January 28, 2011
12:49 AM
23/24 Jan 2010, Japan Day 16/17
23 was shopping spree day! Went to the Square Enix museum near Shinjuku for the morning. Its more of a gallery and shop than a museum though. They had quite some epic loot there: FF7 Fenrir scarves, Odin and Shiva t-shirts, huge FF7 posters, and proper jewellery(not the low-quality kinds that Comic Connection sells). Their prices easily rival those you'd find in jewellery stores. As much as I'd love a Griever necklace, budget doesn't allow for it. The two most epic items in the museum, I'd say it would be the Genesis costume, and the life-sized Sephiroth under-the-floor display. I was just browsing around, looking at the figurines on display, then I noticed something unusual on the place I was standing on. I look down... WOAH WTF, I'm standing on a glass panel with Sephiroth lying underneath. I bet *someone* would go absolutely nuts were they to see it. Bought a cute cactaur for 2000 yen.
Next stop Harajuku. It was a sunday, so as usual, the place was packed full of people. Scoured the whole area for clothing. I think I walked the full length of the street four times in total. Got a hat and a long sleeved t-shirt.
Third stop Shinjuku. Walked around the streets, didn't see many clothing stores. Keeps making me wonder why people recommend Shinjuku for clothes shopping.
Fourth stop Ikebukuro. The place didn't leave much of an impression on me the last time, and it didn't this time either. Nothing much to distinguish it from the other parts of Tokyo. I found a Uniqlo though. Got a brown pair of pants at a discount.
Final stop. Akihabara. Five stops in a day. Quite the insane, but since it was the last day, I thought I'd might as well go all out. Played a few games of Reflec Beat, then browsed the comic stores for any last things I might have missed out.
So ended the day. Reached the hostel/hotel at 10+ pm.
24 was the day we were headed back. Made our final stop at Shinjuku's Odakyu, basement level, aka sweet shopping. Bought a box of Tokyo Banana. Its yellow, its shaped like a banana, it looks like a banana, but its NOT A BANANA! I'm guessing its a cake thingy, but apparently its supposed to taste good. Oh well. Hendra spent 10000 yen purely on the stuff, along with strawberry-flavoured banana thingys. When in Japan, do like the Japanese. Do epic.
A wheel on my luggage bag broke on the way to the train station to the airport. Ended up dragging the thing all the way. At the airport, I discovered the whole thing weighed a whopping 22kg. Not too surprising, considering the amount of stuff I packed into it. This time, I managed to come back with only one bag worth of stuff. ^^
January 26, 2011
2:49 AM
22 Jan 2010, Japan Day 15
Last stretch of Japan, spent back in Tokyo. The first day's morning was spent travelling all the way from Kobe back to Tokyo. A close to 3 hour shinkansen ride if I'm not wrong, but I slept the whole way there, so I wouldn't know.
Afternoon was spent at Odaiba. They have a freaking Statue of Liberty there! What the heck. They thought that by renaming it the Goddess of Liberty, we wouldn't be able to tell the difference. Anyway, we took a walk along the coastal line of the island, which I hadn't been to during the last trip. I daresay its size might rival Sentosa. They even have high schools here.
We made our way to Palette Town to get our starter Pokémon. Unfortunately, they ran out. We took a look around the place instead. The arcade, which contained the seemingly endless row of gashapon machines a few years back, seemed to have been revamped. Gone are the machines, only to be replaced by the UFO machines and other typical arcade games. They had a ball lottery for all visitors. Prizes ranged from a free UFO machine play, a few free medals to use at the medal games, to a free bowling game! Furthermore, japanese people can't seem to recognise faces to save themselves. I'd imagine given enough time, we'd be able to amass enough free plays on the UFO machines to win a prize.
Dinner was at a certain ramen shop in Shibuya. Osaka's famous for their okonomiyaki and yakisoba, Tokyo's famous for their ramen. Or so I've heard. Thanks to the blocked nose I acquired some days ago, I couldn't really tell the taste. What a waste. Imagine if I ate Kobe beef: feeling the beef melt in my mouth, yet without a clue of its taste. That'd be really sinful. Walked around Shibuya for a while after that. Toured the area of Dogenzaka, the famous love hotel district. A 3-hour rest in that place would set us back further than a full night at our accomodation.
Finished off with an short hour-long walk at Shinjuku, where we accidentally wandered into the haven for many a salaryman after a long day's work. A perfectly decent-looking old gentleman came by and touted: "strip show, strip show".
January 21, 2011
7:54 PM
Kinky`s Guide to UFO Machines in Japan
I think I`ve gained enough expertise in this field to talk about it..
Much like vending machines, ramen, porn, and pachinko, UFO machines are just as ubiquitous in Japan. Some shops specialise specifically in UFO machines, others have pachinko and slots as well, while bigger ones have the whole range, arcade included. For those unfamiliar with the UFO machine, which may also be known as the UFO catcher, claw machine, crane machine, or crane catcher, its basically a (usually) large box shaped machine. Attached to the top is a giant claw, consisting of a round base and a few claws. Placed around the machine are prizes which you can catch, should you have the luck or skill to. Place coins into the machine for a try at getting a prize. That`s it for introductions!
Now that you know about it, surely you`d like a go at it? Not so fast! Jumping right into it is a sure way to pour your money down a bottomless pit. Trust me, it isn`t a good feeling. So how should you go about winning a prize then? Read on!
1.
Find a UFO machine shop. Once you do, look around.. see any prizes you like? If so, great! Head on to the next step. If not, take the exit out and go look for another.
2.
Is it a prize that you really want? Never go after a prize on impulse. Just because something is cute, isn`t adequate justification for UFO catching. There are a billion cute things in Japan. Going after every one is suicide. Is it something thats REALLY cute? Is it something that you would buy if it was being sold in a shop? For stuff like lighters, posters, bolsters and stuff, ask yourself, is it something that you would use? If its just going to be kept in a drawer and forgotten, then don`t bother. You`ll just be ending up with junk. Having said that, figurines are usually good to go after.
3.
What kind of UFO machine is it? The UFO machines in Japan constantly change. Probably to retain enthusiasm and interest. But this also renders previous strategies obsolete. One machine, you have to push a block into an exactly-fitting hole to win a prize. Another, you have to make the prize fall through a gap between two metal bars. One more, the prize is placed on a hinged latch, with the other side of the latch supported by an attached piece of plastic lying on top of a rubber ball. To get the prize, you have to push the plastic off the rubber ball. There are too many types of methods to list. What you need to do when you encounter a new machine is to determine the difficulty of it. Here are some things to look at.
3a.
Physics. Is it physically possible and feasible to win the prize? Sometimes, the prizes are placed in a way that looks easy to win, but in actual fact, due to physics, is actually very challenging, if not practically impossible, discounting luck. This is the most important point to consider. It`ll determine if you walk away without losing anything, or spend thousands of yen and end up leaving disappointed. Point out impossible machines, then avoid them at all costs. Even if you can win the prize by luck, you would have probably overspent already.
3b.
Claw power. You can`t determine the claw`s gripping power just by looking at the machine. If you`re lucky, someone might be playing the machine and you`ll be able to tell. Otherwise, you`ll only know once you insert money and start playing. This point is especially important in machines with huge stuffed toys.
3c.
Luck. Yes, even luck plays a part in UFO machine. Most UFO machines in Japan are skill based, but sometimes, luck is nevertheless required. The more luck a machine requires, the harder it is to get a prize. The more luck required, the less skill involved, thus making it harder to think up a strategy. These are usually the one-shot catch machines.
4.
Is it worth it? Once you`ve considered the above points and more, estimate how many tries it`ll take to win the prize. Just a rough estimate will do even. Calculate the price of that many tries. Once you`ve done that, put a price on your prize. How much is it worth to you? 1000 yen? 2000? Finally, see if your estimated cost exceeds your prize`s worth. If it does, forget it. Find another machine if you can. If both are around the same, you can give it a go, but try not to, unless you really want it badly. Chances are you`ll be able to find the prize on sale somewhere, at a cheaper price. If the cost is fairly below the worth, calculate again just to be sure, then head to the next step.
5.
Plot your game plan. How should you go about winning the prize? Do you use the claw to push down on the prize? Do you slowly drag it to the winning chute? Do you flip it over? Make sure you are clear with your game plan before proceeding. Also, try to have a plan B in case the first one doesn`t work well.
6.
Execute your game plan. So the theories all set. Here`s the practical. This is the place where things often go wrong. Things worked out in theory doesn`t always go as planned in the real world. Try your plan B if your initial plan isn`t working. Also, never forget that there`s the optiont to quit. Don`t keep on going just to save your prıde. Walking away is sometimes the best option. Cut your losses while they`re still small.. don`t wait till its too late. If you do manage to beat the odds, however..
7.
Celebrate! You won a prize! Congrats! Two things to note here. First, remember the strategy you used to win. Keep it in mind, so that you can use it to win in similar machines next time. Second, never grow complacent. Just because you won a prize, doesn`t mean that that machine is `easy`. Once you underestimate the UFO machines, its over.
3:35 PM
20/21 Jan 2011, Japan Day 13/14
Whew, finally a break. Checked into the Kobe capsule hotel, took a nice bath in the public bath here, now cooling off in the relaxation room. The reason for us coming to Kobe was for the kobe beef, but thinking about it, spending $300 on a single meal is pretty outrageous. Not that my budget would afford it anyway.. thats all I have left for the remaining few days in Japan. I`ll be skipping this meal.. probably have something else instead.
Anyway, yesterday was day 2 in Osaka. It was a whole day in Shinsaibashi and Den Den Town, so.. shopping spree! Much of it was just window shopping though.. its hard to find stuff I like and stuff that`s cheap, even more so for stuff that I like and is cheap as well. Got a jacket, t-shirt and a shirt set, and a pair of shorts from Casual House (highly recommend this place!). Jacket was discounted from 4000 to 1000, shirt set from 3000 to 1000, and shorts from god-knows-what-price to 100(!) yen. Love overseas clothes shopping sprees. =)
January 19, 2011
9:24 PM
19 Jan 2011, Japan Day 12
Onward to Osaka! Temperature got warmer, or at least it seemed so. Warmer is nicer, so essentially, the temperature got nicer. =) Bleh.
The hostel, Hostel 64 Osaka, has quite a classy feel. Didn't feel like the regular ones we stayed in. Apparently it was designed by an architect. So there was a discussion about why an architect would go about designing a hostel. One idea is that tourists who stay at the place might like it, then decide to hire the architect themselves.
Two stops for today. First stop was Osaka castle. Not much to comment about the castle and interior. Pretty much the same as the previous ones, talking about the history of the castle and lords who lived during that age. The park surrounding the castle was remarkable though, both in terms of size and beauty. Nice layout, interesting tree shapes. There was fountain around the middle. Just nice, we were there when the sun was shining down. Don't get to see a rainbow very often. =)
Next and last stop was the Kaiyukan Aquarium. Its very much comparable to the Sydney Zoo. Both were really great. Saw Mantine, Remoraid and Sharpedo there.
Dinner was at an okonomiyaki shop about a 10 minute walk away from the hostel. Apparently Osaka is known for its okonomoyaki. It took 30 minutes to prepare, but good things take time. I couldn't really make out the flavour thanks to my blocked nose, but I could tell it was good, somehow. And for 680 yen, it was a really good deal.
January 18, 2011
10:21 PM
18 Jan 2011, Japan Day 11
Hate having to wake up everyday. xD Bed is so warm, everywhere else is so cold.
First stop Nijo castle. Got there and found out it was closed for the day. Okay, so much for the first stop.
Second was Ginkaku temple. Having a fully gold-plated pavilion is kinda oxymoronic, but meh, a good sight is a good sight. There was a golden bird on the top of the pavilion. Instantly reminded me of Ho-Oh from Pokemon.. you can see where the developers got their inspiration from.
Third, Matsunoo Grand Shrine. Apparently its the shrine for the god of sake-making. Makes you wonder about the line between religiousness and merry-making. One of the shrine staff was even smoking. I guess the best sight there were the four young shrine maidens. CUTE!!
Final stop, Fushimi Inari shrine, aka torii gate shrine. Another one of the epic sights in Japan. The mountain path toward the inner shrine is lined with literally thousands of torii gates. Sometimes there are so many that even the sunlight gets obscured. Walking the full path takes a good few hours. Every torii gate was donated, usually by businesses in hope for good business, since the shrine god Inari is the god of rice, and therefore success in business. The smallest torii gate would cost around 300,000 yen, while the largest would set you back by over a million yen. Counting the thousands of gates currently existing, one can only imagine the amount of donations the shrine gets every year.
January 17, 2011
9:35 PM
17 Jan 2011, Japan Day 10
2nd day in Kyoto! The snow from last night settled, and most of Kyoto was covered in snow. Bits and pieces here and there though, not as bad as Nagoya. That was literally hell frozen over.
First stop was Kiyomizu temple! One of the few epic sightseeing areas in Kyoto, imo. After seeing it in manga, being there in person is a whole new experience. Its the place with a 13m high stage, where if you jumped down and survived, your wish would be granted. Jumping is prohibited now though, for obvious reasons. The temple itself is also a complex of shrines. One of the shrines, the Jishu shrine, contains the famed love stones. If you manage to walk from one to the other with your eyes closed, its said your love life will soon be fulfilled. Not sure how well it works, but japanese girls are crazy over it.
Second stop was Ginkaku temple. Not much of the temple itself.. maybe the sand formations. The scenery there was good though. A tree dropped its snow over my head there. :(
Lunch was at some eatery nearby. The first crappy meal so far. Average tempura udon, relatively high prices. Bleh.
Next stop was meant to be the Kyoto Imperial Palace, but to enter, you had to have a reservation, and the place where you make reservations was closed today. So yeah, we didn't go in. The area was pretty close to a girls' school though, so we made a detour for a while. :D
Next, a handicraft centre. Sold a heck lot of stuff, especially swords. Pretty high quality stuff, but naturally, unaffordable. Left without getting anything.
The last stop was the Gion area. We took a guided walking tour of the area. Highly recommend it for those who want to tour the Gion. If you went by yourself, you probably wouldn't know where to go/what to look for. The place is amazing. Its as if you're in a whole different world once you enter. Before you know it, you got yourself immersed in the place. Almost like ancient Kyoto. Finding your way out may be a problem if you don't know the place well. Naturally, with Gion, there's the geishas as well. Managed to see a few while walking around. Must be a really tough life, but probably every girl's dream.
January 16, 2011
9:04 PM
16 Jan 2011, Japan Day 9
Its been snowing ever since I woke up this morning, and its already 10 pm now. Snowing all the way from Nagoya to Kyoto. A bit of snow is beautiful, but too much is just.. too much(>_<). They get under your feet, onto your clothes, and into your face. How the temperature dropped so much in a day, I have no idea. The max temperature was around 6 to 7 yesterday. Today, its 1.
The shinkansen ride was meant to take around 35 minutes. Thanks to the snow, it went really slowly though, so it probably took over an hour. Scenery there was all white. Go figure.
Went to see an archery competition at a certain shrine. Old guys shooting. One of them was drawing huge circles while his bow was drawn.. like some hidden techinique or something. Amazingly, he hit the target. Of course, the school boys and girls participated too. Quite the spectacle.
Not much after that, since it was already quite late. Visited a music box museum and had a chat with the staff there while browsing. Dinner at a curry place. Ate something non-curryish. Went to the arcade after that. Played some miku, popn, then went back to the hotel.
January 15, 2011
8:24 PM
15 Jan 2011, Japan Day 8
I just realised my previous posts have been labelled as "Jan 2010". Talk about living in the past. O_o Changed them now!
Day 2 in Nagoya, visited 3 places: Tokugawa Art Museum, Nagoya castle, and Inuyama castle. Basically all 3 places covered the feudal era. Shoguns, castles, swords.. did I mention I have a fetish for swords? That was some really good stuff over there. The craftsmanship during that period was simply amazing. Not just the swords, but also various other crafts. Even stuff like playing cards.. the quality was exceptional. Especially love the lacquered wood.
Nagoya castle was mainly an exhibition for stuff during those periods. In fact, it was pretty much a museum in a castle. Quite a bit overlapped with the Tokugawa museum.
The castle has these 2 fish like thingies at each side of the roof. Somewhere through the museum, I found out that they were meant to be female dolphins. Imagine as I may, I see absolutely no connection between the 2.
The shogun armour is cool shit. Each warlord has his own unique set of armour. I also learnt that its a pain in the ass to put it all on.
Outside the castle area, there was this poster for a group of actors playing prominent characters from the era: tokugawa, maeda, etc. 3 of their faces were cut out for people to stick their heads in them. One of them was left intact.. some seemingly hot actor. A group of girls came over. Much to my dismay, they did exactly what crazy fangirls would do. No, not stick their heads there and taking photos of themselves. They all swiped out their camera phones and snapped away at the hot-looking Maeda. Sigh.. fangirls across the whole never change, do they?
Some of the actors performed a skit nearby later on. Made me reaffirm my faith in japanese acting and voice acting.
Inuyama castle didn't particularly stand out, aside from the fact that theres a castle town nearby. The view atop however was breathtaking, especially with the sunset.
Also realised that school girls, while hot as they are, can be pretty scary too. Ben took a shot from the ground, of a school girl standing at the highest level of the castle, looking into a camera. Looking at the shot, if you zoom in on her, it almost seems like a horror movie just waiting to happen.
We didn't get to see many school girls around Nagoya. The place itself seemed dodgy as it is. We can only wonder what they're up to. It was only until much later, that we realised that most of the life in Nagoya, its 'Orchard Rd', was located in the area called Sakae. Too late to go by then. Oh well. :(
January 14, 2011
9:48 PM
13/14 Jan 2011, Japan Day 6/7
Bleh, Hakone didn't have wifi/lan. Wht they did have though, was snow and onsens. 40 minute bus ride up the mountain, and around 15 minutes of wandering around in the cold before we found our accomodation. Traditional japanese ryokan: japanese style room, complete with futon, tatami flooring, kotatsu, and yukata! The onsen they had was a true onsen, not those hot water baths we've been going to. The water was milky white. The bloody taste indicated iron, amongst the other minerals inside. All at a pH of 2: acidic!
Went out on foot towards the lake and boiling valley. Apparently we were the only ones brave(or stupid) enough to walk all the way there in that weather. Didn't keep track of time, but I could pretty much tell we walked a heck a lot. Unfortunately by the time we reached the endpoint, it was too late to take the ropeway(cable car) up to see the boiling valley. The lake, on the other hand, was quite the spectacle. Its the kind you expect only to see on advertisements or posters, yet there it was right before me. Add in the setting sun, a bit of falling snow, and an olden styled cruise shop by the lake, it feels just like a fantasy world. (The snow got heavier as we took the bus back to the inn. A tiny bit of snow is good. A lot kinda ruins the mood. =<)
Didn't get to fully see Mt Fuji. The top was covered in clouds. Oh well. Saw it on the train later on.
Next day, took the bus back down the mountain, followed by a 2 hour(!) Shinkansen ride to Nagoya. Made our way to Hostel Ann, dropped off the bags, then went to one of the nearby shrines. Not too much to note. It was pretty much like the Meiji shrine, which was better. Came back for dinner:omu-rice, bought a copy of Ni-no-kuni from the local Animate, then retired back at the hostel.
January 12, 2011
8:59 PM
12 Jan 2011, Japan Day 5
Weather was at a good 11 degrees today! Didn`t really feel any different except for a few short whiles, but it was good to know. :) Too bad its going back to around 6 degrees tomorrow..
Breakfast was at McDonalds! A 100 yen McPork burger. Buta buta. That was some tasty pork too.
Went to some island-y place containing a theme park called Cosmoworld. Entrance is free, but all the rides cost money. A substantial amount, too. A 15 minute(thanks to my powderful calculating technique) ferris wheel costs 700 yen. So is a ride on the roller coaster. Wandered around the area for a bit before we found that there was really nothing much we could do without overpaying.
Back to Isezaki-cho for lunch. Had chinese soba and gyoza. My first taste of gyoza: didn`t really like the ingredients. Could be better. Did a bit of shopping at Casual House. Great place for clothes. I picked out quite a few from there on my last trip too.
Last stop, an onsen `theme park` called Manyo Club. It was something like Oedo Onsen, but I didn`t do as much this time. Not much to do anyway. Finally managed to enter the hot water bath this time! Coupled with the great relaxation feeling. Finished up with dinner at a food court outside: beef steak fried rice. Yummy.
My skin`s getting drier by the day! Really painful and sensitive, especially against wooly objects. 11 days to go too! Ouch ouch.. next stop is Hakone tomorrow!
January 11, 2011
8:30 PM
11 Jan 2011, Japan Day 4
Woke up at 8ish. Next stop Yokohama.
Went around random places. Isezaka-cho for a walk and lunch. Nothing too much to see there, but the lunch crowd was quite aggressive. All the eateries were maxed out. Random fact: french fries are called potato in Japan. Just nice, the place I was eating had a flavour of fries called potato too. So.. potato flavoured potatoes?
After lunch, made a big round around the area. Basha(horse+car)-place, then the bay area, Yamashita park, marine tower, then Chinatown. Froze my hands off somewhere around Yamashita park from taking too many photos. Hands: come out of pockets, snap photo, replace lens cap, pop back into pockets.
Chinatown was different from what I expected. Stuff don`t come cheap at all there. You`d be hard stretched to find a meal below 1000 yen. Second thing, just something interesting.. there was a shop selling korean goods. SNSD, Bigbang, and all that crap. Cups, calendars, posters, pillows, pens.. you name it, they got it. A korean shop, in chinatown, of Japan? Globalization much?
Went back to the hotel after dinner at Chinatown, then went out for an onsen bath. Apparently my skin went really sensitive, probably thanks to the weather. Not forgetting the abrasions from my thermal wear too. In the end, I could hardly touch warm water without hurting, let alone enter the hot water bath. What a waste.. onsen experiences are always good. Crappy weather`s making me miss out on all the fun.. :( To think I still have a little below 2 weeks of Japan to go..
January 10, 2011
8:07 PM
10 Jan 2011, Japan Day 3
Felt crappy from the moment I woke up. Not that I managed to sleep much anyway. The rest went ahead of me. Took some panadol, sore throat coughdrops, lots of water, and went back to sleep. Following the conclusion of my strange dreams, felt a lot better after my nap. Actually sweated a bit.
Headed out around 2. First stop Akiba. The merchandising of anime and manga is insane. You can find almost any good related to them.. especially the popular ones. The regular figurines, doujinshis. Then there are towels, clocks, mats, snacks, even product endorsements. Saw a Luffy poster in one of the department stores, endorsing glasses. Like what?
Next stop, Shibuya. Had a random walk around. Approached by an African guy. He probably spoke japanese, but if he spoke african, I'd be none the wiser. Finally had a look inside the fabled Shibuya 109. Surprisingly, it contained nothing but ladies' goods. Eventually I found its counterpart, Shibuya 109(2). No kidding, thats its name. Good stuff, but not so much the prices.
January 9, 2011
11:14 PM
8/9 Jan 2011, Japan Day 1/2
Day 1.. 3.30 am meeting time at the airport. Kyeo still asleep at home. Relatively epic convo on the phone. 5.30 was fly time. Watched Scott Pilgrim, had a neck-breaking nap. Reached japan around 1+. Queued for the JR passes. Took the train. About 4 when we reached the hostel: Khaosan Tokyo Ninja!! Went to Akiba for dinner and walkabout, then went back. Temperature was bad, especially at night.
Day 2, woke up with a headache. Freezing weather. You could do the smoky breath thing outside. First stop was Harajuku and Yoyogi park. Little did we know, the activities don't begin till around noon. First time seeing an empty Takeshita street. Went to Shibuya instead. Walked around quite a bit. Uite a few shops had massive discounts, some even beyond 80%. Always good to time your trip with the changing of seasons :). Went back to Harajuku after that. More lively this time. The street was jam packed like normal, and groups were doing their dances at Yoyogi park. A particular group dressed as the olden style yakuza, doing an equally old dance style. Is this the trend these days? I headed back to the hotel solo after that. Feeling really crappy, and my headache was killing me. Went out for dinner a few hours later: beef bowl, then stayed all the way in bed after that.
January 2, 2011
3:48 AM
Liking Them Apples
Had a great time through to the new year. The fireworks at Marina Bay were awesome. The taxi queue and waiting time right after that was even more awesome. I never saw it coming.. the day I'd wait 2 whole hours in a queue along with hundreds of other people.. just for a taxi. To think that I went out for a social event like the new year countdown, even though squeezing with thousands of other people can't really be called 'socializing'. Where has the old anti-social me gone to?
Hah, I jest. But, thinking back to the previous year and the years gone by, things have definitely changed a lot. For better or for worse, I think I'm liking it now.