13th June, JAPAN!!! DAY 1!

Hellooooooo'

Back at home, now aren't we?
now....

WHO MISSES JAPAN AND ALL THE MOUNTAINS AND TEMPLES AND FOOD AND THE TRAINS AND THE MISTY RAIN AND DRY AIR?!

WHO MISSES HONGKONG AND ALL THE SHOPPING AND EATING AND SHOPPING AND EATING AND SHOPPING AND EATING AND THE ARTISTS AND THE LECTURE?!

Whatever. Day 1... 

Yawny faces and families gathered at check in.

Bode farewell and off we go...

The group seem very happy and excited.

Flight CX 714 ready for boarding.

Got into a night flight, spent most of the time sleeping.

Amanda's take on the travelator.

Dawn....

Suddenly, we arrived in hongkong Airport. Dazed and asleep people stumbled out of the aircraft and 

waited at our gate, some went to have a walk around, others fell dead.

And SOME oddities, some mafia guy shooting a random and innocent civilian in the face 

with a cup of coffee in the airport. Here our photographer captured this scene of the civilian falling

to the ground. The photographer was truly saddened, but c'est la vie.

On more serious note, what's happening here? Mr Kang? 

Soon enough we got our boarding call, and off we go. Im actually quite excited about this flight.

Its my first time going to japan, i wonder what kind of place it really is.

travelling into an alien country, but curious of what experiences they might hold.

Alright, another boring flight into the day... We arrived in japan in the afternoon.

Joey trying to, umm i dont know, and perhaps kanghoon's gravity 

well is distorting the light around erica.

We went thought immigration, no problems, not much, and we located the stand

that issues JRail passes. Erica and joey then discussed and ultimately decides to

get the JRail passes here, but activates the next day.

Japanese toilet. - by Sheila

Singaporean toilet. - by Tripadvisor.au

Jokes aside, there is a stark contrast. There is a fair share

of filthy toilets in signapore, and i presume japan too, but

overall, there is quite a substantial difference, i wonder why...

We spent sometime here, as the JRail pass needs documentation.

Who's THAT POKEMON?!

Discussions and breifings...

But i was more intriuged with the people around me. The japanese staff

specifically. They are always at attention, seemingly devoted to their job and every ready 

to serve with a smile. They listen intently, to my amazement, i felt welcomed to this place

and made me feel that im sure im going to enjoy my stay in japan.

OKAY< plan is set and ready to go! EVERYONE yay!!!! 

but how do i buy a ticket?

What? What the what?

Well, we asked the ever smiling and ready staff as though they

had tapes on their cheeks and steel rods that allow them to sit while look like

they are standing with a gun that will blow their heads if they had

a hint of unfriendliness to anyone but there were none.

ok, back to the tickets

Basically, look at the map, 

select the amount needed for the trip - you got to know where you are going - and 

pay up. the machine then will stick the ticket out and spew coins at you, while saying 

thank you. Amazing isn't it, it speaks!

Airport monorail - Sheila

Happy humans in a monorail, how nice. - image by Sheila.

YAY, into the subway, but to these innocent souls, its only the beginning of

a very physical boot camp for 8 days. 

What came into my head was that, was those videos u see on the 

internet of japanese trains being filled to the brim? Are we going to experience that?

Its quite scary to be packed like sardines in a train...

And so it begins...

Nah, just kidding, that's Tokyo. But our ride to the hotel was pretty sparse.

Only when it comes to the main stops where there are more people, though it

wasn't as bad as what we saw on youtube.

Row your boat nursery rhyme melody, C major!

~Haul haul, haul your bags, deftly up the stairs~

~merrily merrily, merrily merrily~

~Life is but a dream~

Pfft.

Image by Sheila

Well, the train brought us to our destination, and this is how our boot camp begins.

We have to haul our baggages up the underpass, out of the subway, and onto street level. 

Madame navigateur...

It was raining, but the rain felt like it came from a mist spray.

So, it was fortunate for those without umbrellas. well, after mapping abit, we

located our hotel and headed in.

But... check was slow, maybe they aren't prepared for such a massive bunch

people. meanwhile, a few other travelers were stranded outside, i felt uneasy

about it, as we were occupying all the shelter. 

Hmm, i recall another hauling session, there were very cramped stairs, but we helped

each other and managed to get all the baggage upstairs in no time.

handing out passports...

The cozy interior of the boxes, i feel like a cat.

Unpacking to be ready for our first meal in JAPAAAAAN!!!

We went to shinjuku, snopped around before deciding to grab dinner asap.

The League of extraordinary Ladies, taking pretty photos of their food. <3

Image by Sheila, nice one there.

Various other foods... FOODS GLORIOUS FOODS

By eugene vina and sheila.

Images by Sheila

After we are done, we snooped about in the misty rain again.

Only for awhile as, its kind of late already. SO, BACK TO THE SUBWAY!

Someone is drawn to something here, something emanating force drawing one closer and closer...

Acts of compulsion... or gravity well?

This rather sinister looking fountain, is sinister.

There was a bit of a confusion on our way back, determining which side

will lead us home.

Sheila is amazed by this japanese manish-woman.

Sheila is amazed by the "silent phones or no phones" sign in the train.

Back in the lodge, cleaning up and ready for bed.

Random nonsense guys do.

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Aaaaand, a first submission of thoughts by Chloe!!!!

Trumpets and confetti please!

Japan has the highest number of vending machines that sells a wide range of items. The most common items would be train tickets, drinks, snacks, cameras, but there is a larger spectrum. They are easily found in railway stations and streets in Japan. It is rare to find any graffiti on the vending machines. Some vending machines are now displayed on touch-panel displays

Vending machines are also used in casual restaurants to sell meal tickets. Tickets are purchased from vending machine then presented to a server, who will then prepares and serve the meal. I agree that it brings a lot convenience at the same time, that man is being replaced by machines. 

It kept me thinking that elderly in Singapore have to work long hours on their feet, for example working as cleaners, just to earn a living. It is a very sad scene when an elderly person collects plates in coffee shops or hawker centres, collecting scraps or selling tissue.  Who knows, in a few years time, the service industry would all be replaced with machines and technology.

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i wish i could press all those buttons at once.

Thats all, folks.

First day... its breath taking to move around in such a strange and massive city.

Dwarves singapore's city but far, but still a hospitable place. Excited about tomorrow,

to the capital of ancient Japan, and modern hub of Japanese culture.

It would be nice to have more voices up in this blog.

anyway

Stay tuned...