Japan 2013: Traditional Meets Modern Art

Nee-chan took care of almost everything for our trip but I contributed a few must-see places myself and Tokyo Trick Art Museum (TTAM) was one of them. I've been to Trick Eye Museum in Hongdae (South Korea) last year and had so much fun. I wanted my family to experience it as well so I made sure to include TTAM in our itinerary.

We've been to Odaiba once for Miraikan, Gundam and Toyota MegaWeb. But you see, one day is simply not enough to see all the sights and attractions Odaiba has to offer.

Odaiba day 2!

TTAM is located at Decks Tokyo Beach, a mall divided into two areas: Sea Side Mall and Island Mall. If it isn't obvious enough, it's a beach-themed mall - two of my favorite places in one! So if you're a beach lover like me, you'll fall in love with it's calming interiors too.

Japan 2013: Visiting My Neighbor Totoro

Animation has always been a part of my life as I grew up watching cartoons as a kid, anime as a teenager and animated films from childhood up to now. So imagine my excitement upon visiting a museum entirely dedicated to one of my favorite animation studios - Studio Ghibli.

My Neighbor Totoro

Tonari no Totoro (となりのトトロ) or My Neighbor Totoro was the first Ghibli film I've ever seen and I just fell in love with Studio Ghibli right then and there, especially Hayao Miyazaki's work. So being surrounded by everything Ghibli is a dream come true for me. It's the closest thing to seeing the animated films I've grown to love come to life.

Admission to the Ghibli Museum is limited per day and tickets should be purchased prior to your visit. Chances of walk-in visits are absolutely slim as tickets run out fast. You see, tickets come with an appointed entry time to avoid crowds. But even with the scheduling, the place was still pretty packed even on a weekday! I guess everyone's crazy about Ghibli.

How to get to Ghibli Museum

To get to the museum, you can either walk or take the community bus from Mitaka Station. We availed the round trip tickets for only 300円 each. You can easily spot the community bus even from afar as it's painted yellow and has Ghibli written all over it. I got all excited upon getting on the bus as it might be the closest thing I'll ever get to riding the nekobasu (cat bus).

Museum tickets are already as good as souvenirs.

Upon arriving at the museum, we exchanged our Lawson-bought paper tickets to the real museum tickets which were something much more magical - a film strip with frames from your favorite Ghibli films. Lucky I got a Ponyo one!

The entire place screams Ghibli from the lush greenery to the outdoor fixtures to the museum's layout to the furniture inside. It's like being transported to another world especially created for you by the creative and magical minds behind Studio Ghibli.

Welcome to Ghibli Museum!

Before going into any of the exhibits, we decided to catch the featured film at the Saturn Theater. I had no idea what to expect so I squealed a little upon seeing Mei! I CAN'T BELIEVE THEY'RE SHOWING AN EPILOGUE OF TOTORO!!!! :(( If you've seen Tonari no Totoro or any Ghibli film, you know how they don't really end films. Sure, there's a conclusion but you always end up guessing what might've happened afterwards which is what I actually love since it makes you invested in the story. Of course, I won't spoil the short for you but it was a relief to see the characters again. And I love how you don't need to be fluent in Japanese  to understand the story as it had little dialogue. That's the beauty of Ghibli films. Who needs words when they can make you fall in love with characters who don't even speak? Instead of speaking through words, the characters speak through their emotions.

Look, it's the susuwatari (house sprites that look like dust bunnies)!

Being in the museum itself is a wonderful experience. It's like walking inside a storybook so taking photos, videos or even the use of mobile phones are prohibited inside the museum. Instead of looking through lenses and viewfinders, the museum encourages the visitors to completely immerse themselves in the exhibits by experiencing it first-hand. The only souvenirs you'll need are the memories you create in the museum and those available at the shop.

From what I remember, there were four indoor exhibits. The first exhibit showcased different Ghibli films where I fell in love with all the installations. However, two especially stood out. The first one being the circular display of what seemed like ordinary (c'mon who are we kidding, this is Ghibli we're talking about!) figurines of Totoro characters in different poses. When the wheel that the figurines stand on spins fast, it makes the characters come alive right before your eyes. It's like watching an old school animation, only this one's in 3D. Too cool! And my other favorite is the mini animation studio where you can watch how animated films are made - from hand-drawn drawings to the screen. I literally spent minutes watching the whole process over and over again. Not to mention crying a little from the short. I love how every Ghibli film tugs at your heartstrings which goes to show how passionate these animators are in their craft.

Love their attention to detail!

The second exhibit showcased Hayao Miyazaki's early works. From mere sketches to full-blown storyboards to movie stills. Photographs of locations that inspired the films were also on display. You can actually flip through some of his work and I noticed how every Ghibli fan handled the books with care and respect as if they're leafing through a historical artifact or a holy book.

The third exhibit featured Japan's animation history and showcased different styles of drawings which was awesome. But compared to the other exhibits, this one seems just alright. And the last exhibit is both my favorite and least favorite among the indoor exhibits. I love it because it features a huge furry nekobasu (cat bus) and at the same time, I hate it because only school children and younger are allowed to play in it. So unfair!!!! :((

With the robot and command cube from Laputa.

After hoarding tons of Ghibli merch (both for omiyage and personal use) from the souvenir shop, we went on to explore the vicinity of the museum where photos are highly encouraged. I was ecstatic upon seeing this life-size robot from Laputa (pronounced La-pew-tuh and not la puta haha) or Castle in the Sky. And they even have the command cube hidden somewhere in the garden!

♫ Tonari no Totoro, Totoro! ♫

Of course, a trip to the Ghibli Museum wouldn't be complete without meeting the famous Totoro! It was quite difficult to locate him but after a thorough search, we were able to find him sitting in this ticket booth. Too cute! And he really is huge. I wish I could've hugged him though.

Goodbye, Ghibli Museum!

After getting our dose of Ghibli magic, we went back to the bus stop and waited for the community bus to take us back to Mitaka Station. We were already starving but the Straw Hat Cafe was packed so we just had a quick lunch at the nearest McDonald's and ordered happy meals. Haha After lunch, we were ready to head back to Odaiba for more adventures.


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Traveling party: Daddy, Karly, Nee-chan (organizer), Sera, and Ariel
Travel date: April 17, 2013 [Day 8]
Photo credits: Karl

Japan 2013: Looking into the future...

...and even experiencing some of it! Where else but at The National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation or simply, Miraikan. The name may sound intimidating but if you're a fan of museums and new technology, you'll definitely enjoy this place just like I did.

Miraikan is a museum in Odaiba that showcases a lot of new technology that is being developed in Japan. If Kyoto is my favorite Japanese city because of its rich cultural heritage and overall traditional feel, Odaiba comes next because of its advance technology and all the geekiness in it. Just the island itself is pure genius as it's a large artificial island in Tokyo Bay, Japan initially built for defensive purposes which now serves as a major commercial, residential and leisure area.

The first thing that caught our eyes upon arriving at Odaiba were the bicycle stations. We wanted to rent some but we couldn't figure out how. So Nee-chan and I went back to the train station and asked one of the personnel to which he responded politely by inquiring if we were residents. HAHAHA It turns out, free bicycle use is one of the perks of being an Odaiba resident. Residential ID cards allow them them to access the bikes. How cool is that!

Konnichiwa!

Good thing we got there early as Miraikan is composed of seven floors of awesomeness. Pretty big huh? The main exhibits can be seen on the 1st, 3rd and 5th levels while the 6th level housed the Dome Theater and the 7th level housed the conference rooms and halls.

Our first stop was the InterRobot display where visitors can speak through pipes and the robots will respond to you. I failed to make it work the first time but after realizing my mistake (of speaking in English), I tried speaking in Japanese and the robots came to life. Sugoi!

Songs of Anagura

Then we went to Songs of Anagura where all kinds of recognition (eye, voice, fingerprint, movement, etc) were utilized. Imagine my excitement upon realizing this! It's like seeing all different kinds of SPs at work in the form of a human-sized board game where the computer keeps track of your movements by giving you your own avatar or circle underneath your feet. An arrow will appear to point you where you need to go next. Be careful not to get too close to other people though or you'll lose your avatar. But you can re-register any time in case that happens. I won't spoil the fun for you but this is definitely a must-try!

No Tricks, Only Treats at Trick Eye Museum

I love museums. But don't you just hate it when you see "Do not touch." signs all over the place? Trick Eye Museum changes all that. Here, you can experience art in the literal and figurative sense. And if you're into cam-whoring, you're definitely in for a treat!

Just like in any other museum, of course you have to get tickets before you could get in. But unlike in other museums, you are actually encouraged to touch the art. Or better yet, be part of it!

We freely opened random doors, drank fresh cups of wine straight from the barrel, accepted bribes from tax collectors, picked up dollar bills along the way, caught a falling apple right before it hit the ground, and even gave a naked lady a manicure.

We filled a priest's glass with more wine, stole a few bills from a lovely couple, pulled on a lady's beautiful necklace, and helped a stranger cheat his way to winning a card game. All without having to suffer the consequences. How fun is that?

We became as tall as a giant and as tiny as Tinkerbell in a matter of minutes! Oh it feels so good to be tall even for just a moment.

We washed our hands in mystical water, caught a Bungeoppang/Taiyaki (a fish-shaped Korean/Japanese pastry filled with sweet red bean paste), and played with an Old English couple's dog.

We went from being all lady-like smelling roses and pouring tea to going crazy splashing water at a random lady and almost staring at Medusa's eyes. Oh the horror!

We also had part-time jobs for a while. I got chased by a rhino in court while Jona smoked under a No Smoking sign. We kept feeding an obese Mona Lisa but tried to stop David from eating yet another cone lest he gets too fat. You see, you do get fat if you don't move.

We tried a few more things: breaking in by kicking a glass window, stealing a neighbor's pig, and playing billiards. Aaand almost got hurt in the process.

We sure gave "The Scream" man something to scream about. Haha

We even became ballerinas for a day!

Who cares if it's raining cats and dogs outside? It was sunny inside - perfect weather to ride our pink Vespas around the city!

Where the party at?? We've got cake, balloons, moving paintings, and uhh... a floating head for the main course? Yikes!

Who says you can't be rich in an instant? We obviously did! We were so filthy rich, the paparazzi couldn't help but take pictures of us. How flattering! Better grab a copy of this month's Forbes magazine before they run out! HAHAHA

So what do you do when you've got that much money? Go shopping, of course! See, we even brought our posh dog along.

And because we're rich, we can do anything we want! We tried our hand at weight-lifting, cutting other people's hair, and photography. We even tried to stop time! Or at least slow it down a bit. So what do you do if you have that much time in your hands? Just sit under a train stop? Go traveling, of course! First stop: Hawaii.

Then we stopped by Venice for a quick gondola ride, Japan to have a taste of their giant sushi, and Korea to have tea with the king.

Oh and China too, to hang out with these adorable pandas. *u*

We even explored some unknown territory. HAHAHA

And became sexy laaaadies. Op-op-op-op oppa Gangnam style!

Time is too short though. Eventually, the tour had to end. But not without going through a mirror maze before you can get back to reality. One should be careful enough not to bump into one of the mirrors but not too cautious that you end up holding hands with strangers and start screaming your head off like I did. Oops.

Jona and I had too much fun in the museum, we ran out of time! We weren't able to explore the rest of the installation art scattered around the floor like the rest of the girls did. Well, there is always next time.

Trick Eye Museum is located at Seoul-si Mapo-gu Seogyo-dong 357-1 Seogyo Plaza B02-01 and tickets cost ₩13,000/person. Don't forget to bring your cameras with you! And if you're in a large group like us, it's better to split up into groups of 3 (not 2!) for faster photo ops. But if there are only 2 of you, you can always ask the staff to help you take pictures.


Traveling party: Erin, Faye, Jona (organizer), Light (organizer), Rona, Sera (organizer), and Vanie
Travel date: 11 November 2012 [Day 6]
Photo credits: Faye, Light, Vanie