I'm actually a big fan of something called the Creative Commons, a voluntarily licensing scheme for creators. I could go on for pages, but the basic gist is this: ordinary copyright demands that people get special permission for every single use of a copyrighted work. This can be an incredible hassle in the modern world, so CC gives creators the ability to automatically grant the public certain rights to their work while withholding others. It's a sort of half-way point between full copyright and public domain.

For example, this blog, and the pictures on it that are mine are now under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial license, which signals to readers that they can freely use either the text or images without having to ask as long as a. They say where it came from and b. They don't make money off it. I (and a lot of other bloggers/photographers out there) already had this general philosophy, but the CC designation makes it obvious and unambiguous. I've been meaning to do this since I started the blog, but kept getting put off. Just a quick heads-up. And now, back to the regular content!

I've been distracted, which is the best reason I can give for why my trip to Fushimi Inari last Sunday is only being written down now.

It's a temple, and an incredible one at that. Inari is heavily associated with foxes, so statues of them are everywhere, including two massive ones at the entrance. The temple/shrine itself is different from any I've visited, in that it's not a neat rectangle with a well-swept courtyard and a few buildings inside. It's really more of a path, starting at the base of a mountain and winding its way to the top, where the final section is. Buildings exist, especially at the base and at certain way-points along the fair hike up the side, but most of the distance is covered on an old stone stairway that winds up through the forest through countless Tori gates, the big orange structures nearly everyone's seen. Inari is, among other things a god of prosperity and business, so each of the gates is sponsored by a local business in Kyoto, hoping the donation will boost their sales a bit. There are also smaller, model gates for those with lower marketing budgets.








My general impression was of a much more interesting location then the other shrines I've been to, both because of the bright colors on the buildings and gates, and because the whole thing feels older, much older. By number the main structures of the shrine aren't buildings at all, but sets of stone slabs, each a place of offering to a unique incarnation/version of Inari. Candles burn in small iron houses and stone statues are everywhere, large and small, staring back at you. Everything is kind of scattered, or piled up, and always the forest waits around the edges. THIS is how you do mystical.



The vending machines along the way don't help though.

(More pictures, as always, on the Flickr account._

Today's film was the Hayo Miyazaki masterpiece "Spirited Away." There's so much to say about the film that it's hard to say anything. The visuals are amazing, so much that they've become industry reference points. The acting and plot are fantastic, the latter being a mildly surreal tale in good old style, with a beset but capable protagonist struggling through a fantastic world, alternatively battling it and gazing at it in wonder. But the thing that hits me the hardest is the raw spirit of the film.


There are certain stories that are so well-crafted they have a kind of unique aura to them, like a taste or a smell but on a psychological level. This isn't something simplistic elicited by the plot or characters: not "fear" or "humor" or any of the rest; it's more of a complex feeling one gets from imbibing the tale. The Lord of the Rings, in its original form, does this. The Secret of NIMH (at least for me) does this. And Spirited Away does this in spades: it practically glows with this strange force.

That's why I love it so much, and possibly why it is the top-grossing film of all time in Japan. All the usual ways one critiques film are well-satisfied by Miyazaki's work, but the reason people keep coming back to this film isn't that all the items on some list of creative excellence were checked. It's because of the aura, because of what the Disney folks would call the "Magic." There are moments, when watching truly great art, that the work reaches so deep, so well that you verge on tears, because something in it rings so true on some strange, basic level. Miyazaki's work does this almost constantly.

The other thing about his work that bears mentioning is the love of nature that is always there, fueling whatever else is happening. Inevitably in every Miyazaki film nature will be breathtaking, and it will be threatened by the encroachments of humanity. In Spirited Away this reference is more subtle, but still present: the heroine purifies a river god stinking with trash in one of the most obvious examples. This has led many to label Miyazaki's work "Environmentalist" but the word doesn't quite fit. You can't really understand his sentiment until you've been to Japan, a country under assault from crass, hideous, sprawling industrialism. In the west "Environmentalism" tends to be about purity: keep the river clean, keep the forest thick, keep the air breathable. Watching Miyazaki's work one gets the sense that it's more profound then that. Here, he says, is a wonder, a paradise, something deeply important, deeply part of who we are. Sprawling grassy hills, thick mysterious forests, clear water that stretches on and on. Playground to the Kami. This is important, on an almost spiritual level. And the danger isn't that we'll muck up a little here or cut down a little there. It's that we'll lose it. We'll cover it over in our pathetic excuse for an environment and it will fade away. And when it does, so will part of our souls. An important part. THE important part.



P.S. When one searches for images on Google, the individual images are always displayed above a copy of their source and I'm incredibly grateful for this feature, as it has a way of turning up some really interesting stuff. Case in point: while looking for an image for this post, I happened on this post on a blog called "A Subtle Knife", analyzing and wondering about "Coraline" via its archetypal similarities to "Spirited Away" and "Pan's Labyrinth". It's a great pondering of the films, and helps explain the strange unease I had with "Coraline", even as I enjoyed it. Take a look!


Image used under fair use.

I've just arrived back at the campus as I write this. The train ride back wasn't bad, save for Kyoto station. The transfer there took forever to figure out. Google maps needs to have directions for INSIDE the stations too.

Before I left Tokyo though, I did a little digging online, still determined to find at least one other landmark from my anime. A bit of amateur forensic examination on the original photo, combined with a look at the trails in Shinjuku Central park on Google maps suggested that if it was anywhere in the park, it would have to be on the west side.

I took the short metro ride to central Shinjuku and combed the park again, this time around the outside, heading straight for the west side. And only a few minutes after turning the corner, I found this:





In the course of eight years (the show aired around 2001) the plants have shifted a bit, but it's unmistakable. Fans of the show will notice the surroundings are different then in the anime, but as the writer's site (where the original pic comes from) notes, some liberties were taken there to push it farther back, making it more remote.

At any rate, what a way to end the trip. Couldn't ask for more. Tokyo has been incredible, and it'll take a long time work through it all, but an amazing experience. You learn a lot about a city wandering around it.

I actually had planned NOT to go, but as I sat in the hostel this morning, pondering my last trip, I decided to check on it again. Discovering day passes were only $60 something, and that the rail work was fairly simple, I decided to give it a shot. Yes, it's Disney. But my rationalizations were:

a. I'm almost as big a fan of Disney as Japan
b. Every park is different; it isn't the same as visiting Orlando or Cali.
c. It was cheap and easy to get to.

The train system, as always, proved fairly easy. Getting into Disney on Silver week did not. There was a two hour wait before tickets would even go on sale again, then a half hour in line. Just as I neared the end, bits of info floated back into my head about the trains not running after five, which it was. As I had no trouble getting home, the five in question was probably am, but the panic was enough to get me out of the line. I did get to look around the outside at least. Who knows, maybe I'll manage to get back later in the semester, with better plans. I think it's worth noting though: all other exploration in Japan: Quick and easy. Trying to get into Disney Land: 3 hours still not enough. Photo dump after the jump.




"Street Entertainers" (their real identity given away by a Mickey glove here, a W made from string there) were working the crowd just off the station, trying to provide some entertainment for customers who had just discovered they were going to have to wait two hours to get in. They weren't bad though. This guy (whose act I was treated to twice as they went through the rotations) would toy with a small crystal ball, working it so that it seemed to stay fixed in the air, supported by something else as his fingers brushed the surface.



Decoration outside the gift shop, which was shaped like a giant steamer trunk.



Seen in the gift shop:



The station:


Some statues from a series that decorate the walkway:





As close to the main gate as I got:



And finally: does anyone else think this poster for the Tea cups looks way more fun then the actual ride?

Headed back to Akihabara again. There's a lot to take in, but in particular I was hoping to get some video, something I forgot the first time around. Like this:



Afterward I headed over to to Meiji shrine near Harajuku, then a bit of Harajuku itself. Photos and more, as the fancy bloggers say, after the jump.


By the time I emerged from the subway near the shrine I was hungry for lunch. I found this place, a great western style diner. A big bowl of Spagetti and a fantastic coco were only about $8. Dining in general has been a lot cheaper than I expected.



I also happened to pass the local headquarters for Japan's communist party. The building was actually pretty impressive. Not bad digs.



Some shots from the Shrine and surrounding area. Too tired to elaborate. Pretty place, but a lot of walking.







The shrine is in a park, and within this is a smaller garden with a variety of cool spots, one of which is a tea house that overlooks a small pier over of pond rich with Koi.







The shrine is right up against Harajuku, so I slipped from one to the other across an ornate bridge. I got this as I was passing: the first cosplay I saw that was worth photographing. And only then because I managed to get it before someone mentioned there were no photographs without permission, despite the crowd of photographers gathering. I haven't really seen much in the way of cosplay, either in Harajuku or Akihabara. Must have my timing off.



Not really much else in Harajuku I felt like photographing. It's a bunch of expensive fashion I wasn't really interested in, and the crowds were severe. They did, however, have Condomania, which I deemed photo-worthy:

What a day.

Not much sleep last night. The city was quiet: if only the same could be said for the other guests here. But morning came, and with it the first chance to explore.

I decided to start with my mission to central Shinjuku to try and hunt down some of the Digimon locations (and take in the incredible surroundings). The area was nearby and cheap, thus a good place to start. After a brief ride on the metro, I emerged to find I was at the base of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building.




The anime's secretive government agency operates from here, and it isn't hard to understand the choice: the building is massive (the highest thing on the skyline, in fact) and vaguely sinister. It's also beautiful, an immense credit to its architect, Kenzo Tange.



(On that last one: Apparently Tokyo is in the running for the 2016 Olympics: they were setting up a mock-Olympic village at the base of the Metro Building to promote the idea.)




As I was scampering through the courtyard the metro had dumped me in, trying to get a good shot, I noticed the space, a kind of half-circle, was ringed with statues. So well conditioned am I by survival horror games that within seconds of seeing a series of enigmatic, classical statues I was thinking that a. they were part of a puzzle and b. Items would need to be found and brought back to the statues to unlock something. Man, I miss Silent Hill.



(The names are on the Flickr account, for those interested.)



(What's that? Traffic is up on the blog? I wonder why...)

So that was one Anime local down. The park near the Metro Building was next, so I was just leaving for it when I noticed this:



Observatory?! Yes please.

I followed the sign. Its promises did not disappoint. A short wait for an elevator later, I was 43 floors up, gazing out big, wide windows from, if not the tallest building in Tokyo, then darn close.




A thought: a lot of people, while in Tokyo, want to visit the Tokyo tower. I probably will myself, despite the warnings in my guidebooks. But the Metro building is:

a. Taller
b. More impressive
c. and free! (TT costs near $20 to get to the top).

Tokyo Tower is still a significant cultural landmark, and I encourage visitors with time to go, but if you want to get really, really high up and look down on Tokyo, there's no beating the Metro Building.





Something special in these last two. First, see the tiny, spindly thing in the middle of the frame here? That's Tokyo Tower.




And that vague bit of a mound on the horizon here? Mt. Fuji.





Back on the ground I finally headed for Shinjuku Central park. I had hoped to find small utility building one of the Anime's creatures takes shelter in, but no dice. The park itself, however, is stunningly beautiful: Thick greenery everywhere, a waterfall that hits you in the face with its refreshing mist, and nice winding trails. The perfect place to walk with someone.






But I cut my time short. I had heard Sunday was the day to visit Akihabara, and I was only going to be here one Sunday. Lunch was grabbed, directions checked, and off I went.

At first it was tricky going: the metro dumped me several blocks away from my destination, complicating things. I knew I was supposed to walk ten minutes or so, but wasn't sure of the direction. I found a few spots that seemed vaguely right, but clearly I was missing the center. And then I saw this:



Bingo. Bliss.

For those who don't know, Akihabara is the center of everything Geek in Japan. Electronics, video games, anime and manga, figures. But more than that the culture itself is there: people cosplaying (dressing as famous characters or popular cliches) taking in the media as they arrive, digesting it. A friendly guy only slightly older than myself invited me into an interview on an American's opinion of video games, but I politely refused: my Japanese just wasn't up to the task. The place is fantastic: what Mecca is to Muslims, Akihabara is to people like me. It feels good just to be there, just to walk around and take it all in. Walk I did, and it just kept getting better.





Ad for Haruhi, whose franchise continues to go strong. Turned out to be oddly predictive.



Club. Sega. Sadly it's just an arcade. Sadly? Well I didn't have time for it.



This is why Akihabara is so great. This place sells wire. Just loads and loads of wire, whole spindles of it. You want wire, guess who can hook you up? There was another store like this, but for fans.

The other great thing about Akihabara, at least from first impression, is how home-grown and non-corporate it is. This isn't a few mega-corps slapping down some shiny, pre-packaged stores so they can force their stuff down your throat. This is a sea of shop owners delusionally enthusiastic/devoted to their product. Love is the word I'm looking for: there's love in the commerce of Akihabara, heart. That's what's wrong with corporate business: it has no heart. It's a soulless zombie. The big box stores, like the universe, is largely indifferent to the desires of those inhabiting them. Not so here. Here people crazy about computers, or video games, or wire come to buy it from other people nearly as crazy.

Most of the time was spend browsing from the outside, but I did stop at a few shops, one of them a figurine shop. Where I found this: an awesome bit of Haruhi for about $15.



As figures go that's actually pretty good: her co-character, Yuki had a figure for all intents and purposes the same except for the character depicted (and costume of course). Yuki was over twice as expensive. Poor Haruhi. I still love you!

Overall a great start to the week. We'll see how tomorrow turns out.