Everyone must have heard a lot about the next generation TV – 4K, which is said to have a resolution 4 times higher than the current widespread used high definition (HD) TV in many homes. I happened to find a 4K TV set in an electric shop last week in Akihabara (秋葉原). It is a Sony Bravia KD-84X9000 84 inches, priced at a whopping 1,680,000yen and most importantly, I didn’t see much difference between this one and my current HD TV set in my house, yet the 4K TV costs much dearer 😦
Other photos I took in Akihabara(秋葉原), Ueno(上野), Tokyo Skytree, Asakusa(浅草) areas.
BaoBao has got a store inside Tokyo Skytree!!! Dont’ miss out!!! Tokyo Skytree – Time flies. It’s been one year since it opened in May last year.
Don’t forget to buy the postcards in Skytree. You won’t find them anywhere else!Stamps to show your buddies you have visited Skytree.
The landmark you can’t afford to miss every time you come to Ueno上野 – Ameya Yokocho アメヤ横丁
My lunch, at Pepper Lunch in Ueno上野.
Giordano has entered Japan, didn’t you know about it?
It’s been a long time since my last visit to the western side of Tokyo – Ikebukuno(池袋), Harajuku(原宿), Shinjuku(新宿), Shibuya(渋谷). I took the opportunity of a meeting in Shinjuku(新宿) this weekend to take some photos with my new Olympus.
Surprised to see that loads of shops have changed faces to the extent that I could hardly recognize where I was while I was walking in the street. New buildings came into my eyes too. The tablet showing Takeshita Street (竹下通り) has also changed from metal to balloon flowers. The biggest difference between this time and the previous is: streets and places are much more packed than before, and obviously, it has exceeded the capacity that roads and traffic can handle. 😦
A sea of people outside Shibuya station渋谷
The iconic tablet has got a new look!!
Calbee , the biggest producer of various fries and snack food in Japan, has a shop too.
This one is really a bargain, if you have a big stomach!
Stepping into the Meiji Shrine, you will see this million years telephone booth.
It’s been a few days since it’s stepped into the Christmas period. Have you been enjoying your Christmas holidays? What’s your plans for the New Year tomorrow?
Following the suggestion from other teachers, my friends and I took a 1 hour train to a ski resort called Gran Deco. Since it’s high season for skiing, the venue was packed with people when we got there.
Except for skiing, the resort also offers accommodation and hot spring service.
It’s the best time to see the red leaves in the eastern part of Japan this week so I took the train to Aizu Wakamatsu(会津若松) to try my luck and took these pictures. Hope you like them!
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Do you know where you should go if you wanna ask for money in Japan? Not the bank, but the shrines! Loads of money is waiting for you there.
November is nearing and winter is around the corner in Japan. For those already in Japan or planning to visit the country, the hottest topic these days has been the red leaves. Compared with before, they come a bit late this year due to the warmer weather.
Where to find red leaves information?
There is loads of information on the web each year since September giving you information about when and where you should go to see the red leaves. One of the most visited websites for Japanese people is called ‘ Zenkoku Kouyo Saizensen ’ 全國紅葉最前線 with address: http://kouyou.nihon-kankou.or.jp
Best spot to see red leaves
Where do you think you will find the most captivating red leaves in Japan? According to a poll on this site, Kyoto京都 has got the highest votes (98 votes) for its ‘best red leaves you have ever seen’. Do you know the reason? It is not because the trees there are of any special strand which makes the leaves stand out, but because of the backdrops in Kyoto京都: the traditional shrines, pebble roads, and ancient buildings behind the leaves. Same as cherry blossom, red leaves come only once a year in Japan. If you happen to be in Kyoto 京都in the next couple of weeks, don’t miss out.
The best red leaves spots in Kyoto京都 according to ‘Zenkoku Kouyo Saizensen’ 全國紅葉最前線:
嵐山
宝筐院
尊院
常寂光寺
鹿王院
What about red leaves in other locations?
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It was long weekend last week celebrating Sports Day (体育の日) in Japan. I spent some time in Sendai.
When I was walking in the street, I happened to find a celebration event in a square instantly captured my attention. People were dressed up in traditional Japanese clothing, singing and dancing.
Unheard of? There was really a stall there selling boiled and steamed lobsters! It’s 700 yen for one with either way of cooking. With 1000yen, you can get a combo. So yummy!
People lining up to buy lobsters
Steamed lobsters on the left; boiled on the right. Which one would you like sir?
Japan is a pro country with specialization in many many areas. When it comes to fashion, this shopping mall has developed a line called leg fashion, instead of what we usually call it hosiery, stockings, socks. I guess it’s the first one in the world.
This is the last day in Osaka(大阪). I deliberately planned it to be more relaxing so I didn’t arrange too much for today. Rather, I put my time on a few spots and explored them more deeply.
Moto Coffee
I arrived at the first spot – Moto Coffee in Kitahama(北浜) at about noon. It proved that I made the right choice. It took me less than 5 minutes to find out the café. It’s almost right next to the Kitahama Station. Anyone would be captured by the look of its shop front.
Much more than a cafe
While I was stepping inside, a strong aroma instantly got to my nose. I ordered a mild coffee (it says weak coffee in the menu) at the counter and it cost me 450yen. The coffee was a bit sour so not much to my liking. But ! the view, design, furnishing, and service easily score an A/ B. Though small, the cafe has got three floors of 3 different themes and it’s located right next to a river. It’s also got a balcony where you can sit there, enjoy the sunshine and get some reading done in summer time. The view is truly stunning in both day and night time. You can see people crossing the bridge, cruises getting past the quiet, beautiful river. You will be saved from the hustle bustle immediately outside the front door of the cafe while enjoying your cuppa. The furnishing is nice and elegant. Every piece of furniture is carefully chosen to match the theme in the room of a given floor and is top grade in quality. As you run your hand over the tables and chairs, you can instantly feel that they’re made of high quality solid wood. They blend in together to come to a unity, producing a refined atmosphere. Attention to detail is another thing that gives this tiny café a plus. As a customer, the temperature and everything is in your control. You can turn the temperature up / down as you wish. You wanna have a good view of the river but it happens you are sitting facing the wall? No problem! You can move the furniture, chairs and tables as you wish until you can have a view to your liking. And that’s not the end of it. They also give you a tiny wooden thingy as you order your food / drink. You will be asked to return it to the counter while you leave the café. It ensures your dishes won’t be collected at the wrong time, such as when you go to the toilet. The other advantage is that you won’t be hassled unnecessarily as staff won’t come in to your room until you’re finished with your food and drink when you returned the thingy at the front door.
Still not perfect
Moto Coffee isn’t perfect. Downsides are that it often opens at 12pm to cater for the lunch crowd and closes quite early. Which is a little disappointing for those of us who like a nice coffee in the morning or early evening. Also, the balcony in winter can become extremely cold as anyone can tell. Though they do have indoor seating, one of highlights for this cafe is the location and balcony. They do provide blankets for outside patrons; if you can manage through the cold winter chill.
Anyway, at this price (450yen for one coffee), it easily beats major coffee chains such as Starbucks, Pacific Coffee. I have no reservation in recommending it to anyone.
After the coffee, I spent some time checking out other cafés and tea houses in the vicinity, especially those with some history. I went into an antique British style tea house which I was truly amazed. It showcases tea of different kinds and most importantly, there is a big cabinet in which you can find tons of antique utensils and tableware. I heard some chatting voice from upstairs and it was Monday! As you can see, compared with Moto Coffee, here is quite busy and a bit noisier. I am not a fan of tea and don’t know much about tea otherwise I would have given it a go. They also sell some postcards and paper model imported from France.
It was getting dark so I decided to head for the bus station a bit earlier. I took the 8pm coach and that’s the end of my trip. Compared with the trips before, I didn’t do much in this one but I think it’s the quality rather than quantity that should count.
I got my Osaka Unlimited Pass (大阪周遊券) the other day for 2000yen so for it to help me save money!!When I got to the tower, there was already load of people lining up outside. It took me ~2 hours to get to the top of the building. Before you can get to the top, there’s a lot of displays and souvenir shops and things you need to go through. I still regret that I went there as it’s nothing special except for the view which amazed you for first few seconds there. The second free entry is Tennoji Zoo(天王寺動物園). I already watched the video clips on Youtube about the zoo so I didn’t expect much. I turned out it was much better than I though. There were snakes, lions, tigers, zebras, foxes, hippos, rihos (they were hiding under the water when I was there), chitah, and koalas (same as those I saw before, they barely moved!).
Don’t miss out Santa Maria Cruise
“Santa Maria” cruise in Osaka Bay (Photo credit: Stéfan)
After the zoo, I rushed to the bay area as I realized I would need to take the 5pm Santa Maria Cruise (サンタマリア) otherwise I may not have enough time for the aquarium that night. Luckily, I was there 5 mins before the gate closed. The trip is fantastic and the view is worth millions! This is a must try for anyone coming to Osaka. It was cloudy when I was on the cruise so it felt cool. You can see Kaiyukan(海遊館), Universal Studios（ユニバーサル スタジオ）, and a lot of other buildings and structures from a different angel which you won’t be able to see when you’re on the ground. The trip takes 45 mins.
Kaiyukan(海遊館) is miniscale
Osaka Aquarium KAIYUKAN in Osaka, Japan
It was Kaiyukan(海遊館) after the cruise. As most of other aquariums in the world, this one also has a large tunnel tank so you’ll have to walk underneath it to get inside. They have lots of different sea animals in there but almost everything I have seen such as sharks, turtles, shrimps, crabs, so no surprise. Japanese crabs really captured my attention since I was the first time I saw them so many of them and they are really huge. The whole aquarium is actually quite small in floor space but you wouldn’t notice as you will walk surrounding the same big tank in the middle for most of the time. 2000 yen is overpriced so I wouldn’t recommend it, especially if you’ve seen those in Melbourne and Sydney.
Ride it during day time
The last free ride is Tenbosan Kanransya, a ferris wheel (天保山観覧車) with beautiful neon lights on it to tell you weather and temperature by color variation. I saw the clips on Youtube that the view in the whole area is stunning at night. But again, I was disappointed. The ferris wheel only displayed green color, the bay area was pretty dark without the colorful, flashing neon lights I saw in videos.
I went to one of the most-visited beaches in Osaka today – Nishikinohama(二色の浜海水浴場). It’s quite far, taking me over 40 min by train and costing me big (540yen for one way). After getting off the train, you’ll still have to walk for 15mins. I got there at noon and was chuffed to see it was overcast otherwise I may get burned. I was surprised to realize that there are no public shower facilities on the beach. The water is a little cloudy but still clean enough for swimming. Yet, there’s heaps of seaweed on the bed which is annoying, I thought it was limited to the shore area but as I got deeper there was still heaps. Some young people dug them up and placed them on top of their buddies head. How funny!
I spent an hour in the water and it feels great! There’s one thing very different (or I should say unusual) I noticed. Japanese people don’t go to the beach for a swim, they go there to play with water. As far as I could see, nobody actually swam while I was there for 2 hours. Also, only a small number of people can swim without relying on anything such as a lifebelt.
I was back at the hotel at 4pm to get ready for the fireworks at night. Though it wouldn’t start until 8pm, I decided to make it there sooner rather than later as I am totally inexperienced with the fireworks thing in Japan. I took a shower, grabbed something to eat, and took the train there. It was floored as I saw the people after getting off the train. Streets there were packed with people and police were there to regulate the road and the human traffic. To my surprise, there were many stalls selling traditional Japanese foods and drinks and the atmosphere at that moment was so overwhelming! Everyone was there waiting for the fireworks.
The fireworks started on time and last for longer than I expected. I was my second time to see fireworks in person. Except for fireworks of traditional shapes, there were also some surprises such as Doraemon, fruits and drinks you would see. It was about 1 hour into the fireworks show and I decided to go to take the train before the fireworks finished since it can take hours when everyone was going to take the trains at the same time.
BaoBao has got a store inside Tokyo Skytree!!! Dont’ miss out!!!
Tokyo Skytree – Time flies. It’s been one year since it opened in May last year.
Stamps to show your buddies you have visited Skytree.
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