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Saturday 19th April 2008
MOSI – Gunther von Hagens’ Body Worlds 4 – The Original Exhibition of Real Human Bodies

Arriving at the Museum of Science and Industry and seeing the queue at the box office, I knew that the interest for this exhibition had reached everyone. This is the exhibition that showcases bodies that have been under the Plastination method.
“Plastination is the process of extracting all bodily fluids and soluble fat from specimens and replacing them with vacuum forced impregnation with reactive resins and elastometers, such as rubber, silicon and epoxy. The specimen is then cured with light, heat or certain gases, which give it rigidity and permanence.”
On entering the exhibition, you are greeted with glass cases, each with body parts in them and a short description of each. Also on your right as you enter you are greeted with a full size plastinate human body in a glass case. Seeing it isn’t an issue until about half a second later when you think ‘that…. is a real human body… stripped to its’ muscle and bone….’.
The exhibition was very well thought out, and very informative. It starts out at the top of the body and works down. The exhibition begins with a look at the head and all the bone structure there – such as the smallest bones in the human body that are in the ear. You also see brain tissue and slides of the structure of the brain. Moving through the body, the exhibition also has some amazing displays of real bodies in some amazing positions – such as the Swimmer – and from this you can see exactly which muscles are at work and basically how the body would work together to help propel the body along. There is also another body that has been cut up/sliced and then displayed with all these sections apart. Other amazing displays is of a body which has been stripped of tissue/muscles and bone and all that is shown is the intricacies of the nerve system in the body – the detail is amazing. Near the end of the exhibition, there is a full size male Gorilla – displayed, stood, in an upright position – both frightening – the size of the creature – and amazing.
I was very impressed with this exhibition and think it really has to be seen to believed!

Saturday 19th April 2008
Sapporo Teppanyaki Restaurant – Sushi and Noodle Bar

Coming to this restaurant after I had been to MOSI to see plastinacized human bodies, you’d think I wouldn’t be hungry!! But, I found I wasn’t as squeamish as I’d thought I’d be (see previous post/review) plus the setting and atmosphere of this restaurant took me away from all that. The restaurant, on first impressions, has a very ‘trendy bar’ feel to it as soon as you walk in. But then around the corner you see the tables set out around the hot plates/place where the chefs cook, right in front of you in a nice restaurant feel. Being intolerant/allergic to alcohol (there goes one of my ‘student duties’ to drink myself stupid unfulfilled) I went for a tasty non-alcoholic cocktail called ‘Sapporo Punch’ that was very fruity and tasty. My other half also decided to join me on this and ordered a ‘Blushing Geisha’, which arrived in a glass which could, if you judged people by their drinks, was way camper/girlie than mine!
Anyways onto the food and service. The service was awesome. The staff were all polite and very friendly and we were seated very comfortably with 16 other people around the two hot plates. As we were seated the two chefs for our table had already started to cook the other diners. I ordered a salmon sushi starter and the other half went for chicken rolls. For main courses, I went for King Prawn with noodles and the other half went for Sirloin Steak and noodles. As soon as we had ordered, the chefs started their show. They each had a big metal fork and big metal spatula, which they juggled in the air and spun on their fingers and hit the hot plates – all like a big percussion juggling show. One of them then started to spin eggs on the hot plate and swiftly and effortlessly scooped up into the air with their spatula and caught them in their shirt pockets and the final one into their hat. Heating up the hot plate was even more impressive. They turned off the lights that surrounded our table and on each hot plate poured liquor onto it while lighting it – cheesy 80’s hair metal pyrotechnics this was not!
Along with slicing/flipping fried egg from one side of the hot plate into a bowl on the other side and flipping potato slices into diners mouths (yes I am not joking… I caught mine first time!) and also not forgetting to mention, the amazing food, this place is definitely the place to go with loved ones or friends, if you all fancy a nice meal with a difference! Sorry this ending was a bit abrupt, but seriously I could go on and on about this place.. but I recommend you go and experience it for yourself! A show and great food in one, what more could you ask for? ☺