That is when I purchased a Japan travel Guide book, by Rough Guide. The Rough Guide to Japan was a very useful book. It has the much needed information on places of interest, local culture, and everything one need to know about Japan, especially before going there. Most of the guidebooks are almost the same, with different books having their own different strengths. Some books have plenty of pictures, and some books have great maps. I picked this book because it has some detail about climbing mount fuji, which the other books didn’t. For those who wants to save some cost, Google or yahoo is a great source. You can get everything you need from these search engines. However, the guidebooks do give some extra advices, such as promotions, or cost saving tips, like special subway passes, that you don’t see in google if you don’t ask for it specifically.

We sat on the book and it became a coaster for our coffee mug for quite a few months, and about two months just before the trip, I booked the Ryokan in Tokyo. Ryokan is the traditional Japanese hotel and are also the cheapest accommodation you can find in Japan. After we have identified a few from the book and tripadvisor.com, I mail them and the keepers replied the very next day. Extremely fast in response and friendly. Without hassle, we have all the basic things set for the trip. Now, the gritty details on where to go and transport. That took us another few weeks and in under a month before the trip, we were all set. Everything have been planned out, and I enter them into the Yahoo Trip Planner. In short, the guidebook compiles all you need to know in one paperback, while with Google, you have to do the work of compilation your self. If you love to do research, you can skip buying a guidebook.

From Penang to Tokyo, we first have to transit in Singapore and change planes. As the journey takes 6-7 hours from Singapore, we wanted to get a nice seat. We tried checking in a couple of days earlier online and could not (maybe because the tickets were mileage claimed). So, we went over to the airport and to the airline office to get some help. The lady over the counter was very helpful. She got us an excellent seat, the best seat of the house with plenty of leg room.

After we have checked in and left our bags at the Ryokan, we head for the Imperial Palace.  This was our first destination, and it was already 10-11am.  We first came out from the Tokyo subway Station.  The Train Station behind it looks like the Train Station in Amsterdam, and if I remember correctly, its a replica of it.  From the Tokyo station, we proceeded straight towards the Imperial Palace.  Along the way, we passed a nice fountain and we first came to the Imperial Plaza, which is a huge empty place with tiny path cutting across gravel stones.  Its like giant Japanese sand garden, nice.  We were greeted with bus loads of tourist and all of them alight at the Imperial Plaza and made their way by foot to the Nijubashi Bridge.  This bridge is on every guidebook and also all web and printed city guides.  This is where you can see the Imperial Palace with a nice angle, with the white building on top of the hill and then a bridge and waters and plenty of greenery.  It was over rated from the guidebooks.  I was expecting much more and when arrived, only the tiny top floor of the imperial palace can be seen, and have to crowd with many tourist to get a photo of the entire scene.

In front of the Nijubashi Bridge is the Hibiya Park.  This park was a stark contrast from the Imperial Plaza.  The Imperial Plaza was all grey with pebles, while the Hibiya park was green with grass and gigantic bonzai trim trees.  Comming from the congested city line of Tokyo, the Palace grounds provide a breath of fresh air and reminds us that we live in a wonderful green nature.  We walked back again towards Higashi Gyoen, the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace.  On the way, to the Otemon Gate, we passed many Swans lingering on the water surrounding the Moat.  Not sure if they are there the entire year round or seasonal, but it was nice and something that we don’t usually see in Malaysia.

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Having followed the Fail Blog for some time, they never seams to be short of fail photos or events to share.  Here is my attempt to share a Fail situation I capture during my trip to Tokyo.  After considering more, this seams like a parking win than a parking fail, anyway, I was intrigue of the lack of space and the cleaver use of it. 

The dog never failed to pull the family together, nor stop helping the family and friends out.  But Akari, the lead character who have had the dog for so many years, that she started to feel the burden of her commitment as she outgrew her teenage years going into adulthood.  Even then, the dog never fusses her and keep being her friend until the day the dog died, just in time for Akari to realize her 10 promises to the dog and what’s really important in life. 

In one of her promise to the dog, is to cherish the time they spent together as the dog’s life is shorter than the human life.  Not just the dog’s life, we humans always forget that our life has an expiry date in it, and sometimes this expiration date comes much earlier.  If we don’t cherish our times together now, it might be too late when we finally realize it. 

The movie was slow in pace to begin, but once the story picks up, I find myself glued to the screen.  The climax comes towards the end, where everything plays out, and we realize the essence of the move.  5 star rating from me and I recommend to watch even if it bores you in the beginning. 

So, I appeal to camera enthusiast out there, do you know if this works? If yes, then, the next thing to figure out is how to get a ‘friend’ to purchase one back here…

There was a special subway pass sold at a discount rate for tourist.  This special pass allow one person to go in the subway Metro line unlimited rides for two days, and all this for only 960 Yen.  There is also a single day unlimited rides that goes for 600 Yen.  This ticket can only be purchase at Narita Airport.  We purchase a few of this and off we go to our Ryokan.  It was already about 8am and we went to catch a train right from Narita to Ueno.   It was on this train we first got the impression of Japan.  The scenery looks so different from where we were from.  The land was beautiful clear blue sky, and no haze, and it was sunny.  In a distance, farm land grace the horizon with puddles of home making an honest life of the local residence.  The home design was unique and nice, and the way they park their cars was also memorable.  The train made a couple of stops along the way and up came school children on a field trip to Tokyo.  The entire carriage light up with a smile as the tiny little kids with bright red hats came in.  There were only a Two teaches with more than 10 child, and the passengers in the carriage keep an extra eye over the kids.  It shows how a first world modern society could function as a unit helping each other, something that we don’t see much in Malaysia these days.  Then this little kid with bloody nose that caught my attention, he seams quiet, while other of his comrades chuckling away like a busy bee, he just stares out quietly with a tissue jam up his nose with blood stains.  Its so early in the day, and he already had a lousy start, I could relate to how he feels.  We came into Ueno, and changed to a subway to Tawaramachi Station.  There, we hiked for 5 minutes to our Ryokan.  It was almost 10, and the streets were starting to heat up.  Tokyo streets are filled with walkway, at least 20 feet wide.  Cyclist also goes onto this walkway, so sometimes, full concentration are needed navigating through along a busy walkway.  Again, this was not something that we have often in Malaysia.  The bikes all goes onto the road, and we rarely has 20 feet wide walkway as well.  We arrived at Asakusa Ryokan Toukaisou and was greeted by a friendly and young lady.  We confirm our reservation and put our bags down for safe keeping as we set out to see Tokyo. 

We have return from our trip to Japan, and it has been a year since.  I have yet to pen down any words about the trip, I have yet to put my travel log together.  It was tomorrow night one year ago that we set out to the land of the rising sun.  It was a trip plan a year in advance.  It was a promised fulfilled.  It was a dam good trip.  Up till today, we are still thinking of things and places that we have visited on this trip.  Its time to write down and publish the travel log, if not, it will be forever lost in the distance memory.  Before long, this trip will be buried in a stack of long lost trip memories.  I have to start tomorrow. 

I know I am being mean for saying this, but this girl really creeps me out. If you dont believe me, check out her youtube blog. The big eyes staring at you, without any words… kinda reminds me of the Puss n’ Boots of Shrek. Wide eyes staring at you, and you go like awwe… Bam! and your heads roll on the floor.. That how I imagine being ended by Magibon…

When I first saw this, I thought of the ahem word. What do you think?

I seldom read fictions. Its as rare as the blue moon. Somehow, seeing this book lying in my library yearns me to pick it up. And once I pick it up, it stuck on me like a fly sticking on the salamander’s tongue. I was already familiar with the story, I’ve watched the movie. As I go through the pages, the movie scene keep flashing through my head. The movie differs from the book, but the entire plot still stays. The story begins with the characters being innocent in school and starts to fall in love. They spend wonderful time enjoying each other’s company for a couple of years and out of a sudden, the female lead was sick with leaukemia and she died. Ops, did I spoil it for you? Don’t worry, I have known the plot of the story from the movie and yet I enjoy the book very much. The story was average, but the way the author words it, makes it facinating. The description of Love and the structure of the story, makes it enduring and a best seller. There were instances, my emotional buttons were hammered so profusely that the dam of tears almost broke. As interesting as the book was, the ending was a little weak. Knowing the characters so much more, I was yearning for a eleborated ending, instead, it just fell short and Bam, the end. However the weak ending should not stop you from seeking out the book. The movie adaptation gave a slight different variation, mostly I believe because some of the content in the book would be confusing if not explained in detail, and so the director took the alternative route of changing the story a little. Overall, 5 star out of 5 rating for the book. I enjoyed reading it every moment I spent on it.

Prologue
I came across this book rather accidental. After purchasing a bunch of books, we learnt that Borders give out extra cash voucher if we were to spend another RM40. Being penny wise pound foolish, I went over to the Manga section looking for a nice Comic to indulge into. This is when I came to this book. It was wraped and I didn’t had the chance to open it. At the back, the book boast the popularity of the book, wich was made into Manga, TV serial and movie. It has to be good to command such follow-up I thought. And the story plot sounds familiar, it sounds like a Japanese movie that I have watched. And so the book made it into my shopping bag and I was happily going home thinking this was a manga. Upon arrival at home, to my surprise, this wa no manga at all, it was a story book, filled with words and no pictures. To my utter dissapointment, I discarded the book to a corner of my library. Not till a couple of weeks back, I start to take notice of the book.