nutcase23’s Japan trip – Exploring around

Best shop name EVAR

And here comes part two of my Japan trip post.

Besides the usual tourist traps, the more interesting things tend to be those that are not on the itinerary and discovered by yourself.

And so here are some pictures of my random adventures in Japan.

I’ll first start with the greenery.

A portion of my stay in Japan was in the mountains up in Gokase. The area was, as to be expected, pretty rural looking (but with all the modern amenities) with the main activity there being agriculture. Needless to say, the scenery there was breathtaking.

Ignore the guy, he’s just there for perspective

You certainly will be hard pressed to find such scenery here in flat-as-a-pettanko Singapore.

The air up there was very cool. Even being in the start of summer there,  the temperature was more akin to the air-conditioned environment in Singapore.

Same road on a misty morning. Almost like a horror show XD

I’ll now spam a few nature shots I took.

Excuse my amateur skills XD.

Grass with morning dew

Was surprised my compact could focus on something this small

And during my exploration, even came across a shrine.

It was nothing like those shiny spanking new ones you see in the tourist spots but rather almost seemed like it was somehow ripped out of some anime I watched.

That was the authentic feel I got.

Where you wash your hands

I see the donation box. But where’s Reimu?

Of course, I didn’t spend the entirety of my Japan trip skulking around in the mountains.

Coming back closer to the urban jungle, Kyuushuu, from what I have seen, gives me an impression of a mix of old and new. Unlike here in Singapore where the powerlines are underground, powerlines in Kyuushuu are largely above ground, a feature prominently seen in various animes like CLANNAD.

I’m sure areas in the mainland would not have above land powerlines due to space contraints (like Singapore) but it and a few other things you see around certainly gives the impression of a land in the midst of a slow transition.

Some random post box

This scene somehow felt like it was right of some anime

I also got a chance to try out the train system in Japan.

It certainly wasn’t easy to start considering that certain areas could have multiple lines running through at different stations. But otherwise, the experience was interesting and not very unlike the MRT system here in Singapore. Save for a few examples of course.

Entry gates. Wasn’t quite sure how to use it at first.

The tracks

Train timetable. They seriously are on time all the time.

Where you buy you tickets

You pay according to your destination. Transport ain’t cheap in japan.

What the underground system looks like.

Molesters are criminals? Lol.

Of course, the only reason I’d be running around in the local train system was to shop and eat XD

I visited the Tenjin underground shopping mall which probably is a (much) better version of Singapore’s City Link.

I would like a Mio :3

This shop apparently ranks various items and sells them

While it certainly wasn’t an original intention, exploring around resulted in some otaku shopping as well…

Didn’t get a chance to step in though…

Gachapon heaven?

UFO catcher prize lol

More UFO catcher prizes

The latest official Hachune Miku manga. Comes with CD. Didn’t buy it though

I did buy these ^^

キラ～

Nice Dollfie. Nice price too O_o

Visual Novels bore me….

Too bad I don’t have a PS2…

And not forgetting the various foods I ate while I was there.

Japanese food is best eaten in Japan. Or it could simply be a case of the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. =P

Food I ate at Beppu. Your typical onsen meal?

Some awesome ramen

Sushi! Can you guess which is the Ootoro (fatty tuna)? Horse meat is in there too ^^

Eating that fish with chopsticks was hard work……

Singaporeans should get this XD

Curry rice from above mentioned Food Court. Very different from the curry I’m used to.

You order and they give you this device which beeps when you food is ready for collection.

A Nagasaki specialty called chanpon. Tasted awesome.

Couldn’t find a choco cornet orz…

And finally, for a few random shots to wrap things up……

A toilet bowl with more functions than your average calculator…

Tea flavored Pepsi. Smelt like soap from The Body Shop and tasted like crap. Whoever came up with this is nuts.

White mage and Black mage Chocobos. Aww…………… (Not mine ^^)