24 April 2016

My Japanese tour 2016. Day 11

10.50, in Skyliner to the airport
Packing the stuff, worrying about how to close the suitcase, forgetting the room card in the room and seeing the door unexpectedly closing in front of my nose - many things there are to occupy a traveller's mind in the morning of his last journey day.
Only having taken my seat in the express for the airport I fully understand - the trip to my Treasure island came to an end.

23 April 2016

My Japanese tour 2016. Day 10, part 3

20.00, in a train back to Tokyo
Having a bit of fun in a train. "it's our station!" (nogi is the Russian for legs or feet)


My Japanese tour 2016. Day 10, part 2

17.20, Ashikaga flower park
This particular place reminds me of 'Spirited away' greatly.

22 April 2016

My Japanese tour 2016. Day 9, part 3

15.00, having lunch in a soba restaurant near Kita-sando
For a central district like this, a big bowl of soba with some tempura or croquette for 390 yen is wonderfully cheap, I think.

My Japanese tour 2016. Day 9, part 2

14.35, Yoyogi village
One place is not enough, and we're heading for the next destination. I'd say it was a completely useless travel, if not for this wonderful showroom where everything sold is made from bamboo, and even the floor is tatami so you have to take your shoes off - shop of Takefu 'eau'. Bought my mom a bamboo scarf of a pale green colour that she likes, but wanted to buy so many more.
And the place is like a completely different world. It's a pity U-chan doesn't want to eat European food today, I'd love to stay in any of these small cafes or restaurants. Like a small wooden oasis in the heart of urban Tokyo.

My Japanese tour 2016. Day 9, part 1

12.30, Korakuen station
It was my dream to go to a place I don't know at all. So we took the first book that came before our eyes in the room - it was the 'Shounen Jump' that U-chan bought the other day, searched for a random letter and random number, and what we got in the result was MA21, subway Marunouchi line 21st station, Korakuen.
A wonderful thing - some sakura still blooming in the end of April.

13.50, Korakuen garden
The ticket is only 300 yen, but what pleasure it is to behold such beauty. Even though we'll see wisteria tomorrow, it's great to have a glimpse of it here. Peonies are no less beautiful. And who thought such things as 'full moon bridge' would fascinate me. Some things only impress you when you actually see them. I guess there are no better landscape and interior designers than Japanese, if you ask me who is the best master of creating spaces where every new step brings new angles of viewing ordinary things.

21 April 2016

My Japanese tour 2016. Day 8, part 3

17.45, Konica Minolta planetarium Manten
I guess the creative designers of Miraikan, the Future museum in Tokyo, would agree with me - sakanaction suits the Universe the best, at least among modern Japanese musicians. It's my first time in Manten, and I've only been to a couple of other planetariums, but I swear I've become a planetarium fan, and particularly of Konica Minolta. This quality of sound and projection is astonishing.

My Japanese tour 2016. Day 8, part 2

14.20, Peter Rabbit Garden Cafe
I'm not sure where I heard about this cafe, but it's extremely cute. Expected to see her a lot of girls in fancy clothes or mothers with children, but it's full of adult men...
However the prices... I know my cappuccino has Petter Rabbit on top of it, but 734 yen for a cup?

My Japanese tour 2016. Day 8, part 1

12.00, Jiyugaoka
Stumbled upon an article about this area by chance, and didn't regret going here all the way from Ueno.
 

20 April 2016

My Japanese tour 2016. Day 7, part 3

Among the observation desks I've visited, this is perhaps the most rewarding for its price.

My Japanese tour 2016. Day 7, part 3

I love the Yamatane museum. It's always full of paintings that are worth of admiring for at least an hour. Been here 3 times and all come more. But it's the first time I have a lunch on the Tsubaki cafe in the museum. The Japanese style cakes are so cute... >__<

My Japanese tour 2016. Day 7, part 2

It's a hard thing when almost anything makes a particular song play in your head... Just kidding, it isn't!

My Japanese tour 2016. Day 7, part 1

My friends told me this flower is called 'tsutsuji'. I never knew it's just a simple azalea, or rhododendron. The one we have in my area grows wildly and looks so different I didn't recognise it at once.

17 April 2016

My Japanese tour 2016. Day 4, part 2

14:30, Arashiyama bamboo grooves
I simply wanted to do this.

My Japanese tour 2016. Day 4,part 1

Kobe is the most impossible to understand place ever, after Umeda in Osaka. Or even before it... Searching for Hanshin/Hankyu information centre for 20 minutes.

16 April 2016

My Japanese tour 2016. Day 3, part 4

Night view of a port town is always the best. Still I guess Kobe sometimes is too close to what my hometown might be if it had the same things as Kobe - a bit dirty, shabby, early closing, untidy, but beautiful.

My Japanese tour 2016. Day 3, part 2

15.00, Nunobiki herb garden
It's a pity we don't have ropeways in my hometown. The same landscape but different destinies...

My Japanese tour 2016. Day 3, part 1

12:15, Arima Toys and Automata museum
How would you call the feeling of satisfaction that comes when you admire something done with great care and attention, consisting of many small details?

15 April 2016

My Japanese tour 2016. Day 2, part 4

What can I say... Unexpectedly, the widely-promoted coffee can be less tasty than you could expect judging by the attractive photo. Even if it is served in a cute cup with a mustache on one side. But how do these damned Japanese cook such omelette with rice and meat...

My Japanese tour 2016. Day 2, part 3

20:00, Kobe Harborland ferris wheel
What I really think is that they MUST make all seats in ferris wheels all over Japan have a heater inside. I insist. My bottom does...

My Japanese tour 2016. Day 2, part 2

16:30, Uroko museum
A photo is something that shows only a moment of time. How do you determine a moment of time? You may say, by how many seconds the camera shutter moves. But even if it takes less than a second, it still take some time. So, even if nothing moves on a photo, it is, in a sense, a video, too.

My Japanese tour 2016. Day 2, part 1

11.09, cafe Swan
Nobody except us in the cafe, and it seems that the owner does everything himself. What I like in Japan is that any small cafe will serve delicious food and drinks, and it's safe to eat.

13.50, Italian house
It's an extremely good day, the weather is good, the museum is gorgeous, and our free guide, Mr. Shimamura, is such a nice person. The most wonderful thing is travelling is meeting nice people. Even though usually I am a misanthrope!
An idiot's dream come true. Sitting on a white veranda surrounded by marble statues, eating a delicious cake with a good coffee, hearing water flowing into the pool.
And my favourite mango ice-cream. I think this is an hour of heaven.

14 April 2016

My Japanese tour 2016. Day 1

17.25 local time, in the plane from Narita to Itami
Previously when I was going to Osaka, it was December, so it was too dark outside to see anything, but now it's April and it's still visible... Fuji!

18.50, in a limousine bus from the airport to Kobe
They ask not to eat things that have strong smell, but U-chan is too hungry to abide :)

20.00, Kobe station
I say, Kobe reminds me of my hometown. It's it because both are port towns? It's dirtier and shabbier than most places I visited, but it's so homely.

On second thought, I must also say it's not very easy to understand when it comes to stations...

11 April 2016

IMHO. 'Kyou no Kira-kun' ~ 'there is no greater happiness than to be needed by the person who's precious to you'

I stumbled upon the 'Kinkyori' movies when I was browsing through a website with Japanese TV dramas and full-length movies. Then I read the manga. Though it was different in many aspects, I enjoyed it even more than the screen version. It's a well-known fact that best things come unexpected. I was not aiming for that, but I thought I found another mangaka to add to my top-mangakas list.
Just as the unexpected things are good, the expected things may turn up not quite as you expected.

story and characters
Now promise me you don't mind a lot of crying, especially on the part of men. You don't? Good. Because this story is tear-squeezing. The Hero cries,
 the Heroine cries,
 the Hero cries many times,by the way
 and their friends cry, too...
Their parents cry very much, too, if you wanted to know.
But the strangest thing is, the author made me cry as well. I just couldn't stop when I reached volume 9, the last one.
I must admit, before volume 9 there were 8 volumes of ms. Mikimoto repeating herself. Yes, again we have a strange girl who doesn't get along very well with her classmates. Yes, she falls in love with a very popular guy who, under his mask of a careless person, has deep wounds. Yes, she gradually develops relationship with other people and makes true friends. Yes, she has a slightly unusual family with a very young mother (who's a cosplay-lover, by the way, in this case) and a caring father.
We even hear some Russian again! ^___^
Okay, it was not the main point...
However, this is where the common points end. I must admit, if you asked me what manga I prefer among these two, I'd name 'Kinkyori', because it was just what I wanted, but 'Kira' would be the one I'd recommend sooner to others. What crossed my mind while reading, was that 'Kira' is extremely educational. In fact, it's like a good story for adolescent girls. It's more decent and slightly less passionate than 'Kinkyori', with first volumes only showing occasional cute scenes. The following important moments in 'Kira' were more about growing up, overcoming hardships, philosophical things like life and death, rather than sheer romance.
And it's kinda educational in many ways
The usual sense of humour of Mikimoto-sensei is not absent in 'Kira', too. Though she doesn't insert any crazy parodies any more, the humour became more lambent, and is expressed in the forms of whole characters - Nino's bird, Sensei, or Rei, her friend. At times, I was astonished at how unusual the reactions of the characters were. Kira decides to work part-time to save up money. What does Nino say? 'Then I'm going to become a girl who looks good in bikini so that your fatigue would fly away!'
This was my favourite moment. Kira says something touching. Nino's reaction - 'hehe, you're so cute...'
I'm not sure if it's just me, but I've never seen such a realistic, credible reaction in manga. It's just what I would do if I were in her place. What those girl usually do is to blush and cover her face, or punch the Hero. Or both.
And I loved those subtle moments when the author described the small happy things that filled the life of Nino. It is that kind of 'everyday happiness' that does not sound like it's the end of an interesting journey and the beginning of dullness.
At first, when I read people say that the characters in this manga make good couples, I couldn't agree. I thought they still lack something to become a solid unit. However with time, I couldn't help being surprised with how much they really complement each other. They were all doing exactly what was necessary to their other-halves at the moment, and in each couple both participated actively in developing the relationship.

Graphics
For somebody it might be a negative thing, but for me it's what I require from a mangaka - not simply showing some fancy tricks or ideal lines, but being able to convey the characters' emotions, even if it may look too obvious and intentional.
Not all frames were equally good, but it's a great progress as compared to 'Kinkyori', and some are just ideal.

language
Again, it's educational even in this aspect. 'Kira' was one of the easiest mangas I've read, and I highly recommend it to girls who started learning Japanese. Maybe boys, as well? It's a story about modern Japan, schoolers, their everyday life and so, the words learnt from it would be more helpful than in other works (like shounen fantasies or manga that concentrate on some particular topic).

conclusion
Comparing ms. Mikimoto's works to others, I have to say her ending of 'Kira' was maybe just too more abrupt than I'd want it to be. But as it is, it's not bad in any way.
Now will follow a big spoiler so don't read it if you mind.
Ask me who my favourite character was and I won't hesitate for an answer. Parting is always very hard. The story of Sensei reminded me of my own experience. Those who have ever had a pet would understand. But I will have to believe in this, too, like Nino - one happy moment is more important that 10 sad ones.