wonderfest! [ T O K Y O ]

photo by valkorn

Wonderfest is a place where you can buy the coolest plastic characters you won't be able to see anywhere else. I'll explain. So, Wonderfest is an event which is held twice a year (s/w) in Tokyo, and it only lasts for a day. This day is v important for plastic figures creators as it's their only opportunity to show and sell their works without being fined for the copyright violation. They can create any characters they want without having any rights to, but only these two days a year.

The next Wonderfest is on February, 9th (i.e. next Sunday), and I'll be there for four different reasons:

1. The figures that will be sold there are unique, just because it's prohibited by law to sell most of them anywhere outside the festival.

2. There's a great possibility that it won't be garbage, because it's a place where the chairmen of the big corporations search for talented people to hire.

3. There will be tons of adorable cosplayers there!

4. I need to buy something cute.

I'll go there for the first time next Sunday, so obv I have no pictures to show you. But I know the one who can! Or rather, I know the one whose pictures I can show you. I got interested in this festival after I saw these Valkorn's pictures:

So my point is that everyone from Tokyo who reads me should better be there on February 9th!

Here you'll find more detailed information (admission price/open hours). And here's the exact address in English:

2-1, Nakase, Mihama-ku, Chiba-shi, Chiba-ken 261-0023

I hope, you all will have a great weekend no matter where you spend it (except if you're a socialist)!

Favorite places in Tokyo: a bookstore and a museums complex

We arrived in Tokyo from Moscow at one-something pm last Tuesday, drove our luggage to Akihabara and hurried back to the metro station. Boyfriend had to go to the uni, and I went to my favorite bookstore (my japanese classes were to begin on Friday (what kind of a bad joke is that?), so I planned all the places I have to visit before starting the new trimester. The plan wasn't sophisticated:

• Tuesday the awesomest/biggest bookstore I've ever seen in Tokyo.
• Wednesday huge complex of at least 10 museums/art galleries, not far from our home.
• Thursday Harajuku cherries picking.

I had a really good time at the bookstore as well as in the museums complex (especially, I enjoyed the National Museum; it had a bigger collection of artifacts than anywhere else.)

Made a high-quality scan of the very nice and touching The Royal Tenenbaums spread from some food zine (you can click on it, it's huge).

When I took some pictures, bought some nice things and my search through the bookshelves was over, I went to get some coffee. There is a coffee shop inside one of the bookstore buildings, so you could buy a drink, find a nice place somewhere inside (there are endless cosy labyrinths filled with tables and chairs) and read all the books and magazines that you want to. However, when I came there, all the tables inside were occupied, so I had to take my drink and find a place to sit outside..? I hesitated at first, but there were a few people sitting outside, still alive. "At what temperature does the human body freeze? Never mind." What a relief it was to know, that at some point, it was warmer to sit outside, because next to each table stood a heater. And the warm air was blowing right on you. I've never seen a place offering anything other than a warm blanket before.

can you see these big mushrooms made of steel? these are the heaters.

The sun set quite soon, and the staff began lighting the candles. It also started to get really cold, and the heater already wasn't enough for me. Moreover, Boyfriend didn't answer the massages (he fell asleep, I didn't doubt it for a sec, just wondered if he got home or passed out on the train). I started packing up.

The bookstore area gets prettier in the evenings. Although, the workers have removed a great amount of the christmas decorations from the streets, this place is continue to sparkle. And the light bulbs there are almost perfect!

I bought one book and one zine that day which I'm going to (nah maybe) review in a couple of days, because these things are more famous than I thought they were. No great expectations there, though.

The next day was the ~art galleries~ day. I put on Boyfriend's red béret got some coffee and headed to the museums area. By the "museums area" I mean Ueno park. It's a huge park with a zoo (yeah, it means pandas. it does), several shrines, cafes, monuments and nearly ten museums and galleries.

I picked three places to visit: the museum of western art, the tokyo national museum and the japan art academy showroom. In the first museum I made a load of marks, in the second even more pictures and the third place made me super upset.

Truth is, the reason I made so many marks was that Renoir was the only artist I knew from the museum collection (well, at least among the artists I paid a special attention to). I couldn't even remember Doré! I read Dante's Inferno with Doré's illustrations, but his work, that was presented in the museum, was absolutely different. It was oil on canvas. Anyways, his graphic skills is the most impressive thing I've ever seen. I mean, literally (you should better look through all this gallery of his works). And that day, I discovered the other side of Doré.

" L a  S i e s t a "

P. S. ahh (•ˇ‿ˇ•)

" L e s  O c é a n i d e s "

P. P. S. I'm stopping, I'm stopping.

" A   M i d s u m m e r   N i g h t " 

Another thing that caught my attention was the wall with only two almost identical (I'm sorry!) landscapes by Jean-Victor Bertin on it.

" G r e e k   l a n d s c a p e "  vs.  " I t a l i a n   l a n d s c a p e "

I also noted Hubert Robert's work "The imaginary view of Rome" with a mark "details!!", however when I googled his works from another "imaginary series", I liked "The Louvre in ruins" and "The grand gallery in the Louvre" even better.

" T h e   i m a g i n a r y   v i e w  o f   R o m e   s e r i e s "

I don't know why, but David Tieniers' paintings make me giggle.

" T h e   t e m p t a t i o n   o f  S t.  A n t h o n y "

Ok. The last one. I was told that this guy Gillis van Coninxloo is really famous. I feel so ignorant! But also, how cool is that I finally know him and can now adore his technics (leaves!).

" L a n s c a p e   w i t h   t h e   j u d g e m e n t   o f   P a r i s "

I was aware of the fact that the souvenirs at the art galleries shops are one the lamest things ever, but it was only the day I saw these cuties when I finally believed this legend. I mean, just look at this teddy bear made of Moné’s lilies and these Hello Kitty Skrik souvenirs why of course i bought them both!

beautiful stained-glass windows in the Tokyo National museum

My second destination was The Tokyo National Museum which is located two minutes from that art gallery. It's my favorite museum in Tokyo and the whole area around is so nice.

This is a part of the National museum complex. The most beautiful building and the most meaningless one. There is nothing to see inside but the white plastic chairs. There was no special exhibitions inside the main building too, so I just went to look at the main collection.

These artifacts are from the Tea Ceremony room. In the gif: ash spoon, fire tongs,

kettle lifting rings, tea kettle (I almost laughed when i saw it) and two tiny lid rests!

In the picture above: thingies! but really: fittings for mudflaps, sliding-door handles and nail covers, something, horse bells.

In the picture below: painted shells for the "shell matching" game, nice cap, articulated hawk (his neck, wings, tail and even his claws are movable), pillows and papier-mâché boxes.

About these two pillows. I read somewhere before, that geishas were made to sleep on this type of pillows laying their necks on them so that their hair wasn't touching the floor in order not to damage the hairstyle. In the beginning of the study process, the pillows could be also surrounded by rice. ... The cat shaped boxes are cute though!

Sake bottles were pretty.

I was tired but in high spirits when I walked out of the museum and was walking toward the metro station when I saw one more gallery with an announcement "CONSTELLATION 2014 4/1-11/1". Constellations. One week only. I was intrigued. The ticket was twice as expensive as the previous one. What did I feel when I finished seeing the exhibitio? I can't tell you for sure. But it was a bad feeling, kind of angry to say more.

this... (¬_¬)

Agh, whatever. I took two more pictures in the park and went home.

The city is seen through the trees of the Ueno park

A fragment of the futuristic bus I saw near the Ueno park.
There are always the prettiest buses in this area.

I think, I'll write about Harajuku the next time. Sorry for all the nerdy stuff.

P.S. More pictures from the National museum will be posted on tumblr.

♡

Let's be alone together!

Though almost everyday something unexpected happens to me, I still think that everybody have kind of a normal day-to-day routine. Let me show mine..

My day begins when Boyfriend sets off for uni. It wakes me up and in half an hour I'm leaving home too.

When I get my cup of coffee there comes a time for..

Last summer, I was worried that I'll never learn to navigate all the mazes streets of the district where we live and where my school is also located. But eventually, it didn't take long to learn all the routs (not that I hadn't a topographical cretinism). Sometimes, I'd just woken up a little earlier to wander around the neighborhood.

What if I turn the corner? Oh.. oh wow!

There was a stone staircase with a slope
of 70 degrees which led to a shrine.

Prays should look cute.

When I pass different houses, eateries and stores I enjoy to examine the pots with flowers by almost every door. It's one of the charming Japanese features to decorate the entrances with flowers, garden statuary and whatnot.

It was last summer. Now, that my school starts at 1:25 and ends at 5:10, all the daily routine has mixed up. But I still find new places on my way to school from time to time. Few weeks ago, I discovered a cute playground.

A lonely panda-swing stood still under a cherry tree.

...

Aww..

1:00 pm

"Well, are we supposed to be taught Japanese in English?"

"Haha, nope. More likely, you'll be taught Japanese in Japanese."

"Oh."

I don't know how, but they really do that! They try to avoid English words as much they can.

"Our sensei almost crawled on the floor to explain a new word."

"Our teacher rolled herself in a plastic bag to demonstrate us what the verb "to roll" means."

"And our teacher put a brown sock in a bottle to show us how a soy sause looks like."

"... why did she do that?.."

Also, it seems that all the teachers know everything about you. And discuss it with each other. I like it when you are kind-of-important and your teacher won't forget your name by the end of a lesson. It just feels creepy sometimes. They are also really very friendly like no other teachers I've ever met. When you bump into them in the hallway, they start to talk to you right away. Like "Oh, Maki-san how are you how is it going oh it's sunny today isn't it but also windy but pretty hot oh ok goodbye", only in Japanese.

But to tell the truth, I cried in front of  the teachers squeezing Boyfriend's hand not able to utter a sound on my first day. I was stunned. I think, the teacher concluded that I was retarded, so she said that I need to take preparatory classes. However, after a second lesson I got used to the environment and started to speak, so the classes were canceled and we got the money back. 

On the second day of school, it was pouring since the very morning and I had no umbrella with me. So, when I was leaving the school, I came across three teachers at once and they started to jabbering over each other "it's raining it's raining it's wet it'll make you wet let us give you an umbrella". I had to repeat "It's alright, I'm fine." like.. 10 times to assure them that I'm going to buy it in the nearest convenience store. It didn't work. But they lost in thought for a second and I was already outside running away.

My first true Japanese transparent umbrella!

When I bought it, I recalled a bad dream in which I was wandering through streets of Tokyo and couldn't find a single transparent umbrella. My nightmares are pretty scary.

Anyways, it's easier and nicer to sustain a conversation without knowing the language with Japanese people than with anybody else. Usually, I just go with "Oh um un ok yeah un nya" and nod a lot. Though, sometimes there comes an unexpected pause when you understand that you were just asked about something. Oh, that's really confusing.

School trash bins with the instructions in pictures.
Dispose the garbage properly!

I started a long term course this spring so now I study in a big class with 15 other students from all over the world. I was the youngest in my class last summer and I'm still the youngest in my new class. So, when it's time to play a dialogue, sensei usually assigns the roles this way: "A mother a father a mother a father a mother a father.. a child."

All the students in my class are friendly, there are no problems like last year. Last year, I also had a perfect class, but our teacher decided that I should be transferred to a next level class. So, I was transferred. There were Russians. Girls. They were unfriendly. I stayed silent at first, but ended up with tears on my cheeks in a teacher's room asking to transfer me back no matter what.  Ugh.

This time, on the opening ceremony I've already encountered another Russian girls who left a bad feeling, but they were assigned into a parallel class yay.

Now, I study Japanese with students from England, Sweden, Italy, China, Thailand, Korea and also with two friendly Russians.

Though, I'm shy, I'm happy with my class.

As I mentioned before, lessons end at 5:10. After then, I hurry home (or to Harajuku if Boyfriend is waiting for me there). But more likely, he is sleeping at home. But! Some days, I get home before him. So, if I know that he's not at home but should be there soon, I carry a pineapple from a store to make him juice. Then, I wrap myself into a blanket and wait reading the blogs/ checking the news.

We spend our evenings together walking or watching cinema or doing sports; then, go to a restaurant for dinner and return home late in the evening where the fun continues. 

And then comes the dream.

Towns traveller.

Boyfriend teaches me how to call
really fat Japanese guys.

I was browsing through the photos I took last summer despite from the fact that I shouldn't do that because I immediately start to think of writing about each and every of them, fail, than become upset. Fortunately(?), this time around there are lots of things to be upset about, so.. I wrap my frustration left and I start my story.

Besides Tokyo we've visited 5 more cities and towns (excluding Okinawa (the number of visited places is counted in islands there :) ). It's easier to do because towns and cities here are very close to each other. For instance, it takes half an hour to get to Yokohama. By metro. So sometimes, all you need is to take a kind-of-metro-train. It gave Boyfriend a chance not to be lazy to show me some famous places like Kamakura, Nikko, Kanazawa, Kyoto and Osaka (to visit the last three you should take an electric-train or a high-speed train). 

KAMAKURA

One Sunday morning (actually, for some reasons, it was no longer morning) we left for Kamakura to meet Big Buddha who makes this town kind of worth-to-see. First thing we saw after we arrived in Kamakura was a big map on the way out of the station. The road to the BB was highlighted in red and was named “a hiking road”.

It would be logical if it was a shortcut or smth, but.. NO IT WAS NOT. It turned out to be a way through the thicket and steep hills which took us approx an hour to wade them. Also, we caught in the rain when there was no store or any kind of roof nearby. When we finally noticed a god-blessed  convenience store it was too late to buy an umbrella as we were already thoroughly soaked. But we entered anyway.

We were sitting in the store’s cafe while rain was pounding against the glass like in my childhood dreams. I've often imagined that I was a great traveller when my Mum drove me to an adjacent town to visit my Granny. We stopped at the gas stations and I bought tea and collected the tea bag tags.

- And now you are travelling Japan this way.

- … thank you, Boyfriend.

 

Not a single holy ghost was detected.

The same day, we were snapped by a Japanese student girl who was working on her uni project. She said she liked our clothes and gave us the scraps of paper where we had to write our favorite places in Tokyo. Then, she took some pictures.

A train
with just the awesomest list of stops. 

NIKKO

The next town we visited was Nikko, a place famous for the three see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil monkeys which you know about at least from your emoji keyboard. Also, Nikko is known as the most beautiful town in the whole Japan as there is a complex of the amazing shrines in the forest high in the hills. You know..

Never say 'kekko' until you've seen Nikko 

kekko = beautiful

..and stuff.

Anyway, I just looked through the pictures I took in Nikko again and understood that there is not so much at-least-somehow-informative pictures in my collection. Except maybe, this guy:

..and this torii in the middle of the thicket (it looked very powerful in real live):

I have a picture of a strawberry lemonade, though!

.. a picture of me starring sullenly at Boyfriend..

.. a picture of me standing next to Boyfriend..

.. a picture of me riding a Shinkansen:

.. and a picture of my eye-bow taken by Boyfriend for whatever reason:

Ehh.. I AM SORRY. So, I post this link for you to look at some much informative pictures of Nikko. By the way, you can blame Boyfriend too because he took a lot of pictures of the shrines with his super-camera, but what he didn't do is edit and share them :<

 KANAZAWA

When I was on my way to Japan I was nervous about the sakura blooming season. Will I have time to watch it or will the trees already fade? Will I catch the leaves falling down from the sakura trees like the snowflakes? Ughh.. Although, when I finally arrived to Tokyo sakura started to fade, Boyfriend decided to take me to Kanazawa where the blooming season has just begun (Kanazawa is located north of Tokyo).

 We're halfway to Kanazawa

Compared to Nikko and Kamakura, Kanazawa is pretty far from Tokyo. It took us more than four hours to get there but it didn't matter. There was sakura and it was blooming in the most awesomest way I could barely imagine. And it was everywhere. Along the rivers..

..and the roads..

..it was even stuck to a taxicab windows ^-^

Also, there were special seasonal drinks at the stores:

But the trip ended with the awful weather with a thunderstorm so, we had to leave Kanazawa the day before we supposed to at the first place. But our train stuck in the middle of nowhere and the announcement said that it even may not reach Tokyo at all. All the passengers who wanted to return home but happened to live in Tokyo were FUCKED UP. There was only way to do it - to return to Kanazawa and buy a new ticket to a train with another THE LONGEST-EVER-IMAGINED route. Finally, we spent t e n  h o u r s changing the trains mehh.. 

...

.....

...

Well, I suddenly run out of words but no worries here, I still have a drawing to show. It should be named as "When I'm bored, I'm bored":

I draw it during my Japanese classes.

You just read a long and dull post of mine. Ok, bye.