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    20071231

    i'm baaaaack((((:

    Hey all, sorry for the delay in uploading the pictures but my trip to Japan was awesome!! Ok, so I didn’t get to shop much but still, everything else was fantastic!! The food, culture, people and of course, the Japanese style was amazing!!


    two lovely ladies selling yaki tori; yummy grilled meat on sticks!!


    chinese buns stuffed with minced chicken and eggs & glutinous rice stuffed with fillings((:

    Walking down the streets, it is indeed difficult, to feel hungry. There are so many stalls selling yummy food and it is difficult for me to pick something which I love the most!! There are glutinous rice wrapped in a pyramid shape, traditional rice cakes, tako balls which are squid or prawns wrapped inside flour which is grilled into a ball shape, other yummy pastries and ice cream!!



    (the menu showing the range of flavor the stall offers. amazing isnt it?!)

    It is fab to be eating something so cold in winter and the flavors!! They aren’t the usual vanilla and chocolate which we know. There are ginko nut flavor, rose, green tea, almond, sesame etc etc. BUT, I was only adventurous enough to go for the green tea one=p

    Japan is a country which is heavy on traditions and till date. Many of these are still being carried out. One of the most noticeable ones is the wearing of kimonos, which are full length, traditional Japanese garments, during special occasions.

    During my vacation to Japan, I had the opportunity to see a couple of Japanese girls and ladies donning these beautiful garments while they’re on their way to the temple and during a wedding reception in the hotel I was staying in. Furthermore, I had the chance to see a true blue sumo wrestler in his full gear (he was clothed!!)


    Look at her beautiful kimono!! So bright and pretty((:

    Also, one might associate Japan with geishas, thanks to movie, Memoirs of the Geisha and of course!! I was all hyped up when we went to Kyoto prefecture where geishas are commonly sighted due to Gion, being a famous geisha district. Thus, when I spotted the bright kimono, and intricate hairstyle from downhill, I began running in my heels. Up. To meet with her!! Hahah!! Thinking back, it was pretty funny, me barging right up. But~ hahaha, it’s one of my must do, in japan=p

    In addition, I did something which I never imagined I’d do in my entire life!! Haha, So at one of the hotel we stayed in, there was actually a real hot spring in it. And having been to Korea and Taiwan where I;ve tried and loved their hot springs, of course!! I;ve gta do it again in Japan this time round. But there’s a catch~ the only suit u can wear is your birthday suit. Hahahaha.

    So, after getting over the initial shock of ladies yakking away as they shower, I took a deep breathe and took a dip. Wow it was amazing and super relaxing. Slept like a baby the moment I went back to my room. Hahaha

    so i had the opportunity to go to a temple in Kyoto and it;s awesome!!


    this is the section in the temple in which traditionally, people belive that if they wished hard enough for something, leap off the edge, land amongst the trees and survive. their wish will come true!! haha wht's mind boggling is that there're a couple of people who belived in this myth and lost their lives as a result!


    this is actually blessed spring water and it is passed down from generations that if you were to drink from either of the 3 stream of water, you'll be blessed with good looks, great health or intelligence!!
    Also, the girl in the kimono is actually dressed that way probably because she was at the temple to give thanks or because it's her birthday!!






    And how can I end this without talking about THE ICON which represents Japan as much like the Statue of Liberty represents America and the Eiffel Tower to France? Seeing Mt. Fuji alone have left me awe struck and being on the mountain is so so surreal~ Coming from the tropics, seeing snow alone is enough to blow my brains out. The beauty of the sleeping volcano is truly remarkable and it’s left all lost for words yet again~ hahaha

    so!!!!
    SHOPPING!!!
    omg. if ONLY we had enough time to go shopping.
    so, the suckiest thing about this trip was that we didnt get any time off to go shopping at tokyo, one of the fashion capital of the world. so, i;ve got to make do with the shopping in Osaka, in the famed Shinsaibashi district.




    and so, shopping~~ that's whn my mom went mad in her search for burberry blue label. yupp. u've heard me. blue label. it's only available in japan so!!! for those of u planning a trip to japan; be sure to check this out(((: hahaha

    there were so many things to see, so little time~ hahaha but as usual, i do enjoy people watching and wow!! it's just so different from Singapore!! Of course, we dont wear coats and jackets but. wow. it's fabb!!

    (and i;m so sorry i didnt take enough pictures on this aspect!!)




    so i was queueing up for a ride at universal studios when i saw this japanese girl!! though it;s not v obvious in the photo, i love her furry coat and the way she paired that silk tunic under.



    so, haha i took this on the sly and i love how that dress is peeking under her coat!! haha gosh, somehow i sound like a perv. for saying that=p lol
    and of course! the way she paired those tough boots with that same dainty dress. so so pretty!!


    so. sad to say. yer. i didnt take much pictures of people on the streets partly because the cam's with my dad and i was enjoying myself too much. and MOSTLY because. i honestly didnt dare approach those people!! hahah and there so many stylish folks about and especially in the amusement parks!! haha

    there's not a specific type of word to describe them and honestly! every body have their own style!! it's fabb and wht i love about japan is that those young parents are really. really cool!! the themselves dress so awesome and then u see them pushing those prams with equally stylish tots in tow. i really went WOW. hahahaha

    having seen so much creativity and having been part of that, it was a lil weird to be back on the streets in singapore. partly because i dont have my fab houndstooth on but; still, i cant help but look foward to my next vacation. LA, NY anyone?!! hahaha!!! OMG!! i truly hope that my parents werent joking about the american vacation!!!

    LOVES!!!!
    and i miss you guys!!!((((:

    it's 31 DEC TODAY!!!
    fabb party tonight anyone!?! hahaha!!!
    CHEERS.

    32 comments:

    Patent Shoes && Rants said...

    welcome back! great photos!

    xoxoxoxo

    Jen (MahaloFashion) said...

    I'm so jealous of your trip
    the pictures look gorgeous especially of mount fuji
    love all the food yum yum!

    Lauren said...

    your pictures are BEAUTIFUL!!! the trip sounds like a blast - so much culture :D
    glad ur back!
    have a happy new year!

    Mash said...

    whaaou amazing trip and beautiful pictures , how lucky you are :) and gosh you begin you post with the food ...im on the diet ahahah
    have a happy new year lovely

    Liberty London Girl said...

    How amazing! Lucky you sweetheart. Happy New Year! LLG xx

    Liberty London Girl said...

    How amazing! Lucky you sweetheart. Happy New Year! LLG xx

    Liberty London Girl said...

    How amazing! Lucky you sweetheart. Happy New Year! LLG xx

    Liberty London Girl said...

    How amazing! Lucky you sweetheart. Happy New Year! LLG xx

    Wendy said...

    Looks like you have amazing fun in Japan! I'd like to go there some day, your photos make me want to even more.

    Rebecca, A Clothes Horse said...

    Welcome back. Sounds like it was a wonderful trip. Japanese ladies are very chic. I went to an onsen while I was in Japan too--funny story my friends went first without me (I was shy) then around 2am I bucked up my courage and they took me. Only the hotel switched the male and female sides at night! We went into the male side by mistake. Very embarrassing.

    Flair said...

    great pics! Welcome back!

    Ella Gregory said...

    Wow it looks like a great trip
    thanks for sharing the pics
    I hope you had a good new year!
    Missed your posts!

    Ana said...

    oh lucky. i want to go to japan now..mt.fuji is so commanding.

    Jen (MahaloFashion) said...

    I still love looking at all your pretty pictures, I've grown so fond of your blog!

    Unknown said...

    It looks like an awesome time, and that ice cream looks yummy!

    Aisha said...

    Those are suck awesome photos. The volcanos, the fashion on the street and the FOOD! Tjose you called "chinese buns stuffed with minced chicken and eggs" are sold here with the name of "min pao" or something similar, and they're SO good. I'd also love to try the green tea ice cream you talked about, because I drink a lot of it but have never tried it as ice cream =P

    Glad you're back and glad you had fun in Japan also!

    Happy 2008 ♥

    Anonymous said...

    Haha Pen, you are so funny about taking people's photos. If you didn't say anything, I wouldn't have known you were shy. I take my camera with me everywhere, people call me "the girl with the camera." It's funny though, there are some people you just instinctively know not to photograph. Weird huh? I'm glad you are having a wonderful time. Happy New Year!

    Kat said...

    Hey, welcome back!! These pictures are amazing, japan looks wonderful, definitely on my list of places to go. Fabulous!
    Happy New Year!
    x x x

    Vintage Bunny said...

    Hi
    Absolutely loved this post!
    Its amazing!

    Debbie said...

    hi! I love japan too. I remember eating green tea ice cream with my sis over there. Haha... the girls that really haf their own style!

    Nicole Then said...

    U're back! cool photos :) Happy new year

    Gloria said...

    sigh. ice cream is so cute.

    Anonymous said...

    wow sounds amazing. you're so lucky. hot springs would be much desired i'm a bit sore after my ski trip and ice cream sounds delish!

    Rory said...

    I think I could go crazy over ice cream flavours like that! I think I would try rose ice cream first, that just sounds so delicious! Would you like to trade links? I've already added you!

    Jen (MahaloFashion) said...

    2008 FASHION BLOGGER AWARDS ARE HAPPENING, PLEASE FILL OUT THE NOMINATION FORM @MAHALOFASHION.COM

    Thanks,

    Jen

    In Yr Fshn said...

    Sounds like you had so much fun! And yum... sesame ice cream!
    Great pics!

    Tru said...

    glad you had fun

    la petite fashionista said...

    love your photographs! looks like you had an exciting trip. traveling is one of my passions. It seems like you got a wonderful feel for japan and not just a tourist's view.

    :)

    xoxo

    kelsea said...

    OH YOU ARE SO SO SO SO SO SO LUCKY!!!! that's like the first place i want to travel to!!! im glad you had an awesome time...its really nice to see people who appreciate travelling, unlike some people at my school who go to a million places a year and say, "oh, it was OK." haha nice blog btw

    Romeika said...

    I hadn't seen your post from Japan yet, so cool, it seems like you had a great time, and the pics make me wanna travel!!!

    :-)

    Anonymous said...

    even with just a few of those photos you can tell that japanese girls have such fabulous style...and i am absolutely in love with houndstooth..very classy!

    Anonymous said...

    America is a continente not a country.