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Tuesday, December 25, 2012 @ 12:31 AM
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Last day in Japan
All good things come to an end. Since its the last day we were going to spend together in Japan, we had to make good use of it. To end off a great trip, we headed to breathtaking Kyoto! The band had to wake up early in the morning and embarked on a long coach ride, but it was all worth it.
Our first destination for sightseeing would be the famous Fushimi Inari Shrine, which is a Shinto shrine.
Upon reaching the entrance of the shrine, we washed our hands with water using the ladles given.
Next, we where given a opportunity to have our wishes fulfilled. All we had to do was to toss a 5 Yen coin, shake the bells, bow twice and clap twice and make a wish. The 5 Yen coin is associated with good luck and great fortune.
We then went further up the shrine through unusual paths made out of toriis.
Further up, there was a many of us tried to lift a special stone. it is said that if the stone was lighter than what you think it would be, then your wishes would come true, but if it is heavier than what you think it would be, your wishes would not be fulfilled.
After the trip to the shrine, we headed to the Kyoto International Manga Museum! It was heaven to manga and anime lovers. There were shelves filled with almost every manga and Gachapon machines everywhere to dish out souvenirs of manga characters if you have 200 Yen to spare. Everyone scattered around and immerse themselves into the world of manga!
After having a interesting time exploring the Museum, we headed for lunch. Lunch was simple! A bento set
with udon at the side.
After lunch, we had quite a bit of time to shop for souvenirs that are more traditional. the array of goodies was phenomenal, the were gifts like bamboo flutes. There was a shop that sold really good ice cream, those who tried the ice cream sang praises of it.
As soon as our shopping spree ended, it was time to make our final destination to the Kansai Airport where our fantastic journey first begun. It was sad to leave Chiyaki-San our tour guide behind as she had been a great guide.
We took a final group photograph it was time to board the plane and fly back to sunny Singapore.
After going though 2 flights and a 3 hour stopover at Hong Kong, our band finally collected our luggage and instruments and headed back to JJC. We had a final debrief and we were dismissed.
This concludes our journey as the tiny band with epic dreams to Japan. We all had learnt many lessons and had forged unforgettable memories together. Through this 7 days, we have become way less divided and much more bonded!
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