Dear diary,

Lately I’ve been pretty busy with work, in prep for the upcoming Chap Goh Meh event in Pavilion Shopping Mall.

Looking out of my window right now, the moon could be clearly seen tonight. Very bright, minimal clouds, but not full moon yet.

On Chap Goh Meh itself, it’ll be full moon and hopefully the sky that night will be as clear as tonight.

Anyway to tell you a little something about the event, it’s inspired by the idea that traditionally, single ladies would toss mandarin oranges into the sea, wishing to get a good husband. Of course there’re many different versions of this, nah, full story read it here.

And so we thought, why not do it in the city instead? Since there’re so many Cherry Blossom Trees at the sidewalk of Pavilion, maybe we can toss the handwritten messages onto the beautiful pink trees… wishing for love, good luck, longer legs, taller nose, bigger b..okays this’s getting ridiculous … so that’s how this visualization gonna turn real this Sunday!

oh that’s not my love message. I’m gonna do mine this Sunday. It belongs to this beautiful young lady named Jayz:

If you’re wondering, her ceongsam is sponsored by Salabianca.

While this love message in French belongs to Jade from Geneva.

We work under one roof.

Of course besides the mass toss, I’m pretty excited about the Kun Seng Keng lion dance, apparently they’re the world championship! btw, this’ll only be my 2nd lion dance this CNY, and of course it’ll be the last one…boo, CNY’s gonna be over soon

Anyways, if you happen to/you could intentionally pop-by Pavilion that evening, to join the mass toss, got free goodies & shopping vouchers to win.

The trees won’t be there forever … Sunday will be the last day to pose with them.

Okays see ya then!

Gonna get some sleep now. *yawns*

Dear diary,

On Christmas eve, which is also the fifth day of Tokyo, we joined the Viator tour (JTB Sunrise Tours) to Hakone & Mt. Fuji.

Of course all this were planned before the trip, I booked the tour through this site. There’re lots of good reviews for the Mt. Fuji tour, and so we decided to give it a try, since I really wanted to see the winter Mt. Fuji.

It’s not cheap though, RM 600+ per pax – day trip to Hakone, Mt. Fuji & Lake Ashi; transportation back to Tokyo by Shinkansen (bullet train) was included.

No regrets though, it was really a good trip! The tour guide speaks good English and is very knowledgeable. Later I found out the tour guide is 77 years old but look nothing like his age. I thought he’s 50 years old. And unlike the typical tour, this one won’t just bring you to places that make you buy stuff…they tell you a lot of stories about Japan.

We woke up 5am to get ready, as we have to be at the pick-up point by 7am. After all the hassle, finally get on the coach that will bring us to Mt. Fuji.

While heading out of the city, caught a view of the suburban, industrial and rural sight of Tokyo. It was an experience itself to see the not so touristy side of Tokyo, but still very nicely organized and not to say very under-developed.

#1 Construction

#2 Caught a glimpse of Tokyo Tower

Fortunately the weather was good that day! And as we’re nearer, the sight of Mt Fuji became clearer.

#3 This was taken while on the coach.

We were fortunate to be able to go up until the Fifth Station. Usually during winter, the area will be covered with snow and if the snow is too thick, the station will be closed.

#4 At the Fifth Station

On the way up, the scenery is just beyond my expectation.

For a while, you’ll see the summit of Mt. Fuji; the next minute, you might be entertained by white beautiful woods like this:

#5 The snow on the ground is just amazing!

Looks very surreal and because you’re so immersed in the beautiful scenery, you wouldn’t sense the sharp turns up/down the winding mountain roads at all.

#6 Fluffy cotton clouds

I imagined that it would be cloudy, damp and dark. But no, nothing like what I’ve imagined…

#7 A view of the other snow mountains too…

The tour guide told us that we were really lucky as it’s one of the 100 days (throughout the year) that the summit of Mt Fuji could be seen so clearly.

The scenery at the Fifth Station was really beautiful! Or even before Fifth station; on the fourth & third stations, the scenery has already taken my breath away.

#8 The Mt. Fuji’s Story

First thing first when we arrived at the 5th station, we were told to go into the shop to collect a lucky bell.

In the shops, there’s a post office counter where you can write a postcard and post it back home. I didn’t do so bcos I didn’t have enough time. *regrets*

#9 And then we took a stroll at the Fifth Station. There’re some shops and a shrine. Most shops are closed because it’s winter.

#10 Winter Wonderland

The tour guide told us to go to the shrine if we want to get the best view of Mt. Fuji. Turns out that it was true, the view of Mt. Fuji from the shrine is astonishing!

#11 The summit.

#12 Against the white backdrop, the bright red shrine is very outstanding.

#13 The combi of blue sky and snowy ground made up a perfect view for the eyes…… and the lens.

So me and my dad started to snap pictures of each other, a lot of them!

He kept saying, since we paid so much money for this, faster take a lot of photos!

#14 The natural lighting that day is very good for portrait shots.

#15 My dad was like, “do more patterns for me to take.”  So I looked away …. =.=’

And oh btw, it’s my first time seeing real snow! Was very excited about it.

If I’m allowed to, I would love to have longer time here than the 45 minutes given.

Oh well, sometimes, less is more.

I didn’t bring my shades as I thought it’s winter so my shades won’t be useful. But I’m wrong as the sun that day was quite glaring!

So if you’re planning to goto Mt. Fuji, bring your shades.

After Mt. Fuji, it’s lunch time. When booking the package, you can select whether you want the Jap lunch or not, but of course that option would cost you more.

We didn’t opt for the lunch. By ourselves, we dined in this Japanese Italian Restaurant called Angelo Mio.

#16 You know I don’t really like Pasta. But this is super yummy! *salivate*

We ordered 2 big plates to share. I forgot the name. But anyway it’s Seafood something and  Salmon Mentai something.

#17

#18 Yum! This’s really really good!

Then we started our journey to the next destination - Lake Ashi, the lake that was formed in the caldera of Mount Hakone after the volcano’s last eruption 3000 years ago.

In the coach, the tour guide taught us how to make paper volcano using origami paper…

#19 With thoughtful agenda like this, the journey didn’t seem long at all…

Outside the bus window, there’s beautiful scenery of Japanese countryside as well…

#20 Paddy fields..

We also saw this….

#21 This is the famous Fuji Q Highland Theme Park!

#22 Look at this… the very scary Fujiyama Coaster. It’s one of the tallest and longest coasters in the world. I can feel my bones breaking when imagining myself on the ride.

Then we arrived at Lake Ashi…

#23 NICE!

#24 Why I look so tired… hehe.

#25 Fed some Japanese carps by the lakeside. The water is so clear! Just wondering, aren’t the fishes cold during winter?

And then we hop onto the cruise ship!

#26 It’s very very windy! *shivers*

#27 But I just want to take a lot of photos – capturing the momment! Cos it was so damm beautiful!

#28 On the top deck.

#29 Looking chubby with so many layers of clothes on me.

#30 The air was very fresh! Actually my nose is kinda blocked already by then, because the wind was so strong.

#31 Random

#32 Passed by somebody’s lakeside mansion

#33 Then I went from the deck to inside the ship, and drank Kirin beer. During cold weather like this, it feels nice when you drink beer. It helps to keep you warm.

#34 Mom just shaking her head and said “Aiyo, you this alcoholic!” I said “Like father like daughther!”

Then 3 of us burst into laughter.

After the lake cruise …. we went on a cable car ride.

#35 Komagatake Ropeway

#36 At the entrance…

#37 On our way up…

The view up there is …………like a wall painting!

#38 There’s a little shrine on top of the hill…

At first it was covered by fog:

#39 But the next minute the shrine could be seen so clearly.

#40 It’s like magic!

#41 Despite the temperamental weather, the view is just amazing!

#42 The sun…so well-defined.

#43 All I see is…fog.

After we get off the cable-car, there’re some shops around, hence, we shopped a bit.

#44 Hello Kitty vending machine

Later that evening, we left Hakone by Shinkansen…

#45

#46 We got up at 小田原 station….what a cute name!

#47 Waiting for the train… cold!

#48 …they look like they’re shivering. hehe.

Inside the train….

#49 Finally a pic of me and daddy! Mom’s DSLR skills put into test. Not bad not bad! The seats are quite cosy.

#50 You may buy food inside the train, just like Air Asia!

#51 Only 30 minutes and we’re in Tokyo city already…

#52 It’s all dark already, but the city-lights are so vibrant, tempting me to take pictures again!

At the train station, there’s this after-work crowd queuing up to buy Christmas cakes since it’s Christmas eve.

#53 The bakery’s signage is very lovely!

#54 In Japan, Christmas is commercialized by the bakeries.
But I could not deny the fact that…the cakes look really beautiful and yummy!

I queued up too, but not to buy Christmas cakes, I bought…

#55 Macaroons! It’s 1000 yen for a box of 5 (approx. RM40). Very exp! But I just wanna try it, at least once.

#56 Sinful Sweetness! It tasted good!

Then we went to the Government Metropolitan Building’s Observatory in Shinjuku… to see the city’s night view. Free admission anyway.

This… is Tokyo city at night:

#57 After that we went for dinner …. walked around Shinjuku area and found this restaurant…Negishi Restaurant.

…which I think it’s the best dinner throughout my trip.

#58 Grilled beef, grilled pork and grilled chicken, oxtail soup, barley rice. The price is quite reasonable too. It’s about RM40-50 (1000 Yen+) for a set.

#59 Hehe, this means something!

They’ve many branches in Japan. If you’re treavelling on your own and happen to be at Shibuya/Shinjuku area, this could be a nice place to dine-in!

That marks the end of my day 5 in Tokyo! Pls stay tuned for my day 6 post- where I explore Odaiba!

Meanwhile, you may read about:
Day 1 – Akihabara, Asakusa & Ueno
Day 2- Tokyo Disneyland
Day 3 – Tokyo Disney Sea
Day 4 – Harajuku-Shibuya

Dear diary,

I watched an award-winning film called “Easy Virtue” over lunch just now.

It’s about a young Englishman that marries a glamorous American… and when he brings her home to meet the parents, she arrives like a blast from the future – blowing their entrenched British stuffiness out the window…

Simple story, but conveys a very meaningful point – difference in love.
Certain differences in love can be tolerated, but there are some things (esp those in your roots) that you can’t change or others can’t change; and that’s what leads a relationship to an end.

Nice music too. Quite annoyed with the ancient English accent though. hehe.

Sometimes there’s this weirdness in me that I find overly-commercialized stuff (film especially) unattractive. Or I’m just very selective esp when it requires my time.
Can you believe that I’ve never watched Harry Potter (except for the first sequel) or I can never understand why’s Avatar or Twilight creating such a big hype…
I’ve this rebellious liking in me…the desire for non-mainstream stuff. And I feel, it’s very difficult or nearly impossible to find someone that’s like myself. *lonely*
Nevermind, I’m sure I’ll meet weird people like that one day later.

Dear diary,

This has been my daily water bottle for one month or so. It’s small, light and has got a body-like grip – Jean Paul Gaultier inspired.

Bought it from Kiddyland in Tokyo. The thing about Japan is, they produce a lot of unique (and cute) stuff. They’re so creative and smart!

Dear diary,

Today, my immediate superior gave birth to a healthy baby girl.

And a few hours after she gave birth, I went to the hospital to visit her.

It’s my first time being so close to this process of the birth of a new life.

Before this, I had minimal knowledge of pregnancy/labour.

It’s quite interesting to listen to her experience…although it kinda freak me out a little.

But it’s a special day that I’m touched by the delivery of a new life and I can feel the joy of her family welcoming this new member.

I feel blessed that I’m surrounded with people that’re elder than me. It makes me grow.

Day 4: Harajuku & Shibuya

Dear diary,

After all the Disney fun in Tokyo, we checked in to our 3rd and last hotel of the trip – Shinjuku City N.U.T.S. Hotel.

For our last 3 days of the trip, we just bunked in here. *I booked through this site.

There’re lots of of young Western backpackers staying in this hotel. The rooms, restaurants, toilets in Japan are generally small, but this hotel room is extremely small, like literally no space to open up our luggage. Maybe because we added an extra bed in a room that’s not meant for that.

Other than that, I’ve nothing else to complain about. Good thing they have free wi-fi in hotel room.

And powerful Bose speakers too. Every morning first thing I do after I wake up is to on the music (got a lot of channels to pick from), just to utilize the speakers.

And out of nowhere, there’s this retro red chandelier in the room! Nice!

Just in case you’re curious about the room rate, it’s RM500+ for a night (for 3 people, without breakfast). This is consider budget hotel in Japan. For that price I probably can stay in 5-stars hotel in KL. But oh well, welcome to Tokyo, ranked one of the most expensive city in the world.

The bathroom is surprisingly luxurious, equipped with jacuzzi and 6 bottles of bath foam, aroma gel etc.
But we didn’t really utilize that part of the room, since we were most of the time out of the hotel.
Just realized that I didn’t take any photos of it. I must be too busy using the wi-fi.

After settling down, we took subway to Meiji Shrine.

Quote wiki travel: “large in scale, simple in structure”
Yes that’s true, the architecture is simple, but gives you a sense of ancient Japan.
To see the historical and most original side of the country (usually religion-related), is what I’m looking for, in each and every destination I travel to.

Traditional Japanese Bride, getting ready for her big night.
Quote wiki travel: “On summer weekends you have a very good chance of catching a Japanese wedding in progress here”

Under a huge tree, there’s this space for you to write & hang your wishes, need to pay a small fee, but not so small after the currency conversion.
Most of the messages are in Japanese, I can’t read them, but these little planks just made up a great scene, especially when coupled with the tender rays of evening sun. I just can’t help but to snap away.

By the time we were there, it’s about 4pm and they’re making announcements that the shrine is closing and urging guests to head out of the shrine.

We didn’t really bother and continue exploring. The path through the torii gate in to the Shrine is like a forrest – pebbles surface, gigantic trees, minimal sunlight. Around 4:30pm, the sun begun to set. There’s only one way out by foot, which is to walk under the thick shades of tall scary trees, there’s nobody except us, I could hear black crows howling and the creepy sound of tree leafs rubbing against each other. It was getting dark, feels like an adventure scene from storybook Hansel & Gretel.

Seriously, when they announced for us to get out, we should just get out. The short 20 minutes walk out of the shrine is really ‘an experience’!

After Meiji Shrine, we walked over to Harajuku. The Christmas lights combined with lights of the bustling traffic, it made up a fantastic sight!

I think one of the reasons why Japan is successful is that, they’re very detailed and meticulous in everything they do.
Just like these little golden bells i found hanging on the trees by the roadside.

Can you find cute little stuff like that on the streets of M’sia? The answer is “No”.

The crowd is insane. It was 23 Dec that’s why, a public holiday in Japan (their Emperor’s Birthday).

The wishing game ala marketing gimmick, along the streets of Harajuku.

Lots of high fashion stores in sight. Ginza probably got more, but that’s among my lowest priority to go, since I’m not a big fan of overpriced designer labels.

Monochrome

Sexy Red Dior

I only went into Kiddyland – a 5 stories store that sell cartoon cute stuff. that’s very me.

The pink factor.
Here I bought my pink hello kitty planner.

Cute billboards.

Poor daddy can’t find anything he like in there, or no, he liked Totoro the cat, but anyway at last, he just waited outside the store, in the cold.

Then from Harajuku, we walked over to Shibuya.

Got lost a little on the way there, but Japanese are very friendly and helpful, despite the language barrier. They can tell you “I’m not sure” and the next minute after you turned away, they will go learn the directions from another person on the street  and try to tell you again after that. *praise* When I was in London, i just don’t feel this kind of hospitality or maybe they don’t like short Asian girls like me that don’t speak their accent. Hmm!

Anyway, all these places are quite close to each other, if you’re an adventourous person and don’t mind walking in the cold, then you could save a bit by not taking the train.

Night in tokyo is fabulous! A lot of lights, especially their colourful signboards, cluttered in a sense, but make the city very vibrant and happening!

Under a lampost.

The city is so crowded, last minute Christmas shopping I supposed.

Roadsigns, flashes of lights

Bokeh of city lights.

Sparkly Mercs

Japanese guy. Cropped off the hot babe beside him. *cunning smile*

Awesome them! <3

And then we arrived here:

Shibuya 109, the building in the middle of this picture – a complex which sells clothes, shoes, accesories etc.

Liz Lisa.

Highly targeted at girls, can hardly find male toilets as they’re only available in certain floors.

It’s like Sg Wang but of course, their selection is much better than Sg Wang. Hardly can find any lala stuff.

Mostly are winter fashion, so I didn’t buy much stuff. Just shopped for small small stuff…

…like ribbony girly stuff.

Spent about 2 hours in here and then start hunting for dinner.

We simply go into this Japanese Cuisine in Shibuya. It was the most expensive dinner we had here (RM300+)and also the worst dinner throughout the trip.

It was so overpriced – didn’t know about the table charge (500 yen per pax, that’s RM20) and one green tea is freaking RM16 plus it’s not refillable. *mad*

This’s like our Jake’s Charboiled Steak or Victoria Station for Japanese people, you know when you feel like splurging on a good treat?

Except the food wasn’t that good or I don’t know how to appreciate.

This is not Chawanmushi. It’s cold. I don’t know what’s it called. It’s served as appetizer. The pathetic few biji of cod roe is damm good though.

This fish that I’ve forgot its name, was so-so to a so-so level.

After dinner, we took the subway back to Shinjuku.

Is it amusing (or mean?) to capture this picture – the random musings/activities of strangers in the train.

The typical sight in the train is always – people either holding their book/gadget or dozing off. They hardly talk to each other. And when I talk to my parents, I feel like an alien.

The duper useful subway map!

That night, we arrived in Shinjuku quite late, but still managed to get some good rest, as we’ll have to continue our journey the next morning to Hakone, to see Mt. Fuji.

Stay tuned! Will you?

Meanwhile, you may read about:
Day 1 – Akihabara, Asakusa & Ueno
Day 2- Tokyo Disneyland
Day 3 – Tokyo Disney Sea