Asakusa Souvenirs

Various items for sale in Asakusa

For me, the best place to shop for souvenirs in Tokyo is in nakamise-dori, which a street that leads to senso-ji, Tokyo's oldest temple. These were taken on January 14, 2006.

First Day of Snow

First day of snow in 2006

It wasn't my first time to ever experience snow but it was my first to experience it in Japan and as an adult. It was a Saturday and we were supposed to leave for Manila the following day. Knowing that it could be our last business trip to Japan, we scheduled a trip to Tokyo Disneyland. Unfortunately, we had to change our plan because of the snow. According to some news that day, it was one of the heaviest snowfall Tokyo had experienced in years. This was taken on January 21, 2006.

Ichiran Ramen

Ichiran's Customizable Ramen

My first taste of Japan's popular ramen. This was officially introduced to me by, if my memory serves me right, Henrison. He was also in Japan at the time on a 2-year intra-transfer contract. This was taken on January 14, 2006. Four years later, I brought some of my AOTS classmates to the same shop. Jenny, Metz, and Metz's classmate were also there to join us.

Ameyoko Chocolates

Chocolates

In NSP, it's tradition to give chocolates or sweets from Japan to the whole office (or at least the teammates) whenever an engineer is sent to Japan either for training or business trip. Back then, I would give the boxes (Pocky) to my family and a few close friends. I would then distribute the packs of chocolates to the rest of the office (2 to 4 pieces each). This photo was taken on January 10, 2006.

Sunday Work

Sunday at the Office

Here are some photos of our workplace in Mita Kokusai Building. You won't see any other employees in the photos since these were taken on a Sunday (January 8, 2006). We were "requested" to come to work since we were already delayed on our testing and bug-fixing schedule.

Local Train

Local train to Narita Airport

Here's a photo of a local train (stops at every station) taken while I was waiting for a limited express train (stops at major stations only) at Aoto station going to Narita Airport. This was taken on December 10, 2005.

Sound Activated

Here's a short clip of a bunch of sound-activated plastic animal toys. Put them together in a group and you'll have hours of fun and entertainment. These were being sold in one of the gift shops at the 45th floor of the TMG Building.

Tokyo at Dusk

Collection of Tokyo dusk photos

Here are some photos of Tokyo taken from the 45th floor of the TMG Building at dusk. The silhouette of Mt. Fuji is also visible from the observation deck. These were taken on December 3, 2005.

Tokyo in a Nutshell

Each of these artworks features one or more places of interest in Tokyo. The easily recognizable ones include Minato, Akihabara, Shinjuku, and Shibuya. These were displayed in an exhibit in the TMG Building. These photos were taken on December 3, 2005.

On Top of Tokyo

The TMG Building is one of the best places to get a panoramic view of Tokyo. Each of the two towers has an observation deck on the 45th floor. Entrance is free of charge, so you don't have to wait for your birthday, as in the case of Tokyo Tower. These photos were taken on December 3, 2005.

Shinjuku Saturday

These photos were taken while on our way to Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building on December 3, 2005. The set includes pictures of Takashimaya Times Square and NTT Docomo Yoyogi Building, one of the tallest clock towers in the World.

Pigeons on Street

While walking around the vicinity of Tokyo station, I stumbled upon this generous Japanese who was feeding a bunch of pigeons. This was taken November 27, 2005.

Tokyo Tower at Night

Tokyo Tower during Christmas Season

I was surprised to see a slightly different Tokyo Tower on the 1st of December, 2005. My Canon PowerShot S2 IS camera did a good job "stabilizing" the image. A lovely sight after a long night in the office.

Tokyo Imperial Palace

I decided to do a solo exploration of Tokyo after Rinnel and Mark opted to stay in the hotel on November 27, 2005. With practically no research and planning, I just followed my instinct and got off at Tokyo Station, then walked aimlessly until I stumbled upon the Tokyo Imperial Palace.

Around Tokyo Station

It was my first time to go out on a weekend by myself. After going for a walk around Magome, I decided to go to the Tokyo Imperial Palace. Before reaching my destination, I spent an hour or so around JR Tokyo Station and took a bunch of photos. These were taken on November 27, 2005.

Shibuya Crossing

Shibuya is one of the most popular shopping districts in Tokyo. Think of Akihabara for girls and fashionistas instead of guys, geeks and nerds. This is also where the famous statue of Hachikō can be found. The same street shown in this video was featured in the movie The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift. This video was taken on November 19, 2005.

Akibahara Adventure

Akihabara was probably the most visited place in all of our business trips to Japan. We went there almost every weekend, looking for new toys, exciting gadgets, and anything that looks interesting. The place is practically heaven for geeks and nerds. Unfortunately, these photos don't do justice to the place, since I was more concerned covering more grounds than taking pictures. These were taken on November 13, 2005 and November 20, 2005.

Tokyo Tower

After a week of consecutive daily overtime, we finally got a chance to escape early (half past 8 in the evening) and see Tokyo Tower up close. It took us around 15 minutes to get there from Mita Kokusai building by foot. These photos were taken on November 17, 2005.

三田国際

Mita Kokusai Building is where we stayed for an average of 12-14 hours a day during weekdays. We would usually arrive at the office around 9 in the morning, just in time for our daily progress meeting, then leave around 11 in the evening, giving us just enough time to walk to the train station and catch the last train to Nishi-Magome.

三田

This photo was taken on our way to Mita Kokusai Building on November 13, 2005. Not very far away from MK is the easily recognizable Tokyo Tower.