Shonan Monorail

The Shonan Monorail, in my opinion, is another cheap thrill in this area of Japan. For for 600-yen round trip you can take the monorail from Ofuna to Enoshima and back. The neat thing about it is that it hangs from the top. That does not make for a smoother ride.

There is the Ofuna Kannon in the distance.

The station platforms just kind of hang out there.

That's looking out the back.

A beautiful view for less than 500-yen!

I have mentioned how much I like Odaiba more than a few times in this blog. This is another one.

When the weather is nice, we like to take the Yurikamome line from Shimbashi Station over the Rainbow Bridge to the Odaiba area and then take a water bus under the Rainbow Bridge back to Hinode. The Hinode boat dock is about a 5 minute walk from the Hinode Station on the Yurikamome Line. From there it's only a few stops back to Shimbashi.

That deck in the picture above is where you board the boat. You purchase the tickets on the dock there. A ticket from Odaiba to Hinode is 460-yen.

That's the Fuji Television building with the big round ball there.

Giant robot invades Tokyo. Story at 11.

Okay, don't panic....but there is an 18-meter robot keeping watch over Tokyo!
I mean, I've seen movies about this very thing (Godzilla anyone?), but never in person!

This robot's name is Gundam and it is built to scale. Gundam is a popular character here in Japan. I saw several kids with Gundam on their shirts. He is on the edge of Tokyo Bay ahead of a comic convention at the near by Big Site. Apparently that convention will be on the 21st. Gundam will stand his post until the end of August.

It was extremely hot today. In the article I read about it it said says Gundam shoots a cooling spray of mist. If it did, we never felt it. The eyes light up and the head turns from side to side and the robot speaks. I couldn't hear it clearly enough to understand it, but it did get very quiet when the speech started.

To get there, head to Odaiba. Gundam is 18-meters high, so it's pretty hard to miss. If you're coming via the Yurikamome line, get off at the Daiba station.

What the heck is he doing with that baby doll?

This post will be remarkably sparse on information as I'm not sure what this is.... and this was our second time visiting this. We happened upon this last year as well.


Yeah, I have no idea either.

I can tell you that if you happen to be near the a television studios at the Shimbashi area, this is one of the things you'll see. Have your picture taken with her/him/whatever.

You're invited to play some games as well, but you need to speak Japanese.

Twentieth Century Boys, have your picture taken here! They were promoting the film here. Last year they were promoting a 3-D movie.

For everyone who has ever wondered what a Shamisen (Sanshin for my Okinawan friends) sounds like when played with a baby doll.

We actually took lessons to learn to play the Sanshin. Not once did our sensei ever teach us this!

Japanese superstitions

My Japanese teacher brought me a list of superstitions today:

The number four:
It's considered inauspicious because it is pronounced the same way as the word for death (shi). Therefore, one should not make presents that consist of four pieces. In some hotels, and hospitals the room number four is skipped.

Give food chopstick to chopstick:
This is only done with bones of the cremated body at funerals.

Sleeping toward the North:
Do not sleep towards the North because bodies are laid down like that.

Funeral Car:
If a funeral car passes you, hide your thumbs! My sensei says that this is because your thumbs are considered your "parent" fingers. You need to hide your thumbs so your parents don't die soon.

Cut Nails at Night:
If you cut your nails at night, you will not be with your parents when they die.

Lie down after eating:
If you lie down immediately after eating, you will become a cow.

Whistle in the night:
If you whistle in the night, a snake will come to you.

A couple of other ones we talked about were:

Being alone in the room with a porcelain doll:
Apparently, their hair grows when you are alone with one.

Potted plants for someone in the hospital:
Thats like telling the person that you want them to grow roots in the hospital.

Violated, but it feels so good.

Though I'm not sure what key words brought you to this blog... welcome!
No, this is not a very public bathroom, though they do exist here in Japan, this is Toto Super Space. It is a showroom for the fanciest toilets around.

While they appear warm and inviting, there's a place to try them out and this (above) is not the place...


This (above) is. The Trylet room is simply the bathroom. There are several different stalls that you can actually go in and use. And use them we did. I took along two not-so-unsuspecting friends and their kids. We gave the bowls a whirl (HA!). They didn't put the top of the line in the Trylet, but it was good enough for us and an entertaining afternoon.
This model may be the top of the line. If not, it's right up there. I think this toilet does everything for you. For 1,152,113-yen ($12,222 at today's exchange rate) it should!

We were told, by a Korean distributor there, that this particular model is particularly good for the elderly. Part of the fun, no, all of the fun, is trying the various buttons and just seeing what will happen.

Not a bad view at all! You can enjoy this view as soon as you step off the elevator on the 26th and before you enter the showroom.

Toto Super Space is located on the 26th and 27th floors of the L Tower in Shinjuku and it's free!

You win this time Fuji san!

I just had a facial that I'm sure some would pay top dollar for. It consisted of the finest Japanese lava rock being blasted into my pores at 140 mph (my estimate).

Katie wanted to attempt Fuji, so I agreed to accompany her, for moral support. We came back down to the 5th station looking like armless monkeys had applied a very dark mascara all over our faces until we looked like a couple of Goth rockers on retreat. That lava dust is all-invasive! Word of caution, don't put on lip balm before facing the dust. It just sticks to your lips to turn them black.

Don't let this beautiful sunrise fool you. This mountain is dangerous when the wind blows!

A lot has changed on Mt. Fuji since I climbed it last year. This year I'm pretty sure they have added thousands of extra meters of vast nothingness and blister-inducing steps between stations 5 and 7.

We saw many people nearly fall over the edge. We were unable to summit due to the wind. There were several tour groups on the mountain when we were there. They were all turning around and heading back down. I was okay with that. I made it up the whole way last year. I must have been knocked in the head sometime between now and then. I forgot how much, umm, fun it is.