Thoughts for the day

Some of us have high human interaction daily while others hardly has any at all.

Its important that should another person cross our path even for just one day. At least make you the highlight of that person day even if its just one day. There's always a first time and a last time. Make the encounter last.

Maximize the impact of good things. Miminize the impact of negative things.

Smile , Humor & Creativity. Some ingredients of making a memorial encounter.

The simplier things in life is, the happyier you can be.

Japan - Kyoto 1 Day Tour

It’s been awhile since I carry on with my blogging of my Japan trip. But the memory is still fresh when I look back at the photos I taken. As the saying goes, pictures are worth a thousand words. Enough of Osaka for now and I hop over to a day trip I had in Kyoto. Kyoto like animations I watch evolving samurai’s era is a place of worship. In Kyoto itself according to the tour guild there are over 1000 temple or 2000. (The figure slip me, but its many many to be able to finish in 1 shot.)

The temple I visit on Kyoto often have big court yard. Clean and neat, spacious with a sense of tranquillity. The name of temple if I make a direct translation would be “temple of the thirty three.”





The rows of white paper at the bottom left are actually ‘predictions’ which is bad in luck and thus devotees tied the paper to the rope for better bless where as if the ‘prediction’ paper you got its good. You keep it!

After the first temple visit, we stop by a restaurant with a nice garden for lunch. Shoes has to be taken off though.











The food display is definately exclusive in my view but its a tad too fine lunching for me that I felt hungry after finishing the set. After the lunch with some time left to spare. we went about to explore the restaurant and found a big garden back yard.






Thats about all for one post~ 

Japan - Osaka Places of Interest

Places of interest that I visit in Osaka is limited due to time constrain. First on the list is Osaka Castle which is located at Subway station Morinomiya, where we have to walk across a nice big park to reach the castle.







Its a relative cool and long walk from the train station to osaka castle. Took me about 15 - 20mins of slow walking. Like all castle, there is a outer perimeter and like most shrine I have visited in Japan, there always a well for 'cleansing' at its entrance. (Not recommended for drinking thought pointed out by a friendly local)

The castle is quite prominent from far and the entrance fee is 600 yen per adult.

There’s a total of 4 or 5 level with the highest being able to have a view around the castle. In the lower floors are videos and arts works playing out the epic history of Osaka Castle. No camera are allow on the higher floors inside the building thus picture of samurai areas are lacking. Its take about 2 – 4h depending on how much you like to learn about the castle to finish a tour.



At the top of the roof and the 4 corners are a mystical creature with the head of the tiger and the body of a fish which is say to ward off evil and bring luck. I wasn’t paying attention then to remember more.

Another place of interest which we visiting is the Umeda Tower ( Floating Garden Observatory ) which is 700 yen per adult open from 10am to 10pm. We were late for the night view and thus ending up going back in the day. The view would have been much wonderful at night I believe. It give a 360 degree view of Osaka and its freezing up there at 11 in the morning. Even Osaka castle can be view from the Umeda Tower.

The Tower is like a spaceship saucer-like dome located at the top of 2 standing building. Access is via entrance on the 4 floor and up a lift follow by a long flight of escalator.

Short Trip to Japan. Part 2

After 3 hours, I reach my first hotel which is ANA Crowne Plaza (1-3-1 Dojimahama, Kita –Ku Osaka. www.anacrowneplaza-osaka.jp) which is located near Yodoyabashi Subway station.


Apparently Yodoyabashi is more like a working area and thus not much area to explore. We took the subway to Namba which is like the shopping center of Osaka similar to Singapore Orchard Road. Only bigger.

The space between building are shelter up and rental out to shop selling food, fashion to slots machines giving the area endless shopping area at every turn and corner.

Over in this area, I have my 2nd Lunch of stir fried slice pork with rice, soup and salad at a place call song wu, which is specialize for their beef. It cost about 550 yen to 780 yen a meal base on the portion and meat type (beef or pork). (This is 1 of the standard meal I end up having over travelling days as its TASTY, Value for yen and most definately FILLING for the stomach)

After the meal, we went to visit the electronic town of Osaka call ‘Den Den Town’ where all the electronic stuff are gathered. 1st hand, 2nd hard of hardware to toys where even old album recorded in gigantic black ‘CDs’ can be found.

Here are where companies like Softmap ( electronics ) and Joshin ( toys and figurines ) are found every few block away. (www.joshin.co.jp ) The weather drops drastically when its dark which is about 5pm and cold breeze at night send me hiding behind building and entering shops to keep warm. (Air conditioning in shops actually blows out warm air) So if you are traveling to japan during winter. Its still cold even if there's no snow!

A Short Trip in Japan. Part 1

Recently, I made a short trip to Japan as part of my company incentive. Period of my travel was from 06 Jan 09 to 12 Jan 09.

The flight I took landed on Nagoya airport is located beside the open sea. Talk about stow away making a run for the plan. For Singapore to Japan, the flight time is about 7 hour and the first impression I have upon alighting the plan and waiting to hop on the bus to the airport lobby is ‘Cold’.




Temperature is under 10 deg and the occasional wind make it all the colder. Checking in and out was a breeze and the airport is clean and spacious like others I visit.

After checking out, we were to take a 3hr coach to Osaka where the hotel is.
Nagoya strike me of as a smaller town with dotted farm land and high tech factory found all together. The building and houses are located sparsely apart, giving it a open non clustered feel.





I was told that Nagoya consist of several island and thus there’s lots of bridges the coach was driving across. View is great to a urban concrete dweller like me with the blue sea at the near distance.

During the bus journey, we had a ‘pit stop’ like from Singapore to Genting, where I have a early lunch over a bowl of ramee. Jap Noodles. Its a simple dish which I bought over the vending machine.




There’s no waiter/ waitress to take order so its insert notes / coins into the vending machine and press what you want. The order is then transmitted wireless to the kitchen which will shout out our order once it’s ready. A bowl of ramee range from 500 yen to 700 yen.