Hong Kong has lots of street markets. I guess when you have a city packed with families that traditionally preferred proximity to square footage, the shopping finds space in between the buildings. In the case of Stanley Market, the area is a purpose-built structure with a roof.
Things are a bit more laid back here, and the shopping area functions more like a primitive mall than a street market. Prices remain reasonable, but expect mostly "the usual" here. I saw several stores selling luggage (note the backpack store in the first photo) to go along with lots of clothing (especially activewear and underwear) and accessories.
You can most likely find everything here in Kowloon's markets too, but this market is more relaxed, and for those visiting Stanley, it's a nice diversion. The market is located just off the main street in Stanley. Several buses serve the "downtown" area and there are many restaurants in the area for day trippers to have lunch.
I really do love going off the beaten track, and one type of place I frequent is prison and law enforcement museums. The Hong Kong Correctional Service Museum is located in Stanley next to the prison there.
The courtyard holds some of the original wall and a bell.
The museum is first arranged chronologically. It starts about 160 years ago.
The old artifacts are the coolest, including this register of officers' reports.
Old locks from the prison doors.
There are occasional videos to help explain more about the system.
The left photo is of an electro-shock therapy machine; the right image is a criminal fingerprint record.
The top floor tour ends with a replica of the former Stanley Prison. Replica cells are on the left, fake doors on the right.
The first cell on the left is a modern cell. You know, metal bars and stainless steel toilet.
The second cell is of the older building with an original door.
The new cell actually overlooks the gallows, too.
Downstairs are more thematic rooms. Uniforms are a standard.
These are name stamps; stamps are more commonly used in Asia (China and Japan, for example) than signatures. I have an official name stamp for paperwork here.
Every prison museum I've seen has a contraband display. Note the playing cards on the top shelf.
And here's a book with a knife hidden inside.
A homemade sword and shield from a trash can.
Shanks... and a bird cage.
Stanley is a nice smaller town with its own market and a completely different feel from downtown Hong Kong and Kowloon. You could plan a bit of extra time in the area to get more out of the trip; unless you're really into this type of museum you'll probably be disappointed after coming all the way out here. Stanley is kind of out-of-the-way, especially for those with a limited time frame.
The museum is free, open Tuesday-Sunday 10:00-5:00 (closed public holidays).
Regular bus service is available from MTR Hong Kong Station Exit D, at the Exchange Square Bus Terminus. Take bus 6, 6A, 6X, or 260 and get off at Stanley Prison. I used the regular bus service to return to the downtown area.
Minibus service is also an option from Causeway Bay Station Exit C. On Tang Lung Street, catch a #40 minibus and get off at the minibus terminus near the prison. I used the minibus to get there, which is an experience all by itself.
A few months ago I wrote about a group of eight junior high school girls in a rock band that featured five guitarists and three drummers. Coconut Sable, a snack here in Japan, is behind the group, but that doesn't make the music any less interesting. And thanks to "the buzz" their video got over 1.8 million views in the first week alone!
Well, they're back with their new single, and the video is pretty awesome.
As I mentioned, 5572320 (spoken digit by digit in Japanese, so "Go Go Nana Ni San Ni Rei") is a junior high school band, with girls from Ebisu Private Junior High School. Their latest single is titled Ponpara Pecorna Papiyotta, and is about the young teens transitioning toward adulthood. They are trying to figure out whether to embrace or resist the change, and the resulting video is, well, surreal.
It all starts when you sit in the dark in a giant empty room at a school desk with hair that covers your eyes, eating a Japanese snack.
Then, you find yourself on a planet of fire facing an eclipse!
Before long, the poor girls are transported back to a 1980s Devo music video.
This animated "sculpture" head was really awesome.
Let's all dance with giant crackers. (Those are Coconut Sable crackers, and I think they're pretty good. And no I wasn't paid to say that.)
The sculpture head opens to reveal more sculpture heads.
Then, in a dessert, giant streamers erupt from your head which attack a giant cracker in the sky. And everybody has seizures.
It's time to rock in giant marshmallow costumes!
You have brought forth magma demons...
The giant rock school girl will save us all!
Seriously, the video was something I had to watch a couple times. It's amazing what happens inside of a junior high school girl's head when she eats a cracker, huh?
While most of you who normally read this blog don't know very much about Japanese music production, there are a bunch of "big" names attached: Yoko Kanno, an award-winning producer of anime and commercial music; KenKen, from RIZE; Hideki Aoyama, a drummer who was a part of (the totally awesome) Babymetal; Tsuneo Imahori, a guitarist; and director Sojiro Kamatani, who has been a part of other big commercials here.
Happy listening! 5572320's official website is here, and I believe if you have a Japanese iTunes account you can find the song there. I'm a bit behind on posting this, so by the time this post goes live it looks like the new video (seen above) will have already passed one million views.
This reminds me that I really want to go see a J-Pop performance live...
Hong Kong is probably more well-known through its role in cinema than actual tourism, at least as far as Americans go. The images of its modern skyline and the gritty feel of Kowloon - especially the Walled City - both serve to set a specific tone for a film.
But there are plenty of famous names to go with those places, and the Avenue of the Stars looks to honor them.
A recent development located along the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront at Hong Kong Harbor, the Avenue opened in 2004 with a great view of the iconic skyline across the water.
Various "props" are set up to take advantage of the view, allowing visitors to create interactive scenes. The first image in this post is a 4.5-meter tall replica of the Hong Kong Film Awards statuette.
Some statues are also out which you can pose with.
The most popular might be Bruce Lee in a classic fighting pose. When I visited, there were plenty of tourists hoping to get a picture in front of this and the other statues.
That includes this director's chair and "set".
I don't really know/remember what's up with the pig. The camera makes for a nice entrance, while that funky steampunk-looking thing is actually a small kiosk for food or souvenir sales.
The squares honoring the film stars look like this. Performers get their hand prints immortalized similar to the Chinese Theater in Hollywood, plus a fancy star similar to Hollywood's Walk of Fame.
Bruce Lee wasn't alive to give his hands.
Jackie Chan
John Woo
Jet Li
Maggie Cheung
Michelle Yeoh
The Hong Kong Walk of Fame Avenue of the Stars is actually closed now through 2018 for redevelopment. The statues are being moved to the "Garden of the Stars" at Tsim Sha Tsui East Waterfront Podium Garden, and an exhibit is being set up at exit 1 of East Tsim Sha Tsui Station.
It'll be interesting to see what the redeveloped Avenue looks like when it is reopened in late 2018.
