The Ghibli Museum

If you find yourself in Japan and you want to visit a place that will offer you one of the best kawaii experiences, I suggest heading over to the Ghibli Museum. Located right smack in the middle of a residential area about 30 minutes from the hustle and bustle of Tokyo, the Ghibli Museum provides a one of a kind experience. Its director, Hayao Miyazaki, expresses his sentiments about the museum and describes it as:

A museum that is interesting and which relaxes the soul
A museum where much can be discovered
A museum based on a clear and consistent philosophy
A museum where those seeking enjoyment can enjoy, those seeking to ponder can ponder, and those seeking to feel can feel
A museum that makes you feel more enriched when you leave than when you entered!

I have not have the chance to personally pay the Ghibli Museum a visit yet but from what I have heard and read, it is rife with kawaii  just like many other places in Japan. You will be in for a treat of cuteness at this place. They are open on all days of the week except for Tuesday, from 10:00 in the morning to 6:00 in the evening. They also have a cafe, dubbed the Straw Hat Cafe, which is open from 11:00 am to 7:00 pm. However, if you want to enter the cafe, do so before 6:00 pm as that is the latest that they allow people to go in.

The Ghibli Museum is very popular and they only sell admission tickets in advance so if you are planning on a trip there, make sure you buy your tickets beforehand. Do visit their web site for more information.

Shop Straight From Japan

Japanese items have long since held a certain attraction for many people outside of Japan. Indeed, you will see a lot of Japanese goods – mostly kawaii items – on sale in various online stores. You can even find these on sale on Ebay. But wouldn’t you like it if you can actually get these things straight from Japan?

With Jzool-Agent, an online service recently offered by Jzool.com Co., Ltd., anyone from anywhere in the world can directly purchase items from the best online stores in Japan. This is indeed welcome news for those who love all things Japanese! In their press release, they state:

Jzool-Agent (http://agent.jzool.com) is primarily a service that buys domestic Japanese products on your behalf. It will handle orders in English and sends products to most locations in the world.

Users can request a free quote of any product they see on a Japanese shopping site by providing Jzool-Agent with its URL. It’s as simple as that. Jzool will calculate shipping costs, add a service charge of 20% or less and notify the customer of the total in U.S. dollars. At that point the requesting customer can decide whether to go ahead with the purchase or not.

All sites linked from this directory is automatically translated to English, French, Spanish, Korean, Chinese, Russian and Arabic by making use of Google’s translator API, so most users will be able to get most if not all of the product’s details and explanations in their own language.

I like this last feature – translation into the language of the buyer. That is in fact one of the most common complaints that I hear when talking about online Japanese stores. I don’t know too many people who can read Japanese so this will definitely make the shopping experience better. Head on over to Jzool now, won’t you?

Sumo Wrestling Still Big In Japan

I suppose it can be considered a stereotype of sorts but I remember that as a child, whenever someone mentioned Japan and sports in the same sentence, I thought of sumo wrestling. A child does not know any better right? Still, today, ages after sumo wrestling began in Japan, the sport still attracts as many people as it used to.

You might be thinking that it is but a natural thing. After all, many kinds of sports are ageless. Think basketball, football, and baseball. The thing is, you may not know that the world of sumo wrestling has been suffering from various setbacks.

One, there is the lack of homegrown talent. In the old days, you could not even begin to imagine that there would be non-Japanese sumo wrestlers. However, these days, you should not be surprised to see Americans, Russians, Mongolians, and other nationals on the mats. Two, sumo wrestling in Japan has been rife with scandals. Three, sumo wrestling has had to compete with the popularity of other “imported” sports.

Still, it seems that this age-old sport has managed to retain its allure and people actually pay considerable amounts to watch live matches. And that is a very good thing. In this age of globalization, it is a sad thing to sit back and watch some old traditions die in many nations. In the cutthroat world of sports, sumo wrestling is one honorable tradition that should not suffer the same fate as other things.

Kawaii: All Things Cute

Disclaimer: For those who are averse to cuteness or anything related to it, I suggest NOT reading this post. Then again, the Japanese concept of cuteness is quite interesting so you might as well go ahead and read about it.

So, what is kawaii all about? It is the idea of being cute in all respects – from pop culture to entertainment to clothes to accessories. Even the big businesses in Japan make use of the concept of kawaii. It is actually a bit hard to exactly explain it but let me give you examples, which will concretize the idea.

Wikipedia gives a very good list:

• Pikachu, a character from Pokemon, adorns the side of three All Nippon Airways passenger jets.
• Asahi Bank used Miffy (Nijntje), a character from a Dutch series of children’s picture books, on some of its ATM and credit cards.
• Monkichi, a cute monkey character, can be found on the packaging for a line of condoms.
• All 47 prefectures have cute mascot characters
• The Japan Post “YÅ«-Pack” mascot is a stylized mailbox.
• The Japan Post also uses other cute mascot characters, for example, on stamps.
• Some police forces in Japan have their own moe mascots, which sometimes adorn the front of koban (police boxes).
• Hello Kitty

They do have a propensity for mascots, don’t they? Anyhow, if you ask the Japanese what they think of kawaii, you might get various reactions. A good majority, however, will tell you that it stems from the inherent peaceful and calm nature of the Japanese culture. There are some skeptics, however, who think that it is a mentality that makes for non-assertiveness.

Whichever way they think, it cannot be denied that the concept of kawaii has spread to other countries and is in fact one of the most intriguing things about the Japanese culture.

Visit The Asahiyama Zoo

Japan has so many things to offer her visitors and for those who are animal lovers, there is also something for you. The Asahiyama Zoo is located in Asahikawa in Hokkaido, Japan. It is also the most popular zoo in all of the country. So why are people flocking to this zoo?

The animals of course! And the zoo has taken things one step further. According to Japan Now:

In the past, Japanese zoos focused on displaying only the animals’ figure. But Asahiyama Zoo started to design its facilities so that the animals’ habits and behavior can be seen as well.

The animals’ natural behaviors can be observed at a number of very innovative facilities. For example, at the penguin aquarium, there is an underwater tunnel where the swimming penguins look like they are flying in the air. You can also watch them eat underwater during the feeding sessions that feature scuba diving. The orangutan facility measures more than 10 meters high and is filled with rock-climbing walls, oversized hammocks, and ropes. This design provides a great setting for you to watch the tree-dwelling orangutans show off their skills.

Though this concept is not all that new – there are many zoos in other countries with a similar set up. In Japan, however, the Asahiyama Zoo has done it best. I was browsing their web site and I just couldn’t help but feel a thrill of excitement as I saw the pictures and descriptions. Here is my favorite.

I want to see how a polar bear swims!

The Passion For Ferris Wheels

If you have ever been to Osaka, you would know about one of the first things that people notice upon arrival – a gigantic red ferris wheel. Dubbed the Hep Five Ferris Wheel, this structure is at the roots of the Japanese people’s passion for this ride. Come to think of it, not too many people would probably know about this passion. That’s why I thought to share excerpts from a feature article in Yomiuri Shimbun:

The Hep Five Ferris wheel is one of the first such rides in the nation to be installed not in an amusement park but in the heart of a city.

When the ride was built inside the Hep Five building in 1998, people were amazed by its eccentric location and eye-catching appearance.

While the world’s first Ferris wheel appeared in 1893 in Chicago, the first one in Japan was constructed in Osaka more than 100 years ago, at a time when the city was intoxicated by the nation’s recent victory in the Russo-Japanese War.

An advertisement for that attraction, dubbed the “Great Wheel,” features an illustration of the ride, which was decorated with several Japanese flags, and some exhilarating promotional hyperbole: “You can’t be called a citizen of this conquering nation without having experienced the excitement of this new ride.”

The advertisement was carried on a guide map for an exposition held from April to June 1906 at Tennoji Park in Tennoji Ward to commemorate victory in the war. The ride was one of the expo’s featured attractions.

Today, this ride is an ubiquitous part of amusement parts and fairs – in Japan and other parts of the world.

The Shinto Religion

Just like in many other countries, the Japanese people have many different religions. At the same time, there is one major religion that can be called indigenous to the country. In Japan, this is the Shinto religion. An interesting thing about the Japanese is that many do not think that one has to practice a single religion. In fact, there are some Japanese who may practice Shintoism but at the same time be Christian.

So what is the Shinto religion all about? Historians say that the Shinto religion dates back to 500 BCE. Their main belief is that objects in nature have spirits in them and that they have their own powers. These spirits, also considered gods, are called kami. When people and other natural objects such as rocks and trees exhibit greatness, they can become gods themselves and are called kami-kaza.

One focal point in the Shinto religion are the Shinto shrines. Currently, there are about 1,400 Shinto shrines in Japan. Those who practice the Shinto religion frequent the Shinto shrines for a variety of purposes. Just like with other religions, these shrines are considered to be places of worship. They are also visited when people want to celebrate something in their lives. They can also serve as places where people can seek guidance.

Although the principal worship is conducted in public shrines, many families in Japan have their own small Shinto shrines at home. These are usually basically high shelves which contain the objects of worship.

Tasmanian Wasabi: One Of The Best

For those who are into Japanese food, wasabi is something that is always appreciated with the rest of the meal. Wasabi is a plant that belongs to the Brassicaceae family, the same plant family that includes cabbages, mustard, and horseradish. You can buy wasabi in its original form – as a root – or as a paste, which can be consumed as is. These days, you can even buy wasabi in powdered form, which is even more convenient. If you have ever tasted the real thing, however, you would know the difference between that and the powdered stuff, which is quite nasty. Some people would only touch the real thing – the connoisseurs.

There is this kind of wasabi, however, that even the most discerning of people have given it a thumbs up. There is a group of farmers from northern Tasmania in Australia who grow a special kind of wasabi. Instead of the traditional way of growing the plant, they grow their wasabi hydroponically. The Tasmanian wasabi was actually featured in a festival in Japan.

The festival was called the Taste of Tokyo and it featured the produce of Steven Welsh and his partners. So why do they grow their wasabi hydroponically? Welsh says that the method increases the quality of the wasabi as well as increase the output. It seems that the quality is indeed very good as it impressed Sydney chef Tetsuya Wakuda. He was so impressed that he brought the wasabi to the festival in Tokyo.

Japanese Lacquer Art

I have recently embarked on a home improvement project – well, actually, I am moving to another unit in my building. I have never been good at interior design and my apartments have always looked like the typical single’s pad – cozy and lived-in, as I like to put it. This time, however, I have this urge to decorate even before I move in. As such, I have engaged the services of a carpenter and painter to work on the unit weeks before I move. I am also actively looking for art pieces that I can use for the house. That’s when I discovered the art of Japanese lacquer.

If you are at a loss, think about cabinets, boxes, and similar items which are covered in fine lacquer. Think intricate designs and the colors of black and red. These are the most common visuals that come to mind when lacquer is mentioned. The fact is that there are many kinds of Japanese lacquer. They differ in the manufacturing process as well as the visual result.

Some experts say that lacquer started in China although evidence shows that this art was used in ancient Japan, as early as 10,000 to 250 BC. The purpose of lacquer application back then was not only for aesthetics but also in order to protect wood and leather. And while the original color schemes used were red and black, the art evolved and the color use expanded to other hues such as gold and silver.

Today, we can still see a lot of lacquer pieces and they certainly add character to a room.

The Toilet Fixation

Many s first time Western visitor to the rural areas of Japan has been surprised about the toilet facilities, where there usually is no “conventional” toilet bowl. Japan – like some other Asian countries – does not really traditionally make use of the toilet seat as Western countries do. Instead, they have fixtures which are akin to holes in the ground.

All this has changed in the recent decades, however. And indeed, the Japanese has outdone many other Western countries when it comes to advanced toilets. Only in Japan can you find hotels which advertise a certain kind of toilet in an effort to attract more people.

ABC News published a very interesting feature article on this topic and I found out that there are so many choices when it comes to commodes! The author even likened buying a commode to buying a car – the options are virtually limitless. Imagine this, you can choose based on features such as self-opening and closing toilet seats, strength of the water flow, accompanying music, lights, warmth of the seat, and so on. It does not end there, however. Consumers also have other options such as built-in deodorizers and fake sounds to cover the sound of doing your business in the bathroom. In keeping with the Japanese tradition of not harming the environment, commode makers also ensure that their products are environment friendly. In fact, one of the biggest things going for their products is the fact that one would not need toilet paper any more.

So how much does a commode set one back? Anywhere from $750 to $5000. Whew!