Travel Diary

Goodbye Taxi, Hello Uber!

Doria

I heard read great reviews about Uber posted on  Facebook by my eldest brother Chin Tian and my secondary school teacher Jay She.  I told myself that I must try out the ride-sharing app as soon as I have the chance. The opportunity came two days ago when I had to fly to Kuching for Ching Ming. I was taking ...

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5th Day in Japan is a HAS Day – Hamarikyu, Akihabara & Shibuya

The rapeseed garden

January 30 was a beautiful day in Tokyo. As we stepped out of our hotel at about 9am to begin our fifth day in Japan, we could see that it was a sunny day with blue skies. We went to Coffee Room Renoir Ginza not far from our hotel for breakfast. After breakfast, we walked to Daimon Station where we ...

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A Most Memorable Sunday in Japan

Takeshita Dori in Harajuku

January 29, our fourth day in Japan, was a Sunday. We were up quite early and hit the streets near our hotel in search of a place for breakfast.  The streets were eerily quiet with little traffic and few people.  We decided to have breakfast at Precious Coffee Moments.  We took our breakfast to the first floor so that we ...

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Day 3 in Japan – Asakusa & Skytree Town

The Hozomon Gate

On our third day in Japan, we travelled to Asakusa, arriving there at about 9.10 am. Asakusa is one of the main sightseeing spots in Tokyo. It is where the traditional meets the modern Tokyo. There are many small little alleys with unique shops, and is particularly famous for Sensoji Temple. Asakusa offers an experience of the sights, sounds and ...

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Heavenly Lake Ashi

Lovely view of Lake Ashi & Mt Fuji

On our second day in Japan, we took a bullet train from Shinagawa Station to Odawara. This is the first time in my life that I have ever travelled in a bullet train. From Odawara Station, we took a normal train to Hakone-Yumoto Station, the gateway to Hakone.  We spent a bit of time in the vicinity of the station ...

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Shibuya – Tokyo’s Buzziest Neighbourhood

In Shibuya

Shibuya is the shopping and entertainment neighbourhood with everything: classy shopping boutiques, wide range of restaurants, hip bars, world-class night clubs, unbeatable record shops and mind-boggling neon signs. Shibuya, Tokyo’s most colourful and busiest district, is a centre for youth fashion and culture, and its streets are the birthplace to many of Japan’s fashion and entertainment trends. The intersection is ...

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Enchanted By Feathered Friends At Jurong Bird Park

On my second day in Singapore at the beginning of this month, I visited Jurong Bird Park alone while my wife and my son Leslie went shopping. A visit to the park has been on my bucket list for a few years so it felt great to be able to tick off that item on my bucket list. I bought ...

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Floral Paradise At Flower Dome

Lovely dahlia

After our Japan trip, we stayed in Singapore for three days. On the first day, we made our way to Gardens by the Bay to visit the Flower Dome. During our last visit to Gardens by the Bay a few years ago, we only visited the Cloud Forest as the Flower Dome was under maintenance at that time. Gardens by ...

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Sensory Overload At Robot Restaurant Tokyo

The taiko drummers

During our trip to Japan in the last week of January 2017, my son Clarence booked tickets online for the Robot Show at the Robot Restaurant in Kabukicho – Shinjuku’s red light district, Tokyo. Initially I was not gung ho about the show, thinking that it was for kids. When Clarence told me what the show is like, I was ...

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Oh My Kawaii, Cuteness Overload In Japan!

Are they sporting? Lovely couple!

Clean, polite, safe and cute….these words are often used to describe Japan. So during my family trip to Japan from January 26 to the 31st, I thought I was prepared for all these. But I found myself bombarded by a “kawaii explosion”, getting caught in a severe case of cuteness overload. The word “kawaii” literally translates into “cute” and symbolizes ...

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