More Japan Pictures

A scenic spot in Osaka Castle


Shinsaibashi Shopping Street, Osaka. It was super crowded here. It was drizzling slightly when we arrived, but the rain stopped soon after. There were lots of men in suits and students. I think almost all the ladies had dyed hair! And the Japanese seem to have a penchant for transparent umbrellas.


Todaiji Temple, Nara [we passed through a deer park to get in]


One of two magical rocks in Kiyomizu Temple, Kyoto. One is deemed to have good marriage prospects if he can walk blindfolded from one of these rocks towards the next.


Oshinohakai Village, a stop point before Mount Fuji. There are 8 mini-lakes here, each boasting crystal clear waters and eye-catching waterlife.


Lake Kawaguchi



Mount Fuji 5th Station


The Bullet Train


Inside the Bullet Train. Feels like an airplane or sth.


One of the souvenirs on offer on Nakamise Shopping Street, Tokyo: Dogs crafted from tiny pieces of leather!


The view from my hotel room in Narita


A gift shop in Aeon Mall, Narita. My sister was fascinated with this stuff.


Sashimi!!

Photos from Japan trip (11-16 June 2008)
















Mount Fuji!! (14 June 2008)
















Me outside Hard Rock Cafe, Narita on my last day in Japan. Cool right? (16 June 2008)
















Me and my sis at kiyomizu temple, kyoto. I think I was stoning after taking the lucky water. (12 June 2008)




















My family on the first day at the kansai airport monorail. Guess who was taking the photo? (11 June 2008)


On an unrelated note: this is an interesting (though depressing) article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/17/health/views/17essa.html?ex=1371355200&en=505c2fbd5bfe4f7f&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

Japan! (Please refer to XY's blog for greater detail; this is only an outline)

We shopped at Osaka and visited Osaka castle on the first day, ending it at the popular Shinsaibashi shopping belt in Osaka.
On the second, we headed to Nara for the TodaiJi temple, then Kyoto for Kiyomizu temple.
Then on day 3 we went up mount fuji and visited Oshinohakai village on the way.
On Day 4, we visited the Shin Yokohama raumen museum, took the bullet train to keikyu shinagawa. We also headed to Asakusa, Ueno Flea Market and Shinjuku. We spent day 5 at Tokyo Disneyland.
On our last day in japan we took a public bus to Aeon Mall in Narita.

Pics soon! :D

Ytd I had a good gathering with my fellow chinese chess enthusiasts, some of whom I had not seen for a long time. Had a lot of fun, relearnt some mahjong. Also, HW and I had a painful chinese chess lesson from Brian. (Lol he seems to think I camo from the army due to my hairstyle) But it was a good learning experience, and I found to never take a situation for granted on the chessboard. A pro can easily turn the tables on a seemingly victorious opponent.
KY family was once again extremely hospitable, and I was grateful to be treated to a sumptuous lunch as well as a free flow of drinks :D Hospitality is something I should pick up! Sadly, I couldn't stay for dinner as a family dinner was organised for the night.
I met up with Jared today after losing touch with him for so long. I am happy that he got a place in dentistry, but I can't believe we're going to be school mates again next year albeit in different years and faculties. But it looks like the RI flutes for my year are all heading into medically related careers while our counterparts from RG are in law. Things just happen u know. I kept bugging Jared to organise a section outing, and he said he would do sth about it. Hope=)
The rest of the day was the usual; gymming and supermarketting. Gotta sleep for an early day tmr (:

"DON'T PANIC!" These word inscribed in The Hitch Hiker's Guide to The Galaxy might have been addressed to the person having trouble making simple turns at junctions: ME. The car surged jerkily as I tried to maneouvre it right.
It is a lack of confidence I think. Stepping and letting go the accelerator pedal at an uneven pace almost gave my instructor a heart attack. Hopefully (and I will definitely try) I will manage this turning at junctions business by next lesson.
OK, I shall give up my place in front of the computer to my sister. Staring too much at the screens will give me a headache. I shall watch some TV and enjoy myself after the traumatic driving lesson. N start packing for japan. :D

I am reading a novel called "the Empire of the Sun", about a 12 year old British boy trapped in the Shanghai of the second world war. For some reason I feel I can empathise with this protagonist, even though I have not experienced any war myself. Rather cruelly, he desensitizes himself to the violence and destruction around him, focussing his energies on his homework, and ironically, spotting the American and Japanese aircraft that has made his life so miserable. Towards the end of the war, the Japanese are increasingly venting their anger on the POWs. Jim, and his friends around him, experience unimaginable sufferings from starvation to the ravages of malaria. Yet Jim says there is no need to fear death, for in his mind, he and all the POWs around him are already dead...

Hopefully Jim will survive to find his parents. Though I seriously doubt that the ending will turn out hopeful.

I was also very hopful that the Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian would be worth its weight in ticket money. Well, the $7 I paid didn't go to waste. The action sequences were brilliant, as were the digitally animated talking animals. And the plot, full of twists and turns, rivetted me to my seat for an entire 144 mins. It helped that I didn't remember much from the book, so I didn't anticipate the plot twists...

Lunch was a delicious grilled chicken rice ($5.30) at the Bugis Food Junction, following which I went to the library to borrow some guidebooks on Japan, which I will be visiting next week! Whee.

Later today, an incident left me feeling bewildered. On my way home from the national library, a middle age lady called out to me in chinese, "can you speak chinese". Thinking she was a tourist in need of directions, I backtracked to find out what the matter was. Then I noticed that she was dressed rather simply and shabbily, which refuted my first impression. And she started telling me a long story about her mother suffering from diabetes, that she was jobless, and that she needed to buy takeaway noodles to feed her family.
Slowly, I got her message. Part of me wanted to give her some money to help her dire straits, but another part wondered if this lady was bluffing.
In the end, I refused and walked away, leaving the lady to approach other passers-by with her story. But in my heart I wondered: was what I had done right?

Change is never too late.
I have updated my links so that those to blogs which are out of date have been removed from sight. Hopefully the remaining ones are still continually updated:)
Anyone I know who has a blog feel free to tell me to link you!