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2014.09.10 | 北海道夏(5B)

[Volume 9 Issue 9, #1940]
Hokkaidō Trip Summer 2014 - DAY 5B of 8
A Bird's Eye View of Hakodate (函館)
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..
we spent the first half of day 5 was exploring Hakodate (函館) by tram and a bit of walking, that was rather on the "ground" i would put it.. in the evening, we proceeded to take a view of the city from "atop", claimed to be one of the world's most stunning as seen on Mount Hakodate (函館山 Hakodateyama) which is located at the southern end of the Kameda Peninsula (亀田半島 Kameda-hantō).. how beautiful you wonder?? read on.. :)
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Hakodate Japan - From Jyujigai to Hakodate Ropeway
#5B-F1 ■ ■
there are a few options to go up to Mount Hakodate (函館山 Hakodateyama) - drive, take a bus or cable car to the top, and to the cable car station, you can either walk, take a tram or bus.. of course we opted for cable car, and since we had the tram pass, we took a tram (towards either Yachigashira (谷地頭) or Hakodate-Dokku-mae (函館どっく前) direction), alighted at Jyujigai (十字街) and walked for 10-minutes up the slope of Motomachi (元町) area.. BTW, Hakodate (函館) is very tourist-friendly, just look for and follow these signs and you shall not be lost.. :)
Hakodate Japan - Mount Hakodate Ropeway
#5B-F2 ■ ■
okay okay, the cable car has actually got a more glamorous name, Mount Hakodate Ropeway (函館山ロープウェイ Hakodateyama Rōpuuei) [website] as you can see printed on the signboard and tickets.. single trip at ¥660 and round trip at ¥1200, show your tram pass to get a 10% discount, thus ¥1080 we paid.. if you do not have the pass, look around for the brochures rack near the ticket counter and pick up a discount voucher to enjoy 10% discount on the spot.. do not bother the station names printed on the ticket, there is just one station that we board at the foot (山麓駅 Sanroku-eki) and alight on top (山頂駅 Sanchō-eki)..
Hakodate Japan - Mount HakodateHakodate Japan - Mount Hakodate Ropeway
#5B-F3 ■ ■
as soon as the gondola ascended, we could already see a beautiful view of the city of Hakodate (函館) [2].. however, because we were not the first few to get into the gondola and secure a "strategic" place by the window, we were not be able to get a full view with the heads of other passengers blocking (all standing, there is no seat), not to mention take a good shot.. i know some may ask for photos of the cable car, well, but we were ushered to get in/out as soon as the gondola arrived, no time for that and the moving crowd made it even more impossible.. that explains why i have only two photos to share here.. :p
Hakodate Japan - Mount HakodateHokkaido Japan - Ramen Grand Slam
#5B-F4 ■ ■
the cable car trip was a rather quick one, especially felt quicker when we actually didn't manage to see more of the view than we were trying to, you get what i mean, haha!! anyway, in just a few minutes we were already at the top of the 334-meter high Mount Hakodate (函館山 Hakodateyama)..
Hakodate Japan - Bird's Eye View of Hakodate City from Mount HakodateHakodate Japan - Bird's Eye View of Hakodate City from Mount HakodateHakodate Japan - Bird's Eye View of Hakodate City from Mount HakodateHakodate Japan - Bird's Eye View of Hakodate City from Mount HakodateHakodate Japan - Bird's Eye View of Hakodate City from Mount Hakodate
#5B-F5 ■ ■
alright, i know i'm long-winded suspending and you can't wait to see more photos, haha.. but it wasn't quite a clear day, thus we could only see up to a limited distance.. plus, the photos were taken using my phone, hence they look "misty" and tones not standard, ooppss!! anyway, many things are way better to be seen in real.. this spot on Mount Hakodate (函館山 Hakodateyama) offered a panoramic view of the city, sandwiched between the Hakodate Bay (函館湾 Hakodatewan) [4] on the left and the Tsugaru Straigts (津軽海峡 Tsugaru Kaikyō) [5] on the right..
Hakodate Japan - Posing on Mount Hakodate
#5B-F6 ■ ■
we got up to Mount Hakodate (函館山 Hakodateyama) around 6pm and there was a reason.. we wanted to be able to enjoy both the day and night views one shot, hence the time.. sunset is at 7pm during summer and while waiting for sunset, other than lingering in the souvenirs shop and eateries, posing for photos was the best thing to do to kill time.. how do you like my running and jumping poses?? muahahaha~~ :D
Hakodate Japan - Night View of Hakodate City from Mount HakodateHakodate Japan - Night View of Hakodate City from Mount Hakodate Ropeway
#5B-F7 ■ ■
finally the moment we were waiting for, the sun has set, the sky darkened and lights slowly lit up.. sorry for the quality of the photo (from my phone), which does not let you see the real magnificence of the view, and hence no point for me to share more photos.. trust me, if you were there to see the real thing with your own eyes, you will be "breath-taken".. this night view of Hakodate (函館) is ranked together with Hong Kong and Naples as the world's best by the Michelin Green Guide, don't play play..
Hakodate Japan - Nice manhole and Tsunami Warning
#5B-F8 ■ ■
we stayed on the mountain for another hour after sunset, maybe it will be even more beautiful when the sky got darker and more lights lit up, but our "drumming" stomachs have already put up a strike.. so by the Ropeway we went downhill, blocked again by the overly excited tourists that did not care to give chance to others to go near the window, haiz!! anyway, not a big deal as there were still many other interesting stuffs to see.. for instance this random manhole on the road decorated with squid which is one of the famous stuffs of Hakodate (函館), and this rather "alarming" tsunami warning..
Hakodate Japan - Daimon YokochoHakodate Japan - Ochazuke for Dinner
#5B-F9 ■ ■
we got back to Hakodate station (函館駅 Hakodate-eki) and took a 5-minute walk to Daimon Yokocho (大門橫丁) which is an area of with many small shops running as traditional street stall style (屋台 yatai) [website].. most of the shops sell grilled skewers, they looked good and we wanted to try, but since all shops are small, we couldn't find a place to eat.. so we ended up having ochazuke (お茶漬け) instead, a simple dish of rice topped with savory toppings and then pour in with hot tea to serve - like how you eat cereals with milk, or something similar to our hakka lui cha (click here to see).. my first time trying (*jakun mode*) and i like it, something actually worth trying..
we went back to hotel after dinner and called it a day, since it was a long day for us (remember we woke up at 3:30am??).. the next day we had half a day in Hakodate (函館) before we set off back to Sapporo (札幌) late afternoon.. it was "ground" and "mountain" in day 5, what could day 6 be?? stay tuned.. :)

travelogue posts in this series:

208 comments:

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  1. I think I've been that place before leh, the cable car one, but mine time was during winter, it was cold and freezing, but I like to see everything in white, hehe!! =]

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    1. Must be super duper cold during winter in Hokkaido. Wow, you are really brave to go there during winter.

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    2. if you have been to Hakodate, i guess most probably you won't miss that.. hmm, winter huh?? must be very cold, but I guess Hakodate will be warmer right??

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    3. Yup, it was so long time ago like during my secondary school, form four I guess, 10++ back, hahaha!!

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  2. Morning morning everyone.. Wednesday blue heh.. Wednesday – not up, not down.. Oohh today is 5B eh.. Yep, I remembered 5A was about Hakodate, your “ngai sut” picture with the dogs, creamy rich fresh milk and melon sundae..

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    1. Let’s see what’s 5B is about..

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    2. Ok, I see a traffic light..

      Oops, that’s for the tram ehh.. Wow, fancy name for a cable car - Mount Hakodate Ropeway.. Call me broekn England, what’s a ropeway? Is it a word? Or it’s a name?

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    3. Oohh, I like the beautiful view you took from inside the cable car.. Bet it was cooling too.. Oohh all standing and no seats? Ok la, boleh la, the journey is not very long right.. I also prefer standing, if wana take pictures la.. But if it’s crammed and sardine-packed, then feel very suffocating also, with all the body odour, hahahaha.. Not only body odour la, mouth odour also leh..

      Talking about mouth odour, one of the managers here is a heavy smoker.. His mouth stinks, OMG.. Each time he comes over and opens his mouth to talk with me, I behtahan ahh.. Feels like covering my nose with my hand, but I know it looks very obvious and rude la.. I can’t hold my breath too long pulak, so no choice gotta smell it.. Oh dear, feels like vomitting ahh..

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    4. Eh. when I see you posing with your striking yellow pants, I straightaway scroll to your pictures and skip all your stories.. Sorry ahh, hehe, you know I’m very straight forward one ahh..I like guys wearing black shirt, very yau ying one..

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    5. Aikks, food picture only one? That ochazuke only ahh? But janji kenyang perut la..

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    6. Gendang gendut, tali kecapi
      Kenyang perut, suka hati

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    7. No tid bits after dinner? Is there any 7-11 nearby? If there is I would have walked to the nearest 7-11 to grab some snacks and tid bits, or any hello Kitty/Doraemon chocolates, or seaweed snacks..

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    8. I was stucked inside 7-11 for a long long time when I went to Tokyo lastime.. Their 7-11 has so many stuffs la, need a long long time to browse, you know la, aunty like me.. This touch a little, that touch a little, here touch a little, there touch a little.. Ended up buying so many stuffs like aunty kiasu - seaweed, cup noodles, miso paste, miso something, biscuits, peanut thingy, sweets..

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    9. Haha, aunty kiasu, I'm laughing at the word now..
      What about you, got uncle kiasu mou?
      Especially if you see special edition Kit Kat..

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    10. Talking about Kit Kat, I remembered you posted about Kit Kat, I mean, LOTS of it.. Even energy-drink Kit Kat, I'm wondering how would it taste like.. I tell you, if I see all those Kit Kat, I would buy ALL of them !

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    11. Eh, Princess Ribbon, not good to smell the mouth odour of smokers. Just say excuse me, need to go to toilet and cabut kuat kuat lah!

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    12. wah...Princess Ribbon really got lots to say over here..haha

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    13. just the name given lah, maybe last time they used to pull the cable car by rope lor, muahahaha!! they have strict policy also lah, even fully loaded they comply to the maximum weight and number of person.. cannot overload one mah.. so there is still a lot of space to breath even with lots of people lor.. you get what i mean?? anytime if i can smell odor from other people, i will smell my wrist - that's where i put on my fragrance.. hence, putting on fragrance is not only to make myself smell good, but also for unexpected emergency need~~ :D

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  3. Oh, I see your standard pose plus the ballet leap! Your yellow bermuda is very striking :)

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    1. How come I don't notice the colour of the clothes? I just see the pose only - so special.

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    2. muahaha.. maybe yellow is striking for Phong Hong but just normal to mun?? :p

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    3. Yellow bermuda looks youthful on SK la! I like. But, too bad the uncle Jin Jin in the house dare not wear one.

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    4. maybe Yannie shall force Jin Jin to wear all the colorful bermudas when you are on the cruise trip.. just pack all colorful bermudas in his luggage and he will not have a choice :p

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  4. Hahaha last time running pose, then jumping pose, now you have to do both together. I'm waiting for the 3rd pose XD
    Why call the cable car Ropeway lah? I have a phobia of [heights + no solid ground beneath my feet], if you tell me to get on a rope way, I will back off immediately and run screaming.

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    1. SK camera must be good too.. can snap the jump without the blur.. if I use my HP, it will surely be blur at the legs there.. hahahaa...

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    2. Think you have to set your phone camera mode into "speed" mode. Then can snap clear snap. My samseng phone have the "speed" setting ...I think your phone which is more advance than mine will have that function too. Go explore and next round post up pulak your Jump photo like SK LOL

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    3. Wah Real Gunners, if you go with a girl and she asks you to go up a glass bottom cable car, then how? Since you say you will always be the gentleman and treat the girl very, very nicely.

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    4. Mamarazzi, oh, notti to challenge Auntie Claire to do the jumping pose like SK. TM can do la, but you may be surprised that Auntie Claire can also do a jumping pose!

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    5. Hahaha if got girl then different story, a girl will make my courage increase 100 times XD

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    6. No, I do not have speed mode in my present phone now.. so that means I must go and look for a more canggih phone if I want to Jump or Pose like that... :)

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    7. i can't remember if my friend used my phone to take the shot or he used his camera.. anyway, just for fun only lah, haha.. and no joke, maybe Claire will be jumping to a height that shock all of us.. :p

      aiyoh, RealGunners gotta act macho in front of girls lah~~ :)

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    8. Everyone also do jumping pose, I must try when I go on Cruise tomorrow. Hopefully I won't fall inside the ocean or sank the ship like Titanic.

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    9. Yannie so slim and fit, sure can jump a lot higher than Thambee and Anay~~

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  5. High density city indeed!

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  6. Yes, I can imagine the magnificent scenery.. before and after.. or should I say.. day and night... different altogether.. the night scene is always more serene and beautiful and that includes romantic too!
    So you used the HP to take pictures... like me, I also like to use hp.. easier to carry and just click whenever I like.. cameras are more bulky but of course the pictures are sharper... see the difference? Lazy and not lazy? hahaha...

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    1. now handphone is very advance jor. Handphone camera also sometimes can compare to the normal camera quality....but one headache.....Memory card not big enough storage to keep those photos long in the phone. I keep having to transfer to the laptop else will kena "scolding" from my phone say memory low.

      Whole trip sk used his phone to snap pic...wah..his phone memory card must be very big

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    2. Most handphone can snap over 2000 to 3000 photos easily now. Meow using updated Samsung sure can snap over 5000 photos la....

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    3. SK is very smart when he plans this trip up the cable car. He chose the time that he can enjoy both the daylight and night time view. Really smart! I must remember to plan like this next time.

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    4. Yeah...go during 4pm? 5pm? then can enjoy both the day and night scene.. never thought of that... DIY tours can be done this way.. but if follow tour, either we see day or we just see night and that's it.. go up the bus and snooze all the way back to another place or hotel.. hahaha..

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    5. yeah, i bring my handphone good enough lah, because friends bringing their camera mah.. so when taking nice photos, i don't have to be the cameraman and can always be the one in the photos!! muahahaha.. can see with real eyes and if need nicer photos then mintak from friends lor.. hehe, smart kan??

      and i always plan those tower/hill visit during the evening time, so that can see the day view and stay until the sky gets dark then see the night view also.. one trip see all.. and Claire is right, DIY can do this, group tour maybe depends on your luck.. :)

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  7. Wonder one of the day will get to see SK & TM doing the pose n take picture n share with us, hehe...

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    1. That would be very special indeed, both of them do the same pose in mirror image in the same photo.

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    2. wow, that would be one very beautiful photo i suppose!! muahahaha~~

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    3. But then, this pose isn't easy to learn. One hand and one leg out, Yannie's hands and legs coordination is not good. Muahaha! Ok. I will try to jump in my newly bought bikinis. Stay tuned.

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    4. just jump whichever way you find it easiest and most comfortable lah, haha.. and make sure your bikinis are very very secured on your body yeah~~ :p

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  8. Good morning SK

    Wah today no longer on the ground but up up and away!

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  9. #5B-F1

    if given the option drive, take a bus or cable car...i think i would take cable car too. For the experience.

    a 10 minutes walk to the slope of Motomachi (元町) area is still quite far leh.

    Thank goodness for signboard

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    1. 10 mins where got far la dei! LOL

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    2. For you is a blink of an eye la.....for snail like me...belum sampai already need to stop for breather

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    3. Adoi...Small Kucing has 4 legs to crawl on, not tiring lah!

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    4. not far to walk 10 minutes lah, but maybe can be far to some people since it's walking up a slope.. but keep yourself focus with the front and forget that you are climbing, haha~~

      yeah, i think cable car is nice, or maybe taking bus also can see the view along the winding road..

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  10. #5B-F2

    aiks...no tram card and yet people can get discount. Your eyes very sharp wor to noticed about the 10% discount on the voucher.

    wah summer and winter time the fare is different leh for round the trip in group. Just too bad group means 15 and more. Hmm..they dont have family fare :(

    How long was the ride?

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    1. There's always discounts for groups, that I noticed. And by groups, it does mean BIG groups.

      Family fare not applicable to SK anyway. LOL

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    2. ahem ahem.....me thinking "if" i go mah...hahahaha.....

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    3. Small kucing still kindie age, most rides/entrance fees still free mah!

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    4. The 10% discount is quite good also.

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    5. i also saw they have the discount coupons in the hotel, i guess they put the coupons everywhere to lure people to go up.. haha, definitely no group discount for me lor, i will never travel in a group more than 6 lah.. unless i chip in other groups of tourists lah..

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  11. #5B-F3 ■

    Opsss...ignore my above question...3 minites. That is very fast leh. Just go in then come out liao. not much time to snap phone also leh

    from 2nd pic can see like whole area occupied....but can see the houses are arranged in neat rows.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. yalor, sekejap only sudah sampai, haha!! yes, i finally managed to find a place to slot in to take the photo, but as soon as i took that photo, already reached the station :D

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  12. #5B-F4

    Hmmm I can see what you mean last time that if know Chinese then not easy to be lost. Can see the sign ...one the rock. ...something something Shan. LOL....my lesen lembu chinese okay...

    Lovely cool view from there

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    1. haha, the signboards in Hakodate has got many types of languages!! you see, they have got Japanese, English, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Korean and Russian to cater for all the tourists!! i guess Hakodate is one of the more popular city in Hokkaido..

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  13. Hahaha You also took photo of the sotong manhole cover.

    There's another cool one - of the Red Brick Warehouse. Did you see that one too?

    I always love finding unique manhole covers in each of Japan cities we visited. They are so cool!

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    1. Found my two hakodate manhole cover post :

      http://urutoranohihi.blogspot.com/2012/11/cover-story-hakodate.html

      Promote blog sikit. hihihi

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    2. ah yes, i saw those.. but this one comes with colors so i took a photo, didn't take those with no colors, coz it seems like they are so common there.. haha!! nice kan, so many things to see even under our feet..

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  14. We missed out on going to the top for a bird's eye view of Hakodate as we were pressed for time the last time we visited Japan.

    Maybe we'll get to go and have the opportunity to pose like SK there. LOL

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    1. ah, so you just had a brief stay in Hakodate and where did you continue your journey next?? fuyoh, imagine the three of you posing the same in the photo, very nice!!

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  15. #5B-F5

    LOL...misty effect also can still see la. hentam aje lor. Not blur okay mah. Eh next time take the panoramic(is that the correct spelling) shot and see..

    adoi...cannot really see the star shaped Goryokaku ah...ahem ahem....bring binocular? :p

    Would be nice if they install those telescope on Mount Hakodate. Visitors can look see look see zoom zoom to the city below

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    1. Yes, yes, telescope! I was searching in my head for that word because all I can think is "teropong" hee...hee...

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    2. yes, i took a panoramic shot using my phone, but not showing here lah, too long already i think the page tak muat, haha!! there are paid binocular/telescope machine there lah, but you know lah, this Uncle if can save then he will try to save a lot one mah~~ :D

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  16. Tsunami warning can always be seen at coastal town. Before and more so after the 2011 tsunami.

    A grim reminder of how something so lovely as the sea can be so deadly too.

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    1. So true! This is really funny about our nature. All can be nice looking and feeling, yet can become deadly killers to mankind - Earth, Wind, Fire & Water.

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    2. so true, the nature can be very beautiful and yet there are chances they become deadly killers to mankind..

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  17. #5B-F6

    Like your running pose but the jumping pose had me heart jump out leh...so near to the railing...i wanted to shout now ...come inside a bit! Jump so high later fall over the railing leh.....

    too bad about the 180° view only. Good idea on going up just before the sunset. No need to wait long for the day to turn into night

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    Replies
    1. haha, no lah, i was quite far from the railing lah, just the shot makes you felt as if i was about to fall over, haha!! but still got one slope and road below there.. i think the 180° view is nice enough, because the other side would be the vast sea, and nothing much to be seen lor..

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  18. Sorry to be a grouch here... but some people read without really understanding what they read ah?

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    1. adoi...kena cili padi.....

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    2. cili padi is sedap.... ;)

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    3. Sorry, Cikgu! Comprehension tarak bagus.

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    4. Phong Hong.... LOL!

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    5. Who and what is Lina referring to? Siapa takrak paham apa?

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    6. errr, or probably didn't even bother to read?? :p

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    7. Hmm, but we cannot control this la, people come and click consider supported lo, hehe!

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    8. haha, true also lah, because i am also one of those in certain blogs too~~ :D

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  19. #5B-F7

    between the night iew and day view...i vote night view lo.Yes magnificent. For those who are into photography, they will surely go ga-ga over the view.

    2nd photo taken from the cable car?

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    1. err, both also nice lah actually, that's why i chose to go up evening time so that can see both views one shot.. yes, second one taken from cable car, got one auntie somemore taking video and stood there never allow others the chance to take a photo, so jahat!!

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    2. The night view one, harder to photograph la, but for those photography lovers, sure no problems, sure bring all the ka chang needed in order to get a perfect shot!

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    3. yeah, sure hardcore photography fans will not miss any opportunity to take photos.. sure they will have all the tripods, the long lens etc to the perfect shot..

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  20. #5B-F8

    adei....kasi chance la others to snap pic...only 3 minutes ride leh...why la they dont give way....

    manhole cover ah...hmmm...ours here i also tarak notice what motif....maybe DBKL word on it ...LOL.... Cute cover there. tarak kena curi to be sold to the besi buruk.

    takut jugak when see that sign...got further notice on what to do or where to head to when there is a tsunami?

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    1. ours put motif also later if not kena stolen, people will complain it's a waste of taxpayers money.

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    2. yalor, so angry with those people.. like never stop taking photos and somemore recording video for the entire journey.. but never mind lah, probably they didn't have much time and gotta rush back to their coach to go back to the hotel..

      errr, people will complain it's a waste of money probably due to how exorbitant the profit margin was quoted as well as some unnecessary introduction fees lah, administration fees lah, documentation fees lah, processing fees lah etc~~ :p

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  21. #5B-F9

    Not really into hakka Lui Cha

    But as you said something actually worth trying la. if with rice I dare to try . Others, am not that adventurous

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    1. I am not very keen hakka lui cha or the ochazuke. Feels like funny having tea poured onto rice. I might not like it.

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    2. But the ochazuke is really very tasty but then I also like to eat hakka lui char.

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    3. i don't like hakka lui cha at all also.. but then this ochazuke was very nice, not the strong lui cha taste but very mild like those teochew style porridge - soup over rice..

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    4. Seems like not many people like lui cha, hehe!
      Ya I agree it has a strong taste but then it's very healthy, plus it comes with lots of greens, so indeed very good for the body, and can detox the body too~

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    5. i think the smell is too strong, if milder like the ochazuke i had, then i would try lor, haha~~

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  22. Good Morning! Good Morning! Good Morning! Good Morning! Good Morning! Good Morning! Good Morning! Good Morning! Good Morning! Good Morning! Good Morning! Good Morning!

    I see Thambee's yellow pants and his coarse hair sprouting out from his pants!!! Muahahahaha

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    1. Aiyoyo showing his belly button again..

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    2. Good night TM. I cannot see what you mentioned because old already my eyesight not good and my specs are 10 years old.

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    3. only the hamsap people will imagine or fantasize what's in their mind but not on the photo~~ :D

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    4. ya lo, Anay is pandai, hiding all his bulu and belly inside his pants and securing with a belt la! Didn't see a tiny flesh of Anay in his jumping shots, SK, you must learn a bit la!

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    5. i where got show my bulu, the hamsap Anay put his words in my mouth only.. errr, show little bit only sexy mah, hahaha!! furthermore, if got good things to show, why not?? no need to hide~~ :D

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    6. LOL, this TM sure is good at yellow jokes! xD

      SK, haha, true, 有本钱的话怕什么show off! xD

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    7. because TM is himself a yellow joker mah, kekekeke~~ :D

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  23. There is a lot to process. My mind is not as focused today. But let's see, you were at the Goryokaku and did not go up the tower because you had hoped to see the star-shaped fort from Mount Hakodate. So now, you are on the way up the mountain.

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    1. Wah Phong Hong do summary of SK's post. Bagus!

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    2. hahaha.. too much info?? errr, but just one place only leh~~ :D

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  24. So when you alighted at Jyujigai and and walked for 10 minutes up the slope of Motomachi area, was it tiring? I suppose you are quite fit because you work out at the gym. Walking up the slope is no joke.

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    1. I don't think SK will find it tiring. He is so fit!

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    2. errr, to say it was not tired at all is not entirely true lah, but i just focus on quickly arriving at the station so i forget the tiredness~~ :D

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  25. A 10% discount with the tram pass is pretty good. And if you don't have that, still have a chance by picking up a discount voucher from the brochure. That's really nice! So there is a station at the foot and at the top of the mountain. So exciting! I have never been on a cable car before.

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    1. Not even to Genting Highland? The cable car ride to Genting Highland is quite nice. Once I sat in one all by myself.

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    2. yeah, such a nice gesture to give immediate discounts..but i am surprised, you have never been on a cable car before?? you are afraid of heights??

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  26. So this Mount Hakodate Ropeway is not something new. It was already there since 1958. I guess it would be a lot more comfortable in a 31-passenger gondola as opposed to 125-passenger gondola. I imagine what it is like hurrying inside with so many people. Yes, it is a pity we did hot get to see the cable car. I think I would feel a bit scared and apprehensive when the cable car starts ascending. Fear of heights! With so many people, it is quite difficult to get a good unless you managed to secure a place at the window.

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    1. I have been on a glass bottom cable car in Taiwan - the Maokong Gondola. Got to buy more expensive ticket to sit in the glass bottom cable car. Very nice, can see the tree tops from the top view.

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    2. err, it's not about how many passengers each gondola can take, but it's the space that you can have inside.. though the car was packed but i felt there was enough space to breath, not like being "sardined" inside our mini bus lah, haha..

      errr, anything that needs extra money, no need to consider, hahaha!! the normal cable car will do lah, furthermore all glass especially if can can see below through the bottom, would be a bit scary, hehehe!! :p

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  27. It is amazing that it takes only 3 minutes to reach the summit of the 334 meter high Mount Hakodate!

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    1. because the mountain is not tall also, just 334m, haha!!

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  28. Yes, the photos are misty but as you said, no point looking the photos because it cannot match what you see at the location with your own eyes. But still we have a good idea of what the city looks like from the top.

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    1. Of course photo cannot match what SK has seen with his own eyes but then the photos are good enough for us since we cannot see the view with our own eyes so must have photos. Thank you SK for the photos.

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    2. true, the photos sure cannot beat what i saw right in front of my eyes.. i guess you can just google and have more nicer photos than mine lah :p

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  29. Ah, so you can't really see the star-shaped Goryokaku and Goryokaku Tower from Mount Hakodate. Unless of course if you had binoculars, right? So did you regret not going up Goryokaku Tower?

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    1. haha, no, because the mountain is too far away from Goryokaku, if you want to see the star, better pay to go up to the Goryokaku Tower.. okay, i did not regret but if i am going there again in Spring, i may consider to go up to see the booming sakura.. :)

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  30. I guess you just had to have your running and jumping pose, yes? Good idea to go at a time when you would have the opportunity to see the daytime and night time view in a single day.

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    1. try to make it a point to do this every place i go lah, make it my signature!! ah yes, i always plan to go uphill or tower at evening hours, so that i can see both the day and night views one shot :)

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  31. Wow, you are so fortunate to be able to witness the night view of Hakodate which is ranked as one of the world's best by Michelin Green Guide. Truly something unforgettable!

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    1. yeah, i guess the thing that make it beautiful is that it's sandwiched between two seas..

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  32. All too soon, it was time to go back downhill again! Yeah, that tsunami warning is scary. That manhole cover with the 3 squids is rather cute.

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    1. come to think about it, nothing to be scared about but be warned than sorry, agree??

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  33. To bad that you couldn't get to eat the grilled skewers. I would imagine that they must be quite tasty and a nice change from having ramen. The ochazuke is quite interesting. It was actually tea that is poured over the rice? It looks more like plain water. Maybe due to the lighting. So it is like a soup then, with rice and the savoury toppings floating in the tea. I am also jakun, never eaten Hakka Lui Cha before. But I am guessing that if you had a choice, you would go for ramen.

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    1. Phong Hong,
      I love ochazuke. Can buy ready-made ochazuke from Aeon or Japanese store here. Pour hot water only oso OK. Eat it with kimchi for extra kjick. Yummy! :)

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    2. I agree with Lina. Ochazuke is yummy!

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    3. Ya kah? OK, I will look out for it, Must try at least once before I pass judgement :)

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    4. PH, you never try lui cha? I super love lui cha! Can also get those ready packed one, it's in a powder form, mix with hot water and become the lui cha soup already, as for the rice and ingredients, have to prepare by ourselves la!
      Speaking of this, I think I wanna go tapao tomorrow la, as lunch, but my throat is killing me, may be rice isn't a good choice afterall :(

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    5. yeah, the place was quite packed and when they were having skewers they tend to stay there for long, to eat and to drink and to chat.. so we had a quick ochazuke and i found that very nice.. i think i will do that at home, not that difficult i guess.. :)

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  34. You would have been so exhausted being up since 3:30am. I guess everyone just drifted off to dreamland the moment your heads hit the pillow. And then on to day 6, looking forwards to that :)

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    1. not too bad because i also managed to catch some sleep in the train.. but then true, good sleep that night :)

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  35. Thank you SK for so quickly writing part 5B. Reading your post, I can imagine the lovely view up there. It reminded me of my trip via Hakone Komagatake Ropeway up Mount Komagatake during my Hakone 1 day tour from Tokyo while my spouse was working. I went on the day tour alone to enjoy the view.

    Good that you managed to do your special running and jumping poses up the mountain. Nice! Anyway still nice to have 180 degree view although 360 degree view is not possible.

    Too bad that the shops were full and all of you could not enjoy the grilled skewers. The manhole is so nicely decorated with the squids.

    Like Phong Hong, I love to eat ochazuke. Had it in Kyoto when we went hiking on the Kurama-Kibune mountain trail. So very delicious - the ochazuke. That mountain trail is a very nice trail to hike.

    Back here, I have never ordered ochazuke in restaurants because I am just afraid the taste will never match the one I ate in Japan.

    All of you must have slept very soundly throughout the night as you all had a long fruitful day. Can't wait to read your day 6 post.

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    1. ah, this is a nice summary of my post, but added with mun's personal experience.. what a nice blend~~ :)

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    2. Hahaha, thank you for the reply. Have a nice day!

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    3. i will always try my best to reply to comments here :)

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  36. #5B-F1: I am rather surprised that Mount Hakodate has several modes of transport to go up there. It is not a low mountain but it must be quite wide to build road and tracks up unlike the steep looking Penang Hill which is tough to build for cars to go up. I would love to take cable cars anytime like I did so in China. Half cable car and half hiking up!

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    1. #5B-F2 ■ ■
      Wow! This is funny and unusual to call it Mount Hakodate Ropeway! Usually people would like to simply call it cable car rides or mountain trams in Europe. Your paid price doesn't sound cheap even after the given discount when I compare with their unlimited rail pass rides being offered. Never mind la, Thambee pays it and share with hundreds of readers here for free!!

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    2. #5B-F3 ■ ■
      I am also learning that it is called gondola as I thought gondola are the boats that ply in the romantic Venice's canals. So this is floating or flying gondolas! LOL
      You are so fortunate to see the beautiful view of the city of Hakodate while we see the photo instead. I would freak out if the workers shoo me to move on quickly. I need to snap photos until I am satisfied! Normally I would snap many gondolas even with Letchumy jumping in and off.

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    3. #5B-F4 ■ ■
      That is why I felt the price was stiff as the ride was so quick and short. 334 meter is shorter than Penang Hill but the view of Hakodate City is much nicer!!

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    4. #5B-F5 ■ ■
      The shape of the land and waters on both sides are so uniquely formed by mother nature but very nice! I could sit there for hours with a mug of hot coffee and admire the panoramic view until get drifted to dreamland. These views normally allow me to reflect my life and see the future of the humans down there in the city!

      I think you need to carry a mini compact camera in future as handphones can be a nightmare at times when it gets blurry or ran out of batteries! I carry a cheapo compact while Letchumy now carries her mini DSLR present. We hardly buy or shop in overseas so the photos are the priceless memories for us which would accompany any old aged people in future.

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    5. #5B-F6 ■ ■
      So you had to kill time just to wait for the sunset? So funny! I would have opened my picnic baskets and have a feast with friends. Oh well, your frog jumping pose and Usian Bolt's running on the spot looked great as usual. But the height of your jump was less than 1 foot high!! OMG! You must be overweight la Thambee dei!! You ate too much sushis and grand slam ramens until your your yellow pants wanted to rip apart at the zips!!! Muahahahahaha

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    6. #5B-F7 ■ ■
      Where did you hear that Michelin Green Guide ranked this city view so cantik? I am impressed that you could source for such news! I think they might also rank the night city views of NYC and San Francisco at par. Now you made me eager to visit Mount Hakodate if I ever go to Hokkaido someday. Thambee is so cleber to brag la, don't play play!

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    7. #5B-F8 ■ ■
      Nah! You guys got hungry and had to ropeway down quickly! I really would have brought along a nice picnic basket with fruits and burgers to munch! Who knows, there would be fireworks shooting up at the skies later that night and you guys missed it! You didn't mention whether it was chilly and breezy at night. Hey I love that sotong manhole covers! The Japanese are so smart to place interesting art in their environment and daily life! This is essential to produce innovative brains. If only we had same manhole covers here, those sotong brained might curi and sell to scrap yards as usual.
      Bakabakashii! Bakabakashii! Wakakaka

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    8. #5B-F9 ■ ■
      Oh! I heard yatai and that was a new word I learnt in Fukuoka to see the food stalls lining by the river banks. Oh yeah, remember I saw HKG star Ekin Cheng in Japan, he was snacking at the yatai too. The food there is always traditional, cheap and nicer to relax. So the yatai there is nestled at Daimon Yokocho – Noted!!!! I had to google that word ochazuke to see the photos of the food you ate. They looked really appetizing and veli-veli good dei. Ichiban la!! You guys had so much fun from wee hours to sunset!
      நன்றி!! நன்றி!! நன்றி!!

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    9. well, just a name given and don't need to be so serious about that lah.. more creative people would even name it differently, like Flying Mat of Mount Hakodate!! and surely not cheap but then it's okay to pay for that to have a bird's eye view of one of the best view of the world..

      ah, it would be a nice experience to eat at the yatai, it's a totally different experience from restaurants and shops.. ochazuke is nice, i love it, and i think we can get it's ingredients from DAISO, muahahaha..

      i just brought along my phone but my friends were bringing their compact cameras and mini DSLR, so i can just tumpang them.. but you are right, maybe we should stay a bit longer, but nobody was picnicking there dei, later you bikin malu only..

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  37. Good morning bloggers..... oh..it's 11/9 today. hahhaa.... Well, I had a real buy day and no time to come in till now. So, SK going up Mount Hakodate in this post. I always love hiking but no chance to do so. How I wish I can go up to this mount too!

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    1. we didn't hike but took the cable car to go ontop~~ :p

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  38. It's seems very quiet in the morning at the tram station. And, great you guys for a discount for the cale car ride from your tram pass. Yeah, I agreed with you it's a good idea to take cable car. Can see a good nice view of the mountainside , unless you guys are phobic of height.

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    1. Mount Hakodate Ropeway .... hmmm... sounds not very safe with the word 'rope'... hahaha....

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    2. wow..I like the view of the city from the gondola while ascending. It was so nice and breathtaking! And, you are lucky too as the weather seems good.

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    3. it was in the evening, not morning.. this trip to Mount Hakodate was on the same day.. and yes, very nice view even from the cable car already..

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  39. The Mount is 334 meter high , which actually is not very high. It should be a hill then unless it hit 1000 meters. No wonder you guys reached the peak so fast. Even Genting Highland is taller at 1000 meter plus.

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    1. yeah, indeed not tall at all but nice enough to have a breathtaking view of the city..

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  40. However, again, I love the views of the city. It seems the city is surrounded by the sea, at the left , right and top. Hahaha... it's really an urban jungle out there with all the buildings at the city. The place seems very modern but crammed with so many buildings around. Anyway, the five pixs were really good, except for one where there were some mist or clouds.

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    1. oh yeah , the sea in this type of surroundings are called bay as you just mentioned. So, there were actually two seas here.

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    2. ah yes, i have to agree with you.. surrounded by sea on both sides, but the top part is not sea but mountain range.. the other 180° behind will be the Tsugaru Straits but we cannot see that..

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  41. Yeah, I think you are right. It's very difficult to describe how nice the experience at the top of the mountain unless we experience it ourselves. Anyway, I can see it's really a nice place to be there at the top. hahaha... your signature posed again! Guess you really felt exhilarated and excited!

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    1. yeah, they say picture tells a thousand words, but i would say your eyes can see a million stories.. :)

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  42. aiya.... too bad you can't view the 360 degree there else you can get Honshu. But then, the night sceneries really looks awesome! Wow...so , it's one of the best in the world like the HK scenery. You should have get a DSLR with a tripod an take a long exposure shot!! ahahah...

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    1. Yes, the night views are really awesome!! It will be great if a kawaii lady is there to enjoy the view with me..... hehehe... ok ok... I dream of it soon.

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    2. but it's okay since the 180° behind is a piece of big sea (the Tsugaru Straits) and may not have anything to see.. errr, okay lah, we are not hardcore photography fans so we cincai cincai take photos enough already, not too serious.. :)

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  43. hahaha... the manhole really looks cute. I wonder why they put octopus there? Must be a story behind.
    oooh... tsunami warning... wonder this place kena before ...*touch wood* .. It's indeed looks scary with warnings like this but can't help it, this is Japan and it's located at the most unstable area of the planet.

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    1. errr, those are not octopus but squid.. Hakodate is famous for their squids, hence you probably can see squid everywhere.. :)

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  44. Yeah, I saw that rice like cereals thingy in one of the restaurants here but I didn't try it. It seems a bit bland.

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    1. hahha... so you guys only ate that? No ramen for that night? Anyway, yes, you all must be super tired ... from 3.30am till night.

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    2. err, not bland but i would say refreshing lah, or maybe you are more into heavily flavored food?? err, already had ramen for lunch lah, cannot one day all meals also ramen mah, Japan is not just about ramen dei~~ :D

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  45. 函館果然名不虛傳,雖然我冬天上去風大到刺骨,但係能夠有幸睇到咁靚嘅夜景,乜都值返曬!

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    1. 冬天同夏天, 視覺上同感覺上一定係截然不同, 有機會我都想不同季節去北海道睇下~~

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  46. all seem so interesting. Guess Japan has lots of places to be explored.

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    1. yes, Japan is a huge country with lots of nice places..

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  47. Oh the cable car is called Ropeway? First time heard of such a name. Haha!

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  48. The cable car must be moving very fast! Or is the distance to the top very short?

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    1. you may refer to details of the cable car given in the description under the photos..

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  49. Why you did not use your camera to take pictures of from the top?

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    1. i have only brought my handphone..

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  50. Haha! Doing your signature running and jumping poses again! :D

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  51. I like the squid manhole cover! Cute! :)

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  52. Ahh...ochazuke. I think I will like it. Just saw Lina's home made one at her blog :)

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    1. you can do it at home easily too~~ :)

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  53. I know right, it's impossible to get a perfect shot when we are in a cable car, got that experience a few times already. It doesn't matter if there's seats or not, very difficult one, cause everybody also wants to take perfect pictures ma!
    Unless, you reserve the whole cable car la, I wonder can we do that? Wahaha! xD
    Anyway, your 2 photos taken in the gondola consider very good already, at least can see lots of buildings at the bottom! Seems like you guys were at very high level.
    Anyway I guess none of you were afraid of height la right? I remember going on tour with an auntie who is afraid of height, she insisted waiting for us in the coach though the tour guide assured her there's nothing to be afraid of.. Hmm, kinda waste la, but what to do? Takkan force her right?

    'Misty' photos are ok, it got another type of feels, if you know what I mean ;)
    Looks kinda cold, but I see you still in your shorts, so should be tolerable la! Running and jumping pose, as usual, looks cool and yeng la (带有一点搞笑效果xD)

    Night view is absolutely beautiful and romantic! Photo one in 5B-F7 is unique, those lights looks like fire, like burning from underneath, really give me a special kinda feeling.. ;) I am sure if bringing those DSLR cameras there, sure can produce lots of high quality photos which might be able to develop into postcards!! Of course, pros and cons la! Handphone's quality always cannot beat camera's ones, but then these days I think many people already used to just bring handphone and snap la! Not that bad also la~

    The ochazuke looks like our local 'mui fan' (焖饭) also, is it? Looks very 暖胃噢~

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    1. yalor, and somemore one gondola takes 125 passengers.. if they are the Genting type, one car only a few people, then easier lah because everyone can have their own space to view out.. but good enough lah, i can see with my eyes, no photos also okay lah, it's all in my mind now, haha..

      my camera not able to take perfect shots, but then still quite okay lah, at least still can show people, haha!! and my pose, of course they are for fun and for laughs lah, i don't think fashion magazines models ever pose like this also.. :D

      yeah, the ochazuke was very nice, and i think can make it at home also, it's quite simple yet so tasty..

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    2. But then gondola like this also got its pros la, save time ma! Imagine the place is always packed with tourists one, if one car takes only a few people then have to wait for long time lo~
      Yea I agree, most importantly is everything is captured in your mind already =)

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  54. #5B-F1 If driving I wonder do they need to pay for the parking ticket or not argh?? Coz if like that for sure take the public transport is much worthy!!

    But I've question here (not sure you did mention about this in your previous post or not) their public transport like buses or trams, are they all came quite on time?? Just curious that how about if you've accidentally missed it, do you need to wait for quite awhile for the next one?? Or not really, it came very fast ya?

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    1. Hmm I wonder too, hows the parking ticketing system goes? Like ours, auto pay or..?
      Actually driving on our own during a trip also is interesting la, chi kek, haha! That's what I see from Amazing Race, you know those contestants need to drive on their own and race with each other... :p
      But of course the best is if got people fetch us and become our free tour guide la, hehe!

      Oh, I think SK did mentioned before that the train comes on time, not sure about bus though, but I think should be not that bad also lo, Japanese very polite one so I guess all the system also very systematic and punctual la~

      Ours one, hohoho, no need me to say la! :p

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  55. #5B-F2 This's a very good tip leh, for those who want to there they must be very happy to mark down this, because for people like me, I'll just blur blur go there and didn't know about getting the discount one!!

    But on the other way, this sounds like some sort of attract business trick, they purposely put the price high then can attract more tourists by getting discount from the tram pass or from the voucher!! But at the same time also get to trick those who don't aware so much then blur blur pay the exact price lo...but also cannot 一竹竿打沉全部船, I'm thinking maybe some of the counter selling ticket person very nice, they'll tell the customers go get discount from the voucher, right (or maybe) ?

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  56. #5B-F3 In this case, I'm thinking if person with a very tall height is very beneficial la, as person short like me, what can I do is always try my best to squeeze to the conner or window side, trying my best not to keep myself in the middle, coz I know I won't be able to see anything if I standing in the middle, there're always lots of tall tall people around me!! Even squeeze to aside I just be able to see a very small part of the view but also better than nothing, right?? And I always plan that when it's ascend I'll stand near to the uphill side then when descend I stand on the downhill side, on both ascend and descend I won't be able to see the 360views of it, but at least I still be able to see I need to see, hehe!!! (trick for short people)

    835m and 7m/s for 3minutes, that's very fast, bet the moment you and your friends have done taking pictures around then already arrived, hahaha!! But lucky you guys still be able to catch of day view before arrived, guess later on the sky is getting darker and won't able to get back the same view anymore! =p

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    1. Tall people sure gets their pros, actually me also not so tall, so I totally understand what you're trying to say here Sheta :(
      Like my husband, good la, tall guy, see anything also farther, me have to squeeze and find a good spot, then have to tip toe pulak!

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  57. #5B-F5 Hahaha, actually before it I was browsing through your pictures to look for the Goryokaku place, and I thought I can't find it because I don't know where it's......then after seeing this opps.....this's bad, is okay la....forget about the star-shaped, the views here good enough already!! =]

    1 This picture is quite clear leh, you used your phone to took this?? If yes, actually your shooting skill is not bad leh...guess for me I need to take a few shots of shaky then only be able to shoot something clear like this!! =]

    Why colors of the sky are kept changing one de?? The 1 and 3 is more blue then the rest are like more white?


    About this long distance shooting one, last time my sister taught me one, see there're any binocular or telescope around, shoot picture from the binocular or telescope, then the picture will look extremely clear, can used to tipu tipu your friend "see, my pictures are so clear, hahaha!"

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