Souvenirs from Japan

Back in London and bought a pretty significant amount of Japan home with me 

A photo posted by Laila Layla (@lailapictures) on Apr 4, 2015 at 2:29pm PDT

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I’d wanted to visit Japan for a very long time and knew I would want souvenirs; for months before going I was avoiding buying things I need so I could instead shop in Japan.You may have seen this snap on my instagram – one of my most liked images – today I’ll show you what I got! I have to say I felt very hypocritical as I’m just not the “haul” kind of girl. I don’t go crazy with my purchases; I shop rarely and I hate buying replacements or items similar to things I already own. I‘m also very conscious of where my stuff comes from and goes back too (as you may have guessed from my ethical and vegan lifestyle choices). That being said; I absolutely planned to buy a lot in Japan and purposefully took more money than I thought I’d need to live (first time I’ve ever done that for a holiday…!). 

Tokyo DisneySea

I went to Tokyo DisneySea right after I went to Tokyo Disneyland. I dearly wanted to see both, and I think the main positive of visiting places by yourself (as I did with Disneyland and Sanrio Puroland) is that you can just run around visiting the things you’re most interested in with complete disregard to everything else (in my case, anything with a 2 hour queue).

Disneyland Tokyo

I spent my last day in Tokyo at Disneyland. Tokyo Disneyland features the same spoke and hub design of the other Disneylands, and roughly the same lands (Tokyo Disneyland is slightly bigger than the one in Paris and smaller than California). Critter Country and Toontown were the two I’d not seen before, and I especially loved Toontown – ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit?’ is one of my favourites, and the buildings perfectly captured the zany, bonkers feel that the place has in the film.

Sanrio Puroland + VLOG

I first heard about Sanrio Puroland at a ’Tokyo Life’ event in London when I was 8 years old – now I’ve finally been! Sanrio are the Japanese company behind various cute characters such as My Melody, Little Twin Stars, Chococat, Keroppi and of course, Hello Kitty, and as you might expect the theme park is one of the most kawaii places I’ve ever visited. I actually videoed my time there and am very proud to present the below video diary, which features the show, the parade, the rides, me completely losing it on the boat ride and the shop.

Pictures speak louder than words, and moving pictures speak louder than non-moving pictures.. so I hope you’ll watch the video! It’s not too long, and please bear in mind I’m not a seasoned pro with this vlogging stuff – this is the first time I’ve made a video for this purpose. Let me know what you think as I’ve got a few more on the way! I’ve also included some tips and directions at the bottom in case you’re planning a trip to Sanrio Puroland anytime soon. Enjoy! x

TIPS:

– The park is fairly small, so you’re unlikely to need a whole day unless you want to watch all the shows. Arrive early to do so as most of the shows are done by about 4.30pm (save for the main arena show).

– Tickets are very reasonable – but bring money as there is merchandise EVERYWHERE and much of it is exclusive to the park. I found it to be very fairly priced compared to the internet/Hello Kitty section in Hamleys. In my experience theme parks and tourist destinations tend to inflate their prices a lot but the opposite seemed to be true at Sanrio Puroland. (I’ve got a big Japan “haul” post coming soon if you want to see what I’ve got, and a giveaway if you want in on the action!).

– I went alone, and was seemingly the only person above the age of 16 who wasn’t accompanying a child and the only non-Japanese person – but I didn’t care! The staff were all incredibly friendly and there are enough signs in English to get you around if, like me, your Japanese is a little lacking.

– I’d recommend going on all the rides – there’s no big thrills (mostly dark rides) but they’re all very cute and the level of detail is impressive.

– I forgot to video or photograph my food – but it was all shaped like various characters, so do stop by the restaurants!
HOW TO GET THERE:

– You will need to get the Keio line from Chofu, Tokyo to Keio Tama Centre – this was one of my only non-JR journeys and cost the equivalent of £3, so I decided I could live with it. You can also take the monorail back but it’s a much longer journey!

– From the station it is an incredibly simple walk – straight, turn left when you reach a massive arch with Hello Kitty on and can see the centre. If you do decide to get lost there are adorable maps everywhere with Sanrio characters to guide the way – so cute I took a picture!

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Schoolgirl

As a child I wished I could be going to a Japanese school alongside Serena Tsukino or Sakura Kinomoto, catching up with my friends at the arcade after class or meeting my brother and his friends to go to a festival at the shrine. I spent hours reading manga and daydreaming about my alternate life – it was an escape from my life as a loser at school. I don’t think I realised how much of the clothes and fashion present in anime and manga infiltrated my young brain until this trip – so much of my personal style was identical to the young girls we saw daily in Japan.

This seifuku outfit was completely serendipitous (blouse, skater skirt and trainers is my daily uniform at home) but the minute I emerged Sam exlaimed “you look like you’re going to school!”. So of course when we visited Keio University we had to take these “going to school” photos! My own school uniform was pretty boring – I would have preferred cute sailor collars and pleated skirts! We headed to Kinchi Park afterwards, a beautiful little playground filled with teenagers and kids. 

The Keio Univeristy campus itself was so regal – I’m sure it was partly due to the combination of sakura bloom and intense sunshine (notice me squinting in every photo…) but the buildings seemed steeped in wisdom, authority and knowledge. It wasn’t too hard to slip back into my childhood daydreams and imagine myself chatting with friends on the walk to lectures or studying under the sakura during summer exams. I always like visiting universities when I go somewhere new – my own university meant so much to me and I suppose I’m curious about where everybody else spends their student years!

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Blouse – £4, charity shop. Cardigan – £3.50, Topshop via eBay. Cat ears – gift. Shoes – £25, Rocketdog. Skirt – £10, Urban Outfitters (sale). Socks – £2.50, Topshop (sale).

Light Tunnel & Illuminations – Nabano no Sato

(Please note: guide at the bottom!)

I’d seen pictures of the light tunnel and gardens at Nabana no Sato on the internet and despite the lack of tourist reviews, online guides or just generally any available information in English, I really wanted to go! Thankfully Sam was up for the adventure and so we made the two hour trek to Nagoya. The Nabano no Sato winter illuminations were created to try and increase visitors to the gardens during the winter, when few flowers are in bloom. We managed to go on the penultimate day of the attraction (open from October 15th – March 31st) and so caught what I imagine must have been one of the few days where the winter illuminations are still open alongside the full sakura bloom. It was breathtaking! The landscape gardens were stunning arrays of peach, pink and white blossoms, all backlit with soft golden lights.

The light tunnel itself was huge – an endless (well, 250m) arc of golden yellow LEDs with soft twinkly music playing and tiny flowers woven into the lights. It felt like we were wandering directly into the sun or straight up into Heaven. The light tunnel opened out onto a blue and purple light garden followed by a life-size (120m wide!) LED replica of the Niagara Falls. It was incredible – my inner geek felt transported into that kissing scene in Final Fantasy X! Changing systematically through every colour of the rainbow, it was unlike anything I’ve witnessed before. I’d urge you to watch my upcoming video for a sense of scale because the pictures don’t really do it justice!

After crossing the smaller Kawaza Sakura tunnel, we spent some time soaking up the festival atmosphere in the park; stalls selling dumplings, crepes and pastries, kids running around the Peter Rabbit LED garden (seriously) and Japanese people catching the sakura blossoms and bunting. It was truly magical. If you find yourself in Japan during the winter months I would really recommend spending a full day there – it’s worth it to appreciate the cotton-candy blooms in the daytime and the unique winter lights at night. 

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TIPS AND DIRECTIONS

– From Tokyo, take any train towards Nagoya (most of the Southbound shikansen stop at Nagoya). There are JR shinkansen trains with Nagoya as the destination or many headed for further south that stop at Nagoya en route.

– From Nagoya you want any bus that goes to Nagashima Onsen (there’s about 3, we took the 44). Exit the bus at the “Nabano no Sato” stop.  it’s about 320 yen for the bus. Nagashima (the large complex where the garden is located) is a pretty big tourist destination for the Japanese so if you ask somebody they’ll likely be able to help and you can spot Nagashima on most maps from Nagoya onwards.

– Note that the Meitetsu bus station is on the 4th floor of the Nagoya shopping Mall..!

– Your other option is to take a JR or Kintetsu train from Nagoya to Kuwana station – we went on a Sunday when apparently these trains don’t run. From Kuwana it is a ten minute shuttle bus, costing 260 yen.

– The queues for the light tunnel begin about 45 minutes before it gets dark – the park is of a medium size so you will be able to see when a crowd starts to form if you keep an eye on the central area.

– Nagoya is a typically Japanese tourist destination and there were no english maps or signs/English speakers when we went. Now’s the time to brush up on your Japanese phrases! Check online what the entrance price is before you go so you know what kind of ticket you want to get rather than trying to figure it out once you’re there.

– Tickets (1500 yen in the winter) include a 1000 yen voucher towards food, redeemable once you get inside. So don’t bring a packed lunch!

– Also note that the trains from Nagoya back to Tokyo end around 9pm a 45 minute journey back – so don’t stay too long after it gets dark or you might get stranded!

Please feel free to ask any further questions if you’re thinking of going!

Miraikin

 I have to confess that as a youngster I was terrified of robots – my Mum showed me a clip of the film Short Circuit when I was about 5 and it terrified me. In the last few years I’ve become more and more appreciative of technology because I’ve realised that’s the future, and if you want to move forwards you have to embrace the future! It took me a while but I’m now fully appreciative of the applications of robotics and filled with awe and amazement at what fellow humans have managed to create, when I sometimes spend all day struggling on a single chord… anyway. If you want to see robots in Japan you can either go down the Robot Restaurant route (futuristic Moulin Rouge type cabaret show) or you can head to Miraikin and meet the developers, scientists and robots themselves. Miraikin, the museum of Emerging Science and Technology (aka, Museum of the Future), was top of my museum list before going to Japan and it did not disappoint.

Robot highlights include the worlds first walking robot, Taro the seal robot, an Otonoroid, a Teleloid, a Personoid and a series of small androids which respond to speech. Robots may still seem very sci-fi and frivolous in this country but the Japanese are really exploring what robots can do and how we can integrate them into society in a logical and useful way – combatting loneliness in elderly people or encouraging children to watch the news. I liked that a lot of their robots are designed to fill jobs our Western society gives to animals – machines are quicker, cheaper and more reliable… and not animals!

Aside from the robots the Miraikin had fascinating displays on the importance of making mistakes, the spread of science, deep-sea exploration, space exploration and renewable technologies. It was fascinating! The focal point of the museum is the huge globe, constructed of tiny screens – every 15 minutes a new show plays over the globe showing videos of the shifting plates of the earth, the spread of population, the spread of energy and the destruction of forests. 

I’ve always been interested in older, traditional methods (see here and here) and as I say, I’ve often been a bit wary of technology as it’s not something I understand so easily. I’ve realised that technology is nothing without application, and the sooner people like me can understand and integrate technology, the sooner we will all be better-equipped to start solving problems in our society – not exactly a ground-breaking realisation but an important one. I’m all for embracing robots, trigger floors and intuitive furniture if it means we can eradicate other problems, like housing deficit, renewable energy, world hunger or the employment of animals. Bring on the future!

Odaiba

Tokyo Bay in Odaiba! These photos bring back memories of such a dreamy and sunny day. I wore my brightest blouse to match the weather (those leggings were ditched about 5 minutes after these photos were taken). Odaiba is home to a lot of varied attractions, predominantly based around science and technology but also including food, shopping and entertainment – something for everybody!

There was a festival atmosphere on the day we went, with buskers, street performers and food vendors everywhere. The silver building is the Fuji Television building – I’ve wanted to see this building for an incredibly long time. It’s so huge! We spent a lazy half hour in the bay watching the boats with Rainbow Bridge in the background and of course the mini Lady Liberty watching over us. It was so tranquil sat by the boats on the sand; Tokyo is renowned for being one of the busiest places in the world, but in Odaiba we found a moment of serenity.