Epic Trip, July 2010: Tokyo

Rewind to last July: I skipped out on the Kokkyo Marathon in Kamitsushima (probably the biggest event in my small town all year) to go to Tokyo, climb Mt. Fuji, and show off Kyoto to U.B. and company. This blog will focus on my time in and around Tokyo. I went to Tokyo a couple of days earlier than U.B. and friends, mostly because it was the weekend and there were some touristy things that I wanted to check out. I`d spent 3 days in Tokyo during JET orientation but hadn`t been back since... which meant that I really hadn`t seen anything of the city at all. (`Kim-being-a-tourist-in-Tokyo` continued during my previously-blogged trips the following September and October... these travels happened before the PSG conference and visiting Bryan on the wine festival/Kamakura/DisneySea trip). I was a bit nervous about showing U.B. and company around Tokyo, then, because I was as new to the city as them. My secondary reason for heading to Tokyo early was to familiarize myself with the subway arteries and general public transportation. My journey started off with a jetfoil to Fukuoka-- here`s my boat coming in! Laura came up early from Kyoto, too, so we spent a couple of days exploring. I`d been dying to go to the Studio Ghibli museum, so that was one of our first stops. (You have to buy time-stamped tickets in advance at a konbini because they sell out; our `reservation` for entering the museum was for July 3rd at 4 PM). The Studio Ghibli museum is a bit removed from central, downtown Tokyo, in Mitaka city. We took a train line and then a short bus. When we got off, this cute Totoro bus-stop sign greeted us. And from outside of the museum, another friend bid us welcome from the roof--

(for the non-Studio Ghibli educated, he`s from `Laputa: Castle in the Sky`)

For various reasons, picture-taking is not allowed inside the museum, so I can only put up pictures of the outside. The inside was incredible, though. One of the museum`s charter goals is to recreate the feeling of wonder that makes the Ghibli movies so special, and it does it admirably. The museum is organic with hidden passageways, great attention to detail, and surprises everywhere. You step inside and can feel the magic making you a care-free kid again.

Here`s the outside entrance to the roof-garden.

...and Laura and I with the friend we`d seen earlier. The museum designers made him life-sized, the same as in the movie.

It was a beautiful rooftop garden, and I loved the statue`s details-- yes, that is real grass growing on it!

Beautiful flowers around the paths, too.

And a Laputa-box hidden away in a corner....

...with intricate Laputan writing scrawled on top!

Some parts of the museum`s exterior seemed to be part of the very landscape.

...other parts resembled buildings from Studio Ghibli movies.

...and I loved this open staircase, which let in a bunch of light.

In other travels-- I finally got to Shinjuku! ...and discovered that the train/subway station is a huge pain. You`ve really got to pay attention to where you`re going and leave from the correct exit... going from one side of the station to the other can be quite tricky.

Laura and I also went to see a short kabuki production. It wasn`t a full-length play, rather a "Beginner Guide`s Introduction to Kabuki." There was an introduction by the 2 lead actors, which included a short history of kabuki and explanation of the stage, with demonstrations of how parts of the stage can be raised or lowered or turned (there was a wicked-cool central circle which could spin!). Luckily, there were English-language headsets available translating everything they said; some of the kabuki terms were quite technical.

It was my first time seeing kabuki, and I`m glad we got the explanation first. There was also a short film showing the actors getting into make-up and costume (quite a production for the guy playing the lead female role... as with most traditional Japanese theatrical forms, women aren`t allowed on stage).

Of course I wasn`t allowed to take pictures of the performance, but there was a decked-out mannequin in the lobby area that I got a few pictures of. This character didn`t appear in the short play we saw, but it may give you an idea of what kabuki can look like:

Serious, serious wig.

I wanted to feast my eyes and tastebuds in Tokyo, given that I`d be going back to Tsushima afterwards. And my trusty guidebook delivered with its entry for the "100% Chocolate Cafe." Yes, that is its real name. We went on July 4th and, aside from our order, got complimentary samples of the flavor-of-the-day: Honey Banana. Yum!

Next stop: Harajuku on a Sunday morning! My guidebook had said that people dressed up in cosplay and hung around Harajuku during that time. It neglected to mention that they don`t like people taking pictures of them-- hate it, in fact-- and just want to be left alone. I did get a better idea of the `crush` of people in busy sections of Tokyo, though, from this random side-street.

Seriously, there was nothing special going on-- this was just a normal Sunday in Harajuku! ...blew the socks off of this country girl.

And, finally, I met up with U.B. and company (C and P) at the hotel. They were all rather understandably jet-lagged during our time in Tokyo and opted for rest over running about.

At one point, we went up a really tall government building near out hotel in Shinjuku. It sported great panoramic views of the city--

Here`s a nearby park, which seems to have sprouted up between the skyscrapers.

I loved this rooftop tennis court ^^

Oh, and U.B. mentioned that he knew this building, the New City Hotel in Shinjuku, from a book that he`d read (specifics, please? ^^)

In comparison with the Mt. Fuji and Kyoto parts of our trip, Tokyo was just a stopping and meeting point. I had an awesome time running around the city with Laura, though-- the Studio Ghibli museum and kabuki were great!