SATSUKI AND MEI'S HOUSE, AICHI, JAPAN

サツキとメイの家 . 사쓰키와 메이의 집 . 小月和小梅的家

After a short bus tour of the Expo 2005 Aichi Commemorative Park, we got down at the Japanese Garden 日本庭園 bus stop.

 

 

We took a 5-min walk from the bus stop to the Satsuki and Mei's House reception area. It was really hot and I was sweaty and getting tired.

 

Passing by the Japanese Teahouse 茶室 (香流亭)

Matcha and Japanese sweet for 500円

 



Continuing our walk to Satsuki and Mei's House, following the signs

We reached the ticketing booth

Aunt Chihiro met us here, and I was feeling shy to see her again after some time. Aunt Chihiro is treating us to a visit to this famous house.

We were in group A



Waiting area for the visit

Past the gates...

Was the house!

Mom said I could explore the house on my own, and I had so much fun at the well. I had never seen the animation film, so Aunt Chihiro said we could watch it at her house later.

 

Dad's study room

The kitchen

The bus stop

Aunt Chihiro said this was where Totoro came out from

After the visit, Aunt Chihiro drove us to her house for a break, and then dropped us off at Hoshigaoka Terrace 星が丘テラス during dinner time.

 

The bridge connects the West terrace to the East

Me getting tired and grumpy because Grandma wanted to shop first



There's also the Mitsukoshi 星ヶ丘三越 department store

Dinner at Kaiten Sushi Uochu 回転寿司ダイニング魚忠

 

That was not all that we ate

Every kid diner gets a free turn at the capsule machine



 

 

Mom's Notes

• To know more about the animation film "My Neighbour, Totoro となりのトトロ" produced by Studio Ghibli 株式会社スタジオジブリ and written by Hayao Miyazaki 宮﨑 駿, check out this fan blog
• The house was very small, so visitors were split into 2 groups, and would take turns to visit the inside of the house
• I think it would have been more meaningful to have had watched the anime first before visiting the house ... but it's never too late to catch up
• I always love visiting Hoshigaoka Terrace when I am in Nagoya, as the place gives off a different but nice vibe, and it's usually not crowded. Plus it's nice to sit in Nana's Green Tea for a chat with friends

 

About the Visit

• Tickets can be purchased in advance online (ticket sales start on the 10th of each month), or on-site on the day of the visit; do arrive earlier to secure your tickets on-site, and advance purchase is recommended during peak periods
• Please decide and select the timing and the date of your visit
• Arrive 15 mins before the start of your scheduled visit
• Each visit slot is restricted to 30 mins, and each slot can take up to 50 persons only
• The timings of the visit can be found here, under "観覧時間", with more slots available during weekends
• No photography is permitted inside the house due to space constraints
• If all tickets are sold out, there is a viewing platform nearby to see the house

  

     Address:    〒480-1342　愛知県長久手市茨ケ廻間乙1533-1

     Tel:           0561-64-1130
     Directions: Refer to this blog post

                      10-min walk from the park's west entrance 公園西入口

 

     Opening Hours: Weekdays 10am - 4.30pm

                             Weekends and Public Holidays 9.30am - 4.30pm

                             Closed every Monday, and Dec 29 - Jan 1

                             Opens during the seasonal breaks. If the public holiday falls on a

                             Monday, the house will be closed on a Tuesday instead

     Admission Fees: Adult 510円 / Child (above 4 years old) 250円

 

 

EXPO 2005 AICHI COMMEMORATIVE PARK, AICHI, JAPAN

愛・地球博記念公園 . 아이・치큐하쿠 기념공원 . 爱知世博纪念公园

Today, we left Kyoto for Nagoya.

I was excited to meet Aunty Chihiro in Nagoya again!

 

Back to Kyoto Station for breakfast

Breakfast @ Café Du Monde カフェデュモンド and Mister Donut ミスタードーナツ, Level 2

We were taking the 11.33am Hikari shinkansen ひかり新幹線, so we had some time for shopping at Kyoto Station.

 

Mom bought lots of Kanbanyashi tea 上林直営小売店 from JR Istean 京都伊勢丹

 

Finally, time to board the shinkansen for Nagoya!

I was so excited because it was my first time taking a shinkansen!

 

Finding our way to Platform 11
Shinkansen regular one-way (KYO-NGO) ticket prices - Adult 5070円 / Child 2530円

37 mins later, we reached Nagoya

Bye bye super fast train!

After we checked into our hotel near Nagoya station 名古屋駅, we had lunch first before taking another train ride.

 

Grandma had saba set 650円, Mom had kitsune udon 350円, I had katsu tamago teishoku 690円

 

Mom said we were going to the Expo 2005 Aichi Commemorative Park 愛・地球博記念公園, also known as the Moricoro Park モリコロパーク, which was a special and memorable place for Mom because she was working at the Expo for about 4 months in 2005. I asked Mom if she lived in Nagoya before I was born, and what an Expo was...

 

From Nagoya station, take the Higashiyama line 東山線 to...

...The last station - Fujigaoka Station 藤が丘駅 (30 mins) and go to Exit 3 ...

... Down the steps to the Linimo リニモ station

Linimo train stops and fares (numbers below are child fares)

This MAGLEV train has no driver

At the Expo Aichi Commemorative Park Station 愛・地球博記念公園駅 14 mins later

Head to Exit 5, where you will see this panel

View of the park from Exit 5

It was a very hot day today, and Mom said we would take the FREE park shuttle bus 園内無料バス to tour the park, as well as go to our destination later.

 

Next to the Linimo station was the Global Citizen Centre 地球市民交流センター Gymnasium

Buying Yakult first for the hot day; 2 bottles for 90円

Waiting for the park shuttle bus in the shade, near the convenience store

Looking out at the large park
Shuttle bus bus stand circled in red

Shuttle bus timing and route can be found here

 

At 2.50pm, the bus moved off with 5 passengers inside, including us.

 

Ice skating rink アイススケート場

Expo Museum 愛・地球博記念館
Unfortunately, not enough time to pop in for a visit

Flower Square Lounge 花の広場休憩所

Ferris Wheel 大観覧車

Amusement rides at the Ferris Wheel

I was so hoping to go to the Children's Plaza - Water Area こどものひろば-水のエリア,
but Mom said she did not bring any change of clothes

 

Ice Skating Rink アイススケート場 and Heated Swimming Pool 温水プール

Kaede Pond かえで池

And this is our stop about 20 mins later - Japanese Garden 日本庭園

Continue to read about our visit to the Satsuki and Mei's House サツキとメイの家 in the park!

 

 

 

Mom's Notes

• Check the Shinkansen time schedule here
• Note that separate train tickets need to be bought to take the Linimo, and IC cards like Manaca マナカ, Toica トイカ, one-day rail passes cannot be used here. Linimo has its own one-day train pass (Adult 800円 / Child 400円) and the train schedules can be found here
• Taking the shuttle bus is the best way to move around the large park, or otherwise, a bicycle can be rented at the cycling station near the park entrance
• Commentary is provided onboard the shuttle bus, but in Japanese
• With lots of possible activities in the park, a day-trip would be more fulfilling, and during summer, bring along lots of water, slap on sunscreen and a hat as the sun and the heat was really scorching and there were few shady areas to take a respite from the heat
• I was told the park gets very crowded during the weekends and school holidays, so please take that into consideration when planning a visit there
• Click through for the park map (Japanese) or park map (English; somewhat fuzzy)
• To learn more about the World Expo that took place in Nagoya in 2005, click here (English) or here (Japanese)

 

 

     Address:    〒480-1342　愛知県長久手市茨ケ廻間乙1533-1

     Tel:           0561-64-1130
     Directions: As above. Or, take the Meitetsu Bus 名鉄バス and alight at the Expo 2005

                     Aichi Commemorative Park Station 愛・地球博記念公園駅

     Opening Hours:  Apr-Oct 8am - 7pm
                             Nov-Mar 8am - 6.30pm

                             Click here for the timings of the other facilities in the park

     Admission to the park is free. Fees apply for some facilities within the park.