Today we did one of those things we didn't have time to do in Shinjuku last time-- stroll around Shinjuku Garden 「新宿御苑」. Designed as a Western style park, Shinjuku garden nonetheless takes on some very Japanese characteristics.
The way the paths glides around, the grass... and the big Japanese-style garden in the middle of all the Western-style flora. Japanese gardens are cooler anyway, with their central water-feature, filled with ornamental carp 「鯉, koi」and turtles.
We spent a good two hours here, watching butterflies, admiring the koi as they swam lazily around their ponds, fed a bug to a carp, and watched a million others leap and splash around trying to get some too. And had our photo taken by some weird topless French guy.
There are spiders everywhere in Japan. And they make horizontal webs! And 3D webs! We took some photos of various spiders we came across, for one reason or another.
When we looked at the time we realised we wouldn't have enough time to browse Shinjuku's gay district (oh well, another reason to come back to Shinjuku) and caught the train directly to Mitaka station so we could get into the Studio Ghibli Museum.
I've only seen three Studio Ghibli movies: Spirited Away, My Neighbour Totoro and Princess Mononoke. So I'm hardly a Ghibli buff, but what I've seen I've loved, especially Totoro. Ben has seen the same as me, plus Kiki's Delivery Service, Howl's Moving Castle and Laputa: Castle in the Sky.
The entire museum is so quirky- their are spiral staircases and indoor bridges and tunnels and a really antique-looking elevator. Stained-glass leadlight windows depicting scenes from all the animated features are everywhere. Little details in pot plants, staircases, on the walls, on the roof-- everywhere you look is just quirky and cool.
At the entrance they replace your shitty paper ticket with an original film cell from one of the animated features, which is pretty nifty.
Photography is not allowed anywhere within the museum, but we managed to get a few snaps from a vantage point on the roof. Found a friend up there too, in the form of a 5m tall robot.
They have zoetropes (Google it) and original cells from the films, as well as a gift shop, where you can buy exclusive merchandise... at some exclusive prices. Ben bought a soot sprite plush toy, a Totoro pin and keychain of some bat that I haven't seen before. I got a Totoro plush toy and a Totoro figurine. We got all this for $50, which is a fraction of the price of some of the stock in there.
Then again, it only costs $10 for an adult ticket, and you kind of expect them to charge exorbitant amounts...
For anyone who has ever watched one of Miyazaki's feature films and has liked it, you must pay a visit to the Ghibli Museum. You only need three hours (including travel time) as it's not that big, but they've packed some bloody neat stuff into that little space.
After our Ghibli foray, we ventured back to Shinjuku, and then to Shibuya to try and get a better photo of Shibuya crossing. Once again perched at our vantage point above the crowds in Starbucks, we got a video (which is too big to post on here), and several photos.
We moved on to Tokyu Hands-- another department store, though this one is centred more on DIY things. Knick-knacks for your phone, craft accessories, nifty chopsticks and stationery items (among others) fill the 8 or so floors that this store consists of.
So much walking today, so nourishment was needed. We figured we'd spent enough money today to warrant not giving a shit about getting a cheap dinner-- what's the point of spoiling such a memorable day with a ten-dollar-dinner? So we caught the train to Takadanobaba, where there is an awesome little sukiyaki 「すき焼き」restaurant called Momo Paradise.
Sukiyaki is a style of eating, really. In the centre of your table is a little hot-plate. On the hot-plate goes a deep-sided frypan-type dish, containing a 50/50 mix of water and sukiyaki sauce.
The waitress take you to this special table, asks what meat you'd like (beef, pork or both) and if you'd like vegetables also (hell yes), then takes drink orders, disappears for like, three minutes and returns with drinks, a plate of very thinly-sliced raw meat (beef for us) per person, and a plate of vegetables between two people.
Hot-plate goes on, sukiyaki sauce starts boiling, meat goes in, vegetables go in. In front of you is a little bowl with an egg in it. Crack the egg, whisk it up with your chopsticks. The meat only takes about a minute to cook. Once done, pick it up with your chopsticks, dip it in the raw egg, and eat it. Do the same with the vegetables when they're ready.
Being all-you-can-eat and all-you-can-drink for $25 a head, you can consume as much soft drink and sukiyaki as you wish. Just try to get your fill of meat in-- vegetables are cheap, and only limit yourself to one serving of rice (if any). The meat is the real gem in this culinary treasure chest.
Bellies: full.
Time to go home and sleep it off.
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