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Singapore Trip - City Hall

2008-10-19T14:00:00.011+08:00

Ya, i went to Singapore last Raya holidays. Actually to visit my uncle in Woodlands. But i was free during night time.

Recently, Singapore held its own edition of night F1 race on city streets. Awesome....! There were a lot of promotions on the event. So, armed with a camera and Ez-Link card, off i went from Marseiling MRT station to City Hall MRT station. I had the crazy idea to explore the 5km track myself by foot..yeah

City Hall by night....ahh, the lights were not on

The following pictures are taken from the same spot as I took the photo of City Hall. They are just the pictures to my left and front. City Hall is on my right.

My left...'Banglas' workers taking down the race equipment.

My left as well...not sure what building is that

Front...the bluish top is the Esplanade from afar

Front...rows of seat

Then, I moved on to my right.....

The famous Armenian Church (Anglican)

At a junction just after City Hall

That's the first part of the journey........

Japan Snippets

2008-10-03T12:03:00.007+08:00

Well, guys....thats basically all about my last trip to Japan. If wanna know finer details or behind-the-veil stories then feel free to ask me....oops!

Here are some of the left-over pictures that are not posted yet. Some are from my friends' camera.

Biking alongside railway track

Some funny name at an amusement park

American Dog?

Look at the price of a plate of curry!!

Roti kosong anyone??

LOL!

KFC = Colonel Lounge?

Some Japanese colleagues during farewell dinner

20th April 2008 : Hard Rock Cafe

2008-08-10T17:00:00.011+08:00

Yea, the famous Hard Rock Cafe is also here in the same area of Yahoo! Dome. It is situated at the back portion of the shopping complex facing Yahoo! Dome....Well, first time for me. Its interior is super nice leh....So we pay for it if we lepak there. A normal cup of coffee costs about RM18!! Phew...

There are two separate areas for us to choose from. Ok, lets call it Non-alcohol and Alcohol area. The picture beside is the Non-alcohol area. The Alcohol area will be shown in the picture below. Superb if i have enough resources and time to lepak there. Hey, the guy on the right is a mannequin, ok?

Did i just said mannequin? Yes, they do sell Hard Rock Cafe merchandise at a small corner of the cafe. There were key chains, t-shirts, caps and backpacks specially made for Hard Rock Cafe. I got myself a t-shirt for 2700 yen (RM80). Well, quite pricey, but it has the word "Fukuoka" on it though. I had a hard time finding the one that gives the best value for my money. Good thing the salesgirl is patient.....some more asked her to help us take photo also ;p

The Alcohol area.

A Jacket supposedly worn by the King of Rock n' Roll, Elvis Presley. Besides this, are the histories are past Rock music legends.

Frontage of Hard Rock Cafe. Unique.....

20th April 2008 : Yahoo! Dome

2008-08-10T16:25:00.005+08:00

So, that's it for Dazaifu.....Its already 4pm but we still had another itinerary to complete since its the last weekend in Fukuoka. We took the same train back to Onojo Station and headed straight to Hakata Station. In Hakata Station, we switched to city monorail (which runs around Fukuoka City only) to our next station Yahoo Dome. City monorail required us to purchase a one-day pass of 660 yen (RM20) consisting of unlimited rides for a day. The journey took us about 20 minutes.

As you can see, the grey building in the background is the Yahoo! Dome. It is actually a baseball stadium belonged to the local Fukuoka baseball team, Fukuoka Hawks. If it is the right time, there will be a baseball match but alas, the stadium was closed when we were there. The best we could do was exploring the vicinity of the stadium. Again, the cool breeze was so refreshing!!

The stretch of complexes on the left is also a shopping complex dedicated to Fukuoka Hawks, selling their merchandises.

20th April 2008 : Dazaifu extra pictures

2008-08-10T16:04:00.010+08:00

Here are some extra pictures taken in Dazaifu.........

Fish pond near the temple

Kyushu National Museum - biggest in Kyushu Island but expensive to enter ah!!

A Japanese traditional house as showcase

20th April 2008 : Dazaifu Makan!!

2008-07-20T16:33:00.008+08:00

Our legs deserved a rest after hours of non-stop walking. With the mindset of trying some new Japanese dish, we went 'menu-surveying'......but most of the time, it is the price that knocked us off.
Lastly , we made a choice to have something that looked like this:

Guess what? This simple meal costs us 880yen (RM26)!! Red bowl contained the main dish while the black bowl was the soup. There was prickled vegetables as our appetizer on the sauce plate. Hows the inside? Lets see...

Ok, the rice was covered with a layer of egg with some helpings of chicken meat. Ah, the soup looked plain with floating leaves on top. It looked like a badly done nasi pattaya...hehe Then, hows the taste?
The rice is mixed with some sweet subtance, very starchy. A very bad idea to eat it cold and it is not advisable to stir-mix everything before eating. However, the fragrance of the rice was amazing. But the thing that added to the experience was dining beside a Japanese garden! We chose to dine the traditional way.

Great rite?

Japanese Dance 2

2008-07-20T16:30:00.001+08:00

Other performing troupes

Japanese Dance

2008-07-20T15:35:00.002+08:00

This is one of the best dance performed when I was in Dazaifu

Remember the lead dancer?

He was one of them I took photo with........

20th April 2008 : Dazaifu Part 2

2008-07-20T15:21:00.004+08:00

As I have said, Dazaifu was once the administrative center for Fukuoka district. Historically, it became the main worship place as well. As we walked in deeper, we came upon a temple for 'Zen' religion or informally known as the 'japanese religion'. Visitors are supposed to wash their hands at the temple gate before entering temple compound as a sign of respect. At the point of time, the 'priest' is performing a ritual in the temple main hall.

Wooden plaques are sold for those who wanted to pen down their wish on it to be hung in temple compound (usually under a tree). The purpose? They are for 'gods' to see and fulfill their wishes. These wishes ranging from family and personal needs. Yet it is interesting to note that for 100yen (RM3), a fortune teller note can be dispensed from a nearby 'kiosk'. If it is not favourable, get another wooden plaque, write a wish and hang for the 'gods' to see..............

Dazaifu : 20th April - Part 1

2008-06-22T22:10:00.012+08:00

Oops, I am back again after such a long time...sometimes lazy la...hehe. Today i shall bring the readers to Dazaifu, which was once the main administrative center for the whole Fukuoka district. Now its just an tourist attraction especially during the sakura season. The hills and paths will be filled with blooming sakura trees; splendid nature beauty. But haiz, I was two weeks late to catch the moment.

It took us an hour from our company hostel to Dazaifu by another train route by other railway company, Nishitetsu. Two and fro was RM18.

The entrance to Dazaifu is shown in the picture on the right. Both sides of the road leading inside are lines of souvenir shops. Among the souvenir shops are some restaurant selling so called Japanese cuisine as well. A few went to a greater length to set a man-made Japanese garden behind their shops just to create a Japanese dining atmosphere. There's a Japanese snack that is worth trying. It is made of rice powder and red bean. The outer layer is crispy-fried with red bean paste inside. Its 110 yen (RM3.30) per piece.

What we least expected was the traditional dance competition being held there. Well, killing two birds with one stone.........I managed to capture some moments with the dancers too.

Yatai 2

2008-06-01T22:58:00.001+08:00

Video taken before I reached Yatai. I was walking along a pathway beside a canal/river

Yatai 1

2008-06-01T22:56:00.001+08:00

Here are the stalls selling ramen and Japanese prickled food. Notice how pack it is with people.....

Tenjin Station

2008-06-01T22:53:00.001+08:00

Video taken as I walked through Tenjin station underground shopping area

Fukuoka : 13th April 08 - Naughty...naughty

2008-06-01T16:11:00.005+08:00

A snippet into the night clubs..............hehe

These are the information counters for potential customers to browse through catalogues and call their choice of 'xiao jie'. Some are even done electronically.... very professional looking. For your information, these businesses are legal here.

It is a culture for men to visit these places...even married men. I got to know that most woman are open to it. Hmm, is it an excuse? Or they are forced to accept it? As the Americans say, "If you can't beat them, join them". I can imagine the psychological pressure faced by these Japanese wives. How about their kids? Will they be shameful or the son can say with pride that my father is still 'kuat'?

Then I notice something that does not really fit into the surroundings...........

Street musician! Eh, in this area? If only he sings Gospel themed songs....haha. Good talents at the wrong place and wrong time.

Fukuoka : 13th April 08 - Yatai and Canal City

2008-06-01T14:26:00.009+08:00

Welcome to Yatai! Alongside the canal/river, small stalls selling ramen and Japanese prickled food were bustled with customers especially during weekends. Tables were limited. So, customers could be seen lining up for their turns. Food will be prepared in front of customers. A small space to contain a number of customers....So, u could imagine them cuddled together, bending over their food. Hmm, this practice is welcomed especially during cold season. Coupled with hot Japanese tea, it was good!

Yatai is welcomed break from working routine. It is a hive of activities not only for eating and drinking but also a place of togetherness. Stall keepers could be seen engaging with their customers and also trying hard to attract customers to dine at their stalls. Compared to Malaysian hawker stalls, Japanese take more pride in their stalls. It is evident by the fact that every stalls is decorated and lighted to give a certain kind of mood. I just walked past those stalls taking video NOT to the amazement of people there....maybe they got used to it d.

The path through the stalls ends up at a monument. It is dated back to the 1800's where this canal is the water route taken by the fishermen then. The monument stands on the place where these fishermen landed their catch to be sold. That is the humble beginning of this area.

Opposite the monument stands the majestic Canal City, a shopping complex which is more famous for its musical fountain and Ramen Stadium.

Oh,ramen here we come. The craving for ramen led us up straight to Ramen Stadium at 4th floor. The name tells it all......there are 5 ramen shops in the same area. Hehe...very keen competition. It was amusing as each shops' antics to attract customers; cute waitress, customers' testimony or even the "master" chef profile and credits. The picture below is the interior of Ramen Stadium.

We were spoilt for choice over the ramen. Each shop offer different types of ramen in term of toppings, soup ingredients and the stiffness of ramen although the basic ingredients are the same. Humans are really creative....

We took a shot and entered a shop. First, he had to place our order using a vending machine. A receipt will be issued once we paid the acquired amount. Good idea to save time and reduce workers.

I ordered a 600 yen ramen. Just wait to see how my first ramen taste.Japanese have their own unique way to handle their shops. Remember when I first said that they will greet every customer 'welcome' and 'thank you'? In this ramen shop, the workers will be 'shouting' to one another just to keep the atmosphere alive. Actually, they were communicating with each other but just a little bit 'over'

The ramen was delicious! A little spicy though.....The slices of boiled pork above the ramen were superb. Added with the semi-thick soup, it's worth tasting the original RM18 Japanese ramen!!! As you can see, the other toppings are spring onion, hard boiled egg and seaweed. Have to taste it for yourself!!

Fukuoka : 13th April 08 - Tenjin

2008-06-01T01:00:00.032+08:00

Weekdays are filled with work up to at least 8pm. Well, not many places that I can go after work because the shops here close as early as 9pm though. So, my frequent place is the 100 yen (RM3) shop or Yodobashi. Most items in 100 yen shop are basically priced at 100 yen though some are at 200 yen while Yodobashi is the place to shop for varieties of electrical/electronic products. It was only during weekends (hey, i worked OT on Sat too but can leave at 530pm) that I could venture further on foot to the city.

The heart of the city, Tenjin, is accessible by foot from office in 20 minutes. The city is worth walking because there are so many different views at the turn of every corner. In my point of view, the city is well planned with wide pathway for pedestrian, cyclist and even the blind....City area is very wide and not concentrated in only one area like the one we have in JB (City Square). Cool of the night added to the excitement. The sights and sound of the city were pretty amazing.

Tenjin offers numerous shopping areas. The city is filled with rows of skyscrapers, lit up by neon advertisement boards. It was just so similar to the cities we usually watched on TV shows.

Surprisingly, there are parks in the midst of the city.......as seen above

Fukuoka city is well connected by a separate subway running below the city itself. One has the option to purchase a one-day pass of 600 yen of unlimited ride. There is the infamous underground shopping alley at Tenjin station. It is a subway station with a shopping facility. However, the prize of items sold here are too high a standard though. Nevertheless, it is worth visiting the place because of its shopping atmosphere. As a matter of fact, most the shops are selling ladies stuff. So, ladies, self-control is very important and helpful. Kalau tak, poket kosong......

Accessories sold in one of the shops.............

This shop has a unique setting of a ballroom feel as its frontage. Actually you can zoom to see the prize of the items in the picture below.

Oh, have to stop here. I do not want to activate the shopping 'itch' too much. I think some of you already thinking of going to Tenjin now......haha

Next up will be Yatai, as Malaysian dubbed as "mamak" stalls area in Japan. See ya.

Bicycle Journey

2008-05-26T07:16:00.001+08:00

Part of the bicycle route taken from company hostel to sakura park between the main road

Sakura 1

2008-05-25T23:54:00.001+08:00

First part of the video of the place said in "Sakura Craze 2"

Sakura 2

2008-05-25T13:08:00.001+08:00

Taken at the park between the main road

Fukuoka : 7th April 08 - Work Day!!

2008-05-11T23:19:00.008+08:00

I awoke suddenly and I noticed that the sun was already shining. What?! Am i late?! I glanced to my alarm clock......Eh, 6am?? Did it run out of battery? Unsatisfied, I grabbed my handphone to see the time. Indeed, it was 6am. Ok, 6am morning sun in Japan is likened to 720am Malaysian morning sun. Relieved, I got back to sleep as I still got another hour more to go.

At 7am, I was up awake. By 740am, I was already in the cab heading towards Onojo Train Station. The train to Tageshita arrived at 8am and it took me 15min to arrive at Tageshita Train Station.

Something very amusing about the "train culture" in Japan. Smartly dressed men and ladies wouldn't mind squeezing like sardine in the train. Yes, squeeze till you can't really turn left or right. As for shorter person, turning left or right will make him/her facing another person's armpit.........ugh! The term "full" is defined differently. Aha, remember our lesson in Chemistry on ciri-ciri atom pepejal?

After the "ketat" train ride, I had to walk in the chilly breeze to office for 20min. Personally, I did not get tired easily walking in cold weather. The picture beside is the frontage of Panasonic headquaters. Occasionally, there will be a group of greeters at the front door wishing "ohayo gozaimas" (good morning) to anyone who walks in. Cool eh?

Here is the statue of Panasonic founder or more fondly called as "Ah Kong". The other 2 guys beside me are also Malaysians who were being sent to Japan as well.

Hmm.....nothing much interesting to tell about my company. Next, we will be looking at Tenjin and Yatai which are the heartbeat of Fukuoka City where the night comes alive.

So, stay tuned and hold on...............

Fukuoka : 6th April 08 - Sakura Craze 2

2008-05-04T18:04:00.019+08:00

Is that all for sakura?? Hey, that's just the appetizer...haha. After we gathered some shots, we took off again on our bicycles to another part of Fukuoka town where there is a row of sakura trees dividing the main road (as seen in the picture beside).

I also include a short video (sorry ah, my digicam does not support audio) of my journey to that part of town. It was around 4pm, but the wind was cold enough to make my exposed hands went numb.

The journey there took 25 minutes but I was busy looking around to realize the time. Yea, here we are.....White sakura trees stretches as far as eyes could see while the ground is covered with fallen sakura petals. The branches stretch above, covering the sky above us with sakura flowers. Groups of people can be seen having picnic under sakura trees, drinking sake (Japanese wine) or delighting themselves with generous portion of BBQ food. Laughters can be heard and some old men took the courage to sing some Japanese folk songs (I guess), much to the applause of their friends.... It was totally a relaxing atmosphere.

I just can't help but absorbing myself into the atmosphere there. Little kids feeding pigeons, families spending time together, youngsters strolling....I was taking picture and at one instance, I felt a soft touch on my face. I looked up from my camera...the wind was blowing. I looked around and realized that i was actually in the midst of falling sakura flowers. Petals after petals kept falling and I was in the midst of it. The feeling was ecstatic.

Just that i cant dance Para-Para Sakura.

Fukuoka : 6th April 08 - Sakura Craze 1

2008-05-04T14:40:00.021+08:00

Yes.......here we are. Upon checking out, we hopped onto a cab (taxi) to company hostel, Matshushita Rio. Man.....the driver tried to be friendly and conversed with us in Japanese. So we said:"Gome nasai, nihon go wakaranai" (sorry,we don't know Japanese). Yet, he kept asking and talking in Japanese until we went a - -!!!
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-

Eventually, the driver lost the passion after we kept smiling sheepishly at every question that he asked............kesian

Wow, as you can see in the pictures, the town is very clean. Since it was spring season, sakura flowers were in full bloom. The ground was littered with fallen petals of sakura. Fantastic!

The houses are different in design from each other. The gates and walls surrounding the house aren't as high as Malaysian houses. Every house potray individuality and are well maintained. The materials used in building the houses seems like some sort of "fungus-free bricks". I think those who watch Japanese drama before may know what am I talking about.
In addition, those houses are arranged in such a way to give a countryside feel.
Hai.......nice

Even the lamp post is not covered with advert posters of Ah Long, pest control or lori sewa..... Haha

It took us a good 45 min to reach company hostel. For your information, the cab service here starts with a initial charge of 550yen (~RM17.50) once getting into the cab. The meter will keep on moving even during traffic jam or long stops at traffic lights. So, our cab fare amounted to 3600 yen (~RM108). Hey, the status of cab drivers here is much better than their Malaysian counterparts.

My hostel room

Actually, I was a week late for the Sakura Festival that marked the start of spring season. But since sakura flowers were at full bloom, there was no time to waste. Immediately after checking in, my colleague and I rented bicycles and off we went in search for good pictures.....Oh yeah, the place here is very pedestrian-friendly. Moreover, the drivers are courteous enough to stop to allow pedestrians and cyclists cross road junction.

The first stop was a park nearby our hostel. Families can be seen having picnic beneath the sakura trees. Mothers will sit, watching their children play with their dad or entertain their children who request for a drink after tired playing. Couples will be doing their own stuff......My colleague remarked that it would be wonderful to propose under the falling sakura flowers, saying that the girl will have hard time to reject! Hmmm.......boleh pakai jugak idea ni. LOL!

Sakura up-close

Chubby Japanese kids with rosy cheek

The Adventure Begins : 6th April (Part 2)

2008-05-04T12:47:00.018+08:00

The flight from Tokyo took off at approximately 11.10am and expected to arrive at Fukuoka in 2 hours. The plane was much smaller (Boeing 737) this time. Barely half the seating capacity was filled. So, i took the advantage to switch seats in order to see different views after the plane had stabilized and the seat belt sign was turned off.

Now, we are heading south from Tokyo. For information purposes, let me show the location of Fukuoka.

Japan is made up of four main "islands" which are Hokkaido (most northern), Honshu (largest), Shikoku and Kyushu (most southern)

Tokyo is in Honshu while Fukuoka is in Kyushu. Fukuoka makes up the largest province in Kyushu island. Historically, Kyushu administrative center is in Fukuoka.

Fortunately,the route taken by plane crossed over the renowned snow capped Mt. Fuji. The location of Mt. Fuji can be seen from the smaller map above. Only aerial photos can be taken from cabin window. But that also made me busy enough getting good shots until I almost missed the beverage served on board...hehe

The photos above are the main peak while the upcoming ones are the chain of mountains surrounding Mt. Fuji.

The snow capped peak was said to be sacred and access was only restricted to religious monks until the era of Meiji Revolution. Haha.......talking about breaking religious mindset.

The rest of the journey was uneventful, so I grabbed the opportunity to catch some sleep before arriving in Fukuoka. Needed some rest before on the run again.........

The Adventure Begins : 6th April 08 (Part 1)

2008-05-01T14:51:00.024+08:00

So, here we go......

I was assigned to complete some job in company headquarter in Japan and hurray - got the chance to tour foreign land as well. I was ferried with my another colleague by a company driver to Changi airport at 8pm. Boarding time was scheduled at 1030pm. By 1130pm flight Boeing 767 took into the skies. Praise God, I am on my way to Tokyo............. :)

The flight to Tokyo was expected to take around 7 hours. After browsing through the items available in the In-Flight Entertainment, I dozed off to sleep maybe around 2am plus. Barely 2 hours later, the cabin lights came on, signaling the time for breakfast.....! What?! Breakfast at 4am?! Well, 4am is Malaysian time which translates into 5am Japan time. Aiya, makan only lah....... talking about sky-dining.......

P.S. One of the best things about international flights is the free-flow of drinks and beverages upon request. Hehe

At 6am (Japan), the horizon in the sky became glow red. Whoa, clear sunrise above the thick clouds. Here are some pictures taken through the cabin window.

The plane touched down at Narita International Airport, Tokyo at around 730am local time. Yea, finally......i am in Japan!! We alighted the plane and was immediately greeted with "Irrasha imase" (welcome). Different feeling, man..........

We headed straight to an airport counter to confirm our next flight to Fukuoka. Since our next connecting flight is at 11am, I took the opportunity to breathe some Tokyo air. Upon exiting the airport door, the cool air just send a chill throughout my body. Voila, it is very uplifting when the cool breeze hits against the face.

The pictures on the left and below shows the arrival terminal outside the airport. Just see the temperature indicated on the LED board below.

After that, we headed into the airport to browse through its shopping mall. For some window shopping of course, because there isn't much time to travel to Tokyo City. It takes almost an hour for two n fro journey.

The first problem we encountered is communication problem. A typical Japanese can understand very simple English but can hardly speak out a good response in English. One funny scene happened in McD when a cute cashier spoke to us in Japanese. We just looked at her blankly (one thing was because she is cute also - ahem). After a few sign language, the fuss was over.

After having a 680 yen (~RM20) of a normal McD breakfast, its already time to head towards the departure hall for our next connecting flight to Fukuoka.

Upcoming next is the Part 2 about the journey to Fukuoka

See ya..........

Historical Moment

2008-05-01T01:37:00.003+08:00

Hello everyone,

Welcome to my blog. This blog was birthed as the result of peoples' request to see my Japan trip photos. In order to make it more interesting, I thought of organizing these photos into a travelogue with descriptions and stories as we move along. At the same time, i can explore new grounds in blogging. Well, this is my very first time in writing a blog anyway..... :)

So, please be patient as the first travelogue will come soon.... Hey, i promo for Japan without anything in return! Anyway, I hope i can expose the different cultures and places to the readers through my camera lenses. The bonus points would be looking at the adversity and colour that God has put into our world.

Take your time and enjoy.