TIME:: Friday June 18th, morning

NOTE:: Be warned, I am a fan of any mascot that is based on a TV and has teeth. Who isn:t?

Bright and early in Shibuya. I figured it was about time I napped a picture of Hachiko, arguably the most famous dog ever to die with wooden sticks in its stomach.

Here:s what the ticket to get into NHK Studio Park looks like. NHK is pretty big as studios get. Like ABC, NBC and the like, NHK Broadcasting is apparently something quite worth seeing. It was like 150 yen for me to get in. If that was a group discount rate or a student rate, I have no idea. What I DO know is that I have yet to see Domo-kun.

YEAH!! Domo-kun is telling me that the Studio Park entrance is to the left! Woo-yeah!! Oh however would I have found it without Domo-kun:s help? As a note to anyone who has no idea who Domo-kun is, then... Okay! Just keep reading. It will all be revealed... But seriously, look how excited and happy he is be be helpful in finding the entrance!

Finding one:s way around the large studio/building would be a daunting and maybe downright impossible task for anyone/anything other than Domo-kun! Exclamation!! The kanjis are read "junro" and mean "(regular) route" according to two of my dictionaries. So basically you just follow the route Domo-kun suggests and you will be fine. "Junro" should not be confused with "Jinro" which is a Korean liquor. But if it helps you remember "junro" then all the more power to you.

Jinro! (music) Jinro! (music) Jinro! (music) Jinro! ...

In one of the first rooms you go through, there:s a mini-theater showcasing 5.1 stereo sound. What interested me more was this warning. Towards the back of the room, there were these leaning-rests instead of chairs. For larger groups, I guess. I also guess that in the past, kids were sitting on them and doing other stupid things.

Like falling! What makes me laugh is that this is honestly one of the most violent warning signs I:ve seen to this day. Even more so than the electric one which has a lightning bolt ripping through someone:s hand. But I digress. THIS sign was also in the room. Instead of being "No sitting on the rails" like the above picture, this one is triangle-shaped, meaning it:s more of a "Be careful of..." kinda warning. Yes, yes. Be careful of falling backwards on to the back of your head after spotting Solid Snake. Gotcha. The speed lines were added for effect.

Domo-kun is popular with the kids. So popular, in fact, that they often reach out and touch this life-sized replica placed in the hallway. "Doumo", pronounced similar to "dough-mo" means "thanks" in Japanese. I should go off into a rant about how kids learn hiragana and why katakana is not as cool for the mascots of NHK and the history of slang during the late 1950s BUT... I don:t really feel like explaining everything. Long story short is that "Doumo" becomes "do-mo" which changes again to "domo" when written in these wacky and complex quasi-phonetic alphabetic symbols. Slap on the cute "-kun" ending and you get "Domo-kun". Bam! A mascot is born. Bonus points goes to whoever knows the name of the NBC peacock mascot. Then double it if you can explain it in Japanese.

OMGF!!1 Domo-kun is taking a picture of ME!!! Teh IRONEE!!!!!?!!!1!

Ignore the bland blue arrow and pay more attention to Domo-kun! Domo-kun is looking out for your well-being and inviting you to get some cool drinks! Not like a wall of vending machines are hard to miss when placed between the early 20th century Japan drama sets and mock television studios. But still, it:s the thought that counts, right Domo-kun?

For those of you who might be getting tired of me talking about Domo-kun instead of talking about the sights and stuffs of a television studio/museum... Well here:s a picture of Domo-kun getting smashed in the head by a door. Oh yeah.

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Whew! Not much to add here... I:ll wait for the feedback, I guess.

PEACE!!