Pinoy Roadtrip

TOKYO: Where to Find the World of Miyazaki's Spirited Away at the Edo-Tokyo Open Air Museum

January 8, 2020

TOKYO: Where to Find the World of Miyazaki's Spirited Away
at the Edo-Tokyo Open Air Museum

There are several places claiming to be the setting of Hayao Miyazaki's famous film Spirited Away. One of them is Jiufen in Taipei. But an interview with Hayao Miyazaki in May 2001 by Animage, a Japanese anime and entertainment magazine, finally confirmed from his own words that the world he sought to recreate in Spirited Away was a world depicted at the Edo-Tokyo Open Air Museum.

The transcript of the interview is shown below:

(full text at An Interview with Hayao Miyazaki Animage, May 2001 Translated to English by Ryoko Toyama Edited by Team Ghiblink)

Why did you set the story in the present time?

M: It's a world like this Edo Tokyo Tatemonoen (Edo Tokyo Museum, Building Park*) rather than our modern world. I've always been interested in the pseudo-Western-style buildings** you can find here. I feel nostalgic here, especially when I stand here alone in the evening, near closing time, and the sun is setting--tears well up in my eyes. (laughs)

*Edo Tokyo Tatemonoen: A park with Japanese houses and shops from the Meiji and Taisho era (about 120 to 70 years ago). Miyazaki-San loves the park and often visits there. The interview took place in the park.

**Pseudo-Western style - A style of Japanese architecture in the early Meiji era. It's a mixture of traditional Japanese design and Western design.

I think we have forgotten the life, the buildings, and the streets we used to have not so long ago. I feel that we weren't so weak...for example, a life in that house you see there (pointing at one of the buildings in the park) was a modest one. They ate a small amount of food, enough to fit on a small table in a tiny room. Everyone thinks our problems today are the big problems we have for the first time in the world. But I think we just aren't used to them, what with the recession and all. Well, it's enough since everyone is talking about these current problems. Rather, let's cheer up (laughs). I'm making a film with such a feeling.

WHERE TO FIND THE WORLD OF SPIRITED AWAY
AT THE EDO-TOKYO OPEN AIR MUSEUM

Below is the Layout of the Edo-Tokyo Open Air Museum:

This is the layout of the Edo Tokyo Open Air Museum.

You can find it in the link below.

https://www.tatemonoen.jp/english/restore/intro/

The areas I encircled are the areas/buildings that inspired the buildings in Spirited Away.

Make sure to click the photo to get the full view.

To follow the story of Spirited Away, you only need to visit the East Zone and the Center Zone:

East Zone

E3. Bar Kagiya (information) (virtual tour)

Bar Kagiya is the inspiration for the restaurant in this scene:

This is Bar Kagiya at the Museum

E6. Stationery store (information) (virtual tour)

The stationery store is the inspiration for workplace of Kamaji, the boiler-man:

This is inside of the stationery store at the Museum

E4. Public Bathhouse (information) (virtual tour)

The public bathhouse is the inspiration for this scene:

The front of the Public Bathhouse in the Museum

Inside the Bathhouse

Inside the Bathhouse at the Museum

Center Zone

C3. House of Korekiyo Takahashi (information) (virtual tour)

The House of Korekiyo Takahashi is the inspiration for this scene:

The House of Korekiyo Takahashi at the Museum

Check out the windows similar to the one in the film.

Outdoor exhibit

City train model 7500

Inside the train

IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO DO THE TOUR ON YOUR OWN:

A GUIDED TOUR THAT INCLUDES BOTH GHIBLI MUSEUM AND EDO TOKYO OPEN AIR MUSEUM IS AVAILABLE HERE

How to Pay Philippine Travel Tax Online

November 21, 2019

How to Pay Philippine Travel Tax Online

Why Pay Philippine Travel Tax Online

To avoid having to line up at the travel tax counter at the airport. I traveled internationally on different days of the week and at different times. My experience at lining up at the travel tax counter is different each time. Sometimes the line is short. Sometimes, the line is very long. In airports in Manila, you line up several times, at security, at check-in, at immigration. By paying online, you avoid having to line up another time.

What You Need to Prepare:

1. An email address

2. A cellphone number

3. Your passport number
4. Your plane ticket information: ticket number or booking reference number, departure date, destination
5. Visa or Mastercard credit card

6. If you don't have a Visa or Mastercard credit card, you can pay at any Bayad Center outlet

How to Pay Philippine Travel Tax Online

1. Go to the Online Travel Tax Portal as shown below at https://traveltax.tieza.gov.ph/. Click the travel tax rate applicable to your booking, either first class or economy class. Then you will be required to create an account.

2. Create an account by filling up the form below. One account is needed for each passenger. Then click SUBMIT.

3. Then go to your email and click the activation email sent by tieza to activate your account.

4. Sign in to your account at https://traveltax.tieza.gov.ph/.

4. After signing in, select the applicable travel tax based on your booking class

5. Confirm details below, then click PAY NOW.

6. Select your payment method.

7. I chose to pay using my credit card. This is what appeared after making my choice. Click CHECKOUT.

8. After clicking CHECKOUT, input your credit card information.

9. My credit card is enrolled at VERIFIED BY VISA feature so it asks for a one-time password before completing the transaction.

10. After supplying my one-time password, I'm redirected to the merchant and an acknowledgement that payment is successful appears

THIS IS THE SMS OR TEXT I RECEIVED

IN MY CELLPHONE:

THIS IS THE EMAIL I RECEIVED:

MAKE SURE TO PRINT THE ACKNOWLEDGMENT EMAIL. YOU NEED TO SUBMIT IT AT THE CHECK-IN COUNTER.

NEW YORK FOOD TRIP: My Guide to Dining at Peter Luger Steakhouse, est. 1887

August 28, 2019

NEW YORK FOOD TRIP:
My Guide to Dining at Peter Luger Steakhouse, est. 1887

WHY DINE AT PETER LUGER

1. For the steak, of course.

Dry aged USDA Prime Beef
This is called "steak for 3" according to the menu.

2. More than the steak, the restaurant is part of New York history.

Peter Luger is one of the oldest steakhouse in New York and still thriving. In fact, it's still so famous that it's difficult to get a table if you walk in without reservation. Peter Luger was established in 1887.

MY TIPS

1. Reserve online. Do not walk in.

There's little chance of getting a seat if you walk in. As you can see in the photo below, the restaurant has a very long wait list.

Reserve at https://peterluger.com/

2. When to reserve online

I noticed it's harder to get a slot if you're only 2 in your group. More slots are available if you're more than 2. At the same time, you can't make a reservation for more than 2 people if only two are coming just to get a slot, because they charge 40 USD per person for no shows.

So, if you're only 2 in your group, and desire to book on a weekend peak time, you have a better chance of getting a slot if you make a reservation at least 3 weeks before your intended date. Reservations open 6 weeks before.

3. What time to reserve

We chose the 12:45 PM slot so we'll have the option to choose the lunch special and Luger burger if we desire. Both are available only till 3:45 PM.

4. Make sure to cancel the day before if you're not coming.

You guarantee your reservation with your credit card. No shows will incur a 40 usd fee per person. You can cancel your reservation 24 hours before without charge.

5. Bring cash. They do not accept credit card for payment.

6. What to order and how much.

We are a party of 6 and when we dined we over-ordered the steak.

Steak

If you're a party of 6, only order the steak for 4. In our case, we ordered two "steak for 3". You can see how large it is from the photo below. Friends recommend that to get the most out of the steak in terms of flavor, you should at least order 600 grams of steak.