I have been dreaming up of a mascot for my beloved blog for a while now, but never took the time to properly think about it, until recently. Few weeks ago, I brought up this idea to great artist and comrade Radiant, who helped me a lot to mature my mascot concept, and in the end did an awesome work to make it a reality.

So today, I am proud to introduce NAHIA and TXIKI, the official mukyaa.com mascots!

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Concept

I wanted a mascot which could properly portray both the blog’s purpose (quite logical actually) and its author’s origins. Indeed, since I live in the very south-west of France, I have often regretted being so far away from where every interesting events regarding Japanese culture take place (conv, concerts), which in France is mainly in Paris. But this brought to light a certain originality I decided to exploit to design my mascot, especially since I am quite attached to this lovely Basque country region ^^

So, thinking about all this and figurines, Japan, animes, photography, France… I came up with this idea of an anime-like character, in sum pretty classical but with some very personal touches : Nahia.

Nahia (pronounce “naya”) is an eternal 20-year-old photography student. And she is French. Her name’s origin is Basque, and means “desired, wanted”. This is a pretty popular name in my region lately if you look at the past years’ satistics. No wonder, since I think parents are more and more looking for both original and local names. And well, the meaning of the name describes well the parents’ feelings toward their girl, doesn’t it?
I also chose Nahia because of its origin and meaning : I have always wanted a lovely mascot I can identify myself with, and I want to dedicate this blog to my passion, wishes and desires for Japan, its culture and pop culture through anime figures. Nahia also sounds almost like a Japanese name, which is cool for an anime-like character.
Somehow she is really attached to the Basque country where she is from… too. Thus, she always keep her red beret and makes her pet wear a red scarf. Two typical symbols.
Talking about this cute mongoose-like pet, it is called Txiki (pronounce “tchiki” which means “small”, still in Basque). It follows Nahia everywhere, and loves hanging on her shoulder or hidding under the beret. It makes a perfect photography subject, but Txiki can be a bit rebellious sometimes.
I kind of hope that Txiki will remind mukyaa.com readers the origin of the blog’s name, since it draws its inspiration from one of those stupid screams you can hear from scatterbrained but adorable Megumi “Nodame” Noda, main heroine of drama/anime/manga Nodame Cantabile, which I love.

Feel free to visit the blog of Nahia and Txiki second father, at www.radiantdreamer.net, to learn and enjoy more about their birth process. Everything is detailed here with a how-to video as well. Radiant regularly shares exciting drawings and photoshop works, and you can watch the whole process since everything is recorded and available on his blog or youtube channel. You can aslo find good tips to keep in shape your beloved figures. So feel free to follow him, if not already the case ^^

Purpose

By making a retrospective over my blog’s evolution since its early days, I realised I have been looking for a way to give it an identity. I changed the title font and style many times, tried to add well-known anime characters, attempts to create a logo… but never ended up with something I really liked. I needed to go further, and naturally the idea of a mascot came up.
A mascot or logo is a powerful assets to promote a name, a brand, a blog etc. It makes what it symbolises unique, and consequently reminds people of it directely. Just look how many they are in Japan! Everybody has a mascot, from telecom brands to fireman brigades.
But let’s be realistic. I am not expecting miracles from this new project. Beyond the promotional aspect, having a mascot was mostly a selfish wish to fulfil my own desire and satisfy my frustration. I will fiddle with the look of the blog again and again for sure anyway, I know it. I am the kind to get bored quickly, and always feel the need to improve change few things here and there ^^;

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I have a bunch of ideas in mind for the future of my mascots, but nonce I will just let them settle in. So, please give a warm welcome to Nahia and Txiki! Hope you will like them ^^

While sorting the photos I took during my trip in Japan, and especially those from Kyoto, I realized I still had a bunch of pictures of Tokyo’s region waiting to be uploaded. So before switching to Kansai, here is an overview of Kamakura temples and shrines, the remaining of what I already started to share about Kamakura. In any order, buddist temples Kaikōzan Jishōin Hase-dera and Kenchō-ji, and shinto shrine Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū.

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ID#124202 | Large | Kenchō-ji, the Sanmon

ID#124203 | Large | Kenchō-ji, broad way

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ID#124206 | Large | Kenchō-ji, lotus flower

ID#124207 | Large | Kenchō-ji, gate leading to a graveyard

ID#124208 | Large | Kenchō-ji, lovely outer garden

ID#124209 | Large | Kenchō-ji, graveyard entrance, lot of buckets

ID#124210 | Large | Small red mitsubishi car parked near Engaku-ji

ID#124211 | Large | Torii protecting back entrance of Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū shinto shrine

ID#124212 | Large | Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū

ID#124213 | Large | Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū

ID#124214 | Large | Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū, hung ema

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ID#124216 | Large | Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū, view over Wakamiya Ōji

ID#124217 | Large | Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū

ID#124218 | Large | Daibutsu, in Kōtoku-in buddhist temple

ID#124219 | Large | near entrance of Kaikōzan Jishōin Hase-dera temple

ID#124220 | Large | Kaikōzan Jishōin Hase-dera

ID#124221 | Large | Kaikōzan Jishōin Hase-dera

ID#124222 | Large | Kaikōzan Jishōin Hase-dera

ID#124223 | Large | Kaikōzan Jishōin Hase-dera

ID#124224 | Large | sign in Kaikōzan Jishōin Hase-dera, beware of the crows

ID#124225 | Large | Kaikōzan Jishōin Hase-dera, cute small waterfall

Like all pictures under the Japan category, these ones have been taken with my Panasonic Lumix GF1 camera + pancake lens.

Last weekend I visited friends in Provence, another beautiful region in France, but a bit far from my home town. And since summer is at its height, we decided to go and enjoy the Mediterranean coast.
As you can see, the lovely Seena tagged along. She was actually waiting for a chance to try and display her brand new bikini, so I could not say no to her ^^;

This kind of cove is typical from the French Mediterranean coast, and is called a calanque. It is really a kind of place one must see if visiting Provence region. Absolutely gorgeous. There is no better place to emphasize the charm of a cute girl in bikini.

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Overview

This 1:7 scale pvc figure has been released in late July 2010, and is one this summer’s new faces. This is the second version of Seena released by Max Factory, this time in bikini-mode, and the first figure of a swimsuit series featuring Shining Wind girls, all modelized by new artist Nakano, and based on Tony Taka original illustrations. Kureha should be the next one, followed by Clalaclan and then Xecty. Be sure that I will get my hands on Kureha and Xecty! I am not sure about Clalaclan though. Don’t really like this bikini version of hers, which looks a bit off compared to other girls.
The figure’s listed price is 6800 yens. A bit expensive but not so much for a 235mm tall 1:7 scale figure, which is quite big.

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Thoughts

Honestly, I am not particularly into bikini/swimsuit figures. It’s true! And like a lot us, anime figure collectors, I am generally looking for kits with outstanding outfits and/or crazy dynamic poses. But this time I got completely seduced.
And it is hard to be objective when you definitely like something. To me this figure is perfect. Seena’s beauty has been totally transcended.

The pose is a bit simple, but somehow offers delicious curves. Also, as a bikini version, obviously, the figure does not stand out thanks to its outfits.

But, you know the saying: “less is more” ~^

However, the mini skirt is a great accessory which I think adds a lot of charm and delicacy. But it can be removed if you prefer to fully enjoy Seena’s body ^^;;

There is nothing much to say about paintwork and casting. As expected from a new generation Max Factory product, this figure is free from any fault. There is a lot of skin surface and not much details, so I think it helps a lot and it might be easier than more complex models, but it does not matter; I might sound difficult, but nowadays something tagged ALTER, Max Factory or GSC shall be top quality and flawless. Anyway.

Last detail, but not the least: under certain angles of view and lighting, you can also enjoy some lovely b-chiku. Yummy!

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I am going to stop bothering you with text and leave the photos speak for themselves.

Just few words to invit folks who want or need others points of view about this Seena figure to read wieselhead, visual fanfare and migotohobby reviews.
Not to mention the complete photo review at foobarbaz. A must see if you are still hesitating, although I think is it easy to have a clear-cut opinion.

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All photos have been taken with a Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 camera and its pancake lens.

While walking along the Sumidagawa, near Asakusa district, we happened to spot this funny and completely unexpected view of the Tokyo Sky Tree reflection in the golden building of Asahi breweries headquarters.

The Tokyo Sky Tree (東京スカイツリー Tōkyō Sukai Tsurī) is a broadcasting, restaurant, and observation tower under construction in the Narihirabashi/Oshiage area of Sumida ward in Tokyo, Japan. As of 29 March 2010 it is the tallest artificial structure in Japan. When completed, the tower will have a height of 634.00 m (2,080 ft). – wikipedia

Actually there is a little story behind this snap. Along the tree-shaded path following Sumidagawa, we passed a man who addressed us showing his cellphone. T’was a bit hard to understand what he wanted, but by looking at his screen, we realised he was showing us the photo he had just taken of the Tokyo Sky Tree reflection in the building’s golden windows.
And maybe because he saw our cameras, he showed us the unique spot from where this photo could be taken, and encouraged us to do so. A great example of generosity. Thank you again dear sir.

Here is the continuation of our trip in Japan, with this time a day spent in Taito-ku, one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo.
This was certainly one of the most exhausting day, as it was terribly hot and we walked a lot between Ueno Kōen, Asakusa district, and along Sumidagawa. But I think also one of the most interesting day. Asakusa is a magical place where shinto shrines and other old traditional houses live in the middle of modern buildings, and the Sumida riverside offers a gorgeous view on the Tokyo Sky Tree and buildings around, besides being refreshing. Definitely a place I recommend to visit.

This first photo shows Chuo-dori (street) which can be seen from the Est side of Ueno park.

And just a bit to the left, a nice view on the Yamanote line railway.

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But let’s go back to the beginning of the day, and browse this photostream chronologically. There are 64 snaps in this article, and I think this is the first time I put so many pictures at a time! Well, there are so many wonderful things to see in Japan ^^

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We first wanted to visit the Ueno park. Here is the grand fountain, were you arrive when entering from the Est side of the park, directely from JR Ueno station.
We can also see the Tokyo National Museum.

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This is one of the three original bronze casts of the Gates of Hell, standing at the entrance of the National Museum of Western Art.

The Gates of Hell is a monumental sculptural work by French artist Auguste Rodin that depicts a scene from "The Inferno", the first section of Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy. It stands at 6m high, 4m wide and 1m deep. – wikipedia

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Most the biggest trees in the park has this pink ribbon attached. Not sure about the meaning of this, so if someone has any idea, I would be glad to read it.

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Desert kid playground. Well, quite expectable at this time of the day and the week.

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Entrance of Toshogu shrine. Unfortunately the shrine was having renovations carried out, and was hidden by a dull backdrop.

Toshogu Shrine, erected in 1651, is dedicated to Tokugawa Ieyasu, founder of the Edo shogunate, which ruled Japan from 1603 to 1867, making Tokyo the seat of government. It is the only shrine in Tokyo that’s been designated a National Treasure. – shibuya246

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Facing the Shinobazu Pond (不忍池 – Shinobazu no Ike). At its center lies Benten Island (弁天島 – Bentenjima) on which stands the Bentendō (弁天堂).

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The Bentendō (弁天堂) is a temple dedicated to the goddess Benzaiten.

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When entering to a Shinto shrine, you will usually find a purification fountain where visitors who wish to pray should stop to clean themselves before proceeding further.

The purification process is as following:

• Hold the dipper in your right hand and pour water from the fountain onto your left hand.
• Reverse the procedure to purify your right hand.
• Put the dipper back to your right hand and pour a small amount of water into your left hand and bring the water to your mouth. Do not drink directly from the dipper or swallow the water, spit it out on the stones at the base of the purification fountain.
• At last, purify the dipper by holding it with both hands and raising it to pour water on your hands and the dipper’s handle.

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Food stands along the path to the Bentenjima.

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Yummy 焼きそば (yakisoba) for lunch. *dribbles*

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Cook spraying water on the ground near his stand, to cool down the atmosphere. Pretty common activity during summer. Many people do this in front of their shop.

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Statue of Saigo Takamori, one of the most influential samurai in Japanese history, living during the late Edo Period and early Meiji Era.

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I am not quite sure about it, but I think bikes are not allowed this way. It is not very clear though.

Time to leave Ueno park. We headed to Sumidagawa, walking along the main street Asakusa-dori.

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Crowded taxi park near Ginza line Ueno station.

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And crowded bike park too.

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Typical secondary street around Asakusa district, with a small shino shrine in the middle of buildings. Completely lovely.

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Bikes seem to be a real problem in Japan streets.

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Time travel machine. I think.

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There is something wrong in this picture, but can’t figure out what.

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A family enjoying a jinrikisha (rickshaw) ride, along Sumidagawa.

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Kototoi-bashi (bridge) on the Sumidagawa, and the Tokyo Sky Tree under construction.

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Torii leading the way to Asakusa Shrine (浅草神社 – Asakusa-jinja).

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The Hōzōmon (宝蔵門 Treasure-House Gate) and five-story pagoda of Sensō-ji (金龍山浅草寺 Kinryū-zan Sensō-ji), an ancient Buddhist temple in Asakusa.
Unfortunately (again!) the main hall was under renovation works, and as usual hidden by some ugly backdrops.

Ok, I will leave the rest of the photos speak for themselves now. Always have a lot of things to do, and I also need to prepare a figure photo article especially dedicated to summer. Cookies for those who can find out which figure will be featured – its quite easy though.

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A torii (鳥居 lit. bird perch) is a traditional Japanese gate most commonly found at the entrance of or within a Shinto shrine, where it symbolically marks the transition from the sacred to the profane. The presence of a torii at the entrance is usually the simplest way to identify Shinto shrines.
Torii were traditionally made from wood or stone, but today they can be also made of reinforced concrete, copper, stainless steel or other materials. They are usually either unpainted or painted vermilion with a black upper lintel. Inari shrines typically have many torii. – wikipedia

Spotted this lovely path full of torii in the middle of Ueno park, in Tokyo. I am not really sure about it, but it seems this kind of row of torii marks the entrance, or the way to an Inari shinto shrine.

While visiting 上野公園 (Ueno Kōen), a spacious public park located in the Ueno district of Taito-ku, in Tokyo, I spotted this sanctuary, a bit isolated from the main path.
I don’t really know its purpose, but I couldn’t help taking a snap of this lovely scene, emphasized thanks to this lady in a middle of a prayer.

Breaking a bit the chain of Japan articles from my trip in July, even if I still got a lot to share, with some figure shots! Been a while tehee~ ^^;

So here is Misaka Mikoto, one of the series’ character in Toaru Majutsu no Index and the main protagonist of her side story, Toaru Kagaku no Railgun. She is a psychic user, and one of the most powerful of the city. Her power is to generate electricity and magnetism, and she is powerful enough to make instant railguns by firing coins.
Her nickname “Biri Biri”, relating to the sound of an electric shock, comes from Tōma, the main character of the first series.
With these details, it is now easier to understand this figure, which first looks quite plain actually.

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So, Good Smile Company brought us this scaled figure of Mikoto last month. What to think about it?
Her uniform is rather normal, if not plain, the pose is quite straight, facial expression is neutral, she has nothing particular or appealing, and she wears shorts under her skirt… when you don’t know the character or the series, I believe there is no reason to add her to your collection.
So I think this is typically a figure fans would order. And there are a lot of Mikoto’s fans… including me ^^;

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The figure is still pretty well done. GSC is a safe bet, isn’t it?
Yokota Ken modelized a proper figure, and I think her simplicity helped avoiding the usual mass production defaults.

The figure is tagged as a 1:8 scale, but looks really small. Only about 18cm. Compared to other 1:8 GSC figures, it is oubvious that she looks more like a 1:9. And this would mean Mikoto is 144cm tall!? no way.
At least, because of that the figure’s price is not too high, and with AmiAmi reductions, it can be interesting.

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Personally, I like her pose, which shows her about to charge and fire a railgun with the coin she’s holding in her right hand.
From what I can remember, I don’t think the pose is similar to something in the anime, but the spirit is there.
So I tried to give my photos a right mood, like a deserted place, at night, where Mikoto would be chasing some bad guys, and the only light would be coming for the electric arcs created by her power.
I don’t have the skill to add lovely effects to my pictures, so please try to imagine those electric arcs poping out from the ground and concentrating on the coin ^^;;

That was also the first time I tried the Lumix GF1 for such figure shots. I kind of like the result, but I think another lens than the pancake would be better.

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Making-of picture : glass plate, light coming from below, some gravels and Misato’s custom base as props.

I said previously that the figure has nothing appealing, but in fact, I think her loose socks are pure win. I can’t remember where it was, but I read something about Japanese school girl fashion, and one of them was telling that the best fashion accessory to have was loose socks ^^

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Oh and if you want to see more, don’t miss Aka’s great and complete review of this yet lovely figure. It would be easier to form an opinion if you’re thinking about getting her ~_^

Recently I got myself a copy of Project Diva 2, SEGA psp music game featuring Vocaloid software super star idol Hatsune Miku. The game has been released in Japan few weeks ago, at the end of July. I was in the area at that time, but did not manage to find a copy in Kyoto ^^;;
So I ordered it on AmiAmi, and two weeks later it arrived at home.

I already played a lot to the first opus, so I felt like writting something about my impressions, as a modest fan.

For people who have no idea about what the game’s purpose is, here a quick summary : you have a song playing, with a lovely PV featuring Miku or other Vocaloid characters, and as the music flows, icons of buttons-to-press-in-the-right-timing pop out. The more accurate, the better. And at the end, according to your performance, you can unlock new songs, new difficulty levels, new costumes for your idols etc.

This second episode is pretty much like the first one. Graphically identical, the “most signicative” new features come from the gameplay, as there are two new type of notes : long and double. Long notes are denoted by the note symbol, like in first game, but followed by a long line with another symbol on its end. You must press and hold the note, then release it once you reach the end of the line. Double notes are denoted by an arrow symbol with a “W”. These are like regular notes except you need to press the button AND the directional pad equivalent at the same time.
The directional pad can now be used, and you can alternate freely between it and the face buttons for normal notes. For example, you can press X or Down, it still counts. Pretty usefull for some tricky songs where a monstruous series of notes is coming really fast ^^

And there is also a 4th difficulty, called “Extreme”. While it can be seen as just a harder version of “Hard”, I think it brings another dimension to the game. Pretty much like in the first game, the hardest difficutly is definitely the closest to the song’s rhythm. And thanks to those new long and double notes, the “Extreme” difficulty offers a great musical experience, especially with lively songs like こっち向いて Baby (Kocchi Muite Baby) or 初めての恋が終わる時 (Hajimete no Koi ga Owaru Toki).
I think SEGA did a great job with this gameplay improvement.

For more details about the new features, feel free to visit projectdiva.wikispaces, which is also a neat guide for folks who want to play these games and can’t handle Japanese characters at all.

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There is now a total of 46 songs (36 in the first game, or 32 “unique” songs), but where I got a bit disappointed is that 16 of them have been directely imported from the first game. Yeah, sixteen! That’s way too many… which brings the list of new songs back to 30. Ok, it is great to be able to try the “Extreme” version of ミラクルペイント (Miracle Paint), ワールドイズマイン (World is Mine) or マージナル (Marginal), but I am really annoyed to have to play again some other songs I really hate ^^;;
With all the great artists and albums released the past two years, there could have been a better content in my opinion.

Anyway, if you are into musical games, and enjoy synthesized voices of Miku, Luka, Rin, Len, Kaito and Meiko, Project Diva 1 & 2 are definitely for you.

Now I just have to figure out how to have Project DIVA Dreamy Theater work on my PS3. I wonder if it is possible for us, poor forgotten European fans…

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Wall of Jizō Bosatsu statues, in Kamakura Buddhist temple Kaikōzan Jishōin Hase-dera.

Jizō, or Ojizō-sama as he is respectfully known, is one of the most loved of all Japanese divinities. Traditionally, he is seen as the guardian of children, particularly children who died before their parents.
The statues can sometimes be seen wearing tiny children’s clothing or bibs, or with toys, put there by grieving parents to help their lost ones and hoping that Jizō would specially protect them. Sometimes the offerings are put there by parents to thank Jizō for saving their children from a serious illness. Jizō’s features are commonly made more babylike to resemble the children he protects. – wikipedia