Japan, here I... (come)

*watching live cam of JR Aizu-Wakamatsu train station, hearing the announcer's voice. Three trains and melting snow on the tracks.*

I really want to go back to Japan this year April, but I really don't know how, on the kind of money I make/have. At this rate, I won't be able to go back even till next year or any other years.

Already, I waited since 2009 when I was there last. I really wanted to go back last year, but... *hears whistle, clicks back on the live cam, watches the train on the right pull out very smoothly* Whoo hoo!! Beautiful.

Now both trains on left and right have pulled out, leaving the one in the middle that I've never seen before since watching the live cam. Never seen any trains on the middle track before till now.

Cool.

I was saying... I really wanted to go back last year, but still didn't have the cash, and then the problem with the nuclear plant happened.

Not sure if it's even safe to go back. Or need to wait 13 years (according to bro) for the half-life of the radioactive particles to degrade down to?

*sighs* I really want to go back this year. April. Chase the Sakuras again. Miss the castles. Unfortunately,  Tsurugajo is in Fukushima, the very place the nuclear happened. I don't know if the mall there is still there, or been affected by the quake. I miss the shellfish steamed rice there. I want to go back there.

I know when I'm there, I want to go back to Singapore after 2 weeks. But.. right now, I don't really care. I want to go back to Japan!!!  T.T *weeps*

I want to hug it all my life.

It's driving me insane. *tears up a little, wipes it off my left eye*

I don't know how Japanese people can stay and work in Singapore. Don't it drive them crazy to not be home? Their beautiful home where everything is so different, so orderly.

To me, the orderliness drives me crazy after 2 weeks there. But *heart exhales a breath* right now, I really wish it wasn't so expensive to fly there and stay for another 2 weeks. :)

That time was Taiwan 1 week and Japan 2 weeks, $6000 with some change to spare after getting back into SG. The money wasn't mine but .... *oh now the middle train has gone too*... the person doesn't have to know.

This time, I will hit Taiwan for maybe 1~3 days, depending on whether I want to go to Sun Moon Lake (haven't check out the reviews yet). From there, to Japan.

That time, I didn't spend much on Taiwan (mostly on hotel room cost). Japan took about $3000~4000 (quite evenly on hotel rooms, transport and food).

Was a rather restrained budget in Japan back then. This time, I want a little more, to go a little further, buy a little more to bring back (clothes, foodstuff).  I actually wanted to stay in Ryokans back then, but they only accept minimum 2 persons, not individuals. So... that was out, even if I wanted to pay.

The budget business hotels I stayed in back then were excellent, so either I stay in the same type of hotels again, or stay in even better ones with a little more cash. I think I'd rather stay in a Ryokan if possible. An old one by the side of a rushing river in the middle of a forest, would be great. :)

Mm... *sighs*

This early morning when I woke at about 9, I asked myself how to increase your income in 5 days. No sex, no need to solicit in the flesh.

I don't know. If I knew, I wouldn't be asking or typing here. I'd have gone to Japan.

*sees live cam* Ahhh!!!! The sun has come out!!  It is indeed getting warmer after all that snow. Is it Spring now?

Warmth of the sun!! Mmm... :) I feel less chilly already. I can feel how cold it is in there.

Back in April 2009, I was shivering at 14~15 degrees C and it was supposed to be well into Spring with no snow. The nights were colder. No need for air-con. I left a window a crack/small gap open in my hotel room in the nights, and slept sweeter than I ever slept in Singapore. With that cold night air, my washed (not dripping) clothes dried hanging by the chair or railing in the room.

Their sun is weak, unlike the warmth of the Singapore sun that I missed the most while being there. Subsequently, I missed the warmth of the Singapore people and my country. That's what drove me crazy (guessing homesick).  Their automated announcements at the train stations also started driving me nuts.

The crows are however, the same as ours.

The sun rose too early (5am) and set too early (5pm). Darkness came sudden and quick. At 6pm, I would be plunged in darkness.

*sighs* But how much I want to be there now. Then again... with the sun up, seeing it shining on the snow and everything... suddenly... the realities of when I was there, seep into mind... breaking the romance.

Crap. I don't care. I want to go there. I am going there.  I need to find some way of making money to go.

I don't think the teenagers disembarking from the trains know they are on live cam, broadcast to the world on internet. :) Don't know if the Japanese people even know they are on live cams all over Fukushima. Not sure if they have cams in other areas.

I didn't even know, until a Japanese e-mail reply gave me the link. The Tsurugajo tourist agency for the castle used to have live cam that I depended on rather often until they stopped running it after the nuclear plant problem. Then they just stopped it.

So I e-mailed them in Japanese to ask what happened, because people outside Japan love watching it (it's the only way I can still see the castle even though I can't be there).

The reply came that the tourist agency has stopped it. And said I could watch it from another website.

Turned out to be a map of all the locations of live cams installed in Fukushima (bus depot, race horse course, road junction of some town, mountain somewhere, little towns..).  Pretty amazing.

3 of the cams actually pan slowly left to right, and back, to give panoramic bird's eye views of a park, horse racing course area and mountain (Shinobuyama).

Question is, why have they installed live cams at all? Bro said so others outside Japan can view and want to travel there (promote their land). Seems doubtful to me.

He said, pointing to the cameras that we were passing by as we left the MRT, "Who knows, maybe even these are actually broadcasting to the world without our knowledge.".

I'm keeping the Fukushima live cams website secret (perhaps for now). Selfishly hugging it, yeah.

A few cams have been disabled/shut down in a few locations.

Previously, during the winter, many of the cams would show black/blank, but now with the sun, it's clear and bright. I'm able to see things that I didn't before.

Looking at Shirakawa (don't know of it), has a castle. Didn't know they had a castle there, otherwise, I might have made my way there back in 2009.

Currently, watching a man waiting so patiently at the bus-stop. When will he be getting the bus?

I've never been there, but when I waited at bus-stops in Japan, there were never any seats.

He's so patient, seems to be holding something shiny that shines in the light when he moves. Is the bus coming at all?

The bus... never came. I watched him wait, around 15~20 mins. Then he got up (surprised to see he's quite a tall guy) and walked. Sexy height and build (thought he was an uncle sitting there).  Not clear how old he is, but black short hair.

Turns out he has an injured right leg. The thought occurs that he was an athletic who got injured and can't play anymore. (merges with yaoi anime Zetsuai football player who wasn't injured, but the two somehow mixes feelings in me due to his sexy height and plight). 

Poor guy. What happened?

He stiffly crosses the road, leaning on his left leg. He wasn't holding anything.

I wonder if I will see him again.