March 12, 2014

Christmas Eve in Shibuya + Youkame No Semi WAKUWAKU JAPAN Movie Review

One of the happiest moments during my last trip to Tokyo is this! Having my Kurisumasu Ibu or Christmas Eve in Shibuya~~~~~ (ノˆヮˆ)ノ.:*・°☆.。
Celestine Hotel – had lovely experience staying here!
24/12/2013: This pic marks our first morning noon during our last trip to Tokyo. Eeh?? Why did I woke up so late during a holiday trip!!? *and then forgiving myself very quickly* *the main reason I'm tardy* *I hate myself!* *not*

Woke up so late means skipping breakfast and lunch. So we hopped on to this ramen shop near our hotel first to devour our late brunch!

Hungry, mom? Me too. But first things first, okay? #selfie #mom #me #happy #asian


Mom's attempt at being a food blogger lol. We asked her what she would do with the pictures and she said, "Of course I'm gonna share these... in WhatsApp's family group." Hahahaha. Our WhatsApp's family group is quite active, though, filled with my uncles, aunts and cousins talking and sharing random stuffs. ;D

The Tempura Ramen (taken by my camera, not mom's haha)! I think the noodle is Ramen's (thin), but the soup is Udon's (clear)? I might ordered it that way, but nevermind. Anyway, Japanese ramen always tastes fresh and fulfilling, yet not bloating you up. :)

Itadakimasu!

The humble ramen shop

How could I not love Japan??? Even the street signs are so CUTE!!!!! Go, go, firefighters, go!

'Japan is expensive' myth buster! Starting from as low as ¥200 (around Rp 20.000,-), you can eat any of these fulfilling Udons! (ˆˆ)づ♡

(secretly) freezing

Touch down Shibuya!!

Tiramisu Latte - Excelsior Caffé, Shibuya
Now, bear in mind that my travel buddies are avid culinary addicts (read: must refuel at every stop). So the minute we reached Shibuya, fatty #02 (mom) saw this Tiramisu Latte ad in front of a coffee shop...


...and she gleefully asked us to try it out together. Being a food lover myself, I couldn't resist. (˘̩̩ᴗ˘̩̩ƪ)


My hot Tiramisu Latte!

Brrrrr. It was really cold out there (windy 8°C, was it? I forgot) so I refused to take off my heat equipments even though they had heaters in Shibuya 109. ^^;

Mom: "These are SNSD, right? I read some comments on your Instagram saying that you look one of these girls... Now which one izzit..." Up-to-date mom even discussed it in the WhatsApp's family group lolol.

Escalator selfie

So I guess Shibuya 109 was having this promotion during Christmas that allowed customers to draw lottery after shopping. I was excited...

...for nothing! Boo hoo, got toothbrushes only. :'(

It's okay lah, still has plenty of fun to look forward to!

Like THIS!!!
Santa motorcycle riders celebrating Christmas Eve in Shibuya streets
We were so surprised to see these guys right after we stepped out of Shibuya 109!! We didn't know whether they're hired to do that or if they're a bunch of cosplayers trying to spread the xmas joy, which really worked, btw, because everyone was equally surprised and excited like us and we *of course* took pictures, greeted and waved happily to the Moto-Santas! (≧▽≦)づ♡~~~

Have I told you that Japanese LOVE celebrating something anything? Take this event, for example. Most Japanese are Shintos or Buddhists, so they're not supposed to celebrate Christmas like Christians or Catholics do, but they DO! And with such passion, too! So, it's no wonder that whenever a popular event is coming, most streets, public facilities and stores will be decorated according to the theme and inevitably, a lot of those stores will take advantage of this Japlovents™ (Japanese love events) thingy by creating (or decorating) their products to match the event. Do you know that in Japan, KFC (yes, Kentucky Fried Chicken) is very popular during Christmas? Sales for the three days (23, 24, 25 December) are equal to half normal monthly sales, the company says. Amazing, huh?

Last October, Baskin Robins had their share of Japlovents™ benefits, too, by launching these super kawaii Halloween themed ice creams:


And last Christmas, as depicted in those mangas (remember the scene of Miiko's mom running late on Christmas Eve, pushing herself to buy the children a Christmas Cake from Kenta's bakery before it sold out? XD), they sold these Disney themed Christmas Cakes~~~
Kawaiiiiiiiiiiii~~~~~

Anyway, we went to Fujiya Restaurant after this for dinner (fatties got hungry again lah, alot of walk already lol), but I'll save it for another post OK. ;) After Fujiya, we were going back to the hotel when we met these guys dressed as the elf(?) and THE REINDEER!!

..And these Horsey Santas lol! A marriage of two events: Christmas and New Year. XD
Happy belated Christmas and Merry belated New Year, guys!! Ok just remembered that we blogged the New Year post already here. Such happy memories~~ I love!

*fast forward to today, March 12th 2014*

So, Elle and I recently watched this Japanese movie "Rebirth" / Youkame No Semi (八日目の蝉).
It's a drama film about a woman who kidnapped her ex-boyfriend's newborn daughter (yes, the bf is married already and he had an affair with her) and raised the child as her own for four years before she finally got caught by the authorities and got separated from the child whom she deeply in love already.
 
The movie's plot flows back and forth naturally; during Erina (the ex-boyfriend's daughter)'s happy childhood even though she was being kidnapped by Kiwako and when Erina's all grown up seeking for ways to comfort her soul that has been tainted by the past. Although the pace is a bit slow (2,5 hours), Youkame no Semi doesn't 'try too hard' to create a dramatic effect or such, but it did moved us with its gentleness. I got teary during some ending scenes. T_T

The actresses' acting were very natural and raw. Hiromi Nagasaku (Kiwako the kidnapper)'s act, in particular, was outstanding. She portrayed her cast's emotional journey very well and she successfully metamorphosed from the antagonist into this loving, sincere, striving yet clueless mother form to little Erina.

Based on Mitsuyo Kakuta's novel and directed by Izuru Narushima, this beautiful movie dominated the 35th Annual Japan Academy Awards by winning 11 awards including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Starring Actress, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Script.

You guys should really watch it when you get the chance!! Stay tuned to WAKUWAKU JAPAN channel at Indovision / Okevision for more awesome Japanese movies ahead! :D

Okay then, thank you so much for reading and don't forget to leave some comments and see you guys on my next post~ (ˆヮˆ)づ♡

XOXO
Jessica Yamada

March 07, 2014

Shibuya 109 Sale, Yakiniku Feast + Shinobi: Heart Under Blade WAKUWAKUJAPAN Movie Review


A not-so-throwback outfit from my Japan trip last January! I went to Shibuya 109 that day with Jess and mom to join the craziness of the '7 Days Bargain' event which was being held there. Shibuya 109 is one of the most famous shopping venues in Japan and they hold this sale event once a year and it is usually in the beginning of the year. :)

Watch how the Japanese willingly spent the night outside of Shibuya 109 building in 8°C waiting for the door to open in the next morning:



Our Japanese friend (Shintaro-nii, who was introduced by Stella) told us that queueing was very common in Japan. Some of them even queued for the latest iPhone ONE WEEK before it hits the shelves. /smh

It's true though! Quite often we saw Japanese people lined up for something and always, always in neat formations. Even when we queued for like 3 hours for one of the attractions in DisneySea, there was not a single Japanese kid or teenager who whined or acted out. *standing applause

#OOTD: GOWIGASA Maroon Polka Dot Sweater,  Maroon Pencil Skirt, and Vintage Purse | Boots from Japan

***
Here's a short video to see the atmosphere of Shibuya 109 '7 Days Bargain' event:

Our next stop after shopping was this mouth-watering yakiniku restaurant that we accidentally spotted when we were looking for a cat cafe:

Yakiniku Jutei, Shibuya


I really, really recommend it especially if you are a yakiniku lover! The meat is very tender and the price is also cheaper compared to, let's say, Sumibian in Jakarta. If you want to go there, check out the map here. :)

 My most favorite: TONGUE!!! Words can't describe how tasty and fresh it was.
NOMMMMMMMMM
Writing about this trip makes me miss Japan even more!!! The polite people, beautiful scenery, bizarre fashion, rich history, drooling food, advanced technology, unique places, ahhh basically every thing about Japan.

LUCKILY, I can still catch them on WakuWaku Japan TV Channel that plays various Japanese TV shows and movies!! I was so relieved when I saw some of my favorite films were actually listed in the schedule! One of them is ‘Shinobi: Heart Under Blade.’



I’ve seen this movie a LONG time ago in DVD and I really liked it! Even though I’ve forgotten many details of the story, the impression it left on me remains. And when I saw the title on the WakuWaku Japan’s movie schedule, it immediately rang a bell, “AH! This is the movie I’ve been trying to find! The Japanese version of X-Men!!” And after I watched it for the second time, I'm still mesmerized.

The story is about the clash between two Shinobi clans, Iga and Kouga, and the fated love between Gennosuke (Kouga) and Oboro (Iga). It's an action-drama movie but it lays more emphasis on the drama than the action part. But if you are an action junkie, you can still enjoy the film because each of the Shinobis (ninjas) possessed interesting supernatural powers or special abilities, such as the power to move at very high speeds, 6th sense, the power to manipulate thin wires, poison specialist, and the eyes of destruction. And I've got to say, the ending was unexpected! 8D

Rate: 7.0/10


I can't wait to watch more Japanese movies on WakuWaku Japan!! The one I'm eyeing the most is "JokerGame" heheh.. Do you have any Japanese movie recommendations? If you do, please share on the comments below! :)



Elissa Yamada

February 25, 2014

Exciting WAKUWAKU JAPAN!

Had lots of fun at WAKUWAKU JAPAN MUSIC FESTIVAL that was held about a week ago at JCC Senayan, Jakarta.
WAKUWAKU JAPAN is an entertainment channel that broadcasts Japanese TV programs in Indonesia. *say whaaat??* Yup, whether you're a J-culture fan like us, or if you're curious about Japan in general, you can now watch this channel because it broadcast the best selection of popular Japanese programs (Anime, Drama, Cultures, Entertainments, Sports, Music, Film, Documenters), ALL made-in-Japan contents, 24 hours a day in local languages (children's programs are dubbed and other programs are subtitled)!! *cries happy tears* (˘̩̩ᴗ˘̩̩ƪ)
*WAKUWAKU (ワクワク-わくわく) itself means 'excited' or 'thrilled'; which best describes our feeling about it, too!

♡ Launched on 22 February 2014, WAKUWAKU JAPAN is now available for Okevision and Indovision subscribers ♡

To celebrate the launching of the channel, WAKUWAKU held this live music event that we attended. ^_^

On Jess: GOWIGASA's Bolts Sleeveless Crop Top, Ikat Tribal Backpack
On Elle: GOWIGASA's Asymmetric Semi Sheer Blouse 

WAKUWAKU JAPAN MUSIC FESTIVAL featured both Japanese and Indonesian artist performances like Flumpool, JKT48, Afgan and Bunga Citra Lestari. Attended by many fans and J-culture enthusiasts, the event was a success!
Pretty BCL a.k.a. Bunga Citra Lestari
We were most excited watching Flumpool and JKT48 performances. Flumpool's vocalist Ryuta Yamamura (山村隆太) was SO HANDSOME!!! When the show was almost over, we went all fangirling with Stella Lee over him. It was like, "Okay, one... two...... three! RYUTAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!" lol!
Now JKT48 was entertaining in a whole different level. In case you don't know about them (which is doubtful, but well, just in case..), JKT48 is an Indonesian idol group which has the same concept with it's super popular sister group AKB48 in Japan. Their concept is "idols you can meet" and unlike regular idol groups which would occasionally perform on concerts or TV shows, JKT48 performs daily at fX Sudirman, Jakarta; just like AKB48 who performs daily at their own theatre in Akihabara, Japan.

We wonder if this concept is the main cause of so many JKT48's fanatic fans out there or if there's any other reason. All we know is that JKT48 has so many enthusiastic loyal fans; especially fanboys! Now this event made us witness it (JKT48's crazy popularity) with our own eyes AND it was also our very first time watching their show; live and as VIP guests, too! So lucky~~~ That night, JKT48 performed their fifth single "Flying Get" for the first time. It was AWESOME and made us dance in our seats! Watch the fancam here:
*watch the 'whooo' part that made all them fanboys go crazy lolol*

Jess: I love goodie bags! Oh, as you can see, I was wearing this top from GOWIGASA, but it was freaking cold right there, so I changed into the free shirt inside this goodie bag (hence the first pic in this post). ^^v

In addition to the Japan Music Event, on 22 February 2014 at Balai Sarbini Jakarta, 
WAKUWAKU also presented ULTRAMAN COSMOS LIVE STAGE with live action show from Ultraman and the Kaijus (monsters) themselves!! It was unexpectedly very cool!


Jess went there and guess who the MC was? It's none other than… the famous STELLA LEE! Loll. In fact, we both wanted to come there to record her MC-ing because she's ultra silly on stage hahaha. But alas, Elle didn't make it because she was stuck with the 30-minutes-later flood. T_T

Behold Ultraman fans out there, here's our EXCLUSIVE PHOTO WITH THE ULTRAMEN!!!
Lol, seriously, all the other peeps were not allowed to take pics with these tough guys, handshake only! But thanks to our cute MC up there, we managed to take this pic~~~ XD


Camwhored on my way there:


Also camwhored with the tix inside the venue:
Anyway, you see the dad beside me? The whole show his daughters fell asleep and he was the one enjoying the show whole-heartedly. Even shouted, laughed and clapped enthusiastically during the show lol. Must be an avid Ultraman's fan since he was a kid. XD Thanks WAKUWAKU for holding such delightful events for all of us!

All in all, we're so glad with the events and we cannot wait to share with you the amazing TV programs that WAKUWAKU brings to us. Especially the doramas (J-Drama)!

Okay then, thanks for reading, please leave some comments and see you guys on our next post~ (ˆヮˆ)づ♡

XOXO