The countdown says there are still 42 days to our trip. It does feel like a long way to go, and we have a ton of stuff (mostly work-related; all very mind-numbingly arduous) to accomplish. But, it is going to be (already) October at the end of this week, so. So, so, so. Think this [...]
The March/April trip didn’t materialize. We had too many concerns after the disaster struck; and while we weren’t that worried about the radiation and general safety, we decided to change our travel plans so as not to add burden – however minor – (remember images of empty konbini stores, and people queuing for bottled water?), [...]
Booking hotels in Japan when you don’t have decent proficiency in the Japanese language is a headache. I didn’t have the stomach to have others suffer my very-rusty spoken Japanese, so I turned to Rakuten for all my lodging needs. Rakuten does have an English site, but I found the Japanese site to have a [...]
Quick thoughts about the different places on the trip, before I forget. Tokyo Design Festa; nabe in Ms Peh’s hotel room, with the hot pot on a chair and the rest of us around it, overeating and watching television that we didn’t understand; cuttlefish snacks; eating potato chips and stoning while watching the DF crowds [...]
Today is the 4th of January (close enough; sing the song if you know it), and I am currently on the train to Narita Airport where a flight back to Singapore awaits. The last few days of the trip, particularly yesterday, were just spent worrying about packing everything into a nice palatable (and carryable) pile(s). [...]
Hello, it is the end of the year 2009. Am currently watching NHK 60th Kohaku. I don’t know almost all of the performers, except the very popular crowd pleasers, but it still makes for an interesting watch. You learn quite a bit about the country from its music, and so far, we have had songs [...]
Being back in Tokyo after some ten weeks feels a little like coming home. Only home it is not, but there is a comfortable sense of familiarity and I did not have to check any map or ask for directions to get to my hostel. Knowing where you are going with luggage can never be [...]
Am three-quarters into The Book Thief, and am already dreading the end. Such a good read. I think I will be sleepless tonight. Today, I washed, vacuumed and threw out four big bags of garbage. I also ate the remaining contents of my fridge, which consist of (the list follows, for the sake of posterity) [...]
I plan for it to be, anyway. Today, just barely here, is the day before I leave Hokkaido for Tokyo where I shall spend the remaining week of my holiday. Yesterday, I bought myself a small suitcase so tomorrow will be a lot of fun. I shall heave a huge sigh of relief when I [...]
Just saw a raven trotting through snow. Damn adorable. On the bus to Asahikawa 旭川. 09:10, I can no longer make out the horizon between ground and sky. If anything, snow can be unifying. 09:17, Mayday’s 温柔. 09:20, it is so pretty out here. 09:25, it is probably true that the most beautiful scenes are [...]