Almost Cherry Blossom at Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden, Tokyo

It was almost cherry blossom season at Shinjuku Gyoen Park, Tokyo, when I had another transit stop at Tokyo for the second time.

The weather was beautiful and balmy, making me decide to visit one of the famous gardens in Tokyo when you can enjoy cherry blossoms.
Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden

Surely it wasn't really packed with people but I saw some tourists like me trying to get the best snap of the flowers.
I saw some sakura and many other trees and flowers that I don't know the name of.

Besides the blooming flowers and wonderful fragrance, I really enjoy the clear blue sky!
Such a great sight to see those colorful flowers against the blue sky backdrop.  

Regardless the fact that I don't know the name of most of those beautiful flowers (it was written in Japanese :)), I really enjoy my morning walk in Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden.
And the garden is indeed huge, encompassing  French Formal Garden, English Landscape garden and Japanese traditional garden all in one big area.
Because of the time constraint, I only roamed around the Japanese garden, as I still had Shibuya, Ginza, and Odaiba areas to explore at that time.
I guess I need to go back when the trees are all fully blooming.
Maybe next time :).
Here are some more photos I took there, all using my iPhone X #shotoniphone.

So if you happen to be around, don't miss this beautiful garden.
It's reachable using JR Chou Line and Tokyo Metro Marunouchi Line from Tokyo Station to Shinjuku station, with some 10 minutes walking.
The ticket is 200 Yen per adult which is so cheap.

Enjoy the garden and have a lovely spring.

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Cherry Blossoms at Ueno Park, Tokyo, Japan

Before enjoying spring in New York City, I was privileged to see the cherry blossoms at Ueno Park, while I was Tokyo, Japan.
Click here to read my little story in Japan : Hello Tokyo

Ueno Park has been famous to be one of the most favorite places to enjoy cherry blossoms.

And I chose this place to stay over as it is the last stop of Skyliner, the fast train taking us to and from Narita International Airport.

Located at Japan, 〒110-0007 Tokyo, Taitō, Uenokoen, ５−２０(as I copied from Google Maps), Ueno Park covers quite a huge area to explore. It have several museums in the surrounding area and more temples as well as shrines to explore. It also has big pond and famous Zoo here. Too bad I only have limited time so I didn't manage to see them all.
But if you want to see the 'old' Japan, with more traditional houses and temples and less skyscraper buildings, then Ueno will be the perfect place for you.

And back to the cherry blossoms!
Be it in the morning, or at night, sakura is forever beautiful.

Those pinkies, rather small petals are fully blooming in a beautiful way.

It looks fragile, yet it stands the test of the wind.

For only the strong one stay and bloom.
Pretty much the survival test of nature.

When I arrived in Ueno on the first leg of my flight, it was already dark. It was only 5.30 but the sun set already and it was dark. Yet as I stepped out of Ueno Park, it was bright  as lights from the neon signs illuminated the pinky flowers dotting the trees. I stopped there, lining up with others as people started taking photos and selfies with the cherry blossoms.

Here's the map of Ueno Park:

Some tips for enjoying cherry blossoms:

1. If you happen to be around, make sure you come down here early in the morning before the park is packed with people, especially in beautiful, warmer days. I came to the park at 7.30 AM and it was beautifully serene, with a few joggers and runners joining me. 

2. Makes sure you wear your comfortable shoes as you can walk along the park and it was quite a distance. And mind you, Ueno park is huge, covering many temples, museums, statues, shrines, ponds and even Zoo. As for the cherry trees, it is lining up from Shitamachi Museums to Tajo-Ten jin Shrine/Hanazono Inari Shrine.

3. Get ready to line up. Many people want to enjoy the cherry blossoms as well so people tend to line up neatly and take their turn politely, considering that many people love to do the same.

4. If you have allergies to pollen or similar substances, better stay away of course. Or if you still can tolerate it (and I do know people who have allergies but still can enjoy cherry blossoms to certain extent), better get yourself prepared with the medicine needed.

5. Thinking of having a picnic? Bring the mat and the food you love to have or snatch them from the nearby restaurants or cafes. Well, when I came here the cherry blossoms were not fully blooming so I didn't see too many people yet. By the way, I found the Ueno Station has a great bakery and the pastries are exquisite. I bought some from there and they are yummy indeed.

4. And finally, don't forget your camera and/or your phone. Sometimes we get so excited about seeing something new we forget the important things. Well, that happened to me before.

So, enjoy the cherry blossoms and cheers.

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Hello Tokyo

I  finally arrived in Japan for transit on my way to New Caledonia and Paris for series of meetings.
Super excited indeed!
To finally, finally (I keep using this word :)) welcome myself to Japan. 

Have you been to Japan before?
I haven't! And I have been wanting to come to this lovely country since a long time ago.
It feels like an answered prayer, as my hubby and I have in fact discussed the plan of visiting Japan on our way back home to Indonesia later this summer. We haven't reached our agreement yet (as my hubby just simply wants to go back home directly without transiting anywhere) when this assignment came.
And I was ecstatic!

So I planned my trip to Nouméa, New Caledonia by taking the Japan route.
It was 14 hours direct flight from New York City  to Narita, Japan, then followed by another 9 hours flight from Japan to Nouméa, New Caledonia. 
It was a long flight indeed, but I managed to get around 20 hour layover time in Narita, Japan.
So I planned my transit with the help of my dearest friends in Tokyo , especially Mita who has been there for about 3.5 years now, and Google maps as well as tons of travel blogs.

Long story short, after a pleasant flight with ANA, I landed safe and sound in Tokyo on Friday, 9 March 2018, at 3.30 PM.
It was nice, balmy 12 degree Celcius in Tokyo, compared to 0 degree Celcius in NYC.
And don't forget I'm heading to tropical Nouméa, which has the average of 35 - 38 degree Celcius at this time. 
I do have a lot of challenges in packing the right clothes for all these cities I visited and ended up bringing 2 big luggages :).

a little pose at the airport..

Well, on my one night transit in Tokyo, I decided to stay in Ueno, around 40 minutes away from Narita Airport, using the super fast Skyliner.
I put my 2 big bags in the baggage storage in Narita Airport and just traveled to Ueno with my cabin bag. I went down to the basement floor to get to the Skyliner counter and buy the ticket. It has reserved seat and exact time, so I didn't buy return ticket, as I wasn't sure when I would leave Tokyo the next day. 

The reason why I stayed here in Ueno is because it's the easiest way to get to the Skyliner station which takes me back to Narita Airport the next day.
And Ueno is indeed beautiful!

When I arrived in Ueno, I was welcomed by this lovely cherry blossoms.
That's why I walked back to Ueno Park in the next morning to see this beautiful park.
I woke up at 6, thanks to my jet lag, and went jogging around Ueno.

It was cold and rainy but I managed to go out to Ueno at Taito ward and strolled around Ueno Park as well as Harajuku and Takeshita Dori in the evening.

 Although it was raining rather non-stop, it didn't  dampen my spirit to enjoy whatever Japan has to offer. Even with little sleep I have on the flight (thanks to all Oscar-nominees movies :)), I managed to put my big bags in Narita, take Skyliner to Tokyo and Ueno, check-in to my hotel, walk around and shop a bit at Ueno and Takeshita-dori, and close the day by eating at one of Japanese traditional yummy noodle house! Alhamdulliah.

The Ameyoko Market

My first stop was Ameyoko Market, or the American market.
Located in 6 Chome-4-9-14 Ueno. Taitō-ku, Tōkyō-to, this place is an amazing melange of cute, interesting stores, restaurants and Japanese mementos. You can even find kebabs and halal food here! 
But what strikes me most are the souvenirs!
All those cute socks, purses, bags, umbrellas, lunch boxes, pill box, pencil cases, stationaries and God knows what else are there.
I just can't help snatching those cute items so I did fill my shopping bags with many of them.

my favorite cartoon, Doraemon :)

I took the subway, which is only like ten minutes walk from my hotel, to go to Harajuku station.
And this is what I love so much about traveling in Japan.
It is surprisingly easy to travel around in Tokyo and overall in Japan as well, I suppose.

The subway system and the machines..

Using Suica card for traveling around, I love how convenient it is to be traveling around.  
Despite the fact I couldn't read or speak Japanese beside Domo arigatou and Doraemon, I found it very easy to go to some tourist spots by subway.
And they also put the English translation on every sign, so it's a huge help.
I can directly buy the Suica card from the machine and refill it with enough fund, so that I can travel easily. The fee for each trip depends on the distance and I guess starting from 129 Yen or around $1.3.

With a printed map of Tokyo subway in hand and careful observation, I survived strolling around the city to those lovely stops.

So, after walking around Ueno, It took me around 10 minutes to arrive at Harajuku station. 
Harajuku has been famous for its eclectic Japanese fashion and style, so I just wanted to see it myself. And I was having fun indeed!

Harajuku Station!

Halal ramen..yaaaay!

It was already a bit late when I arrived at Harajuku, so I didn't see many people crossing this famous street nor groups pf people wearing cosplay and Japanese Harajuku style.
Besides it was freezing and a bit snowing when I arrived.
Nevertheless, I enjoyed strolling around the street and checked out the supermarket, finding so many interesting items, starting from local brand cosmetics, Japanese snacks in super cute packaging, and so many more. 

Not to forget, I eat the crepe from the Angel's Heart, the oldest creperie in Takeshita Street.
They do have tons of choices indeed!
It was so overwhelming to me, I chose the basic one with cheese on it!
My favorite for sure.
And it costs me only 250 Yen or around USD 3. And it tasted good!
 

where to go?

So those  are a few random snaps before I share more details on what I manage to do in less than a day transit in Japan.
So, do you think you will like Japan as well?
I instantly fall in love with it and happy to be back for sure.
Wait for more stories from Japan! 

And here's Ueno on Google map if you want to check it out!

 

WW: Cheers from Ueno, Tokyo, Japan

Cheers from Ueno, Tokyo, Japan.

I was lucky to get to see some cherry blossoms here at the Ueno Park, Taito-ku, Tokyo.
They just start blooming I guess and I saw some of them while strolling around Ueno Park, although many of them are not yet blooming. I just took some snaps with my phone while enjoying one cloudy morning at this park.

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Wonderful Wednesday with Oh My Heartsie Girls

Another week passed and May is here!
Time really flies here, particularly as I was heavily buried under the never ending work at the office. Starting from last week, we have the annual Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues at the UN.  As I follow these issues closely, I have been spending so much time at the UN.

let's take a cherry walk :)

But during the weekend, I took the liberty to spend some quality time with my beloved family, including by cooking their favorite food and visiting Brooklyn Botanical Garden for a cherry walk :). 

Now that the weather is getting warmer, hopefully we will have more picnics and outdoor activities.

at Brooklyn Botanic Garden

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