japan, aug 2010.
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i am sorry to update so late. i have been back in singapore, since 2 or 3 weeks ago, i can't even remember, days are so fast lately. anyway, there are so many thing to update, and even before i do that, i want to share with you some photos during my japan trip.

japan is one of my top 5 dream destination, if you ask me about my top 5 countries that i want to see will be as follows, spain, france, USA (NYC) in particular, and nepal. anyway, i really want to see more places in the years to come, and i will work on that aspect bit by bit. :)

i went to japan with obee, which is a college barkada of mine, it was also her birthday week, and we decided to spend it in japan. we invited more friends, kaya lang some other people can't make it, nevertheless, super fun naman nung trip. some of the things i noticed:

- the culture is very different from the rest of the world, even from its closest neighbor, korea.

- super expensive to commute, either by train, bus, taxi. dont.ever.take.a.cab in japan, its crazy expensive, a 10 minute cab ride, can cost you upto Php 1,500. OMG.

- great shopping mecca. though truth to be told, i still prefer HK anytime, due to proximity. i never enjoyed riding the plane, and HK is soo near, so there. ooh, i bought a lot of things - went to outlet store that sells branded items on a discount, the supermarket, shoe store (ABC mart, etc), lahat.

- the food is oh-so-good. its fresh, the quality is really different, not everything is expensive, there are ok places to eat at, around Php 250-500 per meal, which is ok na din, but its really the quality. thumbs up!

i could say more things, but am boring you, just check out the photos below.

TOKYO

me and obee, excited to roam around, this is at shinjuku.


we were on the way home to hachioji from shibuya, the train was as crowded as hell. you have to experience it yourself.


ginza is where all your high end shops are located, and they are in buildings, not just floors stacked together, but each premium brand has their own building with minimum of 3 floors. i was super tired so i decided to get tonic water, while they all had beer.


in tokyo, we went to meiji shrine, and i wrote down my wish in a piece of paper.


odaiba is tokyo's tech city, thats how i define it, anyway. they feature really cool stuff.


odaiba featured new upcoming shows from japan's leading network.


we went to tokyo palace, its so serene.


shibuya, i went crazy while people looked at me.


hanging out with friends, on the way home.


we met barry's friends for dinner. by the way barry is obee's friend from bacolod that works in japan. so we actually stayed with him.


last minute shopping at narita airport, thank GOD they were open even at 7am.


we went to tsukiji market, and here i am with the master chef of the most famous sushi place in tsukiji.


NARA

i bought these as souveniers from nara. their official mascot are deers, since obviously they had deers roaming around the whole place.


japanese dolls, i bought one to bring home.


i wish i did buy more, in different sizes.


i was so happy to see muji, i bought a lot of stuff, for dad and mom.


nara, japan. a must see.


nara shrine with obee.


KYOTO

we stayed at this hostel in kyoto, it was my first time to stay at a hostel, but the experience was great! everything was soo clean, of course it was japan. but obee, and i stayed in one room, and we have our separate toilet, and etc. so we technically did not share everything with strangers, we just used the kitchen in the morning to cook the cup noodles for bfast.


bullet train from tokyo to kyoto and vice versa. this was taken on the way back to tokyo, duration: 3 hours.


we bought chips and drinks at the family mart, and just stayed in the room.


in the hostel, this is where we stayed, i loved the concept of tatami bed, believe it or not, it was super comfortable.


one of the biggest palace in kyoto.


kyoto is actually where the royal family of japan stays, we went to the imperial palace, but it was closed, and did you know, that you have to apply and get a permission to tour the palace. they do it 2x a day, 10am and 2pm.


kyoto, japan.


kyoto tower. oooh, one more thing, kyoto supposedly love astroboy.

next post, food photos... ;)