Tokyo Tower Date Night and the Last of the Lights (Part 3 of 3)

The plan was to go to Tokyo Tower to see lights on Christmas eve. Tokyo Tower is a major landmark, but it's funny because it looks like a normal neighborhood until you turn this one corner.
BAM! Giant tower!

We went to the observation deck for the sunset, and I just kept working my way around in a circle until it was dark.

To the north, I liked the faint orange-yellow-blue reflection on the buildings to the left.

To the southwest, Mount Fuji.

A little more west:

As the sun drops further, the colors change.

The city lights get more intense to the southeast:






Sunset complete, we went to most of the attractions in the building at the foot of the tower.
This was, in theory, a horror show called "Space Wax" in the brochure, although it had nothing to do with either space or wax.
The concept was 3-D versions of traditional Japanese ghosts and other horrors in a haunted house setting, but it was hard to muster any fear or surprise. We couldn't tell if it's old or just low-budget, but it wasn't really quality CGI.

Next door was a wax museum that was pretty interesting, though. Not all the American celebs looked quite right, but it was a neat experience.

There was an aquarium, and I'm a fan of aquariums, so we did that. My first clue that this may not be all I had hoped it would be was when I noticed that, in the glossy brochure full of fancy photos, there was a listing but no image.

It started off all right, these turtles were amusing.

And frogs don't need much room or company, I don't think.

These things are neat - they're clear! They've got stuff in their head and a spine, but you can see right through them.

This may have been my favorite display.


One crazy shrimp was scuttling away with a fish head.

Next tank:

Weird thin fish. They have eyes, but it's hard to tell where they are.


Sand worms are weeeeeird. And a little creepy.

At first, I was amused by this sign. Then I saw exactly how many piranha varieties were along that wall and put my hands in my pockets.


It was like a piranha prison, and I'm not sure how to feel about that.

Interesting colors (not a piranha):

Transitional species, anyone? It's an albino version of what was in the tank next to it, but this guy wasn't hiding his face. And those are definitely legs. Kind of useless-looking, but definitely legs and not fins.

I hadn't thought about it, but I didn't know these guys could move their eyes in completely different directions. I couldn't tell if he was looking at me or the fish next door. Or both. Probably both.

We had a moment. Unfortunately, there were a lot of tanks filled with large fish crowded too tightly together for my comfort. It breaks my heart a little.

This turtle seemed able to amuse itself well enough:

The last tank in the aquarium, by the exit, had some very artsy-looking fish. Not sure what they are, but they sure are purdy.

Outside in the cold-but-not-as-cold-as-it-is-in-the-States.

By the crosswalk (I don't know the story, but it's dog statues.)

Across the street, our first taste of non-tree-wrapped-lights for the evening, in front of a dentist's office:

In an open-air mall...I'm told that there are structures like this in FL and CA, but this whole idea of muddling the distinction between Inside and Outside is fascinating to me. Bonus, there's a giant inflatable something-or-other in the main plaza, next to the crepe stand and the Christmas concert.
A video survey of this immediate area from a few floors up:

Things to note:
• To the right of the inflatables, under that overhang, is where the concert is happening.
• To the right of the screen, just above the big TV screen, the ascending light is attached to the building elevator.
• How lucky is it that I managed to get the train, the elevator, and a helicopter? I'm pleased.


Another side of the building, ground level. What is this sea of blue lights?

It's literally a sea of blue lights. Shaped like waves around an abstract tree of sorts. There's a long line, so I think there's some sort of couples good-luck-for-the-new-year thing going on.

From farther back and a floor up, because there were too many people in the way up close.

This clip gives you an idea of how beautiful and ambient it was, although the music was easier to hear and the traffic was easier to ignore in real life.

From another floor up, an unobstructed view of the reflection. It's all ambient (and you can hear at least one or two women remark that it's sugoi), then at around :30 it has some sort of seizure.

And some more crazy light, ending with the soothing blue again.

And to finish off the adventure, here's this creepy billboard.

And to all, a good night.

Peanut Butter Cookies: Epilogue

We're still bumbling our way through the customs and probably destroying etiquette along the way. There are a number of things we're trying to do, at which we may or may not be succeeding. Gift giving is one of those. A couple posts ago, I mentioned our adventure in peanut butter cookies and the giving (or attempted giving) to the neighbors.

The day care neighbor that wasn't home on our first trip was home later, so we were able to hand that one off, albeit in the middle of their school day. I guess it's socially obligatory to give a gift in return (of more or less equal value) when you are given one. So after handing our tissue-paper-flowered gift bag containing a plastic tub of cookies to the day care neighbor, they motioned for us to wait a moment while they put some oranges and apples wrapped in newspaper into a handled paper bag for us. I felt a little awkward at their feeling the need to reciprocate, especially with our painfully small overlap in vocabulary, but it wasn't too much of an inconvenience or expense, and neither of us had any sort of gift-giving obligation hanging over our heads. I hope we thanked them enough times that they understood we're appreciative.

Do you remember the neighbors across the street, the older woman who didn't speak much English and was very hard on herself about not having anything for us? She and her husband (who does speak some English) came over the next night with a very generous gift bag.

Inside, very carefully wrapped with tissue paper and ribbon, were several items and a card. The card expressed not only a thank-you for the cookies, but they took the time and trouble to translate our names into kanji and tell us the meaning. Husband's name came to "sensitive declaration man" and mine was "joyful dream."

There was also this hand-painted "congratulations fan," which I think is kind of a super nice new year wish. It has their names, a "Happy New Year" sentiment, next year's zodiac animal (it will be the year of the usagi, or rabbit), and our names.
And they went to still more time and trouble to diagram it all out for us to explain it.

Oh, and Neighbor-san is apparently a published poet! He gave us one of his books, written in Japanese but translated into English as well.



The last item was a candle...

...with this, which I take to be a good luck/be good symbol.


There's just no way those cookies were good enough to deserve this kind of generosity.




Having made this attempt and gotten several reactions from "no thank you" to the above-pictured return giftage, and having asked several people their opinions on gift-giving etiquette, I have more questions than I had before.

Is it okay or rude to refuse a gift? If one is refused, should we offer again? (I've heard that a custom is to refuse twice and accept the third time, but I don't know if it applies in that situation.) If Japanese people are obligated to give a gift in return when one is received, does that mean we shouldn't give gifts because it makes people feel obligated and inconvenienced? I need to do more research. And we've decided we should have ready-made gifts all set by the door just in case someone randomly stops by to give one to us, so we're not unprepared.

Go Toward the Lights! (Part 2 of 2)

Link to Part 1

Standard disclaimer: Lights at night are the sort of thing that can be recorded by my camera, but not done full justice. It really is kind of magical seeing all the lights and how they gradually shift colors, or just the ambiance of having them around the perimeter of whatever area you're standing in. I've done my best, but they're at least three times as fantastic in person.

Tonight's illumination visitation location: Tokyo Dome City. Upon arrival, we learn that the whole lit-up thing is "Tokyo Dome City • Super Light City 2010 • A Present For You"


Tokyo Dome City is the whole complex in and around Tokyo Dome. Aside from the stadium, there is a bowling something-or-other, a baseball museum, shopping galore, and a small theme park. We'd been once before (the roller coaster goes through a building, for crying out loud!), but not at night and not when everything is wrapped in LEDs. Unfortunately, by the time we arrived, neither the coaster nor the wheel were still moving. Maybe next time.


Under the Ferris Wheel is a walkway leading to shopping and restaurants in either direction. Along that walkway is an impressive set of arches that slowly slide through the colors of the rainbow.



It doesn't capture very well on video, but I gave it a go (several, really, but this was the best):



The photographs are a little too dark, the video is a little too white, in reality it was somewhere between the two, and it was stunning.



Elsewhere in the main plaza, in the middle of all the shopping and theme park rides:

I don't know if any of them have any significance, but they were elaborate and animated. Especially the little pavilion in the very center:










I managed to decline my husband's offer of a crepe, but I was not able to turn down Baskin Robbins. Not because I didn't offer a token attempt, but because he went ahead inside and I had no choice but to follow. (Oh. Woe is me.)

They've got Christmas themed specials, like everywhere else, including an assortment tray in the shape of a tree.
I guess they offer different specials here than in the States, but trust me: what we ordered looks exactly like the picture. It's amazing. That's not just ice cream, that's art. And everything is edible but the cups, spoons, and the sprig of holly on the left. I was jealous of Future Kim before we got them. And now I'm a little jealous of Past Kim that had such a treasure.

Seriously. LOOK AT IT AND BE AMAZED.


Anyway. Bellies full of magic, we headed back out to the other side of TDC.

Video of the change in view from upstairs to downstairs:



It's a rainbow river of light.



The centerpiece of this corridor is that white-outlined ship, which I'll meander up to shortly.

We had some fun photographing reflections.




Across the sidewalk from the ship and the rainbow river of light is a giant statue of Ultraman, looking a little sullen and left out.

Lucky shot, framing the ship with the Ferris Wheel:


Moving on, a block away was a series of three of these monstrosities:

I think they're promoting a circus, but I'm not 100% sure.
I was 100% sure I wanted a picture with one.

Up a ramp, more lights.



There was this pink and red, almost Valentine tree (I took a picture of the sign explaining it, not that I have any idea who AI is).

And next to that tree was this exquisite mess:
Really? A podium for couples (or groups of girls, in this case) to stand between two winged unicorns? How fabulously cheesy! I love it.

That gaggle of girls is actually about to pose for a group shot that Husband was nice enough to take for them with one of their cameras. In return, they took one of the two of us with my camera. They wished us a Merry Kurisumasu, and he gave them handfuls of mini candy canes he's been carrying around. They promptly freaked out with glee and called him Santa-san.