Spotted the famous Himiko Cruise Ship while walking around in the artificial island of Odaiba. The futureristic kinda looking cruise was designed by the renowned Leiji Matsumoto who is also well known in the Anime industry which he brought us titles such as Herlock, Galaxy Express 999, and most recently Ozuma.

Himiko runs from Asakusa to Odaiba Seaside Park, to Toyosu and then back to Asakusa where passengers can enjoy a 360-degree panoramic view the old Edo and modern Tokyo. Ive always wanted to go on it but unfortunately It has already left and the next one would be coming the next hour or so. I guess Ill try and go on it on my next trip, the timetable can be seen here.

Interestingly Himiko is named after Queen Himiko who was the first recognized independent lady in Japanese history.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lf716n7mMG0

A video giving you a better picture since I couldnt go on it and make this post a bit more interesting.

Talk about fandom, I realised after a few days in Tokyo that ive actually been seeing a lot of adverts featuring singer Tomomi Itano from the famous idol group AKB48. She’s everywhere! On billboards, flyers, convenient stores and the list goes on.

To tell you the truth Im not really that big of a fan of AKB48 nor towards her, but don’t get me wrong I like the music! Anyway the more I kept on seeing her the more she grew in me, she sure is attractive! She gives out that charm that makes her a likable person. Her most recent coverage was for emobile where she appeared as the cover girl and on the promotional video too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2BKMPXVAXA

I love what she is wearing with her evil wings that moves and horns, what a cutie! ^^ Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

This post we see Project Holo travel to the north west of France where I was to visit from acquaintance of my father. While on the road we came across something rather intriguing in the middle of nowhere. In the surroundings of the woods and a beautiful lake lies a stunning medieval Chateau (castle), I couldnt help myself relate it to a Disneyland or Age of Empire setting and decided to do a quick stop to add it into the catalog.

The Chateau de la Bretesche was built in early 14th century. Its name derives from the latin Bretechia which characterises a defence tower overlooking the castles main entrance. The Castle was besieged in the 16th century by the duke of Mercoeur during the French War of Religion and was substantially destroyed during the French Revolution. The castle was later reconstructed in the 19th century by Jacques Perron. In 1926 the castle was listed as one of the historical monuments and then in 1943 the surrounding area of the castle was also added. The castle was sold to a real estate company in 1965 which transformed the site into a hotel-restaurant along with the addition of the golf course.

There wasnt much information apart from french so took me a while to translate. Anyway I hope It was helpful, This Chateau is beautiful and I was glad to have had to chance to encounter it. Today’s feature is rather small compared to the rest. Its a shame we were in a hurry and didnt have the chance to take more pictures with Holo, but the main thing is that we managed to get a few to add in the project in any case a picture describes a thousand words.

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The Chateau de la Bretesche is located in the town of Missillac in the french department of Loire-Atlantique which is north west of the country at Bretagne. If you want to check out more adventures of Holo why not visit its catalog here or click on:

• Holo Au Vineyard de Provence
• Holo a Cotignac
• Holo au Port de La Londe

If you want to learn more about Project Holo itself you can head over here.

Anyone fancy a nice plate of Omurice filled with love from cute maids? The seasoned fried rice wrapped by an omelet is a classic example of modern contemporary Japanese fusion cuisine and a popular choice for many visitors.

On a busy Sunday, we decided to head out in search of having the maid cafe experience and the obvious choice is of course in Akihabara. There are many Maid Cafes to choose from but for some reason weve heard a lot about the maid cafe called @Home Cafe being a popular choice, so we decided to give it a go.

“Irashaimase, Goshujin-sama!” greeted the small cute Japanese girl dressed with the classic French maid outfit who was at the counter. The bow followed by a welcoming smile was quite overwhelming. After confirming a table for 3, we followed the maid as she mentioned those same greetings we received but at a slight louder pitch which then was responded by the other Maids in the Cafe. Seated, we just glazed at the surroundings of Maids serving there Masters before ordering the anticipated meal – the Omurice!

The thing is we cannot eat our Omurice before it gets pumped up with love by the Maids! And so with a little phrase along with lets say “cute” gestures bam! *sparkles* The Omurice is filled with the love needed for us masters to enjoy :9 Another activity for the maid to be at your service is to draw a picture on your Omurice! Our Maid asked us what was our favorite animal? So as you can see we chose, dog, cat and rabbit because the first two was already taken ^^. I must admit that her drawing skills with even a ketchup bottle is far superior then what I can do, yes Im bad at drawing! Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll. The Omurice we received came with nuggets and veggies at the side. Very delicious, I need to learn to make it but I guess It wont have the love from the maids required to enjoy it. *sigh* Anyway as for @Home Cafe itself, It was a nice experience, quite expensive but I guess for the first time experience Its worth it. You will receive a goodie bag and the option to have a picture taken which of course is extra $. A kind sister took the picture of the set to give you an example. Ill post mine of Facebook.

Any of you ate Omurice at Maid Cafe or elsewhere? If so share your exprience!

Next stop for Project Holo is at a small Medieval village of Cotignac, tucked away in the trees at the base of its famous cliffs on southern part of Provence.

Here’s a little bit more on Cotignac’s history:

The cliffs known as troglodytes that dominates the village was essential to Cotignac’s protection and its existence. They are formed of tufa, a porous, calcium rock that’s full of holes and caves. Those caves have been used as shelter and refuge since before recorded history, through invasions and epidemics, and through political wars and religious wars. Houses from as early as the 12th and 13th century were then built into the cliffs, and through time expanded to the lower surroundings which are still in use today. There is also at the top of the cliffs, a pair of square, medieval towers (the “sentinelles”) that have been standing guard over the cliffs, the town and the surrounding countryside since those early 12th and 13th century days. – more at beyond.fr

Why was this place was chosen? It was more on a personal basis at first because this is where my father and his family is from, However given Cotignac’s history, this place had a fitting role for Project Holo especially regarding Holo and the its series Spice and Wolf because the setting is also in Medieval times. While walking through the village, visitors will encounter old quarters, set next to the cliff, houses of the l2th and 13th centuries, stone or wrought iron decorations, narrow streets, a waterfall in the background and many more, all witnesses to the long and interesting past of Cotignac. It gives this nostalgic feeling as if your in the world of the peddler Craft Lawrence and Holo the Wise Wolf of Yoitsu traveling through towns and villages buying and selling all kinds of things.

It is a place of character and one to be definitely seen.

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Cotignac is situated in the interior of Var in the center of Provence and is about a 20 minute drive from the main Auto route that runs between Marseilles, Aix en Provence and Nice, giving easy access to St. Tropez, Cannes and Nice, which are just over one hour’s drive from Cotignac (easier way, 20 kilometers north of Brignoles) The “Cours” (court), sheltered from the heat by plane trees and cooled by the everflowing fountain is a lively place full of restaurants, cafes and shops. The great rock which stretches for about 400m. is quite an amazing sight. The moving sun aIters the shadows which in turn are constantly changing the aspect ot the sides of the cliff. There are many fountains, some quite curious looking, that bubble with cool clear water. Classic old french citroen car! You’ll fall under the charm of this village like no other!

If you want to check out more adventures of Holo why not visit its catalog here or click on:

• Holo at the Golden Pavilion
• Holo Au Vineyard de Provence
• Holo in Shibuya
• Holo au Port de La Londe
• Holo in Ikebukuro

If you want to learn more about Project Holo itself you can head over here.

I have heard and I have seen it on Youtube but I have never experienced it, It is something that always intrigued me, something that Ive always wanted to experience. The experience of being caught in a train with absolutely no space to move, face to face with strangers where the train is completely filled to its limit with passengers. I wanted to experience that Rush Hour in Japan. It gets so intense that passengers are actually pushed inside the train by station personnel so that the train’s door can close. Its a tough task as the train cannot leave until the doors are shut however im amazed at the fact that trains always leave on time. Its really hard to understand how such thing can happen when thousands of passengers try fighting for a spot in the train when the train looks like its going to burst. Altought its not something people should look forward too, Its quite an experience especially for those from smaller cities. That sense of a big city life!

It was during our trip back to Tokyo from Kamakura which im going to post soon that we got caught in the Rush Hour at around 5ish, note that the weekday rush hours peak in Japan especially in Tokyo is between 8am and 9am in the morning, and shortly after 5pm in the evening. Coincidentally we were on the JR Yamanote line heading to Akihabara which is one of particularly crowded rail sections in Tokyo. Others include include the Keihin-Tohoku Lines, JR Chuo Line, JR Sobu Line, Tokyo Metro Tozai Line, Tokyu Denentoshi Line and the JR Tokaido Line, pretty much all all the JR’s. This train seems full like sardines in a can, okay we decided to wait for the next one. The train personnel did a lot of pushing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0A9-oUoMug

heres an example of what I mean by pushing Bye Bye! The next train arrived shortly a minute later where it was our turn to get pushed in. How it looks like inside. So many heads, so many hands! And a little memento for myself ^^

Have any of you got caught in the rush hour while in Japan? if so please share your experience!

Vineyards are a featured highlight in many countries such as France. Theres nothing more than a glass of wine, It is something that has integrated into french culture for many many years. I would like to present you Project Holo with those beautiful vineyards that surrounds the country of France.

A vineyard is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice. A vineyard is often characterised by its terroir, a French term loosely translating as “a sense of place” that refers to the specific geographical and geological characteristics of grapevine plantations, which may be imparted in the wine.

French wine traces its history to the 6th century BC, with many of France’s regions dating their wine-making history to Roman times. The wines produced today range from expensive high-end wines sold internationally, to more modest wines usually only seen within France.

These Vineyards you see here during the fall season is in the area of Provence, in the south-east and close to the Mediterranean. It is perhaps the warmest wine region of France which produces mainly rose and red wine.

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There are many vineyards in the South of France, however each region has its own specific vineyards for a specific wine. A lot of Vineyards are also associated with Chateaux’s where it is owned by individuals. The famous Saint Tropez! Another must place to visit if your in france!

If you want to check out more adventures of Holo why not visit its catalog here or click on:

• Holo at the Golden Pavilion
• Holo at the Torii Gates
• Holo in Shibuya
• Holo au Port de La Londe
• Holo in Ikebukuro

If you want to learn more about Project Holo itself you can head over here.

I would like to introduce you to the beautiful Lacia from the short novel called BEATLESS, written by Satoshi Hase and illustrated by Redjuice. The figure adaptation is done by Good Smile Company and sculptured by Ishinaga Sakurako. Lacia is portrayed as the main character of the series and is kept faithful to the illustration.

A guidebook is included with the figure which features a prologue to the novel and into the world of BEATLESS. With lists of terminology, various illustrations, character designs and more! It really is the perfect introduction to Lacia’s story. Here’s a brief introduction of Lacia, extracted from the guidebook:

PROJECT: LACIA
TYPE: FEMALE TYPE hIE LACIA – hUMANOID INTERFACE ELEMENTS
NUMBER: FAI-GC1013FTVN

SPEC DATA 01

EYE COLOR: ICE BLUE
HAIR COLOR: VIOLET
HEIGHT: 160CM
EQUIPMENTS: DEVICE “Black Monolith”, OWNER RECOGNITION UNIT, QUANTUM COMMUNICATION ELEMENT, AND HIGHLY INTENSIFIED SUIT
OUTPUT: 800KW (ESTIMATED)

hIE

THEY DON’T HAVE “SOULS”. hUMANOID INTERFACE ELEMENTS ARE HUMANOID ROBOTS. THEY TAKE THE MOST APPROPRIATED ACTION DIRECTED BY THE SPECIAL PROGRAM ON ACTION MANAGEMENT NETWORK AND CHOSEN FROM ENORMOUS ACCUMULATIONS OF RECORDED “BEHAVIOR” MODELS. THEY ARE LIKE PUPPETS CREATED BY WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS. THEY REACT ACCORDING TO HUMAN’S WORDS OR MOTIONS, AND GUIDE THE MEN EXPECTING WHAT THEY REACT. THEY ARE SUBSTANCES SO THEY NEVER HAVE LEGAL HUMAN RIGHTS.

Im very much fond of this figure. Seeing that the artbook was also included simply blew me away. Didn’t expect that bonus. I can’t wait to see the other artworks by Redjuice being adapted into figures. Its really the first time in a while I wanted to be so careful opening the box, just because of how amazingly it was presented. Must admit Good Smile Company blew my expectations away. Although putting the base together made me sweat bullets, praying I wouldn’t snap or anything. I am Very impressed. She is beautiful in many ways. For more Figure related posts, Head to its main category page.

After our Journey through Asia, we would like to welcome Europe as the new chapter of Project Holo. One sad thing though is that our member Wibi is not part of it, He returned back to Bali for the rest of the holidays. Our first destination is France where we spent time with some relatives along as attending the ILTM – International Luxury Travel Market held in Cannes. However the actual place we had the time for Project Holo was a small town called La Londe.

La Londe-les-Maures is a commune in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Cote d’Azur region in southeastern France. Known for its beaches and Port where many tourist and locals can rent boats and transport to other holiday islands of Porquerolles.

Although I must say that this place is not related to the real purpose of the project of landmarks, We just decided that It would be nice to show you the place (for example a filler episode ^^). France is a beautiful country, Im not being bias its a fact. Anyway enjoy!

View Larger Map Like mentioned La Londe is in the south of france in the Provence area, It is considered by many the most beautiful area in france. If you want to check out more adventures of Holo why not visit its catalog here or click on:

• Holo at the Golden Pavilion
• Holo at the Torii Gates
• Holo in Shibuya
• Holo with the Deers of Nara
• Holo in Ikebukuro

If you want to learn more about Project Holo itself you can head over here.

Today I went to the city to get my hair cut after nearly 2 months of looking like a caveman, anyway decided to check out a few stores and while browsing the Anime section, I found a big section dedicated to Studio Ghibli, this brought me early memories as Studio Ghibli was the one that introduced me to the world of Anime when I when was in my young glory back in Singapore.

To be precise the first anime was My Neighbor Totoro directed by the great Hayao Miyazaki. I cant remember which specific year it was but it definitely in mid 90′s. One thing I know is that I completely fell in love with the art and only the art as I think I was too young to understand ^^. From then on, other series such as Kiki’s Delivery Service, Castle in the Sky, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (by Toei animation but by Hayao Miyazaki) and so on followed into my watch list.
Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.
My Neighbor Totoro

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuLX50_5UAI

Kiki’s Delivery Service

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=piIdiZ44zzU

Castle in the Sky

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QSFyr1vxi4

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wSba9hwCaU

Isnt it nostalgic? Surprisingly most of them were watched even before the Pokemon Boom. So what about you? Do you remember your first Anime? if so when! And how do you feel when you look at at it?