Fujiya Hotel In Hakone

Hakone is very much of a touristy place in Japan - and it’s quite crowded during the spring and summer season - I bet the motorhome towing companies are extremely busy then too.  But Hakone is beautiful and the view up there can be very rewarding as well as watching the famous Hakone Lake.  Hakone being only an hour away from Tokyo is where even the Japanese themselves flock for hiking trips and a short getaway from the hustle and bustle of the busy city of Tokyo.  The fresh air up in Hakone was awesome and one can spend a nite or two in Hakone without breaking the bank.

We love the Fujiya hotel and normally we won’t be able to afford a hotel of such prestiget but this classical hotel in Hakone is defintely a no regret stay - for the service was impeccable and the staff were such awesome ppl but you have to know that they are trained to take care of dignitaries for centuries.  They have several restaurants and room service right up to 10.30pm and starts as early as 9am.  An indoor and outdoor pool with spa facilities for their house guests and a private bath house for the entire family.   In Japan, it is almost impossible to find a hotel that has such huge rooms - so if you are in Hakone - don’t forget to check out Fujiya Hotel.

Gadget Savvy Japanese Gals

If you think or in your mind think that all Japanese girls are demure and shy - then you are wrong - those that i know are very gadget and tech savvy and knows all about  car insurance and unlike me - who needs to wait for the spouse to do that for me.   When i was a kid, i had an exchange student in my class and she had all the cutest looking thing one can ever dream of.  And now - that same girl that I’ve known all my life - is the most tech and gadget savvy japanese gal I know.   The classic japanese gals in Japan has a HP notebook, and ipod touch, cellphone, digital cameral and of couse the USB key but of course they had to be cute looking - quality to a Japanese gal is more important than quantity - no wonder the Japanese has new stuff every year to satisfy the needs of the tech and gadget savvy Japanese gals.

Spicy Ramen In Morioka

Morioka is the  the capital of Iwate prefecture and one can really find some good eats like this  spicy cold ramen there. It actually tasted more korean than Japnese and true enough it was made of kimchi broth but we were told that this was adapted such to cater to the korean community that lived there. Loved my soba ramen wtih kimchi, apple, cucumber and a piece of char siew and green onions.

Spring Flowers In Japan

As I scanned thru’ the pictures that my g/fs in Japan sent to me to remind me of all the spring activities in Japan as I was reading about prevera, I cannot help but remember the spring day I had many years ago - while working in Japan.  What did we do?  We went Spring Skiiing!!!  Yes! a little crazy at that time - now that I’m living in snowy Canada but nevertheless at that time - we wanted to catch the last snow.

We were in Asahi Daki - i don’t have the pictures anymore but I asked a girlfriend who was there with me - if she had some - this was the only one she found - we were there sometime in late May one year.   It was fun as far as I can remember - but some parts were really steep and I wasn’t too good at skiing , even though I’ve had done it a few times.  I had descended so good - I felt really good about myself - and went on skiing for longer than I had planned to.  It was like  spring skiing eden in Japan - i was flushed after the skiing.  There weren’t a lot of people anywheres except our group and it was pure amazing seeing the scenery and taking in all the breath-taking stunts my friends and I tried without embarrassing ourselves.  So if you are heading to Japan in late Spring - you can try that out yourself.

Daiwa Sushi

Breakfast of sushi is not uncommon to the Japanese - hell - even us the tourist and foreigners knows all about the Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo.  So at 5am - you better be there and lining up  - I hear both Sushi Dai and Daiwa Sushi are the best and we’ve tired both and yes - they are very good.  But be prepared to wait for at least an hour to get it because the shops are tiny.

Go To Japan This Summer 2010

For those who are not aware of this - I’ve been following the Japan LA blog - and every year they have trips - made to Japan.  Not just ordinary trips - but guided tours to Japan - in the eyes of the Westerners?   They also include an optional tour to Osaka - and a look at the itinerary - it looks like they are covering quite a lot of places - all inclusive for first time tourists but if you have already been to Japan - i’m guessing you are going to be like me and not wanna go to touristy place.  I would rather go to unique stores looking for electronics, gadgets, beauty and/or colon cleansing products.   But I’m guessing for me - i prefer to see Japan in the eye of another Japanese.   What about you?   But for those who haven’t been to that territory - then you should head over to Japan LA blog and sign up there and visit Japan with them.

Public Bath

Public baths are a common thing in Japan - the real reason for a public bath is because the Japanese loves the spa - and the natural spring water plus many years ago - they don’t have the luxury of a bath tub in their homes - therefore - they go to a public bath.  But it is said that the Japanese goes to the public bath because they want to socialize with their neighbors.  Public baths are as common as Cole Haan in the America.

But i really can’t imagine why would someone go for a bath in public - it’s quite embarrassing and yes, I’ve been to one - pretty funny - to see other naked women in all sorts of shape and sizes.  The Japanese women were not shy at all - where else the Westerners are quite intimidated by all this new experience.  Japanese public bath also known as “sento” uses natural hot spring water for their hot bath. The male and the female public bath are separated for obvious reasons - and there are public bath rules that you have to observe - so make sure you know what you need to do or leave a comment and i’ll let you know.

Japan Fashion Week

Japan’s Autumn/Winter Fashion week ended in early April and the best friend who lives in Japan, showed me some pictures, she had taken during the Fashion week.  You see - she married someone there and albeit the fact that there is no social security disability in Japan - she still loves the culture there so much that she decided to stay for another few years before heading back to the West.

The above were from designer Keiichi Muramatsu who graduated from the Bunka Fashion College with a major in knitwear and worked for Lineapiu Group in Italy as assistant designer shortly after. He showed his first collection in 2005 for S/S Tokyo Collection Week. This season he held several knitting seminars during Japan Fashion Week.  I have been following designer Keiichi for a long time now - therefore I was really glad to see his work once again.  I so wished i could attend Japan’s Fashion Week every year but alas, being so far from Asia - sure doesn’t make it easy to just hop on a plane and take a mini-break like I used to.   But some day - some day i hope to revisit Japan with my daughter.

Japanese Weddings

I had the pleasure of attending my very first traditional Japanese wedding in Japan many years ago.  It was a ceremony at the Itsukushima Shrine on Miyajima - a small island that was densely populated.  Unlike other weddings that i’ve attended in Asia - the Japanese wedding was quite creepy - because of the uniform that the musician and the bride wore.  The bride was all in white and had her face painted white to - luckily - the only the first part of the traditional wedding lasted for like an hour.  We then proceeded to the reception - not on the island fortunately but at Hiroshima - the bride opened her  wedding gifts at the end of the night in an English pub.   The bride was very happy - and indeed she should be - because she married a gajin?