fresh seafood being sold in the Tsukiji Market. The crabs and the oysters are HUGE! Everything sold are alive and wriggling before u. talk about FRESH stuff!
There are simply amazing combination and variety of fresh food in the market and it doesnt stink coz the stuff are alive. i was amazed! i dun even know some of the stuff they sell there!
I had to stop and figure what the Q was for at 11am in the morning in front of the stores. Then i realised everyone was lining up for the small stalls that sell fresh sushi there. tsujiki sushi are apparently one of tehfreshest. Come on, how much fresher do you get being in the fish market and getting your ingredients few hours ago?! I heard the fish market is moving soon and so i had to drop by and squeeze my face in. hee hee
I was hungry after walking round the fish market and so i stop by the udon stall. This was the one i write about earlier that cost $6 for a plain noodle with a few meat slice. The chef at work and me munching at the table in front of the stall with the blue collar guys:)
Monday, January 30, 2006
Tokyo Day 2 -Asakusa, Ueno, Akibahara & Ninja Dinner!
woke up late again. Am so tired that i turn off the alarm. For some reason, its hard to wake here! So i woke at 9am and rush out of the hotel skipping breakfast and all. I grabbed a banana muffin from starbucks and it was good!
Obviously i am late for Tsujuki Fish market. (Pictures)Walked around and saw lotsa small local stalls with sushi for breakfats or closer to lunch. Tried a local stall of hot noodle like those u have to bend over stand and eat. Pretty alrite but salty and that cost US $6 bucks!
went off to asakusa to sensoji temple (Pictures)by noon and the huge red lantern was of coz a sure canx miss sign. Walked along the street selling lotsa food and touristy things and the stalls were selling lotsa key chains too. I didnt buy anything as usual but i bought a red bean paste cake and it was delicious! It just taste so much better here warm and freshly baked! For a person who dun like red bean to say its good, u can imagine:) The sweetness is just rite and the bread was soft. ...Mmmmm....
I didnt find the temple or the pagoda very attractive honestly, Somehow temples in Tokyo isnt very attractive to me. Perhaps i have seen better ones elsewhere (eg: cambodia)...still, i like the serene, peace and quietness of the whole place. No one talks loudly for sure!
Speaking of which, i find that its generally quiet in Japan even in the train! There is even a sign that says to turn your hp to silent mode and i havent heard a single phone ring during my times in the train! Plus, they say no talking with mobile and i only see people sms. Its such a controlled environment! When i first landed at the immigration, what struck out as unusual was the quietness at the immigration counter! Usually you hear lot of background sound but at narita, all i hear is the guy directing people to the respective counter. The silence is like in library minus the shuffling of people in the Q. Amazing really.
Anyway back to my trip. I went off to Ueno and i verve of to this cypress wood built temple. (forgot name now). I was lucky coz i caught a budding cheery blossom tree! .
Got tired and sat in the park near Ueno park for a while... looking at the wilted lotus filled pond or lake.. Quite, peaceful and the weather was perfect. i didnt even need the warm gear. just my top and a jumper and scarf!
Headed off to akihabara to hunt for my manga stuff. Almost got myself off the wrong track coz i was getting tried and didnt read the map proerply and bought the wrong line. Of coz i could change back to hibiya line from ginaza but it was still a pain to walk. 2 hours of walking non stop for anime stuff! Plus i promise manwin i would hunt bleach figurine for him and so the whole stretch was left uncovered. What was really funny was i got lost coz i didnt have my map and i didnt know where to go. So i was walking aimlessly till i gave up. at 5pm, it was dark like 8pm in singapore. So i took a chance and went into this travel place and asked for directions.
The gal couldnt speak english and so i had to manage with my halting jap. Asking was easy, it was trying to understand what she said that was tough. Afterall, my biggest obstacle when i took JLPT 3 was listening. Luckily for me, i was pretty near the managa street and all i had to do was walk straight. Now walking straight and turning right (migi) was something i could understd n japanese.
When i saw the whole buildings row after row coverd with FMA anime characters, it was like BINGO! Then i went in to Animate and it was 7 storeys high, except that i didnt know the highest level was P0-rn, and i mean anime hentai gals P0-rn! I was wondering why all the gals stopped at 6th floor and the men looked a me weirdly being the only gal in the section.. all the naked b00bs and chained women in covers was too much for me....
I didnt find anything i like in the first few places, so i cross the road and went to yamagiwa soft (www.yamagisoft.com) and i found some bleach figurines! But they were in boxes and i had to randomly picked. I pray to god that i get ichigo please please please. Not the gal all the way from japan! Manwin, PRAY! Its ur present!
Then i went dwn and got myself the trinity blood cd soundtrack! its GOOD! (manwin, BEG ME! haa haa) Of ocz its bloody expensive. The anime soundtrack are very cute here, its not compiled. for every chapter of the anime, like epi 1-4, they will release a soundtrack. So u can imagine how much money they earn! I saw the tsubasa chronicles soundtrack and it cost me over 50 if i get it which is NO WAY. i like it but not in love.
By 7pm, i was dead tired not to mention hot! I had to take out all my sweaters and walking in my T-shirt. I am the ONLY one on the street doing that trust me. It was prob 10degrees but i was sweating like a roasted pig. The scarf was just nice coz no wind. cool but no wind.
I had to run off back to hotel and rush out again for my next dinner appointment at Ninjatv at asakasa (www.ninjatv.co.jp) . The meal was fantastic!! What was reall great was that the whole place was designed like a ninja clan underground and it was like a maze to get in and all the waiter and waitress are dressed like ninjas! The food menu is written in a scroll and the desseert is on a secret paper list that the ninja will burn it before u like a secret recipe. I ordered a bonsai ice cream and it turn out just like bonsai tree!!! I was truly impressed:) hee heee. It was definitely an experience worth going for! Plus we even had mid way entertainment by a shinobi! haa haaa. excellent recommendation by fenton again! It was a worth while trip not to mention food!
By the time dinner is over i was happy and satisfied. The ninja led us out and did a ninja stunt with a scroll saying thanke and come again
Back in hotel, i need my hot bath again to take away the fatigue. Tmw a long and rush day to Nikko. Forecast said it will rain but i pray it wont. wish me luck!
signing out frm tokyo, day2
Obviously i am late for Tsujuki Fish market. (Pictures)Walked around and saw lotsa small local stalls with sushi for breakfats or closer to lunch. Tried a local stall of hot noodle like those u have to bend over stand and eat. Pretty alrite but salty and that cost US $6 bucks!
went off to asakusa to sensoji temple (Pictures)by noon and the huge red lantern was of coz a sure canx miss sign. Walked along the street selling lotsa food and touristy things and the stalls were selling lotsa key chains too. I didnt buy anything as usual but i bought a red bean paste cake and it was delicious! It just taste so much better here warm and freshly baked! For a person who dun like red bean to say its good, u can imagine:) The sweetness is just rite and the bread was soft. ...Mmmmm....
I didnt find the temple or the pagoda very attractive honestly, Somehow temples in Tokyo isnt very attractive to me. Perhaps i have seen better ones elsewhere (eg: cambodia)...still, i like the serene, peace and quietness of the whole place. No one talks loudly for sure!
Speaking of which, i find that its generally quiet in Japan even in the train! There is even a sign that says to turn your hp to silent mode and i havent heard a single phone ring during my times in the train! Plus, they say no talking with mobile and i only see people sms. Its such a controlled environment! When i first landed at the immigration, what struck out as unusual was the quietness at the immigration counter! Usually you hear lot of background sound but at narita, all i hear is the guy directing people to the respective counter. The silence is like in library minus the shuffling of people in the Q. Amazing really.
Anyway back to my trip. I went off to Ueno and i verve of to this cypress wood built temple. (forgot name now). I was lucky coz i caught a budding cheery blossom tree! .
Got tired and sat in the park near Ueno park for a while... looking at the wilted lotus filled pond or lake.. Quite, peaceful and the weather was perfect. i didnt even need the warm gear. just my top and a jumper and scarf!
Headed off to akihabara to hunt for my manga stuff. Almost got myself off the wrong track coz i was getting tried and didnt read the map proerply and bought the wrong line. Of coz i could change back to hibiya line from ginaza but it was still a pain to walk. 2 hours of walking non stop for anime stuff! Plus i promise manwin i would hunt bleach figurine for him and so the whole stretch was left uncovered. What was really funny was i got lost coz i didnt have my map and i didnt know where to go. So i was walking aimlessly till i gave up. at 5pm, it was dark like 8pm in singapore. So i took a chance and went into this travel place and asked for directions.
The gal couldnt speak english and so i had to manage with my halting jap. Asking was easy, it was trying to understand what she said that was tough. Afterall, my biggest obstacle when i took JLPT 3 was listening. Luckily for me, i was pretty near the managa street and all i had to do was walk straight. Now walking straight and turning right (migi) was something i could understd n japanese.
When i saw the whole buildings row after row coverd with FMA anime characters, it was like BINGO! Then i went in to Animate and it was 7 storeys high, except that i didnt know the highest level was P0-rn, and i mean anime hentai gals P0-rn! I was wondering why all the gals stopped at 6th floor and the men looked a me weirdly being the only gal in the section.. all the naked b00bs and chained women in covers was too much for me....
I didnt find anything i like in the first few places, so i cross the road and went to yamagiwa soft (www.yamagisoft.com) and i found some bleach figurines! But they were in boxes and i had to randomly picked. I pray to god that i get ichigo please please please. Not the gal all the way from japan! Manwin, PRAY! Its ur present!
Then i went dwn and got myself the trinity blood cd soundtrack! its GOOD! (manwin, BEG ME! haa haa) Of ocz its bloody expensive. The anime soundtrack are very cute here, its not compiled. for every chapter of the anime, like epi 1-4, they will release a soundtrack. So u can imagine how much money they earn! I saw the tsubasa chronicles soundtrack and it cost me over 50 if i get it which is NO WAY. i like it but not in love.
By 7pm, i was dead tired not to mention hot! I had to take out all my sweaters and walking in my T-shirt. I am the ONLY one on the street doing that trust me. It was prob 10degrees but i was sweating like a roasted pig. The scarf was just nice coz no wind. cool but no wind.
I had to run off back to hotel and rush out again for my next dinner appointment at Ninjatv at asakasa (www.ninjatv.co.jp) . The meal was fantastic!! What was reall great was that the whole place was designed like a ninja clan underground and it was like a maze to get in and all the waiter and waitress are dressed like ninjas! The food menu is written in a scroll and the desseert is on a secret paper list that the ninja will burn it before u like a secret recipe. I ordered a bonsai ice cream and it turn out just like bonsai tree!!! I was truly impressed:) hee heee. It was definitely an experience worth going for! Plus we even had mid way entertainment by a shinobi! haa haaa. excellent recommendation by fenton again! It was a worth while trip not to mention food!
By the time dinner is over i was happy and satisfied. The ninja led us out and did a ninja stunt with a scroll saying thanke and come again
Back in hotel, i need my hot bath again to take away the fatigue. Tmw a long and rush day to Nikko. Forecast said it will rain but i pray it wont. wish me luck!
signing out frm tokyo, day2
Saturday, January 28, 2006
Tokyo- Meji Shrine, Harajuku, Shibuya, Shinjuku - Day One
Woke up later than planned today. had intended to wake at 8.30am but ended up waking at 9.30am coz i forgot japan is one hour ahead of Singapore. by the time i got sorted out what i needed to do today, i was 1 hour behind schedule that i planned.
Hopped over to Roppongi for breafast at this place called Garbagnati next to hyatt. (@Metro Hat/ Hollywood Plaza B2F) Had this ciocolat bread and was really yummy! Decided to cut the time and took the cab to Meiji Shrine instead of the train. The boarding fee was 660yen (100yen =S$1.5) and cost about 1300yen to reach destination and luckily it was near the hotel coz each time the cab fee flapped, u can get a mini heart attack:) Was prob too tired last nite to notice when i board the taxi from Tokyo station coming from the airport.
Tokyo's Meiji Shrine is dedicated to the spirits of Emperor Meiji. In the Meiji period, Shinto was made Japan's state religion. Shinto priests became state officials, important shrines started to received governmental funding, Japan's creation myths were used to foster an emperor cult, and efforts were made to separate and emancipate Shinto from Buddhism. After WWII, Shinto and the state were separated.
The walk to Meiji shrine was gravel covered and i like the nice cool weather.
Shinto shrines are places of worship and the dwellings of the Kami, the Shinto "gods". Sacred objects of worship that represent the kami are stored in the innermost chamber of the shrine where they cannot be seen by anybody.
The sign on the left was talkin about he wooden "gate" entrance into the shrine area known as Torii. One or more torii gates mark the approach and entrance to a shrine. In this case, Meji has 2 before i hot the main building. They come in various colors and are made of various materials. Most torii, however are made of wood. The torii at Meji had golden crysa' crest at the top. Quite pretty.
Along the way, visitors will also see the stacked up sake containers. Unfortunately my Jap language isnt that great to translate but i suppose it is used as part of their ritual offerings? I didnt check it out but i took a pix of the sign description so anyone is welcome to translate and leave a message for me. :)
Before entering the shrine, visitors can "purify" themselves with the water. Found near the entrance, the water of these fountains is used for purification. You are supposed to clean your hands and mouth before approaching the main hall. What you do is you rinse your left hand then your right, an scoop water into your palm and rinse your mouth. Disgustingly, a lot of Hk and Chinese visitors rinse their mouth using the dipper! (despite the instructions on the wall). Guess some people just dun read signs...
Am still quite lucky today coz the weather is relatively mild to me. Only need my shirt and jumper over. Brought too much warm gear to Japan now i think..am only using the lighter ones but i think i will need my heavy duty on in Nikko...
Anycase back to Meji Shrine. Was vey lucky coz i caught a wedding procession! The groom is quite cute really:)
Depending on the shrine's architecture style, the main hall (honden) and offering hall (haiden) are two separate buildings or combined into one building. The main hall's innermost chamber contains the shrine's sacred object, while visitors make their prayers and offerings at the offering hall.
At the offering hall, throw a coin into the offering box, bow deeply twice, clap your hands twice, bow deeply once more and pray for a few seconds. If there is some type of gong, use it before praying in order to get the kami's attention. In Meji shrine it differs a little. I didnt see any gong just offering box. The box isnt like those you see in SIngapore local temples. The wooden tray with gaps you see in the picture are the ones that people throw their coins into.
While i appreciate the culture and their deeply rooted belief, I didnt pray to any gods though i abide by some of the rituals like the water purification ritual despite the freezing water! For one, I'm not into spiritual gods though i love to read about the stories, believing in one is another. Secondly, I'm Chinese. The last thing I would do is to bow to any enshrined past Japanese Emperors. Not that i hold it against the current Japanses, but my history textbook isnt whitewashed and so its hard to bow to a country's reigning sovereign dead or alive, esp when the war criminals are still being enshrined and respected by the current govtment and the history textbook refuses to come out to the open about their past. While I may love Japan for its rich culture food and all, I didnt forget WWII and the thousands who died trying to protect or while living in Singapore. Which is the same reason why i avoided the controversial shrine that houses the War Criminals.
Shrine visitors write their wishes on these wooden plates and then leave them at the shrine in the hope that their wishes come true. Most people wish for good health, success in business, passing entrance exams, love or wealth. The wooden plates are called Ema.
Then Headed off to Shibuya area and before I left, the harajuku kids were out! All dressed up! Now the full force prob due to winters but check them out!!!!
Hopped over to Roppongi for breafast at this place called Garbagnati next to hyatt. (@Metro Hat/ Hollywood Plaza B2F) Had this ciocolat bread and was really yummy! Decided to cut the time and took the cab to Meiji Shrine instead of the train. The boarding fee was 660yen (100yen =S$1.5) and cost about 1300yen to reach destination and luckily it was near the hotel coz each time the cab fee flapped, u can get a mini heart attack:) Was prob too tired last nite to notice when i board the taxi from Tokyo station coming from the airport.
Tokyo's Meiji Shrine is dedicated to the spirits of Emperor Meiji. In the Meiji period, Shinto was made Japan's state religion. Shinto priests became state officials, important shrines started to received governmental funding, Japan's creation myths were used to foster an emperor cult, and efforts were made to separate and emancipate Shinto from Buddhism. After WWII, Shinto and the state were separated.
The walk to Meiji shrine was gravel covered and i like the nice cool weather.
Shinto shrines are places of worship and the dwellings of the Kami, the Shinto "gods". Sacred objects of worship that represent the kami are stored in the innermost chamber of the shrine where they cannot be seen by anybody.
The sign on the left was talkin about he wooden "gate" entrance into the shrine area known as Torii. One or more torii gates mark the approach and entrance to a shrine. In this case, Meji has 2 before i hot the main building. They come in various colors and are made of various materials. Most torii, however are made of wood. The torii at Meji had golden crysa' crest at the top. Quite pretty.
Along the way, visitors will also see the stacked up sake containers. Unfortunately my Jap language isnt that great to translate but i suppose it is used as part of their ritual offerings? I didnt check it out but i took a pix of the sign description so anyone is welcome to translate and leave a message for me. :)
Before entering the shrine, visitors can "purify" themselves with the water. Found near the entrance, the water of these fountains is used for purification. You are supposed to clean your hands and mouth before approaching the main hall. What you do is you rinse your left hand then your right, an scoop water into your palm and rinse your mouth. Disgustingly, a lot of Hk and Chinese visitors rinse their mouth using the dipper! (despite the instructions on the wall). Guess some people just dun read signs...
Am still quite lucky today coz the weather is relatively mild to me. Only need my shirt and jumper over. Brought too much warm gear to Japan now i think..am only using the lighter ones but i think i will need my heavy duty on in Nikko...
Anycase back to Meji Shrine. Was vey lucky coz i caught a wedding procession! The groom is quite cute really:)
Depending on the shrine's architecture style, the main hall (honden) and offering hall (haiden) are two separate buildings or combined into one building. The main hall's innermost chamber contains the shrine's sacred object, while visitors make their prayers and offerings at the offering hall.
At the offering hall, throw a coin into the offering box, bow deeply twice, clap your hands twice, bow deeply once more and pray for a few seconds. If there is some type of gong, use it before praying in order to get the kami's attention. In Meji shrine it differs a little. I didnt see any gong just offering box. The box isnt like those you see in SIngapore local temples. The wooden tray with gaps you see in the picture are the ones that people throw their coins into.
While i appreciate the culture and their deeply rooted belief, I didnt pray to any gods though i abide by some of the rituals like the water purification ritual despite the freezing water! For one, I'm not into spiritual gods though i love to read about the stories, believing in one is another. Secondly, I'm Chinese. The last thing I would do is to bow to any enshrined past Japanese Emperors. Not that i hold it against the current Japanses, but my history textbook isnt whitewashed and so its hard to bow to a country's reigning sovereign dead or alive, esp when the war criminals are still being enshrined and respected by the current govtment and the history textbook refuses to come out to the open about their past. While I may love Japan for its rich culture food and all, I didnt forget WWII and the thousands who died trying to protect or while living in Singapore. Which is the same reason why i avoided the controversial shrine that houses the War Criminals.
Shrine visitors write their wishes on these wooden plates and then leave them at the shrine in the hope that their wishes come true. Most people wish for good health, success in business, passing entrance exams, love or wealth. The wooden plates are called Ema.
Then Headed off to Shibuya area and before I left, the harajuku kids were out! All dressed up! Now the full force prob due to winters but check them out!!!!
Tokyo Day 1 - Part II: Shinjuku
COuldnt decide if it was cool or ugly.After Shibuya, we walked around Omotesando to look for blue label. Unfortunately the things in his burberry season isn that great and so i didnt get any bags for myself nor jasmine. While strolling, we saw this gal sitting outside this store while waiting for her mum (inside a children's clothes store sale). couldnt resist taking her pix coz she looked so stylo milo the way she looked back at you:)
Took train to shinjuku and headed to mark City for lunch. The junction was amazing coz it was like hundreds of people crossing the junction at the same time. Amazing:) The funniest thing i saw was the smoking booth. I mean there is a section dedicated just for smokers and there was even a sign that teaches you how to how you shld hold a cigarette?! Still everyone seem to abide by the "rules" and hang ard just puffing away:)There wasnt much i wanted to get from shinjuku or rather i was just pure tired and went off to Hanazono Shrine for a quick peek.
Went over to Takashimaya Square too hoping to gte some anime stuff but in vain. Still it was a HUGE mall of 12 stories (i think or was it 14). I walked over to Kinokuniya which was 7 storey building of books all by itself. Just mind boogling. Not to mention a whole floor dedicated to just Manga, jap comic books! Its a haven if i can read advance jap! Went to KabuyiCho too which is a red light district. I saw a shop that sold just fugu (puffer fish) and the fishes look so silly and cute. There were rows of shops with pic of gals for u to book and there were guys too! Was taking pix of this naked boobs gal and i accidentally triggered the motion sensor at the door. The minute the guy within the adult store responded, I ran for my life!
After seeing all the red lights and checking out the pretty gals in the red light district and their prices, Got too tired and decide to grab a cab back. Not to mention a dinner appointment at Tofuro at Hiro was waiting.Got back took a quick shower and headed out again. Had made a reservation from Singapore via the online booking and it works! Luckily i asked for private room coz there was no sharin of smoke with the smokers and that is impt to me. FRESH air. The food was very good and i was stuf! (pictures later. too tired to load now) I was thanking Fenton silently for his fantastic recommendation for the place. The service was excellent and though their english was limited, they really tried and luckily the menu is in english woith losta tempting pixs:)
All in all , a place worth visiting and wasnt realy that expensive too!Went back hyatt and had icecream dessert which cost me $40 bucks! Its just choc cake with vanilla icre cream! Talk abt expensive lifestye to life in japan!Okie... too tired. Need to sleep and rest for tomorrow! Another long tiring day. My whole back and shoulder is rock hard and aching like hell. I need my hot bath from a long hard day of walking!
Friday, January 27, 2006
Love from Tokyo
reached Tokyo in one piece:)
Plane ride was fantastic peaceful and i had the most glorious view of Mt Fuji and the sunset next to it when the plane was near landing. Best was having the ice crsytal on on window pane. It was like a faiy tale!
Am really lucky. The temp is 7 degree when i landed this eve. I almost board the wrong train.. ha ha ha. Luckily my instinct told me to ask the Jap lady for verification and luckily i asked! So i quickly jumped out before the train took off!
One thing is for sure. my JAP IS RUSTY like Hell!
I got to sit to a guy working for the dharma lama and he is a tibetian and very nice. he offered to bring me around tokyo if i like and so we exchanged numbers and email.
Reached Tokyo station and decide to grab a cab to Hyatt. It wasnt really that cold to me and thankfully the cab driver knew the way. However, coz i gave instruction in jap, he assumed i know japanese and statrted chatting! At first i could still understd and answer but gradually when he got too excited i lost track. Soooo embarrassing!!!! So much for my pre-adv jap course!
Went to roppongi hills for dinner at pintoka kaiten jap sushi place. It was really GOOD! and SUSHI ARE SOOOO FRESH!!! salmon taste like it melts in ur mouth and the crab sushi are sweet! The scallop sushi are seared on the outside and sweet!! No smell!! Not like those tasteless ones we have at home in singapore.
I was soo full by the time dinner was over.
They have a chip embeded within the dish and they use this scanner to just brush thru the stack plates and presto! Bill is now. Amazing. Everything in Japan seem to overwhelm me!!! :) I am sooo excited!
Am beat. Really tired and knots all over my stiff back. Gonna sleep. Long day ahead!
Love from Tokyo!
Plane ride was fantastic peaceful and i had the most glorious view of Mt Fuji and the sunset next to it when the plane was near landing. Best was having the ice crsytal on on window pane. It was like a faiy tale!
Am really lucky. The temp is 7 degree when i landed this eve. I almost board the wrong train.. ha ha ha. Luckily my instinct told me to ask the Jap lady for verification and luckily i asked! So i quickly jumped out before the train took off!
One thing is for sure. my JAP IS RUSTY like Hell!
I got to sit to a guy working for the dharma lama and he is a tibetian and very nice. he offered to bring me around tokyo if i like and so we exchanged numbers and email.
Reached Tokyo station and decide to grab a cab to Hyatt. It wasnt really that cold to me and thankfully the cab driver knew the way. However, coz i gave instruction in jap, he assumed i know japanese and statrted chatting! At first i could still understd and answer but gradually when he got too excited i lost track. Soooo embarrassing!!!! So much for my pre-adv jap course!
Went to roppongi hills for dinner at pintoka kaiten jap sushi place. It was really GOOD! and SUSHI ARE SOOOO FRESH!!! salmon taste like it melts in ur mouth and the crab sushi are sweet! The scallop sushi are seared on the outside and sweet!! No smell!! Not like those tasteless ones we have at home in singapore.
I was soo full by the time dinner was over.
They have a chip embeded within the dish and they use this scanner to just brush thru the stack plates and presto! Bill is now. Amazing. Everything in Japan seem to overwhelm me!!! :) I am sooo excited!
Am beat. Really tired and knots all over my stiff back. Gonna sleep. Long day ahead!
Love from Tokyo!
Wednesday, January 11, 2006
Nikko Day One
Tuesday.
Day didnt start off right becoz i fell in the room and slammed my finger onto the wall and i heard my last finger cracked in a series of sound. I dun think I had fractured it but it sure hurts like hell and i was too stunned to move apart from like holding on to my last finger and hope i didnt break anything. It looks right and feels right so i rushed off to the train to try to get to the Tobu line at Asakusa, in time for my rapid train to Nikko.
It was about 2.5hr right to Nikko and i kinda dozed in and out of sleep on the way. Luckily i dressed light (as the metro trains are soo warm) coz the rapid train had the heater blasting away beneath the seat.
The sight along the way wasnt spectacular coz it was winter afterall. So everything is kinda dry and brown and withering. When i reached Kinugawa Onsen station, I was really really lucky as there was a welcome booth for foreigners due to welcome to Japan week. There was a gal who kinda spotted me as a Chinese and asked me if i could speak mandarin. Whoever complained about Singapore's bilingual lessons is the dumbest kid on the block coz Mandarin saved the day.
She explained to me about the maps, and best of all she gave me free to and return passes for the buses and told me where to get on the bus to the hotel direct. I didnt realise how lucky i was until i got to the hotel. For it was there and then that i realised that NO ONE speaks english here. No english signs, no english personnel. Not that i blame them or anything but i was really tired and the last thing i need was trying to get my brain to work harder in a foreign language.
Anycase, being typically "unrisky", i had already booked the room and payed for from singapore. However, I still needed to ask where the private onsen was and booked it and all those conversed in japanese. No bad huh :) I think that was the proudest moment in the whole trip. haaa haaa
So at about 5pm, I reached my hotel which oversees the kinugawa river in Nikko. After a quick snooze, i went off to the lobby and had the bus dropped me off the private outdoor onsen. It was a 2min ride but since it was drizzling, the hotel didnt want me to walk. Very considerate.
The onsen was 50mins and cost about $50 and i thot it was pretty reasonable. Weather in Nikko by the way is very cold comparing to Tokyo. the wind and the rain didnt help things. So imagine stripping down to nothing in prob -3 degreess is no joke. I had a quick rinse and jumped straight into the big hot inviting onsen bath tub! Sorry no naked pictures here! haa haa
As it was outdoor, i could see all the steam around me, with the orange lights shining on the trees. It was really romantic and serene. Of coz it was impossible to stick myself for full 50min in that hot bath and so i was hopping out periodically to cool down with the cool water.
By 40mins, i was done. I was totally refreshed and radiating heat, The cold didnt bother me one bit after the soak! The bus was on time to get me back to hotel and for my in room dinner. The dinner wasnt that fantastic honestly and i was so dead beat that i was really ready to sleep at 9pm! The guys came and fix up my futon/ tatami bed and it looked so pretty and inviting. heh.
So that was end of day one in nikko and tomorrow, Tobu Nikko here i come!
Day didnt start off right becoz i fell in the room and slammed my finger onto the wall and i heard my last finger cracked in a series of sound. I dun think I had fractured it but it sure hurts like hell and i was too stunned to move apart from like holding on to my last finger and hope i didnt break anything. It looks right and feels right so i rushed off to the train to try to get to the Tobu line at Asakusa, in time for my rapid train to Nikko.
It was about 2.5hr right to Nikko and i kinda dozed in and out of sleep on the way. Luckily i dressed light (as the metro trains are soo warm) coz the rapid train had the heater blasting away beneath the seat.
The sight along the way wasnt spectacular coz it was winter afterall. So everything is kinda dry and brown and withering. When i reached Kinugawa Onsen station, I was really really lucky as there was a welcome booth for foreigners due to welcome to Japan week. There was a gal who kinda spotted me as a Chinese and asked me if i could speak mandarin. Whoever complained about Singapore's bilingual lessons is the dumbest kid on the block coz Mandarin saved the day.
She explained to me about the maps, and best of all she gave me free to and return passes for the buses and told me where to get on the bus to the hotel direct. I didnt realise how lucky i was until i got to the hotel. For it was there and then that i realised that NO ONE speaks english here. No english signs, no english personnel. Not that i blame them or anything but i was really tired and the last thing i need was trying to get my brain to work harder in a foreign language.
Anycase, being typically "unrisky", i had already booked the room and payed for from singapore. However, I still needed to ask where the private onsen was and booked it and all those conversed in japanese. No bad huh :) I think that was the proudest moment in the whole trip. haaa haaa
So at about 5pm, I reached my hotel which oversees the kinugawa river in Nikko. After a quick snooze, i went off to the lobby and had the bus dropped me off the private outdoor onsen. It was a 2min ride but since it was drizzling, the hotel didnt want me to walk. Very considerate.
The onsen was 50mins and cost about $50 and i thot it was pretty reasonable. Weather in Nikko by the way is very cold comparing to Tokyo. the wind and the rain didnt help things. So imagine stripping down to nothing in prob -3 degreess is no joke. I had a quick rinse and jumped straight into the big hot inviting onsen bath tub! Sorry no naked pictures here! haa haa
As it was outdoor, i could see all the steam around me, with the orange lights shining on the trees. It was really romantic and serene. Of coz it was impossible to stick myself for full 50min in that hot bath and so i was hopping out periodically to cool down with the cool water.
By 40mins, i was done. I was totally refreshed and radiating heat, The cold didnt bother me one bit after the soak! The bus was on time to get me back to hotel and for my in room dinner. The dinner wasnt that fantastic honestly and i was so dead beat that i was really ready to sleep at 9pm! The guys came and fix up my futon/ tatami bed and it looked so pretty and inviting. heh.
So that was end of day one in nikko and tomorrow, Tobu Nikko here i come!
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