Tokyo Day 07 - Ueno Park, National Science Museum, etc.

The students worked hard today in the workshop. Phil and Kazu had them doing warm-up exercises and short storyboards.

After class we went back to Ueno Park to go to the National Science Museum.


We were going mainly for the Robots exhibit (which includes actual robots as well as pop-culture robots):






This Astro Boy was so cool:

I got a couple of pictures of this Osamu Tezuka page before they told me I wasn't allowed to take pictures of it:

There's a little Doraemon in there:

Look, even old ancient robots:


There were a few things like this where the video camera would recognize faces and superimpose helmets or eyeball on your head on live video.


We saw a presentation of this real robot called Asimo. It was beyond real. It was strange hearing Garrison Keillor's voice at the museum talking about the robot. It made me homesick.


The kids loved it:

Outside the robot show was the rest of the science museum. Five or six floors of science exhibits. Like the manatee!

Kevin had a lovely time learning about whatever scientific principal this exhibit demonstrates (Namaan knew what it was, but I teach comics, so I can't remember):



I'm not sure why Alice is on this exhibit:

From the roof:


Later on we took the artists out for dinner. Here's Kazu, Amy, Phil, and Cleo.

More fun stuff tomorrow.

Tokyo Day 06 - Tsukiji Fish Market, Asakusa Shrine, etc.

We woke up at 4:30am this morning to make the 20 minute hike to the Tsukiji Fish Market. Here's what Brandon looks like at 4 in the morning, Rudy.

The place is huge, busy, dangerous and scary.






Kevin navigates some big frozen fish on the floor. Elaine gave up and went the other way.


Tsukiji sunrise:

After a hike back to the hotel, a bit of breakfast and a bath we make our way to Asakusa Shrine. There's a big market surrounding the shrine. The market has been there for 100s of years.



Big Jason does a bit of drawing:


Before entering the shrine you can burn a bit of incense...

then you put it in this thing here and wave the smoke over the part of your body you wish good fortune to...

You can also wash your hands.

The smoke was all over the place.


Tran (pronouced Tron, like the film) found a fat cat.


Dove drawing, as usual.




Don't feed the pigeons - it gives them the trots.

Big Jason in the Market.

Later that night we had crazy dinner. This place was in Ginza and had a hilarious guy taking orders and ushering people in. There was very little in the way of mutual understanding. Note on the menu that you can order Porc(sic) head, Tounge, bowels, heart, liver, cartilage, intestine, uterus and stomach. That was just one section.

After that we had dessert at a place called Almond. Here's Amanda Naaman:
I'll put more sketches up here tomorrow.

Tomorrow after the workshops (which were great this morning) we go to the National Science Museum for the Robots exhibit...

Off to bed now.