Nerd-gasm

"You never know how much of a nerd you are until you engage in nerdy activities" is the lesson I have learned today.  Today, we went to the Studio Ghibli Museum and the life sized Gundam exhibition, and boy was I excited today.  All day I had a huge smile on my face as I was captivated by the magnificence of the architecture of Ghibli museum and the magic of Miyazaki's art and then  by the grandeur of the giant Gundam Mobile Suit and all the exhibition had to offer.  Literally, when I walked into the white, brightly lit room containing the copious amounts of Gundam figurines, I said, "Heavenly light, angel chorus!"  It was nerd paradise.  It's been many years since I last watched any of the Mobile Suit Gundam series and yet I was so enchanted by everything even though it was in Japanese.  The nerdy mind is a wonderful thing.

We started off going to the Studio Ghibli Museum in Mitaka and it was simply amazing.  The building was overgrown with ivy and there was not only greenery everywhere but also Miyazaki characters, most notably the giant robot soldier on the roof from Castle in the Sky.  Unfortunately, but understandably, there was no picture taking in the museum.  Oh how I wished I had been able to take pictures inside because the architecture inside was just as amazing as the outside.  There was a spiral staircase encased in a cage, a play room for kids with the cat bus from Totoro (which I wanted to play in but was for kids 12 and under), and even a room with a history on animation.  Along with taking a tour of the museum we also watched the short film that was showing today.  It was the story of a boy who sells his vegetables for a magical seed which when he plants it turns into a small planet with it's own orbit and eventually it's own atmosphere and such, like a mini earth.  It was pretty interesting to watch especially since there were no English subtitles.  Over all, I would definitely come back if I were able.  It was a pretty amazing museum full of magic and wonder.

After we were done at the Ghibli Museum, everyone split up and a few of us went do Odaiba to see the life sized Gundam.  It's so amazing and large, and the nerd inside of me died from a heart attack.  It's really cool because it lights up and stuff, which looks really cool in the dark.  Inside the shopping mall behind it on the top floor is a Gundam exhibition of sorts.  They show a short film where you get to watch a Mobile Suit space battle as if you were out in space with them.  Then they have an exhibit with another large replica of just the bust of a Gundam and a piece of a Moble Suit that looks like it's been damaged in battle.  Also, there's a place where you can get your picture taken to look like you're sitting in the cockpit, and another place where you can choose a character to take a picture with.  In the section where you can't take pictures, there's a timeline of the Mobile Suit Gundam universe that starts with the original series and leads up to the newest one.  There was also original art, a model of the life sized Gundam, and a touch screen with all the characters and information on them.  It was pretty cool and nerd-tastic.

All in all, this was one of the best field trips we've had thus far in my opinion, but that's probably because I really like anime.  No matter, it was all very interesting and fun and I can't wait to see what else Japan has to offer as I continue on my journey in the land of the rising sun.