Japan 2010

2010-08-30T23:02:00.002+08:00

Trip to Japan - Overview

Day 01 - Kimiidera
Day 02 - Shirahama
Day 03 - Kimiidera, Nara
Day 04 - Nara, Kyoto
Day 05 - Kyoto, Osaka
Day 06 - Osaka
Day 07 - Osaka
Day 08 - Osaka, Arima
Day 09 - Arima, Kobe
Day 10 - Kobe
Day 11 - Kobe, Singapore

2010-08-23T22:40:00.000+08:00

Day 11 - Kobe to Airport, Airport to Singapore

2010-08-22T22:39:00.000+08:00

	Day 10 - Kobe Picture - Himeji Castle

	There were some Japanese cranes around the castle.
	The castle's garden
	Remember how the Japanese crossed the causeway into our land?
	Chinatown in Kobe

	Kobe Port Tower
	Kobe Port
	A chapel at Kobe Port

2010-08-21T22:13:00.000+08:00

	Day 9 - Arima, Kobe
	Ate Kobe beef, top left slice. The others are Wagyu (bottom left), Domestic (top right), and Australian (bottom right), according to the chef.

2010-08-20T22:10:00.000+08:00

	Day 8 - Osaka, Arima
	Osaka castle

	Arrived in Arima in the afternoon and toured around.
	This is the source of the river seen above
	This place is famous for its hot springs
	Garden entrance in a nice hotel
	Heading up the mountain via cable car
	View of Kobe from Mount Rokko. The white circle is the moon.
	Nice shop

2010-08-19T22:08:00.000+08:00

Day 7 - Osaka

Picture - Crabs in Osaka Aquarium

Fish swarms and jellyfishes. The swarm of fish were just circling the rocks continuously without end. I wonder if they sleep.

Sea monstrosities on display - huge manta rays, sting rays, and a whale.

2010-08-18T22:08:00.000+08:00

	Day 6 - Osaka Picture - Shinsaibashi, Osaka
	Shinsaibashi at night, lots of youth on shopping sprees.
	Very nice food display - a common sight outside restaurants.
	Sushi in a supermarket

2010-08-17T22:07:00.003+08:00

Day 5 - Kyoto, Osaka

Bamboo forest, Arashimaya, Kyoto

And the river near it.

I didn't go that morning, decided to shop at the large shopping mall at Kyoto station instead.

2010-08-16T22:06:00.000+08:00

	Day 4 - Nara, Kyoto
	After arriving in Kyoto, we headed to Kiyomizu-dera, a famous temple located quite high up the hill and overlooks the city of Kyoto. Picture - Temple entrance
	View of Kyoto city from Kiyomizudera
	The pagoda of Kiyomizudera
	The route to Kiyomizudera, small streets walled by little shops.
	That night in Kyoto was the lighting of five bonfires on the distant mountains, called the Gozan no Okuribi, and so it was like Nara, with many people gathered to try and view the five bonfires. Again no good shot of it, so here's one from the web.
	Night life in Kyoto is really chill, very much like a Holland Village or Clarke Quay, just bigger and nicer.

2010-08-15T22:05:00.000+08:00

Day 3 - Kimiidera, Nara

Went to check out the temple on the hill before we checked out of the hotel.

Sights in the main Kimiidera temple compound.

The name Kimiidera itself the name of the temple, and so the town is probably named after the temple.

紀	Ki	Remember
三	Mi	Three
井	I	Well
寺	Dera	Temple

And don't you forget.

After arriving in Nara, we went to the Nara Deer Park and the temples around it.

Nara is busy, but not as city-like as Kyoto, Osaka, and Kobe.

Remote-controlled deer - Japanese robot.

Nah just kidding. Probably deer on probation.

Tori gate, temple entrance.

Lanterns were pasted with wishes (white paper with purple circle), prepared to be lit for that night's festival.

Todaiji, the largest wooden structure in the world. It's a temple.

Came back to the same place at night because there was a festival going on, called the Daimonji Okuribi.

The place was really crowded, and many gathered at the hillside to watch the lighting of the bonfire at 20:00 on a distant mountain.

We didn't manage to get a good shot, so here's one from the web.

Lots of ladies were in Kimonos for that night. The tradition and culture of Japan is still very strong.

2010-08-14T22:03:00.000+08:00

	Day 2 - Kimiidera, Shirahama and back
	Took a 90-minute trip south to Shirahama to see the cliff and rock formations, and also to visit the very popular Shirarahama Beach. Wasn't too excited about it cause Japan is not known for its cliffs stuff you can see in other countries. Picture of Sandanpeki.
	A Christian helpline signpost that is located somewhere on one of the cliffs beyond the safe boundary. Apparently to stop would-be suicides. Passage on the sign is from John 8:12, and the organization who put this up is the Shirahama Baptist Christ Church.
	Shirarahama Beach in Shirahama. Too crowded for comfort. Perhaps it's peak season because it's summer now for all northern hemisphere countries.
	Engetsujima, a unique rock formation (which I couldn't really appreciate).

2010-08-13T18:25:00.000+08:00

	Day 1 - Kansai Airport to Kimiidera
	Most of the travelling we did in Japan were by the train network. It's comprehensive in coverage but incomprehensible in instructions - at least to us first-time tourists to Japan.
	Train operators come in paris. There will be a driver and another who makes sure there aren't any people rushing for the train, before he gives the signal to close the door. They take pride in their work, and will greet passengers along the way if they need to move from one end to the other. They will also bow when they enter and exit a carriage, even if no one is paying attention, which is usually the case.
	Kimiidera A quiet and peaceful town, every time we were at the train station, there would only be about three others there - something you'll never find in Singapore.
	Some places seem almost lifeless. There was a huge hospital, something like NUS, adjoined to a university. We walked into the compound on a Friday evening and only saw three people and one car at the main entrance - something you'll never see in NUS.
	Visited shrines and temples.
	These things are prayers tablets attached to prayer boards found in almost all temples.