Shiroku Tang, Author at www.shiroku.de

Cosplay photo studios in Japan

Jan 7, 2016 | Cosplay, Cosplay Tutorial, Japan, Travel, Travel Reports, Uncategorized | 0 comments

Picture by Meermiau

Japan is the wonderland for every Cosplayer.
You have shops where you can get wigs, Cosplays and accessories. You have Cosplay events and even photo studios with a Cosplayerfriendly environment.

For Japanese Cosplayer, using a Cosplay photo studio is very common.
Instead of wandering around and searching for the perfect location you just look up a photo studio with a suitable setting and just booked it.
Cosplay photo studios in Japan have special furnished rooms with a themed setting (and if you need; just a white/ black wall).
Most of the studios are providing several settings to fulfill the needs of their customers. They also have changing rooms, lockers and are equipped with amenities like hairspray, bobby pins and more. Most of the studios also provide camera (equipment) and Cosplay accessory rental.

Share Photostudio

Picture by Meermiau

The most important things you should know:

1. Cosplay photo studios are not made for foreigners.
If you cannot speak Japanese, you should learn it or take a Japanese speaking friend with you.
At some studios you need to fill out Japanese forms to get in.
English speaking staff is very rare (like everywhere in Japan). I once visited a studio with friends and the staff where searching non stop for me, because they wanted to speak with my friends. Although my friends are very considerable they nearly got kicked out. Japanese studios have a lot of rules and most of them aren’t obvious. Of course the rules are displayed but only in Japanese.
I also red that even Japanese students or people who lived several years in Japan had problems regarding to the forms and communication. So be prepared.

If you cannot bring a Japanese speaking friend or speak Japanese there are a few studios which are used to foreigners. You can recognize them easily: they offer an English website and reservation. But be aware that English website doesn’t mean that the staff can speak English.
I would recommend Studio crown in Akihabara (Tokyo). A friend of mine owns this studio. She can understand German and speaks fluently English, because she lived abroad.
Her studio also offers a special Cosplay dressing and photo service for foreigners.

2. Also be aware that you need to book some studios before head.
The website is mostly Japanese and due to security reasons and pictures as buttons you cannot translate via Google translate (or other services) easily.
My Japanese friend recommends always reserving the studio before head. At some studios you need a membership to get in. The reservation progress can be very complicated and might require a Japanese address or phone number.
We couldn’t reserve before head, because my friends couldn’t create an online account so we just walked in. I guess, as long it is a share studio and you are going for a normal working day it should be fine. If you want to get a private room or to shoot on holidays you should reserve.
Of course it depends on the studio itself.

3. Always dress up at the studio and change back to your normal cloths after the shooting.
In Japan there is an unspoken rule to change at the location itself.
If you come dressed in Cosplay they might refuse your entry.

The studios are providing a changing room, lockers and a Cosplay friendly environment. You should know that the changing room will be a big hall where everyone will sit on he floor and change.
You should bring a small mirror and try not to spread you things too much in order to leave as much space as possible for other visitors.

4. Don’t cut your wig in the changing room and always clean your shoes before entering a setting.
Sometimes you even have to put off your shoes.They mostly provide special tissues for the shoes, a shoe shelf and rooms for wig cutting. Some studios also have rules regarding to the skirt length or that you have to wear a shorts under your shirt.

If you are the one taking pictures, be aware that there are often regulations regarding the camera equipment. Because some settings are the hallway itself (which everyone uses to move around) you are maybe not allowed to use more than one soft box and only a limited number of flashes.

5. The most studios don’t provide a photo service.
Japanese Cosplayers are mostly visiting the studios in a group and are taking pictures of each other.
It is quite uncommon to come with your own photographer.
You can rent a camera + equipment at the studio itself. Cosplayers at a studio normally don’t communicate much with other Cosplayers and are staying in their group.
So if you want to make new friends a studio might be the wrong place.

The studios

Japan has a big variety of Cosplay photo studios. You can mostly rent them for 1 hour, 3 hours, half a day and a whole day. Some rental time does include your changing time some not. Just be careful to check it if you are going for a Cosplay that takes some more time to change in order not to use up your precious shooting time.

You can divide the studios into 3 different main types:

1. The share studio
At the share studio you are paying an entry fee per person and are free to use every setting which is not occupied.
You are paying an affordable fee and can use a lot of different settings. It is kind of “all you can shoot”. If you forgot to reserve you can try to get a ticket right on that day and hope that there are still tickets left.

The disadvantage: If you want to use a certain setting you might have to wait and you cannot occupy a space for several hours, because other people might wait for this certain setting (Japanese people won’t wait obviously).
Because some settings are placed at the hallway and you are sharing the space with other foreign people. You have to obey a lot of rules and always have to consider other Cosplayer using this studio.

Price range:
About 1.000 en (1 hour) to 5.000 yen (10 hours)

Picture by Meermiau

2. Private studios
You also have the possibility to rent a private studio.
You are paying a fee per room (or a group of rooms). Because you are renting the room for your usage only, be prepared to pay for it.
Because you are paying per room, you have the possibility to invite friends for a shooting and to share the costs. Although it is expensive at the first glance it might become affordable. If you want to rent a private studio, a reservation is required and a reservation in Japanese might become very challenging.

It might be more expensive than a share studio, but you can use the place more freely without worrying about other foreign Cosplayers and disturbances.
Because the share studios are cheaper, you will find a lot of pictures taken at the same setting again and again. So if you are searching for a more unique setting, I would recommend going for a private studio.

Price range:
About 3000 yen (1 hour) to unlimited

Shooting at a Hotel

3. Hotels
Some Hotels are offering a Cosplay photo studio service next to their main business. Or if you are going to stay in a very special hotel /Ryokan just ask them if you can shoot there.
You are just booking a room (mostly special furnished ones or with features like a pool) and just use it as a shooting location. Some hotels are offering their rooms for rental at the day time and for staying at the night time. Some Hotels also offer both.

Normally you are paying per room (or per person if you also want to stay in this room). They are mostly not equipped with rental services, don’t have Cosplay related staff and changing rooms.
Bear in mind that their main business is not to be a Cosplay studio. But these rooms are mostly equipped with an en suite bathroom. So changing and getting ready is possible in a private environment.
You also can share the hotel room to save money and to stay over with friends after the shooting. It is a nice combination if you want to spend a night in a nice Hotel and to take some pictures.

Price range:
About 4000 en (1 hour) to unlimited

Renting things:

In Japanese Cosplay studios you can rent camera equipment, light equipment and a variety of accessories.
So you don’t have to bring more than Cosplays and Make-up. It is a quite comfortable service particularly if you are coming from oversees and struggle with your limited baggage space.

1. Cameras and equipment:
The most studios offer free reflectors and are using artificial day light to light up the studios. But if you still want to use a soft box or flash you can rent it right at the studio itself. Nearly every studio also offers a camera rental.
Some studios are only providing Nikon or Canon equipment. So it might be difficult to get a fitting flash.
I also saw that the prices are varying from studio to studio. Some studios are offering a free rental for 2 hours, some 300 yen per hour, and some 300 yen for a whole day. So be sure to check the prices in order to get the equipment you want and not to spent a fortune.

Rentel items at studio crown

2. Cosplay accessories:
Most of the studios are offering a rental service for Cosplay accessories like micros, schoolbags, fake food, umbrellas etc.

This service also varies from studio to studio. While one studio might offer a very limited choice the other studio might have so many accessories, that you have difficulties to choose. Some studios tend to give them out for free, while other studios charge you per item.
I really love to use accessories so I tend to choose my studios (next to the entry fee and settings) based on the variety of accessories. Until now I only used studios which are giving their Cosplay accessories out for free.

Also be careful when you are choosing a studio. The entry fee might be very cheap but if you intend to rent equipment or additional items it might be cheaper to go for a more expensive one.

I hope that this guide might help you for your next time in Japan.
I really recommend every Cosplayer to visit once a Cosplay photo studio. Compared to Germany the shooting possibilities seem unlimited.
It is really a great feeling to shoot at a Cosplayerfriendly environment and to shoot at special locations freely without worrying about publishing rights, unaffordable fees and people who are not familiar with Cosplay.

Next time I will right about the Cosplay studio and the Hotel I used during my last Japan trips.

Happy new 2016!

Dec 31, 2015 | Uncategorized | 0 comments

2015 is nearly over and a new year will begin soon.

I want to thank you guys for all your support! I am very happy to have people beneath me who are thinking about me, helping me, enduring my (sometimes difficult) character and giving me warm words when I need it.

2015 was an awesome year!

I was allowed to give so many great concerts and signing sessions, I met so many great people.

And I realizes it every time again how much luck I have to have so many fans cheering for me, supporting me, writing me and coming to my concerts. Thank you!

Also regarding to Cosplay 2015 was a sucessful year.

I had about 24 new cosplays. 20 shootings and could become the representive of Germany for the World Cosplay Summit in 2016.

Let 2016 be such an awesome year as 2015!

I had difficult times and I am always grateful to know and be supported by so many awesome and great people.

Thank you for a great year 2015 and I wish you everyone a great, prosperous and healthy 2016!

Shopping for Cosplay part 1: Shopping in Taipei

Dec 30, 2015 | Cosplay, Cosplay Tutorial, Travel, Travel Reports | 0 comments

Japan is the country of Anime and Manga.

And of course of Cosplay!

One of the main purposes of my last trip was to go shopping for my World Cosplay Summit Cosplays for next year in Japan.

We not only visited several Cosplay related shops in Japan but also in Taipei and Dubai.

All countries have a large choice of fabrics, wigs and other small materials like laces or gemstones.

Part 1: Cosplay shopping in Taipei:

Taipei is well known for cheap and good quality fabrics. We visited the
Yongle Fabric Market and found a large choice of fabrics and dry goods such as laces or gemstones.

The most fabric shops are located directly in the market at the 2nd floor. If you are looking for dry goods you should leave the market and take a look in the side roads.

Be aware that nearly no one speaks English
and that they are making different prices for foreigners. If you can
speak Japanese you can be lucky. We communicated mostly in Japanese or
just pointed the fabrics we wanted
to buy (this only works if you don’t have any questions…). You can
bargain if you are buying a bigger amount of fabrics, because there are
no prices shown. Special fabrics, like embroidered ones or Chinese ones
where quite cheap. But if you want to buy normal
unicolor fabrics be aware that it could be more expensive than in Japan
or Germany.

Generally speaking: Fabrics in Taipei are more expensive than in Japan-

But if you are looking for high quality and special fabrics you can make a good deal.

The dry goods had all price tags. Bargain
wasn’t possible, but if you are buying a bigger amount they just give
you some free dry goods. We could found a lot of awesome stones and
special accessories for Cosplays for
a very good price. We weren’t satisfied with the choices of laces and
most of the shops sold the same items. Also be aware that high quality
stones and gold laces are easier to get in Dubai for a cheaper price.

We were very disappointed regarding to wigs in Taipei. We only found one shop who offered cosplay wigs for order.

Because we had only a limited time in Taipei we didn’t looked further for Cosplayshops.

But we got the advice that you can buy good Cosplay accessories in Ximending.

Yongle Market Taipei

Operating Hours: Mon-Sat 10-18 hr

Next MRT Station: Beiman Station

Japan on a budget part 1

Dec 23, 2015 | Travel, Travel Reports | 0 comments

Recently a lot of people asked me how much I am spending for a Asia trip or a trip to Japan.

First of all; Japan is an affordable country, cheaper than Germany. Food, accommodation and travel expenses are very affordable.

The problem is, that a lot of people are just to going to the travel agencies or do not spent enough effort and time for the preparation of the trip.

I think it is ok to spent more if you don’t want to spent time and effort. But be prepared to pay for it. You need to realize that the people who are spending this time for you want to be payed. So of course its more expensive if you want to save time.

Booking and planning by yourself may save you money but be aware that in Japan nearly no one speaks English. Even in the 4 star hotels. If you want English speaking people I would recommend Hostels, because they are used to foreigners.

Also be aware that no one will help you if you have problems with hotels etc.. Because there is no travel agency involved you also cannot expect service.

This time I ve been in Asia for 5 weeks, 2 weeks in Japan.

My flight (without stay in Dubai) would be about 560 Euro. I payed for Hotel and long distance traffic (night bus) 422 Euro.

So the trip was about 982 Euro for long distance traffic, flight and Hotel.

I want to note that we stayed several nights in a 3 star Hotel, 1 night in a 4 star hotel incl. expensive traditional dinner and breakfast course. We only stayed 2 nights at a Hostel.

So you can guess that you can cut more expenses if you don’t need a 3 star hotel.

We also visited 6 different cities (not next to each other…). If you decide to stay in just 2-3 cities you also can cut travel expenses.

The most important thing is to book early. I normally book the hotels a year before and just check every two weeks if there are cheaper and better hotels on 5-6 different websites in the internet. Of course this only works if you can cancel for free.

If you can speak and read Japanese you have bigger chances to get cheaper accommodations. Also traveling with a friend can save you money, because you are paying mostly the same price even if you are staying alone in a double room.

Flights:

When I am looking for flights I use different websites to find the cheapest and best flight. If you are paying more than 600 Euro for a flight (notable airline, normal transfer time) you should wait a bit or just over think your traveling time. The cheapest flights are usally going on Wednesday /Tuesday in the afternoon.

I don’t like to use websites to compare the flights because they don’t show all notable airlines. I like to check the flights directly at the airlines website and book it there. The flights might be cheaper on other websites but they often charge you a large service or paying fee.

I recommend Emirates, cheap and very good.

You can also check in as much baggage as you want until 30 KG. So if you like to buy figures in Japan you don’t have a problem with the volume of your baggage.

Ryokan in Kanazawa for 28 Euro per night/ person incl. breakfast

Hotel:

Normally I am paying for a 2 star hotel in the center of the city, next to a public transport hub 50 Euro for a double room (60 incl. breakfast). Of course it depends on the currency exchange.

If you don’t care about an own bathroom you can also use a Hostel. Japan is a very clean and service orientated country, so even if you are staying cheap it is still good. We stayed in Kyoto (one of the most expensive cities regarding to accommodation in Japan) in a very beautiful and clean Hostel for just 14 Euro a night/ pers. (private room). It was cheap but we got a 4 star service and English speaking staff!

If you like to eat a lot for breakfast I recommend to book a Hotel including breakfast. You can cut food expenses because the breakfast you get is mostly buffet style. Just be prepared that you might get fish, rice and miso soup instead of bread.

Travel expenses (long distance):

A lot of people are using the Shinkansen or Japan Rail way pass. Be aware that you cannot use every bus, train etc with the JR pass. If you are unlucky you can only use this pass for the Shinkansen but have to pay additional for the public transport.

Even in Tokyo the most lines are not run by the JR but by other private companies.

If you want to use the Shinkansen a lot or don’t want to travel by bus, a JR pass might be right option. Just be aware that you are paying a huge sum for comfort.

If you can sleep in a bus (not normal busses; night busses with extra leg space and special designed seats) I recommend using the nightbus.

We payed for Kyoto to Tokyo about 31 Euro (one trip). If you are taking the Shinkansen you would pay about 100 Euro (without seat reservation).

Because you are taking the night bus, you are saving one night in a Hotel and don’t lose precious daytime for sightseeing.

If you are going by Shinkansen it is of course faster but you are loosing 3-4 hours of the day, need to book an additional Hotel and are maybe paying an additional fee for a seat.

Bus -> 31 Euro/ Shinkansen-> 100 Euro plus 25 Euro for a Hotel

-> 94 Euro difference

Of course If you cannot sleep in a bus, Shinkansen is still the best option. Because if you are tired, you cannot enjoy your trip. And using your limited time to the fullest is in my opinion the most important thing.

I hope that this guide might help you a bit for your next trip to Japan.

If you are interested I also can write about saving food and public transport expenses in Japan.

If you have further questions don’t hesitate to ask.