Reported by Tim Eldred, CosmoDNA editor
This unusual discovery began with my morning romp through Twitter on June 5th to find the latest Yamato news and fan postings. The picture caught my eye for obvious reasons, and the caption captured my heart immediately:
Today, my husband is once again pondering the arrangement of the showcase all by himself. He keeps tweaking the layout he had before, going, “Hmm…” and is lost in thought. The inside of the glass case is a dreamlike world, and since I have no sense for layouts, I just sit beside him, admiring it (Wow, it’s arranged so beautifully) and nothing more.
Surrounded by my own collection of anime books, LPs, CDs, DVDs, LDs, model kits, toys, etc. I immediately vibed with the husband shown in the photo. How many times have I – have ALL of us – been in his state of mind?
Looking at the source of the post, I discovered it was put up by “Showa-Era Girl WARAHO,” which told me something more about the vintage. The Showa-Era was when Yamato was born, along with all the other anime that grabbed those of us who started watching in the 70s and 80s. These were my people!
Upon further inspection of her Twitter page (visit it here) I learned more about the photo: it’s not just her husband’s personal collection, it’s the display case inside their new restaurant, called Musouya [Dreamer]. Their names are “WANTA” [Tatsuya Watanabe] and “WARAHO” [Noriko Watanabe] and at the time, they were counting down to their grand opening on July 7.
We are a couple approaching our 60s. We renovated the shop my parents left behind in this small town and reopened it. With a limited budget, we’ve handmade almost everything, including the signage. We have on display items collected since childhood: plastic models, movie posters, Glico snack toys, and more. Since these date back 40 to 50 years, there aren’t any high-value collector’s items, but we hope they bring back fond memories for you. Please stop by if you are in the Osaka area!
As an occasional visitor to Japan, I would go out of my way to dine at a restaurant founded by a Yamato-loving couple of my generation, and hopefully others would too. Therefore, this information is being shared for the benefit of all future travelers to the Osaka area. Tell them “the American Yamato website” sent you!
Visit WANTA’s Official Instagram here
I love manga and anime from the 70s and 80s! I especially adore the works of Leiji Matsumoto. I absolutely love Space Battleship Yamato. I’m not very skilled at it, but I also enjoy building plastic models.
Food menu
Drinks menu
Business Hours
Weekdays: Lunch 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Dinner: 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Weekends & Holidays: 11:00 AM – 9:00 PM
We plan to be closed on Wednesdays or Thursdays.
Location
大阪府枚方市長尾台2丁目４−１１
2-4-11 Nagaodai, Hirakata City, Osaka Prefecture
10–15 minute walk from Nagao Station
10-second walk from the Nagaodai Jutaku bus stop
(It is right next to the bus stop)
Directions
If you are walking from JR Nagao Station, it’s about a 15-minute uphill trek starting from Shojun-ji Temple, which is right in front of the station.
Alternatively, you can take the Keihan Bus bound for “Hoya” and get off at “Nagaodai Jutaku-mae.”
If you take the bus bound for “Nagaodai 3-chome,” get off at the last stop. It is then about a 4-minute walk. Look for the building with the red roof.
Photo posted on Twitter by yurikonekoneko
Bonus: WARAHO on Instagram
Visit her page here
I’m an anime and tokusatsu (live-action special effects) superfan born in the Showa era. As a young girl, I had a fateful encounter with Space Battleship Yamato, which aired opposite Heidi, Girl of the Alps, and was instantly captivated. I remain a devoted fan of the original series to this day. Here, I share thoughts and showcase the treasures I’ve diligently collected over the years.
Influenced by my older brother, I grew up watching anime, tokusatsu, and manga from the 70s and 80s, and I used to draw my own illustrations and comics. I’ve always preferred titles aimed at boys over those aimed at girls.
Not only that, WARAHO is a very accomplished fan artist. Below are some of her works to prove it.
