Thursday, August 03, 2006

Step Right Up

Japan seems full of theme parks, a title which covers a wide range of places. Some of these are like American theme parks, vast outdoor spaces with rides and rollercoasters and game booths and souvenier shops. Some others of these are just stores with lots and lots of things to buy, like Fashion Theme Park or Toyota Theme Park. Maybe because space is so limited here, they get a real estate tax break if they call their store a Theme Park. Who wouldn't want to go to a Fun Computer Theme Park? Super Excellent Car Wash Theme Park?
We got to experience one of the more American Theme Parks down in Ise Shima, a place called Parque De Espania! It promises to make you feel like you're in Spain, and with the hills and the bay outside the park and the 95 degree heat and crazy humidity, I did feel like I was in Spain. A creepy Japanese version of Spain. The characters that walk around in this 95 degree sauna are much like Universal Studios characters: a tall skinny dog as Don Quixote, a silly chubby rabbit as Sancho Panza, a cute white kitten as Esmerelda (?). And Parades and Roller Coasters and Snow Cones and a full stage show- this was amazing. The show was all in Japanese, and the plot somehow involved a wood fairy whose wood fairy queen was being held prisoner by some evil robot demon with scary robot minions. And only Don Quixote and his wily crew of pals could save them, in a dramatic 15 minute long dance fight. Did I mention it was 95 degrees here, and the poor actors in their full animal costumes had to do the show 3 times a day!
They also had one of the best roller coasters I've ridden, a big twisty fast loopy thing that surprised the hell out of me all 3 times I went on it. There better be a roller coaster like this in the real Spain, or I'm writing to the consulate.
Also amazing: everything in Japanese and Spanish. I am such an ignorant American. I sometimes find myself forgetting the Japanese word for What? and actually saying Que? because I only speak Spanglish and Crapanese. Stay tuned for my Moronomanian once we get to Europe.

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