" Seeing Mt. Fuji for the first time "

After Tokyo our bus headed to Mt. Fuji.
Although an active volcano that has been silent for about a hundred years now.
I was astounded by its beauty and its almost perfect shape.
The tour guide said you don't usually get this lucky during this season,
it's mostly foggy and unclear.
Even though, we only reached till the 4th level, the trip was worth it
once you're up there.
Too bad for the time constraint we have and the long 8 hour journey ride
just to get there.
Then we're off to Hakone to see the Owukadani, it's a volcanic valley that
emits sulphur vents.
It was literally windy and cold, hard to catch a good view
but the Hakone Ropeway (cable car) from an aerial point of view was stunning.
With a Pirate ship inspired, we cruise along the Lake Ashi.
After a long day trip, we stayed in a transient hotel, somewhere in
Toyohashi, a place that reminds me of Los Angeles, like Anaheim actually.


This is from the observatory deck, a glimpse of Mt.Fuji


and this was taken at the 4th level, taking a closer look at it


haha, for someone who lives in a tropical country,
we love it when we see piles of snow and things turning into ice.
seen here: pepperoni's feet amidst the white.


here's me at the Owakudani Valley


this is the Ropeway ride.



some info about Mt Fuji and the Valley


cruising along lake ashi while admiring the view


Having a sumptuous dinner at the hotel


view from our hotel room, the Toyohashi view


seen along this area...


attractive vending machines= 自動販売機


and Kawaii advert from KFC=
this is Ayase Haruka from the tv sitcom = Glow of Fireflies


also caught this small lotto outlet outside the gas station

still more series tomorrow... ^0^

　
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" Wandering around Tokyo "

so as promised, here are fotos from my 8 day trip.
I'm still in the process of re-arranging and twisting my fotos,
so the word "some" tends to be harder than I thought.

Our first stop was Tokyo, the busiest hub of all.
I was supposed to have some Asakusa temple fotos but,
my card reader went crazy, thereby deleting all my fotos (literally.)
so here's where we start :
Before heading to Tokyo Tower, we got a glimpse of the Imperial Palace,
not up close though, just from afar.
The next day, we went meandering around Harajuku that led us to Shibuya,
finding Hachiko (the dog) can be quite challenging.
and I have a confession...
Harajuku is a haven for shopaholics like me. ^-^
There's so much to see and when money isn't an issue,
I'm pretty sure, temptation is hard to resist.
It's Christmas when we got there so imagine the hordes of people jabbing you
from left to right.
It's hard to get a decent foto without seeing someone's head.
We started from Takeshita st. and I tell you, one day isn't enough. ^0^



christmas eve, a close up look at the tokyo tower, magical isn't it?! ^-^
standing from this angle, it's humongous!


imperial palace, standing from the river's point of view.


hopping at ginza st., we were only there for like 15mts.


from the 3oth floor of our hotel where we're staying,
you'll see the Rainbow bridge.


and also the soon to be finish, Tokyo Sky Tree.
too bad we can't visit it yet.


around Harajuku station


and going inside Takeshita st.


taking a JR ride from Shinagawa station


and the map can be so scary to look at but once you understand
the whole thing, it's not so confusing at all.


you'd see parking signs like this and a whole lot of signs here and there.


go bape! ^0^
the flooring on this store will blow your mind.
really cool interior.


some cool, cool, cool structure.


the most overused word: but how can you not love Tokyo?!


a busy christmas night at Shibuya, the lights are hypnotizing to look at.


It's us!
Pepperoni and Me at Harajuku. ^-^


and I was so happy to see Aibou!
It's one of my fave whodunit t.v. murder series. call me a classic. haha!


having breakfast at le daiba hotel, ah! scrumptious.


and eating noodles at a fast food chain inside aqua city.
I was surprised to see different kinds of sauces from garlic to ginger.


and caught this pretty cute but kind of bizarre looking doll.
don't know what it is, but it seems to be popular.

ps: posting more in the next few days...
hoping i won't be too busy with work though. ^0^
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" Starting the year with a Bang! "

Happy 2011 everyone! ^0^
I'm back from my trip, still need to sort out fotos,
but I'll be posting some of them soon.



Just 10 minutes before the clock strikes twelve. non-stop fireworks display
were seen and heard everywhere, the sounds were so loud that as I was taking fotos,
I had to take a few steps back. ^-^
and of course, there's always something dazzling about it and
lucky this was right outside our window.

I wish everyone a good and prosperous year ahead.

btw, any new year's resolution? ^0^

for more reflective weekend fotos. visit Newton Daily foto
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" Babalik ako "

why the title?! ^-^
it means: I'll be back...
which has no relation with the foto btw.



apologies for not posting much about the Christmas spirit we have here.
again, it's been a busy and tiring week.
I like the image in this foto, it shows a hard working man,
more colorful ads, an iconic image of a local actor and the trees!
they look like pine trees which is so unlike Manila.

This will be my last post for the year 2010.
I'll be off somewhere and have my ultimate rest and relaxation (i hope).
I promise to share with you fotos of my trip and galore.

clue: It's the land of the rising sun. ^-^

meanwhile,
I've been blogging not so long ago, posting during my highs and lows,
whether rain or shine, I try to post a thing or two about Manila,
its beauty and the opposite.


I have been fortunate to have bloggie friends like You, encouraging me to take
more fotos, making me smile every now and then, even taking a second and more
to comment about my post.
to all of you, even just visiting here without the comment... a warm Thank You! ^0^


Come 2011, I'll be bringing more sights about my city. ^-^
so, I'll see you guys in a bit... and before the year ends...
I wish everyone a loud
Maligayang Pasko at Manigong Bagong Taon !
" Merry Christmas and a Happy New year "
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" some kind of bridge "

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" Burger me "

The other week, Layrayski of Butuan Daily Photo posted something similar to this.
Today, I wanted to show you the Manila version of this,
taken somewhere near the City Hall and it's open 24hours.
The cheapest burger in town for less than dollar, but what about the taste?
now that's something subjective, all i can say is that at least, it fills your stomach.

* do watch out for extenders. ^0^
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" Savory Restaurant "

one of the oldest chinese restaurant to date here in Manila.
I think the signage says it all.
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