XIMEN - WHERE THE STREETS COME ALIVE AT NIGHT [PART 1]

This is the place which is just nearby the hotel where I was staying - a 5-minute walk would get me there. One interesting fact about the history of Taiwan is that the island has been under the Japanese occupation for about 50 years so there is always a Japanese influence that could be found there. Ximen is synonymous to the city of Shibuya in Tokyo, where the streets are lighted up by neon lights and gigantic TV screens at night and people flock this pedestrian area.

People from all walks of life could be found here, locals and foreigners alike. There are rows of shops and stalls selling Taiwanese products as well as street food. Other than that, people get to watch free entertainment as there are a few street performers doing their shows in the open.

street performer #1

This elderly couple I think was getting donation from the public for the animals, i.e. dogs and cats, under their care. Or perhaps, they were looking for people who were interested to adopt these animals as pets. They spoke in Chinese, so I just made my own assumption.

street performer #2

TO BE CONTINUED....

[MY TAIPEI TRIP MAIN PAGE]

VIDEO - THE BUTTERFLY SANCTUARY AT TAMA ZOO, TOKYO

Observing the butterflies at the butterfly sanctuary, a section in the Insectarium building at Tama Zoo, Tokyo. I could spend hours there chasing after butterflies.

"Happiness is like a butterfly,
which when pursued,
is always just beyond your grasp,
but which, if you sit down quietly,
may alight upon you."

~ Nathaniel Hawthorne ~

SPOT THE ERROR - TOKYO 3

The one I found in my hotel room, the very last one. After five days of stay in Tokyo, I only found three materials for my "SPOT THE ERROR" entry. Lucky enough.

In this case, the article "AN" is not required. The correct version should read" "There is enough space for you big luggage under the bed".

The room in the hotel is not spacious and things might get worse if you have a lot of things, like big bags, with you. To solve the problem, the bed is designed in a way that the occupants can push and store (READ: hide) everything under the bed. Brilliant!

NARITA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT - HI AND GOODBYE

One of the airports to get into or out of Tokyo is Narita International, and the other one is Haneda. After some time, all the airports would look just the same. I was already greeted with warmth and friendliness when I first arrived here. When I was asking for direction to the bus terminal, a non-English speaking lady called another staff at one of the airline counters to help me get to the place I had to go. 

the bus terminal
all the luggage was systematically tagged

traditional Japanese art exhibittion

one of the masterpieces on display

a souvenir kiosk:
something very helpful for last minute shopper

live (and free) entertainment

you can shop till you drop

tourism promotion kiosk

My 5-day journey to Japan ended here. Glad I had made it there and hopefully I could return one day.

TOYOKO INN HASHIMOTO-EKI KITAGUCHI KANAGAWA, JAPAN

This was the hotel I stayed at for 4 nights when I was in Tokyo. It was Toyoko Inn at Hashimoto and there are many other Toyogo Inn in the city. It was very near to Hashimoto Station - Hashimoto Station at one end and Shinjuku at the other end, the whole stretch is known as the Keio Line. The train journey from one point the other took about 45 minutes. So the hotel was a bit far from the city but it was much cheaper and breakfast was also provided.

This is the famous toilet with buttons in Japan. My regret was for not trying to find out on the internet before going about the functions of each button. Everything was in Japanese and I did not dare to press any, just in case something bad might happen. If you are planning to go to Japan and want to know how things work, read about it HERE.

The hotel was a great place to stay especially for people who are on the go and do not need to be in the hotel room all day long. I would recommend this place if you do not mind the train-hopping.