Nippon...

In my adolescence, i rememebered i was hooked to idol dramas...

Guys with frizzy untidy hair that could look so cool...

Girls that assembles cuteness beyond words that even could surpass the dog you keep...

Everyone was following the craze and i was not exempted...

J pop world rocked the 90s of our lifes...

So here i was...

Finally making one of my teenage dream come true even though its that long now...

The J-pop coulture that got me going ga-ga over with...

My first bullet train ride...

Like it is, all i could remember i was sitting down admiring the greenary for awhile and with a turn of my head i have reached the next stop...

Everything is so fast-paced...

To me, working in Japan would be like a step closer to hell...

Everyday without fail, you will see people rushing or should i put it this way - running to their work...

Even at 11+pm you will still see people still in their office wear...

And the moment they get a seat on the train, they are like being hypnotise and "coma-ed"...

Start of the journey that never gets tired...

With synchronise and colourful beams...

The ferris wheel that drizzle in the night...

Way nicer than our flyers...

For the record, i might just be the last to board the flyers...

Shrines and temples are like what 7-11 store is to us...

Yeah i know i am exaggerating...

But everywhere you turn there are bound to have one within sight...

Indeed, one of the true values of the jap is their religious belief...

One of the nicest i visited...

Situated at the surburb part of busy tokyo...

Its like a totally different country...

Linked with a long bridge...

My mind was immersed into a state of peace...

Everything was so peaceful and quiet...

All i could hear were my own footstep, pigeon cooing away and the sound of the ocean hitting the shore...

So i drank the "holy water" for good health...

Then the praying sequence...

First up, bow 90º then throwing 5 yen coins(which signifies good luck) into the wooden box....

Then ring the bell and clap 2 times...

After which you can make your wish and pray to the spirit of the shrine... Finish your prayer by bowing again...

Praying hard for my wishes...
Now i see things from a different perspective...

Then to the market...

A fish one to be more exact...
Its the craziest place for sashimi lovers...

The Japs are true lovers of seafood...

And you cant argue with that given the fact that they are surrounded by sea...

A taste of the freshest of fresh...

Thot not a true die hard sashimi lover...

No one could resist the way how the salmon just slides down your throat...

All kinds of creatures you could find in the big blue sea all gathered here...

We got ourselve pretty wet with spitting optopus and shell aiming at us every other stalls...

Snow crabs...

Udon lover...

I am always amazed by the way bento sets are being arranged and presented...
Even if i am half-fulled...

The undescribable deliciously tasting looking bentos just got my stomach rolling again...

"いただきます"...

To the top of the mountain we went...

And which mountain is that???

Of course its gonna be the legendary Mount Fuji...

But just before all that...

The egg that would let you live till 100 years...

Owakudani black egg are said to have contain all the minerals from the volcano...

One egg can postpone one's life by 7 years...

I had 1 and 1/2...

Thats just added 10 more years to my lifespan...

Nothing much special about the egg if i could recall...

Its just the shells are in black color and the yolk have a slightly different taste partly due to saking it in hot spring water...

Mr Raymond praying for longevity...

If only he could gobble down 10 eggs in 1 shot...

With the stomach filled with black eggs we continued our journey vertically...

Fuji-san...

Standing at 3776m, the tallest there is in the country...

The volcano is a landmark symbol and has been worshipped as a sacred mountain...

The highest point where we could travel...

The moment i alighted from the bus...

I felt like one of the 7 characters in snow white...

The magestic mountain stood right in front of me...

Grasping on thin cold air...

Its simply took my breath away...

Of course, its never complete unless you take a tourist-like picture to prove that you have been there...
Checked...

The owner of the mountain fuji shop which are believed to be nearing the 100 years mark...

Maybe staying in the mountain isn't a bad thing...

So i am all geared up...

Proudly presenting the next ambassador...

Yours truly...

Sayonara Fuji...

Ended with a nice hot spring bath...

Part II next...