The Journey

I'm B4ck

noreply@blogger.com (Me-Reza) — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 02:08:00 +0000

He3x! Teranya udah lama juga ya ini blog belum di update2x. Sebentar lagi akan di update sama yang punya. Ditunggu aja ya...:)

Good Ol' Times

noreply@blogger.com (Mariskova) — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 15:53:00 +0000

Remembering the good ol' times. Sigh.
Except for the 'studying' thing...

Sea World Indonesia

noreply@blogger.com (Me-Reza) — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 11:15:00 +0000

Hikari has been asking us to go to either Tokyo Disneyland, Ueno zoo, or Yokohama Sea Paradise. Okay, that's a tough request, considering we're no longer in Japan, or an ocean away from it. He doesn't seem to notice that fact, though.

Actually, Jakarta (that's in Indonesia) has a Sea World too. We had visited the place about 3 years ago, awhile before we went to Japan. But, this moment, I was so busy that I kept postponing going there. Then, after so many weeks of asking, and so many weeks of promising, I finally agreed to take him to Sea World in Ancol, Jakarta. He was soooo happy, and went to sleep smiling broadly.

From our house, the trip took 1 hour. It was Sunday and the traffic was empty. When we got to the area, it was not as crowded as the time we were there before. Probably it was because the day was just an ordinary Sunday afternoon. 3 years ago we when there during Ied El Fitr holiday.

The place is just the same as I remember. It's bigger than Yokohama Sea Paradise. It even has more collections than YSP does. We can see many kinds of fish and other sea creatures. There is also the underwater cannal where we can walk inside the glass tube and feel the water surround us. There is a touch-and-feel area with turtles too. There is a movie room where we can rest while watching movies about sea life on a giant television. Unfortunately, we came not at feeding time so we couldn't see the diver feed the fish.

If I can compare it with Yokohama Sea Paradise, YSP is more attractive, so to speak. Also, while in YSP, the whale attraction is in the same building with the underwater cannal, in Jakarta Sea World, the whale attraction is in a different building. We have to pay again if we want to see the whale attraction. We didn't go to see the whale attraction because we wanted to go to the Fantasy World, an Indonesian-version of Disneyland. The Sea World, the Fantasy World, the Whale Attraction are in the same area of a theme park.

Hikari, in front of one of the collections:

Hikari and Granpa:

Hikari and Mama, in front of the giant aquarium:

The Touch-and-Feel area. We can touch the turtles and starfish:

From the Sea World, we went to the Fantasy World. It's the biggest and the most well-known theme park in Indonesia. It's a small version of Disneyland, I think.

Unfortunately, Hikari didn't like the park. Probably, he was tired already and it was a really hot afternoon. He refused to play in the games and attractions provided there. He surprisingly ignored his favorite attractions: the Ferris Wheel and Merry-go-round. So, we only played a couple, including feeding Koi fish in a pond, which he found more interesting than taking a roller coaster...

Maybe, next time, when he is bigger, the Fantasy World can be more fascinating to him. I can't wait to take him in a roller coaster together...

Technology Dummy

noreply@blogger.com (Me-Reza) — Sun, 18 Mar 2007 17:28:00 +0000

After moving this blog from the old version to the new one, I just found out that I had many comments that needed moderation. And they were from ages ago! Aaarrghh...
So dumb of me...

Friends, I am really SORRRRYY!
Your comments were not lost. I was :)
Sorry, and thank you!

We're Back!

noreply@blogger.com (Mariskova) — Sat, 23 Dec 2006 06:13:00 +0000

Hellooow, guys, we're back safe and sound in our home country: Indonesia!

We've arrived safely three months ago in Jakarta, and now it feels like we'd never been out of the country at all... Wow.

Now, our life is pretty much the same as it was before we went to Japan. Getting up in the morning to work and work. The difference is now we've got to get up really really early because our house is very far from the office. If we don't go to work, we play around with our little clown: Hikari.

Graduated. Finally!

noreply@blogger.com (Me-Reza) — Thu, 21 Sep 2006 14:40:00 +0000

Edit video online at onetruemedia.com

Tokyo Fever Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Me-Reza) — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 17:25:00 +0000

Edit video online at onetruemedia.com

Safari Park in Gunma: How and What

noreply@blogger.com (Me-Reza) — Sat, 26 Aug 2006 08:55:00 +0000

Ever been to Cisarua Safari Park, Indonesia?
Okay, imagine that place in your mind, only add more heat (like 38 degrees) and reduce the number of animals... there, you will have an exact picture of Gunma Safari Park. No kidding!

Interested in visiting Japanese Safari Park (brochures and website are to be blame) and obliged to fulfill my promise to my son, I took my family to Gunma Safari Park. After studying the website and asking for some information about it, we were ready to go. We were even more eager to go because the website said there was Indonesian festival in the Park. Okeee deh...
Let me just share the how and the what...

First, Gunma Safari Park is located in Gunma-ken (prefecture), a neighboring prefecture of Saitama. So, you take the train bound to Takasaki. From Honjo to Takasaki is about 30 minutes by train and the cost is about 320 Yen. When you arrive in Takasaki station, find ZERO Platform. Weird? You'll see the sign, don't worry. Or, just look at the picture on the left!
See? It says 0 (zero) platform. It is just a small platform.
There, you buy a ticket to Jyoshu Tomioka Station for 770 Yen. You'll take the train named Jyoshin Dentetsu. You won't miss it because there is only one train, one platform, and the train is colorfully painted. After 40 minutes ride in that train, you'll arrive in Jyoshu Tomioka Station. It is very small with only one or two officers guarding.

The train is usually empty, even in holiday season. You can pick the best seats. The spoilers are it runs very rough (blame the railway or the train?) and the stations' map/names are all in Kanji. So, I suggest you be friendly with your neighboring passenger and ask him or her...

When you arrive in Jyoshu Tomioka, don't bother to find a bus to the site because there isn't any. Go outside the station and turn left. You'll see a taxi pool and the drivers will be very happy to take you to the Safari Park. From the train station to the park, it takes 15 minutes and about 1900 Yen. The driver will give you some brochures with discount card on it. Well... our driver did. The driver would also give you his name card so that you could call him if you want to return to the train station. Believe me, you'll need his name card.

The Park fares are 2600 Yen for Adult and 1300 Yen for children, and in the entrance gate, you buy a ticket for your ride. Yes, you've got to buy this because it is not allowed to walk around the park for obvious reason: the lions and tigers are there!
The tickets are:
1) 1300 Yen for animal shaped bus.
2) 500 Yen for usual Safari bus.
3) 1300 Yen for Ranger car.
4) 1400 Yen for your own car.
5) 2400 Yen for rental car.

Want to see bus number one?

We took bus number 2 because bus number 1 already left. It was fun and cool anyway.

The first ride we saw the 'harmless' animals like these:

And then the bus stops for 30 minutes for the guests to feed the animals. Children can touch and feed the animals here:

100 Yen for the food!

After 30 minutes, the tour bus will start again. This time to see the lions and tigers. I must admit that the lions and tigers here look a lot fatter than in Cisarua... May be that's why they didn't care about us at all.

Soon, the trip is over. You can play in the theme park. They get roller coaster, Ferris Wheel, Merry-go-round, and everything.

We visited the Indonesian hall. They have corners to take pictures with Indonesian animals (tiger and orang utan). Don't worry about the tiger. It is so fat that it won't even open its eyes to look at you! All the officers there wear Cisarua Safari Park's uniforms, but there was only one Indonesian guy in the hall. How do I know? He is a LOT darker than the others :D
In that place you can also buy Indonesian souvenirs. As if. But the souvenirs are really from good quality.

And then, for lunch, you can eat at the local restaurant. The place is quite nice and the food is edible for us. The only problem is the price. There are two Indonesian food: Sate and Nasi Campur. How do they taste? Well... Japanese taste, of course. They were okay if you don't expect the original taste.

Nasi Campur ala Japanese:

After lunch, you can visit the souvenir shop which is in the same building with the restaurant. For the ride home, we asked the shop keeper in the souvenir shop to call the taxi driver. He came 10 minutes later and he brought us back to the small empty station where we waited for the next train.

Jyoshu Tomioka station:

How do we like the trip? It was hot (VERY), but it was fun. It was not as big as Cisarua Safari Park nor as beautiful. But, it was still fun for the kids. That's what matter most, isn't it? If you decide to visit the Park, choose Spring or Fall instead of Summer or even Winter!
Have fun!

Honjo Matsuri: Our Last Look

noreply@blogger.com (Me-Reza) — Thu, 27 Jul 2006 03:53:00 +0000

Every summer, most cities in Japan are merrier with festival they call Matsuri. Honjo is no exception. Each year Honjo has two matsuri(s): the first one is in Summer and the second is in Fall. This year's Honjo Natsu Matsuri or Honjo Summer Festival was held on July 22 and 23. This year's matsuri is also our last matsuri in Honjo .

Stories say that a long long time ago the now-Honjo region was divided into 8 (more or less) smaller areas. Each area belonged to a certain community, group, family, or landlord. Each group had their own symbol in the form of Mikoshi, a miniature of building symbolizing a Shinto shrine. During festival, this mikoshi was carried on the shoulders around the neighborhood that worship the same shrine. The people carrying the Mikoshi would chant some interesting yells to boost the spirit. Later on, the procession is continued to these days.

Honjo is a very small city, especially compared to Tokyo, Kyoto, or even other cities clustered around the big cities. Honjo Matsuri, logically, is also a small festival compared to the cities mentioned before. But still, on the Matsuri days, the streets are always crowded with people and the procession is always merry. Most Honjo citizens will flock along the festival area. On the festival area we can see local people wearing their traditional custom (in different colors and symbols). We can also see different Mikoshi(s) from different areas in Honjo. And, another unique feature of a matsuri is the lines of street shops on the left and right sides of the street. These shops only open on Matsuri days and they sell many kinds of 'small' things ranging from omocha (toys), goldfish, food (takoyaki= fried octopus, yakisoba=fried noodle, sweets, chicken karaage, etc), drinks, and many others.

Hikari and me were trying to catch a Kinjyo (goldfish) using a paper-net. This catching-Kinjyo thing is not our first time, yet we never seem to master it...

See the custom the people are wearing! Do you see some butts?

Tired. We were waiting for the festival to begin. It was summer afternoon after all.

Hikari and Okasan in the middle of Yoi-yoi yell.

They didn't forget about the logistics . Behind every group there was the group supporters bringing cold drinks.

Carrying the Mikoshi is a hard job. Teamwork is needed. This festival is not merely about having fun. It teaches other important values also: teamwork, hardwork, harmony, what else?

While there were people carrying the poles to go forward, there were also other people in front to hold the poles and the movement.

I shot the picture to aim at one guy for particular reasons. Do you know which guy? And why?

Girls also joined the group.

Another Mikoshi from another group.

Tiring but fun.

Another group.

Another Mikoshi, another... butt?

Children participated too!

The children were dancing on top of the poles.

After the Matsuri. Hikari enjoyed 'ice cream' with his friends.

We had fun. We want some more, pleaseeeeeee.........

Hokkaido

noreply@blogger.com (Me-Reza) — Wed, 26 Jul 2006 13:15:00 +0000

Hokkaido, the northernmost of Japan's four main islands. I had a chance to visit it last week. Too bad it was not for pleasure, nor could it be mixed with pleasure. I was there for a conference and I didn't have much time to explore the city of Sapporo.
Hokkaido is harsh in winter, and in summer it is not as hot as other Japan's regions. When I was there, the weather was nice. Not too cold and not too hot (like Tokyo in the mid of summer nowadays).
On the day before departure day, I rented a bike and spent two hours exploring Sapporo, the capital city. I wish I had more time to take more pictures.

The hotel where I stayed:

The old government building, built of red bricks:

The clock tower:

The Clock Tower or Tokeidai is the symbol of Sapporo and constructed in 1878. The US made clock was added in 1881. The Clock Tower now houses a small museum.

The clock tower and the Hokkaido tower.

The birdman... I saw this man in the park. He just returned from work and stopped by the park to feed the birds. It is indeed relaxing.

My Campus

noreply@blogger.com (Me-Reza) — Wed, 26 Jul 2006 10:02:00 +0000

This is the place where I spent 2.5 years of my life. Mostly staring at the computer monitor.
But, actually, it is a nice campus full with facilities. It even has a massage-chair!
Waseda GITS - Honjo campus, of course in Honjo city. Surrounded by forest and next to a small lake.
<--My wife and cousin Ita are posing in front of the building... The campus and its compound can be used not only for studying but also for having a picnic hehehe...
The lab! My work station. My messy cube.

The lounge where you can satisfy your thirst. As long as you have the coin.

Da CHAIR!

After that Day

noreply@blogger.com (Me-Reza) — Wed, 26 Jul 2006 09:54:00 +0000

We know there was still THE announcement day on the next day, but we couldn't help feeling relieved.

These are us with our sensei(s). Which one is mine?

And then, just us. The ones who needed to scream out loud. I'm sure you know which one is ME .

to commemorate July 12, 2006. The day everything is possible.

Photos taken from someone's camera ...

Parrteeeeeee

noreply@blogger.com (Me-Reza) — Mon, 17 Jul 2006 10:54:00 +0000

Abis pusing-pusing, mari kita parteeee...
Undang kawan, lalu kita parteee...
Gak kelupaan, kita keluarin jengkol dulu dah.

Semur jengkol buatan gue sendiri. Sumpah! Enak!

Gosip ria, pesta kacang, mabok kola en maen pimpong abis pengumuman .

Nyoba masak Gobo tempura. Tapi gagal...

It's Over

noreply@blogger.com (Me-Reza) — Thu, 13 Jul 2006 10:44:00 +0000

Alhamdulillah, it's all over. 2,5 years of hardwork is paid today when I saw the announcement. I passed the Master-Defense exam, and now...

... Maaaakkkkkk.... aku pengen pulaaaaannnggg..........

Thanks to God, thanks to my parents, to my friends, to everyone for your support!

Releasing Stress

noreply@blogger.com (Me-Reza) — Mon, 03 Jul 2006 17:12:00 +0000

Master-Thesis Defense Meeting is a week away. The only thing that can release the urge to scream -out of stress- is screaming together with Hikari...

Jadi Penyiar

noreply@blogger.com (Me-Reza) — Sun, 11 Jun 2006 16:32:00 +0000

Senin malam ini.
Pertandingan Jepang lawan Australia.
Dengarkan radio Sonora.

Kenapa gitu?

Ada gue, gila! Gue bakal ngasih komen-komen ~~gak~~ penting soal tim Jepang.
Pantengin ya!

Pede Aje

noreply@blogger.com (Mariskova) — Sat, 03 Jun 2006 08:08:00 +0000

Harus presentasi di depan para profesor. Sebulan kurang tidur. Seminggu gak tidur. Sehari sebelum presentasi: diare dan sakit kepala. Nafsu makan sih tetap BESAR.
Pas hari H?
Pede Aje!
Alhamdulillah, (untungnya) gak malu-maluin hasilnya...

Kyoto 4: The Last Day

noreply@blogger.com (Mariskova) — Sun, 16 Apr 2006 18:32:00 +0000

We started late today because we wanted to stay as long as possible in the hotel. Why? This time, we travelled back to Honjo by bus, not Shinkansen. And the bus was scheduled to leave Kyoto around 10 PM. The check-out time was 11 o'clock and after that we would have no place to rest. That's the case.

Kyoto Imperial Palace
To kill time, and to finish up (almost) every tourist object in Kyoto, we first went to Kyoto Imperial Palace. The Palace is located right in front of our hotel.

Hotel Palace Side Kyoto with Papap in front of it:

An old house right next to the hotel with Sakura blooming. We imagined that this house was used to be the house of some samurai... *yeah, right*

The GATE of the Kyoto Imperial Palace:

The Imperial Palace is located in the spacious Kyoto Imperial Park. This park is open for public. Many people were enjoying Sakura when we were there, although the flowers were not yet in their best view. The park itself is very very very large, and that is the problem. We couldn't figure out which one was actually the main building :(

The Imperial Palace used to be the residence of the Imperial Family until 1868. After that the emperor and Japan's capital city were moved to Kyoto. The palace complex is surrounded by a long wall and consists of several gates, halls, and gardens. No wonder we were lost. The gate itself is installed with an alarm. If someone is dare enough to walk closer to the gate, it will alert the guards. FYI, we didn't try this out, though.
After spending an hour in this palace (or park), we left. We were too tired from walking around the park looking for the palace, and we were bored too because we couldn't find it. The palace can only be visited on guided tours held by the Imperial Household Agency. For this we didn't have time to make the reservation needed.

Heian Shrine
Our next stop was the Heian Shrine which was built in 1895. The shrine was built to dedicate the first and last emperors that reigned from Kyoto, Emperor Kammu and Emperor Komei. The buildings are mostly painted with red and some are green and gold. Really a magnificent view. The buildings of this shrine are a partial replica of the Imperial Palace of the Heian Period. When we were there, several families brought their babies here. They held some kind of ceremony with priest for these newborns. It looked like the babies were 'baptize' here. In Shinto's way, of course.

The front gate of Heian Shrine:

The left side building is used as the photo background after a family and its baby finishes with their ceremony. The right side picture is an identical building as the left:

Papap in front of the main building:

Behind the main building, there is a really pretty garden. It is big and beautiful with trees, flowers, and ponds. Too bad, again, it was not time for Sakura to bloom yet. Apparently, however, Papap was enjoying the garden very much...

The pond:

On our way out:

Stepping out from this gate means we are out of the garden. Back again to the main yard. In this front yard, there is a bamboo house made for a tree full of oranges. We still have no idea why they housed the tree like this. Well, we could have any ideas if only we could read the kanji written in front of the house...

Stepping out of the shrine, we could see a giant gate on the far side opposite the Shrine's main gate. The gate is called Grand Shrine Gate made of Ferro-concrete structure built in 1929 with diameter 3.63 meters, height 24.2 meters, length of top rail 33.9 meters.

Here is Om Puguh in front of the shrine trying to find our way to the Kyoto zoo:

Kyoto Zoo
From the Heian Shrine, we walked again to the city zoo. It is near, and it was just fair for Hikari to have his fun after being so cooperative in the last days running up and down temples :)
Kyoto Municipial Zoo is the second oldest in Japan. It opened in April 1903. The zoo is small for it is a municipial zoo, but it is relatively fun and its collections are varied, more than 800 animals from over 200 species. We spent more than 3 hours here (or 4?). Hikari was busy running from one animal to another, Papap was busy tailing Hikari, Om Puguh was busy taking pictures, and Mama was busy reading her new chicklit under a tree...

This cage is for HITO meaning MAN, one of the animal species. Nice joke, guys!

Hikari with his default smile:

Kyoto Eki and Kyoto Tower
It was late in the afternoon and early in the evening when we rode the bus to Kyoto Eki where our bus to Honjo would park. We still had time before we departed so we browsed the omiyage stores and climbed up to Kyoto Tower.

To tell you the truth, Kyoto Eki (station) is a real contrast to the traditional parts of the city that we visited before. It is relatively new because it opened in 1997 and the architecture is modern. Quite a relief for me because modern buildings mean modern toilets :(
However, finding a restaurant that wasn't packed with people eating or lining up was a difficult thing to do here. We walked around for some time and finally was able to find one where it didn't have a long queue.
When we had finished dinner and planned to take the bus, Papap just realized that he didn't have the bus tickets with him. The tickets were put in his small bag, and the bag was already in its way to Honjo through delivery service! Way to go, Pap :) Fortunately, it was all settled in the end. We could safely return home to Honjo. There is no place like home...

Yup, we had finished our vacation. Don't know if we can ever return to the places and cities we have visited. But one thing for sure, we really had a great time, no matter what. And one of the things that make this trip enjoyable and great and fun is because of our friends. Thanks a million to Tante Hesti, Om Murdi, Om Puguh (who became our fulltime guide in Kyoto), Om Imtihan, and Om Widi. When you decide to visit Honjo, we'll be ready! And that's a promise!

See this for further info: Heian Shrine

Kyoto 3: Nijo Castle and Arashiyama

noreply@blogger.com (Me-Reza) — Sat, 15 Apr 2006 09:36:00 +0000

Friday morning, we left the hotel early. Today, Papap would have a Jumat prayer so we didn't have much time to explore Kyoto like the previous days.

First, we went to Nijo-jo or Nijo Castle. Tokugawa Ieyasu, the Shogun, built this castle as his residence in Kyoto. The palace building is known as Ninomaru (completed in 1603). Besides Ninomaru, there is the main castle called Honmaru which has a five storied castle tower.
In Ninomaru, the wall paintings are very beautiful. It also has floors that squeak like nightingales when someone walks on them. The floors were made as a security measure against intruders. Unfortunately, we aren't allowed to take pictures inside the palace.

In my opinion, Nijo Castle is not as spectacular as Himeji Castle, especially if we compare the size of the compounds and palaces. But, each castle has its own characteristics and beauties, of course. Not to mention its distinctive history.

The main gate of Nijo Castle:

The inner side of the compound. The garden is still bare since spring is still the beginning.

The exit gate:

In front of the castle (left) and at the exit gate (right):

The palace buildings: Ninomaru and Honmaru.

It didn't take long to walk around the castle's compound. The weather was nice too. When we finished walking around, we hurriedly returned to our hotel so that Papap could take his Jumat prayer.

ARASHIYAMA
The next destination after Nijo Castle and Jumat Prayer was Arashiyama. Ever since my friend told me about this place, I was so eager to go. I'd really like to see the Bamboo groves. Here it says that we can do many things in this place. Unfortunately, since this is a tour to the nature (Arashiyama is a mountainous area covered with bamboo groves and any other plants), the tour depends on the time and weather. Because we arrived here very late -around 3 PM, we didn't get to see as much as we wanted. Realizing that fact, we focused our trip on walking through the Bamboo grooves. Oh, and this time we were accompanied by Om Puguh, Om Imtihan, and Om Widhi :)

The Bamboo grooves. Perfect place to take picture!

A small village in Arashiyama area. Old houses and a rickshaw:

A picture of what seems like 'bottles' for water. We saw this at somebody's house.

The lake in a cloudy day, and Papap is trying to open the backdoor of a village's house.

Yup! It's Arasiyama alright.

The map and the tourist:

Meet the boys! We rested in the Sagano Romantic Train station. It was late so we didn't ride the train. It would be romantic, I'm sure.

Thanks for the companion, Om!

Kyoto 2: Kinkakuji

noreply@blogger.com (Me-Reza) — Fri, 14 Apr 2006 09:01:00 +0000

Late in the afternoon when we were finished 'absorbing' Kiyomizudera, Yasaka shrine, Yasaka Pagoda, Kyoto ancient alleys and houses, Gion, and Indian restaurant, we went straight to Kinkakuji, a temple with spectacular wall decoration. I say spectacular because the wall is covered with GOLD!

Kinkakuji or the Golden Pavilion is first constructed in 1397 as part of a new residence for the retired shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu. Kinkakuji was converted into a Zen temple after Yoshimitsu's death in 1408 by Yoshimitsu's son.

The pavilion gives an impressive sight when its silhoutte touches the lake below it. It looks like there is twin pavilion. One above the lake, the other is below.

Front side (left) and Back side (right) of the pavilion:

Papap, Hikari and Om Puguh. Some of the pictures here were taken by Om Puguh.

As a retirement pavilion, the temple is also surrounded by beautiful garden:

The house with moss on the roof. Taken by Om Puguh. Nice pic, Om!

This temple also serves as a model for another temple: Ginkakuji or Silver Pavilion. But, we didn't have a chance to see it.

After we were done in Kinkakuji, we met Papap's friend, Om Imtihan, and visited his apato.

It was really a nice day, especially with friends around :)

Kyoto 1: Kiyomizudera and Around

noreply@blogger.com (Mariskova) — Sat, 08 Apr 2006 07:13:00 +0000

Kyoto was Japan's capital and the emperor's residence from 794 until 1868. Usually mentioned as an ancient city, it is now a city with a modern face.
Over the centuries, Kyoto was destroyed by many wars and fires, but due to its historic value, the city was not chosen as a target of air raids during WWII. Countless temples, shrines, and other historically priceless structures survive in the city today.

Kiyomizudera was our first trip in Kyoto. We had a good tourist guide: Om Puguh, who freed us from confusing decision of where to go in Kyoto. Kyoto is unbelievably a city with so many things to see!

Kiyomizudera ("Pure Water Temple") is one of the most-famous-and-talked-about temple of Japan, and was founded in 780. Kiyomizudera stands in the wooded hills of eastern Kyoto and offers visitors a nice view over the city from its famous wooden terrace. Before we can reach the temple area, we have to walk (climb, to be exact) along the steep and busy lanes of Higashiyama district. I was tempted to ride on a rickshaw, but took pity on the driver because it was such a long and steep lane, while he was such a skinny rickshaw driver:(
Along the lane, many souvenir shops and restaurants stand next to each other. Quite an interesting view.

Left: The front gate, the plum, and the take-my-picture-here-and-there girl.
Right: The two of us and the main building behind. Which one is worth picture-taking?

At the other face of Kiyomizudera. See a phographer behind? Believe me, she wasn't taking picture of me. Can't figure out why, though ;b

The main complex, behind. We are on top of a mountain!

The view of Kyoto, behind. When sakura is in full bloom, from this place, the sight of it is breathtaking:

Write your wishes on this small wood, hang them together here. The priests will pray for your wishes every morning.

Below the terrace, we can taste the spring water, which gives the temple its name and which is said to have healing power.

Behind Kyomizudera's main hall stands Jishu Shrine, a shrine dedicated to the deity of love. In front of the shrine are two rocks, placed several meters apart from each other. Successfully walking from one to the other rock with your eyes closed is said to bring luck in your love live.

Love Stones:

Papap and our guide, Om Puguh.

From Kiyomizudera, we walked along old lane and alleys, through old houses, to the next spots: Yasaka pagoda and Yasaka shrine.

Old lane and alleys. Old houses. They create a maze around temples.

Yasaka Pagoda, up close and far away:

Yasaka Shrine below is also known as Gion Shrine. It is famous for its Gion Matsuri, one of Japan's largest festivals. The many lanterns that decorate the shrine's stage are lit after dark and bear the names of their sponsors.

Yasaka or Gion Shrine:

Located just next to shrine grounds is Maruyama Park, Kyoto's most popular spot for enjoying Cherry blossoms in spring. Unfortunately for us, it wasn't time yet for the cherry (sakura) to bloom :( The sakura trees were still bare, without flowers and leaves.

Maruyama Park:

Next spot was the famous Gion. Gion is Kyoto's most famous Geisha district. We 'tried to' stroll along Hanami-koji, a street lined by beautiful old buildings, teahouses and restaurants, to experience the traditional Gion. We saw some beautiful Japanese girls in their Kimonos, but we weren't sure if they were actually geisha(s). We just couldn't ask them directly, could we?
Om Puguh told us that the movie 'Geisha' was made here too.

Well, the first day in Kyoto was really something. Of course it was tiring, but it was worthed. Including the time when we walked around and around Gion district for half an hour to find an 'eatable' restaurant! We bravely jumped into an Indian restaurant (the first time in our life!), and relieved because it served Halal food...

Okay, Kyoto page is not finished here, yet. Check the next Kyoto 2!

written by: Mariskova

Nara, the Ancient City

noreply@blogger.com (Mariskova) — Fri, 07 Apr 2006 06:26:00 +0000

On the way to Kyoto, we made a visit to Nara. A city between Kobe and Kyoto.
Nara, or Heijo (its initial name), was Japan's first permanent capital. The city was established in the year 710. Where were you at that time?
Because of its past, being the first permanent capital, it remains full of historic treasures. The city is a proof of Buddhist monasteries' influence over the government. Some of Japan's oldest Buddhist temples can be found there.

When we went to Nara, it was cloudy and cold. Soon, the rain fell down, so we couldn't explore the city more. We only visited TODAIJI Temple.

Todaiji ("Great Eastern Temple") is one of Japan's most famous and historically significant temple. It is also the landmark of Nara. Todaiji was constructed in 752 as the head temple of all provincial Buddhist temples of Japan. It grew so powerful that the capital was moved from Nara to Nagaoka in 784 in order to lower its influence on government affairs.

Todaiji is famous for housing Japan's largest Buddha statue (Daibutsu). It is also the world's largest wooden building, even though the present reconstruction of 1692 is only two thirds of the original temple's size.

The front yard of the temple. The forest around is full of wild deer. The city lets the wild deer walk around freely. And I mean FREELY, everywhere.

The main gate, behind:

The famous Todaiji. Inside there is Japan's largest Buddha statue:

The big Buddha statue:

Drink the pure water. They say it brings you luck. I say it frees me from thirst :)

The deer are so friendly, but still wild. Hikari got knocked off by one of them. Bleeding from mouth, Hikari made his point that he didn't want to even talk about deer anymore.
Deer? What's that?

This is a real acting. I was scared to death:

The real animal lover:

The city was small and serene. It is also green with mountains and forests. It suits the temples much. I'd call it a temple city. Do you need to get away from the routine and hectic life? Do you need to find serenity and to find the Zen in you? This city is just perfect! (Although Honjo offers relatively the same thing, I think).

written by: Mariskova

Himeji City and the Great Castle

noreply@blogger.com (Mariskova) — Thu, 06 Apr 2006 12:03:00 +0000

The second day in Kobe, we made a trip to Himeji city which is 45 minutes by local train. Actually, we didn't know much about the city except that it is well known for the Great Castle of Himeji.
Once we arrived at Himeji Eki, we went directly to the Tourist Information Center. A lady asked me what I needed and the only thing I could say was 'I wanted to see Himeji Castle'. She laid a map in front of me and explained to me what I had to do, in fluent English. Fiuuuhh...

Himeji Castle (and city) turned out to be 'tourist friendly'. The lady drew a line between the station and a big space in the middle of the map. She told me to 'walk for 15 minutes through the shopping arcade between the station and the castle, and I'd soon arrive at the castle'. While doing so (walking through the shopping arcade), I'd be able to see traditional shops, a flowers exhibition in a park, and many others.
We walked leisurely through the shopping arcade that was very long (from station to the castle). The day was fine, although the wind was a bit cold. After 15 minutes walk, we arrived at the gate of the castle. The gate is very big, right on the opposite side of a wide river. The great castle itself was standing tall before us. It was a magnificent sight!

The castle was first built in 1346, but it hadn't looked like the present castle. 230 years later, Toyotomi Hideyoshi (one of my heroes in the book: Taiko) rebuilt the castle. This castle has a magnificent construction and a very rich history. It still impresses me till now.

The tower and Sakura:

Himeji Castle, known also as a White Heron Castle, is very big. Visitors need about 3 hours to explore the entire castle. You want to know why? Check this:
1> The castle is built on the top of a hill called Himeyama, which is 45.6 meters above sea level.
2> The main tower, which is the center and the symbol of the castle, is 46.4 meters high; namely, it stands 92 meters above sea level.
3> The size of the entire complex is 140 meters on the east-west axis and 125 meters on the north-south axis.
4> The main tower is connected by corridors and passages (wateriyagura) to the other three towers, forming an inner court.
5> At the base of the main tower once stood a palace, which was later destroyed by fire.
6> In the southeast corner of the court is an area called harakiri-maru, which was where a samurai would commit suicide. (It is still there. Untouched. It gave us an eerie feeling.)
7> The main donjon (tower) consists of seven floors, five of which are visible. (we gave up climbing up the steep stairs when we were in the third floor)

Below: The main tower, seen from the castle corridor. These corridors connect one room to another. The corridors form a circle-like construction. This kind of window also functioned as a defense wall. Guards could see enemies coming from below. They aimed arrows at the enemies through the window. The entire castle is completed with windows of this function.

Observation deck in the front yard of the tower. We can see the whole city from here:

The area of the castle is very big and complete. It has a small zoo where children can play while parents can watch the beauty of the castle and its surrounding.
The river in the zoo area:

Too bad Sakura hadn't bloomed yet when we were there. Because if it had, the entire complex would be colored by pink sight. People usually hold a ceremony to welcome the blossom of Sakura.

Kokoen Garden:

Next, we went to Kokoen Garden, located just outside of Himeji castle, a short walk west of the castle's main gate (Otemon Gate). Kokoen is a recently constructed Japanese style garden, which was opened in 1992 on the former site of of the feudal lords' west residence (Nishi-Oyashiki). It consists of nine separate gardens designed in various garden styles of the Edo period. Among the gardens are the garden of the lord's residence which features a pond with waterfall, a tea garden where visitors can enjoy green tea in a tea ceremony house, a pine tree garden, bamboo garden and flower garden.

Actually, there is another famous tourist spot in Himeji. It's Mount Shosa, a temple mountain that became very famous in the world after it was featured in "The Last Samurai'. Unfortunately, we only have less than one day in Himeji, and Mount Shosa is quite far from Himeji Castle.
Nevertheless, I really really enjoyed the trip to Himeji. And Himeji Castle itself has taken my breath away.
Can we visit it again, Pap?

written by: Mariskova

KOBE, The New Town

noreply@blogger.com (Mariskova) — Wed, 05 Apr 2006 05:18:00 +0000

Kobe is the capital city of Hyogo. It is one of Japan's major ports. Wedged in between the coast and the mountains (Rokko Mt), the city of Kobe is long and narrow. The landmark of the port area is the red steel Port Tower. Visitors can view the city of Kobe from the top of the tower.

Kobe is our first city to explore during our Spring vacation. My first impression on the city is it is impressive. Shining, glittering, clean, and relatively new. Tokyo is impressive with its skycrapper and all, but Kobe is even more impressive.
This fact is easy to explain: although Kobe is founded in 1889, the people rebuilt the city after the 1995 great earthquake. It explains why the city looks like new.

When we stepped out Shin-Kobe station, we planned to take a glimps of Kobe by riding a cable car/ropeway. Too bad, the wind that day was too big (and too cold) that they cancelled the operation of the cable car. Kobe -it turned out- colder than I imagined. Honjo has a lot of wind, but Kobe is worse. May be it's because the city is wedge in between the coast and mountains. That day we ended up walking along the beach, before heading to our hotel. The beach itself was clean and empty. Honestly, I think our beaches backhome are more beautiful than this.

Kobe beach: clean, blue, and empty

Meriken Park, a nice waterfront park in Kobe's port area:

Meriken Park, at night:

The third day we were in Kobe, we finally got to ride the ropeway. The ropeway connects the land and the mountain. We can see the city below by taking the ropeway.

At the end of the ropeway, there is a botanical garden. It sells products like candle, soap, perfume, chocolate, cakes, all made by natural ingredients. The building is European building. It gives a different feeling, like we are not in Japan (except for the Kanji written everywhere).

The botanical garden, on top of Mt. Rokko. Known as Nunobiki herb garden:

Kobe, behind. From the observation deck:

Then, we followed the hiking track down to a Greenhouse:

In front of the Greenhouse:

Inside the greenhouse, there are a tropical garden, flower garden, cafe, and many other interesting things:

(I finally got to pose with my number 2 fave flower: the Tulips)

Hikari, with 'love' flowers:

After that, we had dinner with Tante Esti and Om Murdi at Mozaic:

Posing at Meriken Park, and then at our hotel:

Meriken Park, the last day. This is one of the 1995 Earthquake monument. There was a road before the earthquake. See the tumbling lamps on Papap's right side?

Although our hotel was near Kobe Chinatown, we didn't browse much there. We did use Kobe Bus Tour/City Loop to go sightseeing. But, the time was up, we had to move again. Bye, Kobe.

ps: thank you Tante Esti and Om Murdi for the companion :)

written by: mariskova

KOBE

noreply@blogger.com (Mariskova) — Mon, 27 Mar 2006 16:46:00 +0000

What do you know about Kobe other than it is one of the cities in Japan?
Most of the fact sheets read: Kobe is the capital of Hyogo Prefecture and is one of Japan's major ports. From Tokyo, it's 3 hours ride by Shinkansen and 6 hours ride by bus. It was one of the first cities to open for trade with the West, as of 1868. And still according to the fact sheet, this cosmopolitan port city has a population of 45,500 foreign residents from more than 100 countries. Well, of course that fact is true. But, there are many other interesting things in Kobe than what's written.

From March 12-19, JICA invited me and several other foreign students to visit the city and to get to know the city better. I spent only a week, but I got a lot of lessons.
You might have known that on January 1995, eleven years ago, Kobe was severely damaged by one of the biggest earthquake in the world. The earthquake killed 6,433, making 300,000 homeless and destroying large parts of the port facilities and other parts of the city. It was one of the most costly natural disasters in modern history. The earthquake is known as the Great Hanshin. How could anyone recover from the damage so great that it is impossible for anyone to live in? A week in Kobe, I learned how the city recovered remarkably from this great disaster only in two years!

The citizens built the city from ruin, and after two years the city was recovered. The touching part is they keep the memory of the disaster alive. There are monuments everywhere: pictures of the city after the earthquake, a piece of road that sank to the sea, a burnt tree, a housing complex, and many others. They use these monuments as a reminder of the disaster so that they could find strenght to build, to live, to move on. There are people who were once victims and witnesses who are alive to pass the stories to the next generation. Here are the pictures about my trip to Kobe...

A burnt tree kept alive:

Photoes of the wreck city:

Port of Kobe. Recovered. Rebuilt:

From Kobe city hall, you can see the whole town:

Fact sheets: Wikipedia of Kobe, Earthquake Museum of Kobe