Showing posts with label tour. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tour. Show all posts

Wednesday, 22 October 2014

Day Trip at Kamakura (Part 4)-The Inamuragasaki Beach

The Inamuragasaki Beach
I put Inamuragasaki Beach in my Kamakura trip for one main reason. It was to capture the beautiful view of Mount Fuji from the Inamuragasaki Park. The day was cloudy when we visited Kamakura and I felt that the chance of seeing the elusive sacred mountain of Japan was pretty low. Nevertheless, we decided to continue with our plan since we have already came so far.

We walked back to the Hase station from the Kotokuin temple and took the Enoden to the Inamuragasaki station which was only two stops away. Not many people alighted at the station when we arrived. In fact, Inamuragasaki gave me a feeling that it was a very slow paced town. Perhaps we did not come at the peak season.

Street Photo by the beach

We heard and followed the sound of the wave which indicated we were not very far from the sea. True enough, after navigating a few streets, the sea was right before us. The first thing that I looked was for the sight of Mount Fuji. It was supposed to situate between Enoshima and the main land. The sight was supposedly breathtaking during a clear day with blue sky and during sunset. But it was not to be. Mount Fuji was nowhere in sight. Though already setting the expectation of not being able to see the Unesco Heritage Sight for this visit, I still could not hide my disappointment.

Black Kite
With the "since we are already here" mentality, we walked towards Inamuragasaki Park- a place where many would gather on a good day to enjoy the beautiful sight of the sacred mountain. Along the way, we could see many Black Kites flying around. I spotted their presence at the Hase-dera temple too. From the internet, I was warned not to eat anything under their razor sharp eyes and claws or risked injuries when they swooped down to rob the food. 

Tsunami Evacuation Route

I would say that the beach was not very impressive. Perhaps I have higher expectation of beaches in Japan than those in Singapore :-P. The signage for the warning of Tsunami have me worried a bit. They noted down the procedure of spotting and evacuating from a Tsunami.I wondered how would I react when there was a Tsunami attack. It was very difficult to imagine what was the mindset of the people residing near the sea here with the genuine potential Tsunami threat everyday.

View from Inamuragasaki Park
The Inamuragasaki Park was a place to admire and capture beautiful photographs of Mount Fuji. It was hidden from sight but we still chose to rest on the many benches around to enjoy the sea breeze. I could only use my imagination how the scene would look like on a good day. I looked into the distance, hoping for the faintest of hope that the sky would suddenly clear up a bit for me to catch a glimpse of the sacred mountain.

Self Photo at Inamuragasaki Park
Plaque indicating Mount Fuji Scenic View Spot
Though not able to accomplish the objective of coming here, I was still glad I have made it to this place. Mount Fuji is well-known for it's shyness. It always take a a mix of luck and timing to witness it's glamor. Perhaps I will have better fortune next time :-) This would be our last stop at Kamakura. My family and I have enjoyed every bit of our time here. Thank you, Kamakura! Good bye, Kamakura!
Mount Fuji missing between Enoshima and Main Land

Thursday, 5 December 2013

Family Bonding Tour at Taiwan Formosa



Sun Moon Lake

Just back from a 10 days tour in Taiwan. We traveled in a group of five-My parents, wife, daughter and myself. Before the trip, I joked with my friends that I relished the challenge of planning the trip for the different age groups for the tour. My trip plan was mostly focused on the western bank of Taiwan with the exception of Jiufen which is located at the Northeastern end of the island. With the help of the various transport systems-the MRT (Mass Rapid Transport), HSR (High Speed Rail), trains, public bus services and taxis, we visited the various attractions at Taipei, Hsinchu, Taichung and Kaoshiung.

Yeliu Harbour
Yeliu Geo Park
Jiufen
The highlights of the trip must be having family tea (Yumchai) at a tea inn at the top of Jiufen, taking a tour round the renowned Fo Guang Shan Monastery, witnessed a religious ceremony at Lotus Lake, taking an early morning stroll at Sun Moon Lake and enjoying the sunset at Tamsui. I will share those experiences in  my later blogs. The most important thing about this tour is of course the family bonding we got to enjoy. My parents (especially my dad!) surprised me with their sporting attitude to try anything I recommended (and not recommended!). They tried almost all the challenging rides at the Eda Theme Park after the disappointment of not allowing to try them at Leofoo Village Theme Park due to age restriction. I gave them a big thumb up for these!
CSK Memorial Hall and Taipei 101 Tower
Leofoo Village Theme Park
Tamsui
Family Photo at Yeliu Geo Park

I hastily went through my photo stocks and handpicked some Taiwan photos that I like to share with all of you first. Hope you will enjoy them. More of Taiwan ventures in my later blogs. Cheers!

For those interested, the following were my itineraries for my 10 days trip at Taiwan:

Day 1: Arrived at Taipei
Day 2: Yehliu
Day 3: Leofoo Village Theme Park-Shilin Night Market
Day 4: Jiufen-Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall-Tapei 101
Day 5: Kaohsiung-Liuhe Night Market
Day 6: Fo Guang Shan-Dragon Tiger Pagoda
Day 7: Eda Theme Park
Day 8: Taichung-Sun Moon Lake
Day 9: Taipei-Tamshui
Day 10: Departed to Singapore

Related Posts: Early Morning Walk at Sun Moon Lake , Taiwan Travel Tips

Dragon and Tiger Pagoda
Formosa Boulevard MRT
Eda Theme Park





Fo Guang Shan Monastery 



 


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