Hello there Hello Kitty

Hello Kitty is synonymous with Japanese "kawaii" (cute) culture.  She is absolutely everywhere.  I see her face on food (snacks, especially), clothing, backpacks, and even cutlery.  It isn't just that these products are available, her merchandise is everywhere!  Sanrio really captured the countries adoration 45 years ago when they brought her to the world.  I learned more than I should probably know by watching "The Toys That Made Us" on Netflix. 

25 years ago, Sanrio tried to duplicate Disney's magic by building Sanrio Puroland.  It is a little world of its own inside a humongous building.  I heard about it when I lived here 16 years ago, but was not going to travel from Osaka to Tokyo just to go.  It's existence has been in the back of my mind since moving here, but it never moved up the priority list until I saw discount tickets for sale.

From the moment we arrived at Keio-tama-center Station, we saw Hello Kitty everywhere.  She and her friends were all over the station and the streets going to toward Sanrio Puroland. 

Walking up to the building, I felt some excitement brewing.  When I was a kid, there was a Sanrio store near my dad and stepmother's house that I would visit regularly.  I didn't typically buy Hello Kitty things, but I did enjoy her green frog friend Keroppi and some of the other characters.  What was in store for me behind those doors?  I really wasn't sure!

As soon as I entered, I was greeted by a grand staircase, escalators going down, and pink everywhere.  I could immediately tell I wasn't in Tokyo anymore.  I was now in Puroland.

There is scenery everywhere.  They really have created a little world of cuteness.

We went down the escalator to the first floor, the main area of Puro Village.  There is a huge tree in the middle of the floor that is the center of everything.  This is where the parades are held and there is a stage attached to the back of the tree for additional performances. 

We saw on the agenda that the first show would be starting in a few minutes.  We found a place on the floor to sit down.  Soon the room got dark-ish and the room lit up with Christmas lights.  A hole appeared in the ceiling and My Melody (one of Hello Kitty's friends) floated down on a platform singing a song.  She sang several more with a laser light show boing projected onto the ceiling.  Eventually she reached the floor, which was the end of her show.  Applause erupted and I realized maybe I wasn't quite excited enough for this experience.

We then went on one of the only 2 rides.  Mymeroad Drive is a ride through Sanrio Town.  There are lots of characters to see.  The little pink My Melody car goes slowly through, so you have plenty to time to take everything in.  It also stops 6 times to take your photo.  I'm not kidding.  6 times.  At the end of the ride there is a photo print center with various computer screens where you can digitally decorate your photos before printing them (at a cost of ¥1,600 per photo or $14.50).

Up next was the stage show "Kawaii Kabuki", a pretty good Hello Kitty version of traditional Kabuki theater.  In my opinion, it was a great introduction for kids to a traditional performance art.  The story was very timely, as it featured a story about Setsubun.  The costumes were very interesting.  I was sad that there was no photography allowed in the theater because I liked the costumes so much.  I guess I could have bought the DVD of the performance that they offered at the end of the show, but I wasn't going to pay ¥2,500 ($23) for it because I would never watch it.

By this time, we were getting pretty hungry.  We enjoyed a quick lunch at the Character Food Court (which I will share in the next post).

It was now time for the main parade.  We found seats a few rows back under an overhang.  The second floor is open in the center so they can look down onto the first floor around the Wisdom Tree.  We didn't realize that sitting just a few rows back made it so you couldn't see a big part of the show.  As we sat there, advertisements were running continuously for their Miracle Light sticks.  For only ¥1,500 ($14) attendees can "participate" in the show.  This means their heart shaped light on a stick will change colors in time with the show.  While I enjoy a light stick as much as the next person, I didn't need to be hounded to buy one.  I was really not feeling in the spirit because I felt like the pressure to spend, spend, spend was so blatant. 

The parade finally started with a whole lot of fanfare.  But since we were seated under the eve, we could not see the aerial act or lights going on above.  The characters were fun to see as they went around the tree and danced about.  There was a storyline to the parade, but I really could not follow it.  So, I just enjoyed what I could.  The music is pretty catchy, in that teen pop kind of way.

My son was enjoying his day in cute-ville.  As he exclaimed over this character and that statue, I noticed that 90% of the people there did not have children with them.  It was mostly 20 somethings that were overjoyed to meet the characters.  I even saw one woman start crying as she hugged a character.  It took me aback, as I really wasn't expecting to see that.

When we went to see Hello Kitty's grandmother, Lady Kitty, I decided that Sanrio Puroland was all about photo opportunities and spending money.  We were shuttled from room to room to see elaborate displays in order to take a photo with Lady Kitty. 

The last thing that was on the agenda was going on their main ride, the Sanrio Character Boat Ride.  We waited in line for about 20 minutes.  Since there is so much to look at, it didn't seem very long at all.  We got into the boat and headed down river.  After seeing the first display, our boat went onto a ramp that took us up.  All three of us got excited.  This was actually a ride!  Wahoo!  When we reached the top, our son held onto the bar on the side of the boat.  The boat tipped downward and went down the ramp at the same speed as we went up.  We all groaned in disappointment.  Our hopes were so high for just a moment, but we were just left hanging.  It felt like so much of our day - lots of build up without the fruition.

When we left I felt like I had checked something off my list, but I don't feel like I experienced what I thought I would.  I'm amazed that Sanrio Puroland has been open for 25 years.  But I guess I'm not the target audience.  The crying woman is. 

Feeling a little dom

Before there was McDonalds in Japan, there was Dom Dom.  In 1970 Japan was first introduced to the fast food burger (McD's came just one year later).  Although the chain is no longer very popular, there are still a few around. 

While out running errands, my husband thought it would be a good idea to relive his childhood burger joint.  He didn't go often, but eating a teriyaki burger at Dom Dom was a vivid memory for him.  So, we decided to give it a chance.

The closest Dom Dom to us is tucked inside the front corner of a Maruetsu grocery store.  It's actually owned by the grocery store, so it made sense that it was located there.

The interior featured a pretty typical order counter and not so typical pink seats.  I don't know if the pink is the company color, but it was a surprising choice.

Looking at the menu, we found lots of interesting choices like shrimp-katsu burger and okonomiyaki burger.  With a hesitant attitude, I ordered the chicken meatball burger with renkon (lotus root) and a side salad.  My husband ordered the teriyaki burger as well as a tamagoyaki (grilled egg) sandwich.  My son wanted a kid's hamburger. 

In true fast food fashion, our food was ready pretty quickly.  My son's burger was a thin beef patty with a squirt of ketchup on a bun.  It was as basic as you can get.  And it was not good whatsoever.  Mine was interesting, reminding me of exactly what the description said - a chicken meatball topped with fried renkon.  My husband's teriyaki burger was 60% sauce, 30% bun, and 10% meat.  I could barely swallow it.  But I'm also not hugely into sauce.  The best item we ordered, in my opinion, was the tamagoyaki sandwich.  Although it had too much mayonnaise (which was mixed with Japanese mustard, which is pretty spicy), it tasted just like a super simple egg sandwich.

As we dined, my husband set down his burger and said his memories had been ruined.  I find this a common theme with foods from our childhood.  When I tried SpaghettiOs in college, I was quickly informed that they are not what my memories tell me they are.  I completely understand his disappointment. 

It was interesting going to Dom Dom.  It is a part of Japanese history, just like A&W and Artic Circle was a place from my past.  Of course, not all things from the past need to be revisited.  I guess we learned our lesson.

The two sides of Setsubun

We have been working to make Setsubun a fun holiday for my son.  He has enjoyed all the prep work of making masks and hearing stories about Oni.  He had a great time at school on Friday, chasing Oni with his friends. 

Today was a bit of a roller coaster regarding the celebration.  We went shopping this morning to get our futomaki (sushi roll) for dinner, a couple items from the stationary store, and bread from the bakery.  We also picked up lunch that we enjoyed at a picnic table near the shops. 

While we were eating, our son saw IMA-Nyan at the top of the escalator.  He wanted to go see the big blue cat, as it is always fun for him.  When his dad returned from checking on our bikes, he rode the escalator up by himself toward IMA-Nyan and his dad.  As he neared the top of the escalator he saw Oni (actually Namahage) and it scared him.  He immediately about-faced and tried to run down the escalator.  Since daddy was at the top, he reluctantly let the stairs take him all the way up.  Once he was on the first floor, he jumped into his dad's arms and proceeded to scream any time Oni came near him.  Daddy held him and kept a safe distance until they could safely come back down the escalator.  Daddy then explained that Oni was looking for "bad children" and since our son wasn't bad, he didn't have anything to be afraid of.  After a couple hugs and some more reassurance from daddy, we were ready to leave the shopping center.

Our son knew he was going to see Oni again, as well as IMA-Nyan dressed up in a Setsubun costume.  But this time, he was not afraid.  He knew Oni was not interested in him.  He stood back, holding hands with daddy while I took a few photos.  While I was focused on the Oni, I noticed several parents taking their screaming kids right up to the Oni and the Oni would dance around the kid. 

It was one of those moments I wanted to say something, but the only person who would listen was my husband and he reminded me that this is the way Setsubun has been celebrated in Japan for centuries.  This isn't the first time I have had this quandary.

I headed home for a bit and my husband and son went to park for some serious play time.  We were all scheduled to go to the mamemaki (bean throwing ceremony at the shrine), but our son decided he would rather stay at the park. 

When they finally came back home, we enjoyed our futomaki and my husband also made a fantastic soup for dinner. 

As soon as we were done with dinner, we chased Oni with peanuts (aka daddy) to chase away the bad luck he was trying to bring us.  We laughed and laughed as we played. 

This holiday can be really fun or really scary.  It just depends on how you approach it. 

An interesting label

While at Shinjuku station, I spotted an apron that caught my eye.  It was a traditional dark blue apron tied at the waist with an orange, white, and blue braided band.  They eye-catching part was the big white letters spelling "PRISON" on the front. 

I immediately asked my husband what on earth they meant by the word prison.  He told me it was an apron made by a prisoner.  In fact, prisoners make all kinds of goods in Japan which are sold at retail shops next to the prisons and special sales like this one.

The sale included a huge array of items from aprons to furniture.  I saw bags of all shapes, sizes, and materials, as well as shoes, wood crafts, and pads of paper. 

The sale made me wonder about this system.  So, I did a bit of research and learned that prisons in Japan require the inmates to work. This doesn't sit well with many other countries around the world, but Japan stays steadfast that their policy of having prisoners work for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, keeps them out of trouble and teaches them valuable skills for the outside world.

Prisoners work either for companies that contract work to the prisons or in shops that teach them trades like furniture building or book binding.  They get paid very little for this work, approximately $.50 to $1.50 per day.  The products made in the shops are sold to the public.  The proceeds are used to run the program and buy additional materials. The remainder of the proceeds goes to victim support programs.

Many of the products have labels on them identifying which prison they were made at.  Popular items include penguin dolls, shoulder bags, Blue Stick soap, and soy sauce and miso. 

It is not every day that I run across something so controversial in Tokyo.  But this one definitely required some pondering on whether a person wants to support this form of retail goods and programs or not.

Are you scared?

The end of winter is about to arrive.  It couldn't come soon enough.  The chilling cold has overstayed its welcome, mainly because it didn't bring snow with it this year!  When winter ends on Sunday, it is time to celebrate Setsubun - where a demon, called Oni, comes to visit and brings bad luck with it.

As the holiday neared, I began to hear horror stories of it being celebrated in the schools.  Tales of teachers wearing Oni masks chasing and scaring children to the point of tears and nightmares.  I was not impressed to say the least. 

While we have celebrated Setsubun at home for years, many immigrant and visiting children in Japan have no experience with this holiday.  I can only imagine their horror.  I started getting worried about my son, who sometimes likes to be scared and other times is traumatized by it and I spend weeks or longer calming and reassuring him.

I asked one of the park moms who has a child that went to my son's school last year how the school celebrated the holiday.  After all, I didn't want my son cowering in a corner!  I thought about keeping him home today if the school had a reputation for celebrating in this overzealous fashion.  However, her report gave me a sense of relief.

This week, the class talked about the upcoming celebration.  They were told that Oni was going to come to the playground and they made a special door decoration with sprigs of holly and dried sardine fish head so that Oni would not enter their classroom.  This special deterrent is called hiiragi iwashi.  I guess Oni don’t like smelly fish or anything pointy (like holly leaves…) that might poke out their eyeballs. Hiiragi iwashi is mainly a Kanto and Nara tradition, and not all areas of Japan hang these little bundles outside their door.  I really liked hearing that the school had a "safe place" for kids that didn't want to participate. 

Photo courtesy of munchies.vice.com

I also talked with my son a few times to make sure he was prepared for Oni coming to his school.  He reported he was excited and ready to be scared (in a fun way).

When he came home today, he enthusiastically reported about the celebration.  After each student was given some dried soybeans to throw at Oni, the teacher announced that it was time to go out to the playground.  Almost all of the children went outside to play along (he told me one student decided to stay inside and not participate).  Oni was big and scary.  He waved his arms about and growled.  But my son and his friends were brave.  They threw their soybeans at Oni and shouted "Oni wa soto!  Fuku wa uchi!"  (Out with the demons!  In with the luck!)  Suddenly, the principal banged on a gong and the Oni ran away. 

Once the big Oni went away, the kids brought out masks that they had made and took turns playing chase with each other. 

I am so glad that the school helped the children to really enjoy and embrace the spirit of the holiday by chasing out the bad luck.