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Monster Hunting in Japan
  • Kaiju Tales
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Apr 2018 – Sep 2025

Monster Hunting in Japan

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    Kaiju TalesMonster Hunting in JapanTraveler

    Saraba da Japan!

    April 27, 2018 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    You've been amazeballs Japan. Hopefully I'll be able to come back again some day.

    Observations:

    So many that I have heaps of unfinished blog entries awaiting completion when I get home.

    Kaiju Collected:

    A desire to come back again!    Read more

  • Kaiju TalesMonster Hunting in JapanTraveler

    You know you are flying to Australia...

    April 27, 2018 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    ...when a significant portion of people waiting in the checkout line are wearing thongs and shorts even though it's 20 degrees.

    Observations:

    The ambient language is shifting back to English, so general understanding of other people's conversations is stating to seep in as well.

    Australians are loud. Half of the time it's to complain about something.

    Kaiju Collected:

    6 pairs of thongs within a 10 metre radius.    Read more

  • Kaiju TalesMonster Hunting in JapanTraveler

    A Queen of Tarts at the Dreamers Lounge

    April 27, 2018 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    Getting some last minute fancy-ness while waiting for the airport bus to take us back to the real world.

    Observations:

    I poached the pic of the cafe because I couldn't do it justice. It's a bit of posh dining with middle class prices.

    Since it's frequently hotel guests waiting for the bus, the clientele is pretty mixed but this is also the kind of place where you could get all cosplayed up for some steampunk adventures and have breakfast here.

    Being Japan, I wouldn't be surprised if that is what the locals do anyway - saw plenty of teenager types doing the Victorian era dress code for DisneySea.

    Sandwiches were nice - if you don't mind salmon. They also do high tea sets. Deserts were awesome - or at least the strawberry tart I had was!

    Kaiju Collected:

    Strawberry tart and real coffee - albeit in modest quantities.    Read more

  • Kaiju TalesMonster Hunting in JapanTraveler

    Excess Baggage 2: The Return

    April 27, 2018 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    The sequel to Excess Baggage is yet another pair of shoes being sacrificed for the needs of the many.

    Observations:

    Next time travelling to Japan I'm thinking I'll bring less shirts since I seem to just buy more anyway.

    The small compact umbrellas we bought didn't last very long in a Tokyo gust of wind, ponchos were better. That second lot of umbrellas we bought in the park were broken too - but they were never coming home anyway. I think the locals must go through a lot of umbrellas in this place while they laugh their way through a mini tornado.

    The shoes look fancy-ish but they were poorly fitting cheapos from Target that never recovered from getting saturated.

    Jacket was a second hand thing that took up a lot of space but was consistently too hot to wear.

    Lol - to think I previously considered taking smaller bags - forgot about all the geek stuff.

    Kaiju Collected:

    More storage space.    Read more

  • Kaiju TalesMonster Hunting in JapanTraveler

    When it Rains, Just Keep Swimming

    April 25, 2018 in Japan ⋅ 🌬 18 °C

    Raining and blowing a gail in DisneySea won't stop the Japanese from getting into the spirit of things.

    Observations:

    If this were Brisbane or most Australian cities, this weather would have brought the transport system to a halt and the social media outrage would be apocalyptic.

    Here, it's just another day.

    Kaiju Collected:

    Ponchos and more durable umbrellas.    Read more

  • Kaiju TalesMonster Hunting in JapanTraveler

    Achievement Unlocked: Shinkansen

    April 24, 2018 in Japan ⋅ 🌧 18 °C

    Gun control starts at home - we should really stop referring to these as "bullet trains" since they don't look like that anymore, but the shinkansen are totally awesome.

    Observation:

    The original Tōkaidō Shinkansen connects Tokyo to Osaka and is the one we used to take us between the tow. This while time looking for the "Hikari" service rather than the "Nozumi" service on the platforms, I always assumed it was the name of the line.

    I've only just discovered that "Hikari" actually means "light" and stops at more stations while"Nozumi" means "hope/wish" and is faster. The Hikari line is covered by the JR Rail Pass that foreigners can get, the Nozumi is the more expensive premier service for fancy pants Japanese suits. So my new name for the Hikari is the "Gaijin Express" since the non-reserved section is pretty much full of them.

    Gaijin Express or not, these trains are totally awesome. It's super fast travel that is cost comparable to flying, but massively more convenient and comfortable than flying ever could be - which is you know, the way train travel is supposed to work in normal countries.

    Getting on in Tokyo, the Hikari were leaving every 10 minutes, but in peak periods, this route carries up to thirteen trains per hour in each direction with sixteen cars each (1,323-seat capacity and occasionally additional standing passengers) with a minimum headway of three minutes between trains. From a transport policy wonk perspective, that is a crapload more capacity than can be achieved by planes.

    From a comfort perspective, screw flying - these things have plenty of leg space and the carriages are wide because they use normal-country rail gauges rather than super narrow tram tracks masquerading as "heavy rail" (*ahem* QLD Rail sucks).

    If you have any self respect left, you also don't have to go through the dehumanising process of border control security checks and delays while a bunch of insecure pricks use their overblown powers to boost their ego in the name of terrorism - just get on, get off where you need to go.

    As much as Japan loves robots, these things are also actually fully staffed by humans, not just people to drive the bloody thing, but also conductors and omg stewards walk up and down the isle.

    The stations are either in the middle of the fracken city, or they are well connected to *convenient* train connections at the other end that make transfers easy.

    If there was a single thing that makes Australia feel like a backwater full of sooky la la's who have lost the ability to actually build anything like a normal country, it's our lack of fast rail - pull your finger out Australia!

    Kaiju Collected:

    The JR Rail Pass is a ticket to ride (in comfort, to anywhere, cheaply)    Read more

  • Kaiju TalesMonster Hunting in JapanTraveler

    Japanese Wrap, No Trash Talk

    April 24, 2018 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    It's traditional to give gifts with elaborate wrapping. It's not traditional to provide bins - but it's still clean!

    Observations:

    In Japan if you buy anything, they wrap it, put it in a bag. Takeaway latte = would you like me to put it in a bag. Is this a gift for someone = I'll put each cookie in a separate bag.

    Wrapping is everything. The traditional gift wrapping cloth you can buy at trinket shops is called furoshiki. There is a whole technique devoted to wrapping gifts with cloth that requires no tape or staples, it's like origami with cloth.

    But the modern translation of furoshiki seems to be shopping bags. The bakery we had breakfast from individually wraps each bun in a plastic sleeve, then puts all you purchases in a high gloss thick bag that looks like you bought perfume from Gucci.

    Meanwhile, there are hardly any bins anywhere in Japan. Anywhere. Yet the place is also immaculately clean and therw is no rubbish blowing about the streets. Anywhere.

    The rare bins you do find are coloured coded for sorting, but the criteria change for each city. It can be... complicated...

    https://www.tofugu.com/japan/garbage-in-japan/

    Still not sure where all the rubbish goes but I have a sneaking suspicion it is partly cultural.

    1. Rubbish is a "domestic" duty, so all the rubbish gets disposed of at home.

    2. Drinking tea/coffee is a more social activity so you sit down to drink with other people - I never saw anyone walk and drink anywhere.

    3. Robot House Elves clean up everything when you aren't looking. Or at least it feels that way. Did notice a lot more gardeners and health and safety types. The one time I saw rubbish and ordinary civilian picked it up.

    I think though that most of the rubbish goes home for recycling - it's only the travelling gaijin who drink and walk who get excited when they find a bin to dispose of their coffee cups in.    Read more

  • Kaiju TalesMonster Hunting in JapanTraveler

    Kyoto Tower of (not so much) Terror

    April 22, 2018 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    It's a tower but, like Kyoto in general, more modest. Without the flashy lights of Tokyo or the price tag.

    Observations:

    Kyoto has less people in it than Brisbane but it's more compact, being a river valley surrounded on three sides by mountains.

    This tower is actually not that tall but is still the highest point in Kyoto because every building in the downtown area is almost uniformly a dozen or so floors, while the rest of Kyoto has a high proportion of traditional buildings of 3-4 stories.

    Essentially you can see all of Kyoto from this tower.

    It's not very big but they have installed interactive touch screens in the observation deck that can be switched to multiple languages.

    Some tourists rather unkindly call this a tourist trap but it's right next to the gigantic Kyoto Station and it's cheap - so it's not really a trap if it's convenient and cheap...

    Kaiju Collected:

    A nice view.    Read more

  • Kaiju TalesMonster Hunting in JapanTraveler

    Japanese Drinking like a Fish

    April 21, 2018 in Japan ⋅ 🌙 18 °C

    Grog is sold in convenience stores and vending machines, so accidentally getting an alcoholic drink from a vending machine when you can't read the language is bit of a gaijin hazard.

    1. Kirin Lemon: Doesn't taste as sickly sweet as lemonade, probably the favourite thus far.

    2. Suntory Pop White Soda: Suntory is a large Japanese brewery, Pop is just to distinguish it from their harder grog. I still have no idea what this drink was - I think it may have been a sweetly tasting slightly alcoholic energy drink...? :/

    3. Match: Kind reminds me of Lucozade - fizzy vaguely citrus but with the definiative aftertaste of pointlessly added vitamins and minerals that is just going to go straight through you.

    4. Vitamin CC Lemon: Lemon cordial and soda water.

    5. Mitsuya Cider: It's like soda water but with a creaming soda after taste. Nothing in Japan with "cider" on it is actually cider.

    6. Aquarius: I think they took water and mixed in some lemon cordial.

    Kaiju Collected:

    A lot of Kirin Lemon.    Read more

  • Kaiju TalesMonster Hunting in JapanTraveler

    Japanese Bread and Circuses

    April 21, 2018 in Japan ⋅ 🌙 18 °C

    Japanese bread tastes different and is used differently to bread in western countries.

    Bread in Japan is commonly called "pan" due to the Portuguese traders who introduced it, but it never really started to be baked locally by the Japanese till the Meiji period (1868-1912) when the Japanese were adopting all kinds of Western things. It didn't really take off with the locals though until 1874 when Yasubei Kimura created anpan, or buns stuffed with red bean paste called an, or anko. Anko was commonly used in Japanese sweets (hence the sweet connection) and Kimura's bakery, Kimuraya Sohonten went gang busters as a result - it's still standing even. People really got into bread when the Emperor got a taste of it and gave it the royal tick of approval.

    1. Strawberry and Whipped Cream Sandwich: Kinda like an ice cream sandwich, but not as cold - bread here seems to be more commonly associated with desserts or sweeter tastes rather than salty or savory ones.

    2. Mystery bread roll: This turned out to be more like a herb bread, though really soft. So more like a sweet herb bread.

    3. Mystery bread bun: "Fluffy buttery butter is the deciding factor" says Google translate, and it's correct - it's definitely buttery, and it was the deciding factor in me not eating all of it. It also said it was melon, but I'm pretty sure that is referring to shape rather than taste - this was just like a giant ball of buttery butter.

    4. Uchi Cafe: I think these are cream puff pastry, but probably coffee flavoured.

    5. Lawson Bakery mystery bread: I think this was anpan with a curry paste...? Probably pork - it's usually pork.

    Kaiju Collected:

    A lot of carbs and sugar.    Read more

  • Kaiju TalesMonster Hunting in JapanTraveler

    Achievement Unlocked: Nightingale Ninjas

    April 21, 2018 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    While in Nijo Castle in Kyoto, got to experience the (infamous) ninja detection device known as the Nightingale Floors for myself to see if they were all that and a bag of bush warblers.

    You aren't allowed to take photos within the palace building though so all of these pics are poached from the internets.

    Observations:

    The floors are called uguisubari in Japanese, the "nightingale" in the English version refers to the Japanese bush warbler, or uguisu.

    Dry wooden boards often creak under pressure, but nightingale floors are deliberately designed to have wooden joints that create a bird like chirp when walked on to ensure no one could walk the corridors of the palace without everyone knowing about it.

    This was particularly important in the palaces of the shoguns, since they created the Ninja as a profession to assassinate each other. Nightingale floors aren't really a tourist trap, they are a ninja detection system. This is also why the Ninja had to learn how to be light of foot - enough to run across the water, fly up walls and dance on bamboo leaves...

    Nijo Castle in Kyoto was built by the Tokugawa clan, who produced the longest line of super-popular shoguns. By super-popular I mean powerful. By powerful I mean the other clans were frequently annoyed at them for being the coolest kids in the yard. They would frequently hire ninjas in order to teach them a bit of humility by assassinating anyone who was giving them particular grief.

    In a pretty ballsy move, the Tokugawa forced the other clans to all contribute to the construction of Nijo Castle, including an extensive network of ninja detecting nightingale floors.

    As a result, the Ninomaru Palace within Nijo Castle is now a good example of nightingale floors, partly because there is so many of them - they are all over the joint (literally and figuratively).

    The fall of the Tokugawa shoguns and the reestablishment of the Emperor with the Meiji Restoration resulted in the Imperial Palace claiming all former Tokugawa property, which they had a recurring tendency to turn into national parks and/or museums. So in a somewhat ironic twist of fate, the extensive nightingale floors of the former high-security Nijo Castle are now also the most accessible former palaces in Japan.

    So are they any good?

    Well it's also a bit difficult to test your light-footed ninja skills on the floors when you are just one of a constant stream of heavy-footed tourists all trampling along the designated route, but I'd say they are indeed pretty sensitive.

    The sound they make is definitely distinctive and chirpy bird-like. While it is better than creaking wood planks, I would think it would get kinda annoying after a while. On the other hand, if the alternative is death by ninja, I'm thinking any aspiring shogun would rather listen to the nightingale floors.    Read more

  • Kaiju TalesMonster Hunting in JapanTraveler

    Higashiyama: Grandma Momo

    April 21, 2018 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    Higashyama has been catering to tourists for centuries. They play a very classy game.

    Observations:

    Higashiyama is actually a lot longer than many tourists realise since they normally just come from tourist central Gion, then march straight up the Yasaka Pagoda and go straight to the Kiyomizudera temple - or they just get off the bus right outside the temple even.

    https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3959.html

    Pushy tourists in particular aim straight for Kiyomizudera for the Instagram money shots because they want to get in and out as fast as possible.

    But if you start from Higashiyama station and walk the longer route through Maruyama Park and then follow the historic streets all the way to Kiyomizudera, I think you probably get a better experience (though it does mean extra walking).

    Japanese people often visit Kyoto themselves in small groups to go full-Edo, get dressed in Kimonos and explore their history. The Japanese have been cosplaying for a really long time...

    This longer route to Kiyomizudera is also popular with Japanese couples and newlyweds since Kiyomizudera is also a temple associated with luck and good relationships. The vibe is a bit different in this part.

    This was also the part of town that we came across Grandma Momo's little arts and crafts store (I don't actually know her name, I just picked a Japanese name that fit).

    Grandma Momo's establishment was your typical ma and pa shop with an attached tiny home. Less frequented by the gaijin trade but still really cool stock - mix of hand crafted and the usual common stuff.

    Grandma Momo herself was a lovely woman - didn't speak a word of English but terribly excited we visited her shop, completely over the moon when we decided to buy trinkets since we may have been her first customers that day (it was past lunch).

    She liked to talk to herself a lot like a slighlty befuddled yet wizened alchemist from some Miyazaki movie. I'm sure she makes magic charms and has an evil twin sister who might try to trick us later.

    Actually that's kinda what her retail style was like - there's a whole magic ritual of service to go through, but she didn't get to do it often. When Beryl from next door for a chat only to hang up without saying anything it threw her off her retail incantations. When some other gaijin walked in she really started to get the performance pressure of alchemy under stress since there was actually a line of customers in her store.

    He only wanted to know where the toilet was.

    Pretty sure we made Grandma Momo's day based on the money in the till - a lot of Japanese vendors have automated tills that collect and sort money, Grandma Momo is old school.

    Alas, I'm not a kid in a small community in Japan, or else I could do deliveries around town for Grandma Momo and she would reward me with a magic broomstick and recruit me into a larger battle against dark forces threatening to take over the townsfolk.

    Kaiju Collected:

    Magic infused trinkets, a day's worth of income in one purchase for Grandma Momo.    Read more

  • Kaiju TalesMonster Hunting in JapanTraveler

    Language Exams at the Terminal Cafe

    April 21, 2018 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    It's kinda like a Melbourne cafe in Kyoto. But I'm probably interested in the latte. I didn't have poached eggs but I poached the pics.

    www.terminal-cafe-by-room-lab.com

    Observations:

    It's thankfully a non smoking cafe which is actually something to be aware of still in Japan. Although they are increasingly hiding smokers away in smoking rooms, sometimes the result is just puffs of smoke whenever the next victim opens the door to the gas chamber.

    Hospitality staff in Japan are crazy friendly and this place is no exception. You do have to get someone's attention to place your order here which has led to some negative reviews from gaijin who didn't know the rules and thought they were being ignored.

    I sometimes wonder if I had any Japanese language skills that maybe the wait staff would be less anxious in dealing with me. It often feels like Japanese people are often both keen to help yet really afraid of not having sufficient English skills to satisfy foreigners.

    It's like every exchange is an English speaking exam and they really want to do well but are really nervous of the process.

    In which case I'm a terrible examiner since I either point at pictures, or speak too fast and use complicated words.

    Kaiju Collected:

    A latte and it was glorious.    Read more

  • Kaiju TalesMonster Hunting in JapanTraveler

    Neon Genesis Evangeli-Train

    April 20, 2018 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    Did I mention that Japan likes trains AND anime? So put the two together and you get a Neon Genesis Evangelion themed Shinkansen train...

    Observations:

    The Kyoto Railway Museum includes a mock up of the real Eva themed Shinkansen that is running till May between Tokyo and Osaka. The real one is... quite frankly better!

    A lot of the trains in Japan have their own musical tune to announce their arrival at a station, when the Eva Shinkansen approaches a station it even plays the Evangelion theme song so you know it's no ordinary train you are about to catch.

    They of course have their own standard Japanese merchandise which consists of branded stationery and keychains.

    I actually didn't know this exhibit was here till we showed up, but in and odd twist of fate the shirt I'm wearing on this day is an Asuka-themed one I got from the Evangelion store when we were in Tokyo - so an Asuka-pose next to an Asuka cut out while wearing an Auska shirt seemed appropriate. Rei meanwhile gets a typical Rei pose with the distant stare in the pits of nothingness.

    Shinji gets nothing.

    Themed trains is actually a bit of a longstanding tradition in Japan, they call them Joyful Trains. Some are Pokemon themed, there's an art gallery train from JR:

    https://www.jrailpass.com/blog/joyful-character…

    One of the railway companies claims it was "saved" by going full on cat themed:

    http://www.wakayama-dentetsu.co.jp/en/

    They are really into this stuff...

    Kaiju Collected:

    Asuka character shot, Rei meet and greet - totally just like in the show!    Read more

  • Kaiju TalesMonster Hunting in JapanTraveler

    Hiro of the Rails

    April 20, 2018 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    Hiro once lived on a railway in Japan, where he was famously known as the "Master of the Railway". He was eventually sent to Sodor and tormented by the Fat Controller like Thomas and his friends.

    Observations:

    Hiro should have stayed in Japan. A famous train known as the "Master of the Railway" would be given a place of prestige in a place like the Kyoto Railway Musuem, not simply left in a siding and "forgotten" for so long that a forest grew around him.

    This museum is huge. It's also a huge magnet for train spotter geeks from all over the world since it houses over 50 engines of various types and eras in pristine condition.

    The exhibit style of Japanese museums for science and technology tends to be pretty super detailed and interactive - they really took on to the Great Exhibition model of displays from the Victorian era and just never stopped.

    This includes interactive exhibits of old train stations, to engine cabins you can sit in, a traffic control room, a working rail switch, a cutaway of a ticket machine you can see working - the even had a close up look at how power is transferred to engines via power lines... (?).

    The also kept to theme with purchases - you use your transit card to buy the entry ticket and pay for food at the cafeteria. There are also two converted trams sitting outside in the park that also serve as a cafe for the riff raff though.

    Outside is the roundhouse and sheds for the steam engines that enable you to get up and close and into the cabins of most of them. They also have their own regular steam train service that takes you on a quick tour around the block (so to speak). In typical Japanese train style, it operates frequently throughout the day, and well patronised by the locals.

    You could write a book (and I'm sure many have) about the Meiji Restoration and how it firmly fixed railways into the national psyche of modern Japan, this museum is really just a homage to this fixation with the Master of the Railway.

    Kaiju Collected:

    I got to drive a train! (or at least sit in the drivers seat and move some dials)    Read more

  • Kaiju TalesMonster Hunting in JapanTraveler

    Japanese Convenience Food

    April 19, 2018 in Japan ⋅ 🌙 20 °C

    There is a 7 Eleven on one corner, a Lawsons on another, a Family Mart on the third, and an independent store on the fourth. They all have customers in them 24/7.

    I've been experimenting with local convenience food on the side - it's "experimenting" since I don't always know what it is...

    1. Mystery meal: It tasted like generic meat product (chicken) with lettuce. I think it was generic teriyaki. It was mostly lettuce.

    2. Ice Cream: It was a pre-made ice cream in a container. It tasted like ice cream.

    3. Red and White: I'm pretty sure this was frozen yogurt, two raspberry, two plain yogurt.

    4. Mystery Fruit: Pretty sure it had a peach in there, but all fruit in syrup/jelly tastes the same anywhere.

    5. Ever Evolving SNACK: Open the pack, it smells horrible. As soon as it touches your tongue, spicy horrible. Eat it, horrible. After taste, horrible. I think it was supposed to be a spicy prawn, horrible.

    6. Soyjoy: Dehydrated space food snack. I think the name is overcompensating.

    7. Meiji Chocolate: Dark chocolate - given how many people here are lactose intolerant, milk chocolate is rare.

    8. Chicken Rice, Soy Sauce Tuna Mayo: Actually not too bad for rice in a packet. Success.

    Kaiju Collected:

    Convenience.    Read more

  • Kaiju TalesMonster Hunting in JapanTraveler

    Gojo to Gion

    April 19, 2018 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    I think this counts as a walk around the block...? Went looking for a latte, accidentally went a little further afield than planned.

    Observations:

    You know those pictures of people trout fishing in the mountains and the rivers are relatively shallow and full of stones? Build a city around it and you have Kyoto. The Kamo River is one of the larger rivers that flows through Kyoto, but it has a large variation in water flow depending on the season.

    It's currently about ankle deep, but the traditional looking tea houses and restaurants all become riverside periodically during the year. The end result are these seasonal parkland strips in the middle of the city.

    Kyoto might be surrounded by mountains, but it's actually quite flat - end result is a lot of people ride bikes - no lycra, no helmets, just "civilians". Though there were a few people that looked like Miss Almira Gulch from the Wizard of Oz riding on her bike...

    Kaiju Collected:

    The first "hot" day in Japan.    Read more

  • Kaiju TalesMonster Hunting in JapanTraveler

    Teleporting Between Osaka and Kyoto

    April 19, 2018 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    Feels a bit posh to use a Shinkansen for just one stop, but it's one advantage to having a JR Rail Pass for unlimited travel.

    Observations: the unreserved carriages are basically economy. If you are doing quick city hops though they will do.

    Kaiju Collected: one very fast train trip    Read more

  • Kaiju TalesMonster Hunting in JapanTraveler

    Excess Baggage

    April 19, 2018 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    I left my old shoes in Osaka. They had no soul left because of a deal with the devil.

    Observations:

    Rather glad we didn't opt to take the smaller bags.

    Unless you are in the middle of summer, it's going to get cold enough to warrant taking extra layers. If you turn up in winter, expect snowfall and fluffy-space-hogging clothing to match.

    All of which means there is less space to buy cool things.

    Clothing and footwear is temporary, otaku is forever.

    Kaiju Collected:

    Extra luggage space.    Read more

  • Kaiju TalesMonster Hunting in JapanTraveler

    Achievement Unlocked: #Ravenclaw4life

    April 18, 2018 in Japan ⋅ 🌙 17 °C

    The wand might choose the wizard, but the wizard chooses the House - the Sorting Hat just tells you what you already know. In my case, that house was always going to be Ravenclaw.

    Observations:

    The Harry Potter worlds at the Universal Studios theme parks are a totally cool immersive experience, but one that is even better if you do what the Japanese do and really participate in the theme.

    The imperative to get in your house colours as soon as possible is even more of an imperative if you are at Universal Studios Japan, and don't speak any Japanese.

    We spent almost our entire time at Universal in our respective house colours, the response from the locals was constant: they really appreciated us getting into the spirit of things like them, it also became a way to communicate - everyone working at Universal knows the Hogwarts lore, they know an appreciate the underlying personality types between the different houses - and they all had their favourites.

    We even had staff members from other parts of the park remembering us on different days purely based on their interactions with us a Ravenclaw and Slytherin.

    One of the really cool things about the Hogwarts houses is the houses are roughly based on four major motivations that inform personality types, and the colours and emblems of each house evoke those anyway. So you don't need to go through the official pottermore Sorting Hat, or even read the books or see the films - simply choosing the house you like is roughly equivalent to the Sorting Hat anyway since it only puts you in the house you choose...

    I'm going to make a sweeping cultural generalisation and suggest that the Japanese "get" the purpose of the Hogwarts houses better than western audiences do. Unlike westerners, the Japanese don't seem to see different houses as simplistic good/bad terms, they see them as all being different sides of everyone. As such, they are much more willing to proudly identify with their house, which results in a much more diverse range. There's no house baggage here for the House Elves to clean up - there really were plenty of out and proud Slytherins and Hufflepuffs in full Hogwarts kit - there were even some Malfoy cosplayers doing the rounds complete with platinum blonde hair.

    I'm not entirely confident you'd get the same experience in the US based Universal parks - but I could be wrong (till we go there...).

    So if you are into Harry Potter, go to Univsersal Studios Japan, go straight to the Harry Potter part of the park and march straight to Dervish and Banges and pick out your house colours and wear them proudly for the duration of your visit - it's so much cooler.

    If you have never read Harry Potter or seen the movies, go straight to the Harry Potter part of the park and march straight to Dervish and Banges and pick out the house colours you fancy most and wear them proudly for the duration of your visit - it's so much cooler.

    Kaiju Collected: Quidditch attire (shirt, hoodie and scarf). Alas, there were no Ravenclaw beanies left :(    Read more

  • Kaiju TalesMonster Hunting in JapanTraveler

    Hogwarts: A History (Japanese Edition)

    April 17, 2018 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    If you are in Japan, you should go to Universal Studios Japan just for it's Harry Potter land. In fact, start saving for it now, get a mortgage or rob a bank, it's totally worth it.

    Observations:

    Harry Potter nearly ended up in the Disney theme parks. But when you take an unstoppable force (Disney) and send it at an immovable object (JK Rowling), it's never going to work.

    Disney really like to control their intellectual property, and they have a lot of "rules" they live by when it comes to translating them to the theme parks. One of which is the "weenie" concept - every land has a "weenie" or iconic focal point that is viewable from within that land. e.g. Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, the Matterhorn, the Tower of Terror - all are "weenies" for their respective lands in the park. Each park also has an icon for the whole park - e.g. DisneySea has Mount Prometheus (giant volcano in the middle), but the Disneyland's all have a castle.

    JK Rowling has always retained a lot of control over how her intellectual property is translated - not surprisingly since she put a lot of effort into creating a rediculously detailed universe to set her stories in with a crap load of back stories and "rules" in terms of how that universe works. One of those rules is that Hogwarts is a major character in it's own right - it's not just a school in a castle, it has it's own personality and role to play.

    So the legend goes, Disney wanted to build a Harry Potter world in a Disney Park, JK Rowling insisted that there be a Hogwarts. Disney said they already had an iconic castle and didn't want to detract from it, so she could have a forest instead. JK Rowling apparently killed the deal with Disney and that very same day marched over to Universal to offer up the rights to create Harry Potter in the Universal parks instead. Universal, being a distant second to Disney, said she could have as much veto control over it she liked.

    This was actually a really awesome deal for Universal, and a really smart move by JK Rowling. Turns out JK Rowling is better at creating immersive theme parks than Universal is, so they effectively imported the talent to design a perfect them park concept. JK Rowling got the complete creative freedom to ensure it was done right, and not diluted by the Disney monolith.

    The result is pretty close to perfect - but even better, it really upped the ante for Disney as a demonstration of how a really immersive experience is a really profitable one, and now we're getting Star Wars lands rolled out with immersive hotels, so everyone wins.

    The Japanese Harry Potter experience isn't as large as the one in Hollywood, so it doesn't have the equally awesome Diagon Alley or Hogwarts Express attraction, but it still has a lot going for it (aside from the Japanese spirit of cosplay) that really demonstrate how well the Harry Potter franchise translates to a theme park:

     1. Theming:

    Universal usually opts to cram more rides in rather than get to fixated on sight lines, but they really made an exception for Harry Potter - the sight lines are about 90% spot on. Once you enter the land, you actually feel like like you are in Hogsmeade - you can't see any other rides or buildings from within. There's also an impressive attention to detail and a bunch of easter eggs referencing the Harry Potter universe for the ultra fans.

    2. Hogwarts:

    It's a forced perspective version, but it's large enough and of a really good quality to make it feel like it really is Hogwarts up on the hill in the background. This thing is awesome. You can go inside and do a mini tour of a lot of the real rooms from Hogwarts - albeit in more modest sized versions (the moving stairwells was always going to be impossible - but the portraits they have are pretty darn cool).

    Now that Disney is building a Star Wars Hotel, Universal should totally come back with a Hogwarts Hotel - people would beg borrow and steal to stay in a hotel that felt like staying at Hogwarts and gave direct access to Hogsmeade. They would possibly even sell their soul to a dementor.

    3. Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey:

    Probably missed out on a lot of the context since this ride is all dubbed in Japanese, but the ride itself is pretty darn awesome anyway. No description could really do it justice, it's just frackin awesome, even though you are in a flying chair with 3 other people, it does sometimes feel like you are actually riding a broomstick.

    They should totally create a broomstick ride.

    Extra bonus is to go on it with someone who doesn't know what a dementor is - those things are really freaky up close in "life sized" proportions that make them a lot more intimidating than on a screen or in a book. Really awesome/immersive ride.

    4. Flight of the Hippogriff:

    There are only two "rides" in USJ Harry Potter, this is the other one. It's probably the only "meh" part of the place - it's actually just a themed kiddie coaster - short and tame, if they need to demolish it to expand the Harry Potter part of the park then I don't think anyone would mind.

    5. Three Broomsticks:

    It's actually just a standard theme park cafeteria designed to serve mass servings of British-like food, but by Dumbledor's beard it is a really cool place to eat for ambiance alone - go with a group of people dressed up and I think it would be even better.

    Somewhat oddly, although this is pretty popular, it often doesn't open till later in the day and closes early well before the rest of the park does. If they had a Hogwarts hotel with access to the Harry Potter part of the park however, they should totally keep it open for hotel guests - they'd make a killing.

    6. Ollivander's:

    The wand purchase experience is crazy popular even in low times. It's not a bad routine per se, but I can see why people might get frustrated with it in busy periods. Personally I just think it's kinda strange that you can't buy the same wands you get allocated on pottermore. i.e. my "official" wand is a black walnut with a unicorn hair core (super geek alert), but I had to get a plain oak one in Ollivander's because I know Oak is my celtic birth tree (super geek alert).

    7. Wand Magic:

    If you get the wand with sensor in the end you also get a map that shows you were in Hogsmeade you can cast spells. Follow the instructions on the map on how to cast the spell, something appropriate to the spell cast happens where you are pointing.

    It's a pretty cool attraction - really adds to the ambiance. There are also "helpers" stationed to help if you have trouble. Ravenclaws don't need help casting spells though, we always do our homework...

    There is a reason you have to be 11 to be accepted into Hogwarts though, hand eye coordination. Harry Potter is really young adult fiction at least, but a lot of parents seemed to think it was "kids stuff" and gave their four year olds a wand, gave them the expectation they could cast spells.

    No four year old madly waving a stick at a wall is going to cast a spell.

    8. Butterbeer:

    It's like a creaming soda spider, only the froth on the top is *really* frothy/smooth. It's not too bad - but I found it a bit too sweet to drink more than a fancy mug's worth. Fancy mug is cool though.

    9. Street Entertainers:

    Three shows a day from the students of Hogwarts. They are ok - a bit like an episode from Glee at times though. IP rules prevent the use of "real" characters from Harry Potter doing meet and greets (e.g. you can't get Snape's autograph), but they could totally have some made up themed characters roaming around being... wizard-y... There is a train conductor you can take photos with, which is kinda weird when the train doesn't go anywhere.

    10. Hogsmeade (everything else):

    I know it's just a merchandise strip in a theme park, but gawd it's cool. They've turned the purcahse of merchandise into an attraction in itself. But more importantly (and due to JK Rowling) the merchandise is really good. A lot of it is themed to the world, not to the manufacturer - people buy stuff because it helps them get more immersed.

    You can buy the same lollies and drinks they characters in Harry Potter did, you can buy the same kinds of clothes the students wore. Rather wisely, you *can't* buy owls, cats or pets.

    The toilets are also themed.

    This place looks glorious at night - again, build a hotel, let the guests stay after the rest of the park closes.

    Kaiju Collected:

    Butterbeer, Bertie Botts, Chocolate Frogs, Pumpkin Juice - and a perfect score on casting spells with my temporary wand.    Read more

  • Kaiju TalesMonster Hunting in JapanTraveler

    Osaka: Universally Utilitarian

    April 16, 2018 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    Osaka's nickname is Tenka no Daidokoro (the nation's kitchen). Since I don't cook, and don't like to shop for food, I may have a slightly bias view of Osaka as a practical kinda place.

    Observations:

    We only spent two and a bit days in Osaka, and almost all of it was in the Konohana Ward a few metres from the entrance to Universal Studios Japan.

    Osaka had really... efficient... public transport system...? I didn't really pick up much else. Osaka has long been a big commercial port and economic powerhouse. While Osaka castle is gorgeous and the place itself has a long and important role to play in Japanese history, it does kinda feel like the first priority of Osaka has usually been industry and profit rather than pretty things.

    Having said that, it's a big place, so no doubt we've missed cool stuff somewhere.

    Oh btw - we passed through Fukushima...

    ... but not the nuclear disaster site, which is in Fukushima Prefecture in the Tōhoku region (much further north), of which the capital is also called Fukushima. There is also a Fukushima ward in Osaka that is on the major train routes.

    Fukushima means fortune/luck and, island. Which didn't really work out for the poor people of radioactive Fukushima, but doesn't apply to the Osaka version either since it's land-locked.

    Kaiju collected: A really really easy transfer from Shin-Osaka Station, to Osaka Station, then to Universal City Station. Like *really* easy - including for gaijins like us.    Read more

  • Kaiju TalesMonster Hunting in JapanTraveler

    Japanese Post It Notes

    April 16, 2018 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C

    It's a polite way for Japan to remind guests to not be douche bags.

    Observations: Much anxiety. Probably warranted for a large number of tourists who are also douche bags.

    Kaiju Collected: None - did not bring the towels out of the room, refrained from going out of the room in slippers.Read more

  • Kaiju TalesMonster Hunting in JapanTraveler

    Osaka Trainspotting

    April 16, 2018 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    Train travel here is crazy easy. Anyone who says otherwise is a lazy gaijin. We passed through so quickly I had to poach other people's pics. Google maps is however a useful time saver if purely to tell you which lines to get on.

    Observations: All the transport systems have English subtitles and plenty of signs. Easy as eating pancakes.

    Kaiju Collected: A ridiculously fast transfer.    Read more

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