11 posts tagged “japan”
I'm in Seoul now!
Here's an update of my last few days in Tokyo! For the last day on Sunday, I was suddenly tasked, out of the blue, to babysit this person. What does that mean? That means that I wass practically stuck to the game centers with video games and such. No shopping, no muncing, no walking around sightseeing. Not that I was very very keen to do those, but I'd prefer my last day there to be spent in leisure...
Aniwaes, so we went to the game arcade at Shinjuku to play this 3 Kingdom card game that he loves. However, there was a tournament at 2pm so that game machine was only for public use till then. Well, with the great memory I'm so proud of, we decided to make a bet on my memory about having seen a sign indicating that there are such game machines at the 4th floor at Palette Town. So, we headed for there...and found it. XD I'm amazing!! I only saw the sign once, and like many days before, yet I remembered! muahaha...
Aniwaes, we were looking around the area for the machines (hiden at a corner) when the song above came on.
ARASHI's My Girl! i was fumbling for my mp3 player as I recognised the start, so he front part is cut off...and because the speakers were above the bowling lanes, you can here sounds of dropped rolled bowling balls!
And I finally go to know driver-san's name..because gf gave me his namecard in case we needed to call him.
上村 一二三 (Kamimura Kazufumi)
Very interesting name deshou!
I've always thought that 上村 was read Uemura. Asked him about it and he said that it can be read both ways.
And for 一二三, I remember it as Kindaichi's cousin (?)'s name, demo have never found out how to read it. Now I know!
Aniwaes, the day ended with putting together boxes and packing things to be sent back home. I'm quite pleased, and surprised, by how much shopping I managed to cut down to...previously, I needed about 1.5-2 boxes for all my shopping. This time round, just half a box, of which half are worn clothes, a quarter magazines and just a quarter new stuff!
We got onto the 2pm flight on Korea Air towards Seoul the next day. Having flown only SingAir for the past few years, I was not really used to Korean Air (Jst as was the case with Japan Air), but it was a short 2 hours flight so it wasn't that bad.
Yes! Just 2 hours and...18 mins? So convenient ne! I really hope I get to go for the exchange...then Arashiland would be just 3 hours away!
I went to get something books (YB photobook and novel!) as well as dvds (Park Yong Ha's The Slingshot!) at COEX today...and from the day of shopping, below are what I have to say with regards to J v K. You have the right to disagree, but I too have my right to voice what I like or dislike. Since this is a comparison between Japan and Korea, I'm using Japan as the standard and will judge Korea based on that standard.
- Service standards in Japan v Korea
Although I can't say that service everywhere is Japan is perfect, those that I encountered, from my numerous visits there, have continuously surpassed expectations. And it's not just the big labels, but even the small pushcart at the corner.
In contrast, within just a day in Seoul, I've been disappointed numerous times by the service standards. Here are some complaints, amongst others:
- I was at Etude House (Cosmetics and skincare) and two salesgirls were there chatting and chatting, when the shop is really really packed - the contents of their chat would most likely be overheard by a customer or two. I'm not asking them to be attentive to customers just as Japanese salespersons are, but just not to chat before the customers as that makes them seems nonchalent and unprofessional.
- Again at Etude House, when I was paying, the cashier handed me the change without a word or a smile, with one hand. Well, if this was back in Singapore, I wouldn't care a hoot about this. But too bad, I just came from Japan, where I always received my change with both hands and usually with a smile and a thank you.
- Social grace in Japan v Korea
Ok this title is misleading. It's not as serious as it sounds, and I'm sure this single incident is not representative of the whole society and that the part of society I've interacted with in both countries is just a small part. But, I just have to vent it out.
I've never experienced being pushed around in Japan, except when I'm in a train. Sometimes, in a very small shop, when people want to get past me, they will go "Sumimasen, torimasu" or something along those lines. And when they knock into me accidentally, they will apologise again. Everytime.
Today, I was in this extremely packed shop. And people kept pushing behind me to get past me. No sorrys, no excuse mes. Just pushes. I was so bothered about that. But, the next incident happened at a pushcart. I went up to the pushcart to look at the displayed items, and there were two people at the pushcart, on my left. I kept a comfortable distance from them. But, I soon felt someone pushing towards me. =/ They were looking from the left towards the right and so was shifting towards me. Push, push, push. I was so pissed off, I just stayed rooted. Yet, they continued to subtly push towards me. Argh.
Another thing is that they keep shouting! It's not as bad as in kdramas, but it's not difficult to hear someone shouting or talking loudly. - Fashion in Japan v Korea
This came to mind while I was sitting on a bench, waiting for my gm to finish her round at a shop. I was observing passer-bys...and perhaps it's just my taste, but I feel that the Japanese are better at dressing up and layering than the Koreans. This applies to both guys and girls, young (schooling) and old (non-schooling). It's not just the dressing but also the way they style their hair. - Shopping in Japan v Korea
When you shop, you need money, right? Well I'm so used to Japan currency that I'm having problems using Korean currency. Korean currency is denominated in really big numbers. ₩1,000 is about SGD1.10, ₩10,000 about SGD11. ￥1,000 is about SGD16, ￥10,000 about SGD160. So, I got a bit confused when I paid for my stuff in won. Especially when there are so many zeros! I had to stop and count the number of zeros to make sure I had enough cash to pay for the stuff. Mind-boogling.
Another thing is the signages. Back in Japan, even if I can't pronounce a particular kanji, I can at least understand the meaning because I know Chinese. However, here in Korea, I realised that I haven't been reading the signbaords at all. In contrast to signboards in Japanese wher I can read the hiragana/katakana very quickly, and understand the kanji within seconds, I have to stop and slowly read the Hangul in Korea. That's tiring and so I've decided not to do that anymore. =S
It may sound like I totally dislike Korea, but well, I am enjoying myself, mainly because I have a tv show to look forward to everyday! Mon-Tues Invicible Lee Pyung Gang, Wed-Thurs Will It Snow At Christmas? Sat-Sun Creating Destiny.
When we went to Asakusa on Wednesday, I saw this group of Japanese school girls squealing "Kawaii~~~" as they took photos with this caucasian baby. "Look here!" "One more!"
Today, at Venus Fort, I spoted this two Hindu woman requesting for a photograph to be taken with this Japanese lady in kimono.
lol.
Aniwaes, tomorrow's the last day I'll be in Tokyo, and then it's next stop Seoul! Somehow, I didn't buy so much at Tokyo this time round, perhaps because this doesn't feel like a holiday to me (and I usually spree only on holidays). I've been here so many times, there's a strange feeling of ease when I come here, somewhat like a second home. I hope to buy more at Seoul. XD Hopefully, I can find some YB merchandises! Oh, and I just want to mention that I really appreciate how meticulous our driver-san is. I noticed that he didn't wear glasses yesterday, and because of that, I nearly couldn't recognise him. I asked him about it today and he said that he wore contact lenses yesterday because it was a rainy day (gosh, Japan's weather forecasts are so very accurate!) and his glasses will get misty when he open doors. That's our dear driver-san!
XP
After a long battle in the afternoon fighting for class vacancies, I joined gm in her shopping at Venusfort, where there was a new opening for the 3rd level stores. And then, after some shopping (her more than me), we walked out of a store only to be approached by this man wearing a name tag around his neck.
He asked if he could ask us some questions.
My reaction was "Sorry but we are not Japanese."
Yet he persisted and asked if he could ask us just 2 questions, and that it was for Japanese tv.
I thought it would be fun to do a survey and agreed to it.
To my surprise, he did an ok sign to some people a distance away, and within seconds, a crew of like...5 people surrounded us. O.O So, it wasn't a survey but more of an interview, with a camera crew, mics and even a translator. The translator asked if we could speak Chinese, and so, from then she started to translate questions from the MC into Chinese. Though her Chinese isn't very good, but it's definitely good enough for her to be understood. I could also make sense of most of the questions the MC asked, so everything went on quite smooth.
Basically the questions are about where we were from, how long and why we came to Japan, what we bought today, how much they costed and why we bought them. And then, we had to pose for a super long shot with all the stuff we bought in our hands. I'm glad that they caught us when we were early in our shopping, because we only had one bag then. If they had came to us later...
When the filming ended, we started to converse randomly and they asked if I understood Japanese. Apparently, they think it's amazing to know more than one language. We ended off with them being super surprised that me and my gm aren't siblings; they had thought that I was her younger sister!!! OMG...do I look so old? I mean, this isn't the first time someone said that. T.T
It was a fun experience, though I won't get to watch the program as I've got no idea what it's called and which tv station they worked for. But oh well, if one of my Japanese neighbours see someone awkward looking from Singapore on a fashion show shot in Venus Fort, that's most probably me!
Photos from Day 2, on the way down from the onsen ryoukan, we saw the beautiful Mt Fuji up close! Our dear driver (omg I totally like him! He's quite cute, in a boy-next-door kind of way too!) stopped by the roadside so we could take a photo (the first one). The second one was taken in the car.
I had a greta time today, because it was day-off and I managed to explore Tokyo by myself! The first destination is the JE shop at Harajuku, of course. I had planned to leave the hotel at 9 so that I can reach the shop at 10 latest. However, I was too tired and overslept, so I left the hotel at 10 instead, worried that I'll have to wait for a long time before I can enter the shop. However, when I reached the place, I saw some construction work going on at the area where the lengendary queue was supposed to be at. So, I looked around for the queue somewhere else. Demo, I found none! "No gosh, could they be closeed!? Isn't it supposed to be opened all year round?" I wondered. It's quite amusing, really, that having a long queue is expected as the norm for a visit to the JE shop. I mean, every single time I went there, I had to take a ticket and wait for 30min~1hr, and that was when I reached at around 9.30~10. So, since I eached at 1030 today, I should have to get into the queue too ne?
I wandered into the alley leading up to the JEshop, and found it open!
NO QUEUE!
And the inside was quite empty, with only about 10 people scattered around.
It started to get a bit crowded at around 11 but I managed to get out of the shop in an hr's time, and mainly because I was lingering around for more photos, not because I had to struggle to have a look at the walls and to reach the cashier.
So, how many did I buy this time round?
Just 68!
Compare that to the hundreds that I usually leave the shop with.
I think it's because only one new photoshoot had been released since my last trip there, and that one (My Girl) isn't really flattering. So, I just bought a few of My Girl's and bought some older ones for friends...Also bought YamaP's for wina, our dear dear friend who never forgotten us, and a few of Ryo's. XD I think majority that I bought are for friends! And some for donation to the Arashi concert screening next Jan.
Took this from the JE shop. No Arashi? Someone once told me that JE groups only release calendars up to their 10th year, as in the case of Kinki. Could it be true?!
Following that, I went to unofficial idol shops. I've seen them many times before but was also too intimidated by the huge faces plastered all over the entrance. I was afraid of the fangirl stigma! Demo this time round, I saw fanboys of female talents browsing too (one was even browsing posters of Oguri Shun!) so I just mustered my courage and went in.
The first one didn't have photos, but more of goods. And I left with the above, in multiple copies. Those are metallic, opo-up stickers. I really like the top right sticker from the top piece. You can't see it but it reads, in small font, 'Don't give up, and your chance will come'. I think this is really encouraging, and also reflects Arashi's road to fame. There was a period after their debut that didn't work out too well, but they made it through. I was reading Nikkei Entertainment and here are some interesting points:
- "Arashi 5x10 All The Best! 1999-2009" is a mega hit with 1.36 mil copies sold
- Starting from "Believe", every single release entered into Top 5 ranking
- The Disney campaign had an economic impact of about ¥4,500mil (about SGD70,827,612)
- Auction prices for a pair of the tickets to the event reached ¥450,000 (about SGD7,000)
The second idol shop I went todidn't have much photos, so I bought some mini posters instead. Which is stupid because I don't really put up posters. I have like 10 Arashi con posters still rolled up and lying at the bottom of my wardrobe. Demo, those are really too nice!! Maybe I'll donate them. Will see how later. I'm kind of odd but although I love Jun smiling, I also dig his melancholic look.
From there, I started to get normal stuff instead. Like accessories, clothes, socks yada yada..."No more idol goods!" I said. And I managed to stop myself from entering into the few idol shops I saw on the way. Demo, I gave in after a while and went into this one that was located on the 2nd floor. There were some renovation works going on at the store next to it, and as I walked past it, there was a loud sound that frightened the wits out of me. T.T The scare was worthed it though. Because, I bought a lot of unofficial photos!! I remember the first time I went to Harajuku with a fellow fan living there, and she brought me into one idol shop. We were wondering how such shops can survive because the photo quality is not as sharp at the official ones although they are selling for the same price. However, the ones I bought today were surprisingly clear! I bought like...60 plus, and there was a promotion whereby you get one free large photo for every 10 small regular ones you buy. So I got 6, and they are so so so clear!!!
I think I'm odd but I like photos of odd Arashi just as much as I like photos of cool Arashi.
Well, you know there is something very wrong with you when you proclaim yourself to be fans of idols who do this:
Oh, that's just playful member love?
How about the following?
Remember, they are IDOLS, as Nino always reminds.
Like the costume aren't enough, they had to get touchy on stage, in front of thousands of people and hidden cameras that will ensure this moment gets captured and stays on for a long while.
No, this is not just to relive that historical moment, but also to act as a wet weather plan!
And, they are all PROUD OF IT.
Ok, if you still think I'm normal, what about this:
Yeah, they are bakas, they are gay. But they are also the most kakkoii dudes that worked to where they are now.
I went to Shibuya following that and was surprised that the advertisement panel that previous showcased Arsahi's AU posters now had Maki's Docomo poster instead. T.T Was sorely disappointed, but when I finished my shopping at Tsutaya and headed back to the station, I saw it! Can you spot it?
They got "promoted"!
I bought Park Yong Ha's new single at Tsutaya, as well as Mao-chan's 「僕の初恋をキミに捧ぐ」, novelised. There was this promotion for Arashi photobooks there. There was the A to Z photobook, the 365 Days with Arashi photobook, AAA photobook, Arashi Is Alive photobook, Kiiroi Namida photobook and the out-of-stock Freestyle and Yatterman photobooks. O.O It's so crazy how popular they are now. I remember someone in the neighbour emailing publishers to republish one of the older photobooks in 2008, and received a reply that it's not possible for them to do so. Demo, 3 years later, along with Arashi's boom, our wish has come true. =)
[ADD ON]
HAHA, finished this post just in time to watch Himitsu no Arashi-chan!! YAY!
Just as I thought that there's nothing about Japanese toilets that can surprise me any further, IT did it again! We went to Akihabara after visiting Asakusa today. Our favourite IT departmental store, Yodabashi Camera (I think that's the name because they keep playing that on the broadcast system), was packed, as usual, but we went in nontheless because I wanted to get some electronic stuff and magazines! We paid a visit to the toilet, where the surprise came upon me.
What do we have so far?
- Auto heat up toilet seats
- Bidet and other stuff
- Auto toilet seat covers that gets automatically changes after each use
- Flush buttons activated by heat/movement detection
- Sounds of nature
And now, toilet seat covers that shut (when one leaves the cubicle) and open (when one enters) by itself!
Amazing!
I bought a whole lot of electronic items there, and quite a few magazines. I didn't get the 5 idol magazines though...although they're considered quite cheap. Somehow, they've lost their attraction. I bought 2 mags with Arashi on cover, I forgot which, but one of them had this very interesting chart showing the duration each Arashi single stayed on the sales rankings and analysed Arashi's 10 years by breaking them in 4 phases: Fresh phase, Searching (for own style) phase, Returning phase, and now the spurt phase. There were a lot of interesting tidbits as well, but I can't remember them off-hand.
And then, I bought photobooks! I bought a movie one for Inoue Mao's "Boku no Hatsukoi wo Kimi ni Sasagu" because she looked so pretty! If only the movie's still airing now! I nearly bought Mukai Osamu's first photobook, because he looked delicious =P But then, I saw another photobook that was so ehavy, I decided to choose the latter over that.
What photobook is that? MY GIRL!! ok, I admit that I haven't watched past ep 1 and in fact I didn't really get excited watching ep 1. Demo ne, the photobook is really too beautiful not to buy. Plus, it's really big and value for money. I bought one for a friend as well, so that makes it double heavy. Had wanted to get this Arashi photobook that was called "The world is waiting for the Arashi" or something...Jun looked extremely gorgeous in most of the photos, but I didn't buy it since Jolie seemed to have ordered that for us. *shrugs* I hope that's correct because....I really want that photobook!!
There was also this guideline that gives directions, complete with photos, to filming locations that hld great significance in Arashi dramas, like the bookshop where Jun met Gakki in Smile... The presence of such a book means that there is a market for it and that people do go on such trips!
Alright, that's all for today, because I'm dead beat and wish to catch up on tv before going to bed. It's Harajuku tomorrow!
I don't usually download/watch real-time Japanese tv shows, so I have no idea what is on when.
Can someone help me out by listing the different Arashi shows (dramas, variety shows etc) and when they air in Japan time and on what channel? Onegaishimasu!!!!!!
This time round, the plane ride was toooo fabulous.
Not just because there was a really ikemen guy sitting right at the end of the aisle just before the toilet, which got me going to the toilet for a record 4 times during the plane ride. XP
There was never a lack of movie to watch aboard Singapore Airline, but never once did I feel so excited about watching a movie aboard. As I flipped through the entertainment catalogue, I saw quite a few interesting English films. And then, I flipped a little more and found myself looking at GOKUSEN!! I wasn't able to catch it when it aired in the cinemas because it fell right during my exam period. So, that was a MUST WATCH ne! A page after, I saw Jang Geun Suk's face. The title of the movie was odd, something like 'The truth of sth sth'. So, I read the Korean title and it was Itaewon Salinsageon (Itaewon Murder Case)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I've read about this movie, but have not watched it yet. So, that was on my list too! Given the relatively short journey, that was all I could watch. Besides, i was really very sleepy by the end of Itaewon! Below is are the thoughts I randomly scribbled on my notebook while watching Gokusen The Movie.
Gokusen The Movie should really be Gokusen SP: The Final. I mean, they kept the background musics, the tv episode filming and cutting style, which didn't meet my expectations for a movie.
The first scene in the new Class 3D, where one of the students threw a tennis ball at Yankumi, who steps out of way to avoid being hit, is a shameless replica of the manga as well as Gokusen 1, which I disliked. Next, we are given an introduction to our new 3D. I didn't know that the old 3D from Gokseun 3 had graduated, having failed for all 3 attempts to watch that season, so I actually thought that the guy in a red shirt was haruma. Hey, he does resemble Haruma a little k!? But not exactly the same, and hence I was really confused until the scene where the Season 3 3D main clique appeared at Kuma's restaurant. I go back to that later.
Of course, next up is Kame as Odagiri Ryu. Ok, Ryu IS good looking. But, being the Shin fan I am, I just couldn't help but view his actions within Shin in mind. So it was like "this seems like something Shin would do" all the way. Even when the Season 3 3D clique exclaimed, upon seeing Yankumi walking around with a young, ikemen guy, "Yankumi can never find such a handsome boyfriend!", I was all "NO! YOU ARE WRONG! Yankumi has a secret lover in Shin, the smart ass who got into Waseda. And he is a total ikemen!" And when Yankumi got worked up at the restaurant, Kame managed to shut her up just by pulling the back of her coat. Again, it is something Shin would do ne.
At the restaurant, we also had Yankumi sitting down with students from all three seasons. When they discussed about how they had once bet about Yankumi quiting after tasting how bad they are, Yankumi sniffed sadly. Strangely, I did too, a sourness overtook my chest. This is the last time I'll get to watch dear Yankumi! With this thought in mind, I made myself enjoy the movie and forget about Shin. T.T
Kame helped out too, because there was a scene in Yankumi's house where Tetsu got angry at Ryu or something. Ryu seemed to be frightened by Tetsu and went "Kowaii!"; this was something Shin had never did! =)
I was pleasantly surprised when Teppei (Takeda Keita) and Koide Keisuke (Hyuuga Kosuke) appeared out of the blue on the streets. I actually didn't notice it at all when Yankumi knocked into them. Haha...And then, to bring it further, the policeman Shinohara made a comeback in the form of a politician! When I first saw him, I was like "OMG! Shinohara moved up the political ladder to run for election!?". But they then introduced him as a totally new character, and at first I suspected that I had recognised the wrong person. It was only when Yankumi said that he resembles someone she liked in the past that I realised I wasn't wrong. hehe, I'm pleased with this scene because FINALLY, it shows that what happened in the past seasons aren't 'erased'. The only issue I had with this scene, at that point in time, was that the scene seemed to serve no purpose.
I haven't googled it up yet, but I suspect that the leader of the current 3D, the one who got into trouble with the biker gang, is actually the leader of AAA. *shrugs* I'm not that familiar with AAA aniwaes... Oh, I think it was really awkward to have the subplot of 3D getting into trouble with the bikers gang because it totally didn't connect with the main one of Kazama getting invovled in the drug ring. It was like there just for the purpose of Yankumi delivering her typical lecture (and a copied one about not letting your friends go alone even if following means sure 'death') and I think non-Gokusen fans won't really get the point. It may look detached and even cliched. Plus, even for Gokusen fans like me, the scene lacks originality. In fact, the part where banging sounds echo in the warehouse prior to Yankumi breaking down a wall resembles the one in ep 1 of Gokusen 1, where she broke down the door to a warehouse.
Another Gokusen traditional cliche is Yankumi's "let's run towards the sun!". Fortunately, the scene in the movie is set in the streets and not by the riverbank, as was the case for the drama ones. Unfortunately, that robs the movie of the beautiful scenery.
Next, we move to the main plot. At first I had suspected that Kazama was framed for the drug deal, where someone threw his wallet at the scene just as was the case for Ryu in Gokusen 2. But surprise surprise, it wasn't! And my previous comment about the election scene being of no purpose was proved wrong when it was revealed that the politician-in-running was in fact head of the drug ring!
So, the final scene had Yankumi seeking justice for Kazama at the election talk, where our next Gokusen cameo appeared.
Mocomichi was Tsuchiya Hikaru!!!!!!! I couldn't recognise him when he first appeared. Funny thing is, I found him cute when his face appeared on the screen. And 4 seconds later, after Yankumi bumped into him, I realised who he really was. I like that they made Mocomichi's cameo serve a substantial purpose by having him report on the hidden drugs. I like that they made him whip out his trademark fan at the end, no matter how silly and out-of-place it may be. Of course, to non-Gokusen fan, it will just look out-of-place. But for us fans, we understand what that was for!
Of course, there were some parts that even I cannot accept. Like how Class 3D managed to catch the live broadcast through the hp of one of the students. In the first place, why is a student from 3D watching an election talk!?! Shouldn't he be more interested in porn sites, or music videos, or Youtube even? And then the final fight on the stage, on live broadcast. Which idiot would do that? Besides, having been exposed of his involvement in drugs, the most logical thing to do is not to stay and fight on LIVE BROADCAST in front of the whole nation, but to escape before the police find their way to him. O.O That's why the final fight, which is supposed to be the highlight of the movie, seemed too contrived.
I was happy with the very last part of the movie. Throughout the movie, we had many past season students returning, but none for Gokusen 1, except for Kuma. So, when Minami returned, I was really shocked and excited. (off-topic but it was only then that I realised that he was one of the dorm heads in Hanakimi!) In fact, I was more excited there then any other scenes in the movie! I was thinking, "Anyone else?" when Noda, my dear dear dear Narimiya-kun, appeared, with a portfolio bag! So, he really is a fashion designer now? XP It kind reminded me of his role in Honey And Clover. Next up was Uchiyama, by dear Oguri Shun. And he did that tap-shoulder-finger-cheek action again! I'm really so happy that all these trademark actions were brought back too. Then I realised that the trend was to start from the less important student upwards...so...Shin?
=( Demo, he didn't appear.
WHY!?!?!? JUN, doushite?????
Hey, at least talk a little about him with Uchiyama! =(
Overall, while I'm glad that Gokusen The Movie came to Singapore's shores, I would rather that it didn't for it could have damaged Gokusen's name a little. It makes a good SP, one which Gokusen fans can enjoy. However, as a movie, it has too much flaws that a non fan may not be able to accept and the frequent reference, both subtle and obvious, to past seasons make little sense and meaning to them as well.
Finally, I started on Itaewon, which gave me a huge shock by showing me a gruesome death 5 mins after the start of the movie. It is a wonderful movie because it kept me thinking about the truth of the murder throughout its length. Everytime enough evidence is established to make a conclusion on the real murderer, something else will pop up to point to the other direction. In fact, the prosecutor himself got confused in the middle of the court hearings. When Alex got sentenced, the movie-goer in me started thinking, "Hey this is too easy! There's bound to be a twist so Pearson has to be the murderer." But I forgot that this isn't a movie. It's based on a true case and so in real life, we won't know. Sadly. I'm thinking that both of them had a part in the murder, and perhaps plotted together to pretend to accuse the other party so that they can get off more easily. In fact they did get away with the crime, since one got sentenced to 2 years for withholding evidence and the other to life-sentence, but that sentence was later nullified due to procedural issues. So, maybe they did. No one knows. I just have to admire Jang Geun Suk for his English, which although isn't perfect, is good enough for the big screen.
We went to stay at an onsen at Hakone the first day we landed. The place was beautiful and the service superb. I watched Hey!Hey!Hey! for fun and was surprised when Arashi made up majority of the program. They are really amazing. When KT made it for 2 positions on the top 10 singles ranking, I was like "Wow, they did quite well!" But then, Arashi came and took away 5th, 3rd, 2nd and 1st. O.O And 1st for Top 10 albums. If this is not THE arashi year, I don't know what this is...Can't type more for I need to go sleep already!
So, I'll be home by tomorrow evening. Today's the last of 2 weeks in Japan. As for the big fight a few days ago, things seemed to have gone back to normal, although I still feel a little awkward...and somehow, I have no exact idea how it was resolved. All I know is that while I was in the shower, I heard the silent one yelling something..and then, when I came out, I was told that everything's over. I don't care to ask. Aniwaes, here are some of the photos I took in the past 3 days.
12th Dec
Ojou in kimono!
It took us an hour and a half to get dressed.
- 60 mins for the makeup + hairdo
- 30 mins for wearing the kimono
It took the guys about 30 mins to get into their suit/tux.
o.O But the makeup artist was really good. I looked a lot better after the makeup haha.
Flaws hidden, face glowing...
Definitely not something I can achieve by myself.
And the hairdo was so much better than over-the-top, disasterous one I received during prom. If only...I had this for prom!!
The kimono-wearing process was scary. There were so many layers, so many bits and pieces of items to put on...I am really amazed at how people can wear it all by themselves, having to tie and bind and pull cloth all around.
When the kimono was finally worn properly, and we started to leave the dressing room for a short walk in the traditional tea garden, I realised two things:
1. the kimono made it really hard for ladies of the past to walk quickly because the opening at the knees was small so we can't have too great leg movements and because the obi was tied so tightly that even I started panting after trying to walk fast(er). (But it's not as bad as a corset, I believe)
2. the kimono was really soft to the touch but yet enough to keep us warm in spite of the chilly Dec wind blowing at us.
Oh, when I was asked to choose the hairdo to go along with the kimono, I spoted one which suspiciously resembled something I believe Yankumi would love - an ojou-ish, yazuka-like hairdo. XP That set me thinking. If the kimono was so hard to wear, and the Oedo house was filled with men only, how in the world did Yankumi, someone with little patience for such girlish and detailed things, put it on in Gokusen? O.O Odd.....Anyways I'd really like to see Yankumi in a kawaii kimono! Just like the one in the last book, when she went to the matsuri with Shin. kyaaaaaa~~
Tea ceremony
We went through a short tea ceremony at the traditional teahouse. It was quite cool and I learnt quite a few things:
1. Each person has to sit at a specific place. Master of the house nearest to the teapot, followed by his mother-in-law, his wife, oldest child, and youngest child.
2. Because the tea has no sugar added to it, sweets (traditional types, with sugar and flour) and served before the tea is served. However, you only start to eat the sweets when the tea master asks you to, so that the sweet taste does not dissipate too quickly by the time tea is served.
3. Depending on the tea master who designed the partiular tea ceremony style, each tea ceremony has its own set of movements to follow.
4. Cold water is added to boiling water before the water is used to make the tea because the best temperature of water for making tea is around 80 degrees celsius.
5. Guests and other people only start drinking the tea after the master of the house requests them to.
6. Tea cups for each guest are chosen by the tea master specially for them, instead of an entire set being used for everyone.
7. The tea cups are placed before the guests with their 'face' facing the guest.
8. Before drinking the tea, the cup is turned clockwise twice.
9. Every single drop of the tea must be finished and the last drop is accompaied by some slurping. This is to show the master that the tea was soooo delicious that the guest wants to drink even the last drop, and also to ensure that no liquid remains in the cup.
10. After finishing the tea, the cup is turned twice anti-clockwise. Then, the guest goes on to admire the tea cup, hence the need to remove all liquid from the cup.
The tea was good. Not as bitter as I've thought it to be...or perhaps it was due to the sweets? Oh well...it was quite an experience because I sat there for 30 mins on the tatami mat, traditional style and my legs were numb by the time the ceremony was over. And because we were in kimonos, we had to make sure that we sat properly, or risk having the kimono's robe going all over (and exposing ourselves). But it wasn't too bad because I managed to walk right after standing up. The other two had to rest for a tiny bit. XP
After the tea ceremony, we had a photoshoot. The photographers were really good and detailed...to the extent that we had to stand in the exact angle, position, with our bodies/heads tilted to an exact angle, clothes at the right positions...and the photos turned out gorgeous with everyone looking good.
Oh, the picture above is my obi! Seemed that there was not only a difference in colours for different age groups, but the way the obi is tied differs too. My mum's a simple one without any pattern. I like mine!
And so, this first experience of wearing a kimono costed 1600. For 5 people, 3 hairstylists, 3 makeup artists, 3 helpers to wear the kimono, tea ceremony, photoshoot and lunch. I really want to wear a yukata and go for a matsuri next time!! Definitely not a kimono though, because it seems much more complicated to wear!!!!
13th Dec
Arashi in Shibuya!
Shibuya on a Saturday night. Scary~
They were everywhere and every corner you turn, you would see such banner hanging around. It took me a lot of courage to take photos because there was people looking everywhere.
It was free-and-easy day so I went to Akihabara and Shibuya. I think I'm turning into an otaku. I actually spent like 4 hours at Akihabara looking at gadgets and games....And I bought some back copies of Arashi mags as well as "L File 15", finally. Boy I'm sooo going to read it on the plane. I saw pictures of Kenichi's next dorama and erm...I don't think I'm going to watch it. The plot's kind of unfriendly. I was at Tower Records when I saw the OST of the Metal XYZ (sorry can't remember the name), a movie starring Kenichi. His image there was...overwhelming, in a bad way. Is he trying to break out of the "L" image? Anyways, I bought the dvd of the movie Tegami, with my dear dear dear Takayuki inside. YES!! I can't believe I spent like 4 times the amount I would have spent had I bought the dvd in Singapore, but yes I did buy it, just for Takayuki's sake. Odd karened. Very odd indeed. I had to vent out my pelt up emotions, you see. And of course, Jun's movie! =D
14th Dec
Odaiba.
The place where we never fail to visit whenever we visit Tokyo.
The ferris wheel looks extremely pretty at this angle, don't you think? Looks like wheel on its side.
Oh, after I finished my last shopping, I spoted this mass of people. I think there was a concert or a fan meeting there tonight...but I have got no idea who the artiste is...seems to be a group I think. It was quite amazing because although it looked like there wasn't a lot of people, judging from the crowd at the entrance, there was a lot of other people standing/lining up at the side of the building and waiting for their numbers to be called out before the move towards the entrance. So orderly deshou??? And the people above (aka me and others) were looking and going "sugoi!" and taking photos. XP Maybe they intend to blog about this too? haha.
But then there was this particular comment I remember...someone was saying that these people were crazy, standing in the cold like that, and waiting for so long in the chilly weather.
As predicted by the weather forecast (omg how accurate can they get?), it was cloudy today. I had to stay in today because my course registration started from 130pm to 430pm (SGP time). Although I've got a wonderful classmate to help me register the class indexes, I wanted to get updates on the indexes he managed to snatch for me as well as those of my friends. So, no shopping today. As I prepared myself for the battle to start (literally), something beautiful greeted me.
This sight was breathtaking and was the most beautiful piece of sky I've seen from below (skies from the top, in a plane, can be just as beautiful). It happened only for a brief while...and disappeared 5 minutes after I took the photos, perhaps due to the moving clouds. Light spilling from the clouds...Even the clouds looked so gorgeous with the shades and shapes. God is an artist.
Oh, I managed to get to a conbini and bought myself a copy of Anecan! There were so many mags I wanted to get but I managed to control myself a little and only got that and a tv mags with Nino (RNK?) on cover. XP Anecan is beautiful but I'll have to cut out the Arashi pages because the mag is just too thick!
I have no idea why we're always going to Disney whenever we come to Tokyo, because we don't really go on the rides much and basically we eat, shop, ride one ride and take loads of pictures while we're there. So today, we went to Disneyland.
As predicted by the weather forecast, today was cloudy.
This was the view outside our hotel room two days ago.
Today, you can't see Mt Fuji at all!
The first thing that came to mind when I saw the castle was HNA!
Remember there was an episode where Jun 'exposed' Disneyland's BTS???
Gloomy, scary Snow White's stepmother's castle?
Hehe somehow s/he looks a bit blur ne. Kawaii deshou!
Three different postures in one frame!
Duck and sparrow!
I love these few mice more than Mickey Mouse actually!
Beautiful clouds!
The beautiful evening sun....
at one side of the sky....
And the moon on the other side of the sky!
Me and my bro at Omotesando!
