Pop Japan Travel And Toon Zone Ask "Who Wants To Be A Vampire?" To Promote Cold Steel Tokyo-Sapporo Tour

Gardena, CA , November 21, 2007 - Ever wonder what it might be like to be a vampire?

If so, Pop Japan Travel and Toon Zone have a contest for you.

Pop Japan Travel, the original pop Japan tour company recently profiled in the New York Times, is asking "Who wants to be a vampire?" to promote its upcoming Cold Steel Tour of Tokyo, Kamakura and Sapporo Jan. 28 to Feb. 6. The tour includes a meeting with Japanese horror icon Hideyuki Kikuchi, creator of "Vampire Hunter D," and "D" manga artist Saiko Takaki, plus a visit to Studio Pierrot ("Naruto," "Bleach"), the Ghibli Museum, the Sapporo Snow Festival, and much more.

Entries should detail "your first night as a vampire" in 1,000 words or less, and are due on Dec. 15, the same day as applications for the Cold Steel Tour. The best entry wins a copy of the "Vampire Hunter D" novel signed by the author Mr. Kikuchi, a signed copy of Vol. 1 of the "D" manga, a copy of the Pop Japan Essential Otaku Guide, and a "manga care package" from PJT affiliate Digital Manga Publishing, including Berserk Vol. 1, a hardcover copy of Trigun Vol. 1, Twilight of the Dark Master and three other titles.

The first runner-up will receive a hardcover copy of the first "D" novel (not available in stores), Vol. 1 of the "Vampire Hunter D" manga, the Essential Otaku Guide and the manga care package, while the second runner up will receive the otaku guide and the two "Vampire Hunter D" books.

To run the contest, Pop Japan Travel has partnered with the popular online forum community Toon Zone, where users can discuss their entries before submitting them to travel@popjapantravel.com.

The Japanese publisher Gakken also recently agreed to sponsor the Cold Steel Tour, giving each tour participant free copies of the publisher's popular anime magazine Animedia and its pin-up magazine Megami.

The Cold Steel Tour includes four full days in Tokyo, a full-day tour of the samurai capital of Kamakura during the traditional Setsubun festival, and two days in Sapporo, Hokkaido for the opening of the Sapporo Snow Festival. The group departs Monday, January 28 and returns Wednesday, February 6. Other activities on the itinerary include a trip to the Ghibli Museum, a ride on a water ferry designed by Leiji Matsumoto ("Space Battleship Yamato"), tours of the traditional and modern Tokyo sights from Asakusa and Meiji Shrine to Harajuku, Odaiba and Shibuya, plus otaku shopping and a visit to a cosplay cafe in Akihabara and Nakano.

Pop Japan Travel is accepting reservations for the Cold Steel Tour at its Web site, www.popjapantravel.com, until Dec. 15.

Also available are tickets for two packed theme tours from April 11 to 18, the Fujoshi Paradise Yaoi Tour and the Tokyo Darkside Gothic-Lolita Tour, both recently profiled in the New York Times! For complete itineraries and reservations, see www.popjapantravel.com!

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DIGITAL MANGA'S POP JAPAN TRAVEL is the original and premiere provider of pop culture themed tours of Japan. Since 2003, PJT has operated more than 15 tours with themes focused on Japanese anime, manga, games and more. Pop Japan tours offer a careful balance of the hyper-modern world of J-pop culture and the rich traditions of ancient Japan, and PJT is the ONLY tour agency to provide exclusive experiences such as visits to anime and game studios, meetings with manga artists, and more. Pop Japan Travel tours are organized in cooperation with IACE Travel, one of Japan's largest travel agencies.