This is my submission for the travel experience challenge by @TsekoV
I pretty much stopped travelling after the pandemic started early last year, so I didn’t really have anything recently. I was looking at my past photos and came across these set of photos of my visit to the Fujiko F Fujio museum in Kawasaki, Japan, and I figure it would be a good topic for this week’s challenge.
This trip happened during my transit back to US back in 2019. I had a few days layover in Tokyo, and as usual I didn’t really make any plan. I was actually planning to do some hiking, but the weather was really hot so I discarded the idea. Then I remember hearing about this museum, and I figure I’d give it a visit since it wasn’t too far from Tokyo.
In order to visit the museum, you can’t just show up at the door. They have a limit on attendance, so you need to purchase the admission ticket beforehand. A few minutes of online research, and a LOT of Google Translation, I managed to purchase a ticket, which I had to pick up from a local 7-11 (convenience store). Another problem - the machine was only in Japanese. Again, Google Translate to the rescue!
I had to take a train ride from Kawasaki station to get to the museum. Once I arrived at the destination station, there’s still a bit of walking to do. The great thing about it is that there are signs everywhere directing you to the museum. They’re really making it easy for tourists and locals to find the place.
The walk was quite a breeze and there were shades along the way, so even it was a really hot day, it wasn’t too bad of a walk.
I reached the museum, then await until my admission time before entering. The first part is exhibits of all of Fujiko F Fujio’s work (not just Doraemon). Some of them are original materials, some of them are replicas. There’s also a display of Doraemon manga from the beginning. I remember reading the books back when I was in elementary school. Definitely feeling very nostalgic. We weren’t allowed to take photos, since some of the original works are very delicates, and the flashes might ruin the materials, so I have no photos inside the exhibits. I feel the exhibit part is tailored more for adults, as kids may find them a bit boring.
The second part of the museum is activity based, and tailored more for kids (or adults with kids heart?) There are places where you can watch Doraemon movie, a library to read books, and you can also see diorama of Nobita’s family house. It was quite interesting.
There’s also an outdoor section with character status from Doraemon series. Another cool thing in the museum is a theme cafe. The place is super crowded, so I had to take numbers and wait for a bit before getting seated. I know themed cafes are usually quite pricey, but since I’m already here, I figure why not?
I ordered the toast and a latte. For those that are Doraemon fans might understand right away why there are math problems printed on the bread. In the story, Nobita uses this bread to ‘cheat’ during math exams. The idea is that if you eat the bread with math problems printed on it, then you’ll know the answer without the need to study. I wish I had this when I was a kid 
I also ordered a latte with Doraemon latte art on it. They’re both pretty good (although again, a bit pricey). I also got a collectible coaster that I can take home, which is pretty common giveaway from themed cafe in Japan.
This is basically the end of my adventure in the museum. There’s a gift shop right before the exit, but I didn’t take any photos in it.
Thanks for reading my story, and hopefully it gave you some entertainment. I remember writing the review back then, but for some reason it disappear, so I had to re-write it. You can find my review here.
without studying and passing the test
