Of Mammoth Proportions.

I'm back after a long blogless summer! No excuses, just laziness I reckon.

Anyway, I thought I'd get back into the groove by showing an expose of evil geneticists trying to raise the extinct mammoths a recent trip I made to Miraiken Museum in Odaiba. The excursion was a pleasant coincidence for I'd read that there was a new Mammoth display somewhere in Tokyo but didn't research it any further than that. My friend Dan (the Man) and I changed our travel plans from a trek to Kamakura to a wander around Odaiba. Much to my surprise as we got off the train, a poster for the mammoth stared me in the face.

So we rambled towards the museum. First up, I saw a couple of doggies, mascots for a TV network.

At the Miraikan Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation, I plunked down the cash for the tour and first encountered this juvenile mammoth.

Ooh, this is a great skeleton though it's hard to picture it as woolly.

 Tusk above, tooth below.

Even cooler than a Woolly Mammoth was this Woolly Rhino.

This bison is out of Steppe.

I was hoping for a Saber-tooth Tiger or Smilodon, instead it's merely a cave lion.

Cool, a Lena Horse!

Also, a incredibly well-preserved Mammoth trunk.

The final portion of the exhibition features the future which focuses on research being done at Kindai University. One of the scientists explains the importance of what they do in manga form!

How dramatic!

Speaking of drama, we were permitted to photograph this mammoth-sized mammoth but unable to take pics of the recent discovery (I guess, you'll have to go to the museum yourself to see it.) I just happened to have brought Shin-Kun along (my Shin-Godzilla oven mitt which makes a dandy hand puppet).

Here is Shin-Kun interacting with the mammoth.

Here's a shot of the Mammoth after he was fed up with our annoyance.

 And this is his butt.

As we exited the display, we met this wee fellow.

I took the opportunity to show off my hunting prowess and bagged me a big one!

You can see more about the museum in the following video...



Of course I picked up a few items at the gift shop including two clear-files, a post card,  a mini-hand towel, and a Gatcha-magnet.

I'd be remiss if I didn't comment on the further adventures of Shin-Kun who encounters Gundam!

He wasn't full after gobbling up Gundam, so he snacked upon the mini-Statue of Liberty who rests in Tokyo Bay.

In the shopping arcade of the building known as Diver City (get it?), Shin-Kun also met his hero.

And I scored a pair of King Ghiddorah boxers.

We went from Odaiba to Shinjuku mainly because I finally was in time to dine at the Cafe at the top of the Hotel Gracery. Much to my surprise and delight, the tiny street leading up to it has been renamed.

We sat down and I order a Kahlua/Milk and the specialty of the house.

Yummy! (It tastes like a very rich Easter Bunny.)

Aw, man! I never should have allowed Shin-Kun to get near it.

One is not supposed to go out on the terrace to inspect Godzilla unless one is a guest of the hotel or cafe, so I felt perfectly justified in spending some time with my God(zilla).

I'd never seen these carvings before. Sweet!

Because I'm an adventurous sort, I placed my hand in this spot and sure enough something did happen...



Yay, I freaked out a few visitors by making Godzilla roar! Alas, it was not to be for he roars on the hour and, as I placed my hand in the forbidden zone, it had just turned 5:00 pm. and he didn't do so on my command.

Ah well, at least Shin-Kun got to meet his hero again.

Whoa, so cool! There is now a bus that leaves the Hotel. I don't know where it goes, that's an adventure for another day.

Shin-Kun met up with his pal, Andy in Shibuya and quaffed a pint, a perfect ending to a wonderful day!