Nikko: A World Heritage Site & Hot Spring
On the second last day, we made a trip to Nikko, in Tochigi prefecture. Given its proximity to Tokyo (you can reach the place easily by train in under 2 hours) it is a popular destination for locals who feel the need to get away from the bustling city scene once in a while to get closer to nature. It offers weary city dwellers scenic mountainous landscapes, numerous beautiful waterfalls, lakes and hot springs.
For foreigners who are keen to experience the more rustic and rural side of Japan, Nikko makes for a convenient and quick getaway.
Nature aside, Nikko is most famous for the Toshogu, the country's most lavishly decorated shrine and mausoleum of Tokugawa Ieyasu, founder of the Tokugawa shogunate. It is a magnificent complex of colorful structures featuring numerous shrines, temples and pagodas with intricate and fascinating carvings which was added to Unesco's World Heritage List in 1999. It is certainly a place not to be missed by any history buff. This, as well as the fact that we were all getting tired of fighting the constant crowd in Tokyo, led us to take a day off to visit this quiet little town.
And while we were here, what better way to spend the night than at a ryokan. Really,a visit to a hot spring, complete with the typical Japanese style dinner and breakfast is one experience which I think is essential for any visitor to this country. Rob and Jac had a lot of fun just fitting into those hotel yukatas, taking pictures and starring at the food that was laid on the table when we arrived for dinner. Mom was more collected since it was her second visit to an onsen. And both of us agreed that while the hot spring in Nikko area serves as a good introduction, it is hard to find a match after you've been to one of the best onsen region in the country in Yufuin...
Nevertheless, I am glad my sibs had a lot of fun at the ryokan and that is really all that mattered. :)
As you can tell from the pictures, breakfast was another lavish affair and somehow the 2 younger ones can't quite get used to having rice, miso soup and fish at eight in the morning.
And so it was with Nikko that we concluded our Golden Week travel. The day my family left Tokyo was one day in Japan I will never forget. After spending the last 10 days on the road together, it was hard being alone again. The fact that you are in the country's most populous city surrounded by millions of strangers just seemed to magnify this sense of solitude. The quietness was especially unnerving. The noise that were missing from our constant squabbles and laughter, not being able to share food and funnny anecdotes were things I missed terribly whenever my visitors left me. It was the same on previous occasions but somehow i had it harder this time. Perhaps it was because of the long journey that I had to make from Tokyo back to the island (my family actually arrived in Singapore earlier than I did even though mine was a domestic travel can you imagine!) and the aftermath of all the traveling done.
Nonetheless, I am really thankful and happy to have so many of my family members and my boyfriend visiting me over this short period of time. The many trips that I made with them are all part of the beautiful memories that I will cherish for a long time to come.
A Park, a Musuem & a Fish Market
Retail therapy is fun and necessary but as with anything, too much of a good thing can lead to overkill. In anycase, it's not like we could afford the time and money to do nothing but shop.
Included in the 9 day long itinerary were visits to the largest park in the city, Ueno Park, the Tokyo National Musuem (which is located inside the same park) and the largest wholesale fish market, Tsukiji.
A really huge park covering a vast area with various attractions such as a zoo, many museums big or small and numerous little shrines and temples, something for everyone.
There happened to be a peony exhibition going on while we were there. Mom just loves flowers of all kinds and is probably the only member in the family with a green thumb so you can imagine her joy when we spent almost an hour wandering among mazes of peonies of various colors and sizes.
Ameyoko, an open air shopping arcade selling mainly foodstuff near the park. Here, me and mom got lost among the shops sampling free nuts, dried foods and lamenting the lack of a kitchen when we saw the many fresh produce and seafood that we couldn't lay our hands on.
At the request of the History grad, we spent an intellectual afternoon pouring through Japanese history and other archaeological artifacts in the musuem. Even though I've been to Tokyo on numerous occasions, it was my first visit and though not much of a museum person, it was a pretty good one I would say.
On mom's request, we made a trip to Tsukiji fish market to have a feel of the local market scene. The peak period at the market proved overwhelming and we couldn't have made it to the actual wholesale center to witness the auction so we were contented to just hang around the peripheral area where there were many shops selling fresh seafood, sushi and other produce.
And here's Rob and Jac posing with the hardened bonito fish from where bonito flakes are derived when you shaved from the wooden block; Mom looking happy with fresh wasabi plant, yes fresh ones and not the green paste we are used to seeing in the Japanese restaurants back home.
And what would a trip to a fish market be like without sampling the freshest fish available?
Crash Course Tokyo
Don't say I never forewarn you. As the title suggests, a crash course entails plenty of cramming in a short session and this is precisely it. A page filled to the brim with pictures of places we went to. We took so many that it was quite a difficult task just choosing the ones to put on here but what I've selected pretty much tell the story on their own.
Window shopping along the fashionable stretch of Aoyamadori. A lovely tree-lined and upscale area in town except that the rain sort of dampened the spirit a little that day...
At the end of Aoyamadori is Harajuku, the hangout place of choice for the capital's youngsters. Whether it is to see or be seen, a visit to Harajuku will certainly intrigue any first time visitors whether it is the tacky and somewhat disastrous Japanese teenage fashion scene or the eye-opening display of cosplay. Due to the heavy rain, the number of cosplayers prowling the street seemed to be lesser than usual but still that didn't stop Rob and Jac from asking for a picture together. It also seemed like the scarier and more mean looking a cosplayer are the more unwilling they seem to have their picture taken which perhaps explain why everyone in this photo looked a tad too cutesy if you ask me.
Just couldn't resist taking one at the numerous machines around this young people's area. Can you believe it cost only ￥200?! That's like a quarter of what we pay for the ones back home.
A shot at what could possibly be one of the biggest and busiest pedestrain crossing in the country. Shibuya by night, another fashionable and young people place in Tokyo city center. And when i say young people place, I really mean it. Try walking around and see if you can spot any elderly folks and kids and chances are you can count them with the number of fingers on your hand!
While the west side of Shinjuku boasts of tall and shiny office buildings, the east side is where the country's sleaziest joints all come together, the infamous red light district in Tokyo, Kabuki-cho in east Shinjuku. Where we are from, of course this place was a huge eye-opener for my sibs, I could tell by just looking at their reaction to the outlandish signs and suggestive shops abound.
The closest we got to Tokyo Tower is this shot taken on the street in Roppongi. The Tower and its attractions are rather disappointing if you ask my frank opinion. 7 years ago, ever the wide-eyed and curious student/tourist that I was, I paid good money to ascend this piece of metal structure just so to catch the skyline of the sprawling metropolis. Now I prefer to view if from afar where it looks significantly more charming, especially when it is illuminated in a brilliant orange color from dusk to midnight.
We also dropped by spacey and futuristic Odaiba one fine evening. It is essentially a man-made island off the Tokyo Bay area and boasts of numerous shopping malls, impressive office buildings, an amusement park and Fuji TV's headquarter. Though there are many ways to get to Odaiba, my favorite is to hop on to Yurikamome which cruises along a very scenic route from the city center to the bay area, allowing passengers a view of the many significant landmarks of Tokyo, including the much filmed Rainbow Bridge. Call it cheap thrill but the most fun bit of the ride would have to be when the self-automated train actually passes through the bridge, underneath all the vehicles above.
Posing in Venut Fort, a European-themed mall with Roman-style interior and architecture. Need more convincing of this country's infatuation with the West? Look what we've found outside the mall...
There's even a 'Statue of Liberty' at the bay area and mind you this is not the only one around. I've seen one some where in Fukuoka city and another one at Osaka, how increduluous! What's with this obsession with 自由の女神像 anyway? Hmm...
One day was specifically dedicated as simply window-shopping day. The aim was just to check out the various high-end retail centers, catering to mainly the ultra rich or the ultra willing to spend Tokyoites. The first stop was Roppongi Hills, a mega-complex incorporating office space, apartments, shops, restaurants, movie theaters, a museum, a hotel, a major TV studio, an outdoor amphitheater, and a few parks. Doesn't the whole concept sans the casino remind you a lot of the upcoming Integrated Resort at Marina Bay area?
Tokyo Midtown, the latest addition to the city's shopping scene, opened earlier this March. An epitome of the highest form of luxurious living, a real extravaganza of the most expensive and lavish international brands you can imagine can all be found at this place. An eye-opener of sort but nothing that fancy us too much. An hour is all about you need if you're like us.
I missed out these pictures from the previous entry on food eaten during the trip. Though not much relation, I can't help but to include them here simply because the thought of those wonderfully delicious dessert, the relaxed ambience of this Japanese-style cafe, KOOTS, and all the beaming faces just make me very happy whenver I look at them!
We were supposed to just go in and 'have a look'. Being a newfound maccha fan, I am just so into maccha anything and the exciting selection of green tea related dessert and drinks offered here was simply irresistible! I have to say the maccha lattes were really very good, with the slightest tinge of bitterness, unlike the ones at Starbucks that are just way to sweet. I promised myself a second visit this August.
New and spanking complexes like Roppongi Hills and Tokyo Midtown are the new kids on the block. The grand old dame of high-end consumerism has still got to be the upscale shopping area in Ginza.
When in Rome, do as the Roman do. My sibs understood this idiom well. After a few days in town, it wasn't difficult for anyone to realize that it's really difficult to spot a shabbily dressed person miles around. When told that we were going to fashion capital, they spared no effort in blending in. Runway models eh? :P
This stretch of Ginza reminds me a lot of the streets and avenues in New York City. The buildings, the long stretch of roads flanked by shops on both sides and perhpas the endearing Citi's blue logo in the background. Somehow it strikes me as really fascinating how our mind associate certain things with others.
Unlike the newer upscale shopping and entertainment complexes, you do get to shop while walking around Ginza for there are many other local and mid-ranged affordable brands who opened their flagship stores in this area. And so we found ourselves lost in this 4-storey Uniqlo stores...
And the total damage done!
We love Uniqlo!
Happy Birthday Mommy
It was our Mommy's birthday on May 5th and though missing Daddy and Rosie, we had a cosy little celebration for her at this tonkatsu restaurant near Ebisu area. The small eatery has a nice ambience and also serves some pretty decent soymilk shabu-shabu to the delight of everyone.
Of course we got the birthday gal to pick her own birthday cake for the occasion. It was orange soufle cake with crunchy hazelnut base and I assure you it tasted every bit as good as it looked. I especially like the long and thin candles provided by the cake shop. After litting, the cake with all its white chocolate pieces resembled a ship with many sails, very lovely!
I love my mommy very much. We all do. Come to think of it, she is the one person that we spend the most time with all these years, especially when we were all still schooling kids. I couldn't recall many times when she was ever out of sight for too long. She was always there to greet us when we got back from school. Even till these days, she is home most of the time when we return from work.
Mom has never really worked before. She is a housewife through and through. While Dad is the one who brings home the dough, mom is the main caregiver of the family. She keeps the house clean and orderly, does all the household chores on her own and cook almost all our meals when we were young. Most important of all, she made sure we are well taken care and kept everything in order. This way, dad need not worry about his children while away most of the time cos he knows that we are in good hands.
It is certainly not easy raising 4 kids (especially when the youngest and eldest are only 7 years apart) on your own. When we were still in KL, she had the wider support network of her own family and other relatives. Things changed when we moved to Singapore. We have no relatives here and neither do we have any friends to begin with. With dad home only once a fortnight or so, I ever wondered if mom does feel lonely sometimes. I remember asking once why she did not make more friends when we were younger and her reply was she already has 4 best friends who require her undivided attention then.
Though not working, Mom reads the papers to keep updated with what's happening around her. In her own ways, she stays connected and attuned to what's going on in the outside world even though she spent most of her youth holed up with her kids. I remember some weekends when dad couldn't be back in Singapore and mom would bring us to the park, malls or a trip to some special kids' events in town. We all grow up being very close to our mom.
With a job that requires her 24/7 commitment and what with little help, mom's health suffered and she fell terribly ill consequently. It has been more than 10 years now since she was diagnosed with a chronic illness which requires her to be on medication and go for routine check-up once every quarter. It was indeed a close call for the family that mom's condition was considered manageable but the worry and fear remains very real even till this day. To date, doctors are still unable to provide a full and certain medical explanation for her condition though it is likely to be stress related and over-exertion which resulted in an auto breakdown of one's immune system.
It wasn't until I came to Japan last year did I really began learning how to take care of myself. Returning to a house that is always spick-and-span, to be constantly greeted with the aroma of food from the kitchen, to put on clean clothes without thinking twice and crawl into fresh bedsheets, things I've taken so much for granted all this while. Though I did help out around the house and in the kitchen a bit here and there in the past, i must admit it was more of form over substance. It was really when I started cleaning up an entire apartment on my own, doing my own laundry and cooking my own meals did I realized just how much effort and hard work it is to run and maintain a household(and we are not even talking about child rearing yet in this case!).
It is not going to be another year before I will get married and have a place of my own. From now till then, I look forward to being home and learning more from mom in every aspect, mom and her treasure-trove of knowledge. I want to want to cook in the same kitchen as mommy and learn all her best dishes. I am inspired to be the woman she is and I can only hope to be half as good a mother as she is in the future.
For all that mom has done for the family, she deserves to sit back and enjoy life a little more. I am glad I share mom's love for cooking and traveling. I wish and pray for my mother good health and happiness and I look forward to bringing her around the world to try the many cuisines that await us.
Pre-departure jitters?
A gyoza party on Saturday at the Hanasakis and another invitation to dinner on Sunday kept me sufficiently occupied last weekend. I had a feeling that this was a prelude to what my last month on the island will probably be like. This suspicion has also been confirmed by some of my friends here, who have witnessed generations of people like me who had come and gone that July is gonna be one killer month for all departing ALTs. I was informed that a typical July schedule include many invitations to parties and more farewell gatherings on top of the frenzied last minute packing, cleaning and moving out from the apartment.
The thought of all these upcoming activities are causing me to feel a little unsettled since the past week. So many things to do and yet so little time left.From insignificant things like finishing the food in the fridge, packing and sending the stuff home, writing the stack of farewell cards and such to more pertinent details like planning my returning itinerary and making various flight reservations (you see, I am planning my last hurrah trip to Hokkaido before heading home and thus more work involved).
This and the fact that I also dislike having my nicely planned daily routine disturbed. It may seem mechanical and perhaps even boring to some but I like having my day roughly planned out and have a habit of writing down a list of things to do that I'll try my best to accomplish. Recently though, it's been harder finding time to sit down to read a book as my weekends are starting to be filled with more activities and departure related errands to run.
I guess the break from the comfortable routine that has been established since settling down into this idyllic kampong lifestyle and the thought of the things that lie ahead proved too be more disconcerting than I imagined. Slowly but surely I feel the momentum of life on the island disintegrating bit by bit and at the moment I am more than a little reluctant to let go of this lifestyle. These must be what they called pre-departure jitters perhaps?
Palatable Delights
One of my main purpose, besides showing my family the various first time 'must-go & must-see' around Tokyo, was to feed them with lotsa food everyday of the trip! The good thing about traveling in small group (and 4 is a just nice size I think)is that you get to try a little of everything that's being ordered.
The thing is there were simply too many things I wanted everyone to try but just not enough time and stomach space! From Japanese fast food restaurants, convenience stores sweets and bentos, departmental basement food shopping, Japanese-style western food to the real, traditional Japanese fare you name it. And these are not even inclusive of those little snacks and local goodies that are sold at every tourist location all over this country...
Given the limited time, we did our best to eat something different for every meal and the photos below are thus proof of our hard work and perseverance! :P
We had a delightful lunch buffet at this popular restaurant called Ume no Hana (梅の花) which specialized in various kinds of tofu-centered dishes. There are the usual simmered fares, tofu chawanmushi, puddings, croquettes and a lot more.
I have to confess that I did not like tofu at all. Almost a year in Japan and I am a convert now! I used to find it bland and couldn't understand why anyone would find eating something that is almost tasteless appealing. Now this is precisely what I find tofu to be an amazing food these days. You can eat it whatever way you like! I've had it hot or chilled, in soup or grilled, sweet or savory etc. It takes on whatever qualities of the food you eat it with. In fact one of my current favorite way to eat tofu is to have it as a dessert, all you need is a little cocoa and cinnamon powder and some honey or maple syrup, it's really good. The best part is it's also one of the healthiest and low calorie food around!
Sorry I got carried away exulting the benefits of tofu... So anyway, not surprisngly my younger sibs squirmed at the mentioned of eating tofu for lunch. To many I suppose, tofu somehow relates much to vegetarian diet perhaps but this is Japan we are talking about, where the idea of being a vegetarian is quite unfathomable so whatever tofu dishes that are served are almost always accompanied by some other meat or seafood ingredients. The verdict: Well mom and I had a good time eating tofu anything. Jac was pretty cool about most of the stuff there too, she even picked out a few favorites towards the end. As for Robo, well,let's just say that he's just a guy after all. :P
Being the ever caring sister, I knew what would get my brother to sit up. A good cup of thick latte and some good old sinful donuts at Mister Donut, a popular chainstore one can easily find all over Japan. I was never much of a donut fan and thankful that I still am not. Somehow the idea of deep-frying lumps of dough and devouring these sugar laden stuff has never been my idea of a good snack. But just for Mister Donut I sometimes make an exception. Alvin loved this place when he visited and I know many other friends who do too. Well one donut starts from something like ￥１２０ (they have special weekend promotion where it get as cheap as ￥100), you have to admit it's not too bad a deal. These Japanese donuts are not as huge and oily as some of its western counterparts which probably explain for its popularity. As suspected, Robin was ecstatic at the sight of the racks and racks of donuts in all flavors imaginable and loved every bite of it. :D
This is the other place which got rave reviews from everyone, a Japanese fast food restaurant called First Kitchen selling your usual fast food staples like burgers, fries etc. What makes it stand out from the others is that this place serves the most amazing variety of ice-cream floats and what they called 'flavor potatoes' (equivalent of McDonalds shaky fries). The highlight would have to be the range of sauces for dipping those fries (just check out the photo!). As for burgers, I would say it's still best that you stick to Mos Burger..Really I could hardly recall the last time we sat around munching on fries together like this. My family, with the exception of Rob (who else) has sort of severe most ties with the fast food business. But that night at Odaiba, everyone let their hair down for a bit of the guilty treat...
Another fast food chain but this one sells typical Japanese meals like your donburi (rice bowl dishes) and miso soup for busy city folks who are always on the go. For those who do not already know, yes we have this at home too. This is how most Yoshinoyas in Japan look like, quite different from those nicely lit and spanking new look that most of those in Singapore have isn't it? Even the menus are quite different too, the most obvious one being that pork is served in the restaurants here. I thought it to be about the same though Rob insisted that the Japanese portion is bigger, cheaper and yummier, hmm..
This place is worth a mention because I was only supposed to try it later this year when I visit Ros in Hokkaido. She swears she's quite certain I will like it, especially the all vege dish. It's called Soup Curry and as you can tell from the picture, it is a little different from the usual Japanese curry one has in mind. It's a lot more watery and you have a choice of the level of spiciness. I didn't quite go searching for this place, in fact I wasn't even aware that they have it in Tokyo. We were strolling along the the nook and cranny of Shinjuku when it just appeared right in front of us. I wouldn't mind having it again this summer in Sapporo though I would definitely up the spice factor from a 3 to 4 this time round!
And here's an afternoon where we ate from a packed lunch of bento bought from a little shop near our hotel. Now don't quite underestimate the power of these lunch boxes for bentos are quite the heart and soul of a typical Japanese lunch. They eat it anywhere and in various occasions, from school lunches to office; during cherry blossom viewing and any outdoor party or gathering for the matter; on the trains or buses while commuting; during the interval of plays and musicals etc. Some are more expensive being intricately designed and prepared in the kitchens of upmarket hotels while some are simple, homecooked ones filled with love of the person (usually the mother of course) preparing it. Indeed, a bento is not merely a packed lunch to satisfy one's hunger but it's a symbol of love for many as well.
Jac and Rob had no intention of eating pizza and spaghetti during the trip. I had never heard of La Pausa either. This was one place we discovered as a result of chance. It was raining pretty heavily while we were at Harajuku and desperately needed a place to stay away from the downpour, plus it was also nearing lunch time. But like most foreign fares that are serve in most foreign countries, the pastas and pizzas were sort of altered somewhat to suit the Japanese palate. Here we tried mentaiko and mochi pizza (fish roes and rice cakes being typically Japanese ingredients) and shiso flavored risotto. Given our intial slight hesitation, this place turned out to be quite a pleasant surprise.
I like the name of this restaurant, it's just so simple and straightforward, no pretense whatsoever. '私と卵' literally translating to 'Me & Egg' or 'The Egg & I' whichever way you like it. It specialized in one of the most celebrated yoshoku (洋食)of all times among the Japanese, 'omuraisu' or omelette rice. Yoshoku means western-style cooking in Japan. And while there is the authentic kind of Western cuisine available in the country (the real French, Italian restaurants), the word yoshoku generally refers to Japanese-style western cuisine that has been adapted to suit Japanese tastes and are often cooked at home as part of everyday cooking. So omelette rice, as the name goes, are really fried rice wrapped inside fluffy eggs and are usually eaten with ketchup. Review for this little shop tucked away in a secluded corner in Shibuya? The faces in the picture says pretty much everything doesn't it.
That's mom posing with a panda-faced red bean pau and everyone sharing a pack of grilled squid served with supposedly some secret sauce recipe. These are some scenes from Ueno Park. Like in most parks, you find many of these stalls around that sell your typical Japanese snacks like takoyaki, fried noodles and oden. They are essentially like our local pasar malams. These stalls are colorful and really add to the park's atmosphere but that's about it really. The standard and hygiene of the food sold varies and depends on the hawkers. So it's really eat at your own peril I would say.
One of the many food related activities included dropping in at one of those countless coffee joints or cafes all over the place. From good old Starbucks to local Japanese coffee places, we were really spoilt for choice. Being the coffee lover we are, with the exception of Jac perhaps (and Rosie back home), nothing perked the tired traveler up more than the aroma of freshly brewed coffee.
And lastly, this is the usual scene of the food basement in the major departmental stores. As with many eating places in Japan, we were all spoilt for choice when picking up something for our alfresco lunch when we dropped by the newly opened Tokyo Midtown one of the days. Till today, my sibs still hadn't got over the joy of stepping into a Japanese convenience stores. The variety of stuff you find inside these establishments is really second to none. So much so that they can't bear to step inside the 7-11s back home anymore.
I know these are many food to digest in a single entry (and single trip) perhaps but then again part of the fun of traveling is about getting to know and learn about the country's culture. And what better way to it than through indulging in the local cuisine don't you think?
