a few questions,... (Japan)

[aimeekitty]

1) - you know the little piles of poop that come on keychains (frequently golden?). what is the deal with that? How is the gold poop goodluck? Explain, please.

2) - does anyone have a photo(s) of the inside of Mandarake Nakano and Animate? (general Sunshine City photos would be helpful too...)

3) - could you suggest your favorite restuarants and interesting stores in harajuku? (ie other than the Gothic & Lolita stores that everyone knows about)
(if possible please include street maps, addresses and/or websites...)

4) - those of you who have visited Japan, were there particular things you brought back (even if it was a receipt or a brochure) that you saved as a memory? on that note...

4b) - what is the most memorable or precious thing that you did while you were in Japan? the thing you valued the most on your trip. (and why please!)

5) - any particular recommendations for things to do in Japan that you think I might not know about? (I know some of you have given me great recommendations in the past, which I have kept and plan to use next time I go)

I still feel sick today, but I have too much to do to stay home. blagha.d.asd.,

Comments

[twotone]

The poop thing is a pun. The slang term for poop is "unko" or "unchi", and the Japanese word is "luck"... so the joke is that if you touch poop/step in poop, the "luck" sticks to you. Golden poop would be "kin-unchi" or "kin-un" for short, which is a homophone for "luck in monetary or financial matters".

I can't answer most of your questions, alas, because my trips to Japan were all visits to see my relatives.

[twotone]

*cough*

That'll teach me to post before lunch. That should read:

"The slang term for poop is "unko" or "unchi", and the Japanese word for "luck" is "un"."

[columbine.livejournal.com]

I have a question where do you usually stay when you're in Tokyo? I'm going there in June and I'm trying to gather intel on Hotels...

Thanks...

[aimeekitty.livejournal.com]

I stayed in a friends appartment, so I can't really help

[art-lurker.livejournal.com]

im going in september and staying at the Oak Hotel. Try looking in the ryoken network - they're more like B&B's than traditional ryokens and less expensive.

[shigatsuhana.livejournal.com]

4b) The friend that I went to visit in Sendai knows a National Treasure. He is Sato Masahiro, a kokeshi doll maker. I got to meet him in his workshop and watched him turn two dolls from blocks of wood. I was able to video my visit so can look at it anytime. I got to paint those two dolls, but mine were no match for the master. This is a moment I'll cherish forever. Here we are in his home:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/shigatsuhana/114026652/in/set-72057594084589026/

[aimeekitty.livejournal.com]

that really sounds magical. Thanks for posting picture!

[uminomamori.livejournal.com]

4) - those of you who have visited Japan, were there particular things you brought back (even if it was a receipt or a brochure) that you saved as a memory? on that note...

I have all kinds of little omamori from Asakusa that have been attatched to my backpack for years and a couple of cute maneki neko figurines.

Theres a little fold up watercolor palette I have now used for 7 years. And it was awesome that I could find nice clothes that actually fit me in Japan (clothes for short people wow!) Mostly I wasted too much money on manga^^

4b) - what is the most memorable or precious thing that you did while you were in Japan? the thing you valued the most on your trip. (and why please!)

It's so long ago... We sat in Ueno park and fed a giant mob of 100 pigeons and at one point I had them perched on my arm eating bread out of my hand. My Japanese religion class went to a festival at a Shinto shrine and the old guys managed to get us all drunk. I think I had the most fun wandering around with friends when we didn't know where the heck we were. We found little shrines in the back woods of Akita and got almost lost in Tokyo on our first night there.

5) - any particular recommendations for things to do in Japan that you think I might not know about? (I know some of you have given me great recommendations in the past, which I have kept and plan to use next time I go)

Yes, the wandering around in the woods if you can:) Go to the Tokyo National Museum, but skip the other ones in Uneo Park. I was stuck at school in Akita for all but one week and never really got to go anywhere.

[damoclesangel.livejournal.com]

1) that question was in the paper today. :) But a previous poster got it. The things were first made in Kyoto about 1999, and became a cult hit. I'll see if I can scan that article for you if you want.

2) Osaka? any photos I'd take wouldn't do it justice, if I wasn't pounced on by the staff..

3) ... pass

4) I've taken to collecting the souvenier gold coins you can get at some places, like tokyo tower, etc. basically each place has a design and youcan stamp your name and the date onto them with a machine.

4b) too many to count.. Highlights include Hiroshima, Climbing Mt Fuji and going to Comiket.

5) Climb Fuji.. overnight, and get there for sunrise.

[aimeekitty.livejournal.com]

is climbing fuji really worth it? :) what did you like about it best?

I enjoyed climbing mnts in USA when I have because of the view, etc. (I'm not a climber though it was easy climb)

how do you feel about comiket? do you read dojinshi? is that why you like it? I'd probably feel lost since I can't read it, but would be tempted to buy my favorite character ones anyway. (I only own about 5 of them, from my very very favorite OTPs)

[damoclesangel.livejournal.com]

The Mt Fuji Climb was tough for me because I had asthma, a constricting backpack and not enough sleep. We were lucky that day and we had clear skies. Absolutely stunning view. Basically having climbed a world famous mountain was a plus... (Can you name any Australian Mountains?)

Comiket... just for the pure scale of something that is effectively illegal. And the Cosplay square... it's just amazing.

[lovemeeko.livejournal.com]

1) ~skip~

2) Photos aren't allowed inside the Nakano mall where Mandarake HQ is..... unless you are quick. The only photo I have is a window display of Blythe dolls. The HQ, btw, takes up a large portion of the mall it occupies and has different specialized shops spread out on each floor.... such as a shop for models (including ball joint dolls), posters, old manga, current manga, hentai, cosplay, rare toys (mostly foreign imports like disney), and etc.

3) Look for the shops that have narrow stairways leading to them.... There are tons of poster/photo shops (of current and past celebs, even american ones), Jrock/pop merchandise shops, and some music shops. I always try to go into one of the jrock/pop shops to pick up whatever little item I find for whoever I'm into musically (dir en grey). I'm not acquainted with the restaurants there though since there are more places to eat in Shibuya. I guess if you go down Omotesando street, there are some places next to all the high end shops.

4) I save all the mall brochures, so if I ever plan to go back, I know exactly what shops they have. Like in Odaiba at Aqua City, there is a Osamu Tezuka shop on the top floor (5th I think) with tons of unique merchandise, especially UNICO!!! I also collect the Hello Kitty area-specific cellphone charms and handkerchiefs.

4b) That's hard to say, but I really enjoyed spending time at Yas' family home. We went grocery shopping, had a yummy meal in the formal Japanese style dinning room, watched LOTS of tv, and so on. Yas' mom has one of those fancy Toto toilets too~~~~ ;oD
I also loved riding the shinkansen.

5) Go fabric shopping, of course. There is Okadaya in Shinjuku which is worth a visit if you can't make it to the fabric district in Nippori. Maybe try a sake bar~~~~ or a maid cafe in Akihabara.

[lovemeeko.livejournal.com]

BTW, if you had ever been to Mandarake at the Torrance Mitsuwa (back in the day) or the one in Santa Monica (also back in the day), the HQ at Nakano looks exactly the same as those old locations complete with display windows outside the shop and isles upon isles of everything inside.

[aimeekitty.livejournal.com]

I actually ended up luckily finding a few photos, I just needed a couple to jog my memory so I could draw a few things from inside. (mandarake)

have fun on your trip! :D!

I'd love the next time I go to spend more time exploring, instead of "I have to hit this, this and this and... oh, I guess I dont have time for these three"

I really want to go to a maid cafe, or a butler :D

[dusk-in-dendera.livejournal.com]

Nara and Kyoto are always magical for me whenever I go. I could spend hours in Gion, exploring each nook and cranny. The most precious memories I have so far are the people I've met while touring temples, kimono shops, and tea houses. Sometimes I can't imagine ever returning back to the States... ^^

[aimeekitty.livejournal.com]

I really want to spend more time in Gion next time!!

I found a book called "old kyoto" and just from reading that, I feel like I could spend a week just exploring old stores there. (at least)

[rohantm.livejournal.com]

1) I did not know that. That explains Arale's preoccupation with poop too.

2) - does anyone have a photo(s) of the inside of Mandarake Nakano and Animate? (general Sunshine City photos would be helpful too...)

Alas, no. I went to both of them when I was there, but it was in 1990 so they have probably moved by now...

3) - could you suggest your favorite restuarants and interesting stores in harajuku?

Sadly, my favorite restaurant in Harajuku was El Pollo Loco, since it had nice big windows through which to watch the people outside.

4) - those of you who have visited Japan, were there particular things you brought back (even if it was a receipt or a brochure) that you saved as a memory?

I got one of those windchimes that is a single bell with a paper sail on it. I love the sound, so summery. The sail was blown off by a typhoon but I made a new one and had one of my friends write 'Umi ga suki' on it since their calligraphy was better than mine.

4b) - what is the most memorable or precious thing that you did while you were in Japan? the thing you valued the most on your trip. (and why please!)

Although I did many memorable things while I was there, I think the quiet moments were most precious to me. The woods and tea house on ICU's campus in Mitaka; a tunnel of cherry blossoms in springtime along the campus' entry road; Autumn in Kyouto and the beautiful temples and shrines there; misogi or the purification ritual of meditating beneath a waterfall at Tsubaki Daijinja in Ise prefecture, fresh snow in the lane outside of my apartment. I could really feel the appreciation of nature and love of beauty all around me, as well as the sense of transience or aware. Japan is all about atmosphere-- whether it's riding a train, going to an anime convention or sitting in a tea house, there's nothing else like it.

5) - any particular recommendations for things to do in Japan that you think I might not know about?

The Ghibli Museum (http://www.ghibli-museum.jp/welcome/). I have not been able to go myself, but I am absolutely sure you should not miss it. =) You'll need to make reservations in advance, though. Now, if you can. If you can get to any of the shrines in the mountains around Kyouto or in Ise prefecture (Tsubaki Daijinja is set in a cedar forest), they are less crowded and even more breathtaking. I'm sorry I don't have any other names handy.