2014 Wrap Up (Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!)

Family Photo at Cheung Chau, Hong Kong

Time flies. It's December again and Christmas is around the corner. I made a resolution last year for my Travel Bugs blog. I told myself that I must write and post more in Year 2014 than Year 2013. In 2013, I posted 12 blogs. For this year, I have posted 15 blogs (this blog included). I know it works out to be only 1.25 blogs per month but nevertheless, I have achieved what I intended to do. It is never easy to find time to write amid my busy work and family life but this excuse is last on my list for not writing. For those following my posts, I apologize for the frustration of awaiting my posts. Hopefully, I am able to post more of my travel stories for the coming year. This will be one of my resolutions for Year 2015.

During last year wrap up, I penned down on the destinations that I planned to visit. I listed Japan, Indonesia (Yogyakarta) and Hong Kong. Out of the three, I managed to travel to Tokyo, Japan and Hong Kong. For Yogyakarta (I meant to visit it for the famous Borobudur), I missed it due to the eruption of Mount Kelud in February and other reasons. I shall find time to visit it in 2015.

Family Photo at Kamakura,  Japan

Tokyo is always a place where we want to visit again. I had in mind to include Kyoto and Osaka but finally settled on Tokyo only. The reason was simple. We want to experience Tokyo at a relax pace. Taking a side trip to nearby Kamakura was the highlight of the trip. We finally got to visit the famous Daibutsu at the Kotokuin Temple.The deletable foods in Japan have left their marks on our tongues. We hoped to be back very soon.


During my Company department outing in October , I got to visit Kukup at Malaysia. It reminded me of Tai O, the Fishing Village in Hong Kong. My colleagues and I had a great time at the resort and the sunset on that day was very captivating.

Sunset at Kukup, Malaysia

Finally at end November, we took our (countless) trip back to Hong Kong to visit my In-laws. The "Occupy Central" movement did not deter our plan. My wife planned a 2 day trip to one of it's island-Cheung Chau. It was an enjoyable stay with the good foods, beaches and most importantly, laid back life style. As usual, I would take a "one day break" and go for a "Photography Day". This was the day I would take my time and capture the photos that I want without the complaints from my wife and daughter ;-) I hope to share those photos in the coming blogs.


I do not have any concrete travel plans for 2015. But in the back of my mind, I hope to travel to somewhere further. Europe (and Italy) is in our thoughts but we have not firm up anything yet. I hope to visit Thailand again. My wife suggested Chiang Mai for it's cooler weather. Of course, I will also target Borobudur as mentioned earlier.

Last but not least, wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! May all your travel wishes come true in Year 2015!

Day Trip at Kamakura (Part 3)-The Daibutsu, Great Buddha of Kamakura

The Great Buddha of Kamakura

One of the main reasons I came to Kamakura was to see the famous Daibutsu at Kotokuin Temple. In Japan, Daibutsu means "Great Buddha". The 13.35 meter bronze sitting Buddha is the second largest in Japan. For the Japanese, the Daibutsu is considered a legend as it has survived multiple disasters and wars for centuries since it was cast in 1252. The temples that housed the Daibutsu were destroyed thus leaving it in the open.

Front gate of Kotokuin Temple

Picture Map of Kotokuin Temple compound

From Hase-dera temple, it was just a 5 minutes stroll to Kotokuin temple. Visitors would always plan to visit these two temples together since they are in such close distance. It was around 4 pm when I reached the temple but we still could see that it was packed with people. We paid the entrance fee (200 Yen per adult) and proceeded straight into the temple compound.

Family Photo with Daibutsu

Daibutsu#1

Daibutsu with Japanese Children

I could not really explain my feeling when I set eyes on the Great Buddha of Kamakura. I have read all about it's history and see it in the tour guides and internet but nothing beat seeing the real presence itself. It was strange that the temple was supposed to be a ground of tranquility but now overflowed with tourists due to the Daibutsu's influence. I came across an article that there are plans in a certain country to build more larger, higher and imposing Buddha statues. The main reason is to draw in the crowd and generate profits. To me, those are only empty shells and act against the Buddhists' belief. I will certainly not visit them.

Daibutsu & Paulo

Daibutsu & Alison

Daibutsu & Charlotte

The setup of the Kotokuin temple was very simple compared to the rest of the temples I visited. The Daibutsu statue was situated in the center of a large square compound. It was fronted by a small main gate. At the back of the temple lied a small shrine. The whole temple itself was situated in a forest. I could only imagine how serene and peaceful this environment would look after the temple closing hours.

Daibutsu#2

Daibutsu#3

Daibutsu#4

Daibutsu#5

I walked close to the Daibutsu and observed him from close proximity. The expression of the Buddha emitted a sense of kindness and peacefulness. He was seated in a meditation stance, oblivious to the noisy crowd around him. For centuries, he has watched over Kamakura and protected it's people. In return, the believers continued to visit and pay respect to him.

Small shrine at temple back

The crowd dwindled when the closing hours of the temple approached. We continued to hang around, admiring the Buddha and at the same time, rested our legs after a day of continuous walking. When it was time to go, I took one hard look at the Daibutsu again. Perhaps I would be back someday to visit him again.  

Daibutsu from afar

For Your Pinning

Day Trip at Kamakura (Part 1)-The Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gu Shrine

The Maiden and Gingko Tree at Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gu Shrine

I had a hard time planning the day trip for Kamakura. There were just too many attractions there and it was difficult to make the decisions on the ones to visit. After doing some detailed research, I finally developed the itineraries for Kamakura. You will experience my "pain" when you visit Kamakura next time, having to make decisions from a hundred of temples and shrines. 

We would visit Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gu shrine-the most important Shinto shrine at Kamakura, Hase-dera Temple-one of the most beautiful temples in the premise and Kotokuin Temple, where the famous Daibutsu (Great Buddha) is situated. We would also pay a visit to the Inamuragasaki Beach with the hope of capturing the sunset view of Mount Fuji in the distant. 

The train ride from Ikebukuro (where we stayed) to Kamakura took about an hour. From the high rise constructions in Tokyo, we saw the buildings getting lower as we got nearer to our destination. There were also increased greenery. It is little wonder Tokyo citizens love to flock to Kamakura to take a breather during weekends and holidays. Make sure you plan your visit during a normal weekend liked what we did to avoid the Tokyo crowd!

Komachi-dori

Our first destination was Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gu shrine. It was dedicated to Hachiman (God of War),  Emperor Ojin, his mother-Empress Jingu and his wife-Minamoto no Yoritomo. From Kamakura station, we needed to walk through Komachi-dori to the famous Shinto shrine. Countless shop houses lined the street. Just like Nakamise-dori at Asakusa, souvenirs, snacks, clothing, restaurants etc were in abundance here. The star icon was obviously the Daibutsu. Many souvenirs and snacks were modeled after the popular statue at Kotokuin temple.

Daibutsu souvenirs

Kamakura delicacy

Not unexpectedly, Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gu shrine was crowded with visitors. We saw many students and my immediate thought was that the Japanese government has done a decent job to instilled cultural and historical values into their younger generations. I was slightly disappointed when I saw the main shrine from afar that it was under renovation. A reminder to those visiting Japan during this period of time. There are extensive restoration works performed at multiple attractions. Make sure you do your homework to avoid disappointment during your visit. 

Akabashi leading to the Main Shrine

Photo with Charlotte in front of the Maiden

Ema for your wishes

The Maiden (Dancing Stage)

Fortunately, the rest of the buildings were left intact and the overall setting of the shrine still looked fabulous. As like most Shinto shrines in Japan, a large Torii gate marked the entrance of the shrine. It was followed by three bridges. An arched bridge (Akabashi) was flanked by two flat bridges. The Akabashi was supposedly to be reserved for use by the shogun himself only. Being "commoners", we could only use one of the flat bridges to cross the "Genpei ponds". Another 5 minutes walk from the bridges would bring us to the "Maiden", situated at the base of the stairs which led to the Main Shrine (Hongu).  It was an ornately designed dancing stage where beautiful dancers and musical performers would perform for the royal family. A Purification fountain laid not too far away to to the left of the Maiden for visitors to cleanse themselves before proceeding to the Main Shrine to offer their prayers.

Purification Fountain shade

After 61 steps.........

The 61 steps climb brought us to the Main Shrine. There was once a famous 1000 years old giant gingko tree at the left side of the stairs (from bottom) made famous by an assassin who hid behind the tree before killing his victim. It was now nowhere in sight as it fell victim to a big storm in Year 2010. We heard chants coming out from within the premise. There was a religious ceremonial held in the shrine but we could not see clearly what happened inside. We were only allowed access to the external square of the Main Shrine but it was enough to portray to us the luxurious lifestyle of the past Japanese royalties. The walls were beautifully decorated with lively pictures and the rooftops, doors and windows were delicately designed which could only be crafted by skilful craftsmen. For a small fee, you could take a tour in a small museum inside to witness the treasures of the shrine. I was much impressed by a full suit of Samurai armour displayed inside. It was made of gold and I could only imagine how strong one must be to don the hefty costume.

Guardian of the Main Shrine

Interior of Main Shrine

We left the Main Shrine through the left exit. A set of small red Torii gates led us uphill to the Inari shrine. It was dedicated to Inari-the deity of rice. Foxes (kitsune) which often acted as guardian and messenger of Inari, flanked both sides of the small shrine. There were other sub-shrines like this around the premise at Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gu shrine but due to time constraint, we did not visit them.

Small Torii Gates

Inari Shrine

Before leaving the shrine for our next destination, we could not resist the temptation to take photos at the Sake Offering Hall. We had already taken photos with the Sake at Meiji Shrine at Tokyo but were not ready to leave till we captured some photos with the Sake at Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gu shrine. Somehow, we were obsessed by this unique sight at Japan.

Sake Offering Hall

All set and done, we headed to our next stop-The beautiful Hase-dera temple. 
If you are visiting the Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gu Shrine, this is the official website.

For Your Pinning

The Tokyo Trip

Senso-ji Temple at Asakusa

I have planned this since the beginning of this year and was glad that I finally visited Tokyo with my family on June this year. My wife and I have been fascinated by Japan when we visited it a decade ago. We were impressed by the Japaneses' politeness and service level, great food and marvelous shrines and temples. Being on a guided tour, we did not bother to do any homework and follow blindly where the tour bus brought us to. I remembered I was totally awed and confused when the tour guide showed us the complicated train network at a train station. I was silently relieved then that I did not need to navigate the dense transport network. My role then was to enjoy the good food and scenery at the Land of the Rising Sun.

Toriis at Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gu Shrine

10 years down the road, the "complicated train network" nightmare came to haunt me when we planned to re-visit Tokyo on a free and easy trip. The same "awed and confused" feeling struck me again when I scanned through train map. Terms like "Yamanote Line, Fukutoshin Line, Saikyo Line Rapid,  Keio Line Express,   Marunouchi Line,  Tobu Tojo Line Semi-Express etc" were like Japan secret codes to me. It was a struggle at first but after deciphering and understanding how the train network operated, it became plain sailing. I am not going too much into this but will be sharing some of my tips at traveling in Tokyo at a later blog.

Full bloom flowers at Hase-dera Temple at Kamakura

My 11 days trip in Tokyo would take us to the following area:

(For a detailed itinerary, please Like our Facebook page and contact me by Email)

Day 1: Arrived at Tokyo
Day 2: Harajuku-Meiji Shrine, Togo Shrine, Takeshita Dori Street
Day 3: Sanrio Puroland (Hello Kitty Land)
Day 4: Asakusa-Senso-ji,Temple Nakamise Dori Street, Sumida River,
            Tokyo Skytree
Day 5: Kamakura-Komachi Dori Street ,Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gu Shrine, 
           Hasedera Temple, Kotokuin Temple(Daibutsu), Inamuragasaki beach
Day 6: Tokyo Disneysea
Day 7: Tsukiji Market, Tsukiji Hongan-ji Temple
            Imperial Palace
Day 8: Ikebukero
Day 9: Ueno -Ueno Park and Zoo,Kiyomizu Kannon-do Temple, Benten-do, 
            Shinobazu pond, Ameyoko Dori Street        
Day 10: Kawagoe-Kurazukuri zone (Old Storehouse Zone)
Day 11: Back to Singapore 

Family photo with Sumida River, Tokyo Skytree and Asahi Beer Hall

Tokyo Skytree

Tokyo does not changed much since my last visit. But do not get me wrong, it's charm still remains. This trip has helped me uncovered more of Tokyo and to savour authentic Japanese food at will. My family (especially my wife!) enjoyed great shopping experience that we must always resist  the urge to grab everything from the shops' displays and shelves!

Do follow my later blogs as I share my delightful experience at the different parts of Tokyo.

See you soon! 

Related Posts: Meiji Jingu Shrine-Tokyo, Japan;Sanrio Puroland (Hello Kitty Land); Asakusa and Senso-ji Temple; The Tokyo Skytree and Sumida River; Day Trip at Kamakura (Part 1)-The Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gu Shrine; Day Trip at Kamakura (Part 2)- The Hase-dera Temple; Day Trip at Kamakura (Part 3)-The Daibutsu, Great Buddha of Kamakura; Day Trip at Kamakura (Part 4)-The Inamuragasaki Beach

Daibutsu at Kamakura

For Your Pinning