Solo Japan Part IV: Saitama + Team Lab Borderless
Day 5: Saitama
Another early train ride out of Tokyo today. This time, a trip to Saitama to visit Totoro’s Forest and the Kurosuke Totoro Fund House! I didn’t know what to expect, but I had a Ghibli mission and knew I wanted to check them out because they were only a short train ride away. Once I got off of the train at Seibukyujo-Mae Station, I slowly strolled to Totoro’s Forest, following Google Maps on my phone. The whole walk was about 20-25 minutes.
I really like suburban walks in Japan. They remind me of suburban areas back home but easier on the eyes and ears. The colors are muted and harmonious and the sounds are close to silent. It feels peaceful and safe.
Residents slowly do their thing, like gardening or working on their cars, but no one is yelling. No one is blasting music. Even if people are talking, it's white noise. One of the wonderful things about living or traveling abroad when you don't know the language is that you don't get caught up in overhearing conversations and understanding other people's nonsense. It's like you have headphones on without having headphones on. It's my favorite. That being said, I think it's definitely a good thing to know the language of the country you're in if you can.
Totoro's Forest
I finally got to Totoro’s Forest and was excited to see the sign because it wasn’t totally clear on my map. I read that Miyazaki was inspired by this area in creating the forest where Mei met Totoro for the first time. Because it was the only springtime, the forest wasn’t super lush like in the film but it was still really peaceful and calming. I was only one of a few people I saw on the trail that day. As I continued along, I didn’t see any other signs related to Ghibli.
After my pleasant little hike in the woods, I decided to stop looking for signs of Ghibli and just go to Kurosuke’s House. The walk was pretty long, but it was a sunny day out and strolling around peaceful streets in Japan isn’t the worst thing in the world. The fresh air was nice and I felt as free as a bird by myself. ^ ^
After a long while, I came across tea fields and my map told me I was super close. I walked through the fields and turned on a small road and then I saw it….
Kurosuke’s House
!!!!! All this walking and confusion was worth it. Seeing the giant Totoro statue in the beautiful house made me so happy. I looked around the Totoro Fund shop and upon further research, later found that the Totoro Forest is a large park with hiking trails, nothing flashy. The area was being threatened by development and was saved by the Totoro Fund, drawing visitors to the area to keep it safe from harm. I’m glad I found this out because even though the walk was wonderfully relaxing, I sure was confused! More details on the Kurosuke house in my Ghibli Tour post coming soon.
I looked at my phone for directions to get back home but it just looked at me and laughed. There were no options! The kind lady at the shop told me to catch the 02 bus at the Mini Stop down the street that would take me to Kotesashi station which would connect me back to Tokyo by train and she even had a timetable for it. The original stop I got off at (Seibukyujo-Mae Station) was waaay too far and there was no way I’d be able to walk back there and get to Tokyo on time for my next plan, Team Lab Borderless! I’m so grateful this nice lady was able to help me or I’d still be there now.
Team Lab Borderless
I was so excited that I made plans to go to Team Lab Borderless, a digital art museum in Tokyo. Each room has different visuals projected on the walls making for a psychedelic light experience, unlike anything I’ve ever seen before.
Some rooms were interactive and had climbing activities or trampolines, while others allowed you to just explore. You walk around the museum for as long as you want, stumbling across hidden entrances to other rooms and entering new worlds. I walked around for a couple of hours thinking I saw it all but found out later I missed some rooms! Take your time and enjoy if you go. It was so much fun and I’d definitely recommend it to anyone in the area.
