by Rin Yeo
If you think our previous post about the influence Star Wars had on Japan was all there was to the mania, think again. They’re already starting to sell advance tickets at 7-11s nationwide in Japan (tickets go for ¥1,400), with a Star Wars newspaper extra edition thrown in as an added bonus. In fact, Star Wars has gotten so popular, it’s also invade some of Japan’s more traditional arts…
In February 2015, members of the Japan’s Self-Defense Forces constructed one of the main attractions for the Sapporo Snow Festival, which feature more than 200 snow and ice sculptures in total. Featuring Darth Vader and Stormtroopers, the 22.5m wide sculpture took as much as 3,500 tons of snow and more than a month to complete.
For Boys’ Day which is celebrate on May 5, the company Yoshitoku Taiko which had also made the very first Boys’ Day doll since 1711, came out with a range of Star Wars related dolls. From Darth Vader armour suits to Imperial storm troopers ones, all the items were sold out despite prices ranging from 140,400yen (~SGD$1,631), up to 356,400yen (~SGD$4,141).
While not related to any festivals, the toy maker company Tamashii is having a line up of figurines which features Star Wars characters set in feudal Japan. Other than Darth Vader and Stormtroopers, Sandtroopers as well as Bobba Fett are also featured in this series of figurines.
Moving along, other than traditional festivals, Star Wars have also been featured on pure-gold Japanese traditional coins. Founded in 1892, the jewelry maker Ginza Tanaka is a well-known name for their work with precious metals. Although these traditional coins were the currency during Japan’s feudal era, they are not used these day, although art collectors and investors do collect them for their own interests. Available in weights of 5, 10 or 30 grams, there is also a limited edition run of 54 Imperial Military Sets, which consist of a 30g Vader coin and a company of 10 5g Stormtrooper ones. The limited edition sets are all sold out though, despite the fact that they were priced at 1,000,800yen (~SGD$11,628)!
