Bamboo Thicket (blog)

Bamboo Thicket (full name: "ブログのような竹林", "A blog-like bamboo thicket") is the name of a blog run by Hidekaz Himaruya.

History
The blog was started in May 2008, and is the second official blog for Kitayume. The original blog, which featured artwork and trivia on his older series, was shut down sometime in late 2007 or early 2008, though details on the old blog remain unclear.

The blog's main attraction happens to be production artwork and sketches for his different comics, most notably Axis Powers Hetalia. It also includes photos of places around the world, that he took while traveling, and photos of animals. Some of the illustrations from his old blog were also reposted, though many more still remain "lost".

Himaruya also makes entries on his everyday life and happenings, from when he was still living in New York, to his present situation with his manga deal and Chibi-san Date.

Occasionally, Himaruya will also answer fans' questions and art requests on the blog, and draw special sketches for them. The blog is also the first place that preview sketches for Hetalia-related merchandise can be seen, such as the covers to the CDs.

Translations
English translations of entries on Bamboo Thicket are provided by the LiveJournal community of the same name, which was created on January 18th, 2009.