Sakura At Ueno Park

Short note: I received many comments, saying that my entries are too long. This entry would be a much shorter entry than the previous ones, and I hope you will read till the end. If you still feel it's kinda long, take a scissors and cut it shorter yourself-lah, okay? Haha!

Tokyo Sky Tree, which is still under construction on the right, and Kirin Beer building on the left, as this picture was taken along Sumida River.

I helped out as an interpreter for Kak Rahimah and Abang Hasrin during their visit to Chiba Coop and three days later, I became their tour guide. Well, not a really professional tour guide, but at least I managed to brush up my communicating and management skills, something which I enjoy quite a lot, besides the daily routine of going to school to study. So, as early as nine, I set off to met them at Weekly Mansion Asakusa in Tokyo, and met them before ten in the morning. Kak Rahimah's husband flew over here and joined her a couple of days ago. That makes four of us in total.

The initial plan was to walk around one of the must-visit site in Tokyo - Asakusa, and take pictures under the over-rated huge lantern at Kaminari-mon. However, they have gone there a day earlier, so we gave that a skip and headed to Ueno straight away.

Tokyo Spring Festival at Ueno Park.

It was a sunny Saturday, and it was the peak season for sakura viewing, as the flowers were at full bloom this weekend. As expected, the park was crowded with sea of people, that it takes more than half and hour to walk from one end to the other end of the park, which normally takes only about five minutes.

While we were wandering around the park, a Japanese guy approached us and started to express to us about the beauty of sakura, how he felt touched by its beauty and explained the few types of sakura found in Japan. When I told him that Kak Rahimah and co. don't understand Japanese, he said the only English word he knows is "beautiful" and repeated that words several times. I would say he is slightly mentally unstable from his character; besides, he just got fired recently and is currently jobless.

Had that guy to take this picture for us in front of one of the temples in Ueno Park.

Walked down the stairs to the area where sakura trees are mostly found.

Tell me how can you not get excited to see this breathtaking sight of cherry blossoms.

People having picnic under the trees; they call this hanami.

Close-up shots of sakura - #1.

Close-up shots of sakura - #2.

 

The blue sky makes it a perfect background for the sakura blossoms.

Had a Thai girl to take this group picture for us. I forgot how many times I kap-ed her after she took the picture for us lol!

These two ang moh being interview by NHK TV station.

After braving the thousands of people along that street, we came out safely and proceeded to Tokyo National Museum. Personally, I haven't entered this museum yet, and I do not plan to do so in the near future at least, as I am not a fan of museums. Besides, most of the exhibits are written in Japanese and I just cannot make myself to go and read the explanations. Even if I really wanna visit it, I will make sure I visit the National Museum in KL first.

So, we ended up camwhoring at the compound and the main gate of the museum only haha!

I think that ah pek on the left has a better pose than me haha!

A pond in front of the museum.

Tokyo National Museum.

In front of the main gate of the museum.

Finally, the four of us at the main gate.

An interesting banner in the park, which says - "Ueno Zoo opens (almost) daily".

We were walking towards Ameyoko when we spotted these two young ladies in kimono. Was kinda surprising to have them agree for us to take picture with them haha!

Vandalism in Japan.

"Do you wanna go to OiOi?"

Our next destination was Ameyoko, a Japanese version of Petaling Street, which is located just nearby Ueno station. Just like Ueno Park, it was also very crowded with people, which were mostly tourists.

We later proceeded to Akihabara and first of all, we had our late lunch at an Indian Pakistani restaurant, before taking them to get some gadgets at Yodobashi Camera.

Ameyoko street.

One of the main attraction here, a shop which sells rice topped with various kinds of fresh tuna.

Looking at the menus alone will surely make one spilled for choice.

Fresh tuna, sent straight from Tsukiji market in Tokyo. 

Lunch set of naan and mutton curry.

Group photo taken after our dinner together.

From Tokyo, I rushed back to Chiba to attend a welcoming party, organised by the seniors for the newly enrolled third year students. Everyone, including the seniors and my future course mates were really friendly and I guess this is something very positive, which indirectly makes me looking forward to start my university life in just a week's time.

We were exchanging phone numbers, when one of them said to me, "Wow, this is the first time I have a contact written in Romanise!" haha!

A Week That Was

Short note: After one-whole week of going out continuously, I finally get a day-off today. But that will not be long, because from tomorrow onwards, the busy schedule will be back again for several days. Exhausting it might be, but I am enjoying every minute of it. Since most of the events I attended for the past one week were mostly minor events, I compiled everything and made them into one entry.

Sunday, March 28, 2010 - Li Jia's Farewell Party

I was still at home editing the video I made for Li Jia, one of our seniors who had graduated and would be returning home. Hence, I wasn't there yet when they had the kanpai session. When I arrived at around three, food were almost clean already FML.

Yow Keong, Li Jia and Clement.

Li Jia giving a few thank you words to everyone who organised and attended her farewell party.

Some of the seniors and juniors who were there.

I accomplished my mission, which is to make Li Jia cry when she saw the video presentation. I know I sound so bad haha! But Yow Keong went one step further by singing Auld Lang Syne and made Li Jia cried for the second time!

A group photo at the end of the party.

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Monday, March 29, 2010 - Shopping Spree

Cung had his day-off, and our initial plan was to go to Lala Port Tokyo Bay. Unfortunately, it rained the whole day and we ended up going to Chiba town only. This was my dinner - Hakata tsukemen at Ippudo.

I had a bet with Cung on something which I'd forgotten already what's that haha wtf! Too bad I lost that bet and so, this was the treat for him at First Kitchen. By the way, does anyone know what's the short form of First Kitchen in Japanese? Put down your answer in the comment box, if you have the answer.

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Tuesday, March 30, 2010 - Arrival of New Juniors At Embassy of Malaysia

On my way from Shibuya station to the embassy. Sakura has begun to bloom. It's the hanami season!

Briefings from the staff from the embassy to the new juniors.

This is surely the final group picture together, before they leave for their respective colleges.

Ben, Mr Funahashi, Miss Oikawa and Puan Siti Zaharah, at the entrance to the embassy.

I am very sure most of us, if not all, knows who's Mr Funahashi. We all just cannot wait to receive for his e-mail at the end of every month, isn't it? Haha!

Arrival at Toko Hotel, where the juniors spent one night.

My only second time to Toko Hotel; my first time was exactly three years ago, when I first arrive in Japan.

This is where I made my first phone call to Mom from Japan. I think I used the green phone on the right.

The juniors busy updating their status at Facebook. Facebook wasn't born yet back then, but I sent my first e-mail back home from one of these computers, on the first day I reached Japan on April 3rd, 2007.

Met two of my batch mates, Ramadhan and Afiq, whom I haven't met for years.

The juniors were busy listening to more briefings and forms fillings, while the seniors like us were busy camwhoring behind the hall haha! These are some of the students from AAJ in Malaya University. There are at least three Perakians in this picture.

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Wednesday, March 31, 2010 - Visit to Chiba Coop

I received a request to help out as an interpreter to a couple of staff from Maktab Kerjasama Malaysia (MKM), who came to Chiba as part of their research project regarding the cooperative system in Japan.

We visited one of the branch of Chiba Coop Deli in Chiba, to see how the delivery processes are managed.

The staffs in the office doing the routine morning stretching before starting to work.

Some of the products, which are to be sent to the customers.

They took us to visit the very first cooperative shop in Chiba, located in Nobuto. This shop has been here for the past 60 years.

At that night, the manager of Chiba Coop treated us to an authentic dinner at Tsuredure.

Miss Sakurai Makiko, from the PR Division of Japanese Consumers' Cooperative Union (JCCU), who assists them during the visit and also as an interpreter, and Puan Rahimah Abdul Samad from MKM. I doubt she reads my blog, so I will share something here. Miss Sakurai is one of the weirdest Japanese that I have ever met. I am unsure if she is suffering from PMS, or she wasn't happy that I was taken to be an additional interpreter, because her character is just not like a Japanese at all. She never smiles, and there was one time when Puan Rahimah smiled while shaking hands with one of the PR staff of Chiba Coop. Miss Sakurai said to her, "What smile smile?! Don't laugh!" Crazy, right? Then on the next moment, she can talk in a very friendly and nicely to you. That's why I said she is a bit weird.

Starter of the night - pinkish sakura tofu, green thing is squid and steamboat on the top right.

Fresh sashimi.

Bamboo shoot and a kind of Japanese rice cake, which is sticky and served with a black sauce.

Steamed egg with shrimp.

Chawan-mushi (steamed egg) with sakura petals.

Tempura.

Rice, topped with some pickles, miso soup, sour plum and pickled radish.

Cherry blossom-flavoured ice-cream.

Group picture, minus the manager, who had a meeting to attend and was late to this dinner.

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Thursday, April 1, 2010 - Credit Transfer Interview & Buffet Dinner

Went to Chiba University in the morning to attend the interview for credit transfer.

The sakura in the university compound has began to bloom, and several groups of students were spotting having hanami under the trees.

The meeting room, in which the interview was conducted. It took so long, that it only ended at six in the evening. Some of the professors were so bad, they still wanna bully us at such tensed moment. There's one time, where my friend and I were asked a few questions by Prof. A about the subject we wanted to get the credit transferred. Our result in kosen were excellent and by right, we would be automatically get exempted from being asked questions. So, Prof. B who sat next to Prof. A asked him why is he still asking questions to us. Prof. A answered, "Hehe, I just did it for fun. Feel like bullying them a bit haha!" Walao-eh! But overall, my first impressions of the professors there is that they were nice people and I hope it stays that way.

On that night, Cung and I went out for dinner at a Chinese restaurant - Fuh En. 

The interior design didn't really make it look like a Chinese restaurant, to be honest.

We went for the buffet course, which has 50 menus for us to choose.

Cung doing Mathematics questions in the restaurant haha!

First few dishes that came. Both of us were so hungry already that we didn't bother to take pictures of the rest of the food already haha!

This is one of the final dish of the night, and it was a huge mistake to order this. The portion was so big that I guess it can feed five giant elephants. Cung said maybe the chef felt that we still didn't seem to be full after ordering to many dishes. So, the chef decided to punish us with this super huge bowl of noodle haha!

The bill and the plates, which has noodles in between every plates. You should know why haha!