Tuesday, February 3
Guessed we did not utilize the hotel much when we checked out at 7:15 am..
Had to search for the last petrol station as close to the Toyota Rental as possible..
Return the car and then catch the flight back to Haneda.
And we were too early.
Roamed about New Chitose airport for a while.
Bought more yummy snacks and then we checked the tiresome luggage in.
New Chitose was quite a bustling airport to walk about.
Sales promoters offered samples of food to passersby..
Foreigners pushed their luggage around the huge Xmas tree..
Cool skiers walked around with their skis tugged behind their back..Sending jolts and tinges of nostalgia down me..Well, all good things had to end.Settled down in a small eatery that served both pancakes and many varieties of omura..Just what we need.
We ordered a pancake and a curry omura.Finally learnt our lesson, no more two mains..
And yes, finally had a taste of green tea latte that did not belong to Starbucks.Dear had become a coffee man by now..Practically three to four servings of coffee per day.Checked ourselves in after breakfast..Taking flights is not tiring in fact..
Waiting is.Waiting to board the plane..Waiting for the plane to take offWaiting for the plane to land..Waiting for the luggage check out..
How much time in life did we actually spend waiting?A fifth? A third? But this was the whole idea of holidaying I supposed.
Spending some time to relax, taking a step back, taking life slow.
As we board the plane, the gentle snowflakes began to scatter outside..
Reminded me of the time when we just landed..
In fact, the weather had been exceptionally good to us throughout our stay in Hokkaido..
Spotted snowfall the minute we landed, to a few days of no more snow for us to move around easily, to heavy snowfall again for some serious skiing..
The best part, we did not meet sudden snow storms that would render us indoors..
Watching the snow dance outside the plane..
What a nice ending to our northern Japan expedition..
We drifted in and out of sleep again..
Somewhere in the midst of the sky, not far from heaven..This piece of backdrop caught my eye..Blue, ever a color that depicts melancholy so well..Shades of blue, the intensity, the aspects.
When we arrived at Haneda airport, we were so sleepy..Then we saw the colorful vending machines..There were hot beverages, cold caffined drinks..And then desserts!Just like that, we left our luggage by the side and gobbled them in the middle of the pathway..LOLThis was also the first time when we saw bento and rice burger vending machines.You'd see businessmen draped in big black coats and clutching on to smart briefcases popping in for a quick meal.Funny how the Japanese takes such good care of their poise and appearances but they are not particular on the way of dining.
Settling down back at Keio.. We had to choose between Sensoji Temple and Zojoji Temple due to the lack of time.
Judging by the distance on the Yamanote Line, we decided to visit the latter.
Hamamatsucho or 滨松町
Alighting at the station, we initially had no idea where and how to walk.
After some map digestion and clueless walking, we decided to walk towards the Tokyo Tower to which by dusk fall, it had become very prominent against the skies.
The temple was just beside Tokyo Tower.
Zojoji Temple or 増上寺
As we gradually edged closer to the Sangedatsu gate or 三解脱門, the sight of the partial Tokyo Tower against the temple's roof in the background was quite a steal.
Both locals and foreigners streamed towards that direction.
Perhaps it was close to the end of a day, the temple premise was a quiet one.
The human traffic, was in fact Tokyo Tower induced.
A group of monks were chanting in the main hall of the temple.
And they had robes that were similar to those of our local monks.
The sitting area in the hall was open to the public and followers could join in the chanting session.
The inner hall saw Buddha statues mostly made of gold, the pillars were made of wood and more gold, even the ceiling was magnificent.
Very different from the zen-like Meji Shrine we visited on the first day.
The outside of the temple housed a range of Jizo statues at the cemetery..
To which the statues were wearing tiny children's clothing or bibs, accompanied with toys and pebbles.
Taking a deeper peek into the meaning of Jizo statues, whose features made more babylike to resemble the children Jizo watches over:
Jizo or 地蔵
The offerings placed by the statues are usually by grieving parents who had lost their little ones or by thankful parents whose children had just recovered from a serious illness.
As Jizo or 地蔵 is usually seen as the saviour of souls in the underworld, his statues are common in cemeteries.
How about the Tokyo Tower?
Well we left the grandeur glowing in the background and proceeded towards the JR Station that was close to Ginza.
Yurakucho or 有楽町
Situated in between Ginza and Hibiya Park.
Alighting from the JR Station, we began our aimless walking for a last night in Tokyo.
Our directions were always influenced by the abundance of lights or the huge shopping brands hanging overhead.
Because such places would mean the low probability of getting lost.
Then we saw it.
The huge Muji signboard.
And the shop itself is so much more significant in size as compared to the SG counterpart.
It is a two storey building by itself and self-sufficiently sells almost everything necessary for a household.
There was the Café Meal Muji at the entrance, a Muji bread shop, then an immense Muji apparel department, body care face care department, shoes department, furniture department, utensils department, storage department, bicycles department (??!)..
o.0
Isnt it the Ikea in Japan?Quite paradoxical how the name Muji is everywhere but in subtle locations on their products.
That is how simple the strong household brand is being marketed and how strong an awareness the simple brand has created =p
*****
Tokyo International Forum or 東京国際フォーラム
An exhibition cum concert hall and conference centre in Tokyo.
It’s impossible to miss the holistic structure the minute you stepped out of the JR Yurakucho Station on the Yamanote Line.
Perhaps of the illumination of the Xmas night lightings, the exterior of this eminence impressionistically epitomizes a metropolitan world.
There was no observation deck or area and the entrance fee is free.
Anyone can simply walk in for a visit.
The minute I stepped foot in the building, I thought the interior architecture has a striking resemblance to our very own Theatres on the Bay or rather, vice versa..
Just like Esplanade, the fundamentals of this splendor involved glass and metal, giving it a metallic high tech and crystal clear housing.
Of course this elongated boat shaped cultural building is slightly older and much much bigger than our own Esplanade.
This award winning complex piece of work gave us a breathless awe the minute we looked up to the ceiling and slowly transfix our gaze to its surroundings.
Don’t know why but I have a perchance of looking at each and every building’s ceiling.
The lofty ceiling did not disappoint me =)
We continued our stroll into the night and before we knew it, we came to Tokyo Station =p
*****
The night ended with us chilling out at the hotel lounge at the top floor.
The complimentary pass came together with every night’s stay.
Nice.
As I set sight to the night view..
The Tokyo view.
Impressive.
The candlelight flickers unfalteringly..
And then illuminates through the thick twirled frosted glass.
Bestowing a warm glow to the coffee and tea which accompanied it.
As I anchored my gaze upon it, the lethargy suddenly consumed me..
Gradually became conscious of the existent fatigue that had been put off previously walking in the cold.
*****
irony @
1:24 PM
