Memoirs of Hessel

My friend and I went to Tokyo during the week of my birthday.  It was summer in Japan and so damn hot. Disneyland was the last place in our itinerary before going back to Gifu.  I was carrying a very heavy bag with me and the coin lockers outside were already full. My friend decided to just look after my bag and wait for me outside Disneyland since she already explored the place before.  

To be honest, I like doing things alone such as watch movies in the cinema and travel but I’ve never really considered going to an amusement park alone. Amusement parks are meant to be enjoyed with friends or family but here I was about to do the weirdest thing.

It only took a few minutes for me to be shocked after my friend announced she was going to let me explore Disneyland alone.  Anyway, she was just trying to be a nice person.  I didn’t want to go inside the amusement park carrying my bag all through out.

So I bought my ticket and went in.  I bet I can only count the number of people who’ve tried going to the happiest place on earth alone.

I loved the red polka dot outfits of these lovely ladies.  

There were so many people in Disneyland so I didn’t really feel like I was alone.  I did enjoy myself.  I was able to rest and eat whenever I wanted.  I didn’t have to walk fast.  I had difficulty catching up with my friend whenever I was with her because she had fast strides when walking.  The problem with being alone is having no one to take your pictures.  I was trying to get a good shot of myself with the Disney palace in the background when a young father volunteered to take my picture.  I knew he was a father because he had a baby stroller with him. *Tears of joy* for kind-hearted people.  It was a busy spot and I was surprised that he stopped and offered to help me. 

This is the facade of Pinocchio’s Daring Journey attraction.

I love this picture of the seven dwarves.

I just recently noticed the colorful building at the the back part.  It seemed like an ‘Alice in the Wonderland’ palace which I’m not sure I was able to explore.

I bought this Minnie Mouse headband just before entering Disneyland and wore it all through out.  People were wearing the cutest outfits inside Disney.  

This is a beautiful hotel where you can spend the night because obviously you wouldn’t be able to finish exploring Disneyland in just one day.

Unfortunately I wasn’t able to ride this Disney train.  I didn’t know how to.

I wasn’t really able to go around all the places.  It was huge and I only managed to go inside Fantasyland attractions such as Snow White’s Adventures, Cinderella’s Fairy Tale Hall and Haunted Mansion.  The lines were long so I just decided to walk around and take pictures.  I didn’t try the different rides because I easily get dizzy.  At one point, I jut sat around while eating and admiring people’s fashion.  So many times I’ve said this before, people-watching in Japan is never boring.  

I went to Jakarta for a week as part of the Jakarta Service Project under the Kalinangan Youth Foundation. It was a volunteer program and together with the other ten yuppies we engaged the high school students from different parts of Jakarta in a Cultural Exchange and English Enhancement Program. The event was held in the University of Tarumanagara.

I was actually excited waiting for this to happen but came May things got really stressful for me. But because of the enthusiasm and positivity of the people around me and most of all the hospitality of the students and teachers from the University of Tarumanagara, everything went well and I enjoyed the whole experience.

I got one day free to have sightseeing in Taman Mini so instead of joining my group I decided to meet up with one of my closest friends who is currently teaching in Indonesia.  I enjoyed the tour with my friend because he paid for the entrance fees and the lunch and snacks. That made me enjoy the tour much more.

I didn't have a cellphone so I borrowed from one Indonesian friend and called up Noel to meet up with me in this area. After the call, I separated with everyone so I didn't really know how many minutes should I wait before Noel arrived. Oh, the things I do when I'm in a foreign place! I actually approached strangers in the area asking them to let me borrow their cellphones. I was successful in borrowing from one young adult male but I wasn't able to contact my friend. I realized my puppy face/maiden-in-distress look doesn't really work much here. People are much more wary unlike in Japan where they really help out.

So this is called the Monument of the Flame Pancasila.

Oh, I really love old structures especially architectures that show the culture of a certain place.  And this is actually one of my favorite photos in Jakarta. It looks as if I was in an "Eat, Pray, Love" journey.

These structures are examples of pavilions or houses in Jakarta, maybe during the old days.

I thought this was a soda. But no, it's tea! I love that they have tea such as this in food establishments. Such a healthy choice.

I love Nasi Goreng. I ate it everyday for breakfast in the hotel. We stayed in Amaris Hotel.

In the Philippines, we call this musical instrument as Kulintang. In Indonesia, it's called Gamelan.

This is the Children Palace. It reminded me of the Disney Palace.  But there's really nothing inside. I just thought it was a pretty backdrop for more picture-taking. 

How I love to explore more of Indonesia especially in Central Java, Bali and the like! I've realized we have a lot of things in common with Indonesia especially when it comes to language.  And I actually felt I was just somewhere in Metro Manila when I was in Jakarta.

Kenroku-en Garden in Kanazawa is one of the three most beautiful gardens in Japan.  I actually intended to visit all the three gardens but time was not on my side.  Kenroku-en was a huge place and the biggest garden I've ever seen so far.

I always have my own personal favorite among my photo posts.  But for this post, I have a lot. This shot of a couple or would-be couple is among them.  It gives life to my usual landscape photography.

This one is my ultimate favorite.  It just looks so perfect! Winter has just ended so there were still a lot of snow suspenders or yukitsuri.  They help support the branches of trees during heavy snow.

Before I left Japan on March 2013, I decided to embark on a solo backpack travel in Hida Furukawa, Takayama, Shirakawago and Kanazawa.  The last last three places are major destination sites for tourists.  But it's a good thing that I discovered Hida Furukawa when I was researching about Takayama. It was freezing cold when I arrived in Hida Furukawa and I noticed there were not so many people walking around.  It may seem like a ghost town but I love the atmosphere.  

Snow gives me so much delight.

I'm such a sucker for traditional houses and any architecture that would bring me back in time.  So I spent a lot of time just walking through this area, taking pictures, and admiring the clean canals.

There were a lot of these cute little things outside the Japanese homes. I wonder if they are solely just there for decorations.

Cute little red octopus inviting passersby to eat!

During my first spring experience in Japan, my friend brought me in Kakamigahara to view the cherry blossoms.  The park was just so magical filled with beautiful pink sakuras.

The place was filled with families and friends having picnics under the beautiful mesmerizing cherry blossom trees.  Oh how I wished my family was with me during that time to see the beauty of nature!

Even the ground was filled with fallen sakura flowers.  I had the urge to lie on the ground and just bask myself in its 'pinkness'.  

This walkway was like a scene in japanese dramas.  It looked so romantic!

The blue picnic blankets looked like a body of water.

Can you believe that the first get-together in the dorm early last year was the Farewell Party? Lol.  People usually leave the dorm starting in February until the end of March.

One of the highlights during summer is the 'hanabi' or the fireworks display.  There were two sets of fireworks display but I wasn't able to go to any of them.  The fireworks could be seen from my room, though.  The fireworks display was a long one.  I got tired of watching from my room eventually.  I guess I wasn't really that excited about fireworks because in the Philippines there are always fireworks.

I somehow pitied myself for not going during the Fireworks festival so I decided to attend the Tejikara Fire Festival on the following weekend.

A friend invited me to attend a festival in Ogaki.  Her sensei drove us from the university.  Here are some of the street food usually being sold in Japan.

This is called kakigōri which is crushed ice with syrup.  It's usually sold during the summer.

I also had the chance to play the Taiko drum.

And dance in the street.  It was really fun.  I wish I had the chance to wear the yukata during that time.

I always make it a point to visit schools as much as I can.  This is a 'yochien' or a kindergarten school in Japan.  Japanese kids are just so cute.

I also attended a Kabuki workshop.  EVen though the character is a woman, the person behind the mask is still a male.

Here's to my first ever cooking class experience. I was a bit nervous because I hardly cook at all.  We made chirashizushi. 

Sometime in September, I was able to observe sado or way of the tea.  It is a way of preparing and drinking tea.

On that same day, I also saw how a Japanese Chouchin Paper Lantern was made.

By October, it was again the start of the second semester.  I attended the welcome party and this bread with our university logo was supposed to be given only to the new students.  But I managed to get one.

On November, I harvested persimmons.  I brought home a bag of persimmons.  They were delicious.  Unfortunately, I didn't manage to eat all of them.  Some of them got rotten because I was just too busy.

There was a mini halloween party. I dressed up as Minnie Mouse.  These are eyeball-shaped candies.

And this is a takoyaki maker.

November was the time for the university festival.

I got to wear a kimono for the second time.

I forgot what this is called but it's usually done during the mochi festival.  There was a contest and my friend got a prize for her work.  

I was happy during this event because I met a geisha and a maiko.

I attended my second cooking activity.  This time we made Japanese sweets.  It tasted delicious.  I only made that pink flower-like mochi.

This is the first part of my 2012 year-end review which is about the major places that I've went to in Japan. I've experienced joining a tour, traveling with a friend and traveling solo.  I really can't say which is the best way to travel.  Lately, I've been traveling alone and I'm thankful I did because I'm becoming better in navigating stations and subways.  I've also learned how to read a map :)

On March 2012, I joined a tour in Gujo, Hachiman.  The place is so clean.  I like Gujo, Hachiman.  There was another tour in the summer and although I wanted to join, I decided not to because it was so freaking hot in Japan.

In the summer of July just a few days before my birthday, my friend accompanied me to my dream place Tokyo! I told myself I would never leave Japan without ever going to Tokyo.  It was also my first experience to ride the shinkansen.  We went to all the places that I listed.  Actually, I had to downsize the number of places that we had to go to because our time was limited.  But we mostly covered all the parts of Tokyo that I know of --- Shinjuku, Harajuku, Shibuya, and Akihabara.

This is the famous Shibuya Crossing.  One of my simple dreams was to cross this street.

There are a number of gundam toys in this store in Akihabara.  I really forgot to go to Odaiba where one can see the giant Gundam.

This is the beautifully-designed facade of Harajuku Station.  I like its cute design.  Just outside Harajuku Station are a number of stores for shopping.  When I saw Forever 21, I excitedly went inside.

This is the Tokyo Sky Tree.  It opened in 2012 and became the tallest tower in Japan knocking down the spot previously held by Tokyo Tower.  My friend and I lined up for more than an hour just to go to the observation deck of this tower.  

I was happy I finally got to see Disneyland.  I only have a few pictures of myself in Disneyland because I went alone inside. Yes, I was alone! Actually my friend was with me but we couldn't find an empty coin locker.  We were on our way home so we had to bring our luggage. My bag was so heavy that it wouldn't be fun if I carried it while exploring the place.  And I didn't think I would last.  It was just way too heavy.  So my friend volunteered to stay outside with my bag while I went inside Disneyland.  It felt a bit weird to go inside Disneyland by myself but I did enjoy.  I was able to rest and eat whenever I wanted.  One day seems to be not enough to explore it.  While I was trying to take a picture of myself with the castle in the background, a young father volunteered to take my picture.  Such a good-hearted man!

I was very excited to see Tokyo Tower because of Matsujun's movie with the same  title.  Tokyo Tower is beautiful.  The illumination looks really great at night.

Overall, Tokyo didn't really exceed my expectation.  I was a bit disappointed with some of the places like for example Harajuku.  I didn't really get to see the young fashionable people in gothic fashion.  I was also eager to go to Takeshita Dori to see the different boutiques but it really didn't impress me much.  I think the reason for this is that I've already stayed for more than nine months in Japan during that time that what I saw in Tokyo was nothing new from what I've seen in several places in Japan.  Most of the things I've seen in Tokyo, I've already seen in Nagoya.  And when in terms of fashion, the fashion that I've seen in Tokyo, I've already seen them mostly in Nagoya especially when I watch concerts.  In my university, I can also see the same kind of fashion.  So maybe what I was looking for in Tokyo were things that I've never seen, yet.  It was only Shibuya that matched my expectation.  The kind of scene and vibe in Shibuya were something that I haven't experienced yet in other parts of Japan.  Say you are a tourist and you can only go to one place, I would say Shibuya is the best place that represents Japan.  In Tokyo, one of the best things to do was shopping.  There was a really big Forever 21 store in Tokyo (I'm not really sure if it was in Harajuku or Shinjuku).  I was lusting with all the jewelries and clothes.  I could stay forever in that place.  I remember telling myself during that time "This is every girl's dream."

In the very hot hot summer of Japan, we had our summer trip in Wakayama.  This area is Koyasan.  There are a lot of tombs in this place.  Some famous and rich people were also buried in this place.  I saw one of Yakult.  I'm not really sure if the tomb was from the founder of Yakult.  There was also a spaceship-designed tomb!

I finally saw the beach.  I've been surrounded by mountains in Gifu that when I saw the sea I felt so free.  But to be honest, the beaches in the Philippines are way better.  I didn't swim in the beach because it was already late when we got there.  Instead, I got to experience onsen for the first time.  There was an onsen place in our hotel.  Taking a bath in the onsen actually makes bathing alone boring.

  Just before the start of the second semester, I went to Meiji Mura Museum in Inuyama.  The weather during that time was perfect for traveling.  I went to Inuyama alone and I was able to see the historic buildings during the Meiji Era.  I really love the place.  I didn't expect so much from it but it turned out to be beautiful with a lot of impressive architectures.

In this picture is the famous Imperial Hotel designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.

My trip to Inuyama marked the onset of my solo travel.  This one in Kawaguchiko in Yamanashi Prefecture was the farthest travel I've ever had in Japan as a solo traveler.  Kawaguchiko occupies a special place in my heart.

This is the Korankei Gorge in Asuke, Aichi where more than a thousand of Japanese maple trees are planted making it one of the best places to see during autumn.  Since I was already able to witness the beauty of the autumn leaves in the daylight, I decided to go to Korankei in the evening.  It was such a beautiful sight!

When it comes to illumination, Nabana No Sato in Kuwana, Mie is a must-see.  The light tunnel and the sakura tunnel look very magical.  I saw the wonderful pictures of the illuminations in the internet and I told myself that I just had to go there.  It was also my first time to go to Mie Prefecture and I did it in just a day. Phew!

During this winter vacation, I decided to go back again to Inuyama to see Little World Museum of Man.  If you want to explore the world in just a day, this is the perfect place.  I did it for one hour and a half with showers of rain and snow flurries.  It was one foggy day.

Little World: GERMANY

Little World: FRANCE

Little World: ITALY

Gentry House of Bali in Indonesia

Toba- Batak House in Indonesia

Lanna-Thai House in Thailand

Philippine Jeepney

This is the mode of transportation in the Philippines.

You are one lucky reader because I am going to take you on a tour around the world.  For this post, let's head on to Taiwan and Korea.

Farmhouse in Taiwan

Farmhouse in Korea

Landlord House in Korea

I was thankful that I had this trip booked.  It was a needed vacation to destress myself.  November was one of my favorite months because I like autumn and I was able to see a number of concerts from my favorite bands.  However, November was also the month when I had this terrifying headache that I felt like my head was going to explode or that I was going to die anytime soon.  I suppose it was because of too much stress and time mismanagement on my part.  In addition, the shift from Japanese to English and from English to Japanese can be really difficult.

So I packed up my bag and went on a solo trip to Kawaguchiko in Yamanashi Prefecture.  From Meitetsu station, the bus trip took four hours.  We had two stops on the way and as always the restrooms were first class in my opinion.  

The first day in Kawaguchiko was a rainy day.  I ate my lunch in Gasuto because I was familiar with the food that they serve.  From the restaurant, I wanted to go back to Kawaguchiko Station to ride the tour bus going to Lake Saiko.  I wanted to go some place where I hadn't been during my last year's visit in Kawaguchiko.  

I had to go back and forth for three times on the same road side because I just couldn't find the station.  Later on I gave up. I was so tired of walking and the rain was pouring hard.  So I asked a random not-so-old man for directions going to the station.  Eventually, he just decided to take me there using his car.  Lucky me!  

These pictures were taken during the second day of my trip.  It was a nice weather.  I've already been to these places during my last year's visit but I still enjoyed it as much as I did before.

My tripod was my best friend.

I had to walk on this bridge to get to the other side.  It was a long walk but the view of Mt. Fuji from the bridge looks great, too.

This is my favorite store in Kawaguchiko.  I didn't have enough time to go inside so I just took a quick shot of the place.  It's the Kawaguchiko herbs and perfume house.

To take a short cut going back to the hostel, I had to pass by this cute place.

How to go to Kawaguchiko:  Reserve a ticket in Meitetsu Bus.  My Japanese friend booked my ticket on-line.  You can also reserve a ticket on the third floor of the Meitetsu Bus Center.  The bus going to Fujikawaguchiko is on Bus Stop number 8 of the 3rd floor.