My Japan Adventure18829
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Byrdibyrd private msg quote post Address this user | |
It's always special when the demonic glee is so palpable.  |
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| Definitely an adventure @Byrdibyrd, welcome back! | ||
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Quote:Originally Posted by multi007 Japan has a very tropical climate in the summer and early fall, but it's far enough away from the equator that once the heat & humidity goes it can get pretty cold and there's snowfall in a lot of places (not sure on southern Kyushu or Okinawa - none or very little there) and the mountainous areas and Sea of Japan side of the country get A Lot of snow. |
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| I've really dropped the ball on posting updates here. I don't know how @Byrdibyrd managed to keep up. I suppose I'd have a little more time if I weren't spending time with family in addition to having adventures. But for the most part, I've been keeping too busy to post regularly. When I last posted, on December 22, I had planned to go to Yokohama but got rained out that morning. Well, the weather cleared up by late morning, but by then it would have been too late to start out. So instead of going to Yokohama, I took the afternoon to go to Tachikawa and do some more CD shopping. I made a return visit to Tachikawa's Disk Union location, where I had more time to look this time (and of course found more to get, especially in the 100-yen sections). I also was able to shop at a chain called BookOff that offers secondhand books, manga, DVDs, CDs, records, and other goods and collectibles. The prices on secondhand CDs are often really low, especially with the current exchange rate. In between the two store visits, I went to find the "red demon" slide my brother told me about in Oni Park. Apparently this slide has appeared in some fiction (manga, anime, TV) that is set in Tachikawa. It certainly stands out. I took a quick photo and left without sliding or exploring around it more--the grounds were muddy from the earlier rain.  |
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| @scratchtasia I'm still loving your posts! Now I'll have to find Oni Park so I can check out the Oni (red demon) slide!  Book Off is a great choice for used stuff like manga and CDs and pretty much any kind of popular media. I've found lots of manga at really affordable prices at various Book Offs. The 'Book Off' stores aren't the only '... Off' stores out there, either. I swear to you, you can find used hardware at Hard Off stores, and the one that really got me was unopened not-new/unused booze at Liquor Off. Liquor Off. Say that three times fast and try not to crack a smile.  |
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| On December 23, I got up relatively early and left for Yokohama, to do the things I'd planned for the previous day. For a day trip, I fit a lot in, and I could tell from walking around Yokohama that there was a lot more I could do if I could ever spend more time there. Yokohama seems to have a lot of attractions and historic buildings. My first stop, away from everything else, was Josenji Temple and its adjacent Taya Caves. The Taya Caves are a network of tunnels carved into rock by Buddhist monks starting in the 12th or 13th century. Fewer than a third of the caves are accessible to visitors, but it still takes some time to walk through and marvel at the elaborate carvings and decorative features of the various nooks, crannies, and alcoves, as well as the passageways themselves. It's hard to fathom the years (or decades, or centuries) of work it took to create this marvel. Some crouching is required for us modern-day humans, but it's well worth it, as this was seriously among the most amazing places I've ever been. Photography is not allowed inside, so I'm posting my picture of the tunnel entrance, and you can find more photos and details at Japan Today. They must have had special permission for photos. You'll have to catch a bus from the train station to get to the temple and caves, but it's well worth the effort.  I also took some pictures of the well-kept Josenji Temple grounds.  I'm not sure of the spiritual significance of Pikachu, but I don't claim to know a lot about religion.      Even though everything I planned to see that day was in Yokohama, the temple and caves were far away from everything else, so I had to catch another bus and another train before I could go on with the day. But if I had only made this one stop, it would have been worthwhile. |
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My second intended destination in Yokohama was an art gallery (more on that later), but on my way to the gallery I passed by a park I didn't even know about: the Yamate Italian Garden. It looked like a nice park, so I decided to walk through. Apparently it is called the Yamate Italian Garden because it was the former home of the Italian consulate. It's a pretty park even in December, but I'm sure it really shines in the warmer months. It's also high up on a hill and has some great views of the surrounding area. A couple of historic houses are located in the park, but I didn't enter them. There was also a group of miniature houses in one little section of the park.        |
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| @scratchtasia Well, you've added a couple things to my bucket list for sure! I'd had plans for Josen-ji Temple in Yokohama at some point, but it's moved up the list now.  I didn't even know about the Italian Garden, but I'll be looking that up now, too.  As for the Pikachu left as an offering inside a small hall, that little icon dressed in red is Jizô, Buddhist god of travelers, children, and lost souls. There is the belief that when a child passes away, they have actually passed before their appointed time, which would naturally have come in adulthood. Because of this, the souls of children are unable to move on in the afterlife until that appointed time has come. Thus, they are trapped for years on the banks of the Sanzu River (River Styx) and cannot cross. This is not a hospitable place to be, but if you make offerings of simple clothing or small toys to Jizô, he will pass those on to the souls of children. The bibs, hats, and little cloaks found on Jizô icons at small halls/shrines like that one are meant to keep the children warm and the toys will offer comfort. Needless to say, Jizô is a very popular icon for roadside shrines and one of the most beloved deities overall. |
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| After walking through the Yamate Italian Garden, I resumed walking to the Merry Art Gallery, a small gallery where there were a couple of related exhibits called "Underpops" and "Fascinating Female Painting Exhibition" (that's a translation). Basically, they highlighted work by Japanese female artists that was a bit on the unusual side. I only knew about this because it was mentioned in a video interview that Cartoonist Kayfabe did with Peach Momoko, who had some work included. As you probably know, Peach Momoko has been a very popular cover artist over the past few years, as well as one of my own favorites, so when I saw that the exhibit lined up with my trip to Tokyo, I knew I had to go. This was, in fact, the main reason I took a day to go to Yokohama at this particular time, even though I found so much more to do there. Photographs were allowed, to my surprise, so I took a few. Seeing the Peach Momoko works up close and personal and looking at the actual watercolors on paper was really interesting and cool. She had eight works in the exhibit, of which I show four below. They're not as detailed as most of her cover work, but it was still great to see original works instead of reproductions.  The artist I'd never heard of before whose work I admired the most was Dounatu Tanaka. I love the drawing and colors on these. She seems to work mainly on etching paper.  I bought a book of comics by Dounatu Tanaka. Google translates the title as "Green Star." It's all in Japanese, but it's not very wordy, and I'm counting on Google Translate to help me with the stories. It's all done in this etching paper style.  Miyako Cojima's work also stood out.  I bought a print done by Miyako Cojima. Obviously, it's a nod to the old EC horror comics covers, so of the several she had available, it's the one I couldn't resist.  Below is the work of Chizuru Kai--a bit more traditional than some of the others, but very appealing.  And below is the work of Yaya Kisaki. I don't know much about these artists yet, but I wanted to make sure they were credited. There's more research in my future for these and a few others.  |
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| @scratchtasia That art is fantastic! Love the EC homage cover.  The artist Dounatu Tanaka has a fun name! The given name is a pseudonym for sure because 'dounatu' is how 'doughnuts' is sometimes Romanised in Japanese. |
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| I found a photo of a map of the Taya Caves. That is a fantastic place! I didn't know before that the caves actually contain Yôhaijo (a place to pay your respects for different place at a distant location) for all stops on all four of the most important Buddhist pilgrimages in Japan: Saigoku 33 Kannon, Bandô 33 Kannon, Chichibu 34 Kannon, and Shikoku 88. There are more things in the caves as well. I'll definitely be going there now! It's just a matter of when. Very excited... |
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Quote:Originally Posted by Byrdibyrd The Oni slide is not far from Tachikawa Station, so it would be relatively easy to hit on your way to somewhere else if you didn't have things to do in Tachikawa. I have seen Hobby Off in addition to BookOff, but not those others. Liquor Off, you say? Well, that's certainly a cultural difference. Sounds kind of like one of those services I've been asked if I wanted to purchase that are illegal in most of the United States. |
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Quote:Originally Posted by Byrdibyrd Thanks for the explanation. It seemed like it might be somehow disrespectful to leave mass-produced toys and figures at shrines like that, but your explanation makes it both sad and touching. |
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Quote:Originally Posted by Byrdibyrd I heartily recommend the Taya Caves. I was awestruck, and you will almost certainly get more out of it than me! I can't really compare it to anywhere else I've been. I stopped at all the various points in the passages to look at the ancient figures and carvings, but their significance and meanings are largely lost on me. Honestly, I can't believe we're allowed to just walk through a place like that. And I only saw one other visitor while I was there. It's truly a hidden gem. |
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Mere steps away from the Merry Art Gallery is the Yokohama Tin Toy Museum, its toy shop (Toys Club), and (when I went) its Christmas shop. These places are packed full of toys, either on display in the museum or for sale in the other parts. Most of the toys in the museum are tin (true to the name), while many other kinds of toys are on the shelves elsewhere. There was so much great stuff to look at! This first set of photos is from the museum itself. Many tin cars are on display.   And monsters!               I love the old Japanese robot toys!    The resident dog paid zero attention to visitors and is probably the biggest dog I've seen thus far in Japan.  |
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| On to the Tin Toy Museum's gift shops (Toys Club). More cool robots!   Bugs Bunny is not really that well-known in Japan.  Here's the outside of the Christmas shop.  And the entrance interior.   Tin Robot Santa!  Happy Santa on drums.  Cool tin reindeer.  Kitty! Not tin.  And then there's the Toys Garage, with a real car.   |
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| After leaving the Tin Toy Museum, I grabbed lunch at an American-themed café that had an outlet where I could charge my phone. The food was pretty good, too. My next stop was the Yokohama Doll Museum, which was a good (but unrelated) companion to the Tin Toy Museum. The Yokohama Doll Museum is a more "professional" museum in that it is a larger operation, feels more established, has a more scholarly approach, and has cards that explain most of the exhibits in multiple languages. The museum includes dolls and figures of all kinds--ancient, modern, eastern, and western. Parts of it reminded me of The National Museum of Toys and Miniatures in Kansas City. Worth a visit. Melon Fanta at lunchtime.  Then on to the Yokohama Doll Museum.    One area spotlights western characters.      And then there's a realistic crying baby doll.  Interesting stuffed animals.  Kitties!  A chic doll.  Baby stuff.  The ever-popular Snoopy.  Of course Hello Kitty has to be represented here.  A full-size recreation of a Japanese teenage girl's bedroom, circa the 1960s or early 1970s.  Ceramic kitties.  Space Invaders. This is my era.  More retro Japanese dolls.  |
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| After leaving the Doll Museum, my trip to Yokohama concluded with a windy walk along Yokohama Bay, including Yamashita Park and other connected parks. I didn't really do anything, but I saw the Yokohama Marine Tower, the Gundam Factory, the Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse, and Yokohama Cosmoworld. I was unfortunately too late to tour the Cup Noodles Museum, so I found the train station and made my way back to where I'm staying in Fussa. I saw quite a lot for a day trip, and I can tell that there's a lot more to do in Yokohama if I ever manage to get back. I walked past Yokohama Marine Tower. It's tall.  There's apparently a honky tonk in Yokohama. I did not visit. It would have been interesting.  I took a picture of the Gundam Factory from a distance. The big Gundam on the building moves up and down at times and lights up after dark. You can pay for a tour, but I don't know much about Gundam and skipped it.  There was an ice skating rink outside the Red Brick Warehouse.  Yokohama Cosmoworld includes a roller coaster and Ferris wheel (Cosmo Clock 21), among other rides. The Ferris wheel was operating when I was there, but it was so windy (and getting cold), it didn't seem like a good time to ride it. The roller coaster was closed. I'd like to go back when it's warmer and less windy.  |
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| @scratchtasia What an awesome day! Loved the toy museums! I'll be looking into those, too. My friend and I are planning a September trip this year because it'll be my 60th birthday, but... September is monsoon season!   We'll have a list of museums to visit on days that are too windy and rainy to be outdoors, and these look too good to pass up. |
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Quote:Originally Posted by Byrdibyrd They are fun ones. I'm still hoping to go to the Snoopy Museum on this trip--I went five years ago when it was in a different location. I have a little over a week left, but I feel like I'm running out of time. |
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On Christmas Eve Day, the day after I went to Yokohama, I took another trip to a part of Tokyo I hadn't visited before. Akihabara is known for its electronics stores, maid cafés, and Japanese pop culture stores focusing on manga, anime, and video games. I went that day because I had only recently found out about a live show happening that night by one of my favorite bands. I have loved Osaka band Shonen Knife for 30+ years, and I've seen them a few times in the midwest, but I never thought I'd see them in Japan. It was quite a stroke of luck that I happened to be here when they played, and I got to see them do their song "Space Christmas" on Christmas Eve! The show was an absolute blast. Not only did I get to see Shonen Knife, but the show also introduced me to a newer female trio, also from Osaka, that also plays hooky, melodic punk rock with a Ramones influence. The band is called Junky58%, they can't be far out of their teens, and their exuberant set was all smiles, pounding drums, and buzzsaw guitars. What's not to love?  But the show is how I ended the night. Earlier I did some shopping. I first went to the Akihabara branch of Tower Records, which honestly was a waste of time because I didn't find anything I was after. And as it is a smaller store, one is better off going to the big store in Shibuya or the similar-sized but better one in Shinjuku. That's my take, at least. Next I went to the enormous electronics store Yodobashi Camera. I could not believe the size of that place. Imagine a large Best Buy store and then stack five more large Best Buys on top of it, and that'll get you close to understanding the size of Yodobashi Camera. I did some browsing, found a USB adapter I wanted, and found a camera my friend and cat-sitter asked me to look for on my trip. Success! And some interesting browsing. I did more CD shopping at the Akihabara location of RECOfan, which has a nice selection of CDs and vinyl at good prices. I have now been to two of their three locations. I also paid a visit to Blister Comics, one of only a couple of comics shops in Tokyo I've been able to find that specializes in American comics. Manga is everywhere, but American comics are a niche item in Japan for sure. The store is not huge, but they pack a lot into a small space. They appear to carry a lot of current titles, and they have a healthy stock of back issues--but those back issues don't go too far back, just a few years. I was very happy to find a few minor key issues I was missing at prices that are lower than back home, so I call that a win.  I had a few other places to check out on my list, but I had to skip them when I ran out of time before the concert. But I got back to Akihabara a few days later. |
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| Christmas Day was spent with family, but on the 26th, I headed out again, though not quite as early. First I stopped in Shibuya, where I wanted to return to the Disk Union store. As a collector, you might understand this even if you don't collect music: I had seen an unfamiliar CD there by a band I like when I shopped there before, wasn't quite sure about it, and ended up passing on it. Then I remembered to look it up later and realized, oh crap, I really should have bought that! So I wanted to go back and get it if it was still there. I knew I had seen it at the Disk Union in either Shibuya or Shinjuku, and I had already double-checked Shinjuku, so Shibuya was my last hope. Luckily, it was still on the shelf, and I quickly snapped it up! I also found a few other items there, having taken some time to make a want list since the last time I was there. From there I headed to Roppongi, where I had a plan for the evening. I did not expect to see Tokyo Tower all lit up as I looked for the venue, but it was a nice surprise--I took a quick shot.  My plan in Roppongi was to see a band at a venue called Abbey Road Tokyo, a Beatles-themed establishment that has a Japanese Beatles tribute band playing almost every night. The band that does the majority of dates is the Parrots, but I went on a night with the Mayfair--and a third band, the River Birds, also plays regularly. It looks like the Parrots play 20 or more times a month, with the other two bands getting a night or two each month. There are also occasional other acts and theme nights. The Mayfair were great--I thought "Paul" was especially strong vocally, and "George" really wowed on guitar (six- and twelve-string). They did songs from throughout the Beatles' entire career over the course of the evening, delivered in four 30-minute sets, and they had the crowd eating out of their hands. My only real quibble is that I would have preferred fewer of the early cover songs (Carl Parkins, etc.) and more actual Beatles tunes, but that's a quibble. It was totally fun.  |
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Where's his Bat-package?
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Byrdibyrd private msg quote post Address this user | |
| Dang! You went to some places I wish I went to. I totally understand the thing where you regret passing something up. Bane of collectors everywhere. |
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Quote:Originally Posted by Byrdibyrd That goes both ways--you got much further afield than I will. I know I'm not going to get everywhere that I'd like on this trip. I didn't (and won't) even make it out of the Tokyo area like I imagined myself doing. It's hard to fit everything in. And I am trying to balance family time with other adventures. Quote: Originally Posted by Byrdibyrd I was so relieved that it was still there for me to buy! It was apparently a very limited release. |
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| @scratchtasia There have to be priorities and making time for family needs to be way up there. I had to visit a bunch of places so I could get caught up with my friend who picked up a bunch of goshuin on a trip that she thought I had, but I didn't. That was part of the reason why I was all over the countryside. Another part of it was I got tired of having certain things that I'd never managed to get to yet. I'd never been to Kanazawa, I'd always missed seeing Taima-dera with fall colour, and other things like that. I'm glad you got your CD! I passed up a stack of manga once that I didn't realise was OOP at the time, and I'm still kicking myself! |
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 I'll probably wake up constipated.
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Quote:Originally Posted by Byrdibyrd Okinawa is noted for it's pine forests. After I left Taekwondo, I studied Shorin Ryu Kenshin Kan (along with Kobudo and other stuff) for roughly 14 1/2 years. SRKK = the pine forest style of unarmed combat. |
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| @Pre_Coder The southern end of Kyushu (north of Okinawa) has a very tropical climate, and even has some small rainforest/jungle regions. I think you'd have to pay me to get me to go there in the summertime. High humidity is not my favourite. Ugh. Did you study martial arts in Asia, or did you do that in the States? |
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I'll probably wake up constipated.
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Quote:Originally Posted by Byrdibyrd I studied here in the states with the masters. The SRKK Masters were here training our Marines and Special Forces in unarmed martial arts. Exactly after 3 years, on off nights I trained with 2 of the head masters. It was pretty brutal. Bushi mentality,.. not Bushido. Also, they demanded that Brussels Sprouts become a major staple in my diet,... along with fish and white rice. Like pretty much everyday. LOL |
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Quote:Originally Posted by Pre_Coder That's pretty awesome. Brussels Sprouts is an interesting choice of cuisine, though. Not much Asian connection there, but they really are very good for you. You just have to be one of the people who can stomach them (I'm one of those - Brussels sprouts = yum) |
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On December 27, we did some more exploration of Fussa as we walked over to my brother's apartment. First up was Nakabusa Park, just a small (but pretty) little city park with a couple of fountains.   From there we went to nearby Seiganin Temple, one of the nicer temples I've seen in person. A sign indicated that the temple was built between 1394 and 1428.        After leaving the temple, we meandered along (and partly through) Tamura Sake Brewery. They usually have guided tours available, but not in December or January, because that's when they are at their busiest making sake. Next we cut a path through another couple of city parks and found Chotokuji Waterworks Botanical Garden, which wasn't much to look at this time of year. It's also a fairly small patch of land. But I followed a trail uphill through the woods and found a tiny, hidden shrine.  And that about did it for that day, though I did also see my favorite anti-littering so far.  |
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