Alright, since I received some personal messages from my friends in Indonesia, I think it’s safe for me to say this.
Probably some of you might have known that I was auditioned as one of the host for the TV Show Quiz Surprise Japan in Waku Waku Japan Channel. They just aired the episodes which I took part in these past few weeks. I was taken to Akihabara and Kyoto for filming. I’d love to share my experience in Kyoto in this post.
PS: If you’re looking for the quiz answer in my blog post, you’re wrong. I’m not going to say anything about it.
I was working with a lot awesome people. The director Tsukahara-san was really nice! I did filming several times in Japan, but I never worked with female director before. She’s really like a big sister for me. And the crew were all professional. Thank you so much for taking care of me during 3 days and 2 nights in Kyoto.
It was not the first time I went to Kyoto. The first time I went to Kyoto, it was only a day. I can’t really explore the city, so this is actually a great opportunity. I did not bring my camera because I came for work, I don’t want to be distracted and look unprofessional. Therefore, all the photos here are taken with iPhone (mine or the producers), so please bear with the quality.
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We filmed in a lot of location during those 3 days. So I’ll just go through it quickly. They’re all famous tourism spots.
First Location : Tenryuuji temple
Admission: 500 yen for gardens, additional 100 yen to enter buildings
Ranked among Kyoto’s five great Zen temple, Tenryuji is the largest and most impressive temple in Arashiyama. Inside the building, there’s a huge painting of a dragon in the ceiling. No matter where you stand in the room, the dragon’s eyes will always look at you! It’s believed that the dragon is protecting the temple from fire.
There’s a beautiful garden too in the temple
You can see the mountain Arashiyama from the garden
This is Tsuru-san, one of the producer. He’s so nice and he helped me a lot, taught me where to stand, where to pose, and how to show a proper reaction.
Second Location: Arashiyama Bamboo Groove.
Arashiyama bamboo groove is only 10 minutes walk from Tenryuuji temple. You can see beautiful scenery when you walk there.
No words needed, this place is stunning! We went there at 7:30 in the morning so there was no people there. But normally, it’s really crowded.
Third Location: Togetsukyo (Togetsukyo Bridge)
The Togetsukyo Bridge (lit. “Moon Crossing Bridge”) is Arashiyama’s most iconic landmark. It’s really pretty during the cherry blossom season or autumn. However, I went there during summer. Nothing to see hahaha only green…
Forth Location: Toei Uzumasa Eigamura
Admission fee: 2200¥
東映太秦映画村 also known as Kyoto Studio Park or Movie Land is a film set and theme park. This theme park is made similarly with the town during Edo Period. Therefore, this park is commonly used for filming. You can dress as samurai, shinsengumi, hime, etc by paying aroung 8000¥-20000¥. I was dressed as a Hime (princess), but I’m not going to post the photo here because it’s too embarrassing.
To be honest, this is the scariest and the most challenging part of the filming. There’s a haunted house おばけ屋敷 inside this theme park. Originally, I had to go in by myself (a small handheld camera was given to me so I can record myself).
I was so scared because Japanese haunted house is really scary. So after begging Tsukahara-san, one cameraman and Tsukahara-san herself agreed to go in with me. However, they’ll stay in a distance. At the end, I was alone. I had to record myself too.
You need to pay additional 500¥ to go inside the haunted house.
It was so scary!!! I think I screamed a lot (not crying!). I was afraid that I might make the viewers deaf with my scream. Unluckily (or luckily) there was a problem with the camera that I used to film myself. So I’m not sure if they’re showing the footage of me inside the haunted house. If you watched the episode already, please let me know! :DD
These are the actors who work in the theme park. If you’re lucky, you might catch their performance in the street inside the theme park.
There’s also a theatre inside the theme park where you can enjoy a ninja show. It’s not a real ninja. What’s so unique about this ninja show is… they’re combining 3D video mapping and the actors’ acrobatic talent.
Those place are such a great and beautiful place. If you’re coming to Kyoto, I recommend you to visit those places.
My adventure in Kyoto does not end like this. I just can’t write everything in one post. It will be too long! So, stay tune for my next post. Probably I’ll post sometime next week.
Lastly! If you’re in Indonesia, don’t forget to watch Quiz Surprise Japan, every Saturday night 8 PM only on Waku Waku Japan Channel. Watch the show and answer the quiz, you might win some interesting prices!
Have a good night, fellas!