So, how's your winter break? For you Malaysians I know some of you might think winter break is heaven. It's time to play with snow man! Let's go skiing! or whatsoever you might came across in your head. Well, indeed it's quite interesting to see snow falling down from sky. You feel calm. Really calm. But, along with the tranquility, lies the real problems. What? Do you think the snow will remain soft, and comfy all the winter? If so, well you're wrong buddy. Of course some of the snow will melt when there's the sun. Then, the melted snow will become ice which makes the road slippery. Do you learn physics? Let me explain to you why we can walk. Friction is the concept we use to walk. To increase the friction, we increase the object's weight. The heavier an object is, the higher friction it has. Same to us human. The heavier you are, the harder it becomes for you to fall. So, why be on a diet this winter? lols.
The trip to Honshu began on a Xmas eve. We boarded a ferry from Tomakomai, Hokkaido to Tsuruga, Fukui. The journey took about 20hours 30 minutes. From the Tsurruga ferry terminal, we got on the shuttle bus, operated between the terminal and the Tsuruga Railway Station which cost us 310 yen per person. Later on we take a train to Osaka and spent a night at the yet-infamous Capsule Hotel. Curious is it? Capsule Hotel is a hotel system of extremely dense occupancy. Guest space is reduced in size to a modular plastic or fibreglass block roughly 2 m by 1 m by 1.25 m, providing room to sleep and little more, although facilities usually include a television and other electronic entertainment. These capsules are then grouped and stacked, two units high. Luggage is usually stored in a locker away from the capsule. Privacy is maintained by a curtain at the open end of the capsule but noise pollution can be high. Washing facilities are communal and there are often restaurants, or at least vending machines, and other entertainment facilities. This style of hotel accommodation was developed in Japan and has not gained popularity outside of the country, although Western variants with larger accommodations are being worked on (such as the StayOrange.com Hotel, Yotel and the Pod Hotel, in Kuala Lumpur, London and New York respectively).
The Japanese capsule hotels vary widely in size, some having only fifty or so capsules and others over 700. Many are used primarily by men. There are also capsule hotels with separate male and female sleeping quarters. Clothes and shoes are sometimes exchanged for a yukata and slippers on entry. A towel may also be provided. The benefit of these hotels is convenience and price, usually around ¥2000-4000 a night ($16–34, €21-29, £15–20). Such hotels are not necessarily regarded as only an option for those with lower incomes— a typical customer would be a business ''salaryman'', someone looking for a place to stay after drinking, or someone who missed the last train and doesn't want to waste money just for an overnight sleep. Some capsule hotels offer low daytime discounts for those needing an afternoon nap.The first capsule hotel was the Capsule Inn Osaka, designed by Kisho Kurokawa and located in the Umeda district of Osaka. It opened on February 1, 1979 and the initial room rate was ¥1,600.
Off to Nara, one of historical places in Central Japan, Honshu. Nara is famous with it's Nara Park, where you can feed tame deers lived there. We spent 3 days and 2 nights at a place called 曽爾高原 (Sooni koogen). It's a god-forsaken place I ever reached in Japan I think.lolz. Even so, the place is complete with internet connection. That's why I love Japan! everywhere you go, internet is available. After the camp finished, we went to Gifu for a General Meeting with other committees. Never heard of Gifu? Look here please. Honestly speaking, I found nothing interesting in Gifu. It would be better if there's subways in Gifu.I managed to get to the famous Gifu Castle, on top of the Mount Kinka. It's located approximately 20~25km from Gifu station. To get to Gifu Park, you can board buses operated by Gifu Bus at either JR Gifu Station (Bus Platform 11 or 12) or Meitetsu Gifu Station (Bus Platform 4). The bus takes approximately 15 minutes to get to the bus stop for Gifu Park and the Museum of History (Gifu Kōen, Rekishi Hakubutsukan-mae). As for me, I got lost when I boarded a wrong bus and had to take a taxi to the Gifu Park. duhh~~
Once you enter the Gifu Park's compound, you'll be astounded by the amazing Japanese park, conserved from the Japan's Sengoku (Warring Nation) period. From there, you can see the castle on top of the hill. There's two way to get to the castle. If you're on diet or prefer to 'savor' the nature around the hill, you can take a trail which takes about an hour to reach the top. Savvy? As for alternate route, there's a cable car provided with a cost of 1,050 yen a person, every 15 minutes. Once you arrived there, you'll have to take a little walk to reach the castle. As for me, it was a bloody trekking as it was winter and the trail became slippery of ice! Interesting eh? Along the trail, you will find some historical sites such as walls and gates.
Gifu castle. Gifu Castle was first built by the Nikaidō clan between 1201 and 1204 during the Kamakura Period.Originally called Inabayama Castle, Gifu Castle has gone through many numbers of repairs over the course of several generations. Even though it was famous as a physically powerful castle, it was once taken over by a mere sixteen men. A mountain type castle, which stands proud on top of Mount Kinka. Unfortunately, it wasn't an original castle from 400 years ago. The original one was burnt down by fire during the World War 2 bombing. The site are still the same. It was being rebuilt in 1950 with concretes. It is a 3 floors castle which exhibits weaponry on the first floor, Shogun who used to live there on the second floor, and an observation deck at the top floor, where visitors can enjoy 360 degrees panoramic view of Gifu City. For Samurai's enthusiasts, there are rows of Samurai armor displayed on the second floor. Just outside the castle, there's a museum which displays original artifacts and weaponry.If you're lucky enough, enjoy the sunset view from an observation deck not far from the castle. You'll feel it's worth to get to the castle.
As a memoir, don't forget to stop by at the souvenirs shop when you get down from the hill.
Several days later, I went to Gifu mosque. Located at Furuichiba Higashimachida 8, Gifu City, Gifu Prefecture (Southeast of Gifu University)〒501-1125 岐阜県岐阜市古市場東町田8番（岐阜大学南東）. This is the second mosque I visited since I lived in Japan, after Sapporo Mosque. The white mosque was surrounded by a large paddy fields. The construction of the mosque started on October 25, 2007 and completed on June 30, 2008.Yeah, I'm very proud of Islamic symbol in a non-Muslim country like Japan. May the surrounding residents be given hidayah by Allah to know Islam better.
Next stop, Nagoya. Nagoya is the third-largest incorporated city and the fourth most populous urban area in Japan.Located on the Pacific coast in the Chūbu region on central Honshū, it is the capital of Aichi Prefecture and is one of Japan's major ports along with those of Tokyo, Osaka, Kobe, Yokohama, Chiba, and Moji. It is also the center of Japan's third largest metropolitan region, known as the Chūkyō Metropolitan Area. As of 2000, Chūkyō Metropolitan Area has 8.74 million people, of which 2.17 million live in the city of Nagoya. 
Well, no luck this time. In Japan, each prefectures have their own specialty. As for Nagoya, it's specialty is 'unagi-pie'(eel pie). It's shapes looks like a sliced eel and tastes like butter cookies. You got to try it, really!
The hotel safe is one of the securest places to put anything important, for example,your passport.
ReplyDeletePousadas Ubatuba
In larger restaurants, some of these tasks are assigned to other workers.
ReplyDeleteRio Pousadas