Pop Japan Travel has extended the deadline to sign up for its Mind Over Manga Tour to July 21, to give new customers a chance to sign up to meet guest Nizo Yamamoto, the art director for PRINCESS MONONOKE, GRAVE OF THE FIREFLIES, CASTLE IN THE SKY and many more -- and to visit Nippon Animation, producer of the historic World Masterpiece Theater anime series, HUNTER X HUNTER, and more.
It was at Nippon Animation that Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata (together with Yamamoto) worked on the beloved FUTURE BOY CONAN and ANNE OF GREEN GABLES before founding Studio Ghibli.
This tour will be unforgettable for any anime fan -- especially of Studio Ghibli. It also includes full airfare from Los Angeles to Tokyo (land-only package available), full hotel accommodations, bilingual guides, a backstage visit to the Comitia indie manga event, Hayao Miyazaki's Ghibli Museum, special discounts at all the top otaku shopping spots and a whirlwind tour of Tokyo from the traditional to the ultra-modern.
In Tokyo, visit the temples of Asakusa and Meiji Shrine to the neon madness of Shibuya and Shinjuku to the artistic dynamism of Harajuku, and of course the otaku Mecca and Medina, Akihabara and Nakano. And when night falls, look down over Tokyo from the heights of Mori Tower.
Yamamoto, an anime legend, will talk to you about his long career, which includes films as different as PERFECT BLUE and LUPIN III: THE CASTLE OF CAGLIOSTRO. He'll even introduce his art staff on THE GIRL WHO LEAPT THROUGH TIME, and he'll sit down for autographs and to answer your questions.
The tour also goes to some special side trips as additional tour options: the Tsukiji Fish Market to find out where your sushi comes from -- and to sample the freshest you've ever tasted ($60). Roppongi Kingyo, a one-of-a-kind midnight burlesque that blends Eastern tradition, neo-Tokyo theatricality and a very edgy sense of humor with hyperkinetic dance and lights (Over 18 only, $88). And finally the Chofu Fireworks Festival, with summer food, fun and a stunning pyrotechnic display over the Tama River ($30).
But if that still isn't enough for you, the tour offers an optional extension of the tour to include Japan's ancient capital of Kyoto, a stunning city every world traveler should see at least once, and the energetic second city of Osaka. Hop the bullet train across Japan, an experience in itself, then take a private bus tour of Kyoto, to see the ancient Kiyomizu Temple and its local market with shops centuries-old; the notorious Kinkakuji (Golden Pavilion); Nijo Castle, the Tokugawa retreat where the last shogun fatefully handed over power to the emperor in 1867; and the traditional markets of downtown.
Then the next day take a ride through the forested western mountains on the Hozu River, ending in Arashiyama, whose beautiful hills and bamboo groves had inspired classical poets for centuries even before the famed Matsuo Basho, inventor of the haiku, stopped by.
Finally experience the boisterous hospitality of Osaka, with trips to its massive canalside shopping districts -- and who knows, maybe some more manga and anime icons will be along for the ride.
PJT will even take you deep into western Japan to the riverside city of Hiroshima, to visit the Genpaku Dome, the only building left standing after the atomic bombing of August 6, 1945, the important and moving Peace Museum, and the holy Shinto island of Miyajima, renowned as one of Japan's three most beautiful natural wonders.
The tour base price is $2,198 plus a $235 fuel surcharge. The Kyoto and Osaka option is $898 additional, including bullet train, hotel and guided tours. Hiroshima is an additional $100. All other options priced as marked. Tour activities are subject to change.
Sign up now at www.popjapantravel.com. The deadline is July 21. Mind Over Manga takes you further into the world of manga than you thought possible, with a booth at Comitia, Japan's most respected original dojinshi (self-printed comics) event. You'll have a backstage pass to the Tokyo Big Sight, free to browse the wares of Japan's most creative indie and professional artists with support from bilingual guides.
