nippon!

here are some of the pictures i took from my trip.

on flight JL722..

we had snacks on board at 1am. 1AM! supposed to be sleeping time. fat~

think i took this at 4am. couldn't get to sleep. i love this picture. flying off at night ain't that bad after all. =)

scrumptious breakfast. YEAH. we had THIS for BREAKFAST.

osaka, after 7hrs of flight...

took a limousine bus from kansai int. airport. a random pic; didn't expect it to be this artistic. haha. met sakakiyama-san, our "nanny" for the 1st time.

our 1st stop - osaka castle. this is the entrance. there's still a long way in. feeling excited!

moving off. like FINALLY. all of us were feeling super excited. we kept taking pictures and delaying the time. haha.

the young generation are very fashionable. tried to snap their pictures and managed to get their back view. oops. i'm amazed. she's not feeling cold?!


osaka castle. many steps. just like nus. the building is 8 storeys high and there are exhibits on each floor. the lifts were full so we had to CLIMB up the steep steps.

next stop - entrepreneurial museum of creativity and innovation (i think). it's so singapore. oh man. did learn a few stuffs on the industrial, food and cultural revolution in japan. didn't cover it in detail due to lack of time.

then, it was buffet for lunch. for 1000yen (that's SGD13). so cheap! i love the half-boiled egg with sho-yu and macha ice cream. ooooh.

last stop - ATC (ageless tech centre. i think =X)

this is a model of an energy saving car. we've tried our very best to be race-car models. haha.

we went to OPU to meet our host families after the stop at ATC. it was rather formal. kinda awkward. there was a speech made by president of OPU i think. after which, we were asked to introduce ourselves in japanese and host families to introduce themselves in english. haha. i thought my host father looked rather strict and scary. =S

took a 90min ride to horyuji, nara (where they stayed). i was baffled by their rail system. kinda complicated. there's kintetsu, chikatetsu (subway), JR and JR osaka loop line. *faints*

anyway, was treated to sashimi after a long journey. there were sea bream, scallops, tuna, bonito, salmon, roe, squid and not to forget, vegetables! their fave food. haha. we eat it by wrapping it with rice and nori. i was told that is their way of eating sashimi during a special occasion.

coffee is a must-have for my host family. it's not instant coffee but freshly brewed coffee. my host father likes it done this way. complements the mochi we bought from takashimaya. it was so big and yummy!

the next day..

i took this from my bedroom window. it overlooks the padi fields. so niceeee. it was bright at about 7am, japan time.

we left for daisen park in osaka early in the morning. nearly lost our way there. it was also my host father's 1st time to the park. haha. we thought we would be 30mins early and i thought we had the time to buy water. managed to arrive at the museum on time. but no water for me~ sobs. dehydrated. @_@

the hakubutsu-kan person walked us through the museum. he gave a brief introduction on japan's history in JAPANESE. oh man. i really can't understand. lack of grammar and vocab knowledge. lucky for me, some was covered in JS1101E. except the part on prince nintoku. covered art, culture and religion. i love their old culture and art!

turned out that my host father ain't scary and strict after all. he was sporting enough to wear the armour and helmet for a picture. i wasn't sporting enough. sorry... =X

we had obento for lunch. it was so yummy! unlike some soggy, not-so-appetising and overcooked packed food you eat in sg. there was unagi, tuna, squid and tamago. but too much rice. -_- the oolong tea was great too; it wasn't sweet and it tasted as though it was taken from the pot, only that it wasn't hot. it was unlike those canned drinks you get in sg. loll. i'm full of praises for japan.

angeline and me in kimonos. we were soo lucky. i don't think all japanese women have the opportunity to try on the kimono. it's so expensive!


i wanted to show my obi. bow-shaped. so pretty! i wonder how the lady did it. price to pay wearing the kimono - can't breathe and move about freely. haha. the obi was tied very tightly around the chest area. i can't bend or get up from kneeling without other people's help. haha.

pretty, isn't it? guess what this is.

it was the mochi we ate during tea ceremony! i couldn't bear to eat it.

kimonos can't keep you warm. we were freezing outside. haha. managed to take group pictures though. pretty ladies and handsome guys!

homemade sukiyaki - beef and vege hotpot. i loveee it! perfect for the cold weather in nara. everything about it was great!


3rd day of the trip..

climbed 30-40min uphill to visit matsuo temple. japanese elderly are a very genki bunch of people, i must say. i supposed they climb the hill everyday. they seemed unperturbed by its steepness. my host father was super fast! he was way in front of me. *cries* i was feeling cold until i started climbing the hill/mountain. halfway through it, i was perspiring. yes, PERSPIRING during winter. i had to take off my sweater and wind breaker.

the climb was rewarding nevertheless. it was so peaceful to be there. the area overlooks the mountains. there were momiji-s everywhere. i tried my hand at the asking my wishes to be fulfilled at the jinja. did it the japanese way. i shan't tell you what i wished for. lala~ i'm not sure if shinto is considered a religion but it is soo integrated into their lives. they may be buddhists but they do believe in shinto-ism too. the temples and jinjas are constructed in the same area!

an artistic shot i took when i was walking downhill. haha. the japanese were sooo polite! they greeted each other, even to strangers.

i requested to go to a strawberry farm but we weren't allowed to go in bcuz it's private property. a picture of padi fields to replace it instead! haha.

horyuji temple. there were so many people there. i wanted to try my hand at omikuji (i think) - they are fortunes (bad, good, best. haha) written on slips of paper. i think you are supposed to tie them to the branches of bushes after reading. it wasn't available in temples! only jinjas. haha. oops.

homemade okonomiyaki for lunch! they were ultra-nice to meee. i think i mentioned something about okonomiyaki the day before and they made this for me. *melts*

visited nara nara park after lunch. long drive there. haha. the shikas weren't kept in enclosed areas, like the zoo. they were free to roam around. they were regarded as sacred beings - messengers of the gods. so no deer meat for dinner, sorry.

their antlers were cut off too. to avoid being a hazard to themselves and people. poor thing.

it was okie if there was no deer meat for dinner. there was tempura! i did mention that i liked tempura too and they made it for me. hard work and perspiration. man i feel really bad.


well. this is the least i could do for them. i guess. i placed the vege and sesame seed in the bowl. haha. anyway, this is nice! i could just eat this for dinner. =X

my host family - the morikawas.

left: hideko-san; right: akira-san; centre: hitomi-san

they went all out to make my stay in japan an enjoyable one despite their busy schedule. they were really nice people who made sure i ate and slept well. i miss them, especially the father. he treated me like his own and was the closest to me during my stay.

on the last day of my homestay..

he made breakfast for me. tamagoyaki. i was so touched actually but i do not have the courage to say so.

yup. my breakfast. i couldn't bear to leave the family. it may be just simple gestures but i was so moved (and sad) that i started to tear. i tried to hold back cuz i didnt want to worry them. instead i went to the toilet and cried. haha. i know that's silly of me but it made me realised how i've grown attached to them in just 3 days.

we went back to OPU for a series of activities - a lecture on matsuri, takoyaki making and farewell party. we tried bon odori. it was hilarious. we all had difficulty remembering the steps and dancing to the music. but kawaii anyway. my host father left halfway as he needed to visit the doctor. i was really sad then bcuz he would be leaving for good; as in i won't be seeing him unless i visit nara again.

went shopping at dotomburi at night. had buffet for dinner again. for 1000yen! but it was a different kind of buffet; we chose our food and fried them (tempura styled) ourselves. i love eating fried mochi. =) ice cream was delicious! like those sold in macdonald's. and it's free-flow!

5th day..

i decided not to go to universal studios japan. tried out onsen at inunaki. refreshing experience indeed. haha. go find out why yourself. but i was a little disappointed cuz it wasn't an outdoor bath.

there are so many vending machines in japan! dispenses both hot and cold drinks. there was even one which dispenses haagen daaz ice cream! everything in the machines were nice i think, unlike sg (here we go again!) usually drinks aren't nice from those colorful, funny-looking designs on cans in sg. haha.

what's japan without ramen? this is tonkoutsu ramen i think. cheap and filling. 500yen. noodles aren't the maggie mee kind. pork slices were grilled and served immediately. noodles were cooked by bowl.

6th day in kyoto..

took a 2hr train ride to kyoto. o man. kyoto has really gorgeous scenaries. for sightseeing, it is a must-go! this is the entrance to kinkakuji.

kinkakuji. the structure of the bottom portion was influenced by buddhism (i don't know which one, the oldest one i guess) while the top part was from zen buddhism. it was constructed by orders of ieyasu i think. he practised zen buddhism as its regime suited the regime of the military. at the same time, he loved the culture of old buddhism. so he fused them together. the temple used to be a noh theatre during the edo period if i'm not wrong.


doesn't this pic resembles those japanese high school graduation pics you see in anime?

we decided to splurge on dinner. found a nice restaurant whose food are afforable. mine's shiroyuki tonkatsu. the highlight of the dish is the "shiroyuki" - cut radish in sho-yu. supposed to dip the tonkatsu in it. a generous portion of pork and vege too. yummy!

i didn't really take pictures on the last day. those scenary pictures i took didn't turn out well. furthermore, my host family did not turn up to see me off. felt kinda heavy-hearted but i can't expect them to do that bcuz they would have to travel. i thought sakakiyama-san would accompany us to the airport too but he didn't. i was a little stunned too. he was a great host to us. he helped us planned for some activities, introduced us to new places, treated us to dinner, waited for us to finish taking photos, made sure we adapt well and arrive in sg safely. waaaa.

i miss staying in japan. i really do. i wanna go back there. someday. when i have the money.