东京七夜 - Odaiba (お台場)

Ok I saved my best for the last. Odaiba is a relatively new man-made island in Tokyo Bay. It provides a different atmosphere from the typical narrow, crowded streets of Tokyo. It is connected to Tokyo city centre by the Rainbow Bridge. (Rainbow Bridge is so called because of its colourful illuminations at night)

Yup, I teleported here. =)

Greeted by the ferris wheel the moment I stepped out of the station.

Wah I like this bridge! So slick.

Nice view of the sunset and the Rainbow Bridge, facing metropolitan Tokyo.

From what I heard, such beaches are not common in urban Tokyo, despite being a coastal city.

Rainbow Mall?

Merchandise for manga lovers. 'Jump' is the name of a weekly manga magazine that publishes lots of popular manga like 'One-piece' and 'Bleach'.

I wanted to go in front to take a better shot of the Rainbow Bridge but there were so many couples sitting there...very paiseh.

Did I teleport to America? Don't ask me why there is such a replica in Japan.

For those who can't afford to visit New York...

I like how the pathways are so wide and spacious in Odaiba.

Sky Tree is not even opened yet, but there is already a dedicated merchandise store. They really know how to milk $$ from consumers.

Proud to have visited/seen 5 out of these 10 towers. =)

Fuji TV headquarters. If you're lucky you can spot big stars and celebrities here haha.

I want to ride the pirate ship!

Why is this sooo familiar...lol

Stumbled into a motorcar showroom.

Ghibli goods for sale!

Kawaiian Festival...lol. The whole store is so pinkish *shivers*.

Hello Kitty fans will go crazy in this Kawaii Paradise.

Tried this Bakudan-yaki. Bakudan means 'bomb' haha. It's like an enlarged takoyaki and it looks like a bomb.

Bye bye Odaiba. Bye ferris wheel.

Odaiba is easily my favourite place in Tokyo. The streets are wide and less crowded. It is not as cramped and claustrophobic as the city centre. Furthermore the buildings have a futuristic architecture, and the air and scenery is refreshing. Glad to have visited Odaiba, although the duration was short.

That ends my '1-week' Tokyo journey. Off to the next destination! =)

东京六夜 - Imperial Park

This is the best I can get out of the Imperial Palace, which is out-of-bounds except during special occasions.

What a clumsy translation!

Green space in the middle of the urban landscape. Reminds me of the old Marina Bay.

Nice place to jog while enjoying the greenery and architecture.

The leaves of this tree look so fake haha. Looks like some spiky moss ball.

Diet Building. Japan's Parliament House.

Yasukuni Shrine (靖国神社). In tribute to soldiers who lost their lives during WWII. Has attracted lots of political controversy, especially when political figures like Prime Minister visits the shrine. 

First time seeing a kopitiam-style eatery in Japan.

Sad to say, the food wasn't fantastic at all. The okonomiyaki was so-so and their 'ice kachang' was soooo plain. Just ice and syrup. Not cheap either...felt ripped off. Looks like going to their restaurants is more worth it.

Was pleasantly surprised to come across this festival street while strolling around town. Ate a lot of goodies hehe.

Meiji Shrine. It's a long way in so I only took the entrance.

Japan is also experiencing a strong Korean wave. Who are these guys anyway??

Statue of a loyal dog, Hachiko. The most famous dog in Japan.

The most interesting arcade game I've come across. You can relieve your stress by slamming and flipping the 'table' in front, under a variety of frustrating situations.

Let's watch how the game is actually played...

Frustrated with your family? Try this...




The replay is so dramatic, they even have karaoke haha. You score more when you cause more cash damage.

Frustrated with your bosses and colleagues? Try this...




Frustrated that the groom goes missing during a wedding? Go on a destructive mode...




This game provides more table-flipping situations such as:
- Teacher flipping the desk onto the mischievous students in the classroom.
- Fast-food waiter flipping the counter onto the unreasonable customers.
- Pastor flipping the coffin onto the weeping relatives during a funeral.

Too bad it's exclusive to Japan only haha.

东京五夜 - Tokyo Disneyland

Went to Tsukiji Market in the morning. This is the biggest wholesale fish and seafood market in the world, and many tourists come to visit the auctions of giant and rare fishes. There are many sushi outlets here, selling fresh produce.

Tried the tamagoyaki (Japanese egg omelette). Oishiii (delicious)!

Welcome to the world of dreams, magic and imagination!

You can already feel the thrill and excitement from the pathway leading to the entrance.

The most beautiful monorail station I've ever seen haha.

This mickey-windowed monorail takes you around the Disneyland resorts (including DisneySEA).

Even the buses cannot escape from the famous icon...

Disney merchandise store! No prize in guessing whether I bought anything or not.

A castle-themed hotel! Frankly speaking, it looks like HDB flats with castle roofs... SG may consider such flat design haha.

From the front, now it looks like some royal residence of the Arab prince...

Gold-plated water cooler that dispenses diamond water.

Main entrance. This is as far as I can proceed without a ticket. =( The Disney Castle can be seen at a distance, but I couldn't get a better shot of it. Although I didn't enter the premises, I could already feel the atmosphere of joy at the outside, with the familiar music playing in the air, and looking at kids wearing disguise hats and headbands.

All these are caught from the UFO catcher! I don't have such a skill to catch all these of course.

东京四夜 - Tokyo Tower (東京タワー)

在东京铁塔   第一次眺望

看灯火模仿   坠落的星光

                                                 --- 梁静茹 《会呼吸的痛》

As usual, I need to satisfy my cravings for tall structures and observatory decks.

The tip became bent during the 311 earthquake but it was fixed I guess.

The 634m tall Sky Tree can be seen at a distance, sticking out like a...sore thumb haha.

Somehow it became misty as the sun set. Or is this a sign of pollution?

Tokyo Bay. And the Rainbow Bridge (top right).

I love watching this kind of sunset. =)

Star-shaped road junction. And a UFO hovers in the sky...

Night falls. Nice twilight colour.

Can't believe I spent almost 4 hours at the tower.

Went to gai-gai after that. Unless I'm trying to kill time, I don't usually have the mood to window shop overseas, though I must agree that Japanese packaging is really really attractive.

I want Mister Donut, not Kebab. (I want Kebab from Europe...)

Ok this is a 'smart' vending machine. When you stand in front of the screen, it scans your facial features and recommends the drinks that you may like. Generally it tends to recommend sweeter drinks for girls, energy drinks for guys. I stood in front and guess what it recommended? Mineral water haha...so clever. *pats machine*. Too bad I don't buy water from vending machines...I drink tap water instead =p