XXIII

Okay so let's continue my Japan adventure! Here's the part 2~

Day 6

Since we arrived to Kyoto the before, they decided to show us around the town this day. We did some sightseeing and visit Kiyomizu-dera (a Buddhist temple in eastern Kyoto), Kinkaku-ji (the Golden Pavilion) and some other places which names I can't remember... 

Day 7

This day we had some alone time ^-^ Me and my mom decided to do some shopping since we had to buy some souvenirs for our relatives and friends c: Tho I bought stuff through the whole trip so I decided to include them to this day! 

Sorry about the quality, I have a bad lighting in my room right now >-<

There's pretty much all I bought. Well including a kimono with an obi, some music stuff and socks, a lot of socks. Oh an I bought a huge amount of treats for my sis :'D We held a little tasting session when I got back home ´u` So many things I loved, so many things I hated...

Day 8

Now it was time to head towards Osaka! On our way there, we stopped in Nara and went to see Tōdai-ji (the Buddhist temple complex) and the deers *-* Oh my they were so cute~

Day 9

Our last full day in Japan! To be honest, this was my least favorite day of them all but I have a good reason for it. I mention in the first part that I'm frightened about heights. Well, During this day we went to visit the Umeda Sky Building, this 40-story tower that goes up to 173 meters. And this is where we had to go through those see-through escalators... The idea itself freaked me out even before we went on the trip and finally I got there and had to face them >-< I know that I might sound such a sissy but everyone who's afraid of heights can relate to me! Well we went up with the crew and I was one of the first ones to enter the escalator and tried to keep myself calm and not to watch through the windows. And then came the moment when I literally felt like I was going to die for the first time in my life. All of a sudden I heard a loud thump and when I looked right before me I could see a this large thing coming towards me. It was a man from our group that fell on me and the lady who was standing before me right in the middle of the escalator, when there was literally nothing below us than the metal structure that kept the escalator in the air. I don't know what happened and why he fell and of course I know that there's no way that the escalator could have fallen down or break or something but still. It was the longest minute of my life and my mom told me I looked like a white sheet for the rest of the day since I got so pale out of the shock... So yeah, happy memories! >'D (Oh yeah, we also visited the Osaka Castle but nothing interesting to tell about it really)

A view from the escalator~

Cute lockets that lovers leave there as a symbol of their relationship ^-^ The actual place was on the roof of the Umeba Sky Building but I was too afraid to go there...

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That's pretty much it! On the 10th day we just left to the airport and headed back to Finland. Ugh, I just want to go back already. So many things I still want to see~ And do you know the feeling when you go to a certain place and you just feel like you belong there? Like it's all just so familiar and you feel that you've been there your whole life. No? Is it just me? Haha, I don't know but that was the feeling I had most of the time!

N ♥ 

XXI

Woah it's almost been a month since I last time wrote something to my blog D: But yeah, I've been busy after coming back from Japan and finally I got some time to tell you about my trip ^-^ I'm gonna make this entry in two parts since I have loads of pictures to show you~ So here's the part 1 of my trip!

I've dreamed about going to Japan almost eight years already. I was supposed to go there as an exchange student but some things came up and wasn't able to go there. Because of that my parents suggested that when I graduate they could pay my trip to Japan since I've done quite well in high school. Well of course I accepted it and started to look around these package tours since it would be my first time in this specific country and I wanted to see as much as possible. I found this one that was ten days long and it was at perfect time since my finals would already be over and there would also be a cherry blossom season in Japan which was always something I wanted to see ´u` Well my mom booked the trip and we went there together last month~

In the trip we had this one group that we met at the airport and we had a tour guide that came with us to Japan and was there with us all the time. We also got two different local tour guides to show us around and tell us stuff about all the historical things. We stayed in three different cities: first in Tokyo for 3 nights, then in Kyoto for 3 nights and lastly in Osaka for 2 nights.

If I had to name my biggest fear it would have to be heights. And I have to say this trip was my very own Fear Factor thanks to the flight itself and all the high buildings we went :'D And oh god those see-through elevators. I seriously thought I was gonna die in some point lawl.

You can click the pictures to see them in full size~

Day 2 (I'm gonna start at the second day since the first one was basically just the flight to Tokyo)

First day in Tokyo! We arrived there at the morning an went straight to some sightseeing since we were only able to get our room in the evening. We went to see the Meiji shrine and the Imperial Palace. Oh an look at all of those beautiful cherry blossoms *-* So prettyy~

Day 3

On third day we also went to look around Tokyo. We went to Tokyo Tower (all the way up to the 250 meters x.x), to Ginza, to a Buddhist temple in Asakusa which is dedicated to the bodhisattva Kannon and then we had a quick stop in Akihabara which I used to shopping, of course x3

A view from the Tokyo Tower~

And another one

Akihabara~

Some cute girls from the temple area ^w^

Day 4

This day we had a trip to Nikko which is a town located on the mountains of Tochigi Prefecture. It was really pretty but the bus ride there was a little scary since the roads were so narrow and crooked. Luckily we had an amazing bus driver who was a real wizard with that bus and got us there and back safely ^-^

Day 5

On the fifth day we left Tokyo and changed our hotel to Kyoto~ But on our way to there we went to see Mt. Fuji and Hakone's active sulphur vents and hot springs. Luckily we got to see even a tiny pit of Mt. Fuji's top since it is known to be a very "shy" mountain and you're able to see it's top only a few times a year ´u`

In Hakone there were this Black eggs that were cooked in the sulphur vent and because of that they turn completely black outside. They're supposed to increase longevity but of god the whole place smelled like the mixture of sulphur and eggs. It was horrible x-x

And then we took a shinkansen or a "bullet train" to Kyoto ^-^ It was pretty nice and I sat next to this older man from our group and he told me all about how the trains were designed and made and stuff, it was pretty interesting actually :0 I've heard that the government has thought about getting one here in Finland also. Yes please!

Hello Kitty x3

This was the cable they used to move the boiled eggs around. So cute :'D

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So many pictures! Now you probably can see why I didn't want to make only one entry about this one :'D But yeah! I'll tell you the rest of my trip in the next one ^-^

N ♥

XX

So we went on a cruise to Sweden with my mom and friend~ It was fun, as always ;w; I pretty much just went around shopping the whole while being in Stockholm and boy it was tiring. I got some nice stuff, clothes and my "main reason" to go to Sweden, Yohio's new album Together We Stand Alone! I've been listening to it non-stop till today ;w; It's so good~I have to say my favorite song from the album is probably Shattered Dreams of a Broken Nation and my fave lovey-dovey song has to be Rocket ´u` Too good songs, too good.

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I also went to this big Disney concert with my mom here in Helsinki~ There was this huge orchestra that played all the classics and it sounded amazing ;w; Pirates of the Caribbean theme song sounded so extreme! But there were some things that I didn't like... I thought the Lion King part at the end was a huge disappointment for me. I mean they played Circle of Life three times. It was the opening song of the LK part and then it came as an encore song. I mean that was okay, I could understand that but when they did another encore it was also the Circle of Life. We heard the song already two times, wasn't it enough? And then again last time I checked Simba is a male lion. I Just Can't Wait to Be King was sang by a woman... And Can You Feel the Love Tonight is a duet! Where was Nala's part! ;A; But yeah, overall it was a great concerts ^w^ I'll got to go to see it again next year~

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Oh yes! I also have an announcement to make. I'm gonna be in Japan from 10th to 20th of this month~ So no blogging for awhile ^w^ I'll have to start packing now! So excited OvO

N ♥