The Japan Story

I'm a birthday kind of girl and birthdays, like anniversaries and first anything, are always big deal to me. With my birthday happening every last week of September in the middle of typhoons and stay-inside-your-home advisories, I find myself praying for clear skies and sunny weather on the first hint of rain. How you celebrate your birthday dictates the kind of year you're going to have, after all, and ludicrous as it may seem, I wouldn't want to risk a gloomy year ahead.

The sun gods favored this then would-be 27 year old and granted me two dry (and I say this in a literal, good way) weeks to go places and celebrate with the usuals.

First stop: Japan with the family. I've always been fascinated with Japan. The thought of real-life dolls dressed in Lolita fashion and goths in visual kei parading in front of me has always excited me. I find Japanese street style very unique and avant-garde. I love how they're never safe and they can be all costumey and whimsical with their outfits and no one would mind. If anything, they add a great deal to Japan's aesthetics and charm. True enough, I've never felt so plain and under-dressed until I stepped into this place!

Just another day--cute friends lining up for USJ's Jurassic Park ride in their OOTD   

Everyday, as we make our way back to our place in Omotesando, we would pass by Takeshita Dori in Harajuku and get lost in a visual feast of trendy boutiques (that my mom won't stop referring to as "Halloween costume shops") and passersby in pattern-on-pattern, over-the-top tops (think stuffed toys for brooches), sailor skirts, heavy-bottomed platform shoes and high ruffled stockings. A hat (or big wig, or detachable rainbow-colored hair extensions, or just anything to adorn their heads, could be a strawberry shortcake or a duck or whatever) and anything cat complete the ensemble. Harajuku's one interesting place with equally interesting characters. 

Takeshita Dori's no. 2 on my Japan faves list

Kawaii!

Its side streets also offer crepe stands and restaurants serving legit katsu.  

Out of all the crepe stands that lined up Takeshita Dori, I especially liked this one
with custard and cheesecake from Marion's. The spicy tuna version's a close second.

Katsu-ing Japanese style

Sinful treats from an unnamed basement cafe in Omotesando. 

We took several shots of these cakes and asked my mom to name best photo, 

just for the heck of it. This was my entry.  

Omotesando, in itself, did not disappoint. It's a fancy area with designer lines, hair studios and cafes strewn on every corner but at the same time, the quiet community and relaxed vibe made us want to stay there a tad bit longer. While there, I got so worked up with having my hair colored purple. 

     

I could've looked like this :')

Unfortunately, everyone declined since what I wanted would require at least 3 hours and 3 rounds of bleaching, coloring and treatments and they were all fully booked. I checked their records :( Omotesando salons are so in demand, I suggest that you set an appointment early in the day to avoid getting frustrated, like me haha. I'd like to give credit, though, to the salon people who were very kind and patient when we had to resort to Google Translate to understand each other (or at least I believe we understood each other).

Talks on fashion and lifestyle would inevitably lead to Shibuya and Shinjuku, Tokyo's most popular shopping and entertainment addresses. Abandoning all strategies to blend in and not appear too touristy, I had my brother take my photo while walking along the iconic Shibuya Crossing.

I just had to :D

Hachikos and bored bystanders

I just browsed through stuff and stared at the all prettied-up, mannequin-ish sales assistants at Shibuya 109, though, as I was saving all my shopping and mall ratting energy for my second birthday stop: Bangkok.

Anyway, being the geek that I am, I just had to squeeze in a meal at Denny's in my Shinjuku itinerary and pretend to be a character out of a Haruki Murakami novel.

"It's not bad. Chicken salad and crispy toast. That's all I ever eat at Denny's."

"So why do you even bother looking at the menu?"

"Just think about it... It's like telling the world, 'I come to Denny's all the time because I love the chicken salad'.

So I always go through the motion of opening the menu and pretending I picked the chicken salad

after considering other things." - After Dark

But I didn't get the chicken salad and crispy toast. I had pancakes, sausage, bacon, eggs, salad, almond coffee++.

Bikes parked near Denny's. I've always wanted a bike with a basket.

We headed up to Tokyo Metropolitan Government Office's observatory to get a view of Tokyo but I didn't take photos since I'm not that interested with buildings and infrastructures. But I do have a photo of what I ate there.

Best pudding ever! I really wish I could bring home boxes of this to Manila!

And everything else I ate after, namely sashimi, sushi and tonkotsu ramen because what is Japan without sashimi, sushi and tonkotsu ramen? I swear I ate raw fish and noodles (and katsu in all sauces and with all fillings!) for 9 days, save for a few Mcdo and Lotteria breaks.

You order and pay for your ramen thru this machine
then eat in your own cubicle inside the resto. Moment with your ramen guaranteed.

Even hole-in-the-wall restaurants serve fresh and delicious sashimi and sushi. Speaking of hole-in-the-wall, we also went to Omoide Yokoicho, meaning "Memory Lane", for yakitori. We could've passed up on this, though. The place was so stuffy because of the smoke from all that grilling that's trapped in the really narrow alley. Plus the skewers (at least those we ordered) were undercooked, bland and overpriced. Maybe I would've had a different impression of the place if we came there at night and ordered sake. The place is known to come alive at night anyway and is not really one where you take your family to sit down and enjoy a proper, fine meal.

Thinking about it now, we did more eating than shopping in Shibuya and Shinjuku.

More than the beau monde and the general quirkiness of the place, I found that Japan's one-of-a-kind mix of natural beauty with modernism and culture is also what endears the country to foreigners like me.

On our way to see the Asakusa Temple on our second day, we came across these girls wearing their traditional kimono. My brother and I had a long debate on whether they gave us the finger in this shot

What do you think?

We actually saw a lot of women wearing their traditional clothes in the streets, train stations, practically everywhere. They might have been off to a wedding or something but still, it's like seeing Filipinas in baro't saya--which doesn't happen anymore. Not that I want it to.

Just masks that I wanted to buy coz they reminded me so much of my parents haha 

Then we cruised the Sumida River to get to Hama Rikyu Garden that's near the train that took us to Odaiba. Besides the Gundam in DiverCity, I was overwhelmed with the grandness of Rainbow Bridge. I'm such a sucker for city lights and the peace you get just by watching it.

I wish I can just sleep and look adorbs like this fat cat at Hama Rikyu Garden 

This.

The next day, we went to Meiji-jingu Shrine and were lucky enough to witness a traditional wedding ceremony.

A long procession

Kids :)

The wedding car

The chauffeur invited me to check out the interiors of the car but my brother, who was my official photographer, wouldn't come in. It was only later on that I found out that he was worried that it was a pre-marriage ritual in Japan and it, in his terms, would be a "nightmare" for him to accidentally get married to me. That b*!

We saw these barrels of sake on our way out. It's interesting for me to know that these have history and weren't just piled up in one place so tourists can take touristy photos. Apparently, the Meiji period's a time for enlightenment for Japan. It was then that they started adopting Western culture and civilization. These barrels somehow symbolized the traditions that they will always keep while at the opposite side (without photo) were barrels of wine from France which they accepted, consecrated and from then on symbolized their friendship.

   

Almost but not quite autumn in Japan. Pretty, nonetheless.

For the love of Harry Potter, we left Tokyo after 4 days and took the shinkansen to Osaka where Universal Studios Japan is. Our tickets came with free one-day Osaka pass but I didn't really get to maximize it since there wasn't much that I fancied there. I couldn't wait to go to USJ. Plus there was a bit of family drama while we were in Shinsaibashi *hint: people getting mad at people who forgot about the meeting place because they were so absorbed with shopping* haha. I took a few photos in nearby Dotonbori, anyway. Because everyone was taking photos. And bright lights and iconic Osaka billboards.

Famous Glico man after sex change

King Crab

Another touristy shot because why not

Finally, we've reached the USJ part of the story!

We got up extra early the next day and got to USJ at 9am-ish. Still, we got 4pm timed entry tickets to Harry Potter! We killed time... by falling in line for other rides.

Meanwhile, shark ate chicks

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter was worth the effort and the lull time. I won't say more, just that you have to go straight to the castle and save the picture-taking for later. The line for The Forbidden Journey is insane and deceiving. You would think that you're so near the main thing but actually, you're so far. Very far. You would have to go through the forest then up to Professor Sprout's Herbology class then back to the forest before you get inside the castle. That's prolly around 2 hours waiting time.      

I wish you can really ride the train and there's really a platform 9 and 3/4

Again, line. Super long line for 2 frozen butterbeers

Faux snow

Our Hogwarts friends

To cap off our Japan trip, we went to see Nara, which my mom first visited over 30 years ago, back when her tiny body could still fit inside the small hole that you have to pass through in the Daibutsuden Hall of the Todaiji Temple. It is believed that doing so would bring you good luck in your next life. Too bad I wasn't able to try it! A lot of kids on field trip were in line at that time. So I got myself a fortune-telling paper strip instead. 

My fortune says I'm a born winner :)

Me, in front of the Todaiji Temple

Still me, with a deer

A deer wearing its heart on its horns

Details on the Bangkok leg of my birthday trip next. :)