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Japan is well known for its long and lengthy culture that has been established for hundreds of years. It is well known for its art, cuisine, theater and traditional sports but has over time adopted many a western method to adopt new and more efficient ways of doing things.

Traditionally Kimonos have always been seen as the Japanese set fashion wear. However over time the influence of western methods have rubbed off and the Kimono formerly named as all clothes worn has been kept for formal occasions. AN example of a western trend recently adopted has been that of the school uniform. Whilst many schools in Japan have a established school uniform set up, for those that don’t pupils started to come in wearing “just kidding” uniforms that have shorter then regulated jackets, short pleated skirts and wide legged pants for boys. The clear inspiration for this is the anime Manga that often features schoolgirl like characters who battle evil and save the world. Recently the trend has spread overseas with countries such as Thailand and South Korea seen sporting the “just kidding” uniform. It may even spread to western shores just watch this space.

Japanese theatre such as Noh and Kabuki has always been seen as part of Japan’s “Intangible cultural heritage”. However to many young Japan’s it is alienated by is huge history, and long complicated plots. However a set of popular Manga titles set in classic theatre bring young characters to the forefront and have its audience learning about traditional theatre almost as a side effect. Yong people feel they can recognize themselves in the adventures of the protagonists who are of similar age and background and thus begin to understand more about traditional theatre.

Café’s were traditionally known as a place you could get a coffee or tea and relax over a chat with a friend. Nowadays they can be a lot more and offer places to meet new people over social nights or offering computers for people to use if they don’t have one at home. Japan takes this trend slightly further as it begins to offer concept café’s, which cater to customers needs in innovative ways.  Such examples include those who strive to provide live entertainment, a therapeutic atmosphere or a place to communicate the latest trends. Café slow located in Kokubunji in Tokyo is the perfect place to escape from the everyday stress of everyday life. Every Friday the lights are turned off and candles are lit so people can become more attuned to what life can be like in the slow lane.

Japan Performance is known for its originality, tradition and tendency for modernity. The Japan performance art is creating a veritable link between the traditional performance and the modern theatre.

The traditional Japanese performance includes Kabuki, Noh, Kyōgen and Bunraku. Kabuki is known for its stylized and elaborate drama, the black and red make-up that is used by the actors. The word Kabuki may be translated as “the art of dancing and singing”, but its real sense is deriving from the word “kabuku”, that means to be out of the ordinary or speaking in modern terms it may mean to be“avant-garde”. The Kabuki theatre is recognized by UNESCO as being a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.

Noh is an old form of musical drama, which begins from the 14-th Century. The actors are masked, using special handicraft masks. The performance is concentrated on historical thematic. The performance may last a day, traditionally five plays are performed, with intervals when short comical plays are played.

Kyogen may be translated as “mad words” or “wild speech”. Kyogen developed in the same time as Noh theatre, having a close association with Noh theatre. Even if linked by a common development, Kyogen is a comical type of representation differing from Noh which has a more solemn, serious and symbolic form.

Bunraku is a traditional puppet theatre. The plays are performed by puppeteers, chanters, and players, in some cases traditional Japanese drums are used. Bunraku concentrates on the psychological aspect of the play, trying to express ideas, sentiments. Making a contact with the auditory, and bringing a certain message, Bunraku does not concentrate only on the actor’s performance like Kabuki, but intends to give a message to the auditory.

Fashion and style have become intricate to all our lives in today’s world. There was an age when only celebrities and people in the entertainment world took effort and care to look their best. Nowadays the scenario is very different. Cosplay has emerged as a primary fashion trend and culture in many countries. Though the cosplay cult originated in Japan, the internet and all other kinds of media together popularized this rich costume trend in all the countries round the world. As we all know cosplay refers to the art of dressing up like popular animation, mythological or fictional cartoon characters. These characters stand out in the crowd and remain in the hearts of the fans by their unique apparel and funky accessories.

Cosplay goods have become very accessible and affordable to all the fans because of the increase in the number of stores and online sites which sell them. Stores sell all varieties of wigs, belts, shoes, purses, glasses, guns and boots which are all important elements of a cosplay costume. Every costume is defined and characterized by the type of head dress and foot wear it is accompanied by. Various kinds of wigs, masks, hats, crowns, tiaras, beards and moustaches are purchased and worn by cosplay fanatics. Jewelry has always been an important accessory. Fangs, teeth, extended ears, noses, tails, ties, sashes, canes swords, knives, stockings, tights, socks, gloves and wings are all some weird additions to a cosplay costume.

Leather boots, monster boots, power ranger boots, ballet slippers, witch shoes, pointed boots and elf shoes arecommonly worn. Cosplay fans literally hunt for their favorite funky foot wear as that makes them popular and noticed among other cosplay fanatic when they all meet up in conventions. Cosplay competitions, contests and gatherings happen in a regular basis in many countries all over the world. Die hard fans travel over thousands of miles just to display their passion to this art and fashion form. Fashion shows, skits and mono acts rae performed by budding artists and veterans of the art. Experienced judges evaluate the performances and with the help of the audience declare the winners. These competitions are of high value and can change the lives of the winners over night.

Cosplay fashion is an interesting blend of tradition and modern day ideas and has endured to today’s young teens and women. Find the nearest cosplay store and start shopping.

Although there are no fanclubs out there that specially deal with popular anime voice actress Kikuko Inoue there are all sorts of different fanclubs that relate to all sorts of things in the world of anime. These include clubs that cater to fans of certain shows and styles.

Some smaller fanclubs are ones that deal with specific people like Inoue or specific shows. These smaller clubs can generally be found on social networking sites. However, larger anime fanclubs can be ones that can be found on their own special sites or facilities. These deal with general anime topics.

An anime fanclub is one that can offer support for a variety of different types of seiyuu, or voice actors, who appear in a number of different anime programs. These include such popular stars as Rie Tanaka, Megumi Hayashibara, Kikuko Inoue and Ai Shimizu. These are all people who have trained at acting schools like the Yoyogi Animation Academy.

Fanclubs can be found in all places all over the world. While it is true that seiyuu like Inoue are more popular in Japan than in other parts of the world they are also popular in a variety of places that anime is found in. No matter where one goes the odds are very good that one can find different anime enthusiasts who are interested in the same thing.

Many fanclubs are ones that can hold different conventions. These are conventions that can be found in large hotels all over the world and can cater to people who enjoy anime and all of the things surrounding it. A variety of people can show up in different conventions beyond the fans, many of whom can be found in their best cosplay costumes. These include such people as animators, voice actors and production designers.

The best thing about these fanclubs is that they are ones that can cater to people who have either just experienced anime or people who have been interested in anime for years. Anyone who likes anime or at least has some kind of an interest in it will definitely enjoy the camaraderie of an anime fanclub including one that caters towards specific people in the anime business.

Although there are no official fanclubs that relate to Kikuko Inoue there are all sorts of smaller clubs that can be found on different websites. General anime fanclubs are great to see as well.

Cosplay is short for ‘costume play’. As the name signifies it is a costume based performance art where actors play the role of a particular character by wearing the signature costume and accessories. This culture originated in Japan but has gained immense popularity all over the world nowadays. The ideas of characters are mainly derived from animation, fictional novels and movies, manga, tokusatsu, comic books, hentai and video games. The talent of a Cosplay artist lies in his perfection of adapting the character’s mannerisms and in trying to imitate it to the tee by wearing the exact same clothes.

The advancement of technology is one of the main reasons for the wide spread popularity of Cosplay. People can easily access and know about the new anime and cartoon characters and the place they can buy Cosplay goods. The Cosplay artists commonly called cosplayers have numerous forums to discuss and organize events and have created a culture and league of their own. One such destination which has an active Cosplay culture is Australia. Annual competitions, events and meetings have Cosplay fans pouring in from all corners.

Supanova is the annual culture extravaganza which happens every year in different cities of Australia and is scheduled for June 18-20, 2010 in Sydney. It has a dedicated team and a fan base for Cosplay. The Madman Cosplay competition has numerous amateurs and also Cosplay veterans hitting the stage with comedy skits and signature performances. It is open for both individual artists and groups. Prizes for this contest are very valuable coupons and vouchers for buying goods at the Madman online store. This store is one of the largest Cosplay costume and accessories selling places in the world. You are required to do an advance booking both for participation and also enjoying the show as audience. This will ensure the availability of seats and you will not miss even a single act.

The Madman National Cosplay Competition is a separate entity of its own. Qualifying and final rounds are conducted in different places of Australia. The finals will be conducted in a special location and winners will get a fabulous trip to the birth place of Cosplay, Japan as their prize. Cosplay is an excellent performance art and it inspires thousands of potential cosplayers and artists from all over the world. Australia is the hot spot of the Cosplay art and culture and the annual conventions should not be missed.

The term ‘Cosplay’ has metamorphosed into Cosplay competition where participants act out a particular character usually taken from some popular Japanese fiction. These participants actually wear costumes and various accessories associated with or worm by the characters. Some of the fictions from which these characters are drawn include anime, manga, video games, hentai, tokusatsu as well as comic books. The term ‘cosplay’ is credited to Nobuyuki Takahashi who got the inspiration while he was attending the 1984Los Angeles Science Fiction, WorldCon.

Inasmuch as the term cosplay is a Japanese creation, the practice itself is quite steeped in American culture. Cosplay is an extension of the comparative long standing practice of costuming in America and Europe. The characterization is drawn in this case from famous movies such as Dr. Who, Harry Potter, Star Wars, Star Trek and The Lord of the Rings. The popularity of the Japanese animes have also had an effect on the American cosplay practice such that it is now common to see characterization of Japanese fiction on American cosplay competition. Conversely, in Asia, there has been a gradual infusion of western characterization in the cosplay events. This is no doubt a direct result of the success and popularity of fantasy and science fiction movies like The Matrix, Lord of the Rings, The Dark Knight, Harry Potter and Star Wars. It is therefore becoming quite common to see characters from these movies in Asian cosplay competition.

Cosplay competition has certain rules although some may be peculiar to specific competitions. One of the rules that cut across the board is that regarding the use of other people’s photos. Of course, one of the biggest attractions of any cosplay competition is taking pictures but then third party rights also apply although nothing prevents anyone from using personal recordings.

Some of the laws that may apply in a cosplay event include the following:

1. Time Limit on Performances: Considering the fact that there are a number of acts, there has to be time caps on performances. Individual, two or three person acts could attract time limits of three and four minutes respectively.
2. Cosplayers have to provide the organizers of the competition with a storyboard of their act for assessment of its ability to captivate the audience. This of course is to ensure that all boring acts are weeded out early enough and those that make it to the final stage are very exciting.
3. Visitors are permitted to take pictures if the cosplay competition. The one exception to this permission is the use of flash photography.

Outside the competitions, the cosplayers have also gotten the opportunity to bond with each other and share ideas online via forums and social networks. Sharing tips and other resources has also helped spread the culture. In Hong Kong, there are quite a number of activities dedicated to this culture such as:

-          Rainbow Gala

-          Comic World HK

-          Asian Game Show

-          Photography oriented events organized privately in locations like the popular Tai Po Waterfront and Kowloon Park.

Seiyu is a person who acts as a voice actor. They are singers who work in amine and various other shows that the Japanese people completely adore. They are given wide recognition in Japan and people mostly know which seiyu has dubbed for whom. Their voice is their identity. There have been many seiyu’s till today those have been nurtured in Japan. A few of them would be Jun Fukuyama, Daisuke Ono, and Aya Hirano, to name a few. Out of them, though favorites differ, Jun Fukuyama has proved time and over again that he has that strength in his voice which can attract a million hearts.

Jun Fukuyama, born in November 26^th, 1978, has been topping the charts for being the best seiyu in Japan. His works have been acknowledged, both, in the supporting as well as leading roles in the amine creations. Born in Takatsuki, Japan, his works have taken him all the way to the top and today he is the most sought after seiyu, by the production houses.

He was initially backed by the Aoni Productions and later he shifted on to the Production Baobab for his works. He started his career as a seiyu in the year 1998 with the TV amine show Himitsu no Hanazono as a supporting role. His main lead was in the show Guardian Angel Getten. This was just the beginning of the success in his graph scale. Later on, he continued to get varied offers and in 2002 he had complete more than 10 lead roles.

Further on, after getting enough of exposure and recognition in this field his works were recognized and honored by the Seiyu Awards, in Japan. He bagged the award for the leading role as Lelouch Lamperouge in the amine Code Geass- Lelouch of the Rebellion, 2007. Not only this, but his works were also honored by other awards that followed. Now there are many fan lists that are extremely attached to him and see him as their idol.

On his way to reach the skies, he was also seen on the cover page of the leading Japanese magazine Voice Newtype in their issue number 28, dated October 2008. He has also been known by his nick names such as Jun, JunJun and Junie. His much acclaimed roles include; Bleach- Yumichika Ayasegawa, Blood+ guy, Okane ga nai- Yuiya Ayase, Stargazer- Sol Ryune l’ Ange, etc.

As an aspiring cosplayer, you need at least one cosplay idol in order to be successful. Anyone who was ever successful, whether at a sport or another activity, had to be inspired by someone else. This person who inspired them, motivated them to be just as good, if not better at the craft. When it comes to cosplaying, you can dream big because the sky is the limit. When it comes to cosplay, some are so good at it that they are able to make a living from it. Just imagine spending the rest of your life attending conventions all over the world and getting paid to do so.

It’s rather amazing that such a thing exists, isn’t it…and no, it’s not too good to be true.

Here is something you should know:

Professional cosplayers in Japan can also be cosplay models. These are people that are paid to dress up as a character and be photographed. This is a dream job for many people, but these individuals do take their work seriously. The average cosplayer can be paid up to $150 an hour and can demand even more than that for every 30 minutes after the first hour or two. The field of cosplaying is rather competitive considering no special schooling or training is required. A person simply has to have a talent for portraying their cosplay idol.

For those needing cosplay references, screen shots are very important. It is these shots that help ensure the cosplay is accurate. However, it can be hard to stand out at a convention these days with the Misa misa, Axel, Sasuke, and roxas cosplayers making themselves seen at conventions. But no matter who is running around, you can be all that you can be and have fun with it.

So how do you create a cosplay costume that can stand out amongst all of the others? How do you make all of the others at the convention stop, admire, and compliment your creative cosplay costume or ask to take your picture? Well, you simply need a costume that is going to inspire such reactions. You need something that is going to turn the heads of people so that they want to be around you.

By having a stand out cosplay costume, you could even win one of the prestigious costume awards…or you could win them all. But the question is how do you do this? Well, you first have to find your Cosplay Idol. This is someone that you admire and who inspires you to better yourself. Make sure you ask yourself what makes them so good. Is it the degree of detail their character possesses or the accessories that they tote around? Look at their choice of fabrics, their overall personality (which should shine through in photos), and look at the overall costume you are trying to imitate. Always be sure to use your own personality and your imagination together to make your cosplay a success.

If you are looking for popular Cosplay Idols, professional Japanese cosplayer Arisa Mizuhara and Internet celebrity Adella are amongst the many talented cosplayers in the world today.

Cosplay is becoming a hobby accepted internationally having thousands of followers which are born from events filled with fanatical anime fans and large gatherings. In the past two decades the hobby of cosplay has its growth in popularity along with anime. Cosplay is originated from the words in English that is “costume” and “play. It will be describing the hobby of accurate costume crafting that is highly detailed of manga characters and beloved anime.

The cosplay’s amount of public acceptance has increased in nearby years, mainly from 1998 and beyond it. Today in public settings like nightclubs, video game shows and parties, cosplay have become a scene that is popular. There are cosplay cafes in some areas of Japan like Akihabara district.

Many contests are getting hold in anime events where the attention and the accuracy are detailed on the basis of a cosplay costume. They will be basically judged on depiction which is true about the character after which they were designed. This might be one among the aspects of cosplay that is most important. The defining element is the attention to accuracy and detail of a costume of cosplay. Thus it should resemble the character they depict and a player’s skin and hair will be considered as a part of the costume itself.

Costumes of cosplay will be elaborated commonly and will be utilizing array of materials in a wide manner by employing a variety of art forms and craft skills. It is of immense importance to get accurate and precise materials and textures to obtain the most possible accurate costumes. Because of this reason, it is essential to guarantee the maximum quality of cosplay costume related with leatherworking, metalworking and a variety of trade skills.

There will be changes in trends of cosplay costume. The cosplay characters will change on the basis of year and month, depending on what movies, anime, and video games are currently popular. Even some characters which are non-anime have become popular in choices of cosplay in the past years. The common choices for costumes of non-anime character are Harry Potter and Star Wars.

There are some enthusiasts which forms a subset group of those who have taken cosplay in new directions by evolving from the cosplay hobby itself. A type of cosplay, Crossplay for example is where the players themselves will be dressed up as opposite sex characters. As they are not in gender-specific clothing necessarily, it will not be seen as that odd since anime tends to get characters featured by wearing a particular variety that is unique.

Cosplay has websites and magazines devoted to it as it has grown to that much popularity in its incarnation which is modern. These resources will be featuring on detailed instructions on costume materials and its making and also the images of costumes taken from past conventions. “Cameko” or “Camera boy” are those photographers who will be dedicating themselves to photograph the cosplay events who are allowed routinely in conventions.

Female seiyuus in Japan are in great demand especially in Japan’s animation industry which produces more than half of the animated series in the world. The role of a seiyuu includes acting as narrators, performing as voice-overs in movies and TV programs, actors in radio plays, and character actors in animes and video games. Some of the world’s best female seiyuus include Kikuko Inoue, Aya Hisakawa, Kugimiya Rie, and Megumi Hayashibara, among others. Nana Mizuki, Mitsuki Saiga, and Paku Romi are also popular female seiyuus with a large fan base. Many seiyuus have gone on to become singers, and live move and televisions actresses.

Kikuko Inoue is a popular seiyuu that runs her own voice-acting company, Office Anemone. Known for playing sultry and provocative roles, Kikuko has been involved with many singing groups including Goddess Family Club and DoCo. She is known to many as Onee-chan or big sister. The female characters that Kikuko usually plays vocals roles for are varied. Her prominent roles include Kazami Mizuho in Onegai Teacher, and Rune Venus in El-Hazard, where she plays the role of a princess and leader of her country.

Kikuko also takes on sultry roles such as Corvette, a provocative dancer and is the seiyuu for a sex-crazed nurse in hentai OVA Ogenki Clinic. She has two voice sets in Guilty Gear’s I-No, one an aggressive, and another as a subdued character, which is something unbelievable for her loyal fans. Kikuko’s trademark is a fish since she believes that she was one in her past life. Her distinctive style as Belldandy from the Ah! My Goddess anime, has formed the basis for subsequent series for Belldandy’s character.

Kikuko’s role as Lust in Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, saw her role as an antagonist that the main characters have to contend with. Kikuko will always be young at heart and jokingly says she is still 17 every time someone asks her about her age. At the 4^th Seiyuu Awards, Kikuko won the Best Supporting Female Seiyyu award.

In other anime films her notable roles are as Maki in Kiki’s Delivery Service, as Kasumi Tendo in Ranma ½, as Yelan Li in Cardcaptor Sakura: The Movie, and Electra in Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water.

Kikuko’s notable stage appearances include her role as Erumesu in Densha Otoko, as Lobelia Carlini in Sakura Taisen Paris Mini-Live 2001 Tokyo, and Lobelia Carlini in Sakura Taisen Paris no Christmas, Joyeux Noël! 2001 Dinner Show, Tokyo.