Western Japan 2009: Bored..

I know I will get it for saying this, but I am bored.. in Kumamoto..

Visited the Kumamoto Castle and Suizenji-Jojuen Garden.. even spent 1.5 hours at the shopping streets downtown.. but seriously, there is NOTHING to see in Kumamoto.. The castle was a reconstruction and the garden is too green (aka mono-color and no flowers)... so unless you have a car, then maybe you can go for day-trip outside of town to go hiking up some mountains... Can't remember why I choose to come here.. maybe just wanna make sure I don't leave any city out.. maybe I should have gone to Fukuoka instead.. :(

So here I am, back in my hotel room at 4pm.. in a way, it was good cos I have two translation jobs that I need to submit by end of this week.. so I am going to spend my day in my nice Toyoko-Inn room, enjoying the air-con (it is 34 degree outside!!!), drinking beer and making some money to cover this trip.. :p

Western Japan 2009: Burnt

Now on my 4th day... walked around an island, cycled around a volcano (island, sort of), took ferries to those islands, took Shinkansen between cities, took street car and city buses to travel around.... Might be taking a long-distance bus tomorrow, depending on whether I prefer comfort or budget... :p

Yet one thing is for sure, I am burnt.. not just tanned like in Europe, but burnt.. especially knowing how forgetful I am with sun-screen.. now I have so many different tanned/burnt lines on my arms.. :p

Going to my 3rd and last city in Kyushu tomorrow..

Western Japan 2009: Wrecked... almost

Okay, today was really an "exciting" day.. as if I didn't have enough excitement in my life so far.. Maybe that was also why I was so calm when the problem arise.. Let me tell you what happened...

Since I am traveling in Japan, I didn't want to bring huge amount of cash with me, plus the fact that it is very easy to withdraw money from the convenient stores that are everywhere... or so I thought.. Another thing is I brought ONLY my Shinsei Bank ATM card, thinking that POSBank is usually found in suburb and not in the city area, so it won't be as useful.. I am SO wrong.. :x

When I reached Kagoshima, I had enough cash to last me 2 days maximum.. but I still wanna see if I can draw money from the convenient stores in Kagoshima.. Then I realized that there isn't seems to be THAT many convenient stores in Kagoshima as in Tokyo or even Kyoto! I went into Lawson and tried my Shinsei Bank ATM card.. It refused to give me cash.. I went to the Tourist Information Counter at the Kagoshima Chuo Station and ask if there is any 7-11 around the area.. Imagine the shock I got when the lady manning the counter told me that there is NO 7-11 in Kagoshima!!!! She then suggest that I try using my card in the POSBank branch next to the station.. I tried and it didn't work either... I tried my Singapore credit card and it too can't get me cash...

At this time, I think most people would be panicking.. yet, I was unusually calm.. I gave my brother a call, asking him to check the website of Shinsei Bank if there is any branches around Kagoshima or Kyushu that I can get my OWN money out.. then I was going through all kinds of possible work-around.. "Once I check-in to the hotel, I can use Skype to call SG and ask them about my credit card..", "Maybe I can use Internet transfer to pay for my lodgings..", "Maybe I can fly back to Tokyo and come back again.. the most I would lose is ¥20,000 for the air tickets and I would still be able to enjoy the rest of my holiday..", "I can pay all the hotel and maybe even the Shinkansen tickets using my credit card, just have to watch my spending and save on food & drinks..", "Maybe I can get cash in Chugoku or Shikoku area... "..

It was during this time that I realized that nothing is going to spoil this trip for me!! not even the lack of money!! I will just take things as they come.. I did want to kick myself for bringing this ATM card instead of the POSBank one.. but I spent less than 20% of the time feeling bad/stupid while the rest of the time I spend cracking my head trying to find work-around.. I didn't blame myself as much as I thought I would, maybe because I am the ONLY ONE suffering for my mistake.. :p

Once I check-in to the hotel and got online, I verified that Shinsei ATM can be used in ALL POSBank ATM.. I went to the POSBank Branch again, and this time I asked a staff who was there.. She showed me the CORRECT button to push to get the money using a non-POSBank ATM card.. You have no idea how relieved I was.... :)

And so, that is the story about me ALMOST had to survive 14-days with less than ¥40,000 cash.. :p

Western Japan 2009: Prologue

This shall be my final trip as a student.. :)

Will be flying off to Kagoshima in less than 10 hours.. Gonna spend about 14 days exploring the west side of Japan.. Didn't manage to include Okinawa, cos it is too far out and much too expensive.. Plus I didn't wanna rush through the cities.. Gonna spend "quality" time in each of them.. Had wanted to visit Hokkaido too, but in Sept nothing special is there to be seen.. yet it is still freaking expensive.. Thus, I have decided to save Okinawa and Hokkaido for future visits... :)

Here is my itinerary for the next fortnight:
Sept 02 & 03 - Kagoshima (Kyushu)
Sept 04 & 05 - Nagasaki (Kyushu)
Sept 06 & 07 - Kumamoto (Kyushu)
Sept 08 & 09 - Hiroshima (Chugoku)
Sept 10 & 11 - Matsuyama (Shikoku)
Sept 12 - Okayama (Kansai)
Sept 13 & 14 - Osaka (Kansai) - Going to Kobe and Himeji

Didn't have much time to thoroughly plan out all the itinerary. And I have learn from so many previous trips that one can only plan so much, as plans ALWAYS change.. for someone who needs to know every single step of the way, I think this is a major change for me.. I have learn to go with the flow and do things spontaneously.. Learned to NOT get frustrated if the plan isn't being followed.. or unexpected things happened.. improvise and move on.. :)

So what I have done so far is to book all the accommodations in those cities and just my flight from Tokyo (Haneda Airport) to Kagoshima. The rest of the traveling between the cities will be done via train, and I shall buy the tickets when I get there.. I have also listed down all the places that I wanna visit and things that I wanna do in each cities too.. I have allocated enough time for most of them.. else I shall pick those MUST-DO items and just do them..

With so many things weighting on my mind these past weeks, I need to get away.. And I owe it to myself to really enjoy this final tour of Japan.. Hopefully, I shall discover more sides of myself in this final solo trip...

How/What/Which are you? (Part IV)

Still more quiz results...

What kind of mask do you wear?
Purity.
Your mask is purity. You are always trying to be true to yourself. You don't care what others think is right or wrong, you always use your own judgment to decide.... You often ignore the millions of rules people are trying to place on the way you should live your life, because you know they are meaningless and that you are a good person. Your intentions are usually pure, whether it's wanting to do something nice for someone, or just take some time for yourself. You understand that pure isn't perfect. You get angry, jealous, mean, sometimes stubborn, but you are who you are, and your mask isn't trying to hide it; it's just helping you get by the life you love and enjoy. . [Mmm.. 80% true... I don't hide behind a mask.. WYSIWYG... I just don't tell.. :p ]
What is your best trait?
Honesty
You are a genuine person who does what you say and who stands by your word. What you see is what you get. You can be trusted because of your honesty, and this makes you an ideal friend. It is the single most important quality to have in any relationship, and people are drawn to you because of this. Even when the truth hurts, you value it above lies because you know in the end-- the truth will prevail and it is what sets people free. Some might think of you as blunt at times, but at the end of the day they appreciate your authenticity. You are a breath of fresh air to the world.. [ 85%.. I know that I am a bad liar.. so I don't lie, or at least I try very hard not to get into situations that I have to.... ;) ]
What do your eyes say about you?
Mystery
When people look into your eyes, they see mysteries galore. You're a deep and intellectual person, and others can see that through your sparkling eyes. You're quiet and shy, but once you get to know someone, you become comfortable around them. Your eyes often spark curiousity in others, and it bothers people how they can never tell what you're really thinking. You're hard to read and often hide your true emotions. [almost 99%... people might not know my emotions, but they will know my opinion.. ;) ]
Your Water Personality Type
You are an Ocean
You are impressive and fascinating. People are drawn to your glory.
You are a profound and passionate person. You are boundless in your power.
You have a philosophical and poetic soul. You take a lot of time to reflect.
You are mysterious and captivating. You are too deep for anyone to figure out.
[95% accurate.. no one has figured me out yet.. :p ]
What does your mind look like?
A Mountain
Your mind is like a Mountain. You are always there, looking out for your loved ones. You have a great sense of justice and are a fighter for peace. You have much respect and people trust you. You don't daydream, you make adventures happen. [80% accurate... Mmm.. first ocean, now mountain.. what's next?? space?? :p ]
Which Color is your Aura?
Green
Greens are balanced, harmonious, and peaceful personalities. They need harmony in their life and prefer to live in a natural environment. They are the most balanced people in the color spectrum. They also have a powerful connection with nature. Living in the country, next to a forest or park or close to a lake or ocean is important for these friendly and heartfelt personalities. Greens are open, extroverted, expressive, friendly, communicative and heartfelt. Greens perceive life through their heart. Their primary motivations are contentment and harmony. They judge their successes by how close they are to their friends or nature. Greens are content personalities. If they are in power and have found their place they need very little to be happy or feel needed. Their inner happiness and satisfaction is important to them and is fulfilled without much expectation. [Me? Balanced? Don't think I am extroverted nor friendly.. but my "inner happiness and satisfaction" IS important.... 50% accuracy.. :x ]

Any comments on these results?