Singapore & Tokyo | 2026

Family Visit + my 20th layover in Tokyo. En savoir plus

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Début du voyage
2 octobre 2026
Singapore & Tokyo | 2026 Voyageur
Honolulu to Tokyo Narita
2 octobre, États Unis ⛅ 29 °C
Japan Airlines JL785 | HNL/NRT
Economy Class
Boeing 767-300ER | JA608J
ATD/1312 | ATA/1635+1
Sakura Lounge

For this trip to Singapore, I purchased a round trip ticket on JAL from Honolulu to Tokyo, and another Business Class roundtrip from Narita to Singapore on Cathay Pacific. CX has reasonable fares priced in yen in the I fare class out of NRT, and so I seized this opportunity as I’ve also been wanting to experience their highly rated First Class lounges at HKG. I also timed my Tokyo layover on my return to coincide with the Bake Neko Festival in Shinjuku.En savoir plus
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Singapore & Tokyo | 2026 Voyageur
Tokyo Narita to Hong Kong
3 octobre, Japon 🌙 18 °C
Cathay Pacific CX505 | NRT/HKG
Business Class
Boeing 777-300 | B-HNN
ATD/1908 | ATA/2251
JAL First Class Lounge

I went to the JAL First Class Lounge at Narita because Cathay Pacific was in the process of renovating their lounge there. American closed their lounge in NRT when they moved most of their flights to Haneda; Cathay took over that space and they are now renovating it to bring it in line with their remarkably consistent lounge network.

A few years ago, Japanese airports stopped requiring security checks for passengers with international-to-international connections arriving from the US. Even then, I had just under an hour at the lounge before I had to head to the gate. The lounge was rather busy and I could not fit in a shower during my time there as there were 14 people ahead of me. I wolfed down some sushi and a bowl or ramen and then I made my way Gate 82. I have mixed feelings about JAL’s First Class lounges. I love the efficiency with the app ordering of meals and showers, and I especially love the fresh made to order sushi, but it lacks the personalized premium touch of other lounges. The dining area pretty much resembles a glorified school canteen. In terms of ambience, the only part of the lounge that resembles a premium experience is the JAL Salon part of the lounge.

As I mentioned in my last entry, I decided to spice things up a bit by taking Cathay Pacific, as the reasonable Business Class fare combined with the weak yen made for an irresistable opportunity. This first leg on CX was operated by their vintage 777-300s with outdated recliner Business Class seats. Not the most premium hardware, but the flight itself was fine and the service was world class as always. The flight was delayed by about 40 minutes due to air traffic congestion. Meal service en route was also delayed due to turbulence. The flight arrived about 30 minutes late into HKG.En savoir plus
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Singapore & Tokyo | 2026 Voyageur
Hong Kong to Singapore
3 octobre, Hong Kong ⛅ 27 °C
Cathay Pacific CX659 | HKG/SIN
Business Class
Airbus A330-300 | B-HLS
ATA/0136 | ATA/0515
The Pier First Class Lounge & The Bridge

I really wanted to experience Cathay Pacific’s much vaunted First Class Lounges while I have OneWorld Emerald status. The newly renovated The Wing First Class Lounge isn’t currently open to non-CX frequent flyers, so my only option was The Pier.

The delay of my incoming flight meant that my 3 hour 20 minutes layover was reduced. Thankfully, we arrived at the same part of the terminal as The Pier, and it was a short walk there after a quick and efficient security screening. I got to The Pier just after 11pm, only to be informed they close at 12.30am. Drats. Of the four lounges I could access, only The Bridge stayed open past that time,

Design wise, The Pier was pretty impressive. Entering the lounge, I first encountered a long passageway with entrances to various themed rooms on both sides, I made a beeline for the shower only to be given a buzzer as all showers were occupied. I settled into a plush seat and sat there for about 15 minutes before the buzzer notified me that my shower suite was ready. After a much needed shower, I walked to the end of the hallway to the dining room. There, I tried the Mott 32 Chinese tasting menu and washed it down at the end with a Hong Kong milk tea. The tasting menu was great, in particular the mushroom appetizer, and service was efficient and friendly. This definitely made up for the less premium experience at Narita.

As I was finishing up my milk tea, the staff came around for last orders. I reluctantly peeled myself away from my seat, did a quick exploration around the other parts of the lounge, and then I made my way to The Bridge where I had another half hour before I had to make my way to the other end of the (very long) terminal to board my flight to SIN. I was sad that I did not have a chance to explore their much lauded private cabin.

Overall, I would say The Pier might be my second favorite lounge after Qantas' First Class Lounge in Sydney, but QF wins purely because of its impressive aesthetics.

I had a proper lie flat seat on my flight to SIN, which was exactly what I needed as I was zoning out by then. I declined the meal, and as soon as the flight took off I reclined my seat and went to sleep until top of descent into SIN.En savoir plus
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Singapore & Tokyo | 2026 Voyageur
Islamic Art at the Asian Civilisations Museum
4 octobre, Singapour ⛅ 32 °C
I landed in Singapore in the wee hours of Sunday October 4th. As with past trips, I deliberately stay awake on my first day, eat an early dinner, and go to sleep. Once I have a good sleep, I will have adjusted to the time difference.

I spent part of my first day at the Asian Civilisations Museum. But, before I describe my time there, I need to relate the woeful tale of my broken laptops.

I came to Singapore with two laptops in need of repair. Late last year, the keyboard on my trusty HP laptop started malfunctioning. I purchased a replacement keyboard online, and then I went to two repair shops in Honolulu. Both the shops declined to install the replacement keyboard because they didn't have the tools to do it, and they said that nobody on the island had those specialized tools. So, I reluctantly purchased an ASUS laptop from Best Buy to replace the HP laptop. Within two months, the screen on the ASUS cracked. There was a tug of war between me, ASUS, and Best Buy on the warranty, and I eventually gave up. I went price shopping and I was quoted USD800 to replace the screen, which was more than I paid for the laptop. So, here I was with two broken laptops. I decided to live without a laptop for a while and bring both of them to Singapore for repair. In Singapore, there is a mall called Sim Lim Square which specializes in electronics, and there are dozens of repair shops in the mall.

I arrived at my mother's condo a tad bit after 6am. I hung out for a bit, and then made my way to Sim Lim Square just after 10am. As it was Sunday, there weren't many shops open. I wandered around looking at Yelp ratings for the shops that were open before I settled on a one-man shop. The proprietor quoted me SGD50 to install the keyboard on the HP. The screen replacement for the ASUS cost more but it was a lot cheaper than what I was quoted in Hawaii. The keyboard replacement would take two hours, and I agreed to leave the ASUS there so he could repair it later.

With that, I had two hours to spare, so I headed to the Asian Civilisations Museum to look at their new Islamic Art exhibition, which is a joint exhibition with The Louvre. I probably saw some of the pieces when I visited The Louvre in 2024, but this exhibit was curated with a more specific focus. There were two rooms of exhibits - one for Mughal artifacts and the other for Ottoman artifacts. However, they didn't just display pieces from these respective geographic regions; these pieces were supplemented with artifacts from Southeast Asia to draw a connection on how the Mughals and the Ottomans influenced Islamic Art in Southeast Asia. Overall, this was a fascinating and educational exhibit.En savoir plus
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Singapore & Tokyo | 2026 Voyageur
Asian Civilisations Museum: Greatest Hits
4 octobre, Singapour ⛅ 32 °C
Apart from the Islamic Art exhibit, I skimmed through the permanent exhibits as I had seem them before. I did linger at the Southeast Asian display to view some of my favorites. Anyway, here are some of my top hits.

After viewing the exhibits, I grabbed some lunch and then I made my way back to Sim Lim Square to collect my laptop. I cannot tell you how stoked I am to have it repaired at such a reasonable cost!En savoir plus
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Singapore & Tokyo | 2026 Voyageur
ABITO at the National Gallery
5 octobre, Singapour ☁️ 32 °C
ABITO is a temporary exhibition showcasing Italian furniture design and fashion from the 1930s to today. I stared at all the lovely furniture in envy as I cannot have nice things in my house thanks for Jeff and the cats.En savoir plus
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Singapore & Tokyo | 2026 Voyageur
National Gallery: Art Remembers
5 octobre, Singapour ☁️ 32 °C
Because of the poor air quality, I decided to focus on indoor activities. So, I made my way to the National Gallery. The entire fourth floor, which houses Southeast Asian art, was closed to install new works, so that left only three main exhibitions open. The first I went to was a new exhibit titled "Art Remembers". It features art focused on forgotten, little known, or difficult histories. Issues related to identity and history are also explored in this exhibit.

Two pieces in this gallery really stood out for me:

The first was a series of photos of a hand covering images of people in a magazine. In 1904, 1,200 Filipinos were taken to the World's Fair in St Louis and displayed as a human zoo to showcase the US' newest colony. The artist took photos of the World's Fair magazine with her hand positioned over the people on display to give them the dignity they were denied.

The second display that resonated with me depicted various etchings related to the Secret War in Laos, including scenes from their infamous Lima Sites where Air America ran covert operations. When I visited Laos in 2017, I was dumbstruck to learn about the atrocities committed by the US military on a country that was officially neutral. On a side note, I am still kicking myself about not visiting Lima Site 6 in Vang Vieng while I was there. Back then, I noticed something on the map that looked like an abandoned landing strip, but I couldn't get to it as various structures blocked my way. It was only after I left Vang Vieng that I learned that it was a landing strip used by Air America for their covert activities.En savoir plus
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Singapore & Tokyo | 2026 Voyageur
National Gallery: Singapore Stories
5 octobre, Singapour ☁️ 32 °C
I believe I visited Singapore Stories when I was in Singapore in February, but some of the pieces appear to have rotated. The gallery starts with depictions of early colonial Singapore up till contemporary art. Many of the pieces depicted activities that are no longer done in Singapore today, such as pineapple cultivation, brick making, dairy farming, and drying salted fish.

One artwork titled Potong Pasir Dairy Farmer struck a chord in me. It depicted a man who was worn from hard physical labor, but he still looked dignified. My primary school was in the vicinity of Potong Pasir. Because it is a well-established school, the students are mostly sons of alumni, and the overall demographic skewed towards boys from privileged, English speaking families. In my class, however, was one boy from the local farming community. In a perverse way, I suspect he was a diversity admission. He barely spoke English, his uniform was never ironed, and he failed Primary One. My mind wandered to what happened to him, and if he ever managed to find his way in Singapore’s hyper competitive system.

Another piece that resonated with me was a photograph of a trans woman (or maybe just a cross dresser) on the once infamous, now sanitized Bugis Street. Once Bugis St was shut down and redeveloped, trans women mostly went underground.En savoir plus
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Singapore & Tokyo | 2026 Voyageur
National Gallery: Lai Foong Moi
5 octobre, Singapour ☁️ 32 °C
One gallery was dedicated to Lai Foong Moi who was active in the 1960s. She mostly painted portraits, and in doing so, she captured the vibe of a society that was experiencing rapid transformation.
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Singapore & Tokyo | 2026 Voyageur
Fort Canning Tree Tunnel
5 octobre, Singapour ⛅ 32 °C
After I exited the National Gallery, I realized I was close to the Fort Canning Tree Tunnel which has been popping up all over Instagram lately. I decided to check it out.

To get there, I walked about 15 minutes, entering Fort Canning from behind the National Museum, skirting around the base of the hill, and then entering the tunnel from the top. Truth be told, I was underwhelmed. It was yet another case of Instagram versus Reality. On social media, there are dozens of shots of a circular staircase with what looks like a forest in the opening above it. In reality, it was a short spiral staircase with lots of loud people at the base waiting their turn to take the iconic photo. I was deperately sweaty and thirsty by then, and the air quality was in the unhealthy range, so I beat a quick retreat to Dhoby Ghaut Station and made my way back to my mother's condo, with a stop for a refreshing ice kachang (shaved ice) treat en route.

While I was at Fort Canning, I saw a statue of Sir Stamford Raffles, who established the British presence in Singapore in 1819 and my school in 1823. When I got back to my mother’s condo, I googled where Raffles was buried, and, to my surprise, I learned that he is buried at St Mary’s Church in Hendon, North London, which is one subway stop from my friend Trixie’s (the same one I’ve visited in Adelaide several times) mother’s former home. I must have ridden past that church several times! I shared this information with Trixie and she, too, was surprised. Next time I go to London, I will make sure to track down his final resting place. I also learned from my research that the vicar of that church refused to allow Raffles to be buried there because of his anti-slavery views, so his remains were kept in a crypt and forgotten until 1914 when he was finally interred in the church.En savoir plus
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Singapore & Tokyo | 2026 Voyageur
Tiong Bahru
6 octobre, Singapour ⛅ 31 °C
I arrived early for a dinner appointment at the gentrified neighborhood of Tiong Bahru. This was one of the first public housing estates in Singapore, and, up until around 15 years ago, it was a quiet neighborhood housing an aging mostly Chinese population. Around 2010, younger people began paying attention to the low rise art deco vibe, and the neighborhood suddenly became hip. Housing prices shot up as a result, and the demographic mix changed dramatically with young professionals and expats occupying more and more apartments. I spent a nice half hour admiring the buildings and murals, and speculating which units were occupied by the original owners and which ones had been taken over by the younger crowd.

While there, I also visited the exterior of the Atlas Obscura-listed air raid shelter which was built during World War II below a residential building. A friend who had been inside it said it was massive and apparently could house up to 3,000 people.
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Singapore & Tokyo | 2026 Voyageur
Asian Civilisations Museum: Sacred Caves
7 octobre, Singapour ☁️ 32 °C
During a lunch appointment today, I received a message that the second laptop I sent for repair at Sim Lim Square would be ready around 4pm. With that in mind, I went back to the Asian Civilisations Museum to see the limited time Sacred Caves exhibit which I decided to forgo on Sunday because it was too crowded and noisy.

The Sacred Caves is an exhibit showing reproductions of cave paintings and statues discovered in Dunhuang, which was a major city on the Silk Road in the crossroads between China, India, Central Asia, and the Middle East. Apart from murals and artifacts, there were also reproductions of three caves:

Cave 158 (Tang Dynasty, 781-847) features a Buddha lying in repose having achieved Nirvana, with some followers mourning his passing, while others were more composed as they were cognizant that the Buddha has achieved enlightenment and had thus ended his suffering.

Cave 249 (Western Wei Dynasty, 535-556), which brings together Chinese, Indian, and Buddhist imagery, including Asura, the Chinese gods of thunder, lightning, wind and rain, and the Daoist Queen Mother of the West.

Cave 45 (Tang Dynasty, 705-780) featuring Buddha, his disciples, bodhisattvas, and scenes from the Lotus Sutra.

I found the reproductions and the artifacts on display fascinating given how the various cultures on the Silk Road interacted and influenced one another. I really should have trained as a Cultural Anthropologist. Anyway, I am now adding the Silk Road to my ever growing retirement bucket list.En savoir plus
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Singapore & Tokyo | 2026 Voyageur
Bukit Timah Nature Reserve
8 octobre, Singapour ☁️ 27 °C
Due to the poor air quality, I had only been doing urban exploring until this point, and I was getting antsy as a result. So, I decided to take a little jaunt out to the nearby quarry.
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Singapore & Tokyo | 2026 Voyageur
House of Tan Yeok Nee
8 octobre, Singapour ⛅ 31 °C
In the afternoon, I headed out to the Dhoby Ghaut area to visit two sites, the House of Tan Yeok Nee (commonly known as the Teochew House) and Temasek Shophouse.

The Teochew House is the last remaining traditional Teochew mansion in Singapore, and it appealed to me as I am of Teochew descent on my father's side. Built in 1882-1885 by merchant Tan Yeok Nee, it initially housed his family before being used as an orphanage. It later became the Salvation Army's headquarters before it was gazzetted as a national monument and restored.

Only a small part of the building was accessible to the public as most of the space was dedicated to two restaurants and some offices. There was a room playing a video about the mansion and its restoration, as well as a display on the ceramics used and how they were restored. Although interesting, I didn't have much reason to linger.En savoir plus
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Singapore & Tokyo | 2026 Voyageur
Temasek Shophouse
8 octobre, Singapour ☀️ 32 °C
My next stop after the Teochew House was Temasek Shophouse, a restored set of shophouses utlized as a "social impact hub", the purpose of which wasn't obvious to me even after I went through the facility. Violet Oon's Peranakan restaurant was the anchor of this facility. Other than that, I saw a coffee shop staffed by disabled workers (they appeared to be supervised by a person without visible disabilities), a store featuring locally made goods, and indoor and outdoor social spaces. The green spaces outside the building were nicely done up. There was also a community garden, but instead of community members tending to plants, there were migrant workers taking care of a highly curated collection of spices and herbs; considering how pretty much all menial labor is outsourced to migrant workers, it just seemed apt for Singapore.En savoir plus
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Singapore & Tokyo | 2026 Voyageur
Singapore Art Museum
9 octobre, Singapour ⛅ 32 °C
The air quality got even worse today. As I had a dinner appointment at a classmate's apartment in Katong in the evening, I looked at several places where I could make a pitstop en route, but I nixed most of the options because they were either outdoors or they would involve some walking between those places and transport points for my eventual evening appointment. I was resigning myself to going to a mall when I realized there was a good option - the Singapore Art Museum (SAM) at a repurposed warehouse in Tanjong Pagar - which was both indoors and very close to an MRT station. With that, I happily got onto the MRT to Cantonment, a new station on the now-fully Circle Line.

The main highlight at SAM was Hiroshi Sugimoto's Form is Emptiness, which was due to wrap up in two days. Sugimoto is mostly known as a photographer, but he works in other media on display. I especially loved his fossil collection which included fish, frogs, and dragonflies.

There were a few other items at SAM which caught my attention, and others which were just downright pretentious. There were also a couple of solo exhibitions in other parts of the building. One of them - Jemana Murti's Source Code - caught my attention. In this exhibit, the artist displayed 3D printed figures from Balinese cosmology and tradition.

Overall, this was a worthwhile stop and a great option to do something interesting without venturing out too much into the polluted air.En savoir plus
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Singapore & Tokyo | 2026 Voyageur
Singapore to Hong Kong
10 octobre, Singapour ☁️ 29 °C
Cathay Pacific CX726 | SIN/HKG
Business Class
Airbus A330-300 | B-LAX
ATD/1806 | ATA/2207
Cathay Pacific Lounge

After saying goodbye to my mom and her caregiver Eva, I took a taxi to Changi Terminal 4. I’m a little mystified why Cathay Pacific operates out of T4, which is primarily a low cost terminal that isn’t connected to the other terminals or to the MRT, when their alliance partners operate out of T1. I guess most of the traffic on their Singapore flights originate or terminate in Singapore so they don’t need to co-locate with their partners. Regardless, the handful of transfers who do fly into or out of SIN on CX have to put up with a cumbersome transfer process.

T4 is different from the other terminals at Changi in that security checks are at a centralized location instead of at individual gates. I cleared immigration and security in no time, and from there I headed to the Cathay Pacific Lounge, which was remarkably consistent in decor with their other lounges. There, I happily tucked into a laksa - a dish I hadn’t eaten yet on this trip - at the iconic green tiled noodle bar. After that, I hung around a bit until it was time to board.

Service on CX716 was great as usual. Once dinner was completed, I reclined my seat into a bed and got some decent sleep.En savoir plus
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Singapore & Tokyo | 2026 Voyageur
Hong Kong to Tokyo Narita
10 octobre, Hong Kong 🌙 26 °C
Cathay Pacific CX524 | HKG/NRT
Business Class
Airbus A330-300 | B-LAX
ATD/0112 | ATA/0629
The Pier First Class Lounge

While approaching Hong Kong on my inbound flight from Singapore, I was stoked to learn that the flight would dock at Gate 62, which is a stone's throw away from The Pier. I was even more stoked when I learned that the same aircraft would take me to Narita from the same gate. This meant that I would have more than two hours in The Pier.

After a quick and efficient security check, I got to The Pier in no time. This time, I did not have to wait for a shower stall to become available. After a refreshing shower, I headed to the dining room for an octopus carpaccio and dan dan noodles. I then hung out in the lounge until it closed at 12.30am. There was only a short lag time between closing time at the lounge and boarding time for my flight, so I hung around Gate 62 for about 15 minutes before boarding. It sure beat schlepping all the way to the other end of the (very long) terminal.

On this flight, I preordered Cathay's signature eight treasures glutinous rice with crabmeat, which is apparently a delicacy from Fuzhou. Before this flight, I considered skipping supper and prioritizing sleep, but I decided to eat because I didn't want to risk being hungry on the hour plus train journey from Narita to Shinjuku. The cabin crew served supper quickly and efficiently, and I managed a good three hours of sleep.

CX524 landed in Narita a little ahead of schedule. On approach, I could see the outline of Mt Fuji through the haze, which is pretty rare for Narita. I was really looking forward to cooler temperatures and cleaner air after the smog and humidity in Singapore.En savoir plus
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Singapore & Tokyo | 2026 Voyageur
Bake Neko Festival
11 octobre, Japon ☀️ 24 °C
I planned this trip and this layover to coincide with the Bake Neko Festival. This festival is inspired by supernatural monster cats from Japanese folklore and novelist Natsume Soseki's classic I Am a Cat which was written while he lived in Kagurazaka. I first heard about this event in a Time Out article, and I have wanted to experience since reading about it. It was also featured in the film Rental Family, which I highly recommend.

After clearing immigration and customs at Narita, I purchased a ticket on the Narita Express and waited about 30 minutes for the 7.40am train. The train I took made four extra stops and that prolonged the journey into Tokyo. I arrived at Shinjuku Station at 9.20am and made my way to Pod Select Hotel in Shinjuku Nichome.

I stayed at this facility three times in the past when it was called City Hotel Lonestar. Jeff and I have many fond memories of the hotel, in particular the free breakfast nook on the ground floor which provided us a prime viewing spot of people doing the walk of shame after having been out all night. A few things have changed since our last stay here in 2018: breakfast is no longer offered, and the hotel is now staffed by people who spoke to one another in Mandarin. When I arrived, it was too early to check in, so I left my bag at the hotel and made my way to the Kagurazaka neighborhood where Bake Neko is held.

I had little information about the festival program other than it started at 10am. When I arrived at Kagurazaka Station, I saw a few people in costume, but there was little evidence to suggest that there would be a festival in the vicinity. I first went to the nearby Akagi Shrine, and then I followed a few costumed people over to the Shirogane Park, where there were a couple of booths and people handing out pamphlets. The pamphlets provided a wealth of information about the timing of the activities, and where they were held along Kagurazaka-Dori which runs between Kagurazaka and Iidabashi Stations. I was very pleased to have this information because it helped me figure out in advance which spots to stake out. This is in stark contrast to other Japanese festivals I have been to, in particular the Sanja Matsuri in 2014 and last year's Narita Gion, where I basically ran to wherever I heard noises. But these festivals were less foreigner inclusive, so I can understand why there was a lack of information for non-Japanese.

Some friends have asked me why I didn't participate in the parades. Well, I didn't want to carry a costume as I travel light and I am very disciplined about that. I also dislike attention. But, the key reason why I chose to be a spectator was because I would only see the people around me if I participated in the parade, whereas as a spectator I would see many more revellers in their costumed best.

Anyway, the first parade was at 12.20pm, so I wandered the streets a little, ducked into a small sushi restaurant for lunch, after which I had a lovely strawberry soft serve, and then I made my way to the route of the first parade. I later discovered that there were two Atlas Obscura sites just off the parade routes. I would have checked those out if I had researched them ahead of time. Apart from Shirogane Park, the main hub of activity was at Zenkokuji Temple along the parade route.

The photos in this entry are of various sights, characters, and animals I saw during the festival. I have created seperate entries for each of the three parades and the cat awa dance in order to circumvent the video limits for each entry.En savoir plus
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Singapore & Tokyo | 2026 Voyageur
Bake Neko: Brass Band Parade
11 octobre, Japon ☀️ 26 °C
The brass band parade, led by the Euro Brass Band, was the first of the three parades I viewed. It started at the Kagurazuka Station, went down a short way, and then it doubled back. The festival brochure provided information on the makeup of the parade: leading the parade were costumed characters carrying a banner, followed by royal cats (these are people who paid 5,000 yen to participate, followed by the band, then by the noble cats (1,000 yen fee). A portable cat shrine - a clear spoof of portable shrines carried at religious festivals in Japan - followed the noble cats. Bringing up the rear were the citizen cats, who paid 500 yen to participate.

After I left the parade, I noticed on the pamphlet that there had been a oni kenbai (demon sword dance) at 1pm. My brain was so focused on the parades that I completely overlooked that event!En savoir plus
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Singapore & Tokyo | 2026 Voyageur
Bake Neko: Cat Awa Dance
11 octobre, Japon ☀️ 27 °C
In between the first and second parades was the cat awa dance, which was a series of dances performed by a dance troupe called Cat-A-Tac. They also led a dance for the audience to participate in, but I left at that point because it was getting too hot for me.En savoir plus
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Singapore & Tokyo | 2026 Voyageur
Bake Neko: Samba Parade
11 octobre, Japon ☀️ 27 °C
In addition to wanting to get away from the heat, I also left the cat awa dance early to get a good vantage point for the samba parade. This parade was livelier than the brass band parade and I saw more interesting characters, including a cat named Jack Sparrow (he was dressed in a pirate outfit) and a parade participant wearing a cone of shame. The samba drum band performing was called Natakatoquio.En savoir plus
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Bake Neko: Pipe and Tabor Parade
11 octobre, Japon ☀️ 27 °C
The pipe and tabor parade was less than half the size of the samba parade. The musicians were from the Japan Pipe & Tabor Society.

At this point, I decided to check in to my hotel and give the finale a miss as I was tired and in need of a shower and some rest.En savoir plus
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Singapore & Tokyo | 2026 Voyageur
Giant 3D Cat
11 octobre, Japon 🌙 23 °C
After leaving the Bake Neko Festival, I made my way back to Pod Select Hotel and had a much needed shower. After my shower, I got a second wind. Unlike other Japanese festivals I have attended, Bake Neko did not have street food vendors, so I did not graze on street nibbles like I have done at other events. So, I was ready for food after my shower. I googled tempura restaurants and found a highly rated one - Tempura Funabashiya - a short walk away. Although it was pricey at 3,000 yen for seven pieces of tempura, it was so good. The exterior of the restaurant only had Japanese script which may put some tourists off, but they had an English menu inside, and the staff did a great job of communicating.

After dinner, I walked to the nearby giant 3D cat. I had seen this display in daylight before, but I couldn't get good videos then. This time round, I got much better videos since it was dark.En savoir plus
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Singapore & Tokyo | 2026 Voyageur
Tokyo Metropolitan Building
11 octobre, Japon 🌙 22 °C
The Tokyo Metropolitan Building boasts the world's largest permanent architectural projection display. According to information I found online, the show starts at 6pm in October, runs for about 15 minutes, and repeats itself every half hour. The program apparently includes Godzilla... who wouldn't want to see a giant kaiju projected onto a giant building?

Read the Atlas Obscura entry here: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/tokyo-night…

I arrived just before 6pm and found a nice little spot to view the show. I watched four shows, but no Godzilla. Dejected, I walked away and decided to go up to the free observatory as I hadn't been to any of the Tokyo observatories at night. I queued for about half an hour, saw the night lights, and came down just after 7.30pm to hear loud roars. This certainly wasn't want I saw at 6pm. So, I made my way to the Citizens' Plaza and saw the tail end of a Godzilla show. A second, different Godzilla show ran after that; this second one was less interesting. The show ended at this point. I debated staying to watch the 8pm show, but I was fading fast and I beat a retreat to my hotel. I made a quick pitstop at the Family Mart next to my hotel for some midnight snacks and for breakfast foods before showering and falling into a deep sleep.

The videos in this entry are what I saw of the first Godzilla video, plus one anime-inspired video from my earlier viewing.En savoir plus
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