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A
memorable trip to Japan
Diary
of a woman from Singapore
By
Carol Tan
Osaka
trip - continued from previous page
| Peace Garden marked the start of our day's journey. It was located in Hakone, a region famous for its vast expanse of beautiful scenery. The Garden provided some excellent spots for shooting Mount Fuji and we were fortunate enough to be able to see it clearly. According to the tour guide, it can only be viewed clearly on about 20 odd days per year due to climatic conditions. Peace Garden had everything a
Japanese garden should have except it had an additional tinge of religious flavor to it. There was a particular walkway which took us through 33 stone statues of the
Goddess of Mercy. And I was so thrilled to be seeing remains of snow on the ground! |
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 Owakudani was the next stop. It is essentially a
volcanic/hot spring highland area. Due to the high sulfur content in the region, the air smelt of rotten eggs once we got off the coach. Apparently, it ain't good to get too much of the stuff in your body either. As we ascended the mountain, the smell got stronger. The most famous product of this region were the hard-boiled eggs with black shells. The color was a result of boiling the eggs by dipping them in the sulfuric hot spring openings. It was rumored that eating the eggs would give one longevity. I didn't try them though. I didn't think I need those extra years.
We took a short cruise on Lake Ashi and after that to the opposite shore for lunch. Living our adventurous streak, we went all the way to the open-air third deck, which proved to be a costly decision. It was cold beyond words! The winds were just beating on our faces. I could hardly talk and yet had to force a miserable smile for the camera.
The next two nights' choice of hotel was the Sunshine City Prince in Tokyo, which was basic to say the least. I met up with Yutaka and arranged a meeting with Kumi on the phone after I arrived
 and was glad I got everything planned. I couldn't wait for tomorrow. I couldn't wait for
Disneyland.
Tokyo Disneyland took all our time the next day, deservingly. It seemed appropriate that it was the last stop too. Somehow, it was like an exquisite dessert after a fulfilling meal of prime steak. As we stepped into its ground, I immediately felt the adrenaline rush and the increased heart rate… don't even ask me why. I could not have walked faster as my sister and I verbally planned our route, from the first "land" on our left in a clockwise direction. Perhaps due to the early hour, not much was happening yet but after we took our first ride on the excavating mine roller-coaster, screaming our lungs out and begging for more, everything else became more exciting. More people streamed in and many of them were dressed in costume-like attire like headbands with Minnie's ears attached and gloves shaped like Mickey's hands. These were all on sale in the park. I was mesmerized by the buzzing activity and psychedelic colors. It truly was a heaven on earth… everyone was so jolly and you see smiles everywhere… infectious. The parade was a great display of energy. You know you had the crowd going when they follow your dance steps and wing along to familiar
Christmas songs in Japanese and wave furiously at you to get your attention. |
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 Another thing which left me very impressed was the standard of service. The queues were not as bad as people made them out to be. In fact, it was enjoyable just waiting for your turn on a ride or to enter an attraction. The waits were fast enough considering the number of people in the park. I also realized that the Japanese were a bunch of very spontaneous and lively people. Besides the above-mentioned display of patriotism to Mr. Walt Disney's characters by means of impersonation (thank you very much!), these folks happily dangled souvenir popcorn containers around their necks and walked with a certain kind of dance in their steps. Seriously, one day isn't quite enough for a place like Disneyland. It will never be. And now
with the Disney Sea Resort, I may consider moving to Tokyo.
We had a little time the next morning to do our final shopping before we were bound for Tokyo Narita Airport. My sister and I literally waited for the shops to open in the mall next to Sunshine City Prince, which was alright with us. When they finally did, we grabbed some stuff and lamented how we should have stayed another night. It always happens, doesn't it?
But perhaps it is better for this trip to end so I may look forward to the next one. My adventures have enriched me as a person and once again,
Japan did not fail to give me a story to tell my family and friends back home. Being Asian, and a Chinese at that, most would presume there isn't a vast difference in my culture as compared to the Japanese. For everything else, we even look alike! True enough, but the thing is, there will always be an
existing
gap. I do not seek to bridge this gap and I will in fact hate to see it bridged, for I love the thrill and fulfillment of discovering the marvels of a different culture. Japan provides an excellent learning and social opportunity from which I can do so and I am grateful for that. More so, I am very thankful for the beautiful friendships which had blossomed from the need to expand our horizons. Well, I needn't have said this but… I have another date with Japan...soon! |
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