This is the second day of my weekend trip to the Fuji-Goko area. It was such a perfect day- with perfect weather, views of Fujisan literally everywhere I went. The day started off with me biking around Kawaguchiko, then hopped on some of the world’s best coasters at FujiQ Highland, and finally relaxed at the Fujiyama Onsen nearby before bussing back to Yokosuka. It’s by far my most favorite day in Japan =D
Retro Bus that went around Lake Saiko
Continued from Part 1… After a short trip to see Shibazakura, I bussed back to Kawaguchiko station to take the Retro tour bus. There were two retro bus lines, one went around the Kawaguchiko lake, to places such as museums; while the other one (the one I took) was bound for Lake Saiko. I bought a 2-day pass for 1300 yen, but ended up using it for that day only.
Night view of Kawaguchiko (河口湖)
OK, Fuji-goko (富士五湖)is not on my travel wish list… It all starting with reading this post from a blog that I frequent in the middle of last week. WOW, I thought, I would like to see Mt. Fuji from this paradise too. OK, I can occasionally spot Mt. Fuji from the office… but this is certainly different… where you feel like you’re just right under the mountain, and it’s decorated by a carpet of Shibazakura(Mos Phlox, 芝桜). And the Shibazakura Festival event lasted until May 27th… which meant, either I went last weekend or I would forever miss the chance to see such a beautiful sight. However, I did not plan the trip until Friday night… because I was caught up with work, and I was uncertain about the weather during the weekend. People say there is no point going if you can’t see Mt. Fuji- because even on a clear and sunny day, Fuji-san may still be blocked by clouds, due to its altitude. The best season to visit would be in winter, while summer (June/July) is the worst because it’s a stormy season. One of my colleagues said she visited twice, but she missed Fuji both times. What a pity!
Setting up our area…
Yesterday (Sat), we had a team BBQ at 上郷・森の家 , located in Yokohama. The place is a family resort, with hot springs, spa, sports facilities and BBQ grounds. This event was organized by Y-san, and she prepared everything (food, drinks, tools) for us. I thank her for that!
On Sunday, I went to Harajuku (原宿)- and bought quite a lot of things =D
It just feels like the train is about to depart, and I haven’t purchased my ticket. Actually- worse, not even done packing my belongings yet.
On the first day that I arrived at Japan, I installed an app on my phone called “Days Since”- it is, obviously, a day counter and reminds me (whenever I look at my homescreen), the number of days I’ve been here.
And today, it’s time to celebrate the 110th day Anniversary. Don’t ask me why not celebrate the 100th instead… I did not even realize it. The point is- I only have about 3 months left… how do I live the rest of my life (in Japan) to the fullest? Now, if I’m the protagonist in some Korean drama, I should be writing my wishlist (already did)with teary eyes as the background plays the saddest song ever.
On the last Shinkansen train of the night, heading home.
Lots had happened during our Golden Week trip to Kyushu: Good and Bad. I won’t write too much details of the trip here, because I have to first write about Kyoto. However, this post will be an summary of the ‘memorable’ bits and pieces, lessons learnt and etc.
Warning: This post won’t have any photos because as you may know already, I lost nearly half of my pictures (more about it later)!! And after some recovery efforts, photos of the first 2 days were still missing! As for the rest, I’ve got too many photos to sort through, so it’ll take a while. Read on if you don’t mind super wordy posts. XD
The symbol of Kamakura- Daibutsu (the great buddha)
Hm, so where was I? Read Part I, if you haven’t.
Lalalalahhhh, next week is Golden Week!! It’s the longest holiday I get during my stay in Japan, so yeah, means- traveling lots and eating only bread for the next month. Travelling in Japan burns money real fast, especially when Golden Week is like the peak of the peak season in Japan… when most Japanese travelling in the country (some travel elsewhere, but it’s expensive).
N-san's bday dinner last night at an "Italian" restaurant
There were only 6 of us, since we sort of organized it last minute, and 2 guys were from another team (“Otaku” and “Party God” XD).
Anyhow, it was not all you can drink and my share came out to be 3000 yen O_O… I was only 50% full and only drank Anju-Ume-shu on rocks and Bloody Mary (I’ve heard cocktails in many restaurants of Japan sucked, it was true in this case… next time will stick with shoju/sake).
Sakura in Kamakura 鎌倉
This is my 3rd post of today, crazy eh? Before I go to Kyoto, I gotta finish writing this series about my trip to Kamakura on Sunday (April’s Fools Day). Because I had many interesting things happened to me that I absolutely have to document this unforgettable experience. Okay, maybe I’m too dramatic… but you get the point. Be ware- only read if you have time to spare, because I babble a lot…. as usual.
Although Kamakura has been on my To-go-list… I didn’t plan to visit until my supervisor suggested me going before my Kyoto trip. Why? Because it’s somwhat just a mini-Kyoto, except closer to Yokosuka (just 20 mins away). Also there are some good hiking trails, leading to several shrines… and along the way, there are some ancient tombs. If you wanna know more about Kamakura, just WIKI it. All I can say is, every couple blocks you walk, you are very likely to bump into a shrine or temple. It is also a popular tourist spot, so it’s best to go in early morning to avoid the crowds.
Blah. 