Japan Trip 2010
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Originally posted by I-like-flings(m):
kanazawa?? wah... missed that place..... was there like 12 or 13yrs ago....havent got chance or time to visit that place again....sad sad sad
Why can't you make the time for a return visit to the area?
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that noodle pic looked like lor mee.... ;-) nice pics, MG. thanks and keep them coming. ;-)
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More pictures taken at Hiroshima:
The drivetrain of the Mazda RX8.
One of Mazda's concept cars. Can't remember what it's called.
At the JR Mukainada station, waiting for the train back to Hiroshima.
A visit to Hiroshima is incomplete without sampling Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki. And the best place for that is Okonomimura, on the east end of the Hon-dori shopping district. Okonomimura is basically a narrow building comprising seven floors of okonomiyaki restaurants.
And here's what the second floor of Okonomimura looks like. Don't know which stall to choose? Just plunk your ass down on the seat of one that isn't packed. That was the strategy I used which caused me to end up at...
... the Shin-Chan okonomiyaki stall! That's my camera bag "choping" one of the stools.
My okonomiyaki, prepared fresh and served literally on the griddle.
One of the older streetcars plying Hiroshima's streets.
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Originally posted by Meia Gisborn:
One of the older streetcars plying Hiroshima's streets.
Damn!
That looks like the streetcars(trams) I'm seeing here now in Budapest, Bratislava and Vienna! Woots!
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Originally posted by Meia Gisborn:
Why can't you make the time for a return visit to the area?
hahaha cos usually go tokyo for business trip only.. very rush.. then last trip during cny although got JR pass but also no time to go there.... too out of the way there.... -
Originally posted by Fryderyk HPH:
Damn!
That looks like the streetcars(trams) I'm seeing here now in Budapest, Bratislava and Vienna! Woots!
Funny you mentioned that! The Hiroshima visitors' brochure indicates that some of the streetcars were in fact brought over from eastern Europe.
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The following 4 images were taken at Peace Park in Hiroshima. The sakura were in full bloom and served as a very effective visual counterpoint to the park's rather somber theme.
Inside the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum at Peace Park.
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*waves* hiiiiii
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i love the okonomiyaki in hiroshima...i think tt's where okonomiyaki originated. to sit at the counter watching the cook/chef do it right in front of you is really interesting.
i recalled it's my lunch and dinner on the only time i was there years back.
hiroshima is one of the few places you can try whale meat, my colleague told me. i didn't try it becos i didn't think it was right.
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Originally posted by LOTUSfairy:
*waves* hiiiiii
* Waves back *
Hey, I remember you!
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Originally posted by Meia Gisborn:
* Waves back *
Hey, I remember you!
u can se me from Japan? -
At the Osaka station waiting to catch the express to Kobe (next one to arrive on track 5, as listed on the board).
Making my way on foot from the Iwaya station to the Disaster Reduction Museum, aka the Earthquake Museum, which commemorates the Great Hanshin Awaji Earthquake which struck Kobe in 1995 and killed over 6000 people. As you can tell from the picture, it was a rather wet and miserable day... and I had decided to take a chance by not bringing an umbrella! Oh well, story of my life...
Part of the mile-long covered shopping arcade in the Motomachi district of Kobe. Kinda indistinguishable from the other similar arcades in almost every big city in Japan.
One of the entrances to Kobe's small Chinatown district, called Nankinmachi.
Some street vendor in Nankinmachi. Can't remember what it was selling, though-- perhaps someone with better knowledge of Chinese can read the signage and tell me.
Another section of Nankinmachi. Did I mention it was wet and miserable that day?
A shot of Kobe's waterfront, as seen from Meriken Park.
As you can probably guess, this section of the waterfront that was destroyed by the earthquake in 1995 was left unrepaired and preserved as a memorial to the disaster.
A short distance from Kobe is the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge, which links Honshu to Awaji Island and spans the Akashi Strait. It is the longest suspension bridge in the world. This shot would have been a lot better if it weren't for the crappy weather.
Another shot of the bridge from the waterfront promenade under the span.
Taking the train back to Shinosaka from Maiko.
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Heading to Kyoto bright and early on 4/2.
Inside the main building of the Kyoto train station.
Making my way up one of the side streets towards the Kiyomizudera Temple. As you can tell from the throngs of people doing likewise, it's a very popular location for sakura viewing.
The following pictures were shot at the temple. It was overcast that day, so the images didn't quite turn out as well as I would have liked.
And what would a visit to Kyoto be without bumping into a maiko?
Not a maiko, in case you were wondering...
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cool.. but the not a maiko shot is hilarious.. why is the dude with sword holding a little parasol?
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Originally posted by the Bear:
cool.. but the not a maiko shot is hilarious.. why is the dude with sword holding a little parasol?
Your guess is as good as mine. He didn't appear to be part of a group of performers as he was just wandering around aimlessly. And yes, lots of people were snapping pictures of him! -
After Kiyomizudera Temple, I made my way on foot to the Gion district:
The gate to the Yasaka Shrine in Gion.
One of the back alleyways leading to the very picturesque Shirakawa Canal area of Gion.
The Shirakawa Canal. It's a bit out of the way from the more popular sections of Gion, so it wasn't as crowded.
Very picturesque, isn't it? Kyoto never fails to surprise, which is the reason it's my favourite city in Japan.
Hang around Gion long enough, and you will come across a maiko or two. I somehow managed to stammer my way through enough Nihongo to get this one to pose for a series of quick shots.
Woots!
Maiko, maiko everywhere. Gotta love Kyoto!
Another shot of the canal.
Guess I picked the right time to visit.
Just wow.
After Gion, I took a chance and hopped onto a local bus in the direction of Arashiyama. I chose poorly, as the bus was not heading in that direction at all. So I alighted and set off on foot, and after about an hour of walking towards the hills, came upon... Arashiyama!
Another view of the Tugetsukyo Bridge.
Back to Kyoto station (this time, on the right bus) to find dinner in the underground mall adjacent to the station.
The Kyoto Tower Hotel, one of the most visible landmarks in the city, just outside the train station.
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My dinner tonight: Osaka-style okonomiyaki at a really tiny restaurant one block from the hotel.
The priceboard at the okonomiyaki restaurant. The food here was surprisingly reasonably priced.
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excellent!!
one more month.. one more month.. but we'll be there only for a few days...
still, one more month!
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On 04/03 (that's April 3rd, not March 4th!
) I headed back to Kobe with the intention of getting some shots of the Kobe/Osaka region from the top of Mt. Rokko, since the weather on this day was much better than on my previous visit a few days prior.
The cable car station at the base of Mt. Rokko, which was reached by a short bus ride from the closest JR rail station.
One of the cable cars.
The ride up the mountain on the cable car.
The view from the summit of Mt. Rokko. Unfortunately, I did not account for the haze covering the city, so the view of Kobe/Osaka was less than spectacular. In fact, it was rather disappointing.
More haze.
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Originally posted by the Bear:
excellent!!
one more month.. one more month.. but we'll be there only for a few days...
still, one more month!
That month will pass quickly, just as my time here in Japan has. -
Last evening in Japan...
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Since Mt. Rokko was a bit of a letdown due to the haze obstructing the view, I headed back to the bustling Umeda district of Osaka in the afternoon.
The famous Ferris wheel built into the HEP Five building in Umeda.
Part of the Umeda skyline.
This is part of the covered arcade near the hotel where I stayed at on my last trip to Japan in July '09. The arcade had lots of "character" and really came to life after sundown. The establishment on the left is a branch of Mandarake, which deals in new and used anime and manga merchandise.
Another view of the arcade.
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Kyoto and Kobe - part of the plan when we are in osaka...
I am thinking of going to hiroshima too but that will be full one day.
You know what, till todate, i have not book the hotel yet!!!
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Originally posted by zoragirl:
Kyoto and Kobe - part of the plan when we are in osaka...
I am thinking of going to hiroshima too but that will be full one day.
You know what, till todate, i have not book the hotel yet!!!
Most of the interesting parts of Kobe can be visited in half a day, unless you want to take a trip up to Mt. Rokko for the view, in which case you'd better set aside a whole day. If you want to visit Arima onsen on the other side of Mt. Rokko, add to your time accordingly.
Kyoto: hmmm, where to start? There's just so (too?) much to see in Kyoto, especially for a first-time visitor intending to hit most of the sites of cultural and historical significance. If I were you, I'd set aside at least two full days to take in the city.
Do you have a rough itinerary sketched out for your Japan trip? Care to share it?
As for booking the hotel, there's a certain "sweet spot" in the time leading up to your intended departure date when hotel rates will be at their lowest. This is when hotels start heavily discounting to fill anticipated excess capacity for a period of time in the near future that they couldn't fill at their regular rates. In my exerience, hotel rates tend to be at their lowest anywhere from two to three weeks in advance of the occupancy date.
Have you booked your air ticket yet? You might be able to get a better deal by booking your ticket and hotel as a package. That's what I did for this trip--in fact, at the time I made the booking, the hotel/airfare package was literally within a few bucks of what the airfare would have cost by itself. It was, as they say, a deal I couldn't refuse.
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On 04/04, I headed downtown to the banks of the Okawa River to see if I could capture some images of the sakura in full bloom.
Note the people having picnics on the blue tarps under the sakura trees. It's normal practice for someone to arrive early in the morning to stake out a location by laying down the tarp, stringing off the area and then putting up a sign with the family name and the intended time of occupation.
