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Bora New Year's Eve 2005 

Nice to know that Grache is coming home.

Though I would have wished you could stay there longer so you could explore more, I'm sure there's a reason why you're coming back.

So while you're backpacking around Japan (I read an article about a really beautiful valley somewhere in Japan, I'll search for that article and see if its in your itinerary), we'll be waiting for you to come home...so we can celebrate our birthday!!

Enjoy!

Nara Light Ceremony 

Aggghhhhh...I am being relocated back to the Philippines and only have less than a month to start my ultimate backpack adventure. This is the first time I am going to explore Japan on my own...not just Tokyo but beyond...Well its a blessing really because the mythical discount train ticket has apparated. Its called the "seishun juhachi kippu" or "youthful 18 ticket" which allows you to travel almost anywhere in Japan for any five days (only during selected months) for only 11,500 Yen. Mind you shinkansen tickets are twice as much for a one-way trip. Well, but yeah the catch is you can only travel along the Japan Railway system via the local/rapid trains. Meaning a 2 hour trip becomes 12 hours! But yeah I am doing this backpacker style!

Itinerary are as follows:

1. OBON WEEKEND
Aug 13
21:00
Off to Kyoto on a 12 hour train ride...
Aug 14
8:44
Check in at the Tour Club - its a cheap cool hostel http://www.kyotojp.com/
10:00
Off Nara to visit the UNESCO World Heritage Sites-ancient buddhas, shrines, temples.
19:00
Then attend the Toka-e Light Ceromony (imagine a park lit with 7,500 candles on its corners) and and Chugen Mantoro Festival (a shrine with a hundred hanging and floating lanterns)!!!
Aug 15
7:00
Travel Kyoto for more UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Nijo Castle, Ryogen-in , Golden Pavillion, etc. Also, to Gion to pay homage to the GEISHA'S
Aug 16
7:00
More of Kyoto via the bicycle...if I still have money I will have myself dressed as a Geisha and have a studio shot taken.
21:20
Then back to Tokyo via the "Moonlight Nagara"- its a night train...I like the sound of it. Very Harry Potter...

uma-umahan
Taken during my first out of town trip to the NIIGATA prefecture. I basically escaped from work to join a friend in this wonderful adventure. We took a 7 hour train trip into what I thought would be some country town in the middle of nowhere...but found instead a ocean & bayside city that is breathtaking. The picture above was taken in front of a shrine near an ocean cliffside. It reminded me so much of Kill Bill 2 that I decided to do a wacky kung fu pose. You can look at more scenic shots in my LIMBO blog...

The one thing that you will never be in Tokyo is BORED. Aside from being a very large city, Tokyo seems to harbor a collection of...yes...oddities and weirdos. Below are proofs of their existence. From obnoxious hairstyles, outrageous wardrobes to sickenlingly cute anime to freakish items its a lifestyle and culture very much their own.
In Tokyo, you get the taste of extremes. Nothing is too strict or too over the top, the only people who bat eyelids and gape on the oddities and the weirdos are the gaijins. They seem to feed on the attention though, but sometimes it feels too much like a cricus or a freakshow. Its fun, funny, amusing, amazing, garrish and tacky all at the same time.

weirdo 

oddities 

Turtlenecks have become a wardrobe staple since the weather started dropping to 15 degrees C. Unfortunately, I was never one to like anything constricting near my neck. I've always avoided wearing turtlenecks, hating the feeling of having any kind of material so closely and so widely covering everything between my shoulders and my chin. I dislike them so much, I took out my scarf last week to wrap around my neck instead.

But then the other day, after 20 minutes of wearing my scarf, I started to instinctively loosen it as well...it was the gagging feeling, like a pair of furry,warm hands were choking the breath out of me...I could almost hear myself wheezing and coughing. In one motion I whipped it off my neck and spent the rest of my walk home pulling my coat closer around me.

No hand nor cloth is allowed to gag me...and whenever possible, the turtlenecks stay in my closet.

And its SATC-inspired at that. Since Grache and I love the show, its the most appropriate quiz I can think of for this blog.

And by the way, Grache and I got the same results. hehehe.

You Are Most Like Carrie! You're quirky, flirty, and every guy's perfect first date. But can the guy in question live up to your romantic ideal? It's tough for you to find the right match - you're more than a little picky. Never fear... You've got a great group of friends and a great closet of clothes, no matter what!

Which Sex and the City Vixen Are You Most Like?
Take This Quiz Right Now!

First change the template...

and then we'll see what happens next.

Ok, it took quite a while…almost two months but I finally got to hook up with some people for a Tokyo clubbing experience. What I thought would be spent on some lame Saturday morning for Japanese Class turned out to be pretty interesting.

First Saturday- 8th of May

Entered class 15 minutes late…still disoriented from the heat I found my way over to the intermediate section of the class. It was divided into different levels and the newbies were in a separate group. I was the only female “gaijin”. Although Japan feels as foreign to me as it does to them…I think I am left in a more akward position because I still am of Asian origin.

My group was composed of all males: 1 Swiss, 1 French, 1 African American and then there was Alex a category himself. He is a hairdresser from Cannes who took me into his “wings” (I am starting to think that I was probably gay during my past lifetime). The three can speak French and it can get pretty distracting because it sounds so much better. Heck, they make microwave - micro du/de ovre? Sound very sexy.

Second Saturday- 15th of May


GAIJINS ON THE LOOSE

Since I had to rush off the previous Sat. to go to work, it was only during this day that I found out that they usually had lunch together after class. It was good to finally talk to people in English. We had lunch at a nice café in Harjuku…while conversing I found out that they were heading to the Sanja Festival in Asakusa. Yesss…I was saved from eternal boredom. With the Swiss, the French, the French-Vietnamese, the Australian classmates and three other Germans we braved the crowded streets. The highlight for me was the Tyco Drum demonstration…I just love the deep loud timbres they emit. I have always been addicted to bass…


SANJA MADNESS

At the end of the day, my Aussie female classmate was asked to take the 3 Germans to a night out…I was then given an invite and gladly accepted. We ended up in Roppongi and Nishii-Azabu with Helen’s witty American girlfriend, our French female classmate and their Aussie friend. We took the “cheap crap bar”, called “Bar isn’t it?” (a great example of ENGRISH), by storm with the German going wild. Then we went to Muse and enjoyed some pool and crazy karaoke. Again the Germans were making loud noises…it reminded me of farm animals mating.

Third Saturday- 22nd of May

Half of my group were missing…it seems I was the only person at home on Friday night. Sheesh, there was a time I went out every night…EVERY NIGHT…in Manila. Yeah…those were the days…Work hard, play harder.

We had lunch and when I heard them mentioning Basement…and Ageha…hell I perked up and asked them if I could tag along. In short I invited myself to go with the French group to the Basement Jaxx event in Ageha. I would not miss that for the world. Almost did because I DID NOT want to go there alone…but hell I would be lucky to catch them in Manila. No one ever goes to Manila you know…except Mariah Carey and Stephen Bishop….harharhar…

This leads me to my next entry…read about it over at my revived blog…LIMBO…

OK..OK Socs, now that you've let out your big 'ol dirty secret. It's time for me to 'fess up as well. I haven't been updating snippets that much because I've been busy trying to revive it as well...LIMBO.

Oh yes, I had a blog prior to this one. I guess it was too private for general consumption. I made some modifications so that everyone is now free to view it...

The big question WHAT HAPPENS TO SNIPPETS? Anybody has any ideas?