"Otaku" tour of Tokyo! Day 3

Our last day in Tokyo started off with a visit to Asakusa. Unfortunately Sensoji (the main temple) was undergoing restoration so it wasn't much to look at, but we did get a picture in front of Kaminari Mon (the main gate leading up to the temple).

I went back to the 33-flavour soft cream place that I had been to with my mom & dad, Brenda & Cecilia on my first visit to Asakusa. Instead of going for an unusual but tasty-sounding flavour, I went with the oddest one--miso--with predictable results. =P

One new thing I saw during this (my third) visit to Asakusa was Chingodoji--the Tanuki Shrine!

After Asakusa, we went to Ginza. We stopped at Uniqlo where I bought a pair of dark brown high boots that I'd seen online but weren't available in Towada. It was a bit of a pain lugging the box around for the rest of the day, but it was totally worth it since they're pretty much my favourite pair of boots right now. ^__^

Then we wandered around a bit (thanks to my terrible sense of direction) before going to the Sony Building. We played with the new touch-screen PC monitors (with Windows 7) and looked around for a bit before heading out to Tokyo Station.

On the way to the station, we stopped for lunch at Wendy's. It had been a while since I'd enjoyed a Wendy's burger. ^___^

At the station, we spent a fair bit of time at the Shonen Jump Shop. I bought a Chopper (from One Piece) hat in preparation for Halloween. Nate bought two Bleach charms, one for himself and one for a friend. They were the type where you wouldn't know which one you actually got until you opened the box. We walked around some of the other shops for a bit and then went to a nearby sweets/coffee shop for some refreshment and a break from all the walking. While we were there, Nate decided to open one of the boxes. It turned out to be one that he didn't really think was all that cool, so he went back to the Jump Shop to buy another one.

When we shook the new box, however, it sounded like the one he'd opened, so we decided that he should give the new one to his friend and open the other one he's purchased the first time round. Luckily it was a different one, but it still wasn't the charm he was hoping for. In the meantime, I decided that I wanted to get a One Piece t-shirt to use as part of my Halloween costume, so this time I went back to the Jump Shop while Nate stayed at the sweets shop. While I was there I decided to get another Bleach charm for Nate.

When I tried to give it to him, though, he insisted that I should keep the charm for myself, so I opened it, and lo and behold, it was the same as the first one he'd opened! =P So between the two of us we bought the same charm two, or possible three times in one day. Pretty impressive "luck" since there were 10 different charms in all!

After that we wandered around Tokyo Station a bit more before we finally just sat down in a waiting area and waited for the time to come to go up to our respective train platforms. (I was headed back to Towada and Nate was off to Kyoto.) And that was the end of my "otaku" tour of Tokyo with Nate!

(Final photo before it was time to say our goodbyes!)

(See my complete album from Nate's trip to Japan at http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=327284&id=655150561&l=8b818452d4)

Oh, and if you were curious, this is how my One Piece costume turned out! The hat and t-shirt I bought at the Jump Shop, while the shorts and skin-coloured long sleeve shirt & leggings I got from Uniqlo. And I made the hooves myself! (Yes, I'm a big nerd!)

"Otaku" tour of Tokyo! Day 2

Day 2 (Sunday, October 11th) we headed out to the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka!! Even though it was my third visit there, it was still a lot of fun. Plus, I got to try out the autumn menu in the Straw Hat Cafe!! I had the Open Sandwich with Meatloaf and Cheese (麦わらぼうしの手作りミートローフサンド), Sunset Cream Soda (夕焼けクリームソーダ), and Pumpkin Chiffon Cake with Ice Cream (かぼちゃシフォンケーキ)!! Nate had the Katsu Sandwich (くいしんぼうのカツサンド) and Mikan Juice.

As usual, I ended up buying a fair bit at both the gift shop and book shop. In particular, there was a book, Asobi no Fuukei (秋田、遊びの風景) written and illustrated by Oga Kazuo (男 鹿和雄) that was about his childhood in Akita Prefecture. Since Akita Prefecture is right below Aomori and part of the Tohoku area, I simply had to buy it! Of course, it will probably take me a really long time to actually finish reading (even with the pictures, it's a lot of text!), but it's good Japanese practice, so I'll do my best! ^___^

Oh, and when I went there in spring with my mom & dad and friends Brenda & Cecilia, my parents bought me a set of (5) Totoro glasses and coasters. This time (with Nathan), I bought myself a set of (5) Totoro pudding bowls! =P I don't expect to actually make pudding, but I can always use them for ice cream or something. 

Apart from things that I purchased for myself, I also got an awesome present from Nate: a Totoro necklace!! I'd actually wanted the necklace since the first time I visited the museum in April 2008, but since it was a little over 10,000 yen ($100) I could never justify the cost to myself. But since Nathan offered to buy it for me, well... ^___^ I'd say it's probably my favourite piece of jewelry right now.


After Ghibli, we headed to Odaiba to check out The National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation (Miraikan). Unfortunately since we got there fairly late in the afternoon, the really cool-looking simulator rides/experiences were already closed. There was still plenty to see/do, but it was pretty busy and I think neither of us felt like waiting for all the children to finish playing with various exhibits so we could try them out, so I think we didn't get as full of an experience of the Miraikan as we could have. 


But still, I learned about bioplastics--plastics produced by plants. It's pretty cool. I guess I had heard of it before--water bottles made from corn--but hearing about it at the Miraikan I was still like "Woah, that's really cool." Of course I'm sure there's probably a big debate about using plants to make plastics instead of using them (or the land used to grow such plants) for food, but it was interesting to learn more about the science behind it.

After the Miraikan we wandered around Odaiba for a while. We stopped by the Fuji TV building (although we didn't go inside), saw a replica Statue of Liberty, and wandered through the Aqua City and Decks Tokyo Beach shopping centres. We had sushi/sashimi for dinner at a restaurant in Decks Tokyo Beach. 

Once we were done at Odaiba, we headed to Tokyo Tower. It was a lot more crowded than I expected it to be. @_@ To get tickets to the Special Observatory (250m) you had to buy tickets for the main observatory (150m), go up and then buy the tickets from there. I can't remember exactly how long we waited, but I think it was probably close to an hour and we barely made it to the last admission time (although I think they extended it that night since there were lots of people who were in line and were able to come up after us... But the view from the Special Observatory really was a lot better than from the Main Observatory, so I guess it was worth all the waiting. ^__^



Oh, and apparently we were also lucky to see a "Special Day Only Light Veil, Diamond Veil: New light up performs in the Tokyo night. On special days the Tokyo Tower glistens like it is covered in a diamond veil."

Diamond Veil illumination

Regular illumination

After Tokyo Tower, we went to the National Diet Building.(国 会議事堂). This is where the "otaku" part really becomes obvious...

The reason we went there--and why we went specifically at night--is because my brother (well, I am, too) is a big fan of the manga/anime series "X" by CLAMP. The Diet Building is a prominent location in the series since one of the characters, the dream seer Hinoto is employed by the national government and actually lives (and works) in the basement. Since the characters usually visit the building at night, my brother also wanted to see it at night! 

As we were walking to the building, we saw a police/security guy walking around the perimeter of the grounds. Then when we got to the main entrance, we saw a police car parked in front of the gate! With the car there, it was a little intimidating to go right up to the gate, so we went across the street and stood in the median area and took pictures from there. (Which was probably more suspicious than if we'd simply gone up to the gate, but oh well...) As we were finishing up with our pictures, we saw a man and a young boy (presumably father and son) run right up to the gate, pointing excitedly before running off.

Seeing them we got the courage to go up to the gate as well and so we took more pictures from there. While we were taking pictures, the two (or possibly just the boy? I can't quite recall...) reappeared with a woman--presumably the mother. Who knew the Diet Building was such a popular night attraction? I mean, it was around 11pm when we were there! =P 

After that we went back to the hotel where we packed our bags (in preparation for checking out the next day)  


(See my complete album from Nate's trip to Japan at http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=327284&id=655150561&l=8b818452d4)

"Otaku" tour of Tokyo! Day 1

I started writing this post a long time ago, but wasn't able to complete/publish it because I was "distracted" by the accident and my crazy busy Nihonbuyo practice schedule (among other things) after that...

And yes, I'm aware that "otaku" has more negative connotations in Japan (i.e., a hardcore fan obsessed to the point that it's pitiful/weird/scary) than it does in Canada/America (where it's more a badge of honour--i.e. a highly dedicated/knowledgeable fan), but I'm Canadian so... *shrug*

So yes, we arrived at Tokyo Station around 10am on Saturday, October 10. After dropping our bags off at the hotel (check-in wasn't until 3pm), we headed for the Square Enix Character Goods Shop Showcase. Nate only bought a key chain, but I ended up buying a Chocobo keychain (a number of my Kirita students were impressed/envious when they saw it =P), a chirping Chocobo chick toy, and a Final Fantasy Mascot Umbrella. I was tempted to buy a necklace (a FFVII Materia Pendant--either Meteor or Holy) and Nate, being the nice brother that he is even offered to pay for it, but I knew I probably wouldn't wear it that often and so I refrained.

After that we had lunch at a ramen shop--Keika Kumamoto Ramen-- near Shinjuku Station that was recommended by my Tokyo Encounters (Lonely Planet) guide. It was fast and tasty. (Plus Nate got to see what it's like buying a ticket from a vending machine for a restaurant food order.) After that we decided to check out Sweets Paradise. I thought it would just be a regular cake shop, but it turned out to be a dessert buffet (you could also eat actual meal food, like spaghetti, salad, sandwiches, and curry). Despite having just eaten ramen, we both managed to have two plates of desserts each--credit goes to the "betsu bara" i.e. separate stomach (for dessert).

Then we went back to the hotel to check in. After a short rest, we headed back out to hit the Taikokan (Drum Museum). Although it was smaller than I expected (it was on the fourth floor of a shop), it was still pretty fun since you could bang away on various drums and other percussion instruments from different countries.


After that we went to the Edo-Tokyo Museum. Even though it's supposed to be open until 7:30pm on Saturdays (with last admission 30 minutes before closing), it was already closed/closing when we got there around 6:30pm. =(  So we just snapped some photos of the Sumo Hall and then wandered over to the Yokoami-cho Park for a bit. (Nate had noticed a pagoda structure while we were at the Edo-Tokyo Museum entrance and wanted to investigate.)

Even though neither of us was particularly hungry, we headed to Tsukishima's so-called "Monjayaki Street" for dinner. Monjayaki is apparently a local specialty of Tokyo, and it's kind of like okonomiyaki, except that when it's cooked it doesn't have any particular shape and is just kind of a blob of ingredients on the grill (which you eat off the grill using a mini spatula). Unfortunately I'd forgotten that Nate wasn't so good with cabbage (a main ingredient of monjayaki), but at least he was able to have a truly "Tokyo" experience.

After that we headed out to Shibuya because Nate wanted to see some of the places--the Hachiko Statue and Shibuya 109--seen/featured in the Nintendo DS The World Ends with You (すばらしきこのせかい) game. The Hachiko Statue was surprisingly difficult to find. I was expecting lots of signage and a fairly large statue, but we had to look around for a bit to find it.

It turned out to be a good thing that he went to see Shibuya 109 with me instead of waiting to see it on his own/with his (guy) friend when he returned to Tokyo the following weekend because Shibuya 109 was the most girly mall I've ever been to. It was pretty much just female fashion/accessory stores inside. Though it was somewhat interesting observing the various fashions of the people in the store, it was WAY too much for me. *shudder*

We walked randomly around Shibuya for a while before going to Tower Records--where Nate bought Tokyo and Kyoto guidebooks--and finally heading back to the hotel.


(See my complete album from Nate's trip to Japan at http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=327284&id=655150561&l=8b818452d4)
,

9 months left...

Hard to believe a month has already passed since I turned in my decision to NOT re-contract. I know that I did a lot in October, but I still feel like there's so much to be done, and so little time!

Anyway, here's my updated (from my October 2nd post) to-do/to-see list:

- 十和田駒フェスタ (Towada Koma Festa) - Towada Horse Festa: It was awesome!! Check out my photo album from the day at http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=328714&id=655150561&l=88128920ab

- 奥入瀬渓流紅葉 (Oirase Keiryuu Kouyou) - Oirase Gorge Autumn Foliage: There was still a lot of green when I went, but it was gorgeous nonetheless. Plus it was a totally relaxing/refreshing day for me when I needed it most.

- 十和田湖冬物語 (Towadako Fuyu Monogatari) - Lake Towada Winter Story: I'm going to have to wait until February for this one...

-十和田市郷土館 (Towada Kyoudokan) - Towada Culture Museum: I actually went a 2nd time on the same day that I went to the Koma Festa. This time I went with a friend who could explain things to me so it was much more interesting!

-十和田市立新渡戸記念館 (Towada Nitobe Kinenkan) - Towada Nitobe Memorial Museum: Also visited this museum on the same day as the Koma Festa and Kyoudokan!

-十和田市称徳館 (Towada Shoutokukan) - Towada Horse Culture Museum: Just gotta pick a day...

-七戸ＮｏｎｏＵｅ人形の館(Shichinohe NonoUe Ningyou no Kan) - Shichinohe NonoUe Doll Museum: Again, just gotta pick a day...



- Osaka: I recently decided that I'm going to go during the long weekend in January (9th-11th); it may end up being another 一人旅 ("hitori tabi" aka solo trip) but I want to try to get all my traveling done by early May at the latest so I can spend my final 3 months (May-July) preparing (mentally/emotionally as well as logistically) for moving back to Canada.

- Okinawa: Plans are still up in the air, but I'm hopeful that Tomabechi-sensei and I can a spring date set pretty soon...

- Kariya City (Aichi Prefecture): Unfortunately I don't think I'll have time for this one. Guess I'll save it for the March 2011 trip (back) to Japan...


- Hiroshima: Plans are still up in the air, but I'm hoping I'll be able to go with Jen & Syv, etc. in March. If not, I'm going to go during Golden Week (again)!

- Graduation monkeys for the sannensei: I currently have 1/2 a monkey completed. @_@ February is gonna be brutal!

- Graduation video: I've gotten most of the videos I need transferred from DV tapes to my external hard drive, and have pulled lots of photos of the students from the shared drive, but have yet to start putting it together @_@ I really hope I can pull this off!

- Farewell speeches/messages: Haven't started yet, although occasionally fragments (phrases or even sentences) of messages pop into my head (usually not at a time when it's convenient for me to write them down, however...)


- Write a year's worth of JHS English newsletters: No longer necessary. With the increasing shift of ALT visits from JHS to ES, we've decided to end the JHS newsletters with the next edition (December 2009) so we can focus more on the ES newsletter

Nihonbuyo Performance #2

So I didn't really tell people about my performance this time, which was kind of ironic since: 1) it was free (last time tickets were 2000 yen a piece), and 2) I actually had a much bigger part in this performance than the last one.

For the October performance, I was only in one piece, Oedo Nihonbashi. This time I was in the Opening Ceremony, Oedo Nihonbashi, and both the children's and men's Tachimawari. @_@ Actually, it was probably because I was dancing in all those other pieces that I didn't want to tell anyone about the performance. I didn't have any confidence in my part for any of the pieces other than Oedo Nihonbashi.

As I mentioned before, due to my schedule, I was only able to make three practices for the Opening Ceremony and I was feeling really frustrated with my own lack of grace compared to everyone else. Then, to make matters even worse, the sensei organizing our part for the Opening Ceremony (not Rika-sensei) changed our last pose during the dress rehearsal--the day before the performance!! And it wasn't just a minor change--I had to do something completely different from what I had been doing before!

I had already been worried about my exit off the stage--we were supposed to dance off "freely and naturally"--but I had practiced a bit with Rika-sensei, so I thought it would be OK. (I really wish people would understand that there's no such thing as dancing "naturally" when you're a beginner with absolutely no natural "dance sense.") But with the change in the final pose, I was completely lost! Originally I ended standing up, and I left at the same time as the girl standing opposite me, but with the change I ended in a "sitting" (well, kneeling, really) position and my back was to the girl I was supposed to leave at the same time with, so I couldn't look at her for my cue!

And, as I expected, I messed up the final pose. I was supposed to end off kneeling with my right knee on the ground and my left knee elevated (think of a guy going down on one knee to propose and you can get the general idea of how my legs were positioned for the pose), but because of the way I naturally pivoted from the previous position, I ended up going down onto my left knee. ^^;; I doubt that anyone in the audience noticed, but I recognized my mistake right away, so it was pretty frustrating...

But in spite of my complaints, it really wasn't all that bad, and I did manage to enjoy myself.

It's probably just the recent "girly" phase I've been in, but it was kind of fun getting my hair done and changing into different kimonos--like playing dress up as a kid (which I never actually liked, but anyway...). I wore one kimono for the Opening Ceremony, another for Oedo Nihonbashi, and then a hakama for the Tachimawari.

(Opening Ceremony kimono)

(Oedo Nihonbashi kimono)

(Tachimawari hakama)

(More photos at http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=337359&id=655150561&l=5ef0cc7e37)

Oedo Nihonbashi and the children's Tachimwari also went quite well. Plus I was pleased to have been able to prevent a big mistake in the men's Tachimawari by pointing out that the rope Hanada-sensei was supposed to throw to me at the end was on the wrong side of the stage (my side instead of his side) in time for someone to bring it over to the other side.

But then Hanada-sensei had difficulty throwing the rope--it didn't actually reach me--so I wasn't able to catch it (which was really my only part in the men's Tachimawari). ^^;; But it was more funny than embarrassing, so that miss--unlike the Opening Ceremony one--didn't bother me at all. (Besides, I figured it had to be Murphy's Law since I never missed the rope once during practice, of course I would miss it during the real performance. =P)

Another nice thing about the day was that I was able to see a friend (whom I thought wouldn't be able to see the performance due to work) backstage just by chance. ^__^ Said friend also sent me a highly complimentary email after the performance, which was really nice to get, particularly since it was about the Opening Ceremony dance which I felt bad about having messed up in...

But yeah, I was definitely glad to be finished with the performance! And I sincerely hope that's the last one I'll "have to" do before I leave. It's fun enough learning/practicing, but I'm really not the type of person to enjoy doing public performances.

Oh, and another good thing about the day was that--in a rare move for me--I decided to go out for dinner with Erik, Bryan, and Kristina afterward. We went to Hatsuhana where I was able to have "old-style" omurice. (You can see food pictures from an earlier dinner there in mid-October--including the omurice!--at http://www.facebook.com/album.php?page=6&aid=63721&l=c58a0a1794&id=655150561.) And I LOVE omurice! ^__^

Apart from the food, it was good to be able to hang out with everyone again. With my crazy October schedule, I haven't been able to hang out much with other ALTs lately. (Because I was so busy most days, when I had free days I mostly just wanted to stay home and relax/decompress.)

But yeah, with the performance(s) done, I'm hoping to have a much more relaxed November. It may sound odd, but it makes me happy to see lots of white (i.e. empty) spaces on my calendar!