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2014.08.22 | 北海道夏(4A)

[Volume 9 Issue 8, #1933]
Hokkaidō Trip Summer 2014 - DAY 4A of 8
A Serene Morning in Asahikawa (旭川)
中文讀者請注意: 因為篇幅問題, 這一系列日本遊記只有英語版本, 敬請見諒..
due to the whole-day rain the previous day, we did not manage to do much but stayed indoor most of the time.. so, how about day 4 then?? was it a good day with nice weather?? bet the "quota" of rain was fully utilized and yes, it was a nice sunny day, yeah!! :)
Show me:  
Asahikawa Japan - Kaimono Koen shopping street
#4A-F1 ■ ■
we were put in a hotel downtown just a row of shops away from the Asahikawa Station (旭川駅 Asahikawa Eki) and hence it was just walking distance to the shopping area.. in the photo are shots taken at the Heiwa Dori "Shopping Park" (平和通買物公園 Heiwa-Dori Kaimono-Kōen), built in 1972 and is the first pedestrian-only shopping "park" in Japan.. okay, you wonder why the place looked so empty, or i was so good to avoid the crowd while shooting these photos?? nah, it was too early in the morning at 9:30am and all shops were not yet opened, only the few "stupid" us came!! this way, we could feel the quiet side of this bustling area instead then, hehe!! :p
Asahikawa Japan - Mini Market
#4A-F2 ■ ■
finally found a shop that was open!! it was actually a mini market, selling all sorts of fresh produce, seafood as well as cooked breakfast.. we just had some leftover of last night's dinner that we tapao back to hotel as breakfast, so we were not too into anything else but the fruits.. look at the variety and the colors, it's summer and definitely we must not miss the summer fruits huh?? what did we buy?? you shall know later as you scroll.. :)
Asahikawa Japan - 7-jo Green Belt
#4A-F3 ■ ■
we actually had a morning to spend before our friend drove us to another place (but i'm not telling you yet now, hehe!!) at noon.. so we walked along Heiwa Street (平和通 Heiwa Dori) and towards the end was this place called 7th Street (七条 7-jō) "Green Belt" which is lined with trees both sides.. this is also a street where the authority build different monuments for the "sister cities" of Asahikawa (旭川) from around the world.. okay, it actually looked like just a normal street in Japan, so i did this "signature pose" of mine to spice it up!! hahaha.. not quite "umph" it seemed?? yeah, i knew i need more practice after not doing this for a while :p
Asahikawa Japan - Tokiwa Park
#4A-F4 ■ ■
after a 5-minute walk, we were at the Tokiwa Park (常磐公園 Tokiwa Kōen) where the 7-jō "Green Belt" ends.. this park, taking up a total area of 16-hectare in the center of Asahikawa (旭川), has been the "oasis" of the city since Meiji 43 (明治四三), that is year 1910.. inside this park are also some cultural institutions such as Hokkaidō Asahikawa Art Museum (北海道立旭川美術館 Hokkaidō-Ritsu Asahikawa Bijutsukan), Asahikawa City Central Library (旭川市中央図書館 Asahikawa-shi Chūō Toshokan) and Asahikawa Youth Science Museum (旭川市青少年科学館 Asahikawa-shi Seishōnen Kagakukan).. [Reference]
Asahikawa Japan - Tokiwa Park
#4A-F5 ■ ■
... and of course, there were flowers in the park, beautiful and colorful blooms of many kinds of flowers!! one who love flowers would sit there for the whole day admiring them, i bet.. but don't ask me to name the flowers, because just like fish, all types of flowers are just "flowers" to me, muahaha!! okay, i hope you were not distracted by that photo of my "signature pose", i said i need more practice, didn't i?? hehe~~ :D
Asahikawa Japan - Tokiwa Park
#4A-F6 ■ ■
trees and flowers are probably what a park must have and expected to have (maybe not for Bolehland's parks, haha!!).. the Tokiwa Park (常磐公園 Tokiwa Kōen) has also got a huge pond with fountain in it, called the "Pond of A Thousand Birds" (千鳥池 Chidori-chi).. for a public park so nicely planned and built and upkept, no wonder it is named as one of the best parks in Japan [Reference]..
Asahikawa Japan - Enjoying Kyoho Grapes and Cherries in Tokiwa Park
#4A-F7 ■ ■
with good weather, nice park and beautiful scenery, what's better than to stop and enjoy what we had in front of our eyes?? hence, a "pseudo" picnic we had in the park, savoring fresh fruits we got from the mini market just now - big and juicy Kyoho grapes (巨峰ぶどう Kyohō budō) and Nanyō cherries (南陽桜桃 Nanyō Ōtō) of the Rainier breed, paid ¥864 and ¥324 respectively.. while slurping the juice that spurt out of the fruits, i thought, what a bliss to slow down for a break, and appreciate what we have around us, simple things can be happiness too!! :)
Asahikawa Japan - Asahi Bridge from Tokiwa Park
#4A-F8 ■ ■
by Tokiwa Park (常磐公園 Tokiwa Kōen) is this Ishikari River (石狩川 Ishikari-gawa), longest in Hokkaidō and third in Japan, that flows through the cities of Asahikawa (旭川) and Sapporo (札幌).. okay, you may not see the river in the photo due to the maintenance work on the embankment, hihi.. on the far end is the Asahi Bridge (旭橋 Asahi-Bashi), one of the 740 bridges across the 130 rivers flowing in Asahikawa (旭川), that has been one of the symbols of the city since its completion in 1932 [Reference].. it is said to behold a beautiful sunset view, but with those construction works, ah, we had to just forget about it :p
Asahikawa Japan - Asahikawa Museum of Art
#4A-F9 ■ ■
we left the park passing by the cultural institutions mentioned above, and shown in this photo above was the Hokkaidō Asahikawa Art Museum (北海道立旭川美術館 Hokkaidō-Ritsu Asahikawa Bijutsukan) and surrounding beautiful sculptures.. my personal favorite would be the one on the bottom right, where you can see a hundred littlehuman sculptures in different lively forms lined up on the huge arc [click here to see a larger photo]..
Asahikawa Japan - Cute building downtown
#4A-F10 ■ ■
it was about noon after a leisure stroll along the quiet Heiwa Street (平和通 Heiwa Dori) and a relaxing stay in Tokiwa Park (常磐公園 Tokiwa Kōen).. as we were walking back to the hotel to meet up our friend for the next destination, these were two interesting building i saw.. on the left a cute looking police station and patrol car.. on the right, guess what this yellow building is??

okay, that was the morning of day 4, a rather leisure morning in Asahikawa (旭川).. continuing to another destination in the afternoon, one of the highlights of this trip, friend drove us all the way out of the city for beautiful flowers and lavender farms!! coming up the second post of day 4, stay tuned!! :)

travelogue posts in this series:

240 comments:

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  1. Good morning SK and all...wah day 4....lavender?

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    1. aisaey not yet sampai lavender post ah...was looking forward to it leh.....

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    2. Kucing nombor satu today :)

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    3. Mama Kucing menang kali ini. Syabas! :)

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    4. no lavender yet but got other nice flowers to see. Also SK posing too! LOL

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    5. only once in a blue moon kena 1st commenter.....

      ya lor...finally see SK posing in this post. Previous like SK shy shy to pose pulak

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    6. could go to see lavender on day 3 but then it was raining whole day.. so went there on day 4 so the post on lavender also belated lor, haha!! :p

      previous day haven't warmed up yet mah, somemore was in sacred temple so better don't "pose" lah~~ :D

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  2. wakakakaka....i just notice....see bikini version...ahem ahem...this function purposely for who ah.......for our kawaii Chris there ka?

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    1. betul my guess...today SK have some sore of gadget thingy....

      bikini have so much less picture than the bare it all version...


      Ahem....but how come bikini version like not enough umph geh....sure Kawaii Chris gonna be sad liao :p

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    2. Kucing ...eh...what kawaii Chris... I am not kawaii la... hehehe..

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    3. Not kawaii but uglii?

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    4. hahaha, since not everyone can take the joke, i've already changed to a more explicit explanation for each option already :p

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    5. Explain also no use. Hamsap lou when see certain words, their brain will zoom in and ignore other words XD

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    6. that is why hamsap lou (like you) can be so easily trapped!! muahahaha~~

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    7. LOL, agree with SK, this word is good in trapping hamsap lou xD

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    8. you change the words also useless la...people see "Bare" "see thoughh" "Skimy" "bikini"...people will straight think of otherwise la.... LOL

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    9. that's the intention mah.. use these skimpy, bikini, bare-all, see-through words to attract hamsap people, but the explanation there is to let the non-hamsap people know what they are all about mah~~ next post must use G-String, full-back, full-cup, half-cup you think?? hahaha~~

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  3. 4A-F1

    wei...dont say yourself stupid la.....at those timing, over here we very active liao leh. Mak Glam already run a few round of race liao lo. How to know their shop open so late.

    But good that you come out early ...can snap photos without having other people in the back ground. baru clear mah

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    1. I would expect Japanese to open their shops for business early, why this one so late?

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    2. haha, i didn't really mean we were stupid lah.. but actually the purpose also not to go shopping but then just that we had some time to spare before going for lavender in the afternoon.. good also lah, seldom see Japan being so quiet with no crowd at all~~ :p

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    3. and can snap nice photo in the morning lo....not so hot also.

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    4. yeah, indeed that time we walked out, it was a little chilly.. nice weather leh~~

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  4. #4A-F2

    wah the mini market double up as a "cafe"/makan place? any idea what sore of breakfast they offerred.

    Hmm....I think maybe like MBG here...if you buy the fruits there, and eat your breakfast there, you can ask them to cut and serve those fruits for you. nice and relaxing leh...after tummy full...then buy some seafood or vege back home and cook for lunch Muhahaha

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    1. it's actually a shop that is setup like a wet market.. inside separate sections (or stalls) selling veggie, selling fruits, selling seafood and also cooked food.. the food like the bento food lor, but no dining space there, people just buy and go only..

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    2. ooo...no dining space ah...then cannot sit and enjoy. all buy tapao home

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    3. yeah, no space to makan just bought and go.. it's a mini wet market, not a cafe mah, haha!!

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  5. Morning morning.. Today everyone wearing what colour to work?

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    1. Yep, day4 today.. Without wasting much time, come, let’s start..
      Eh wait, I clicked on the bikini and see-thru version.. Don't really get it leh..

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    2. Oohh, so this time, your hotel is just walking distance from the train station, ok lor and also shopping malls, yay! Better lor.. Rather than taking-luggage-walk-to-bus-station-take-bus-go-to-train-station thingy..

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    3. Haha, when you said few of you were the “stupid” ones coming so early, then say actually wanted to feel the quiet side of this bustling area, eleh, “lah farn zha sar” ahh? Hehehehe.. Where got people say ownself stupid one.. Not stupid la, dunno only.. Not your territory, so of coz dunno lor..

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    4. I like your yellow pants, very yau ying oohh..

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    5. I quickly scroll down to see what fruits you guys bought.. Oohh, nice.. Grapes and cherries.. If you don’t tell, I thought they look more like blueberries and tomatoes..

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    6. Today day 4A, means got 4B somemore.. Enuff days to post mou for this month?

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    7. bikini version have less photo ..just like strip tease la. While the bare it all is talking A-z lo.....but think Chris gonna be disappointed by the bikini version leh

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    8. Kucing - hahah... i want the bare-all-see-through... hahaha....

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    9. Good afternoon Princess Ribbon,

      I wore grey brown today. No bright colours cos paying respect for the dead mah but many people do not know. Some wore bright pink to office today. Eh, I missed the yellow trousers, must reread the post again.

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    10. now i started to know more about what kind of person Princess Ribbon may be.. probably one who act straight forward before she would stop and look around and probably give things a shot.. haha!! and why like "emperor not worry eunuch worry" and keep counting how many days i have for this month?? i only said i will blog about Japan for this whole month, but never say i will get it done within this month woh.. or probably you were counting because you are getting bored with my repeating long-winded posts about Japan.. hahaha!! i know i know.. but my own blog, my like my suka!! hihihihi ^^

      actually we didn't purposely went out to shop lah, we walk out straight away was the shopping area only mah.. somemore we have got time to spare before going for the lavender at noon mah.. hahaha, blueberries, probably lah.. but tomatoes?? errr, sure or not?? you got short-sighted or presbyopia ke?? hahahaha~~

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    11. uiks......SK so pandai with word play also ah...I have to read twice or thrice lo......say blog whole month but not say wrapped up in a month...lol...i also tak perasan wanna query about that. ...

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    12. huh?? i never intend to play with words also woh.. i just warn that this whole month i'll write about the trip, really never mention about wrapping up or get it done in the same month woh.. :p

      this is all i said "i shall be writing more posts with details throughout this month"..

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  6. #4A-F3

    LOL....finally signature pose.

    look left look right...lucky nobody is there else they wondering what is this guy doing ....then must tell them I am the famous Malaysian Blogger...the Great Prince Thiru....duno what from the City of Chennai :p

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    1. haha, of course see nobody around baru do this signature pose mah.. but then sometimes don't care also lah, i am a tourist!! hehehe~~

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    2. tourist "big all" Muhahaha.....sure or not....nanti people see u what this guy doing...LOL

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  7. #4A-F4

    I thought it was just a walk in the park. Rupa-rupa in it have so many things ya

    guess the Hokkaidō Asahikawa Art Museum,Asahikawa City Central Library, and Asahikawa Youth Science Museum not open yet so early .

    I would like to take a peek in the library and Asahikawa Youth Science Museum. Not so keen on Art. Maybe Xioa Ying would love the Hokkaidō Asahikawa Art Museum.

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    1. It' a cultural park!!

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    2. Eh! Our park oso got so many things to see!

      Go walk around lake garden - lotsa stuff one! :)

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    3. yeah, it is really a very nice park.. and i would like to go to our own park here also, but then thought of the hot and humid weather, errr, gave up.. unless we can have cooling weather like 15°C~~ :p

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    4. Aiyoh.... so manja! LOL

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    5. Ya, actually you guys seen quite a lot with just this morning, good, if for me I'll feel a great sense of achievement! Fully utilise the time we have when travelling ma!

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    6. lake garden ah...went once ot twice only during school days pak tor time....those days have the deer park...bird park lor...if not mistaken no need to pay...now have to pay already

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  8. #4A-F5 ■

    how can!!!? How can not take photo of the flowers from 10 angles?...those must be lovely flower leh...Like Anay take the photo of the flower with Letchumi in the background leh

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    1. photo double click cannot enlarge geh...cannot really "teliti" see whether the signature pose is correct porportion or not? Got shadow in your face la. Cannot see...is it wearing sunglasses?

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    2. Wah, Small Kucing here is doing a photo by photo commentary. Sure has to write essays for each photo - very diligent. Cikgu gives 100% markah for every description on each photo.

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    3. errr, i may be taking photo of the flowers from different angles, but it is never my style to post multiple photos of the same object here lor, it's so redundant, you notice that or not?? haha.. just choose one best one to share enough lah..

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    4. SK,
      Agree.

      Too many photos of the same thing but different angle can tax your readers also.

      Show key photos to highlight the post we OK already. More photos, we stalk your FB album if you put any there. Hihihi

      But if you want to do it, I still browse through ;)

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    5. SK susah susah select photo and post up...so must also teliti each photos and comment on what SK posted up la.SK need lotsa brain juice to write commentary on each photo leh.

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  9. #4A-F6

    i wonder why is it called "Pond of A Thousand Birds" . Morning or evening a lot of birds come here?

    There is a "pond" if you can call it there in the housing area here...evening many burung bangau come to the pond and catch fish to eat.

    I wonder is it the same over there. Could be a haven for the bird watcher. no need go out of the city can see many birds there

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    1. i have no idea too.. but i just literally translated it from it's name 千鳥池.. maybe there's really a beautiful story behind??

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  10. #4A-F7

    Am not really crazy about grapes but the cherries looks so yummy leh ..and so big some more...Must be juicy leh. Banyak cantik you all...can picnic there makan healthy fruits. Weather so cooling some more. No wonder come back malaysia so refreshed la

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    1. I love both ! They seems very juicy and big. The climate over there is just nice for these citrus fruits. A great snack for SK's stroll at the park!

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    2. Me too prefer cherries. This type we can't get here. The colour also very pretty.

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    3. I am greedy, I want to eat all the fruits in the photos.

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    4. yeah, i don't remember seeing this type of cherries, what we can have here are usually those deep red ones.. anyway, just try as much as we can things we rarely see or find lor.. the grapes also, my first time tying this grapes after hearing so much about it, here can go like RM80 for a bunch leh..

      errr, ChrisAu, i don't think cherries and grapes are citrus fruits lah.. :p

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    5. Meow,
      Kyoho grapes are special.

      Taste really good.

      I think grapes is one of the things that after eating them in Japan, the ones bought in Malaysia doesn't taste so good anymore to me! Hehehe

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    6. ya wor...here all the cherries i see are deep red. Texture soft. The ones SK posted up look like more chrunchy type.

      LOL...everything eat there and then more sedap la. Bring to Malaysia already sprayed with chemicals to make it last longer. so the taste will be"out" some how lor

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  11. #4A-F8

    LOL was going to ask what so special about the bridge or the photo......saw the jalan like have potholes. Oooh rupa rupa its the river. But i think after the construction works is done, it will be very scenic la.

    Like the "river" near Kinta Riverside hotel in Ipoh. When we went there it was under construction. ugly. but now saw some bloggers blogged about the night scene there. so nice

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    1. Kucing - still got construction there meh ??

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    2. hahaha, actually if there was no construction work there, i supposed it would be a very nice view.. actually the other end got one very nice castle-like building, i didn't show it here because all the trucks and cranes spoilt the view already..

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    3. no more construction there lor, Chris. That time we went was 2 yrs ago i think

      maybe next time u go visit there again the place will be unrecognisable liao

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    4. I mean SK, maybe next time u go visit there again the place will be unrecognisable liao

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  12. #4A-F9
    wahhhhh amazing..... the enlarged photos...how the heck they have the patience to carve all those human there. What does it symbolise ya? sure got meaning one leh

    It's so big leh. can see it's taller than lamp post.

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    1. yeah, i was impressed by that sculpture, i roughly counted there are like 100 human carving there.. the title for the sculpture is something lining up, can't remember already.. errr, not taller than the lamp post lah, it's just the angle issue only~~

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    2. Oh itu macam ah....able to see the human carving is of what or not...like maybe it's soldiers...a busy street scene or something?

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  13. #4A-F10

    LOL......betull what i guessed...was going to say noodle shop...coz saw the table and chairs outside.

    The police station and car....hmm....I better not say anything .

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    1. wah, meow very clever leh.. hahaha, something wrong with the police station and car that you did not want to comment?? hehe~~

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    2. the three monkeys..hehehe....must practice what we preach :p

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  14. Yes! yes...lavender.....looking forward to that......when? Monday post or Tuesday? please add in 10 angles of same flowers all....Muhahahaha........Mamarazzi "fatt fa thin"(gone nuts about flowers)

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    1. me tooo ...got lavender hor?

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    2. Me too banyak suka pretty flowers!!

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    3. I like pretty flowers too.

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    4. surely will have photos for the lavender, but then sorry lah, won't post like 10 photos of the same thing lah.. this is not my style.. you want to see more, can google lah, i think those in Provence, France is way more stunning than what i saw in Japan :p

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    5. I remember Mamarazzi is a flower lover, sure she loves all flower posts that SK shares! Hehe..
      Anyway those flowers are really very pretty, even for a person who doesn't know much about flowers (like me) will love it too! See liao mood also becoming better!! If being there, lagi syok, can smell all the freshness and nice scent of the flower field!

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    6. tak sama mah if to google...coz the way you capture a photo is different from other people leh SK *kipas kipas kipas* ...LOL...some more so many flower lovers here ...muhahahaha

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    7. eh betul wor, Hayley. I thought when go Lavender farm the "smell" will be very strong but that day went to the one in Genting Highland., the scent was "soft" like a song playing in the wind.

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  15. I am eyeing the fruits! Fresh some more.. grapes, I love.. cherries I love.. and I think I will end up buying lots of them! Never taken orange cherries before.. looks like cherry tomatoes? No, second look, they don't... anyway, do try them all... slurp!

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    1. haha, we also ate a lot of fruits while we were there.. since being there already, don't go and consider that much lah, just makan what we felt like makan lah.. we never know if we will be going back or not, or if we are, also may not be the same season..

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    2. Yes, if for me, I'll do the same like SK, no need think so much, makan first, hehe! Especially those food that we cannot find here in Msia!

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    3. yea wor....those cherries looks so yummy. Bet if Claire was there she would borong like what she did when she was in USA.. LOL

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  16. Morning SK and everyone!

    Good, continuation of Japan trip! I shall now slowly read the post.

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    1. Day 4 is clear blue skies with some white fluffy clouds! Luckily no more rain. It is convenient to stay at a hotel near the train station. And lagi best that it is just walking distance to the Heiwa Dori Shopping Park! Interesting that it is a pedestrian only shopping park. It is good to go out early and avoid the crowd. Easier to take photos too with no "obstructions".

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    2. I like going to shotengai. So nice to walk around and feel the local vibe too. ^^

      The one in Osaka... the covered area with shops is a shotengai too, by the way. :)

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    3. yeah, day 3 was raining the whole day, guess the quota all used up already, ahah!! day 4 was indeed one very fine sunny day.. ah, yeah, the hotel is downtown and just within few minutes walk to the Asahikawa Station and the shopping area..

      oh i love the shotengai too!! like you said, it's nice to feel the vibe, but we didn't actually have much time for that this trip.. got lah, we went to the Tanukikoji in Sapporo, but it was closing by the time we went there.. unlike the one in Osaka, fuyoh, opens till late night..

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    4. Osaka is like an anomaly from the rest of Japan right?

      Even nearing midnight, still can see shops open.

      Whereas elsewhere, by 8pm quiet already.

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    5. Except drinking joints lah :P

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    6. the rain followed you back to malaysia already la, SK...LOL now daily raining here.

      Lucky tarak rain 4th day else would be a bummer. dont really like raining during vacaion coz many activities cannot do

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  17. Haha.... The rain before cleared the skies for day 4 for you guys. Not too bad , you all have a good rest after all the travelling and get ready to go out and play again.

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    1. yeah, the rain cleared the skies and used up the quota on day 3, so we had day 4 with a very nice sunny weather..

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  18. Yeah I was surprise too how come it was so quiet since it is the shopping belt in asahikawa. Lol. .. The skies are really blue and it was a bright morning. This place has been there for so long , must be a very established shopping belt there.

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    1. You should take a photo again when all the shops opened. Then we can see how busy it was as well as you guys can shop around too. Hahha ..

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    2. haha, early 9-plus in the morning, i guess the shops open around 11am.. anyway, we didn't intend to do shopping also lah, just that we came out of the hotel and there we were only~~

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  19. It's nice to enjoy a quiet time at the streets anyway. I guess an hour later , the folks will come in and the plac shall become bustling again. So , you guys finally found a shop opened in the early hours. The fruits looks fresh and colourful. Well , it seems to be these are more like shops than malls here.

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    1. we took another route back to the hotel, so didn't manage to grab a glimpse of the shopping street, but i bet it was surely packed with people.. anyway, it was a Monday, i guess the crowd would be less.. oh yeah, it's more like a street with shops at both sides..

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  20. The grapes and cherries look really good. Besides juicy, I guess they are sweet too since the weather there is so perfect for these fruits. Yes , slowdown and enjoy the fruits.

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    1. the grapes is not that sweet but a little sourish, it's supposed to taste like that.. heard about this for so long and this time finally can taste it, haha!! over here, can be like RM80 a bunch you know??

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    2. wow... that's really expensive! hahha...

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    3. Next time go pick grapes at a budou-gari.

      Cheaper. Hahaha

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  21. Hahah ...Your signature pose is back !! Oh ..The 7th street seems very quiet. Nobody came out for a walk or jog or something yet ? Anyway , I like being in a less crowded place.it feel so relax unlike SG where there are crowds everywhere.

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    1. errr, still too early on a Monday morning for people to go shopping i guess?? haha.. actually nothing special about that street lah, it really looks very common~~ :p

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  22. Wow...so many museums inside that park. It's probably designated as a cultural place there. I wonder if u guys need to pay an admission fees to the museums ?

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    1. I wonder what is the half rounded monument near the museums ? It is in your last pix.

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    2. yeah, probably you are right.. errr, we didn't check them out, because just briefly stayed and leaving the park to go back to the hotel.. yes, the sculptures are all in the park around the museum..

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  23. Very beautiful sceneries of colourful and a varieties of flowers !!! I guess probably it's summer and the summer flowers are blooming after the spring. You looks like you are going fall into the bed of flowers with your signature pose. Hahah. ....

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    1. yeah, i guess they should have different flowers for different seasons, or maybe other than winter lah.. hahahaha!! i was actually trying to balance myself doing that pose lah, my friend didn't managed to snap in time.. :D

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  24. Oh, look at all those fresh fruits! I would love to sample them especially the cherries. We don't get that type of cherries over here, only the dark ones. Too expensive to import I suppose.

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    1. Here at Taiping lagi rare, usually just the dark ones, and it's very expensive!

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  25. Yeah , it seems a well maintained park rather than those in boleh land. Got pond , museums and lots of flowers !! Did u throw any coins into the pond to wish for something ? Hahha .... I guess there are a variety of birds flying here since it was named thousand birds .... lol.

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    1. yeah, indeed a very well kept park that is.. errr, throw coins into the pond?? i didn't have coins with me leh~~ :D

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  26. Too bad there's a construction at the asahi bridge else you guys can enjoy the sunset later of the day. Wait....asahi sounds familiar ..... like some beer. :D

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    1. I wonder of the asahi beer originated from here ? Japan always have nice beer !!

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    2. yeah, too bad that those bulldozers and trucks and cranes spoiled the nice view of the river and bridge.. haha, yeah, Asahi Beer, but i have no idea if it comes from the same place :p

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  27. I like the monuments at the cultural institutions. So I bet you guys didn't go inside the museums ? Anyway , it seems very quiet there. I guess it's still early or people have to work rather than visiting museums. The sun seems shining very bright on that day. I guess u guys must be sweating ....hahha. ..

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    1. nope, we didn't go to any of the museums, we were just passing by on the way heading back to the hotel.. errr, it was bright and sunny, but the temperature was acceptable, so we didn't actually sweat lah..

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  28. The police car looks very cute. If I didn't remember wrongly , my kid has a little replica of this police car where I got for him in takara tomy. The yellow building ....hmm.... is it your hotel or the police station ?

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    1. haha, you must go back and search for this takara tomy car.. the yellow building?? click on that "Tell Me What It Is" button to find out lah~~

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    2. Seems like many doesn't realize the Tell Me button wo! :p

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  29. #4A.F1 "Stupid" is as stupid does..haha

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    1. Bananaz is as banana as the bananas!! :D

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  30. Without rain will have more posts izit? A wild guess you probably stop at 4D?

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    1. you want me to stop at 4Z also can~~ :D

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  31. No got see a single bird in "Pond of A Thousand Birds"? hehe

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    1. Yeah... where are the birds ?? ehehehe...

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    2. the bird bird is hidden~~ :D

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  32. That must have been a very nice walk along the 7th Street Green Belt. So serene and quiet with greenery. Ah, your signature pose! Yes, it lacks a certain something but I can't describe it hah..hah..maybe you were trying hard to balance on one foot?

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    1. oh yeah, it was actually a very nice walk along the quiet shopping street, the green belt as well as the park.. hahaha, you are right, i was actually trying to balance myself doing that pose, my friend didn't snap in time~~ :D

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  33. Haiyar!!! Where are the bare all see though photos leh? What a let down! Muahahahahaha!!!!

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    1. I love browsing around the markets overseas - looking at all the things, different from ours and always so clean...plus the nice cool weather, I would not be perspiring from every pore like when I go to our wet markets here, feeling all sticky and uncomfortable.

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    2. That's the police station? Interesting. One thing I enjoy travelling overseas - seeing all these things, so different from ours here. Here, you see big white and blue buildings - you know already - police HQ, stations or flats, everywhere the same in Sarawak - dunno in the peninsula.

      The yellow building? Is that a hotel?

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    3. The park is indeed so very nice. Trouble with ours here - nice at the beginning, after some time, not anymore. No/poor maintenance...after all the hoo-haa, all the festivities and celebration at the grand opening.

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    4. I also looking forward to the bare-all-see-through ... :(

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    5. It's a beautiful park!! Well maintained by the authorities as well as the people I guess. I assume they don't anyhow throw rubbish and keep the park clean like some boleh parks.

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    6. The ones here, the town authorities do their best to maintain everything nicely and they even employ people to pick up whatever litter and keep the places clean all the time. So they are clean despite the people...not because. I am sure the people there are more disciplined and cultured and have a lot of respect for public property, not like the ones we have here - even those classy ones driving luxury cars - I've seen them throwing things out of the car window - mineral water bottle, tapao food containers...and needless to say, tissue paper, a lot!!! Just can't understand the mentality... :(

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    7. yeah, i really enjoyed myself exploring in the markets very much.. so much things to see and many times can find really nice surprises too.. and the park, i have to say, i am not someone who would go to parks in KL (mostly because of the hot weather), but under such a cool weather in Japan, and with such a nicely built and maintained park, it was such a relaxing morning to be able to stay there and have a little "picnic" on my fruits~~ :)

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    8. Yes, so nice just to sit around, enjoying the beauty, the peace and quiet...munch on some snacks and basking in the wonderfully awesome weather. I even do that on a bench by the street...relaxing, watching people go by. Wouldn't want to do that here - so hot...and the humidity and the polluted air - imagine sitting at those roadside cafes at Bukit Bintang. No, thank you.

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    9. and also only if one has got the time to do so.. not in a rush but has got a whole day to sit there enjoying life.. that would sure be something that can prolong your life!! :)

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    10. I think it's a breeze to be able to 'picnic' there, cause of the weather. Here, how to picnic with ease of mind when weather is so hot?
      But I do see quite a lot of people go picnic at lake garden taiping, even at 1pm!! (When the sun flares is the brightest) May be those are very family oriented people la, I even see parents bring their kids to play at the playground at 12pm.. =_="

      For me, no thanks, I will go either morning or late evening :p

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  34. I always dislike rainy weather during travelling, so troublesome and inconvienent, good weather is the best...

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    1. and Sharon likes to talk about weather the most~~ :p

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    2. SK very observant, and 记性很好~

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  35. So the Tokiwa Park is at the end of the 7th Street Green Belt. I like that the walk along the tree lined street leads to a beautiful park. It is amazing that this park has been an oasis of the city since 1910! It is wonderful that the park houses the cultural institutions, library and museum.

    Oh, I love those flowers! Could you smell the flowers? I would have loved to walk around admiring the colourful and pretty blooms. A signature pose among the flowers hah..hah...

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    1. I would have gone bonkers looking the flowers and taken pictures of everyone of them. Each flower I probably snap 5 or 6 photos hah..hah...And maybe like Meow want to snap from 10 different angles. So siau over flowers!

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    2. yeah, since 1910 and it still looks like a new one, we can see how well the authority has been maintaining the park huh?? and such a well planned park too with cultural institutions built within the compound.. errr, i don't think i smell the flowers, probably i didn't know but the air was certainly very fresh..

      hahaha.. so i guess you would stay one whole day inside the park and don't need to go anywhere else!! :p

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  36. There is even a pond with a fountain. I like that name - Pond of a Thousand Birds. I son't seem to see any birds from the photo.

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    1. i didn't see birds too, but that's what i literally translated from the name.. probably a beautiful story behind?? :)

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  37. The weather was indeed very good! How nice to just sit there, relax and eat fresh fruits. The beautiful cherries are really calling put to me hah..hah...They are so pretty. So do they taste sweet? Or sourish sweet? And how about the grapes? The look quite different from the ones we usually get over here.

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    1. aiyah lagi typo! "calling out"

      I keep scrolling and looking at the cherries. Beh tahan hah..hah...

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    2. oh yeah, it was nice that we sat under the shades of the trees, savoring those juicy fruits and enjoying the beautiful view of the pond and flowers, and also breathing the fresh air.. relaxing!! haha, not particularly sweet, but the Kyoho grapes are supposed to taste a little sourish..

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  38. 740 bridges over 130 rivers! I am amazed!

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    1. an impressive info i found post-trip~~ :)

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  39. It would be interesting to go inside the Art Museum to view the exhibits. But of course, that is if you are into the arts. That would need time and perhaps could not be fit into your schedule.

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    1. yeah, surely would be nice to be able to go into the museum and take a look at the exhibits.. but we were just passing by on our way back to the hotel..

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  40. The police station is a nice simple building. And hah..hah...ramen shop! How convenient to jalan-jalan already, terserempak with a ramen shop. But too bad that it was not that great. I wonder why the lady boss sour face? Maybe she was having a bad day.

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    1. haha, i think we kind of saw a lot of different ramen shops all over the city.. just that we didn't have that much time to savor them all.. no idea why the lady boss had a sour face, anyway, not important also lah.. :p

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    2. Some bosses memang like that one wo, not necessarily because she/he is having a bad day, may be that's their 'natural' look, hehehe... 天生的。。

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  41. I sure look forwards to the flowers and lavender farms in the next post!

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  42. Cherries and grapes!!!!

    I love them.

    Envy SK so much!!!!

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    1. Mak Glam has tasted more of Japan than i did lah.. i envy you more~~ :p

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    2. I'm learning a lot from your trips now. I haven't been to Japan for ages! Dunno anything already!!!

      I think I need consultation from both you and Angeline soon! :)

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    3. Mak Glam is being humble here, xD

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  43. 讀完你咁詳細嘅描述,猶如親歷其境,好似去咗旭川一樣。

    我估黃拉拉應該以前喺一位拉拉妹!

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    1. 猶如親歷其境?? 係褒定貶先?? 哈哈..
      黃拉拉, 老闆娘個樣其實似個中國婦人, 可能就係佢個名~~

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  44. Good afternoon SK,

    Nice to see your signature pose in two photos. The one in the garden looks like a statue. I suggest you have a contest for your readers to give a special name to your signature pose. See how creative they can get, hehehe,

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    1. haha!! you mean i looked like a statue in the garden?? muahaha, i don't remember seeing such a "colorful" statue BTW.. errr, i am so not let you all name my signature pose.. though i know many readers are creative, but i know many have very CB mouth too!! better not let you all spoil things up, muahahahahaha!!! :D

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  45. The building with the "huang la la" banner on it is ramen restaurant!

    I found it here:
    http://hokkaido-info.net/asahikawa/gurume/ra-men/kirara.html

    Is this considered cheating?

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    1. hahaha, you don't actually have to google.. because i've given a "Tell Me What It Is" button below that you can click to read on~~ :p

      anyway, thanks for taking the effort to find it out!! :)

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    2. Yep, may be mun din't realise that button....

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    3. Sorry, sorry. I was reading using handphone so screen is small and I am old so cannot see that clearly. :)

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  46. Kyoho grapes and Nanyō cherries look yummy ^^ may i have some :P

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    1. you can get them in some supermarkets here too~~ :p

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    2. But not cheap right?

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  47. I dunno whether this is related or that I am racist or what...

    I've noticed that Japanese shopkeepers tend to look at us(yes, me included in this case) Chinese looking tourists with askance as they seem to have reservation dealing with mainland Chinese tourists.

    Usually sour looking obachan will be nice and started talking to us after noticing we spoke not in any decipherable Chinese sounding language. LOL

    Serious!

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    1. not only you but i actually realized that too.. and that is because you look like a Chinese like us too, muahahahaha!! maybe that's probably why the Kirara lady boss showed a sour face?? but i actually found her look like a Chinese and 黃拉拉 could be her real name in Chinese..

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  48. Sien... I saw the word bikini in one of the selection, press liao nothing to see zzz...

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    1. so what were you expecting to see?? :D

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    2. Press bikini, sure expecting to see some bikini lah, takkan expect to see fried rice? Just saying it as it is :D

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    3. Haha, this SK sure pandai in using words to lure people to click... :p

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  49. wow, ramen shop! I sure wouldn't miss it if I were there!

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    1. if you are on DIY you sure won't miss it, but no guarantee for following a packaged group tour, haha~~

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    2. SK, some can request one I think... Like when I went Japan last time, I din't get to buy any Burberry bag when we went Osaka. I sorta request to visit the mall again the next day, somehow the tour leader managed to squeeze out 1 hour for us to re-visit the mall and I got my Burberry handbag, hehe!

      Of course, it depends on the tour agent also la...

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  50. What bikini? Where got bikini? Where is the bikini? Show me show me, looks like I am the hamsap lui

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    1. press Ctrl+F or Command+F, type "bikini" in the box then select “Highlight All"..

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    2. Hahaha, can I click Like for SK's reply? xDD

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  51. thanks for sharing once again, enjoyed with those picture~ =D

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  52. nice experience of yours..the place is amazing...

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  53. Hmm, see God treat you all good ma, rained the whole day on day 3 but gave you shiny good weather on day 4! Fair and square la! =)

    Oh, too early... No wonder the street looks empty, but it's not that bad also, take the chance to 慢慢欣赏 the view, if not when the traffic gets heavy later, you might not be able to do that already.
    It'll be a totally different 'feel' already.

    That's the mini market? Cool! Their mini market is much more interesting compare to ours, haha! Look at the fruits they're selling! So colorful and fresh and seriously, all the fruits looks so inviting! For a fruit lover like me, I think I'll have a hard time deciding which one to buy, cause I will want to try all of them!
    That's the only shop which opens that time? I think that's because the target is auntie/housewife who comes out shopping early in the market, hehe!

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    1. That 7th street is really just like a normal street.. But with you posing inside, some more with the signature pose, sure adds 'colors' into it, haha xD

      This Tokiwa Park looks very nice, such a nice place to picnic! And also for a morning/evening walk.
      And are all flowers that beautiful in Japan? I remember yes! All are nicely maintained one, and don't know why, 外国的花花草草就是很美!And it's so colorful, seeing those flowers can really relax the eyes and mind huh?
      'all types of flowers are just "flowers" to me', hahaha xD

      Nice picks on the fruits, small and easy to eat, compare to the melons (takkan buy melons right? Heavier and need to slice one, hehehe).
      Their grapes are different, so as the cherries, but I bet both taste good!
      Correct, simple things can be happiness, just depends on individuals.

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    2. The river, sure not as dirty and polluted as what we have here lo right?

      Oh really, if din't click to view I really cannot tell there's littlehuman sculptures there! Interesting~

      Their police station is really cute, unlike Msia ones, big and very eye-catchy.
      So it wasn't a pleasant lunch at the ramen shop, cause of the lady boss? Aiseh, but I think it din't spoil your mood also la right?

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    3. I forgot to say, you actually provide short and long version, haha, very thoughtful! But me, I don't mind la, in fact I prefer the detailed version, can know/learn more ma!

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