Hanabi @ Tokyo Bay


... Our feelings of contentment are strongly influenced by our tendency to compare....

Finding yourself

Well, there has been some unintended time lag between the last entry and today - dont blame me. Its the blog website...hehe. I have not been able to upload any pictures I took - thats really sad, and definitely half losing the motivation I had for blogging. So there you go, no Hanabi & Matsuri pictures - both events of which I took some nice pics...

Why finding myself... true enough, people stranded alone tend to think more. So what about my fellow singaporean friends who dont venture out?

"Are we good person because we want to do good things or is it because we know that it is the social norm to be acceptable as a good person. So if the society does not deem being a good person as acceptable, would all of us still be a good person or we will unleash the devil within us. Bottom line, when a person is a good person, if he/she really a good person by nature or is it because he/she is just putting up an act" - this is written by Bitching Judas. Initially when I read it, I felt it just a cliche. But recently, the qn has been popping back into my mind frequently.

I received a surprise card from my sister from Sydney - she went there alone - and indeed also took the time to "find herself" and wrote me her new found revelations abt herself. Of course, to be ethical I shouldnt disclose her privacy -- just want to say that being alone in a foreign country always makes one think and reflect more, sad as it may be sometimes, its a good thing. Otherwise one may never find himself, or know what the hell he is doing, what exactly he is striving for, or know the true meaning of life... I thought I knew when I was back in Singapore, but now I am revisiting what I thought I knew.. taking time, but hope to find some good answers before I am due to return....

There's no place like home

Now I have officially passed the half-way, half year, 50% mark to completing this assignment in Tokyo. 1st 6 months here were total delight, excitment with fresh and quality food and fruits everyday; thrilled with meeting so many talented people at the workplace - most had international experiences; best of all making a new close friend - she just asked me to join her for vacation in Iran!..crazy and intelligent girl!; and of course enjoying the new found Freedom - i.e. having the whole apartment to myself, with neither nags nor chats when I do not wish to speak.

Strangely enough, after crossing the half-way mark, hmm its suddenly going downhill. I dont know why. Hehe, I missed being more pampered back in Singapore. Hmm I didnt have to do laundry, or the dishes. I didnt have to think about if my alarm clock was going to run out of battery and I would wake up late for work (dont have an excuse to be late since I stay only three mins away from my office), didnt have to think about when to collect my dry-cleaning, didnt have to think about asking the apartment management to get someone to fix the bulbs, curtains etc. All those were easy tasks, not difficult, but at least I didnt have to bother about such domestics back home. I missed waking up and having overnight boiled soup!

Since my mum concluded last week that I am an unstable girl, lets see if my excitment about staying in Tokyo ever comes back... otherwise I am really hoping that I wont be missing Chinese New Year in a matter of few (??...6!) months...

Perfect Way to spend a Sunday @ Daikanyama

Mount Fuji Finale

We finally reached the 5th station at 9am. At the trail exit gate, we saw people (friends/relatives of climbers) waiting there to congratulate the climbers. At the waiting area (beyond the exit gate), we saw/heard more speeches and cheering. Shortly, buses started arriving with people about to start their climb; most of them could recognize that we had just completed ours, and gave us the kind of look at fresh army recruits would give newly-returned war veterans. It felt great!



So in total, we had climbed for 13 hours (10 on the way up, 3 on the way down) over a span of about 19 hours, with minimal sleep. There is a saying in Japan that goes "everyone must climb Mount Fuji once, but only a fool climbs twice".. Haha!




The above narration is mainly from buddy climber and bf. Last pic - SORE BUT PROUD LEGS taken by bf after we completed the climb.

The Descent (Mount Fuji IV)
After about 40 minutes, we started the descent. Fortunately, the descending trail is separate from the ascending trail, and much wider and gradual. However it is predominantly loose gravel, so you have to keep steady and maintain balance all the time because it is very slippery. By 7am, the weather had cleared and the sun came out. For all the difficulty faced during the ascent, the view we had now during the descent made all our effort worth it. We were still above the clouds, but there were some clearings in the clouds, and the sky was a brilliant clear blue.

Climb to the Summit but no Sunrise (Mount Fuji III)


So we joined this human climbing chain (at this altitude, the trail had narrowed to 2 persons wide), and started our slow ascent. The winds were getting stronger, and at about 2am, it started to drizzle, then the drizzle turned into a medium rainfall (the kind that seems to last forever).

From here on, the climb became very difficult. Many people were starting to feel the exhaustion and sleepiness; we started to see more people rest at the side of the trail, some had even fallen asleep and their friends were trying to wake them up - some threw up (we could tell they had eaten noodles), some would fall asleep while walking and then suddenly wake up just in time to catch their balance and not hit the ground. I also fell asleep (for less than a minute) standing up a few times when the line wasn't moving.

You have just enough energy/mental-focus to command your leg to take the next step and keep balance, but the rest of your brain is just numb/shut-off. By 4am, we were still another hour away from the summit, and the clouds below us started to glow very lightly. We would not be able to see any sunrise unfortunately, because the clouds were too thick. By 5am, we reached the summit at 3,776m.

It was great to finally break out of the human jam and walk freely. The rain had become heavier, and like most others, we headed for the 'rest hall / food hall' for shelter, a place to sit down (benches) and hot food! We had Udon and some vegetable/fish-cake soup (oden).

At the Hut (Mount Fuji II)

By 7.30pm, we reached our Mountain Hut (we booked 2 beds in advance) at the 7th Station, about 3,200m above sea-level. These huts are very very basic; there is usually a main/lobby area that serves as a dining hall, a kitchen somewhere behind, and the sleeping area is a communal i.e. 2 levels of wooden bed-racks that span each wall. In our hut, each person had a 2-feet wide sleeping space!

The toilet was outside the main hut, and there was no basin or shower facility. Water supply is regulated, so the only free-flowing water we has was from a special water tank, with a special tap that dispenses an incredibly small amount of water per second. So, all very very basic.

Dinner was served (curry, rice, salad, tea) and then we were given our breakfast to keep with us - two packets of something similar to Lor-mai-fun, in an army-style plastic pack (so you just tear it open and squeeze it into your mouth), plus two small sausages and a piece of Japanese omelet.


By 8pm, we were lying in our upper-deck 'wooden rack bed' (it had a thin mattress, and sleeping bags were provided) trying to sleep, which was difficult because:

(1) there were at least 40 other people in the bunk, some snoring, some burping, farting etc... very strange environment;
(2) the thin air - throughout the night I could hear people using their oxygen inhaler (the oxygen pump was Loud!)
(3) it was only 8pm.

The plan was to wake up 4.5 hours later at 12.30am and continue the climb to the summit to witness the sun rise at 4.30am. I could only sleep for about 1-2 hours and gave up trying. By 11.45pm, we decided to continue the climb. We got up, prepared ourselves, packed, and stepped out of the hut.

We were shocked to see that there was already a 'human traffic jam' from our hut all the way to as far up as we could see towards the summit. It was a trail of lights, ranging from normal hand-held torches to head-strapped lights, to flashing multi-colored batons. Some climbers choose not to stay the night, and start the climb in the early evening instead, climbing overnight non-stop.

Mount Fuji Ascent (Part I)

Completed the Mount Fuji climb on 23rd July - it was much tougher than expected, definitely not a normal 'tourist' activity. It's a task for which some physical and stamina training is greatly recommended, mainly because of the thin-air and terrain. I was lucky to have made it without any training, but just barely (totally exhausted by the end of the journey, and ankles/legs were aching badly... still having trouble climbing up and down the stairs for the next one week). Now I realized why I am the the first person (Japanese or non-Japanese) in my department who's doing the climb; most of them wished me 'good luck'/'all the best'/'come back in one piece' etc.

We took a bus to the 5th Station (at 1,500m above sea-level, about 40% up the mountain - serious mountaineers start the climb at 1st Station i.e. ground-level). Our equipment list as follows:- hiking boots (good old Timberlands - waterproof and made for battle); - 6 bottles of water (available for purchase on the mountain, but the price increases with altitude; up to $8 per bottle - the small 150ml ones!); - winter jacket/gloves (even during summer, the temperature can drop to near-freezing at the summit); - special 'rain hat' that bf bought the day before.. it looks like a fishing hat but made of plastic, and the front part of the shade is transparent, so that you can pull it over your eyes and look right through it, like a windshield, while your face is almost completely protected from rain; and - poncho/raincoat in case of wet weather.

There were many climbers, mostly within the 20-40 yr range; but there were some kids and very senior folk (probably in their 70s) too; everyone was well-equipped with back-packs, colorful 'climbing suits' and walking/hiking sticks. This chap and his friends were video-recording their Ganbatte speech before the climb.

At the waiting area just outside the entrance to the climbing trail, some of the 'climbing groups' had their leaders giving speeches, which usually ended with everyone shouting chants/slogans with raised fists (quite scary, like going to battle) - the Japanese take the Mt Fuji climb very seriously, since it's viewed as a sacred mountain, and climbing it is viewed as a form of pilgrimage. Of course, most of the tourists/westerners were standing around looking very quizzically at these activities, and taking pictures.

We started our climb at 2.30pm. The weather was mostly sunny with some cloud cover, and temperature ranging between 20 - 25 degrees. By 4.30pm we were above the clouds.

The higher we got, the tougher and steeper the terrain became - some areas had loose pebble-like gravel which made it hard to keep your footing, and other areas had black volcanic rock where each step forward was about twice the normal stair-case step-height; so it really was a 'climb' rather than an upslope walk. The air also got noticeably thinner; each time we had completed a section of the trail (the trail comprises a long zig-zag series of sections, about 3-5 persons wide, that snake up the mountain), we found ourselves huffing/puffing for air. Some of the climbers (mostly the older folk) brought along small oxygen tanks to 'oxygen-up' when they felt the need.

Pitstop on the mountain.

Still at Level 7th, cloud was suddenly blown in.

I think it is worth to climb Mount Fuji, unfortunately as I described my experiences to my colleagues, 9 out of 10 replied "I think I am more sure I dont wana do it now".

One of the climbers in the tour group. Tour groups take frequent breaks and almost always jam up the mountain track coz they always climb very slowly.

Notice the slight agony in the smile...

Taxi on Mount Fuji

The march of the dedicated...Just keep walking, there is no turning back now...

At various points along the trail, there are 'mountain huts' where climbers can stay for the night, buy provisions (water, chocolate, food etc), use the bathroom, or just sit and rest before continuing the climb. The mountain was getting very crowded; often after we had made a rest stop, we had to queue up to join back the climbing trail. There must have been something in the order of tens of thousands of climbers that day.

Are you guys catching up yet? Feels good to be always on top of things!

Two guys on the left.. checking their messages on their mobiles as they take a break. Indeed handphones are very vital to the Japanese.

Can anyone really resist the beauty Mount Fuji has to offer?

Heading towards the Highest

Today in the office, colleagues around me were getting excited that I am going to climb Mt Fuji over the weekend. Interesting thing is none of my Japanese colleagues have climbed Japan's highest mountain. Still there were many words of wisdom. Perhaps one should work out for a month before attempting to climb, bring some lemon, energy water, mountain climbing shoes etc. Ishitani-san could see Mt Fuji from his home on clear days, so he never thought of climbing. Ayumi-san jogs at the ocean frequently, but she thinks she might not be fit enough to climb the mountain.

Mt Fuji is a dormant volcano, which most recently erupted in 1708, also rumoured to erupt this year. I thought about What If as I was showering after packing for the trip.

Dont really know what the agenda is tomorrow as my bf has kindly organised the entire trip. The only thing I know is I have to get up at 830am, head for Shinjuku to take a bus which we will reach Level 5 of the mountain. Climb till evening, where we will stay in a hut with tatami (only?). Wake up at 4am to catch the sunrise which should be the highlight of the trip.

Though I travelled out of Tokyo to Yokohama last weekend, I am really looking forward to travelling out again. Nonetheless I would so love to enjoy the view rather than climbing it, being on it, and not being able to see the famous view. Hopefully the bus would drop us somewhere to catch that famous sight. Still I have to count myself lucky, we decided on the trip only this Monday, and managed to arrange transportation and accomodation during this climbing season which is only during July and August.

Mid Japan-life Crisis

So far so good (great), I am about to reach my 6 months, 1/2 way mark to my Japan experience. Everything has exceeded my expectations so far, including my workplace environment and the professionalism it offers. At yesterday's lunch with the ED, she asked, if there was a business reason would I be willing to stay on. I said yes. Thinking back I feel like I am trying to avoid going back to Singapore to face certain reality.

Can't help but feel that setting foot back to Singapore would simply means my life is going to be molded like Every Singaporean. Firstly, the pressure to settle down. 3 out of 5 of my best girlfriends are married. When I chatted on msn last evening with a Singaporean girl of my age, the topic was also about X got ROM, Y is getting married. Its joyous indeed, but it feels like there is nothing going on in life except that being tied down is the most exciting thing.

Thinking about what I have to face when I go back fears me more than whether I want to extend my contract here. What can I say but enjoy it while I can. Why does life become only more exciting when you step out of your own country - Sg. Why is there more to learn that you simply would not be able to if you stayed on and still. I am glad I have this opportunity (which I really need to treasure).

T-W-I-S-T-E-D L-O-G-I-C
Just got back from Coldplay's Twisted Logic Tour IN Tokyo @ Nippon Budokan.

One of the best concerts I have attended so far. The lightings were fantastic, and Chris Martin really worked the crowd well, with his Nihongo. How cool is that, so lucky to be based here for work and having the opportunity to watch Coldplay wrap up its tour promotion of last year's X&Y album in Tokyo on July 19.

Apart from the concert, in the afternoon I was treated to a one-to-one Japanese lunch with my boss (ED) at Westin.

Life's just getting better when you are left alone to discover it, nothing to complain about!!



Shoot @ Yebisu Garden below apartment, no Chris Martin's pictures @ concert of course..........

Shot @ Hokkaido Annual Snow Festival.

She refused to get down from the polar ice scuplture despite repeated callings from her parents.
Its 1am here. What can I say but long distance relationship is tough!!

Its OceanDay!


Its a long weekend or so Singaporeans would term it. Yes, Monday is Ocean Day here in Japan, and its a celebration for the "Ocean" (umi no hi). Apparently a recently introduced national holiday, and it marks the return of Emperor Meiji from a boat trip to Hokkaido in 1876.

My week

Kinda slow, but after settling here for six months, I just bought my mobile this Tuesday. Thanks to Miki who brought me to Ebisu, and then finally finding the ideal phone and plan from Shibuya. Its a 3G phone which unfortunately I would not be able to use in Singapore when I return. At least it can be used in many other countries for example the States - so basically I have gotten myself a travel phone (it simply cant be used in my home country!!).

Japanese phones send messages using email accounts rather than SMS. So you can choose an email address for yourself/ your phone. My phone costs 14000 yen (S$200). I got my ideal phone for 1 yen, after the shopowner took pity on me (not going to elaborate why but Miki and I gasped and thought it was a miracle). Here you can also choose the numbers...080 XXXX YYYY. XXXX - there are three sets to choose from; and YYYY - you put in your 1st three choices, and they would check if anyone has taken them. Well, I got my 1st choice... of course.

Gonpachi

Thursday night after work, I landed in Gonpachi for dinner with Stella, a brilliant Korean colleage. She and her husband have shifted to Ropponggi recently, who also makes it easier for us to hang out together (two stops away now). Highly recommended resturant:

• Atmosphere: Enchanting mura (village) - felt like in the edo period.
• Cavernous interior courtyard with 2 storey high ceiling, everywhere was well decorated with wooden pillars, stone block walls - actually reminded me of ancient Chinese gongfu shows resturants.
• Open kitchen concept: you can see the cooks preparing the yakitori and barbeque in front of you.

Whats Next?

I dont know - but there are tons of really good food at Nishi-Azabu that I am dying to try, Toraji, Hudson's ice-cream and Yaki Yaki Miwa! I wished my closest friends are around me to share these new interesting experiences with me. Food in Japan is really QUALITY.

Air

Air Tokyo

One of Tokyo's hippest nightclubs, where they filmed Lost in Translation. The club is in the basement, with a good mix of hip-hop and house often spinned by famous DJs. Sound system is the best I have experienced so far. Costs 3500 yen per entry -- usually the less meat-market clubs with good DJs are that expensive. 1st floor is a cafe, and the dance action starts in the basement. Rachel and I watched Germany vs Portugal on the plasma @ the hip-hop dance area last night.

Update on yesterday's night program -- Spanish resturant (forgot the namecard!) was fabulous. We ordered 4 dishes & 4 desserts to share. One of the interesting highlights was 4 different types of olive oil were served, with the waitress explaining the origin and taste of all 4. I liked the Spanish's one best.

After that, I had my 1st Karaoke experience in Tokyo - my frens were all so excited for me... We first got a ticket, and my trader fren took a basket with 2 mics to our room... find it slightly hilarious since the style is so different from Singapore. The karaoke room was really small, but had really cool lightings once you START singing...(incentive!!). Frens were also crazy in that once the pop songs go on, we would be jumping up and down on the sofa seats...

Finally, the last destination for the interesting evening was Air. Although not supposed to be a meat-market place, I still see a handful of girls targeting Caucasians. Simply go up to them, start talking, and put their hands around their necks. Of course some were happy to respond, but some were only there for the DJ, not the meat. A handful of Japanese man came up to me, but their approach was definitely more civilised than other meat-market clubs.

Caught the 1st JR train back to Ebisu @ 5am. Was thinking of stopping this weekend clubbing lifestyle. But of course, I woke up to a call saying I would probably need to go clubbing next week because some frens need to check out the lightings... errh am I fated to club or what? feeling kinda tired about it though...

Today's Program

Tonight would be SPANISH FOOD with Miki, Rachel and Ken. Followed by partying either in Shibuya or Nishi Azabu.

I am always more excited when I hang out with the locals here. These friends are Japanese and yet with an international and more open mind-set, I often hear comments/ discussion which I typically would not from a typical local.

Last night I was with another bunch of colleagues. We started off with Tequila shots (2 each). Not sure why but this Mexican resturant in Ebisu serves a really big cup of shot - or so we called "value for money". I guess a usual night out after work here is alcohol, cigarettes and informative humour. Quite a nice gang last night - all from investment banks, both front and middle offices, and a mix of Japanese, New Yorker and Singaporeans. Thats a nice way to end a really stressful work week.

We had an interesting conversation about how to tell people what we (Product Controllers) do. Coz usually when you mention that, people's face goes blank. And when you say which financial product you are looking at, I think they wished they never asked the question in the first place. In summary, in order not to induce such blank expressions, we should say Finance, or we click macros, or when there are no system issues, there is basically nothing to do.

Well, time to head out for shopping as this is the mid-week of Tokyo Sale.....

dont feel like writing, but in summary, a great and confused day...がんばります。

The Art of Happiness

Two work days have passed this week. Hopefully I am not saying this too soon, but work & performance for the past two days have been splendid. As I look back & take a microscopic view to reflect upon the sudden surge of energy and wits, I can only think of the Ometosando weekend as the answer.

These two days, I feel like I acquired the Art of Happiness. Chapter 2 (by Dalai Lama) talks about "The Sources of Happiness". How does my source fits into his theory??

Dont quite understand, but meeting well-read and well-travelled people really makes a lot of difference in one's life. Suddenly, I feel like mind is again massaged and stimulated, and all brain cells are 100% alert - I didnt even take my usual 2 cups of caffeine today!! (1st time in 5 months in Tokyo)

A good weekend is indeed important, & of course meeting the right people & doing the right things ;)

Out of words

I wonder if how I pen down my blog seemed to send a sense of sadness. So far, two have read and both asked if I was sad or suffering in Tokyo. Perhaps its the way my blog is entitled. "Isolation" - but it need not be taken in a negative manner. In fact to the contrary, I am so in love with being alone, having time to myself, yet at the same time opening myself to knowing more and interesting people I never seemed to find in Singapore.

I began to wonder if, in Singapore, people are merely strung like puppets -- its feels like majority have the same goal in life - one of which is stability. This overseas exposure has opened my eyes so wide. In the past, friends who were posted overseas always tell me "Singapore is really small". To me it felt more like a fashion statement which I never took a step to ponder further. Now, experiencing it myself, I cant help but wonder how much one can miss out in life without having an overseas opportunity.

Most importantly, I think I have stepped out of my comfort zone. I am more able to throw away personal RULES about life I used to have. Having a more open mind, I met an interesting bunch of Singaporeans in Tokyo, an American Bank Senior Manager, some Americans, and Japanese of course.

Yesterday I went to Ometosando for French crepes and wine, and then to Roppongi - Vanilla. I had a lot of fun and interesting conversations. One of which was an American friend talking about his experiences in the States, different languages used throughout States, diving experiences, travel experiences in Italy and interpretation of the Japanese culture. We later had Mojita (pronounced MoHiTa) at the 2nd storey balcony of a cool resturant (never seen one like that in Singapore) opposite Ometosando Hills. We walked really long before finding this resturant, and luckily we had the BEST seats. After the cocktail,we then headed off to Roppongi. Crazy fun with alcohol and good hip-hop music at the Parfait Room. It was awfully crowded. Seems like the Japanese are beginning to like hip-hop music. In the beginning when I first arrived in Tokyo, the Parfait Room was almost empty, but now ridiculously packed... interested to see if they would soon swop the dance floors and whether clubs in Tokyo would eventually switch to Hip-hop.

Today I woke up at 12pm, and headed off to the gym enjoying the jaccuzi, steam room and ofuro. Extremely relaxed now and alone... looking forward to having more interesting encounters.