kobe daisuki!

i'm going to flood this entry with all my favorite pictures that we took yesterday in the awesome city of kobe. i am falling deeper in love with the city in each time i go there. if ever i decide in staying in japan for a longer period of time, i'll go and live there. (of course, that is if i could get a better paying job because the costs of apartment and living there are much higher compared to osaka.)


Perched on a hillside overlooking Osaka Bay, Kobe is definitely one of Japan's most attractive cities. It's also one of the country's most famous, largely as a result of the tragic earthquake of January 17, 1995, which basically destroyed the city and killed more than 6000 people. As of January 2008, it has a population of 1.5 million people.


Kobe is a great place to explore by foot. Yesterday we went to this sculpture garden near City Hall that contains a memorial to the Great Hanshin earthquake. Coffee shops, stores, and pubs line many of the streets giving the city a different feel compared to other Japanese cities. I think that the best thing to do in Kobe is to get yourself completely lost, and explore the many parks and shops while finding your way again.

Tokyo

I went to Tokyo last Wednesday night and stayed there for 4 days. My first trip to the mega-city since I arrived in Japan almost two years ago. The whole place, as always, is jam-packed with people. Seeing all those people rushing towards every direction and experiencing the super fast pace of things around made me miss the familiarity and warmth of Osaka.

In the City of Pines

I realized that there is still so much about the Philippines that I don't know, that I should experience. Sosyal ang mga tao rito: naka-muffler and naka-winter clothes. :)

Sunset in our Side of the Island

Our car broke down on the way to Tagbilaran City. We were left waiting for the mechanic to arrive but fortunately, the view was like this.


I went even farther and followed the setting sun. And in the end, I got reminded of one of the reasons why I just have to come back to this place where I grew up.

Season of Illumination - Philippine Style

San Isidro Labrador Church
Tubigon, Bohol, the Philippines
Christmas 2007

Loboc River Cruise

These are just two of the cute little restos floating/cruising over the cool waters of Loboc River, Bohol.

Chasing Autumn (3)

Midosuji Ave.
Osaka, Japan

Chasing Autumn (2)

November 23, 2007
Minoh, Osaka

Chasing Autumn

Arashiyama, Kyoto
November 17, 2007

surreal

my sister being here in japan and the akashi bridge.

a sight of royalty

I saw the emperor of Japan today with the empress right by his side waving at me. Oh, oh, that could be misleading! He was actually waving at all the people on the street waiting for them to pass by. These royalties (and all the athletics people of the world) are here in Osaka for the 11th IAAF World Championships in Athletics 2007 which officially commenced today. Luckily, I was at that exact time and place. Life is full of "little" surprises indeed. All I wanted was to spend an afternoon outside work and outside my apartment (to save on the airconditioning! heheh), but it turned out more than that. Thank God, Osaka still has a lot to offer. I checked out the Osaka Prefecture Main Library, and the old buildings in that area and went to the Osaka Science Museum. Here is a sample of what I saw: a rare piece of architecture here in the city.


I even saw some of the athletes from Italy and Cuba. Oh they look "world-class"! heheh. Thanks to a friend for the company and for making me feel positive of japan and life in general once again. I reckon that what's more important than the place itself is really the people that we meet and keep as friends.

Fireworks in Osaka City

Once in a year, you can enjoy this in Osaka.

another kind of high

in the umeda sky building - where clouds are closer and a slice of heaven is waiting for anyone to savor...

universal studios japan

I went to the Universal Studios Japan today but I won't describe the attractions here in detail since there are far better sites for that (try clicking the title of this entry). Some of the memorable things were the SpiderMan ride which was not yet available the first time I went to USJ 3 and 1/2 years ago and the Peter Pan's Neverland night show which was quite impressive especially seeing Peter Pan and Wendy flying so fast at such long distances. The musical show "Wicked" was fine too, and Shrek in 4D!!!! (Yeah, soooo cool!!! :D)

osaka international church

"You are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God."
(Ephesians 2:19)

p.s. and i have a recital this sunday.
come and join us... hahahah!!! (baga jud ug nawong!)

Kyoto - The Real Deal!

oh my! kyoto is soooo great! I accompanied some friends from Cebu for a sight-seeing. The picture above is just one of the great things Kyoto has to offer to a travel-enthusiast like me. But before i'll describe that "photo session" with a geisha/maiko, let me describe our trip to the different temples/shrines first.

Let's start with the Kiyomizu temple, one of the most popular for tourists. The trail leading up to this temple is populated with different souvenir shops that are really interesting for people who are into old japanese stuffs. In 1994, the temple was added to the list of UNESCO world heritage sites.

Next stop is Heian Temple. I was amazed by its size, feeling nako spacious gyud kaayo. Gate pa lang sa temple dako na kaayo. On the way to this temple, we passed by Kyoto Modern Art Museum and Kyoto National Art Museum. The insides of this temple is very zen to me. The wide empty spaces are all covered with stones. And there is a very nice garden (around 30000 square meters SO-BIG!) inside that has 2 ponds with lilies and plants. I bet this place is perfect during spring for cherry blossom viewing.

Next: Two of the most popular landmarks of Kyoto: the Kyoto Tower and the Kinkakuji Temple (the Golden Pavilion). Oh ayan! ano pa bang hihingin n'yo. Parang naririnig ko na na may mag-re-react na "Sige na! sige na! nakapunta ka na nga ng Kyoto! Tama na!" heheh... Bitaw, Kyoto is so amazing, mapaluma man o modern.

OK, continue na, kay medyo kapoy na. Last namo giaadtuan is kadtong naa sa movie na Memoirs of a Geisha. Kadtong gidaganan ni Sayuri sa dihang bata pa sya and nag-wish sya nga magkakita sila pag-usab kay Chairman.Ang mga orange na structures na yan ay matatagpuan sa Fushimi-Inari Shrine. You know what? ang haba pala ng mga nagsunod-sunod na mga orange gates na yan. ma-aamazed ka. mga 1 hour din kaming naglakad inside those structures pero hindi namin natapos. halfway lang kami, kasi gabi na po. kaya ayan, may picture din ako ng city view ng Kyoto from there.

after all the lakad and the bus-rides, napagod ang inyong mga turista at tumambay sa starbucks gion (pinakasikat na street ng kyoto) for a while. but nang biglang maalala ng isa na gusto nyang magpapicture with a geisha, kaya, pumunta kami ulit dun kung saan alam ko na maraming mga tea houses. and fortunately naman ay nakapapicture gyud. heheh... may pruweba na gyud. nakakatawa pa kasi nang desperada na talaga yung isa, ay hinawakan nya bigla yung geisha at tinanong na "can we take a picture?" then sabay pose agad.. ni hindi man lang binigyan ng chance sumagot ang aming subject. hahah! as in hinawakan nya by the arm! hindi kaya basta hinahawakan ang mga klase nila. hahah! natawa na lang sa amin yung mga grupo na french... naunahan namin sila... pa-demure2x pa kasi eh.. heheh.. the best talaga ang mga pinoy... heheh

anyway, it was a superb trip. sulit ang every yen na nagasta ko. mura lang naman actually kasi 500-yen lang yun all-day pass sa bus. sooo great pa yung experience. kaya kung sino man dyan na mapadpad dito sa osaka, tara na, sabayan ko kayo dito sa kyoto! :D

Of Gion, Kyoto and Geisha

Yesterday was the climax of the Gion Matsuri in Kyoto. Since it was also a national holiday here in Japan as a day for the Sea/Ocean, we went to Kyoto to see and check what it feels like.

(hay naku... feeling ko na na napupurol na ang english ko dito. it seems na bakikaw na paminawon ako written english. hahay... sa dami na kasi ng alam ko or pinag-aaralan kung wika ay di ko na masyadong ginagamit ang english. dito, nagagamit ko lang mostly yung mga nouns lang kung may hindi maiintindihan na nihongo. wala na yung mga grammar/sentence contruction ek-ek... grrr... hanap kaya ako ng english-speaking foreigner rito, para naman hindi na lalala pa ang english ko pag-uwi ko ng pinas... heheh...)

anyway, balik ta sa Gion and Kyoto.... yesterday`s weather was weird... buong araw umulan. pagtingin ko sa terrace ko sa apartment na umuulan i thought na baka sa kyoto walang ulan... ngeek.. pagdating namin dun, ang lakas din ng buhos. malapit lang pala ito sa osaka. 30 mins lang din just like kobe...

bumaba kami sa kawaramachi, and pinakadulo ng Hankyu Kyoto Line. Kawaramachi as they say is the center of Kyoto City where the department stores and restaurants can be found. One step away from the main streets, however, and people can see and feel the old Japanese culture. Yeah. tinuod gyud. Kuyaw ayo sila magbalance sa new and old. gina-preserve gyud nila what it was. yet they are so advanced no?

I like Gion. tungod kay gaulan lagi kaayo and the parade wrapped up around 12 noon, we spent time walking along Gion and its nearby shopping streets. And did you know that Gion is Kyoto's most famous geisha district? To experience the traditional Gion, we stroll along Hanami-koji, a street lined by beautiful old buildings, teahouses and restaurants. It was around 5:30 in the afternoon and we were able to spot a geisha apprentice or was she a seasoned geisha already? I don't know, I am not sure... I was so mesmerized by the sight of a mysterious and gaijin-shy woman making her way to a teahouse. I had not even managed to take a picture... waahh... There were many people outside the teahouse, mostly tourists and foreigners. And they behave like paparazzis - eagerly waiting for a sight of a geisha...

Anyway, we spotted two geishas that afternoon... I'll be back to this ancient place for sure...

Kobe

i finally had the chance to go to another city, just 30 minutes away from Osaka is the cosmopolitan port city of Kobe.


Kobe is one of Japan's ten largest cities and is considered one of Japan's most attractive.


For those who did not know, Kobe was hit by the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, which killed over 5000 people and destroyed tens of thousands of buildings. That was on January 1995. A decade later, the city is completely rebuilt, and only a few signs of the terrible event are left. Thanks to the people involved in the recovery and development, i had a great time and a great view for my weekend!

with raneil and mars.


the cruise costs 1000 yen per adult, but thanks to our natural charm (ehemmm...), we had it for a lower price.

it's all worth it. another romantic place added to my list. however wala gihapon date... hahayy!!

HEP 5

dahil nga wala akong work items for almost a month now, eh i can afford to blog just about anything. heheh... this one is about the giant ferris wheel of HEP Five.

HEP Five is a major shopping mall and entertainment center in the Umeda commercial district here in Osaka. Geared for the youngsters like me, it houses one of my favorites, the GAP outlet (hahah! mas big deal ba naman ang GAP?). The bright red Ferris wheel on its roof was erected as a new landmark for the city.

yes, finally nakasakay na ako ng ferris wheel! (ang dami ko naman first times. it's either nag-inOA ako or ignoy lang gyud kaayo. heheh) and dito pa sa Osaka. (nakakahiya, parang kelangan ko pang pumunta sa ibang bayan para lang makasakay??!! ) we went as far as 106 meters, above the ground siempre. :D

this was on june 23. now i wonder how would i spend my next weekend??!! (ka-hilas sad uy!!! ) but that's life! there's a time for everything. one should make the most out of it, right? just trying something new pipol... :D

Osaka

maido!

osaka is so big. countless possibilities.

a weekend or two is not enough to do all these things. i feel quite fortunate at least i have 52 weekends here in the city.

http://www.city.osaka.jp/english/
http://www.tourism.city.osaka.jp/en

so far, after arriving, i have been to 3 welcome dinners. the food though expensive (but ok lang, libre naman heheh) is so yummy! metcha oishii!!! i think i'll get fat here. aahhhhh...

p.s. got the image after mastering the basic course on the Osaka dialect.