Minato Mirai 21 - The Future Is Now

18th August, 2010 - After a long, hot day in at Chinatown and then the Anpanman Museum, we walked over to one of our other favourite places in Yokohama. Minato Mirai 21, a typically Japanese entertainment district / business district / port facility that was developed out of land reclamation of Yokohama harbour. Actually the idea came out of the heady 1960's, when the future of Japan beckoned... but had to wait till the 80's when Japan's finances and near-orgasmic-desire-to-build knew no bounds. And thus, out of the sea was born a concrete and steel vista of grand proportions.

The tourist guide has a lot of information on Minato Mirai 21 here, and there's a lot to see and do (more so than we had time after a very busy day). 

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Still, it was surprising just how rejuvenating it was for the sun to start setting... and as we approached Minato Mirai, the air cooled (not by much), and yet, the streets became strangely quiet. This part of MM21 is much more business oriented I guess, and by 6:30pm the streets were not quite a ghost town, but by Japanese standards it was pretty close.

Our first stop was World Porters, a large shopping complex on the "island" part of MM.... unfortunately no photos, so Google StreetView has come to the rescue. World Porters has a pretty extensive food court available, and is worth popping (along with the much larger Queens Square Towers).

Care of Google StreetView

Food court's are pretty well the same all over... the only thing that changes is the cost, the crowds and the cuisine (ok... that sort of means that every food court is different).

And if you're interested in what sort of prices food court meals are in Japan... well here you're looking at somewhere between 600 and 800 ¥ - in Aussie Dollars that would be approx AUD $7.50  - $10 based on today's rate (about 80 ¥ for each AUD).... drinks separate. 

Well, there was a pretty good selection here, though we went for something traditional. Steak! That's right people, not all Japanese food is the same. Then again, even a dishes like steak tend to take on a different, asiatic, flavour as you might expect.... and the verdict. Well, coming from Australia, where we like our steak big, thick and juicy, it was... ok.

Next stop was Cosmo World, a small amusement park that sports a couple of smallish roller coasters...

It's nice to see Australia front and centre!

 ...and one BIG Ferris Wheel... oddly named the Cosmo Clock.

From this angle it might seem slightly less odd... but for such a big Ferris Wheel (measuring around 100m) you'd think that putting a relatively small clock would not a HUGE clock make).

And some more gratuitous night shots...

L-kun was still a little tired after his long day...

Now, speaking of BIG... one of Yokohama's popular attractions is the Landmark Tower, which stands approximately 296m in height and is currently (at writing) Japan's tallest building and 3rd tallest structure. That's pretty impressive, given that Japan's constant earthquakes have tended to limit the construction of the super-skyscrapers that have developed around the world (in fact, this is only the 80th or so tallest building in the world today). There's a very good observation deck, known as the Sky Garden, on the 69th floor - and 273m high. This is reached through the fastest elevator in Japan... all designed to get you to the 360 degree panorama as fast as possible. That and to quickly unload you of the ¥1000 per adult (between ¥200 and ¥800 for children depending on the age). As we arrived here very late, we decided to give the Sky Garden a miss this trip.

When there's so many other places to visit - like the Ice World attraction, where you too can experience -30 degree temperatures, all whilst it's a hot sweltering 37degrees (with about 80% humidity) outside. With a wife coming from Sapporo, this was not something that we felt a great desire to experience.

One of the attractions that did interest however was this glorious Carousel as part of the even smaller amusement park, known as the Kids Carnival Zone. It actually astounded me that in the middle of a hot Japanese summer (one of the hottest on record back in 2010) that at 8:30pm, there was almost not a soul to be seen around MM21. I'm not sure if this was a sign of the economy, the weather or just the fickle Japanese punter, but for us it was a great night to be out and about. Even as tired as we were, hot summer nights can be fun. And this carousel captivated me, and my camera.

With such an inviting stairway, who could resist taking a ride?

But there were other things to do... a chat with Anpanman and Doraemon (two of L-kun's favourite Japanese children's anime characters)...

Or perhaps ride on a Baikinman (also a character from Anpanman) car... let's just say that this was one Japanese roadway that wasn't congested. At all.

Just down from the Carnival Zone, there's also a beautiful old four-master, the Nippon Maru, permanently moored in Yokohama harbour as a museum. The ship was made in the 1930's as part of Japan's merchant seaman training program. Eventually it was replaced in the mid 80's and since then has been gracefully educating us land-lubbers. Unfortunately opening hours are 10:00am to 5:00pm - so we'll have to take a rain-check on that as well (¥600 per person for high-school students and above, or ¥300 for younger students).

Heading back towards the Landmark Tower we came across a great little ampitheatre that was the home of some very funny and enjoyable street-performers... definitely worth checking out for some 'free' entertainment, but I'm not sure how regular it is. Right next to the ampitheatre is a wonderful modern sculpture known as the "Moku-Moku Waku-Waku Yokohama Yo-Yo" designed by Hisayuki Mogami in 1994. It, along with the Landmark Tower, is a symbol of the Minato Mirai 21 - which was actually a popularly voted name that means the roughly the Future Port of the 21[st century]. MM21 is a modern development and there's much to like about it... but the name also tells you something more... this is, after all, a working port. As we walked around, it certainly felt more like a business district than a life-centre. But perhaps we saw it on a bad night (it was a Wednesday after all).

So as we made our way back to the train station in the Queens Square Tower complex, it was interesting to reflect on our first full day in Tokyo this trip. It was an amazing day - but also exhausting. As we travelled down one of the longest escalators I've been on (and not that enjoyable for someone who doesn't like heights), I looked up to see a happy care-free Snoopy floating past, suspended mid-stride. There are many things that inspire in Japan, and also things that defy explanation. Japan is an amazing country however, filled with many different possible experiences all able to be enjoyed in a single day. Yokohama is one such place, a short train-ride out of Tokyo (though you may not realise that it's a separate city) that is well worth visiting if you've got a spare day - or night. 

Like many places in Japan, built on the promise of an the inexhaustible Future (during the hey-day of Japan's prosperity) there is a sense of modern exuberance and flamboyance... but as the Future collides with the Now in these places (such as MM21 and Odaiba in Tokyo), you realise that Japan is as much a contradiction in perspective as culture. It was the dream of a cleaner, brighter, taller and stronger tomorrow that drove it to build... but one also can imagine that sometimes, just sometimes, people were not always the most important (or even necessary) in that vision of the future... and then again, sometimes that vision needs to be re-interpreted to meet the needs of an increasingly changing Japan.

Mazu Miao - Temple With a Local Touch

18th of August - The Mazu Miao temple in Yokohama's Chinatown is relatively new - opening up only in 2006. Which just goes to show that not all things in Japan come from antiquity. It's definitely one of the interesting sight-seeing locations in Chinatown (one of the great places to go in Yokohama), and free to enter. You can find it just down from Kanteibyo Temple - or hop-skip-and-jump from the Tenchoumon or Heaven Gate (天長門).

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Actually, we approached from Kanteibyo Temple, and you first come across a park... a park which has it's own sordid personal tale. My wife and I were busy trying to find a decent restaurant that wasn't closed on a Wednesday. In the mean-time our son had gone off to get a drink from a park public tap (don't forget it's a like about 130% humidity, and about 38degrees Celsius - the century mark in Fahrenheit). There was already an older Japanese child at the faucet playing, whom had decided it would be fun to annoy my son by not letting him drink. At this point, L-kun proceeded to start crying. Never a good moment in the steamy heat of a summer. In a moment of parenting protectiveness I told the boy off in my best stern parenting Japanese... at which point he started to cry (I'm sure he's not been told off by many gaijin before, and it's most probably scarred him for life). The moral of the story... well, there most probably was no moral, but I have to admit that I kinda felt ashamed of myself afterwards. T-chan quietly ignored all of the shenanigans, and was too busy conferring with Okaasan about which restaurants we should try.

Actually, if you can avoid upsetting the local children (like stealing candy from a baby, bwahahahaaaa), then it's worth while checking out the park behind the temple as you'll get a very different view of the main temple building... an unusual octagonal structure. From what I gather, the octagonal design is definitely a throwback to Chinese temple design, as compared to Japanese... reminds me a little of Nan'en-dō in Nara.

Actually the temple derived from a community-based dispute with a proposed housing development... the solution, scrap the development and turn it into a temple. Which is exactly what they did after a mammoth fund-raising drive. Clock one up for community power. A more complete story can be found here.

The front gate is bright and in-your-face, in true Chinese temple style.

The temple gates are guarded by two of the blingiest lions I've ever seen! It's weird to find "metallic" mirror and tassle adorned sculptures, not least as part of a temple grounds.

The temple itself is raised up on an elevated position, a great vantage point from which to hang hundreds of lanterns, and also a providing a great perspective with which to view the intricate series of beams. It's not all gaudy show.

The lanterns are a definite feature, and I'm sure they must be quite a sight at night (and indeed, I've yet to experience Yokohama's Chinatown at night... something for next time perhaps).

For some reason, whenever I see this mural (below) I think of the late 70's tv show, Monkey. Which, as an aside, was one of the first shows that I saw that was Japanese... and turned out to be incredibly popular here in Australia. It was also set against a Chinese story of the pilgrimage to bring Buddhist scrolls to China.... hence, perhaps, the connection. Indeed my wife's parents can't believe just how popular the show was (and indeed remains) here. Of course, if you haven't seen the show, you most probably have no idea what I'm talking about.

Now the name Mazu Miao means the temple to Mazu, or Matsu, who is a Chinese goddess of the sea - but is worshipped all throughout South East Asia amongst the sea-going communities. According to trusty Wikipedia, she was actually born (a real person by the name Lin Moniang) around 960 AD - and as the story goes she somehow saved the lives of her brothers and/or father during a huge typhoon whilst they were at sea through some form of trance-like state.

A closer look at the Mazu statue (shame I didn't put my longer lens on). Mazu is almost always depicted in the distinctive hat reserved for Chinese Emperesses. The custom has the she is associated with two trusty generals, "Thousand Miles Eye" (千里眼, Qianli Yan) and "With-the-Wind Ear" (順風耳 Shunfeng Er). And indeed, Mazu is accompanied by her two friends here....  Thousand Miles Eye being the two-horned red character...

And that leaves With-the-Wind Ear being the one-horned green character, to the right of Mazu herself. Unfortunately I have no idea who or what they were. Indeed, Mazu's ascension to goddesshood is a little vague... or indeed how she came to be the poster-girl for Buddhism (and Taoism). Apparently, she was thought to have been the human incarnation of the god Guan Yin.  Still, it's a nice story that doesn't involve a whole heap of killing and smiting; and indeed you can find temples to Mazu all throughout the south-east Asia.

There's a lot to see in the temple, and not everything is immediately obvious (I have no idea what this object was supposed to be, but it was LARGE).

Oh - and by the way, you'll be expected to pay a small "prayer" fee if you show your camera... and my experience was that the temple staff weren't that pleasant about it either. If you're not interested in donating to the neighbourhood, you can always just enjoy the detail work on the outside of the temple  building itself.

Well, Mazu Miao is definitely worth seeing, but it's perhaps not going to keep you occupied other than as a quick diversion to the other sights and sounds of Yokohama's Chinatown. It does however, despite their slightly less than pleasing style of communicating with tourists (which perhaps are a pain in the butt most of the time), represent what a local community can do against the march of 'development progress'. It may not have as much history as some of the temples in Japan, but it's got a good heart (underneath)... and plenty of over-the-top bling to boot.

Kanteibyo - The Technicolour Temple of Yokohama

18th August, 2010 -  One of the places in Yokohama's Chinatown that should not be missed is the Kanteibyo temple (and a place we visited way back in 2003). It's not a subtle temple, and it would be hard to miss it in the street (just down from Chikyumon or Earth Gate, ie Gate 6 on my previous post). This is also referred to as the Kan Ti Miao temple.

The temple is as much a celebration of colour as it is the enshrined statue of Guan Yu... the famous Chinese general under Liu Bei who would become the first emperor following the collapse of the Han Dynasty (around 200AD). This story became the basis of the movie epic Red Cliffs. His life was one of romance and myth, and indeed his military exploits leading up to the civil war lead to him being deified around 600AD... although it's not clear to me if he's deified as the God of War or the God of Business (perhaps at one level these are one and the same). The temple was first constructed in 1862, and quickly became a tourist attraction, as it remains today. It had a chequered history however, having been destroyed in the 1923 earthquake, then again in WWII, then burnt down in 1981... AND in 1986. Each time being re-built in even grander scale. This temple was completed in 2000.

 The temple gate is the most immediately striking element of the temple... the detail is exquisite.

From inside the temple, it's not quite as dramatic, but not by much.

Like in many of these temples, there can be found a large urn/container for burning joss-sticks... and it's always thought to bring good luck to waft the incense smoke from the sticks over yourself.

And of course, it wouldn't feel like a Chinese temple without some lions.... 

But the big attraction is of course the main hall, where Guan Yu is in permanent residence. Now, I have to admit that I am no expert on Chinese history, though I did watch Red Cliffs (both of them)... bit boring actually, but that's a different story. Anyhow, I'd advise hitting the web if you want to know more... but apparently he is often depicted as having a red-face. Perhaps he was just a very angry man... I don't know.... He's synonymous with loyalty and bravery. He also came to a gruesome end... in two parts (his head being one of them).

Although, in a scene reminiscent of an Austin Powers movie, it would appear that good ol' Guan Yu had his very own, mini-me. I wish I had a mini-me... well, I suppose I should stop calling my son that... ?:-)

And whilst you're here paying your respects, don't forget that the hall itself is a wonderful sight as well. It's nice to just stand and admire it for a while.  And yes, this temple is fan-enhanced for the devout (and tourist alike).

Once again... the level of detail everywhere is incredible as it is ubiquitous... and colourful. 

The temple is open freely to the public... and I mean free... from 9am to 7pm at night. They do request (if you want to take photos) to make a small donation... well, actually, the way they say it is that you should pay to pray, and then whilst you're being all humble and reverent you can snap off a few shots for extra good luck.

The final thought on the temple is that in most photos of the temple, the photographers go to great lengths to hide one dominating aspect of it. The road in front of the temple is a jungle of overhead power/telephone/internet cables. 

Whilst they may power the vitality of Chinatown, I can't help but feel a bit sad that even here a little more effort could have been made to keep these low key. Then again, this is Japan, and it would seem the Japanese have an ability to look past the unpleasantness in front of them, to the beauty behind. That's not such a bad thing I suppose...