Bisdak Babbles

Viking - Japanese term for all-you-can-eat buffets

Check out the Wordless Wednesday HQ

Lots of something hanging at the subway train station in Shin-Osaka. This is a bit blurry because I didn’t stop long enough to take the picture.

Saikou - 最高　（さいこう） - the Japanese term for “highest, supreme, the most”. This is how I would describe Japan’s postal services. Here’s an illustration why I think so:

I posted some documents last Wednesday at 4:49PM, it was dispatched on Thursday at 1:17AM, then arrived in Manila at 3:00PM! Ok, I sent it through EMS, a quicker but more expensive delivery option. However, on that same day, I sent some postcards through regular air mail. Then one postcard reached the recipient in Netherlands yesterday! (I give credit to Netherland’s postal service, too.)

Here in Osaka, the central post office is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week! I don’t know if the other cities (especially the smaller ones) have it, too. If you’re expecting a parcel, you can have it delivered on Sundays, even on holidays. Great, isn’t it? Well, at least it’s much, much better than what I was used too.

Didn’t have much time to browse through my pictures so I’m showing you this “small/mini” Tokyo:

Miniatures of the places near Tokyo TowerI wanted to take a picture of the small Tokyo tower but my cellphone’s camera couldn’t zoom in enough.
Please see the post about these miniatures HERE.
As always, thank you very much for dropping by. Enjoy your Christmas preparations!

I just love Sakura (Cherry Blossoms)… well who wouldn’t?



I’m really crazy about them that I went Sakura Hunting with friends. For more pictures, here are the two posts on our Sakura adventures:
Part 1
Part 2

I was originally planning on posting this one…

You got it right! I want to start a campaign against bicycle violence… just kidding. ^-^ It’s just that almost every time I pick up my bike from the train station, I find it lying on the ground. And just recently, its bell was broken and I had to replace it. Perhaps it was again smashed against other bicycles. I just pity my bike… (I treat my bike as my buddy. he he..)

Ok, let’s forget about that “no to bike violence” thing. Last night, after I got off from the train, I’d been thoroughly fumbling inside my bag to look for the bike key but couldn’t find it. Maybe I left it hanging from its lock? So I hurried to where it was located, but I was not totally worried about someone “taking” it. As I have anticipated, I saw my bike, exactly where I left it. Still standing, with the key still stuck in the lock…

Many people here just “pull out” their bike and don’t care what happens to the other bikes… but, after once again benefiting from their honesty, I’m no longer as agitated as before… ^-^

This is the shōtengai (商店街) in Sannomiya, Kobe.

If you’re visiting a certain place in Japan that has no malls, don’t fret. Most likely, it has a shōtengai - a commercial district that usually connects to a train station. Connected - meaning, you could find your way to the station by just following the arrows. ^-^

In a shōtengai, you could find: supermarket, restaurants, cafés, pachinko, game centers, clothes shops, convenience stores, barber shops, bookshops, cellphone shops, 100-yen shops, and many more.

A good substitute for a mall, you say? Not really… because it depends on the size and the location. Smaller shōtengais are usually lined with restaurants… never expect to find a Gap or a Uniqlo boutique. But, large shōtengais like the one in the picture, are truly a joy to those who love window-shopping, like me! Some even extend to a few kilometers, like the one here in Osaka. If you have a bicycle, you could try shōtengai-hopping. ^-^