winonaamanda's
overseas journey
EVERY STEP IN YOUR PATH IS AN ADVENTURE
The load in my head is heavier than the thirty kilo luggage I dragged. It was the darkest street like I can ever remember. The whisper of dense bamboo trees, no light, no one, no way to go back. With a heavy breath, I cursed what brought me here; me. Sunday, 16 July 2023 |
Hatagaya neighbourhood got a picturesque lively alley with bakery shop, standing bars and fusion restaurants. Spending the whole day in Hatagaya sounds good but my adrenaline craves for somewhere further. Walking down the alley and travelled far to the coastline. Going down to the beach in summer is intriguing plan. Yet to spend the day while waiting for the dusk, me and some friends were heading to the oldest temple in Tokyo after having ramen lunch. |
That was how I ended up spending bright morning in Meiji Jingu-- a shrine surrounded by thousands trees amidst Shibuya gigantic buildings, build for Emperor Meiji. As Emperor Meiji was merit for building a new Japan through Meiji Restoration, there's a chance to get to know him better by visiting Meiji Jingu Museum. Yet, it still close when I was there. After entering the Torii Gate at the front of the shrine area, it felt like entering another world; path covered by trees' shadow, the chirping birds and only two or three |
Kita-Kamakura is located in Yamanouchi, Kamakura. It used to be in the same area with Engaku-Ji Temple, but in Meiji era the land converted into a railroad line. The train station was a semi-outdoor with two entrance-exit gate both in the right side and the left side. This is the kind of small train station that I will not see in the vibrant Tokyo. It was clean, quiet, calm with the voice of the forrest. I walked out the station and had no clue to go. Yet, the town's tranquility mesmerised me and led me to a random cafe in beyond a small secluded alley. Accompanied by good book, chocolate cake and infused water, I spent a chill moment in that cafe. |
As I stepped in further through Tokei-Ji temple, the more I traced back to the 19th century. An epoch when a woman's liberty is a lux thing. There were the time when women are victims of abusive husband, but unable to do the divorce, meanwhile a man can easily divorce a woman. Tokei-Ji temple allowed woman to stay for two years, and after that the woman is officially divorced, to obtaining her liberty. Estimated 2000 wives refuged in the temple until in 1873 a new law eventually regulated the divorce policy for women. |
I was not really a big fan of Mickey mouse, but when I visited toontown Mickey's house seemed empty. I wandered around the house, adoring the cute properties, then I entered the room where the queueline was crazy and mostly are babies. | After an hour, it's finally my turn greeted by Mickey. His gesture was friendly and his hug brings childhood memories! |
I have my own personal trauma with carrousel. But with Disneyland's captivating vibe, I urged myself to queue for the carrousel as my last ride in Disneyland. The queue does not that long, mostly because the crowd are flowing to the exit. I recalled the memory of the sparkling carousel, the sensation was like incision wound. Inhale, exhale, the cheerful sounds from the carousel was muffled by the music from my headset. I chose my ride next to a toddler girl. Seeing her smile, made me smile too. As the carrousel goes round in a slow motion, I smiled to myself instead of mourning my trauma. I felt proud of myself, because I can bring myself to Disneyland with my own effort, and let myself feel its magical... |
It was the night in the basement of a broken building.
The basement, without even a single candle,
was filled with wounded people
injured by the atomic bomb.
The smell of blood, the stench of death, the stink of sweat, stuffiness and groans.
- Kurihara, Sadako (1913- 2005, born and lived in Hiroshima and was exposed to radiation)
| Have been greeted by dismal sky of Hiroshima, I left the town seeing clear night sky with bloom in my heart; not just the city is the symbol of peace but the manifestation of resurrection. With collaboration and mainly Hiroshima's determination, the city perfectly rise from ruin to magnificent civilization. Every second in Hiroshima and Miyajima is the time I cherish the most during this trip. |
"When I popped my head up in Hiroshima... Heaven is just like earth only upside down..."
Highasakite - Hiroshima
1. Ichiran Ramen People said Ichiran is overrated, but just like "Fushimi Inari" it's a must thing to try while you're in Japan. Ichiran Ramen is located not only in Kyoto, but in a lot of big cities around Japan. But since we're in Kyoto, after asking a couple of time, we eventually found the restaurant that is located in the second floor of a building. I believed it's before lunch time, thus we didn't have to queue and directly order the ramen in a order sheet to choose our own preference such as the noodle texture and soup richness. No need to worry if you don't know your preference because the sheet gave preference recommendation. | Rate: 5/5 Price: ¥950 (excl. topping ¥260, dried seaweed & kikurage mushroom) Comment: The firmness of the noodle, the richness of the soup, this is just perfect. |
Rate: 5/5 Price: ¥1.250 (Tiramisu Matcha Box & Ice Matcha Latte) Comment: Perfect. | 2. Maccha House I tried so hard retaining my temptation towards Ladurée macarons and Ichiran matcha pudding for the sake of this viral maccha box for dessert. Thank God, it got paid off with this macca box! It's 34 degree Celsius in Kyoto that noon, and this pair of tiramisu matcha box + ice matcha latte is obviously a saviour to beat the heat. The matcha tiramisu, consists of a base layer of green-tea cake, huge portion of tiramisu cream (suppose to be mascarpone and heavy cream), and layered by matcha powder on top. A spoon of this matcha tiramisu is velvety, not too sweet, and melt in the mouth with a hint of pure matcha which is delicately bitter. For the matcha latte, this is as good as the one I tried in Kamakura. |
3. Matcha Dessert Box Gion, Kyoto in the afternoon is vibrant with tourist after wandering around we stumbled upon a random restaurant named "French Cafe Chasen" that sells matcha variations. We ordered Matcha Dessert Box to share and what came to us is beyond our expectation: a wooden box and when the waitress opened the box there's the fog steaming out made an impressive presentation. The Box consists of mochi, a glass of jelly, tiramisu matcha box, a glass of matcha ice cream and a number of fresh fruits. Rate: 4/5 Price: ¥1.815 (can be shared for 2 persons) Comment: my favourite dish personally was the matcha ice cream. |
I should've drink coffee in the morning, so that I did not need to take a nap in the Museum. I was a little bit regret because I didn't have sufficient time to visit other smaller building. Well, but overall, that was such a great day. In spite of the heat and the fatigue, Ueno is definitely another side of Tokyo that I admire. I started to view Tokyo as a unique megacity; visiting tranquil meiji jingu, artsy roppongi and greenery ueno, I think anyone can fit in Tokyo, even for me who detest crowd and city hustle bustle. |
Monday, 24 July 2023 | I overlooked the view from the window ledge in my room, and it's as beautiful as a summer look could be: cloudless blue sky, hotel pool, and shady green trees. I was glad that I'm still alive. Last night was another reckless act that can harm my life. I was too rely on "Japan Travel" app and didn't research further for the route to my last hotel in Narita. Thus, I just followed the maps until the local bus drop me to nowhere; in the middle of woods, with total darkness. I hold my breath, got panic attack, and said to the driver that I want to return to the station. But it's useless no one speaks english. It's not about the thought of Sadako (from Ju-On) crawled from the darkness of the woods-- the bamboo woods, but worse, the thought of drunk people that can do harm to me. |
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July 2023
September 2016
July 2014