A Touch of History

A day after our trip to Yatsugatake, we went to Matsumoto. It's one of the most popular cities for tourists in Japan because of its rich history and a lot of nice places to visit.

Outfit of the day: Fun Casual (Pink Vans Kicks, F21 Tank Top, Shorts, Black Stockings, Mickey Jacket, Coach Sling Bag, Baseball Cap, Sunglasses From XOXO in Shibuya 109)

and I feel like a child too haha

Before heading to Matsumoto, we chose to have fun first along the way; so we stopped by Sojiri for go-karting and a walk at the park.

 Tita, Cuz, and I

fun!:)

 Spring!

fter Sojiri, we proceeded to the Matsumoto Castle. It's one of the four castles identified as "National Treasures of Japan" and oldest castle donjon remaining, which was constructed in 1592. Wow, that's history! Unfortunately, I wasn't able to go inside the castle since we didn't have much time; but the view outside was more than enough. By the way, thanks to Instagram's photo filters.

ready to walk!:)) 

they said the water from this fountain heals 

macha = green tea -> having my "macha" ice cream :)

 so picturesque! 

i love this pic!:)

Then we went shopping in Parco but we weren't able to buy anything. Instead, my little cousin and I entered the mini "trick art" museum. After that, we did real shopping in Don Quixote, which is one of my favorite shops in Japan because of cheap but good stuff it has. We also bought toys for my cousin at Toys R Us. We ended the day with a yakitori dinner.:)

 no matter how I rotate this photo, it's still posted this way. pls. just tilt your heads :p

 cute Hello Kitty suitcases in Don Quixote

the only thing I was able to buy that day haha

 interesting ipad/iphone/ipod game!

 I wanna try this one!

 yakitori place :)

And that ends our family's Golden Week bonding.:)

A Taste of Science

Golden Week is probably the longest holiday in Japan celebrating the time for kids. So last May 4, we went to Yatsugatake for a small picnic in the park and planetarium visit. We were also there to see some animals. However, we didn't find them inside the huge park. Our search for the animals turned into trekking; and I wasn't so prepared for it. Haha!

clean water

After letting my little cousin play at the playground, we've gone...uhm, trekking?:)) And when we lost our way, we went back to where we started then proceeded to the planetarium. We came right in time for the show. Unfortunately, it was in Nihonggo so I didn't completely understand. The presentation was about Hayabusa, an unmanned spacecraft developed by Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) launched in May 9 , 2003 to Itokawa, wherein it studied about the asteroid; and brought samples back on earth's surface on June 13, 2010. I also got fascinated with the photographs of Tetsuya Nakagaki. Truly amazing shots! Please explore http://aurora-dance.com/ for more.

 inside a spacecraft

my cousin went inside to take a photo of me haha

Since it was a long presentation, and we were all lying on reclined seats, my uncle, aunt and grandmother all fell asleep! haha! My cousins and I have been "silently" laughing since the middle part of the presentation towards the end because the oldies were even snoring haha! Anyway, after the show, we bought some souvenirs and my cousin rode cute toy rides (i can't call them bicycles because some have more than 2 wheels haha) outside. And since we all got hungry, we had an early dinner at a ramen place.

nice view

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 Shopping Weekend

Tokyo is probably one of the shopping capitals of the world and is definitely one of the most expensive cities to live at. Tokyo has the most fashionable people. They really spend a lot on clothes and accessories, and are very conscious about how they look so they take a lot of time grooming themselves. Girls in Tokyo walk around in full make-up with false lashes and well-made up hair. I'm wondering how they manage their time well everyday. I gotta learn from them!

One Sunday (April 29), we went shopping in 2 popular shopping places in Tokyo: Ueno and Shibuya. Ueno is a popular shopping place for cheap goods. It's also where China Town is. On the other, Shibuya is popular shopping place and is probably one of the fashion capitals of the world. This is where the most expensive brands are. What probably dictates fashion in Japan is Shibuya 109, an 8-storey building housing the best Japanese clothing brands. It's like the heaven of fashion! However, all the good stuff come with a high price. I could have bought a lot if I had more money to shop. But being the practical me, I wouldn't spend so much on clothes 'cause I believe that one can be fashionable even with cheaper clothes. It's just a matter of "mix-and-match" and a true sense of style.

So first we went around Ueno for 2 hours. I was able to buy bargain watches as pasalubong for some of my girl friends in the PI. Then we drove for an hour for a late ramen lunch. Along the way, we passed by the Tokyo Sky Tree, the tallest tower in the world. A man gave us free photos of the tower. Those were taken from his camera. I recalled when a man in Mt. Fuji also gave us some of his shots of the volcano. Anyway, we also saw a lot of people rallying against nuclear power. In Shibuya, we shopped in Shibuya 109. But since everything there was so expensive, my cousin and I just chose to shop wisely at Forever 21 where we got awesome stuff for lower prices.

 a different look of Sprite

Disney Store, Shibuya 109, Forever 21

 my cousin slash my fellow shopaholic!:))

people rallying 

Tokyo Sky Tree (view from the car's window)

 nice photographs from a random man at the foot of the tower

my uncle's grandchildren (Japanese) fell asleep in the car

At the end of the day, my 20,000 yen (Php 10,000) was gone. But for me, it's all worth it because I was happy with the stuff I got. Was so tired that I fell asleep in the car after dinner. I woke up upon getting home. Take note, that was a 2-hr drive! haha!

I just tried it on at a shop, then I regret not buying it haha!

My 2nd Nippon Birthday

It was my second time to celebrate my birthday in Japan; first was 2 years ago.

A weird fact about me is I love preparing and celebrating other people's birthdays, but I don't like doing it for my own birthday. Usually my birthday is just an ordinary day, nothing so special. But I'm glad that my family and friends always make it meaningful through the little things they do to make me happy, from simple greetings to birthday cakes to lovely presents.

When I woke up at lunch of April 25, I saw a cake on the table. My aunt was at work and only my grandmother and little cousin were at home with me. The cake was delivered by my aunt's friend whom she asked for a favor since she's at work. I thanked my aunt when she called to ask if I have received the cake.

Then I cooked spaghetti and spring rolls. We all had dinner together and I blew my cake candles. Gosh, I just turned 25. Mid-20s, quarter-life, what else? Time really quickly flies. I don't like getting older because it feels like there are lesser things I can do everyday. But of course, we can't deny the reality.

 dinner in pajamas haha!

then a spontaneous sesh with friends

The next day, my aunt went half day at work so we can go out. We had lunch at an authentic Japanese restaurant, then we went shopping wherein she got me a new Coach bag. Then we had a Yakiniku dinner wherein we spent around 25,000 yen (or Php 12,500) for a meal of 5. That wasn't even a buffet!

my new Coach bag (sorry, it's very simple haha)

 Yakiniku!

yum!:)

So that's how I celebrated my 25th birthday...simple yet meaningful.

Having a Great Time

I am really having  a great time in my stay here in Japan. My family and I have been going out during weekends and one thing that we enjoy doing is...shopping!:)

Last April 21, we went to Aieon Mall in Yamanashi. We don't have a mall that big in Suwa City so we had to drive for an hour to get to the nearest big mall. haha!

We stopped by the Service Area along the Express Way for lunch. The food court  dining experience here is so convenient and high-tech. Just choose your meal by tapping on the machine's screen, insert your money, then get the ticket (with control number) from the machine, and wait fr your number to be called at the counter. You see how the Japanese people really values time.

We enjoyed shopping. My cousin and I bought a couple of clothes and accessories. Fashion is one of the things I really love in Japan. Everyone's very conscious about how they look and what they wear. I was also able to buy some Totoro stuff for my friend who asked me to buy them as pasalubong for her. And since the bigger and nicer items were more expensive, I settled to buying what's more acceptable for my pocket, so I got her 2 keychains. It's the thought that counts right?:)

The next day, we went grocery shopping. It's one of the chores I enjoy doing because I love cooking and eating haha! In front of the supermarket was one of my favorite authentic Japanese foods, "takoyaki". It's sooooo yummmmy!!!:)