The Great Buddha of Kamakura

On November 20, 2015November 20, 2015 By StevenIn International Travel - Japan

When I went to Hong Kong in 2008, I went to see a very large Buddha on a hill-side. Tian-Tan is 112 feet tall and it sits atop a mountain near a monastery. It’s enormous and amazing, and I was very excited to see a piece of antiquity. The problem, I later found out, is that Hong Kong’s big Buddha isn’t all that old. In fact, it was built between 1990 and 1993, in roughly the same amount of time as it took me to finally pass algebra during my first go at college.

The Great Buddha of Kamakura has no such problems with its ancestry. The Amida Buddha located at the Kōtoku-in Temple dates from around 1252, and it has weathered storms and earthquakes. With this in mind, I set about during my last full weekend in Japan to go see a big Buddha.

Kamakura is about 30 miles outside of Tokyo, so it didn’t take long to get there. Once in Kamakura, a local tram can be used to get closer to Kōtoku-in.

Once you reach the appropriate stop, it’s easy to find the Temple. Just follow the crowds! There’s also helpful signage in case of natural disasters.

Sometimes, you see people in traditional garb around temples.

Once you reach the Temple, you’re supposed to cleanse yourself with these little spoon-like things.

…but don’t use the water to cleanse your mouth!

A short walk past the washing station, the Amida Buddha comes into view.

Made entirely of bronze, this Buddha was once gilded. There are still traces of gold leaf on the head, near the ears.

Clocking in at just under 44 feet tall, this Buddha is only about a third the size of Tian-Tan, but it’s much more impressive because of how long it has been here.

Here’s an obligatory selfie to prove I was actually there. Honestly, sometimes I don’t think I would believe all the places I’ve been if I wasn’t actually in some of the photographs.

Behind the Buddha, there are giant bronze “leaves” etched with what I assume are prayers.

The detail is incredible. Remember, this is all metalwork.

When I first walked around to the rear of the statue, I didn’t know what the flaps on the Buddha’s back were all about. I thought it kind of looked like exhaust ports on a giant robot. Buddha Gundam!

It turns out that the flaps are windows, because you can go inside the Buddha. This is the view looking up into Buddha’s neck-hole from inside.

The Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 destroyed the base of the statue, and it was repaired in 1925. Further repairs were done in 1960-1961, when the neck was strengthened and measures were taken to protect the Buddha from earthquakes. This sign inside the Buddha talks about construction techniques used to make the statue, as well as some detail about how it was reinforced.

On my walk back to the train from the Buddha, I stopped for a little snack at one of the many shops along the way.

This is a red bean paste treat. I love red bean paste in dessert foods. The only place I see bean paste in foods here in the US is at Chinese or Japanese buffets. This is a travesty of the highest order.

What’s the largest religious icon you’ve ever seen?

Meiji-Jingu and Yoyogi Park

On November 18, 2015November 18, 2015 By StevenIn International Travel - Japan2 Comments

In the vicinity of Shibuya, near the Harajuku station, there is a Shinto shrine called Meiji-Jingu, or the Meiji Shrine. Meiji-Jingu is dedicated to Emperor Meiji and his wife, Empress Shōken. This is not a tomb; the emperor’s actual grave site is in Kyoto.

The shrine was built in 1915, destroyed in World War II, and was rebuilt in 1958. The entryway to the shrine is easily spotted by this enormous Torii gate.

Meiji-Jingu is located in part of a 170 acre forest filled with evergreen trees from all over Japan. The walk to the main part of the shrine covers long gravel paths and small picturesque bridges.

Barrels of sake are dedicated to the shrine.

Another torii stands at the entrance to the inner shrine.

The shrine consists of several buildings ringing a very large courtyard.

This is a very popular attraction for tourists, so there are lots of people visiting at any given time.

I was trying to take pictures facing every direction so that you could easily see the differences between the buildings. It’s nearly impossible to get a photo there without some random guy in your shot. Get out of there, Mr. Red Shirt!

While I was in the courtyard, a wedding procession crossed the courtyard.

The processional line contained priests, maidens, and celebrants. Most importantly, there was one guy who had the job of protecting the bridal couple from the elements with a giant cocktail drink umbrella.

Before entering the shrine, the priests did a little blessing of some sort, bowing to the bride and groom. I quite like their hats. It’s nice to know that the Vatican doesn’t have a monopoly on amusing religious head-wear.

After a few minutes, the happy couple went into the shrine and I walked back to the first Torii at the entrance to the shrine. A short walk away from the main gate is one entrance to Yoyogi Park, a 134 acre green space in the middle of Tokyo.

History time! The first successful powered aircraft flight in Japan took place in December of 1910. That location became an Armyparade ground. In 1945, it housed the “Washington Heights” military barracks for U.S. officers during the Allied occupation of Japan after World War II. In 1964, the baracks area became an athlete’s village for the Olympics. Finally, in 1967, most of that area was turned into Yoyogi Park.

As you can see, it’s a very popular place to be on Sunday afternoons.

A favorite of tourists visiting Yoyogi for the first time are the Rockabilly dance groups that gather in the park. Here’s four pictures of the dancers, submitted without further comment.

Yoyogi is a favored place of lots of different people doing lots of different activities. There’s jugglers…

…and mimes…

…there are boy band dance troupes…

…and nunchaku users…

…teaching other nunchaku users.

There are all-accordion jam bands…

…and cosplay types with many-colored hair.

On the ride over, I saw two teens in full vampire regalia, with special contact lenses and fangs. Regrettably, I did not get a picture.

What’s the most interesting thing you’ve seen in Yoyogi Park?

Magic City Comic Con, Ten Months Later

On November 16, 2015November 16, 2015 By StevenIn Life At Home4 Comments

It’s good to take a break from the Japan posts every so often. With only five posts left from that trip, this seems like a good time to detour.

In January of this year, when I’d been back to the US for just over three months, Amelie and I went to the Magic City Comic Con in Miami. I took a bunch of photos while we were there, and I prepped them for posting in the blog. What happened next was that I got caught up in moving into my first new apartment in the U.S. since 2003, and I completely and utterly forgot to post the Magic City photos.

With that said, here they are, and only ten months late. For the Flash, ten months is an eternity.

Miami Beach party people. Klingons. Same difference.

I feel like Rocky Horror is too easy for a Con, but kudos to this chick for finding that jacket.

As with any costume from video games, there’s always a good chance I just won’t get the reference. And if I never see another Harley Quinn at a con, it’ll be too soon. Seriously, Harley Quinn and Deadpool are the new Crow – there are far, far, far too many of them at any given event.

This was one of the highlights of the day- a “Peanut Butter Jelly Time” dance party with Waldo, Ash, Spidey, and the dancing banana.

Adventure Time’s Ice King needed a break from the South Florida heat.

What did I say earlier about all the Harley Quinns? It’s a little more palatable when she’s with a Joker, Black Mask, and Doctor Freeze.

Amelie, a TARDIS, and a Doctor. I think that’s a Tenth Doctor, but it’s possible she wasn’t going for a specific incarnation. The vaguely steam-punky TARDIS outfit was pretty nifty also.

There were lots of video-game inspired costumes at this con.

…and a larger than average contingent of DC Comics characters, like this excellent Huntress cosplay. The Batman Begins Batsuit utility belt painted purple is a nice touch.

A pretty decent Thor, with YAH. (Yet Another Harley.)

I caught this Airbender on the escalator.

More DC Comics folks- a Poison Ivy, a Robin, YAH, and a Riddler.

Here’s the reason for all the DC Comics Batman characters- Kevin Conroy, the voice of the animated Batman since 1992’s “The Animated Series,” was doing a panel.

Also attending this con was Jim Cumming, the voice of Darkwing Duck, Winnie The Pooh, Tigger, and many more.

…and back to the costumes. I’m not sure what’s going on with Kitty-Thor, but it’s a very fun outfit.

As we were headed out at the end of the day, we walked right past a very well done Spawn.

Which do you prefer, Coke, Pepsi, or some other third brand?

Because Japan 2: Engrish, Safety, and Sweetness

On November 12, 2015November 12, 2015 By StevenIn International Travel - Japan3 Comments

Since I took nearly 2,500 photos during my five weeks in Japan, this is another post full of stuff that doesn’t really fit into my entries about specific places or events.

As a longstanding fan of Engrish, I thoroughly enjoyed a chance to see some wonderfully funny missed translations while I was in Japan. Tokyo did not disappoint.

This is the very steak! I regret that I did not have a chance to eat The Very Steak.

I’m not sure if Meat Potato truly counts as Engrish, but it’s still a funny food descriptor.

This restaurant in Otemachi was absolutely delicious, but their sign was chock full of poetic Engrish.

I’ve learned since my departure that Drug-on Taco is actually a fairly popular chain of taco trucks. Depending on the drug, I can see why that might be the case.

That wraps up my Engrish examples. Next up in this post is the magic that is the Japanese parking garage. As you might imagine, space is at a premium in a city as crowded as Tokyo. It’s no surprise then that the parking solutions here are fascinating and creative.

The first time I walked past one of these bays, I didn’t quite understand what I was looking at.

What I learned later was that cars are returned to this front space in reverse, and the large disk is a giant turntable to rotate the cars so that they are facing forward for departure.

Japan’s focus on safety is omnipresent, so it makes sense that they would not want drivers having to back into city traffic. I would never get tired of the car turntable, because it reminds me of the way the Batcave always kept the Batmobile facing forward in the movies.

This appears to be the back of the bay shown above. The cars are kept in vertical racks, and I believe the car retrieval is automated. I’m not entirely clear on that, however, because I never saw this in operation.

I keep mentioning how Japan is very safety-conscious. My first exposure to this was the very first time that I went to Akihabara with my colleage. As we were walking out of the train station, we saw this worker staring at the building across the street.

Across from her was a coned off area and signs to direct your attention upward.

Above that sign, a single worker is washing lots and lots of windows.

Those with acrophobia or poor balance need not apply.

While walking home from the office at night, I would often see road construction being set up for the night. The crews would dig up tremendous sections of the street and it would all be put back into place by morning. At night, however, the safety gear came out in force. The vest lights blinked in alternating patterns.

Teams of safety workers would keep traffic moving around the dig site with their blinky vests and glowy flashlights.

This man’s vest is not off. It’s just on the off part of the blink cycle at the exact instant that I took the photograph.

Even the cones glow in the darkness!

People doing work on the street in Japan often work in teams. It takes two to ticket this parked vehicle.

These two are really just there to make sure that you don’t get clobbered by falling debris from this tower. There are always two!

Let’s move on to some sweets. Japan is full of fascinating flavors. Some of them are amazing, and some of them are not. These green matcha tea flavored Oreos were not great. I was optimistic when I saw the package, but the flavor was just not much fun.

These tiny crunchy balls of chocolate joy were amazing, and I bought packets of them throughout my trip. The outer shell is crunchy, and the inner part was a sort of creamy fudge.

In the mood for ice cream? 7-11 has you covered, with these ingenious cone-shaped containers of single serve.

The things on the left? Too chewy, and I didn’t enjoy them at all.

The things on the right? Green tea flavored Kit-Kats, which are amazing. Kit-Kat has many fascinating flavors in Japan that are not available in other places. I brought back a small sampling of strawberry flavored Kit-Kats, cheesecake flavored Kit-Kats, and even some Rum-Raisin. The green tea flavor is the best one, though. You can find this in the United States, at specialty shops. Usually near the Pocky.

Have you got a good idea for an end-of-post question? I can’t think of one right now.

Tokyo DisneySea

On November 6, 2015November 6, 2015 By StevenIn International Travel - Japan

In my third weekend in Japan, I went to both of the Disney theme parks in Tokyo. I’ve already covered Tokyo Disneyland, but the other park was far more interesting to me: Tokyo DisneySea. There isn’t an analogous park to DisneySea anywhere else in the world. Many of the rides and concepts in this park are unique to DisneySea.

You still have to use the monorail to get there, however. I always love the monorail.

Tokyo Disney’s monorail is not that different on the inside than any other Tokyo rail car, except that the windows and hand grips all have that familiar Mickey shape. The little red shorts on each hanging ring are especially cute.

The entry courtyard of DisneySea has a giant rotating Earth. Hidden on the other side of the Earth in this picture is a line of people waiting for an official Disney photo of them standing in front of the planet. On the other side of these entry buildings, the rest of the park centers around an area called Mysterious Island, featuring a giant volcano.

The Easter celebration was going on here as well.

The ride wait times display near the front of the park was surprisingly analog! I would have thought that a digital display would be in use here.

First up is Mysterious Island, home of the Journey To The Center Of The Earth ride. I have no photos from that ride, but it was certainly fun.

There’s a 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea ride in Japan, but it was closed on the day that I visited. Fans of the old 20,000 Leagues ride will recognize this submarine from the old Florida 20,000 Leagues ride. It’s just window dressing here, though- the ride inside is reportedly very different than the old Florida version.

This pyramid is part of the Indiana Jones Adventure ride. It’s really very strange to hear Indiana Jones speaking Japanese.

Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Crystal Skull is a fun coaster ride. It has no relation to the movie, however- this was named Temple of the Crystal Skull years before the development of the movie that shares its name.

It looks very peaceful, doesn’t it?

The DisneySea Electric Railway connects different portions of the park.

This is Aquatopia, a ride which uses the same trackless technology as Pooh’s Hunny Hunt over in Tokyo Disneyland. If not for a slight buildup of silt on the floor of the ride’s shallow pool, you wouldn’t be able to tell at all where the cars would go. There was more than one possible track as well, so your car might not go the same way as the car ahead of you, and you might finish slightly before someone who started first.

I stopped for lunch on the American Waterfront section of the park at a place called the Cape Cod Cook-Off. I walked to what I thought was the end of the line, and before long I was ordering my food. What I didn’t realize was that there was a much longer poorly organized line behind me, and that I had accidentally wandered into a character show meal. Since I was alone, I wound up right in front of the stage.

Minnie looks good in purple, don’t you think?

This is Duffy. The show I accidentally dined in is called “My Friend Duffy,” and it centers around this Disney bear. Duffy was created in 2002, but he’s most popular in the Tokyo parks. There’s a great deal of Duffy merchandise available there. He was reintroduced to the American Disney parks only about five years ago.

Tokyo DisneySea does have a Tower of Terror ride, but it has no connection to the Twilight Zone branding because OLC didn’t want to have licensing fees to CBS as well as Disney. Instead, the story is completely different than the Florida version of the ride, and involves a cursed idol.

While I was walking toward the StormRider ride, some of the Incredibles popped out to meet park visitors.

Elastigirl was very popular with the kids.

This is the facade of the StormRider ride. The StormRider attraction is closing next May to be replaced by a new Finding Nemo/Finding Dory ride in 2017, so I’m glad I saw it when I did. I have strong opinions about the constant remaking of rides to incorporate newer Disney properties- I understand why they do it, but I often dislike the changes and miss the original versions. (In other words, Dreamfinder got a raw deal.)

But I digress… StormRider is a ride in which you use a specialized aircraft to fly into and diffuse a storm system. The actual ride is a simulator, similar to Star Tours. This is the entry area, where the storm diffusion technology is explained to the audience.

One huge section of Tokyo DisneySea is built to resemble Aladdin’s Agrabah.

Jasmine’s Flying Carpet ride is basically the same as the Flying Carpets ride in the Magic Kingdom in Florida. Hi, Rajah!

Another large section of the park, Mermaid Lagoon, is built to resemble King Triton’s palace from The Little Mermaid.

Naturally, there’s a statue of Ariel.

And here’s Triton himself, trident in hand, being pulled by two porpoises. Honestly, the notion of using porpoises like horses never made any sense to me, unless he did it on porpoise to make some sort of political point.

Yes, the entire point of that last bit was to set up a dolphin pun. Don’t judge me.

I wanted to go into King Triton’s Concert, but if you look carefully in this photo, you can see that it has a 240 minute wait time. Two hundred forty minutes. I was not interested in waiting four hours to get into this attraction.

Instead, I waited on line for Raging Spirits. The premise for this ride is that it’s an archaeological dig, but the temple designs are based loosely on the Incan aesthetic of The Emperor’s New Groove.