How I Spent Spring 2017 in JAPAN

I'm back at my favorite country! Spent three weeks in Japan visiting multiple cities:

Yokohama, Tokyo, Suwa, Matsumoto

Highlights of my trip:
-Coldplay concert in Tokyo Dome City
-family time at Matsumoto Castle
-Ramen Museum and Red Brick Building in Yokohama
-Ichiran Ramen, Yakitori Alley, and more pigout sessions in Tokyo w/ friends
-exploring Yokohama w/ my Japan-based friend, Cheny
-pre-birthday celebration in Disneyland
-sakura aka cherry blossoms everywhere!!!

It's one of my most relaxing and rewarding trips in Japan. I love travelling alone and visiting family and friends. It's really therapeutic! 

Anyway, here's a short video of my trip:

Cherry Blossoms at their Best

The blooming of cherry blossoms ("sakura" in Japanese) signals the transition of the season from winter to spring. The Japanese people celebrate this by doing "hanami" or having picnics/gatherings under sakura trees. 

Sakura blooms earlier in Tokyo and other warmer cities, while in Suwa (our area) which is surrounded by mountains, they bloom later 'cause of the colder weather. If the cherry blossoms bloom on the first week of April in Tokyo, they bloom between the 3rd to last week of April in the provinces. However, these cherry blossoms only stay for a week or two 'cause they fall once the weather becomes hotter. So your really need to be on perfect timing to catch them in full bloom.

At the playground of our neighborhood, there were lots of Sakura trees. So before grocery shopping, we dropped by the playground for some photo ops! haha!

Tokyo Weekend: Disney Sea, Shinjuku, Harajuku

My friend since high school and her family visited Tokyo for their Holy Week vacation, from April 5-9. And because I was so excited to go around Tokyo with my friend, Joyce, I took a 3-hr bus ride worth 2,700 yen from our place (Suwa City) to Tokyo City, at around 5 am of April 7th. Thanks to my cousin for driving me to the bus stop.

the view at the express way

I met with my Japanese uncle at Shinjuku bus station and he accompanied me to Keio Plaza Hotel where my friend was staying. Then we took a fee bus ride from the hotel to Disney Resort for a fun day in Disney Sea. The 1-Day Passport cost me 6,200 yen. Then meals at a total of 3000 yen.

 the sun's shining bright but the weather's freakin' cold

Polaroid photo before my 1st rollercoaster ride which was disappointing due to the small loop!:))

We took a lot of rides. We only got one Fast Pass at 11m which we were able to use by 6pm. There were lots of guests. But since we really wanted to ride all that we can, it took us a lot of patience to line up to multiple attractions for an average of 45mins per ride.

 it just looked so real!

 Joyce and her sister Adette

 Aladdin

Agrabah

outside Agrabah

 lunch at Port Area

 Disney Sea Electric Railway

I really enjoyed the Tower of Terror, the Journey to the Center of the Earth, and the Indiana Jones. As the sun was going down, the temperature kept dropping as well. It was freaking cold! At around 8pm, we watched the Magical Light Show on the water. It seemed better than that of Disneyland's light/fireworks show.

Tower of Terror

our funny photo inside haha

funny photo inside Indiana Jones

 magical light show (i wish i could post the video but the file's so heavy

 Mickey cape with uhm...mittens? lol

 Disney Resort bus

After a long day, we were dead tired but happy. We got some good rest at the hotel.

The next day, we had a breakfast buffet at one of the hotel restaurants. Then we headed to the Shinjuku Chuo Park which was a few meters away from the hotel. We had a nice (yet cold) walk to the park where we took photos with the cherry blossoms or "sakura".

vanity at the hotel

done with breakfast

walking to the Shinjuku Chuo Park

 Shinjuku Chuo Park

"sakura" aka cherry blossoms

peg: Korean Drama lol

more flowers!

 Joyce' failed attempt lol

 so picturesque!

 heading back to Keio Plaza Hotel

We headed back to the hotel to meet her family then we all walked to the Shinjuku Train Station. We took the JR Yamanote Line going to Harajuku, which was just 2 stations away. I wasn't able to do a lot in Harajuku because I had to rush back to the Shinjuku bus station for my bus back home at 2:40 pm. I just joined Joyce' family for lunch at Wolfgang Puck resto in Harajuku then I took the train back to Shinjuku. I was literally running back to the hotel to get my stuff at the lobby before heading to the bus station. Thanks for my buzzer beater arrival at the station 'cause I arrived the same time the bus did! Whew! Good thing I already bought ticket (worth 2500 yen) the previous day so I headed directly to the line of passengers boarding the bus. Besides the bus ticket, other things came in free. Thanks to Joyce' parents!

Track #14 is headed to Harajuku:)

 Harajuku Station

 Harajuku girls

 Harajuku!!!

 Tamagochi!!

 trying on a stylish eyewear

lunch at Wolfgang Puck. yummy!

I just had an awesome weekend!:)

My "FIRSTs" in JAPAN: Yuki, Sakura, Onbashira

YUKI (Snow)

In Japan, we live in Suwa-shi, Nagano-ken. It's a province so during winter-spring, it's really cold there and it even snows. Luckily, I was able to catch the last few snow of Winter-Spring transition.

 in the neighborhood

Speaking of snow, we actually went to the Kuruma Yama (Mt. Kuruma) to experience the last day of ice skiing. The ice was about to melt at that time 'coz it's already Spring.

SAKURA (Cherry Blossoms)

Sakura trees actually look boring, not until you see them bloom during the 1st few weeks of Spring. I was there in Japan during the last week of March and the Sakura flowers haven't bloomed yet. They bloomed only in the first few weeks of April, and they fell at around the middle week of May. There's even a Sakura festival where people gather under the long strip of Sakura trees. These trees actually looked good on the sides of the streets, most especially at night 'coz they were lighted up by lanterns. Such a pretty view.

at our neighborhood park/playground

Sakura haven't bloomed yet

at a park with lots of Sakura trees

Tsubaki flowers

 like the other families, we also had a picnic at the Sakura-filled park

ONBASHIRA FESTIVAL

I also felt happy having witnessed the Onbashira Festival which happens in Suwa only every 6 years. According to Wikipedia:

Onbashira (御柱祭) is a festival held every six years^[1] in the Lake Suwa area of Nagano, Japan. The purpose of the festival is to symbolically renew the Suwa Taisha or Suwa Grand Shrine. "Onbashira" can be literally translated as "the honored pillars".

The Onbashira festival is reputed to have continued, uninterrupted, for 1200 years. The festival is held once every six years, in the years of the Monkey and the Tiger in the Chinese Zodiac, however the locals may say "once in seven years," because of the traditional Japanese custom of including the current year when counting a length of time.

Onbashira lasts several months, and consists of two segments, Yamadashi and Satobiki. Yamadashi traditionally takes place in April, and Satobiki takes place in May.

Yes the festival takes place somewhere near our neighborhood. And it was all over the news. People walk up into the mountains to cut the huge trees and they bring these trees down. At times, people get hurt physically as this event takes place. Some even dies. Most of the people participating are oldies but they're really very strong. They even cross rivers while carrying the huge logs. And the best part of all is their costume that looks something like this:

So those were the "firsts" that I have experienced while I was in Japan.:)