drecom_babyrunningwiのブログ

Fireworks and tears

Finally, it is my last day... no... to be exact, my last 8 hrs in Japan. Hohoho.

For our farewell party, we had a Kobe beef party last week and today, we went for our last dinner at Joyful before heading to the foot of Inuyama castle to light up fireworks.

I will definitely miss all my friends here! Toffee san, Nita san, Jason... the list goes on.

But i miss Singapore even more.

Anyway, i'm coming home!

Hanabi

Went to the Nagoya Port yesterday right after work to catch the fireworks display. It was my first time to see one!

We reached the place at around 7.45pm, 15 mins late as the display was scheduled to be from 7.30pm to 8.30pm. Before we even got out of the subway, we could already hear loud and deep sounds that went "Boom!!!" Didnt realise that it was the fireworks until i got out of the station. LOL Slight drizzle felt, but not strong enough to turn away the crowd though.

There were loads of girls wearing yukatas that night. But most of the guys didnt wear though... they simply turned up in their jeans and t shirts.

some pictures... I think i grew fat since coming here... LOL

The first firework I saw. Never even see before in Singapore during the National Day.

While the firworks were blasting away, there was also some traditional dances and drum beating by the local Japanese.

From where I was standing, looking up at the sky the fireworks felt like it was raining down on me.

Towards the last 5 mins of the show, they started playing the symphony and the fireworks blasted into the air in sync with it. It was simply great!

Think there was also firworks just above the sea... but i could see it cause the crowd was simply too overwhelming.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Nothing much to update... over the weekday we went to Korona World at Komaki to watch Harry Potter.

Before the movie started, the trailers started to show and I got a shock when i saw Koichi on the screen. Its his new role for some sushi show i think, but his acting seems kind of exaggerated.

Oh!!! And next year, there will be like a sequel to Death Note. Maybe not exactly a sequel, but this new movie will just be on "L". The trailer went like "How much do you know about L?" something like that... not much idea what that movie is about but i'll just wait for it till it gets released in Aug (?) next year.

Some random shots:

Our dinner before the movie.

Harry Potter!!! First day of opening in Japan.

Us posing in front of some dumb japanese movie.

In Nagoya after the movies, have to empty our own trash, cant just leave it at the seats. Also, any remaining drinks must be emptied in this special trash bin for liquids before throwing away the bottle.

Heard that Nagoya is the only place around that is so conscious about recycling. And i like it! Think Singapore should adopt their style for recycling. hohoho. think of the resources we will save!

Random stuff

Yeah! Check out the cds I've got last week.

I'm hoping that this weekend can go and get Lead's single "海". Think its out today.

I also took the phamphlet for A-nation ... too bad i cant go though. Would have loved to see AAA in action!

By the way, was bored in the room yesterday so i surfed the website for the host club. Almost fainted when i see the guys... not even one can make it lo.

http://www.club-deep.com/

Oh... and I've changed my laptop wallpaper too. From the previous "Drive Alive" to the latest "海". Gosh... Keifu has grown up alot. He looks so matured doesnt he? Hm... if he is working at the host club, i'll glady pay the \3000. hohoho!

And speaking of host, the next good candidate would be...

Koichi Domoto!!!

Broke.

Did alot of shopping these few days.

Pictures of some items I've bought:

Yeah hey! Bought the blue label Burberry. Its the latest design for Autumn... which is weird since its not even summer now... and this is not the design for last year too.

Actually I also bought one more bag for my sister as souvenir and one black label wallet for James.

Didn't unwrap cause I'm too lazy to do so!

Also bought this Adidas jacket top at Sakae. Fell in love with it the moment I saw it.

And just now at Jusco, bought this Incanto perfume thing for myself. Its not exactly a perfume...

But more like the powder form i guess. I like the way how it looked. Maybe I will consider getting the perfume too cause its seems to be really popular in Japan. In Nagoya all the perfume shops i went to this was ranked number 1, and so did the shops in Osaka. Its called "incanto Shine" by Salvatore Ferragamo.

And my last purchase of the day was this... the 24 hour TV t-shirt !!! Is it a collaboration with Bathing Ape? But what I really liked was the one designed by Arashi. I think the event is coming again, cause lately on TV they are asking for volunteers.

Summer Approaching

The typhoon has finally changed course!!! Its bright and sunny outside now and I love it!

Wuuhoo!!! Can already smell summer is approaching.

Even though in Singapore its summer everyday, its still one of my favourite season! I especially like the summer in Japan cause you get go to their summer festival and stuff.

The other reason why i like summer in Japan is because of their clear skies here. Its not too clear from the pictures but the sky is really blue with lots of marshmallow like clouds floating by.

And here at Inuyama, you can also hear the trains passing by... Nice!

Summer gets me into the mood to sing Kinki Kids' Jetcoaster Romance.

恋はJetcoaster!!!

MML Japan Summer Festival Celebration

Yesterday we knocked off early at 5.20pm ( we work from 8 - 5pm, but normally OT until 8 - 9pm) and went back to guest house to get changed for the summer festival celebration at the canteen.

This is the annual event for our company in Japan, and yearly, the newbies will put up some performance, and there will be free flow of beers and food at the venue for the price of \500.

But because we are the guests from Singapore, we do not need to pay! heng ah!!! hohohohohoho~~~ *evil laughter*

This is the pamphlet for that event. Nicely drawn isnt it?

Here are some of the photos I took yesterday:

Me and Fee fee chan... AKA Toffee.

Me with Zach.

The guys...

Taken with Maekawa and Reiko chan.

Cant see clearly from the pictures but this is part of the food stalls around for the night.

Here's the MC for the night:

And some pictures taken after some performance. After watching their performance, I think some of them have regretted joining this company. hoho!

And next is the highly anticipated Billy's Boot Camp.

Have you guys heard of Billy before? * Click here * He's extremely, and I really mean extremely popular in Japan. He's the one who came up with Taebo... remember that exercise cause I used to do it in secondary school.

In his exercise video (yes~ I have it! Copied from my colleague. hohoho!), he always tell you not to give up whenever you get too tired from the workout.

And he always ends the video by gathering the people who have been exercising behind him, and shouts roars "VICTORY!!!

Then there was also a homemade video which uses effects from StarWars and Godzilla to promote our company's belief and some silly antics about how advance our company's products were. LOL Stupid but somehow it was really amusing. Had the crowd laughing the whole time

It had been a great experience!

Osaka Trip Host Club

Next, I must talk about this! Its the Host Club!!!

In Osaka, the red light district is kinda close to the area where most tourists shop at. Its rather easy to tell actually. Those guys, they will be dressed in suits and sometimes be in pairs, looking for girls. (AKA potential customers)

Its quite scary actually, cause you cannot look at them in the eye for too long. If you do, they will approach you in groups, surrounding you so its not that good for girls I guess.

And for the lady counterparts, how do you know that they are the ones working in the red light district?

Maybe its not like this everyday, but at least the time when i last went there, if you see a girl with heavy makeup and hairstyle thats really nice and most importantly, dressed in the yukata/kimono, then you know that she is the one.

If its not obvious enough, look at the guy walking behind or in front of her. It usually is an uncle. Saw a few such cases that time. And usually the guy will have this desperate aura around them. Ew...

And sometimes around the area, you can spot advertisement boards like this:

And there will be small hotels around with booklets like these around:

I was flipping through the booklet, and I don't mean to be rude. But i cant help but flare up at times. Cause the guys featured are so... And you expect me to fork out money to hang around them? 冗談ジャねよ！！！

This is how the inside of the booklet is:

And i actually saw someone that I like! I mean just the look la, by the way I never visit the shops ah... just look look only.

Wah... can understand why he is the number one in the shop! Doesn't he look like that guy in Final Fantasy? Even though he looks kinda gay, but still, I like! Muwahahhaha~

P/S: If anyone is interested to know, roughly \3000 yen for 1 hour. Around S$37.

Osaka Trip Day 2 - Part 2

After the alochol thingy was finished by my colleague, we went to try the famous snack in Osaka... the takoyaki!!! Muwahhaahha~

By the way in Japan, it is best not to walk and eat/drink at the same time cause its totally rude.

So we tried the 3 different stalls here, seemingly the most popular with long queues around the area... and did our own ranking. hohoho!

Number 3!

Despite its long crowd and popularity, this shop's takoyaki were not as nice as I've expected. The takoyaki was too soft, flour was rather tasteless, as if they had added to much water, and overall, the taste was rather weak. The only good thing was their tako. (octopus)

I think the reason why they were so popular was due to their large serving of takoyaki (about 10 if i remembered correctly) and their friendly staff who could converse with the tourists in different languages.

Number 2!

The takoyaki they served here had some spicy content to it. But overall, the outer part was still very crispy and unlike the one above, the takoyaki was not limpy if you broke it up to eat. !

And finally Number 1!

Even though my colleague and I had agreed that this was the best tasting takoyaki in this lifetime I've ever ate, (thus it was featured by NHK) but the crowd for this stall was the smallest one.

Its like totally unpopular with the local people.

And its not hard to find out why.

Cause the boss always put on a face when preparing the takoyaki, and working for a boss like that, how can his worker be happy as well? In fact I think the worker was quite stressed out cause he was the only helper at the stall and had to collect money and stuff too.

While we were waiting for the takoyaki, 1 customer even took back their money and just walked away... Yes, the killer reason was that after you place order then they start preparing... So this one, we had to wait for like 20mins before we could get our takoyakis.

And the thing is that, despite trying out 3 different stalls in 1 hour, we could still take more of it! Meaning that the takoyaki doesnt get too much, like too greasy and thing, like "chi bu ni" kinda feeling. Ah~~~ Typing about it makes me hungry already!

Anyway, we did somemore last min shopping and had to really rush to take the Shinkansen back to Nagoya. While walking towards the train station, I passed by this interesting hotel.

Find that its pretty amusing... Singapore should have this kind of buildings too huh?

Reached Nagoya at around 8.30pm, and wanted to try the famous Yamachan restaurant.
Even though we were armed with the address, we didnt know how to make our way there so we sought help at the local police station. And the one of the police inspector there speaks fluent mandarin!!! Even had this Beijing accent in him. LOL

Anyway, he drew us this simple map and we were there in less than 15 mins time.

The place is famous for its chicken wings.

But how is this enough for me! So i ordered sashimi and kishimen as well!

ダ・イ・ス・キ

Osaka Trip Day 2 - Part 1

Wuwa~~~ Me just spent a very relaxed day at the guest house doing nothing!!! Later in the evening will ride the bicycle to get some stuff and tomorrow then go shopping in Nagoya again.

Not going over to Tokyo anymore cause its raining cats and dogs here due to the typhoon approaching. Totally ok with me! Anyway here i update on my trip last week.

On the second day, we made our way to the Osaka Aquarium. We bought the one day pass at the train station, \2400 for the admission ticket and for unlimited train rides throughout the day.

Reached the aquarium at around 2pm and was quite upset with the long queue initially. But thankfully in Japan, the queue does move fast so we were spared the agony of having to wait long under the sun.

Opposite the aquarium, there is this shopping centre selling souvenirs and had this lovely ferris wheel on it too! There was discount for us pass holders but it felt weird to be cooped with your colleague in a carriage on a hot day isn't it?

The aquarium is big!!! All visitors had to take this escalator to start the visit, and the escaltor was like 3 - 4 stories high... erm... don't really know how to describe... just big la. In fact I think it is the biggest aquarium in Japan.

Inside the aquarium, they are divided into different section like fishes from the Pacific Ocean and etc.

But! I didnt take alot of pictures of the fishes though... Somehow I don't like to take pictures of animals... Cause sometimes they scare me. haha.

And this is the highlight of the aquarium! Kai - kun, 海くん. Cannot really tell from the picture, but he is around 4.5m in length. Was the recent attraction, having just joined the rest of his "friends" in April?

But then something bad later happened... and made me no mood to continue the rest of the aquarium visit... Cause I dropped my camera.

I didnt realised that my camera was missing until i went into the washroom. When i came out i was quite frantic already as I have yet to backup the pictures in it. Wah... relaly broke out in cold sweat ah.

Then me and my colleague went all the way back from where we had came from, scanning the area for my camera. But still cannot find!!!

Then i sought help from this staff and he brought me to the information counter to check. And thank goodness, it was there!!!

They had packed it into an envelope and i was really really relieved!!! Cause i had tied the camera to my hand throughout the visit and perhaps due to the massive crowd, the camera slipped off my hand without my realising it.

After finding it, feel like my energy have been drained off... and I rejected the staff's offer to continue the rest of the aquarium tour.

So we went to have lunch instead! The ebi prawn is way~~~~~~~ better than the one at Fujiya!!! Please try it if you guys have the chance!!!

Next, my colleague asked if I was interested in Universal Studios... which was like 1 boat ride away? But i decline again too... Somehow don't feel like going. Argh... Recently I don't feel like going anywhere!!!

Anyway, we took the train back to Osaka, so that we could buy the stuff we were aiming for the previous day.

Bought lots of souvenirs, 1 bag and some other miscellous Disney & Hello Kitty products ( love the way they packed my purchases!) and later bought a beer to drink! Muwahaha~~~~ But after taking 10 sips of it, I was starting to feel sick as usual... so i gave it to my colleague instead.

Yes, I am alcohol intolerant. =

Osaka Trip - Part 2 Internet Cafe

After the dinner, we strolled down the street and there were some performance by the local people.

That day happened to be the day for one of their festival "七夕" and at this place, passerbys could also write their wish and stick it to the candles here.

Walking down abit further spotted this building with this guy on it. Have no idea who this fella is but i think he's pretty famous here, with the face as mascots for some shops.

We wanted to try the ferris wheel at this buidling. See the red-pinkish circles around the border? Thats the ferris wheel. Quite impressed by it.

Bird's Eye View.

After that, we needed to find a place to settle down for the night. So we basically enquired at any hotels or capsules hotel that we could find but either the price was too steep, or it was out of rooms.

It was then that we spotted the internet cafe!!! or here. *click for link*

I really like this place cause it gives a very warm and cosy feeling, you have your own privacy and yet you are safe knowing that there are loads of people around you. We also had free access to their drinks station, magazine and had blankets and earphone etc.

But the minus point is that you have to be a member to be able to book the cubicle... So i used whatever little Japanese I know to just fill up the form. LOL

Oh, also, I paid an extra \300 to be able to use their shower room. And they lend me all the toiletries which were Kose. Muwahhaa~

And this is the cubicle we booked.

We could surf net or watch TV from our cubicle. By the way each cubicle is about 1.6m in height. LOL

There is also a safety box for you to put your valuable stuff.

CD TV!!! Feel so excited to watch it live!

And guess who was the special guest that night?

Osaka Trip - Part 1

Saturday 2007.07.07

Left guest house at around 130pm and boarded the train from Inuyama- guchi to Nagoya station. Without second thought we dashed for the famous tonkatsu restaurant "Yabaton". *click for link*

We managed to get the counter seats and from the way me and Andy talked, the chef thought that we were from china... from there we started to chat abit. Saw from the special that they had prepared the pork cutlet using the pigs from some place in Japan and ordered it.

Although its pretty steep at \2100, all i can say is I've never ate such nice cutlet before in my life!!!!!!! I'll gladly eat it everyday until the day I go back to SG!!!

After the lunch, Andy wanted to take a pic of the shop when the same chef walked out and wanted to help us take the pic. Somehow ended up taking with the chef instead. LOL Anyway he told us to go back one more time before we fly back... I don't mind that! I'm missing their tonkatsu already.

Next we went to the station and got tickets for the Shinkansen to Shin-Osaka. One way costs me \5670. And the thing is that this price is only for un reserved seats, meaning, you paid this much to et tickets, but there might not be seats for you on the train. But thankfully we maanged to get seats.

But the train is really fast... that time by car we took 2.5 hrs to reach Kyoto but with Shinkansen, it took only 25-30 mins.

I think we reached Osaka at around 5pm, and swopped to another train (argh... its so confusing, those damn train lines) and finally reached Shinsaibashi in the evening.

I used to think Singapore was crowded... but its even worst here... And Tokyo is supposedly a few more times more crowded then this.

Can't really tell from the pictures but its really very overwhelming. At least for me. The streets here seem to stretch endlessly from all sides. Its like with every turn you take, you'll see another turn and another turn and another turn... So and and forth... Overall, i think this real good place for expensive shopping.

We aimed for the things to buy as we are returning the next day and did not want to carry so much stuff with us. Then we got hungry and decided to have dinner at the crab restaurant.

Here are some of the food we ordered... didnt take the rest cause my hands were busy with the crabs. Hohoho~~~

Grand total... \8500 = S$105. Ok la, not so expensive.

Basketball and injured people

Played basketball yesterday and as usual had several casualties. They were Andy, Jason, Zach and me!!! My fingers kinda flipped backwards when I tried to catch the ball they passed to me... Till now it still hurts.

But still i'm luckier than the rest cause 2 suffered injuries to the head and the other one had leg cramp.

Here are some of the pictures we took after the game... And as usual, had dinner at Joyfull...

Love Hotel

Just now on our way back from dinner, we were near this Love Hotel... So we decided to take some pictures.

It was so interesting! This love hotel has this castle theme while the other one we saw that day had the animal safari theme.

Within 10 seconds of us reaching that place, we saw 2 couples entering the hotel sneakily. LOL And in case anyone is interested to know, \6000 per night.

By the way, the rooms here have no windows... heh heh... so privacy is guaranteed.

花ざかりの君たちへ

AKA Hana kimi...

Tomorrow will be the show's first episode, and frankly speaking I'm not too excited. Cause usually remakes are not as good as the original stuff. Even though this story is from Japan in the first place... LOL

Not only that... the main reason is that the male lead, Izumi is not as good looking as Wu Zun... ( Even though Oguri Shun swept me off my feet in Hana Yori Dango ).

I mean, does Oguri look like a sportsman from this image? And his hair is so messy!

And i prefer Ella as compared to Horikita Maki. I mean that role is perfect for her tomboyish looks isnt it? Horikita only have this messy hair but her features are still quite girlish.

And the one playing Shuichi (秀一),is Toma Ikuta~~~ *points below*

And here are some of the supporting actors:

But the one that i think who really looks good is the guy acting as 萱島大樹... the one with the ability to see the supernatural stuff kid?

If he plays Izumi, I'll probably be more interested.

I know I should be more open since I've not even watched the show , but i still prefer the original cast!!!

Pic Credits: Wikipedia