Fuji Fuji Fuji Fuji Fuji Q Highland!

In Japan it's true that travel agencies will often have some great deals. One of the great ones running while I studied abroad was a bundle package: a full pass to Fuji-Q Highland plus round trip night bus tickets. As for why we wanted to go to Fuji-Q Highland, well, it wasn't for its Guinness World Record holding haunted house, or the crazy roller coasters. We went to see the 1:1 scale Eva Unit 01.

This is not the 1:1 scale model

 Neon Genesis Evangelion is fairly well-known around the world, but what many people don't know is that is takes place in Kanagawa, just around Mount Fuji. In fact, they placed the attraction where they did because GeoFront is located right where Fuji-Q is. Closer to Hakone, where an even larger portion of the series takes place, is a special Evangelion Store, though I haven't visited it. Besides, one of the most important sites you should see should you decide to visit Japan is Mount Fuji during it's snowy season.

Seen here from the bus, but alongside the special traffic signals.

When we got off we were immediately surprised by how it was both chilly and hot in the sun, which is a pretty accurate description of spring in Japan in general, even if it was early May. My friend and I were most excited to head to the GeoFront though, where we discovered our tickets would let us enter again and again and again if we really wanted to. Though I had forgotten about it, we were also pleasantly surprised to find Eva Unit 02 that Asuka pilots bursting through a wall as well. It's a little less than 1:1 but still pretty awesome.

Maybe just a little beast-mode.

Much of the attraction though were maps illuminating where in real life parts of the show occurred, original cels and artwork from the original series and the movie reboots, and various recreations of scenes from the show itself. You could set at Gendo's desk and pull his infamous pose while surrounded by SEALE pillars, or sneak a kiss with Rei from the elevator scene. You could even recreate a certain infamous coffee scene.

Seriously bro, what do you want?

As you made your way through, however, you were finally met with the biggest attraction: the 1:1 Eva.

Much bigger than a Gundam

If you wait around, the special effects show will begin, and features a scenario straight out of the show, where they are testing a dummy plug and things, predictably, go awry. Afterwards you can even get your own NERV registration card, which features actual positions within the organization. This wasn't the only part of the park we explored, as we also checked out their rather large Ferris wheel, a Hamtaro themed roller coaster and generally relaxed. Before we knew it though, it was time to head home.

There's something about Ferris Wheel's at night in Japan.

Until Next Time

Sumi-e and Chadou: Traditional Arts

With spring in full swing I decided it was time I finally tried some of the things I've always wanted to do, namely sumi-e and chadou.

Sumi-e literally means ink-picture and it's one of the oldest forms of art in Japan. It's also one of the most relaxing if you learn how to do it. In fact, it actually holds some similarities to the meditative quality of chadou, or tea ceremony. When you grind the ink, you grind it in the shape of the hiragana character 'no'. In chadou, this is also the way you make the final stir in the tea before you serve it to your guest (or drink it yourself).

It takes a lot of dishes to get the perfect amount of inks

I personally enjoyed it quite a bit, and was glad that the instructor invited myself, and two other students, to come to her house to practice some more. We both trained in uranosuke school of chadou, so I was able to enjoy making tea with her as well, without the cramping.

Though her tools were much higher quality than mine

Her house was very traditional, and even included the nook where you put out a seasonal display. We were still very close to Children's Day, so the scroll and flowers were relevant to the holiday.

As a calligraphy master she also wrote it herself.

Before this I was able to attend two of her workshops, even though I had only signed up for one, she was nice enough to let me come to the second fully reserved one, so I could learn some other techniques.

Did you know all bamboo has five leaves?

Even two years later, I still find myself coming back, if only to relax for a little bit.

Of course this time was with pre made sumi...

Until next time!
~Zenko~

It's That Time: Hanami!

It's Hanami season! Literally meaning "to look at flowers" hanami is a season to sit under the cherry or plum blossoms and reflect on the fragility of life. Or at least, that's what it used to mean. Now it's an excuse to picnic with friends and drink all night long. None of the parties I went to involved that (okay, maybe the one where we shared a bottle of sake), but it's a great season to get to see Japanese people free of the normal controlled state.

The fact that they're beautiful helps too

One of the great places to go and see cherry blossoms, and generally every season Japan has to offer, is Kiyomizudera. You've noticed I've visited it quite a number of times and this time was for some night time viewing and checking out how Gion took flower viewing to heart.

It really is a different world at night.

We headed all around the temple, which had almost every type of cherry tree possible. From weeping cherry trees to full scale old ones. It was hard not to appreciate just how crazy a season it was, and just how much Japan loves it's flowers.

Everything was lit up just for this occasion

The real party was down in the park though, close to Gion-Shijo which last well until midnight. There was some irony in a huge Hanami festival going on there when there was really only one tree in the park.

What a tree it was

There were people everywhere, sleeping by the rivers, going by food stands and drinking. The entire atmosphere was very festive.

There were even some geisha present in the big spender area

And even though it wasn't summer, we had to have some fun by visiting Japan's version of a haunted house. It's pretty common to find them at big festivals and even school festivals, but they're never as scary as the big ones you find in the states.

2spoopy4me

All in all it was a great night out, a terrific season for friends and food and should you find yourself in Japan during this season a picnic under the blossoms is the best medicine you can get this time of the year.

Until next time!

Let's Go to Ise Once More!

So you may remember what is now some years ago I took my first visit to Ise Grand Shrine in...well in Ise. I enjoyed it so much that I decided to go again during spring break with a friend. This time I got to take a look at both the lower and upper shrine. And since it was spring I of course started it off with some rather nerdy ice cream.

They've actually brought this bag every year.

After that it was time for us to head to the Outer Shrine, a place I hadn't visited on my last trip. So on the bus we went. And we got off we were met with a smaller version of the bridge in the main, Inner Shrine.

Plus a smaller torii

Of course there are just as many sacred sites around the shrine, but because we came around festival season there was hollyhock tied to the torii gates. Before the hollyhock festival, this was probably the first time I had seen something tied to the gates.

It was also an older style shrine building, but you can see the horizontal logs on top marking it as a shrine. 

One of the other sacred sites was...a rock. It might seem strange for something that simple to be marked as a god or sacred in some way, but many people waved the air over it onto themselves and it was the first time my friend had ever felt energy come from something.

Best rock.

There were also small 'houses' located through out the area, but they weren't houses. For people at least. Rather, these are temporary places for gods to rest until a new shrine building is constructed. Sort of like a hotel for gods but much smaller than you would expect.

Much, much smaller.

Then it was time to climb the mountain deeper and deeper into the shrine. We were lacking some stamina but it was worth it. The nature in the area is well preserved because it's sacred and that adds to the charm and feeling.

Up and up and up

Then of course it was time to head back down and before we headed out on the next bus to the Inner Shrine we decided to take a break in the rest area and soak up some cloudy day sun. Or at the very least admire the serene scene.

We weren't on the stage, but we at least got to see the pond.

Then it was time to head to the Inner Shrine and see just how much progress had been completed on the rebuild since my last visit. And of course since it was such a cloudy day I could take a picture of the sun over it's own shrine.

You can also see the sun on the flag of Japan.

Of course, I was surprised just how far they had gotten. It looks like it had been nearly completed during this visit.

Seeing a roof is a good sign

Much of the shrine remained the same, apart from flowers, and boy so many flowers were blooming. Mainly the cherry blossoms were in full bloom, which added to the mystical feeling of whole trip.

So Nippon-poi

We still had time before the last bus headed out and it was early enough this time that the shops in the area hadn't closed yet, so we took a trip down an Edo-era style shopping arcade.

It was a very nice view as well

Then, at last, it was time to go home and so we hopped the next Gifu local train and headed back towards Kyoto, deep into the mountains.

Until next time!