Finally Kobe, but no Kobe-Gyu

After doing my first trip to Japan in 2010 it took me 7 years to finally visit Kobe for the first time, but not for the beef. Althought the Kobe-Gyu is the most famous Japanese beef abroad it isn't in Japan, because the Matsusaka-Gyu is more famous regarding taste especially when serves as the extremely delicious dish Sukiyaki.

But beside the beef Kobe is known for its harbor and the Kobe Tower. I went there this Fall to check it off on my bucket list and to get a souvenir coin of the Tower just like many other medals offered at various sights like castles or Towers, for example the Osaka Castle, Tokyo Tower, Nagoya Castle or many others.

You can easily get to any of the most interesting spots by walking, starting at the harbor where you can directly find the Kobe Tower. Along the way there are also several shops for every different need.

Shortly before returning to Osaka I also got a new stamp for my Shuincho.

Enjoy the pictures, I hope you like it

Danjiri Matsuri - the end of the vacation

It's been a while since the last entry, I will try to increase the frequency of new posts.

During my last trip to Japan one day before returning back home I visited Kishiwada going to the Castle and the Danjiri Matsuri. It was a little tricky to find the festival grounds, but just because I took the wrong railway, instead of using the JR I used the Nankai Railway ending up quite far from the matsuri. I just visited a shrine nearby the Kishiwada station before starting off to the JR station area passing the castle before arriving at the Danjiri Matsuri.

The castle's structure shares a few similarities with the Osaka castle like the golden ornaments of the frame right under the roof. I already went there in spring at the Hanami high season seeing all the cherry trees blossoming.

In the Danjiri Matsuri wooden carts called Danjiri are pulled around the whole town, it looks very dangerous when they turn, especially the guys on top jump and motivate the audiance like crazy almost falling off.

The atmosphere is really awesome, hearing the taiko drums and flutes, you can actually feel the energy. A few times I have already been able to participate in some of the festivals, but sadly not this time, but there will always be the next festival and so far the next chance to be part of it.

Here are the impressions, enjoy!

Fushimi Castle - White drone down

On my vacation to Japan this Fall I went to Fushimi Castle in Kyoto to take a few pictures and videos with my drone.

The Fushimi area is mostly known for the Fushimi Inari shrine (Good old Kyoto) with thousands of red Torii, but there is more and you can easily get to the castle grounds, it's just a little bit of walking from the Fushimi Nankai station.

In case of using a drone I prepared a lot better this time than in Fall 2016 (Drones in Japan). Fushimi Castle is no RED ZONE so it's allowed and completely fine to fly there, also because there is no sort of administration - the gras had grown high compared to Hanami Season, everything looked a little wild and the castle can't be entered or has a museum inside.

I had already visited the castle grounds in March during the Hanami season, when many people gathered beneath the cherry trees drinking beer while doing a picnic.

 

 

In Fall the people around were a few elderly people painting pictures of the area. They where a little suprised when I started my DJI Phantom 2 drone with a gimbal for my GOPRO 4, but didn't get shocked like last year in Ueno Koen. I have been "up in the air" for around 9 minutes flying around the castle tower and up to 75> m high also seeing a baseball field nearby and the whole city of Kyoto. I was just getting my drone down before the gimbal got loose 15 m above the ground making it falling down and completely destroying the gimbal, but luckily not my Gopro or any data.

Now enjoy the pictures, especially those from above before the "WHITE DRONE DOWN" happened.

MONSTER HUNTER WORLD @ Tokyo Game Show 2017

As almost every year since 2012 I visited Tokyo Game Show this September. One of the biggest and maybe the most exciting booth every year was the CAPCOM booth, especially because of the new installment of the Monster Hunter series, MONSTER HUNTER WORLD. The first public presentation and a playable DEMO was available at GamesCom but people had line up for several hours because the demand was a lot bigger than expected.

To compare the atmosphere here you can find some old TGS articles:

Tokyo Game Show 2012 - the first time at Makuhari Messe
Tokyo Game Show 2014 - Thursday - Opening Day and press day #1
Tokyo Game Show 2014 - Saturday - Cosplay Selection
Tokyo Game Show 2014 - Sunday

Tokyo Game Show 2016 - Monster Hunter Stories - RIDE ON!

Monster Hunter World is really awesome, a freely wild world that you can explore without being devided in separate areas to always reload before entering. A monsters were available to hunt down as well as the opportunity to track them and gather items.

Like every year they had a giant flagship wyvern statue to take pictures of, especially when one of their hired Cosplayers was posing in front of it.

Monster Hunter World was definitely my highlight of this year's TGS.

Other Interesting areas were Capcom's shooting range, as well as other nice games from Square Enix like the Upcoming Remake of Seiken Densetsu 2 (Secret of Mana) for PS4 and PSVITA.

As usual there are always some funny things to see or try/play. The new Warriors title, FIRE EMBLEM WARRIORS from Koei Tecmo for Nintendo Switch got me really psyched.

Beside the games and the new merchandise the Cosplayers are a huge attraction on Saturday and Sunday.

Enjoy the pictures!

See you again next year!

Drones in Japan

Flying drones in Japan ain't easy, if you're unexperienced controlling it as well, but I am actually talking about the lack of information about RED ZONES (no flight area), especially the languare barrier is a big issue, the only official sites about rules that you can find is about the general stuff, not next to airports, not above 150m...

http://www.mlit.go.jp/en/koku/uas.html

Violating those laws can cost up to 500,000 yen.

By reading those information I didn't think a fly over the Ueno park in Tokyo at night (the restrictions at night seem to be new) would violate anything - actually it doesn't, no densely inhabited destrict, no airport nearby, no event, almost nobody at the park at night.

That's why I tried a short flight last year after Tokyo Game Show Press day.
Shortly after starting my drone a few police officers were standing behind me, asking if this is my drone, although they had to wait for an interpreter. I violated the law, because the whole city of Tokyo is a RED ZONE, how could I know. They took me to the police station and made me feel like a criminal, checking all my stuff, each and every part of it.

Luckily I didn't have to pay any ammount or go to jail, but I had to write a letter to the chief officer of the station that I didn't know about that law and I also had to promise not to fly my drone again in Tokyo.

But my questions about those "secret" RED ZONES kept unanswered - TOKYO NOT ALLOWED... - that's all. I saw many videos of drones in Tokyo, so I still wonder how they got their permissions, because the Police officers told me it's almost impossible to get a permission.

It took a while and a lot of effort to find out something about those NO FLIGHT ZONES, but this source is japanese only, but finally I am able to check the spots where I want to fly, for example Fushimi Castle in Kyoto, I might try this spot during my next trip to Japan.

Here's the HOLY GRAIL for areas to fly a drone in Japan:
RED ZONE MAP JAPAN

The only flight that I was able to do yet was above Mount Iwafune a place where many Super Sentai (Western version: Power Rangers) explosion scenes where shot.

The drone I used is the DJI PHANTOM VISION 2, before making the first videos, you should practice the general flying. If you use it together with a GOPRO like I do BE CAREFUL WITH THE GOPRO WIFI, if you switch on the GOPRO Wifi and start your drone, you can't control it, those 2 frequences interfere so you might LOSE YOUR DRONE AND YOUR CAMERA.

I will try to make a few more drone pictures on my next trip to Japan.