Fullmetal Alchemist Exhibition @ Gallery AaMo

This series will have always have a special place in my heart.

Back in 2007 when Xin was just 12 years old and facing the last days of primary school, “Fullmetal Alchemist” (FMA) became both the first ever manga series I’ve followed and an entry point into the world of Japanese comics and animation.

So being greeted by the slogan “おかえり、ハガレン。” (Welcome home, Fullmetal.) at the door just hits me right there in my soul.

With the release of the live action film on December 1st this year, it’s no surprise that it’s a great time to promote the series again especially after its end few years ago. I was letting the lounge television play in the background one evening when I noticed the advert for such exhibition happening here in Tokyo.

I bought my ticket ahead at the nearest 7-11 and after my interview with the academic advisor, I head over to the event the next day.

 

Just another cloudy day at Tokyo Dome City

Gallery AaMo is located near Tokyo Dome, which apart from the stadium also contains an amusement park and other character-related shops nearby such as the Shonen Jump store.

FOUND IT! 👍

Although you can rent an audio guide featuring the voices of the Elric brothers: Edward (Romi Park) and Alphonse (Rie Kugimiya) for ¥600, I still opted it out since I doubt I will fully understand what they are saying; though I think it would still be cool to hear their voices accompany you throughout the exhibition space.

Each visitor however gets a free, event-exclusive 4-koma bookmark; and there’s a different comic for each day of the week. So since I went on a 水曜日 (Wednesday), I was pretty amused on how Hiromu Arakawa (the author) made a comic based on “water” and the flame alchemist Colonel Roy Mustang. Pretty lovely souvenir to keep even if you didn’t get anything from the merchandise corner.

Get it? It’s “water” day (Wednesday)…

This exhibition showcases various types of original artwork including manga volume covers, chapter covers, pages and promotional artwork; followed by some animation cells for the 2004 and 2009 anime adaptations and 2 OVAs (“Conqueror of Shamballa” and “Sacred Star of Milos”).

One thing that caught my eye was in between showcasing the artwork, they did put up a small section of real weaponry owned by Arakawa-sensei, which was used as references for drawing weapons for the series.

FIGHTING PANTIES!!!

There were only certain parts of the exhibition where you’re allowed to take pictures, so here’s what I have:

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

So what are my favorite parts of the exhibition?
Definitely seeing Arakawa’s original artwork with my very own eyes.

We were all allowed to closely inspect each piece of artwork, from the lineart to the acrylic colours; the usage of screen tones and correction fluid. Apart from admiring the craftsmanship it does give me a refresher for some amazing moments in the story, up to the epic finale. There was also a tiny presentation on how Arakawa-sensei did the poster for this event and watching the painting process was really nice. All this hand drawn artwork made me think how much different the manga was from the anime adaptations, with stories being told through panels or a stand-alone illustration instead of character movements.

There were also 2 video displays in the beginning and end of the exhibition that are also part of my favorites: when Ed and Al first attempted transmutation to resurrect their dead mother and when Ed goes to the “Door of Truth” to finally bring back Al’s human form. Setting these up definitely sets the mood for the exhibition, good way to start and wrap up the tour.

Upon exiting the exhibition area there’s a ハボック雑貨店 (Havoc’s General Store) a.k.a the merchandise corner and some costumes on display for the upcoming live-action film at the exit.

 

Looking good there Alphonse~ 👍

 

And that was it!

Overall, I was extremely satisfied and was really happy I got a chance to pay this a visit. The admission was fair enough with such a plentiful showcase, and I’ve spent a considerable amount of time roaming the galleries. For a fan of the series since childhood this was definitely one of the greatest moments I’ve ever experienced.

Got some masking tape and a postcard set~ 🛍

---

You can visit the official website for the exhibition here: http://www.mbs.jp/hagarenten/english/
The exhibition will also be held in Osaka later during the month of November 2017.

Ward Office Experience [Sep 2017 Edition]

Alright it’s been a week since I’m here, still hanging in there~ 👍

After a whole day of Orientation Day Part 2 on Monday, and just when I thought I could take a break on Tuesday; I was on another important mission that still needs to be done before I could kick back and wait for classes to start.

That’s right, TIME FOR A TRIP TO THE WARD OFFICE PEOPLE.

📋 So 2 things I need to do:

1. Register myself at the ward office [ 住民登録 or “Jyumintouroku” ]
2. Join the National Health Insurance (NHI) [ 国民健康保険 or “Kokuminkenkouhoken” ]

 

This may not sound like some public exam but I was actually nervous before my visit. I was mainly worried that even with my basic levels of Japanese, things could get really complicated over there. Though technically that shouldn’t be too bad with the school’s guidebook on what to say and terms you may need when you’re at the ward office.

I did however ask my fellow exchange students how their trips to their respective ward offices went and it seemed fine with them, apart from the super long waiting times (Up to around 2 to 3 hours). Then again most of them come from the same student villages or dormitories compared to me, so I guess the nearest ward office over there was aware of the number of foreigners they have to welcome around this time, I’m not sure if it is the same for the ward office here.

So waking up right around opening time (8:30am), I left the house an hour later and made my way to the Arakawa ward office [ 荒川区役所 or “Arakawakuyakusho” ]. 🏢

And already finding my way to the ward office was a nightmare…

Armed with only screenshots from Google Maps (I still don’t have any internet that time), I navigated through apartment areas and narrow roads to get to my destination. Unfortunately, it was also raining and for mid-September, it was extremely humid. So another half an hour later, I arrived at the ward office around 10:15am.

Arakawa Ward Office 荒川区役所

Exhausted from the walk, I still mustered enough energy to ask the reception where to go. Heading to the “住民” (Jyumin) counter with the dizziest of minds, it took me a couple of seconds to recuperate myself in front of the staff before telling them I just moved to Japan and what I need to do.

I was then given a form to fill in (Which has some English in it by the way) and after that, I was given a number to wait. Few minutes later my number was called, and after telling me what else I missed out in the form and asking to point out my house with a map through my address, they took my residence card [ 在留カード or “Zairyuukaado” ] and then there’s more waiting.

About 20-ish minutes later, my number was called back and I got back my residence card with my address printed on the back and a carbon copy of the registration form I’ve filled in, which they told me to bring it to another counter so I can register for the NHI. Before leaving the counter I asked for a copy of my residence certificate [ 住民票の写し or “Juumin-hyou no utsushi“ ] because my university told me to get a copy, and so I filled in another form and paid ¥300 for the copy.

Alright 1 down, 1 more to go.

At the “國保” (Koho) counter, I handed over the carbon copy and told them about joining the NHI; in addition to stating that I’m a student, I don’t have any income from the previous year (Since I just moved here) and I don’t have a part-time job. With that information in mind, the person at the counter gave me another form to fill in with some English instructions on the side.

After filling it in they took it back and gave me some information about how to pay for the insurance at the convenience store and the payment deadline. They also showed me on my first bill that since I have no income or job, the discount is applied. For those who need a reference, the insurance premium should be around ¥1280 per month (Around €10).

And that’s it, I emerged victorious from the ward office procedures.

Then I went home to rest for a bit before heading to Shinjuku to get a SIM card and visit Shibuya… 😀

---

So from my experience, it wasn’t a big problem with some basic Japanese at hand and I could answer most of their questions. Also, the forms were in English and they provide English explanation for filling in the forms, so that’s also not too bad. 🙂 The staff and officers at the ward office also deserve a shout out because they were all really nice and helpful:

 荒川区役所のスタッフ、どうもありがとうございました！

In case you have no idea how to speak Japanese or still have doubts, it definitely doesn’t hurt to bring someone who can speak Japanese with you.

Also from registration to the NHI, it actually took around an hour. There weren’t as much as people as I thought it would be (Around 5 to 10 people were waiting but they were soon gone in minutes). Some of my friends went during the afternoon and there’s definitely quite a crowd at their ward office.

💡 Just remember:

• Don’t forget to bring your important documents! That includes your passport and residence card.

  • In case you don’t remember your address, bring along a note of your address or contract.
  • You can bring along your student card just in case you need to show proof for the NHI discount.

• Go early. Around opening time or morning hours is preferable. Waiting times may differ depending on which ward office you need to go. Reserve a day for the trip so you can get everything done.

• The forms use the Japanese calendar system instead of the Western calendar system [ 西暦 or “Seireki” ] so for your information 2017 is “平成 29 年” (Heisei 29 nen). Then again if you aren’t sure, feel free to ask the staff! :3

Alright, that’s all for my ward office experience! 👏

To any of you who’ve stumbled upon this post in the hopes of finding out what to do or how is it like to visit one here in Japan, I hope my experience may lift some doubts or answer any of your curiosities. All the best to any of you who will be visiting one!

❀ It’s Orientation Day ❀

And now, allow Xin Xin to bring you: the first post about Tokyo.

8th September 2017, it’s Orientation Day (aka the day all exchange students have to show up at school).

With the session starting at 12:30pm, I left my house at Machiya around 10:45am so I can slowly make my way to school or in case I get lost through transiting trains and getting from one line to another line.

Despite getting confused with which line to switch on the way, I managed to make it to Mita station; the station where the university is located. It was at the ticket gates that I saw some foreign looking people who look similar of age as me. Fighting my introvert attitude, I went up to them and asked if they were heading to the orientation as well; and since they were, I followed them. That was when I started meeting people who are in the exchange program.

With someone’s help at the station, we came to a road with Tokyo Tower right in front of us at the end of the busy street. 🗼

Tokyo Tower at the end of the lane~

Then on our left, stands an old-looking building wedged between two modern office buildings. And that dear readers, is Keio University; the place that I’ll be spending my 5 months of exchange at. 📖

Keio’s East Building *O*

Since we’re seated based on which university we came from, the people next to me also come from my home university back in Rotterdam. Most of them were doing economics, business or social sciences; but asking around people from other home universities later, majority of them are doing business studies.

For the next 2 hours, it was filling in a registration form, giving us our student IDs, introduction round for staff and later, all of us exchange students. It was during the introduction round that I realised there’s like 10 or 12 of us who come from Erasmus University Rotterdam, and even we ourselves were surprised as someone from the front row turned around and said WHOA HOW MANY OF YOU ARE THERE???

And so, Part 1 of the orientation ends; and will only continue on Monday. So… what now?

Seems to be a waste to just call it a day and head home, so meeting up with the people I met at the train station just now; and since some of them still need to come back for another session, we decided to head nearby to Tokyo Tower.

Passing by Akabanebanshi station and Shibakoen Park, it struck me…

I was here 2 years ago to catch the Tokyo Marathon. :O

It’s already surreal enough that our university is literally next to Tokyo Tower, what makes it even more surreal was that I was around here 2 years ago getting a good spot to watch the marathon around 9 in the morning.

With some of our group who went back for another session, us remaining few decided to hunt for something to eat.

And now, FIRST RAMEN (Not counting cup noodle) IN JAPAN. 🍜

First Ramen in Japan~ 👍

Apart from definitely being a few euros cheaper than Rotterdam (From 10+ euros to around 7 to 8 euros), it was still amazing. The soup is thick, the noodles delicious, there’s decent amount of sides (roast pork, seaweed, bamboo shoots) and I could help myself to as much spring onion or spicy side vegetables whenever I wish. Plus after just one bowl, it became clear that dinner won’t come soon for me. 😀

(from left to right) Sierano, Steven, Madeleine & Isabel

Then 4:30pm came, and meeting up with the others again; we headed for the park near Tokyo Tower again.

We also came across the Zojo-ji temple in the park, which is pretty big and for a temple complex dating from 1622, it’s pretty amazing that it still holds up to this day.

And after seeing Tokyo Tower at sundown; we went our seperate ways, since I live way up north and they all live in the same dorm down south in Yokohama.

So that’s how Part 1 of my Orientation Day went, and I met up with them again the next day for another adventure. Having stepped into the campus for once I’m pretty excited on coming here frequently despite a 45-minute commute to university. Can’t wait for things to start during end of this month.

Tokyo Tower at Night~ 🌃

 

In Which I Share My First Visit to Helsinki…

Well hey there! It’s been a while…

And yes, I’ve already arrived safely in Tokyo a few days ago and now pretty much settled in (not including practical matters like city hall registration, getting a phone card etc.).

So, instead of beginning my story with Japan…
Let’s start off with Finland.

I’ve actually never visited any Scandinavian countries before, not even once. All I have were stories of my parents visiting places like Stockholm, Gothenburg or Oslo to meet with business colleagues or friends.

And so came the time when I have to transit in Helsinki for 2 hours before continuing my journey to Tokyo.

Departing from Amsterdam Schipol at 1155, I arrived in Helsinki-Vantaa Airport at 1455. Having that it’s a Nordic country, I was expecting some super cold weather or maybe dropping to below 15°C. Luckily it wasn’t too bad, it’s also still midsummer anyway.

For an airport in Finland, I was actually surprised by how many flight connections Finnair itself had. So the airport was actually filled with tourists from China or Korea and most of all, Japan. It also turns out that apart from Tokyo, Finnair also flies to other parts of Japan like Osaka or Nagoya, now that definitely explains the population of visitors at the airport.

During the past few weeks, I asked my Finnish friends for suggestions on what to do or buy at the Finnish airport. I mainly got 2 answers: Fazer and Moomins.

And as I hunt for my transfer gate and EU passport control, apart from being greeted by duty-free stores filled with said Fazer chocolate, the Moomin hoard too came along.

Getting from one gate to the other actually took quite some time, so after passing passport control, I couldn’t go back to the Moomin flagship store even if there were still stores that sell goods of that adorable white hippo after the counter. Despite plans to enter the Moomin store, many Japanese tourists crowded the Moomin store, therefore reinforcing my choice of not going in to browse.

I wasn’t keen on splurging my last bit of Euros, especially since things in Scandinavia tend to be more expensive (You’re not in the Netherlands anymore when a cup of cappuccino goes from €2.80 to €3+ per cup). My hand-carry was also pretty heavy since I’ve stuffed extras from my luggage to get past the weight limit while dropping my bag at Schipol. Hence I focused on obtaining a bar of Fazer chocolate despite the tempting Moomin merchandise. I’ve managed to walk around the remaining part of the airport and compared some prices, and trudging from one end to the other; I’ve got myself a decently priced bar for €4.

I also wasn’t sure about getting something to drink before boarding, but I still pressed on and good thing I made that choice as later on the plane things were actually surprisingly better.

2 hours went by quickly from getting through passport control to finding my gate, and the next thing you know it’s back on the plane for a 9 1/2 hour journey to Narita.

And one last thing to wrap up my Finnish experience, a decently-sized bar of Fazer came with my dinner on board. 😀

Despite spending such a short amount of time (Still didn’t beat my record of 20 minutes in Belgrade), it made me keen on staying and visiting Finland whenever I can in the future. It obviously has higher prices but it would be nice to explore whatever’s beyond the Finnish airport.

Someday then…
Note to self: plan a trip to Finland when I’m back in the EU. 🙂

The Last Day in Rotterdam

It’s here.

My final day in Rotterdam.

From a scale of 1 to cheese, how ready am I for my exchange life in Japan?
Well… (sweats)

Most of this last day is definitely dedicated to sorting out any last-minute preparations, from getting some passport photos to checking in to returning library books…

WELL DOESN’T THIS SOUND FUN~

So I’m all packed and ready to go, hopefully my luggage doesn’t exceed the limit and everything goes fine.

“Please don’t exceed 23 kilos…”

Also about the exchange student who took over my room, her mother actually came to visit this week. So after a whole day of sorting out things before departure, I wasn’t sure what to get for dinner and prepared to resort to either kapsalon or pizza. That was when she came over to say goodbye to me before heading back to the hotel to stay with her mother, and she was wondering if I would like to join the two of them for dinner.

I accepted the offer, and we went for seafood nearby.

The Italian exchange student & her mom~

Then again the Netherlands is famous for its seafood too, from kibling (fried fish bits) to haring (raw herring).

At least I was able to hang out with the new tenant before leaving Rotterdam, and I gave some suggestions for nice museums in this city, what types of Dutch food to try and places to visit during her stay here.

(And goodness me I couldn’t thank her mother enough she treated us to this meal…)

So that’s all for the Netherlands this year I guess?
Till then Rotterdam, see you again in 5 months!