So now I sit here in front of the computer trying to put my thoughts towards the past 12 months into words. I am looking back at a year that has been trying from start to finish, a case that is not exclusive to me; in fact, I think it has been a difficult year for many. As such, I feel that the me that is writing this right now - the me from December 31, 2016 - is a wholly different person from the me of January 1st.
Early in the year, I found myself facing significant hurdles I was not able to prepare myself for. The uncertainties of my chosen career path have swept over me in a sudden rush. Unexpectedly, I found myself struggling to stay afloat turbulent waters, not knowing what to do or where to go. The ship that had previously held me was my comfort zone, so it was natural for the transition to be difficult.
Nonetheless, time continued to pass, and though the days after that were not idle, I had a lot of time in my hands. This led me to focus on working on some of the many things I have always wanted to accomplish. But along the way, I uncovered some of my weaknesses, and this was only amplified by the next adventure of my work life. Yet another tiring transition, but I am thankful as this allowed me to realize how unkind I have been to myself. Most of the anxiety I cultivated this year was due to this sense of perfectionism I had within me that I didn't realize was actually such a burden. Life is meant to be lived forward, but sometimes it's inevitable that you take a step back. It's okay. We all have our weaknesses, and while we should always strive to overcome them, sometimes the way around a hurdle is around it instead of over it. It's important to acknowledge and accept these weaknesses and take it lightly. One step at a time. Be patient and be kind, to others and to yourself.
A sunset that paints its gentle golden glow over a tranquil sea. That is how I'd put the end of this year into a metaphor. Just a couple of weeks prior I was internally complaining I was not feeling the holidays despite my freedom from work and school. I wanted to feel again the loud, festive cheer that I often felt during the Christmases of my childhood. On Christmas Day though, I received a different yet very welcome gift: I had been feeling this quiet sense of peace, the kind wherein all your troubles seem to be faraway. I know the sea will not always be tranquil, but nonetheless, the pearls that had come out of my struggles this year ignite a new light of hope and courage in me, and for that I am very grateful.
Thank you Lord, for your grace that carries me through, and for my family and friends to support me.
これからもよろしくお願いします. :)
(From now on too, I will be in your favor.)
"Just for a bit", I thought. I hold my breath, and turn instead to the scenery that surrounds me. In the night sky, the moon hung tacitly, engulfing the earth in a majestic blanket of light, illuminating the clouds and drowning out the stars.
Around me, friends and lovers and solitary souls abound. The sound of enthusiastic chatting permeates through the legato of notes playing in my headphones. In a few moments, the piano piece ends; the impatient sound of cars honking as their drivers rush to get in and out of the city slowly taking over the artistic arrangement of rhythm, tempo, and melody.
Down below, life seems to continue in its normal, hurried way; car lights and city lights beaming in unison as people hasten to make their way towards their destinations.
Lately I've been feeling anxious about a lot of things. But there, under the alluring charm of the moonlight, time seems to have stopped; all thoughts and emotions frozen in space.
The future can wait.
15 Nov 2016
3:04 am
Most people travelling to Japan tend to skip Nagoya because other more popular cities such as Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto undoubtedly have much more to offer. But, having been to this city twice now for fangirling needs (haha), I found that it is actually quite a nice place to go around~ :D It also has pretty interesting places and the best thing is that the city has a very efficient transportation system that makes sightseeing very easy :)
Cost: 500 yen (regular adult rate), but since we had the Eco pass, we paid only 400 yen
As the name of the place implies, the museum took us through a history of the Toyota company, from its early beginnings in weaving to its transition to making automobiles! Knowing the history of Toyota gives you an insight to Japanese creativity and diligence.
Toyota's history told in the style of manga
The museum was complete with many exhibits on textile machinery, car parts, car assembly machines, and of course various car models.
An exhibit on the making of the first Toyota car
My mom posing with some of the car models on display
I love how interactive the museum was (and everything had an English translation, so no problem even if you don't speak a word of Japanese), and the best part (for me as a budget traveler haha), was the price of the entrance fee (only around 170 pesos), considering how vast the museum was and how amazing the exhibits were. 400/500 yen is totally value for money :))
One of the interactive car assembly exhibits
An exhibit on car painting
We spent nearly 2 hours going around the exhibitions. We intended to catch the Me~guru bus at 11:38 AM but missed it again by a second, so we just decided to eat lunch at the restaurant there. After lunch, we went to wait at the bus stop so we could properly catch the next bus XD The next stop from Toyota Museum was immediately Nagoya Castle, so after only a short ride again, we found ourselves at the main entrance gate of Nagoya Castle.
Cost: 500 yen (regular adult rate), 400 yen with pass
At the entrance of Nagoya Castle, one will find this golden statue of a fish, which we later discovered was actually a golden dolphin (or a golden tiger carp, although the signage in the castle all said "dolphin"), locally called "kinshachi". The kinshachi is apparently a symbol of feudal lords at the time, and this was used as a decor all around the castle when it was built.
Accordingly, Nagoya Castle was built on the order of Tokugawa Ieyasu, founder of the Tokugawa shogunate, who ruled Japan from 1600 up to the Meiji Restoration in 1868. It housed the Owari branch of the Tokugawa clan for the most part. On the outside it looks very similar to Osaka Castle (which I've visited last year~), although there's less gold and more green. The only gold that stands out in Nagoya Castle are the two kinshachi at the top.
Nagoya Castle, also called "Meijo"
Since the most of the original castle buildings of Meijo were actually destroyed during the war, the castle that now stands is actually a 1959 reconstruction of the original. Like Osaka Castle, the inside was renovated to become a museum. There were 7 floors inside, with the topmost serving as an observatory. In each of the floors, there were several exhibitions including replicas of castle rooms (not reconstructed in the original size and format though), architectural plans, dioramas of the former castle town, old paintings, and various relics.
A reconstruction of an old castle room
It was pretty cool to know that Japan's 3 most prominent historical figures actually hailed from the same prefecture (Aichi, where Nagoya is located).
After exiting the main castle keep, we passed by the reconstruction site of the Hommaru Palace (main palace). We went in for a look and it was interesting that they're reconstructing the inside as how it originally was. They were also very keen on the materials used in the reconstruction. So far, the layout of the rooms and halls have been done as well as the sliding doors. Parts have been opened to the public, though the completion is not expected until 2018.
When we got out, we strolled a bit into the gardens. It was nice for an afternoon walk with plants and trees providing some shade. The grounds near the east exit were alive and teeming with energy because of an event going on (I think it was a reenactment of something as we saw people dressed in armor costumes). We stopped for a bit of ice cream at one of the stalls. Nearby, there was a refreshing shed with vines growing all over its roof. It makes for a nice place to stop by after walking around. Castles in Japan really are wonderful places to explore on a clear, sunny day~ :)
We exited through the East gate and walked a bit to Shiyakusho Station on the Meijo subway line. We intended to go to Atsuta Shrine next, and were supposed to get off at Jingu Nishi Station. However, we didn't realize at first that the Meiko Line connects with the subway loop at Kanayama Station, so not all trains that go in the direction of Kanayama will follow the counterclockwise route. As such, we accidentally boarded the wrong train and had to get off at Hibino Station to get back to Kanayama XD Good thing we had Hyperdia and pocket wifi to save the day XD
After alighting at Jingu Nishi Station, we walked for about 10 minutes to the entrance of Atsuta Shrine. Since it was already about 3:30 PM when we got there and I was planning to arrive at the concert venue at 4:00, I just saw my parents off at the entrance and proceeded to look for JR Atsuta Station (from where the concert venue is just a station away). To be sure, I asked the guard at the entrance on which direction was JR Atsuta and he kindly pointed me in the right direction. I got there with no problems after about a 10-minute walk. En route to the station, I saw a girl with the NEWS White Tour shopping bag so I was sure I was going the right way :)) But I was too shy to approach her, with my Japanese being a bit rusty :))
The train station was small and looked very local. It had this province vibe that reminded me of slice-of-life anime. I quite liked it. There were also only a few people waiting for the train at that time so the atmosphere was great for some quiet time alone ^_^ I looked at the timetable and it said that the next train was to arrive at 15:57, so I had quite some time to myself before getting all excited for the concert :)
Waiting for the train to Kasadera
When the train arrived, it was packed with many fangirls on the way to the concert (some of them looked really young, about elementary school age). I squeezed my way in and just endured the 5-minute or so ride XD When I alighted at Kasadera Station, naturally I just followed the crowd and after a very short walk, I found myself at the concert venue ^_^
But of course, the whole concert experience requires a separate blog post (I hope to write about it on my LJ soon! ^_^), so I'll just skip to the part after the concert. So when I got on the train back to Nagoya Station, it was only about a quarter to 9:00 PM. Since I wanted more alone time and I told my parents anyway that I'll be back to the hotel by around 10:00, I decided to walk around after getting off at Sakae. I passed by Oasis21, a shopping mall infused with a bus terminal, with quite an interesting, futuristic design. There were street performers playing music so I stopped for a bit to take in the scene. To my right, stood Nagoya TV Tower lit in pretty pink lights reminiscent of sakura. We weren't able to go up the previous day as we arrived late from our flight, and I know it closes at 10:00 so I went in to have a look.
Nagoya TV Tower in sakura-themed illumination
There's a small cafe at the ground level of the tower, and the signage at the entrance said that tickets and reception were at the third floor. I went up and saw that there was actually a sakura light display exhibition going on, hence the theme of the tower lights. I think it is for this reason that the entrance fee was set at 1,300 yen, instead of 700 yen as was advertised on the internet XD I actually thought it was pretty expensive, but since I was already there and I still had some cash anyway, I decided I might as well go. I really like going up high buildings during my trips abroad. I think a view from the top acquaints me with a foreign city quite well.
When I got to the observatory, there were virtual sakura petals falling down the glass windows and it made for a wonderful portrait with the city lights outside. Too bad I didn't have my DSLR camera with me~ :< There were some guys there with their DSLR on a tripod taking photos, and I was so envious~ The sounds that went with it were majestic as well (someone has uploaded a preview of the illumination here!) Anyway, I went around the observatory and afterward, I settled myself in a sofa overlooking the west side of the city. The bright city lights made for a very nice view as I settled down to rest. I got myself a bottle of milk tea from the vending machine nearby and ate my crackers while taking in the view. I couldn't help but have some kind of reflective moment at that time :)) I just felt so grateful, to have had that moment of both excited bliss and peaceful retrospection.The past months have both been trying and mundane times, and the next ones will surely be full of new challenges. And yet there I was, having a (very Japanese, I must say) moment of zen after a euphoric experience. It felt like being in an oasis and I couldn't thank God enough for His immaculate timing :) It was a moment I will surely remember :)
View from the top (the blue-purple oval is Oasis21)
As I tuned in to my surroundings, I heard a door open and a guy telling his companion that the wind was cold but felt good. Upon hearing this, I realized that there was actually an outdoor observatory up the stairs! There were quite a number of people coming and going so I thought I’d go check it out. It was just as the guy said, the wind felt cold but good :)) I decided to stay for a while soaking in the city lights from below and taking in the cool winds. I just felt so happy to be there, even when I realized all the other people around me were grouped in pairs (hahaha. I later found out the place was designated as a “Lovers’ Sanctuary” XD).
After a few minutes, an ojisan (uncle) was going around with a poster informing people about something. Rusty as my Japanese was, I was able to understand a bit what he was saying through the poster (and he also kindly used a few English words when he realized I was not Japanese) XD Apparently there was some kind of light exhibition going on at one of the rooms on the lobby floor and as the tower would be closing in a few minutes, the last run of the exhibition for the day was also taking place. It looked interesting so I went down to check it out. In the middle of the room, there was a fixture resembling a huge sakura tree and lights were being projected on it as splendid sounds of spring played in the background. I sat there for a good ten minutes and it felt very calming to watch the virtual sakura petals floating about while listening to the music.
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