Twentythree

On July 5, photo studio “TODAYS GALLERY STUDIO” in Tokyo’s Asakusabashi celebrated its first anniversary with the opening of an exhibition titled Ambiguous☆Thighs Photo Studio – a solo exhibit by Yuria, a photographer who has spent the past five years recording and curating images of women’s thighs as part of the movement to show the artistic side of fetishism.

Previously displaying selected pieces from her collection at Ambiguous☆Bishoujo Art Exhibiton in May of 2015, Ambiguous☆Thighs Photo Studio also gave a preview of “Thighs Photo Studio –Summer Day-” and “Thighs Photo Studio Uniform Photo Club 〜Summer〜” which were released on July 17.

A strong yet subtle sense of everyday life in Japan can be felt while looking at the prints, which are a refreshing change from some of the over-the-top images typically associated with depicting Japanese culture. Having the models (who are friends and acquaintances of Yuria) wearing things like school uniforms gives it a slight feeling of cosplay without actually being cosplay.

Sports seems to be an prevalent theme. Perhaps in preparation for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, there will also be volleyball, tennis, soccer, and gymnastics pictures in the near future?

There was also a photo booth set up within the gallery for attendees to have their thighs photographed by Yuria! Within just a few hours of the doors opening, the photographs had begin to be posted on the wall. Imagine how many the must have been when the event ended!

Yuri’s photo books, titled “Thighs Photo Studio: Uniform Photo Club” and “Thighs Photo Studio 2”. were also on sale, as well as postcards and metal badge pins. Those who purchased a photo book at the event received a selected postcard as a bonus and could even have the book signed by Yuria!

The photographer herself was hard pressed to pick out a single picture that was their favorite but did admit that the one shown below had a special place, especially since it is the image on her business cards.

There is also a sense of playfulness as evidenced by the use of rubber ducks, with some of them appearing in the gallery!

It seems that Yuria is a big fan of John Petrucci (Dream Theater), mentioning that the guitar and amplifier shown in the picture below is part of her personal collection.

The attention to detail in the pictures is incredible; everything is so clean and crisp. You can even see the goosebumps on the model’s thigh as she is kneeling in the riverbed.

Yuria is able to convey what a hot and humid Japanese summer feels like without relying on more obvious imagery. Having the models wear yukata wouldn’t make sense anyway as you wouldn’t be able to see their legs!

While the image of women’s thighs is the unifying theme for all of the works that were on display, it would be premature to dismiss it as a simple assemblage of fetish photographs. Is the attention and care that Yuria took in capturing and selecting the images shown above completely different to what a portrait or landscape photographer would do? Ambiguous☆Thighs Photo Studio is an appropriate name for this exhibition as it simply shows the viewer snapshots of life in Japan filtered through the frame of women’s thighs and leaves it up to them to make their own decisions.

Related Links

Yuria Thigh Gallery: http://futomomo.org/

Yuria Twitter: https://twitter.com/yuria

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Origin: See Japan like never before at “Ambiguous☆Thighs Photo Studio” 【Pics】
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When a Japanese blogger posted a photo of her dog, she had no idea the height of internet fame she would reach. Kabosu, the Shiba Inu, would soon become known as Doge, and would leave her mark on internet meme-dom forever.

Doge has been wowed by many things, but perhaps the most wow-ing thing has just come to pass – you can now order Doge as your very own mask!

Do you want to so scare and much amaze your friends this Halloween? (It is only three months away, after all!) Nothing better for that task than a Doge mask!

You can purchase the latex mask from the official online store for US$25. Very bargain! And you’d better hurry; the mask is already on back order, though deliveries are expected to arrive in a couple of weeks.

Even if you don’t do the whole Halloween thing, the mask is great for everyday wear as well.

Wow!

Source and images: Doge Mask dot cool via Yurukuyaru

Origin: Wondering what to dress as this coming Halloween? We’ve got the answer! So mask. Much doge. Wow.
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网友家的汪星人因为白内障看不到东西，于是她就给做了一个防撞项圈，真好！

这个投篮简直碉堡了！

Anime featuring anthropomorphized battleships or samurai swords seem like no-brainers, given that they have a certain cool factor among young otaku and by their very nature make it easy to develop action scenes. Filling your cast with personifications of sovereign nations, though, sounds like a harder hill to climb.

Nevertheless, Hetalia, which started as a webcomic starring anthropomorphized versions of World War II’s Axis powers, succeeded, thanks to its non-stop winks to historical events, willingness to skewer every country on the planet (Japan included), and undercurrent of homoeroticism. The franchise has since spread to print manga and animated TV and movie forms, and now it’s invading new territory with the Hetalia stage musical.

The official Hetalia Twitter account just sent out an announcement for the project, which is still five months away from raising its curtain. The venue has already been set as the Zepp Blue Theater in Tokyo’s Roppongi neighborhood.

Every country on the planet, including those that no longer exist like the Holy Roman Empire, are candidates to appear in Hetalia, and to date the series has already featured dozens of characters. As such, it’s doubtful that the stage version will include all of them, but fans can probably look forward to seeing at least those shown in the musical’s first promotional image.

The first cast member to be announced is actor Kotaro Yoshitani, whose previous anime-to-stage credits include roles in the Sengoku Basara, Alice in the Country of Hearts, and Bakumatsu Rock productions. It’s currently unknown which Hetalia character will portray.

The Hetalia musical is set to run from December 24 to December 29, likely with performances held every day during that period.

Related: Hetalia Musical website, Hetalia Musical Twitter account, Hetalia Twitter account
Source: Jin
Top image: Hetalia Musical website
Insert images: Zepp Blue Theater, Hetalia Musical website

Origin: Countries become anime characters, anime characters become real men in Hetalia musical
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碉堡了！纸牌魔术跟音乐的完美结合~

下次去海滩边玩记得带点盐，美味的蛏子快到碗里来！