A celebration of 'Ponyo' and Hayao Miyazaki comes to New York on March 6, 2010

Ponyo

Kinokuniya Bookstore (1073 Avenue of the Americas (between 40th & 41st Street, across from Bryant Park), New York, NY 10018) declares this Saturday Ponyo Day! The family friendly event welcomes all ages and will be held from 1pm - 5pm EST on the 2nd floor's event space. Here is a sampling of the day's events:

Author Roland Kelts of the popular book Japanamerica: How Japanese Pop Culture Has Invaded the U.S. and upcoming novel Access will be guest speaking about his encounters with Hiyao Miyazaki. He has interviewed Miyazaki on several occassions in both the U.S. and Japan, most recently in California. He will be sharing his insights into Miyazaki's genius. Roland Kelts is a half-Japanese American writer and divides his time between Tokyo and New York. He is a lecturer at the University of Tokyo, a contributing editor and writer for Adbusters magazine and A Public Space literary journal and a columnist for The Daily Yomiuri in Japan. His writing appears in A Wild Haruki Chase, Gamers, Kuhaku, Playboy's College Fiction, Zoetrope and others.

Left: Roland Kelts; Right: Hayao Miyazaki
Credit: Japanamericabook.com

Misako will demonstrate how to draw Ghibli characters. She was recently selected by Japan's Nikkei Woman magazine as one of the 15 women to receive the Woman of the Year 2010 award. She is the illustrator of The Onion's famous "Savage Love" column. She is the author of Detective Jermaine, Rock and Roll Love and Biker Girl. Misako has been featured in many magazines and newspapers, including Elle Girl and the New York Times. The BBC and NHK also featured her in a documentary about her comic book life. She has book deals with publishers Hyperion and Henry Holt & Company. She has also written for the Archie Comics.

Credit: Samurai Beat Radio

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Hills Learning will teach how to learn Japanese through Ponyo dialogue. Hills Learning offers language courses in Chinese, Korean, Japanese and English conversation starting at $5 (for introductory classes). They believe in the philosophy of highly interactive learning and use the SWIRL methodology (Speaking, Writing, Intonation, Reading and Listening) inside the classroom. In addition, Hills Learning holds events that offer opportunities to speak outside the classroom offering real life scenarios. They believe that learning a language involves practicing in multi-faceted occasions.
Samurai Beat Radio will be holding an interactive Ponyo and other Ghibli films discussion panel and having games and prize giveaways. Samurai Beat Radio, formerly known as Tokyo Pop Radio, has collaborated with Kinokuniya Bookstore to bring the latest and hottest Japanese music (J-Pop, J-Rock and pop culture) directly from Japan. The radio programs are broadcasted in Japan as "World Flowers Network," JFN (Japan FM Network) Samurai in the USA, Tokyo FM 80.0.
There will be an interactive "How We Grew Up With Ghibli" industry discussion with clips.
Many kid-friendly activities will be available.
Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment will be offering great prize giveaways.
New York Anime Festival wil be holding a raffle at 5pm. This year, NYAF will be held at the Javits Center on October 8-10, 2010. Tickets are already available for purchase.
Kinokuniya Bookstore is offering a special $10 off coupon for use only at their store. It is good for a combination purchase of Ponyo on DVD or Blu-ray/DVD combo AND one other Ghibli Studios Classic DVD. Click here to print the coupon and remember to bring with you on Saturday. Present the coupon to cashier at time of purchase. The coupon expires on May 31, 2010.

Tip: If you have any questions regarding the event,
call 212-869-1700 and ask for John.

Ponyo

Synopsis of Ponyo

Hayao Miyazaki has created another masterpiece. Ponyo is a similar updated version of Disney's The Little Mermaid. 5-year-old Sosuke lives on the cliffside with his mother Lisa. He finds a goldfish and names her Ponyo. Little did he know that she is the daughter of a powerful wizard and sea goddess. Using her father's power, she turns herself into a little girl. Ponyo and Sosuke fall in love, but it is wraught with disaster when they find out that the magic has caused a dangerous imbalance in the world. The two embark on a journey to save the world before it is too late and to make Ponyo's dream to be a real girl come true.

Best Price: 2-Disc Special Edition DVD - $17.86 at Walmart.com, $17.99 at Best Buy and Amazon.com. 2-Disc Special Edition DVD & Plush Gift Set - $24.86 at Walmart.com, $24.99 at Amazon.com. 2-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo - $24.86 at Walmart.com, $24.99 at Best Buy, Target and Amazon.com.

Disney is offering a $10 off coupon for the purchase of the Blu-ray/DVD Combo.

Special Features

The World Of Ghibli - Visit Ponyo In This Extraordinary Interactive Experience!
- Enter The Lands - Meet the characters and hear the story of the movie.
- Behind The Studio - Discover the film's inspiration through documentaries, including all-new interviews with Hayao Miyazaki.
Meet Ponyo - Disc introduction with the producers
Storyboard Presentation Of The Movie

New Re-releases of Other Hayao Miyazaki Films

Hayao Miyazaki's Castle in the Sky (Tenkû no shiro Rapyuta), Kiki's Delivery Service (Majo no takkyûbin) and My Neighbor Totoro (Tonari no Totoro) will also be re-released on DVD the same day, March 2, 2010. They will each include new cover artwork, bonus features and a collectible lithograph. At Best Buy you will save an additional $10 if you purchase Ponyo and another Miyazaki film on the same receipt.

Castle in the Sky Special Features

The World Of Ghibli - Visit Castle in the Sky In This Imaginative Interactive Experience
- Enter The Lands - Meet the characters and hear the story of the movie.
- Behind The Studio - Discover the film's inspiration through documentaries, including all-new interviews with Hayao Miyazaki.
Introduction By John Lasseter
Storyboard Presentation Of The Movie

Kiki's Delivery Service Special Features

The World Of Ghibli - Visit Kiki's Delivery Service In This Imaginative Interactive Experience
- Enter The Lands - Meet the characters and hear the story of the movie.
- Behind The Studio - Discover the film's inspiration through documentaries, including all-new interviews with Hayao Miyazaki.
Introduction By John Lasseter
Storyboard Presentation Of The Movie

My Neighbor Totoro Special Features

The World Of Ghibli - Visit My Neighbor Totoro In This Imaginative Interactive Experience
- Enter The Lands - Meet the characters and hear the story of the movie.
- Behind The Studio - Discover the film's inspiration through documentaries, including all-new interviews with Hayao Miyazaki.
Storyboard Presentation Of The Movie

As homage to Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli, Pixar's John Lasseter includes Totoro in a cameo appearance in Toy Story 3, coming to theaters on June 18, 2010. Both Miyazaki and Lasseter have been long time friends and respect each other's work greatly. Miyazaki's films have been distributed in the U.S. by Disney with Lasseter's help on some of the U.S. dubs.

Totoro's cameo appearance in Toy Story 3