Yokohama: Scenery Spots for Future Shooting (Day 8)

Produser, pemandangan yang saya foto berikut juga bagus nih buat adegan jalan2 para tokoh di novel :P

Becak di Yokohama
Jalanan model Eropa hehe, ini deket museum. Terlalu banyak museum di Yokohama
Museum Arsip (Archive) -- mirip rumah Eropa kuno
Sakura Playground, cantiknyaaa
Air mancur ini kayak di Bugis Seiyu Singapore?? heheh, tapi sakura di belakangnya itu lho *_*

Cherry blossoms in Yokohama (Day 8)

Area surrounding or heading to Foreign Cemetery and Yamate Catholic Church (Enoki Tei Cafe included) has the most beautiful cherry blossom (I think because they are uphill, the highest point in Yokohama? So the weather is pretty cool)... Sejuk hawanya, abis capek mendaki tetep perlu pake mantel biar gak kerasa dingin...

Narsis di tepi jalan bersakura. Ini naik, naik ke puncak bukit mencari kuburan... (daerah Port Hill). Hmm harusnya nulis: Author of Sakura Bersemi di Yokohama berpose dengan sakura di tepi jalan di Yokohama heehhe
Kalau aku yang nyetir, pasti gak konsen padahal jalanan menikung gitu... Abis sakuranya cantik sekali di pinggir jalan!!!
Rambut kempis abis keramas pagi-pagi... terpana melihat sakura dan gak ngeliat kamera hahaha
Sakura di dekat Gereja Katolik Yamate, depannya kompleks kuburan (bersakura juga). Alamak, ini mungkin kuburan dan Gereja paling stylish di Asia??? (gara2 sakuranya bersemi hahaha)
Garden Bluff penuh sakura, pingin ngafe di sana tapi waktunya gak cukup... HIKS HIKS, next time, Yokohama I am coming again!!!

Yokohama: Motomachi (Day 8)

This is the shopping alley in Yokohama, Motomachi, in between Chinatown area n Cemetery area. Plenty varieties, but it's difficult to get my size (despite I look slim, I am still big in Japanese petite standard. I am oh-so-very Western size with broad shoulder and my height). But you can find cute (Mickey, Minnie stuff) in one of the shops there... And there is a linkway to the Foreign Cemetery (I found it on the way back from the Cemetery).

Ada juga satu kuil dengan sakura yang cantik, tersembunyi di satu gang di balik toko-toko.

Sale @ Motomachi is every February (kata brosur, orang2 seluruh Jepang bakal menyerbu Motomachi)

Mengikuti jejak Sakura, saya menelusup di gang
Ini dia hasil menyusup di gang: kuil bersakura
Cantiknyaaaa
Ini gang tembus kuburan - Motomachi

Selected Japan Photos

Last night, finally, Dorothy, my new friend from Japan tour sent me my pictures in her camera (wakakaka, saya nagih utang siangnya, masa udah sebulan belon dikirim padahal saya sudah kirim begitu upload ke laptop).
Anyway, small size, so just nice to upload them here :)
Thanks, Dort!

Kuil Kiyomizu dibangun tanpa paku (biasa nih semua kuil di Jepang, Thailand, Korea sama!)

Di depan kedai teh (tea house)

Bersama dua gadis Jepang berkimono di Kiyomizu Temple, Kyoto

(sayang sandal mereka gak difoto, tinggi banget bo', kayak "teklek" super high heel hehe)

Abis naik Shinkansen dari Toyohashi

Reply from Singapore Literature Prize

Dear Yunisa,

Thanks for your note.

May I know when the reprinting will be completed? It won't be a problem if you send us copies before 30 May 2008.

In any case, send us the 3 copies you have and then you can send me more when it's reprinted.

Regards,

National Book Development Council of Singapore 50 Geylang East Avenue 1 Singapore 389777

----- Original Message -----
From: Yunisa
Sent: Tuesday, May 06, 2008 2:06 PM
Subject: Singapore Literature Prize (SLP) 2008 queries

Dear Sir / Madam,

I would like to submit my novel titled Sakura Bersemi di Yokohama published in Bandung, 2006, and this novel has earned interviews in RSI Malay and NHK, Japan recently. Unfortunately I do not have enough copies with me now (my novel is going to be reprinted and what I have with me is only 3 copies of the first edition). Actually I have donated 5 copies to National Library and 2 copies to NUS Library (see below). I was wondering whether you would be kind enough to allow me submit 3 copies instead of 6?

Thank you in advance for your assistance.

Awaiting your reply,
Yunisa

Yokohama, a Harbor City (Day 8)

In Yamashita Park, you can see Hikawa Maru (kapal beneran yang diparkir di sana). Marine Tower (Menara Marina) tutup, ternyata dua-duanya sedang dilelang... I thought it was due to renovation *too positive thinking* Ayumi-san told me that people usually enjoy hanami under sakura trees in Yamashita park... When I was there, people were jogging n I was blinded by the beauty of the sea. Namanya bener2 "jogging with view", nice weather, nice scenery... Seingat saya, sakura-nya udah gak keliatan di Yamashita (atau mungkin saya kurang teliti menelusuri jogging track nya ya?)

Kapal Hikawa Maru yang dulu pernah menjadi RS Palang Merah, kapal pesiar, dll...

Menara Marina (Marine Tower) yang sedang tutup, dari arah Yamashita Park

Laut biru / Ocean Blue (biar kayak judul lagu hehhee)

The corner of Yamashita Park walking from Queen King Jack area

Patung pertama: gadis bersepatu (merah?)

Berpose dengan patung penjaga air (Dewa Air? gak ngerti deh)

Yokohama Queen, King, Jack (Day 8)

Dari Red Brick, saya berjalan menuju Queen, King, Jack. Tiga bangunan itu adalah yang tertinggi di Yokohama berpuluh-puluh (atau seabad yang lalu)... Setiap pelaut yang datang dan melihat tiga bangunan itu, pasti tahu kalau dirinya sudah sampai Yokohama *_* All of them are actually government buildings (or custom checking???) Just click the link to find out more info.

The three buildings are located in each junction... (persimpangan jalan)

"Ratu" mengintip di balik ranting-ranting sakura yang belum bersemi This is the Queen, the highest among the three
King
Tetangga mereka, NHK Yokohama
The shortest (and the newest) among the three, Jack

Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse (Day 8)

Kunjungan Sabtu pagi 5 April 2008
Akeranga Soko literally means red brick (bata merah). 横浜赤レンガ倉庫
Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse dibangun mulai 1899, selesainya 1913 - ada 2 gedung, merah semua, digunakan sebagai cukai (custom). Gempa bumi Kanto 1923 agak merusak bangunan ini dan melewati sejarah yang panjang (Perang Dunia ke-2, dipakai tentara Amerika sampai 1956) lalu dipakai lagi jadi cukai sampai 1989. Gedung kompleks berbata merah ini dibuka lagi setelah direnovasi dalamnya pada tanggal 12 April 2002. (Terjemahan Wikipedia hehehe)

Dari luar, gede banget, warnanya merah

Ada taman cantik di musim semi
Super cantik tamannya
Kalau winter jadi tempat ice skating (kayak Central Park NYC)
Mobil balap dipamerkan
Tampak samping HONDA race car, banyak yang nonton

Foto2 Yokohama lagi (Day 8)

Just back from HK last night. Ini mau melunasi utang upload foto Yokohama ya...

My favorite part of Yokohama: Sakura!!! (Biar cocok sama Sakura Bersemi di Yokohama hahhaa) Pertama, saya bisa stuck bermenit-menit di Minato Mirai memandangi sederetan jalan yang penuh Sakura Bersemi saat matahari bersinar dengan terang...

I love this part: jalan raya bersakura, dilihat dari beranda mall (Queen's @ Minato Mirai)

Taman bermain Cosmo World dengan sakura
Kapal Nippon Maru dengan sakura
Cosmo World dengan sakura lagi (atas bawah)

This view takes my breath away...

Resensi Suhu Gede udah jadi hehe

from Joseph Chen
to Yunisa
date Apr 23, 2008 2:58 PM

*bla bla*

Pertanyaan terakhir, resensi novel kamu mau dibikin di KoKi yang sekarang, apa nunggu sisan di New KoKi....??

Wis ah, ta'tunggu your thoughts ya......

Balasan Yunisa: Resensi terserah Suhu deh, aku lagi mumet belon upload foto Jepang

Interview @ NHK

Hmm, mesti nanya Bu Lily apakah bisa disimpenin file rekaman kalau nanti disiarkan hehehe
Gotta ask Mrs Lily whether she could save the recorded file once it is aired later hehehe

Seingat saya, topik utama adalah sakura. Yes, sakura was the main topic.
Mengapa saya tour melihat sakura? (self-fulfilment because of my first novel titled Sakura Bersemi di Yokohama)

Mengapa judulnya Sakura Bersemi di Yokohama? (Itu sih metafora, sakura bersemi itu romantis bangetzzz, dan judul itu menggambarkan adegan terpenting dalam novel: adegan pernikahan tokoh utama, saat sakura bersemi).
Cuma ada satu orang yang bisa menebak dengan benar mengapa judulnya SBdY (dari sekian banyak orang) hehhehe: Bu Johanna Wulansari Istanto, convenor Bahasa Indonesia di NUS. Hehehe, jelas dong, kan convenor, mesti pakar Bahasa Indonesia, dan pernah tinggal di Yokohama pula *_*

Why titled Sakura Bersemi di Yokohama? (It's a metaphore. Cherry blossoms is so romantic and the main scene of the novel is the wedding ceremony during the cherry blossoms *_*)
There is only one person who can guess why I titled my novel that way correctly. She is Mrs Johanna Wulansari Istanto, convenor of Indonesian language at NUS. Not a surprise as she is an Indonesian language "expert" and she lived in Yokohama in the past.

Tapi benarkah sakura bersemi itu penting sekali dan romantis? (Sudah diriset, benar, banyak pernikahan dijadwal pada sakura bersemi hehehe). Tambahan: begitu selesai interview, di Yokohama sendiri saya menyaksikan dua pernikahan di tempat yang berbeda!!!)

Apakah saya pernah melihat sakura di negara lain? Have I seen sakura in other countries? (hehehe, Korea last year)

Bagaimana pengalaman melihat sakura itu? How is the experience of viewing sakura?
Secara mikro dan secara makro... Micro view, the flower is so simple... (bunganya sederhana) Macro view, when it's a stretch of sakura trees, wow! it's incredible! especially if you see the degradation of the colour from pink to white... (Tapi secara makro, kalau serentetan pohonnya, wow! Degradasi warna dari pink sampai putih...)

I can't recall other questions, but I think the standard question like my future novels, who encouraged me to write (Dr Dede was the first person - with no teaching background who has similar opinion as my former teachers and lecturers).

My wish... someday I can walk enjoying the cherry blossoms (especially in Minato Mirai area, and not necessarily the foreign cemetery in Yokohama) with my future husband, together with my parents and his parents!!!

Main ke NHK Studio di Tokyo

Jumat siang, 4 April 2008
Friday Afternoon @ NHK Studio Shibuya (bacanya Shibuyak)

Cerita background
Jujur saja, saya tidak pernah bermimpi bahwa saya suatu hari akan pergi ke NHK (dan diwawancara di sana pula). Apalagi orang tua saya hehehhe, mereka sering heran mengapa anaknya bisa gini bisa gitu tanpa merepotkan mereka...

Semua dimulai dari tahun lalu, saya kan sudah berencana mau melihat sakura bersemi di Jepang... Terus Pak Harry Suhartanto (RSI, Mediacorp) bilang ke saya, "Yun, kalau kamu jadi ke Jepang, bilang-bilang ya. Aku ada teman di NHK..."

Tapi kan tahun lalu tour melihat sakura dibatalkan semua tuh dari Sg karena sakura bersemi seminggu lebih cepat dari perkiraan. Bahkan pemerintah (gak tau dah badan apa yang bikin perkiraan sakura mekar), sampai minta maaf kepada publik atas kesalahan prediksinya...

Jadi tahun ini, dengan lebih berhati-hati melihat penanggalan sakura (maksudnya pattern recognition otak saya dikerahkan), saya benar-benar bertekad bulat harus melihat sakura bersemi... Nah dua hari sebelum saya terbang, Pak Harry tiba-tiba saja memforward e-mail Bu Lily (Pak Harry kalau manggil Mbak Lily -- yahh mereka kan umurnya di atas saya hehehhe). Lalu saya mengirim e-mail ke Bu Lily, dan janjian ketemu begitu saya terbebas dari tour...

Saya sempat kebat-kebit bingung mau pakai bahasa apa waktu telepon ke Bu Lily. Pertama telepon ke rumah, karena telanjur sudah "Halo, selamat malam", ya saya berharap semoga yang mengangkat bisa Bahasa Indonesia hahahah... Untungnya suara anak kecil laki-laki di seberang kawat menjawab dengan lancar bahwa Bu Lily masih di kantor.

Lalu saya telepon ke kantornya. Wah insting saya langsung memerintahkan, English English... Jadilah saya berbahasa Inggris, tapi setengah jalan, kok orangnya yang awalnya berbahasa Jepang, lalu Inggris, tiba-tiba berganti Bahasa Indonesia... *hihihihi* dan bilang kalau Bu Lily nya sudah pulang...

Jadilah saya menelepon ponsel Bu Lily yang waktu itu sedang di supermarket. Dan diberi petunjuk bagaimana cara mencapai NHK Studio Park di Shibuya (exit Hachiko patung anjing). Nah di sana ada Koban (Polisi).

Patung Hachiko si anjing setia (ini memfoto langsung maju biar orang2 menyingkir hehehhe)

"Ada shuttle ke NHK, 150 yen." Saya bener2 bingung karena Shibuya station itu besar, dan busnya banyak sekali... orangnya juga banyak banget oiii, jadi saya ke Koban nanya bus mana yang ke NHK, disuruh menyebrang, cari bus No. 2).

Ini saya di dalam bus shuttle ke NHK *_* narsis memfoto diri sendiri

Tuh liat kerumunan orang banyak banget, bikin mabookkkk di perempatan Shibuya

NHK Building at NHK Studio Park, Tokyo, Japan

Ini saya di studio rekaman. HAHAHAH, of course it's me *_* posing at recording studio

Saya dan Bu Lily Yulianti Farid yang mewawancarai saya (padahal malam sebelumnya di telepon nggak bilang kalau mau wawancara hahahha)

This is Mrs Lily Yulianti Farid and me. She was the one who interviewed me (despite the night before, on the phone she did not tell me that she was going to interview me hahahah) Bersama Ayumi-san (dia tinggal di Yogyakarta setahun, kuliah di UGM lho... Terus di Jakarta setahun). Orangnya baik dan ramah sekali. Senyumnya manis *_* sekali seperti Bibi saya di Yogya. Bahasa Indonesianya lancar bin lancarrrrrr... =D Senang sekali deh ngobrol sama Ayumi-san, rasanya seperti ngomong-ngomong sama orang Indonesia, setelah berhari-hari dicekoki Bahasa Mandarin di tour ANA dan Bahasa Jepang di semua tempat wisata, hotel, everywhere, saya setengah mati menggabungkan Bahasa Inggris dan Tarzan (kadang pakai kamus Jepang juga) buat komunikasi sama orang Jepang hahahha *_*

With Ayumi-san (she stayed in Yogyakarta for a year, studying at the best university in my hometown, Gadjah Mada University. Then she stayed in Jakarta for a year). She is very kind and very friendly. Her smile is soooo sweet *_* reminds me of my aunt at home. her Indonesian is very good, very fluent, just like native speaker!!! I love talking to her, it feels like I was talking to fellow Indonesian, after days I was forced to listen to Mandarin tour guide and hearing people speaking Japanese everywhere. I combined English and Tarzan gesture (with Japanese pocket dictionary) to communicate with Japanese hahaha...

Yokohama is the best!

Konichiwa, saya sudah balik Sg lagi kemarin tengah malem, terus bongkar2 koper. Tapi foto n video semua masih belum diupload... Mesti inget bluetooth yang di HP...

To do list masih banyak:

-sending oleh-oleh ke teman-teman di Sg

-kirim e-mail foto ke Bu Lily dan Ayumi-san di NHK

-menulis pengalaman saya di Jepang di blog ini (mesti lihat foto2 lagi hehe)

Dari sekian banyak kota yang saya kunjungi, Yokohama paling berkesan. It's like not just a dream, it's like I am doing a site visit to survey if my novel is filmed in the future... It's like God has planned everything for me...

You definitely need more than a day to explore Yokohama!

Day 9: TMG Building n Ueno Park

Last day in Tokyo, I still went to several places...

Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building with sakura blooming! Sigh, my post card kayaknya gak nyampe :( Ini gedung Pemerintah, lantai 45? buat observation deck, gratis. Nearest station: Shinjuku. Ada North and South Observation Tower
The green part is Meiji Shrine (kinda Central Park in Tokyo). Berantakan banget ya?
Kesenjangan antara gedung pemerintah dan bangunan lainnya (termasuk rumah penduduk). Bu Johanna bilang Tokyo emang dibikin berantakan biar kalau perang, musuh nggak bisa menemukan (pejabat) yang bersembunyi...
Dibuat pake mesin each 300 yen, susahnya setengah mati coz language options: Japanese, Korean, Chinese
Antre di lift (only 2 lifts available), the Q is getting longer...

My brunch: clear brooth of ramen @ Shinjuku, not as delicious as expected

High temple n sakura tree @ Ueno Park, so pretty!
Pretty pink sakura @ Ueno park
Patung @ Ueno Park

These photos were taken by one of the Japanese girls (I took their pics first hehehe)
Holding the sakura
Pose terakhir (final pose instructed by the Japanese girl who took all my pics with sakura)