Day 3: Kyoto: Kimono, Sakura, "Rumah Tosha"

Japan has a lot of temples -- although I am not into temples... It's part of the tour.

Kiyomizu Temple, Kyoto

The memorable part for this Kyoto adventure is I dropped my handycam near the Kiyomizu Temple! Babak belur deh hehehe. I drank the most delicious green tea ever... (and bought that for my dad). And the whole stretch of sakura trees along the way. Unfortunately, most of my pics are blurred due to the movement of the bus (bablur karena diambil dari atas bus yang berjalan).

Sakura dan kabel-kabel berantakan (kalau tumbang, nyetrum gak ya?)

Sakura dari atas bus
Sakura di antara gedung-gedung

Sakura di gang deket kuil Kiyomizu

Berpose di gang sakura itu

Kirei sakura desu ne @ Kiyomizu Temple


Nampang di Kuil Kiyomizu Temple dengan sakura

Close up with sakura

I also found a prototype for Tosha's residence (it has a man-made lake, very huge traditional Japanese house. It actually belonged to some general in the 18th century).

Prototype rumah Tosha (produser, saya mencalonkan sewa tempat ini buat syuting!!!)

Rumah emas (Golden house) surrounded by man-made lake

Yunisa berpose di rumah emas

Tempura bento - my lunch

Patung kimono, kimono show nya direkam di handycam :P

Day 2 Universal Studio Osaka n Osaka Castle

1. It was Sunday. The Q was horrible. The tour guide was slow n unclear (so irritating).


2. It was raining (but I didn't really care coz my stamina was quite good then).


3. Sakura @ Osaka castle had not bloomed fully (most of them were still budding).

Well, I know how to advise: if you've been to Universal Studio in California, don't expect you will feel "WOW" with the one in Japan... There is no studio tour, everything is dubbed to Japanese. And it is not funny at all to hear something in a language you don't understand :P

Universal Studio, Osaka, Japan (hujan)

me with Snoopy (Japanese couple took this pic for me). Arigato!

Typical store in Japan theme parks. Cute stuff, not my type... :P

There is a Hard Rock Cafe outside the complex (again the one in California is better).

me at Osaka castle park

Osaka castle with budding sakura

Osaka castle... it depends on the angle you see... it is surrounded by tall modern buildings (and messy cables). So you really have to find good angles to obtain "artistic" photos.

Osaka castle with more cherry blossoms

Me and the best sakura @ Osaka castle (see the tall buildings surrounding the castle)

Cherry blossom @ Osaka (not black and white, this is because the dark clouds -- mendung, hujan)

Day 1: Kobe

Day 1: Saturday, 29 Mar 08

Changi - Narita
First, I sat one row behind my actual seat (hahaha, wrong seeing the row number). I think it was the 3rd time I took the wrong seat in this 2 years flying alone here and there *_* Sumimasen!
The headphones didn't function, so I asked the stewardess for exchange. The food was OK, I ate pork with rice (thank God I didn't choose the pasta with fish, it looked not yummy). Note to self: don't order seafood again after the SQ food to the US... getting sick of eating them!

NRT-ITM (domestic flight to Osaka)
I was upgraded to the business class, don't ask me why. They didn't deduct my mileage, somemore *_* Among all the tour group, it was only me who got the upgrade. Lucky me, huh? It's been years I didn't fly business class (the last time was domestic flight bought by my parents when I was small hehehe). Really pampered in business class, the stewardess asked me whether she can put my bag to the overhead cabin. The ratio of stewardess : passengers = almost 6 :20, if I didn't count wrongly. I boarded the plane earlier as I was in business class, and there was this young Japanese guy flirted with me for a few seconds while he was heading to the economy class. *Too bad, not my type*. I was the only "young girl" sitting in a spacious business class seat. The rest were either married couple with young children or old Japanese businessmen. This time around I ensured that I took the correct seat heheheh =D

Both Narita and Itami didn't impress me. Standard airports.

Kobe
Taking self photo after tonkatsu dinner (disappointed, why the tour gave Western-Japanese food for my first meal in Japan)


The first frozen budding sakura I saw in Japan. It's a famous area, MOSAIC

The view from my hotel room wasn't that superb... (picture not shown)

From Changi Airport

I don't bring my laptop with me, this is typed from free 15-min usage at Changi. Based on the Internet search I performed yesterday, it seems when I reach Japan later, cherry blossoms will be "the best viewing" stage. *yawning*

Couldn't sleep well last night because the air conditioner is leaking n my room gets very warm. Then it was difficult to call a cab due to my inexperience in using Viewty from LG (this is my hp for roaming).

And guess what, I think in my face there is a warning written: Ini orang Indonesia lhooo as the Malay taxi driver assumed that I would be taking Garuda and surprised when I said I am taking ANA. (Hurray, my mileage increases... unlike Asiana last year to Korea, group has no mileage). I didn't utter a single word in that taxi n he still could know that I am Indonesian.

Then the check in counter Indian lady asked me my return ticket to Indonesia. I told her I am a Singapore PR. And she still demanded to see my Singapore 5-year visa hahahha... Nasib nasib...

BTW, Bu Johanna n Ki Ageng wished me that my weird dream may come true... although now I am feeling like... busyet kenapa sering apes minggu ini...

To be updated once I return to Singapore with the sakura photos.

Warm regards, (really warm, I think my metabolism is really up)

Yunisa

Sakura, Jepang, Saya Datang!

Sakura Japan, I am coming! Saya datang!!!
I haven't packed though despite in less than 3 days, I'll be there. Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Yokohama... *darn expensive solo trip* Mengeringkan kantong bener oiiii, terutama hotel di Yokohama, on the tallest building in Japan...
My colleague, Charlotte was surprised that I have written this novel Sakura Bersemi di Yokohama even before I saw sakura by myself hahahha... What an imagination I have, yea?

It's a self fulfillment pilgrim... Finding new inspirations as well. Anyway, I will travel quite frequent in these 3 months, chasing a strange dream I had in January. Who knows it wasn't just a dream ;)

Will post my pics with real Japan sakura here after I come back.

Plans n Progress

1. Suhu JC belum nulis resensi yang proper...
2. Penerbit lagi ngedit bahasa di cetakan pertama (I think potong halaman?) -- gak tau deh kapan dia mau cetak ilang (bilangnya: tunggu saat yang tepat).
3. Mungkin mau aku ikutkan Singapore Literature Prize 2008 golongan bahasa Malay wkakaka, kan dulu udah diresensi di acara RSI Malay Mbak Illyedia. So aku minta penerbit tanda tangan formulir n ngirim lagi buku cetakan pertama ke rumah di Jogja, biar ntar dititipin orang ke Sg...