorite Fushiguro!” Gojo exclaims, taking Tsumiki into his hands and lifting her up and down like a maniac while her laughter fills the empty lot. Then his voice picks up a notch, louder and frenzied, taking on a shrillness Gojo knows he hates, especially at a time where normal, sane people would be talking in a much more hushed tone. He’s doing it on purpose.

“What’s with the face Megumi? Is it that late? Past your bedtime? Did someone miss their afternoon nap?” Tsumiki giggles goodnaturedly, still in Gojo’s grip.

Too many questions. Even the irritation that surges into him like a tide crashing onto the shore is dulled. It’s too late for this. Megumi doesn’t even take naps. He’s not a baby. But Gojo is looking at him now, chin tilted downwards, too bright eyes peeking out from above his sunglasses like a partial eclipse, as if he knows that Megumi spent up most of his partially developed cursed energy on his demon dogs. That he knows he might pass out from exhaustion the second he hits his bed. Megumi doesn't know how you can stand being the center of Gojo's rapt attention most times. He'd rather get picked apart by the crows.

Gojo only tucks Tsumiki into the car and buckles her in.

The theatrics disappear. “How was the meteor shower?” He asks you, without missing a beat, skipping right over the ten seconds of your silence that he had met with his own. The telescope is promptly taken from your arms, collected into his own and secured in the trunk of the car. Then he's back in front of you, leaning in inquiringly at a suspect closeness that you don't blink twice at. 

There's no way a sane person would let this go. There’s no way a sane person would greet Gojo with anything less than suspicion.

You are an unfathomable person though. Insane at times, and just as incomprehensible as Gojo. He forgets that sometimes, when you flit between unsensible and sensible the way you do, as natural as breathing.

You blink. “It was…” the perturbed look falls away from your face, the corners of yours eyes crinkling, lips easing into a smile that doesn’t hide how genuinely happy you are to see him. It feels like a loss. “Good. Did you get to see the shower too?”

He can practically feel the smug aura radiating off Gojo. Once again, he's worked around your suspicions, and he knows it.

Rationalization, Megumi thinks from the haze of sleep cottoning his brain, is a scary thing.

He thinks it’s a certain trait that most jujutsu sorcerers share. There are too many different variables out in the field, and one second of underestimating the truth of reality can mean the difference between life and death. It's a saying Gojo likes to repeatedly drill into his head. The importance of time.

This isn’t normal, he wants to say. But his blinking slows, every drag of his eyelashes drawing down feeling like weights stacked atop of one another.

He keeps his eyes open through sheer willpower. You kneel down, and your worried face comes into view, a hand on his shoulder.

“Are you alright, Megumi?”

He thinks he nods.

“Let’s get you home.” Your voice sounds strangely distant, and he doesn’t remember his legs moving into the car, next to Tsumiki who pokes him on the cheek. He can’t even bring himself to swat her away. Then he feels a gentle hand on his head. He almost closes his eyes at the touch.

When you get into the front seat, he hears you say: “I didn’t know you got your license.”

Gojo smiles.

Great.

-they are looking at the Perseid meteor shower!!!

-it's not gojo but actually shoko that has the child tracking app on rip!mc's phone lmfao but she does not mind bc they r gfs who look out for each other <3 and in shoko's case that means making sure she isn't lost in a ditch!!!

-no gojo did not track her phone LMAO but she did mention the meteor shower in great detail to him like a week ago and he just put the pieces together. although the other times.........

-If u know me i do in fact distinguish gojo’s hs characterization and adult characterization. I think the persona he constructed in front of megumi (flamboyant, excited, teasing) is the one we see in the anime/gojo as an adult. I think in the time this fic takes place (2-3 years out of hs) you can still see hints of his hs self (rash, easily annoyed, blunt) bc the persona hasn't fully developed. then we get the much “smoother” gojo we see in the anime

so does gojo (knowingly) terrorize the man giving mc a flyer about breast cancer awareness? yes. he is asserting his dominance.....

[fstranslations]

Kozuka Takahiko: “Returning the favour to figure skating”

Source. Thank you to Tadaki on Skate & Die for the translation! Please do not repost.

“Returning the favour to Figure Skating” – Kozuka Takahiko talks about his determination to embark on a new path.

Caption: Kozuka, who is about to set out on a new journey as his second career. His thoughts towards figure skating, even now, burn stronger than ever.

Last spring 10 months ago, with the words “(I will) depart the ice”, (Kozuka) put an end to his competitive career and joined the Toyota Car Company. The words made a powerful impression. (t/n: The word choice ‘depart’ is both formal and solemn – you would use this word to indicate those who have passed on – hence conveying the gravity of his decision. Forgive the awkward phrasing in English)

“From here on, I have been thinking that I want to repay the figure skating world by passing on the things that I can with the skills that I have.”

He’s returned. He’s come back (t/n: has the nuance of coming home). Unconsciously, those words cross one’s mind.

“Well no, as opposed to ‘returning’, maybe another word might be more suitable.”

With that reply, Kozuka Takahiko began to detail the days after he joined the company and how he came to his decision (to return to figure skating).

–– “Learning my job well as an individual member of society…”

“If I said (leaving skating) was in order to increase my skills for the future I might be scolded but as an individual member of society (t/n: ie. someone who can contribute to the society like a graduate/worker as opposed to a student/unemployed person), I think that I would be able to delve even further into my career (outside of skating) by learning my job well and working in the company.”

“From the point of view of the people who have been supporting me up till now, there may be those who think that even after I retire I will still skate in ice shows. Thinking that I must make it clear that I have no intention to skate again hereafter, I have expressed myself with the words ‘(I will) depart the ice’. The Kozuka Takahiko who skates on ice will come to an end on the 17th of April (date of 2016 Stars on Ice).”

“Precisely because I am going to appear (in a show) I must put up a good performance. In order to do that, one needs to practice every day. The daily practice that is required to maintain the skill at a level that is presentable to the audience – if you ask me if it is possible to do that as a salaryman, I think it is difficult. Rather than to show everyone a half-hearted state of self, I think it’s best if I could leave behind the memory of a good Kozuka Takahiko in everyone’s minds.”

The above were the words from the interview (Number900) he gave after his retirement announcement. In order to realise those words, Kozuka threw himself into his work in the company.

–– “Whilst participating in the ‘Returning the Favour activities” of the various Toyota sports clubs.”

The work he was assigned to was related to sports.

“Toyota has over 30 clubs but they are broadly separated into Promotional Sports Clubs and Normal Sports Clubs. I was participating in the ‘Returning the Favour’ activities of the Promotional Sports Clubs.

Dispatching players, in that case, to what kind of events and how should we do it – that’s what the majority of my work consisted of. Things like being the ticket-collector at the venue, doing seat allocation. I had thought it would be a lot of desk work but it was a division (of the company) with many work trips.”

The things he acquired through his work were not small.

“They are very basic things but, sending emails, making phone calls, creating plans and doing up the documents and from there getting the final approval. I think it is good that I was able to learn that kind of flow (of projects) in the company.”

Through event planning he came to know of many competitions and was able to interact with many competitors which served as a stimulus for him.

–– “Figure Skating became the main topic”

Despite doing work that was supposed to be fulfilling, he would unknowingly get lost in his thoughts.

“If you took this part and combined it, figure skating would become even better.”

“If it was figure skating, then we’d do it this way…”

His train of thought always seemed to turn towards figure skating.

“I didn’t do things with that intention (to link everything to skating) in mind, but figure skating became the main topic.”

For example, at an October event held in Tokushima by the Rugby club to promote the sport, Kozuka’s heart was struck by this:

“Seeing the happy faces of children having fun and how the people teaching seemed to be enjoying themselves, I began to think that it would be good if we did this in figure skating too.”

Those feelings reached a peak at the end of November when he went to Vietnam. As part of a cultural exchange event “Japan-Vietnam Festival” a Skating camp was held at Vincom Mega Mall in Ho Chi Minh city and Kozuka participated in it.

–– The role of “Passing on to the next generation the things I was brought up with”.

“What I realized was that when I was a skater, I was supported by many people. Up to this point I had known this but that was limited to only the people I could see in front of me. But I learnt that even if they weren’t at the venue, for example if I said ‘I want to do this’, word would travel from the venue and even though they weren’t physically present there were people acting (on those requests). It hit me then that when I was skating, I had received help from a lot of people too.

And yet, to have put an end to figure skating – I felt it was a waste. So much had been taught to me growing up (as a skater) and to pass that on to the next generation and convey it to a lot of people – I thought that to me it was an important role (to take up).”

And so he thought of what he himself could pass on and finally reached a conclusion – he wanted to teach the techniques of skating.

–– (He) did not realize - “Both Nobuo-sensei and my father were too close to me”.

There was once a coach who pointed out that “Japan’s skating techniques were handed down from Sato Nobuo-sensei to Kozuka’s father (t/n: Kozuka Tsuguhiko, who represented Japan at the 1968 Olympics) to Kozuka”. Kozuka himself did not hold such a viewpoint then.

“It was during a time when I was foolish but both Nobuo-sensei and my father were too close to me. In a good way, they were both an existence that was like air to me, and because of that I didn’t feel (that they were too close). But when you think about it, even in sports like golf and baseball, just like how in the beginning when you bat or you pitch, you can become entrenched in your bad habits, the foundation in skating too is important. And yet there is a lack of coaches teaching skating (skills, basic skating).

What Nobuo-sensei can teach, within his ability to do so personally, is good but one has to think about the fact that his physical strength is declining and that my father too is an old grandfather. I thought that maybe my mission is to convey, as much as I can, the things that were taught to me. It is precisely because these are the techniques taught to me by so small a number of coaches that I feel it must be passed on to the children.”

What gave him the most support of all were the voices of those around him.

If he went to the rink, the children would call out to him.

“If you’re not going to be a skater then come teach us!”

“How do we contact you?”

“When you’re free, teach us ok?”

–– Whilst employed in the company, he dived into outreach programmes.

It was the same when he was out of the office and in the field.

“During the JGP at Shin Yokohama, the event at Tokushima and the Japan Nationals that happened the other day – ‘I cheered a lot for you’, ‘I loved your skating’, ‘Will you not skate again?’ – A lot of people spoke out to me. When I answered ‘I do skate once in awhile’, I’d get replies like ‘Not like that, will you not show yourself a little and skate publicly?’

At the event in Tokushima there were even people who had rushed over from far away. I wondered if I managed to charm them more than I thought I could, or if I was able to come across as someone who was approachable. I think that was the biggest thing (I learnt/realized).”

With that determination in his heart his meetings with the company increased. The result was that they reached an understanding, and it became possible for him to begin his desired activities whilst holding his position in the company.

What activities will you concentrate on from now on?

First off, (spreading the knowledge through) outreach programs.

“I want to do it regardless, whether internationally or within the country. Not just a simple skating camp/class, I want to share my experiences with how frightening injuries can be, the importance of cooling down on top of doing sports – if I can hold a skating class that incorporates all that it would be good. I want to continue holding classes in Vietnam too. The last time it was only in Ho Chi Minh City, but it’d be good if I could hold them in Hanoi or other such places.

Additionally, starting with Vietnam followed by other southeast Asian countries, I think there are many skaters who are unable to compete in large competitions because they have no federations so one of my goals is to set up these federations. I feel proud when I compete for Japan. I want to change the situation where people who want to compete have to leave the country they were born and raised in. Growing up in your home country and competing in your home country – if I can nurture a skater like that it would be nice.”

–– “The first step is to start moving my body, and while training properly...”

Have you thought of coaching students who appear at high level competitions?

“If the need arises, I think I could. But that needs experience too and Nobuo-sensei has said that things can go wrong even if you’re doing many things one at a time so right now I would like to focus on outreach programmes.”

What about Kozuka yourself, as a skater, is there a chance you would appear at, for example, an ice show?

“First I want to start moving my body and return to my previous state (level of fitness) through training properly. If I receive any offers, then I want to perform well as a proper cast member.”

All those words carried the meaning that he would return to the ice.

–– “To participate in Figure Skating in a new version of myself”

Kozuka continued:

“More than just returning to the world of Figure Skating, in my own way I’ve had the opportunity to meet many different people and I’ve realized many different things. It’s not just returning, I am consciously participating in figure skating in a new version of myself.”

And with that he laughed shyly.

“It’s been a short time (away) but I was able to experience many things. My superiors pulled me along when I couldn’t do things saying ‘Kozuka, keep going!’ Although I announced my desire to depart the ice in order to do my job properly, I hope that you will let me off lightly.”

By stepping away, there were things he realized, things he became able to realize.

When he was a skater, being supported by many more people that just those he could see.

The skills that he cultivated during his skating career that no one else has. Being a skater that still remains in people’s hearts.

More than anything, having devoted the better half of his life to it – figure skating, and the memories of it that would not fade.

With the experiences he gained from a different world, Kozuka Takahiko, who has made a decision to return the favour towards figure skating, is now making a fresh start.

[jobgujnews]

‘No-waste’ Japanese village is a peek into carbon-neutral future | World news

The residents of a remote village on the Japanese island of Shikoku have spent almost two decades reusing, recycling and reducing, united behind a mission to end their dependence on incinerators and landfill as the world struggles to tackle the climate emergency and the plastic waste crisis.

Although Kamikatsu, an hour’s drive from the nearest city, Tokushima, and 370 miles from Tokyo, has not…

[kdramaindonesia]

Norizuki Gennojo, a commander of the Shogunate’s troops, sets out on a journey to train in swordplay. In that time, Koka Yoami, the father of his betrothed Chie, receives a special mission and goes to Awa Tokushima to search for the secret records of Naruto in which a pledge to overthrow the shogunate is sealed with blood. He is never heard of again. 10 years later, Gennojo returns to Edo as a wandering monk and in despair about his swordsmanship. He is slashed by Sekiya Magobei but survives because of the quick wits of a female pickpocket Mikaeri Otsuna. Gennojo...

[gamingph]

How to Solve Jack Hall Gang Treasure in Red Dead Redemption 2 Guide

How to Solve Jack Hall Gang Treasure in Red Dead Redemption 2 Guide

This is probably the first Treasure Hunter mission you’ll encounter in Red Dead Redemption 2. You’ll meet a renowned explorer named Maximo Cristobal Valdespino in a cliff near Dakota River, west corner of Latneck Station.

Cristobal spent the last 3 three months hunting treasure on the American fontier, but he had to set sail to the island of Shikoku, Japan to get Legendary Tokushima…

[recentanimenews]

The Truly Magical Real-World Locations of “The Eccentric Family 2” [Part 3]

Great news! The first season of The Eccentric Family has been re-added to the Crunchyroll library this week, so to everyone who’s been holding off on watching this season's sequel, please give this fantastic show a try! This happy occasion also marks the perfect opportunity for me to take another look atThe Eccentric Family 2’s real-world locations.

The Eccentric Family and its equally wonderful setting, Kyoto, have been basically inseparable so far, with all of the first season and the first half of the second one taking place almost exclusively in the old capital. After all, The Eccentric Family’s whimsical and unconventional take on Kyoto is a big part of the reason why this show is so exceptional, as the city itself feels just as alive as the mischievous little tanukis or the noble tengus that inhabit it. Thus it almost feels like a big deal that we finally got to see some locations outside of Kyoto in the last couple of episodes. But where does Yasaburo head off to?

  *All images were taken with GOOGLE STREET VIEW (images I shot myself are marked ‘WD’)

Yasaburo heads to Arima Onsen to spy on the gathering of the tanuki-eating Friday Club, which is supposedly celebrating the joining of Soun Ebisugawa. Arima Onsen is not only The Eccentric Family’s first major setting outside of Kyoto; it’s also a very famous hot spring town in real life. The town is located in the north of Kobe, and is considered to be one of Japan’s oldest hot spring resorts. Arima Onsen has two different types of springs, one being kinsen ("gold spring"), where the water is colored brownish from iron and salt, and the other one being ginsen (“silver spring”), which contains radium and carbonate. 

  But this is Yasaburo we’re talking about here, a foolish tanuki that obviously doesn’t take its recon mission all too seriously and gets sidetracked by visiting a bath house. However, he does have a point when he states that he’s in Arima Onsen, and that it would almost be rude of him to not use the hot springs while there. Yasaburo visits Kin no Yu, the larger one of the town’s two public bath houses, located in the center of the city.

    And as if that weren’t enough, he then heads to this quaint little café, where he enjoys an ice cold yuzu tea (basically a citron tea). 

    Aside from many modern buildings and hot spring inns, Arima Onsen’s center consists mostly of lovely narrow roads and old wooden buildings. The charming little town definitely fits The Eccentric Family’s unique aesthetic quite well. 

    Not even this shop’s ice cream is colder than Benten’s heart. 

    The Friday Club's “Leisure Home” is located in the outskirts of Arima. It’s here where Yasaburo gets thrown into hell by Soun.

  (credit @mjvito)

  Amusingly, most of the locations depicted as hell in The Eccentric Family are all modeled after real places in Tokyo. Yasaburo wanders through the very real Inokashira Park here. I’m obviously not going to read too much into this, but I’d definitely be a hilarious little dig at Tokyo from P.A. Works. 

    Benten’s hobby is apparently to wrestle with onis in hell; and she does so in the real Ryogoku Sumo Hall in Tokyo.

  WD

  While we’re still on the topic of The Eccentric Family locations outside of Kyoto, Yajiro finally decides to leave Kyoto behind in the latest episode and makes his way to Shikoku. His first stop brings him to Marugame. Pictured above is the Great Seto Bridge, a massive 13.1 kilometers (8.1 miles) series of double deck bridges connecting Okayama and Kagawa. It’s obviously not the right angle, but I took this photo atop Marugame Castle. 

    Yajiro then makes his way to Komatsushima in Tokushima Prefecture. He gets off at Minami-Komatsushima Station and…

  (source: Wikipedia)

  …heads to the northern Kincho Shrine, home of the Kincho tanuki. 

  (source: Wikipedia)

  And why not also go international while we’re at it? That's the famous view of central London from Parliament Hill, where the Nidaime and Benten had an ominous encounter. 

  WD

  In the end, The Eccentric Family wouldn’t be the same without Kyoto, so let’s top this article off with more Kyoto locations. (In case you missed it, I already wrote in great length about the show’s real life locations here and here.) The Nidaime and Benten’s “date” takes them to the romantic Kiyomizudera Temple, located in the hills east of Kyoto, but things obviously don’t go too well.

    In the background is the temple’s wooden veranda that juts out from its main hall, offering great views of the city. 

  WD

  The Otowa waterfall, which I talked about in my article on Tsukigakirei.

    Demachi Bridge, located right next to the Kamo River delta. 

    Demachiyanagi Station, the first stop of the Eizan Electric Railway. 

    North entrance of the Teramachi Shopping Arcade.

    Swimming pool close to the Ebisugawa power plant.

    Inside of the modern Kyoto Station.

    I can only advise Yasaburo to not enter the van (dubiously dubbed Nyoigatake Yakushibo Countermeasure Headquarters), which is parked outside of the 7-Eleven here.

    Demachi Bridge again.

    And last but not least, the urban Rokkaku-do Buddhist Temple is the venue for the appointment of Yaichiro as candidate for the post of the Trick Magister, and the Nidaime as observer of the election. As you can imagine, this is all much to the distaste of Benten.

  The updated map:

    What do you think of The Eccentric Family’s real-world locations? Sound off in the comments below!

---

You can follow Wilhelm on Twitter @Surwill.

By: news+feed@crunchyroll.com

[demonslayedher]

DID SOMEONE SAY “MERCH”!?!? 

Ufotable did, and we obliged. To make sense of what they had, it makes sense to say a little more about the decor first. The Ufotable Cafe picks a part of the series to focus on for a few months at a time, like a set of characters or a certain episode or arc (and I guess very occasionally they pull from their non-KnY works, but it’s mostly a KnY cafe nowadays).

The main decor, which we aren’t allowed to post photos of, is cels. This time is all full-on Rengoku, since they are celebrating the fourth anniversary of Mugen Ressha’s release in theaters. “Hey,” says Ufotable, Remember that time we made that movie, about that train, and that neato guy, and it made a whole bunch of money?” And I, who paid to see that movie in theaters five times, reply, “Yes,” and then enjoyed soaking in all the cel art with my eyeballs.

This is also why there were so many big stand-up cut-outs of Rengoku-san and giant Mugen Ressha movie posters and projection screens with Mugen Ressha art and famous lines playing. This was the first Rengoku-san I spotted from the river:

You might also notice a couple of little Hashira hanging out with him. Hello, little Pillars! (The set-up on the table was what a customer had personally brought as a backdrop for her dessert). Speaking of small Hashira, Reichel already mentioned that we sat at the low-key GiyuShino table. All joking aside, they looked very serious. 

But look who joined us for a group photo the staff snapped for us. Admit it, Sanemi, you want to hang out with Rengoku-san. Everyone wants to hang out with Rengoku-san. There were Himejima & Muichiro together and Uzui in front of other movie posters too.

But speaking of Hashira cut-outs, it’s not as if they were going to throw out perfectly good cut-outs from previous themes, so there was a big Mitsuri cut-out next to some smaller posters of Rengoku and Uzui that were framed with wisteria. But, since the main theme was Mugen Ressha (one of the themes they had in the past was about the whole Rengoku family… plus Akaza), they also had this model of the sliding screens in the Rengoku estate! It was like we got to pay a visit there ourselves… and Muichiro-kun tagged along??

So why all the little Hashira? Because of the Hashira exhibition going on in Tokyo! No, I have not been to it. Yes, I am holding my Fangirl Breath for it to come to Osaka. Still, we got to enjoy some of what I assume is also merch being sold at this exhibition. There was also some Uzui birthday stuff (Sanemi’s birthday stuff would be on sale now, but alas, we have been busy and slow to make these posts), Mugen Ressha stuff, and if you’re going to hang on to stuff from previous themes… well then, keep the oni stuff there to sell! One of the previous themes was dedicated to all the oni, even the early, and comparatively easily slain oni from earlier in the series (oni who nonetheless killed plenty of people because they are unfairly powerful, but it is easy to overlook them when compared to the 12 Kizuki or, like, the Hashira goods on sale. I will never forget you guys, Season 1 Demons. Tanjiro won’t either, but he’ll pray for your souls instead of irresponsibly purchasing merchandise.

I guess we’ll have to do that instead!!

First off, here’s a placemat that we both got (in its new home in my bedroom).

I love the artwork and design so much!! On the back there is a clear from with sketches down the sides of the backs of each of the Hashira. To recap our conversation as we discovered this: 

Reichel: You could display your degree in this! Buri: My… degree in Kimetsuology? Reichel: No, I mean my actual degree.

Speaking of proudly having things to display, I think you have one guess which Hashira is Reichel’s favorite. As opposed to being worn to honor oneself like an honor, these sashes are worn in support of some person or cause. You have one guess whose name it says.

Meanwhile, I did feel that this piece of my merch was an award, so I borrowed the sash to accept my Kyogai trophy, for… mediocre writing? I guess that is what I’ll have to settle for until an honorary doctorate in Kimetsuology exists.

That was it for our adventures in Tokushima! It was not the end of our silly fangirl adventures, though. Although I had to be ready to go back to my usual giant pile of desk work the following day and she had a flight to catch, when we got to the heart of Osaka later that night, she put on her Giyuu cardigan and I put on my Tanjiro scarf and we went out to karaoke (again) and screamed “Mugen” at each other like Kagaya and Muzan (multiple times).

We’re now two for two, but here’s hoping we’ll manage to visit an Ufotable Cafe (or Dining???) again the next time she visits Japan!

A Visit to the Homeland of Ufotable

This is the start of a long, collaborative post with Reichel about a little adventure we took (no, the adventure to USJ—that post is coming eventually, really!). Spoiler alert: this is an Ufotable adventure! I’m preparing the history stuff, so @reicchel, take it from here!