…at the present time, One Piece is inescapable in Japan. I was honestly surprised not to run into crossover merchandise of Luffy with Hello Kitty. I’m sure I just missed it in the blur.

This was the toilet paper display outside the grocery store near our hotel (Best. Tie-in. Ever). When you get into actual nerdy parts of Kyoto and Osaka, 90% of the merchandise is tied to One Piece, and even otherwise unrelated stores in DenDen Town have a rack or two of the stuff mixed in with the refilled printer cartridges, hand tools, used suits, spy cameras, robot parts, and porn.

…with two Hoihoi-san figures…

By royal request, I have secured reservations for a nice tea ceremony, traditional lunch, and kimono dress-up lesson, after stumbling across the web site of Tondaya. This will be a nice way to relax on our first full day in Kyoto. I can’t trust the extended weather forecasts this far out, but at the moment it looks like there’s only one day with a chance of occasional showers, and “mostly sunny” for the rest of the trip.

I'm not a big one for sharing feelings on my blog, but Cynthia was a warm, wonderful human being, and I will miss her.

...and I can't resist sharing the first picture I ever saw of her...

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It, um, exploits her talents.

And it’s called “Pantsu no Ana”.

I respect this maid cafe’s name. Quick review by Danny Choo (as the first destination on a whistle-stop tour of an otaku-centric corner of Denden Town).

The Times says:

"...highlights of his global tour include encounters with Nelson Mandela, an 800-year-old demigod and a dildo collector"

(via Zhinxy)

…unless you’re, y’know, actually homeless, instead of being a contributor to the new society:

The Occupy Wall Street volunteer kitchen staff launched a “counter” revolution yesterday --- because they’re angry about working 18-hour days to provide food for “professional homeless” people and ex-cons masquerading as protesters.

For three days beginning tomorrow, the cooks will serve only brown rice and other spartan grub instead of the usual menu of organic chicken and vegetables, spaghetti bolognese, and roasted beet and sheep’s-milk-cheese salad.