Tokyo trip continued...2nd day to Kyoto via Hikari Shinkansen

My day 2 was a tiring one cos the 1st night I slept quite late abt 1 am. Guess what ? I have to wake up by 5.30 am on Tuesday morning to go to Tokyo station to get my shinkansen. As I was still unsure abt the railway network of the JR train...I must leave the hotel before 6.15am and get to Shinjuku station asap. Gosh! there are 14 platforms and lucky I managed to get on the correct line to tokyo station. The 1st night was a nightmare cos I took the wrong train and ended up at some sub-urban station. I was supposed to travel to shibuya but go on the worng train or shld I say at the wrong platform. I reserved my shinkansen seat on the 1st night so by 6.55am I must reach Tokyo station or else my shinkansen will leave on time at 7.06 am. The above pic was my breakfast bento that I bought at the train station..quite a sumptous spread ..cost abt 850 yen. Yup all mobile hone must switch to slient mode and if you wanna talk on the phone you are required to leave the cabin and talk on the common area outside the cabin. I think that is a considerate rule on the train. I was so tired that immediately after my breakfast, I fell asleep. My initial thought was to enjoy the scenery outside the train but I am just too tired. Haiz...

to be continued again...

Well.. get to spot my astro boy outside the train station ...God has been kind to me...satisfy my call to see my fav cartoon character.

Nightmare came when I was looking for a accommodation as the next day is cultural day so alot of hotels and ryokan are fully booked and I couldn't find one that is cheap ... Yup I didn't book in advance. Well worse come to worst, I will sleep at train station lor. I am cool abt that cos there are clean toliets for me to do the washing up. I managed to find one directly infront the huge buddhist temple...haha..the price per night is also very expensive...abt S$200..but dinner and breakfast included. The dinner is a super sumptous one..I got a whole table of food ...I I had to finish them using 1 hr's time. I ordered hot sake and cost another 680 yen. Got to enjoyed a public bath and a mini hot spring. This is the 2nd day in Japan and guess what? my Canon 350D camera was spoilted. I thought ...maybe the weather is too cold..but hey!!! this baby is made in JAPAN. So I ended up using disposable camera which costs abt 1150 yen each. I don't feel bad cos alot of japanese are using those kinda cameras.

Walked aorund the vicinity of my ryokan. Went to a Japanese garden park..I enjoyed the peacefulness and the beauty of autumn leaves. I headed back to the train station as this is the place where the largest shoppingmall in Kyoto is located. I need to pick up 2 pieces of clothings cos I didn't bring any with me. I was lucky to watch a geisha public performance at the mall. So cool man! norally you have to pay to wtch it at theatre or geisha hse but perhaps it is cultural day on the next day so they staged this public performance.... after some shopping I headed back to my ryokan as dinner will be served at 7pm sharp. I returned to the ryokan at 5pm to check in and bathe and changed into my yukata. I had an early night and I enjoyed the way they fold the bedsheet and I like the feel of the futon..so cosy..despite I open my window for the night and wearing nothing else but only my thin layer of yukata..I don't feel cold at all...The place is very quiet at night I I slept in the last room of the 2nd floor. I could hear a neighbourhood dog barks at night and pple walking along the back alley...so nice to be staying in this small town.

A temporary break from my travel diary---something caught up after I came back from Japan.

Sigh* my worries were catching up with me immediately when I returned to work last Monday.
The escape from reality was finally over and I am now facing lots of problems from work. Meanwhile my best friend had finally came back from overseas. Caught up with her over our fav teh halia at the railway station coffee shop.

I may be out of job soon if the results of my tender does not turn out right. Haiz...anyone out there willing to offer me a job? Of course I woould like to get back the contract but if I don't get it. I will not be as despair as before I met GOD. I know he will give me his answer. I had other problems to tackle too. My vending machine vendor's problems. It is funny how I have been a paranoid all the while and sometimes stress myself too much. Alot of problems have actually turned out to be blessing in disguise for me. I am lucky to receive these gifts from my father and the holy spirits. They are there to help me. I would also like to thank my friends who are trying hard to console and support and give me ideas on where should I go in the future.

Sometimes, I hope that I could give up my obligations and leave this country and settle in another place like Japan ( I love that place). But I am too attached to these things. I have to be responsible to my worker's livelihood too. I give myself 3 years to work hard and look for my directions in life should I managed to get a brand new contract. If the opportunity strikes I will leave. Before I came to know GOD and receive the holy spirits, I was at a loss ( cross junction) of my life. I am sick of what I am doing and I hate myself for being alive. I feel like a loser. I want to pursue my dreams but I don't have the courage, partly because I am a TAURUS and I am stubborn to change. But now., I found my direction. I want to work hard in this business and earn a comfortable livelihood and save some money and get ready for future directions that GOD has prepared for me. He seems to guide me towards my future.

At least I am happy abt life now. May GOD bless those pple who are still lost in their search for their happiness in life. Amen

Always remember there is always a green pasture awaiting you after the desert. I am not asking for oasis cos it is a temporary and imaginery thing. I am asking you to look beyond the desert and oasis, work hard and wait for the pastures to come.

This is one of my 1st few set of photos I took when I arrived in Tokyo.
Oh well. Sorry for the dlay in writing my blog on my Tokyo trip. Alot of wonderful things in mind but I am just too busy to write it down. My luggages are still lying in my living room. Alot of things still lay unpacked and I am still waiting for my 6 kg package to be shipped back from Tokyo. The shipping cost abt s$70 for a 6 kg package. *Sigh*









The crux of the matter: My Tokyo trip DAY 1

I took a late night flight on JAPAN AIRLINE (JAL) to Tokyo narita and reached Tokyo on Nov 1 6.45 am. The sun is bright at about 5am. I managed to catch the sunrise on the plane..yup seeing the 1st sunrise in the sky is magical! The weather was really cold at 5 deg that early morning at NARITA airport. By the time I cleared the custom. It is already 7.30 am. Most of the counter at the airport are closed cos it is still early. I walked around Terminal 2 and up to its departure hall at level 3 to familarise with the area. I ate a pancake and drank hot coffee at a cafe at the 4th floor. It is expensive. Cost abt S$ 10. I waited for the tourist information to open at 8.30am and I took some maps and brochures from them and they speak lmited english...most of thetime I have to make up the sentence myself. Haiz..think it will be the beginning of my nightmare---language barrier! No worries as yet. I exchanged my Japn railway pass voucher for a real pass. I managed to catch a Narita Express train at 8. 50 am to Shinjuku station. The journey lasted abt 80 mins. Met some Taiwanese tourists on the train. One good thing about Narita express and the shinkansen train is that you can reserved your seat in advance or just before the train departs. Of course there are some cabins with non reserved seats(free seating).
The train conductor will travel from cabin to cabin to chop on your train ticket after every station. But Once he has chopped on your ticket, he will not ask for your ticket again as he will remember your face. He will greet everyone everytime he want to check your ticket. The Japanese are really polite and there are these snacks and beverages ladies on train where they wil push a trolly along the train and before they start selling to everyone--they will greet us again and greet us again when they left the cabin. Cool isn't it---my 1st experience of Japanese polite culture. I begin to like this country.

Reach Shinjuku station at 10.15 am
The normal check in time for Japanese hotels is 3 pm and check out time is 10am. So I lug my stuff and walked abt 8 mins to my hotel (Shinjuku Washington). The weather is chilling but still warmer than Narita. Abt 14 deg. I put my luggages in the locker provided at the hotel ( 400 yen for one day rental). I went around the Shinjuku station area. Wow! the shopping centres are huge, mega and fascinating! at least 6th storey high with many shops and sales counters. The 1st item I bought is my friend's present---Chip and dale thingy that I spotted along an alley boutique. Second thing I bought is a arnold palmer cap. Shopping in Japan is extremely expensive. Especially you wanna shop at big shopping malls like odakyu and takashimaya as they only sell branded stuff. A normal blouse can cost around S$70 at least.

Okie Pardon me that I don't have the time to rotate the picture...still suffer from aching shoulders and jet lag.

I took this picture at 7.08 am on 2 nov. I am departing for Kyoto station from Tokyo station on Shinkansen (bullet train) --Hikari(second faster route than the nozomi)

I am determined to master my japanese asap. Cos I found out during the trip that even Ah mohs can speak more flent than me...Sianz regret that I didn't learn the language well. I will work hard to prepare for the next JLPT. I will work hard towards my Japan goal! I wanna work and stay in JAPAN. Such a nice haven.

Haiz Back from Tokyo. Really sick to come back to reality.

Me took a photo of myself on the NARITA express train when I arrived in the morning on 1 nov.

Okie my verdict on Japan: excellence ( many stars) . I wanna migrate there. So what do you think leh? No theft, no littering, politeness, everthing is very gd! Beyond my expectation! Been to a lot of places. More than the places that I have planned for. Kyoto is nice place too with rich heritage.

I am writing this blog from changi airport singapore.

Yoz my frens out there I will be in Tokyo this week. So please don't sms me cos my J-phone cannot receive sms. I can only reply after I come back..SO only important stuff--life and death thingy then u can call my handphone. You can call my singapore handphone number as it will be diverted to my J-phone. Well, hope I can settle down in tokyo asap. Can't wait to eat their ramen and sashimi... As I am on tight budget so don't expect me to buy souvenirs. Sorry frens. Maybe next time round when I fly there again. My dream hjas come true and I pray that Yours will come true soon. As for cecilia and francis, I am unable to continue my class at st. anthony. I have settled for St francis. Well you guys are great folks and really kind to invite me to your church. Thank you for your support and your fellowships.

Ciao, Sore Ja...
A blessed soul in tokyo

Flying To JAPAN today!

Been wanting to go Japan for a long time. Finally, the day has come! Well I will be travelling on my own there..lots of excitement and uncertainties cos I didn't plan for the trip...I just plan to explore randomly ..Will be in Tokyo and Kyoto. Although I want to go to kyushu and hokkaido but don't think I can afford to. Maybe next time...Me always wanted to see the church on water in hokkaido by tadao ando. I wanted to go to the filming place of crying out love from the centre of the earth movie. Sigh* Well wish me have a safe trip!