BLOG -- My Trip to Japan V.3 -- ADVENTURE PART 3 (Mitaka, Jimbocho, Nakano)

Here is Part 3 of my Japan blogs. I cover the new places I visited, though this won't be as lengthy as other entries as I didn't get much time to explore these new areas.

MITAKA

DAYS SPENT: 1

OVERALL THOUGHTS: From what little I saw of this area (a bus ride to the Ghibli musem), Mitaka seemed to have more residential places than other areas we visited. There also seemed to be a lot more in the way of nature and parks. I'm not all that sure if I would take the time to really explore through Mitaka... but I would definitely go back to visit the Ghibli Museum!

PLACES VISITED:

Ghibli Museum

Ever since we visited Japan for the first time, Ghibli Museum was a place we always wanted to check out. Only problem is that tickets were always sold out because we'd put it on our list way too late. I think when I went to Japan by myself two years ago, the museum was just under maintenance.

For those wanting to check out the Ghibli Museum and are living outside of Japan, feel free to read my prelude blog for some information on buying tickets and things to keep in mind to make the process smoother / faster.

Now... a little bit about me and Ghibli movies. Aside from one title I watched long ago that was very boring to me (I don't remember the name), I pretty much enjoyed everything else I've watched, particularly Princess Mononoke and The Cat Returns. While sometimes I feel the pacing could be a little slow for some of the movies... I like it. It gives us a chance to slow down and think about current situations, just like what the characters would do. One day I would like to watch through every Ghibli movie.

To get to the Ghibli Museum from Mitaka station, there are a couple ways:

1. Take a 15-20 minute walk along the Tamagawa Josui (canal / water way) to the musem.

2. Take the bus that goes straight to the museum (requires buying bus tickets by the bus stop)

I think if we had extra time, we would have tried taking the scenic route to Ghibli Museum, but we were cutting it close to the admission time. When buying tickets for the Ghibli Museum, you buy tickets for a certain time slot (admission time). If you are more than 30 minutes late to your admission time, I think you'd have to wait for the next admission time, which could be two hours later! Once you are admitted though, you can stay in the museum as long as you like for that day until closing time. 

For those visiting from outside Japan, make sure to have the ticket print-out and passport on hand for the person who purchased the tickets. 

There is a strict policy with photo / video-taking at the Ghibli Museum: You are NOT allowed to take any photos and videos while you are inside the museum. While you are outside, though, you can take photos. I don't remember if you can take videos as well.

So... overall the Ghibli Museum was really nice. In some ways it almost felt like finding yourself in a small magical world, and you were free to explore to your heart's content. Many of the museum levels had different ways of access so there's no fixed way / path to take. We got to watch the animated short called "Boro the Caterpillar", which was really cute, gross, funny, and adorable. I will always love that green pellet scene... and then finding plushie versions of those pellets down one of the halls in the museum, hahaha :)

The special exhibit they had, Delicious! Animating Memorable Meals, was amaaaaazing! The exhibit displayed life-sized replicas of various meals from significant scenes from various Ghibli movies. There were also storyboards explaining the significance and other details of those scenes. I was internally drooling through this exhibit and was in awe. It was great.

The only places not-so-magical about the Ghibli Museum was the Cafe area and the gift shop. They were just too crowded! But then, I guess that would make sense since those were pretty much the last places we checked (when more people would have been admitted into the museum by then). It will be something to keep in mind on the next visit -- check out the gift shop and Cafe area first! Hahaha.

For a small place, there was a lot to discover and experience. I would, hands down, come back for another visit!! :3

The front of the Ghibli museum.

A scary winding staircase you take to the upper level.

It is scary because I don't remember there being handrails 

and it almost feels like walking up a dark cage.

I would think this is from Nausicaa, but I don't think it is...

can anybody help me with identifying this?

A back shot. It almost seems like it is a lone protector of the trees and nature.

This is a cube-like structure with symbols. 
If it's from a movie, I don't know which one. 

A kodama from Princess Mononoke, squeeeee!!!

OTHER PHOTOS:

The bus that goes to the Ghibli Museum!
It costs 320 yen (adult) for a roundtrip.

JIMBOCHO

DAYS SPENT: 0.5

OVERALL THOUGHTS: Well, I mainly visited here, because it was a place you could visit in Persona 5. Unfortunately for me, though, I came to the area too early. Almost every place was still closed.

Now, for those who don't know -- Jimbocho is known its bookshops. As other places have called it, it's a "heaven for book lovers". I'm not exactly at the level to buy and read Japanese books... but I wanted to see it. I wanted to see this "heaven". Next time I will explore this place when the shops are open, hahaha.

PLACES VISITED:

??? Gallery

I don't know the name of this building, but an exhibit caught my attention as I was on my way to the subway station. Initially I was going to keep walking, but I turned back and checked it out.

It was a small exhibit celebrating V Jump's 25th Anniversary. Congrats to V Jump! In the exhibit were various artwork from manga artists and little blurbs. There was also some kind of setup featuring a Dragon Ball Z video game. Somebody was trying it out so I didn't check it out in detail. This was kinda a nice random exhibit to find.

What drew my attention to this building.
Of course my head would turn at the sight of Ac-- I mean One Piece! :3

Inside the exhibit.

A drawing in the exhibit.

Various covers for V Jump.

OTHER PHOTOS:

A street full of bookshops. If only I had come by later, 
when everything would be open!

NAKANO

DAYS SPENT: 0.5

OVERALL THOUGHTS: We came to Nakano only to check out Akihabara's "rival" -- Nakano Broadway. Hopefully we'll be able to explore this place more fully next time.

PLACES VISITED:

Nakano Broadway

If I had to choose between Nakano Broadway or Akihabara for my geek goods, well... I'd have to say I don't know. One reason for this is that I didn't get to check out Nakano Broadway as thoroughly as I wanted to. Where Akihabara is outdoors and shops are spread over a large-ish area, Nakano Broadway is like a mall complex with various floors. 

In Nakano Broadway I did find some shops that carried nice snacks and unique fan-made goods, but really -- half a day is not enough for this place. I will have to come back again and really explore to have a better impression / "verdict".

The entrance to Nakano Broadway.

Supposedly this is a "castle" display. I don't understand its significance.

OTHER PHOTOS:

We had to walk through Nakano Sun Mall to get to Nakano Broadway.
It was really neat inside!

That's it for Part 3 and the Adventure portions of my Japan blogs. Next will be 2-3 blogs on what I ate and the stuff I bought, and maybe another one. We will see, hahaha.

Thank you for reading! If you have any questions or comments about any of these places I visited, feel free to say something in the comments box! :)