A simple guide to dating sites in Tokyo...

Truth be told....I don't really fancy Japanese girls.
Well, yeah I do have plenty of Japanese female friends but...the idea of dating one is somewhat...uninteresting.

During my 5 years stay in Japan, I've dated a few Japanese girls but none of them really struck me as "fun". or maybe I just hadn't had the luck to meet the fun ones...

Girls I have dated are cute but...the conversation is just plain boring. You know how I like to crack stupid jokes and throw silly puns...and Japanese girls mostly give me the "?" look on their faces.
And so, I've remained mostly single for the past 5 years...

But up until recently, I've dated a Korean girl...and man, Koreans are fun!! Not only my jokes are met with sincere laughter, she was cracking silly stuff of her own. And she was the spontaneous type...with her, I was able to have fun no matter where we went...even a trip to the historical museum...

Anyway, at the end of year 2009, we went for a trip around Tokyo...mostly places I've always wanted to go to but didn't because...well, felt it would be awkward to go without a girl in hand. This year however, having a girl in hand, I finally get to fulfill one of my dreams in Japan. I went to all the places I never got to before....

So, thought I share these here...^^
Oh, btw...I lost the pictures I've taken so, most pics here are stolen from the internet... sigh -_-;

1. Asakusa Temple

Also known as Sensoji Temple. If anyone ask me, I'd say this place is overrated. I mean, everyone heads there just to take a picture of that famous Kaminari gate.

As for the shrine itself, well, I've seen better ones...

But what makes this a good dating spot is the row of souvenir shops that leads to the shrine beyond this gate.


These shops sell everything from local cakes, sweet sake to various kinds of novelties. You don't have to buy anything, just simply browse through and I guarantee you that you will have a good time with your date here.

Oh, for those who are willing to spend, you take a ride around in rickshaws. About 3000yen or so for a 15minutes ride.

Btw, the word rickshaw originated from Japan. It is pronounced as riki-sha, which more or less sounds like rickshaw.

Also, things to watch out for is the Asahi Building. For those who don't know, Asahi is one of the leading brands for beer in Japan. And guess what their building look like...


Do I see a beer? Yes I do...

2. Akasaka
I LOVE this place....and there's plenty of reasons it.
Well, first of all I like the layout of the area...unlike Tokyo or Shinjuku, where I honestly think is a little bit messy, this area is well planned. I feel somewhat more relaxed here than when I am anywhere else. In Tokyo city center, you will somehow unconsciously walk at a faster pace...heck, everything you do there is faster. But in Akasaka, you have that mood to walk at a slow pace, taking in the city's view one small step at a time....



As for places to visit, Akasaka Sacas...
This place is a little bit pricey....but whoever told you to head there for the food/clothes right??
Well, this place is just plain pretty...especially at night. Plenty of affordable cafes around for light cakes and coffee. Also, there's a ice skating rink for those who feel like it. Very recommendable during winter nights.







Another place to visit is the shrine located nearby Akasaka Sacas. In my opinion, this is one of the very beautiful shrines I've been to.




Really...this is a nice place to go. It's not just the shrine and Akasaka Sacas, but the whole place itself is quite romantic.

3. Odaiba
The whole area of Odaiba is built especially for couples...at least I think so...haha.
Well, there are spots where a mini Statue of Liberty is located, a water fountain display, place from where you can get a good view of the rainbow bridge...

But among all, my favourite is Venus Fort.





Definitely the "must-go" place of all!!

This place is actually a shopping arcade with Venice style setting....minus the water. A very very pretty place to go dating. There's this one spaghetti shop located deep inside that I particularly like...one of the most romantic dinner I ever had...

4. Roppongi Hills
I've been here only at the end of the year when Christmas/New year celebration is still up so I can't say much else except...well, visit here during that time of the year.



If there's anywhere else that have a better Christmas atmosphere, I don't know about it. This place have got the whole open space filled with shops selling all kinds of Christmas novelties. Not to mention cakes and chocolates...the lights...the decos...you can truly feel something special in the air at this place.



The view here is much more beautiful than it looks on pictures. Oh yeah...you can trust me on this.

5. Disney Land/Sea

Mickey and friends....need I say more??
Anyway, info for those who don't know, Disney Land have better shows/parades while Disney Sea have better rides. You can meet Mickey at both sites, but certain characters at either sites. For example, Ariel only at Sea and Pooh only at Land.

6. Illuminations in Shinjuku
Mostly from early D Places where you get to see for free, or places where you have to pay a humble amount to get into. ecember onwards, there will be plenty of illuminations around.But if you are just looking for easy to access, non time-consuming, free but very beautiful nonetheless kind of place, I'd recommend Shinjuku Southern Terrace, located right beside Shinjuku station.




Note: Couple in hand is NOT me...



7. The other famous places around...
Harajuku, Shinjuku, Shibuya, Ginza....you know...the usual places where tourist are bound to visit anyways.

If there's anything worth mentioning, I'd say DON'T visit Akihabara...unless if your partner is the very open minded and adventurous one. Reason being that Akihabara is famous for Maid cafes and...well, 6-storeys porn shops with different theme for each floor. Porn don't make a good dating spot. Period.


Well, there you go, the simple guide to dating spots in Tokyo. All these should be about 3 days worth of going around...
By the way, I'm sure I've missed a few good places...so, feel free to share!!

And so the internship ends...

It has been 5 months since I started my internship at TOPY Industries.

And it has been a loooong 5 months. While some of my campus mates commented on how relax and fun work was at their companies, I had to do work right until the very last day...

Not that I'm complaining though....

Sure, there was a lot of work to do but I gained invaluable experience from the work I've done.

Okay, first a brief explanation of my work. The department I was placed in was in charged of R&D of standard steel wheels. You know how there are holes on the wheels?? My assignment was finding the best conditions on strengthening the holes to prolong its fatigue life so that the wheel will last longer.

Now, the plan for the project was already mapped out before I got there...and I could have had an easy and relaxed life just following that plan....but damn it, Randy have to "speak his mind" no matter what. What a pain in the ass.
Instead of following the planned experiments, I proposed a new idea, i.e. a new set of experiment parameters. After listening carefully to my idea, my supervisor agreed to my idea and allowed me to proceed any way I want. And since it was "my idea", my supervisor gave me full freedom to use the research budget. So, I designed my own experiment and spent a few hundred thousand yen of the company's money purchasing new machine parts.

Well, lucky for me things went as I planned(I did spend a lot of the company's money for this...so, there is pressure for me to produce worthy results)....and my new idea actually sparked a new debate on how to better manufacture that cute little hole on the wheel.

I did my last presentation was last week's Tuesday....finally, my task ended.

I have to say, I gained a very good experience during that 5 month long internship. Gave me a solid preview of what it meant to work in a Japanese company.

I also learned a lot on human relations, presentation skills...and most important of all, to be confident of my own ideas and not be afraid speaking them.

To think that I tried applying for overseas internship...I originally applied for India and Germany. But, from what I hear from my friends who went overseas, they didn't get to do as much. Yeah, getting to live in a foreign country for 5 month sounds cool...but I still think I'm lucky that I stayed in Japan as I got to work in an environment where I actually get to do some solid stuff.

Hah...I guess I did make the right decision to enroll into Nagaoka University of Technology after all as no other university offers the same internship program...

Now that internship has ended, life as a Masters student begins!!!

Crap....