本州物語 第8章－神戸

The BEST cream puff I've ever tasted! The outer crust is crispy and the filling is so soft and creamy. Look at how the cream is oozing out!

A busy shopping street in the heart of Kobe.

The well-known delicacy of Kobe. About 40 SGD for this 120g Kobe beef steak set meal. Considered very reasonable already.

Imagine how much it will cost to catch the entire comic series!

Wow camera...so tempting. They also displayed several photos to show that there are indeed people who succeeded in catching the camera.

Kobe's Chinatown. I walked from 西安 to 长安!

Wanted to try this, but feared that it might not taste like what I expect..

Wahhh...all these buns look more tempting and appetizing than their China counterparts haha. And what's with that little piggy haha...

Koreans visiting Chinatown in Japan...hmm. Koreans really live up to their kpop popularity...even break time also want to dance lol.

Kobe Earthquake Memorial Park. In 1995, Kobe was struck by a catastrophic earthquake which killed thousands and destroyed much of the harbour city.

Kobe Harbour. This flyover reminds me of the collapsed highway during the earthquake.

Collapse of Hanshin Expressway in Kobe, 1995.

Woah...what a huge fish. Fish & Co can try to learn from this too haha.

Shaped like a ship =)

All aboard! Ready to set sail! This hotel, which resembles a luxury liner, is the biggest floating hotel in the world that occasionally sails around the Kobe harbour waters.

Ok I'm just kidding...the hotel is rooted onto the ground. It was 3pm and we still haven't had a proper lunch, so we took a break under this artistic structure.

Street Oddities 1: Can I hitch a ride in your shoe please?

Street Oddities 2: Haha so cute. This kid might grow up to be a bike racer...

Stopped by this little cozy restaurant for our late lunch. This place is run by only one 70+ year-old lady. Initiated a conversation with her and knew that she used to own a bigger restaurant with more employees long ago, until the fateful earthquake destroyed it. Since then she has been running this place alone, with occasional helpers during busy periods. When we left, she thanked us with her warm hands and bid us farewell like to her grandchildren. Was quite touched by her warmth and hospitality. =)

Took the cable car up Mount Rokko. Their definition of 'cable-car' is different from what Sgeans expect.

It's so cozy here that swallows have decided to make the ceiling their home. The umbrella is to protect people below from their droppings haha.

This cable car only has a single track linking from the foot to the peak. To cater for both directions, the cars from each direction have to cross each other only via this split track. This means timing and coordination is very important - both cars have to arrive at this split at the same time, as shown in this photo.

Mount Rokko overlooks Kobe city, as well as the bay beyond.

Waiting for the sky to turn dark... Very very cold!!

I love to overlook such night citylights. It shows that the place is still very much alive amidst the darkness.

The city lights stretches across the bay. Osaka is at the opposite end. You can even see Kansai Airport faintly at the far right.

This is the true high class Kobe beef. About 140 SGD for 150g sirloin!!! In the end we left Kobe without trying their beef. Oh well...next time when we are richer...

本州物語 第7章－姫路城

Yet another mascot of Himeji Castle to display the Japanese love for mascots.

The first thing you see before you enter the castle grounds - the moat.

Himeji Castle is currently undergoing restoration works, until 2015.

A pity that we couldn't appreciate the full beauty of this castle. It is said to be the most beautiful castle in Japan.

Though the main castle is out of sight, the other uncovered towers are still pretty nevertheless.

This place is much more quiet than Osaka Castle, due to the restoration I guess.

Woah, even the restoration works can be made into an attraction/exhibition by itself. It gives an insight of the castle structure, materials of construction and how the works are being carried out.

A glimpse of the restoration works.

Remind me of the 宫女-catching-butterflies scene. 

Another shot of an elderly couple taking a break.

Taken from the nearby turret

Like this kind of traditional hallway =)

A traditional card game perhaps?

Meditating samurai

That main road at the top right is where we walked in from. The castle boundaries used to extend all the way beyond.

The view from the top is more beautiful than I expected. You can get a bird's eye view of the castle compound - the winding walls and paths stuffed with greenery and ponds.

Beyond the castle walls there is a sea of houses with little 'island hills' protruding out. So cute haha.

本州物語 第6章－奈良：東大寺、興福寺

Like Kyoto, Nara used to be a capital of Japan, and preserves many traditional temples and shrines as well. The most special thing about Nara city is that there are many free roaming deer on the streets - yup totally free to wander around like stray dogs and cats, without any supervision. This means passers-by can also touch, feed and play around with them too! But this comes with a little price - the paths and grass are littered with beads of shit everywhere. You have to watch where you are stepping. Better to walk on concrete paths where the shits are more visible.

Mascot of Nara. Doesn't appeal to me though.

Kofukuji Temple. There was intermittent rain on that day...not the best time to tour outdoors.

People usually visit Nara for these two 'things'.

I can't remember which side initiated this phototaking. There were lots of times when we wanted to take pictures with the cute little Japanese kids, but felt shy to approach them lol.

你在偷拍我吗？

Sorry dear deer, I have nothing on my hands...just posing for a shot haha.

"Don't molest me while I'm drinking" =(

Special moves by the deer. They can join Street Fighter liao.

Hope the deer are intelligent enough not to roam on the roads. However there are still many cases of deer being knocked down by cars in Nara.

National Museum of Nara. Didn't visit due to time and cash constraints.

"I also want to visit the museum, cannot meh?"

Cool basin! Water, soap and blow...all in one panel!

与鹿漫步. There is a reason why there are so many deer roaming around this shopping street...

This guy is buying crackers to feed the deer, but it looks like the deer are getting very impatient...

The moment you get hold of the crackers, all the deer will swarm towards you haha. Can be pretty intimidating...

Let's take some close-ups while we can. =)

These deer are obedient enough not to enter the temple.

Wow! Todaiji Temple is huge! The biggest wooden temple I've ever seen.

Hordes of students on excursions, like in Kyoto.

Todaiji has to be huge in order to house this large Buddha statue. Learnt from a Japanese module that the construction of this temple in the 8th century left the country bankrupt -__-

Side views of the Buddha. (Reference its size with the people below)

No idea what this 'tunnel' is for. Heard that this is the actual size of the nose on the Buddha statue. So huge ah?

EEEEEKS!!!

Lol...even the Buddha has capsule toys and figurines. Uniquely Japanese...

BEST omelette rice I've ever eaten! The portion is huge too!

The more traditional and less saucy omurice. But still delicious nevertheless.