Since returning to the Japan from the UK at the end of July, two new all-time summer highs have been set, first on
July 30th in Tamba, Hyogo (41.2
°C) south of Tokyo quickly followed a few days later, on August 5th, by a
record 41.8°C in Isesaki City, Gunma Prefecture, north of Tokyo. Since then, there have a record ten consecutive days of 35
°C or higher here in Tokyo, what the Japanese call
mōshobi (猛暑日)
. Moshōbi are typically
accompanied by "tropical" nights where the temperature doesn't drop below 25
°C - though, interestingly, outside Japan this is defined differently as 20
°C! The high temperatures during the day are accompanied by the shrill buzzing of the
cicadas - a constant natural symphony that marks the height of summer, like a warning alarm to stay indoors. The picture shows a
cicada (right) who has just crawled out of its larval skin (
nuke-gara in Japanese) leaving an amazingly complete
exoskeleton behind (with a zipper-like slit running right across the
back).
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| Poster protesting Nike buy out 2008 |
I did venture out into the heat of central Tokyo once - blog material has to be collected! - and visited Miyashita Park in central Tokyo.
Miyashita Park (
宮下公園) is one of the few green spaces in Shibuya. The park has a chequered history, being moved onto man-made land in 1964 at the time of the Olympics before being bought out and renamed by Nike in 2008, something which was controversial at the time due to charging fees and clearing of the homeless (
here). In 2017 it closed for redevelopment before reopening in 2020 as a shopping complex with the park, cafe, hotel, and sports facilities on the roof - now all accessible for free. The sports facilities in particular are impressive with a climbing wall, skateboard park, futsal courts, and a beach volleyball arena.
One interesting landmark on the roof is a bronze statue of Doraemon labelled “Doraemon: Door to the Future” (ドラえもん みらいのとびら）with visitors invited to "walk through to follow their dreams to an exciting future." The four-meter tall monument, which features ten other characters in addition to seven gadgets including the famous Dokodemo (Anywhere) Door which allows you to travel wherever you like, was created to mark the 50th anniversary of the “Doraemon” manga series that started its run in 1970 (here). Doraemon, a male robotic cat from the future, is one of the most beloved characters in Japan - he was appointed the country's anime ambassador in 2008 - and the TV series has been broadcast in fifty-five countries (including India, the UK, and the US). Doraemon is the highest grossing movie franchise in Japan and, alongside Pokemon and One Piece, is a global franchise: over 300 million copies of the manga have been sold worldwide and some forty films have collectively grossed over $1.8 billion. The franchise is also said to generate over $500 million in annual global retail sales from merchandise and other products.
The localisation of the show - the way it underwent cultural adaptation to better fit with local audiences - was interesting: names were changed, gender stereotypes were tweaked (scenes of boys crying were cut in the US for example), and Japanese food was swapped with local equivalents (such as pizza and popcorn in the US). One food that was originally cut but made a return after a popular outcry was Doraemon's favorite
dorayaki (どら焼き) - a traditional Japanese sweet of azuki red bean paste sandwiched between two small pancakes, sometimes with cream. It was given a variety of English names from "fudgy pudgy pie" in the early
manga, to "yummy buns" and "dora-cakes/bean jam buns" in the TV series.
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| Doraemon holding a plate of dorayaki |
For Japanese fans, however, changing the name of the eponymous
dorayaki is sacrilegious since Doraemon's fondness for them forms a central part of many of the storylines and key scenes.
Dorayaki themselves have been said to reflect the essence of Japanese culture in various ways: as a symbol of Japanese hospitality and gift-giving, an example of how Japan integrates ancient traditions with modern innovation, a reminder of one's first love, and a symbol of positive emotions like warmth, kindness, and
affection (here). Fans can eat the traditional sweet snack, as well as various other
character themed dishes, at Doraemon F's Kitchen (
ドラえもん F'sキッチン) in the Miyashita Park shopping centre below the park itself. When I went there was quite a queue, particularly Asian tourists. There is in fact a Doraemon museum in Kawasaki called the
Fujiko・F・Fujio Museum named after the author who lived there. Please let me know in the
COMMENTS if you want me to visit - I'd be interested to know just popular the robot cat with no ears actually is outside of Japan!
