Universal Studios Japan (Nov 2016)

Some say the happiest place on earth is at Disneyland. Well, since we haven't been there, we can't affirm that. At the moment, Universal Studios Japan seems to fit that tagline as well. Initially, we were torn between Tokyo Disneyland and USJ. In the end, we chose USJ because of its relevancy to the kids (they only know Mickey and friends in Disneyland, but they know a lot more in USJ - Spiderman, Sesame Street, Hello Kitty). We went to the USJ on the second last day of our trip to Japan last November. We bought the evening ticket, thought the full day ticket might be too overwhelming to the kids. But we were wrong. We could actually spend the whole day there. The parents enjoyed the Spiderman ride though. But the kids were terrified; after all it was their first time in such 4D or 5D ride. The show in Shrek was not that bad either. And because it was near Christmas season, the best part was the live performance in the evening - The Voice of an Angel. You could actually watch the whole performance on Youtube (some guys have uploaded the entire performance for the benefits of the rest of the world). Finally, we did not miss out the Harry Porter theme park. Though we didn't take the ride (because the youngest son was too short for the ride), we enjoyed the environment there. We didn't manage to visit Jurassic Park area. As such, we would probably come back again in future.

The Voice of an Angel:

Note: All photos were taken with iPhone 5s

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Kaoshiung

I haven't finished recounting my journey in Sweden and Japan; I returned from Taiwan just two weeks ago. Here's a brief account of my recent visit there (although I still have unfinished tale from last year trip to Taiwan). My first stop was Kaoshiung. Spent a day and a half in the town, then I travelled to Tainan for a weekend symposium. I ended my journey in Taipei for another short hike. The weather in Kaohsiung was quite hot, comparatively. It's not my favorite weather for traveling. Perhaps I arrived there too early; had I come a few days later, the temperature would have been cooler. Since day time was hot, it would be wise to visit Pier 2 area during evening or night. Not many people / tourists in this town. It looked quiet. The next day, I took a ferry to Cijin. The ride was short, about 5 minutes. Cijin Island is a fisherman's village. On the opposite side of the island, there's a beach. It was serene but scorching, to the extent that I couldn't walk m

Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route

Just came back from Japan last week. Went to Tokyo for conference and added side trip to Tateyama Alpine Route and Kanazawa. I must say that Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route was great. You can do the trip either from Nagano side or Toyama side. For us, we did it from the Nagano side. Took the Shinkansen to Nagano early morning. Then boarded the express bus to Ogizawa. From there, we boarded the tunnel electric bus to get to Kurobe Dam. From the dam, it was all the way up to the peak (almost). Murodo is the highlight of the route. This is the place where you get to see snow covered peak and lake. In spring, there's snow wall nearby Murodo station. From Murodo, we descended to Bijodaira and Tateyama Station to catch the local train back to Toyama. The fare for the entire route is not cheap, but it's worth it. A hike from Bijodaira to Murodo should be interesting, which can be considered in future. View from the tunnel electric bus, onward to Kurobe Dam Arrived at Kurobe Dam View of t

Hsinhua Forest Station, Tainan

Spent two nights at Hsinhua Forest Station after visiting Kaoshiung, in conjunction with the academic symposium. With an abundance of forest trees and greenery, this site is perfect for hiking and relaxation. Went on a short hike in the morning. Some sections of the forest need better upkeep though. Here are some photos of the area and plants. Photos were shot with iPhone 11

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