Japan Has R2-D2 Birthday Cakes... for $360 USD a Shot!

Sometimes Japan has some of the nicest things for kids...

How about this R2-D2 birthday cake I saw yesterday?

Any Star Wars fan would love this. Especially a little kid. The dad won't like it though... Especially for a ¥30,000 price tag! (About $360.00 USD!) But the cake was a super hit and the child was thrilled... So it was worth every cent!

Probably the best birthday cake I've ever seen or eaten!

Two-Foot Tall Star Wars Stormtrooper Toy from Japan!

Laughing Squid introduces us to a two-foot tall Star Wars Stormtrooper toy from Super Seven!

Check out the TV commercial:



Laughing Squid reports:

“Lost” 1970′s Japanese Star Wars toy commercial for the Stormtrooper Super Shogun available at Super7.

The Star Wars Stormtrooper Super Shogun stands a whopping 24 inches tall, and includes all of the features that you expect from an authentic Jumbo: free rotating wheels on the bottom of his feet, and a spring-loaded Rocket Punch firing fist!

From the Super Seven website:

The Star Wars Stormtrooper Super Shogun stands a whopping 24 inches tall, and includes all of the features that you expect from an authentic Jumbo: free rotating wheels on the bottom of his feet, and a spring-loaded Rocket Punch firing fist! 

Utilizing the same techniques implemented by Japanese toy manufacturers in the 1970s, the Super Shogun is constructed from durable, blow-molded polyethylene with a painted vinyl helmet. The figure is articulated at the neck and shoulders, and includes a removable, highly-detailed BlasTech E-11 laser blaster. The blaster even features a posable stock that unfolds from below the barrel. Collectors of both Japanese and Star Wars memorabilia are sure to be impressed with the care taken to fuse the disparate concepts into a new unique entity.

Packaged in gift box illustrated with iconic graphics from both franchises, each Stormtrooper is individually serial numbered as part of this one time limited edition production run. As a special bonus, metallic foil stickers are included for you to customize the torso with the character name in English or in Japanese. 

For even more photos, videos, and information, please visit our dedicated mini-site at

Super 7 Store

This toy sells for $299.00... If you have a seven-year-old at home DO NOT SHOW THIS TO THAT CHILD!!!!

Marketing Japan: Japan Sunday Bizarreness! Darth Vader & Giant Squid on Train!

By Mike in Tokyo Rogers!

Great ideas come from getting out of the rut and going out and seeing and doing things that widen your horizons. That's why, today, I'm starting a new Sunday series called, "Japan Sunday Bizarreness!" It's just going to be short tidbits of weird stuff I've found in Japan that I hope you get a kick out of. Hopefully, they can help you to think of good ways to promote or market your product or service.

Two guys were riding a train and they were going to work to do some sort of promotion. Who knows what? But they decided to have some fun and one guy crouched behind the giant squid while the other took his photo. Maybe a possible good idea for a promotion? Hmmm? 

This was a while back, but I just found it. They had a kids night at baseball to get youngsters more interested in the sport. I hear that young kids no longer are interested in Star Wars (tell that to my 6-year-old!) and are into Poke-Mon, but this is an interesting idea too...

Okay, while we're at it... for all you Star Wars fans... This one about Darth Vader in Japan is pretty funny.

This next photo is at a McDonald's in Japan. It looks like these kids are between, or before, a performance for school or something. Interesting...

It's definitely fall or winter... You could never wear that mask during summer in Japan! Too hot!

Finally! I found a great place to study Japanese for free and it's on Youtube of all places! Youtube has an entire section of old Japanese fairy tales that you can watch. Studying animations on TV was how I learned to speak Japanese. I think it is a great way.  Here's how:

1) Watch the videos over and over.

2) Record the sound to your MP3 player or cassette. Listen repeatedly.

3) Write down the entire text in a notebook.

4) Get a Japanese speaker to help you learn the text by heart.

The Youtube site is called  まんが日本昔ばなし (Manga, Japan's Ancient Stories). The Youtube site is here. The level is easy so it's a great place to start. I've embedded one here for your enjoyment.

This great site was introduced to me by my good friend Leon Tsunehiro Yu-Tsu Tai. Thanks Leon!

Have a great weekend! Comment or write to me sometime!

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Keywords, Star Wars, Darth Vader, Mike Rogers, Squid, McDonald's, Marketing, Marketing Japan, Manga, Youtube, photos, Manga, Mike in Tokyo Rogers, Manga, Japan's Ancient Stories, Ancient stories

Marketing Japan: Star Wars Type Holograms Impossible? Not for Japan

By Mike in Tokyo Rogers

Remember in the first Star Wars movie when Princess Leia input that holographic distress message into R2D2? Remember thinking how cool that was and just how much you wished we could do that today?

Well, get this... Japan has promised that if it is allowed to host the 2022 World Cup games, then Japan will develop the technology to make holographic images and broadcast them around the world to over 360 million people in over 208 countries...

No kidding.

The plan is called The Universal Fan Fest and it even has its own Wikipedia entry. Here's a snippet to prove to you that I am not making this stuff up:

Japan has pledged that if it is granted the rights to host the 2022 World Cup games, it will develop technology enabling it to provide a live international telecast of the event in 3D, which would allow 400 stadiums in 208 countries to provide 360 million people with real-time 3D coverage of the games projected on giant screens, captured in 360 degrees by 200 HD cameras. Furthermore, Japan will broadcast the games in holographic format if the technology to do so is available by that time. Beyond allowing the world's spectators to view the games on flat screens projecting 3D imaging, holographic projection would project the games onto stadium fields, creating a greater illusion of actually being in the presence of the players. Microphones embedded below the playing surface would record all sounds, such as ball kicks, in order to add to the sense of realism.


You might think that this is all pie-in-the-sky nonsense, but Japan already demonstrated holographic display technology at the 2009 National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) show. 

Japan is perfect for developing this technology, not only do we have the geeks to do it, we also have the "Otaku" who will use it for the ultimate purpose: Dressing up in high school girl uniforms for "Cos play."


See Wikipedia "Universal Fan Fest" here.


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Keywords:


Marketing Japan, holographic, NAB, Japan, HD cameras, 2022 World Cup Games, technology, Star Wars, Princess Leia, Mike Rogers, 3D imaging, holographic projection, Mike in Tokyo Rogers, broadcast

Marketing Japan: Star Wars Type Holograms Impossible? Not for Japan

By Mike in Tokyo Rogers

Remember in the first Star Wars movie when Princess Leia input that holographic distress message into R2D2? Remember thinking how cool that was and just how much you wished we could do that today?

Well, get this... Japan has promised that if it is allowed to host the 2022 World Cup games, then Japan will develop the technology to make holographic images and broadcast them around the world to over 360 million people in over 208 countries...

No kidding.

The plan is called The Universal Fan Fest and it even has its own Wikipedia entry. Here's a snippet to prove to you that I am not making this stuff up:

Japan has pledged that if it is granted the rights to host the 2022 World Cup games, it will develop technology enabling it to provide a live international telecast of the event in 3D, which would allow 400 stadiums in 208 countries to provide 360 million people with real-time 3D coverage of the games projected on giant screens, captured in 360 degrees by 200 HD cameras. Furthermore, Japan will broadcast the games in holographic format if the technology to do so is available by that time. Beyond allowing the world's spectators to view the games on flat screens projecting 3D imaging, holographic projection would project the games onto stadium fields, creating a greater illusion of actually being in the presence of the players. Microphones embedded below the playing surface would record all sounds, such as ball kicks, in order to add to the sense of realism.

You might think that this is all pie-in-the-sky nonsense, but Japan already demonstrated holographic display technology at the 2009 National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) show. 

Japan is perfect for developing this technology, not only do we have the geeks to do it, we also have the "Otaku" who will use it for the ultimate purpose: Dressing up in high school girl uniforms for "Cos play."

See Wikipedia "Universal Fan Fest" here.

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Keywords:

Marketing Japan, holographic, NAB, Japan, HD cameras, 2022 World Cup Games, technology, Star Wars, Princess Leia, Mike Rogers, 3D imaging, holographic projection, Mike in Tokyo Rogers, broadcast