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BREAKING UP WITH TRAVEL
A MEMORY OF A MAN AND
JAPAN
It may surprise you to know
Travel Antics is the work of
one girl, namely me. Over
the last few months, the
process has felt far more
cumbersome than normal
as I struggle to deal with the
end of my long-term rela-
tionship and the end of my
time in a place I called home.
My mind became so pre-
occupied with the mental
strains of dealing with what
happened that I decided to
leave Travel Antics alone for
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a little while and focus on
the recovery process. But,
today I want to take a look
at one of the most signifi-
cant things this man taught
me and that was the love of
travel. In memory of this and
the loss of the relationship.
I want to take a look at the
one significant place that
sparked an obsession with
the world and eventually
lead to the creation of Travel
Antics…
Japan
Just over two years ago I got
the unbelievable chance to
visit the land of the rising
sun itself; Japan. I had spent
my life up until that mo-
ment obsessing over its out-
landish nuances. My friends
Shinjuku
“
I want to take a
look at the one
significant place
that sparked an
obsession with
the world and
eventually lead
to the creation of
Travel Antics…
“
Not your average blog post
title I know, but over the past
few months, a dramatic shift
has occurred in my life that I
feel is important to discuss.
Particularly as it’s deeply af-
fected my relationship with
travel and all the freedom I
felt from it.
and I had spent our youths
cowering under blankets
watching unsettling Japa-
nese horror films, that ter-
rify me to this day and the
Studio Ghibli films that nev-
er fail to warm my heart or
nourish my soul with their
whimsical characters and
nonsensical plotline, never
mind the books and films on
samurai culture, geishas and
so much more. This seemed
like an opportunity I could
not miss. So, when my ex
came home and asked if
I’d like to accompany him
on a trip to Japan I literal-
ly jumped at the opportu-
nity. I got to see first hand
the sheer and utter insanity
and beauty mixed together
to create a rare and iconic
place such as Japan.
To this day the sight of Shin-
juku still blows my mind.
From the moment I stepped
off that plane after a four-
teen-hour flight and after
navigating my way through
the minefield of the To-
kyo underground system, I
stepped into what can only
be described as a modern
day urban jungle. Towering
skyscrapers pierced the ink
black sky and upon each
one flashing Japanese char-
acters and moving images.
The lights, noise, and bustle
are like a drug-fuelled trip,
expanding your mind and
beckoning you to come and
explore just a little more.
Wandering around in a
trance, my ex and I found
ourselves in a small pub that
looked more like a neon-lit
front room, with an array of
foreign currency lining the
walls and a series of tired
looking business men prop-
ping up the bar, while the
television broadcast imag-
es of Donald Trump and a
quick succession of cartoon-
ish emojis. It was there we
soon started idly chatting to
some of the other locals, one
of whom proudly told us his
wife had just had his child
(an appropriate place for a
new Dad). While the others
excitedly asked us where
we were from. We told them
London and one man proud-
ly stated ‘London women
stylish’ I chuckled and as-
sumed he wasn’t referring
to me at that moment, clad
in a baggy stripped travel
jumper and some functional
jeans. ‘No,’ I replied ‘Japanese
women are stylish.’ He shook
his head once more pulling
the baseball cap back from
his face. ‘Japanese women
are cute, London women
are stylish.’ To this day I still
maintain he was wrong and
I was right.
Studio Ghibli
Imagine Disney meets Tim
Burton and throw in some
deep philosophical under-
tones and you have the mak-
ings of Studio Ghibli. These
heart-wrenching films have
the power to wield whimsi-
cal characters and touching
storylines. It doesn’t matter
if you fell for the charm of
the creature in ‘My Neigh-
bour Totoro,’ or connected
with the strong anti-war
themes in ‘Howl’s Mov-
ing Castle.’ And where else
would you find the home
of these childhood-shaping
stories? That’s right Tokyo.
j ourney trying to navigate the
Tokyo underground system
we found ourselves staring at
the most whimsical building,
covered in a layer of green
ivy, with an enormous five-
foot robot soldier looming
over the museum (anyone fa-
miliar with Studio Ghibli will
know it’s from the film ‘Castle
in the Sky’). Totoro will point
you into the main entrance.
Where you will gawk at tow-
ering contraptions lit by
handmade, stained glass oil
lamps. It truly is like walking
into a friendly, yet mad pro-
fessors domain. Once inside
you won’t be disappointed as
you delve into the museum’s
curious specimens including
five rooms named ‘where a
film is born,’ you will discover
the disorganised lair of a cre-
ative genius and learn how
an animated film goes from
conception through to com-
pletion. Enjoy a short film in
a small cinema, where you’ll
be given tickets in the form
of an old film piece with a still
from a famous Studio Ghibli
film. All avid readers will love
the Tri-Hawks room, a place
to encourage children and
adults alike to learn through
touching, feeling and maybe
even smelling books. Burn off
any excess energy by climb-
ing on a semi-life-sized ver-
sion of the cat bus from ‘My
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