Oh The Horror!

This is Mutsumi Bridge, a pedestrian bridge that crosses over the Seibu Line near Tokorozawa Station. It's also quite a famous bridge.

Have you ever heard of the movie series "Ju-on (呪怨)?"

It's a Japanese horror film that was a big hit in Japan. After the first "Ju-on" film, it was so popular, another film, "Ju-on 2," was released. This also lead to a remake in Hollywood called "The Grudge" in 2004. I nearly died of fright just from seeing the trailer for this movie (which they kept on playing on TV...at night!) so I haven't seen it. But I hear it's pretty scary!

Anyways, so you may wonder what all this has to do with this bridge...well, Mutsumi Bridge was used in one of the scenes! More specifically, the very last scene in "Ju-on 2!"

Are you curious enough to watch it?

Click below for photos of (probably) non-horror-related bridges around the world!

Sunday Bridges hosted by Louis

Turn On the Lights

Five minutes till the sun sets.

This is Gracis Tower Tokorozawa on the right and Tokorozawa Skyrise Tower on the left. Sometimes I like seeing how all the windows start to light up.


Take a look at different skies all around the world here.

Reflections

This is the acquarium outside of the restaurant, Tora-fugu Tei, which specializes in Tiger Pufferfish dishes. You can see the buildings on the other side of the street reflecting off the glass!

Although the pufferfish is known to be poisonous, it can be edible when prepared properly, and is a very popular cuisine here in Japan. I don't eat fish so I just watch them swim around from the street.

Have you ever seen a pufferfish before? They actually have a very cute face!


Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

Roof Tops

Tokorozawa is very much a residential area.

Some new residential areas are very spacious, but many of the older residential areas like this are packed with houses, local shops, and other small scale buildings.

Most of the streets don't have sidewalks so drivers need to be careful when they drive. Japan has so many twists and turns, not to mention how narrow the streets are, that I think we have some of the best drivers in the world!

Tully's Teddy Tired

"I've got the Monday blues...," said Teddy.

Kaori nods. "Me, too."

Tully's Coffee

This is the only Tully's Coffee in Tokorozawa. I was there this weekend and had a cup of Honey Milk Latte. I also love their English Toffee Cookie.

Tully's first coffee shop in Japan opened August 1997 in Ginza. Our Tully's opened inside Daiei, our local supermarket, when they renovated the building in 2008.

Although we have a Starbucks closer to the station, a lot of people go to Daiei to shop so it's always full of people. They have seats outside that are popular in the summer. Tully's also has a Kid's Menu, which gives the whole family a chance to enjoy a little break from shopping.

Ready to Slow Down

Here's a little girl who's had a bit too much excitement. She's ready for her nap.

So am I.
Happy Weekend!

Step in Time

Here are the women of Ayame again. They are carrying something called a Dashi.

This is a ornamented float that people carry around during the festivals. Each district has their own traditional dashi, which members carry together and display with great pride.

Usually it's the men who carry the dashi on their shoulders, as it is quite heavy. But the group Ayame, coming from the kanji 'colorful' and 'women' (彩女), is an all-women association. So this is a photo of the energetic women carrying the dashi. They all shout in time to the rhythm of the drums while moving forward slowly in synchronized steps. With the audience participating by shouting out or whistling, it's really very festive.

Tokorozawa Festival

The annual Tokorozawa Festival was this week! So I'll be posting photos of the festival for a few days.

This was part of the opening ceremony in front of Daiei, a Taiko (Japanese drum) performance by the group Ayame. All the Taiko players synchronized their movements, so you could enjoy not only listening to the powerful sound, but also by watching them perform.

Do Re Mi

I found these adorable musical Omamori's at the Yamaha shop.

Omamori's are like good luck charms or amulets that protect you. I'm sure most people have had one at one time or another. The most common Omamori's are for health, studies, or love. This was the first time I'd seen one for music.

I'm thinking about getting one before playing the organ next time.

Gracis Tower Atrium

Okay, I think I'm starting to get obsessed with Gracis Tower Tokorozawa. But I work in real estate so I can't help but be curious about buildings.

I noticed that this building has a 27 story atrium, which means that all the apartment units have several windows. Being able to open windows on both sides of the apartment means that it's cooler in the summer because the air can flow through. Although I'm sure most everyone just closes everything up and switches on their air conditioners.

Under the atrium is a couple of benches and tables. Great place to just sit and rest.

Gracis Tower Shops

To answer Hilda's question, under the clear roof of Gracis Tower Tokorozawa are several shops, restaurants, and medical facilities. It must be nice having them within the apartment building, especially right now during the rainy season.


There is a sign with a list of the tenants in the photo above.

And the photo below is what it looks like at night all lit up. I think I like how it looks better at night.

Gracis Tower Tokorozawa

Gracis Tower Tokorozawa is one of the skyscraper apartment buildings we have near the station.

It is 27 stories high and has 182 units.