My Travels with Tintin – Japan

I have one Tintin album published in Japanese, “めざすは月” (Destination Moon). My album, originally translated by Keiko Kawaguchi and published by Fukuinkan Shoten in 1991, is a beautiful hardcover edition that was re-printed in 2011… apparently as the 15th printing!

Although three Tintin adventures, The Black Island, The Shooting Star, and The Secret of the Unicorn, did make a brief appearance in Japanese in 1968, that was all the Tintin there was for about 15 years. Not altogether surprising considering they were published by Shufonotomo in an odd, certainly non-standard, horizontal format.

It wasn’t until 1983 that Fukuinkan Shoten began publishing the series proper, with an album appearing every few years until the entire 24-album set (including Tintin in the Land of the Soviets and Alph-Art) was finally completed in 2008.

Luckily I did find my album in Japan, but there’s not much of a story to tell. I simply walked into the small but well-stocked Tintin Shop tucked away on one of the back streets of Omotesando (one of the busiest areas in Tokyo), and made my purchase. Everything was handled in a typically well-ordered Japanese way.  I could have chosen any of the albums, and did consider “青い蓮” (The Blue Lotus) for a short time before ultimately deciding to go with “めざすは月” (Destination Moon) instead. After all, the Japanese aren’t shown in a particularly good light in “青い蓮” (The Blue Lotus), right? There’s no real Japanese connection to “めざすは月” (Destination Moon), but I liked how the cover looked with Japanese text.. and, as usual, I tried to get an album I didn’t already have in a foreign language edition to add to my collection.

My trips to Japan:

I’ve been to Japan seven times, although most of those were relatively short business trips, we did take three family vacations there as well.

The first time I visited Japan was from March 24 to 31, 2008 on a business trip. It was a relatively packed schedule, so there’s not much to tell other than that I was in business meetings almost the entire time – one of which did conclude with us listening at an open window for “the call of the nightingale” in a relatively rural area of Kyoto. However, I did learn a thing or two about the Shinkansen (“bullet train”) and basically the need to pay attention to what’s going on. One of my work colleagues and arranged for us to get tickets from Kyoto to Tokyo and left me on the train platform when she went to get some snacks. The train arrived and I proceeded to move our bags onto the train quickly – as I was told we would need to do. When my colleague returned with the snacks she asked me what I was doing, and I replied “don’t worry, I got your bags on as well”. She just looked at me and said “but… this isn’t our train…” just as the doors closed and sealed themselves for high speed travel. Luckily all trains go to Tokyo, so, after we stopped laughing, we got off in Nagoya and then re-boarded our actual train… much to the disappointment to the two “standing room only” ticket-holders who were enjoying a nap in our seats.

My second trip to Japan was from November 1 to 9, 2010, also started as a business trip, but afterwards I was joined by my wife and baby son in Tokyo for a three-day-weekend vacation. On Friday evening (November 5), I went out to Narita International Airport to meet them when they arrived from Seoul and, baby, bags and all, we made our way by train to our hotel in Gotanda. We didn’t get off to the most auspicious of starts though. When my wife was trying to disembark the subway car backwards as she tried to roll the baby stroller out (while I carried the bags), her shoe slipped off and we lost it between the train car and the platform. Nothing like trying to find your spare set of shoes on a subway platform in the middle of the Friday evening rush hour in Tokyo. When we checked into the hotel, I tried to confirm that the room was “non-smoking” and was promptly given a bottle of Febreeze air cleaner and told “please do not smoke in the room” as an answer.

After the rough start we decided we needed a bit better luck. So, on Saturday morning our first stop was the Meiji Shrine – a Shinto shrine in Shibuya dedicated to the Emperor Meiji and his wife, the Empress Shoken. Located in the middle of a forest that covers an area of 70 hectares, the Meiji Shrine is a serene oasis right in the middle of the hustle and bustle of Tokyo. Simply amazing. After making a small donation and collecting some good luck from the shrine, we headed out across the street to Harajuku, which was an entirely different experience despite being so close by. Harajuku is the centre of Japanese “youth culture” and the area is full of interesting fashion shops – one of the first things we bought was a pair of shoes with bright red soles to replace the ones my wife lost on the subway platform. After finding a noodle shop to grab some lunch, we made our way through the maze of shops and walked down to Omotesando – which is one of the ritzier shopping districts in Tokyo. That’s where you’ll find the flagship stores for Louis Vuitton, Dior, Gucci, etc. Nice, but being their with our toddler son, the Kiddyland store was the biggest hit… although we did spend some time checking out souvenirs at the Oriental Bazaar as well.

On Sunday we were back in the same area, but this time to check out Yoyogi Park. It borders the Meiji Shrine, and is a beautiful public greenspace to walk around. On Sunday’s it’s also home to the Tokyo “Rockabilies” – or at least it has been for about 30 years… it seems to be a bit of a dying sub-culture. They were still there when we visited though, toting their extreme 1950s style… leather jackets, poodle skirts, vertical hair, all the while dancing to old school rock and roll. Afterwards we set off for the Ueno Zoo. I’m not sure it was spectacular, but, like many things in Japan, it was clean and orderly and the animals certainly looked like they were being taken care of properly. I’m not sure if it would’ve been my first recommendation, but it was definitely on the list of “best activities for kids” in Tokyo.

We still had some time on Monday and decided to check out the Asakusa Shrine, another of the famous Shinto shrines in the city. Also known as Sanja-sama (Shrine of the Three gods), the shrine honors the three men who founded the neighboring Sensō-ji. It was a lot busier than the Meiji Shrine, but it was a great chance to see the more traditional side of Tokyo – that was a good juxtaposition to keep in mind after we spent the afternoon shopping in the electronic mayhem of Akihabara – the centre of Japanese otaku culture – mainly video games and anime.

All in all it was a great trip… and it got unexpectedly expanded once we got to the airport. Due to some “mechanical problems” we spent 3 hours sitting on the tarmac of Narita Airport waiting for repairs to be completed. Then, just as we were celebrating success and waving “bon voyage” to the ground crew… we were informed by the Captain that we’d missed curfew and that Narita Airport was now closed and we were returning to the gate. Just the news you want to hear when you’re traveling with a toddler. After a very tiring disembarkation and and sudden shuttle bus convoy to a local hotel – who was NOT expecting over a hundred hungry guests to suddenly show up after midnight – we collapsed into our hotel room. The next day wasn’t much better, when we returned to the airport we learned that there were some “computer issues” with our airline and they had to check in everyone manually for the flight. Suffice it to say it was HOURS before we were actually on our way home. Truly a memorable conclusion to the trip.

My third to Japan was another work trip, from April 15 to 20, 2012. Although it was a work trip to Toyko, I did schedule some pre-work personal time to specifically visit Osaka in order to be able to go to the Osamu Tezuka Museum. As I’ve stated elsewhere, I’m a fan of a few masters of sequential art… so besides Hergé as the father or Franco-Belge bande dessinée (BD), I’m also a huge fan of Osamu Tezuka, the “God of Manga”. You might know him as the creator of “Astro Boy” but he’s so much more than that. I really only had one day in Osaka, and had to catch a train to Tokyo in the evening, so I didn’t have any time to waste. On my way to the museum I stopped to take at the Takarazuka Revue – an all female theatre troupe in Japan that was highly influential on Tezuka when he was a young boy. The museum itself though was my main purpose for being in Osaka, and I spent almost all day there. Combing through the displays of his artwork, trying out some of the interactive animation stations, and exploring the large library of his works, both in Japanese and in other foreign languages. Simply amazing, and something I’d like to do at the Hergé museum in Belgium as well someday.

From July 27 to 31, 2015 we took another family vacation to Japan, but this time we spent it exploring the Kansai region that includes Kyoto and Osaka. Since it was a relatively short (albeit still international) flight from Seoul, Korea, I had assumed (without really checking closely) that we’d be landing at the Osaka Itami Airport and had prepared some logistics to get to our hotel from there. Of course, they were practically useless when we actually landed (as scheduled) at the Kansai International Airport, so making our way to our hotel in Kyoto was instantly like a scene from the “Amazing Race”. Luckily, given the “hot start” to our trip, we were actually staying at an Onsen – Japanese natural hot springs and associated traditional bathing facilities, that provide geothermally heated, mineral-rich water. They’re well-known for their relaxation, health benefits, which was one of the big reasons we decided to stay there. We even had a tub on the balcony of our room, so the relaxing began almost right away.

Our first day, July 28, in Kyoto was largely spent at Mount Hiei. After a bus ride partially up the mountain, and a bit of a climb after that, we arrived at Amidado Hall at the Enryaku-ji Temple complex. It’s a Buddhist temple on a mountain that’s over a thousand years old… and it looks just like you’d think it would. It was amazing to tour around the temple  – so much green space and so much serene space. Being so high up in the mountains, it offers a spectacular view of the surrounding area as well. The only slight wrinkle in the plan was since we didn’t have a clear idea of the bus schedule and didn’t want to wait around for almost an hour, we ended up more or less walking the whole way down to the train station. It was a bit of a hike, but it was still through a largely wooded area, so at least we were out of the sun.

The next day, July 29, I managed to convince my family that we needed to take another trip to the Osamu Tezuka museum. I had seen it once before a few years earlier, but it was so close by that I couldn’t resist bring my son along this time. Truth be told, I think he enjoyed the various trains we had to take to get there the most. At least in Japan most of the trains have clear windows in the first car, so you can see the driver and share the forward-looking view. My six-year-old son thought that was the highlight, but he still did enjoy himself at the museum. I was a bit disappointed that the display in the “temporary exhibit” portion of the museum didn’t really seem to be Tezuka-related, but we enjoyed creating some limited animation on the digital consoles in the basement. I was also able to score a couple of art-books, so the day was a success in my mind!

On our third day in Kyoto, July 30, we wanted to focus on some of the traditional aspects of the region. That’s not surprising as Kyoto has no less than 17 UNESCO World Heritage sites – one of which is Nijō Castle. Built by the Tokugawa Shogunate, and completed in 1629, Nijō Castle is a legitimate piece of samurai history. Even though it was raining a bit, the tour around the site was a highlight for me. Nijō Castle has two concentric rings of fortifications, each consisting of a wall and a wide moat, so the tour is more or less split up into two sections. Ninomaru Palace makes up most of the outer ring. It’s made up of six connected separate main buildings, over an area of about 3,300-square-metres. Most of the buildings, including the impressive gate, are wooden structures decorated with a large amount of gold leaf.

Inside the second wall is the Hinomaru Palace grounds, which covers about 1,600 square metres. The complex has four parts, which are connected by corridors and courtyards – the living quarters, reception and entertainment rooms, entrance halls and kitchen area. The architectural style is late Edo period – you can’t get much more samurai than that!

After the castle we caught a train and headed over to the nearby Heian Shrine. According to Wikipedia, the Shrine is ranked as a Beppyō Jinja by the Association of Shinto Shrines – which is the top rank! Even though we saw the Meiji Shrine in Tokyo previously, the Heian Shrine was a very different style of Shinto shrine. What I remember most was how red it was. The main hall was quite imposing – partially because it sits across from a large courtyard. Being there in July meant we had the full summer sun beating down on us, so crossing that courtyard felt like a bit of a trek all on its own.

As interesting as it was from a Japanese cultural perspective, we were traveling with a 6 year old, so we didn’t spend too much time there. Luckily part of the plan was to tour the shrine and then walk down to a more kid-friendly site – the Kyoto City Zoo! Since it was a hot day, most of the animals in the zoo were looking for ways to keep cool. So, my son really enjoyed seeing the elephants splashing around in their pool. It probably wasn’t as impressive as the Ueno Zoo in Tokyo, but in typical Japanese fashion, it was well managed and easy to navigate… with plenty of air conditioned buildings. After a day spent mostly touring the historical sites, this was the prefect cap for my young son… not only did he get to see all the animals, he even got to drive around in a “bumper car” ride for a bit – one of his all-time favourite rides!

Our last day on the trip, July 31, we took a trip from Kyoto to Osaka and spent the day at the Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan. I have to say, it was the most impressive aquarium I’ve ever been to – even better than the great aquarium we saw in San Francisco. The Osaka Aquarium is MASSIVE. It has 16 main exhibits that feature 27 tanks – which, according to Wikipedia have a total volume of 10,941 tons of water.  We saw them all, but the scene stealer was really the Pacific Ocean tank – which is about 34 meters with a depth of 9 metres. There are a ton of fish in there, but what really stood out for me were the hammerhead sharks and the two giant whale sharks. Whale sharks are the largest fish in the world, and seeing the two of them glide effortlessly around the tank was a bit humbling. I’d never seen a whale shark up close, so it was a real treat for me, but the best part was seeing how excited my son was to see them.

All in all, it was a great way to end another family vacation.

From March 6 to 10, 2017 I once again visited Tokyo, but it was a solo work trip, so there’s nothing much to tell. The highlight of the trip was discovering the Leonardo LG second-hand model shop in Akihabara.

There was an amazing amount of old and hard-to-get kits, but the part I liked the best was the spares bin. It was just a jumble of left-over sprues from almost every kit imaginable. As someone who enjoys kitbashing, it was like stumbling on to a treasure trove!

Even better, there was a SECOND Leonardo store within walking distance. Shop No. 2 was a little smaller and more focused on SF/Anime, but still full of hard-to-find treasure. Luckily Leonardo LG had a handy map so you don’t get lost.

From October 4 to 7, 2017 we decided to use our short vacation during the Chuseok Holiday in Seoul to make another short trip to Tokyo.  It was only for a few short days, but besides a shopping trip to Nakano Broadway, we also managed to cram in a couple of interesting sites. The first was the Railway Museum in Saitama. It was built and is operated by the East Japan Railway Culture Foundation, a non-profit subsidiary of the East Japan Railway Company and I knew it was going to be a hit with my then 8-year-old son. Not only were there plenty of full-scale train cars to explore, he even got to drive one. Well, the driver’s cabin was full-sized, but the train itself was an “N-scale” model. Still, the scale model train was sporting a small camera with a live feed back to the cabin… so it sure felt like he was conducting a real train. It was a huge hit.

The other memorable part of the trip was our visit to the Cup Noodles Museum in Yokohama. My son LOVES ramen, so getting to go see a museum devoted to the history of instant ramen was right up his alley. We got to learn all about Momofuku Ando, the founder of Nissin Food Products and inventor of Chicken Ramen, the world’s first instant ramen. There was even a replica of the small shack where Ando, sleeping only four hours a night and without a day off for an entire year, perfected his “just add hot water” instant noodle packages in 1958. We learned all about the post-war realities of Japan and the need for an easy way for people to get “hot and healthy” food. After touring the facility we headed downstairs for lunch… you guess it, instant ramen!

Oh, and I did have another business trip to Tokyo from January 27 to February 1, 2019, but there’s nothing much to report on. Another trip to Leonardo in Akihabara and a visit to the Nakano Broadway location of Mandarake, my favourite Japanese used books/models/toys/etc. store! I can’t wait to go back again!