Japan Trip 2012 (28 Apr ~ 6 May)
(I knowthis is one month late... but I really just finished writing it.. x_X)

It's another Japan trip again! This time I actually went with a big group of friends, a total of 9 of us, 4 of who are friends of a friend and first timers to Japan. I didnt have specific objectives for this trip, like going to Mount Fuji or conquering Fuji-Q Highland roller coasters (I wish I could), so I just went along with whatever the group wanted.

~~ Day 1 ~~

We arrived in Japan at about 3.30pm local time and took the limousine bus straight from the airport to our hotel at Shinjuku Washington Hotel. After checking in and getting ready, our first destination was Curry House 11, a Japanese curry place at Shinjuku station. The food was nice and filling, perfect after a long and boring flight/bus ride.

After dinner, we explored parts of the mall at Shinjuku station for a short while and then went over to Kabukicho to explore the place casually (I got melon bread there for tomorrow's breakfast). It is then when I was surprised to find that they've actually torn down some parts of Kabukicho. I sure hope they don't tear down any more than that, in memory of Ryu Ga Gotoku. >_>;; (Otaku FTW~)

Later along our way back to the hotel, we walked past a street ramen stall and the group decided to give it a try. Most of us paired up and shared a bowl cos we had dinner just not long ago, but don't be fooled. It may be just a street stall but the price isn't all too cheap. Their plain ramen alone was already 500 yen. After that we went back for the night.

~~ Day 2 ~~

We went to Taimeiken, wellknown for their omelette rice dishes, at Nihombashi station (exit C5) at 10am just as it opened and already there was a queue all the way to the corner of the building. Apparently this restaurant is always like this hence the reason we needed to be there as soon as it opened. The Tampopo omelette rice that I ordered was very filling; to my surprise I couldn't finish the omelette even though I'm such an egg lover!

Next stop was Akihabara and this is self explanatory. LOL. This place is only of interest to me and one other friend, so we were there only till 4pm. First building we went for was Radio Kaikan, but we were surprised to find that the building was gone. It's a good thing they gave out free pamphlets with maps pointing out where the shops had relocated to nearby so we still knew where to go. Apparently Radio Kaikan is now split into 3 different buildings, but only 2 of them are hobby shops; the last one is the real radio station, it seems. However, with the group we only managed to visit the first floor of Radio Kaikan building #1, Kotobukiya and the white building next to it (I forgot the name! >_>;). At these places I managed to find two Jojo figures (Josef and Caesar) and a small One Piece fig (Wiper) that I've been looking for a long time!

At 4pm, we wanted to take a break at a cafe but all the cafes we saw were pretty full and were unable to accomodate 9 people. Travelling with a big group really ain't as easy ^^; In the end, we took the train to Shibuya for a shabu-shabu dinner at a restaurant named Nabezou (I've heard about it before from my ex-coworker). The main store which we first went to was full and would only be available at earliest 9pm, but luckily there's another branch just down the street. It was a really yummy meat-only dinner. XD

After dinner, the guys went to shop at the men's 109 building while the girls went to the ladies' 109. I didn't go to 109 during my Japan 2010 trip but I have vague memories of it from when I first went there with my parents back in 2003. Basically it's an 8-storey or so tall yet small fashion departmental building. I have friends who worship this place but I'm not into fashion and 109's style. We were there for about an hour though, so I took my time checking out each floor. Few things caught my eye, but those few things were so not cheap I couldn't bother considering.

At 9pm, the group rendezvous at 9pm at the entrace of the men's 109. We we pretty tired by then but it seemed to early for the group to return to the hotel so we ended up hanging out at a cafe till 11ish, tapping on their wi-fi. XD.

~~ Day 3 ~~

First we had lunch at Katsuya near our hotel. And then it's time to visit the Square Enix shop at Hatsudai station. It's my first time there but not so for two others. I didn't have anything in mind when I went there but I didn't wanna leave empty handed, so I decided to get the coolest figure I can find - Gray Fox from Metal Gear Solid. XD They sell keychains, rings, necklaces, perfumes, plushies and other random apparels as well but I can't say much about the variety. Before you step into the shop you'll find the Slime creature from Dragon Quest on their display. When you step in all you'll see is still the Slime creature. >_>; Seriously speaking, in one glance it felt to me like half the shop was Slime products and I really doubt that's what sells best. @_@

I wanted to take pics of the shop inside but I had this strong feeling it's not allowed (like with almost every other shop in Japan) so I couldn't be bothered. However, the accessories section does allow photography, and that's where a live-size Sephiroth lies asleep inside a glass case. He's pretty much the only thing photo-worthy though, and I forgot to take a pic of the perfumes (they only have two fragrances - Sephiroth or Cloud). Now, the amazing thing about this place and the group was, even though some of them don't even play games or know about Square Enix or its games, they still ended up buying something from there. I think most of us actually spent an average 100 bucks there. o_o;

Next, we decided to go to Ikebukuro (home sweet home from my previous trip there XD). We shopped at Marui (a mall with many many branches all over Japan) for an hour or so at the west side before we moved on to the east where the first thing we did was to have dinner at an awesome steak place called Furansutei. This steak is definitely one of the best food we had for the entire trip. *Thumbs up*

After dinner, I alone split up from the group. They checked out Tokyu Hands while I went over to Animate down by 'Otome street' (that was where I found and got Josuke). There were some other figure/random item shops right next to it that I wanted to check out as well cos they sell loose figures, cards and other trading items, and there I found Kamui. At around 9pm I returned to the group and we went to north Ikebukuro for this cheap candy/snacks shop for us to stock up on our food souvenirs and get them over with. When we compile all our plastic bags together, they look like a bunch of trash. XD And then I brought them to Yama-Chan just 3 blocks down, the place that sells that awesome peppery chicken wings. It felt good to be able to eat it again after two years... ^_^~

~~ Day 4 ~~

This day we went to Disneyland; the second time I've been here. Even though we left our hotel pretty early we didn't enter the park until 9+am, and it rained on and off the whole day... x_X

I actually lent my camera to one of the others (a friend's friend) in the group so the photos that I took are by my phone. A lot of the photos below are taken by the friend, like these from the parade, so while these photos are posted here on this blog I wasn't actually there to witness it. >_< (For photos taken during my first trip, click here.)

In total, the rides that I took this time include only Space Mountain, Haunted Mansion, Rolling Thunder and Splash Mountain. The only new attractions that I tried was Cinderella's castle (which featured paintings and other display items about Cinderella, including the glass shoe) and the shooting range. I sucked at it. I missed 2 out of 5 shots while another friend got 10/10 in a single try. I think I'm better at just playing Resident Evil and Mercenaries. >_>; We also watched the Electrical Parade at night and I took photos using my phone but I'm not posting any of it as it's the exact same parade as the one I saw and posted two years ago.

After Disneyland, me and a friend (she was feeling a little sick) took the bus back to town first. We decided to have dinner at Sukiya, a curry and gyudon place. Before we returned to the hotel we stopped by the Taito arcade nearby, a specific one which I first visited during my Japan trip in Sep 2010 with my ex-guy. It's got to be that one cos that's the one where some pretty famous people hang out for Street Fighter 4. I went there thinking I wouldn't meet anyone I could recognize, but we were lucky that eventually Shiro ( 志郎 ), one of these famous people, came down after all! This place was where I first saw/knew about this dude and here we were back at the same place. XD We stood behind different players and watched their games until 11+pm.

~~ Day 5 ~~

Today's Disneysea day, and it rained nonstop for the rest of the day and night just 3 minutes after entering the park at 10+am, which was the reason why the main show at night was cancelled. It's truly a shame, I've never seen this new show before. Dammit! It rained the first time I came here as well so WTF?! Why did I have to be so unlucky?? =_=#

I'm posting very few photos for this day cause there's quite nothing new to add. (For photos taken during my first trip, click here.) In total, we rode the Tower of Terror x2 (one day one night), Indiana Jones x2, Raging Spirits x2, Journey to the Center of the Earth, 20000 Leagues Under the Sea, and Sinbad's Storybook Voyage. The only new attraction I tried was the Turtle Talk, which was surprisingly entertaining but only for (first timer) people who understand Japanese so in the group only me and one friend understood it at all.

While walking past the Mysterious Island towards Tower of Terror in the afternoon, we happened to see the water show (dunno the name) which had already started for a while. But because it was raining, everyone had their umbrellas up which blocked the view badly. It was a challenge finding ways to watch bits and pieces of the show through the cracks and holes between people and their umbrellas. >_o; This was new to me so it's quite the shame we weren't able to watch it properly.

I also tried and liked the spicy chicken leg (it's actually not spicy lol) they sell near the Indiana Jones ride; I ordered it twice. ^w^ Later we found my friend's absolute favorite sea-salt icecream, which I'm glad I found cos it put a huge satisfied smile on her face. XD We actually almost rode the Tower of Terror a third time (we even readied our fast passes) but we ended up leaving as the group was much too tired.

~~ Day 6 ~~

The first destination for the day was the restaurant Genkatsu near Ginza station (exit A12). The waiter who served us was this pretty cute guy and one of the girls couldn't help helping a picture with him as memento. After this we went to Tokyo Tower but despite their initial interest the first timers in the group decided not to go up the tower, so we shopped around the second floor for food souvenirs instead.

Next, we left for Ueno and arrived at around 5+pm. We went to a street known as Ameyoko (similar to Harajuku's Takeshita Doori), known for a lot of shoes and accessory shops (as well as some wet market stalls). The guys shopped for lighters (I forgot what else) while the girls got shoes and bags. I got myself a pair of boots (which I still haven't worn a single time so far lol), a baggy pants and a punk-lolita skirt. We went to Kabukicho for dinner (separated into 4 groups) before we called it a night.

~~ Day 7 ~~

First stop - a sashimi place at Kabukicho. The group had wanted to eat here for dinner the previous night but it was full house so we came back the next morning instead. I don't eat raw so I ordered fish steak and seafood gratin.

Second stop - Meiji Shrine @ Harajuku. It's been 9 years since I first/last came here with my family but everything still looked the same from what I can remember. I threw some coins to make a prayer and bought a talisman there, and that's about it. Although, we were stuck there for some time as it started to rain and one of the guys went missing.

Third stop - Takeshita Doori @ Harajuku. We shopped around for several hours and the others bought some stuff but I didn't get anything other than another pair of baggy pants. Thank god it stopped raining too, cause a narrow street flooded with people and umbrellas wasn't quite what I had in mind. >_<

Last stop - Dinner at Motsuyaki @ Gotanda station (nearby), my friend's other favorite eatery. This place is known for their 100 yen per stick grilled pork, made of all/different parts of a pig. The one my friend recommended, which I think was really good, is the cheek. The color looks like beef and it's very tender. The grilled shiitake mushrooms were pretty good too but it's 120 yen per stick and is technically a common dish, so I only ordered one.

We had dessert at another place called Jonathan's just one block down right after this and hung out there for about an hour before we ended the day.

~~ Day 8 ~~

For day 8 (Saturday), everyone split up and went separate ways to wherever they wanna go. I went alone back to Akihabara, to explore the shops I wasn't able to on day 2. I found Medicom RAH figures of Jojo at pretty good prices but other than Jotaro (which I already own), the rest didn't look as attractive so I decided not to get it... yet anyway. ^^; (Gotta learn about the new characters first before I will change my mind)

There's nothing much to say on shopping but there was just one amusing thing that happened that's worth mentioning. While looking for a specific building, I found a signboard that said "Adult amusement park". I raised an eyebrow to myself and thought "What the.... Let's check it out!!" XD And so I stepped into the shop (it's an adult toy shop) like no one's business and looked around. In one look I could see that I was the only lone girl in the shop while the rest were either lone guys or couples, but meh, I don't care. This is Japan; this is perfectly normal. =P

After I'm done, I stepped out of the shop and was gonna walk away when a man tapped on my shoulder. He came up to me and politely asked, in Japanese, whether I mind providing him a specific service to satisfy his fetish - self-serviced masturbation. LOLOL!! I was close to giggling but I had to hold it back. I was tempted to ask him "How much?" to pull his leg but in case he's serious about it and would pay any price, I decided to go for the boring reply, "Ah no can do, sorry." >_>;

The guy looked like he's in his early thirties and actually has a pretty pleasant face. If he hadn't asked me this I would have thought he's typical a decent Japanese man... although perhaps it's arguable to say that most decent Japanese men aren't very decent after all..? LOL. Anyway, as I rejected he apologize in an embarrassed manner and walked away. Aw... and I'm not even shy about it! XDXD

After my shopping (I bought some yaoi manga too, hehe), I left Akihabara at 8+pm back to Shinjuku for dinner at Furansutei (the steak place) near Kabukicho. I had wondered if I might bump into any of the others here and I really did! My triple steak (I didn't realize there was really gonna be 3 pieces of steak! lol!) had just come and I was struggling to finish the second piece when I saw a familiar face to my left. Turns out, my friend had bumped into two of the others at Harajuku and now the three bumped into me. Truly, what a coincidence XD

~~ Day 9 ~~

Along our way to Kabukicho for our breakfast at an Udon place, we passed by this street performer whose music caught my attention immediately. I had wanted to give him some money but it didn't seem like he was performing for money (I'm really not sure if that black box on the floor is a cash box) so I didn't. I noticed that he has CDs for sale and I actually thought of getting it but my group was already some distance away so I decided to give it a pass.

But after I came back to Singapore, I got curious and googled his name (it's a good thing I took a pic of him and his notice boards). His name is Irie Yousuke (入江要介) and seems to be a professional free lance shakuhachi (his instrument) musician of some sort. His music is beautiful, but what what almost amazes me even more is his goth punk fashion and funky hairstyle despite the fact that his instrument of choice is a traditional Japanese flute. An interesting contrast. =D

Below is a youtube vid he posted on the very piece that he was performing when we saw him at Shinjuku station. I don't quite know how describe it with words but I really really like it....!!

After our lunch, we went to a nearby Taito arcade to take some purikura (photo stickers) and then it was time to return to the hotel, get our luggages and leave for the airport. Till next time, Japan...!

Toy rant: Scorpio and Aries Myth Cloth EX [Saint Seiya]

Other than Scorpio, I actually got the others (Aries and the appendixes) a few months ago and was meaning to post on them then... but never got around to doing it. x_X And now with Scorpio's arrival, I decided to post them all together. Better late than never. ^^;

Myth Cloth EX - Aries (Mu)

One of the twelve Gold saints, constellation Aries. A very gentle and goodwilled man and a direct disciple to the previous Pope (Shion), hence the only one with the skill/ability to repair Saint cloths.

The figure: Like Leo (Aiolia), appearance accuracy, armor beauty and flexibility are perfect. However, due to the horn structures on his shoulders as well a convex chestplate, he becomes the bulkiest of all the Gold Saint figures I currently own. Still, he is able to stand properly no problem. Like Shaka (Virgo), he looks exceptionally bright if placed under/near a spotlight.

Myth Cloth EX - Scorpio (Milo)

I've waited for Scorpio's EX Myth Cloth for a long time. Before I found/bought the appendix parts for the old Scorpio Myth Cloth, this figure used to be really fugly. Just scroll to the bottom of this post and check out the comparison pics for Scorpio and you'll see just how drastic the difference is with and without the appendix parts. So when it used to be that ugly, I had prayed to Bandai that they release his EX version ASAP cos I couldn't wait to replace him in my cabinet.

However, I was lucky to find his appendix set at the local toy shop and the new appendix parts really made a huge difference. It turned ugly Milo sexy in an instant, though there're still some flaws. One example, it didn't change his height so he remained the shortest of the bunch. Now that the EX version has arrived I eagerly placed them side by side to compare... (Scorpio, Aquarius and Virgo are the only 3 whose old Myth Cloth figures I own)

The figure: Needless to say, the EX version has better proportions and flexibility, but after comparing them side by side, I personally find that the old version has better armor details/ definition, color/luster and hair. It's hard to tell their color/luster apart from the photos cos it looks different with the naked eye, but something about the headgear on the EX one looks off, like it's tilted, and it's unadjustable. It's a shame I can't stick the appendix head on the EX version due to differences in structure.
 

Old Myth Cloth
Wyvern / Scorpio / Aquarius [with Appendix parts]

I bought Wyvern's appendix on eBay in September last year, but I wasn't able to get Scorpio and Aquarius' cos they were much too expensive on eBay, selling at an average 100 USD each. O_o;;; Later in November, I was fortunate to stumble across it at a local shop under the consession lockers for 40 bucks each. I will never forget that day. ^__^ (Note: The Scorpio appendix photos I posted above are missing his left skirt piece cos I was unable to attach it at that time)

For the record, below are the differences between the original old Myth Cloth Vs the upgraded version using the appendix parts.

Scorpio: Replaced the head (with headgear) + body armor (shoulder plates, chest plate, parts of the skirt) + hands
Aquarius: Replaced the head (with headgear) + arm armor + hands
Wyvern: Replaced the head (with headgear)

Travel: Genting Trip (26~28 Jan 2012)

My first trip to Genting (Malaysia), and with a few friends to boot. =D We took a morning coach there, taking about 6 or so hours to reach (I can't quite tell exactly how long cos' I was asleep most of the time). There were a total of four of us, but the only guy in the group actually forgot to bring his passport (what the... x_X) so he was actually unable to join till day 2 (he took the midnight coach instead). So for day 1, we arrived at Genting at about 2+ pm and spent the afternoon looking around the mall.

Eventually we got tired and returned to our hotel room to take a nap, lol. We woke up for dinner, walked around the mall somemore, visited Starbucks to tap their wi-fi, and then went back to our room/bed. XD The only thing we needed to do next was to wait for our guy to arrive early in the morning at 5+am.

We started day 2 with dimsum for breakfast, and then it was time to visit the theme park. Genting's a little tourist town located on a mountain top 6000+ meters above sea level. Most people go there only for three reasons - the cool weather, casino and/or theme park. There is really not much else other than these and the mall, hence the reason tour (hotel and transport) packages are typically 3 days 2 nights. We're not interested in the casino so the theme park's pretty much the main event. XD

The entrance fee is really cheap. It's less than $25 for adults, which is a third the price of Universal Studios Singapore. >_o But the theme park's been around for a looong time... and you can tell just how old everything is in one look. The first ride we took was the 'flying chairs' (see 2nd pic above); sorry I don't really know what they're called, lol. If you follow the chains the chairs are hanging onto and look up at the hooks and metal parts above, you'll find that they're actually considerably rusty... >_>;; Knowing that scared me, but that sure didn't stop me from riding. XD I've taken the same ride as a kid back in Indonesia and I know it's fun. >=D

Immediately after this we went for the pirate ship, but all of us agreed that the one in Singapore that we took early last year is actually more thrilling. >.<

Next was the roller coaster, built on the highest point of the mountain/town. The drop isn't very steep, but it's still fun with the loops. We even looked out for the camera and readily posed for it, but that was just for fun; we weren't planning to buy it. XD

The last thing we took was the free fall ride - yeah, we actually took only four rides! My friends didn't seem interested in the rest cos they're either boring or kiddy. The girls have been to Genting countless times too so they aren't exactly too enthusiastic about it. >_>; Anyway, I dunno how high the drop actually is (I can prolly google it but I'm lazy, =P) but it was fun~~! Now this I actually regret not buying the photo it took of us cos our faces were pretty damn epic. Two seconds before the drop at the highest point, we shouted "COMPLEEETE!!!! GLOBAAAALL...!!!! ............SATURAAaaAAaaa-----" (voice got stuck in our throats as we fell ROFLMAO)

I actually wanted to try the go-cart, but one of the girls dislikes it while the rest were uninterested. =/ There was also this (prolly wet) dinosaur ride or something but again they showed no interest. x_X Although to be fair it also seemed like it was going to rain so I guess even if we went for it we'd leave it halfway. We were actually going to re-ride the flying chairs but then it really rained... so that ended our theme park playtime.

There's actually this one other ride that you can see in this image that looks like it's from the theme park but actually extends from the mall hence is a separate ride on its own, which costs about $5 a person. It rides differently in the sense that you lay on your belly instead of sitting upright. I wanted to try it but we ended up not having enough time for it. For some reason my friends' general energy level weren't really high and I didn't think it'll be easy to simply pull them over and insist on the ride. >.<

After the theme park, we returned to our room to rest for a while before we went for dinner, some last shopping, Starbucks and then zzZZzz. We did nothing for day 3 other than checking out of our room, breakfast and waiting around for our return coach. That's about it. It may not sound like much, but I still enjoyed it. ^_^~

Wow.... This officially marks my personal record as the longest hiatus ever so far (3+ months).... x_X Apologies to those who visit this blog regularly... *Bows in guilt*

Lots of non-game/anime/otaku related 'things' (for a lack of better word) happened over the course of the past 3 months. Some good, disappointing, unexpected, sad, uncertain, optimistic... I'm not a drama queen, though - it's not my thing to be writing about personal life drama on my blog so I'll be skipping and sparing you all that. I'm mentioning this only to remind myself what happened when I look back at this post in the future many years down the road. XD

There're several times I actually told myself and planned to update this blog. I got new boys (or boys-gone-thru-plastic-surgery) in my Saint Seiya figure collection, I got 3 new figures from the Jojo'z Bizarre Adventures series, one of which topped Wesker as the tallest and most expensive figure in my collection to date... In fact I was even gonna do a fairly long post on all (o_O) the battles in Part 3 of Jojo's Bizarre Adventures, but that didn't come into fruition thanks to my dominant lazy genes... XP Plus, it's likely to bore the shit out of everyone. Maybe I should just pick 5 of my favorite battles or something... Hmmm...

Anyway, I also went to Genting (Malaysia) for a 3D2N trip last week with some friends and I'm telling myself I must post on that no matter what, perhaps the next post after this if I don't procrasinate yet again x_X

Well anyway, for this entry I'm just gonna post a song. It may not the coolest thing in the world, but I dont give two shits about song lyrics and their meaning, and yet this one managed to get my attention nonetheless. I have a few friends (on and offline) who judge music by its lyrics, but I notice a pattern - they have a major tendency to go for the emo and depressing type, often about broken hearts, tainted worlds and the like. So that's when I figured I'm the complete opposite. If I were to shift my focus away from the melody and to the lyrics, I'd much rather go for something constructive or optimistic, which is why I decided to show y'all the song below, a song with some of the best lyrics that I've ever paid attention to.