Osaka & Kyoto
From Tokyo, we took a domestic flight to southern part of Japan
Osaka
2nd largest city after Tokyo
Took us about 1.5hours
Before leaving for Osaka, had to return the prepaid card Suica
And got a refund for the balance
We stayed in Morishoji
About 20mins away from the city
I love the place
So close to the station
There's also a supermarket nearby (this was the best part)
Booked from Airbnb
Owner is Kazu
You can search for her
I'd recommend her place
Just a little hiccup
I forgot to check on the elevator availability
Turned out we had to climb up to 4th floor
With 2 big luggages
Imagine the struggle my sis and I had to face
Ok don't imagine
So if you'd be travelling light, her place is a good choice 👍
On the bright side, the owner lent us a portable wifi
Which was very handy
Didn't do much on the first day
Giving mum and ourselves a break
After struggling with the luggages lulz
Next day, our first destination was Osaka Castle
We stopped at Osakajokoen Station
Before walking to Osaka Castle, we found a perfect spot for breakfast picnic
Took us about 1.5hours
Before leaving for Osaka, had to return the prepaid card Suica
And got a refund for the balance
We stayed in Morishoji
About 20mins away from the city
I love the place
So close to the station
There's also a supermarket nearby (this was the best part)
Booked from Airbnb
Owner is Kazu
You can search for her
I'd recommend her place
Just a little hiccup
I forgot to check on the elevator availability
Turned out we had to climb up to 4th floor
With 2 big luggages
Imagine the struggle my sis and I had to face
Ok don't imagine
So if you'd be travelling light, her place is a good choice 👍
On the bright side, the owner lent us a portable wifi
Which was very handy
Didn't do much on the first day
Giving mum and ourselves a break
After struggling with the luggages lulz
Next day, our first destination was Osaka Castle
We stopped at Osakajokoen Station
Before walking to Osaka Castle, we found a perfect spot for breakfast picnic
Underneath pokok Sakura I'll be there for you
Continued walking towards the Osaka Castle
Beautiful ambiance
Osaka was less hectic than Tokyo
Continued walking to Kitahama Station
And took the subway to Nipponbashi
It's the land of anime, manga, robots
It wasn't part of the initial plan
But my aunty asked to buy a robot for my nephew
While looking for the place to buy the robot, we coincidentally found a market
Beautiful ambiance
Osaka was less hectic than Tokyo
Osaka Castle
Aren't they beautiful? 😍
Sorta tryin to imitate her pose but oh well didn't work for an accountant. Kayu.
Walked towards JR Morinomiya Station and the scenery was just breath taking
Took the subway to Naniwabashi to see the Rose Garden
Unfortunately it wasn't the season yet
Continued walking to Kitahama Station
And took the subway to Nipponbashi
It's the land of anime, manga, robots
It wasn't part of the initial plan
But my aunty asked to buy a robot for my nephew
While looking for the place to buy the robot, we coincidentally found a market
Kuromon Market
Rare sight. White strawberries. Sour I heard
Mini apples
Warabi mochi. This was our favourite. Recommended !
Kuromon's an interesting market
Also bought souvenirs here
Headed for our next mission
Which was to buy my nephew's robot
Found this shop here
Duty free, lots of variety and English speaking owner
It was perfect
Completed another mission ✅
We then walked to Dotonbori
Which was just a walking distance from Nipponbashi
If you're looking for cosmetics made in Japan, Dotonbori is the best place to go
A heaven for cosmetics
Psst orang cakap SKII murah dekat Japan
Taklah murahh sangat 🙈
There were alot of street food
But mum wanted something heavy
So I tried and googled up
Found this Malaysian cafe in Dotonbori
Kenny Asia
The owner was very honest
He told us that he used instant paste from Malaysia
Sebab susah nak dapat barang mentah dekat Japan
So that put our expectation appropriately
Food was not bad 😉
Teh tarik made by the owner's wife, Junko (besarrr name tag dia)
She is a Japanese
His husband is a Penang Malaysian who has been living in Japan for many years
Next day we went to Kyoto
Just a day trip up north
Kyoto is about an hour by normal train from Osaka
To get a different experience, we took the Shinkansen
Which is the Japanese bullet train
From Osaka to Kyoto, traveling time was cut short to 15 minutes
Price wise, extremely expensive
Osaka-Kyoto, cost us about RM100+ per person
One way !
But for experience, why not invest
The ride was veryyyy smooth
Not like usual train
Comfy and clean seats
Sedar2, dah sampaiii Kyoto station
I can't recall which train we took to reach Arashiyama
Arashiyama is at the outskirt of Kyoto
About half an hour away
I loveeeeee Arashiyama
It is sooooooo clean, serene and scenic
Loveee the architecture
Didn't know Arashiyama was this beautiful
Wished I could stay overnight
Then we went to Keage Incline
About 30 minutes away from Arashiyama
It's an old railway track
One of the famous spots for cherry blossoms viewing
It was raining and crowded
Nevertheless, Sakura trees were fully blooomed 😍
Back to Kyoto
We took normal train back to Osaka
Takapa la 1 hour journey pun
Dah rasa naik Shinkansen sekali cukup dah 😝
Final day in Osaka
Walked around Sekime station
1 stop away from our place
And found pretty blouse for mum
Initially I planned of going for strawberry picking
But to go to the farm is a bit inconvenient
So we cancelled the plan
Instead we went back to Kuromon Market and Nipponbashi
There were many things to look for
Main attraction for us was the food
Heeee~
The queue was very long to buy this one here
Bread was quite hard but crispy
Overrated 🙊
It was quite hard to look for a place to sit
So we ended up eating while standing
Not a norm among Japanese
Considered rude to be eating while standing
But a norm around the tourists
Since Nipponbashi was full with tourists
Kalau nak tengok Japan yang less clean, this is the place
Sebab tourists yang menyepahkan
Ish ish
Walked further, we found a textile store
You could find Japanese cotton here
Price wise, reasonable
Love their designs
Hard to communicate but we did it
Japanese are very very helpful
So you can survive even you don't know Japanese and they don't speak English
Hahahh
Key point of surviving :
Never bother speaking Japanese in full sentences
Just mention key words, for example : Sumimasen (excuse me), Nipponbashi..? While showing towards whichever direction or platform number
And of course, don't forget your Arigatogozaimasu (thank you)
We then walked further to Namba
Many malls around here
We went in
What I can describe, these are elegant stores
With branded goods
If I can compare to Malaysia, hmm, Takashimaya is like our Pavilion
What?
Pavilion is the most expensive mall I've been to in Malaysia 😂
The next day we returned the prepaid card ICOCA
And that marked the end of our journey in Osaka
Oh if you're looking for Tokyo Banana
Normally given away as souvenirs
As the name goes, you could find Tokyo Banana easily in Tokyo
But in Osaka, you could only find it at the Kansai Airport
We bought some at the airport
Everyone was like grabbing from the shelves
And poof gone
There were 2 or 3 stores selling Tokyo Banana at the airport
Hot stuffs I reckon
That's the end of our journey in Japan
Went back with a heavy heart
Japan is a really beautiful country
Before I came to Japan, I always heard people saying
It's hard to find garbage bin in Japan
It's true
Japan is a really clean country
It has a safe and secured environment
We could leave our luggages unattended
Japanese have been educated really well
From the basic manner, to high tech knowledge
A great nation that rise strongly after the World War II
If you were to ask me, would I come to Japan again?
I would say, I do 😍
Q
Which was just a walking distance from Nipponbashi
If you're looking for cosmetics made in Japan, Dotonbori is the best place to go
A heaven for cosmetics
Psst orang cakap SKII murah dekat Japan
Taklah murahh sangat 🙈
There were alot of street food
But mum wanted something heavy
So I tried and googled up
Found this Malaysian cafe in Dotonbori
Kenny Asia
The owner was very honest
He told us that he used instant paste from Malaysia
Sebab susah nak dapat barang mentah dekat Japan
So that put our expectation appropriately
Food was not bad 😉
Teh tarik made by the owner's wife, Junko (besarrr name tag dia)
She is a Japanese
His husband is a Penang Malaysian who has been living in Japan for many years
Next day we went to Kyoto
Just a day trip up north
Kyoto is about an hour by normal train from Osaka
To get a different experience, we took the Shinkansen
Which is the Japanese bullet train
From Osaka to Kyoto, traveling time was cut short to 15 minutes
Price wise, extremely expensive
Osaka-Kyoto, cost us about RM100+ per person
One way !
But for experience, why not invest
The ride was veryyyy smooth
Not like usual train
Comfy and clean seats
Sedar2, dah sampaiii Kyoto station
I can't recall which train we took to reach Arashiyama
Arashiyama is at the outskirt of Kyoto
About half an hour away
I loveeeeee Arashiyama
It is sooooooo clean, serene and scenic
Loveee the architecture
Bamboo Forest
Matcha icecream. Too bitter.
Kimono Forest of Arashiyama
Didn't know Arashiyama was this beautiful
Wished I could stay overnight
Then we went to Keage Incline
About 30 minutes away from Arashiyama
It's an old railway track
One of the famous spots for cherry blossoms viewing
It was raining and crowded
Nevertheless, Sakura trees were fully blooomed 😍
Back to Kyoto
We took normal train back to Osaka
Takapa la 1 hour journey pun
Dah rasa naik Shinkansen sekali cukup dah 😝
Final day in Osaka
Walked around Sekime station
1 stop away from our place
And found pretty blouse for mum
Initially I planned of going for strawberry picking
But to go to the farm is a bit inconvenient
So we cancelled the plan
Instead we went back to Kuromon Market and Nipponbashi
There were many things to look for
Main attraction for us was the food
Heeee~
Melon bread with ice cream
The queue was very long to buy this one here
Bread was quite hard but crispy
Overrated 🙊
It was quite hard to look for a place to sit
So we ended up eating while standing
Not a norm among Japanese
Considered rude to be eating while standing
But a norm around the tourists
Since Nipponbashi was full with tourists
Kalau nak tengok Japan yang less clean, this is the place
Sebab tourists yang menyepahkan
Ish ish
Walked further, we found a textile store
You could find Japanese cotton here
Price wise, reasonable
Love their designs
Hard to communicate but we did it
Japanese are very very helpful
So you can survive even you don't know Japanese and they don't speak English
Hahahh
Key point of surviving :
Never bother speaking Japanese in full sentences
Just mention key words, for example : Sumimasen (excuse me), Nipponbashi..? While showing towards whichever direction or platform number
And of course, don't forget your Arigatogozaimasu (thank you)
Many malls around here
We went in
What I can describe, these are elegant stores
With branded goods
If I can compare to Malaysia, hmm, Takashimaya is like our Pavilion
What?
Pavilion is the most expensive mall I've been to in Malaysia 😂
Can't get enough of this
Again we found Warabi Mochi
We love the one on the left
Covered with soybean powder
Right one was covered with matcha
Only one way of describing their matcha food : bitter
I tried matcha warabi mochi and matcha ice cream
Enough to give me nightmare
No more matcha please
Way different than matcha we have in Malaysia
Because we usually mix matcha with sugar
But in Japan, they like it natural
The next day we returned the prepaid card ICOCA
And that marked the end of our journey in Osaka
Oh if you're looking for Tokyo Banana
Normally given away as souvenirs
As the name goes, you could find Tokyo Banana easily in Tokyo
But in Osaka, you could only find it at the Kansai Airport
We bought some at the airport
Everyone was like grabbing from the shelves
And poof gone
There were 2 or 3 stores selling Tokyo Banana at the airport
Hot stuffs I reckon
That's the end of our journey in Japan
Went back with a heavy heart
Japan is a really beautiful country
Before I came to Japan, I always heard people saying
It's hard to find garbage bin in Japan
It's true
Japan is a really clean country
It has a safe and secured environment
We could leave our luggages unattended
Japanese have been educated really well
From the basic manner, to high tech knowledge
A great nation that rise strongly after the World War II
If you were to ask me, would I come to Japan again?
I would say, I do 😍
Q
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