Adventures in Sushi-land: Days 2 and 3

Japaaaaaaaaaaaan! I simply cannot get enough of it. Seven days is way too short to visit all of Tokyo, Osaka, Kobe, and Kyoto. Already, I miss Japan's weather (15-degree heaven), its cleanliness and tidiness, the graciousness of its people, its vintage architecture (because the land is mostly owned by the people so the government can't do much upgrading works) juxtaposed with its bustling subway stations and streets.

Growing up, I was fed a regular diet of Japanese drama and music (J-pop was huge in the late 90s! And who can resist the likes of Takuya Kimura and Takeshi Kaneshiro?), and the allure of Japan had never quite faded.

And being there at last, I wasn't disappointed in the least. Everywhere you go, everything is in order. It's like an OCD's safe haven. And every shot looks like something out of a postcard. Want proof?


Day 2: Yokohama and Tokyo

Right from touchdown at Haneda Airport

To Odaiba Park in Tokyo

The Rainbow Bridge

Where a mini statue of liberty stood

And then later at Asakusa Kannon Temple in Tokyo

Elementary school students all wear caps as part of their uniform, be it blue or yellow. Too adorable!

Citizens are staunchly law abiding. Japanese hate to be an inconvenience to others, which explains why they never litter and always clean up after themselves. You can hardly find a filthy washroom or litter on the streets. Everything is as neat and well-groomed as the people themselves, who always take the effort to dress up.

Yamashita Park in Yokohama

The Hikawa Maru ship

Back at our hotel, where our room had this cosy little area partitioned from the sleeping area.

Dinner in a random diner in a shopping mall.

Day 3: Tokyo Disneyland!

The hotel we stayed in, Art Hotels Omori, was all decked out and ready for Halloween.

Tickets to Disneyland!

Japanese babies are unbelievably adorable. I couldn't resist snapping a few sneaky pics of them, especially this curious little tot who sat next to me on the Wild Safari ride.

Carousals! Majestic castles! Happy children with candy floss and hotdogs! I know it's commercialised fun, but there's just something about amusement parks that get me excited like a child on her first voyage to Neverland.

The lovely Belle and her adoring fans

 

This little girl didn't want to let go of Belle! She hugged her for the longest time and had the happiest smile you've ever seen.

Yep, still holding on.

Peterrrrrrr! Those who know me also know of my strange obsession with Peter Pan. (I didn't write a whole novel inspired by the character for nothing.) Alas, we didn't manage to go on the Peter Pan ride because it was closed for renovation. I did, however, spot this cute little fan  roaming the park grounds.

This Donald had major swag going on.

Settling for a quick dinner before leaving Disneyland.

Our flight was a night flight so Day 1 was pretty much gone. But Days 2 and 3 definitely left a great impression. 

Up next, Mount Fuji and Matsumoto Castle! :0)