Day 5 of the Tokyo Summer Maximum tour was like opening the floodgates for participants. Today was the day that Destination Japan would give participants the reins, and let them ride off to anywhere in the city they pleased. Some tour participants went to far corners of the city, while others took their free time to do some hardcore shopping in areas they already knew. A couple of people decided to get up early to check out the Tsukiji Fish Market, while another group ventured out to Tokyo Disney Sea. Several made extra trips to places including Akihabara, Harajuku, Shibuya, Shinagawa, and Ueno.
A portion of the Destination Japan crew chose to go on the Ghibli Museum optional tour. Leaving the hotel lobby a little after 9:00am, we hopped onto the JR Chuo Line from Shinjuku station, and rode it out to Kichijoji. The visit to the museum was preceded by a stroll through the soothing Inokashira Park, and then through a very typical Tokyo suburb. The weather was absolutely incredible that day, and the nice walk was a change of pace from the normal high tension city streets of Tokyo.
Our stroll brought us to the gates of the Ghibli Museum. We patiently waited for the doors to open and let us take a step behind the scenes of the fantasy worlds of Studio Ghibli and its animated films. Though photography was prohibited inside the museum, we were still allowed to take pics from outside.
The Ghibli Museum exudes the same charm that you pick up from watching the studio's fantastic films. Three stories high and very maze-like in its construction, the museum's main focus is the world of animation, and its many roomed plastered with sketches and backgrounds done by the studio's staff take visitors through the many steps of animation from start to finish. There are also many cool diorama-ish displays to some of the tricks used in making animation. There's also a giant cat-bus, as seen in My Neighbor Totoro. Unfortunately, you can only go inside the bus if you're an elementary school student, but even just watching kids playing around on the cat-bus from Totoro is enough to crack a big smile. We were sure not to miss the special short film that you can only see there at the museum. Eight to ten films are cycled throughout the year, so there's a new one almost every time you go.
After thoroughly enjoying our trip to Ghibli-Land, we hopped onto the JR Chuo line headed toward Tokyo, but there was one place we couldn't miss on the way back: Nakano. Nakano and its quaint shopping mall Nakano Broadway has transformed over the years into a satellite haven for otaku of varying tastes. There are stores for manga, figures, toys, doujinshi, cosplay outfits, and a lot more. Nakano is also a good place to find pretty cool clothes at decent prices.
Once arriving at Nakano, participants were set free. Being only one stop from Shinjuku, they were able to get anywhere in Tokyo they might want to. They did just that, and enjoyed a full free day of Tokyo madness.
That evening, a small contingent had amassed at the lobby in the hotel and took off for a jaunt around Eastern Shinjuku and the Kabukicho area to check out the Tokyo lights. Shinjuku was set to full glow, and at times it felt like walking around in the sunlight. The walk was topped off with some delicious snacks from Mister Donut, and then we made for the hotel to rest before the main event the next day. The 2007 Tokyo Game Show was only a night's sleep away, and we wanted to be in good shape for the total madness in store for us!
|
|
|
|
[ top of page ]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Day 5
|
Free Day in Tokyo
(Optional: Ghibli Museum)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
