Cutty

Thanks to the Great Miles Getaway, I was able to score roundtrip business class tickets for Haneda.  We took the PAL red-eye flight from Manila and arrived in Haneda around Midnight. This was a DIY trip with my husband, whose last visit to Japan was more than a decade ago.  You can just imagine his excitement.  I just secured the tickets and left him to make all the other arrangements.  He did the research about airport transfers, booked our hotel and AirBnB accommodations and figured out our stops.  He got a reservation for his Kobe Beef birthday dinner at one of the leading restaurants in town.   This was my third visit to Japan.  First was the Tokyo with the ACS.  Next was Sapporo for the second round of THREE.  This time, with Vic, I was able to explore and familiarize myself with this lovely Japanese city.  Most of my previous trips were spent inside rehearsal rooms so I was glad for the opportunity to come back. I'd like to ...

I found the time to upload pictures from my recent trip. These are just random shots to give you a taste of what took place in Tokyo. ---------------------- This is where I stayed, room 457. It is the smallest room I've paid to stay in. At least, I can still stretch out my arms without bumping into anything. The facilities are for communal use, by the way. I was so excited to try this when I found this at the convenience store. I wonder if this is available in Manila. This is where we rehearsed at the Olympic Center. As you can see, the room has sound-proof walls. We can also view Mt. Fuji from this room. Here is a typical street in Tokyo, with a Y99 store. This store sold edible stuff. The Y100 store beside it sold knick-knacks. Our second rehearsal was held here. Here are some ACS members waiting for the rehearsal to commence. Picture-taking is the group's favorite past-time. The THREE conductors. You'd notice that the Japanese conductor is so hip. I wish I go...

I failed to mention in my previous post that we're staying at the National Olympic Youth Center in Shibuya . It was initially built in the 1960s to house the athletes in the Olympic games. Now, it functions as a youth hostel. It has facilities to cater to everyone who would need it for seminars or cultural activities. The nearest train station is Sangubashi , which is only two stops away from the famous Shinjuku station (Times Square). ------------------------------ Despite sleeping late last night and despite my lack of sleep two nights ago, I woke up as soon as my alarm sounded. I anticipated that several people will be lining up to use the toilet and bath when I decided to I get up at 6am. It seemed that I was one of the few awake people that morning. After tending to some personal stuff, I proceeded to the lounge to catch up on some emails, hence the Facebook status. Breakfast this morning was salmon, Tamago and bread. Miso is served 3x a day. By now, we've fig...