Rikugien's Autumn Night Illuminations

Rikugien garden is kind of special to me! It was one of the first few places I've set foot in upon entering Japan. In a way, it's the perfect example of the Japanese standard when it comes to traditional beauty - elegant, simple, but in the end, undeniably beautiful. Fun fact: Rikugien was constructed in the early 18th century, which makes it older than the United States of America.
 As it turns out though, at this time of the year, Rikugien garden stays open a little later for the yearly autumn night illuminations. So I figured I'd take a stroll and reminisce about it all.
At night, with the trees' leaves lit from beneath as they are, Rikugien is almost surreal, and it's no wonder it comes recommended as one of the hottest spots in Tokyo to appreciate the seasonal colors. I was lucky enough to take my stroll on a night where it wasn't too windy, and the payoff was great - the surfaces of the ponds scattered all around the park were perfectly still and reflected the leaves above like a mirror.

 In the rearmost section of the gardens, mist was cast over the ground and illuminated in cold blues, creating stark contrasts with the warmer colors of the leaves. I think a real photographer could have a hell of a field day here.

Sunshine Aquarium

I dare say, if there's one thing that unites the people in Japan, it may just be love for fish. And I guess that might be a healthy thing, considering it's an island country. Nothing wrong about liking one's neighbors. But really, to prove my point, Tokyo has, what, four aquariums? Is there any other city in the world with four aquariums? Practically every major city in Japan has an aquarium. Montreal basically has half of one.
That being said, I had never actually been to one of Tokyo's in the three years I've lived in the city. So I figured I'd check one out, given that I live two subway stations away from one - that would be the Sunshine Aquarium.

 Truth be told, I like fish too. I have a tender spot in my heart for weird, alien-looking things, and God knows there's a lot of undersea critters that fit that description. Sunshine Aquarium definitely has its few, on top of the crowd favorites.

D'aww, yeah!

My personal favorite was actually the Sunfish (also known as Mola Mola or Mambo depending on where you're from.) Apparently, those aren't widely kept in aquariums. It was kind of hard for me not to be fascinated by the slow-moving giant, what with it looking like a huge face floating in space. But if that's not your thing, then you'll be glad to know that Sunshine Aquarium also has its share of "popular" fish too, like sting rays, a shark, moray eels, a school of sardines, seals, otters, penguins and even pelicans.
Ask anyone though, and they'll tell you the main highlights of the aquarium are the seals' glass playground in the exterior section of the park, or the jellyfish tunnel. While I'll admit the latter is kind of amazing in and of itself, the downside to it is that the aquarium itself is built on top of Sunshine City, which happens to be one of the most crowded malls in Tokyo. It's quite difficult to stand inside that jellyfish tunnel without being surrounded by a mob of equally enthused people, let alone have the kind of romantic moment the aquarium seems to want to advertise.
 If you're in the area, by all means, have a look for yourself, or better yet, bring a date, but the only way to make the best of it is to pick the time wisely.

5 Reasons Village Vanguard Is My Favorite Shop

1. This gay orgy of Ken dolls.

2. This picture book of pretty girls licking doorknobs.

  3. These erotic bath salts featuring under-aged anime characters.

4. These naked babies making powerful eye contact.

 5. This bowl made specifically for eating curry.

You can read more about Village Vanguard here.

The Ushiku Daibutsu

"This place reminds me of China," Dario said to me, as we struggled to find somewhere to eat. "It feels like we're in the middle of nowhere."
 "That's often the case, with towns this size," I had replied. "The country side feels nice, and cities are busy and dense, but anything in between is just...this."
 There isn't anything particularly interesting to be said about the city of Ushiku, in Ibaraki prefecture. It's just about as boring as small cities get - and I say that as someone who had had a pretty good time in Numata back in 2012. There's just about no apparent redeeming thing about Ushiku. Except the one thing that brought the two of us there in the first place.
 A half-hour's bus ride from the train station stands the statue that once broke the record for the tallest in the world, and still stands in third place today: the Ushiku Daibutsu.
 I know, it's been a strange kind of fixation I've been having to find bigger and bigger statues, but realistically, that would just about have to end here. Simply put, they don't quite get any bigger than this.

The Ushiku Daibutsu looming out of the fog.

 Base excluded, the Ushiku Daibutsu is 100 meters tall - two and a half-times the size of the statue of liberty and dwarfing by far any of the other large statues I've visited in Japan. Its base grants it an additional 20 meters height for a total of 120, with every 10 meters representing one of the twelve rays of light Buddha cast upon the world in order to illuminate it.

Standing atop its lotus base in a clearing that was landscaped in its honor entirely, the Daibutsu towered before us with its head in the clouds and without any other form of building in its vicinity whatsoever to compete with its size. The park-like area is filled with fields of flower and ponds of koi fish, and a little more than that, which I'll get to soon enough. The foggy day we decided to visit during proved to be both a good thing and a bad, at times obscuring the head of the statue entirely whilst reminding us of the absurd scale of the damn thing.
 The statue also serves as its own museum - for a fee, visitors can remove their shoes and enter the statue from its base up to a height of 85 meters. There are small exhibits inside dedicated to explaining how and when the statue was constructed, as well as artwork and photography with the statue as its central subject. An observatory from the top of the 85 meters make it possible to see Tokyo and Mt Fuji, on a day far clearer than the one Dario and I visited on. However, what makes the inside of the Buddha most interesting is the 3rd floor: a hall completely dedicated to its 3,300 golden Buddha statuettes, which can be purchased by families.

Upon buying one of the statuettes (around 3000$ for a small one and 10,000$ for a big one respectively,) it remains where it is, but the name of the purchasing family is written on a plaque below. This made for quite a few golden Buddhas dedicated to the "Tanaka" or the "Suzuki" family.

Porco and I became quick friends.

  For people visiting the Ushiku Daibutsu with children, the area directly behind the colossal statue is actually, and I wish I was kidding, a petting zoo. Apparently, there's even a monkey in a costume that performs here, but with the paltry number of visitors on the day we went, there was no such performance to be seen. That aside, though, the petting zoo did have a bunch of rabbits, which we fed excitedly, plus a squirrel pen (squirrels being extremely rarely seen in Japan.) There was even a boar. I had never touched a boar before. All of this seemed a little weird when juxtaposed with the rest of the park, but hell, why not, I guess.
 All together, despite there not being anything else than what you can find within the direct vicinity of the statue, I thought Ushiku was worth the trip. From Tokyo, Ushiku city is so easy to access that it isn't much of an investment in time or money anyhow. On top of that, the flower gardens or cherry blossoms would look breath-taking if they were in bloom, so there's a little something to be seen here no matter what time of the year it is.

For closure's sake.

The (Other) Half-Blood

I have less flattering pictures.

Given that he's started showing up quite a bit in my adventures, it might be about time I properly introduce my coworker, Ty (though I'd do the same for Bryan, he's actually going abroad for the next six months.)
Same as myself, he's half-Japanese, though his second half is American. We currently work at the same branch and have shared quite a few laughs. He's got a good interest for trying out new things, and thanks to our similar tastes and the pretty decent amount of free time he has on his hands, it's probably safe enough to assume that he'll be popping up at least once in a while.

Oedo Onsen - Relaxation Theme Park

 When you think "Theme Park", surely the word "relaxation" doesn't come to mind. I mean, unless you let off steam by sitting in a roller coaster. I respect that too. But of course, if there were such a thing as a theme park based on the idea of having a relaxing time, then you could probably find it in Japan, where there is a word for "death from over-working." It just so happens that the Oedo Onsen indoor theme park offers just that: a sweet escape for people hoping to get away from their routinely stresses. 

Bryan, Ty and I in our yukatas.

 After running a 7 year old boy's birthday party at the job, I was in need of just that, so I headed down with my workmates Ty and Bryan to have a look.
 Upon entering the theme park, each person is given a yukata (traditional Japanese clothing) as well as a bar code bracelet, making it so that people can make transactions without having to carry around a wallet, since the yukata is pocket-less. Wearing the yukata is actually quite comfortable, but it also serves a double purpose - with everyone walking around in traditional Japanese clothes, you do feel like you're taking a trip back in time.

The footbaths.

 The idea of an onsen in Tokyo is actually quite peculiar, given that hot springs are usually found some ways outside of the city. As you would have guessed by the name of the place, having an onsen is actually the main attraction of the theme park. This is made possible by pulling hot spring water from incredible depths. The result is actually quite authentic, even though these hot spring waters lack the natural benefits of some of the other "purer" springs, which are filled with minerals that do wonders for the skin and health in general. The full body baths don't allow for mixed bathing, but there is an exterior section to the theme park that has foot baths. Within those are small rounded stones you're meant to walk on to massage your feet. It's actually horribly painful. If you have a little extra money to spare, you can pay 1700¥ to get your feet suckled by little fish. That's practically the price of admission (2200¥) so we opted not.
 That aside, Oedo Onsen is full of food stalls selling a wide range of food, from ramen to fish on rice, as well as games of the kind you're likely to stumble upon in Japanese matsuri-type fares - catching goldfish with a paper net, pop-gun shooting galleries, etc. It all contributes to the atmosphere and make the place a viable option for a date, despite that the baths are separated like I stated above.

 For those who want to take their relaxation to the next level, the second floor of the indoor theme park is strictly dedicated to reclining chairs with televisions attached. The room is dimly lit. As you would expect, the sounds of people snoring fill the air the moment you enter the room.
 That about summarizes Oedo Onsen, really! I do reckon it's a great place to bring foreigners visiting Japan, or to go on a double-date alongside another couple. Or to just do what I did and go with a few friends of the same gender and let loose.

A Few Mementos

It's been a rather fruitless week for me, but I'm hoping I can undertake a small adventure of some sort soon. On a separate note, I decided to gather together a few things I've collected in the last few years.
 These look over my bedroom! See if you can spot things you've seen on the blog before.

From left to right:
- A picture taken from a birthday party at work.
- Wood-carved dolls from the ghost town of Nichitsu.
- A hat I bought from Tokyo Disneyland.
- Oreo, the penguin I walked up and down Tokyo with on April Fool's.
- A daruma from my recent trip to Takasaki.

I'm actually considering making a book out of my blog, if only because it would be nice to have.

Interesting Tidbits: In the Blood

Though astrology and Chinese zodiac is pretty much known all over the world, Japan has its own form of divination - in blood. In just about the same way astrology claims to be able to tell a person's personality through the stars they were born under, it's a rather commonplace belief in Japan that you can read personality through blood. Hence why Japanese Facebook will ask you for your blood type!
 Does it hold together? Have a look for yourself. Here's what is said about the four major blood groups (I guess all you HH guys will have to figure it out on your own.)

A BLOOD GROUP:

Best traits	Earnest, creative, sensible, reserved, patient, responsible
Worst traits	Fastidious, over-earnest, stubborn, tense

B BLOOD GROUP:

Best traits	Passionate, active, doer, creative, wild, strong
Worst traits	Selfish, irresponsible, unforgiving, erratic

AB BLOOD GROUP

Best traits	Cool, controlled, rational, sociable, adaptable
Worst traits	Critical, indecisive, forgetful, irresponsible, "split personality"

O BLOOD GROUP

Best traits	Confident, self-determined, optimistic, strong-willed, intuitive
Worst traits	Self-centered, cold, doubtful, unpredictable, "workaholic"

 
Apparently, Rh (whether you're A+ or A-, for example,) doesn't affect your reading.
All in all, I can see how it would make sense that something as hereditary as the blood running through your veins can affect personality more than anything else, but I personally find it a little odd to state that there are only 4 types of people in the world. OR maybe that's just me being earnest and stubborn! A penny for your thoughts!