🇲🇾🍁日本深秋慶典之旅.上集 ⛩️ 長野惠比壽講煙火大會.秩父夜祭.橫濱古董車改裝大會.騎摩托車逛富士山紅葉林.橫須賀第七艦隊軍港.鐮倉日劇場景 GET！

🇲🇾🍁日本深秋慶典之旅.上集 ⛩️ 長野惠比壽講煙火大會.秩父夜祭.橫濱古董車改裝大會.騎摩托車逛富士山紅葉林.橫須賀第七艦隊軍港.鐮倉日劇場景 GET！

The fiery red maple leaves are stirring. Responding to the gentle mountain breeze and sunlight. It is late November, deep autumn in Japan. We endured a whole day and night of gloomy skies at Lake Kawaguchi. At last, we saw Mount Fuji under a perfect blue sky. At 4:30 in the morning, we decided to drive up the mountain. To watch the sunrise from another corner of the world. But unexpectedly ran into a careless little deer. Finally, I fulfilled my long-held wish — unlocking the joy of motorcycling in Japan. Though the temperature was close to zero, as someone from the tropics— We came here precisely to feel the cold. And it is said that during this season, the gods descend to the human world to wander and mingle. On the other side of the island, a nearly century-old engine roars freely. The wild fashion of the 1950s remains alive and vivid. In just fifteen days, we encountered so many unexpected beauties. It was a late-autumn journey that began and ended with fireworks. Come on, join us on this trip! Ikimashō! (Let’s go!) We flew seven hours from Kuala Lumpur to get here. We departed at 2 p.m. And arrived here at 10 p.m. There were so many people — it’s already 10 at night. Still crowded with people. First thing, we need to buy a transport card, and then quickly… Quickly take the subway to the hotel. “Please select the amount to top up.” “Please insert cash or credit card.” “Thank you. Please make sure you haven’t left anything behind.” Now we’re heading to our overnight hotel in Asakusa. It’s quite far from the airport — about forty minutes. APA Hotel Asakusa Kaminarimon branch. So by the time we arrived, it was already midnight. This is our room for tonight — a small one. We’ll be leaving at 5:30 a.m. tomorrow, so we only get four hours with this bed. The next morning, we caught the first train at 6 a.m. After two and a half hours, we arrived in Nikko. We were amazed the moment we stepped off the train. The maple trees around the station were completely golden. It was truly beautiful! If you visit Nikko in autumn, be sure to take lots of photos. But the colors at the station were just a small prelude. Because Nikko’s real beauty lies hidden in the mountains. This is the UNESCO World Heritage Site — Nikkō Tōshōgū Shrine. It was the center of Japan’s last samurai government— The mausoleum of Tokugawa Ieyasu, founder of the Edo shogunate. His grandson, Tokugawa Iemitsu, is also buried at the foot of a nearby mountain. Tokyo was called Edo at that time, and Tokugawa Ieyasu was its developer. The Edo Shogunate was Japan’s first stable regime after unification, lasting 265 years. Until the Meiji Restoration, when Emperor Meiji reclaimed power. So this Tokugawa family shrine was built with great extravagance to show their power. This is the horse stable — where Tokugawa Ieyasu’s horses were kept. That over there is the storehouse. All his gold and treasures were stored inside. That should be the main hall. The site of his tomb. The place where his body lies. Now we’ve finished visiting Nikkō Tōshōgū Shrine. It took us about four hours. That’s about right if you want to see it carefully. Now we’re heading back to the station because we rented a car. We’re going to pick it up. The pickup time is 1 p.m., but we’re hungry and thirsty now. Still, we have to hurry and get the car. It’s a 35-minute walk there. If we take a bus… we’ll have to wait, and no one knows when it’ll come. Let me show you along the way— The beautiful scenery. The last few times I came to Japan hoping to see red leaves, it was either too early—still green, Or too late, when the leaves had all fallen. Now it’s November 21 — already late autumn. And since this is a mountain area, I thought the leaves would’ve all fallen by now. But we’re lucky — Nikko’s autumn colors are just beginning. A mix of green, yellow, and red — such a beautiful sight. We booked the car online a month in advance and paid in full. So all we needed was to show our international license and passport. Then just sign a few simple rental documents. “Search… by phone number or address…” “When returning the car, just park it right here…” Okay, thank you. I think… When the maple leaves are at their peak, the scenery must look something like this. Now is exactly the season for autumn viewing in Nikko. But because of that, there are also many domestic tourists. So the roads can get a bit jammed. And parking spaces are hard to find. We thought we could park near here — across from Shinkyō Bridge — But there were no spots, so we had to park far away, maybe a kilometer off. Then walk back up. What a hassle. Now we’re at Aburagen, a place that serves local specialties— Actually, not really snacks but proper local dishes. The food came pretty fast. Not cheap — ¥2,450 for one set meal. This is what it looks like. Wow… I’m going in to eat now. This is *Yuba Gozen* — a full tofu-based meal. This one is marinated — seasoned Yuba sashimi. This is *gyūdon* — local Tochigi beef. And this is their Yuba — what we call tofu skin. Rolled into a thick, generous layer. Rolled up and dipped in light soy sauce. Just a faint aroma of soybeans and soy sauce — perfectly balanced. Slightly sweet, but not too much — just right. Let’s try this so-called Yuba Sashimi. They call it “Yuba.” I believe… Anyone who knows how to make tofu skin would know how this is made. But we Chinese don’t eat it this way. This is tasting tofu skin in its purest form. Perfect flavor — add a touch of wasabi, and it gives you… a sharp little kick. I think it’s really good… Maybe because I’m hungry. Beef bowl. Of course it’s delicious. In Japan, food rarely disappoints. Almost never — and this one’s probably an old establishment too. This looks like dried marinated beef. Very unique flavor. Has a hint of mountain pepper (sansho). If you come to Nikko, you should try this place. Everything’s quite good. We actually wanted to try the Western restaurant across the street — the one famous for pork cutlets — but never mind. If you’re in Nikko, I’d still recommend this one. Now we’ve got to walk one kilometer back to get our car. It’s already 3:30 p.m., and it’ll get dark soon. The rental cost 11,000 yen — about 100 Singapore dollars. Since we’ve rented it anyway, of course we’ll drive around — just carefully. Still a bit nervous though — first time driving in Japan, not used to the rules. For example— these double yellow lines… what do they even mean? No idea at all. Parking fee — 600 yen. All right, let’s go! After lunch, it’s already getting dark. Fewer cars now, so we took a short drive around town before heading to our hotel. We actually dropped our luggage off here early this morning — just checking in now. Okay, this is our room for tonight. The hotel is called Nikko Station Hotel Classic (oops, I said it wrong earlier). Compared to last night, this room is much larger. It’s right across from the JR Nikko Station. That’s the JR station over there. As for parking… They gave me a QR code, and tomorrow when we leave— just scan it, and that’s it. It’s 5:37 a.m. right now. I just noticed the metal guardrail outside— it’s slightly frosted over. The temperature outside… the dashboard shows 2 °C. There are road signs all along the mountain road reminding drivers that the surface may freeze — drive carefully. You’d never see signs like this back in Malaysia. It was only after seeing them that I suddenly remembered— don’t turn too hard on corners — the road could be icy! Along this mountain road, you often see deer grazing in small groups. And this little one was the most careless. It looked like it was licking ice off the road. Still, thanks to it, we captured a rare, beautiful moment. Someone’s already taking photos. So cold! So cold! We’re now up in the mountains near Nikko City. There’s an observation deck here. We got up early… Actually, really early — around 4:30 a.m. Started driving up around 5:15 a.m. Just in time to catch the sunrise. It’s freezing — not sure how long my camera battery will last. The sun’s up! Pretty amazing view. All right — after watching the sunrise, we’re heading back for breakfast. Hotel breakfast. Never skip it! We travel for hotel breakfasts! Just kidding. We’ve checked out now. The front desk gave us a QR code. It’s for the parking fee. Oh — turns out it’s free! Yay! All right … Okay, that’s done. Let’s load the luggage into the car — time’s running out. We’ve got to reach the farther spots before the tour buses start running. That way, fewer crowds. Now we’re heading for… the Akechidaira Ropeway. To see a… unique landscape. Hi! 行きましょう！ (Let’s go!) Now I’m imagining driving an AE86 Tofu Car. Look ahead — hairpin turn! Corner attack! Throttle on! Downshift! Turn! After a round of hairpin turns, we’ve arrived at a place called Akechidaira. We’re going to take this kind of cable car. Going up in that direction. This kind of unique terrain, it’s my first time seeing it. The mountains form a huge bowl that holds a valley full of water, but with a big drop-off on one side. The lake water pours through that gap, forming a tall waterfall. This waterfall is called “Kegon Falls.” It’s one of Japan’s three great waterfalls. You can drive to both the lake and the falls, just five minutes past the observation point earlier. But time’s limited, so I’ll skip the falls. Heading straight to Lake Chuzenji. If you come to Nikko, you can consider staying around here. Ambassade de France… The French embassy is right by this lake. Isn’t this French ambassador’s office a little too nice? Lake Chuzenji in autumn is also a famous scenic spot, but unfortunately… this year’s autumn leaves have already all fallen. This is Lake Chuzenji. Oh! Chuzenji must be that temple we passed by on the road. I didn’t even think of visiting Chuzenji Temple — only came for Lake Chuzenji. The lake is just peaceful… The layers of mountains in the distance look beautiful. Really beautiful. Time for lunch. We’ll return the car later. Now… it’s about 11 a.m., perfect time for lunch. We’ll return the car at 1 p.m., then head to the next city. Lunch today — grilled fish. Car return is right here. Nippon Rent-a-Car. The return time was 1 p.m., but when we returned… it was almost 1:20. Luckily, they didn’t fine us. So— Now we’re officially leaving this beautiful little town. We’re now heading toward Nagano. We’ll arrive after dark. We’re now inside JR Omiya Station. The situation’s a bit confusing. After asking the station staff… we got the answer. Now we just need to find that platform. But this station… has quite a lot of food around! By the time we reach Nagano, it’ll probably be late. Around 7 p.m. … so most shops will already be closed. Hopefully we can grab something to eat here. Eki-ben — station lunch box. Bringing one on board is the most practical choice. Eki-ben — station bento. Pour everything in. This beef patty is actually not bad… But honestly, it’s hard to find bad food in Japan. Even the ones we grabbed in a rush are fine. Our train’s at 5:17 p.m., and it’s almost 5 now. We boarded at 2:30 p.m. from Nikko Station. We’ll arrive in Nagano at… what time? 6:40 p.m. And we have to transfer several times in between. Not easy. It’s completely dark now, and… really cold. I think I’m hungry again. This place is called… um… Meiji-tei. Meiji-tei, Nagano. Their specialty is… thick-sauce pork cutlet rice — “sauce katsu-don.” This is their signature dish. Katsu-don sauce — thick pork cutlet sauce. Tried their beef tongue… but it’s a small portion. A really small portion. Beef tongue… ¥2440 yen. One bed. And that’s basically the whole room. But the good thing is— it’s right across from the train station. Walk across, and you’re there in under a minute. So it’s super convenient. We’ll stay here for two nights. Nagano is the first major stop of this trip. We’re here for the Nagano Ebisu Autumn Fireworks Festival. It’s something we’ve been really looking forward to. So we rented another car again. That way we don’t have to worry about transport to the fireworks venue. And we can visit places that public transport can’t reach easily. I strongly suspect this car’s made for seniors — look at how big the letters are, haha. Our destination is Kiyomizudera Temple. Kyoto has one too — Kiyomizu-dera. Not sure if this one’s pronounced the same, but it’s written with the same kanji. Anyway, the characters read “Kiyomizudera.” At first I wasn’t even sure we were in the right place — it’s so rural. It’s just in a small village, but then we saw— the view behind us. Completely red. Totally red. All red. Entirely red. My first time seeing them in such fiery red Completely all red. 360° of red leaves. I don’t think this camera can capture the shock of what I’m seeing. It’s just red everywhere. A short tunnel, less than fifty meters. But so colorful. Red, yellow, and green. The red is vivid, the yellow is bright. So beautiful. All these Japanese people are saying— “Kirei! Kirei!” (Beautiful! Beautiful!) Or “Sugoi!” (Amazing!) “Uwaa!!” It’s just too beautiful! The first time I’ve ever seen such a spectacular sight. So beautiful! Okay, let’s order some food first. This is sea bream, this is yellowtail, and this is salt-aged tuna. Seared tuna. I think I’m good. “Your order will be delivered soon.” OK. Yay, we’ve just finished our first time eating at a fully automated conveyor-belt sushi place in Japan. Eh? How do we get out? So cold. Let’s go, now we’re heading to… Nagano has a fireworks show tonight. A fireworks festival — the only large one in Japan during autumn. The biggest fireworks festival of the season. But… it’s going to be a bit of a hassle, because… there will definitely be traffic jams. And since we’re driving, finding a place to park will also be a big problem. So let’s go check it out first. We’ve just parked the car. The fireworks venue is right in front of us. Before coming, we studied on Google Maps to figure out where to park. Finally decided to park at… Sports Depot. But then… of course, such a brilliant idea wasn’t mine alone — everyone thought the same, so the whole parking lot was full. And there were police at the entrance controlling the flow. Holding a “FULL” sign. Stopping cars from entering. From the start, the whole purpose of this trip was to see this. But the problem is— how do we actually watch it? Tickets were being sold. But they were sold out. Then I thought, fireworks— they’re launched into the sky anyway. You can see them from anywhere, so why buy tickets? With that in mind, we looked around nearby for a place to watch. And found this Sports Depot. There was traffic all along the way — guaranteed. Traffic jam into the venue, and jammed again on the way out. Even though the police had posted notices around warning people not to park illegally near the venue (including here at Sports Depot), well, since I’ve already come, I told the police— “I’m going in to buy something.” Which was actually true. Luckily, there was one tiny parking space left. So I parked there. The very last one. Everyone was using the same trick. A lot of people were walking out of Sports Depot and heading to the venue. Following other Japanese visitors through the dark, we finally reached the venue. It was super crowded — you could watch without tickets. So there’s really no need to buy tickets. And as for how locals enjoy it— since the venue is along a riverbank slope, they bring mats, blankets, snacks, and hot drinks, and just lie down on the slope with blankets to watch. So nice! Because it’s freezing here — almost zero degrees, I was freezing to death. So they wrapped in blankets, eating hot cup noodles and sipping soup while watching fireworks — how awesome is that? Pure genius! Fireworks festivals in Japan are usually held in summer. So this Nagano Ebisu Fireworks Festival is one of the few in autumn. And it’s the biggest one of the season. Held once a year. This year is the 118th — such a long history. The fireworks are sponsored by local companies, so there are many segments — some long, some short. I guess it depends on each company’s budget. The longest ones are really spectacular. Huge and dazzling. Watching them live is truly breathtaking. Here’s the temperature on site — even colder than downtown. So good, so good. I really needed this — I was freezing to death, so a hot grilled skewer hit the spot. So comforting. This one’s fried cheese. Grilled octopus. Overnight parking ¥500 — card inserted. OK 500 yen for a whole night — that’s cheap, isn’t it? We walked so much yesterday. Five bucks, 500 yen. That’s unbelievable. This Tanto — Daihatsu Tanto — is really fuel efficient. Now we’re returning the car. Returning the car is simple, they just— check how many kilometers you drove and whether the tank is full. They didn’t even look at the scratches on the exterior. As long as it’s not too obvious, they don’t care. So now we’ll… grab some breakfast, then head to… Zenkō-ji Temple. This is a local specialty. Shinshū soba noodles. This is the traditional flavor. Cold version. And this one is the hot soup version. Japanese temples belong to different sects, but this one— because it enshrines the first Buddha statue that came to Japan, it’s considered kind of like a founding temple. So this temple doesn’t belong to any sect. There are four main structures inside. The first is the mountain gate behind me. Of course, there’s also the main hall. Then a memorial tower. And a sutra repository. Inside the main hall, they enshrine a Buddha statue that came to Japan via Korea from India. So if you see a Buddha statue in Japan with two bodhisattvas beside it, that kind of design is based on the earliest Buddha statue ever brought to Japan. So… that’s it for Zenkō-ji. Now let’s find something to eat. Ha, we’re back again — Meijitei. Their famous “Sauce Katsu-don.” This time, we’re ordering a proper set with rice. It looks like red miso, but it’s not — it’s just a normal tonkatsu sauce. Their signature dish is all about this sauce. This set costs ¥1910 — it comes with shrimp and a lean pork cutlet. And this one… is ¥1690. After this meal, we’ll head back to Tokyo. To Ueno. About a two-hour drive. Ueno Station. Ah, crap. There’s one just downstairs from the hotel. Yakiniku Horumon— a place that serves grilled offal. Kinda want to try it, if there’s a chance. Here’s our room for tonight. A small one. The bathroom… Standard. This is the best-value hotel we could find in Ueno. There are tons of food stalls downstairs. Pretty convenient. Let’s drop our luggage quickly— and head out to explore. This area is called Ameya-Yokochō. There are lots of vintage clothing stores here. “America-ya.” I’ve been inside that America-ya store. They’ve got lots of heavy-duty denim jeans. You’ll find a lot of World War II U.S. military-style clothing here. That style’s called “Amekaji.” They used to sell tons of Vietnam- and WWII-era surplus gear. But of course, not anymore. It’s been decades — all sold out. Real vintage pieces are hard to find now. And the store is huge. If you count it as one, there are about five or six connected spaces. All lined up front and back — lots of them. There’s Levi’s here. And… Murasaki Sports. They sell skate gear. So yeah, this area is full of American-style shops. If that’s your kind of vibe, then Ueno— this area is for you. This street is called Okachimachi Gozen-dōri. It’s probably tied to the old U.S. military presence around here. Now, where’s that vintage shop I was looking for? Found it — right here, Hinoya. They all sell vintage-style stuff. Not actual vintage though, mostly reproductions. The real old stock has long been sold out. These are all newly made pieces. But they close at eight — everything shuts down at eight. Along this America-ya street — all the shops. First time here. Came because it’s so famous. This is Tsukiji Market — it’s so lively, long lines everywhere. Too crowded. We walked further in and found a newer market area. Fewer people here, and things are cheaper. It’s November — crab season in Japan. That’s one of the reasons we came this time. So today’s dining goal is clear. This one… this one. “¥6480 crab.” Turns out there’s seating inside — that’s great! This one has been steamed and heated — the aroma when opened is amazing, really fragrant. A whole piece of meat. Mmm… So sweet. Really sweet! Ooh! Very, very sweet. Delicious. Wow… After enjoying a feast of juicy, sweet snow crab, we arrived at Meiji Jingu Gaien. We were originally looking for a shop, but after exiting the subway, we saw everyone walking in the same direction. Out of curiosity, we followed them. Then we discovered such a stunning scene in Tokyo. This is truly a magnificent ginkgo avenue. We happened to come right when all the trees turned golden. It was the afternoon, and the sunlight was golden too. Many nearby office workers came after work to take photos and go on dates. Even major TV stations showed up. So today must be the most beautiful moment. I just happened to catch it — pretty lucky, I’d say. Today is November 25th. So if you come to Tokyo around this time of year, be sure to visit here and soak in the breathtaking colors of autumn. Can’t wait. This place serves offal — “horumon” means internal organs. Founded in Showa year 52, which is 1977… Alright, let’s go in. Yesterday, actually… We had to choose between monjayaki and this horumon place. In the end, we picked monjayaki. Brain must’ve gone blank. Let’s see what monjayaki is all about. Just now she chopped up everything into small bits. Now it looks kind of like vomit. Like when you drink too much… and throw up. Looks exactly like vomit. Let’s take a closer look — doesn’t it really look like it? Why does it taste good though? Let’s find out. As for last night’s monjayaki… no need to waste more time talking about it. Let’s just move on and focus on tonight’s barbecue instead. This is beef intestine — fatty beef tripe. Short rib. Beef tongue. Beef intestine again. Lean beef steak. A bit undercooked — needs a little more grilling. Perfect now. Tastes great with shiitake mushrooms. Beef with mushrooms. Hey, Sumima first. Changee. Fatty beef. Just right. This is beef liver. Liver. The liver’s pretty good. I wonder if you’ve seen the movie called… Yakiniku Dragon (焼肉ドラゴン). It tells the story of Koreans who stayed in Japan after World War II. Back then, some chose to return to North or South Korea, while others stayed in Japan. They were very poor — the main character was a small barbecue restaurant owner. The story revolves around his family. It’s a very touching and artistic film that left a deep impression on me. That’s when I realized Japanese yakiniku culture actually came from Korea. Tomorrow we have to wake up early to go to Mount Fuji. Hope the weather’s good tomorrow too. Put on gloves. Wear the helmet. Let’s go. Mount Fuji didn’t cooperate this time — see you next episode!
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深秋的日本，紅葉正盛，這是一趟以秋天的盛會為主題的旅行，以煙花開始，再以煙花結束。

A Vlog of my Japan trip in the deep autumn of November, we went Tokyo, Nagano, Chichibu, Yokosuka, Yokohama, Kamakura, we see fireworks, fiery autumn leafs, vintage cars and motorcycles. V8 engines roaring, fireworks blazing, a trip full of memory!