Enjoy the Tides at Ooarai Sun Beach , Mito

We went again to Ooarai Sun Beach to enjoy the small reptides of pacific ocean, albeit the weather forecast indicated scattered thunderstorm. Forecast being a forecast never meant to be truly believable, and it was proven that the day was nice and cloudy, thus blocking the summer sun from having a bite on our skin.

Oorai is actually located nearby Mito and the distance between Mito and Tsukuba is roughly 50 km. Visitors can choose Joban Expressway if they wish and it saves 50 minutes, but we chose to go through the normal road from Tsuchiura-kita. Car can be crowdy and the journey can be slow, though.

[In the picture : Malisa spreads her hands as a sign of fulfiment and enjoyment the tides]

It costs us 1,000 yen for parking. The nice thing is that, they provide open-air plain-water shower, so we can rinse salty water from our back before going home. The not so nice thing, we have to walk for 100 metres to get to the beach spot. There are many spots of beach volleyball. And many restaurants . There are also a number of life-saver stations manned by people in orange clothing. It seems that the beach facilities closes at 4.30 pm...

Malisa enjoyed it well. The promise to bring her to a "water-recreation" venue is fulfilled. She seems wanting to go back again, but her ayah says in his heart ... no no no. Mikael was afraid of the waves. But once he familiarised himself with the "float" and the waves, he taught that the sea is his home !

On the way back, we stopped over at a fish market. Bought squids and chopped stingray..it is cheaper than those sold in Kasumi or Marumo supermarket.. Interesting, the fish market also sells "baby sharks."






Duhh.. I am amazed with the samurai suit in the fish market.. Hopefully will get it one before I go home to Malaysia. It will cost, a minimum of RM 650.00 and with the katana sword.. it will be a perfect japan memorabilia.

Kyoto - The Ancient Capital of Japan

If one look carefully at the spelling of Kyoto , it appears that "Kyoto" is spelled in reversal to Japan's capital city - "Tokyo". Indeed, before the era of Edo (Tokyo) and Shogun Tokugawa, Kyoto was a capital of Japan. That period was the period of the western samurai's warlord supremacy over the eastern warlord.

One man turned this around - Ieyasu Tokugawa , the unifier of modern Japan.

[ The picture above is the Kiyomizu temple. The architechture is unique and very personal. Building material is wood and the structure is placed on the side of a hill. ]

Kyoto is proud to be the ancient capital of Japan. It houses numerous historical attractions which consists of photographic temples and shrines - Kiyomizu, Kinkakuji and Ginkakuji to name a few. One can also visit Kyoto Imperial Palace which was once the official residence of Japan Emperor before the Meiji Restoration in 1868.

[ The picture on the left is Kinkakuji or Golden Pavillion, in between the momiji leaves and tree]

The best time to visit Kyoto is in autumn. The period when the colour of momiji (maples) leaves turn to red. Fact is that, the colour does not have one single colour tone. It varies from pinkish, orange and yellowish. Only one caution ! Bear in mind, autumn is the period when many people( Japanese or foreigners alike) flocks into these tourist attractions. We can have a hard time locating our family member if everyone moves individually his own direction.

For foreigner's, there is a tourist package from Tokyo to Kyoto which starts from 19,500 Yen inclusive of hotel, breakfast, dinner and shinkansen. It is cheap compared to other alternatives. That is the best deal that I know for non-student.

Student of Tsukuba University is blessed with a chance to participate in the trip to Kyoto, arranged by the International Student Centre. It costs 10,000 Yen since it is partly sponspored by the university. By luck, from the selection of lottery system, I managed to get a place in the group. Fun, scenic, exhilarating, delicious meal and nice ryokan. A visit that I will remember for long time and I will come again to Kyoto, some day in the future



[Picture on the right - Myself under a pink tree]