Marusan exhibit in Harajuku

 

This afternoon, I was this close to staying home - dry and warm and out of the cold, wet weather. I had read a blurb on the Amapro site about a Marusan photography exhibit in Harajuku. Hmm, sounded intriguing, but not much to go on. So I visited the gallery's site. Limited info there as well.

Not the best weather conditions for cruising Takeshita Street

So, on a whim, at 3:00 PM, I kicked myself in the butt and hot footed it to Harajuku. And am I glad I did! There was indeed outstanding photography by Kaminaga-san (Marusan's president), but that was just one component of this phenomenal exhibit. There were walls of vintage and recent toys cataloging Marusan's rich history; there were toys and books for sale; and to top it off, there was a three-man panel discussion about Ultraman and other toys! Luckily I had my camera in tow, and pics were allowed, so this fantastic event could be recorded and shared by all.

Panel discussion with three toy gurus.

A crowd was on hand, despite the weather.

 Marusan toy exhibit:

 More after the jump:

The Marusan crystal series is one of my favorite sofubi lines.

How awesome is this figure!

 Marusan mini motorcycle exhibit:

 Vintage exhibit:

Non-sofubi vintage treasures:

Diorama and book written by Kaminaga-san:

Visual history of Marusan over the decades.

Outstanding toy photography by Kaminaga-san:

Needs to be a poster!!

I love this one!

Marusan toys for sale:

I bought this book (released some years ago) featuring Kaminaga-san's photography.

The paper and printing quality are superb!

He was kind enough to sign it for me. :o)