Mitaka Studio Ghibli Museum

I believe many people out there are big fans of Hayao Miyazaki.

His works on animations since ages ago are always inspiring and awesome.

So here I am today to write about a place where all Miyazaki's hard works were displayed and that we could enter a world of his wildest imaginations.

The Museum of Studio Ghibli is located at Mitaka, approximately 20 minutes away from Shinjuku station. Before we went in, we bought our tickets which cost 1000yen at Lawson convenient shop. Then we had to decide which period that we wished to pay a visit. Late comers would not be granted access too so it's important to be punctual.

We chose our time at 2pm. Though we sorta got lost a while with the train (again), but finally we still managed our way to the museum. From outside, the vividly standing robot in Laputa (Castle in the Sky) could be seen on the roof top of the building.

We further our way in, where we could see the big fat totoro sitting in a small house with transparent glasses with its signature grin of smile and waving of hand. It was such a warm greeting!

As we entered the museum, we were told that taking photos was forbidden. Even though I had heard that in first place before I went in, but still it's so disappointing to know this rule.

The museum of Studio Ghibli had 3 floors if I'm not mistaken. There were souvenir shop, small cinema, imitation of Miyazaki's working room, tonnes of hand-drawing scripts of different animations, models of moving anime characters, some never before hand seen stuffs that we would not be able to find in the market on the first 2 floors. That's what made the museum so special, you could discover many other more works of Miyazaki himself.

Then we went up to the floor where the Laputa robot stood. People were taking pictures with it, so did we. The surrounding of the rooftop also mimicked the ground of flying castle, such as the prophecy stones, the yellowish greenish meadow, the way the corridor was built etc.

There was also a cafe outside the museum that looked exactly like the one in "Porco Rosso". (The Red Pig) It was so lovely to see it from the outside. Even the tap water spinner was of the adorable kitty from Kiki's Delivery Service! Every single thing in the museum was simply a piece of art derived from the animation world.




Totoro says Hi to you



The legendary robot in Laputa



The prophecy stone



cafe that is identical to the one in Red Pig



Lovely kitty.

Nikko（日光）-The World Heritage Site Volume 2

After visiting these awesome temples, we headed for lunch and had a food indigenous to the locals, known as Yuuba. The noodle was similar to Ramen, and with ingredients added that were made of Tofu and beancurd, and others such as fish cakes, and some peas.

After the break, we rode on a bus that brought us to the upper side of the hills. It was where the hot spring and the famous Kegon Falls located at. Kegon Falls is ranked as one of the highest falls in Japan. We had to go down all the way in order to witness the breathtaking view of the falls form a lower angle.

It was freezing cold, because Nikko was considered colder than Tokyo as it was more to the northern part of Japan, especially when we were up in the hills, the temperature fell even more. I was chilling to the max while viewing the fantastic falls, my hands were shaking unwittingly, and every of my breath turned into white mist.

Next it's onsen (hot spring) time!! We rushed our way to the hotspring. Before I went I heard that all women would be nude in the hot spring zone! It would be my first time being nude in front of so many other ladies whom were strangers to me. In embarrassment, I stripped of my clothes one by one and placed them in a prepared basket. Then I went in the room where the hot smoky hot spring was at. Before entering the hot spring we had to clean ourselves first. We were only given a small towel to wipe our weary body.

The onsen smelt like rotten egg in exact, and the color was slightly greenish. It was said that each onsen would have its characteristic in being in different colors and smells because of the different compositions of the minerals. One could not stay in the onsen for too long because it would numb your body and and you would become breathless as the onsen temperature is actually higher than our body temperatures.

We had a short but fun time enjoying onsen, then we rushed hastily to the bus that would take us down back to the station where we first stood. If we missed that bus, we would have to stay one night at Nikko already because the bus did not come frequently.

We reached home at around 6+ pm, and all the way we were on our journey back, our bodies were warmed and comfortable. Thanks to the warming effect of Onsen!! It was indeed a memorable day!

A bowl of delicious Yuuba and a cup of green tea were enough to power up your whole noon!



Here we are, the upper side of the hills



The Kegon Falls （華厳の滝）



Cold cold day



I think I haven't mentioned that Japanese are really good at planting flowers.

Behold Kegon Falls!

Nikko（日光）-The World Heritage Site Volume 1

If you come to Japan and miss its hot spring, it's gonna be so regrettable!!

In fact, Tokyo does not have any natural hot spring except the man made one. So if you wish to experience natural formed hot spring, you could travel up to Nikko and immerse yourself in the slightly stinks hot spring while at the same time enjoy the goodness it brings to you, such as soothes your emotion, improve skin conditions, and of course keep you warm from inside out when you're under 5'C!

That morning Mariko and I woke up early in the morning and traveled for 2 hours in the special train that expressed its way to Nikko. Basically this trip was unplanned because it was already the last week of my stay in Tokyo and I did not have a lot of money left for extra sightseeing and transportation. Fortunately Mariko's father who was so generous agreed to sponsor me when he knew that I had never in my life experienced "onsen" (hot spring) before. I was so lucky cause the whole trip was sponsored by otosan!!

When we reached Nikko, the view was totally different than that of Tokyo. No skyscrapers, only bright blue sky with mountains fell into our gaze. There were fogs surrounding the mountains which gave a mysterious feeling. Besides, the shop lots displayed were in their warmest courtesy to welcome any foreigners to visit to Nikko. Such a good day!!

Before going to hot spring, we must never miss visiting the famous temples in Nikko which were ranked as one of the most influential heritage sites in the world. The temples were near to each other and exhibited fascinating characteristics. Similar to other temples I had visited before, the shrines all had the red entrance and the structure were even more ornately carved than the others. The prominent temples were none other than Toshu-Gu（東照宮）, Rinno-Ji （輪王寺）and Futarasan-Ji（二荒山寺）.

Also we entered a special compartment where we could see the legendary NemuriNeko(眠り猫）, which meant the Sleepy cat. It was said that the cat would only feel sleepy under sunlight and warmth, which is why It would be in Nikko because it's a city of light and warmth. Furthermore, there was the Three Wise Monkeys(三猿） that represented 3 philosophies, which were "speak no evil, hear no evil, see no evil". When you observe the monkeys, they actually covered their mouth, ears and eyes respectively to convey the meanings stated above.

Welcome to Nikko!

The overall compounds where all the temples stood, there was a Mickey haed reflection=)

The legendary Three Wise Monkeys

Roof of the temple, the degree of ornateness was superb!

The sleepy kitten

Fuji TV at Odaiba（台場）

Fuji TV, which is located at Odaiba, is a television station that broadcasts a series of TV programs in Japan.

It was a sunny day when I set off to meet Ayako at Shinjuku before going to Odaiba. Ayako was bringing one friend, Tomoe too. We had our super expensive lunch at the top floors of Takashimaya Shinjuku, where I had a set of Japanese burger steak that cost me 1500yen++.=/

After Lunch, we traveled in the monorail with an intense emotion and found ourselves passing through the rainbow bridge and the scenery was simply astounding, The big blue sky, the all-white bridge, the sea and its shore, everything was in such harmony tone that matched perfectly with our pleasant hearts.

We arrived at Odaiba in a while, after purchasing the entrance ticket which cost 500yen, we took the direct escalator up to the highest level of Fuji TV where the outstanding Hachitama（蜂玉） was held mid in the air. Hachitama was a spherical shape of studio, there we enjoyed the panorama in broad day light, where Tokyo Tower, Rainbow Bridge, Ferris wheel and many other skyscrapers were all within our sights. There was also a booth for tourists to try and experience what an announcer's job was like. Standing at the right spot, you would find yourself appear beside 2 announcers on TV, where you would follow the dialogue prepared for you to speak at the right time. Afterward, the staff would replay the video for you to see how well you performed as an announcer. If you're interested you could have bought the videotape as a souvenir too.

After sightseeing at HachiTama, we went down one level to view on other stuffs. There were many display of posters, autographs of celebrities, settings of certain TV programs, animation figures and many more along the corridors. There was also an area where you could watch how the artistes film their shows live if you happen to come at the right timing.

If you're lucky enough too, you get to take a picture with the walking mascot, Love-kun, he's a blue doggy with a shade worn on his forehead, in some way I thought he looked like Stevie Wonder though. Another 2 mascots include Gachapin and Mukku. One is a green alien or dinosaur with bucked tooth and weird hands, and is rumored to be able to do almost anything, while another one, Mukku, is a red color monster who is rumored to be unable to do anything. What a contrast.

Japanese Style Burger Steak.



Here I come Fuji Telebi!



Going up escalator to the highest level



Ayako tried to be an announcer!!



The panorama from HachiTama



Autographs of all the stars in Nodame Cantabile .



The monsters Gachapin and Mukku!



Love-kun



It says: I came to Fuji TV!





The night view at Odaiba, Rainbow Bridge, Tokyo Tower, and the miniature Statue of Liberty.

DisneyLand at Hamamai（浜舞）

Who hasn't heard of Disneyland before?!

I'm sure everyone heard of it!!

Yes, it's a place I've been wanting to go so much!! Since my arrival in Tokyo, never had a day I stopped thinking about going to Disneyland, I couldn't stop imagining what was it like within the fantasy world, I was so eager and enthusiastic!

This day came finally. It was after my Friday class that I waited at UniQlo Shinjuku to meet up Ayako, who flew purposely from Osaka to meet me in Tokyo. I was really touched by her sincerity that she would come see me when I informed her about my visit to Japan, I would do the same to her when she comes to my place!

We got a bit lost in the train as both of us were not familiar with the route to Disneyland. But after inquiring other people in train, we arrived at TDL safely and happily. With the ticket given from my friend Norihito as Xmas gift, I entered the fairyland where all our childhood cartoons dwell in.

Disneyland was all about its animated world design, it was as if you had entered the real world of cartoons. Mickey Head logo could be seen every where, even on a lamp post. Then the buildings were painted colorfully, mimicking the exact design in the cartoon world, such as the house of Mickey, the Alice in Wonderland castle, the Pirates of Caribbean sea, the Peter Pan battle ships, the honey cave of Winnie the pooh, the magical Halloween town of Jack Skellington, the lair of the beast in Beauty and the Beast etc. You could also see beautiful walking princesses putting on elegant dresses giving flying kisses, prince charming throwing megawatt smiles, Goofie and his friends playing peek-a-boo with the naive children along the way. Everything looked so surreal.

When the daytime was over, the whole town was illuminated in incredible and dream-like glows. The beauty of the atmosphere was just too indefinable. I was pretty lucky that time cause it was already Christmas season when I went, the theme of Disneyland was set to be of Christmas theme, big Christmas trees embellished in decorations were seen abundantly around Disneyland. With the merry songs played that delighted everyone's mood, no one was willing to leave Disneyland not until the last minute it closed.

The Christmas electrical parade was one of the most exciting parts. All Disney characters showed up in shimmering cars. Those were the most beautiful things I had ever seen in my life, they simply took my breath away and left me stunned in the imaginary world. Matching with the merry Christmas carols, my mood would be all merry merry until the next Christmas comes. Even though it was quite hard to get a good seat to watch the parade, but I felt very satisfied because I got to witness the specially rehearsed Christmas electrical parade in Disneyland. Not many people get this kind of chance. I was truly blessed.

After going to Disneyland, I promised myself that, when one day I live in Tokyo, I'm gonna buy a 10-day passports to Disneyland and play every single thing inside.^^

Youkoso Tokyo Disneyland!!



Greets by the gorgeous Cinderella when we first walked in the compound of TDL.



The large Xmas tree was just too pretty!



It's a small small world after all!



Cutely designed lamp post.




Let's go see how Peter Pan fights off the evil Captain Hook and rescues Wendy!!



Souvenirs that were priced with many significant zeros.



The trademark Cinderella Castle, and Walter Disney holding Mickey's hand, such a heart warming scenery.



The impressive Tokyo Disneyland Electrical Parade, only available during Xmas!



A fascinated change of Cinderella dress with one swing of the Fairy God Mother's wand.



It's eye catching to see the beautiful dress of Cinderella.



Beauty and the beast danced wonderfully with the theme song sung by Celine Dion, how romantic!



When the fireworks were lit, it was one of the most enchanting moments of all.



Buildings lit in dazzling lights that stole your mind away.



Bye bye Disneyland, I promise I will return soon!!

Hachiman-Gu八幡宮 and Daibutsu 大仏 at Kamakura

Kamakura（鎌倉） is not part of Tokyo, it is located at Kanagawa-ken, some 1 hour of distance away from Tokyo by train.

With the guide of my host sister, Mariko, and one of her friends, Haruni, we set off early in the morning and found ourselves walking to a shopping town where food stalls and souvenirs shops were available at every corner. Not forgetting to introduce the representative wagashi specially made in Kamakura such as Daifuku（大福）, macha rollcakes, senbei dip in shoyu（煎餅）, usaman（うさまん）and many more. Along the way, there were Japanese cafes that allow the tourists to rest and sip a cup of green tea and a bite of wagashi（和菓子） before continuing their sightseeing to the famous Hachiman-Gu（八幡宮）. The entrance of Hachiman-Gu was a characteristic typical shrine red entrance, with an arched bridge nearby.

During November, it was the 7-5-3 children season, where children of the age of 7, 5, and 3 would dress up in their traditional wear Kimono and go to the temple to pray for healthy growth.
Therefore, while we were appreciating the gifts of nature and reveling in a cooling yet comfortable weather, we could see many children running around in adorable outfits. What a wonderful day!

After visiting Hachiman-Gu, we rode on a bus and headed for the place where the Amida Buddha statue stood! It was the Daibutsu (大仏), one of the biggest Buddha statues in the world. Sightseeing around the area was very pleasant as the trees in autumn were changing into lovely red colors and the air was fresh to be inhaled in.

I felt amazed by the structures of the shrine and how Japanese people are clinging to their believes. All the historical shrines were well kept and preserved, their rich cultures were passed from one generations to another, even until the present moment people from all around the world still get to chance to admire their ever-lasting cultures, those were indeed eye openers for a foreigner like me. I'm sure that all the beautiful images that I saw through my naked eyes would not fade away from my memories.

Mouthwatering cakes and wagashi displayed nicely on the shelf.



Daifuku



The entrance of Hachiman-Gu.



Cute Japanese girl dressing in kimono posting in front of the arched bridge



Paradise-like



All of them were osake (liquors) as offerings to the Gods!



Lovely cartoon masks were up for grabs too!



If you ever watch Spirited Away before, these were the transportation for the Gods



There's always a long long staircase before the official entrance of the shrine.



These ladies were known as Miko san (巫女）, witches in English.



Welcome to Daibutsu!!



The magnificent statue of Daibutsu!



The back of Daibutsu.



Breath taking view.



Another temple at Kamakura.