Day 24 - Osaka Unlimited 1

the reason why this post is so titled is bcos we activated the Osaka Thru Pass today which allows us to ride lots of subway lines AND gain admission to more than 20 over places of attraction FOR FREE! well technically speaking, we paid to buy the pass so yeah. but without this pass we will have zero incentive to visit any payable attraction so its good in a way. to make our money's worth, we had to chiong attractions and i think we managed a record of 8 attractions on this day!

1. OSAKA CASTLE
i really think the green and gold trimmings on the facade of the main castle building is super pretty. but of course it has been restored and made modern over the years. we each got an audio guide which allows u to listen to english commentary at the different exhibits.

Day 23 - Kyoto & Arashiyama

today we activate our subway pass so we'll get to travel quite far out. the intention was to cover Kyoto, Arashiyama and Uji if the weather doesnt turn bad. it was bright and sunny when we reached Arashiyama. crossed some old bridge and started our walk to the Bamboo Forest. reached Tenryuji, where we were last year and decided to get an ice cream cone cos the weather was really super duper hot. 4 different soft cream flatours - mango, soba, green tea and vanilla. totally yummy. after having a first mouthful, i immediately asked tobs to buy another one.

there were many small bugs at Bamboo Forest so we didnt spend too long in there. plus it was hot. would have been infinitely better in autumn i guess. took a bus (free with the pass!) to the nearby subway station and boarded a one-carriage train to (FILL IN NAME OF THE PLACE). enroute to see a (free) temple, i saw a shop selling tofu cheesecake so of course i had to try it. but alas, it was not very good.

Tenmangu Shrine enshrines a Heian scholar who is also regarded as the Deity of Learning. so we saw lots of high school kids praying for good grades at the shrine. did we pray? erm, no? but it was fun watching the procedure for praying.

at Kyoto station, i wanted food. but not real food so i settled for a strawberry tart. that shop had a particular signage tt says the tart maker has trained under famous patisserie for 5 years, ensuring the quality of the sweets made. the tart was indeed quite nice i must say. 378Y.

travelled down to Uji in the hope of having our 350Y cone. so we walked all the way to the shop but IT WAS CLOSED. all our hopes were dashed. lucky we had the soft cream cone at Arashimaya earlier else it would have been really very sad indeed. tobs was hopeful tt perhaps the Honten will have it so we navigated until we reached the main shop but alas they do not serve soft cream cones. boo. wasted trip.

went down to Shinsaibashi for dinner and ended up at Kamukura - where we had our first bowl of ramen when we first went to Japan 2 years ago. that place brings back fond memories. but business aint as good now. after we ate, we could tell why - standard has indeed dropped. but i liked the chives offered as a side. they were quite nice. finished up with desserts at My Dear's restaurant.

Day 22 - Osaka

walked to the nearby Juso station to take the Hankyu line. if tobs makes me walk to the "nearest" JR station again i will slaughter him. the "nearest" one was like 45 mins walk away or sth. almost died walking there the day before.

was supposed to go to the Osaka tourist info centre to buy our one-day passes and ask questions. but when we got to the station, there were *drumroll 26 EXITS. but we eventually found our way around though we did get sidetracked bcos of a wonderful banana aroma. it was so strong and enticing i knew i HAD TO eat whatever that thing was. so i got tobs to ask abt it. and we went into the nearby bakery to ask what product it was tt was giving off tt heavenly aroma (so tt we can buy and consume it immediately).

the salesgirl looked abit sheepish and apologetic when she answered us. well. it turned out tt the smell came frm the nxt door belgium waffle shop. it was very embarrassing but we genuinely thought it was the product of the bakery okay! so we went to the belgium waffle shop and indeed the banana waffles were heavenly. i totally regret not eating more more more. sigh.

travelled down to Shinsaibashi and wanted to find a good place for lunch. the helpful station master approached us and recommended okonomiyaki stores to us. apparently Fugetsu is not looked upon too kindly. i guess it has been commercialised. i was very attracted to this particular shop tt does okono in the style of cartoon characters so off we went!

it was quite a beat up old shop. looked like it was passed down for several generations? the shop front was not very noticeable. and the kitchen is right at the front, seating's at the back. so it was all quite weird. but the premium modanyaki with all the meat fillings was only 1100Y!! i also got their home-brewed plum sake. which kicked arse i tell u. super good.

the guy who served us looked abt our age. he could speak abit of english and was extremely friendly. when we almost wanted to order a 2nd serving he actually tried to tell us 1 would be quite sufficient. other ppl would be more than glad to serve u the 2nd one cos its extra revenue for them man. nice guy.

then it was shopping along Shinsaibashi. went to this sweets shop and ate really nice and fluffy buns with custard filling. immediately bought lots to stock up in the hotel fridge. afterall, we'd be staying for 6 nights! went to uniqlo to look around too before going back to Juso for dinner.

every night we'd get 1000Y worth of dinner voucher to spend at My Dear's restaurant. how wonderful is that!! we ordered a hamburg steak set and a pork chop set which usually would cost 1000Y EACH but we only had to pay 1000Y. wonderful! thanks to tobs and God we get all these fantastic deals! and we also packed a cup dessert frm Konigs - it was heavenly. i wished we could eat one EACH!

Day 21 - Wakayama & Rinku

decided to head down to Wakayama over Beppu cos i thought the ramen would be more worth it than seeing hell. turned out to be quite a bad decision but hey at least we now know what Wakayama ramen tastes like.

the tourist information centre directed us to the #1 ramen in Wakayama and when we got there, there was already quite a long queue outside. so of course u think this must be good! but as we queued outside, i smelled a weird pungent odour and wondered where it came frm. when our time came, we stepped into the shop and realised *drumroll the pungent smell came frm in there! very discomforting indeed.

ordered our ramen + egg. the noodles were very springy indeed. but the soup base and the char siew wasnt very much to our liking. it was too pork. i guess tts where the pungent smell came frm. and the pork fat was very very hard to stomach bcos it felt like it hasnt been processed properly. oh well. been there, done that.

nxt stop - Rinku Premium Outlets. it was quite some distance frm the JR station but it was also located near the bayside so the coastal winds were very refreshing. more GAP buys! and after spending what seemed like an eternity at Reebok, we each ended up with a pair of Taikan shoes. and because they were display pieces, they were only like 2500Y each! plus we got like a % discount off tt price cos we bought 2 pairs! but the only regretful thing was i think i either took the wrong size while making the final payment or underestimated my feet's expansion capabilities cos i cant seem to wear them properly now? sads.

this was also the wonderful day we got to check into MY DEAR 2 at Juso!!! this must be the bestest best hotel in the entire trip. most value for money, most comfortable too. we even made a short video showcasing highlights of the room - spacious bed, tv in the bathroom, tsubaki and kose toiletries, toilet bowl seat tt lifts up when u enter, free video on demand, what more can u ask for!

Day 20 - Tokyo

we did a very horrible thing today which only foreigners holding onto JR passes can do. instead of taking the yamanote line to travel frm tokyo to ueno, we took the shinkansen instead. and when we got off, we attracted major stares and exclamations frm the ppl on the platform who weren't expecting anyone to alight at ueno, which is like one shinkansen stop away frm tokyo and which would have cost alot more ex than taking the regular trains.

it started drizzling when we got to ueno. original intention was to visit the Asakusa Shrine cos we have NEVER been there all this while. but it was either we pay for subway or we take a super uber long walk there. so in the end, we still did not go to the shrine. instead, we went to Ueno Park and since it was raining, there wasnt much to see.

Ameyayokocho was also quite miserable in the rain. and when it was time for lunch, we headed down to Ikebukuro (of course) for our favourite BOMB ramen. but the bf needed the toilet and we were in Isetan but he just cldnt seem to find a toilet without queues. poor thing.

long queue at Bomb (whats new). and there was this mega irritating guy who kept talking non-stop until he was going to give me a headache. he'd talk and then laugh his own weird laughter while his "friend" or companion barely responded. sad case. they came to take our orders and this time they allowed us to order 4 bombs!! yeah! in the end i finished my upsized bowl all by myself cos it was just SO GOOD. they shld totally come to Singapore. please?

thereafter we visited several Uniqlo outlets just to find tobs shirt. i very much liked the one the salesman was wearing so we asked him where we can get it. after searching for it unsuccessfully, he apologetically told us it might be sold out but suggested we try other branches. the thing abt these Japanese salesperson, when they report to u tt sth is out of stock/no size/no colour, they will give you tt immensely apologetic and sorry look complete with a frown and bunching of eyebrows which just makes u feel soooo bad for causing them the trouble. but this shld be what good service is abt.

Day 19 - Kamikochi

im probably not very qualified to write this entry cos i dont know the specifics. since im the follower on the trip, details like what bus we took, what time we set off, will never stay in my head for long.

to get up, we had to first take a bus up to a bus terminal halfway up the mountains and then change bus to get to Kamikochi. bus rides are totally not cheap at all. plus all buses tt go up are certified environmentally friendly so they dont damage beautiful mother nature. the scenery enroute was breath-taking but looking down with the realisation of how high and steep we're climbing sometimes makes me sick. but thank God journeys were all safe. Japanese drivers do take pride in their jobs!

we had the option of doing several trails but obviously we could only pick the shortest route cos we didnt have much time to spare. i cant provide u with names cos i think we threw the map away. we started at Kappabashi Bridge but it was basically a route along one of the banks of the river and then going back on the opposite bank.

it was my first time seeing snow-capped mountains. would have been better if it were actually snowing though cos i really want to make snow angels and build snowmen and have snow fights! but tts besides the point. hee. there were random artists sprawled abt on the compounds, sketching and/or painting the scenery. its amazing what the Japanese ppl do for recreation. we also saw groups of middle-aged and above folks trekking and they would greet u "Konichiwa!" when u passed by them.

there was supposed to be a Myou Jinke pond to see along the way but when we got there, admission was chargeable (. . .) so we obviously did not go in. when we were past the halfway mark, we were worried cos at our pace, it didnt seem like we could make it back in time to catch the bus. so we hurried. but i could easily spend a whole day in Kamikochi enjoying the scenery really so it was a tad bit wasted tt we were rushing through instead of taking time to soak in the experience.

but the skies turned dark so it was probably a good idea to hurry back anyway. travelled down to Nagoya to have the famous Unagi Don. each set costs abt S$40 and the bf *almost didnt bear to get one for himself. he wanted to order one set for me and then he'll get food frm the convenience store later. silly boy!

frm where i was sitting i could see the chef preparing the eel. it was damn cool cos he had like 7 long metal sticks poked into the eel and he uses the spaces in between his fingers to get a grip on the sticks to maneuver the eel around on the barbeque. it was quite wolverine-ish. scary.

the set came and there were 3 ways u could eat it - first, with the dried seaweed. or with japanese leek. or with spices and japanese soup stock. i liked the 2nd and 3rd way the best. so glad i finally ate my Unagi Don on the trip!

took the Hikari down to Shin-Yokohama where we were supposed to stay for the night. it was a 1.5hr journey so i helped tobs trim his eyebrow and taught him how to do it on his own. he developed this super weird way which was to use the tweezer to catch hold of the hair first before turning the head in the opposite direction quickly so the hair would be pulled out. quite hilarious watching him do it. and check out the video we took on the train too! miss japan so much!

DAY 18 - Kanazawa, Toyama & Takayama

This was to be the mad rush day. We got off the overnight Sunrise Izumo at Himeji station and promptly boarded the shinkansen bound for Osaka. Then changed to a limited express bound for Kanazawa, our first stop for the day.

Originally we were supposed to spend one night in Kanazawa Dormy Inn, but to fully utilize our JR pass (which will soon expire), we made this a half-day tour. Or rather 3 hour tour. After spending 400 yen (ouch) and dumping our luggage at the station lockers, we set off for the city's main attraction - Kenrokuen.

Bus was 100 yen each (mini ouch) and admission was 300yen each (big ouch! that's 4.50 SGD per head!). This was the first garden that we actually paid admission for after coming to Japan this year. And honestly, 300 yen is quite cheap in contrast with other gardens that charge anywhere between 500~800yen per pax. We aren't that willing to spend on admissions - as Grace puts it, "it's not as if you can EAT the garden!"

But well this one is famous, one of the top three gardens in Japan. And it was huge! And filled with tour groups. Seeing them hurrying along behind the flag-waving whistle-blowing tour guides like ducklings struggling to keep up with mummy ducky made us appreciate the F&E experience all the more. Plenty of nice ponds and little hills, but the sky appeared to be quite bleak that day, ruining the chances of us getting some decent scenic shots. And there was Japan's oldest fountain too. After strolling randomly for a while Grace's stomach was protesting, so we decided to leave the garden.

Enroute to the station we passed by the Kanazawa castle, which was under renovation. I think it's only in Japan that you get to see SOOOOO many castles, nearly every major city has one! And since we've covered most parts of Japan over the last three years, the glistening white walls didn't wow us as much as Himeji castle did when we spotted it two years back. I admire the Japanese government for putting so much effort into conserving their culture and heritage (and charging a hefty admission too afterwards). Hardly anywhere else do you see hundreds of festivals at different prefectures/cities over a year, all with different costumes/decorations/processes.

We spotted a cool water clock in front of the Kanazawa station - it displays timing (up to seconds) with mini fountains!! Then we caught a train to Toyama, our second stop for the day.

Our sole purpose for coming to Toyama was for The Buffet. That's the name of a buffet restaurant chain (how very unoriginal). After trying it last year at its Sappuro branch, we loved it so much that we had to try it again. Little did we know that the standards in Toyama were considerably below that in Sappuro. We took a long time to find the shopping complex it was in, and had to ask for directions twice along the way and walk for a good 20 odd minutes. Price was 1580 per pax, 90 minutes. But the spread was much less that Sappuro's. Alas, we ate our fill, but was overall disappointed with the variety. Will definitely go back to Sappuro one day for The (REAL) Buffet again! :)

Long walk back to the station. We managed to catch the limited express bound for Takayama (one every 3 hours or so, missing it would have been disastrous). Another 3 hours dozing on the train, which was traveling at local train speed for most of the journey (probably because it was in mountain regions). Eventually, we reached Takayama, and found our Superhotel without much difficulty. After a relaxing bath at the hotel's onsens (I chose it particularly for its hot springs...and partially because it's new), we retired to bed early to prepare for tomorrow's ascent to Kamikochi.

Day 17 - Mitsui Outlet Mall

was trying to decide where to go before we leave for Sendai and we finally decided on shopping at Mitsui Outlet Mall Sendai. it was quite a long walk frm the station but the weather was fine so no complaints:)

its the 2nd newest outlet mall to be added to japan i think. but unfortunately we didnt snap alot of good buys. just got a top each. but i especially liked mine - a black turtleneck batwinged top. looks really classy and expensive!

of course before we bid farewell to beloved Sendai, we had to pay Triangle another visit. this time, we each got a upsized mentai soup spaghetti. and i polished it up. every single bit. at the end, it felt like i just had a buffet. but it was SO GOOODDD!

not wanting to repeat the same tragedy last year (not buying enough daifukus), we bought a box of EIGHT. yeah i know it sounds abit too much but u can never get enough of good food okay! we also tried their new product - smaller daifukus with red bean and other types of filling. but on hindsight, i'd rather spend ALL my money on my strawberry daifukus. sigh. but no regrets. this trip i really had my fill of Triangle and Daifuku. of course, more would be greatly appreciated:)

Day 16 - Sendai

it was an okay sleep on Sunrise but i was feeling a little grumpy in the morning. there was some issue at one of the train stations so we got badly delayed and had to drop off at another station instead. ppl should just stop jumping off train tracks. it is a very inconsiderate act!

station was in a mess bcos of morning rush. but we managed to secure seats on the shinkansen and made our way down to Sendai. thank u tobs for fitting it into our itinerary! :) headed straight for Triangle cos we had bars for breakfast and tt was obviously insufficient. i was SO HAPPY to be back, practically beaming with joy. they didnt have the set we had the other time but there was some other set promo. drink + salad + spaghetti.

we were early and the set was only meant for 1130 to 1400 (i think) but we explained to the waitress tt we are loyal customers who came last yr so she made an exception. yeahness! i ordered a wonderfully yummifying cream cheese drink which was so nice i spent the rest of the trip looking (unsucessfully) for it. i love my mentai soup spaghetti. i dont know how ppl can eat the shitty ones at waraku. its a royal waste of calories! i polished up the entire bowl including all the soup, desperately trying to scrape remaining mentai out of the bowl. then it was dessert at La Feng Ye. the strawberry daifuko is still super good. worth every cent of my 189Y.

after dumping our luggage at Superhotel, we went exploring Sendai. nothing much we haven't seen actually cos last yr we took a one day bus pass and rode all around to visit attractions. so this time we just strolled along the streets randomly. i love love love the whole stretch of greens in the middle of the road. Sendai is really a city of trees.

then somehow we ended up at a park and there was a family there. daddy with 2 young children. very nice to see fathers spending time with their children. those japanese fathers who're really committed spend time playing baseball or bring their kids to playgrounds. we played around in the swings and tobs learnt the art of swinging frm master pro swinger (me).

enroute back, we passed by the residence of a famous person and decided to go in to take a look. the keeper wasnt really expecting us and i think we kinda interrupted his peaceful afternoon. but still he showed us around and introduced us to this famous poet and what his life was like.

before returning to the hotel, we went back to Sendai station to sweep desserts. bought a really wonderful mango tart. and of course more more daifuku! i think tt was our dinner really. then it was a good soak in the onsen (this superhotel has one) before retiring to bed.

(errata)
obviously i was mistaken wrt to dinner. tobs reminded me tt we went to Santouka for ramen and it was heavenly. how can i forget! but i forgot to bring my camera along so when there're no pictures, it just doesnt register. i rmb we both got shio and the egg was the bestest best egg we've ever had on the entire trip. and i dare say EVER in our 3 trips. it was even better than Ichiran's even though theirs run out super fast too.

we're both very alike in tt we enjoy thick Tonkatsu broth, Kyushu style, with the exception of Santouka cos Shio has quite a different feel to it. but its still one of our first loves. think: 1st trip in Sapporo where we braved the light rain and cold winds to find Santouka. too bad the honten has been renovated so it looks super modern now. ramen love!