sanja matsuri 2008 in black & white

ASAKUSA

Asakusa is a temple town, which dates back to Edo Period (1603-1868), when it was said to have reached its peak. it was the old Tokyo.The town houses the atmosphere of old Japan. Asakusa has always been tagged as the old town, where tourists should visit to experience the traditions, the crafts, the delicacies, the sweet meats and festivals as well as seasons in Japan. i got a far share of Asakusa thru a different way. About 2 weeks ago, i stumbled upon a Japanese drama Asakusa Fukurama Ryokan, about an old traditional inn in Asakusa thriving to keep its place amongst the hotels and modenisation of Asakusa. The drama features the Sonsoji Temple, the Nakamise Shopping Street as well as the Sumida River.


Luckily enough, 15th-17th of May the the Sanja Matsuri, which is one of the most famous landmark festivals in Asakusa and also in Japan. I was there to witness the event. it was great and as usual, the crowd was big.. i had a great time. also had a taste of some Japanese food at the fair. they were delicious! maybe so too because we were hungry! hahaha


these are some snaps of the Nakamise Shopping Street. The other on the temple, the procession, the food fair and rest, will be added later.. enjoy!

MY FIRST JISHIN

TOKYO 7 May 08 - A strong earthquake struck off the coast of Japan early Thursday, the national Meteorological Agency said, waking up people 160 kilometres away in Tokyo.Two people suffered minor injuries from falling furniture, public television broadcaster NHK reported. An 18-year-old man was hit when his stereo speakers fell onto his bed, and a 25-year-old man was hit by objects rattled off shelves. There were no other immediate reports of injuries or damage from the magnitude 6.8 earthquake, NHK said. No tsunami warning was issued.

The earthquake occurred at 1:45 a.m. offshore at a depth of about 40 kilometres, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The epicentre was about 160 kilometres northeast of Tokyo. A second quake with a magnitude of 5.3 struck the same area about 30 minutes later, and more aftershocks could follow, Tamotsu Aketagawa, an official who monitors earthquakes for the country's Meteorological Agency, told The Associated Press.

"Since it was a very large-scale earthquake, we would expect to see some modest aftershocks," he said.

Japan is one of the most earthquake-prone countries in the world because it sits atop four tectonic plates. Tokyo has not been hit by a major quake since 1923, when 140,000 people died in the Great Kanto Earthquake. ( The Associated Press)

- that was what the AP had to say. As for me, it was a first warning for me - how badly unprepared i am for this! So from today onwards... I will write more on the matter of earthquake and related issues. Albeit knowing that i am in a country which is so prone to earthquakes and tsunamis, but yet i turned a blind eye to it. what the hell is wrong with me?!? i hope my writing and the info shared will shed light to myself and those interested in this issue. ja ne!

jishin

last nite, first time experience jishin
jerking gell choh cakuk la
sepeh camuk excited gak!
werk dah gell!

some great words that i found

Melancholy Me

melancholy me
today, i chose to sing Ti Amo
today, i chose to watch Pretty Woman (again?)
today, i chose to stay home
today, i chose to read old love letters (emails rather)
today, i chose to cancel a dinner invite
melancholy me

esok sekolah semula!

Banana Pancake - i must try

A dear fren gave me this recipe:

Banana & Nutella Pancakes

Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 ripe bananas, mashed
Nutella (add to your liking)

Directions:
1. Combine flour, white sugar, baking powder and salt.
2. In a separate bowl, mix together egg, milk, vegetable oil, bananas, and Nutella.
3. Stir flour mixture into banana mixture; batter will be slightly lumpy.
4. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat.
5. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Cook until pancakes are golden brown on both sides; serve hot.

More New Snaps

Some New Snaps

For You Darling

GOLDEN WEEK

The Golden Week in Japan is a collection of four national holidays within 7 days. In combination with well placed weekends, the Golden Week becomes one of Japan's three busiest holiday seasons, besides the New Year ad the Obon Week. Japanese take the oppurtunity to spend time with their family and rest over this long weekend.

The 4 national holidays making up the Golden Week are:

• April 29,2008 Tuesday - Showa Day (Showa no hi):
  April 29 is the birthday of former Emperor Showa, who died in the year 1989.
  

• May 3, 2008, Saturday - Constitution Day (Kenpo kinenbi):
  On this day in 1947, the new post war Constitution and law was put into effect.

• May 4, 2008 Sunday - Greenery Day (Midori no hi):
  Midori means GREEN.The day is dedicated to nature, because the emperor loved plants and nature. And i reckon, because of this most parks do not charge any entrance fee on this day. We were also lucky to visit the Tokyo Sealife Park which usually charges 700yen per person, but yesterday it was FREE! i had a ball there.
  

• May 5 ,2008 Monday - Children's Day (Kodomo no hi)- Especially for Boys
  The Boy's Festival (Tango no Sekku) is celebrated on this day. Families pray for the health and future success of their sons by hanging up carp streamers and displaying samurai dolls, both symbolizing strength, power and success in life. The Girls' Festival, is celebrated on March 3rd. Well that would be another story next year.

2 April 2008 - 2 May 2008

its officially a month.

shinpai nai karane!

this song brings back memories of college days!

HEBAT

perempuan datang atas nama cinta
bunda pergi karena cinta
digenangi air racun jingga adalah wajahmu
seperti bulan lelap tidur di hatimu
yang berdinding kelam dan kedinginan
ada apa dengannya
meningggalkan hati untuk dicaci
lalu sekali ini aku lihat karya surga dari mata seorang hawa
ada apa dengan cinta
tapi aku pasti akan kembali
dalam satu purnama
untuk mempertanyakan kembali cintanya
bukan untuknya bukan untuk siapa
tapi untukku
karena aku ingin kamu
itu saja

karya
Rako Prijanto

world's greatest song

HARU GA KITA?

1 Liter of Tears

totally totally recommended! superb!
a must see!

TAKARA

i registered at the takara today.

takara means treasure.

i registered at the municipal library today.

Akebonoyama

tayang tepon baru

ANTI BUSH?

cool eh?

GYOUTOKU DENTAL CLINIC

hehe..
mmg hensem...
friday ni pergi lagi...
hehhehe

JACK & JILL vs. THE WORLD

great movie.. quite deep which was quite surprising. great manifesto. great STUPID sticker.
great looking lead actor.

Lepas Gian

hari ni betul2 lepas gian. i wore baju kurung to my entrance ceremony
jahhahaha
the ceremony was a very simple one.
dia panggil nama, kita bangun, tunduk sikit..
pehtu semua org tepuk tgn. itu je.. saju jam aku naik tren untuk itu.
i guess i have to get use to that.
they are so not into frivolous matters.
bagusla.. jimat belanja.
simple je.

lepas entrance ceremony, pi Roponggi, with one target. to get a phone.
and i want the cheapest!
chose a cheapest one, which cost me JPY23,520.
mahal mak datuk. tapi dapat SD card yg mmg mahal kat sini
costing at about JPY5,000-6,000.
adus..pokai aku ni cam ni..

ini rupa phone ku..



Softbank (nama SP) bukan bank ok..
Samsung 805SC warna putih.. ada tv..jgn marah...hehehe

My Trip to the Dentist

Toktek toktek jalan pi bustop..lalu kawasan sakura yg lawa...white and pink... beratur tunggu bus...beratur naik bus...duduk dalam bus..beratur turun bus..lintas jalan ke SEIYU.. tgk board..compare dgn kanji for dental clinic yang i have.. naik first floor.. nampak bentuk gigi yg tersengih warna hijau.....masuk..bagi heatlh insurance card and alien card registration kat counter....

Haisha wa totemo hansamu desu!! nama dr. k..

next wednesday jumpa dia lagi... yes yea!

PUMA-GINZA-PEDESTRIAN HEAVEN

my new sneakers from Ginza

NANA KAROBI YA-OKI

zaza
peribahasa jepun

nana karobi, ya-oki
jatuh 7 kali, bangun delapan kali

' berjuang berkali-kali tanpa menyerah, walaupun berkali-kali gagal'

have loved, still loved, will love

goodnite..

esok hari buang sampah plastik..

darling i miss u terribly..

buddies

rindu pada baju

apa yg aku sangat rindu pada malaysia?
baju-baju aku yang pelbagai yang ku tinggalkan di sana...
baju-baju kurungku..
kebaya-kebaya ku...

rindu..

SAKURA MADNESS 1

SAKURA MADNESS - 3rd April 08

the beauty of diversity

diversity sometimes makes you all messed up
it shocks you
it confuses you
it alienates you
it makes you alert
it is constant

it makes you appreciate what you have left behind

it is beauty.

MY FIRST DAY

today is my first day.