The "naive" Shermayne in Tokyo!

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Shermayne left Japan.. =(

It's the end of the exchange..
I've probably used up my 5 years of tears saying goodbyes to people I love.
They made the trip so wonderful and worthwhile. I'm so glad that I made the decision to go to Japan, would not have met these awesome people if I didn't.

I'm in Melbourne now.
I met this middle-age Japanese guy who sat next to me on the plane. He thought that I was a Japanese and started speaking Jap to me when he sat down. He said I look totally like a Japanese and he remembered that I was saying 'sumimasen' to someone before boarding (which I didn't realize at all). I was surprised but am glad that I had the opportunity to practise my Jap one last time before I start my new semester.

Had to attend classes not long after I arrive Melbourne in the morning. Going to classes in Melb uni and not bumping into DK friends are weird. Adapting to the previous system is difficult too =( and tiring.
I wish I had more time and I wish I had a short break.

My brother moved into a new house and it's still on renovation, so basicly the house has nothing. It's muddy and dirty as the landscape is not done yet. Furniture will only arrive 2 months later. Moreover the house is far away from my university and I need to wake up even earlier than when I was in Japan. Feels kinda discouraged getting home to a place which is not exactly a 'home' yet. I wish everything was already done and I wish I could just focus on getting back on track and focus on my last semester of university. I guess I need to go through this with my brother to ensure that we will create a better living environment for not only us, but our family too. Hopefully everything will become worthwhile in the end =)
Feel like crying everytime I recall the sweet moment in Japan. Have to deal with reverse cultural shock too. I need some encouragements and motivation to move me on.

I really miss Japan, and the people.

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Climbing Mt.Fuji - Craziest thing I've ever done in life =)

２０１０　７月１４日.７月１５日　　水曜日.木曜日　

I made it to the very top of Mount Fuji! 3776m above sea level!

Those 14 hours (8 hours climbing up, 6 hours going down) were a very tough journey for me. I've never expected it to be this difficult and dangerous.

The decision of climbing Mt.Fuji was sudden though. It was on Tuesday when my classmate, Kelly asked Valencia and me if I wanted to climb Mt.Fuji the next day. Valencia and I were uncertained but we really wanted to try it out, so after thinking for like three hours, we made up our mind. =) I was still very tired because I've just came back from Kyoto trip during the weekend, but I thought that I should not miss this opportunity because it's an once-in-a-lifetime experience.

At that night (Tues), I ran around my dorm trying to collect as many stuff from my friends & got advices from those who've been there before. Thanks DK mates! You guys are awesome!

Essential stuff for climbing Mt.Fuji (you can probably just give up if you don't have these):

1. Head-lamp

2. Protein-bar/Snacks/Chocolates - to give you energy. I had a bite everytime I reached a standing platform. It really helped me.

3. Walking stick - to keep you stable + save your energy when going up + getting down (Highly recommended! especially during windy days) Got it from the Station5 stop for 1000yen only.

4. Warm and water-proof clothing/ Backpack + very good HIKING SHOES

5. Water - I only needed one litre for the whole journey because throughout the end when I climbed up, I was basicly drinking rain =_=" Don't gulp a whole bunch of water in one go though (too much oxygen getting into your body might have a higher chance of giving you altitude sickness). I had little sip by sip during the journey, it helped a lot =)

On the next day (Wed), we went shopping for hiking shoes, food and warm socks after classes. After that I went home, took a quick shower and stuffed everything in the backpack. It was a little bit ギリギリ but we were glad that we made it to the 5.50pm bus.
After three hours of bus ride, we finally reached the 5th station of Mount Fuji. It was raining and kinda chilly so we went into the restroom and put on some warm clothes.

After getting ready and all excited.

Giselle, Alex, me, Valencia, Kelly.

Five of us (all girls) started climbing at 9pm from 5th station. It was raining so badly and the wind was so strong. It's probably the worst weather to climb Mt.Fuji. The higher we reached, the worse it became.

Station 6? not too sure..

We were still energetic. =)

My protein bar expanded because of the pressure.

After three hours, we reached the 7th station, Valencia was very tired and had problem breathing due to the altitude and she couldn't keep up with the pace. A guy named Michael whom we met at the beginning felt sick too. He wanted to go down so we asked Valencia if she wanted to go down with him because she might not be able survive in the coming journey. I'm actually very glad that Valencia went down with Michael, because what happened next was almost unbearable for me. I think Valencia kinda saved Michael's life too because the next day, she told me that Michael kept walking near the edge of the cliff, and if she hadn't warn him, he could have fell...

Valencia, you've done well! =)

The first three hours for me (from the beginning) was tiring but wasn't as difficult. But when we moved on from 7th station, we had to climb these slippery rock surface which is like 85 degrees - almost vertical. I'm really surprised that Mt.Fuji is open for public because it's just too dangerous!

Half-way through 7th station, I felt really tired and my head lamp wasn't bright enough to show me the way, so I actually went off the trail. I shouted for my friends and they stopped. They were standing above me and Alex told me (next day) that I was literally hanging by the cliff and we didn't know what's under us because it was too dark. Every step I took, I slided down a little bit because it was just too steep. After staying there for like 10min or so, I figured that I have to move on, so I grabbed on to any rocks I could find and successfully climbed up to where my friends were. It was very scary..

It didn't happen once but twice, and no one was around me at the second time because my friends were racing with time to see sunrise at 4.30am. I guess I wasn't as athletic and I was progressing slower, so they kind of left me behind because our pace were different. I didn't want to be a burden anyway, so it was ok =) I would feel bad if they needed to wait for me all the time. At some point, I didn't even recognise if it was sweat, rain, mucus dripping from my face. It was freezing and warm clothes didn't help anymore because rain got in and everything was wet, including stuff in my backpack.

I kept questioning myself "Shermayne, why did you get yourself into this?" because I would be sleeping soundly at that time if I chose not to go. During the journey, I kept thinking that this is really crazy and I couldn't believe that I was doing this. But I couldn't back out anymore so the only choice was to continue. I was praying a lot, asking God to keep me safe. I guess that's also where my strength and determination came from =)

I realised how important teamwork is because it was really difficult for me to go all the way up by myself. I could feel myself getting weaker and I was losing energy. 30min/an hour (just an estimation) before I reached Station 8, this young Asian guy from New York, Bernard (we met before starting the journey) came behind me and he accompanied me. He kept telling me 'You can do it', 'Keep going'. I was too tired to respond him but his encouragement at that moment was like music to my ears. Although he's a stranger to me, what he said really kept me going on and I felt like I was energized all of a sudden. I really, really wanted to thank him again and I regret not talking much to him when I last saw him at Station 8 on our way down. I wish I would have the chance to see him again because he's one of my life saviours.

When I reached the 8th station (it took about three hours from 7th to 8th), I was already very exhausted and I knew that it was almost my limit. But I didn't want to give up after I've gone this far. I told myself if I could get through this, I would have nothing to fear in life. I wanted to challenge myself despite of the weather and exhaustion. Then I continued.

I thought I could get rest at Station 9 but there wasn't any standing platform when I reached the 9th station, so I had no choice but to keep climbing. When I was climbing on rocks, a sudden strong wind knocked me down and I fell behind. I was literally being lifted up by the wind although I tried sticking myself to the ground. Fortunately I landed on my back (not my head) and I was lucky enough because there was a tour group behind, stopping me from falling further. I cut my knee (and luckily again, I was wearing a few layers so it wasn't bad). I tore the trackpants which I borrowed from my friend, Guen. (I'm still feeling really very bad about it because she didn't want any compensation)

At that moment I couldn't think of anything but to move on. I was so happy when I saw the entrance of the 10th station - the top. The feeling is really hard to be described in words. I could see sky changing from purple to pink and to orange but there wasn't sunrise because it was too cloudy.. My aim was to reach the top, not the sunrise, so I wasn't sad about it. Instead, the changing colours were the most beautiful thing I witnessed from the top.

Entrance of Station 10 - the top of Mt.Fuji

One of the last pictures I took because my camera died after that. Water got in and I could see ice forming in it. I spent at least ten minutes taking this picture because my hands were shivering so badly that I couldnt hold my camera right. But I guess this was the most valuable picture I've ever taken!

I was soaked in rain when I reached the top. I found my friends and they got me a bowl of ramen but I was shivering so much that I couldn't hold the chopsticks. My wallet and money was dripping in water too but I'm glad that the person accepted the wet 1000yen note. It was really cold. I'm glad that I didn't suffer from altitude sickness because it would make me feel worse. After trying hard to finish the bowl of ramen, I recalled what happened before and I started crying when I thought of how much effort I had put in. I could have lost my life. The first thing I thought of was my dad and mum. =( I thought I wouldn't see my family and friends anymore.

I slept for half an hour and we started descending from the mountaintop. It was still very windy and slippery. Three of them went ahead of me again because the rain and wind blocked my front vision and I didn't want to be knocked down again, so I slided down slowly. I started crying again and I really wanted to tell them not to leave me behind, as it's really scary going through this alone.. I yelled 'Wait!' for a few times and perhaps they sensed my feelings, they waited for me. Since then we moved down together. After an hour, the sky started clearing off and it stopped raining. The scenery was absolutely beautiful because we were above the clouds. The weather was finally good and I actually enjoyed going down.

I didn't do this on purpose. My shutter wasn't opening well. It was frozen.

But it looked kind cool, right?

My camera's crazy now though..hopefully it'll dry off and function well again =(

It was really an unforgettable experience for me. It's probably the craziest thing I've ever done. I'm very, very proud of myself though. I did well and I'm not ashamed to say that. =)
Although people might reprimand me of being silly as I climbed Mt.Fuji in that kind of weather (obviously I didn't see it coming), I don't regret it because I've learnt more about myself during this journey. It has definitely gave me a boost of confidence because I know if I believe in myself, I can do almost anything.

Now that I've conquered the highest mountain of Japan, what else would I be afraid of?

Saturday, June 26, 2010

G.W. Day 4 Back to Takayama =D

５月４日　火曜日　晴れ

We were back in Takayama!
Stayed there for another night before we concluded our Golden Week trip.
And of course, we stayed in the same backpack hotel again because it's cheap and the people are nice ♥
We got the same room as last time~

Put down our luggage and we started exploring again ^^
It was Hida Sosha Festival (the annual festival of the grand sanctuary enshrining most guardian gods of Hida) and Kinzojishi (Kinzo lion dance) that day.

We went to the shrine where they started their parade.

It was too warm and we didn't think we could be able to watch the whole parade under the scorching sun, so we went on a walk instead. ^^

Saw this outside someone's house. So cute!

We walked to one of the famous shrines in Takayama

Weather was too hot so we bought ice-cream >v<

And then,

we visited a museum about 昭和Showa period (1926-1989).

It's one of the coolest museums I've ever been in Japan because I felt like I was back to childhood again!

Took picture with this cute little girl who reminded me of Rachel Liang 梁文音(a taiwanese singer)

Perhaps the oldest model of Karaoke?!

I had an Ultraman alarm clock exactly like the one on the right when I was little!

Felt nostalgic~

A street during Showa period ^^

The museum's actually quite small but we had so much fun in there!

A classroom which looks exactly like those in my elementary school.

My classmates and I would chalked on the blackboard everyday in the morning, and quickly erased them just when the bell rang.. =)

Cinema in the Showa period

Hehe.. it's a ciggarette candy! XD was very popular among us back in the old days!

懐かしい～　＝ｖ＝

It was about evening when we were done with the museum..

By the way, I think I took a nice picture =D very jap-like.

and Yi-ching, haha.

Frozen mandarin! Best snack in a summer-like day!

We were lucky enough to witness the Kinzo lion dance!

I thought it was like Chinese lion dance but it wasn't what I expected.

The Kinzo lion dance is much slower and the melody was strange and not rhythmic.

It's kinda creepy and evil to me.. =P lol.

The lion went into each shophouses and blessed them with prosperity, I think.

The sun was setting so we decided to sit on a bench and enjoy the evening breeze and the colour of the sky.

I bought this at the Showa museum. The little thing which I played with a lot when I was a kid. (How to play with it: twist and set some of the liquid on the tube, then blow it and try to cover any holes by pinching it with your fingers. You can make them into different shapes too)

Clearly my skills had become worse because I successed twice only after 10+ attempts.

It was fun though.

Qian realised that she sat on my 'balloon' when she stood up. Funny moment lol.

It was a beautiful day to revive childhood memories...

And then, my camera batteries died. =(

We passed this Yukata/Kimono shop and went in to have a look. Turned out that Qian and me bought a Yukata each XD We tried it on and it's just too pretty. I've always wanted to get a Yukata for the Tanabata festival in July anyway ^^ so it's worth spending the $

After that we went to the Ramen restaurant which we wanted to go two days ago.
The ramen was two thumbs up!!~ ♥♥

Had a good night rest and enjoyed our last moments in Takayama. Took a bus in a morning and we returned to Tokyo..the feeling's just so different and I felt weird not seeing much green.

My お土産 from Takayama and Shirakawago =)

Spent a lot, but the experience was worthwhile ^^

No more holiday for me until September... Time to study and play hard!

G.W. Day 3 白川郷 ۩ Shirakawago!

５月３日　月曜日　晴れ

Finally, we were going to visit the world's heritage - Shirakawago! It's our major purpose of the whole trip ^^

We were waken up by this very nice Korean song 'Baby baby' from Qian's iphone (although my annoying alarm ringtone interrupted the atmosphere). The view of green and snowy mountains, gentle sunlight as well as birds chirping greeted 'good morning' to us ☼ I've never felt this refreshed and comfortable waking up in the morning.

After getting ready, we went to the skiing place and had our healthy breakfast - Soba noodles with mountain vegetables. (Oh, Hiroyo was so nice that she came and pick us up! Although the place's only 5min away)

View from the indoor restaurant

I wish I could see the winter scene of this skiing slope

After breakfast, we were ready to walk for about 40min to the bus stop so that we could catch a bus to Shirakawago.

Not long after we started walking, a car stopped beside us and asked us to get on. It's the uncle/owner of our minshuku! =D We thought he was going to send us to our local bus stop, but he U-turned and drove to the other direction. He sent us all the way to Shirakawago! @@

We were very surprised. Though we were the customers, they didn't have to treat us this well.

Moreover, he didn't just dropped us at Shirakawago station, but at the great look-out stand on the mountain so that we didn't have to walk all the way up.

T.,T *touched*

The car trip saved us so much effort, and gave us more time to explore Shirakawa-GO!

First thing I spot - A super cute Shiba-inu puppy!

and his brother >v<

I just can't control myself when I see dogs ^^

Had so much fun playing with them ♥

The full view of the world heritage - Shirakawago!!!

I couldn't believe my eyes.

You would feel the same too if you were standing at the same spot as me.

No words are good enough to describe the scenery.

The professional photographer took this picture for us. He was really funny and instead of saying 'cheese~/1.2.3~', he said 'Shirakawago' in a funny flow and accent - Shi↓raa√→kaa∩→wa↓GOU↑↑~!

(lol hope you get what I mean)

```sakura shower``` ♥

Got some light snacks on the mountain

Ching and me got the last two tubs of soy milk pudding!! muahaha..

it was simply delicious~~

The tofu steak was really good too!

Then, we walked down to the real village.

It was so sunny and warm but we're definitely enjoying the dreamlike scenery~ ^^

Old school coke bottle with traditional japanese houses

We spent some time exploring and walking around the neighbourhood ^^

♥

Found this very pretty Jinja (shrine). We sat on the ground and took a series of crazy pictures.

→ Trying to imitate Ching's default face XD

We loved the breeze and the atmosphere.

Randomly walked into a traditional-looking restaurant to try the famous beef+miso paste in Shirakawago. They said it was mind-blowing~ (I don't eat beef)