Samuri Sword Metal

 

Han's and his Mini Museum have done it again. He has provided us with an interesting, authentic, historical specimen that we can own. When Han's first started the mini museum, he curated the miniatures into a small solid block featuring 10 to 40 items. He has since moved on to individual specimens. The site is now selling tamahagane, a high-carbon, hardened steel used in Japanese bladesmithing.  Tama translates to 'precious' and hagane means 'steel'.

Tamahagane was used to make swords, knives, daggers and other tools.  It is made by firing iron sand at temperatures over 1,800 °F and mixing with charcoal to harden the metal with carbon to produce a mass of steel. Tamahagane has a beautiful jewel like appearance. You can read more about Tamahagane here.

Anime - Bleach

 I started watching Bleach: Thousand - Year Blood War on Hulu. I only watched 2 episodes but was hooked. There was so much going on and the story line was complex and intriguing. I have to admit I was at a loss for some of the terms and what was happening. I decided to do a google search for a virtual cheat sheet and soon realized that I was watching a sequel series. The original Bleach series ran from October 5, 2004 – March 27, 2012, with 366 episodes.

No reason to be disappointed since the original series is now available on Hulu. The show revolves around 15 year old Ichigo who can see ghosts. One night his sisters are attacked by a Hollow (demon). A Soul Reaper, Rukia, tries to help but is nearly killed. Rukia then tries to transfer her powers to Ichigo so he can defeat the Hollow. Instead Ichigo absorbs almost all her powers. He defeats the Hollow, but now inherits some new responsibilities with the new powers. Soul Reapers help lost souls find peace and as part of the Soul Society they deal with demons and keep humans safe. Rukia appears at Ichigo's school the next day and explains that he will have to assume her responsibilities until her powers return. Ichigo then learns of other classmates who share special powers. The plot thickens as we learn about Vizards, Arrancar, Espadas, etc. 

If you decide to watch, I promise you won't be bored. There are several story arcs and some will have you questioning what you thought to be real. There are alliances, manipulations, double - crosses and more. 

Kaiju

 

Kaiju in Japanese translates to strange beast or giant monster. It's also a Japanese movie genre.  Godzilla would be considered a Kaiju, but not the first to be portrayed in Japanese film. 

Of course I can appreciate the amount of work that went into converting this Jeep to a "KyeJu"mobile. I did wait for the owner, but was unable to speak with them.  Now that's what I call a superfan.

Restaurant - KPot

We tried KPot Korean BBQ and Hot Pot in Woodbridge, NJ. This was our second attempt, the wait can be very long on the weekends. Originally we tried to dine on a Sunday but the wait was 2 hours so we went elsewhere. During the week, Monday through Wednesday is your best option. If you have a long lunch break, that's even better because your all you can eat buffet will be $20.99 instead of the $31.99 dinner price. 

If you've tried Hot Pot before you understand the concept. You pick your soup base and a bowl will be brought to you, where you choose ingredients and cook the soup yourself. You get to choose between raw/cooked meats, seafood, vegetables and tofu goodies. There is also a sauce station to add flavoring to your meal and some pre-cooked appetizers. 

But wait, my brother just uncovered the best K Pot hack. He found Ramen noodles on the menu and decided to make Ramen soup. He said it tasted great but wasn't sure how long to cook the noodle. There is a small guide at the table, but it didn't really help us. It's always a good idea to look up cooking times on google. I would recommend 3-5 minutes based on the information below. For Ramen I recommend adding the egg, going with pork and some seafood. Also consider adding some dumplings. Gyoza is a traditionally Japanese dumpling so you can't go wrong. I enjoyed it in my soup. There is also a miso soup base to choose from. I think Hot Pot takes some trial and error to figure out what you like. The good news is that all the ingredients here were fresh and top quality to start with.

Movie- The Ramen Girl

 

The Ramen Girl is a movie from 2008 starring Britney Murphy. It's part of the reason I started this blog.  The way Ramen is presented, can lead one to believe it's magic or even contains healing properties. 

Brittney Murphy plays Abby, an American who has followed her boyfriend to Japan.  She has a seemingly good job at a local law firm.  Suddenly her boyfriend must move to Osaka for work and breaks up with Abby. She is depressed and feeling more out of place in a foreign country with no friends.  She stumbles across a Ramen shop, where the owners feel sorry for her and offer her soup even though they are closed.  The soup seems to be the only thing that can cheer Abby up. 

The movie hints to the fact that the emotion of the chef can be passed down trough the food to the consumer.  When the chef is laughing in a good mood, then all the customers are laughing. When Abby begins to cook ramen, there is pain in her heart, the customers eat her soup and start crying.  Is this really the case? Then a Ramen shop's reputation is based on the chefs skill and emotion.  The more love and comfort poured into a bowl, the better the Ramen? This seems more like a good story line and nothing else.  Ramen in Japan is considered a comfort food, something requiring skill to make but also needing to be consumed in a warm stress free environment. 

Abby begins to train to become a Ramen Master. She is learning to make Shoyu Ramen. This is a classic soy sauce-based noodle soup.  The main base of the soup is the long-simmered, complex, and robust broth. The movie is vague about what specfic Ramen is being served. It emphasizes the philosophy and dedication needed to make the soup. 

Pop Culture Art & Cosplay Expo

 

The Amazing Art Expo will host a free Art Show and Expo with a Cosplay Contest. Taking place September 19-21st at the DoubleTree by Hilton Newark Penn Station. This is directly connected to Newark Penn Station, and you won't have to go outside to get there. To register for your free tickets or VIP tickets click here.

There will be art for purchase, not random vendors. The artist have been preselected to work with Amazing Art Expo. The art work spans across different fandoms including; LOTR, Harry Potter, Star Wars, Marvel, DC, Disney, Anime, Horror, Gaming, and Alice and Wonderland.

At the door you will have the opportunity to purchase meet and greet tickets with Lex Lang, Sandy Fox and Neil Kaplan.

The Cosplay Contest takes place from 3-4pm on Saturday and Sunday. You can win a gift certificate to use at the expo. All participants will get a free 12x16 print of their choice. Information for the Cosplay Contest is below and on their websites FAQ section.

Godzilla Pinball Machine

 I played the Stern Godzilla Premium Pinball Machine at the Tropicana Casino's new Game Up Lounge located in the Quarter Shopping Center. The Game Up Lounge offers interactive games and virtual reality games, some of which are more like amusement park rides. There is a row of 5 pinball machines, including Jaws, Jurassic Park and Godzilla.

Of the games I played the Godzilla pinball was my absolute favorite. Why did I like this machine so much? Probably because there is a screen playing black and white clips from the old movies incorporated into the game play story line. If you activate the monster bonus you get to choose which monster you fight. You can choose between Ghidorah, Gigan, Megalon, Ebirah and Titanosaurus. Did I mention you are Godzilla in this game.  The fight scenes again involve old footage along with the pinball play. If you activate the final bonus round you will try to defeat MechaGodzilla, his robot counterpart.

One of my favorite things was the way the points were added up at the end of a bonus round.  We are looking for size of total mass destruction here, the bigger the better. I was able to win 2 free games from this machine, which is always great when the arcade is pay per play.

Finally I recommend playing the virtual reality Godzilla vs Kaiju arcade game.  Sadly I ran out of credits on the claw machines and designer purse lock and key. This game is 28 credits for one go around. 

Hello Kitty

Hello Kitty is originally from Japan.  She was created in 1974 by Yuko Yamaguchi. The owner of Sanrio had asked his staff to create some more animals to adorn small children's gifts.  Kitty was given the green light.  Her first appearance was on a coin purse in 1975, pictured above.  She's now celebrating her 50 year anniversary. 

In 1976 SetSuko Yonekubo took over as Kitty's second designer. She gives Kitty her first standing pose. Prior to this she is sitting in all her pictures.  SetSuko also draws her behind the wheel of a plane and riding a dolphin. Part of Hello Kittys allure is that she can fit into so many different situations.  She is marketed as being sweet, polite, loves her family and friends. Her catch phrase is "you can never have too many friends. "

In 1980 Yamaguchi took over as her current designer and continues until current day. Yamaguchi has successfully changed her presentation every year.  Hello Kittys success can be attributed to her versatility and Sanrio's openness to licensing agreements which started early on with Hello Kitty. She is now the 15th highest earning character of all time.  She's sold in over 130 countries. 

Some highlights include:

1983: Appointed ambassador to the United States by UNICEF. 

1992: Pink becomes her primary color.

1995: Hello Kitty turns 25yrs old and gets a boyfriend Dear Daniel.

2001: Cartoon series"Growing up with Hello Kitty" debut.

2007: Her first appearance as a Ballon in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

2014: Hello Kitty theme park open in China.

2014: 40th anniversary KittyCon in Los Angeles.

Some little know facts about Hello Kitty are that she was born November 1st in London, England.  She has a twin sister Mimmy who wears a yellow bow. Mimmy is shy and likes embriodery and patchwork. Her parents Mary and George are also part of the cartoon.   Mary likes to knit. The kids are taught things like how to answer a phone, clean up after themselves and have good manners.

Sanrio has profited off Hello Kittys friends Badtz-Maru, Cinnamoroll, Keroppi, Pompompurin, Kuromi, Pochacco, Chocolate, Twin Stars and more recently Aggretsuko and Gudetama. My personal favorite is My Melody who was created in 1975. She is a white rabbit with a pink hood over her ears.  She was inspired by little red riding hood.  She lives in Mariland. She is honest, good natured and loves to bake.

Hello Kitty owns two pets. A Persian cat named Charmmy Kitty and a Djungarian hamster named Sugar. Sugar was given to Hello Kitty by Dear Daniel as a gift.  I know it seems weird for a cat to own a cat pet. Is it really any weirder then Mickey Mouse owning Pluto? The real controversy is that in 2024 it was announced that Hello Kitty is a human girl.  I'm just going to pretend I didn't hear that. That's too much to handle right now.  Maybe I will deep dive into that topic in a future article where I tackle her not having a mouth and gender equality. 🤔 

Similar licensing agreements have led to a sea of mass produced items in the United States. Some collectors love Hello Kitty merchandise, some prefer one of her friends. I have found most of my Sanrio swag at the Avenel flea market which is open Saturday and Sundays. Sanrio warns of counterfeit merchandise but it's hard to tell in my opinion, with so many items available. If I think something is cute, I'm not going to worry about it being real or fake. I guess that is what separates me from a real collector.  There are websites and Facebook groups setup to buy, sell and trade all kinds of merchandise.  I hope you find what your looking for and here is my collection below. 

Tokidoki

Tokidoki is a Japanese designer toy company. It translates from the Japanese to sometimes, anytime, anywhere. Simone Legno, the companies co founder, used Tokidoki to refer to the idea that "everyone waits for moments that change one’s destiny, by chance or by meeting a new person.” It's the hope that magic can happen at anytime. 

Unicorno is the most popular figure. The unicorns have 10+ seasons including holidays. Collecting them can be a challenge due to the blind boxes. Unless your trading with a friend, you won't know what your getting upfront, only that it will be one of the figures listed on the back of the box.

The next popular set is Donutella and her friends.  Who all look like sprinkled donuts or sundeas.

Tokidoki also has several popular collaborations, including LeSportSac bags, Sanrio, Hello Kitty, Overwatch, MLB, Marvel, Peanuts, Karl Lagerfeld, Barbie and Gwen Stefani LAMB purses.

 

Restaurant- Menyah Ramen House

 We tried Menyah Ramen in Metuchen NJ. The menu has 8 different types of Ramen to choose from plus add-ons. I tried the the Shio soup, which is chicken broth with shio (salt) tare, thin straight noodles, roasted marinated pork, scallions, onions, bamboo shoots and fried ginger & garlic chips. The broth was great, a nice change from miso broth.

The soup looked great but I had two main issues. First the egg was refrigerator cold.  Is that normal? I think it's usually served room temperature or warm. Next i had trouble breaking up the pork pinwheel to small edible pieces even though I had a fork, chopsticks and a spoon. 

I did try the S&B Select Ramen black pepper. This is a mix of black pepper, garlic and onion.  It added nice flavoring to the soup and was not too spicy like most chili paste can be. Overall I give this restaurant a 6 out of 10.

Anime - Samuri Jack

 

Samurai Jack is a cartoon network original series that aired from 2001 to 2017. While it may have started as a kid friendly series, the final season moved to adult swim and included some more mature topics. 

The series centers around Jack, who we see raised to be the ultimate warrior by teachers around the world.  He's a small boy when his farther tells him the story of Aku, a demon that terrorized their village.  He explains that Jack's grandfather had a sword blessed by 3 monks and used it to defeat Aku. 

Unfortunately Aku returns, we don't know how, and enslave the villagers.  Jack is sent away and begins his training, as an adult he returns to his mother and claims the magical sword.  He then returns home to defeat Aku. Aku is more powerful then expected and sends Jack through a portal to the future. 

The series revolves around Jack trying to return to his time in order to defeat Aku before he can take over the earth. Simultaneously Jack must face Aku's henchmen in the current time.  I really enjoyed the animation done by Gennady Tartakovsky, who is also the creator, writer, and director of the series. I personally loved the fight scenes, they are not all the same.  I would described some as fast paced martial arts, slow motion, elegant, emotional, comedic, picture a live video panning in different angles and directions.  The fight scenes are the highlight of the show.  If you don't believe me check out some of the videos online.

Kit Kat Tasting

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Flavor: Dark

Country: USA (there is also a Canadian, UK, and Japanese version of this flavor with different recipes)

Comments:  Dark refers to dark chocolate flavor. I found this more refined and tasty. It's missing the milky sugary aftertaste. The center waffer and cream taste the same as a standard Kit Kat. If your looking to cut calories or carbs you won't cut much.  Regular Kit Kat is 210 calories 28 grams carbs vs Dark at 200 calories 27 grams carbs. I think this flavor is a tad better then regular Kit Kat and give it one extra star 🌟.