Japan Day 8

Today marks the start of the second part our journey in Japan as we prepare to move to our next accommodation in Tokyo.

But before that, a few shot of our current stay at Shinsaibashi Weekly Mansion.

Disarray small but very cozy sleeping area.

Attached bathroom with surprisingly a bathtub!

Microwave to warm up bentos and those Nissins cup noodles. Also the clean water kettle saved us the effort of purchasing drinking water.

Small tv and fridge. Not as impressive as in Taiwan where we get to watch more channels. In Japan, they practice pay per view.

Easy to use air-con cum heater. Till today, I still think the bed and breakfast we stayed in London has heating facilities. Just that Blamer and I were too inexperience to operate it and too shy to ask the owner how.

Sadly, we got to return the tickets.

On board the Nozomi to Tokyo. I think it is the fastest train in Japan because it gets to skip more stations than the Hikari. But the cost is much higher than Hikari tickets.

Yippee after braving the rain and cold and much help from the friendly people of Japan, we finally managed to locate our next accommodation. A word of advice, if you are planning to explore Japan on your own and move from place to place. Travel LIGHT! And I mean really light! I think we lost a couple of pounds lugging and dragging five pieces of luggage through the stations.

First glance from the door, and I guess you can pretty much make out the whole room. Space is definitely a luxury in Japan.

Basin and electric stove.

TV, phone and internet cable.

Small but well equipped bathroom. Again it comes with a bathtub. Yippee!

And most importantly, a big comfortable bed!

Transferring to Tokyo used up most of our time. Another lesson learned when traveling is to avoid shifting accommodations unless absolutely necessary as it usually takes up a day of your time. If not try to arrange for those overnight train rides where you get to save at least one night of accommodation. As such, we only got to visit Mitsui Outlet Park for the day.

And only Blamer managed to get what she wanted : ( I walked away empty-handed.

Guessed I got to cheer myself up at this happy looking restaurant instead.

Blamer still elated over her purchase.

A look at their menu tells me everything is quite economically priced.

And you can pick and mix your own tempura.

I ordered curry rice but am disappointed that it has no meat in it.

Luckily I had some tempura to go with my food.

Blamer ordered their beef udon.

Disappointed but still the curry was tasty enuf for me to clean off my plate.

It seems that the Twilight Trilogy has spread to the Land of the Rising Sun as well. Blamer insisted I take a pic of her with the poster.

On the way back, we came across a long queue of people waiting to buy a box of this chocolate. Suckers as we are, we bought a box too!

Japan Day 7 P3

We moved on to our next destination which we read about many times in history textbooks, the bombing of Hiroshima that put an end to WWII.

At first glance the city of Hiroshima looks normal enough. Completely restored with people going about their daily affairs. However, upon reaching the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, the mood turned solemn. There's a peaceful yet gloomy atmosphere that lingers in the air as Blamer and I strolled through the park.

The A-Bome Dome is the skeletal ruins of the former Industrial Promotion hall, the closest building to the hypocenter of the nuclear bomb that remained at least partially standing after the blast.

The people of Hiroshima was initially torn between preserving or demolishing the A-Bomb Dome. To some, it brings pangs of sadness as the memories of the loved ones they lost comes back to mind. To others, it serves as a reminder of the devastation that war brings and advocates peace and tolerance among people.

This is a cenotaph holding the names of all the people killed by the bomb. The cenotaph carries the epitaph, "Rest in Peace, for the error shall not be repeated." Through the monument, you can see the Peace Flame and the A-Bomb Dome. The Memorial Cenotaph was built on August 6, 1952. The arch shape represents a shelter for the souls of the victims. The Peace Flame also has an additional symbolic purpose. The flame has burned continuously since it was lit in 1964, and will remain lit until all nuclear bombs on the planet are destroyed and the planet is free from the threat of nuclear annihilation.

Japan Day 7 P2

After the gate, it is time for us to visit the Itsukushima Shrine. The routine wash up to cleanse ourselves before entering the shrine.

The signage says it all. Itsukushima Shrine is a UNESCO World Heritage site and regarded as a National Important Cultural Property.

Itsukushima Shrine is dedicated to the 3 Munakata goddesses, Ichikishimahime, Tagitsu-hime and Tagori-hime. These 3 goddesses are worshiped as gods of sea, traffic safety, fortune and accomplishment.

The shrine is known for its unique construction, which displays the artistic beauty of the Shinden style of architecture. First build in 593, it was remodeled into the present grand structure by a powerful figure, Taira-no-Kiyomori in 1168. Its placement on the water, beautifully framed by the mountain in the background, is testimony to Kiyomori's extraordinary vision and achievement.


Itsukushima Shrine is composed of a main shrine, a Noh drama stage, music rooms, halls and several other shrines arranged around it. All these structures are connected by corridors with a total length of 300m. The vermilion colour of the shrine and of the O-torii is considered to keep evil spirits away. The shrine buildings are coated with vermilion lacquer, which is also efficient as protection from corrosion.

Lucky us came across a couple performing their traditional wedding at the shrine. Looks like they are into red umbrellas as well. Wonder if it holds the same meaning as us Chinese, which is to ward off evil and signifies 开支散叶。

Very elaborated ceremony. By the looks of it, this couple seems to come from a well to do background. So many people fussing around them just to take the perfect pic... ...

Ta da....

As we continue wondering around the vicinity, we stumbled onto Momijidani Park.

This is a quiet park located at the food of the sacred Mt. Misen. Particularly in autumn, the park presents a splendid view with its wide variety of scarlet-tingled maple leaves. From spring to early summer, lush greenery makes up the magnificent sight. I still find it amazing that the sun is so bright and shiny yet we are feeling cold.

We came across some kuri (Japanese chestnuts) one of the most common and beloved tastes of autumn in Japan. They are often used as an ingredient in Japanese confectionery.

Different from Singapore, these chestnuts were being cooked in a high pressure cooker that shot out jets of steam when the stall-owner released the pressure.

These chestnuts were really gigantic, much bigger than the ones we have in Singapore. The flesh is more robust, doesn't break apart as easily as our local ones and it is slightly sweeter.

Blamer can't resist these kawaii looking buns.

The real ones ain't too far off from the models.

As always, I'm the guinea pig cum food taster. Very soft buns, again it just proves that the Japanese put in a lot of effort in achieving a high standard of quality in what they do. Personally, I would prefer the fillings of beef and preserved mustard to be a bit more salty but Blamer liked it as it is.

I wondered why there's a large wooden spoon on display in the middle of Omotesando Arcade.

Apparently, it is the world's biggest wooden rice scoop (O-shakushi) made in the year 58 of the Showa period to leave the traditional craft Miyajima-zaiku for posterity and also as a symbol of Miyajima. It took 22 years and 10 months to complete but was in storage for 14 years because people couldn't find a place to display it. But in December of the year 8 of the Heisei period, at the same time when Itsukushima shrine was listed as a World Heritage site, and Miyajima Hon-tori Arcade was renamed Miyajima Omotesando Arcade, O-shakushi was placed on display to commemorate this special day. It is made from a 270 years old Zelkova tree and weighs a hefty 2.5 tons.

I think Hello Kitty has really become a National symbol of Japan, even in remote island Miyajima, we can find traces of this mouth-less cat.

Seems like being near Hello Kitty has given Blamer some courage. Just before we left for our next destination, Blamer got this close to the wild deers. No camera tricks here.