Photo Diary: Universal Studios Japan

 Osaka, Japan
A day spent in the picturesque town of Universal Studios Japan - what could be any better? I have not actually been to USS before, so this was definitely an eye-opener for me. The Second-Hand Rose was by far my favourite shop signboard in the entire theme park, and I couldn't resist inserting a photo of it. I gather that making frequent visits to amusement parks must be an integral part of Japanese culture, because both DisneySea and USJ had these amazing popcorn buckets (you got that right, that ingenious little Sesame Street hot-air balloon is actually a popcorn bucket) that you could bring back every trip, so that you could just refill the popcorn and not have to pay for the additional paper bucket (which makes it a pretty environmentally-friendly device too). I'd originally thought that few would buy these pricey buckets, but it was so common to see people of all ages, toting these popcorn buckets in all shapes and colours. Even my sister succumbed to the temptation of carrying one around.  
Dinner on this day was settled by ourselves, since my family opted not to partake in the Hokkaido crab feast that the tour guide offered to arrange for the tour group. We trawled the streets around our hotel after the shops had closed (eateries stay open way later than normal shops), and chanced upon a Mister Donut, where we bought and stuffed ourselves silly with the sweet pastries. What made the day even better was discovering a Mister Donut x Mos Burger collaboration, which had me in an absolute frenzy. Unfortunately, the burger, though delicious, did not photograph well, which leaves me the task of describing it instead - think fluffy cream puff pastry instead of normal hamburger buns, encasing a patty made of a disc of almond-studded chocolate, topped off with preserved peaches and berries that are surrounded with a wall of strawberry cream and drizzled with sweet berry sauce. You're welcome.  xx 

Photo Diary: Osaka

 Osaka, Japan

In the midst of preparing for my final exams this semester (which sort of explains my absence again, but is not really an excuse), I thought I would take a short break to go through some of my old backdated Japan photos. I needed a break-- we all do. 

There's nothing quite like a double chocolate coffee jelly frappucino at a rest stop to perk you up for a day trip around Osaka. I'm not even normally a fan of matcha, but in Japan, somehow, anything goes, and I eagerly pounce on every matcha food item I can get my hands on, though I barely take more than a few bites before relegating it to my sister, who likes matcha more than I do. And I'm not so sure why Singapore has not adopted that adorable kindergarten school uniform yet? 

On this particular day, I also had the first-time experience of sitting on a bullet train. And it's always nice to see little bits of your home country overseas. Also, sushi, anyone? I'm craving it right now. I thought I would abstain from all sushi when I got back from Japan, but it turns out to be the exact opposite. I crave sushi even more intensely now, if that's even possible.

Shopping at Shinsaibashi was delightful and awkward at the same time -- delightful because there were just so many shops, and awkward because there was simply not enough time to visit them all, and my family ended up being the last to arrive at the restaurant for dinner. As a matter of fact, we were most often last during this trip; I'm sure our punctuality was not helped by the fact that we had two teenage females who were eager to visit every single shop in the shopping district. And it was overwhelming. This post is ended off with a photo I randomly snapped of the bustling Shinsaibashi -- I'll be back. 

xx

Photo Diary: Takayama - Kanazawa

 

You know the day's going to go perfect when you start it off with a view of your favourite flowers, sitting prettily in a pot beside a bicycle. We started off the day with the Asa-ichi Market, with all sorts of small roadside stalls and an extremely sporting fruit-stall owner who gamely posed for a photo (he had a really cool apple-peeling-and-slicing machine). The city girl in me squealed at the abundance of fish in what would be called a large drain in Singapore.

After that, we took a drive to the Shirakawa-go Ogimachi Gassho Village, with its iconic village huts, all complete with a 60 degree angled roof. Apparently the sarubobo monkey doll is supposed to bring happiness to the owner, and I bought one, because I'm a sucker for things like that. I must have more than a drawer full of kitsch touristy souvenirs already but I can't seem to stop buying them. There's also really nothing like an ancient-looking village with daisies and rice paddy fields-- they make for amazing photoshoot locations. I spent a goodly amount of time chasing birds around (the sheer variety in Japan is just amazing), attempting to get a clear, close-up shot of them, but few of the feathered creatures wanted to cooperate with me, and it was with much difficulty (think me climbing onto benches and random ledges) that I managed to snap a few clear shots of that plump little bird. 

We visited a sakura-tree garden, but sadly the season for sakura has long been over, and we were greeted with the sight of barren trees. The perpetual rain made the afternoon a little dreary, but nevertheless everything was still spectacularly beautiful. The last photo is of yours truly, posing in front of the Kanazawa Castle and looking gloriously minuscule in front of the magnificent building, clad in my new gingham midi from Fairebelle. 

xx

Photo Diary: Mount Fuji

{top, Bugis Street / jacket, Fox / pants, H&M / shoes, Doctor Martens}

I’m a city girl, through and through—I like being surrounded by a concrete jungle, I enjoy the comforts of air-conditioner and internet access, and just basking in the general feeling of being in the twenty-first century. It’s odd that in Japan, I could let the chilly mountain air replace the air-conditioner, and seeing the greenery up close fascinated me far more than any photo on a digital screen could ever hope to.

Standing in the freezing air in summer clothes (it was around 9 degrees Celsius), with my frozen hands wrapped gingerly around my camera, I felt something akin to freedom. Mount Fuji was a magnificent sight to behold, all dark and jagged and covered in layers of pure white snow, basking in cushions of translucent, flimsy clouds. We were lucky enough that the mountain saw fit to emerge from behind the curtains of fog and clouds to allow us a glimpse of its majestic silhouette for a few minutes before it retreated again. It was a sublime feeling, and I even managed to capture the beautiful flight of a strikingly handsome bird (though it may have just been a common crow).

The Hirayu Great Falls were a rushing burst of exhilaration and wonder, all packed into one large fall of sparkling water. I stopped so many times to take photos of the miniature flowers and dewy leaves hidden within the grass that I lagged far behind the entire group, but it was worth it—if you look closely, you can see a small piece of dandelion fluff falling off the main head of the flower.

A traditional Japanese dinner and futon awaited us at our hot springs hotel, and I must admit that I was completely befuddled at the array of plates and bowls in front of me, and in the end my hunger manifested itself into something like “I don’t care which bowl I’m supposed to eat first, I’m just going to eat whatever is nearest to me and looks good.”.

And even now, looking back at these photos, I miss the cleanliness, the purity of that place—imagine that, me, a city girl, missing the mountains. 

xx