03 October 2007

mood: fascinated with the japanese.


when i was younger, i thought that if i'd go to tokyo, i'd see flying cars. haha. ganun ka-astig ang perception ko of japan! kaya siguro ever since, it has been one of my great dreams to get to travel to tokyo. but for now.. habang dream pa lang yun, allow me to share with you some of my favorite japanese things.



favorite japanese film: 'hokaru no haka'! also known as 'tombstone for fireflies' or 'grave of the fireflies'. i remember that when the film ended, up til i was walking out of the cinema, up til we were in the parking lot, i was crying. a powerful family film. i highly recommend that you watch it.





favorite japanese series: 'karekano', also known as 'his and her circumstances'. i really am not a big anime fan, but this series was introduced to me by my film classmates back in college (hi bob! hi dan!), and ayayay!! di ko inakala na pwede kang ma-in love at kiligin sa isang animated series. beeeautiful love story.





favorite japanese song: 'easy breezy' by utada hikaru. for some reason, listening to this song reaaally picks up my mood. haha, weird kasi di naman yun ang message ng song. =p basta, masaya siyang pakinggan!





favorite japanese supermodel: ai tominaga. i love her look! i bought a magazine with her on the cover and i have loved her since then. i once had a gown made for myself (by joey samson! thank yooou!) that was patterned after something she wore, hehe.





favorite japanese designer style: tsumori chisato. stumbled upon tsumori chisato the designer in a local designers shop somewhere, at kahit mahal, i just fell in love with this one dress from the label! clarification lang ha, i don't really know much japanese designers, pero ito yung isa na lagi kong sine-search sa internet para makita ang collection. hehe.





favorite japanese retail style: uniqlo. again, i don't know of much japanese retail brands, but uniqlo was a brand my best friend pepel introduced to me. (hi pel!!) one of my favorite pair of jeans is this dark denim from uniqlo, that i bought on a rush shopping trip without even fitting!





favorite japanese food: all!!!! hahaha. but my favorites are.. the soft shell crab salad in kai, greenbelt 2. the american dream sushi in omakase, alabang town center. and the crunchy california maki in kaiseki, the fort. the beeesssttt!!


and just as a bonus.. if you want a good laugh, watch this clip of a japanese game show called 'human tetris'! grabe laugh trip talaga to!





tokyo.. hope to see you soon!

70 comments:

markymark2099 said...

Tokyo is fantastic, one of my favourite places to visit. Word of advice...if you're not on a tour, learn some common japanese phrases - helps break the ice when meeting with new people. Have fun!

sayawera said...

hi bianca, go here for more hilarious japanese game shows! great post btw!

http://alluriyah.multiply.com/journal/item/106?view_page_as=anon

Anonymous said...

hi bianca, i never knew the kind of person that you are until i accidentally spotted (and yeah, read) your blogs in the internet. I first saw you in PBB celeb edition and it thought then that you were just another pretty face in the industry. i'm sorry, i was very wrong. upon reading your thoughts, i discovered the real person that you are. I can truly sense that you are a good person. People like you are rare nowadays. Keep up the good work. Enjoy and take care on your travellings. Good luck in everything you do. Godbless!

beetledom said...

biankee, why not add in your list of favorite japanese things this one >>> favorite 'avant-garde' japanese artist: who else but... "YOKO ONO"...(hehehe) just kidding, i know you wouldn't care about her as much as i do...i don't like her for john lennon in the first place..(who else does!)..
yucky creature!

ps: i've been to japan once in 1997 as a tourist (together w/ my family).. grabeee, i got madly in love with the country, especially w/ that super-fashionable Tokyo City!! feeling ko talaga i'm a "reincarnated John Lennon" (fyi, Yoko Ono originally hails from Tokyo City...see the signs, bianca?)

Unknown said...

hey..!! i'd like to hear about ur comment/s on the desperate housewives racial slur on Filipino doctors on their first episode of this season...its good to hear from the ambassador of the filipino youth hehehee.. ^_^ thank u

Jenny said...

Hey - just bloghoppin. I've been livin in Tokyo for more than a year now... And yes, it's more than awesome! Just hop in a plane and my friends and I would be glad to show you around!

Anonymous said...

napanood ko rin yung tombstones of fireflies sa school. grabe! super iyak ako ng iyak. hesitant pa nga ko na panoorin kasi akala ko typical anime lang and i was planning to sleep na lang during the filmshowing. pero grabe yung impact sakin nung film. since nun, everytime na uuwi ako from school, i would buy something for my little brother. as in kahit candy lang. hehe.

Anonymous said...

its amazing how your brain can remember tricky japanese names!
you are one of a kind bianca.

Anonymous said...

hi bianca! i've been reading your blog for quite some time now and it has been real interesting learning new things from you and your experiences. i share a similar desire to go and visit japan. it seems like a place so different from the rest of the world. And i agree with you, japanese game shows are hilarious! Human tetris sure is one of the funniest things i've ever seen.

Anonymous said...

its one of my to do list before i die..visit tokyo! sayang..plan sna nmin to go there next year for our 25th bday (me and my twin) kaso wala pang budget..

nweis, i am not a fan of japanese food but its starting to grow in me.. =)

the goddess said...

Hala, I love Karekano,to0. :D I've read the manga already. So funny. :D

Jax said...

just came back from japan, i simply loved it! hope i can go back again to visit the places i wasn't able to go to.

Anonymous said...

I love his and her cis=rcumstances too...!!!!
Kakakilig talaga!

meliffic said...

easy breezy is one of my fave songs of utada!!!!!!!!! <33333

Anonymous said...

Hi BiaNca,

ako din gusto ko makita ang buong japan, and i really am fascinated with things na related sa japan, wala lang!

keep it up super girl!

tc-ja^__^

kaRen_myxmatch said...

just this summer, parang napunta na rin ako sa Japan coz of my practicum sa anime station ng ch.2 (used to bump with you almost every morning Biancs! haha)

i remember doing scripts,interstitials,editing and listening to japanese conversations and of course i learned to love the HARAJUKU STREET and HARAJUKU Girls...

bb_ANN said...

favorite japanese song: 'easy breezy' by utada hikaru...haven't heard that song not until today..but the rhythm sounds cool.....

andres said...

ang lupet! hanep! tawa ako ng tawa dito, nawala antok ko!!

Anonymous said...

How i wish i could go there sooner or later.... huhuhu at least before i die i could see one of the most beautiful country on earth... (Philippines is one of them of course! heheh)You know what bianca?? your one of the pretty faces i've seen but with a big heart... i was reading one of your blog entries about a book of jolie. it really inspired me... i guess that's what you call "simple realization in a life full of mysteries" right? i'll pray for your success... and hope you could be one of the goodwill ambassadors of UN..

just droppin by!!!
-kristian from cebu

and by the way, human tetris was reallly funny... grabeh..

JayE said...

hi biaca!!! im just new here on your blog.. and i love it!! i was at abs last saturday.. sayang i didn't catch you.. see u soon.. and God bless.. =p

Anonymous said...

hi bianca. just like you, i really like travelling. i just visited tokyo last month. you should go there. it's not as expensive as you think. hope to see a tokyo travelblog soon! god bless!

a day in the life of ordinary ME... said...

Hi bianca, this is sweet... I also love to visit & maybe live in japan someday. Its such a beautiful place, sobrang linis at mukang mabango at parang walang mga langaw dun. HEHEHEHE... Unlike you though, i don't like japanese food. But the history & culture of japan is oh sooooo beeaauutiful. In fact, when i get a job soon i am planning to enroll in a language school to learn to speak nippongo & i also wanna learn how to write kanji. I hope that one of the call centers i apply to hire me soon, so i can ulfill that dream, hahaha. Seriously.. you know i use to watch Oh Tokyo! before on sky cable when they use to air them. And i envy the filipina who used to host segment there, eleanor i think was her first name. I would really love to meet her. I also watch those shows that feature the people & culture of japan that's being aired on channel 9, 13 & on GEM TV. Its like in that few hours of watching i feel like i'm being transported... Wish me luck on my job hunting & my dream of learning niponggo & kanji soon. And i know that next year, you'll probably realize your dreams. Take care & God Bless... :)

Anonymous said...

hi bianca, just wanna know what's your opinion on Burma's unrest now. It has gone so bad already. I hope you can feature it here for social awareness na rin sa mga bloggers dami kasi nagbabasa ng blog mo.you may want to check on one of burmese bloggers http://ko-htike.blogspot.com/2007_09_01_archive.html.

Anonymous said...

i soo love the grave of the fireflies too... "a powerful family film".... exactly.

Unknown said...

hi bianca. sory pro i rili did not like "grave of the fireflies". ewan ko napaka sad and depresing. di inspiring for me. the best Japanese film for me is "1 liter of tears" tlgang d best. sad pro inspiring. ang galing tlga nila gumawa.pati ang song dun n "only human" and ganda at may song pang isa d ko alam title. d best anime for me is "spirited away" ang galing tlga pagkagawa. d rin ako mahilig s anime pro nung napanood ko yun impresed tlga ako. kay utada na song "first love" tlga gusto ko. everyday play ko s ofice. pang paganda ng mood.

onlineako said...

hi Bianca! you really one of a kind i love this girl! shes my idol..

Tricia said...

I'm kinda in love with japan too, lalo sa food.:)
I think Japan is the epitome of success, considering how they were ruined in WW2. Ngayon, leader sila in R&D pati sa economy. Sana tayo rin. hehe

Liam's Mama said...

Hey, Bianca!
Huge fan of Japan, too. My whole family is--I think we were Japanese in a past life.;-)
Hotaru has got to be one of the most moving films of all time, though I can't decide between the anime and live action versions. Pero shucks, ako iyakin na ako as is, so you can imagine kung paano yung hagulgol ko dito. It was very moving for an ate like me, and I'm sure even more for a kuya's girl like you. Shyacks talaga ang movie na ito. Have you seen Crying Out Love in the Center of the World? It's more recent than Graveyard and the plot is entirely different, but it's another Jap film I'm sure you'd appreciate.
As for Tsumori Chisato, try to visit my friend's site: designerfix.multiply.com. There's a gorgeous Chisato silk dress for sale, I think mga 5k. I'm no designer expert but the particular print on this dress is like "Japanese Pucci" to my eyes.
-Lora G.

Anonymous said...

hi bianca, matagal-tagal na rin akong nagbabasa ng blog mo, sobrang entertaining at insightful. i am working as an ESL Teacher for japanese. masarap sila kausap, they are nice people. and just like you, they travel a lot. nakakainggit nga everytime they share their travel stories, most of them ang dami ng napuntahan. to be honest, ilan sa mga entry mo ay nabibigyan ako ng idea kung ano ang pwede kong i-discuss sa kanila. thank you! ^0^ for now, nagkakasya na lang ako na magtanong-tanong at magpa-describe sa kanila. sana ako din ma-experience ang tokyo in the future! ipapasyal daw nila ako pag pumunta ako dun, ang kaso, la pang budget! keep on writing good stuff,i really admire you. god bless you always!

Anonymous said...

sa lahat ng mga celebrity blogs, sayo lang yung ok balikan! enjoy basahin ang mga entries. galing!

Anonymous said...

h! bianca,

Forgive me but this is not connected with the post. I just want to ask kung paano ba gawin yung pagdikitin ang mga pictures lalo na pag maramihan. Like what you did on your many of your gropu pics here. Thanks and pardon me for my low-tech skills..hehe

ladyingreen said...

hey bianca! its me again. i'm also a big fan of anything japanese. my sisters influenced me to be addicted to such things. if you want to hear more or see more japanese songs you can go to my multiply site: ladyquintessence.multiply.com. there's not much stuff there but mostly the videos i posted there are japanese. i would also love to go to tokyo someday when i become a nurse.. take care.. godbless..^^

Anonymous said...

Japan is one of my favorite place that I have been to and I'd love to come back there again one day. Don't forget to visit Akihabara if you're into electronic gadgets/tech. You'll love it there.;)

Anonymous said...

how to eat sushi!:)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0b75cl4-qRE

Anonymous said...

hi!can't leave your page without leaving a comment e...ang kulet kasi ng entry. ung reaction ko talaga "hala gusto rin nya un?!"..tapos japan and japanese din pinaguusapn nmn ng friend ko sa YM...haha! planning to go there din kse to travel, study at makita ang super resource person ng aking thesis..wla lng, gusto ko lng ishare..ayown! kaso..huhu..naalala ko nanamn ung story ng grave of the fireflies.nakakalungkot:(

Mheems said...

This has nothing to do with your entry pero I would like to read your reaction on the Desperate Housewives issue. Thanks

ma' said...

nako! ka-ganda!!
nakapunta ako don nung grade 3 at grade 5 ako para magbakasyon.
everything there is like 20-30years ahead saten.

ang di ko makakalimutan,
sabi ko nung unang gabe, buti pa japan, naka-aircon kahit sa labas.

Sephrenia & Aphrael said...

maybe you should apply to one of japanese government scholarships (from the embassy of japan in the philippines website)where you can get a graduate degree from top japanese universities.am sure you will ace the screening process because you are intelligent and you definitely are one of the future leaders of our country.if ever you will be in tokyo anytime in the future,look us up, we are the JDS scholars and we'll gladly take you on a tour around tokyo.

and yes, uniqlo is also my favorite retail stores here in japan.you can find its stores almost everywhere and the prices are reasonable too!

ki o tsukette ne.

Dessie said...

hwaw! i didnt know that you like japan too! ^___^ me and my friend would want to take japanese lessons nga sana hehe.. we even took japanese as our elective in college! :D

and another hwaw! because you like karekano also! i loooooove that and their live action series are nice too! :D ohh and utada hikaru! and japanese foods and everything about japan! haha! cool! ^____^ and their gadgets are really hwaw!

Anonymous said...

Hi, Ate Bianca!
That Japanese game show was really funny! So high-larious..
Thanks for sharing those things about Japan. 'hope you get to go there and share your trip with us

GoD bless!

Anonymous said...

konnichiwa! Genki desu ka.
i like the nihon anime "boys be".
last september there was like a culture exchange thing with a univ in Japan and our school but was not able to go.. i would love to visit Japan too... but i dont think i can live there.. since im more of a nonconformist - free spirited type.. and Japan is like a country of protocols. hehehehe!

well..hope you'd get to visit tokyo soon.

Domo arigato gozaimasu.

Anonymous said...

why don't you read Lori's 8-part post on Japan :) it's at

http://www.dessertcomesfirst.com/

t w i n k l e said...

go human tetris! hahaha =)

Ria Hazel said...

i love his and her circumstances too. kakaaliw.

about the movie, hahanapin ko yan, tapos papanuorin ko din. hehe. ang napanood lang kasi namin before is yung rashomod for our litcriticism class. classic japanese and all. :D

LORD MANILA STONE said...

oi, ang guwapo ng guy sa anime ha at nainlub din ako, at yang human tetris, sobra nakakaaliw, gusto ko rin itry magsplit, hehehe^^

Anonymous said...

the game show made my day! thanks, bianca for sharing! really had a good laugh!

Anonymous said...

i also like to go to JAPAN.

visit my site and you will find out how much i want to go to japan.


blogbuster90.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

hala! nagulat talaga ako dun sa jap stuff! gusto ko rin kc si utada hikaru. especially yung song niya na passion. lamig kc ng boses.

anyway...yeah, about that desperate housewives issue and the "living hell" (according to a burmese priest) burma has turned into...grabe no? just wanted to know what you think...

Anonymous said...

Tokyo.... hay, I got nothing to say to it, dahil never pa akong nakalabas ng Pinas. Like you siguro, hanggang dreams na lang muna.

Roxie Liboon said...

hehe.. wow.. grabe ate bi ha!! parang nalibot mo na ang world.. ako9 hanggang.. ILOILO lang!! kasi yan ang hometown ko eh!!










if you dont mind ha.. nanood ako kanina nh KC from paris to Pinas..

okay lang naman!! mukhang may aral naman!! Kc is beautiful.. pero ikaw?? gorgeous.. hehe.. totoo yan ha!! wala namang favoritism masyado diba??


please post this ate!! hehe..

Anonymous said...

hi miss bianca... um what's the code you are using for no-right click thing? um para di makuha yun photos? mine kasi is working pag explorer lang, pag firefox wala na... thanks.. . i hope makareply ka :)

Anonymous said...

hi miss bianca, can you please share the ocde for no-right click thing? thank you

Goddess Levs said...

glad to hear that you also like japan. I must say, Japan has one of the most interesting and richest culture in the world. My friend and I both like Japan that we plan to visit it in the near future.


P.S.
I like KareKano! :)
And Utada Hikaru is simply wonderful, don't you think? ;) So wonderful that it is sooo hard for me to choose a fave from her songs. But for the albums, I'll go for Deep River and Ultra Blue. :)

denise said...

ei nice photos!=]

Anonymous said...

i agree to you..uber touching film ang grave of the fireflies!!i've watched that in our skul..

Anonymous said...

im learning how to speak japanese now.thanks to my school.üyeah.human tetris is really cool,lagi ko siya pinapanuod sa youtube,pati yung pacman.

Lee said...

Hi Bianca, Tokyo is indeed a very cool place to visit. I went there just this May. Cool place, cool people, cool culture, yummy food... Did I mention that they are cool? =) If you go, don't forget to visit the Tsukiji Fish Market at 530am to observe the daily fish auction and try the uber fresh sushi there. Grabe, the tuna sashimi literally melts in your mouth unlike the ones we have here na parang rubber. Haha. Saka yung conveyor belt sushi nila is also super yummy. Parang P60 lang yata a plate. Yung Yoshinoya nga dun is just common street fastfood. Medyo pareho lang yung lasa like here. Since Tokyo is a huge place, you need to wear comfortable shoes since you will mostly be walking and taking the subway to get a better feel of the city. Do observe the people traffic inside the subway station during rush hour. Grabe, they look like huge schools of tuna orderly crisscrossing one another through the turnstile. Tokyo is really mucho Kakkoii! Sniff, I want to go back. Miss ko na mga Harajuku girls.

I have 4 blog postings about my trip to tokyo. You are welcome to check it out. =)

Anonymous said...

Japanese culture is great. I'm studying here in Seattle right now and it's actually Japanese culture week at our campus. Every year, they have this Japanese culture fair by our gym. They had calligraphy, wishing tree, origami, etc. It was fun :) I also took a Japanese language class before. It's hard to learn it if you don't hear or speak it everyday. But it was a great experience. My "sensei" was good. Japanese people are also very friendly. Japan is also one of my dream destinations :)

Anonymous said...

hi bianca,,, napadaan lang sa iyong site anyway, uniqlo mura lang yun parang bench or human lang yun dun kse masyado silang mahilig sa branded as in branded and the place is super amazing you have to visit japan... similar na sya sa europe (: for me everything is amazing panget lang kse not all people is not speaking in english... Anyway, sure makakapunta ka din dun... yun lang sna magkaboyfriend kana ulit (: for the holidays

Anonymous said...

My favorite anime movie is "Spirited Away'.

Anonymous said...

Hi Ate Bianca! Just dropped by to say that Vietnam may look poor but they are actually rich in their culture.

Faina Daguio said...

kita tau dun pagnagkataon..may balak din akong punta sa japan eh! sabihin mo kung kelan ka punta para sabay tau!hehehehe..inagt lage poh!xoxo..MAHALO!

Anonymous said...

hello!!! super nakakatuwa 2ng blog mo, dami kong nalalaman... parang gusto ko rin magkaroon ng blog!

Anonymous said...

this is soo cool you like jap stuffs...and so do i..



take care!

Anonymous said...

lived in Japan for like 8 years,very nice place,nice people too=)

Anonymous said...

yes my ol' tym fave is grave of fireflies... that's why i am a medical student ryt now...

i still cry when i see the movie, poor kid...

watch mo rin ung princess mononoke.. its about loving nature
si hayo miyazaki rin ang director and writer

Ulap143 said...

ang weird we have so much in common... i also love karekano...

oh gosh.

pls watch honey and clover.. its about different love affairs... like karekano, but more mature and inspiring...
anime din siya...

Anonymous said...

hey miss bianca, I went to Uniqlo in Hong Kong. Super love the clothes there! As in.... Ang ganda pala ng post mo about japan!

louraine said...

i just love tokyo too..
my friend just went to japan last vacay..
sabi niya super ganda daw talaga dun.

human tetris is really hilarious.
pinapanood ko siya sa youtube palagi..

JL Aspacio said...

kare kano is definitely one of the best anime love stories ever. :P i fell in love with it also. haha