Jan & Feb 2010 Life in Tokyo

December 2009

Japan Report

Day 1 & 2 http://cvy.deviantart.com/journal/28977947/
Day 3,4 & 5 http://kanasaiii.deviantart.com/journal/29222907/
Day 6 & 7 http://kanasaiii.deviantart.com/journal/29222907/
Day 8 http://cvy.deviantart.com/journal/29521534/

I'll most prob wait for lenneth to finish her day 10-13 cos I'm just too lazy to write them all down. haha sooo before that, I'll just share some photos on my end =D:

Part one: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=385557&id=553750095&l=595ca42a4a
Part two: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=386178&id=553750095&l=ae3f784cdb

Jan - Feb 2010

After the girls left, weeks of house searching, moving in and basically settling down, I finally had time to start hanging out with my classmates and well .. a LIFE.

School has been GREAT! I've never been so enthusiastic about studying EVER in my entire life and I kid not! Despite having homework and tests almost everyday, I actually do enjoy going to school very much! It could perhaps be the environment, friends, the language or even a combination of all.


I recently had a School Sports Day Meet last Friday at the National Olympics Memorial Youth Center and here are some pictures from the event!






The sports hall


with my sensei


my class!





Preparing the table tennis table


With Shuui - so cuteeee!!! <3


With Min




After the Sports meet, our teachers treated us to Lunch!! :heart:

Soba-ya @ Shinjuku



with 堀野先生




A few of us then headed to a fellow classmate's house at SAITAMA (outskirt of Tokyo) for a night of drinking, food and korean card game~

Road to my friend's place - Love this shot XD


Check out the number of bikes at the parking lot!!


Our Dinner!


Learned a new game called "go-stop" from the Koreans.These pretty cards are called Hwatu. It originated from Japan though and they are called Hanafuda. 本当におもしろかった！


my cards XD the game is really really fun!


where we slept



Yep it was a really fun weekend and I enjoyed it alot! It was like being back in high school again and I really loved it! :heart:


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So anyway, I've also been pretty much addicted to the Izakayas (居酒屋) in Japan! Alcohol is sooo much cheaper than back home and I love the drinking and eating culture here. IT IS AWESOME!

9 Jan 2010 - with Korean classmates :heart:

Ikebukuro








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10 Jan 2010 - with Shuui, Min and A-san!
Shibuya



I had SOUR (?) サワー this time round! Alcohol + fruit juice?


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29 Jan 2010 - with more classmates this time round!
Takadanobaba





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3 Feb & 4 Feb 2010
Takadanobaba






Izakayas are awesome FUN! BUT they suck your money like no one's business!


I also managed to spend more time with B1 eating yummy cakes and desserts, watching Saw 6 (my first movie in Japan! SUPER EXPENSIVE! D=) and just chilling out! =D

Picture in the gorgeous toilet @ Tokyo metropolitan tower after Saw 6


Lunch @ some deli before signing our house contract


Signing of contract at the agency.




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Did I mention I managed to catch Chester and his side project Dead By Sunrise at Shibuya AX? It was really short like how all their lives are but omg it was great!! It was really different compared to the live that LP gave in Singapore. Chester and band really seem to like Japan alot and they were PUNCTUAL! D=

Min and I were really high and being able to see Chester once again was so much love! <3

The set list:


Our 6,300yen tickets


Shibuya AX - After the concert


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So to end off this entry, here are pictures of my new phone!





Till next time!! =D

Last Friends - Episodes 6 & 7

LAST FRIENDS
ラスト・フレンズ
(chinese subtitles)

Episode 06




Episode 07

Related Links:

• ラスト・フレンズ Last Friends
• Last Friends - Episodes 1,2,3
• Last Friends - Episodes 4 & 5

Last Friends - Episodes 4 & 5

LAST FRIENDS
ラスト・フレンズ
(chinese subtitles)


Episode 04


Episode 05

Related Links:

• ラスト・フレンズ Last Friends
• Last Friends - Episodes 1,2,3
• Last Friends - Episodes 6 & 7
  

Cute Ideas for Bento Sets

Wonder how you can make these wonderful bentos for lunch? Now you can over at Lunch in a Box! Not only do they look great, they are easy and quick to prepare! The following is one of my favourite post by her where she teaches us how to make great eggs in the shape of a cow or a pig!

so first of all, this bento lunch consists of just rice,egg, some beans and blueberries!
simple ingredients but it looks awesome!

So how do we make our rice and eggs into mini animals?

First of all, make sure you have moulds like these.

They don't have to be special moulds for eggs (although they do have egg moulds) or rice. Simple ice-cream sandwich moulds will do, similar to the above which the author had used.


All you have to do is to place the hard boiled eggs while its hot into the moulds, then make sure you close it with the plunger tightly and place them in cold water.
Once done, VOILA! Your hard boiled eggs will turn out shaped like these!

To get it coloured as above, all you need to do is soak the eggs in food dye after removing the eggs out of the moulds. Cute ya? =)

Read the rest of the tutorial and more over HERE by the author herself!

Since we are on the topic of bento, here's a cute video of an ang moh singing a bento song before eating at a Japanese pre-school.

This ang moh kid is super adorable! He doesn't look like he knows the words! かわいい！！！

Here was what they sang/said:

Obento obento
Obento obento, ureshii na
Nan demo tabemasho, yoku kande
Minna sorotte goaisatsu

Spoken
Otousan Okaasan, oishii obento
Itadakimasu, nokosazu ni tabemashou ne
Itadakimasu, dozo meshiagare

Translation:
Obento obento obento
Obento obento, So happy (hooray!)
Let’s eat anything & chew it well
Now that we’re all together,
Let’s say “Let’s eat”

Father mother, delicious obento
"Let's eat", let us eat and not leave anything behind
"Let's eat", please start eating!

The actual lyrics and song can be found at THIS PAGE (slightly different from the above)

Super cute ya? XD

Last Friends - Episodes 1,2,3

LAST FRIENDS
ラスト・フレンズ
(chinese subtitles)

Here are the episodes for all those who want to watch!

Episode 01


Episode 02


Episode 03

Related Links:

• ラスト・フレンズ Last Friends
• Last Friends - Episodes 4 & 5
• Last Friends - Episodes 6 & 7
  
  
  

Cosplay + Japan Purikuras!

2005 Singapore Street Festival
FFX team!
Strife as Yuna
Kie as Riku
Myself as Lulu
Benita as Wedding Lulu

2006 Singapore Street Festival
Alice Nine team!
Zeph as Tora
Strife as Saga
Myself as Shou (Blondie!)
Calista as Hiroto
Reiko as Nao

Purikuras taken in Japan where the purikura machines were soooo much cheaper and nicer!!

May 2006 - Harajuku
Elaine, Reiko and Myself took this right after our hair job at Bridge Salon! XD

Dec 2007 - Shibuya
Reiko and myself in winter wear!! XD

I really do miss taking purikuras like how we used to back then during our primary and secondary school days. It was really cheap compared to nowadays, costing less than 5 bucks for one. I remember we used to stick out purikuras (otherwise known as neoprints) on used phone cards or neoprint books (if you are richer) to collect them and to show them off to our friends! Haha there were no such things as writing names or drawing stuff on the neoprints. It was pretty much standard and limited but we still took so long to decide on our backdrop! XD
Anyways, if you really do wanna take a really nice purikura shot, go to Japan! I don't know why but my purikura shots from Japan all look so much nicer than those that I took in Singapore! Oh wells, I'm most probably biased anyway. XD

Japanese Gadgets - Bubble Wrap & Soybean Simulator

I have always loved popping the bubbles on the bubble wrap and so I was super excited when I heard Bandai had released a new simulator toy that could imitate it. When I went to Japan last year, I searched the shops immediately upon arrival, hoping to get it quick, but guess what! There was none anywhere!! I was very disappointed but by a stroke of luck, I found it at at a UFO catcher at Umeda in Osaka. So after the 3rd try I managed to get it!

So here it is, Bandai's very own bubble wrap simulator toy, Puchi Puchi!
(I got the white version)

That's not all! Good news for those who love popping the beans out of Edamame (those green soybeans)! Bandai is releasing another new simulator toy called Mugen Edamame. Watch the video below to see how it works!

JP-PRBE-post
by pocarisweater

Trust the Japanese to come up with gadgets and toys such as these! Interesting and innovative bunch of people I must say! I don't think I would ever get tired of anything Japanese!

So anyway, because I am super terrible at UFO catchers, I've decided to try out methods used in the following video on the secret of UFO catcher machines. And I'm going to be so kind to share with everyone out there who is equally as bad as me when it comes to playing with the UFO catchers.



Source: http://www.japanprobe.com

Sugoiiiiiii!!!!! Really amazing isn't it! Now I know why some people can actually earn a living just by playing with these. Yes, believe it or not, there ARE people in Japan whose full time job is to get the dolls/toys from these machines!

So just a summary of the techniques involved:

1. Soft toys that are at the side of the drop hole, use the "Sweep" method to sweep the toy in with one claw.
2. Soft toys that are at the top of the drop hole, use the "Slide" method to flip the toy in.
3. For bigger toys, aim the claws at the neck (see elmo example)
4. For boxes, aim for the indents of the box so that the claw can grab hold of it. [ I still think this step is the most amazing of all!!]

I hope that helps! If it really does work, please let me know!!

Japan 2007 - Food Report I (Osaka)

Having spent my holidays in Japan for close to a month, I've decided to break my trip into a few parts, starting from the food section first! ^__^ This post would be about all the food that I've tried and are worth trying out if anyone is going to Osaka.

OSAKA - FOOD Report Part 1

The first and No. 1 recommended place to go if anyone is going to Japan would be this sushi shop (stupid me forgot to take a picture of the shop's name!) at Tenmanbashi-me.
Although the shop is quite small, it is REALLY popular! Its always best to go either before lunch or after lunch, so that you can get at least a seat.
They sell delicious sushi at really low prices!! Basic sushi such as tamago and maguro only costs 100 yen per plate (2 pieces), salmon etc for 200 yen and the really good ones such as Jo-unagi for only 300 yen! It is really worth the money. Check out the pics for yourself!

Curry Cheese Instant Noodles
This has got to be the best instant noodles EVER! I would be willing to eat this everyday without complaints if they sold it here in Singapore!

Delicious
Reiko and I walked past this confectionery around 4am one morning (they were still not opened) and the smell of freshly baked pastries was enough to make us salivate immediately! The next day we managed to buy a box back to the dorm and finally had a taste of their well known orange cheese cake, apple strudel and strawberry shortcake! DELICIOUS indeed!
HIGHLY recommended! Its around Onohara.

Osaka Castle
If you do go to Osaka, you CANNOT NOT try their tako yaki because tako yaki is Osaka's specialty! However, do not get them at Osaka Castle or any other touristy areas because they are very expensive and not as nice as those you find at the road sides. Nonetheless, it was still good, beats tako pachi back here in Singapore ANYTIME!

Yodobashi @ Umeda
Highest Level of the building - The crepes were really really good. The whole floor was lined with dessert shops and we were spoilt for choice, but we ended up with these irresistable ice-cream crepes!

MacDonalds @ Carrefour
McPork was sooooooo good! The last time I went to Japan, I tried the black pepper McChicken and it was super yummy, thus when I saw the McPork version, I HAD TO GET IT! Macs in Japan is really quite expensive and they don't provide you with chilli or any other condiments, if you want them, you gotta pay! My meal cost me about 450yen!!

It was dessert at Baskin Robbins after that. OMG the ice cream was heavenly!!! yum yum!

Osaka University of Foreign Studies
Canteen Food - good and cheap!
Curry rice made by Reiko!! I couldn't afford to eat out everyday since I still had a few more weeks in Japan! XD

Mister Donut & KFC Buffet @ Onohara
Mister Donut was having a promotion in conjunction with the Simpsons Movie and I bought myself a tray of Mini Donuts! With all the donut craze in Singapore, I was thrilled to find a donut shop! ^_^
I bet none of you have heard of a KFC buffet right? I was surprised too when Reiko told me about this KFC buffet at the outlet near her school. The buffet wasn't exactly very cheap so thank goodness for YJ's parents who treated us to the buffet lunch! ^_^ The buffet was nothing spectacular but it was worth the experience, plus it was my first time trying a KFC buffet! And no, we did not just eat chicken, we actually had spaghetti, soup salad and wedges. (second pic)
Apparently there are only 2 outlets in the whole of Japan that serves this buffet, one of them being Osaka of course. I'm not too sure where is the outlet but if anyone knows, do let me know!
I think the buffet was around 1500yen. Only worth it if you are either a KFC fan or a HUGE eater!

Umeda

Lets call this Panda Panda because the black and white reminds me of a Panda. haha anyway, its a white and dark chocolate coated puff with custard filling inside! The shop is at the Umeda train station itself.

Albar Pasta restaurant
I LOVE Japanese fusion pasta. I can never get enough of it! Ever since Pasta de Waraku was set up in Singapore, I could never get enough of it. I always thought the pasta at Pasta de Waraku was the best I have ever eaten, but boy was I wrong! The ones in Japan were even BETTER!!
I ordered the seafood pasta that cost me only 830yen and dessert was only 380yen! And as you can see from the many dessert pics that I've put up, Japan is like the land of desserts! Taste, quality and appearance is never disappointing!

Some ramen shop around the area at Onohara too.
House specialy and gyoza! Cheap, good and huge servings! Ramen costs about 700-800yen and Gyoza was 300yen I think.

Shindax Plaza
Shindax Plaza is actually a karaoke place but if you do have a chance to go singing here, please make sure you order their fries! It is by far the best fries I've eaten in my entire life! I swear! Its at the foot of the hill where Mister Donut is.

AND make sure you try their strawberries from the supermarket! Its fresh and super super sweet! I heard that the reason why their strawberries are so expensive is because the Japanese throw away all the ugly looking strawberries and only display the good looking ones!
I bought a box of about 6-8 for about 450yen. Slightly more expensive than those in Singapore but worth buying it to try!

Délices du palais
A high end shop that sells freshly made tarts on the spot!
Beautiful and quaint! Tarts are affordable too ranging from 600-1000 yen.
Great place to hang out for high teas with alot of rich Japanese housewives. XD
Its near Osaka Muse, so just walk around the area and streets. There are alot of other confectionary cafes as well that are worth going in!
Highly recommended!

Universal Studios Japan
Lunch at Snoopy land!
Sun/moon/star fries with Prawn patty burger and Snoopy pastry for desert!
And a santa bun for dinner! XD SUPER CUTE! o>_

to be continued..