D#012 Tonarino

If you love Japan like I do, Tonarino is without any doubts one place that you MUST visit in Second Life.

Tonarino, created by 秋元のん (n0rik0), is the representation of a Japanese town that mixes traditional, rural elements with modern.

My visit started at the Tonarino train station and from there I walked down the main road towards the heart of the little town, passing by some beautiful cultivated fields, a typical Japanese restaurant, a small café with a delightful reading corner and a super market. 








At the end of the road lies a little port and an adjacent fish market and from there, another small road leads to the town garage/mechanic and, again, to the cultivated fields. 




Next to the mechanic, a stone staircase leads to the raised part of the town characterized by some typical small Japanese houses located on its sides, that deserve to be explored. At the end of the staircase there is a small market and some tiny but very picturesque shops as well as a little square where two cats are performing in a show. 







Keep these cats in mind because this place holds a little surprise for its visitors...

From the square, a small path leads to a temple and a couple kiosks where visitors can get some gifts and also purchase a "small blessing" which is basically a notecard with some "predictions" on love, health, work, money and travel. 

My notecard reads this: 

 小吉 / Small Blessing

[恋愛/LOVE]

追うな。逃げられる。/ Don't chase. escape.

[健康/HEALTH]

良い医者に出会う。治る。/ A good doctor is found. Get better.

[仕事/WORK]

売り買いともに利益あり。/ Both sales and buying are profitable.

[金運/MONEY]

欲を出すと損をする。/ It loses when it puts out greed.

[旅行/TRAVEL]

慌てないほうが良い。/ Don't jump the gun. take your time.

Considering I picked this one absolutely by chance (I clicked a random number without even thinking) and my actual situation well... I found this to be very interesting!  What does yours say?



From the temple, I walked some other stone staircase down back to the main road and I could continue my visit to the rest of the town. 

Next to a playground, I met an old man selling Daruma dolls and I could not resist and got myself one. From Wikipedia, Daruma dolls are a hollow, round, Japanese traditional doll modelled after Bodhidharma, the founder of the Buddhism Zen tradition. These bearded dolls are typically red but may vary in colour and design depending on the region and the artist who made them and, although some consider them a toy, they are traditionally seen as a talisman of good luck by the Japanese. 

Make sure to get yours, I find them very beautiful.



Along the way, I came across a small farm next to what seems to be a motel - currently in disuse. I could not resist taking a picture with the cows that were coming out of the fence to graze nearby. A nearby level crossing to signal the possible passage of a train to conclude my exploration of the town. 



A beautiful bridge connects the town to a new area that seems to be under construction. A valid reason to come back in the future to see what will be built over there.


My conclusion: this is the best representation of a small Japan town that I had the opportunity to visit in Second Life so far. The care put in the decoration of the various places, the details of the different buildings, the whole "ensemble" literally transported me to Japan, to one of those coastal little villages that I dream of visit in real life one day and that I could only see in one of the many videos on YouTube. 


I only have to start learning Japanese now to understand what the many signs scattered around the sim mean. Also the temple and the altars, does anyone know what they refer to? Please leave a comment if you know :) 

I spoke about a surprise earlier. If you love cats like I do, you surely have noticed there are so many all around the sim. Next to the mechanic there is a tunnel. You might want to click on the big cat figure, it will bring you to Nekomachi Street, another MUST VISIT place (check my post here). Enjoy! 

Oh, before I forget. The creator of Tonarino has her own shop on sim, Shifuku. Make sure to pay it a visit! 


INFOS

Name: Tonarino

URL: Tonarino

Flickr: Tonarino Flickr


ABOUT SHIFUKU

URL: Shifuku Store

Flickr: Shifuku Flickr

Facebook: Shifuku Facebook

Website: Shifuku Website


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