Archive for the ‘japan’ Category
ふるさと home
Posted on: March 14, 2011
- In: arashi | happenings | japan | life | reflections
- Leave a Comment
the word ふるさと furusato literally means “hometown,” but it can also mean home, or where one belongs.
being a person who calls japan a second home – my REAL home, where i am happiest and at my most natural, it is heartbreaking to see the damage caused by the great tohoku earthquake last friday. it is not something that could have been prevented, but i am glad that japan is such an efficient country, and i am touched time and time again by the warmth, kindness and honesty of the japanese people in difficult times like these. being far away from japan right now, there is nothing much i can do but keep a close watch on them, and pray for the best.
right now, the only thing i can do, is share the following song :
“ふるさと furusato.”
this song was performed by arashi and many other young japanese singers during the annual kohaku utagassen program this year, and it is perhaps the most suitable song for this particular moment in time. the lyrics really warm one’s heart, and i believe every single word in it, is true.
[click here to listen to the song]
[the peaceful greenery that calms and soothes the soul]
夕暮れせまる空に 雲の汽車見つけた
なつかしい匂いの町に 帰りたくなる
as dusk approaches, i come across a train of clouds
i feel like returning to the town with the nostalgic scents
[strangers always ready to share a smile and a victory sign]
ひたむきに時をかさね 想いをつむぐ人たち
ひとりひとりの笑顔が いま
僕の そばに
earnestly piling up the times
of the people who made my memories
each and everyone’s smiles are now
by my side
[my beloved host family in osaka, who loves me unconditionally at all times]
めぐりあいたい人がそこにいる やさしさ広げて待っている
山も風も海の色も いちばん素直になれる場所
there are people there who I want to meet again
who are waiting for me with kindness
the mountains, the winds and the color of the seas
it is the one place that i can be myself
[kind people who i met by chance in the arashi concert, are now my friends]
忘れられない物語がそこにある 手と手をつないで口ずさむ
山も風も海の色も
ここはふるさと
my unforgettable stories are there, and we hum as we hold hands
the mountains, the winds and the color of the seas,
this is my hometown
[my kids in saitama, who clung to me and cried when i left, telling me to never forget them]
めぐりあいたい人がそこにいる やさしさ広げて待っている
山も風も海の色も
(ここはふるさと)
there are people there who I want to meet again
who are waiting for me with kindness
the mountains, the winds and the color of the seas,
(this is my hometown)
[strangers who were more than glad to help, when i was lost and alone in the mountains of kyoto]
君のふるさと
your hometown
[the place where i am the happiest]
僕のふるさと
my hometown
ganbare nippon!!!
the sun will rise again tomorrow.
yokohama once again 横浜ふたたび
Posted on: November 1, 2010
backlog: 2010.5.30
yokohama is one of my favourite places for day trips; the sea breeze, the peaceful tree-lined streets with coffee shops, the artsy little shops that sells wooden spoons with rabbits carved on top. i’m not surprised it’s such a popular dating spot for couples, especially after sunset where it sparkles with colourful lights that blink cheerfully (｡◕‿‿◕｡)
on this day, i started my journey by getting off at 桜木町 sakuragicho, which is the title of a yuzu song.
after that, i took the bus to the red brick warehouse >w< i've been wanting to visit for a very long time but never had the chance or time to. the 赤いくつ red shoe buses run around yokohama‘s famous spots and it costs 100円 each time you get on, no matter how far you travel.
arrival at the red brick warehouse. i had no idea what it REALLY was, so i was pleasantly surprised when i stepped inside.
lush! you can smell it from miles away ヾ((（´*゜∀゜*｀）))ﾉｼ i wish i bought more lush before coming home… it’s my dream to have my house smell like lush…
more lush goodies!!!
there are a lot of small restaurants and cafes inside 🙂
cute little interior shops that make me want to have my own house~
there was a shop where everything in there has a rabbit motif. it’s creepy yet adorable at the same time.
i moved to chinatown after some shopping at the red brick warehouse! chinatown always smells like home – the steaming buns, the red lanterns, the chattering old ladies, the old messy shop selling chinese herbs and medicine.
santa claus in chinatown seems a bit out of place, though. it feels like a horror movie gone wrong.
back at shibuya. it’s funny how it feels like home, despite me being a foreigner.
high school boys on their way back from sports practice 🙂 i love japanese school uniforms, with their matching sports bags and parka jackets.
i bought an adorable two-tiered wooden accessory box at the red brick warehouse for 1050円 （｀・ω・´）ﾉｼ
鞍馬 kurama
Posted on: September 20, 2010
backlog : 2010.05.23
my final day in kyoto during my weekend trip to kansai alone was spent in a small town called 鞍馬 kurama, about 40 minutes away from the main city of kyoto! it was not a very wise move, seeing as it was a city nestled in a quiet, somber mountain area, not to mention it was raining the whole day with strong wind gusts D: but there was nothing i can do because i’ve already planned on going to 鞍馬寺 kuramadera. i had also planned to visit mount hiei as well but i gave up because it was simply impossible.
mount kurama : the home of king of the tengu, who taught swordsmanship to minamoto no yoshitsune. it’s on the border of two prefectures, kyoto and shiga, and being a mountain town, it’s pretty boring and there’s nothing actually “touristy” here, unless…
you like huge, giant tengu goblins 🙂 hiro does! incidentally, this particular statue was featured in a t no arashi corner hahah!
the demons and spritis of kurama are considered some of the most famous in the country
entrance to kurama temple, which is famous for its long winding paths of red and white bonbori lanterns
it was raining too hard and the ground was too dangerous to trek up on foot so i opted for the cable car!
the winding stone-paved path towards the main hall. you can see how eerie it was D: summer it’s this cold and misty?
main hall of the temple
🙂 where i was, with only a summer cotton tunic and a really thin cardigan. an unforgettable experience!
some of the cutest wishing plates i’ve ever seen!
coming down from the temple 🙂 in the beginning, i was tempted to trek through the jungle all the way towards 貴船神社 kifune jinja but i couldn’t even see 5 steps in front of me due to the mist and there was this moment where something hit my mind : “crap, if i get lost in here NOBODY WOULD EVER KNOW AND I WOULD MISS MY BUS BACK TO TOKYO HENCE MISSING CLASS AND I COULD DIE IN HERE AND MY BODY WOULD ONLY BE FOUND 10 WEEKS LATER OMG WHAT DO I DO!!!”
but as luck would have had it, halfway through a small area in the jungle heading towards kifune jinja my feet got caught by a huge confusing tangle of tree roots in a area that was apparently named 魔王階段 devil steps o____o;; it was at this time that i met a group of extremely nice japanese ladies (and one man) who gathered a few times each year to go on trips together! they were really worried about me because i was all alone in the heavy rain and wind in the jungle and they said that if i joined them it would bring the number of people in the group to 12, which was a nice even number hahah!
they even treated me to lunch! 😀 i had matsutake udon *O* SO DELICIOUS!
the nicest people i’ve ever met!!! they were so kind to me, some of them gave me their name cards and one of them gave me her phone number, telling me to call her if i ever go to okinawa! the nice guy (who speaks excellent english and travels around a lot) lives in odaiba apparently and he actually invited me for coffee when we were both back in tokyo but with becki‘s arrival and all there was no time. too bad, really, because i would have loved to meet him once more!
after that, i parted ways with them as they were going to kifune jinja and i opted to go try my luck at the cable car station to go to mount hiei, but we all know how that ended up 😦 the rain and wind was too strong that the cable cars were temporarily suspended and there was no knowing when they’d restart, and the people at the ticket counter told me to come again another time because the temple closes at 4:30pm anyway…
so i made my wet, tired way back to kyoto and treated myself to a nice, nice dinner since it was such a miserable day for me. i had kyoto cuisine at a really posh looking restaurant called がんこ ganko at the train station that was a lot cheaper than it looked from the outside! i ordered the やわらぎ子鍋 yawaragi konabe set (2079円) ♪
pork shabu shabu to warm myself up after a long, rainy day in the mountains with no raincoat on! it really was a surprise i didn’t fall sick 😀
the whole set was so beautifully presented, it was such a shame to eat it! it was really affordable for such great food at a nice japanese restaurant that i couldn’t resist!!! i can’t wait to go back to kyoto again so i can try the other stuff on the menu with teddy >w< he would swoon and never ever be able to look at japanese food the same again hahah!
hiro updates
Posted on: July 14, 2010
- In: happenings | japan | life | outings | photos
- Leave a Comment
i haven’t been updating my blog in a very long time due to a lot of reasons. one of it being university, with all the end-of-semester reports and assignments to be finished. another reason would be captain who is an awesome travel buddy >w< too many things to do, so little time!
i'll update my blog properly on each and every place i've went in the past few weeks when all this madness is over, but for now, here is a short update on what i've been up to, hiro-style.
kamakura
shiga
kyoto
kobe
tokyo
nagasaki
fukuoka
kumamoto
almost two more weeks before i leave the wonderful land of the rising sun and return to my tropical island! i shall miss this place dearly 😦 *starts planning future trips back here to japan*
touchdown!
Posted on: June 23, 2010
backlog :2010.06.19
on saturday, i went to the narita express platform to pick captain up ♥ it was like a scene out from a really cheesy love drama hahah – we were running to greet each other and went all colkfneoicqhnovihn *insert spazz here*
she got me a present ♥
it comes in a pretty box!
and a nice little bag!
so pretty *O* it’s the cutest bracelet ever ;w; there’s a musical note for nino and a fish for ohchan!
after that, we went to harajuku because apparantly the softbank there is more efficient and foreigner-friendly. we got it done in less than 20 minutes omg :O
we saw the funniest vending machine EVER in one of the idol shops 😀 a vending machine that sells arashi photos!!!
we had epic purikura with our kaibutsu-kun caps and pikanchi shirts >w<
i’m sure we look crazy
after that, we went to shibuya‘s tower records to look at the kaibutsu-kun costume they have on display there >w< he's SO TINY!!!
so, so tiny hahah!
dinner time!!! all-you-can-eat sukiyaki at 1980円 per person ^^
fresh australian beef… how ironic!
pork from chiba prefecture
in to the pot it goes!
😀 yes we are happy
and dorky :p
i ♥ sukiyaki
and that’s the end of an awesome day – the first of many to come 🙂
fangirl fun
Posted on: June 16, 2010
recently i’ve been going out a lot with megan, a fellow arashi fangirl that i met on lj quite some time ago 😀 it would have been so much more fun had we gotten the courage to speak to each other earlier, because we’re both going home soon! nevertheless, it has been really fun everytime we go out together 😀
last friday we went to pasela to watch the 5×10 dvd. it’s a really nice karaoke place that has a dvd player as well, so we could watch anything we want 😀 it was so much fun, waving our penlights and doing the hand movements along with them.
they even have mouthwash for you in the washrooms :O
after that, we went looking for something to eat, and we saw this : destiny. the words crab chahan with a big “umai!” exclaimation? it is definitely very leader-ish so we went in!
we sat at the counter so we could literally watch them cook our food
it has a really warm, welcoming atmosphere and an authentic chinese ambience
we both ordered the crab chahan
we both chose different sets though. mine came with a small plate of gyoza, and hers came with a small cup of kaarage
yesterday, i met up with her again for dinner 😀 it was quite an adventure! i was supposed to meet her at shibuya but she emailed me 15 minutes before our meeting time to tell me that she had forgotten her wallet at home, her suica had run out of credit and she is now stuck in ikebukuro with no money. i went to get her, and then we had a laugh at how aiba-ish it was 😀
we went to an all-you-can-eat place called nabezo where you could choose between sukiyaki, nabe and shabu shabu (1980円 per person).
it was surprisingly quiet for an all-you-can-eat place! the service was really good too!
😀 meat! unlimited pork and beef, as well as assorted vegetables and random stuff for nabe dishes. i love harusame!!!
us 🙂 i love her red tights and black mary-janes! her dress was really colourful too – really springlike! my outfit on the other hand was a bit more subdued and it looks like winter… hahah!
summer outing
Posted on: June 9, 2010
on saturday last week i went out for cakes with the malaysians 😀 we met up at shibuya and it made my day to see these two huge posters outside the station >w<
i finally took a more decent photo of myself with hachiko!
deru joined us later because she woke up late so azu, kat and i had some sushi to fill up our stomachs since we have not eaten anything for lunch (and azu claimed he can’t fill his stomach with only cakes =w=)
after deru arrived we took the train to 田園調布 denenchofu because i fell in love with the cakes at l’epi dor! there was a small street festival there as well and we made the mistake of taking a look… i spent money again – a really nice bamboo-bottomed handbag for kimono (4000円), and a white heko obi (1000円).
i fell in love with the mille feuille the last time i came, but since i’ve already tried it before, i decided to order something else : the chestnut bavarois ♥ (420円)
it was unexpectedly good :O i am not a big chestnut fan but this one had just the right amount of sweetness and the subtle fragrance of chestnut >w<
the one who hides and the one who poses
the normal ones 😀 hahah just kidding XD and i’ve just realized that we were dressed to match! kat and i in white, and deru and azu in black 😀 talk about contrasts!
the hydrangeas are starting to bloom now! i’m so happy!
possibly my favourite flowers, next to casablanca lilies ♥ they are so gorgeous! *o*
夏の始まり the beginning of summer
Posted on: June 5, 2010
japanese students in their summer uniforms. in japan, it’s a tradition to change all long-sleeved winter uniforms to short-sleeved summer ones. this tradition is called “更衣 koromogae,” which literally means “changing of one’s seasonal clothes,” and usually happens on the 1st of july every year. this doesn’t apply only to school students, but to train station attendants, postal office workers and other professions as well.
my first yukata of the year 🙂 uniqlo has begun selling them, and i immediately fell in love with this one. they get cheaper as summer goes by, but i decided to get this one because it was so pretty and there are chances that they might be sold out when the sales come along.
two more weeks till captain‘s arrival 🙂
高野山 mount koya
Posted on: June 2, 2010
backlog : 2010.05.22
the next day, i woke up around 6:00, got myself ready, and left the hostel at 7:00 to catch an early train to 高野山 mount koya, which is located in an 800 m high valley amid the eight peaks of the mountain. it took a really, REALLY long time to get there from kyoto, which is to be expected considering it’s in another prefecture… it took me no less than 3 hours to get there by train!
on the train to mount koya. i was so sleepy… the weather was cloudy and cool, and there were not many people on the trains so i managed to get a corner seat ❤
on the way there, i spotted a train station with a really amusing name and couldn’t resist getting off to take a photo!
all my reflection photos turn out really unclear that day 😦
so in the end i settled for a shot of my clothes and shoes on the train platform
there was also a buddhist priest on his way back home XD
in the cable car on the way up to mount koya. let me proclaim my love for the surutto kansai pass once again : it covers EVERYTHING on my trip, and i mean everything – even the cable cars! there were a lot of french people in the cable car though… they were chattering excitedly in french and snapping photos every single second.
my first stop was the 奥の院 okunoin, a huge maosoleum with graveyards and memorial tombs for famous (and the not so famous as well) japanese people. it’s a bit unnerving to see the japanese taking photos of the tombs and even making double peace signs in front of them, because back home in malaysia everyone’s mother and grandmother would totally get on your case for taking photos of graveyards 😀
a super cute gecko. it ran away after a small boy went too near trying to get a photo of it… i wish i could have taken a closer one too, the focus is all off in this one
one of the many tombs at okunoin. i lost count of the number of tombs and gravestones i photographed. this one belongs to the kaga family, which is really well-known in japanese history!
hiro at mount koya! the cedar trees were so tall and provided ample of shade for visitors… it helps that the weather is cool too!
amulet and charms on temple pillars
i found this really cute – the signboard next to it says “ひとりぼっち地蔵 hitoribocchi jizo” which means “lonesome jizo” 😀 he was pretty lonesome, all by himself!
the whole maosoleum was surrounded by cedar trees!
most of them date back to 2000 years ago…
origami cranes along the way
my everlasting love affair with inari gates
an intricate wooden carving of a beam supporter… really interesting!
i went to most of the important unesco sites, but i’m trying not to post photos of every single temple simply because they all look the same in photos! do not ask me why is that so, it just happens 😀
finally, reflective surface!
i love red
when in mount koya, eat traditional buddhist vegetarian food!
the amount of greenery at mount koya is so refreshing!
根本大塔 konpon daito, a pagoda that (according to wikipedia) represents the central point of a mandala covering not only mount koya but all of japan, according to shingon doctrine. it was HUGE D: i couldn’t fit myself in the photo…
still waters at the gardens of konpon daito. have i mentioned how much i love red?
like arashiyama in kyoto, mount koya is also very famous for autumn foliage
it’s so bizzare to see red leaves in spring/summer. i suppose these are the maple leaves that are red all year round?
hiro on buddha‘s right palm
a most appropriate typo
i. love. red.
after walking around in mount koya and refreshing my body and soul, it’s back to the city again…
and i headed straight to 祇園 gion for some shopping, despite being knocked off my feet
gion at night. always magical.
dinner 🙂 i love this place! this is my second time here. the sukiyaki is heavenly!
gion shines and sparkles at night 🙂 it’s so misleading because even though all the lights are on, the shops close really early, around 8:30 or 9:00 D: i want to do more shopping!
京都 kyoto
Posted on: May 31, 2010
backlog : 2010.05.21
my day in 京都 kyoto after my maiko photoshoot 🙂 it was really sunny, i was sweating a lot :O i’ve been to kyoto many times but i would never get bored of this place. just as i thought, my heart belongs in kansai!
the bus stopped at a rest area on the way to kyoto at night, and i saw this on the shelves 😀 so amusing!!! also, did you know that they have memorial stamps at highway rest areas too? oh japan you amuse me…
walking up 清水坂 kiyomizuzaka 🙂
as you can see, it was really sunny. i should have brought sunscreen along…
i caught a bee! it took me a few tries to get it though, because it was moving around so restlessly
a studio ghibli merchandise store at 三年坂 sannenzaka. i feel like buying so many things…
a cute maltese outside a store, waiting for its owner to finish shopping
obligatory self-photo, the moment i find a reflective surface >w<
a common sight in kyoto
on the way to 嵐山 arashiyama. i took the bus because then i can look at the scenery fly past me outside the windows, instead of staring into the dark subway tunnels
finally, after a long bus ride! 🙂 it’s so beautiful!
the original bridge was made from wood, and even now they’ve still kept to the original design
hiro enjoying the cool wind by the riverbank
another common sight in kyoto : rickshaw pullers
the original wooden beams under the bridge were replaced with iron but the original design was kept
fresh maple leaves. arashiyama is very famous for autumn foliage, and there are maple leaves everywhere you look! i must come again in autumn next time – my favourite season is autumn! ♥
and finally, the bamboo forest path i’ve been wanting to go for such a long time! ♥
they’re really straight and tall :O i tried knocking on one and my knuckles went red 😀
it’s really a tranquil place, and you can barely hear the sounds from the streets, except from the occasional rattle from the trains nearby
it’s a good thing i went on a weekday, though, as it would probably be filled with people on the weekends
野宮神社 nonomiya shrine along the bamboo forest path.
imperial princesses who served at ise shrine first resided here for 3 years to purify themselves, before taken in a procession to ise.
nonomiya shrine has also appeared in the tale of genji, noh stories and waka poems
i know we’re supposed to read the kanji from top to bottom, but i can’t help reading it left to right…
i realized i have this sort of fascination with railroads
a really mysterious looking bamboo bridge in the middle of the bamboo forest
finally, a reflective surface in arashiyama!
after emerging from the depths of the bamboo forest, i walked back towards the river just in time to catch the sunset
so beautiful! the water surface was really calm and pretty too, despite the quick flow of water
i walked a little closer along the river bank and was overcome with the beauty of it
i had dinner at a restaurant nearby since i was starving and the bus back to gion wasn’t going to come around anytime soon 🙂 when you think about kyoto, it’s got to be kyoto cuisine! the set was supposed to come with a chawanmushi (steamed egg custard), but they ran out of it so they replaced it with agedashi tofu
a close-up of my favourite : sashimi! ♥ ♥ ♥
i took the last bus from arashiyama back to the station and back to the hostel 🙂 it’s a really cute and homey place, and they have a whiteboard at the lobby to tell you how the weather will be like the next day
and they have cute handwritten signs all over the place 🙂 there were a lot of photos on the walls, of people who used to stay there. it was interesting! maybe i should send them mine as well…
l'isle joyeuse 