(Japan, Day 11) Tokyo: DisneySea

We had a really early night the day before because I wanted to make sure I was at my best self for it is DISNEYSEA DAY!!! The next two days were the highlight of the highlights for this trip, which I've looked very much forward to since we started planning for the trip and now it is finally here!

Plus, the great news was that my tummy wasn't hurting or giving me extreme discomfort; it knows that this is a Disney-day. But, still, I took precautionaries to ensure that it stays well throughout the day, which meant that I cannot just eat whatever I want.

We woke up and set off early as it took us 4 train-rides (including the Disney Resort Line), which was about 1.5 hours journey, to get to Tokyo DisneySea from our apartment. The morning rush-hour is madness in Tokyo! All the trains were fully packed, and everyone was walking so quickly that I had to light-jog at some point. I had to hold on to boyfriend so tightly just in case he loses me in the sea of people. HAHAHA.

On the day of our visit, Tokyo DisneySea opened from 9am to 10pm, but we arrived 40 minutes past the opening hour because the journey took longer than I expected due to the morning rush-hour. Once we entered DisneySea, we headed straight to get the theme park map to plan our route, but I got distracted by all the gift shops at the Mediterranean Harbor and boyfriend had to pull me out of there. Hahaha.

First stop, Lost River Delta, which was quite a walk as it was at the other end of the theme park. As we made our way over, we were constantly distracted by the carts that were selling food and the merchandise. Fortunately, we did manage to get our FastPass Tickets for the Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Crystal Skull, but for a later time slot at 3:00pm - 4:00pm.

Across the Lost River Delta was the Mermaid Lagoon, where we took our first (and second) ride: Flounder's Flying Fish Coaster. We took the ride twice (consecutively) because the waiting time was only 10 minutes! Definitely my kind of rollercoaster ride. It was so fun! Hahaha.

After the ride, we head inside the Mermaid Lagoon, and oh wow! It really is UNDER THE SEA~ I love it! I was so excited to the point that boyfriend had to chase behind me all around. Ops. However, most of the rides seemed to be more suitable for younger kids, so we skipped them, and instead, we went to explore Ariel's Playground.

We wanted to catch the "Under the Sea" Musical show at the Mermaid Lagoon Theatre, but we missed the seating time for the show and since we couldn't get the FastPass Tickets, we decided come back later in the day again to try our luck. So that means... Souvenir shopping time!

Before we arrived at DisneySea, we've already decided to get a "couple" headband to wear. I managed to get the classic Minnie Mouse headband that I had my eyes on from the Mermaid Treasures shop, but boyfriend didn't manage to get his, and "Why?" you may wonder? This is why...

THE JOURNEY OF FINDING THE MICKEY EARS CAP

When we were making our way towards the Lost River Delta, boyfriend actually had his eyes caught on this classic Mickey Mouse Ear Cap and because I kept chasing him to move along just so we would be able to get the FastPass Tickets for the Indiana Jones ride, he didn't get to buy it. I thought that the cap will be easily available for purchase since (you know) it is the classic Mickey Mouse Ear, but I was so wrong. We couldn't find it in every shops in Lost River Delta, Mermaid Lagoon and Arabian Coast.

I really wanted boyfriend to be able to get what he like too. So, I promised that he will get the cap he had his eyes setmon and I made it my mission to find him one before we moved on to our next zone of fun!

So, we made our way back to the entrance through the same route while checking every souvenir shop along the way for the Mickey Ears Cap. To be honest, I was a little scared that boyfriend will be disappointed because all the shops did not have that cap on their shelves!

Then, we came across it at this souvenir shop in the Mediterranean Harbor, and there were only 2 pieces left! That absolute joy of seeing it was real. We darted straight for it once we spotted it froma distance. And that was how we managed to get our matching headband / cap. Teehees.

After getting our headband / cap, we stopped by Mysterious Island to get our next FastPast Tickets. Sadly, the Journey to the Center of the Earth ride was closed, so we got the 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea ride FastPast Tickets instead.

Moving on, the next stop was Arabian Coast, and the first ride that caught our attention was The Magic Lamp Theatre, which was a Magic Show. But, the queue was snaking long, with a waiting time of at least 60 minutes since we did not have the FastPass Ticket for it. So, we went and took the Sindbad's Storybook Village ride instead. It was a 35-minutes waiting time, but it was worth it. The ride was awesome!

When we were done with the Sindbad ride, my nausea started to come back. Probably it was because I had nothing except for a bite or two of a sandwich. So, boyfriend sat me down at the Casbah Food Court before ordering some food.

After our lunch, we took the DisneySea Electric Railway from Port Discovery to American Waterway because we were getting tired from walking back and forth (on the same route some more).

The water parade, "It's Christmas Time!", was going to take place at the Mediterranean Harbor, and we wanted to find ourselves a good seat, but by the time we got there, there was already a lot of people seated along the harbor and in queues for certain areas, waiting for the parade to start.

Since we didn't like the crowd, we ventured our way further down and found a quiet spot under the bridge. Once we found our spot, boyfriend sat me down while he went to get us some churros from the churros cart we passed by earlier.

When I say that it was a quiet spot, there really weren't any people around before the parade started, which means it was time for some photos, with the Mysterious Island as our backdrop. Literally is 有山有水。

Apparently, the quiet spot we picked was directly opposite the main stage, so when the parade began, we were watching everything from the back at quite a distance away, which was probably why we lost interest half-way through the show and we left for the Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Crystal Skull ride.

Getting the FastPass Ticket for Indiana Jones's ride was such a great choice because the normal waiting time was approximately 175-minutes even when there was a parade going on. But with our FastPass Ticket, it was barely a 15-minutes wait for us. Needless to say, the ride was super fun and I thought we are able to go again with our FastPass Ticket, but nope.

We had some time before our next FastPass Tickets were ready to be used, so we detoured over to Port Discovery and took FastPast Tickets for the Nemo & Friends SeaRider ride before heading over to Mysterious Island for the 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea ride, which was just alright.

After the ride, we popped over to Mediterranean Harbor because I wanted to go for the Fortress Explorations, which is where we made it in time for The Leonardo Challenge! We were given a random map each with clues to follow in order to complete the mission. The only thing that made it quite troublesome / difficult was that the maps are in Japanese only. Luckily, boyfriend had Google Lens on his phone which easily translated all the words for us. We did take quite a while to complete the mission but it was also because we were exploring all around at the same time. It was definitely a fun way to explore the area.

Oh, and we found a room that, I supposed, is catered to the studies of astronomy? Whatever it is, it is by far the coolest room in Meditteranean Harbor to me.

After we were done with exploring the Meditteranean Harbor, boyfriend was getting a little hungry, so we head over to American Waterfront to get some hot dog from Delancey Catering (a hot dog wagon) which he had set his eyes on earlier as we went past it.

After getting our hot dog buns, we went to the Waterfront Park right in front of the Tower of Terror to finish it, while pondering whether we should take the ride. And once we were done with our food, we concluded that we shall not. So... Onwards to the Toyville Trolley Park it is!

Of course, we planned to go to the Toy Story Mania! ride and, of course, the waiting time was insanely long at 180 minutes and the Fast Pass for this ride is long gone... So the question was "to wait or not to wait?". Our answer - not to wait. Hahaha. It was late and we have other areas to explore and rides to get to. So, we went and played some carnival games next to the Toy Story Mania! ride and listened to Mr. Potato Head.

It was so nice to see everywhere brightly lit up as night falls. I really love it.

Anyway, we were getting hungry, so we decided to settle our dinner at the Dockside Diner in American Waterfront, which serves sandwiches and fried chicken. As usual, boyfriend went to order the food, while I went to find a seat for us. Although my tummy was acting up a little, I still chose the fried chicken over the sandwich. It was good, but I regretted my choice a little when my tummy starts to hurt more and more. But the fried chicken was goooood.

I spy with my little eye, outside the Dockside Diner, at you.

After dinner, we decided to go for a chill ride, so we went for the Turtle Talk which had no close to no queue. It was very chill indeed. Basically, the "ride" was a chat session with Crush, the sea turtle from Finding Nemo at the undersea observatory in the S.S. Columbia ship. But get this, it was in Japanese language only. Hahaha. Very chill, indeed.

Next stop, Port Discovery! We were lazy to walk, so we took the DisneySea Electric Railway over. Time to go for our Nemo & Friends SeaRider ride with our FastPass tickets. And I must say, we didn't expect it to be so fun. I wanted to ride it again, but we wanted to catch the "Colors of Christmas" water parade at a good spot, so back to the Mediterranean Harbor we went.

We reached about 20-minutes before the parade starts, and the main stage area was already so packed with people! We managed to get a good spot but we didn't manage to get a turkey leg to munch on as we planned because we were unable to get out since we were at the front. So we can only look at other people snacking away. So yum. Still, the parade was great.

After the parade, we went back to Port Discovery and took the Aquatopia ride, which got us really cold as it was whirling water ride outdoors and the wind was strong. To end the day off, we took the Nemo & Friends SeaRider ride again since the waiting time was barely 10-minutes and we were so glad that we did because the storyline was different as the one we got on through the FastPass lane! Wow.

We took the DisneySea Electric Railway back to American Waterfront and shopped at Mediterranean Harbor before calling it a day. Instead of taking the train, we took a bus from the Tokyo DisneySea Bus Terminal North, Bus Stop 3 that was heading towards Shinjuku. The bus ride was pretty convenient and perhaps we would take the bus bound for Disneyland from Shinjuku instead of the train. That way, we do not have to brave the rush hour crowd again. Hmm...

(Japan, Day 10) Hakone: Hakone Yashima, Hakone Shrine, Heiwa-no-Torii, Hakone Sightseeing Cruise, Hakone Ropeway

The worse feeling started when I had a terrible tummy pain the night before, which was to the point that I broke into sweat in the cold weather, and only by curling up into a ball made it slightly better. So, I had to take some medicine and go to bed early. The pain was so bad that I would wake up in the middle of the night because of it. When morning came, the discomfort was still there, though not as bad as the night before, and I could walk, at the very least.

Tough night, but we still managed to wake up early because we were heading to Hakone for a day trip! We didn't have to purchase our train tickets to get from Tokyo to Hakone because it was covered under the Hakone 2-Day Free Pass that we purchased from Changi Recommends before our trip. I did the calculations on transport costs and concluded that getting the free pass was still worth it even though we were only going for a day trip.

The Hakone Free Pass comes in an option of with a 2-Day or 3-Day pass, and will terminate once the return trip to Shinjuku has been completed. The free pass included a round trip from Shinjuku (Odakyu Line) and covered the usage of mainly the Hakone Ropeway, Hakone Sightseeing Cruise, Hakone Tozan Train / Bus / Cable Car. 

The train ride from Shinjuku Station via the Odakyu Line brought us to Odawara Station, where we had to change to the Hakone Tozan Line in order to get to Hakone-Yumoto Station, where we board the Hakone Tozan Bus that brings us to Lake Ashi. The entire trip took us about 2 hours, and by the time we reach our destination, it started to rain and my stomach started to act up again.

So, when we arrived at our stop, we headed to the Lawson nearby to get an umbrella and boyfriend brought us to this Izakaya restaurant around the corner called Hakone Yashima (箱根屋島) for lunch, which is truly a gem.

It was a small cozy restuarant, and when we entered, we were greeted by a friendly waitress who seated us in the tatami room and before handing us a copy of the menu in English.

Since I was feeling too nauseated to have any cravings, boyfriend ordered the food. Although I was feeling so sick in my stomach, when the food came, it brought some of my appetite back. Especially the Oden Claypot Soup; it was light but packed full of flavours! It was definitely the best Oden I've ever had!

I was feeling better after having some hot piping food in my stomach, so after resting a little while longer (because I hit my head hard against the table and it hurts so bad) we made a move and continued on our journey.

First stop was the Hakone Shrine (箱根神社), which was 8 minutes walk from Hakone Yashima. Hakone Shrine is located along the shore of Lake Ashi, and since it was drizzling, the wind made it colder as we were making our way to the Shrine.

We took a break at the foot of Mount Hakone because my stomach was hurting quite badly again and I did not have the energy to climb up the stairs that leads to Hakone Shrine. I had to sit down. So, when boyfriend spotted an eatery around the corner, he sat me down outside (because the smell of food inside the eatery made me even more nauseated), got tempted by their ice-cream, gave in to his temptation, and went to get himself a cone. Hahaha!

I took a few bites of his ice-cream (yes, I know I shouldn't) and oh my gosh. It was so good.

Once boyfriend was done with his ice-cream, we made our way up the stairs, where tall and majestic cedar trees are lined alongside the path. It is definitely a great scenery to soak in. Hakone Shrine is also the most famous Shrine in Hakone, where people come to pay their respect and pray for safe trips and for luck. Bless me with some luck too, please.

Heading down from Hakone Shrine, past our earlier pit-stop, stands the super famous Heiwa-no-Torii (平和の鳥居), which is also known as the Red Gate of Peace or The Water Gate. It is a great photo spot with Lake Ashi in the background, and despite the rain and cloudy dark sky, there was still a waiting line for those who want to take a photo with the gate. Needless to say, we joined the queue as well. A photo is not to be missed!

After we were done, we made our way to take the Hakone Sightseeing Cruise (箱根海賊船), which we thought that the Lake Ashi Cruise Pier was the place where to board the Sightseeing Cruise, but nooo. We were in the wrong place. For the Hakone Sightseeing Cruise, the staff directed us to the pier further down. By that time, the rain was getting heavier and heavier. Since we were at the pier, that would also mean we were by the lakeside, so undoubtfully, the wind was blowing at us very strongly. We only had one umbrella so both of us were half drenched each.

The rain got so heavy until we had to take shelter in a bakery along the way and in order to do so, we bought a bread each to munch on, and boyfriend also got me a cup of hot milk to warm me up. Once the rain toned down, we made a quick run for the pier because our Sightseeing Cruise has arrived and if we missed it, we have to wait an hour for the next cruise to arrive.

It's a very bad choice to take a cruise on a rainy day when one is feeling sick in the stomach; the rocking of the ship just made it worse. I couldn't enjoy the scenery because I had to close my eyes and rest until we arrive at our destination. Sigh, so sad.

When we arrived at the Tōgendai Port (桃源台港), the rain was back to being a drizzle. It was past 4pm and the sun was starting to set. We didn't make it in time to dine at the Togendai View Restaurant (桃源台ビューレストラン) as last order was at 4pm, so we made our way straight for the Hakone Ropeway (箱根ロ－プウエイ) instead.

Here comes another disappointment... Owakudani Station is closed for sightseeing, which means we didn't get to explore the volcanic valley nor get to try the Kuro-Tamago (黒たまご), which is the Black Egg of Hakone's Hell Valley. We were pretty much looking forward to it actually. Okay, at least we get to see the volcanic basin from our cabin car as we ride over it towards the final station, Sōunzan Station.

When we arrive at Sōunzan Station, we had to change to Hakone Tozan Cable Car to get to Gora Station (強羅駅) where we boarded the Hakone Tozan Bus back to Hakone-Yumoto Station. We were the last few visitors to arrive at Gora Station and most of the shops have already closed for the day.

The day in Hakone seem to pass by really quickly and it felt like we did not explore the area as much as we planned to. Partly due to the weather and partly due to me being so unwell. To be honest, I was really disappointed about it but boyfriend managed to cheer me up a little with some Hakone Natural Hot Spring Bath Powder packs he got for me from Hakone and alot more when he managed to get the station conductor to let me keep our Hakone passes for keepsake.

So thankful for him. What a day trip it has been.

(Japan, Day 8 & 9) Tokyo: Tsukiji Outer Market, Tokyo One Piece Tower, Sanji's Oresama Restuarant, Cafe Mugiwara, Akihabara

It is the start of our Tokyo trip now and we had so much planned for the days ahead. Starting with the first morning at the famous Tsukiji Market (築地市場)! Taking the Oedo Line from Higashi-Shinjuku Station, it took us 16 stops (about 45 minutes) to get to Tsukiji-Shijo Station, which was where Tsukiji Market is located at.

Tsukiji Market has two sections: Tsukiji Inner Market and Tsukiji Outer Market.

The Tsukiji Inner Market was originally a wholesale fish market, which held the famous tuna auction in the wee morning hours before the sun rises, but has now moved to Toyosu Market.

The Tsukiji Outer Market (築地場外市場) still remains and has a selection of food and retail items to offer, from fresh seafood to seasonings to kitchenwares.

The market was bustling when we arrived, with people waiting in line for sushi restaurants to open and people queuing for snacks / finger food such as egg rolls. With our Singaporean spirit, we joined in one of the waiting lines for a sushi restaurant near the entrance we came in by. Luckily we joined the queue quick enough as we were the 2nd last couple to get seated when the restaurant opened.

For starter, we ordered a platter of sushi to share and a bowl of miso soup each. The main highlight was definitely sushi. They were marvellous; the freshness can actually be tasted in the mouth!

After our sushi breakfast, we went shopping around the market and bought some processed products to bring back home. We were super tempted to buy some crockery but we've already bought quite a few of them back in Kyoto, so we resisted getting them.

As we shopped, we also bought some snacks to munch on because they all looked so good and smelled so delicious!

Before leaving Tsukiji Market, we visited the Odawara-bashi Building and bought more sashimi to eat even though we were pretty much full from all the food we had earlier. They were too good to be missed. Plus, where else do we get the chance to indulge in such glorious seafood? To get the taste of the sea.

It was lunchtime by the time we left Tsukiji Market, and the market got a whole lot crowder, with queues longer than before. Our next stop for the day was what we looked forward to, the Tokyo One Piece Tower (東京ワンピースタワー)!!! *Inner screams!*

*Spoiler: We spent about 8 hours at the Tokyo One Piece Tower.

Prior to our trip, I bought our admission tickets together with the seats for the Live Show at 2pm from Klook. So, when we arrived, we were able to skip the queue and exchange our vouchers for our physical tickets at the counter located outside the attraction entrance on 3F.

The Tokyo One Piece Tower has attractions across 3 floors in the Tokyo Tower (3F, 4F, 5F), with the entrance and exit both on the 3F.

Upon entering, we were ushered into the first attraction, the 360 Log Theater, a room with a gigantic 360-degrees omnidirectional screen where we were welcomed and witnessed the most memorable scenes of the Straw Hat Crew's journey. Afterwhich, the doors of the theatre opened and led us to the main attractions area, with the 1st attraction in view being The Plaza of Origin, followed by the  Straw Hat Crew's Autograph Area and the Straw Hat Crew's Great Feast.

There's a Tongari Store located next to the Straw Hat Crew's Great Feast, where merchandise and the stamp booklet (get a limited edition souvenir upon collecting all stamps) can be bought. Since each stamp booklet is entitled to one limited edition souvenir, we each bought a stamp booklet.

There are quite a number of games to play inside the Tokyo One Piece Tower, and these games stations are themed based on each member of the Straw Hat Crew. There is no limit to the number of rounds we want to play at each game station, it's just that after each round, we have to queue again. And yes, there were quite a bit of visitors but the crowd was still quite okay.

Because I spent so much time taking photos and doing my initial round across all three levels, sooner than we realised, it was time to head over to the One Piece Live Attraction on 5F for the live show, "Marionette". Definitely, no regrets paying extra for it!

Since we were hungry after watching the live show, we decided to head down to Sanji's Oresama Restuarant (サンジのおれ様レストラン) for our late lunch, and because it was almost 3pm by the time we went down, the lunch buffet has ended. So, we ordered off their ala carte menu instead.

After lunch, we went back up and completed more games, and attempted the Tone Treasure activity that costs ¥500 per gameplay.

Starting at the Tongari Tourist Information Center (4F), we were given an adventure memo and a voice terminal for the game. The time limit was 60 minutes, and the objective was to follow the leads to get to the password that opens the "treasure chest". Needless to say, we failed. It was way more difficult than we expected it to be, and we were stuck at finding Clue #3. So, we ended up drifting around and distracted by other attractions instead. Still, we got a sticker for participating ok! HAHAHA.

Since it was the 20th anniversary of the One Piece anime, an event called the "Cruise History" was held since the start of the year and it was now at its final season (3rd season).

Picking up from the last season, the setting at the Special Exhibition Area was the Straw Hat Crew's Whole Cake Island and Wano Country scenes. There was even a clip of the entire Straw Hat Crew's adventures, thus far, which brings up so much memories and feelings. One Piece for the win!

When we decided that we had enough fun at the Tokyo One Piece Tower, it was already 8pm. Although we haven't had our dinner, we weren't that hungry but our feets really hurt from all the walking. So, we went to Cafe Mugiwara for some desserts, and to rest our feet. Plus, while waiting for our food to be served, we were able to help ourselves to the One Piece comic books that were available.

After we were done with our dessert, we went over to the Mugiwara Store next door to shop for more One Piece merchandise. I was too excited and got caught up in all the shopping that... I LOST MY BOYFRIEND'S PHONE!

The Saga of Losing Boyfriend's Phone

I think I was too intrigued by everything in the store and left it somewhere. One moment it was in my hand, the next moment, it wasn't. I freaked out so bad and was about to cry because what are the odds in retrieving a lost phone overseas right? Whereas boyfriend was super calm about it and he had to comfort me when he was the one who had his phone lost.

We tried to retrace my footsteps, but we still didn't manage to find it, so we quickly went to the payment counter and informed the lady at the counter that we lost a phone. But due to the language barrier, we had difficulty getting the details of the phone across. Then, we remember - his phone lock screen was my face! We quickly told the lady about it and I showed the face I made in the lock screen, and that's when she went "Ahhh!", proceed to the backroom, and retrieved boyfriend's phone. TADAAA.

Who knew that putting my face on the lock screen would help in such a situation? Hahaha.

Thank goodness we are in Japan, a country where the culture has it for lost items to be returned at the lost and found counter. We were really lucky to be able to retrieve the phone. What a way to end our day man.

The next day, we spent the entire day shopping at (秋葉原) to make up for all the lost shopping time yesterday, and also because Akihabara was an anime town! We hopped from shops to shop looking for specific One Piece figurines to buy, spent a tonne on the gachapon machines (mostly me), and tried our skills at the UFO machines in the arcades. It was a shopping day done right, but we will return for more because we needed to do some research first before getting certain figurines.

No doubt that Akihabara is an anime paradise!

(Japan, Day 7) Kyoto: Fushimi-Inari Taisha, Nai-Haiden, Senbon Torii, Okusha Hohaisho

Our last day in Kyoto and we started it late with us checking-out of our apartment close to noon. Grabbed some food at Nishiki Market before heading over to Kyoto Station to store our luggage. As I was being the undecisive me again, we spend a whole lot of time just so I could "choose the right locker" for our luggage. My gosh. Luckily boyfriend put his foot down and made the decision, if not I think we will be stuck there for an hour!

Anyway, since it was our last day in Kyoto, we made a trip down to Inari Station for the popular Fushimi-Inari Taisha (伏見稲荷大社), which is also the home to the thousand torii gates!

The area around the shrine is surrounded by so many statues and symbols of them! I later found out that it was because foxes (known as Kitsune, 狐) were thought to be Inari's (Shinto god of rice) messenger, and since the Fushimi-Inari Taisha is an important shrine dedicated to Inari, many fox statues can be seen across the shrine grounds.

One key attribute to these foxes is that they have a key in their mouths, and the key is said to be the key to the rice granary.

Heading into the shrine, we went straight to the Nai-Haiden, which is where people pray to Inari. It was crowded with so many people, but the line was pretty quick and before we know it, it was our turn to ring the bell (suzu, 鈴), make our prayers and give our thanks.



After paying our respects at the shrine, we begin our Fushimi-Inari Hike up the famous torii gates covered trail, which is also known as the Senbon Torii (千本鳥居). From all the reading and research I've done prior to this trip, I was not shocked by the crowd at all. There is an endless stream of people walking up and down the trail and, also, there are those who stop along the way to catch the split second of opportunity to snap a quick photo of the clear trail.

Okay, we did snap a few shots too when we saw the opening. Hahaha. Thank goodness for boyfriend's good selfie skills.

Along the hike up, we came across a Shinto ritual taking place and decided to stop and observe. It was quite eye-opening for us because it was different from the way our religion does it. I would say that it is similar but different.

There are several shrines along the Senbon Torii, and we stopped by a few to pay our respects and make our prayers. One of them was the Okusha Hohaisho (奥社奉拝所), which had a stone called Omokaru Ishi (おもかる石). The stone is placed on a stone lantern and we were supposed to make a wish in front of the lanterns, make a guess on the weight and pick up the stone. If the stone feels lighter than what we expected it to be, that means our wish will come true. But, if the stone feels heavier, that means that our wish is unlikely to come true. Since it was famous, we had to wait in line for our turn.

As we walked down the Senbon Torii, I took every opportunity that came where I was able to take some photos without the stream of people in the background. I must say, the window period to capture such photos is within seconds. Have to be quick.

We continued on to the point that we have no idea where we were, and I was getting pretty worn out from the crowd, and that was when we found an off beaten path and took it almost immediately. We really needed to get away from those streams of people.

The path led us to a small shrine that was very peaceful. As usual, we paid our respect and found a little corner to rest a little while listening to nothing but just the sound of the leaves rustling in the wind. Super peaceful. From the shrine, we followed the path further and realised that it was the path that leads to the summit of Mount Inari! I initially wanted to get on this hike up to Mount Inari because it was so tranquil but midway we saw a sign that said it was a 40-minutes hike up, which would mean that we will lose daylight, so we made a u-turn.

Since the sun was starting to set, we decided to make our way back down and do a little shopping (I was looking for this particular fox hairpin). Despite the endless crowd, Fushimi-Inari Taisha was indeed exquisite!

By the time we got back to Kyoto Station, it was already about 7pm. We quickly collected our luggage and headed over to the JR Ticket Office and booked our seat on the next train to Tokyo, which turns out to be a Nozomi train that we weren't eligible for, and we only found out when the train conductor was doing his round of checks. I was so confused because that was the train that we were told to get on and it even has our seat number, but apparently, our JR Pass does not cover the Nozomi trains! Luckily, the train conductor was nice enough to let us get off at our destinated station, Shin-Yokohama Station, which was also the next station.

The Japan Rail (JR) Pass covers all JR Group limited express trains, express trains, rapid and local trains, and the shinkansen bullet trains, except for the Nozomi and Mizuho trains. The Nozomi and Mizuho trains are payable. 

Our accommodation in Tokyo for the next 8 days was located at Higashi-Shinjuku Station. The apartment was considerably big, accessible, with mini-marts and food places around, near to the train station and is walkable from the heart of Shinjuku. It was pretty awesome.

Since we reached our accommodation earlier than expected, after checking-in, we walked over to Shinjuku (新宿区) in search of food. There were so many choices all around but boyfriend was feeling for some sushi, so we went and had some!

The sushi was not that great compared to the ones we had for the past few days, so before we call it a day, we bought some takoyaki, gyoza, mochi and dessert for supper back at our apartment.

And of course, the boyfriend got his beer as well.

Into Two-Oh-Two-Oh

2019 flew by so quickly and before I knew it, a new year has come.

It felt like the last few months of 2019 flew by a lot quicker than before. Probably it was because of the amount of stuff I had scheduled in for the last few months. Don't get me wrong, it is not that I am complaining or what. In fact, I really enjoyed myself during the past few months. Sure, a lot of work has to be put in, but it was all worth it.

The only thing that probably got me really concerned was my health because of a health scare, and that got me wondering what the heck was wrong with me since I have never felt so terrible (physically) before. Then, it hit me hard. If it happened again for the 3rd time, no matter how scared I am, I will go to the hospital and get a checkup done.

Other than that, 2019 has so far been nice, fun and filled with opportunities and experiences. Of course, there are things that did not go the way I expected it to be, but there are also things that went way better than I expected it to be.

Concluded the first trade show of 2019.

Boyfriend brought me to my first cruise trip for my birthday, and got us an upgrade to the suite room, which came with a list of privileges while on-board the cruise ship! The trip was so relaxing and because of the upgrade, the service was extra exclusive! Though, we did not expect ourselves to like being on a cruise that much. So, needless to say, we are looking forward to our next cruise trip!

Teppanyaki lunch on the cruise.

Basketball seems to be a bi-monthly thing in 2019 with the usual bunch, which brought to my realisation on how terrible I have become at basketball. When someone throws you the ball, you are not supposed to doge it! Hahaha. Natural reflex.

Plus, for the first time ever in my entire life, I got whacked by a ball in the face in full force. It hurt so so so badly that I cried. Still, it was fun, and every session with them is always filled with 200% of fun and laughter. Happy pills.

Where it all begins.

2019 also marks our 5th year in our relationship, and as much as I've said before, he is definitely one of the biggest blessings I have in my life. Every day, he showed me what love is and can be, and has been the beacon of light in my life ever since.

The love of my life.

We managed to catch the National Day Parade Preview back at the end of July 2019, and we looked forward to this year's parade a lot more because boyfriend's sister is marching in the Guard of Honour contingent! I managed to spot her on the big screen when we were at the preview, and also when we were watching the actual live parade on TV. Hehehe. So damn proud of her!

NDP '2019.

In August, we went for our first bake class at ABC Studio in the new Funan Mall because my cousins invited us to join them in a class. It was so fulfilling to be able to bake something that not only tastes good but also looks great!

And who says a girl has to be the better baker? Apparently, boyfriend is a better baker than I am, and truth to be told, I am really very amazed by him. He knows what is a J-fold and I don't. Yet, I am the one who bakes more in our relationship? Hahahaha.

与我漂亮的姐姐们。

The better baker.

F1 season was different in 2019 as well because we experienced it live at the Paddock Club! It was such an amazing experience to watch F1 at the Paddock Club and I'm way beyond grateful to have been given the chance to experience it! IT WAS MIND-BLOWING!

F1 Paddock Club.

The day after the amazing night at the Paddock Club, I board the flight that took me to Dubai for my first business trip! Never ever did I expect myself to be in Dubai, but there was I! So thankful for my boss for giving me this amazing opportunity. The trip opened my eyes to so many things, and I definitely have a lot more to learn and improve on, especially my networking and social skills. IT WAS SO EYE OPENING!

The landscape I had when in Dubai.

After almost a 2-years hiatus, I am back at the wedding scene, and that was because of my beloved brother's wedding! I almost forgot how much I actually enjoyed planning for a wedding despite the endless coordination to be done. And since my one and only brother is getting married, how can I not give him my help right? I am really glad I did his wedding, putting everything together for his very special day, and seeing how everyone enjoyed themselves, including their bridal entourage. Maybe this is something I should continue? 

It is official; 终于结婚了！

A few days after my brother's wedding, boyfriend and I hopped onto the plane, which brought us to the land of the rising star, Japan! Because it was the Autumn season, the weather was perfect. Although we did not manage to see the autumn foliage and despite me having terrible stomach pain for the last few days, we still enjoyed ourselves very much. Here's to exploring more places on Earth together! 

Konnichiwa, Nihon!

2019 ended with B&C's wedding, followed by numerous Christmas gatherings and parties. I still like the month of December the most after all these years because it is the month that concludes the year and it is also the month that felt the most joyous and festive of all.

Like every other year, Christmas with my baes.

As cliche as it sounds, every year I will set some resolutions for myself, of which some I will achieve and some I won't. So, for 2020, it is no different. Although, most of my 2020 resolutions would probably revolve around constant effort instead of a one-off thing, such as keeping this blog alive, keeping my health in check, and spending more time with my loved ones (yes, that includes those friends who matter as well).

I don't think I have been the best version of myself and somewhere along the years, it felt like I lost a little of myself here and there while chasing things that ain't as important as it seems, and became afraid of doing things. Since it is the start of a new decade, I guess it is also time for me to start appreciating what I have more and work on what I lack / lost. If I never try, I will never know, right?

Okay, I think I am ready now. Bring it on, 2020!