Visit by Mom

Two weeks ago, mom came here for a visit. We covered alot of places. It was a very productive 14-day tour around Japan. We went to Tokyo, Yokohama, Kamakura, Osaka, Himeji, Hiroshima, Miyajima Island, Kyoto, Nara, Kobe and of course, Niigata. These places would not have been covered by travel agencies in Malaysia or even if they could, it would have cost a bomb! Besides, some of these places are only known to local people (and I was recommended to these places) and not much of a tourist place.

Mom trying out her first bowl of Ramen upon arrival in Niigata, recommended by yours truly. Look at the size of the bowl,; the diameter of the bowl is almost the same as my mom's body. I ordered the big size (omori) for her to experience what I actually ate alone previously and that paying alot in Japan is not about high cost of living, it is also paying for quality and quantity.

Next, it was also logical to have her try the authentic sushi in Japan. I know what I wanted when I first arrived. So, I'd want her to have the same thing too. The shop I brought her serves fresh sushi and sashimi, just as Niigata is known for. We enjoyed the sushi so much, one plate was never enough, We ended up with 18 plates! The green tea is also worth mentioning as the aroma from the roasted green tea leaves were so fragrant we nearly finished the sachet dispenser.

This is Yokohama, Japan's 2nd largest city after Tokyo. We took the bullet train from Niigata to Tokyo and then to Yokohama with the subway. We stopped at Minato Mirai area because it is the financial hub of Yokohama . Minato Mirai literally translated, means "Port of Futuristic". Yokohama is a big port city and houses Japan's tallest building.

This is the the tallest building in Japan called the Landmark Tower, with a height of 296m. Our KLCC could easily dwarf this little giant, but considering Japan is an earthquake active country, having buildings with such height is somewhat scary.

The Yokohama Hard Rock Cafe (HRC), themed as Port of Rock. This is one of the 7 HRCs in Japan with the 8th coming soon in Narita. I have managed to collect all of their T-shirts after this trip. Once the Narita one is opened, I hope to get that too, especially with the inaugural Narita HRC design.

Yokohama's Chinatown. It is the Chinatown for the Kanto region, just like how the Chinatown in Kobe works for the Kansai region.



This is Kamakura, the political center of Japan in 1192. Kamakura is also known as the Kyoto of the Kanto region, because of its rich history and enormous historical artefacts. Kamakura is known for its Great Buddha statue, Japan's 2nd largest bronze Buddha.

The Buddha statue in a meditating postion, gives viewers a very calm feeling.

Locals say that you have not experienced Tokyo if you have not been into one of the sardine-packed trains. I guess we were "lucky" to have such opportunity and get into the mad rush with the locals. This is the typical scene of the Tokyo trains during the peak hours. Yes, and it is really stressful! Once is enough, but somehow, we were always caught in the same situation when we arrived into Tokyo from Niigata.

The Ueno station, one of the main train stations in Tokyo. It is also a crowded station, as shown in the picture.

One of the reasons for stopping over in Ueno is also to pay a visit at the HRC.

This is Kaminarimon, which literally means Thunder Gate, located in Asakusa, Tokyo. The giant lantern hung on the gateway is the hallmark of the Sensoji Temple. This is the Sensoji Temple, Tokyo's oldest temple. The legend says that in the year 628 , two brothers fished a statue of Kannon, the goddess of mercy, out of the Sumida River (a river adjacent to the temple), and even though they put the statue back into the river, it always returned to them. Consequently, Sensoji was built there for the goddess of Kannon.

The pictures were taken at dusk. A very good photo opportunity at the Sensoji Temple.