Thread by @toranosukev

Visited Tobu World Square yesterday - a theme park near Nikko featuring models of famous buildings from around the world. Kind of cheesy, I guess, but kind of cool. My main purpose in going, ofc, was my interest in seeing their new model of Sui gusuku (Shuri castle).

Very much looking forward to visiting Shuri again. We'll see when that ends up happening.

Some sites of modern Japan: the Tokyo National Museum, Akasaka Palace, Imperial Hotel (Frank Lloyd Wright), and Tokyo Station.

Some sights from a rather jumbled up mini-Manhattan.

Highlights from the canon of historical Japanese architecture: Tôdaiji main Buddha Hall (largest wooden building in the world), Itsukushima Shrine, the Shishinden of the Kyoto Imperial Palace, and Hôryû-ji (incl. oldest wooden buildings in the world).

The Namdaemun Gate (Nat'l Treasure #1) and a very abbreviated portion of the Gyeongbokgung royal palace in Seoul.

Even the model of the Forbidden City was huge.

Some monuments from across Asia: the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, Wat Arun in Thailand, and the Masjid e-Emam in Isfahan, Iran, where I don't expect I'll ever be able to visit.

Piazza San Marco in Venice, the Eiffel Tower, and Notre Dame.

The Parthenon in Athens, St. Peters in the Vatican, Dover Castle in England, and that one Norwegian church that seems to always be the one same famous example.

Abu Simbel, the Sphinx, some pyramids, and of course the Great Wall of China.

One thing I found interesting about World Square was the choice to have the figures/crowds be almost always modern tourists, and not historical scenes. Even in the Shuri castle and Forbidden City models, it was clear these were reenactment events with modern people as spectators.

Highlights, I guess, the touristy aspect of visiting these sites from around the world and just seeing and enjoying them, hyping them up as tourist destinations, rather than as sites from particular historical periods or contexts.

In any case, a fun time. But, now, back home and back to work :)