JAPAN

Finally, i m done with uploading all the photos i wanna upload for the Japan trip. It took days!!!

Before reading on (that is if you bother to do so),there are some erm lets say, warnings or maybe just points to note.

1. This post is longer than the great wall of china.

2. Not all pictures are posted, it s just a small sample out of the 2700+ photos taken.

3. The pictures have gone through the process of censoring, because no old man's face can appear, only selected pictures of a middleaged woman, and minimal same generation pictures can appear.

4. That means, all the pictures will contain either me, or the scenary. so, if you are sick of it, just click the X button on the top right hand corner of the screen.

5. I will look practically the same in all pictures because i have only ONE pathetic set of outer wear. (dun worry i changed my underwear)

6. This is a record breaking feat: i never had so many photos taken in my entire life. thank you very much.

Let's go! Japan 2009.

13 December 09, Sunday

Set off for our dearest Changi International Airport.

Had dinner in transit.





Yep, it was an A380. Promotion la.





First time taking SIA, see how sad. So, i made sure i made full use of the entertainment and watched movie after movie within the 8 hour flight. Watched GI Joe which was quite the normal action pack movie. Watched Pixar's Up too. and i gotta agree that it s really a brilliant movie. 5 popcorns. Emotion connecting and audience relation. Ah, cant remember what else i watched.



14 December 09, Monday





Sun rise and we reached Narita Airport soon after. Oh, and i saw someone who looked like xunqi, really scary. It s amazing how people can look so similar, despite coming from different origins.





And we took our baggage and took train after train from Narita to Osaka.





Somewhere along the way, we waited 55 minutes for a train which never came as it met with an accident. So, we walked from the station all the way to our hotel, dragging the gigantic luggages on the streets.

Took a short rest before setting off to explore the hotel's vicinity.

And had Japansese curry rice for dinner.

Santa was either dancing with rudolf or fighting with it outside a Pachinko shop.

See all the metal ball bearings, they are like the chips for gambling.The Japs love the game, it s all over Japan because casino s forbidden.

They are ever eco friendly, with lines of bicycles along pavements, mostly unlocked.

Litter is rare, but dustbins are rarer. They keep their wastes in their pocket and find bins that are big enough to shove it in. Obviously this one can barely contain much, see the diao face. -_-

Just 3 statues.

Zebra stripes are long

15 December 09, Tuesday

Train station just outside hotel

We were on the way to Osaka Castle

And passed by some science museum i guess which looked kinda gross lol

here comes the food!

Ate along the way. Some small shop seem to be specializing in curry noodle.

Had to walk through a park to get to the castle

A park with beautiful autumn leaves even in winter

They failed the jump

Ok, that s the name of the park.

Finally at the entrance of the castle

The water is meant for people btw

The main building

Chiong ah!!!!

On the way out

To the Osaka Aquarium

Just by the port

Haha, this jelly fish represents the entire population in the aquarium, because i m too lazy to upload the rest

The Japanese are the most thoughtful inventors, especially in toilet technology. Hand dryer IN the sink. Oh and the bidet toilet bowls, they are ubiquitous

The wheel lights up at night

aquatic animals celebrating Christmas

Colonel Sanders celebrating Christmas

Left the aquarium in search of food

Actually it was suppose to be in search of the Christmas lighting, since they had some festival of lights

But parted with some cash at these street stalls in exchange for snacks like bacon and cheese sausages, simply irresistable

Finally at the main attraction

And late late dinner at the shopping centre near the hotel

16 December 09, Wednesday

Off to Kyoto!

Special carriage for women at certain times

Just outside the Kyoto Station

Bought a bus pass to ride around Kyoto

First stop: Imperial Palace

Nobody wanted to take photo with me, so i took with my dear bagpack that contains everybody's belongings. money, shoes, coats, makeup, water etc. just the representation of a family photo.

outside the palace

quick lunch before the guided tour

katsu don i think

the tour begins

Da Ren and Xiao Ren, how sad, kids are called xiao ren. And the bus entrance is via the back door. People will have to squeeze their way to the front to show the bus driver the pass before alighting. One time experience is more than enough.

Er, haha i forgot the name of this temple, i think it s Kiyomizudera Temple

Brilliant scenary as it is located all the way on the top of the hill

Fantastic for artistic photos

This is one of my favourites

Many high school kids climb all the way up just for this. haha i did it for fun too.

On the way down

Look at the time and look at the sky, that s winter time

17 December 09, Thursday

On the way to Kobe, changed train and stop by a shopping centre for lunch

had the most OISHII SUSHI ever

the ebi fry sushi is simply delicious. they set super high standards. fabulous stuff.

Mosaic shopping centre

But, we came here for this. SEAFOOD BOOOOOFFFAAATTTTT

We just ate and ate and ate. Comparative advantage.

18 December 09, Friday

Time to move. Checked out of Swissotel.

Headed for Tokyo

Caught a bug and slept on the bullet train

Passed Mt. Fuji

Checked into Mercure Hotel Ginza

Had the best ramen in the world for dinner!

Ippudo Ramen

Very tasty

Visited Akihabara, the Electric City where there was the latest Jap electronics after dinner. Had to be sardine packed in the train as it was peak hour. Went to see see only, everything was expensive.

19 December 09, Saturday

That s Chuo Street of Ginza, the street that boasts all the big brands. Chanel, Tiffany & co., Louis Vuitton all at our door step.

Bought a 1 day subway pass and travelled to Asakusa

Famous for its temple

Yea, the Red Lattern

They follow the Chinese zodiac too. Year of the Tiger coming up

Next up, to Ueno

Ameyoko's like a flea market, selling all kinds of stufff

Ueno Park

Next, to Roppongi Hills

Nice sunset with the Tokyo Tower standing out

Roppongi Hills is the futuristic Japan with modern skyscrapers built by Japan's own Donald Trump, who isnt famousenough for me to remember his name

And we walked from there past the Singapore embassy, Singapore Restaurant, and haha St. Andrew's church. Japanese are mostly Buddhists but turn Christians in December.

To the Tokyo Tower

Had to queue like mad to get up, just to get pictures of buildings in the dark. The only outstanding feature was the Rainbow Bridge in Pallete Town. YES that s where Pokemon originated. They have a Pokemon Centre there but we didnt have time to visit Odaiba.

Many couples were just waiting for this

Was famished and hunted for Yakitori. But forgot to take pictures of the food.

Except this! How sad. Mother didnt like the place as it was a bar with people smoking. So the mood was dampened. Yakitori is usually eaten with beer in bars.

Since Yakitori wasnt enough (damn ex!!) we had to turn to our international best friend - Mr. M for Mr. Money McDonald's

20 December 09, Sunday

Harajuku was the destination.

First stop: Meiji Shrine

We were lucky enough to catch a wedding. Eh no, it was 2 weddings.

Then we walked to the park next door. Yoyogi Park where all the weirdoes like this group perform acts. We went too early and only caught 3 acts, the band performing on the side walk was good. the other groups were just starting to set up when we left.

Then there was this whole land space for shops selling youngsters stuff. It was like the Bugis Street of Japan. Sadly, the price isnt the same as Bugis Street. In the end we only spent at Daiso, everything at $1 plus.

Lunch. Tempura Rice!

Cheap, comparatively and good.

Was looking for some shops but some went missing, Probably closed down.

Left Harajuku for Shibuya via their Yamanote circle line to the Hachiko Square, busiest pedestrian crossing in the world. it s like going into a war trying to cross the street.

Haha. dinner was the DIY BBQ.

something like Seoul Garden. but BETTER!

I wasnt the most stupid looking wearing the cake hat at Tokyu Hands near our hotel. my sis's specs was ultimate, too bad cant post.

21 December 09, Monday

Mt. Fuji tastes great! Better than ice kachang.

Joined the hotel's Gray Line Tour to Mt. Fuji and Hakone. There was some hoo haa in the morning as my dad forgot to bring the cam battery and we had to make a mad rush for it with the tour bus waiting. That s the problem with tours, never liked it. Too bad it was unrealistic to cab to Mt Fuji, take a few photos and go back, so we had to bear with it. Oh and the tap at the viewing place had no water, because the temperature was 0 degrees Celsius and even pee turns into ice. How cool! Literally.

At least the lunch was good. It was at some hotel in Hakone. Beautiful place to live.

Took the cable car over the volcanoes.

To a place obviously to scam tourists with black eggs.

One of the best shots of Mt. Fuji.

We had to climb all the way up the hill to buy the black eggs which was basically CHICKEN EGGS dyed black, similar to what the Chinese would do for birthday red eggs. 1 black egg s suppose to prolong your life by 7 years, 2 gives you 14 more years, 3 gives you a stomachache.

Oh and the sulphur was bad. Talk about controlling greenhouse gases in Kyoto when Hakone volcanoes fart so badly and they still wanna mine them to release even more.

100 yen per egg. That s $1 plus per egg.

Ah.. after getting off the smelly mountains, it s all peace and fresh air in Hakone. Too bad no one wanted to see naked men in the hot springs.

So we went for a river cruise instead.

For the view and the chilly cold air.

Yep that was about it, the tour. The bus took us back to our hotel (fortunately) or else we had to squeeze like sardines again in the JR trains at the peak hour. The other peeps who didnt stay at Mercure had to find their own way back after dropping them at some station.

oh this was interesting. it s the sign board of a restaurant just outside our hotel. it s 2 men and a woman, can you see it?

Had Yoshinoya for dinner which was ... just Yoshinoya. Dun worry, the Singapore branches didnt short change us with the beef bowls.

But it wasnt enough for me so i went to buy cheaper Yakitori near the Yurakucho Station. I actually conversed in Japanese! hahaha it was quite fun actually, asking for an English menu and da pau back to the hotel. Takeout-to!

22 December 09, Tuesday

Yep, Disneyland.

If only we could stay there, the Disneyland hotel.

oK, basically we went there hoping to relive the experience we had at Movie World or Sea World or DREAM WORLD in Goldcoast. Taking pants wetting rides, jaw dropping drops, or horrifying stunts. But.. we were sorely disappointed. Instead there were more kids than screams. The scariest thing there was Stitch.

However, the turkey drumstick didnt disappoint. That was for lunch. A $8 drumstick.

I shall be honest and say i liked Disneyland's experience. Despite not having those rides, it s like a magical place - for kids. The parades were brilliant. You know where all the Disney characters come out dancing in their fanciful costumes. The dancers were ever professional, never putting a step wrong and smiling all the way. And they do this everyday, to bring smiles to the kids.It s just sucha happy place to be in. The kids loved it and were all dancing to the tunes, some even could sing along (obviously not first timers). Sis went to Hong Kong and confirmed Japan s Disneyland is way better. So in conclusion, a Japanese speaking Mickey mouse sounds nicer than a Cantonese speaking one.

Ah.. dumb tourists throwing away money.

The trademark castle.

We missed the life sized walking creatures, so had to make do with the substitutes.

Walt Disney and Minnie.

I almost bought the hat, it s just nice for NS! But temperature in Singapore can cook eggs.

Night view

Dinner time!

Pizza!

The night parade. i m so ashamed of myself, i fell asleep halfway. with the Japanese made stereo speakers booming away, and the cough medicine taking effect, i actually slept sitting on the frozen floor.

Going home.

Here s some tips for those potential Disneyland visitors. Find those creatures and fight to take pictures in the morning. They sleep quite early. As for the rides, exciting rides are few. The rollercoaster, the water drop, and the best, indoor roller coaster Space Mountain. Best as in, in the park. Best so far for me, Movie World's Scooby Doo Ride. Plan your rides as you can claim Fast Pass tickets for popular rides, the queues waste a lot of time. Catch the parades, late morning, late afternoon and night. We were deprived of childhood, got thrown onto a roller coaster when others were hugging Goofy and Pluto. So, go there when you are still considered a kid.

I seriously suggest this to SMRT. Water coolers in train stations. Ok maybe not like this one which can turn into a water feature, the standard water cooler, instead of catching people drinking water on trains.

23 December 09, Wednesday

The SOP, dragging luggages all over Japan. This time we were moving for Narita. Last hotel. Last day. Had to go to Ueno to change train.

And have lunch there.

Delicious ramen!

a standard stall at Ameyoko. went back to buy more food, since we are already going back. this fella claim to be friends with Jackie Chan, the singapore chef Eric and everyone else la. bought clam to clamp his trap. but it s this type of shopkeepers that keep the place lively. everyone in Japan s so polite. People actually queue up to take photos, queue up to enter the train, and the sales people can stand in the cold all day long shouting the same thing over and over again. Truly amazing. Kudos to the japanese government to reduce unemployment, they are really good at creating jobs. 4 people direct traffic at a junction where there is already functional traffic lights. and people who stand on the streets to shout and advertise for shops when they can simply use a recorded voice and a banner. but i really admire their determination and work ethic. those who give out flyers say thank you to everyone whether they take it or not, similar to the bus drivers which are so respected, like a pilot. Singaporeans punch our own bus drivers. See the difference?

Mercure Hotel Narita, it s a complimentary stay, that s why.

Explored the place. Narita s really like Changi. Almost dead.

24 December 09, Thursday

That means time to go home.Took the hotel shuttle bus to the airport.

Had to repack everything, because we went duty free madness food shopping. Finally hunted down Shiroii Koibito.

Watched more movies, like Ice Age, Public Enemies and District 9. Rewatched others, meaning fast forward, Ugly Truth and Transformers. Just had to make full use of the entertainment. That s Tanah Merah Country Club.

And home sweet home. I was quite excited to go home, sick of staying in hotel rooms. Started to miss friends and everyone i care about. Missed the guitar and soccer ball. But not the 30 degrees. I will miss the climate and the friendly and fashionable people in Japan. Oh, the food too. That s it! Japan 09.