Japan Trip

I had a fantastic time in Japan. It's my first time there and naturally, i was really excited. For the past retreats, it has always been to the countries around the region. So in away, this was the furthest and most fun company retreats i ever had. Thanks to Japan Airlines (JAL), Universal Studio Japan(USJ), Japan National Tourist Organsation (JNTO), Keihan Hotel & Misugi Resort for making this trip possible by giving us good rates and sponsorship of some items.

It was a nite flight to Osaka and am plesantly surprised that Mr Ishisaki-san, our favourite guy & partner from JNTO came to send us off at the airport. It was very thoughful of him as it's a mid-week and at night. Unfortunatedly, the picture was taken using my colleague's camera and not able to post it here. Coincindetally, it was also the second day where Singapore implemented the new avaiation security measures/guidelines for hand-carry luggage for flights departing Singapore. It was a smooth clearance for us with the exception of one passenger on the same flight who almost got her bottle of bovril confiscated.



Didn't get a good sleep on board the flight. Was woken up by the stewardess @ 4am for breakfast. Harlow .... who wants to eat at that unearthly hour. And the breakfast sucks. Arrived at Kansai International Airport at 6plus in the morning and naturally, we were all tired. We met our tour-guide, Andre who's a Singaporean but have stayed in Japan for many years.



We started the trip with breakfast at a hotel nearby. Seems to be a popular hotel among many airlines as there were lots of stewardess having their breakfast there.
Breakfast wasn't the highlight. The vending machine as well as the toilet bowl was (no kiddin' ... toilet bowl).

I love the variety of products offered by the vending machines in Japan. They have different types of interesting products and brands which are not available in Singapore.





After breakfast, some of the gals said they were going to the washroom to freshen up. But it was strange ... none of them came out after a long time. So the rest of us decided to go and find them. Oh ... they were all busy checking out the super high-tech toilet.

Check out the various control buttons that looks like the cockpit of a plane. There's even a noisemaker button that makes a flushing sound to mask any noise you might be making in the john. But i would recommend that you try it when you are in your hotel room if you are unsure. U wouldn't want to be like my colleague who had trouble figuring out how to shut off the spraying bidget and ended up wet.



Even though we were really tired, we were full of energy when it comes to shopping. First stop was to the Rinku Factory Outlet. It's home to over 150 brand-name stores including Bally, Coach, Gap, Kookai, Nike, Adidas, Timerland and many more. It is modelled after the historic American city of Charlston, South Carolina and the oulet is near to Kansai International Airport. As it's the first stop, i didn't dare to really shop. Thus, only bought a pair of shorts from Gap. My colleagues were more fruitful. One bought a Coach bag and another bought 3 pairs of track shoes.



We went to a neaby mall for lunch and wow ... we were all distracted even before we reached the restaurant. I love the interesting window display where most Japanese restaurants display realistic plastic representations of their food in the outside window.

The food replicas serve several purposes. They attract customers, advertise menus and whet appetites. All the replicas are handcrafted to perfection. Hmm ... the plastic model in the window can sometimes look more sumptuous than what arrives on the plate.







After lunch, we set off to Misugi Resort, a couple of hours ride away from Osaka. Andre expained to us that the Onsen hotel is situated among the mountains along the border between Mie Prefecture and Nara Prefecture. The Nakagawa family which owns the resort also happens to own the whole area there, including the moutains. What? Mountains .... did we hear wrongly? That guy must be super rich. Before we knew it, we were all off to our dreamland. Too sleepy.



Enroute, we stopped by at the Iga Ninja Museum which is located in Ueno Park, the birthplace of the Ninja. The weather was really cold. We were all frozen coz.the temperature dipped to 8 degrees. We were actually told that it's the start of summer and the weather would be around 18 - 28 degrees. At 8 degrees, that's a far cry from summer. Wished i had brought along my winter jackets.

The small but excellent Ninja Museum consists of a ninja residence with revolving walls, trap doors and hidden compartments, exhibition halls displaying ninja tools, gadgets and weapons and a demonstration zone with spectacular shows featuring ninja skills and real weapons.

When we entered the museum, it just looks like a normal thatched-roof farmhouse with nothing special about it. However, various devices and tricks for defense are hidden throughout the house. And as seen in the photo below, the cute ninja guide was showing us where the secret passageways, hidden doors and compartments were.



I verified two things with Hamid. First, if that guy was a real ninja. The answer is YES. Second ... if there are any female ninjas? And the answer is YES too.

Anyway, we finally reached our destination in the evening - the Misugi Resort where we are going to try the Onsen . We were greeted by the GM, Mr Roy Nakagawa, whose family owns the Misugi Resort at the hotel lobby and who later, hosted us to a sumptous dinner.

We were told to wear the Yukata which can be found in the hotel room when we come down for dinner. I wonder what's the difference between a kimono and a yukata. Well, as explained by the staff, unlike formal kimono, yukata are typically made of cotton rather than silk or synthetic fabric, and they are unlined.

We were also told that the proper way to wear a yukata is that the left side of the yukata is to be wrapped over the right side. The reverse is to be avoided as only the dead at a funeral wears the right over the left. The yukata could also be worn to the public baths, and even to dinner and breakfast. Hmm ... very interesting.

And well ... as told ... we are turned up for dinner in our yukata.



The food was simply delicious and plentiful. When the food arrived, i just don't know where to start. And one very cool thing is that the whole scene is as per what i watched on tv. The japanese waitresses who were in their kimono or yukata will kneel and bowl to u. When they serve, they kneel too. Well ... i guess it's partly because of their culture and also, it's low tables too.



And we had to sing Karaoke during dinner. But well, most of us were too busy eatting and only sang after dinner. The main singers were Andre & Hamind. Hamid came well-prepared .... no wonder he had big luggage. There were small tokens for those of us who sang well. Well .. he sure know how to pamper us.



According to the Japanese, there is nothing more relaxing than a dip at the onsen after a big dinner. My colleagues and i just did that at our private onsen which we booked. The private onsen is quite nice. Will try to see if i have any pictures. But gee .... the water was really hot and steam was coming out of the pool. It was quite an experience.

Basically, the trip to the resort is well worth it as i got to see a side of rural Japan. Rural as it may be ... we hardly see any one around. It's like a dead town. What's disappointing is that there is no cable television or broadband and the building is quite run-down. looking. The room on the otherhand is quite spacious and oversees the breathtaking view of the mountains. Reminds me of my recent trip to Dalat. And also, the tatami reminds me very much of my uni days when i have a futon bed.



We headed back to the city today and stopped by at the Tenjinbashi-suji Shopping Street. The shopping street is 2.6 km long and boasts the longest shopping street in Japan. In the roofed arcade, the shopping street is crowdedly filled with some 600 stores selling all kinds of goods including clothes, snacks, used books, and etc. on either side.

XF, Mag and myself managed to get a jacket from one of the shops here. The same style but all in different colours. We also managed to spot a 99yen shop there.



And the next stop is probably where i enjoyed most during this trip. That's none other than Universal Studio Japan (USJ). I was lucky and really priviledged that USJ hosted us and we were treated to VIP treatment. This means that entrance tickets were complimentary and we do not need to queue for some of the popular rides such as Hollywood Dream (Rollercoaster), Spiderman ride & Jurassic Park ride. This saves us lots of queueing time.

Just like the Universal Studio which i went in L.A. many years back, it offers attractions such as the Terminator 2:3D, ET Adventure, Back To The Future Ride, Backdraft, Jurassic Park ride and Jaws. And the good thing is that our hotel is just 2 minutes walk to USJ. Cool!

I'm a Hard Rock Cafe fan. Not so crazy abt it as before definedly. Knowing that there is one outlet here means that i could purchase the shooter glass to add on to my collection since i started during my school days.



The park wasn't massive, but all the rides and shows made it busy.



Hollywood Ride - This is the latest ride @ USJ and it was opened on 9 March. The coaster zips along a track of about 1300 metres in length. This was the first ride which we took, but also, most fun, challenging and memorable. One of my colleagues seated next to me was so terrified that she couldn't scream. No wonder her face was pale and turned green after the ride. Can't remember when was the last time i actually took a roller-coaster. I think it was in Gold Coast abt 9 years ago. But i think the most fun was at the Knotts Berry Farm in LA.



I loved the 3D Spidermen thrill ride. The first ever combination of moving, motion-based ride vehicles, 3D film and live action. The only thing is that i don't know what the character is talking about since it is in Japanese.





The Jurassic Park Ride which some of my colleagues got wet due to the water splashing. But well, u'll only end up wet depending on where you are seated.



The ET ride was less thrilling ... more for kids. Andre told us that just before the ride comes to an end, E.T. will thank each of us personally in his croaking computer-generated voice. I didn't hear mine. Only 2 of my colleagues managed to hear theirs. I guess i was too busy looking around and didn''t think that the ride would end so soon.

ET Adventure

And here's George taking photos with a group of Japanese gals while waiting around for the rest. Most of the gals are pretty hip looking. And majority of them are in heels ...yes .. at a theme park. Well, i guess either they are really vain or it's their culture. But they look good! Most of them dress like that when we were in Shinsaibashi - the equivalent of our Orchard Road.



I would say that the only thing which i dislike abt USJ is that the closing time is too early. When I went there, USJ closed at 7 p.m.



This morning, we set off to Kyoto. We could have just taken our coach there but because we wanted to experience the bullet train, we took the publc transport instead.

The Universal City Station is just outside our hotel. Really convinient.



Look ... they have train advertising too. OK ... work hazzard coz. i'm in charge of media spend and advertising.



I would say that i'm really impressed with the train stations. Particularly the one that we had to changed from JR trains to bullet trains. It resembles the transit area at the airport. There were many shops and people were carrying their luggages.



It was a 15 minutes bullet train ride to Kyoto. If we were heading to Tokyo, that would just be 2 hours.I'm really impressed with the train. Super silent and comfortable. Can't hear any noise outside.

When we reached Kyoto, our coach driver was already waiting for us at the train station. At that point, it did come across as a little absurd and crazy. We actually paid for the coach and we took the train instead. But well, this is called experience.

Kyoto is an interesting place. Over the centuries, Kyoto was destroyed by many wars and fires, but due to its historic value, the city was not chosen as a target of air raids during World War II. Countless temples, shrines and other historically priceless structures survive in the city today.

Andre brought us to see a kimono show which i didn't really fancy.Strange coz. i've always loved fashion shows. I guess i was tired. Thankfully, the show was just 10 mins. and lunch was at the same place. The tempura bento set which we had was really good.





We stopped by at Gion which is Kyoto's most famous geisha district. The street is lined by beautiful old buildings, teahouses and restaurants. But what's not so appropriate is that there is a 4-D/gambling outlet (just like our Singapore pools there) along the main street. I spotted a geisha there but she was walking really fast and used her umbrella to cover her face. Maybe she didn't like people taking pictures of her.



We stopped by to take pictures with a group of Japanese students. Hamid told us that the students are actually from Tokyo and is in Kyoto for holiday. They have rented the kimono and were just walking around the area to take photos.



And the last stop in Kyoto is the Kiyomizu Temple (world heritage temple) in Eastern Kyoto, one of the best known sights of the city. The temple dates back to 798, but the present buildings were constructed in 1633. The main hall of Kiyomizu-dera is notable for its vast veranda, supported by hundreds of pillars, that juts out over the hillside and offers impressive views of the city.

Beneath the main hall is the waterfall Otowa-no-taki, where three channels of water drop into a pond. Visitors to the temple collect the water, which is believed to have therapeutic properties, from the waterfall in metal cups or commemorative plastic cups. It is said that drinking the water of the three streams confers health, longevity, and success in studies.

On January 1, 2006, Kiyomizu Temple was included on the list of candidates for the New Seven Wonders of the World.







I love Shinsaibashi which is the largest shopping area in Osaka. It's also the most 'Happening' place and everyone is here. Pretty much like our Orchard Road area but much more bigger, exciting, vibrant and colourful. It has thousands of shops here including malls such as Daimaru. There's a huge 100 yen shop which most of us did our major shopping here.

The only complain .... not enough time since we were given only 3 hours to spend here. Minus time which we spend at the ramen store, well .... that's just 2 hours.



We gotta try the ramen in Japan. The 9 of us ordered 5 bowls of ramen to share. Have to leave space in the stomach for buffet dinner at nite. It was rather interesting. I think u actually need to purchase the coupon from the vending machine. But the lady from the shop was kind enough to order the ramen for us instead.



We celebrated Nic's birthday at the hotel in the evening. Drinks on the house. His birthday cake compliments of the hotel too.



And here's us bidding farewell to Andre, our tour-guide at the airport. He did a fabulous job taking care of us and bringing us around. Some of the gals said that he's going to miss us alot coz. he doesn't handle too many Singaporean groups. It must have been great for him because he could speak singlish, malay and dialects to us .. something which he has not done for a long time. Oh ... Andre and myself are Hainanese too. So he had the chance to speak in Hainanese to me.

Till then, sayonara and hope to have the opportunity to visit Tokyo and Hokkaido in the near future.