It’s gonna be a hell of a month here with many big shows lined up in August. Naturally I would think cos its the Summer Holidays after all!

The delicious line up is as below. Now all I need is a sponsor and some company! Anyone?

What: World Cosplay Summit 2008
When: 2 & 3rd August
Where: Nagoya Osu Shopping Arcade & Oasis 21
Fee: Free

hat: Kaiyodo Wonder Festival 2008 ( Summer)
When: 2 & 3rd August 10:00～17:00 (This is not a mistake! Now I wish I can teleport to Nagoya!)
Where: Tokyo Big Sight
Fee: ￥2000

What: Gundam Expo
When: 12- 17 August
Where: Ikebukuro Sunshine City - By the way this place also hosts Ultraman Festival (July - August) and Naruto Anniversary Exhibition July - Sept)
Fee: Free

What: Comiket 74
When: 15-17 August
Where: Tokyo Big Sight
Fee: Free

My “All American Breakfast” here in Tokyo (strange isn’t it?) but that’s what I usually eat for breaky and lunch (cause that’s all I know how to cook anyway haha).

My first week here hasn’t been that much fun acutally. Been really busy getting lost, settling down and trying to get my immigration stuff ironed out (which is a real pain in the ass and perhaps can be written as a thesis itself). Anyway 2 weeks just zoomed by like that. So here’s what been happening so far and a sneak peek of my place.

In Japan everything is smaller & narrower. Here’s the entrance to my stay. Super mini kitchen’s on the left & the door on the right leads to the bathroom. “Leads” would be an understatement cos the moment you swing the door open, you’ll see both the bathtub and the toilet + sink.

The wall was looking too plain so I had to do something.

Rented a fully furnished “apartment” so the basic necessities like bed, fridge, gas & TV etc.. are covered. The TV’s reallly sorta redundant cos for one, my PS3 is not here, two, Mervyn said my laptop’s LCD screen is bigger than the TV so watching anime on my comp would be better than the live one on TV and three, there’s no Cable service being subscribed to so all I get are mostly re-runs LOL.

The so-called multi-purpose desk where I eat, work and watch all my yummy anime/dramas.

What the outside looks like. Not much of a view but that’s usually the norm here in Tokyo I think. You can see the train from here so yes I can hear them too. This one’s running on the Yamanote Line.

Part of my breakfast - The eggs here in Japan are really fresh and well, white! We never had any white eggs back home in Singapore so I find it really “fun” to eat white eggs. I have absolutely no idea what’s the difference in terms of nutritional value though. Took this picture cos I thought it’s rare that Japan’s mass production standard can allow two eggs of obvious different sizes to be in the same carton.

So Fresh you can eat it on its own. (yuck)

Ahhh now we’re talking. And who says you can’t get nicely cooked microwave eggs?

I actually got sick of my own cooking so I was craving for some REAL Japanese food. Had this feast last weekend when one of my Hong Kong friend came down to visit. She didn’t want to go back home either. LOL

Mutton Curry from an Indian restaurant at Odaiba.

Chicken Kabab (without the wrap)

The naan that went with my chicken.

And the paratah (I think that’s how they spell it here) that my friend ordered. It’s HUGE and thicker compared to the ones we had back home.

One of my school mates treated me to Crepes! YUMMY~ It’s one of my favourite snacks/desserts! Definitely a must try if you’re here!

After a few days of cooking, I got sick of my own cooking again. Went downtown with my classmates after class one day and ordered this Gyu don with Unagi. I’m supposed to be living on a budget but have decided to splurge a little cos I’m really sick of my own cooking. LOL!

Yoghurt at Shibuya.

Enough of food.. Went to Nippori over the weekend for some sight seeing and decided to play tourist. It’s a nice quiet place that’s very unlike the busy Tokyo. Nippori boosts a number of shrines/temples - 66 to be exact, according to my rickshaw puller guide. It’s a town with many preserved buildings from the Edo Period, where the Tokugawa ruled.

This is an interesting piece of old-skool well. Back in the olden days, the water system wasn’t that advanced so they made wells outside the village for common use and in cases of fire. I guess that’s how the olden day fire hydrant looks like.

This is a weird one. It’s actually a storehouse where clothes and futons are stored in Summer. The family house is actually on the right (half taken). Strange to see the storeroom bigger than the actual house eh.

I was told that this is the Sunset Stairway (夕やけだんだん）. I’m sure it got its name from where the sun shines on but I’m not sure why it’s so famous. Apparently it appeared in Japanese dramas.

That day was exceptionally hot so decided to try out the かき氷(Kaki Goori) - Japanese version of Ice Kachang. It’s a whopping price for just pure ice shavings and some sugar syrup and food dye actually, but it sure was a life saver!

Sun setting in Minowa. Another small area in Tokyo.

Ok back to the hustle and bustle of Shibuya. Spotted Yui’s latest single. (She’s too cute so its a must take photo!) Yes we all know its Summer! LOL

Ended my weekend at Odaiba. Don’t ask me why I’m back there. LOL. Wanted to take some night shots of the Rainbow Bridge since I missed it the other time round. I got there and much to my dismay, the “Rainbow” was permanently stuck at GREEN.

It’s been good so far and I hope life here gets better next week~ Cos I certainly don’t wouldn’t wanna spend my birthday alone!! . ヽ(;´Д｀)ﾉ boo hoo~

This must be a sin! I’ve haven’t updated this space for a whole month~ I do apologise but I guess that’s not what you wanna read about. LOL. Truth is I’m back to school!

Ok so here’s the chase. I’ve been totally caught up with arrangements to get my bum into Japan and by that, I meant quitting my job, serving notice, arranging for acceptance by the school, looking for accommodation, settling my bank stuff, researching various information of moving and living here and well, eating loads of farewell dinners… So here I am, back to school trying to level up my rusty Japanese, if only for a short while cos its so damn expensive living here.

I just got here last week and already its been fabulous so far. Met up with Mervyn who’s here (for good) and got to know some of his awesome friends. They’re all studying at a different school though.

Am still trying to settle down actually. Loads of stuff to check out and arrange especially so cos I’m here without a visa for long-term stay. I enrolled into a short term course of 3 months and just started school yesterday. My class’ pretty diverse and I’ve already found a fellow Otaku from Spain. There’s an American, a Romanian, some Filippinos, Koreans, Taiwanese and Chinese. Classes are fun! It’s been soooooooo long since I last went back to school and the best part is. . . . there’s no exam! Haha.

But what’s worse is that, I’ll go home with a chunk of my savings gone.

Ok promise more updates and pictures from the land of the rising sun (and gosh does it rise early!)

After experimenting with Koto’s Kureha, I’ve pretty much stopped toying with my figs. I bought this poised Uesugi Kenshin from the Sengoku Rance series the moment it was released way back in April but I haven’t had the chance to photo her till now. Ought to get back to it some time.

Uesugi Kenshin is one of many characters in the game who are alternate real Japanese historical figures. Other than this beauty, the name Kenshin probably dwells in players of Koei’s Samurai Warriors. Yup there’s been many debate over whether or not s/he is actually female.

Uesugi comes with a totally adorable samurai helmet that looks way too much like a funny wizard hat. The package also contains extension parts that allows you to power her up to Mikado Mode by adding her Mikado Katana and Mikado Hachimaki (traditional Japanese headband).

Sculpted by bishoujo sensei Shouei, this fig comes complete with a diamond shaped display base, but unfortunately the same problem occurs with Kotobukiya screwing the figurine’s feet to the base which makes peeping up her skirt in style totally difficult.

The obligatory pantsu shots that I don’t particularly like cos she ends up looking too top heavy in normal fashion sense. I guess Danny was right! Too much cloth. LOL

Want a healthy does of nosebleed? Check out the limited edition here.

It’s been some time since I last updated my “pilgrimage”. So after the burning me eyes with the glaring Golden Temple Kinkakuji, the “Silver” one is up next. Ginkaku-ji (銀閣寺, the Temple of the Silver Pavilion) is another Buddhist temple and despite its name, it’s actually made of wood.

Right at the entrance is a fifty-meter-long pathway between the main gate and inner gate and its lined with a distinctive type of bamboo fencing that has come to be known as Ginkaku-ji fencing . This long narrow path looks sorta dramatic as if it sets one back into the olden days.

Surrounding the fences is a bamboo garden. The coolness generated by the bamboo and spareness between the temple gardens and the outside world creates worldly thoughts in our minds while journeying through the fences. In other words if you’re stressed out by the harried modern world and looking for some “zenity” without having to pay tru your nose for spa baths, then this metaphorical prelude into the sacred Pure Land paradise represented within is just for ya. LOL.

The Silver Pavilion (Ginkaku), was actually called the Kannon Hall. The temple was built originally as a retirement villa for Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa and was originally to be covered in silver foil, contrasting his grandfather, Yoshimitsu’s building of the Kinkakuji (Golden Pavilion Temple). Anyway, the silver was never applied. I think its due to poor budget accounting so they ran out of dosh.

The gardens of Ginkakuji are attributed to the artist Soami and are famous for two piles of while sand that sparkle in the moonlight. In front of the Abbot’s Quarters (Hôjô) is a large garden of white gravel. The gravel is raked into a large horizontal expanse known as the Sea of Silver Sand (Ginshadan) next to a distinctive cone-shaped mound called the Moon-Viewing Platform (Kôgetsudai). Legend tells us that the Sea of Silver Sand is meant to reflect the light of the moon, while the Moon-Viewing Platform was meant to sit on while waiting for the moon to rise from the Higashiyama mountains.

At Ginkakuji, a lot seemed to dance around the connotation of moon-watching, including a small pond that is joined by a small waterfallcalled Sengetsu-se (moon watching fountain). The tiny waterfall is designed to spread ripples across the pond and the result of moon reflected on rippling waters is supposed to be another highlight of Ginkakuji… but we’ll never know cos the temple’s off-limits after 5. -.-!

In reality the temple is closed for renovation till 2010. Some of these photos were taken last September when I first visited Kyoto. Whatever the case I do hope that they’ll apply some silver foil to the temple after renovations.

Roof of Ginkakuji & heart of Kyoto

Some moss thingy I found on my way up the treks

Apparently they are VERY IMPORTANT MOSS (yeah like VIP)

Loved how the whole mountain is carpeted by luscious moss

Blooming flowers are a sign of spring

My Gyu-don (beef bowl) lunch with raw egg on top. YUM!

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So after they’ve tried sticking studs on fake nails, eyelashes & cool gadgets, you think they’ve got nothing else to plaster glitter on right? Wrong! These really macho machines are the latest victims! Now I know diamonds are a girl’s best friend. . . but this I think… is a little too bling and definitely on the wrong target -.-!

Its pretty cool and the top to toe mani and pedicure most probably did better than botox. I’ll get this guy to be my manicurist if possible. But somehow I wonder if they will start turning the rest of the Universal Century baddies into drag queens too. Maybe they’ll start a fashion trend among the Zakus, Flags, and Rick Doms.

Anyhow, this very bright model is brining in all the ka-ching! It’s selling better than hot cakes in the auction halls, true to the classics of how bling brings bucks I guess!

Would you pay big bucks for something like this? Like triple to quadruple its selling price?

Bandai Hobby created this pretty cool site to host this awesome Phase Impulse MG Edition video to entice purchases. They’ll show you loads of cool pix and make you drool but its only download-able FOC to buyers from May 24th - August 31 2008 in Japan. But some kind soul has decided to share the wonder and thus the saying. . .”Good Things MUST Share!”

Okok I know its corny. -.-!Just Enjoy

A diorama is a model of a natural setting which shows a specific moment in time; usually an imaginative scene built using miniatures. This guy went one step further and composed some awesome Gundam Dioramas with digital art. I just find them super awesome!

Honestly, I think digital dioramas are great for people who just can’t find enough time to build 3D models. As for drift logs that find themselves married to their desk at work and breathing zero ME time (aka yours truly), its simply perfect to keep my mouth shut and just admire da art online. LOL.

I went to Kyoto on the 3rd day of my trip. This is the 2nd time I’ve been there actually and I think I prefer it more than Tokyo. Kyoto is ooooold - and she sweeps a sense of nostalgic ancient history through its streets. That’s what I love about it. It’s exactly a well blended mix of classic &  modern culture,just less haste & waste. Established in 794, Kyoto retains its unique position as the country’s historical and cultural heart and believe it or not, its the birthplace of the spirit and technology of traditional Japan.

I reckon more than 30 million tourists a year visit Kyoto (Ok I just plucked that figure from the sky), but there is usually so much to do that crowds tend to form only at the most popular sites and I, guilty as named, went back to the exact same spots from my first trip there.

The major attractions are mainly Kyoto Imperial palace, Nijo Castle, Daitokuji Temple, with its many sub-temples, Ginkakuji, Kinkakuji, Kiyomizudera and Heian Shrine. I find the Kinkakuji an art simply because well, its plastered in GOLD! If you’re into Feng Shui, gold or metal is lacking this year so I reckon paying a trip to that temple wouldn’t hurt (even though deep down I feel there’s like totally no connection what-so-ever). . . I just needed a convenient excuse for a return trip. LOL.

Kinkaku-ji (金閣寺, Golden Pavilion Temple)

The Golden Pavilion Temple, aka Kinkakuji (金閣寺), was built by the shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu for his retirement in 1394. That made me wonder how many now can afford to build a pavilion just for retirement. Anyhow, the temple is topped with a bronze statute of a phoenix and covered in gold leaf (and I had a notion to scrape some off for safe-keeping and good luck. LOL)

The brochure says that it was built with intention to illustrate harmony between Heaven and Earth, though I personally have no idea which symbolises which.

Since the Kinkakuji was built by Yoshimitsu as an escape for retirement, upon his death, his son turned the building into a temple known as the Rokuonji 鹿苑寺, Deer Garden Temple as part of his father’s wishes. This was the previous name of Kinkakuji and it wasn’t collaged with deer heads - just in case you’re wondering.

Kinkakuji is three stories tall, has some windows and some doors. （　´ﾟдﾟ｀）えー？　The first floor is built in the Shinden style of the Heian palaces, while the 2nd floor resembles a temple hall and enshrines a statue of Kannon Bosatsu. The 3rd floor is the hall of Zen containing nothing but a statue of a jodo-style Amida, the Buddha of the western Paradise, or Pure Land. (Ok I didn’t write this. Some book did and I forgot which -.-!)

Kinkakuji sits in the middle of a pond said to be a mirror pond called Kyōko-chi. Around it, many small islands and stones emerge, representing the Buddhist creation story. This, Wikipedia said! LOL.

In 1950, the pavilion was given a char-grilled by a mentally disturbed monk. (Oh Dear!) Anyway some guy managed to rebuild it and plastered it with Gold Leaf to make it all nice and sparky again.

Moving behind the temple and away from horde of human activity, a flight of stone steps leads up to the Shin-un Shrine that is dedicated to the Shinto deity Kasuga Myôjin, said to be the God of Temple Grounds.

Following the path, there is a chibi waterfall called Ryumon-baku (Dragon’s Gate) and underneath the falls is a rather large diagonally “placed” stone known as the Carp Stone. Ancient Chinese folklore said that the carp who leaped beyond the waterfall will turn into a dragon and so many carps tried but I’m not sure if more ended up in frying pans instead.　ι(´Д｀υ)ｱﾂｨｰ

Steps to Heaven?!?

Further up is another small pond called Tranquility Pond. Within that, is a chibi island with a pagoda known to be Hakuja no tsuka (White Snake’s Lair) and on the isle, are the images of the four Buddhas. This pagoda is dedicated to the white snake or dragon that controls the water supply of the temple grounds. People worshipped it for the fact that it never dries up even in periods of drought.

Passing through the souvenir store, Sekka-tei tea house, said to be built in honour of a visit by Emperor Go- mizuno-0 in the 17th century, can be located. It was claimed that another fire set it tumbling to the grounds in 1874. I didn’t stop there for tea. I was anxious to head on to the next touristy spot :D

Before exciting the whole site, you’ll find a small temple to Fudo Myo-o, the God of Fire and Wisdom and many more stores for you to shop & stock up.

It was already past noon by the time I finished touring the site. Thinking that Gold & Silver made the best combi, I jumped onto the bus and made my way to the Silver Pavilion Temple.

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Towards the end of my trip the sky darkened and drizzled as if it knows I’ll soon stop contributing that vigorously to Japan’s economy. LOL I went to Odaiba on the very last day of my trip hoping to attend the Super Comic City convention taking place that day but as it turned out I was pulled away by the mysterious dark aura in the sky. The weather matched my mood and the air was exhilaratingly fresh, but the face of chibi statue of liberty. . . - was horribly black.

The statue of Liberty at Odaiba is a replica of the exact ones that were made in France - one given to USA and the other to Japan then, to celebrate The French Year. However, it became so popular, they decided to make a replica and erected it in 2000 after the original was sent back to Paris.

Anyhow, Odaiba is a man-made island initially constructed for defensive purposes by the shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu to protect Edo - the now Tokyo from attacks coming from the sea. It has now turned into a huge commercial, residential and leisure area and is linked by the famous Rainbow Bridge.

Rainbow Bridge is the 50th largest suspension bridge in the world (I did not say this) and is named because of its changing lights after dusk. For those that are gaga over bridges, you can find out more about Rainbow Bridge here. The bridge has made numerous appearances in many of Japan dramas and even in Kill Bill Vol.1.

Odaiba actually offers an array of sights to snap. There is Aqua City, a Ferris Wheel, Tokyo Big Sight where the comic convention was held, Telcom Center, Museum of Marine time Science, Oedo Onsen Monogatari, Palette Town, Venus Fort and some public parks (all of which I did not go -.-!).

I ended up in Decks Tokyo Beach though, cos I fell asleep on the journey there and when I woke, my friend had already parked his car in some “unknown” building. Turned out to be Decks and I forgot all about comic convention in my half conscious state - yeah it’s so easy to manipulate me when I’m half awake.

Anyway, the peektures of Tokyo Big Sight, Telcom Center and the Ferris Wheel here were all taken by Mervyn - who had a chance to go there in better weather.

The Ferris Wheel is part of Palette Town - boosting a hight of 115 meters, its one of the world’s largest and offers a splendid view of the bay (or so claims almost every Ferris Wheel).

Tokyo Big Sight is one of the largest convention areas within Tokyo with its oddly distinctive Conference Tower displaying its bold architecture. Not very interesting a place if you ask me, but the events held there usually make up for it.

Telcom Center’s observation deck offers a wide view of the bay area extending to even Mount Fuji on clear days.

All in all, Odaiba offers a lot, its a tad far from central Tokyo if you ask me but I’ll definitely be back for the next anime fair or Tokyo game show or whatever works!