Chasing Sakura Day 3 - Hachiko Statue & Shibuya Crossing

Assalamualaikum. Konnichiwa.

Phew kena cepat habiskan entry Jepang ni. Aku ni ada penyakit bila sudah lama bertangguh, maka selamat tinggal update. Tinggal lah bersemadi dengan aman dalam draft folder. 

Second destination on our third day, after Sensoji & Nakamise-dori was Shibuya. Apart dari mau saksikan sendiri ratusan orang at that one of world's busiest crossing, I've also planned to pay Hachiko a visit. Eh bukan sudah cakap benda sama at ur previous entry ka Bie? Eh? 

Actually semangat mau visit Hachiko ni membuak after I watched the movie few years back (Hollywood version). Pastu gigih cari buku mainly because it is based on a true story. And only after reading that I found out the movie that Richard Gere starred in was actually adapted from a Japanese story. Hence, gigih kali kedua cari yang Japanese version. Jumpa yang ndak da subtitle tapi gigih kesekian kalinya...aku tengok juga walau sepatah haram aku ndak faham. Anggap jak aku meninguk pantomime kan. Walau ndak faham, tetaplah mengalir airmata duyung. 

I've watched the movie (Hollywood's) countless times already yet each time sampai part si Hachiko spent his days alone at that old train station; mengenang nasib diri perhaps...I burst out crying. Drama sangat! Aku kalau tengok cerita yang involve animals, cepat jak lah airmata mengalir macam paip rosak. Alangkah masa tengok Harry Potter part si Dobby mati, aku bercucuran udang juga. Sebab jiwa sudah sebati sama watak dia. 

Aku rasa every animal lovers or pet owners have that soft spot in their heart. We tend to be a little bit emotional & sensitive when it comes to animals. Aku ni even tengok the children sleep at home pun boleh ketawa. Macam² ragam. Stress balik kerja boleh relieve bila tengok diorang. 

Aigo, intro perlukah berjela? Suddenly jadi extra semangat bila cerita pasal Hachiko & saudara sehaiwan 'beliau'. Bah, mari lah start mengupdate cerita yang sepatutnya.

Top up Icoca card. Minimun amount is ¥1,000. 

We didn't buy the Metro Day Pass because it's not worthful for us. We only rode the subway twice that day & the price for both journeys pun belum dapat cover harga day pass tu (¥1,000). Yang lain, kami memang naik JR train which is free with the JR Pass. So I decided better guna Icoca jak lah untuk subway since kami pun sudah ada kad tu. At least balance dalam Icoca boleh guna di tempat lain i.e Kyoto, Hiroshima. 

If u like to know more about the day pass, u can refer here. I can't explain much because we didn't buy any of the passes while we're in Tokyo. 

6 April 2014

Hachiko Statue

From Asakusa, we took the Tokyo Metro (Ginza Line) to Shibuya Station (no transfer). Exited the station via Hachiko Crossing Gate. Turn right once u're out of the station building. Ikut jak signboard, confirm ndak kan sesat. Kalau macam rasa salah jalan tu, sila bertanya. 

Nampak jak train ni, memang confirm & sahih u're at the right place. Hachiko Statue is just opposite this train. Ni kali rupa train masa zaman tu. Simbolik jak ni. 

Finally! Konnichiwa Hachiko! This statue was erected in Aug, 1948. And to date is a popular meeting spot among the locals. 

Ur remarkable loyalty is of unquestionable. Even manusia pun belum tentu akan jadi se-loyal anda! Terus terbayang muka Hachiko depan trains station, tunggu tuan dia yang ndak sampai. His impression breaks my heart into million pieces indeed. 

Pembentung pun gambar Hachiko tau. Memang area ni dia lah taiko!

Hachiko died on 8 March 1935 & was found on a street in Shibuya. He was stuffed & mounted remains are kept at the National Science Museum of Japan in Ueno. His monument was built next to his owner's grave in Minato, Tokyo.  (source: wiki). 

We were there on the 6^th, and little did I know that a solemn ceremony of remembrance is held at Tokyo's Shibuya railroad station on the 8^th; every year. Else boleh juga tengok perhimpunan dog lovers who turn out to honor the memory of that loyal dog. Ndak lah aku join ceremony tu but I think it would have been a great memory should I had the opportunity to watch. Yes?

Shibuya Crossing

Sudah puas posing with Hachiko...it's time to join the crowd! Alang datang Shibuya, rugi lah kan kalau ndak ambil peluang melintas sini. Ini memang for the sake 'been there, done that'. Ahaks.

Plan adalah untuk melintas & melepak di cafe dalam bangunan di depan tu.

Ntah berapa kali ulang alik melintas semata mau embrace suasana sekeliling. Paling penting untuk ambil gambar di celah manusia itu masa melintas. Tapi malang sungguh, photographer aku ndak berjaya kasi impak macam yang aku mau. All the pictures she took, aku cuma muncul di celahan manusia yang cuma sekerat. So ndak payah tempek sini.

Malas sudah posing yang sama, kita try pose ni pula. Tayang menu & snap from behind. Ikut jaklah apa mau mu Bie!

Mostly cashier di sana, diorang akan sediakan bekas macam tu untuk kita letak duit. Kiranya jarang lah aktiviti penyerahan duit secara bertukar tangan. Ayat! Balance pun diorang akan taruk atas bekas tu. 

And in Japan, they don't practice tipping. Cuba try test tinggalkan balance duit, sampai keluar kedai diorang akan kejar & return ur money. Sekali sama resit!
Aku ni ntah lah kenapa, di KK langsung ndak ditinguk Starbucks ni. Sekali tiap kali berjalan jauh, coffee shop ni jugalah yang aku terjah. But a friend from West Msia who visited KK recently told me that harga a cup of Starbucks's coffee in KK is a bit cheaper than in the West. Beza dalam RM 2.00 katanya. Ntah lah aku pun ndak perasan.

Kami lepak sambil melepas lelah. Sambil cuci mata tengok orang non stop melintas. Terus harus juga feeling Fast & Furious! Last scene in its last installation, was filmed here! Ndak sabar tunggu next sequel, Mr Boyfie ada! Walau dia macam bakal pegang watak villain. Aku tetap setia!

Sekejap jak penuh area crossing ni. Ntah dari mana jak datang orang ni semua. 

Kami di Shibuya ndak lama sangat. Lagipun ada few orang tengah tunggu seat kosong. Since kami pun sudah puas posing & ambil gambar, minuman pun sudah habis...baguslah kasi chance sama orang lain pula. Ndak payah lepak lama sangat bukan ada bisnes juta² mau dibincang pun. Sempat Ms P beli tumbler. Tambah koleksi. 

Then off we went to our next destination. Ms G punya impian ni. Mau tengok orang dress in cosplay costumes. I read somewhere in the internet, the best time to visit that place is in the weekend. Segala macam rupa manusia dressed in different characters/styles akan berkeliaran & kelihatan. Ada comel, ada pelik, ada eh salah dunia kah anda. That place pun memang one of the must-visit attraction in Tokyo. Sudah sampai Tokyo, haruslah rugi kalau ndak menjejak.

On board the JR Yamanote Line (Inner Loop). Hi George!

And sekali lagi jadi bingai. Memang ndak habis bingai selama di sana. We were supposed to take the Outer Loop train. It will take only 2 minutes to reach our destination from Shibuya. But I missed the Outer Loop sign at the station & hop on the Inner Loop instead. Jadinya dari 2 minit, kami berperam dalam train dekat 40 minutes. Memang buat full loop! Barulah jalan² nama dia kan. Pfft.

Aku perasan kami salah naik train bila rasa macam eh kenapa lama betul dalam train walhal si Hyperdia bagitau it will only take 2 minutes. Nasiblah loop, jadi aku diam jaklah. 

Sekalinya, boleh² ah kami terlepas station. And yeah! Kami balik pi Shibuya. Well, what to say. Kami memang suka bazir masa ni. And so kami cepat² turun di Shibuya. Ndak mau ulang the same mistake, aku cari sign Inner Loop. Barulah bijak bestari! Pastu Ms G said something to lessen my guilt.

"Eh bagus tu kita pusing tadi. Ada lah juga saya take 5 dalam train. Sempat koguruk (berdengkur) lagi."

Nice one Ms G! So kurang sikit lah kan rasa bersalah aku? Uhuk! Ke laut ada. 

Aman jak mata tengok ni. Tokyo memang bandar Metropolitan...tapi jalan raya tetap lengang on weekend. Most of the locals opted for the public transportation instead. 

Sambil komplen dalam hati...kan best kalau KK ada sistem teratur macam di sana. Ndak payahlah line train yang banyak or train station yang besar; cukup sistem bas yang teratur. 

Kalau tanya aku, paling aku mau driver bas yang responsible & ada disiplin di KK ni. Because nowadays, I've seen more than enough reckless bus drivers here. Sedih!

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