土曜日, 11月 05, 2005
Tokyo Tower Facts
- 333 meter. Height of the Tower. Since the opening in 1958, the Tokyo Tower has been the world's tallest self-supporting steel tower. The Eiffel Tower in Paris is 320 m high.
- 4,000t. The Tokyo Tower weighs about 4,000 tons. It is much lighter than the Eiffel Tower which is 7,000 tons; a result of remarkable advance in steel manufacturing and construction technology.
- 140drums. Paint used for the Tower was 28,000liters equal to 140 drums. The Tower is painted in white and orange according to aviation safety regulations.
- 23broadcasting signals. This is the number of broadcast waves that Tokyo Tower is transmitting. Among them, 14 are analog waves and 9 are digital waves, which shows that most broadcast stations in Tokyo are transmitting their waves from this Tower.
- 176lights. 176 floodlights installed in various parts light up the Tower. The Tower is illuminated with an orange light in winter (as shown in the picture) and white incandescent light in summer (which means I should come back in summer to capture that one!), delighting the visitors and passersby.
- Akabanebashi. If you're very fond of Oedo line (not the way this station sounds ^o^) like me. Get off Akabanebashi, take street on your right. To have a more romantic and private view of the Tower, recommend dropping by the Zojoji Temple first. Before making a left to the Tower's 2nd floor entrance, there's a small stairs that will lead you to the Zojoji Temple, take it! Especially if you have someone to HHWW hahahahah...Or if you wanna pour your heart out, this park is also a good place to bury your head and let those silly tears fall down :)
Christmas is in the air in Tokyo Tower
I was surprised to find out that the Christmas illumination has started in Tokyo Tower. There was a small area in front of the tower's entrance that is dedicated to those who wish to take pictures, sit on benches or just enjoy the twinkling christmas lights.
At 8pm there are still lots of kids playing and everywhere I look are lovers ~ I'm beginning to think this Tokyo Tower visit is not a good idea afterall.
Fresh from a lesson learned from Naoe, I finally devoured a bowl of hot ramen in Tokyo Tower's 2nd floor restaurant area.
Tokyo at Night ~ A view from above
This view was taken between the East and South portion of the main observatory in Tokyo Tower. Would you believe that 250m above the ground, I would spot a widescreen somewhere in the Ginza area, it's abt 30 mins subway ride between where I was standing and Ginza, geez~???! (spot the brightest object in this picture and there you go!). No doubt, Tokyo is the brightest city in the world at night.
Came here to clear my head, to escape from temporary insanity and occasional tear-jerking moments brought about by intense longing to see loved ones who happen to be million of miles away.
JPY P820 off my wallet and I guess somehow it did the trick.
金曜日, 11月 04, 2005
Five things learned from Naoe over lunch
- Never choose ramen for a dish when you dine out with someone. It is perfectly acceptable to eat ramen alone in any ramen shop or restaurant! Better to save your ramen for solidary days :)
- Better accept being complimented as cute rather than aim to be sexy. Being cute means you're forever young looking. Being cute gives you the excuse not to mind your diet. Whereas sexy is subject to the eye of the beholder.
- Some people can be strange, some can be lame at work. But it doesn't mean that they're generally bad persons. Everyone deserves the benefit of the doubt, you know!
- Always check your passports expiry and renew at least 6 months in advance. Some countries require that like Taiwan.
- Indian curry can be yummy. Give them a chance! :)
木曜日, 11月 03, 2005
Salute To Modern Art!
I was strolling down the Shinjuku West Station looking for a bakery, instead of cake I found this really nice ad.
It caught my eyes and I just couldn't walk away without taking its picture. This ad plays around with pastel colors that are really eye-catching, and yet it plays it real well that one doesn't have a feeling of exaggeration. Fitted for Pushkin itself, classy, artistic and modern.
Whoever thinks that our contemporary world is nothing but scrap and our generation completely disregards the sanctity of art? For me, this simple ad is a perfect expression of a toss up between our contemporary hopes and dreams versus the fast-paced & never-ending possibilities of modern living. This in itself is art. Great art for free~
We may not have Picasso or Michaelangelo or Gustav Klimt but we do have nameless print ads artists whose imaginations are limitless to capture the 'ins' and 'outs' of our daily lives. These people certainly make my stroll filled with anticipation.
火曜日, 11月 01, 2005
It's amazing how small I could look compared to the bannister..We are all small, compared to everything else in this world, aren't we?
Jingting and Matthew were busy taking pictures of me! Feeling star, noh! :)
月曜日, 10月 31, 2005
A space for my lolo and lola
日曜日, 10月 30, 2005
Enchanting Lake Chuzenji
I'm standing (actually freezing!) in front of lake Chuzenji, found in one of the mountains of Nikko. Tosho-gu Shrine lost its main patron after the Shogunate collapsed, but Nikko soon became a favored summer retreat for Western envoys and merchants living in Japan. After members of the Imperial Family and aristocrats began building summer houses here, Nikko became a center for cross-cultural socializing during the hot summer months. Nikko Kanaya Hotel, which once catered to foreign guests, is legendary for its rainbow trout cuisine. This dish, flavored with soy sauce and mirin (sweet cooking sake), was popular at the time and is still available today. According to Mr. Karube of the hotel, visitors from abroad were very fond of this variety of Japanese cuisine.
The walk was so soothing. We could hear the soft brushes of the lakes waves against its bank as it was being swayed gently by the crisp autumn air. Maybe it was getting dark, or Chuzenji was so enchanting but we weren't able to find the other bus station. So we decided to take a quick dinner and just wait for the 6.48 bus ~ the safest option at the moment. We found this small udon (fat noodles) restaurant and ordered quickly. Shortly we found ourselves inside the bus for another 45 minutes and back to the Tobu Nikko station. When we asked if our ticket was still valid for the next train, it turned out that it wasn't and we had to buy again. At around 9.30 we were back at Asakusa. We split afterwards to go back to our own homes.
Overall Nikko was a fun excursion especially since I had a chance to revisit a special place from my memory box. I vaguely remembered the shrines and temples details from my first visit but yesterday I was able to take a closer look (a real look) at what was once a highly restricted part of the Samuarai era. Japan indeed has a long standing and rich history. Although Chinese would contest that these artifacts were looted from them I'm still awed by the robustness of these infrastructure, by their grandeur and by the stories I heard from the tour guides. Philippines didn't have a written history until 1521, compared to Japan's history, as a Filipino I felt like a baby.
Anyway, this unplanned spur of the moment road trip taught me several lessons:
- Dont buy return ticket if you're not absolutely sure that you have a concrete itinerary, otherwise you might end up wasting it.
- Check your transportation schedule and adjust from it.
- If you can, reserve in advance! Most reservations can be done via internet or phone.
A trip to memory lane ~ Nikko National Park
In front of the entrance to the Nikko National Park. This is my second visit to Nikko, another trip to memory lane! First time was when Sunya started courting me! hehehehe. Oh well, so much for that, back to reality! I was squeezing myself for a pose amidst a thick crowd. Jingting and her friend seems to be enjoying their company bonding over grilled fish and Asahi beer (how romantic!) so I busied myself with photo op.
Thanks for visiting!