I don't really know why April 29th, the former "Green Day" holiday, has been renamed "Showa Day". I thought it could have been thanks to the negative associations with the diet-punk band of the same name, but then that doesn't really explain why it would be renamed in honour of a war criminal ex-emperor. According to various reports, the change (which had completely flown over my head when it took place in 2005), was meant to encourage reflection on the turbulent period of the Showa Emperor's (Hirohito as he is known in my head), rule. I imagine that the right-wingers wouldn't be too unhappy that another concession has been made to their goose-stepping, pencil moustache-wearing lunacy either. Apparantly, "Green Day" has been moved to May 4th, and "People's Day", has now been abolished. So, in the end it seems rather fitting that an Emperor that did so much to aid the suffering of his people has once again manage to barge his way, at their expense, into the spotlight.
This Omnipotent-Fascist-Ruler Day Showa Day, Eri and I went to Super Festival 46! Super Festival 46!! was a chance for Eri to see a live performance by Kazuo Umezu, her favourite manga artist and all-round lunatic. He actually lives a road away from me, and we see him almost every day, walking to and from his latest project, the much-protested-against-by-small-minded-neighbours red and white striped house he is constructing near the park. He was scheduled to perform some of his songs and would be selling some hard-to-find Umezz-goods, which Eri was dying to buy. I was a little worried by the thought of being at a 6 hour live performance and question/answer session in Japanese with an octogenarian mad-man (as Eri described the event), but was happy to go as payment for numerous things she has gone to with me in th past. The event was in Ueno at the science museum.
Except that it wasn't. Eri had glanced at the flyer which said blah, blah, science museum, blah, blah、importantaddressdetails, blah, blah, blah, and had presumed that the science museum mentioned was the huge National Museum of Nature and Science in the Ueno Park museum complex. We got to Ueno, left the station from the wrong exit, and walked about a mile in the hot sun (me with a streaming cold), up the hill to the right exit and had a look at the park & museum map. The science museum was there, except that it was National Museum of Nature and Science and not the Science Museum Tokyo, where the event was being held. After checking the flyer, we realised that the actual event was in Kudanshita, about 30 minutes away by two trains.
When we finally got to the museum, I found out (to my utter dismay), that it was a good, old-fashioned toy fair, with loads of old and new toys, figures, comics and props and most amazingly of all, a meet and greet with ADMIRAL CRIX MADINE of Star Wars fame!!!1111 Oh, and we were also too late for the appearance by Umezu. Still, I met the Admiral, forgot to get a photo with him, bought 5 Star Wars Kubricks for 1000円 (bargain), and met some famous Japanese Manga people that I hadn't heard of. Eri did manage to buy a lot of Umezz-goods so was not too sad at not meeting him. I just wished I had known about it earlier as I would have been able to (finally) meet an Ewok. Oh well, the quest continues.
