Sorry for the lack of updates recently. Old Dave and myself have been very busy and as such have not had the time to post any new material here. We are currently packing as tomorrow we are making the trip back to the UK so again have no time.
We will post some new content once we have got back home and have settled back into life there, as we have many more photos to share with you all!
Thanks for your support and interest!
The fabulous bullet train – We were about to find out if the stories were true. Is it smooth? Is it quiet? Is it comfortable? Is it as exciting a machine to look at in the ‘metal’ as it is in pictures?
Two views of our train arriving at Tokyo Station.
Details of our train: Shinkansen 700 Series (Hikari 505), bound for Shin-Osaka.
The ladies in pink are the cleaning team, waiting at the platform as our train arrived. 20 minutes later (if that!) the train was ready for us to board.
Two views of the inside of the train. The first shows the extreme length of the carriage. The second shows the width and the comfortable amount of leg room each seat has.
The rear of the train, when the train returns, the white headlamps turn red to act as rear lights.
The ‘Pilot’ and his train. This highly prestigious and coveted position means that his uniform is more like an airline pilot’s.
A different Shinkansen spotted at Shin-Osaka station, not sure which type.
For the enthusiasts amongst you, the Hikari 505 that we were on, is the fastest Shinkansen that you can ride with a JR Rail Pass (A special discounted travel card only available to overseas visitors). It travels at a maximum speed of 270km/h, and covered the journey of 514.4km (from Tokyo Station to Shin-Osaka Station) in 3 hours. This particular service stopped at several other stations en route.
So what’s the verdict?
Visually it’s a beautiful machine, inside it’s very much like being in an aircraft. The ride is very smooth, quiet and apart from the occasional banking when it takes a curve, there is not very much obvious feeling of movement. There are times when it does whine like it has jet engines, but this is not really obtrusive. A great way to travel and a great experience.
A selection of pictures from our trip to Ueno Zoo.
Shooting through glass and wire mesh means that our pictures are not as good as we would have liked, and there are many more animals & birds in the Zoo than we have pictured here.
The Miraikan museum is located in Odaiba, and is reached by a ride on the Yurikamome line (See earlier post). This museum is famous for two main exhibits, the first is its wonderful animated globe, which is studded with hundreds of small LCD screens which allow it to display a whole Earth image, which forms part of a very interesting lecture at various times of the day. When the lecture is being given you can still watch the globe change from day to night, and see weather patterns flowing across it. It is quite memorising.
It’s second claim to fame, is that it is home to ASIMO the Robot.
There are numerous other displays of interest, including an area devoted to deep sea exploration, and the human body.
The Miraikan was a very enjoyable day out, but be warned, although there is some English explanation, it is scant and left me wanting to know more. Still well worth a visit, but Asimo is only on show twice a day, so find out when before you plan your trip.
Here are a selection of photos from our visit:
(I was hoping to add a couple of videos too, but have had some trouble accessing my YouTube, so I will try and add them later when I resolve those issues)
This is a truly wonderful museum, with a fascinating array of exhibits and models, detailing the development of old Edo into modern Tokyo.
The entrance into the museum is spectacular, as you walk across a recreation of an old Edo bridge. To the left and right are full size reproductions of old Tokyo buildings and landmarks. Once across the bridge, a highly detailed selection of dioramas, with excellent buildings in miniature, and thronging crowds of tiny people, each one an individual to populate the scenes.
Pictures really don’t do this museum justice, you really need to come and spend at least half a day here yourself. If you arrive about lunch time, there is a fantastic restaurant, just outside the main entrance.
Here are a few pictures, which I hope you will enjoy!
This poster was advertising a special exhibit about the history of Tokyo public transport. Sadly we were not allowed to take photos in this special exhibit, but the poster is a work of art, and I thought I would share it with you.
Whilst out and about exploring Odaiba, we stumbled upon a couple of unusual sculptures. They made for some interesting pictures we thought we would share:
Meiji Jingu is a Shinto shrine, dedicated to the memory of the Emperor Meiji, 122nd Emperor of Japan, and his Consort, Empress Shoken. Shinto is the ancient religion of Japan, has no founder, and no Holy book, but values harmony with nature, and such virtues as Magokoro, which translates as a sincere heart. In Shinto, Kami is “divine spirit”, and may be found in mythology, nature, and some human beings.
The park was built to enshrine the spirits of the Emperor and his consort, (their bodies are buried in Kyoto), and the shrine is surrounded by a forest of over 170,000 trees, of 245 species, which were supplied and planted by Public donation, in 1920.
Today, the park is a tranquil green haven, a refuge from the busy heart of Tokyo, a wonderful place to stroll under the leafy shadows of the forest trees, and catch your breath from the hectic city.
Whichever entry to the park is chosen, the path passes under a Torii, (literally, a bird perch), a traditional double arched Japanese gate, that marks the entrance to a Shinto shrine, and the boundary between the worlds of the sacred and the profane.
Our path was punctuated at regular intervals by beautiful lanterns, placed in pairs on either side of the path, to mark the route.
At one point along our chosen path, (we came in from Harajuku station), close by the Bunkan Treasure Museum, we came across a wall of barrels of Sake, donated to the shrine by various benefactors. Each barrel has an individual decoration – some have colourful pictures, while some are more simply decorated, with beautiful Japanese calligraphy.
Another Torii gate marked the entrance to the precincts of the shrine proper, and just outside it, the Temiyuza, or font, where worshippers wash their hands, then rinse their mouths, before proceeding on.
In comparison to the ornate fountain and metal cups provided at Sensoji, note here the very simple bamboo waterspout and cups. This reflects one of the differences between this Shinto Shrine and Asakusa which is a Buddhist Temple. (Thanks tokyo5!)
The shrine itself is a building beautiful in its simplicity, and I was struck by the skills of the carpenters and metalworkers responsible for its magnificent quality. Care was evident in every part of its build.
Photography is forbidden inside the shrine, (and on the day of our visit, it wasn’t open anyway), so I have no images for you to see.
Looking back into the forest, towards Meiji Jingu.
Meiji Jingu Shrine is a place of peace and quiet beauty, set in the heart of a man-made forest in the midst of the teeming metropolis of Tokyo. It provides precious solitude for those that seek it. Visit it, if you can.
Odaiba is an area very rich in attractions. There are numerous museums, shops, amusements and sights to be seen.
The Sega Joypolis theme park is one of these attractions.
At first you think that is it just a simple amusement arcade but it is a little bit more than that. There are numerous themed rides/games that are not quite the video games you would expect to find in such a place.
I confess one of my main reasons to visit WAS a video game, but not just any video game.
Initial D was originally a Manga about illegal street racing in Japan, particularly focussed on mountain races and drifting. The game has been around in various forms for a few years now, but Sega have decided for Joypolis to take the ‘4th Stage’ revision of the game and make it a little bit more special…
The game is now played by sitting in a full size car – one of the three that the main characters drive, which is mounted on hydraulics that react to every twist, turn, and of course drift, the car makes in the game. The idea being you are actually drifting on these mountain roads.
The Cars:
Toyota Sprinter Trueno (AE86)
Subaru Impreza WRX
Mazda RX7
Sadly you couldn’t pick which car you went in, as I would have chosen the Toyota. Instead I ended up in the RX7 which was quite an experience. The car was very low and it was almost like sitting on the floor! On the bright side they let you take a passenger so it was great to take Old Dave for a spin and throw him around a little. I dare say he won’t go anywhere near my car back home now…
Other attractions included the fairly recent addition of ‘Gyakuten Kenji’ (Which translates as Turnabout Prosecutor – though as fans will know in the UK the game is called ‘Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth’)
The premise here was that (much like the game) you have to solve a crime, but you only have about 20 minutes to complete this one. Sadly as my Japanese is a bit rusty (that’s actually non existent) I could not have a go at this one 😦
(Not my picture – Thanks Google images!)
Next was the “Wild Jungle Brothers” ride – we sat side by side in a 12 seater “Jeep”, the doors opened, and we “drove” into a dark space. The doors closed behind us, and the huge wrap-around screen lit up. A manic Japanese voice started shouting away from behind us, and the “Jeep” lurched forward on a mad, high speed “drive” into the jungle, that seemed to be all around us. We bumped up and down, lurched from side to side, then nearly went over a “cliff”.
All the women and kids on the ride, (everyone else but us, that is), screamed, as the “Jeep” hung over the cliff edge. The we fell, and you could feel the “wind” blowing into your face. We raced down narrow canyons. teetered on the edge of vertiginous mountain roads, rased over swaying rope “bridges” that fell to bits as we drove over them. Tremendous fun – The mums and kids all loved it, and so did Old Dave and I. When it was over, there was a spontaneous round of applause from the audience, and it was well deserved – a very cleverly done ride!
(Not my picture – Thanks Google images!)
Then we went on the “Wild Wing” ride – a very similar sort of thing, but we were sitting in a kind of sled, that was “towed” through the “sky” on the end of a “rope” by a “biplane” A similar sort of story to the previous ride – Huge fun, and very entertaining. The only problem with both rides was that the seating and legroom was very cramped for my western frame – and I really had to suck the gut in to get the safety bar down!
Next we went to “Unfair – The Attraction”, based on a Japanese movie I’ve not seen, nor previously heard of. It was popular, (as all the attractions were), so we had to queue for 15-20 minutes, to get in. We were “inducted” into a platoon of “combatants” by a small man, but he had more than enough shout to make up for his lack of stature!
We were issued with our “Guns” (laser guns with lots of flashing lights and sound effects), and told how to use them. Through the curtains into the shooting range, where we were all given a shot at 3 targets, (which were lights on a soldier silhouette). Our platoon leader was impressed when Old Dave scored 3 out of 3 – (so was he because he had his reading glasses on!). Then, through another pair of curtains, into an area where there were a number of crates and boxes for us to hide behind.
Behind a chain-link wire fence in front of us, the “enemy” appeared – soldier mannequins, who were “shooting (invisible infra-red light beams at us) – (3 “hits” on our gun, and we were out of the game). As we were all shooting at the targets, another soldier crept down the side of us, but Old Dave spotted him, and the enemy was driven back by the intense fire from our “platoon”, and fell to the floor, “Dead!”
Our platoon leader then informed us that we had a “Bomb” to defuse. As usual, all the girls and kids were screaming, as he yelled out (in Japanese) “Which wire shall I unplug? The Red? The Green? The Yellow? Quick, Quick, the timer is counting down! Quickly! Which wire? What one next!” Old Dave and I were in fits, and he pulled out the last wire with just one second left to spare. (Talk about clichéd!) Then the “bomb” went off anyway! Another great laugh, and we really enjoyed it.
(Not my picture – Thanks Google images!)
We finished the day with “Dark Chapel”, a 3D theatre, and we had to wear special specs. The theatre was made to look like an old church, and the show was (unfortunately) voiced in Japanese, but we got the gist of the story, which was really secondary to the 3D effects – a skull that seemed to fly out of the screen and into our faces, a fire-breathing dragon, whose hot breath you could feel on your face, and when it was killed by being frozen, you could feel the cold air, too. Now and again the pews bumped, and at one stage all tipped forward with a jolt. Again, hugely entertaining, and very cleverly done – the 3D effects were brilliant!
Unfortunately we were unable to take photos of these attractions as photography was not allowed. We do however recommend these attractions as being suitable for the elderly (like Old Dave), the sceptical (like Old Dave), and the terminally miserable (surprise surprise, like Old Dave!). Joypolis is a great day out for all the family, even the old ones. Go and have a great time!
After my UFO Catcher successes, I decided to take a break from such frivolous pastimes, and turned my attention to a different sort of games machine.
This type is similar to coin push machines that many of you will know, the only difference is that this one pushes stacks of sweets towards a chute.
Here is what happened when I played…
This bag contains 2kg’s of chocolate bars and assorted sweets.
I think you’d agree this is a result!
Another day, and more tat has been caught.
Just for those of you who are still not sure what a UFO Catcher is, here is what one looks like:
There are many other variations of the basic machine. This one is quite small, there are other much larger ones with one, two, or even three hooks. The prizes vary greatly too, from soft toys to T-shirts.
Today’s fantastic haul consists of:
(And of course the Yellow Bear you saw me win in the second picture!)
The Shinjuku Incident 