WCS 2011 - Day 1 - Osu Cosplay Parade

So, day 2 of our Nagoya adventure, we had the Osu Cosplay Parade! We decided to go early (the parade didn't start till 2pm) so we could get into the change room before it was a nightmare! The WCS staff had set up a change room for all cosplayers to bring their things to so they wouldn't have to change and wear their cosplays all around the city. It was very kind. We could also leave our bags there after we had changed which was a plus!
We decided to go check in with the staff and get our passes and get changed early so we went for 10am. We weren't the first people there, there were already lots of girls in the change room! We found a nice corner near the door though, so we were fine. We got our awesome wristbands (they're just like those sillicone wristbands that everyone has, but they're bright blue and say WORLD COSPLAY SUMMIT 2011 Osu Cospay Parade on them) and got changed and proceeded to leave our stuff with the staff. When we walked outside, we took the obligatory pictures of our awesomeness.

 Zoe and I looked great, if I do say so myself!
After pictures, we realized really fast that we had absolutely NO idea which way to go. So we did what any other lost person would do in the situation. We nonchalantly followed the first 2 cosplayers we saw until we hit a red light and then proceeded to mime / say in broken Japanese that we were lost and were going to go with them. They were very nice. They tried to make small talk with us while we walked and they were very good about making sure we didn't get lost. They were dressed as Hatsune Miku and Gackpoid.

We split ways when we got to the temple, but we always smiled and waved when we saw them all weekend. The temple was pretty empty when we got there (we were 2 hours early), but even still, there were a decent number of cosplayers there already.

We walked around for some time, taking pictures and having our pictures taken. The second we walked into the temple area, we were swarmed by people wanting our picture. Like, swarmed. I think it was partially because we were gaijin, and partially because my costume was rather sexy. Warcraft is almost unknown here, so no one knew who I was. But everyone wanted my picture anyway! After that we took a bunch of pictures of other cosplayers!

 1) Howl - Howl's Moving Castle 2) Kefka - Final Fantasy 3/6 and Kuja Final Fantasy 9

3)Rei and Asuka - Evangelion  4)Roy Mustang and Edward Elric - Full Metal Alchemist

5) Rin and Len Kagamine - Vocaloid  6)Kiki...like, 5 Kikis - Kiki's Delivery Service

 7)Kefka and Kuja again. Kefka's cosplay was A-MA-ZING. 8) Oscar, Marie Antoinette and Andre - Rose of Versailles

 Yup. There were plenty! Those were just some of my favourites!
After pictures, we all got sorted into our groups for the cosplay parade! Zoe and I assumed that once everyone was in their designated space, the parade would begin!...We assumed wrong. We had to stand in our area for like, 45mins before they got us going. It took 30 of those 45minutes to pass for them to start the opening ceremonies! It was a bazillion degrees outside too, and no shade. (By bazillion I mean about 38 with no breeze and in direct sunlight.) We wanted a drink of water SO bad. We couldn't leave our spot though. So we stood there. We actually started to shake and get woozy because we needed water and it was so damn hot. But finally, we got to start walking! And the breeze from walking was wonderful. When we started walking in the parade, I was SHOCKED about how many people came out to see us and take pictures. There were thousands of people! It was like the damn paparazzi! There were spaces where the police were holding back the crowd so we could walk through!

 1) Before the parade 2) During the parade

It doesn't look that busy in the picture, but that little walkway that we have there, that's all we had. We were being pressed against because there were SO many people! and everyone had cameras! It was surreal!

While we were walking, we got water which was wonderful. We had to stop frequently to let traffic pass as well. While we were stopped I snapped a picture of the cutest lolita cosplayer! She was so sweet!

 After the parade, Zoe and I went back to the hotel to rest and shower! That corset I wore was made of PVC, so there's no breathing for the fabric. I was a mess when I took that off.
After that, we decided to go get dinner and go shopping. I got a lovely new Metamorphose dress (it was a steal! Only $47, brand new!). We went to Sukiya for dinner and I had STEAKKKK. It was wonderful.
After that, we went for karaoke! Hehee. I love karaoke!

Nagoya - Day 1!

Guh. I forgot how crap travelling on the night bus is. Luckily, Zoe and I got the WHOLE back row seat to ourselves (like 5 seats across) so we got to stretch out kinda. We got to Nagoya at like, 6:30 this morning. So we decided to get some breakfast before we went to the hotel. We nipped into a McDonalds. It was kinda nice, the food there tastes the same as the food at home.
Anyway, we caught the train to the area of town our hotel is in, but it took us like, an HOUR to find it. We ended up seeing it, but I didn't think the hiragana was right, so we walked around more...and then it turned out it WAS the right hotel. Ahaha. We ended up dropping our luggage at the hotel, and we decided to go find the castle. While we walked to the castle, we found a little shrine, so we took some pictures.

 (This bottom one is where we prayed at the shrine.)

After the shrine, we walked to the castle. It was HUGE! 7 floors tall! It was the same size at a 14-story building according to the movie we watched about it.

 

The screens were lovely! And that box is supposed to look like I'm riding in a palanquin.

 

That big gold statue is a dolphin. Apperently it's the mascot for the castle. There used to be 2 big dolphin statues on the top of the castle before the castle was burnt down.

 

On the top floor there was a viewing room so we could see the whole city.

 It was amazing! So much fun!
 It was really interesting to see the things on display.
After the castle, we walked to the Oasis 21 building to do some shopping and see where we were going to be hanging out for World Cosplay Summit. The top of the building has water on it, and it mists over the sides of the building so it cools the air. It's an open air mall. It's kinda underground though. It's neat.
Inside Oasis 21, there was a Pokemon Center, a Jump Shop and a Ghibli shop! It was amazing!

 I ended up buying a few things while I was there. I tried my luck with a game in Pokemon Center, if you got a special pokeball from a machine, you won a prize. I got a normal pokeball so I got a cellphone strap. Zoe won though! She got a Pichu stuffed toy. I bought a hand towel from the Jump shop as well. It has Trunks on it! I forgot how much I love Dragonball Z.

 After Oasis 21, we went to the building that the changerooms for the World Cosplay Summit are in and got some information about the way things are going to be run tomorrow. The guy who helped us was really sweet. Ahaha. Then we went back to the hotel and had a nap.
After that we walked around the area. There was a giant ferris wheel in the mall near the house. We went on it! It was HUGE. I got kinda scared near the top lol. It was fun though!

It's been a good day! So much fun! Now though, I need to rest for tomorrow! Can't wait!