I went on a spontaneous trip to Tokyo last year, and I say spontaneous because it wasn't on my plan to go there, but I tried buying a ticket to Joe Hisaishi's concert in Tokyo Dome, and I didn't expect to get a slot because I've tried it in the past and I didn't get lucky (for context, in Japan, buying a concert ticket uses a lottery system. Personally I think it's better than the 'first come, first serve' basis because every paying fan gets a fair chance of securing a ticket). I was already spending my summer break at my sister's place in Melbourne when I received the email that my concert ticket application won. And I couldn't believe it, but I immediately rebooked my return flight to Manila and booked a 6 day trip to Tokyo, without any plan on what to do or places to check, other than attending a concert. But I thought, it's Japan, transport system is great and I can be spontaneous. It'll be alright.
My view of Tokyo Tower as I was returning to my hotel
Tokyo Tower, up close and personal
I stayed in Mita district in Minato-ku this time and I remember seeing the Tokyo Tower while walking as I look for my hotel, I smiled, stared at it and said "hisashiburi desu". I've visited the tower platform before so I had no plans on going there again, but I thought, well this is going to be a different experience because I'll get to see the tower whenever I go out in daytime to explore, and return at night to rest. It was really nostalgic to see it again because I was a huge fan of CLAMP and Tokyo Tower was such a prominent landmark in the CLAMP universe, plus it was a backdrop to one of my favorite J-movie, Always San-chome no Yuhi. Now I actually stopped following CLAMP works after xxxHolic, I felt like they've lost their magic from Kobato onwards. I've been rooting for them to break their hiatus from X and Clover rather than start a new series, but it's been over two decades, I don't think fans like me will ever get the closure we need, ugh!
Anyway, I got really lucky because on the day before my return flight, there was a festival, right outside my hotel. The Mita Summer Carnival, on its 51st year, I learned, was a festival known for food and drink stalls, dancing, festival games for kids, and parades along Mita street, with the iconic view of the Tokyo Tower in its background. The whole street was closed from 4:00 to 9:00 P.M. I learned this the night before while having dinner and talking to one of the guests in the pantry. I was tired from a looong walk (like 24,000 steps) that night and I thought, well, now I have a good excuse to stay in bed longer the next day. So yeah, I went out in the afternoon and enjoyed the festivities. I don't remember seeing a parade, but there were definitely food, drinks, games and dancing.
Mita Summer Carnival was well attended by locals
I remember having some dumplings, ichigo kakigori, takoyaki, and ice cream, nothing fancy nor different. Though I certainly enjoyed them, I didn't really feel anything special about the food. I think it was due to to the fact that whenever I travel, even not in Japan, I'd always have Japanese food. In a way, I think my palate has gotten so used to it, that it feels ordinary (in a good way) when I have it in Japan. I mean I loved it, but I don't have new fancy words to use to describe the experience.
Did you know that Halo-halo originated from kakigori?
My favorite part of the festival was watching children excitingly participate in traditional matsuri games. I mean it's one of those things that I always see in anime, manga and films, but never got to experience first hand. Apart from that, it melts my heart to see kids enjoy simple things from their culture, things that don't require one to be connected to the web or plugged to an electrical outlet. It made me think of how Filipino kids enjoy our own festivities back home. I remember when we were kids, Tanay fiesta was a time when we could go to the perya and enjoy carnival games and rides. But I couldn't remember a time when my nieces and nephews were ever brought to the carnival to enjoy those stuff. They are all growing up so fast now, some of them are on their teens, and I wonder, what sort of happy memories do they associate with cultural festivities?
Yo-yo Tsuri - water balloon scooping
Kingyo Sukui - goldfish scooping
I'm not familiar with this target shooting game, I mean I haven't seen this one in anime
Then I got to see some traditional dance performance. I didn't think they were professional performers. Everyone seems to be welcomed to join the dance, whether one was in kimono or in modern clothing, young or old, proficient in dancing or not. It was definitely fun to witness a vibrant expression of community spirit. If I was going with a local, I'd probably join the dance, but being alone does make me inhibit dancing to the music. I'm afraid I'd just mess it up 😅
One of the two Tokyo Tower mascot, Noppon Otouto graced the festivities, and I read that his special skills include posing and making handshakes (LOL) so I just had to try it. Well, he did know how to pose. Seriously though, posing with mascots is an inner child that I'd never outgrow.
We were still holding hands from the handshake LOL
So after the festivities, I decided to walk towards the Shiba Park because I wanted to get a selfie with the Tokyo Tower, because I remember the first time I was there, it was night and they had an ongoing maintenance, and the tower lighting had a dark gap in the middle, so I didn't bother getting a selfie then (plus, I had a bad camera). This time though, she was ready for a picture with me and I happened to have to right cam too. So yeah, I ended the night by taking an obligatory selfie with Tokyo Tower. Now here's an amusing bit, I checked my photos in the tower 12 years apart, I noticed that I was wearing the exact same shirt!
