Japan in Pictures: Day 6 (Saturday, 1 February 2014)

 

Since our flight back to KL was much later in the evening, we decided to extend our stay by half a day at Hotel Monterey La Soeur, Osaka. I must say that my entire stay at this particular hotel has been very pleasurable. The staff were helpful and extremely accommodating, even before we had arrived. Its locality in Shiromi Chuo-Ku is just perfect: accessible yet not too crowded.



Hotel Monterey La Soeur Osaka

It pays to print out and keep a copy of the address (in both English and Japanese characters) in our wallet. Whenever we wanted to get back to the hotel, all we had to do was to flash that address card. I had even forced my parents to carry a copy each in case we get separated and/or lost while roaming the streets of Osaka.

 

There was just one place left for us to visit before we leave this beautiful city. Although the Osaka Castle Park looked pretty close from the hotel on the map, we decided to take a cab because my parents were not too keen on overexerting themselves just before the flight home. It was a good choice, too, as we discovered that the castle ground was much more spacious than we had imagined.
 

There is just something romantic about castles that are surrounded by a moat.

The long walk leading to the entrance

 

 



Oh, my incurable obsession with trees!

 

 

Thank God it was a bright and sunny day!

 

It was a Saturday morning, so it was not surprising to see a crowd at the park. Some were just walking about, while others were jogging and training for marathons. Then there were also children who were attending their weekly martial arts lessons.



The common hall where martial arts lessons are held



Timetable



Young children beating each other up ... in style

 

The Osaka Castle is much more modern compared to Nijo castle. For one, there are many items on display in the castle. The history of the city and the building of the castle is told through moving 3D screens.

 

Imagine how beautiful it will look when the cherry blossoms are in full bloom

 

Looking really majestic

Moving 3D screens that tell the story of the city and its castle

Another interesting attraction at the castle is the observatory deck where one can have a 360 degree view of Osaka city. The bird's-eye view shows how structured the development of the city is.

Part of the view from the observatory deck

 

 

As I was walking within the castle grounds, I came across a very interesting sight: a janitor dressed in a traditional costume. My first reaction was, "Why would they need a janitor at all?" You see, the people living in Osaka are very civic-minded. Nobody dares to throw even a single sweet wrapper on the ground. I have heard that they would usually carry their garbage with them in their pockets or bags so as to discard it at home. But I guess that is how they have managed to keep that place spotlessly clean. There are tourists, after all and sad to say, not all of us are responsible tourists. The beauty of this city is that janitors and garbage collectors are never looked down by the people. This is a stark contrast to Malaysia, where such jobs are regarded as inferior and less respectful. It is a mind set that we should not be proud of.

A royal janitor 

After walking around for a while, we decided to make our way back to the hotel. We panicked a little when we learned that there was no taxi to the airport from the hotel because it was a weekend and we had not booked earlier. In a way, it was a blessing in disguise. We were forced to make use of our JR pass for the very last time.

 

 

We dragged our baggage to the train station (which was within walking distance from our hotel) and had to switch trains at one of the stations. Then it was a straight journey to the airport terminal. I say it was a blessing because my dad was starting to have problems getting in and out of taxis. The train was a much friendlier form of transportation for his bad knees. The seats were more comfortable and we did not have to worry about luggage space in the taxi boot. Furthermore, we did not have to pay any extra cost as the JR pass already covers the distance to the airport.

 

Though it was long journey, it was our last opportunity for sightseeing in a city I have grown to love. The gradually setting sun cast an orange tinge to the blurry images moving past me. I was looking forward to go home, but a part of me had also wanted to stay. It was a good break and I would love to come back again someday. One day. Maybe when the cherry blossoms are blooming.

Sayonara, for now! Ja mata ne! See you again!

Japan in Pictures: Day 5 (Friday, 31st January 2014)

A good organization/company would surely have very clear job specifications for each position that exists. Likewise, it is important to outline the tasks each individual has to undertake when travelling as a group in a non-guided tour.

My family does not enjoy travelling with commercial tour groups for various reasons:
a) such tours are usually more costly
b) we rarely get to go to places which we want
c) we always end up rushing from one place to another

But I think most of all, our family loves the liberty of deciding where to go and when. If we were to wake up one morning and decide not to move our lazy butts anywhere at all, we can always choose to stay in the hotel (though it rarely happens because being the typical calculative Chinese we are, one of us would eventually remind the others how much we have already paid for the trip and how far we had to travel).

As with many other trips we have taken, my brother is the unofficial tour guide. He gathers information from his fellow travel-loving friends and starts planning the itinerary before we leave from home. This time round, because I was also away from work, I managed to lend a helping hand to this task. He booked the hotel, purchased the train tickets, printed out maps and guidebooks, and even made us watch travel clips on YouTube.

My tasks, on the other hand, were to learn as many Japanese words/phrases I could and to be the unofficial banker. No, I was not the rich one but I was probably faster at recognizing the denominations. My KPI (Key Performance Index) items were:
a) to use up all the small change so that whatever large notes that remained would be accepted by the money-changer later on
b) to communicate with the locals (be it to ask for directions or to place orders for food).

What about my parents? After working so hard to raise both us up, I think they jolly well deserve to sit back and wait while my brother and I look for elevators, toilets, restaurants, trains, and the easiest routes for them to get from one point to another. =)

 Anyhow, it was with such cooperation that we were able to get back to Kyoto on Day 5.

On one of my brother's armchair-travel adventures, he stumbled across a place called Hozukyo. With the JR train pass we had purchased earlier, we decided to make a stop at the Hozukyo station. Personally, I would call it the Platform 9 3/4 of Japan. It was literally in the middle of nowhere. The station was outdoor and there was practically nothing except railway tracks, but the view from just outside the station was spectacular, similar to the scenes which welcomed us in New Zealand many years back.

The isolated and deserted Hozukyo station



The surrounding was very quiet and amazingly serene



Who would've guessed such beautiful turquoise water awaits us at Hozukyo? 

 

 

Our next stop proved to be one of my favourite spots in Japan: Arashiyama. Saga Arashiyama, as it is  known, is on the other side of Hozukyo station. Head over to this place should you need to get some inspiration. The short walk from the train station to the bamboo grove allows tourists to have a peek into the typical Japanese homes. The houses were very neat and their gardens were very well-maintained.

 



If you think life is complicated, look at this tree. I think the branches are much more complicated than my life. 

The houses are neatly built.

Even the back lanes are extremely neat.

 

If you have ever been to the bamboo groves in Arashiyama, I am pretty sure that you would want to return and experience the beauty of the surroundings at different times of the year. Unfortunately, the pictures were not able to capture the true beauty, so you will probably wonder what is so grand about the place. All I can say is this, "You've just gotta be there to experience it on your own." When the wind blows, the tall bamboo groves hit against each other and transform into a natural wind chime.

 

It will be really nice to see how these groves look like in other seasons.

 

 

 

Since Friday, 31st January 2015 was the first day of Chinese New Year, we decided to have our belated reunion lunch by splurging at a slightly more expensive restaurant. Coincidentally, we walked into a Chinese restaurant. As much as we enjoyed trying all sorts of Japanese food, I guess we must have started to miss Chinese cooking, after all.

 

Delicious meals from Kyoto Station

 

Before heading back to Osaka, we decided to take another detour to the most iconic spot in Inari. You may have seen lots of photos of this place. We were initially quite reluctant to go because we were rather tired after setting out so early. After all, we had seen enough temples and shrines, haven't we? Yet, it would have been such a waste if we had travelled this far and not made a trip there. Who knows if we would ever come by this way again?

 

So once more, we took the JR Nara line to Inari and got off right in front of Fushimi Inari. Though we had to walk a little further in before we could catch a glimpse of the thousands of red pillars, it was worth the short hike. We decided not to go too far because our exhausted parents were waiting for us at the entrance. It was a good thing we did not venture farther, too, for it apparently takes 2-3 hours to reach the summit of the mount and back.

 

The train station was right in front of the Fushimi Inari Shrine.

The entrance to the shrine

I am guessing that this is one of the guardians of the shrine. There is another similar sculpture on the other side.

Somehow, the scene looks more realistic and photogenic with kimono-clad girls.

 

 

Sure, there were a few other places in Kyoto which we had wanted to go but time did not permit. For instance, I wanted to make another trip to the tiny souvenir shops along the way to Kiyomuzu Dera, and my brother wanted to have a taste of Gion Street. After reading Memoirs of a Geisha, I would also want to see if today's geisha really looked like this ...

 

 

 

That night, we finally got to taste takoyaki (grilled octopus balls) from one of the roadside stalls. Every tour guide recommended this dish, so we bought some for ourselves. In case you are wondering how it looks like, here goes:

 

Takoyaki (grilled octopus balls)

 

That was the end of Day 5. It was also our very last night in Osaka, Japan. Unknowingly, we had gradually become very attached to and familiar with our surroundings and would miss this place terribly when we take the flight home the next day. 

Japan in Pictures: Day 4 (Thursday, 30th January 2014)

These next few blog posts may come much later than expected but I thought it is perhaps best to finish what one has started, even if it be more than one and a half-years late. Day 4 of our Osaka trip was serene yet educational.

 

After a severe case of over-walking in Kyoto the previous day, we decided to finally check out the places nearby the hotel. It was then that we discovered Daiei, the most unassuming spot which eventually became one of our favourite hangouts for the remaining days.

 

A supermarket that sells practically everything you need

 

My family has never been a great fan of shopping. Nonetheless, all of us have a habit of making at least a compulsory trip to the supermarket or any convenience store whenever we arrived at a new destination. One can certainly learn so much more about the daily culture of the locals just by looking at the items on display in the supermarkets.

True enough, we were not let down by this supermarket. One can easily spend a few hours here. Although I could not understand the Japanese words printed on the labels, it was nonetheless a thrilling experience to see the range of products available at this store.

 

 

You can find almost any kinda sauce, mix, ingredient etc. here.

 

There are all sorts of alcoholic drinks on the shelves.

 

Unlike the kind of meat we have in our supermarkets back home, the meats here are fresh



The selection of eggs alone seem 'eggs'traordinary.

 



 

Rows of grilled and fried food to remind us of our "pasar malam" at home.

 



Given a choice, we would have probably purchased every single thing we could not find in Malaysia. But then again, the exchange rate was against us and we had to weigh and convert the price of each item before deciding to get it. In the end, these were some of the stuff we bought:

 

Our purchase included fruits (oranges, bananas, strawberries, apples), vegetables (shredded cabbage), mayonnaise, vegetable chips, sake, and sweets.

 

How could anyone refuse these delicious-looking strawberries?

 

There were restaurants and other shop outlets besides the supermarket. In fact, we had a very good and affordable lunch at this restaurant.  





 

 

 

After 3 days and many meals, we have learned to allow the sight of plastic food to be the determining factor to help us decide whether we should patronize a particular restaurant. We saw this in front of the restaurant and decided to go in to see if the actual thing was close to the food on display.

 

The plastic food on display versus the real thing ... quite close, actually

 

We went back to the hotel and decided to take a tour to other floors. To our surprise, there was a church within the building! We did not know if the church was active but we guessed it must be a spot where people took lotsa wedding pictures. After all, it looked very impressive. The skylight shining through the transparent roof made for its serene ambiance.

Now, doesn't this look really grand? I wouldn't mind taking my wedding photo here ... if I had a groom, that is. =)

We were rewarded with this scene of the city from the other side of the church.

That night, we planned to make a trip to Dotonbori, one of the main tourist attractions in Osaka. I have never been to Las Vegas, but from what I hear, the lights in Dotonbori will certainly remind tourists of the night scene in Las Vegas. Why don't you look at the pictures below and judge for yourself?

 

 



To be honest, there was a great variety of food along the streets but due to our indecisiveness, the outlets started closing one by one. In the end, we settled for another Japanese fastfood outlet (which apparently has its branch in Malaysia, as well). => Yoshinoya.

 

 

Some of the meals we ordered. It's been so long that I don't even recall what they were called.

Even though Day 4 was not as fast-paced as the day before, we were grateful for a break and a slow trip near the hotel and around town. We went home and had a very good rest before departing to Kyoto again the following day.