Back To My 3rd Home

It's our year end holiday and we are back to our 3rd home - Japan! This is our 2nd visit in 2015, and although we love Korea, we gave it a pass for the favourable Japanese Yen. Friends have been asking, "why don't you buy a house in Tokyo since you travel there so often?" Honestly, I would love too, but how to?! If we could, we would love to live in Korea for half-a-year, and Japan the other half. We simple won't get tired of it, but that would mean uprooting and move lot, stock & barrel. That is just too much a sacrifice, for this moment at least. Well, wishful thinking....Right now, we can only visit for a week or so, to get away from the heat and high humidity of Singapore.

In this trip, we visited several new places where the locals go to, as well as revisit some of our favourite hunts. Here is a lowdown of the places we went.

Harajuku on a Sunday

Strolling Omotesando

Found a friend along the alley of Omotesando

Boarding the Todem Arakawa Train

Exploring Shibamata

Stepping back in time at Shibamata

Time for a family portrait

Beating the train

All 634m of it

View from the Sky Tree

Ascending to Nokogiriyama

The end of the rope

What would have been Mount Fuji view on a clear day

First light from the Pacific Ocean at Chiba

Sunny and cold wind make a perfect day

Waiting for the big show at Kamogawa Seaworld

The ever talented Dolphin performance

Beluga whale get his chance to perform

Bird watching at Jiyugaoka

Cat friends alike gather at Sunshine City park

Savouring gyoza at Harajuku

Tea time with top of the world view at Sky Tree

Sumptious breakfast with a view at Chiba

Red & yellow autumn leaves at Todoroki Valley

Nature walking trail in the heart of concrete Tokyo

 Rice planting at Oyama Senmaida Rice Terrace

Rustic charm of Togoshi-Ginza Train Station 

 Togoshi-Ginza Shopping District

Enjoying the day out

Yurakucho Winter Illumination

Tokyo in winter with lights and Christmas decorations

Indoor skating rink at Marunouchi

Rainbow Bridge at Odaiba City

Tokyo German Farm House

Braving the cold for the winter illumination

The winter illumination at Tokyo German Farm House has to be the highlights of the trip.

Although we did not cover everything in the itinerary, I consider the 10 days in Japan well-spent. We travelled far in a rental car, watched sunrise from a seafront Ryokan, soaked in an outdoor onsen, watched killer whale performing, scaled sky tower & mountain, walked nature trail, boarded old tram, shopped daily and ate at our favourite Izakaya joint. Every moment was captured to reminisce on the places we have been to. I hope you enjoy the photos in the coming posts as much as I have enjoyed taking them. 

And another travel trip awaiting....