風立ちぬ (Kaze Tachinu): "The Wind Rises"

Kaze Tachinu (2013).

Following our recent trip to the Pokemon movie (and Man of Steel a few days prior to that), Angie and I decided to head along to 風立ちぬ (Kaze Tachinu) on Wednesday evening. The new film from the acclaimed Studio Ghibli and director Hayao Miyazaki (called "The Wind Rises" in English), we were excited to watch it - albeit without subtitles, as with the Pokemon film - making it the third film we'd seen in the space of a week (I was also keen to check out World War Z and Star Trek Into Darkness, which have just been released here, but I haven't gotten around to those as of yet).

Unfortunately, I currently have quite mixed feelings about this film.

It appears to be the personal labour of love (and swansong) of director Hayao Miyazaki (famed for Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle and other Ghibli classics). As what has been announced to be the final film of his career as he head's into retirement, a lot of people don't quite know what to make of this film, as it's been attacked by both the political left and right in Japan (on the left for being too kind to Japan's war effort, and on the right for being too harsh on it).

To put things into context, I have to make it clear that without subtitles it is very difficult for me (with my limited Japanese language ability) to understand the full context of the visuals and dialogue of the film. Reading it purely on a sensory level, however, the whole thing appears to be a bit overly simplistic, with a rather dubious moral position which suggests that the pursuit of one's creative spirit is fine if that individual is ignorant of the acts of war their creations are used for.

The film's protagonist: Jiro Horikoshi.

In this case, we are asked to accept a very positive reading of the film's protagonist - Jiro Horikoshi (based on a real historical figure, making this something of an animated biopic) - who designed planes which were used by the Japanese military during World War II. I'm not one to delve into the politics of this in detail, but it is a bizarre choice for a film studio to make which is usually associated with child-like wonder and fantasy (with some exceptions, of course, such as Grave of the Fireflies).

It's incredibly frustrating, because without the necessary language abilities, I can't really interpret the film accurately or appropriately. I'm missing a huge chunk of the context, and I feel that my subjective opinion is really difficult to validate without a deeper knowledge of the language. I'm only interpreting from what I saw, which could well be off the mark.

It's worth noting that, as always with Studio Ghibli, the animation is simply sublime, and the music is breathtaking. Just listen to this stunning theme; it will take your breath away.

It's very, very difficult to read this movie impartially.

I'll definitely be watching this again with subtitles, and giving a more thorough analysis of the movie then. Right now, I'm trying to reserve judgement until I really know what I'm talking about. At present, I've found this particular article from the Asia-Pacific Journal very useful in contextualising the film, which I'd highly recommend to anyone.

Regardless; a curious film, by all accounts.

 

Tokyo 2013 (Day One): Shinjuku & the Ghibli Museum

Back in Shinjuku!

With Tokyo being just so damn big, it was essential to make a return journey to tick off a few more items on the seemingly-endless list of attractions that I wanted to visit. As such, I decided to make my way back to Tokyo in mid-July, accompanied by frequent travel companion Rainer, plus Angie and her good friend Yaseen. Angie and Yaseen were looking to climb Mt. Fuji, which is something I'd accomplished last year. The four of us decided to combine our trips, though Rainer and I would be skipping on the mountain climbing (Rainer had also climbed the mountain a few weeks after me when a friend of his visited Japan). This was to be an extended four day trip in the heart of the city for Rainer and I, and we intended to make the most of it.

The drop-off point for the night bus in Shinjuku.

Arriving in Shinjuku

We arrived in Shinjuku early on Friday morning via night-bus, though Yas had to take a separate bus due to buying a slightly different ticket. Angie, Rainer and I attempted to clean ourselves up in the toilets while we waited for Yas, but found them just a bit too busy and instead decided to wait until a little later on.

We caught up with Yas at the bus park, and after a fair bit of dilly-dallying over where to eat breakfast, we ended up back in the familiar sights of a Starbucks in Shinjuku Station. This had definitely become a common theme of my trips around Japan by this point, but it's no bad thing. After breakfast we managed to clean ourselves up in the bathroom at last, though we may have caused some slight chaos and confusion by using the single cubicle simultaneously to brush our teeth.

First port of call for the day: Starbucks.

Angie shows off her just-cleaned teeth.

Early morning Shinjuku.

Being Tokyo, the area was by no means deserted (and was in fact fairly busy already) around Shinjuku station. Usually I'd seen most of this area around night time almost exclusively, so wandering around in the early morning gave quite a new perspective on a lot of areas I'd previously only really seen in the dark.

Yas had indicated a desire to check out the Sompo Japan Musem of Art, and so we made it our first destination for the day, as it was only a short walk away from Shinjuku station. At the time of our arrival, though, it turned out to be closed for another thirty minutes until the doors opened.

Angie cranes her neck to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building.

We decided to kill time near the doors rather than run away and have to come back. Still, that didn't stop Angie and Yas from heading off to track down ice cream at a local Family Mart, nor Rainer and I from checking out and getting some shots at the famous "LOVE" sign.

The iconic "LOVE" statue.

Seiji Togo Memorial: Sompo Japan Museum of Art

The Sompo Japan Building.

Image from Wikipedia.

As mentioned above, our first port of call was an art museum which Yas was keen to visit; the Sompo Japan Museum of Art. This was somewhere I'd never heard of before, but which had piqued Yaseen's interests and we were happy to investigate.

This Museum of Art was almost exclusively focused on modern art, which I'm afraid isn't an area of expertise for me at all.

A view from a Sompo Japan Museum of Art window.

There was quite a large collection, though as per usual photographs were forbidden inside the premises. The artists celebrated were mostly ones I hadn't heard of before, but the modernism on display was quite appealing. I particularly enjoyed the minimalist style of Seiji Togo, which a lot of the museum focussed on. They also had one of Van Gogh's original Sunflower paintings on display, which was breathtaking to see in the flesh.

Left: A nicely understated piece by Seiji Togo.

Right: The Van Gogh painting on display. Wow.

It took about an hour or so to make our way around the museum. As I say, art is something at which I am by no means a scholar. However, it was nice to make our way around this museum, especially as a small counterpoint to our more local artworks on the Seto Islands (such as on Naoshima and Inujima, for example).

Buffet Lunch

Following our trip to the art museum, we were lucky enough to stumble upon a lovely place to have lunch directly underneath the Sompo Japan Building. In a small passageway, there was a collection of several lovely places to eat lunch (and also a Subway, but we skipped that). We opted for an Italian buffet restaurant by the name of Pizza Salvatore Cuomo.

In Pizza Salvatore Cuomo.

We were all pretty damn hungry, having not really filled ourselves up too much at Starbucks. It was the perfect excuse to indulge in an Italian buffet lunch, which we duly did. The setting was very sophisticated, although the Simpsons Movie was playing on TV screens throughout. The food was wonderful, although they did have some rather odd variations of drinks on offer as opposed to the conventional options. All in all, a damn fine choice for lunch.

My plate. Yum!

Yas and Angie get stuck in.

Following lunch, we still had a fair bit of time before we were able to check into the hotel. We decided to make our way to the next important destination on our list; the Studio Ghibli Museum.

The Studio Ghibli Museum

The Studio Ghibli Museum Entrance.

One of the main reasons Angie had wanted to come to Tokyo (other than wanting to climb Mt. Fuji, of course) was to finally see the famous Studio Ghibli Museum. With this trip, we were finally able to do just that.

For those not in the know, Studio Ghibli is one of (if not the) most prominent animation studio in Japan, with acclaimed animated films internationally. It's huge collection of films (including Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, Laputa, Grave of the Firelfies, and My Neighbour Totoro, etc.) have caused many to call it the equivalent of Disney in Japan. The films really are quite spectacular, and well worth seeing by anyone who enjoys hand-drawn animated cinema.

Angie and Rainer wait by the entrance to the Ghibli Museum.

Note Rainer's iPad: he never goes anywhere without it!

Getting tickets for the Ghibli Museum isn't so easy. You have to apply several weeks in advance from a computer terminal (in Japanese) at a Lawson convenience store. I don't presently know of any other way to get tickets. There are four access times a day, each lasting around two hours, and you must book a specific slot when you book your tickets. It really does require quite a bit of planning. I had hoped to go to the Ghibli Museum last year with Richard when we went to Tokyo around this time, but unfortunately the tickets had all been sold out when we tried to get them.

A friendly-looking Totoro looks out on the visitors.

Thankfully, this year we'd been able to pick up tickets for all four of us.

We made the (slightly lengthy!) trek to Mitaka station from Shinjuku, which took about twenty minutes on the train and about another twenty minute on foot to the museum. The first impression was quite overwhelming; the building was three stories tall, positioned right next to a large park, and looked as if it had just dropped out of a Ghibli film itself.

We arrived slightly early for our timeslot, but after a short wait we very quickly we found ourselves at the door a little before our official entry time of 2pm. We made our way into the museum. On the way in, we were handed a little slip containing three replica film slides from various Ghibli films, which we would be able to use in a projector inside the museum.

A happy Angie.

Inside, we honestly didn't know where to begin. It was huge.

The place still seemed to be filled with people from the previous timeslot, so we quickly surmised that the door policy was slightly looser than we had anticipated (unless a lot of people just happened to get in right in front of us). The exhibits on display were magnificent, though - yet again - photographs were forbidden inside the museum (boo!). I can say that some of the most striking displays were replicas of the personal study rooms in which Hayao Miyazaki worked (which were overflowing with books of foreign influences, stream technology, and planes). There was even a book of Scottish landscapes on display! There was also a giant soft Cat Bus replica (from the video Totoro), which children climbed all over. I also thoroughly enjoyed a corridor where many optical illusions could be experienced with the aid of various projection tools (and even periscopes). There was also an opportunity to crank old-fashioned cinema projectors and project images onto walls.

The museum was designed in three tiers, with no logical way to move around. Instead, visitors are encouraged simply to make their own path, and explore in the way a character within a Ghibli film might do. The architecture was very in-keeping with the aesthetic: even the toilets were filled with noteworthy trinkets!

The amount of content on display was quite staggering, and would truly be a dream for any Ghibli enthusiast. There was also a small fifteen minute Ghibli animation on display, which can only be viewed inside the museum in their own cinema space. Apparently there are several of these films, which rotate regularly. We saw a fantastic little short involving a rabbit and a little boy who raced each other in order to claim a walking stick... It sounds bizarre, but it was charming and very in-keeping with the Ghibli stylings. A very memorable highlight.

Ghibli-branded beer!

After spending a fair amount of time exploring almost everything on display in the museum, we made our way out into the garden space where people could sit and enjoy drinks on the veranda area. What was particularly exciting was some home-branded Ghibli beer! It was pretty good, truth be told. I'm pretty sure it's only on sale within the museum, though.

A drink in the garden.

Yas is overwhelmed with joy.

There was also a cute little cafe, where we decided to get some tea and cake. Again, the aesthetic was absolutely charming. We treated ourselves to strawberry and chocolate cakes, and had huge cups of tea. It was a relaxing break from the intensity of the gift shop, to be sure!

In the Ghibli Café.

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Strawberry Shortcake dream.

Our final stop before leaving the museum was on the roof of it. There, very easy to miss, was hidden a special surprise. We climbed up a spiral staircase to see a life-size replica of the robot from Laputa.

The robot from Laputa!

The rooftop space offered not just a chance to pose with the giant robot statue, but also offered a unique little garden space of its own, as well as a view over the grounds of the museum. As always, the surreal nature of the area felt just like a fantasy world.

 

All in all, I can't recommend the Ghibli Museum highly enough. Even if you aren't traditionally a fan of the Ghibli movies (though, really, who isn't?), the exhibits can't help but take your breath away. It's a remarkable place with some incredible sights to see.

Political Rally

As we made our way back to the hotel to finally check in, we stumbled upon a rather unusual scene happening near Mitaka station. Of course, this was the weekend of the Japanese Upper House elections (which would be taking place on Sunday). As such, one candidate was out in full force, campaigning with a fairly modestly sized crowd by the train station.

Not the actual candidate, but a spokesman for him.

Of course, I don't know much about Tokyo's distinct politics, but we watched a little bit of the speech out of curiosity. We had no idea who the candidate was, or what his policies were, and the Japanese was far too difficult to follow. Still, it made for some curious viewing. As we would discover, there would be similar scenes all across Tokyo throughout this weekend trip.

Thai Dinner

The Thai menu.

After finally checking into the hotel (the 'City Hotel N.U.T.S'), and having some much-deserved showers, we weren't really in the mood to go trekking around town again in search of somewhere to eat dinner. Thankfully, we didn't have to, as we stumbled upon a lovely little Thai restaurant right across the street from our hotel.

Time for Thai! Although Yas looks a bit worse for wear.

We all opted to have a variation on curry of some form or another. I had never had a Thai curry before, but I can safely say that it was wonderful. The restaurant was owned seemingly by a husband and wife couple, who had various other Thai guests that night. It was a very quaint and intimate setting; very different from the huge sights of Shinjuku and Tokyo which we had seen earlier.

A Thai curry for dinner.

Elephants.

An especially kind gesture came from the restaurant owners after we finished our meal. We were treated to a special dessert, free of charge, which I remember being delicious (yet don't actually remember what it was! Argh!). It was a nice little note on which to end the day. We made our way back to the hotel, and put our heads down for the night.

So, our first day in Tokyo had been a success. With three more to go, we still had a lot to come.