Why am I posting a random train video? Well, you gotta wait for it...
Today, Escaflowne is older than its number of episodes for the first time. Happy anniversary! I thought Iâd finally post this thing that is so overdue, you wouldnât believe. Thanks @coverteyes for proofreading once again, I would likely not get this out anytime soon without her help!
Warning: this is very long and image-heavy under the cut. Preview:
As you may know, I lived in Japan for some time a few years back. Obviously, I had a great time. There are so many things to see, to try... even one year didnât feel like it was enough! Of course, this sentiment is shared by a gorillion of other people, so yeah, tourism in Japan thrives... unless thereâs a pandemic going on. (Man, I really had no idea what would happen⌠I started writing this after I got back from Japan, right before 2020).
In any case, what has been gaining popularity in recent years are the anime tours, covering the spots featured in popular titles. The anime makers often reference real places in their work, one of the reasons I was surprised to see that real Japan looks very much like anime Japan. Add the sense of detail that they possess, and you get a very faithful rendition of the atmosphere you get in existing places, in Japanese cities and countryside, in trains, in schools etc. Of course, die-hard fans easily spot the places, and something as mundane as a random staircase or a zebra crossing becomes a âmonumentâ worth visiting!I am always behind on new anime, and my thing is fantasy and sci-fi rather than slice of life, so I probably passed some of these places unknowingly. Anyway, itâs no secret that I have a soft spot for my fav anime titles from my teenage years, especially Tenkuu no Escaflowne. It takes place mostly in the alternate world of Gaea, but the main heroine, Kanzaki Hitomi, goes to school (lives?) in a town inspired by Kamakura, Japan. Well duh, her school is even named Kamakura Kita. But there are also differences, more on that later.
Since there are only a few existing places from Escaflowne you can easily find, I decided to get all of them. Starting, of course, from Kamakura. The first two visits to the city were not done for that purpose, but I still managed to capture some familiar views. On the third, I planned to catch everything I still missed.Â
What really helped me was the map and the comic published in The Vision of Escaflowne Fanbook back in 1997, only about one year after the series aired. The whole book was put together by Escaflowne fans. The map was created by two fans who went on a quest to search for the spots and then drew a small comic about their adventures. Thank you, Yufuko-san and Izumi-san, you helped me a lot there!
So the tour is done by Senoo Yufuko, who introduced herself as âa part time housewifeâ and Izumi, the âguideâ and âEscamakuramasterâ. Funny thing is I googled a person called Senoo Yufuko and found out she's a fantasy novelist. What was more interesting was that her website is called UsagiyaâŚas in, usagi, or rabbit. Like the rabbit in the comic about the Kamakura stroll. From her website I opened her twitter, and then I had a revelation with the first look at her twitter profile pic. HOLY ... it was her! This Japanese fantasy novelist, who is the age of my dad, made a fan pilgrimage to Kamakura in 1997, and she is still active! She did this tour with her one year old in a stroller, who would be... the age of the series itself now! This was somehow very heartwarming for me. Anyway, on with the report!
I didnât bring the Fanbook itself to Japan but fortunately I had it scanned. So I stopped at the nearest conbini (convenience store) and printed out the pages. Armed with those, the camera, the series screencaps saved on my phone, and some rations, I embarked on a third journey to cover everything I missed the first two times. My theory was, if the scenery was supposed to be based on real Kamakura, in the 90s analog age, they had to use photos as references. And if there were photos used for the scenes, they can be taken again from the same spot! So I tried to capture as many as I could.
How to get there (and around)
I mentioned this elsewhere, Kamakura is an old, coastal town south of Tokyo with many sights and popular beaches. To get there, you hop on the Yokosuka line for Zushi in Tokyoâthe trip costs only a few hundred yen (or a few bucks)â and before you know it, youâre there.
First thing you will certainly pass if you take a train is the Kamakura Kita or Kamakura North station (named the same as Hitomiâs school). This station is also referenced in one of Escaflowne episodes, more on that later. Anyway, it is worth getting off the train there for other reasons, too, as there are several pretty temples and gardens in the area.
The following train stop is already the main station of Kamakura itself. You may feel surprised at how many tourists circle the station, but then, it is a really popular getaway from Tokyo. I read somewhere that many foreign fans come to Kamakura because of Slam Dunk, a popular basketball manga. Many more come to Kamakura because of Kamakura. I can guarantee that not many come because of Escaflowne, which seems a bit forgotten and obscure by now; I didnât see any references to it during my stay, when some other, more popular, 90s titles came up from time to time.
So, in this case, I was an exception, but I also quickly fell in love with the town so I cannot say the anime was my only motivation in returning there.
In the town itself, you can move around by the Enoden (literal translation of the full name is Enoshima electric train). This cute, green antique train is an attraction in itself and connects Kamakura and the neighboring city of Fujisawa. If you make more than two Enoden trips, it is already worth getting a Noriorikun, a one day pass, right away at the station. I also got a souvenir of Enoden from one of the gachapon machines.
There are plenty of things to do in Kamakura: there is the Great Buddha, historic temples and shrines (used to be the seat of the shogun and a capital), the famed Enoshima aquarium (featured in the Kuragehime jdrama, for example), beaches popular for surfing, windsurfing etc. But if you are crazy, you may wanna try to find some anime sights instead.
So letâs finally get to it. The photos are mine, taken mostly with a Fujifilm XT-20 camera. (Please note that I filtered and adjusted the photos as necessary to get the closest possible result.)Â
Starting from the first episodeâŚ.
Hitomiâs and Yukariâs walk home (EP1)
After Yukari catches Hitomi in a compromising situation with Amano-senpai at the infirmary, they walk home side-by-side. Yukari mock-scolds Hitomi about making a move on him behind her back and teases her into buying her desserts. They descend steep stairs, pass several buildings and then walk into the tunnel where Yukari tells Hitomi about Amanoâs imminent departure.
The dessert enumeration happens right in front of this cute little building, now housing a hair salon.
They also pass this small church that is right across the street.
You can get to this area by a short walk from the station along Shiyakushodoori (City Hall Street).
As they pass the hair salon first, then the church, they seem to be coming from the other direction, towards the station. After the church and the stairs they get to the tunnel.
I passed two or three tunnels walking this very road, and more can be found around, because the area is quite hilly. I think there are two potential tunnels that could be the one Yukari and Hitomi walk through: Onari tunnel and Shinsasuke tunnel.
Izumi-san thinks this is the tunnel in question, because it had a fence on top and ânameplateâ like the one in the anime (the nameplate was changed to just a fenced opening from the production sketch).
Because of the thriving shrubbery, I could not see any fences nor nameplates, but I believe I got the right one. They really tried to replicate this funny tunnel. Itâs funny because the opening has a different shape on both sides. The side which Hitomi and Yukari are coming out of is more or less the correct shape though, which is why I think this is the one. Itâs in fact the first tunnel you pass on the way from the station.
On the other hand, during another visit, I got a picture of the perfectly round Shinsasuke tunnel further up the road. This one has a phone booth next to it, like the one in the anime (although the booth is on the wrong side).Â
What do you think? Which one is closer? I think it may have been the combination of the two.
Hereâs another bonus shot of the inside of the first tunnel:
Sasuke Inari Taisha / Sasuke Inari Shrine (EP1)
Escaflowne TV kicks off at Hitomiâs school called Shiritsu Kamakura Kita Koukou, which is imaginary, sorry. But just across the street from this made-up school, there is a familiar thing... a shrine with red torii gates leading uphill in the woods. The shrine where the dragon follows Hitomi and her friends while Van tries to kill it to obtain its minerals.
In reality, the entrance to the shrine is not across some street, but rather, a small street leads to the entrance. It is pretty hidden in a residential area, and the torii gates feel way smaller than they seem from the anime (you can see a pic with a certain person as a comparison in the previous post).
Anyway, this red torii-lined pathway is a feature of many other inari taisha (fox shrines) across Japan. My second visit to the shrine, I heard the fox barking, even (and I rushed away cause I was alone haha)! The most famous fox shrine in Japan is probably the Fushimi Inari in Kyoto, with literally thousands of red torii of all sizes and numerous shrines lining the way up the hill. But you can find a similar-looking pathway randomly in Japan!
What makes this the referenced shrine was the main building which looks similar, but not the same. The steps to the side shrine (where Hitomi and co. escape after the dragon follows them up to the main shrine), also look a lot different.
Shibuya 109 (EP 8)
This is the only Tokyo landmark to appear in the series. Hitomi has a dream/vision of a date with Allen and they go to a game center in a department store called âShibiya 1G9âł, or something. (The reason behind the mangled name is probably trademark use/advertising reasons.)
Ta da. Allen and Hitomi have lots of fun, until Millerna arrives and snatches him off with her carriage. Then her dream and the building collapses, in a recurring motif of a falling tower.
It took me one visit to Shibuya 109 to see why the creators would choose it. This is heaven for teenage girls, especially. Donât know about the 90s, but now it houses covering all kinds of scene brands, Korean cosmetics, and ultra kawaii and hip fast food stalls. I saw many teenagers around, just hanging out. It seemed like a place definitely on their map. It may have been remodelled since the series aired, but it seems to still remain a sacred hip place for teens.
Hitomi is not from Tokyo, but I guess she would be allowed to visit with friends over the weekends and such. Itâs only a half-hour train ride. The Allen date is also something very Japanese. I lost count how many times I have seen couples hand-in-hand in and around shopping centers, with the girl holding a huge bagged plush toy the boy likely won for her from one of those machines. So of course she would imagine this as an ideal date!
Kamakura Kita Eki / Kamakura North Station (EP 16)
I mentioned this station earlier in this post. Kamakura Kita Eki on the line to Tokyo is shown in episode 16, when Hitomiâs mother invites Yukari and Amano to show them a picture of Hitomiâs grandma and tell them her story.
We are not shown the actual house from a distance, just a bamboo fence and a shot of the patio. I found bamboo fences, but not in the right shape of the street⌠but this kind of looks similar, if you use your imagination and see a bamboo fence instead (as this probably was many years ago). Really, this is just for effect, you can catch similar scenes anywhere in Japan, and probably even a closer match than this. But the atmosphere of the place was similar, as it seems a more traditional area of the town altogether.
Hitomiâs walk back (EP 24)Â
Have you noticed that Hitomiâs walk back home has a few extra scenes in Episode 24? There is one with Yukari on the steps that give an aerial view of the bay for example. I could not see any stairs after passing the hair salon, but the anime makes it feel like they should be in the area, so I explored a bit. Found some stairs, but they seemed to be leading to a private property, so I did not try climbing them. Instead, I turned to the Fanbook again.
Izumi-san and Yufuko-san think the stairs are located in another area, and they lead to the Gokurakuji Pass (apparently, it used to lead to the Gokurakuji temple but does not anymore). It was in an area that I was passing through on my way to Fujisawa in the evening, so guess what, I got off the train and I went to look for them even though it was dark already. What do you think?
You probably canât see anything. But I think itâs possible a view like you see in the anime would open somewhere further up those steps and that path.
However, there was a closed gate so I could not climb them higher. I don't know if it was permanent or if it was closed because it was so late. But you know what, I take it as a sign to return next time and explore that area. It was the same with Mt. Fuji, we planned a trip but the weather prevented us from seeing the summit. So I still have the dream to climb Mt. Fuji one day!
Instead of the view we got from the stairs in the anime, I present to you another high view of Kamakura, this one from my Hasedera Temple visit. The actual photo I took is in the previous post, I used a sepia filter for this.
The final stop of my day trip was Fujisawa, from where I caught a direct train back to Tokyo. Izumi-san and Yufuko-san san said that the area in front of the Fujisawa station looked like the one Hitomi wandered around when she got back from Gaea shortly in ep 24. These scenes are not present in ep 1, so it makes me wonder if she walked around the city that night after her tunnel talk to Yukari in ep 1, too, or if it was induced by the new discoveries about Yukari, Amano, and herself. But she seems to be home around the same time (âHitomi, bath is ready!â) so could be the first option.
By the way, Hitomiâs house, as seen in the anime, fits the architecture of the area. I saw some similar houses but did not want to take photos of private property.
Back to Fujisawa, here are the stairs that looked a bit familiar, with a box advert in the back. (Unfortunately, there was some construction work going on though.) What do you think?
Streetview actually offers some better shots than I could make at the time (for the purpose of identification at least) and I think it actually confirms that this indeed is the model place when you look at the buildings.
The only other shot from this part was a crosswalk that could be anywhere, so I did not bother with it.
Kamakura Koukou Mae Eki / Kamakura High School Station (EP 26)
On my way to Fujisawa, I also shortly got off at Koukou Mae again (the station from the final scene of the anime, to be handled next) to capture the night Enoden in a similar way as when Hitomi rides it on the way home in episode 24. Mission failed.Â
But what I noticed is that the whole station seems to be flipped around for this scene of the anime! I was wondering why Hitomi was riding the Enoden to Fujisawa in the opposite direction than the actual train does, but that explained it. It was all flipped!Â
Anyway, back to Koukou Mae Eki. It is allegedly one of the most beautiful stations in Japan and a famous spot for the Slam Dunk fans as well. The Enoden line station itself is rather small, basically just a shelter, which was left unchanged. Also unchanged is the view of Enoshima island from that station, even though you would notice that the proportions are a bit off.Â
What is missing are the concrete tetrapods, even though they are nothing special on other stations on the line. Of course, they could have also been moved or removed over the years.
But even Yufuko-san and Izumi-san recommended going to the Koshigoe station to see the tetrapods, so I believe they were not here even in the 90s. I followed their recommendations and saw some behind a structure there. So they combined the view of the island and the tetrapods from the surrounding areas into one.
Also, what needs to be said is that the anime station building is not exactly the same as Koukou Mae Eki. The Fanbook says the design of the station was similar to the next Enoden station on the line called Hase on the photo below. Please compare and contrast.
As we see in ep 26, the back of the station is open, with some empty area behind the Koukou Mae station. This is not the case in the actual place. The back of the station is covered (though this could have been changed more recently to force people through the ticket turnstile) and right behind the station is a slope with a cemetery on it. That was a really strange discovery.
So thatâs it, thatâs all I managed to find! I had a mind to create a detailed map or something but you know what, if you ever get to Kamakura, probably itâs more fun discovering the stuff yourself. Maybe you can even catch something that I missed? I had more plans there, but with my luck I hurt my foot soon into my last trip. That, of course, slowed me down considerably. Well, see you next time then, Kamakura, and as you see, I have my eyes set on Enoshima already!
P. S. I may make a part 2 to this post, translating the map and the comic from the Fanbook, so keep an eye on that if this is of interest to you or would like to visit yourself!
Oh, you want to know what I'm up to today?
Hmm⌠I'll flip a coin. If the coin lands on its edge, I'll head to the Knights of Favonius for work. If it lands flat, we'll go for a hike. Sounds good?
Haha, I'm just kidding, I've already made up my mind.
As I was passing by to settle some matters the other day, I saw some Cecilias in bloom on the cliff. I've been wanting to take you to see them for a while now.
If it's windy in the mountains, I can lend you my cape. It'll definitely keep you warm!
Everything is like âQUEER historyâ and âList of QUEER young adult booksâ or âTop 10 QUEER moviesâ and queer this and queer that and for the love of god please just say LGBT.
Itâs also the respected academic term?? The acronym isnât static and itâs usage is varied by things like generational difference, location, and knowledge of the community. Even just in the U.S. in the last few decades the common usage gone from GLBT to LGBT to LGBTQ, to LGBTQA/LGBTQIA/LGBTQIAP/etc (Which, let me tell you as someone who has given presentations in the past using these updated acronyms, are all real mouthfulls), to LGBT+.
Also yes, queer is more inclusive! Especially coming at it from an academic standpoint, people didnât always use or identify with the terms we use now and you canât always try to cram them into our modern perceptions of sexuality. We can argue for years about whether a famous historical figure was gay or bisexual or straight and trans or whatever, but if we can all agree that they were somehow queer then using that term allows us to move past the debate and into productive discussion. And not everybody everywhere shares the same terms for sexual and gender identity, or even the same concepts of those things, so queer really is a more inclusive term in a lot of cases.
Like yeah if youâre talking specifically about gay or trans people you can just say gay or transgender, but if youâre talking about more than one identity or someone who doesnât conform to our perceptions of âLGBT,â or a person or people whose identity you donât know, queer is just the better word.
every time one of you fools spout about âqueer is a slurâ a terf laughs because their fucking plan to make that word âtabooâ is fucking working you dipshit.
I donât know if this is just because Iâm not American but Iâve never heard queer used as a slur. Ever. Meanwhile gay was the insult in the 2000s here. Everything you didnât like was âsoo gayâ. Queer wasnât even a word most of us knew back then.
It just baffled me that people would think an identifier is automatically a slur just because someone uses it to mock someone. If we did that gay would be a slur. Stupid would be a slur. Autistic would be a slur.
The reason people are upset about the word queer is that itâs a unifying term. You can say youâre queer and all people will know is that youâre part of the community. But you canât say youâre LGBT, you have to say youâre gay or trans or ace. They donât want you to be ambiguously queer. They want you to say which kind of queer you are so they can decide whether youâre undesirable.
yeah in the 90s and early 2000s kids would call each other âgayâ as an insult. But no one ties themselves in knots over whether âgayâ is a slur. So yeah, please ffs learn your history.
Also. The work to reclaim it has been DONE. We have been calling it Queer Theory in colleges for decades now. Your people have been queer since before you were born.
In celebration of this blogâs 10-year anniversary, and to thank you for following, I am having a special giveaway.
Hereâs what you could win:
Two precious plushies of Ryou Bakura and Thief King Bakura. These are very detailed handmade plushies each with their own Millennium Ring! These babies were made by AnimePlushDolls on Etsy. Here is a LINK TO THEIR STORE. Â
One of each of the charms featuring Bakuras and Mariks in this blogâs own Etsy store named FrozenArts. You can review these charms in by clicking this LINK TO MY STORE.Â
Now here are the RULES:
YOU HAVE TO BE CURRENTLY FOLLOWING ME!!! Sorry, but since this is a thank you to my followers for making the last 10 years so much fun so thatâs who can win.
YOU HAVE TO REBLOG THIS. Likes are appreciated but donât count. Please donât spam people with your reblogs however. Thank you!
THE DEADLINE IS October 25th. Thatâs when Iâll let the winner know they get this brilliant prize package.
The winner will receive a message from me through Tumblr. Shipping and everything is free. There will be one winner of all items. If you receive messages concerning this giveaway which ask for shipping payment or asks for anything other than your shipping address, then it is not me and please donât give them any of your personal information. Â
PLEASE DO NOT DELETE THE TEXT ON HERE.
I will use the Millennium Ring or a random number generator to select the winner.
Announcing Juhaku Week 2021 event: a week during which fans can contribute with art, fics, videos, edits and any other kinds of fanwork dedicated to the ship of Hakuryuu and Judar from Magi.
Prompts
Day 1: mourning / celebration
Day 2: war / peace
Day 3: alone / together
Day 4: match / mismatch
Day 5: games / music
Day 6: past / future
Day 7: free day!
Although you donât have to stick to these if you have an idea for a different kind of Juhaku fanwork that doesnât fit the prompts! Share your work on Tumblr and put #juhakuweek2021 as one of the first five tags of your post or ping @juhakuweek2021 so we can reblog your work here.
For more guidelines, and information on if you wish to post your work on other sites, see the Guide page. For any questions, feel free to send us an ask or a PM.
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