Genre : Science-Fiction
Episod : 25 episodes
Ten years ago, in the middle of Tokyo appeared Hell’s Gate, a mysterious place covered by a high wall. The stars in the sky disappeared and replace with false stars. At the same time, people starting appear with strange abilities, known as Contractor (Keiyakusha) who have new form and new special power, like as can manipulated gravitation, altering people become a stone, create the storm, but they all loss their emotion and empathy.

To maintain their ability, they have to fulfill some obligation which different each other every contractor. They must regularly do one activity that they hate. Contractor’s life symbolize with the false stars in the sky of Tokyo. Every false stars, have the same code with contractor’s code. The code named Messier Code. If the contractors shown their power, they will transmitting light known by Russel Effect.
Many nations and organization use contractor as agent and spy. They are doing their jobs effectively and able to murder in cold bloody. To investigate the secret behind the Hell’s Gate and contractors, Japan police form specialized unit named section 4.

Characters :
Hei / Li Shunsheng (means black)

The Contractor with code number BK201. Looks like a young man with age 20 years old, but no body knows how many his real ages and nation. He has identity as Li Shunsheng, and actually was an agent for the organization named “The Black God of Death”. Hei lives in Umitsukisou, a simple apartment at Tokyo. To do his mission, Hei usually wearing a mask with lighting mark. His weapon is a wire and also has ability to manipulate electricity. Hei have other destination merge into the organization, to look for his brother Bai and his best friend Amber. Hei can carry well and mindfully, but he also can use violence to achieving his goals. He was cookery but also eat a lot.

Yin (means silver)

Yin is 17 years old and Hei’s partner. She isn’t a contractors, but dolls. As like dolls, she always looks without expression. Yin has ability to track the existence of others from water media and her very sensitive hearing. She also knowing people’s personality although she was blind.

Mao (means cat)

Mao was a contractor in 43 years old who has ability to transferring his soul into animal’s body. At an accident make his own soul trapped into the black cat’s body until now. He work helping Hei.

Kirihara Misaki

She is 27 years old and already has position as Head from Section 4 in Police Department. Her duty is related with case about Hell’s Gate and Contractors. Her characteristic is firm and never give up.

Huang (means yellow)

He is a syndicate who has duty to observe Hei and friends. His look like is older than his real age.

Read Full Entry

In Japan Yatai usually can be found be in the corner of the street near “Eki” (subway station) or near “Koen” (Park). Long time ago Yatai is destined for people who don't have much time to eat. But along with the growth of people mobilization, today yatai also can be used as hangout place for salaryman and students. A salaryman might relax with colleagues over dinner and drinks at a yatai on his way home from work. They love to eat in the yatai and at the same time drink beer or Sake (typical drink of Japan). The students are usually hangout in yatai after school hour. Yatai means roof vending carts, is mobile food stall. Yatai usually take form of shop wagon or box’s car. Menus are usually limited. Japanese cuisine (often of Chinese origin) is of course most common, but Western cuisine yatai are not unknown. Beer and sake are usually available.

In Japan can find “Yatai-mura” (Village of yatai), a place where many kind of yatai gather. One yatai can accomodating up to 10 people only because the size of the booth is tending to small. Tradition of yatai exist since the Era of Edo, but the yatai existence start to downhill caused by tight regulation of Japanese Government today about the existence of yatai merchants. In Japan, yatai well-known and mostly can be found in Fukuoka region.

There are some yatai that’s open in the certain times or seasonally every year. For example, yatai that sold “Yakitori” and “Sushi”, they open in morning to noon. While yatai that sold “Oden”, “Soba”, and “Ramen” are open from evening to late at night. Yatai also set up temporarily for Japanese festivals like Mitsuri Festival (summer festival) to selling foods for visitors, such as yakisoba, kakigori, takoyaki, and okonomiyaki.

Read Full Entry

In Japanese mythology they have so many beliefs. Most of Japanese beliefs are influence by 3 beliefs; they are Shinto, Buddhism and Taoism, or even Hindu’s.

Creation
The first God create two divine, the male was Izanagi and the female was Izanami. God give an assignment them to create the first land and give a halberd (weapon) with jewels, Amanonuhoko (means, Heavenly Halberd of the Marsh) to help them. Then they went to the Amenoukihashi (means, floating bridge of heaven) and stir up the ocean with the halberd. When the salty water drops from the halberd, it created island Onogoro. They descended from heaven to the island and starting to build their palace. Eventually they wished to mate, so, they built a pillar called Amenomihashira around which they built a palace called Yahirodono (the hall whose area is 8 arms' length squared). Izanagi and Izanami circled the pillar in opposite way, and when they met, Izanami, the female deity, spoke first in greeting. Izanagi and Izanami finally get mated and had 2 children,

Hiruko (watery child) and Awashima (pale island), but both of them had bad form. So, Izanagi and Izanami put the children into a boat and throw away to the ocean and make a petition to God and asked for the reason why that happened. The God answered that Izanami not supposed to be spoken first in greeting. Then they went around Amenomihashira (the pillar) again and this time Izanagi spoke first in greeting during the ceremony and the union was success. The gods born from Izanagi and Izanami are symbolic of important aspects of nature and culture.
Izanami, however, died giving birth to the child Kagututi (incarnation of fire) or Ho-Masubi (causer of fire). She was buried. In anger, Izanagi killed Kagututi.

Izanagi deeply suffer from Izanami’s death and take a journey to Yomi (the shadow land of the dead). He searched Izanami and found her but he can see her appearance clearly. He asked her to follow him back to the world. Izanami said that was too late, because she already ate the underworld food and become one with land of the death. Izanagi disappointed, but refused to leave Yomi. Finally Inzami agreed to follow him, but first she want to rest and ask Izanagi not to enter her bedroom. But while Izanami was sleeping, Izanagi come and took the comb that bound his long hair and illuminated her face with light as a torch. Under the light, he saw the horrid form of the once beautiful and graceful Izanami. She was now a rotting form of flesh with maggots running over her ravaged body.
Izanagi can’t control his fear and started to run, and return to the world without Izanami. Izanami woke up shrieking and anger. She and Shikome (foul woman-Yomi's creatures) hunted for him to bring back to Yomi.
To get away from the pursuit, Izanagi, hurled down his headdress became a bunch of black grapes that make shikome fall, but continued pursuit. Next, Izanagi threw down his comb became a clump of bamboo shoots. Now it was Yomi's creatures that began to give chase, but Izanagi urinated against a tree, creating a great river that increased his lead. But they still pursued. Izanagi, forcing with hurl peaches at them. He knew this would not delay them for long, but he was nearly free for the boundary of Yomi .
Izanagi burst out of the entrance and quickly pushed a boulder in the mouth of the cavern that was the entrance of Yomi. Izanami screamed angry and told Izanagi that if he left her, she would bring death 1,000 living people everyday. Izanagi furiously replied he would be give life to 1,500 people. This is began the existence of Death.

Then, Izanagi went on to purify himself after recovering from Yomi. As he undressed and removed the adornments of his body, each item he dropped to the ground formed a deity. Even more gods came into being when he went to the water to wash himself. The most important ones were created once he washed his face:
Amaterasu (incarnation of the sun) from his left eye,
Tsukuyomi (incarnation of the moon) from his right eye, and
Susano (incarnation of storms and ruler of the sea) from his nose.

Some of the God’s that have great influence in Japanese mythology:

Aizen Myo-o
Is a God of amour, who changes passion into desirability of enlightenment or mercy to all live beings. Aizen Myo-o initially originated from Vajrasattva (Buddhism) character or Ragaraja in Hindu’s belief.
If in other mythology, amour of Gods are define handsome as well beautiful, then Aizan Myo-o looks fierce with its 3 eyes, Lion Head in its hair, and 3 pairs of hands (each hold bell, stick, lighting, lotus flower, and arrow). Although its fierce figure, Aizen Myo-o to be trusted as God with full of mercy.

Amaterasu
Amaterasu, is Shinto Sun Goddess who born from the tear in Izanagi's eye. She was the most well-known deity of Japanese mythology. Her full name is Amaterasu Omikami means “she makes heaven shinning”. Until 1945, she was praise as holy royal ancestors of Japanese Kings.

Ame No Uzume
Also be known as the name of Uzume, Dawn Goddess who successfully persuaded Amaterasu with his dance, to come out from Amaterasu hiding place.

Bimbogami
God of Destitution, shown as a man with beard and to be dressed in rags and dirty. It said that if Bimbogami coming in the house, it will be hard to expel him. And the house occupant will be poverty stricken interminable.

Ekibiogama
God’s of Epidemic. No one knows what it looks like however surely it’s not a popular God.

Emma-O
Usually be called Enma or Yama the owner of hell and death realm which his duty is to judging human sin during their life. In his duty as Judge, he assisted by his sister, 18 generals and also thousand of soldiers. This character often appears in anime or manga such as Dragon Ball, Yuyu Hakusho, and Jigoku Shoujo.

Fujin (Futen)
God of Wind with white beard which told stand on the top of mountain and carrying a big bag of wind. Fujin appears in fighting game, Mortal Kombat 4, as God of Wind.

Gama
Also well known by the name of Juroujin, he is a member of 7 Lucky Gods. Long Life God who always carrying a scroll contain “The Secret of Wisdom” and companied by black deer.

Hachiman
The War God’s and prime protector of the Japanese people. A century after The King Ojin past away, there was a child in his place of birth carried an Ideogram which shown “Hachiman” name, that’s why “Hachiman” can be concluded as King Ojin deification. Hachiman also known as the God’s of Agriculture. Hachiman sometimes can be symbolizing as a pigeon.

Hamori
The God’s who protected leaves in all the seasons.

Hoso-no-kami
The God’s of Pox. Again, this is not the God’s that people likes.

Inari
Inari was the rice and prosperity God. His popular form was an old man with beard sitting over a big bag of rice. Sometime he has shown as a woman with a long flowing hair. He always appeared with two fox. In Buddhism, his shape resemble with Dakiniten.

Kagututi
He is son from Izanagi and Izanami. Kagututi means incarnation of fire or also called as Ho-Masubi or Hino Kagutsuchi means causer of fire. So, he is the Fire God who lived in a top of Atago Mountain. His mother, Izanami, burn to death after giving birth to him. In anger, Izanagi cut his son as eight parts, what was to become eight volcano mountains in Japan.

Kami-Kaze
He is The God of Typhoon. Is rather an understatement for his habit of causing great disasters with destructive typhoons. Then Kami-Kaze will be used to name one of the typhoons that ever crossed Japan.

Kashiwa-no-Kami
The God of Oak tree.

Kishimo-Jin
Be known as Karitei-Mo. She was Goddess Mother of All Evils, who fond to eat children. After Buddha gives her a lesson, she repents and become Buddha follower. Later Kishima-Jin was children protector.

Kwannon (Kannon)
God of Mercies, in Buddhism known as Guan Yin (Kwan Im). Until now Kwannon is the most popular deity. Her statues are easy to find in the house of Buddhist follower. Kwannon was the Goddess that chooses to live in the earth to help humans.

Marishi-Ten
God of War and Victory, has eight hands that hold various weapons. The Japanese warriors believe that Marishi-Ten can make them invisible.

Nai-no-Kami
God’s of Earth Quake. The peoples of Japan are familiar with the earth quakes. That why this God was arising there from.

Raiden
God’s of Thunder. His Appearance looks frightful with fiery skin and eagle’s claws. He will hit the drums that twining around his body to expel thunder. Raiden often appear with Fujin. He owns a thunder beasts called Raiju which he sends in the form of a fireball, leaping through trees and clawing at things.
if Raiju fall asleep will be woke up used fire arrows. Raiden is one of favorite character in fighting game, Mortal Kombat.

Sengen-sama
Goddess of Fuji Mountain who has a beautiful face, who can make flowers bloom and always leaves flower calyx as her footprints. Sengen-sama guarding wellspring “Immortality”, but she wasn’t gave it to anybody who ask for it.

Susano-Wo
God’s of Thunder-Storm (sometimes to be called as God’s of Sea) because he was incarnation of storms and ruler of the sea. Born from Izanagi nose. Susano-Wo was the God that destroyed a snake monster name Yamato-no-Orochi and he found a sword “Kusanagi” in the snake’s tail. He is has lasting enmities with Amaterasu. In some versions of the myth, Susano rules not only the seas but also all elements of a storm, including snow and hail.

Tsukiyomi
God’s of Moon, he born from Izanagi right eye. Tsukuyomi taking control of the night and moon. there are version that told Tsukiyomi killed Uke-Mochi (Goddess of Food) and raising Amaterasu’s anger. So Amaterasu said to him that she doesn’t want see her brother again, so that the sun and the moon never shown up together at the same time.

Uke-Mochi
God’s of Food or also called as Ugetsu-no-Hime, who married with Inari. This Goddess also be said The Goddess who created cows and horses.

Zocho
One of the four guardians that protecting earth from evil force attack. Zocho or Zochouten is the south guardian. By influent from china mythology in Japanese tradition southward also can be symbolize by Phoenix bird.

Read Full Entry