Discovering us 私は日本が大好きです

Mt Fuji, Hakone, Bullet train - Japan Day 4

Ok, who was the smart ass who wanted to go Japan in June/July?? ME.

Well, i thought it was gonna be bright and sunny month but i guess i was wrong. It was foggy, misty and wet up in Mt Fuji! Strong, strong wind. So the trip was kinda wasted as we can't see Mt Fuji even from far. Even when we were on Mt Fuji, there was nothing we could see. If not for the bullet train ride which i truly enjoyed - and tried to snap pics of a moving one in vain - i would have begged for a refund!

We stopped at the hotel near FujiQ Highland for lunch. But what we forgot was that in FujiQ there was a Thomas Land. Riyan's all time favourite. Maybe next time we'll have it in our itinerary.

On the 5th station of Mt Fuji. 2 crazy American teenagers 'disappeared' into the mist for a while. Got their Asian mom worried like crazy. The visibility distance is only 10-15m and they went beyond that. Can you imagine their mom's nervousness??

A stationary Shinkansen vs a moving one. Everyone was trying to take a snapshot of the moving train. Super fast. Super noisy.

At the end of the day tour we had dinner at Hard Rock since we were at Ueno. We went there by chance although it was one of our itinerary. Riyan was 'dancing' to the music while eating. He was really happy. While we were all very, very tired.

Nurul scrapped off all the cheese. Pa ate the rest.

Yummy-licious!

Super duper huge bowl. Fantastic ice cream with hot fudge and brownie. The way we all love it!

ok peeps! Let's move to day 5.

Yoyogi, Shibuya, Harajuku - Japan Day 3

I make it a point to visit the mosques of the countries i visit. In Australia and New Zealand too. It makes me have a sense of belonging and that i would be rest assured of a refuge place should an emergency arises. we got there in time for the Dzuhur prayers. Pa did his. It was my time of the month so i just stood by... so sad... what a waste of an opportunity.

The Turkish Cultural Centre, also known as the Camii Mosque, is beautiful in its own way. Fully adapted from the Turkish architecture, it sits along the main road about 3 minutes walk from the Yoyogi-Uehara Subway Station. It boasts a huge dome with intricate designs and Quranic verses and beautifully detailed, crafted wooden doors. Forgive me for the lack of photos as i did not get prior official consent to take photos of the mosque...

This mosque is also open to public visits.

The central or main dome.

Up from level 1 to the main prayer hall.

Cure Turkish boys who spoke nothing but Japanese...

Snapped a couple of pics of the quaint, serene residential area on the way back to the train station, from the mosque. We stopped by at the playground for a packed lunch.

A little cosy French restaurant among the houses... this is interesting because the dining floor is a level below the ground floor. I can't snap a shot cos there are diners there at that moment. I dun want to be whacked by a broom for being like a silly paparazzi!

Vending machines along residential houses. How convenient!

Then we zoomed off to my favourite part of the trip. Harajuku and Shibuya!!! I especially planned for this day to be a Saturday so we can catch the Goths! And we sure did.

Did i mention how much i love the Jap people?? I sure do. And their customer service is impeccable! I got a couple of stuff from the boutiques and not only they thanked you with many, many smiles, they carried my items and escorted me to the main door and then handed me my items. Not just one boutique but all those that i went into. Now, where can you find such service in Singapore?

Went up and down the hills of Shibuya for about 5hrs. By then Pa's knees were wobbling. He couldn't catch up with me. Poor fella! Plus he gotta push the stroller while i just held the camera and my haversack. :p

Lovely place. My kids loved this! Went to all the 5 floors. every inch filled with kawaii stuff!

Fancy a job like this guy's? Easy-peasy job! Maybe he's the promoting or marketing manager... ahahhaha

Pa chose the one with cheesecake and cream. Excellent stuff!

And you think Orchard Road is crowded?

Wanted to go up the Goth cafe but the kids were sleeping and it was a wee bit inconvenient as it was on the upper floor.

Harajuku Station - different from the others.

It's Ayumi Hamazaki fever!

And so this marked the end of Day 3... on to Day 4!

No Kira but there's Mickey! And sushi - Japan Day 2

Started the morning by packing spaghetti for the kids. I brought along a little rice cooker and a hot plate. My mom packed us spaghetti sauce with extra mushrooms which the kids always insist.

The train ride to Maihama, Disney's station was smooth and less crowded, in contrary to the long queue for the rides and character photo shoots. It was the hottest day during our stay in Japan but otherwise, Disneyland ROCKS!!! Love the place. Love the packaging. Love the ice cream. Love everything! But the kids refused to get off the stroller. They are stuck to it like post-it pads!

Went for the adventure rides but one of them had a power failure while we were in the car ride. The staff were all so apologetic and kept bowing 'gomenasai'... but hey, we got a priority or what-they-call a FREE pass to any other rides!!!... Which we gladly used it for the Pooh's adventure that Nurul wanted so badly.

Everything is nothing short of Mickey's silhouette, emblem, logo blah, blah, blah... from the monorails to the shuttle buses.