Japan Trip : Part 2

Accommodation at Shin-Osaka was a business hotel. Quite a nice environment, with super clean shower area. After loading off our luggage, we went off to the Dotomburi area, where we went to the Themed Restaurant. It was really nice, seems like we were being transported back to the 70’s, and its food and more food again! Oh! It is also at this place where we made our own Tako-Yaki balls! It’s so Fun!!...but it was really difficult to turn the thing around and make it into a ball-like shape! Always go to Takashimaya and see those guys make, which seemed so easy. In actual fact, it’s not! Takes a lot of skill to do it. Luckily, the end products still look quite nice and edible. It was really a good experience. After the Themed Restaurant, we went to the Glico Shop where we bought a lot of snacks!! Oh! Of course my sis did not forget my Favourite Peko Shop there! Went to the store and there are a lot more variety of Peko’s stuff around as compared to Nagoya. After all, my Miss Peko comes from Osaka! Ahaha…Bought some sweets and took some photos in the shop. After that, it’s shopping again. The area is really filled with lights, colours, people and life. It is also a shopping paradise there, and you can just walk on and on. My poor brother had to accompany his 3 princess shopping, when I can see that he was feeling quite bored and tired! Anyway, our dinner that night was Yaki-Soba…something like fried noodles, just that it tasted extremely delicious! We also tried the Japanese pancake, which was stuffed with cheese and bacon! Yummy!

After dinner that night, my sis friend from Osaka volunteered to drive us around to see the night view. However, all of us did not know that he was actually going to bring us up to this mountain, Mt. Rokku, which has lots of sharp bends and turns. I ended puking all the way up to the mountain! It was even worst than a roller-coaster ride! And my sis’s friend was so mean to actually want to take photos of me puking! Anyway, managed to endure all the way up to the mountain, although I was feeling really terrible.

The night view was simply awesome, but it was also freaking cold until Alice and I started wrapping ourselves like Eskimo! Actually, my brother had wanted to propose to Alice at that point of time. Unfortunately, his ring was being kept with me, and my brother upon seeing that I’m feeling so unwell, he dropped the idea! Ahaha…Surprisingly, going down the mountain wasn’t that bad. Well, maybe I had puke too much that I was too tired and started sleeping all the way back. Later on, my brother also began to feel unwell with all the turnings; he started falling asleep as well. As for Alice, she was also tired from the lack of sleep the previous nights and fell asleep all the way back too. The only people wide awake were my sis and her friend. Think they talked non-stop in the car! Anyway, he was gentleman enough to send us back right to our hotel’s doorstep. Initially, we were supposed to go for supper together, but seeing that we all slept like dead pigs, my sis and her friend decided to go without us. End up, we were quite hungry, so my brother and Alice went to the convenience store down the road to buy some food. My sis went out for supper for a while and when she came back, knowing that I’m feeling hungry as well, she accompanied me to the convenience store to buy some hot food. Quickly got some rest after our supper, coz it’ll be a long day for us, as we will be going to Universal Studios, Japan (USJ)!!

It was a Friday when we went the USJ. We thought there would not be many people around since it is still a normal working day for the Japanese, but we were wrong! The only train that goes to USJ was really packed and even when we arrived there, there were already a lot of people queuing up to buy tickets! We were smart to purchase our tickets beforehand so it saved us time queuing up for the tickets. We went straight to the convenience store to buy some finger food and snacks, as we reckon we would not have the time to have lunch since the queue for the rides is madness and we would have to “multi-task”: eat and queue at the same time! My sis had been there before so she knows it best! Ahah…

The first ride we went to was Spider Man! The queue for the ride was damn long, but it wasn’t that bad as compared to the previous time my sis went. Basically we queued for about ½ to 45mins. The ride was really very fun. It’s actually a 4-D ride, with great effects and graphics. After that, we went to play other rides; ET, Back to the Future, Snoopy, Jurassic Park, and Terminator etc. Basically, the rides there are quite mild, unlike those in the US or Aussie. So basically I tried on all the rides. Jurassic Park was a bit scarier. It’s actually a water ride where you’ll plunge down 12 storeys down. We bought the poncho, so that we won’t get wet. Snoopy ride was also another fun water ride. Not as scary compared to Jurassic Park. Anyway, we managed to complete all the rides by 4pm. Apparently, there was a X’mas light up in USJ at around 6.30pm, so we decided to go to the Hard Rock Café, which was just outside the entrance of USJ to do some shopping, since both Alice and I are HRC fanatics! We went in back to USJ at around 5+, bought some delicious hotdog buns, took some photos of the nicely lighted Giant X’mas Tree. Around 6pm, we went to find a good spot and sat down while waiting for the performance to start.

The performance was really exciting! There is Elmo, Cookie Monster, and some other characters singing and dancing away and there were also fireworks! At this point of time, my brother proposed to Alice!...A very touching and romantic moment indeed!!... Simply indescribable! Left USJ and head down to the Dotomburi area again, this time, to eat the Ramen as our dinner!...Oishii!!! Then, we went back to the Peko shop and bought some delicious cakes as our supper later on. Unfortunately, when we got to the train station, it was the peak period where everyone gets off from work. We had to squeeze our way into the train. It is also at this point that my impression of the Japanese guys dropped to the lowest level! THEY ARE SO UNGENTLEMAN!! The train was already very packed, yet they still keep on squeezing. Worst of all, it was a “silent-squeeze”. They don’t even bother to say “Sumimasen” (Execuse Me). All they did was just push, even though there was simply NO SPACE!!! Worst of all, if they see someone losing his balance and going to fall, they will a make way to let the person fall!! This is something that we witness ourselves and we feel so disgusted! I think the Japanese are quite self-centered! The best part was when we had wanted to alight from the train. Unfortunately, we were standing on the other side and we had to squeeze our way to alight from the other door. Since my sis was in front of me, she was considerate enough to say “Sumimasen”, and those guys left a miserable gap for her to squeeze past and the gap was closed back immediately. Damn! I was so pissed when I saw this and I started elbowing my way out! I did not know what happened after that. The next thing I saw was my brother and Alice laughing their heads off. Apparently, I had elbowed so hard that a few guys lost their balance and nearly fell! After that, they were looking for the culprit who was elbowing them! They turned to look at my brother and Alice and they just act blur! After all, I was the culprit who had already alighted from the train! And because of my elbowing, my brother and Alice had a big space to walk comfortably out of the train! ahahaha

The next day was like a free and easy day. My brother and Alice went on a day tour out to Kyoto, while my sis and I went to the Harley Shop in another area of Osaka, about ½ train ride. It’s Harley craze again, bought 2 T-shirts for my bf and a bear for myself! But the Harley stuffs there are not really cheap. It’s almost double the price as compared to Singapore, but the design is really unique and I reckoned no one else will wear the same as my bf! Hee…

After shopping, we also went down to Kyoto. Glad that my sis is a good navigator, so we did not get lost! My sis brought me to my favourite Astro Boy Store. There, it sells lots of kawaii Astro boy’s merchandise. Too bad, I do not have the means to buy the entire shop! As usual, bought some stuffs and took photos with Astro Boy!...Headed back to the train station where it’s shopping again! Here, we spent quite some time buying souvenirs and foodstuffs. Met up with my brother and Alice after their day tour in Kyoto. After that, we headed back to the place where the Harley store was. There, we had dinner twice!! The restaurant has two levels. On the 1st level, it sells the BBQ meat, where you’ll sit at the table, and you have a little BBQ pit, of course not the type in East Cost Park!...The heat from the charcoal is just nice and the meat is a sliced thinly, so you just have to place it on the wire-mesh for a while and it’s ready for consumption. It’s Super Delicious!! Oishii!! Think we’re really pigs, coz all of us finished that big bowl of rice, the meat, the appetizer etc, paid our bill and then we went up 2nd level to eat the Yakitori. Basically it’s something like what we buy in Takashimaya or Far East, grilled meat in Satay Sticks. But here, you have different variety of food. So we ordered a few sticks and some cocktail to go along. At the end of the meal, we feel so full, sleepy and tired. Drag ourselves back to the train station and back to the hotel. It was an unforgettable dinner. The food is great and at the Yakitori Restuarant, I met a very Kawaii guy! Even my siblings and Alice also said so. Too bad, he’s a little bit “sua-pa”. He doesn’t know how to use a digi-camera. Infact, he was so fascinated upon seeing a digi-cam! Think like what Alice said, he’s a Himbo! So disappointing! Anyway, he was quite obligating when I requested to take a photo with him. When we got back our hotel room, we were so dead tired by then. Switched on the TV, and saw “The Pianist”, in Japanese version. Started watching and had my sis as my translator. We were really hooked on that movie that we force ourselves to stay awake. It was really a good movie and we were simply addicted! Infact, the first few things we did when we came back from Japan was to watch the VCD again, this time in English version and to buy the book!

Basically, the next day was another free and easy day. Brother and Alice were really burnt out so they slept till 11am, before heading down to Yokohama. My sis and I woke up around 9+, had breakfast and then we head down to Nara. Can’t really remember Nara, although I had been there when I was still a kid! The only thing I remembered was that the deer was biting my mummy’s clothes. Well, maybe the clothes she wore looks like the biscuits which the deer eats! Ahah…coz when we were there, we saw a scenario similar to what my mummy encountered. There was this Taiwanese lady who was walking and looking at the deers. Suddenly, this deer went over and starting biting her coat. Ok, her coat really looks like a biscuits, coz it was light brown in colour and probably it looks really delicious to the deer! Anyway, she started screaming for help and most of the passer-bys, including my sis and I just found it so amusing!

Basically, Nara is a very touristy place, so it’s quite easy to move around. We went to several recommended spots on the map to take photos. It was a little disappointing, coz it wasn’t that beautiful as what the map has described it to be. After that, we walked quite a distance to the famous Giant Buddha. It was really fascinating to see such a big Buddha. Bought some lucky charms for myself and my friends. Went shopping along the streets where we bought a little toy deer for Alice. We ended our Nara tour earlier than we expected, so we decided to head back to Dotomburi again for more shopping. Bought more souvenirs there. Headed back to Shin-Osaka where we bought Bento Sets as our dinner that night. Called our brother, who was on the way back and ask them to “da-bao” as well. Dinner that night was at the Hotel’s eating area. Very cosy area and we started comparing who’s Bento set is cheaper and nicer! Haha…think we are all very bo-liao people indeed!

Did some packing that night as we bought so many things and we reckoned that we would not have time to pack the following day, as we would be back late since we will be going to Kobe for the lights up. Brother and Alice also started packing as they would be going to Tokyo the next day. Much as we wanted to help them carry some of their shopping stuffs back, our own shopping nearly burst our luggage! No choice, they have to carry it themselves! haha

The next day was spent in Kobe…Yes! The place famous for its Beef! Did not go there to try the beef though. Our purpose there is to see the Kobe lights up thingy. Not sure about the “history” behind it. But according to my sis, it’s an annual thing to commemorate the Japanese who died during the huge earthquake that nearly wide out the entire city and also how they had rebuilt themselves and resume life back to normal again within a short period of time. Hmm…I guess it’s somewhere along that line lah. Basically, Kobe was another shopping paradise, with lots of other attractions. Too bad we did not have enough time to explore the place. It’s definitely a place where my sis and I would want to go back again! Due to the time constraint, we only went to the famous Kobe Port/Tower, where you can see the ships, ferries wheel and walk along the harbor. It is indeed a beautiful sight!

Oh! Did I forget to mention about the Chinatown in Kobe?...It was really interesting to see what they sell over there. It’s quite similar to what we have here in Singapore. Roast pork, duck, chicken, dumplings and fried fritters! Yes! “You-Tiao”!! It’s quite amazing to see the huge price difference! 1 “You-Tiao” here costs around 60 cents the most. Over in Kobe, it’s almost triple the price! Imagine paying nearly $2 for only flour and oil?? Forget it! I know my sis had a craving for it, but well, she’s going back Singapore anyway, and by that time, she can eat till she drop!

As Singaporeans, the Kiasu spirit is always there. Hee… Went to the area where the lights up would be at around 4+ to “chop” a good spot. When we arrived there, we realized we’re not the only kiasu people around. There were already lots of Japanese, all standing and some sitting around orderly! You’ll be amazed how “guai” the Japanese can be. Super Obedient infact! They do not talk, they whisper. And they don’t really push one another around. They will all move slowly and orderly! Amazing!!...Stood there in the cold and hunger for nearly 2 hours before the ceremony/light-up commence. The effort is all paid off when you see how beautiful it is when the row of lights starts to light up! Took lots of photos as well but we left quickly as we wanted to avoid the crowds in the train. Dinner that night was Bento set again from the train station. Did our final packing after dinner and its Goodbye to Osaka!...