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.

But Then It Rained...

With such a short stay in Seoul, I knew I wouldn't have time to do much exploration. But on my last day, some meetings went quite well and fast my late afternoon schedule suddenly got cleared. I checked where I could go and decided to visit Gyeongbokgung Palace which is right at the heart of the city (I would have wanted to go to the Demilitarized Zone but I should have made arrangements the day before).

I was just starting to enjoy the taste of Old Korea when killjoy rain poured. Good thing the Korea Folk Museum was just nearby, so I still had some edutainment while waiting for the downpour to stop. It didn't. I took a cab to Namdaemun Market, one of the biggest markets I've ever seen, but it was raining so hard that going thru buildings and stalls became a burden. And besides, the stuff I wanted to buy were nowhere to be found.


So I decided to rest. But not easily though. I tried flagging a taxi for more than an hour without success. The drivers would not take me to the Itaewon area (reminds you of Manila drivers, eh?). So I went down the Metro, asked for directions (yup, more English speakers here than in Tokyo) and got back for a few Cass (beer) bottles before I called it a day.

Korean schoolboys on tour

... and more pics ...

Hakone Forest Reserve Camp Grounds

Let me show you some of the pics I took during our recent trip to the Hakone Forest Reserve.

I’m nowhere near comparable to our favorite photo-bloggers, pero sige lang. Trip lang naman ang aking photography. :-)

By the way, just in case you’d ask what happened to my supposed rendezvous with Fuji San, I backed out and chose to check him from afar. Really afaaaaaaar!
Now shoot me.