"DESARU, compared to Bangkok, it sounds like some paradise." my colleague, Soon Kin, a Mauritian mentioned.
Half an hour boat ride, a little excitement; at least I am out of Singapore.
The sun shines on the 4 ladies. Say cheese.
From Moscow to Desaru, seducing people all the way.
Like a big boss.
Some Hawaii gal.
Tenny, how come I can't see your eyes!?
Twin sisters - Mommy and Viv.
Here we are, in a paradise so to speak.
Lunch time. I thought I was in some orientation camp. The person sitting beside or in front of me must not be in the same dept nor the one sharing the same room.
Soon Kin, Vivian, Colin, Ivy.
Sulaiman, Ming Yen, Edwin.
Asrik, me, Karen, Ling, JY, Florence, Tony.
Tee Tong, Tenny, Razali, Von.
But after all, a paradise doesn’t mean having a strategic meeting all day long.
The man of authority - GM Goh.
2pm to 8pm - six hours non-stop with hot air blowing, I almost fainted.
Dinner was half an hour car ride away. I was famished.
Day 2 was fruit farm and spa.
I went home alone on second evening. I don't wish to skip any of my Japanese classes if possible.
A recharged me.
Sunset on my way home.
坐上这飞行机器，是我人生最幸福的事。
从小就喜爱旅游的我，最爱到世界各地，
体验着各种人与事物的活动和变化。
你知道吗，我听过最美的声音，它叫做宁静。
这个熟悉又陌生的声音，它好像离我好遥远。
每次在等待到达目的地的途中，
这就是我和宁静重逢的时候。
朋友好久不见。
二零零八年三月十一日
三度， 一阵风把我给吹醒了。
比起第一次，有着截然不同的感觉。
白色的雪地，冰冷的空气，雪立像棉花慢慢的飘下，
这已构成一幅美丽动人的画。
二零零八年三月十二日
语言障碍，陌生镇上，毛毛细雨。
细长尖根，事处奔跑，两腿发软。
漫长一天，受益良多，没有白费。
照亮新加坡记者招待会 圆满落幕。
名人记者，工作伙伴，赞助机构，
数百参与，精彩万分，十分成功。
二零零八年三月十三日
最后冲刺，任务完成。
轻松一天，到处逛逛。
二零零八年三月十四日
回家了。回到我最温软的被窝。
Day 6: 12 April 2007
Fukuoka
Completed Fukuoka, we were heading to Osaka.
already filled up our luggages within 5 days. But can you feel for us? Dark, restless, heavy and freezing cold. So pathetic.
I have not reached the worst. Knowing that the time was short and we were going to be late (everyone knows Japanese are always on time), we ran. We thought we can make it, just in time. BUT BUT BUT... no drama okay, we witnessed with our own eyes; they shut the door of the bullet train in front of us. What to do!? We exchanged tickets for the next train.
The next train was an hour and half away.
Osaka Station.
Trying to kill time when we were heading to Osaka Castle.
Osaka Castle Park Station.
Japanese favorite - Baseball. Checking out for cute guys.
Osaka Castle Park.
After a tiring morning, we decided to go slow for the day. The only place we visited was Osaka Castle (大阪城).
land roughly one kilometer square. It is built on two raised platforms of landfill supported by sheer walls of cut rock, each overlooking a moat. The central castle building is five stories on the outside and eight stories on the inside, and built atop a tall stone foundation to protect its occupants from sword-bearing attackers.
Entrance of the Castle.
It is a popular spot during festival seasons, and especially during the cherry blossom bloom, when the sprawling
castle grounds are covered with food vendors and taiko drummers. The grounds also house a museum, the large indoor arena Osaka-jo Hall, and the Toyokuni Shrine dedicated to Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
Some
No pictures in the castle. So only before we went in and the top view.
Osaka Stamps.
Brief Background Information of
development was further encouraged by the Tokugawa shogunate, which adopted a hands-off approach to the city, allowing merchants to prosper unhindered by government interference.
Famous for its down-to-earth citizens and hearty cuisine,
of tako-yaki (fried octopus ball), good times and lots of beer. Minami (south) is the city's entertainment district and contains the hyperactive shopping and nightlife areas of Namba and Shinsaibashi. In between is the peaceful green
to be continued... Memories of
Japan continued... long awaited...
Day 5: 11 April 2007
Fukuoka (Tenjin)
A fashion and cultural centre, Tenjin (天神) is Kyushu's number one downtown area. It offers department stores,
fashion boutiques and unforgettable restaurants galore. The very moment when we stepped out of the train station, Tenjin Underground Shopping Arcade got us into excitement.
Train Ticket to Tenjin.
With about 100 shops, this underground shopping arcade features the latest men and women fashions of Tokyo,
Paris and New York, shoes, accessories, books and traditional Japanese clothing along with coffee shops and restaurants. The underground cobblestone walkway, with some twenty exits, connecting to several buildings and the city subway making it very convenient for walking downtown.
Tenjin Underground Shopping Arcade.
After being amazed by the underground shopping arcade, we followed the flow and entered a shopping mall named Tenjin Core (天神コア). This 8-storey mall is an absolute Mecca for teen and twenty-something shoppers and also the place to go for up-to-the-minute fashions. We found many contemporary Japanese styles by small independent and underground designers as well as record shops, bookstores and cheap Japanese/ Western restaurants.
There was one shop "Liz Lisa" that caught our attention. We could hear the loud greetings of the salesgirls from a far distance. Some 8 to 9 ladies were working in that shop. They dressed like the well-known Japanese "109 Hot Chicks". Out of curiosity, we went in to check out . Unbelievable that I couldn't concentrate on what were in the shop. Their voices were too loud. Simply, while doing their normal work, their mouth greeted non-stop when they saw people walking pass. In such a small area with 8 to 9 ladies "shouting", it was quite scary though. Also awkward in a way, we almost burst out into laughter. So in the end, we escaped.
Liz Lisa.
Another discovery in the mall was the humongous dessert. Even the display sets look real and attractive. It took me a while to stare at the dessert, drooling. It was a disappointment too as we couldn't have time to try it. It was either we were too full or not in time to eat. What a waste!
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After all the shopping, it was time for lunch. We went looking for this famous ramen shop, Ichiran (一蘭). This was actually the purpose of the day. We were given a cubicle each when we entered the ramen shop. The rational is
privacy. The shop owner wants the customer to enjoy their food with no fear of personal image or privacy. Therefore, in front of each cubicle, there was a cloth blocking our vision into the kitchen. All I could see was a hand out of the small curtain servicing us food. Overall, the ramen was delicious but little salty.
Ichiran.
Before and After.
Regained our energy, we roamed around Tenjin. There was this 100-yen shop and many cosmetics shops that made us gone crazy. Come to think of it, only the 5th day, I almost bought the whole Japan. By the time we finished shopping, it was already time for dinner - another 居酒屋 we found along the street.
Good place, good selection, good food, good sake, good companion.
On our way back to hotel, we did our last spree at Hakata and bought our breakfast for next morning at the
supermarket "Sunny". It was the only day we kept to our time. Cause we got to wake up at 4am to catch the bullet train
to Osaka. Goodbye Fukuoka.
End of Day 5. I miss Fukuoka - a relaxing city with a small number of residents. Farewell.
Fukuoka Subway
Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu Shinkansen)
to be continued... Memories of Japan Episode 6: Osaka
1. The not-so-excited mood before the trip. Lousy feeling. My first business trip. Stress.
2. The plane fed us like nobody business. I just felt like sleeping.
3. The unfriendly and unprofessional flight attendants.
4. First night when I stepped into Red Square and Kremlin, I felt I just woke up from a dream. That moment, Ling Ling and I said "Wah, I am really in Moscow". Spectacular view.
5. The too narrow and small bed we had for such expensive room rate. Luckily, I am petite.
6. The 5-hour dinner we had from 8pm to 1am. Many networking sessions. Exhausted.
7. The ridiculous jam all-day long. We hit the the max. 3 hours. My god, my bladder almost burst.
8. The tall and pretty Muscovites. Only the young ones. The older ones still look communists. Not as unfriendly as I thought. Health conscious. Brand conscious. Lifestyle conscious. Secretive.
- Russian saying: If they bring you to the forest or to a public bath, they fully trust you. Cause no one bugged in the
forest and no weapons when you are naked. When we were doing interviews, they didn't even want their names to be appear on the papers.
9. Metro, all stations are museums by itself. Many walkways. Too steep. Peak hours, felt dangerous. Packed like sardines.
10. Buildings - contrast of old soviet union buildings and modern ones.
11. Language, Russian. They don't really speak English. We don't speak Russian. Duck and chicken scenario. Managed to communicate in the end.
12. Yummy but very expensive food. Russian are rich.
13. The relax moment. Found some cafe and had lunch.
14. "Tom waits for nobody" - Singapore group was invited to perform in Dom Cultural Centre.
15. The pissed-off and depressing moment versus the relaxing and happy moment.
16. My experience of taking the metro alone to Tverskaya. Never die before. It's to experience what is on the edge?! Reprimanded by my business partner, boss and GM. Not funny at all.
17. The 9-hour transit in Dubai. 3 ladies checking in to US$300 per night room. The guys just hang around the airport area. Dubai transit area feels like Mustafa. The 1-hour dodgy transit in Jakata, we couldn't get out of the plane.
Quoted from my friend's blog after she knew the incident.
18. "Gypsies stealing her colleague’s belongings and the time it took to making the police report and to retrieving the stolen items – the cash was of course, missing." My business partner to be exact. Within one and half hour, things
were pick-pocketed, went back to Embassy, went to police station, things were found but US$500 were stolen, on our way back to Embassy, we got a preview of the reenact. Another stealing session was happening in front of us once more. But we were not the victims.
19. "Witnessed a stabbing drama while stuck in a traffic jam. A guy’s face was covered with blood as he sat on the
floor, scrawling away from his attacker. The latter tried relentlessly to continue his assault with his knife (or in her words, “poke”) but was fended off by a passer-by using a mannequin. Definitely drama. By the way, that left us to
debate whether the action should’ve been termed as “stab” or “poke”… all the while using our dinner forks to “re-visit” the scene and action to better illustrate our points." Haha.
20. Last but not least, "...there were the two loaves of bread (hard enough to be used as bats) and a thin strip of each (salmon, beef and something else) (which is pork) that added up to more approx. S$120 for a simple meal. Wow… that’s definitely something expensive and even top restaurants here (my friend meant Spore) wouldn’t have cost that much!" The expensive meal for our last lunch.
Moscow vibe continues... Not my choice. In preparation for next year June project.
Red Square is the most famous city square in
and currently the official residence of the President of Russia, from a historic merchant quarter, known as Kitay-gorod (china-town). As major streets of
outside the city, the Red Square is often considered the central square of
The Kremlin is a historic fortified complex at the very heart of
The complex serves as the official residence of the President of Russia.
Directly opposite the Mausoleum, on the eastern side of the square, lies the building which houses
Since the fall of communism, several other shopping centers and hypermarkets have sprung up to rival it in prestige, but GUM retains its status as a consumer
The Intercession Cathedral (Pokrovsky Cathedral, better known as the Cathedral of St. Basil the Blessed or St. Basil's Cathedral) was commissioned by Ivan the Terrible and built between 1534 and 1561 in
Also known as Lenin's Tomb, situated in Red Square in
rare exceptions in wartime).
The State Historical Museum
a 20-year-long project to consolidate various archaeological and anthropological collections into a single museum
that told the story of the history of Russia according to the latest scientific methodology.
A unique pedestrian street (between the Garden Ring and Boulevard Ring roads); buildings from the 19th-early 20th centuries, in Empire and Art Nouveau styles with memorial flats of writers Alexander Pushkin and Andrey Bely. You can also find the Vakhtangov Theater, antique, jewelry, souvenir shops, art galleries, cafes, restaurants, street artists, and folk arts and crafts at the street.
Novy (New) Arbat
Stary (Old) Arbat
Moscow's main street, which runs uphill from opposite the north end of Red Square, was originally the main road out
of the medieval city running to Tver and
wealthy merchants. When the Tver road was extended to
the city's most important thoroughfare. It was the route followed by the Tsars' procession on official visits to
15 meters.
The appearance of the street was fundamentally changed during large-scale reconstruction in the 1930's. In order to widen and straighten the street, many buildings were demolished, and others were moved back to treble the width. Renamed to honor the writer Maksim Gorky, Tverskaya became the sight of a number of prestigious Soviet building projects. In 1990 its original name was restored, and it is now one of
the dominant Stalinist neoclassicism.
Izmailovo Market
The bustling open air fair is an endless hub of entertainment combining the arts and crafts and flea markets. Its location is also very unusual – on a historical site next to a park that used to be a residence of the royal family. The market is laid out like an Old Russian town made of wood with fortress walls, towers, churches, palaces, and a windmill. It is jam packed with interesting stalls selling; souvenirs, Russian handicrafts, books, original paintings and Soviet memorabilia.
The Moscow Metro was begun in the thirties and its various stations show completely different styles and periods. It spans almost the entire Russian capital, is one of the world's most heavily used metro systems. Each station has its own character, which contain beautiful examples of socialist realist art. Carrying in excess of eight million people every day, more than
Japan continued... long awaited...
Day 4: 10 April 2007
Fukuoka > Kumamoto (Aso District, Kumamoto City)
It was a day to recharge our energy. Therefore, our pace went slower and more of sightseeing. But we did go on an adventure - Mount Aso.
JR Ticket to Kumamoto.
Falling asleep in the train - Don't you think we are good actresses?!
Travelling to Mount Aso was a pain in the ass. It is not an easy task to travel up without a tour guide. We challenged ourselves. It took us almost 4 hours from our hotel to the destination. Apart from that, we couldn't sleep throughout as we had to make many transits. From Kumamoto (熊本) itself, we had to take a train to Higoozu (肥後大津) and change
to another train to Tateno (立野); not mentioning the different JR train lines. From Tateno, we had to take another type
of train up to Takamori (高森).
Tateno Station.
There was only two trains going up to Takamori a day. Best of all, we did not catch the intended first train - we stupidly missed it cause we thought that it wasn't the one. Deserved it, we had to wait a couple of hours before the last train came.
Loitering while waiting - Taking pictures with the train, station, flowers and watched old granny
making Chinese Pau.
Map of Aso District.
Mount Aso (阿蘇山) is the largest active volcano in
Mount Aso.
Finally, we got up the train. It was a 30min journey. We rest enough so our energy were used for the following series...
A series of MTV shots in train. Haha.
Not forgetting the scenery.
Takamori Station.
Some must-chop Aso stamps.
Little did we realise that we do no have enough time for Mount Aso - last train to get down the mountain was an hour later. For goodness sake, it was not even in the evening. So we decided to tour a bit of the area.
We discovered these big radishes (apparently not the largest) in a supermarket; heard they
have the largest radish in the world.
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Invited all this children to take photos with us.
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Bought some Japanese Yakult to drink and some expired hotdogs (what an adventure!!!,
not that we want).
Returned to Tateno Station, we had to wait for the JR train. Meanwhile, we were all famished. Therefore, we had a
quick lunch + dinner at this Old Granny shop.
400 Yen Ramen. I felt heart-warming cause the granny and husband was so nice to us.
Next was another adventure - Kumamoto Castle (熊本城). I felt like a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle. We were supposed to reach this castle by 2pm, but we were hours late due to the delay in the morning. Damn castle closes at 5pm. We were just a bit later.
Originally built by Kato Kiyomasa in 1607 after seven years of construction, the
The internationally renowned Japanese film director, Akira Kurosawa, was granted permission to use the castle at
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Write-up on Kumamoto Castle.
Exterior of Kumamoto Castle.
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The king of the castle and me.
Very disappointed and not willing to go off. Something struck us. We decided to trespass. Lenus and Wanlin claimed they are too big to climb over so the petites did the job. Summer successfully entered the castle. I followed up.
Checking the surroundings.
1. My first step.
2. Checking the surroundings (Wanlin still taking photo).
3. Up I was, the rest were trying to stable the gate.
4. Crossing over.
You know how scary it was. One, I was scared of falling down. Two, I was scared that someone will discover us. But strangely, there were no securities nor the dogs. No one were in the castles. I thought I owned the castle in that moment.
We took only a few pictures in the castle. Most of it were videos. Desserted.
Enough of the adventures we had for the day. We went shopping at Sunroad Shinshigai (サンロード新市街).
Sunroad Shinshigai
JR Ticket back to Hakata.
Summer was helping Lenus on her first facial mask treatment in a train. Haha.
End of Day 4. Full of escapades.
Some Useful Links
Kumamoto City Tram
Minami Aso Railroad
Mount Aso
Shinshigai Official Site
Sunroad Shinshigai
Train stops between Tateno & Takamori
Brief Background Information of Kumamoto
to be continued... Memories of Japan Episode 5: Fukuoka (Tenjin)
Japan continued... long awaited...
Day 3: 09 April 2007
Fukuoka > Kagoshima (Sakurajima)
My excitement aroused when I found out that there are Onsen (温泉) in Sakurajima. A 3-hour bullet train ride before we reached Kagoshima Station (鹿児島駅). Knowing that the place is quite inconvenience, we bought ourselves bento set for lunch. Onsen = Hot Spring.
Bullet Train Ticket to Kagoshima
3-hour ride. Boredom. Exhaustion.
15-min walk to Kagoshima Ferry Terminal (鹿児島本港). A ferry destined for Sakurajima Kou (桜島港). The island of Sakurajima, an active volcano is just 15 min from downtown Kagoshima City.
I was sick of walking.
After 15-min walk, we finally see the "light" - Kagoshima Ferry Terminal.
Food Food Food on our hands - while waiting for the ferry.
Trying to kill time.
Eating my bento facing a backdrop of the sea view.
Finally, we arrived at Sakurajima after 20-min ferry ride. It is not convenience to tour around the island ourselves especially when the sky turns dark, therefore we decided to sign up for a 3-hour sight-seeing bus guided tour. Such a comfortable ride which made me almost fell asleep. Quite an eye opener though the only minus point is that the
whole tour was in Japanese. Of course, we understood by reading at the given English transcript. But reading and viewing at the same time is not easy.
Sakurajima view from the ferry.
Sightseeing Bus Stop.
Bus Ticket.
My Bus Tag.
Snapshot of Sakurajima.
Boarded the bus, pinned up the tag, it started the 3-hour tour.
Sceneries taken when I was in the bus. The sea is crystal clear.
Found another Initial D track. Haa.
I don't remember how many locations we went. One of which is the Yunohira Observation Point, situated 373m above sea level. This observation point is said to be the most scenic point on Sakurajima, and provides stunning views of Kinko Bay, Kagoshima City and even Mount Kaimon. Also a close-up view of the active crater Mount Minamidake.
Yunohira Observation Point.
Next, we arrived at Nagisa Lava Trail. This trail stretches for 3km from the ferry terminal through the Taisho Lava Field
to the Karasujima Observation Point. It is popular for jogging and cycling. Some stone monuments engraved with haiku poems by famous writers can be found.
Nagisa Lava Trail.
The trail.
I also took some pictures along the way which I couldn't remember what was it.
From the engraved Japanese words, this should be a monument to
commemorate the residents of Kagoshima who killed during the
volcano erupted.
Vaguely, this is near the Nagisa Lava Trail with a superb view of Mount Minamidake.
Bought quite a no. of stuffs at the gift shop. We were given some rice wine, which you can see from
my expression, I don't like it. Yuckz. But it kept us warm.
The exciting part came. Hurray, it was time for Onsen. Mr Kong told us it was only a 5-min walk to the hotel. BUT it turned out to be a 20-min bus ride. WTH. We called him on the spot to give him a big time. Haha. Poor him, had to
worry for us over in Singapore. Luckily, we were clever enough to take a bus to the hotel. You do your own math, how long we need to take if we walked up the mountain.
Most of the hot spring (indoor or outdoor) in Japan, have a rule for guests to enter the Onsen bath naked. Some allows the guests to wear yukata, without any undergarments. The one we went was Furusato Hot Spring. It is famous for its outdoor hot spring bath lies at the water's edge. It houses a shrine which all guests enter the bath have to wear a yukata cotton gown. A respect for the god. It also features a view of Mount Kaimondake to the southwest. I took the risk of bringing along my digicam. One, we were not suppose to take pictures. Two, my digicam might go swimming anytime.
Our first touch into the Onsen. It was burning hot.
Trying hard to smile when our legs were burning. It was a contrast - our upper body were
freezing cold while the bottom part were boiling.
Good view of the sunset while enjoying the bath. Heaven.
Trust me. The laughter were faked. We were trying to soak our whole body into the boiling water.
Do you want a medium rare?
Our body got used to the temperature. It was not hot afterall.
After an hour or so, it was late. We decided to shower and go back. Happily after the hot spring, we went waiting for the bus. Another hiccup. It was only 6 in the evening. The next which is the last bus would arrive only at 8pm. Looking at
our train ticket, we need to board the last train at 8.43pm. My heart almost failed me. After much thinking, I made the decision to seek the hotel staff for help. F***ing hell emergency, I hate myself for not speaking fluent Japanese. I had a hard time communicating with the staff while "someone - you know I know" was busy annoying me. I shut her mouth up and got the hotel staff understand our situation. Without further ado, he got the hotel car key and drove us to the ferry terminal. Awful moments in the car therefore I tried to break the silent. A really good chance to improve my Japanese. Sweat. Quite embarrassed but with gratitude for his help. Acting like a Japanese, we bowed to him numerous times and ran for the ferry.
The last train back to Hakata.
It was really close to camp in this deserted island for a night. Whew. Still we never learn our lesson. You will know from my next Japan Trip entry. After alighting, we realised we had sometimes. We went Amu Plaza Kagoshima, a shopping mall just beside Kagoshima-Chuo Eki (鹿児島中央駅). It was about 8.15pm, just happened when everyone were starving, we realised all bento was selling at half price. Wow, each of us chose a bento set.
Saliva started to slaver from my mouth.
Close-up - sushi, shisamo and fried chicken.
End of Day 3. This was how we ended our day in Kagoshima. Heart attack.
Brief Background Information of Kagoshima/Sakurajima
Known as Naples of Japan, Kagoshima is the southernmost major city in Kyushu and is a warm, sunny and relaxed place - at least while Kagoshima's very own Vesuvius, Sakurajima is just a stone throw across Kinko-wan, is behaving itself.
Sakurajima, dominating the skyline from Kagoshima is the brooding cone of this spectacular active volcano. In fact, it
is so energetic that the Japanese differentiate between its mere eruptions (since 1955 there has been an almost continuous stream of smoke and ash) and real explosions. The most violent was in 1914, when the volcano poured
out over 3 millions tons of lava, overwhelming numerous villages and converting the island to a peninsula. It has 3 peaks, but at present only Minami-dake is active. Although visitors are not permitted to climb the volcano, there are several good lookout points with walkways across a small corner of the immense lava flow.
to be continued... Memories of Japan Episode 4: Fukuoka > Kumamoto
Japan continued... long awaited...
Day 2: 08 April 2007
Fukuoka > Nagasaki
Set off from our daily station Gofuku-machi eki (呉服町駅) after our breakfast, changed our 14-day JR Pass at the main station Hakata (博多) and we headed to the place where the atomic bomb landed, Nagasaki (長崎). Eki = Station.
Yummy brekkie to warm us up before we braved through the insane weather.
My 14-day JR Pass which cost me about S$600; couldn't travel without it.
Subway Ticket to Hakata.
Beauty sleep in this comfortable bullet train, a long 3-hour ride.
Excitingly, we went looking for Atomic Bomb Museum (原爆资料馆), Atomic Bomb Epicenter (原爆落下中心地), National Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims (国立長崎原爆死没者追悼平和祈念馆) and Peace Park (平和公園). By the way, Japan is alot about travel - walking, train, subway, streetcar, bullet train, etc.
One-day streetcar pass.
Snapshot of Nagasaki.
Atomic Bomb Museum is the first place we visited. This museum exhibits begin with live footage of the bomb blast,
then move through details of the city's destruction and loss of human life, as well as Japan's 15 years of military aggression prior to 1945. These riveting exhibition end with an urgent report on the current status of nuclear weapons worldwide. Too bad, no cameras are allowed.
The only surviving living thing (Japanese White Pine) after exposed to the atomic bombing.
Atomic Bomb Museum Entrance.
Wanlin took the risk to take one picture.
Next, we went to the Atomic Bomb Epicenter, 150m from where the bomb landed. On 9 August 1945 , the United States Air Force (NSAF) set off to drop the second atomic bomb. The initial target was actually Kokura. Fortunately for Kokura,
it was a cloudy day which NSAF couldn't sight their target, therefore Nagasaki, their second option. Instead of the intended Mitsubishi shipyard and Mitsubishi Arms Factory, it scored a near-direct hit on the largest Catholic church, Urakami Cathedral (浦上天主堂) in Japan.
The pillars lead to the exact location of the landed bomb.
Followed by the National Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims.
With the beautiful sakura sceneries as background, how could we resist the temptation of MTV shots.
We took more than this. I don't think I want to show you all of them. You might vomit. Haa.
Enough of atomic bomb; totally forgot that we need to eat. Here we went to the Chinese area, Shinchi Chinatown (新地中华街). Only a couple of buildings remain from the old area, but Nagasaki still has an energetic Chinese community that has a great influence on the city's culture, festivals and cuisine.
Initial D - We found this Tofu Shop along the way. Where is Jay Chou?
Having some "Man Tou" to fill our tummy a bit.
Lunch cum dinner. Cold noodles - scrummy.
Second day in Japan. see how much we had on our hands. Bought some Castella cakes,
Nagasaki delicacy which is very tasty.
Everywhere in Japan is so seductive. Ran like mad to catch each train, we almost couldn't catch any train back to hotel. What a close shave!!!
Last train to Hakata station.
My favorite eatery, 居酒屋 in Japan. Luscious food you can see. Drooling.
End of Day 2. Freezing cold.
Brief Background Information of Nagasaki
Nagasaki is a vibrant city, but its fate as the second atomic bomb target overshadows its early history of contact with
the Portuguese and Dutch. Despite the tragic events of World War II, Nagasaki has a wealth of activities, interesting museums, delicious food, and scenic beauty that rivals far more visited parts of Japan.
to be continued... Memories of Japan Episode 3: Fukuoka > Kagoshima
Japan continued...
Day 1: 06 - 07 April 2007
Singapore > Fukuoka
Tell me about Day 1. A great shock of Visa problem at the airport the day before, 6-hours of flight, not enough sleep on plane, the forced-to-watch-movies-on-board-deserved-it-tired-eyes and the waiting of my friends' "death sentence" - whether to be repatriated to Singapore. Physically and mentally tortured, making myself extremely fagged.
I must say we were lucky. We managed to get through the custom and rushed to the hotel on time. If not, we are not allowed to check-in after 10am till 3pm. Look at the happy faces. How excited we were after going through so much before we entered Japan. Sakura, here we come!!!
Our first snapshot in Japan. Exceedingly excited. A sign of victory.
Let me introduce you my travelmates. From the extreme left: Wanlin, myself, Lenus and Summer. On our way to the hotel.
Trying to figure out the way to Super Hotel Hakata.
After dumping our luggages with the hotel staff, we set off to our first destination - Ohori Koen (大濠公園). Koen = Park. It's a big park in Fukuoka, rich in greenery and encircling a lake. A relaxing first day, many Japanese - from the elderly
to the youngsters were jogging, strolling with their children or dogs and sitting on the green having their wonderful
time.
Nice scenery, cute warning signboard and colorful flowers.
Playing with the dogs.
Completely amazed by the number of vending machines and the variety of drinks. By the way, the cans were hot. It served to keep us warm. Though the sun was blazing, but yea, trust me, it was freezing cold then.
Next, our mission is to search for the Sakura. Suddenly, few minutes lost of words. Finally, rows of sakura trees appeared right in front of us. Then, we gone crazy. Screamed and shouted at the cherry blossom trees. My oh my, the sakura petals were whirling everywhere. Gosh, it's dazzlingly beautiful. As usual, we started to take out our digicam
and started snapping.
The start of MTV-shots. My quote "此时此刻，樱花树下，就是永恒".
More pictures with cherry blossom trees.
Suddenly, I heard my stomach groaning. The smell of the barbecue food which many Japanese bought their own portable BBQ sets and their bento sets made us hungry. Without hesitation, we decided to settle our lunch at the park.
Picnic at Ohori Koen.
Many stalls to choose from. We decided to get some from each stall.
We had takobachi, yakitori, red bean mochi, sweet potatoes and a bottle of green tea. Followed the crowd, we sat on
the grass patch to enjoy our first lunch. Later did we know, the food were overpriced.
Next, we went searching for Fukuoka
The way to the castle.
Sakura overdosed.
Half dead by then. Walking round the park was not an easy task. And insanely, we walked to Hawks Town. I was not
too sure how long did we walk. My legs were numbed by then.
Resting at a bus-stop.
Bought myself some yummy donuts and strawberries on my way to Hawks Town. I can tell you the strawberries were cheap and sweet.
Look at the variety of bento sets.
Hawks Town (ホークス タウン). An extensive entertainment area which Fukuoka Yahoo! Japan Dome, home to the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks professional baseball team, the JAL Resort Sea Hawk Hotel Fukuoka and Hawks Town
Mall are located. Being a shopaholic, I should have rush my way into the shops. But no no, the first thing I did was to find a seat and rest my butt. The day of sightseeing, walking and lack of sleep left us exhausted. The ugliest thing I
ever did. Wanlin, Lenus and I took our seats and fell asleep. Yes, you ain't wrong. We fell asleep in the shopping
centre where many people walked pass us. No image at that time cause we were too tired. Only Summer was still energetic, managed to purchase a couple of stuffs. After a short nap, we were lively once again.
Hawks Town.
Our dinner. Are you drooling???
Replenished our energy, we walked to Fukuoka Tower (福岡ターワ), Maizon (マイゾン) and Momochi Hama Beach Area
(ももち浜).
Fukuoka Tower, a 234m high structure covered with 8,000 two-way mirrors is the tallest seaside tower in Japan.
Marizon is a resort area with restaurants, a wedding chapel and multi purpose halls.
Momochi Seaside Park is surrounded by Fukuoka Tower and high-rise apartment buildings, all of which created a modern urban landscape.
Did you discover that all the pictures that I took had only few people in it. I felt weird. I hardly find many people on
street in Fukuoka, other than the famous shopping area (not mentioned here yet).
End of Day 1. Dead tired. Went back to hotel to unpack our stuffs and had a good rest for a better tomorrow.
Brief Background Information of Fukuoka
cities. However, Hakata is still used to refer to the Hakata area of the city. Most famously its city's train station, Hakata Station and its dialect, Hakata-ben.
names in J-pop include Ayumi Hamasaki, Chage & Aska, Spitz and Misia.
to be continued... Memories of Japan Episode 2: Fukuoka > Nagasaki
Day 1: 06 - 07 April 2007
Singapore > Fukuoka
Packed with excitement, I made my way to the airport. All set, all ready, all prepared. God knows what happened. Who will expect any flaw in this trip; at least I don't. Very unprepared for the unforeseen, the immigration staff told us that 2 of my friends (who are Singapore PR) need Visa to enter Japan. I was like WTF. I enquired numerous times in advance whether anyone of us needs a Visa, the answer from SIA was NO. Thus, our mood were affected. With the help of immigration staff except for one Malay female who was f**king unfriendly and not helpful, and the help of many friends working in the airport and various airlines (thank you my friends), we took the risk of them who might be deported back to Japan. It destined for a hard beginning and a good ending. Upon arriving at Fukuoka International Airport, both of them (Lenus and Summer) were being interviewed by the Japan immigration staff. The rest of us (Wanlin and me) could only stand aside and pray. I do not have to say, you should know the results. Yea yea, what a relief!!! They are
able to continue the trip.
to be continued...
A Note from Chilli Padi: Good day my family and friends. Just had my breakfast. I am going to the shopping area today. Yippie yippie yea!!! I hope I don't bring the whole Japan back to Singapore. The weather at Fukuoka is quite disturbing.
It can be freezing cold most of the times. The air is very dry which made my skin peel. Argh... Apart from that, it's an enjoyable trip. Today is my last day in Fukuoka, I am travelling to Osaka tomorrow. Okay, off to shop. Take care.
