destinasi : awesome japan 5

hello folks.. welcome to the continuation of my journey to japan which was on the end of october 2012. before the months go by any further, let's begin the adventures (not really adventurous ^^) now.

we continue the journey to japan with a lovely sunny day and blue sky. me and comrades were on the way to mount fuji by car and we passed by tokyo along the way. mount fuji is so majestic that you can clearly see it from tokyo. i was lucky to be able to see mount fuji (fuji san as referred by the japanese people) on such a clear day as this.

the journey was kinda long and fuji san is quite far from tokyo. since we embarked from tsuchiura, the journey took much longer time. luckily i wasn’t driving hehe. now, along the way i took several japan’s signs located on the side of the roads.

basically, japanese drive according to rules but there are still some bad seeds nonetheless. but majority of the japanese in tokyo drive with good ethics. there are no lines cutting, no using of emergency lanes even during traffic jams, no using of hazard light when driving (use hazard light only for thanking people for giving way into the lane, when stopping at the road side and using the hazard lights when braking heavily as to warn the car at the back).

this is the road inside tokyo. the time was roughly around 8.00 – 9.00am.

entering the mountainous region heading for fuji san. the sun is a big spotlight shining brightly on the cloudless sky. terrific!!

stopping by for toilets and food. since it was on weekend, the highway is full with cars travelling out from tokyo.

this the convenient store we stopped by. lots of other people stopped by to stretch out their legs and arms after spending hours in the car.

this is calpis soda and tuna sushi wrapped with seaweed. both are delicious! yummyssss! (tuna sushi = 100yen)

fuji san looked regal reaching out to the sky. it looked so big.

there’s an amusement park just a few kilometers towards kawaguchi lake. kawaguchi lake is one of the nice spots to view fuji san.

this is the junction that took forever to pass. there were too many cars coming from tokyo heading to kawaguchi lake as well ><

one lovely store that i could feast my eyes on since the car did not move very much ^^

the more peaceful road after the traffic jams mayhem..

one of the many patrons at kawaguchi lake. we were trying to find a parking spot…

parking secured and we took a stroll along the main road. that guy with the red baton is the owner/staff of the roadside restaurant. he helped to divert/direct the traffic as well ^^

fuji san and lake kawaguchi.

fuji san!!!! and lake kawaguchi!!!

these couple actually stopped seeing me wanting to snap a pic. in actual i was targeting both of them to pass by AND then i’d go snapping their picture. they were actually my subject. so i said that it’s okay for them to pass. the passed by, and i snapped this pic ^^

a mercedes-benz that was not our car that day ^^

it was around 2.00-3.00pm but the sun was already sliding down the horizon. but it was still good to have a beautiful stroll around the lake.

one happy couple.

another pic of fuji san.

the crowds picnicking under the trees with withering leaves.

uncle is having a deep thought while watching people around the lake.

some of the patrons went there to snap fuji san’s picture. most of them were equipped with advanced camera bodies and lenses. some were just having quality time with family, lovers and friends.

autumn leaves and fuji san.

fuji san!!!!

one of the restaurants around kawaguchi lake.

having a late evening lunch for about 600yen.

before heading back to tsuchiura, we took a drive around tokyo and stopped by at tokyo skytree. this is the latest tokyo attraction and it’s the tallest free standing structure right now. pls correct me if i’m wrong ^^

tokyo skytree also hosts office buildings and shops and stores and some eating places. good smile company’s new office is on the 17th floor of the building besides the skytree (if i’m not wrong). for your information, good smile company is popular among the anime industry – nendoroids, figures, etc.

i should be able to explain to you what this store is all about.. but i can’t remember any of the details.. hahaha.. sorry.. ^^

this is the area where lots of people hanging out and chatting while watching the skytree standing high up the sky…

this is what you should be able to see if you look up… you can even see the stars..

walking around the neighbourhood nearing skytree.

railroad crossing – just like in anime ^^

filling up the car with some gas at eneos. the petrol price differs among petrol stations and you have to find the lowest price around. this one is situated right inside the town. there’s no petrol pump bays to save space. the petrol pump/nozzle come hanging from above..

along the street in ginza. lights everywhere..

ginza patrons..

entrance to ginza station (tokyo metro)

ginza traffic. the climate was 15 degrees celcius..

the pedestrian crossing is one of the priorities in tokyo street. that car on the left of the picture must wait for the people to cross before making the turn…

ginza is all bright at night. it was fun driving around seeing parts of ginza. i just wished that i was able to walk around ginza as it would allow me to take more pics. but to park a car is one heavy expenses around tokyo, so it was all automobile drive through around ginza. okay then, where next? wait for the next entry to find out.. until then folks.. bye!!