Japan 2013: Mata ne!*

On every trip I take, I make it a point to save the best meals on the last day so I can have a good memory to hold on to when I go back home. So for our last dinner, we headed to Aqua City in search for a yakiniku restaurant. We've been craving yakiniku since we landed in KIX but our sked is always hectic so we kept putting if off.

Food is always a serious business.

Since Ariel is a vegetarian, he decided to have more tamago sushi at the nearby food court while we headed to Heijouen and got down to business. Heijouen serves the best of both worlds where Korean and Japanese barbecue meet - or should I say meat? Hihi

As usual, Nee-chan and I were in charge of picking out the food. It was pretty tough looking at all the yummy-looking choices but it's a job we enjoy doing. Just look at our serious faces! Haha

Melt in your mouth goodness.

We settled for their best-selling platters where you can sample their best-selling cuts. And can I just say, BEST YAKINIKU EVER! Sure, it's a bit pricey (at least for Pinoy standards) but melt-in-your-mouth goodness don't come cheap. I promise you, it's so worth it! It was actually pretty sulit. We were reluctant to order rice since we want to savor the meat but Pinoys will always be Pinoys. We just can't live without rice, eh?

Happy tummies!

We were all stuffed by the end of our meal. And good thing we were because we sure needed energy for the upcoming (mis)adventure we're about to experience. Oh I forgot to mention that the booths in Heijoen have wooden blinds to separate the customers so you can have all the privacy you want while enjoying your meal.

Oishiikatta!

After billing out, we met up with Ariel and walked back to the station. Remember how full we were? Well, Dad was so full, he had to stop for a bathroom break which made us miss the train by just a couple of minutes! And now we're pressed for time as we have to wait for the next train to arrive.

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: Of Mobile Suits and Fast Cars

As if geeking out at Miraikan wasn't enough, we went out to search for more geekiness. Next up: Gundam Front Tokyo. As we walked away from Miraikan, we couldn't help but notice the abundance of cosplayers around the area. Karly and Ariel wanted to take pictures with them but the cosplayers seem too engrossed in their own world (having photo ops with the lovely tulips haha) so they let it slide.

Cosplayers love Odaiba too!

We also passed by a vintage car show in one of the parking lots at Diver City. It was already over by the time we arrived but we were still able to see some of the cool cars pass by.

Cool cars.

We've gotten accustomed to the chilly spring breeze but this row of bikes just proved today's wind is even more stronger than yesterday.

Nope, not windy at all.

As we made our way to Gundam Front Tokyo, we passed by an authentic J-pop gig in front of Gundam Cafe. The band was being flocked by fangirls but even in crazy situations like this, the Japanese manage to be polite and keep their distance. I didn't know who the band was but thinking about it now, I should've fangirled just for the sake of experiencing it. In Japan.

Japanese fangirls.

Finally, we went up close with the famous mobile suit. It was so surreal standing in front of it. Gundam Wing was probably the first anime I truly loved (not watched obviously) so being in front of a 60-foot Gundam model definitely made my day. Believe it or not, I used to dream of being a Gundam pilot back when I was still in grade school. It may be because I love the anime too much or maybe because aside from Noin, there were no other female pilots so it made me want it even more. Of course, there was no way that dream was coming true but seeing a life-size Gundam model was the closest thing.

The 60-foot tall Gundam model.

The mobile suit looks like the real deal. I felt like I was transported into the future where Gundam Wing, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Dual! Parallel Universe, Rahxephon, and other mecha anime* took place. It was awesome. My otaku self was absolutely delighted by just being there.

Feeling pilots.

Before we moved on to our next destination, we stopped by Gundam Cafe for some snacks and souvenirs. We hoarded a bunch of Gundam merch but our favorites were the surprise Gundam model magnets. Like the usual Gundam toys, you have to assemble them but I love how they are flexible so you can actually position them to create your own battle scenes. Sugoi! And since they come in surprise boxes, we spent quite a while shaking the boxes as we all wanted the heavy ones which simply meant they had wings or bigger weapons. Thank goodness for patient and really helpful staff!

Happy otakus at the Gundam Cafe.

Gundam Cafe is famous for their Gundam-themed food obviously. However, not all beverages come with Gundam art so Nee-chan and I specifically ordered Haro Latte just for the coffee art. Haha I also ordered a strawberry Beam Churros while Karly ordered a custard Gunpla-yaki (Gundam taiyaki). Yup, we're suckers for adorable edibles. And apparently, adorably dressed staff. Haha Karly may have been too shy to approach the cosplayers but we pushed him this time to take a picture with one of the Gundam Cafe staff and she happily obliged. Kawaiii~!

Cars galore!

After satisfying our otaku needs, it's time to satisfy our dad's love for cars as we made our way to MEGA WEB at Palette Town (yes, the place actually exists outside of Pokemon). MEGA WEB is a theme park that boasts of a "see, ride and feel" experience for their visitors. First up, we checked out the Toyota City Showcase where you can see Toyota's newest models. They encourage trying out the cars for yourself so feel free to jump in any of your dream cars. I love how the staff are so accommodating as if you're actually there to buy a car. As Tokyo Tokyo would say, so Japanice!

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!