Tokyo - Ghibli Museum

If Joanna's religious Tokyo experience happened at the Cat Cafe, then mine happened at the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka.

For those of you unaware of Studio Ghibli, they are possibly the most famous and beloved animation studio in Japan, churning out imaginative and technically amazing animated movies since the 80's. Some of their most well-known films include My Neighbor Totoro, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, and Ponyo (see the trailers at the end of this post). They've been called the Disney of Japan, which is a pretty fair comparison seeing as how Disney is the company that distributes their films in the U.S. and how John Lasseter, Chief Creative Officer of both Pixar and Disney, is best pals with the genius behind Studio Ghibli, Hayao Miyazaki.

A confession: I am a Ghibli nut. I have seen all of their movies (many several times). I've read Miyazaki's book Starting Point. Shoot, Miyazaki-san and I even have the same birthday! Put simply, Ghibli's movies inspire me; the imagination behind them and the sense of wonder they instill is rare in animation today. So for us to finally be able to visit the Ghibli Museum was pretty sweet!

Unfortunately, photography wasn't allowed inside the museum, but I managed to sneak a few pictures. (Sorry Miyazaki-san!)

The bus to the museum was covered in all kinds of cute Totoro stuff. It was like riding the Catbus!

The museum! In his book, Miyazaki said he wanted the museum to be a place "put together as if it were a film." If you've seen any Ghibli movies, it's pretty much true!

The staircase into the museum. There's a limited number of tickets sold every day so we were lucky to get in, especially during Golden Week. Good thing we ordered them a month in advance!

Even the bathrooms at the Ghibli Museum were whimsical! Here's a "window" in the girl's bathroom where you can see Kiki's house from Kiki's Delivery Service.

If you've seen Totoro, you remember the Catbus. Well, this is the Kittenbus! At the Ghibli Museum, you get a chance to see a Ghibli animation short you can't see anywhere else. The Kittenbus is from one of those, Mei and the Kittenbus. We didn't get to see that one, but we did get to see Mr. Dough and the Egg Princess which was incredibly cute.

Also, they have a life-sized Catbus for kids to play in. Unfortunately, adults weren't allowed, and there were too many people around to get a picture, so here's one I found on the web:

So jealous.

At the museum was the equally charming Straw Hat Cafe. Here's the menu with Porco Rosso wearing Mei's hat.

Joanna's Straw Hat Omelette, complete with a Ponyo flag and a Totoro plate!

The ceiling fan was shaped like a propeller from Porco Rosso. Also, peep the Ponyo stained glass windows!

On the roof was this magnificent creature, the robot from Laputa, Castle in the Sky. In the movie he flew around and shot lasers from his hands, but at the Ghibli Museum he was much more somber.

A view of the museum from the roof.

Inside the museum were all manner of concept art, models, and really interesting exhibitions about animation. There was one that had rotating Totoro models with a strobe light to replicate stop-motion animation in real life. Here's an illicit (and really low-quality) video I took of it:

And, as promised, here are some trailers from famous Ghibli movies. As someone who has seen all of them, they're all fantastic. Even if Japanese animation isn't your thing, Ghibli has something for everybody. And don't use "but I don't wanna read subtitles!" as an excuse. As I said earlier, Disney has distributed great DVD versions with entirely English voice casts.

My Neighbor Totoro:

Princess Mononoke:

Spirited Away:

Ponyo:

Tokyo - Cat Cafe

Is this Heaven? No, it's a Cat Cafe.

If we each had our own personal paradise, and if said paradise could descend to Earth and take corporeal form, mine would be just like this. It's a Cat Cafe -- a somewhat recent trend in Japan that happens to be exactly what it sounds like: a cafe with a bunch of cats inside that you can play with for an hourly fee.

The cafe pictured below is near Ueno Station in Tokyo and has no fewer than fifteen extremely tame cats. It also offers its patrons unlimited coffee and tea for 315 yen, but that's hardly the point. The point is -- well, if you even have to ask, you either haven't looked at these pictures yet or you don't understand the joy that is an endless parade of felines in silly hats. Maybe it's just because I miss my own cats so much -- and because I haven't lived without cats since I was in fourth grade -- but visiting a cat cafe gave me the kind of inner peace most people feel after a religious conversion.

I love cat cafes. After viewing these pictures, I hope you understand.

This is what the cafe looked like on the inside. Small, intimate...and crawling with cats. There were cats in baskets. Cats in boxes. Cats asleep on top of the coffee vending machine. Cascades, forests, swamps of cats. All of them were exceptionally chill -- with the exception of a Scottish Fold named Miruki. About whom more later.

Two cats fast asleep, curled into adorable balls of inordinate cuteness. What more is there to say?

Miruki (Milky) the Scottish Fold. His ears are supposed to be like that -- it's the defining characteristic of the breed. In case you couldn't tell by the goofy expression on his face, Miruki was kind of a character. He hammed it up in front of Ryan, reeled him in, seized him by the heartstrings...and then turned into a bite baby and gave him a cut on his finger. MIRUKI! You treacherous swine!

Another shot of Miruki, chest puffed out in pride after once again biting the hand that feeds him.

This cute WANTED poster was intended as a warning to the cafe's patrons -- it basically said to be careful around Miruki because he bites. Unfortunately, Ryan and I couldn't read it, and by the time the cafe's proprietor delivered a verbal warning, it was too late. (And yet Ryan couldn't get enough of this cat).

Beppi, a much more trustworthy feline companion.

This is Champ (Chanpu). True to his moniker, he endured the shades and head piece with extraordinary grace. Probably he was too exhausted to care.

I never got this cat's name, but he and I spent a lot of time together at the cafe. Notice the sign in the background with Miruki front-and-center. He kind of sits like my cat Toby.

This is Mepuru (Maple), another cat with a hilarious face. I swear, half of the appeal of cats for me is their funny faces.

Tokyo Disneyland!

I have an embarrassing confession to make: prior to last week, I had never been to Disneyland. I've been to Tokyo. I've been to London. I was even an exchange student in Paris when I was a kid. And yet California remains a land of mystery to me, shrouded in a fog of enchantment and whispered rumors.  Florida too, for that matter.  For years, I had never been within four hundred miles of a Disney theme park.

Well no longer!  As of May 1st, 2011, I am officially a member of the not-so-exclusive "I've-been-to-Disneyland" club.  Tokyo Disney is a mere half-hour train ride from downtown Tokyo, and though we were warned that it would be wicked busy during Golden Week, Ryan and I couldn't resist a visit.  As luck would have it, it wasn't that busy at all -- mostly because it rained all day!  We practically walked right on to about half the rides, and we never waited for more than 30 minutes for any one attraction.

How did all this make me feel?  See below.

THIS IS HOW IT MADE ME FEEL!

The Captain EO attraction, resurrected in the wake of Michael Jackson's death, was spectacular, even if it didn't include the laser show that was part of its first run back in the 80's.  I'm being sincere when I say it was one of my favorite things there.  Ryan and I both bought this poster to decorate our drab Japanese apartments.  I love you, MJ!

Tokyo Disneyland is probably the only place in Japan that recognizes Easter.  There was a big Easter parade scheduled for the evening (which was canceled because of the rain) and a bunch of these little egg-shaped character statues hidden all over the park.  Here's Ryan with an Easter Egg R2D2.  To see more of these statues, check Ryan's Facebook page. :)

The Toontown area of the park, home of the Roger Rabbit Ride and Gadget's Go-Coaster.  The latter of which seems a bit structurally unsound, fashioned as it is from crayons and old toothbrushes.  Seriously, Gadget, were you drunk when you designed that thing?

Goofy was the only Disney character we managed to snag a photo with.  Mickey Mouse was sitting high-and-mighty inside his little cottage in Toontown, and there was an hour-long line just to shake his grubby, over-sized hand.  No matter.  Goofy is way cooler anyway.  Even if he does dress like a 10-year-old circa 1993.

It's a Small World?  Not so much.  This was probably the biggest ride in the entire park!

Sitting through the It's a Small World ride is a bit like staring into the abyss.  As you can discern from this candid reaction shot, I was nearly overcome by the horror of it all.

Up, up and away!  Ryan takes to the skies (without the aid of those super-racist crows).

The animatronic animal heads from the Country Bears Theater.  It's really something to hear a bear singing "The Ballad of Davy Crockett" in Japanese, let me tell you.  Make sure to check out the video below!

Part of the Easter display.  How come Goofy gets to be fully-sentient and wear clothes while Pluto gets yoked to a little wagon?  They're both dogs, ain't they?  It's a little unsettling.

Cinderella's castle at night.  Yes, you've all seen images like this a million times.  But it was my first time at Disneyland and I was really excited about it SO PUT A CORK IN IT.

By the time the lights came on, the rain had pretty much chased everybody out of the park.  The wet pavement somehow made things prettier, though.

Tokyo - The Shibuya Scramble

When you mentally picture Tokyo, you're probably thinking about Shibuya.  It's the super busy part of the city with the big buildings and massive crowds of people, the BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG CITY atmosphere that Tokyo is known for.  It's also home to the most insane crosswalk in the world.  But first let's talk about Hachiko.

This is Hachiko.  To be more exact, this is a statue of Hachiko outside Shibuya Station.  He was a dog who really loved his master, a professor at Tokyo University.  Every day after work, without fail, Hachiko would wait him at Shibuya Station.  One day while at school the professor died of a heart attack.  Hachiko, being the loyal dog he was, still waited for him at Shibuya. Despite his master's passing, he came back every single day until he died.  His loyalty made him something of a Japanese hero, so they erected this statue in honor of him.  Today, Hachiko's monument is a common place for people to meet and for teenagers to loiter around.

AND HERE HE IS ON DRUGZZZ!!!

See what I mean?  This is pretty much Tokyo.

And here's the intersection where the magic happens.  It's the one you always see in movies with the massive crowds of people crossing the street.  Soon, all these people will cross at the same time, making what is nicknamed "the Shibuya Scramble."

THE HUMANITY

Those lines on the pavement mean pretty much nothing.  People walk whatever direction they want.

We were there on a Friday night during a vacation time.  Here's a video of how it looks on a normal Saturday afternoon:

Tokyo - Harajuku: High Fashion and Sweets

Harajuku girls, I'm looking at you girls

You're so original girls

You got the look that makes you stand out

Harajuku Girls, I'm looking at you girls

You mix and match it girls

You dress so fly and just parade around (arigato)

If you've heard of Harajuku, it was probably in association with that great poet and sage of our times, Gwen Stefani. Apparently, the No Doubt front woman visited this area of Tokyo several years ago and fell in love. She then made it her mission to share that love with the world via her music (and a moderately-priced perfume line available at most CVS stores).

I admit, it's hard to walk the pedestrian-only streets of Harajuku without feeling inspired. I was initially something of a skeptic -- devoted as I am to Salvation Army couture and eight-dollar tennis shoes -- but after half an hour of strolling amidst the ultra-cute Lolita girls and innumerable crepe shops, something changed. I began to develop -- dare I say it? -- a passion for fashion.

Well, okay. Not really. I'm still shlubbing around in thrift-store threads, and I still plan on rocking these eight-dollar shoes until they spontaneously combust or scream for mercy. But for a few glorious hours, I was caught up in the magic of Harajuku. Allow me to bestow a small piece of that magic upon you, dear readers.

Alright, so this is a misleading way to start out.  Pictured above is Meiji Shrine, a famous site dedicated to the Emperor Meiji and located in a park in the Harajuku area.  It's quite grand -- the torii gate you see is nine meters across and was crafted from a special tree plucked from a mountain in Taiwan (because apparently all the trees on all the mountains in Japan just ain't good enough).

We came to Meiji Shrine to see a festival.  In keeping with our inglorious track record with festivals, however, we seemed to have come either too early or too late.  We did see several traditional Japanese wedding processions, however.  Yes, that's "processions" plural.  They had 'em lined up one after another like a matrimony-themed parade.  Apparently, the wedding schedule at Meiji Shrine is just a little tight.  (By the way, the traditional bridal outfit of Japan includes an enormous white head-covering to conceal the woman's horns, which grow as a result of her transformation from a blushing virgin into a jealous she-devil upon her wedding day.  Or so I've been told).

Ah, Lolita fashion.  To explain where this aesthetic came from would take too long and bore most of you to tears, but the basic idea is to dress like a Victorian-era doll.  Poofy skirts, gigantic bows, and demure stockings are all indispensable to the Lolita on the go.  These Lolis were kind enough to pose for us.  Love the hair...and the unicorn purses!

The entrance to Harajuku.  Don't let the McDonald's sign fool you -- this place is all quirkiness and class.

A Lolita store in the heart of Harajuku, where your humble blogger purchased a dress!  The place was bumpin', and they were blaring weird Euro-trash techno versions of Disney songs from the in-store stereo.  Nothing says "elegant Victorian fashion" like a dance remix of Hakuna Matata!

This store was geared toward either magicians or drag queens.  I pointed out a few get-ups that I thought would look particularly fetching on Ryan, but I guess he just wasn't feeling pretty that day.

A store that poses an age-old question: where, oh where, am I going to store all these ducks?  (A second, ancillary question: why is there an apostrophe in "ducks"?)

My Lolita dress.  A true Loli would cover up all that exposed skin with a heavily-ruffled blouse and some stockings, but I'm a wanton American woman who places her body on display at every available opportunity.  Also, I didn't want to spend more money to buy the blouse and the stockings.

Tokyo - Akihabara and the Maid Cafe

Hey everyone!  It's time for us to post about our trip to Tokyo.  Like we did with our Osaka/Kyoto/Nara trip, we'll be splitting it into different parts.  The first: Akihabara!

Akihabara is the part of Tokyo that specializes in electronic goods.  After World War II, it was a hub for black market radio parts.  Since then, it's exploded into computers, video games, DVDs, household appliances, pornography, arcades, toys, anime, and manga.  Put simply, Akihabara (or "Akiba") is Japan's nerd Valhalla.  Naturally, we made it our first stop!

The mean streets of Akiba.  Nerds, nerds everywhere!  Also some normal folks I guess.

The girl with the green hair flashing us a hand-heart is Mika, a Vocaloid (ask us later).  It's not uncommon to see people in Akiba dressed up like their favorite anime, manga, and game characters.

This pink demon maid was restocking a UFO Catcher at an arcade.

Remember AKB48?  The pervy 48-girl pop band we posted about awhile back?  Well, the AKB in their name stands for AKihaBara. They came from here so they're super popular with the nerdy unwashed masses.  Pictured here is the AKB48 shop at the building where they were formed.  The massive crowd of people are buying and selling illicit photos of the AKB members.

Meow meow nya nya Joanna is a cat

We found Samurai Sanders!  Of course you heart KFC dude, it's your secret herbs and spices or whatever.

One thing you notice when you arrive in Akihabara are the massive numbers of girls dressed as maids running around.  This is because they're advertising for Akiba's many "maid cafes," cafes where the waitresses dress and act like maids, going as far as calling you "master" and stuff.  While I thought it would make me feel icky and uncomfortable to be doted on by some Japanese girl most likely working her way through college, Joanna thought it would be funny, so we went to one.  It turned out to be a pretty darn cutesy time!

The menu from the one we chose, "Heart of Hearts Sparkling Stars Maid Academy."  We rode the elevator up to the place with a maid and a customer, who informed us it was "Japanese culture."

The inside of the joint.  You can get an idea of the kind of customers these places get.

We both ordered "omerice" which is just an omelette over rice.  To make it more special, the maids offered to draw on them with ketchup.  I asked for a lion since the kids at school always call me "Lyan-sensei."

GAOOOO!  That's what monsters say in Japan instead of "RARR!"  Also, before eating, the maid had us do a magic spell to power up our food.  It involved a lot of cutesy Japanese and heart gestures.

Joanna had her maid draw a panda.

Did you call me?  Sorry panda, I never got your number!

Included with our meal was a decorated picture with our maids.  Here we are with Ramune!

And here's Master Ryan and Lady Joanna with Celt.

All in all, Akihabara was a really great and silly place for a couple of dorks like us.  We ended up going back a few times during our trip because it was just so nutty.  Definitely worth a visit!

As an aside, if you want to see more of Akihabara or you just wanna enjoy a really silly and hilarious Japanese show, we recommend Densha Otoko (or "Train Man").  It's about your average Akihabara nerd ("otaku") who ends up helping a girl way out of his league on the train and the funny relationship that results from it.  It's based on a true story and was embraced by the Japanese to the point where they made a movie, an animated show, and a comic out of it.  The TV drama is the best though!  You can watch the first episode here.  At the very least, watch the intro - it has a bunch of scenes of Akihabara set to "Mr. Roboto!"


Densha Otoko ep.1 by tmjr2006

That's all for Akihabara! More Tokyo coming soon!