J-World Tokyo Has Officially Opened

Fans of Japanese manga and anime just got their own – what should we call this place? – indoor theme amusement center and arcade.  The creators of Tokyo's newest entertainment facility call it J-World Tokyo, and so far the buzz about this emporium is traveling far beyond Japan’s borders.  Located on the third floor of Ikebukuro’s Sunshine City World Import Mart Building, J-World Tokyo is sponsored by Namco Corporation and inspired by manga characters featured in Shonen Jump (and sister Jump publications). Here is a brief FAQ for those of you who are curious.

Q.  Does this place feature any famous manga or anime characters I would know?

A.  You’re in luck if you are familiar with Dragon Ball Z, One Piece, Naruto, Gintama, Toriko, Bleach, Hunter x Hunter, and Kochikame, for example. 

Q.  Who will J-World Tokyo attract? 

A. Kids, manga readers, anime watchers, and cosplayers, mostly. 

If you only look at publicity photos showing boys and girls riding rides and playing arcade games, you might think this center is just for kids. 

Cosplay photos hint at a different story, and also give you an idea what of what the atmosphere in J-World Tokyo will be like. Judging by a small sample of potentially thousands of cosplayers who post photos on the internet of themselves engaging in "costume play" (dressing up as their favorite manga or anime characters), fan demographics cover a broad range, from children to teenagers to twenty somethings. Some are even older than that, so it seems fans of various ages may be compelled to visit this "otaku" oasis if they are in Tokyo. Take a look at the photos below. This facility should serve as a great venue for future cosplay events and parties.

Dragon Ball Z cosplayers

Bleach cosplayer

Naruto cosplayer

Young Naruto cosplayer

Bleach cosplayers

 

Bleach cosplayer

Bleach cosplayer

Q.  What is the entrance fee?

A.   An entrance ticket is 1300 yen and is good for the entire day. Food, rides and attractions are not included in this price. Once you’re inside, attending attractions incur additional fees. There are two Dragon Ball Z attractions, two One Piece attractions, and one Naruto attraction.

Q.  What are some things you get to do inside?

A.  You’ll get the chance to fight Freiza along side Goku, stow away on a haunted ship in One Piece’s Soldier Dock ride, go on the One Piece Shiro Mokuba ride, check out the Heroes Arena, and unlock ninja secrets with the Naruto “Shinobi War Picture Scroll.”

Q.  Do they have an arcade too?

A.  Yes.  There is an Amusement Arena which has arcade games, UFO catchers, and interactive games featuring the manga characters.

Q.  Is there a gift shop?

A.  Yes,  visitors can purchase action figures and other manga and anime collectables.

Q.  Can you get something to eat there?

A.  Yes.  J-World Tokyo has a food court with three restaurants that should draw in guests for a closer look.  Take your pick from J-World Kitchen, Café Mademoiselle, and J-Patisserie.  Here you can feast on Prince of Tennis, Gintama, and Bleach desserts, Majin Buu Buns, Tony Tony Chopper pasta with meatballs, Ichigo vs. Renji curry, or Blue Exorcist panna cotta. The desserts are especially eye-catching and creative.

You will see some cute and tasty looking baked goods for sale.

Q.  How do you find this place?

A.  Ikebukuro is a vicinity in the heart of Tokyo.  The Sunshine Tower is is a very well known landmark. 
 The address and directions are below.

Address:

Sunshine City World Import Mart, 3-1-1 Higashi-Ikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo

Transport:

Ikebukuro Station (Yamanote, Saikyo, Marunouchi, Yurakucho, Fukutoshin, Seibu lines) 

For more information:  Here is a website in Japanese.  Here is a website in English.

Editors' Note:  This post is the result of a combined effort shared by both authors.  Nagamimi came up with the post idea and performed initial  research. Barbara/LilyOmori wrote the content and gathered graphics.

Today Chicago Loop Gets First Tokyo Style Pedestrian Scramble!

The local ABC Chicago news station has just released a news story and video about a new development affecting thousands of drivers and pedestrians on a daily basis who navigate the downtown business district known as the Chicago Loop. Starting today, Chicago is getting its first pedestrian scramble. Pedestrians at State Street and Jackson Boulevard in Chicago's Loop can now cross diagonally through the intersection.

For those of us who know any of Tokyo's large and busy scrambles, seeing an image of the Chicago crosswalk may prompt a smile. That's because ours is quite smaller by comparison, due to the density of the Loop area. But it is nevertheless a big deal here, and actually a serious matter, since drivers will need to be aware that they can no longer make turns in this intersection.  Pedestrians also need to understand how to cross these streets safely. So news stations are broadcasting reports about the all-way pedestrian crossing, telling Chicagoans what to expect and how to navigate through this intersection. Click here to view one of these video broadcasts. The intersection now has a 35-second traffic cycle in which all traffic, including bicycles, stops to allow people on foot to cross the street in any direction, even diagonally. This is a pilot program.  If it is successful, more scrambles may be added.  This particular intersection was chosen because of its close proximity to DePaul University's Loop Campus and John Marshall Law School.  It is also fairly close to the CTA and Union Station train station.  More than 41,000 pedestrians cross at the intersection of State and Jackson streets each day.

Tokyo has some well known pedestrian scrambles of its own. Maybe the most famous and often-photographed one is the Shibuya Scramble, a crossing directly in front of the Shibuya subway station and in the center of a major shopping district. In the immediate area is also a train terminal and bus terminal.

Here is an image I posted on Flickr awhile back which I took while standing on the edge of this intersection. The large white building connected to the station is the Tokyu Department Store. 

I found an interesting blog called the Japan Bucket List written by a New Zealander. Item #34 on her list is the Shibuya Scramble.  She has some amusing words to describe what it is like.  I agree with her that it is one of the many things you just have to experience when you go to Japan!  Here is the  link.

At least one more scramble I am aware of is the Sukiyabashi Crossing in Yurakucho. That crosswalk is shown here. 

One of my favorite urban hotspots in Tokyo is the Ginza Scramble in front of the Sony Building.  Located in the heart of the Ginza district, the energy at that intersection is just amazing. How can you get an adrenaline rush and a feeling of human connectedness just by crossing the street? Go over to Ginza and navigate across this pedestrian crossing by day or by night - then you'll know!

Ten Things I Will Do On My Next Trip to Tokyo

1.) Buy Drinks from Vending Machines:  I am amazed by Japan’s vending machines 自動販売機 (ji-dou-hanbai-ki), which you’ll find everywhere you go, in the city, suburbs, and small villages. They sell such an incredible variety of items, from drinks to books to electronics.  I like the selection of drinks the best. They can be hot, cold, non-alcoholic, alcoholic, typical -- Coke, coffee, tea, Fanta Orange, energy drinks, and unusual -- aloe water, multi-vitamin infused, cucumber soda, Pepsi Pink, which is a strawberry milk product...  I will stick to buying my favorites:  iced coffee and milk tea. Vending machine items are available 24/7 by inserting spare change or, for residents, by swiping with a smartphone.


Some machines also sell food, even fresh Dole bananas.

Others are going high tech and feature a super large touch screen. I want to see one of these!

2.) Go to Koreatown  The area around Shin-Okubo Station is home to many Korean businesses and restaurants. This area is known as Koreatown:  'コリアンタウン'. Shin-Okuko is north of Shinjuku (next stop on the Yamanote line). It's close to Waseda University and Takadanobaba. In this vicinity there are plenty of Korean bistros, cafes, and groceries. The area is often called the Little Korea of Tokyo. Since I like K-pop and Korean skincare products, Shin Okubo is a must for me to visit. Korean cosmetics stores, here I come!

3.) Rent a Bicycle  These services have become popular during the past several years. When I lived here I bought a bicycle. Once I lost it by parking illegally, which was very upsetting.  Bike sharing and bike rentals have become a great way to get around by bicycle, for both visitors and residents.  See the blog post appearing this month for more information.

4.) Sing at Karaoke   I’m not a person with a talent to sing 歌う(utau), but the karaoke bars in Japan are so interesting to experience. To go to karaoke カラオケ is a very popular pastime and I like to take part when with a group of friends are going. I often went to karaoke with coworkers when I lived and worked in Osaka and Tokyo. I can remember a time when the selection was only Japanese songs but now there is a much larger selection of English language songs, too.

5.) Walk Around Harajuku and Omotesando-doori   I think Japan fashion is on a level of its own.  People seem to know how to dress, and many pay much attention to their appearance.  In Tokyo, they dress to stand out, to fit in, and to make a statement; they wear what makes them feel good.  I like to read Japanese fashion blogs ブログ (burogu) and fashion magazines 雑誌 (zasshi) to see what Japanese fashionistas like for the current season. Tokyo has the reputation for being one of the main fashion capitals of the world. Walk down beautiful boulevard Omotesando-doori and then turn onto Aoyama-doori and you’ll see why.  I also recommend looking around on the shopping street called Takeshita-doori 竹下通り to see what fashion trends the young people like. It is a beehive of teen and 20-somethings packing streets lined with boutiques and shops.

6.) Visit the Tokyo Sky Tree  This is definitely on my list since I have only seen it in photos. See a post we added last year about this impressive structure.

7.) Dine Out  Especially at Izakaya!  Every time I’m in Japan I love eating the food. All authentic and delicious.  There are high end restaurants of course, but I always end up eating okonomiyaki お好み焼きand yakitori 焼き鳥, croquettes and other simple foods at a neighborhood izakaya, a bar and restaurant with a special relaxed ambiance. 
 
8.) Visit a Cat-cafe: This establishment 猫カフェー is a cafe where you can watch 見る(miru) and play 遊ぶ (asobu) with cats 猫 (neko). It’s the perfect opportunity for people who love cats but who are not allowed to have them in their apartments.  As I love cats and have one named Geneva Suki, I really want to go. I have never even been to a theme café before.  (Maid cafés, robot cafés, and anime-based cafes are other specialty establishments where customers are welcome).

9.) Enjoy Coffee Shops   Coffee in Japan is the best. For a front row seat to the Shibuya scramble crossing I like to get a window table at the Starbucks スターバックス in the Tsutaya building right across the Shibuya station 渋谷駅.  There is place I haven't been to yet and want to try: the Nezucafe ネヅカフェーin Minami-Aoyama 南青山. It is said to have a fantastic view of a beautiful wooded garden.

10.) Visit Akihabara (秋葉原). This vicinity in central Tokyo is known as “Akiba” for short. Some call it Electric City too. This is said to be the largest district for electronics, computers, video games and anime in the world.  For many, many blocks in all directions, you can window shop or browse in stores that carry computer equipment, video games, kitchen electronics, smartphones and endless electronics supplies.  Some shops are duty free.  My favorite is the newest and largest department store just a block away from Akihabara Station on the Yamanote Line and Hibiya Line. It is called Yodobashi Akiba.  This immense store has nine stories full of high tech equipment and gadgets. I have seen computers and phones there with such features I didn’t know were possible!  The newest inventions seem to go on display at this store first, for all to see and play with. 

Kagurazaka Festival of Tokyo

Steamy hot summer days in Tokyo and all around Japan call for everyone to take a break from busy schedules, dress "cool-bizu" style (lighter weight casual clothing for keeping cool), pour a glass of iced coffee, and celebrate the season.  It's time for the summer festivals. And with a flash of colorful yukata (summer cotton kimono), bright lights, drumming and flutes, the dancing begins.  The atmosphere seems to buzz and sparkle with laughing children, as oba-san and oji-san, the older adults, look on with nostalgic expressions.  Ah, these familiar sights and sounds bring smiles and sighs to the crowds of spectators who arrive to get in on the excitement.

One popular summer festival held each year in late July in a neighborhood of Tokyo's Shinjuku district  is the  Kagurazaka Matsuri, an event that revives the lively atmosphere of Tokyo as it might have looked and sounded like long ago.

The name Kagurazaka is a combination of kagura (a shrine-dance to music) and saka (hill) and is the perfect name for this beautiful part of Tokyo. It's layout has not changed much since the town was established in the 17th century, even though most of the area was tragically burned down in an air raid on Tokyo in 1920. 

In the center of Tokyo is Kagurazaka Slope, a place that was just beyond the walls of the imperial palace grounds, where poets, artists, politicians and geisha once gathered. Today the cobblestone alleyways and shops provide an interesting historic ambience.  This is actually where Karyukai, or the geisha culture, was born. In 1910 there were as many as 600 geishas who lived here. A few Ryotei, or Geisha houses, are still in operation.

The annual Kagurazaka festival features a Hozuki Ichi (Ground Cherry Pod Fair). The highlight is the Awa-odori Dance. This dance originated in Awa, Tokushima Prefecture, Shikoku. It was first held in Tokyo for the Kagurazaka Matsuri and now a part of many summer festivals in Tokyo, where fifteen to twenty groups of  musicians and dancers form a procession along Kagurazaka-dori, the main street and dance to the sound of the shamisen, flutes, and drumming. It is truly a family event, where kids participate too!  Here is an amateur video recorded by someone who attended this year's festival.

If you go next year, look for the Japanese lantern plant market, held in and around Bishamonten Zenkoku-ji Temple. There you can find volunteers dressed in yukata who guide visitors around the neighborhood. Local cafes and restaurants open stalls for business, welcoming everyone to enjoy a "taste of Kagurazaka."

 

Anytime you're in the mood to explore this part of Tokyo, first do a little research online on the website of the  Shinjuku City Tourism Association. For great walking maps published online in English featuring Kagurazaka and other areas of Shinjuku, click this link.  

Kagurazaka is conveniently located and accessible from the JR IIdabashi station on the Yamanote Line. As you exit the station, turn to your right and a one minute walk will place you at the base of Kagurazaka-dori.  Tokyo Metro Iidabashi and Ushigome-Kagurazaka stations also provide access to the area.

The Kagurazaka event has already wrapped up for this year, but you still have lots of options!  Japan Times Online has an excellent listing of summer festivals in Japan, inside and outside Tokyo, happening in July and August 2012.  Take a look here.