Japan: Kyoto Day 2

Hey there!

We visited Kyoto again. If you wanna know where we went on the first day click here. We are truly in love with Kyoto that we think 2 days isn't enough. We have not visited Nara, Ginkaku-ji, Philosopher's Path, Ryoan-ji and many more. We hope to visit again when hubby is not on a working trip and we can spend more days in the city.

The red torii gates of Fushimi Inari is a prominent landmark in Kyoto. It is a must to visit such a beauty.

Japan: Kyoto Day 1

Hey Wanderlusters,

Finally here's my first day trip to my most favourite city in Japan, Kyoto. You can read another day trip to Kyoto here coz we went again. So much to see that one day wasn't enough.  So glad that we made a decision to visit this wonderful down to earth city. It's a huge city hat maintains its traditions. There are lots of places ending with "ji" meaning temple or shrine.

Here's a golden pavillion. It's one of a famous landmark in Kyoto.

Japan: What you can do in Osaka for a day

Hey fellow travelers,

As you know we spent 2 nights in Osaka at Hotel Taiyo at the end of my long long so called business trip. For more info on the places I went in this article and what passes I used, do refer to my Japan guide. You can also read about my whole day spent at Universal Studios on the day before this one.

Welcome to Osaka!

Japan: Evenings in Osaka

Dear loyal readers,

So let's continue from my previous post on Kobe. If you read my past entries on my Japan trip you would know I stayed at Itami temporarily and only went out when my husband comes back from work and during weekends. So in this post, I will share with you some evenings I spent at Osaka. It was a vibrant and lively city full of night activities. For full plan and details, read Where to go in Japan. I listed maps, budget, hotel etc.

Here's an evening scene at Shinsaibashi and Dotonbori as we hunt for dinner.

Japan: An evening in Kobe

Dear readers,

After for so long I realized I did not complete my Japan trip blog. So far I've only shared about My Life in Itami and other topics like where to go, how to ride a train, Universal Studios and food. You can find more topics under Japan tag that might be useful for your future trip.

Anyway, on the second week of my stay in Japan hubby accompanied me to Kobe after work. If you have read the earliest entry in my Japan series I explained why I stayed in Japan for a few weeks but barely have time to go out. Itami is where I stayed temporarily so I don't overnight at the cities I visit except Osaka but my husband and I just travel to and fro on day trips. So glad that Itami is strategically located in the middle of everywhere. I would suggest visitors to spend about 3 days 2 nights at Kobe. You'll love it. Here are some of the photos to guide you through coz I'm lazy to do the typing...

Japan: My life in Itami

Hey there!

Sorry for the very belated update coz i was busy organizing and packing for other trips. Anyway, here's how my life was at Itami during late summer 2013. I stayed in this outskirt area due to hubby's business trip. That's a great thing being a wanderlust wife haha...

Japan: Arrival at Kansai International Airport, Osaka

Ohaiyo!

This entry will be about my experience at Kansai International Airport from arrival to departure. As for flight experience you might wanna check out Japan: Fly with Cathay Pacific or simply click on the Japan label on the right side.

After about 10 hours of traveling including transit hours we finally arrived.

Japan: Fly with Cathay Pacific

Hey peeps!

I have always loved flying. I love the experience and hospitality provided by the airline and crew and the thrill during take off. So here's a little bit about my experience with Cathay Pacific as it was my first time flying with this airline. Our destination was Kansai Airport, Osaka, Japan and the purpose was for business trip. We transited at Hong Kong International Airport then a short layover at Taoyuan International Airport in Taiwan which was not expected. You can read about my Taiwan blog here. News has it that Cathay Pacific no longer operates flights to Penang from March 2014 onwards but will still maintain flights to and from Kuala Lumpur.

My simple ootd at Penang International Airport. Blazer was bought in Taipei, laced blouse from a local mall and skinny jeans from Bukit Kayu Hitam. Call me cheapo but I don't fancy designer stuffs.

Japan: What to buy and eat in Japan?

Hi there! This entry will be picture heavy as I have uploaded most of my food and purchases in Japan. Kansai area (Osaka, Kyoto etc) is famous for street food like okonomiyaki, takoyaki, yakitori and many others. I was on a budget so I did not try luxurious food like kaiseiki, kobe beef, wagyu beef, fugu (pufferfish) and many more.

I also did not enter into any discount store like 100 Yen Shop or Daiso coz it is very common at my homeland however you should coz who knows they have more special things that you can't find in our local Daiso. Hence without further a do here are some of the recommended stuff I have eaten and bought in Japan.

Update: I received alot of inquiries regarding where to buy Kracie Popin' Cookin' in Malaysia. Do scroll down and read more to find out where and the price.

Okonomiyaki
Osaka is the birth place for this cuisine so you definitely wouldn't wanna miss out. Okonomiyaki is a savoury pancake that consists of batter, egg, vege and meat/seafood. It is usually topped with otafuku/okonomiyaki sauce, aonori flakes (seaweed), bonito flakes (smoked tuna), mayonnaise and beni shoga (pickled ginger). Okonomiyaki types tend to differ according to region like in Tokyo is smaller than the ones in Kansai.

Japan: Universal Studios Japan (USJ)

Other than Disneyland I'm sure you have heard of Universal Studios. There are 4 Universal Studios around the world; Florida (USA), Los Angeles (USA), Osaka (Japan) and latest one in Singapore. I have explained a little about the theme park in my overview post. It is very easy to get there just take JR on the Osaka loop line (counterclockwise) and interchange at Nishi-kujo station to Sakurajima line and get down at Universal City station. Normal admission rate is ¥6,980 for the 1 day while the 2-day pass costs ¥10,871. Children and senior citizens have lesser rate so do check out here.

We went during Halloween so you will see Trick or Treat theme everywhere. The Starlight Parade was replaced by zombies which was kinda disappointing for us. Instead of parading or dancing (well they did a dance for only 5 minutes) there were just about 5 - 8 fully costumed zombies chasing everyone.

Train to Universal City is so cute!

As you walk out from the station you will see this. Mostly fast food restaurants and cafes.

Japan: How to ride a train in Japan?

Hello once again. It's been a while since I blogged about my Japan trip. The last post was tough to write because I had to research all over again to get the facts right. Prices and entrance fees might increase from time to time because I noticed there has been an increase of  ¥10 - ¥20 as compared to 2013.

But now I am going to provide a simple guide on how to ride a train in Japan. Unfortunately, I am unable to teach you how to read the signs and name of places. I decided to write this post to help you travelers because I myself faced trouble when getting on a train in Japan. I come from a place where there are no trains or subways so I wasn't familiar and easily get confused. Just look at the lines and dots below to get the idea. It is a map of Japan Rail (JR) for Kansai region.

I have never been to Tokyo so I don't know how their railway system works but hubby told me its almost as complicated as this and has a loop line as well. I am also unable to teach you on how to ride a shinkansen because I have no experience on that but my husband does when he was in Tokyo.

Japan: Where to go in Japan?

Kansai is the southern region of Honshu island in Japan. It includes prefectures of Mie, Nara, Wakayama, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyogo and Shiga which is why the main airport in Osaka is called Kansai International Airport. I will be covering Osaka, Kyoto and Hyogo because I only traveled to these prefectures.

Map of cities I have covered in the region.

I stayed in Japan for merely 3 weeks in September 2013 so I cannot say that I have lived like the locals. You have to stay here for a couple of years to really experience Japan like a local. One word of advise is do not visit Japan in September because the typhoon was horrible. During that time, news about more radiation leakage also caused quite a stir. So why did I stay there for a longer time than most tourists do? It's because I followed my husband on a business trip.

Therefore I won't blog with the usual format like Day1, Day2 and so on but will write on an overview like this post, a guide on riding JR, places I have visited according to cities and of course food and shopping. All budget and costs listed in this blog will be my personal expenses because the company my husband works for only pays for their employees. Also take note that most hotels and hostels in Japan count by head so accommodation was all on me.