Wandering Fel

Showing posts with label Toei Kyoto Studio Park. Show all posts

Born just a few years shy of the 90s, I grew up with TV shows like Doraemon and Kamen Raider. These classic Japanese TV shows were being aired by TV stations back then before the rising of cable TV subscription. Gone is the good ol' time where you don't need to pay extras to get good entertainment on telly. Being so familiar with Kamen Raider story, it really surprised me to see them in one of the buildings located inside Toei Kyoto Studio Park. Like, seriously?

10D9N Spring Japan Trip: Kamen Raider Exhibition and Oiran Procession

The reason of my surprised reaction is because I thought the attractions in Toei Kyoto Studio Park revolves around the life of samurais, geishas and ninjas. Who thought that you can see Kamen Raider in a themed park which is set around Edo period. Well, I suppose randomness character is embraced in Japan and I will do the same toward this randomness. Hahaha.

Anyway, Kamen Raider himself has evolved pretty much by decades. I only watched the shows in the 90s and hence, Kamen Raider forms which belong to other decades are not really familiar to me.

This exhibition really brings back memory to those days where my brother and I sat quietly in front of the TV whenever Kamen Raider is played on TV. We can even sing the lyric of the opening song (or ending, I can't really remember) perfectly even though they are in Japanese. If my parents forced me to learn Japanese during that age, I am quite sure I would have mastered the language by now. LOL.

The form of Kamen Raider which I remember the most from the show. If I'm not wrong, the series is called Kamen Rider Black and the main protagonist is named Kotaro Minami. Oh my gawd, I wonder how will that feel if I re-watch the show again now. Hahaha. If you happen to visit Toei Kyoto Studio Park and you want to relive your childhood, you should visit this permanent exhibition. Anyway, there is no further admission fee charged for this exhibition.

Kamen Raider Black at Toei Kyoto Studio Park

Right after we left the exhibition, we saw a line of people at both the right and left side of the main road. Turns out there is a timed parade of a procession whereby a beautiful oiran (re: courtesans) slowly and elegantly travel across the park with her entourage.

Oiran Procession at Toei Kyoto Studio Park

The procession timing is held irregularly and you can only know the timing when you are at Toei Kyoto Studio Park. I guess we are lucky to be able to catch this procession. We caught it around 3PM in the afternoon.

If you ask me what kind of superpower that I'd like to have, I would probably say none because superheroes went through certain accidental exposure to radioactive material (except Batman, because he's so damn rich) before they turned into superheroes. On the other hand, I would gladly go for a training to acquire one of those silently-moving-in-the-dark skill which is owned by the ninjas. Imagine being able to leave unnoticed in the middle of office function or leaving office on the dot without being busted by your fellow colleagues or worse, boss? Awesome, right?

Where is the best to place to learn these skills? None other than the Ninjatown (which is officially known as Toei Kyoto Studio Park but it sounds less cool, so I'll stick to Ninjatown). Hmm, Ninjatown looks pretty much peaceful when I just made my entrance. It seems that we are starting at the business district of the town where there are a lot of stores at the side of the road.

10D9N Spring Japan Trip: Ninja Training in Kyoto

Since I have not started my ninja class, maybe this is the right time to enjoy a bit of sake or ocha at this road-side stall.

Konnichiwa fellow apprentice! Oh am I supposed to get that uniform too? Not that I mind since it looks pretty much cute. <3 (There are uniforms available for boys too and they are in blue).

Ninja Girl Costume at Toei Kyoto Studio Park

Alas, I have found the Ninja Training Dojo to become ninja but but...oh no, the line to the entrance to the training hall is so long. Is this some kind of test whereby our patience and perseverance are being put toward challenge?

Ninja Training Dojo at Toei Kyoto Studio Park

The ninja standing guard insisted that I have to go for the line if I want to master the true art of ninja. Oh man. But anyway, if you are more interested in ninja stuff (rather than the art itself), you can buy t-shirt and ninja-related materials (like shuriken), you can immediately go to the store behind the guarding ninja.

Right, back to the training dojo Toward the front of the queue, there is an illustration where you can see what kind of trap that the training dojo has. All of these are necessary for you to train to become a real ninja (although traps are by right, supposedly hidden?). XD

Ninja Training Dojo Traps at Toei Kyoto Studio Park

The biggest challenge toward my journey to master the true art of ninja are after all...1,600 Japanese Yen. The entrance fee which I paid earlier (6,000 JPY) does not cover this training dojo. Yikes.