Basically, this is sort of a budget self-planned trip that was planned few days ago before I went to Japan :) I think it's pretty easy to plan a trip nowadays due to the massive information that you can find through websites and books. Hence, I spent a mere 3 days to plan for the trip before departing to this wonderful country. Our itinerary is summarized as below:
Day 1- Osaka- Namba (Kuromon Market, Shinsaibashi, Amerika-mura & Dotonbori)
Day 2- Kobe- Kitano Ijikan, Rokkosan, Kobe Port Tower & Harbourland
Day 3- Osaka- Osaka Castle, Aquarium, Tenjin Matsuri)
Day 4- Kyoto- Arashiyama & Gion
Day 5- Nara- Nara Park & Todaiji
Day 6- Kyoto- Kyoto City (cycling trip)
Day 7- Kyoto- Kiyomizudera & Kinkakuji
For the accommodations, we stayed in Osaka Teikoku Hotel for 4 nights which is near to Shinsaibashi. On the 4th day, we travelled to Kyoto and stayed in Khaosan Backpacker Hostel which is near to Gion. These places are very strategic, particularly near to the train station and the prices are reasonable. For the air fares, we bought it few months ago that cost a total of RM700 for 2 ways (LCCT-Kansai Airport). Totally, the accommodations and flights cost approximately RM1500, then I brought another RM1500 for my 1 week expenses in Japan. Trust me, RM1500 is more than enough plus I bought a lot of stuffs like snacks, amulets, branded shoes and facial products, it's still within my budget =D
So, let's see my journey to Japan =D
The journey to Japan took around 6 hours. I woke up at night after sleeping for few hours in the plane and stunned by the beautiful dusk :) I was so excited as I was really looking forward to this trip since this was my first time to Japan!
Met my first bunch of friends LOL upon arrival in Kansai airport, we took Nankai train to Namba. By the time we reached Namba, it was around 12pm. We had problems in locating our hotel since it was located in the small alleys of Shinsaibashi, and the map was not specific enough. In Japan, you can get lost easily since there are too many unknown roads that are not shown on the map lols anyway the Japanese people are very friendly and they will definitely show you the ways if you're lost. The downside is you might need to polish up your Japanese language and learn few useful words :) Back to the topic, they kindly showed us the way to the hotel by Google Map =D
So we spent our night in Osaka Teikoku Hotel. Got some useful pamphlets and booklets from the hotel, and did some research before we kicked off our trip on the next day :D
Had a stroll at the surroundings before heading off to Kuromon Market.
Fell in love with their vending machines. You could see vending machines practically everywhere in Japan from small alleys to big malls LOL they just love vending machines and the best part is no vandalism! Japanese people are so well educated and discipline :)
Of course, this is Japan, you could find erotic advertisements everywhere, the guy's heaven.
For those who can't read Chinese, it's stated penile erection drug. The funniest part is the shop owner looked exactly like the figurine. I wonder how good is the business hahah!
Reached our destination- Kuromon Market, also known as the Osaka Kitchen :) Love to shop at this market, you get to see a lot of fresh products and buy various souvenirs at cheaper prices!
Limited edition peach flavoured Yakult and cherries :)
Cute mochi :)
I love their fruits store too! The scent of fruits is so unresistable! Look at the mini grapes that are unavailable in Malaysia, they're so cute! :))
Seafood. The best part is you can actually buy the fresh seafood and order them to cook it for you :)
Tried the scallops :) very juicy and tasty!
Always wanted to try the raw sea urchin (u-ni). Finally got to try it here! It's very sweet but somehow I don't really like it due to the unknown and unexplainable weird taste besides the sweetness.
Our lunch-okonomiyaki =D the well-known Osaka delicacy! This is not much different from the okonomiyaki that I have tried in Malaysia. Love to have it as snacks but can't really serve as main meal for me lols
The okonomiyaki that were ordered by us were pork noodles and onion beef.
After our lunch, we shopped at Shinsaibashi and had dinner at Dotonbori. I love their drug stores! The make up and facial products are cheaper than Malaysia!! I will post it shortly after this =D
I guess this is too much for a post so I think I need to pen off here, pls stay tune for my second part! I have too much to post about Japan! *still excited now lols*
xoxo,
Su Fang
In Nara, most of the attractions are located surrounding Nara Park. Once you have alighted from the train, you could just walk to the park within minutes, and here you go, all the wild Sika Deers around you! Crackers for the deers (Shika senbei) were sold at the park; however, beware if you are going to feed them as they can be very agitated when they see food! The Sika Deers are believed to be the messengers of god in Shinto religion, so they can be seen roaming freely in Nara.
Another must-visit spot is Todaiji. It is a renowned landmark in Nara, as the world largest wooden building. It also houses a 15m bronze buddha. Interestingly, the support pillar in the temple is considered as "healing pillar". It is believed that if one successfully squeezes through it (which is mostly impossible, unless you're a small kid), he/she is granted a place in heaven.
Todaiji
