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!

Water Water Everyone, But No Gaijin But Me

Sometimes when I travel to certain parts of Japan, especially ones not generally advertised to tourists or during certain points of the day, I find that there is a certain lack of...other foreigners. It's not a bad thing, but it can be pretty humorous. When I got to Shirakawa-go that wasn't really an issue, but when I arrived in Kanazawa it was pretty desolate, even as I headed to the famous marketplace to kill time. The town also gives you quite a welcome when you head out of the station.

Kanazawa, where water literally welcomes you.

The market sells all sorts of fresh fish and produce, and has some smaller stands set up selling knick-knacks. It was really like a two floor farmer's market. I picked up some grilled fish that are caught locally in the river and they aren't bad, thought I did ask if it was alright to eat the tails. And of course the area has a lot of art, like this strangely human-sized katamari ball...

Dadadadadadaaa da Katamari Damacy

After killing time at the station it was time to board the bus and head out to Shirokawa-go, which I quickly learned would be a good deal colder than Osaka, where the cherry blossoms had already bloomed.

Much...much...colder

The good news was I had brought a scarf, the bad news was I had only brought a light coat. Since I did so much walking around, however, it wasn't as big of an issue as I did a lot of walking around. Access to the main village, for instance, involved crossing a bridge across an icy canyon.

I mean there were actual ice chunks on the other side of this bridge

The main village area is really nice, and wasn't very crowded despite the buses dropping people off. The locals were all really accommodating despite  the fact that there were so many tourists. Of course they all tend to go to the main viewpoint right away. There were only a few, if not any, people that headed on the road towards the main shrine.

Now one thing to note about Shirokawa-go is that it's not only a UNESCO heritage sight, but it's also where the horror series Higurashi no Naku Koro ni takes place. That means that a lot of fans flock to the area (myself included, though I also enjoy older Japanese buildings), and leave quite a few wish plaques dedicated to the series characters, especially the shrine maiden Rika.

Here's a picture of the torii gates with Rika included.

The shrine also keeps its tower for festivals up, which made it sort of feel like Obon in winter. Also the beam supports were really, really cool looking.

After heading to the shrine I began down the road leading up to the mountain, which seemed to be where everyone was going. Along the way I did stop to take a look at this igloo someone had made.

Then it was time to take a good...long...hike up the steepest hill I'd encountered since Hyogo. I actually went a week after the path had opened, usually its closed due to heavy snow until April. The view from the top though made it well worth it. You can see all the houses, and even the folk museum.

I recommend viewing this is in a larger size

Some of the houses were available for tours for a small fee, so of course I paid the small fee and took the opportunity to enter a home that's been maintained for hundreds of years.

This is not it, this is a different house that you could go in

While I was there the head lady of the house, Miss Obaachan we will call her, was giving information on the area and house to those visiting. It was really cute, and she talked for me quite a bit. The reason the housing is still used and parts of its architecture are used even in the bigger buildings in Tokyo is because they're so sturdy. The houses are literally earthquake resistant, and its one of the reasons Tokyo and its area sustained such little damage during the major earthquake in March 2011.

Then it was time to head home, and my express train was stopped on account of the train line's president getting sacked. Nothing quite like a two hour train ride on a semi-shinkansen.

-Zenko-

The Melancholy of Hyougo Prefecture

My friend is a big fan of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, I mean, he's definitely a bigger fan of it than I am, but because Kyoto Animation did a really bang up job of denying the fact that they drew 1:1 inspiration from a certain town in Hyogo prefecture, I though it would be fun to take a look. And okay, maybe I was super duper excited about it too. I just really wanted to see some time travelers, aliens and espers.

And maybe I wanted to do the dance where it happens.

Hyogo is actually not very far from Kobe, which means of course it's not very far from Osaka, and took maybe an hour or two by train to get there. Getting to the actual high school where the show took place though...now that was an adventure. We actually got off at the wrong station the first time, but still recognized quite a few places that could have been from the show.

Step one when we did make it to the proper town was finding a bus to get us up the mountain, because despite being so close to the sea, Hyogo is extraordinarily hilly. According to Google Maps we had to take a bus going to a very specific part of town, and it was very undecided on just where the bus terminal to take that bus was at. So we walked along a river until we found the bus station we thought we were looking for.

The good news is the sakura were in season, the bad news is we'd be going up that mountain in the distance.

Then we waited, and waited, until finally a bus came and it was my job to timidly ask the driver if it was going to the right place. We were and when we got off was when the true melancholy started to sink in. Step two of course, was find the school.

You may notice way off in the distance the ocean and way close a steep hill.

Rather than look up proper directions online we decided to let our good friend Google Maps do the navigating which, for the record, is a horrible, horrible idea. It took us to where it thought would be an open gate to the school, which was in all actuality and locked gate. I suppose we could have jumped it pretty easily but being strangers in a strangeland, didn't want to get arrested. Which was a shame as the hills we conquered were astounding eighty degree angle beasts.

You may notice that the town is EVEN SMALLER FROM UP HERE.

After realizing we had just gone for a very long hike we backtracked and went for an alternate path, using the handy map Mr. Google Maps provided to manually navigate our way to the school. And finally we felt true victory.

Actually this is the junior high...but close enough!

At the very least we were able to understand why every anime features sakura on a hill. They just look really nice!

I can feel myself become one with the anime.

Step three was getting home, which of course meant waiting for the bus, which of course meant reading an unfamiliar schedule. In fact, as soon as we walked away from the stop in exasperation, the bus drove right by us and right by the stop...Which left us feeling about as cynical as Kyon.

Fact: his butt is probably perfectly toned from these hills.

Looking back on others pilgrimages I can see now where we went wrong which was...mostly just taking the JR train to Nishinomiya. It isn't hard to get to Hyogo, but it does make it extremely difficult to get to where you're going. If you want someone with a little bit of a better experience check out this story on Tokyo Otaku Mode.

Black and White and Valentine's All Over

It's been one year today since I celebrated Japan's version of Valentine's Day, and after gorging on chocolate and buying some of the little paper Valentine's we give out in the States, I think I'm all set to plunge full on into the holiday spirit.

Valentine's Day in Japan still happens on February 14, but unlike the US where we give out cards, candy, and flowers to everyone, the girls give chocolate to that very special guy they've been thinking about all year. This love chocolate is something usually handmade, and given only to that guy, while obligatory chocolate can be store bought and is given to those guys in your life you're obliged to give chocolate to, like friends and family. My friend Elin and I double-teamed to make some chocolate dipped matcha cookies to give to our friends.


Don't worry, guys have to pay back with cake or cookies, or something more special, depending on what they were given for their Valentine's Day gift. This is done one month later on March 14 and is known as White Day. My friend Yosuke gave all the girls who gave him sweets black tea cake as an exchange.

Of course, there's a holiday for those who ended up forever alone on both holidays as well. It's an unofficial holiday known as Black Day, where you go out and eat black noodles in ramen.

In my case, I decided to give into my American chocolate desire and bought some Pokemon chocolate. If you've noticed a theme with Pokemon, it's because yes, of course, I love Pokemon.

And it loves me back.

Cosplay Festival! Rollin' in Nipponbashi

March 24 saw spring weather finally starting to hit us, and with it came the chance to finally get out and about. Well, maybe not too far about, as it was more a chance to head down to Nipponbashi again to see what sort of things the cosplay festival was bringing.

Unless you work at a maid cafe, cosplaying in public is pretty much banned in Japan. Bigger events like Comiket offer changing rooms for skilled cosplayers to transform into their favorite characters. Sometimes amusement parks and different resorts will hold events that allow for themed cosplay to help show appreciation to the fans that came for it. And then there are cosplay festivals, a day when towns allow everyone who wants to cosplay to do so. Just like Comiket, there are areas designated to change into cosplay in. After you do so it's into the fray of cosplays and photographers and special events in stores.

The parking lots are also cleared out so that cosplayers and itasha owners can strut their stuff in the area.

Some cosplays more thorough than others. 

Itasha originally were named in reference to Italian cars, but now refer to the pain one's wallet feels after decking out your car with your favorite character or franchise.

This Blue Rose fan from Tiger and Bunny really went all out.

Getting to this bundle of joy though was rather difficult. We had meant to arrive in the morning, catching the 1110 train, but it was delayed...and delayed...and delayed some more. The reason: crows had pecked through a power source to the line leaving trains paralyzed along the line we needed to take into Osaka.

As I did not receive any cosplayers permission to post pictures online, I won't be showing off any of that great stuff here, but it was all very impressive.

A Very Nerdy Birthday and a Very Russian One Too

After getting back from Hokkaido it was almost time for my birthday, and I throught about what I would like to do. Of course, I wanted to grab a special Pokemon from the Pokemon Center and remembered there was a cheap way to eat all the cake I wanted nearby, so me and a few friends headed into Osaka for the day.

Our first stop was, of course, the Pokemon Center. I had to pick up somethings for a friend of mine, but treated myself to a kibago (axew) plush while I was there as well. Before I checked out or even went in, though, I headed to the customer service counter for the store and told them it was my birthday. I had to present photo ID, but was rewarded with a birthday download for the game, a coupon, a special gold seal from the center itself and a Birthday Pikachu card. That was all pretty exciting, especially considering how much larger the card is compared to the normal sized versions.

They actually changed the design of the card a month later.

We were all being a little silly that day.

After that we headed to Shinsaibashi, which was an adventure in and of itself as our one friend apparently didn't realize why we were rushing and got caught between the train doors of the subway. The attendant and some passengers were nice enough to shove him into the train and get the doors closed though. A few stops later we were striding off to the department building that held Sweets Paradise, an all-you-can-eat restaurant that specializes in sweets and, oddly enough, pasta. With it being the Osaka branch there was of course also takoyaki, though it wasn't especially good takoyaki. The cakes, though, were delicious.

When we got back I also got a pleasant surprise from my friend Yo who had gotten a strawberry cake and some goods from his hometown in Mie. I found out later that they had actually thought it was the week before and gotten it then, but ate that piece out of embarrassment.

My friend also had her birthday the day after mine, so it was time to head out for a second party the day after mine, this time, though, we were heading to Kyoto. Not only that, but we were heading there with one of our friends that was from Kyoto, so we got to see some parts of Gion (which were closer to Kiyomizu-dera then I knew at the time) that we hadn't seen before. Sometimes it seemed like it was a scene straight out of a Studio Ghibli movie.

One of several entrances we passed.

This trip could also be summed up in: How I learned to love borscht

The whole reason we set off on this particular quest was because our reservation at the restaurant we were going to wasn't for an hour and we were all a little hungry already. Luckily we grabbed some tasty mezarashi dango on the way before heading back to the mainstreet of Gion Shijo. The restaurant we were going to was so our friend could get a taste of home at pretty famous Russian restaurant, which made some of us feel a little underdressed (okay, maybe it was just me). The restaurant itself, Kiev, was located on the top floor of a building which provided an excellent view and made the western-style furniture feel even cozier. Coupled with some delicious Russian food, everyone left satisfied.

Given all the traveling I did, I was a little surprised that I fit in time to study, though they also managed to catch me either hitting the flashcards or a book for class several times throughout the weekend. That isn't too surprising as the spring semester caught a lot of me reading, with a new 300 page novel due to be read each week.

Until next post!
-Zenko-

It's Snow Time! [Part 3]

Having lost my train pass, I had to plan my transit very carefully based on the stamp locations. My first stop then, was where I had initially arrived: New Chitose Airport. You might think it's a little weird that there would be events in an airport, but it spans two sprawling levels that include three exhibition halls and an IMAX theatre. When I got there, in between the terminals a special NicoNico Douga event was going on, though it hadn't quite been set up so I couldn't buy the CD I wanted because by the time I got back...well...

Incidentally, this was right next to the Miku moon bounce for the event.

There were a couple banners advertising the events.

The person they're interviewing in the van is a famous dancer on the site, and thought I couldn't get a name out of any of the people around me, who for whatever reason did not think I knew anything about the site, the most I could find about him on my own is that his famous enough to be the main dancer in the game maimai for the song Dancing Samurai. The game is pretty big in arcades, so it's a big deal to be featured in it. The main reason I was there, though, is for two stamp locations, one at the Animate, a chain store that specializes in anime and manga good, and the other at the Hatsune Miku art exhibit.

The Animate store was packed when I got there after hitting up the exhibit (which I'll talk about more below), because everyone wanted the goods for the stamp or as a souvenir. I hadn't been aware that you needed to buy a certain amount of goods to get the stamp, but luckily the person in line behind me spoke a little English and let me know, but he was a lot happier to talk to me in Japanese, and somewhat surprised that I spoke any. We waited in line for about twenty minutes before checkout and he ran off to catch his flight.

It stood at 163 centimeters, and was still taller than some people.

The exhibit itself was a sort of art museum and store at the same time. It focused mostly on the artworks of someone famous for the song Melancholic, Deep Sea Girl and 1925. They also set up a 1:1 scale Miku that included lights and was really popular. The cute smaller versions of the other VOCALOID's were also popular with the kids there. They also had BiniPuri, a specialty art project where you could paint a design on a metal plate based on the premade outline in this case, and get in grilled to set the paint. The paint itself is made out of vinyl so it sets nicely, though it takes some patience as you're painting everything in with a toothpick. I didn't mind because I was making it for my mom and they had one of my favorite songs Counterclockwise playing.

This was halfway done.

After the airport, I headed back to Sapporo for the rest of the day. Before I did that though, I had to make my way past Hokkaido's terrifying mascot: melon bear.

His gimmick was running into people that looked scared.

Last year's Snow Miku design was also on display.

Mostly I did I some more sightseeing on my quest to find the Sapporo Beer Garden, where the other Miku exhibit was being hosted along with the Neon Genesis Evangelion exhibit that had been extended and recommended to me by a friend. I got lost along the way, as I learned that when you give directions in Japanese and someone tells you "right away" they actually mean "go straight." That was a grammar point we went over, somewhat ironically, the next week in class. It did allow me to see the famous Sapporo Clock Tower, though. When I did make it to the factory, I found out how much of a maze it was and it took me almost a half hour to find the building I was looking for. It was well worth it, as the building featured an art wall for fans to write messages on, a specialty card being given away, and the opportunity to demo the new Project Diva F game before it was released. While I was in line, I got a chance to talk with some of the fans, and talked about how VOCALOID is received differently in the US. I told him that I liked Luka most out of the Crypton made ones, but that Miku was the most popular in the US. He was somewhat surprised at that, and though the conversation was short because of my limited vocabulary, I found out that there's definitely a different aim for the characters in Japan than the US. In line there were a lot of people my age or older, whereas an event like this in the US would draw mostly middle schoolers.

While I had been searching for the Miku event, I had found the exact location of the Eva one, and headed there next. It was a real treat for fans, as it featured original character sketches, cels, a map of Tokyo-2 that showed off the attacks and major locations in the show, and of course, an Eva model. The most exciting thing for me, though, was the reenactment of a famous scene for the show where an enemy was attacking and the trigger had to be pulled at just the right moment. They had someone acting as one of the characters, too, and she stayed in character as she asked me questions about Kansai and even Pokemon.

It was probably the nerdiest and happiest I was the whole trip.

After I finished geeking out in Sapporo, I grabbed some ramen at a small store that was almost entirely full despite being on a backstreet. It was pretty good, but I was also starving, and after I had eaten my fill of the tasty pork topping, I made my way back to my hotel and then back to the airport the next morning for my flight home. There were plenty of things I wanted to do in Hokkaido, and while I didn't get to do most of them in only three days, what I did do was a lot of fun.

The mountains that day were beautiful.

See you next post!
-Zenko-