Back to our Japan vaca. In Kyoto, we went to the Toei Kyoto Studio Park which hails as the only theme park in Japan where visitors can observe the filming of period dramas. The park is owned by Toei Kyoto Studio, which is the largest studio in Japan, and many a film has been shot on the premises. It had been an exhausting morning by the time we finally reached the park - firstly, we had to travel from Osaka to Kyoto by subway (the most confusing line and transfers of our trip) and then seemed like we hiked for an eternity to uncover our inn, before leaving our bags and heading out again to visit the park. From the Uzumasa-Koryuji station, we had to take a tram before a short walk to the park. The walk was short, except that we went in the wrong direction and had to back-track - and Heidi was screaming her lungs out because she refused to be plonked in her pram. We finally got to the park in one piece but with frazzled nerves and tempers.
In the tram bound for the park
Heidi all forlorn and crestfallen from the harrowing trip just getting to the park
The admission fee is by no means cheap - 2000 yen after the discount with the Kansai Rail Pass (about S$33), and that doesn't include entry to the different attractions such as the Ninja House and the Haunted House. Heidi didn't meet the minimum age or height requirement so it was a no-brainer that we just got the flat 2000 yen passes.
When we passed the admission gates, I had a wave of familiarity come over me and I realised that *darn* I have been here before. Back in Sec 3 when I was a Girl Guide on my international camp, my Japanese hosts had brought me and a fellow guide to the park. I remember because there was still the dress-up room where you could don the geisha or samurai get-ups, and the picture I received (after having the damn heavy wig stuck on me and the obi belt tied so tightly around me that I couldn't breathe) was SO UGLY! Like damn, it is the single, most, absolute WORST photo of me of my life. Brushing that aside, we bravely went on to get some grub because it was around 2, 3 plus and our tummies were growling. The two eateries housed in the shopping facility are rather miserable - Cafe Boston and Chanbara. We settled on the latter as we wanted some Japanese fare. Unfortunately, it was the single, most, absolute baddest food on the trip. Sigh, this was taking a turn for the worst.
The park was fairly empty and it was quite nice to stroll along the pathways of days past, imagining the good old simple days. That's always what we think when we are filled with nostalgic thoughts and romantic notions of yesteryear. I like to think that those days were just that :) Alas, the last Japanese period dramas I recall watching are The Last Samurai and Memoirs of A Geisha, and I don't think they were filmed here. More like those of Akira Kurosawa, the prolific Japanese filmmaker who put Japan on the map with gems like Rashomon and Seven Samurai.
Blast to the past: the scene which greets you at the entrance to the studio park
No worries on the language barrier as there are plenty of signs to inform the clueless tourist on the landmarks
Ahhhh, isn't this just so serene and tranquil?
A noodle stall! I think their fare could be better than the Chanbara eek that we just ate!
As we walked around, we felt better and less grumpy so we started taking silly shots ;)
Location: Vicinity of Ninja House
Look how strong I am!! I can pick up the huge boulder with one hand while carrying Heidi and a brolly!!
ZX acting silly with Heidi too... Here he is trying to convince that he's standing on the roof with Heidi. Yeah, he was on the roof - which was on the ground.
Us doing our best ninja impersonations ;)
Heidi dozed off while ZX and I continued fooling around and camwhoring! Here we are at a pretend brolly store (we think) brandishing his new samurai brolly, my new-also! grey and pink floral brolly stuck on Heidi's pram, and me holding on to the store's umbrella-shaped sign.
After finishing our rounds within the film sets (we could even go into the actual film studio, pity there weren't real sets installed or actual filming in progress), we wandered to some other exhibitions on paintings (couldn't take any photos) and the Toei Animation Museum. This I don't recall seeing back in Sec 3. There's a myriad of different animation characters and series from way back, and yup there were those instantly recognisable characters of Slam Dunk, Sailormoon and Dragon Ball etc. Sadly, there aren't any English signs accompanying the displays and the choice of merchandise for purchase was miserable. (You will get more luck at the main park shopping facility, where the entrance/ticketing counter is, as the selection is greater and there are very pretty Japanese fabric items on sale, although it is quite pricey. That's quite expected in Kyoto as it is more atas compared to Osaka and other prefectures.
ZX also went to check out another exhibition on the making of this battleship show (?) while I acted as babysitter to the sleeping cherub.
All's well and ends well. That's Heidi and me with the resident Geisha and Samurai.
A theme park that is probably worth a visit if you take the combo ticket and have a go at the other attractions. Take the time to dress up as a geisha or samurai and have your photo taken as a memento (or darkest nightmare, in my case). Apparently, the park is child-friendly with a baby room equipped with warm water for baby formula, as well as baby carriages available at no charge for children 2 months to 3 years old. Another plus is the cellular phone re-charging service they provide - in case your batt is about to die. Lol. I'll give it a 2.5 stars because there wasn't any 'live' filming going on and the gloomy weather made for crappy tourists, and the place was a bit harder to find than the rest. It is, however, still rather cool to be on set and in the midst of these nostalgic structures. Makes me reminisce about our Tang Dynasty attraction, which I did a project on in Sec school too and got a stellar grade. I felt very overwhelmed by the grandeur of the dynasty and the nuggets of information of that era when I was walking around Tang Dynasty. In comparison, the park was less impressive - but what do I know right? There must be a reason that Tang Dynasty collapsed (pun intended) while the Toei Kyoto Studio Park is still functioning well.
WHW
Sand coloured Romper with Matryoshka motif from Cotton On Baby, Grey tights with polka dots from Fox Baby, Knit Cardigan from Esprit, Brown moccasins from Bobux
WBW
Black lightweight parka from Uniqlo, Carnival-esque tunic from Far East Plaza, Red tights from Melbourne, brown boots from a kiosk in Toa Payoh
Here's a close-up shot of the motif on Heidi's romper. She looks kinda stoned in this photo (staring through the glass window into the loo of our Osaka hotel) because she was all ready to hit the sheets, but instead we swooped her up to Kyoto. Zzz...
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