FLOOD... Time ! ^^

In Japan, Kentucky Fried Chicken is an institution. So is putting Colonel Sanders in a variety of different outfits, including anime characters, samurai, and school children. Oh, and maids!

This is a Colonel Sanders statue. There are typically located inside or in front of KFCs in Japan.
For years now, the Colonel statue has been dressed as Santa as part of the fast food chain's big Christmas push. Many Japanese people eat KFC on Christmas. It's a decades-long tradition.

That's not the only costumes KFC chains dress the Colonel in. On Children's Day, which is May 5 in Japan, families with sons display miniature suits of samurai armor. Following suit, many KFCs put the Colonel in D.I.Y. cardboard armor.




But this is just the tip of the Colonel's Japanese cosplay odyssey. Colonel Sanders passed away in 1980, so he can't have a say in the costumes Japanese KFCs put his statue in. Some make him look good. Some, but certainly not all, are part of official anime tie-ins. Others, like the maid outfit above, are kind of questionable! Most are creative and in good fun.
The KFC in Tokyo's geek mecca of Akihabara is famous for its Colonel Sanders cosplay. However, it is not the only KFC to dress the Colonel in interesting costumes.


Here's the Colonel doing a One Piece cosplay.

Neon Genesis Evangelion.

This Dragon Ball get-up was even part of the most recent DB film's official promotion.

Your friendly neighborhood Colonel Sanders.

Sleazy Sanders.

Sometimes, the Colonel enjoys a historical reenactment. Here, he's Date Colonel after Date Masamune.

Yikes! Check out that Sanders sword.

Here, he is dressed as a member of Japan's special samurai police force, the Shinsengumi.

Chicken love.

This outfit marks the Hinamatsuri, the country's doll festival.

Watermelon is delicious in the summer.

Kyoto can get very hot!

It seems the Colonel supports Kyoto's local soccer team, Kyoto Sanga.

Check out the jersey's back: "Nintendo" (任天堂). Neat, huh?

But wait, the Colonel supports other soccer teams, like Vegalta Sendai.

And baseball teams, like the Hanshin Tigers. There was a famous Colonel Sanders curse, you know!

Local KFCs dress the Colonel in different uniforms to root for the hometown teams.

This Colonel is dressed up in a mishmash of uniforms that range from kindergarten to high school. The bag says "Kentucky Kindergarten." The black tube, which is similar to the rolled diploma-filled tubes high schoolers get, reads "Happy Graduation."

Another kindergarten Colonel.

Happy Halloween!

Hitting the slopes. Er, standing still near them.

Dressed for a visit to a hot springs.

Let's just pretend this never happened.

Colonel Sanders as...the Virgin Mary. He's also an angel.

A Shinto priest.

Ah, Colonel, no. Please. Just no.

Summer is ending, but that doesn't mean there isn't some space for One Piece watermelons. There's always space for One Piece melons. Always.









While geek-carved watermelons are certainly not new in China, recently, they've been popping up more and more on Chinese social networking sites and websites like Sina.

Children! You have no idea how good you have it. Just wait until you grow up and find yourself dragging your own kids to cartoon events like this. Or worse, performing on stage—especially when you're not up to it.
Here, you can see characters from Anpanman, the beloved children's anime, at what looks like a local shopping mall in Japan. It's business as usual, expect for Shokupanman ("White Bread Man"). He's on the far left. Things start to go south about ten seconds in. Be sure to stick around until the end.

Online in Japan, people wonder if the character costume wasn't too damn hot, and the person inside was feeling faint or having a hell of a time trying to see.

You'd think with those other superheroes on stage, they could've helped White Bread Man out!

If you've seen the Studio Ghibli anime, you are certainly familiar with Totoro. Did you know there are several trees in Japan that resemble the iconic character?
Located in the village of Sakegawa in Yamagata Prefecture, the above tree is nicknamed "The Totoro Tree" (トトロの木 or Totoro no Ki). It's a cedar tree that is apparently over a thousand years old.


The legend goes that if couples visit the tree, which is officially known as "kosugi no ohsugi" (giant cedar tree of Magarigawa), and hold hands underneath it, they will have a child.
Here's a look inside the foliage, so you can see how amazing the Totoro tree is.

There's another Totoro tree in Yamagata Prefecture, but it's located in Yonezawa City. Called "Totoro's Woods" (トトロの森 or Totoro no Mori), this isn't a single tree, but a few Japanese cedars and a broadleaf tree. The result is another leafy green Totoro.



At the base of this Totoro, there's even a Shinto shrine.