Meadow Lodging

The alarm rang at 7, got up at 9.

Me and two other friends decided to spend the Sunday by going to Harajuku, and thankfully, the 20% chance of precipitation weather for today cooperated and settled for sunny skies and frozen fingers. Hehe, at last I had the chance to wear my newly-bought leather gloves! A bit of a tight-fit and not warmth-inducing, but very cool-looking as heck.

We set off with runny noses and fashionable clothes and arrived in a station packed full of Japs in their best clothes, as well as foreigners who, like us, are expecting to find a candid view of Japan in its rawness. Going with the flow, we found ourselves standing in front one of the massive torii gates of Meiji Shrine. Not to be outdone by other tourists, as well as locals who came with their kimono-clad kiddies, we strutted our newly bought stuff down the tree-lined road towards the main temple.

The shrine didn't disappoint, and I even managed to get myself one of those lucky charms; I had a hard time picking between a lucky keychain and a Blessed Arrow of Sacred Light. I settled with the keychain even though it costs more just because I don't think I could attach an arrow in my bag/cellphone and not attract stares... @__@;;

After taking tons of photos, praying for fortune and well-being, and witnessing an authentic Shinto Wedding, we got ourselves back to urban Japan to grab some burgers for lunch. Then fought back the mob and went into Yoyogi Park.

If you take a closer look at the photo, you can see me mingling with the crowd! Go ahead, take that magnifying glass out of the drawer.

We didn't have to crane out our necks that much to see the "fashionable" Harajuku-ers. They were wearing their maid uniforms, gothic outfits, and once we entered the park grounds, there were some hillbillies dancing to some Elvis song.

Autumn hit us full in the face the moment we entered Yoyogi park. The falling leaves were going at it in full power, the trees burning with hues of reds and yellows, and the cold breeze nipping at our exposed extremeties. With lots of sunshine still left, our photoshoot went into full swing. By the time the sun finally went down, our cheeks were tired and poses were getting lame.

Strolling through the nature-filled avenues and ponds gushing with fountains, we got to thinking of how here in Japan, the old really does collide with the new, to some surprising and rather astonishing effects, not to mention downright outrageous. Like trying to eat a whole takoyaki ball in one bite... oh wait, that was me. My tongue felt like it licked a lit cigarette. Ouchies.

We went home tired, sore, and satisfyingly content of our excursion. If chance presents itself again, we wouldn't take a second to consider going back again.

From the Meiji shrine, to the Omotesando shopping district, and through the Yoyogi park, we discovered another slice of Japan that I can safely report as a must-go-to-places for a huge doze of culture-shock. We had so much fun in Harajuku... And did you know that its name meant "Meadow Lodging"?

I Saw My Breath!

It was during a freezing morning while I was trying to feel my breakfast. Because I can't really fully enjoy a meal with one of my senses missing, I had to thaw my hands with hot water by the sink. So there I was, enjoying my warm and wrinkly fingers when my cellphone rang. My neighbor/friend was urging me to come out for a bit of a talk, so I did. I opened the door, looked around for the caller, and yelled "What?"

Then *woosh~~* a cloud appeared in front of me.

While I was stunned frozen, I managed to let some of the precious air-conditioned heat to escape. Then I yelled back again to the phone, "hhhWhere hhhhhare hhhhyouhhh? " spewing out some frozen breath. Finding out that no one's there, I closed the door. Then opened it again and blew more clouds.

I did this for a while until I realized I wasn't talking to anyone anymore, so I shut my phone, went back inside, and re-heated my meal. When I went out again on my way to the office, the sun has brought the temps back up a little bit. Although not enough that my gloved hands still went numb, my breath wasn't as misty as before. So by the time I reached the station, it's already gone.

Today was the very first time I saw my breath. It was utterly breathtaking, and yes the pun was deliberate.

Japautumn at its Coldest

And after going on a month-long silence for reasons unknown even to me, I am here to post an entry! Woo! To think I even promised a new layout... *sigh*

Well the layout's gonna have to wait till the weekends, and that's if I can find time to do it. I have a bunch of Japanese dramas and animes queued up for me to watch, supposing we don't go off again on our "almost weekly" excursions around Japan. Well, mostly around the Tokyo area anyway.

Just have to report that Summer's absolutely over by now. Temperatures are dipping wayyyy below the 15's now (Celsius), and it's not unusual to wake up and see that the window's dripping wet with moisture. They said that the snow's going to be earlier this year... ohhh I just can't wait!

I used to see the sun up and shining even up till 7 PM, while nowadays it would make its dramatic exit as early as 4:30. It's really difficult to get up in the morning with everything looking so dark. I'm used to opening my eyes to the sunshine, but nowadays, it's like getting up at mid-twilight; all dark, gloomy, silent, and cold. Makes you want to ignore the alarm and snooze off till noon. I usually turn the alarm off when it rings and get up 45 minutes later, giving me a boost of adrenaline once I open my eyes and realize that if I don't get up now and put my freezing butt into the shower soon, I'll be late for work.

And it's quite nice to see that the trees here are so festive and burning with passion. Most of the leaves have yet to turn into the Autumny-red though, but some of the smaller trees have gone on and embraced the season whole-heartedly. In my country, they just turn brown, die, then fall into the ground and transform into trash. Not really dramatic, but I guess I can't blame them if they want to escape the sweltering heat of our Winter... if you could even call that a Winter. I guess we only have two seasons back home: Summer and Hotter Summer.

I just wish I could enjoy Autumn long enough before the temps go any lower. With my hands and ears freezing as it is, I can't even imagine just how much colder it would be when Japan's Winter finally comes. I sincerely hope it wouldn't be so cold that it would freeze our eyeballs the moment we step outside. That would be scary and downright horrifying. Can that ever happen...?