food first

so i am back. so i have 300 pictures to show and tell.

hmmm... i shall start with food first, then cats, then scenery. sounds good? here goes:

at 月島 in 東京, there's a okonomiyaki-like food called "monja". and the fun part is, you get to cook it yourself!
raw materials

work in progress

monja!

compared to okonomiyaki, i liked its moist, super cheesy taste. balanced by crunchy cabbage, it's a must try in Tokyo.

as we come to an end to the japan trip

pls vote - if you had had to choose, would you prefer to travel with

a) someone who is literally mute, so you have to decide what to eat and where to go
b) someone who is mr/ms know all, who decides which train door to stand at, changes his/her mind where to go and where not to go

will catch up with all of you when i am back (reaching at 1.30am monday)

じゃ、またね！

温泉 (hotspring) experience

once in the changing room (female only of course), everyone had to strip naked! all i carried with me was a small towel not more than 40cm long and 15cm wide.

at the main bath area, there were shower cubicles with small stools for you to sit and cleanse yourself. i was surprised that i enjoyed this more than i imagined. cos there were japanese charcoal facial wash, shower gel, shampoo, conditioner and even pumice stone!

the 露天風呂　(rotenburo) was just like in japan hour! soaking in the hotspring, admiring light drops of snow falling. 気持ち。。。。

my very first snow encounter!

yes, it snowed today, in sapporo. it was nice, except when the snow was blowing really hard (like a snow storm you see in movies and tv shows.

took lots of pictures in the white winterland, will be sure to post when i am back!

on tuesday night at hakodate, met this really friendly neighbourhood cat. she meowed from a dark street, and proceeded to follow us, even after we crossed the traffic junction. we stopped and gave her a massage and rub. guess she couldnt get enuf of it... hehe...

land of cheese, cheese and more cheese

today i moved out from hakodate to go to noboribetsu, where hell's valley, or jigokutani, is.

what's the most unforgettable thing in hakodate? it must be the amount of cheese i had! i have never eaten so much cheese in my life!

and the ice cream (so-fu-to), is also unforgettable. despite the intent to try weird flavours like ika (black colour one), wasabi, and uni, i stuck to safe ones such as melon and milk.

oh, did i mention the amount of green tea that they put in their food? green tea is everywhere! in the taiyaki (the pancake with redbean or cheese inside, available in singapore), in ice cream, in biscuits, in chocolate...

sakura season

yes, it's the much talked about cherry blossom, aka sakura season.

unfortunately, the sky was overcast, and the sakura flowers are already turning white and withering.

will post pictures when i am back.

miss all of you! especially my cats..

足が棒になりました

well, this was how i felt and still feeling after spending 2 days in tokyo! i have never climed so many steps and staircases in my life!

perhaps one of the longevity tips of japanese people - climbing stairs! no elevator!

be back soon... watch this space..