The circle of life... and cardboard.

This isn't a philosophical post. Instead, it's a post about some round cards!

 Holy menko, Batman! That's right. Batman menko. This is one of several cards I found in a little toy shop in Omiya. When I say little, I mean about as big as the average American bathroom. And it was jam packed with little toys and cards gathered from the last several decades. I could probably spend an hour or more just exploring all the goodies. Instead, I focused on the cards. I was quite happy to find a basket full of old menkos, including the Dark Knight above.

 Most of the menkos in the basket seemed to be from the same series, including this shot.

 I really enjoy the backs on menko cards, as there is so much to do! Here we have numbers (could be used for math games), a hand (for rock-paper-scissors), a die, another pointing hand, text, and even a separate line art drawing!

 Ack! Squid creature! Is this from Godzilla?

 Again, all kinds of neat stuff on the back!

 Train fans rejoice! I could probably ask someone who speaks Japanese (or at least knows a lot about Japanese trains) to identify the station.

 The backs on the train cards aren't so exciting, though it looks like there is a good bit of train data in kanji!

 I believe this is from the same series as the girl who fell off the table (?!), even though there's a different picture in the middle. The cartoon artwork seems to be from the same show, too.

 Ack! Scary God-like creature with a lightsaber! With a deer-ear headband and wings! Blue skin! And a W-shaped hairline!

 Hrm. The girl looks quite angry and abusive, but it appears that mom is enjoying the massage.

Okay, enough non-sport. You came here to see baseball cards. So let's look a-round...

 Hah! What an awesome pun! This is one of two cards from a larger-size menko set issued in 1976 that I bought for a couple hundred yen each. Nearly 6" in diameter, they feature color photos with the rock-paper-scissors symbol and a menko number on the front.

 And here's the second card. One of them wasn't listed in my book, so it could come from a different series or it might be uncataloged (at least it wasn't back in 2008).

This card is even larger, also issued by Mitsuya in 1976. However, it seems that this larger-sized issue (nearly 10" in diameter) was produced in greater supply, as its "value" is less than the series above. However, I think I paid more at the store for this one. The checklists for each set vary.

I picked up a few more cards (of recent issue) at the store, but you'll probably see those later. If you're interested in obtaining some menkos like these, please let me know ASAP. I've found another store in the Tokyo area that might carry some other non-sport menko cards and I plan on searching through their stock for some pickups. Also, I might return to the Omiya location and pick up more of those oversized baseball discs if there is some interest!

Back to baseball (cards), and loose ends get tied.

I haven't written a real post about baseball cards in a couple months now. If you've been following Chaos and Kanji, you've been able to keep up with some of my thoughts and travels here in Japan, and I'll try not to repeat myself too much here!

First, now that I'm back with internet and such, I need to handle a little business. I left three "clearance" packages unmailed in America, and some people have sent me money since then. If you paid for your clearance cards and didn't receive them, please remind me! Send me an email (link through my profile page - rgluesing, gmail, you know what to do) and remind me what team you bought, your mailing address, and how you paid. The packages are already prepared, and I want to ensure that you get what you deserve! I can have them mailed from SF when your details get here.

My internet was hooked up a week ago (I think? Time goes by so fast!) but between work and sightseeing I haven't had much time for writing. I haven't stayed away from cards though!

I mentioned somewhere that I met up with Kenny (AKA Zippy Zappy) last month for an evening of card shop exploration and talk. He's one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet - above and beyond the politeness one would expect from a Japanese person! We worked out a trade before I crossed the Pacific, and his end of the trade was immense!

He brought me a stack of 2012 Topps flagship - about 75 base cards and a few inserts. In fact, that's the first (and only) time I've had 2012 Topps in my hands! I didn't scan any of them, but I did scan a small selection of the Japanese cards he included. Overall, he gave me a 200-count box packed full of cards and a couple unopened packs. I was really happy with what he provided!

After meeting in Shibuya and trading, we visited a card store (which I'll review later) and had dinner at Sbarro (mmmm, pizza). We headed to Shinjuku to check out another card shop (again, review coming later) before parting ways for the night. I think 99% of my Japanese inventory was purchased or received in trade that night (that is, until this past weekend).

 First, Kenny's "calling" card or trading card. I think it's really cool!

 Notice it's serial-numbered to 13! Super-limited! This card has a special place on my baseball shelf here in my apartment. But there were other cards too, of course:

 Calbee chip products contain cards like the one above during the baseball season. I believe the 2012 cards will be available by the end of the month!

 This is an insert or subset card from Calbee. I like the full-bleed photography seen on Calbee cards - a very simple design which focuses on what should be the best part of the card.

 BBM is the "Topps" of Japan, and like Topps it's the only real manufacturer of baseball cards here.

 Each year's flagship has two versions (series) with different designs.

 Like Calbee, most of the designs focus on the photos. Some designs are more busy than others.

 See for example this insert, which is very similar to Upper Deck's style of insert.

 Hm. Same picture? Yep, it's on the back.

 There's a bit more to the design here, but again the cards are full-bleed.

 Press conference shots aren't too common on the Japanese cards I've seen. Though I can't remember the last time I saw a press conference image on an American card.

 Here's another insert card.

 And again, a different version of the base cards.

 Some of the inserts are shiny, and remind me of Playoff inserts of the 2000s (or Panini inserts these days).

 Wait. Topps? Kellogg's? Pirates? Is there an American card in the mix? Nope! Japanese players on American teams are featured in this cereal set (I think - correct me if I'm wrong!). And it really looks like a Topps issue - the design feels just like any other Topps card.

 Okay, let's close with a couple more BBM cards. Remember the 1990s Collector's Choice issues from Upper Deck? Well, BBM copied that concept with its silver and gold signature parallels found even today in flagship issues.

Kenny's into American cards and American baseball, so I'm sure you can find something he might want in trade! He's working on the 1987 minis set from 2012 flagship and probably more (though he could have finished those already!).

Oh yeah, and Kenny tossed in a bag of Butterfinger minis to remind me of home! I somehow still have one left for tomorrow - thanks Kenny, those little goodies really hit the spot!

So that's it! Not my first card experience here in Japan, but the biggest card day in Japan until last weekend. I have another post for you Friday morning! So until then, thanks for reading!

Oishii-So (Food in Japan): Fruit Jelly Candy

Oishii-so means "looks delicious" in Japanese. This is one of what I hope will be many posts about the food I encounter living here in Japan.

Let's start with something simple: fruit jelly candies. Sweets are an important part of the Japanese lifestyle; just look at my prior post on Valentine's Day for a small example.

While the malls here are very much like the malls in America, there is one store in two of the nearby malls that is my favorite. It carries lots of toys and goodies, and resembles the kids toy stores of the 1900s and before (just with modern toys). I'll spend a whole post talking about the store, but it will be the source for many of the goodies I bring to you here.

Sitting on the counter were these rectangular jelly candies that look to be similar to the Sunkist candies back I America that I love so much. At ¥21 each, they weren't terribly expensive so I grabbed one of each color to see what they taste like.

First, green. The texture is gummy, different from any of the American gummies I'm familiar with. It's not terribly chewy and honestly it's not that sweet either. It has a mild apple taste and isn't too sticky. Pleasant but not the Sunkist replacement I'm looking for.

Pink is a little sweeter, with a strawberry flavor. Again the texture is kind of odd, and unique. The yellow is lemon, unsurprisingly. As I eat these, I feel like I'm eating something very chalky, like Necco wafers or those Valentine's Day candy hearts, but with a somewhat gummy feel and no chewiness to them.

I save the orange-flavored orange for last, hoping for some awesome explosion of citrusy goodness, but I don't get the satisfaction I expected to receive. And I realize the texture is not unlike that of a boiled potato. With, of course, the hint of fruit flavoring while chewing and the distinct aftertaste of powdered sugar.

The verdict: while these aren't a bad candy, they aren't what I'm looking for. I'll pass next time I see them.

What do you want me to try? What food do you want to hear about (sweet or savory)? Leave a comment!