C has discovered Doraemon, Gadget Cat from the Future, manga star and Japanese cultural icon. Images of the character, first introduced in 1969, are about as ubiquitous in this town as Hello Kitty. A series of 10 comic books are available (translated into English, but running back to front, right to left) at the big Kinokuniya bookstore in Shinjuku. It was there on the foreign books floor that we also found manga versions of Hayao Miyazaki's Castle in the Sky and Princess Mononoke, and a bunch of children's books (Where is Little Toko by Kyoko Matsuoka, Blackie, the Crayon by Miwa Nakaya, and Little Mouse Wants an Apple by Yoshio Nakae, all translated).
The story with Doraemon is that he is a robot created in 2012 who travels back in time with the great-great-grandchild of a Japanese schoolboy, Nobita, to save Nobita from the bad luck he creates for himself and his family. Although he always means well, usually the gadgets that Doraemon pulls out of a storage compartment in his tummy only make things worse. He's supposed to be Nobita's protector, but he's more like a best friend. He has a paralyzing fear of mice and dorayaki (bean-filled jam cake) is his favorite food. Read more about him here.
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