Thursday was the day we were morning sloth creatures, up incredibly late the night before because of Disney and transit times. We didn’t roll out of our ABB until almost noon, sluggishly blinking in the cold sunshine as people walking tiny dogs and traffic swirled around us. We had a 4pm entrance ticket to the Ghibli museum, so we stayed in and around Shinjuku for the afternoon.
First on our agenda: swords. We rolled down the street to the Japanese sword museum since it was close to us. If you know things about swords, it is probably much more enjoyable. I liked seeing the shiny, polished blades made by master smiths and they had a few exhibits on how the styles of swords had changed over the years. Of course, no pictures allowed 🙁
From there, we detoured to the Shinjuku gardens. I hadn’t gone in as a student because it cost money (like two bucks). The Shinjuku gardens are an immaculate, expansive, and extensively landscaped refuge from the wild urban bustle of Shinjuku. They were worth the 200 yen and the fight with the ticket-dispensing machine that several other people struggled with to get in.
You could easily spend an entire day in Shinjuku garden…we only had an hour before we had to head to Mitaka and the Ghibli Museum, so we went straight to the Japanese gardens.
It was the Ghibli time. The museum is whimsical, with a multicolored exterior and a garden on top. The interior is a mish-mosh of charming doors, spiral staircases, fancy staircases, and stained glass. If I had infinite money, maybe I would make a house like this!
The exhibits show you how a film goes from an idea and a concept to real life at Studio Ghibli, with a lot of hands-on exhibits that you can explore to make the film move in front of you. One room is covered in watercolor concept art from Ghibli films. Another is a dark room with huge zoetropes moving in strobe lights: cat bus flew over bouncing Totoros, and birds swirled in a chamber. It was pretty incredible even though we had to fight a small sea of tourists.
You can also watch a short film – ours was about a special kid who sold big radishes in exchange for a star, and his plight to raise the star despite being chased by people who wanted to take him away. I wish Ghibli would release their short films 🙁
We gave Ghibli all our money to close out the day and shuffled back home on the train.
Friday, we went to Kimono Studio WA for our 10 AM photoshoot. This studio was a balance of affordable, flexible, and offered the most gorgeous kimono we could find. We were greeted by two energetic and enthusiastic ladies, Hisami and Maho. They have been running the studio for over two years and happily take many foreigners through the kimono wearing process, followed by a photoshoot with props and tips on how to pose.
They cheerily did our hair and makeup while our male companions waited patiently and quietly in a corner. The ladies had many handmade hairpins and accessories to choose from – they had made and designed them all themselves. It was hard to choose!
Because the kimono’s left side is crossed on top, the left side is generally emphasized, so we chose two hairpieces, one big one for the left, and a small one on the right. Makeup is more vibrant too in order to counterbalance the vibrant patterns and rich colors of the kimono.
Hair and makeup done, they quickly dressed the men. They surprisingly had tabi socks that fit (!) their giant American feet. It took ten seconds of folding and wrapping and stepping for the guys to be ready in their outfits.
As a lady, wearing a kimono requires, of course, many layers. The kimono in the studio were princess style, not made for walking around in much since princesses generally sat around and were beautiful as their full-time employment. Rough life.
Kimono are crossed left over right. Right over left is reserved for corpses – so if you see a cosplayer with the sides crossed backwards, they are actually dead. The cord on the obi are tied on top if the occasion is happy, and on the bottom if the occasion is somber.
First, the under-kimono layer:
The patterns were simple, but still elegant, and the obi were able to really shine.
Then, it was time for the expensive layer. A good kimono in Japan can cost up to $100,000, hand-stitched and designed and full of rich silks and fabrics.
We picked out a few prints and got the pictures burned to a disc so we could get more prints later. It was a great way to both become a princess for a few hours and learn more about the traditional way of wearing a kimono and its cultural significance. If you’re in the area, I definitely recommend visiting Kimono Studio WA. They made sure our experience was special and a fantastic way to spend a morning!
My shameless plug for kimono studios aside, we walked to Ebisu garden center afterward since it was nearby. There, we found….another European Christmas Village. It was a gathering of fancy buildings with cool architecture, so maybe the Christmas village was warranted. There was also a French restaurant which was about $200/plate for dinner. Fancy.
We made a brief stop at the bookoff in Shibuya to purchase all the cheap used books! If you see pictures of Tokyo crossings, it is generally Shibuya’s iconic Hachiko crossing. Shibuya is filled with funky architecture, fancy fashion, and shopping.
Last on our list, Odaiba and the giant, life-sized Gundam. The Gundam is going to be torn down in March, so we got in while the gettin’ was good. The Gundam is complete with a cafe selling merchandise at its base, as is the way of Japan.
Odaiba is home to shopping (in Diver City, which yes, is “Diversity”), weird new buildings, Rainbow Bridge, and a statue of liberty. Apparently it was a part of a Japan-France exhibit in 1999, but residents loved it so much it became a permanent installation.
We ended the night by leaning against a thing. Only one more full day in Tokyo to go 🙁
