Tokyo #2
Continuation from last post....
3/4/2017 (Mon)
3rd day in Tokyo
Apa lah maknanya pergi Japan kalau tak tengok Mount Fuji kan
We didn't do hiking as I brought my mother along
Kalau tak bawa mak, tak pergi hiking pun !
So we took a day trip to a lake near Mount Fuji
Basically there are five lakes (known as the Fuji Five Lake, or Fujigoko)
Situated at the northern base of Mount Fuji
- Kawaguchiko
- Saiko
- Yamanakako
- Shojiko
- Motosuko
These lakes are among the best places to view Mount Fuji from a close distance
Among these five, Kawaguchiko is the most famous
Most easily accessible by public transport
And offers most things to see and do
The other four are less developed
"Visibility tends to be best in the early mornings (usually before 9am) and in the late afternoons, while clouds often obstruct the view during daytime even on days with fair weather" -japan-guide.com-
As I mentioned in a post previously
Public transports around Kawaguchiko are not frequent
Have to plan the timing really properly if you don't wish to overnight
Kawaguchiko Lake is in the Yamanashi prefecture
Kawasaki-(1hr)-Tachikawa-(40m)-Otsuki-(55m)-Kawaguchiko
Ding dong ding dong, it took us about 3 hours to get to Kawaguchiko
Then we took the sightseeing bus red & green line
Cost about Y1,200 pp
Valid for unlimited ride for 2 days
Kalau overnight, more places could be covered
We didn't because time was limited
Another life lesson from travelling to foreign places
Time is limited, so set the goal, know when and what to prioritise in our life
Took the bus all the way to the end of red line
Could see the Mount Fuji already from the bus
There were many hotels around the lake
We stopped at stop 21
Saw empty benches and had our Nasi Goreng for breakfast while facing the Mount Fuji
MashaAllah
Feeling myself so small
Scenic, clean air & peaceful too
Couldn't be grateful enough
From stop 21 to 22 was not far
So we just walked
Recommended stop is the last stop of red line
Stop 22 Kawaguchiko Natural Living Center
There is a cafe, washroom and other facilities provided
Best place to get a closer look to the Mount Fuji
Peak of Mount Fuji was covered with clouds
It could be seen that everyone was waiting patiently
For the clouds to move away
This was taken around 1pm
Best shot I could take
Do you know there's a suicide forest known as Aokigahara?
A forest on the northwestern of Mount Fuji
So beautiful and majestic
But some choose it as a place to die forcefully hmm
We didn't go, of course
Since we still had time left before leaving for Kawasaki
We took the green line and stopped at Iyashi no Sato
Located on the western shores of Saiko Lake
About an hour from Kawaguchiko
Iyashi no Sato is basically a former farming village
Destroyed by a landslide during a typhoon in 1966
Years later the village was reconstructed and reopened as a museum
And traditional craft village
On our way back to Kawaguchiko Station
The train was crowded
So I got separated from mum and sis, and I sat alone
I tried to take a nap since the journey was going to take some time
Then a guy suddenly asked if I'm a Malaysian
He was super excited to know that he could speak Malay after some time
Selalunya quite many Malaysians like to come to Kawaguchiko
But not during our visit
Apparently he's a Malaysian working and residing in Japan
According to him, there are only 5 muslims including him, living in that area
The other 4 are Bangladeshi, working at an indian muslim restaurant
So he was like telling me he has been saving up RM200,000
Since living in Japan for the past 2 to 3 years
Not surprised, considering Japanese currency is higher than ours
It's all about work and work in Japan
He couldn't afford to get sick
Couldn't take MC
Especially being a foreigner
Japanese can't tolerate weak staffs
As they're very goal oriented
"Kalau nak hidup bergaya, memang tak dapat. Macam you tengok I sekarang. Transportation and sewa rumah, hotel dah support. Makan and other basic necessities je sendiri. Daging halal susah nak dapat dekat sini. Kena pergi Tokyo which would take me hours hanya untuk dapatkan daging halal. Bila you naik train dekat Tokyo, you akan nampak ramai orang smart pakai blazer, holding briefcase kan? Dorang mostly homeless. Rumah sangat mahal nak sewa dekat Tokyo. Dorang dapat balik kampung seminggu sekali. So during weekdays, they would take shower at the public bath, ada yang tidur situ. Tak pun dekat cyber cafe. Esoknya terus pergi kerja balik. And the cycle goes on."
"I tak pernah inform Malaysian embassy that I'm living here. Ada juga terfikir, kalau aku mati dekat sini, silap2 kena bakar je. Sebab takada muslim community dekat sini."
He said he's going to get married soon
With his neighbour's daughter
So I asked him, balik duduk Malaysia ke nanti?
He just smiled, refused to answer
I asked jokingly, macam merajuk je taknak balik Malaysia?
He smiled and again no answer from him
I didn't ask further
Sebab semua orang ada cerita hidup masing2
Pros and cons of working overseas
Tak semuanya indah
Tak semuanya buruk
Well I hope he would lead a better life in Japan 😄
We reached Kawasaki around 8ish pm
Bought some food from Aeon across our apartment
Edamame, plain inari, seaweed, baby carrots
Enoki, buna shimeji, eryngi, shiitake mushrooms
Mushrooms and mushrooms and alot of mushrooms
Masuk je semua vege dalam rice cooker
Letak air, garam, ikan bilis cube sikit
Stir abit, let it cook for 2 mins and it would cook perfectly
Mmmm~~
Kalau pergi Japan, do buy Japanese mushrooms
Can get as cheap as Y100 and mushrooms are good for digestion
Sebab kalau travel kan selalu kurang air
Constipation is pretty normal
So yeah another travelling tip : buy lots of mushrooms okay 😂
4/4/2017 (Tues)
Last day in Tokyo
The rest of this post will be flourished with pictures of Sakura 😍
Last Sakura viewing in Tokyo
Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden
A really really large park
There are 3 gates
We chose to enter from Shinjuku gate (stopped at Shinjuku Gyoenmae station)
And exit through Sendagaya gate
There are many varieties of Sakura
Most sight was white pinkish
But in this paid garden, there were other colours as well
Y200 per person
Starts operating by 9am
So by 9am, we were already at the gate
Because we were early, takada lah berebut nak cari picnic spot
I don't know japanese character
So google helped me alot 😂
ツナ means tuna
Among all places that we went around Japan
This park was the best place for Sakura viewing
Totally worth it ✅
Because Sakura doesn't bloom all at once
Sini sikit, sana sikit
Very unpredictable
But in this paid garden, they have many Sakura trees that bloom at the same time
Stayed til we had our lunch there
Was craving for Harajuku Crepe
So we went to Harajuku
It was goood
I just love anything with ice cream
So my review might be biased 😝
While we were indulging in our harajuku crepe, I saw a parking area signboard
Couldn't recall how much was their parking rate
But I know for sure I did the mental arithmetic that time
It was super expensive
Coincidentally a car was about to leave the parking tower
And I managed to record a video
Excuse me for the poor video editing
I'm still a newbie in video editing
I've tried my very best to cover the car and its owner 😅
Anyhow I found it interesting
I've never seen it before
Only seen it on tv, youtube or read in the news
Dekat Malaysia pun ada parking system macam ni
Built on Jalan Tun Razak
I noticed the parking tower is on the other side of the road, facing Tabung Haji
Quoted from The Sun Daily
"The Mechanical Automated Parking System (MAPS) was officially launched by The Regent of Pahang, Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah. M.A Intelligent Holdings Sdn Bhd CEO, Datuk Seri Dr Muhammad Isa Kasim said the multi-storey car park uses Japanese technology called Integrated Multilevel Parking System which includes valet services, seasonal parking and premier parking."
Another fascinating tech from the Land of the Rising Sun
Other than their taxi passenger doors automatically open and close
Bullet train and their high tech toilet
In spite of hectic and always rushing environment
I've learned many new things from Tokyo
That ended our day in Tokyo
Next post would be on Osaka and Kyoto
Til then ~!
Q
3/4/2017 (Mon)
3rd day in Tokyo
Apa lah maknanya pergi Japan kalau tak tengok Mount Fuji kan
We didn't do hiking as I brought my mother along
Kalau tak bawa mak, tak pergi hiking pun !
So we took a day trip to a lake near Mount Fuji
Basically there are five lakes (known as the Fuji Five Lake, or Fujigoko)
Situated at the northern base of Mount Fuji
- Kawaguchiko
- Saiko
- Yamanakako
- Shojiko
- Motosuko
These lakes are among the best places to view Mount Fuji from a close distance
Among these five, Kawaguchiko is the most famous
Most easily accessible by public transport
And offers most things to see and do
The other four are less developed
"Visibility tends to be best in the early mornings (usually before 9am) and in the late afternoons, while clouds often obstruct the view during daytime even on days with fair weather" -japan-guide.com-
As I mentioned in a post previously
Public transports around Kawaguchiko are not frequent
Have to plan the timing really properly if you don't wish to overnight
Kawaguchiko Lake is in the Yamanashi prefecture
Kawasaki-(1hr)-Tachikawa-(40m)-Otsuki-(55m)-Kawaguchiko
Ding dong ding dong, it took us about 3 hours to get to Kawaguchiko
Then we took the sightseeing bus red & green line
Cost about Y1,200 pp
Valid for unlimited ride for 2 days
Kalau overnight, more places could be covered
We didn't because time was limited
Another life lesson from travelling to foreign places
Time is limited, so set the goal, know when and what to prioritise in our life
Took the bus all the way to the end of red line
Could see the Mount Fuji already from the bus
There were many hotels around the lake
We stopped at stop 21
Saw empty benches and had our Nasi Goreng for breakfast while facing the Mount Fuji
MashaAllah
Feeling myself so small
Scenic, clean air & peaceful too
Couldn't be grateful enough
Taken around 10am
From stop 21 to 22 was not far
So we just walked
Recommended stop is the last stop of red line
Stop 22 Kawaguchiko Natural Living Center
There is a cafe, washroom and other facilities provided
Best place to get a closer look to the Mount Fuji
Peak of Mount Fuji was covered with clouds
It could be seen that everyone was waiting patiently
For the clouds to move away
Mount Fuji
This was taken around 1pm
Best shot I could take
Do you know there's a suicide forest known as Aokigahara?
A forest on the northwestern of Mount Fuji
So beautiful and majestic
But some choose it as a place to die forcefully hmm
We didn't go, of course
Since we still had time left before leaving for Kawasaki
We took the green line and stopped at Iyashi no Sato
Located on the western shores of Saiko Lake
About an hour from Kawaguchiko
Iyashi no Sato is basically a former farming village
Destroyed by a landslide during a typhoon in 1966
Years later the village was reconstructed and reopened as a museum
And traditional craft village
Iyashi no Sato village
Overlooking the Mount Fuji
Back to Kawaguchiko Station
On our way back to Kawaguchiko Station
The train was crowded
So I got separated from mum and sis, and I sat alone
I tried to take a nap since the journey was going to take some time
Then a guy suddenly asked if I'm a Malaysian
He was super excited to know that he could speak Malay after some time
Selalunya quite many Malaysians like to come to Kawaguchiko
But not during our visit
Apparently he's a Malaysian working and residing in Japan
According to him, there are only 5 muslims including him, living in that area
The other 4 are Bangladeshi, working at an indian muslim restaurant
So he was like telling me he has been saving up RM200,000
Since living in Japan for the past 2 to 3 years
Not surprised, considering Japanese currency is higher than ours
It's all about work and work in Japan
He couldn't afford to get sick
Couldn't take MC
Especially being a foreigner
Japanese can't tolerate weak staffs
As they're very goal oriented
"Kalau nak hidup bergaya, memang tak dapat. Macam you tengok I sekarang. Transportation and sewa rumah, hotel dah support. Makan and other basic necessities je sendiri. Daging halal susah nak dapat dekat sini. Kena pergi Tokyo which would take me hours hanya untuk dapatkan daging halal. Bila you naik train dekat Tokyo, you akan nampak ramai orang smart pakai blazer, holding briefcase kan? Dorang mostly homeless. Rumah sangat mahal nak sewa dekat Tokyo. Dorang dapat balik kampung seminggu sekali. So during weekdays, they would take shower at the public bath, ada yang tidur situ. Tak pun dekat cyber cafe. Esoknya terus pergi kerja balik. And the cycle goes on."
"I tak pernah inform Malaysian embassy that I'm living here. Ada juga terfikir, kalau aku mati dekat sini, silap2 kena bakar je. Sebab takada muslim community dekat sini."
He said he's going to get married soon
With his neighbour's daughter
So I asked him, balik duduk Malaysia ke nanti?
He just smiled, refused to answer
I asked jokingly, macam merajuk je taknak balik Malaysia?
He smiled and again no answer from him
I didn't ask further
Sebab semua orang ada cerita hidup masing2
Pros and cons of working overseas
Tak semuanya indah
Tak semuanya buruk
Well I hope he would lead a better life in Japan 😄
We reached Kawasaki around 8ish pm
Bought some food from Aeon across our apartment
Edamame, plain inari, seaweed, baby carrots
Enoki, buna shimeji, eryngi, shiitake mushrooms
Mushrooms and mushrooms and alot of mushrooms
Masuk je semua vege dalam rice cooker
Letak air, garam, ikan bilis cube sikit
Stir abit, let it cook for 2 mins and it would cook perfectly
Mmmm~~
Kalau pergi Japan, do buy Japanese mushrooms
Can get as cheap as Y100 and mushrooms are good for digestion
Sebab kalau travel kan selalu kurang air
Constipation is pretty normal
So yeah another travelling tip : buy lots of mushrooms okay 😂
4/4/2017 (Tues)
Last day in Tokyo
The rest of this post will be flourished with pictures of Sakura 😍
Last Sakura viewing in Tokyo
Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden
A really really large park
There are 3 gates
We chose to enter from Shinjuku gate (stopped at Shinjuku Gyoenmae station)
And exit through Sendagaya gate
Shinjuku Gyoen from Shinjuku Gate
There are many varieties of Sakura
Most sight was white pinkish
But in this paid garden, there were other colours as well
Y200 per person
Starts operating by 9am
So by 9am, we were already at the gate
Because we were early, takada lah berebut nak cari picnic spot
Looked like balls of cotton gerammmm
Tuna and plain inari
I don't know japanese character
So google helped me alot 😂
ツナ means tuna
Had brunch under the Sakura tree
Best nya during working days, dapat pergi park and they can have lunch facing the Sakura tree
White Sakura
Another different version of white Sakura where the leaves are rather big
Soft pink version
Brighter pink version
Weeping cherry blossom
This park was the best place for Sakura viewing
Totally worth it ✅
Because Sakura doesn't bloom all at once
Sini sikit, sana sikit
Very unpredictable
But in this paid garden, they have many Sakura trees that bloom at the same time
Stayed til we had our lunch there
Was craving for Harajuku Crepe
So we went to Harajuku
It was goood
I just love anything with ice cream
So my review might be biased 😝
While we were indulging in our harajuku crepe, I saw a parking area signboard
Couldn't recall how much was their parking rate
But I know for sure I did the mental arithmetic that time
It was super expensive
Coincidentally a car was about to leave the parking tower
And I managed to record a video
Excuse me for the poor video editing
I'm still a newbie in video editing
I've tried my very best to cover the car and its owner 😅
Anyhow I found it interesting
I've never seen it before
Only seen it on tv, youtube or read in the news
Dekat Malaysia pun ada parking system macam ni
Built on Jalan Tun Razak
I noticed the parking tower is on the other side of the road, facing Tabung Haji
Quoted from The Sun Daily
"The Mechanical Automated Parking System (MAPS) was officially launched by The Regent of Pahang, Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah. M.A Intelligent Holdings Sdn Bhd CEO, Datuk Seri Dr Muhammad Isa Kasim said the multi-storey car park uses Japanese technology called Integrated Multilevel Parking System which includes valet services, seasonal parking and premier parking."
Another fascinating tech from the Land of the Rising Sun
Other than their taxi passenger doors automatically open and close
Bullet train and their high tech toilet
In spite of hectic and always rushing environment
I've learned many new things from Tokyo
That ended our day in Tokyo
Next post would be on Osaka and Kyoto
Til then ~!
Q
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