Places Where Dreams Come True

Japan is the land of theme parks. There’s Disneyland and Universal Studios and Huis ten Bosch (replicates Dutch villages), Parque Espana (replicates Spain) and Meiji Mura (recreates Japan in the Meiji period) and… the list goes on and on:
http://www.tjf.or.jp/eng/content/japaneseculture/31themepark.htm
I guess it must be the Japanese preference for controlled environments that makes them particularly successful here. You can pretend you went somewhere (America, Holland, Spain, back in time) without actually doing it, and without having to deal with complicated travel plans, culture shock, or too many gaijin. And look kawaii while doing it!

Already, since I’ve been here, I’ve visited five amusement parks: Little World, Tobu World Square, Tokyo Disneysea, Japan Monkey Park and Sweet Castle. And I’m not particularly obsessed with theme parks; it’s just that they seem to present themselves as entertainment options so frequently that eventually you find yourself giving in and going.

When my friend and I went to Tokyo around New Year’s, we knew we had to make a stop at one of the Disney parks… but since there are two, we had to choose. Disneyland is obviously the more conventional option, a clone of the Californian version. We decided to break with tradition and visit DisneySEA instead, since it was supposed to be “more adult” (not in a risqué way, though!). The whole place was designed with a seafaring/aquatic theme in mind, and turned out to be more enjoyable than I expected. There were no Mickeys or Donald Ducks running around, which suited me perfectly since I find those characters a bit too manically happy. But there were plenty of Japanese people of all ages and genders wandering around with furry Disney-character hats on, which in itself would have been enough amusement for one day.


The town of Inuyama, only 15 minutes by train from where I live, seems to be somewhat of a theme park mecca in Japan. It has at least four amusement parks: Little World, Monkey Park, Sweet Castle and Meiji Mura (I’ve visited the first three). Little World turned out to be sort of a disappointment because it wasn’t the miniature world I imagined- just some replicas of traditional buildings from around the world. The selection of locations was bizarrely random, too: Okinawa, Nepal, Thailand, Ghana, Italy and Germany. However, Tobu World Square in Nikko, which I went to later, fulfilled all my dreams of seeing tiny versions of famous landmarks and taking surreal photos of them.

My visit to Monkey Park (Japan’s biggest!) last weekend is what prompted this whole blog entry. I went with three other friends from JET who, like me, have retained the ability to act unapologetically immature when necessary. The first indication that we would need to revert back to childhood to fully enjoy the park came when we noticed that everyone else there was either a 3-year old child or the parent of a 3-year-old. In other countries, you might expect a zoo specializing in monkeys to be relatively scientific and convey messages of environmental conservation etc… but Japan Monkey Park is more like the name suggests- a monkey theme park. There were mechanical animals to ride, miniature trains to sit in, ice cream and beer to buy, and various other rides to enjoy… that we were too big to fit on.

In addition to these stellar attractions, there were, of course, monkeys. Hundreds of monkeys from seventy-three different species. Some were in antiquated cages with concrete and bars, others were in what I call ‘monkey pits’, still others had jungle gyms and wooden bridges to play on, and some lucky ones were roaming free in their own mini-jungle. A stand-out memory was “Monkey Valley”, where several macaques were sitting on posts about 4 meters above the ground, clapping their hands (see picture below) so that the spectators would throw treats at them… which the monkeys would then try to catch by leaning out from their perch. At least the treats were apparently healthy (not popcorn or other junk).

A couple of monkeys also practically launched themselves at us, in the enclosures which weren’t actually enclosed- the squirrel monkey island and the lemur colony.

The baboon pit held our attention for more than a few minutes. Actually, though, I think the monkeys were doing pretty well socially, given how overcrowded the enclosures seemed.

After Monkey Park we decided to further indulge our immature side by visiting Sweet Castle. It’s marketed as being “filled with a sweet aroma”, but I guess we arrived too late that day since we missed out on both the smell and the baking activities they offer there. We did get to marvel at the splendor of the castle’s architecture, Cinderella’s glass slipper and the 14.2m tall sugar cake (which I suspect is actually made of cardboard with a few sugar decorations stuck on). We also saw the ‘Santa and his sleigh’ statue outside the castle, which is there all year long… further evidence that Japan does not understand Christmas at all. Ultimately, all we really cared about was the sweets smorgasboard, where we gorged on mousse, cake, crepes, fairy floss and parfait (it WAS a birthday celebration, after all).

If I don’t visit another theme park while I’m here in Japan I’ll be very surprised.

Saturday In The Park... and Monday By The River

On the weekend I went for my first sakura (cherry blossom )hanami (flower viewing) session. A few friends and I decided to venture down to Nagoya, which, being slightly further south, is a little further along in the sakura blossom stakes. I was assured of that last week when I checked out somewhat bizarre, yet strangely touching 'cherry blossom front report' at the Japan Meterological Agency's website: http://www.jma.go.jp/jma/en/News/sakura3.html

Before arriving at the park, I envisioned a huge expanse of green lawn dotted with cherry trees and groups of people sitting under them. Reality was a little different. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised, but the 'lawn lounging' I was anticipating turned out to be more like a 'crouching-in-the-garden-beds' scenario.





This wasn't simply due to lack of space, but because Japanese public parks always seem to incorporate more concrete walkways than grass. Nevertheless, there were plenty of cherry trees and you can never fault sakura for their beauty.

Now that I've had a bit of time to think about it, what really strikes me about hanami is what it reveals about the Japanese culture and mindset. Plenty has been written about Japan's reverence for the natural world and how this is reflected in Japanese art, fashion, music, ceremonies, religious beliefs, and numerous other cultural practices. But this awe of nature was so much more apparent on a personal level on Saturday. People of all ages and all societal demographics were there; young families with chidren, wannabe yakuza, older couples, suited-up salarymen and office ladies attending the company hanami party; even a few men who might have been homeless. All there to absorb the spring atmosphere and appreciate one of nature's most beautiful displays. And the expressions on some of the people as they walked down paths under a canopy of petals were like something out of a Disney movie- there is no other word to describe it but awe; faces upturned, mouths half-open, eyes lit up.


And like I say, these were people of all ages - not just children. You have to admire a society that encourages that kind of unselfconscious appreciation of nature.

I think it also comes out in the Japanese fixation with kawaii (cute). Although this is mainly the domain of high school girls, the appreciation for cuteness apparently knows no boundaries in Japan: I remember seeing a construction worker with a tough-guy expression using a mobile phone with a teddy-bear keyring dangling off it. Almost every company here has at least one cartoon-character mascot that features in its advertising, logos and signs. For example, my bank's corporate image is based on Tom and Jerry. They're on the cover of my bankbook. The epitome of cuteness here in Japan is little furry animals, and it's not uncommon to see a full grown man taking a small toy-poodle-type dog (dressed in a skirt, t-shirt and 'hair'/fur clips) for a walk.

But I digress. Today I took in some more hanami- in my own town. The sakura here are possibly Gifu's best-kept cherry-blossom secret. The Sakae river, which runs through this town, is lined with cherry trees. When the trees are blooming, they create a canopy over the river. When you walk down the path next to the river, it really is - to quote my colleague - "like another world"...

Akita-ken in Gifu-ken

Random post alert. Very random.

I've been thinking about dogs in Japan lately. I've seen alot of them in my time here. In fact, I saw more in Tokyo than I see here in Gifu most days. In Tokyo, they were all little 'foo-foo' dogs- you know, pomeranians, daschunds (sorry Sarah), toy poodles, usually dressed in some kind of jacket and with a 'hair-band' or two. Undeniably cute, but city dogs, if you know what I mean. Reminded me of the poodles you see in Paris, eating at the table at a cafe with their rich French mistress. (I really did see that in Paris once.) Walking through Tokyo, I spotted many weird and wonderful canine characters, including:

A pomeranian peering out of a Gucci backpack...


Four identical miniature daschunds wearing different coloured jackets like some kind of dog boy-band, all on leashes (one is being carried in the photo below)...


More daschunds at a 'dog cafe'... the owners were enjoying the experience way more than the dogs.


And, although photographic evidence is lacking, I spotted a smokin' hot leather-clad Japanese yakuza-boyband member-pimp holding a tiny chihuaha-type dog wearing a pink bow.

But in Gifu, good old country-bumpkin land, the dogs are straight-down-the-line REAL dogs. Introducing the Akita-ken. ('ken' is the another pronounciation of 'inu', meaning dog.) I just wikipedia-ed them, so of course now I'm an expert. Anyway, I always thought these dogs were cute. They look kind of like a cross between a fox, wolf and dingo. Their tails are curly and they're really alert.

They seem to be the national dog of Japan. Because you know Japan has a national everything. They were originally bred in the north of Japan as bear-hunting dogs, so you know they're agressive underneath all that cuteness. Just like all things Japanese, there have been attempts to keep the breed 'pure'. Akitas were also used as guard dogs for the Emperor and his children, so they must have some kind of 'sacred' connotations too. And normal people used them as babysitters for their children too!

Japan's most famous dog, Hachiko, was an Akita. Yes, Hachiko- the most valiant and loyal embodiment of man's best friend since Lassie. The legend says that he met his master at Shibuya station, Tokyo, every day. When his master died, Hachiko returned to the station every day for the rest of his life to wait for him. So now Hachiko has been immortalized as a statue outside Shibuya station. It's become a very popular meeting point. On my recent trip to Tokyo, I couldn't get near it, it was so crowded!

So anyway, 99 percent of the dogs I see here in Gifu-ken are Akita-ken. (Hard-working down-to-earth dogs for a hard-working down-to-earth place, I guess.) They seem to embody the Japanese spirit somehow. And not least because their temperament sounds pretty much like the national character! With only a little imagination, I'm sure anyone familiar with Japanese society can see the parallels:

"They are naturally wary of unknown people and animals and should be well socialised to avoid undesirable aggression. They are highly pack oriented, thus, isolating them from a social environment causes them great stress. Akitas are known to be very quiet dogs, only barking "when there is something to bark about". An Akita is not likely to shower affection on someone that is not a member of his family or a close friend that he sees frequently, and can be extremely aloof. The dogs are known for their loyalty, and a pet Akita will patiently follow its master from room to room, without ever getting underfoot."

I'm not sure about the 'underfoot' bit, but I'm sure it's a metaphor for something! ;)

Anyway, enough rambling. Woof!