东京三夜 - Asakusa (浅草)

Tokyo Sky Tree - Towering high into the sky at 634m. Almost twice as high as Tokyo Tower, and the second tallest structure in the world. Will be opened to public next May. I would definitely want to visit this!

Wedding in traditional costumes

Entering temple grounds

Sensoji 浅草寺. Oldest temple in Tokyo.

Japanese are not very religious actually. They don't visit temples or shrines on a regular basis. Asking them their religion is like asking a Singaporean Chinese whether he/she is a Buddhist or Taoist.

China pavilion?

Feels like I'm in China lol.

Street in front of the temple grounds with rows of stalls selling expensive souvenirs. Souvenirs in Japan are expensive everywhere so it doesn't matter actually.

The famous Kaminarimon (Thunder Gate), often seen in Japan's tourism publicity. I was interviewed by Japan's Broadcasting Company NHK here. The interviewer (sounds like from China) was surprised that Singaporeans could speak Mandarin "so well". I still hope I could watch my interview one day.

Ladies' carriage. Should SG trains implement this too?

North Sea Road Chapter 10 - Toya （洞爺）

Toya is famous for its beautiful lake, with a little island in the middle.

At night, fireworks can be seen at Lake Toya (for visitors staying at the hot spring resort).

No $$$ (I mean ¥¥¥) to take the cruise to the island.

It would be so nice to jog around this lake.

A young volcano lava dome still actively growing. 昭和新山. As the name suggests, it began to form during the Showa period (around WW2 years).

Up up up the ropeway!

We're at the top on Mount Usu (有珠山), but we still have to ascend the steps to the topmost observatory area.

I feel like I'm at the top of the world!

沧海桑田

Wow...what's that ultra-tall mountain protruding out of the clouds?

As this is a live volcano, there are smoke/steam ejecting from several spots.

The caldera. No one knows when it will next erupt.

View of 昭和新山. As you can see, the dome is still very small.

Mother Nature

Argh...I missed a chance to take a good photo. (The ticket office had already closed)

Actually from the Toya train station, we had to take a bus to Lake Toya, followed by another bus to Mount Usu (for the ropeway). However we took the last bus for the latter journey, and there was no way back. There were no taxis around too (imagine being stuck in some place many times more ulu than Lim Chu Kang). We were about to walk all the way back to Lake Toya (takes around an hour), when we met a really really helpful Japanese who offered to drive us back. Not sure if hitching a ride is common in Japan, but I'm really thankful for his kind assistance.

Rather than just sending us back to Lake Toya, he also brought us to other places of attraction around the area, inaccessible by public transport. He even went further to bring us back to Toya train station so we don't have to take another bus from Lake Toya to Toya station.

I just wanna say 'Arigato gozaimashita!' (Thank you very much!)

Glad to end this Hokkaido trip with such a friendly encounter. This is precisely why I feel like returning to Japan again and again. The attitude of the locals really makes a big difference to a tourist's experience.

And now, back to Tokyo!

North Sea Road Chapter 9 - Sounkyo （層雲峡）

Some facts about Hokkaido:
- Its size is close to that of South Korea, more than twice of Taiwan, about 100 times that of SG.
- Its population is comparable to that of SG (only 10% difference).
- It has the least population density among the other prefectures in Japan.
- During winter, drifting ice can be seen at the northern sea.


A visit to another hot spring resort. Unlike its name, the place is not really shrouded within the cloud layers.

I wish I've a car to access these scenic sites easily.

Finally reached, after taking an almost empty bus for the nth time in this trip.

The place was eerily tranquil and quiet. There were hardly anyone in sight when we explored around.

远离尘嚣

No more bus! Walked about 3km for 45min to reach our next destination. The beautiful greenery, mountains and rivers were motivations to keep us walking.

A spider came out when we turned on the tap! Eeek!

One of the two famous waterfalls in this gorge. Just like sheets of cloth.

It would be scary if it moves...

Climbed up this treacherous woods to view both waterfalls side by side from the top. It's really really steep! Pant...pant...

Galaxy （銀河） & Meteor （流星）.

Interactive display of the Daisetsuzan National Park in the visitor centre.

The best icecap view I can capture of Daisetsuzan （大雪山）. Can't imagine how spectacular it will be during winter.

Got bear around here...eeek!

Lake surrounded by mountains

Peaceful

Before leaving the resort, we soaked ourselves in a hot spring. Felt refreshed for a while...before becoming sleepy after that...zzz.

North Sea Road Chapter 8 - Biei （美瑛）

Before we proceeded to Biei, we visited a cheese factory in Furano. Other than its lavender farms and rainbow fields, Furano is also well-known for its cheese and wine factories, as well as sweets and pastry shops. Not very interested in wine, so chose to visit the cheese factory instead. Actually Sapporo is famous for its beer too, but we were not very keen in visiting the brewery haha.

Other than cheese, the factory manufactures dairy products like milk and ice-cream. There were a lot of unique ice-cream flavors available but we had spent enough on snacks that day...

Don't say those residue coming out is what goes into our mouth...

Cow sitting on a cow. Hah!

How cute...mini orchestra figures made of...wood?

Kids learning to milk the cow. Probably going to be their future job...

Cheese around the world! I love certain kinds of cheese (melted ones found in bread and pizza), neutral towards some (hard, block-ish type) and totally hate the extreme ones (eg. blue cheese, rotten-tasting ones).

The best ice-cream cheese cake I've tasted! It's really really delicious! Sweet and melts in your mouth, and has a crispy layer underneath Too bad I can't buy them home.

You all might be getting bored of seeing such photos, but it's really really pretty if you see the real thing with your own eyes.

山明水秀

Just love those rolling hills.

This Biei Station is said to be special because it is made of stone.

Biei is famous for its rolling hills and patchwork fields. However to view all these, private transport is necessary to get around the area. For us, the only way is to rent a bicycle. It's not really possible to walk unless you've tons of time. Having learnt how to ride a bike only 5 years ago, and being able to count the total number of times I've ridden with my fingers, it was bold move to ride a bicycle in a strange land, with the presence of cars and pedestrians too.

But luckily, the roads were really empty. We hardly met any cars. Pedestrians were few too. Could really cycle with ease. The only tough part was ascending the hilly terrain. But what goes up must come down. There was one part where I sped down the slope, enjoying the breeze blowing across my face, and witnessing the breathtaking scenery spreading in front of my eyes. It was really an unforgettable experience.

Reminds me of my previous blog template (if you guys still remember, the 夕阳 one).

Look at the spectacular patchwork (brightly-colored fields) and beyond.

Proud to have cycled through this marvelous scenery.

The silhouette of the mountains is pure amazing.

This is one of the rare times of the day you can look at the sun directly. Its edge appears very sharp and distinct. However it only last for a few seconds. Within a minute, the entire sun sets below the mountain horizon.

夕阳西下

It was a pity we reached Biei pretty late and there wasn't much time to explore the other stunning sights that this town provides. Nature lovers can spend an entire day wandering around Biei.