Akihabara (秋葉原) is Tokyo’s electronic town. Shops offer all kind of electronic appliances ranging from televisions, computers, cameras, phones to second-hand goods. It is also a center of the gaming, manga and animation culture. Scenes where girls wearing anime character costumes or sexy dresses distributing promotional ad leaflets and brochures can be seen here commonly.

Ikebukuro(池袋) was our last stop. We went for a late lunch on 3:20pm at this ramen shop called Kamukura. Did I tell you I never get bored with japanese ramen?

East Ikebukuro is where the big department store Seibu located. Then joined the crowd and we found ourselves walking towards the Sunshine City. Within the Sunshine City complex, you can find Sunshine International Aquarium, Sunshine 60 Observation Deck, Ancient Orient Museum, the Sunshine Prince Hotel, a Namco Namja Town(an indoor theme park), lots of shops and restaurants. There are also noisy Pachinko parlours seen everywhere.

By the time we were done with Ikebukuro, I found myself exhausted, with the moans of a bruised little toe of my left foot. Despite all these, this was truely a wonderful trip, too bad that I still find time is not on our side, I have many more places that I would like to visit as well as many things to buy. Anyway, have to say goodbye to Tokyo after tomorrow. Day dreaming to visit Japan one more time….

We started exploring the east side of the JR Harajuku Station, where lots of youngster gather around particularly on Takeshita-dori Street, with shops selling goods mixture of hip-hop and punk styles, Hello Kitty cute stuff, lady accesories, vintage sneakers and even used designer goods. I heard that this narrow street is fully packed on Sunday with mostly fashion-conscious teenagers dress fancyly with Gothic and Lolita costumes. Too bad it was a Saturday and we miss all the fun, not able to see any of this kind Harajuku girl at all. Photos below shows the Takeshita-dori followed by Harajuku girls which I extracted from the local guide booklet(just for reference only).

Moved on to Omotesando dori, the equivalent of Tokyo’s Champs-Elysee. Down here you can find the branded shops like Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Channel, Prada building and more. Well, I am not a fan of branded fashion so just window shopping and my wallet was safe smilling.

Hmmm.. not so “safe” till I walked pass a shop call Kiddy Land, a six-floor shop selling all sorts of japanese cute toys, figures and Voodoo dolls. At the end, we bought a jewel shiny cat plush, a bunch of cute keychains, 3 Voodoo dolls and a Rilakkuma(namely relax bear) just like the one on the bottom right corner as shown in the picture below.

Before we left, we dropped by Meiji Shrine(明治神宮) which is concealed in the middle of the Yoyogi Park. I heard that nowadays it becomes a popular place for traditional wedding and New Year ceremonies. It was a long sandy path towards the shrine, along the way we saw a wall of sake, used for various ceremonial and wedding purposes.

At the gate of Meiji Shrine, we captured some photos of the young street performers as shown below.

Next, we hopped on the JR train to Shimbashi. From there we took Yurikamome monorail to Odaiba(大台場). Along the Yurikamome line are views pf Rainbow Bridge, Decks Tokyo Beach, Fuji Television, Odaiba Seaside Park, the Museum of Maritime Science and Palette Town.

We alighted at Daiba and walked around Aqua City Odaiba, which is an entertainment and shopping paradise. Next to it is Decks Tokyo Beach, another shopping complex. The Sega’s Tokyo Joypolis is here with lots of video game arcades.

Outside of the malls, there is a view of the Statue of Liberty replica and the Rainbow bridge. The photos were taken around 5:50pm, so not much lightings from the bridge can be seen.

There are much more things to see and do at Odaiba but we just had to forgo many of them as our initial plan didn’t cover this area. Really hope that I have the chance to re-visit this place again. Continue reading on day 8 tour »

Shinjuku(新宿) is a paradise for shoppers. Shinjuku West is a business district where a row of skyscrapers, offices and hotels around the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Office Building. One of the big departmental store Odakyu is here and right beneath it runs the world’s busiest railway station, Shinjuku Station(新宿駅).

The south area stands the Takashimaya-Times Square, Isetan and Kinokunia book store.

East Exit area is the central of entertainment and shopping hub where game arcades, countless restaurants, bars and theaters. The famous red-light district Kabukicho 歌舞伎町 located here too.

This was really an eye-opening and overwhelming experience, especially when night fall, the neon lightings at east Shinjuku area shine vividly, with crowds everywhere. Well, the photos above tell it all. Back to hotel around 10pm, took a warm bath, put on a piece of face mask and had a good night rest. Move on to day 7 tour »

But one thing worth to mention was their parade, with all the childhood dream characters waving to the crowds and various performers wearing colorful costumes dancing. Quite some photos were taken here.

At 5pm, said goodbye to Tokyo Disneyland. Transfer to Narita Garden hotel, the final stay for other tour group members. My family and I will proceed on to another 3 day-extention stay on our own. Continue reading on day 6 tour »

Another 2-3 hours bus ride. First stop was at Shibuya, a shopping and entertainment district but not all the shops were open at that time we arrived(around 10am). I managed to get myself a pair of skinny denim jeans from Uni Qlo, Japan’s leading clothing retail chain. The jeans costs about $39US, very affordable price.

Next stop was Asakusa, the heart of the old “downtown” Tokyo, houses Tokyo’s largest temple Senso-ji(浅草寺, Asakusa Kannon Temple). Crowded visitors jammed at the Kaminari-mon Gate(雷門) to take photos, there you see a huge red lantern and two protectors: Raijin(雷神, God of Thunder) and Fuujin(風神, God of Wind). Beyond the gate is Nakamise-dori, a shopping street of over 200 meters, that leads the way to the temple’s second gate, the Hozomon. Shops selling traditional Japanese goods and souvenirs such as yukata, red lanterns, buddhist statues, folding fans and various traditional local snacks.

Past the Hozomon main gate stands the temple’s main building and a five storied pagoda.

After Asakusa, we proceeded to Ueno but it rained all day/night long and I was surprised that I didn’t manage to take any more photos thereafter. I hate raining when on tour. Wet and messy. Overnight at Metropolitan Crowne Plaza at the west side of Ikebukuro. We did go out at night but since it rained cats and dogs, we were stranded at the Seibu shopping center for that night, nothing much to explore. The east side of Ikebukuro is more interesting with arcades, shopping etc which I would cover it later. Get ready for day 5 »

After the buffet breakfast, we said goodbye to Nagoya. The bus journey to Mount Fuji took about 4 hours. Tour buses are allowed only up to the 5th station and is subjected to weather condition. The temperature was 10ºC at that time. We have much better photos taken after we ascended to the foot of the mountain.

Stayed overnight at a Ryokan in Kawaguchiko New Century Hotel. It is located at Lake Kawaguchi (Kawaguchiko), the most easily accessible of the Fuji Five Lakes which is located in Kawaguchiko Town. I was pretty lucky again, the room I stayed oversee Lake Kawaguchi with spectacular view of Mount Fuji.

I had a good dip into the hot spring bath, but too bad that the water was not hot enough, isn’t it suppose to be very hot? I was told that generally this kind of hot spring bath would emit a strong smell of sulfur but I couldn’t smell anything, guess the mineral content of the hot spring water in this hotel is very much diluted. Then I had a good night sleep on a futon, which is a type of mattress that spread out on the tatami floor. It was even more comfortable than any other hotel beds that I have stayed in so far. Well, sweet dream…

The next morning, took more photos of Mount Fuji and Lake Kawaguchi.

Continue to day 4 »

Our early morning itinerary included a bullet train(Shinkansen) ride to Kyoto(京都), it was just a one-station journey which took about 10 minutes but our tour bus had to take about 1 and a half hours to fetch us at our alighted station. Photos below are the Shinkansen Automated Ticket Machine, the Bullet Train and Kyoto Station.

The bus finally arrived to pick up our group at 9am and we moved on to Kiyomizu-dera Temple(清水寺), also known as the “Pure Water Temple”. It is one of the most famous temples in Kyoto and is designated as National Treasure. It is supported by hundreds of pillar and overhanging a cliff, offering a spectacular views of the city. The entry ticket is so nice that you can use it as a bookmark tag.

There is a 10 to 15 minutes walk uphill to the front gate Nio-Mon (Gate of the Deva Kings) of the temple. Along the way up are many shops selling a wide range of local specialties like sweets, handicraft, Kiyomizu-yaki pottery and various souvenirs.

Past the Nio-mon, there will be a second flight of steps to the Sai-mon (West Gate). Behind Sai-mon is the Sanju-no-to (Three Storied Pagoda).

Beneath the main hall is Otowa-no-Taki(Sound of Feathers Waterfall), where 3 streams of water drop into a small pond. At the time of visit(late spring), this place was very crowded with Japanese junior high school students. It is believed that drinking the water of the three streams confers intelligence, fortune(some says "beauty"), and longevity. But many also believe that drinking all three will invites personal misfortune. I am not the greedy type so I have chosen 2, guess what was that?

After our lunch at a typical japanese restaurant, we were set on the next location: Nara Park(奈良) where there are hundreds of deer roam around freely. Inside the park is where the famous Todai-ji Temple(東大寺, the Eastern Great Temple) located. It is the world’s largest wooden building and houses Japan’s largest Buddha statue, Vairocana Buddha. (See the dimension specification in the photo)

At around 2pm, we departed from Kyoto and took a long bus ride(about 3 hours) to Nagoya, where we stayed overnight at the hotel Westin Nagoya Castle. Through the window of my room was a perfect view of the ancient Nagoya castle. Continue reading on day 3 tour »

Way to Universal Studio Japan located at Osaka Bay. Not very much to say here except about the ride of the Amazing Adventure of Spider-man. Wore a 3D vision goggle and raced through the virtual city of spider-man which make me screamed along the way while the web slinger swing all over in action. Don’t ask me, I couldn’t really tell you what I have seen during the ride as it was rather fast moving but what I am sure is, it was one of the best ride in USJ that one should not miss.

A tip here, if you really want to enjoy most of the attractions and to save the time on queuing up, do consider to purchase the Universal Express Pass. It comes with 2 options: pass booklet 7 and pass booklet 4. Trust me, it is worth the money as it is always very crowded there, with Japanese who proudly support their theme park at all time, even during weekdays.

At around 3pm, we(the tour members) left for our next target to Osaka Castle. It was built by Toyotomi Hideyoshi in 1583, who ruled Japan in the latter half of the 16th century. One of the charms of this castle is the beauty of its stone wall. Reportedly, there are 40,000 rocks in the wall. According to the legend, the powerful daimyo from all parts of Japan competed in carrying the large rocks to display their loyalty to the Toyotomi Hideyoshi. The castle’s interior is a museum that consists of eight floors devoted mainly to exhibits that documents Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s life and history of the castle.

Next, we headed for Shinsaibashi. It is the major shopping district in downtown Osaka. We had only 2 hours to spend here and therefore we just took a quick bite by one of the typical small Japanese Ramen shop but I can tell you the ramen was indeed yummy.

After dinner, we immediately "raced" on to the shopping street which has plenty of all kind of trendy shops selling ladies fashion, accessories, cosmetics, shoes, hand phones… For Sanrio fans there is a Sanrio Gallery that sell tons of cute Hello Kitty and Sanrio items. Also there are departmental stores like Daimaru and Sogo which I didn’t have a chance to step in for a look as limited time constraint. Well, going on a package tour has always such disadvantages, rushing all the time, you just have to make your time well spent, no hard planning, simply walk, snap photos, grabs the stuff that you like and buy it without 2nd thought and then move on from there, LOL.

Well, at the end I managed to buy a pair of leggings and a blouse, hmm… Osaka has definitely much more for me to explore next time(if I have the chance to come again).

We ended our night at Osaka Ramada Hotel. Continue to day 2 tour »