TGIF, though I'm writing this for a Saturday XD
for the last 2 days I've been sleeping after dinner so now I'm fresh 😂
I kinda already have plans to do for this weekend so I kinda wanna finish my 2 posts fast XD
alright! quick update from my last post, which was on Sunday :D
Sunday was yoga -> games at friend's place -> dinner -> home!
Monday was morning dance class, which was unexpectedly extended 😂
my teacher for 11AM class didn't come -> no class
my dance teacher asked help for his next class after mine, which is at 11AM
I didn't mind helping, but it ended up like I had dance class for 3 hrs 😂
apparently the next class was teaching the first year students, thus it wasn't too hard for me to show the stretching sequence and dance move that I learned last year!
of course I couldn't do it if i was all by myself 😂
I don't remember the whole stretching sequence + forgot the moves 😂
but that kinda tire me as i didn't have breakfast; only drank milk and coffee!!
after that walked for 1/2hr to my next class as it's at different building -> had pudding sandwich for lunch in 10 mins!!
at last i found pudding sandwich ;w;
i've been finding it after only seeing it once at Lawson
as it's a limited period product, i thought it's already not on sale anymore
thus when i found it on monday morning, though i told myself to start dieting again, i didn't wanna regret it if i never see it again 😂
thus ate that for lunch -> class- > bus to gym!
usually i'd walk but that day was raining ;w;
gym -> grocery -> dinner!
made omurice for the first time in my life for dinner, but kinda fail as i put in too much rice and egg 😂
will try again!
tuesday was pronunciation class
my real teacher didn't come, thus one teacher who taught me in last semester came as replacement
he is one of my fave teachers and he remembered me ;w;
he also said that my voice is louder than before-- more like it's easier for me to bring out my voice now!
i really am grateful to him! not only his class was fun, he really focused more on bringing our voice out comparing to being fixated on my accent ;w;
so happy to meet him again!
ate negishi for lunch, after so long of not!!!
then part time job, but my kid was kinda not in good mood ;w;
i wonder what happened ;w;
as the only child, i could see that she wanted someone to talk to more than studying that day
not only she tried to talk to us more, she also wanted one extra candy than the usual ;w;
wednesday no morning class -> nail time!
painted my nail with same style as before, but instead of pinkXred, it's purpleXblue, because my kid loves purple 😂
though sadly later on she didn't care much about it 😂
slacked after lunch, which i kinda regret as i became so lazy and sleepy when reached school 😂
but dinner was hamburger set meal (the rice and patty, Japanese style!)
still managed to finish my tasks X)
thursday was morning class -> part time job
so happy that my kid's mood was good!
but i had high calorie breakfast; famichiki ;o;
fresh and hot famichiki + special edition, which is karamucho? spicy version? tempted me so much ;-;
plus dinner was KFC ;-;
my partner is trying to go under low-carbs, thus KFC is fine ;-;
but we didn't read the menu properly and ordered the limited edition Deluxe Chicken
because the photo had 2 fried stuff in between the buns, we thought 2 fried chickens but apparently one was hashed potato 😂
not a big fan of hashed potato; ate because just it's there 😂
back home -> slept for 1.5hr 😂-> did some work as my partner got Last of Us II
then it's Friday!
so happy no school 😂
but from July, it'll really be 5 days of school instead of 4 ;w;
but i love my direct professor so it's not bad XD
woke up -> brunch at McD!!
cause now they have the limited edition burger, which are japanese style, canadian style and british style
apprently a miss; not so good 😂
I ordered Kalbi burger; the Japanese style one
which tasted more like just the normal beef patty + yakiniku sauce 😂
my partner ordered the Canadian style, which is beef, cheese, peppered mayo and bacon?
but didn't taste much different with normal cheese burger 😂
then back home -> played online escape game with my partner's friends!
of course not as fun as going to the place itself, but still a very good way to play games with friends from different parts of the world
thus i ended up buying a group ticket to play with my cousins this sunday XD <3
internet connection + how well we can use ZOOM FBMessenger & Whatsapp kinda worry me but shouldn't worry much 😂
then twit -> gym -> dinner, where my partner and I ended up talking about what I should do soon; finding job in Japan 😂
thus tomorrow, i gotta do some resume sending 😂
slept for 1/2hr as my partner plays Last of Us, showered, and now here XD
Let's travel back to August 2019~!
continuation from my previous post; summer trip to Shikoku!
i think I forgot to mention that Shikoku's kanji direct translation is 4 countries = Shikoku is made up of 4 prefectures :D
kochi is of course one of it!
i managed to visit all the 4 countries (though I didn't go to one of the main city!) with first being kochi
last is actually kochi too, because both my flight from and to Tokyo were from Kochi Ryoma Airport XD
I only wrote about my first night in kochi!
now's time for the second day onward :D
second day's first spot was Kochi castle :D
these were shown in DGS' movie XD
rumour is Kochi's king (Sakamoto Ryoma) is now staying at the top 😂
we didn't enter inside though, cause we not too interested + need to pay 😂
mid summer!!
commemoration photo -> right in front is Hirome Market :D
mandatory katsuo for lunch 😂
then dropped by a cafe!
funny happening; the blueberry roll cake is limited edition
but the blueberry is not from kochi, but somewhere in Kyushu? 😂
this is Hariyama Bridge during day time XD
I try to take photo of it whenever I pass by XD
that's how much I like kochi UwU
AND IT'S ANIMATE TIME------- ;w;
Kochi produced special local gacha figurine of famous figures from Kochi and one of them is OnoD XD
I thought the gacha is not available anymore until on my last day, I found it at the city's main train station!!
They have 2 versions of OnoD; one colored and another none
V being V (?) spent like almost 5000Yen for OnoD of course 😂
i think at the end I got 1 colored one and 2 none 😂
plus 2 random ojisan and 2 Sakamoto Ryoma 😂
Kochi's Animate checked!
and games with friends!
we met my partner's friends during day 2 for a few hours and we played board games :D
i remember that day after dinner, we went to onsen near our hotel because we couldn't resist our urge 😂
though we knew that we'd be going to more onsen during the trip, we just went to 1 unplanned one 😂
next day was to even more countryside!!
we went to Niyodo River; another featured place in DGS!
my partner really enjoyed this one because he is totally an outdoor sport person 😂
I'm only there because of DGS 😂
we did kayaking!
tbh i didn't enjoy the first half of that day 😂
1. the hotel told us on the itself that the lunch buffet we reserved is over booked = cancelled -.-
2. the rental shop which also provided the kayaking & rafting activity messaged me like 10mins before the gathering time that the whole thing is delayed for almost an hr -.-
ok may be they thought we drive over but NOPE WE WOKE UP EARLIER CAUSE BUS DOESN'T COME OFTEN ;-;
3. it was fking hot before lunch time + our rowing wasn't in sync ;-;
even my partner realized that I didn't enjoy it much 😂
but we were lucky to meet greet crazy fun people during rafting XD <3
everyone except me were crazy fun lit people as they went into the water halfway XD
it wasn't that hot anymore after lunch + the water was nice and cool!
after the rafting was onsen!!
that's actually supposed to be our first onsen during the trip but we had early start XD
anyway, i'm glad that we had early start as this time it was pretty packed with fellow water sport guests!
FYI that was the only time we didn't have katsuo for a meal, because they only had staple food such as udon and soba XD
but now, I don't really remember what we had for dinner on day 2 O_O
I think we had karaage?
then next stop was Katsurahama beach :D
of course I know this place from DGS too XD <3
Kochi = Sakamoto Ryoma
it's beautiful though <3
i'm so lucky that we could reach the place before sunset as we waited for 30mins for taxi!
at first when we asked the resort's staff about how to go here, they thought we have car = they told us to use the road near the sea..
but i'm glad that there isn't traffic, even though the day is kinda cloudy, thus no sunset XD
we only stayed for 1/2hr? and managed to catch bus back to Kochi city :D
dinner was katsuo XD
this store even have Katsuo Meister title certification!
later on we realized that whether a store have the certificate or not, katsuo in Kochi still taste good as we tried another store with the same title 😂
thus after 3 nights, we moved to another part of Shikoku; bus ride to Ehime :D
our first stop after lunch at Ehime was Ehime castle!
this time we paid for cable car ticket as it's the same place with the castle + can see Ehime's city view!
I'm so lucky that the one available was the covered + for many people one 😂
the single seating with no cover on the left will definitely make my heart drop 😂
cloudy day ;w;
cloudy day is actually a good weather day for travelling with a lot of outside time but not so ideal for views 😂
plus minus!!
entrance of Ehime castle!
and ofc this time too we didn't really enter the castle 😂
instead we went back to the local shop house area!!
ANIMATE LA XD
we only stayed for lunch as we headed to a countryside area; Aoshima!
local design train :D
a picture of a local train's ticket as a memory!
I met a lot of kind people in Ehime ;w;
first was in the city!
fyi a lot of local train in prefectures outside Tokyo doesn't use SUICA or PASMO, aka Tokyo's IC pass
thus in kochi as well as in Ehime, we used small change or 1000yen for the local tram
beside that, there's almost no English aka we were almost clueless whether we rode the right train or not
so when we were going to Aoshima, we needed to take the tram but we weren't sure whether we should ride the one that goes to the right, or to the left
we rode, and realised that we rode the wrong one!!
thus we confirmed it with the tram driver and dropped off at the next stop for the opposite direction train
what we didn't expect is to receive special ticket from the driver, so that we wouldn't need to pay extra ;w;
i was just touched by that kindness!
view from Shimonada Station
on our way to Aoshima, we happened to pass by Shimono Station
this station appeared in Spirited Away?
i only found it out 5 mins ago as i googled the station's name 😂
I only know that the station's famous for sunset view (or to be exact someone recommended my partner)
but we didn't stop for photo 😂
1. it was as cloudy as photo (taken from the train)
2. my partner fell asleep in the train
3. it's a countryside = the train only come once every 20-30mins 😂
it was kinda rainy too that day! so we decided to head to our destination faster~!
super countryside, where shops barely open until 8PM 😂
stopped here on 1AM; continued on 6PM while waiting for rice to cook for dinner XD
today (Saturday 27 June 2020) woke up just on time for yoga -> ramen for lunch -> game centre as we had an hr to kill because karaoke shop was full!
then karaoke for 3hrs even though we picked the unlimited time program (until 8PM) but during crowded area, it's limited to 3hrs ;w;
kinda sleepy halfway but sang quite a number of songs -> grocery for dinner -> and now here XD
gotta finish up about Ehime today!
hopefully will be able to start my next blog today too!
Back to August 2019!
from Ehime city -> Aoshima!
the lodging we stayed at was said as where Sakamoto Ryoma stayed at before!
our lodging's front!
entrance and second floor
completely Japanese style room!
exhibition area at the first floor
it's actually a private home with 2 guests rooms at the second floor
the first floor is probably owner's room, kitchen, dining room & a special room for exhibiting Sakamoto Ryoma's related stuff!
the owner is a very kind and caring oba-san!
she called the restaurant that she recommended for us!
i don't remember what's the fish name but it's clear :D
recommended sightseeing spot, right in front of the lodging :D
obachan made us breakfast at 6AM!!
The main reason why we came to Aoshima is because that is where Japan's cat island is at!
but obachan was surprised and didn't expect us to be there with that aim because usually, people won't reserve breakfast
thus we made her wake up earlier ;w;
boat to Aoshima!
not only we made her make breakfast, she also called the boat staff whether they operate that day or not
that day actually rained from late night till early morning
usually boat doesn't operate but lucky us; it operated that day!
there are only 2 boats to the cat island; one at 8AM and another at 4PM
coming back is the same
nothing in between
so if we couldn't go with the 8AM one, we'd only go by the 4PM boat and stay in the island for around 1/2hr
there's plus and minus for both options but since there's nothing to do there + we purposely got the lodging so that we can ride the 8AM boat, thus we went boarded the 8AM boat!
you can already see a lot of cats as soon as the boat came to stop!
well, cats aren't stupid 😂
they know boat = food 😂
right away it was meal time!
really a lot of kind cats!!
totally used to human!!
food -> nap XD
no food? no care for you 😂
they'd even get to your lap willingly~
but we were warned to not be afraid to move, or else you'd need to stay for 2 hrs 😂
sleeping so soundly X)
cats (?)
I think the cats also know that if they are not kind toward human = they don't get food 😂
Ok! Long post regarding Aoshima Cat Island time!
it's.. also a cat heaven
cat lovers ofc will love this place
there are way more cats than cat cafe
you only need to pay for boat trip
ofc it'll be very kind for one to bring food too
but I find a lot of heart wrenching thing about the island
only 5 people inhabit that island
only 2 boats trip per day
internet barely working
no vending machine
no convenience store
no lodging
toilet is the bare minimum
a lot of untreated land, plants = a lot of bugs
staying there from 8AM to 4PM, as city people, my partner and i felt like being stranded + mid summer = we were the first to board the boat when it came at 4PM 😂i'm just sad as to why there's no treatment? for the island
the cats are neutered already, that's one reliving thing
but just as how it's not tourist friendly, i'm kinda sad as to how the cats will survive
they don't seem so wild or good at hunting..
they seem so used to human
what if no once come ;w;....
super thankful to this ojisan!
he seems to be the person who have been keeping the cat island alive
not only he has IG ( @aoshima_cat ) that is promoting the island, he also gave us visitors, a lot of cat food
we bought 1 pack of Japanese cat food Ciao (10 inside)
TOTALLY NOT ENOUGH DUH we didn't expect that many cat
but he was fully prepared, giving us plastic spoon and paper plate too!
he even gave us water and sandwich, since 2 bottles of 500ml water are TOTALLY NOT ENOUGH
also lent us cat toys
he didn't expect any payment, just a donation box in the island's visitor area
time to leave ;-;
Ehime isn't a place that I have strong urge going back to but I'd go back to meet the obachan and the cat island
may be next time, we shall go with the 4PM boat, though only 1/2hr with the cats
but it's better than giving us bad impression of the place ;w;
the obachan is definitely another person that made me feel that Ehime is full of kind people!
not only she guided us and helped us with food and reservations, she also brought our luggages (with her car ofc!) to the train station before we left the island!
thus we didn't need to bring them with us to the cat island from the morning!
she also sent us New Year greeting card earlier this year ;w;
would totally go back for her!!
passed by Shimonoda station again but we were tired from being stranded in the cat island = hurry up go back to Ehime city 😂
dinner was TaiMeshi
another story of kindness ;w;
we entered a restaurant at local shopping district and I die die wanted to eat TaiMeshi as I know it's famous in Ehime
but I'm not too informative about it
thus we ordered TaiMeshi from the menu = the picture above was served
later on, before leaving, the ojichan asked where we came from = we came from Tokyo
he then explained that the TaiMeshi we ate is not Ehime's original TaiMeshi
it's just a normal rice (meshi) with fish (Tai is the fish' name) on top that can be eaten at anywhere else, not just Ehime
lastly, he gave us extra food to take away, which is the real TaiMeshi = fish cooked with the rice (fish inside the rice cooker and cook together kind of thing)
most probably it's just leftover from that day, but still I'm so grateful ðŸ˜
Last place we visited in Ehime was Dogo area!
Dogo is a place full of onsen!
this is a totally tourist spot!
we also did orange juice tasting!
Ehime is also famous for orange!
as I super love orange juice, I did the orange juice tasting though now I totally no recollection how each tasted 😂
this is Dogo main building!
this building is said to be the one that appeared in Spirited Away!
our next planned onsen visit
which I didn't really enjoy after visiting 😂
1. Dogo area is totally tourist area = super crowded that we even queued for Dogo main building's onsen
2. Dogo main building onsen is not a super sentou, aka it's a normal public bathhouse = no toiletries 😂we needed to pay for towel + buy our own soap 😂
3. simply because the sentou is packed = barely relaxing 😂
that's all i gotta say 😂
for tourist, it's still a nice spot to visit for photos (especially Ghibli's Spirited Away fans ofc!) but not so recommended to enter the bath house
there are also other bath house around, plus a lot of souvenir shop!
not so bad :D
the left photo is the food we received from the ojisan, the real TaiMeshi ;w;
the right one is a lot of sweets that I made my partner ran to buy because we decided to get them like 20mins before closing time 😂
tbh no strong impression for the sweets because Ehime is so touristy = a lot of advertisement for the sweet's brand
but at the end it's a bit of being persuaded by the advertisement 😂
come to think of it, Ehime city is the most touristy among the 4 places I went to
I didn't visit Tokushima's city so I can't judge fully but Kochi is so far ;w;
I find Naoshima at Kagawa is the other touristy area!
but I'll write about it on my next post!
lastly, i uploaded a short compilation video of Aoshima's cats last year in my YouTube channel!
Can check it here ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSAdg7mhnZw ) X)
rice cooked!
gotta go :D
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