Demonstrations, Shrines and Art

I went to Omotesando today. Turns out it was some kind of protest going on there today which I randomly stumbled upon. Protests in Japan are weird. They had a police escort in front of them, had a car with a megaphone shouting something and flyers were handed out. Seriously the most peaceful anti-current government protest I've ever seen.


The main reason I went to Omotesando however was to see the Meiji Shrine. It's one of the most visited shrines in Tokyo, being almost in the middle of Tokyo, and having the name of Emperor Meiji. A fun thing I noticed was that on the Ema some Polish person wrote their wish (to find a relationship partner) in Polish and added their phone number. Way to believe in the shrine's power, haha.

 Also spotted a wedding, and apparently the western style weddings are really popular here, but they keep the old traditional style somewhat in there by having the mothers of the newlyweds in kimonos.

Lastly, went to a Meiji Era art gallery, which was really cool as I learned some more about the history of Japan. I mean, I never knew the Empress of Japan wore a classic English Victorian dress at one point. Seeing art of that was amazing.

When it comes to studies... Exams the next two weeks, so I'll probably make a post about that later...

Trying to be a tourist

So I went to Ueno and Asakusa today, in a weak attempt to be a bit more like a tourist since I am in Japan on a limited time after all. The big shrine in Asakusa looks great around 7 in the evening, but most of the shops there close at 6.

It's a veery big shrine, lots of stores. Definitely worth the trip. Ueno on the other hand didn't have too much to offer today, as the supposed festival there hadn't started yet...

Other than that, there is a festival I'm going to tomorrow. If it's good I might post something about that tomorrow. Also, the following xkcd comic strip fits me surprisingly well... Well, the French and blog part anyhow.

April Mini-Update

Just wanted to do a quick update/new stuff I found and really, really like post, so here it is!

First off, VisualArts/Key has done it again. I finished the visual novel Planetarian: Chiisana Hoshi no Yume (Dream of a Little Star in English) recently. Yes, it's a visual novel by the people behind works like Kanon and Clannad. It's a bit on the short side, with me finishing it in one sitting, but damn, the feels are strong in this one. Give it a try if you got 3-4 hours to spend.

Other than that, I've also started reading a manga series by the name of Yotsubato! (Eng: Yotsuba and!). It's made by the same mangaka that made Azumanga Daioh, very similar style. The difference is that this time it's about the girl Yotsuba and her adventures and daily life. I personally picked it up to read in japanese, to improve my reading, understanding and vocabulary, as it has simple japanese day-to-day talk and furigana over the kanji. I'm surprised at how good it really is though! (The first volume is a couple of years old, so I'm sure you can find an English version somewhere as well).

To wrap up, I also went on a trip to Mt. Takao today. Lots of shrines and nature, lots of photos from my trip at my Tumblr account. Great fun!

Until next time, stay safe and have fun!