今日は Japan!
8 Oct 2016
The feeling of excitement as Kathleen was teaching me Mandarin was evident. Linzy had just booked our flight (MAS) to Osaka and our lodging at Namba Oriental Hotel was settled soon after. This impromptu was really going to take off, who knew eh?
30 Oct 2016
I was just bursting with exhilaration at this point of time. Our flight to KL for the transit was really bumpy but we met a Singaporean working at Mediacorp heading for his holiday in Tokyo and we had a lovely chat with the chap. We arrived late because of the terrible wet weather and lucky us, our plane to Japan was just next to the plane we landed from! YAY! Linzy tried blowing up her portable pillow that she bought from Muji but her attempt was a really funny one as the air kept escaping. Regardless, it was blown and we were ready for Osaka!
31 Oct 2016
The scenery from the airplane window as the sun was rising. Simply gorgeous. We had to walk to a group of Indonesian ladies who were so kind as to take for us this picture from their window.
Whoever said airplane food was bad, obviously was kidding me. The omelet had Mozzarella and the sausage was yummy! I even had a spicy chicken roll before this meal because I was really hungry!
We arrived in Osaka and the weather was so evidently cooling! We took the express train to Namba where we would be staying. It was convenient and there was also escalators so thank goodness I didn't have to carry my luggage down the staircase:')
My first photo with the Japanese cat. It's HUGE. I am 154cm so from here, HAHAHAH. Yes, I am short.
After dropping off our luggage at the hotel, we had coffee and some light breakfast at Hoshino Coffee (famous for their hand drip coffee) and we made our way to the Kuromon Ichiba Market to get some fresh sushi! I tried tuna belly and fresh octopus for the first time in my whole entire life. The grilled scallop and Tamagoyaki was to die for:3 We walked around Takashimaya that was very close to our hotel and ate loads of snacks from the street! We were so stuffed when we checked in at 2.30pm. Our hotel was awesome and unable to resist temptations, we crashed for two hours before heading out for dinner.
We had seriously yummy and cheap Udon with tempuras (I have no idea how their tempuras were not oily at all) for dinner when we woke up and guess what we found? Pablo cheesetart! Of course we bought 2 pieces followed by more street food!It was Halloween so we soaked in the atmosphere along Dotonbori where people were dressed up in so many different costumes from No Face (spirited away) to baseball players (animes) and even zombies with coca cola can nicely decorating their faces! We even managed to watch a live concert being held as well as some Japanese schoolboys jumping off the bridge as a dare before being brought ashore safely by their friends in rafts.
1 November 2016
We headed to Kuromon Ichiba Market for breakfast which consisted of soft serve ice cream, Tamagoyaki, freshly roasted Japanese sweet potato and believe it or not, GREEN TEA CHEESE! After a fulfilling morning, which we also managed to go into two Daiso, we were off to Umeda! We took a train down and we found.... BAKE CHEESE TART! Honestly, it was just as yummy as Pablo! And we also managed to drop by a Pokemon Centre.
Can I just special mention two shops I was just simply amazed by? Firstly, Uncle Rikuro which sold seriously fluffy cheesecake. This friendly chef held up the cheesecakes that were freshly out of the oven just for me to take a photo:3 Linzy and I thoroughly enjoyed the yummy goodness.
Just before we left Umeda, Linzy had miriculourly used hand signals to buy us a set of transportation tickets to and fro Kobe Shiritsu Rokkosan Pasture for the next day trip. They have tourist packages thus we saved more than $20!
The second shop is Brasserie Paul Bocuse which sold amazing breads, The breads were filled with loads of fillings and was so soft that I will definitely recommend this bakery! Of course we bought a lot more food as we walked around before trying to head to a restaurant which had grilled beef. Unfortunately for us, we lost our way because of my awful directions. I expected Linzy to throw a fit at me but instead, she calmly used my phone's GPRS to navigate us to Shinsaibashi to grab our dinner. At this point, she taught me the value of patience. It was my fault and instead of pointing fingers, she told me that such things happen sometimes and we just have to move on learn from our past mistakes.
We had superb food but what made it memorable was $13 lobster rolls! The lobster rolls were so good that we finished it less than 3mins. We then had some Calbee with chocolate chips (freshly fried and melted) at Calbee+ and dinner which we packed a lot of variety back to our hotel to feast.
After an adventurous day, Linzy decided to dye her hair red with the dye she bought and we stained the sink:'( We had to scrub so hard before the colour started fading away. One miaow of a day!
2nd November 2016
We woke up bright and early, braved the morning crowd of working adults and took three different transportation to get to Mount Maya. As we missed the bus (which is hourly), we decided to hike up the mountain which led to detours along the way which included a temple and a hidden lake. When we arrived at the pasture, I saw my first real free roaming sheep and was the happiest child you could ever imagine. I got a chance to see other farm animals, try a cheese dessert and even got the opportunity to try freshly made ice cream:3
Just before leaving Mt Maya, this was the very scene I managed to capture atop it. The world has so much for me to explore and this should only be the beginning for me.
If you are in a quest to find cheese tarts, this is the very shop I had enjoyed the cheese tart from most. It had just the right amount of everything. Kobe has been a memorable place indeed.
3rd November 2016
We woke up early to travel to the Osaka Museum of Housing and Living. The museum was cozy and with a small fee, I had the chance to don the Kimono put on for me by a Japanese lady. This was the moment where I was just overwhelmed with gratefulness towards Linzy who had been simply so sisterly towards me.
We had sushi soon after (it's an authentic Jap stall) where they had a separate queue as the queue was too long and so as to not block the other shops. We kept buying more sushi as they tasted so super fresh. We roamed around the streets and was just two happy souls being free from a hectic world.
We then took a stroll to reach Osaka Castle. We took some beautiful shots of the magnificent place before heading off to grab some dinner nearby our hotel.
4th November 2016
What a better way to start the day then with freshly made udon with clear soya sauce broth and hot spring egg? It was a refreshing yet simple taste that packed a punch. This day was just filled with free spirited roaming in which we went shopping to fill up our luggage and eating all the other delicious street food we had previously missed out.
I was so lucky to (after trying 6 other Takoyaki shops) chance upon this very one that sold super amazing Takoyaki balls. Crispy on the outside and chewy and warm on the inside.
This was the damage my shopping spree had done. Tax free was a serious saver while I was shopping. I managed to get some basic products like moisturizer from Kose which costed me only around 1/3 of the price I would have to pay if I bought them back home.
On the very last night here, I decided that a warm soak in the bathtub would do me some good. The decision made was one of the best ever. I not only got a chance to reflect upon this trip but I also recall this very moment to be one that I was finally ready to try applying for university for the first time in my whole entire life and the first time the thought of getting a degree crossed my mind since I graduated from polytechnic.
5th November 2016
Last day here and the temperature was at 12 Degrees Celsius. Osaka has been amazing with the first ever travelling friend, Linzy. If anyone had asked me if impromptu trips were my thing in the past, I would call them cray. As I mature, I realize the less planning I make, the more opportunities I grab and the further I allow my mind to wander, the better a person I can expect myself to work towards. I regret nothing even though people have expressed their regret on how I did not visit certain places. Well, I was there to explore and relax, why would I concern myself with stress and cramming a to-do list right? Well, I guess we all have different opinions regarding travelling.
♥With Love, Travel Happy Lovelies:)
The feeling of excitement as Kathleen was teaching me Mandarin was evident. Linzy had just booked our flight (MAS) to Osaka and our lodging at Namba Oriental Hotel was settled soon after. This impromptu was really going to take off, who knew eh?
30 Oct 2016
I was just bursting with exhilaration at this point of time. Our flight to KL for the transit was really bumpy but we met a Singaporean working at Mediacorp heading for his holiday in Tokyo and we had a lovely chat with the chap. We arrived late because of the terrible wet weather and lucky us, our plane to Japan was just next to the plane we landed from! YAY! Linzy tried blowing up her portable pillow that she bought from Muji but her attempt was a really funny one as the air kept escaping. Regardless, it was blown and we were ready for Osaka!
31 Oct 2016
The scenery from the airplane window as the sun was rising. Simply gorgeous. We had to walk to a group of Indonesian ladies who were so kind as to take for us this picture from their window.
Whoever said airplane food was bad, obviously was kidding me. The omelet had Mozzarella and the sausage was yummy! I even had a spicy chicken roll before this meal because I was really hungry!
We arrived in Osaka and the weather was so evidently cooling! We took the express train to Namba where we would be staying. It was convenient and there was also escalators so thank goodness I didn't have to carry my luggage down the staircase:')
My first photo with the Japanese cat. It's HUGE. I am 154cm so from here, HAHAHAH. Yes, I am short.
After dropping off our luggage at the hotel, we had coffee and some light breakfast at Hoshino Coffee (famous for their hand drip coffee) and we made our way to the Kuromon Ichiba Market to get some fresh sushi! I tried tuna belly and fresh octopus for the first time in my whole entire life. The grilled scallop and Tamagoyaki was to die for:3 We walked around Takashimaya that was very close to our hotel and ate loads of snacks from the street! We were so stuffed when we checked in at 2.30pm. Our hotel was awesome and unable to resist temptations, we crashed for two hours before heading out for dinner.
We had seriously yummy and cheap Udon with tempuras (I have no idea how their tempuras were not oily at all) for dinner when we woke up and guess what we found? Pablo cheesetart! Of course we bought 2 pieces followed by more street food!It was Halloween so we soaked in the atmosphere along Dotonbori where people were dressed up in so many different costumes from No Face (spirited away) to baseball players (animes) and even zombies with coca cola can nicely decorating their faces! We even managed to watch a live concert being held as well as some Japanese schoolboys jumping off the bridge as a dare before being brought ashore safely by their friends in rafts.
1 November 2016
We headed to Kuromon Ichiba Market for breakfast which consisted of soft serve ice cream, Tamagoyaki, freshly roasted Japanese sweet potato and believe it or not, GREEN TEA CHEESE! After a fulfilling morning, which we also managed to go into two Daiso, we were off to Umeda! We took a train down and we found.... BAKE CHEESE TART! Honestly, it was just as yummy as Pablo! And we also managed to drop by a Pokemon Centre.
Can I just special mention two shops I was just simply amazed by? Firstly, Uncle Rikuro which sold seriously fluffy cheesecake. This friendly chef held up the cheesecakes that were freshly out of the oven just for me to take a photo:3 Linzy and I thoroughly enjoyed the yummy goodness.
Just before we left Umeda, Linzy had miriculourly used hand signals to buy us a set of transportation tickets to and fro Kobe Shiritsu Rokkosan Pasture for the next day trip. They have tourist packages thus we saved more than $20!
The second shop is Brasserie Paul Bocuse which sold amazing breads, The breads were filled with loads of fillings and was so soft that I will definitely recommend this bakery! Of course we bought a lot more food as we walked around before trying to head to a restaurant which had grilled beef. Unfortunately for us, we lost our way because of my awful directions. I expected Linzy to throw a fit at me but instead, she calmly used my phone's GPRS to navigate us to Shinsaibashi to grab our dinner. At this point, she taught me the value of patience. It was my fault and instead of pointing fingers, she told me that such things happen sometimes and we just have to move on learn from our past mistakes.
We had superb food but what made it memorable was $13 lobster rolls! The lobster rolls were so good that we finished it less than 3mins. We then had some Calbee with chocolate chips (freshly fried and melted) at Calbee+ and dinner which we packed a lot of variety back to our hotel to feast.
After an adventurous day, Linzy decided to dye her hair red with the dye she bought and we stained the sink:'( We had to scrub so hard before the colour started fading away. One miaow of a day!
2nd November 2016
We woke up bright and early, braved the morning crowd of working adults and took three different transportation to get to Mount Maya. As we missed the bus (which is hourly), we decided to hike up the mountain which led to detours along the way which included a temple and a hidden lake. When we arrived at the pasture, I saw my first real free roaming sheep and was the happiest child you could ever imagine. I got a chance to see other farm animals, try a cheese dessert and even got the opportunity to try freshly made ice cream:3
Just before leaving Mt Maya, this was the very scene I managed to capture atop it. The world has so much for me to explore and this should only be the beginning for me.
If you are in a quest to find cheese tarts, this is the very shop I had enjoyed the cheese tart from most. It had just the right amount of everything. Kobe has been a memorable place indeed.
3rd November 2016
We woke up early to travel to the Osaka Museum of Housing and Living. The museum was cozy and with a small fee, I had the chance to don the Kimono put on for me by a Japanese lady. This was the moment where I was just overwhelmed with gratefulness towards Linzy who had been simply so sisterly towards me.
We had sushi soon after (it's an authentic Jap stall) where they had a separate queue as the queue was too long and so as to not block the other shops. We kept buying more sushi as they tasted so super fresh. We roamed around the streets and was just two happy souls being free from a hectic world.
We then took a stroll to reach Osaka Castle. We took some beautiful shots of the magnificent place before heading off to grab some dinner nearby our hotel.
4th November 2016
What a better way to start the day then with freshly made udon with clear soya sauce broth and hot spring egg? It was a refreshing yet simple taste that packed a punch. This day was just filled with free spirited roaming in which we went shopping to fill up our luggage and eating all the other delicious street food we had previously missed out.
I was so lucky to (after trying 6 other Takoyaki shops) chance upon this very one that sold super amazing Takoyaki balls. Crispy on the outside and chewy and warm on the inside.
This was the damage my shopping spree had done. Tax free was a serious saver while I was shopping. I managed to get some basic products like moisturizer from Kose which costed me only around 1/3 of the price I would have to pay if I bought them back home.
On the very last night here, I decided that a warm soak in the bathtub would do me some good. The decision made was one of the best ever. I not only got a chance to reflect upon this trip but I also recall this very moment to be one that I was finally ready to try applying for university for the first time in my whole entire life and the first time the thought of getting a degree crossed my mind since I graduated from polytechnic.
5th November 2016
Last day here and the temperature was at 12 Degrees Celsius. Osaka has been amazing with the first ever travelling friend, Linzy. If anyone had asked me if impromptu trips were my thing in the past, I would call them cray. As I mature, I realize the less planning I make, the more opportunities I grab and the further I allow my mind to wander, the better a person I can expect myself to work towards. I regret nothing even though people have expressed their regret on how I did not visit certain places. Well, I was there to explore and relax, why would I concern myself with stress and cramming a to-do list right? Well, I guess we all have different opinions regarding travelling.
♥With Love, Travel Happy Lovelies:)
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