"Hello everybody in the 21st century! This is IYAPOPOLIS which is the capital of the earth in the 31st century. This is the parallel-world, where it's the same month and the same day as your world but the year is exactly 1000years later.
* Please enjoy the tale of fighting and adventure in this city."
You awaken to find yourself standing at the base of the technoruins of Iyapopolis, the vaporware megacity buried deep beneath the broken frames of Web 1.0 architecture. Be wary of which link you click--each unfolds into a sprawling labyrinth of animated .gifs as inscrutable as the accompanying text.
You are drawn to the page marked Junko's Strange Trip. "Trip" is an appropriate descriptor--the psychedelic vision quest follows Junko, a purple-haired schoolgirl and her entourage of talking animals as they encounter crying space plants, mind-melting aliens and evolving angels. It's like Alice in Wonderland written by Jodorowsky.
So choose your own adventure and I'll see you on the other side.
I contacted the architect of Iyapopolis, Mr. Popolin Owl, to explain his creation in his own poetic words. The following e-mail log has been edited for brevity but not for clarity.
Popolin Owl: Good morning. Thank you for your mail.
I've read the Interview... I see. I'll answer them.
I'm not so good at English, so I'll answer 1 or 2 questions in one week.
I'm very sorry.
Ceiling Gallery: Who are you, and how did you start Iyapopo?
Hm... I'm a very ordinary office worker.
I'm Poporin Owl in the web, and is t_fukuda in the real world.
I think that I'm a person, who expresses creativeness.
(Hm. ...Or, I wish, I am.)
At June 1998, Iyan and I started Iyapopo.
At that time, Iyapopo was a site for publish of add-on maps of Duke Nukem 3D and my illustrations.
Where did you learn English?
High school. and University. Then, Mr. 'Excite online translator' is my teacher now.
What is Iyapopo?
It's only a web site. But it may connect to the world, as you know.
Next time, I'll answer the next question.
Thank you very much.
Poporin Owl
Please, take your time. You don't have to rush.
Thank you very mach. I may take long time.
Then, I'll answer the next question.
The Star-Flower story is very philosophical. Where do your ideas come
from? What is the message?
The Star-Flower story has two sub-stories.
They are 'the part of Star-Flower' and 'the part of Angel'.
'the part of Star-Flower'
Do you know a photograph of a Martian stone which includes something
like a living thing? That looks like a worm, or a piece of root of a tree.
I thought, ' if it's still alive, what does he think about?'
I wanted to express the happiness of the fact, 'there are many unknown things'.
'the part of Angel'
This story is describing about virtual reality.
At the same time, that's also explaining that there are no ways to know
that our real world isn't a dream.
The idea was made from Buddhist scriptures.
Thank you very mach. Poporin Owl
Junko's Strange Trip starts like a comedy, but turns into a horror movie.
Especially with the Piyo-Piyo alien psychic attack! Why do you make your cute characters suffer?
That's a good question. I remember that.
At that time, I had completed the part of Angel.
And some people sent me their impressions about the story.
Among them, many person said......
The story is only beautiful pipe dream that is unrealistic.
No painful thing isn't written. The author is childish.
Hm...
I wanted to write a happy story as a policy of I YAPOPO.
But I also wanted to expand contents type that I can express.
I looked for the point that we can compromise.
So I wrote a story of pain of a mental war.
But it also arrived at a happy ending.
Thank you. Poporin Owl
Now I answer the next question.
I like this ending very much.
You write, "Several hundred million years later, Angel and Star-Flower will leave the solar system with the spirits of many people, and will start Space Odyssey. But it will be written as another tale someday."
Can you tell me what that story would be about?
I don't have any clear image yet, but that will be a fantastic story
which is like a poem.
Is Junko's Journey over? Do you still update the website?
The story is still being written. Now, the page 433 is the latest page.
hm... Do you ask me "why?" Because the story making is very fun.
Yet the story has not arrived at the last page which I already decided to write.
Why did you close down Secret Iyapopo, AKA Red Ribbon? It was a very famous hentai
site with English speakers.
It's because the regulation by law became severe. Very sorry.
Poporin Owl
Now it's my turn to apologize! I'm on vacation in Europe so my replies may be slow. Have you ever been to Europe?
Ha, ha... The foreign cities I've ever visited are only Los Angeles and Orlando.
I met Mr. Mickey Mouse. ;-)
Now I'll answer the next question.
What is your favorite DOOM monster and why?
The SERGEANT is myfavorite DOOM monster.
He's a movie star who played an active part in movie DOOM!
The shotgun he in the game has has the very strong power.
A fireball of IMP draws the wake, but his shotgun hits suddenly.
When I was hit by Sargent who is outside my sight, I'm very astonished!
Thank you. Poporin Owl
Thank you for your reading my answers so long time.
And, I'm sorry for making you wait.
Then, I'll answer the final question.
How do I get to Iyapopolis?
On my sight, already you stay in Iyapopolis.
The way to get to Iyapopolis is being looked at by somebody
and that one observes that you are in Iyapopolis.
Now you get it.
Thank you nery mach. Poporin Owl.
Enjoy uncovering the secrets of Iyapopolis.