Came back on Wednesday, but haven't been writing about it until two days after. And even that
wasn't complete. So will try to complete it now.
Now to write about what happened during those days in Japan...
24/03/08 (Monday)
Arrived at Brunei International Airport at around 9.30am, and was the first one to reach there. In about two to three minutes after getting down from the car, Sempai Zool arrived with his brother who sent him to the airport.
After that, it was picture taking time. Sempai Lim Han was there, but unfortunately he was not coming along with us to Japan due to some reasons which he was not too happy about.
Left-Right (top): Zool, Alvin, Yours Truly, Farhah, Hakeem, Naif, Yazin
Left-Right (bottom): Idzni, Amir, Nadzif, Kaza
(Picture was taken from a paper, didn't ask someone to take the picture using my camera)
There was actually another person who was joining this trip and he's from Sabah, Malaysia. So he did not leave with us from Brunei, but we met him at the Hotel in Japan.
We left Brunei for Singapore at around noon, and arrived about 2 hours later. Then we had to wait for our connecting flight to Japan for 9 excruciating hours. Some of them went to Orchid Road to do some shopping, but I would rather just save those money for Japan. Why would I shop in a country I've been to when I could've shop for more in a country that I've never been to.
So instead, Farhah and me stayed at the transit hotel in Changi Airport, so we could get some sleep. But we eventually decided to walk around the transit mall. So many temptations! They sell PSP and NDS at a very low price, and i didn't expect the 'transit mall' to be that big.
In the end, we only managed to get about an hour or so of rest in the hotel before the others came back.
Waiting for the boarding gate to open
At around a few minutes before midnight, we had to board the plane for Japan. I still wasn't sure if we were really going to Japan, because it didn't feel like it. Not that there wasn't any enthusiasm or anything, but merely because it just doesn't seem believable. Japan? For Kendo? With Friends? Seriously??? JAPAN?!?!
The flight took about 8 hours so most of them were sleeping during the flight, but I couldn't even get any proper shut eye. Maybe only slept for a few minutes before waking up again, and going back to sleep.
25/03/08 (Tuesday)
Still in the plane...
Still...
Still...
Almost....
Finally arrived at Narita Airport at around 7am and it was freezing cold. Before we get down from the plane, the captain told us that the temperature at the destination was about 3 degrees celcius. Did not expect that at all! Internet told me that it's about 9 degrees celcius on average and 3 degrees is much lower than 9. Freezing cold!
View from inside of the aircraft as we were descending to Tokyo
We were greeted there by Mdm Hashimoto, the two Morishige's, Tomoi-san, a man I forgot his name, and the bus driver Suzuki-san.
We had a private bus for ourself and think that the seating arrangement was nice. At the back of the bus, they didn't have the normal row-seating arrangement. Instead, they were arranged in such a way that about 5 seats at the very back, another five at one side, facing the right, and another 5 at another side, facing the left, with a table in the middle for drinks and food.
We then went straight to Tokyo Bunka Junior Highschool, WITHOUT CHECKING IN TO THE HOTEL FIRST! So after hours and hours of flight, we didn't get any rest except the one we got in the bus, and the first thing that we did when we arrived in Tokyo was to train. Exhausting, yes, but a lot of fun as well.
There, four of the kendokas (Idzni, Alvin, Farhah and Myself) did not have to go through the kind of training that the others received, mainly because we did not have Bogu (Armour), so all we did was the basics.
However, I really wished that I had the bogu at that time because they had this one 'game' during the training which I've never seen before. All the kendokas, Bruneians and Japanese alike, were separated into two teams. Then, the two teams had to go against each other in a group without any official referees or whatsoever. It was more like a mock war. So anyone who got hit, had to be eliminated. Was so much fun to watch. Hope that they would do the same for the Kendo Workshop in June.
Also, in that Junior Highschool, each and everyone of us were given a new Shinai, which was lighter than the first one that I had, but slightly heavier than the one that I reecntly bought before I went to Japan. We were also given a piece of Tenugui, but three of us, including me, did not get it, because we were away when the item was given out. But no matter, have a brand new shinai and that's all that matters.
We left the school at around dusk, and Sensei Ninomiya brought us to a kendo shop nearby. Wnted to buy the bogu there but it was too expensive that I could save a couple of hundreds if I just order it through the Sempais when we get back to Brunei. But I did get a new leather shinai bag, with my name on it and it costed me USD 50. Well worth the money.
After that, we had to take the station and walk back to our hotel. Thought that it would be a 15 to 20 minutes walk, but I was wrong. So damn wrong. We had to walk to the hotel for almost and hour, carrying heavy bags with us. On the brighter side, it might be a good post-training for us. But the drawback was that, my feet and shoulders hurt! Practically had to drag my feet after a while.
At last, we reached the hotel! It was not as spacious as I thought it would be. A narrow way to the front desk. And our large luggages had to be carried to our room by ourselves, without any help. Been to a lot of hotels before and this was the first time that I've seen such a 'hotel'. Also, the door to the room was made of aluminuin/tin. The kind that we have here as washroom doors,long long time ago. Weird thing is that, the door to the individual toilets were made of glass and wood. Shouldn't it be the other way round?
But other than that, the hotel was not all that bad. Just like anywhere in Japan, they have vending machines near the front desk, which sells anything from mineral water to coffee to beers. Also the toilet was automatic! Everything is automatic! But... Something's not right about the notice on the toilet.
Riddle me this
So.... where am i suppossed to sit?!26/03/08 (Wednesday)
It's Fuji time!!
It was a long ride from the hotel to the station where we had to take a train to the Fuji Hakone Izu Park. Some slept in the bus, while others (like me) were busy taking pictures of the sceneries. Wish I could take at least one of those trees back to Brunei. But, it would be oversized and I would be charged for excess baggage. *sigh*
At the station. We all look so tired
Still, at the station
View from the train
At the arrival station. Just had to take that picture.
Also at the arrival stationAfter arriving, we had to walk for a few minutes, stop by some souvenier shops, and then get onto our bus again, which will then bring us to the park.
Such a cutie. Saw this along the way while walking to the bus. Wanted to wake it up so it would look at the camera, but didn't want to bother its nap.
Also found along the way. Pretty.
Found outside one souvenier shop. Handcrafted mini figurines.
That's what I like about Japan. Everywhere you go, there's always something nice to see. Even though they are simple, but they are just something new to the eyes. Unlike here, where everything is the same, no matter where you go. The urban looks no different than the rural. Just plain boring. I want to move to Japan!
After hours of and hours of bus ride and train ride, we finally arrived at the park. And it was freezing cold!! So cold.. TOO COLD in fact. And the wind made it much more colder than it was suppossed to be. Had to cover half of my face and tuck my hands in the sweater. But even so, it was still so very cold. The wind was so strong that it literally can push you or even pick you up and send you up in the air. Not forgetting the stinky, stinky smell of sulphur from the hot spring (no, we didn't get to bath in it. If we did, it would've been great, especially with that cold tempearture).
But they did sell eggs at the stand, which are boiled in the hot spring. Tasted like normal chicken eggs, but the shell was black. METAL EGGS! \m/\m/
Excuse me.
View of the Hot Spring Park
It was really a tough task to try to smile with that strong wind.
Another view of another angle of the hot spring park.
That smoke from the hot spring looked so tempting at that time. Really wished we could've splashed ourselves with the water. The stinky water.
After about an hour of freezing in the cold, we went to the souvenier shop. And that was were I spent most of my money in total. There sold bokkens, pretty handkerchiefs, handmade products, tiny little rattling things, rubber nunchuks, toy knife, a mini mock katana keychain, parasols, and so on and so forth. I bought so much that they even gave me a free gift. A handmade bracelet. And even though I can find the same type of bracelet here, but that one was special. It was from Japan! And it was free!
Then, we headed to a small restaurant we I had Udong for the first time. It was good actually. And for the first time, we sat on the floor/mat, and no chairs. Real Japanese experience that one was. Had nice, hot green tea there too.
Then Sempai Shin Chan wanted a bottle of Coke, just the standard bottle of Coke. And it costed him about $5 Brunei dollars (when converted). Just because it's imported. But they do have the cheap Cokes, from the vending machine.
Cute! Found inside the restaurant
Taken from outside of the restaurantWe then went to Hakone Skyline where our tour guide told us that it has a great view, and she was not kidding. Was cold, but not as cold as the hot spring park. And the view was just breathtaking.
Everything was natural. And everything had a great angle to each other.
Think that the place would be spectacular in Winter.
Then we went back to our bus, and I thought that we would go back to the hotel and get a bit of rest. But no. We went staright to the Brunei Ambassador House.
And it felt like Brunei.
The house, the seating arrangement and just that place have this 'Brunei Vibe' to it. The people there dressed in Baju Kurung (traditional malay dress), and they spoke in, not just Malay, but Brunei Malay. Even the food was malay food. And really, after eating only fish and seafood for three
days, you tend to appreciate chicken. And I did. And all the malay food, rich in spices. All the
chickens.
Didn't take a lot of pictures at the ambassador's place, because my camera's battery was dying :(
After dinner, we went back to the hotel. Finally! After a long day without any 'real' rest, finally I could have a good night sleep.
Yea, that's what I thought.
Before I could take the elevator up to my room, Morishige-san told me to come with me. So I followed her outside th hotel. Then there was a car, and it was Alvin's foster family. Kept on wondering why I had to be there. Then turns out that his foster family lend us
two set of Bogu, one for Alvin and the other for me. And even included a free Tenugui. No idea what was written on it, but it looks nice. My first Tenugui! FREE!
Loving Japan even more!
Then instead of sleeping, went to search for someone who could teach me to wear the Bogu. And that took at least until midnight. Not that it was a long difficult task, but just that we already arrived at the hotel at about 9. So leaves little time for anything else to be done and to be finished early.
Then it was back to my room, and had to pack up my things for the next day, because I had to stay for a night at my foster family's place. And only went to sleep at around 2 am.
-to be continued-
