Monday, December 24, 2007

Holiday in Japan Nov 2007

I visited Ursweetlullaby in Japan when she worked there for a month. Of course, with her there, the cost of my accommodation would be cheaper. ahem... :-p But the transport cost would be higher as she was staying at the outskirts - Sagamihara, which was nearer to her office.

Day 1: I touched down in Japan at 9 plus at night, and managed to clear immigration just in time to catch the last Narita Express towards Yokohama. By the time I reached Sagamihara, it was about 1am!! Yes, the journey was at least 3 hours!

Anyway, here are some photos to share.

Day 2: Exploring Sagamihara.

Bicycle parking lots categorised by Alphabets. I am amazed that there's so many bicycles around because I didnt see many Japanese cycling though......

The Lalang-looking plant that I saw in Hakone was sprouting up here too!

This place is in Yokohama - Motomachi

Cool dog! When it wasn't moving, we thought it was a stuffed toy!

Then along came another well-dressed friend......

At Chinatown in Yokohama; the paos were the size of my palm!

At the Ramen Museum.

Our 3rd bowl of Ramen! We tried to order small bowls and share if the stalls allow us; some are quite strict and they dont allow. The objective was to try as many different types of famous ramen as possible!

Day 3 was purely shopping, so didn't take any photos.

Fast forward to Day 4.

Sensoji Temple again.

Revisited this place as there's a lot of nice little shops along the way.

Rainbow bridge. The last time I was here, I could not take a nice picture because it was pouring. Finally a decent photo!

Statue of liberty; dont ask me what it is doing in Japan.

Day 5: Moving to Osaka

Shinkansen - this is the Hikari.

Scenes along the way to Osaka.


And 4 hours later, I finally reached my destination!

This is the 'American Street' just behind my hotel! Think hip-hop style, leather jackets and studs......

Huge Adidas store! But very little variety of shoes.

My hotel room!

Comes with a microwave oven too!


Was walking around this stretch of underground shopping belt before coming to the ground level. Saw Osaka's Takashimaya. I lost my way searching for 'Dotombori-dori'.

Famous crab fixture infront of a restaurant selling crabs......
Neo lights along 'Dotombori-dori'.

I cannot remember what restaurant this was!

The biggest waterfall among the 3.

This was harder to manage. Anyway, I had to stop every now and then to pant! So unhealthy!
Look, the maple leaves were still green! They were taking too slow to 'warm' up. It's already November!

The only sign of autumn......
Beware of wild boars! But I did not see any...... heng!
View from the top of the hill.

I went to this restaurant (Wakkoqu) recommended in one of the guidebooks. This restaurant is located just opposite Shin-Kobe Station at Oriental Building.

This huge plate is placed in front of me with 3 times of seasoning; salt, pepper and mustard. They are used to taste the beef with later.

Salad that goes with the beef - tangy...... really opens up your appetite!

My 100g of Kobe tenderloin. Looks big but actually after cooking, there's only 5 bite sizes. I paid S$86 for the beef, salad and a glass of Wulong tea! Expensive, but it's a once in a life time experience. Sorry, I forgot to take pictures of the cooked beef because I wasted no time eating it hot......haha. I won't describe it as melt in the mouth...... the texture is just so different from other beef that I have tasted. It is much smoother......and tasted very fresh. The chef recommended that I taste the beef first without any seasoning, followed by tasting with the various seasoning. I like them all! Oh, an interesting thing was that the fatty bits were pan fried till very crispy and slightly burnt. You dip it into a Japanese vinegar sauce. I finished them up! Tasted good! Friends who know me know that I don't eat the fatty parts of red meat but the way the fats were prepared were exceptionally good!

Day 7: Shopping + Tokyo Tower

At the base of Tokyo Tower. It's so giantic that it could not fit into the frames of my camera!

Christmas decos at the base of Tokyo Tower.

Day 8: Shopping and Shopping

I am off to an Outlet Mall located at a seaside marina in Yokohama. It's about 15 minutes walk from the station.

This is how the Outlet Mall looks like. Very pretty!

Fast food at one of the restaurant at the Outlet mall. The set definitely looks good! The portion is quite good too. Taste wise so-so only though.

Ya' know a Singaporean just finished her meal by looking at the remains...... Mac Donald's chilli packet all the way from Singapore...... and it's a habit to have chilli with the food!

Japan Trivias

Carriage for females only, during the peak timings......so that it is more 'convenient'.

Exorbitant durians! Would you pay about $70 odd dollars for one?

Super-efficient pedestrain crossing. Wish ours are like theirs! You cross diagonally instead of an 'L' to get to the other corner.

Sinfully good coffee at Doutor coffee joints. See the scoop of cream? That's what's making it so tasty......yum yum!

Puffer fish...... and I was busy shopping that I didnt get to try one! Sob!

Labels: Japan, Trip

9:40 PM