Peace Memorial Museum

March 4, 2017

This is a place I simply passed through – I came in at 5:30pm because I missed the bus going here from Okinawa world, and I decided to just walk the two hour path. Based on google maps, I should have gotten here around 5pm, but I walk far too slowly.

The place is pretty peaceful regardless, with plenty of space should you want to pass time playing on the ground or just sitting in the grass.

How to Get There

Very few buses pass here – none of which comes straight from Naha. So you either:

1. Take bus 89 and go to Itomori terminal OR
2. Take bus 83 and go to Gyokusendo (Okinawa World)

At which point, you can go take bus 82 to the museum’s entrance.

OR

You can be like me and walk two hours from Okinawa World to here.

So since I got here far too late, and the last bus coming in around 6pm based on my estimate, I had to find the next bus stop really soon. All my gadgets are out of juice, so getting on the right bus was really critical. Unfortunately, google maps does not show the bus route, so I have to figure out my way on my own. Given this rush, I had to play the game “find the bus stop”.

Let’s Play a Game: Find the Bus Stop. I usually use the satellite view so I can see the actual place (from the top of course), particularly for the stops that aren’t integrated with google maps yet.

Now, this one has a spoiler alert to it. I’ve already encircled and erased the original picture, sorry.

Thankfully there’s a map near the parking lot. With the actual map in the park and google maps’ satellite view, I was able to locate the bus stop, and get there. Didn’t make it on time though. 😦

Hunt for Falls: Snowy Edition

December 31, 2017

To close my Nikko trip, I went up north to just walk around. While looking at the map, I saw that there’s Yudaki falls and Ryuzu falls near each other, so I decided to stop at Yudaki and walk to Ryuzu.

Yudaki was pretty impressive. The falls was really, really high.

To walk to Ryuzu falls, I have to enter this. It says there are dangers in the path. Honestly, this scared me a little bit!

But onward I must go!

The path was really pretty – snow DOES make things look magical.

Let’s walk some more….

Walk a bit more… (oh, people are actually in some picnic spots!)

Keep on walking!

After around an hour, I’m almost out of the mountain area so the snow thins.

A little bit more and bye bye snow. 😦

The swampland (?)

I’m quite sure that this is not Ryuzu falls. But I’ve been walking all over the place for two hours, and it’s COLD (-2c)! I’m a Filipina who has never even touched snow. So I’m happy with this. 😉

Tipu Sultan’s Summer Palace

February ~15, 2017

One small place that you should visit a guide, Tipu Sultan’s Summer Palace is so rich in its history you will be missing out so much if you just go to look at it.

This is the Sultan’s view while he listens to his people.

On the right of the palace are these structures.

As they didn’t have paint then, they put cloth (like a canvas) on ceilings, and to get the color gold on the design, they put… gold on it.

There’s a meaning to these statues. Sorry, I forgot. 😦

Right in the middle is where the Sultan sits, and on the veranda on his left and right (where we are standing), are his concubines, if I remember correctly.

These pillars have been standing for hundreds of years. And they are made of wood. Impressive, eh?

One Piece Tower

January 14, 2017

It seems that Japan has a themepark for everything. Hey, I’m not complaining. Imagine my surprise when I was just scanning japanican when I saw the One Piece themepark in Tokyo? Of course I scheduled a trip within the week!

It’s around JPY2,000 for the day, and it’s located right at Tokyo Tower. I mean it. Look for Tokyo Tower and go inside. It’s right inside. Unfortunately, this might be seasonal. So don’t expect it to be there forever.

Hello, One Piece!

We started off with the cafe. We didn’t realize there’s a restaurant right next to it so we settled with the One Piece themed snacks and drinks for lunch.

This was Chopper’s something. Honestly? The food wasn’t good… it’s really the ambience you’re after.

Our first game! It’s a very simple one – you bet on a race. And well, most loses. As expected of Nami-san!

One of the rides has the “inside” of the ship. Of course I took a peek at all closets! Only the girls had their clothes in the closet though. I was hoping to see Zoro’s. Tsk tsk

My favorite game! You use Wii (I think) and attack like Zoro! (but only with one sword!!!)

Come on, Hawkeye. Far too strong!

Obviously I’m a big fan of Zoro!

AND Ace! Oh, Ace. T.T

Will I get the power of this devil fruit? Nah, I think this is one of the fake ones. Shame, SMILE!

If only having real abs is as easy as drawing them…

My FAVORITE PART! THE LIVE SHOW! Honestly, I don’t know how they got the perfect characters! Nami with the big boobs, Robin with the unrealistically small waist, dorky Luffy, and… well, the others weren’t as prominently acted out…

 

 

 

Hokkaido Ice Cream

February 10, 2017

Hokkaido is pretty famous for its milk. So I figured if their milk is special, their ice cream must be to. The fact that it’s freezing outside with the ground colder than ice cream DOES NOT factor in.

See, in the peak of winter and they sell it! Of course the tourists will buy that ice cream!

Nomnomnom

 

Sapporo Snow Festival – Odori Site

February 9, 2017

Every early February, Sapporo celebrates the Snow Festival with snow sculptures and lights. It all started oh so many years ago when a couple of students created snow sculptures. This then got the ball rolling into what is now one of the most famous festivals in Japan.

So. There are three sites for the festival:

1. Odori site – where the snow sculptures are, the light festival, etc.
2. Susukino site – where the ice sculptures are
3. Tsudome site – where the snow activities are

Visit Odori site during the night (open until 10pm), Susukino and Tsudome during the day.

Now, after seeing these videos, the pictures will be so boring. But still, I find them adorable.

No, this is not part of the exhibits. This is just one of those created by the stalls. But it’s cute, ain’t it?

Oh, so many PPAP! There was even one with his face! His face which is the size of a small house!

My favorite. I love the well defined face, the trees inside, and the meaning I took of it.

They maintain the snow sculptures on a daily. That’s a lot of work (and consider how cold it is!)

Rawr!

The dragon in Super Mario!

I don’t know her, but she was really cute.

Muay Thai sculpture. goodness, ho did they do that? Like the arm – that has to be difficult to do.

Hihi. The end!

Gundam’s Illumination

~January 2017

I was on the hunt for Japan’s Winter Illumination spots and I’m ashamed to say that I almost missed the one for Gundam! I was walking home one day when I realized it. Sorry Gundam!