The above will search this blog. |
Playing a summer-time game, in the winter, while it looks like autumn…
This was the scene less than two weeks ago at the baseball field in Ueno Park.
I pre-blogged today, and the next few days, as we are on our way to Thailand for the winter break. We should have an internet connection in Thailand so expect some updates from Bangkok and Phuket soon.
There are about 20 “original” Rodin (ロダン) “The Thinker” statues in the world (not counting those that are part of “The Gates of Hell”). I think I’ve seen five of them (Tokyo, Copenhagen, Paris, Palo Alto, San Francisco). This one was a couple weeks ago in Ueno Park outside the National Museum of Western Art. In fall, I think this one looks the best.
A really good day to do touristy things in Tokyo is a weekday when my kids aren’t in school but the Japanese schools are in session. Such was the case this past Tuesday so Ryan and I headed off to Ueno Park while Ellie had a sleepover at a friend’s house. Our destination was the National Museum of Nature and Science (国立科学博物館), another place that takes the Grutt Pass.
Other than a few school groups (who mostly stuck together), the place was empty. Avoid the school groups and you can enjoy the exhibits all to yourself. Run into a school group and, if you are a foreigner, you will turn into the exhibit.
The old building (above) houses the Japan collection. The building, itself, is almost as interesting as the collection. It is one of the few buildings in Tokyo older than WW2. A new building (below) was added in 2007, and it houses the bulk of the collection.
There is little in English, but you can rent an English audio guide for 300 yen which can keep you busy for up to nine hours. We only had three hours in the place but could have easily spent all day exploring if I had not had an afternoon appointment elsewhere.
The above photo was a lucky shot of mine from a distance. I like the way the little Japanese girl happened to turn her head just as I was taking the picture to have nearly the same pose as the emu on whose egg she is sitting.
The Ueno Zoo doesn’t have giant pandas anymore. Their giant panda died in 2009. They still have some Red Pandas.
The Ueno Zoo (上野動物園) is very old; I think it has been around for well over a hundred years.
This gorilla seemed to be as intrigued by Ellie’s blonde hair as the Japanese people. He came right over to the glass for an in-your-face visit.
We recently purchased a couple of Grutt Passes (ぐるっとパス or gurutto pasu in Japanese). Included with the pass is free admission to the Ueno Zoo. The Ueno Zoo is wonderfully peaceful on a Sunday morning. On a Sunday afternoon it turns into what you see below.
The zoo opens at 9:30. We didn’t arrive until a bit after 11. Had we been there at 9:30 I think we could have seen everything before the crowds arrived. As it was, we spent more time watching Japanese people, after noon, than we did the animals. The Japanese people were on the same page; I think the Japanese people spent as much time looking at us as they did the animals.
See if you can spot my daughter in the above photo. She sticks out a bit more among Japanese people than Waldo does on the pages of “Where’s Waldo?” books.
The Grutt Pass is really a super deal if you live in Tokyo or if you plan on visiting for more than a few days and plan to visit more than about four museums, art galleries, or zoos. The Tokyo Sea Life Park is included too. Most museums, zoos, etc. in Tokyo cost between 500 and 1,300 yen each. The Grutt Pass makes most of them free. For some of the more expensive ones, like the Mori Art Museum in the Mori Tower, you get 300 yen off admission. Here is a full list of places.
Supposedly you can purchase the passes at convenience stores. The Sunkus near our apartment knew nothing about them. Nor did their machine, which I’ve purchased concert tickets from, list the Grutt Pass. You are probably best off just going to one of the places listed on the above link and purchasing the pass there when you use it for the first time.
The pass is good for 2 months. I’m guessing they will come out with a 2010 version in February.
Grutt means absolutely nothing. ぐるっと (which grutt is sort of an English abbreviation for) means something like going all around a circle. They should have called it something like the “Tokyo Circle Pass” in English.
Once you have gone to at least 10 places in at least 7 different areas you are eligible for a prize. I’ll let you know what that is if we win one.
As you can see from the above stamping of our 10 places, we have used our pass 7 times so far. Had we paid admission for those 7 places the total cost would have been 3,700 yen. The pass was only 2,000 yen and we have 59 more places to potentially visit for free or a reduced cost in the next month.
The pass comes with a handy map that shows all 66 locations. With the map in hand and an early start you can sometimes visit three places in a single day.
Subscribe in a reader or get updates via email
