Strolling Around: Japan: Saitama, Yokohama, Ikebukuro (and Meet My Typical Family Here)

It was freezing. My first international trip and my first visit to Japan. Not in Tokyo, but I still got to see some of Japan's amazing places. I met new people, I had my actual learning experience (Japanese culture), and I had that opportunity to have what other kids with typical family life have.

I actually do not have this typical family where mom and dad live in the same house with their kids; where mom normally wakes up early in the morning to prepare breakfast, then dad goes to work and the children to school. And on a weekend, the entire family goes out - perhaps have a picnic or go out of town.

I had those things for the first time way back in 2007. It was my Christmas vacation and I was about to graduate from college. I spent a few weeks in Japan with my mom and with my Otosan. Otosan is the Japanese term for dad. He's just my stepdad, but on that day at Narita, people would think there's just this young girl at the airport and her parents were fetching her. Otosan wasn't a stranger. Just before my arrival, he had already told his friends that his daughter's coming home.

Just like any other family, we also had several out of town trips.

Sky Garden in Yokohama. Perhaps the tallest tower in Japan with a super fast elevator. Great view, but it is more beautiful at night.

Hakone Lake. S-U-P-E-R COLD! I was the only person who managed to stay in that place for a long time. It's not everyday that you'll get to an indescribable God's creation.

Now, I cannot remember this place. Damn!

The first horse-back riding I had with my mom was when I was 5 or 6 years old in Baguio (Summer Capital of the Philippines).

Onsen (hot spring)! You have to be totally naked and the water's boiling! Water literally comes from the mountain. Going here requires a long drive from Saitama.

Japanese Style. No bed in our room. We were required to be in this robe, too.

It's New Year! Japanese people follow this tradition of visiting their parents on New Year's Day. We went to Yokohama to visit obachang (grandma) who until now, lives with his sister.

Lots of high end restaurants. Foreigners and Japanese nationals were busy walking, chatting, and eating.

That's otosan's sister. Onechan (aunt). So generous.

China Town. I was just disappointed we didn't go inside that temple. Onechan didn't want to because of the entrance fee.

Cruise! Lovely evening!

This was during my birthday. They had this little surprise for me. It's just a simple cake and a birthday song. My mom's kinda senti.

My mom used to be a Catholic until she met those people from JOB (Jesus is Our Banner). She gained friends and found a second home. Finding a Christian or a Catholic church in Japan isn't that common. I met her second family when I was there and even became a godmother to one of her friends' son.

Filipinos in Japan gather in one place to worship God. It is where they get to see their fellow Filipinos. It is where they feel relaxed after working for a week and attending to their husband/wife/family's needs. Every Sunday, they all have their social and spiritual gathering. Photo with Pastor Jun (middle).

Photo with Pastor Herbert and his family.

I would accompany my mom at their church every Sunday and she would let me attend a Catholic mass at the nearby Catholic church. She'll wait for me and off we go to fetch Otosan who's busy playing mahjong. After that, we'll have our family dinner in a restaurant. Photo taken at Hana Yohei,

I had the chance to work in a kaisha, too. They call it baito - it means part time (worker). Japanese are hardworking people and after work, they would love to go to an omise for a quick drink. They love to sing, too!

I met all these people in our kaisha (factory), Most of them were working part time. We didn't have time to go to an omise every week, but we would rather go to a classy fast food during pay day!

I learned that in Japan, there's this Mansion and Apartment. Mansion is a building made of bricks and it's a bit bigger and more expensive. Tenants have their own bath tub, too. You won't find number 4 on any of these doors. It's not a good number for them. This mansion does not have 4th floor either.