Since we didn't go anywhere in Hiroshima yesterday, we had to make up for lost time especially since Kei wanted to be back in Tokyo by 6pm.
Wearing our matching Crocs, we headed over to the Peace Memorial Park which was quite easy to find and everything I wanted to see was located there: A-Bomb Dome, Cenotaph containing all the names of the atomic bomb victims, Children's Peace Monument, Eternal Flame of Peace, and a whole bunch of other stuff. It was quite fitting to be there at a time when I just left South Korea and all the talk there was about NorthKorea's failed missile launch.
We didn't wait for the museum to open since I really didn't want to go there and read all about the horrible things that happened when the first atomic bomb exploded. To this day, the images and text that I read regarding the Pol Pot Regime in Cambodia are still quite vivid in my mind two years after I visited.
At 8:15am, the clock at the park started ringing; my guess is that this happens everyday to signify the time when the atomic bomb exploded. Shortly thereafter, a man came to unlock the Peace Bell which allowed me to ring it once.
Heading back to the hotel, we dropped by the city center again so that I could buy a Hiroshima Starbucks mug. It's really amazing how this city has bounced back from all its past sufferings. And as I kept telling Kei yesterday, I actually like this city because it's more civilized than Tokyo and people here look happy.
After checking out of the hotel, it was another round of hauling all our stuff on the train. Luckily, we found available medium-sized coin lockers at the JR Miyajima Station and we managed to fit my luggage into one of them with some tweaking. After riding the ferry to Miyajima Island, it was all gluttony from there. We each ate a stick of squid pieces right when we got there (think inihaw na pusit with teriyaki sauce). While I happily ate mine in peace, Kei kept being followed by one of the free-roaming deers. Maybe because Kei was short so the deer could easily see and smell what she's holding? HaHa!
Further down the road, we found a stall selling fried sticky rice topped with an oyster (oysters are a specialty in Miyajima) and each bought one for $5. I swear, this country is too darn expensive. Finally, we saw the infamous "floating" torii gate. We passed by Itsukushima Shinto Shrine, forgetting that it's a World Heritage Site, and headed over to catch the Miyajima Ropeway to go to Mt. Misen.
Okay, so I thought that the ropeway would drop us off at the observatory part of Mt. Misen. Afterall, we had to ride two cable cars to get there. But guess what? It was still an uphill hike to get to the summit! What the?! I had no idea. I swear, I haven't been doing anything, but go up steep mountains on this trip!
After what seemed like an hour of blood, sweat, and tears, we finally got to the summit, some 535m above sea level. The view was awesome! We could also see the cable car station from there and couldn't believe how far we walked. After seeing more gray clouds roll in and hearing thunder, Kei and I headed back to where we came from. Soon after we arrived at the cable car station, there was an announcement that weather conditions may delay the cable car rides. Sure enough, we had to wait a few minutes before ours departed and the ones going towards Mt. Misen had no passengers in them. The rain poured while we were riding down the mountain and we were quite thankful that we left before we got soaked and muddy. Too bad for those folks we passed by on the trail heading the other way.
Famished, we ate a chicken and egg donburi at the nearest restaurant we saw. When we walked back to the torii gate, we saw that it was low tide and it wasn't "floating" anymore. Unfortunately, we didn't have time to go up to it. I bought a few momiji-manjus (steamed bean-paste buns shaped like a maple leaf) to take with us on the train. You'll never be hungry when you're traveling with me. ;P
To catch a shinkansen, we had to go back to Hiroshima where we arrived half an hour early for the one bound for Shin-Osaka. We had enough time to have some green tea lattes, our last drink together.
At Shin-Osaka station, it was time to bid farewell. I had to catch the train bound for Osaka while Kei had to catch the one for Tokyo. It was quite nice to have a 24/7 travel buddy with me for four days, but at the same time, I was looking forward to going around alone despite being a bit scared of the language barrier.
I got to Osaka Station fine (it only took like five minutes) and found the Tourist Information Center which gave me directions to get to my hotel, HotelKinki. Yes, you read that right. It's actually a love hotel, but budget-conscious travelers have been using them. Since they just finished renovating the whole hotel, my Japanese room was brand-spanking new. Score!
For dinner, I didn't want to walk far so I just went to the KFC across the street. $7 for two pieces of chicken and a biscuit. Yes, $7! With no drink! Crazy, crazy country, I tell you. On my way back to the hotel, I saw the many nudiebars surrounding my hotel. How appropriate for Easter Sunday. ;P
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Himeji
I was actually glad to leave Tokyo and leave for Kansai this morning. Since I had all my luggage in tow, Kei wanted to leave early so that we don't get trampled on in the subway. It was so early that the subway entrance that we usually take was still closed by the time we got there.
We made it to Tokyo Station way earlier than expected and opted to take an earlier train rather than wait for the train that we had reserved seats for. As I read on internet sites, there are indeed spaces on the train for one's huge luggages; they are located behind the last row of seats in each car. They're safe enough that I left my luggage there eventhough our seats were all the way towards the front. We're in Japan afterall.
Despite not having reserved seats, I got a window seat, but it was pretty useless since after eating the yakisoba that I bought at a local convenience store, I ended up sleeping until we neared Nagoya. What is it with shinkansens that lulls one to sleep? I never get any shuteye on airplanes or buses, but somehow, I managed to catch some sleep on the train. Love it! I was also surprised to find out how big the spaces are in between the seats. I'd rather ride the shinkansen than fly any day!
Shortly before noon, we arrived in Himeji. Since I researched Kansai pretty well, it was my turn to be the tour guide. From the JR Himeji Station, we walked to Himeji Castle, which you could actually see from the station...if you're tall. Otherwise, you'll be like Kei and keep saying "Where? Where? I don't see it" because of all the trees. HaHa!
When we got there, it was jam-packed with people, thanks to all the beautiful sakuras in full bloom. Himeji Castle = wow. Himeji Castle + sakura = super wow. Again, my knees and feet got tested again because to get to the top part of the castle, you have to hike up all these narrow wooden steps. I was also wearing boots so taking those on and off was a pain in the butt. But don't chastise me because there were a bunch of ladies wearing their high-heels and short skirts as you often see in this part of the world. I really don't know how you can enjoy and get around as a tourist wearing those.
After the castle, Kei and I headed back to the station with a pitstop at a green tea soft serve stand. Yum! This is what I came to Japan for! Our local Koot's Green Tea place closed over a year ago and I've been craving for green tea soft serve ever since.
We got our luggage out of the coin lockers and hopped on the next train to Hiroshima. I loved how these trains come so often! We got to Hiroshima with no problems at all and my hotel turned out to be just a few streets away from the JR Station. As expected, my room was a tiny little box. I thought it couldn't get any smaller from Ibis Myeongdong, but alas, it was indeed smaller!
Since Kei was battling a headache (Dr. Mina says it's from dehydration), we headed over to Okonomi-mura Village to eat some Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki. They're different from the regular okonomiyaki because they add noodles to their version. There are over thirty okonomiyaki restaurants in this area that it was hard to choose which one to go to. Even using the "go where there's a line" mentality is not helpful because of course, the ones near the elevator would get more traffic than those on the sides. Regardless, we picked one near the elevator where there were only a couple of seats available. They even had an English menu!
I'd have to say the Hiroshima-style okonomiyakis are my fave. Very yummy and filling. They were actually huge, but Kei and I finished the two that we shared. With stomachs full, we ended up window shopping instead of using the rest of the day to see the sights. In the process, we both ended up buying matching Mary Jane-style Crocs. Yes, you read that right: I now have a pair of Crocs. They were on sale and I thought that they'd help my feet problems. Surprisingly, the Crocs store in Hiroshima didn't smell like rubber unlike the one in The Fort in Manila. Interesting trivia for all of you, I'm sure. HaHa!
The day ended without seeing a single tourist spot in Hiroshima. It was a long traveling day and I definitely needed to slow down a bit if my feet issues were any indication.
We made it to Tokyo Station way earlier than expected and opted to take an earlier train rather than wait for the train that we had reserved seats for. As I read on internet sites, there are indeed spaces on the train for one's huge luggages; they are located behind the last row of seats in each car. They're safe enough that I left my luggage there eventhough our seats were all the way towards the front. We're in Japan afterall.
Despite not having reserved seats, I got a window seat, but it was pretty useless since after eating the yakisoba that I bought at a local convenience store, I ended up sleeping until we neared Nagoya. What is it with shinkansens that lulls one to sleep? I never get any shuteye on airplanes or buses, but somehow, I managed to catch some sleep on the train. Love it! I was also surprised to find out how big the spaces are in between the seats. I'd rather ride the shinkansen than fly any day!
Shortly before noon, we arrived in Himeji. Since I researched Kansai pretty well, it was my turn to be the tour guide. From the JR Himeji Station, we walked to Himeji Castle, which you could actually see from the station...if you're tall. Otherwise, you'll be like Kei and keep saying "Where? Where? I don't see it" because of all the trees. HaHa!
When we got there, it was jam-packed with people, thanks to all the beautiful sakuras in full bloom. Himeji Castle = wow. Himeji Castle + sakura = super wow. Again, my knees and feet got tested again because to get to the top part of the castle, you have to hike up all these narrow wooden steps. I was also wearing boots so taking those on and off was a pain in the butt. But don't chastise me because there were a bunch of ladies wearing their high-heels and short skirts as you often see in this part of the world. I really don't know how you can enjoy and get around as a tourist wearing those.
After the castle, Kei and I headed back to the station with a pitstop at a green tea soft serve stand. Yum! This is what I came to Japan for! Our local Koot's Green Tea place closed over a year ago and I've been craving for green tea soft serve ever since.
We got our luggage out of the coin lockers and hopped on the next train to Hiroshima. I loved how these trains come so often! We got to Hiroshima with no problems at all and my hotel turned out to be just a few streets away from the JR Station. As expected, my room was a tiny little box. I thought it couldn't get any smaller from Ibis Myeongdong, but alas, it was indeed smaller!
Since Kei was battling a headache (Dr. Mina says it's from dehydration), we headed over to Okonomi-mura Village to eat some Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki. They're different from the regular okonomiyaki because they add noodles to their version. There are over thirty okonomiyaki restaurants in this area that it was hard to choose which one to go to. Even using the "go where there's a line" mentality is not helpful because of course, the ones near the elevator would get more traffic than those on the sides. Regardless, we picked one near the elevator where there were only a couple of seats available. They even had an English menu!
I'd have to say the Hiroshima-style okonomiyakis are my fave. Very yummy and filling. They were actually huge, but Kei and I finished the two that we shared. With stomachs full, we ended up window shopping instead of using the rest of the day to see the sights. In the process, we both ended up buying matching Mary Jane-style Crocs. Yes, you read that right: I now have a pair of Crocs. They were on sale and I thought that they'd help my feet problems. Surprisingly, the Crocs store in Hiroshima didn't smell like rubber unlike the one in The Fort in Manila. Interesting trivia for all of you, I'm sure. HaHa!
The day ended without seeing a single tourist spot in Hiroshima. It was a long traveling day and I definitely needed to slow down a bit if my feet issues were any indication.
Friday, April 10, 2009
It's a Small Sanrio World Afterall
The day has come!
But first, I had to get a legit tourist spot out of the way. Kei and I woke up early to go to Tsukiji Market. Ahh, Tsukiji. Who knew that you could die there from all those little trucks zooming around. Watch out because they don't care about stupid tourists.
Those tunas are huge! When I went to General Santos in the Philippines, I missed seeing the tunas because I arrived there late in the afternoon so this was actually my first time seeing them. Let's see how the boys at the Pike Place Market toss these puppies around. HaHa! We also saw the mountain of styrofoam boxes next to the market and I kept saying how Seattle's MayorNickels would've totally hated this place (he's looking to ban styrofoam boxes at restaurants around the city in a few years).
Although it would've been nice to be able to say that I ate sushi at Tsukiji, I wasn't up for it this early in the morning. Instead, I bought a pack of fried wontons and these cheesy things at the market and called them breakfast. When we got out to the main road, we saw the ramen restaurants and I wished we ate ramen instead. I bet they were cheaper, too.
Kei wanted to take me to Harajuku, but I insisted that we should start heading to where we needed to go since it was nearing 9am already and it takes about an hour to get there. Okay, so I was a tad bit excited, but I was also saving some feet energy.
After about an hour on the Keio Line, we arrived at Tama Center Station and walked over to (drumroll please!) Sanrio Puroland. Mwahahaha! The dream fulfilled! We were the only adults without kids in tow. HaHa! When we purchased tickets, we got free keychains and Kei gave me hers since I gave her my Doraemon toy yesterday. That sounded like we were a couple of five-year-olds. LoL.
When the gates opened, I was just in awe. The first character we saw was Hello Kitty herself. I had to muscle my way to get a picture with her and keep those pesky little kids from getting in the way. HaHa!
The highlight of the park for me was the Sanrio Character Boat Ride (look out for Badtz Maru getting spanked) and the Believe Parade which featured most of the popular characters. If you're a Sanrio freak like me, you can appreciate seeing the Little Twin Stars, My Melody, Pekkle, Keroppi, plus the other oldie characters like Cheery Chums on display. Loved them all! Loved them so much we rode the Boat Ride twice. The first time was for me to try to take pictures and the second to enjoy the ride. Geek! LoL. I ended up buying the souvenir pic for Y1,000.
The Hello Kitty House was cute, but I thought the souvenir pic with Hello Kitty was dorky because it didn't even have a background.
At the Festival Plaza, they had collector's edition cellphone straps featuring each of the Sanrio characters. I eventually talked myself out of them since I do have all my 100 Sanrio Family plush toys at home which I still haven't figured out how to sell on eBay. HeHe.
The crappy thing about Puroland is the shows. Don't get me wrong, they were well-staged and didn't skimp out on special effects, but they were all in Japanese. In Hong Kong Disneyland, they had subtitles for all the shows, allowing foreigners to actually enjoy watching them. Nonetheless, I can't deny that I'm now a fulfilled woman. HaHa!
Since my feet were spazzing out already, we skipped Harajuku and Roppongi and headed over to Kei's mom's place to burn my pictures since my SD card was already full.
Seriously, being "injured" sucks. Whenever I travel, I do my best to stay in good health by drinking lots of water and never skipping meals, but little did I know that something like this could turn up and cut my itinerary in half. Tsk!
But first, I had to get a legit tourist spot out of the way. Kei and I woke up early to go to Tsukiji Market. Ahh, Tsukiji. Who knew that you could die there from all those little trucks zooming around. Watch out because they don't care about stupid tourists.
Those tunas are huge! When I went to General Santos in the Philippines, I missed seeing the tunas because I arrived there late in the afternoon so this was actually my first time seeing them. Let's see how the boys at the Pike Place Market toss these puppies around. HaHa! We also saw the mountain of styrofoam boxes next to the market and I kept saying how Seattle's MayorNickels would've totally hated this place (he's looking to ban styrofoam boxes at restaurants around the city in a few years).
Although it would've been nice to be able to say that I ate sushi at Tsukiji, I wasn't up for it this early in the morning. Instead, I bought a pack of fried wontons and these cheesy things at the market and called them breakfast. When we got out to the main road, we saw the ramen restaurants and I wished we ate ramen instead. I bet they were cheaper, too.
Kei wanted to take me to Harajuku, but I insisted that we should start heading to where we needed to go since it was nearing 9am already and it takes about an hour to get there. Okay, so I was a tad bit excited, but I was also saving some feet energy.
After about an hour on the Keio Line, we arrived at Tama Center Station and walked over to (drumroll please!) Sanrio Puroland. Mwahahaha! The dream fulfilled! We were the only adults without kids in tow. HaHa! When we purchased tickets, we got free keychains and Kei gave me hers since I gave her my Doraemon toy yesterday. That sounded like we were a couple of five-year-olds. LoL.
When the gates opened, I was just in awe. The first character we saw was Hello Kitty herself. I had to muscle my way to get a picture with her and keep those pesky little kids from getting in the way. HaHa!
The highlight of the park for me was the Sanrio Character Boat Ride (look out for Badtz Maru getting spanked) and the Believe Parade which featured most of the popular characters. If you're a Sanrio freak like me, you can appreciate seeing the Little Twin Stars, My Melody, Pekkle, Keroppi, plus the other oldie characters like Cheery Chums on display. Loved them all! Loved them so much we rode the Boat Ride twice. The first time was for me to try to take pictures and the second to enjoy the ride. Geek! LoL. I ended up buying the souvenir pic for Y1,000.
The Hello Kitty House was cute, but I thought the souvenir pic with Hello Kitty was dorky because it didn't even have a background.
At the Festival Plaza, they had collector's edition cellphone straps featuring each of the Sanrio characters. I eventually talked myself out of them since I do have all my 100 Sanrio Family plush toys at home which I still haven't figured out how to sell on eBay. HeHe.
The crappy thing about Puroland is the shows. Don't get me wrong, they were well-staged and didn't skimp out on special effects, but they were all in Japanese. In Hong Kong Disneyland, they had subtitles for all the shows, allowing foreigners to actually enjoy watching them. Nonetheless, I can't deny that I'm now a fulfilled woman. HaHa!
Since my feet were spazzing out already, we skipped Harajuku and Roppongi and headed over to Kei's mom's place to burn my pictures since my SD card was already full.
Seriously, being "injured" sucks. Whenever I travel, I do my best to stay in good health by drinking lots of water and never skipping meals, but little did I know that something like this could turn up and cut my itinerary in half. Tsk!
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Teleporting in Tokyo
Kei took Thursday and Friday off to be with me. So with a travel buddy who owned a professional camera, we headed over to Chidori-ga-fuchi for some more hanami. We stopped by a convenience store for breakfast (yakisoba, Pocky sticks, bread, and milk tea) and off we went to the park to sit and stare at the flowers. Since it was early and on a weekday, we had the park to ourselves. Finally, no crowds!
Darn these flowers for being so pretty. I especially liked the ones on droopy branches which I've come to call "Droopies."
Since we had a lot to cover before my feet started spazzing out again, we headed over to Ginza. First stop: the Sony Building for the geek in me. I swear, it's the coolest place in the world. There's a section there where kids can dress up and take a picture and test out the photo printers. Umm, feeling like kids, Kei and I took turns and came home with free souvenir pictures. HaHa! But really, those printers produced clear and crisp prints! Very nice. I was also salivating over all the DSLRs. Ugh. Must buy one when I'm employed again so I can learn how to use one and be ready for my next trip!
Afterwards, we searched for the Godzilla statue which Kei didn't know existed. After help from kobans, Japanese police boxes, we found the dinky statue outside an office building. Come on, Tokyo = Godzilla; I had to see it.
It was time for lunch and despite my asking Kei to have lunch at a food court so that it'll be a little cheaper, we ended up at a posh okonomiyaki restaurant since she kept telling me that there were no food courts in the department stores. Darn this tourist guide of mine. HaHa! We had the lunch special for $10 each, but the okonomiyakis were already pre-made. They just put them on the teppan to heat up; not fun at all!
Since Kei wanted to come with me to Hiroshima, we headed over to Tokyo Station to get her train tickets while I availed my JR Pass. My gawd, it's true: the JR Pass is really a huge saving! Kei's tickets were somewhere around $400! Crazy!
We were in the area already so we walked over to the Imperial Palace. It turned out that Chidori-ga-fuchi was only around the corner from the Imperial Palace; we could've done this earlier. There was nothing much over there for we skipped the East Garden since it was almost closing time (and we somehow missed the entrance to the garden), but again, it was nice to get away from all the crowds in Tokyo and find some peace. By this time, my feet started spazzing out so I slapped on some Salonpas while sitting on one of the benches.
Instead of heading over to Harajuku, I suggested we go to Odaiba instead since it appeared to be the most out of the way tourist spot.
Wow, this was the Tokyo that I imagined: the place looked very Jetsons-like with the Fuji TV headquarters building. We took the Yurikamome Line, which crossed the super cool Rainbow Bridge, and got off at the Daiba stop. The view of the sunset from the Odaiba Seaside Park was awesome and I wished I had the money to stay at the very nice-looking Hotel Nikko over there. After eating Happy Meals at the McDonalds in Aqua City (Kei wanted the Doraemon toys. HaHa!), we headed over to Palette Town to ride the Odaiba Ferris Wheel, which turned out to be the largest in the world. Fantastic panoramic view!
After a tiramisu crepe at Crepe Ojisan, we headed over to Venus Fort, passing by the Toyota Mega Web.
Me: Kei, is this where that human robot is located?
Kei: Uhh, I think that's a Honda thing.
Me: Oh.
HaHa! That's what I get for not researching Tokyo as much as I did for Seoul. ;P Venus Fort is like Vegas' Caesar's Palace, complete with high-end stores. Next!
Going home, we took the Tokyo Teleport. Yes, that's what it's called. I'm telling you, this side of town is so futuristic. LoL.
Once again, I hobbled into bed looking forward to tomorrow's big day.
Darn these flowers for being so pretty. I especially liked the ones on droopy branches which I've come to call "Droopies."
Since we had a lot to cover before my feet started spazzing out again, we headed over to Ginza. First stop: the Sony Building for the geek in me. I swear, it's the coolest place in the world. There's a section there where kids can dress up and take a picture and test out the photo printers. Umm, feeling like kids, Kei and I took turns and came home with free souvenir pictures. HaHa! But really, those printers produced clear and crisp prints! Very nice. I was also salivating over all the DSLRs. Ugh. Must buy one when I'm employed again so I can learn how to use one and be ready for my next trip!
Afterwards, we searched for the Godzilla statue which Kei didn't know existed. After help from kobans, Japanese police boxes, we found the dinky statue outside an office building. Come on, Tokyo = Godzilla; I had to see it.
It was time for lunch and despite my asking Kei to have lunch at a food court so that it'll be a little cheaper, we ended up at a posh okonomiyaki restaurant since she kept telling me that there were no food courts in the department stores. Darn this tourist guide of mine. HaHa! We had the lunch special for $10 each, but the okonomiyakis were already pre-made. They just put them on the teppan to heat up; not fun at all!
Since Kei wanted to come with me to Hiroshima, we headed over to Tokyo Station to get her train tickets while I availed my JR Pass. My gawd, it's true: the JR Pass is really a huge saving! Kei's tickets were somewhere around $400! Crazy!
We were in the area already so we walked over to the Imperial Palace. It turned out that Chidori-ga-fuchi was only around the corner from the Imperial Palace; we could've done this earlier. There was nothing much over there for we skipped the East Garden since it was almost closing time (and we somehow missed the entrance to the garden), but again, it was nice to get away from all the crowds in Tokyo and find some peace. By this time, my feet started spazzing out so I slapped on some Salonpas while sitting on one of the benches.
Instead of heading over to Harajuku, I suggested we go to Odaiba instead since it appeared to be the most out of the way tourist spot.
Wow, this was the Tokyo that I imagined: the place looked very Jetsons-like with the Fuji TV headquarters building. We took the Yurikamome Line, which crossed the super cool Rainbow Bridge, and got off at the Daiba stop. The view of the sunset from the Odaiba Seaside Park was awesome and I wished I had the money to stay at the very nice-looking Hotel Nikko over there. After eating Happy Meals at the McDonalds in Aqua City (Kei wanted the Doraemon toys. HaHa!), we headed over to Palette Town to ride the Odaiba Ferris Wheel, which turned out to be the largest in the world. Fantastic panoramic view!
After a tiramisu crepe at Crepe Ojisan, we headed over to Venus Fort, passing by the Toyota Mega Web.
Me: Kei, is this where that human robot is located?
Kei: Uhh, I think that's a Honda thing.
Me: Oh.
HaHa! That's what I get for not researching Tokyo as much as I did for Seoul. ;P Venus Fort is like Vegas' Caesar's Palace, complete with high-end stores. Next!
Going home, we took the Tokyo Teleport. Yes, that's what it's called. I'm telling you, this side of town is so futuristic. LoL.
Once again, I hobbled into bed looking forward to tomorrow's big day.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
In Full Bloom
Kei woke me up at 7:30am as she was leaving for work. After I got out of bed, I found that she left me some seven pages of Post-It notes full of instructions. Hello, Mom! HaHa! I found it hilarious that she even spelled out how to use her PASMO card; I later told her, "Uhh, Kei, they actually have those in Singapore. I've tap-tapped my ass to get through the subway gates before." See? This is why people should travel: one can find out about these cool things available in different countries. ;P
After showering and leaving later than usual, I walked to my home subway station, Aoyama Ichome, to catch the train to Asakusa (pronounced "Ah-sahk-sah" and not "Ah-sah-koo-sah" as I pronounced it prior to coming to town) which was also on the Ginza line so I didn't have to transfer and deal with getting trampled by the "Sea of Humanity". Since Kei wasn't with me, I was paying more attention to the subway. Hmmm, Seoul's is definitely much more user-friendly. Seoul's subway has overhead screens that tells you the stop and which side of the train you'll exit from. When you're exiting the subway, the exit signs list the destinations available using that exit. You really can't get lost in Seoul. I promise!
Anyway, the Kaminarimon Gate was a few steps away from Exit #1. I found it with no problems at all especially since all the Caucasians were heading the same way. When traveling, I always say, "Follow where the white people go, and you'll find what tourist spot you're looking for."
As much as I had wanted a picture next to the giant lantern, I have realized that it's quite pointless to ask your fellow tourists to take your picture because they never frame the shot correctly. You end up being a tiny speck or worse, they only take a picture of you and don't include whatever it is in the background. I've found this to be a big drawback when traveling alone. ;P
I headed over to Nakamise Street where I was greeted with all the souvenirs I could wish for. Man, talk about cellphone straps galore. Holy ish! And yes, there were a lot of Hello Kitty ones. Must...not...buy.
After looking around Senso-ji Temple and the garden outside, I walked back to the entrance where they were giving away fresh orchids for Buddha's birthday. No wonder there were lots of people for a Wednesday.
I spotted a stall selling octopus balls so what's a girl to do, but eat. I quickly found out that I'm not in Seoul anymore: $5 for 6 pieces of octopus balls. Hmph! I wanted some yakisoba too but that's another $5. Instead, I had a "plain" ningyo-yaki, a small Japanese cake with sweet red beans for $1. Yum, but quite greasy. I miss you, hotteok! And wow, there are a lot of "-yakis" in Japan. HeHe!
I bought a few souvenirs including a wooden Japanese doll. I actually wanted a bigger, nicer one, but I just thought they were way too expensive plus I could get them in Seattle at Uwajimaya. LoL.
I was about to go down to the subway when I spotted the "Giant Poop Building", the Asahi Brewery Building, from a distance. I walked over to the bridge and took a picture. Then I spotted the sakuras over at Sumida Park and walked over there. Ahh, sakuras falling in the wind. So picturesque. I then spotted rickshaw "drivers" in their tight short shorts. Wow, those shorts ARE tiny.
The next instruction from Kei was to take the train to Ueno Park. OMG! While Cathy was begging for sakuras in Seoul, they were in full bloom in Tokyo! All these trees next to each other were so gorgeous! I sooooo want a DSLR now to capture all these beautiful things that I see when I travel! Just like any other place in Japan, the park was packed with people. I managed to find an available bench by the lake with people in paddle boats (think Baguio's Burnham Park). Kei later asked me if I rented one and I was like, "Eh? Watch me get tired and not make it back to shore!" HaHa! But oh wow, the park was so pretty! I actually saw the sakuras when my plane was landing yesterday so I knew that I wasn't going to miss them while in Japan.
After circling the huge Ueno Park, I walked over to Akihabara. Seriously, I need to stop walking to places and just ride the train. Since it's a little past 1pm, none of the lights were on. However, I did see the girls dressed in french maid outfits, beckoning guys to come in to the stores. I found a crepe shop and bought a crepe, only to find out that the crepe "shell" was pre-made so it was far from yummy. Boo! While walking, what did I see being shown on one of the building's jumbotron? Big Bang! HaHa! I'm like, "Aww, yes, I missed you guys in Seoul." When I was riding the shuttle to the KAL bus stop yesterday, I actually saw the poster for the April 18th concert with Big Bang, Rain, and others. It wasn't meant to be, boys. Only LeeDongGun and I were meant to be for now. HaHa!
I needed to make my way back to Hiroo station so I tried to find the Hibiya Line stop, but couldn't figure out where the hell it was. I asked a middle-aged man, but he was confused to where it was so I ended up asking this girl and thankfully, she knew English. She was kind enough to even walk me to the station.
I was a bit early in Hiroo so I walked to the grocery store to buy a bottle of water. All this time I thought the drinks in the vending machines were priced regularly, but those are Y150, while they were only Y95 at the grocery store! I swear, Kei needs to tell me these things! I also walked over to Hiroo Plaza, but there wasn't much to eat over there unless you're up for KFC. I decided to just walk over to Kei's work and wait for her there.
Aww, my little Kei moving on up from our old sucky workplace. It's good to know that all of my fave co-workers, including myself, are out of there. I just need to find work as soon as I get back to Seattle. ;P
We went to Tokyo Tower, but were a bit early to see the city aglow, so we opted to eat dinner first. Kei is not the best tour guide around since she has been out of the country for a number of years, so we were walking aimlessly for a while before heading back to this little Japanese restaurant we passed by near Tokyo Tower. Unfortunately, the place was full of salary men smoking over dinner. :( Again, it was all vending machines for ordering.
We went back to Tokyo Tower and finally went up. So the list is now: Kuala Lumpur Tower (Menara Kuala Lumpur), Macau Tower, Seoul Tower, and Tokyo Tower. I gotta get back to Shanghai soon for the Orient Pearl Tower. Anyhoo, Tokyo Tower has these mascots, the Noppon Brothers. Unfortunately, I think they look like p3nises so I've called them the P3nis Brothers. You'll know what I'm talking about when you see them. Of course, what's a Japanese tourist destination without a proper Hello Kitty cellphone strap? There's one with her next to Tokyo Tower. I passed up on it, using the reason that I didn't get the Asakusa one so it's pointless now to get one from the other places I'll be visiting. HeHe! Kei did drag me in one of the photo booths though. She and I were both wearing blue and the background color of the Tokyo Tower was blue so when the pictures came out, only our heads showed in the picture. It was hilarious!
By this time though, my feet were spazzing out. My feet were aching at the bottom from sharp pains. I think they're overworked from all the uphill hikes I've been doing everyday, in addition to all those subway stairs. Or maybe, I'm just getting old. Seriously, I was in pain.
Kei, thinking that I needed to be off my feet, decided to take me to Shibuya (or as I'd like to ghetto-ly pronounce it, "She booooo yaaaa!") for some karaoke. I told her that I went to a noraebang in Seoul and she quickly said, "Well, here in Tokyo, we call it karaoke." Yes, yes, so do Americans. LoL.
Unlike the noraebang we went to, this one actually had Michael Jackson songs so I was able to sing "Man in the Mirror" to my heart's content along with some Brian McKnight songs. Afterwards, I checked my e-mail and found out that I have a phone interview for a job that I applied for before I left Seattle. Sweet.
Before heading back home, we stopped by to buy a generic version of Salonpas for my feet. My gawd, my grandma used to use Salonpas! I'm really getting old! A box of those suckers are $15 in Japan. Sheesh!
After slapping one on each foot at home, I hobbled into bed. Me. Pain. Ouch. I want my mommy!
After showering and leaving later than usual, I walked to my home subway station, Aoyama Ichome, to catch the train to Asakusa (pronounced "Ah-sahk-sah" and not "Ah-sah-koo-sah" as I pronounced it prior to coming to town) which was also on the Ginza line so I didn't have to transfer and deal with getting trampled by the "Sea of Humanity". Since Kei wasn't with me, I was paying more attention to the subway. Hmmm, Seoul's is definitely much more user-friendly. Seoul's subway has overhead screens that tells you the stop and which side of the train you'll exit from. When you're exiting the subway, the exit signs list the destinations available using that exit. You really can't get lost in Seoul. I promise!
Anyway, the Kaminarimon Gate was a few steps away from Exit #1. I found it with no problems at all especially since all the Caucasians were heading the same way. When traveling, I always say, "Follow where the white people go, and you'll find what tourist spot you're looking for."
As much as I had wanted a picture next to the giant lantern, I have realized that it's quite pointless to ask your fellow tourists to take your picture because they never frame the shot correctly. You end up being a tiny speck or worse, they only take a picture of you and don't include whatever it is in the background. I've found this to be a big drawback when traveling alone. ;P
I headed over to Nakamise Street where I was greeted with all the souvenirs I could wish for. Man, talk about cellphone straps galore. Holy ish! And yes, there were a lot of Hello Kitty ones. Must...not...buy.
After looking around Senso-ji Temple and the garden outside, I walked back to the entrance where they were giving away fresh orchids for Buddha's birthday. No wonder there were lots of people for a Wednesday.
I spotted a stall selling octopus balls so what's a girl to do, but eat. I quickly found out that I'm not in Seoul anymore: $5 for 6 pieces of octopus balls. Hmph! I wanted some yakisoba too but that's another $5. Instead, I had a "plain" ningyo-yaki, a small Japanese cake with sweet red beans for $1. Yum, but quite greasy. I miss you, hotteok! And wow, there are a lot of "-yakis" in Japan. HeHe!
I bought a few souvenirs including a wooden Japanese doll. I actually wanted a bigger, nicer one, but I just thought they were way too expensive plus I could get them in Seattle at Uwajimaya. LoL.
I was about to go down to the subway when I spotted the "Giant Poop Building", the Asahi Brewery Building, from a distance. I walked over to the bridge and took a picture. Then I spotted the sakuras over at Sumida Park and walked over there. Ahh, sakuras falling in the wind. So picturesque. I then spotted rickshaw "drivers" in their tight short shorts. Wow, those shorts ARE tiny.
The next instruction from Kei was to take the train to Ueno Park. OMG! While Cathy was begging for sakuras in Seoul, they were in full bloom in Tokyo! All these trees next to each other were so gorgeous! I sooooo want a DSLR now to capture all these beautiful things that I see when I travel! Just like any other place in Japan, the park was packed with people. I managed to find an available bench by the lake with people in paddle boats (think Baguio's Burnham Park). Kei later asked me if I rented one and I was like, "Eh? Watch me get tired and not make it back to shore!" HaHa! But oh wow, the park was so pretty! I actually saw the sakuras when my plane was landing yesterday so I knew that I wasn't going to miss them while in Japan.
After circling the huge Ueno Park, I walked over to Akihabara. Seriously, I need to stop walking to places and just ride the train. Since it's a little past 1pm, none of the lights were on. However, I did see the girls dressed in french maid outfits, beckoning guys to come in to the stores. I found a crepe shop and bought a crepe, only to find out that the crepe "shell" was pre-made so it was far from yummy. Boo! While walking, what did I see being shown on one of the building's jumbotron? Big Bang! HaHa! I'm like, "Aww, yes, I missed you guys in Seoul." When I was riding the shuttle to the KAL bus stop yesterday, I actually saw the poster for the April 18th concert with Big Bang, Rain, and others. It wasn't meant to be, boys. Only LeeDongGun and I were meant to be for now. HaHa!
I needed to make my way back to Hiroo station so I tried to find the Hibiya Line stop, but couldn't figure out where the hell it was. I asked a middle-aged man, but he was confused to where it was so I ended up asking this girl and thankfully, she knew English. She was kind enough to even walk me to the station.
I was a bit early in Hiroo so I walked to the grocery store to buy a bottle of water. All this time I thought the drinks in the vending machines were priced regularly, but those are Y150, while they were only Y95 at the grocery store! I swear, Kei needs to tell me these things! I also walked over to Hiroo Plaza, but there wasn't much to eat over there unless you're up for KFC. I decided to just walk over to Kei's work and wait for her there.
Aww, my little Kei moving on up from our old sucky workplace. It's good to know that all of my fave co-workers, including myself, are out of there. I just need to find work as soon as I get back to Seattle. ;P
We went to Tokyo Tower, but were a bit early to see the city aglow, so we opted to eat dinner first. Kei is not the best tour guide around since she has been out of the country for a number of years, so we were walking aimlessly for a while before heading back to this little Japanese restaurant we passed by near Tokyo Tower. Unfortunately, the place was full of salary men smoking over dinner. :( Again, it was all vending machines for ordering.
We went back to Tokyo Tower and finally went up. So the list is now: Kuala Lumpur Tower (Menara Kuala Lumpur), Macau Tower, Seoul Tower, and Tokyo Tower. I gotta get back to Shanghai soon for the Orient Pearl Tower. Anyhoo, Tokyo Tower has these mascots, the Noppon Brothers. Unfortunately, I think they look like p3nises so I've called them the P3nis Brothers. You'll know what I'm talking about when you see them. Of course, what's a Japanese tourist destination without a proper Hello Kitty cellphone strap? There's one with her next to Tokyo Tower. I passed up on it, using the reason that I didn't get the Asakusa one so it's pointless now to get one from the other places I'll be visiting. HeHe! Kei did drag me in one of the photo booths though. She and I were both wearing blue and the background color of the Tokyo Tower was blue so when the pictures came out, only our heads showed in the picture. It was hilarious!
By this time though, my feet were spazzing out. My feet were aching at the bottom from sharp pains. I think they're overworked from all the uphill hikes I've been doing everyday, in addition to all those subway stairs. Or maybe, I'm just getting old. Seriously, I was in pain.
Kei, thinking that I needed to be off my feet, decided to take me to Shibuya (or as I'd like to ghetto-ly pronounce it, "She booooo yaaaa!") for some karaoke. I told her that I went to a noraebang in Seoul and she quickly said, "Well, here in Tokyo, we call it karaoke." Yes, yes, so do Americans. LoL.
Unlike the noraebang we went to, this one actually had Michael Jackson songs so I was able to sing "Man in the Mirror" to my heart's content along with some Brian McKnight songs. Afterwards, I checked my e-mail and found out that I have a phone interview for a job that I applied for before I left Seattle. Sweet.
Before heading back home, we stopped by to buy a generic version of Salonpas for my feet. My gawd, my grandma used to use Salonpas! I'm really getting old! A box of those suckers are $15 in Japan. Sheesh!
After slapping one on each foot at home, I hobbled into bed. Me. Pain. Ouch. I want my mommy!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)