Our Japan Honeymoon

The shopping loots

2008-10-21T14:18:00.008+08:00

while waiting for darling to get the car fr the car park at his office...took a phot of our stuff...

the next morning was unpacking and more unpacking!!

we got these matching mugs fr Disneyland..

Left: Nike Free 7.0
Right: Adidas

F-cup cookies..supposed to help gals to hav F-cup busts...i've not seen any changes in mine thou..

The Fancl Stuff..well, not all r mine..

The grape honey fr Nara

Green Tea

My cosmetics loots

The pretty and princessy JillStuart loose powder..

Japanese gals like to line their eyes thickly..so i wanna try too..this eye liner pencil comes in a slanted base..easier to draw on the eyes..

Stocking fr Harajuku

Furano Jam bought at a gift shop at Sapporo Train station..

The Burberry Black Label belt i bot for darling..

satin clothes hanger fr Daiso..gd for knitted clothes

i got some clothes too but didnt take pics of them..

we will definitely go back to Japan again..to visit other cities...

Day 15 - Apr 2

2008-10-16T14:37:00.004+08:00

Rise & Shine!!

Our last day in Japan already..and we are starting to miss the place even b4 we leave! haha..

breakfast was the Black Egg fr Hakone...and look at this!!! a wierd looking egg!!! even thou the shell was normal..but the egg white has a chip..like someone has bitten into the egg...

we den went out for some last min shopping..i need to go grab my Fancl and some cosmetics...

darling saw this fr the KFC juz at the junction b4 the Ikebukuro train station..it was gd! its a fried chicken thigh wif seaweed and some spicy seasoning..

there were some promos for tourists at the Takashimaya Shinjuku..so i went and got some cosmetics..got a loose powder fr JillStuart...its a Japanese brand and the packaging is so princessy! even thou i'm not a sucker for packaging..it reallly bought me over!

den i saw LV!! muz do a LV sign!

den i oso got darling a Burberry Black Label Belt as his belated V-day pressie..had to pay b4 he came cos i told him i need to go to the loo..but he still found me at the Black Label Boutique! haha..

there were no Fancl store at Takashimaya so got them at Odakyu..

we den went back to Ikebukuro Sunshine City in search of this Shabu Shabu buffet place..but cannot find leh..

so in the end settled for kaiten sushi (conveyor belt)

finaly packing of my shopping loots into the luggage....need to press and press!!

one last photo at Ikebukuro train station..

On the Narita Express

one of another tea i love..this one is with lemon!

we both made funny faces w/o coordination...telepathy!

look at my luggages! 2 big ones, 2 to be carried on board..

our dinner...i rem it was quite nice!! esp wif beer!

and the dessert! Haagen Dazs ice cream!

we reached SG at ard close to mid-nite..took a cab to darling's office cos he parked his car there...and we couldn't stand SG's humidity after the cooling time we had in Japan...darling had to on the aircon in the living rm and the bed rms...haha..else he cant sleep! i was literally sweating in my sweaters and jeans with boots...haha..hard to b a fashionista in SG wif the pretty spring or autumn wear...winter wear definitely out of question!!

Day 14 - 1 Apr

2008-10-16T13:38:00.001+08:00

We went to Hakone today...cant stick to our original plan of taking Shinkansen to Odawara and den change to the train going to Hakone (since my JR pass gone, cannot take Shinkansen)..we wanted to take the Romance Car but unfortunately, there were no available seats!!! haiz..so we had to take a 2-hr long journey to Hakone..

Ikebukuro (JR Yamanote Line) - Shinjuku
Shinjuku (Odakyu Railways) - Odawara (not inclusive in JR pass cos diff co)
we bought the Free Pass for 5000yen per pax as it consists of all the transportation costs to and fro Shinjuku and oso within Hakone itself

my anpan and milk tea (my fav brand! always drink this when I'm in Japan cos its so much cheaper!)

as i was still v tired fr the Disneyland the day b4...i fell asleep on the train since the journey was v long...and when i opened my eyes...this was wat i saw:

Mt Fuji!!!!! super excited! cos out of 365 days a yr..there's only 30+ days where there will b clear weather to c Mt Fuji so probably the rain last 2 days has cleared the skies and air!

Our 1st stop was from Odawara to Moto Hakone Ko by bus..long journey...darling planned the itin on the bus as we need to adhere to certain timings for the ropeway, cable car, buses etc...there were v precised timings so we had to b v careful not to waste unnecessary time..

and this was where we saw Mt Fuji again..

At the jetty waiting to get onto the Pirate Ship...wind was very strong but not as cold as the last few days already...we bot our lunch fr the 7-11 while waiting for the ship as well..

Pirate Ship is here!! Run!!!!!

c tat little hse on the hilltop?? the whole pic looks juz like a painting!

We arrived at Togendai..

sat by the jetty for our lunch...the sakura trees here hav not bloom yet...

Darling's Karaage bento

Chicken Salad with Pasta

Peach and Vanilla Ice cream fr the cafe at the jetty...its gd! but not as gd as the ones in Hokkaido!

We den took the ropeway to Owakudani..

hopped while it was still moving..

More of Mt Fuji fr the car!

how far we hav travelled...Hakone is a v hilly area..i had almost wanted to puke on buses as it kept going round and round up hills and mountaineous area...

We were bears who had travelled to Owakudani by the Ropeway...its fun!!! (the literal translation on the board...haha)

Another hot spring zone..(or hell valley)..there were many little shops selling Hard Boiled Eggs boiled from the water from the hotsprings somewhere near the mountain top..and the eggs had black shells after they were cooked cos of the iron deposits...apparently, eating 1 egg will prolonged our lives by 7 yrs..and cos the shops sold the eggs by half dozen min..we had to buy 6 eggs...haha..i oso saw a cart selling roasted sweet potato..couldnt resist it as well..haha..

I seriously dunno where i was looking..

juz look at the blue sky!

holding Mt Fuji on my hand..

one of our most fav pics!

darling still reading up on the guide on how we can get back to Odawara most easily..

when we got off the ropeway and took the cable car to Souzan and fr Souzan, we took a bus which bring us to Gotemba Factory outlet...the place where i lost my sanity...haha..

doesn't this look like old america??

time to start tat shopping spree! Coach was 1st on the list! bot a bag for my mum for her bday...cos she liked the one tat Kwan was using..and happened tat it was on sale!!

i cant rem y darling had tat expression..i tink he was v shocked at the things i'm buying..kept telling me no more space in luggage..but i didnt care..so its the 'i-dun-care-liao' face...haha...see my nike bag?? bot a Nike Free 7.0 which i saw in SG selling at 170++...i got it at 50+ sgd only!!

sun was setting..

taking a pic against the sun set wif Mt Fuji..

and my shopping spree! i got a pair of ltd edition Adidas Sneakers as well..only 60+sgd...it wld hav cost 100+ in SG! or perhaps not available in SG!

me attempting at another artistic shot..

den of the sun setting within 5 min..or shorter...

Gucci! but found nothing there...anyway i'm not a Gucci person..

and we were getting abit tired and hungry so we sat down for our food...

This was the eggs!

darling was v accomdating to my request of a funny pic..haha

me taking a photo of myself eating the egg..v ugly hor?? where's darling?? he went back to Nike which was on the other side of Gotemba..cos he decided to get a pair of Nike trekking shoes with Gortex cos its only 90+sgd...he was contemplating for a long time...i kept telling him to buy...cos he wun get the same in SG at such a cheap price..and not forgetting the Seiko watch which we saw at Hana Port in Osaka which he din buy...there's wasnt any similar ones tat he liked in Gotemba...so wasted lor!!! tink he oso bth me keep nagging him so he went back to buy tat pair of trekking shoes...good buy muz buy mah!!!

i oso had my sweet potato..its sweetness!

i fin my shopping earlier than expected so we took an earlier bus back to Hakone area at 6..switched to another bus back to Odawara...as it was still early for our train..we did some 100yen shopping at Daiso beside the train station..

when we reached back Ikebukuro at 10+...and darling was hungry cos no dinner yet...we saw this ramen shop and went in to try..

this shop was v interesting..u can request the ramen to come in small, medium or big portions but at no extra costs! and its dry ramen which we had to dip in the sauce...on the entrance, it was featured in some tv show or magazine so we decided to try out..its was not bad..darling liked it cos its similar to the cold ramen which he always eat at Miharu..and he ordered Medium portion which in the end was too much for him..i couldnt fin my small portion either...but i din quite like the ramen texture cos abit too hard..

we r going back to SG tomm!!! so fast 2 wks over already!

Day 13 - Mar 31

2008-10-16T11:56:00.013+08:00

it was ultra SIANESS! weather report states heavy rain till late afternoon! the thing abt Japanese weather report is tat they r freaking accurate...its not like in SG..we always c heavy storm or sunny and den it turns out otherwise...the weather forecast in Japan is spot on one lor...
Ikebukuro (JR Yamanote Line) - Tokyo
Tokyo (JR Keiyo Line or JR Musashino Line) - Maihama (be prepared for the long walk from the Yamanote Line platform to the 2 lines going to Maihama)

taken on the train..even thou my face was cut off abit..but this photo still captured our happiness! =)

we left the hotel at 8+..hoping to b the early crowd..and mayb raining less ppl will wanna go to Disney Land..but WE WERE SO WRONG!

juz take a look! tons of ppl braving the rain leh...argh!

no choice but to wear our poncho...

so unglam leh...haiz..

the 1st ride tat was nearest to the entrance..if we get the Fast Pass, we will need to return between 1930 to 2030!!!!! and its like only 10am leh! if wanna q..muz q for 3 hrs...mad or not? we got the Fast Pass for this..

we den stupidly Q for another ride..tinking tat we can get Fast Pass at all possible rides..but when its our turn..the person told us we can only get the next Fast Pass 2 hrs later!! win liao lor!!

so we went to look for rides w/o q..and there's this racing car thing..nobody cos no one wan to drive in the rain..cannot hold umbrella oso..so we went lor..luckily we did..cos in the afternoon after the rained stopped..the q for this was super long!

by this time..my feet were soaking wet..the rain was so heavy tat somehow..water seeped into my boots and my whole feet were drenched..its was already v cold on the outside..imagine having super cold feet for the whole day!!! y am i so unlucky!!!!!!!! somemore this pair of boots were v new..i oso dunno y water got in..maybe walked too much for the past 10 over days...

The Pirates of the Carribean Ride..

as usual...MANY MANY ppl...

turns out to b a normal boat ride..nothing exciting..i guess Disney Land's rides r more catered for young children lah..unlike USJ..darling commented that he preferred the rides in USJ cos more fun..moreover..the rides were all in Japanese...he couldn't understand wat the commentator was speaking oso..

we den took a boat ride..no q again..haha..to c Pocahantas..

he's cold or he's excited? seriously i cant rem..haha..

we were q-ing for this Haunted Mansion which was not scary...haiz..wasted abt 2 hrs q-ing...my cheeks start to turn red cos its really cold..but the good thing is tat the rain seemed to be getting smaller..

at 3pm, there's the Disney Parade...

Mickey!

Minnie and Cinderella!

there were many others but cant put all the photos on the blog..else its going to b flooded..

Darling saw the turkey drumstick which he had at USJ and he couldn't resist eating it again..

finally the sun's out!

pretty tulips!

i got this Minnie headband fr the Store..haha..cute or not?? u wun look silly wearing it cos 1000s other ppl r wearing some headband or another..so i decided to join in the fun..

grabbed a bite at the restaurant..now tat the sun's out..the restaurant is no longer crowded...unlike earlier in the morning..everyone was taking shelther at the restaurants and cafe...

Mickey mouse nuggets...so kawaii..

i wished i cld take back the paper cups..

wun risk looking silly in this outfit in japan either..alot of jap hav v wierd sense of dressing...but i definitely wun wear this outfit in sg..

flowers and more flowers..

notice anything wierd wif the castle?? they were doing some repair works to the facade so they used a pc of painting to cover up...i din realise until late in the evening after i took this photo...

waiting for the Snow White ride...we heard the attendant repeating the same thing over and over again for each car tat came back to the starting pt...even darling who dun understand japanese at all asked me was the gal saying the same thing...he can even imitate her hands signs...haha

this side of the castle was much better..and now wif the lights..the castle look more magnificent..

waiting to take photo wif Minnie Mouse..

but when we went in..Minnie was no where to b found!! maybe she's preparing for the nite parade...

so i'll be the 'stand-in' Minnie..haha

we den went to q to take photo wif Mickey..it was q-ing and q-ing for the whole day..we spent 1 hr juz to take photo wif him..

there were signboards showing us how long we approximately hav to wait at certain points..

and finally!! he said i'm his girlfriend! cos i hav the Minnie headband..haha..

we den rushed to get a gd spot to view the night parade..unfortunately..we were at the far end of the rd..haha...hav to wait v long till they finally reached our stretch...

the floats r nicely lit up now...

my fav Snow White!

Beauty & the Beast!

the castle supposed to look pretty..but dunno y turns out so bluish and scary..

we den rushed to the ride which we got our 1st Fast Pass....its quite fun..u get to shoot at the aliens..

den next was this Boat Ride wif the Small Small World song in different languages...

we left at 10 when the Park closes...hungry and tired...

at the Disney Train station..

we picked up some instant noodles fr the conv stores cos by the time we reached back Ikebukuro..most of the bentos already sold out..anyway i din hav much appetite to eat oso...

darling's tung hoon was gd..

but my pasta in chicken cream soup was terrible..or cld b cos i dun feel like eating anymore..

i soaked my feet in hot water...super shiok lor!!! after being cold and clammy and wet for the past 12 hrs...its gd to feel the hot water..i oso used the hair dryer to blow dry my boots...cos its going to b another day's walking and i dun wan to b in wet boots again..

PS: did i mention i had cold rash since Hokkaido?? my body and feet were so itchy and red and the skin was so dry even thou i slapped on alot of moisturiser liao..sob!

Day 12 - 30 Mar

2008-10-15T16:06:00.012+08:00

Its the full bloom for sakura in Ueno Park today! we've been monitoring the bloom forecast on tv and internet..and this wk is the full bloom in several parks in Tokyo..we chose to go Ueno cos its the most accessible fr our hotel..our original itin was to wake up early to go to Tsukiji Fish Market..but somehow..when we reached the Shimbashi station...the station master told us to take a bus..else walking will take close to an hr!! but i noted down in the itin tat it will take 15 min leh..den after some discussion..we decided not to go to the fish market...

Sakura Hotel DO NOT provide breakfast...so we bot bread the nite b4..

it was close to 10 when we reach Ueno JR station..and the whole station is jam packed wif ppl already!!! all walking towards the direction of Ueno Park...

Ikebukuro (JR Yamanote Line) - Ueno

we juz followed the crowd and within 10min..this was wat we saw..

long stretch of sakura trees lining the side of the pavement and ALOT of ppl...locals and tourists alike...

the sky is gloomy cos there was going to b rain on tat day...(yes! rain again...non-stop rain when we were in Tokyo..damn it!)

couldn't help but feeling sooooo excited..even thou its my 2nd Hanami (1st one wif Okaasan in 2006)..i was still v much in love wif the pretty little flowers! hav to b there to feel the lively atmosphere..even the gloomy threatening sky did not tamper the moods of the ppl..

we walked for a while..and start to settle down for our food which we bot at a convenience store at Ueno Park..

like wat we did in Kyoto, we followed their culture of eating under the sakura trees...haha

i had yaki soba wif karaage...abit sick of eating rice everyday liao..

darling had this bento mix set..

we sat for a while after we fin the food..b4 walk to other areas of the park...

see the canvas sheet on the floor behind us? there's even a rope which enclosed tat particular area...even the Japanese practise kiasuism lah..haha..they hav to chope a strategic place for their Hanami sessions..else no more space mah...so they will put canvas sheet, den put a placard to indicate their name..den we saw other grps of ppl singing karaoke (yes, they will bring the whole set of system there!), drinking to their hearts' content...as early as 11+...we already c some ppl drunk...tsk tsk..

it was a mistake to wear this white jacket...this yr's spring was much colder than wat i experienced in 2006..the world's weather is really changing...by early arp, the temp shd b ard 16-17 degrees C already..but tat day was ard 10 deg C..

we den walked over to the Ameyoko Cho for some shopping...

BIG tomatoes

Prawns..no need for chiller or ice...the temperature is cold enuff to ensure the freshness of the seafood..

there were alot of shops selling Adidas, Nike apparel..dunno if they r authentic or not...but we nvr c anything we like..

den we walked a few streets down to Okachimachi..where there's a supermarket for us to stock up on Japanese tibits!!! i always have 1 bagful of foodstuff whenever i come back fr Japan..so this time not exceptional lah..somore got darling help me to carry..haha

we bot in total close to 70sgd worth of snacks and foodstuff...and we went back to the hotel to put the stuff b4 we proceed to Harajuku for more shopping..

when we went back to the station to take train to Harajuku, i realised i lost my JR pass!!!!!!! OMG!!! w/o the pass, i could not take unltd rides on the train, and we need the pass to get to Odawara to Hakone the next day!! i'm always v sotong..we searched high and low and trekked back the road to the hotel..c if its inside the bags of stuff...all dun hav!

darling asked me to go to Harajuku to shop 1st...while he searched for me..we agreed to meet at 4pm..

Ikebukuro (JR Yamanote Line) - Harajuku

it had started to rain when I reached Harajuku..and i already dun hav much mood to shop anymore...so i juz walked ard...till its almost 4 i went back to the train station to wait for darling...but this was wat i saw:

the whole station was full of ppl!!! i was shoved to and fro a few times by some really incosiderate ppl..the whole place was so chaotic and i'm so worried tat darling cant find me when he comes out..even the human traffic coming out of the station was stuck cos there was no space for them to move out at all! it was REALLY AWFUL!!!

420pm, i still din c darling..start to get worried...keep looking at my phone in case he called..

445pm, i started to panic big time already...he still hasn't called me! where is darling!??? i was really on the verge of crying liao..den suddenly my phone rang..he asked me to get out of the station and look for him at the phone booth across the rd..den he was cut off..

turns out tat he used the japanese phone card to call my sg line..and the credits was only enuff to sustain tat 10 sec of instructions..i dashed out and saw him waiting across the rd...my tears wall juz break open when i saw him lah..he was stuck in the human traffic trying to get out as well...and it took him 45 min to get out lor..as expected, my pass couldn't be found..sigh..so i juz paid for the rest of my train trips lor..(actually i din, only paid for some..can ask me if u wan to noe wat happened...)

the nite was falling...or rather..its the v cloudy sky...

we walked for a while..i got some dresses and stockings...and retail therapy really do worked on me..i felt abit better after some shopping..haha..

went to this restaurant called Otoya (i tink tat's the name)..hav been to this restaurant a few times elsewhere during my previous Japan trips..wat i like abt this restaurant is that all the food r v healthy..cooked wif less oil and season yet still v delicious..best of all..this restaurant is smoke-free...dun understand y japanese still hav not banned smoking in restaurants...there r so many ppl who dun smoke and hav to endure their nasty habit...

still feeling upset...

my teriyaki don..

forgot to take darling's rice + noodles set till he almost fin..but he said its not bad..maybe he's hungry helping me run ard looking for the damn pass..

our next stop is Odaiba..supposed to go there on the 1st nite in Tokyo..but it was raining then..so we didnt want go...who noes it will still b raining on this day!

hav to take a monorail tat will pass by the Tokyo's Rainbow bridge...its a suspension bridge which is an icon of Tokyo..on our way we saw the Tokyo Tower as well..

Harajuku (JR Yamanote Line) - Shimbashi
Shimbashi (Monorail) - Odaiba

the Stussy signboard...do u c something else other than the word Stussy??

did not get anything fr here since we'll b going to Disney Land..

darling bot me an icecream cone to comfort me..

a nice decor outside the Odaiba Shopping Center..

is this New York or Tokyo???

The Fuji TV Tower

the Tokyo Ferris Wheel

i had wanted to go to the Burberry Blue Label flagship store to check out their latest design..but when i asked the info counter at the Odaiba shopping center at 845...it turns out tat the store is at the other end of Odaiba Park...and its closing at 9... so no pt going anymore...haiz..

we den went back to the hotel..v tired fr the day already...

but had to eat the strawberries we got fr Ameyoko Cho this morning...BIG strawberries..but too bad they werent v sweet..maybe cos its cheap..only 600yen for 2 boxes leh..wat to expect rite? the ones i bot fr Tobu Supermart was 600yen for 1 box and its super sweet lor..

the snacks i got fr the Okachimachi supermart..super super love the pistacho nuts...

the White Lover's choc fr Ishiya..

more snacks..

weather forecast for the next day is oso rainy!!!! argh!

Day 11 - 29 Mar

2008-10-15T14:55:00.008+08:00

We are leaving Osaka for Tokyo!!

My breakkie...

The subway station which we have to go everyday..abit sad to say bye bye to Osaka...

we saw alot of sumo wrestlers at the Shin-Osaka station..tink they r all going to some event or wat...its like flooded wif them lor...

we got our lunch at a supermart at the station..

the gomae was not nice...after eating the one my okaasan made..all these dun appeal to me unless they r really gd..

i like my bento! its fried ebi wif some other small dishes..

darling din quite like his...he said heng got the onigiri..else not full..

cheese potato chips!! yummy!

Beard Papa as desserts..

mine is the strawberry puff...

we went to our hotel - Sakura Hotel Ikebukuro..Toyoko-Inn was fully booked for the duration i'm in tokyo..am totally not impressed wif the rm...its really small..and not v well equipped at all!

we had to meet my ex-boss at Shinjuku for dinner...he brought us to a nice japanese restaurant..

the ume-shu..c the nice ice ball! i like the fact tat japanese like to make their food v visually appealing..

fresh sashimi

zensai...dunno y this photo was rotated..wat's wrong wif blogger these days..

my dinner set! dun c the food small portions..i was really full after all these! some of the items were v nice..i din like one or 2 items thou...

darling's suki-yaki..

some fresh squid in fermanted suace...according to my boss..its only available in spring..

the delicious dessert...

got gold flakes some more!! really is jiat kim..

after we fin our dinner, we said goodbye to my ex-boss and his family and we went shopping abit..darling was still not full..so we went to the supermart to c if there's any food..

and we saw these loquats..juz look at the price tag! 1 box for almost 90sgd!!

another dunno y its rotated photo...honeydew...over 100sgd for 1!

almost 50sgd for a watermelon!

darling got himself some yakitori...he kept asking me to ask the stall ppl got sell rice or not..i kept telling him its not their culture to sell rice as an item wif yakitori...the same thing happened at the Ikebukuro Tobu Supermart as well..and den he v unhappy...i rem he ate this yakitori until v bu gan yuan..as if its my problem like tat lor!

we went back to the hotel and here's the photo of our rm...

basically the rm was v v small..and the bed was v small too..Toyoko-Inn's bed was much bigger..and the in-rm facilites were oso v ltd...i wun recommend this hotel to anyone..

as darling was still hungry, he opened up a pkt of mochi we bot fr Kyoto..

we're going to Hanami at Ueno tomm! stay tune for the update...

Day 10 - 28 Mar

2008-10-15T13:24:00.018+08:00

We r off to Nara today!!

still sick of the onigiri..so i had cake and bread wif tea...

the nice packaging of my cake..

ta-daa! its strawberry cake again!! but this is not as nice as the Ginza one at Tokyo train station..

my tea wif bread..

it was a saturday..so there was some special pass for subway..we paid abt 300yen for unlimited trips which was v worth!!! subway is not covered by the JR pass by the way...

we den went to the Osaka JR station to get tix so tat we can go back to Tokyo...but unfortunately the earlier trains were all full and left non-smoking and single seats..its my mistake not to go and book the tixs earlier as i totally lost track of time and forgot tat its the wkend and alot of ppl r going to Tokyo for the wkends usually...so we cld only get a 1+ train which only reach Tokyo abt 4... sigh..nxt time muz book tix earlier!

it was another cold cold morning..waiting at the train station for the train to Nara..

oh yes, i like to act cute...

on the train..taking photos to pass some time...

and after abt an hr plus..we reached Nara..

sakura again!

their typical garden landscape..dun this look similar to the one at Kyoto Maruyama Koen?

a long flight of steps up..

i think these r tombs..

walking towards the Nara Park

and in these park..the deers roam ard freely...and they seem to like darling more than me cos they actually respond to him but not me!

they r allowed to roam freely and pose no danger to the public cos their horns r removed...they r considered the messengers of God in the Shinto religion...so the public oso treated the deers v nicely by buying senbei for them to eat...

so they eat and they shit! look at the poop!! but there's always a few park attendants ard so they will keep cleaning up the poop so the place dun smell and its not dirty..

the Five Story Pagoda...2nd highest pagoda in Japan..

someone dropped a pc of map and the deer gobbled it up! haha!

the Todaiji - it hses Japan's biggest Buddha statue and oso its one of Japan's most famous and significant temple..

the young bambi resting..

aint this cute?

the pond wif the willow tree...in 2003 when I came here...i saw a crane on the willow tree!

the magnificent temple..

Sakura again..

darling offering incense..

its huge!

a model of the temple in the olden days..it was much bigger in the past but they teared down some of the section of the side temple...

i cant rem wat this was called..tink its Buddha dunno wat...its for kids..so if u can crawl thru the hole come out fr the other side..u will b blessed by the buddha..actually i can oso crawl thru lah..cos i saw 1 big size foreigner oso can go thru...

the little kid going in..

coming out..

sometimes i really like Japanese's English..AND Mandarin! haha..

its always once bitten twice shy...after the Miso Dango yest at Kyoto..darling ate the same thing again today..and its really not nice lor!!! tink its not to our taste..

Chilli Senbei..i tink its safer to eat like wasabi senbei, seaweed senbei...Japanese cant get spicy rite..they juz put in ALOT of chilli powder..and the senbei was fiery hot...until its bitter..not nice!!

nice cheeseballs we got fr 100yen shop..i rather eat this than the senbei..

this was my life saver! its was getting cold...cos its going to rain! we kept encountering rain in Japan the time we were there lor!! but this beer helped to give some warmth to my body...

on our way to the Nara Park..we saw this old man painting..and on our way back..he was finishing up! its so pretty! i tink only in countries like japan where the elderly really enjoy life...in SG..v hard lah..

on our way back, we went into the Nara Tourist Hse for a toilet break and some rest...they had a earthquake simulator which darling tried...the chair will keep moving side to side to mimic the reaction of an earthquake..

on the way back to Nara station...i wanted to buy strawberries at a fruit and vege store tat we passed by earlier to the Nara Park...and its was a bit mistake not to buy it den..cos by abt 2+..all the veges and fruits were almost sold out! and no more strawberries for me!!!!! sob sob..so muz learn fr mistake...if wan or like, juz buy..dun need to tink..wait regret lor!

there was another store selling honey..i wanted to take a break and take shelter cos the rain was quite heavy so we went in...the nice shopkeeper gave us some honey to sample...which i bot a bottle of grape honey..extremely refreshing!

i oso had one honey ice cream..but cant taste any honey leh..

potato chips..did it follow us fr Hokkaido to Osaka?? or we bot it the day b4 at 100yen shop?? cant rem liao..haha..

we den left Nara for Osaka again..and i wanted to go to the factory outlet at Hana Port...

By subway
Shin Osaka -Shimbashi
Shinbashi - Kadomaminami station (Nagahori Tsurumi-Ryokuchi Line)

we den stopped by this little restaurant tat sell Okonomiyaki and Yaki Soba..and its the same store tat Natasha and I went during our uni exchange!!!! nvr change at all leh!! there a hot plate at every table so the food r always kept warm!

yaki soba

we ordered 2 okonomiyaki - pork belly and prawn

the one wif the prawn..

i love Okonomiyaki!! i hav the recipe to do it at home..but den its not quite the same as we do not hav hot plate at home..can only use non-stick pan..but its still as nice!

darling enjoying the Okonomiyaki..

after the meal..we den went to SHOPPING! my fav activity of any time! went to Levis and got a ltd edition Spring/Summer white skinny at only 3900yen (abt 50sgd) and a black skinny for my bro at abt 2900yen

darling got a Signature Classic for only 2000yen (25sgd)! where to find such price other than factory outlet??

i cant quite rem wat else i bot at Hana Port..but all i rem is tat darling saw a Seiko watch which was v nice..for 100+...but he kept contemplating buy or not buy...i told him to buy cos wun b able to get the watch at tat price anywhere else! den he said go Hakone's Gotemba factory c hav or not...fr my experience earlier on the strawberries..if like den buy lor!! and he didnt buy any watch at Gotemba cos he din find anything he liked!!! so u c, if c u like, buy...if not will regret!!

we den bot a cup of coffee each...the cafe is still the same as the one i been to in 2006 wif Okaasan..the coffee was v gd and dun leave an aftertaste...and it felt gd holding on to a hot cuppa as we walked back to the subway station cos its already nite time by the time we left Hana Port..

SG shd follow Japan if they wan to push for more ppl to ride bikes and take public transport..their escalators actually hav a track which the cyclist can mouth the bike as he goes up and down the escalator...so the cyclist does not hav to carry his bike...convenient right?

good bye Hana Port Blossom (or in darling's words Harry Potter cos the Japanese pronounced it as Hana Potto which is a direct translation from English to Japanese)

poor darling hav to accomodate my shopping cravings...

tired after a day's of walking!

we den went back to Shinsaibashi...went back to Jin Long Ramen cos darling missed it..

the bz junction of Shinsaibashi

i'm not a fan on Hello Kitty but this is so cute!

we decided to try the takoyaki fr another stall...

the shop tenders making the taokyakis..

so here's the Takoyaki...mayb cos its got a special packaging so its abit more ex...

i prefer the Devils' taokoyaki leh..nicer..and its time for us to go back to the hotel for a gd rest..time to go back to Tokyo the next day!

Day 9 - 27 Mar

2008-06-04T16:39:00.004+08:00

I got sick of the onigiri tat was served at Toyoko-Inn..but darling was still going strong...i got my own milk and bread from the Conv Store the nite b4...

milk in Osaka really dun taste as nice as wat I had in Hokkaido..mayb the cows feed r diff so the milk oso taste diff..

Going to Kyoto for the thousands of shrines...

Sakaisuji-Honmachi- Shin Osaka
Shin Osaka (Shinkansen) - Kyoto

Kyoto Tower

the sakura r blooming!!

more sakura!

our 1st stop was Kiyomizu-dera...its the must-see temple of Kyoto

same thing..b4 going into the temple..muz wash up 1st..

den i saw this 2 kawaii gals in their pretty yukata! quickly take a photo wif them..

darling making a wish at the Work Buddha for his blessing..

the Love Stone..same thing..i took photos at this place 7 yrs back..still has not change a single bit!

same pose same place...

the spring water..supposedly tat our wish will b granted if we make our wish when we drink the water...

the whole temple is built on wood!!

plum blossoms..

the old street! lots of yummy kyoto goodies and souvenirs can b bot fr here!

the match ice cream there was super! i like the bitter matcha taste and its extremely creamy...

some famous pork mantou..but darling said its not nice at all..

floral bloom

we den took the bus to Gion - and the 1st stop is Yasaka Shrine..

and we saw someone's getting married!!!

Sakura!

we den walked to the Maruyama Koen (literally means Round Mountain Park) and this park is famous for viewing sakura during spring time..

we start to c long stretches of sakura trees...

i took so many photos of the sakura and wif sakura...until darling asked me "arent's all the trees the same?? u like taking photos wif all the sakura trees liao..." >.<>

we got this sandwich at the Kyoto station and it was quite gd...diff variety to choose fr...

the v beautiful landscape of the park...

more sakura! i'm really excited seeing the sakura lah! haha..

see? diff trees hav diff kind of flowers..this sakura blooms in a weeping willow kind...some r on top of trees...so muz take photos of all mah!

we den walked out to the Gion street..hoping to catch a geisha or a maiko..but dun hav leh..

the v old style japanese hse..maybe a geisha or maiko is staying inside!

BBQ-ed dango (tang yuan)..we din really like it cos its eaten wif miso sauce..a bit wierd...but alot of the locals like this snack!

den we took a bus to Heian Temple..at the entrance..this red structure is a symbol for all the shrines in Japan..so when u look at the map and u c this sign..it means there's a shrine at tat location..

they had something similar to our Tai Shui..

almost-blooming sakura..

we put the camera on timer..

Heian Shrine is modelled after the Imperial Palace and is dedicated to the 1st and the last Emperor of Kyoto..

Outside the Kyoto Library

my attempt at taking an artistic shot of the sun set and darling..

waiting for the shinkansen to go back Osaka

same thing happened again..we couldnt find our way to Dontoburi..argh!!!! so we walked ard again..den we saw something!!!

its 味の時計台!! something we had wanted to try at Sapporo but always no chance!! we din noe they hav an outlet in Osaka too..

so in we went..got our meal ticket fr the vending machine first as usual..

my butter-corn ramen..i thot its not bad..but it made me miss Miharu in SG at tat time..

darling's Char Siew ramen..he said he prefer the Jin Long ramen..the soup is tastier and its cheaper..plus he like the ambience of sitting by the street slurping hot ramen in cold weather...haha!

its the Glico-man again!

darling waiting in line for the Devil Takopochi...there's wasnt any q the nite b4..but quite a long q today..
see the q??

its not hard for the hot food to get cold in the weather...i can eat it v soon cos it cooled down v fast..

one last look at the neon lights cos we thot we will b going to my okaasan's place for Okonomiyaki dinner...but when i got back to the hotel i saw her email tat she was sick so it meant it was another Shinsaibashi nite!

back at the hotel..i took some pics of my cosmetics loots while darling was showering..

and i got a Snoopy hp charm at USJ..darling got a T-rex for himself..

its going to b Nara tomm!

Day 8 - 26 Mar

2008-06-04T15:41:00.002+08:00

Universal Studio Day!!!!

i've been to Universal Studio Japan during the exchange days...but darling has not been to one b4...so there we went!

Sakaisuji Honmachi - Umeda
Osaka - Universal City

the Spiderman JR going to USJ..it seemed quite crowded...and den I realised its the sch holidays!!! gosh..its going to b a mad mad q for the rides at USJ liao..

i took a photo at the same location some 7 yrs back..and 7 yrs later..i'm back to where i was!

inside the USJ...i tink we were still pretty early...at 9+...but we were wrong to tink tat its not crowded!!

wif Betty Boop and the duck (or issit bird??)

q-ing for the roller coaster ride "Dreamworld"...we spent close to 1 hr juz q-ing for this ride!!! as we get closer to the q..i start to get chicken feet...cos it really look scary!!! anyway wat i liked abt the USJ system is tat they hav a Fast Lane for single person..so if u r taking the ride alone...u can go and q at the fast lane...cos alot of times, the q r jammed up wif ppl in BIG grps...we used the fast lane for the Jurassic Park ride and some other rides..pretending we r alone taking the rides and i always joined darling in the same car in all the rides! saved ALOT of time!

juz look at the no. of pple q-ing for the roller coaster!

i came down fr the roller coaster wif my legs feeling jelly..even thou it didnt go topsy upside down and it was only 3 min..it felt like a lifetime! the speed and the angle which it turned made me wanna puke..when i was younger...such rides were no problem to me..when i get older..i realised i get more coward! haha..

a Hello Kitty performance...everything in Japanese..

the Spiderman ride

me playing afool wif the 3D specs..

i totally enjoyed the Spiderman ride...we were hole up in a little car/cabin watever u called those things..but i cld c Spiderman really pouncing down onto my car! v v real! and i cld feel the heat where a bomb went off and there was a fire..and water droplets when it was raining (or water which was used to put out those fire??)..

the roller coaster and Spiderman were new rides which wasn't available 7 yrs back..and I'm glad i went back again cos these rides were GOOD!!!

at the Jaws ride...looooooooong q too..

same pose same location again..

even thou its sunny..again its pretty cold!!! i regretted not wearing the thicker jacker or thicker sweater!

T-rex is coming!!!

the Western country feel..

Pretty flowers blooming!

i took this pic 7 yrs back too!

was hungry so we grabbed a quick bite of something not v nice..

i watched this show b4 too..and its still the same! hahah...v v realistic bombing..and u can really feel the heat fr the fire!

wif one of the cast

he's q-ing for the Jurassic Park turkey drumstick...loooooong q AGAIN!

and he finally got it like after 30min?? he liked it alot..probably cos its nice to eat something hot on a cold day and after 30 min of q-ing, it gotta b gd rite?? i din really like it cos the meat wasn't v tender..

darling went to take a 2nd ride at the Jurassic Park boat..i was afraid of getting wet plus no more guts..so i waited for him downstairs to catch some photos of him..

after tat was q-ing time again..this time for a 3-D animation..and somehow we din read properly...we thot it was Shrek..but after a certain time, the show will change to Sesame Street!!! to tink we wasted and hr q-ing for it...if we hav read carefully..we wld hav gone for the Terminator Show instead...

camwhoring during the q-ing time wif the yummy popcorn!

and when the nite fall...it gets cooooooooolder...

we went into Hard Rock cos darling wanted to c if there's anything nice to buy...he bot a sweater and i got a t-shirt for 2000yen (or was it 3000yen) for 2 items...it was v worth..as i was v cold..i put on the sweater on top of my own b4 wearing my jacket again...there was a United Colours of Benetton factory outlet and i grabbed a few pc of tops for myself and darling..1000 yen (14.50sgd) for a tshirt or long sleeve top...cheap rite?

and we went to Shinsaibashi!! its the MUST-GO place of Osaka...where u can find a long shopping street as well as eatery street...we had a hard time getting to this area as I couldn't rem the direction..

and of cos..this place is famous for its neon lights adverts! the Glico-man!

we wanted to find this Jin Long ramen and i tink we spent 30min walking ard looking for it..i asked several ppl and not all of them noe abt it..wierd..its such a famous ramen place leh...i tink one auntie even gave me the wrong direction..

and when we finally saw its neon lights shining...we felt like seeing water in a desert..the nite was getting colder and we were hungry..darling wasn't in the best of mood cos of his growling stomach...so i was almost hysterical when i saw the neon light!

the feel its like eating at a road side stall..

they provided free kimchi to go along wif the ramen..the ramen itself wasnt fantastic but the soup was our life saver! juz imagine slurping hot soup on a cold nite..i juz cant describe the feeling in words...in fact, it felt so gd tat we had this the again the next nite we came to shinsaibashi!

and how can we forget Takoyaki in Osaka?? its juz like eating Chilli Crabs in SG! this stall was recommended by Natasha..

we ordered the spicy one but din feel the sauce was gd...shd hav ordered the normal sauce..which we did the following nite..

another 2 icons of Shinsaibashi

on our way back, we dropped by the conv store to get some drinks and snacks...darling saw the adver for this drink in the trains so he wanted to give it a try...it's like Jolly Shandy but 1000X better!!

Day 7 - 25 Mar

2008-05-08T16:41:00.002+08:00

Rise & Shine at 6am!!! we r leaving Hakodate to Osaka this morning..and v prepared for a 13 hr journey train ride back to the main island..

0700 Hakodate (LTD.EXP SUPER HAKUCHO 10) - 0955 Hachinohe
1006 Hachinohe (SHINKANSEN HAYATE 10) - 1308 Tokyo
1333 Tokyo (SHINKANSEN HIKARI 415 - 1630 Shin Osaka

got this fr the vending machine...but i din quite like it..shd hav bot milk instead...

the rising sun..

we sat until almost our butt ache b4 reaching Tokyo at ard 1+pm...i tink by the time the Shinkansen fr main island is linked up to hokkaido..the travelling time will b much shorter! hopefully its done when i go there again...still alot of places in Hokkaido i still wan to go!

quickly grab 2 bento set and some cakes b4 rushing for our Shinkansen to Osaka...

this is mine..some fried fish and teriyaki chicken

this is darling's..fried fish wif rice and spagatti and sausage..

camwhoring to pass some time..

my fav strawberry cake fr the Ginza again!!! and darling's choc truffle cake...the cakes fr Japan r really yummy and i always cant help but stop to admire at the counters sellings these pretty cakes!

finally reach Osaka!! still stayin at the Toyoko-Inn chain...it was 5 min walk fr the Subway station..in Osaka, most of the places r more accessible by Subway den JR..

Shinosaka (OsakaCity Midousuji Line) - Honmachi
Honmachi (OsakaCity Chuo Line) - Sakaisuji-Honmachi

sun is almost setting and we r on our way to my Okaasan's place...its amazing how long we have been in contact...i noe her since my Uni Yr 2 when I went to Osaka for homestay and exchange programme..and even thou i only stayed in her hse for 3 nites..we kept in contact all these yrs and i've visited her when i've the chance to go to Japan for work 2 times..

at her hse..she has her own tea ceremony rm where she conducts lessons...its real tatami set-up! i've already had a chance to go thru tea ceremony wif her when i stayed at her hse during my uni days..she was giving darling the experience of tea ceremony...

the sweet tat's always served b4 the start to the tea ceremony...its a sakura mochi..diff sweets r served during diff seasons..even the tea cups and tools used will change wif each season..

i din quite like this sweet..it was like eating coloured sugar cubes..

Okaasan preparing the tea..the tea served during tea ceremony is usu v thick..and is of v v gd quality..

b4 u drink the tea..u will hav to turn the cups 3 rounds..tink its clock-wise direction..

after the tea ceremony..we adjourned to the living rm to wait for dinner...

okaasan served us some pepper cheese wif crackers..and i muz rave abt the cheese!! its really gd..but unfortunately..i dun c anything similar in SG..

Ume-shu

i'm so happy to hav this again! its baby taro balls...and i loved it when okaasan 1st cooked it when i stayed at her hse...this is the 3rd time i'm visiting her and she still cook this specially for me..v touched!

Gomae..i tried to prepare something like this back home..but juz cant get the taste..

baked prawns wif cheese..darling loved this!

Sashimi-don

Garden Salad

Wan Tan Soup...the soup was v v gd!! its was light in flavour yet still can taste the sweetness...darling was v amazed by how gd the soup taste and even asked for 2nd helping!

dessert was vanilla ice cream wif strawberries!

i really had my fill tat nite..we did alot of catching up and eating until we forgot to take group photos! initially we had another dinner date 2 nites later...but okaasan was feeling sick so we din wan to disturb her rest..so we din hav the chance to take photos wif them...hopefully there will b a next time!!

Day 6 - 24 Mar

2008-05-08T13:45:00.001+08:00

Our last day in Sapporo

We went in search of the Sapporo Fish Market...the sky looked overcast...and it was expected to rain later in the day.. (again!!!!)

The Odori Clock Tower

Its actually a small compound which is the gathering area when they had fire drills in the past..it was a v cold day again..even darling felt cold...

the TV Tower
When we reached the Fish Market, we were surprised how come the place looked so deserted..not many locals there..and not many ppl doing their morning shopping which I thot was wierd...den the shopkeepers started talking to us in English, asking us if we were fr HK or TW...den we realised tat this market cld b targetting at tourists!! muz b v ex tat's y no locals ard!

den we saw Sea Urchins...i rem JX say its v nice...so i thot we shd try it too...

The shopkeeper opening the sea urchin live!

Cleaning it...such a big shell..only a little flesh..tsk tsk..

Putting back into the shell for us to eat..

Verdict: it was v v v fresh!! Can taste the sweetness and freshness in our mouth even after 30 mins...but its not cheap...ard $14 for tat little bit of urchin sashimi...but its money well spent...

There were many snow crabs ard too...

we den adjourn to our next location...Hakodate..

1037 Sapporo (LTD.EXP HOKUTO 8) - 1249 Hakodate

Sapporo Milk Ice Cream...i tink i muz hav put on alot of weight in Hokkaido itself cos i've been indulging in ALOT of dairy products! icecream, milk, cheesecake..but hav to eat it while there!!! its v v nice!

Along our way to Hakodate...nice scenery..

Big waves

Our Hotel - Toyoko Inn Hakodate Asaichi

The Lobby

Cafe where they served breakfast and dinner

Washing Machine

Free water

Our Lunch at some ramen restaurant...alot of restaurants were already closed..seemed like they only operate in the morning..which is probably why the area is called Asa-ichi (morning market)..

Darling's Wan Tan Miso Ramen..Japanese Wan Tan taste quite diff fr Chinese ones..give me Chinese Wan Tan anytime..haha..

My Butter Corn Miso Ramen..after this trip..i learnt tat I only like ramen in Shio soup base...Miso is way too salty for my liking..

We den walked ard at the asa-ichi area...Hakodate is basically a v v small fishing town...just by the Japan sea...and the area we were at was juz beside the sea where alot of fishing ships docked to bring in the fresh catch...it was raining and was freezing cold again..imagine standing by the sea wif the wind blowing..i tink the temp is below zero degrees already..too bad only rain..no snow...

a shop selling Hello Kitty items..

Darling saw this Kani (crab) t-shirt wif the Nike look-alike logo and the Kuma which is Puma..wanted to buy but he thot of coming back later...who noes tat when we came back to the shop which is near our hotel at nite..its already closed..so this taught me if i c anything i like..juz buy 1st..dun delay...else wun b able to get it..

We den went to Motomachi District by streetcar (electric trams, which was main transportation in Hakodate) so tat we can take the cable car up to Mt Hakodate for the well known beautiful nite scenery...

There were alot of beautiful churches in this Motomachi District cos alot of missionaries came to set up churches in Hakodate.. unfortunately..it was really too cold for me to admire the architecture and most of the churches did not permit entrance..

We decided to seek refugee in a little shop selling some snacks cos its simply too cold for me to walk ard anymore...i cld feel the wind penetrating my jacket into my bones... >.<

but Darling still cld eat ice cream...really had to take my hat off to him..

I had my warm milk..v satisfying in the cooooooold weather..

a quick photo in the cold rain..

darling is pointing to the sea and jetty

yeah! we going to take the cable car up to the top of Mt Hakodate..unfortunately..there was v thick fog cos of the rain and we were cautioned tat the scenery might not be as gd or we may not b able to see anything..but we thot since we were already here..might as well go up to hav a look..

THICK fog...
Nite is getting nearer..

suddenly the wind blew the fog away and we had clear sky for a moment! imagine how it wld look if the sky was crystal clear! fascinating!

we went to the outdoor area and 5 min was the longest i cld stay there..i tink i look like Eskimo..

darling trying to show the condensation after he blow into the atmosphere...it was so cold..even when we breathe..we can c condensation...bbbrrrrr...........on our way back down the mountain to take the streetcar..i'm so cold i wan to cry..tat's how bad it was..

we grabbed a quick dinner at the hotel cafe...and den went back to our rm for an early nite rest as we hav to get onto the 7am train to go to Osaka...

some snapshots of our hotel rm...basically, the interior design is the same for all Toyoko Inn hotels...

The toilet/bathroom

Writing/Dressing table with TV

Bed
The door way

we going to say BYE BYE to Hokkaido!! But i definitely wan to go back again..there's still northern Hokkaido which we did not venture too cos of the time constraint...

Day 5 - 23 Mar

2008-05-07T14:01:00.001+08:00

Rise and shine to great weather!

the view fr the window outside my hotel rm...the moutain range is simply beautiful!

breakfast was the onigiri again..until i oso dun wan to take any photos liao..so sick of the rice balls..

at Sapporo station for our train to Otaru..it looks like something fr Transformers isn't it?!

1014 Otaru (JR Hakodate Line) - 1046 Otaru

sea view fr the train..
we reached Otaru..its a small town 30min away fr Sapporo and good for a day trip..actually half a day will do..and as all other days in Hokkaido...its v cold..guess its abt less than 5 degrees..the architecture in Otaru is not like any other Japanese cities...its actually quite European style...

and den we walked past this small little shop selling Hokkaido milk and ice cream...its too cold for ice cream so i ordered hot milk...its really creamy and smooth...and does not give me any tummy upset...and there's a heater in the rm which made it really comfortable..almost din wan to leave the shop...

at the famed Otaru Canal..

darling commented tat it looks like our Spore River or rather big long kang...cant c anything nice abt it..but well..its the 'muz-see' in Otaru..so being tourists...there we went!

we walked past down the canal to the street where there r many musical box shops and places selling pretty glass wares...and we saw this!

a seafood shop selling BBQ scallops at 100yen per pc! CHEAP with capital letters! and its v fresh cos they opened all the scallops on the spot...its BBQed wif butter and shoyu ...and there's a loooong q for it..we joined in the fun!

the scallops were v v fresh...and we actually went for 2nd round on our way back to the train station 2 hrs later...haha..

at a clock tower which gives out sounds at every qtr hr and at every hr...there's actually music..

inside a beautiful shop selling musical boxes...wanted to get one..but i'm worried tat i might break it along the way since there's 10 more days to go..so gave up the idea..took a photo of the pretty angel which i had liking to...

another v European looking tower...

den we went up tat tower...for a v nice view ard Otaru town..

and on the 3rd floor was a cafe called Le Tao...v chinese name..but its v French looking inside...

they got the most fragrant tea I've ever drank!

my strawberry cake again (3rd of my trip)...its yummilicious!

darling's choc fudge cake..rich choc taste..he liked it too..

den on our way back..i finally settled for my Butter Potato...cheapskate me walked back 5 min to a store which i saw selling the cheapest Butter Potato along the street...haha..did i mention b4 tat hokkaido potatos r v creamy and soft???

we wanted to hav sushi for lunch..and we saw Waraku...dun tink its related to our SG Waraku cos its actually selling conveyor belt sushi..but unfortunately its full and waiting time was at least 20min..we had to rush for train so didn't wait..

grabbed cream puffs fr the Otaru station souvenir shop..the thing abt Japanese is tat there's always a souvenir shop selling the city's fame food pdts or onaments in the major train stations..so ppl can buy back to their homes and give out as souvenirs to their family members, neighbours etc etc..

den darling had this interest in eating at the standing soba shop on the train platform...and there's one at Sapporo station...

his Tsukimi Udon..

slurping away like the Japanese..

den we proceeded to the Sapporo Beer Museum

Bus stop "Kita 8 Higashi 7"on [East No.63] line, starting at the bus stop "Sapporo-eki-kita-guchi" at the North gate of Sapporo Station on the JR-Line.(About 10 minutes ride)

the old designs of Sapporo Beer

Different can sizes

beer adverts...i find the lady in the center v charming...and ever wonder most beer or alcohol adverts r by women?? hav to attract the attention of hum sup old men..haha..

we had beer tasting..3 diff kinds of beers at 400 yen!

we r Sapporo beer

i liked the feel of this photo..actually it wasn't v misty..but dunno y the photo was captured as such..

snow added a v winter feel..
the old sapporo beer factory

more snow!

and den we had dinner at a BBQ restaurant beside the beer museum...it was a total disaster...not in the food..but the type of food..i din read carefully and thot it was steamboat..it was actually BBQ hotplate...

and i hate BBQ food in a confined area..cos its v stinky! and the way this Japanese Buffet is at such...you r given 100min to eat as much as you can...well..i got sick by 30 min..who needs 100min..

Lamb and Vege

Seafood
Darling starting the hotplate wif a pc of dunno lamb fat or pork fat..

the meat and vege..

we r given aprons to wear..and big plastic bags to keep our jackets and bags so tat they will b free of splattered oil.. v v thoughtful of the japanese service culture as usual...but still..i got alot of splattered oil marks on my sleeves..totally grossed out!

darling was still enjoying the food but i really cant wait to get out..next time read things muz read properly! arghs!

while waiting for bus to get back to Sapporo station..and its really cold!! even thou we juz came out fr the restaurant..i was already trembling inside..

finally we got back to the hotel..and darling showerd and changed into the PJs provided by the hotel...hee hee..he's wearing a dress...

and i had this Mont Blanc flavoured ice cream...i really cant tell wat's in it..maybe coffee? but its totally not nice...

time for bed! and we going to say good-bye to Sapporo...

Day 4 - 22 Mar

2008-04-30T14:09:00.001+08:00

I woke up today feeling super lousy!!! cos i got a stiff neck fr the pillow and bad sleeping posture..it affected my mood lots lots...

luckily we woke up early to go for another round of hot spring dips again..so i went into the v hot spring water bath so tat can let my neck relax..

we went to the restaurant to grab a quick breakkie cos we need to catch the bus to the train station..

see how crowded it is..

i didn't hav much appetite so i juz grab some food i c...

and we set off to Sapporo!

1041 Noboribetsu (Ltd Exp Hokuto 1) - 1147 Sapporo

Sapporo station was big and after one day..we found ourselves back in bustling city again...

we found our way to our hotel - Toyoko-Inn Hokudai Mae and the pleasant sight of the familiar check-in counter greeted us..

lunch was ramen at the Susukino Ramen Alley..

Sapporo Subway (SapporoCity Nanboku Line) - Susukino

My butter and corn ramen..its a specialty fr Hokkaido..

darling's charsiew ramen..cant even c the ramen..

we concluded tat we still like the Ramen Museum one..but darling said this ramen texture is closed to wat we always have at Miharu in SG...

den we saw this Ramen restaurant which wun b opened until 7pm..this was the one tat was recommended on japan-guide website..

we den set off for Ishiya..where they manufacture the White Lover's Choc...

By Subway
Susukino (SapporoCity Nanboku Line) - Odori
Odori (SapporoCity Tozai Line) - Miyanosawa
JPY 280

entrance to the park cost JPY 600

there was an hourly music 'concert'

more snow...the pink cone-like stuff were actually plants which the park ppl wrapped wif some pink thing to protect..

even the toilet bowls were so pretty and had tat English element..

Follow the cat footprints to go inside the museum..

there's an indoor fountain..

soccer field made of sugar..

the factory made of sugar..

coloured glass windows! i felt i was in Europe..

pretty wine cups which were used in the European olden times..

Romantic feel isnt it?

the ceiling..

a v special organism, i cant rem the exact name, but it is said to be able to survive without food for up to 10 yrs and its found only in the coldest part of the ocean ard Japan..note tat i used digital macro mode for this photo else wun b even able to c it in the pic..

the v pretty decorative piece..
Macho Superman and Fat 'Suparman'..haha..

collection of minature toys
darling's fav cartoon character when he was young..

on the horse cart..

my 2nd pc of strawberry cake in 4 days..this cake was extremely gd!

gotten our Shiroi Koibito and b4 leaving the Ishiya

it was getting dark and there were pretty lights all ard..

we headed back to the hotel to put the stuff and we realised tat the hotel actually provide free dinner on top of free breakfast! Althou its juz some mediocure curry rice..but it helped to fill our stomach for a while b4 we headed out to the Sapporo station shopping mall for some shopping..

we actually walked round and round looking for the seafood buffet restaurants tat our fren told us abt..but cannot find leh..non offered seafood buffet...

so in the end we got some other food to bring back to the hotel...

Creamy cheesecake..
Interesting potato chips flavour.. - Chicken consomme and Butter Potato..

our Shiroi Koibito, Sapporo beer (muz-drink in Japan) and my Megmilk..hokkaido milk is the best!

Day 3 - 21 Mar

2008-04-23T11:38:00.000+08:00

beautiful sunrise while still on the Hokutosei..it looked better when the train was going past the sea but darling didn't take the photo while i was freshening up myself so wasted...

we arrived at Hakodate at 630am...and tranferred to our train to Noboribetsu...

our train to Noboribetsu..it was so freaking cold at Hakodate!

the Kirin 午後の紅茶 is my fav milk tea fr Japan..and i gotta drink it everytime when i go there..and during the winter and spring time..they will hav hot ones available too..

we arrived at Noboribetsu..its a v quiet train station and town..unlike the hassle we see every morning in Tokyo..

while waiting for the bus to go to our ryokan..There's a bear park in Noboribetsu...so it became sort of their icon..This is a real bear but it was preserved...i cld hav been easily eaten up by it if i met it in the wild!

Another icon of Noboribetsu is the Hell Demon..

it was v v cold even thou the sun was bright and shinning!

we left our luggage at our ryokan - Daichi Takimotokan and proceed to the Hell Valley

Blue sky and beautiful mountain range..wat else can u ask for? its called Hell Valley cos all the spring water for onsen in the town r piped fr this area..and becos its v hot..we can constantly see smoke fr the ground..thus the name Hell Valley..

getting too cold for comfort..i had to wear my gloves..even thou its at Hell Valley and even thou its sunny..it was freaking cold..and there was oso strong wind blowing...even darling had to take out his thick gloves to wear..

PS: the big hands were not mine..i was juz holding on to darling's big gloves when he was setting the camera on timer..

can c the fumes fr the ground...which is y this place is called the Hell Valley..

there was a mini hot spring and gosh..it was bubbling hot!! the water became overheated and boiled and spilled out fr its little hole..

so scare my camera will fall into the water..den tat's it liao..hah..

Hell Valley is a gd place for trekking during the summer time...during winter and early spring..the snow actually covered alot of the trekking roads..so made it impossible to walk far...we walked to places where the snow were cleared...

my first snow experience!!! clean white snow!

Surprisingly..the higher we go..the less cold it got..and we cld took off our jackets..darling said cos there was no wind at the top...

check out the white white snow!! i was so happy to c the snow on the floor...woo hoo!

a rather dirty volcano lake..prob cos of the mineral deposits..

there were some areas which we wanted to venture to but unfortunately the snow was not cleared and it was impossible to walk in our normal shoes...

darling wanted to try snow ski...so we asked the ryokan front desk and they recommend this ski place where we can rent the equipment and ski.. we got bento lunch and ate on the bus..

mine..

his bento set

we fin our lunch and juz nice, we reached the ski place.. snow on mountains..

the real ski mountain..

unfortunately..we didnt do any ski at all cos it turns out tat renting the whole set of equipment is going to cost a bomb..and we r beginners..so it was best tat we take lessons otherwise its going to b quite dangerous..i asked darling to go ahead without me cos i wasn't very keen to ski in the 1st place..but he didn't wan to..

so we were practically stuck at the ski place cos the next bus back to our ryokan is at 4pm!! and the time was only 1pm when we reached the ski place..how to spend 3 hrs u tell me? den i thot of asking ppl for a ride back down to our ryokan area...so everytime i see someone going out to get their car..i will ask them which way they going and if they can give us a ride...

after the 4th try..i finally got a very nice lady who is going the same direction as us!!! woo hoo!! i was sooooooo super happy cos it meant tat i wouldnt be stuck in a place doing nothing! i chatted wif the lady on the car and she mentioned tat this yr's snow was not as much so skiing wasn't tat fun..and she was surprised tat we in Spore know SMAP and the other Japanese singers and movie stars...

we can finally check into the hotel and i m super longing for a nice long bath...the ryokan had special front desk ladies who are dressed in Yukatas and helped us with our luggage and brought us to our room..

the tatami rm..

when we were in the rm..she even made tea for us..gave us some explanation of the rm facilities..i'm v impressed and pampered!

the nice snacks and green tea

after a nice shower, we went to try out the onsen..no photos on it cos cant bring camera in..cos everyone walked ard butt naked..how to take photo?

anyway, the onesen..all i can say tat its super shiok!!! i chose this ryokan cos there were many diff kind of onsen pools for dipping..all for different kind of functions.. and i tried the outdoor onsen..its juz like in Japan Hour! wat u see is wat i get...its was v chilly outside..but i quickly stepped into the pool..the nice landscape surrounding the pool made the onsen experience super unforgettable..there's even a bar counter selling beer and sake..darling said he wanted to order but he cant speak the language..but i tink it will be super shiok to drink sake and dip onsen at the same time!

met darling back at the rm for dinner buffet which was included in our rm package...the spread was super..nvr ate japanese food buffet tat can b so fresh! spore japanese buffet restaurants shd learn fr their counterparts in Japan lah..

BBQ Scallop

Teriyaki Beef and Ebi Fry
the must-eat crabs in Hokkaido
sashimi

sashimi don
these were the desserts i took..i'm a dessert person..no matter how full i am..muz make space for desserts..
when we went back to the rm..we were surprised to c the futon laid out nicely for us..wat can i say?? they even provided turn down service..

and its the end of our Day 3..more to come..

Day 2 - 20 Mar

2008-04-16T14:38:00.000+08:00

Rise and shine at 7...our plan is to visit shrines and shrines today...

Breakfast at hotel - always onigiri (rice balls) and miso soup...

i had this for almost everyday while staying in Toyoko Inn..until i grew so sick tat towards the end..i bought my own bread..

at the train station while setting off for Asakusa Shrine

Ikebukuro – Ueno (Yamanote-line) – Asakusa (Ginza Subway Line) JPY160
Note: we had to pay for subway cos its not under JR line so not covered by JR pass

can c tat i changed to my black padded jacket..cos it was raining thru the whole nite and was freaking cold in the morning! i even brought my gloves out..and to think that it was already late March..ppl were telling me tat it is juz like winter!

At the old street near Asakusa

the muz-do b4 we enter shrines...wash our hands to cleanse ourselves fr impurities..

Darling trying to act like a Japanese woman..too bad..not abit like one at all!

Outside the Sensoji...super windy cold!! my hair oso super messy!

Matcha manju

i dun usu like manju cos its always v sweet..but i quite like this and the matcha flavour was v fragrant..another special thing is tat the manju was deep fried...otherwise wat we usu get r baked manjus like our mooncakes..

we took a walk at the old streets and darling saw some v nice wooden swords and real samurai swords..but too bad cant bring back to spore...so he didnt buy...otherwise it will add on to the japanese look we hav in our bedrm..

cold weather make us hungry v fast...and i suddenly felt like eating pasta...we saw this v cheap pasta cafe so went in to hav lunch..

Nice garden salad

The wings were v tender!

Carbonara - darling had it wif raw egg..i didnt..

he didnt quite like it cos its not creamy enuff..but i thot it was quite nice cos i dun get too gelat after eating it..

Still raining!!!! one thing abt the Japan's weather forecast is that they r extremely accurate! the forecast actually said tat the rain will continue thru the whole day...and true enuff..still raining! there were more cases of its accuracy in the next few days...

We went to Yasukuni Shrine..wanted to go there hav a look cos of its v political element..it actually house the army soldiers of the World Wars...and always create alot of hoo-ha when their PM go and pray to these dead...

there was oso a museum on the WW2 beside the shrine..

The train tat used to run on the Death Railway in Thailand

The canons tat were used...c those little black marks? there were actually caused by enemies canons during war time..

the Suicide Fighter Plane..

on our way back, we went past a Budo Kan (their indoor stadium for Judo competition) and apparently there was a competition going on..but we had to buy tix to go in and watch so we did not bother..

went back to Ikebukuro for some window shopping again..the rain was very spoil sport cos we had to change our plans cos of the rain..shopping at Ikebukuro cos its underground so we wun hav to go in the rain and its not so cold..

had Gelato at the dept store..

we oso shopped for our dinner..

Ume Rice with Mayo Karaage...v delicious!

and i got a box of strawberries too! c how red they were? v sweet indeed!

we set off for our night train...

and i slept the moment i was on the train! super tired...and somehow their trains always make me feel so sleepy...and couldnt see any scenery cos it was so dark outside..so the only thing to do is to sleepzzzzz...

Tokyo (Yamibiko 223) - Sendai, Sendai (Ltd Exp Hokutosei 3) - Hakodate, Hakodate (Ltd Express Hokuto 1) - Noboribetsu

b4 we alight at Sendai, we quickly hav our supper...Ebi Roll..their sushi r v gd! and the ebi was v fresh as well..

and cakes!!!

i fell in love with strawberry cakes while in Japan..this is the 1st of the many many i had in 15 days...usu i wld hav order choc cake for myself as well..but if u r ever in Japan..their strawberry cake is a must-eat esp during Spring where the strawberries r v v sweet!

at Sendai..we switched to our sleeper train..its not cheap..we had to pay abt JPY8620 per pax for a bunk bed..but to save time..this was the only way..

the train coming into the station..

the bunk bed..mine was on top...cos i dun felt quite safe sleeping at the lower bunk..

darling making himself v comfortable..

sleeping on the train was like sleeping during an earthquake..and even thou its a non-smoking train..some idiots were smoking and i was waken up by the smoke! not to mention the other few times tat i woke up cos the bed was not soft enuff for me...

stay tuned for Day 3 at Noboribetsu!

Day 1 - 19 Mar

2008-04-15T15:47:00.000+08:00

Our flight depart from SG at 2325hrs...and gosh...i was almost freezed to death on board...even the extra blanket couldnt keep me warm...

ANA crew were quite attentive..and they dun really give u the attitude like some airlines do..but unfortunately..i find their breakfast not really gd...it was chicken sausage with rice..and some salad...

When we touched down at Narita, we quickly grabbed our luggage and went to exchange our JR pass..some miscalculations cos we thot we spending 14 days in Japan only...actually we r spending 15 days..so the last day of travel will not be covered by the pass..but we r oso not going anywhere much on the last day either..

caught the next available Narita Express (NEX) to Shinjuku and transfer to the Yamanote Line to our hotel in Ikeubukuro..weather was not v gd...started to get cloudy after we reached hotel..so we left our luggage at the hotel and quickly proceeded to our 1st destination - Kamamura..

JR Shonan Shinjuku Line to Kamakura, 1 hr, den take Bus # 1 (JPY 190)

One very safe way when you r not sure of the way to go at a place of interest is to follow the crowd...i wasn't sure which way to walk to the Daibutsu (Big Buddha) but alot of pple seem to b walking towards one direction..so i told darling we juz follow..

and true enuff! we reached the Daibutsu!

It was really huge! and can c the many yrs of sun and rain on it...but it still stand v strong even thou it was partially destroyed by a tsunami many yrs ago...many restructral works were done to conserve the Daibutsu...and can c y so many ppl flock to the area juz to have a glimsp of it..

After we came out of the Daibutsu Park..we saw this shop selling Fried Sweet Potato...i juz hav to try it cos i'm a sweet potato fan...

crispy on the outside and sweet and soft on the inside!

Yummy!

alot of pretty flowers blooming everywhere!

when we travel by ourselves..the only way to take couple photos is to set the timer..this was taken on a real railway track...we had to make sure no train was coming!

this was taken at the Kamakura beach..as u can c..the day was v overcast..and it threatened rain anytime...and it was freaking cold!
Tsunami warning

Fr Kamakura, we took train to Yokohama and transfer to Shin Yokohama to go to the Ramen Museum

Kamakura - Yokohama by JR Yokosuka Line, Yokohama - Shin Yokohama by JR Yokohama Line

it starting to rain when we were at Yokohama and tinking of the hot bowl of ramen juz keep me going..haha..

its abt 10 min walk (we made a wrong turn along the way) and the entrance fee is JPY 250 each..there r many diff famous ramen restaurants within the museum itself, and also a small exhibition area abt ramen making and also a set up of old streets in Japan many yrs ago..

darling made a writing on the board..

Japan is well known for its all sorts of vending machines...and this is a vending machine for buyin tickets for our ramen..
finally..something to warm our stomach!!!!!

my ramen..

his special char siew ramen..

we love the soup..and even thou there were lots of fried garlic..it didn't taste yucky at all..the ramen was v Q and the texture was juz rite for the both of us...

outside the restaurant..

we den walk ard the area inside and found this small shop selling sweets and toys that children many yrs ago in Japan eat and play with..

darling eating this Doraemon Rice cracker..

For JPY 10..its so super yummy!

the backdrop of the museum

our original plan was to go Odaiba in the evening..however, as it was raining quite heavily and i rem a long walk fr the Daiba Monorail to the shopping mall..we decided to go another day when we r back in Tokyo...

so we went back to Tokyo and walk ard at the underground station..there were MANY confectionary shops all ard the station..selling various Japanese sweets and pastries..as well as cakes..somehow the strawberry cakes seemed to reach their hands out to me telling me to eat them..and for the whole of the trip..i had at least 5 strawberry cakes in 15 days...

yummy looking treats..

den darling saw this Ginza Cozy Corner confectionary shop and he rem tat he bot a cream puff for me long time back b4 we were even together..some secret joke abt this tat i'm not going to say..but it sure revived alot of memories..

check out the cream..can still see the vanilla seeds!!!
we den went back to Ikebukuro and shop at the supermarts for dinner...the thing abt Japanese supermarts is tat they will hav discounts after 8pm on food items and u can c hordes of ppl inside looking for gd dinner deals...

this was wat i go...pasta wif beef patties and salad...

darling was so hungry tat he ate his Karaage bento b4 i took photo of it...we den quickly get ready to rest cos the next nite..we wld b sleeping on train and i most prob wun b able to sleep well..

Tat's abt all for Day 1!

Our Japan Honeymoon

2008-04-15T15:02:00.000+08:00

I have always wanted to go Japan with darling during sakura bloom in spring as I have been there once 2 yrs back and I'm totally amazed and intrigued by the beauty of the pretty sight. So even thou we already have our honeymoon to Bali (non-official! haha), our Japan trip has always been in the pipeline.

Our Flight

We took ANA as I partial redeemed points for the air tix. So it cost us SGD779 including tax to fly to Narita on ANA.

Our accomodation

Tokyo
Toyoko Inn Ikebukuro
Sakura Hotel Ikebukuro

Osaka
Toyoko Inn Tanimachi 4-chome

Hokkaido
Noboribetsu - Daiichi Takimoto Kaikan
Sapporo - Toyoko Inn Hokudai Mae
Hakodate - Toyoko Inn Asaichi

As you can see, we spent alot of our stays in Toyoko Inn. Its is a very large business hotel chain in Japan and they even have hotels in Korea. Highly recommended because of their cheap rates (Japan hotels are well known to be expensive), clean rooms, good service with basic ammenities provided and most importantly, they are always found near the major train stations.

The ryokan we stayed in Noboribetsu was well known for its Onsen. More abt it later...

JR Pass
we bought the 14-day JR pass at JPY 45,100 each. Cost us in SGD 650 per pax cos JPY suddenly shot up when we wanted to buy the pass. Sigh..

With the hotels and transportation planned, we are ready to set off!