Tuesday, April 30, 2024

Spirited Away Guide: Exploring the Magical Bathhouse

spirited away bath house

In an interview for Animage magazine, Miyazaki talks a bit about his fascination with bathhouses. "For me, a bath house is a mysterious place in town. The first time I saw an oil painting was in a bath house. And there was a small door next to the bath tub. I wondered what was behind that door," he says. Because he found this bathhouse captivating, he wrote "a story about a young man the same age as [Chihiro]," but when it came time to present it as a possible film, the concept was rejected. He maintained his fascination with bathhouses, adamant that there was a story worth telling behind that "small door next to the bath tub." Sekizenkan is the oldest hot spring hotel in Japan, and is also an important cultural property of Gunma Prefecture.

Streets, Stairs, And Red Lanterns

Chihiro notices that the greedy, negative emotions present in the Bathhouse affected No-Face, so she lured him out to help him revert to his original form. The top floor (天 ten, lit. heaven) has two doors, with the right one having a talking door knocker. The left door is never opened, but the right door is home to Yubaba's office and Boh's room. It is an opulently-built, largely unoccupied space lined with expensive vases accentuated by intricate architecture.

spirited away bath house

Real Japanese Hot Spring Hotels That Inspired the Spirited Away Bathhouse

This large/small combination seems to symbolize overflowing desire and the weak spirit unable to control it. Although he swallows other characters, he regurgitates them just as they are, which may show that knowledge and experience cannot truly be made one’s own. In India, where Buddhism originated, it was thought that only animals were able to advance to the stage of becoming a Buddha.

A Journey into the World of ‘Spirited Away’: Sekizenkan of Shima Onsen, Japan

The floors above ground level are numbered in a special manner that incorporates use of the words "天", literally meaning "heaven" and "地", literally meaning "ground". It is shown in the film that the Bathhouse does have working, one-way elevators that travel to some of the floors if not all the floors by the pull of a lever. At “Sekizenkan,” there are four different baths available, allowing guests to enjoy a hot spring tour within the facility. In 1895, Taiwan became Japan's first colony, so Japan wanted to try to show off to the rest of the world that they could do the whole normally-Western-but-not-this-time imperialism sort of thing. They decided to make Taiwan a "model" colony for all their future colonies, so much effort and money was put into building up Taiwan's infrastructure, industry, standard of living, and economy.

She is then seen pacing on the bridge entrance to The Bathhouse with a contract in her hand, waiting for Chihiro and Haku's return with her son. Having completed her deal with Haku and with the contract destroyed, Yubaba spitefully tells Chihiro to leave. Unlike her workers and son, Yubaba does not bid a friendly farewell to Chihiro, but nonetheless remains to see her off. In the end, she simply places gold over most things, causing others to disagree with her due to their varying mindsets. For breakfast, just like dinner, you can enjoy it in a private room with a beautiful view. You can lock it from the inside for privacy, and if it’s unoccupied, you’re free to enter anytime.

spirited away bath house

The park looks breathtaking, inviting its visitors to "take a stroll, feel the wind, and discover the wonders" that it has to offer. It boasts a lack of large theme park rides in exchange for a more environmental, exploratory experience. The fictional landscapes that serve as the backdrops for the films of Studio Ghibli are bursting with inventiveness and creativity, whether it’s the otherworldly sights of Spirited Away or the lush forests of My Neighbour Totoro. These are cinematic creations unlike any other and a testament to the talent and imagination of their creators. Located in the Meguro area of Tokyo, Gajoen is not only a hotel, but also a wedding and dining venue. You can witness the meticulous craftsmanship of the Showa era through the luxuriantly carved pillars made from heritage trees, as well as the lavish ceilings, walls, and glass windows.

Usually in Taiwan you don't see this many odd people gathered all in one place. This isn't a bad thing – I think weird is great (where's my "Keep Jiufen Weird" bumper sticker?) – what's interesting to me is that there's potential that some inspiration for Spirited Away could have come from Jiufen. Most people just mention the streets and architecture when making the Spirited Away / Jiufen comparison, but I think I'm onto something here. Illustration by Ben AndrewsAnother thing I noticed were the tunnels all throughout Jiufen. It was a mining community for most of its recent history, so it's only natural that there be tunnels. One thing that surprised me were the tunnels that you could go through in Jiufen.

From most other cities on Shikoku, you’ll have to connect to that line in Tadotsu. Therefore, if you’re traveling from Kochi, for example, it’s easier to take the Nangoku Express Bus (about 2.5 hours / prices vary). The imposing castle you can see standing on Katsuyama Hill from all over the city was originally built in the early 17th century by feudal lord Katō Yoshiaki and is one of Japans best-preserved medieval castle-complexes. Various historic buildings, including the intricate keep, remain and the ramparts offer fantastic views over the city. If you’re in Taiwan and you like Spirited Away, this place is a must!

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Yubaba is Zeniba's younger twin sister and, as such, is almost completely identical to her. She has an inhumanly large figure and a large mound of gray hair combed into a bun-like style. Her age is never stated, but Yubaba is very wrinkly, most likely ancient. She has dark brown eyes accentuated with lavender eye shadow as well as a prominent crooked nose drawing attention to a bindi-like mole between her eyebrows. She also wears golden earrings identical to those of her twin sister's.

Quiet scenes of inaction, where a character might glance off into the distance or sit quietly, are a common occurrence in Miyazaki’s films. In an interview with Roger Ebert, Miyazaki explained the usefulness of these. Chihiro finds a bicycle handle sticking out the gunky creature’s side.

At the start of Spirited Away, Chihiro’s father gets lost and takes the wrong road. This pattern of traveling along a mistaken path as a route to entering an entirely different world is very similar to Dante’s Divine Comedy. While Chihiro’s voyage is not on the same scale, it does an excellent job of presenting Japan’s unique spiritual world. In Japanese tradition, words are thought to have a spiritual power, which is called kotodama. According to this belief, when certain words are spoken, their hidden power can affect the real world in a variety of ways. The idea of kotodama could still be said to feed into the creative background for Japanese poetry.

It was once the centre of Taiwan’s gold rush, but later, when Taiwan was colonised by Japan, it was used to hold a prisoner of war camp during World War II, during which many prisoners worked in the gold mines. Consequently, the place has a strong, storied sense of historical weight, making it the ideal muse for Spirited Away’s counterpart, which exists outside of human space and time. Visitors who flock to the real-life area may recognise sights that can be seen in the movie – red lanterns, gorgeous Asian architecture, winding steps and plenty of food stalls which, unlike the film, won’t transform you into a pig. Bathhouses are a Japanese institution, and Ghibli films have always reflected Japan’s cultural identity, whether it’s the everyday (My Neighbours The Yamadas, 1999) or the more mythical (Pom Poko, 1994). It is widely believed that the bathhouse in Spirited Away was greatly influenced by Dogo Onsen, a venerable building in Matsuyama dating back to the late 19th century.

It’s a fun place for a short stroll or to sit down and watch the countless colourful Koi Carps swimming around its ponds. I recommend checking it out while you’re making your way up Castle Hill. More offbeat sights include a mechanical clock full of literary characters and a Ferris wheel sitting atop a Shopping Mall. We came to Matsuyama at the end of our trip through Shikoku and felt like it was a fitting conclusion to a journey full of intriguing contradictions. While this is true for much of Taiwan and not just Jiufen, there were dragons on top of the temple right when you get off the bus. The character No-Face (Kaonashi) has no voice of his own, instead, using the voices of those he swallows.

It is first shown during Chihiro's elevator ride through the building complex with the Radish Spirit. A long hallway with rooms separated by rice paper wooden doors line the second floor. They also seem quite popular with customers, as seen when all rooms are occupied Chihiro arrives on the level. The ground floor (地 ji, lit. ground) is seemingly dedicated to kitchens and customer-use baths.

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