There are many opportunities to be close to nature in Japan, even in a metropolis like Tokyo. Before we officially start classes at Keio and Waseda, a few of us went to climb Mt Tanzawa (丹沢山). The whole trip was actually 4 mountains because we went up and down several peaks before the highest peak. It was also raining heavily on our way up so I got really grouchy on the ascend. We were lucky to find Miyama-sansou (みやま山荘), a hut which we were able to stay at overnight. It was expensive- about 7700円 per person, which includes a place to sleep, dinner and breakfast. There are no shower facilities but there's a toilet bowl that warms up. You could tell we were newbies to mountain climbing because all our clothes were soaked even though they were in our backpacks (all except for Mas' stuff cos he put all his stuff in plastic bags because his bag is not waterproof).
So here are the top 3 tips for newbies like myself (will sound stupid to experienced hikers)
Tip 1: Put EVERYTHING in plastic bags. Bring extra plastic bags just in case.
Tip 2: Bring water and lots of snacks because it will be a long hike
Tip 3: Bring a lighter (or salt) because there are leeches on this trail and you might need these things to get rid of them
I definitely recommend doing this climb but be warned that you might not be able to walk for 2-3 days after the climb because your legs will feel like jelly. I live on the 4th floor of Hiyoshi Int. House and those stairs were my enemy for the next 2 days after our climb.
Here are also some of our pictures of the climb. You can see Mt Fuji from here and it's beautiful.
Also check out the website below for more info about this hike or if you want to look for more hiking and mountain trails. The author is an excellent climber so when he says it's 3/5. It's damn hard...
http://japanhike.wordpress.com/2008/04/08/mt-tanzawa/
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Get the JR pass if you can
If you are entering Japan as a tourist or if you are Japanese national with proof of overseas residency (California driver's license/ID for most UC students), I highly recommend getting a JR Pass before you leave the US. For those of us going to Keio, we weren't able to get our student visas in time before we came to Tokyo so we came in with tourist visas. The benefit of coming with tourist visas is that I was eligible to buy a JR pass which costs me US$353 for a 7-day pass. It gives me unlimited rides on all JR lines and buses including Shinkansen (with the exception of Nozomi trains). With the pass, I went to Kyoto for 4 days, a day trip to Nagoya and probably another short day trip tomorrow.
The mandatory orientations made it difficult to have a long trip but I still highly recommend it because it allows to travel within Tokyo on all JR lines too.
You can only get the voucher for JR pass outside of Japan and exchange it for the actual pass in JR stations in Japan.
The mandatory orientations made it difficult to have a long trip but I still highly recommend it because it allows to travel within Tokyo on all JR lines too.
You can only get the voucher for JR pass outside of Japan and exchange it for the actual pass in JR stations in Japan.
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Farmer's Market (and other places for cheap ingredients)
Eating out is getting kind of expensive for me so I have been cooking a lot for the past month. So, I am recommending these few places where you can get cheap and good ingredients for your meals.
1) Farmer's Market every weekend outside UN University
Get off at Shibuya Station on the Yamanote line and it's a 10 minutes walk from the station. There are some really good deals there, especially peaches (now that they are in season). There are also some samples for you to try while you are there. But overall, things here can be a bit expensive and is not my favorite place to go.
2) Tsukiji Fish Market
Many students will likely wake up at 4am to try and get in to Tsukiji Fish market to watch the morning bidding. I didn't manage to get there in time so I missed that but the market around Tsukiji offers some of the best deals for vegetable and fruits. The EAP students are living in Takadanobaba this summer so it's a little further than Shibuya but if you are looking to buy a lot, I think this is one of the best place to go
3) Takashimaya (basement supermarket)
Everything else in this building seems to be high end designer stuff but the supermarket in the basement of Takashimaya is possibly one of the best place to get seafood. The seafood here is really fresh and affordable. It is a lot cheaper than the seafood I was getting from Seiyu, a supermarket near Weekly Mansion, the place we are living at right now. To make a trip here even more exciting, just walk through the basement to sample different kinds of food by various vendors. You are not obliged to buy after eating so just try them for the experience.
4) Shin-Okubo
This is probably Korea-town in Tokyo. There are many Korean supermarkets where you can get your supplies of kimchi and othr Korean treats. There is a really wonderful small shop where they sell many different kinds of ingredients for Asian cuisines- Chinese, Thai, Korean, Vietnamese...etc... I can't remember the name of the shop even though I have been there many times but I will take a picture the next time I go and update it then. But there are many other supermarkets that you can check out in this area. Did I mention that the Korean restaurants here have the most delicious Korean BBQ (the best I have ever tasted thus far!)?
5) Koenji
Jojo, one of the guys on the EAP program, brought us to Koenji this past weekend and I am in love with this little neighborhood. There are many 2nd-hand clothing stores that you can go to and there are also supermarkets here that have slightly cheaper prices than the ones in Takadanobaba. I recommend coming here for a whole day to explore the area and then going to the supermarkets to buy your groceries before heading home. You have to transfer from the Yamanote line but Koenji is not far at all. This is a wonderful place in Tokyo that you can definitely go to. There are many good restaurants here too. Check out Fatz's Burger and a Vietnamese Pho place while you are here.
1) Farmer's Market every weekend outside UN University
Get off at Shibuya Station on the Yamanote line and it's a 10 minutes walk from the station. There are some really good deals there, especially peaches (now that they are in season). There are also some samples for you to try while you are there. But overall, things here can be a bit expensive and is not my favorite place to go.
2) Tsukiji Fish Market
Many students will likely wake up at 4am to try and get in to Tsukiji Fish market to watch the morning bidding. I didn't manage to get there in time so I missed that but the market around Tsukiji offers some of the best deals for vegetable and fruits. The EAP students are living in Takadanobaba this summer so it's a little further than Shibuya but if you are looking to buy a lot, I think this is one of the best place to go
3) Takashimaya (basement supermarket)
Everything else in this building seems to be high end designer stuff but the supermarket in the basement of Takashimaya is possibly one of the best place to get seafood. The seafood here is really fresh and affordable. It is a lot cheaper than the seafood I was getting from Seiyu, a supermarket near Weekly Mansion, the place we are living at right now. To make a trip here even more exciting, just walk through the basement to sample different kinds of food by various vendors. You are not obliged to buy after eating so just try them for the experience.
4) Shin-Okubo
This is probably Korea-town in Tokyo. There are many Korean supermarkets where you can get your supplies of kimchi and othr Korean treats. There is a really wonderful small shop where they sell many different kinds of ingredients for Asian cuisines- Chinese, Thai, Korean, Vietnamese...etc... I can't remember the name of the shop even though I have been there many times but I will take a picture the next time I go and update it then. But there are many other supermarkets that you can check out in this area. Did I mention that the Korean restaurants here have the most delicious Korean BBQ (the best I have ever tasted thus far!)?
5) Koenji
Jojo, one of the guys on the EAP program, brought us to Koenji this past weekend and I am in love with this little neighborhood. There are many 2nd-hand clothing stores that you can go to and there are also supermarkets here that have slightly cheaper prices than the ones in Takadanobaba. I recommend coming here for a whole day to explore the area and then going to the supermarkets to buy your groceries before heading home. You have to transfer from the Yamanote line but Koenji is not far at all. This is a wonderful place in Tokyo that you can definitely go to. There are many good restaurants here too. Check out Fatz's Burger and a Vietnamese Pho place while you are here.
Monday, August 8, 2011
Temples in the middle of Shinjuku
These were 2 temples that we saw while we were walking around in Shinjuku. It was quite a unique experience going to the temples. The temples are quiet and peaceful and much needed in the midst of all the crowds and traffic in this busy city.
One of the temples were preparing for a Bon Dance Festival, which is an annual festival in the summer (from July) to honour the dead. They were setting up drinks and food for the even that evening.
A day in 原宿 (Harajuku）
I went on the weekend to Harajuku. As you can see from the photos, it's very crowded in Harajuku, probably more so that it's the weekend. Harajuku is famous for being a hub of fashion with many stores selling trendy clothes to both women and men. I was trying to save money so I didn't buy any clothes. But I did eat beef rice bowl at 吉野家 (Yoshinoya) at Harajuku which was tasty but inexpensive. There was a man dressed up in a costume of sorts outside of Yoshinoya and he was wearing a hat with two fishbowls. If you look closely, you can see that there are 2 live goldfish inside.
Then I just walked around Harajuku and I ended up buying a pair of glasses for 3990円 (about US$45) which includes frame and lenses. The best part was they were ready in 30 minutes. I walked around the district and ate some たこ焼き(takoyaki）while I waited and it was delicious. They are in many places around Tokyo and are generally cheap snacks that vistors should try.
Saturday, July 30, 2011
乾杯! (Kanpai)
After the delicious Sio Ramen, we continued our adventure in Takadanobaba. We went back to the Weekly Mansion to meet up with the others and from there walked around the area to try to find a place where we can drink. We finally found a place with the help of a local. We were asked if we wanted to sit upstairs in a private room because the main bar was full. The private room was really nice but we found out later that there was an extra service charge (400円 per person) for drinking there.
The two drinks I had were really good. Unfortunately I don't their names because it was all written in 漢字(Kanji) but here are the pictures of some of the drinks that we had.
This was after I mixed the blue and red liquor into the drink.
Yeah! 乾杯!
ROUND 2:
The alcohol content in the drinks was low because I didn't feel tipsy like I usually would after one drink. It's also not really expensive- about 410円 per drink.
We decided to head back to Weekly Mansion afterwards because we were undecided about what to do. We passed by ポプラ, the convenience store near the Weekly Mansion where some of us bought more drinks. Both Beau and I were not fans of beer but for some reason we both bought one each. It had 7% alcohol and was honestly quite horrible tasting. On our way back, we decided to go back to Kati's room to play 終極密碼 (zhong zi mi ma) a number guessing/drinking game that has been popularized by Taiwanese game shows. Not wanting to drink our beers anymore, Beau and I mixed our beers into a "cocktail of death" as the forfeit of each round.
I know this sounds kind of evil but it was super fun watching other people drink up all of our shitty beer. The expression on their faces: Priceless.
The two drinks I had were really good. Unfortunately I don't their names because it was all written in 漢字(Kanji) but here are the pictures of some of the drinks that we had.
This was after I mixed the blue and red liquor into the drink.
Yeah! 乾杯!
ROUND 2:
The alcohol content in the drinks was low because I didn't feel tipsy like I usually would after one drink. It's also not really expensive- about 410円 per drink.
We decided to head back to Weekly Mansion afterwards because we were undecided about what to do. We passed by ポプラ, the convenience store near the Weekly Mansion where some of us bought more drinks. Both Beau and I were not fans of beer but for some reason we both bought one each. It had 7% alcohol and was honestly quite horrible tasting. On our way back, we decided to go back to Kati's room to play 終極密碼 (zhong zi mi ma) a number guessing/drinking game that has been popularized by Taiwanese game shows. Not wanting to drink our beers anymore, Beau and I mixed our beers into a "cocktail of death" as the forfeit of each round.
I know this sounds kind of evil but it was super fun watching other people drink up all of our shitty beer. The expression on their faces: Priceless.
がんこラーメン (must try ramen place in Takadanobaba)
Last night, a couple of us decided to hang out around Takadanobaba. It was somewhat on impulse that we decided to go to がんこラーメン (Ganko Ramen). The restaurant is about 20 minutes walk from Weekly Mansion (where we are staying). It was raining quite heavily and when we got there, we saw that it was a small restaurant covered in a black tent with a gigantic bone hanging on the outside. It looked dark from the outside and we were all a little suspicious at first because none of us wanted to be the first one to try to open the door. When finally we decided to go in because it was silly to just keep standing in the rain, we saw that the restaurant is really small and can only fit 5 people. Luckily, our group was exactly 5.
The price of the ramen (700円) may be higher than some other places but this place is the real deal. You really have to come to this place if you are in Tokyo- the ramen is really really delicious. The owner recommended the Sio Ramen (with hot chicken oil) so we all ordered the same thing. The pork was so tender, it felt like it was melting in my mouth and the soup base was so tasty (especially when you add the minced green pepper to the soup). Just one word to describe it: Wow!
If you are in Tokyo, don't miss out on this ramen place. Needless to say, I'll be back there a couple more times while I'm still living in Takadanobaba.
The price of the ramen (700円) may be higher than some other places but this place is the real deal. You really have to come to this place if you are in Tokyo- the ramen is really really delicious. The owner recommended the Sio Ramen (with hot chicken oil) so we all ordered the same thing. The pork was so tender, it felt like it was melting in my mouth and the soup base was so tasty (especially when you add the minced green pepper to the soup). Just one word to describe it: Wow!
If you are in Tokyo, don't miss out on this ramen place. Needless to say, I'll be back there a couple more times while I'm still living in Takadanobaba.
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