Taking a French break

After going down memory lane, trying to refresh my memories of past fantastic holidays, I'm finally off for another big break! Tonight!

Hopefully, I'll be able to update my latest travel tidbits, rather than writing about trips that were already taken months ago :-)

Au revoir!

Not just concrete jungle

Of course, Tokyo is a sprawling metropolis with all its steel structures, latest gadgets, fashionable shops and modern conveniences, waiting to sweep you off your feet the moment you arrive.

However, it would do nature injustice if you neglect to make at least a day trip to one of the wonderful nature reserve surrounding the outskirts of Tokyo.

I'm glad I made the effort to go hiking to Mitake mountain, even though no one else was interested to tag along.

Despite being only 1 to 2 hours train ride away, you seem to be transported to an entirely different place -- peace and quiet, so quiet you can hear the rustles of the leaves, the flow of the stream and your own heartbeat. Being in the deep of summer, the leaves are so green that I can almost feel the dew are going to ooze out.

There's no need to rush, everytthing would be at your own pace. People there are also very friendly, ready to help you even if they can't speak your language. Japan is known for its greying population, and in the mountains, you feel that the elderly are ageing with grace and vigour. I was told that it's common for them to go hiking in the mountains for a couple of hours, sometimes even everyday. So don't be surprised if you see some elderly couple overtaking you.

People watching in Tokyo

Harajuku always come to everyone's mind if you want to do some people watching. No, not because of the super pretty/handsome Japanese artistes hang out there. Harajuku is good for people watching on a Sunday because of the punks in all sorts of unimaginable dressing/hairstyle that hang around there. And mind you, this place is super crowded (just like any other place in Tokyo actually) with teenages.



I would like to suggest another kind of people watching, which is to go to Meiji shrine. It's interesting because on Sundays (or probably just about any weekends), you'll likely be able to catch a traditional wedding procession. There, you'll be able to see Japanese couple deck out in their gorgeous wedding kimono with their family members (equally gorgeously dressed up), walking across the shrine courtyard. Everyone looks super serious, while hordes of tourists (me included) will be busy and happily snapping photos of them. Not exactly the kind of wedding I particular fancy, but it's fun to watch. I manage to catch two such wedding procession in the morning that I was there, while my friend Ying witnessed five in one morning, one of which has a very huge entourage of family members.

Another type of people watching was suggested by another friend Kul. Just go to the infamous Yasukuni shrine on a Sunday as well and you may be able to see protests by Chinese/Koreans protesters, complete with their banners, head bands and loud hailers.

When Monster Inc. meets Totoro

Imagine what happens when a Miyazaki fan got the chance to not just visit the famous Ghibli Museum, but Studio Ghibli itself?

Well, I almost went crazy (but not with my camera as photos are not allowed at most times)

My lucky break was during my Japan trip last June. Totoros of all sizes were almost everywhere the moment we stepped into Studio Ghibli: greeting us near the entrance, at the foot of the stairs leading to the meeting room, in the meeting room itself, all over the book shelves, on the glasses and coaster...

They are so adorable that even the 2 cute monsters from Pixar paid Totoro a visit at Studio Ghibli. Hanging outside the meeting room is a picture of Sulley and Mike waiting for the catbus with Totoro in the rain. Kawaii desu ne!

We were given a tour of the studio to catch a glimpse of the animators and artists at work. Being an ardent fan of Studio Ghibli's work, I was completely swept off by the painstaking efforts the artists take to put every detail into each frame of the anime by hand. Although the animation market is currently dominated by 3D animation, I'm really glad that Ghibli has stuck to its style of 2D drawings (They even painted the walls with windows and blue sky, Ghibli style)

Ghibli museum was like stepping into its anime world. It's frustrating that I had barely 30 minutes to tour the whole museum, and I wasted half the time waiting for the anime shorts to start. Still, I managed to take as many photos as possible wherever it is allowed. I can be sure that the museum would be in my "must go" list next time I visit Tokyo.

My 3rd encounter with Ghibli during this Japan trip was at Aichi World Expo. Yes, it's another "so close, yet so far" experience when I caught a glimpse of Satsuki and Mei's House from a distance. Tickets to this hugely popular place at the expo were hard to get. So I'm satisfied with at least a glimpse. It looked almost like a doll house, creating a "picture perfect", ideal world sense of feeling. No wonder Totoro the movie has been so well liked by people.

Looking forward to the next Ghibli movie!