[ italiano ] Friday 29th July: The Journey Captain's Journal Astral date 29 July 2005 Francesca and I leave from Malpensa for Frankfurt where we will meet up with sisters Emilia and Elena and, presumably along with the other individual European representatives, we'll take flight towards Nagoya. During the months before the Event, the Italian Team has kept in tight contact to decide together what costumes to take to the Land of Rising Sun, especially because we were given limitations (only Japanese costumes: anime, manga and videogames) and some advice, such as a choice of different types of costumes (classic, new, etc), which we tried to exploit to our advantage (in reality only one of the costumes would be chosen to obtain the Title - in other words the one worn during the final contest - but we tried to arrange group cosplay, which helped us with other engagements). The trip wasn't exactly smooth, not only because of the extraordinary adventures with the magical box which held my costume and pieces of different weapons, but especially because we were given two awful seats - between two infants who kept whimpering the whole 12 hours trip! And let's not mention the disgusting food ;___; During the never-ending journey we get to know German Anya (Francesca's twin... I swear, the two of them were separated at birth!!), French Dounia (who, for us, will always be remembered as Fergaaaaaan) and Spanish Carla. We land at destination at 8.30 the next day, Saturday 30th July. 29 JULY GALLERY   Saturday 30th July: Arrival in Japan As soon as we arrive, we are fetched by emissaries of Tv Aichi among which Edo-san, official Japanese-English translator, our safety boat during the WCS week: we find out that 99% of English-speaking Japanese work in the airport. Once out of the airport... here be dragons. There is hardly time to arrive at Tv Aichi's central studios and eat terrible cold obento (remember the lunch-box Japanese students eat from?) before we go to our first official engagement (and here I was expecting something more from the umeboshi - small red ball, in the middle of rice, which tasted awful). Therefore we are made to quickly change so that we can assist to the live special on the Summit, assembling pieces of interviews and videos released by every candidate during the filming in each country caught on video by the Tv troupe months before. Then, after a ritual briefing - Japanese love these meetings - we are subject to photo shootings and the first of a long series of interviews by some magazine (we will never know which). In the evening after having laid down weapons (literally) and luggage in Toyoko-Inn (underground's Marunouchi stop) we get to meet Deandra, the individual American who has just arrived. And maybe to be forgiven for the awful lunch, we are treated to a sumptuous dinner in a very "In" restaurant - after having sponsored us with shirts, brooches and other amusing official World Cosplay Summit gadgets. I believe it's one of the rare occasions in which there is the full Tv Aichi staff, except the last party; in fact there are Mari Kato & Atsuko, our major references, along with crazy Mr. Shirakawa - he who had chosen the contestants for Italy at Romics - the silent and charming Yamaguchi, Ed, Richard and Kimi the other two translators, very nice and helpful. 30 JULY GALLERY   The adventure continue on 31th July...