Tobu World Square: Tour of the World in 3 Hrs

I had visitors I needed to tour. But I don't want to bring them to places I've been to. I too should enjoy the trip just as much, right?

So I decided to check Tobu World Square - the park which houses miniatures replicas of world heritage sites. Built in 1993, the park boasts of 102 reproductions built to 1/25th of the original sizes.

Here are the reconstructions of some of the places I would love to visit for my future travels.


Plus of course those I featured in the previous post. :-)

Hokkaido Pics: Recovered

Allow me to share some of the few good pics recovered from my busted memory card. These were the ones I took during my visit to Hokkaido, an island north of Japan. Regularly, the place is covered in snow, but summertime converts it into one vast grassland (cultured). The place is known as Japan's milkland, where there are more cows than people.


The farmers in the area are rich, living in European-inspired mansions. I was told they are a pampered lot, receiving hefty subsidies just so they would continue farming.

But the place, devoid of human hustle and bustle could become so lonely. One's nearest neighbor is at least a few kilometers away and the people are just so engrossed with work that there really is not much time for fun and bonding. Definitely, not the place for someone like me, who finds busy Tokyo melancholic.

Creatures in the Flower Park

I first saw the fallen angels ... resting beneath the tall trees that seemed to fence the large flower farm. I asked permission to take their picture, but before I could even make a few decent clicks, the other tourists rudely took my frame. I was not in the mood to serve as their official photographer so I decided to wander afar.

Luckily I met other interesting creatures, mostly on their way to wherever home must be. Why they were there (halloween is a goods two weeks ahead), I really had no idea. But since they were good photo subjects, I really didn't care about the why. I just decided to harass some of them.

These amiable characters indulged me ...

Naruto?

The Little Red Prince

Hansel & Gretel's Lost Sisters

Cinderella's Cute Stepsisters

The Kitchen Samurai Guard

Las Tres Musketeras

... finally..

The Green Sisa

He he. My apologies for the corny names. I honestly just don't know who they were mimicking.

Tsukuba: Just Another Bus Tour Post

For the nth time, I joined a Filipino organization in a bus tour - this time in Japan's science showcase, the city of Tsukuba in Ibaraki Prefecture.

Our first stop was the Tsukuba Expo Center which greets visitors with an impressive 50-meter high full-scale model of the Japanese-made H-2 rocket. Once inside, we were exposed to many Japanese inventions, like the ocean floor investigative submersible and the modern nuclear reactor model.


And of course, could one talk of Japanese science without mentioning robots? Meet two of them - my new friends whose names I forgot, hehehe.


The Expo Center also boasts of the world's largest hemispherical dome for a planetarium. There we were re-introduced to the stars and other heavenly bodies, reminding me of the days in the province when we would scour the skies to form the constellations.

Our next stop was an orchard for the requisite fruit picking - this time pears. On the way to the farm, I spotted this cemetery by the mountain.


Third stop - a large flower farm. The vibrant colors charmed me but somehow, there were other creatures there that grabbed my attention. But I am reserving the pics for my next post. :-)


And finally, we went to the peak of Tsukuba Mountain via cable car. We were tired, but the beautiful sunset was enough to soothe our nerves. Twas a great way to cap a day.

Fantasy Baths, Anyone?

Have you ever fancied soaking yourself in red wine?


Or "sake" (Japanese wine), perhaps?


Hmm, coffee?


How about tea?

These baths may seem too exotic for your taste, but a resort in the mountains off Tokyo hit the jackpot when it started making these ideas come to life. Patrons just kept pouring in despite the fact that it was pretty obvious that the pools were not designed to accommodate a deluge of people.

Probably, in the dead of winter or some other off days, the place could be a haven for respite and royal pampering. But at the time we were there, a long weekend was in the offing. The place was totally jam-packed! Almost every square foot of the pools were occupied, so all we managed to do was try to take quick dips in each of them.

But despite the migraine-inducing crowd, it was admittedly still an experience to treasure. Everyone felt like kids again - awed by something odd but exciting. We wished we could have really soaked up, but we had to give way to the others who were similarly anxious to check the experience.

Anyway, the regular pools are also there, ready to embrace you like the prodigal son.

Abaknon Festival: Simple But Proud

Five years ago, our island-town introduced the Abaknon Festival as part of the celebrations for the feast of our patron saint, St. Ignatius of Loyola. Abaknon is the name that collectively embraces all the residents of the island of Capul, who share a unique dialect and a simple lifestyle.



Those who have participated in the frenetic, frenzied dancing in many of the festivals in the Philippines will be taken-aback by the slow, graceful steps of the Abaknon dancers. This is because the festival puts to fore the "Dos Amigos" a folkdance that has been recognized to be historically attached to the islanders.



I was pleasantly surprised to see this year's competing teams in the streetdancing competition. Having been indisposed for most of the recent fiestas, I have not realized just how artistic the participants have grown, and how committed they have become to the task of showcasing the town's cultural heritage. Apparently, my townmates have taken the challenge seriously. Despite the meager resources at their disposal, they were able to create costumes that ingenously incorporated local resources - rice stalks, coconut crowns, sea shells, fish cages and would you believe, live crabs!

Needless to say, I can't be any prouder. Congratulations my kababayans!