注意:この投稿は日本語と英語の両方で書かれています。日本語の機械翻訳はスクロールしてご覧ください!翻訳に誤りがあった場合はご容赦ください。 / Note: This post is in both Japanese and English, keep scrolling for the Japanese machine translation! I apologize if there are any translation errors.
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Hey there!
I’m Pr1mopuel—an artist, toy collector, and big fan of the vintage Bandai doll, Primopuel. If you’re here, you’ve probably already guessed that I really love this little guy. I currently have four Primopuel dolls and one Kopuel, and they bring me so much joy!
I started this Tumblr because I wanted to find other people who love Primopuel too. Since the dolls were mostly popular in Japan and are pretty obscure now, it can be tough to connect with fellow fans. That’s why I created the Primopuel Fan Club—a Discord server where we can all share our love for these adorable dolls.
The server’s open to anyone 16 and older, no matter what language you speak. You also don’t have to physically own any primopuel merchandise; so if you have no idea who Primopuel is and you want to learn more, feel free to join too! Because there is very little information about the toy on the western side of the internet, I will be adding resources and additional information on the server as well! I’d love for it to be a cozy, welcoming place where we can talk about primopuel together and become friends.
Last winter, I was gradually getting better from the poor health I had been feeling since the summer I moved here, so I went hiking to recuperate and rehabilitate. Recently, I have been gradually increasing my rehabilitation by walking around the town where I live, and I went to the Ako Toy Museum, which I had been interested in for a long time, so I would like to introduce it to you.
The museum’s signature vehicle is undoubtedly the Subaru 360, released in 1960. Its two-stroke, two-cylinder, 360cc engine brings to mind the image of it spewing smoke as it drives. The vehicle on display is thought to be from around 1967, judging from the shape of the taillights. And the light green vehicle in front of it is a three-wheeled light truck, the Daihatsu Midget, released in 1957, and since it has a round steering wheel, it is probably from 1959 or later.
The first challenge in this museum was finding the entrance. There are signs, cars, and bicycles everywhere, and if you imagine a typical museum entrance, you won’t be able to get in. We pass through the narrow entrance, greeted by the smiling face of Kaori Yumi, located to the left of the Morinaga Caramel sign, under the yellow “SS Chain Pharmacy” sign. However, if you are over 145cm tall, please be careful of head injuries.
Looking to the right of the entrance, you can see “Ultra Seven” flying. And the vehicle carrying “Ultra Seven” on its loading platform is the Mazda (then Toyo Kogyo) K360, a light three-wheeled truck released in 1959. At the time, the Daihatsu Midget and the other light three-wheeled trucks were equally popular, but I recommend the K360, which I remember driving for the first time when I was 5 years old. It’s easy to tell the difference between these two similar vehicles by looking at the doors. The Midget’s doors are rear-hinged and open in the front, while the K360’s are standard front-hinged and open at the back. Furthermore, judging from the shape of the front cowl, the vehicle attached to the back of the K360 is probably a Silver Vision from around 1960, but I’m not sure. And the car with the headlights coming out from behind those two is probably a 1957 model Datsun 210 or a 1958 model Datsun 211. It’s the predecessor to the later Bluebird.
The museum, which opened in 2004, is filled with items from the Showa era, including prewar items, such as toys, miniature cars, home appliances, and various advertising exhibits that the director, Mr. Suzuhara, has been collecting for many years, and there will be some familiar items for those over 50 years old. Also, even those who do not know the Showa era will be able to see the origins of modern culture and commercialism, unlike museums with items from the Edo, Meiji, and Taisho eras. (No images, sorry)
However, those who are over 170 cm tall should be careful of the overhead due to the old house and exhibits. In fact, I hit my head three times before leaving the museum. Also, since the inside is packed with exhibits, I recommend entering with a small group.