Photography inside the museum itself is prohibited though, so my shots were limited to the roof area and those surrounding the site. In a way it takes a bit of pressure off you as a tourist because you instead focus on simply walking around the place without the concern of “…I ought to take a shot of this…” so I can see why such a rule is in place. Anyhow, it’s a perfect place to rediscover your inner child.

At the time we visited, the Museum theatre was playing a short film featuring a young girl who befriends a small Catbus – Kittenbus? – and after some delightful getting-to-know-you comedy moments the two of them take a magical journey. Squeezed up together in an auditorium whose bench seats are clearly designed with children rather than adults in mind, we were treated to a Totoro sequel of sorts, including the sight of not only a Catbus but a Cat-train and a Cat-airship…I wish I’d been able to catch the name of the director (it may be Miyazaki, but a more junior member of the studio is probably responsible).

The Museum as a whole is intended for children first and foremost: there’s no set route around the exhibits and some areas, such as a life-size Catbus sculpture (complete with furry seating!) and a spiral staircase to the upper floor are physically off-limits to adults, unless you’re a hobbit or something. Considering how my introduction to Japanese cinema in general began with the Laputa movie, it was a real moment of nostalgia to come face-to-face with a statue of one of the robots and a mock-up of the control panel from the film…and since they are on the roof (complete with delightful vegetation, which not only sets the scene but also keeps you sheltered from the blistering sunshine) I was able to get a couple of shots for posterity’s sake.

Other highlights included some wonderfully convoluted contraptions that demonstrate the basics of animation techniques with arrays of gears and levers, a mock-up of an animator’s studio with pages of artwork and the obligatory gift shop…which was utterly full of (mercifully well-behaved) schoolchildren. I had to constantly remind myself that this is a kids’ place even though grown-ups are welcome. Incidentally, the gift shop proved that this country is one place that has orderly queueing done up to a fine art…and that’s coming from someone who was born and raised in England, which up until I visited Japan was the Queueing Capital of the world as far as I was concerned.

The only downside to the Museum is that it’s not particularly large – unlike the big names such as Universal Studios and Disney, who have entire theme parks dedicated to their films that you could spend several days in just to see everything, Ghibli instead opted for a modest low-key attraction that’s charming in its own way; fans of their movies will understand why Miyazaki and co built it the way they did.

One more thing: if you’re travelling from the centre of Tokyo it’s twenty minutes by train from Shinjuku then you should expect a walk on foot or a bus ride since cars are strongly discouraged from the site. Again, it’s very much in keeping with the ethos of the place…and of course Mitaka is a pleasant area to wander around. The route to the Museum takes you through Inokashira park and its area of woodland, complete with cicadas – it’s a relaxing way to spend a morning or afternoon.

Last weekend was a lot of fun though, and kicked me out of my little funk for a while. Ironically I watched more anime during the course of Sunday afternoon that I had during the past month…with the exception of finishing my childhood fave The Mysterious Cities of Gold. LIFF always has a lot of interesting things on offer but the anime line-up this year was impressive: I didn’t get time to see Gintama and One Piece isn’t my thing but I was able to make it to Mardock Scramble: The First Compression, Rebuild of Evangelion 2.0 and Redline.

Mardock Scramble: the First Compression

I’d been warned about how this ends abruptly and sure enough, it does. I’d like to think it’s an hour-long opening episode of a series, which makes the cliff-hanger in the final scene easier for me to swallow. A next-ep preview or even a “to be continued…” title card would’ve made things a bit clearer however, especially since the screening was so soon after the Japanese premiere that info on what the deal is with sequel(s) is so thin on the ground. Part of the confusion is I think down to the fact that the project was originally an OAV that was subsequently cancelled, then it surfaced suddenly as a theatrical remake.

I do know that the original novel is currently being prepared for English language release by Viz early in the new year, so if nothing else we’ll have the full story in print if not on the silver screen. Setting aside the issue of the ending and the standard of other fare on offer, I must confess that Mardock Scramble was my favourite of the day: the cyberpunk premise, mixing futuristic cityscapes reminiscent of William Gibson and Masumune Shirow, with the accompanying gothic-meets-industrial aesthetic clicked with me; the backstory of the protagonist meant it went further down the Nasu-esque line of the subjective nature of morality that I really appreciated too.

The violence and unsettling sexual abuse subplot isn’t for the squeamish though, and some of the villains of the movie were so comically grotesque they might have been more at home in an episode of Speed Grapher. It felt like a tribute to cyberpunk’s OAV-fuelled glory days of the 80s actually, only with up-to-date animation and artwork. It’s derivative in some ways but everything’s pulled off with such unflinching flair and with such tantalising undercurrents it endeared itself to me. I don’t think this will be the last time I’ll rave about it.

Evangelion 2.0: You Can (not) Advance

I’ve set out my thoughts on this movie already, and to be honest another viewing hasn’t changed my mind for the worse or for the better. It was just nice to see the thing on the big screen (even if the sound system seemed to be suffering a bit under the strain), and sharing views with friends was of course a lot of fun.

Not much to say about this then, apart from the fact that my respective criticisms and praises still stand. It does look spectacular in the format it was intended for (a cinema full of caffeined-up geeks) and I was in a state of fanboying bliss at another Maaya Sakamoto VA role. Re: the post-credits sequence and next-ep preview: Anno, you bastard. ^_^

Redline

I might take a bit of flak for this in saying I didn’t enjoy this *quite* as much as I expected. At this point the auditorium was getting pretty warm and the caffeine was starting to wear off, but I also think my flagging enthusiasm was because Redline is a victim of its own success. That is to say, the truth behind the rumours about it being a Gurren Lagann-esque visual and audio assault are right on the money, which is precisely the problem: the experience is so full-on that the breakneck pace and dazzling colour gave this viewer sensory overload.

Dat hair!

The artwork is exquisitely detailed so the sheer amount of time and effort invested in this film shines through with every frame. It doesn’t make any pretence, either: it’s a movie purely about larger-than-life characters driving implausible racing cars at implausible speeds; the kind of film that nay-sayers claim can’t be made any more, but every now and then someone has the balls to make one and we’re all grateful for it.

Surprisingly the characters aren’t buried under this adrenaline rush – they’re settled enough into the archetypes to make the plot progression smooth, yet enough is inferred about their personalities and motives to stand out amongst the visual noise. I heartily recommend this movie purely because it’s so good at what it does, but I suspect you’ve already decided to watch it anyway. So watch it.

The Brudenell Social Club in Leeds is a great small venue (around 300 capacity, give or take) so while the sound isn’t of stadium quality it’s cosy enough and gives a sense of close-ness, for want of a better word, that’s more intimate to me than those larger venues. In this case the support act were a local band called Glissando and the headliners worked to a set comprised of highlights from their latest album and some old favourites.

In the role of support Glissando made a pleasant yet inobtrusive job of warming up the audience for the main event; they’ve been likened to the Cocteau Twins but since I’m not familiar with their material I can’t vouch for that. Anyhow, Glissando are a haunting mix of tolling drums, echoing guitar riffs and otherworldly vocals that feels tender yet vaguely unsettling, in a good way I hasten to add. The convention, if there is such a thing, for ambient/post-rock bands is the lack of lyrical content but in Glissando’s case the vocals are part of the instrumentation and heighten the mood of the pieces. I don’t have an overwhelming urge to buy their records but their live act worked very well indeed.

I’ll admit right off that Mono are hands-down one of my favourite bands and their concerts have a legendary status so I had very high hopes for this. I’ll also admit that I was two pints of ale and a double whiskey for the worse when I walked into the venue and was at the front near the far right hand side of the stage so probably wasn’t in an ideal position for a hardcore audiophile. Nevetherless, the sound they can create is quite something: it veers from plaintive, chiming piano and clean guitars to the tinnitus-inducing wall of sound.

The set opened with Ashes In The Snow, complete with the same faint wailing and tender glockenspiel introduction as the studio version. The live rendition closely followed its recorded counterpart but the obvious appeal of the live experience is the frequency range, in the bass range particularly: stripped of the orchestral arrangement this and Burial At Sea felt more raw and immediate.

I didn’t recognise The Kidnapper Bell but it sat well with the rest of the set; less complex and layered than the more recent songs but in the live setting this isn’t such a bad thing. If nothing else it offered a pleasant surprise for those of us expecting performances of the newer songs and little else. The extra bottom end and presence also lent itself well to Pure As Snow (Trails of the Winter Storm), which started off in the vein of their more restful tunes but built up into an impressive crescendo; the pounding of the percussion gave way to borderline-atonal noise courtesy of guitarist Taka, as he coaxed a maelstrom of digital shrieks from his beat-up Jazzmaster and extensive pedalboard.

Sabbath, another old tune that made a surprise appearance, gave another change of pace with its atmosphere of serene reflection. The following number Yearning is one of the fan favourites and I can see why: the dynamic changes worked even better than they do on record because it allowed such marked shifts in mood. If there’s one limitation to their studio sound it’s the tendency to iron out these volume changes and mix the instrumentation down together; here, Tamaki’s basslines and Takada’s drumming pounded out louder and clearer than they ever did from my hi-fi speakers.

Follow The Map is a bit of a departure arrangement-wise, feeling almost like an intermission piece; even so, in its short (by Mono’s standards) duration this one still does a beautiful job of setting out its own narrative. It happens to be one of my personal favourites too: the joyous finale sounds great with orchestral backing but I was glad to hear the same strength of feeling with just Takada’ drums, Taka and Yoda on guitars and Tamaki on keyboard.

An inevitable yet stunning rendition of Halcyon (Beautiful Days) followed – from what I’ve read, they ALWAYS play Halcyon – and of course closing the set with the tearjerking Everlasting Light. Again, it’s credit to the band in that they can recreate all of this without session musicians or prerecorded samples: the orchestral part isn’t there but the spirit and impact comes across just as clearly. They played out almost exactly how I expected them to but with an extended intro here, a bit more FX pedal tweaking there and the physical expressiveness of the musicians’ performance.

If there were any interviews or signings I must have missed them but I was fortunate enough to briefly meet Taka and Yoda as they caught some air backstage afterwards. During the performance I had a vague sensation that, what with it being the end of the UK leg of the tour, the whole band were feeling a bit exhausted so I was reluctant to pester them with too many questions (I was still feeling overwhelmed TBH). Nevertheless they were happy to return my stammering thank-yous with some polite words and a couple of friendly handshakes – all in all then it was a very special evening.

Setlist

1. Ashes In The Snow
2. Burial At Sea
3. The Kidnapper Bell
4. Pure As Snow (Trails of the Winter Storm)
5. Sabbath*
6. Yearning
7. Follow The Map
8. Halcyon (Beautiful Days)
9. Everlasting Light

*I can’t be sure but I think this could just as easily have been Are You There?.

For some reason I prefer to watch episodic anime and the more headscratch-inducing stuff on my own at home but the feature-length efforts are more enjoyable when the experience is shared with friends and on the big screen. I’m certainly expecting these three to wind up licenced; assuming legal red tape doesn’t get in the way I see no reason why they won’t. I hope.

First Squad: Moment of Truth

There’s a lot to be said for walking in with little or no knowledge of what to expect: I know 4°C manage to nurture some impressive and original talent so I was at least unsurprised at how it looks and feels different from the norm, and is very stylish indeed. There seems to be a lot of fan backlash though, which I put down to the old problem of the rift between what a production is and what the audience expects.

My own expectations on the other hand were limited to three things: 1. a Russian girl with a sword, 2. Nazis and the undead and 3. cool visuals that look different from most other films and series. Needless to say I was prepared for a load of hocus-pocus nonsense unfolding in front of a backdrop that’s conversely very gritty and historically accurate, and didn’t worry about the short running-time hampering the build-up of a complex storyline.

I wonder whether it was the live-action segments that fail in delivering the documentary feel in the eyes of some viewers, or whether it was the fact that nobody is used to historical events set in Russia colliding with fantasy adventure, or Russian dialogue used with an anime art style. I found it to be an oddity but at least an enjoyable one – the end result was a cross between Blood: the Last Vampire (the old OAV) and Valkyria Chronicles, with the supernatural trappings that underpinned Hellboy and Outpost. For all the authenticity in regards to real-life locations and military hardware it is ultimately nonsense but hardly offended me.

Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea

I’m not sure what I can add when talking about this one – the fact that it’s Miyazaki-directed and could be the last one he does before retiring (although he’s been considering throwing in the towel since Mononoke Hime but always comes back) makes it a must-watch anyway but it’s certainly his most childlike so far. How many kids of the target age can sit still through a one hour and forty minute feature I don’t know, but the screening I attended seemed to be filled with grown-ups appeasing their inner child. And succeeding.

Make no mistake: this is Miyazaki’s simplest, purest and most harmless feature since My Neighbour Totoro. Adults will appreciate the exquisite detail in the hand-drawn artwork but also grin like an idiot at how GODDAMN CUTE it is. Seriously. The story’s more straightforward than most of his work; the watercolour backgrounds are, deliberately I think, lacking in detail too. It really looks like Ghibli have gone back to basics with this one, which makes it quite a departure in some ways: sometimes less is more, which I think is what makes Ponyo so successful at what it sets out to do.

Even so, it also feels like Miyazaki as the cynical old guy is showing through more here. I’m not sure if it is meant to be a reflection of his personal thoughts about his own domestic life and relationships, but it certainly portrays the contemporary problems associated with working families, and how individuals are affected by those issues. I’m sure the target audience, who are as much as two decades younger than me, won’t read between the lines as I did but the way that social commentary shows through in between the moments of fairytale wonderment was quite noticeable to me.

Fundamentally though, I think the family strife isn’t trying to say anything on its own: it merely serves to portray a situation that’s familiar to Japanese children of today in a more general sense and is therefore one that’s easy for its intended viewers to relate to. Miyazaki is always keen to stress that his films are intended principally to entertain rather than dwelling on his trademark social and economic messages, and Ponyo is no exception. Focused pacing, a plot devoid of holes and complex character development are hardly an issue when it’s a film as effortlessly charming AND SO GODDAMN CUTE as this one. Needless to say it’s a must-watch.

Summer Wars

Speaking of feelgood family entertainment, I was also really looking forward to Summer Wars, the latest movie from Mamoru Hosoda. I know I promised Gaguri that I’d write about it at length but quite honestly there’s so much I want to say about it that my full thoughts will have to wait for another post.

What I will say is that it’s an absolute blast. The visuals are even more spectacular than The Girl Who Leapt Though Time – particularly the Superflat Monogram-style online world of Oz – and Yoshiyuki Sadamoto’s character designs are so brimming over with life and vitality they’re almost jumping out the screen. Unlike its predecessor though, Summer Wars is less personal in its focus and underlying messages, and the overwhelming inventiveness of Oz draws attention away from the human element a bit in places.

Despite these minor issues I still absolutely loved it. What Hosoda and his team excel at is making little details enhance the bigger picture, and also shifting gear effortlessly between drama and comedy. There are scenes that will have you fighting back the tears one moment and creased up with laughter the next but, like the little nuances that endeared themselves so much to me, felt completely organic and natural, even when the mechanics of the events don’t make a lot of sense.

Although the subject matter and storytelling approach are very different between Tokikake and Summer Wars, the same stylistic flourishes and atmosphere are present in both. Basically, what we have here is an extremely talented director and an equally talented staff who can take on different subjects and themes while keeping their signature styles intact thoughout. Summer Wars proves it CAN be done in the right hands…something Makoto Shinkai can take comfort in when the time comes to release his next feature, I think.

Honestly, there’s so much more I can say about this one but for now I’ll cite it as contender for my anime film of the year and wait for the Blu-Ray release. It’s fan-bloody-tastic so go watch it when you get the chance.

Culture shock is a funny thing; in this case it was doubly shocking in that, for all the things that took me off-balance, there was quite a lot that I found to be pretty intuitive and easy to adjust to. If you’re too lazy to read what follows after the jump, I found that the society is very different from the one I grew up in but in terms of individual people there aren’t many differences at all. I also didn’t want to come home…as in, apart from seeing my family and friends again, I really didn’t look forward to coming back.

I can’t wait for my as-yet unplanned second trip because I want to see how representative Tokyo is of the country as a whole. I wasn’t surprised that certain things were more expensive and the population density is insane because, well, it’s a capital city. London seems to be a law unto itself when I’ve visited there too.

The Common Asakusa Cyclist is the most deadly entity known to humankind. Ignore them at your own risk

Tokyo is a notoriously hectic and built-up place but strangely it’s organised chaos – everyone apart from the tourists knows where there’re going and are perfectly comfortable with the bustle that surrounds them. The thing is, everything is so clean, efficient and organised; the only way I can describe it is the precision overdrive of an overclocked computer. Things move at a pace and accuracy that doesn’t seem sustainable…and yet the streets are clean, businesses run and people live with what I assume is relative comfort and it shows no sign of running itself into the ground, at least not yet.

As in London, I find this energy inspiring and infectious but I suspect it could wear me down in the long term. A fortnight isn’t a long time, and I was after all on holiday. Could I live there? I honestly don’t know. The conformism, where everyone and everything has their place, sounds like an environment I’d be comfortable in, although I daresay many people would find such a life constrictive and would feel the same way about the hierarchical corporate structures and so on.

Included for the benefit of those who have also seen the Read or Die OAV

I didn’t see that side of things, but I do have a vague awareness of how pressured people are in terms of careers and social expectations. There’s certainly an emphasis on presentation: shopkeepers and office workers dress smartly and they even add little touches such as bus drivers wearing hats. It’s funny how the little details stay with you. There’s a sense of going that extra mile and showing pride in your work that isn’t nearly as pronounced back home – the advertising and retail industry could learn a lot from this place because the BUY NAO mentality is quite something.

As an outsider who is just visiting rather than someone wanting to integrate and work there, I felt very welcome. The stereotypical Japanese politeness which contributed to this is, again, something you may or may not take to but personally I didn’t mind it. Even if it’s a forced courtesy – insincerity? – the mere idea of someone making a show of politeness is better than nothing. The locals were eager to offer directions and so on, despite the language barrier.

AUTO SHOESER shoeses you

On a related note most areas we visited, whatever time of day, felt safe too. The police presence is high (and invariably courteous too of course) so I very rarely felt the fear of becoming a crime statistic. The only time I felt even vaguely uncomfortable was when we strayed out of Shinjuki and into Roppongi, but I’d already been warned about the nightclubs and red-light district areas. I think I stand a higher chance of getting mugged on my way home from work than I ever did when walking around Tokyo, honestly.

After spending time with a couple of guys from Machida I quickly realised that as puzzling as the culture can be at times, relating to people as individuals isn’t hard at all. They still go to work, have drinks and trade jokes with their friends, even though the society they live in works very differently from the one I grew up in. The pressures are different but people are people and all that. Many of the things that stand out as different are probably adaptations to things like scarce living space, a slightly warmer climate and the threat of earthquakes.

Incidentally I was really looking forward to seeing one of those Japanese level crossings in action

Refuse recycling is more popular, probably because you can’t chuck stuff onto landfillbecause in terms of land, there isn’t any; there are vending machines for drinks and snacks every-bloody-where, which is convenient but necessary since the weather’s hot and the pace of life means you can’t stop for long; there are a lot of affordable eateries, which I’m told is due to the fact that Tokyo-dwellers don’t have the time to cook for themselves…and I suspect their kitchens are probably cramped anyway (cooking in my pokey kitchen is bad enough, but Tokyo apartments are probably smaller still).

What about the notorious Gaijin Smash? Well, a clueless European oaf stands out like a sore thumb but whatever mistakes you make, chances are people probably are too polite to make a fuss about it. I honestly don’t know if or when I insulted someone because the gomen nasais and sumima-sens are so frequent they sound like a reflex. Actually, they probably are: you’ll find yourself nodding and apologising to people for days after you leave. I know I did. A more personal reason for feeling at ease there was the fact that, while in the UK I’m a short-arse, I’m average height over there. No kidding.

What can I say, I love Shinjuku

I certainly miss the novelty of walking into a clothes shop and finding stuff in my size. I miss being able to get a can of coffee, Mountain Dew, CC Lemon or Asahi Super Dry out of a vending machine in the street. I miss people being polite to me when I’m being a clueless idiot. I miss tonkatsu, cheap ramen and Freshness Burger. I miss the reliable public transport. I miss that wonderful contrast between high-tech convenience and quaint tradition that sit side by side. I miss wandering around Shinjuku, even when getting lost in the station drove me nuts. I’m not naïve enough to think it’s some flawless utopia where everything’s perfect but I think it’s a great place to go if you get the chance. If you have been already, what are your favourite (and least favourite!) memories?

A security barrier near the entrance to a shop in Akihabara

If it’s anime/manga stuff you’re after, or just anything electrical, Akihabara is the most obvious place to go. Elsewhere there are the chain stores: Tower Records and HMV are good for CDs, while Book-Off stock DVDs and graphic novels. My favourite spot is Yodobashi Camera which, as its name suggests, is an epic camera shop but is also a full-on department store for all things electrical, be it DVDs and CDs, toys, household appliances or computer parts. There are plenty of comic book shops that sell both new and used (the used stuff is actually very good value for money since it’s a lot cheaper but is in my experience in very good condition). Oh yeah, I’ll list the results of my shopping to prove that it’s easy to visit Japan on a budget but it’s also easy to spend a lot of money if there’s stuff you want to buy.

I wanted a number of thingsthat were either very expensive or difficult to import to the UK. I caved in on a DVD of 5cm per Second despite the fact that it doesn’t have English subtitles because I know the film back-to-front so don’t need subtitles in the first place; until the Western release emerges proper, this is the only way I can help finance the studio as a fan/customer. I would’ve bought the Blu-ray version if it weren’t for that damned region locking…

I picked up some nice OSTs that I can now enjoy on legal CD format instead of downloaded torrent files.

• One More Time, One More Chance (CD single) [NOTE: it's amazing that, despite packaged media allegedly dying out, the CD single of all things is still alive and well in Japan, and selling quite well]
• Place Promised, Beyond the Clouds OST
• Darker than Black OST
• Macross Frontier OST 1
• Macross Frontier OST 2

There are many shops that stock these and material from domestic artists. There were many Jpop/Jrock titles I had my eye on, although they are often relatively expensive. ¥3000 is what you should expect to pay unless you dig around for one of those lower-priced ‘nearly new’ second-hand items that are helpfully graded for their physical condition (A=practically new, B=slightly shabbier but still decent, and so on).

• Acidman: And World
• Boom Boom Satellites: ON
• Doriko featuring Hatsune Miku: Unformed [which I recently reviewed]
• Kalafina: Seventh Heaven
• Mad Capsule Markets: OSC DIS
• Mono & World’s End Girlfriend: Palmless Prayer/Mass Murder Refrain
• The pillows: Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!
• Supercar: HIGHVISION

Add to this a Boss BD-2 Blues Driver distortion pedal, a PSP with Macross Ace Frontier and a load of souvenirs for my family and you can see how expensive a holiday can be. Some things (such as the guitar effects box and the PSP) are noticeably cheaper when bought in Japan, while I knowingly paid more the DVD and CDs because the chance to get hold of them wouldn’t come up otherwise. I wound up getting a 1:100 scale model of a VF-25 from Macross Frontier to placate my inner fanboy too…it’s going to look really smart and shiny on display in my living room! ^_^

A restaurant in Machida, part #1

Walking around Akihabara I noticed that Macross is a favourite, although the Gundam anniversary thing eclipses it a bit. The enduring presence of Evangelion took me by surprise though: I expected a lot of advertising what with the second Rebuild movie coming out soon but you can’t walk the length of a shopping street without seeing a billboard or similar. It’s still very, very big business after all this time.

K-On! is also really huge. There was actually a girl cosplaying as Mio outside one of the shops…I ought to have got a shot of myself standing next to her or something. Purely because it was a Fender Jazz Bass she was holding… ¬_¬ The popularity of that show may be a ‘latest big thing’ type of effect that you see with every new season, as opposed to NGE‘s eternal place in otaku (de)culture. Haruhi Suzumiya is popular too of course: I only noticed the fact that the second season was out when I checked the anime blogs on my feedreader, however.

A restaurant in Machida, part #2

Haruhi’s re-appearance was a bit of a surprise, then. There were cardboard stand-ups, soundtrack CDs and displays for K-On! all over the place but the Haruhi merchandise that I did actually see could just as easily been regularly-replenished stock from when the first season, then the Youtube spin-offs, aired for all I knew. The marketing is well played on KyoAni’s part I think.

Priceless Engrish T-shirt is priceless

Trying to find the 5cm per Second disc was tricky, and the likes of Satoshi Kon movies are also pretty rare. There’s a lot of emphasis on new titles in comparison with the UK (where the DVDs are often reprinted and on the shelves for as long as the distributor holds the licence to them), so if it’s an older title you’re after, second-hand is your best chance. I asked one of my travelling companions if this was due to market saturation or the transient, fad-driven nature of the marketing machine but apparently there’s also a more practical factor at work here: Tokyo-dwellers are short on space at home so are quicker to sell on music and videos.

As is this. Larger version in case you can’t read the caption

I daresay there’s the issue of titles diminishing in popularity quickly but I can understand why fans are forced to sell their old discs when they run out of room when living space is at such a premium. Watch or listen to it, enjoy it, then sell it back to the shop and pick up something else: it’s an interesting theory that explains quite a lot of what I saw on my numerous shopping trips. Anyhow, that kinda spills over onto my less otaku-centric impression of the place so until then…

One case in point was the Edo palace and the surrounding gardens, which are closed on certain days of the week (some areas are off-limits to visitors anyway). Last week we went to the Shinjuku gardens instead but this time the Imperial Gardens were open…and the weather was scorching! Tokyo Tower is also well worth a visit in my opinion, especially if you get there late afternoon in time for the sunset…speaking of high-up places, it’s possible to see the one and only Mount Fuji in a day trip from Shinjuku. Really. I have pics to prove it. ^_^

The Edo Palace is enormous – a sprawling area of walls, gardens and buildings, both old and new. Whether you like history or just a walk in the sunshine the outer gardens are great, and are free to enter too.

The Eastern Gardens are strictly private property however, since they are the official residence of the Royal Family but to be honest we were happy walking around the parts open to the public for several hours (and got shocking sunburn to prove it). What followed was an epic trek through Ginza and the surrounding areas, clocking up around fourteen miles on foot. The underground rail system is pretty extensive though, not to mention amazingly efficient so when your feet get tired a train ride is a viable option.

Tokyo Tower is another major tourist attraction – as proved by the typical trinkets and so forth on offer in the gift shop. To be honest I don’t really like that sort of stuff so we headed up to the main observation deck (priced at ¥820 or thereabouts) where there are two floors of viewing windows and a coffee shop…it even has a shrine up there! We headed up there during the late afternoon, sat down with a cuppa and waited for the light to fade…

I took a whole load of photos but this one, looking out to the south-east on an enormous junction as the night falls and the lights begin to come on, is my favourite. A larger version is my desktop background actually (I’m toying with the idea of uploading the original 3072×2304 bitmaps from my camera but the file sizes are huge).

Mount Fuji is another place that’s good for views, although the hazy air was a bit of a problem there too. If you get up early and negotiate the madness that is Shinjuku Station (no small feat when you’re in a hurry, I can assure you) there are buses that leave for the nearby town of Kawaguchi and more buses that take you right up to the fifth station. There are more of the usual gift shops and snack-type restaurants but quite frankly there was one good reason why I went to all the trouble.

This.

It’s a bit over-exposed I know (using a cheap and convenient compact camera) but up at the fifth station the air is cooler and clearer; Tokyo is currently very warm and humid so this was a nice opportunity to get away from the bustle and heat for a while.

That said, I still love the city itself and Shinjuku in particular. I swear I’ll never tire of taking cityscape shots like this – as much as the tree-lined mountains and valleys on the way to Fuji impressed me there’s still something about being amidst the neon and high-rise with little patches of greenery and tradition tucked in between.

The legend that surrounds Shinjuku station is true however – unless you are familiar with the layout or are fluent in kanji, it’s an ordeal to navigate and the trains do get very crowded indeed. I’m used to standing shoulder-to-shoulder with tourists and businesspeople now, but at least I’m average height here! The London Tube uses more cramped trains but in Tokyo they’re a bit more spacious and are air-conditioned so the experience isn’t as stressful as I anticipated. When we found the right platform…

Looking at what was opposite, I think we were on the right platform!

In any case, we’re out of time and money and have seen and done most of what we wanted to. I’ll try to upload some more pics and give my final thoughts on the trip next week but I think jet lag will hit me even harder going back to GMT than it did adjusting to Tokyo time (not to mention going back to work on Tuesday morning) so don’t expect much for the next few days. I’ve also been too lazy busy to reply to your comments as well so I’ll say thanks for your input and I hope you’re enjoying my sharing of the visit so far. ^_^

The best thing of the past couple of days is the fact that it’s the Sanja Matsuri festival, one of the annual events that are held in the local area. I mentioned previously that Taito City, and Asakusa in particular, are pretty quiet and laid-back but in the last couple of days it’s become much, much livelier.

The portable shrines are carried around town and even in rainy weather, as is here (see above and below) it doesn’t seem to lessen the locals’ enthusiasm to dress up and have a good time. I found their adherance to the old traditions and the atmosphere in general to be really heartening…the partying spirit is infectious and it’s quite something to see the local communities join together; something that doesn’t really happen back in the UK, for any reason.

The rain was a minor nuisance but Harajuku was still worth the trip. Beyond the bridge is the old temple in Shibuya dedicated to the old emperor Meiji and his wife Shouken. It’s built in a wonderful wooded area (allegedly founded with 100,000 trees!) and is reputedly one of the most spectacular in the country. I see no reason to disagree.

There were several weddings going on at the time but thanks to my excessive sentimentality I felt a bit uncomfortable taking pics of the processions themselves as they passed through the main courtyard. To be honest it felt like I was looking in on a very private event and mere pictures wouldn’t really do the whole spectacle justice. Suffice to say they were quite simply exquisite.

I’m not sure if it was anything to do with the festival going on in Asakusa and the surrounding districts but an entire street of Shibuya was closed off for a traditional style dance featuring people in local attire; considering that we were just passing through on our way home (via one or two shops) this was a nice surprise. Not as much of a surprise as this though…

Hatsune Miku crossplay? Believe it. Gives me one or two ideas for Ayacon actually. >_>

I’ve also discovered that certain things are cheaper in their country of manufacture – I’ll be picking up a PSP with a bit of luck, and have already splurged out a considerable sum of money on a Boss Blues Driver guitar pedal on the grounds that it’s cheaper than in the UK. Needless to say I’d pick up one of the Fender Japan Jazzmaster guitars if I could find a way to fly it back with me…seriously.

Away from Shinjuku is the even trendier district of Ginza, which is where you’ll find high-rise office blocks and high-price department stores. This time around we decided to walk from Ginza through Ueno to get to Asakusa, just in time to see the Taito city festival processions. As I type this the usual sleepy, small-town feel of Asakusa has turned into a crowded festival atmosphere with (so I’m told) three million locals and tourists descending on the area.

Shibuya’s central crossing is indeed utterly nuts. There are loads of shops and eateries around (including an underground food court that puts the best bits of London to shame) but the sheer number of people moving around has resulted in what I can only call the most interesting piece of street planning I’ve ever seen. The multi-way pedestrian crossing is part of the road network that criss-crosses through the city but every couple of minutes the whole junction becomes one enormous crossing for shoppers, businesspeople and tourists. Now you see see it…

…and now you don’t.

This was from the point of view of the overlooking Starbucks but it’s pretty intimidating at ground level too.

I quite liked Shibuya for its cosmopolitan atmosphere – it’s a lot like London in many ways (Ginza reminds me a lot of Knightsbridge and Kensington too) but I really like Shinjuku. Firstly there’s the enormous station and nearby shopping mall but right in the middle of the built-up area is an enormous and utterly beautiful park. For only ¥200 each you can wander around from early morning until 4pm among the lawns, trees and lakes. There are themed areas (English, French and Japanese) and a couple of tea houses but what I loved most of all is the fact that there’s this gorgeous, serene expanse of green serenity in the middle of the most built-up area on the planet.

The fact that there are bloody great skyscrapers just behind the treeline is a reminder of this.

I guess it’s a lot like Hyde Park: for local city-dwellers, having a walk in a garden or stretching out under a tree on the grass is a rare treat. Especially when life is so work-orientated, as is demonstrated by the shiny efficiency of Ginza.

Of course, the city still looks (to me at least) beautiful at night. Shibuya’s youthful trendiness is infectious, and really sums up why Tokyo is thought of as a 24 hour city.

Asakusa is still more laid-back; centuries ago it was the pleasure district with theatres and such but now is pretty spiritual and relaxed. There’s a festival going on this weekend though, so the streets are extremely lively and crowded.

I love the juxtaposition of pop culture and old local traditions in that shot: sums up the general area really. The festival’s still going on so I’ll probably leave more pics of that for later…that and the fact that Tokyo Tower and the Sunday morning charms of Harajuku await me tomorrow…

Asakusa with the temple (hopefully visiting tomorrow) and a peculiar little kids’ theme park.

The route to Akihabara involves plenty of travelling by underground and local train – the Pasmo card is neat for this, working like an Oyster card in London. Charge it up and you’re done. Random adverts are random though…nothing’s more fashionable than being pregnant, apparently. Eat for two in style! The sheer amount of advertising in general in Tokyo is quite something actually – it looks a bit silly to my cynical eyes but I guess that’s what happens when you enter a country that’s even more consumer-driven than your own. The bright, smiley pleas to BUY THINGS NAO hits you on every corner.

Speaking of random, this was something I spotted back in Asakusa. It’s some sort of mythical creature of some sort…I think. There was a wooden carving of one of these opposite, but I think this was someone in an outfit (I pity them in this weather, seriously).

Not quite as wierd, however, as this other piece of advertising. Kim Jong Il lives, it seems.

Most of the buildings are fairly modern but there are the occasional ones that stick out. This peculiar place looks like it’s been nudged aside by those nearby; it’s coated with copper shingles, which I’ve yet to see in Tokyo or anywhere else for that matter. It looks completely out-of-place despite being older than the offices surrounding it but it fascinated me for some reason.

We passed through Akihabara on the way and I couldn’t resist the offer of both the Macross Frontier and Darker than Black OSTs. Not nearly as much as I could’ve spent given what was on offer but ¥10,000 is a lot to splurge in one go on your first day. It won’t be the last, I’ll bet. PSPs are pretty cheap over here.

The train service is, as everyone knows, clean and pretty much 100% punctual. The local trains are often crowded – this is pretty average but I’ve already seen worse. There’s air-con and rudeness isn’t common so it’s a fairly pleasant way to get around. Pasmo FTW!

Compare with the famous bullet trains on the Shinkansen lines…yep, the rear carriage has a back window. Fast and smooth…I actually had a power-nap during this trip. Apparently the seats swivel around to face the other way when the train reaches its destination and sets off in the opposite direction. Neat.

Aaand…the moment you’ve been waiting for: the Guinness of Machida! L-R: Ant, Bob, Yasu and Seb (me behind the camera). This was a small bar above an eaterie of some sort…it had the name Covent Garden or something, and served Newcastle Brown Ale and featured a menu of European-style mixed with Japanese. If you’re a peckish Westerner who misses their cottage pie, look no further! It even has UK-based rock music in the background and a (n electronic) dartboard. Home from home? Judge for yourself…

The irony here is that this particular bar has no fewer than two awards from the Guinness corporation for the quality of their service; I can certainly vouch for that. It’s ironic, really, that I’ve had to go all the way to a Tokyo suburb to sample the best pint of Guinness I’ve ever tasted. Epic bar win.

Eh, that’s all for now. I’m still reeling from the culture shock and travelling but hopefully I’ll have a wander around Asakusa tomorrow because it has a really wonderful looking temple. That and the fact that I’ve caught the DDR bug and have been following my travelling companions around every arcade we’ve passed…