Tokyo, 4/7/2010 - 4/10/2010, Part II

Itinerary:

Day 2 (4/9) - Meiji Shrine(明治神宮), Harajuku (原宿), Omotesando(表參道), Roppongi Hills(六 本木), Ginza(銀座)

The Torii gate at Meiji Shrine is the largest in Japan, It is built from 1700 year-old cypress trees from Taiwan.

From Taipei-Tokyo 2010

There are wine kegs displayed at the outer entrance to the Shrine. Wine barrels on the left,

From Taipei-Tokyo 2010

Sake (Japanese rice wine) kegs on the right,

From Taipei-Tokyo 2010

The Shrine is dedicated to Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken. It is a popular place for traditional Japanese wedding ceremony.

From Taipei-Tokyo 2010

A yellow Corvette on the street in Harajuku.

From Taipei-Tokyo 2010

Crepes look delicious. Each piece is about 450yen (~$5).
Ometesando Hills, a collection of high end stores.

From Taipei-Tokyo 2010

We have Donkatsu (Pork cutlet) lunch at Meisen. We came across Meisen by accident during our last trip to Tokyo in 2007. It was so good that later I found out its Donkatsu was ranked number 2 in Tokyo.

From Taipei-Tokyo 2010

Tree lined walkway near Meiji Shrine outer garden, a popular place for scenes from Japanese TV episodes.

From Taipei-Tokyo 2010

Spider sculpture at Roppongi Hills, outside the Roppongi metro station.

From Taipei-Tokyo 2010

You can see the Tokyo Tower from Roppongi Hills.

From Taipei-Tokyo 2010

Wako department store is the one of the most exclusive stores in Ginza, and the building is the landmark of Ginza. The building was built in 1930 and survived the World Wall II.

From Taipei-Tokyo 2010

We had Yakiniku grill buffet for dinner. You order the drinks and food by press the electronic pen on the button next to your selections on the menu. The waiter will deliver them to your table. They do not speak much English and there is no English menu. I am glad I had a few Japanese language lessens before. The drink menu:

From Taipei-Tokyo 2010

and the grill:

From Taipei-Tokyo 2010

Hope you enjoy the pictures as much as we had fun in our trip.

Tokyo, 4/7/2010 - 4/10/2010, Part I

On the way back from Taipei during spring break, we stopped by Tokyo, Japan for 3 days. Because of flight schedule, we actually had only 2 whole days (4/8, and 4/9) for our adventure. In order to fully spent our time, I have done quite a bit of planning and adjusted the plan a couple of times based on suggestions from other blogs and my parents. Many thanks to my sister who made the reservation of a hotel in Shinjuku(新宿) for us from Taiwan. We are very pleased with the location and comfort of the hotel. Late March and early April is Tokyo's cherry blossom season. Depends on the weather, the cherry blossom can come and go within 2 weeks. We were very lucky to have two sunny and cool days to be able to enjoy cherry blossom viewing (Hanami). Here is our schedule for the two days:

Day 1 (4/8) - Asakusa Shrine(浅草 觀音寺), Nakamise Shopping Street (仲見世商店街), Ueno Park(上野公園), Akihabara(秋葉原), Imperior Palace(皇居), Kabukijo,Shinjuku(歌舞伎町,新宿).

Day 2 (4/9) - Meiji Shrine(明治神宮), Harajuku (原宿), Omotesando(表參道), Roppongi Hills(六 本木), Ginza(銀座).

and the Prictures:

First Meal, Soba (buckwheat noodle), at a Restaurant on 14th floor of Takashimaya Department store

From Taipei-Tokyo 2010

Famous Entrance at Asakusa Shrine. As a tourist, you just have to have your pictures taken under the giant lantern.

From Taipei-Tokyo 2010

Nakamise Shopping Street leading to Asakusa Shrine. Spent all the money before the worship and pray for more?

From Taipei-Tokyo 2010

Inside Asakusa Shrine.

From Taipei-Tokyo 2010

Famous Shrimp Tempura at Okuroya Restaruant near Asakusa Shrine. You have to be there before 11:30 am to avoid the lunch crowd.

From Taipei-Tokyo 2010

Cherry Blossom Way at Ueno Park. Another crowd.

From Taipei-Tokyo 2010

Shrine in Ueno Park

From Taipei-Tokyo 2010

Amay market street outside Ueno Park. You can find souvenir a lot cheaper here.

From Taipei-Tokyo 2010

More pics to come...

Fund Rankings Updates, 4/23/2010

Weekly Average Momentum Index (AMI) rankings of HSA, SSPP, nSSPP, SELECT, ETF, iETF, sETF have been posted at http://ycprankings.atspace.com/

US Stocks turned in a strong performance this week. S&P 500 index, DJIA and Nasdaq composite index all closed above their resistance levels. The S&P 500 index closed this week at 1217 up 2.11%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average increased 1.68% , and the Nasdaq composite index gained 1.97% for the week.

In the SELECT ranking table, the transportation sector is still leading the way, while the housing and banking sectors are gaining momentum. In the iETF ranking table, the Mexico is holding the top ranks while Sweden is making the move. Continuing the trend from last week, US stocks outperformed those of the international regions.

Fund Rankings Updates, 4/16/2010

Weekly Average Momentum Index (AMI) rankings of HSA, SSPP, nSSPP, SELECT, ETF, iETF, sETF have been posted at http://ycprankings.atspace.com/

Trading signal occurs in ETF model portfolio: Sell IBB, Buy IJS

Resistance is hard to break. S&P 500 index, DJIA and Nasdaq composite index all broke their resistance levels during the week but quickly retreated. The S&P 500 index closed this week at 1192 down 0.19%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average, the only index above it resistance of 11000 increased 0.19% , and the Nasdaq composite index gained 1.11% for the week.

In the SELECT ranking table, the transportation sector is still leading the way, while in the iETF ranking table, the Mexico and Korea are holding the top ranks. Again, the domestic sectors have higher price momentum than the international regions indicating that the US stock markets have outperformed the international markets in this rally.

Fund Rankings Update, 4/9/2010

Weekly Average Momentum Index (AMI) rankings of HSA, SSPP, nSSPP, SELECT, ETF, iETF, sETF have been posted at http://ycprankings.atspace.com/

Stocks are making effort to break the resistance levels, 1200 for S&P 500 index, 11000 for DJIA and 2500 for Nasdaq composite index. The S&P 500 index closed this week at 1194 up 1.38%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average increased 0.64%, and the Nasdaq composite index gained 2.14% for the week.

I am writing this blog at a hotel in Shinjuku, Japan. We are heading back to US this afternoon. Tokyo during Cherry blossom season is very pretty, and we had a wonderful time here.

Fund Rankings Updates, 4/2/2010

Weekly Average Momentum Index (AMI) rankings of HSA, SSPP, nSSPP, SELECT, ETF, iETF, sETF have been posted at http://ycprankings.atspace.com/

Stocks has been slowly and steadily raking up gains week after week. We like this kind of markets than those high volatile ones. The S&P 500 index closed this week at 1179 up 0.99%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average increased 0.71%, and the Nasdaq composite index gained 0.31% for the week.

Two weeks ago, I mentioned that the international regions have lagged the US domestic sector funds in short term price momentum. This week, some of the international funds came to life and made big gains. South Africa (EZA) and South Korea (EWY) gains 5.3% and 5.9% respectively for the week. We shall see if the trend continues and the international funds will outperform the domestic sectors.