Ikebukuro

Happy December 1st!

December came so fast. It also means that I've now been in Japan for about 3 months and now entering my 4th month. I suppose I've learned a lot so far, but I still feel like I have a lot to learn. I keep having dreams that I leave Japan already, but it's probably for the best that I'm staying for a year.

Today, I'll be uploading the pictures that I've taken recently. They include my trip with Stephanie to Ikebukuro during the break and the personification of inatimate objects.

First, my trip to Ikebukuro. I wanted to go there because it's the setting of an anime I saw called "Drrrr!!". From the anime, I heard of some famous places that were in Ikebukuro, so I wanted to see them in real life. Ikebukuro is a really nice town. It's a city, but not nearly as big and bustling as Shibuya. There was also a really nice bakery in the train station where Stephanie and I stopped by for lunch.

We first stopped by Sunshine City, which is pretty much a big mall. There are lots of stores, food places, and there's even an observatory and aquarium somewhere inside. It was fun looking around but we didn't buy anything. I've pretty much given up on Japanese clothes. They are too expensive. It's quite depressing when all the dresses you like are all around the $80 price range.

 This was a Hello Kitty store along the main road. There are lots of stores like this--the Disney store too--that make you feel like you're stepping into a fairytale world.

 The main road of Ikebukuro. There are a lot of game centers, shopping, restaurants, etc. It has a really nice atmosphere.

 This is a famous dessert place. The desserts are so amazing looking. But, when you're hungry, you want something more substantial than chocolate and cream...

 Stephanie and I spent a really long time looking for West Gate Park, which is this famous park in Ikebukuro known for the novel and drama that take place there. Unfortunately, we gave up by the time it was getting dark and cold. This was a pretty park though on the other side of Sunshine City. I really like these kind of trees.

 Ikebukuro Station

 Me with the Ike-fukuro. This is an iconic statue which can be found in Ikebukuro station. It places on the name Ikebukuro, which combines the characters for lake and handkerchief/bundle, replacing the second character with the character for "owl" that sounds similar. It then becomes "lake owl".

When there's something iconic, the Japanese have to create souvenirs. Here, they were selling Ike-fukuro shaped pastries with different fillings.

Mother and Daddy--you were talking the other day about how you saw a tv show where they were talking about how the Japanese personify inatimate objects. Apparently, this demonstrates a naivite and a love for cute things, as well as deeply ingrained Shinto beliefs that everything has a spirit and is somehow alive. Inspired by that, I noticed two examples in the station the other day:

 Here the ticket dispenser for commuter passes and fare tickets has a face and legs.

 Here is something specific that mother mentioned--the personified lightbulb to encourage saving electricity. I have seen the posters with smiling lightbulbs as well, but this is the poster that I've seen around the stations the most. A sleeping lightbulb. Oh, I didn't mention this before, but there are signs like this everywhere to encourage saving electricity. In bathrooms, hand dryers will be out of order, elevators will sometimes be out of order, and ticket buying machines will be out of order to save electricity. As many probably know, as a result of the earthquake/tsunami incident, the nuclear plant was seriously damaged. Thus, many people were afraid that there wouldn't be enough electricity to run Japan. To prevent this from happening, the whole country went into an electricity saving mode. In the train, I also see several advertisements for electricity saving refridgerators and heaters. One encouraged families to not be spread out while they're in the house, but rather gather in the same room and play non-electronic games like board games together. This restricts the use of electricity in the house and also works to strengthen family bonds. It's quite an interesting campaign.

Anyways, today is Thursday so I have class in the evening--composition and art. For art, we're going to a museum in Roppongi, which is a really chic part of Japan. I have to get there by myself, so I hope I don't get lost...