JAPAN TRENDS


 

Many Star Wars fans weren’t too impressed with Solo, the latest installment in the franchise that has disappointed at the summer box office. So what better time to turn back to the original Star Wars trilogy and remember how good they were?

And we reckon it’s hard to top this as an inventive way of doing just that.
The Star Wars Shogi is a version of the classic shogi Japanese board game, based on the original Star Wars film trilogy.

 

It features 20 Rebel Republic and 20 Galactic Empire pieces, which come in glass-like cases to really show off their designs. Naturally, the actual board also matches the theme.

 

It is an officially licensed Star Wars merchandise item only available in Japan but can be ordered internationally through Japan Trend Shop.

Shogi is like the Japanese version of chess and is played by non-Japanese, too. The Polish-born Karolina Styczyńska recently became the first foreign player awarded professional status by the Japan Shogi Association.

 

We’ve previously seen some crossover collaborations like this in Japan, such as Star Wars: The Force Awakens folding screens showcased at a Kyoto temple in 2015.

 

There were also the luxury traditional products such as the Darth Vader Samurai Warrior Doll, Darth Vader Yoroi Samurai Armor Display Set, and Star Wars Haori Japanese Jacket
Star Wars merchandise is extremely popular in Japan and results in all kinds of novel items.

 

We should also keep in mind that George Lucas actually drew inspiration for Star Wars from aspects of Japanese culture, not least historical samurai and the Akira Kurosawa film The Hidden Fortress.