How would you spend 20 summer days in Japan? Here’s a log of highlights from my latest trip, day by day. Follow along this Blaugust as I recount my adventurous July!

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This is a big day for my picture people, so I’ll try to keep the words to a minimum and let the photos do the talking!

Compared to the Azabu-Juban, which houses the neighborhood where Sailor Moon‘s Usagi Tsukino lives, Azabudai Hills is a more recently developed area of soft luxuries. For instance, the Azabudai Hills Gallery where the Takahata Isao Exhibition was/is held had only opened to the public at the end of November 2023. So, it was a real treat to sit on the upper deck and enjoy matcha ice cream while quietly viewing the cloudy skies of Tokyo.

I would be lying if I said that the Takahata Isao Exhibition – The Man Who Planted Japanese Animation – wasn’t a major highlight of this entire trip. Because it was, and it remains one of the best events/days of my summer in Japan! Of course, photography was not allowed in the exhibit, but when I tell you that this exhibit covered EV-ERY-THING! Since I bought the guidebook, I can give you an abbreviated imaginary tour of the exhibit.

The walkthrough begins with his earliest works in “Starting Out: A Passion for Animated Films.” The main feature is Little Norse Prince Valiant, but concept art, sketches, design sheets, and plot diagrams for other films of this early era were also on display. In the brightly colored “Everyday Pleasures: Developing New Fields of Animated Expression,” we move on to the big TV series trio: Heidi, Marco, and Anne. I was enchanted by the storyboards, layouts, and backgrounds from the legendary production team of Hayao Miyazaki, Yoichi Kotabe, Yoshifumi Kondo, Masahiro Ioka, and Takamura Mukuo. (Japan’s Heidi love in particular made my heart swoon, what cute kiddos from the Alps!)

Moving to “Chapter 3 – Looking at Japanese Culture: A Dialogue between the Past and the Present,” we passed through more materials from Downtown Story (Chie the Brat), Gauche the Cellist, Grave of the Fireflies, Only Yesterday, and Pom Poko. I’d managed to pack in a rewatch of many of these films prior to leaving the U.S., and the payoff was certainly worth it. (Isao Takahata’s Osaka in Jarinko Chie remains MY Osaka until I can actually see the place for myself.) On a more serious note, there was a wall-sized “poster” visual of Fireflies that utilized glowing LEDs behind the embers and falling firestorm weaponry. Against the dim lighting of this section of the exhibit, the chilling visual succeeded in instilling awe and uneasiness whenever the silhouette of the bomber plane circling above flickered into view.

For me, the MAJOR draw of this section–and the exhibit as a whole, really–was the layout design of the ship featured in Grave of the Fireflies, which was done by none other than battleship enthusiast Hideaki Anno. Apparently, the original layout pages were found “accidentally” in the process of planning the exhibit, and so they made their way into it!

The final section, “Lively Sketches: The Challenge to Make New Forms of Animation,” draws the exhibit to a bittersweet close with the art of My Neighbor the Yamadas and The Tale of Princess Kaguya. All of the in-betweens for the famous scene of Princess Kaguya tearing into the night were on full display, reminding me of the sheer emotion that can be packed into even rough sketches. As you leave, joy and sadness intertwine like falling sakura petals swept up by a passing breeze.

Of course, there’s a gift shop awaiting you in the Gallery. Just like the Ghibli Museum, I definitely could’ve bought more, but I’m happy with my pickups: postcards, clear files, and the guidebook which preserves scans of all of the work featured in the exhibit. Japan really is next level when it comes to exhibitions!!

The few hours spent at the exhibit are a core memory of my trip; to think that we’d follow it up with a stroll to Tokyo Tower afterwards is absolutely maddening. There are two kinds of Tokyoites: the Skytree crowd and the Tokyo Tower crowd, and I’m a firm member of the latter–for now, at least. It’s SUCH a remarkable construction up close, and so much bigger when you’re standing right under it! The photos don’t do the scope justice.

We’ll round out this post with an anime pilgrimage spot: the National Art Center, Tokyo, where Taki and Miss Okudera meet up for their date in Your Name. The spot is actually just a cafe in the art center, but you can roam through this section of the building without needing any kind of ticket. Looking back, I wish I’d hit up more anime pilgrimage spots in general . . . but this was a fun way to end our day out in Minato Ward. Maybe one day I will stop here and seat myself for little snack!

Tomorrow we’ll explore more of Tokyo. Until then, thanks for reading.

– Takuto