Final Installment of the Trilogy Takayama

Yes, I am going to be very lazy to skip the 2nd day but make up for it to talk about the final day. As all final episodes should usually be, it marks the climax and the climatic ending of our trip. Relax... there will not be any cliff-hangers nor cliche endings...

On the last day, in fact the evening of the 2nd day, we trodded to our 3rd and final destination "Shirakawa-go" or White river village translating it directly from its Japanese name. Like I mentioned way before in the first installment, we got more snow than we ever bargained. In fact as many of you already know, this is the coldest winter in Japan in more than 20 years, with numerous places snowing like crazy. Even before we departed, it was already reported on news the snow fall in Shirakawa-go was hovering around 2 metres. But still, to a bunch of kids who were raised in tropical islands, it was just a mere number.

It was .... snowing.... snowed like crazy. The scene before my eyes then was just beyond words. Snow was falling everywhere, we couldn't see what was in front of us, shops were closed.. Imagine heavy rainfall, only it was snow. And with snow avalanches possible, we were forced to end our trip earlier to make our way down the mountain as soon as possible.

Still in the mood for a picture in the snow then...

But... nothing can stop yours truly from posing for a nice shot!

And then evidence of us running for our lives to the bus terminal

Look how the whole bridge is covered with snow

And me not forgetting to turn around for a final pose...

Being on the bus doesn't mean we were safe from the snow... One of the wheels of the bus was stuck in the snow while the driver was giving way to another on-coming vehicle. That cost us an extra hour. To cut the story short, we left shirakawa-g0 at about 1pm and only got home at 12am in the morning. A normal 4-5 hours trip took us 11 hours...

You still the love the snow? Ask the guy who went along with us, he hates it now.. haaa

Extras:

The food we bought as souvenirs turned into lunch and then dinner

And Hello Kitty from Hida! I didn't bought it tho'. It was from my friend as a surprise for me =) He bought a doraemon for himself tho'. Hmm guys collecting doraemon...

Continuation...

Ok part 2 of my Takayama trip...
So where was I after making all of you drool looking at the pictures of the Hida beef?..
Well Takayama's basically a pretty small and old part of Japan similar to that of Kyoto. It boasts a number of traditonal shops be it food, trade or art. The snow though made walking difficult, also enhanced the beauty of the streets.

This being one of my favourite picture! Like a postcard right?

This should be one of the most propotionate snowman I ever seen! (Not like I have seen a lot tho')

This is basically how the whole street look like. Paved by snow

The row of old shops...

Night view! It's fantastic I tell you. This photo does no justice to it.

So that was basically what we did on the first day. Walked around the old shops in Takayama, sunk our teeth into the hida beef, drinking the sweet sake and finally a relaxing night at the Onsen. Have I already mention crying buckets of tears over our favourite show and posing with the famous mascot of Hida...

and finally....presenting..... the very satisfied us!

Takayama, Shirakawa-go and Gero

Hee... this trip marks the end of a semester.

Went to Gifu prefecture last week with 3 other friends. 2 of them being new students from Taiwan were really pretty excited cus it will be their first time seeing snow. Yup, we were going to a super snowy place, (or you can say the white country as Japanese themselves named it.) But then we got much than we bargained for. Much much much more...

On the first day we reached Takayama only to find the streets piled with snow which made walking so difficult. But well, despite the supposedly 8 mins walk as written on the pamphlet which took us nearly 20 mins, the grand hotel took our minds off our tired legs. We paid only 8500 Yen per person ( amts to about 120 sing), we got ourselves a big Japanese style room, buffet steamboat dinner consisting of "Hida Beef" (p/s: this is high-class beef that costs as much as 3000 yen per 300g for the highest grade!) , a top facilitated hot spring and then buffet breakfast the next morning.

Our hotel at the back

The night view

Note: This is one person share!

And then all our happy faces...

Trip to Inuyama Castle

Went to one of the 4 most famous castles in Japan. It is situated in Inuyama, Aichi ken, a few stations away from Nagoya.

The castle is really stunning! Boy, I just love castles in Japan. Each tells its own story.

The beautiful path leading up to the castle. Isn't it gorgeous?

The main castle building!

Bird's eye view from the top of the castle

Then it was a night out to Nagoya! Wow... the illumination was really great.. christmasy! By the way, I didn't know there was such a nice tower in Nagoya till now. Or that I never bothered to check things out... And something I must mention was the live band that were performing in the streets. Are they talented or what, I actually stood there for 30 mins in cold listening to them! Everyone was grooving to the music. Gosh, can't believe how talented people can be!

And finally... the illumination!

His love...

His love is warmer than the warmest sunshine
Softer than a sigh
His love is deeper than the deepest ocean
Wider than the sky
His love is brighter than the brightest star that shines every night above
And there is nothing in this world that can ever change His love

Once I thought that love for meant for everyone else but me
Once I thought that no one knew the way
Now that only goes to show how wrong we all can be
'Cos now it seems He loves me more each day

Something happened to my heart the day that I met Him
Something that I never felt before
And that something is that He has buried all my sins
And everyday it seems He loves me more

How can I ever thank You enough Jesus...

Just some photos

Just some photos first for entertainment and till after my exams!

This is the cake baked by my classmates! Very pretty right? I was soooo thrilled by it! There is another picture somewhere with the beautiful candles.. look out for that!

Everyone eating and chatting in the Izakaya... My teacher turned up too. SO touched!

A Class photo together...

Please wait...

Yeah, I know I promised several of you I will post the photos and story of what happened on my birthday this year. But then just give me some time. Need to get the photos from my friend first.

Just some thoughts. A drama I have been catching has got me thinking about life these days. It is about a girl who is diagnosed with a disease of the brain. To spare you all (and myself) from the complicated name, it basically cause her to lose control over her sense of balance and eventually the movement of her limbs. This drama is a true story based on the diary of the girl who wrote till she couldn't hold a pen anymore. She lived life to the fullest till 25 and her only wish was "to live".

To live. It sounds so easy to so many of us. To live is to wake up on time everyday morning to go to work or school. Or well play for kids or housework for housewives. To live is to endure the boring morning and look forward to lunch break. Make eyes at the student opposite you and laugh at the teacher. Then look forward to end of school to go play (jusco for us =) together.

As I sat down on my bed that day on my birthday waiting for my friend, I was set thinking about things that happened all these years. It was my first time truly.

Instead of being excited about what presents I am going to get, I begin to realised how it had been a long 23 years I have gone through. And it just hit me how God has been with me through thick and thin. It doesn't matter at all what happened in the 23 years. What is important is that He has brought me to where I am.

Sometimes I wake up in the morning feeling so sleepy and thinking that the world sucks just because I have to go to school early. Do I have have to wait till the day when I wake up every morning to thank God He has brought me passed another day again?

Now I being to appreciate the lyrics of a song I really like. If I remember correctly, the lyrics goes like this.

Every sunrise speaks of your unfailing love,
Every nightfall, your faithfulness
Every blessing from heaven tells of your amazing grace...

For everyday of my life, I praise God for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

Halloween Party

Some of the photos as I have promised earlier...

The winner of the costume parade... very good costume I must say...

My classmate Bil.. Find his name familar? Yes he is the one who got into an accident

Ko-San! One of my good friends as Little Red Riding Hood

And... Bear! Pooh Bear! His nickname is bear too

The lot of us ;D

Traumatic happening...

Let me update you all on the latest thing that happened to me.

I was an eyewitness to a traffic accident. Till now I still don't know why I was involved in it. Read on and you will know why...

It was my school's Halloween party last friday night and well for some reasons I didn't really want to take part in it. But then my curosity got the better of me and well my friend kept persuading me to go, I thought ok, I will just go and say hello, take some pictures and scram.

So I went about 11pm to the student bar that night. Met my classmates and took tonnes of photos together (which I will post it up soon). Waited for another friend to come and about 12, I was ready to leave.

Both my friend and I left together for home. On the way back, we past by the family restaurant right in front of the apartment where I stay and found a great commotion going on. There were like 10 fire engines, ambulances parked around it and the whole place was fenced off by the police. Saw like 30 over people standing in the carpark with their statements being taken down by the police. It was only the next day that we read in the news that a fight broke out between some Japanese gangsters involving some toxic spray sending 21 people to the hospital.

Anyway, the reason why I stood there for nearly 1.5 hours was because a Japanese uncle started chatting to me. Then he took me to his car which was parked across the road so he could give me his namecard.

2.30am in the morning. I crossed the road back to the path in front of school to his car. Side note: I was pretty nervous cus the uncle invited me to his house. arrggghhh... but thank God right at this moment, my classmate Bill came along with 2 other people back from the party so I had an excuse to say I had to leave with my classmate.

Crossed the first road. Nothing happened. Bill went ahead of me with another girl. I was walking behind with another guy Karl. Then was about to cross the 2nd road. Looked left and right, no cars. Light still red though. And Bill dashed across the road with another girl sitting behind him in the bike.

And just as I was about to follow them, I heard the screeching of car brakes and flashing car lights. The next thing I knew, I heard a loud bang and both Bill and the girl flew off the bike and onto the road.

Super traumatic.. in spite of the shock I got, I had to calm myself down because the girl was in shock. besides she was a little drunk. Then it was a mad rush to the hospital and then police recording down our statements.

Woo... Bill's ok now. He had stitches in his head and he fractured his right thumb. So have to take turns to cook for him everyday now. Because of this too, haven't been sleeping well for some days. Too traumatic to recall the accident too... And till now I still get people asking me why I was there at the point of time when I left the bar at 12+.. I don't know too how it was all such an coincidence..

Now I also ride my bike more carefully. and no more dashing across roads or beating red lights.

A little warmness

I just read my friend, Weisum's blog. (if you are interested, her link is on the left hand side of the page)

She apparently is really excited over her upcoming wedding, sourcing for restaurants, cards, flower girls, make-up artists... Her blog is really interesting. Very light-hearted for suited for those faint-hearted. haaa sorry a very bad and cold joke. But then everytime I read it, it lightens my mood because her blog is so filled with joy and you can just feel her energy for life.

Yeah that gives me some warmth. In this cold day to be in Japan alone.

Colder... brrr....

It's here again. The weather I can't stand.

It's here to terrorize me again!

Weather turing colder nowadays which means it is getting increasingly harder to wake up and take baths in the morning. so sad...

Nara Trip

If I made a promise to write about my Nara trip 2 months back but failed to do it can we still be friends?

Nara is a place famous for being filled with deers and old temples. Or at least that was the impression I got. Deers roaming about freely, sometimes doing funny things (like chewing my butt!), ignoring traffic... yes that was what happened in Nara.

Anyway it was the last destination in our short 3 days 2 night trip. In fact we didn't really even planned to go there. It was just a on-the-way-back-home trip considering we were all using the I day unlimited trips ticket.

ok anyway here's some photos!

Chou san: Chased by deers that she was forced up the bench... Haa how smart of her.

Fuji Safari Park

Hmm... my second trip to Fuji... ehh nope.. maybe 4th if I include the last 2 trips to Yamanashi (where Mt Fuji lies)... Anyway, made a trip to the Safari Park with 2 of my friends cus well we didn't manage to make it there the previous trip to Mt Fuji. But then it was a blessing in disguise because this time round, I received 2 free entrance tickets from my Japanese friend and because it was within the Seishun Ju 18 Kippu Period ( a special ticket which allows you to take unlimted trips on the JR trains for 2300 Yen per day), we saved loads of money!!

Ok, so in order to get back to Okazaki within the same day, we left at 5.30am in the morning!

The highlight of the trip, (at least for me) was the a month and half old lion cubs! There were about 5 of them. and they were so so so so cute!!! Really, I was so mesmerised by them that I actually stood outside the viewing gallery for nearly an hour trying to capture their moves. Of course, like a typical tourist, I stood in queue to take a picture with the cubs!

Well well.. not forgetting other animals... we had the baby porcupines. Cute little animals aplenty... but after all the most exciting place we were anticipating was the safari itself needless to say. And true to our blessing in disguise (again), we were spared the agony of queuing up for the "jungle bus" tickets because we went there by public transport. If not we probably had to queue up to an hour in the hot sun..

The safari... felt like entering into Jurassic park as said by my friend. High metal fence as they slowly slided open as our vehicle approaches.. wooh.. exciting!

So we fed the ferocious lions, saw the sleeping cheetahs, bathing tigers... what else... oh! and Dancing bears! Ok, that was an over statement, but indeed saw the bears bouncing up and down because they know food was coming by. (not us the people in the bus but the food we were all given to feed the animals.)

Ok... I know it is more exciting to see the animals rather than me but well I had to show lion.

And this is a very precious picture... a tiger bathing. according to the guide, this is the 3rd sighting in the whole of summer. Tigers... when do they bathe anyway?

That's about Safari trip... and what a tired trip... we got home at about 12 plus in the night becuase half way we got off to eat dinner or maybe supper (at 9+) at Hamamatsu. Yeh, can you believe it, all 3 of us didn't catch a single wink on the train be it the trip to or back cus we were busy chatting all the way. Women indeed.

My normal daily life...

Guess my blog had been filled with posts on travels and me having fun only. Well to dispel all rumours that I am only partying here in Japan, I DO have a normal daily life that consists of going to school, studying, working and well some form of exercise.. hee hee...

I have been wanting to post my last entry about the trip to Nara but guess that will take a while more course workload have been heavy and increasing. What to do when exams coming in 3 months' time?...

But still found time to do some interesting stuff lately. I have this guy friend in class whom all of us have been nagging at him to do something to his hair. So, partly due to our pressure and well he seems to like this girl in class, he agreed to go for a "makeover"... heeee that was fun!

First, my friend and I went to our usual Salon with him and got him a new hair style and colour. Check this out!

That is his before look... white and messy hair...

Now he looks like this!

At least 5 years younger than before right?
If it wasn't enough, we decided that his clothes didn't suit his present hairstyle. We went to his house one night, made him take all his clothes and threw out those that didn't match up to our standards. But wait... that was just the beginning... this episode saw 4 of us girls going to the stores with him, making him change into clothes after clothes... haaaa and well shoes after shoes!

Fruitful life i have uh? I just can't keep my hands off other people's lives.. sigh..

My hundredth post!- Osaka

Wow... a year has nearly passed since I first started my blog... but well before I celebrate my blog's one year old birthday, let's celebrate the crossing of the hundred mark! By.... viewing the series of very artistically taken pictures we took....

Background: Osaka was just a stopover for us as we planned to go to Nara the next day on the way back to Okazaki. And after having long hours on the train and late nights out, we were really exhausted. Therefore, we ate dinner and quickly retreated back to the hotel thinking we could have a nice night relaxing together.... but but...

Federik... his favourite pose...

So kun as the perpetrator...

Perpetrator turned victim!

And... the great body changing sessions ! (as always when I am around)

And finally.... the few of us in Yukata!

And if you would believe me, our supposedly quiet night turned out to be a night of jumping up and down the bed taking all these pictures which took us about 2 hours till 2am in the morning... a night to rest uh... not really I guess...