Osaka Walking

I'm taking a leaf out of Lisa's Ichigoichielove and do a similar post about us walking but instead of Tokyo Walking, we went Osaka Walking. *^^* Will this be a series or just a one-off post this year? Who knows?  Annnnd... if you want to know more about Lisa, read this fine interview Kirin had with her.

There was one year when instead of arriving into Japan through Narita Airport, we decided to enter through Kansai Airport instead. Once upon a time, we can get an open-jaw ticket at bargain price with JAL. Haven't seen those for a couple of years now - bargain tickets at JAL, not open-jaw ticket.

So where do tourists like us would normally head to once in Osaka? The Minami area, I guess. No? Correct me if I'm wrong then. ^^

In Dotonburi, we found

 a giant crab! It's alive! The claws were moving! @.@ Woo woo

 and a dragon too! Darn, it did not breathe fire.

We decided to join one of a number of long queues forming on the street and chose this stall called Honke Nippon Ichi Otako, to buy

takoyaki! Not exactly cheap, but I've never looked at takoyaki sold at Jusco here in Malaysia the same again. A guy at the stall welcomed us with a "Selamat Datang" greetings. Turned out he visited Sabah (or was it Sarawak?) before. He even recognised us when we came for the second time the next day.

Had some time with Ebisu-Sama. A Golden one, no less! XD

Went into the Shinsaibashi Shopping Arcade and spent time at the Disney Store, of all places!

Raimie even had the chance to chat-up Peko-chan. LOL

OK, since I think I still want to post a few more photos of Osaka, I guess there'll be one or two more post on Osaka Walking!

Beauty Under Your Feet

Don't jut look up or straight ahead - look down and there's plenty to see under your feet too.

Check out my earlier post on manhole covers in Japan at this link too, after reading this post. :)

Found on the pavements in Asakusa, decorative signs depicting all events that is held in Asakusa:

Somewhere In The Ishikawa Prefecture

Let's see, we've visited the Ishikawa Prefecture and stayed the night in Kanazawa in 2007 and 2008. Don't have much to show in terms of photos because although we had plenty of photos at Ultraman Stadium.The rain that greeted us both years we were there didn't help us covering much place to sightsee anyway.

We managed to walk around Kenrokuen; a garden classified as one of three most beautifully landscaped gardens in Japan. I am so looking forward to visiting another; the Korakuen some time soon!

Instead of taking a bus from Komatsu Station to get to Ultraman Stadium, we decided to stop at Terai station and walked to the Stadium while enjoying the scenery. I think we walked for almost an hour but it was a really nice walk. We passed by rice fields (no rice planted that time, though), fields, schools and homes and got a glimpse of rural Japan.

In between the homes, the agriculture fields, factories and a huge Pachinko place and that Ultraman Stadium we had so badly wanted to visit, there was a small amusement park with plenty of rides. When we were there, it was pretty deserted.

We just couldn't resist snapping a photo of this interesting postbox, found in Kanazawa Station. ^^ Is that Momotaro?

and this too, enjoyed while taking a break over at some place in Forus complete with  posh waiters hovering.

At The Station : Kanazawa

I seriously think that my family is not fated to explore much of Kanazawa. The two times we visited Kanazawa, it rained almost the whole day! OK, we managed to visit Kenrokuen and made a trip to Terai to visit Ultraman Stadium; but other than that, we were indoors and spent much of the time exploring the  JR Kanazawa Station and the nearby Forus.

Zaini spent much of one evening traveling from Kanazawa station to Wakura-Onsen alone. The reason? Raimie left his Ultraman Max jacket in the train and we; through the help of the tourist office staff at the station, contacted the train authorities and they manage to locate Raimie's precious jacket (the one he was wearing in the first photo below). They offered to send the jacket back to us, and for us to collect at Kanazawa station the next day but as we were leaving early morning the next day, Zaini decided to hop on some trains and head off to Wakura-Onsen where the jacket had been found and was kept. Thinking back, we should have just ask them send the jacket back to Shin-Osaka instead! Oh well... at least Zaini had fun traveling and checking out more local trains during that journey. I'll post the photos of the trains soon!

Anyway, back to Kanazawa Station. The station truly has an aggressive architectural, artistic statement combining traditional Japanese themes. The reconstruction of the surrounding area is making progress for the extension of the Hokuriku Shinkansen (a high-speed railway line) to Kanazawa in 2014.

There is a glass dome called "Motenashi (Welcome) Dome," which look like a huge umbrella, at the east entrance of Kanazawa Station. The dome has a wooden gate called "Tsuzumi-mon," which symbolizes a traditional Japanese instrument called tsuzumi (hand drums).

Tameo Kobori, 74, a professor emeritus of Kanazawa University who was in charge of designing the square said that he wanted to change the image of Kanazawa, which is dismal because of its wintry weather, into a bright one with the building of the square in front of the station.

A smaller scale version of the Tsuzumi-mon gate can be found in the station. Raimie wasn't too co-operative  with me because I took this photo at 6.00am! We just arrived from Ueno taking the Midnight Express Noto train.

and a scale version of the station. Is is still there now, though?

And while we are at it, let me show you Komatsu Station. Pretty big and modern looking, for what look like a rather quiet town for us.

and here's Terai Station.Very retro.

Hanayashiki's Roller Coaster

Ever been to Hanayashiki Amusement Park when you are in Tokyo (or Asakusa to be exact)? No?
This park has been in business since 1853! It didn't start out as a amusement park but as a flower park though.

The park has a roller coaster that it claims to be the oldest in Japan. Sure was a rickety ride. I think the thrill came from the feeling whether the coaster might disintegrate while we were zooming down. Kidding!

Don't forget to wave back to the nice "obasan" waving at you from that brown apartment.

Standing directly underneath the roller coaster track.

If you want to see how a park fully utilise every single inch of space, come to Hanayashiki. They sure know how to utilise all the space they have. So what under the roller coaster track? Festival style game stalls. Throw a shuriken and win a prize, anyone?

AirAsia's Big Sale!

From 12pm today to 29th May. Just USD9 for air tickets from Kuala Lumpur to Tokyo (Haneda)! OMG! OMG!  OMG! Should I book another set for next year travel now? I am sooooooooo tempted to do it! Common sense be damned! 

I wonder what are the dates for school holiday between 9 Feb 2012 to 20 June 2012?

Playing With Real Snow!

One sunny day in March 2008, we decided that we should go check out how real snow looks and feels like. So we hopped on the Tanigawa train and went to GALA Yuzawa. A mere one and half an hour's ride on the Joetsu Shinkansen from Tokyo and we were there. The beauty of going to GALA Yuzawa is that the skiing experience is just a gondola ride away from the train station! How cool is that?

The fastest Joetsu shinkansen will take you there in just 77 minutes, if I'm not mistaken.

A view from the gondola we took from the train station up to the slopes.

Two snow "virgins" excited to play with real snow. WOOT!

We rented the amusement set (or something) that included a jacket, pants, gloves, boots and a sled. For Raimie, we even got him a helmet. We didn't plan to do any skiing that day, so no skiing lessons for us. Just simple fun of going sledding down the kids' slopes.

At the kids' slope

A "kuma' getting ready for hibernation. LOL

and then the little "kuma" decided to come out and play. ^^

and made a new friend.

We were there from 10.00am to 3.00pm and returned to Tokyo on the double-decker Max Tanigawa train. The poor exhausted boy; who had somehow managed to get his feet wet and cold while burrowing himself in all those snow, fell asleep almost immediately in the train. Note to self, bring extra socks if we decide to do this again in future.

Arriving our hotel two hours later, he started badgering us for the PSP game-LocoRoco that "Uncle Contamination" had let him play the day earlier. Oh no!

I Miss This... Getting Hot And Naked

A dip in hot spring bath in the wee hours of the morning, at 4.00am to be exact; warrants a B&W photo for me. It was nice having a solitary bath, listening to the drip, drip, drip of the rainfall outside. Bliss.

Funny though, walking along the dimly lit, empty corridor to get to the bath area and sitting in the bath, I didn't think about ghosts but when walking back to my room, the thought of meeting one suddenly occurred to me!

While having a soak, bathers are free to take a drink or two of the spring water. Or call the room service for a stronger drink, if you need one. Yes, there was a phone nearby for that purpose.

What's the scoop for? For you to drink the spring water, of course! Was it nice? Taste like boiled eggs.

I miss the onsens a lot. Getting naked around strangers is not a problem for me. I do it all the time at  the gym's locker room anyway.

The next time we visit, we'll just have a day trip to an onsen resort town somewhere (at the moment, it looks like Yufuin has the honour) because we can't afford a nice stay in a ryokan this year. *sob sob*

Things We Do On Our Vacation. 1. Downloading Free Games

Spending time at DS Station, downloading free games.

If you ever tag along with us for a vacation in Japan, be prepared for this. Countless times at some store (usually either Yodobashi or Bic Camera. Yamashiroya in Ueno is a favourite of ours too. ^^) looking at games and toys and at this games station. You have been warned. XD

Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park

We visited the Peace Memorial Park one time way back in 2008. I've posted up posts on the Children's Peace Monument and the A-Bomb Dome earlier and I just thought I should show other memorials and monuments we visited in the Memorial Park. There are plenty of monuments,memorials and museums there that you can visit and learn more about the tragic atomic bombing in 1945. 

The A-Bomb Dome.

The Peace Flame with the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum in the background.

The Peace Flame is a monument to the victims of the bomb that destroyed Hiroshima, but it has an additional symbolic purpose. The flame has burned continuously since it was lit in 1964, and will remain lit until all nuclear bombs on the planet are destroyed and the planet is free from the threat of nuclear annihilation.

The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum  is the primary museum in the park dedicated to educating visitors about the bomb. The Museum has exhibits and information covering the build up to war, the role of Hiroshima in the war up to the bombing, and extensive information on the bombing and its effects, along with substantial memorabilia and pictures from the bombing. The building also offers some marvelous views of the Memorial Cenotaph, Peace Flame, and A-Bomb Dome. reference from Wikipedia.

 The Memorial Cenotaph. In the background - the Peace Pond and the A-Bomb Dome.

Near the center of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park is a concrete, saddle-shaped monument that covers a cenotaph holding the names of all of the people killed by the bomb. The arch shape represents a shelter for the souls of the victims. The cenotaph carries the epitaph, "Rest in Peace, for the error shall not be repeated". The Memorial Cenotaph was one of the first memorial monuments built on open field on August 6, 1952.

And the last photo in my collection of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park - Peace Bell.

The bell was made by bell-caster Masahiko Katori, holder of important intangible cultural assets (a living national treasure). On its surface a world map without national boundaries symbolising "one world" is embossed. The place where the log hits the bell shows the atomic energy symbol, expressing hope for the abolition of atomic and hydrogen bombs. On the opposite side is a mirror to reflect the heart of the person who rings the bell.

One can spend the whole day there, silently and respectfully visiting the myriad of memorials and monuments there. We were there for only half a day so we weren't able to see all we should see. And with a 6 year old at the time of our visit, I didn't think visiting the museum would be appropriate for him yet. Maybe when he's a tad bigger and able to understand and ask questions about the purpose of the memorial and the tragic loss of lives due to human lust & greed for power.

Day & Night - Nakamise-dori

Nakamise-dori by day. Come during weekends and public holiday and be prepared to be crushed by other tourists there.

And a significantly lesser crowd when the sun comes down, for obvious reason. While the Sensoji is beautifully lit and open for visitors at night, the shops' shutter come down early. Have you read about my earlier posts on Sensoji and Sensoji's illumination?

This is my Japan and I'm sharing it with folks over at Show Me Japan Vol 1 Issue 26. W00T!

Underwater! At Triton's Kingdom In DisneySea

Getting ready to go "underwater" at DisneySea

Checking out the "underwater" environment. Sure look magical, this place.

Nothing too exciting about this ride that goes up and down, but I sure love how the  jellyfishes are lighted up. ^^

Jelly fish galore!