Kanto Trip

Some more of my pictures in Tokyo. Thanks to Pe Fa for selecting only the "look good" ones for the graphics.

In front of Yao and Nong Ying’s apartment before we are heading to the Narita Airport.

That should be all for the short story of my Tokyo trip, one of the best trips I have so far. That is because of the warm hospitality we received from Yao and Nong Ying. Especially thanks to Nong Ying who shares the same interest of Japanese craft with me every night, and Pe Fa who is kind enough to help us plan the trip within 3 hours before finally decided to accelerate his annual Japan visit to be approximately the same time with us.

Shabu restaurant at Ginza Core.

Today Nong Ying accompanies us to shop.

A decoration in bakery section in Namja Town, it is very "unlike" Japanese style.

Sunshine Namja Town
Sunshine Namja Town is an indoor theme park by Namco, the creator of Pacman and many other arcade games and leisure products. The theme park recreates Tokyo alleys of past decades and features among other attractions three food theme parks about gyoza, ice cream and chou cream.

Tokyo - Day 7

Toyota Showroom
Enough of walking in the rain (it is rainny season), we then head to Ikebukuro to visit Amlux, a Toyota showroom in the Sunshine City Complex.

Tokyo - Day 7

In the picture: The Statue of Saigo Takamori, Sculpture of the Thinker by Auguste Rodin, and a shrine in the Ueno park.
Nearby is the Ameya-yokocho Market called Ameyoko for short. This area used to be a thriving flea market immediately after the end of the WWII. There are over 500 shops that sell everything from basic foods to high-class imported goods at reasonable prices, and thus it is very crowded.

Tokyo - Day 6

Rainbow Bridge, Fuji TV Building at Odaiba
Daiba, literally meaning "fort", refers to some of the man made islands in the Bay of Tokyo, which were constructed in the end of the Edo Period (1603-1868). The platform site installed for a marine cannon battery that was constructed in haste to meet the emergent need for defense of Tokyo against the sudden appearance of black steel ships commanded by Commodore Perry from the United States in 1853.

Tokyo - Day 6

Artist benches are arranged along the Roppongi Hills’ main street, Keyaki-zaka Dori.

Tokyo - Day 6

Mori Tower, TV Asahi Headquaters, Mori Garden and the Giant Spider
Roppongi Hills is one of Tokyo's trendiest spots. In the center of Roppongi Hills stands the Mori Tower, a 54-storey skyscraper named after the company and company president that built it.

Tokyo - Day 6

Tsukiji Market
The wholesale seafood auctioning is held there in early morning. However with the expected raining all day again today, we decide to visit the place just to catch some action and sample some seafood dish.

Tokyo - Day 5

Wako Department Store
Framed for being the Fifth Avenue of Tokyo, Ginza is lined up with the upmarket boutiques and department stores. For me Itoya is the best stationary store I ever visit; could have spend hours in there.

Tokyo - Day 5

Since it rains like cats and dogs all morning, we finally take shelter inside the Tokyo International Forum for a while. A very unique and incredible architectural building.

Tokyo - Day 5

Imperial Palace
After visit a very quiet temple, we decide to get a glimpse of Imperial Palace.

Tokyo - Day 5

Manneken Pis in Tokyo ???

Yokohama - Day 4

Ramen Museum
Our last stop for today is at Ramen Museum at Yokohama on the way back to Tokyo. On the first floor, a gallery presents the history of ramen noodles in Japan, including the big success of instant ramen. On the two basement floors, visitors can explore a 1:1 replica of some streets and houses of Shitamachi, the old town of Tokyo, of around the year 1958, when the popularity of ramen was rapidly increasing. Nine ramen restaurants can be found there, each featuring a ramen dish from a different region of Japan.

Enoshima - Day 4

Enoshima – Katase
Katase has developed as the gateway town to Enoshima Island linked by the 600m long Enoshima Ohashi Bridge. Enoshima is at the mouth of Katase-gawa River that flows into Sagami Bay. Its perimeter is approximately 4 km.

Kamakura - Day 4

The Great Buddha of Kamakura is a bronze statue of Amida Buddha that is located on the grounds of the Kotokuin Temple. With a height of 13.35 meters, it is the second largest Buddha statue in Japan (the largest is located in the Todaiji Temple in Nara).

The statue was cast in 1252 and originally located inside a large temple hall. However, the temple buildings were washed away by a tsunami tidal wave in the end of the 15th century, and since then the Buddha stands in the open air

Kamakura - Day 4

Kamakura

The Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine

Today we visit Kamakura, sometimes called the Kyoto of Eastern Japan,
a coastal town south of Tokyo.

Tokyo - Day 3

In Yukata dress

Tokyo - Day 3

In the picture from left to right: Nong Ying, Nong Yim, Khun Ooy, Khun Lek, Aor, Oh, Yao, and K. Ooy’s sons.


We then join Yao, Nong Ying and the group at the Royal Thai Embassy to visit Oedo-Onsen Monogatari in Odaiba. This “amusement park” is modelled on old Edo times, with the outdoor pools as well as traditional baths. The natural mineral water are piped from 1400m beneath Tokyo Bay. Various designed yukatas are available for us to choose. Restaurants, souvenir shops and games are also provided.

We stay at Yao and Nong Ying’s apartment in Shinjuku. Yao is Oh’s junior friend at College.

Tokyo - Day 3

The Asahi Beer Tower and Asahi Super Dry Hall with its characteristic Flamme d'Or were, completed in 1989 and host the headquarters of Asahi Breweries. The Flamme d’Or was designed by Phillipe Stark.

Tokyo - Day 3

This morning Pe Fa plans to take us around Asakusa area to visit Senso-ji, a very popular Buddhist temple. It is approached via the Nakamise, a shopping street that has been providing temple visitors with a variety of traditional, local snacks and tourist souvenirs for centuries.

Tokyo - Day 2

Six-way intersection at Shibuya is always filled with tons of people rushing around.

Hachiko Statue is an honour to a small Akita dog whose faithfulness was not lost on the locals. In the 1920s, Hachiko was always accompanied a professor to Shibuya station every morning, then returned in the afternoons to await the master's arrival. One spring day the professor died of a stroke while at work and never came home. Hachiko continued to show up at the station daily to wait for his master until his own death 10 years later.

Tokyo - Day 2

Omote-Sando Hills

Omete-sando is lined with shops carrying everything from Prada to Pokemon to French pastry. But even better are the small, labyrinthine alleys branching off where unique boutiques and charming little cafes are located.

Tokyo - Day 2

To buy or not to buy, I have to stop by at my favorite store, Laura Asley.

Tokyo - Day 2

Not only becasuse of Cos-play that brings us to Harajuku but also the delicious Ramen guaranteed by Pe Fa. And it is the best ramen I've ever tasted (but not recomend to those who is not for salty and fatty).

Tokyo - Day 2

Not only the kids gather at Harajuku, but also another corner of the park we catch many street performance: playing music or dancing. Many of them produce their own album for sale with the fan club listening near by.

This group, Tokyo Rockabilly Club's performance (including their hair style) is amazing.

Tokyo - Day 2

Today is Sunday and we intend to stay around Harajuku to watch the Cos-play-zoku kids assemble at Jingu-bashi.

Tokyo - Day 2

Meiji-jingu

We start the day by visiting Meiji-jingu. It is the Shinto shrine and also a popular spot for weddings, and the subsequent photo sessions. On that day we spot about 4 couples with Japanese traditional wedding dresses.

Tokyo - Day 1

2-tiers-bicycle parking in the Central Bussiness Area.

Today the weather is so hot and humidity that a lot of paper fans are offered to the passer-by with an ad on the fan. A very effective method of advertisment because everyone is willing to get one.

Tokyo - Day 1

Tokyo Metropolitan Government Offices
Though it is a clear sky, but not enough to see Mt. Fuji on that day.

A trip starts again on August 15. It is an unexpected and unplanned trip, we have few weeks to prepare everything, including visa and trip information. Though, I have roughly planned to visit Tokyo someday, but not this soon if not because of the cheap tickets that we got. (of course they came with a lot of conditions).

2006 Java - Kawah Ijen

Kawah Ijen. (actually it would be clearer than this in the early morning)
Workers have to go down and bring sulfur up from below.

And that is all of my East Java trip. It is a memorable experience, after 25 years of saying good bye to the trekking. But it is enjoyable and worthwhile.

2006 Java - Kawah Ijen

Such a beautiful scenery along the way to the crater.....the reasons (or the excuse) to take us so long.

2006 Java - Kawah Ijen

Workers are carrying sulfur down from the crater.
Normally it takes less than an hour from the base to the crater, but we (girls) top them all taking about 2 hrs and 40 minutes to get there. :-) Khun Noom and Nong Choke thought that we had already changed our mind on the way up and decided to wait for them at the car. So they finally come down, just to know that we are still on our way to the crater.

2006 Java - Kawah Ijen

After a long day in the car yesterday, today we get up early to walk up to the Kawah Ijen in Bondowoso. It is so good that along the trek up to the crater, there are a lot of flowers for us to take pictures so that we forget (or try to forget) how tiring we are. Plenty of Edelweiss, fern, etc.

2006 Java - Tosari Village

Beautiful morning at Tosari before we leave and visit another volcano.

2006 Java - Tosari Village

Decorated 4-WD cars are marching up to the village and when the sun sets, they light torches along the road, of which, I think, are more than 10 kilometers. (sorry that my photo is not good enough to show this)

2006 Java - Tosari Village

We then visit the Tosari village located on the other side of Puncak Penanjakan. There is a local festival held at the square. Dancing shows in the evening. People here are nice and friendly.

2006 Java - Batok

The Cemera Indah hotel that we stayed last night provides a beautiful view of Mt. Batok.

2006 Java - Bromo

We then visit Mt. Bromo crater. Some of us walk up to the base, but I don't think I am up to that task, so I ride a horse (though I should say that I jut sit on the horse since the owner leads the horse for me!!!)

2006 Java - Bromo

Getting up early is rewarded by this beautiful scenary of Mt. Bromo (the one with the smoke rising up on the left hand side), Mt. Sumeru (the tallest one, 3,636 m.dpl) and Mt. Batok in the front.

2006 Java - Bromo

Sun rise at Puncak Penanjakan.

Five of us: Pe Paew, Noo Mer, Noom, Choke and I visit East Java, Indonesia on July 7 - 11, 2006. And again K. Noom is our tour leader. Arriving at Surabaya in the evening, we rent a car with a driver and go straight to Cemoro Lawang, a village near Mount Bromo. Get up very early in the next morning and rent a 4-WD car climbimg to Puncak Penanjakan (2,770 m.dpl).