Tokyo Disneyland

Quick sidetrack from Kyoto/Nara trip since I wanted to blog about day trip took to Tokyo Disneyland. Not really high on my list of Japanese places I expected to visit, but suffice it to say I found myself in the position to go and my curiosity to compare/contrast was too strong to pass up the chance :P (thanks Kayo!)

I have to say the Tokyo version was more similar to the US one than I expected, albeit much smaller. But then again, with Disney never leaving any room for error and is so strict with their branding, I guess that it's really no surprise. I felt that Disney in the setting of Japan was somehow fitting, while at the same time starkly in contrast to the US one. On the similar end of things, with Japan being the land of 'cute', its a no-brainer that Disney would be a big hit here. It's almost more fitting here than in the US in that respect perhaps. But something about seeing all those so American figures and cultural references in the context of Japan/Japanese was surreal for sure. Old west and pioneer stuff (and the cultural context inherent in that) must be so strange and hard to relate to for the Japanese, just as some very old traditonal Japanese cultural elements are completely lost on me. But as I find that stuff so interesting, perhaps its that same contrast that draws the crowds.

And when I saw crowds, I mean crowds. I went on a weekday and still all the fastpass rides were sold out by about 2pm. The average wait time for popular rides was about 1.5 hours. But just like everywhere here in Tokyo, people just take it in stride and make no big deal about it. Nonetheless, I wouldnt want to see what weekends are like there.

I gotta say, listening to Disney characters talking in Japanese was pretty strange and kind of funny : )

Up next (for real): Kyoto

Osaka is all about the food!

Hey all! 久しぶりだね！Haven't blogged in a while, but I'm still alive so....I've been working these days at a French animation company here in Tokyo called Aoki . I am helping with lighting and rendering for a commerical to be shown in China and it's a very nice style they are using. It's like an old Chinese painting becomes 3d and can move through it, but still looks like painting. I can't say too much more than that, but I'm happy to work with some really talented artists on an interesting project. Well, now to the main point of this post : )

I went on a short trip to Nara, Kyoto, and Osaka recently. I've been to Kyoto before, actually, but there is so much to see there, it's for sure worth going more than just a few times, I think. Although Osaka was the last stop, I'll start with that first. As the title says, for me it was all about the food!

Osaka is in the Kansai region and is Japan's second largest city. The dialect and culture is quite different than in Tokyo. Generally Kansai people are thought to be more outgoing. talkative, and generally go at slower pace than in Tokyo/Kanto region. Of course this is a stereotype, but it's generally accepted as a characteristic. Their sterotype of Tokyo people is they are always in a hurry and not so friendly. Kind of like America's East vs West Coast deal. Most of the comedians in Japan come from, or at least can speak, in the Kansai accent, as it seems to be the comedy capital. People say jokes are funnier in Kansai dialect. I' m still trying to understand basic Japanese humor, so its above my head for sure! lol... I think humor is one of the hardest parts to understand in a foreign culture, and perhaps a true sign of fluency. But again, I digress....back to the food!

The image at the top of the post is the main dish I wanted to try in Osaka. No, its not a hamburger. It's お好み焼き (okonomiyaki) and it's the centerpiece of food favorites there. Basically its a grilled mixture of chopped cabbage, green onion, egg, flour, and various topping and styles like pork, beef, chicken, with a dallop of mayonaise for good measure. The name kind of means "grill to your liking" indicating that you can design to your own taste/liking. It's placed on a 鉄板 (teppan, or steel grill) in front of you and just let it cook and cut pieces off and eat while its goodness is sizzling in front of you. Yum!

Anyway you can get okonomiyaki anywhere in Japan, and I even had Hiroshima's version of it before (Hiroshimayaki) and Tokyo's "monjyayaki", but for the real deal, you gotta go to Osaka. For sure, it's worth the trip. すごく美味しかった!


Ok, some more Osaka treats in the above pic. Far left is the area where most of the goodness can be found, the Dotonbori district. Here there are countless eateries, restaurants, and pubs so if you want to eat, this is the place to come. To the right of that was a sushi bar that had the BIGGEST sushi I have ever seen. It was almost funny, and the pieces were too big for one bite (that's big if it cant fit in my big mouth!). I put a mug of beer in the pic for scale. Mammoth! Center pic is the crown-jewel as I already talked about, the heavenly (angels singing in background here) okonomiyaki. The last two images on the right are of No. 2 in my book and just as popular, たこ焼き(takoyaki, or fried octopus dumplings). It's mostly a flour and octopus mixture, lightly fried, and topped with kastsuobushi (bonito fish flakes), seasoning, and mayo. Piping hot, so be careful (I burned my mouth).

As far as the town of Osaka itself, not much in terms of sightseeing aside from Osaka castle, which I heard is essentially now a big museum. I was happy just to take a gourmet tour. ^_^

Up next: Kyoto