Pretty Big In Tokyo (Part 2)

Konbanwa,

Sorry I haven’t updated been having an absolutely stunning time in Japan.  So this will be another large update!!

Okay so Friday was OMG Hiroki Mafuyu at TCA!!! HOLY COW!! This guy rocked my socks off!!  He gave us some great advice plus showed us the originals of some of his artwork! What an AMAZING artist.  We then got to sit in on one of the classes he teaches at TCA!!!  (TCA IS SCAD Tokyo! Haha!) It was an unforgettable experience!! Then Jeremy, Steven and I made our way to Shibuya!  I have dreamed of going to this place for YEARS!! We saw Hachiko, crossed the giant intersection, had coffee at the Starbucks and bought art books!  Then to cap it all off I dragged them around the 109 building!! We decided to head back to Shinjuku for food and met up with Spalding.  We then had a grand ole time running around Shinjuku like fools.  One of the best days EVER!!

Saturday was the imperial gardens in the morning.  What a beautiful place and I can only imagine how pretty it would be in the Spring and Early summer.  Stunning!!  We then met up with Goto and Dove who took us to Jimbocho…kinda a disappointment.  Was promised awesome poster shops and lots of books….there were lots of books alright but not ones I was looking for and we only saw one poster shop and it failed.  Afterwards Jeremy and I headed back to Shibuya to explore some of the side streets and 109-2.  109-2 was hilarious as the top floors are mostly menswear and so the workers kept trying to get Jeremy to buy their clothes, even going so far as waiting at the top of the escalator!! Haha!

Sunday we attempted the fish market and failed.  It was closed! We then made our way to the zoo.  Probably my least favorite part of the whole trip, the animals were in such poor condition and I just kept thinking how the Detroit Zoo was a thousand times better.  Jeremy and I then attempted to see the cosplayers on the bridge in Harajuku…and again failed.  Most of the girls had gone home already as they had school the next day. However I did get some pictures.

Monday was DISNEY SEA!! BEST DISNEY PARK!!! It was soooooooo awesome!! Jeremy, Steven and I had a crazy fun time running around that place.  From exploding volcanoes, to Journey to the center of the Earth, to Indiana Jones, and Sinbad this place rocked my socks off.   And guess what Strawberry and Milk Tea popcorn are AWESOME!!

Tuesday was the National Museum.  What a beautiful museum, my second favorite on the trip.  From the history to the art this place had it all.  Plus I got to see original Hokusai works!!! My mind was blown!!  We also were allowed to go into the tea garden behind the museum which is usually closed this time of year.  Beautiful!!! I could have sat there and drawn for ages.  After that it was back to Harajuku for some clothes shopping.  Dragged Jeremy around again (he’s gonna be so sick of me by the end of this trip. >.>) .

Wednesday Oh lord Wednesday!!  GHIBLI MUSEUM!!!  My dreams come true.  This place was the god of Museums!!!  Original sketches from all the movies hung on the walls, stained glasses from the movies for the windows,  an original short you can only see at the museum and much much more!! Sadly pictures weren’t allowed inside but just trust me in that it was so beautiful I almost cried!!  After that Jeremy and I dragged Steven around Nakano showing our true geek to the extreme.  I swear we came close to cleaning out that place (well at least of the good stuff!!)

 

Thursday was the gravesite of the 47 Ronin.  SO COOL!!  It was a very pretty place and I felt so lucky to be able to visit.  Then Jeremy and I gave Cass the run around of Nakano and met up with Steven there.  We finished clearing the place out and then headed back to Shinjuku.  Hung around for a bit Harajuku again, got a crepe and an awesome bag then back to Shinjuku for some rest.  What can I say I’ve had an amazing time here and I can’t believe it’s almost over.  One more full day!   So we have class time with show and tell tomorrow morning, the free time, may go to the Square Enix store.  Then cramming things in suitcases, sleeping, and heading home.  This has been one of the most Amazing experiences I have ever had.  I really hope I get a chance to visit again and view more of the country and become more immersed in the culture but for now I feel sooooo incredibly lucky!!

Oyasumi

Pretty Big In Tokyo (Part 1)

Konbanwa!

What an AMAZING couple of days!! I can hardly believe im actually in Tokyo!! But its true and it is more than I ever could have asked for!! Sunday we arrived in Tokyo and took the train from Narita Airport to where our Hotel is in Shinjuku. After a group of us went and had adventure time trying to locate a place to eat dinner. Fun Times.  The restraint we ate at the waiter spoke zero English and we had to order food through a touch screen where the first couple of pages were only in Kanji!!! We all headed back after that for some much needed rest.

Monday we had our first artist workshop with Shane Glines!! What an amazing artist!! I feel my work hasn’t been up to par since ive arrived here….so I feel like I have nothing good to show him when he assigns us work to do. But his lectures are awesome filled with super good advice and from the way he talks about starting and working on a piece I feel we share a very similar work ethic.  Next we went to this awesome art store called Sekaido!! Floors and Floors of Art supplies..need I say more!! The group then split half went straight to Meiji Shrine and the other to TMS ( I went in the TMS group).  Sadly though the guy never showed up so we sketched for an hour and a half at the train station before heading over to the shrine.  What a beautiful place!! After the shrine I ventured into Harajuku for a bit by myself…it was interesting absorbing in the surroundings. (and being stared at allot!)  Jeremy found me wandering around and a small group of us headed over to Nakano to visit Nakano Broadway! BEST EVER!!

Tuesday we started with another workshop and then went to Ueno.  We visited the National Museum and saw lots of dinosaurs and school children.  Everyone here has AMAZING bags and are always dressed amazingly.  I feel like a slob most the time.  Then Goto took us to this awesome toy store think toys r us on steroids with anime merch…yeah awesome!! Next Akihabara!! Wow is all I can say for this place….Lots of lights, lots of Maids, Lots of guys ( there were barely any women walking around….i mean I was expecting then men to outnumber the women but not as much as it did.), Lots of Porn, Lots of Manga, Lots of Electronics, and Lots to see.  We got lost looking for the Mandarake flagship store but found it and was well worth the work trying to find it.  Caught the late night JR and felt like a sardine!!

Wednesday another artist workshop in the morning followed by the Asakusa Kannon  Temple.  Another beautiful building but I much preferred the atmosphere at Meiji shrine.  We were set free to do whatever we wished after that.  Jeremy and I ran around and shot reference photos in Asakusa before catching the train back to Nakano.  Ate at a Sushi-go-round for lunch!!  Best Sushi ive ever had for cheaper than a meal at McDonalds!!!  Then we explored the fourth floor of Nakano Broadway can you say cheap art books.  Yeah fun times.  There were also animation cells and backgrounds which I may check out again quickly (a Beatrice Character bible which im seriously thinking of getting) when we go as a group next week.  Then we met Spalding and headed back to Shinjuku for Dinner.  Ate at a pretty cool place, got a little tipsy, and wandered around a giant store called Tokyo Hands.  Got some more art supplies and headed back to the Hotel for the night…..fun was had by all.

Thursday woke up and went to a bread store for breakfast and then it was our final day of class with Shane and I finally feel im starting to get better at this sketching fast thing but not by much.  I better do something good for Hiroki tomorrow or I will cry.  Then we went to the Edo Tokyo Museum in Ryogoku!! One of the best museums I have ever been to.  I took far too many reference photos and my memory card filled up  before I was halfway done with the museum. And adorable little japanese girls telling me my hair is "Kire!" and "Kawaii!!" wanting to get pictures with me! haha!  After the museum Jeremy, Steven, and I headed back to Shinjuku for dinner. Yoshinoya!! It was very good for the price…think of it as a Japanese McDonalds!!  Now back at the hotel gonna get some sketching/character designs done and then hit the sack.  Tokyo is AMAZING and I can’t believe ive only been here for four days!!   So look forward for another update within the next week….cant guarantee any sketches since I don’t have a scanner.

Sorry for the large update!

Oyasumi