I'm really afraid that I'll miss out an important part while writing this out. I had brought a notebook there to jot down entries so that I would know what to write BUT THERE WAS JUST NO TIME. I only have one entry which was written on the first day at Haneda International Airport while waiting for my sister to collect the data sim card and buy the bus tickets to Kawaguchiko. But here goes nothing!
Kawaguchiko
Lake Kawaguchiko was our first destination for the week long trip. There are a few places in Japan where you can view Mt Fuji from, and Kawaguchiko is one of them. The refreshingly quiet and scenic lake offers a great environment for rejuvenation and reflection - perfect for lone travelers to slowly take in and enjoy the beautiful landscape without having to worry about being disrupted by too much noise or disturbed by other passers-by. For me, this was my favourite destination throughout the trip because I've always preferred the peaceful countryside setting where I can take my time to fully appreciate the gift of nature. This place has a lot of potential for you to find inspiration as well so it's a great place for people looking to write poems or stories.
My first meal in Japan - RAMEN. The ramen here is out of this world. The broth was so rich, and the noodles were chewy and had a bite to it. The portion was big too and we had a little difficulty chowing down all of it.
We stayed at Fuji Lake Hotel right next to the lake for the night. The room was comfortable and homely, and the hotel had an onsen as well! To go to the public bath we had to wear the yukata provided by the hotel, and since it was my first time wearing one, I just had to take a shot even though I don't normally like to take pictures of myself!
My experience at the public baths was kinda interesting. They had separate baths for men and women. As you would have probably figured by now, the 'public' in public baths would have meant seeing OTHER women bathing as well. I went alone by myself first since my mom and my sister wanted to go for the hotel Bingo session which I wasn't too keen on.
It was absolutely awkward at first, and I had to read the instructions on the wall twice to make sure I wasn't going to do anything weird - not that it helped because it did feel weird seeing other women's bits and junk (all of them were old women)...and then realizing that my own junk was exposed too. (Oh, forgot to put a PG caution before writing that...but who's gonna read this anyway!) That aside, the hot bath was reaaaallly good. It was burning hot at first and I almost bailed but after getting used to it was really comforting. I turned red as a lobster but I guess it's worth it because I heard hot soaks are good for your skin. I kinda wanna go again but the free exposure still needs some getting used to...
The next morning I shot a few more pictures from the hotel dining room during breakfast, before we headed to Mt Kachi Kachi via a cable car to try to get a better view of Fuji.
At the top of Kachi Kachi, we couldn't get a good view of Fuji because there were clouds covering the mountain. While just walking around taking pictures there was suddenly little white bits floating down from the sky. I asked a Japanese photobooth photographer near me: "Kore wa yuuki desu-ka? (Is this snow?)" and he replied "Hai, yuuki desu! Samui na! (Yes it's snow! It's cold isn't it!)" And thus my experience was further made perfect by the sudden unxpected snowfall. I had Konayuki (Powder snow) by Remioromen playing in my head the whole time while watching the snow float down from the white skies.
We returned to ground level and went back to collect our luggage from the hotel. With the snow still falling, we boarded the bus headed to Shinjuku from Kawaguchiko station and bid goodbye to the lake.
Tokyo
The landscape running past outside my window on the bus morphed - from one with towering mountains, vegetation and little houses clustered together, into one filled with high-rise buildings and apartments, billboards and more road connections. Gone was the dreamy landscape reminiscent of the illustrations in animated films from Studio Ghibli. We were in the urban city of Tokyo where efficiency is key - people in their suits gripping suitcases bustling past, vehicles running, billboards flashing. A place where everything moves like clockwork, pulling you in with the flow unconsciously, making you blend in and form part of the life circulating the concrete streets.
We boarded the JR Yamanote Line at Shinjuku heading towards Gotanda station, where our rented apartment serving as our accommodation for the next 4-5 days was situated.
How local commuters behave and organize themselves on a train reflects a lot about their culture. As you may have heard or read about somewhere, the Japanese are very considerate people. It is in their culture to consider the implications their actions have on others, and to act accordingly - something I really prize, and something largely and regrettably absent in Singapore where efficiency is similarly key but self-centeredness is equally prominent.
The Japanese line up neatly on the platform to wait for all disembarking passengers to clear before boarding the train, no matter how rushed or crowded it is. They automatically move into the inner rear of the train carriage, lining up neatly on each side facing out towards the windows when all the seats are occupied so as to allow more passengers to board as well. Phones are expected to be on silent, and calls are not allowed in order not to disturb the other passengers. Such clean-cut organization observed is refreshing to the eye, and makes me a little envious as to why it isn't reflected in my own country's train passenger etiquette. We have a lot to learn from the Japanese.
In this picture, we were at Gotanda trying to locate the apartment on the map. The funny thing is, it's right there in the same picture next to the white building, but at the time I snapped this shot, we were all clueless, feeling helpless and awkward with our luggages. The feeling of being lost in a foreign, unfamiliar city with no guide and only Google maps to help was indescribable - a mix of fear, excitement, exasperation, desperation all lumped together along with other feelings I can't figure.
By the time we finally settled in our apartment, it was evening. We headed to TOC Gotanda, a mall opposite our apartment, to shop at Uniqlo. We had to be fast because like most malls and shops in less frequented areas, Uniqlo and generally the whole TOC mall closes at 8.30 pm. Nonetheless, a shopping spree at Uniqlo cannot be missed out on any trip to Tokyo because the stores in Japan here have much more variety, and the prices are slightly lower than that of Singapore's. I got 2 cardigans and 2 dresses which made my day. What made my day even more was the cute Japanese sales guy with big eyes who helped explain the discounts. He was really, really cute. :3
The next few days in Tokyo we explored Meiji Shrine, Harajuku, Shibuya. Ameyoko, Ueno Park, Asakusa Sensoji Temple and Tokyo Skytree. We were getting used to navigating our way round the train stations, moving orderly on the streets (people here keep to their left on escalators, streets - everywhere!) etc.
My sister and I did most of the "tour guide" work, with Stacey in charge of the itinerary and online research (since she has mobile data) and myself in charge of communicating with the locals when ordering food or asking for directions since (I don't mean to brag) my Japanese is the best among all of us... or rather I'm the only one who can speak and understand some of that beautiful language. Of course, my Japanese isn't perfect since I never had formal Japanese lessons and I only picked it up from watching anime and listening to Japanese songs. However it made me more determined than ever to learn it for real as a module when I enter university. Just watch - I'll perfect my Japanese (and go back to find me a cute Jap husband to marry hahaha).
Meiji Shrine
Ueno Park
Asakusa
Asakusa Sensoji Temple
Tokyo Skytree
The food we had over the few days were all delicious and worth every bit of yen we paid. Not only were the restaurant food we had delicious - even the instant food like cup ramen and microwave dishes at the convenience stores (especially Lawson's) were great. My family and I were commenting how we wished Singapore's convenience stores would have instant food of such quality, marveling over the genius of Japan as always for not falling short of quality expectations even for instant food. Then I realised that it's because Singapore's instant food industry isn't in demand as much as Japan since we're all about healthy living and eating, whereas the ever busy workforce of Japan would see quick ready made delicious food as necessary when there is just no time to prepare a proper meal after a long hard day's work.
On the 5th day in Tokyo, we cleaned up our apartment and departed to take the train to Maihama Station, where Tokyo Disneyland and Disneysea is.
Tokyo Disneyland and Disneysea
For the last stop, we decided to end the trip with some magical moments and memories. And where else but Disneyland, "Where Dreams Come True"? Almost instantly, the fast-paced, busybee atmosphere slowed to the light beats of the never-ending medley of Disney songs playing everywhere, and the monotone suits and coats were replaced with splashes of bright colours as children, teenagers and adults alike all dress in elements of recognizable Disney characters. Mickey Mouse as always is the most popular - in every single direction you turned there would always be a someone with her hair tied into two round buns on her head to resemble Mickey's or Minnie's ears, or simply donning a Mickey ears headband.
Since we arrived in the late afternoon, we spent about 4 hours at Disneyland, and the whole day next at Disneysea since we were more interested in the rides at the latter location. The pictures shown from here onwards are from my sister's camera, since I was too preoccupied enjoying myself to take good photos.
Since we only entered in the evening, we only managed to sit on 3 rides (Pirates of the Carribean, some cool roller coaster and some Snow White ride), watch a parade and a show. However my favourite memory was the Electric Parade Dreamlights. We happened to see people sitting down on two sides waiting for something, and found out that the parade was starting soon. Luckily we sat down early enough to get a good view before more people gathered. The parade was beautiful, and never was I more excited to see and recognize the different characters as they rode past in a bright array of LED lights accompanied with lively music. I felt like a kid all over again.
Disneysea was great fun, however it was a pity we did not manage to sit on all the rides like we hoped to. Disneyland and sea have a Fastpass system where you could use your tickets to claim Fastpasses that grant you a place in the priority queue for the rides you obtain the passes for. We were new to the whole idea, and thus we only got Fastpass for Journey to the Center of the Earth, and queued for 2 - 3 hours for the other rides like Raging Spirits, Stormrider, 20 000 Leagues Under the Sea and Tower of Terror. I wanted to ride on the Indiana Jones: Temple of the Crystal Skull but sadly there was no time after we finished Tower of Terror, which was swell.
Thus ended our week long adventure in Japan, with happy faces shown.
As always, I have to cope with withdrawal symptoms after every great experience, not excluding this wonderful trip. It's great to be home, sure, but there are a lot of things I miss back in Japan. The considerate, orderly people and culture, the beautiful landscapes which satisfied my photography hunger, the delicious food, the great weather, and most importantly those precious feelings of peace and calm, feelings of ease yet feelings of excitement and anticipation as I fell more deeply in love with the country every passing day which came and went regrettably fast.
I will definitely return to this dream land of mine, make no mistake about that!
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